Just Paper

This card was just layering the paper.  CS is CTMH Sweet Leaf, then comes Paper Pizazz Brown Diamonds.  The music paper is  Christmas Carol Music by Flair Designs.  The scene is Vintage  Holiday Postcards by Flair and is backed with some green paper from  CTMH Creative Basics Evensong Paper Packet.  Gold ribbon is from Joann's.  I used Diamond Stickles on the berries.  Shepherds are colored with PrismaColor Colored Pencils.  Card size is 5 by 7.

Yesterday was quite eventful.  I saw an ad on TV saying that Wal-Mart would honor competitors ads.  I probably knew this but just never had an occasion to test it out.  Joann's had the Personal Cricut on sale for $99.99.  Hmm I'm thinking if Wal-Mart would  honor that I would get a Cricut on Thursday when we went in for dinner.  I called my friend to see if I could borrow her Joann's flyer as mine hadn't come yet.  She asked if she could get more than one and I told her I didn't know.  She called Wal-Mart and she could but she had to bring a friend with her.  She wanted 3 for her granddaughters.  We met at Wal-Mart after we got done eating and picked up the Cricut.  Then came the fun.   The inexperienced check out young man got all flustered.  The manager came and we explained that  another manager said we could buy them and it wasn't the one that Wal-Mart had on sale on Friday.  It seemed like it took forever but it didn't really.  My friend and her husband each bought one and Jim bought one for them and they paid us back. 

Today I spent the day in my little spot cleaning and making room for my new toy.  I did make a flower.   And then I went out to my greenhouse and made a winter  hanging basket.  Tomorrow I plan to spend all day in my spot making cards. 

Time to start dinner.

Legend of the Candy Cane

This card is pretty self explanatory. The stamp is Inky Antics. If you click on the card it will make it bigger and you can then read the words.

Sam and Sam D are at her folks for Thanksgiving.  We had ours with them this past Sunday.  Jim and I are going out to eat.  We haven't done that in a long time.  We must lead boring lives because not much is going on around here. 

Cheerful Cardinal

This is one of the cards I made today.  CS is cranberry and New England Ivy and white.  BT is from Creative Basics Evensong.  The cardinal is from Stamping Up "A Flower for All Seasons".  Sentiment is Penny
Black and says festive sprightly joyous lively cheerful.  The brad is a red tree.  Also used circle Nestabilities.   I colored the image with Prisma Color pencils.  I colored the center of the flowers with yellow and it didn't show up so I used some Diamond Stickle. I mounted the cardinal onto the card with foam tape.

It has been snowing all day and I spent a good share of it in my little corner.  I worked on laundry, did the treadmill and Nordic Trac.  Hope the weather is good tomorrow as a friend and I want to go to a Stamping Up Stamp a Stack and a craft show.  If not you'll find me in my little corner.  Right now it desperately needs to be cleaned up.  I got one counter cleaned off before I came upstairs.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is just a little more than a week away. I wanted to try the Cuttlebug idea that Kathi had done a week or so ago where you run your background paper through the Cuttlebug at the same time you do the cardstock.  CS colors are New England Ivy and Barn Red.  Background paper is from a retired set of fall CTMH papers.  I stamped the Hero Arts turkey on a piece of scrap punched out with a       2 1/2 inch Marvy punch.  Image is stamped with Pepperwood and I colored the beak, feet and throat.  Brown ribbon is from Joann's. Cuttlebug folder is Autumn.

Today was a typical day in Eastern Upper Michigan.  I e-mailed a friend to see if she wanted to walk when she got done at school, then called a friend about a church matter and she said they had a good six inches of snow (we had one) and then my friend e-mailed me back and said that there was at least 8 inches of snow in town.  Needless to say we didn't walk.  I used my pedal machine while watching the end of the news and Wheel. 

Got my shopping list ready for tomorrow after I have my mammogram at 9am.  Need to lay in supplies for Thanksgiving. 

Rudolph

Here's another idea using the Creative Basics paper pack from CTMH.  Rudolph and the saying are from Inky Antics.  I used Cranberry Red to back Rudolph.  You can't see from the photo but his nose is a red acrylic.  The saying says "Rudolph with his nose so bright, sends you reindeer kisses, to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

I was in the 4th grade when Gene Autry recorded the song. It is the 2nd best selling Christmas song.  The number one best seller is White Christmas recorded by Bing Crosby and they are the only two that I like to hear sing their respective songs.    

I ran out of Cranberry Red so have to put this paper pack on hold for a few days.   A local CTMH consultant has some but she is out of town and won't be back until Monday. 

Jim and I walked in the woods today.  It was so peaceful and quiet and 50 degrees.   Tomorrow starts firearms deer season so the woods will be off limits for a while. 

The radiologist's report came back that my foot is completely healed, but now arthritis has set in so that is most likely the cause of my pain plus we did an awful lot of walking this past summer. 

It is time to think about supper.  Later.

