Card of the Week: Always Follow Your Heart

For this week's card I decided to use some of the leftovers I have from Glitz's Yours Truly line. I first used this paper when I made this layout, but did not get to use any of the awesome coordinating stickers. To make this card I used strips of patterned paper and one of the stickers.

Card Base: Recollections; Patterned Paper: Glitz; Sticker: Glitz; Small Hearts: punched with my daughters' craft punch; Adhesive: Scrapbook Adhesives, 3D Foam Squares

In keeping with the distressed look of the patterned paper, I sanded the edges of my card.

I love the unusual and unexpected patterned paper in this line.

The Garden Patch Granny Afghan: It's Finished!

After almost a year and a half of having this project 'in the works'. After hours and hours of crocheting, blocking, and sewing squares together, my Garden Patch Granny Afghan is FINISHED!!!

I am so incredibly proud of this blanket. When I made the last stitch and laid my blanket out on the living room floor I had butterflies in my stomach and did a little jump for joy. What a sense of accomplishment I felt. This blanket is truly the greatest crochet project that I have ever done and I love love love it. I loved working on it and I love how it looks all finished.

There is something incredibly wonderful about completing a project of any size, but this blanket was such an adventure to work on, such a time investment, that declaring it finished was just amazing.

Are you ready to see it in all its granny glory?

It really is a sea of granny squares.

Absolutely beautiful! I love it!

Oh, and did you notice the border? I wanted something simple but substantial, to frame all the squares but not compete with or take away from them. I think I got what I was looking for with this border:

Wow. All done.

Like I suspected I would, I have plenty of yarn leftover and have been busy collecting patterns for projects to do with the remainders. The colors coordinate so well with each other and with my home that I am leaning heavily towards a few home decor items.

It feels strange to not have this huge project to work on, some next step to get to. But at the same time it is freeing to know that 'the big one' is done and that I can move on to some of the smaller projects waiting in the queue.

Pity I finished this blanket in the summer when it is way to hot to cuddle underneath it. Oh well, something to look forward to come the fall and winter. Until then, I have it folded on the footstool in the living room, and just looking at it makes me so incredibly happy.

All Smiles

We have fall and spring photos at my daughter's school every year and because I am a photo lover and can not let a beautiful photo of my girl pass me by, I have ended up buying both sets of photos for all the years that she has been in school. To be honest, this will continue to happen.

I used this year's spring photo of Bridget on this layout which I am sharing today over at The Memory Nest for the latest challenge - a Sketch Challenge with a twist, the twist being to include buttons and/or brads.

I followed the sketch exactly, even using circle patterned paper - mine is from October Afternoon. I used a button for the center of my flower and prettied it up a bit by adding a floss bow. Including a button on my layout was easy for me to do because I include them on almost every layout as it is; buttons are one of my favorite embellishments

Here is a closer shot of my title which I cut out using my Silhouette (font: Rustler)

Head on over to The Memory Nest today to see what the other talented ladies of the Design Team have created based on this sketch. And by all means, play along and link up your own creation. 

Card of the Week: The Same Yet Different

This week's card is the same as the card that I made my Dad for his birthday a few weeks back except that I used different paper. The paper is from Jillibean soup, of course.

Card Base: Recollections; Patterned Paper: Jillibean Soup; Butterfly: Jillibean Soup; Rub-On Sentiment: my stash; Adhesive: Scrapbook Adhesives

Same design (which I really like), yet different paper, makes for a completely new card. A sweet little card that would be so simple to make multiples of.

Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely day!

Three Things

Three things that are making me smile today.

My daisies are in full bloom. My Oma planted these daisies from seed over 45 years ago and they have been split up and planted in our family's gardens ever since.

Last week I planted a succulent garden and this past weekend I added a few little friends from the girls' toy box. Cute, eh?

Coffee in my polka dot mug, time to relax and regroup after a busy last week and weekend.

What is making you smile today?

Card of the Week: Happy Birthday Claire

On Saturday Claire turned four years old. How is it possible that my baby is four? How is she such a big girl already, a girl who is watching and learning from the world around her every day?

