Friday, August 19, 2016

Butterfly Delight

Hello,

I have a butterfly card to share with you.  I felt like doing some watercoloring today.  The roses were stamped on watercolor paper in StazOn Timber Brown.  They were colored with Rich Razzleberry ink with the leaves in Old Olive.  I used a blender pen for both.


The script and splatter were stamped in Crumb Cake.  I did stamp both images on scrap paper first so I would obtain a lighter image.


To create the butterflies I used the Memory Box Leavenworth Trio die and Cascadia Trio die.  All the pieces were cut from Rich Razzleberry paper.  To lighten the underside of each butterfly I sponged ColorBox Frost White on the paper.  The top pieces were spritzed with Tzukineko Sheer Frost Shimmer Spritz and then assembled.  They were popped up using dimensions.


Before gluing the layers I wrapped a piece of 3/8" Rich Razzleberry Taffeta ribbon around the front and created a bow.

The flourish on the inside is from the Stampin' Up Bliss set.  It was stamped with Crumb Cake ink.  I wanted it to be light so it wouldn't detract from any writing on the inside.  No. 5 was stamped in StazOn Timber Brown.  This will be used as a blank notecard.


I hope you have some wonderful plans for the weekend.

Thanks for visiting.








Stamps:  SU Elements of Style, French Foliage, Bliss
Paper:  Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, Watercolor
Ink:  Image - StazOn Timber Brown; Roses - Rich Razzleberry; Leaves - Old Olive; Script & Splatter - Crumb Cake (stamped off once); ColorBox Frost White on Butterflies; Inside Flourish - Crumb Cake  
Accessories:  3/8" Rich Razzleberry Taffeta Ribbon, Tsukineko Sheer Frost Shimmer Spritz, Memory Box Leavenworth Butterfly Trio Die, Memory Box Cascadia Butterfly Trio Die; Bow-Easy  
Technique:  Watercoloring, Sponging
Card Size:  A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

Saturday, August 6, 2016

What's Blooming ...

Happy Saturday!

I had such a busy week and put in so many extra hours.  I'm looking forward to just enjoying the weekend and relaxing.

So I haven't done a garden tour with you in months (shame on me)!  How about we hit rewind and I show you some things that have been blooming from late spring until now.  All of these photos were taken with my iPhone so let's hope they look alright.

In the spring, when I went to pick up my annuals, I saw this cute purse planter covered in moss.  I filled it with pretty Lobelia.  I love the bright color!


The Irises were abundant; however, they got off to a late start.


A lovely variety called 'Momogasumi'.


Lily-of-the-Valley has been spreading in the front garden.  I'm always sad to see the flowers fade.


Ferns and hostas have been doing well despite the dry spring we had.


Brunnera 'Jack Frost' bloomed heavily with its dainty, forget-me-not type blossoms.


A 'Freya' Bellflower stands out in front of Gypsophilia.  The star shaped clusters are so attractive and will bloom for about 4 weeks. 


This is the garden that runs along the back of our home, which has a garden pond.  The garden is now in full bloom.


The white water lilies were very pretty and the Koi is getting big!



Pink peonies could be seen from several gardens.  'Sarah Bernhardt' resembling old-fashioned roses.


A Japanese variety called 'Bowl of Beauty'.


The lilac tree with its white blossoms and arched branches put on a show.  It really has grown over the past two years.


I think it's time to radically cut back this honeysuckle vine.  I can't believe it didn't pull down the trellis!


Allium was huge and is multiplying.


One of my favorite clematis vines.



Yarrow by the walkway was a little shorter than usual.


This is a new variety of Monarda called 'Grape Gumball'.  It is great for the middle of the garden and has upright clumps.


Malva was so pretty this year.  In the past, it has been eaten by deer before it could bloom.


'Becky' Daisies and Lamb's Ear "Hummelo'.




The urns flanking the gazebo were filled with petunias and verbena.  I also did a similar design for the patio.



Dwarf 'Flame Purple' Phlox is bright and colorful.


Butterflies seem to always enjoy the Echinaceas.


Russian Sage with its fine stalks swaying in the wind.


Nemesia was planted this year in front of the fountain.  This variety is 'Dazzle-Me Lilac'.  I just love their fragrance!



Lastly, here is a photo of me in my new t-shirt :-)


It's hard to believe August is upon us.  The autumn perennials are starting to bloom ... Sedum, Black-eyed Susans and Goldenrod.  Fighting off the deer has been quite a challenge.

