Animals In My Life

I love wildlife and our cattle.  I either don't have my camera with me or if I do the animal I'm wanting to photograph is gone if wildlife.  I also love photographing the cattle.  My camera is full of photos.  Getting that perfect shot is next to impossible.  And I get three or four dozen of those perfect shots a year.

This post was spurred on by Sketchy Business and Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog April's Challenge #3, Big Titles.  Thank you so much for the inspiration this month at CKCB!

My first layout is Challenge #3, at CKCB and using a sketch from ACOT's April's Pet Challenge.  But the end result is nothing like the sketch.  I loved this challenge but didn't choose any bold alphas to use this month.  What I did put in my kit which I love was Amy Tangerines Bold Word Thickers.  I also had this picture printed in like forever, a photo of one of our bulls at the ranch, Key Wooden Pickle 901W as an 18 month old.  These pictures were taken right after his purchase as we do all of the cattle.  Stored in our database should any of our cattle be stolen.  We don't treat our cattle like pets, they are just too big and can be dangerous.  Any livestock are dangerous, including pigs, sheep and goats.  Their low center of gravity can do some damage to knees.  Bulls are a given if agitated.  But that cow is even more so protecting her calf. I've watched a 2400 lb bull of ours with no horns toss a 2000 lb round bale right over the fence you see in front of you in the layout like it was a rubber ball.  He wasn't mad, just showing off his strength to a bull on the other side of the fence.  Sometimes they just do it to be whatever with no other bovine around.  It's kind of like watching the males of our own species and the "HE" man stuff they do around their buddies.  Not much difference between the species in that regard, males love to show off strength of character.  So meet Pickle at 18 months now a mature handsome bull.  The ....to be continued... title comes from him out on lease for two years and returning last year with his first babies arriving this year for us.  It's always fun to see new calves and the hope it brings the genetics matched up right to produce that next special bull who will then pass on his genetics.

I love sketches and the next layout includes one of those rare times where in the dark you capture your subject dead center in each photograph.  This photo was taken near our Houston are home last November.  James was unloading groceries and had gone out for another armful.  He startled an owl on his second trip who had landed on the rails of my X-terra.  He flew to one of the pines by the garage.  He comes gets me and two very careful steps out the garage door and I have two pictures of the first Barred Owl I have ever seen in my life.  For this very amateur bird watcher it was such a treat.  I used the Sketch Leslie chose Creative Scrappers #251 for Sketchy Business at CKCB.  Circles are definitely one of my favorite elements as in my world I deal with circles all of the time on the ranch.  The circle of seasons, of birth and death, or the weather cycles.  They provide a very great continuity to my life which I love.

And the result!

Thank you for taking a peek and have a Blessed Day!

Until Next Time!

CKCB Challenge # 2 Pocket Page Inspiration

How delighted can one be to be inspired by Pocket Pages or Project Life as many scrap in this style!!!  I started PL this year.  Before starting Project Life this year I scrapped my first PL style albums with my Parent's New Zealand Vacation photos back in 2008.  Now I am also working on my Mother's and Grandmother's Alaska Cruise Album.  PL and PL Style Albums are supper fast and so easy.

I almost jumped for joy when I saw this challenge.  Perfect to do the third page in a series of photos Mom took of Zu and her son AC.  I can and sometimes do a double page spread, but I much prefer to a single page at a time for double page spreads.  Last year I did the first two pages.  The last one still needed to be done and this Challenge was perfect.

As written from CKCB Blog ~ Challenge #2: Pocket Page Inspiration:  Use a 3x4 or 4x6 card (does not have to be a pocket scrapbooking card, can be cutdown from your own paper) on your next project.  Use it as a sentiment on a card or as a layering element on a layout.  You can also bind a bunch together to make a mini album.

My 4x6 card turned out to be both title and journaling card!  No journaling as these photos come from my mother's horse album.  I love love the Studio Calico Farm Animal Veneers.  To my delight the silhouette veneers are of Arabians!!!  I also made a Yo-Yo for this layout for something Puffy in the CSI Case File #122 Evidence.  The Roller Doodle Stamp was just too much fun with a little Prima Chalk Inks.

Yes, the layout turned out to look somewhat like a pocket page, but the first of the three layouts was actually a sketch challenge last summer at ACOT to scrap a Becky Fleck sketch.  Second layout below is one to match the first and of course the above makes the third.

