Happy Birthday Jeff!

Wednesday July 15th was my BIL Jeff''s Birthday. He is married to my younger sister, Alice. He is a Pentecostal Minister and has a great sense of humour and loves to golf. I based his card on this sketch - Mojo Monday 94.

I'm too late to enter this into their contest for July but I really like this sketch and will be making another golf themed birthday card for my other BIL Doug who is married to my older sister, Tina.

I can't believe I had the balls (er nerve) to make a card for him with this particular sentiment. When I gave it to Alice yesterday to give to Jeff; she got a chuckle out of it and I'm sure Jeff will like it too!


Here is the inside sentiment:


And here is the inside image:

I used my cuttlebug to cut and emboss the different elements to this card. I used the Swiss Dots folder and a circle punch to make the golf ball on the front of the card. Ribbon and paper are from my stash and ink is from Versa Mark.

I am entering this card in my niece Krista's challenge on her blog which is to make a masculine card or layout.


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Mojo Monday 95 & Happy Anniversary Opa!

Opa and I celebrated our 37th Wedding Anniversary on Wednesday July 15. Normally on Wednesdays I work until 8:00 p.m. but on the 15th I worked an earlier shift and was home by 5:15 p.m. We celebrated our Anniversary by going out for dinner at a local family style restaurant. I had Fettucini Alfredo with chicken and Opa dined on a Veal Cutlet. Dinner was delicious.

I managed to get my card done yesterday morning before work and gave it to Herb (Opa) when I got home from work at 8:30 p.m. He really liked the card. I loosely based my card on this week's Mojo Monday sketch which can be seen here:


And here is my interpretation of the sketch:

The stamp set is from CTMH - it was the stamp set of the month for March. I did not order it in March but my niece Krista who is a CTMH consultant managed to snag one for me. Thanks Krista!

Here is part of the inside of the card:

I coloured the images with my new set of Prisma coloured pencils. I found that they were very easy to work with and with the help of a video that I watched on You Tube; I learned how to blend colours. Unfortunately, my camera flash went off so one side looks shiny. It looks a lot nicer in real life. The inside sentiment is also from the set and reads: "Love is like a butterfly, it goes where it pleases and pleases where it goes." Opa was pleased to get a card and has it proudly displayed on the book case in the Living Room.

I stamped the images and sentiments on white and cut them with my oval, square and rectangular nestibilites with Versa Color - Mountain Lake. I found the ribbon at a local LSS. The card stock is from a sheet of 12 x 12 which I obtained from another LSS. The designer paper is from a pad of 6 x 6 SU which I purchased from an SU demonstrator. I thought it matched the ribbon very well. The heart charm (which I was unable to get a good picture of) reads "Made with love."

I need to make 2 golf themed birthday cards for my 2 brothers-in-law who are avid golfers. My BIL Jeff, who is married to my younger sister Alice and is a Pentecostal Pastor had his birthday on the 15th. I will be seeing Alice tomorrow so will give her the card for Jeff when I see her. My other BIL Doug, who is married to my older sister Tina is celebrating his 69th birthday today.

I am looking forward to tomorrow. Alice and I will be visiting my eldest brother Peter who is not doing very well and suffers from Parkinson's disease as well as Frontal Lobe Dementia. He does not know us anymore but every so often he seems to remember us. Alice and I will be taking his wife Clair out for supper and then heading over to Krista's house for a cardmaking workshop.

Opa will spend the day tomorrow with our daughter and granddaughters. Hubby and Daddy Rob has spent a week in Barcelona and is heading over to Dublin tonight from Barcelona. Both trips are for business. I think my daughter Janice will be happy to see her father to help her with Sierra and Brooke.

Have a great weekend everyone!

