Congratulations ...

to our friends, Kathy & Mike, who recently became grandparents for the first time! We haven't heard much from them, so we assume they're elbow-deep in helping with feedings, diaper changes, and watching the new baby girl minute by minute as she grows.

I used CTMH Sweet Pea papers, Blush and Sweet Leaf inks, and blush sheer ribbon for this card. The pearls from H*****L***** on the baby's "beebo" and right side really do match the pink paper (goofy lighting). The inspiration for the card design is from a "thanks" card made by Teresa Kline.

Little Nature Girl

... finds the tiniest pieces of the outdoors and becomes creative ... a little leaf that she picks up becomes a blanket for an inch-long baby praying mantis she finds on a lily bloom ... today we watched the little pm walk from the bloom, down the stem, into the soil, and though she wanted to "hold it!", she was satisfied that he had found his mommy and daddy in his dirt-home.

... takes her little bunny to meet the birdies in the hands of the St Francis garden sculpture ...

... covers the bunny family with grass and small leaves in her plastic container bunny "nest" ...

... then places the mama and baby bunny under a hosta leaf to take a nap (something little nature girl would rather not do) ...

... uses a twig as a screwdriver to "fix my pedal" ... she might have gotten the fix-it genes from O'Pa (a good thing) ... "Does it still squeak?" are some of her favorite words as she makes a list of things to repair (her mommy taught her the art of list-making--a valuable trait at TWO)!

What fun we have with little nature girl! I hope she keeps her fists closed tightly tonight so those roly poly bugs don't get loose in her bed.

Shadow Shot Sunday

Tracy has a weekly Shadow Shot Sunday collage -- check it out! You'll find beautiful shadow shots there!

Shadows that caught my eye this week--DH's legs as he measured concrete ...

A spatula hanging near our BBQ grill on the deck ...

The asparagas fern -- so airy and delicate ...

A corn plant by a lamp in our greatroom as I walked through to get a middle of the night drink of water ... is this OCD or what? to grab a camera when one is half asleep or walking in my sleep? ...

The stairway light's shadow on the hallway wall on that same "water walk" ...

A hybrid lily and its little creatures inhabiting it amid the leafy foliage ...

The rain lily in her favorite fountain spot ...

Enjoy! Happy weekend!

Note Card Holders

Cottage Florals with the leaves from the Endless Friendship stamp set are stamped on Colonial White cardstock (Juniper, Sorbet, and Tulip), Perfect Day accent paper and Stickease, Sorbet ribbon, big brads, waxy flax ...


This was my first attempt at making a note card holder using two pieces of card stock. I had seen the template on Tresa Black's blog and thought I'd give it a whirl. It was fun, so then I tried another one ...

Let's Get Together accent papers on colonial white cardstock that is stamped with Delight in Everything stamps (Garden Green, Cranberry, Sunny Yellow), pewter brads and waxy flax for the closure ...





If my eyes weren't so tired, I'd attempt a third one!

Goodnight! Sleep tight! Don't let the bed bugs bite! (Did your mom tell you that as a child? I shudder at the thought of bed bugs!)

Sweet dreams... happy weekend!

Bella Workshop On The Go

It's so fun to be with friends who like to get inky and sticky together!

The Bella WOTG was fun--the cutting guides are awesome and everyone gave them two thumbs up!

(Yes, that's a Christmas tree in the corner of our sunroom in the background in mid-July...a whole 'nother story.)

Easy Bella Cards

I've been playing with the Bella papers and Stickease and a few embellishments, making sample cards for an upcoming Bella Workshop on the Go. My goal is to show friends how fun, easy, and economical it is to make your own greeting cards from very few materials. Participants will be making scrapbook layouts too.

These card ideas have been adapted from the Wishes book by Close To My Heart's CEO, Jeanette Lynton. Don't have one yet? Click on the link and it'll take you to the Summer Idea Book; then scroll to page 12 and zoom on the page to see the description and order number in the bottom left corner.

It's a great "recipe book" with cutting directions and TONS of creative ideas for making your own cards of all sizes--and it includes the newest circle card directions. It also comes with a CD full of templates.

Need help finding or ordering items from CTMH? Just email me at janehaaspaperart [at] gmail [dot] com.

Our July Garden Flowers

What a treat it is to be greeted by these gorgeous flowers as we walk through our yard's gardens! We had more rain last night and this morning, so it was a good time to get the camera clicking again. In a few photos, I caught some awesome bokeh!

Here are lilies, coneflowers, Rose of Sharon, Rudebeckia, Coreopsis, impatiens, Mandavilla, and hosta blooms. Behind the yellow Mandavilla you can see the green tomatoes we're protecting from the voracious squirrels and deer that think they own the place.

Enjoy!

I thank God for His colorful, delicate creations!

Finished! Pregnancy Journal--Display Album

It's done!

I used Close To My Heart's "Discovery" paper packet and Stickease that I received in my June 30th "deal a day box"--a really pretty combo of ivory, greens, and pinks--for Emily to journal and keep photos of this pregnancy.

The photos show the pages before I inserted them into their clear protective page covers. (I omitted pp. 2-3 in the slideshow intentionally because I had adhered photos of Emily showing her tiny tummy & she wasn't feeling so great at the time. Page 2 stamps read: Feeling ... great...good...bad...awful. Page 3 stamp header reads: Mommy to be ...)

I especially love the designs of so many butterflies in "Discovery"--they are a symbol of new life.

