A Summer Afternoon's Exploration

Bijou, Blog Editor here.  About time that I had a post.  My Female is not very good at sharing.

Here's my pet bird, Lou, being unusually quiet and taking a nap in the afternoon (she's an energetic one, constantly curious, drives me nuts).  Budgies just don't have the same decorum that parrots possess.  Guess she finally wore herself out!

So I decided it was time to roam.  Hmmm...no one around...what's that I spy on The Female's recliner?

It's this thing she calls "A Purse".  Some sort of device she carries around so that treasures found while out scavenging can be brought back to the nest.  

She's quite protective of "The Purse" so I am certain that there are good things inside.  Now's my chance!

First, just a taste to see if it's fun to bite.

Yep!  It gives that satisfying little punch when my beak pierces the leather.  This "Zipper" looks like a fun chew toy also.

All right, time to take a look at what she's stashed in here...wonder if there is anything good to eat?  Maybe some sweet potatoes or berries.  Maybe spinach?

HEY!!!!   Is that one of those shiny things that they use to write on paper?   Oh, I love those things, always good to wrestle with...

Drats.  It seems to be stuck in here.  Maybe I can just pull on it hard enough.  Nope, dang thing weighs more than I do.

Maybe I'll just rest here a while.  That pesky Lou won't find me when she wakes up.  A guy can finally have some peace!

Wishing everyone a good weekend.  Me? I'm hoping that The Female won't notice me and I'll get to go on an outting with her.  Looks like she could use some help bringing back useful items to our nest!

Mystery Swap Reveals Good Books!

Love a good mystery?  So do I!  Time to reveal the latest card for the Mystery Image Swap.   The hostess sends the images and we all have to create 4 cards and  send them back.  She swaps out and we receive 3 back along with the new mystery image for the next round.

Our mystery hostess this round is the lovely Barb, and she chose "Books A Flutter" by Unity Stamps for our image.   The image is colored with Spectrum Noir markers and a bit of shimmer was added to the butterfly with a clear Spica pen.  Unfortunately the pictures do not capture the shimmer :(

White card base, a layer of dark brown (DCWV) and then Tempting Turquoise by SU has been embossed for the front panel.  The DP is also by SU.

The banner is hand cut, so it's just shy of perfect, as you can see.  A dragonfly brad by Creative Impressions adds a touch of whimsy.

I can hardly wait to see what the others have created and to get my swap returns!  Plus, it's such fun to receive the next mystery image and start the process all over again.

This image and sentiment reminds me of my father.  I was a bookworm.  

Once I told my dad that I wished that some books would never end, just go on forever.  He looked at me and replied, "There is a book that never ends.  It's the Bible."  45+ years later and I still remember his reply!

Thanks for taking the time to stop by here today.  May God bless you and yours!

July Duel: Summer Time Treats & Cool Creations!

As you know, the 15th finds a great group of friends "Dueling it Up" - The Dueling Darlings challenge each other with some fun elements, we create & post on the 15th.

This month's hostess is our Darling Debbie and I must say she sent a colorful set of papers and embellishments to go along with a cute and playful image!

Here's what she told us:

Theme:  Cool Creations

Kit contains:

DP & Ribbon:  Ice Cream Parlor by Stampin' Up!

Image:  Good Ol' Summertime by Stampin' Up!

Paper Straw: A Muse

Buttons & Flowers: SU! and Michael's or Joanns

Craftworkcards Candi – pink dots

In your blog post, please let us know what your favorite summertime cool treat is.  Is it watermelon, ice cream, lemonade?  

Here's my card:

Isn't that such a cute image?!  

And just look at the wonderful papers that Debbie included:

Favorite summer time treats...hmmmmm...let me see.

There's watermelon, peaches, cantaloupes, nectarines...

And there's all of the wonderfully fresh seafood like haddock, flounder, lobster and salmon...

And there's fresh ice cream and yogurts...

What can I say?  I think I like it all.

Give yourself a summer time treat and visit the rest of the Divas & Dazzlers to see what their "Cool Creations" are!  Grab yourself a little treat and have some fun.

Some Little Things For Our Daughter's 30th Birthday

Can it really be 30 years ago on July 3rd that our daughter came into this world?  (How did 30 years go by so quickly?!)

This week's "Weekly Inkling" - the E-Newsletter from Split Coast Stampers - had a tutorial that caught my eye: "Lotion Nail File Gift Box".  It looked so cute so I thought I'd give it a try as a little something for our daughter's birthday.

Here's the result:

Another view:

Know what's funny?  She LOVES pink!!!  LOL, so of course I used deep pink colors.  The white CS for the box is 110 pound so it is very strong.  You should give the tutorial a try, it's not hard at all (trust me, I'm not very good at building things).  I think that these would make great little gifts for the holidays!

Also on this week's newsletter, under the section of "Tutorials You May Have Missed" (or some such title) was a tutorial for a "Crimped Diamond Card".  So I gave that a whirl for her birthday card and came up with this (using pink of course):

It was fun and easy to do.  The green panel is spritzed with "Star Dust Finishing Spray" by A Muse Studios, giving it a soft sparkle.

If you click on the image it enlarges in your browser so you may be able to see the shimmer better.


The SU image is one you like know: "Upsy Daisy", clear emb
ossed with "Bubblegum" ink by A Muse Studios.  Blue ink was sponged onto the background after the embossing.

Here's another view showing the crimped background panel and the shimmery finish.

The tutorial shows this technique used for a Christmas card, which is a great idea!  Who knew that our daughter's birthday would furnish two different ideas for the holidays?

That's it for me today!  Check out these tutorials, they're fun!