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I am hoping.......

that Hubby goes to bed fairly early tonight as I want to make him a card for our 37th Wedding Anniversary which is tomorrow. I know which papers, images and sentiments I will be using and really want to start making his card. Normally on Wednesdays I work from 11:30 am to 8:00 pm but tomorrow I will be working 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. I could have made his card in the morning as he is meeting his BIL for golf tomorrow and is leaving the house at 6 a.m. which would have given me lots of time to make his card before leaving for work. I am hoping to get the card started tonight and finishing it in the morning before I leave for work.

HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY BROOKE!

My granddaughter Brooke Angela was born on 07/07/07 while Opa, Mike and I were in Ohio to attend my nephew's wedding. While relaxing on the patio outside with my glass of wine, I got a call from my SIL that Janice had given birth that morning to Brooke.

Brooke's paternal grandparents were visiting from Ottawa when my DD went into labour with Brooke. She first noticed the pains at 7:30 in the morning while she was outside playing with Sierra in the sand box. Four hours later, Brooke was born at the hospital with a midwife in attendance. You can read all about Brooke's birth in this post from my daughter.

This picture of Brooke and I was taken the following day in the afternoon.



This next picture is Brooke and Sierra colouring together a few weeks ago.



Here is the card that I made for Brooke's 2nd birthday. Papers are from my stash and I added some embellishments in the form of the crystal flowers and pearl dots.

Opa and I went to my daughter's house today to celebrate. We had a lot of fun swimming in the pool and just relaxing on the deck with Janice, Rob, Janice's friend Kim and hubby Steve as well as their 2 children and Sierra and Brooke. Opa and I gave Brooke some big girl panties and a really cute blue and white check play set which consists of a cross over dress which is open at the back with matching rompers.

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Happy Canada Day!

To all my Canadian friends & family!

I am hoping to spend the day with my granddaughters at a Canada Day Festivities in Milton ON where they live. Toronto had to cancel their festivities as the Civic employees are on strike. Pity eh?


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Mojo Monday 92 & 3 Clover Designs Challenges

I used the sketch from Mojo Monday Sketch 92 to make a card for the challenge posted on 3 Clover Designs Thursday Challenge. Here is the sketch:

And here is my card:


3 Clover Designs challenge was to make a card to reflect "Where are you from?" My regular readers all know I was born in The Netherlands so I chose the High Hopes Tulip Stamp to pay tribute to my Dutch ancestry of which I am very proud and which means more to me now as an adult than when I was a child. In July 1964; I became a Canadian Citizen so I chose a maple leaf brad to represent Canada. There was a Mountie in full dress uniform present in the Barrie courtroom during the Citizenship proceedings. Toronto and many other Ontario municipalities have their own police forces so we do not see very many Mounties here. It was the first time I had ever seen an RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police or Mountie for short). The only other time I have seen a Mountie is in Ottawa at the Federal Parliament Building or at the airport.

I will also be colouring in the image below of the Canadian Beaver with the Canadian Flag, Canadian Mountie and the Canadian Moose to put inside the card. This is also a High Hopes stamp. I had ordered the Tulip stamp and some others and High Hopes sent me the stamp below as a Thank You gift for my order. I need to think of a sentiment to put inside with this stamp. Any fellow Canadians have any ideas? I was thinking of something along the lines of "Canada - where our story ends." Your thoughts and ideas would be appreciated.


Here are the deets: Paper from SU; sentiment is from Daisy Bucket designs; stamps from High Hopes, ribbon and brad from my stash. Inks used are SU Purely Pomegranate for the sentiment and I stamped the 2 images with Versafine Onyx Black and coloured the tulips with my trusty pencil crayons (or coloured pencils as they are also known as). I also used my Spellbinders Nestibilities in my Cuttlebug.

I was pleasantly surprised at how this card turned out. I have no idea what I will do with it though.

