Chicks in an Egg

These two little chicks are so adorable - all fluffy and cute. It makes me feel bad that I still eat chicken, is that weird??

I used some more K& Company paper for this card. I don't know why but I seem to go in cycles with paper companies. The little roses are from Prima, rubon is Melissa Frances and the lace frame is K& Company.

I am having one of my procrastination days today - too many things to do and none of them particularly enjoyable. For all the time I have spent thinking about not doing stuff, I could have had it all done by now. Thanks again to my loyal readers - Jan, you write the nicest comments! - and Happy Easter and a great long weekend to everyone.

Two more Easter cards

I'm back with a couple more Easter cards I got done. This first is made with K& Company paper, some silk flowers, gingham ribbon and two cute bunnies. Brown is always one of my favourite colours though I don't seem to use it a lot on cards. I should change that!

This card is made from some more of the We R Memory Keepers paper. When I look at the picture, there seems to be a whole lot going on with the card but I guess there's good to be said for both simple and cluttered.....I suppose "busy" would be a better word or "bang for your buck".

I had a very pleasant lunch today with some friends at work so that was a nice change. The day started out all cold and rainy but the sun is now shining and it's only going to get better from here. The only good thing about the rain is that you can't see how horribly dirty my windows are - 5 months of winter will do that!

Easter

I have been busy this weekend making Easter cards which I love because there are so many beautiful colours you can incorporate. Perhaps, too, it's the whole idea that Easter signals spring is here and winter is over. Yay!

The first card is made with some "We R Memory Keepers" paper. There's about 6 pieces in the set that all have the same colours so you can mix and match to your heart's content.


I have some K& Company sugared flowers that matched the paper and some adhesive cardboard stickers. The little bunny in the corner is adorable - I think I picked up a pack of 10 for $2 or something ridiculous at the dollar store.

The second card is made with some Making Memories "English Garden" paper. These are less the traditional Easter colours but still soft and spring-y. The chick on his egg is an image I printed from the Internet; I added some ribbon, a Melissa Frances rubon, stick-on pearls, vintage lace and a pretty Prima flower.

I have some more cards to post but that will have to wait until tomorrow as I have a million things to do before I get to bed. Speaking of which, Kenya threw up in his favourite bed - a cat hammock that is a million years old and doesn't even hang any more it's so stretched out - so I need to get the cleaner out for that. One run through the washing machine didn't do it and he won't be happy tonight if he can't have his hammock. Kids!

Have a doggone good birthday

Here's a Happy Birthday card I made for my sister-in-law, proud mother to 3 Basset Hounds. The paper is some new stuff I picked up by "Reminisce" and it's so cute and puppy-ish. I went on a little field trip yesterday, first to the casino then to the scrapbook store to buy exactly what I don't need....more paper. Like shoes and purses, you can never have enough.

Anyway....I digress. The Happy Birthday was done using a Martha Stewart punch, the dog picture is printed from the Internet and then I added some ribbon and a little red chipboard heart.


The cats had a great day today with the beautiful spring weather though you wouldn't know it from looking at Kona sleeping like a log. Trust me, he did a lot of running around but keeping an eye on those birds and squirrels is tiring work.

Kenya is more mellow and regal than Kona who just stomps around like a clydesdale horse. Though they are the same breed, they couldn't be more different from one another. That's what makes them interesting. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

One Year Older.....

Aren't we all getting one year older.....and older and older and older. Time ticks on way too fast.

What a beautiful day we had today. Spring was in the air and the skies were blue and cloudless. I hesitate to get my hopes up as I know it's early and March can be a cruel month weather-wise. Each day is a gift though and I am certainly enjoying the relative warmth while it's here.

This is a little card I made up for my girlfriend's birthday. The paper is scraps of this and scraps of that to which I added some ribbon, rubons, buttons and pretty edges cut from a Martha Stewart punch. The image is from the Internet and I thought it was so cute. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Snow, snow go away.....

Silly me.....I thought we were going to get through a winter with no snow. Alas, it's been snowing all day so 'tis not to be.

Trying to lift my weather glum, I turned to card making. This started as an Easter card but ended up a baby card instead. After all, it's a woman's prerogative to change her mind, right? I used some more of my Making Memories paper from the "English Garden" collection then did some cutting with the Cricut Home Accents cartridge, added a Melissa Frances rub-on, some ribbon, a pretty flower and a cute little baby booties sticker I got from the $1 store many moons ago.

This was the back of my place this morning....lovely and clear, no need to wade through any drifts of snow.......