A Better Photo

This is the card I made the other day and it didn't photograph well. This card was inspired by two wreath cards.  One  on Kathi's blog and one on  Gina K's blog.  The stamp is Serendipity.  CS is New England Ivy and Cranberry from CTMH.  I stamped the wreath in New England Ivy.  The berries are red stickles.  The word is from the September Incentive from CTMH.  Ribbon is from Joann's.  Striped paper is Creative Basics Evensong. 

It is pouring down rain, but at least it didn't rain when we went to visit our friend in the hospital.  She is doing great and most likely will come home tomorrow.  Tomorrow I am not leaving the house.  I need to get caught up on my bank statements, church address book etc.  And of course there are always cards to make.  I do have a good start on my Christmas cards.  

90th Birthday Card

A gentleman in our church turned 90 over the weekend and this is the card I made for him.  It uses CTMH Vintage Travel Paper Pack 1.  The textured cardstock I believe is from CTMH.  The inside is a lighter shade of green.  The stamp is from Stampin' Up. Size is 6 x 6.  

I made some Christmas cards using the Creative Basics Evensong paper pack.  Will post them tomorrow.  I need to get to bed early as a friend and I are going to Petoskey to visit a 76 year old lady from our church who had knee replacement on Monday.  She told me before her surgery that Lonnie (another friend who had knee replacement surgery) and I were her inspiration. 

Kathi, I tried to read the Mitford Series but just couldn't get into them.  However there is a new book out about Father Tim going to Mississippi and getting involved in a mystery.  I'd like to check that one out.  Have you read anything by Laurine Snelling?  She has written a series of books about a Norwegian family coming to North Dakota.  That one is called Red River of the North.

You Are Tagged

Kathi Carlson tagged me tonight.  I think that is fun.  Here are the rules.

1. Get the book on your nightstand (or whatever book you are currently reading).
2. Open it to page 56 and find the 5th sentence.
3. Post the next couple of sentences on your blog, along with these instructions.
4. Do not go and find your favorite book, it has to be the one you are reading now!
5. Tag 5 other people to do the same.

I have two books on my nightstand that I am reading but one is the kind you can pick up, read a chapter and lay it down for a week or so.  The other one is The Sunroom by Beverly Lewis.  It is set in Pennsylvania in 1952 and about a 12 year old girl, whose mother is in the hospital dying of cancer.  I can relate to the girl because I was 12 in 1952.  Here are a few sentences starting with the 5th sentence.  "Bye, Mommy."  Daddy was interested in talking to her more privately.  He went into the kitchen and turned off the light, so Emily and I headed upstairs to bed.  "We're going to Aunt Mimi's house this weekend," said my sister as we undressed.

I am tagging Frances, Jennie, Laura, Kim and Tobi .

Thanks Kathi, for tagging me.  I read 90 Minutes in Heaven a couple of years ago.  A powerful story. 

I have been working on updating our church's address book.  It is a looseleaf 5 x8 format.  I first did it in 2006 and now we have new families.  It is a simple format with family picture, address & phone number.  Our church is small (about 35 families) so I just print out the pages on my color printer. 

It has been a busy week.  Last Thursday Jim and I had our physicals.  I asked the x ray tech to take an x ray of my left foot.  In Jan of 2007 I broke the 5th metarsel bone and lately my foot has been hurting off and on.  Doc looked at the x ray and said "I'm sending this to the radiologist.  You might have re-broken it." All I could see was what looked like arthritis to me.  Then today the Doctor's office called with the results of my lab work and the nurse said everything is fine except my uric acid levels are high.  I have too much protein in my system. 

My card I made didn't photograph well and even after tweaking it was still fuzzy so will post it tomorrow.  Until then.

An Idea from Down Under

I saw a card with a penguin posted October 30 on Stamp Owl's blog.  Since  we don't have penguins in North America I used a polar bear.   CS is CTMH Outdoor Denim and Robin's Egg Blue (retired).  The polar bear is from the Chillin' set that CTMH had.  Punch is Stampin'Up's Word Window.  I used red stickles on the scarf and diamond stickles on the snow.  The sentiment is Penny Black.  I used the Spots and Dots Cuttlebug folder and Nestabilities.

Today was a great day in Northern Michigan.  It was 65 degrees out.  A friend and I did get our walk in but otherwise I was in the basement most of the day getting laundry done and cleaning my crafting area. 

Last Thursday Jim and I were outside cutting back the perennials and pruning some bushes.  On one small branch, about half the size of a pencil I had to exert a little pressure and that caused the arthritis in my right thumb to really act up.  I tried to ignore it but it didn't get any better and I couldn't even cut back the perennials.  Finally I said to Jim that I was going in to call my orthopedic surgeon.  I have an appointment Dec 1.  Most likely I will have surgery.  I am trying to get a lot of cards made ahead.  The dr and I have talked about surgery.  He has given me two cortisone shots and while they work it isn't good to keep getting them.