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........

New Baby

This is a pretty little card I made with some "Making Memories" papers I had forgotten I even had. It also gave me a chance to try out my new Cricut cartridge "Stretch your Imagination" for the baby buggy. I'm getting the hang of my sewing machine though you wouldn't know it by looking at my sewing job here but at least the lines are now pretty straight. The rub-ons are by Melissa Frances and the flower is Prima. Call me a glutton for punishment but I'm going out for a short walk....a very short walk.....

It's cold out there

Kona loves to go out on the balcony, however yesterday was too cold even for him. This is his fast retreat back into the house after realizing it's January.

Sewing

I finally got my new sewing machine out and set up. It was quite easy once I got going though I still need some practice.

Above is my first card using the machine....as you can see, we had a few problems with following a straight line but practice makes perfect. The papers I used for this card are from Wild Asparagus, as is the sentiment card. The flower is Prima and the brad is Making Memories. The lace is dollar store.

I had a lazy day today, doing very little and I intend to continue that into the evening. It's too cold to go out and do anything!

In Remembrance

A friend at work recently lost her elderly cat. Hopefully, this card will cheer her up and bring her some comfort. It's always nice to receive a personalized sympathy card that you can keep in honour of your beloved pet. It was made with some bits of paper I had saved and a cute MEOW embellishment I found in the $1 store. The brads are embossed with "best friend" and the paws and stitches are rub-on (no, I still haven't tried out my new sewing machine). Have a great week and bundle up - it's going to get cold.

Highway of Heroes

I mentioned below about the repatriation ceremony we, in Canada, give our soldiers who have died in Afghanistan. This You Tube video explains it better than I ever could.

A busy weekend

Days off always seem to be so busy but particularly the weekends seeing as the masses are also off. Add in lots of snow and it seems like I get nothing done.

Sadly, another Canadian soldier was killed this past week in Afghanistan. There is a ceremony we have here in Canada each time a soldier is killed where he is flown into Trenton, Ontario then brought by motorcade to Toronto along a portion of Highway 401 which has been renamed the "Highway of Heroes". People line up for miles over top bridges and along the sides of the road to honour the soldier and his family as they pass by. A group of us from work try to make it to as many of these ceremonies as we can where we proudly stand along the police officers as they salute the casket. It's quite moving and certainly the least we can do. So, that's what I did yesterday. I keep hoping it will be the last one but, unfortunately, we all know there will be more.

This is a card I made with some HOTP papers for a guy at work who is quite ill. The stars are from a Christmas card I received and I added some fibres and eyelets to finish it off. I must get my new sewing machine out one of these days to try it out!

I'm ready for my closeup

I was so happy to get this photo lab set so that I could (hopefully) post better pictures of my cards. I got the box all set up today, went to get the camera, and came back to find something other than my card inside. Apparently, Kenya felt he fit perfectly and was ready and waiting for his portrait. I can buy the cats 100 toys but their favourites are always boxes and bags of any shape and size.

Another lost pet

I was very sad to receive an e-mail from my vet to say they had to put down their border collie, Jake, just before Christmas. Jake was almost a permanent fixture at the vet office and was always up for a game of ball. This is a beautiful picture of him and I'm sure everyone will miss him greatly.

I made this card with some scraps I had laying around and some new epoxy rhinestone alphabet stickers that really make the card stand out. I added some Melissa Frances rubons and two paw brads.

Maybe my photos will be better

I was very lucky to get this portable "photo studio" for Christmas and am hoping it will improve my picture-taking abilities. At least now, I won't have the toaster or kitchen sink in the background when I photograph my cards.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas; I know I certainly did. Having said that, when it's over, it's over and I can now concentrate on other things that have taken a back burner to everything else over the last month.

All the best to everyone for a very happy 2009!

In Sympathy

This is a sympathy card for a lovely dog, "Mosby" who, sadly, passed away a short while ago. He loved his walks through the orchards so I added a picture of his favourite place. The name on the card is done with chipboard letters and I thought the card was very fitting for a good, loyal friend.

On a happier note, tomorrow is Christmas and I send my best wishes for a very Merry one to all my loyal friends who visit this blog. Your kind comments are always much appreciated.

I'm back......

I can't believe it's been so long since my last blog. I'm been without camera for the last few weeks plus I have been so busy, I can't believe it. That's what Christmastime does. Anyway, I think I have everything under control. The shopping and wrapping are done - all that's left is to pay the bills.

Above are a few projects I have made over the last couple of weeks, all of them Christmas cards to honour the season. I found that, as I was wrapping, I was tempted to create as I do when I make my cards however, by the 20th gift, that went out the window and I was lucky if I got a piece of paper and a bow slapped on it.

I hope to write again sooner than this last lull; once this week is over, I'll be home free with lots more spare time on my hands.

Birthdays, Anniversaries and Christmas, oh my....

It seems like I am running the gamut when it comes to making cards these days. While Christmas seems to be the occasion du jour, birthdays, anniversaries and everything else still go on as well. Perhaps because I start my shopping in late summer, it just seems that Christmas seems to be an awfully long season.

I met up with a couple of friends for lunch today which was a nice change to eating in front of the television. I then went on a lengthy hunt for Christmas cards since there is no way I would ever have enough time to hand make every one that I send out. Sorry kids. Let me tell you - it's no Florida out there and that wind was biting cold. What happened to global warming?

This 50th Anniversary Card I made with some more bits of paper I had left over, some Prima flowers, pearl stick-ons and some very pretty lacy ribbon. I stickled the brads to make them all nice and glittery. Very pretty if I do say so myself.

It's Monday tomorrow and I really need to get out and get some Christmas lights to hang on my balcony. Each year I buy more lights but then, at the end of the season, can never get them back into the box the way they came so I just throw them out. Very, very bad. I was hoping the weather would warm up before I have to put the lights up but I'm not holding out much hope. Have a great week!