Curt's Best Shots Slideshow

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

THE WEDNESDAY EVENING POST FOR JULY 7, 2010

Hey All!  Happy Hump Day!  I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July weekend.  I took the boys and my Mom and her dog Chunk to the local fireworks here in Carmel.  They were spectacular.   The boys haven't ever been that close to fireworks before.  When they started with these huge BOOMS, Gunther crawled in my lap and Shotsy went behind me and leaned up against my back.  Eventually, they got bored and sprawled out on the grass.  Such goofy dogs!  LOL


This post is going to be picture heavy, so you'll have lots to look at.  I wanted to share with you a note card set that I've made.  Here is a pic of each of the cards in the set:








Here is the box I made to hold the set:






The stamp set I used for this set is by Stampendous.  I love these bright colors.  I was just going to do one of my standard note card holders, but this morning when I went to SCS, they had this box featured for the project of the week.  The box is super easy to make.  You can find the tutorial here: BOX TUTORIAL.  There is a written tutorial as well as a video tutorial.  I used Bazzill card stock for this project.  I stamped the fruit images with Versamark ink then embossed it with clear ep.  I added crystal glitter around each fruit to give it a "sugared" look.  I then cut each out and placed it on the card with a dimensional.  The base card is kraft card stock.


My next project is not a card but something for the boys.  It falls under the altered category.  Here is a pic of the project:




These are wooden letters with little metal hook thingies attached to the bottom.  I got them at Michael's for $1 each.  I used Staz-On black ink to stamp the bones and paws on the surface.  These make great leash holders for the boys.  I also made one for my Mom's dog Chunk.


Something really weird happened last week.  A beautiful hot air balloon made an emergency landing right next to my house in the middle of the street.  I grabbed my camera and took these pics:


I'm standing in my driveway taking this picture; my house is right there in the foreground.








Look at it right there at my house!!!




Here they are deflating it.  One eye witness said that before it landed there by my house, it hit the roof of the house across the street before landing.  No one was hurt, but the guy operating the balloon was acting like that was where he was intending to land.  Yeah, right.  But it made for an interesting evening.


And since we are talking about my house, I wanted to share a pic of the front of it with all of my flowers blooming.  Here it is:




I've never had this many flowers in bloom before!  I HATE gardening, but for some reason the flowers are doing it to spite me!  LOL  Thanks for indulging me on this.  But this is just not something I see every year!


OK, that's it for now.  I've bored you enough!  LOL  Thanks for taking time to look.  I'm working on all kinds of new projects so next Wednesday's post will have lots more to show you.  I'll be stopping by all of your blogs in the next couple of days.  As always, can't wait to see what you've been doing.  I hope all is well in your world!


DON'T FORGET THE PIC OF THE WEEK BELOW!!!  I got a great shot of a wonderful turtle in a pond at a local park the other day.  I was so excited to see how well the pic turned out.


Hugs to all of you!


Best,


Curt O'Brien


"God, please help me be the person that my dogs think I am."

38 comments:

mudmaven said...

OMG - WOW - Holy Mackerel! Great projects, great pix .. a hot air balloon of all things! I love, love, love all your flowers. After our hail storm I was afraid all mine would be dead, but they are surviving and thriving even. I love the turtle too! As always, you just amaze me! All the best to Jay and give those darling boys a big hug from their auntie! ~chri

wintam said...

I love the card set that you made - it's a great idea for present, and it solved me a great dilemma, thanks!
(and the balloon? unbelievable!)

Jackie said...

Oh, now you're just showing off! Just kidding - your card set and box are wonderful, I'm just jealous. That hot air balloon - how cool is that? I'd love to go up in one someday. Gunther got in your lap at the fireworks?? I'd love to have seen that, he's a big dog. Your flowers are beautiful and I'm with you on the gardening thing. It always seems like such a good idea in the Spring, but this time of year anything out there is on it's own and it had better pray for rain. Which is why we don't have any flowers :-).

Shirley-Anne said...

