Homemade Apron

Here are two of my favorite gifts for Christmas. My talented daughter-in-law made me this great apron. The picture doesn't do the colors justice but it is absolutely beautiful and a lot of thought and work went into it.

I also received from J&K a photo-scanner and print shop. I had my first crack at it when my husband went off to work--I know that they know a photo-scanner can be a dangerous thing in my hands but that's how much they love me, they bought it for me anyway!!!! Have a great rest of the "Holidays". In honor of their gift, they are my first photo-shop crop and print!

Long-Distance Birthday Celebration.

Last week was my husband's 60'Th Birthday. The man is amazingly youthful and doesn't look his stated age. Fred, by the grace of God, survived a heart attack three years ago and works evenings for a towing company. Since we live in Virginia and most all of our family and friends are in New England, it was challenging to come up with a way to celebrate this milestone. Our home is for sale and we are moving back to NE but in the meantime we are carrying on as usual. It was hard to come up with a plan because everyone lives 800 miles away. So, what else would be more perfect than a Birthday Card campaign. He is Fred enjoying his Birthday Cards...

This card was made by my precious daughter-in-law, Keri. I love the hidden quotations which reveal great wisdom. It is thoughtful and precious and a fantastic idea!!! (Visit Keri's blog, http://quaintandquirky.blogspot.com/ - see her fabulous totes, dog collars, etc.)

Christmas Everything Card

This card was made using a little bit of everything. I love the holly berry punch, the pinstripe paper and the stitched ribbon. The corner punch always adds a nice touch too. The embossing is done in bronze.

Since I made a variety of Christmas cards during the past few months, I can now get down to writing and mailing. Yep, that's what I'm going to do as soon as I remember where I hid the pens so no one will use them....

Paper Turkey Place "Cards&Sea Glass Pendant

I just drove back from a week -long trip to RI to see the family and stayed a week with my son and daughter-in-law. We had a ball "Black Friday" shopping , which was quite an experience and I suggest you get over to JoAnn's Fabric shop as quickly as possible and grab all those wonderful products at 60% off.

Jason made paper Tom Turkey place "cards" for each family member with their names on the "feathers"...They made a lot of turkeys but its been a tradition at my sisters for years that the place sitting card is made by one or more of the children. Great job on this one...

My sister, Linda, has been working on this painting. She had it sitting on an easel and I had a camera so I thought I'd share it. Taking the picture is the height of my "painting" talent. If you look closely you can see the sketch of the remaining painting to be done.

My sister, Mary, collects sea glass and recently learned how to wrap it for making pendents. She presented this to me on a recent visit to her home. Its gorgeous! Who wouldn't want to spend the summer combing the beach for sea glass. We have lots of family memories of summers at the ocean and this treasure of a pendant will always take me back to those great days.

A Very Special Thanksgiving Card

We received this card in the mail today from Taylor's mom, Melanie. It is a very sweet card and since some of you have been inquiring about Taylor, I thought it would be nice to share it with you. I'm impressed because with everything that is on Mel's plate right now, she had the time to craft this great card.

I love the frame Mel used and if I remember correctly she got it at Keepsake's Fabric in Center Harbor NH last May. Mel, Taylor, Keri and I descended on Keepsake's Fabric with scrap booking, quilting and card making in mind. It was the sale to end all sales. We scored a lot of great items while the men dutifully waited outside.

Thanks for the Card Mel and Jason and Taylor and Happy Thanksgiving to you too!

A Couple of Christmas Cards

There isn't too much you can do with this stamp because it is so large. I embossed with bronze and kept it simple. Like the birth of our Savior--on a quite Holy Night.

I like this card because it different. It's not elegant by any means but understated. I bought the stamp at Hobby Lobby and really like the message.

Just a Few Thoghts

I wish I had the inclination

to sit myself at the crafting station;

Lots of things are on my mind

and somehow I can't find the time....

I have been working on a few projects which are "blog sensitive" and if I showed them now it would spoil a few Christmas Surprises. My family is very computer savvy and so after the holidays I can show you the xxxxxxxx and the xxxxxxx and the xxxxxx.

I didn't take a picture of it but for Josh's birthday I made him a scrapbook with some interviews I had with him when he was a boy. I asked him the same questions once a year. It's amazing how consistent he was with his answers. I then added a few poems by Grampa and Some things My Grandmother said along with a story written for him--its a great idea. Start interviewing your children once a year with the same questions and then present it to them when they are grow up. It's a treasure....

