So Many Bluebirds!

Today's post has nothing to do with cards but I just had to share a few photos that I took through my kitchen window. We usually have bluebirds here in the summer. This year we were seeing very few. But that changed on Sunday when I was in the kitchen and out of the corner of my eye I glimpsed birds with blue feathers splashing in the birdbath. I had to get a better look so I grabbed the binoculars (kept in the kitchen) and low and behold, they were juvenile bluebirds! I was so excited I ran out and added more water to the bird bath and watched the birds fly back and forth from the birdbath to the tree to nesting boxes (they were not going in the boxes) my husband made for our backyard a couple of years ago. My husband was out for the day so he had to take my word for it that there were at least half a dozen bluebirds playing in the birdbath. When we got up Monday, we saw one or two bluebirds, but nothing like I saw on Sunday. I mentioned that it was about 3 o'clock when they were here on Sunday, so maybe later they would pay us a visit. To make a long story short, at about 5 PM, the bluebirds arrived. There were a number of the juveniles, plus an adult female. The photos aren't that great (I used my point & shoot camera) but to see these little babies playing and splashing around was just too cute to not share. At times, the birdbath was filled with bluebirds, finches, robins and sparrows, all splashing together. I might not have accomplished very much yesterday, but I took some time to "stop and smell the roses" and it was so very worth it! Have a wonderful day and find yourself a little time to "stop and smell the roses"!

Happy You Hostess Set

I thought that the Happy You stamp set was very cute and I had a chance to play with it a little over the weekend. I made these little gift cards using up scraps of cardstock--both retired and current colors. Do you remember the colors Green Galore & Summer Sun? I paired those colors with Melon Mambo and the little rubber boot looks sooo cute! I scored one side and the bottom to add a little texture to the card. I used Pool Party and Regal Rose together with scallop circle punches and the polka dot embossing folder to create the fun pinwheel card. These are only two of the eight images included in the set. I really didn't need this set until I had the opportunity to play with it! After making these mini cards and a few others, I am kind of needing it--lol! Hope you have a wonderful day!

Cheers!

Today's cards are fun and cute, made using the Happy Hour stamp set. Not sure if it's the colors or the sentiments, but my favorite of the two is the "3 cheers for you" card. On that card I stamped the word "cheers" three times using my stamp-a-ma-jig for placement of the words. The drink was inked using markers. Next time I make this card I will make the pennant a little narrower. The four square card is a fun birthday card. I used ink pads for the drinks, but the little strawberries and olive were inked with my markers. The four squares were layered on top of one larger square and then I added a cute embellishment in the center. (Thank you, Nikki, for the Shape Studio embellishment maker.) Have a wonderful day and find yourself a little stampin' time.

Catching Up ...

...on thank you cards. I need to write some long overdue thank you notes, so yesterday I made two cards using the color combination of red, black and white. The stamped images on both cards are from the Flowering Flourishes stamp set, while the Curly Cute and Bitty Banner sets were used for the sentiments. My inspiration for the card on the left was the card in my July 11th post, Hello My Friend, which had a white card base. On today's version, not only is the color combination different, I also added an embossed border around the card front using my Simply Scored tool and punched both lower corners rather than just one. Once again using a red card base for the card on the right, I added an embossed layer and I stamped the images horizontally rather than vertically. Today's cards and the card from earlier this month are good examples of how by changing the color and a few elements, you have completely changed the tone of a card. So if you are ever stuck for a card design, just think back to one of your favorites and change it up a bit. Have a great day!