There's no place like home...

We left home on December 18th and are six hours from home as I write. The temperature has dropped 35 degrees during our journey. We left Naples with beautiful blue skies and balmy breezes. We arrived in Paducah, KY at 43 degrees, grey skies and spitting rain. But it was a lovely trip. We had the opportunity to see what Mother Nature can do when left alone. We saw bobcats, piliated woodpeckers, alligators, salt-water crocodiles, herons, egrets, Magnificent frigatebirds, red-shouldered and red-tailed hawks, vultures, anhingas, cormorants, ducks without number, osprey, bald eagles, and all kinds of warblers and song birds. We visited the Everglades, several wildlife refuges and an Audubon site. We also read about the large numbers of panthers that have been killed in southern Florida this year – most of them hit by cars.

As we were driving back I was thinking about all the things I have been thankful for this year. I am thankful that I have a wonderful and loving husband who makes me laugh and shows me the wonders of the world we live in. My daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren are healthy. My father-in-law is doing well. I have the time and where-with-all to indulge in my passions: gardening, card-making and bird-watching. I live in a wonderful place where nature comes to us. I have made a ton of new friends this year; a big shout-out to my new friend Jo in Naples who told me where all the stamping stores were in her neck of the woods and to one of my bestest friends, RuthAnn, who kept an eye on our cat even though the cat doesn’t like her.

I usually don’t do New Year’s resolutions but I have one this year. Over the years I’ve had some bad habits. One of them was smoking and when I quit, I discovered how good food actually tasted when your taste buds hadn’t been ruined with cigarettes. So, now I fight the weight. I figure if I can stop smoking, the weight shouldn’t be that big a problem, so Richard Simmons, here I come. We’ll be home tomorrow afternoon and I’m looking forward to my bed and my cat whom I miss dreadfully. I will be back to posting cards again by Sunday.

I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year's Eve and a fruitful, healthy and blessed 2010.

The bird who eats cars...

If you have been following my blog, you know that I love birds. I’ve been watching them for a long time and have lots of books about their lives and nesting habits. Seeing a bird I’ve never seen before is a cause for celebration and on this trip we saw two. On Sanibel Island at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Christmas Eve afternoon I saw three male Magnificent Frigatebirds. So, fire up your computers and look one up, they’re amazing. The second bird we ran into yesterday and today – the bird that eats cars. Yesterday we visited Royal Palms in Everglades National Park and walked the Anhinga Trail. We had to ask why the dead black vulture was hanging from a post in the parking lot. Seems the vultures have taken to eating the rubber off of cars. Yep, just like the parrots in New Zealand, the vultures have developed a taste for rubber. The lady in the gift shop covers her car with a car cover that has been torn by the birds and periodically runs outside to shoo them off of her car (the theory behind the dead vulture is supposedly they won’t roost around a dead one – this theory is wrong). This morning Carl and I went back to the Anhinga trail very early. Since our mothers didn’t raise any stupid children, we wrapped a towel around our windshield wipers and toddled off down the trail. My husband takes photographs so after I did a loop, I went back to the car to wait for him. There were six vultures sitting on top of our car when I got back. I used our journal (where we record where we’ve been, what we’ve seen and what we’d like to see again) to slam the roof and chase them off. While I was sitting in the car, I could hear them walking around overhead so I would reach out the window and slam the journal on the roof again to scare them. While I was reading my paper, some commotion in the grass caught my eye. Five vultures were fighting over a boat shoe. Someone obviously lost it and the vultures were attempting to eat it. When we took the towel off the wipers, we found they had pulled a rubber gasket out from under the hood by the wipers. Carl couldn’t get it back in and in an inspection of the car, found they had also pulled the gasket out of the back visor. They must have eaten that, it was just gone.

I forgot my formal wear...

