Wednesday, September 2, 2015

What Are You Good At?

Yes. What are you good at, besides making cards? I know you're good at that, because we're in this lovely cardmaking blogosphere together! And I love seeing what you've made. Believe me, you're such an inspiration to me that right now, even as I write this, I've got three of your lovely ladies' blogs open and have been drooling over your cards for the past two days now... I digress... What I want to know is, what other talents do you possess? I'm just curious is all. I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours, lol! Drop a few of your talents in the comment section; I think we'd all like to know, wouldn't we? I'll give you three of mine:

1.  I can sing most of the alto section of Handel's Messiah from memory.
2.  I can grow garden flowers pretty darn well, but indoor plants pretty much die on me.
3.  My homemade guacamole is killer. Seriously deliciously good.

There. Nothing earth shattering. Nothing life changing, but they're all mine. In fact, in the grand scheme of things, they're pretty lame, but that's okay. I can do other things too. We all can. Life is good and we are blessed. We all have different talents and that's what makes the world go 'round.

Philosophy class dismissed. Onto what we're here for. Cards. Or in my case, card. Singular. For Muse. Carol is up as GD this week and she really challenged me. That got me to thinking about my talents; first as a cardmaker, and then other kinds (hence my wonderings about yours...). You can see where I took my inspiration -- the feathers, which was most obvious to me, then, the bits of black in the sentiment and framing her focal panel.


Really imaginative, don't you think?! She's pretty talented, that Carol. And while I'm at it, and as long as the theme this week at SSS Wednesday Challenge is "Make it Colorful," this card will make an appearance there too! 


I don't have any feather stamps. Not a one. They're not my 'thing.' But I wanted to play at Muse, and I wanted to get out of my comfort zone. It's good to expand horizons, don't you think? So I cut some feathers using white scraps and scraps of dp with my Silhouette. Just pulled colors that appealed to my eye. The bow is from AE, and the more I use it, the more I love it. If you look around the edge of the white panel, you'll see some piercings. That's also from AE; doesn't cut, just pierces, and was a RAK from Emily (thanks!!). A TT sentiment stamped in Versafine, a scrap of black for a mat, and Michaels white for the base and main panel. Hope Carol likes it. For now, I've got things to get done so will get moving. Happy dances everyone...don't forget to leave your talents in the comments section.

40 comments:

VanessaB said...

love those feather cards!! :)

Becca Cruger said...

Yeah... your die cut feathers are pretty much the bomb! I love that you used a pattern in the blue one - gives it even more of a visual depth.
It was super nice learning even more about you! I'm the opposite of your thumb - I can totally grow houseplants (I have three in my office named Fred, Rodney, and Evelynn) but outdoor plants elude me.

Here are some of my talents:
1) I am a really good organizer/leader of things. (I say this humbly) ;) My cousin always says that there is nobody like me when it comes to "Bossing people around while still making them smile"
2) I used to be a cake decorator professionally. For 5 years, so I know my way around some frosting.
3) I write poetry often, and am working my way up to trying my hand (or voice, I guess) at my first poetry slam

Ardyth said...

Oh, Bev. This is ab-so-lute-ly STUNNING! Those cuts are beautiful! They almost make me want to try using my Portrait again (I've completely forgotten how! lol!) So glad you joined us at Muse this week!

sandie said...

Loved to hear about you and would love to hear you sing! This is a stunning card, adore how you made this so bright a cheery.
I can't share what I am good at...I would have to exterminate you then x

I Card Everyone said...

ARe you kidding me with this card??!! YOu Silhouetted your way to magnificent, Bev!!! WOW to the WOW! Choose a song we both know and I'll be the soprano to your alto, babe... Righteous Brothers? Everley Brothers - any of the Sisters.. we could go on the road, babe! I have a chip waiting for your Guac, too!
=] xo

Laura Norris said...

Your feathers are amazing!! Maybe this needs to be in your comfort zone from now on....
Three things I'm good at?
1. Cleaning up my craft desk
2. Using the stuff I buy
3. Losing weight

Oh wait - those are three thing I WISH I was good at :)

lostinpaper said...

Your silhouette feathers are perfect Bev, love your colour combo and how you have added the sweet bow at the top!

Jenni's Jems said...

Wow this is stunning Bev totally love it!!x

Sue - said...

Fabulous card! Love the bright colours with that little black bow! What am I good at? Wasting time!

Virginia L. said...

Wow, Bev, you totally rock this challenge! Love the super colorful and beautiful stamping of the feathers!! So glad that you join the fun over Simon Says Stamp Wednesday “Make It Colorful” Challenge! And thank you for always leaving me such sweet and thoughtful comments! xo

Susanne Vargas said...

Your card is so outstanding, I declare it a winner right here and now! Those feathers are wonderful (wish there was a die 'cause I don't have a silhouette) and I love how you used some patterned paper!
As for things that I am good at... Thought about it all day but found it really hard to come up with something...
1. Procrastinating
2. Finding joy in the little things around me, nature, etc.
3. Baking a good chocolate/orange cake with chocolate/orange buttercream
Well that was an interesting exercise! Thank you!
Hugs,
Susanne

maria f. said...

