Snowflake Chocolate Tin

I was in the mood tonight to alter something, so I grabbed this little tin that I've had for a while now and decided to pair it with some yummy Bliss Raspberry chocolates with a Snowflake theme. Of course, I had to perform quality control on the chocolates...just to make sure that they were suitable to give away...they passed! lol :)

Here's what the tin looks like with the band removed. I decided to put the chocolates in the tin laying on the bias for a little different look. In case you're wondering, the tin is 6" x 3" x 1".

Wow, can you believe that it's almost December 1st! Where has the time gone? Do I really only have that little of time before Xmas arrives? It's just hard to believe that it's that close. I'm still in a bit of denial, I think! Better snap out of it soon, I guess! lol :)

Well, gotta get some rest, gotta get the kiddies off to school in the morning again.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: The Snowflake Spot (SU)
Cardstock: Purely Pomegranate & Pink Pirouette (SU), White Flat (Staples)
Tools: Scissors, Bliss Raspberry Chocolates (Hershey), Tin and Acetate Covered Container (Photo Memories), Terrifically Tack Tape (Provocraft), Glue Dots (SU)
Embellishments: Pomegranate and Green Ribbon (Michaels)

Blog Candy Alert

I just found the link for this awesome blog by Joy and so glad I did. She does amazing work and looks like a super busy lady! She's offering up some yummy blog candy - so go take a peek! Good luck! :)

Hugs,

Snowflake Cheer

I took some time today and made a Xmas card. I haven't made many at all so far...not sure what my thoughts are, perhaps that I think I have another few months til Xmas instead of a few weeks! Hasn't time flown by leading up to Xmas, seriously? I guess I had better get my act together and get movin' on the cards! lol :)

My stampin' friends and I are getting together next week for a crafty night, as well, and our theme for this one is a Xmas ornament...so I have to get my thinkin' cap on for that one! I have a few ideas, but nothing concrete yet. If you have any ideas that you'd like to share, I'd be more than open to any ideas! :)

Well, I had better get some stuff done around my house before I have to go to work tonight.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: The Snowflake Spot (SU)
Cardstock: White Flat (Staples), Plum (Bazzill), Wild Wasabi (SU)
Patterned Paper: Believe Peace (Bo Bunny)
Ink: Eggplant Envy & Wild Wasabi (SU)
Embellishments: Clear, Pink, Purple and Green Bling (Hero Arts), Plum Velvet Ribbon (Michaels)

Flourished Butterfly

OK, Ya'll know of my love of butterflies, but I'm really in love after playing with this butterfly tonight! lol :) Kim and I went on a trip shopping a while ago and she made me buy these! Yeah, right, my arm was twisted! Just kidding, I saw these and knew right away I needed them! lol :) I finally decided to play with them and I've already got some other ideas brewing...I'm thinkin' I need more of these! Road trip, anyone? :)

I love watercolouring on the reverse side of vellum cardstock, as it gives this cool curled effect to the vellum which gives dimension to your image.
I bought this Bo Bunny patterned paper recently and can't get over how beautiful it is. I got several of their designs...but, it's this paper that actually inspired me to buy a scrapbook as I thought you could only really appreciate these gorgeous papers in their 12" x 12" state. Well, I broke down and cut a sheet of it...cause I'm in love, now I need to buy more...help me please, I'm obsessed!!! lol :)

OK, before you think I'm all crazy, I'm gonna call it a night. Perhaps I'll go dream of butterflies and flourishes! :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Cardstock: Jet Black Linen (CRS), White Flat (CRS), Rose Weave (CRS), Vellum Cardstock (SU)
Ink: Pink Passion & Basic Black (SU)
Tools: 1/8" Dimensional Squares (EK Success), AquaPainter (SU)
Embellishments: Large Black Butterfly Outline Sticker (Peel Offs), 5/8" Sheer White Ribbon (Michaels)

Pensive Lady

I saw this 'pensive lady' image on my friend, Deborah's blog. It was part of shared image for a card/ATC challenge over at Art Creations Friday and I knew as soon as I saw it that I wanted to try a card with it. Isn't she beautiful?

