MOJO 214

Well I have been busy attending theater, card class and of course golfing.  I have also been doing a lot of socializing.  Went to the Ocala Civic Theater on Sunday and seen Steel Magnolia's.  The cast did a terrific job and of course I cried because one of the characters died.  It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience with two of my friends, Shirley and Linda.  The three of us have quite a few plays scheduled and I do love to go to the theater.  I returned to Stamping Fools, a card making group in the Villages, and made three lovely cards.  One was mailed immediately for my friend in Minnesota, Juliana.  It was her birthday on November 5th and she drinks tea and that was the theme of this card so it was perfect. 

Today my friend, Shirley and I went to one of the recreation centers, Colony Cottage, to a pine needle basket show.  It is truely amazing what these people have produced with pine needles.  I am looking for additional crafts to delve into.  I loved the beautiful pieces that were displayed and for sale but I don't know if this is the craft for me.  I'll just keep looking.

While I keep looking for some new craft for me to try out, I have decided to get going on some of the card challenges that are out there and my first one is MOJO Monday 214.  I used the sketch to make a holiday card.  Hope you enjoy. 

I embossed the red background with a cuttlebug folder and thought it reminded me of a candy cane. I used Nestibilities to cut the squares and oval.   I purchased premade flowers and ribbon (candy cane looking) at Michaels and I used "Wishing You Joy" stamp set from StampTV's latest kit.

Well here we are at the end of October.  I have been doing everything but card making.  Went to a couple of plays and to Disney to see La Nouba.  I have also been busy playing a lot of golf.  Somedays are good and some days are bad but it does get me outside and moving around.   I am starting to finally get use to my new leg socket.  This is wonderful because I need to move around.  I have been a little down the last week or so.  It is funny but I have been busy busy yet feel so unhappy.  Sure wish I could figure out what is wrong. Ah well life, it is what it is. 

I have a lot of cards to get working on.  I did do some holiday ones for swap and they turned out okay and then I did make some for kids with Spina Bifida and now it is time to me to get going on mine.  I have a lot of birthday thank you's to do and of course there are Christmas cards to do.  I also need to get some birthday cards done so I have a few back up ones.  Sometimes I wonder how I had time to go to work everyday.  Retirement I guess is pretty good. 

Anyway today I completed a card for last Fridays FFAF challenge at StampTV.  Hope you like it.

Also my youngest grandson, Cohen, has become a model.  My friend Juliana sells crafts on Etsy.com (art4ubyme) and used a photo of Cohen wearing a knitted hat she made.  She makes all kinds of stuff so check her stuff out at Etsy.com.  Here is a picture of the hat which I must say is very cute well look at the model.

Two Weeks

Well it has been two weeks and I was busy the entire time.  I had a guest visiting from Germany, Christina Franz.  Chrissie and I cooked, baked and shopped.  Oh we did a lot of shopping.  We took a class at Archiever's in Maple Grove and made 4 Christmas cards.  My youngest daughter, Katy, went with us and the 3 of us had a terrific afternoon. 

Chrissie and Katy and some of Katy's friends went to Oktoberfest in Minneapolis and they tell me it was great.

I really didn't do much card making during the last two weeks.  I did do a lot of shopping for card making supplies.  Wow there are tons of new stuff out there.  I sent Chrissie back to Germany with lots of card making supplies.  We have a new recruit.  I had a great time during her visit although I must say I am tired.  I did more walking in the last two weeks than I have in the last 4 years. 

 Now it is time to get down to business. Have to start working on holiday cards.  I also have a few birthday cards to make so look forward to new cards on the blog this week.  I am also taking a class on using Spellbinders nestibilities so I am hoping that my cards will become more interesting and dimensional. 

Hello Out there,  I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.  I sure did.  It was my birthday on friday and we had our kids over for dinner and a quiet family celebration.  Then on saturday I went out with my friends for breakfast celebration.  We seen a garage sale on the way so we stopped and then we had breakfast at a small cafe called Henry's which is just down the street from where we live.  They have fabulous french toast.  I invited the girls over to see the beautiful photographs that the kids presented me with on my birthday but when we arrived the garage door opened and a surprise party was going on.  Well I have to say at 60 partying can really wear a person down.  Then on saturday night we watched our 3 grandsons.  Sunday evening we walked across the street for a neighborhood meeting that turned into another party.  I tell you us folks on Lancaster Lane really know how to party.    I realized late last night that I needed to upload my creations for the week.  So I did and here they are.  Hope you like them.

