fresh & fun

I am sorry, but I haven’t drawn a winner for the last two sketch challenges or the Freebies yet. My Mom’s computer is simply too slow. I will draw winners and announce them on Monday!

Hugs and smiles!!!

This is the last of my Artisan Award Entries.

Grettings still from Germany!

 My brother got married yesterday. Because it wasn’t the church ceremony yet (that won’t happen until December), they had a big, unformal bash for all friends and family last night. I took so many pictures. The kids had a blast. It was nice to have them experience a BIG German party. Rebecca was the hit because she kept on dancing to the music. LOL We didn’t hit our pillows until 2 a.m. Because we had so many other visitors in my Mom’s house and you can hear everything in there, we were up early, when the first people got up. I can’t wait to go to bed early tonight.

About the card front:

As far as I can remember, I stamped Paisley background in So Saffron once off on scrap paper and then stamped it on watercolor paper. Next I stamped the main image in Black Stazon and watercolored the images with aqua painter and Cranberry Crisp, Bordering Blue, Always Artichoke and So Saffron. I sponged the edges of the watercolor paper with So Saffron and added vintage brads in the center of the flowers.

Once I assembled the card, I added Crystal Effects over the water in the vase and let it dry.

I actually had to laugh out loud when I opened the envelope and pulled out this card.

Peggy Maier sent me this hilarious cow card. It absolutely cracked me up. the cow’s stylish two piece is glittery. That cow has it going on!!!

Thank you Peggy!!!

This one will be super easy. Sorry I didn’t make a new card for it. I just didn’t get to it before leaving for Germany. I made this card wayyyy back in February and loved it because of it’s simplicity.

So here is my sketch for you:

Have fun with it. Like always, if you want to participate in the raffle, post your card either on your blog or in an online gallery. Post a link to your entry as a comment under this post.

The raffle will last until Wednesday morning! That will give me Tuesday to catch up on what’s going on back in the States. Have fun with this! This weeks prize will be some large flower eyelets Stampin’ Up! used to sell in YoYo Yellow, Lovely Lilac and Real Red.

Another 12″x 12″ page.

I love these pictures of Rebecca. I took them on our first beach trip this year. The water was FREEZING, but she didn’t care. She was so excited to be back to the ocean.

The top half of the page has a transparency overlay, stamped with Doodle This and white Stazon. The title and accent flowers were stamped with Black Stazon and Doodle That and Doodle Alpha.

This is a 5 1/2″ square card. The card base is Very Vanilla Cardstock. Next is a 5″ Bravo Burgundy square, then a 4 3/4″ square of the Au Chocolat designer paper.

The center piece is stamped with Elegant Inspirations in chocolate chip on Very Vanilla Cardstock.

I made the photo corners out of Cranberry Crisp. I stamped the Cranberry cardstock with Linen in Burgundy classic ink.

I stamped flower with Big Blooms in Cranberry Crisp. Next I added Versamark all over over the cardstock and embossed it several time. Then I cut the flowers out and adhered them with dimensionals.

A little bit of of Brass hodgepodge, ribbon and paper piercing and the card was done.

Emily, winner of sketch challenge #3, send me this beautiful monkey card.

Emily, thanks for this gorgeous and fun card. I love the monkey on the Au Chocolat designer paper!

This is one of the small bandaid tins. I ordered it at Oriental Trading company.

The image is from Bundle Of Joy, the label is stamped with Riveting.

I adhered the Sarah Designer paper with Mod Podge and then added a layer of Mod Podge over the paper. I ran three grosgrain ribbon around the tin and tied them on the side.I taped the center image on top of the ribbon.

I added several pages inside. I cut them out of Apricot Appeal, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery and Whisper White cardstock. I made tabs with the round tab punch and added certain milestone events on the tabs.

I took this shot when Rebecca read an Alligator warning sign for the first time. These signs are posted in all State Parks here.  I love how you can see her apprehension. I love the lighting in this photograph.

The kids and I have been exploring all last week. I really meant to update you daily with pictures I took. My brother ordered wireless Internet too late. So now I have to work with dial up on a German computer from 1999. Quite a challenge! I will post some pictures once I am back home. Sorry!

Wednesday we went to a place called Felsenmeer. It’s a hill in the Odenwald, covered with big rocks you can climb all the way up. We go there everytime we come back home. This time we made it halfway up. My boys could have gone further, but I was completely out of breath and I was afraid the steep way down would have been too much for my Mom. She already has both hips replaced and still has trouble with one of them (That’s my excuse and I am sticking to it.)

Thursday we rode the train into Frankfurt and then took the subway to see the “Senkenberg Museum”. It holds Mummies, fossils and dinosaur bones. It was really cool.

Friday we drove to Heidelberg. We couldn’t find a parking spot close by and had to walk 1 1/2 miles to the castle. Of course as soon as we get there it starts raining on us and we had to walk all the way back to the car in the rain.

Saturday we drove into the Eifel. My Mom’s brothers still live there. We visited and checked out the old center of Mayen. It has a castle as well. I took lots of pictures.

Yesterday Lucas woke up with a sore throat and we stayed home. Today one of my tonsils is completely swollen, so no excursions today either. Well….I will drive to Ramstein to get some American things for my family, as well as some diet coke for me. I tried some here and couldn’t bring myself to drink it. It’s soooo sweet. Yuck.

I am not sure if we get to explore much more this week. My brother is getting married on Friday. Thursday will be spend getting the house ready for guests and the big party for family and friends called Polterabend. Saturday will be clean up day and Sunday we have to pack.

It’s so good to see all my family and friends and eat all the food I grew up with. Too bad I am now growing in a different direction. LOL. I will definitely need a diet when I get back home.