SPRING-Y HELLO

So often, roaming the aisles of my local Dollar Tree yields something that can be used very well in one of my cards. I delight in that happening, and is usually one of my main reasons for making a trip to the store, that hope of discovery.

The adorable little wooden row of flowers and butterfly was a perfect find for a card, and I was anxious to put it to work!

I left the wooden piece just the way it came in the package, not doing a single thing to enhance it. I thought it was wonderful just the way it was, deciding to add color in  its surroundings instead.

Here's a brief tutorial on how to make a card like this, if you are lucky enough to fine a cute wooden addition like I used on my card. Actually, I was just at Dollar Tree yesterday, and, while I didn't see this actual piece, they have LOTS of unfinished wooden pieces that can be used for this project. Do a little wandering there, if you get the chance!

SUPPLIES:

Pool Party cardstock

Kraft cardstock

Designer Series Papers with Pool Party and Old Olive colors in them

Die Cutting/Embossing Machine

Small Hello die

Bonanza dies

Wooden flowers

Old Olive ribbon

Hemp Cord of Linen Cord

DIRECTIONS:

Fold a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" piece of Pool Party cardstock in half, creasing it well with a bone folder.

To this card base, add a 3 1/2" x 5" piece of Kraft cardstock.

Using a retired tag die, cut a tag from Designer Series Paper that resembles clouds.

To the bottom of this tag, add a 1" x 2 1/8" strip of green DSP that gives the feeling of grass.

Adhere the flowers to the tag, so about 3/4" of the "grass" shows beneath the piece.

Die cut a small "hello" from Pool Party cardstock and adhere it to the grassy portion.

Loop a 6" piece of Old Olive 1/2" ribbon through the hole at the top of the tag and tie a bow of twine near the tag top. If desired, cut the ends of the ribbon at an angle to the length you prefer.

Add the finished tag to the card base.

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A flower blossoms for its own joy.

- Oscar Wilde -

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Flower-y

Smiles.

LOVE IS KINDNESS

 Back in 1995-7, when I was preparing for my graduation from college as a nontraditional student (I was 45 when I earned my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree), I became so enamored with creating handmade papers. What a fun -- but messy -- occupation that was! I loved the unexpected results that could be achieved.

Long about that same time, I was also on occasion purchasing other handmade papers. The background of this card is just one of those purchases. With lovely dried flower petals, leaves and stems embedded into it, it seemed like the perfect choice to set off my pretty bouquet of tulips wrapped in newspaper and twine.

The stamp, from a long-retired set, has always been a favorite of mine. I love the simplicity of it. 

In the past, I'd colored the tulips, but stamped the image once again onto cream cardstock. I then fussy cut the newspaper portion and added a bit of real twine, then glued it in place over the first image. Doing it this way, gave a little more dimension, interest and realism.

For this card, however, I colored the tulips and kept the image intact, die cutting it into an oval shape. I did it this way because the handmade background paper lent enough dimension and interest to the card.

SUPPLIES:

Polished Pink cardstock

Very Vanilla cardstock

Handmade paper with floral inclusions

Love Is Kindness stamp set

Memento Tuxedo Black ink

Stampin' Blends in: Light Polished Pink, Dark Fresh Freesia and Dark Granny Apple Green

Die Cutting/Embossing Machine

Ovals Collections dies

Stampin' Dimensionals

INSTRUCTIONS:

Fold a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" piece of Polished Pink cardstock in half, creasing it well with a bone folder.

To this card base, adhere a 4" x 5 1/4" piece of creamy handmade paper with floral inclusions.

On Very Vanilla cardstock, stamp the tulip image in Memento Tuxedo Black ink. Color the flowers, leaves and stems as you wish.

Use an oval die that measures about 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" to die cut the tulip bouquet.

With Stampin' Dimensionals, add the oval to the card, raised a bit from the center point.

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What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity.

- Joseph Addison -

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Handmade 

Smiles.

I'M BACK!

Yes, I'm back. I think. I'll explain my absence of a little over a month.

This promises to be a lengthy post, so if you don't want to "hear" about all my personal woes that resulted in my month-long absence, just skip the next section.

On Saturday, May 20, I had a period of blindness in my right eye. A few days later, I had an appointment with a retinal specialist, who, after an examination and hearing about what had happened, sent me to the Emergency Room. She was fairly certain I'd had a TIA (Transient Ischemic Attack), a mini stroke in my eye. 

