The Perfect Day!

Yesterday (July 28th, 2011) was one of "those" days. An unplanned, the stars aligned, perfect kind of day. It started simply enough with Brady scooping me up from home at 8:00 am for a hike in Little Cottonwood Canyon. We decided to see if the wild flowers that Albion Basin is famous for were in full bloom yet. The temperature was perfect, the skies clear and the mountain lush and inviting. There were beautiful niches everywhere to explore, and Brady found an old ski lift chair that provided a quick respite from the vigorous climb to that point.














We got to the meadow and found that some of the blooms were on, but the majority were not quite ready (a reason for another hike to this beautiful location in a week or so!) for their debut. We found many more tranquil spots as we continued our hike on up to Cecret Lake, and gloried in the solitude that had been afforded us in this national park. It soon got busier as the time wore on, and we had to share the space with a few more people who had come to revel in the clean and crisp mountain air.

When we arrived we found Cecret Lake as full as could be and many snow field still melting into her body. This made for the magical sound of waterfalls tinkling from any of the crevices that would allow moisture to flow through. These sounds are so rejuvenating as are the visual glory and luscious scents that nature provided for us. We sat on an outcropping of rocks for a while and just soaked in the incredible beauty that surrounded us on all sides. We did eventually have to head back to the valley, but did so with full hearts, happy spirits and clear heads.



















Then the hubbers and two oldest kids whisked me away (after a quick shower) to catch a matinee of Captain America in 3-D. What a fun movie, and I enjoyed that time with my family so much!

We arrived home from that just in time for me to change into some jeans and comfy shoes so I could go spend the evening with Brady and Chef Andrew at Sur La Table for a cooking class called "Indian made Easy". We had the best time! The fellow class mates were all foodies as well, and it was so fun to learn about a food type that I love to eat but had never learned to cook. Chef Andrew is an incredible instructor, his energy is so contagious and his enthusiasm for sharing his passion is evident in all he does! His menus are perfectly prepared and so thoughtful, and his attention to detail makes each of these classes a complete delight to attend.

And of course we eat, a lot!

 After class had ended, Brady presented me with a large pastry box and inside were a dozen delicious and adorable red velvet cupcakes that he had made for me after our hike! Seriously, do I have the best friends, or what?!!! Nibbling on a cupcake while watching the Project Runway Season 9 premiere as I was crocheting was how I rang in the beginning of my 45th year. It truly was a perfect day, and one that I hope I can remember every sweet detail of for the rest of my life. I think if I had tried to plan a day that amazing I would somehow have messed it up, but the way it all came together was truly amazing. I am a very lucky and blessed girl.

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p.s. It is my 45th birthday today, and I have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of birthday wishes. Many thanks to all of you who have thought of me today, it means so very much!

The Goodies Go To...

Thanks for the kind and thoughtful comments, you made me feel better when I was feeling very challenged!

The goodies are going to Heather, so please send me an email with your shipping information.

This card will also be coming to you Heather, I just made it for the CLASSroom and the details on how to make one like it can be found in this post: Embossed Metal Foil.

Here in Utah it is Pioneer Day, so we are celebrating by doing a whole lot of relaxing and maybe roasting some marshmallows for s'mores in the backyard fire-pit :o)

And while the last week was really challenging, and my camera will be on its way to the Canon facilities, my computers hard drive was replaced and I found all of my backed up files on my external hard drive. So I am breathing a big sigh of relief that my other hardware did what it was supposed to! We do so need our technology to make our lives easier, and so I am very grateful for the recovered images and data!

Here is to some happy crafting and lazy summer days!
B-

Pictureless Post

Well, it has been an interesting week! (to say the least!)

This will be the first pictureless post in I don't know how long, and it isn't because I don't have loads to share, cuz I do!! It is because on Wednesday my Canon 40d started reporting and error 99 message and won't shoot anymore, and then on Thursday my desktop with all of my images on it had a massive crash and is now in the shop with an expert trying his best to resuscitate it. Not only that, but it has been a week of massive deadlines and such so to say the least, I am spent!

The good part about being so spent is that I have a lot of good stuff to share though, so if you happen to be lucky enough to get to the Summer CHA tradeshow, please go by the Graphic 45 booth and ogle all of the amazing projects that have been created for the gorgeous new releases. If there is a paper on flower something, I made it, if there is a little puffy star with glitter, I made it, and the holly wreath, hand inked each leaf. The cute little Cat's Eye ink pad is now completely destroyed, but the effect was well worth it! (thanks for your sacrifice to the cause little ink pad, you are so appreciated!) Besides that, Allison Kreft from Hambly overnighted some of the new product release to me that I got on Thursdays, I then made three layouts and sent them off on Friday so she would receive them on Monday, giving her enough time to get them on display. No work for Doodlebug this show, but they have a really great group of releases too, all of it is clever and oh, so cute!!

