lindaalbrecht

I see sunshine!!

Halleluiah!!!! 

Everyday last week was grey and cloudy.  Cold too.  It's amazing how a little sunshine can make me feel like getting something done.  I want to clean something -- or paint something.   The sun was out most of the day yesterday also, but it was still a little chilly.  I finished up some design team work and made a few things for myself. 

It all started out with some of this:

I'd been working with the Creative Cafe felt for a couple of days and really wanted to do something for my front porch--something that said warm weather and sunshine so I came up with this little sampler.

Sorry about the glare on the glass. 

I like how this turned out-- I may sit it amongst the geraniums that I put on the porch during the growing season.  Sort of as a reminder to what their job is ;-) ;-).   

I added some red and creamy brown Fluid chalk ink to the pink felt flowers to change the color a bit to match my porch colors.  But, they have several colors in these that you can purchase at 2Peas in a Bucket now or click on this link to go to Just Need It.com.   Or if you are really lucky your local scrapbook store carries the entire Creative Cafe line!

Once I cut a few pieces for the flower centers and pots from fabric, I sat down in the living room to watch a couple of movies with my family and stitched away.  3 1/2 hours later I had a new accessory for the porch!

Here is a close up of the flowers:

Once I saw the completed project, I knew that I wanted to do a scrapbook page using some of the same things.

That's my version of an artsy layout.  I edited the photo to look all funky like that--don't know why, it just happened.  I like it though.  I even threw some paint on there just for fun.  I think that sometimes it's refreshing to not expect perfection when you scrapbook -- to not worry about the straight lines and perfectly clear photos.  Actually I add a lot of imperfection to my work almost always.  Guess that I just like old distressed stuff. :-)

Well, I have a long list of things to do over the next few days.  Lots of housework and a few design team projects to complete.  It's good though because the sun is shining and the birds are singing , so I think that I will join them in their happy little work songs.  I may even take a moment or two to sit on the backyard swing.  There's always so many gifts to the soul in a warm spring day!

See you soon! 

Love,Linda

A few captured moments

It seems like forever that I've had my camera out to get some shots of the everyday that fills up our lives.  I can remember for the big things like birthdays and other special occasions, but really to me, the best memories are the little moments that consume the days.  Things like this:

I caught the cat being sociable with Cort.  They didn't know that I was looking.  Now if I had tried to put Tiko up by Cort on the front porch swing to take a photo or two, well... Tiko is just too independant to be told what to do.  It has to be his idea or nothing.  Sometimes Cort wants to hold and hug and cuddle with him so bad and Tiko will have nothing to do with it.

But today he let down his guard and snuggled in by Cort.  Probably because it is still a little chilly on the porch and he needed the warmth.

Uh oh...........................................................................................

  I've been caught .  Now he'll have to get down because it just isn't cool for him to show any affection or tolerance for Cort.

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But not until I got one last shot of Cort enjoying the companionship .

Shortly after I snapped this one he was down and walking off with the flip of his tail.  Sheesh, it's so hard to be loved by a little boy, isn't it?!!

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Then I took these shots of Cort on a new skateboard type thing.  My son Luke, who is a really, really, really good skateboarder/trickster said that it looked "like a concusion waiting to happen."  Ughhhhhh!!!!!  DO. NOT. TELL. ME. THAT.  Seriously, facial road rash and 2 broken front teeth is all of the anguish that I can take from this child for this year!

This thing... I guess that it's called a Ripstick... has only 2 wheels. 

TWO WHEELS !!!!  And no handle bars! I was actually hoping after the concusion comment that Cort wouldn't even be able to balance it on the two wheels.

But, of course that didn't happen. 

This thing is really a lot different than  a skateboard because it pivets between the front and the back sections and also at the 2 wheels.  It's like it rocks.  I told Cort that he had to wear a mouth guard to protect those 2 new teeth, but that would not be cool.  Not at all.  It's much cooler to give your mother just one more thing to worry about in the course of the day.  Oh... it is going to be a loooooong summer, I just know it.

