Fresh Spring Color

The colors for Color Throwdown #488 are so beautifully fresh and I decided to go with a clean and simple take. Funny how CAS can take almost as long as something more complicated! ;)

Supplies used: 

Paper: SU Whisper White thick and regular

Ink: SU Daffodil Delight, Pool Party, Cool Cucumber; Versafine black

Stamp: SSS Thankful Hearts sentiment

Miscellaneous: SU Pattern Party Decorative Mask; SU Lovely Words Thinlits Die; Big Shot

Since Spring is still struggling here in the Rockies (see photo at the end of this post), I was inspired to do some more with the CTD 488 colors with this lighthearted card:

I had the Stampin'Up Pattern Party Decorative masks out anyway, so I stenciled the clouds on a piece of Pool Party cardstock, made up the sentiment in Silhouette (using Bodoni MT font), then stamped and cut kites and bows from SU Swirly Bird. This was lots of fun to do and I might just keep it around for my own enjoyment! haha!

Can't wait to see this next week's colors . . . this challenge has helped me get my mojo back! 8)

Spring in Northern Utah

Thanks for stopping by!

Not Ready for Winter!

Yesterday, November 17, 2017 - View out of the kitchen window.

Yup! Not ready for this view for the next four to six months! Although we suffered an extraordinarily hot summer, freezing temperatures and slippery snow-packed everything is not my idea of a good change! However, it's arrived and we must buck up and move on . . . 

Just twelve days ago, our view was like this:

Monday, November 6, 2017 - a gorgeous sunset and still some golden leaves clinging to the trees.

Yesterday evening the same view was this:

Friday, November 17, 2017 - No leaves, cows hurrying to the barn, cloud-covered mountains.

Next week, the 23rd, is Thanksgiving Day here in the States and we are loading up and driving out to Dad's place in Northern California. Already the Sierra Mountains have seen snow and Donner Pass may have chain control when we trek across next Wednesday afternoon. No worries, though, as we will be in our trusty 13-yr-old all-wheel drive car. Anyhow, Dad has already received the Thanksgiving meal I ordered for us from Send a Meal and has stored it in a friendly neighbor's cold storage until we arrive. Fantastic and easy, here is how it comes:

Fully-cooked Whole Herb Roasted Turkey(10-12 pounds)
Apple Sage Stuffing (24 oz)
Buttered Mashed Potatoes (24 oz)
Green Beans in Herb Butter(16 oz)
Cranberry-Orange Relish
Turkey Gravy (16 oz)
Smashed Maple-Butter Yams(24 oz)
Nine-Grain Dinner Rolls(8)
9 inch Pumpkin Pie

This is going to be perfect as there is plenty for we three and leftovers for Dad after we leave. A few years back, I did the same sort of thing when we had Thanksgiving with Dad; it worked out good for all of us so I figured a repeat was a good idea. Speaking of my dad . . . he sent pictures taken on October 28th of him and Auntie Lynne when she was visiting at his place with my cousin and her husband. My dad celebrated 94 years just 17 days prior and Auntie Lynne celebrated 90 years in August. Do these two people look that old?

Bob and Lynne - Saturday, October 28, 2017

NO! So wonderful that they are both upright and quite vigorous. Both of them have poor hearing and limited eyesight, but my goodness! it sure warms my heart to see these beautiful people. 

This last Tuesday, the 14th, Clare and I went over to Grantsville in the evening to see our youngest grandchild perform in the Grantsville High School's play, Our Town. He had one of the lead roles, George Gibbs, and did very well; so proud! Unfortunately, the acoustics in the high school's auditorium are very poor and the drama students don't have headsets to wear as they are managing on a limited budget; consequently, we had a difficult time hearing any of the dialogue. And this particular play is all about the dialogue - very few, if any, props - the actors' delivery is crucial to the story line. Here are a couple photos from the evening:

The Playbill

Our grandson as George Gibbs

This post is the start of, hopefully, weekly posts about the ordinary days around here. My sister (probably the only person who looks at my blog) suggested that since I am doing a digital album of "week-in-the-life" (see this post), I should do the same here on my blog. Of course, she suggested this at the end of September when we had a Skype conversation and here it is the almost-end of November. Oh well, better late than not at all! 

So, on that note - this last week was quite ordinary but nonetheless full of delightful sights and sounds. Like today, for instance, when I received the monthly birthday photos from granddaughter Brittany of our newest great grandchild. Eight months old today!

"[Dawson] was not interested in sitting still today!"

Look how much he's grown in just six months! Not only is he sitting up but he's pulling himself up to a stand and very determined to set off walking - or running! 

