Home Again...a Blustery Day...and Easter Re-visited

Good afternoon, my friends!  I feel like I have been gone forever...hope you still remember me!  What a great vacation we've had!  We went to Utah to see my parents & our college girl and also two of my brothers and their families--so much wonderful visiting!

The funny thing about the trip, though...it felt like WINTER!  It snowed so many of the days we were there...and yesterday coming home...all day!  It got a bit tricky up in the Sierras on our way back to California, but here we are...safe and sound once again...

Vacations are wonderful things, aren't they...but there's nothing quite like being home again.  I couldn't wait to get back to my blog again and visiting you all...I'm so far behind!  Had to get my juices flowing again today, so I made this little card...

Oh, it felt SO good to get inky/gluey/glittery again!  My hands are a mess & I'm covered with glitter and I couldn't be happier! 

This sweet little spring image is from Crafty Secrets' "Seasonal" Images & Journal Notes booklet.  I love blustery feel of the image--how the kite, the little girls' dresses, and the big, fat hollyhocks are all blowing about so wonderfully--such a beautiful scene!  This is how spring feels here today--very cool, just a bit sunny, and a nice, fresh wind blowing...better than all that snow yesterday!

The blue & white gingham print is from Crafty Secrets' "Earthy" paper pack, and that luscious floral print behind it is a new one I picked up by My Mind's Eye, called "Quite Contrary"--isn't it gorgeous?!  The flowers on it felt like the hollyhocks in the image...

I printed up my own saying using my favorite vintage-style font..."Apricot".  Some pretty crocheted lace, ribbon, buttons and lots of glitter, of course--that's about it!

Before I go, I thought I'd share a few scenes of Easter with you from my parents' house.  My Mother is a wonderful and fanciful decorator--such a child at heart.  I love it when I can go for a visit during different holidays and see that season celebrated through her eyes...

Mom has a wonderful little alcove in her entry--we call it "the shrine"--it's always the focal point of her holiday decorating...

...she's got quite a knack for it, don't you think?!

 I love this bunny swinging in the Easter tree...

A pretty, folksy piece I love...

An adorable bunch of chickies...

...fun, colored glass bunnies surrounding one of my favorites...

...a gorgeous bouquet of beaded flowers that she made when I was a girl.  There's really nothing this Mom of mine can't do!

Well, that's it for today--hope you enjoyed my look back at Easter--what a beautiful and peaceful time of the year.  It was such a blessing to be surrounded by so much of our family.  Thanks, Mom, for always making it so wonderful to come HOME.

Thanks so much for all of your kind visits while I was away!  Looking forward to visiting all of you and catching up! 

Hope your day is wonderful!  I'll be back very soon with something new...

Retro Kitchen Fun...and Spring Break!

Good afternoon, my friends!

Hope your weekend is off to a fabulous start--don't you just love Fridays?!  I'm just about to pick up my girls from school, and I love how happy they are on Friday afternoons--like they have all the time in the world...to just relax and have fun with the family....and we will be doing just that!

Early tomorrow morning, we leave for a trip to visit our oldest daughter, Chelsea, who's a sophomore in college, and my parents--we're so excited!  The girls have been so looking forward to this!  So tonight, we will finish madly packing and cleaning up the house...and TRY to get some sleep!

Just a couple of things to share with you today...first off, I FINALLY finished my swaps for The Retro Kitchen Swap, hosted by the wonderful Elizabeth of Creative Breathing--if you haven't ever been to visit, please do!  You will quickly fall in love with everything she does--her amazingly charming creations and her stories will cast a spell on you, I promise! 

Here's a peek at my tag, sent off this morning...we were each to make our tags in the shape of something you'd find in a retro kitchen--I chose salt & pepper shakers--which made me later  question my sanity, as I had to make double of everything!  But, here it is...

I had this adorable vintage clock image forever, and had never done anything with it--this seemed like the perfect "time" to use it! 

I used my favorite vintage font, "Apricot",  for all the wording, including the recipe for our favorite cookies, attached to the back of the tag...something we were all to include...perfect for a Kitchen Swap, right?!

I really can't wait to see all of them together!  Thank-you, Elizabeth for organizing this swap--it's been such a lot of fun!

Next, a little card--just for fun--using a favorite Crafty Secrets' image along with some fun stuff from a new-to-me company called Raspberry Road--lots of wonderful digital vintage papers, etc.  I'm having lots of fun incorporating some of them with my Crafty Secrets' products.  Here it is:

This image is from Crafty Secrets' "Domestic Goddess" Creative Scraps--one of my favorite sheets!  Okay...look at the wonderful green vintage buttons--paper!  One of Raspberry Road's "elements" going along with this "Flour Sack" set.  And the wonderful green/blue flower print is one of the Raspberry Road paper downloads--so pretty!

The "frame" backing the image is a crocheted pot holder from the same elements set for "Flour Sack"--so cool!  Lots of silver glitter, lace, ribbon, and that's about it!

Well, that's all for me today...I won't be here until just after Easter...we'll have so much fun with our family, but I definitely get blogging withdrawals when I'm away!  I'll be on the hunt for some fabulous trims/ribbons/ buttons,ideas,  etc. to use when I get home.  Till then, have the happiest of Easter weeks and enjoy every moment!