This was a perfect image to go with a card I wanted to make for a friend of mine that's going through a bit of a hard time right now. I've never done a card like this before, using a printed image, but it was fun to step outside my comfort circle. I've actually played around with the image a bit using Photoshop, but I'm out of colour ink, so I'll have to get some more ink and then print it off again. So, you can expect to see another card using this gorgeous image in the future.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Hope (Impression Obsession)
Cardstock: Navy Linen, Soft Sky (SU)
Patterned Paper: Give Thanks (Creative Memories)
Ink: Antique Sepia (VersaFine)
Tools: Computer Printer for printing off Image, Sponge (SU)
Embellishments: Antique Brass Frame and Brads - Hodge Podge Hardware (SU), Light Brown Sheer Polka Dot Ribbon (Michaels)

Let Your Dreams Find Wings

Thought I'd play with my SU Scallop Border punch today to attempt to try to make a square...I was somewhat successful, but need to practice or find an easier way to do it, cause it took way too many tries to get this one done. My SU Demo said she has a tutorial on how to make one, so I'll have to get that link from her, so I can try it later and save myself the stress of doing it my way! lol :)

I like this saying from IO, but I had to change the layout of it to fit my square. When I stamped it out I didn't get the 'dream' centered vertically very well. Oh well, not a big deal, I guess! lol :)

Here's a close up view of the butterfly to show it's dimension.

Well, apparently they've increased the amount of snow fall that we're expecting to start around midnight tonight from 30 cms to 45 cms and I've just been called into work as it's insane in there. Everyone is freaking out with the storm coming, so they need some extra help. Good thing I got in crafty time earlier! lol :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)


Supplies:
Stamps: Butterfly 1 (Impression Obsession), Find Wings (Impression Obsession)
Cardstock: Wild Wasabi (SU), Black Flat (CRS), White (Staples)
Patterned Paper: a la carte - Pesto (American Crafts)
Ink: Wild Wasabi (SU), Jet Black (StazOn)
WaterColour Wonder Crayons: Always Artichoke (SU)
Tools: Aqua Painter (SU), Scissors, White Gel Pen (Signo - SU), Cuttlebug, Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, 1/8" Dimensional Squares (EK Success)

Blog Candy Alert

I happened upon this blog today to find some extremely beautiful and creative work. I love a blog where they have lots of altered ideas as well as cards. You know me and my love of altering things! lol :) Anyway, Debbie has a blog you need to check out and she's also running some mega blog candy right now so pop on over for a visit and get in on the fun! :)

We're calling for 30 cms of snow here between tonight and tomorrow, so I'm thinkin' it'll be a good time to get in some crafty time! So, stay tuned...

Thanks for stoppin' by!

Happy 5th Birthday, Natalia!

Today is my youngest daughter, Natalia's 5th birthday. I guess somewhere in there time flew by and she's not my little baby anymore. It's amazing how fast time passes as you get older yourself. Natalia is such a sweet little girl, she loves to draw and colour - probably her favourite thing to do. That makes Mommy happy as both my girls love their crafty time! :) She's always singing and so darn cute while doing it! She's a great little helper and always looking out for other people, to help them if they need it. She's my little princess, but also has a fascination with nature and of snakes and worms and bugs...hence the toy rubber snake that she's playing with in the picture above. We took a trip to the Dollarama and this was the toy that she HAD to have! Oh well, at least it's not real! lol :)

We already had a joint birthday party for both my girls between each of their special days, but today is Natalia's actual birthday. So , we're doing like we did with her sister, we'll have a special dinner tonight and then have birthday cake after. Her grandparents (my Mum and Dad) are coming for supper and she's so excited, hopefully the icy roads will cooperate as they have an hour drive to get here. Apparently, they're clearing up a bit, and by this afternoon they should have more than enough salt on the roads to clear up the little bit of snow that we got.

Here is Natalia on the left with her sister, Alexandria on the right. They're inseparable and are the best of friends. They get along so well...well, most of the time! lol :)

Just to show you how much they are alike, look at the way they were sleeping while we were up at my in-laws for a visit, sleeping in unison. Cute, eh? :)

Well, I have a ton of things to do before my folks arrive, so I better get a move on.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Scalloped Border Note

I just got home from work and we're having a first real snowstorm. It flurried yesterday for the first time this season, but tonight it really started snowing and accumulating on the ground, the salt trucks and plows are already out. Very wet snow, so it's made quick a slushy mess as the temp is hovering right at the freezing mark. I'm sure the kids will all be excited to see snow in the morning, I'm however not so happy that it's time to get them into snow pants again already...was hoping we had a bit more time before that! Oh well, it's inevitable, eh? lol :)

I made this card before I went to work today, just didn't have time to post it earlier. My friend, Catherine and I have been discussing the new scalloped border punch from SU and how it works. We both thought it was a full length punch that would punch the long side of an A2 style card in one punch. We didn't realize that it's only a 2 inch section that punches and then you repeat the pattern for as long as you want it. It took a bit of fooling around, but I think I've got it figured out now and I think it'll be fun to play with.

