Thursday, June 30, 2011

Happy Canada Day and Memorial Day, A FREE digi-kit to celebrate!

Whew - we've made it almost through another week!  How has YOUR week been?  Everyone getting geared up to celebrate Canada Day (July 1st) and July 4th for our neighbors to the south?  What are your plans?  

Our plans include taking in a parade tomorrow and watching fireworks in the evening.  Our community puts on a spectacular fireworks display and my Mr. and I have a romantic date which includes eating homemade pizza with a faux painting camping feel.  We choose a good vantage point (waayyy far away from the busy downtown) and with Seb (our VW Camper-van) we set up our lawn chairs and just chill while the sun goes down, then bring out the layers of clothing and blankets as it gets dark.  Ahhh - truly the way to start summer.

I'm also looking forward to a visit from Judy - my Sister in Law who's coming on Sunday!  I'm sure we will compute and craft up a storm while she's here.  Travel Safe my sweet SIL ♥  

Here are some pics of this weeks adventures: 

P6280643

Delicious – Strawberry Cream Pie

Our neighbours invited us over for dinner on Tuesday evening and it was fabulous.  It was our first time to visit their home and they served us such amazing food, so sumptuous we could hardly walk home!  We also got to visit with another set of neighbours and its sure heart warming to know such nice people live close by.  I can see how wonderful this will be in the cold of the winter – especially as the three of us women really love to bake. 

 

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A fruit salad deluxe!

I’d put a fruit bat to shame.  I can’t seem to get past having a giant fruit salad for lunch – every single day!  I am not a breakfast eater ( I know ) that is soooo bad of me.  Anyways this is what is in this salad today.

  • watermelon – cut in 1 inch cubes
  • strawberry sauce – 1 cup fresh strawberries, 1 tsp organic coconut butter whirled together in a magic bullet
  • vanilla yogurt – 0 % fat type
  • fresh coconut flakes – yes, from a fresh coconut!
  • almonds – toasted in microwave in 1/2 tsp butter, salted lightly

Let me tell you, this is a little bit of heaven in your tummy! 

 

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Clever Girl!

 

I usually have banana on my fruit salad, but these did not arrive until after the fact.  I’ve always noticed those “banana hangers” and thought they were a wonderful idea so I made do with the stand for our patio cutlery set.  The cutlery only comes out when we eat outside, so the rest of the year the stand gets repurposed. 

 

photo

Oh yeah Sister – pthffft! 

I’m a big sister so I can be mean.  Actually let’s say cruel because I know one thing my little sister always longs for is to be here when the cherries ripen.  That’s just happening now though many orchards are very late.  We have not had as much sun lately.  Sorry Sister.  I’m mean.  You can smack me when you come to visit.

 

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Wild Currants

 

Some of nature’s fruit is coming ripe too!

 

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Saskatoons

I always get a little misty when the Saskatoon Berries ripen.  I have so many happy memories of picking these as a child.  My grandmother (who died several years ago) used to “pay” us children to pick pails of these for her.  They make a lovely Jelly Jam.  You would not want to eat these raw, they are quite woody in texture and rather bland, but the Jelly is very tart and sweet and bursting with almost a lemony edge.  Served on toast with cream cheese – well even the Queen would delight!

I wish you all a great holiday weekend. Stay tuned for some Canada Day Parade pics soon! I always love this song so will share it with you.

HAPPY CANADA DAY to all my blog readers!

 

WORSHIPERS AGREE

by HIS SEASON

 

Let our nation sing to the King of Kings

Let our people pray to the Lord today

May the anthem of my country be pleasing God to Thee

From sea to shining sea let the worshipers agree

That the Lord of the Heavens is the Lord who reigns in me

From sea to shining sea let the worshipers agree

 

O Canada let the worshipers agree

O Canada living God reign in me

O Canada we stand on guard for Thee

O Canada

 

Let our nation sing to the King of Kings

Let our people pray to the Lord today

May the citizens and leaders ever stand on guard for Thee

From sea to shining sea let the worshipers agree

May we trust in the living God to keep us glorious and free

From sea to shining sea let the worshipers agree

 

O Canada let the worshipers agree

O Canada living God reign in me

O Canada we stand on guard for Thee

O Canada

 

And in the spirit of celebration I’m giving away my Paper Bag Art kit – a kit from when I designed in 2008.  You will notice that the kit preview is from “Olivia Dorozio” – that was my aka when I designed in a shop that no longer exists.  Most of the wonderful designers from that shop migrated over to Scrapbook-Elements.com – you should really check out their products!  

I hope you enjoy, and I would love to see how you use this kit!  Just send me a jpg of your scrapbook page or project and I will feature it here. 