I met my husband at the ER that afternoon, which was a Tuesday, and never came back home until Friday, the 26th. 

After massive amounts of testing at the hospital, it was discovered that my right carotid artery was 99% blocked. A neurologist who came in to see me told me that it was a ticking time bomb, that it was a warning of a full-blown stroke. I also learned that this is the artery that supplies blood to my right eye, and that the retinal specialist was correct -- I'd had a TIA.

The neurologist futher told me that "I should be grateful. Not everyone gets a warning."

On Thursday morning, they did surgery on my neck. They'd wanted to put in a stent, which is what they would normally do in such a situation. But, with the 99% blockage, the surgeon felt there wasn't room for the stent. He would just have to clear out the blockage. 

A 4" incision in my neck and 2+ hours later, everything was deemed a success. I am still healing.

During my time in the hospital, I mourned the fact that I couldn't be drawing my birds. When I started my challenge of drawing 365 birds in a year, I hadn't yet missed one day up to this point. 

After being discharged from the hospital, I felt that I needed to make up my mind about a few things, things that had been weighing on my mind for quite awhile. I took my time, but immediately I decided that I would continue to draw my birds every day, and fulfill my personal challenge, although there had been a brief break in the sequence.

Another item on my list of concerns was my blog. The last blog post I had published was on May 20, the day I'd had the TIA. It seemed to be a good time to decide whether I would continue to be a blogger on www.paperseedllings.com. I had become somewhat disenchanted with how my blog posts were being received, if even they were at all.

My original intent for my blog, Paper Seedlings, when I began it in September, 2012, was to hopefully gain more customers for my Stampin' Up! business. I was loving being a demonstrator, and wanted to share my love with anyone who wanted to glean some "paper seedlings", little seeds of creativity that I hoped, with some care and nurturing, would grow into full-blown plants, aka projects, that all could be proud of.

Throughout the years, I'd seen some growth, thousands of views, wonderful comments from virtual "friends", and a deep satisfaction that I was doing a good job in sharing what I sincerely love. Lately though, my posts get only a trickle of views. So often I feel that all my trying was falling on "blind" eyes, that I am basically out here in blogland all alone.

Considering my feelings, I was tending toward just dropping my blog. I had totally ignored it all this time since May 20. But I was missing the creativity that was involved with the expectations of being an active blogger.

Finally, a few days ago, I made up my mind. Whether I get readers or not, I decided to continue with my blog posts, if only for myself. I get such satisfaction in creating paper projects. Without this Creative Therapy in my life, I felt sort of drifting and lost. I needed to start again to make regular visits to my Creation Station. Because, being creative every day is my life blood.

The blindness in my right eye only lasted about 20 minutes. So, I am thankful that I can still see, and I need to take advantage of that warning I got, and embrace my eyesight and my creativity. 

So, whether anyone sees and enjoys my blog or not, I am back. Even just for my own enjoyment and satisfaction. And therapy. At least, for the time being.

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For my return post, I'd like to present my favorite bird drawings from April, 2023. As always, I note above each drawing which day of the 365 days the drawing was from, its name, and where in the world this species can be found.

Please don't print out any of my drawings. If you'd like, I can have prints made of any of them for you. Just let me know

day 151 -  blue-fronted redstart

eastern afghanistan, through the himalayas to southern china

day 153 - grey-headed canary flycatcher

tropical southern asia

day 154 - emerald toucanet

mexico to nicaragua

day 155 - blue-footed booby

islands in the tropical eastern pacific

day 158 - hooded visorbearer

eastern brazil

day 160 - white-plumed antbird

amazon basin proper

day 163 - red-billed blue magpie

western himalayas, myanmar, thailand, cambodia, laos, vietnam, eastern china, southwest manchuria

day 164 - mourning dove

north america

day 165 - orange-bellied flowerpecker

bangladesh, brunei, india, indonesia, malaysia, myanmar, philippines, singapore, thailand

day 168 - mindango bleeding-heart dove

philippines

day 170 - ruffed grouse

north america

day 173 - edward's fig parrot

northwestern new guinea

day 174 - thick-billed green pigeon

singapore

day 176 - red-headed barbet

costa rica, panama, venezuela, colombia, ecuador, peru

day 179 - greater coucal

asia

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When you come to the end of your rope, 

tie a knot and hang on.

- Franklin D. Roosevelt -

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Grateful

Smiles.