Blooms a Foot

Blooming in Texas

noreply@blogger.com (Blooms a Foot) — Sun, 04 Jan 2015 23:01:00 +0000

It's chilly here in Texas. (52 degrees) But as I walked in my rose garden today, I was delighted to find them blooming..... In a way they spoke to me telling me to keep on blooming just as they do, bad weather and all....

the 365 day Project ..what it means to me

noreply@blogger.com (Blooms a Foot) — Fri, 17 Oct 2014 12:19:00 +0000

I've been asked why I'm I'm doing the 365 Photo project? I think its because I want to show my children that even the simple moments not normally thought of as photo worthy, are so much more to me , every time I see them I gasp for joy, thankful for them. I'm going to use this 365 days to catch all the treasures I see.

day 8.... project 365

noreply@blogger.com (Blooms a Foot) — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 20:11:00 +0000

Hello , its much harder taking a picture everyday then I thought it would be,here's day 8

my view in my wedges... I love this brand of shoes maybe I can get a million readers on this blog and advertise for them, the company is called Sbicca .

day 7..365 project

noreply@blogger.com (Blooms a Foot) — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 02:35:00 +0000

A rose from my garden :)

day..6..of 365

noreply@blogger.com (Blooms a Foot) — Thu, 09 Oct 2014 22:02:00 +0000

Todays photograph is of my 16 year old, Ben.

day 5..365 project ...

noreply@blogger.com (Blooms a Foot) — Thu, 09 Oct 2014 11:00:00 +0000

Sam is my cherub. I love taking pictures of him.

Day 4....365

noreply@blogger.com (Blooms a Foot) — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 12:24:00 +0000

noreply@blogger.com (Blooms a Foot) — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 12:19:00 +0000

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/3775294/?claim=vhq84mcy8v9">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a

day 3.. 365..

noreply@blogger.com (Blooms a Foot) — Mon, 06 Oct 2014 16:31:00 +0000

I love this picture of Charlie holding on to Patrick he is so content here.

day 2... 365

noreply@blogger.com (Blooms a Foot) — Mon, 06 Oct 2014 16:29:00 +0000

day 2 Charlie right out of the bath, Love you to the stars and back !

365 photographs project

noreply@blogger.com (Blooms a Foot) — Mon, 06 Oct 2014 15:31:00 +0000

Yesterday I started a 365 photograph project where I commit to take one photograph a day for a year, the pictures can be of anything. I have a few reasons for doing this, one is to become a better photographer and the other to capture everyday moments in my life to have to enjoy in my future. Now, I usually only take pictures when its traditionally needed. I look forward to becoming more creative in my shots and showing my family the many different ways I see them. I posted on Facebook yesterday and I'll post my first day here now. I'm going to use this blog for all future photo sharing. I hope you will follow me and enjoy the pictures I choose to share over the next year that explain me and my world best.

Hello Roses ! A new project ...

noreply@blogger.com (Blooms a Foot) — Fri, 03 Oct 2014 13:47:00 +0000

I enjoyed the pictures I took so much the other day, I kept going back to them over and over again. I decided I needed to get them printed out. So I googled sites that will print them locally, I wanted to get them fast! I went with Walgreens. I loaded my pictures onto the site and picked different sizes, not knowing for sure what I'd be doing with them. Within the hour I picked them up. I looked at them surprised at the detail and their beauty. I thought a wall display would be a fun way to enjoy them and would allow to me keep viewing them since it seemed I was addicted. I bought Scotch Removable Mounting Squares, went home and choose the wall beside my bed. I didn't have a plan, but I sketched a few ideas down first, the largest photograph is 8x10 the smallest wallet size. I plan to continue adding pictures and think I will start shopping for thin frames to use so this lasts longer than if I were to leave them just mounted on the wall with tape. I hope you enjoy today's project, I have big news coming very soon, maybe tonight. Fondly Paula

I love roses.. here's a peek into my garden

noreply@blogger.com (Blooms a Foot) — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 18:07:00 +0000

