Missing my Dad

Today is 3 years since my Dad passed away. It's amazing to me how painful it still is that he's gone. Also amazing is how frequently something will pop into my head and for just a split-second I think "I need to call Dad and tell him". I am equally amazed at how many times I quote him or use one of his silly expressions, or do something the way he taught me.  Gosh I miss him so much it sometimes overwhelms me. Does that ache ever go away?

When he was in good health, he often sang and even sometimes he did a crazy little dance that still makes me smile when I see it in my head. He called me his "tweetie-pie" and would sing a made-up song that was just for me. I'm sure many girls think they have the best Dad and I'm no different. I miss him every day.

If you are fortunate enough to still have your Dad, or a Dad in your life, hug them often and be sure they know how much you love them; you'll be glad you did when they are no longer around.

I'll leave you with a verse to a song that he often sang for no particular reason:

A Bushel And A Peck

I love you a bushel and a peck

A bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck

A hug around the neck and a barrel and a heap

A barrel and a heap and I'm talkin' in my sleep

About you, about you

'Cause I love you a bushel and a peck

You bet your purdy neck I do.

Rest in Peace Carl "Coddie" Rodgers....until we meet again.

Squirrely Challenge - Colorful Silhouettes

Mother Squirrel, aka Nancy at Squirrely Art, has challenged the squirrel girls to try our hand at a Technique Junkies tech from the Aug/Sept 2011 issue called Colorful Images. Very simple technique, but renders nice results. I pinned this card a while ago and this seemed the perfect opportunity to do it. Getting a very early start on my Halloween cards I guess!
I don't know the stamp manufacturers for the bats, raven or Happy Halloween, but the crackle background is from impression obsession and the tree is from Posh Impressions (good ole Dee Greunig...remember her??) Used distress inks, rusty hinge, wild honey & brushed corduroy just like my pinned example did, but i decided against the fluffy white clouds.
Thanks for looking and be sure to check out the other squirrel girls.

Jennifer
Connie
Julie
Diana
Rachelle
Farley

Happy Mother's Day (a wee bit early)

Blogger has thrown me for a loop. I'm still getting used to the re-design of posting, but this too shall pass.
Below are my Mother's Day Cards for my Mom and my SO's Mom. Hopefully neither will peek at my blog before Sunday.
For both cards, i've used paper from Graphic 45 & Club Scrap Celestial & Concrete Jungle Kits. 
The Silhouette was (oddly enough) cut on my Silhouette from an image I found online and traced as was the oval cut out and oval frame.

 

I'm submitting this first one for the following challenges:
PP94 (The Paper Players Challenge Blog) - In Celebration of Mother's
MMSC 138 (Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge Blog) - Sketch
PPA134 (Pals Paper Arts Blog) - colors: Calypso Coral, Baha Breeze & So Saffron
   

          

Here's the 2nd one...similar but different and using the same papers and shapes, etc.

  

Way late in posting this

My sister had a birthday last week and altho i sent my card on time, i didn't get a chance to post it in a timely fashion. She is an avid bike rider and I thought this was perfect for her. I took inspiration from several different google images and it came together almost exactly as I had envisioned (which never happens!).
I used an actual map of California (where she lives) and the rest of the papers are from Club Scrap kit called "Expressions". The girl on the bike image is a shape I actually purchased from the Silhouette online store. I cut it out of white paper (with my silhouette) and then inked it with black soot distress ink and sprayed with perfect pearl water mixture. I made the card into a z-fold with a window so the girl would pop off the front. She is mounted onto a transparency that was also cut with the silhouette. I found the quote online and built everything else around it. I just love it and it was soooo perfect for a cyclist!

Happy birthday sis. I love you and miss you bunches. Can't wait til we ride together again. kiss kiss.

Color Throwdown & Club Scrap Sketch

Details will be brief as its getting late. I'll update the post later, i promise.

Sketch is from my sister Jen via a Club Scrap Challenge she hosts.
Colors inspired by Color Throwdown (#188).

Papers from Club Scrap Kits: Birds of a Feather, Private Eye, Lotus Pond. Hero Arts Stamps (zig zag and dots and flowers). Flowers, leaves and edge cut on Silhouette.

Play Date with the Squirrel Girls

I combined a couple challenges with this "no particular occasion" card. Nancy at Squirrely Art tasked us squirrel girls with trying the TJ technique called cascading images and Play Date Cafe offered up a beautiful & bright color challenge this week (PDCC128). Instead of "cascading" my images, i decided to stamp and mask the bike wheel several times to create a frame. I used a white card base with an bright orange panel from the Club Scrap kit "Salsa" and a Flamingo Pink panel from the Club Scrap kit "Dream In Color". The bike and sentiment stamps are from the Club Scrap Kit called "Wheel & Sprocket".

Along with white

this week's suggested colors are:

Creative Chemistry 101 Day 8

• Paint Dabber Resist Technique
• Crackle Paint Resist Technique
• Shattered Stains Technique
  
  
  
  
Club Scrap stamps from Nature's Wonders, Versailles, Dashing, Papillon

Creative Chemistry 101 Day 6

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Creative Chemistry 101 Day 7

• Nostalgic Batik Technique
• Rusted Enamel Technique
• Distress Powder Resist Technique

Club Scrap stamps from Raku, Comfort Zone & Versailles kits

Creative Chemistry 101 Day 5

I don't own any kraft resist, so I made do with what I do have which is a wonderful paper stack from DCWV called Ciao Bella (which has varnished accents on many of the pages).

For stamping with stains, i wasn't getting very good results with my picket fence stain but i'm using what came out of it anyway. Marbled stains wasn't very cooperative with me either, but i think the way the stains play on the surface of the paper depends greatly on the paper you're using, but I refuse to buy "specialty stamping paper"...seems ludacrous to me. Guess i'm cheap.

• Stained Kraft Resist Technique
• Stamping with Stains Technique
• Marbled Stains Technique