Independence Day decorations

The other day, I got a wild hair to make some pinwheels as decorations. My friend, Mrs. Green Thumb, who also is quite crafty, made the cutest pinwheels. Mine don't actually work (and aren't as cute as hers), but they serve their purpose!

I was dying to use my new Kim Hughes set, America the Beautiful (that I won from CHF's Kim Hughes Blitz), so I made decorations for the big day. These were SO simple but I think they provide some much-needed color.
A close-up of the pinwheel. The navy piece was originally a 6" x 6" square. The white square measures 5 7/8" x 5 7/8" and is randomly stamped. I measured 3 inches from each corner and cut the blue square. Then I centered the white square onto the navy square (the side with the measured lines), adhered, and then cut the white square where it lined up with the cuts from the blue square. Bending every other corner to the center, I adhered them in the middle. (The only thing I could get to hold them was needle & thread or hot glue.) I applied a button on top but then covered it up with the punched circles and stamped letters.
Isn't that eagle the cutest little thing? I colored him using my Kohinoor pencils, baby oil and blending stump. The star was a template, and I lined it with Crystal Effects covered with glitter and used foam squares to pop up the eagle.

An easy (although time-consuming) project, but I think well worth it!

Stamps: CHF America the Beautiful
Ink: Black Staz-On, Versamark, SU Real Red, SU Night of Navy
Paper: SU Real Red, SU Night of Navy, SU Whisper White
Tools: Star Template, blending stump & baby oil, glue gun
Accessories: Glitter, Kohinoor pencils, red ribbon, Crystal Effects, bamboo kabob sticks, hot glue

Happy Stamping!

Blogging

Whoops! A friend was having issues uploading her new blog header to Blogger, so I was messing around with it on my site and now I can't find my old header to save the life of me! That was my favorite one, too. :( So, I created a quick new one. I've got lots to do today so I don't have much time. This is a crazy week, as we're preparing for a big 4th of July party. We're up to over 40 people, which is actually much bigger than we originally intended, but I guess the more the merrier! Needless to say, I've got lots to do, and I'm working on Wednesday, so that's one less day to work around here.

I made a fun little project yesterday with my new CHF stamps, which I'll post a little later today after I get a photo. It's just a fun little decor for the 4th.

For now, I'll leave you with a pic of us finally breaking in our new chiminea (sp?). Sci-Fi Reader and her hubby, Game-coder, came over for dinner on Saturday and we played Carble and had a fire. It was nice just chillin' with them. Sometimes I work myself up over having guests, wanting them to feel welcome, but I go way overboard and probably end up making them uncomfortable and stressing myself out. However, Saturday was different and I just made some chicken sandwiches and my mom's Parmesan fries - just a compilation of stuff that I had. It ended up being a very nice evening, low-key, and fun!Hope your day is wonderful!

A Glorious Saturday!

Our outdoor thermometer reads 89 degree, but I would be willing to bet that it got even hotter than that. I guess it's officially summer! It was a glorious day today. Read on for a few of our day's discoveries. :)

The eggs have hatched and we have baby birds! Aren't they darling? Mountain Man discovered them this morning while chopping wood. I have no idea when they hatched, but they certainly fill that little nest. It appears that they all hatched and are sleeping peacefully for now. I can't wait to start hearing their little peeps!I cleaned out flower and veggie beds and filled up all of the bird feeders. And while I was cleaning out the beds, I noticed that my little rose bush now has a white rose on it and has tons of buds!I also finally hung the new hummer feeder and filled it up. It's right next to the front door and just outside a window where I've got my tripod set up. I haven't seen any around here yet, but I'm hoping that if I hang, they will come!
Mountain Man fixed the flag pole and we finally got the flag hung (that we've had for several months now). I love it, and it's none too soon with the 4th shebang that we're having next Friday. He also cleaned all of the gutters with his leaf blower. He's so resourceful! It worked great!
And finally, I'll leave you with some more flowers around the house and a happy pooch. We're having some friends over tonight for dinner and then we're breaking in the chiminea. :)

Hope your day was happy!

