{Happy} V-Day....

...especially to my two sweethearts! XOXO

{Hummingbird} Canvas

I made this canvas as a "special order" for my Aunt. She has a special love for hummingbirds and asked that I make something long with more than one hummingbird. Her favorite colors are purple and green and she sent me home with a book that was full of beautiful pictures of hummingbirds.

This was a great challenge! I hadn't made anything this size nor had I done anything with hummingbirds before. A little doubtful of my skills at first, but I reminded myself to stick to my folk art style. Keep it simple and repeat my designs. Once I started sketching, it came together quickly and I was excited to get going!

 The best thing about special orders is getting to try something I may not have already dreamed up. The second best thing (if I know the recipient) is individualizing the piece. Knowing what the person's interests are, what their house looks like...or just knowing them in general allows me to personalize the piece. Nothing is better than making a piece specifically for someone and watching them see it for the first time!

{Retreat} Pages

 Here are some of my retreat pages! I strayed from my usual white cardstock for a few pages...so unusual for me, but I really like how they turned out. Ella wanted to canoe with Eric so badly...and then she hated every second of it. She had a look of pure fear for most of it. Poor Girl! (Studio Calico paper).

 Cohen's 3rd Birthday and his cute, chubby handprint! (Studio Calico, Amy Tangerine for AC and LYB)

 I loved how Cohen's birthday page turned out...so I repeated it for this one with a picture of Eric that I love! Studio Calico's "Darling Dear" paper with the squares...just perfect!

 A self-shot photo of me and the kiddos on Labor Day.

One more of Cohen on his 3rd Birthday. Mostly Studio Calico...I guess it was an SC sort of day!

V-Day Card {Photo} Shoot

Usually, I'm on top of taking pictures for our annual Valentine's photo cards somewhere around mid-January. Not so much this year...but the cards should still arrive to our family members just in time for Heart Day.

 Here's a few pictures I didn't choose for the card. Cohen is so ornery...I was lucky to get one good shot of him. For some reason he brought in a play potato...he thought it was hilarious and kept putting it in my shot. Very funny, buddy!

 Now I have some super cute pictures that are just perfect for the new Crate Paper line "Fourteen." It's waiting for me...and I'm trying to wait to open it up until I finish scrapping our Christmas pictures.  Something to look forward to! :)

 Have a great weekend!

Tonic {Pick of the Bunch} Punches

A few weeks ago, a good friend of mine went to CHA and brought back these new punches by Tonic. They are called "Pick of the Bunch" and they even have coordinating stamps that provide detail for the leaves and petals (look for them in stores in April).

 

The set on the left (below) makes Clematis, Lilies and Poinsettias and the set on the right makes Roses, Pansies, Camelias and Gardenias. (Each set has a very helpful and easy to follow booklet that breaks down how to make each flower).

These are the stamps (below). They are super easy to use. Punch your petal or leaf first, then stamp.

Here's what I made using the first set, making Lilies on an 8"x 8" canvas. I made seven Lilies in all...which seemed like a lot of work and a little tedious, but once I got started and formed a sort of assembly line, it went rather quickly. I'm in love with the detail the stamps provided for the Lilies!

Here's the second canvas I made, it's 8"x10" with six Pansies from the set pictured on the right (above). Ella has fallen in love with this piece. It is so sweet! She told me it was her favorite and asked if she could have it for her room. Of course, she can have it! But, not until I'm done staring at it, because it reminds me so much of Spring.

As if it weren't enough to just get to play with these new Tonic punches, Missy Brozek from Tonic's Design team is featuring my canvases on her blog today! (If I haven't bored you half to death, yet, click on the link to Missy's blog...that post is more of a tutorial).

If your visiting from Missy's blog, welcome and thanks so much for dropping by! Leave me a comment and let me know where you're visiting from. Come back again soon!