These United States & The Text Block: Thankful Die - Day 5

Good morning, everyone, and welcome back to Day 5 of the Papertrey Ink July new release countdown! I have two more projects to share with you today featuring the These United States stamp set and Text Block: Thankful die. Shall we get to them?

My first project today pairs For The Graduate with These United States for a simple graduation card.

I began by die cutting a Mat Stack 1 shape and stamping it with the graduation cap frame using New Leaf ink. I then die cut the center out of the frame with a circle die. Next, I stamped the cap frame again, this time with Harvest Gold ink. I trimmed the center of the frame out and adhered it to an Aqua Mist card front that I had textured with the Grid Lines Impression Plate. I then mounted the New Leaf frame atop the Harvest Gold image with foam tape. Then, I die cut a narrow ring of Aqua Mist cardstock and adhered it to my New Leaf frame.

Next, I trimmed a 1/2" strip of vellum and stamped it with my sentiment using True Black ink. I heat set it to make sure it was dry and then folded it into a banner. I trimmed the ends and attached it to my card front with vellum tape. I added tiny circles of Harvest Gold cardstock that I embellished with Glossy Accents to each end of the banner. Finally, I die cut the mortar board and stamped it with True Black ink. I attached that to the card front with two layers of foam tape to make sure it really stood out.

My final card for this countdown is another featuring the new Text Block: Thankful Die.

I began by stamping the flower and leaves from Doodlie-Do onto a white card base using Tuxedo Black ink. Then, I colored everything with a selection of Copic markers (mostly using the Spring Moss, Berry Sorbet, Harvest Gold, Summer Sunrise, and Aqua Mist trios). Next, I Xyroned a piece of Spring Moss cardstock and die cut it using the die. I adhered that shape to a piece of clear cardstock and repeated the steps with white cardstock for the small dots. Then, I die cut a piece of vellum and stamped it with one of the banners from Sketched Shapes. I adhered that to the card base with vellum tape and followed up with the Text Block panel with foam tape. Nice and easy.

Well, that's all for me for this countdown. Thank you so much for joining me and I hope to see you again soon. In the meantime,  it's group post day so Nichole, Ashely, Betsy, Danielle, Dawn, Erin, Heather, Laura, Laurie, Maile, Melissa Phillips, and Melissa Bickford all have projects for you to enjoy. Take care!

Recipes:
Wherever You Go Card
Stamps: These United States (available July 15th), For The Graduate - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Aqua Mist, Vellum, Harvest Gold - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: True Black, New Leaf, Harvest Gold - Papertrey Ink
Other: Mat Stack 1 Die, Trendy Tree Tops Die - Papertrey Ink; Circles Die - Quickutz; Foam Tape, Vellum Tape - Scotch; Glossy Accents - Ranger

Floral Text Block Card
Stamps: Doodlie-Do, Sketched Shapes - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Spring Moss, Vellum, Clear Cardstock - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Hawaiian Shores - Papertrey Ink; Tuxedo Black - Memento
Other: Text Block: Thankful (available July 15th), Sketched Shapes Die Collection - Papertrey Ink; Markers - Copic; Vellum Tape, Foam Tape - Scotch; Xyron

These United States & State Abbreviations - Day 4

Good morning, everyone, and welcome back to Day 4 of the Papertrey Ink July countdown! I'm so glad you're joining me again today for a few more peeks at These United States and State Abbreviations. Nichole and the team are also sharing inspiration with this set today as part of the "Wish You Were Here" group post. There's a lot to see, so let's get going!

My first project to share is a little trio of simple embossed cards that really make the state dies the focus.

I began each card by embossing the front panel with impression plates using the impression plate tricks that Erin shared in this Make It Monday video. Then, I stamped the sentiments with gray pigment ink and added the states. For the Hawaii card I Xyroned a small piece of Aqua Mist cardstock and die cut it with the state die. I used the oval negative as a guide to help me place the islands. I embellished them with a sparkly coating of glitter.

For the Idaho card I die cut the state from Simply Chartreuse cardstock and clear heat embossed it with one of the small background blocks from Background Basics: Medallions.

The Nebraska card was similar to the Idaho card. I used the gingham block from Bitty Background Blocks to give the state shape a pattern.

These cards went together super quickly, but they still have a professional finish thanks to the impression plate technique and the nice edge on the die cut states.

