Trick or Treat

This year I've been in the Halloween mood. I've been having fun playing with the Stampin Up set "Wicked Cool" and my punches. I wish I could take credit for the idea of having the witches feet sticking out of the cauldron but I can't. I've seen several different cards like this online so I really don't know who the original creator is. These are the cards that I made this week. I added a "skirt" to the witches feet making it different from the previous cards I made. I think I like this one better. I made 3 of these cards as I plan on sending them off to my 2 niece's children. I think the kids will enjoy them & get a kick out of the witch sticking out of the cauldron. lol
Here's the first 3 cards that I made:

This next one uses a printed background made by Sherry ? I've had this background for years. I also added a rosette to it.

This next card is a punch card. I made the candy corn by lining up the colors and cutting out a 1” piece, rounding the corners & hand printing the sentiment.

Recently I mentioned to my Mom that I was making cards to send to my “Greats”. Normally she doesn't send out Halloween cards but after mentioning that I was sending cards to the kids, that she couldn’t get out to get cards for the grand kids this year as she recently had a fall. Of course I volunteered to make some for her. So now I’m not only making cards for the grandkids, I’m making several other cards too. lol These 3 cards that I made to let mom chose from use the CTMH Wicked stamp set. It's a fun set too! I hope she likes them.

Well that's it for today! I hope you have a Spooktacular day. Thanks for stopping by.

More Cards for My Sister

I’m trying to complete the Thank You cards that I promised to make for my sister. I hope to make at least 12 cards to give to her. So far I’ve posted 2 of the cards that I’ve made for her. I finished a few more yesterday and thought that I’d post them as well.

The first card I made uses a Magnolia image. I added 4 of my Paper Roses that I made in blue. I also added some Stickles to them to make them sparkle. They are so pretty & I love the sparkle. I used my Fiskars “Threading Waters” Border Punch, the SU Decorative Label Punch, SU Small Oval Punch & the EK Success Swirl Punch. I also used the SU “Four Frames” stamp set as well as the SU “Lots of Thoughts” Sale-a-Bration stamp set (discontinued) for the verse. The ribbon is also from Stampin Up. The designer paper is from MME “Tickled Pink” paper pad.

The next card uses the tree stamp from Stampin Up “Season of Friendship”. I stamped it in Soft Suede ink & cut it out. I then punched out the various Maple Leaves using an EK Success Maple Leaf punch. I added stickles to the edges of the leaves & popped them up using dimensionals. The verse is also from the Season of Friendship stamp set. The “thanks so much” verse was from the SU “Tiny Tags” stamp set and punched out with the SU “Jewelry Tag” punch. I added the gemstones using my new Imaginesce I-Rock. I’ve had it for several months and this is actually the first time I’ve used it & I love it!

I made another card using the tree stamp from Stampin Up “Season of Friendship”. I stamped it in Soft Suede ink & cut it out. I then stamped the various butterflies from my new Fiskars Butterfly stamp set that I won in the Liftoff Challenge. It was the smallest butterfly in the set. I then cut it out & applied Stickles to each butterfly. The verse & leaves were from the Season of Friendship set. The leaves were stamped in Soft Suede ink & cut it out. (Talk about a lot of cutting on this card). The “thanks so much” verse was from the SU “Tiny Tags” stamp set and punched out with the SU “Jewelry Tag” punch. The ribbon is from Stampin Up. I also added the gemstones using my new Imaginesce I-Rock.

The final card I made yesterday uses a Stampin Up set that I’ve had for some time now. A Hostess Level 3 set called “Time Well Spent”. I stamped the flower, cut it out & popped it up using dimensionals. I also used my I-Rock to add the gemstones again. I also used my Fiskars “Leave it to Weaver” Border Punch & the “Scalloped Daisy” Embossing Border Punch. I think I’ll add a Thank You verse inside this card & then I can add it to the collection I’m giving my sister.

Well so far I have completed 6 cards for my sister so it looks like I’ve better get busy if I plan on finishing her cards.

Enjoy your day & thanks for stopping by.

Everything’s Coming Up Roses

It sure looks like everything is coming up roses around here.

