For my dad...

My father was a fabulous gardener. He would play in the dirt for hours, tilling the soil, planting the seeds and giving them such love and care until the fruits of his labor could be picked and enjoyed.

Alas, I am NOT. I have tried and tried to grow things. Oh, I start out great... watching those first sprouts peek up through the dirt is just so exciting! But then it turns hot out, and the bugs come out, and the next thing you know, it's August and I have a patch of weeds with vegetables peeking through.

So, since my dad is now gardening in heaven, I must resort to the Farmer's Market. I LOVE to cook with fresh produce... homemade sauces, scrumptious casseroles, new baby red potatoes... yummmmmm! Oh, sorry, I digress...


This card is in honor of my dad (I know it looks kinda flowery, but he also planted flowers, so it's ok!).

I brushed Ranger Glossy Accents on the boots so they look like rubber. The butterfly is from Anna Wight's Posies for You set. I stamped it on acetate and then put white dots on it from behind with the Inkssentials opaque white marker. I then glued the center of it to a piece of blue cardstock and trimmed it out. Makes the wings fluttery!

Can you see the double row of dots around the edges? This is done with my very very favorite tool - a Tracing Wheel! Using a ruler and this tool I can make fabulous edges easy peasy!

Do you have the gift of growing things? (I'm jealous!)
HB

Supplies:
Stamps: Whipper Snapper Designs (Potting Plants, Posies For You)
Paper: Imaginisce (for peeps sake), CTMH, SU!
Ink: Palette Noir, Copic markers, Inkssentials opaque white, Ranger Matte Accents
Misc: ScorPal, brads (from StarLitStudio), bling, tracing wheel, shimmer chalk

An award...

Beate and Cami each awarded me the Arte y pico award recently. My blog is only a few months old, so I am so honored to be recognized by these over-the-top talented girls! Thank you both!!!

I checked out the Arte y pico blog... but it's in Spanish! (I think it's Spanish, I can't tell you for sure because I can't read it! lol) Here are what the rules say I am to do after receiving this artist award:

1. You have to pick 5 blogs that you consider deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also contributes to the blogging community, no matter what language.

2. Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone. (click on Beate and Cami's names above to see their FABULOUS blogs!)

3. Each award winner has to show the award that she has been given.

4. The award winner, and the one who has given the prize, have to show the link of Arte y Pico blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award.

I would like to pass this award on to these AMAZING blogs:

1. Lisa Zappa (Shabbychick Junk)
2. Mish Wooderson (Mish Mash)
3. Vicki Chrisman (This art that makes me happy)
4. Pam Hooten (Iris Garden)
5. Anna Wight (Sassy & Sweet Notes)

There are SO MANY bloggers out there that I love that this list could go on forever!!!

LOL! You know, now that I look at my list, I realized that these girls are all on the Craft Secrets design team! I LOVE Crafty and consider the creations made with their stamps gorgeous art, so that is what my mind must have been thinking of.

Hope you have a creative day!
HB

Friends and Flowers

Friends and flowers... don't they just go naturally together? Both make me smile, both add beauty to my life, and both grow with love and care (friendships grow, not necessarily the friend, unless I feed her too much chocolate! LOL)!

I love these American Art Stamp images. They are so unique!

The *friends* tag is a little metal bellie that I found when digging in my bellie stash a couple weeks ago. I just love resurfacing things that I forgot I had! Kinda like Christmas!

We are in the midst of a winter storm here in central MN. UGH! Someone has to tell Mother Nature that it is Spring now and we should be seeing flowers peeking... NOT snowflakes falling.

Hope YOUR day is filled with blooming friends and flowers!

HB

Supplies:

Stamps: American Art Stamps

Paper: Basic Gray (sugared), SU! (so saffron, pretty in pink)

Ink: Copic markers

Misc: Copic airbrush system, Nestabilites, Pebbles Inc pearlescent chalk, Martha Stewart ribbon, SU! brads, paper piercing tool

You're the chocolate...