   

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Okay.  Now, you've got to see these.  In one of my earlier posts I showed you the new Creative Cafe colored gift bags.  This time I was asked to make some paper bag puppets with them.  Oh my gosh, I tell you I have not laughed so hard at one of my creations in a long time.  I felt like a kid again.  I had so much fun making these with some of the AccuCut dies --  like the large button shapes for the eyes and the little tummy accents are also AccuCut.

I promise I did not play with them, but I wanted to.  ;-)

Last thing to share  is this layout that I did for Memory Makers magazine.  It was for a Glitter article.   I hope that you can see the glitter--not always such an easy thing to capture the sparkle. As always, click on the pictures for a close up!

Have a happy weekend!  I've got a few Creative Cafe projects to work on that I'm very excited about.  Let me just say that it involves lots of the  polka dot felt !!  I'll be back to share as soon as I can.

Love,  Linda

I need to talk!

Or I'll fall asleep.   So gloomy here today -- I saw snow flurries in the air when I dropped Cort off at school this morning and he didn't have on a winter coat.  That'll give me something to worry about today..... will my child freeze while on the playground at school -- or will the teachers think that I am a bad mom for sending him to school inappropriately dressed for the weather?  Dang I suck some days. ;-)  This time of the year is so iffy <----that's a MN word--I really didn't make it up!  Mornings can be in the 30's then by the afternoon it's 50's.

Last Friday and Saturday were beautiful though!  Near 60 both days.  I felt so energized with the warm breeze and the sunshine.  I even washed a few windows, which is of course why it is snowing and raining.  Sorry,  fellow Minnesotans- I'm such a jinx.  It felt so good to clean off the winter's grime -- clean windows change the whole room.  Now if it will just warm up a bit so that I can finish the rest .  When Cort was little he used to think that if we sang "Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun please shine down on me..."  that the sun would come out.  Actually when we did that a few times it seemed to work...hmmmmm... I may just have to try that today!

My "To Do" list grew over the weekend too, so I need to get busy completing a few projects, but before I go I have a few things to share.

This layout was done using the  Pink Paislee Office Lingo collection.  That's my little Cort when he was just a year old.  He loved to do the "sooo big" thing.  Anything to get everyone to clap and say, "Yayyy, Cort!!"  Awww, I miss those days. 

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I used some of the Pink Paislee clear stamps on this layout also.  Such fun.

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Another Pink Paislee project--this one was for the Pink Paislee Blog.  There are instructions over there, so if you click that link you can see a quick rundown on how to make it.  Lots of other inspiration there too by other design team members. 

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One more thing--I want to share a few photos of Cort's 10th birthday party.  He wanted a Hawaiian theme.   Here is the invite made from Art Warehouse Summer Vibe paper. 

A little decorating on the front porch for the kids table.

Centerpieces that I made from straw beachcomber hats that I cut a hole in the top to insert a candle holder into.  My daughter thought that the idea would also be good for chips and dip-- small bowl for dip in the center and place the chips in the curve of the hat.  I like that idea-- maybe for our next Hawaiian party.  Those hats are pretty inexpensive if you get them through Oriental Trading Company based out of Nebraska.  Like $1.50 each and they are big enough to wear also.  Not with the candle or the chips and dip, of course!  :-)

I also got these little rubber duckies all decked out for a luau to float in the drink tubs.

Of course they did the Limbo!!***************************************

More party go'ers....

My daughter, my mom, and my sister Terri.

After all of that, I was pooped!  So much time and energy put into it all, but the memories are worth it.  Plus, we are ready for another Hawaiian style party anytime.  Did you notice the banners with the lights?  Those were made using strings of white lights and an AccuCut die.   I used some current scrapbooking product and some older stuff that I have in my stash.  I think that something similar would be so fun for other parties, like showers, weddings, etc.

I'd better get back to work now.  Everybody sing with me ... "Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun..."

;-)

Linda