Curt, one could NEVER say that your blog postings are boring !!
Thank you for sharing your house and garden with us . Certainly looks beautiful.
Oh and by the way loved the box set of notecards,. How bright and cheerful they are .

Patti J said...

Awesome post tonight, dear friend!! First, I love that gift set! I watched Beate's video yesterday, and intended to make a set today, but 'life' got in the way...imagine! Anyway, the fruit is so much fun! Love the 'sugary' sweetness! Now..the balloon is just hysterical! Go figure! What an exciting day you had :) Sir, your flowers are so lovely. I am insanely jealous! We've had some yard issues this year, and were not able to plant as we do each year. I miss my garden - my summer therapy... Your home and yard are beautiful! And you know that I always love your photos! Great job tonight!!!

Tertia said...

Wow! Where do I start?
The notelets are beautiful. I kove the bright, summery colours.
That hot air balloon is amazing. You see, thats why you won't catch me in one of those things!
Your garden is wonderful! I don't think you will convince many people that you hate gardening.
That picture of the week - just fantastic.
I think that about covers it all. Have a great week and enjoy the sunshine while we freeze here in South Africa.

Jean McKenzie said...

Love all your pictures Curt! Great notecard set and I love the photo of the turtle! So natural. The leash hooks are a novel idea! Your house and garden are beautiful! So clean and neat - I would love to have a garden looking that good!

Becky said...

how exciting to have an air balloon drop in, and so colorful too. The front of your house looks gorgeous with all of those beautiful flowers. And the card set you created was delicious,,,

Sue said...

Hi Curt
oh lovely lot of pics to look at, i luv your fruity cards & box, a lovely gift set, the boys hooks look brilliant, of course thats where he intened to park his balloon!!! lol, great piccies, gorgeous house & flowers, faby pic of the week, lovely to see you in the morn again, hugs to all, sue,xx

Lorraine A said...

fabulous box set Curt and I love the leash hooks ! what a fab idea !! :-)
Love the photo's too ,, how exciting having the balloon land on your front lawn practically :-) ,,, your home looks beautiful too and all in full bloom ,,, :-)
not forgetting the pic of the week ,,, very cute :-)

luv
Lols x x x

Anonymous said...

Okay, first, love the card set ADORABLE! Wow, awesome thing to have a hot air balloon fall in your lap!! And your house,totally love your house!!!!! Oh and your flowers too, but that house, just love it!

Clare said...

Wow Curt so many gorgeous creations, loving those fruity cards and the vibrant colours, very yummy! your dogs are so funny, oh and love the name "chunk!". Wow a lot of dramas at yours with the hot air balloon, good job you keep camera to hand! your house is amazing Curt, so beautiful and the front garden is exceptional, i can imagine a lot of envious green fingered enthusiasts out there looking at your pics! have a great week. Hugs Clare xxx

lisa808 said...

Hi Curt,

Love that fruity note card set. The leash holders for the boys are such a great idea. They would make nice gifts for pet lovers. Amazing how the hot air balloon landed without causing any injury or damage. You sure live on an exciting block! Your house and garden are beautiful. Looks so inviting and comfortable. Thanks for sharing the photos.

Heide said...

What a great gift box set!

Gina Wrona said...

Hi Curt,

Love your summer card set! And, the new pic of the boys at the top is a classic! What an amazing pic of the week that you could get such a closeup of the turtle. I bet all the neighbors didn't stop talking about that hot air ballon either.

Can you believe the puppies are already 6 weeks old? Only 1 1/2 weeks to go until they are ready to leave me. I even got a call from a lady who lives in Indiana, about 4 hours away from me. I hope she calls back to make the trip. Although she just lost her beloved lab of 14 years last week.

Take care,
Hugs,
Gina

Stacie (craft-princess) said...

What a wonderful notecard set! I gotta try making that box! Also, those leash holders for the boys are fantastic!!! So creative and useful too! :) Thanks for sharing pics of the hot air balloon...that would of been so neat to see in person! And your flowers are lovely! I hate weeding so ours don't look very good! My own fault though!

Have a great rest of the week!
-Stacie

Dawnll said...

