Blog Candy Goodness

Steph has some delicious blog candy up for grabs over at Much Ado About Nothing. Pop on over to see and check out her wonderful creations while you're there! I got sucked in for quite some time - grab a coffee and drool over some gorgeous work! :)

Hey we had another gorgeous day here, today! It got up to +31 C! Can we say "Thank you, Mother Nature!" lol :) It's supposed to drop back down to +13C tomorrow, but it was certainly a nice treat today!

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

It was +27C today!

Hey, I forgot to mention, it got up to +27C today! (That's 80.6 F!) What a gorgeous day - our best one yet, this Spring. Spring is finally here! :) I think we'd all seen enough snow and miserable weather. The flowers are all starting to pop up nicely and really looking like Spring.

I was chatting with my Best Friend, Brandy, in Edmonton, AB this afternoon while it was at it's warmest and I mentioned how nice it was here in Nova Scotia and she said, "Oh, that's nice...it's snowing here!" Better there than here! Sorry, Bran! LOL :)

OK, gotta get my girls off to bed for the night, then perhaps I'll sneak in some more crafty time...

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Bride and Groom Best Wishes

One of the ladies that I work with asked me if I would make her a wedding card for her friend's upcoming wedding. Her only stipulations were that it be black and white only and include "Best Wishes." So, this is the card that I came up with. I opted to go with a square card for a more formal look. I hope she likes it. I'm not sure why the Bride and Groom silhouette look faded, they're actually a really good solid black. Must have been the flash on the camera. *Sigh*

Here's an angle shot to show you the way I made the Bride and Groom recessed inside the window. I call this 'the card of many layers.' lol :) The picture below also shows how black the silhouettes are, unlike my picture above showing them as washed out.
I still find it a bit weird making cards for other people to buy from me when I don't know exactly what they want. It'd be easier if they would look at some of my cards and tell me they like the layout of this card, but the stamps from this card, and perhaps an embellishment from another card. I dunno, what I think is nice might not be what they like at all. But, I guess they trust me to come up with something that will be fitting. :)

Well, I think I'll rest a bit this evening, my girls had a play date today with three other little girls. Can you imagine 5 girls ranging in age from 4-7? I think I can still hear them all screeching their little girl screams of excitement. Why is that little girls feel the need the scream like that? lol :) I'm sure I did it, too, as a child and I'm sure my poor mother had the same headache that I have right now! Sorry, Mom! lol :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Bride and Groom Silhouette- 94965-O (Inkadinkado), Best Wishes (The Artful Stamper)
Cardstock: Flat Black (CRS), Flat White (CRS)
Ink: Onyx Black (VersaFine)
Tools: Cuttlebug, Textile Texture Embossing Folder (ProvoCraft), Classic Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Circle Custom Cutting System (Creative Memories)
Embellishments: Sheer White Ribbon (Michaels)

Welcome, Baby Nicholas!

This is the gift that I made for my neighbour that just had a new little baby boy. Nicholas is such an adorable little guy. It really makes me want to have a little boy of my own...I don't know, I've really been on the fence lately. We'd love to have a son to add to our family, but we'll see.

Anyway, I decided to make another one of these altered picture frames like one that I made for another friend of mine a little while back. The new Mom actually has a photography studio in her home, and is big into taking pictures. I thought it'd be a nice personal touch and would be fitting for her to add a photo to it that she took. I don't think the picture frame looks too girly, I think the jungle animals are fitting for either a boy or a girl. Anyway, I hope she likes it. :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Mindy's Zoo by Mindy Terasawa (Autumn Leaves)
Cardstock: White Flat (CRS), Barely Banana (SU)
Patterned Paper: Classic K McKenna (K & Company)
Ink: Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Old Olive, Whisper White Craft Ink (SU)
Watercolor Wonder Crayons: Regal Rose, Rose Red, Always Artichoke, Barely Banana, Bordering Blue, Brocade Blue (SU)
Tools: Cuttlebug, Classic and Scalloped Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Aqua Painter (SU), sandpaper, wood unfinished picture frame (Michaels), Sponge (SU), Scissors

Blog Candy Alert

Debbie over at Passion for Crafts is celebrating her 1st Blogiversary and is giving away a huge assortment of yummy crafty goodies! Please stop on over to congratulate her and check out her wonderful work. Some gorgeous eye candy, for sure! :)

I'm working on a baby gift...will post as soon as I'm done. Stay tuned...

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Baby Boy or a Baby Girl?

Will the baby be a boy or a girl?