I got my craft on a bit this last week, completing some Autumn and Thanksgiving cards, trying out some of the ideas I've pinned over on my Pinterest account. (This link should show you my efforts.) I also cross-stitched another name for a Christmas stocking; as the family increases (greats, girlfriends, boyfriends, etc.) I create another stocking, something I started back in 1988 when there were just nine of us. To date, I've made 31 of these and enjoyed every minute. 

The original nine stockings. December 1988.

So, Saturday is coming to a close and a new week of ordinary days will begin tomorrow. Next week's post may not go up until into the following week since we will be on the road but do stay tuned! This is Week 45 of 52! Unbelievable!

 For a last breath of Autumn here on Vine, a photo of my once-beautiful chrysanthemums (the snow we had yesterday really did them in!).

These smelled heavenly too.

Until next time.

        

February Ordinariness

Yeah, that's a word! Looks kind of weird to me but nevertheless, it's in the dictionary. Ordinariness very well defines how this month has progressed to this point. . . I'm not sure what it is about February that always puts me in a bit of a funk. Today, for instance, is beautifully clear and sunny (although not very warm) and still the mojo is waning, the get-up-and-go has got-up-and-went! Enough already, Spring will be here before we know it!

Last week I got around to stitching up the baby car seat cover I posted about here. As you can see, it is not like that one and also not made from the scraps of the quilt I made in October.

I tried to piece those leftovers to the 34" x 42" size required and it just looked like a hot mess; so, being the lazy person I am, I rushed down to Joann's and got this and one other adorable baby fabric in quantities large enough to make not only the covers but a travel diaper-changing mat. The "I Love Grandma" fabric caught my fancy as Baby Storey will have seven grandmas/great grandmas, so that will pretty much cover it! Haha!

The baby shower put on by the two just-grandmas was on Saturday, the 11th. Clare and I, as mentioned before, got the fancy-schmancy stroller the new parents wanted, so we loaded it in the car (having a little struggle getting it folded up - good thing we're not the new parents!) and I headed to the kid's home in North Ogden, an hour and a half drive from here. Fortunately, the roads were clear and I made it right on time. Here are a few photos from that fun event:

The accordian-fold card I made.

Me, mom-to-be Brittany, and Baby Boy Storey.

The happy parents-to-be. Very soon! Due date March 18th!

This baby is going to be the best dressed, most blanketed, well diapered baby ever judging from the huge selection of gifts Brittany unwrapped. She already has a closet full of precious boy outfits and packages of diapers, as well as a well appointed whale-themed nursery. They are going to need an overflow room, I'm afraid! 

Brittany is handling this pregnancy very well; she says she will work right up to the moment and I believe she will as she is very calm and easy-going. . . a trait she has displayed all her 27 years. Love this girl!

Goat is settling in nicely, although he sure gets distressed when Clare puts the two horses out in the pasture for the day. Last Wednesday started out warmer and sunny and the horses were out - Goat set up a real bleating fuss and because I didn't want to alarm the neighbors (or listen to it myself!), Rango and I took him for a walk on a leash. Turns out, he liked that very much; however, when I tied him up out there, in sight of the horses, he bawled again! Back to the barn he went and after awhile, he shut up. Fortunately, the horses came in for the night. I'm sure that if they had not been in the barn, Goat would've been very upset. Seems as though we're going to have to get him a goaty partner!

Goat on his first walk to the pasture.

Goat on his second visit to the pasture yesterday.

Yesterday was another day for a walk, this time I tied him to the fence on the long cable we use for Rango. Goat liked being able to scramble on the rock pile but the minute I left him to walk out to the horses, he not only started hollering but got himself all tangled up! Yup, he definitely needs a buddy!

Last Tuesday and Wednesday, the 7th and 8th, grandson Ty made decent runs in the slack of the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo. This really big PRCA rodeo runs for 16 days, February 3 through 19 and draws top cowboys and cowgirls from all over the US, Canada, Australia, and South America. There are just ten official "performances" with slack on the other six days. Ty went from Odessa to San Angelo with five of his college teammates; they were all scheduled for the same two days so it worked out well to haul just one rig. Ty took his own bull dogging horse, Boomtown and though this horse is close to 18 years old, he ran like a ten-year-old (Ty's words) getting Ty to his first steer in 4.0 seconds and his second in 5.6 seconds. Unfortunately, even with his fast time he was out of the money as doggers were making faster times . . . 3.2 seconds was one! At any rate, he is proving his true mettle for this sport that he loves so much. 

