Sun, Sand, Hot Air Ballooning

There's a Hot Air Balloon Festival in Mesquite this weekend. The first day of the event it was promising too much wind for safe flying, so we didn't see the ascension planned for this morning. Tonight will be a glow, and they are so beautiful to see, and tomorrow they may be able to fill the valley with these beautiful balloons (from a club in Ely, NV)

This layout is done with the kit 'Under the Pier' by Kellie Meize, found in Scrapper's Guide (nowDigital Scrapper's) Premier Member kit for January, 2012

Below- January 29, 2012. There were about 25 balloonists playing with the air currents on this glorious chilly morning in Mesquite. The ascension was just so pretty, and then chasing them up into the foothills where some of them landed was fun too. The top photo shows our brand-new just opened freeway bridge construction in the foreground. I used DBD Designs 'High Hopes' (Nov 2011) from Artisan's Guild

ATV'ing in Grand Mesa Style

One of the greatest places in the Southwest to go on ATV adventures is right in our own backyard,---and today I did! I went with some friends for a great ride to Flat Top Mesa, a great geologic formation that is within two blocks out of our front door! I worked a small album with some of the photos of today using "This Way and That" --an Artisan's Guild January Notebook kit, and elements from "A New Beginning" created by Debb Cozzi.

Pretty as a Princess

I used elements from Karen Schulz "Dare to Dream" and "Kitty and Tweet" kits for this lo of DGD during her last visit.

Memories ===Are Made of This

DGS and B at the Beach. I designed this bragbook page with elements, papers and items from History Starts Now, available at E-Scape and Scrap. Photo by RSteelman

In every conceivable manner, these grandsons are the links to our past and the bridge to our future. I used Curious Dividers by Julie Mead at E-Scape for this page with our two grandsons.

A Card Challenge

At Joan's Gardens this week has some fun criteria to play with for creating a card challenge
1) Use a door or window or something similar
2) Use an outdoor-type stamp
3) Use a flourish
4) Use either embossing folder or embossing powder

Above: The window is: Small Madison Window Die from Poppy Stamps.com, behind the heat embossed (clear powder border) is an insert of sheet acrylic for the "window pane." The squirrel is a stamp by Cornish Heritage, called Small Pleasures, and the sentiment stamp, that says: "Think big thoughts but relish small pleasures." is in the stamp Assortment. The embossing folder I used is Traffic Jam by Provo Craft burnished with walnut Distressing Ink, and the flourish is part of Madeira Corner die by Memory Box. All cards are stacked up with 1/8 inch pop up squares.

Below: The Window frame is by Karen Schulz, graphic artist, in her kit "Outside my Window", this is a double cut frame, backed with acrylic for the window pane, over a photo behind the frame of the beach taken by my DGS created in Photoshop. Flourish is a Madiera Corner from Memory Box. The embossing folder I used and inked over lightly was "Elegant Lines" by Stampin Up. Rhinestone flourish and shell stamp white-on white complete this card. Wordart includes Rage Italic and Pupcat fonts and reads "The voice of the Sea, speaks to the Soul".



Below: Releasing Inner Dragon is a the Small Madison Window by Poppy Stamps showing an adorable dragon designed by Tracy Wray of CraftyCat957. The flourish is Paper Studios Embossing Folder Intricate Swirl for the dragon's embossed breath, heat embossed ridges with clear. Rhinestone flourish following the lines of the embossing, and a white stamp of clear embossing rocks, little mulberry paper roses complete the card. The green wire stems are glued over the white stamp where the grasses are. Sentiment is die cut using Spellbinders Lacy Squares, trimmed.




Below: This card contains a "floating" scalloped circle frame created with "Nesting Scallops" by Lifestyle Crafts. The center frame is backed with acetate for a see-through "glass" forming the window. It is suspended from the sides of the cardfront with acrylic tabs. The (white ink brushed) embossing folder used is Paper Studio's Intricate Swirl flourish. The nature stamp is by North Woods Rubber Stamps, and is soft pencils worked with gamsol. The Clear acrylic buttons are by Stampin Up.

Family HOLIDAYS

DGS sent a marvelous CD full of Holiday pictures and Vacation trips today. Here are a couple of layouts to share using a few of them. In the one above, the bottom Photos are DGS and his girlfriend, and the 3 grandchildren. These pages are created with elements and papers designed by Snickerdoodle Designs by Karen, in her new kit Have a Heart.




DGS and his Girlfriend at Big Bear on snowboarding get-away.

Papers and Pixels--and Never Ending Fun

Today the Papers and Pixels January Magazine "hit the streets" and OH BOY is it a fun one. One of the challenges is this neat template that was created by Kathy Neill, and another project in that issue was how to create a Never-Ending Card. This picture is of DGD creating a Never Ending Card, and for it I used papers by Pam Lefors and styles and hearts by Karen Schulz

Motor Mania in Mesquite

For the fourth year, the Motor Mania saw 600 hundred cars come to Mesquite. Owners shared their pride in their gorgeous cars. Easily millions of dollars in investments, and hundreds of thousands of hours of devotion to this hobby were proudly shared as everyone oohed and aahed and asked about the amazing displays. We saw original restorations, roadsters, hot rods, & custom versions of classic cars. There were Model T and Model A Fords, ‘31-’35 Ford coupes and Chevrolets, a large display of ‘55-’58 Cheverolet Bel Airs, Cameros and Corvettes. And there were Studebakers, Nashes, VW’s, GTO’s and Mustang muscle cars and a couple of dragsters and even a Victory trike. They were customized with fancy turbocharged, chromed engines, exquisite rims and wheels and unbelievable paint jobs...and MORE unbelivable paint jobs, and did I say ---incredible paint jobs?