Click on the preview to download.  I’ll put this one in “The Vault” as well in the next few days too.    (this is one BIG kit – 133 mb, be patient downloading)

 

OD_PaperBagArt_prev1

Monday, June 27, 2011

Mojo Monday, More FREE Goodies from "The Vault", An Interesting Site or 2, Random Pics and Another Free Element!

Just added 5 more items to "The Vault" (tab up top here) 

  • Birthday Candles elements
  • Happy Canner line art element
  • Heart Doodles elements and brush set
  • Heart Heart glittery elements set
  • Heart Music Mini Kit
Enjoy!


 ☺☺☺

Here's a sweet poem I came across and thought would like to share with you, and I've created a little freebie to go with it as well!


A Swarm of B's

B hopeful, B Happy, B cheerful, B kind,
B Busy of Body, B modest of mind, 
B earnest, B truthful, B firm and B good, 
B sure your B haviour B all that it should.

B sharp in the morning, and never B flat,
B ware most of all that you never B that,
B all of these things and whatever B fall, 
B sure you'll B happy and B loved by us all!

by Eleanor K. Pratt

☺☺☺

Mojo Monday rolls around once again - I got side-tracked and cleaned up and sorted my entire craft area.  Took me from 7 a.m. to 3, but was so worth it.  It was a pleasure to work in my new creative corner.  



I chose the square, and here's my take on it: 



I do not know the make of paper 
The stamp was one of Nina's (mah sister) so look in comments and perhaps she will enlighten us.
The flower is actually a combination of a pre-made (behind) and the fore one I made - 


I cut a small circle out of a scarf - yes, a scarf, the type you tie around your neck.
I kept the circle folded, then cut three bumps into it, like 'petals'
Then I unfolded it and sewed a pearl in the middle then sewed little stitches here and there
around the pearl to 'pinch' the material in a bit.
I then sewed the 'scarf' flower to the pre-made flower and glued it on the card.
Voila!

☺☺☺


What a fabulous weekend it was - we had friends over for lunch on Saturday.  We had missed her retirement party which was a few weeks ago and so we made our own little celebration to commemorate her milestone.  The weather co-operated nicely so we were able to sit out on the patio.  We enjoyed crusty homemade bread, fresh green salad (whipped up by my Mr. who is so talented in the kitchen) and I created my own new dressing recipe.  This could be used on either a green salad or a fruit salad: 


Barb's Refreshing Coconut Lime Dressing

1/4 cup fresh water from coconut
1/4 cup light olive oil
1 tsp honey
1 tsp organic Tasana Coconut Butter 


2 tsp freshly squeezed Lime juice
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1/2 lime leaf

GARNISH:
fresh Lime zest
cilantro 



Place ginger, lime leaf, honey and coconut butter in a Magic Bullet (or blender)  Zap to smoothness, add in coconut water, olive oil.  Garnish with zest and cilantro.  Oh MY! 

☺☺☺

In my last post - or could be the one before that - I mentioned I've missed sharing some good sites with you  so I thought today I would send you to one that I think is pretty cool and useful - let me know what your favorite projects from it is! I can't decide myself, there are too many great ideas to choose from.




Click HERE to be taken to Craft Roulette!

☺☺☺

And finally, the Freebie I promised.  I got inspired by that fun poem and decided to whip up a bee - then I had to have the words, and of course I had to make some bee "trails" - one just gets carried away!  I hope you enjoy these.  I also have another element from Pam's vintage photo album in queue too, so check back soon.  I'd ♥ to see how you use any of my products - just send me a small jpg and I'll feature you here!

A little "aside" here as well - though I create and give away freebies here, many of my friends are designers who make a living from doing this too.  I can't seem to find a balance for me to do it in a way to make enough of a contribution to our household (heck, I just l♥ve my time with my Mr. too much)  so I do it for fun and hope that some of you out there who may be like me and survive on one income (happily, I might add) may be blessed by some of my designs.  This said, I heartily ask that when you do have funds and are looking for designs that you check out my dear dear talented designer friends, most in my sidebar - Saxon, SunniKimB, GayeLinda, Kristin, Louise and lastly (though I have not seen anything new for a little bit) Amy!





Saturday, June 25, 2011

10 More Free Items added to "The Vault"!

Happy Saturday everyone!


I've added 10 more items to the vault (look up, The Vault TAB!)


  • Festive Lamp
  • Gina's Little Snowman
  • Festive Flakes add on
  • Get My Drift
  • Furry Nice Frames
  • Floral Swirls
  • Pretty Cord Ribbons
  • Tapes # 4
  • Fun Flowers
  • Garden Pest


Enjoy!



