Saturday, December 9, 2017

Forever In Our Hearts

On December 9, 2017 at 7:45 p.m. my beloved Cheops went to kitty heaven. He is now with his brother and no longer in distress. We were with him right up until the end, holding him and comforting him. After 15 1/2 wonderful years Cheops will always be in our hearts. He had such a big personality and brought so much joy to our lives. 

In April of 2015, Cheops was diagnosed with diabetes.  For two years we gave him insulin injections twice a day.  He never once minded getting his medicine.  In September of 2017, he started to lose weight and wasn't eating as well.  It was necessary now to administer fluids.  Once again he was so cooperative.  I think I was affected more by this than he was.  Nothing will ease the pain, but I know we did absolutely everything we could for him.  He lived a long and happy life.

 Happy trails until we are together again.

I love you my sweet Cheops!


As long as you remember me,
my memory will live on.
My spirit will be there with you
At every breaking dawn.
I’ll sing to you through birds in spring
and whisper through the trees,
I’ll bring you gentle comfort with
A warm, caressing breeze.

As long as you remember me,
my love will fill your heart
and help to ease the sorrow
That you feel while we’re apart.
With thoughts of me,
perhaps you’ll see
the wonder of each day,
the joy of sunlit afternoons,
and nature’s grand display.

As long as you remember me,
I always will be near
to lend you sweet tranquility
as nighttime stars appear.
The bond that we have shared
will be a link from me to you
to give you hope for brighter days
and strength to see you through.

Thursday, November 23, 2017

Thankfulness

Hello my friends,

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  Wishing you a day filled with blessings and the comfort of family and friends.

Recently, I created this gift bag for my wonderful, compassionate and caring sister-in-law.  I filled it with some great goodies from Young Living.  I've been using their lip balms for quite sometime now and wanted to share them with her.  Right now my favorite one is Cinnamint, which contains Cinnamon Bark and Peppermint essential oils with Wolfberry Seed Oil.  It is super for quenching dry, parched lips. 


Now, onto how I made the gift bag.  The leaves were created using the Stampin' Up Vintage Leaves set with the coordinating Leaflets Framelits Dies.  This combination makes things quick & easy!


With Gratitude was stamped in StazOn Timber Brown on a Spellbinders Fancy Tags Two.  Sponging was done in Crumb Cake and ColorBox Chalk Creamy Brown.

I'll leave you on this day with one of my favorite quotes about thankfulness.

"O Lord, that lends me life, lend me a heart
replete with thankfulness."

~ William Shakespeare, Henry VI, part 2 ~

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Formal Attire

Hello friends,

I have a wedding card for you to enjoy while you sip your morning coffee.  The card base is solar white linen layered with a piece of Basic Black.  The designer paper is from the BoBunny Enchanted Collection.  I used the Spellbinders Borderabilities Grand Classic Lace Border die to cut a strip for the left side.  Offray 5/8" black satin ribbon was wrapped around and tied.  Mini coconut white roses grace the center of the bow.


On a piece of Shimmery White paper, cut from a Spellbinders small petite ovals #3 die, I stamped Mr. & Mrs. in StazOn Black with the ampersand in StazOn Dove Gray.  It was then mounted to another oval in Basic Black paper.


Don't you just love the elegant font Stampin' Up used for this set?


Here's a peek at the inside.  Since I didn't know the colors of the wedding party I went with a simple black & white theme.


Have a wonderful day and happy crafting!








Stamps:  SU Together Forever, Occasional Quotes
Paper:  Solar White Linen, Basic Black, BoBunny Enchanted Designer Paper, Shimmery White
Ink:  StazOn Black, StazOn Dove Gray, Clear Embossing Powder
Accessories:  Offray 5/8" Black Satin Ribbon, SU Jewels Basic Pearls, Mini Coconut White Roses, Spellbinders Borderabilities Grand Classic Lace Border, Large Petite Ovals #3, Small Petite Ovals #3, Decorative Labels Twenty-Eight, Labels Twenty-Eight, Bow-Easy
Technique:  Embossing
Card Size:  A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

Saturday, November 4, 2017

Gently Falling Leaf

Hello my friends,

The fall foliage this year was quite disappointing.  A warmer than usual autumn and lack of rain caused our big maple tree to change from green to pale yellow to brown.  The leaves have already dropped.  No leaf-peeping took place.  What color you saw was very faded.  Even the pretty sumac trees, which are bright orange-red were dark red and brown.  Here's hoping my card will put you in the autumn spirit!


The leaf outline image was stamped in Soft Suede and then colored with a mix of Summer Sun & Pumpkin Pie.  I then created a mask for the leaf and stamped the En Francais background using Brilliance Pearlescent Beige.  The image was popped up on a Spellbinders Captivating Square. 


