Belladonna's Garden

Welcome to the Sparkle N Sprinkle Deco Divas/Love Is In the Air Blog Hop!

2012-01-18T22:00:00.032-05:00

Can’t you feel love in the air! Soon we will be surrounded by flowers and candy as we celebrate St Valentine's Day. I can smell the roses already. But there shouldn’t be just a single day to share our feelings with loved ones. We should tell them every day how we feel. This year my husband and I will be celebrating 18 years together and I am proud to say romance is still very much alive! If you arrived here from Jessica's blog then you are in the right place!

For this blog I used the #454S Heart Wings stampette stamp set. I wanted to do something different so I thought I would try out a new product.Recently I bought a Fiskars Compact Stamp Press. This was the first time I used it. I used the four lines of text by placing them on the clear grid of the stamp press. I removed the second and fourth lines and used a Memories Pink dye ink and stamped on white card stock. I removed these lines of text and replaced them with the first and third lines and used Memories Imperial Purple dye ink.

I then stamped a VersaMark pad over the entire piece of card stock. I poured Super Thick Clear Embossing powder (EP230) over the VersaMark and used a heat gun. Once all the embossing powder was melted I used ½” double sided “Tear-ific” tape (#SAT04) to attach the white card stock to Stardream Amethyst cardstock and wrapped a pink ribbon around it. Then I used the tape to attach it to the Stardream Rose Quartz card base.

I cut a small piece of pink ribbon and wrapped it around the attached ribbon to create a small bow. I then placed a Conversation Heart sticker on the top of the ribbon. I used the Spellbinders Classic Hearts Nestabilities to create a Stardream Rose Quartz heart. I then stamped Always & Forever with Memories Imperial Purple ink and attached it to the card front with dimensional pop-dots. I then used a shank remover on a white pearl heart button and used a glue dot to attach it to the Rose Quartz heart.

I hope you enjoyed my card. And remember, enjoy the people in your life and show the love!

Your next stop is to April's blog. Please leave a comment on my blog in order to qualify for the prizes. This is a list of all the participants in the blog hop.

Dawn Thomas (you are here!)

Welcome to Sparkle N Sprinkle: Its a Cultural Thing Blog Hop!

2011-11-10T05:00:00.014-05:00

From sunny Florida!! We are finally experiencing some cooler weather. I cannot say how happy I am about that. If you hopped here by way of Sandy Meier, then you are in the right place! You may want to start at the SNS Home Blog to become eligible for four great prizes.

I am so excited and have been looking forward to this blog hop for a long time. I love working with these stamps as you will be able to tell from my cards. You can change the look of the card just by changing the color of embossing powder and paints. These stamps are as diverse as we are.

I used the Elements stamp set #316 to create my card. I rubbed the black cardstock with an anti-static bag and then stamped with VersaMark ink. I covered the image with embossing powder (the first card has Silver Detail and the second has Gold Detail) then shook off the excess over a coffee filter then used a heat gun. Use Smooch ink or metallic paints to color rest of the image and set aside to dry. Use scissors to cut out images and attach to card front.

Believe it or not the backgrounds are created using napkins. I love this technique and use it often. Once you try this technique you will see napkins in a new light!

First start by unfolding your napkin and if it is a multi-ply napkin, carefully pull the layers apart so that you only have the top decorative layer for your project.
Cut a piece of freezer paper a little larger than your napkin (about 1/2 to 3/4")
Heat your iron while you first lay your freezer paper, shiny side up, on your ironing board. Next, lay your decorative napkin (pretty side up) onto your freezer paper, and then lay your copy paper on top of your napkin.
Heat with your iron (set on medium - no steam) for about 15 to 30 seconds, moving your iron over the copy paper, applying gentle pressure until your napkin is adhered to your freezer paper.
Now just apply your pretty napkin to your cardstock, (just like you would if you were using patterned paper) and complete your project as desired.

Thank you for visiting my blog. I hope you decide to try this technique in the future. It is an easy way to create beautiful patterned background.

These are a few other cards I have created using the same stamps. As you can see, just by changing the colors or the background changes the way the stamp looks.

Please leave a comment to become eligible for a prize. Your next stop on the blog hop is Donna Ellis where I know she has something wonderful planned.

These are stops in the "Its A Cultural Thing Blog Hop"

Dawn Thomas (You are here!)