Hope you enjoyed it

How I create a scrapbook page

noreply@blogger.com (Blooms a Foot) — Sat, 27 Sep 2014 19:23:00 +0000

Hello, today I will share with you how I create a scrapbook page. I hope you find it helpful in creating your own pages..
gather supplies such as glue stick , adhesive , scissors , cutting board. I have a scrapbook room so these things are always laying around.
Pick Photos: I pick photos based on a theme or event, a thought or idea, or a moment I want to share that captures a detail about someone or something.
I pick 1 to 4 photos per page. I decide if I'll use a single page or double page layout my pages are 12x12 but you can create many sizes. I use the "less is more" principle as my guide. As I go through my picture stash I often write down descriptive words and recollections of the stories so I can journal and add them to my page I put them to the side and go back to them later.
Pick Papers: there is really no right or wrong way to use papers. Papers add color and depth and help highlight what it is you want to say in your layout. I often use eye colors , lip colors, skin color, clothes or even a bright toy or other item as my mat color. I look through many color choices and as I do I lay my pictures on them to help me see what colors make the picture brighter and what ones make them darker or bleached out. I almost always mat my photos it helps to frame the picture and adds a polished finishing touch to your pages. When I cant find a matching color that wins me over I use the old standbys cream, white, black, brown, navy blue, or blush pink. Again I almost always mat but since there are no rules I believe some photos do best when standing alone, its all about creating the spotlight to build around your picture helping viewers see what it is you want them to see. I usually don't measure out the mat size but 1/8"-1/2"is common.
Patterned papers add many looks and can create great backgrounds I use them a lot they aid in building the story and create dimension and are fun. They can be used as backgrounds, trims, mats, cut out shapes, cut titles and so much more as an example a vintage pictured pattern paper can add to the picture of your grandmothers kitchen or mixing bowl when used as a background or trim. I take the time to go through my papers to find the best match. I hardly ever mat with patterned papers they drown out photos with the colors and patterns but under a mat as a double mat I do . I identify the primary colors and secondary colors in my picture and use them to help me match the patterned papers to create the visual spotlight in my picture, I have a lot of fun with papers.
Pick Embellishments: I include lots of embellishments to build my pages, this is were the art is hard at work adding playful layers and dimension, they often say a lot about personality, a goldfish embellishment is more childlike and playful then a clear velum fish tank blended into the background of a fish photo layout. Embellishments can be splattered inks, sequins, glitters, dollies, all types of fabrics even pieces of clothes and blankets, buttons, wooden pieces, plastics, cardboards, tapes, metals, velum's, and just about anything you find in the art stores lol not just in the scrapbook aisle but everywhere. Mine range from playful to simple, again there are no rules. Well maybe one: Using odd numbers of embellishments is better then even. ( I don't know why this is a rule it just is)
Pick title squares and journal : I like to add 1, 3, or 5 items on my pages that I write descriptive words on, I don't often write out large journal stories but I like to pick a few sentences and either write them around my whole page , down the right side of my page going bottom to top or I add a paper or tag that I tuck under other things on the page, a page pocket is also a great way to journal, its a plastic bag type picture case that you can lift off the page and have your journal on the back.
Build the page: Before I begin to glue anything down I arrange and rearrange my photos, papers and embellishments on the background paper work out my titles and where to place them and figure out my journaling . I add words and items making a path I want the viewer to follow to direct them to the picture as well as using the pictures them selves to lead the eyes in the right direction I want, a photo of a person looking left might go best on the right side of the page so it draws you to look left towards the center . I try to make it all flow. I use the artist guidelines : the center of the page attracts the eyes, overlapping photos and embellishments tie the items to a theme,. After I am happy with all the items placements I take a picture of it and remove it all, ink it if I am inking and begin gluing it all into place using my picture as my guide. I add any journaling that I want written on the page last then place it in my album and stand back and enjoy it. I hope this helps you make a page you can enjoy. Oh one last thing, when Ive made a page I am very proud of I get out my sketch notebook and draw the basics of it out in it so I can turn to it later as I make other pages.
Life is good, be happy. Paula

Charlie I love.... a new page

noreply@blogger.com (Blooms a Foot) — Thu, 25 Sep 2014 16:40:00 +0000

Hello Its been awhile since I've posted and today I am posting the cutest page I just made.. I titled it Charlie I love You but I also added a few extra things I love and used arrows to point them out in the pictures. I hope you enjoy it..

