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!

Keeping Busy

I have a lot of projects that need to get done so took a couple of vacation days from work to try to get caught up. I have also been playing around a lot with my new camera, thoroughly irritating the cats with my requests for poses. Above is Kenya looking typically cheeky and completely bored with the whole portrait process. They both tolerate it though, knowing mom will eventually tire and leave them alone.

This sympathy card was made with some Anna Griffin paper I have had forever; in fact, it was some of the first paper I ever bought. The lace is some my mom gave me and the flowers from the Prima "Nursery Tales" collection. I printed the sentiment on my computer then added some pearl brads to the flowers.

I thought this card was fun as it's going to be used as a thank you on a cruise ship. Pretty well all the paper is scraps and the embellishment is from Sandylion with a rubon for the sentiment. I have spent most of the past week printing up my vacation photos and putting them into an album. For some reason, I much prefer to view photos hard-copy rather than on a disk. I guess old habits die hard.

What was I thinking??

Thought I'd share one more quick photo with you. This is me ziplining in Antigua. As hesitant as I was to initially step off that first platform, it was great fun and I'd do it again in a minute!! That helmet really does not do me any justice though.

Vacation's Over

All good things must come to an end which, sadly, includes vacations. As great as going away is, it's nice to come home and get back into a routine though, I have to admit, the vacation routine is a pretty good life. The worst part was coming from 85 degrees and sunny to 50 degrees and rainy. Is summer ever getting here??

I made this card today from some bits of paper I had laying around. My mom gave me her ribbon and lace collection which I'm sure she has been amassing for the last 50 years so I was in heaven going through all that. This pretty card is for a lady who is 90 years old in June....imagine! Her eyesight is not the best so I wanted to keep it simple so that she can see all the little details.

I'll be back with more later this week. I have SO much laundry and cleaning up to do, I don't know where to start! Plus, right on cue, my cat, Kenya, got his urinary tract infection back again while I was away. He stays with Grandma and, as much as he likes it there, he seems to get a bit stressed when he realizes I've gone away. I'm certain this stress leads to his infections but I don't know how to control that. Time to consult the cat psychiatrist.

Congratulations

I have been playing around with my new camera, trying to get comfortable with it before I vacation. It has a great feature where you can programme it to take out all colours but one, leaving you with an image like this one. I have a very bad habit of dropping cameras so I must use extreme due diligence and watch what I'm doing.

This very pretty card was made with My Mind's Eye papers. I have always liked using this company's products - their paper is solid and double-sided giving you twice the bang for your buck. The butterfly is chipboard and I covered it with some little silver beads. Flowers are from Prima and the rub-on is Melissa Frances. I got the idea for this card from one of my card magazines so I must give nods to Melissa Phillips for her always inspiring crafting.

I won't be blogging for a couple of weeks while I vacation. Vacations always seem a long time coming but all of a sudden....boom.....there they are and you are scrambling around frantically to get everything done. Talk to you later and thanks for looking.

Happy 75th!

I made this card for a friend who is turning 75 this month. I used some more of the Autumn Leaves "Pretty Poppies" paper with a Melissa Frances rubon and some wooden numbers that I painted red. The only problem with the wood is that they make the card so heavy but I suppose it doesn't really matter unless you are mailing it.

I finally got my new camera yesterday (Canon SX200) and I have to say I'm pretty pleased with the picture quality. I was hoping to get it before my vacation so now all I have to do is read the long and confusing manual and figure out how things work.

What a beautiful day today. The birds start singing about 4 am but I always find that sound so relaxing - kind of like sleeping when it rains. Kona has been under the weather today (I'm thinking he is getting me back for accidentally locking him out in the hallway the other morning for an hour) but he is up and eating so must be feeling better.

More Mother's Day

I took my mom shopping yesterday for a Mother's Day gift as she mentioned she would like some new summer clothes. We were very successful.....in fact, too successful.....and mom walked away happy.

Everything is looking very green after all the rain we have had. The leaves on the trees are almost out though I can't believe how windy it is every day. I'm not so sure I buy into the global warming thing; I think it's more like global wind blowing.

I made this card last night from some Melissa Frances paper. Her papers are always so soft and pretty The flower is from Prima, ribbon is from Anna Griffin and I added a chipboard heart and some stick-on pearls.

