Celebrating 50 Years

I made this card for a co-worker who will be celebrating his 50th year anniversary with our company.  Can you believe it?  50 years with the same company!!!  That's amazing.  Our company is planning a celebration for him next Tuesday and the whole company is invited.  Here is the card I made for him:

It's a simple, yet  masculine, and I wanted to make it somewhat "happy".  That's why I chose to incorporate daffodil delight into the card to brighten it up a bit.  I hope he likes it.

Well until tomorrow ...

In Color Happy Birthday

Well, as I mentioned in my earlier post, I have a lot of birthdays this month, so I started making my cards and I decided to make one using the new "in colors", plus one.  The plus one is a "wisteria wonder" flower because I felt the card just needed a little something, and that color fit in perfectly.  It's a simple card, but I really like the way it turned out.  Take a peek ..

Simple, but cute, don't you think?  Now, who should I give this one to?  More to come, stay tuned. 
Thanks for stopping by!

Back to School - Morning Chat Challenge

As you know, I've been doing the blog hops that Robbie of  inkedx2.blogspot.com has been putting on, and I must say, I've been having so much fun.  I participated in one other challenge before and decided to do it again with Butternut Sage's Morning Chat Challenge.  This week's challenge is "Back to School".  I pondered what to do since my children are grown and I really don't have many stamps for children, so I decided to make up my own design.  I am quite pleased with the outcome.  I made the apple using the heart punch and gluing them together to get the 3-D effect.  Take a look and let me know what you think.

What I like most about taking these challenges is that it keeps me fresh and always thinking of new and fun things to create.  Sometimes I would get in a lull, and nothing would inspire me.  Now, I'm inspired all the time.  In fact, I dream of things to make and can't wait to put my ideas to the test.

Well, that's it for now.  Check back again for some new stuff.  Cheers!

Coloring Down the Lines - Not Quite Navy Color Challenge

How did you like what Carol created this week?  I just love her designs and get inspired every time I see what she comes up with.  This week's challenge is the last color combination for the "Regals".  Our direction was to come up with something using Not Quite Navy, Cajun Craze, and More Mustard, or Not Quite Navy, Pumpkin Pie, and Garden Green.  I chose the first set, the creative combination, to do this week.  I decided to make a simple card, and those color combinations inspired me to create this: 

So what do you think?  Can you tell I really like the Fancy Fan Embossing Folder?  I didn't think I would like it so much, but you can do so much with it.  I like the texture and the look.  I'm a texture nut anyway, so I had to have ALL the embossing folders.  You never know which one you will want for something you may want to create.  And speaking of creating ... let's go over to Pam's blog and see what she came up with for us this week.  Oh you know it's going to be a winner.  Thanks for taking the time to stop by.  I'm honored that you did. 

Easy Events Christmas Card

I made this Christmas card last year using the "Easy Events" stamp set.  This card was a CAS, and I added a little old olive to frame the card from the original one.  I  can't remember who I cased the card from, so I apologize I can't give credit where credit is due.  Here's what I did with my card.  The photo is a little blurry - sorry, it's not your eyes.  It was my camera!

I thought this was one of the prettiest cards I've seen.  I had fun making it, and I'm so glad for the person who originally created it.  Thank you for the inspiration!

Until tomorrow ....

Camping in the Swiss Alps

I received an email from Tj early this morning.  They are camping in the Swiss Alps in Lauterburnen.  They don't have "wifi" there, so he quick sent me an email before they hiked up into the mountains.  They've been hiking all over and Tj said it's totally unreal.  They are expecting snow in the Alps on Friday.  Tj said it's a bit chilly now, but not too bad.  I'm glad he has his sleeping bag and extra warm blanket with him.  Sounds like he will need it.

He and Drew are having fun, and I'm sure he'll call or email when he can.  Just thought I would let you know what he's up to.  I'll continue to share snippets of his amazing journey as soon as I hear from him again.

Thanks for stopping by!

Michelle's Birthday Card

This is a card I made last year for my friend, Michelle.  I was going for something festive, and this is what I came up.  I really like it.

Well, I have quite a lot of birthday cards to create for September.  Hopefully I'll find some inspiration that will put me on a roll. 

Thanks for stopping by.  Keep watching for my creations.

Rachel's Birthday Card

This is a birthday card I made for my niece, Rachel.  I wanted to make a "happy" card, and the colors in the card say HAPPY to me.  See if you agree:

I have a lot of friends and family with birthdays in September, so stay tuned for more.  I better get moving.  Their birthdays will be here before you know it.

