Rhonda's Design Haven

Shhh...it's a secret!

USUALLY, I don't like to post things until I have given them to the recipient BUT this was so fun I couldn't even wait one more day to share.  This is the squash book that I am giving to my husband tomorrow for our anniversary!  I left 2 empty panels for me to write some personal stuff on just to reflect on our relationship.  I had so much fun making this mostly because I had to search through 10 years worth of photos to find pictures of us together.  It was a real trip down memory lane especially seeing how much the children have changed!  It's amazing how you forget that they were once so small and their cheeks were so pudgy and their legs were so short.  Where does the time go?

I am so excited because my parents bought my husband and I tickets to Cirque du Soleil on May 12th for our anniversary!  I want to go so badly because I saw them in Toronto in 1996 and they were amazing!  I have never seen anything like it since. Can't wait to go!!  The performance is also 5 days after my birthday so we can also make it an evening out to celebrate that as well.  Yahoo:)!

Stamp Sets:  Polka Dots and Paisley, Wonderful Words, Delight in life, "happy ANNIVERSARY" ($1.50 stamp from Michael's)

Cardstock:  Petals and Paisley Designer Series, certainly celery, taken with teal, pretty in pink, white, so saffron

Accessories:  turquoise grosgrain ribbon, black marker, dazzling diamonds glitter, chipboard coasters (used for front and back pages), dimensionals, ticket corner punch, color spritzer, SS markers

Double Slider birthday

This is the first time I tried a Double-Slider Card and are they ever fun!  My kids got a kick out of it!  I got about half way through though and decided that I wasn't fond of the design but I finished it anyways just because I was having a blast making it.  This card also uses the colors from this weeks SCS Color Challenge. This is one of the designs (with a different stamp set though) that I am considering for the monthly By Invitation Only Swap that I am in.  June's theme is cards that move (i.e) spinners, double sliders, waterfall, pop-up etc.  I know it is only April and I have 2 months but I got excited and will probably have them done in the next couple of weeks.  May's theme is more difficult - masculine cards (very hard concept for me!!).  For anyone who is not familiar with the double sliders...the bottom picture is how it looks when it is closed and when you pull up the ribbon the Happy Birthday greeting pops up behind the chef and the background comes up from behind that in between the card.  Hope that makes sense!

Stamp Sets:  Voila, Weathered, Sweet Shapes

Colors:  Real Red, Kraft, Black

Accessories:  Black Gingham ribbon, vintage brads, ticket corner punch, dimensionals, word window punch, 1/2" circle punch, sponges, aquapainter, reinkers

Trifold card for BIO swap

I got an e-mail last week from a lady in California (hi Mercedes!) who asked me to join her "By Invitation Only" (BIO) swap.  I was so excited and honored (considering I didn't even know her) that she asked me to join.  There are only going to be 10 of us in the group and we will do one project a month for at least 6 months.  April's theme is going to be Tri-fold cards.  This is the design that I am considering using.  In the middle of the flower, I used Subtle beads.  In real life, they looked good but in the picture the color is off and they look really strange.  I had already made a Mother's Day Tri-fold Card so I thought I would try a Father's Day Card.  I used the Looks Like Spring stamp set with the co-ordinating Spring Bouquet Flower punch and Spring Showers Designer Series Paper.  The word "cherish" is from the Warm Words stamp set and the inside greeting is from the  All Year Cheer II set.

By the way...the whole hot water heater thing is over!  It ended up being a valve and we didn't have to replace the entire heater.  We still have fans on to dry out the carpet but they will hopefully be dry by tomorrow.  Believe it or not, my oldest son is disappointed...he'd rather keep sleeping on the couch upstairs than in his own room. 

Mother's Day Trifold Card

Today I tried a new card fold.  It is always fun trying something new and I liked the idea of this one because it uses the designer papers (which I just love!).   I used the Four seasons designer paper for this one which matches the Perennial Favorites stamp set.  The colors made me think of spring and Mother's day (don't worry Mom, this isn't your card:)!!!