Thank you for taking a stroll with me.  I'm glad we've had this time together to view the gardens.  I'll see you soon!

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Singing in the Cage

Hi blogging friends,

Today was another rainy day making it difficult to get out of bed and head to work.  I just wanted to curl up on the couch and read a book with Cheops by my side.  This rain makes it easy though to stay indoors and craft.  My project today features the Tim Holtz Caged Bird die (an oldie, but goodie).


The base card is natural linen white layered with Crumb Cake, Bashful Blue and Very Vanilla.  The Very Vanilla piece was embossed using the Anna Griffin Rose Pavilion embossing folder.  I then did some more layering with the same colors and a piece of Lost & Found Portobello Road paper.  All the paper edges were sponged with Crumb Cake.


A flourish was created using the Cheery Lynn Designs Fanciful Flourish die.  The Very Vanilla paper was sponged with Crumb Cake.  The part that would be going under the bird cage was glued down.


The bird cage was then popped up so I could place the little birdie inside and have his wing stick out.  The flourishes on the bird are from the Stampin' Up Vintage Vogue set and were stamped in Bashful Blue ink.  A black pearl was used for the eye.

I used a mini postage stamp die with coordinating stamp to create the tag.  It was stamped in Chocolate Chip and popped up.

Clay roses were made using Stampin' Up clay with Bashful Blue ink.  I highly recommend you put the mold in the freezer for a little while to let them set before trying to get them out.

To finish the card, I added adorable baubles hanging from jump rings and a triple loop bow created with vintage seam binding.  All the supplies are listed below for your reference.


So please tell me what you would like to see more of on my blog - papercrafts, DIY projects for bath and beauty products, diffuser recipes?  I would love to hear from you!








Stamps:  SU Vintage Vogue, Whimsy Stamps Everyday Mini Postage Stamp Sentiments
Paper:  Natural Linen White, Crumb Cake, Bashful Blue, Very Vanilla, Lost & Found Portobello Road Designer Paper, Baer Design Blue Paper
Ink:  Bashful Blue, Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip
Accessories:  Vintage Seam Binding, Kaiser Black Pearl, SU White Simply Pressed Clay, Buttons & Blossoms Simply Pressed Molds, Anna Griffin Rose Pavilion Embossing Folder, Tim Holtz Caged Bird Die, Tim Holtz Idea-ology Jump Rings & Baubles, Cheery Lynn Designs Fanciful Flourish Die, Whimsy Stamps Mini Postage Stamp Die
Technique:  Sponging
Card Size:  5 3/4" x 5 3/4"

Monday, August 1, 2016

Chamomile Tart Tin Soaps

Good morning,

I woke yesterday to the sound of rain.  It was so soothing to hear the drops falling.  The gardens desperately needed it and we received about 3+ inches.  The brown grass is already turning green again.  Since I knew I would be staying inside all day I thought I would try my hand at making some soaps using cute vintage tart tins.


Now, I have to admit I'm not very good when it comes to judging quantity so I purchased a 1/2 lb. of Shea butter soap base and shaved off about 1/2".  I then took the portion I cut and sliced it into cubes. I highly recommend you purchase a soap knife.  It will make your life much easier.  The sliced cubes were placed in a glass Pyrex measuring cup and placed in the microwave.  They were melted in 20-30 second intervals, stirring after each interval.  It took about 60 seconds for mine to completely melt.


While the soap was melting in the microwave, I spritzed the tins with rubbing alcohol.  This is an important step as it will help you remove your soap after they harden.  I just added rubbing alcohol to a mini mister bottle and it worked great.

After removing the melted soap I added 3 drops of Vitamin E oil and 8 drops of German Chamomile essential oil.  If you are not familiar with German Chamomile it has a bluish color.  Don't worry once you add your drops and stir the mixture you won't be able to tell.  Once I had everything mixed I then poured the soap into the tart tins.  I quickly added organic dried Chamomile flowers to the top and let the tins sit out for about an hour.  I then placed the tins in the refrigerator overnight and this morning the soap popped right out.



The cooling process will depend upon your conditions (temperature and humidity levels).



 I then placed the tins in the refrigerator overnight and this morning the soap popped right out.


I'm going to place 3 soaps in a cellophane bag and decorate it with crinkled seam binding with a tag.  So what do you think?  Aren't they cute?  Have you ever tried to make soap?

Thank you for stopping to visit.  Hope your August is off to a great start!