It's BASEBALL time

Just a fun little treat for my dad while he's watching baseball on his big-screen TV. :)

Stamps: CHF U R A Hoot (owl), SU Teeny Tinies (star)
Paper: Watercolor, Baseball dp (sorry I don't know the name), SU WW, SU Night of Navy
Ink: Black Staz-On, SU Real Red, markers, and SU Close to Cocoa, and Pumpkin for watercoloring, white gel pen, red glitter gel pen
Accessories: A Muse creative candy (red heart stickers), navy twine
Tools: Scallop punch, scallop scissors, paper piercer

Happy Stamping!

Stamping fun with THE GIRLS

Wednesday night I had fun stamping with the girls. I made two sample cards and pre-cut the cardstock for everyone. I think they all did something a little different to it and got creative. It was so fun to see them personalizing cards and putting their own mark on it. :) I think they had lots of fun and so did I. They're so fun and they really give me energy.


Twinkle Toes and Miss Crafty had prepared lots of delicious goodies, and I learned that I indeed love hummus. Volleyball Crusher brought the Spokane Clan and Card-Maker.

Enjoy!

Chipmunks in service

I recently participated in a CHF Friendly Critters swap. Tom Allen's Friendly Critters are so cute and they're fun to color. I used my new Kohinoor color pencils and baby oil to color these. It was fun but I need more practice with shading.

I used Crystal Effects to make the freshly-washed blueberries look wet and juicy. I do believe they look good enough to eat!
Stamps: Helpful Chipmunks (CHF), Serve One Another (CHF)
Paper: Kraft, SU Real Red, SU Whisper White, Play (Item #643) from Fancy Papers (Celebrate by Michelle Coleman)
Ink: Versafine Black
Accessories: Kohinoor pencils, baby oil, blending stump, buttons, red twine, and Crystal Effects

Happy Stamping!

Co Co's Cupcake

I sent this card to Codie for her birthday. One thing I love about Co Co is her month of celebration for her birthday. She's such a fun chica! Sadly, her birthday month is coming to an end, but I will celebrate her the whole year through!

Stamps: Happy Birthday and Cupcake (A Muse)
Paper: SU Real Red CS, SU WW, yellow polka-dot dp (misc. from paper pack), Play (Item #643) from Celebrate by Michelle Coleman (Fancy papers)
Accessories: yummy silk ribbon, A Muse creative candy, liquid applique, glitter, scallop scissors, red glitter gel pen

Happy stamping!

Happy Birthday to my sweet Madison!

My super sweet niece, Madison, is 8 years old today! I love you and miss you so much! I hope your day was fantastic!

Fun with Onesies and The Girls

My sweet friend, Science-Fiction Reader, is having her first baby very soon. We recently had a shower for her and she needs lots of thank-you cards. Well, she had seen some cards that I had done for another friend (Princess Kitty) that she loved and wanted when she was ready. Well, she's ready now and because these are so labor-intensive, I suckered "The Girls" into helping me cut onesies (270 of them). Thankfully for me, they were even game for assembly! The assembly went very quickly; we made 25 in less than an hour! The Girls are so much fun; need I say, this didn't feel like work! :) We had chicken Caesar salads for lunch and, as you can see, several good laughs!Aren't they darling?!Twinkle Toes got the popsicle stuck on her lip...which wasn't funny.

Or was it?

Bexar's Bud kept him busy all day! You should have seen these two; Bex was attached to his hip for 4 hours! They played inside and out and he just spoiled Bex with attention (like he doesn't get enough)! I don't think they wanted to be separated! Bex was tuckered out from all the playing and he slept the entire evening! It made me so happy to see Bex so happy! So the huge smile on his face? So fun! {I'm actually a little jealous of how happy they both look.} I love this photo; it's just so sweet!

