I'm in heaven!

I hope that everyone had a fantastic Father's Day.  I took my Dad to breakfast at one of our local diners and then spent some time hanging at his house.  He loved the picture of his grand girls (to hang from the rear view mirror of his car).  I also gave him a One Republic CD and a Henley shirt.  He asked for both.  He has great taste in music.

It was a beautiful day in every way.  I spent the afternoon lounging out in the sun while reading a book.  Something I don't get to enjoy very often, so I relished every single second.  I also took a few photos of my beautiful rose bush.  It's gotten so big and is starting to bud.  I swear by the coffee grounds!

So today is Tuesday and it's back to the normal/hectic schedule of school (summer) vacation.  I have five children home with me ranging in ages from 5 to 11.  I love having them here, but I'm already hearing the infamous 'I'm bored' and 'Can we go somewhere'.  It's frustrating because I still have things I'm responsible for here at home.  I'm constantly pushing them to go outside and use their imaginations.  I do have to admit that I love the beach as much as they do and I've taken them twice already...I'm falling behind in my chores!

I also love surprises and I received a nice surprise yesterday.  The UPS man made a stop here at my house with a package from Cream City Ribbon. 

Over 150 yards of gorgeous 100% biodegradable American made ribbon!  I'm in heaven!!

My imagination is going wild, and I can't wait to start creating with it!

I'll be sure and share.

Have a great day, my friends!

M.

Father's Day

Father's Day is on Sunday, and I've been working on a few items for my Dads (and my husband).  I like to create a gift as I think it's a little more personal, and what Dad doesn't like a handmade item from his baby girl (though I hate to admit that I'm far from being a baby girl these days)?

It's hard to come up with something original (rather something that I haven't already made), and this idea came to me while changing the air freshener in my van...what about a picture of that someone special hanging from your rear view mirror?  I know that my father adores his grand girls, so he'd appreciate having them with him whenever he's on his way to or from work or on the way to the store.

This is the front view~

~and you have to have a picture on the reverse side~

I also created one for my biological father using the same pictures:

The reverse:

I absolutely love these pictures of my girls.  We were visiting Popham Beach State Park, and we had such a great time that day!

My youngest is 5, and although she created a beautiful picture for her Dad at Preschool, I thought he'd appreciate a picture of his little girl hanging from his rear view mirror as well.

This picture was taken at their very first Father/Daughter dance...they had such a great time and made some precious memories.

The reverse shows a picture of her looking for shells at Popham Beach State Park.



These were super easy to make, and I used quite a bit of my scraps (I have bins and baskets full!).  The base is a standard (store bought) tag card that I cut down to around 5" x 4".

If you haven't already thought of something for Father's Day, maybe you should get busy deciding on what to do...you only have two days left!

Have a wonderful weekend!

M.

She had dreams...

My Molly is officially onto her next memorable milestone...junior high. 

I'm not sure how I feel about it yet since the last 11 years have been a blur for me.  I look at her and still see the little girl always trying to make me smile.



Watching her 5th grade graduation last Friday brought back so many memories of my school days and all the dreams I had for my future.

I was inspired to create this mixed media canvas. 

It measures 8"x10" and was created with acrylics, vintage dress pattern, printed images, Crate Paper and K&Company paper, American Crafts rub-ons, black marker and of course Mod Podge.

Although not all of my dreams have come full circle, I am happy in my life and who I've become.  Molly has an entire lifetime ahead of her ~ full of dreams ~ and I'm going to enjoy the ride along with her.

I love you, baby girl, and I'm so proud of you!

Have a great Tuesday, my friends!

M.

I LOVE this and dad too!!

Have you ever tried a product that just made you giddy with happiness?  How did I not know about this years ago?  I promise I'm not living under a rock, and I know that Maine is waaaaay out of the way, but I only found out about Cream City Ribbon just a short time ago, and...

I'm in love. 

Not only is Cream City Ribbon Eco-friendly (it uses USA grown biodegradable cotton fiber, water based dyes free of chlorine bleaches and soy based, non-toxic inks), but it's woman owned!  How wonderful is that?

You know what else is wonderful?  All the ways you can use this fabulous ribbon!  Since it's cotton fiber, you can curl it, fold it, tie it, shred it, and print on it. It comes is all sorts of different colors and styles, and I'm on my way to collecting them all!

Since Father's Day is around the corner, I created this card using Cream City Ribbon.

I shredded it (so easy and not one uneven piece!) and then threaded it through an alpha tag.

I then took the edge of my scissors and pulled the ribbon shreds along my thumb to get a nice curl.  It never broke...it's tough stuff.

I also tied a small piece to my glittered chipboard alpha...again, it didn't break.

Perfect in my book!

It adds dimension to my card while staying masculine.

If I had a mountain tall enough and close enough, I'd shout it from the top how much I love Cream City Ribbon.  The product is "environmentally friendly and the only American made ribbon on the market" ~ by a woman!  Sweet!!

In the spirit of Father's Day (and because I honestly don't say it enough), I'd like to shout from that same mountain how much I love my Dad.

He's always been there whenever I've needed support or a kick in the pants.  I appreciate him more than words could ever express, and I'm thankful he chose to parent my sister and I.  I know I'm a better human being, mother, friend, sister and daughter because of his guidance and love.  Thank you, Dad.

I love Cream City Ribbon and I love my Dad (though I do love my Dad more)!

Have a wonderful weekend!

M.