Confetti Sequins and Dear Lizzy

noreply@blogger.com (Blooms a Foot) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 18:36:00 +0000

I had so much fun making this page with all the Sequins, they are so bright and sweet you've got to try them on your pages. I used 3 of the Dear Lizzy lines, I think to make this , I like how her lines stay true to who she is, this helps me keep it simple needing to match colors. Well I'm off to make another page..Ive really got to learn how to post my pictures so they look better, thanks for looking even though my pages are all choppy.

The Sweetest Thing.....

noreply@blogger.com (Blooms a Foot) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 12:09:00 +0000

It never surprises me, just what comes out of the mouths of my dear children and how their minds are always working full speed. They are full of innocence and are recording every detail of information we expose them to,but still even knowing this I get shocked at just how precious and sweetly innocent they are, here's an example..today we were driving and passed a construction site with a huge mound of sand in the middle. Sammy who's 3, cheerfully and proudly shouts,"a pile a sand ! a real pile of sand, are they building a sand castle there Mommy?" Can you believe that? my child sees sand for the first time and wonders if the crew of men and women working there are turning it into a castle like we read about, isn't that the sweetest thing? I was saddened to reply that no they were just building another Kroger Grocery store. He sat quiet then for a minute and in a brave whisper asked, "But there was a Bulldozer wasnt there? we did see one of those didnt we?" and he smiled ear to ear as I answered yes Darling Sam we sure did see a bulldozer ! I drove on , both toward our destination and forward in parenting and living this blessed life raising my children. I find joy in it and I am thankful. Thanks for letting me share my story with you, I hope you enjoyed it.

simple page with dear lizzy papers

noreply@blogger.com (Blooms a Foot) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 03:24:00 +0000

I had a great time creating with Dear Lizzy's papers today, don't you just love her?? I outlined the ruffles with red ink and it really makes it pop and gives it a soft look, the pink polka dot fabric paper is so awesome and also adds to the softness of the page. I had so much fun using lace and ribbon daisies since I have 5 boys I don't get to use these things often lol but today I thought why not scrapbook myself so here I am , 6 days old and ready for the world and a star on my own scrapbook page. I hope you like it !

A song for You for Ben

noreply@blogger.com (Blooms a Foot) — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 04:20:00 +0000

I like to have a song that is special between me and each one of my boys, a song that when life takes them away they will hear places and think of me, I made pages for each of my boys using A song as the theme, this one is A song for you by the Carpenters for my son Ben's photo album. the two of us have played this song and sang it out loud so many times I hope it will being him happy feelings throughout his life.! It is fun to scrapbook my picture 5 times lol all different ways for each of the boys. Do you find you do that too? make multiples so each child can have the pictures?

My sunny side of the street

noreply@blogger.com (Blooms a Foot) — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 13:16:00 +0000

I had fun creating today's art, I repurposed a bunch of flowers to make them fit my personality and I think that if I was willie wonka this is what my world would look like! I took up a new craft too it's called quilling ,though the butterflies I used were already made I had to learn how to create them, I'll be using quilling in future projects. Well blog world merry christmas I hope you take lots of pictures today!

Not too late Christmas homemade ornaments you will love year after year

noreply@blogger.com (Blooms a Foot) — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 09:59:00 +0000

I know its last minute to rally up the energy to make ornaments while you are getting gifts ready and food menus done but I have to recommend a tradition we have here. When I get the chance these last few days before Christmas I pull out the Fimo or sculpy which ever I happen to have and make a family ornament. It’s very simple, you start with green and make a wreath, and you can roll out three long strands and braid it or roll it into a ring and use a butter knife to add texture. then you use a flesh color and roll a little ball for each member of the house you want on the ornament, after the round heads are made I smash them little to flatten them then using red I make little hats, I have to wash my hands at this point because the red stain is all over my hands and I need to use white to trim the hats and add the pom poms. I roll out a red ribbon too for the bow .After I have the wreath all set and each member of the family on it I bake it at 275 or 30 minutes and poof I have a lasting decoration all the little hands in the house helped me make, I just love it! Here are some pictures for you to see, the kids had a lot of fun with me this year and I am so glad I took the time to make it, I do wish that I’d make one for each child so when they move up and out in the world they’d have one to take with them, in fact when I am done blogging here I may just go make a few more so they each have one. If you have any questions please ask, and if you make any please share your pictures with me I’d love to see your creative minds working. !

