Visual Designs by Chris

Chris Durnan

Join My E-letter List!
For Fun Files & News!

This is an email list with general updates used from to time. If you want an email every time I post, please enter your email on my Subscribe to my Blog form on the lower left or at the bottom of every post. 

No screen time

By

My friend Heidi used the term “Screen Time” a few years ago and it is a description I LOVE. It is a description my son ABHORS.

It means anything with a screen… Phone, TV, computer, video games.. Anything with a screen.

In an effort to make it through the school year on the best grounds. We have proclaimed this week a No Screen Time week. At first my son freaked. now he is figuring out things to do. We have worked on the garden room. Cleaned out the Chicken coop. Played Pictionary.

It  has been some fun fun times actually so far. A little pouting and frustration. But he has friends coming to visit on Friday night and the Screen Time Ban will be lifted. But surprisingly these friends would rather run around outside and be crazy here then be in the house. So we shall see how it goes.

But this was an interesting concept as a recent family member who moved was telling me they were spending more time chatting on the patio because their “screen services” were not fully in yet. So it crosses many age groups where we start to just stare at the screen. I hope I don’t hit that phase of staring and will do my best to try and walk away from it. But I am definitely subject to it that little ping on my phone with an update.

I have 4 posts put together for my June fun summer series. I hope to add lots more.

I hope you enjoy No Screen Time week with some little ones or old friends. you would be surprised the fun things to come up with and do.

Be with the ones your with and enjoy them fully without worrying about that screen. 

Enjoy!
Chris

To get quick fun updates of things going on, you can join my facebook page.

My files in the store can be located here. Thank you for stopping by!

Guest Bloggers… Fun Summer Ideas

By

 I am working on a Fun Summer Ideas series for the month of June. so if you have some easy low stress ideas that you want me to highlight let me know. You can be my guest blogger for the day or send me your idea and I will compile a post! Just send me an email with Fun Summer Ideas in the subject. I’d like to fill the month of June and would like some super smiley faces pics and project pics to go with. (Yours or things from around the web of awesome ideas you’d like to try). And you can earn some free files. 

June is my birthday. I turn 40 woohoo! I am an adult (almost). I still like to play with paper and glue and have fun. I cannot believe I have hit 40. A friend texted me and said. HOW is this possible? I said I have no idea. So being my birthday month. I’d like to offer great ideas for summer fun. 

Please help me out and think of some posts you might like and if they would include one of my cutter files. Just let me know. I will send you the file. you can create and send me your blog post with pics to load! 

Enjoy!
Chris



To get quick fun updates of things going on, you can join my facebook page.

My files in the store can be located here. Thank you for stopping by!

Happy Mother’s Day!

By

Happy Day to all those celebrating the power of Mom’s. This is my son’s gift for his Nana. The first initial of her last name. And it is perfect to go with the decor of her home. Beach oasis in the desert. Perfect. We had a great time. Working on it, but when I turned my back. Painting the modge podge on became pouring it on. So in some areas. I am not sure it will every dry further then the top layer. I have learned as a Mom life is not found in the perfect craft or perfect moment. But in those where you are wiping up half a container of modge podge off the table. And cutting the dried excess off your project. The best part of it was organizing the phenomenal sea shells which were picked up off the beaches in Florida by a family member years and years ago. Perfect. And time with my son crafting even better. As usual I ramble. Have a wonderful weekend! Mine is filled with time with guys and the best son and hubby a mom and wife could ever have. Makes every day perfect. Enjoy! Chris

Chicken coop

By

When our Henny Pennies are not running around in a Chicken Tractor. This is their home. It is two level. Lots of room on the bottom to peck at. And we only have 4 chickens.  My hubby did an awesome job. I am working on my added touches. I think the red star is to small. So may change that out. 
This is the egg pickup window in the back. I put the words Room Service on it. 😉
In this pic below you can see the slanted chicken ladder. the big Chunky hen goes up and down it all the time. For no apparent reason sometimes. 
And they stand in the upper part when you walk by and “growl” for lack of  a better word. I always thought chickens clucked. Our growl. Could scare someone if you walked out in the dark and didn’t realize there was a chicken coop there. They are almost 6 months old now. No eggs yet, but my son checks the Room Service door often.
This is a sideview above. And those white chairs are perfect for sitting and chatting in while someone is brushing a horse. I haven’t decided what color to paint them yet, but it will come to me next time I am at Home Depot. 
And I must admit I sit in those two chairs alot and watch their crazy Chicken antics. I must say it is one of my happy places at our house. 🙂
I have another plan to add to it, but I will add it later. And post a picture 🙂
Enjoy!
Chris

Valentine #CD00938

By

Today is National Scrapbooking Day and I am hoping to make it to my studio to at least begin a project.  I was doing some cleaning of photos off my camera and realized I forgot to send this from February.  It was my Valentine to Jeff.  I used the fisherman from Visual Designs by Chris file #CD00938.  I cut off the fish from the file and used origami to fold a $100 bill to make the fish. He has a fishing trip planned with his brother in July and I figured he could use the cash to purchase something “fishy”.   *smile*  I had added a border around it with a white gel pen but he unfolded the fish and put it in his pocket before I could take another photo.  *wink*
 
~Angie~ (Missouri)
~I am blessed!!~

Feeling Better … Jello!

