Garden Totems (Close Up)

After posting the photos on the previous post, I realized the photos really don't do the yard art justice! So here's some close-up photos:





If you click on the photos, you'll be able to get an even better look!

New Garden Totems; e.g. Yard Art

Several weeks ago, I began searching for junk glassware and odds and ends of saucers, small plates, cups, etc., to turn into yard art. I stacked sevaral to cure while we were on this last trip so I could "plant" them as soon as we returned. Frank had started his border for the flower bed and added the mulch yesterday. He'll need to haul some more blocks and fireplace brick from the back yard and buy several bags of mulch to finish the job when he's feeling better. We both have been battling alergies for about a week (something is always blooming in Florida!)

The beautiful spring flowers are from Michael's (I don't have a green thumb!). This has been my solution to having any kind of flowers in my yard and my house.


In a few weeks the real, live day lilies should be blooming again. A former neighbor gave me a set many, many years ago, and I haven't managed to kill them yet! She told me to give them serious neglect and they would florish, and so they have despite killing frosts and robust raking by said husband over the years. I use to have broad leaf aloe and some fern in that flower bed but it all disappeared last fall while we were gone on another trip.

Secret Pen Pal Cards #2

While waiting somewhat impatiently for the silicone glue to dry on my "Yard Art" pieces, I made these monster cards for the local hospital's pediatrics ward. The paper was purchased at JoAnn's on sale and the monsters were printed out four at a time on regular card stock. The hearts were from SCAL's images and cut on the Cricut.

Table Top Version of Garden Totems

These totems are going to friends one who is visiting from Colorado and the other to a friend who is undergoing chemo again.

Garden Totem

This is my first effort at making garden totems. My cousin-in-law, Sibyle, was explaining how her sister has gotten into making these big time and showed me some items that can be used. We went to a big rummage sale and a couple thrift stores while they were here then rummaged around in my stored away items for likely candidates. I really like what I found on line and have decided these will be my gifts to friends this year as their birthdays roll around.

Secret Pen Pal Cards

Before Christmas, I was trying to plan the next card making session of a gross of cards to send to Love Letters in Altamont Springs, FL. Not to be griping about making the cards which I love doing, but sometimes just trying to come up with ANY card is mind straining! Especially when trying to get it prepped for maybe six friends to come (I have to also clean house for this event!!) and assemble so many cards.

A friend had given me several discontinued wallpaper sample books she picked up at Lowe's, one of which had numerous Disney characters. I made about 40 quick cards using some rickrack and other trims I had left from making the Little Dresses for Africa previously. Then it occurred to me that maybe the local hospital which is about a mile from my house would accept some cards on an on-going basis for the Pediatric floor. When I went to visit a friend, I went down a floor and asked about doing it and was able to leave the cards I had taken with me. So from now on I believe I will just make about 30 cards a month and hand deliver them to some local kids (and I won't even have to clean house!). This is an example of those cards:







Today, I looked through my stash of stamps and found this really cute beaver that I had bought at Michael's some months ago. This was in the dollar bin and is an acrylic stamp that I stamped then scanned into my computer photo program so I could size it to what I needed. I printed out this beaver as four 3x5 photos on letter size paper and, after I unclicked the 'fit to page' feature, as many times as I needed, then colored them with pencils before cutting them out. I used pieces of Whitman's Samplers' cushioning to make him stand out from the card. The hugs & kisses circle is a download from a digital scrapbooking freebie site that I receive automatically every day as an email.

Card Gallery for February 2010

The winter card gallery workshop was today at Donna's. She and Emily had some wonderfully versatile cards for us! I needed a "welcome, Baby" card for a shower taking place this evening as did another person.



We had a choice of sentiments to use with this card (I have this stamp set but not the coordinating punch).



I love this card! I have the embossing folder and used Classic White stamp pad to highlight the embossing; and added two tiny pearls.



This card comes in handy as our pastor's mother passed away last Thursday in California.



This card would also work wonderfully well as a sympathy card.



What a great masculine birthday card!



A beautiful card for any reason at all:



Another sympathy card choice OR because you really do need to apologise to someone!



Another generic card for any reason:



A birthday card? A get well card?



These two cards were the new 'technique' showcase cards:
Yes, that's tissue paper stamped with the design, crushed, then spread out and cut to size for the card.



We used the same technique to create a very early Christmas card!