May Day, Another Birthday, New Release Day!

Wow! May 1st is a busy day today!

First of all, Happy May Day to all!
Happy Birthday to my black lab, Lucy! She is five today!

And check out the NEW RELEASES at Our Daily Bread designs!

I just love patriotic "stuff" and these sets are perfect for all those occasions when I want to send a little "American Greeting" LOL~

Today I want to share with you the new single stamp release: I Pledge Allegiance. I chose red, white, and blue for my colors, as I will be using this card for Memorial Day wishes. I wanted to make something that was simple and that I could reproduce easily, so I kept with basic rectangle shapes.
Take a look at all three fabulous sets (click each to enlarge):



I had hoped to show you a picture of my May baskets today, but didn't get a chance to take one, as we had some unforeseen circumstances that kept me away from my stamp room and the computer most of the day! But I hope to have one posted tomorrow - you can use the same idea for Mother's Day for friends or special women in your life. But I do have a quick explanation of what I used.

We are all about being as "green" as we can be, and we recycle everything in this house! Usually in the past I have made May baskets out of paper or acetate. This year I am recycling tin cans for my baskets. My example (check back tomorrow!) was a can of pineapple in its previous life!

Take a tin can of any size, wash, dry, decorate if you desire (or leave it a "natural" tin color!). I used my Crop-A-Dile to punch my holes in the side -- added ribbon around a chenille stem for the handle, and added lilacs from my yard. The tin can is perfect for holding water for your indoor bouquets! Leave a few on friends' doors! Hang several in your own house for a refreshing scent of the outdoors indoors!

Thank you to all who wished my mom a Happy Birthday yesterday! She had a great day and we had a lot of fun! (And good cake too!)

Tomorrow I will have a sketch challenge for you to play along with! Kelley (the fantastic owner of ODBD) is offering Blog Candy for participants, so be sure to come back and see what it's all about right here!

Stamps: I Pledge Allegiance (ODBD)
Paper: Whisper White, Brilliant Blue, Real Red (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Night of Navy
Accessories: brads (The Paper Studio), paper piercer, Nestabilities, paper flowers (Hero Arts), branch punch (Martha Stewart)
Techniques: piercing