March 2016 Rudolph Day

Hello - hope that your Good Friday was as pleasant as ours was. We spent some time with my 2 older brothers, had lunch with one of them, and when we got back home in the afternoon, managed to accomplish a few house chores. All in all, a productive & happy day. Also spent some time remembering why we Christians observe the Holiness of this day, and what it leads up to.

Did you notice the fresh Spring look on the blog? The delightful banner? My friend Loll was so kind to do a 'new look' for me, and I'm beyond thrilled! We both hope you'll like it...Loll is amazingly talented at whatever she puts her hand to. (and if you don't visit her blog, you're missing something really special too). Thanks so much Loll, for all your creative skills to make my Spring blog so pretty!!! (also a different watermark, and a cute signature - with - of course, my cardinal!)

Since I missed last month's Rudy Day, I wanted to be certain to get a card finished this month. The last few evenings, I've spent collecting bits & pieces off the desk Crapalanche pile (thanks Hettie for that terminology...it's really so apt!), and trying various bits this way, that way, to see if a card would 'appear'. Over the next few days, I'll try to schedule some posts. At the bottom of _this_ post, I'll share some pictures of the greening up & blooming that is going on around our house. Mr. rehung the porch swing last week too, so it's quite nice on some mornings to sit out & have coffee again.

Rudolph Day Challenge opens on the 25th of each month and is open until the end of the month. The only requirement to jump right in, is to make a Christmas themed card. There's nice prizes available, and lots of wonderful cards submitted. So I hope you'll add another card to your Christmas stash, and come over to play in the Rudy Day Challenge.

- One of the easiest cards I've ever done...and everything is a SNIPPET! The border around the red center, came from a recycled Christmas card. Had loved these berry branches, so of course, it was in the pile "to do something with". (3 months ago, right?). Trimmed to fit a top fold card base.

- red center is the cut out from one of the design papers on this card. Again, in the pile.

- Elizabeth Craft die sentiment, from a snippet of white Xpress Paper (um, yeah, -- in the pile). Got smart & used the metal cutting plate for intricate dies, a couple passes, and this cut very nicely. A few little slubs on the cut edges, probably due to the Xpress paper's composition, but these were easy to smooth off.

- Versamark applied over the die cut, then heat embossed with WOW Gold Pearl Regular. This was my first use of the EP, as Queen's Gold is my favorite gold. Decided to give this a try, after purchasing it in Whimsodoodle, St. Pete, Florida at Christmas. Liked the look of molten gold, but it did not adhere well in a couple places (Operator Error...non-even Versamark coverage). Reapplied Versamark (yuck, got the EP grains in the pad, so it needs to be cleaned!) - sprinkled on some more EP, and I was so pleased with the look of 2 coats. It really has the look of a piece of metal applied to the front of the card. So now I have another gold EP that I'm liking.

Now, I'm off to link up with March Rudolph Days, and since I've been so MIA over at the Snippets Playground, and it's still open, I think I will just hop along over there where it's Week 221, and see if Mr. Parsnip will let me in the gate. It's been so long, he may not recognize me! I expect there's lots of Easter themed cards, but I'm gonna try to sneak in with a Christmas card! Won't ya'll join me?

Do check out the Cards by Friends tab to enjoy some lovely Easter cards we've received from some lovely bloggers. Head hanging in shame: I've not finished the first Easter card. :-(

Thanks for popping in...and my prayers for a lovely Easter weekend. Hugs. Hope you enjoy the spring bustin' out all over around our neighborhood.

Redbud tree in our backyard

White blossom tree in neighbor's yard (behind us)



Flowering Cherry Tree in side yard

Iris in a tub, back deck. This plant came from a very old species that grew wild at my Aunt's house. We're guessing the 'main root bulbs are nearly a 100 yrs old.

Tulips from bulbs planted by Me, about 12 falls ago. Surprised they still come up!

Close up - very pretty colors

Few daffodils from bulbs planted about 8 yrs ago. Not very many of these come up any more.

Greening trees in our neighbor's yard. We enjoy seeing these trees from our front porch swing