September's Anniversary!

My daughter, Michele, and her husband celebrate their ninth anniversary this year.  Their tradition has been to take a vacation during the week in which their anniversary falls, journeying with their 5th-wheel camping trailer to see new and far away vistas.  This year, as they are living on the East Coast for the first time, they will be taking a trip through Pennyslvania, New York and up to Bar Harbor, Maine, visiting historic and camping destinations along the way.  Thus, I decided a card depicting this camping journey would be just right for them.  

I had an idea in my head, so I began searching online to look for a camping trailer stamp or die, but all the samples I found were on cards made several years ago and the stamps had been discontinued.  I decided to venture another direction, and I found a little online vintage trailer graphic, which I thought would be just right.  Its coloring was a little too dark, so I lightened the teal in PaintShop Pro.  The BINGO card in my stash was bright orange, so I scanned it to a jpeg and then re-colored it as well.  I also made it smaller to fit my card better.  The computer can be wonderful to find things just right for cards if you don't own a stamp or die that will do the trick!  I was able to find several camping graphics and even bought a few on Digi Web Studio, but I didn't end of using those this time around.

I do hope Don and Michele enjoy their anniversary vacation and my take on depicting that journey via this card and the little camping verse made for inside.

Recipe:  SU Always Artichoke cardbase; Recollections-Great Outdoors (stripe); GCD Studios-The Great Outdoors pad (tree scene). Free images: Vintage Camper/sign, Camping digis. Colorbox Chestnut Roan (distressing). Seam binding ribbons: Hug Snug-Serbin Brown (olive); SU: Island Indigo. May Arts twine. Stash: BINGO card (re-sized/recolored); Map (re-sized); buttons, pinking shears.

Missing You!

By now most of you know that one of my daughter's, with her husband, has moved to West Virginia where he was transferred due to Coast Guard advancement and job assignment.  We miss them each and every day and are anxious for them to return to Washington after his duty tour, which is about a year and one-half away :-). . .but we shall persevere.  I am hoping to make a trip back to visit maybe in early Fall this year.

The other day I was feeling a bit down thinking about how far away my daughter is, so I decided to make her a little card.  I had snapped a picture of a card while visiting in California at my favorite scrapbooking store in Chico, California ~ Paradise Scrapbook Boutique.  I purchased some of the crocheted flower border while there, thinking I would case this card.  So, I thank PSB for the lovely idea.  My card really is almost identical, except I have added a few more pearls, my flower button is smaller, my tag is longer and I have added an additional green mat layer, which I think brings out the color in the map.  I'm sending it to Michele so she knows we are always thinking about them and miss them a lot.

Moving Day Came... -:)

My daughter has made her move and I am already missing her!  I wanted to send her a special card about moving, settling in, and making her new house her home no matter how temporary.  I sound as though she needs help with this, but this is actually her fourth move to be where her husband's Coast Guard duty station has taken them.  The difference is that this move is across the country; whereas, her first three moves were all on the west coast either in Washington or Oregon...so at least within driving distance of not more than 7 hours!  So, maybe this card and what it says is more a reflection of knowing who she is and what she does each time they move!  I, of course, am already looking three years in the future for when she will return to Washington!

And, following are my thoughts for her and how I know she has handled being a military wife who has had to pick up and move...the process she goes through!

Dear Daughter:  I have named my card "An Ode to a Military Wife;" a fitting title for my message!  We miss you already and look forward to getting on a plane and making a visit soon.  The East Coast has some beautiful landscapes, and you will enjoy taking your 5th-Wheel out in search of the very best places!

Father's Day 2012 is almost HERE!

Several weeks ago I returned from a loooong visit to California, and I've been trying to get my car full of scrapping tools and materials back into the house and put away.  Of course, not only did the old stuff come home, but lots of new goodies as well!  It is taking a lot of creativity to get it all stored away, but not the kind of creative juices I really wanted to employ!

 In the back of my mind, I've been fermenting an idea for a card for my husband for Father's Day.  Over the last several months, I've seen several cards using maps, and with that idea in mind, I just had to see what I could come up with.  The other day an overwhelming urge drove me to get started (even though my room's still a mess...LOL).  After much "that's good" and "no, not good" attempts, here it is.

Father's Day card...June 17, 2012

I had blues and browns in mind and some sort of vintage car, depicting traveling and a journey.  Internet surfing brought me this little 1930 Austin in just the right color, and I was on my way.  I only had two papers with maps and neither would work...so again to my computer.  I found several maps and passport stamps and downloaded them; tweaking their colors to get just what I wanted, even sponge daubed Canada...it was too white!  (I really liked the shades of blues on an Antarctica map, but didn't see John traveling there, so had to discard that thought...but, I really like the colors...oh well...another day!) LOL

And here is the finished inside...