Happy weekend! I'm off to help Science-Fiction Reader and her hubby move and then off to a wedding. Have a great day and happy stamping!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CO CO!

A special shout-out to my friend, Codie. You're such a sweet friend and I hope you have a wonderful day! I'm so thankful for our friendship and look forward to our Tuesday talks on the phone. ;) Hope your day is fabulous!

I'll post her card after she receives it, as she's a faithful reader. :)

Sluggish...

That describes me pretty well these last couple of days! Just haven't been feeling that well, but I've been doing a little stamping, so I should have something up within the next couple of days. :)

Isn't that just the nastiest thing?! Check out the slimy trail he's leaving behind...YUCK! We have them everywhere and when they see my flower beds, some slug yells "BUFFET!" and they slowly all munch it until nothing green remains in sight...until they find the next bed! GRRR. I hate these things and you DON'T want to touch them...let that slimy trail be a warning! So far they've managed to munch all of my corn and I think they took care of most of the squash. The Walla Walla onions are the only surviving plants I have. I hope they make it! I'll have to research remedies for these nasty creatures.

Happy gardening!

Happy Father's Day!

For the record, I didn't forget my dad on Father's day! I'm so blessed to have him as my daddy! I am so grateful for the time he spent with me; he gave me my love for animals and the outdoors. Some of my fondest childhood memories are:

• Many hours of picking burs out of mohair before goat shows
• Hunting sticker burs (He always called me his eagle eye)
• Wrestling on the living room floor
• Squishing my toes in the freshly-tilled garden dirt (so cool and refreshing)
• Playing basketball out front in our gravel driveway
• Feeding and taking care of the goats, horses, chickens, cows, sheep, and Prissie, my sweet little English Cocker Spaniel

I love you, Dad!

Eggciting surprise

Nestled in the corner of our wood stack covering is a small nest made of tiny branches, moss, straw, and a few feathers. Mountain Man discovered it when a bird whizzed in front of him as he walked by. When I went out to find it, the bird flew off before I could get close enough to see what it was. I tried again later, sneaking around the backside of the stack, but it never showed up. I hope we haven't scared it off completely! I didn't want to disturb the nest, so I held my camera up over it and this is what was in it: 4 sweet little white eggs with brown spots.

I think these are chickadee eggs. Aren't they so cute?!

Work Day

Today is a work day around the Bell house. The rowing guys came over today and helped us with spreading mulch, weed-whacking, wood hauling, and various other outdoor activities.

Here are the guys:

I've been taking some photos, catching up on some stamping stuff, and I'll eventually head outside and rake the grass clippings and weed more flower beds. Tonight is a bachelorette party, which I think will be pretty fun!

EDIT: The rowing guys are gone and here's a small part of what they accomplished:Not one pile, but 2 piles of wood gathered from our property!
They're such hard workers and we were so thankful for all of the work they did! It looks like our next task will be splitting and stacking, preparing for the winter. :)

White Calla Lily

We've got a few Calla Lily plants around the house that are beginning to bloom. They're just gorgeous and I just love all of the flowers. At least it looks like Spring, even if it doesn't feel like it!
Today is a deep cleaning day...windows, baseboards, and all of that fun stuff! No time for stamping...until tonight. :)

Logan the Hunter

Not a day goes by without some kind of excitement around here! Bexar's best buddy, Logan, lives next door and is a hunter. He loves chasing squirrels, moles, birds, chickens, peacocks, any kind of creature that is smaller than him and runs across the ground. He's usually quite successful at catching them, and today was no exception. As I was going through the cilantro, making salsa, I looked up and here he comes, prancing down the driveway with this poor creature dangling lifelessly from his jowels.
Yes, unfortunately, that's our other neighbor's chicken. Apparently they had let their chickens out of the pen to walk around and since Logan's invisible fence isn't working, he scored a large snack. I felt badly for all of the neighbors. Neither Logan's mom nor I knew that there were chickens close by. We'll be keeping a closer eye on the boys now.