My next two project would be the perfect card to give a traveller right before they head off on another adventure.

I began by die cutting and stamping several state shapes before arranging them on a Spring Moss card front. Then, I lightly traced around them and used the outlines as a guide for my arrows. Once finished, I adhered my card front to a white base, erased my pencil lines, and mounted my states with foam tape.

I continued by die cutting the layering banner from the Notched Star Banner Die Collection twice, once from Enchanted Evening and once from white. I trimmed the sides off of the white die cut and stamped it with the sentiment from These United States. Then, I layered the two die cuts and adhered them to the card front.

This next card would be ideal for someone you care about that is very far away.

I began by die cutting a Half & Half shape and stamping it with the sentiment from These United States. I embellished it with the dashed heart line image in Berry Sorbet. The line was just a smidge too short, so I used the dashed arrow line to extend it a little on each side. Next, I die cut the states from my sentiment strip. I stamped polka dots and the hearts in the negative space and embellished the strip with pewter brads.

Next, I cut a Christmas Label Die shape, sliced it in half, and heat embossed it with the rays from Hello Sunshine. I tucked the halves under the sentiment strip before adhering everything to my Classic Kraft card base. This sentiment would be perfect for Operation Write Home cards!

My final card today uses the same layout as the Tolkien quote card. It's a great basic layout to have in your back pocket for those need-a-card-quickly moments.

I began by die cutting a whole slew of states from white cardstock. Then, I went about arranging them in a puzzle formation onto a Soft Stone card base. I adhered them with flat adhesive, save the Ohio shape that I had stamped with the large heart. That one was added with foam tape. Next, I die cut one of the label shapes from Fabulous Frames and heat embossed it with the sentiment from These United States. I adhered it to my card front with foam adhesive. I tied a baker's twine bow around the card and embellished the heart with glitter for some final touches. It's a fairly simple card, but that really helps to drive home the message.

Well, that's all for me today. Thank you so much for joining me and I hope to see you again tomorrow for one more day of projects featuring These United States and the Text Block: Thankful die. In the meantime, Nichole, Ashely, Betsy, Danielle, Dawn, Erin, Heather, Laura, Laurie, Maile, Melissa Phillips, and Melissa Bickford all have additional inspiration for you to enjoy. Take care and I'll see you tomorrow!

Recipes:
Embossed Card Trio
Stamps: These United States (available July 15th), Bitty Background Blocks, Background Basics: Medallion - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Simply Chartreuse, Aqua Mist, Enchanted Evening - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Berry Sorbet, Pure Poppy - Papertrey Ink; gray pigment - Studio G
Other: Hawaii Die (available July 15th), Nebraska/Missouri/Kansas Die (available July 15th), Idaho/Montana/Wyoming Die (available July 15th), Woodgrain Impression Plate, Rustic Burlap Impression Plate, Star Spangled Impression Plate, First Place Die Collection, Fillable Frames #7 Die, Fillable Frames #8 Die - Papertrey Ink; Feldspar Glitter - Martha Stewart Crafts; Foam Tape - Scotch; Xyron

Tolkien Quote Card
Stamps: These United States, State Abbreviations - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Spring Moss, Enchanted Evening - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Enchanted Evening, Spring Moss - Papertrey Ink
Other: Louisiana/Arkansas Die (available July 15th), Connecticut/Massachusetts/Rhode Island Die (available July 15th), Vermont/New Hampshire/Maine Die (available July 15th), Michigan/Wisconsin Die (available July 15th), Minnesota/North Dakota/South Dakota Die (available July 15th), Notched Star Banner Die Collection - Papertrey Ink

Distance Is A Test Card
Stamps: These United States (available July 15th), Bitty Background Blocks, Hello Sunshine - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Classic Kraft, Berry Sorbet - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Berry Sorbet, Smokey Shadow, Classic Kraft - Papertrey Ink; VersaMark - Tsukineko
Other: New Mexico/Arizona Die (available July 15th), Georgia/North Carolina/South Carolina Die, Half & Half Die Collection, Christmas Label Die - Papertrey Ink; Pewter Brads - Making Memories; Foam Tape - Scotch; Clear Detail Embossing Powder - Filigree

