Decorating on a budget.....

I have been anxious to do a few things around my house when it comes to the decorating. The walls are a plain color, the carpet is brown, the furniture is brown....all a little blah to me who loves COLOR. Nothing major. No painting, no wallpapering or complicated stuff like that that would put me over the edge. I just wanted to redo a floral arrangement that I had made several years ago. I got the floral stuff half off and re-used the container I already had. So here is a picture of my new arrangement along with a round mirror that I got for 75% off at my favorite place....Hobby Lobby!! Nothing like getting a great bargain that you can put to good use. Moving on to the next project......

Here is the card I made for my very first "card swap". The theme was black and white and I used the "Friendship Blooms" stamp set from Stampin' Up. Everything else is just black and white.....no need to give details!

Rocky Mountains reflecting on Bear Lake
Rocky Mountain National Park

Tiny squirrel eating pine cone. This squirrel is about half the size of a squirrel in the midwest.

Bugling Elk in Estes Park, CO

I cannot get over some of the beautiful places there are to see in Colorado!! I am loving the mountains and the wildlife that you get to see when you drive up there. We took a Sunday drive this past weekend and went to Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. There is a short hike of about 3300 feet around the lake and the sights are just breath-taking. The water is crystal clear and you see trout swimming around. There are the smallest squirrels I have ever seen munching on pine cones, and "squeakers" as my kids call them--- known to the rest of us as chipmunks. We saw a herd of deer and lots and lots of elk as we drove through the town of Estes Park. The bull elk were bugling which is a sound you wouldn't expect. They are so big and tough looking but their bugle is a high pitched sound that the kids described as "sounds like they are doing that sound into a PVC pipe". Here are a few pictures to enjoy. Some look like postcards, but they are just amature shots taken by me or Barton.