Sweet Niece Apology

Good Morning Friends! Chilly and damp here expecting 3-6" of snowy mix later today and overnight. So, good to stay indoors and craft....well, clean and do laundry first!

Back in January I was spending the week in Wisconsin (mentioned in a previous post) taking my sister-in-law's 3 of 4 children to their schools. They live in a rural community and SIL and BIL decided that their public school just weren't meeting the kids needs. So, they decided to send the two little ones to a Charter school and the older one to a different HS. It was a great decision because the kids are just learning by leaps and bounds!! But, it is a 50 mile round trip from their house to the schools and back home!

So, with kids in tow we had some pleasant chatty mornings! But, one of those mornings I got carried away with making up silly names. The middle girl got very upset.....which I learned later.....over the name I gave her. In fact, she made a big deal of it in front of other family members when she decided to reveal it. I just smiled and said "no problem, from now on I will only call you Courtney" (her real name). But, I did not apologize to her. She's 9 and I think having issues with self-esteem so maybe that is wrapped up in all of this as well. So, this went to her along with a Valentine's care package (Valentine theme Magic Pillowcases, cookies, candy, art supplies, etc.) to the whole family. Probably in 10 years she won't remember a thing...at least I hope so!!

I dug out this set which is so whimsical and child friendly. I used a bunch of older things that just need using up. Like those felt flowers and that green paper lacy trim. Thanks for looking!

Happy Crafting!
Cindy

• Stamps - SU All in the Family, Family Accessories, Fundamental Phrases
• Ink - Ranger Archival Black Ink, SU Basic Gray
• Paper - SU Whisper White, Pink Passion, Gable Green CS and Colorbok DP
• Accessories - SU Felt Flowers (retired), SU Rhinestone Brads, SU Orchid Grosgrain Ribbon (retired), Unknown Paper Trim, Prismacolor Pencils, Baby Oil and Blending Stumps

Happy Groundhog's Day!

Good Morning Friends! I think this is one of the silliest yet, neatest traditions that we have in this country. Don't you? I watched the movie Groundhog's Day over the weekend...silly!

Well, over the month that I did not post anything, I helped family mostly. Wayne and I had Christmas Eve day at our house. Clark was brought over by staff, Mom and brother, Louis, sister, Lisa and her husband, John, were all over. We watched our traditional Christmas movies, ate a lot and opened gifts, of course. I think everyone had a great time!

We drove on Christmas Day to Wayne's folks in Wisconsin.....nice drive, very cold! It's always good to be with them and my In-Laws are always grateful when we come for a nice long visit. We stayed until January 2. During that time we attended a Packer's Football game. That was only the second time I attened a professional football game and second time to an outdoor stadium! It was very cold and windy! Had a super time!!

Also during that time my In-Laws asked us to help out with farm chores while they were gone to a convention for County Fairs in the Dells mid January. Of course, we said yes. Well, that meant we had to come back in less than a week. But, hey, that's what you do when it's family right?

The other thing that we were going to do was take my sister-in-laws kids to school and take Brenda, Wayne's sister, to therapy 3 times a week too. Remember she had brain surgery just before Thanksgiving for a bleed on her brain stem? Well, everything went very well it just left her with some left side paralysis. So, I did the driving of family and Wayne did the farm chores (including milking a goat). We did have a lot of fun. And we sure do miss them all when we have to leave!

About the card.....I just found this retired set and bought it. I had always wanted it just never got around to getting it when it was in the catalogs. So I played with the "new set". Not sure that this card really needs the paper clip and twine...what do you think?

Later today, after I run errands, I will post my Blog Candy. Have a great day!
Happy Crafting!!
Cindy

• Stamps - Noble Deer
• Ink - Black Staz On
• Paper - SU Mellow Moss, Always Artichoke, Whisper White CS and retired SU DSP
• Accessories - Prismacolor Pencils, Baby Oil, Blending Stumps, SU Key Tag Punch and Lg. Oval Punch, Paperclip, Hemp Twine, Creative Cafe' Rub-ons

Your Friendship Warms My Heart!

