It has been such a long time..

...since I have had the time or the energy or the inclination to post here. I have received several emails from different people and just wanted to post a note.
We got our two girls settled. One into a new apartment and one into her first apartment. This freed up a room in our house. After much going back and forth it was decided that the boys would each move downstairs into their own rooms and the HUGE upstairs bonus room would become my haven..a place for me to put some of my antiques, my scrapbook stuff and my computer. It is looking great, but so far I have not had time to fully unpack and put everything away. I am still in the process of making it cozy, homey and MINE! I finally got a curtain up and my husband has installed some of my shelving. I am anxiously looking forward to fall and to all the lovely cool weather. Then I will finally be able to start creating again!

On a little bit of a sadder note, my beautiful father who I love with all my heart and soul has not been well. He has been in and out of the hospital the last several months and last week was admitted for congestive heart failure. He is home now but is on oxygen all the time. He has become so frail and I know in my heart that our time with him is limited. There are so many things I want to tell him, but neither of us has ever been the kind of person who shows much emotion. He loves me and I love him and there is no question of that between us but I want so much to tell him how I feel. Another reason for my not taking much time to post here, it seems there are more important things to do right now. So for now, just a "hello" and I hope to be back to blogging soon!

School Days and other milestones..

It is that time of year again... we have the new back pack on the bed, that "new crayon" smell in it that brings back such memories to me of all my "first days", the crisp new clothes, socks and undies, new lunch box, and a clean new calender to fill in with all the upcoming school events. I love this time of year, not only because it means I will have some time to myself again, but also because I am lucky in that my boys love school and can't wait to get back into their school routine and see all their friends.

We have another milestone event happening this weekend, that makes me a little teary eyed. My sweet Sarah is 20 and is moving into her own apartment. She is starting her second year of college and I am lucky that I had her for one extra year after high school. Thankfully it is only about fifteen minutes from us and five minutes from her grandparents. She is totally thrilled and it is a sweet little apartment. It is a super safe area (but then, we live in a wonderfully super safe small town!) and she is so excited to have her own space where she can "do whatever she wants, whenever she wants", as she puts it. We have had fun this week going back and forth taking little things and Saturday will be the day she will move in and spend her first night alone. It is time, but nonetheless I will miss her. She is my second child to move out, and I still have two more to go, but I know it will seem a little empty here with her gone. ANYWAY, I always think of this poem each year as school starts and wanted to share it. I am anticipating next week when it will be just the animals and I at home each day and I will have time to sit and create.. Hope you are enjoying these days last days of summer.

World, I bequeath to you today one little girl in a crispy dress, with two blue eyes, and a happy laugh that ripples all day long, and a batch of light blond hair that bounces in the sunlight when she runs. I Trust You'll Treat Her Well

She's slipping out of the backyard of my heart this morning and skipping off down the street to her first day at school. And never again will she be completely mine.Prim and proud, she'll wave a young and independent hand this morning, and say goodbye and walk with little-lady steps to the nearby schoolhouse. Gone will be chattering little hoyden who lived only for play, and gone will be the delightful little gamin who roamed the yard like a proud princess with nary a care in her little world.

Now, she will learn to stand in lines and wait by the alphabet for her name to be called. She will learn to tune her little-girl ears for the sound of school bells, and for deadlines.She will learn to giggle and gossip, and to look at the ceiling in a disinterested way when the little boy across the aisle sticks out his tongue.

Now she will learn to be jealous, and now she will learn how it is to feel hurt inside, and now she will learn how not to cry. No longer will she have time to sit on the front porch steps on a summer day and watch while an ant scurries across a crack in the sidewalk. Nor will she have time to pop out of bed with the dawn to kiss lilac blossoms in the morning dew.

Now she will worry about important things like grades and what dresses to wear, and whose best friend is whose. Now she will worry about the little boy who pulls her hair at recess time, and staying after school, and which little girls like which little boys, And the magic of books and knowledge will soon take the place of the magic of her blocks and dolls.

And she'll find her new heroes. For five full years I've been her sage and Santa Claus, her pal and playmate, her parent and friend. Now, alas, she'll learn to share her worship and adoration with her teachers (which is only right.)