Have a great day, and thanks for taking a peek.

Snow People

I made one of the cards featured in the Holiday catalog using the "Frosty Friends" stamp.  I love snowmen, so this was an easy choice.  I made mine a little more simpler than the one in the catalog, but I think it turned out pretty cute.  Take a look ...

They look like a jolly group of snowmen, don't they?  It will be winter before you know it.  Maybe this year we can make our own snowmen.  Hope you like my card.

Thanks for stopping by!

Give Thanks

This is a card I made at the Remarkables Fall Retreat in 2011.  It's an oldie, but goodie.  I just loved it.  It has an elegant style about it, and since I just love the Fall, I felt it was appropriate to post it.

I'm anxious to get started on creating new cards for "Fall".  Stay tuned.  It won't be long now.

Thanks for stopping by.
 

News from Switzerland

Tj sent Tom some pictures of Switzerland yesterday and today.  He and Drew arrived yesterday via the train, and from the pictures below, it's exactly as I expected.  Here's two pictures he took on the train as it arrived in Switzerland ... the window of the train looks like it has some spots on it, but you can see through that and how beautiful the countryside is. 

Doesn't the little seaside town look so peaceful?  Oh how I wish I was there.

Tj and Drew are staying in the town of Interlaken.  Interlaken lies in the Bernese Oberland on an alluvial plain between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz.  Tj said that on the lakes, the only vessels permitted on the them are either sailboats or small 25 hp motor boats.  You can see the sailboats moored in the lake above.

They went "canyoning", which is a mix between rock repelling / cliff jumping / rock slides.  Tj said they drove up the switchbacks (road, trail or railroad track that follows a zig zag course on a steel incline) with a group of people that took almost an hour.  Then they slid / jumped / repelled down the waterfalls.  Here's a picture of Tj suiting up for the adventure.

Tj said he has a video of the entire adventure he will share with us when he returns home, and he will also try and send some more pictures to us when he can. 

Here's another picture of the beautiful countryside.  I can just picture a shepherd walking his sheep over the wavy hills of green grass, can't you?  I have Switzerland as one of the places on my bucket list, and now I know I will definitely keep it there; maybe even move it up a notch or so.

Well, that's all I have for now.  I will post more pictures and news as I hear more from Tj.  I'm so glad he's having a wonderful time. 5 more weeks to go, so I should have a lot more to share.  Keep checking back when you can.

Thanks for stopping by!

Night of Navy Color Challenge

Welcome to this week's blog hop.  How did you like Carol's creation?  She sure does know how to create the WOW factor, doesn't she?  I'm always impressed with her ideas, and I'm sure you are too.

This week, our challenge was to create something using the colors Night of Navy, Daffodil Delight and Old Olive.  The other color combination was Night of Navy, Pumpkin Pie and Cherry Cobbler.  I chose the first color combination, as you can see below.  When you stop and think about the colors, sometimes you just can’t picture how they will come together until you sit down and just start playing.  Well, that’s what I did, and in about an hour, look what I whipped up:

I really liked the way it turned out.  What do you think?  I had some scrap striped paper which had old olive and daffodil delight in it already, so I used it for the pinwheel as well as the strip below the pinwheel.  I hope you like it as much as I do.  It was so simple to make, believe it or not.  I did cheat a bit and cut the stick off of a lollipop and used it as the pinwheel handle.  Of course the lollipop was not eaten.  That would have been just "ew".

Well, let's now hop over to Pam's blog and see what she has for us.  Oh I know it's going to be a  good one.  Pam never disappoints!  Thanks for checking me out this week!  Ready to go to Pam's blog?  Let's check it out ...

Mocha Morning Christmas

This is a photo of last year's Christmas card and it's so pretty, I thought I would share it with you.  I CASEd this card, but can't remember who I CASEd it from.  I changed a few things on the card, particularly the bow.  Instead of using ribbon, I used the gold crinkle waffle paper.  It turned out really nice so I thought you might like it too.

I wish SU still had Mocha Morning in the catalog, but it's retired.  Oh well, there's plenty of other beautiful paper to choose from, so let's see what I come up with next.  Hope you like the card as much as I do.  I'll have to try something else using the deer from the new Holiday Catalog.  I'll make sure you see it.

Have a great night and a happy tomorrow.  Take care!

