father's day 2008.

i am finding this to be an emotional father’s day this year. listening to talk radio today. several people calling in and wishing their father’s a fabulous day. some calling in telling that their father’s had passed and they simply missed them. i was sad for them. i have a great dad. he did it all right, even when he thinks he didn’t. we can talk about a great many things together. we love to drag through politics together. it’s easy for us to wax philosophical. i admire his spiritual insight into everyday living. he loves my mom unquestioningly. i have never doubted their relationship. that is huge in a daughter’s life, even an adult daughter’s. he keeps persevering even against discouraging odds. he is not afraid to show his humanity and admit his failures. oh, there are plenty of rough spots, but that just comes with being citizens of this world.
i love the way he is with my son. they have a relationship…how great is that? it means so much to me that they can be together in ‘their’ way. he loves my daughters beautifully. probably re-living some of his early parenting days when his daughters could still be wrapped up in his arms so tight that nothing could get in.
happy father’s day dad! i love you.

summer lovin' challenge

noel mignon is having a guest summer layout challenge over on her blog. this is one of my entries. i wish i could photo it better. but it's a shadow box, sand and all from my trip to hilton head island, with one of my bestest of friends on this cool swing right there on the beach. can you see the shells?
supplies:

background patterned paper: 7gypsies (westway)
photo layered on page from making memories noteworthy journal notebook.
tab: sei (dill blossom)
sticker: cloud9 clear note stickers (this is layered on a scrap of sei and then punched with a scallop punch)
butterfly: martha stewart paper punch
ribbon: my stash

and another summery entry from vacation last year.

supplies:patterned paper: love elsie: toby carry on. scenic route: white blue grid background. cherry arte: girl power (“happy”).
journal block: rhonna farrer ‘celebration’ digi kit. chipboard: scenic route.flowers: american crafts.quote sticker: 7gypsies. brads: making memories. ink: stampin up.


this photo has been floating around my work space for some time now...and this challenge was the perfect inspiration to get it in a layout. i love a frap on a summery afternoon.

Cardstock: stampin up (kraft)
Patterned paper:mod autumn leaves (orange).Making memories: noteworthy (green notebook strip).Sei: dill blossom.Yellow bicycle.
Scallop circle: truly yours (archivers)
chipboard: scenic route (arrow); label holder (stampin up)
letter stickers: scenic route (orange); making memories (mini alpha) (noteworthy).
border sticker: paper studios
coffee sticker: gifted line
stamp: making memories
ink: stampin up

thanks for a hosting a great challenge, noel.

have a great evening.

nine years old.

she's nine. and perfectly the girl she is suppose to be. sweet. soft and tough. she has to be tough with an older brother and two older boy cousins in the neighborhood. she has to be sweet and soft for her two little sisters and younger girl cousin. she is a good mix of it all.
we spent the weekend on my cousins farm. avery discovered a new love: atv-ing. she road all the live long day. she loved it!
at one point she ran out of gas. she was about a 1/2 mile from the house. her oldest cousin was with her. well, he did not realize she had run out, but he was not really paying too close attention to whether he was still with her or not as he was riding the bigger atv. so he left her stranded. she got back to the house hot and mad. whew! that girl can ignite. she was a woman scorned. so mad at her cousin she could only cry. she cooled off and all was well again, but i think she could have bit his head off if she had had the chance. can't say as i blame her.

happy birthday, my beautiful avery!

supplies: cardstock: stampin up: groovy guava
patterned paper: chatterbox: happy circles. happy flourish. happy stroll. happy circles.
scalloped circle: making memories
chipboard 9: not sure
chipboard coasters: sei
chipboard letters: making memories
label: etsy

yes...it's june!

it is finally warm today. the month is full of activity and summer time stuff.

road trip.

weekend family reunion in kansas.

art camp for the girls.

vbs for all.

pool.

parks.

concerts.

waterguns.

sunshine!

sigh...can it be true, can it really be warm again? i hope it is here to stay. the winter has been long indeed.

so today we are heading out for a little road trip to kansas to see family and celebrate what was suppose to be grandma's 90th birthday celebration. with her passing just over a month ago, the family decided to get together even in her absence and eat, and laugh, and play games and simply put: be together. i love that.

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a few posts here in the creative category. the june blocks are a bit on the bright side for my normal mode of color. but they look like summer. it was in answer to a challenge over at scrapnfonts. the girls loved them.

directions:

using 3x3 blocks, paint as desired. i used two of the colors from the patterned paper.

cut patterned paper 2.75 inches square. adhere to front. print out JUNE using the ck little al font. fancy cut the negative part out. using foam tape, adhere to top of patterned paper. print flowers from ck ali doodle font. one was printed onto white cardstock in blue, then colored in. the other was printed on patterned paper. adhere with foam tape.

there were other variations i had in my mind, but stayed content with how it turned out this time. my mind is now moving toward something for july.

supplies: wood blocks. patterned paper: girl power (cherryarte-work in progress june kit). the above said fonts

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treasure this is for my daughter analise. she is just in this place right now of adorable-ness (is that a word?) she can just light everything up with her smile and her eyes. this photo was also another chance to play around with the diffuse glow filter in pse. really love that edit. have been playing with it a lot.

patterned paper: base: chatterbox: eclectique blue sky. scenic route: parkside (lynden line). sei: dill blossom. scalloped circle: yours truly(archivers). chipboard coasters: sei. rub ons. making memories.

i am in a quandry about where to put the journaling. just can't seem to make it fit anywhere, so the layout it still not complete. it's driving me nuts. any suggestions? i am almost to the point of hidden journal spot, but it's just not always the best when the layout it behind a page protector.

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"she" was fun to put together. the cardstock is from in color by stampin up. it is my least favorite color of that line this year...so i made myself use it. love the way it worked with the making memories scalloped die cut patterned paper. the she journal tag is from etsy. used the cosmo cricket rubons from the may work in progress kit. the ribbons are part of my stash. have to do a post on my new ribbon storage. lovin it! it is so easy and accessible now. the ribbon covers up some flowers from another esty journal scalloped tag...the flowers seemed to clash with the fancy cut flowers from the webster's pages patterned paper. and yes there is stitching all the way around. another thing i don't do alot of, but i felt compelled with the look and feel of the photo, which is also using the pse diffuse glow filter.

okay...gotta go for now. still need to pack and get out of here...but feel better to have a few things posted.

thanks for visiting.

have a wonderful summery weekend.

beautiful.

using up some of the wip may kit papers. love the webster's pages. never used any before. they have such an elegant feel about them. this was a little photo i took of gracie while she was reading. that is her content look. life is good when the girl has a book and quiet.
i also played with distort in pse. it gives this fabulous softness to a less than perfect photo. will be using that edit often i think in the future.
the layout is based loosely on janelle richmond's sketch 52.

supplies:
patterned paper: jack ricrac square(making memories); robin's nest and morning glory(webster's pages); notebook(scenic route)
journal tag: 7gypsies
rubons: cosm0 cricket
clear stamp: flourish(scenic route)
ribbon: making memories (found in savannah)
directions:used the jack ricrac square as base paper for layout. layered the 4x5 photo on the robin's nest patterned paper with a scrap of notebook paper on the left side. the ribbon is layered over that with glue dots. the rubons spell out 'beautiful' on the journal tag with the flourish stamped below that in brown. the yellow flower is fancy cut from the morning glory paper. that's all. simple yet elegant. there is so much i love about the paper and embellies on this layout.

thanks for visiting.