When the Weather Outside is Frightful

I was so excited about this card.  I saw it on Pinterest, created by Cindy Hall, and I fell in love with it.  So I tried to re-create the card as best as I could, and just added a little twist to it.  I was just tickled pink ... this snowman is just so adorable ... and thanks to Cindy who created him, or we wouldn't have had him at all.  Mine isn't quite as perfect as Cindy's. but he's still so cute.  I hope you like him,. and again, thank you Cindy for creating him.  I just love him!!!

I hope you like him  as much as I do.  I made 4 of him, adding the broom instead of the cute banner Cindy had on her card.  The scarf and hat were a bit of a challenge, but I'll master it yet.

Until tomorrow, stay warm, but do enjoy Mr. Snowman!!!!

Merry Christmas !

Coloring Down the Lines - Pear Pizzazz, the Star of the Show

Merry Christmas!  Thank you for taking the time to stop by and check out our blog hop on this wonderful day.  I hope you are enjoying yourself and your day is filled with the love of family and friends.

Our challenge today is pear pizzazz, with either rich razzleberry and tempting turquoise, or pool party and smoky slate.  I thought I would choose the first color combination to add some color to my card.  So, I started my thinking around the star first, then I selected the color for the star and went from there.  Humm, I lucked out the first round.  I didn't have to change things around, as the idea just flowed and I just added a few touches at the end and I was done.  Phew!  I didn't want to stress over it since I still had some last minute stuff to do before the big day.  I wonder if Carol had her idea all ready to go, or maybe not.  What do you think?  I would guess she is a natural and she just sat down and it came to her.  Did you check out her blog before you landed here?  If not, be sure to circle back to see her entry this week.  You certainly won't be disappointed.  So, here is my creation for this week ... hope you enjoy it.

 

Recipe

Paper:  rich razzleberry, whisper white

Ink:  rich razzleberry, pear pizzazz, tempting turquoise

Stamp Sets:  greetings of the season, single star, snow day

Accessories:  basic rhinestones, dazzling diamonds glitter

Ah shucks!  You can't see the glitter on the snowflakes in the picture.  It gives the card a little interest, along with the start that I outlined using a blender pen and popped it up with dimensionals.  I'll have to work on taking better photographs so you can see the images better.  You'll have to trust me on this one .. the glitter is there.

Well, I know Ms. Joni had her card done well in advance, as usual.  So, let's check out what she created for us, shall we?  I'm sure she whipped up something special for us on this Christmas Day.  

Again, thank you for stopping by and checking us out each week.  We love to share our craft with you and do hope that we've inspired you.  May you have a wonderful and enjoyable holiday, and the best of the New Year to you.  Happy Stamping!

Popcorn Anyone?

A co-worker asked me if I could make her a gift card holder for her father for Christmas.  She said he loves to go to the movies, so she was giving him a GC to the movies, so what better than to make something appropriate for the movies.

I had seen some ideas on Pinterest of a bucket of popcorn, so I thought I would try my hand at one.  Well, I must say, I actually love the way mine turned out. I brought it in to work and Sarah was very pleased with it.  I was so happy that she liked it, and I hope her father will be tickled pink when he sees it on Christmas day. Before I even showed the gift card holder to Sarah, another one of my co-workers saw it and flipped over it and asked me to make her 4 of them, but to hold movie tickets.  WOW!  Who knew.  So are you wondering what it looks like?  Ok, I won't make you wait any longer ... here they are:

 Gift Card Holder

 

Movie Ticket Holder

As you can see, the gift card holder has a lot more popcorn on it - and I learned making the second one, it doesn't have to be that tall to be cute.  So, I hope you like them.  They were fun and really not hard.  I think the hardest part was gluing all the popcorn on ... ugh!  I think I had more glue on my grid paper and my fingers than I did on the popcorn.  LOL. 