No longer will her parents be the smartest, and greatest in the world. Today, when the first school bell rings, she'll learn how it is to be a member of the group, with all its privileges, and, of course, its disadvantages, too.Today, she'll begin to learn for the first time that all who smile at her are not her friends. That "the group" can be a demanding mistress, and I'll standon the porch and watch her start out on the long, long journey to becoming a woman.

So WORLD, I BEQUEATH TO YOU TODAY ONE LITTLE GIRL in a crispy dress, with two blue eyes, a happy laugh that ripples all day long, and a batch of light blonde hair that bounces in the sunlight when she runs.

I TRUST YOU'LL TREAT HER WELL - Daniel Valentine-

summer lovin..

I have been making some fabric postcards, but since my old printer won't work on the new computer I can't scan them and I am too lazy to get the camera out and set them up!! BUT, here is a picture of our pumpkin patch. Patrick is excited to see we have five little pumpkins about hte size of grapefruits on there. It is fun to go out each day and check on them.

The Dog days of summer are here.

My computer just gave up and died last week. After my dd's bf, who is a whiz at computers, checked it over, he said it wasn't worth fixing.. I did buy it four years ago at a "day after Thanksgiving" sale for $250. I think I got my money's worth out of it!! SO, shopped around and got a wonderful buy on this new one. LOVE the flat screen, love the new operating system.. Vista. Now, I just have to transfer everything I need to keep from the old one to the new one..

Haven't had time to make a card.. Well, I did make a couple of fabric postcards, but can't post them just yet. Instead, here is a photo of the love of my life.. he is devoted to me, never talks back and doesn't mind if I am late feeding him once in awhile. He watches me with adoring eyes, will go with me wherever I want and is happy to just "be" with me..

Tucker, my golden retriever. The "girls" are sweet too, but he is just my sweet boy..

This little light of mine

The whole time I was making this card I kept singing that Sunday School song in my head..
I have enjoyed making some round cards the past few days, but think I prefer the square ones!
Used up some Daisy D scraps and a K and Company sticker and a little red gingham brad. I do believe that red polka dots and red gingham are my all time favorites.. no wait, I love pale blue and yellow too.. Patrick and I made a giant Reeses peanut butter cup today for Williams birthday tomorrow. We found this hilarious site called Pimp that Snack. It is British, and since my mom is English and all my kids have visited quite a few times, many of the treats were familiar to us. Basically you take a snack and make it HUGE.. It is fun just to check it out. The peanut butter cup was easy to make. I will post a pic tomorrow..

Happy Day,,

I finally get to spend some time just "pottering". I love days like today. I am getting caught up on some cleaning jobs, finishing some cards and later today will finish canning those beets!

I love this old BG paper. the frogs are such fun and I am glad I have several sheets of it still. This card was made for a little boy in England. His mommy is dealing with cancer and I thought I would
send him his own card and a lizard beanie baby. (Still have TONS of those things in boxes from the days when we went crazy collecting them!!) The second card is for a friend who loves bears. I was the lucky recipient of some wonderful treasures from her moms old sewing box. Since she lives in England they were that much more special to me as they brought back memories of going through my own grannies sewing box. Thanks, Janet!!

Beets, Beets, Beets!!

Goodness me, it has been so busy around here the last few days..
It is "party week" at our house every third week in July. We have three birthdays this week.. the 21st Sarah turned 20, William will be 17 on the 26th and my oldest Emily will be 24 on the 28th! When they were little it was really exhausting. We always had three parties and three cakes.
Now, Sarah just takes a homemade cake into work with her. This year I made her a French Vanilla cake with white chocolate buttercream and strawberries. William wants a mint chocolate chip ice cream cake to take in and share with his co workers and so I will be doing that tomorrow and my dear sweet Emily just asked if I will make her pumpkin cookies.
I got a wonderful buy on beets today at the local fruit and veg stand.. 13 lbs for $10. Since we all love them I bought two boxes!! What was I thinking?? I have been boiling beets all day and have 10 quarts pickled so far! They will taste mighty good this winter!!

I did get a couple of cards made. I have been wanting to make a round card for awhile and this is what I came up with. I dont' have a circle cutter, but found a round piece of cardboard and used that as a pattern. I am not totally happy with this, but so wanted to use that daisy sticker from Melissa Frances. It was easy to sew the lace trim around the front and I do like the look of it.. Going to try some more round cards tomorrow, but for now I am off to the shower to try and remove some of this red beet juice from my hands and face!!

