Card Concept #80 - Autumn Love

Water-Color Paper was Inked and painted - Style: Shabby Chic

Simple Card - Style: CAS

Supplies and Resulting Cards

Challenge Image

It's Sunday.  It's going to be a spectacular day so I am trying to get my entry for this week's The Card Concept Challenge posted before running off to enjoy the day. The theme for this challenge is 'Autumn Love', and to use the image for inspiration. 

I am going to use the top card as my entry.  I loved the colors in the image, and wanted to do some embossing.

Both cards were made using a Cuttlebug embossing folder.  One I left plain, the other I water-colored with several distress inks, then painted the birds and berries, and lastly, I  brushed over the raised surface with the ink pad  Distress Ink - Aged Mahogany. 

Supplies:
Ink: Aged Mahogany & Antique Linen Distress Ink.
Die:  Blessings: Paper Smooches
Embossing Folder:  Cuttlebug
Watercolor paper: Strathmore
Various card stock

Thanks for visiting! 
Happy Fall!

Fall Photo Tray Project

Happy Fall - 7 Gypsies Photo Tray (click on photo to see detail)

View 2 - 7 Gypsies Photo Tray Fall Project

Yesterday was a picture perfect Fall day to get LOTS of indoor and outdoor projects done (details at the end of this post).

In addition to yard cleanup and preparing for Fall outside, I also played inside.  The project above started with a nice motivational push from Jen Gallacher.  She has always been one of my favorite scrapbookers back from our 2Peas days, and yesterday I just happened to see her blog pop up in my Bloglovin' reader.  Happy dance!  And, she is hosting a Week Long Fall Festival with daily projects. 

Supplies:
7 Gypsies Photo Tray
Carta Bella Fall Blessings Collection (patterned papers, cut up cards & stickers)
Pebbles Harvest 'Curl Up' card cut from 'Let's Eat' 12x12 sheet
An acorn collected from my 2014 trip to CA
Photos from last September - right in my yard.

Thanks for the motivation, Jen!

*********************

 So, what did I get done yesterday?  

It was a lovely fall day.  Chilly in the morning, and it warmed up to the high 60's - for about an hour.   
Outside: My outdoor summer decor (American Flags, wreath, garden flags, door decor, etc.) is all packed away.  I cleaned out the annual flower pots and put them away, swept the doorways, wiped down the doors, and climbed a ladder and  cleaned up the swallow nests from the eaves (nasty business). Then, washed the bird mess off the walls  (double nasty business).  My neck and left shoulder are stiff!  Note:  I let the barn swallows nest during the summer. They eat the mosquitoes which are bad in this area.  Plus, I think they are cute little things darting around in the sky and yard. so, the mess is just part of the package.  AND, I started putting out some of my fall decor.  
Inside: I was really motivated! In addition to deep cleaning the bathroom, changing sheets and doing about 5 loads of laundry, I played in the kitchen (made guacamole, and a skillet red potato dish for later), changed out the summer placemats for fall colors, organized the boxes under my bed (aka looking for Sami's missing awards - which were not found), and changed the scentsi containers from summer to fall scents (which are heavenly!).  THEN I let myself play in my crafty room.  It's a curse.
Today? 
Today is Labor Day and since I am lucky enough to have the day off, I am going to use it to the fullest.  Right now it is 33 degrees, sunny and bright.  I need to visit my storage unit and search for Sami's missing awards.  I think I know where they are!  And, while I am there I am going to grab my boxes of Fall and Halloween decor - an extra bonus. 

Have a great day!

There's a Chill in the Air. Labor Day Weekend

I'm still getting over the shock of having four of my big ol' Willows 'chopped' (the one on the right was left alone since it is not in the way of the power lines).  I came home one day and was so upset to see these!  My shade!  My privacy! The home to 1,000 happy birds!  Gone. Couldn't they have waited one more month?

I planted mums over the weekend.  Shocked my kids! 

First frost was Saturday morning.  My 'secret garden' (all volunteers) got hit

Down in Baker today.  We honored a fallen soldier.  This sweet man cozied up to me after an hour and we chatted about his service in Korea, and families, and somehow he asked If I am a single mom.  I think he felt sorry for me.  He invited me to his church and he wanted to make sure I was taking care of my soul.   I assured him I am!  He was very sweet and nice.  I enjoyed talking with him.  He had a big ol' gouge and stitches in his cheek from falling yesterday while picking apples.  He only got 2 for all his pain! He talked about how everyone he ever new is now dead - we agreed that God has a plan for him at 80. His little doggy is sure darn cute!  So, why is it that older men will come up and talk to me but not boys my age (50 to 60)! Chickens.

My kids waiting patiently and wishing they ate before we left this morning!

Earlier this evening I could hear this guy flying back and forth out in front of my house.  So, I shot him (with the camera)!

Ah, September.

I love summer, and have such a hard time when it's time to say goodbye to the lovely heat! It takes me a couple of days to 'embrace' the cooler nights and brisk mornings.  Instead of having the front and back doors open to catch a breeze and cool the house down, I am wearing my slippers, fuzzy pants and a sweatshirt, and finding that any open window leaves a cold spot on the floor below it.  It has been in the 30's the last couple of mornings.  Yep.  Cold.

This was our last 'summer weekend'.  Sami starts High School tomorrow (did you HEAR THAT?).  She will be in 9th grade, and Jake will be in 8th.  Aand because my kids go to a very small rural school, Sami has to commute to the big town of Baker to be on a different school's Soccer Team (our school, North Powder, does not have soccer teams).  Get that?  She is attending one school, and playing on another's team.