Another set of deadlines comes in the form of having the opportunity to work with a local store now. I will be a member of their design team, and also teaching classes for them about once a month. The store is called Heartland Paper, and you can find a link to there blog on my sidebar if you are interested in learning more about them. I am really enjoying working with Donna and her team, they are all very nice and so talented! I hope to be sharing more about this as things move along. The two teaching dates that I am scheduled for right now are September 29th, and I will be teaching a class using the Magic of Oz product from Graphic 45 and then October 20th where I will be teaching a class using the Scor-Pal to create cute gift packaging from Doodlebug's Monster Mania Line. (which as I mentioned earlier, is SO adorable!!) The open house to sign up for classes is going to be on August 10th, so mark your calenders if you are local and interested! And of course there are going to be loads of wonderful classes to take, so if what I am sharing isn't appealing, come look at what the other instructors are offering, there is something for everyone!

In non-paper news, the family went to the midnight release showing of Harry Potter and we LOVED it!! What an exciting, bittersweet, beautifully made film! We will be going back to see it again on the big screen, it was incredible in that format, and to only experience it once that way would be a shame.

Well, that is that for now! I hope to have my desktop back soon, and share some of what I have been so excited about with all of you! If you have made it this far you must be a saint, so leave a comment, and I will randomly select someone from the comments to send a goody box to!

Happy Crafting!!

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No Paper Crafts Gallery Idol For Me

Darn, I didn't make the cut. But given how hectic my schedule is, I am thinking it was a blessing in disguise. The people that did make the cut are very talented, so this will be a fun competition to watch.

So even though it wasn't my day ;o)
Congrats to all of those gals, and good luck!!

B-

Paper Crafts Gallery Idol 2011

It is July 5th already? Today is the day after the deadline for Paper Crafts Gallery Idol and I have a paper crafting hang over I think! Besides having a wonderful July 4th that I spent with my family and friends, I was able to paper craft most of the day for the Gallery Idol contest and for the submission deadline that Paper Crafts had for their Jan/Feb 2012 issue. I feel so lucky that I have the opportunity to spend my day like this, and this makes me even more grateful for the freedoms that I have been blessed with as an American.



















The theme challenge for the Gallery Idol competition opening round was "Congratulations" and I submitted 8 cards along this line. Yeah, with over 1600+ entries my chances are pretty slim to get into the top 20, but I am keeping my fingers crossed, and hope maybe you can keep yours crossed for me too!! If you are looking for inspiration along these lines, pop into the Flickr photostream to see what many talented people have done to throw their hats into the ring.

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Hi!

Hi!

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p.s. Hambly card gift set made for a friends birthday :o)

Sending Sunshine

Having spent the last week under the weather, I thought it would be nice to share some sunshine with anyone else who might need some. This little card makes me smile, and the Maya Road felt piece is so darling who can resist its charm?




















Now that I am on some antibiotics, and did a little online shopping at Ellen Hutson's for some retail therapy, I am feeling much better! Now my days and nights are being spent preparing projects for Graphic 45's CHA booth. I feel so lucky to have seen the coming releases, can I just say WOW!! So while my to-do list seems endless, getting the chance to play with these papers is a big jolt of adrenaline!
And with that being said, I am going to go get back at it!
Happy Monday!!
B-

Hambly Transparency Art Journal

I have always wanted to create in an art journal, but certain logistics and personal creative quirks have held me back. Being on the Hambly design team with a high caliber artist like Dina Wakley has inspired me to take the plunge, and so I took a hard look at all the parameters that had previously held me back and designed a unique art journal to fit my quirky needs.


















I had to have a transparency so that when and if something spilled on it, I wouldn't panic or stress. I would be able to wipe it right off. I also needed pages that I could take out and put back in very easily and that would be able to take a lot of abuse and wet layers, so I made manila pages.

This is what the inside of the album looks like, for a complete tutorial on how to make one visit the Hambly blog.

Now it sits on a shelf waiting for me to have a few minutes here and there to play, and I am excited to use it!

Can't wait to stick little notes, ink washes, inspirational thoughts, and favorite stamps and patterned papers in this little cutie!!

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Father's Day Treat Tutorial

I shared a fun and easy treat container tutorial over on the Hambly blog. We plan on using these this Sunday for placeholders, but there are so many other fun occasions or events that you could use them for, sky is the limit with this cute craft!

