a quick post. . . .

I had just a couple hours this evening to work on cards. I found a couple of challenges to combine tonight:

The first challenge I thought of was the Cuttlebug Challenge #43.

Then I saw that Lee posted this challenge on StampTV with Gina K. I love the colour combination that she chose: brown, red & cream. This was a combination that I felt I could work with today LOL

When I received the digital stamps created by MlamarreDesign, I knew that I wanted to use the frame. I opened it with PaintShop Pro to alter the colour to brown before printing it on cream coloured cardstock.

The sentiment was stamped on the cream card base before layering with the embossed red layer; I painstakingly cut out the frame before popping it up on dimensionals.


Thanks for stopping by.

three days . . .

but I'm finally done! I have finally completed my first ever Tri-Shutter card. These are so great!! They are time consuming, but actually fun to make!! I followed this SCS tutorial and spent quite a bit of time browsing the gallery for inspiration.

I used a variety of papers that I had in my stash. I think it would be easier (& faster) if one were to use a pack of designer paper, but what I had wasn't suitable for what I had in mind for this card. They have just returned from their summer vacation (spent a few days at their favourite spot, the Oregon Coast) which was the inspiration for the colour & paper choices. I think the paper is my absolute favourite - it's called Seascape by Paperhouse Productions (a reproduction of Renoir's oil painting).

I'm quite pleased with the end result, and I hope that my friends (whom I had in mind while creating it) will love it.

coffee vs tea

Oh, how do you decide? I have a fresh pot brewed and a cup ready... but wait. The mail has just arrived and what to my surprise do I find?

A precious gift from my dear friend, peggysue. You can see for yourself what I received as she posted her marvelous creation on her blog, Roses by my Window.

Now I have a choice to make. Do I stick with the cup of freshly brewed coffee that I've just poured? or do I make myself a cup of tea?

Of course the choice is easy.... I will enjoy the tea!

Thanks, dear friend, for thinking of me.... and while I sit & drink my freshly steeped tea, I will be thinking about you & praying for you. May God give you strength today to do that which you need to do.... love you, dear sister in Christ!

a busy week . . .

with not much creativity.

I did make a card for a friend of ours that provided advice for our oldest as he was looking for a used car to purchase. He found one that he's extremely happy with and I thought it would be fun to capture some of the essence of his newly acquired vehicle as a thank you to our friend!

Two other cards I worked on this week were sympathy cards. Never easy at the best of times but these I found somewhat therapeutic. I made them in among the craziness of making phonecalls to arrange for meals for the family as well as accommodations for relatives, should it be required. John Kish was a dear friend of ours; a man of God who "finished well". We will miss him. He and his wife walked with us through our recent journey with cancer and he will forever be remembered for his godly wisdom ~ his unselfish concern for others ~ his smile ~ his love for others. He was truly a man after God's own heart.

another flurry. . .

of cards finished today.

This time I made a set of 10 thank you cards for my df. She is here visiting her in-laws; her FIL is not doing very well. I thought that perhaps they could use some of these or at least it might be nice for them to have some on hand. They all would be considered CAS (Clean And Simple) cards. The flowers are gerber daisies cut on my Cricut; embossing is Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder. Stamp is from SU Sincere Salutations.

This other card that I actually popped into the mail is for my brother. His birthday is later this week. I hope he likes it!! Image is computer generated and coloured with Prismacolors & OMS; "rope" is three strands of hemp twisted and tied with knots on each end. The anchor is a shrink-a-dink piece that was left over from a project from a few years ago.


Again, thanks for stopping to see what I've been busy creating!!

two quick cards...

One that I made in and around all my running around today:

This one will go to my uncle who recently found out he has cancer. He was so supportive of us through our ordeal; the least I can do is to let them know they are in our thoughts & prayers during this time.

quick details: polished stone technique using colours from the Soft Subtle palette; card stock is all Stampin' Up: Choc Chip, BalletBlue & Night of Navy. Stamp set is Lovely As a Tree (also SU).


Here is a card I made the other day but didn't get around to posting. It's another attempt to utilize my Cricut. Sentiment is computer generated; embossing is Diamonds in the Rough (Cuttlebug). I used some more of that very luscious DP from Lollipop Shoppe for the flower; the leaves are cut from a scrap of DP that I had. I hope my MIL enjoys it :-)

Again, thanks for stopping by!

another day...

and another card!!

