Magnolia Stamp Lovers Challenge #7

Another week, another challenge. This week's challenge was PURPLE. I had so much fun doing this card. The colors were bright and cheerful and Tilda had such a good time at this party. She made lots of new friends. Please visit the challenge here.



Paper - DCWV Nana's Kids, Stamps - Magnolia Cupcake Tilda, Penny Black; Spica - Baby Blue, Pink, Melon, Lemon; Stickles - Frosted Lace Fruit Punch; Diamond Glaze; Pebbles Inc. Pearlescent Chalk; Krylon Matte Fixative; Copics - E11, R20, E00, Y21, E29, E27, E25, E34, E35, RV13, RV14, E31, Y17, Y08, Y06, YG13, YG25, C1, YG23, R27, Y35, B52, BV00, BV01, BV02, B12, R30, RV02, R22, RV04, C3

Bluebird Update: The bluebirds are still flirting. I haven't found any grass in the nestbox but they are here everyday, usually in the morning; yesterday they were here at dusk. The days are getting longer and warmer but maybe not warm enough yet. Please leave a comment with the names you would like them to be called and I will pick names on April 2nd.

Name my bluebirds...

So, all the plants have been pulled from the greenhouse and are now residing in front of the dining room door to the deck. I have to turn them three times a day to keep them growing straight up which is a benefit of the greenhouse. Temperatures are supposed to be a little more moderate the end of the week, so I'm hoping they can all go back outside where they will grow strong. In the meantime, all the gardening work remains. Sigh!

Bluebird Update: My bluebirds have been hanging around for about 3 weeks. They periodically have checked the box which is clean and ready for use. The last week they have been here every morning about eight o'clock. The male sits on the box quivering his wings (if the window were open, I would probably hear him singing) to encourage his mate to check out the box. Both of them enter the box once or twice and then disappear until the next day. She will soon start their nest which is made of long grasses or pine needles. It very much resembles a robin's nest without the mud. Since they are both thrushes, I would expect their nests to be similar. I will keep you updated throughout the season on their progress. Please leave a comment with the names you would like them to be called and I will pick names on April 2nd.

Name my bluebirds...

So, all the plants have been pulled from the greenhouse and are now residing in front of the dining room door to the deck. I have to turn them three times a day to keep them growing straight up which is a benefit of the greenhouse. Temperatures are supposed to be a little more moderate the end of the week, so I'm hoping they can all go back outside where they will grow strong. In the meantime, all the gardening work remains. Sigh!



Paper: Debbie Mumm; Pebbles Inc Chalk; Diamond Glaze; Stamps: Magnolia Big Daisy, Magnolia Loves Me Tilda; Penny Black, Art Impressions; Stickles: Yellow, crystal; Copics: Y08, Y06, Y02, Y11, YG03, YG05, Y18, Y13, YG91, Y28, E43, RV00, C3, E00, E000, B95, B93, B91, V05, E53, E43, E51, C1

Bluebird Update: My bluebirds have been hanging around for about 3 weeks. They periodically have checked the box which is clean and ready for use. The last week they have been here every morning about eight o'clock. The male sits on the box quivering his wings (if the window were open, I would probably hear him singing) to encourage his mate to check out the box. Both of them enter the box once or twice and then disappear until the next day. She will soon start their nest which is made of long grasses or pine needles. It very much resembles a robin's nest without the mud. Since they are both thrushes, I would expect their nests to be similar. I will keep you updated throughout the season on their progress. Please leave a comment with the names you would like them to be called and I will pick names on April 2nd.

Spring alert...

I have to admit I am always rushing seasons. I am barely into one before I'm waiting for the next one. The season that causes me the most work is spring. There are leaves and branches to clean up, 11 flower beds to clean and compost, the greenhouse to put together, early seeds to start and spring bulbs to plant. After 4 months of little exercise, the first warm day I rush out and kill myself. We had a tree service trim all the white pines and blue spruces, as well as the crabapple and redbud. In addition to normal winter clutter, we have the debris from 14 trees to clean up. My husband did get the greenhouse up and I have started the tomatoes in the house but the rest is right where it dropped. I'm tired of 60 degrees, then 40 degrees, then 60 degrees, although it might be the only thing keeping me alive - the day of rest between the work.