Hello Friends! My goodness it has been a long winters slumber to say the least! I had been very overwhelmed with life for so long. Feeling down and frustrated with things with Clark, my sister-in-law, the holidays and the end of my college course. That I just needed a breather. Thanks for being patient with me.

Clark is doing much better now. The special under the skin pump is working great and he says he feels much better now. We found out last week that the director of the agency that is building a new home for Clark and 3 other men got the states approval for the budget, the house plans got re-configured and the piece of property is getting closed on this week. I am sure that the building with start very soon! So that is the highlight for the New Year so far! It has to get better from here!!

Hey this card was something I have wanted to do for sometime. The background is called Serendipity. You just tear little pieces of paper and start glueing them down. when you are finished, after drying, you can stamp over the top and use a thin coat of Mod Podge if you want. Then after drying again you can use it on your cards or scrapbooking projects.

Thanks for looking and Happy Crafting!!
Cindy

• Stamps - Espress Yourself
• Paper - SU River Rock, Terra Cotta, Very Vanilla CS and miscellaneous DP scraps
• Ink - SU Close to Cocoa
• Accessories - Crocheted flower, Miscellaneous Trim, K & Co Ribbon, Dimensionals, Prismacolor Pencils, Baby Oil and Blending Stumps

PS Tomorrow I will post the information on my Blog Candy!!

Thankful Cornucopia Card

Howdy Friends! I am no longer MIA.....aren't you happy? I have been so incredibly busy with Son, Clark, in hospital and rehab hospital (he's doing fine), college course (getting an A) and getting ready for Christmas (production in full gear). Just have not had the time to post nor visit blogs.

I colored this image over a month ago when I was in the mood...8 of them to be exact. Just for immediate family and BFF, Beth. Lots of work but, so worth it! I love a good Thanksgiving image with some seriousness. We should be thankful for the abundance in our lives.....this image screams that, IMHO.

Thanks for looking and happy crafting!! Happy Thanksgiving too!!!
Cindy

• Stamps - Inkadinkadoo, SU Happy Harmony
• Ink - Ranger's Archival Ink
• Paper - SU Very Vanilla, More Mustard and Dusty Durango Cardstock, Throughly Modern DSP
• Accessories - Prismacolor Pencils, Baby Oil, Blending Stumps, Dimensionals, SU Ribbon (retired)

My Crazy Life and Birthday Cards

Good Evening Friends! I feel very bad for having been away for so long but, as many of you know, life doesn't always cooperate with your crafting! Having said that I want to show you 3 cards today that I have made in the last 2 weeks. Oh, I have been busy doing other projects as well, but let's show the cards first.


The Sparkle with love was so much fun coloring....I think I am getting better at it. Using layers and 2 or 3 colors to give depth . This card is for my sister-in-law, Brenda. Her birthday is next month. She is the gal I talked about in a previous post with the AVM.

Well, she had gone to Mayo Clinic the first of the month for a second opinion. She feels better about what she heard. And she has decided to have the surgery to remove the mass that is on her brainstem. She can have complications from the surgery but, not having the surgery could leave her having another bleed...which could lead, possibly, to death. Not a chance she is willing to take given that she has a dear husband and 4 children. Her sugery will be the day after her birthday in November.....1 week before Thanksgiving. She is hoping to be nearly back to functioning right before Christmas.

The cupcake card is for one of our nieces, Jasmine, who had her 12th birthday last week. I applied stickles to the cupcake frosting and glossy accents to the cherries.

The Cheers to You Strawberry Daquiri card was made for Jasmine's Mom, Rene'. Her birthday was the day after Jasmine's. I have no idea if she like this type of drink, I just thought it was festive looking! I put glossy accents on the glass and stickles on the strawberry. I really liked how that one turned out!

Rene' and Jasmine are a part of Wayne's brother's, Steven, family. And they are coming down from Wisconsin Halloween weekend for a visit. The schools up there have that Friday off. It will be so nice to have some alone time with all of them! Seems like we don't get to do much visiting when the entire family gets together.