I thought of you today

noreply@blogger.com (Blooms a Foot) — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 09:13:00 +0000

I thought of you today
And all those country songs you used to play...took me back to when……
You were the only one who knew me
You were my only friend
You shared my soul, we shared a song….. within , who knew it'd ever end...
I thought of you today
And all those faces that reflect your smile...
when they are called
So happy to come running....
miss paula says it’s time to play………..
you were the only one who knew me
you were my only friend

you shared my soul, we shared our kids and together a song within...who knew it’d ever end....
Down grassy hills we'd roll stained good with green...
trotting ponies back to the tops of our very own mountain( say that part mounteen sounds more poetic like that)
we conquered 6 months like champions
who knew what exactly that’d mean? Who knew the finished line was cut
we'd counted all the days...
you were the only one who knew me
you were my only friend
you shared my soul, we shared our lives and now to be left with more days to count....who knew it’d never end....

I thought of you today
and all the days we laughed away..sometimes barely breathing...
finally they stood before us holding us..our bodies where they belonged...
our men had made it home.
you were the only one who knew me
you were my only friend
you shared my soul, we shared a song within..who knew it’d ever end
.
I thought of you today..our welded hearts in pain..Navy wives have it like that
I hear a whole new song of sadness
I count a whole new set of days
but our lives once so bound together have riven (means torn apart I think)
I know the kids still share your smile but its been awhile and I’ve almost forgotten
I did’nt mean to write a sad song...but the words just would’nt quit as I sat here thinking about you and those kids it made me heart sore and vulnerable to writing sad songs I guess
I know you will know its you when you read this, you think what the hell has she gone and done writing this on facebook getting all mushy in a country song but I know you can hear the tune the one that makes it fit just right cause
you were the only one who knew me

you were my only friend

you shared my soul, we shared a song ONE THAT SHOULD NEVER END!!

NOW GET TO IT WOMAN !! COME VISIT ME !

EXPRESS YOURSELF

noreply@blogger.com (Blooms a Foot) — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 08:10:00 +0000

Do you remember the story of Ferdinand the Bull? He was a sweet little guy that wanted to spend all his time sitting and smelling the daisies. I think this picture would be a great tattoo for me. What do you think would make a great tattoo for you? Even if you’d never in a million years get one, what would yours be if you had to pick one? I think it’s good for us to pick a symbol or picture that connects us to the world around us. I call Tattoos ”Jewelry for the soul” and I believe that it is possible to capture a meaningful event in our lives with a tattoo, though I do know some people that just get them for fun . I like to think it’s an expression of ourselves we are willing to share with the world even though we so often aren’t willing to share even 5 minutes with a stranger, a tattoo can say so much. I feel they say," Hey I can let my hair down, or heck yeah I’m wild at heart! look here what I did!" lol and many times the story behind a tattoo can be touching, I can spend time bonding and teary eyed with people I may only get to meet a few minutes, just long enough to share a tattoo story or hear a good one then off into the world we go again never to see each other again. It’s those moments I enjoy so much, the silent pact among those with tattoos that say," yes I have time to tell you about my tattoo go ahead and ask its ok! “So maybe someday I’ll get this little Ferdinand tattoo and then I’ll run into you at the store in line and you will want to know all about this picture that I have chosen to represent me, who knows? So anyway...I hope you are enjoying the cool weather and I hope you take the time to share with me, what your tattoo is or would be?