And this is the back of my place a few hours ago. How quickly the tide turns...and not for the better!

Yay Canada!

The Olympics are well on their way and I am so proud of all the Canadians who have done their country proud. It's always nice to have the home ice advantage but, really, I enjoy watching all the athletes and their talents truly astound me.

Now that I am done nightshift, I can finally get down to some crafting. I made this pretty Birthday card with some Making Memories papers then added some vintage lace, gingham ribbon, a few rhinestone stick-on brads and a pretty flower and voila - a beautiful card! Not that I'm tooting my horn or anything but....well...if you don't love yourself, nobody will.

Happy Heart

Here's a pretty Victorian Valentine's Day card I made up with some K&Company paper. I printed the sentiment from the Internet - such nice wording and no mushy crap - then tea-stained the lace, added a glittery heart, a flower and some ribbon and voila!

How many different ways can we describe how busy we are? I know I say this everytime I post but is there ever just a day to sit and relax? All my fave shows are coming back on - LOST, Survivor, Amazing Race, Grey's Anatomy - I can hardly fit them into a week. I must admit I do much prefer viewing these shows on DVD with no commercials. The first episodes of LOST would have been half the time had it not been for the commercials. I mean, I get it. The Olympics are coming. They don't need to remind me every 7 minutes.

Hello Kitty

I thought I would try out my new Cricut cartridge, "Hello Kitty" which looked like so much fun. The images are cute and bright and perfect colours for Valentine's Day. I am trying to use up some of my 1000's of pieces of scrap paper - though the fact I have so much paper has not stopped me from buying more - then added some ribbon, a Melissa Frances rub-on, and a couple of brads.

I finally got all my Christmas stuff cleaned up today. It wasn't that warm but, since there was no snow on the ground, I thought it a good time to take down my Christmas lights and put the rest of the gifts away. The old adage kept running through my head that for each new thing you bring into the house, you should throw something old away. Unfortunately, I don't subscribe to that theory and my closets, drawers and cupboards keep getting fuller. That's a project for another day.

New Puppy

I made this card for my brother and sister-in-law who recently got a new 4 1/2 month old Basset Hound puppy, "Wrigley". They already have 2 but couldn't bear to see this guy get older and older as he sat in his cage in the pet store. He is cute as a button and his two top priorities are eating and sleeping.

The card was made with DCWV papers and a cute little clipart picture I printed off the Internet. I added some Melissa Frances rub-ons, some paw print stickers and pretty ribbon and a flower.


This is Wrigley being very puppy-playful with one of the new toys his Auntie Diane brought him. The other two dogs are older so it will be interesting to see how well they tolerate a 25-pound toddler.

Fluffy Cats

I hadn't posted any pics of the cats lately so took some updated ones of them today with their winter coats. Kona, above, has this huge lion's mane that looks beautiful when it's all combed out. However, like a kid, his combed hair only lasts for a minute and then he gets himself all scruffy again. His fur gets matted so easily during the winter so we have to call in the Barkmobile, a mobile grooming truck that comes to the house. So much less stress on him than taking him to the salon.

Kenya's hair is much finer and not as prone to matting. Here he is with his bright blue eyes, one of the characteristics I love about the Ragdolls.

They are both big boys - about the size of a small pony....well....certainly bigger than some small dogs. Their faces are so expressive - I love them to death!

Gone Vintage

So many of the crafting websites I look at are all about vintage. I mean, what's not to like? Beautiful florals, deep, rich colours, dainty lace and so many pretty digital images. Many people feel that the 1970's are vintage; myself, I like the Victorian era.

This card was made with some Daisy D's paper, the bird image in the middle is printed from an Internet site (I can't remember which one, I looked at so many), Melissa Frances rub-ons and some great jeweled stick-ons that I got on sale the other day at Michael's. The heart border was done with a Fiskars punch and the lace is courtesy of mom.


I'm still suffering from Christmas hangover. Because I've been working so much, all my Christmas gifts are still strewn around the living room though I did manage to hook up my WII and Beatles Rock Band last night (had I not been so busy playing with the WII, I probably could have got the mess in my living room cleaned up....it's all about time management....or, in this case, lack of it).

For card #2, I used some Anna Griffin paper and another image from the Internet. The lace is true vintage (and I'm talking pre-70's) and I added some Melissa Frances rub-ons, some chipboard numbers, a stick-on brad and some pretty ribbon.

I thought we were going to make it through January without any snow - don't ask me what I was thinking - but, alas, the snow arrived over the past couple of days. The good news is that the temperature climbed to -4 today so it was a virtual heat wave.

