Happy Mothers Day

I thought of this at work on Friday. A way to incorporate a card into a gift. And I made it yesterday - with my Mom just the other side of the room... and she didn't see anything other than the basic supplies.

The title "You Always Make Me Smile" came from a text that my Mom sent me a while ago and I have saved on my phone. Before I'd even started work I texted her saying that it would be home time soon... Both are from American Crafts. Purkey Rub ons and Sadie Letter Stickers.

I've had the Flutterbys Paper Garland since early this year and didn't really have a use for it - it just looked really cool and fun! It was fun popping out all the little butterflies.  They are quite strong so I didn't rip any off the cotton thread.  My Mom has got a thing about butterflies... even she doesn't know why...

The photograph is from Italy. Taken in a reflective surface at the top of the Vatican Dome.  It really sucks that there is some random guy walking behind us.... I covered him with some more butterflies so he isn't distracting.

At work I always have scrap bits of paper near by - so I can quickly sketch down ideas and write notes and reminders.  I sketched this out a few times with my original idea of it having more photographs and some patterned paper.  But I had a whole sheet of the Flutterbys and not really anything else that would go with the colors.... I like the lined simplicity of this layout.

I added some Washi Tape #4 just to fill in the empty space between the title and the photograph.  This is the only non-American Craft supply!!!

All this layout/wall hanging needs now is a page protector and a hook.

Leave a comment and link if you made/did something amazing for your Mom.

A Few Layouts

 Our gorgeous new juicy car. I felt like her name should be Cherry Bomb. She does seem nicely rounded and shiny. I might still add some faux pearls or vintage lace...

These photographs were taken just a few weeks ago.  That Saturday was lovely! Sunny! Hot! I took my camera outside and I just couldn't make myself go inside for a while.  I used the reflection from the garage door to take these self portraits.  It still needs a title to go along the strips of patterned paper at the top - but I'm not sure what it should be.

Happiness is...

wearing lovely shoes that make you feel light and free....
sunshine and fresh air....
tidy clean rooms....
being completely pain and hayfever free....

The weather is warming up and soon it will be Converse sneakers all the time... no more Winter boots for a while.... I can't wait.

Today...

actually seems to have been productive.
I actually got quite a bit done.
Worked on a couple layouts.
Organised some photographs.
I made a card that I'm not all that sure about...
I took some photographs of some new growth on the Lavender plants.

Still haven't tidied... but... there's always time to tidy tomorrow....

Last Sunday In Pictures....

 Both of us looking awake.

 Doors are fun! They open and close. And some times they get stuck on the rug when it bunches up.  These two doors are even more fun because if you push one closed the other one pops open!

After Layne goes home...(These photographs are out of order....)

Squished Layne in a baby car seat to take him to visit his Great Grandma.

He was fine with all these new people... fell asleep after chewing on a new bottle!

OLW February

For this month we had to take photographs of our word. Literal photographs or figurative photographs. It took me a while to figure out how I could photograph FAITH... this month all my word was telling me was that it will be warming up soon and it can't be this freezing cold...

I posted on the Big Picture Classes forum and get some very good thought provoking replies.

I have FAITH that the sun will shine...
I have FAITH that plants etc will grow....
I have FAITH that I won't be stuck in Guernsey forever???....

You can't really see them very well but my nine photographs are:
Top: Patterned paper from Bo Bunny, Our first onion shoot poking up through the ground (now they are huge!!!) Hambly Overlay.
Middle: A beautiful photograph of the clouds with "Faith looks up" spelled with KaiserCraft letters. A framed quote about having "belief in yourself" that my Mom got me years ago. A photograph of the dictionary defination about Faith with quotation marks from American Crafts.
Bottom: My Pinterest Faith board on the laptop with some of the inspiration things in the background. The Bottlebrush plant's new growth and a bit of patterned paper.

My first full page photograph was taken by my Mom.  I wanted to the photograph to include my camera bag since it has a map of the world embroidered on it - faith that I will travel.  I added the journaling in Photoshop then realised that the background was too busy for it to be read easily.  I kept myself in colour and turned the rest to black and white, then I did a test print.... The photopaper is A4 and the page protector is 8.5x11.... I had to chop of the last word in the photograph (interesting.)  so I just stuck it on the bottom right hand side.

Luckily when I was ready to take the photographs the sun was out and the sky was a beautiful blue, so I was able to take a photograph of some lovely clouds.  That window leads to my bedroom.  I chose this photograph because there are some seagulls flying around and it reminds me of the message juliaspencer14 left me on the OLW's message boards over at Big Picture Classes.

Birds flying in the air have faith that the wind under their wings will allow them to soar.

This has actually stuck in my head quite a lot and birds seem to be my word's animal.... 

Now onto March's prompt.