Thanks

I think when people do something nice for me, it's important to acknowledge that something. Does anyone but me (and my friend, Sandra) even send cards or notes by mail any more or has it all gone electronic? That just seems so impersonal.....I'm just saying.

I got this pretty Pebbles paper the other day so was excited to try it out. I didn't add much because I have to send the card through the post and they sometimes don't travel well if they are too embellished. Anyway, the sentiment is there and I think it's bright enough paper that it stands on its own.

I had a lovely day today, celebrating a family birthday. Everyone is always so busy that's it nice when we can all slow down for a few hours and just be together. Unfortunately, the weather was not the most cooperative; one minute the sky would be tornado-like and the next minute bright and sunny. I'm hoping we can squeeze a few more weeks out of summer.

Thanking the vet

I took this picture of Kona a few months ago with my Ipod and thought it was perfect to put on a thank you card for his veterinarian. The brown and striped Kaisercraft paper goes perfectly with the photo then I added just a few embellishments - a rub-on, ribbon, a button and a few stick-on beads - as I didn't want to take away from the focal point. Simple but personal.

Though I had promised myself time to relax in the great outdoors, that didn't happen and it will have to wait until next week as I have a busy weekend. I have been reading a lot lately and like nothing better than to sit in the sunshine with a good book. Before you know it, summer will be gone and then I'll be moaning about my procrastination. On that note, I'm off to get some of my chores done. Have a great weekend.

The Dentist

I absolutely despise going to the dentist but was lucky enough to find a place that will sedate me through anaesthesia whenever I have to have any work done. Trust me, this is a Godsend. I am always grateful for the good care the dentist and nurses give me throughout my treatment so made a special card for them when I went today for the final appointment. Thank you, too, to all my friends who have to drive into Toronto to pick me up in my drug-hazed state!

The card is made from bits and pieces of paper, an image of a dentist I found on the Internet, Melissa Frances rubon, ribbon, button and stitching. I am so backed up with cards I want to get done and truly must find a better way to organize my time. 30 hours days would be a start!

Meow means thank you in "cat"

I wanted to make a special card for the vet that did Kenya's operation and I thought this was cutely appropriate. The paper is DCWV and the cats are cut from my Cricut "Animal Kingdom" cartridge. I added a couple of corners, a Melissa Frances rubon, a cute little Jolees mouse, some silver eyelets and ribbon.

Getting Better

So, things are getting better both for Kenya and for me though not without a couple of glitches. He went to the vet today and had his stitches out which I'm sure felt good. He was just happy that he didn't have to stay.

It was another busy day for me. I was able to get one project done in between everything else so that's a productive day!. This card uses My Minds Eye papers, a Prima flower, Melissa Frances rubons, a couple of stick on pearls and lace and ribbon.

My new television arrives tomorrow so I am very excited. You don't realize how much you miss something until it's gone. Though I have a small TV in the bedroom, I do enjoy one in the living room as well. I went with a 46" Sony flatscreen which I'm sure will be akin to sitting front row in a movie theatre but what the heck. Anyway, I had to get the 28" Sony Trinitron off its stand and out of the apartment. If you are not familiar with these televisions, they are great TV's but they are behemoths. Luckily, my building owner happened to be around today and he very kindly assisted me. Well, he did the work and I watched.


I spent forever on the computer this morning trying to get Paul McCartney tickets. He is coming to Toronto in August and always puts on a great show. I mean, he's a Beatle - how could it not be great??? I hate the whole ticket-purchasing system because you know there are a million other people with the same goal as you - get any ticket they can For the longest time, the site told me there was nothing available so I figured they were sold out. However, persistence paid off and I was able to get two.

This second card is done with K&Company paper. I cut the butterfly with my Cricut machine and added a few embellishments to make it all pretty.

I know I mentioned at the top of this post that things with Kenya were getting better....which they are. However, this morning he decided he would a) throw up a hairball b) poo on the bathroom carpet and c) do the biggest pee I have ever seen in the middle of the bed. I know he was sick but this is pushing it. I took a picture of the cleaned up pee just to show how big this thing was. It's like a crop circle. And how was your day?