You forgot one of your greatest talents. Hosting virtual birthday parties with all the trimmings. Oh, and I still argue you are the bestest grandmother (so make that two you forgot!). Had to come say hi. Thanks for your super sweet comment on my blog. The craziness is settling down here. Yay! I'm actually starting to think about my return to Germany 😉

Aileen said...

Love your card wih the silhouette cuts. Will have to look for those feathers, really like them with the colours behind. Beautiful
My three talents
1. I draw sign language graphics for resources on the computer, self taught on the computer because there was a need and nothing available in Australia.
2. I learnt sign language to be an interpreter but then my daughter was born with special needs and I found people needed to learn how to use sign with people with speech and or developmental delay and to understand why it was needed.
3. I went from a very shy person to a very outspoken advocate for special needs. Circumstances changed what And who I was.

I'm one of many parents who find needs make a better person of us.

Geri said...

First of all - STUNNING card! I never would have thought to search out feathers in the Silhouette store! Love the colors you used and love the wee bow!

Fabulous post! Loved reading your list! I'm looking forward to hearing you sing the alto section of Handel's Messiah at the Lake House 2016!

My Talents:
1. I know how to fillet fish.
2. I play a mean game of Bingo!
3. I can speak Ukrainian well enough to carry on a conversation with someone, know the words to several Ukrainian Christmas carols and can decorate a Ukrainian Easter Egg using the old traditional method of dyes and bees wax.

Darnell said...

Before I forget, Bevie, you should also enter your stunning card in the CASology "write" challenge! This is now my new fave card of yours! I am totally in love with it and know it will be a winner! As for your list, I can think of lots more things you're good at. Mine? 1) I'm good at not talking about things I'm good at; I'd rather talk about you, 2) Confounding the Mister, and 3) grandmothering Adam and Henry. Oh, and picturing you singing Handel while we sit in a circle watching Geri fillet the fish we all caught in the Lake! Yay!! Miss you, too! Hugs, Darnell

Anonymous said...

Oh, Bev! This absolutely lovely. Don't know why, but it makes me want to smile!!

Things I'm good at:

1. Moving - military wife (Maybe I should say "organizing and cleaning stuff? I don't like mivng, so if that's a requirement for doing something "well" then I don't qualify. At all.)

2. Cooking - Turkish, Asian-Fusion, Italian, New Mexican (I love guac. Want to share your recipe?!)

3. Gardening - I have left lots of previously unbroken ground in my wake over the past 20 years & 9 duty stations. I even did some Winter gardening in N.M. during their 40 year freeze a few years ago. Ever heard of Eliot Coleman's 4 season farm in Maine? Good stuff.

Kara Lynne said...

Your Silhouette feathers are so wonderful, Bev, I love them all gathered and tied up in a bow! Thanks for sharing your talents. This is a tough one! I would have to say: 1. I love to make lists 2. I can play the trumpet 3. I'm pretty good at understanding thick foreign accents (English language only).

Pia S said...

I really like your colorful feathers and the way you gathered them into a bouquet decorated with a bow. Very eye catching design.
What am I good at? I believe I'm a loving aunt for my 5 adorable nephews, I'm good at knitting and I'm good at grammar and learning languages. Now I feel like I'm bragging, lol.

cm said...

My sweet, dear friend, who I miss immensely: I absolutely adore everything in your post, from the musing about what you/we are good at, to your sweet accolades that have me blushing every shade of red imaginable, to your awesome feathers card. I love it. Immensely! My 'good at's' are pretty simple:
*I'm good (and trying to become better) at being Aunty C to Ms. T and Mr. C and a daughter to my mom. Working on getting the strongest shoulders possible to be as much help as possible.
*My ability to officiate at bike races is a skill I'm rather proud of, especially in recording - accurately - jersey numbers - via pen and paper - when the peloton zips by. I often officiate the 'higher' level groups and they appreciate my presence because they know I'm fair and don't let them get away with anything *grin*
*navigating my sweet husband...that I do well (although he does continue to confound me at times!)
You're left me with a mighty bright smile on my face! Heading to see my mom after work...only 2 more hours to go! Miss you!
Hugs~c

Kim Heggins said...

WOW....your card is over the top fabulous. Just love your take on feathers. I always forget to turn my slihouette on for the stamp images I don't have. This is so perfect...
What am I good at.....hmmmm
1. Sewing, I can sew or alter just about anything. Wedding dresses being my favorite.
2. Baking Cinnamon Rolls
3. Keeping my craft room one big mess!

Nora Noll said...

What an amazing card. I need to learn how to use my Silhouette like you do!!!

What am I good at besides cards?

1. I am great at my job as a FT Special Education Para
2. I make an awesome Woopie Pie-or so my co-workers tell me!
3. Trying various crafts other then stamping and sometimes succeeding, other times not. I just love to try!!

Jacquie Southas said...

