Love and Marriage

It's a rainy and dreary day here, just perfect for sitting inside and getting all those things done that have been piling up. I enjoy watching the rain though the thunder scares Kenya to death and he runs to hide behind the toilet each and every time.

I made this card with some "Paper Pizzazz" paper. I love these kits because all the paper and tags are co-ordinated. The heart is covered with Stickles then topped with a Prima flower. Rub-on is Melissa Frances, ribbon is Anna Griffin and lace is from a local fabric store. The border is cut from a Martha Stewart punch. Speaking of Martha, is there anything she doesn't make? I was in Home Depot and they were selling Martha Stewart paint; Petsmart is selling Martha Stewart pet supplies. The home store had Martha Stewart bedding. Add light bulbs to the list and she about has it all covered.

Thanks everyone for looking and have a great week.

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!

Baby Girl

This is a cute card for a new puppy, made with some Basic Grey paper. The paws were cut from a punch then "stickled" with gold sparkles and the bone is from "Jolees", covered in gold as well. Rubon is Melissa Frances and lace and ribbon from my big drawer of stuff. Cute as a button!

What a beautiful summer it has been and I hate to see it coming to an end. I'm not giving up yet though - I know we have a couple good months left before the cold sets in. It's going to be a beautiful weekend so get out and enjoy!

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!

Love and Adore

This pretty card was made for a wedding shower but it could really be for anything love-y like a wedding or anniversary. I like the look of the gathered lace at the top and the colours are so soft and romantic.

I am feeling much better cold-wise though, Tuesday, I hurt my back during a coughing fit and ended up at the doctor. Seriously, what a bone-headed thing to do. You don't realize how much those muscle spasm things hurt until you have one and it was all I could do to get some clothes on and have someone drive me to my appointment.

I look forward to relaxing tomorrow in the back yard with a good book and then, sadly, back to work. Have a great long weekend!

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.

Hayley

Sadly, another of my friends had to have his dog, Hayley, put down so I have been busy making yet another pet sympathy card. I used paper from imaginisce, purchased on a trip to the scrapbooking store yesterday, a metal frame from Making Memories, some chipboard wings, Prima Flowers and a few other odds and ends to finish off the card.

I have been feeling a little under the weather today with a sore throat and that feeling you get when you know a cold is upon you. I am hoping it doesn't turn into full blown sick but we'll see. That, combined with the humidity today, kept me inside apart from a hair appointment. Honestly, it's like soup out there so I really didn't have much energy to do anything.

It's getting late so I best run. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Barney

I think one of the most popular cards I get asked to make is a sympathy card for someone who has lost a pet. Many of the recipients have told me they keep the card with other mementos from their pet's life in a special memory box.

The above card is made with bits of scraps I had in my paper drawers. Pale yellow is such a nice balance for black and really softens the look. I love the "In remembrance" bone and the sheer yellow ribbon with a paw brad in the centre. RIP, Barney.

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.

Cats and their toys

Who's getting more enjoyment from the new television? Mom or the kids?

Kenya adores his hammock. In fact, the last one got so stretched out that it was literally hanging on the floor. So, in fact, it was no longer a hammock but a piece of canvas on the ground. The new one is a little better. I think these things are meant for petite, dainty 10-pound cats not my 20-pounders. Kenya seems to be almost back to normal with the exception of his extreme dislike for the new food he has to eat. Any suggestions how to get a cat to eat something he really doesn't want to eat???

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.

A Hellish Week

I cannot tell you what a hellish two and a half weeks I have had. As I posted before, my cat, Kenya, had what I thought was a urinary tract infection. Well, after 3 different antibiotics, it was not getting any better and the vet discovered it was stones. So....Kenya had to go in for surgery last Tuesday. That part went well. He has been home since Wednesday and the first two days, he did great. However, we are now back to him peeing everywhere, including all over the bedding and I am tearing my hair out. He can't settle down so I am up all night with him. Last week, I was on night shift and it just about killed me. At least this week I am off.

I took Kenya back to the vet on Friday and we are watching him over the weekend. Yesterday, he did great. Last night and this morning, right back to ground zero. I just feel so bad for him and I don't know what to do to help.

Anyway....in between all this nonsense, I was able to get a card done. The paper is 7 Gypsies and the embellishments are pretty simple since it's for a male. I have quite a few orders to get done this week. Time shouldn't be a problem since I have a spare 8 hours every day that I'm not sleeping.

Hopefully, my next post will bring better news. I'm right on the edge and we have to get it resolved!

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!

Pet Sympathy card

This is the third card I made the other day from the same template. It's a sympathy card for my vet who recently had to put one of his dogs down. Very sad. The cute pet paper is from Reminisce, flowers from Prima, rubon from Melissa Frances, lace from Fabricland and cute paw print ribbon from who knows where but I love it!

My poor Kenya is sick again with another urinary tract infection. These seem to crop up at least a couple of times a year and we just can't figure out what triggers them. Of course, this happened on the long weekend - as it always seems to - so I can't get to my regular vet. I have some medication left from last time this happened but not enough to get us through to Tuesday in which case, we may have to make a trip to the emergency vet. He can't settle down which means I'm not settling down which means....long and sleepless nights. Just like having a kid.

Pretty Blossoms

I love these flowers from Prima. They add such a nice finishing touch to the card and are all bright and cheery. The papers I used are from Anna Griffin and the rub-on is Melissa Frances. Pretty, pretty.

What a beautiful day today. I am trying to psych myself up for a walk as I feel guilty staying inside with all the warmth and sunshine out there. After a dismal week of cold and rain, I need to get some vitamin D. My 25-year old television died the other day so I have to take the plunge and enter the world of 2010 technology which I am not looking forward to. There are so many models to choose from. I am attracted to all things bright and shiny though I know that's not the best way to make a decision. Oh well....that's for another day. Hope everyone has a great weekend - thanks for looking!

Mothers

Mother's Day is just around the corner - I can't believe how time has flown and we are into May already. I was lucky enough to spend the day with my mom on Saturday. We had a great shopping excursion where we both spent too much money but that's what excursions are all about. Mom loves clothes as much as I do and I often joke we should have been born Trumps.

Looking through blogs, I found a very pretty card on one of my very favourite blog sites, http://iralamija.blogspot.com/. It is sometimes hard to find design inspirations, but one of the cards on Bety's site jumped out at me and this is what I came up with.

I used Anna Griffin paper for both the cards, some bits and pieces of other assorted papers including Making Memories, Prima flowers, lace, ribbon and Melissa Frances rubons. Touch wood, my sewing machine appears to be functioning again though I was ready to throw it through the window last night. You know that feeling when you just want to get something done but nothing cooperates? I think I need to work on the art of patience.

I was lucky enough to be part of the Ontario Police Memorial yesterday and got to march with several thousand officers honouring those officers who have died this past year. The service was quite moving and the weather held off so that nobody got drenched.

I've got a thousand things to get done and half my day is gone already. I was hoping to get the windows cleaned, car washed and waxed, laundry done, cleaning at least half done and so much more but, alas.....well, suffice it to say, all those things are still on my list.