Freestyle Fridays - Regina's Done It Again

What Gives! Half of North America is faced with "Baby it's hot outside", the other half is "It's raining, it's pouring". So for the half that's the latter, hopefully Regina's completed mission for this week will brighten your day.

I've said this before, and I must say it again, it always amazes me at what Regina can come up. She is a true artist.   Click here for a full view and all the details. And don't be shy to leave her a comment. It will be well received and much deserved.

For the half that's in blazing heat, maybe this will cool you down some.

Frankii's got a squirrel to chase and he's just waiting for the rain to stop.  At least he's smart enough to stay out of it. Well, at least for now, he took off shortly after this was taken and slid in the mud on the way to his prey. No need for a bath, I'll just make him stand in the rain Haha.

Try to stay cool or dry wherever you have the misfortune to live at the moment.

See Ya Next Week!

Manly Mondays - Week 55

Happy Birthday to you, Happy  Birthday to you.  It's Ron's birthday tomorrow, one of our dearest friends.  He's a no-nonsense, to the point kind of guy.  I sat down yesterday and created this card for him. 

The base is Soft Suede.  Before I layered it with a piece of Baja Breeze DSP I used the Pumpkin Pie Marker to "ink up" the balloons from Nice & Easy Notes and stamped those several times.  The banner was created with a die cut and the letters were stamped with Soft Suede Classic Ink.  A dauber with Daffodil Delight was used on all the edges. This was all adhered with sticky tape to Linen Thread.

Here's the inside.

I used the party hats from Party Hearty, stamped in Daffodil Delight and Pumpkin Pie punched with a long ago retired Stampin' Up party hat punch. Also rounded the corners like I did on the front.

WHAT'S UP WITH FRANKII

Frankii got to have a ride in Evan's super huge work truck last Friday.  Evan was finished work early so he picked Frankii up from daycare.  Have no idea how he managed to drive up the road with that truck of his (with a loading trailer attached to it he's 100 feet long) but then again he's been driving those trucks for over 30 years. Of course Frankii needed help since the door is about 5 1/2 feet from the ground.  He can jump but not that high.  So Evan lifted him up and once he was in there he gave it a really good inspection.  He actually laid on the bunk on the way home and had a little snooze.  Daycare will do that to him which he why he goes.  It keeps him busy and out of trouble and trouble he can find when left on his own.

Like in this picture

He's licking a bowl that was used to make Caesar salad.  How did it get from the counter to his mat without anyone noticing?  He's as quick and quiet as a mouse at times. He can be a handful I tell ya!

A La Prochaine!

Freestyle Fridays - Oops! It's my turn

It's Friday already! Although it's been raining all week, again, time is just flying by. No sense whining about all this rain, nothing can be done about it.  Heck, I'm getting free car washes. For a view of our backyard see after Regina's Mission.

So yesterday on my way to work, I was thinking about what kind of fabulous project Regina would WOW us with her mission from last week.  When I got to my parking stall it occured to me that Regina had already completed her mission and it was my turn at the Freestyle Fridays table. Oh Boy I thought, I'm in trouble.  Typically Regina and I send each other the Fridays project on Wednesday evening to give us time to write our post.  Regina's a night owl and I'm an early bird so it just works better that way. Anyhow, here's what I manage to accomplish last evening.

Started with a base of Wisteria Wonder.  The more I work with this color, the more I like it.  Then I ran a piece of Whisper White through the Big Shot with an embossing folder.  I took out the Delicate Doilies set and embossed the largest of doilies with white embossing powder five times.  Then the punching began.  Starting with the 2 3/8 Scallop Punch (have you noticed that Stampin' Up has renamed all the punches, slightly, but still renamed) followed by circle punches in 4 different sizes.  Attached all those with dimensionals to give it a tier cake look. The finishing touch was a white heart button from my stash.  The sentiment is from Kind and Caring Thoughts embossed in gold (cased from my own card this past Monday). The Double Scallop Ribbon Border punch was used to embellish the bottom of the white layer.  I was actually surprised at how quickly this came together and able to send Regina a sneak peek in record time.  Trusting you'll find a smidge of inspiration.

