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.

I spent half the day yesterday Christmas shopping and hoping to find some boxed Christmas cards to send out. Unfortunately, both were a bust. I cannot for the life of me find any cards that I like which, I suppose, is somewhat ironic. People ask me if I make all the cards I sent out at Christmas. As much as I would love that, I send about 50 so there's no way I would have time to make all those.

This project uses BoBunny paper as a background, Martha Stewart glitter, Prima flowers, Melissa Frances rub-on, a couple of stick-on pearl brads, ribbon and lace. I need to get back to my Christmas projects but yesterday sort of soured me on the whole thing. As much as I love Christmas preparations, I get bummed when I can't find what I'm looking for. I guess that's why I do so much shopping on the Internet - much less legwork!

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???

Layering

I got this fun little kit yesterday from one of the vendors at the scrapbooking show. It's all layered and each piece is numbered to show you the proper order in which to place everything. The only thing is that some of the pieces are very tiny so that you have to use miniscule sticky dots on the back and, I tell you, those suckers are hard to maneouver. I can't imagine how anyone with big hands would ever manage. Anyway, I got the bear together then dressed him up with some ribbon, lace and a Merry Christmas rub-on.

I must apologize for the quick posts tonight but it is way past my bedtime. I had half-hoped to make it an early morning tomorrow but I can't see that happening. I truly am not a morning person! As always, thanks to everyone for stopping by.

More Christmas....

I have been having all kinds of problems with my computer tonight so I hope I can get through these posts before it blows up. I love my computer except when something goes wrong since I don't have the patience to deal with stuff like that.

Here is some more beautiful Bobunny Christmas paper. This is one of my favourite colour combinations of the season and I never tire of it. I love the deep shades of green and red - I think it's very rich Victorian-era looking.

Best of the season

I'm back at the Christmas cards, trying to keep ahead of everything that needs doing before December 25th. Once I start really getting into the shopping, then the wrapping and sending out my own cards, there is no time left for cardmaking. The paper I used for this card is by Bobunny. The picture of Santa and the little girl is a canvas-type cutout, flowers are Prima and lace, ribbon, doily are from the depths of my drawers.

I went to the Creative Festival in Toronto yesterday. They have everything there for sewing, quilting, beading, scrapbooking, knitting, etc. and it's a great place to see everything in one spot. I did buy a fun purse called the Michebag. It comes as a shell then you get different magnetized covers that fit right over the shell giving you as many purses as you want to buy shells. How fun is that!

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!

First Anniversary

I made this card for a First Wedding Anniversary and love how the colours go together. The paper is a combination of K&Company, Websters Pages and 7 Gypsies with a Michaels flower, Melissa Frances rub-on, pearl brads and lace.

What a perfect fall day out there today. The sun is shining, it's warm and there is a nice breeze. How pretty the trees look with all their colours though the leaves are quickly falling off. I love watching the squirrels gather their food for the winter. I put shelled peanuts out for them and they scamper around the back yard, gathering up the peanuts and burying them....all except for one who apparently does not believe in planning ahead and eats up everything he finds.

Happy Thanksgiving - enjoy your turkey dinner! Sadly, I am working so no turkey for me.

Christmas is a-comin'

I shudder to think that Christmas is less than three months away. Though I have bought a few things here and there, there's still a lot of ground to cover. We drew Secret Santa names at work last week so you can never be too early or too prepared.

This cute little guy was on a Christmas card I received a couple of years ago and I always thought he would look nice on a card. The paper is a scrap I had laying around then I added some embellishments of ribbon, lace, pearls and a rub-on. I bought a stack of new Christmas paper yesterday so I have the tools - now I just need to find the time!

For some reason, I seem to be following a lot of television shows this season and it's hard to keep up with everything. I regularly watch Survivor, Amazing Race, America's Next Top Model and that's about it for reality shows. In addition, I try to follow Grey's Anatomy and a new show called The Event. Then I added in Glee and the fourth season DVD of Dexter. I have about 5 books I need to get to plus all my crafts. No wonder sometimes we feel like we're going crazy!!!

As summer ends.......

Today, I took out my air conditioners, a chore that always signals to me the end of summer. I am still holding out for some warm, sunny days before the cold of winter-to-come sets in. This is about the time, each and every year, that I start asking myself why I live in a climate that brings us snow and cold rather than Arizona or Florida or Hawaii.

This is a card made with Basic Grey paper. I am finding, more and more, that they are making paper two-sided with different patterns on either side. It's actually a much better idea though, inevitably, I like one side better than the other and end up with too much of the stuff I don't like. I added a metal frame from Tim Holtz, Prima flowers, Melissa Frances rub-ons and Martha Stewart ribbon.

For as many good intentions as I had today to get a bunch of chores done, that went by the wayside as it always seems to do. I have some vacation time coming so I must get organized in order to get organized, particularly with Christmas coming faster than we know!

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.