Home Is Ohio Card
Stamps: These United States (available July 15th) - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Soft Stone, Pure Poppy - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Pure Poppy - Papertrey Ink; VersaMark - Tsukineko
Other: Nebraska/Missouri/Kansas Die (available July 15th), Idaho/Montana/Wyoming Die (available July 15th), Louisiana/Arkansas Die (available July 15th), Connecticut/Massachusetts/Rhode Island Die (available July 15th), Vermont/New Hampshire/Maine Die (available July 15th), Michigan/Wisconsin Die (available July 15th), New York/New Jersey Die (available July 15th), New Mexico/Arizona Die (available July 15th), Georgia/North Carolina/South Carolina Die (available July 15th), West Virginia/Virginia/Maryland Die (available July 15th), Indiana/Kentucky/Tennessee Die (available July 15th), Oregon/Washington Die (available July 15th), Iowa/Illinois Die (available July 15th), Ohio/Pennsylvania/Delaware Die (available July 15th), Minnesota/North Dakota/South Dakota Die (available July 15th), Fabulous Frames Die Collection - Papertrey Ink; White Detail Embossing Powder - Filigree; Garnet Glitter - Martha Stewart Crafts; Foam Tape - Scotch; Teal Baker's Twine - Divine Twine

These United States & The Text Block: Thankful Die - Day 3

Good morning, friends, and welcome back to Day 3 of the Papertrey Ink new release July countdown! I'm excited to be sharing even more inspiration featuring These United States and the Text Block: Thankful die with you today. I have a handful of projects on deck, so let's jump right in!

My first card was inspired by a discussion on the Papertrey Ink forum. Lisa mentioned that it would be nice to have a set that you could use for coworkers when they get promoted, retire, etc. and it got me thinking. Here's the result!

I began by covering a white card base with a piece of Spring Rain Striped Patterned Paper. I stamped the watercolor strip to act as a shadow and then set the base aside. Next, I die cut and stamped the desk from Desktop Design using Fine Linen and Classic Kraft inks. I used a kissing technique with Background Basics: Farm & Barn to get the realistic woodgrain texture. I trimmed off the edge and then mounted the desk to the card front with foam tape. Then I stamped the phone using Pure Poppy and Smokey Shadow inks and attached a piece of black embroidery thread to look like the cord. I attached that to the card front along with the sentiments, also in Smokey Shadow, from These United States. There you have it! A going away card for an officemate.

My second card is another one that uses the These United States in a non-stately way.

I began by die cutting a Cover Plate: Hearts panel from white cardstock and heat embossing my These United States sentiment in gold. Then, I placed the sentiment panel on a white card base and traced a handful of hearts. I removed the panel, stamped the hearts with Spring Rain ink, and erased the tracing lines.

Next, I die cut a Small Scalloped Border edge from Enchanted Evening Bitty Dot Paper and attached it to the back of the hearts panel with foam tape. I added more foam tape to attach that panel to the appropriate place on the card base.

This next card pairs These United States with the new Phrase Play die.

I began by die cutting the Phrase Play die from Hawaiian Shores, Summer Sunrise, Limeade Ice, and white cardstocks. Then, I stamped the These United States message onto the sentiment bar and assembled the die (tip: I used a piece of sticker paper to keep everything together and it worked perfectly). Next, I stamped a scrap of Tropical Teal with the star pattern from Bitty Background Blocks II and then die cut the state of New York.

I heat embossed the "NY" and the star over Albany using white detail powder before attaching the state to the Phrase Play shape. Then, I die cut a Cover Plate: Circles panel from white cardstock and attached it to a white card base. I wrapped a piece of Limeade Ice saddle stitched ribbon around the card front and added a crochet thread bow before mounting my focal piece with foam tape.

My last project today features the new Text Block: Thankful die as a window card.

I began by die cutting the die from Berry Sorbet and Summer Sunrise cardstocks that I had Xyroned. I attached the Berry Sorbet shape to a piece of Clear Cardstock and inlaid the ampersand from the Summer Sunrise shape. I continued by adding a decorative edge with the Pinking Shears Border Die. Next, I stamped a panel of Aqua Mist cardstock with the smallest dot in Polka Dot Basics using Fresh Snow ink. I attached that to a white card base and cut a hole through both layers for the window. I added the Text Block piece to the card front with foam tape over the opening.