Holiday card with non-traditional colors

Holiday card with 4 colors, 3 embellishments and 2 die cuts

Color block Card

I really like the colors on the color block card.  It always amazes me that I can go into my stash of goodies and find embellishments that add so much to a card.  The ribbon is felt and is something that was from Stampin Up and who knows how long ago.  Stamps on all the cards are from Gina K designs.  I really like the stamps from Gina K designs. 

Today a friend from Germany, Christina Franz, came to visit.  Chrissy was here 15 years ago as an exchange student.   It was a mini exchange program so she only stayed with us for 1 month but we have kept in touch over the years and now we are friends on facebook.  Well my birthday continued because she gave me a beautiful santa claus figure and for those of you that don't know I love santa's. Well I have to say this was one wonderful birthday.  Hooray.

Well who knows what I will create this week but stay tuned because I definitely will be creating something.

Love you Brandon, Blake and Cohen



Happy Belated Birthday

Oh my, here I am making cards and having tons that I have yet to use but not one of them is for a belated birthday.  I totally screwed up and missed my sister-in-law, Donna's, birthday.  Sorry Donna I for some reason thought it was in September.  So Belated Happy Birthday to you.  Some day I will get it right.

Hi Again

It has been a few weeks for me.  Lots of things have been going on in my life so Ihave neglected my blog.  I guess I have just been doing minimal creating.  I am trying to get ready for a visitor from Germany and that will end the use of my craft room for a couple of weeks.  That is okay though I am looking forward to her visit. 

I started a class today at My Creative Classroom,com.  It is a class using Spellbinder Nestibilities.  I have to say I am impressed.  The more I look at the card I made, the more I think it should be framed but then where to hang it.  Will you take a look at this card.  It is 3 dimensional so it wouldn't go in an envelope very well.  It also is not the typical size card I make.  I also am somewhat copying the instructors design, Catherine Scanlon.  Want to give credit where it is due. 

I do like to add bling so there are crystals on the flowers and the tinybufferfly holding the ribbon.  I added pearl accents to the two other butterflies.  The image was a free download from the class that I just printed on cardstock and then colored with Copic Markers.  I used Tim Holz distress ink in Spun Sugar to make my pink paper on the lower portion of the card and around the focal image.  I also used distress ink in Linen to antique the ribbon, butterflies and the pink scalloped paper. It was a lot of fun making this project and learning how to use the Nestibilities better.

My dear Sister, Bev

I have been delaying telling you about my sister.  My oldest sister, Beverly, passed away on July 18, 2011 from a rare cancer called Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia.  Bev had been diagnosed many years ago with leukemia but not until recently did they discover it was Waldenstrom's.  She was a strong woman in every sense of the word and I greatly admired her.  Along with her husband of 54 years, Ray, she raised six beautiful children.  Can you imagine, 54 years of marriage.  I am so in awe of that statistic.  For as long as I can remember, Bev and Ray lived up by the Canadian border.  Within the last 6 years they had moved to Thief River Falls, MN to be closer to health care facilities.  Because she lived "up north" I didn't have the opportunity to see her much but we took our mother on a couple of trips that were probably more fun for us than for mom but oh well.  I last seen her on May 28 of this year when Dave and I went "up north" for great neice, Ashley's, graduation.  Bev's entire family was there, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.  This testiment of her love for family is her legacy.  I can only hope that my family pays tribute to me as her family has to her.  The times together, though few, I will cherish forever.  I miss her so much and my one regret is that we did not spend more time together.  Goodbye my sweet and loving sister, rest in peace and know that your legace of family will live on forever.  I love you.

Top photo: My sister Beverly and husband, Raymond

Bottom photo: Lori and Randy Masloski with mom and dad