I must run as bed awaits. Hope to have a couple more projects later in the week. Thanks for looking and thanks to all those who leave their very kind and flattering comments.

Oh the weather outside is frightful.....

Winter is here with a vengeance and it's frosty cold outside. Of course, it was bound to happen given that it's almost January so I guess we're lucky we've made it this far.

A quick post tonight as I am exhausted. Too many late nights and early mornings. This is a wedding card I made with some pretty "My Mind's Eye" papers. The chipboard frame I had laying around for months and it matches perfectly with the paper. Rub-on is Melissa Frances and the heart border is done with a Fiskars punch.

I very bravely hit the Michaels sale tonight on the way home from work and the store was pretty deserted, most likely because it's freezing out. I was able to pick up a Cricut cartridge on sale for $47.99, marked down from $119.00. Who pays full price for these things??

I wish everyone a very happy and prosperous 2010. Hope Santa was good to you!

Paw Prints

Three days before Christmas and all is peaceful. I am taking a day to relax. No stores, no hustling or bustling or fighting traffic and just me time. My poor Kenya has his urinary tract infection back again so it was off to the vet yesterday for some medicine.

I made a couple of cards last night for a girl who recently lost her dog and wanted to send out some thank you's. The first is done with DCWV paper for pets, a Melissa Frances rub-on and some grosgrain ribbon. Below is all Making Memories paper, Melissa Frances rub-on and the heart border was done with a Fiskars punch.

It's so hard to lose a pet and very sad when it happens around Christmastime. Christmas is for family time and sharing and that includes all our beloved 4-legged creatures.

A final post for today

One final card to show you, made with "My Minds Eye" paper and a beautiful Melissa Frances Christmas tag. I love her tags - you can put them on the card as-is and it looks like you spent hours making it yourself.

All things Christmas in my life are now completed - sending out cards, buying, wrapping with just a little bit of baking left to do. I'm not much of a baker but thought it might be nice for a change this year. We are having our Secret Santa exchange at work this week and cookies are the perfect complement for gift opening. Cookies are the perfect complement for breathing, as far as I'm concerned.

It's not bad enough you gotta buy the stuff.......

But you gotta wrap it too....bah, humbug! Actually, I don't mind wrapping, if I have the time to do it properly. And, if I'm not doing 20 at a time which I have been lately. I was busy wrapping the other night and had literally every square inch of space in the living room covered with paper, ribbon, bows and you name it. The cats, particularly Kenya, cannot keep out of the bags and love to eat the ribbon (again, not naming names but....Kenya) which inevitably shows up again a short time later when he throws it up. Well, this night, they were particularly bad and the final straw was them running through the mess at about 100 miles an hour, simultaneously jumping up on the back of the couch and knocking over the tree. I screamed as I saw it hurtling towards the glass-topped coffee table but it stopped short, lucky for them.

Speaking of Kenya, it's his birthday today - Happy 11th Birthday! I used to buy them a specially-made cat cake that I ordered from a store in Toronto. They would deliver the cake, along with cat bow ties, all for the low price of about $45 (trust me, that's sarcasm). Of course, neither cat had any interest in eating it which, for the price I paid, made me tempted to eat the damn thing.

Ho, ho, ho

Two weeks before Christmas and I have finally found the time to get some festive cards made. The first one is made with 3bugsinarug paper to which I added a cute little embellishment I found at the dollar store, a Melissa Frances rub-on and some ribbon and buttons.

I love the rich colours in the second card. Paper is from Anna Griffin and Making Memories, the holly wreath design in the centre is a rub-on, heart design is from a Fiskars punch, sentiment sticker is from a kit and ribbon and lace are from my overflowing ribbon drawer.

I cannot begin to tell you how busy I have been these past couple of weeks and I know I'm not alone. Everyone is stressed, trying to get things done and spending way too much money. At least the weather has been fairly decent. November was a great month weather-wise and, keeping fingers crossed, with the exception of one bad day, December has been liveable. It is no secret that I detest winter and pray every year that global warming will sweep the nation and make all the cold and snow go away.

Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Christmas Kits

My girlfriend gave me a couple of cute little cardmaking kits. They are simple and quick and provide you with everything you need - paper, cards, envelopes, embellishments, ribbons, etc. I made two of the cards tonight and, though they are not as fancy or detailed as what I normally make, they would be great for adding to a gift or as an enclosure card. For the time it took me to make them - which was minimal - I think these kits are a great idea.