What a difference a day makes

Things have been running much more smoothly around here today. Everyone finally settled down this morning around 5:30 and slept soundly until just after noon. Kenya seems much more comfortable and actually ate and drank a little bit. The vet figures the new antibiotics didn't agree with him so, once we stopped those, Kenya improved. Crossed fingers, it continues.

I love this card. I got the design idea from one of my favourite bloggers, Melissa Phillips. She is one of the most talented paper afficionados I have seen on the web and I aspire to possess one tenth of her talent. I used some more 7 Gypsies paper, a chipboard frame, Making Memories rubon, and some lace, ribbon and various buttons and stick-on embellishments.

I must get myself turned around after last night's fiasco so it's an early night tonight. Have a great week.

Paw Prints

Three days before Christmas and all is peaceful. I am taking a day to relax. No stores, no hustling or bustling or fighting traffic and just me time. My poor Kenya has his urinary tract infection back again so it was off to the vet yesterday for some medicine.

I made a couple of cards last night for a girl who recently lost her dog and wanted to send out some thank you's. The first is done with DCWV paper for pets, a Melissa Frances rub-on and some grosgrain ribbon. Below is all Making Memories paper, Melissa Frances rub-on and the heart border was done with a Fiskars punch.

It's so hard to lose a pet and very sad when it happens around Christmastime. Christmas is for family time and sharing and that includes all our beloved 4-legged creatures.

Gratitude

Just a quick post before I head off to work. I managed to get another of the New England thank you cards done so, hopefully, the cruise ship staff will be pleased when they receive them. This was made with some bits and bobs of paper I had, a Jolees embellishment sticker and Melissa Frances rubon.

Gotta run and get ready for work. Enjoy the weekend!

Casinos and Cards and Cleaning.....oh my

My life has been so hectic lately, it's truly surprising I get anything accomplished. Yesterday, I and a few friends had a casino day, something which we try to do a couple times a year. It's always great fun, win or lose (actually, more lose than win) though it normally takes up the better part of a day, particularly since, this time, we went to Niagara.

I worked into the wee hours of the morning and was able to get these two cards done up. This first is done with some of my most favourite paper ever by 7gypsies. I painted some flowers to co-ordinate them with the paper, then added some of my mother's lace, some ribbon from Doodlebug, a rubon, and some pretty stick-on lacy corners.



This card is another for my friend going on his cruise - he needed five in total to thank all the staff on board the ship. I would love to do the same when I go away but am usually so busy getting ready for the trip that I don't have time to make anything. Note to self.....plan for this next cruise. The little boats on this card were cut using one of my Cricut cartridges, "New Arrivals". I painted the edges of the bottom half of the card then added a couple of brads and some stick-on crystals. Stick-on anything is the best thing ever invented - no muss, no fuss, quick and easy. Gotta like that!

I am SO behind in my cleaning that I'm not sure I'll ever get caught up, particularly with a week of midnights ahead of me. No sense sweating it - it will get done when it's done.

More to share.....

I am slowly, but surely, getting my projects completed though I have to wonder where the time goes. Today was spent running errands and meeting with old friends which left little time for anything else. This thank you card is for a friend who is taking a cruise and likes to hand out cards to the crew at the end of the journey. It was done with some polka-dot Doodlebug paper and the photo is one I took on my recent cruise.

For the life of me, I cannot recall what company makes this paper but I thought it looked very manly and non-frou-frou. Most of the cards I make seem more female-appropriate though I don't imagine too many men truly care about the make-up of a card. I'm off to the casino tomorrow so I'm hoping for some good luck!

With apologies for being a bad blogger.....

It has been awhile since my last post though, for the life of me, I don't know where the time goes. I suppose work takes up most of my time and procrastination another good portion of the day. However, I'm back at it with a couple of cards I made this weekend (and what a beautiful bright, sunny weekend it was!).

I owe a nod to Melissa Phillips for the inspiration behind this card. It was done with Scribble Scrabble and k&company papers, some Prima flowers and Melissa Frances rubons. Pretty simple but very pretty.