More Mustard paper was embossed using a vintage wallpaper embossing folder.  The edges were distressed and sponged with Soft Suede ink randomly on the paper.  Autumn was stamped and embossed on a double ended tag and accented with Kaiser bronze rhinestones.  In staying with my vintage theme a piece of Victoria 5/8" crochet trim was wrapped around the layers with a vintage brad. 


May your weekend be off to a great start!  See you soon ...








Stamps:  SU Gently Falling, En Francais Background Stamp, DRS Autumn Stamp
Paper:  Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, More Mustard, Natural Ivory
Ink:  Soft Suede, Summer Sun, Pumpkin Pie, Brilliance Pearlescent Beige
Accessories:  SU Victoria 5/8" Crochet Trim, SU Vintage Brad, Kaiser Bronze Rhinestones, SU Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder, Spellbinders Captivating Squares #3, Spellbinders Small Classic Squares #5, Spellbinders Double Ended Tags, Edge Distresser, Sponge Dauber, Mask 
Technique:  Two Step Stamping, Embossing, Sponging
Card Size:  A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

A Friendly Halloween Ghost

Happy Halloween!!!

I'm popping in with a friendly Halloween 'Hello'.  No tricks here - just treats!  I hope you are having a day filled with fun.

Today I'm sharing a cute ghost card using an image from Serendipity Stamps.  To create the background, I used a Textured Impressions Square Lattice Embossing Folder with Dusty Durango paper and ran it through the Big Shot.  It was then mounted to a latte card.  The top two layers were cut using the Spellbinders Decorative Labels Twenty-Two and Labels Twenty Two.  The perfect size for this square card.


The images were stamped in StazOn Black ink on a piece of glossy white paper.  The pumpkin was colored with markers and I lightly sponged Brilliance Pearlescent Beige ink around the ghost.  Kaiser bronze rhinestones were added to each corner.


The inside Halloween greeting was stamped in Dusty Durango and embossed with clear embossing powder.  A few spiders were stamped and accented with a black Spica pen.


I'm hoping to see some 'Treaters' this year.  Unfortunately, last year no one came to our home.

Thanks so much for stopping to visit with me today.








Stamps:  Serendipity Stamps Ghost with Pumpkin, Northwoods Rubber Stamps Halloween Greeting
Paper:  Latte, Dusty Durango, Crushed Curry, Very Vanilla, Kromekote Glossy White
Ink:  Images - StazOn Black; Only Orange Marker, Close to Cocoa Marker, Green Gable Marker; Brilliance Pearlescent Beige; Inside Sentiment - Dusty Durango with Clear EP
Accessories:  Kaiser Bronze Rhinestones, Black Spica Pen, Spellbinders Decorative Labels Twenty-Two #5 & Labels Twenty-Two #4 Dies, Spellbinders Labels One #6 & Small Labels One #6 Dies, SU Textured Impressions Square Lattice Embossing Folder 
Technique:  Embossing, Sponging
Card Size:  4 1/2" x 4 1/2"

Sunday, October 15, 2017

A Vintage Autumn Birthday

Hello friends,

Time has slipped away from me and I haven't posted in a while.  So many changes have taken place (both good and bad), but I will spare you the details.  The results have left me too busy to blog lately.

Today's card was created about a month ago for a September birthday.  I have always loved the Vintage Leaves set by Stampin' Up!


I started with a Java card layered with Old Olive.  The Naturals Ivory background paper was stamped with Watercolor Wash in Brilliance Pearlescent Beige.  The splatter was done in Crumb Cake (stamped off once) and Happy Day was stamped in Chocolate Chip. 

The pretty autumn leaves were stamped in Chocolate Chip, cut out using the SU Leaflets Framelits Dies and sponged with various inks.  They were popped up over a piece of 3/8" natural burlap ribbon.



Here is a peek at the inside of the card.  This leaf was sponged in Pumpkin Pie ink.


Autumn is my favorite time of year.  Falling leaves, long walks, warm drinks, the smell of apples and spice ...

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm hoping to get my fingers inky this week.








Stamps:  SU Vintage Leaves, Watercolor Wash, Perfect Pairings, Happiest Birthday Wishes, French Foliage 
Paper:  Java, Old Olive, Naturals Ivory
Ink:  Leaves - Chocolate Chip, Rich Razzleberry, Ruby Red, Pear Pizzazz, Summer Sun, Pumpkin Pie; Splatter - Crumb Cake; Sentiment - Chocolate Chip
Accessories:  Natural Burlap 3/8" Ribbon by Crafty Wool Felt, SU Leaflets Framelits Dies
Technique:  Sponging
Card Size:  A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

Sunday, August 27, 2017

DIY Fixer Upper Cards

Happy Sunday,

The other day while checking out Joanna Gaines' blog I came across some plant illustration printables, which were created by some of their artists.

I just love Fixer Upper and Joanna's soulful, vintage loving style.  Her designs created with airy color palettes and clean lines make me want to move to Texas.  Too bad I can't take the heat.  I sure wish she would come to New York!