So, this is the design that I came up with, while playing with my new toy. This shows the card opened up a bit, so you can see how it opens more clearly.

This is just a close up to show you the dimension of the butterfly and the free-hand work that I did. :) I made a template since I don't own a 'designer label punch' from SU and I cut it out with scissors, including the oval in the centre. I free-handed that, too! Yes, I realize it would have been much easier to just punch them out, but since I don't have either punch, I make do with what I have. You couldn't tell, though, could you? lol :)
Well, it's time to call it a day. Gotta go get some rest in case school's not cancelled in the morning. That's just wishing thinking on my part, that I might actually be able to sleep in a bit! lol :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Sentiments 1 (Impression Obsession), Butterfly Garden (Storage Units, Ink & More)
Cardstock: Pink Pirouette (SU), Black Flat (CRS), Vellum Cardstock (SU)
Patterned Paper: Family Roots (My Minds Eye), Classic K McKenna (K & Company)
Ink: Black Onyx (VersaFine)
Watercolor Wonder Crayons: Regal Rose, Bravo Burgundy, Always Artichoke
Tools: Scalloped Border Punch (SU), Scissors, AquaPainter (SU), White and Black Gel Pens (Signo - SU), 1 1/4" Circle Punch (Creative Memories)
Embellishments: Black and White Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon (Michaels)

Serendipity Thanks

Today, I thought I'd challenge myself to a Serendipity design. I'm not sure why I do it to myself...since I find it a bit stressing to get all the measurements right and then to get it aligned properly on the card, but I love how they turn out.

Well, no rambling for this post. I have a ton of stuff to do this afternoon before I head to work tonight...that should have been done already today while I was crafting. Ah well, what do ya do! It's my therapy time! lol :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: CardArt Thank You (Hero Arts)
Cardstock: Blue Bayou (SU), Goldenrod Linen (CRS), White Flat (Staples)
Patterned Paper: Soft Blue Swirls (Creative Memories) ...I don't know the real name, it was from a RAK
Ink: Blue Bayou (SU)
Embellishments: Clear Bling

Baby Aerianna

Oh My Goodness, I got to get in some baby snugglin' time last night with my friend, Lisa's new little baby girl, Aerianna. Ah, look at those cute little legs still all pulled up close to her. She turned 2 weeks old yesterday and is just a total sweetie. She's such a good little baby, it almost makes me want to have another one! Well, perhaps I'll just visit my friends with babies more instead! It's kinda nice to enjoy them, but then give them back so I can go home and get my sleep at night and not have to be changing diapers anymore! lol :)

This is a sweet picture with the proud new Mommy, Lisa. Aerianna had just finished nursing, so she was burping her here, hence the tapping hand motion I caught in the picture. :) I can't wait to see them again. There's nothing better than holding a new little one to forget everything else that's going on in your life.
OK, just thought I'd share some cute baby pics. I'll try to share something crafty later on today.
Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Ring Around the Rosie

Ring around the rosie, pocket full of posies, ashes! ashes! we all fall down! :)

I had a lot of fun making this card today. I've been going through a bit of a blah time lately. Lots of headaches...perhaps just tension headaches from the stress of my ceran top breaking on my stove and having to battle with the people we bough tit from over warranty. We've been without a stove top for 2 weeks now and it really sucks! Anyway, this card provided some good therapy time. It's funny, I used to hate using scissors to cut out flowers that I stamped, but now I love it. I find it really relaxing along with the watercolouring.

This was supposed to be a birthday card for a little girl turning 2, but somehow it took a turn and now, to me, it looks very far from a 2 year old birthday card! lol :) I was trying to get a head start on this card, as I don't need it until next month, but you know how time escapes us sometimes. Thought I'd get it done and I'd be all set. But, I look at it now and it seems rather a bit much to me. I don't know, I just think it should have been more 'cutesie,' don't ya think?