********REGINA'S MISSION********

Okay Reg, forgive me, I've always wanted to call you that, at least once, this week's mission is to create a thank you card using several punches AND Wisteria Wonder.  Oh alright, you can through in a button or two (wink). Now go, stop painting, and go find a space to create something A-Ma-Zing!

****************

As promised earlier, here's a view from our backyard.  It's 9:30 PM and typically at this time of year the sun is out and not ready for bed for another 2 hours.  So much for bright and sunny evenings this year.

Not a speck of blue here. I'd been out earlier throwing a ball for Frankii to chase and within seconds was bit by those nasty mosquitoes several times.  Man, they are relentless. We haven't been able to enjoy this view much this year.  Or how green our grass is for a change.  Our fire pit, never mind that, no sitting by a fire in the late evening and the weeds have found there way inside and starting to overgrow the entire pit. I planted a whole pot of marigolds with the intent of keeping mosquitoes away while we sat in that area since I heard they keep them away. HaHa on me. At least they are growing and look pretty.

See Ya Next Week!  

Manly Mondays - It's Raining

It's Raining, It's Pouring, the old man is snoring...... Wowzers, did we have a thunderstorm this morning. The house shook and Frankii almost levitated from his bed.  Apparently there is more on the way.  Looks like we are in for a bumpy summer!

With all the fog and mist this card came to mind.

It's not the best of photographs I'm afraid.  The base is Old Olive.  I took a piece of Very Vanilla and stamped the reeds from Inspired by Nature in Old Olive.  Then I took a piece of plastic wrap, scrunched it up some and "licked" the cap of the Frost White All Purpose Ink after I shook it.  I dabbed that on the Very Vanilla making it look like fog.  Unfortunately I am not the best of photographer's and had a hard time capturing that effect.  I used the Lace Ribbon Border with Old Olive cardstock and made sure that both sides were even with the pattern before I applied it with a two way glue stick.  The sentiment is from Kind and Caring Thoughts embossed in gold on Very Vanilla with an Old Olive mat.  Multi-purpose card really, could be used as a Sympathy Card, a brother away at college, an uncle you haven't spoken to in awhile or a really great neighbor that recently moved away.

WHAT'S UP WITH FRANKII

We have a friend from Ottawa staying with us taking a course in Edmonton.  Frankii is not use to her sounds yet.  The other night she got up in the middle of the night to use the washroom and Frankii was in protection mode, BIG TIME.  I was expecting this to happen.  I calmed him down and he actually got up on the bed and laid at my feet which is something he never does.  That was his big brother's spot and when Tex was there, he made it clear to Frankii that that was his spot and his spot alone. I think he felt the need to take care of me that night.  My little one is growing up way to quickly.

I caught him with that bone again trying to fine a burying hole.  This must have gone on for a good 20 minutes.

It's been raining so much he can't go to his designated area in the backyard to bury it.  I think that's why he's been looking in the house.  I trained him to bury only in a certain area and he hasn't had a lot of time out there because of all the rain and much to our dismay, hail.  Lost track of him when he was roaming around so I've got no idea where it ended.  All I know is that it was not under my pillow thank goodness.

A La Prochaine!

Freestyle Fridays -

Last week I "missioned" Regina to make a baby gift. Considering that she is painting the inside of her house with most her supplies boxed up and covered for those little drops of paint that always seem to find a place to cling to where they shouldn't she still managed to come through for us. How sweet is this!!!

In Regina's post there is a picture of this box card open. She added an insert for a gift card. Perfect Regina, Well Done! Regina has been a little busy creating this past week.  Have a look at her fabulous new banner. For the Splitcoast tutorial click here.

See Ya Next Week!

Freestyle Fridays - Celebrating Baby's Arrival

Mid-May I saw a job posting that was for a Maternity Leave and by the description is was me all over.  I thought about it long and hard since I had left the financial planning industry several years ago for various reasons.  Within two days of applying I got a call and the interview process began.  3 interviews later I get an offer, and an awesome one at that, decide what the heck, go for it.  Who can refuse paid parking in downtown Edmonton! I started June 1st and have been loving it from the first minute I walked through the door. This company is one of the top 50 companies to work for in Canada and there is evidence of that every single day.  With that said, there was a little baby shower at work for the lady that I am covering for.  At one point in time I showed her the SU catalog and asked her to pick out her favorite colors which turned out to be Wild Wasabi and Pumpkin Pie.  Not knowing the sex of this little one I went with these colors.   

