You're Egg-cellent!

Yesterday was a very sweet Valentine's Day! Both my husband and I take off from work each year to spend the day together and go for tea at a local tea shoppe named Chat Noir.  It is a lovely place with fabulous food and service.  We make reservations in advance as they always book solid for the day.

I selected Creme Brulee tea and it was delicious! Their butterscotch scones are my favorite and I love their orange butter.  For lunch we had Baxter pie which was something I never had before.  It reminded me of a breakfast bake with potatoes, veggies, sausage, eggs and cheese.

I thought I would share the Valentine card I made for my hubby.  This was a fun one for me to make.

I bought this Lawn Fawn stamp set with my husband in mind.  Every Sunday he brings me a tray with a cup of tea (and a silk flower).  I get to spend a precious half hour enjoying my tea and a good book! It is a treat and then I get up and make us a nice breakfast (most often bacon and eggs!).  So this card really reflects us in a fun way!

Hoping you all enjoyed your Valentine's Day!

Hormel Chili Christmas

Hi, guys! Today I was home under the weather and am catching up on some rest.  I had plenty of tea and soup and started my gift wrapping for Christmas.  This has been a long week as I had to work overtime a few nights and had a couple of Christmas get-togethers with my girlfriends.  All this holiday fun had me doing a lot of reminiscing.

This past weekend we observed the 7th anniversary of my late husband's passing.  It brought to mind a funny memory of when we were dating.  I used to live in the city and lived next door to a Mobil gas station.  Since I was living alone I would often run there and pick up some snacks and a can of Hormel chili for dinner when I was being lazy.  I recall Charlie calling and asking what I was having for dinner and the answer was "Hormel" a few nights a week.  One Christmas he came over to my apartment where my family was assembled and gave me a giant gift box.  Everyone wondered what he gave me.  Inside were a dozen cans of Hormel chili in all the possible varieties.  So funny to remember these little things. I can't remember the last time I have eaten that now.  Charlie would send me bacon in the mail, or leave me a pork chop on my doorknob on his way to work.  Some guys say it with flowers, he said it with food.

Today's cards are a pair of Christmas cards I made for friends. This first one was plain and simple but I loved really showcasing a piece of paper as the focal image.  The bingo chip is by Tim Holtz.

This next one I made using a Lawn Fawn set stamped on watercolor paper and colored with Distress Markers and water. The sentiment is by Memory Box.

Thanks for the visit today, and for coming along with me while I remembered a Christmas past!

Until next time!

Our Third Wedding Anniversary Celebration

Hi, guys! Hope all is well!  My husband and I just returned from our vacation at a local vineyard where we honeymooned three years ago.  It was a dream few days of peace, quiet and quality time together, not to mention yummy food and plenty of wine.  I thought I would share some fun pictures from the trip. We stayed at a marvelous B & B run by the Sanninos who own and operate Bella Vita Vineyard.  This was our 4th trip, and we just hate when the last day of our stay arrives and we have to leave.  Sigh!

I must say, we were spoiled very much by Lisa Sannino's delicious breakfasts.  Such tasty treats, with amazing views from our private balcony.

The view from the balcony:

Here I am among the vines and grapes!

Anthony Sannino gave us an amazing tasting of their fabulous wines.  We have never had grape juice pressed directly into a glass before and it was amazing, then we got to taste the wines that grape juice will become.  What I really enjoyed was learning about the process from vine to wine.  It was really eye-opening.

I thought I would share the anniversary card I made for my husband and the one he made for me!
For my husband's card, I used a fun sheet of paper from my Simon Says Stamp kit.  The sun was done with Distress Paint and a stamp by Claudine Hellmuth.  The paper airplane stamp/die combo is by Lawn Fawn.  The pair of clouds were made using Memory Box dies.

My husband made my card using our wedding invitation and since it was our THIRD anniversary I love how he marked it by using a heart on THIRD base on a baseball field.  He noted that the 3rd anniversary is a leather anniversary, so he tied a leather strip into a bow. 

I just love that he made me my own card.  As a card maker, it isn't often that I have someone make me a card!

Have a great day!  Until next time!

Birthday Cupcake For Olivia!

Hi, guys! I know I have been missing for a few days, and am glad to have finally have a card to share with you today!

Remember on Wednesday when I mentioned I needed to make a birthday card for a 4 year old little girl?  Well, I decided to use the adorable dog image by Inky Impressions!  I was told the little one is very girlie, and loves the colors pink, blue and purple.

Supplies
Stamps: Inky Impressions, Lawn Fawn
Ink: Memento Black, Stampin' Up, Copic Markers, SU Markers
Paper: Gina K Designs (White), Bo Bunny, Stampin' Up
Misc.: Lawn Fawn Banner Die, Spellbinders Scalloped Oval Die, Papertrey Ink Ribbon

What do you think?  She is very cute, right?  It felt good to sit down and work on a card after a crazy, busy week of work, traffic problems and household chores.  I hope to get in my stamp room a lot more this week.  Keeping my fingers crossed!

Have a great day!  Until next time!

Birthday Cards for a Daddy and a Grandfather

Hi, guys!  Today I am sharing two cards that I made for a little girl named Victoria to give to her daddy and her grandfather for their birthdays in a few weeks.

