Friday, July 25, 2014

Unusual Color Scheme

With me being home this summer, I find myself on Pinterest a lot lately.  Too much I think!  But it is amazing how the images just suck you in for hours! I love the photography part of it and find it fascinating.  I stumbled across this image and thought the outfit was darling, but what struck me was the colors. I loved the pops of green.
Then I found this image with the same color scheme.....unusual for a wedding but quite lovely.
I decided that these colors were a pretty cool combination and why not make a card using them?  I tend to get stuck in my vintage hues....soft pinks, blues, cream etc.  Which I love, but from time to time it is liberating to go outside of your comfort zone.
I had this cute shadowbox cut from the Silhouette Store.  And since I am a nut over glitter decided I would do each layer in a different color of glitter. Each layer was adhered using dimensional foam tape.  (Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L foam tape to be exact!) ;)
The yellow and black papers are by Doodlebug.  
The sentiment is by SRM Stickers. 
The yellow flower was in my "leftovers" tray that were rejects from another project.  It worked perfectly here.  I added a few cream plastic flowers and a bit of string to tie it all together. 
I am off to a pool party today and hopefully a little golf with the big guy this weekend.
Summer is zipping by and I want to make sure I make the most of the days I have left!
Have a great weekend my friends!


Thursday, July 24, 2014

Caring Thoughts...

Good morning!  
I am up on the Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L blog today with a card I made for a special girl.  She is going through an extremely tough time. I wanted to send her something to let her know there are people who care about her. 
I bought this leaf stencil awhile back and decided to use it for today's card. I used various Papertrey Inks on cream card stock to created the background.  I tied shimmery green ribbon vertically to accentuate the green. I then mounted it on the card using Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L white foam tape. 
I wanted to dress up my ribbon so I used Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L 3D Foam Leaves.  Since they have a sticky side, I just dumped yellow embossing powder directly on top.  I inked the edges a bit in orange for a bit of depth. I added coordinating string, ribbon, and a couple of posies using Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L Dodz™
The sentiment is from SRM Stickers. 

Thank you all so much for your kind comments and e-mails regarding Monday's post. It means a lot to me.  We all need to feel like we are heard, like we are understood and not alone in this crazy world. 
Having you makes me feel like I have my very own virtual support group. 
I am thankful. 
Have a wonderful day!


Tuesday, July 22, 2014

I am Beautiful

Good morning!  I have a layout to share with you today and an update on Cortney.  
First, I wanted to share this layout of Cortney inspired from Christina Aguilera's song, Beautiful. 
When you have a disability, that is often what people see. Sometimes the only thing they see.  It is difficult for many to look past that. 
Cortney has had numerous struggles in her life.  Therapy, surgeries, people being less than kind to her, and the countless stares.  As her mom it has been difficult to watch. I am her guardian, the protector, but sometimes I just can't shield her from everything.
It can be easy to be on the "Pity Potty" and stay there for awhile.  Because as much as I love Cortney there are still those moments when I think, "What should have been."  How would she be if she were a typical 19 year old? Would she play sports? Be on the honor roll? Give me hell? ;)
What about all the things she (I) will miss? No weddings.  No dad walking her down the aisle.
No children for her.
Her life is so different than the one I had imagined for her when I was pregnant. 19 years later and I still feel the loss. 
Do I think about this all the time? Certainly not.
But it creeps in from time to time.
Most of the time, I see a beautiful girl who loves to model. 
Who has touched the lives of many.
who has taught us unconditional love.
Patience.
To slow down and enjoy all the little things life offers.
Hilda Burke from Angel Eyes Photography photographed Cortney last week to help expand her portfolio.
She brought her son, Eric along for the shoot. 
They were truly amazing! 
They were kind.
Patient.
And Eric didn't mind one bit acting a bit crazy with his arms in the air to get Cortney to laugh.
This is when I remind myself that we are blessed. 
We have met some selfless and amazing people.
People we probably wouldn't have met if Cort had been your "typical" 19 year old.
;) 
Please visit Hilda's blog. 
She is an incredible photographer and she has numerous photos of Cortney.
As well as Cort's story.
Thank you for letting me share a bit of my heart. 



Monday, July 21, 2014

Classy Bags and Photography!

Good morning!
I am up on the SRM Blog today with some classy glassine bags.  (Say that 10x really fast! LOL!) 
What makes them classy you ask?  Well the gold doilies of course! ;)
Be sure to stop by for all of the details!  
What else is new in my world?
Well.......my one year old camera decided to die. Yep, one year old and it went Kaput! 
Fortunately it was under warranty. And I was told that I would get a brand new camera.
Here's the problem. Best Buy doesn't offer my particular camera anymore.  So my option was to either go up or down with quality.  Of course Best Buy recommended I go down, or I'd have to spend money.
Oh no....that is NOT going to happen! I still owe money on the first camera! 
To make a long story short, I got the manager, explained my saga, and after much back and forth, he agreed to give me the better camera at no extra cost. 
So I went from a Nikon D7000 to a Nikon D7100. 
I love it! The sharpness is amazing and I had to play around a bit this weekend. So my willing test subjects didn't mind if I stuck a camera in their faces! ;) 
I am off to the buy the boy some pants for school.  His books have been ordered and first tuition payment sent in.  I can't believe he will be a senior this year.  He and I are taking a couple of college tours this week and next. Sometimes life is speeding a bit too fast for this gal's taste!
Enjoy your day!
Thanks for stopping by!