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.

Birthday Joy

I'm always much better at creating feminine looking cards that I am masculine but I gave this one a stab and it turned out not too badly. The paper is Bobunny (not particularly masculine sounding), rub-on is Melissa Frances and the ribbon is Making Memories. I also hammered in some eyelets. The whole art of hammering, so I rationalized, seemed to make the card extra macho.

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.

Tooth Surgery

Poor Kona had to have surgery yesterday to remove three teeth. He started doing weird things with his mouth over the weekend to the point that I took him into the emergency vet on Saturday thinking he may have something caught in his mouth. They couldn't find anything but, when I took Kona to his regular vet on Monday, there were two abcessed teeth and one more with a cavity that had to come out. How the emergency vet missed that is beyond me.

So, Kona was not very happy with me yesterday and continues to give me the stink eye every time I walk by him. He was sent home with a not-very-manly pink bandage on his arm which came off very shortly after his arrival home.

50th Anniversary

We have a 50th Wedding Anniversary celebration to attend this weekend so I wanted to make a special card commemorating the milestone. Gold paper was a must and I combined it with some ivory embossed paper covered with a black swirl overlay. Finishings include black velvet ribbon, black lace, Fiskars punch for the heart border, EK Success foam numbers, Making Memories rub-on, black stick-on pearls and Making Memories flowers.

Summer has been hot and steamy but we finally got a good day of rain yesterday which the grass badly needed. I don't know why but summer seems to fly by while winter just drags on and on. Hopefully, I can get myself outside tomorrow to enjoy the warmth.

Thanks for looking!

Summer Hiatus

As my good Illinois friend points out, it appears someone has given me the summer off. I must say that was inadvertently self-imposed through sheer lack of time and a little bit of procrastination. I do apologize for my lengthy absence and though no promises, will attempt to make amends with more attention paid to my loyal blog watchers.

So....having said that.....I present to you my latest creation, a very pretty bridal shower card made with some beautiful paper from the echo park paper company. The request was for a pink and sparkly card, hence the rhinestone "Bride" and and pink accents. The sentiment is also by echo park, stick-on black pearls are from Making Memories and black ribbon from my stash.

I had a lovely day trip yesterday to Niagara Falls, hitting casinos on both the U.S. and Canadian sides and faring particularly well on the 5 cent Monopoly machine. Add to that a trip to the U.S. Walmart and it was a day in heaven. Things would have gone better had the one member of our party entrusted with bringing the GPS actually brought it though I must say Grand Island is lovely this time of year had that been within 25 miles of our intended destination. Let's just say, a 10 minute drive took us about an hour and a half factoring in all our detours. You gotta laugh, otherwise you'll cry.....

Happy weekend everyone, especially those Canadians with a holiday Monday. Talk soon.

Country Wedding

The nice thing about making your own cards is that you can personalize them to your heart's content. I had a request for a wedding card with a bride, groom, pitch fork and a tractor. That's something you're never going to find in your local Hallmark store.

I made this with some "echo park" paper, Jolees embellishments, Prima flower, Melissa Frances rub-on, some gingham ribbon, white lace and a crystal brad. Cute card for a special couple.

For You

I am such a fan of Beatriz Jennings whose blog I faithfully read each and every week. Her work is amazing and I thank her for the inspiration for this card. I picked up this Jolees birdcage in Michaels the other day and couldn't wait to use it. The paper on the card is Basic Grey, flower is Prima and the rub on is Kaiserkraft. It was such fun to make and am quite pleased with the results.

I must run as I have a thousand things to do. Happy Victoria Day to all my Canadian friends and enjoy the long weekend!

Butterflies are free

I love the butterfly on this card. It reminds me of springtime and sunny days and gentle breezes and all those good things a great spring day brings. I am trying to use up some of my paper stash which appears to be bottomless; in fact, I think it borders on the "hoarders" level. This stuff is so easily accumulated, something I must remember next time I am out and find some "must have" paper. Just say no!

Speaking of spring, it is that time of year when long-neglected chores must be addressed like cleaning the windows, truly one of my most despised tasks. It's not so much that I don't like the work but more the fact that, no matter how much I fiddle, the windows still have streaks. I'm sure there's some sort of trick to it but, for the life of me, I can't figure it out.

Rain, rain go away.....

It's been raining straight here for about 2 weeks now with a day or two of sun in between. It's also been quite chilly so it's certainly not enjoyable being outside. This card reminded me of bright sunshine and what I would like to see when I look out the window.

