The Secret is...

These are the first pages of the "Secret Garden" flower book...with some of the lovely Websters Pages patterned paper. I embellished with black Prima flowers and blue rhinestone centers.
The SECRET part of the book... it's interactive! When you pull up on the flower, a tag slides out. The Websters Pages journaling cards were 4x4 and 2x4...the smaller size worked well for the hidden journaling tag.

The "pockets" for the tags are coin envelopes...covered with a journaling card...and the envelope is adhered to the book.

Secret Garden

Most of the art I have designed for the last few months has been done at work. Scrapbook Barn doesn't have a Design Team...the staff are the designers. I know...it's a tough job. A recent project I had, was to use a Creative Imagination flower shape chipboard book. I selected some Websters Pages "Life's Portrait" patterned paper and journaling cards...and a whole lot of BLING!

What's so SECRET about this "Secret Garden" chipboard book? Come closer and I will whisper it in your ear...

Flowers, Thrift Store and Mother's Day

I have spent the last three day's designing flowers at a local florist for Mother's Day...
11 hours Thursday...
12 hours Friday...
and today...only 9 1/2 hours.
I know you are asking..."didn't she tell us way back in January that she was getting out of the floral business?" You're right... I did...I'm now what is officially called "holiday help". So I pull out the tool bag...sharpen my knife...and design.

I did finally come up with a glimmer of an idea for a Mother's Day card.
Scrapbook Barn got the new line of "October Afternoon" double sided patterned paper. It's called "Thrift Shop". The designs look like something you would find on a visit to a secondhand store. I used "Needs Paint" and "Complete Set" The vintage look went well with the old advertisement for aprons that I found on Flickr. I used the new Tim Holtz "Bundled Sage" distress ink...
some Ric-Rac and ruffled ribbon and some Prima flowers.

Have a wonder for Mother's Day!

BUSY...BUSY...BUSY

I'm sure I have annoyed many friends and family members lately...they say they check my blog every day to see if I have posted something new and wonderful..only to find the same thing as the day before. I'm not trying to disappoint them...but I just don't have that exciting of a life to blog about!For the most part, when I blog about the garden, flowers or the cat...it is a sure bet I can't come up with anything more interesting. Please refer back to the posts about how busy I have been...you think I make this stuff up?!?! I haven't had time for exciting or interesting. This past weekend I taught back to back classes at Scrapbook Barn...the Heritage Workshop and a new class, Beginning Scrapbooking...these classes don't just plan themselves! These I want to make interesting and exciting. To make it more of an adventure...my wonderful Canon printer stopped printing the color "BLACK"...I didn't know printers did that! As far as making Mother's Day cards...I don't have a glimmer of an idea...I may have to go buy some. And speaking of Mother's Day...and we were...I've been asked to design at a Flower shop for the holiday. Like I said...BUSY!

Oh by the way...When you order flowers for your mom for Mother's Day...don't order them on the internet...please call a local florist !

She who must be obeyed

No I'm not lost...just a busy couple of weeks. It will probably be that way until June. I checked my calender for May...I think I have one day open all month.

Yes you have seen this cat before on this blog...she is usually curled up asleep on a chair. Like most cats, she is very active in the evening. This has become her latest "thing". She insists on getting a drink out of the bathroom sink.
She doesn't jump up on the counter...she reaches up and meows for you to pick her up and put her on the counter...

She spends a while just looking at the water...

Then she gets her drink...

When she get the paw into the sink, you know she is really getting into the whole thing. Now if I could just get her to shut the water off when she's done!

Road Trip

With all the Winter and Spring rain we have had this year, the Arizona Desert wildflowers are in full bloom. While Mom was down from Flagstaff for a couple of days we decided a look at the wildflowers was a good excuse for a road trip.
Lupin was in bloom...

along with Desert Marigold...

this one was occupied...

Mom said this purple one is called "Owl's Eye Clover"...and Mom knows her wildflowers.

The orange flowers are Globemallow.

While really not a wildflower...the hot pink color of the flowers on this Cactus were spectacular.

Just in time...

Easter cards were made and in the mail...it came down to the last possible moment, but I got it done. I didn't make as many cards this year...because I started them so late.
I used the Karen Foster Easter paper...if you saw the paper you know how cool it was. The image of the girl in the Easter Bonnet is from Suzee Que (Flickr) and I think the chicks are from Dover.

I got a phone call earlier in the week asking me if I could come and help design at a flower shop for the Easter holiday...so I have been playing with flowers.

Have a wonderful Easter!