Donna Ellis

Then return to the home blog page SNS Home Blog

Svartalheim (Day of Adventure)

2011-11-09T20:10:00.004-05:00

November 9^th: Today is another beautiful day with low humidity. I tried to move a caterpillar walking across the sidewalk but he wasn’t interested. There was a smaller caterpillar walking up the wall near the other two chrysalises. There was this awesome but very scary looking spider on the soffit.

When I reached into my bag to pull a rune, I was drawn to three runes. I pulled them out and turned them over. The runes were: Berkana (birch, new beginnings), Fehu (cattle, prosperity), and Eihwaz (yew tree, protection). These are great runes and when pulled in combination are even better.

I had calculus today and got test #3 back. I got a 74. Considering there were several word problems. I have a difficult time trying to figure out where to begin. I am happy with my grade and my average is an 81.6. After I add the 5% for attendance I have an 86% average for the class. Today we started the topic of Implicit Differentiation. It just makes my head spin!

Muspelheim (Day of Vision)

2011-11-08T13:08:00.011-05:00

Today I spent most of the day working on assignments for the Exploring Sensory Perception course. I continued my work transferring caterpillars to Milkweed plants. I went out tonight to take advantage of the sale at a local store. I spent way more than I should but that’s what shopping sales is all about. I bought four Nestabilties and two border/corner punch sets.

My rune today was Nauthiz (needfire, survival). This could be my work with the Monarch caterpillars. I have been working to transfer them to healthy plants when they have eaten all the ones near them. It is getting late in the season and I want as many as possible to survive.

Alfheim (Day of Openness)

2011-11-07T12:45:00.014-05:00

Kenaz (torch, to know). I took my third test today in Calculus. I think I did okay. I will find out on Wednesday. I spent time outside with the Monarch caterpillars today. There are so many this late in the year. It worries me they won’t have enough time to turn into butterflies before it gets too cold.

Vanaheim (Day of Nurturing)

2011-11-05T19:53:00.001-04:00

November 5^th: Vanaheim (Day of Generating) I found out this morning that my grade adjustment for test #2 gave me a total of 101%. That bumps my average to 85.5%

I pulled Wunjo (joy) today. This is appropriate considering I am over the moon about my grade!

Asgard (Day of Understanding)

2011-11-04T13:31:00.011-04:00

I taught class today. We made faux canvas cards. This is a wonderful technique and gives soft results. This is a sample of one of the cards. We watercolored then embossed. The rectangle was cut using a Nestabilities after the card stock was embossed.

My rune today was Thurisaz (thorn in the side). I see this as the challenge I face every day with my studying. I feel guilty when I am not studying but my eyes feel like they are going to fall out when I study too much.

Svartalheim (Day of Adventure) - Day of the Dead

2011-11-01T12:42:00.002-04:00

Today we celebrate the Day of the Dead. The rune was Othala (Ancestral Home, Inheritance). I thought it was appropriate to pull Othala since it is related to our ancestors.

Muspelheim (Day of Vision) Samhain

2011-10-31T12:31:00.008-04:00

I also had calculus class and took the retake on Test #2. I am happy with my answers and look forward to seeing what I got. I walked around the yard before I left for class and noticed a praying mantis over our bedroom window. This is the first one I have seen down here. I was honored it decided to visit me today.

Today we honor the final harvest and honor our ancestors. This is a nice tradition to do. I try to spend as much time remembering the times I spent with my maternal grandmother.

We did a divination and I chose to work with runes. My question dealt with my scholastic endeavors. I used the Watchtower layout and pulled three runes. The first rune, Othala (ancestral home, covenants, wills, trusts), was in the Odinn position and represented an overview. The second rune, Hagalaz (hail, ice seed, and disruptive forces) was in the Huggin position represented what I don’t know but need to know. The third rune, Tiwaz (warrior, defense, and justice), was in the Muggin position and represented what I have forgotten.

My interpretation is although my school work is taking a lot of my time and disrupting our family schedule, it will all be worth it in the end.

Alfheim (Day of Openness)

2011-10-30T12:31:00.000-04:00

The rune I drew today was Fehu (cattle, movable wealth). Today we honored the Celtic Tree month of Reed or Broom. This is the last tree month of the year.

Vanaheim (Day of Nurturing)

2011-10-28T21:05:00.001-04:00

Today I drew Raidho (cart, travel). Today I was going to take my extra credit test. We went out to the campus and found out the Testing Center does not do tests on Friday. Well, at least it was a nice ride. We stopped at Sam’s Club to get gas and a few things from the store. The Sketcher shoes I got a few months ago have been marked down so I got two more pairs.