Then, I die cut two butterflies from the Love Lives Here Die Collection from vellum. I scored them down the middle and attached them to the card front, one on top of the other. I folded up both sets of wings for a bit of dimension.

Well, that's all I have for you today. Thank you for stopping by! I'll be back tomorrow with a few more projects to share. In the meantime, Nichole, Ashely, Betsy, Danielle, Dawn, Erin, Heather, Laura, Laurie, Maile, Melissa Phillips, and Melissa Bickford all have additional inspiration for you to enjoy. I'll see you tomorrow!

Recipes:
Office Move Card
Stamps: These United States (available July 15th), Desktop Design, Watercolor Wonder, Background Basics: Farm & Barn - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Spring Rain Stripe Pattern Paper - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Fine Linen, Classic Kraft, Soft Stone, Smokey Shadow, Pure Poppy - Papertrey Ink
Other: Desktop Design Die Collection - Papertrey Ink; Black Embroidery Floss - DMC; Foam Tape - Scotch

In My Heart Card
Stamps: These United States (available July 15th), Happy Hearts - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Enchanted Evening Bitty Dot Paper - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Spring Rain - Papertrey Ink; VersaMark - Tsukineko
Other: Cover Plate: Hearts Die; Small Scallop Border Die - Papertrey Ink; Gold Detail Embossing Powder - Filigree; Foam Tape - Scotch

Greetings From NY Card
Stamps: These United States (available July 15th), State Abbreviations (available July 15th), Bitty Background Blocks II - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Hawaiian Shores, Limeade Ice, Summer Sunrise, Tropical Teal, White Adhesive Sheets - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Hawaiian Shores, Tropical Teal - Papertrey Ink; VersaMark - Tsukineko
Other: New York/New Jersey Die (available July 15th), Phrase Play #6 Die (available July 15th), Cover Plate: Circles Die, Limeade Ice Saddle Stitched Ribbon - Papertrey Ink; White Detail Embossing Powder - Filigree; Foam Tape - Scotch; White Crochet Thread

Butterfly Window Card
Stamps: Polka Dot Basics - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Berry Sorbet, Summer Sunrise, Aqua Mist, Vellum Cardstock, Clear Cardstock - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Fresh Snow - Papertrey Ink
Other: Text Block: Thankful Die (available July 15th), Love Lives Here Die Collection, Pinking Shears Border Die - Papertrey Ink; Foam Tape - Scotch; Xyron

These United States & State Abbreviations - Day 2

Welcome back, friends! It's Day 2 of the July Papertrey Ink new release countdown and I'm back with a couple of additional projects featuring These United States, the coordinating die collection, and the coordinating mini, State Abbreviations. Thank you all so much for sharing your excitement over the These United States Collection!

There was one question from yesterday that I wanted to answer in today's post so everyone might see it. The Primitive Country Bug asked "Are they all scaled the same so you can create an actual "map" of the U.S.?" The answer to that is no. If the states were all scaled the same and you wanted to make sure that a smaller state, like Rhode Island, was significant enough to be used by itself on a project you'd end up with states like California being enormous. Likewise, if you scaled California to be a reasonable size for a card you'd end up with a tiny speck of paper for Rhode Island. Make sense? So I decided to scale the states differently so they could all be used independently of one another. I hope that's not too much of a disappointment for any of you. I assure you the scaling decision was very carefully considered.

Alrighty, how about we get on to some projects, eh?

I wanted to showcase the large US die today. It can be used with several of the image stamps in These United States to illustrate things like moves or road trips, but today it's on more of a "missing you" sort of card.

I began by layering a piece of Spring Rain Striped Paper with a piece of Spring Rain cardstock for a little stability. Then I die cut the US shape out of the center. I placed the die cut panel over a white card base and stamped the Pure Poppy heart in the general vicinity of Texas. Next, I adhered the US panel to the card front with foam tape. I continued by die cutting a banner from Enchanted Evening cardstock and heat embossed my sentiment using white detail powder. I stitched on a white button with baker's twine and then adhered that piece to the die cut panel. As a finishing touch, I coated the heart with Glossy Accents for a little shine.

On the back of the card I stamped the "handmade in" sentiment from These United States in Enchanted Evening ink. I followed up with the Texas abbreviation from State Abbreviations. The $5 mini State Abbreviations is perfect for labeling the state dies, locations on the US die shape, or finishing phrases in These United States.