Mini Christmas Album in a Tin

Here's a quick and simple project that we made at a workshop at my up-line's last month.  The project used one stamp set from the 2012 album, and one pack of DSP from the 2012 Holiday Catalog.   The DSP pack consists of  4-1/2 x 6-1/2" sheets, which was the perfect size for the mini album.  There are 7 pages that fit nicely in the small window tin, and they pull out with a small ribbon tab. The tin is wrapped and decorated with a belly band which slides off to expose the cute pages inside.  Check it out:

Recipe:

Stamps:  Chock full of Cheer
Card Stock:  Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green, Whisper White, Silver Glimmer Paper; Festival of Prints DSP
Accessories:  3/8" stitched satin ribbon in gumball green; window tin

I hope you liked the project.  Thanks for taking a peek.

Halloween Treats

Today we made some halloween treat holders at our team meeting.  We had so much fun making them, and I just couldn't wait to share them with you.

Hallowed Purses:

Next up .. Batty Fancy Favor

And how about this Boo Boo Kitty card:

So what do you think?  Aren't they just soooooo cute?  They were so much fun to create.  Don't you want to make them yourself?  I bet you do.

And the highlight of the meeting, for me at least, was that I won the $500 per month club.  Here's what I won:

Jill made fabric scissor caddys for our prize.  Aren't they adoreable?  I love it.  My day went pretty good after that, even though I had to run errands.  Hope your day was as good.  Here's wishing you a Super Sunday!!!!
Thanks for stopping by.

Leaving France and off to Madrid

I got a call from Tj today and they made it to Madrid.  They arrived last night and are planning to spend a few days there before moving on.  Tj managed to send me a few pictures via email, and I thought I would share them with you.

The first picture is of him with the coast of San Sabastian in Bierritz, France behind him.  This picture was taken on his iPhone, and it is dusk.  66I'm glad he's in the picture so I get to see him.

 

The second picture is of a kitty cat that was peering out of a window in France, and it looks like he's waving to Tj and Drew.  Isn't he cute?  Tj said he was a rather large kitty.  He couldn't resist taking the picture.

The next two pictures after Mr. Kitty are on the shores of San Sabastian.  He took a picture of the lighthouse and sent it to me because Tj knows how much I love lighthouses.  They have a certain mystical charm to them, no matter where they are.

Below is a picture of Normandy Beach.  They managed to make it there, and there's a certain solitude that comes over you when looking at the picture.  I can only image how it felt being on that very beach.  I'm glad he made it there.  So much history.

This last picture is of Madrid at night.  They snapped a picture right when they arrived.  It's a nice picture, and it reminds me of Italy a little bit.  The buildings are very grand structures that take your breath away.  I can't wait to see more pictures if he gets a chance to send more. 

Well, I believe they may be headed to Italy next, but not sure.  They are off their original plan, but have decided to just go where they want based on information they receive from people they've met along the way.  Sounds like it's much more relaxing that way.  No set agenda or schedule, so they can just enjoy the sights and meet all sorts of people on the way.  Oh how I wish I could do something like that.  

Well that's it for now.  Here's wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Christmas Ornament Punch Card

This is a Christmas card that I made last year which I CASEd, although I don't remember who made it, so I apologize I could not give credit where credit is due.  

I loved this card from the minute I saw it, so I decided to make it for myself.  It's really elegant and much prettier in person than in this picture.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Looking at this card inspires me to get moving on creating this year's Christmas cards.  I usually get started in September so that by the time the Christmas season arrives, I have plenty of cards to send out to all our family and friends.  I thoroughly enjoy making cards.  It's my solace and relaxation.

I wish you a great day tomorrow and an even better weekend.  Thanks for stopping by!

Another Christmas Card

Here's another Christmas card I made for my workshop this past Monday.  It's a very simple design, but it has a certain WOW factor.  See what you think ...

I CASEd this card from a swap I received from Wanda Williams at convention in July.  I switched the paper up, but it's just as cute as hers.  I hope you like it.

Thanks for stopping by.  I'm grateful for your visit and hope you will continue to stop by.

Update from France

I heard from Tj today via email.  He said they finally had a few days to relax, and this is their fourth night in Biarritz, France which is a beach town in the San Sabastian area.  He learned how to surf today and said he didn't do too bad.  He and Drew met a Venezuelan surfer their first night in Biarritz, and he gave them lessons for next to nothing.  He said he is having a great time.  