Recently I’ve gotten hooked on making these wee little paper roses. They are so easy to make. They look great & when you add stickles to them, they are definitely a wow factor. They are inexpensive to make and a great way to use up all your scraps. It’s also nice that roses come in so many different colors. The great thing is, I can watch tv & make roses at the same time.

I've put my finished roses in a glass jar so that I can display them & find them easily when I need them. Can you tell I'm hooked on making them? lol

Thanks for looking & have a great day!

Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure

I had wanted to post this on Sunday but unfortunately I didn't have my project finished in time to do post it. I'm posting it now after the event with a couple of pictures taken by my niece Natasha.

My sister Donna is a 3 times breast cancer survivor & more recently is recovering from Heart Valve Replacement Surgery. This year she decided to do the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure on Sunday along with her family. Her husband Rick who has been so amazing in supporting her with all of her cancer surgeries as well as her recent valve replacement surgery also walked along side her. Both of her girls Natasha & Chantale, their spouses & children along with Natasha’s in-law’s did the walk too.

(This first photo shows my sister along with her 7 grandchildren - you can barely see Andrew. I blocked out the face of one child as he isn't one of her grandchildren.)

(The second photo is of my sister Donna along with her beautiful daughters Chantale & Natasha. Both photo's were taken by Natasha.)

It was a cold & miserable day for walking but they completed the 5 km run. I’m so proud of her & her family for all the support they’ve given her. Natasha’s nephew made up their team name “The Heroic Hooters”. Regardless of the weather, they had a fun day & raised money for a great cause.

I recently made this fun Pink Paper Shoe that I thought was perfect for this event.

Enjoy your day & thanks for stopping by.

World Card Making Day

I’ve never participated in any of the World Card Making Day challenges before. This year when I saw Tami’s Progressive Challenge posted on the Fiskateer Message Board, I decided to play along.

I promised my sister that I would make her a dozen Thank You cards that she can send out to those who were so helpful during her recouperation from her heart surgery. This challenge is perfect for helping me get started on making these cards for her.

I also plan on making my Mother who’s turning 87 this year a card box for Christmas. In this box I’ll put some birthday cards for both adults & children (there are a lot of grandchildren & great grandchildren that she sends cards too), sympathy cards, thinking of you, Valentine, Easter, etc. I plan on giving her a good assortment as she is always sending out cards. So some of the cards will be for her card box.

Tags aren’t really my thing but this one was fun. It doesn’t count as one of my WCMD challenge cards though. Here's the tag I made using mostly SU products.

The 1st card I made yesterday for Tami's World Card Making Challenge. I used the Fiskars Butterfly stamp set that I won in the Liftoff Crop. I also used the med Round n' Round to make the flowers & added Stickles to them and the butterfly. The butterfly border was done with a SU wheel. I’ll add a Thank You tag to this card.

This is my 2nd card for Tami's WCMD Challenge. The elephant is a free digital stamp that I found online some time ago. I can't remember who's it is though. The flowers were handmade using the Fiskars med round n' round squeeze punch. I'm addicted to making these flowers. They are so easy to make. Plus they are a great way to use up scraps.

This is my 3rd card for Tami's WCMD Progressive Challenge. I used the Stampin Up Snowman stamps, added stickles to them, used the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots & Snowflake Embossing Folders.

This next one is my 4th and final card that I made for Tami's WCMD Progressive Challenge. I used my circle punch to make the little roses. The Magnolia image is holding a rose which I originally colored with my Copic Markers. After making these roses I decided to add one of them over top of the colored rose. I also added some half pearls and a tiny tag that says Thanks (so much). This will be perfect for the cards I'm making for my sister. (2 done 10 to go lol)

It doesn't look to promising for us today. It's supposed to be cold & rainy. It did rain some during the night so hopefully that's our rainfall for today. At least they are saying the rest of the week will be nice. Well enjoy your day and thanks for stopping by!

2nd Annual Fiskateer’s Orange Blog Hop Finale Thanks

Thank you all so much for stopping by during the 2nd Annual Fiskateer’s Orange Blog Hop & leaving such wonderful comments. I really do appreciate your stopping by & taking the time to view my projects for the Hop & leaving comments.

I’d also like to thank Debbie (Fiskateer #2852) for all her hard work in putting this blog hop together & all the ladies who participated. There were so many wonderful projects & so much inspiration.