Friday, June 24, 2011

(creeeeakkkkk!) Opening the Freebie's Vault, a new Freebie and this & that

GOOD DAY to you, and to you a GOOD DAY!

Ok, watch out, there's severe flooding here - well, fortunately not the sort of flooding that is happening all over our country and in USA to our south (lifting ya all in prayer!) - No, my flood is JOY overflowing my heart and there's no stopping it.  Yes yes, it's going to make me go out and do something nice for someone today!

Kind hearts are the garden,
Kind thoughts are the roots;
Kind words are the blossoms,
Kind deeds are the fruits.  

Do you realize you have the power today to turn this seemingly ordinary day into an extra-ordinary, extra-special, never-forgettable day for someone?  You might not even have to get out of your chair.  Oh if you are feeling full of fizz then by all means grab some gardening tools and get into your friend's garden for a few hours and help her rid her flower plot of weeds, all the while having a time of friendship.  

But if you're feeling like "staying put" then you can brighten someone's world by reaching out and building them up.  All that praise does nothing while it lies dormant in your heart.  Why not set it down on paper (a card or letter, yes a real pen and ink paper, or even an email or e-card will do) and deliver it to someone who's made a difference in your life, or someone who could use a boost... or someone who needs someone?  You are loved, let your joy overrun the banks of the river of your life! 

Luke 6:38

New International Version (NIV)

38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”



♥--------------♥

I've been running through my old posts and realize I have a TON of freebies - something like 200 of them hosted in my 4shared in fact and more on my hard drive but I've never taken the time to put them in one spot where you can access them, with thumbnails and all, so over the coming month I am going to be putting them in my Vault - look up... you will see the TAB at the top of this page (that says Freebies Vault).  Please be patient as it is going to take me like, forever, to index everything.  I will try to cluster them together in categories (like all the Christmas items grouped together, that sort of thing) so you may have to check back often to see what I've added.  I would LOVE to see how you use my elements - if you send me a small jpg of your projects I'll be honored to feature them here. 

Do you know I give away beautiful free scripture wallpaper for your computer as well?  I make it in several sizes to be a perfect fit for your desktop - you can find these over on my church blog (yes, I blog a lot during the week!)  Look under "The Gallery" tab at the church blog by clicking HERE!

♥--------------♥

As I've been reading back in my older blog posts I realized how I used to share some of my great web-link finds and I do have a lot of very interesting and useful ones, so I think I'm going to try to share more of these with you!   Stay tuned.  

♥--------------♥

I forgot to share the Father's day card I made for my man - so here goes: 




I added this backing onto the card - the cards I saw on the web did not have a stand up backing - they just had a piece of blank card-stock on the back.  I think that its effective to have the card stand on its own.  Can you imagine this on someone's desk? 



The funny thing is, my Mr. has a shirt almost identical to this one - I was so excited when I saw the paper.  

Ha!  I found a picture of him taken a couple of weeks ago wearing this exact shirt (minus the tie) - wooo so handsome! 



I know what you all are screaming for but I'm sorry - I did not follow any one set of directions for this shirt, I played around and modified what instructions I found and did not write them down or take pictures (GASP! - me not take pictures??? Was I faint?)   I added little touches as my creative spirit led me to do.  So the best I can do is tell you to Google "Shirt Card" instructions.   PS - this was not an easy card to make! 


♥--------------♥


Last, but not least, I'm offering up another one of Pam's beautiful vintage elements for you today.  Pam has been taking courses at the school where my Mr. teaches and I attend and she's heavy into learning Photoshop and all this amazing digi-scrapping as she puts together her family's heritage.  You know when you show 100 people how do do all this empowering and terrific computer magic but only a few of these will go on and do something with what they learn?  Well, Pam is one of them.  Yesterday was our last formal day to work together at youlearn.ca (the school, click on the link, check it out!)   I liked what Pam said on the card she gave us with gifts to thank us for our helping her learn how to put together her family journals "My ancestors and I thank you from the bottom of our collective hearts."  How encouraging is that?  I've loved my time together with Pam and she's been generous to want to share these beautiful elements with you!  These are actual pages from her (very old) family photo album.  




PPS - You might want to scooch over to my dear friend Linda's blog too - she's got some SO GOOD NEWS and some excellent and fun Monkey Brushes for you she's made!   Click HERE to be transported !




Monday, June 20, 2011

Mojo - Oh Yippidy!

Yes - its Monday and I have come to love my Mondays because I get to "play mojo" with my family - Nina, Judy and Sam (links in my sidebar)   Got to keep my carding skills honed to keep up with these talented ladies, for sure!  

Here's today's sketch - nice and simple, gotta like that.