When I found this Whipper Snapper stamp (designed by the awesome Anna Wight) at the LSS I stood and looked at it for the longest time. "hmmmm" I thought, what would I create with this? A summer time treat card? A party invitation? Then, like a bolt of lightning, this idea popped into my head. (if you know me, you know lightning strikes far and few between! lol). So, buy it I did and home I ran and it actually came together just like I had in my head!

The outside sentiment says: You're the chocolate...

The inside says: in a vanilla world!

I think this is PERFECT to send to that person that just *stands out*... who makes such a difference in my life... who is the CHOCOLATE!!!

I may have to make more of these because I have quite a few people in my life in that catagory!

I hope you have many chocolates in your life!

HB

Supplies

Stamps: Whipper Snapper Designs, Karen Foster snap stamps

Paper: SU! (choc. chip), Papertrey Ink, My Minds Eye

Ink: Palette Noir, Copic markers, SU! (choc chip, going grey)

Misc: Glitter, Gelly Roll glaze pen

A Bouquet of Wishes...

I received a wonderful envelope in the mail from my friend Bevie Pearl the other day. It was filled with stamped images! She knows I LOVE to color and they were all images that I could sit and color to my hearts delight. Man, I love that girl!


She just got this stamp (Spring Sprigs by Stampendous) from Eclectic Paperie and knew I would love it. Now, I have to have it! (thanks Bevie you little enabler you!)

After coloring the flowers, I used my Gelly Roll Glaze pen to add some dimension to the flower centers, and then sprayed blues and yellows for a background using my Copic Airbrush System (available at Eclectic Paper and Ellen's store).


This card is 5x5. I'm in a square card mood lately. LOL


Thanks for stoppin by!
HB


Supplies
Stamps: Stampenous, Savvy Stamps
Paper: Basic Gray (Sultry), Papertrey Ink, SU! (Pretty in Pink)
Ink: Copic markers, Palette Noir, Palette Burnt Umber, Inkssentials Opaque white
Misc: Nestabilities, chipboard, paper piercer, Martha Stewart ribbon, brads from StarLitStudio and colored with a Copic marker.

Home Sweet Home

My friend Mishie and I are lovin Whipper Snapper lately. We swapped some images to play with and I am head-over-heals in love with this one!


When I was at the LSS the other day, I ran across this paper by Sweetwater (Daydreams) and instantly thought of this stamp. The paper says *I love my family* all over it with little houses, trees and sunshine, hearts and stars and other little doo-dads.


The card is 5.5 x 5.5, which is larger than I normally would make, but I needed it that large to fit all the elements I wanted to use.


The little heart in the corner is made of felt using a Cuttlebug heart die and finished off with a brad in the center.


I think the little birds are my favorite part of this stamp. Don't they just look like happy neighbors?

Thanks for stopping by!

HB

P.S. You'll notice my adorable siggy line that Bethie made me went away. I don't know WHY it went away, it just did. grrrrrrr. She's making me a new one and I'm contemplating signing my posts as Carol vs HB. What do you think? To confusing?

Supplies
Stamps: Whipper Snapper Designs, Karen Foster snap stamps
Paper: Sweetwater, SU! (old olive, cranberry crisp), Papertrey Ink.
Ink: Palette Noir, Copic markers
Misc: Felt, button, CB heart die, brad from SU!, pattern marker, sewing machine

Thanks for making me smile!

I love this saying! It's so versatile! It's perfect as a traditional *Thank-You* but it also works great for one of those *just because* cards. You know, the one where you just stick a hug inside and mail it for no reason other than to mail it.



I used a Beate sketch for this and it needed a little something more than a button in the corner. Digging in my massive miscellaneous 'bellie container I came across a metal flower. Remember those? They were all the rage a few years back. LOL! Resurfacing old 'bellies is a good thing, right?



So... thanks for making ME smile today!

HB



Supplies
Stamps: Whipper Snapper Designs, SU!
Paper: SU!, PaperTrey Ink, Scenic Route
Ink: Palette Noir, Copic markers
Misc: Nestabilities, ribbon, metal flower, sewing