We walked outside looking around the yard to see the changes while we were gone. The grass has slowed down and doesn’t seem to be growing as fast as it had been. We saw a dead Monarch lying in the grass. There were many yellow butterflies and large dragonflies flying around us.

On a few of the milkweed plants we saw some caterpillars eating the leaves. I was surprised because I thought the last caterpillars would be the last of the season. I imagine they will be turning into chrysalis in the next few days.

This evening I worked on my Exploring Sensory Perception course work. I hope to have it done by the end of the weekend.

Asgard (Day of Understanding)

2011-10-27T21:04:00.001-04:00

Today I drew Nauthiz (needfire). I had acupuncture today and it was great. I really needed it. I stopped at Chili’s and had burgers. The Jalapeño burger is my favorite. Then we walked around Target before heading home. I was very groggy when I woke up from our nap. The feeling stayed with me the rest of the night.

Freya’s Day – Jotunheim (Day of Discovery)

2011-10-26T20:51:00.000-04:00

Today I drew Sowilo (sun). I had class today. I was looking forward to see the New Moon tonight but it was overcast. I had class today and found I didn’t miss that much on Monday.

Midgard (Day of Immersion)

2011-10-25T20:50:00.000-04:00

The rune I drew today was Ansuz. I associated this to reflect our air travel and communications. We flew most of the day and finally arrived home around 7pm. It was a long day. Our sweet Savannah Jane was excited to see us. She certainly looks older than she did before we left. We unpacked out suitcases and put them back in the attic. It was nice to get all of that done instead of putting it off for another day.

Svartalheim (Day of Adventure)

2011-10-24T20:49:00.000-04:00

Today the girls stayed home from school so we could spend some more time with them before we leave tomorrow. Jesse went in because he was teaching. We went to the outlets and looked around then headed for lunch. We were trying to decide where to eat when Amy suggested a place called Doc’s Riverside Grille. I had a burger and it was delicious.

When we got back to the house, Jerry got ready to go visit with a few guys he worked with. Hailey had soccer practice and I went with them. There were very big mosquitos flying around. Taylor brought her field hockey stick and showed me a few of her moves.

When we got back to the house I began packing. The girls sat in the room with me while I packed and chatted with me. Taylor showed me her sketch books and photo albums. I showed them my set of runes and explained to them what they were.

Alfheim (Day of Openness)

2011-10-22T17:09:00.000-04:00

Today we drove around our old neighborhoods. The granddaughters came with us The houses looked good and not overgrown. We couldn’t believe the size of the oak trees we planted along the driveway at the house on River Run. We also stopped by the marina to see some old friends. Jack showed off his dog tricks (dead dog, etc). The granddaughters were so taken by these tricks they tried them on their animals when we got home.

Niflheim (Day of Generating)

2011-10-21T17:09:00.000-04:00

My rune today was Gebo. It was so appropriate since it was our daughter’s wedding. The wedding was beautiful but cold. The theme was black and purple for the Baltimore Ravens. We went over about an hour before to take pictures. Amy wore a long flowing Goddess gown and Jesse worn a purple shirt with a black tie and black pants.

Jesse’s family is very nice. His aunt’s place had a pond and a few of the pictures were taken with it in the background. After the ceremony we all changed into warmer clothes. The food was great. We had pork bbq, baked chicken, baked beans, green beans with cranberries, cole slaw and chunky apple sauce. They danced to a few songs and then shared a cupcake.

Instead of a wedding cake, Amy opted for a cupcake tower. She had chosen: red velvet, coconut crème, strawberry, chocolate and vanilla.

Niflheim (Day of Generating)

2011-10-20T17:07:00.000-04:00

Today I had my acupuncture appointment and then we flew to Maryland for our daughter’s wedding tomorrow. We flew from Tampa to Raleigh and then to Baltimore. The flights were uneventful which is always a good thing. This was the first time we flew on Delta and this type of airplane.

Once we landed we picked up our rental car and headed to the Eastern Shore. We got stuck in the Bay Bridge traffic. Apparently high winds caused one lane of the bridge to be shut down. When we finally crossed the bridge we headed to one of our favorite restaurants, The Narrows. We both had cream of crab soup (to die for!). I had a crab cake with sauté spinach and Jerry had a crab cake and fried oysters. We tried to save room for dessert – chocolate bread pudding, but we couldn’t fit it in. We headed to our daughter’s house and were met in the driveway by the two granddaughters. It was so good to see them. They certainly have grown since we saw them two years ago.

