Capture the Details

cake, cake, MORE CAKE

I've had my fill this past month. June and especially July are crazy busy with birthdays, plus throw in a few baptisms this year for good measure.

This past Sunday, a mere three days ago, was Pappy's birthday. As you saw in my last post, yesterday was my niece Elizabeth's birthday. Today is Nana's birthday (and also my friend Stacy's daughter, Hannah; and my Aunt Jann; and my second cousin Jen). So, that's cake three times this week and it's only Wednesday!

I have a picture of Nana and Lily after we sang happy birthday and the candles were removed and the ice cream was being taken out of the freezer and we were getting ready to eat MORE cake....

Happy Birthday to you, Nana!!!!!

I made an album for her.....

And if you know me by now, you'll know that I love to do the back of my album too. Who says it has to be plain?????? I like to think of it as the grand finale....

(In fact, I think that's my favorite part of a mini album ---- finding the perfect elements to bring the back cover to life!)

products used: Scenic Route tabbed chipboard album; Chatterbox papers and embellishments; printed transparency (on the tabs) from my good friend all the way over (and under) in Australia, Petrina.

Now......

Can we have something other than cake?????

hahahahahhahahahahahaha!!!!!!

:-)

a very special little girl

My niece Elizabeth turned two yesterday. She is such a happy, joyful little girl....

She has been through so much and yet her inner spirit shines through - her smile literally is sunshine.

Happy Birthday to you, Elizabeth!

:-)

week 6

Good grief.

I think I'll need a vacation after the vacation.

For not doing much we sure are busy!

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the journaling.....

week 5 + warned!

Week 5....

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I finally decided to show the journaling a bit bigger....

....................................................................................................

A layout for the store (my product pick for July - Making Memories glitter die-cuts)

(sorry about the glare on the photos)

and, some close-ups......

:-)

in the works

I have something exciting in the works here at the Patty Schaffer design emporium......

I must get busy busy busy and let the creativity flow.........

It involves this little lady

 

Now, off to work I must go.....

busy busy busy.....

stay tuned :-)

kickin' around in my creative shoes

I played with oil pastels.

And it was fun.

I am so inspired by Kal. She is incredibly talented and she encourages you to play and get messy and have fun. So I did!

I ripped out a page from an old book that had a passage that I thought fit my frame of mind this evening. That passage made me think of dreams and night time.... thus the moon. And then the dark night sky which I made into a sun-setting sky. I added some silver sequins for stars. And a little message to myself written with a Sharpie marker.

One little piece of art work. One girl who feels good to have made something fun.

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(oh, I have to ask - how are you viewing my images? The pictures I've loaded today seem very pixelated (even over there in the left column in my 'little details' photo album) and I can't figure out if it's me or if typepad is a bit screwy with loading them today???? any comments on that would be appreciated!!!!!)

:-)

get ready..... photo overload

I have taken close to 200 photos over the past few days. My family has been together four out of the past five days.... the fourth of July picnic, Aubrie's baptism, my nephew Eston's 13th birthday and my step dad's birthday.

Some pictures are blurry, but I've come to like that look (and besides, Ali says it's okay). It captures the movement of life.

my brother Doug and Aubrie with a sweet moment during the baptism service.....

my brother Eston and his wife Kim and their seven kids (Eston Jr., Emily, Evan, Eli, Elliott, Elizabeth and Eva)..... Eston is holding Aubrie (he's her Godfather)....

at Doug's house for the gathering after the baptism... (Eston, Evan and Ben on the sofa and Eston and Eva in the background)

Emily and Sarah...

me and Doug (hey Doug, let's take a self-portrait)....

On Monday, Amy visited with Gabe and Lily....

lots of Diego toys strewn about the living room and a cutie patootie little girl...

Monday night we went to Eston Jr.'s birthday party.....

13 already. Sheesh.

I had to take a picture of Sarah's hair. Normally it's straight but it was so humid that curls popped up all over her head.....

last night was my stepdad's birthday and I took a bunch of pictures there....

Aubrie...

Ben....

Evan...

Elizabeth was very excited to go swimming....

Sarah learned how to do the doggie paddle a few days ago and was practicing....

Leann and Aubrie's hands...

And finally, I made a little album for Grandad's gift. I used a 7 gypsies album and added pictures trimmed to fit. Basic Grey paper on the covers and a transparency from the 29th Street Market line from My Mind's Eye on the front cover. Very fast. Very simple.

phew. long post!

:-)

should I or shouldn't I?

I debated over whether or not to post this.

I have been having such a struggle with myself lately over my creativeness. I decided to draw something - anything - just to get out of this slump. Drawing is something I rarely do. I wanted to exercise a part of me that has been dormant for a long time.

So, for some reason I drew a butterfly, and then added the words to the wings... words to tell myself it's okay - just have fun and play and let the creativity happen. I am going to hang this little guy on the board next to my creative space.

So, I feel as though I am exposing my insecurities to you. But, here he is....

I used micron pens, colored pencils and watercolor pencils on a canvas paper.

:-)

baptism + week 4

My niece Aubrie was baptized today.....

She wore her mommy's baptism dress - so special! Big brother Adam is holding her here....

 

Week 4 of Summer is complete. Already! It's flying by.

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:-)

this and that

•Herb garden update ~ for those of you following the progress of my project...

If you remember the 'before' from a month and a half ago -

- well, here's a picture I took this evening....

It's juuuuuuuuuuust about done. Todd has to bring home a saw to cut a few bricks for the end of each path. But the little herbies are growing, aren't they?!!!!!!! I love my herb garden ~ it makes me happy happy! :-)

•I've also been working on a project at the bottom of the steps outside my kitchen door. I put pavers down, and again, I'm at the point where I need the saw to cut the pavers for the curve at the edge and to fit under the steps where the wood supports are.....

This is still a work in progress, the sand is settling, but it is much better than the mud that was there before....

See? Much better. I'll take a picture when this is complete.

•The fourth of July picnic was a rainy one. So, I hardly took any pictures.... it was just so gloomy and I didn't want my camera to get wet. Todd and his buddy Tim and my brother Doug put on a fantastic fireworks show in our back field. Lots of ooooooing and ahhhhhhing. ;-)

•Week 4 of my 'sum up summer' project will be put together tomorrow.

Have a good night! I'll leave you with a picture I took this evening. Todd and I went for ice cream and a drive (the kids were with nana and pappy for the afternoon and supper). It was such a nice summer evening, we had the windows down and the sun roof open....

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:-)