By

Feeling better… You know you are starting to get over the stomach flu when you are thinking about food again. And for me I am thinking about Salmon. It just keeps popping up as I am working.
Salmon tacos. Salmon with veggies. Salmon. yeah I am weird, but I am good with that because it means I am starting to get better.

We all came down with the flu this past weekend. It is NO BUENO to have the two adults get sick at the same time, but it is okay with our kid. I sat on the front porch on Monday and watched him go out and feed the horses for us because we couldn’t walk. He said ” I got it” and he did. He is getting so big and so responsible. He started out the weekend unloading all his breakfast in the car on the way to basketball. So not good. In the car. We were doomed for sickness after having to try and drive home to clean the car and put him back to bed.

But the good part is we made it. and with limited dehydration even tho’ water wasn’t even staying within.

Yeah this is a gross post, but my hubby and I both felt like we were run over by a truck. Time warp where you are effectively trying to work to catch up for two days that you had to sleep through in their entirety.

And it is awesome to have your son make you jello and do it well.

You think this is a crazy comment? I have a confession… I have never made jello and had it set. So I only ever buy it in the cups. I usually have it for when I am sick.

But my son he can make jello. he followed the instruction and then his comment was “WOW this tastes like the REAL thing.” I laughed so hard my stomach hurt again. Apparently he can now make jello and I won’t need to buy the little containers. and maybe he will realize the cup and the mix are the “real thing” ha! He was also happy because he could get more then what was in the little cups as well.

That was my crazy weekend.. oh that also included two tow truck pickups for my truck. but that is life.

The best part is tomorrow the sun comes up. And you get to try it all over again.

Enjoy!
Chris

PS I am working on a Fun Summer Ideas series for the month of June. so if you have some easy low stress ideas that you want me to highlight let me know. You can be my guest blogger for the day! Just send me an email with Fun Summer Ideas in the subject. I’d like to fill the month of June and would like some super smiley faces pics and project pics to go with. (Yours or things from around the web of awesome ideas you’d like to try). And you can earn some free files. 

To get quick fun updates of things going on, you can join my facebook page.

My files in the store can be located here. Thank you for stopping by!

birthday card using CD0060 – Chris’s Fancy Journaling Frames

By

I made this birthday card using Chris’s cutter file – Fancy Journaling Frames. You can find it here. I really need to get a new camera, the one on my cell phone doesn’t do this card justice. I cut the background from a lightly patterned yellow paper, then cut the journal block from patterned green, inked the edges with brown and layered it all on a solid sheet of green with torn and inked edges.

Thanks for looking!
Sussann

Digi-Cutter Files offered in SCUT, GSD, KNK, WPC & AI (SVG) at www.visualdesignsbychris.com

Mother’s Day Card

By

This is a  Mom’s day card. My son and I made for CAD. 
 It says inside. “Mom you are my blue bird of happiness.” I love cuttlebug plates. And my son helped me pull this together. He’s so fun to have in the studio with me.The goal for him was to find some way to use the Gelly Roll pens that are glitter that I have. He loves to use them. I have had them for years and am still surprised they haven’t quit or gummed up. So he pondered this totally white card while I worked on something else and then said hey lets color the birds blue. And then sat and stared at my jars of embellishments. Easy to find something when they are sorted by color. He picked the pink bow that matched the ribbon I had already placed out to use.  Love the creative process. 
We decided to highlight our bluebird of happiness when there was a teeny bit of over coloring and we couldn’t get it removed. So we colored it with blue pencil. to make it stand out instead of try to hide it. 
Love it. 
Today a VDBC newsletter will be coming out. You can sign up for these newsletters on the front page of our store. 
Have a wonderful weekend!
Enjoy!
Chris

To get quick fun updates of things going on, you can join my facebook page.

My files in the store can be located here. Thank you for stopping by!

Birthday Day!! For our son! 9 woohoo!

By

So in honor of my son’s birthday.. Here are some reboots from my blog to celebrate the day. Things that make me smile always. But I might be totally biased and I put in some of the stories that went with at the time.
Enjoy!
Chris

PS If you make it all the way through these pics.. you are probably, Mom, Dad, Nanna, Grandma, Papa or Grandpa or Boppa.

From May 2009

Yes that is my son conducting in the picture above. He practiced over and over the song because he wanted to be the kid that got the mic part. However, he didn’t make the cut I guess so. He decided if he wasn’t gonna be the guy then he was gonna conduct him. hahah. too cute. And as you can tell He is very SERIOUS about his conducting. haha.

*

And the practicing in our house included the bathroom. I would ask him what he was doing and he was sitting on the floor belting out the words at the top of his lungs on the floor of the bathrom. “What are you doing hon?”” I am singing MOM. It sounds good in here” My son has joined the ranks who sing in the bathroom for the acoustics. IT IS awesome. 