Other than getting ready for family to come, I have been busy advocating for our son, Clark. And visiting him in the hospital, he had to have another G/J-tube put in. Due to a "comedy of errors" on the part of his home and the hospital, he ended up staying 3 nights in there...and he wasn't even sick! Oh yes, Icomplained to everyone who would listen! Hopefully, I didgood. You guys, I won't bore you with my long stories about who I talked to and what happened. If you are really interested, send me an e-mail and I will.

Of course, my college class is keeping me busy as is our garden and getting it ready for winter. But, I do not know what I would do without all of that to do.....oh....wait.....maybe make more cards or something crafty! LOL!

Thanks for looking and Happy Crafting!!
Cindy

Sparkle with Love

• Stamps - Unknown sentiment, Magnolia (stamped by Linda from Linda's Crafty Creations)
• Paper - SU Real Red Patterns Pack DSP, SU Whisper White and Old Olive CS, SU Urban Oasis DSP (retired)
• Ink - SU Basic Gray
• Accessories - Unknown Chipboard, SU Large Oval Punch, Fire Rhinestone Brads, SU Red Riding Hood Taffeta Ribbon, Prismacolor Pencils, Baby Oil, Blending Stumps, White Gel Pen

Cupcake Wishes

• Stamps - SU Heard From The Heart and Darling Dots
• Paper - SU Whisper White and Pink Passion CS
• Ink - SU Pink Passion
• Accessories - Cuttlebug Folder, SU Punches, SU Tempting Turquoise Grosgrain Ribbon, Dimensionals, SU Markers

Strawberry Cheers to You

• Stamps - SU Cheers To You and Tart and Tangy
• Paper - SU Real Red, Whisper White and Green Galore CS
• Ink - Ranger's Archival Ink
• Accessories - Ranger's Glossy Accents, Stickles, Prismacolor Pencils, Baby Oil, Blending Stumps, Cuttlebug Folder, Unknown Brads, SU Apple Grosgrain Ribbon

Holiday Mittens

I know what you are thinking....I can't believe she is posting 2 times in one day.....yeah, well, I had a couple of moments to take a break from studying.

While this is a retired SU set it is new to me. Orginally when I saw it in the catalog I liked it but, didn't think it had enough versitility to buy it at full price. Then I saw that my SU demo had it on sale not too long ago. So.....

I made some cards for my stash that were relatively quick! Plus I am still trying to use up some retired stuff! Thanks for taking a look!

Happy Crafting!!
Cindy

• Stamps - SU Flaky Friends
• Paper - SU Whisper White, Very Vanilla, Sage Shadow and Certainly Celery CS, Wintergreen and Certainly Celery DSP (retired)
• Ink - SU Chocolate Chip, Sage Shadow and Certainly Celery
• Accessories - Dimensionals, SU Ticket Corner Punch, Sponges, Prismacolor Pencils, Baby Oil, Blending Stumps, Jelly Roll Pen (around the mitten images), SU Taffeta and Grosgrain Ribbons

True Blue Friends Forever

Today I have this lovely attempt at something vintage for you. I actually made it last week and posted earlier this week on SCS but have not had the time to post it here. I loved this bird image when I saw it in a little shop in St. Charles, Missouri.....a place that I have wanted to check out for about a year. Finally got up there a couple of weeks ago when my brother from California was in town for my Dad's funeral. My siblings and Mom took a much needed day away from the stress and shopped.

Anyway, I played around with the coloring for quite sometime until I came up with the blues..similar to baby bluebirds. I kept the template for the shaped kraft paper from a project I did last year. Just added the piercing because it looked too plain without something. The crocheted flower is mine and made with DMC floss (I am thinking I might like to make these and sell them, what do you think?).

Well, want to get outside and enjoy this lovely weather....especially while the humidity is low and there is a breeze. Hope your weekend is a pleasant one.

