July 2017

I liked the card I made for my cousin so well that I made another. This time I wanted to make a wood grain background with a white tree. I used red and blue birds for a splash of color. I made a photo frame using a dual stitched square die to get the stitching on the outside of the die cut.

I liked having the wood grain background act as a mat so I left 1/8" of it all around the "photo...

This project is so me! I bought this Stampin' Up stamp set as soon as I saw it. I was already living full time in our trailer at my mom's. I was still working but knew I would be hitting the road very soon. This set does not come with matching dies but I've been able to fussy cut as needed on other projects.

This time I wanted to create a scene and NOT fussy cut, so I did. I started...

We packed up in the scorching heat at San Benito. It was a very slow break down of camp starting on Monday which was well over 100 degrees. Even in the shade it was hot with very little breeze. We washed the truck, cleaned and organized our storage spaces as we went along. Living in one place for three weeks ensures we camp creep, pulling out an inordinant amount of "stuff" and that then leads...

As part of our retirement planning, I created a map to guide us on our first journey. We left on March 15th and knew that we would have to be back in the Monroe, Washington area by Sept. 7 for my crafting retreat. I based the map on my experience with traveling during our working years, and because of this it was way too ambitious. We had been warned to not travel too fast when first going...