Monday, November 17, 2008

Just a Little Blog Candy

Well, I thought I might make a separate post tempting you with a little blog candy! Wouldn't you just love to get your hands on some Basic Grey Ambrosia? I don't mind sharing! It is such a beautiful line of colors and patterns.

What do you need to do? Why just leave a comment and spread the word! It's as easy as that! Let your friends know. If they mention your name in their post, I'll put your name in once for each separate mention! I'll let Random.org do the drawing. The more times your name goes in, the better chance you have to win! I'll select a winner the day after Thanksgiving! That should give you plenty of time!

Good luck!

Chris

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Fall is Flying By after Summer Dragged On!

Is time going faster or what? Summer seemed to never end. Here we are in the middle of November! I want Fall to last longer. It is such a beautiful time of the year!

The holidays are quickly approaching. We had our Christmas lights hung outside yesterday. No, we haven't turned them on! It's too early! We were able to hire the guys before things get crazy for them. It's so nice to have someone else string them up and take them down. We'll turn them on the day after Thanksgiving. They did it last year for us and DH was soooooo happy that he didn't have to do it!

I am in love *sigh.* I can't get enough of Basic Grey's Ambrosia! Out of all the lines Basic Grey has ever come out with, Ambrosia is my most favorite! The colors are so rich! The patterns are so much fun with which to work! I love Ambrosia so much, I want to share some with you! Just leave a comment. I'll use a random generator to select a name and send some to you! How's that for a deal?

Here are my newest designs:

This is one of my most favorite layouts ever. Isn't my DDIL beautiful? Look at that face! I have elevated the plume so that it is the high point of the LO. The butterflies are also elevated and the wings bent upward so they look as if they are flying. I also cut the "U" from chipboard and covered it w/ paper. Do you ever do a LO and surprise yourself? I surprised myself with this one. Here it is:

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U are So Beautiful


The next LO is of a petroglyph panel that is quite large entitled "The Great Hunt." It was carved into the desert varnish by Fremont Indians thousands of years ago. The canyon walls are covered with these carved images. Sadly, they are being ruined by truck traffic on the miles of dirt road. The petroglyphs are very close to the road. With these tanker trucks using that canyon all the time, the dust and exhaust are destroying them. It is so sad. For this LO, soaked the cardstock and crumpled it several times to get lots of wrinkles in it. I did this technique with my students when I was teaching. Next, I let it dry, and then inked the high points. It looks great IRL and has lots of textures from the burlap to the twine to the metals. Thank you, Kerry, of Scrap in the Box, for the chipboard owl. I covered it with Paper Perfect and added tiny pieces of mica while the Paper Perfect was still wet.

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9 Mile Canyon


The last LO is of my silly son and DDIL dressed for Halloween. My child is the one in drag! He's supposed to be Sarah Palin while my DDIL is a moose, LOL. Just wait until they look at this photo when they are in their 60s, LOL. I thought it was hilarious! Such a pair of cuties!

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There's a Moose on the Loose


I've made some holiday cards, too. These are just missing the silver word stickers on the fronts. I haven't gotten them yet.

I love this sweet stamp. I also used my favorite papers - you know, the kind that are too pretty to cut up. Well, I took a breath and started cutting. I used Prismacolor pencils and mineral spirits. I can't find Gamsol where I live. I think it might work better than the generic mineral spirits. The bench and the little girl are on pop dots so that they stand up a bit. I also used one of my sets of Nestabilities to cut the circles. I got my sets at a great site called Cut@Home. Sign up and you will get a monthly discount code to apply to your purchase.

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The next card was made with my Lace Tree Cuttlebug embossing folder which I purchased from Happy Scrappin' Scrapbooking. The owner, Sharon, does ship world wide, too! I added some gems and Stickles so that there is a sparkle. I did use white CS, but it looks a bit yellow.

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The last card is my favorite! I used green suede paper. It is so rich looking. I cut a border and then trimmed it to the size I wanted. Once again, I colored the angel with Prismacolor pencils and mineral spirits. I also used Copic markers for the darker points. I'm still learning how to use those fabulous markers! I cut the rectangle using one of the rectangle Nesties. I also used a Cuttlebug embossing strip using Swiss Dots. It's hard to see, but the embossing is between the fold and the green suede strip. I also purchased this from Happy Scrappin' Scrapbooking

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Thank you for stopping by. I really love having visitors! I hope I've given you some ideas!

XO,

Chris

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

History Was Made Tonight

My heart has been so touched by the speech I just witnessed by President-Elect, Barack Obama. I have witnessed the passing of the baton that is so American - the peaceful election of a new administration. I am humbled. The speech that was just given was of such a high caliber and given by a man that belongs to a select few - FDR, Abraham Lincoln, JFK. This is a moment in history that speaks of greatness. How lucky for the young generation that this is THEIR generation and THEIR President just as I was a part of the JFK generation. I am in awe tonight as I was when Kennedy was elected.

As I looked at the crowds shown on the TV screen, I loved seeing the diversity of America - MY AMERICA. I pray that President-Elect Obama will be blessed with the knowledge to get us back on the right track. I pray that his inspiration will spread to each and every one of us.

In my lifetime, which hasn't been all that long, I have seen blacks going to different schools, sitting at the back of a bus, drinking from appointed water fountains, unable to go into some public places. Slowly. over the years, those barriers came down. This - this is a moment in time that is historical and I have been witness to it.

What I saw in the faces of those gathered to hear this man speak were the faces of hope - a lifting of spirits that have been down for such a long time. People, knowingly or unknowingly, feeling the pressures of the past eight years were feeling their burden lifted with the promise that together, we can make change for the better. So many who have felt generations of being "held back," that there was no future, because of race, were finally witnessing something this nation holds true - that ANYONE can be president. We were reminded that WE are the United States of American - each and every one of us - a collective group.

God bless the United States.

XO,

Chris