Darn it, I was hoping your gorgeous feathers were I die and I was fully prepared to go buy it immediately! Beautiful card, Bev.

My talent is helping strangers on the street LOL. My kids want to know why people always ask me for help and directions, even if we are somewhere I've never been before.

My other talent is cooking. I seriously love to play with and eat food.

Bobby said...

Your outlined feathers with the DP behind are just fabulous, Bev. It sounds like a bunch of us need to work on our Silhouette skills.

What do I have a talent for? Quilting for one thing - just the piecing. I have someone do the long-arm quilting for me. I'm good at reading and following directions. I've learned to do a lot of things just by reading the directions. I'd also say I'm pretty good at taking care of my aging parents 99 and 97), even though they are in a living center. Just ask me anything about Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

Karren said...

Totally love these feathers and the wonderful colors you've used with them. Fab, fab card! I laughed out loud at Laura's comment above. Me too, Laura, me too :)

Anita in France said...

Oh my, for a non feather person, you've feathered to perfection here, Bev! Such a lovely paper pieced bouquet ... and that sweet wee bow is just the icing on the cake ... gorgeous! My three things (amazingly a little renovation biased!)...

- putting scaffolding up and taking it down again
- scaling ladders
- lifting inordinately heavy stone blocks

One day I'll get to hear those alto tones, mon amie! Hugs & bisous, bisous, Anita :)

Leigh Penner said...

This is fabulous, Bev!
What am I good at? Reading out loud with expression, doing math in my head & taekwondo.

Petra Swart said...

Oh, I would love to hear you sing, Bev, but I would definitely not be able to join you!!!! Singing is one thing I CAN NOT do - cats run away when I start singing!!! But I have to say I'm sort of OK with anything one does with your hands - give me anything to knit, crochet or sew and anything else in the line of crafting!!! Absolutely amazing all the kinds of things one can find to do and make, on Pinterest - and I love to do all of it!!! And I love to cook and bake, too!!! You can pretty well say I'm a Jack of all trades, master of none!!!
Your feathers are simply stunning, Bev!!!! Love the colours and the black frame and fun little bow!!! Really beautiful and such a great take on Carol's inspiration card!!!
Have a wonderful weekend!!!!

Martha said...

OH MY, Bev, I love--love--love--your card. You've used the feathers SO beautifully...fabulous design. It's definitely a WINNER.

I would add the following to YOUR list:
-Throwing a Party
-Writing
-Story-Telling
-Great Sense of Humor
-Kind-Hearted

Math was always my favorite class...so I became a math teacher.
Geometry is my favorite to teach. ♥

Deborah Frings said...

Brilliant! I think your feathers are just stunning.

Really enjoyed reading your post too. I think being able to sing the alto part of Messiah from memory is fantastic! So three things I think I'm good at:

1. Reading maps.
2. A bit of DIY - but tell my husband!
3. Always happy to try something new - so long as it doesn't involve great heights!

Shona Chambers said...

Bev your die-cut feathers are so perfect, this has to be a winner!!!!

wienerhoneymooners said...

Hiya Bev...I love that you share so much about yourself.

- I am good about caring for others, so my thoughtfulness.
- When I do cook, my family says it is amazing.
- Organization...
I asked my family..not that I don't know myself, it is just that they know me. When I do anything they tell me, I do it really good. Especially cooking.
- Id say decorating. When I decorate, it is nice.
-Also I get great deals on things and great finds in thrift shops!

I love your feather card Bev!!!!
-HUGS
-Kimberly

Tracey McNeely said...

Two beautiful cards--both Carol's and yours! I really like the outline die cut for the feather! Now that is thinking outside the box!

shirley-bee said...

I adore your silhouette feathers, Bev - nicer than any die I've seen!
I'm *really* good at not reading instructions ;)
I'm brilliant at messing up my craft room.
I'm expert at putting things where I can never find them again!

Joyce said...

Love your card--those feathers are incredible and love how you've got colors inside. I can see why you love that AE bow as well. What am I good at--fun question--I'd say I am good at being organized (and trying to make my kids organized as well), baking anything chocolate (but nothing but chocolate) and pretty good at Sudoku. Hope you are having a great day.

Angela said...

Stunning card! a worthy winner!! congratulations :)

Bobby said...

Happy dancing all over the place celebrating your winning card at Muse.

Deepti said...

Love your take on the MUSE, I like how you grouped the feathers together :)

Kylie said...

And you are an amazing friend! You encourage and guide and champion others. You lift people up when they are beyond blue. You are a gift!

And your card is AMAZING! I love how you used the silhouette to create your card. Very creative, Ms Bev!

Kylie said...

And you are an amazing friend! You encourage and guide and champion others. You lift people up when they are beyond blue. You are a gift!

And your card is AMAZING! I love how you used the silhouette to create your card. Very creative, Ms Bev!

Kim S said...

I can definitely see why you were picked at Muse. Those detailed feathers are so fun - and the slight pattern in the colorful papers adds so much! My heart did sink just a little when I realized the feathers weren't a die that I could run right out and buy!!