Thank You

I just had to make this special thank you for our neighbor to the North.  They have an apple tree that sits right next to our common wall.  Well, we all know it's impossible to grow just half a tree so you might imagine that half of the top is on our side of the wall.  Bill gripes constantly about having to pick up errant apples this time of year.  He was in the back yard last weekend when our neighbor struck up a conversation about that very thing.  Bill told her he just chucks them over the back wall (natural desert) to feed the bunnies.  Well she told him to hold on a minute and came back with a freshly baked pie.  One day last summer about this time the kids were here and they tried to eat one of these apples and they were very mushy and bitter.  I was in my craft room (of course!) and Bill came in carrying the pie.  He was going to pitch it.  That wasn't going to work for me.  It didn't really fit in with our dinner plans so I took a piece in my lunch on Monday.  It was delicious!  I surprised Bill with a piece in his lunch on Tuesday and he agreed.  So I had to make this card.

Supplies:
Paper: various-all from my stash
Cricut: pie w/rolling pin-Country Life, apple-Doodlecharms, Thank You-a cut that had been laying around for a while
Other: Nesties

It only took me about 15 minutes but I hope she'll like it (and think about making me another one!).  I hope this has a been a terrific Father's Day for everyone.  I know I enjoyed talking to my "Pops" earlier.  Hugs...Kris

All Star Dad

Well Father's Day is just around the corner and there are lots of challenge blogs calling for a Father's Day card or project.  I haven't done a Penny Black challenge in ages and I loved doing the Whimsical Wednesdays challenge a few weeks ago so I'm going to enter their challenge also.

Supplies:
Cardstock: Recollections (Michaels)
Patterned Paper: Making Memories
Image: Penny Black "Slugger" colored with Prisma pencils
Cricut: Banner letters from Country Life
Other: Nesties (squares and stars), self-adhesive gems, floss

I computer-generated the "ALL STAR" and also added some doodling.  The colors are a bit different for a typical Father's Day card but I think they're bright and cheery.  Hope everyone has a great week.  Hugs...Kris

What a week!

This has definitely been a trying week.  It all started last weekend when we discovered that we would have to purchase a new garage door.  We knew it was coming, but you're never really prepared, right?  We've had 2 panels replaced and metal braces put on and it was just time.  Oh btw, those braces were only suppose to last for 2 years and we got 5 more years...so who am I to complain?  Then last Saturday night our home computer was totally infected with some vicious malware.  A lot of the hard drive is trashed but I am having one of the IT guys from work come over next week to see what he can salvage.  So on top of buying a new garage door (which does look beautiful btw) we had to buy a new computer.  I mean the other one was 8 years old and really kind of outdated but I would have preferred to do it when I wanted to do it, not when some stupid virus decided to take over.  Oh well, enough of the rant.

I do have some great, exciting news to share.  I've been putting this off because I've felt that maybe I've been the jinx the last 3 times.  Every time I make my daughter-in-law a card announcing that Liam's going to have a brother or sister something goes terribly wrong.  Well, Heather is doing great and Liam's going to have a baby brother in the fall.  I wanted to make something really special so I decided to really put my Gypsy to the test and make a shaped card.  I have now learned how to flip and weld (to make the base) and hide contours (what a great feature!).  As usual, I used a lot of different cartridges and had a ball making this.

Supplies:
Cardstock: Recollections (M's)
Patterned Paper: Prima, DCWV
Cricut Images: Baby (Stretch Your Imagination), Duck Applique (Wall Decor), Banner (Mother's Day 2010), Coming Soon (Cricut Office Help)
All shading was done with pastels

I certainly hope I've waited long enough to make this.  We've know for quite a while that she's pregnant so we're thrilled to await the arrival of new grandson.  Hugs to everyone...Kris

Soar

Well as you may know, we went to Albuquerque a few weeks ago for our niece's graduation.  We loved walking around Old Town and every where you go are reminders of their most famous attraction - the hot air balloon fiesta.  Still the worlds largest ballooning event, it is hosting its 40th annual fiesta this year.  I came home with lots of ideas for cards but no hot air balloon stamps or any hits searching on my Gypsy.  However, I didn't give up.  I must have checked out every [party] balloon shape in the Cricut library and finally settled on this.

Supplies:

Cardstock: Core'dinations

Patterned Paper: Clouds-American Greetings, Striped-K&Company

Cricut: Balloon-Celebrate with Flourish, Soar-Lacey Labels, Sun-Going Places

Other: hand-cut basket for the balloon, Fiskars border punch

I've never been to the fiesta but now knowing it only takes about 6 1/2 hours to get to Albuquerque, I'd like to plan to go in a couple of years (that's how far ahead rooms are booked!).  Hugs...Kris

This is so me!

Yes, it is!  I really like my morning coffee but would like to think I'm a big teddy bear before I've had a cup, not a grouchy, grizzly bear.  I have a feeling that Bill would probably think the latter although he's the one who only utters one word (mornin') until he's downed at least a cup.

Supplies:
Paper: various from my stash-stripe is K&Company
Image: High Hopes colored with Prismas
Sentiment & Coffee Cup: TPC Studio
Other: Fiskars border punch, Rectangle Nesties, stickles

What I really wish I had was a pair of those pink bunny slippers - too cute.  Hugs...Kris

Sweet Birthday Wishes

Good Morning.  I hope everyone is enjoying a nice long Memorial Day weekend.  I got to get together with my card-making buddies yesterday and it's amazing how much you don't get done in 8 hours before the guys come join us for drinks and dinner.  It's my friend Sandy's birthday soon so Deb and I had decided beforehand that we'd load up her birthday gifts and let her have them a bit early - besides we probably won't see each other again before the big day.  This is the card I made her.  I just love easel cards even if they are difficult to photograph.  I finally decided to tilt this one up from the back and just take the one photo.

SUPPLIES:
Cardstock: Core'dinations
Patterned paper: October Afternoon-The Thrift Shop
Cricut: SANDY-Plantin Schoolbook, sweet-Graphically Speaking, flourishes-Ashlyn's Alphabet, big butterfly-???
Other: branches-Sizzix, butterflies-Martha Stewart, flowers-all from my stash (mostly K&Company), sentiment-unmarked clear stamp, oval Nesties

You know how it is when you have a vision and nothing short of that will do?  Well, I had a really hard time trying to wrap the flourishes around the letters then position them on the card.  I know I started over once (I had the N backwards!)...my language would have done a sailor proud!  In the end I was happy with the result and so was she.  Have a great Sunday.  Hugs...Kris

Good things come...

Good morning and happy Friday to everyone.  I can't believe that May is almost gone - time really does fly.  I'm going to retire in 5 months and if you check out my latest Liam pic on the right, you'll see he has graduated from Kindergarten.  Bill just doesn't get all this extra graduation stuff.  It used to be that you were expected to move from grade-to-grade and then you graduated from high school and maybe college with one or more degrees.  Now you graduate from Kindergarten, elementary or grade or grammar (whatever you called it) school, junior high or middle school, etc.  It just drives him nuts (and Liam is just starting).  Anyway, his pic is really cute and our daughter-in-laws comments are just perfect.

My card for today is a simple one with minimal patterned paper and embellies.  I thought the image was cute and perfect for this sentiment that I saw at a stamp show (and just copied).

Cardstock: Core'dinations
Patterned paper: from my stash???
Image: Prima colored with Prisma pencils
Sentiment: computer-generated
Cricut: clouds-Paperdolls for Everyday
Other: Fiskars border punch (wave), oval Nesties