Mimo Tree

Card Recipe

Card Blank - 10.5cm x 15cm.

Bild Malarna Stamp - Mimo Tree.

Doodlebug Desgin Inc Design Paper - Backyard.

Spellbinders Nestabilities Dies - Standard Circles Large, Petite Scalloped Circles Large.

Marianne Design Creatables Die - LR0151.

Martha Stewart Border Punch - Grass.

Embellishments from own stash.

This image was coloured in using Copic markers.

Hints and Tips

The background clouds were created using a die cut cloud and chalk.

This card was entered into the following challenges:

Make It Monday: Challenge #100 Anything Goes.

Cupcake Craft Challenges: Challenge #203 The Great Outdoors.

Sunday Sketch and Stamp: Challenge #117 Marie's Sketch.

Love Linda xxx 

Refreshed life

We all have refreshed our lives, through travels, experiences, some good, some not so good and learned a lot along the way.

Our boy is back home since Wednesday, four weeks of camp and sick in the end, so we picked him up a few days earlier and he has been sleeping and eating, in that or the reverse order since then!

So tropical....in New Orleans

We on the other hand enjoyed a few delightful last kid free days in New Orleans and the impressions were intense and wonderful.

Cool colors

Sunday morning vista with man and his dog.

A typical house/street view

A character stepping out of cafe EnVie

Happy together in NOLA

Gorgeous architecture

Classic Deli in the Garden District

Southern belle in the Garden District.

What a city! Full of contrasts, great music, crazy nightlife and beautiful houses and streets and the friendliest people.

We explored many neighborhoods, of which some still show the scars of Katrina, some have been rebuild all new and many places kept the classic New Orleans charm. A place we want to return some day!

Dinner at Galatoire's

Galatoire's is an institution in Nola

We sampled Creole and Cajun cuisine, cocktails and looked all over for healthy foods to offset the indulgences....

Delights at Emeril's

Our mornings often led us to this little market stall, the Meals From The Heart Cafe, where Avril was patient to explain the foods of New Orleans and her own delicious healthy variations.... From vegan smoothies to delicious Crab omelets and raw salads, the menu was chockfull of healthy goodness.

All can be found and every time we were delighted.

The markets are covered to protect from the sun, it was fabulous to wander about and stop here and there for refreshment. 

Absolutely great foods at the Satsuma cafe

A foot of water within minutes.....

We had crazy weather patterns, torrential rains for two days and then glorious sun and the perfect weather to stroll about.

We witnessed the burial of "Uncle" Lionel Batiste, the famous drummer and a institution in New Orleans' jazz life. It was a one of a lifetime experience. I will post separately on this amazing event.

Valorie and I....

My husband and Alberto with me...

We also visited a lovely blog friend, something I had hoped for a long time. Valorie Hart of the great blog The *Visual* Vamp has been most gracious to invite us to her lovely home and we spend a wonderful afternoon, so familiar with all,  Cholo the dog included, just as any visit to old friends. We parted truly as such and hope to see them both soon again! We are ready to Tango again....

Thank you Valorie and Alberto! We love you both! It was a delightful afternoon, great conversations and great food!

The Crescent City has been good to us and we will return!

All images by V.Zlotkowski

Elves Winter Wonderland DT Card

The challenge for this week at Winter Wonderland is hosted by me.  The theme for this week is Elves.  So we would like to see an elf on your Christmas projects.

We are sponsored by Simon Says Stamp

The prize is a $15 voucher.

Here is my Card.

Card Recipe

Card Blank - 10.5cm x 15cm.

Mo Manning Digital Image - North Pole Employees.

Doodlebug Design Inc Design Papers - Christmas Kit.

Spellbinders Nestabilities Die - 2010 Heirloom Ornament.

X-Cut Border Punch - Scallop.

Embellishments from own stash.

This image was coloured in using Copic markers.

Hints and Tips

The glittered bauble was created using green card stock, double sided tape, green and red glitter.

This card was entered into the following challenges:

Crafts And Me Challenge: Challenge #94 Anything Goes.

Love Linda xxx

Justin's Ice Cream

Card Recipe

Card Blank - 10.5cm x 15cm.

Mo Manning Digital Image - Justin's Ice Cream.

DCVW Design Paper - Citrus Stack.

Woodware Punch and Emboss - Buttons.

This image was coloured in using Copic markers.