My next project is a home decor piece. I've mentioned before that I'm not much of a scrapbooker, but I still enjoy documenting memories of our special trips and events. These framed pieces are the perfect solution for someone like me.

I began by stamping a 5"x7" piece of Aqua Mist cardstock with the smallest dots in Polka Dot Basics III. Next, I printed a photo from our anniversary trip to Alaska last fall. Then, I die cut an Instant Photo 1 Die shape and stamped it with the calendar image from Big Ticket Basics. I followed up with small accent images denoting the date of the photo and then adhered the frame to the photo with foam tape.

I continued by die cutting the Big Ticket Basics Die shape from Smokey Shadow cardstock and the state of Alaska from Hawaiian Shores cardstock. I heat embossed the decorative image from Big Ticket Additions onto the ticket border with clear powder and the sentiment with white powder (I am of the opinion that Virginia doesn't have the exclusive on lovers, by the way).

I adhered that to the Aqua Mist base and embellished by adding the Alaska shape with foam tape. I finished up by mounting the photo piece atop the ticket border with foam tape. Now we have a nice little framed reminder of our trip to keep on display. Yay!

Thank you all so much for stopping by today! I hope you'll check back tomorrow for more These United States and Text Block: Thankful projects. In the meantime, Nichole, Betsy, Dawn, Heather, Maile, and Melissa Bickford all have more inspiration for you. See you soon!

Recipes:
Wish You Were Here Card
Stamps: These United States (available July 15th), State Abbreviations (available July 15th) - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Spring Rain Striped Paper, Spring Rain, Enchanted Evening - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Pure Poppy, Enchanted Evening - Papertrey Ink; VersaMark - Tsukineko
Other: United States Die (available July 15th), First Place Die Collection, White Vintage Button - Papertrey Ink; Foam Tape - Scotch; Cherry Baker's Twine - Divine Twine; Glossy Accents - Ranger; White Detail Embossing Powder - Filigree

Alaska Is For Lovers Frame
Stamps: These United States (available July 15th), Big Ticket Additions (available July 15th), Big Ticket Basics, Polka Dot Basics III - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Aqua Mist, Smokey Shadow, Hawaiian Shores - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: True Black, Hawaiian Shores - Papertrey Ink; VersaMark - Tsukineko
Other: Alaska Die (available July 15th), Instant Photo 1 Die, Big Ticket Basics Die - Papertrey Ink; White Detail Embossing Powder, Clear Detail Embossing Powder - Filigree; Foam Tape - Scotch

Introducing These United States and the Text Block: Thankful

Good morning and welcome to the first day of Papertrey Ink's July new release countdown (it also happens to be my mister's birthday - a big day to be sure)! I am so excited to be introducing a new stamp set, These United States (with coordinating die collection), as well as a new Text Block die. It's going to be a very full countdown this month! Let's get on to a few projects!

Nichole and Ashley are going to be featuring the Text Block: Thankful die today, so I thought it might be fun to start there.

This first card is a nice quickie that you could pull together if you need a last-minute thank you card. I began by Xyroning and die cutting the Text Block: Thankful shape three times from white cardstock. I layered all of the shapes and adhered them to a Classic Kraft card base that I had stamped with Background Basics: Diagonals.

Then, I die cut the small accent holes in a rainbow of colors and used the tiny circles to inlay a little bit of color. The result is a clean design that you could adapt to be perfect for ladies or gents. It's also fairly flat so it would be a breeze to mail.

My second card has a bit more of an autumnal feel.

I began by die cutting my Text Block shape from two pieces of real birch wood paper. One of the pieces had been sponged with Dark Chocolate ink to give the impression of two different types of wood. I adhered the natural wood shape to a scrap of cardstock and then I used the negatives from the Dark Chocolate piece as an inlay. Next, I stamped the leaves from Leave It Be onto a Rustic White card base and mounted my Text Block: Thankful panel with foam tape. The colors and textures are so warm. I just love it!

Next up is the These United States collection! The stamp set includes sentiments and images that cover everything from a move to a vacation to a deployment and beyond. The coordinating die collection includes a die for each state as well as a large United States die. This collection has so many uses I can barely stand it! I'm going to begin with a personalized coffee cozy. I'm going to try and spread the love to as many states as I can manage over the next few days, so you don't all get sick of seeing Ohio on everything (and I assure you, Ohioans will put Ohio on everything). Today I'm making an Indiana coffee cozy for an aunt who lives in Ft. Wayne.