We've been having elderly parent issues so it seems our lives are not our own anymore. My husband shoulders much more of that responsibility than anyone else which is why chores are not getting done as fast as they normally would.

My husband dug this double decker pond one shovelful at a time using only a picture from HGTV.com as a guide. The bottom pond is 10 feet across and two feet deep with a three foot hole on the left side. The top pond is six feet across and one foot deep. It's just for tropical water plants and frogs. The plants in the top pond spend the winter in his workroom in the basement under growlights in big tubs. He had never done masonry before or built a waterfall. Amazing, isn't it? It's now filled with water lilies and lotus, fish and frogs. The dragonflies and damsel flies are thick and the plants have filled in all around it.

Spring alert

I have to admit I am always rushing seasons. I am barely into one before I'm waiting for the next one. The season that causes me the most work is spring. There are leaves and branches to clean up, 11 flower beds to clean and compost, the greenhouse to put together, early seeds to start and spring bulbs to plant. After 4 months of little exercise, the first warm day I rush out and kill myself. We had a tree service trim all the white pines and blue spruces, as well as the crabapple and redbud. In addition to normal winter clutter, we have the debris from 14 trees to clean up. My husband did get the greenhouse up and I have started the tomatoes in the house but the rest is right where it dropped. I'm tired of 60 degrees, then 40 degrees, then 60 degrees, although it might be the only thing keeping me alive - the day of rest between the work.

We've been having elderly parent issues so it seems our lives are not our own anymore. My husband shoulders much more of that responsibility than anyone else which is why chores are not getting done as fast as they normally would.

In easier days my husband dug this double decker pond one shovelful at a time using only a picture from HGTV.com as a guide. The bottom pond is 10 feet across and two feet deep with a three foot hole on the left side. The top pond is six feet across and one foot deep. It's just for tropical water plants and frogs. The plants in the top pond spend the winter in his workroom in the basement under growlights in big tubs. He had never done masonry before or built a waterfall. Amazing, isn't it? It's now filled with water lilies and lotus, fish and frogs. The dragonflies and damsel flies are thick and the plants have filled in all around it.



In rushing the season again, I created this card:



Stylish Tilda, Magnolia Rose; Paper from stash; Copics: YR15, Y06, BV02, BV04, BV0000, BV000, R81, R83, E11, E00, R21, BV00, Y13, E43, Spica: Lavender; Distress Ink: Dusty Concord

Magnolia Stamp Lover's Challenge #6

Pull out those die-cuts and slap them on a card. MSL wants to see how you mix them with your Magnolia stamps - that's it, couldn't be more simple, Magnolia+die cut = the new Magnolia wedding couple. Now, that's a cute stamp, isn't it?

Here is my entry for the challenge:



Paper - Bazzill, Vellum; Stamps - Stampin Up, Magnolia Baseball Cap Edwin; Dew Drops; Spica - Pitch Black, Lavender, Mint, Clear; Copics - E11, R20, E00, E25, E27, G94, YG63, N3, N5

So, get on over to the Magnolia Stamp Lover's Blog and play along.

Chicago Flower Show...

I finally had some time to go over the pictures from the flower show this year. A new stand-out in the vendor area was a small company from Minnesota called Francis Metal Works, LLC. They have created the most whimsical garden art using native stones. Their animals have charisma and character and I was very happy to come home with one. I can see many more of their creations in our garden's future.

The subject of this year's flower show was "great performances". Some of the tabletops were like advertisements for movies or plays.


Can you tell what movie/play this arrangement suggests?

There were a dozen unique window boxes. The only problem I have with some of the arrangements was there is no way all of the plants will be blooming at the same time or have the same growing requirements. They mix spring, summer and fall plants and desert and bog plants. While this can make a really unusual arrangement, most gardeners could never duplicate it with success. Still, I always find something to take away from their efforts.