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope to see you tomorrow, and yes, we'll be posting our blog hop on Christmas, so if you get a chance, please stop by.  One more day

Coloring Down the Lines - Marina Mist Holiday Sentiment

This week, our challenge for Marina Mist was to add a Holiday Sentiment.  Well that's not too hard since it is the holiday season.  The color combinations are:  marina mist, crumb cake, and cajun craze, or marina mist, real red, and old olive.  I chose the later combination in light of the season.  I made a simple card, as you will see - nothing fancy, but it turned out pretty cute.

If you've been to Carol's blog before here, you've been delighted with her creation.  I always like how she comes up with something so pretty and fitting and very pleasing to the eye.  Here's what I've done for the challenge this week...

Recipe

Paper:  marina mist, whisper white, real red

Ink:  old olive, real red

Stamp Set:  wonderful wreath; polymer stamp set - endless wishes

Accessories:  label bracket punch

So that's it.  Simple, huh?  Now let's go check out Joni's idea for the week.  She always has her challenge done before the lineup.  How does she do it?  

Thanks for stopping by.  The big day is getting closer ... and of course, I'm not ready.

Coloring Down the Lines - Calypso Coral in a Winter Wonderland

It's always a challenge coming up with a color combination that doesn't necessarily go with a theme, and this one was no exception.  But, I must admit, I got my inspiration from Ann Schach, and it was perfect timing. Our challenge this week is Calypso Coral, Blushing Bride, and Pink Pirouette, or Calypso Coral, Chocolate Chip, and Wild Wasabi.  I chose the later of the two color choices to work with.  The twist was to add a snowflake.  Now ... given these color combos, how in the world would you add a snowflake to that?  Hummm, you wonder.  Well, that's why it's called a challenge.

I wonder if Carol had a hard time coming up with something?  She's usually good at coming up with anything you give her, so that's why her entries are always a hit.  Go Carol.  Well, like I mentioned, I got my inspiration from Ann this week, and here's my creation with a twist:

.  

Recipe

Paper:  wild wasabi, calypso coral, whisper white

Ink:  calypso coral, chocolate chip, wild wasabi

Stamp Sets:  warmth & wonder, festive flurry

Accessories:  festive flurry framelits, oval framelits, perfect polka dots EF

Now I know Joni was wondering what she was going to do with the challenge this week, so we'll have to sneek on over and see what she conjured up.  It's always fun when you have a challenge that makes you think outside the box.  Have a little fun yourself and see what you can come up with.  Thanks for stopping by!

Coloring Down the Lines - Blushing Bride and Lace

This week, our color choices are blushing bride, pear pizzazz and early espresso, or blushing bride, perfect plum and saraha sand.  I chose the first color choice to work with and thought I would make something simple.  I've been having some issues with my right arm and shoulder, so I didn't want to do something too extravagant.

I'm not sure where you came from, but if you came from Carol's blog, you surely got a treat.  Did you enjoy her creation for this week?  I always do.  Here's how mine stacks up ...

Recipe

Paper:  blushing bride, very vanilla, early espresso, pear pizzazz

Ink:  blushing bride, pear pizzazz, black stazon

Stamp Sets:  simply sketched; express yourself

Accessories:  chantilly lace

So let's take a peek at Joni's card that she chose to make this week.  I wonder what color choices she selected?  Let's check it out .... Thanks for stopping by.  We always enjoy your visit.

Coloring Down the Lines - Rose Red Christmas

This week''s challenge is rose red, wisteria wonder, garden green or rose red, marina mist, soft suede, with a Christmas twist.  Although I don't associate Christmas with these colors, so I put on my thinking cap and came up with a design that I saw on Pinterest and made my own twist.

So, if you just hopped over here from Carol's blog, weren't you impressed?  She does such nice work and always has great ideas.  I just love her stuff.

Here's what I created.  I didn't focus on the rose red, but used it more for a touch of color.  Hope you like it.