In other news: I went to see my Family Doctor today and he told me that my muscles in my lower back are inflammed and has given me exercises to do and to apply heat if they become stiff and sore which they are when I get up in the morning. I still cannot sit for long periods of time and have come back to this post 3 times just to finish it. He is also sending me for a lower back x-ray and a bone density scan. When he pressed down on the sacro-iliac joint the pain was quite severe. He told me it was not postherpedic Neuralgia as the other Dr. had diagnosed. He said that people rarely experience that 3 1/2 years after having shingles. I showed him the pills the other Dr. prescribed and he told me to keep taking them and then gave me another prescription for the same medication as he feels I will need them for a while after the I finish the pills I have.

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My niece Krista's June Challenge

is to make a unique card. Even though this is a standard size card (5 1/2 x 4 1/4) it is unique because it is a gatefold card. This was fairly simple to make but I really like it.

Here is the outside of the card:


Here is the inside of the card:



And here is the card partially opened up:



You can read all about Krista's challenge here.

I'm sure she would love it if she has more people participating! So, what are you waiting for? Go, create and remember - be unique! And tell her that I sent you.

Supplies used: Sentiments by Cornish Heritage Farms; paper from CTMH; flowers from Imaginisce and button brads from my stash. I also used my Spellbinders' Round scalloped Nestibilities in my Cuttlebug. I blinged it up on the inside with pink rhinestones and lime green dew drops for the flower centres inside the card. The sentiments were stamped with Versa Mark Mountain Lake on the outside of the card and the inside sentiment was stamped with SU Purely Pomegranate.


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PJ Day

I love spending the day in my pj's but not when I am not feeling well. On June 9th while on vacation in Collingwood; I woke up in the morning lying on my stomach. I cannot lie on my stomach in bed without getting an extremely sore lower back. The only relief I had was when I was up and moving around. It even hurt to sit down. I made sure (with the use of pillows) that I stayed on my side to sleep the rest of the week. I thought that was the end of my back pain. On Saturday, I again woke up lying on my stomach and again had a really sore back. My back was sore all weekend and on Monday I went to work armed with a supply of Ibuprofen and managed to get through the day. On Tuesday I went to work but ended up coming home early as I just could not sit for any length of time at all even though I had taken some Ibuprofen. The back pain had gotten much worse and it would start in the middle of my lower back and was radiating to my hips in front and my skin was very itchy. I thought I had pulled a muscle and it had gotten inflammed. As soon as I got home; I called to make an appt. with my family doctor but the earliest appt. time they could give me is for tomorrow (Friday) at 12:15 p.m. I was in so much pain that my hubby took me to a walk in clinic when he came home from work. The Dr. twisted and turned my legs; had me bend over etc. I told her my skin was very itchy. As soon as I said that; she wanted to know if I had ever had shingles. I told her that I had shingles 3 1/2 years ago and that it was very painful. Long story short; she diagnosed my pain as being postherpedic neuralgia which a lot of people who have had shingles get long after they have recuperated from shingles. Postherpedic neuralgia is an irritation of the nerves of sensation caused by the shingles virus and it can come back at any time even as in my case several years later. She gave me a prescription and it has helped but I am still in pain and cannot sit for very long. The medication also makes me sleepy and I had two 2 hr. naps yesterday and since I just took another pill recently; I can feel another nap coming on.
I will see my family doctor tomorrow and hopefully will be able to go back to work on Monday.

I made a card (standing up) as I was too sore to sit but it took me a lot longer than usual to make the card. I will post it here on my blog soon.


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Wet and wonderful vacation.

Opa and I went on vacation to Collingwood, the week of June 6th to the 13th. It rained for 3 days but we still managed to have some fun. We went to several towns - Midland, Thornbury, Meaford and Bracebridge . I found 2 scrapbooking stores and bought a few little bits. Opa also managed to golf twice while I stayed in our unit and read, watched TV and stamped out some images. I just was not in the mood for colouring any though. We also met my BFF; Jeanine and her husband Bert for dinner and a live theatre production of The Odd Couple. All in all, we had a good time and got lots of rest.

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Happy Father's Day Herb!