Our great granddaughter Aubrey, we found out, loves to read, so for Valentine's Day I made up these fun bookmarks to send to her. (They will not arrive in Arizona tomorrow as, typically, I am late in getting them posted!) I need more practice with the fuse tool so I think I'll make up other "shaker" kind of things.

I uploaded weeks one through four of my Project Life pages to Persnickety Prints last Monday and received them in the post on Saturday! The print quality is wonderful and I've slipped them into an album so they will be easily accessed for viewing. Here are what Weeks Two, Three, and Four look like:

I am very pleased with how these are coming together and am finding it an easy way to keep a journal of the "ordinary days on vine." 

In closing, here is last night's view of the sunset from the ranch. Hoping that your February is joyful!

Autumn Musings

October is the month that truly begins to feel like autumn to me. Despite the fact that there hasn't been any significant rain since September 22, the mountains have turned from yellow green to yellow to orange and on to deep red and brown and there is a snap in the morning and evening air that leaves icy dew on the grass. Although autumn is a time of melancholy for the bright spring and summer, it is my favorite for the rich, earthy beauty it brings. As a portend of winter, it is not a favorite!

Last Saturday we received the news that our fourth great grandchild will be a boy; our granddaughter and grandson-in-law had a little get-together they called a "gender reveal" party and the blue balloons and confetti made an appearance! This baby, due in March 2017, will be our son and daughter-in-law's first grandchild and of course they are insisting that they are too young to be grandparents! As great grandparents, we are over the moon! Four greats - three boys and one girl.

When our granddaughter announced that she and her husband were expecting a baby back in August, I couldn't resist picking up some nursery fabric at Joann's which sat for a month until last Thursday when I broke it out and whipped up a crib quilt. Here is the happy result:

Fun forest animals print

This is the very first time I've broken out the even feed foot and quilting table for my Viking Platinum 750 sewing machine and what fun I had! I wonder why I hadn't quilted like this sooner as I've had this particular machine since 2004 complete with the Quilt Kit. Ah well, it will get some use now as I already have another top just about done for quilting.

Lucky for me, I guess, that the blanket is a hit with the new parents; I didn't know, of course, that the little one would be a boy! In fact, we both were convinced that we'd be having a great grand GIRL!

Yesterday, the 11th, was my dad's 93rd birthday and because we haven't seen him since October 2014 for his 91st birthday, we thought we'd take the opportunity to check in on him. So, in a couple days we will load ourselves into the motor home and trek across the Nevada desert on Interstate 80 to his humble "Northern King" on You Bet Road. We have also decided to go to Yosemite National Park and take in the beauty that is there especially at this time of the year. This will make our fourth road trip for 2016 and, to be honest, we are having the time of our lives . . . you know, living the dream! :)
Here is how Dad looked two years ago. The owner of the Apple Alley Cafe had a breakfast celebration for him and I snapped this photo then. I suspect that he hasn't changed all that much as he's still out splitting wood, tending his four acres, and driving into town. Can't wait to spend a couple days with the old bird!

There are a whole lot of photos and stories that need to be told here about the last leg of our Wyoming adventure and then the six-day journey we took to Odessa, Texas and back in September. Many of the photos have been posted on my Instagram feed but there are stories that need to be documented. I will save those for another day. 

Ta for now!

Crafty Fun and More Scavenger Hunt Photos

Hello again!
Stopped into Janna's after grocery shopping (not my favorite activity!) and couldn't resist snapping this gem:

Oh yes indeed! May your coffee be STRONG and your Monday be SHORT!

Just brightened my day - as did the coffee!

Anyway, wanted to stop in and share a couple more finds for the 2015 Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt; particularly, #19 - A ticket booth (well, office in this case), and Alternate B - Someone with an umbrella. 

At the Oakley Rodeo and Fairgrounds.

No one was actually IN the ticket office - rather, they were around the corner. But, how could I possibly pass up this very obvious place where tickets are sold to satisfy #19 on the list?!

I've circled my sister-in-law there so it is obvious that she is holding an umbrella...for shade!

I took this photo for a couple reasons - 1) To add Alternate B because I really doubt I will ever find #4 - people playing a board game or card game; and, 2) This is my sister-in-law as Grand Marshall for the Stockton (Utah) Days parade in my nephew's vis a vis (face to face) cart pulled by his matched pair of spotted draft horses, Cisco and Pancho. My nephew is driving. This was a fun day in a small county town which I will tell more about in my August Month in Numbers post . . .