And she is watching, something I learned again to be true at her birthday party.

Rewind to Friday. I had spent the day chopping vegetables up for salads and for a veggie tray, making dips, and generally getting things ready for the party. After the girls were in bed, I was so tired….but I still had not made a birthday card for Claire. I should not have left it to the last minute, but it had been a busy week as well, and it just sort of happened that way. As I sat at my craft table trying to come up with a design, I thought to myself “Maybe I won’t bother making a card, she is only four, she won’t even notice.” But something, maybe knowing that I had made cards for her and her sister every other year and would be bothered by a missing year, made me press on and come up with this card for my sweet little girl.

Card Base: Recollections; Patterned Paper: Basic Grey; Cardstock: Bazzill; Buttons: Making Memories; Twine: We R Memory Keepers; Rhinestones: Recollections; Border Punch: Fiskars; Adhesive: Scrapbook Adhesives, Glue Dots

When Claire opened up the envelope at the party and saw her card, her eyes widened and she exclaimed “Oh Mommy, did you make this card for me…thank you”. For me, it was the best moment of the afternoon.

Claire has seen me make and give cards to so many people and was so thrilled to have one made for her. She watched as others enjoyed the cards that I had made for them and now she had one of her own. And even though she quickly moved on to ripping the paper off her present, I saw a glimpse of her loving and appreciating the handmade, something that I have hoped to instill in my girls.

She is watching, she saw me create for others and her little heart was touched that I had made something for her. Precious.

Happy 4th Birthday Claire!

Happy

There is a challenge going on over at The Memory Nest that I am very excited to participate in. A Color and Sketch Challenge. Double the challenge, double the fun, right? Here is the layout that I created.

The paper I used for this layout is from Lily Bee Design. I was very excited when I found it at the store because it fit the colors of this challenge and it coordinated with my photos. I do think it was meant to be.

I cut these circular pinwheels from one of my patterned papers and tucked them in along the top of my page just like the sketch.

But because I used two photos rather than one, I needed to shift the position of my journalling and title from what was shown on the sketch. No big deal though, sketches are a great source of inspiration and don't need to be followed exactly.

I want to say thank you to my husband for taking these fantastic photos of our girls in their matching summer dresses. I just love when they are dressed the same and I am going to do that as long as I possibly can, complete with a photo shoot each time. It is just too precious not to document - minimum 100 photos required.

Be sure to stop by The Memory Nest to see what the Chickadees Summer Design Team has created for this challenge. Inspiration guaranteed.

Card of the Week: Happy Birthday Dad

This weekend we celebrated my Dad's birthday. I made him this card.

Card Base: Recollections; Patterned Paper: Lily Bee Design; Cardstock: Bazzill; Rub-On Sentiment: my stash; Adhesive: Scrapbook Adhesives

Like I did last week, I added some stitching to my card - such a fun detail, I am very glad that I rediscovered this technique.

My Dad had a great birthday. We had a BBQ, which he loves, and spent the afternoon together with the whole family chatting and laughing.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Gardening: In Bloom

July has brought some gorgeous flowers to my garden.

My potted geraniums and marigolds add a nice burst of color to the deck.

Tropical Snapdragons - beautiful color

Petunias in the window boxes on the girls' playhouse.

Begonias in the front yard - look at all the blooms hanging on there.

Almost in full bloom are the daisies, currently teasing me with all those pods about to flower.

And the lilies, which have recovered nicely after last year when they were quite disturbed due to some major construction in the yard. 

Flowers in the garden make me so happy.

Card of the Week: Jillibean Soup Happy Birthday Card

Inspired by this sketch and using some of the awesome Jillibean Soup paper that I have in my stash, I created this card.

Card Base: Recollections; Patterned Paper: Jillibean Soup; Cardstock: Bazzill; Twine: We R Memory Keepers; Flower: Prima; Brad: Making Memories; Sentiment Rub-On: my stash; Border Punch: Fiskars; Adhesive: Scrapbook Adhesives, Glue Dots

I added a little bit of sewing to this card, something I have not done in awhile. I love how it gives the tag some dimension - such a fun detail.