Sorry for the short post but I've got a TON of stuff I need to get done before work tomorrow.

It feels like summer

Today certainly felt like summer with temperatures reaching 27 degrees. What a nice change from the cold and rain of the past couple of weeks. Why does it seem I am always working on the good weather days??

I must thank Beatriz Jennings, once again, for the inspiration for this card. She just has such beautiful designs, it's hard not to want to try them all out. The paper is from sassafras, flowers from Prima, punch is Fiskars and the sewing is all mine (hey....I'm getting better....I can almost do a straight line!). Let's hope for more good weather days!

Mother's Day and some other stuff....

I finally got around to making some Mother's Day cards, though I have more to do. I love the colours on this one The paper is from Autumn Leaves "Pretty Poppy" paper collection. I find buying paper in a pad is really the most economical though it's difficult sometimes as I don't always like every single paper design in the pack. The flower on this card is from Prima and the ribbon is from a friend of a friend who owns a basket company and has tons of beautiful ribbons.

This card is done with some leftover scraps, idea-ology chipboard butterfly, Prima flower, some pearl stick-ons, a Martha Stewart punch for the lace borders and some wired tulle. The sentiment was printed on my computer.

Well, yesterday was a day for getting long overdue icky chores done; those odd jobs that pile up over the months that don't really affect day-to-day living but really should be attended to. My brother very kindly spent half the day here fixing, assembling and attending to my very lengthy "to do" list. First on the list was getting this very pretty shelf up, on which now sits my special Beatles drum set. A friend gave me the drums as a gift....a year and a half ago....as he knows I am a big Beatles fan so how fun is that!

We had a rainstorm yesterday I thought was going to uproot my building. The winds were absolutely beyond gusty.....I'm not sure what word describes beyond gusty but they were extremely, scary strong. I ran over half a tree in the road trying to get home before the storm hit full-on so I'll have to check my car to see what damage it might have done. Anyway, the temperature dropped like a rock after it was all said and done which means today is cloudy and cool. I'm off to start the rest of my errands. Thanks for looking at my site.

Hippity-Hop

This card is done with some Making Memories papers - perfect Easter colours! The bunny is cut from Cricut "Stretch your Imagination" and the pretty little pink flowers are from Prima. I am off shortly for an Easter barbecue though it's not exactly barbecue weather out there. Nice and sunny but cold and windy.

I managed to get all my Easter shopping and wrapping done yesterday and the appetizer is ready to go. My friends have been kind with their Easter gifts to me -they certainly know that chocolate is one of my favourite food groups!

Happy Easter

I finally found some time to sit down and make some Easter cards. I had hoped to make a couple more but that will have to wait until tomorrow. The first card was done with K&Company paper, some Prima flowers and the Easter bunny is from a piece of wrapping paper. I apologize for the blurry picture - as you can see, my photo picture skills have not improved at all. I have been trying to buy a new camera but the model I want is new for this year and not available in Canada yet. How many times have I heard those words?? Personally, I think the problems lies less with the camera and more with the user.

This very pretty card combines some Suzy's Zoo paper with some scraps that happened to match perfectly. I cut out three of the flowers from the paper, layered them with buttons and ribbon then adhered everything to the green ribbon. I love working with tulle because it's so versatile and you can never screw it up. I added a few stick on rhinestones and a Happy Easter rub-on.

This is my week off after my 7 night shifts and I am going to need to go back to work for a rest after all that I have to do. I am trying to gradually get ready for my trip next month so that I am not scurrying around like a madman at the last minute. The family is getting together for Easter Sunday so I am preparing an appetizer of some sort. The "Bark and Park", a mobile pet groomer, is coming on Tuesday to work on Kona's very badly matted coat. Plus, I am catsitting for Orphy next door so it's go-go-go here. Hope everyone enjoys your long weekend and have a Happy Easter!

Is it sometimes easier to just buy a box???

Keeping with the black and white theme, I made this box for a wedding shower I am going to on the weekend. I used a mish mash of paper, some American Crafts, some Doodlebug and some scraps I had laying around. The pearl brads are from the Bride's Magazine wedding collection, flowers from Prima, rub-on from Melissa Frances and the ribbons are from assorted sources.