My husband and I are traveling in Southern Florida. We had Christmas dinner on Sanibel Island at a lovely restaurant called Traditions. They had a buffet that was to die for. Marinated mushrooms, cucumber and Waldorf salads, fresh fruit, salmon, HUGE steamed shrimp, prime rib, lamb, turkey, potatoes, and two vegetables. The dessert table had chocolate cake, pumpkin pie, peach pie, apple and cherry pie, mousse, and five different cheesecakes. It was a tremendous amount of food and it was hard to know when to stop eating because it was all so good. Of course, being tourists, I wore my “good” capris, you know, the one with the jacket to match. Carl was in his good jeans (only one tiny hole) and a decent polo shirt. Everywhere I looked, there were long dresses, sparkles, jewelry, beauty shop hair and suit coats. Obviously this buffet is a big deal at the Island Inn. Who knew? We don’t have dinner clothes – you don’t need them at Cracker Barrel. We aren’t dress up kind of people.

I forgot my formal wear

My husband and I are traveling in Southern Florida. We had Christmas dinner on Sanibel Island at a lovely restaurant called Traditions. They had a buffet that was to die for. Marinated mushrooms, cucumber and Waldorf salads, fresh fruit, salmon, HUGE steamed shrimp, prime rib, lamb, turkey, potatoes, and two vegetables. The dessert table had chocolate cake, pumpkin pie, peach pie, apple and cherry pie, mousse, and five different cheesecakes. It was a tremendous amount of food and it was hard to know when to stop eating because it was all so good. Of course, being tourists, I wore my “good” capris, you know, the one with the jacket to match. Carl was in his good jeans (only one tiny hole) and a decent polo shirt. Everywhere I looked, there were long dresses, sparkles, jewelry, beauty shop hair and suit coats. Obviously this buffet is a big deal at the Island Inn. Who knew? We don’t have dinner clothes – you don’t need them at Cracker Barrel. We aren’t dress up kind of people.

Which leads me to my next card - a girl can never have too many outfits. This card is over a year old so I can’t remember the colors but the background is from a discontinued wallpaper book, there were two matching wallpapers that I put together and covered the join with part of the border that matched. I can’t say enough about old wallpaper books and you can’t beat free. Of course, the stamps are Magnolia.

An early Christmas present...

I recently found out that I made the Magnolia Design Team at StampinScrappin.com. I have long been an admirer of Cindy and Kevin Echtinaw, their enthusiasm and their superb customer service, so it’s an honor to be considered a member of Cindy’s posse. And I am crazy about Magnolia stamps and copics. They go together like peanut butter and jelly. Every image I color I learn something new. Experimenting runs in our family. My daughter used to do science experiments on our black Persian cat, Kane. While I was otherwise occupied, she managed to put a whole pound of Vaseline on him. I think she had seen me put a little on his paw to help pass those hairballs we’re all so fond of finding at our house. In panic, I called the vet and when he got done laughing he told me to take a butter knife and scrape as much off of him as I could and then invest in kitty litter because he’s going to need an awful lot of it. Have you ever tried to hang on to a really mad greased cat? More about her science experiments at a later date.

An early Christmas present

I recently found out that I made the Magnolia Design Team at StampinScrappin.com. I have long been an admirer of Cindy and Kevin Echtinaw, their enthusiasm and their superb customer service, so it’s an honor to be considered a member of Cindy’s posse. And I am crazy about Magnolia stamps and copics. They go together like peanut butter and jelly. Every image I color I learn something new. Experimenting runs in our family. My daughter used to do science experiments on our black Persian cat, Kane. While I was otherwise occupied, she managed to put a whole pound of Vaseline on him. I think she had seen me put a little on his paw to help pass those hairballs we’re all so fond of finding at our house. In panic, I called the vet and when he got done laughing he told me to take a butter knife and scrape as much off of him as I could and then invest in kitty litter because he’s going to need an awful lot of it. Have you ever tried to hang on to a really mad greased cat? More about her science experiments at a later date.

This card was done quite some time ago so I don’t remember all the details. The window was another one of those lovely windows from either the Happily Ever After Cricut cartridge or the Dreams Come True cartridge. There are lots of those windows for you to play with.

Christmas again?

