Fun in my Studio

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Birthday season in our family is fast approaching!

So, I've started creating birthday cards for the ladies and

a few extra for Operation Write Home.

This week's Papertrey Ink challenge is to emboss your project with dies.

I've combined the project with the CR84FN weekly color challenge and

came up with this beauty.  I like how it turned out.

The flower was created using Papertrey Ink's Large Scalloped Border die
and muslin fabric.  Papertrey Ink's vintage buttons were added to finish the flower.

Papertrey Ink's Fillable Frames #9 Stamp Set and coordinating die
was used to create this tag.  I embossed the tag using the die and
then trimmed it out with scissors.
Sentiment: Papertrey Ink Make A Wish stamp set.



Coordinating scrap paper was layered and the stitched around the border
for effect.  A muslin ruffle, rick-rack and angora yarn were added
to finish the effect.  The panel was then adhered to the front of
a Papertrey Ink scored notecard.

Do you like this design?  The sentiment on the tag could easily

be swapped with anything to create a card for any special

occasion.  I think I may try making the same card using

a different color scheme and other fabrics.

4/25/11 Update:   Linking up to Today's Creative Blog

I received such positive feedback on this card that I made another.  It's available in my etsy shop (see link on right sidebar) if you are interested. 

It's Earth Day - Hug A Tree!

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Trees

by Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918)

I THINK that I shall never see

A poem as lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;

Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree.

I don't consider myself a tree hugger, not in the sense that is typically associated with the term anyway.  However, I have been known to put my arms around and delight in a few trees on Otter Hill.  My favorite of all is the Madrona tree that sits in the very center of the property like a regal queen amongst her subjects.  She wasn't always so beautiful though.  When we acquired Otter Hill, Miss Madrona was very sad and neglected.  Previous tenants had built a bonfire at her base and she is badly scarred.  The wild blackberry bushes were encrouching and strangling the life out of her.  With tender care and gentle hands, my husband and my mother nurtured her back to life.  Now, Miss Madrona sparkles and sings her praises to heaven with her outstretched arms.  The animals take delight in her.  Our guests take delight in her.  Every day I sit and enjoy her beauty, and occassionally I give her a big hug.



With each passing day that I take in the breath of life, I am more and more in awe of the God's creation - this planet we call Earth.  Living a country life on the Island has a way of putting one more in touch with all of God's living things.  I suppose with age also comes maturity and new appreciation for the many blessings received.  I no longer take Mother Earth for granted.  I respect her and her offspring - even a simple Madrona tree. 


Madrona twins (left)
A Hawthorne tree, right outside of my studio, is believed to provide a portal for fairies.
Pine twins (right)

My resolution at the start of this year was to be a better steward of the many blessings Our Lord has bestowed on me - to waste less, to live life more fully, and to be a blessing to someone each and every day (see original post here).  Today, Earth Day, I reconfirm my resolution to honor God by living a more sustainable life - to move from a consuming economy to a conserving economy - and sharing my learnings with you.


Vintage fruit trees that bear delicious apples and pears.
They are favored by the coyotes and deer.



A grove of pines and cedars that provide a canopy over our fire pit.
Jacob's tree (below)



Tall, old-growth majestics frame the snow-capped Olympic Mountains in the distance.
An eagle sits high above overlooking the bay.

Rejoice in God's creations - Hug a tree today!



But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? In His Hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.  - Job 12:7-10 NIV