As much as I like the finished product and the whole art of craft making, I sometimes wonder if it's just easier to buy a box or bag to put the gift into. I know this train of thought negates the whole point of my card making, but it sure took a lot of time and effort to make this project! Anyway, nothing ventured, nothing gained and I really do enjoy this as a hobby.

That's it for today. Work calls over the next few days so I doubt I'll get any projects done. My cat, Kona, is sick AGAIN (I can't believe it was just a couple of months we went through this) though he did get out of his sick bed to have something to eat which is a good sign. It's his eighth birthday tomorrow so I'm hoping he gets better soon!

Black and white

I think one of the prettiest colour combinations has always been black and white. This is a very pretty wedding shower card that owes a nod to Beatriz Jennings for inspiration. The black velvet paper is from Doodlebug and looks so rich against the white. The heart was cut from Cricut "George" and then accented with some white lace ribbon. Rub-ons are from Melissa Frances, flower from Prima and the black brads from Michaels "Recollections".

What a beautiful day today is. My snow tires are off and I am ready for the good weather. I have so much to do today, I'm not sure where to start. With great plans to rise early this morning, I, of course, slept in and now am badly behind the mental schedule I had written for the day. Oh well, don't sweat the small stuff and I'll just get done what I can. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Happy Spring

Happy Spring everyone! This is my favourite time of year - the end of winter. I have been running around like crazy today trying to get ready for my cruise in a couple of months, taking stock of what clothes I have and what I need. I never really NEED anything when I go away; it's just nice to have new things when you travel.

I made a very spring-y card today with some leftover scraps of paper. The top is done with a piece of wrapping paper which I always thought was so pretty - these are definitely some of my favourite colours. I added some ribbon, a Prima flower, fibres, a couple of American Craft butterflies and a rub-on

On to boxes

I needed a gift box for a birthday gift so thought I would branch out and try to make one myself. Basically, it's the same theory as card-making except with a bigger surface. The paper on this box is from K&Company with lots of white tulle, some Prima flowers, and some brads and ribbon. I must give kudos to Beatriz Jennings for the layout idea - iralamija.blogspot.com - and thank her for the inspiration.

The weather has been beautiful these past couple of days. You know it's nearing spring when the car dealer calls to see when you want your snow tires off. Having said that, the minute I do have them off, we'll have 10 inches of snow, I'm quite sure.

My days off are nearly done. I have no idea where the time goes and future projects will have to wait for my next set of days off. Hope your weather is as beautiful as ours and Happy St. Patricks Day!

It's my 1-year anniversary!

Well, today marks the 1-year anniversary of my blog debut. I still enjoy crafting and sharing though I am sometimes remiss in posting my projects. I guess work is to blame for that but, in order to craft, I gotta work.

I spent the day downtown Toronto today as I had a dentist appointment and, of course, what is a day in Toronto without shopping?? It wasn't the best day to be walking around what with the cold wind and rain but, since shopping is an indoor activity, I wasn't bothered much by the weather. Another Canadian soldier was killed, this one from my city, so I hope to get to the Highway of Heroes tomorrow to honour his homecoming.

The above card was made using some Anna Griffin papers which have always been some of my all-time favourite papers. The edges were cut with a Martha Stewart punch and the sentiment plate cut with the Cricut "Home Accents" cartridge. The actual sentiment is a stamp and I finished the card off with some rub-ons, a Prima flower, stick-on pearls and pretty lacy ribbon. I hope to have more before I'm back to work later this week.

Sweet 16

I can't even remember 16, it was so long ago. It's hard to believe how fast time really flies. This is a bright and cheery card for a fresh-faced 16-year old made out of some Scenic Route papers. The embellishments are from Jolees, flower is Prima and the fibres are EK success.

I have been running around like crazy since I finished 7 night shifts. I get absolutely nothing done during that week as all I seem to do is sleep and work. Everything just keeps piling up so that, on my days off, I get to clean up all the messes then start all over again. It's a dull and rainy day here today though, don't get me wrong, it beats snow. Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous with 18 degree weather. What a change from the -18 we had early in the week. I hope to get at some more projects over the next couple of days so will talk to you later in the week. Happy weekend!