I always check out the color combinations:






And then there was lunch at Harry Carey's which opened in Navy Pier just a few days before we visited the flower show. I recommend the pulled pork sandwich. Finger lickin' good. Ruthann and I had a great day. We listened to Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show as well as Jersey Boys on the way back. My husband slept like the dead that night. Luckily there is a whole eleven months before the next one - he'll forget by then, right?

Great Blog Candy

Stephanie Hester from the Magnolia Stamp Lovers Design Team has a great pile of blog candy up for grabs - ya'll know you have a sweet tooth. Check it out here.

This will be a quick post today - lots to do, never enough time. I have no idea how I managed to get everything done when I worked. I still have the same schedule - up about 5:30am, in bed with a good book by 8:00pm or so, but I still run out of hours in the day. Yesterday I wandered around the yard four or five times. Watching the grass green up, checking out the fish in the pond. Counting the frogs that were out, making mental lists of everything that needs to be divided or transplanted. Bringing in the bag of potting soil so I can start some tomatoes in the house. The portable greenhouse should go up next weekend so I can start some cold weather seeds. By April 1, I will have 25 flats of flowers started. At our annual garage sale in May, I will have Cardinal Climbers and Moon Flowers for sale. Ninety percent of the plants I start are for butterflies and hummingbirds. My husband belongs to a local camera club that comes to our yard once a year for a photography outing. My husband collects garden items that can be placed around the yard that people can arrange for their photos. It's great fun and I always look forward to the great variety of insects and birds we invite to our garden.

In keeping with that theme, this is a card I did by request. I was told brown hair and a garden of flowers. So...I quibbled a bit. But I was pleased with how it turned out.



Paper: DCWV Taj Mahal; Pebbles, Inc. Chalk; Distress Ink - Broken China; Stamps: Magnolia Tilda w/Bow, Magnolia Big Daisy, Art Impressions Flower Pot, Large Vine; Spica: Melon, Clear; Copics: Skin - E11, R21, E00; Flower - B0000, Y02, YG06; Hair - E25, E27; Shoes - W5, W3; Jeans, T8, T6, T5; Top - YG25, YG03; Socks: YG03

Oy vey

Being a member of a design team is no walk in the park. I love the honor but I've always been a free spirit when it comes to crafting, the mood hits, I respond. When you're on a design team it's kind of like a job. We get assignments - 2 cards, this theme, 2 cards, that theme. Ok, now I have pressure. Throw in a due date and now I have panic. Some days I should have stood in bed. So...this is what I looked like today as I tried to come up with 2 spring cards, 2 wedding cards and 2 4th of July cards. It didn't help that my bluebirds are back and periodically checking out the box they probably used last year. So, I color with a copic, I stand in front of the window, I color with a copic, I stand...well, you get the picture. I have ADD when the BBs get here, all I want to do is listen to the male sing and watch the nest building. When the babies hatch, I will share pictures with you. I always feel like a new grandmother when we have chicks.



Paper: K&Co Que Sera Sera; Kaiser Rhinestones; Art Impressions Stamp; Copics: Y02, R21, E11, E00, R81, E57, E59, BG10, BG11, N3, C1

Oh, joyous song...

This morning as I was walking out to get the paper, I heard the songs of a red-winged blackbird, cardinals, titmice, and chickadees calling 'Yoo Hoo'. Although the sky was cloudy, the breeze was mild, somewhere in the high 40's or low 50's. The wind carried the fragrance of damp earth and spring promise. I have bulbs emerging in the bed along the sidewalk which is close to the house and warms up earliest in the spring. AND just a second ago, a male bluebird was singing on top of the bird feeder that we will have to move if he decides to claim the nest box on the fence - update - he's checking out the box on the fence right now. I'm holding my breath as he calls his mate. We fledged 8 bluebirds in two broods last year in that box and several bluebirds over the winter have been back to check on it. If they nest there, we move the feeder to the other side of the yard in order to give the bluebirds the privacy they like to lay their eggs and raise their young. A bluebird in your yard says "all is right with the world" and gives you a happiness boost all summer long.