This card was made for a friend who is adopting a new kitten. She recently lost her elderly cat so a new baby is sure to brighten her life. This is done with Doodlebug paper (including some of my favourite black "velvet"). The heart is Maya Road, edges were cut with a Martha Stewart punch, the cat sticker is Fiskars, brads are Doodlebug and the rub-on is Melissa Frances.

Sadly, my cat Kona and I ended up in the emergency vet again yesterday. He went to throw up, as cats do, but blood came out rather than anything else. These things always, always happen when my regular vet is unavailable so I drove him down to emerg where he very patiently (and cutely, I might add, in his sweater that grandma knit) went through the motions of being poked, prodded and observed. It was also a little embarrassing as Kona did not smell the best. We have been catsitting Orphy next door and Kona loves, for some unknown reason, to roll around in Orphy's litter box, be it clean or not. I figured there was no sense cleaning him up until our catsitting stint was over tomorrow. It's a take on the old adage - always wear clean underwear in case you have to go to the hospital. To their credit, emerg was great and we were in and out within half an hour. Of course, not before paying our $287.00 bill. I should have had kids - they would have been cheaper.

I have also been busily watching a ton of movies, trying to see all of them that are nominated for the upcoming Academy Awards. Most are excellent though not the most upbeat but I honestly cannot say that I could pick a winner as they are all so different. Enjoy the rest of your weekend and Happy Family Day!

Layouts

I think the layout of a project is one of the most important things to success. Once you find the perfect layout, you can create a dozen projects using the same template but they all look different.

I have to thank Melissa Phillips for the inspiration for these cards. I try to read her blog daily (http://www.lilybeanpaperie.typepad.com/) and am always blown away by what she does. This first card, unfortunately, had to be censored. It's for a friend who wanted a less than traditional greeting on the front....which is what makes handmade cards unique; you can say what you want. It is done with some Doodlebug papers, an embellishment by Me and My Big Ideas, some crystal stickers, fibres, my Fiskars punch for the edging and some pretty gingham ribbon.

For the second card, I used KaiserCraft paper (black/cream), 7Gypsies paper (pink), rubons, two punches - Fiskar and Martha Stewart - brads by Making Memories, flowers by Prima, stick-on pearls and some very pretty lacy ribbon.

I was able to get my snow tires on the other day, during the November heat wave, though it has cooled off considerably today. I spent the day at the casino yesterday and did not walk away a winner but rather the loser that I normally am at those places. However, losses were minimal and it's a fun day so what the hell.

Photo Card

A friend of mine wanted a card made with a desert theme. He had taken some photographs while on a trip to Las Vegas and I suggested we use the actual photo as the main focus of the card. I tried to match the paper colours to the picture - greens, pinks, mauves, blues and black -and I think the card turned out pretty well. The paper is from Cosmo Cricket, buttons from Basic Grey then I added some fibres, eyelets, ribbon and a rub-on.

What a perfect fall day for being outside; unfortunately, I am stuck inside doing cleaning. I have been busy this weekend shopping and was lucky to find a formal outfit (even better, on sale) for my upcoming cruise in May. I do a lot of my shopping on-line, particularly for Christmas, which certainly beats the crowded mall you encounter on a Saturday.

Enough procrastinating. Back to work tomorrow so perhaps more projects to post later in the week.

Thank you for the tree

My family recently had a tree planted in memory of a friend and they wanted a card to thank the City for all their hard work. I made the card using some Basic Grey and Doodlebug papers and a lovely tree embellishment from Jolees. The buttons are also from Basic Grey and actually match in much better than the photograph shows and I finished it off with some rub-ons, ribbon and twine. All done in perfect tree green colours.

I have been on the go all this week. Tuesday, I worked at the election and that was a long and hellish 15-hour day. Last night, I enjoyed a show at the theatre where I saw a Beatles cover band called 1964 (www.1964thetribute.com). The show was excellent and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes the music of the Beatles. Tomorrow, I'm off for a day of shopping and, hopefully, the rest of the weekend will be mine to get at some crafts. With any luck, I'll have some new projects to post in the next couple of days.