Recipe

Paper:  whisper white, marina mist

Ink:  soft suede, marina mist, rose red

Stamp Sets:  Warmth & Wonder, Snow Day

Now let's check out Joni's blog and see what she colors she decided to work with this week.  Isn't it fun seeing what you can do with all sorts of color combinations?  Let's check it out ...

Coloring Down the Lines - Perfect Plum with a Twist

Hi Everyone!  I'm so glad to be back blogging again.  I've had the worst experience last week - I got a computer virus that took over my entire computer, including my operating system, and I was knocked out of commission for over a week.  You can only imagine my dismay when I couldn't post anything, and had to install a new operating system, re-install MS Office (upgraded to 2013), and needless to say, prior to all of that, was on the phone for 11 solid hours with support over 2 days.  BUT ... I'm back, so this is my first post since that awful experience.

This week's challenge is not my fav.  The colors are:  perfect plum, marina mist, rose red, or perfect plum, early espresso, whisper white.  Did you say, WHAT?  Yep, what on earth would or could you do with those colors?????  That's exactly what I said to myself as I sat down to figure it out.  But the added bonus is:  add a new technique - something new that we've never done before.  Ok, I'm up for that.

So, I went to work trying to come up with something, and I came up with a technique, but the colors were still a puzzle to me.  Well, I thought I'd try the safe choice:  perfect plum, early espresso, and whisper white.  Still, that wasn't something I would have chosen normally, but, oh well, I'll give it a whirl.  It didn't seem like Carol had much trouble with the colors, now, did she?  She usually never does.  I don't know how she does it.  But never-the-less, here's what I came up with, along with my newly, tried technique:  wax-resist embossing:

So what I did is took the window frames framelit and used it as a border.  Then I took wax paper, along with the petals a plenty embossing folder and ran it through the big shot, then ironed it onto a piece of glossy white paper and ran over the image with a dauber dipped in perfect plum ink, wiping off any excess ink.  The image wasn't as crisp as I had hoped, but for my first try, it wasn't bad.  I don't think you can see the strip of whisper white with JOY on it is also embossed with the stylish stripes embossing folder.  So what do you think?  I used a couple new techniques I've never done before:  the framelit border and the wax-resist embossing.   I think I might try it again and see what I come up with.  Hope you like it.

Now let's check out what fun idea Joni came up with for her technique.  I'm sure she's way ahead of the game, as I know she finished her card before the weekend was over.  Let's go check it out ..... I can't wait to see it.

Until tomorrow, thanks for stopping by, and I'm so glad to be back!!!!

How About Some Christmas Blend?

I saw this cute Christmas coffee cup gift tag on Pinterest and thought I would try and make a gift card holder just like it.  Well, I managed to do just that, and it came out so cute.  As soon as I made them and took them into work for a co-worker to see, I sold 5 of them.  How about that?  I know they will sell like hotcakes.

I put my business card inside so you can see how the gift card will fin right inside.  I made the cardboard crinkled hot sleeve too to make it look authentic and decorated it for the holiday.  I must say, I was tickled pink with the way it turned out.  My son actually helped me with getting the lid exactly right.  He thought it looked like a flower pot with the original lid, so we perfected it until we got it just right and I'm really happy with it.  Hope you like it.

Stay tuned for more of my creations from the craft event.

Wine Tag Mania

This past weekend, I participated as a vendor at a fund raising event for The Whole Child Learning Center in Elverson.  It was a nice event, and I made a whole lot of things for it, and I thought I would share them throughout the week with you.  Wait until you see some of them .... you'll just flip.

I thought I would start with the wine tags I made.  I made some for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and some you could use for New Years as well.  My husband made a wine tag holder out of an old stair post (since he is a stair contractor, what a perfect way to display my wine tags).  Take a peek ...

They were a lot of fun making, and they are quick.  People though they were a great holiday gift idea for dressing up those wine bottles, and one person even thought of putting them on a door knob.  Cute!

Hope you like them .... and maybe these will inspire you to try some of your own.  Let me know.  I'd love to see them.  Cheers!