• Stamps - Birds - Inkadinkado, sentiment - Red Lead
• Paper - SU Very Vanilla, Not Quite Navy and Kraft CS, SU Bella Bleu DSP
• Ink - Ranger Archival Ink, SU Not Quite Navy
• Accessories - SU Small Oval Punch, Stamp-a-majig, Button, Trim, K&Co Urban Rhapsody Template, Paper Piercer, Prismacolor Pencils, Baby Oil, Crocheted Flower

Happy Crafting!!

Cindy

Many, Many Thanks!

Well, I am finally back and feeling like posting again. Though just like everyone else that has lost a parent, or loved one, you have good days and bad....sometimes good minutes and bad ones. I just wanted to say to all of you who extended a thought or prayer my way a couple of weeks back, thank you so very much.

I have posted on my SCS gallery many of the cards that I have been making using the Gamsol techique and Prismacolor Pencils. Though I must confess that I really like using the Baby Oil instead of the OMS. I feel it blends better and has a much nicer fragrance!

Hope you enjoy these for now. Tomorrow when I am not so tired I will post another of my cards and the Condolence cards that were sent to me.

• Stamps - SU Short and Sweet, Inkadinkado
• Ink - Ranger Archival Ink, SU Rose Red
• Paper - (Yellow and Blue ) SU Very Vanilla, So Saffron and Pacific Point CS, SU Jackpot DSP.....( Pink and Green) SU Whisper White, Basic Black and Regal Rose CS, Provocraft CS, SU Textured Whisper White CS, SU Raspberry Tart DSP
• Accessories - Prismacolor Pencils, Baby Oil, SU Small Oval Punch, Fiskars Scallop Scissors, SU Corner Rounder Punch, Grosgrain or Gingham Ribbon, Vintage Button
  

Thanks for looking and Happy Crafting!!

Cindy

Thank You Fairy Much!

Good Morning Friends! Found this lovely stamp at one of my local stamping stores. I know it will come in handy for our nieces as they are totally into Fairies right now! But, this is going to my husband's boss for inviting us to their Greek Easter celebration last weekend. Heading out to run errands...the mall, over to my folks to dig up some plants my Mom no longer wants and dinner at a friends house tonight. Hope you have a great weekend!

• Stamps - Whippersnapper, SU Short and Sweet
• Paper - Colorbok DP, Provocraft CS and SU Very Vanilla and Bashful Blue CS
• Ink - Ranger Archival Ink
• Acessories - Prismacolor Pencils, Baby Oil, Jelly Roll Pen, Dimensionals

Thanks for looking and Happy Crafting!!

Cindy

Nature's Flowers

Howdy Folks! Yep, it's me.....I am finally going to post a card after it seems life forever! Those of you who responded to my state of mind last week; thank you so much. I have been going though so much mentally to figure out my place in our corner of the world. Well I can report that I still have not done so but, I do feel better about the lack of my having a job.

I just keep thinking that I must be meant to do something than just sit at home, craft, garden and manage my son's life. Though friends of mine say that is my purpose, because without me no one else would be doing it. Beth, you could be 100% correct. I will keep praying for guidance to find my purpose.

About the card.....Linda sent me this image. I liked it straight away because of the sunflower and country look. I have been practicing using my Prismacolor Pencils and OMS and Baby Oil. I like them both but, I think I prefer the Baby Oil because of it's pleasant smell. But I think the OMS blends better. And I have been trying different peachy/pink/cream pencils to get the coloring right on the face. What do you think? If you have any tips, please let me know.

• Stamps - Vases in Vogue


• Paper - SU Bashful Blue and Whisper White CS, Colorbok DP, Unknown deep blue CS


• Ink - SU Brillant Blue


• Accessories - Dew Drops, SU Scallop Border Punch, Fiskars Scallop Scissors, Dimensionals, Prismacolor Pencils, OMS, Asst. Stumps, White Gel Pen

Thanks again for looking, I always appreciate you kind and generous comments too!

Happy Crafting!!

Cindy