SATURDAY SERENITY - 5-30-2015

At one time or another in our lives, don't we wish we could live in a little log cabin in the woods?........peaceful........ serene........

Take a few moments for some serenity today................


 

SATURDAY SERENITY 5-23-2015

Oh how I love rivers!  They are so tranquil............

And by the way, The Notebook, by Nicholas Sparks, is a WONDERFUL book.

Have a serene Saturday!

 

SATURDAY SERENITY 5-16-2015

Oh for the love of books........ some of my favorite things............. they take me away to another world....... I can hide in them if I need a little peace and calm in my life..........

The love of learning......

.....the sequestered nooks......

And all the sweet serenity....

of books.

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow~ 

I hope you manage to find a little bit of serenity in your day today.

 

SATURDAY SERENITY - 5-9-2015

Here are some photos I took a couple of years ago at a place by Silver Lake, Oregon, called "The Cowboy Dinner Tree". What a wonderful place!... and when you go there to eat your dinner in an old building shack that was probably erected over a hundred years ago, with one bare hanging lightbulb, with your hefty steak cooked over an outdoor grill sitting on the really old wood table, your feet resting on the aged and worn plank floor, you will step back in time about 125 years....the perfect place to find some serenity........

From days gone by.

Natural 'wildflowers".

Ready to mount up.

Who cooked here?

This says it all! Slow Down!

I'm usually a woman of MANY words........... I thought I'd try each Saturday to be a woman of few words.

“Go in the direction of where your peace is coming from.”

 

~C. Joybell C.~

 

Chance to win $100 Visa gift card!

I'm giving a "shout-out" today to Claudia at  Mockingbird Hill Cottage. I love love love her blog! Since she posts every day, it's like receiving a letter from my friend every morning. She chats about her everyday (very busy) life, her flowers and garden, her little cottage and farm in Connecticut (pictured at the right), her hubby (who by the way writes and plays awesome music!), her work, her stitching, and her beloved books.

I urge you to take a little sojourn over to Claudia's blog post yesterday (May 4, 2015) right here, as she is offering up the chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card sponsored by Blogher! Hip hip horray! Love it! 

Just make a comment on her May 4 blog post, do a tweet about her blog post, or post on your own blog (like I'm doing), to be entered to win.

You'll really enjoy getting to know Claudia.

Who doesn't like free stuff??  FREE IS A GOOD THING! .

 

SATURDAY SERENITY - 5-2-2015

Our first visitor of the Spring! She stayed in our yard all day! I suspect she's going to have her baby here.

My first pansies that I planted this spring! with a little bit of colorizing.

I'm usually a woman of MANY words........... I thought I'd try each Saturday to be a woman of few words.

I'm a woman of very
few words,
but 
lots of action.
Mae West

Fun criss cross card-15 min. cards #3.

Hi everyone and HAPPY MAY DAY!  I've been having so much fun lately making some unique cards and mini photobooks. First, I want to show you a neat little QUICK 6x6 pocket card, called a "criss cross" card, that I found on YouTube. I'll put the link to the video below.

Couldn't resist using this flip flop paper for my friend who loves her summers at the beach!

My post here is not really a tutorial.... I was remiss in not taking pictures as I went along! The video tutorial by Tracylovestoscrap (on YouTube) is really good, short, quick and easy! The card can be made in 10-12 minutes and it only takes a couple of sheets of 8-1/2 x 11 (for A2 card) or 12x12 paper (for 6x6 card). Her video was only 7 minutes long!

This is Tracy's card from Tracylovestoscrap. The two tags on top are BEHIND this criss cross card which is on one of her mini album pages. The two tags with ribbon are NOT part of the criss cross card.  I love her little "lace" belly band!

There are several other criss cross card tutorials out there on YouTube, but I found this one the simplest to follow. (See the end of my post for another link to a criss cross card made without much cutting).

Tracy's card is a standard A2 (4-1/4" x 5-1/2") card. I upsized mine to 6x6 and made my own custom envelope for it.

For my card, you start with a sheet of 12x12 cardstock and cut it in half. Then score each piece at 6 inches. Fold, so that you have two 6x6 cards with the fold at the left on one, a fold on the right on the other one.  Continue on with Tracy's video and she'll show you how to cut the triangles and glue the designer paper on.

Here's what the card looks like after you've joined the two cards together and cut the triangles on each side, to form the pocket.

Tracy's card after 2 cards are joined and the triangles cut on each side (very easy!)

You need one 6x6 double-sided piece of designer paper for my card, that you cut into two triangles.... or if you are making an A2 card you'll need one 4-1/4 x 5-1/2" double-sided piece. If your paper is only one-sided, then you need two pieces. Tracy's video explains it very clearly.

If you want to put another piece of designer paper underneath the pockets, you can as shown on Tracy's card (teal paper).

When your pocket is made, then you can put a tag inside with your sentiment on it. I made my tag out of the dark blue cardstock and then matted it with a pretty coordinating paper on the back (you could mount a photo here). The sentiment is on some white cardstock. I found a sentiment online that I liked... with the subject of flip flops!  I used Microsoft Word to type the sentiment, then found some flip flops in their clip art..inserted it right below the sentiment, printed it, and then cut it out and glued it to the cardstock.

See my jazzy striped paper behind the pockets?

This is the back of the tag that goes inside the pocket. I made a little top tab with a 1-1/2" square piece of paper folded in half.

In close ups of the front of my card, you'll see a little flower I made with a new flower punch I got, and a tiny seed packet picture (popped up) and a little sheet music picture to the left. I find most of my cute little vintage images on Sweetly Scrapped or Shabby Beautiful. Alot are free and they both have shops with some that you can purchase.

As the final touch, I put three packets of "real" flower seeds in the pocket! I used seed packets to match the paper.

I was quite pleased with this project, and am sure I'll make many more of these sweet criss cross cards. 

Here's one more link to another criss card card I made about a year ago (I totally forgot about this one!) - The Frugal Crafter Criss Cross card tutorial. Her card uses one sheet of 12x12 paper and is mostly folds without the cutting. Here's the card I made last year using her tutorial. Same concept, just a little different.

Please let me know if you want a pictorial tutorial on this criss cross card.  Thanks for stopping by!