Just a quick post. I thought my Christmas card making was finished until I received this Magnolia stamp and how could I resist? The garland is a Sizzix Sizzlets decorative border colored with distressed inks and Crystal Stickles. The background is a cuttlebug folder. The image was stamped with Versamark Embossing Ink on watercolor paper, embossed with detail black embossing powder and colored with watercolors, one of my first attempts. Things I would do better next time: take more care with the embossing powder. I used the static bag but there still seemed to be a lot of particles and I would use less water in the watercolor paint to saturate the color more. Later…

Sunrise, sunset, swiftly go the days

I just had the awesome pleasure of viewing one of the most beautiful sunrises I’ve seen in years. Oranges that faded into peach rising above the trees. Much too fleeting, however. Like so many things in life, gone much too quickly. Just yesterday my daughter was a baby reaching into our German shepherd’s mouth to retrieve a cookie that Brendan mistakenly thought was his. We spent long hours teaching Brendan how to be gentle with the baby. He would run through the house, skid to a stop at her blanket on the floor, step over her and resume his run on the other side. We could sit Cricket up leaning on his flank and he would stay still until we moved her. They both played with the ball he “stored” in the toilet while he got a drink. She grew up no worse for the wear and had a great protector when she was little. In fact, the only time he ever growled at me, I had smacked her on the bottom for some transgression I have now forgotten. Through her diapers, I’m sure she never even felt it, but the indignity of it made her howl. His gums rolled back off of his teeth and he growled low in his throat. I knew at that moment that he would give his life for this small tormentor who stole his treats, pulled his fur and hijacked his toys. His infinite love was a joy to us all. Unfortunately, my daughter is all grown up and Brendan is no longer with us. The little girl my daughter used to be and our great-hearted shepherd gave us memories that will last forever.

Sunrise, sunset, swiftly go the days...

This Mo Manning image reminds me of the baby my daughter used to be. I believe she was even this cute. Unfortunately, I made my Christmas cards so early this year that I can’t remember specifically what colors were used. The paper is My Mind’s Eye Holiday Avenue Sweet Dreams. The image was printed on Beckett’s Radiance and distressed with a Ranger ink. If I had to guess, Copics would be: E00, E11, R20, R29, R37, E35, C1, YG67, and Y28.



I will be sporadic with my posting until after the holidays. Lots to do, people to see, presents to open, food to cook, snow to shovel. Please have a safe and happy holiday; I hope Santa is good to each and every one of you.

Just add love

First, I would like to thank everyone who has left a comment or e-mailed me. This could become addictive; I’ve made lots of new friends and discovered I enjoy writing very much. Combined with card making, life is really good. So, thanks to you and Happy Holidays to everyone.

Have you ever had a moment when you realized you’d just met someone who would become very important in your life? Well, I had that epiphany (and I’ve had several of those throughout my life) when I discovered a vendor in Michigan. We just clicked AND we share frogs in common. So, I pulled out my frog stamps, clipart and die-cuts to make her Christmas card (which I understand she has already received). I decided on this digital image from Dustin Pike not knowing when I made it, how appropriate it would be for her this season. The little frog in this snow globe is clearly distressed to be trapped and is trying to get out. I think she feels a little that way this year, too. I made this card long ago and never planned to make it again, so I didn’t keep track of materials. I do know the background paper is from Big Lots (bought a pack for $2.00 and have been using it forever). Since the image was printed, I assembled the shaker card and then trimmed it down, it was easier to layer that way. It’s filled with iridescent glitter and the background inside the globe is stickled with Silver and Rock Candy.

Stayin' warm

The temperature took a dip last night. Even my heated birdbath has ice around the edge. When it gets cold, I’m always reminded of a story my grandmother told me when I was young . Apparently back in the day, it was normal for people to give baby chickens as Easter gifts. My mother received two in her Easter basket when she was five. They lived in the city so I have no idea what they planned to do with the chicks when they got bigger. One day my grandmother smelled something funny so she went to investigate. She found the two baby chicks “getting warm” in the oven. Needless to say, they didn’t survive and no more live pets were given to mom. My mother was a remarkable woman; remarkable in that she lived as long as she did considering some of the weird stuff she pulled. I have a million stories but I’ll only share one more. A few years after the baby chick incident, she and several of her playmates found a dead snake. The kids thought it would be great fun to put the dead snake in the mail box at the Twelve Oaks Christian Home for retired seniors. I don’t even want to guess what happened when someone went to pick up the mail. Fortunately the kids were seen, the village called my grandmother and my mother never played with dead snakes again. My grandmother had a way of assuring compliance that the Grand Inquisitioner would have envied. (I have grandmother stories, too.)