I expect he will call me sometime this weekend to give me more of an update as to where they plan to visit next, but for now, I'm at peace knowing he's doing fine and having the time of his life.

Here's to wishing him a safe journey, and many more memorable times ahead.  Hugs and kisses.

Thanks for visiting!  I'll post more as I hear from him.

Elegant Eggplant Color Challenge

Welcome back our blog hop.  How did you like Carol's creation this week?  Doesn't she come up with great ideas?  She's a tough act to follow.  This week's color challenge was to come up with a card using Elegant Eggplant, Garden Green, and More Mustard --- or -- Elegant Eggplant, River Rock, and Melon Mambo.  I chose the first color combination because I like those colors together.  I must say, I had a hard time coming up with my creation this week.  I had a few ideas in my head, but when I designed them and put them on paper, they were just plain yucky!  I was at a loss until I remembered how much I liked the hostess set "Faith in Nature", and I hadn't used it very much in the past, so I decided to dig it out of the archives and came up with this:

What do you think?  I'm actually quite pleased with it after going into panic mode for an hour or so.  Now it's off we go to see what Liz made.  I know she's going to WOW you, no doubt.  Thanks for stopping by, and hope to see you next week!  TTFN

Hot Cocoa Anyone?

In keeping with the holiday spirit, here's another card from my workshop today.

Making these cards just made me want to have a cup of hot cocoa, with one exception .... it's hot outside!  LOL.  I never get tired of creating Christmas cards ... it's one of my favorite times of the year.  Hope you like it, and hopefully I'll see you tomorrow.

Christmas Card Workshop Card

Here's another card I created for my workshop today.  I liked the way it came out.  It's sweet and simple and oh so cute.  I made 4 different cards which you will see over the next couple days.  Hope you like them as much as I do.

I'm also working on my next color challenge for the blog hop this Wednesday.  I have to make a card with the colors elegant eggplant, more mustard and garden green.  I have some ideas brewing, so let's see what I come up with for that.  Hope you'll join me on the hop.  You won't be disappointed.

Thanks again for stopping by.  Have a wonderful week!

Scentsational Season - Gingerbread Men

I have been working on my cards today  for my workshop on Monday, and I made all the cards using stamps sets and accessories from the 2012 Holiday Catalog.  One of my cards is the Gingerbread Men.  It's so cute.  I changed the card a little, but the original idea came from Terri Walker, an SU demonstrator, that swapped me at convention.  I added the "Seasons Greetings" and did it with whisper white craft ink and heat embossed it using the new sugar & spice embossing powder.  My craft room smells so delicious!  What do you think of it?  I love it!!!

I 

Recipe:

Card Stock - Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Champagne glimmer paper for the buttons

DSP - "of good cheer"

Ink:  Early Espresso

Stamp Set - Scentsational Season

Ink:  Whisper White with Sugar & Spice Embossing Powder

Thanks for stopping by!

Brussels at Night

Tj sent me a picture of Brussels at dusk.  The picture is a bit dark because he sent it from his phone, but you can still see how pretty it is.  I haven't heard from him today, but I'm sure I'll get an update from him on where they're headed next.  Tj and Drew decided to get a hotel in Amsterdam and they got it for $20 Euro a night. They both were pleased to have a nice bed and shower after backpacking for the past few days.  They also have WiFi, which is a total BONUS! Well, they've been gone one week - 7 more to go.  I'll keep you posted as I get updates.

Enjoy the photo!

2012 Holiday Catalog CASEd

I just love the Stampin Up's 2012 Holiday Catalog, don't you?  I decided to CASE one of the cards from the catalog, and here it is.  What do you think?

It may be a bit hard to see, but the card base is gumball green, with cherry cobbler ribbon punch accents on the sides.  I really liked this card, so I made it.  Hope you do too.  Next time, I think I'll try sanding the embossed image slightly for a soft suede look.  Oh, won't that be pretty?

Till tomorrow .... happy viewing!

Riding Hood Red Color Challenge

So what do you think of the blog hop?  This is my first time doing one, and it sure is fun. Our challenge was to create a card using Riding Hood Red, So Saffron and Baja Breeze. It took a bit of thinking how to put these colors together and making them work, but I did it.

You should have just come from Amanda's blog.  What did you think of her creation?  Cute, cute, cute, huh?  So now that you've had a taste of Robbie and Amanda's awesome works of art, I hope you'll mine.  Take a look...