Orange Blog Hop

Hello, I hope that you are enjoying the Fiskateers Orange Blog Hop. If you have just come from Lisa's Scrap Site you are in the right place. This is a stop on the Orange Blog Hop where members of Fiskateers, a community sponsored by Fiskars, is sharing their passion for crafting.

If you get lost along the way or would like to start at the beginning of the hop or see the list of blogs participating in the hop, you can do so at the Fiskateers Blog.

After you are finished here, the next stop on the Orange Blog Hop is “the crafty neighbor”. I'm sure that you'll enjoy her creative ideas.

I am a huge fan of the Fiskateers and have been ever since discovering their blog/message board in April 2007. I really enjoy participating in their online crops, challenges as well as the day to day posts.

Last week I received the new Fiskars “Fall Gatherings” Border Punch that I won in the Liftateers Liftoff Online Crop. I thought that it would be perfect for a challenge that Cheryl (a Lead Fiskateer) recently posted on the blog. Her challenge was “to use one of your punches in a unique way . . . brand new to you.”

For Cheryl’s challenge, I used the “Fall Gatherings” Border Punch, Limited Edition “What a Nut” Squeeze Punch, Limited Edition “Strong as an Oak” and the Med Round n’ Round Squeeze Punch to make these two little “love nuts”. I saved the little pieces from the Fall Gatherings Border Punch & used them to decorate the “hats” and the border. The verse is part of a stamp (it also had a squirrel on it) that I got from Michael’s a few years ago. The faces were hand drawn. This is a new way of using my punches as normally I would toss the little pieces from the border punch away.

While I had my punches out, I also made another fall card using the “Fall Gatherings” Border Punch, Limited Edition “What a Nut” Squeeze Punch, Limited Edition “Strong as an Oak” and the Med Round n’ Round Squeeze Punch. I also used the same stamped verse.

Then I decided that I needed a card with a squirrel on it. I used the squirrel from my USX Shape Template “Woodland Trees” and cut it out of gray cardstock. I added a shimmer chalk to it to give it some additional color. The squirrel was mounted on the punched out mat from the Fiskars “Dancing Daisy” circle border punch. I also used the same punches used in the previous two cards.

I love how you can use the same punches and come up with so many different card ideas.

One of the challenges in the Liftoff Crop Sandy Fiskateer #1781 was “Lift a Lead”. Sandy chose a card that Tami made using an old map and page from an old math book. Instead of making a card, Sandy made a “Junque Journal”. I was inspired by Sandy’s idea of creating a junque journal for myself. Although I didn’t get it done for the challenge, I finally finished making one of my own. It’s definitely a neat idea & it is going to be a fun way to keep track of all my 2011 “junque”.

I used lots of bling on this junque journal. The letters are SU chipboard that I painted white & then went over top with a shimmery opal paint. I used Glossy Accents to glue them down. I also punched out the angel wings from the Fiskars Limited Edition "Love Takes Flight" Squeeze Punch and added them on either side of the letter "O". I also added some stickles to the edges of the wings as well as to the flowers. The flowers are a SU stamp that I watercolored & cut out. I also used the MS Butterfly punch & added some stickles to it.

I hope that you've enjoyed this stop on the Orange Blog Hop and have been inspired in some way. Don't forget, the next stop on the Orange Blog Hop is “the crafty neighbor”.

Enjoy your day & thanks for hopping with us. Thanks for stopping by.

Coming Soon The 2nd Annual Fiskateers Orange Blog Hop

The 2nd Annual Fiskateers Orange Blog Hop is made up of Fiskateers. Fiskateers is a community of crafters (Fiskars Brand) that love to share the passion for crafting.

Saturday morning the event opens and will go through until Sunday at midnight. The starting blog is at the Fiskateers Blog. I hope to run into you Hopping!

Remembering September 11th

It's so hard to believe that 10 years have passed since that tragic day. Even though I live in Canada, I still remember it as if it was yesterday.

My heart goes out to all those who lost loved one's that day, the many, many heroes of the day, firemen, police officers, citizens, etc. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.

