Simple Birthday Card & Sunday Drive Pics!

This is my take on CAS(e) This Sketch 219

Thanks Jen for this very simple sketch – you made it terrifically easy for me to jump right in.  Bonus that I connected with my Sister in Law Judy  and we got to create “together” (online)  I have another Masculine birthday in the works so I chose a straightforward patterened paper – “JOVIAL” snowball fight (you’d never guess this festive theme unless you read this label, right?)  I layered the ribbon ontop, its not really ribbon I don’t believe.  I honestly don’t know what exactly it is, I picked it up in a thrift store.  The top layer is a Fiskars birthday candle stamp, embossed.  Easy as that – I do like the end result!

Happy Update!

This is really a bittersweet post – My handsome Mr and I sold our beloved VW Van “Sebastian”  this weekend – something we’ve known for some time we needed to do.  I remember when we brought Seb home  for the first time -

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Ah and all the lovely times we had in “Seb” over the years.  But life moves on and we are tickled to bits that the new owners include children who were SO EXCITED and happy.  I felt the very same way!  So its all good!  Meeting new friends always gives me the warm fuzzies.  Things are meant to be, I say!  Indeed!

Today Mr Miles and I took ourselves off in “Frisky” our little Fiat and we drove our almost favorite route ever – and it was a perfect day to capture the balsam flowers (some folk call them sunflowers) on the hills along the Similkameen river and to see the “hoodoos” too (formations in the hills)  Here are some bits of our day:

Hey, I look happiest in a field of flowers, for sure. 

 

Woo Woo – how are YOU – my good looking husband!

 

Impressive Hoodoos!

This one’s for YOU!

thank you for stopping by

 

Technorati Tags: Case This Sketch,CAS,Barb Derksen,Barbara Derksen,Mrs Miles,Hoodoos,Fiskars,Osoyoos

Masculine Birthday Card

I whipped this card up from the inspiration of this week’s Paper Players #341 sketch:

 

The simplicity of the sketch is what drew me, I almost immediately know what supplies to reach for.  I owe out a few masculine birthdays and this fit the ticket.  I used paper from a 12 x 12 pad “Natural Luxury” by Craft Smith.  I seem to return to this book for both elegant and masculine over and over.  Its a great mix of florals and patterns with splashes of shiny gold thrown in.  I used a slide mount – the sort from old projectors (remember the days when you were subjected to someones family memories for hours? – sometimes that was hugely meaningful and fun, other times you wish you could clone yourself… LOL!)  At any rate, these are glass plated slides with a metal looking plastic frame which I backed with coordinating cardstock and sealed in with narrow foam tape.  A “shaker” card, basically.  The sentiment is stamped with Versafine, the words from Stampin’ Up.  I used my Simon Says Stamp stitched rectangle dies to create interest on the sentiment banner. 

 

I’m some  weeks home from a visit to Houston Texas and I might get an inkling to post some of my favorite pics on my blog yet, we will see.  For now, here is a photo of one of my favorite spring flowers from here in our Pocket Desert area of beautiful BC – a Shooting Star flower, and a little spring inspiration as well.

 

At night I peer into a velvet and diamond night sky,

Seeking with my naked eye,

In spring I look upon the ground,

To see if I’m blessed to have found,

In night, in day – a shooting star,

I hunt upward, downward – here you are!

- Barbara Derksen

 

Technorati Tags: Osoyoos,Osoyoos BC,Paper Players,Stampin' Up,Simon Says Stamp,Shooting Star,Pocket Desert,Barb Derksen,Barbara Derksen,Mrs Miles

Sweet Everyday card

Finally was able to create again, bonus my lovely sister Nina was available to hang with me during! 

We chose to do this week’s Mojo Monday #492 sketch:

I love how NinaNina and I think in totally contrast most of the time – its always exciting to see what she comes up with.  For me, I let the paper do most of the work.  I used I cropped a 12 x 12  paper pad  by Craft Smith called Natural Luxury.  I layered upon layered, adding cuts using stitched rectangle die cuts by Simon Says and then some pretty floral die cuts by Jillibean Soup -  Latte Love.  The final touches the black ribbon shot through with gold to coordinate and some etches into gold flower buds and leaves using a seam ripper (my favorite secret tool!)

 

Technorati Tags: Mojo Monday,Simon Says Stamp,Simon Says,Jillibean,Jillibean Soup,Latte Love,Notes by Nina,Mrs Miles,Barb Derksen,Barbara Derksen,Osoyoos,Osoyoos BC

Going Home

I'm tucked into a comfortable seat at the Calgary airport waiting for the last leg of my flight home in a short time and since I have a while before I fly out and because I've sorely neglected my blog I will use my time to create a post.   I've been gone five weeks to Houston where I spent time with my daughter and grandbaby.  Precious, precious family time together.  I marvel that five weeks could pass so swiftly and pleasantly.  I'm coming home with a treasure box of memories.  I have missed my husband very much and I feel like a bride going home!   

I left the cold and snow behind in the Okanagan so it felt like stepping into another world to find myself in full springtime in Houston.  We were located in the Bayou area of Houston which has so much to offer.  I enjoyed the lush parks - spring flowers in bloom, all of nature bursting forth to provide pleasure to the senses.  Vibrant wildflowers green grass and lovely shady trees everywhere providing welcome shade and framing Houston's tall downtown buildings.  

I enjoyed good food and met warm and friendly people.  I found myself enjoying the "yes Ma'ams" in their polite warm southern conversations and I must say everyone I met really went out of their way to make me feel comfortable.  I realized that 'bayou' is no longer a foreign word.  I sorted out which restaurants are fast food and wow there are a LOT of restaurants in Houston.  I tasted 'real' BBQ, which is nothing like anything I've ever had before. 

My daughter, grandbaby and I took some side trips to various places.  I'm sure my little nose-print is still on the passenger window.  I especially loved a long walk we took down a long red clay country road and another drive to Lafayette, Louisiana.  I met a lovely lady from Louisiana during my Houston stay and if she represents the southern charm then I can't wait for another visit. 

I also visited the Houston Zoo with a relative and my grandbaby too - she is a bit young to fully enjoy the critters (who were mostly hiding out or sleeping off the heat of the day) but I had a grand time and it was special time with our cousin.  And the best thing ever? (besides having time with those we love) was being present when grandbaby crawled for the very first time.  

I could post so much more, but my flight time is creeping up.  It will be sweet to be home with my husband and be creative again.