I thought I'd try playing with my score blade today, as well, to make the lattice design on the goldenrod (yellow) layer. I really like how it turned out, but you can't see it very well in the picture. I guess if you click on the picture, it will blow it up for you and you could see it more clearly. I don't think I'll ever get sick of Purely Pomegranate by SU. I'm thinkin' I should have bought waaaaay more of this colour before it was retired as an 'In Color.' Oh well, I'm sure I'll fall in love with lots of other colours, so no worries! lol :)

Well,that's all for now. I should be back tomorrow with something else to share with you all.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Delight in Life (SU), Natural Beauty (SU), Ring Around the Rosie -See d's (Inque Boutique)
Cardstock: Purely Pomegranate (SU), Navy (Bazzill), Goldenrod Linen and White Flat (CRS)
Ink: Purely Pomegranate (SU), Not Quite Navy (SU)
WaterColour Wonder Crayons: Certainly Celery (SU), Always Artichoke (SU)
Tools: Score Blade (Fiskars), Scissors, White Gel Pen (Signo - SU), Cuttlebug, Classic Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Circle Custom Cutting Template (Creative Memories), 1/8" Dimensional Squares (EK Success), Aqua Painter (SU)
Embellishments: Lime Green with White Polka Dot Satin Ribbon, Clear Bling

Asian Birthday

Well, I was starting to go through a bit of crafty withdrawal. We returned home late Tuesday night from a nice few days of visiting my in-laws up in New Brunswick. But, we came home to lots of stuff to do, so I haven't had a chance to stamp. But, tonight I made the time as I had a birthday card to make for a very good friend of mine and it needs to get in the mail so it will arrive to her on time. I won't say who the card is for, just in case she happens to read this. I imagine if she does see this she'll know it for her because of the colours that I used. She loves orange and bright colours, so I think she'll like this. Anyway, hopefully, it'll be a surprise when it arrives in the mail! lol :)

Well, it's that time of day again to call it a day. I'm gonna try to get in some crafty time again tomorrow before I go to work. We'll see how things go, for some reason lately the days just seem to be slipping away before I realize it and then I notice it's been a few days before I've posted anything here. I really don't know where the time goes. But, I do need to get started on Teacher gifts for Xmas, as well. Lots to do this year...gotta rack my brain for some ideas...the works are moving and I have a few ideas, now I just need to narrow them down! lol :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Solid Cherry Blossom Branch, Butterfly Wishes & Sentiments 1 (all by Impression Obsession)
Cardstock: Wild Wasabi and Vellum Cardstock (SU), Rust & Navy (Bazzill), White Flat (CRS)
Ink: Wild Wasabi, Really Rust, Night of Navy (SU)
Tools: Paper Piercer, Piercing Mat, Piercing Guide
Embellishments: Wasabi Green Brads (Making Memories)

Welcome Baby, Aerianna!

I took today and had a crafty day...yes, it took me nearly all day to make this picture frame! By the time I altered the frame, stamped out all the animals, water coloured them and cut them out...yes it took most of my time to cut them out. Lots of intricate cuts. The picture frame has a 4" x 6" opening for a picture, but I opted to alter most of the inside of the frame, as well and just leave a little scalloped circle window to add a picture behind. I contemplated adding, 'Wild About You,' to the top of the frame and 'Aerianna' to the bottom of the frame. But, I opted to leave it as is. Any opinions? :)

This altered frame is for my friend, Lisa to put in her new baby girl, Aerianna's nursery. She went with a Jungle theme, so this is in keeping with her theme. I really like the way it turned out and the softness of it. I hope she likes it. It's killing me to not have seen her yet, but we've all got sore throats and coughs here and I don't want to pass anything on to her. Hopefully soon we'll be all good to go see her and I can get in some baby cuddlin' time. :)

This is just to show you the dimension of the frame. I white-washed the sides with white craft ink to add a softness to the frame.
Oh, I have to share something funny. When I was almost done cutting, my 5 year old daughter came over and commended me on what she called 'good scissor work.' Too funny! lol :) She was pretty impressed that I could cut so close to the images and asked me how long it took me to learn how to do it. I replied, "Well, after 5 straight years of National Scissor School, I achieved my Master Level Certification." Just kidding, I didn't really tell her that. I just told her to practice lots and she could do it, too. Funny how they look up at you, though for the littlest of things. I love their innocence so much! :)

