Two sweet bundles of pure joy

Anna & Lara

Ok, I couldn't resist sharing these pictures of my new nieces. They are just under 5 lbs. in these pictures and are 4 weeks old. I can't even imagine listening to two screaming babies. My brother said they each have quite a pair of lungs. My dear sister-n-law said she likes to imagine one of them just told a joke in the bottom picture and they are laughing hysterically. What an optimist.

I made a few cards but had to get them out in the mail so quickly, that I forgot to take some pictures to share with you. I promise to have something up by the end of the week.

Looking at these baby pictures and knowing how long their parents waited for them surely puts life into perspective. And to think they were almost  never to be. Had my brother and sister went through with a pending adoption they would never have tried invitro.

~Have fun and enjoy!



A sympathy card

Not the type of card I care to make, only due to the reason for it. One of my employees father passed away and I said I would make the card. It really meant a lot to her, so in the end I was happy to have made it.

The image is a stamp from Inkadinkado and the card measures 5x7.  I sure wish there was a die cut for this stamp instead of having to cut it out by hand. I did a fairly good job at it if I do say so myself. I'm not one for cutting things out by hand, and do so only as a last resort. When I bought this stamp, it never occurred to me that I could use it for sympathy cards, but when I was looking for a stamp for this card it just jumped out at me. The sentiment is from Shapeabilities on a Spellbinders Labels Twenty. I was really impressed with the elegance of this sentiment and the fact that I got it 50% off. The designer paper is from Recollections called Aqua Damask. I added some lace and a few aqua pearl embellishments for a more feminine touch.

Keeping positive thoughts on the home front. My son has his last three days of chemo this week and then the waiting game starts. He will have scans again in a few weeks and based on those he will have either radiation and then surgery or surgery first and then radiation. I am hoping he has the radiation first so they aren't radiating the scar tissue from the surgery, but that is entirely up to what his doctors feel is best. Thank you to all of you who are keeping us in your thoughts and prayers.

~Have fun and enjoy!





Mama we're coming home!

"Mama we're coming home". That is the message I received today from my brother regarding my new nieces. He said the panic is setting in with the thought of bringing home identical 4 lb baby girls. He sent the message just before he went to bed last night and said he was getting his last good night sleep for the next18 years. I had to laugh because little does he know, you never stop worrying even when they are adults with families of their own. Best of luck with that Kyle.

For this card I used Melon Mambo card stock from Stampin' Up. The designer paper is Bloomscape Petite Rose from K & Company. I found this on clearance and I could only find 5 sheets. It is one of my new favorites. The buggy stamp is from 100 Proof Press and the sentiment is one of the dollar stamps from Studio G. I added the cute little lamb sticker from Jolee's Boutique. Isn't that the most adorable little thing. You can see him better in the photo below. The lacy oval and tag are from Spellbinders.

It looks like our cold weather is behind us so I plan on getting up early tomorrow to start planting all my flower pots. I have several for the front porch and the back deck. Nothing brings me more joy than to read a book or listen to music while I sit outside with the beauty of the flowers in view. It will take me most of the morning and then I will have to get the flower beds in shape. I have a funny feeling I will be falling into bed tomorrow night.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend. For those of you who are traveling- drive safe. Don't forget to take a minute to remember the reason we celebrate this holiday.

~Have fun and enjoy!

A day of reflection

I'm back from vacation well rested. I had 2 weeks of beautiful weather while I was in Florida which made laying around the pool even more enjoyable. Every morning was a duplicate of the picture I posted in my last blog and I am forever grateful to my friend Carol and her husband for allowing me the opportunity of drinking my morning coffee with that view. And while I was away, I became a new auntie to identical twin baby girls. My baby brother and his wife welcomed these bundles of joy 6 weeks early into the world after much turmoil and disappointment. After several tries at adoption and a second try of invitro, they have their own biological girls.

I hope all of you that are mothers had a wonderful day on Sunday. It was a day of reflection for me in many ways. It would have been my mother's birthday and I couldn't help but think how excited she would have been with two new granddaughters. They are the first set of twins in our family and there hasn't been another granddaughter in 32 years. She would have been very proud of them and I know she had a hand in making sure they made it into this world safe and sound.