Even as an adult I was never able to figure out my mother’s brain processes; in the future I will share stories of the vinegar douche, the plucked rabbit and the dirty bullets – maybe if you're really good - the “cat house” and the Jewel T man story.

Here a chick, there a chick...

In a salute to long lost chicks, I offer this card: Background paper was DCWV The Sweet Stack, the stamp was Sarah Kay, Copics used were E00, E11, Y02, Y13, B45, R20, E25, E27, YR21, YG23, BV0000, Y08, G24, R83, Y26, RV02, N0.

Thinking outside the box

I have a fairly extensive collection of Magnolia stamps because I’m intrigued by their sweetness and innocence. I don’t, however, have a lot of perches for the sitting stamps. So, I think outside the box. I got out all the handbooks from my Cricut cartridges and tagged the shapes I thought would work. Any of the windows from the fairytale cartridges, packages, trains, autos (think sitting on Speed McQueen), mushrooms, Christmas ornaments, bridges. You can experiment with size (I actually make notations in pencil on my handbook when I get one right) and if you have Cricut Design Studio, you can even alter your die-cuts. Papertrey has a lovely stamp of a spool of sewing thread. I stamped several, colored them and wrapped them with thread. Pile them up and put a sitting magnolia on it; use a “sew thankful” phrase. Wallpaper borders from discontinued books make wonderful backgrounds. Use a kitchen shelf, an outdoor scene, or flower pots. Cut them out, pop-dot them or just use them as your background paper and build up. Some clip-art works very well. If you’re into sports, find a pic of your favorite team’s helmet, logo, baseball bat, basketball, cut it out, color your image to match and place your image on it. Can you see this little girl in Packer colors? How about Winnie the Pooh’s honey pot?

This card has a window from Happily Ever After, page 70, cut at 4 inches, cuttlebugged and inked with a distressing ink. The leaves and branches are a Sizzix die, the flowers are an old punch. This same window would look good with a window box (just cut a shape with scissors, pop-dot it, add flowers behind it and put the image on it. Any tree branch would work for sitting on or for a swing. Cut a rectangle, add thin string from the branch to the back of the rectangle and sit your image on the swing. Go through your stamps, handbooks, and papers with new eyes.

Give me a head of hair, long beautiful hair

We’re all getting older. Each tick of the clock brings changes in our bodies, our emotions and our beliefs. One day a democrat, the next a republican. One day buying clothes at the Gap, the next at Silverts.com. My dad used to say “wine, women and song has become Metamucil, the old lady, and Sing Along with Mitch”. (I’m showing my age.) I had a conversation with my daughter some years ago; she wondered why I didn’t color my hair. I had a stepmother that curled, permed, colored and teased her hair literally to death. She was almost bald in her 50’s. Terrified me. My hair can be anything it wants to be as long as it sticks around. I told my daughter that grey hair on the head was nothing to be ashamed of, I could account for every strand: children, ex-husband, arrogant bosses, missed busses, not enough money, too much to do, not enough time. I said that the grey on your head wasn’t the worst part, that ALL your hair turns grey. She was horrified. “No way,” she said. “Way, darlin’.” Wish it wasn’t so. There are places on your body that hair dye should not touch. I notice my eyebrows are nearly all grey now and grow at a frightening pace. I envision them growing like alien vines and wrapping me up in my sleep. Then, there’s the odd chin hair that you catch sight of when you move your head a certain way and the light hits it. My favorite beauty tool these days is a tweezer. I won’t even get into other body hair (the hair that drove my daughter to despair).