We're heading to Jim's folks place tomorrow morning. He wanted to wear his uniform up there for Remembrance Day this year, so we'll be there for a few days and we'll be returning Tuesday night. The kids are so excited to see their grand parents, if even just for a short visit. We're a five hour drive away, so we don't get there are often as we'd like to. Anyway, I'm sure it'll be a good trip and I'll kick back in to crafty mode when I get back.

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)

My ceran range top cracked :(

I am so completely bummed! We bought all new appliances 5 years ago and on Monday I discovered a large crack going down one half of my ceran stove top! Ok, I thought, this sucks, but I'll contact the people I bought it from and surely they'll send someone right over to fix it. After all, I spent nearly $4000 with them and we bought a 4 year extended warranty on top of the 5 year manufacturer warranty, as well, so we'll be fine. NOT!

I contacted the company that I bought it from and they told me to contact their extended warranty department. They tell me that my coverage has expired since I'm 3 months over my warranty and that the extended warranty that I purchased doesn't cover the ceran top! But, that's the reason we bought the extended warranty in the first place, because they told us that if the ceran top was to crack it would cost nearly as much to replace the glass top as to replace the whole stove, this would save us that expense. Now, they're telling us that it doesn't cover it and that I would have to deal with the maker of the range directly. No help there either...since I'm over the warranty by 3 months, they won't do anything to help me. I'm still not done with them, I figure they should be doing their best to satisfy the customer (me) since that's the least they could do after I gave them that much business.

I'm so angry I could cry. This really sucks! So, that's why I haven't been crafty the past few days. I've been on the phone and looking online to try to find a resolution to my current useless stove top. Anyway, hopefully I'll get in some crafty time soon. I have to go to work tonight, but I'm pretty open tomorrow. Plus, I have a 'welcome baby' gift to make, so that's a happy occasion. My friend had her little girl, so it's time to celebrate with a cute project. I'll share it soon.

Well, gotta go get ready for work now. I'll keep ya posted when and if I find out anything else.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Happy 5th Birthday, Dylan!

My youngest daughter, Natalia, has a birthday party to attend today for one of her little friends at school. I'm always stumped as to what to do for little boy birthday cards and then I remembered this cute little stamp set that my friend, Deborah, gave me and I thought it would be perfect. Thanks again, Deborah! :)

Anyway, I hope he likes the card. Natalia talks about this little boy non-stop and when I talked to his Mum to tell her that we'd be there at the party, she said that last week he told her that Natalia was his girlfriend. Too funny! lol :)

This is the inside of the card

Well, I have to rush off to finish getting ready before we leave for the party. I'll try to get in some more crafty time tonight so I'll be able share something else with you soon.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: n is for Ninja (Bam Pop), Stars and Swirls (Studio G), Celebrate (DMD)
Cardstock: Jet Black, Blue Bayou and Soft Sky (SU)
Ink: Onyx Black (VersaFine)
Embellishments Tin Foil Stars
Tools: Star Punch (Dollar Store), Liquid Glue Pen to adhere stars

Halloween Treats

The girls had so much fun last night out trick or treating. We went around our Circle and down another one close by, and they came home with quite a candy haul. Much more than they need, but they have fun going door to door. It's funny, we have a large Tupperware bowl that we keep Halloween candy in and last year's candy actually lasted us until just two weeks ago. Pretty good if the candy lasts them a whole year, eh? lol :)

Anyway, I had to share these sweet little bookmarks that the girls got last night. It looks like someone handmade these, but unfortunately I don't know who gave them to them or I'd thank them. They're really nice and we'll use them for sure. The girls love to read and often we read chapter stories so these will come in handy. I thought these were a great treat to give out instead of candy, something that they can keep and use.

Can anyone tell me, do these things look like something that you can just buy pre-done? I'd love to know, I think they'd make super gifts to add to birthday presents for the girls' friends.

Here's a close up of the turtle

Here's a close up of the whale

Well, I have a few things to do before I head off to work. I'm sure it'll be busy tonight, so the time should go by quickly. :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)