Just a quick update about the tree: The service guys came around at about 9:30 and turned our power off. Our neighbors, Ex-Fireman & Grumpy, used their clippers to remove the smaller limbs so we could at least drive underneath it this morning to get out of the driveway. When we got up this morning, the tree had been cut and cleared to the sides of the driveway. Our power was restored at around 4am (according to the blinking alarm clock). We're thankful to have our power back, although it was kind of fun making quesadillas last night in the dark...that's the beauty of a gas stove and oven! :)

Wind Storm Excitement

There's nothing like a natural disaster to stir up some excitement in our house! Okay, okay...wind storm and natural disaster may be exaggerated just a little. :) Here's the very real but unexciting story:
Apparently the saturated roots of a large tree that lines our driveway couldn't hold the tower of leaves that it anchored during the 40 mph winds tonight, so it toppled over from the neighbor's yard into our driveway and plopped right down on the power lines. Thankfully we still have power, because where would we be without our internet connection?! Anyway, our neighbor (Bike Boy), knocked on our door, letting us know about the incident at about 7:15, so we rushed out to take a look-see. He proceeded to tell us that he called his parents, who in turn, called the Fire Department. In preparation for the FD's arrival, Mountain Man got his trusty chainsaw out {which he, unlike WOW Addict, is very experienced with} and I armed myself with the Rebel. The local FD arrived almost immediately, but they wouldn't touch it because it was just too dangerous, so they taped off the driveway and called the PUD. I had already placed a call to the PUD, but they told me it could be a long while before somebody comes out because they were swamped with calls of people with downed trees and loss of power. SO...here we sit, stuck in our house without our beloved Ben & Jerry's, which I was about to go get and no eggs to make brownies or cake or anything to satisfy our sweet cravings!

Hope your evening is less exciting. :)

Chainsaws + Flesh = Bad News

A friend of ours (WOW Addict) is always getting hurt. His most recent incident involved his new toy (a chainsaw) and his foot. He's not really sure of the exact events that led up to the chainsaw tearing through his work boot and into his foot, but we're glad that the only result was a very painful cut through some tendons and into his bone. He is now fighting infection, which we're praying will quickly go away. I mailed this card off to him today.
Tyson's foot is bandaged with a strip of cheesecloth and his shell is covered in Crystal Effects. It's very simple, but after the Kim Hughes Blitz, I NEED a few simple ones! :) The inside reads: Hope you're back on your feet soon!

Stamps: CHF Tyson the Turtle, CHF U R A Hoot (sentiment), Stampin' Up! Simply Circles
Paper: Stampin' Up! Navy
Ink: Black Staz-On, Navy, Versamark, Mix of greens for watercoloring the shell
Accessories: Green grosgrain, navy brad

Happy stamping!

Love Me Tender

This project was made for the CHF Kim Hughes Blitz Combination Challenge. We were to combine Kim Hughes' stamps with other CHF stamps. The Farm has a wonderful line of Elvis stamps and I couldn't resist this guitar!

Well...it's Dudley at least one more time. I'll probably put him away for a while, although I do like dressing him in different outfits. I pulled another all-nighter tonight (very stupid of me) and came up with this:
It's a decorated CD and holder. I thought it would be fun to add some Elvis tunes and give as a gift. :)
The back lists the rest of the lyrics to "Love Me Tender," which was all computer-generated.
And this is the actual CD. I drew the hearts with a Sharpie and outlined them with a silver pen.

And here's a close-up of Elvis. His hair just didn't look right so I cut it off. And how do you like his flashy jumpsuit?! Can you see his microphone? Can you even tell that it IS a microphone?!

Okay, I'm off to get some sleep before church! Guess I'll need to drink a pot of coffee in a couple of hours! LOL

Happy stamping!

Congratulations on your retirement!