I die cut the cozy from Aqua Mist felt and the state of Indiana from Vintage Cream felt. Next, I stamped the "pride" sentiment from These United States onto the cozy using Pure Poppy ink. The idea was just to use an ink that would be dark enough to see so I could embroider over it. I would suggest using a color that will blend in with the floss you intend to use. I did a simple backstitch over the sentiment using two strands of red embroidery floss. Then, I attached my Indiana appliqué (handy trick: use a tiny piece of scor-tape to keep your appliqué in place while you stitch; just make sure to keep it away from your sewing path to avoid the dreaded sticky needle). I backstitched around the edges using three strands of warm white embroidery floss and added a french knot in the approximate area of my aunt's home. I finished by stitching up the sides of the cozy.

A gift is incomplete without the proper packaging, right? So I wrapped up the cozy and made a coordinating tag. I die cut the shorter tag from Tag Sale #9 out of Pure Poppy cardstock. Then, I used the Ohio die to die cut a negative shape from the tag. I heat embossed the sentiment using white detail powder and tied it to my package with some baker's twine for a cute finishing touch.

Thank you all so much for joining me today! I hope to see you again tomorrow as I share more projects featuring These United States and the Text Block: Thankful die. In the meantime, Nichole, Ashley, Dawn, Heather, Melissa Phillips, and Melissa Bickford all have more inspiration to share with you today. Have a great day and I'll see you again soon!

Recipes:
Rainbow Detail Grateful Card
Stamps: Background Basics Diagonals
Cardstock: Classic Kraft, Pure Poppy, Orange Zest, Harvest Gold, Simply Chartreuse, Blueberry Sky - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: VersaMark - Tsukineko
Other: Text Block: Thankful (available July 15th) - Papertrey Ink; Xyron

Autumnal Grateful Card
Stamps: Leave It Be - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Rustic White - Papertrey Ink
Ink:  Terracotta Tile, Summer Sunrise, Canyon Clay, Ripe Avocado, Dark Chocolate - Papertrey Ink
Other: Text Block: Thankful (available July 15th) - Papertrey Ink; Real Birch Paper - Creative Imaginations; Xyron

Indiana Pride Cozy & Gift Packaging
Stamps: These United States (available July 15th) - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Pure Poppy - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Pure Poppy - Papertrey Ink; VersaMark - Tsukineko
Other: Indiana/Tennessee/Kentucky Die (available July 15th), Ohio/Pennsylvania/Delaware Die (available July 15th), Tag Sale #9, Coffee Cozy Die Aqua Mist Felt, Vintage Cream Felt - Papertrey Ink; White Detail Embossing Powder - Filigree; embroidery floss - DMC

July Sneak Peek!

Did you happen to check out Nichole's blog today? She peeked my new set (coming later this month) and the coordinating set of dies!

This one's all about the U S of A. There's a die for each state and a sentiment set that you can use for everything from showing state pride to scrapbooking your vacation memories. I hope you'll stop by to check out my projects over the next several days. See you then!

Celebrating 30 At The Wilds

Hello again, friends! I wanted to pop in today to share what my super, SUPER awesome fella did for me for my birthday. Mind you, we don't usually pull out all the stops, but it was my 30th so he put extra effort into making sure it was special. It was an incredible trip and I thought it might be fun to share a few photos (well...many really) and stories with all of you.

We spent Tuesday and part of Wednesday at The Wilds. It's an endangered animal preserve and conservation center about an hour and a half east of us. We've been out there a few times over the years and both truly enjoy it (Sean likes to joke that I'm going to drop everything to go to vet school one of these days, so this experience was a treat for me). For this trip Sean booked us a night in the Grand Yurt (essentially a plush hut that overlooks the animal pastures) as well as two tours that I'll get to here in a moment.

We got to the area a little early, so we spent some time at a nearby Audubon overlook. From there we were able to see some of the animals at the facility along with several bird varieties we don't get to see in the city.

We checked in to our yurt in the early afternoon and then loaded into the bed of a pickup to take the first of our tours (the Wildside safari). Our guide, Chris, works as one of the animal handlers at the Wilds and he was very knowledgeable about the critters.

