Hydrangea

Is there anyone besides me out there who buys stuff that ends up sitting on a shelf collecting dust? Once upon a time, I saw a beautiful card on a blog that had been painted with Yasutomo pearlescent watercolors, and I had to have a set. I used them a time or two and since, they have been sitting on the shelf … until today. 

I stamped my flower on Colonial White cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black ink, a fast-drying dye ink that is fade resistant and more tolerant of moisture than most dye inks. I used a #4 round paintbrush. Once my image was dry, I cut it out and proceeded to try to figure out what the heck to do with it. While you can see the shimmer, what you can’t tell from the photo is the fact my image was attached to the card base using a hundred or so little pieces of foam tape.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Bamboo, and New England Ivy cardstock; Desert Sand, Black, Bamboo, and New England Ivy stamp pads; Hero Arts Hydrangea and Friend Definition stamps; Close To My Heart Lovely Lace and Say it in Style stamp sets; New England Ivy Designer Ribbons Rounds (retired); Antiqued Copper mini brads; Sanding block; Sponge dauber; 3M foam mounting tape.

Mom got moved today with the help of six children, four sons-in-law, one daughter-in-law, six grandsons, and two granddaughters. There was plenty of help. And four gallons of lemonade would have been better than two. LOL. A few things got put away. Her bed got made. We’ll do some more when she gets to town on Monday – enough to make room for the new furniture that is being delivered on Tuesday or Wednesday anyway. Her apartment is very nice and big enough that it wasn’t overly crowded when today’s crew was all in it at once. I teased her that today was a test to see how we’d all fit at Christmas. Probably not. She commented earlier that she wasn’t bringing a rolling pin with her, which means she’s retiring from spending her afternoons making a half dozen or more pies. That’s OK. Turkey and all the trimmings can be left to one of her daughters, most of whom are Martha Stewart types. Hmm … not me. LOL.

With temperatures in the high 80s, Cameron, Sarah, and the little boys stopped over tonight for a little sprinkler and Slip N’ Slide fun. Bjorn and Mathias got wet, cooled off, and ran off some of the energy that never seems to be in short supply. We got some fun news tonight, too, that Dustin and Miranda are going to be moving to her grandparents’ farm. Her dad has purchased the building site and 24 acres from the estate, which he will sell to the kids on a contract for deed. I understand the house was built in the 70s and needs some updating – mostly interior paint. I have a feeling we’ll be spending a weekend or two wielding paintbrushes this summer. It will be fun.

Enough jabber. Life is good, isn’t it? Tonight, I’m going to play around in my corner for a while before turning in early. Tomorrow, I will say goodbye to “home” and stop out at the cemetery where my dad is buried. It will be OK.

If you’re enjoying the weekend, keep at it. And, if you’re not having fun, there’s still time. I’ll most likely catch you tomorrow. As always, thanks for stopping by.