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Dad You Are A Classic

Father's Day is just around the corner, ack!! That means that June is almost half over already, where did it go? The time is flying by, with a graduate to congratulate, an anniversary to celebrate and a birthday to enjoy, plus a family vacation to visit grand parents, we have been plenty busy. It will be nice to slow down this Sunday to appreciate my husband and what a fantastic father he is, and to do something special for him. He certainly does that for each of the members of our family every day.
The card has a tutorial written up over at the CLASSroom, it is a Tim Holtz die cut that has the Marketplace tissue tape on it. I have to admit that I am a Craft-a-Board addict, it is the greatest weight, color and texture, if you haven't tried it, you should. You will never want to use chipboard again!
Well, I am off to do some more crafting and tackling of the week, my husband and I are celebrating our 24th anniversary today  :o)

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Once Upon A Springtime Tussy Mussy

Do you love Graphic 45? Do you love tussy mussies? How about the combination of the two?


















I had the opportunity to make a few projects for the Graphic 45 booth at this Winter's CHA, and it was a thrill to see how beautifully the Once Upon A Springtime collection tussy mussies turned out. I have been meaning to share these pictures for months, but kinda forgot about them until tonight when I was cleaning out some image files from my poor over-stuffed desktop. There is a Tutorial in the Ellen Hutson E-zine on how to put one of these lovelies together if you are interested.



















The dimension on these in real life is extraordinary, and the colors are simply stunning.



















I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to play with products like these from the extraordinarily talented minds at Graphic 45, and swoon with each new collection release.



















Are you a fan of the Graphic 45 fan page on Facebook? If you aren't consider it, you will see the sneak peeks of all the releases and get updates on when the blog is updated with projects from their amazing design team. Exquisite eye candy that is sure to inspire!

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Inspired

What does it take to be inspired? It is different for everybody, and the concept comes with the question of "inspired to do what?" sing, pray, work, create, play...





















Are there things we come in contact with that can inspire us to want to do all of those things and much more? I find that the beauty created by nature always inspires me in every way possible. It makes me want to create beautiful things, be a better person both physically and spiritually, and take time to enjoy the smallest moments.
This small breathtaking moment was snapped on my trip to New York last year, the images from this trip have kept my heart afloat during the rough times that I have had in the last year, and have provided much inspiration to create. I have been a little afraid to scrap them thinking it would take some of the magic out of them, But it hasn't, so it is time that I share this inspiration with others, maybe it will do the same thing for you.
(and on that gorgeous Hambly overlay, the image makes me feel even more inspired!)

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Just Roll With It

We are nearing the end of the school year here, and with that we have a few events and such to attend to support our wonderful children. Last night was a showcase choir concert for Carter, and it was over two hours long! His freshman group performed at the beginning and then again at the end with the combined choir. In between was about an hour and a half of  hard working, inspired singing that we did enjoy, but might rather have been at home instead of there. We do appreciate all of the effort and talent, but hadn't realized the length of time that we had committed to, so had postponed dinner until we could eat together. Well at 9:30 we all sat down and enjoyed a a re-heated but delicious pasta dish that Dave had prepared earlier. All in all it was an entertaining evening and Carter was fantastic, we can't wait to watch him perform in the future. All said and done our theme for the day was "just roll with it". Sometimes the best memories we have made are the ones that weren't planned and came with unexpected circumstances. These are the times that I will surely miss most when the children are all grown and onto their own adventures.

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Scrapbook Workshop By May Flaum

It was so much fun to contribute to this book, thanks May for including me!
To celebrate that it is on pre-order now at Amazon, I am sharing a little sneak peek of one of my projects, and given the contributor list for this book, it is sure to be not only amazing eye candy, but super-de-doopery inspiring!!
















You can find the book at Amazon, Scrapbook Workshop: The Best Techniques From Your Favorite Scrapbook Bloggers

And because I am feeling so inspired myself, I am off to craft the day away! Just got some of the new Magic of Oz by Graphic 45 and it is stunning!!

Happy Saturday!
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Hello Monday!

Wow, sorry it has been a week since the last update. Not that I have even been so busy that I couldn't, just not that much to update about I guess. With the kids in their home stretch of the school year, and getting ready for Chloe to graduate in just in a couple of weeks, we are excited that summer will soon be here.
So how about "hello" to Monday with a couple of Hero Arts stamps and some Cosmo Cricket paper? That will get the creative week kicked off in style  :o)

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Happy Mother's Day

I feel very blessed to have a kind, loving and sweet spirited mom who loves me unconditionally with me on this earth still. So many of my sweet friends have lost their mothers too early and I think of them on days like this, and want them to know that I know that their moms are proud of them and are watching over them everyday. It also makes me hug my mom a little harder, appreciate what she does a little more and reminds me that I need to enjoy what I have and let petty things go, life is to short.
Best to all of you hard working, sacrificing, generous mothers, the world just wouldn't be right without you.

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It is Lilac Season!

The smell is so intoxicating and the colors spectacular! They are one of my favorite reasons to live in Utah where the cold winters give way to beautiful blooms that can't exist in the warmer climates. Our lilacs are just beginning to bud and I can't wait to have vases of them filling the house!