What a wonderful post today, full of so many wonderful things to look at and enjoy.
I love the box idea with gift cards, who wouldn't want to receive one?
Your yard looks fab! Even if you don't like gardening. Us gardeners would kill to have it look so nice without effort.
Have a great week.

Elaine A said...

Hi Curt -

Love your cards and that sweet box! Awesome! The hooks for your boy's leashes are fantastic! I am going to have to haunt Michaels to try and find two for my fellas, Jackson & Thor. Super idea! Your flowers are just beautiful! We are having a heat wave here in NY and we have water restrictions, so my plants are suffering. It was so nice to see yours doing so well.
It is so weird to see a huge balloon in the middle of houses, it almost seems as if it was superimposed - LOL! It really has some great colors on it though.

Elaine Allen

Serendipity Stamping said...

Hi Curt, I love your card set and the leash hangers. Need one for my puppy. Thanks so much for showing up the balloon shots and your lovely home and flowers! I have been up in a ballon and they don't always come down where they plan, some of that due to the wind currents. Ours came down in a ditch by the sewage plant and this was on our wedding day and I was still in my gown, so much fun trying to get me and the gown lifted up and over the basket. A really fun rememberance of the day. But the flight was really wonderful, you can hear the people on the ground talking to each other as it is so quiet up there, except when they have to shoot hot air into the ballon. Try it sometime if you ever get the chance.

Diane said...

Well this sure is a fun and interesting post!!! First glad to see all you computer issues seem shave been solved! The card set is darling....saw that box, too,I love your idea of the fruit cards and with the glitterd sugar edges!! A hot air balloon..how fun....great pics of it and your house and flowers....I am an avid gardener, but this time of year, well, its dry, hot and buggy, not the best time of year for gardening...but yours are gorgeous!! The turle pic is awesome, and here I had some pathetic picture of a turle that was here on my blog....well, I might be a gardener, but not a photographer for sure!!! See ya later and will be fun to see whats up your sleeve for next week!

Anonymous said...

ONE OF YOUR BEST POSTS EVER. THOSE BALLOON PICS. TURNED OUT WONDERFUL, AS DID THE PICS OF YOUR HOUSE. REALLY LOVED YOUR CARDS...AND THE "TURTLE". LOVE YA, MOM

Julia Aston said...

Hey Curt -long time no see! what a fun fruit card set - and the dogs hooks are cute and practical - what a surprise having that huge balloon land on your street!!! you have a gorgeous house there Curt!

Bonnie Weiss said...

OK, first of all, your project is terrific this week ... love the "sugar look"!

Next ... who names their dog "CHUNK"?! I just about peed myself when I read that one.

And only YOU, who does not like gardening, could grown such fab flowers! ... and a hot air balloon landing next to your house...good job you took a photo; otherwise, I may have thought that you had a little too much brandy when you told the story!

Bonnie Weiss said...

Oh, I forgot to mention ... that is one big honkin' turtle or a very close-up shot of a smaller version!

Rita said...

This card set & box is so darn cute! I luv those vibrant colors. What an awesome project for the boys...as soon as I saw them I figured they were for their leashes, great job Kurt!

OMGosh what an awesome site seeing that balloon so close to your house, great pictures! Scary yet exciting at the same time. Luv the flowers & such a great looking lawn. You & my hubby would get along great, our lawn looks fantastic now that Dan is retired, he loves working in the yard. Your house is sooooo beautiful & the neighborhood looks inviting, looks like a nice place to walk.

berg4 said...

great pix of the turtle. crazy balloon story - but what a tale to tell. glad the boys relaxed forthe fireworks, my lila wasn't fazed either. love the card set - perfect for summer!

America said...

Im loving that fruit card set and box!!!! AND OMG_how absolutely awesome to have a gorgeous hot air balloon land just happen to land right there next to your lovely yourhouse!!!! LOL!! oh and what Gorgeous flower blooms too!!! :)

Jodi said...