This is the card I made for my husband for Father's Day. I have not given it to him as yet as I still need to add my personal message and sign it. The inside sentiment reads: May all the love you give to others come back to you on this special day. The card stock and designer paper is Stampin Up, the edge punch is from EK Success and I also used my square scallop punch and heat embossed No. 1. The image is Riley the moose enjoying his coffee which is an image I won in a blog candy.

We are looking forward to spending the afternoon and evening with our granddaughters Sierra and Brooke and Molly the dog. My SIL is in Ottawa spending some time with his parents, sister and his 2 nieces and nephew. His mother underwent surgery on Wednesday so he wanted to be there for her. My daughter will be attending a NKOTB (New Kids on the Block) concert at the Molson Amphitheatre at Ontario Place with her university roommate here in Toronto. Opa & I are looking forward to spending some time in the pool with our granddaughters.



This is Opa`s favourite female golfer - Annika Sorenstam:
Yesterday, we went to a mall for breakfast and after we ate; we wandered into the bookstore where Opa found this book that he wanted, so that was my Father`s day gift to him. It was on sale for $7.00 - it`s a hardcover book and the original price was $44.00 so I really lucked out on his gift! He has already started reading this book. Hopefully the tips Annika has in this book will help him to improve his golf game!




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Uncle Monkey's card for Sierra

I used this sketch from the Stampavie Design Team Blog as I really liked the sketch and I had the perfect stamp for it. Here is the sketch:


And here is the card that Mike and I made together for Sierra's 4th Birthday. Mike coloured the image and I put the card together.


Here is a peek to the inside of the card:

I've left some space so Mike (aka as Uncle Monkey) can write in a personal message to his niece.

Stamps used: Stampavie - Rachael Anne Miller - Birthday Monkeys and Darcie's. Sentiments are also from Darcie's. I used my Cuttlebug swiss dot folder and Spellbinder's Nestibilities. I also used the letter and other embellishments from my stash. I am quite pleased with how this card turned out. I am sure that Sierra will love it!

I am in so much trouble! I just had a look at the stamps that Darcie's sells and there are some really great stamp sets there. They also have some project ideas on their website!


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Sierra's Birthday Card - in pink!

I am so happy that Sierra's current colour of choice is pink and not green, as I like this card a lot more than the green card I made for her.


I used my Spellbinders Nestibilities, Cuttlebug birthday folder, ribbon, flowers and charm are from my stash. The image is from Sally at Bootiful Stampz which I won in a blog candy back in December. Sally is giving away a Bootiful Stampz on her blog and you have until the end of May to win one.

This card will be going out in the mail to Sierra this week. I am hoping she will receive it either on Friday or Monday. Her 4th birthday is on Monday. Opa and I will be away on vacation next week. Her other grandparents are coming from Ottawa on the weekend and her birthday party will be the following weekend. I have another image in mind for my son Mike to colour which I will make into a card for him to give to Sierra. He is known to Sierra as Uncle Monkey so the image I have chosen is Birthday Monkeys - a Rachelle Anne Miller image from Stampavie. He will be colouring it tomorrow so that I can make a card with it tomorrow evening - that is, as long as Opa doesn't nap!


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Why I can't make cards in the evenings:

I have an L shaped living room/dining room. My stamping studio is the dining room table. I wanted to make Sierra's card but when I walked into the dining room, this sight greeted my eyes:

OPA NAPPING!

If I was to start making cards, the noise would wake him up (he's an extremely light sleeper) and he would get annoyed with me for disturbing him. He must be really tired tonight as he never woke up at all when I took this picture. Even the flash didn't wake him up! He has been "napping" for the last 45 minutes or so. His cup of tea is sitting on the end table and when he wakes up, he will pop it into the microwave to heat it up so he can drink it. In his defense, he is just getting over a nasty cold and went to a walk in clinic on Saturday and the Dr. put him on an antibiotic as his ears were starting to bother him. He has been taking a lot of naps for the last week and a half due to his cold. Only he will tell you he was "just resting my eyes" or "I was examining the inside of my eyelids." His naps generally last any where from 10 minutes to an hour. I would find it very difficult to sleep at night if I napped every evening. When I am sick or very tired, I will go to bed earlier but on the weekends, I sometimes have a nap in the afternoon that usually last 1 1/2 - 3 hours. I cannot power nap the way Opa does.