Snowman File Folder Card

I finally tried the new envelope punch board to make a file folder card, and it was easier than I thought.  It really was fun, and I used it on my snowman card.  Take a peek ...

Recipe:

Paper:  whisper white, winter frost dsp, pool party, silver glimmer paper

Ink:  smoky slate, pool party, tangerine tango, early espresso

Stamp Set:  snow day

Accessories:  envelope punch board, heart punch

We made this at our Fall Event last weekend.  Isn't the card so cute?  I'll have to make more of these, and of course, with matching envelopes.  Hope you like him.  Thanks for stopping by!

A Ruffled Christmas Tree

This is another card we made at our Fall Get Away In October, and it was a Founders Circle swap.  It is really cute, and I don't know who actually made it, so I can't give credit where credit is due, unfortunately.  Take a peek .. it's darling.

Recipe:

Paper:  whisper white, pistachio pudding, early espresso, silver glimmer paper

Ink:  early espresso

Stamp Set:  petite pairs

Accessories:  pistachio pudding ruffled ribbon, pretty print EF

And there you have it.  Who would have thought to use pistachio pudding for a Christmas card?  But oh so cute, isn't it?  Hope you like it..

Coloring Down the Lines - Island Indigo with a Twist

Fall is here in full color and it's so beautiful to see in all its splendor.  So, how fitting that our challenge this week is to add a "leaf" to our creation - no matter what the color combination is.  Hummmm, you're wondering.  How are you going to manage that, especially since the color combination for this week's challenge is:  island indigo, rose red and garden green, or island indigo, pool party and calypso coral.  Well the garden green, sure, that could fit, but what about those other colors?  Yep, you're right. I didn't select those, so I decided to go with something simple this week.

Did you check out Carol's Cards first before landing here?  Well what did you think about hers?  Not a surprise that she could come up with something spectacular, right?  I hope mine can inspire you just as much as hers, so check it out and see what you think.

Recipe

Paper:  island indigo, very vanilla

Ink:  island indigo, rose red, garden green

Stamp Sets:  gorgeous grunge, hand-penned holidays (retired), best of autumn

Accessories:  island indigo candy dots, island indigo 3/4" chevron ribbon

That's it!  I thought simple is better.  It covered all the bases with the color combination and included the leaf in my card and whola ... there you have it.  I hope you like it, and please don't forget to leave me a comment, if you so choose.

Now, let's check out Joni's card and see what inspired her with the challenge.  I'm sure she had hers figured out well before I did, so let's go .... Ciao for now!!

A Very Little Christmas

Here's another card I made at the Great Fall Event in October.

Recipe
Paper:  smoky slate, whisper white, coastal cabana, winter frost dsp

Ink:  smoky slate, coastal cabana

Stamp Set:   merry little christmas

Accessories:  1/8" silver taffeta ribbon, large basic rhinestones

Lots of possibilities with the stamp set ... if you don't have it, try it and see what you think.  You just might have to own it.  Happy Stamping!

Pretty Collectibles at Christmas Time

Do you collect holiday ornaments each year at Christmas, Hanukkah, or your particular holiday season?  There's always something enticing about that little sparkle, sentiment, or an item that reminds us of a special memory, or one that will represent something to us for years to come.  Or maybe you just want to change up your decorations from year to year (yes, I like to do that too, but a little change here and there is just enough to make the difference).  Christmas tree ornaments are always something I long to change up, but can never find what I want, so this card is inspiration enough for me.  

Recipe

Paper:  whisper white, basic black, bermuda bay, silver glimmer paper

Ink:  bermuda bay, black stazon

Stamp Set:s:  christmas collectibles, joyful christmas

Accessories:  christmas ornament punch, stylish stripes EF, 1/8" silver taffeta ribbon, basic rhinestnes

Who would have thought of using basic black in a Christmas card?  Well guess what?  It looks great.  What do you think?

Winter Frost Flip Card

Nothing represents winter more than snowflakes, and so I made this caaperrd using the winter frost designer paper, and the festive flurry stamp set and framelits.  It's simple, but wintery.

