Help needed ASAP!

I've been seeing these beautiful accordion cards on Pinterest with each panel featuring one of the seasons.  I was inspired to use the Kanji symbols for the seasons from Pagoda and surround them with some gorgeous washi paper that has been in my stash forever!

Well, I am kinda pleased with the inside.  It looks like I imagined it would look, but... the outside is so ugly!   It doesn't fold neatly, odd edges stick out here and there and I wish I hadn't tried to round the corners.   So my question is, since I haven't seen any examples of the card folded up, is this normal?  Does it just not fit together nicely because of the sheer bulk of the 4 folds?  My valentine accordion card was not too pretty on the outside either.   Any suggestions?   All help gratefully accepted because I am determined to make one with 5 folds for my DGD's birthday! Agggh!  Help! Help!

Thanks for visiting with me today.  : ) Christine

Play Hoops!

One of the neat things about my DGDs is that they will try anything!  They have tried martial arts, dance, golf, tennis, volleyball, art, cooking to name just a few activities.   Recently,  6 year old G played basketball for the first time in a league that practiced in our local elementary schools.  It was such fun to go see her play every Saturday. (Except for the bleachers! Ouch!)   In her last game, G scored 2 baskets.  : )

I wanted to tell her how proud we are of her and found this fun basketball paper in a DCWV stack.   I made a teepee card and used my Create - A - Friend cart to decorate each side.  The little girl is on an Action Wobble.  Such a fun card to make, although someone (DH!) objected to the ribbon on the hoop!

Thanks for visiting with me today.  : ) Christine

At the Beach

Several years ago my sister visited the lovely city of White Rock, and decided that she was going to live there.  Since she is quite persistent and determined, her dream came true!  White Rock is a sea side community and my sister regularly walks her dog on the beach. It is a great place for vacationing relatives too!

When I saw the phrase, "Life is better at the beach" in the Silhouette - on - line store, I naturally thought of her.  Here is the wall decor my DH and I made to celebrate her time in White Rock.  DH contributed the 'white' rock and the sand purloined from the local golf club!  Attaching that sand to the bottom of the frame took considerable ingenuity, I can tell you.  LOL!

The dog walker cut in vinyl comes from A Child's Year and was cut with the Explore.  The background beach is by DCWV.

Thanks for visiting today.  It's a rainy day and we are off to IKEA.  : )  Christine

Easter is coming!

What a busy few days!  My sister is here from BC and we have shopped, shopped, and shopped some more!   As we relaxed over a cup of tea yesterday, I showed her the new Design Space software and together we designed this Easter card.  It was fun!

One of the things that I loved about the Gypsy was welding shapes into window cards and I wondered if I could do this with Design Space.  Yes!   Easy peasy lemon squeezy!   And it is much easier to see that the shapes have successfully melded into one piece on the larger screen. 

The daffodils are from Art Nouveau and I chose them so that I could link 'our' card with the Spring Flowers challenge at Bitten By the Bug 2 here. 

Here is the welded card shape:-

And the completed card.   It really is such a pretty, pastel yellow but the shimmery surface made it hard to photograph.

Thanks for visiting with me today.  I really appreciate your comments and interest in my blog.  Thank you!  Lastly, a special shout - out to a friend in Chilliwack!

That 'French Manor' Peacock!

Several years ago, PC launched the Cricut Circle and sent all the members an exclusive cart called 'French Manor.'  THE most popular cut was, without a doubt, this peacock.  It was everywhere!  Now it's my turn to show you my version of  'the peacock.'   (My family will tell you that I'm always a little late to the parade!)

I used the DCWV Shimmer stack and embossed the background to give it an East Indian look.  The center stair step card has been around forever too, but is the perfect card form to use when you want to put special focus on the image.  Wouldn't this card take on a whole different look with brighter background papers?  If I didn't have to put Master J's toys away and clean the bathrooms before my sister comes tomorrow, I'd head right up to the craftroom.  LOL!

The FCCB challenge this week is to feature a bird somewhere on your project.  Go take a look at what the DT came up with.  Love that Art Nouveau hummingbird!

Thanks for visiting with me today!  : ) Christine

Little Canvas Totes

... decorated with iron - on vinyl for a couple of my favorite young ladies!  I FINALLY figured it out after wasting almost all the roll of vinyl and then watching several videos!  (Hopefully, I learned a little something there!)    The lovely font is from the Folk Art Festival cart.

Thanks for visiting with me today!  : )  Christine

Create-a-Critter Easter Treats

Several years ago, DH and I were visiting the Yorkshire Dales (in England) over Spring Break.  It was an absolute visual treat!  Imagine wooly lambs gamboling in every field, love struck pheasants in gorgeous plumage strutting across the roads intent only on the drab female hiding in the opposite verge, and brilliant yellow daffodils in their hundreds lining the road sides - the very embodiment of Spring.  Wonderful! 

Last October, we planted daffodil bulbs along the drive to our house as reminder of our trip (and our birthplace!)  and they are just beginning to open in today's lovely sunshine.

Daffys mean Easter to me and I went to the Craft Room to make treats for OHM.  You just can't go wrong with bunnies and chicks from Create - A - Critter, can you?   I used the writing feature of my Explore to write a 'Easter Blessings' on a tag for the back of the critters.  Love this feature and never need buy another sentiment stamp again.      Ha!  Just kidding! 

Happy Spring and thanks for visiting with me today.  : ) Christine