Strength...

That is what it takes to fight the horrible disease of cancer. A friend of a friend was diagnosed with it. She is young and has a four year old son.. I made these cards to send her. In part I used some of the Melissa Frances Thankful line. Also, I discovered this site The Breast Cancer Site I got the the breast cancer tag on the side of my blog from here.. You can put one on your blog and anytime someone clicks it it will take them to their site and you can click to fund a free mammogram.. Easy Peasy!

We continue to enjoy summer and I hope you do too. We took a drive out to the orchards the other day and got lots of fat, sweet cherries and succulent apricots. Peaches will be next and then fresh corn on the cob..Yum, Yum!! Needless to say my freezer is now well stocked with apricot and strawberry freezer jam. I love opening the door and seeing the red and orange containers.. so colorful..

Vintage for me..

I chose the name of my blog , NOT in reference to me, but because I just love things that have been aged. Anything I make I like to use "found" vintage objects on it or papers that look old and shabby. I like shabby chic, but I also like just plain old vintage. This card I made using an old elastic cardboard holder from a long ago dimestore.. Notice the price?? 29 cents..those days are long gone. Also used some old sewing paper and an image from the net. Made for a sewing friend.. Even the rick rack is old. not the new stuff..

Red, Yellow, Polka dots and sunflowers..

My favorite color combination. I always think "Rhubarb and Custard" when I think of these colors.
Love sunflowers too and I happened upon a yummy candy at Michaels the other day.. Mary Janes. Do you remember eating these when you were little.. Kind of like Bit O Honey with some peanut butter inside!! I was looking at one of the wrappers (red and yellow!!) and knew I had to make a card with it and use my Mary Jane Shoes stamp.. Stamp is from Paperbag Studios. Polka Dot paper from Daisy D's, Big Brad from Queen and Co. and the sunny yellow library pocket is from Bazzill. I stamped on the sunflower with my music stamp. Have a wonderful holiday tomorrow..

Summertime and the Living is Easy...

Dinner tonight was a summer delight! Fresh corn on the cob, garden beets, new potatoes, asparagus and a sweet, sweet watermelon.. No meat!! Just veggies. We all enjoyed it!! The days are definitely lazy..
I still have to get up early each morning to give my little diabetic dog, Puck her shot, but I don't mind it a bit. She is worth it! Other than that, we are having a lovely summer. I have been able to do a little bit of creating. My first Row House for a swap I am in and I had fun with it. Not quite what I usually do, but it was fun. I did the background by squighing (is that a word?) some modge podge on the paper and crinkling tissue paper over that. Let it dry and then put some ancient page inks on top. Had some of the memory glass laying around so I punched a square and put some glass behind it for the window. The image is my aunt when she was a little girl. Did some embossing, some Tulip Fashion paint beads, a little hand made paper that I printed the sentiment on and then some alpha beads. I found the little keys in my stash, I bet I have had them for years! Love those little pearls that come in a strip..
The second card just used up some scraps. Hope you are all having a sweet summer too!! Had to post a pic of my little Puck.. Her name comes from Midsummer's Night Dream!

Agnes Brown is The Mammy!

If you haven't read these books yet, go straight to your local library or book shop and get them!!
I first read them several years ago on a flight to England. Well, I actually read the first one :

The Mammy on my first flight from Boise to Denver. I actually snorted and laughed so much reading it that I know the man sitting beside me thought I was bonkers! I got to Denver and headed straight to a book store and was able to find the second book The Chisellers. Got to England and found the third one to read on my way home.. The Granny. They really are very thin books and can be read in a few hours.. But if you don't want to embarrass yourself with snorting, laughing in public then read them in solitude, because you WILL laugh!! They are written by Brendan O'Carroll and tell of an Irish woman (Agnes Browne)and her children. There is also a movie out that is based on the first book(Anjelica Huston plays Agnes Browne and has a very convincing Irish accent!) My best friend and I watch it together whenever she comes to visit. It tells a tale of true friendship, love of children and perseverance. We have watched the movie together at least five times and I have read the books more than once.

My best friend was here for a visit for a week and has left to go home today. I miss her already and made this little card to send her. We have such a good laugh when she is here. My kids adore her too and Patrick was quite disappointed when he got home today and she was gone!