My mom and Eddie retired from teaching this year. I think they taught for 33 years and 10 years, respectively, and all in the same district. They got out of town quickly and moved way down into Mexico. I made this card for them (although it's late). They're having a fabulous time already and are looking forward to a new life there. So, mom, congratulations on so many years teaching, putting up with us brats. (I say "us" because she was my 4th grade teacher. How cool is that?!)

Unfortunately they'll see this before they actually receive it, but I just wanted to recognize them for all of their hard work and dedication. They were up there many nights after dark, preparing for the next day, catching up on grading papers, etc. So congratulations and I hope y'all enjoy Mexico!

Stamps: U R A Hoot, SU Print Pattern
Paper: SU Red, White, Creative Imaginations Fiesta dp
Ink: Black Staz-on, Black Versafine, and SU Cocoa & Pumpkin for watercoloring
Accessories: Sandylion Essentials stickers - Mexico, colored twine, green brads

Dudley's poncho and his blankets all have frayed edges and are roughed-up a bit to give it a more authentic look.

Happy stamping!

Lady Liberty and exciting news

I'm having more fun with the Kim Hughes challenges over at Cornish Heritage Farms. Today's was to use a winged creature. Thankfully, the owl stamps work for that, too, although I must admit to getting a little tired of using Dudley. I'm almost on Dudley burnout, but alas, there's still one more challenge. This brings me to my exciting news...my Kim Hughes stamp collection is growing. I won America the Beautiful yesterday! WOO-HOO! I'm SO excited. :) It's coming at the perfect time, as we're having a 4th of July party! I'll have fun doing some decorating with it.

Now, onto Lady Liberty.
Stamps: CHF U R A Hoot
Paper: SU Sage Shadow, Bashful Blue, Gray, Creative Imaginations polka-dot (unsure of exact name), Watercolor paper
Ink: Black Staz-on, Versamark
Accessories: Textured Trios Double-sided ribbon, K&Company Wedding collection rhinestones

I hand drew the crown, torch, and tablet. And to impart my newly-acquired Lady Liberty knowledge, I discovered that her tablet reads July 4, 1776 in Roman numerals. (Yes, the Roman numerals on my card are actually correct.)

Happy Saturday and happy stamping!

Wanna Roll in the Hay?

Just another card I made for the Kim Hughes sketch challenge.
Stamps: U R A Hoot
Paper: SU Navy, Hay dp from DCWV The Photo Stack
Ink: Black Staz-On, Versamark, White; For Watercoloring: SU Cocoa, SU Pumpkin, SU Navy
Accessories: Wire, brads, silver pen, dimensionals

To make the hay bale, I wadded up the paper, then used my scissors to fray the edges. I made two layers and put them up on dimensionals. This technique really gives gives the card a lot of texture.

I stamped Dudley in Versamark on the bottom of the card as if he was actually rolling. This fun card will go to my sweet hubby!

Happy stamping!

We Want YOU Back Home

The Kim Hughes blitz over at Cornish Heritage Farms continues on. I've never seen so many amazing cards! I've had so much fun participating. Onto today's card...

Back during WWI, there was a popular poster created by James Montgomery Flagg to support the American war effort. It consisted of Uncle Sam in the middle, pointing at you with his index finger, and read "I Want You in the U.S. Army." Although I wasn't alive during WWI, this image has remained popular and has been around for as long as I can remember. The idea to combine this with Dudley the owl has been in my mind for a while now and I finally got the opportunity to put it to paper. :)

Stamps: CHF U R A Hoot
Paper: SU Navy, White, Red, Watercolor
Ink: Black Staz-On; For Watercoloring: SU Cocoa, Pumpkin, Navy
Accessories: Clear bling stickers, old button, white and navy ribbon, White EP, dimensionals, and white stuffing

His suit and bow tie are hand-drawn. I also drew his hat, using the base of the Santa hat from the U R A Hoot set as the base. Pillow stuffing came in handy for his beard and hair. And of course, finished him off by pointing his wing at you. I am sending this to a friend's husband who is currently serving in Iraq. I hope he feels appreciated!