As always, your comments are very much appreciated. What says 'spring' to you?

Oh, joyous song

This morning as I was walking out to get the paper, I heard the songs of a red-winged blackbird, cardinals, titmice, and chickadees calling 'Yoo Hoo'. Although the sky was cloudy, the breeze was mild, somewhere in the high 40's or low 50's. The wind carried the fragrance of damp earth and spring promise. I have bulbs emerging in the bed along the sidewalk which is close to the house and warms up earliest in the spring. AND just a second ago, a male bluebird was singing on top of the bird feeder that we will have to move if he decides to claim the nest box on the fence - update - he's checking out the box on the fence right now. I'm holding my breath as he calls his mate. We fledged 8 bluebirds in two broods last year in that box and several bluebirds over the winter have been back to check on it. If they nest there, we move the feeder to the other side of the yard in order to give the bluebirds the privacy they like to lay their eggs and raise their young. A bluebird in your yard says "all is right with the world" and gives you a happiness boost all summer long.

This card says "SPRING" and makes me happy just to look at it.



Paper: created from strips taped together; Stamps: Magnolia Honey Tilda, Magnolia Honey Jar; Memories Mist Mango Lemonade; Craft World Flowers; Distress Ink: Mustard Seed, Black Soot; Diamond Glaze; Spica: Clear, Gold; Copics: E11, R20, E00, T8, N3, Y38, YR24, YR0000, E50, Y18, Y13, Y02, R27, E43, E53, E51, E41.

As always, your comments are very much appreciated. What says 'spring' to you?

Distress Inks

I finally broke down and ordered some Distress Ink Refills. I had been trying to practice watercoloring with them but it wasn't easy with just the pad. It's incredible how easy it is to watercolor with them. I use a package from a spellbinder die as a pallet, place a drop of distress ink, add water, mix and paint. Easy Peasy! Of course, I'm hoping I'll get a lot better at the shading as I go along. I love my Copics, this is just a different look. These new Distress Inks are beautiful.



Paper - Watercolor Paper, DCWV The Glitter Sweet Matstack; Stamps - Sentiment Whipper Snapper, Magnolia Shy Tilda, PaperTrey Out on a Limb; Distress Inks - Tattered Rose, Wild Honey, Tumbled Glass, Crushed Olive, Barn Door, Spun Sugar; Spica - Red, Turquoise, Gold, Blossom; Flowers - Craft World; VersaFine Ink; watercolor marker for flowers on branch.

Back from Chicago

First of all, I have news: This message is from Stephanie Hester, our lead designer from the Magnolia Stamp Lovers Blog and StampingScrapping.com Magnolia Stamps:

Hi, Everyone,

Would you like to see your card on the home page of this group? Well, now is your chance!

Since winter has been long and cold (at least in my neck of the woods) I would like to see your spring cards/projects. You will have until March 31st to create a card and place it in the photo album named 04/10 Home Page Contest. Here is a link to the folder.

Any creation is acceptable as long as it has a Magnolia stamp on it. Just place a copy of your card in the folder. We would all love to see what you create so please send a link through the group so we can all come and leave you some love!!

For those of you that are new to Yahoo groups when you upload your photo and then view it, if you copy the address from the address bar in your viewer (ie: Firefox, Internet Explorer, etc.) and then paste it into your post it will take others directly to your photo within the album.

Have fun!!
Stephanie

If you have any questions, please leave a comment at the end of this post and I will answer in the comment section or send you a private e-mail if you prefer.

Now, while I'm sorting the thousands of pics from the flower show, I offer this. In my hunger for warmer weather, I colored this image that has been sitting in the "stamped images" box since the day she arrived at my home. Soon we will all have our swimsuits on complaining about the heat.