Give me a head of hair, long beautiful hair

We’re all getting older. Each tick of the clock brings changes in our bodies, our emotions and our beliefs. One day a democrat, the next a republican. One day buying clothes at the Gap, the next at Silverts.com. My dad used to say “wine, women and song has become Metamucil, the old lady, and Sing Along with Mitch”. (I’m showing my age.) I had a conversation with my daughter some years ago; she wondered why I didn’t color my hair. I had a stepmother that curled, permed, colored and teased her hair literally to death. She was almost bald in her 50’s. Terrified me. My hair can be anything it wants to be as long as it sticks around. I told my daughter that grey hair on the head was nothing to be ashamed of, I could account for every strand: children, ex-husband, arrogant bosses, missed busses, not enough money, too much to do, not enough time. I said that the grey on your head wasn’t the worst part, that ALL your hair turns grey. She was horrified. “No way,” she said. “Way, darlin’.” Wish it wasn’t so. There are places on your body that hair dye should not touch. I notice my eyebrows are nearly all grey now and grow at a frightening pace. I envision them growing like alien vines and wrapping me up in my sleep. Then, there’s the odd chin hair that you catch sight of when you move your head a certain way and the light hits it. My favorite beauty tool these days is a tweezer. I won’t even get into other body hair (the hair that drove my daughter to despair). For my daughter, I offer Mummu by Mo Manning. Mummu inspires me. I hope I have her vitality and zest for life as well as her sense of humor. Cardstock is Bazzill, the phrase was printed on the computer and cut with a Spellbinder’s die, Copics used were: E00, E11, C1, W00, E35, V17, V09, E50.

I can see for miles and miles

For those of you that are interested, the red-tailed hawk is back. We live in a wooded area, it’s a subdivision but most of the homes are hidden down wooded lanes and dead end streets. We live on the main street, yet from our home we can only see one other house. Well, we couldn’t. Two months ago someone bought the lot across the street and started to clear it. They cut down most of the trees, piled up the brush, and left the stumps with colored ribbons on them. From my craft room window, all I could see was trees – now all I see are the homes through the cleared lot and the piles of brush the house sparrows take refuge in. My husband and I were very sorry to see the trees go. We assume once the lot has been completely cleared (probably in the spring), someone will be building on it. The one bright spot is the ecology has changed there. It’s gone from heavily forested to mostly cleared. As I write, the red-tail is back watching for rodents. The woodpeckers will be feasting on the stumps if they are still there when it gets warm. Many years ago we visited Mt. St. Helens after the eruption. Like the lot across the street, it had undergone a radical ecology change, from a high altitude forest to a high altitude meadow. The woodpeckers and sapsuckers had moved on and the hummingbirds had moved in. There were wildflowers in abundance where once it was too shaded for flowers. My husband and I walked one of the trails, me in my red coat, and the hummingbirds flew around me to check me out. It’s one of my favorite memories. Years later we tried to get back to the summit after a road had washed out. We were directed to a logging road that was actually twin ruts going downhill. It was a scary ride only to end up below the washed out road. All for nothing. We haven’t been back to Washington in years; it’s time for another trip.

Polly want a cracker...

This parrot image is from Magnolia; the phrase is from Stampin Up. The branches are from a Sizzix Die, the flowers are from an old nameless punch. The rhinestones were purchased at Big Lots, they are cell phone decorations. The tag is a Spellbinder’s die. I cut the tail off and put it behind the branch. Background paper is from a discontinued wallpaper sample book. Copics used were R24, R27, YR68, Y38, YG23.

Do not grocery shop on Friday...

Note to Self: do NOT go grocery shopping on Friday. I usually buy groceries Monday morning at o’dark-thirty. Our local grocery store has a tiny parking lot so mostly we just circle it looking for a place to park and hope to get into the store before we starve to death. Reminds me of black vultures circling in Southern Illinois. Today was a nightmare, kind of like the night before they announce a ¼” of snow (what’ll we do? How will we live? We’ll starve to death. Must buy chips…). In the store it was just as bad, zombies left their carts to guard entry into the aisles and staggered away. I had a short list, I just wanted to get my stuff and to go home. A whole mob was waiting outside the empty milk case – we could see the milk stacked in cases through the empty shelves, we NEEDED milk – my kingdom for half a gallon. When I finally got to the checkout line, the person bagging groceries ran away and hid. So, I actually bagged my own stuff – upside was my bread was on top this time.