My neighbour is expecting baby #2 any day now and she's not telling anyone ahead of time if it's going to be a boy or a girl, so I figured I better be prepared with a card either way. Can't wait to meet him or her! :)

I CASE'd this card nearly in part from a card that I saw in a Take Ten Magazine. I borrowed the magazine from a friend and I can't remember who made the card, but I'll find out and add her name to give her credit for this cute design. :) ...Can you help me out Kim? I borrowed your Take Ten magazine, any chance you could find a card that looks like this and post a comment as to who designed it? Thanks, so much!

Seems like lots of baby cards to make lately, quite a little baby boom 'round here. But, that's good! I love visiting new babies, then love even more that I can give them back and go get a full night of sleep! lol :) I can hardly wait to be a grandma! I know, I know, lots of time before that's gonna happen, but I still look forward to it...perhaps 20 years down the road. :)

Thanks to Val for letting me borrow her scalloped Square and Scalloped Rectangle Nesties. My birthday is coming up in June and I think that's what I'll ask for. Lots of new Nestabilities! The ovals, squares and rectangles are top on my wish list. Hint, hint, Jim! lol :)

We went on a 11 1/2 hour road trip yesterday down the South Shore of Nova Scotia as far as Yarmouth and Digby. Unfortunately, no crafty stores to visit, but we had a great day anyway. The weather was beautiful and sunny and the kids were in good spirits. It was a nice family day.

Now, back to reality, we have some work to do around the house today to catch up after a day away. I hope to get in some craft time later tonight.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Giraffe- Baby Powder Collection - Snag 'em Stamps (Imaginisce), Welcome Little One (Studio G)
Cardstock: Goldenrod Linen (CRS), Soft Mauve (Bazzill), Key Lime Flat (CRS), Blue Bayou (SU), White Flat (CRS)
Ink: Perfect Plum (SU), Creamy Caramel (SU), Barely Banana (SU), Blue Bayou (SU)
Tools: Cuttlebug, Scalloped Square and Scalloped Rectangle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Aqua Painter (SU), Paper Piercer and Piercing Mat

RAK from Val

I had a great night last night. I had a couple of friends over for a little stampin' night. I think the three of us were as loud as if there were a dozen of us! I needed that! Thanks so much to Catherine and Val for coming over to make me laugh! Val, you're an absolute hoot! Luv ya! :)

This is the gorgeous card that Val brought me last night. She included a whole bunch of butterfly punchies for me to play with too! I love the Asian paper that she used and the daintiness of the card. The Stickles add just enough bling, too. I know you can't see a lot of them from the picture, but it just sparkles in real life. Thanks so much, Val! I love it! :)

I finished one card tonight that I started last night, but I want to finish the 2nd one and then I'll post them together. Stay tuned...

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

In Time of Loss

Tonight's sympathy card is one that I made just to have on hand. Most times when a sympathy card is needed, it's not a time that you feel like being crafty. But, I think these cards are appreciated so much during the loss of a loved one, that you took the time to make the card yourself.

Here's an angle shot to show you how I curled the flowers to give them some dimension.
I used last week's sketch from Card Positioning Systems for this one, although I opted to make mine a square card instead of standard A2 Style card.

This is the sketch that I followed - CPS110
Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: CL114 Sympathy Sentiments (Impression Obsession), Baroque Motifs (SU), Natural Beauty (SU)
Cardstock: Flat Lime (Staples), Blue Bayou (SU)
Patterned Paper: Classic K McKenna (K&Company)
Ink: Blue Bayou (SU)
Tools: Oval Custom Cutting System (Creative Memories), Scissors, 1/8" Dimensional Squares (EK Success)
Embellishments: Blue Brads (Making Memories)

Believe in Faeries

I'm in fairyland again tonight! lol :) I had fun with this one. I used the current Mojo Monday Week 82 sketch. Hey, any excuse to add a butterfly to a card, eh? :) I wanted to add a bit of colour to the card - hence the china red linen c/s, however, now I don't think I like it, or the way in which I used it. Also, the base of the card looks way to plain to me...humm, might have to pull this card apart and fix it later!