I'm really enjoying every ones Christmas Card creations. Thank you all for your prayers for Taylor she is doing excellent after her surgery and came back two inches taller!! You know they are better when the start being "bored"....

Cupcake Birthday Card

This card was so fun to make. It's Josh's birthday card and he's now twenty with 9 years experience. I got the template for the card from Stamping Samplers magazine. The picture of him is perfect because he's eating a cupcake. I shrunk the picture on my computer and then printed it out to fit. The dogs' birthday hat was blue so I embossed it to match the card prints. That cupcake is so easy to do and lots of fun.

Taylor's Get Well Card

This weekend, I have been working on a few projects--but can't display them until "after the holidays"...

This is a card made for Taylor, our 14 year old granddaughter who just had back surgery for scoliosis--she had two rods placed in her back and will be in Boston Children's Hospital until Friday and then a long recovery. Please keep her in your prayers while she recovers (recovery is several months but God can speed that up).

She is very special to her Grampa and so I made a card for her with that in mind. I embossed the "thinking of you" but wanted to make the card very personal and made my "own" sentiments and printed them out...Sometimes you just have to "make your own stamp"... this is definitely a "Grampa" card and Grampa shed a tear...

One Stamp-Two Stamps

I like this stamp from Stampabilities but it seems to bulky for a smaller card. I used half of it on the outside of the card and the other half on the inside of the card. The star and the manger scene are from a Stamping Up set of six. So from one stamp I was able to make two.

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I love this Cardinal Stamp purchased at Hobby Lobby. It's fairly easy to stamp and watercolor. The outside says "Once in a lifetime you meet someone who changes everything" and the inside is stamped "Wise Men Still Seek Him"...with the other half of the stamp above.

Gold Embossed Buttons

I needed something to add to these Christmas Cards:I remembered that Keri told me you could emboss brads--I tried it on buttons and there you have it. Brown plastic buttons are now gold. Ah, if only I could do it with plastic coins!!! Thanks Keri.

New Techniques

I was invited to a stamping up gathering at my friend Laura's. It was a lovely evening. Laura hosted this small gathering of women in the cabin in the back of her house. It's so precious. What a wonderful get a way and all you need to do is go out the back door and down the path. I learned so much in one evening and thought I'd share the technique the Stamping Up rep., Karen, taught us.

Faux Metal Tags:

Its simple and very versatile. Just emboss silver card stockwith stamp of your choice, use a punch-and attach it to your gift with eyelets. I don't have any eyelets (but have the tools) and definitely will get some. For a polished finish, bore holes and attach eyelets and tie it on . Joann's here I come.

Next we made candy bags using a template from the Big Shot. I like Big Shot and its a tempting investment, Another multi-purpose idea. Zip-lock bags may be a thing of the past in this house.

We made this sweet card which Karen had pre-punched the bird using the Big Shot. The large scallop punch is another tempting investment.

It was my first stamping up gathering and I really enjoyed meeting some wonderful women and Laura's taco soup, apple walnut salad and 5 flavor pound cake too!

A few more cards

I have a friend who would like to see how marketable home-made cards are in this area. She also would like to market the above wreaths. The cupboard was bare so emergency sell able cards had to be made. The stationary pack is a good idea because sometimes our local paper goods store has a great price on packaged paper. Because there are 25 sheets in a pack you can made stationary packs easily.

Don't know how to do a slide show presentation yet but when I do it will be utilized...

Stationary Gift Packets

A Few Cards to go with Wreaths to Sale

A few Thanksgiving Day Cards-Slight Variation

Christmas Wreath Project

This was my week-end project. We had a bumper crop of pine cones this year and I thought about making a pine-cone wreath. I bought four wreath rings and used a large upholstery needle to thread the cones through the ring wires. I added some cranberries, made bows and sewed on a red button. So far two are completed and thinking about doing two more. Thinking being the word.

That is not snow on the cones--it's pine sap. If you do this project, I suggest you wear gloves. If you get pine sap on your fingers it will come off with nail polish remover. I didn't want to embellish it too much--but maybe the next wreath I will. All in all I think it was worth it .

PS. I decided to add bows and eucalyptus to embellish them because they are going out to market along with some cards --hmmmm-how will we do?

P.S.S. A woman at my husband' s job wanted me to make a wreath with blue embellishments. No red, she doesn't like red bows for some reason..so here it is..blue-with bells--no red--blue....she liked it.