Clean & Green

Here's my card for Kelly Jo's Color Chef Challenge #7 on her KJ's Stamp Pad blog. I was thrilled to see this color combination, because, like Kelly Jo, I like the clean, crisp look. And, why is it we all save our leaf stamps until fall? Leaves are a beautiful green before taking on the multi-color hues of fall. Well, that's unless you live in northern Minnesota where the trees are still bare - a few days before Memorial Day, no less!

Back to my card, I inked up the larger stamps with Sweet Leaf and then rolled the edges in Topiary. And, while they might not be all that realistic, they sure are pretty! To soften the background a bit, I used my Speckled Background stamp with Sweet Leaf ink. The only thing you can't see in the photo is the embossed line between the two rows of dots created by the edger punch.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Sweet Leaf, and Topiary cardstock; Sweet Leaf and Topiary ink pads; CTMH Nature's Vein and Verve Stamps Thoughtful Florals stamp sets; Retired CTMH Speckled Backgrounds stamp; EK Success Lines N Dots Edger punch.

What a fun day! Bjorn's preschool graduation program was so sweet. They sang several cute little songs before receiving their diplomas. I got some cute photos, although there were times when I wished I'd worn an old Thief River Falls Times jacket, which would have afforded me the privilege of marching right up front and taking photos without getting any dirty looks from anyone. As it was, I was afraid of looking like a pushy, overzealous old grandma, so I hung back. LOL.

When we were having refreshments, I looked at Bjorn and thought he'd lost his first tooth. Nope, it's still there ... barely, and his mommy reported that he not only has one loose tooth but four! Two on the bottom, and his two front teeth. It shouldn't be a surprise as this little boy had a mouthful of teeth when he was nine months old, unlike his daddy whose first tooth didn't show until the day of his first birthday - the same day he took his first steps!

Watching Bjorn today took me back in time, too. The photo on the left is one of his daddy (the little guy on the right) at his preschool graduation program in May of 1984. Oh, how fast the years go by ... The photo to the right is my favorite of day - Bjorn in Papa's arm bearing a big grin as Mommy tickles his ear. My heart is so full of gratitude for the joy this little boy and his brother have brought into our lives. With that, I'll just say that I hope Grandpa and I are around for many more milestone moments such as the ones we shared in today.

Now, it's off to go check out my favorite blogs while watching the finale of American Idol. Marv left this evening on a one-night/one-day fishing trip with Dustin, his brother, and nephews, so I'm home alone. That means if I go flying off the couch when they announce the winner on Idol, I'll be talkin' to myself. I'll guess I'll just have to call someone who cares. LOL. I hope your day was a good one, too! Take care, and as always thank you for taking the time to visit!