I used some My Minds Eye, a wooden tag, Daisy D's some felt trim, thickers from American Crafts and primas from my stash. A few buttons and inking and sewing and it was finished!!

Sweet little bundle of fluff!

I had a call yesterday from my daughter's girlfriend. She runs an absolutely wonderful place.
Simply Cats They were in a crisis. They had a set of four little kittens who were about three weeks old and their mama had been run over by a car. They also had a sweet little baby who is 2 weeks old. She had been brought to someones doorstep by a dog! Brenda asked if I could possibly foster them for a few weeks.. Against my better judgement and William's dire warnings, I said yes. We left with five babies, two large containers of Kitten milk replacer, lots of little blankies and five miniscule bottles.
All was great for about two hours. The little siamese baby had been abandoned since just about birth and had been with a foster mom but the mom could no longer keep her, she was able to suck by herself. We fed her and put her right back in her little basket and she drifted off to sleep. Then pandemonium struck! The other four woke up and started mewing. LOULDLY! They have no idea how to suck a bottle and were so frustrated as their little tummies were hungry and they could smell the milk but weren't quite sure how to suck it.. Sarah, William, Patrick and I each had a kitty and tried to feed as best we could. Two hours later they were all back in their little bed curled up, but I was one frazzled mom! I called Brenda and told her I didn't think i could do it! She was great and had found another foster for them. Whew!! Thank Goodness! I could not have gone through that again. It was so frustrating to see them crying and hungry.
So now we just have Maisie (that is what we named her) she is precious and sleeps and eats well. Tucker my HUGE golden retriever has adopted her. He licks her after she has eaten and washes her just like her mama would. We will keep her for a few weeks. She is eating every three hours like a real baby( yes, I got up at 3 am to feed her!) and there is no shortage of willing arms to cuddle and hold her. Our biggest problem will be to not get attached. That shouldn't be too hard though. We already have our four dogs and two cats (who have not shown the slightest bit of interest in her). So here is a picture of our little Maisie and one of Tucker too.

Baking, gardening and Scrapping!

I love to bake.. unfortunately I love to taste it too!! I found a wonderful recipe for a carrot cake that is so easy to make and always turns out perfectly. Since I frequently take treats to the teachers at school, they are well acquainted with my baking. I had made this cake for them and a few weeks ago one of the teachers asked me if I would make one for her for this Saturday. She is giving a 50th wedding anniversary party for her parents. She is having everything else catered but asked if I could make her a one of my carrot cakes. and she would pay me.. I told her I would make it for her, no payment necessary. She wouldn't accept it unless she paid me. I made one this morning and it was baked and cooling nicely on the counter.. and DANG!!! I dribbled a tiny drop ofsome tea onto one of the layers (it is three layers). not much, but I didn't want to take a chance, so I ran to the store and bought another can of pineapple and more cream cheese for the frosting.. I frosted it and it is in the fridge. (looks beautiful!) made another and it is cooling.. so now WE have a carrot cake too..will have to take half over to my mom and dad tonight! This is the one for us. The other one is on a nice bakery board and has the nuts around the outside and a dainty little carrot on top!
Here is another little thing I made. I found "naked bird" houses at a local craft store and I just saw the possibilities.. I hadn't seen the new Basic Grey Sugared paper and it is just so cute!! Love those pink flamings.. So I did the little house in that and then did some inking and modge podged it.. Sending it to my sweet sister.. she just moved into a new house. It will look lovely on her patio. I think pink flamingos are so endearing so his weekend DH and I are making several stained glass flamingos on copper rods to put in my garden.. he is getting the pink glass today.. it is so pretty, pale pink with white swirls throughout!!
And finally, I had to post a picture of my gorgeous mint! I planted it from seed and it has gotten so abundant in this pot..We love homemade mint sauce and I also like to make simple syrup and toss some leaves into it. Yummy to sweeten your iced tea!! Now I am off to rearrange my scrapping room!