Thank you for taking a peek today at my blog.

Until Next Time!  Have a Blessed Day!

April Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog Hop

A big Texas HOWDY to you today!  I am so excited to be participating in the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Members Blog Hop!  A monthly feature to see the wonderful layouts, cards, etc made this month!  I am always blown away by the creativity seen in members creations!

You should have arrived here from Virginia's Blog.  Her blog is absolutely fabulous!  I wish I had the speed to create as she does!!!

I struggle with creativity and sometimes draw a total block with a new item that comes on the market.  Such an item is Washi Tape for me when it came on the market.  April Challenge #1 was a must do for me!  The challenge was to choose the blog design from one of the Master Forgers as inspiration.  Lesley's blog back ground is mounds of Washi Tape....columns and columns of Washi Tape.  I chose six rolls of washi to again try to use the tape.  This was certainly the perfect challenge to do so.  I decided to take some Carta Bella cardstock and make my own background using one of the stencils and washi tape I chose for my kit.

I also decided to use as evidence from the CSI Case File 112, something puffy!  I just love Yo-Yos and made two from Moda Simply Style 2x2 square cloth.

Yet, the most treasured element of the page is my daughter, Lynn, with a Selfie Photo!  The BEST thing I ever did in my life is to have my two beautiful children Lynn and James now both mid-20's.

Thank you for hopping in and your next stop is CKCB April Guest Designer Maggie.  I love love Maggie's creations!

If you have jumped into the middle of our hop by entering my blog here's the entire list!

CKCB             http://www.counterfeitkitchallenge.blogspot.com/
JEMMA        http://just-jimjams.blogspot.co.uk/
TINA             http://tinasscrapcorner.blogspot.com/
ISBAHA        http://isbahashome.blogspot.fr
LESLEY         http://ohblogitifyoucantbeatthem.blogspot.co.uk
ANNIE         http://www.artyfartyannie.co.uk
ELAINE        http://chidkids26.blogspot.co.uk
LESLIE          http://lcsmithsaved-outofthemire.blogspot.com
KATE            http://kateblue.blogspot.com
VIRGINIA   http://celtichouse.blogspot.co.uk
KIM              http://texassantagertrudis.blogspot.com        You Are Here
MAGGIE     http://maggiebscrapblog.blogspot.fr
JULENE        http://julenebydesign.blogspot.au
LISA              http://lisahausmann.blogspot.de

If your looking for some creative fun on NSD, please stop by here for details on the fun CKCB will be having on May 3rd and 4th!

Have a blessed day!

ACOT Heritage Challeng for April 2014

Yes of course I have written many times I host the Heritage Challenge at A Cherry on Top!  I wanted something fun this month!  And the rules are:

Choose papers released any time in the last 18 months to 2 years.  Find the popular color pallet for the time period the photo was taken and use those colors.  The photo must date before the year 2000.  The subject may be anything with one of two qualifications or both:  If people must be one generation older then you.  If a place it must be of historical value. Or do both.

Then there are 5 Additional Twists to get more entries!  So hop over to the April Heritage Challenge and join the ACOT community for some amazing challenges.

This layout was my example for the challenge.  My grandparents in front of their house near Wilmington, NC.  The house overlooks the Intracoastal Waterway!  I love this photograph of those gorgeous true floor to ceiling windows.  Yes, storm windows not even blown out during Hurricane Hazel.  My grandmother's favorite place during a hurricane was right in front of those windows.  Crazy I know.  On the back in my grandmother's handwriting was 'Red & Edie 1960?'  What fun to see how difference in popular colors from the late 50's to early '60's then 10 years later.

Until Next Time and Have a Blessed Day!

Counterfeit Kit Challenge April Layout #1

Last weekend I got into my kit since I just love the colors and papers I chose.  In the Spring of 2012 I was in College Station on a weekend and decided to stop in Bryan to photograph the Brazos County Courthouse.  Much to my chagrin it was undergoing some renovation.  So I decided to take just one photograph.  I printed it about six months ago and never took a really good look at the photo until I pulled it to scrap.  WOW....there before me in the mirrored glass is the crane and clouds.  How cool!