From April 2010
I am not sure what this conversation was about? Maybe like…
See this stick horse… You can be replaced if you don’t listen.
or See this stick horse.. this is what happened to the last horse that didn’t listen.
hahaha. Okay just teasing. I asked him what he was doing. He said
“DESENTIZING. You know mom where she won’t be afraid of anything &
needs more experiences. She hasn’t seen my rodeo stick horse”
 “Oh yep. you’re right” was my come back before I got..
you guessed it… the eye roll… for interrupting his training. haha.
From May 2009
Comments from my son this weekend that just made my Handsome Hubby and I just giggle.
” Wow there’s a porcupine in here”
explanation: My son was trying to get the strawberries out from behind a pineapple in the fridge and kept getting poked. But he yelled it like there really was a porcupine. just made us giggle and try to keep straight faces.
Setup: Watching a John Wayne movie and my son is cramming some toys down on the floor and lays his head on them… “What ya doing?” my kiddos response “Well I am pretending this is a saddle as you can’t take a pillow out on the range or you’d be called some Fluffy Cowboy” This time I was in the kitchen and heard this and my eyes were watering I was trying so hard not to giggle. My HHubby response was “You’re right” and on they went to watch the rest of the show.
Things to make my hubby just beam…
“Hey Dad Wanna Watch a John Wayne movie”
This left Rays of sunlight coming out of the room from my hubbies big grin.
I, myself, started to clean house. I have seen them all. so I was good. haha.
“Hey Dad. We should go on a roundup and take the horses and go. Wouldn’t that be fun”
Again my husbands beaming grin light the sky more then the sun.
Sept 2012
So while Dad was working horses, cows and having adventures. 
We got to hang in the truck and at the hotel. (Yes I got our truck back. woohooo!!)
My son is here kicking back as we watched Dad for a bit. 
My son almost beat me twice in chess. It was killer. He is getting really good. 
He just looks right at home doesn’t he.Love those dimples!


This photo below Dec 2011
November 2009 at the Races
Although my hubby and I decided my son was probably just slightly young for this adventure. We still had a good time. We got to about 70 laps to the end and we were sitting on a picnic bench behind the stands and our son was waving his checkered flag while my hubby and I listened on the headphones. And my son came up to us with the peace sign (2 fingers in a V). This is sign language in our house for 2 minutes and we are done/going/bed etc. So we pull off our headsets and he says “2 minutes and we are going back to Aunt Becci and Uncle Dave’s house” and he looks at my hubby shows him the 2 minute universal signal and says “2 minutes Dad”. He was done. my hubby and I giggled. I said really? did we just get the two minute count down? US? the ones who created it? We did go so we could get back on the school buses shuttle out of the raceway area before the lines were so long.

Cow Sorting below in April 2009 and the Fair

Pushing the cows with Dad.


My kiddo receiving his buckle from the guys
My big guy with all the big guys and gals who won.
His buddy Eddie

Look Mom!

A congratulatory hug from a friend
Watching the trains at the fair (He wants to go back and see them again)

My son’s BOLT impersonation at the fair. haha.
Riding with Dad from Nov 2008 and some cute stories. 
So here are my guys hanging out on the fence line watching the team penning. At one point a lady squeezed in and moved a bunch of horses over in the line. And my sons horse being smaller backed out of the line on her own. And my son says. HEY HEY HEY!! and the other adults who had been hanging out with him all day said. Oh Sorry! Did we squish you out! And they all moved their horses butts over again and Dalen pushed his horse up on the line again. Dad was grinning from ear to ear. It got to be be Dalen got asked for good luck by some of the older guys we know and Dalen would yell the whole time they were in there… Go Eddy.. good luck. gettem. Go Go Go Eddy. things like this. it was cute.

This lady in this picture owns the arena below. My son told me last time we bought hay from her he was gonna marry her because she had lots of hay for his two horses. ha. Practicality is good, but I am not sure I would ask him to marry so we could get good hay at this early of an age. hahaha.



Fishing in May 2008


Then my little one and his catch of the day.
That’s all I can do for now. Maybe some more this weekend. I might be biased, but Ithink he is so cute. 🙂
Enjoy!
Chris

To get quick fun updates of things going on, you can join my facebook page.

My files in the store can be located here. Thank you for stopping by!

Help Wanted!

By

Are you interested or know someone who will be??
VDBC has come to where it needs some outside promotion help. If you are interested, please contact me so we can chat.
This position would be a commission paid based on sales for the month with bonuses for surpassing certain levels.
The right kind of person is outgoing, interested in crafting with digital cutter files, frequent the many digital cutter sites and willing to promote our store and files.
If you are a person who spends time in the many forums and groups, this might be the perfect bonus to your craft purchases.
Please contact me by email  with the subject  PROMOTIONAL HELP.
Thank you for your interest!
Enjoy!
Chris

To get quick fun updates of things going on, you can join my facebook page.

My files in the store can be located here. Thank you for stopping by!