Happy, Happy Day

I am feeling pretty happy these days. The weather is just perfect. It is cool out, not too hot yet, the trees all have their leaves, my roses have tons of blooms and we are slowly getting into the "summer" mode of life. William is doing his senior year internship, so he still has to get up early each day, and be at work at 8. Patrick does his sleeping in and while he is doing that I bustle about and get my little housekeeping chores done. By afternoon I am free to do as I please.. Bake, create, or read.. or putter in my garden. Lovely!
Here is one of my creations. Made for a friend who I am so thankful for. I also made her a DVD of our last trip to Disney.. sigh.. I want to go again.. soon!! I just love that place.. but only in the off season.. It just makes me happy to be there. Patrick and I have a giant plastic pepsi bottle that we are slowly filling up with all our extra change and any odd dollars that I find in the laundry (I think whoever does the laundry is entitled to whatever they find there!!). We are planning a trip for early December and I must say that the anticipation is half the fun..
Anyway, this card I made using my new threading water punch, MF papers, flowers, and ginormous rick rack.

Cold and Blustery..

Well, after 98 degree weather over the weekend, today was cold and rainy.. and only 61..
I have to admit, I much prefer this weather. I am not ready for the hot summer days.
There is a wonderful math teacher at my son's high school and he is retiring this year. I searched through all my stash and came up with several things I thought would look good on a card.. I had a clock charm SOMEWHERE!! Oh, well, this will have to do.. I love the vintage feel to it and of course had to ink and stitch it just a little.. Wasn't sure about the flowers, but they just "felt" right..

The Final Countdown..

There are only 9 days of school left and believe me I hear it everyday!! I think the teachers are as anxious as the kids for summer to start.. they are also taking all their days off so I have been so very busy subbing. I love it, but it doesn't leave much time for me to do much crafting..
I made this little baby card for one of my daughter's co workers who had his fifth boy!! Used some K and Company bear paper ( I just loved that and bought a whole pack of it when it came out years ago,, I am still using it!!) some foofala and some chipboard extras..

thankful....

A few weeks ago I was making my Breast Cancer postcards for a swap I was in.. I had extras and had read about Melissa Frances' fight with breast cancer and so I sent one to her.. not ever expecting to receive an acknowledgment. Imagine my surprise today when a large envelope was delivered to me.. It contained a sweet thank you note from her along with her Thankful line of products..What a wonderful treat and I am so very thankful..especially since I am not able to find her products anywhere locally.. So here are a couple cards I made using some of the papers and stickers.. the one with the knotted ribbon is "spring-boarded" from one I saw on another blog.. the other is totally my idea!

Penny for your thoughts..

I have had this stamp for years.. I think it was the first stamp I ever bought.. Used some scraps up to make this card.. Daisy D's and Creative Memories. offray ribbon, a little clear baggy and a penny.

Kindness..and Gratitude

When I think of my children and what I want them to be and how I want them to live, "happy" is what I think and what all parents want for their children. However, more often than not the word that first comes to my mind is "kind". Of all the words I use to describe my four children, Kind is at the top of the list.. I feel so thankful and grateful that I can say without hesitation that each and every one of my children is kind to not just family and friends but to people they meet. This card I made using a piece of velum with clocks on it and behind it was a scrap of MME.. (My all time favorite papers!) USed the metal embellishment I found at the dollar store and a scrap of ribbon..

First Birthday..

A good friend is here with me this weekend and she has twin great grandchildren.. They are celebrating their first birthday next week.. I made a card for each of them .. a boy and a girl.. Still need to tinker with the boy card, but here is the girl.. She has some pictures of them that were taken in a vintage setting.. Thought they were so cute.. so I made the card kind of like that.
Used some old Basic Grey paper from the Jack and Jill line, some hydrangea petals with pearls in the centers and printed the photo onto vellum.. aged some lace with chalk inks and then did a little sewing and inking and .. Voila!! this is Sarah's card.. I used a number one from a set of thickers that I got from American Crafts..

Sweet. Sweet Daisy,..

My good friends little black pomeranian, Daisy, passed away very unexpectedly.. I had to make up a little album for her to put some of her precious photos in.. She was the sweetest little thing.. only weighed three pounds and they are so sad.. Used the Rainbow Bridge poem.. I just love that.

