Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day! I was able to say that to my dad until I lost him in 1995. This is a great day to remember the fun we had while I was growing up. We would sit on the front porch and read the Sunday Comics - Dagwood was one of his favorites. He taught me to recognize the different makes of cars and by the time I was 4, I could tell a Chevy from a Ford or a Dodge! In '53 he and mom bought a lake lot and with the help of a lot of uncles and aunts built a cabin. We had such good times! I learned how to drive at age 7 - in a '54 Chevy PU with a clutch pedal that seemed to be a mile long. Dad made sure I could go up hill without stalling the engine and rolling back into the lake. We fished together - my husband is amazed that he married a woman who knows how to clean a fish! I'm proud to say that I live in that little corner of paradise today. Although we bought the lot next door and built a larger home, the little cabin still stands to this day. It has been designated a storage building now, but when I look it I can still hear the laughter and remember the good times we had there. Life does go on.

AMuse-A-Palooza Square Challenge #1

AMuse-A-Palooza is upon us - a funfilled week of crafty goodness from AMuse Artstamps. Contests galore will abound. The first one is to make a card using a square for inspiration. I've always loved inchies, so what better way to use a square - one square inch to be exact. This card used the surfboard and "enjoy the ride" sentiment from the newest summer release. Colored with Copics, and placed on an AMuse square notecard.

Yard Visitors

We had the cutest visitors in our yard this evening - two does and their new fawns. The deer come to graze in our yard just about every evening. I was lucky enough to get a picture of two of them before they moved on. The baby couldn't be more than a couple of days old. All spindly legs and a big appetite. I love spring in the hill country!

If you're lucky enough to live in Texas...

...you're lucky enough! We Texans are proud of our State. Some of our most prized sights in the spring are the wildflowers along the roadsides, especially the bluebonnets. Lots of folks risk the fireants and take pictures of anyone and everyone in fields of bluebonnets. The bluebonnets have gone to seed for this year, so I decided to make a card to remind me of the lovely roadside shows they put on for us every year. This year's crop wasn't too spectacular because of a lack of rain, but we had enough little showers here and there to bring out a few. This cute stamp and sentiment come from Deadbeat Designs up in Salado TX. It was colored with Copics and white accents added using a white uni-ball gel pen. Paper is from scraps and cardstock I had on hand. Hope anyone viewing this enjoys the scenery.

Please remember our veterans and troops this Memorial Day weekend. America is the land of the free because of the brave! Give them the honor they deserve.

Glenda's Random AMusing Challenge #20

Cheers to Glenda in celebration of her 20th Random AMusing Challenge. And to celebrate, she's got some super-duper blog candy waiting for a lucky stamper! Check it out at http://papersscissorsrocks.blogspot.com/

What could be easier - make a card in 20 minutes or less. This one took all of 6 minutes to put together. 2 stamps, a corner rounder and a slot punch...add a little ribbon and Voila!!! Done!!! I love the "rock 'n' roll" technique used to stamp the zinnia. Ink the stamp with 3 colors at one time. Light ink in the middle, then a bit darker, then darker still on the edges. Apply to paper and it's finished, unless of course you want to add a little bling or something. This one uses the new AMuse zinnia stamp, and an Impress sentiment. I used VersaMagic chalk ink for the flower.

Happy weekend, everyone!

Happy St. Patrick's Day Everyone!

An Irish Blessing
May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind always be at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

and rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

To all who believe in leprechauns and lore and the wearin' o' the green, have a blessed St. Patrick's Day!

Sláinte!!!!!!

Happy Trails

One of my DH's coworkers is leaving at the end of the month and DH asked me to make a going-away card for his department folks to sign. Although I am a confessed AMuse addict, I also love a little central Texas stamp company called Deadbeat Designs. They have so many cute Texas-themed stamps that can't be resisted. They just call your name and say "Buy Me!" when you see 'em on store shelves. I love my Copics, but I have been hard at work practicing with my Koh-I-Noor Woodless Colour Pencils. I have seen Gamsol recommended for blending the colors, but I couldn't find that exact product. Found something similar called Turpenoid at one of the local hobby stores. The salesperson assured me it would work as well as the recommended brand, so I've been using that until I can find the real thing and try it out. This is by far the largest project I've colored using the Koh-I-Noors. I will never profess to be an "artist" but I don't think I did too badly on this card since it was my first "big" project.

Supplies Used: Rider, sentiment, and barbed wire by Deadbeat Designs, basic red CS that I had on hand, white CS for the pix, and a scrap of an
AMuse French Roast notecard for the brown border around the pix, Koh-I-Noor pencils for the color, and Turpenoid to blend them.