I picked up the basket at a local church thrift shop and spray painted it and just happen to have some wide ribbon with green and orange that matched close enough.  I was happy to find the blanket and matching sleepers (the box that says Joe on it - top left corner).  I filled it up with things that I thought would be appropriate to carry in a diaper bag.  There is also one of those car signs that says Baby On Board.

For the card I started with Wild Wasabi, 5x5 square, a la Regina, and a layer of Pumpkin Pie designer paper.  I really don't have a lot of baby stamps but sure happy I got the Buggies and Booties set quite some time ago.  The grass is a die cut that I adhered with mounting foam and sponged with Wild Wasabi Ink.  The Buggy was embossed with Iridescent Ice and punched out with the large Scallop Circle Punch.  Also inked the edges with Wild Wasabi.

The butterflies were cut with the Beautiful Wings Embosslit and Wild Wasabi Designer Paper and adhered with a two way glue pen.

For the inside I stamped the booties in Wild Wasabi and used a die cut in two different sizes to add the sentiment Hello little baby (welcome home).  

The soon to be Mama was very appreciative which is always somewhat of a relief when you hand make something for someone.

********REGINA'S MISSION********

Regina, somewhere somehow, there is someone in your surrounding area that is expecting.  Your mission this week is to make a project with a baby theme. And I know with just that your creativity is already in full swing.

See Ya Next Week!  

Manly Mondays - Stop!! Thief!!

The thief is Me.  I stole this card from Regina, shame shame on me.  When I saw Regina's Make It Snappy Monday post last week I couldn't resist.  I purposely did not read how she made it just to see if I could copy my idol. And to quote her after I admitted to her my theft "You make me proud!" PHew, she's not calling the Stampin' Police.

Here's what I did (clearing throat, stole).  The base is Whisper White, measuring 5x5.  The layer of Whisper White is ran through the Big Shot with the small dot texture plate.  The designer paper is Concord Crush from the Hostess Designer Pack.  For the square I used a die cut, a strip of plain Concord Crush, a Jewel from the Rhinestone Collection and a layer from the Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer.  This was all adhered with mounting foam.  The other strip of Concord Crush was also ran through the Big Shot with the small dot texture plate.  It measures just a smidge smaller than 3/4". I put that through the 3/4" punch on an angle to get the points and placed it through another layer punched out with the Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer.  A gel pen was used for the little dots.  This was also adhered with mounting foam.  The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes stamped with Concord Crush Ink punched with the Small Oval Punch. 

Oh Oh, I better run.  Here comes Regina trying to get Frankii's kerchief and put it over my face to make me look like a bandit......runnnnnnnnnnnnn------->>>>

WHAT'S UP WITH FRANKII

Frankii tried to put another cookie under my fresh sheets this weekend and got stopped just in time.  What the heck is up with this lately??  Why always when the fresh sheets have been neatly tucked I ask you??

His friend Callie was back at daycare from a recent holiday so he was super happy to see her.  The squirrel is back and he's been spending a lot of time at the edge of the driveway waiting to catch a glimpse and chase it.  It sure is loud but stays out of sight.  Both my guys were tired from trying to spot it that they needed a rest.

Talk about lounging comfortably.  The TV is not even on. 

A La Prochaine!

Freestyle Fridays - Lucky Limeade

It just doesn't matter what kind of mission I subject Regina to, the hits just keep on coming.  When I first saw this sneak peek my jaw just dropped. 

The details Regina applied are spectacular and makes you say out loud "Now why didn't I think of that!?!"  To get the full view of this beauty and Regina's creative process click here.  While you're there take a tour of her extremely creative projects.   You'll be glad you took the time. And like Regina said last week "Bloggers love to get comments--it's how we know what you liked when you visited". 

Happy Canada Day to all my fellow Canadians!

See Ya Next Week!