Weekend Whimsy: Life in Florida -- WEATHER

Living in Northern Florida, we see more of a change in seasons than our neighbors further south.  As I am writing this blog, the temperature is about 80 degrees F and the relative humidity is low.  It's a gorgeous Spring day and I love this weather but it doesn't last very long.  Spring and Fall are very short seasons.  Winter varies, this year we had some cold weather but it was consistently cold and no real extreme freezes.  Last year, we had about a week of hard freezes so we had to do something to protect our navel orange tree.

The citrus trees can survive right at freezing.  It's when the temperature goes below freezing for four or more hours that we have a hard freeze - that will kill the citrus.  So we insulate them with ice!  It's the same idea as an igloo.  The ice keeps the tree and the fruit from damage.  The problem is, citrus trees aren't built for the weight of the ice.  We lost a major branch last year when it broke from the ice.

North Florida is considered a sub-tropical climate.  Sometimes it feels like we live in a rain forest!

It rained for about one week straight when I took this photo. 

Then of course there are hurricanes!  2004 was the year we experienced more than our fair share of the monster storms.  Although they were technically Tropical Storms by the time they reached us, we were still without power for one week with each storm......and there were three.  Charley, Frances and Jeanne came calling and they were very unwelcome guests.  I had just started scrapping and thought I would spend the down time with my new hobby.  I printed photos and prepared journaling cards using the computer before the power went out.  I was so smug thinking I had found a way to relieve the boredom when the power went out.  Unfortunately, it was so humid I couldn't work with the paper.  It wouldn't cut right because of the humidity!

And then there is Summer........although it's very hot for those seven months.........it does have its perks!

I did this layout a few years ago.  This photo is of my nieces on a beautiful Summer morning on Sanibel Island.  The journaling reads:  Take Millions of gallons of Gulf of Mexico water  Add: 2 handfuls of sisterly love, 10 toes happily squishing sand, A dash of anticipation to find the perfect sea shell.  Mix well and bake under a brilliant Florida sun.  Yield: 1 perfect morning on Sanibel Island.

Have a great weekend!

Four years ago... I fell in love with Prima!!

Happy Friday!! I took a break from scrapping to go to my first book club meeting last night!!  We read a great book that I'll share about on my blog next week. :)  I didn't have a chance to get good pictures of my last three layouts so I thought it would be fun to share an older layout from my books that feature what I fell in love with Prima for -- flowers and bling!! :)

From Flamingo Scraps: Prima bling and flowers

Other Supplies: Bazzill Bling cardstock; Basic Grey Lily Kate patterned paper, Deja Views Rub-On

Hard to believe that I made this layout almost four years ago!  I still love it!!  It has hidden journaling too:

Betcha didn't expect that!!  There are these fabulous little Basic Grey magnets underneath the photo and hidden underneath the cardstock.  Just click on the picture if you want to read what it says. 

Have you ever hidden journaling on a page for someone to discover some day?

Have a great weekend -- we're expecting snow here tomorrow.  Snow!!  At sea level in California?!  It's unheard of.  Rare.  I'm so excited!!  And yes, I'm already charging the camera and crossing my fingers that it actually does snow here!! :)

Layout: Our "New" House

Shocking.... another Cosmo Cricket 1934 layout today!  :)  This is a two-page layout:

From Flamingo Scraps:  Cosmo Cricket 1934 collection papers and embellishments

Other supplies: American Crafts cardstock and Thickers; Martha Stewart photo corner punch; Stampin' Up! scallop border punch; sewing machine + thread

Here's a close-up of the left side:

And the right side of the layout:

I wanted to do a layout about our house getting painted last year!  All the details are on my blog if you want to see more about how we chose the colors and how my crazy husband painted the house all by himself in three days! :)

Layout: Time Flies By

Here's another Cosmo Cricket 1934 layout!  Of my cute nephew, Creighton of course :)

From Flamingo Scraps: Cosmo Cricket 1934 Collection patterned papers

Other supplies: Bazzill Basics cardstock; Darice red foam glitter hearts, sewing machine + thread

He's definitely growing up too fast!! :)

Layout: You and Me

Here's the first of seven layouts I made using Cosmo Cricket 1934!