Homemade Christmas Ornaments

noreply@blogger.com (Blooms a Foot) — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 03:08:00 +0000

Hello World! I’ve been having a great time making homemade crafts these past few months and I want to share one of them with you so you too can find joy in making them! After hours of researching the best clay to make, I settled on this one that I found on the Woodside kitchen blog, it’s very simple and works out well. The Ornaments are soft and pillowy, looking unlike the salt clay we all made when we were little. I hope you will consider making some and hand them out at Christmas parties and such so that you can hang on your friends trees every year! Here’s what you'll need

1/2 cup cornstarch

1 cup baking soda

3/4 cup water

( I tripled these amounts )

Here’s what I did to make the Clay

I combined the cornstarch, baking soda, and water and stirred it over medium-low heat. When it thickened and looked like a big lump of mashed potatoes, I removed it from the heat put it all in a bowl and covered it with a damp cloth until it cooled. Then I kneaded it on the counter dusted with corn starch, adding a little more cornstarch as I went along so it was dry but still mushy. I used a rolling pin to roll it to about 1/4" thick, some are thicker than others and I found the thinner ones curl when you cook them so thicker is better. The oven needs to be preheated at 175 degrees; my oven doesn’t have a setting this low so I used a meat thermometer to get 175 leaving it set at warm heat worked for me. I used cookie cutters and a straw, making shapes and then holes. I lined the cookie sheets with parchment paper and then cooked the Ornaments for 1 hour, I had to flip them half way because they started to curl some but flipping them stopped it. I really like the soft white look of mine and I don’t think I will do more to them, maybe spray them with a product called Mister Huey's Shine by Studio Calico, it makes them sparkly :) I love Sparkles!! So after 1 hour I put them on the cooling rack and put more in the oven and even now as I write they are cooking away in the kitchen! It’s been a lot of fun, my 3 year old had a blast making them with me and he loved blowing out the clay of the straws lol just like the author at the Woodside Kitchen Blog said he would :) So that’s it, I am hanging them on red ribbons and I plan to send them out to all my friends and family :) Thanks for reading my blog if you make some yourself, I’d love to see what you make so pop me an email.

OH yes I completely forgot! I used a scrapbooking stamp by Close to My Heart to make the little daisies before I cooked them!

Fondly Paula

Farewell to City of Heroes !

noreply@blogger.com (Blooms a Foot) — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 11:01:00 +0000

Tonight I am going to tell you a secret.... not many people know this about me......but I am a Gamer !! I have been playing City of Heroes for over 8 years. I don't get to play daily or even weekly but when I find myself watching time go by.... I am often led to the computer playing my secret passion! When I call myself a gamer, I can't put myself in with a group of die hard, know how to play the game, gamers.... I am a every time I play, its like the first time kind of gamer, always asking for help and getting lost in the maps of Paragon..but I have found the most interesting people .. I love these people and I want to spend more time saving the world with them. I always wanted to become someone that knew the ins and outs of playing the game and I tried really hard to, I kept notebooks by my computer and jotted down the things I thought I'd need to remember, and I wrote out biographies for my characters.. but it didn't matter, when I got to get lost in the game, I was totally lost and loving every minute of it so I gave up trying to learn how to be a gamer and just let myself play. It was then that I was blessed to meet so many people. Some that now share life with me on face book , a few that are close enough that we have an occasional lunch or visit with and so many I will never see again! I found many hours of entertainment on this game and when I say many hours I am talking thousands! I am sad to post this blog because they have announced that City of Heroes will be going off line and will not be back, some greater forces are taking away my hidden past time. I don't know if I will be able to replace it with another game or if I will ever reconnect with the people I have spent so many hours with in the game, but I will always cherish the times we shared and the small glimpses we got into the lives of each other while in missions to save the world ... I ask myself, how do I say goodbye to this hidden secret of mine? I guess it will just take me time to find out.... what will I do when I can no longer turn on the Infinity server to play City of Heroes? I have a hard time believing that I will ever find a replacement, I have laughed and cried with these strangers and shared births and deaths with them, it seems so cruel to me now that its just getting turned off ...no more nights where we stay online and play until the sun comes up, only then to get up and act like we had been sleeping all night long to take care of our lives in a normal fashion, no one ever guessing that our nights were spent awake battling villains and saving the day! I will miss being Kitty Cat Kelly, the little stuffed cat girl that became real to save her owner. If you played City of Heroes with me and you are lost out there without the game, hit me up we can visit and chat about the good ole days and try to find a new world for us to call home! thanks for the good times and God Bless