Well now let's go over and see what Liz has in store of us.  I bet it's a real winner.  Have fun, and thanks for stopping by!

It's Birthday Time

Saturday, my friend Pam came over and we stamped and played all afternoon.  It took me a little while to get my creative juices flowing, but once I did, I didn't want to stop.

I wanted to share with you what Pam made.  She made birthday cake tealights.  They are so stinkin cute.  Take a look.  You're going to want to make them yourself.

Aren't they the cutest?  I'm so loving these!!!


I made my husband a birthday card, since his birthday is Wednesday.  He recently got an iPhone and has discovered the "angry birds" game.  He plays that non-stop.  I remember how he used to tell me that he never would have time to play games on his phone when he would watch me playing all the games I have on my phone.  Well, don't ever say "never"; he's hooked.  So I decided to make him an "Angry Birds" birthday card.  It turned out so cute.  Take a look:

Tj does France, and now on to Amsterdam

Tj called me on Saturday morning around 5:38 am, but I missed the call.  He called back around 8:30 and told me that he was sitting in front of the Eiffel tower in France.  He and Drew spent 2 days in Spain and went swimming in the Mediterranean Sea.  They met some friends from Portugal and will spend a few days there within the next week or so.  The travel plans changed from what Tj and Drew originally mapped out due to the massive lines waiting to see the attractions, so they decided to travel from country to country, scoping out where they would like to spend time, and will back track when possible.  They were off to Amsterdam where they secured a hostile for the next couple nights.  I reminded him to watch his back in Amsterdam and to kindly stay clear of those not-so-nice places of ill repute.  He laughed.  I'll be anxious to hear where they end up next.  I'm feeling better about their trip.  The anxiety seems to have subsided.  I'm glad I hear from Tj on a fairly regular basis, and to know he's having a great time is all that matters.  Stay tuned.

News from Brooklyn

Well now that you know a little about our son, Tj, I'm happy to share news about our daughter, Aileen, who lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Josh.  Aileen is planning on going back to college to pursue her education in nursing with a specialty in nutrition at Long Island University in September.  This will be her second bachelor's degree.  She holds a degree in graphic design from Salisbury University.  I'm so happy for her.  She developed an interest in nutrition at a very early age (first grade, as a matter of fact), and then again while attending college.  It's a natural for Aileen. 

Aileen's husband, Josh, is a master chef at Court Street Grocers in Brooklyn.  His career has really taken off since moving to New York.  He was working in Conshohocken at Derek's and decided that he wanted something a little more exciting.  So off to NY he went in search for building his career, and what better place to do so than New York.  He instantly was hired at Diner, a trendy restaurant in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn and his career took off from there.  In January of 2012, he left Diner to join Court Street Grocers and is in charge of the menu selections as well as the their many culinary offerings.  I've had the opportunity to grace my pallet with one of Josh's sandwich creations.  Words cannot describe the "yum" factor.  And on another exciting note, Josh was recently asked to write an essay in Diner's "Eggs & Failure" journal.  His article was entitled "Melette".  It is very well written as he shares his beginnings as a short order cook as an omlet guru in Philadelphia to where he landed at Diner.  Typecast as "The Omlet Guy", he states, "who knew a simple eggy fold could possess such powers of transformation".

So if I sound like a proud mother, I am.  Both of our children have grown into such amazing and wonderful young adults.  We couldn't be more proud.

Thanks for visiting me.  I hope you'll come back soon.

Destination, Barcelona

Tj made it to Barcelona safe and sound with his friend, Drew.  He called me at 2:46 am this morningto let me know they had arrived and said it was a long flight.  It was 7:46 am in Barcelona, so he has the whole day to get acclimated.  I'm sure he and Drew are going to crash tonight.  Although I won't be hearing from him every day, my thoughts will be with him every moment.  I'm looking forward to hearing from him again soon.

I managed to survive dropping him off at the airport, although I must admit, the tears rolled when Tom and I drove away.  I composed myself for a bit, then had up and down moments until I finally put my head on the pillow to try and get some sleep.  Of course I didn't sleep, even after Tj called when they arrived at their destination.  I was so keyed up, thinking of what they were going to do and where they were going to sleep tonight.  Guess I won't know for a few days, but I as they say, no news is good news.

In the interim, I'll just keep busy crafting and creating new and fun projects.  I'll enjoy it more now since Tj finished my cabinets in my craft room before he left for Europe.  What a sweet young man.

Bye for now and stay tuned for more news from Europe.