Paper - DCWV Latte Matstack; Stamps - Art Impressions, Cornish Heritage Farms, Stampin' Up; Spica - clear, blossom; Distress Ink - Faded Jeans; Sizzix Sizzlets Sentiment and shell; Copics - E11, R21, E00, YG23, B45, E93, G82, Y23, Y26, BV0000, E41, Y18, Y19, Y08, Y38, YG06, RV02, R85, R83, R81, RV13, B12, E33, R24, R37, R35; the background was airbrushed with the Copic ABS1. (My husband bought me the Windstorm for my birthday, Cindy said it will ship soon, so get ready for a lot of airbrushed images in the future.) Also, as soon as my Muddpuddles Tahitian Beach arrives, I will add some to the sand.

Magolia Stamp Lovers Blog - Challenge 5

Cindy's challenge was pink and chocolate. This delightful paper was just hangin' around in my stash pile callin' "Pick me, pick me." So, I did. And I love this little Tilda, a teeny bit more dressy than most. Head over to the blog and participate. Ya can't win if you don't try and this winner will receive a copy of Magnolia Ink Fairy Tale issue which I understand is 'da bomb'.



Paper: from the stash; Magnolia Dinner Tilda, Lace Jar; Spica: Blossom, Pink, Chocolate; Jellyroll: White; Copics: E00, E21, E93, R85, R83, YR23, Y21, E41, RV02, Y28, E55, E57, E30; Ribbon from the stash; Roses made with brown cardstock; Leaves: Sizzix die; Stickpin with various beads.

Inspiration

Where do you get your inspiration? I find it in the strangest places. At the Chicago Flower Show at Navy Pier every year they have a "table top" contest. Decorators, flower shop owners, and wedding consultants put together tables, flower arrangements, china, glasses, napkins. Every year I take pictures of all the table tops and of the separate contest for flower arrangements. Some of the color combinations are ones I would not have come up with on my own. Last night my husband and I were watching an episode of The Tudors from season 1, downloaded from Netflix and the king was wearing a coat that, as near as I can figure, was YG25 Celadon Green and Black. It was a striking combination and one I plan to use soon. I always keep a pad of paper and pen next to my chair in our family room so when I'm watching HGTV, I can take notes on combinations that appeal to me.



I also keep a stack of 4x6" index cards labeled with different categories. Examples are: Embellishments, Sentiments, Coloring, Background, Sparkle, Techniques, Card Type, and Die Cuts. On each card is a list that I can check when I'm stuck for jazzing up a card. Some of the items on the Embellishments card: buttons, brads, ribbon, rivets, rhinestones, charms, shrink-it, safety-pins, sequins & buckles. There are a lot more on the list, but you get the idea. When I created this card, there was a large white area that I needed to color and a large area in the upper left of the image that needed filling. When I went to my 'background' card, I picked chalk out to tone down the bright white and then sprayed the image with matte fixative. For the upper left, I focused on buckles because it was a boy card. All of my die cut buckles were too big for the area, but this pop top from a soda can, colored with a copic pen, worked just fine with a small strip of the background paper.



Paper: DCWV All About Boys Stack; Pebbles Ink Chalk; Spica: Clear, Silver; Distress Inks: Black Soot, Peeled Paint, Shabby Shutters; Stamps: Magnolia Baseball Cap Edwin, Flourishes Lamp Post; Copics: E11, R20, E00, Y13, Y02, C1, C3, Y06, Y19, B95, B93, B91, E34, E33, E31, G12, G82, V17, V15, V12, E25, Y00, Y21, RV21, YG06, Y17, C00

Please stop by StampingScrapping.com to see the latest Magnolia stamps. Pirates and brides and Fairytales, oh, my.

Copic Color Challenge #54

I've been writing down the colors for a Copic Color Challenge for weeks, but life kept getting in the way. Today, I decided since I had a bunch of new Maggies (thanks, Cindy) to at least try one. The challenge was to use BG15 (the flowers), B93 (the baby's clothes) and Y21 (the pacifier).



I've had several comments on the masking technique and some confusion as to how I do it. I hope this helps:

1. Stamp the image you plan to use for your project - this is the image you will color:



2. Stamp the same image again on very lightweight paper. I use printer paper. Cut this image out and place repositionable double sticky tape on the back:



3. Place the cut image on top of the first image you stamped:





4. Position your next stamp. You can use a Rubber Stamp Positioner to determine where you will stamp your second image - then stamp your next image over the masking.