Let's Hear it for Dentists

As much as I hate going to the dentist, when you find a good one, you have to be grateful. This is a thank you card for a friend whose dentist is moving on. The patterned papers are from Doodlebug, the buttons from Basic Grey, stitches, corners and sentiment are all rub-on. The cartoon is some clip art I found on the Internet. Though I never associate "fun" with the dentist, I think this is a fun, whimsical card and I'm sure her dentist will appreciate my friend's thoughtfulness.

I'm not sure what happened to summer (did we actually have one??) but it doesn't feel much like summer out there today. I've had to resort to heavy-sweater-wearing during the evenings and it really is much too soon for that. I'm ordering my snow tires next week which thought is even more depressing. I have a mall day planned tomorrow so that will pick me up. Thanks for looking!

A few projects to share....

I have been busy this weekend trying to get all my projects done. The top card is a thank you that I made with plain cardstock then fancied up with some decorative green paper by "pop culture". The tag, star and "thanks" sentiment are all cut from Cricut and the brads are from K&Company.

I must give thanks to Melissa Phillips at lilybeanpaperie.typepad.com for inspiration for the second card. Her projects are amazing and I could only hope to one day do work like that. This card uses paper from Prima along with various chipboard, ribbon and fibre accents. I love the black velvet ribbon from Doodlebug Designs - what a way to dress up a card.

The third card is done with some old paper I had from Michele Ackerman with accent paper by 7gypsies. The butterflies are from the dollar store but are really quite beautiful. The chipboard hearts are by American Crafts and I added some ribbon, rubons and such to finish everything off.

Tomorrow is my least favourite time of the year.....well, 3 times a year.....the dentist. I have to go into the city but kind of enjoy that in the summer time as it gives me a chance for a walk a look-around. Hope your weekend is going great, despite the rain.

Days off are tiring

Sometimes I wonder if I don't do more hard labour when I'm off than I do when I'm at work. I ran around like mad all day today trying to get home before rush hour started. There must be a lot of people on vacation because traffic was fairly light all week. The cats are dutifully ignoring the new bed I so lovingly bought for them (and which is nicer than my bed); I may as well have brought home a paper bag as they would have got more use out of it.

Anyway....these are two cards I made yesterday. The top one is done with HOTP paper and lettering and a Jolees embellishment. The fibres are Doodlebug Designs and the stitching is all rub-on which is way easier than dragging out a sewing machine which I don't have to drag out in the first place. The bottom card is made with a photograph of Alaska I found on the web and some beautiful blue and white gingham paper which complements the picture perfectly. I'm back to the drawing board. Enjoy your weekend!

The trek to Alaska continues.....

This is another in the series of thank you cards I am making for my friend soon travelling to Alaska. This one utilizes Melissa Frances papers, a Prima flower, some pretty ribbon and a Jolees embellishment for the Alaska touch.

It is nice to be done a week of work and be able to start tackling some of the jobs that need done around the house though it's hard to think about inside chores when it's so nice outside. I'm off to the passport office tomorrow with hopes that I won't be in there forever. Thanks for looking!

The Ship has Sailed

What a perfect card for someone taking a cruise. The black and white papers are from Doodlebug Designs and the red dot is one of my favourites from Daisy D's. The white velvet brads are also from Doodlebug Designs and are meant to be paired with the paper. The ship was cut from the Cricut "New Arrivals" cart.

It's cleaning day again so cardmaking will have to take a back seat for awhile...plus, that old friend "work" is calling . Thanks for looking and enjoy the upcoming long weekend!

Themes

It's always challenging to make a special request card with a theme. This is a thank you for a cruise to Alaska, hence the polar bear. The paper was left over from many moons ago so I no longer remember whose paper it is but I think the combination of blue, green and white is always very striking. I love using fibres although I very often forget I have them in my drawers full of goodies. They are a nice alternative to ribbon. Thanks for looking - stay tuned tomorrow for another post.