A Mish-Mash of Spring Things...

Good afternoon, all!

Hope your weekend was wonderful!  Ours was oh, so busy, and full of friends and fun--perfect!

Just a few things to share with you today...first, another bit of my Easter favorites...I think I really have a thing for eggs and pretty baskets!

I got these at Williams-Sonoma a few years ago and I just adore them!  Gorgeous, marble eggs in beautiful Easter colors in a prettily carved crystal basket--can't get much better than that!

Yesterday was my friend Barb's birthday...I was a bit slow getting her birthday card done, but here it is...

This may possibly be the most stunning image I have ever seen...I love it.  Whoever she was, and whoever the photographer was...caught one of  the most beautiful moments...I found this over at Art Creations Friday--she provides so many beautiful images to use and offers a challenge on Fridays to share them.  Thank-you!

I embellished with lace, ribbon, and one of the tattered fabric rosettes I made a few weeks ago--the rosette is made with a strip of plain muslin, sprayed with some yummy Glimmer Mist--along with some beautiful velvet Prima leaves...

...a tiny bit of Dazzling Diamonds on the image just to highlight...Martha Stewart fine gold glitter to frame her, a bit of antique trim at the bottom of the image from Crafty Secrets' "Altered Fairy" Creative Scraps, as well as the "Happy Birthday" sentiment...finished it off with a couple of topaz crystal rhinestones.

Happy Birthday, Barb!

Next, a sweet St. Patrick's Day image, provided by Sandy Redburn over at the Crafty Secrets' blog as a free download--thanks, Sandy!

Such a cute little vintage Irish girl!  I printed her out twice, and popped up the image on the background--I just love doing that!  Some pretty greenish/brown crocheted lace, vintage mother-of-pearl buttons, ribbon, and of course, glitter!  I had fun doing a bit of a decorative border with my glue and glitter around the image...

...finished it off with a bit of Dazzling Diamonds on the flowers in her little bouquet and the surrounding shamrocks, and that's about it!

To close up today, I just wanted to share the view from my back porch this morning...I know I share this view alot, but it's always beautiful, always changing...and I always love it...

Hope you all have a beautiful Spring day--it's definitely in the air--enjoy every second!

I'll be back very soon with something new...

A Gift of Spring...and My "Office"

Good morning, everyone!

It's Saturday morning...the sun is shining, the rain is past...(for now, anyway!)...my husband is out getting our vegetable garden started...life it good!

I have a few things to share with you today--first, I thought I'd show you a couple of my favorite Spring/Easter decorations...

I love this beautiful hat-shaped nest with sweet bluebirds on top..."a gift of Spring"...

And this--one of my very favorites--I think you'll see why...

Gorgeous rough crystal eggs in my Grandmother's old crystal basket...I love how the light comes through the eggs and makes them glow...absolutely beautiful...

Next up is another fun 3D Shadowbox card--from the creative mind of Vicki Chrisman and Crafty Secrets!

I really love putting these cards together...you never quite  know how they're going to end up when you begin...!

This sweet little chick is from Crafty Secrets' "Easter" Creative Scraps...

...a beautiful Easter angel that Sandy (Crafty Secrets) provided as a free download on her blog last spring...and

...a wonderful vintage bunny I found online...


Lots of glitter and ribbon, lace and crystal rhinestones...fun stuff!

Since I showed you some photos of my daughters from 1997 the other day, I thought I'd indulge myself a bit more by sharing more with you from a similar Easter party in 2000...my babies a little more grown up...

Our aunt and uncle--the hosts of the party--kept chickens, and this particular year, they had a box of new baby chicks in the house for the kids to gently pet and hold...my girls were under their spell...

...totally and completely!  I love these sweet memories--thanks for letting me share!

Lastly, I thought I'd show you my "office":

...what do you think?!  I'm a naturalist (docent) at the county park.  Classes come to us in the spring for fieldtrips, and I'm one of a few naturalists that take them on hikes and teach them about the plants & animals and the Native Americans that lived here...

Here's my first class of the season--an adorable bunch of third graders--excited about everything they see and FULL of questions!

...yep--it's a tough life--lucky me!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend--see you soon with something new!

Easter in Lavender and Green--The Play Date Cafe' #20

Good evening,  everyone!

What a busy week it's been!  Can't believe I haven't posted since Sunday!  I think we're all busy right now, aren't we?!

Well, it's  time for another Play Date Cafe' Challenge--and this will be my last one as a Design Team member...time for other girls to have all the fun!  I'm also the host for the week, and here are the colors for this weeks challenge:

Lavender, Pea Green, and White...aren't they beautiful together?
Here's what Julie Ranae--the queen of the Play Date Cafe' had to say about this week's blog hop:

'As the Play Date Cafe begins a new season of designers, we also say goodbye to Julie Campbell, who has been on the design team for the past 4 months.To welcome in the new design team, we are having a BLOG HOP!

To see what you can win and to get started from the beginning, you need to start from The Cafe.

If you came here from The Play Date Cafe' blog, you are in the right place.