 OK, see if you can follow this:  I live in Haines.   I work in La Grande, which is 37 miles to the north. The kids go to school 7 miles to the north, in North Powder.  And the soccer team school is at Baker High, which is about 10 miles south of Haines, yet, 50 or so miles from my work, and about 25 miles from where Sami goes to school.  This.Is.A.Logistic.Nightmare. 

I am relying on one of her friends families to get her back and forth (from North Powder to Baker then Back to North Powder) so that I or her dad can pick her up after practice. 

This too shall pass!  She has practice every single week day, from 4pm until 6pm. 

**********
But, yesterday, on Sunday, I welcomed Fall.

I bought some mums on Saturday, and planted them early on Sunday, before church! The kids were shocked!  And, after church, I bought more mums, and this morning they again, made it into the ground.  My kids don't know who I am (she who has great intentions but continuously waters containers).

My trees that were so rudely butchered earlier in the week are still 'home' to a bazillion chickadees.  Thank God for small acts of love. 

Sunday night I made lamb stew for dinner and the three of us watched a sweet movie.

And, today, Labor Day,  was bitter sweet.  I hauled my kids to Baker (after my speed mum planting) so we could stand and hold flags for a 21 year old  fallen soldier who was killed last week in Afghanistan by 'green' fire.  Our little town of Baker is only 10,000 people, and it is the largest city in our entire county.  We left here at 9am and returned at 1pm.  We left without eating breakfast so we could be there on time - the precession was over an hour late, but we stuck it out.  No words can be said about this event other than I feel for his poor mother (he was her only child) and am so very grateful for his sacrifice as well as hers.  Heartbreaking.

When we got home we all just did our own thing.  I even made a card (see previous post)!
And, now, it looks like it is time to get ready for tomorrow!

So long summer.... it was beautiful while it lasted.

Confession about my Thanksgiving Place Card!

Fall Masterboard Projects
Actually Made in August!

Hello sweet friends...

After getting your sweet comments about how I was able to make such a cute little place card, and be so organized, and on top of the Thanksgiving decor and holidays... I must confess.

I started my Thanksgiving and Fall crafts over the summer! If you clicked on yesterday's photo, you would see the green grass in the background...and the August date! I'm sharing all of them above...


Yep. As part of the Cornish Heritage Farms 'Stamping Star' challenges...and in particular, the Masterboard Challenge (create your own background and use on multiple projects) I started my fall goodies!

So, you see? I'm 'really' organized. Or even ready. Or on top of it. And, I still have three more place cards to go! But, at least the template is done...

BTW: Most of my motivation is driven by adrenaline and challenges! Thank goodness, or I would not get anything done!

Speaking of Adrenaline:
The drive yesterday was just fine! No worries! More about my interview(s) later...

A Beautiful Pumpkin Carving Fall Event!

Classic Barn with a REAL Great Horned Owl

The Maxwell's Classic Farm House
This place is so beautiful!
And that table was the pumpkin carving center
The Maxwell's grew some pumpkins and invited
all the neighbors and kids over to carve
press cider
drink
eat
and be ever so merry...

Apple Cider!
We brought a box of apples from last week's pickin'

Sami Sharing the Bounty

Sami Showing Us How it's done!

Gathered Around the Cider Press
At Our Friends, the Maxwell's
The rock area is the stone 'danger zone' around the fire pit.
Dangerous, because it's not easy stepping!

Jake and Sami's Pumpkins
There were more... About 4 babies, and another orange one.
I hate to tell you the horrid outcome.
Sami and Jake got off the school bus on Monday
and found a massacre
Our chickens apparently love pumpkins.
The pumpkins were rescued from a near death experience off our front porch
and are now indoors.

Lou, Snoozing By The Pumpkins!
The Maxwell's Front Porch

When Men Carve Pumpkins
Power Tools.
Gore.
Notice the big pumpkin in the foreground? It is eating a smaller
pumpkin, and has 'pumpkin guts' around it's teeth.
Oh those men.

The Outcome of the Men Carving Fest

Last Sunday turned out to be a fabulous day!

It was a beautiful fall day and I had grand plans of washing windows and catching up on fall cleanup. But at 11 am I was still deep in computer work - beta testing a 'new' program my husband wrote to track our sales and deposit data.. (Insert bottle of Ibuprofen here and Note: Three days later I am still Beta Testing that #(*$ program!!)..

Then, our neighbor Pam, who lives about five miles away (that's a neighbor in our area!) called - 'Hey, are you guys coming over to pick pumpkins?'.

Oops.. I forgot about the invitation to take the kids over to pick out pumpkins... 3pm.

Pam did some sweet talkin'.

'We will be pressing apple cider,
The Kids can Carve their Pumpkins, while we just hang out,
I'm making Potato Soup (it's potato harvest time over in our area - EVERYONE has buckets of potatoes in their storage cellars!)
And.. adult beverages will be served.'
Can you bring some apples??

Hmm... Just bring apples? In exchange for pumpkins, dinner, beverages and a boat load of fun?

Heck Yeah!

So.. the windows are still dirty, the data and deposits are still not done, but as I tucked Sami into bed she said it all...

'Today was a GREAT Day!'.

Oh Yeah... Thanks Pam for making it a wonderful one!


Side Note:
Tomorrow is the day I leave on my scrappy vacation, followed by the Sexton Family Reunion... My photos still have not arrived!! ACK!
And not one thing is packed...
Oh well!
I'm sure it will all work out... :)