I thought these illustrations would make an adorable card set for the summer.  There are five designs in the pack.  I recognized some of the plants from season four of the show.






The card bases are Crumb Cake with a Mellow Moss mat.  Does a specific plant catch your eye? These would also make great framed art.  You can download the set here.

My heart goes out to all those affected by Hurricane Harvey in the Southeastern Texas region.  I can't even begin to imagine how they are dealing with the catastrophic flooding and damages.  Praying for all those who were evacuated and hoping for a safe return.

Thank you for stopping to visit.  Wishing you a blessed week.

Saturday, July 29, 2017

DIY Essential Oil Perfume

Hello,

I have a quick and easy project for you today using two of my favorite things - essential oils & stamps!


This natural DIY perfume not only smells wonderful it also looks beautiful displayed on a dresser or in a powder room.  You can mix it up however you like by changing the scent, the bottle color and scrapbook paper.  Below are the basic supplies you will need.


  • Therapeutic-grade essential oils
  • Carrier oil (fractionated coconut oil or jojoba oil)
  • Glass atomizer bottle (2 oz.)
  • Scrapbook paper
  • Rubber stamps and ink
  • Bows, ribbon or embellishments
  • Small cotton bag
In an atomizer bottle combine 1 oz. of carrier oil with your essential oil.  I can't really tell you how many drops as that depends on the desired intensity and how strong your oils are.  I would recommend starting with 10 drops and go from there.  You can add additional essential oils to create your own custom scent.



Cut a piece of scrapbook paper to fit around your bottle and adhere with glue.  I also added some trim to the top of my paper for a finished look.  Next, attach a bow or embellishment to the glass bottle.


On a cotton bag stamp your desired images.  I created a 'Paris' theme using stamps by Cavallini Papers & Co., Inc.  All images were stamped in StazOn ink.


Now you are ready to shake and spritz ... that's all there is to it.


Doesn't this make a cute little gift?  Perfect as a stocking stuffer too!  Simple things bring great joy ...  

Enjoy your weekend!

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Goodbye Photobucket

Howdy,

I don't know about you, but I don't recall receiving an email from Photobucket letting me know that the images on my blog that are hosted on a third-party site would be replaced with an ugly square dummy image that reads: Please update your account to enable 3rd party hosting.  Apparently, this took place on June 30th without any notifications or warning at all!  Here is what the image looks like.


After doing a little research I discovered Photobucket wants to charge $399 a year for third-party hosted images.  Yes, you read that correctly $399 a year - yikes!  That is totally absurd!


Lucky for me the only images I had on a third-party site were my grab button, Pinterest image and my blinkie.  I never upload my photos to another site for security reasons.  To rectify this situation, I clicked over to Imgur to create an account.  In less than 10 minutes I had moved my images and re-linked them.  I did have to do a little tweaking with the HTML coding.  If your blog was created by a designer and she kept your original files then you may have some issues.

So here is a big wave goodbye to Photobucket.  I am so disgusted they would try to screw bloggers like us by charging an outrageous fee like this.  Don't allow them to make a quick buck from you or feel pressured to purchase their plan in order for your images to display correctly - there are alternatives.

Anyone who has my grab button on their blog should copy the new HTML code.  If you find it doesn't display correctly, please email me.

Thanks for listening to me rant!

Monday, July 24, 2017

Memory Box Blossoms

Hello friends,

It seems like ages since I've posted, but so much has been going on these past couple of months.  In June, my sweet Cheops celebrated his 15th birthday.  For 2 1/2 years now he has had diabetes and I monitor his glucose levels regularly.  Some days it is a challenge, but I cherish each moment I have with him.

Today I'm sharing a card I made back in May for Mother's Day using some pastel colors.  I enjoyed creating this knowing the recipient would truly appreciate a handmade item.


The background paper is Gossamer by Memory Box.  Cherry blossoms and a Valley butterfly were stamped in StazOn Timber Brown, cut out and colored using markers.  A little Star Dust Stickles accents each blossom with a blush pearl in the center.  Everything was popped up onto a piece of Shimmery White paper cut from a Spellbinders Timeless Rectangle die.






I love the grace and elegance this Memory Box set creates.  It was sold exclusively at Simple Pleasures in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO two years ago.

Wishing you a week filled with smiles  :-)








Stamps:  Memory Box Cherry Blossom Branch, Valley Butterfly
Paper:  Old Lace, Beige, Memory Box Gossamer Designer Paper, Shimmery White
Ink:  Blooms & Butterfly - StazOn Timber Brown, Pink Pirouette, Chocolate Chip, Mellow Moss, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Barely Banana
Accessories:  Kaiser Blush Pearls, Aqua Painter, Clear Spica Pen, Star Dust Stickles, Memory Box Cherry Blossom Die Set, Spellbinders Timeless Rectangle #3 
Techniques:  Watercoloring
Card Size:  A2 (4.25" x 5.5")
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