Thank you SOOOO much for the Birthday Wishes Curt!! I wish you the best of luck in winning one of the prizes!!
I must tell you that I LOVE the cute Summer photo of the boys!!!
That is also a really cute box you created and I love the summer fruit cards too, I just may have to try that box out.
I have also never seen any hot air balloon have to land in the middle of a residential area, that is so cool though!! Everyone must have been really surprised by that. So glad you shared those pics with us, and I really love those pretty flowers and I love how nicely your grass is growing too!!
Big Hugs
Jodi =)

Carmen O. said...

I agree with your mom - this is one of your best posts ever! I just love those fabulous fruit notecards and the drawer box. I so want to make one and printed out the tut on Weds.

Wow that balloon, how exciting! Your neighborhood looks fantastic as does your house!!! I just love your flowers and how everything is in bloom at the same time. My garden isn't so great this year, but still have the potty chair on my porch with impatiens and a spiky plant. You can see it in my scrapbook.com gallery.

Great photo! I think you could enter and win a photo contest with all the wonderful ones you have.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Sharli Schaitberger said...

Hi Curt! LOVE your gift card set - very happy!

The hot air balloon is awesome! I would have been SO excited to see one up close - glad it didn't hit your house! Your flowers are truly beautiful. I'm not surprised you have such a lovely home.

The photo of the week - I LOVE your turtle!! Makes my Tillie and Gertle photos look miserable. I'm a little envious of your photography talents! LOL

Hugs!

Gledwood said...

Those baloon pixx you got here are absolutely amazing! Excellent blog!
I found you quite bz chance, browsing through the GERMAN blogosphere..!
Anyway I just wanted to say hi while I'm here, so -

Greetings from London ;-)
from Gledwood :-)

Wishing you a great weekend and hoping you're not having a heatwave like we are here!!

Macpurp said...

i love your notelets and the lead hooks. great idea for gifts!

your flowers are stunning, our garden is a mess this year, Bella is digging and chewing all the plants.
and burying half chewed toys all over the place.

The balloon must have been a shock!

love the end photo. great post!

love teen & co xx

Celeste said...

I LOVED the fruit set. I've gotta try making that box, thanks for the site for that. We have hot air balloonists in our town and we see them all the time. They can't always predict where they are going to land so I'm sure that guy was giving you all the business about planning to land there....LOL
Love the leash hangers you made the boys and loved the turtle pic.
Hope all is well with you and Jay. So nice of you and your Mom to take the dogs to the fireworks. They need excitement in their lives too. Your house and flowers look beautiful.

Dawn B. said...

I LOVE your cards and box.. I am a huge fruit stamp lover... I really like your altered projects too.. We live on a lake our dog was petrified all weekend from the fireworks. Poor thing. We had a hot air balloon last week almost land in our cove ON the lake.. I ran in and grabbed my camera too.. I should post the pictures.. He got it going and did not land in the lake.. I was sweating it big time. He acted like he was suppose to do that...SO weird... Maybe they are trained to say that..LOL. Gorgeous flowers.. They look awesome..

Deb Neerman said...

WoWzA, your gift box and note card set are fabulous, Curt! Love those stamps!

And those altered letter/clippy-thingies are so cool ... I can see doing a whole alphabet with 'em ... too fun. Now I have to check at my Mike's and see if they have 'em.

Yikes! The hot air balloon was just a l'il off-course, huh? Good thing he didn't hit your house ... or car ... or those beautiful flowers that insist on growing in spite of you! LOLOL!

Hope all is well with you, Jay, and the boys! Take care, Sweetie .. sending hugs!

Judy said...

A really great card set and I love the holders.

A hot air balloon in your street. Wow!

Bumbles and Fairy-Tales said...

Your home and its flowers are gorgeous! What a beautiful neighborhood! LOL, the hot air balloon guy was trying to play it tough, eh? hee hee! I'm sure he just about pee-d himself ;)
Love your card set! How delish! and those initials are awesome! I may have to borrow that idea for my boys room ;)
I hope you and your lovies are all well! hugs, margie

Unknown said...

The gift boxe set looked very nice a great gift for a young girl. I was showing my 10 yr old she loved it.

Sara
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