This is the the sketch that I followed.
Well, today was my last day off work. It's been nice to have a pretty relaxing weekend, although we tore apart our basement today and reorganized it. Not so relaxing, but a good feeling to have it done. Then, I treated myself to a bit of crafty time tonight. :) Now, it's time to call it a day.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Fairy & Believe- Kolette Hall (Studio G)
Cardstock: Flat White (Staples), China Red Linen & Jet Black Linen (CRS), Soft Sky (SU), Vellum Cardstock (SU)
Ink: Jet Black (StazOn), Blue Bayou (SU), Soft Sky (SU), Touch Marker - Blush 136 (ShinHan Art International Inc.)
Tools: Scissors, 1/8" Dimensional Squares (EK Success), Scalloped Edge Punch (SU)
Embellishments: Sheer Black and White Polka Dot Ribbon (Michaels)

CPS111 Sketch Challenge

I had a wonderful day today, my parents came up to my house for a nice Easter Dinner and we had a great visit. I'm not quite sure what I was thinking cooking as much as I did, but nobody went hungry, that's for sure! lol :)

After my parents left to drive back to the Valley, I got the kiddies settled down from their sugar highs and then decided to get in a bit of crafty time to relax. I knew I wanted to play around with another one of my new Faeries, but I couldn't decide on a sketch, so I opted to use one from Card Positioning Systems.

This is the sketch that I followed - the current CPS Sketch #111.
Well, I think it's time to call it a day. We haven't decided what we're doing tomorrow, but Jim and I are both off work again. I'm gonna try to get in some crafty time at some point...I'm trying to catch up on lost crafty time from the past couple of months! lol :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Fairy & Fairy Princess- Kolette Hall (Studio G)
Cardstock: Flat White (Staples), Chocolate Brown (CRS), Pink Pirouette (SU)
Patterned Paper: Sugared (Basic Grey)
Ink: Jet Black (StazOn), Touch Markers - Tender Pink 198, Lime Green 175, Bronze Green 42, Blush 136, Deep Yellow 32, Cream 36 (ShinHan Art International Inc.)
Tools: Scissors
Embellishments: Light Pink Grosgrain Ribbon (Michaels)

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter, Everyone! :) Hope everyone is having a nice, relaxing day with your families. We're just getting things ready for my parents to arrive for Easter dinner. I can only imagine the madness that's gonna happen soon, though...things were a little quiet and we wondered what my youngest (5 year old) daughter was up to. I just found her hiding under a table with only a third of her solid chocolate bunny left! EEP! That should be fun later! I joked and said I think she's
gonna grow wings 'cause she'll be flying around the house! Guess that'll be enough chocolate for her for a few days! lol :)

I wanted to share these cute little cupcake lip glosses and monogrammed note books that I found at Michaels in their $1.50 section. Too cute and the girls love them! :) They only had a few of the note books left, so I ended up getting an "A" for Alexandria, but I had to go with a "T" for Natalia. But, her nickname is Tallie or Talia, so she's happy with it, nonetheless.

Here's how the little monogrammed notebook opens, the top part of magnetic no it stays closed.
Then, you can open it up fully to reveal the notepad.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Enchanted Faeries

For tonight's card, I decided to take this tri-fold card from Galison and add to it to make it my own with some extra embellishing. The original card was just a blank canvas to work with. I added the scalloped border to the bottom edge of the front of the card as well as all the other embellishments.

Here's a view of the card with the bow untied and the top of the card slightly opened up to show you the center fold. This patterned layer folds down to open the card up to 5" wide x 9 1/2" long. The back of the card has this patterned paper on it, as well. The inside of the card is plain cream c/s.

I recently got these fairy stamps at Michaels as part of the Kolette Hall line from Studio G. I thought they were so pretty, I got a bunch of them. I can't wait to play with all of them. How can a person go wrong with both faeries and butterflies together? They're such beautiful butterflies, I couldn't resist!

Aerianna - 5 months
I hope everyone is having a relaxing Easter Weekend with their families and enjoying time with their families. I had a relaxing day off today. I did a bit of Spring cleaning and then my friends Lisa and Sean stopped over with their 5 month old baby girl, Aerianna. She's so precious, Jim and I both got in some baby cuddling. Ah, the sweet smell of a new little baby and those wonderful little sounds that they make, how I miss that! Good thing I have lots of friends that have little ones and we can get our fill, then send them home to their parents who get to deal with the dirty diapers, teething and whatnot! lol :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Butterflies, Faeries & Enchanted - Kolette Hall (Studio G)
Cardstock: Ivory (Staples), Chocolate Brown (CRS), Vellum Cardstock (SU)
Patterned Paper: Recycled paper from a Galison Fine Art & Children's Educational Games Card and Patterned Envelop
Ink: Jet Black (StazOn)
Tools: 1/8" Dimensional Squares (EK Success), Scissors, 1 1/4" & 1 1/2" Circle Punches (Creative Memories), Scallop Edge Punch (SU), White Gel Pen - Signo (SU)
Embellishments: White Sheer Ribbon (Michaels), Antique Brass Swirl Clip - Hodge Podge Hardware (SU)

Lavender Prima Butterfly

Wow, three blog posts in three days, I must be on a roll again! lol :) This is attempt #2 on the lavender birthday card request from my co-worker. I decided to go with the same basic layout as my last card, but just change it up a bit with some patterned paper, a more flourished butterfly and some different embellishments. I hope she likes this one. I'm quite happy with how this one turned out.