Not a creature was stirring...

In times of stress, I turn to my cards. I think I’ve mentioned how much I love Mo Manning’s images. They’re digital so you get instant gratification (and we’re all about that, aren’t we?). You can make them as big or as small as you wish and they’re a delight to color. I’ve had this image for a while so pulled it out and gave it a go. I think it came out pretty well and my stress is all gone. What do you think?

Copics used were: E13, E31, E33, E53, G82, R20, RV91, Y02, Y08, RV11, B000, B00, B02, R24, YG05. Spica pens: Pink & Chocolate. Jelly Roll pen: Silver. Tim Holtz Distress Ink: Old Paper. Background paper was My Mind’s Eye Signature Glitter Short Stack and the image was printed on Beckett’s Radiance cardstock with an HP inkjet printer.

Lunch is served

A red-tailed hawk has taken up residence across the street in a bare tree not far from where the sharp-shinned hawk perched for a while. The differences between the hawks are many. The small sharp-shinned hawk hunts forest birds. It flies like a tiny fighter plane (think Will Smith and the alien in Independence Day when they fought in the canyon). When I lived in the city, I had a fence covered with Japanese honeysuckle around my patio with an arch at the end. A sharp-shinned hawk would often hunt in my backyard; he would fly over the fence once and frighten all the house sparrows into the tangle of honeysuckle vines. Then he would fly at the vines, feet first, touch the vines and immediately fly over the fence and catch what was frightened enough to fly out the other side. He would take his prey and sit on the arbor to eat. We had a spotting scope set up and focused on the arbor because he did this regularly. He would take his time eating, feathers flying. About the time the hawk amazed me with this process for the first time, I read a column in the local paper written by Scott Shalaway. Someone had written him that there was a hawk feeding on the birds at her birdfeeder and what could she do to discourage it. Scott , wise to the ways of nature, said “well, you just fed another bird”. Birdfeeders by nature attract large numbers of birds, predators are attracted to them like we are to the grocery store. You go where the food is.

On the other hand, the red-tail is more like a bomber; they usually hunt in open land, so the birds of the forest are not frightened from the feeder when they perch nearby. I assume the red-tail is hunting rodents in the tangle of partially cleared land across the road. My husband and I have been blessed to see many birds of prey in our travels. In Washington and Oregon bald eagles are plentiful. In Florida, red-shouldered hawks dot the skies.

Plaid Christmas card...

I created this card using AC Specialty Paper Foil and the Sizzix Sizzlet #656286 - Season's Greetings Set, the background was embossed and edged with a gold paint pen. Cardstock is Red Pepper Linen from Paperandmore.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

I spent most of yesterday being thankful that the huge blizzard that battered so much of the US mostly passed us by. Yes, it snowed, it blowed, it froze, but our pain was much lighter than that of other states. However, it was bitterly cold this morning. I normally walk out to the end of the driveway to get the paper out of the mailbox dressed in my bathrobe, nightgown and birkies. Hasn’t been too bad so far this year, the walk is only about two SUVs long. This morning it was numbing. Light wind which helped but still very cold. I had to walk carefully because there was ice on the drive-way and it hasn’t been that long ago that I fell and broke my wrist. That fall reminded me just how fragile the body can be and I seem to be more cautious in middle age than I was when I was younger. So, yesterday, while the wind howled, I got out my new Magnolia stamps and created this card. Stamps: Magnolia and Papertrey. Copics: N0, C1, BG000, BG01, E35. Chalks on cheeks, hat and scrarf. Ribbon was American Crafts. Pearls are Kaiser Scrapbook. Star is stamped on AC Specialty Paper Gold Foil and cut out. The tag is Spellbinders.

