Trick or Treat

No tricks, just treats. I made a dozen of these for family and friends and because they are such nice people I just filled them with candy. No worms or spiders for this bunch. The box is the Sizzix Box #3. The coaster are from the MS collection at Joanns. The spiderweb border is also from MS's. Boy she sure has grown in the craft department hasn't she. The top panel was created from the Stampin' Up Square Lattice embossing folder. Below are some individual pictures and if you double click on them you can enlarge the image.

This one I made specially for my son Elliot- hence the skull embellishement. What young guy doesn't love a nice skull. I found those at Michaels and they are from the Jolee's Boutique line. I din't think the in-laws would be too keen on having one on theirs.

I used a set of stamps that creates a belly band for the chocolate nuggets and stamped half in black and half in purple. The sentiment and crow were stamped and punched out with a 1" punch. I just used a glue dot to attach them. Six of them fit just perfectly but I did have to add some paper grass due to the depth of the box.

The DH is already home and his surgery went fine. The surgeon said the mass was starting to invade the brain and was very vascular. Because of the invasion, the surgeon could not take much of the brain tissue without risk of causing some injury. He got what he could but now DH will have to have an MRI in three months. If it looks like it is starting to grow back then he will have a few radiation treatments and that should be it. The mass was not cancerous but when they grow they cause pressure on the brain that creats unwanted side affects.

I shaved his head for him two days before the surgery. It was really weird cutting off what little hair he had left. He sort of liked it and thought maybe he would just keep the look but I reminded him that he was going to have a nasty scar. By the looks of the incision and the 45 staples that starts on the top of his head and makes a big "C" down to just infront of his ear his hair on the sides aren't going to cover it entirely. The incision will still be noticeable up on top of his head. They took the dressings off for him to come home, so now we get a good look at it all day long. You guessed it, Elliot couldn't wait to get a picture of that. He was teasing him and said he could go as a baseball for Halloween. It does resemble the stiching and curve on a baseball.
Well I better go and play nurse for awhile.

~Have fun and enjoy!

So tiny, yet so big

I just love these little paper roses that have been popping up everywhere. I got these from Michael's and I think they are Recollections brand. I also found some white, pink and blue in the dollar bin and a few weeks later they were half off. They aren't very big, in fact they are about the size of a dime but they can make a big impact. I like them because they are small enough to incorporate into any project without covering up the main images. If you purchased the cream or white ones you could very easily color them any color you need. Copic markers would do a very nice job on these as would some of the glimmer mists.

Don't you just love the little bunny. She is my favorite little figurine and I think she gives off a sassy image like "I'm here and what are you going to do about it". Anyway she just makes me smile every time I look at her.

Unfortunately I needed another sympathy card. I love this SU embossing folder Framed Tulips- not too overstated but again just enough. I really wanted the sentiment from River City Rubber Works to be the main focus of this card. The tag is a pre-made that was in a package with several other designs. I can't find the package right now to tell you who makes them-sorry. The border on the inside of the card was created with the MS Monarch Butterflies punch.

I just purchased a nice supply of the new Tim Holtz Distress Stains. I hope to get into them soon so I can post some different projects.

~Have fun and enjoy!

How about some purple today

I only have one set of dies for my Grand Calibur but it is my most favorite- Label Four. I don't know if it is the shape as much as the unique type of card it creates. I am not a big fan of purple because I find it hard to get the right hues that go together. I always thought as long as it was some shade of purple it would match but I have found that isn't so. Maybe it just happened to be the hue of purples that I have. Anyway here is a card with the grand label four and it is folded in half. It is one down from the largest in the set. I don't use a full design for the second layer because I am frugal with my paper and I don't see the need to have the designer or textured paper on the back, but that's just me. If you find that you have an unlimited amount of paper then by all means have at it. I guess that's the hoarder in me because I do actually have more paper than anyone has the right to, and I have always said that if our house ever did catch fire it would burn for hours for the amount of paper and rubber that is in this room.

I used a Sizzix embossing folder and a Tattered Angels tag as the main images. There is a bit of pearl Glimmer Mist on the tag but it doesn't show up in this photo. The purple rose below was originally cream but I sprayed it with deep plum Glimmer Mist and you can see a bit of the iridescence there. A few other embellishments and there you have it. I have a few other cards created with this die and I will be showing you them over the next few weeks. Hopefully Santa will bring me another die for Christmas so you all won't get board seeing the same design.

It has been a gorgeous weekend so far. I took yesterday off to bask in the sun and get a head start on the outdoor winter duties. My DH is having brain surgery on the 18th and he won't feel up to the outdoor tasks before it starts to get too cold, so we started this weekend while we are having 78 degree weather. I am one of those people who gets a bit crazy when things don't get done. His parents are coming for the surgery and to help out. I will take a week off work while he is in the hospital and then they will still be here to help him out after I go back. As far as In-laws go they are the best. They are always there when you need them and they have never interfered. They stay involved in all the grand kid's festivities which is quite amazing since the kids are spread out across the country. They are really wonderful people and I don't tell them how lucky I am to have them and how much I appreciate them as much as I should. I will make sure I do that next week while they are here.

Say an extra prayer for us. I am very optimistic that everything will go fine but with my DH's history of having a stroke it is still worrisome.

~Have fun and enjoy!

Friends

Friends, what would we do without them. Friends are the ones we know we can be ourselves when we are with them. They enrich our lives when they make us laugh and they share their shoulders when we need to cry. They give us an honest answer even if it isn't what we want to hear and they are someone who would share their last piece of card stock with you. But most of all a friend is someone who makes us a better person just for knowing them.

I made this card for one of my best friends from high school. We don't keep in touch as much as we should, but when we get together it seems as though we were never apart. She is so easy to be around and she really knows where I'm coming from and understands me. Not that my other friends don't do the same. It's just that this friend has known me for 35 years and we went through the milestones of growing up together. Happy Birthday Foster.

I used all SU for this card except for the bling and the ribbon. The stamp set is Vintage Vouge and I stamped the images in Early Espresso. The card stock is actually Baja Breeze although it looks a bit darker in the photo. I embossed the background with Elegant Bouquet.

I am all bundled up tonight due to the cold damp temperatures we are having here in Michigan. Just to let you know how cold it is- I am still bundled after 30 minutes. Even with my own internal thermostat set on high I can still manage the extra layers. Oh wait a minute. I think I spoke too soon... Ok that feels better- one less layer and no socks. Gee I can't wait for this to be over! I bought a new blanket for our bed and I just dreaded putting it on. I almost thought about buying a twin and putting it on only half of the bed- his side. I guess I'll call it part of my exercise kick boxing routine when I continue to kick the covers off. I ought to have the thinnest legs around pretty soon.

~Have fun and enjoy!