Ink colors: Hollyhock and Garden Green

The My Creations Display Album was the perfect format for this pregnancy journal/display album. It could also be used as a monthly calendar, a baby's first year documentary, a wedding planner, or an album for a special birthday, anniversary, or vacation. The inside clear protector pages keep your papers/photos/journaling clean and neat.

Pregnancy Journal--Display Album

I've been working on a display album for our DD Emily, 23 weeks pregnant now, so she can journal her thoughts and add photos. She's finally feeling better--like "a real person," she says!

Here's the front cover... lots of random stamping ... more photos to come of the inside pages.

We're off to the zoo now -- it's "Beatles Music Night"--I wonder what the animals will think of all us humans dancing under the stars?

Faithbooking Hobbies

My parents enjoy the summer so much, as they can be outside walking, gardening, mowing the grass, and bird watching.

I used Close To My Heart's Boom Di Ada papers and embellishments to highlight Dad and Mom's hobbies. Mom is planting herbs in a hanging basket, while Dad is finding friends to talk with on his 2-meter radio. While we sat on their patio, a hummingbird came to have his dinner. Their big backyard is so peaceful and conducive to meditation! And I so enjoy being with my dear parents in real life visits and in phone visits.

I thank God for my parents' hobbies that give them joy. I journaled about them on the named-pullout paper sections that hide under their photos.

Thanks to my faithbooking friend, Hope, for helping me to focus on Scripture verses for these pages!

"This is the day the LORD has made ..." are the first words my parents say when they wake up in the morning. And in whatever they do, they always speak words of wisdom as they glorify God and keep Him in their days and nights. These verses truly help describe my parents and their hobbies.

Double click on the photos to enlarge them.

Enjoy the day that the LORD has given to you!

My Corner of the World

Last week I finished writing creation lessons for a grade 1 parochial school curriculum. When I look at such simple yet profound things such as a flower or a bee, or a spider in a web, I wonder how anyone cannot believe in a loving Creator God--one who not only made everything good, but still cares for His creation, even though we who are part of it fail to love, care for, and respect it at times! And God said, "It is good." And I say, "Thank You, God."

A big part of my "gramma's garden" includes pink coneflowers--they attract the butterflies and bees so well. And I don't have to plant them. The birds do it all for me. Here the bees are feasting.

Daisies--all varieties--are one of my favorite flowers. These are plants that came from my mom's garden, and maybe from my grandma's before that, 500 miles away. This morning we had rain--I love taking photos in the rain and the raindrops on petals. Hmmm...sounds like a song coming...

My DH calls daisies weeds. What does he know? I'm glad he plants grass.

I carried a basket of daisies, blue cornflowers, and pink coneflowers at our wedding 39 years ago. It was a very old-fashioned grandma's garden combination. And now I am that gramma. I've grown into her.

Dear gardening friend Shirley gave me this most beautiful rain lily plant. Hers bloomed a month ago. She'll be so proud that my green thumbs kept this one alive and happy! I'll divide it after it finishes blooming, and share with another green thumbed friend.

Cats & dogs...no, dinosaurs and elephants...that's what it's been raining here! We got 6 inches of rain in about 6 hours. I got this shot by placing a large towel over me AND my camera. Let's call it the towel effect.

Couldn't miss capturing this rain lily bloom--a real surprise this morning! Hey, I'm not getting any shadow shots lately, but I do have a ton of very happy flowers here with all the God-sent moisture. It's the BEST.

Look who took a nap in our bird sanctuary in the back yard...maybe with all the rain this weekend, her mama brought her to higher ground and knew she'd be safe here. She was sleeping behind one of the cedar trees, and her mama most likely watched her from the woods. I failed to get a photo of her beautiful spots as she eventually stood up, stretched, and then ran into the woods.

Little Fawn is about one month old, we guestimate. She's the first offspring we've seen this year. I hope we'll see more. Her family of 8-12 grownups are frequent yard visitors. Some of them make their beds in our day lily gardens overnight where it's cool and moist. They've made dessert out of some of our hostas. When I go onto the deck with my camera, they look at me with an expression that asks, "What are you doing in our yard?"

Honor-Courage-Commitment

Honor--Courage--Commitment ... the motto of the United States Navy

Here's our nephew John, a Navy Seaman in training, a darn good reason Americans can be thankful and proud of their military service people! He's following his dad's path in a Navy career.

John brought Navy tees for his grandparents during a recent visit with them. Dad's advice always is, "Keep your chin up and follow the rules." And John does! He makes us very proud.

On this Independence Day of remembering and celebrating our freedoms, we thank all those who have in the past and those who work in the present to constantly preserve the freedoms we all enjoy.

When I get a photo, I'll make an accompanying layout page of our nephew Paul, serving in the Air Force in Italy.

Thank you all for your honor, courage, commitment to duty, and for enlisting to serve and to help keep our country strong.

Thanks to Dad for his Army service during World War II!

Happy July Fourth!

Using Flip Flaps a Few Fantastic Ways!

I had posted a really cool video clip of Tresa Black's tutorial about using Flip Flaps (with permission of course), and accidentally deleted it when my eyes weren't totally awake...

Update! I reposted the video by Tresa Black! Enjoy!

I'm sorry that the comments were lost though. :(

Until I get back to all the details, I'll point you to the Memory Protectors Flip Flaps--a really useful product--in the Summer Close To My Heart Idea Book, page 104.

You can get to that page by clicking here!

Order directly from my CTMH site (click on Shop Online in the left column) if you'd like some of these great 4 x 6 protectors that flip and flap and provide a lot more room to show photos on a page!

Page samples to come...