5. Remove the masking:



6. Color your image:



I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Paper: DCWV The Glitter Sweet Matstack; Stamps: Magnolia Sweet Tilda, Magnolia Baby Edwin, Magnolia Tin Boxes; Spica: Clear, Baby Blue, Gold, Chocolate, Pink; Craft World Flowers colored with BG15; Copics: E11, E00, R20, R21, B00, E33, E35, E37, B93, B91, Y21, Y19, E31, Y26, Y28, G40, G82, G24, T5, W9, W8, W6, BG15.

Divine Cakes....

First of all, Ruthann's dessert yesterday was warm Apple Crisp with vanilla ice-cream. Yum, Yum. If you live in the Peoria/Henry, Illinois area and happen to need some special baked goods or a wedding cake, give her a shout at Divine Cakes.

A girl can dream

First of all, Ruthann's dessert yesterday was warm Apple Crisp with vanilla ice-cream. Yum, Yum. If you live in the Peoria/Henry, Illinois area and happen to need some special baked goods or a wedding cake, give her a shout at Divine Cakes.

I stamped the arbor from Art Impressions onto white Beckett Radiance cardstock and also on printer paper. The arbor on the printer paper was cut out and double sticky tape placed on the back. The printer paper image was then taped over the first image on cardstock. I used a stamping positioner to place the Tilda into the arbor and then masked her in the same way. I used my airgun to spray the blue and green background, masking off each as the other was sprayed. Then I removed all the masking and colored in the images.



After the images were colored I used the rest of the stamps, the Art Impressions vine and flowers. The swallow is a stamp from Firecracker Designs by Pamela. The paper is K&Co Que Sera Sera. If you have any questions, please contact me, I'm happy to help.

4th Cartridge - Cars

This was the hardest card of the four but I suspect there will be harder ones. I sprayed the body of the car with Glimmer Mist Spring Rain. You can't see it, but there is a really nice shimmer on the car. The sentiment is Stampin Up stamped on a Spellbinder Die Tag. You can use most of the car images in this way.



Paper: Stash; Cricut Cars Cartridge, page 49; Glimmer Mist Spring Rain; Spica: Peach, Baby Blue; Stamp: Tilda with Flowered Jeans, Stampin Up; Spellbinders Die; E11, R21, E00, E27, E29, YR02, YR01, YR82, B97, B93, B91, E31, E34.

Quote of the day: I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life. ~ Rita Rudner

So many dreams...

I watched my first hockey game ever Sunday. I confess I don't know anything about hockey, I couldn't tell you the rules, and following the puck makes me dizzy. I do, however, know about the Mighty Ducks, one of my favorite movies - so I quacked. Didn't help. After a tremendous effort, the USA lost the gold medal to Canada. I'm sorry they lost, but I'm glad if they had to, it was to Canada. Did anyone watch the story of Gander, Newfoundland, and what they did for America during 9-11? I had never heard that, it hadn't occured to me the planes not allowed over US airspace were landing in Canada. But then, our brains were numbed by the attack. I've always had a great opinion of our sister country, the Olympics just deepened it. I'm sorry they're over. My husband would laugh at me as I quietly chanted, "Bode, Bode, Bode." And isn't Shaun White just the cutest thing - him and his McTwisty. Our bobsled team rocked - and rolled - and kicked butt. (Speaking of butt, how about the bobsled uniforms? - showed all their beers.) I saw kids jumping off of a perfectly good mountain, yikes. If the Wright Brothers had tried that first, we might not have airplanes, I swear it must be like flying. Men's nordic was awesome, gold medal in men's figure skating, what a coup! Kudos to all the countries, all the athletes, just being there made them all winners in my book.

Today is movie day: The third of the Mariachi series and Zorro, both with Antonio. Ina's Vegetable Frittata is on the menu, dessert will be a surprise. Also, stay tuned for an update of the Chicago Flower Show, Ruthann and I will be attending next Sunday, March 7, and we will be driven up by my long suffering husband.