Well, I have to call it a day, it's nearly midnight and I have to rest up before my double shift tomorrow. I leave for work at 8:30 am and work til 2 pm. Then, I drive back across the city to go get the kids at school, back across the city to get Jim at work, then back across the city again to take them home. I quickly get changed and run straight out the door to be at my other job until 11 pm. Sigh. It's gonna be a long day. I'll need some crafty therapy time on Thursday night for sure! lol :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Butterfly - 98896 DD (Inkadinkado), Retro Happy Birthday - K057 (Stampendous)
Cardstock: Lavender (Bazzill), Plum (Bazzill), Flat White (CRS), Vellum Cardstock (SU)
Ink: Jet Black (StazOn), Perfect Plum (SU)
Patterned Paper: Serene (Creative Memories)
Tools: Classic and Scalloped Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Paper Piercer, Piercing Mat, 1/8" Dimensional Squares (EK Success), Scissors, Scalloped Border Punch (SU)
Embellishments: Prima Flowers, Plum Brads (Making Memories), Jumbo Plum Brads (Dollarama), Purple Bling (Dollarama)

Lavender Birthday Butterfly

One of the ladies that I work with asked me if I would make her a lavender birthday card for her friend. This is card attempt #1, that I made tonight, but I'm not sure that I'm completely happy with it. I don't know what it is about making cards for other people, but I always seem to get stumped for ideas when they specifically request one. It's like I all of a sudden lose my mojo. Anyway, I think I'll try another attempt tomorrow night and see which one she likes better. I think I'll try some patterned paper with the other one. This one just seems too plain for me...I dunno, I know you're always you're own worst critic.

By the way, I used my new Making Memories paper trimmer for this card. This is the first full card that I've made with it and I have to say that so far, I love it! It gives such nice, clean, straight cuts and no blade-wobbling at the beginning of the cut. I'm super happy with it! Finally, I have a good cutter! I feel like a kid in a candy store I'm so excited! Ya gotta love new crafty toys! lol :)

Well, I think I'll turn in a bit early tonight. I'll be back again tomorrow. Stay tuned...

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Wild Vines (Technique Tuesday), Happy Birthday (Studio G)
Cardstock: Lavender (Bazzill), Flat White (CRS), Jet Black Linen (CRS), Vellum Cardstock (SU)
Ink: Perfect Plum (SU), Onyx Black (VersaFine)
Tools: Classic & Scalloped Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Cuttlebug, AquaPainter (SU), 1/8" Dimensional Squares (EK Success)
Embellishments: Sheer White Ribbon (Michaels), Gold Butterfly Lines (Peel-Off's)

Altered Coffee Gift Box

Sorry I've been MIA again for a while...my schedule is starting to slack off a bit now I'm down to about 45 hours per week as apposed to 75 hours per week. But, the house has taken quite a beating so I've been trying to get it back in order along with trying to get some much needed rest. The house is much tidier now and I'm feeling a lot more rested now, so I finally got a chance for some crafty play time. :)

The altered cigar box that I'm sharing with you today is one that I made for my brother for his birthday. We don't exchange gifts anymore for our birthdays, but I just wanted to give him a little something and I thought coffee might be in order, since he loves coffee as much as I do. :)

Here's an angle view of the cigar box that I altered.

Here's a top view.

Here's the inside, as everyone always seem to curious as to what I put inside my altered boxes/containers! lol :) If you haven't tried this coffee from the Second Cup, you really should! It's delish!
With working all the extra hours I've been working, the money has come in handy for bills, but I also wanted to treat myself to something new, so I went out and bought myself a new Making Memories paper trimmer. OMG, this thing cuts like a DREAM! It's awesome! I've wanted this for a year and this is the first time that I didn't feel guilty in the least about buying myself something worth $70! Granted I used a M's coupon for it, so I got it for a lot less, but it was worth every penny. Beautiful straight cut and such smooth edges. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a new paper trimmer.

Here it is folded out to be full size. Isn't she a beauty? lol :)

Here it is folded down to half size.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Chai Latte - See d's (Inque Boutique)
Cardstock: Chocolate (CRS), Flat White (CRS)
Ink: Vintage Sepia (VersaFine)
Pattered Paper: Au Chocolat (SU)
Embellishments: White Cigar Box (Michaels), Caramelo Coffee (Second Cup)