Baby, it's dark outside

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always thought dark was darkest in the winter. I don’t know if it’s the cold that makes me feel that way but going out to get the paper at 5:00am it always seems as if all the light has been sucked out of the world. If it isn’t cloudy outside, I can see the stars (one of the benefits of living in the country, less light to detract from the stars), yet it still seems as if the dark is a living thing, covering the land. I am always glad to be back in the warmth and light of the house. This stamp from Whiff of Joy appealed to me because the little girl has found the solution to lighting the way. Cardstock is Red Pepper Linen cardstock from Paperandmore.com; background paper is tissue paper from Holiday Home ironed onto white cardstock. The corner punch is from EK Success, branches are two Martha Stewart punches, and ribbon is Offray. Copic colors are: Eoo, E11, R20, R24, E53, R27, Y13, Y17, Y19, Y28, YG23 and C1. Spica pen colors are red, gold and clear. The pens were used on the hem border, holly, berries, necklace, lantern and shoe.

Winter Wonderland

We received a light dusting of snow yesterday. The blue spruces are lovely in the winter, even majestic. They block the wind, provide habitat for birds and provide a beautiful backdrop for our garden. I have many fir tree stamps, the weather gave me an excuse to drag them out. Since I started this post, the weatherman has predicted 6 – 8” for our area and it’s been snowing most of the morning. It's a good thing the house is warm and I have a HUGE pot of chili ready to simmer for the second day. This card was created with: Inkadinkado Fir Tree Stamp embossed with silver embossing powder and inked with Tim Holz Distressed Inks - Faded Jeans and Pine Needles, Great Impressions snowman and penguin stamp colored with copic markers: BV23, BV20, W5, C00, R27, YR16 – faces were chalked, Whipper Snapper Free Snow sign was colored with E35 and E37, sign, phrase and snowballs are from the Whipper Snapper Snowman for Peace set. The background paper was cuttlebugged with the Dotted Swiss folder, the star is a spellbinder die cut with AC Specialty Paper Foil-Gold, card was sprinkled with Polar White flowersoft ; copic spica clear was used on the hat, scarf and snowballs.

If you only have one phone call...

I’ve now started on gifts for people outside my immediate family. Our family has decided to have Christmas in January. Everyone is working too many hours, children have so many families to visit. We’ve always believed that Christmas is in the heart, not tied to a date so I would rather wait until my entire family can sit down to dinner together. Since my shopping list is finished, I’ve moved on to other people who are dear to me. My hairdresser would be one. I’m reminded of an episode of Designing Women when they were all thrown in jail and Suzanne used her one phone call to cancel an appointment with her hairdresser. She was dumfounded when she was berated by the other women, surely everyone knows your hairdresser is WAY more important than any old lawyer. This box was created using the Sizzix Bigz Die: Box, Carry All #656279. It works up quickly, holds a significant amount, is easy and elegant to decorate and can be purchased from Cindy. It does take most of 12x12 sheet of paper to create. This paper is from the Anna Griffin Christmas Scrapbook Cardstock Pack filled with luscious double-sided paper. The dove was cut from AC Specialty Paper Foil (Sizzix Sizzlet #656286 - Season's Greetings Set), the wing was cuttlebugged and pop dotted; the ribbon was purchased at Michael’s (I bought so much three years ago that I will have it forever). I filled it with peppermints, Werther's Originals and a piece of chocolate.

Be still and you shall hear...

We live on a wooded bluff overlooking the Illinois River, although our lot is in the center of the subdivision and we can’t see the river, we still have an overabundance of wildlife. As I type this, a sharp shinned hawk is perched on a bare tree across the street. He/She is keeping an eye on the bird feeder outside my craft room window. The crows have found the hawk and raised the alarm, letting all the birds know where he/she is. Traffic at the feeder has stopped. This particular feeder system contains peanuts, suet and black-oil sunflower seeds and so attracts woodpeckers, chickadees, titmice, white breasted nuthatches, Carolina wrens and a variety of birds that feed on the spilled seed on the ground. Several days ago the resident flock of turkeys (up to 20 now) ran down the road past my window. Always a breathtaking sight. Keeping our wildlife in mind, I created the following card from a photograph I took last summer sitting in a portable pop-up deer blind set up by our feeder. This picture is of a male house finch. As is usual in the bird world, the male is gaudier than the female; this guy is particularly handsome. Doesn't he look as though he's listening to something only he can hear?