From Flamingo Scraps: Cosmo Cricket 1934 collection patterned papers and cardstock stickers; Graphic 45 chipboard buttons

Other Supplies: Bazzill Basics cardstock, Martha Stewart photo corner punch; Stampin' Up! heart punches and scallop border punch; American Crafts Thickers; Studio Calico Stamp; sewing machine + thread

I scraplifted this layout by Stephanie Howell that I loved and made a few tweaks to her design along the way and love how quickly this cute layout came together!

Happy President's Day!

This weekend I managed to crank out 7 layouts using the new Cosmo Cricket 1934 -- I need room for all the fun new paper!! :)  I need to wait for daylight to put the finishing touches on them with my sewing machine (so as not to wake the husband) and photograph them.  In the meantime, here's a card I made using some scraps:

From Flamingo Scraps: Cosmo Cricket 1934; Graphic 45 Chipboard Button Staples

Other Supplies: Kraft cardstock; American Crafts Thickers; Grey fabric flowers from my stash; Stampin' Up! Linen Thread

Hope you enjoy your holiday, we'll be busy picking our next Guest Design Team.  Thank you to everyone who applied - we are going to have a tough time making a decision!!

Weekend Whimsy: Life in Florida - CRITTERS!

If you live in Florida, you soon learn that you must share your state with the Wildlife.  Our temperate climate makes our panhandle and peninsula optimal habitats for a whole lot of CRITTERS!

We (Suzanne and I) live in North Central Florida.  About 60 miles SW of Jacksonville and 25 miles W of St. Augustine.  My drive to St. Augustine takes me through potato and cabbage fields and the Ocala National Forest is just 10 miles S of Palatka.  So you are getting an idea of how, from time to time, we come in contact with Wildlife.

We live very near the St. Johns River and on several occasions we have discovered Alligators in the neighborhood.

This is our neighbor Allen.  He is from South Dakota originally.  A true Floridian would NOT have taped the Gator's mouth shut.

In the fall, Banana Spiders spin their webs everywhere.  Since we begin having foggy mornings in the fall, the Banana Spider's webs will glisten in the mist and are really quite beautiful to see.

My husband David is an avid hunter.  A few years ago, I urged him to take a camera with him in his tree stand because he would tell me of all the wildlife he would see during the day.

Black Bears - these are currently on the endangered species list but are making quite a comeback.

Of course Whitetail Deer.....this was either a Doe or a Buck too young to shoot.

How about some Wild Turkeys?  These guys are notorious for spooking so it's amazing that David got this great photo.

Feral Hogs are a real problem in Florida.  For a while, David was specially licensed by the Water Management District to hunt these animals.

North Florida is known for it's fresh water springs.  The springs maintain a constant 72 degrees F temperature year round.  Now, if we are having a particularly cold winter, and the St. Johns River cools down to below 72 degrees F, the Manatees start looking for these relatively warmer fresh water springs.

A few years ago, the Manatees were congregating in Orange Springs State Park near Deland.  We took advantage of the occasion to meet up with my Sister, Mother and Nieces for a wonderful photo opp!  The Park Rangers estimated there were 166 Manatees in the Spring that day!

These Critters happen to be my Mum and Nieces!

I hope you've enjoyed a little taste of Florida Wildlife.  I love living here and for the most part I enjoy my encounters with the Wildlife.........however, I don't do Snakes.

Stay tuned for some more Weekend Whimsies:  Life in Florida

Have a Great Weekend!

Spotlight On: Webster's Pages

We have new fabulous scrappy goodies in the store today!!!

Spring Market is here!!   Make sure you go visit the store to get it while it lasts!!
We thought it would be fun to take a quick peek at one of favorite manufacturers....

Did you know....
.....Webster's is based in North Carolina.
.....is co-owned by brother and sister team, Tim Meyers and Brandin O'Neal.
.....Brandin is a sweetheart!  We've chatted at both CHA's and she is so kind. :)
.....that there are 13 colors of Bloomers now...  would it be wrong for me to hoard all of them?!
.....that we have posted about Webster's 56 times on this blog!