And my take on it:



credits:  star - K and Co
Lettering stamps:  Recollections - Elegant Double and Once Upon a Letter

The rest - I dunno (scratching my head) 

Stay tuned for more cards soon, my Mr. has me making a scad of them for tomorrow's school graduation (he's an instructor)  Lots of people to congratulate and wish a good summer to.  



Sunday, June 19, 2011

More June iphone photos - and another Vintage Element freebie (from my friend Pam)

Here’s more little iphone adventures – I have fun observing what’s blooming, ripening up etc and I love that I can catch it all on my iphone and share it with you.





Apricots are beginning to pink up – they are a nice size too. Smoothies – here we come!



And the cherries are looking highly bite-able!




The lake remains high – backing off just enough so people living on the shore can breathe a little easier. Yes, that bench is sitting on someone’s dock.




I enjoy the patterns in the petals these succulents




My little walks turn into big walks because I get caught up in the beauty of even “weeds”




This cactus captures me for at least 100 photos each year.




Remember these beautiful poppies from last week?


They have a whole new stark beauty this week.


Thanks for coming along on my weekly walks and putting up with my picture after picture after picture. I will never tire of the beauty in my own back yard. Every new bloom, blade of grass etc is the handiwork of God!

And, as promised, here is another beautiful vintage frame extracted from my friend Pam’s photo album. Enjoy! (PS – leaving a little comment love here for Pam would be nice too – more elements to follow in the coming weeks!)

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Summer's coming (iphone pics) and a Free Vintage image!

 

Supposedly a picture is worth a 1000 words so I’ll let my camera do most of the talking and then top it all off with a pretty vintage image my friend Pam has generously donated for you!

June 14 flowers

 

June 14 flowers2

June 14 flowers5

 

 

June 14 flowers4

 

June 14 flowers6

These were some of the lovely blooms I saw this week.  Now, onto the kitchen:

June 14 flowers7

Love having fresh herbs etc in the kitchen – bringing in oregano, chive blossoms (baked into an artisan cheese bread) and…

toasted-coconut

I tried my hand at freshly toasted coconut – my Mr bought me a “nut” and milked it and broke the shell and then shaved the meat with a very sharp veggie peeler.  I browned it in the heat and I will tell you there is NO comparison to store bought packaged.  You must try this!

And onto a few odds of photos:

lake-flood

This is a little fishing lake not so far from us where we often like to escape to – only there is usually MANY feel of bare beach in front of that picnic table – I’d say about 40 feet!

horses

Beautiful horses – gorgeous photo op!

And last but not least (or best for last, perhaps?)  Here is the promised freebie of a vintage page from my friend Pam – more to come soon!

Click on the image to download!  Personal use.  Please leave some love for Pam here – she’s not a blogger and this is also her first time to give anything away!  A little encouragement goes a long way.

BDERK_Pam-Vintage-2

 

PSSSST – I see KimB has a pretty Gift as well for you – and she could use some kind words to WARM her up – yes, she does live in South Africa… but oh my I do believe I saw SNOW on her blog!

Monday, June 13, 2011

Quick QUICK mojo post - more to follow!

Just a quick Mojo post - more iphone adventures to follow soon!

Today's Mojo sketch:



I l♥ke (that's love and like all at the same time) this sketch - pretty and simple = pretty simple!

My take:


I really don't have the color right on this one, taking it outside, in the shade, in the wind is not too bright (yeh, trash talking about me) 

Credits - not exactly sure about any one item except the ribbon and glue on beads which came from Michaels. 



This close up is a little brighter but still not giving you a good idea of the pretty paper.  I love this stamp my sister inherited to me! 


Here is another card I made for a friend recently - its always a challenge making masculine cards, don't you agree?  Do you have any great ideas to share?


The sentiment reads "We know not what the future holds but we know who holds the future" 

Word art: Elegant
Paper: Its a mystery to me. 
Ribbon: Wal Mart
Key: broke down from costume jewellery


Word Art: 1st FF








Thursday, June 09, 2011

This Week in iPhone Pics and a Free Gift for YOU!

Here's what's happening this week in pics:

The cherries are beginning to blush


Apricots are getting fat and sassy

The lake level remains very high.  Lots of debris floating up on shore


I can never walk past pretty flowers without snapping them



See - told you!   And sometimes a subject is worthy of a series...




And then I play with some filters to top it all off


And then a totally unrelated pic -
I wanted to show how I used an antique crochet apron as a cover for the water cooler! 

Finally, the moment you've all been waiting for - a little GIFT!  My friend Pam has generously allowed me to create a small series of vintage elements using her antique locket and to follow, some antique photo album plates and pages.  So check back now and again!    Please leave some love for Pam! 

This element is sized just under 4 inches at 300 dpi with no drop shadow. 


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