He just woke up and has popped his tea into the microwave so I guess I can get started on that card now!


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Sierra's Birthday Card

Look who`s turning 4! She is definitely not a 5 wk. old baby anymore:


She is a cute party crasher who loves to play pretend and loves dressing up. Here she is with her face painted like a bunny and making a bunny face. She loves to tease us and has the cutest laugh. The doll crib in this photo is the same doll crib her mother played with that was a Christmas gift for Sierra when she was a year and a half although Brooke plays with it a lot more than Sierra does.


Here is the card I made for Sierra who will be 4 on June 8th. Opa and I will be on vacation that week so I will be mailing it to her later this week.



I used my Cuttlebug Happy Birthday folder, my Spellbinder's Oval Nestibilities, ribbon and rhinestone flowers are from my stash. The base of this card is actually a very dark shade of green which is Sierra`s favourite colour - at least is was a few months ago. I`m hoping it is still her favourite colour. The embossed Happy Birthday is on light green on a cream colour. The sentiment is stamped on the light green and accented with the dark green. I wanted to offset the dark green ribbon and had just enough yellow ribbon to do it. I added a charm and here is the close up of the charm:


Below is the sketch the card is loosely based on. The sketch is from the Thankful Thursday Challenge.


I would have thought that taking a picture of the card outside without flash would have brought out the true colours but that did not seem to be the case here. The dark green is very dark and I used 2 pieces of white card stock behind and below the card to take the picture but it looks light blue! I`m happy with this card and hope that Sierra likes it. She will be having lots of fun with her other set of grandparents next weekend and the following weekend she will enjoy her birthday party which Opa and I have every intention of attending.

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The joys of .............

having a completely uninhibited child. You have got to jump over to my daughter's blog and read this post!

LOL I was in stitches! It never even bothered Sierra at all but my poor daughter and SIL were mortified!

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Babysitting my granddaughters.

Opa and I were asked to babysit Brooke and Sierra yesterday while my daughter Janice and SIL Rob went to a wedding. The girls are such a joy to look after. They get along quite well together and we really enjoy spending time with them. Here are a few pictures I took of them colouring together in their playroom - aka as the eat-in area of the kitchen. My daughter moved their playroom to this location from the dining room so that she can keep an eye on them while she is cooking dinner.

Brooke is on the left and will be 2 on July 7 - she was born on 07/07/07. Sierra is on the right and judging by the tongue sticking out of her mouth is busy concentrating on the task at hand! She will be 4 on June 8th.


I actually managed to get them to pose for me. I love this picture of the 2 of them together.


Which pictures should we colour next Brooke?

We had some rain and also some hail come down and the girls were fascinated by the hail. The hail came down while the sun was shining and was the size of peas. We then went outside and the girls had fun picking up the hail. The highlight of our day was seeing a bunny rabbit on the front lawn and the girls were hopping around the house imitating the bunny.

Molly the dog crept under the deck in the back yard. We were hoping she would come out from under the deck by herself but after 3 hours, Opa had to coax and pull her out getting dirty in the process. She got herself all muddy so was not allowed to come back in the house until I hosed her down. She wasn't too happy about getting cleaned up with cold water and I managed to also get wet in the process. It was hard holding on to her collar while hosing her down.

Here is a shot of Molly. She is either an American Rottweiler or a Rottweiler/Lab mix. She is very good with the girls but is also very protective of them. Whenever the girls and her parents visit the grandparents and aunts, uncles & cousins in Ottawa; Molly comes and stays at our house.

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