"Cuttling" up with my new 'bug'!

What an exciting day! Today I purchased my Cuttlebug and 3 embossing folders! Need I say more!!

A Wonderful Morning

Last week I spent a wonderful morning with my friend Anja, learning some new techniques. The rose card was done with alcohol inks on glossy paper and then stamping on acetate and layering on top. The picture of the card isn't as pretty as the card itself. The other technique is a staircase card which was fun to make since I don't have a cuttlebug (yet). You can check out Anja's cards at her blog stampinganja.blogspot.com. She makes beautiful cards and is a real inspiration!!

PB & J

Normally this would stand for peanut butter and jam, but today it stands for Penny Black & Joyce. Another cute Penny Black sticker! I added the grass and blue background with ink and a sponge (actually a balled up piece of paper towel, but that sounds so unprofessional in the world of stamping). Another fun and easy card! Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!

Wishing you...

I am not a big fan of this humid weather, so I prefer to stay indoors and do something productive like housecleaning, laundry, and this! I still have a bunch of Penny Black stickers, and I think they make such cute cards. This says 'wishing you a day bright with sunshine'. Hoping you are having a sunshine-y day, and have found relief from the heat! After all, no one likes a hot, grumpy wife when they can have a cool, happy one, right!!!!

Screen Door Welcome

An elderly lady who comes into the store where I work, brought the latest issue of Country Woman magazine to show me this really neat card. I knew right away I had to give it a try. It is always fun to try something new and different, and fun to share with my stamping friends too!! I will have to make a few more of these, and definitely send one to the lady who gave me the idea. Thanks for looking, and 'don't slam the door!'

Sharing in your Sorrow

A sympathy card for friends who recently lost a husband, father and grandfather. The image is Penny Black stamped in black and sahara sand on white background sponged with sahara, blue bayou, and close to cocoa, mounted on black. Paper is blue bayou and basic grey, a ribbon and some gemstones to finish it off. Thanks for looking.

Coffee with Heart!

Now why would anyone take pictures of their coffee cup? Ahh, but this coffee cup had special meaning on that day. This week I went to sweep my daughter away from camp on her days off , for some shopping and down time in Barrie. The first thing we did at Georgian Mall was grab a coffee at the first coffee place we came to, County Style. I love how the cup says 'it's going to be a good day', but then on the other side were neat little reasons why you were enjoying that coffee. This was Kristen's cup. She showed me and then asked for a pen so she could check the first box and then wanted to take a picture of the cup before she threw it away. This was one of those 'Awww' moments!! It just perfectly described the cherished time we spent together those couple of days! I still have that cup, and will probably keep it forever.

Poppy Lover

Time to get serious and make a pretty card for my friend, celebrating a birthday, who loves poppies. My attempt to watercolour using markers, I usually use watercolour pencil crayons. This is the SU Oh so lovely set, using sahara sand, old olive, pumpkin, ruby red and summer sun markers and paper, and black versafine. I am happy with the way it turned out and am sure she will love it as she loves homemade cards. I will have to try a few more and brush up on my watercolouring. Thanks for looking and enjoy your day.

News from afar

Yesterday was the best day! Well, it didn't get good until about noon, when the mail arrived. There was a long envelope addressed to Ron Knapper and family, and I said out loud (yes, I talk to myself) 'what is this?' It looked like a child's handwriting....and it was.....my child!!! You can't even imagine my excitement when I opened it and realized it was from Kristen! I jumped around singing, 'I got a letter from Kristen...I got a letter from Kristen..! (yes, I talk to myself). She writes the way she talks, full of expression and excitement. Oh, but that's not all. Around 8:00pm the phone rang....would I accept a collect call...? "Hi Mom" the sweet, familiar voice said. Oh my goodness, a letter and phonecall on the same day! She'd had a few crappy things happen, she said, and just wanted to call her mommy. Awwww! So good to hear her voice and how much she is loving her job there, and how many great people she has met. So good to hear she is happy with her decision to work there for the summer....but hey, this is Kristen. She is a 'wherever-you-go, go-with-all-your-heart' kind of girl! Hearing her voice, just makes me want to jump in the car and go see her and give her a big hug. It's the 5 hour drive there that's holding me back. So a simple 'love you and miss you' will have to do for now. And I rest in the peace that God is there with her and loves her even more than I do.

Fun Summer Cards

It would seem the overall theme of my cards lately has been "FUN"!!! I mean really, frogs, hedgehogs and now ladybugs! Oh wow...as I just glanced out my patio door, I saw a chipmunk race across the deck, mmmm, I wonder if I have a chipmunk stamp or sticker??....I will have to look. These ladybug cards are cute and simple, and hopefully will bring a smile to your day.