Even though I couldn't give a card to my mother, I still made one in memory of her. I used Spellbinder's Lace Doily Motifs and then made a flower arrangement for the upper corner. The large pink rose was pre-made but the greenery was made with MS punches- frond and pine needle branch fern. The sentiment is from the Clear Art Stamps set called Grand Greetings. The three butterflies are also a MS punch.



Still a lot of heartache with our son going through chemo. They hesitated finishing his last round due to lab results from his kidneys. The values were high but they decided to complete it and ordered a CT of the chest and an MRI of his shoulder. A decision will be made by the tumor board whether or not to continue the chemo or do surgery. If nothing else this experience had taught me that this is totally out of our hands and no amount of worry is going to change anything but praying certainly makes a difference. I also now know what taking a deep breathing really means.

~Have fun and enjoy!

Relaxing in the sun

Nothing creative today. Just sitting here having my coffee every morning by the pool in sunny Florida. I have purchased enough new stamping goodies, that I am going to have to send a package home. When I checked my bag in at the ariport, the attendant told me I had 4lbs.to shop. In other words he was telling me my bag weighed 46 lbs. I can tell you right now, I bought more than 4lbs.

Looking forward to sharing some new ideas with you when I get home. I still have another week here. I don't know if I can handle all the relaxation by the pool and the sunshine, but I will certailny try.

-Have fun and enjoy!

A altered bird house

This is one of my all time favorite type of crafting. I love to alter things. I found this bird house in the naked wood section and immediately saw potential. I have a few drawers that contain odds and ends and bits and pieces for projects just like this. I will point a few items that you might not recognize but the rest you can probably figure out starting with the front.

The glass knob at the top of the peak on the front is the cover to a small Yankee candle. The black button on it is the outer cap from a champagne bottle. The trim on the lower peak is from an old remote control that I took the keypad out and cut into strips. I have said in the past, "I don't throw anything out". Below you can see the other sides.

A lot of the items are from my Tim Holtz stash. The chipboard butterfly on this side is from Tattered Angels.

 On the back I could only envision something running from the top to the bottom so this is what I came up with. A few buttons and stickers. I had no intention of have a black, red and white color scheme but with the base of the house being black I didn't have many options. I wanted the red for a pop of color.

The white handle on this side of the house is an old handle from my stamping desk. I still have six more for future projects. It is a little hard to see but on all the perches under the entrance holes I have put a pearl or rhinestone. You can see them best on the second image. I covered up the lower hole on this side of the house with a red button and then put a bubble floral sticker on top of it. The roof is just designer paper.


Altered art is really my therapy so you may be seeing quite a bit more of it. It is also garage sale time where you can pick up some really cool pieces at a bargain price. We all love a bargain whether we use it as is or re-purpose it. Keep your eyes open and really look at something for what it could be. You might be pleasantly surprised at what you would have otherwise dismissed as junk.

~Have fun and enjoy!



Inked Embossing

Today was a perfect day. It started out with some rain and then a bit of thunder while I read the paper with my morning coffee. I had the house to myself this weekend and it was pure heaven. By mid afternoon the sun decided to come out and then it got a bit muggy. This certainly isn't the type of weather we get in April and it was a nice change to the cold weather we've had lately. I need this humid weather to get me ready for my Florida vacation in two weeks.

Today's card is using an embossing folder with a twist. The larger frame was created by inking up a Sizzix folder with ink and then putting white card stock in it. I just inked up the folder directly with the ink pad. It created a chalky look and gives you a two tone pink/white color frame. I used Spellbinders Label 8 for both windows. The inner frame was run through the Cuttle Bug with the Swiss Dot folder. I wished I had put more backing on the frames to create a deeper window. My mind really wasn't in this one. The rose is store bought and the leaves were created with Sizzix Branch w/Leaves. I love the flourish which is a die from Memory Box called Elegant Scrollwork. I can't wait to get some more of their dies. The window frame with shutters will be my next purchase.

I hope everyone has a good week. It looks like I have a very busy one at work as well as at home. I hate the craziness I always have at work just before I go on vacation. It's not until I am out the door that I can really start getting excited about being away. This time might be a little different though. I don't know if the excitement is really going to happen.

~Have fun and enjoy!