Asgard (Day of Understanding)

2011-10-19T17:05:00.000-04:00

Today started off bad. Savannah Jane woke us up beating against the door. That meant she went through the baby gate. I laid a towel down on the floor next to my side of the bed hoping she would calm down.

My rune today was Nauthiz (needfire, survival).

Freya’s Day – Jotunheim (Day of Discovery)

2011-10-18T17:04:00.000-04:00

Today I pulled Laguz (water, flowing). I hope that means my understanding will flow. Mitch came up and the two of them worked on the Road Warrior. Hopefully this will fix it.

Midgard (Day of Immersion)

2011-10-17T17:03:00.000-04:00

I had class today. The rune I pulled was Gebo (gift, generosity)

Svartalheim (Day of Adventure)

2011-10-16T17:02:00.000-04:00

Today was a better day. The sun was shining and the humidity was low. My rune today was Inguz (fertility). I think this refers to gestation and manifestation.

Muspelheim (Day of Vision)

2011-10-15T17:00:00.000-04:00

Today was a bad day. It started with Savannah Jane pooping in the kitchen after she went out for her morning walk. Then I opened the mail only to find out the insurance company still hasn’t paid a few of the claims. In fact, they denied the claim for the CT scan and one doctor’s visit because they want an explanation of benefits from Medicare. The problem is I don’t have Medicare… I have been fighting them about this since the beginning of August. I called the insurance company today and received a message that the computer system was undergoing maintenance and may not be able to answer all my questions. Then the customer representative came on the line and immediately launched into this speech that the system was not available and could I wait until Monday to call back. I was so angry I told her what was a few more days when they weren’t doing their job and paying the outstanding claims and then I hung up.

What should have been a really great week turned out to be terrible…

The rune I drew today was Ehwaz (horse).

Alfheim (Day of Openness)

2011-10-14T16:57:00.000-04:00

I taught spirelli classes today. They were a lot of fun and everyone was pleased with their projects. Today my rune was Othala (ancestral home).

Vanaheim (Day of Nurturing)

2011-10-12T16:56:00.000-04:00

I got the results of my calculus test. I got an 81!!! Today my rune was Isa (ice). I had a breathing issue that took its toll on me. I hope it passes quickly.

Asgard (Day of Understanding)

2011-10-11T16:31:00.000-04:00

I drew Mannaz (man, partnership) again

Freya’s Day – Jotunheim (Day of Discovery)

2011-10-10T16:31:00.001-04:00

Today it is bright and breezy outside. The sky covered with clouds. I prepared my notes for my calculus test today. I feel pretty good about it. Hopefully I will do well. The rune I pulled today was Mannaz (man, partnership). As soon as I saw it I knew it represented my marriage. All relationships require give and take and lately I feel as if I have been taking more than I have been giving. I have been spending so much time studying. I know this is temporary and when class is over I will have more time for life. I only have to get through December.

Midgard (Day of Immersion)

2011-10-09T16:29:00.001-04:00

October 9^th: Midgard (Day of Immersion) It rained all day but it was a nice rain. My rune today was Hagalaz (hail, transformation).I made a birthday card for Jerry’s brother. I used the circle collage background and the spirelli technique around the greeting.

Svartalheim (Day of Adventure)

2011-10-08T16:27:00.000-04:00

Today was the local women’s meeting. We made wreaths out of grape vines and then charged them with the Witches’ Creed. It was great. The rune I drew today was Uruz (primal, raw power, healing). The day started off bad: I forgot so many things and had a foreboding while I was in the car. The trip turned out just fine and I even stopped by to see the granddaughters on the way home. It was a nice relaxing evening.

Alfheim (Day of Openness)

2011-10-06T16:27:00.002-04:00

I spent a lot of time preparing for my calculus test on Monday. I feel better about this one than the first test. The rune I pulled today was Eihwaz (yew). This is a direct correlation with my work. The deeper I go, the higher I will reach.

Niflheim (Day of Generating)

2011-10-05T16:26:00.001-04:00

Today was the review for the next test in calculus. I spent the morning working on it until I thought my eyes were going to fall out of my head.

The rune I drew today was Raidho (cart, travel). Right after I pulled it I had a feeling it had something to do with my trip to school. As a precaution, I put the rune in my pocket before I left. The review went well and I feel good about the upcoming test.