Here are THREE ways to give you the best chance to win:

1. You must stop at each designer's blog and leave a comment.

There are ONLY 9 total and all you have to do is click on the name!

2. Become a follower of The Play Date Cafe...easy-peasy!

3. Play along with this week's color challenge

All the details on how to play are on the sidebar in The Cafe.

The winner will be chosen by random.org'

Here's the Blog Hop order:

The Play Date Cafe Blog
to
Julie Campbell
to
Lisa Somerville http://www.lisasomerville.com/ ...Lisa will tell you where to go from there!

So there you go...PRIZES and everything!


Here's my card for the challenge:

I found this sweet image online, courtesy of Sugar Moon (my opening image, as well)--love this vintage chick pulling an egg cart full of lovely lilacs...I kept this pretty simple...some pretty printed paper from K & Co. "Charlotte" stack, lace, ribbon, buttons, Dazzling Diamonds, and of course, lots of silvery glitter!

Here's a little close-up shot....

Had fun with this, as well as with all of the Play Date Cafe' challenges!  Thank-you, ladies, for the friendship and all the fun and creativity!


Since I'm a Vintage Chic, and just made a vintage chick card, I thought I'd share a few more vintage chicks with you...

...here's a beautiful postcard I purchased at an antiques' shop a few years ago...love these sweet chickies dancing around the Easter Egg tree!  I really enjoy the metallic gold backgrounds on some of these postcards.  This one dates from 1910...such a beautiful time for postcards, I think... Hope you can do something pretty with it!

And now some little sweeties from 1997...my own three little chickies during an Easter party at our Uncle and Aunt's home in Southern California...Oh, man!  I can't believe how time flies!

Chelsea, Sarah and baby Annie posing before changing their clothes and hustling around the little farm in search of eggs...

...such loving girls...and the best part?  They still are! 

Thanks for sharing some early Easter fun with me tonight!  I'll be back very soon with something new...

Sweet dreams!

Easter Joys...and a "Vintage" Easter Egg Hunt!

Good evening, everyone! 

From what I hear, today's been much better weather-wise for just about everyone--is that true?  I sure hope so!  Enough snow & rain--we want Spring!

With that in mind, I've got a couple of new, fresh Eastery things to share with you...and a bit of a stroll down  memory lane, if you'll indulge me...!

First off, I made a fun little Easter card this morning before work--just had to squeeze in a little creative time! 

I found this sweet vintage image online and just had to use it!  Love these lady chicks, each with their floppy Easter bonnets on...I did something fun with the lace--I didn't think cream or white stood out enough with the papers I chose, so I started wondering what I could do.....Glimmer Mist, of course!  I sprayed it, let it dry (with a little help from my heat gun!), and it was perfect!  That Glimmer Mist is a miracle, I tell you!

...a little Dazzling Diamonds to sparkle up the eggs & flowers on their bonnets...surrounded it with Martha Stewart's "White Gold" fine glitter, some ribbon, and that's about it!

Next--oh, I just love these--another of Vicki Chrisman's amazing 3D Shadowbox die cards...available through Crafty Secrets, of course! 

The sweet pastel colors on these vintage Easter images just make me so happy!  Look how wonderfully these cards stand up on their own--great design, Vicki!  And get a load of those new Prima flowers--fabulous!  They even come pre-sparkled!  (How thoughtful, Prima--thank-you very much!)

This image I found online---just fell in love with this sweet little ducky family!

This little cutie is from Crafty Secrets' "Easter" Creative Scraps--her beautiful tulip is covered with Dazzling Diamonds just to make it pop a bit more....and see that adorable little basket with the eggs at the bottom?

This is a new (to me, at least!) Martha Stewart punch--don't you just love it?!  I punched it with various pastel colored cardstock for the eggs, then covered them with Glossy Accents and Dazzling Diamonds...

And this little bunny boy also comes from Crafty Secrets' "Easter" Creative Scraps--a little more Dazzling Diamonds on his yellow daisies, some "White Gold" glitter framing each image, beautiful crystal rhinestones here and there...lace, ribbon & pom-pom trim--that's it!

Now for the indulging me part...this is mainly for my family, scattered near and far, but I hope you will enjoy it, too!  Some "vintage" scenes from a sweet Easter Sunday long ago...

My brother Steve & I ready to head out to hunt for eggs...don't you just love how excited he looks?  Not sure what I was thinking right there, though!

What's up with that enormous bow, Mom?!

What a cutie-pie!  (He's an old daddy now--but I love remembering him like this--love you, Stevie!)

Proud big sister...that little guy that I'm holding is Scott--my pediatrician brother--love you too, boy!

Now joined by Dad and Mom to make the picture complete...until the next three came into the picture...a ways down the bunny trail...!

Finally got rid of that bow!  Thanks for sharing these memories with me...I actually remember this day, hunting for eggs in the back yard, taking the pictures, the warm southern California sun, the smell of the grass...funny how those things stay with you after...um...a LOT of years!

***A quick thank-you to Lynn for the kind award yesterday--you're too nice to me!***

Hope you're busy making fun memories with your families this weekend--I'll be back on Sunday with something new to share.  Have fun!