My friend Diane posted a 3D window card yesterday and I just had to give it a try. You can find the tutorial for it here.

Having downloaded the free image last night from Charmed Cards & Crafts I had all night to ponder just how I wanted the card to look. This morning it was raining here so it seemed to be a perfect day for using this fun image!!

I had long ago received some Lollipop Shoppe DP from my dear friend, Jen. I have really fallen in love with the vibrant colours and together with this image, I knew they would work really well for what I had in mind. I used my Prismacolors & OMS to colour the image - doesn't it look like she's having just too much fun running through all those puddles?! The gerber daisy was some leftovers from a previous card; the scroll ribbon & sentiment were computer generated.

I have to admit it took me all afternoon & part of my evening to actually get this card made. However, I'm quite pleased with the final result and hope that my DSIL loves it when she receives it later this month. I made it with her birthday in mind.

I've posted two pictures from different angles to give you a better idea of how very 3-D is really is and also to do justice to the image.

Charmed Cards & Crafts is offering some fabulous blog candy. Click on the picture of Copic Markers to find out more about it.

Thanks for stopping in to see what I've been working on today :-)

still trying to convince myself. . .

that the Cricut was worth purchasing LOL

I spent most of the afternoon working on expanding my crafting area (for the summer only). I think my kids would say I'm encroaching on their space, though!!!

Here's where I'm going to try working these next few weeks:

This means no more Foosball or ping-pong for the kids until I'm ready to give them back their space and move back to my office desk!!

I dragged in a board that DH had stored in the garage to cover the foosball table and then opened up just 1/2 of the ping-pong table. This gives me just enough room for my laptop!!!

Once I had this set up, I began to work on another card for today.

My SIL's birthday is coming up shortly. In another attempt to justify the purchase of my Cricut, I created this card. Once again, it's not completely original as this card was my inspiration.

The daisy is a gerber daisy is a free svg file from Paper, Scissors, Ink.

Thanks again for stopping by.

a new month. . .

means a few more family birthdays!! I find it hard to come up with cards that have a masculine look, but once again found inspiration from SCS!!

I've also been trying to use my Cricut a little more lately. I changed the paper & sentiment, but otherwise it's pretty much a straight CASE from this card.

I made two of these tonight. One will be for my brother; the other for my BIL.

Thanks for stopping by.

it's time now . . .

for DD2's room to get a makeover LOL

DD2 is helping at camp this week so I thought it would be fun to re-paint her room. She had picked the colours a few months ago so it's not a total surprise...

When we moved into this home, her bedroom was in shades of taupe/brown. It really did not feel much like a girl's bedroom - especially a girl that was in to Winnie the Pooh!!! At that time, I covered the brown with pink & blue and gave her a Winnie the Pooh border.... she absolutely loved the transformation.

Fast forward eight years or so and Winnie-the-Pooh just doesn't seem to hold the same kind of attraction that he once did.

I had a little tiny surprise on Tuesday when I started the initial prep work... as I took off some 3M command hooks from the wall, a chunk of paint came off with one of them. No big deal, I thought... except when I took a closer look, I realized that there was a huge patch of paint that was peeling loose. This meant a little extra prep work as I needed to repair this area before I could even think about painting.

I found the drywall mud and went to it. By the end of Tuesday, it was ready for primer.

Because yesterday was Canada Day, Florian was home. I didn't really want to spend my day painting when he was home; besides, I could paint today when he was back at work!!!

This is what the room now looks like!!!

Her bed won't stay in that corner- I just moved it so I could get pictures of the two colours that are on her walls. I hope she loves it as much as I do!!

I'm not sure quite when she'll be home, but I'd love to get some white shelves for her walls and have her room completely finished before she sees it!! I can hardly wait for her reaction!!!

What a great day . . .

we had yesterday! Our church joined several others to participate in Serve Day - a day where we volunteered at projects around the city in a concerted effort to "be the church" rather than "go to church" - a day where we focused on "demonstrating God's love through acts of kindness".

Our group worked at our neighbour's helping them get the first layer of bricks laid for three retaining walls that they were installing.

We had 7 adults working on our team; we divided up into 3 smaller teams, each team working on one of the walls. We worked for 3 1/2 hours before we had to quit because we ran out of bricks.