The colourful nine-patch card was a bit more labor intensive with lots of measuring and cutting, but I saw it in a magazine and just had to try it. It is a great way to use up scraps. The sentiment on the flower says 'happy thoughts'. Thanks for looking and I hope you have a day filled with happy thoughts!!

Miss You

Well, I'll give you 3 guesses as to who this is for....and the first 2 don't count!! Easy and fun card to make...the flower was cut from the piece of 12x12 patterned paper I used for the background. Great layout for any sentiment. If you are missing someone today....send them a card and tell them so....and it doesn't even have to be homemade!! Have a happy day!

Hedgehog Happy!!

This cute little hedgehog stamp is also a Penny Black. I just realized that all the cards I've made lately have been from stickers, patterned paper and acrylic stamps. All my stampin' up stamps sat tucked away in the drawer feeling lonely and unloved. I saw this idea in a magazine and liked the way the card was folded and scalloped. So I made a couple like this, using watercolour pencil crayons. I was happy with the way both of the cards turned out. Thanks for looking...enjoy your day!

The Bucket Frog

Another great frog sticker card, this one for Kristen. I think it is safe to post, since she doesn't usually read my blog anyway. She is away at camp and her last email said "send me mail!!!"....and I always do what I am told........................ I remember being a leader at Christian Horizons Camp when I was younger and it was always great to receive mail. .....and I really don't need a reason to make more cards, but this is a good one.

Hoppy Froggy Birthday

Brittany and I have been having great fun the last few days making lots of cards...I decided I should put to use the frog stickers from Penny Black that I purchased a couple of months ago. This happy frog is going to wish my nephew Caleb a very happy birthday. He turns 4 today! ... and he is the cutest little boy on the face of the planet...yes, yes he is!! My Dad, Mom and I are going to Goderich today for his birthday party - the adult one. Cause you know, he first needs to have a party with his little friends!! I can't wait to see him and give him a big wet zorbert!!! Thanks for dropping by, stay tuned for some more posts from our card making extravaganza!!

Sunshine and Laughter

My sunshine and laughter has gone to bring sunshine and laughter to others. I'm not very good at sharing.

Many Thanks

The employer of my good friend Frieda, asked if we would be interested in making some Thank You cards for her kids school teachers and music teachers. Since we love to get together and make cards anyways, we thought 'why not'. Her boss provided these stamp sets she wanted us to use. It was a bit of a challenge, but thanks to some ideas off splitcoast we were able to make these cards....a few of each design for a total of 18 cards. She was thrilled with them! Thanks for looking.

Biker Birthday

A card for my brother. He likes to bike....rode in the Sea to Sea four years ago. I hope he likes the card. I don't think he would get far on this ol' thing though.

Beautiful Sunrise

Ahhhhh...........the ocean...............can you hear it ?

Early one morning, at the beginning of our holiday week, my hubby went out to catch the sunrise. His inner clock, having not yet adjusted to vacation mode, woke him earlier than usual. I think I remember hearing "......I'm going ....... sunrise ....... camera ...." My bed was just too comfy. Look what I missed! From the rising of the sun, to the setting of the same ....... How great is our God!

Sun and Sand

Hello....yes it's really me! No, I have not fallen off the face of the earth. My daughter pointed out that the novelty of blogging has already worn off. Not really...just busy with work and other distractions. One of these distractions was a lovely week away with my hubby for a much needed vacation. We went to our favorite resort at Mrytle Beach. Before we left, the weather forecast did not sound too promising...mostly rain, cloud and thunderstorms. But...we were blessed with 5 days of glorious sunshine with only 10 minutes of rain on Friday afternoon, and temperatures of 25-28 degrees C!! I think it rained mostly inland, and not along the beach. Listening to the ocean...the waves rolling in...is the most calming sound. I love being near the ocean...odd for someone who can't swim and doesn't care much for boats...but I did say 'near' the ocean, and not 'in' it. I miss our oceanfront balcony....now we sit on our deck and look at the green lawn...but, hey, that's okay too!

...In Ages

My goodness, I have not blogged in ages. First of all, Happy Mother's Day to all you amazing mom's out there!! I had a lovely Mom's day...received two beautiful cards from my daughters, they always write such nice things inside. I am blessed to have such great relationships with them both...different with each one, but great! I loved the children's message this morning at church. The leader asked the kids to name some of the places our moms take us...hoping, of course, someone would say church. I started thinking about that...I mean, how else would I know of the love of God and my Saviour Jesus. I remember talking with a girlfriend a while back about how her relationship with her dad was not so great and she didn't have much good to say about him. Someone challenged her to think of at least one good thing she could say about him. She said, 'he took me to church'. Thanks, Mom (and Dad) for taking me to church. I have done the same with my girls, and know they are two beautiful Christian young women. "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." Pr.22:6