On The Move

The weather here in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula has been just great so I have been outside and not doing much stamping.  This card uses the Passages Paper Pack from CTMH.  I cut the stripe paper into a one inch wide strip then I used trial and error to miter the corners.  The stamp is from Stampin’ Up.  I embossed the train in Woven Tapestry from PSX and I just found out the company is no longer in business.    I tore the edges of the Colonial White cardstock and used Walnut distressing ink on the edges.

Sunday is moving day here.  Sam  has lived with us since he was a Senior in high school.  And now he has decided it is time to move on.  He will be sharing an apartment in town with his fiancée and another girl.  All three of them are named Sam.  The minute he is out and I have vacuumed the carpet I am moving my card making stuff to his room.  In a way it is going to be kinda sad as he has had that room for the past 21 years and would come and spend a few days at time with us starting when he was three.  There is still a sign on the door that says Sam and Gramp’s Room.  When Sam wasn’t here Jim used it as a TV room.  After I get all my stuff upstairs, what was my area in the basement will become Jim’s tv room.  Right now he hunches over on a computer chair with earphones plugged in so he can hear the tv.  He is getting a new tv.  Better get to some housekeeping duties.

Summertime

Every summer I put a few water hyacinths in my water gardens and ponds.  This is the first year they bloomed.  I took this one out of the water garden and put it in a clay saucer to take the picture. 

We didn’t get any of the bad storms that were predicted and not even enough rain to cover the bottom of our rain gauge. 

Tomorrow we are going to Traverse City and meet my cousins at the ball game.  It is professional ball, but not major or minor league. Then we are going to their cottage on Crystal Lake for a weekend of swimming and tubing. 

After I cleaned up my mess in my area I sat down to make a card but couldn’t get anything to come together. 

Fun in the Sun

My camera battery was on it’s last leg when I took this photo.  It is now charging.  The images are on white cardstock.  The background for each image is Summer Cloud Blue from CTMH.  The stamps are from various companies and colored with markers. 

Today was a nice hot summer day.  I watered my hanging plants early this morning.  This afternoon when the shade got in the front yard I went out and did some weeding.  Then I bribed Jim to take me out to dinner.  The lawn needed mowing so I said I would mow if he would take me out to dinner.  He usually mows but his gout has been bothering him (not enough to take medicine).  We went out for fish at Wilcox’s Fish house.  The only thing on the menu except for chicken fingers is fish; walleye, perch, herring etc.  We each got the 1/2 pound of perch.  It is a small family run operation. 

Tonight we are supposed to get some severe thunderstorms so I brought my hanging plants under the eaves.  The perennials will most likely get beat down but I can stake them up afterwards.   And it is supposed to be rainy all day tomorrow. 

My card area is a disaster and I only made one card today.

The saga of Me Vs. the Census Taker is over.  He came the other day and I was home alone.  I saw a strange car drive in  so I quickly shut and locked the front door.  He knocked and when I didn’t answer he went around to the back.  He went to his car and was probably noting that no one was home when Jim came home from golfing.  Rats.  We gave them our name, age etc.  When he wanted to know how much Jim got from his Air Force pension and Social Security I told him it was none of his business.  Jim said he didn’t know because the check was automatically deposited.  Some of the questions were how much did we pay in property taxes and how much were our utilities.  We just said we didn’t know.  He can go to the county or township and find out the property taxes.  He got enough info so hopefully he won’t be back.  He even wanted to know how long we had been married.  The guy was polite even when I was giving him a very hard time. 

Well enough of my ranting.  I’m going to go work on a baby afghan.

A Perfect Summer Day

My inspiration for this card comes a card on Add Ink and Stamp blog.  My stamps are all from Art Impressions except for the two small flowers by the cat and they are from Stampin’ UP.  I colored the image with markers.  The photo corner is from CTMH and the red buttons are from my stash.  Cardstock is Outdoor Denim, red is from a JoAnn’s Christmas pack.  The white is cardstock from Wal-Mart.

The last two days here have been perfect summer days.  Lots of sun, no humidity.  Have been working on getting the weeds out of my flowers.  I can’t do too much at a time as it makes my thumb and hand ache.  Today I fertilized my hanging plants and turned the ones that are under the eaves so each side gets a week of sun.  House was clean and there was no laundry to do. 

We watched golf today.  Steve Stricker finished the round with 25 under.  That was fantastic.  He just kept making birdie after birdie. 

Kathi, today I got a letter from the Census Bureau telling me that their field rep would be contacting me again.  Article 1 section 2 clause 3 of the US Constitution says I am only required to tell how many people live here and I have done that.  There is a bill in Congress H.R. 3131 to make it voluntary to answer the questions.  Well enough of my ranting.

I’m Stuck for a Title

Saw this card on a blog but I don’t remember who did it.  The small sea shell stamps do not have a name on them and of course I didn’t keep the container they came in.  I have had them for years.  I stamped them  and the turtle in Pepperwood (retired from CTMH) and then I chalked them.  The turtle is from Cornish Heritage Farms and comes the way you see it.  The netting on the card is kind of sparkly but you can’t see it.  I got it a long time ago from Paper Wishes and it came with a whole bunch of gold stuff.  I layered torn Blue Denim, then a piece of craft cork and then white cardstock.  For the turtle’s eye I used a Bitty Sparkle from CTMH.  I tried a Bitty Black brad but that didn’t do anything.  

It is hot and humid here but that is okay.  Our house is air conditioned and when I get tired of it I go outside and enjoy the hummingbirds and flowers.  Not much going on here.  Trying to work out a trip to see some cousins in Traverse City. 

We were the lucky recipients of  The American Community Survey which is a fancy name for the long form from the Census Bureau.  We did the regular form in April.  This one is pretty intrusive and I don’t want to answer the questions.  For example how much money do you get from Social Security?  How much are your utilities?  They keep calling and I keep telling them I am not going to answer their questions.   One time when a worker called she said I didn’t have to answer any questions I felt uncomfortable with so I answered some but they keep calling.  One worker told me that every month the Census Bureau sends out 225,000 of these surveys. 

Mackinac Bridge

This is a pretty good depiction of the bridge looking from south to north.  The stamp is by Sunnyside stamps.  Striped paper is Kaiser Scrapbooking paper.  Ric Rack is from CTMH  and the brads are from CTMH White Daisy Collection.  The seagulls are a clear stamp from Fun in the Sun Collection.  The scene is colored with Marvy Markers. 

The months of April and May were very dry.  Temperature was decent.  June was cool and rainy most of the time.  July started out very hot and dry now it is in the 70’s and raining. 

Today I did a lot of stamping.  When I make a card unless I have a specific person in mind to give it to I leave it blank.  Today I did all my birthday cards and anniversary cards for the month.  And as I stamped each one I put away my stamp pads etc.  So I have a fairly clean desk.  Saturday when a friend and I took a card class we found out about a scrapbooking/stamping store that has classes in Alpena (2 and half hours south across the bridge) taught by a gal that we like.  I came home and did a Google search for the store called them and got put on their mailing list.  Jim is hoping to golf tomorrow if it isn’t raining.  I have some ideas for things to do just depends on the weather and golfing isn’t one of them.