Hello

Another weekend is winding down.  I hope your's was good.  I had a fairly busy but enjoyable one--lunch with my SIL, family day in our neighborhood, and my parents came for dinner today.  I did make some Halloween cards with the new Webster's Pages line and had intended to share them today but didn't get a chance to edit the photos.  So, I'll save them for another time.  In the meantime, here is what I have for today.

The patterned papers are from K&Co.  I cut a Wilton doiley in half and layered more paper and a Recollections card on top of the doilies.  A Martha Stewart punch was used on the green gingham paper.  A white organza bow was then tied around the papers.  The pretty lavender flower is from Recollections.  The crocheted flowers were made by my friend, Helen Liu at http://helenmade.blogspot.com/; I added some fabric covered brads to them.  The burlap leaves are also from Recollections; I just darkened them a little with some ink.  A tag tied to the bow with lavender hemp, stamped with a PTI sentiment and accented with Recollections pearls finished it off. 

I can hardly believe September is just about over; however, I love the month of October and all the fun fall activities it brings.  Thank you so much for stopping by to visit and also for all your sweet comments.  Have a wonderful week!

More Inspiration

I just finished watching the most wonderful tutorial on the Prima blog by designer Frank Garcia of an altered album.  This prompted me to visit Frank's blog http://www.hausofw.com/.  He is so amazingly talented and is also the editor of PaperHaus Magazine.  He is also giving the album away to one lucky follower.  Stop by and view Frank's fabulous work.

Happy Fall

Fall officially arrived this weekend, and the weather has been beautiful with that little bit of a nip in the air in the mornings.  Love it!  I was a bit under the weather last week but am feeling much better now.  Today, I made a large pot of homemade chicken noodle soup.  The cooler weather makes me crave comfort foods.  Love the wonderful aromas this season brings.

My card this week was made for a 40th birthday party I went to last week.  The papers are from Glitz.  The oval frame is also from Glitz and is transparent.  I just adhered it to some cardstock and cut around it.  The glittered number stickers are from Making Memories, flower is Prima, rhinestones are Recollections, and sentiment is Papertrey Ink.  I dabbed a bit of Stickles onto the flower to give it some sparkle.  The butterfly punch is Martha Stewart.

I know the card isn't what a typical 40th birthday card should look like, but I wanted to give it a fall look.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend.  Thanks so much for stopping by and for all the sweet comments you leave.  I do appreciate them!  Have a great week ahead!

You're Too Kind

I had the most enjoyable past few days!  Even though my birthday was over a month ago, the celebration continues.  My sweet SIL took me to lunch on Friday and gave me a gift card to Michael's as well as some goodies from Webster's Pages.  We ate in the cafe at Whole Foods.  What an amazing choice of food  to choose from!  My son and I picked my parents up at the airport when they got in from their vacation and we all went out for a wonderful seafood dinner that evening.  My parents gave me a beautiful framed print of a young child in a molded glass frame with a burgandy velvet border around the picture which they found in an antique store in Kentucky.  On Saturday, I attended a 40th birthday party that was held outdoors.  And today, my husband and I went to a local town's Super Sunday outdoor flea market/craft sale/food festival.  I bought some beautiful old crocheted doilies, two post cards over 100 years old, and a vintage hanky.  The weather has been incredibly beautiful all week, so I was glad to spend so much time outdoors.

The card I'm sharing today was made to express the kindness I have been blessed with from the people in my life including my blogging friends.  I am so grateful for those of you who have encouraged me with your sweet comments on this blog.  I am so grateful, as well, for my amazing family and friends.

I stamped a Recollections doily in white ink onto the blue cardstock.  The lace strip was from the bargin bin at Joann Fabrics.  The flower is from Prima and the pearl swirl is from Zva.  The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink.  Now, let me tell you a little more about this card.  It was thrown together hastily.  My New Year's resolution was to craft something at least once a week and I have done so faithfully.  However, I was on the go constantly this weekend with little time to spare.  I made myself sit down and whip up something before the day was over and this is it.  I'm not quite sure if I'm satisfied with it as is, but I've kept up with my resolution!

Wishing you a wonder week ahead.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Live Life to the Full

My brother, my only sibling, passed away seven years ago this month from pancreatic cancer after an eight month battle.  He had just turned 50 years old.  We had a conversation one day in which he said, "I don't want to live forever, but I would like to have a few more years."  Sadly, he died just two months later.  

Which brings me to the card I'm sharing today.  I wasn't sure what sentiment I wanted to use when I came across this one from Kaisercraft.  It immediately brought to mind the conversation with my brother.  The base is Recollections cardstock and everything except the tag, stamp and sentiment are from Colorbok's Victorian Parlour and Antique Paperie lines.  The flower is made of punched out flower shapes of different sizes attached to a brad and placed on a doily diecut.  There is a clear sticker with rhinestones that runs across the top.  It is hard to see because of the patterned paper.  A Martha Stewart border punch was used on the green paper.

Here you can see a little bit of the dimension created with some Therm-O-Web foam dots.  I tied some hemp around several times to make the bow.

I'm sorry if this post is a bit on the depressing side.  I just thought it important to be reminded that each day is a privilege and not to take it for granted--something I need to bear in mind myself at times.

On a brighter note, today was a picture perfect day.  We finally were able to turn off the air conditioner and open all the windows.  Looks like it's going to be this way most of the week.  There definitely is a sense of fall in the air.  Makes me feel energized!  Thanks so much for stopping by and for all your sweet comments.  Have a wonderful week and live life to the full!