Surgery Update

Thank you all so very much for your thoughts & prayers. My sister Donna came through her surgery with flying colors & is doing well. They put in a small mechanical valve which will hopefully fix the problem. Thanks to God for hearing all of our prayers. I'm sure that Donna will have a speedy recovery as she hates to be cooped up for very long. Once again, thanks for all your thoughts & prayers. I really do appreciate them.

Please pray for my sister Donna who is having surgery today!

Please pray for my sister Donna. She had a mild heart attack last Thursday and this afternoon she is having open heart surgery to replace her aeortic heart valve.

Could you also say a prayer for Donna’s husband & their two beautiful daughters (& their families) who are having a difficult time watching Donna having to go through all of this.

Thanks so much for your thoughts & prayers. They are appreciated.

Please Say A Prayer for my Sister

My sister Donna had a heart attack early yesterday afternoon and her husband rushed her to the hospital. She’s ok and they are keeping her in the hospital for a few days to monitor her to make sure that she doesn’t have another one.

Donna recently found out that she is going to have to have heart surgery to repair the main heart valve that was destroyed by radiation that she underwent over 20 years ago to fight breast cancer. A couple of years ago she found out that she would have to have heart surgery at some point in the next few years to repair this valve. The surgeons were hoping that it she’d be ok for a few years & at the time surgery wasn’t necessary. After having a heart spell a few months ago & ending up in emergency she learnt that she’d have to have the heart surgery within the next few months.

Donna’s been undergoing various Pre-Op testing to determine what needs to be done to repair this heart valve. Hopefully this heart attack doesn’t slow down the surgeon setting a date for her surgery. I know how anxious she is to get this over & done with so that she can get on with her life.

Could you also say a prayer for Donna’s husband & their two beautiful daughters (& their families) who are having a really difficult time watching Donna having to go through all of this.

Thank you so much for your prayers. I know that prayers help and we need all the help we can get to help Donna get through this recent heart attack & her upcoming heart surgery.

Happy 5th Birthday Dakota (June 14th)

It’s hard to believe that another of my adorable great nieces, Dakota is 5 years old today. I remember the year she was born. On the 13th of June, I underwent knee surgery to have a torn cartilage in my left knee removed as well as an arthroscopy done. The day after my knee surgery, Dakota was born and then on the 15th of June, my mother underwent knee replacement surgery.

Now 5 yrs later I’m waiting to see my surgeon next month to set the date for my total knee replacement surgery to be done. I’ve already been through all the pre-op testing and have been given the go ahead from the cardiologist. I’ll be so glad when this is over & done with. Not just my surgery but my sister, Dakota’s “Ga Ga” (Grandma) is awaiting a date to have heart surgery done. She has to undergo a valve replacement. Needless to say it’s been a busy spring with us both undergoing various Pre-Op testing, a surprise 60th birthday party for her husband Rick as well as all these other family birthdays. Looks like our summer or fall will be spent recuperating from our surgeries (and birthday's).

Well Dakota's is the last of the little one’s birthdays until December when Jaden’s birthday comes along. I couldn’t let my adorable little great niece’s birthday go by without wishing her a wonderful birthday.

Happy Birthday to you dear Dakota. Here’s wishing you a very happy 5th birthday. I hope that all your birthday wishes & dreams come true.

I love you
Aunt Diane

Happy 2nd Birthday Dallas (June 8th)

Here’s wishing my sweet little great nephew Dallas a very Happy 2nd Birthday. It doesn’t seem possible that 2 years have gone by already. I hope that all your birthday wishes & dreams come true.

I love you
Aunt Diane

Happy 8th Birthday Jeremy (May 30th)

Well we started off the month with Jeremy's youngest brother's birthday & end off the month with his birthday. Somehow my niece Natasha managed to have all 3 of her boy's birthdays in May along with her own. Her poor daughter Jaden has to wait until December for her birthday which is only 11 days before Christmas (December 14th).

Jeremy is the spitting image of my father who passed away when I was a young girl. I found a photo of my father at the age of 2 and it is amazing how much Jeremy resembled him right down to the curly blond hair. I wish my father was alive today so that he could have seen and know his grandchildren & great grandchildren. (as well as them being able to know him).