Christmas cards

My Christmas cards were a mixed bag this year. Some stamped and some embellished with my Cricut Expression. This card was created using the new mini Snowfriends Cricut cartridge. The card is 4 ¾ x 4 ¾. The snowperson was cut at 3”. The face was stamped with a Peachy Keen stamp and chalked. The background paper is My Mind’s Eye Signature Christmas Short Stack with Glitter. The tree is a Sizzix original die (the red one) outlined with stickles. The phrase is DCWV sticker.



This card was created using the ornament from the Joys of the Season cartridge cut at 3”. A piece of packing tape was cut to fit the back of the ornament so glitter could be applied to the cut-out part of the ornament. A piece of the ornament paper (in this case AC Specialty Paper Foil) was crimped and cut to fit the top of the ornament. The background paper is from a discontinued wallpaper book. HINT: All the home improvement stores that sell wallpaper periodically get rid of their sample books. Our Lowes even has a storage place for them near the wallpaper department; the books are marked “discontinued” and there is no charge to take them. They have some wonderful one-of-a-kind papers and are easy to work with. The letters were cut with the Sizzlet Alphabet Sunset.



My third card was stamped using a Whipper Snapper stamp, the paper is Mind’s Eye Signature Christmas glitter, the bear and penguin were chalked, the star was cut with a Sizzix Die (38-0155 Stars, Primitive), Stickles Crystal was used on the snow and the penguin’s hat. The phrase is a DCWV sticker.

Hard times...

I have a friend that’s going through some hard times right now. I think all of us know someone like that. I have faith that things are going to get better, even if it doesn’t look like it at the moment. I sent this card to give her a smile, to let her know that there are brighter days ahead, that someone was thinking of her and wishing her well. Hey, you’re spectacular – and you know who you are… This card was created from Beckett Radiance cardstock, embossed with a square Spellbinder nestability, the hedgehog is a Stampin’ Up stamp as is the phrase. The hedgehog was die cut and embossed with a Spellbinder nestability, colored with Prismacolor pencils and pop-dotted onto the card. Simple, sweet and to the point.

Happy New Year

Having finished my Christmas cards for 2009 (don't hate me because I'm anally early), I thought I would try my hand at some New Year Cards. This delightful image from Mo Manning is a perfect New Year's image. For the Chinese, a cricket singing in the home is a sign of good luck and potential wealth. The more crickets that invade a family's residence, the wealthier that family will become. So cherished are these insect songsters that they are often housed in beautiful cages made from bamboo, and displayed in the home.



The paper is from a package of oriental paper I have been "saving" for years. The image, of course, is from Mo Manning (can't you just tell?), the flourish is a Sizzix Sizzlits die, Scribbles Swirls, the flowers are from a tiny punch I've had for years; the center of the flowers is pink Stickles and the rhinestones are from a package of cell phone decorations I picked up at Big Lots. The image was colored with copic markers: E00, E11, R20, BV29, YG67, RV34, RV91, RV95. The cage and some smaller areas were colored with Prismacolor pencils. I hope I've done Mo proud.

He Rocks!

My oldest grandson is going to be 22. He has his own apartment and works two jobs to maintain it. He’s thoughtful, tall and terrifically handsome. This is the money card I made for him:



I used a variety of stamps including a snakeskin background, it is inked with five colors of Tim Holtz distressed inks and hit with spica pens. The guitar is stamped twice, once on the card and again on patterned paper, cut out, and glued onto the card.

It's beginning to look a lot like...

After completing most of my Christmas shopping, it's time to start on cards and gift tags. My daughter is a coffee junkie, she'd mainline it if the cart and bottle wouldn't get caught as she moved around. I always make her cards and tags with coffee related stamps and paper and when we travel, we try to find unusual coffee companies to buy from. This year's stamps came from Cindy Echtinaw at StampinScrapin.com. She has a line of clear stamps that contain lots of drink containers: margarita glass, martini glass, dacquari glass, coffee cups, mugs, paper containers; her phrases match the theme. This is my daughter's money card, both inside and out. The snow woman stamp is from TotallyStampalicious. This image comes with a broom which I cut off so I could fit the matching small container in her hand.





Off to work on my oldest grandson's card and tag.