Serious Play

Birthday Package

So, my dear friend had a birthday this weekend, so I made her a card to remind her to 'Celebrate'.

 

It has been a while since I have been in my craft room due to all my half marathon training, but it felt good to have paper between my fingers again.

For the full tutorial on this card you can visit my Squidoo site here:  Banner Birthday Card

I met my friend at Starbucks for a warm drink on a snowy spring Saturday and handed her this little package...

 

I was going to sew the edges of the kraft paper with my sewing machine, but my needle broke...and it was my last! So, instead, I decided to sew it by hand with silver embroidery floss. Funny how some things turn out better than I would have planned.

 

I had seen a similar version of this flower on Pinterest but it did not come with instructions, so I came up with my own version and I like it!

 

And inside the package...?

 

A copy of this book by Suzanne Somers.

I am reading it myself right now, and wow! some shocking information about toxins and metabolism.

After turning 40 myself, I found I was struggling to remain 'sexy'. I started reading other books by Suzanne and it changed a lot of my thinking and doing.

So, I am sharing this one with my good friend...cuz that's what friends do!

Happy Birthday my friend!

 

 

76 Years

So, today we celebrated with Sean's dad.

 

We took them out for a wonderful supper. We visited and got caught up with each others' lives. We laughed. We reminisced. We made plans for another visit soon.

And we enjoyed celebrating another birthday in the family and another year with his parents.

 

 

Father's Day Card

So, in honour of my Dad, I made this card!

 

I am seeing so many banners and flags on my favorite scrapping websites and blogs these days, that I decided that was the way to go for this card. I do like the final look of this card and will probably use this design again in another way some day.

Creating this card centered around the banner. I started with 1x2 in strips of patterned paper, this one is in my stash from Basic Grey. I folded over the top portion of the paper and glued it over the hemp string so secure the flag. Next, I trimmed the flags into their pointed shape and added letter stickers. On the card itself, I stamped the words using two different stamp sets that I picked up at Michaels long ago. Following that, I stapled (with the Tim Holtz mini stapler) the banner to the edges of the card, leaving it to dip lower towards the bottom of the card. After that, the card had a bit too much white space, so I added the scrolled stamp to the top and bottom of the card. This grounded the elements a bit better.

Have a super Father's Day...and cake too!

 

 

Happy Anniversary

So, today is my parents' anniversary.

 

They were married on a sunny June day 42 years ago. It was in a little country church. My mom wore an A-line dress with a very full veil. My dad stood tall with a cane instead of his usual crutches. They both looked 16 but they were in love.

It really is an accomplishment these days to make it to 42 years together. Our family is ever so proud of them and their dedication to one another. No matter how rough it got throughout the years, they stayed together to fight as one. I admire that, and I now also have the same desire to stick it out through thick and thin. 

Happy 42nd Anniversary Mom & Dad!

We all love you and are proud of you.

 

 

Envelope Card

So, I was making cards tonight!

 

It seems like the season of cards right now! A colleague at work announced that his wife was expecting. Another colleague left work on maternity leave a few weeks ago and had her baby last week. The sweet lady that I work with is leaving for a tour of Israel at the end of the week! These all qualify for handmade cards.

Also, I had a nice long telephone conversation with a friend who informed me that she and her family have sold their house and are moving out at the end of the week! She inspired the card above and I made the others fashioned after hers.

I have a little envelope template that I traced onto patterned paper. Inside is a tiny note stamped with the word "Congratulations!". The banner stamp and the one on the envelope are from Michaels, as well as the heart punch on the front of the envelope.

It was a profitable night!

 

Digital Frame: Karen Russell

 

 

 

Mother's Day Cards

So, I've been working on my Mother's Day cards. 

 

I didn't really have a plan for this card, it just emerged. I kept adding things until it felt right.

This one is for Sean's mom. He is leaving for Puerto Vallarta in the morning for 9 days on a work trip. He is going down with some fellow firefighters, police and medics to build two playgrounds. Even though he will be working, he will be in the hot sun. I am envious.

I plan to spend Saturday and Sunday with my mom. I can't wait. She is very important to me in my life and has always been supportive. Every new thing that I experience raising my own two girls makes me appreciate my mom even more as I realize now what she did for me all those years.

How are you spending Mother's Day?

 

 

Gratitude

So, I got a surprise today. One of the ladies that I work with has heard me talk about our kitchen renovations for the past weeks. She actually asks me for updates! She is so sweet. Anyway, today she was not at school (she is part-time) and near the end of the day I received a phone call from her. She asked me if I would mind running out to the parking lot for a moment...she had cooked me a microwaveable supper since my kitchen was out of order! Her daughter was dropping it off for me on her way home from work! I was flabbergasted! No one has ever cooked a meal for me and my family like that.

Well, as you can imagine, I was blessed. This woman took time out of her day to think of me and choose to do something not only helpful, but gracious. My prayers are that she will be blessed right back, two-fold! 

And you can bet that I will be keeping my eyes and ears open for some way that I can bless her in the future! Who can you bless today?