Finally, a couple of cards

I think we are on our way to wellness! Patrick is still on antibiotics for the next three weeks, and will start physical therapy tomorrow. Hopefully that will help him get to using his arm..William has his wisdom teeth out today.. yukk..Another week of spring break and then I am so ready for everyone to get back to their routines.. they are too!
Had a super surprise the other day.. Got a neat box in the mail from American Crafts. It was full of ribbons, thickers, rub ons, paper and all kinds of goodies.. Used some of them on the flower card. I love the gathered ribbon.. makes great stems and leaves for flowers!

Needed a thank you card for one of Patrick's doctors.. Used the new MME papers. I so appreciated all the well wishes for Patrick... conveyed them all to him!

Been a rough week.

Just a quick post.. I hope we are on the downslide here.. My little guy, Patrick who is 12 and has had his fair share of surgeries in his short little life, is again in the hospital.. To make it quick, he got up with a very sore shoulder last Sunday. He had done nothing to injure it.. Took him to the pediatrician on Monday who said just give him aleve.. Got home and didn't feel comfortable.. He was in too much pain.. so I called our wonderful orthopedic doc who got him in right away. he was concerned, but gave him pain medicine and said he would check with us the next day.. at least he did an xray but it showed nothing.. More pain for Patrick ..and this is from a kid who never complains so I knew something was wrong.. finally got an MRI done on Thursday and it looked pretty good.. but Friday.. terrible pain.. they admitted him and did an aspiration of his shoulder.. and voila! It was filled with horrible infected fluid.. lots of staph.. he had surgery on Saturday morning and is finally feeling a little better.. They are afraid there may be some infection in the bone and are doing some more tests tomorrow.. for now he is on lots of antibiotics.. hoping he comes home in the next few days.. I need sleep!! Keep him in your prayers..

Thanks!

Elaine

Susan G Komen - Race for the Cure

The Race for the Cure will be in May this year, in Boise and I decided that I wanted to make something special for all my women friends.. This is it!! It is a fabric postcard that I made using the pink fabric with the pink ribbon on it.. I added some pink beads and put sparkle modge podge all around the edges.. It is hard to see but it has a pretty glittery edge! On the back I printed my favorite Cancer Quote.. Cancer is such a devastating disease and has touched several of my friends.. BUT.. cancer IS limited,,

Cancer is so limited...

It cannot cripple love
It cannot shatter hope
It cannot corrode faith
It cannot destroy peace
It cannot kill friendship
It cannot suppress memories
It cannot silence courage
It cannot invade the soul
It cannot steal eternal life
It cannot conquer the spirit.
Cancer is so limited

Friends..

""God saw a tear and kissed it away with the smile of a friend" I have had the wonderful pleasure of having my best friend stay with me for the last five days.. She is 65 and I have known her since I was fourteen.. She comes and spends a few days with us every now and then.. my kids love her and my husband enjoys her visits too. We always get so much accomplished when she comes.. This time, we cleaned out closets, my scrapbook room and she LOVES to iron.. I hate it.. She HATES to cook.. I love to cook.. so I cook her wonderful meals and she irons for me.. we visit at the same time.. anyway, I had this MF vintage label and it just seemed perfect for a card for her.. She left this morning and I sure miss her already!!

We love chocolate chip cookies..

and I love a challenge.. The kids and I watched Throwdown with Bobby Flay on the foodnetwork the other night.. He was doing chocolate chip cookies and the throwdown was with Levain Bakery in New York.. Their cookies looked so yummy the kids and I decided to make some, but no luck in finding the recipe.. We did find a blog where several people were trying to copy it and I think they were successful!! Made the Chocolate Chip Walnut cookies this morning. and My oh My!! These are not cookies for the faint of heart..Each one weights 4 ounces and are great big, fill your tummy cookies.. the kind where you almost need to share one with someone.. Some of these babies are going to making their way to the vet's office (need to run and get dog food for the diabetic dog!) the H3 Petfoods (need for for the "non-diabetic" dogs) and to the lady at the book mobile (she always saves me the newest books out by my favorite author!!) These cookies ought to keep me in good stead with all of them!! AND, I love sharing!! Give them a try, if you dare!!

Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
3 1/4 to 3 1/2 cups AP flour
3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 to 1/2 tsp baking soda
12 ounces (2 cups) chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate)
1 cup walnuts

Cream butter and sugars until just mixed.. Add eggs and dry ingredients.. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.. You may have to mix by hand.. Dough should not be real sticky.. Divide into 12- 4 ounce portions and bake at 350 for 23-25 minutes.. Don't overbake..

