Vintage 50th

I wanted to try out some new paper by K& Company (when I say new, I mean new to me) and ended up with this pretty card. These papers are part of the ancestry line and they would be perfect for mounting old photographs and keepsakes. I added a metal heart frame, a Prima flower, lace, pearls, ribbon and a "50" sticker and think the final product is fitting for a 50th Birthday. I seriously have some hoarding issues when it comes to scrapbook stuff and need to start using up the old before bringing in any more new.

Beautiful Blossoms

A very quick post today as I am on my way out but wanted to share another project. This card is made using paper from the echo park paper company, beautiful flowers from prima (aren't ALL their flowers beautiful??), Making Memories metal frame, lace, ribbon and pearl stick-ons. As October comes to an end, I must get going with my Christmas projects not to mention move my Christmas shopping along a bit.

Well....I'm off for my walk. Will try to catch up with everyone in the not too distance future. Have a great weekend and thanks for looking.

65 Years Young

When I was a kid, 65 years of age was a lifetime away. As I edge ever closer to that number, it really doesn't seem that bad. What a busy few days I have had getting caught up with chores and appointments. I had a dental appointment in the city yesterday and, rather than taking the subway as I normally do from the train station, and because it was such a beautiful day, I decided to walk the I-don't-know-how-many-blocks to the dentist's office. That felt pretty good so I repeated it on the way back to the train. However, given that the shoes I was wearing were not at all meant for the long haul, my back is feeling it today. Now I know why you see people in New York City wearing proper walking shoes and carrying their office shoes.

This card is made with some beautiful K&Company floral paper, Making Memories metal frame, Prima flower, Anna Griffin satin photo corners, Melissa Frances rub-ons and some lace, ribbon and stick-on pearls. The metal frames are so versatile and really add a vintage look to the card.

Tag Card

This is a pretty tag card I made for an 80th Birthday. The ribbon and flower are Making Memories and the paper and nother embellishments are some I had from earlier projects.

My car was giving me headaches today in that it didn't want to start. I was taking a quick run up to my mother's and it took about 10 cranks to get the car to turn over. Against better judgement, off I went only to have the problem repeat once I stopped it in mom's driveway and tried to get going again. Thank God for CAA who came out relatively quickly and installed a new battery.

I cannot believe how fast these days off are going and how little it seems I have accomplsihed Tomorrow, there will be no excuses!

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.

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!

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!

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.

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!

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.

Birthday Celebration

Much of my all-time favourite paper is made by "My Mind's Eye", particularly the florals and vintage themed patterns. I love that it's two-sided, giving me twice the choices and I can't buy enough of it. This card was made with some of this paper for a guy's 50th birthday. I always struggle when making male-themed cards since I tend to drift moreso towards the frilly girly stuff. I used a Tim Holtz metal frame (love, love, love this stuff!), a Melissa Frances rub-on, some fibres, ribbon, buttons and stick-on numbers.

I am trying to have a relaxing day today after working a 13-hour day yesterday at the election. The good thing was it was steady all day so there wasn't really any down time to realize how tired I was. I always enjoy seeing the 18-year olds voting for the first time. The parents are so proud and most of the kids have truly done their homework. I still remember the first time I voted with my mom, dad and grandma....how can that be so many years ago???

First Birthday

I have been glued to my television set for the last day and a half watching the mine rescues from Chile. It is such a miracle that they were able to get everyone up safely and that all the men appeared in such good health. I can't even imagine what they and the families have gone through but I'm glad it has ended well, save that they get the other four rescue workers out of there.

I did slip out for a few errands today and imagine my surprise when I came across a new scrapbook store not too far from me. Of course, I had to go in and check it out and, of course, I had to buy more stuff. It's like an addiction and I can't stop.

I made this card from some of the new "My Mind's Eye" paper I picked up. The card is for a little girl's first birthday and it's oh so cute and girly. I added a chipboard frame covered with Stickles, a Melissa Frances rub-on, Prima flower and some pretty lace and ribbon.

Thanks for looking and for all your nice comments about my work - it's always much appreciated!

Cards and Critters

This is a card I made for my brother's upcoming 50th Birthday. It kind of looks more like a card for a 5-year old but my brother is young at heart so I think he'll be happy with it, particularly being the dog lover he is.

The card was made with KaiserCraft paper, a Jolees embellishment, Making Memories rubon and some ribbon.


This is a cute shower card done with K&Company paper, a Melissa Frances rubon, antique lace and button and pretty plaid ribbon. I printed the image from the Internet then sprayed it with Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist.