1st wall:






2nd wall:








3rd wall:









Because we ran out of bricks, we couldn't finish the 3rd wall, but at least the hard work of digging the trench and filling with gravel as a foundation for the bricks got done!!

But what a great day! Later in the afternoon, our church hosted a BBQ and then we held a short worship service, celebrating the kingdom work that we were involved in during the day. Some great stories were shared... and my prayer is that our efforts to demonstrate God's love to those around us are just tiny tiny seeds that were planted... seeds that will germinate and grow into something beautiful - something that will bring joy to the heart of God!!

two more days...

and two more exams and we're officially done with school for this year!!!! I can hardly wait!!

It's be wonderful to put away the books... to empty the binders.... to recycle the reams of paper that have accumulated over the year... to lighten up LOL

Unfortunately, it won't mean that life slows down for us - we'll just head in a slightly different direction and keep the engines running at full throttle!! I almost don't even want to think about it...

but it's all good stuff!! Two of our kids are serving at the Bible Camp for at least part of the summer. Our 2nd oldest has been working there since mid-May and just loves it! Our youngest goes out on Friday just as soon as the last final exam is written and she's counting down the hours before she's out there with her brother!!

Our oldest daughter plans to work in the church as a summer intern, helping with all the various Childrens' programs & camps that will be offered this summer.

How blessed we are to have our kids looking forward to serving Christ in all these various ways... what a great way to start the summer!!!!

blog candy . . .

and more!!!!

On the devotional blog for women, (Woman to Woman) there's a great interview with Lori McCroskey from Clear Dollar Stamps.

Not only did I find it inspiring, but it made my heart smile as I read Lori's story because it is always such a joy to find women who strive to keep their love for Jesus "front & centre" - women who continually strive to bring glory to God in all they say & do, whether it's running after toddlers, in their business practices, or in the conversations that take place in their homes.

May you be encouraged & blessed as you read an interview with Lori.


p.s. about the blog candy.... Lori has been very generous in offering 4 stamp sets.... if you think you'd like the opportunity to be on the receiving end of her generosity, find out here.

graduation . . .

is just a couple of days away for DD. All grads will be recognized in the worship service on Sunday so I've been working on cards for DDs friends.

Here are a couple of them:



I'm praying for a great day of celebration on Saturday. We woke this morning to a less-than-stellar weather forecast for the day: rain (maybe mixed with a little snow) and a grand high of 7C!!! Oh my... I may have to re-think what I will wear...

a challenge...

and chance to win....

Sue from Stampin Things is giving this unit away to ONE of Patter's blog subscribers!!!!!

What do you need to do to possibly win this unit? You must create a card, tag, layout, or altered item using PUNCHES (not die cuts)!! It must be a NEW creation, and you must post it to an online gallery or blog with a link to the contest over here. Your gallery post or blog post MUST contain a list of the punch or punches you used"


Although I don't own very many punches, I thought it would be fun to try to create a card. If nothing else, I might find my missing mojo!! I looked through the SCS gallery for Clean & Simple cards (keyword CAS) for some inspiration.

I came up with this card using these punches:

Marvy 1 1/2" sqaure
Marvy corner rounder
Fiskars lace border
1/8" hole punch



I don't know if I quite like it, but it was fun to try something a little different. If I happen to win the punch storage unit, it'll be a bonus. And if not, then I'll be thrilled for the one who does!!!

we're celebating....

26 years!!! In some ways it seems like the years have just flown by and I just don't know to where the time has gone. In other ways... wow, it's hard to believe that we've been married this long... I sure don't feel this old!!! LOL

My dear dear husband went out Wednesday (he knew that I had a worship team practice last night) and when he came back, he had this for me. What a sweetheart! Two dozen beautiful red roses "for what they mean"... and then 4 Strelitzia (bird of paradise) "for something extra pretty". He told me later that "I had to get them today because if I got them tomorrow (the day of our anniversary) I'd have to arrange them and I don't do that so very well" .... what a guy... gotta love him!!!!

So, I've been enjoying this bouquet for a couple of days... reveling in it's stunning beauty... isn't it just gorgeous?

it's cold outside. . .

and we're having rain mixed with snow. It's the long weekend in May and we had hoped to use it to really tackle several projects outside. Oh well. Since this was exactly what was in the forecast, I'm glad we took Saturday to work in the yard and get a few things done when we had the opportunity.