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Sewing Pattern Flower Tutorial

Wrote and shared a tutorial over at the CLASSroom blog on how to re-purpose old sewing patterns into easy to make, beautiful flowers. If you have a second head over and check it out, there are also directions in the same post on how to use a scallop shaped die cut to make a rosette flower, cool, crafty stuff!

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Chalkboard Hambly Rub-On Easter Eggs

Oh how I love Hambly rub-ons, they are like buttah!! And using them in unique and different ways is an exciting challenge. So with Easter being tomorrow, if you are looking for a really fun way to use some of the odds and ends of your rub-ons, why not paint some eggs with a little chalkboard paint and then use the rub-ons and some chalk to make these fun place cards for your table?
I wrote up a little tutorial over at the Hambly blog if you would like more in depth description on the how to. This idea has loads of potential for other home decor items, fun cards and scrappy projects as well  :o)

Happy Easter Friends!
B-

A Fun Graphic 45 Le Cirque Card

I have been so busy, life feels like a bit of a circus right now, so a  "hi" card that has the lady on the high wire seems just right! I feel very blessed that I have wonderful people in my life that give me the opportunity to stay very busy creating with beautiful products. And with this being Easter weekend, I have a lot of gratitude in my heart. It is finally Spring here, in spite of the storms that have been barreling through, it is such a treat to look out the window at the hyacinth on the ground and the blossoms on the trees. The grass is having a hard time recuperating from the dogs having good romps on it, but it will make a comeback eventually. Anyway, good to sit still for a brief moment and take in the beauty from the world putting on her finery.

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Once Upon a Springtime Treat Wrap

I wrote a fun wrap tutorial and it is over on the CLASSroom blog. It is easy and something you could use for all sorts of gifts and treats of different sizes, quick too! It was made with the darling Once Upon a Springtime collection from Graphic 45, the stamps from that line are so cute. This image was stamped with Walnut Stain Distress ink and then colored with various Copics to get that color scheme that I remember from my childhood and the Beatrix Potter books with Peter Rabbit.
Easter is almost here, better make a few more of these to surprise the kids with  :o)

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Stamping Royalty Reject

I sent in quite a few this year and had no luck. In hindsight I can see where I could have stepped up my game, but that is what I love about contests like these is that the winners are so inspiring and we all come away better crafters for playing along  :o)
This card was made using a stamp set from Recollections that is very cute. Just a simple black silhouette on cute patterned paper and tied with tulle and twine.
If you are interested in a fun impromptu blog hop, head over to Damask Love where Dr. Amber is up to it again!

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Hero Arts Cuteness

I just adore this stamp, I made this cute card and sent it into the Paper Crafts Royalty contest, but no crown for me this year, so why not share the Hero Arts cuteness?
Not much going on around here besides crafting constantly and attending Chloe's Senior banquets and such. Last night she was awarded an MESA scholarship and tonight is the High Schools awards banquet, we are so very proud of her and how hard she has worked.
So weird to think that this fall, now that Tyler is home and Chloe is graduating, we are going to have 3 students up at the University of Utah. I can feel my wallet getting lighter already, lol!!

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Oh the Possilbilities of Washi Tape

I wrote a tutorial for using washi tape with die cuts for the Hambly blog, and it went up today. The layout that I made using the fun shape is one of my current faves because of the color combo and the whimsical feeling it gives, really so much possibility in life isn't there?!
Thanks for your patience with me not having posts up for the last week either, I took a much needed break after creating about 75 different types of projects for varying deadlines and such. My brain was kinda mushy, so the timing for a getaway was perfect when I got an invitation to a very dear friends wedding and she just happens to live close enough to my sweet aunt Bev who had been bugging me to come and visit her and my fun cousins in Mesa, Arizona. Sunshine, friends, fun, lots of relaxing and plenty of good food gave me a wonderful recharge. Now I am back, ready to take on the other stuff that is on my plate. Amazing how good a little recharge on the soul feels  :o)
And now with buds on the trees signaling that Spring really is in the air, it will be nice to get a little recharge from our own Utah sunshine by spending some time outside hiking, walking and playing some tennis, yay!

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Celebrate Today and Everyday

I have to admit that I haven't come down from cloud 9 since Tyler has been home  :o)

It feels so great to have him here, to see his face unexpectedly come around a corner and to hear his voice from another room lifts my heart to the highest heights. It is little things like that where I find the most happiness, and reminds me what the really important things are. So today is the perfect day to share this sweet card. It is snowing here in Utah and my crocus have just started peeking out of the ground this week. A few posies in the baskets of colorful bikes are perfect for the spring weather that is just around the corner don't you think? And I really want a bike like this adorable Hero Arts stamp, so cute!!

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