My favorites...

My favorite layout I've made using Webster's (so far!).

My favorite new collection coming out is Yacht Club, specifically, this lobster paper!  (psst.... we'll be carrying this collection!!!)

And my favorite past collection? Seaside Retreat!

Susan's Favorites:

 A favorite layout of Susan's made using Webster's Seaside Retreat!

Susan's favorite new line?  Yacht Club.  Favorite past line?  Seaside Retreat.  Notice a trend?! Both are sea/ocean themed and they are the *same* as my favorites!  That is a common occurance behind the scenes, just so ya know! Susan is my paper twin! ;)

Suzanne's Favorites:

A favorite layout of Suzanne's using Webster's Hollywood Vogue!

Suzanne's favorite past collection?  Sweet as Cherry Pie!  Which coordinates well with.....

Suzanne's favorite new collection, Spring Market!! (psst.... go get some now in the store!!)



So now that we've talked all things Webster's, we want to know what is your favorite from Webster's Pages?  Is it Bloomers?  Is it a particular paper collection?  We would love to know and we would love to see your pages you've made with Webster's Pages!

Embossing, Quilting or Both?

I vote for both! I recently discovered this technique and I thought I would pass it along, just in case you haven't seen it either. :)

I started by making a grid of squares, inking the edges of my white squares:

This square measures 3" by 3", each square is 1".

Next, I embossed.  This is what makes it look quilted!

A quilt is layers of fabric held together by decorative stitching.  This is layers of paper held together with embossing - love it!  It's a fun, new-to-me way of using my embossing textures!  Here's my finished card:

From Flamingo Scraps:  American Crafts Dear Lizzy Enchanted Patterned Papers; Prima flowers and e-line bling, Tim Holtz Distress Ink

Other supplies: American Crafts cardstock; Stampin' Up! Stamp, Ink & Punches

And I had to laugh when one of my two scrappy helpers hopped into one of my pictures:

I think she was sniffing it to see if it was a toy or not! :)

So have you ever embossed together layers of paper?

Your Favorites!

We didn't do a look back at 2010, so we thought it would be fun to look back at our most popular blog posts.  Maybe you'll see a post you haven't seen before?! :)  Let's get started....

Flamingo Scraps has Prima Paintables!!

This layout by Suzanne of her great grandmother, Augusta Wood Waters, is by far our most popular post!  It's it beautiful?! :)

Guest DT Tiffany Morgan: Use Your Die Cuts in a Different Way!

No doubt that everyone loves our Guest Design Team - there are more than a few GDT posts in our top hits every day, week and month!!  Other popular GDT posts?

Guest DT Cindy deRosier: Mastering Multiple Photo Layouts
Guest DT Diana Fisher: Maya Road Chipboard Buttons
Guest DT Genie Smith: How to Make Your Photos Look "Professional"
Guest DT Janet Zeppa: Sassafrass Lass Indie Girl -- Not Just for Girls!
Guest DT Jill Sarginson: You Talkin' to Me?
Guest DT Jolaine Frias: Parisian Anthology Wedding Layout
Guest DT Tonya Gibbs: 2011 Calendars -- Office Gifts

Couldn't share just one - we loved all these girls and all their posts have been very popular! ♥

A few more favorites...

Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes

Aren't these little paper shoes to die for?!  One of my favorite Suzanne creations for sure!! :)

Altered Storage Box for E-Line Bling

I'm all about the organization!  Did you see how I turned a recycled flat rate postal box into that cute container for my Primas? :)

Found My Mojo

And finally, our weekend whimsy posts caught us off guard and are definitely one of our favorite features to write!

Weekend Whimsy: Olive Garden's Pasta e Fagioli Soup (one of Susan's favorite, tasty recipes!)
Weekend Whimsy: Christmas Traditions and Memories (Suzanne's fabulous Christmas tree!)
Weekend Whimsy: Life is Short (my favorite quote!)

What is your favorite post on our blog? I'd love to know! :)