Recipe

Paper:  smoky slate, pool party, silver glimmer paper

Ink:  pacific point

Stamp Set:  festive flurry

Accessories:  frosted finishes embellishments

Hope you like it!  Thanks again for stopping by, and your comments are always welcome.

Making a List and Checking it Twice

Santa is making his list and checking it twice.  He has to make sure he has everything he needs to fill those big, tall orders this year for all the good little girls and boys.  This card captures his sweet, happy smile as he ponders the list and seems very pleased with what he has.  Don't you think by the looks of his face???

Recipe:

Paper:  whisper white, cherry cobbler, silver glimmer paper

Ink:  cherry cobbler

Stamp Set:  Santa's List

Accessories:  oval accent bigz die, paper doilies, large rhinestones, cherry cobbler seam binding

The card is is a tent card with the Santa set on the oval accent.  The card is different, and looks cute in person.  Hope you like it, and try some ideas too.  

Mrs. Claus Dons a New Party Dress

Even Mrs. Claus likes to dress up now and then to go out with her hubby, so she went out shopping and found the perfect dress for an evening out with her husband to celebrate the holiday season.  Check out her new party dress .

Recipe
Paper:  whisper white, real red, basic black, silver glimmer paper

Ink:  black stazon

Stamp Set:  tags for you

Accessories:  label bracket punch, dress framelit, perfect polka dot EF

I bet Mrs. Claus is going to have a great time on her night out, don't you think?  On thing for sure ... she'll look great!

My Anniversary Card for Tom

October 29 is our wedding anniversary, so I wanted to make sure I made a special card for my husband, Tom.  Of course, I was making the card at the last minute, due to my busy schedule the days leading up to the big day, but I managed to pull one together that I was quite pleased with.  So me and the doggies cuddled up in my craft room and went to work and here is what we came up with:

So there it is.  It's simple, but pretty in person.  I used the brushed gold paper and the heart and love you are embossed in gold on top of the brushed gold paper.  Tom liked the card, so that made it all worth it.

Coloring Down the Lines - Garden Green Flower Shop

This week, the color combination is Garden Green with Calypso Coral, and Soft Sky, or, Garden Green, So Saffron, and Melon Mambo.  I chose the first color combination this week, and I tried so many designs using the colors, and then decided on something rather simple.

Did you just hop over from Carol's blog?  Amanda always has something crafty and creative to share, so I'm sure you've enjoyed her submission.  Here's what I've designed for the colors I've selected...

Recipe

Paper:  whisper white, garden green, calypso coral

Ink:  garden green, calypso coral, soft sky

Stamp Sets:  flower shop, secret garden, petite pairs

Accessories:  Subtles candy dots, retired EF

Now let's pop over to Joni's blog and see what she's whipped up for us and what colors she's selected.  She always has something inspiring to share.

Hope you've stopped to see everyone's creation.  If not, please make sure you do.  You won't be disappointed.

Happy Birthday, Ed

Our friend, Ed, is turning 60, and his family is having a surprise birthday party for him.  Of course I wanted to make his card, so I pinned a card from a while back from Jacqui McLeay of Splotch Design that is so cute, and I just CASEd it, only changing the paper.  Here's my version of the card.

The card is very simple, but what I did to change it up a bit was to add "60" to the banner, but everything else pretty much is the same, with the exception of the colors.  I hope Ed likes it ... I am pleased with the way it turned out.

Well, until tomorrow, happy stamping!

A Simple Thank You

Here's a simple thank you card, no layers other than a little bling.  Sometimes you just need a quick "thank you" card and don't have much time to spend making it, and this is quick and easy.

Recipe
Paper:  very vanilla

Ink:  bermuda bay, tangerine tango, crushed curry, smoky slate

Stamp Set:  hello lovely, lots of thanks

Accessories:  basic rhinestones

That's it.  Have fun with simple .... try it!

