Whales and Ducks

I have been so busy this past week with Group Fitness things and many other things that I just needed time to scrapbook.  So the other afternoon I went into my craft room and put together a layout.  It was great because it was one of those pages that almost put itself together.  I knew almost exactly what I wanted it to be like.  I wanted a white layout (very strange for me, I like lots of colour) with some white on white elements.  The reason I wanted white was because the whales in my photos were white and I wanted the layout to depict more about the whales.  I had never seen Beluga Whales before.  Grace had mentioned seeing them on her last visit to San Diego.  So it was very special for me to see these normally shy creatures.

I cropped two of my photos to be 4"x 4" and placed my photos as you see.  I wanted them on white so I cut a piece of cardstock to measure 10"x 11".  I then wanted to use one of my border punches (which I had recently been reunited with after them being in storage for nearly 6 months) I also wanted another border punched out and layered above the first large border.

I adhered my photos in place then added the second small border which I punched from a scrap piece of cardstock leftover from trimming down the white cardstock.

I put this white base on some light blue cardstock.  I punched 5 circles measuring 3/4" each and adhered them in the bottom right corner being sure to have the first one hanging off the page for some interest.  Once I liked there placement I cut the excess off the circle hanging over the edge and added it to the top left corner.  I didn't want to throw away that little piece, silly, but I like the result.

I found some little light blue bling and added them to the circles.  I was going to put them in the center so that they would all look the same, but then changed my mind.  I like how they look all different and so added a couple (3) extra round the circles.

Lastly I added my title which I cut from using my Silhouette Cameo.

Well, that is my tale about my 'whale' layout.  Now to fill you in on my 'duck', or in this case duckling.

I currently have a wee little duckling living in my bath tub.  Oh, it is so cute.  It has been nicknamed "Peepers".  We have some very early duck and duckling families in my backyard.  One is a mother of 4 (now 3 but at the time of this incident she had 4).  She has been round the house for a few days with her babies so I have been feeding them some rolled oats.  Anyway, the other afternoon I could hear some distressing peeping.  I went out my front door and there was mother of 4 attacking this stray little duckling.  She was really pecking at this wee thing.  I could not stand by and see this so I intervened.  Then, mother of 4 was thinking I was going to go after her four babies so she was getting ready to attack me.  Stray duckling joined her 4 so I thought OK she is defending it, it should be OK
now.  I walked away but saw she started to attack it again.  This time I caught the little duckling, but mamma was not going to let me pass.  It didn't help that duckling was peeping so mamma defended and flew at me.  I told mamma to be nice to it and let it go, just for her to start attacking again.  This time I rescued the duckling and made it into the house.

I have a cat box set up in my bathtub with a warm heat pack for it (I warm it regularly).  There is also an ice-cream container of water for drinking and swimming.  I also have food all over the floor of the bath tub.  It seems happy enough.  I take it out of the tub now and then to let it run around (when I can make an area secure).

I am not sure how my cats are going to take to this little one.  So will need to be careful for a little while.  The cats don't care about ducklings in our backyard, but could be different with one in the house.

Card for Check-out and the Flower Box

Yesterday I made this card.  it is nice being able to make something with a person in mind to give it to once completed.

I don't know about you, but when I do my grocery shopping I have my favorite check-out people.  Well, one of my check-out people is leaving, so I wanted to wish them all the best so, hence my card. It is amazing how by just striking up a short conversation each week you can build a bit of a friendship with people.

I coloured this image using Copic markers.  Around the image I used Distress Oxide Broken China.  Then double matted it before adding it to the the stripey background pattern paper.

A couple of weekends ago my husband and I decided it was time to finish cleaning out our garage after our summer of changing the garage around.  It was a big job, but I was reunited with my favorite punches and my flowers (collection).  Yippee! So to celebrate I played with some pattern paper, a box and some flowers and this is what I created.  It did take a couple of days but it was well worth the patience.  I even managed to did out some charms I had in my stash.  I feel it is time to stop collecting things like flowers and charms and to start using them.  What do you like creating with flowers and charms?  I am still wondering if the flowers need a few leaves tucked here and there.  What do you think?

It has been fun arranging the flowers and then adhering them.  So I do hope you get time to be creative too.

Walrus Kisses

I have never seen a Walrus up close and personal before.  This was amazing.  This guy was determined to either clean the glass of his enclosure or to be giving everyone kisses.  I can't get over what an amazing place Sea World is, there just seem to be so much to look at everywhere.  The animals we fabulous.  I guess since we don't have anything as big as this here in NZ that it just blew me away.

It is very rare for me to do a layout on white cardstock.  I guess since that was where I started until I was introduced to pull sized pattern papers that was what I was force to use.  So it was quite refreshing to just grab a plain piece of white cardstock and see where it took me.

I grabbed a piece of pattern paper which had a shimmer like the water that had green circles and cut it into a large circle.  I cropped my photos down so they could fit across the page.  I cut a piece of light green/blue cardstock to sit under the photos so there were anchored in place.  I added some little green fish (in case my walrus got hungry).  I tore a small piece of cream cardstock to go under my other cardstock border that is anchoring the photos.  The tore edge gives some texture to the layout.  lastly I cut out a title from grey cardstock and adhered it above my landscape photo to balance out the photos.

I am very happy with how the layout came together.  I think I should try more white layouts in future.  It makes a nice change.

Mesmerized

As you can tell we really enjoyed our time at Sea World, San Diego.

Here is a layout I created showing how mesmerized my daughter was with the Orcas.  They were such incredible creatures..  The female in this tank was quite old and un-interested in things until this young male Orca came to the park.  She came alive and wanted to play. they are like soulmate as one of the Sea World volunteers was telling me.  They stick together whenever they can.  My daughter just stood so close to the viewing glass she was almost part of the glass.  She could have stood there for hours just watching these two swim, and play.  They had a toy in the water that they took turns playing with.  It seems the 'string' part of the toy was made from old fire hoses (to be strong enough to last with Orcas playing with it).

With this layout I used a Hero Arts stencil and some Lawn Fawn coloured inks (a blue and a grey) and added this mesmerizing pattern over half of my background card stock.

I added my photos, a title (cut using my Silhouette Cameo), some twine and some journaling on a piece of vellum.

The results with this finished layout share the feeling my daughter had with the whales.