We started the tour down by the Pe're David deer. These deer are an aquatic variety and actually have webbed hooves! Summer happens to be the Pe're David Deers' mating season so we could hear the male deer bellowing their love call late into the evening and early in the morning. It was funny mostly because it sounded like a cross between belching and laughing. Real charmers, those deer.

Next, we drove past a female Asian One-Horned Rhino and her calf. They were just relaxing in the tall grass.

We could see the Bactrian Camels up the road, so Chris drove us over for a visit (you can see the yurts in the distance; ours was the one all the way to the left).

Chris called the camels when we drove up and they came to investigate. That little one is Rae Rae.

Her papa is Gobi. He was a very big, very sweet fella.

We were able to pet the camels (some were more friendly than others). Rae Rae was all about getting her head scratched. In all honesty, I think she thought I was smuggling apples in my camera bag.

Next, we started driving through a field toward a small pond. It didn't look like we were going to see much until, suddenly, this guy emerged from the water.

He also liked being petted (and fed apples and sweet potatoes).

He was a little muddy.

From there we headed over to the carnivore section of the facility (it's separate and has its own fencing). On the way there we came upon the Persian Onager (a wild donkey)...

and the Przewalski's Wild Horse. The horses were the very first animals at the facility more than 20 years ago. They are still, to this day, the only equine species that has never been successfully ridden. Chris told us that there is a theory that their untamed temperament may have something to do with an extra chromosomal pair. They certainly are gorgeous creatures.

We saw Cheetahs, Dholes, and African Painted Dogs in the carnivore areas. They were all tougher to see without the binoculars, so this is the best photo I could capture. I was tickled that the alpha female Painted Dog's name was Lizzie. Sean remarked that the alpha dog in his house's name was Lizzie, too. The tour group got a kick out of that.

We started with the Grevy's Zebra on our way back through the herbivores. Their markings were so distinctive and striking. I was surprised at how fuzzy their ears were.

The Fringe Eared Oryx was in the same area.

We travelled up the road a little way until we came to the giraffes. This little one (he was just 4 months old!) was just starting to figure out all the cool things his tongue could do. The whole time we were there he was playing with it; licking his own face and sticking it out as far as it could go.

This was his papa. He was distracted by a lady giraffe in the next pen.

Then we went to a barn and had the opportunity to feed another giraffe (that Chris kept calling "the chosen one") romaine lettuce. He was very funny in that he was happy to be petted and come down to say hello as long as there was lettuce in your other hand. No lettuce, no dice.

Our next encounter was with the White Rhino herd. The Wilds is home to the largest heard of White Rhinos outside of Africa.

There were several babies and they were SO CUTE. They kept trotting around to stay close to their mamas.

Our final visit of the trip was with the Scimitar Horned Oryx. Such graceful creatures. There were several calves in this herd, too, and you could barely see them hopping around in the tall pasture.

We arrived back at the Visitors' Center in the evening and cleaned up before catching dinner. Afterward, we headed back to our yurt and relaxed on the patio. From our yurt you could see several animals that we didn't get a chance to visit on our tour (American Bison, Sichuan Takin, Banteng, Herons).

We stayed out there enjoying the scenery and the animals until we fell asleep in the adirondack chairs watching a storm roll in (luckily we woke up and went inside before it actually arrived).

The next morning we spent some time watching the animals and the birds before heading to breakfast. After breakfast we got all packed up and headed down to the horse barn for the Horseback Safari, our second tour.

Sean was assigned to Lightning, a retired racehorse. Sean had never ridden before so George, our guide, gave him a few extra pointers (and some gentle ribbing) before we headed out.

I was paired with Barney, a lovable chub who would have been happy to hang out and eat grass all day. Trying to get him to keep moving through some of the taller foliage was entertaining. Hilarity ensued.

Our tour took us along the ridge where we had slept the night before and then across the road into The Wilds' Prairie Reclamation area. It was a beautiful area and I would have loved to have taken pictures, but I was busy trying to get Barney to stop eating grass.

It was a wonderful time and a trip that I would absolutely recommend. Sean definitely made my 30th birthday one that I'll never forget. I'm a very lucky girl.

Thanks for stopping by today and hanging in there through all of my ramblings and photos. I'll be back with another crafty post again soon. Take care!