After two days of watching every Royal Wedding programme I could find on the dial, I decided it was time to do something else so I made a pretty birthday card. The black paper is embossed and is the perfect contrast to the yellow floral. I added some white lace, black and white gingham ribbon, some black rhinestone embellishments, a matching yellow flower and some rub-ons. I had to make a quick trip out for some thread as I played the thread-the-sewing-machine game again today for half an hour before I decided I just needed some thinner thread. That did the trick.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!

Thinking of you

It seems like forever but I have finally made it back into the card crafting world. So much seems to go on in my daily life and, unfortunately, it is always the cards that get ignored. Nevertheless, I apologize for my lengthy blog absence and hope to stay a little more current in the future.

I used some of my favourite K&Company paper for this card. The flower is Prima, the pearls from Making Memories and the lace and ribbon are bits and bobs I had laying about. I am having sewing machine issues again. For some reason, I can never quite get the right thickness of thread - it's always too thin or too thick. You'd think I would learn and, when I do find the perfect thread, keep the label so that I can simply buy the same one over and over. Anyway, it must have taken me 20 minutes to thread the needle last night with what was apparently a very thick thread. I'm either going to have to find a quick fix for needle threading or upgrade to a machine that does that for you. Needle threading is simply a cruel joke for those, like me, who have very little patience.

HappyBirthdayHappyBirthdayHappyBirthday

I love this Teresa Collins Birthday paper! It makes this very simple card pop and certainly sends a very warm birthday sentiment. All I added were a few Prima flowers, a bit of lace and some ribbon. Red, black and white is one of my favourite colour combinations and it always looks fresh.

I can smell spring in the air. Most of the snow is gone and, fingers crossed, will stay gone. Not being a fan of the cold, winter takes a toll on me so it's nice to see gradually longer days and a bit more sunshine.

It's going to be a busy week for me so I wanted to get this quick post in. Now I'm off to do my many chores which have been ignored for far too long. Have a great weekend everyone!

Sympathy card

I made up this card the other day with some beautiful new paper called "Curio Textiles". The paper is double sided and all coordinates perfectly which makes it that much easier for me. I added some lace, ribbon and a flower then printed the sentiment on the computer. Very simple and just right when offering sympathies.

I had a lovely dinner out with my family tonight and am sitting here thinking why did I eat so much? The problem is, when I have an outing like that planned, I tend not to eat a lot throughout the day. By the time I get to dinner, I am famished and eat everything in sight. You'd think I would have learned by now.

I've had a very long day today so will keep this short. Thanks to everyone for looking and for all of you enjoying a long weekend, have a great one!

Shelby

My girlfriend asked me to make a card for her brother's dog "Shelby" who recently passed away. They always called her their princess so what could be more fitting than a lovely jewelled crown. I love these colours - very girly and regal at the same time exactly like Shelby from what my girlfriend has told me.

I ventured out yesterday into the very, very cold day over to my scrapbook store. It was under the guise of just looking but you know it never turns out that way. $100.00 later I was on my way until the next time. I seriously think I have a paper addiction and wonder if it might be wise to get into a 12-step programme. How much paper can one person need?

Cutie Pie

I had to post this cute picture of Kona that I took last week. He was laying on my bed and looked up with his sleepy eyes just as I snapped the picture. I then framed it through one of the apps on my Ipod. I'll have to post a pic of Kenya as well just to give equal time.

Valentines

I was very lazy this year and only made one special Valentine's Day card - for my mom. All the others, I bought. I think I need to plan my holidays more carefully and start making projects months in advance rather than waiting until the week before. Like, maybe I should start doing Christmas cards now and then there's not the rush and panic when November arrives and nothing is done. I'm sure this is how organized people think and I should really look into it further.

Thank you to those of you who loyally follow my blog despite my absences. Another late night tonight but I'll try to get something posted tomorrow.

Belated Posting

It seems every time I blog, I am apologizing for taking so long to post something new. Between work, working overtime and God knows what else I am doing, this seems to fall last on the list of priorities. Not that I don't do a lot of thinking about making new projects, but they just never seem to come to fruition as often as I would like.

This card is made with a few different papers - My Mind's Eye, 7 Gypsies, Webster's Pages. The rub-on is Melissa Frances and the pretty flower is Prima. So many people seem to be turning 50 lately though they do say 50 is the new 40. I'm not so sure about that but I suppose it beats 50 being the new 60.

Is everyone getting all this horrible snow? I know I complained about the storm we had last week until my good friend Jan told me they in Chicago got 3 times what we did and I decided I wasn't so hard done by after all.

