Be Mine…

Good morning and happy Friday everyone. Is everyone looking forward to the weekend? I know that I am, because I am heading up north to spend an overnight with my parents today. I haven’t seen them since New Years Day. I am blessed to be able to do that because on December 27th my Father suffered a heart attack early in the morning as we sat together having breakfast in the kitchen. Trust me when I say it was a surreal experience to watch things unfold as they did. Given my previous employment I have training in CPR and First Aid, and I was surprisingly cool, calm and collected. I knew exactly what needed to be done and for that I am eternally grateful to have that training and to the good Lord himself, for without him the situation could have turned out very differently. I am also heading up so that I can bring my sister Jennie back to spend the week with us here in Cambridge. If I haven’t mentioned this on my blog before, my sister is 35 years old and has Down’s Syndrome. Our home literally comes alive when she is here and we have so much fun together. It is usually a very busy week when she is here as I take her to get her hair done by my hair stylist, and we also split the time up by cooking or baking and make crafts together. I likely won’t be doing much blogging next week either, lol.

My parents live in the country and do not have high speed internet yet. It is totally 99 bottles of beer on the wall service if you know what I mean!!!!! I can’t believe they don’t as other residents 3 km away do, it seems they are totally at the mercy of Bell Canada.  We have been able to upgrade it a wee bit with a Rogers turbo stick but it still works like pouring molasses outside in February. UGH!!!

Anyway, the reason I’m bring this subject up is because Jennie loves to watch music videos on her laptop. When she is here she can  “YouTube” her lil’ ole heart out. In fact she does from the moment she unpacks her laptop right up until the very minute she packs it up to go home. Man oh man our GB usage goes off the charts when she’s here YIKES.

So today’s card is in honour of my sister Jennie. She loves every single occasion that comes along, especially Christmas, but for some reason she really loves Valentine’s Day too. My husband and I usually send her flowers, but because she will be here with us I thought I would make her a nice dinner, something sweet to eat and then give her this card.

I am trying my hand at my very first Digi image, and not only was she fun to colour but it was relatively easy to download her too. She is called Canary Love and is from the Saturated Canary Ragamuffins collection, isn’t she adorable?  I came across her during one of my blog hop sessions and I was able to download her for free! Yes folks, I did say FREE,  I am not 100% positive but I am pretty sure I had to sign up for something on the Saturated Canary website to get her, so hop on over there to get her for yourself too.

It goes without saying that I coloured her with my Copic markers and touched her up with all of my favourite gloss and glitz. Look at her gorgeous baby blues!!!!! I am really looking forward to giving her to my sister on Valentine’s Day. I hope she likes it.

I hope you enjoyed my card today, but I really have to run. I still have to pack my travel bag and hit the road because apparently “Old Man Winter” is going to pay us a visit today.

Take care my friends and thanks for stopping by :)S

Note: It’s Saturday night (Feb 11th) and I have had some time that I didn’t have on Friday to look around for a challenge or two to enter my card into. So I have decided to enter it into The Outlawz Friday Copic/Promarker Challenge – LOVE

and I thought I would throw my hat into the ring over at Saturated Canary’s Challenge #10 – Red, Pink & White. Wish me luck!! Nighty Night all! :)S

Puddles of Love…

Hello everyone, and a very happy Tuesday to you all. I must say that I am back to the land of the living considering I had one very exhausting weekend away with my crafty peeps! Our time together never seems to disappoint and it is ALWAYS well worth the forfeited zee’s. If you read my last blog entry (Thursday) I mentioned that I was heading to Michigan for the Crop-A-Faire that was being held at the Hampton Inn in Sterling Heights, Michigan. It was actually the first time I attended this event but my crafty peeps have attended in the past which of course is how I learned all about it. It is organized and hosted by Amy of Card Shoppe Creations.

Let me say that it was a lot of fun and I was very impressed with the event. Who wouldn’t be impressed when your participating fee included all your meals, beverages and snacks starting on the Friday afternoon up to and including lunch on the Sunday.

What seriously impressed me though was when I noticed later on Friday evening that many of my fellow crafters where disappearing only to return shortly thereafter in their jammies to continue working on their projects and subsequent conversations. Also, starting on the Saturday afternoon  we had an on site Massage Therapist available. I was even the lucky recipient of a 40 minute, totally stress releasing massage, compliments of my wonderful friend Darlene. She is so very generous and thoughtful. After I had my massage I went upstairs to my hotel room, I literally passed out for 2 hours. My friend and roommate Pat not only came to wake me up but came baring a gift……..dinner. I often think that I must have done something right for God to have sent me friends like that.  Who could ask for anything more, seriously?

