For a very special dog

As nice as it is to send a personally made card, sympathy cards are always the hardest to make because there is so much sadness behind them. Hopefully, Bear's mom and dad find some comfort in a special memento of their beloved friend.

So much paper...so little time...

As I look through my collection of papers, I get so many different ideas but then run out of time. It's not uncommon that I'll buy paper and not use it for months until the perfect project comes along. I find it's like looking in my closet - certain clothes appeal to me more depending on what day it is.

This card was made with papers from "ScribbleScrabble", a company whose products I have not used in the past. The colour combination is very striking and works well on its own with minimal embellishments. The butterfly is from the Cricut cart "Home Accents".

Oh Baby

I always like making baby cards because the colours are so soft and pretty. This card uses K&Company papers which are neutral enough that they work for either a girl or a boy. The rattle is cut from Cricut "New Arrivals" and the ribbon is Anna Griffin silk. It's finished off with a little metal bootie and some rhinestones - pretty as a picture!

Housework should be banned

I am doing everything within my power today to procrastinate as I know a ton of cleaning awaits me. It seems like I just get things clean and the dirt settles again....so, really, why bother?

I made this pretty card yesterday from some K&Company paper that I bought quite awhile ago. I added a lot of lacy accents cut from my Martha Stewart punch (officially now my favourite punch) and some rubons for the sentiment and the black edging. I find I sometimes get carried away with the embellishing and, when I'm done, the card won't fit into the envelope. Then I need to either make a bigger envelope or just attach it to the gift sans envelope.

I went to one of my favourite local scrapbook stores yesterday and, to my horror, found it to be empty. No sign, no nothing. Scrapbook stores are so few and far between in this city that I was quite surprised to see it gone but I guess you just never know. Enjoy your weekend!

Stormy Weather

Talk about a storm! Those last night were pretty scary. It's bright and sunny this morning but I can see some dark clouds rolling in so I think we're in for another round today.

This is a very pretty sympathy card made with HOTP papers; unfortunately, the photo doesn't really do it justice and proves my picture taking abilities are getting no better. The frame around the sentiment was made with Cricut "Home Accents" and the "lace" edges with my Martha Stewart punch.

It's back-to-work Monday but, hopefully, I'll post again later in the week.

Every dog has his day......

Even dogs need to have their own personal cards. This is for a german shepherd who hurt his paw - written in both English and "dog". I have been trying to use up a lot of bits and pieces of paper that I just can't throw away. The five paws I cut out with a punch and "WOOF" was cut with Cricut's Animal Kingdom cartridge. The stitches and "sorry" are both rub-ons.

How pretty is this....

How pretty is this card done up in lace and ribbon! I purchased one of the Martha Stewart punches the other day and I just love the finished product. It reminds me of a lacy doily and the punch is so easy to use. The butterflies, corner edges and cutout are all done using Cricut "Home Accents" cartridge. I think I will get a lot of use out of this particular cartridge although it can be a bit fiddly trying to pry the cutouts from the paper when they are cut in the smaller sizes. I'm off to do my weekend errands - just hope the rain holds off til I'm done.

Happy Father's Day

I can't believe it is almost Father's Day....I mean, where does the time go? After all those storms last night, I wasn't sure we were going to live to see another day but we made it through. My poor cat, Kenya, is terrified of thunder and lightning and slept in the closet all night. Kona, on the other hand, could care less and slept peacefully through it all.

This card is done with HOTP papers - I love the combination of brown, black and tan. I bought a new Cricut cartridge yesterday - "Home Accents". It has all sorts of fun swirls and borders and I'm sure I will get a lot of use out of it. I also bought a couple of new punches. The heart border on this card is made with a Fiskars punch and is a nice finishing touch.

There's a heat wave coming

Finally, they are predicting some summer weather for us. After all this cold and rain, it's going to be a shock to the system. I'm ready for it though, with air conditioners in windows. And, I know, the first hot day we have everyone will be wishing it was cool again. I made this card for a very special birthday. The flower paper is Anna Griffin and the striped is Melissa Frances. I like that there are lots of fun edges and then the flower and bow to finish everything off. "Happy Birthday" was cut from Cricut "Beyond Birthdays". Stay cool!

Cards just for fun

Someone asked me to make them a card for the guy who fixed our pop machine at work. It's hard to go into a store and find a card with such a theme, but I thought this fit the bill perfectly. Sometimes, it's fun to stray from the usual baby/wedding/birthday. I was able to use up some scrap paper of which I have tons and the coke can is an image I found through Google.

What a Weekend

What a busy weekend! It started out well yesterday with a viewing of "Sex and the City - the Movie" which was just as good as I had hoped. I thought the theatre would be packed so we got there plenty early but it was surprisingly (and thankfully) empty. I got home to find my cat, Kona, had thrown up about five times then started throwing up blood so we had to make a run to the emergency vet. Total cost - $20.00 for movie and snacks; $280.00 to spring Kona. Anyway, he is much better today and back to lazing outside in the sunshine while mom cleans windows. Kenya watched his video this morning so all is good again.

Baby Card

This pretty card was made using papers from "My Mind's Eye"; they are actually Christmas papers but then who is ever going to know the difference? I wanted a baby card that could be used for either a boy or a girl and I think this fits the bill. The diaper pin was cut from Cricut "New Arrivals" and the flowers are from a huge bag I purchased that holds every flower imaginable - a great deal for $7.99. We've had huge thunderstorms here and it looks like it's getting ready for some more which means an inside day and more crafts!

Back to Work

I can't believe it's been so long between posts. After a very hectic month, I am back to cardmaking and, hopefully, some more frequent posts. This card was a special request from a friend for a dog who passed away recently. The papers are from HOTP Heritage collection and are absolutely gorgeous. The lettering is from the same collection and matches perfectly the papers. I love the little paw print which is part of an embellishment set from Jolees. A perfect tribute for a perfect dog.