So, the list now looks like this:

SCAVENGER HUNT LIST

1. A bouquet of flowers
2. An ornate door knocker
3. A person walking a dog (or other animal)
4. People playing a board game or card game
5. Architectural columns
6. A metal bridge
7. A turtle
8. Someone "plugged in" to social media 
9. A tent
10. A college or university
11. A cellular tower or television satellite dish
12. A public restroom, bathroom, or toilet
13. A merry-go-round or carousel
14. A traffic signal
15. A flag pole with at least three flags on it
16. A panoramic view, taken while standing someplace high in the air
17. At least two people wearing matching outfits or uniforms
18. An overloaded truck, car, bicycle or other vehicle
19. A ticket booth
20. A natural body of water
21. A photograph of you with a sign reading "2015 Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt". Note: you may not use a substitute for this item.
If you find something on the list too difficult, you may substitute one of the following items for any one item on the list, except for Item #21:
Alternative A: People eating outside
Alternative B: Someone holding an umbrella
Alternative C: A rocking chair

There's still a month left to hunt and, who knows? I may just get lucky and even find #4!

I've been having some crafty fun this last month, making cards for various occasions (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.) and trying out different techniques. Most of these cards I'm going to show are inspired by and/or lifted directly from awesome crafters/bloggers/YouTubers/Pinterest-ers. Unfortunately, I can't remember (or re-find) them all but I give them all the credit for incredible ideas. Thank you!

Warning! Photo heavy coming up!

This card I made for my granddaughter to accompany the bicycle her grampa and I gave to her to take to college. I cut the bicycle design on my Cameo (Design #27587) from Glitzy paper manufactured by Pressed Petals. Cut like a dream and is every bit as lovely as glitter paper by DCWV. I love the background paper and wish I had more; it is a 6x6 sheet from the August 2015 Simon Says Card Kit (Simple Stories Summer Vibes collection). I added sequins from Stampin Up! and my stash. Inside, I wrote her a note with grandparent kind of encouragement and advice as she goes off to her first year of college. 

This card I made for my son's 45th birthday. I used the mad scientist stamp and die from Paper Smooches Great Chemistry, and a balloon I fussy-cut from an older Hero Arts stamp set. I foam-tape mounted it on a grey cardstock which I think is Simon Says "Fog," I added a "floor" of  another paper from the Simon Says August 2015 Card Kit, splatters from Dylusions White Linen ink spray, and various enamel dots from My Mind's Eye. I also colored the little fellow and balloon with my newly-acquired Zig Clean Color Brush Markers, which I LOVE! (Gosh! I just noticed that I forgot to color in the little dude's eyebrows!) Oh yes, I added Glossy Accents to his glasses.

This next card was made for my granddaughter and her husband's 4th anniversary. I originally wanted to gold foil the bicycle but decided it might be a mess using double-sided adhesive and cutting a small, intricate design on the Cameo. Instead, I found this older Stampin Up! set, Enjoy the Journey (retired) and gold embossed the bicycle-built-for-two. The hearts are from another SU retired set, Road to Happiness. The two tags are tied with SU gold baker's twine and mounted on a die cut rectangle of paper from Crate Paper's Maggie Holmes 6x6 paper pad (the first collection). I had alot of fun with this card even though it took forever to finally figure out how I wanted it to look! My granddaughter texted me to say she really liked it. Whew!

This card was made for my brother-in-law. I did a technique I saw on Pinterest but which I failed to actually pin. Anyhow, I cut a zig-zag on my Cameo from various adhesive-backed cardstock, then mounted on four 3-inch pieces of cardstock in varying rows. Then I cut those pieces at the points of the zig-zig and rearranged them to look dimensional (if any of that makes sense!). The "happy" is die cut from adhesive-backed cardstock using Avery Elle's Simply Said Happy die. I like how this turned out; however, it was a bit tedious trying to get the rows to line up!

This card for my aunt was totally lifted from Nichol Magouirk's Stained Glass Butterfly card post here. I didn't have the Lawn Fawn butterfly; however, I did have an older Basic Grey stamp set with this lovely butterfly. Other than that and the colors I used, the watercolor technique is all Nichol's, as is the inlaid panel and sequins. The sentiment is an older Stampendous stamp that I have in my stash. This was quite challenging but something I'd like to do again.

These two cards are just about identical to the card JJ Bolton did here. I made the one-eyed Minion for my grandson's girlfriend and the Genius Minion for my grandson (not the same grandson).

The glittery octopus card was lifted from Lucy Abrams here. I just couldn't resist the extreme cuteness of this for three of my greats. It accompanied the just-released Dr. Seuss book, What Pet Should I Get? that I bought for them. While I was under the sea, I cut this whale out of glittery paper too. It is Silhouette design #61979 here and the octopus is here. I could spend hours just cutting and pasting fun designs on my Cameo!