National Business Women's Week Banner

I've been so busy this past week, and one of the things I was working on was making a banner for our Women's Club who was hosting National Business Women's Week for Business & Professional Women of Pennsylvania.  Here is the banner I created .... it really turned out nice.

The Proclamations are sitting on the table for all of the local groups, and the banner just made the display table look great.  The banner will be able to be used from year to year, so I'm really glad I made it.

I also made the table tent cards for each attendee.  Here's mine so you can see what they looked like:

The number on the card represented each person's dinner selection.  I wish I would have taken a picture of all the tent cards before they were distributed.  They looked great sitting on the registration table.  But you get the idea.

Until tomorrow, have a wonderful evening!

Happy Birthday Bow Card

Our daughter, Aileen's birthday is October 25th, and every year, I try and make her a card that is special and better than the year before.  We have this great, new bow die, and I thought, why not try and make something using it?  Well, that I did.  It turned out really cute.  I sure hope she likes it.  I had much fun making it,. and I think I'll just have to make another one just to keep.  Take a peek:

So what do you think?  The flowers on the card are not from Stampin' Up, and although I use nothing but SU products, I wanted a little something special to put on the card and these flowers just fit the bill.  And how about the paper I used?  Can you believe it's actually "witches brew" designer paper?  It didn't look too much like Halloween, and since I really like the pattern, I thought it worked well.  Whola, there you have it.

Happy Birthday to my baby girl.  She's all grown up and married, but will always be my baby girl.  Love and Hugs to you, my birthday girl.

Million & One Thank You By the Seashore

Last week, I was in Baltimore for work, and my co-worker and I were taken to lunch by a Consultant working for one of our customers.  He took us to a pub called Koco's which is known for their awesome crab cakes, and guess what, they did not disappoint.  The crab cake was so big, I couldn't finish mine.  It was absolutely delicious, and chock full of large chunks of crab meat.  I brought one home for both my husband and son and they devoured them before I could even sit down to eat my lunch.  LOL.

Well, I wanted to make a nice thank you card to send to him since he lives in Florida, and I took out my stamp sets and made this one.  It turned out really nice, and I'm totally pleased with it:

Recipe

Paper:  sahara sand, crisp cantaloupe, very vanilla

Ink:  sahara sand, stazon black, tempting turquoise, crisp cantaloupe

Stamp Sets:  million & one, by the seashore, off the grid

I mailed it off today, so I hope Jeff likes it when he gets it.  I popped the crab up off the card with a dimensional for a little interest.  Cute, cute, cute.

Thanks for stopping by.  Hope to see you back soon.

Christmas Stamp-a-Stack, Merry Little Christmas

I keep sing the song in my head "Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas" every time I see this stamp set.  It's such a happy song and really puts you in the mood for the season.  In fact, I keep singing it all day long, even to my little doggies who think I'm singing to them.  I guess you can say I am singing to them, hehehehe.

Anyway, here's the last of the Christmas Stamp-a-Stacks I made last weekend.  I'll be making more, but for now, I'm making things for some other events I have coming up.  I can't want to share them with you, so I do hope you'll keep coming back to check them out.  

Well that's it for this week.  I hope you will leave your comments.  They do mean a lot to me.  Thanks for stopping by.

Christmas Stamp-a-Stack, Christmas Collectibles

This years Christmas Ornament stamp set is as nice as last years.  So I've made a card using the Christmas Collectibles stamp set, along with the winter frost designer series paper.  I just love the colors, don't you?

A touch of bling always makes the holiday cards look so festive.  I love bling!!!!  More to come ...

Christmas Stamp-a-Stack, Love & Joy

Today I'm posting another Stamp-a-Stack card I made over the weekend.  Sometimes simple is just what looks best, and this card is just that.  There's not much to say about this card, so with that, I'll just share the card with you.

See, plain and simple, with a touch of champagne glimmer behind the love and joy.  And there you have it!  Until tomorrow ...