'Tis the Season

Wedding season is starting. This card is made with Anna Griffin papers which have always been a favourite of mine; in fact, the first few cards I ever made were from Anna Griffin supplies. The flower embellishment in the centre is from Jolees. The pearls on the sides are a great invention - they are all strung together and you just cut off whatever length you need then stick them on. How much simpler can it be?

Make It Personal

This is a pretty wedding card that I have made very personal by adding the names of the bride and the groom at the bottom. The embellishments are all from Jolees and the "love" was cut from Cricut Beyond Birthdays.

Two Cards - The Same, but Different

I like to make one-of-a-kind cards. I craft one and then move on to the next rather than making 2 or 3 the same. First of all, I get bored too easily and, second, that way each card is unique. Having said that, both these cards were made using the same paper - "My Mind's Eye Wild Asparagus". I figured, since I had all the paper laid out, it made sense to do both at one time. The white paper doilies are a nice accent for cardmaking and can be used in a million different ways. Both of the "mother" quotes are from the same line of Wild Asparagus papers which are aptly titled "Mother Plaid". The weather today fooled me - it's all bright and sunny but when I went outside, it felt like November. Hurry back, Spring!

Have I had a day off?

It seems lately that I have been working much more than I have been playing. I thought the adage was that the older we get, the more spare time we have. I'm not buying that.

I spent the day yesterday at the Creative Sewing Festival in Toronto (http://www.cnsf.com/) where, despite the name, there were lots of scrapbooking vendors selling their wares. Of course, I had to buy many of those wares, not because I needed them but because they were there. The show was packed and doing a good business.

This card was made with "imaginisce" papers which are very rich with an old-fashioned feeling. The papers are double-sided so you can get plenty of different looks from them. I hope to be back at the cardmaking later this week with some new posts to follow. Thanks for looking!

Baby Girl Card

I made this pretty card yesterday - all bright and frilly for a little girl. The papers are all from "Basic Grey" and the dress and pants were cut from Cricut "New Arrivals" cartridge. I took the picture on my newly cleaned-up-for-spring balcony. The patio furniture is up and ready to go and the Christmas lights are finally down. Don't you just love days like this?

Square Cards

Lately, I am really into the square cards. I think I feel like they give me a bigger work space than do the rectangular ones although that theory is probably just in my head.

Mother's Day is our next big "holiday" so I have been busy making cards for moms. This was made with "Bo-Bunny's Back to Backs" paper and I love how the papers complement each other. The red gingham ribbon is some of my favourite and a great deal that I picked up at Michael's for $1.49. The "M" is chipboard covered with paper and then I used various flowers and brads to pretty it up. I have started to use a lot more flowers on my cards. I just find that they are the perfect accent no matter the theme. Have a great spring day!

Spring Has Sprung

What a gorgeous day it is out there today. I saw my first robin yesterday so I hope this means winter is far behind us. The only problem with all the sunshine is that it shows how badly my windows need cleaned...but that's for another day.

Keeping with the theme of sunshine, I made this thank you card out of some white embossed Doodlebug Designs paper then added some rub-ons for the "Friend" and the black squiggly. The centres of the flowers are two big, silver brads. I think the card turned out really bright and cheery.

I somehow ended up at the scrapbook store today and brought home some great new papers I can't wait to try out. I'll get busy tonight and the dirty windows will just have to wait.

Inside and out

This is some very pretty paper from "Flair Designs" that, honestly, I thought was wedding paper. By pairing it with some dotted paper by "daisyd's", it becomes just a nice flowery pattern and works well for a birthday. I always try to decorate the cards both inside and out so that the recipient gets a little extra surprise when they open the card. The quote is by HOTP which I ordered from an on-line company called Paper Wishes (www.paperwishes.com). I have been in somewhat of a buying frenzy lately with big plans to start a family heritage album. Love the projects but need more time!

Finally...some new photos

I have been so busy these past couple of weeks that I haven't had time for anything. Today is cold, windy and rainy so what better day than to stay inside and make some cards. This is an Anniversary card that I think is pretty but kind of fun rather than formal. The paper on top is by "Two Busy Moms" and the bottom paper is some scrap that I had laying around. I used lots of decorative brads just to make it interesting and cut "love" with Cricut. Which reminds me - Michaels is having a big sale on Cricut cartridges so I must get over there and stock up. I always wonder why they are so much more expensive in Canada than the U.S. but then I wonder about a lot of things that don't make much sense......

Big Cat

When I dug this paper out, it reminded me that I hadn't used my Cricut Animal Kingdom cartridge for awhile. The shapes on this cartridge are so cute but do require some work to get them looking a little more 3-D. The photo does not really do the card justice...again, my picture-taking disability rears it ugly head...but it is cute, nonetheless. This card would be perfect for a child's birthday or for someone like me who likes cats of all sizes.

Could it be?

Both the cats adore looking out the window into the backyard. What a difference a couple of weeks makes - you can actually see some grass there now. Could it be that spring is not far off???

Another Baby Card

Here is another baby card done with some "Daisy D's" paper and Cricut lettering. Blue and green is a pretty combination and perfect for a new little boy. I used rub-ons for the sentiment at the bottom and the swirl at the top and a black gingham brad in the centre of the flower. It's my cat's birthday (Kona) tomorrow and he will be a big boy of 7. Happy Birthday, Kona!

I always wonder when people make cards if they have a plan in place before they begin or if they just do like I do - willy-nilly straight into the project and see what happens. I think a bit of pre-planning might be less time-consuming in the end...I'll have to try that sometime.