As it's not conducive at all to work outside today, I decided to use the icky weather to my advantage and spend some time today at my desk. I needed to make a birthday card for a friend of ours - that was my goal for today.

He loves coke so I thought it would be fun to incorporate that into his card:



My oldest son helped me today by taking the picture and tweaking it in PSP. Thanks J for doing for me that which you do so very well!!

a second card today. . .

made with the free sentiment offered by Digiments.

I used an SCS card sketch as my starting point. From there I reflected on the sentiment, "wheresoever you go...".

I did some searching for just the right image and as I was in that process, a book I read also came to mind. In The Way is Made By Walking, Paul Boers records his experiences as he walked the Camino de Santiago, a 500-mile pilgrimage across northern Spain. I decided to try to incorporate that into the final design.

I found a photograph that I thought depicted well the journey that we are on, a spacious field with unforetold opportunities.


Having now the basic elements, it didn't take long to put them together. The sentiment was sized to accommodate the placement on the Brocade Blue (SU) cardstock. The photograph was printed and slightly offset on a smaller white background panel. Ribbon & gem dots added the finishing touches and the whole panel was then adhered to a white card.


As I gaze upon the endless field I feel compelled to go... to go with complete abandon... to go with all my heart.

a rainy day . . .

perfect for spending some much needed time at my desk. Today I focused on using a free digital image from digiments. They are have their first ever release tomorrow with a whopping 25 images and a chance to win the entire set!!! (contest details can be found here)

I downloaded the free image and then began to have fun with it. I love this sentiment!! It's perfect for a graduation card.

Because I wanted to use my daughter's school colours, I copied the image into my photo editing program (I use PaintShop Pro) and then changed the black type to a deep blue.

The Brilliant Blue (SU) background panel is embossed with Diamonds in the Rough (Cuttlebug); a scrap of yellow print from a spring craft kit is layered on Brocade Blue (SU). The card base is Xerox ivory cover stock. Square gold brads were turned to accent the diamonds.

I made the Grad cap using Inkscape & SCAL on my cricut. It's a scrap piece of shimmery blue - I love the sparkle it adds!! The tassle is made from lengths of gold sewing thread, braided to give it extra dimension.

But now that I've spent the afternoon having so much fun it is time to head out (in the rain) to get my daughter from work.

I've been alone this evening

and I've quite enjoyed my time! I found a few cards to CASE and then spent the last 1 1/2 hours on the phone with a friend. Woohoo for uninterrupted phone conversations!!!


This first card I actually made yesterday. I made two. The one was delivered this evening as my husband took his Mom shopping for groceries. The 2nd will wait until Saturday when I'll have the opportunity to hand deliver it to my Mom. It's a CASE from luvmyboys&stampin. You can see her card here. The sentiment is computer generated; I used my Cricut to cut the butterfly and scalloped oval.

Last night I had some time so I kept working in my stamp room. I needed to make a birthday card for my Dad. I'll be seeing him this weekend also and even though it's a few days early, I'll give it to him then. I found an awesome card by Wendy Janson on SCS (2nd card to CASE). I used a CD to trace the larger circle and cut it by hand; the star was made using my Cricut. I have a whole bin of buttons that I got from my Mom so I looked through it to find one that I thought would work. I secured it using hemp. The sentiment is computer generated.


And my third card... I CASEd this one made by Korin (Sweet n Sassy Stamps). I had won a digital image from Sweet n Sassy a few weeks ago. I chose to step way out of my comfort zone and picked Sweet Birthday as my free image. For my first try at using it and making a 'cute' card, I relied on CASE-ing Korin's card. I coloured the image using Prismacolor Markers & Odorless Mineral Spirits. The ric-rac ribbon is some really old ribbon that my Mom found in her sewing supplies and gave to me. The sentiment is computer generated; the ovals are nestibilities used in my Big Kick.

I have a few more birthday cards to make this month; I'm thankful for cards that I can CASE as my mojo up and disappeared quite some time ago. I'm thankful for the stamping community that willingly share their works of art. Thank you SO much! I would have given up my stamps years ago if it weren't for each of you!

a drive . . . a conversation . . . and . . .

a few things to consider. . .

Yesterday Florian & I took the day to drive down across the border. There was a package waiting to be picked up in Eureka so we took the day to go get it rather than pay extra shipping costs.