Christmas Stamp-a-Stack, Calm Christmas

This is another card I made from the Christmas Stamp-a-Stack last weekend.  It's made with the Calm Christmas stamp set.  It's a peaceful sort of a stamp set and as you can see, the name speaks for itself.

I think I might try this card using some glimmer paper next time.  The card is very pretty, and I may try it using some other colors too.  Stay tuned for more Christmas cards I'll be posting this week.  Thanks for stopping by.

Coloring Down the Lines - Crushed Curry

This week's challenge was a doozie ... the color combinations were quite the challenge.  I wasn't a fan of either combination ... as they were:  crushed curry, pumpkin pie, and melon mambo, or crushed curry, real red, and island indigo.  I was going to choose the second color combination, but decided to really try the first one.  If you've come from Carol's Cards, you'd never know she had any trouble coming up with something for either color combination.  So let's take a look at mine for this week - as I mentioned, I'm not fond of it, but the colors worked.

Recipe

Paper:  melon mambo, whisper white, crushed curry

Ink:  melon mambo, pumpkin pie, crushed curry

Stamp Set:  regarding dahlias

Accessories:  perfect polka dots EF, white embossing powder

Now, let's pop on over to Joni's blog to see what color combination she played with this week.  I'm sure there will be a lot if inspiration there.  Until tomorrow... happy stamping!

Christmas Stamp-a-Stack, Special Season

I made some Christmas Cards at a Friday stamping event this past weekend, and the cards are cute.  This card is made using the Special Season stamp set.  I love this set, and it can be used in many ways.  This one is simply elegant.  Take a peek:

I used the deco label framelits to cut out the center of the card and stamped the Christmas tree inside.  the sentiment is then stamped on a separate piece of paper, mounted on silver glimmer paper and midnight muse and adhered with dimensionals on the outside of the card.  It looks a lot better in person, especially with the glimmer paper.  Hope you like it.

There will be more posted later in the week.  Stop back to check them out.  

Community Day at Elmwood Park Zoo

Each year, our company allows us to do one day of community service and they pay us for it.  This year, we could do two 1/2 days, and one of my 1/2 days was helping out at the local Elmwood Park Zoo on October 4.  There was a team of 8 of us, and we had a great day.  It was super hot out ... for October, who could believe it?

First, we put away over 60 tables and a boat-load of chairs from an event the zoo held the evening before.  There must have been children there because you could tell by the remnants left over.  LOL.  We also had some trash to collect afterward, which didn't take long at all.  So after we completed that task, we put together corn shocks for the children's maze.  That sure was a lot of work.  We had to put all the stalks together, tie them up, and stack them up against the fence.  Whew, that was a lot of hard work.  We were rewarded with some awesome water ice (smooth like gelato).  That was such a welcomed treat.  Then it was off to lunch - pizza in an air conditioned building.  Ahhhh, what a way to relax.  Then for the finale, those of us who wanted to go to feed the giraffe.  That was my favorite part.  There were two of them, one that was about 3 or 4 years old, and another that was just about a year old.  They were so cute and took the food from our hands so gently.  For such large animals, they truly are gentle.  Although I don't have any pictures with me in them, you'll get the idea from the pictures we took.

 This beauty is actually the official Philadelphia Eagles Mascot

 Below is the official Temple Owl's Mascot

 Check out Risa, Tracy and Chris trying to collect the stalks to tie up!  That was a big job!!!

 These two cute donkeys are a couple.  The female was out walking about first and her significant other was making such a fuss, kicking up a storm because he wasn't with her.  So ... here they are together and happy as clams.  The white one is the male, and the brown one is the female.  So cute!!!

 The giraffe is waiting for us to come and feed him.

Hey, are you coming or not?  We're hungry.  Yes, hold on there cutie ... we're coming on over to feed you.

What a day we had.  Hope you enjoyed the pictures.  The picture of all of us together didn't turn out too well because the sun was in the way and blurred out the picture.  Oh darn!  Well, better luck next time.