The first card up is for her father, Seth.  I decided to use an old Stampin' Up set featuring one of my favorite stamps:  a fun loving crab!  I figured since his horoscope is Cancer (just like mine!) that this set would be a fun one to use.   I wanted to keep the card fun and happy since it was coming from his very young daughter.

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampin' Up
Paper: Gina K Designs, Watercolor Paper
Ink: Distress Stains, Archival Black, Inktense Pencils
Misc.: White Felt, Googlie Eyes, Twine, Corner Rounder

I thought adding the felt and the googlie eyes made it fun and whimsical and something Victoria would love.  Who can resist not shaking a card with those eyes?

For the next card, I decided to use a set of stamps and a matching set of dies by Lawn Fawn.  They feature paper airplanes.  I figured they would be perfect for a grandfather.  Do you remember making them back when you were a kid?  I sure do!

Supplies:
Stamps: Lawn Fawn, Studio G
Paper: Gina K Designs, Watercolor Paper
Ink: Distress Stains, Distress Ink, Archival Black
Misc.: Lawn Fawn Dies, Hero Arts Gems

I did the background using Distress Stains in various blues and white and plenty of water.  I was inspired by a wonderful blogger and artist, Sandee. She is so kind and shares her knowledge with you.

I hope Seth and his father have a Happy Birthday!

Until next time!

Dude, You Rock!

Hi, guys! Hope you are enjoying the last few hours of the weekend!  It has been a long time since I got to sit down and blog!  Family, work and summertime commitments have had me swamped.

Today I am sharing a birthday card I made for a friend of my husband.  Steve is an actor and performs with my husband monthly in their company's recreations of old-time radio productions in Manhattan. I decided to use some of the goodies from my June Simon Says Stamp Kit, and added the old-time microphones from a Lawn Fawn set I had on hand.  They look just like what the theatre company uses!

For the inside of the card I added the sentiment "You Rock!" I thought it would be perfect for him as well as for the fun paper I used.

Steve signs off the monthly shows with the line "Good night, America, bye-bye and buy bonds!"  The audience all joins in with such gusto and it makes for a fun end of a great evening.

Wishing Steve a very Happy Birthday and as much joy as he brings to so many others!

"Two" Our Sweet Victoria

Hi, guys!  I was asked to make a birthday card for a friend's daughter's second birthday.   The only request was to have her age and name on the card.  I have made cards for little Victoria before, so I wanted to make sure I did this one a bit different when it came to the personalization.

Supplies:
Stamps: Lawn Fawn (Banner), Inky Impressions
Ink: Memento Black, Distress Ink
Paper: Gina K, Carta Bella (True Friends)
Misc.: Lawn Fawn Banner Die, Cuttlebug Embossing Folder

My friend Christine loved the card and is looking forward to giving it to Victoria.  Chris showed me adorable pictures of Victoria running around holding a purse with a little toy dog.  I am told she carries it everywhere.

Hope you have a great day!  Maybe get a little Inky?

Deanera's First Holy Communion

Hi, guys! Hope your day is going well!  It is Spring and many young people are making their First Holy Communion.  I was asked if I could make one of my cards for a friend's granddaughter who is receiving the sacrament in a few weeks.  I made a card for this little girl for her birthday, and she loved seeing her name on the card, so that was the only request I had to follow.

Supplies:
Stamps: Catholic Rubber Stamps, Lawn Fawn (Banner)
Paper: Gina K Designs, Carta Bella (True Friends)
Ink: Memento Black, Copic Markers
Misc.: Lawn Fawn (Banner Die), Spellbinders Square Dies, White Ribbon, Tim Holtz Ideology Rosette Ribbon, Pearl

I am always so touched to be asked to make a card for such a special occasion in a person's life.  This is such an important step for Deanera, and I wish her and her family many blessings.

Until next time!

Old-Time Radio Thank You

Hi, guys! You may recall that my husband acts in a company that recreates old-time radio productions. His company performed their last show in their current venue a few weeks ago. Some of their longtime regular audience members gave the cast a gift of bubbly to toast their last show.  I thought it would be a great idea to make them a thank you card. I used a Lawn Fawn set that has a great microphone like those that the company uses.

Supplies:
Stamps: Lawn Fawn, Stampin' Up (Sentiment)
Paper: Stampin' Up, Kaiser Kraft, Gina K Designs (Black)
Misc.: Bakers Twine

The last show was bittersweet. The kind gesture of the bubbly was definitely one of the "sweet" moments.

Until next time!

Some Monkey Business - Alex is 2!

Hi, guys!  I made a card last night for my friend Erich's nephew Alex.  I can't believe Alex is 2!  I made his card when he turned one (photo in my gallery) and boy, has time flown!  For this birthday I decided to use a fun old set from Stampin' Up.   I love these funny monkeys and figure a little boy would, too.

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampin' Up
Paper: Gina K Designs
Ink: Stampin' Up, Distress Ink (Wild Honey)
Misc.: Fiskars Square Punch, Lawn Fawn Trimmings


I love digging through my older sets and using them in new ways.  I figure I loved them enough to buy them, so I need to show them that love by using them.

Have a great day!!