SNOW!!

It has been beautiful here the last week.. 46 degrees and sunny. I even saw people wearing shorts.. and today.. I woke up to snow. as I sit here I see big white fluffy flakes coming down... and it is even sticking.. YUK.. I love the snow, but we have had so much of it this year that I am ready for it to be spring!! I made this springy looking card for my sweet sister.. Used some of my scraps of Wild Asparagus paper and a MF sticker.. not sure all the colors go together perfectly, but I needed to put that flower there!!

Gothic Arch Sunday!

I am so pleased to have been asked to host Gothic Arch Sunday! I chose "Old School Days" as a theme and this is my take on it! Can't wait to see all the lovely arches you come up with.

Some oldies, but goodies..

I was cleaning up my computer and found some cards I made several months ago. They are all favorites of mine..and I don't think I have posted them here yet!
The first is an address book I made as a teacher gift.. The second is made using a paperbag studios stamp and a paper bag as the base.. loved that look! The third and fourth I made using some vintage stickers I found.. I made a series of "life's simple pleasures" cards for my parents last year. one a week.. (well it started out that way, but ended up being more like one a month!!) I tried to make them using things they took simple pleasure in..

Happy Hearts Day!

Not much happening here today. Making some heart sugar cookies for the kids.. I awoke to a beautiful vase of red roses!! What a nice treat.. and cards from husband and children..

While this ATC card wasn't specifically for Valentine's Day, it has a heart and I thought it was appropriate! It is for a swap I am in and the theme is "kitties". I found this image on my luna cd and just loved it.. I stamped and embossed the background in gold..printed the image and then sewed around it. took a little piece of lace and a sweet heart button and attached to the top.. In case you can't read the quote, it says " Miss Kitty--Dancing to the music in her heart"
Have a wonderful day with your loved ones!!

In Memory

Four years ago today I lost my little brother. He was only 37. While time doesn't take the pain away, it does help ease it. I spent much of the day with my parents.. just visiting, doing everyday things..We all miss him so much still.. Dear Bruce, we miss you so.

A little card tonight

Sometimes I don't mind making sympathy cards.. Sometimes I know that the person who died, embraced life and lived it with all the joy they could.. I found this poem and it just seemed to embody my young friends' grandmother.. She told me so many stories about her grandmother and while she was sad she would no longer be able to see her she was grateful that she was able to spend time with her last month and talk about the times they had spent together..she was able to say a final good-bye. and in the end isn't that what we would all like to be able to do? To say a final goodbye..

Snow Day!

Yep, we had a real snow day today.. No school, at any of the schools.. the roads were just too icy.. The boys spent the morning outside with Tucker.. he LOVES the snow:
he loves to eat it, roll in it,
jump to catch snowballs but..
most of all he just loves being outside with the boys!!
We got eight inches.. which is lots for here!!
TUCKER!! he acts like a puppy but is going on 9 this year!!
I think most of you know I am a real animal lover.. I have
two goldens, a long haired doxie and a mini-pin. In light of that:

This is pretty simple... Please tell ten
friends to tell ten today! The Animal Rescue Site is having trouble
getting enough people to click on it daily to meet their quota of
getting free food donated every day to abused and neglected animals. It
takes less than a minute (How about 20 seconds) to go to their site and
click on the purple box 'fund food for animals' for free. This doesn't
cost you a thing. Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the number of
daily visits to donate food to abandoned/neglected animals in exchange
for advertising.
Here's the web site! Pass it along to people you know

www.theanimalrescuesite.com/

If you have any reservations. please check it out at www.snopes.com/inboxer/ch...rescue.asp
they will let you know it is for real!! Thanks!!

Button Fairies..

I just discovered the world of Button Fairies..you can see a tutorial on how to make them here at ArtChix Studio and of course I had to make one.. this is my very first one and I am quite happy with it..I stamped the image and then reduced it.. I find this image mesmerizing and have used it for many projects other than cards!! I have made five other bodies and have the faces drying with the diamond glaze on them. I couldn't wait to make this one--so no glaze on it yet.. I think I will put a pin back on this one.. used feathers for the wings.. and some odd beads I had.. I MUST find some vintage buttons.. went to the thrift store today, but no luck..!!