Birthday Girl

This is a cute little card that I made for my girlfriend's birthday using some s*e*i paper, a couple of Prima flowers, Making Memories brads and my favourite Martha Stewart punch. I had hoped to get more projects done this week but I have been sick as a dog with a cold and it was all I could do to keep my head up and my eyes focused. My chores have been piling up so I guess that's my goal for the day.

In the beginning.....

I found these photos on an old memory card I was going through and recognize them as cards I did a few years ago just after I started paper crafting. It's interesting to see how my "style" has changed and also to realize that, as much as I thought it impossible, I was a worse photographer then than I am now.

Thanks for your concern

A couple of my blog friends have asked about Kona and how he is doing which I really appreciate. He seems to be back to his old self as seen in the above photo taken this morning. The vet never did know what caused the blood - he thought maybe Kona bit his tongue when he went to throw up or gagged so hard he strained something. We're just going to watch him for now and hope it doesn't happen again. He and Kenya are very happy in their shoe box and lid and very obviously avoid getting into the $50.00 kitty hammock that mom ordered them from the Internet.

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!

Cards that stand alone

Once I finish this post, I am off, yet again, to shovel my car off. How can so much snow keep falling from the sky? Then, I have an exciting afternoon of cleaning and house chores to keep me busy. Yesterday was spent cleaning out one whole closet. I got some new clothes hangers for Christmas which motivated me to get going on the job. I'm sure you are thinking how motivating can hangers be but, seriously, these are the best! They are all soft and nicely rounded so you don't get all those horrible hanger bumps in your sweaters. Truly, take a look for yourself - http://www.huggablehangers.com/. Apparently, I have way more clothes than I did hangers so I'm going to have to order some more before I can tackle the next closet. You gotta love procrastination.

I always think it's important that each card I make have its own personality. Even though I may use the same paper and colour combination on two different cards, I like to think that each is individual and unique. Above, both cards were done from the identical Basic Grey paper in identical layouts. One is for a 40th Birthday and the other for a colleague who is leaving the shift. I cut some stars from Cricut "George" and added some buttons, rubons and twine. Unfortunately, my printer seems to have died after I had a massive paper jam. I'm thinking that my shoving my fingers in there did not help matters and probably was the cause of the death. Never put your hand where you wouldn't put your face and things will be fine.

Milestone Birthdays

A friend asked me to make her a card for her dad's 75th Birthday so I did this out of some Basic Grey paper - very masculine and regal. I cut the "75" from Cricut cartridge "George" and the balloons from Cricut "Stretch Your Imagination". The "dad" rubon is from Melissa Frances and the hearts Maya Road.

I'm having a do-everything-at-once day today where I have so many things to do, I don't know where to start or stop so I have a little bit of this going and a little bit of that. Hopefully, this will give me some time tonight to sit and relax. Ha....like that's going to happen.

Nope....the snow's still there

Here is Kenya, patiently waiting for his lunch though there is very little patience when either of them is hungry. I am a little worried about him as he has been having these sneezing fits lately for which is is currently on medication. Actually, he has had bouts of sneezing on and off for several years and we always thought it was allergy-related but now the vet is not so sure. Hopefully, everything is OK.

I knew it was wishful thinking but I checked and all the snow seems to still be intact. I KNOW the ice is still there because I almost took a header on it at the car wash. And what does that dumb groundhog know anyway - 6 more weeks of winter??

A couple of projects to share......

I was out the other day and picked up some new paper by Basic Grey. Rather than buying the big 12x12 sheets, these are half the size all nicely packed in a paper pad that can be easily stored. You can't get any easier than that.

The first card is a sympathy card for a friend who lost her mother. I added a couple of Prima flowers and a little heart from Maya Road, an edge from my favourite Martha Stewart punch and printed up the sentiment on my computer.

The second card is for a 70th birthday and I was able to use my Cricut "Stretch your Imagination" cartridge for the birthday cake. I really think I will get a lot of use out of that cartridge as it's so versatile. I covered a Maya Road heart in gold Stickles and added a couple of rub-on sentiments plus some stitching.

It's such a nice change to see sunshine out there today with some slightly warmer temperatures. I was hoping the 6' of snow we have would all melt but I think I set my expectations too high. Oh well, baby steps........