Toys

I was very spoiled this year at Christmas and got a number of beautiful things. One of the gifts was an Ipod touch so I have been busy downloading various apps to play around with. My favourite app is called FX Photo Studio which enables you to edit photos taken on the Ipod and add all sorts of different effects. These are a couple I took of Kenya (above) and Kona (below). Hours of fun!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to everyone and thank you for being so patient during my extended holiday absence. Between pre-Christmas preparations, work and post-Christmas goings-on, I'm afraid my blog has been ignored. However, hopefully I can get back at it on a regular basis now that things are somewhat back to normal.

I made this card for a friend whose friend recently lost her Golden Retriever, "Gracie Lee". I just thought this picture was so cute and fit perfectly with the theme of the card. Paper is from "My Mind's Eye" and the flower is Prima.

Birthday Card

It's been dark, dreary and rainy all day though anything is better than snow. It was the perfect day to stay inside and get some of the chores done up of which there is no shortage.

I made this card with a mix of papers - Bobunny, Basic Grey, My Mind's Eye. I added a metal frame, glittery stars, buttons, ribbon and a Melissa Frances rub-on. I was hoping to get some more Christmas cards done up but those will have to wait until next week. Thanks for looking!

Fa la la la la

It's almost December so I thought I would try to get into the spirit by doing some wrapping. All my shopping is done so it's down to the wrapping now, which is a job in itself. I try to approach each gift like I would when creating a card - some call that creative; others call it obsessive.

Santa Claus

I finally have a chance to sit down and rest my feet. It seems I have done nothing but rush around the last few days, doing errands, going to appointments, shopping, cleaning up.......It will almost be a vacation to go back to work!

A quick post tonight with another Christmas card made with some Anna Griffin and Bobunny paper, a cute Santa, ribbon, lace, stick-on pearls and gold balls and a Merry Christmas rub-on. My computer is giving me problems - I can get mail but can't send any but that problem will have to wait for another day. Technology can be so frustrating especially when all you want to do is turn something on and have it work. Hopefully, this post comes through alright - thanks for visiting!

Traditional red and green

As much as I love trying new colour combinations, red and green always looks so Christmasy. The wreath on this is by Jolees and is all bright and sparkly. Photos never seem to show the cards as vividly as they look in person but that could just be the photographer!

My poor Kona.....I had to take him to the vet the other day. I came home from marching in the Remembrance Day parade and saw a blur of fur as he ran to his litter box. He was trying to go but couldn't so off he went to the vet. $500.00 later, I found out he was all bunged up and had to stay for an enema. Luckily, that promptly cleaned him out and I was able to pick him up a couple of hours later. I got some new fibre food for him but he will not touch it (can't say that I blame him judging by the look of it). The vet suggested canned pumpkin (the thought of which turns my stomach) so I'll get some of that and give it a try.

Merry Christmas

I am in full gear for Christmas, trying to get everything done as far ahead as possible so that it's a pleasant experience rather than a stressful one. So many people I talk to get stressed out at this time of year because they leave everything until the last minute. I have done about 3/4 of my shopping (thank you very much online shopping) and have now turned my attention back to my cards.

This very Victorian looking card was done with some Bobunny and Jenni Bowlin paper. I added a pretty canvas photo, some lace, ribbon, stick-on brads and an Imaginisce rub-on.

I am holding on very tightly to these last few days in November that are bright, sunny and on the warm side. As much as I try to kid myself, I know the cold weather is coming and, in anticipation, I got my snow tires on the other day and bought some new winter boots. I like to rationalize that, once we get through December, then we have the January thaw. February has groundhog day which means only 6 more weeks of winter and then it's spring again. Whatever works for you!!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

I had a lovely family day today for my mom's 86th birthday on the 19th of this month. It was a perfect fall day with bright sunshine and it was just nice to have the family together. We got mom a Kindle which is actually kind of neat. Being a big hands-on type of person, I wasn't sure how I would like reading off a screen but it really wasn't much different than reading an actual book. Plus, it's pretty simple to operate which is a big plus for an older person (mom, not me!).

I used some more of My Mind's Eye paper for this card and I always forget how much I love the soft colours. The flower is Michael's, rub-on is Melissa Frances, lace, ribbon and pearl brads are from my many drawers full of stuff.

It was nice to get the extra hour of sleep last night but not so nice tonight when it started to get dark at 5:00. I can see why people get depressed during this time of the year. Depending on what shift I'm working, I sometimes feel like I am perpetually in the dark (literally, not figuratively). Oh well, make the best of it and soldier on.......have a great week.