Happy Stamping!

Harry Potter Graduates!

He finally did it, and is moving on from Hogwarts...at least in my blog book. :-) I must admit that I'm not a huge Harry Potter fan and I have no idea if he does in fact graduate, but I couldn't get the original idea out of my head. When I made the last Harry Potter card, Expelliamus, I made two owls, markering one and watercoloring the other. I liked the bold colors of the markers with the bold burgandy, gold, and black, so I used the other one. I found the watercolored one sitting on my craft table, lonely and feeling unloved, so I slapped him on some cardstock for the Kim Hughes Blitz limited supplies challenge over at CHF. It's been so much fun to look at what others have come up and it's wonderful to see some new faces, too. :) Anywhoooo, have a wonderful day!
Stamps: U R A Hoot (CHF), SU Simply Circles
Paper: Kraft CS, SU Pumpkin CS, Misc. green polka-dot dp
Ink: Black Staz-On, Brown Staz-On, Versamark, and SU black, burgandy, cocoa, and pumpkin for watercoloring
Accessories: Aquapainter, misc. buttons, American Crafts Orange Polka-dot ribbon, green polka-dot ribbon (sorry, don't know who makes this), gold paint pen, and googlie eyes

Happy Stamping!

Turtle Love

The Kim Hughes Blitz over at Cornish Heritage Farms has several daily challenges and the one for Thursday is a limited supplies challenge, meaning you can only use the listed supplies.

The limited supplies challenge for Thursday is:
1. button(s)
2. ribbon
3. cardstock
4. stamps (your choice)
5. color scheme: orange, lime green, chocolate brown and cream

I really don't feel I "limited" myself on this card, but I like it nonetheless. I've had fun coming up with ideas for all of the challenges and can't wait to show you Friday's card! :)

So here's.................Tyson.............and girlfriend! For some reason that reminds me of "CaptainnnnnnnnnnnnnCaveeeeeeeeemannnnnnnnnn...............and son!" Okay, on to the card. :-)

I absolutely {heart} this bow! The idea was created by Holly McMillen, aka Toy from SCS, and author of Toy's Haven - her darling blog! Seriously, you must check her out; she is fabulous! The layout was one I stumbled upon while browsing the fabulous Leigh O'Brien's blog, Sunflower Studio. I loved the way this card looked from her April 19th post. Isn't she incredibly talented? Go ahead...peruse through her blog. You won't be disappointed!

Stamps: CHF Tyson the Turtle (April Stamp of the Month), U R A Hoot (sentiment), SU Simply Circles
Paper: Kraft Cardstock, SU Pumpkin CS, Misc. dp (orange plaid & green polka-dots)
Ink: Brown Staz-On, Versamark, and SU Green Galore, Only Orange, Pumpkin (for watercoloring)
Accessories: Details & Accessories Brown Satin Ribbon, American Crafts Orange Polka-dot ribbon, aquapainter, Crystal Effects, Orange Glitter Glue, foam tape, corner rounder

Happy Stamping!

Kim Hughes Blitz

Believe it or not, my stamp studio has been getting some love lately and I've been making some cards for the Kim Hughes Blitz coming up later this week. Kim Hughes is one of my favorite stamp designers, whose work you can find at Cornish Heritage Farms. As you probably well know, my current favorite stamp set is U R A Hoot, which was drawn and designed by Kim. It's fabulous and Dudley (my affectionate name for the big owl) is SO versatile.

Please feel free to join the Blitz, participate in the chat on Wednesday night, have fun creating with all of the challenges, and qualify for fun prizes. All of the details are in the CHF Forums under Fun Forums>The Kim Hughes Blitz.

Happy Stamping!

A New Do for the Summer

I love getting my hair cut and styled; it invigorates me! So, I got a wild hair today and got my hair done. She gave me some blonde highlights and light brown lowlights, and I had 5 inches cut off! I absolutely love it! Thank you, Katie, for this fabulous new do!