Spending 11 hours in the car gave us lots of opportunity to talk.

One of the conversations we had was prompted by thoughts of 'life after high school'. What do I want my life to look like once our youngest graduates and moves to post-secondary education? What do I want to do? What do I want to be when I grow up?

We didn't come up with any great plan, but it was a starting point. I have a few ideas that I will let simmer.

It's was great to have the uninterrupted time to talk. That alone made the trip immeasurably valuable!!

One of my friends belongs in London...

another in New York...

I couldn't resist finding out just where "they" think I belong LOL

You Belong in Rome

You're a big city soul with a small town heart Which is why you're attracted to the romance of Rome Strolling down picture perfect streets, cappuccino in hand And gorgeous Italian people - could life get any better?

What City Do You Belong In?

Wouldn't it be fun to check it out to see whether it's true? LOL

it's past Easter...

but I only got to this yesterday. Patter Cross (Triple the Scraps) has been posting these His Holy Name Challenges every two weeks on Splitcoaststampers and the latest one (from April 12) was "Lamb".

As I was reading some of the verses that speak of a lamb, it struck me that Abraham confidently said to his son, Isaac, "God Himself will provide the lamb".... (Gen 22:8) and He did. Not only did He provide a substitute then, but He also provided the ultimate & final substitute in His Son, His only Son, when Jesus died on the cross for us - for our sins. John the Baptist declared, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29 NASB)

On the back page, I journalled some of comments Patter included when she posted the challenge:

Salvation requires the shedding of blood.

• One lamb for one person (Adam and Eve, Genesis 3:21)
• One lamb for one family (at the time of Passover, one lamb could stand for one family, Exodus 12:3)
• One lamb for a nation (at the Day of Atonement at Sinai, Leviticus 16:34)
• One lamb for the world (blood of Jesus alone atones for all; no salvation apart from Him, John 1:29) **
  

and a final quote from "He Chose the Nails" by Max Lucado:

"Between His hand and the wood there was a list: our mistakes, our lusts and lies and greedy moments. A list of our sins. The list God has made, however, cannot be read. The mistakes are covered. The sins are hidden. Those at the top are hidden by His hand; those down the list are covered by His blood . . . What kept Him from resisting? He knew the price of those sins was death. He knew the source of those sins was you, and since He couldn’t bear the thought of eternity without you, He chose the nails. Jesus Himself chose the nails."

I can only respond by bowing my head and saying, "Thank you, Jesus"

** (taken from a Bible Study Fellowship lesson)

spring in Calgary. . .

looks like this:


These are some of the verses that have come to mind today:

And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years (Gen 1:14)
He changes times and seasons (Daniel 2:21)
The moon marks off the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down.(Ps 104:19)

So, with those in mind, I can look out the window and rejoice in knowing that we will get to warmer temperatures again... if not today, well.... maybe tomorrow? or the day after??? At any rate, spring with its warmth WILL one day be here to stay ... or maybe we'll move straight into summer!?!?!

while DD is away...

I have been playing :) She is on a school tour this week so while she's been away, I re-painted her bedroom. When we first moved in the walls were brown with a leopard print wallpaper - just not suitable for an 8 yr old girl.

We brainstormed ideas and her favourite colour at that time was orange... so yes, you guessed right. We transformed her room back then to walls of orange & blue. White shelves went up on the dividing line.

Now, that she's grown up and nearly an adult, the colour scheme was less than appealing to her. I brought home piles of paint chips for her to look at and she chose a colour scheme that I quite like.... 3 colours of varying shades of .... brown LOL









I sure hope she likes it!!! because I don't think I want to painting her room again for at least another 8 years!!!

Chrissy is offering blog candy

in celebration of Holy Week. Isn't this the greatest stamp set? I just love Sweet 'n Sassy stamps:




You can find out more about it on her blog, Creating with Chrissy

a sketch challenge. . .

I decided that I needed to take a little break today and stamp 'just for fun'. It helped that was also today's Stamp Room mission on the SCS Flybaby forum!!!

I started bloghopping for a while this morning and stumbled across this Sweet 'n Sassy sketch challenge. It was just what I needed!!

The sketch:


and my first take on it:


and then an Easter card:



I think this may have been just what the doctor ordered as it appears that perhaps I've found some mojo!!! LOL