Last of the Card Swap

So these are the final couple cards in the swap.
The colours don't do this card and envelope justice. They are actually a vibrant shade of turquoise. Janice always experiments with the latest techniques and trends. Washi tape, gold accents and watercolour. Such a cool technique...

And finally my card, which I confess, I totally scraplifted, but hey, its from the Blueprints so they are not done by people who are trying to be original...

I tried some heat embossing, some dry embossing(stars), some glitter paper and I even added a couple accents to the inside of the card.

It's interesting seeing all the different ideas that people come up with. It would be fun to give everyone the same materials and see what transpires. Hmmm! Not a bad idea.

Card Swap Cont'd

I like to stretch this out to get my blog posts in...
Check out this clean and simple card, I love it. Of course, the Martha Stewart butterfly punch is no longer at our local stores...

Lisa had so much fun making that card that she whipped up an entire second set. She always uses Washi tape so cleverly....

Now I have to run out and get some of those tear dropped shaped Dewdrops. Great idea!

Next up is the sweetest golf card with an interactive tab... perfect for a gift card to a Golf shop or course....

And next up is a Sihouette inspired card.. I'm seriously going to have to take some lessons from this gal. She even designed the star border, I can't even imagine!!!

Aren't you loving the variety?  Stay tuned for another set.

Card Swap

A few of the gals made some cards to exchange. We had trouble finding a date that would work for us but we all managed to get our cards in and swapped at the same time. This time the theme was birthday which was great as those seem to be the cards that get used a lot.

So interesting to see the different styles and techniques, that's what makes it so much fun.
And I always like a little detail on the inside...

Love embossing folders..

and colouring with Copics and Kraft....

Lemon Bundt Cake

I was on dessert for a wonderful cottage weekend that I enjoyed recently with my NBF's. I wanted to take something different, try a new recipe and satisfy a request for lemon. This recipe fit the bill, was easy to put together and tasted quite lovely. I also read in the paper that Bundt cakes are making a comeback which I was happy to hear. They are much easier then icing a layer cake and seem just a little more dense and moist at the same time. Pardon the Christmas motif on the paper plate. I was in a hurry. Also, I had to throw it into the freezer to cool it quickly to ice, then I cooled it too much and had to put it under the broiler in the oven so my Glaze looks a little questionable...

Sorry, I forgot to take a pic of the inside of the cake.

Lemon Bundt Cake
 1 package lemon cake mix
 1 box lemon flavoured instant pudding mix
 3/4 cup vegetable oil
 1/2 cup water
 4 eggs
Glaze
 zest of one lemon
 2 cups icing sugar
 2 tBsp. butter, melted

Mix together the cake ingredients and place in a well greased and floured bundt pan. Bake at 350 F for 40 - 45 minutes. Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes then turn out and prepare glaze. Make sure the cake is just slightly warm so the glaze doesn't all slide off. You could also add some lemon zest into the cake itself for additional lemon boldness.

Paper Players Butterfly challenge

I found another challenge to play along with and since I have been doing a lot of butterfly cards, it was the perfect week to link up.  The Paper Players are clean and simple and that's right up my alley. Here's what I came up with...

My chipboard butterfly seemed a little plain but I liked the colour combo. Seems really springlike.

NOW, it's spring!

After that last blast of winter at the beginning of April, we are now experiencing summer-like temperatures. It's been very pleasant and nice to get outside finally.

I love the spring plants that crop up all over the yard. Its amazing considering how much wear and tear the yard gets and especially the amount of shade. I guess these plants bloom early so they can avoid those detractors. I call these ones bluebells but I don't think that's really their name as I don't live in Texas.

Protected by the tree from the thunder of many pawprints, these Woodland violets manage to survive from year to year....

I have been making a lot of cards and participated in a Card Swap but I haven't gotten around to taking pics of them all yet. I scraplifted this style of card from the Internet and thought it would make a nice Mother's day card.  I have a thing for butterflies lately.

Spring?

After having such a mild, relatively snowless winter, we have been hit with a couple storms. Imagine, having a possible snow day in April. Yesterday, we had quite a dump and tomorrow the forecasters are calling for another 15 cm..

These two don't seem to mind a bit but I don't know how they manage to find the mud under all that snow.

It was quite deep on the shrubs but the sidewalks were clear by this afternoon so we were able to walk and that's all the dogs care about.

I was kind of late starting my yearly afghan project so I'm glad its still cool enough to have a large warm project on your lap..

Better set the alarm. Could be a slow drive into work tomorrow.