Hints and Tips

To create the ice cream drip I used a Sakura Gelly Roll Med pen #50.  I find this pen invaluable I use it for highlighting and adding white dots to eyes and clothing to add more dimension.

This card was entered into the following challenges:

Mo's Digital Challenge:  Challenge #145 In The "Doghouse".

Make It Monday Challenge: Challenge #99 Anything Goes.

Crafty Creations Challenge: Challenge #180 Buttons.

Charisma Cardz Challenge: Challenge #29 Monochrome.

Love Linda xxx

Santa's Hat Girl

The challenge for this week at Winter Wonderland is hosted by Squirrel.  The theme for this week is a Colour Challenge we would like to see Pink and/or Purple plus Aqua and/or green on your Christmas projects.

We are sponsored by Lili Of The Valley

The prize is a £10 Voucher.

Here is my Card.

Card Recipe

Card Blank - 10.5cm x 15cm.

Mo Manning Digital Image - Santa's Hat Girl

Doodlebug Design Inc Design Paper - Peppermint Twist.

Martha Stewart Border Punch - Pine Trim.

Embellishments from own stash.

This image was coloured in using Copic markers.

Hints and Tips

With beautiful images like these you don't need to add too many embellishments.  I used green flitter card for the pine trim and I added a pearl gem to the sleep suit.

This card was entered into the following challenges:

Stampin' For The Weekend: Challenge #14 Photo Inspiration (green, pink).

Love Linda xxx

I Wuv U

Card Recipe

Card Blank - 10.5cm x 15cm.

Mo Manning Digital Image - I Wuv U (straight hair version).

Doodlebug Design Inc Design  Paper - Over The Rainbow, Backyard.

Martha Stewart Border Punch - Grass.

Embellishments from stash.

This image was coloured in using Copic markers.

Hints and Tips

I used mini stick on pearls for the buttons on the boys dungarees.

This card was entered into the following challenges:

Mo's Digital Challenge:  Challenge #144 Hugs and Kisses.

Love Linda xxx

Relaxing

Card Recipe

Card Blank - 10.5cm x 15cm.

House Mouse Stamp - Relaxing.

Doodlebug Desgin Inc Design Paper - Summer Kit.

Cricut Cartridge - Create A Critter.

This image was coloured in using Copic markers.

Hints and Tips

Don't be afraid of combining challenges when designing your card.  The Cricut cartridges work really well with stamped images.  So with this card design I was able to enter the Fantabulous Cricut challenge and House Mouse and Friends Challenge.

This card was entered into the following challenges:

Fantabulous Cricut Challenge: Challenge Me Monday #120 Sunny Days.

Make It Monday: Challenge #98 Anything Goes.

House Mouse and Friends Monday Challenge: Challenge #124 Summer Holidays.

Love Linda xxx

Ben

Card Recipe

Card Blank - 10.5cm x 15cm.

Mo Manning Digital Image - Ben.

Scraps of Design Paper.

Memory Box Die - Spring Border.

Spellbinders Nestabilities Die - Labels Seventeen.

Embellishments from stash.

This image was coloured in using Copic markers.

Hints and Tips

I used Copic markers E50 and E53 for the little boy's hair.

This card was entered into the following challenges:

Totally Papercrafts: Challenge #125 Lots Of Layers.

Make It Monday: Challenge #98 Anything Goes.

Love Linda xxx

Simply summer

Summer window with garden flowers

The summer heat invites us to enjoy simple pleasures. 

Party decorations

Sitting by the water and just enjoying the breeze, summer evenings with friends and candle lit dinners with flowers picked from the garden, bike rides under tall shady trees, watching the birds and the bees, busily following their own paths...

Stormy sky over the Greenhouse

A storm rose in the afternoon, just to pass with lots of thunder but little to no rain.

The heat is unbroken. Maybe tomorrow.

And yet...

Playing tennis with Papa

Yesterday we went up to visit our youngest son (12) at camp, he is homesick and we felt a little sad leaving him tearful for another two weeks. There are surely great experiences to be made at camp, we hoped for him to have the best of times. But we felt his deep sorrow and the daily busy routine gets to him. He is a sensitive boy and the loud and permanent presence of so many kids and the strict daily regiment seems to be his undoing. 

Fueling the emotional batteries

We had no idea this would happen. He is a well rounded young man with good friends and an easy nature.

