Happy Day!

It dawned on me this morning that we are in the last few days of July.  I can't believe I've already been thinking about the upcoming school year.  My son is going to be a junior in high school.  A junior people! ACK!  Where did my babies go?  Where are the days where I would walk him to school on his first day? 

*Sigh* the plight of a parent I guess. 

 They are supposed to grow up and become independent.....but no one told me how much it would tug at my heart strings. 

So in my attempt to hold onto summer and slow down these last few weeks, I've created a cute little watermelon box. Yep, it's a box. Perfect for tiny nail polishes or candy, or something else small and cute. ;)

The cut can be found HERE at the Silhouette Store.  I adore that store!  I love only spending 99 cents a crack! Of course true to form, I used lots of glitter, glossy accents for the seeds, and a double bow in pink and black.

The sentiment is a sticker by SRM Stickers that was placed on lime green paper for a pop of color.

I am spending an exciting weekend staining our fence in the back yard. 

Fun times.

;)

Have a beautiful weekend!

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

It was so much fun to read what everyone was working on!  I love hearing what you are all up to and feeling like I got to know you just a tiny bit better!

I couldn't figure out how to copy and paste the Random.org widget to my blog....so you'll have to trust me on this one! ;)  The number it chose was # 136!  

That means Sam B. you are the winner!!

She said, "Just posted about this on Facebook!

I'm working my way thru some cool new card kits from Deena Ziegler at the moment - then it is on to scrapping one of my hubby's Harley trips!

LOVE Crafty Secrets - thanks for the chance to win such a great prize!

Please e-mail me at chelemom71@yahoo.com with your address. 

Thanks so much everyone for participating!!! 

Moxie Fab-Tuesday Trigger-A Painterly Palette

I am enjoying participating in the Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger challenges these past few weeks.  For this week's challenge, I loved the circular components all lined up in a row.  I went with my own color scheme, as I was going for an ombre effect (Which I hope is okay!). I actually used the circles that were left over from a Papertrey Ink die I have.  I coated each circle with a shade of pink or red and coated it with clear embossing powder.  I glued each circle to cream cardstock and matted it using pink and black. 

You can see the wonderful texture the embossing gave each circle.....imperfectly perfect. 

I added two shades of string as I didn't want ribbon to overpower my design.  The sentiment is from JustRite from the With Gratitude Labels One stamp set.  I added a rhinestone as a finishing touch.  

Here is the inspiration photo! :) 

I appreciated all the e-mails I got yesterday regarding Cort's new GF diet.  It is definitely a learning process and I appreciate any info you can provide. 

Since we have been amping up her veggies and fruits, the rest of my family by default is eating a bit healthier too. I love that my son had vanilla yogurt, blueberries, and homemade granola for a snack! ;)

My husband and I have made these for a snack. They are not gluten free, but pretty low in calories and extremely tasty!

1. Thin sesame cracker

2. Small dollop of Mascarpone cheese

3. 1 blueberry

3. 1/2 candied walnut broken into two pieces

4. Drizzle with a bit of honey.

YUM!

And one last thing, if you haven't entered my giveaway, you still have today to do it!  I will pick a winner at 10 PM CST tonight!  

Click HERE to enter!

Have a great day my friends!

Lemon Tree

This is the first summer in a long time I can remember having down time.  I have scaled back my DT's and have had much more time to spend with my kids and have a bit of fun in my craft room.  I love not having as many deadlines and pressure to get things done.  It makes creating more fun.....a bit less like a job. :) 

I had colored numerous images from Crafty Secrets while sitting outside on my deck.  I am finally putting them into cards.  The image is from Garden Memories and was colored with my Inktense Pencils.  I love how vibrant the colors get, especially the wooden bucket. 

The easel card is a cut from Silhouette. I added Stickles on the leaves, lemons, and the perimeter of the image, for a bit of sparkle. 

I added a bit of moss to the bottom for a textural element. 

I have made the decision after talking to Cort's doctor and numerous other people, to put Cortney on a trial gluten free diet.  She has had problems with her GI tract since she was a toddler.  In kids with CP this is common, and I think we had accepted it as "normal" for her.  But when she is in pain and she cries, that it can't be "normal."  I have had issues with her eating since infancy.  We used to distract her with singing, and had to hide things in mashed potatoes to get her to eat things.  Eventually she was able to independently eat a soft "chopped" diet.  But one thing she would not eat is fruit.  I would still have to hide it in oatmeal, or pudding etc.  Which meant that she really wasn't getting enough fruit in her diet. 

So in addition to gluten free, I've increased her fruit and veggie intake.  It started out with bribery.  If she ate a blueberry, she would get something she liked.  (Like a bite of her waffle) She learned that every other bite had to be a blueberry.  Now she is eating them without bribery. Without hiding them. Without singing to her. 

I think, "Why didn't I try this years ago?"

I already see a difference.

She is much happier, much more talkative, and much more comfortable.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway HERE! A winner will be chosen tomorrow! :)

I love reading what everyone is up to in their crafty world!

Have a beautiful day!