Things I wonder: Why my cat only decides to love me when I'm in the middle of an exacting craft project involving glue and glitter?

I love me some zydeco...

The declaration: I love Louisiana. Many years ago my husband and I visited Lake Charles, LA during Christmas for the first time. The lights on the big antebellum homes around the lake are dressed like Carnaval performers - all lights and sparkles. But better than that is the food. We discovered Paw Paw's Restaurant and fell immediately in love. Imagine our distress when Paw Paw died and no one wanted to take it over. The wildlife is amazing, the refuges are particularly wonderful, especially Sabine. I saw my first shrike and glossy ibis there. It's chilling to walk down a sidewalk with alligator slides on both sides. Ducks from the north are plentiful there during the winter. Red-winged blackbirds leave Illinois in late fall and arrive at Sabine in huge numbers. The Sabine website tells you all about this National Wildlife Refuge. The downside of Louisiana is the garbage in every canal along every road. We laughingly call it the styrofoam state. It's heartbreaking to see a great egret in breeding feathers standing on an old sofa in a canal surrounded by discarded bait containers and broken coolers. Everywhere you look there's trash. I can only image the fishing line that's laying around. Tragic. While in LA I learned to love Cajun music, especially Zydeco. I keep a cd in my cd player in the car all the time. It's also a great housecleaning cd - nothing gets me moving like the Creole Farmer's Stomp by the Creole Zydeco Farmers. I love listening to music from other cultures, but I have to admit, I'm really fond of Zydeco.

Things I wonder: Why do I always have all the ingredients for a dinner recipe except one?

An announcement and a declaration...

The announcement: My friends and sponsors, Cindy & Kevin Echtinaw have recently become the North American Distributor of Bildmalarna. This is a HUGE deal for them. Kevin designed their new website (do you sense his feminine side here? - all pastels). Their customer service is fabulous but even better, once a customer, always a friend. Hop on over and check out the kids. They would love to meet 'cha.

The declaration: I love Louisiana. Many years ago my husband and I visited Lake Charles, LA during Christmas for the first time. The lights on the big antebellum homes around the lake are dressed like Carnaval performers - all lights and sparkles. But better than that is the food. We discovered Paw Paw's Restaurant and fell immediately in love. Imagine our distress when Paw Paw died and no one wanted to take it over. The wildlife is amazing, the refuges are particularly wonderful, especially Sabine. I saw my first shrike and glossy ibis there. It's chilling to walk down a sidewalk with alligator slides on both sides. Ducks from the north are plentiful there during the winter. Red-winged blackbirds leave Illinois in late fall and arrive at Sabine in huge numbers. The Sabine website tells you all about this National Wildlife Refuge. The downside of Louisiana is the garbage in every canal along every road. We laughingly call it the styrofoam state. It's heartbreaking to see a great egret in breeding feathers standing on an old sofa in a canal surrounded by discarded bait containers and broken coolers. Everywhere you look there's trash. I can only image the fishing line that's laying around. Tragic. While in LA I learned to love Cajun music, especially Zydeco. I keep a cd in my cd player in the car all the time. It's also a great housecleaning cd - nothing gets me moving like the Creole Farmer's Stomp by the Creole Zydeco Farmers. I love listening to music from other cultures, but I have to admit, I'm really fond of Zydeco.

My rant today has nothing to do with my card. I had to make a short trip to the grocery store - and the Zydeco cd was in the player - and the sky was this fabulous color of blue with lots of sunshine - and the Creole Zydeco Farmers were giving me their best - and I just felt wonderful. And had to share, cher. Tomorrow I go back to cartridges:


Paper: My Mind's Eye Home; Stickers: Stampendous; Spica: Gold, Stamps: Tilda with Heart Package, Flourishes Summer on the Patio, Copics: E42, Y13, Y38, G24, YG25, E11, R21, E00, YR01, YR00, YR000, E30, E31, Y17, Y04, B60

Things I wonder: Why do I always have all the ingredients for a dinner recipe except one?