Lastly, this card using Distress Inks and a stencil. This was also a Pinterest-found card. I added the green stripe because I masked too skinny for just four like on the inspiration card but I do like how it came out and will be doing this technique again using different stencils, ink colors, sentiments, etc.

I'm on a roll I think! And . . . today I received the MISTI stamping tool I ordered from Simon Says. Cannot wait to get using this! 

Going to Boise tomorrow with Clare to pick up a pipe trailer. Who knows? I may just spot a merry-go-round! Ha!

Hope you had a SHORT Monday. Have a happy week!

Less of a Mystery and More Scavenger Hunt Photos

Hello friends and family!

Lots of fun (and some not-so-fun, but I won't go into that!) happenings this month so far. Some good stuff for July's Month in Numbers!

In the meantime, I wanted to talk a little about my latest creative pursuit (actually, back at it in January of this year) - quilting! Oh yes, I know there are many of you out there who are quilters extraordinaire and my feeble attempts pale in comparison . . . but who's comparing when the process is so fun?! Yes, back in the day (80's and 90's and early 2000's) I stitched my own clothes, clothes and fun things for the grandchildren, and then started quilting. Well,  I  joined the Tooele County Quilters, served as group president one year and really "got into" collecting fabric and even making a few quilts (and finishing them!). I had retired from my job as a civil servant in 1995 and until October 2004 played at stitching, scrapbooking, working parttime at a garden center, scrapbook store, even a month at an insurance company (yech!). In 2004 I went back to work fulltime at the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS), University of Utah Chemistry department. Although I still did the occasional crafty project, those pursuits began to wane and I was mostly spending off-the-job hours going to grandkid's activities, reading, and gardening. So, okay, to make what is beginning to look like a very long story shorter!. . . This last January I rejoined the Tooele County Quilters and caught the quilting bug. I have vowed - and my husband reminds me - to not let myself get caught up in any leadership/chairman/spokesperson roles but rather to just enjoy the meetings, the camaraderie of fellow fabric-holics, and making beautiful things!

One of the fun challenges each year is the Mystery Quilt, wherein those wishing to participate are given a new instruction each month to complete - I think by August - a full size quilt top. So, this year's Mystery Quilt started with the following formula:

Fabric Requirements:     Three fabrics as follows:
Fabric #1 - 2-1/2 yards (background)
Fabric #2 - 1-1/2 yards (focus)
Fabric #3 - 2 yards (accent)

Since I didn't have a decent "stash," I of course had to go to the store and chose a yellow/multi floral for the focus, gray on gray print for the background, and black with white dots for the accent. We have had mysterious instructions for the past five months and finally, in June, it is becoming less of a mystery and more like a possible quilt pattern! Here you go then:

 

Step #5 - Using the four patch blocks from step #3, sew together following diagram making 34 units. Following the next diagram use two of these units and make 17, 10-1/2" squares. 

You can see the colors and I'm liking how this looks! Now, what will we be doing with the 72 half square triangles from Step #4?!

Of course, Chester the cat had to get into the action:

:

Oh yes, here is a cute picture of BC resting on the charm quilt I made back in the 90's:

She is so darn cute!

On to three new finds for Rinda's 2015 Photo Scavenger Hunt. 

#5 - Architectural columns

This one had me stumped (not any outstanding architecture in this cow town) until I got to thinking that columns could be anything that is architecturally holding up something, yes?! So with that thought I took a photo of one of the older homes in town that sports four columns holding up the front porch overhang. Here you go:

This house has been painted pink and then purple until recently when new owners went for this mustard color - much more subdued. Also, where the rail fence is there used to be very overgrown lilac bushes which in the Spring were very pretty but obscured the charming architecture!

Then, #17 - At least two people wearing matching outfits or uniforms. My sweet girls down at the locally-owned coffee shop obliged me by posing in their matching aprons - and I must say, matching smiles too!

Then, #18 - An overloaded truck, car, bicycle or other vehicle. This photo may not cut the mustard but I thought it was funny. The cowboy started to head into the drive-up ATM but thought better of it and parked his horse and walked up! 

Actually, this truck is plenty heavy enough to handle the horse . . . if there were more than one horse in the back, then, yeah, it'd be considered overloaded. I will continue to look for a REAL #18 photo opportunity!

One last thing before I sign off here; if you happened to miss my Instagram photo of receipt of  a copy of Go Set a Watchman, by Harper Lee that I pre-ordered from Amazon back in February, here 'tis:

I started reading yesterday after I took it out of the box and am loving it. Every bit as wonderful as Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird!

Bye for now.