I took the option to pull some white cardstock.  I should have taken the photo outside so it wouldn't have turned the color of blue it did.  Some mist, some bubble wrap and ink set my background and the rest came really quickly.

Stop by and see some amazing work by the design team and those who participate at Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog via Mr. Linky's Widget!

Garden Failure

I still shake my head over the failure of the garden two years in a row.  Your talking years of growing gardens between Larry and I.  Both have helped Dad in Larry's case and my Grandparents in their huge garden.  We have never had a mass failure two year in a row.  I suspect the soil needs huge amending....it sure can grow some grass though for the cattle.  We decided to just put raised beds in until we move permanently to the ranch where we can amend our soil.  Yes, insect problems, but I've had young squash live through this.  Seed didn't come up or if did the plants died.  Yes....soil tests would benefit.

I did this layout for the Sketch Thursday challenge over at Elle's Studio Blog!!!  I love loved the sketch:

The sketch was right up my alley.  Very linear which so appealed to me.

And my layout!

Love how it turned out!!!

Until next time!

I've been.....

...absent from blogging!  But I've also been busy as a bee!  Ranch, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, seedstock cattle sales, scrapping and a host of other things.

This month I can finally return to participate in one of my favorite blog Challenges this month, Counterfeit Kit Challenge.  This month is a little switch on how to build your kit from CSI:  Color, Stories, Inspiration!  Here's Case File # 112 we needed to use to build our kit.

What great fun I had building my kit.  I promised my self once again I would keep it small.  Are you kidding!  Yet again very embellishment top heavy!  But oh....I ended up loving the colors and choosing embellishments from the list.  I didn't quite have the same colors of green in the pallet but I still love how the kit came out.  Will I kill the kit at the end of the month.  Probably not.  But lots of room in the kit to do layouts, cards and Project Life.  Yes, I decide to scrap this year's photos via PL style my way.  My way is both pocket and 12x12 layouts as well as taking photos when I want to take photos and not bound to a weekly layout.  I also allowed this kit to let me play with some of the other albums I'm working on like my mother's horse album, heritage album and ranching photos.

Meet my April Kit:  Spring Fling

Lynnette gave me the idea to hit my scrap box and I put scraps together from Carta Bella, Webster's Pages and scraps from long ago via Creative Memories.

Then off to the Cardstock for the kit.  Oh yes....got to use up that old die-cut cardstock!  Added some more Bazzill and Carta Bella.  Also a great way to display the stencils, washi tape and the 2x2 pack of Moda Simply Style Fabric squares that will be used for something puffy!

Then on to my Pattern Papers.  Oh my what an eclectic set!  Full pattern papers from Carta Bella So Noted as some of the scraps are from same.  Other manufactures include Basic Grey, Elle's Studio, October Afternoon, Webster's Pages, Bo Bunny, Crate Paper, Basic Grey, Amy Tangerine, and Fancy Pants.

Oh lets start off embellishments with stickers and alphas and stamps!!!  Also a great way to display a pocket for journaling since I get so frustrated trying to die cut vellum.  Also included something pleated....navy seems to be the new "IT" blue this spring.  LOL...don't machine sew as my fingers and sewing machine needles don't like each other!  This pleated cloth came in one of my Paper Bakery Kits.

As I said very top heavy on embellishments!  LOL....they do fit in one medium wicker gathering basket along with my Simple Stories Oh Snap cards and still room to spare.  Now the colors not in the pallet won't be used except for that wonderful "Lovely" word!  I do reserve that one word and the neutrals in the various embellishments!

And finally not shown but can and most likely will be included:  One embellishment from Jillibean Soup Corrugated Shapes Words I found looking at me on my scrap table after I took my photos.  I also include all of my Black and White Bazzill Cardstock, Dies, Inks, Mists and Art Anthology Paints!

Yes, Spring has sprung....calves are growing in the pasture playing calf games, the Texas Wildflowers are blooming and we had our first round of severe storms last week and more storms today into tomorrow.  Already have photos of a wall cloud last week!

We head for Ft. Worth for a meeting with Ft. Worth Livestock Show and Rodeo to see if they will accept the Lowlines into the show next year!  Keeping fingers crossed they go in as a beef breed and not specialty breed.  Kids are keeping fort at both houses on Friday so look for my first layout next week with my kit!

Until Next Time!