Additionally he was so severely sunburned, that I brought him to the nurse to have him treated. She had seen him before, but did not really follow through. I wondered a little about the boy's care up there. He has blisters on the back of his fingers and earlobes the size of a nickel...His nose was crusted over with burns.

We were shocked to see him like that! He still is not ready to take care of himself and there is clearly a lack of reminders at camp.

This being his first camp exposure, we all learned something new about him.

We decided to bring him home two weeks earlier then planned, making the camp four weeks long, enough for him and enough for us. 

I am secretly counting the days, surely just like him, to have him back.

A tiny hummingbird came to sit near me in the honeysuckle, just resting before the storm passed overhead, reminding me of every silver lining....

Black chinned hummingbird 

And it occurred to me, that these bittersweet experiences will also have their good, we just will have to wait and see.

Learning about oneself is not always easy.

And now it just begun raining, softly and steady! Welcome cool air!

All images by V.Zlotkowski

White Floors - Two Years On

The kitchen at Seafarers Cottage 2

A reader who remembered a post I did nearly two years ago about white-washed floor boards asked me for a wear-and-tear update.

The recipe: This was a new but straight forward one that I have been experimenting with - slightly diluted white paving paint. This gives you hardy coverage but lets the wood grain show through.

Well, I have to say, there is probably no better test than at a holiday-rented beach house! That's where we experimented with diluted white paving paint.

The verdict is.... not too bad! It looks a bit scuffed here and there which is OK if you like that look. I think it is fine in a beach house but if you are into perfect surfaces then this is not the look for you.

One good point is that it is easy to touch up if there is a spot that has a scratch or has lots of traffic. You do have to get down and scrub kitchen spills but the same would go for many surfaces.

Does any one else have good white floor tips?

Fun In The Sun

Card Recipe

Card Blank - 10.5cm x 15cm.

Penny Black Stamp - Fun In The Sun.

Seaside Images Design Paper.

EK Success Punch - Wave Flourish.

Rotatrim Paper Trimmer - Deckle Edge.

Embellishments from stash.

This image was coloured in using Copic markers.

Hints and Tips

The gems are from studio18 they are 8cm in length.  I have just used part of the strip on this design the left over pieces can be used on another card.

This card was entered into the following challenges:

Fussy and Fancy Friday Challenge: Challenge #67 Photo Inspiration.

Penny Black Saturday Challenge: July Challenge Summertime.

Love Linda xxx

Snowbody Frame

The challenge for this week at Winter Wonderland is hosted by Miria.  The theme for this week is Use A Sentiment As Your Main Focal Point.  So we would like to see you use a Sentiment on your Christmas projects.

We are sponsored by Tickled Pink Stamps

The prize is a choice of either 2 digital images from the Lil Loita, Lil Lad or Lil Pinkette ranges.

Here is my Card.

Card Recipe

Card Blank - 10.5cm x 15cm.

Stampendous Stamp - Snowbody Frame.

X-Cut Border Punch - Scallop.

Embellishments from own stash.

This image was coloured in using Copic markers.

Hints and Tips

I highlighted some of the snowflakes with the same Copic marker I used to colour the snowman's hat and scarf with, this gives the card a more cohesive look.

This card was entered into the following challenges:

Love Linda xxx

New York on a hot day

Second Ave near Houston, looking north

My husband and I spend a few hours walking and enjoying New York City. Childless for time being, we do things, we haven't done in years. Going out without limitations, spontaneous trips on the weekend, long summer evenings doing sweet nothings in the garden...

The gondola from Roosevelt Island arrives

In town we discovered new restaurants and shops. Oh, I forgot how glorious it is to browse small design shops in Nolita or wandering through Little Italy and Chinatown!

The Little Noodle Shop

Wonderful architecture

A New York view

Impressive buildings

Modern

Havana on Elizabeth

The Ford Thunderbird, my secret love

And we just watch people and the bustle of town. I remembered the many times we came there, when we still lived on the Upper Westside...

A stylish roof garden

Wall art I like

We had dinner at Quintessence, one of the raw restaurants inNew York, small, but delicious! The blue berry pie was the very best ever! No picture, it was eaten too fast.....

Dinner at Quintessence

Four boys wearing fox tales

A hot night!

12 years ago that changed and I have not looked back, but I remember fondly!
New York is just an always emerging, energizing hot spot! And thankfully only a short journey gets me there!







All images by V.Zlotkowski