This little guy is a frequent visitor to our backyard. I caught him the other day eating all the bread I had put out for the birds. I thought raccoons were night creatures but there he was at 1:00 in the afternoon enjoying a feast. He certainly looks happy enough!

Is feeling better than your worst still getting better?

I hate colds and I hate feeling less than my best. Being sick puts you completely out of your routine and is just good for nothing, in my opinion. Having said that, while yesterday was probably the worst of it (I hope), today is marginally not the worst so, in fact, better. I hesitate to use the word "better" as I still feel crappy but I think a lot of that is due to Nyquil hangover.

Anyway, enough of that......I love this card. I have decided this shade of blue is now one of my favourites. The paper is from K&Company and ties in so perfectly with the lace and the blue Prima flower. As many years as I have known my lovely friend, Jan, I have never made her a special card so this was done for her. Happy Birthday, Jan! May you have many, many more.


The second card was also made from K&Company papers and uses the same layout as the top one. This paper is so great to work with since it's a little thicker than the regular stuff. I always thought it would be fun to design my own paper - I mean, how hard can it be? - but that will have to sit for a while on the back burner with all the other wouldn't it be fun stuff.

Thanks to everyone who regularly visits my site. Your comments are so sweet and much appreciated. Enjoy your week! I'll hopefully have some more posts in the next few days.

The case of the eternal balcony makeover

For the past five weeks they have been reconstructing the balconies on my building. This five weeks feels like five months. Not only is have they locked us in so that nobody kills themselves on what is left of the balcony (basically, a slab of concrete), the workmen have completely taken over the backyard, the parking lot and half of the front yard. I was hoping to have some relaxing time outside but it is not to be. The only positive I can see from this is that I have yet to see the wasps that have plagued me on my balcony for the past two years. Perhaps they are in hiding waiting, as am I, for the construction guys to hurry up and leave.

I made this card for my special friend, Ron. I always have a difficult time with masculine cards but think this fits the bill. Ron and his lovely wife are the most travelled people I have ever known (in fact, we met on a cruise ship) so I thought the postcard was appropriate. The paper is from Paper Pizazz and I added a few metal eyelets and a brad.

Is it hot enough for you???

I always hate when people repeatedly ask, "Is it hot enough for you"? on what is obviously a sweltering hot and sticky day however, lately, it seems that's all anyone can talk about. Given this heat wave, "Is it hot enough for you" now seems entirely appropriate. It is more than hot enough for me, thank you very much.

I made this card with some Prima paper, one of my favourite lines of paper. The colours are so rich and you can mix and match to your heart's content. The little roses are Prima as well and the rubon is Melissa Frances.

Here's Kona enjoying the outdoors today. Poor guys have been locked off their balcony for 3 weeks. They are rebuilding all the balconies and it appears this may be a summer-long construction project. Anyway, he was happy to get out and sniff the air, as hellishly hot as it was. Enjoy your weekend and thanks for looking.

A day for dads

I hope you were all super good to your dads today. Though my dad is no longer with us, the family went out for lunch in celebration of his memory. Dad loved good food so I know he would have been pleased with anything revolving around breakfast, lunch or dinner!

I made this card with some Anna Griffin paper and some scraps of other paper I had in my paper drawers. The flowers are Prima, rubon is Melissa Frances and the pretty lace frame is K&Company.

Things are rolling along and almost back to normal. The cats are good though Kenya is being a little bugger about eating his special food. Now I know why they call them finnicky. Grandma came to visit today so the boys were happy about that. I'm in the midst of doing 6 weeks worth of laundry. I really should do it more often and then I wouldn't find myself facing 4 hours of what I consider one of the worst chores ever. I often think it's easier just to go buy new clothes.

Have a great week and thanks for looking.

All Things Prima

I am such a fan of "Prima" products. I find they make some of the most versatile papers out there and they are so much fun to work with. Pretty well everything on this card is Prima with the exception of the ribbons, lace and the rubons. I had a panic moment today when the bobbin thread on my sewing machine ran out, having flashbacks to the nightmares I had with the machine a little while back. Not to worry, all went well and it seems to be purring along once again.

Speaking of purring, my cat, Kenya, is sick once again with his urinary tract infection. This seems to be something that crops up a couple of times a year and, according to the vet, we may just have to live with it. Of course it happened over the long weekend, so we ended up in emerg at 6 am on Sunday. That was LOST finale night and I had to work the next day at 6 am. Suffice it to say, I didn't get to bed all night since Kenya was peeing blood absolutely everywhere. For the first time since Saturday, he is settled down tonight so I am praying we're finally on the road to getting better.

Gotta run. I haven't been out of the house for two days so I MUST get up early tomorrow and play catch up with all my errands. Stay cool!