I had today’s card coloured up by the time I returned home from Michigan and actually put it together yesterday. I just was so darn tired by the end of the day that I couldn’t take the time to compose a post to you all and put it off until today.

This little cutie patootie is a Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamp called Puddles of Love. When I saw her she immediately brought me back in time to fond memories of being a child and jumping into a puddle. I actually remember splashing in every single puddle on my way home from school whenever I had the chance, so I just had to buy her. What’s with that anyway, why did we find things like that and over-size cardboard boxes so amusing???

I coloured her up with my Copic markers and then gave her the finishing touch by giving her coat, hat and boots some Glossy Accents. I wanted to create the appearance of  traditional rain-gear or what is more affectingly known as, a slicker and rubber boots. It turned out exactly how I wanted it to, and several of the ladies that were sitting around me at the time I was colouring her up just loved the look too.

 

 

The designer papers that I used are from DCWV’s Citrus Collection. I pulled the colours from the primary matte and tried to use each one on something. I utilized both my Sizzix and Spellbinder dies, Sizzix embossing folder and various punches to create the butterflies and flowers, and lets not forget the addition of stickles here and there to make things complete. 

I will be entering her into this weeks Kraftin’ Kimmie Challenge  # 114 in honour of Kraftin’ Kimmie’s birthday. Puddles of Love are being sent your way Kimmie and we want to wish you much love and happiness always.    I am also entering her into the Mondays Greetings Card Challenge – Anything Goes at The Outlawz.

Well that is about it for me today, I hope wherever you are in the world that your day is going according to plan and that you having a good one! I must get back to my next card for you, so until then take care and thanks for stopping by :)S

It’s a Boy!

Good evening crafty friends. I just found out today via Facebook that some pretty awesome people we know are now celebrating the birth of their beautiful little boy. Welcome to the world little Austen!!

I thought I would whip up a little card so that I will have it at the ready when we get the chance to meet him. I can’t wait to get out and buy him something really cute. Congrats to Mom and Dad as well, we are so very happy for you both.

 

 

For this card I used my Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamp called Baby Bubble Bath. I think the image is so adorable and what I really like about it is it can easily be adapted for a little boy or a little girl by simply changing the colour of the paper. Girlie paper or boyish paper it’s that simple.

It was pretty much a “no muss no fuss” kind of card, meaning I didn't  use a lot of embellishments. It was coloured with my Copics, and I used glossy accents on the water, boat, ducky and bubbles. I also added a little button, some gingham ribbon and distressed with a wee bit of green and yellow chalk. I would have loved to have added an old fashioned baby diaper pin but I can’t find those anywhere nowadays. Perhaps I should go antique hunting for one, lol ;)

I think the next time I colour one of these I will tone down the blue on the bubbles because it didn’t turn out like a foamy bubble bath. Perhaps there is even a product on some crafty shelf somewhere out there that will create that effect and I haven’t been introduced to it yet. It really wouldn’t surprise me if there is.

I am going to keep my post brief tonight because I’m still packing for another weekend away. I am heading to the Crop-A-Faire Weekender that is taking place at The Hampton Inn in Sterling Heights, Michigan.  I am tagging along with four of my favourite people in this world, and it is always fun to be together with them, there is never a dull moment. We are hooking up with the fifth one in our little group stateside as she lives there. Memories haunt me though from the last time we crossed the border together.  I learned a very hard lesson about checking your passport before and after you get home. It’s truly a funny story (after the fact that is), and I would share it with you but it would take way too long, perhaps I will share it with you one day….. perhaps!

I will be bidding hubby a fond farewell at 8 a.m. tomorrow morning, leaving him all alone with our little Yorkie Lucy and the 60” TV set. It’s Super Bowl weekend and he doesn’t have to share the TV and I am sure he is delighted that our event is the same weekend. It’s a win win situation for both of us!

I am not the biggest scrap booker in the world and I much prefer colouring with my Copic markers and creating greeting cards.  I have stamped a ton of images to colour while I am there as I thought  it an excellent opportunity to get ahead of the game. This way I will have several finished images  at the ready for assembling cards at a later date.  Rumour has it too that there will be a masseuse on the site for my tired neck muscles, and boy oh boy this is good news cuz even though colouring is fun to me it is hard on my neck, big time.

So my friends, let me bid you goodnight. Take care and come back soon to see what I coloured up for you while I was away. Thanks for stopping by :)S