I just have to wish my adorable great nephew Jeremy a very happy 8th birthday. I hope that all your birthday wishes & dreams come true.
I love you. Aunt Diane

Happy 4th Birthday Andrew (May 20th)

(This photo of my adorable Great Nephew Andrew was taken a couple of years ago when he was 2 yrs old. I really do need some updated photo's of all my "greats". Hint Hint). I've never seen a child change so much in looks as this little guy does. Every time I see him it's like they've gotten a new child. He changes in looks that much.

Happy 4th Birthday Andrew! I hope that all your birthday wishes come true.
I love you. Aunt Diane

Happy Birthday Natasha (May 8th)

Today is my niece Natasha's birthday. I just couldn't let today go by without wishing her a very Happy Birthday!

Natasha is my sister’s oldest daughter. Growing up they lived around the corner from us for about 7 years. Natasha & her younger sister Chantale spent a lot of time at my house. Our families vacationed together & spent a lot of time together. Natasha & Chantale are like daughters to me and I love them both dearly.

So once again if you are reading this Natasha, I hope that you have a wonderful birthday & that your day is as special as you are.

I hope all your birthday wishes & dreams come true.
I love you! Aunt Diane

Happy Mother's Day! (May 8th)

Happy Mother's Day! I just wanted to wish all the special mother's in my life a very Happy Mother's Day. My mother is always there for us when we need her and has taught us all how to be a good mother. Whenever my mother comments on how I've spoiled my son, I always tell her that I learnt it from her. I find myself doing the little things for my son that my mother always did (& would still do) for us. Everything I've learnt about being a good mother, I've learnt from her example. Even now that I'm grown up & a mother myself, my mother at 86 is still "mothering" me and my siblings. I wouldn't have it any other way. I am so blessed to have a mother who is as amazing as mine is. My mother is a very special person and I am truly blessed to have her as my mother. I know that because of her and the examples she set for us, we are all better parents to our own children.

Happy Mother's Day to my very special mother, my sister and my two beautiful nieces Natasha & Chantale.

Thanks mom for who you are and all that you do.
I love you! Diane

Happy 2nd Birthday Gavin (May 2nd)

(I really do need some updated photo's of all my "greats". Hint Hint.) This picture of Gavin was taken when he was 6 months old. Isn't he a little cutie. He's the only one of my niece Natasha's 4 children that has brown eyes. I told her that he got them from me. lol


Happy Birthday Gavin! I just have to take a minute to wish my sweet little great nephew Gavin a very happy 2nd birthday. I hope that all your birthday wishes come true Gavin.
Love you Aunt Diane

Toadally Frogs Blog Hop (Day 2)

Ribbett!! Ribbett!! "Welcome back to Day 2 of the Toadally Frogs Blog Hop! We have Toadally amazing crafters hopping along...and we hope to give the Easter Bunny a leap for his money! You should have come from Jamie at Glitter, Paper, Stamps, Oh My!'s blog http://jamieisacraftymomma.blogspot.com/--- wasn't that a fun place to visit? If you just happened to find us, and want to join in the fun, hop on back to Karelj's Blog at http://karelj.blogspot.com/ to start at the beginning."

Today’s project is these fun Boy’s Coveralls cards. I used a template that I found online to cut out the coveralls. I added a pocket and belt (they weren’t included on the template). The frog is the small frog from Magnolia. I cut off his crown & part of his body to fit him in the pocket. I think that the frog adds that little something to this cute little template.

Next, I took the same frog from the Magnolia stamps and used him on this binder clip stand. I used my Martha Stewart Fringe Scissors to cut the grass. The sign is a digital stamp that I found on line.

Thanks for stopping back. I hope that you’ve enjoyed today’s projects and that somehow I’ve inspired you to create something fun. Ribbett!! Ribbett!!

"Now that you've seen my blog, you should jump on over to Krista and Kori at 2 Crafty Chicks's blog, (http://2craftychics.blogspot.com/)and see if they have posted something new for Day 2."


1. Karelj at One By One The Flamingos Are Stealing My Sanity http://karelj.blogspot.com

2. Celeste at Touched By a Butterfly www.touchedbyabutterfly.blogspot.com

3. Michelle Petrovich at Peanut Butter and Jelly Designs http://peanutbutterandjellydesigns.blogspot.com

4. Belinda Kersey at Queen Bee’s Musings at http://www.queenbeesmusings.blogspot.com/

5. Cali Romero at Calie’s Creative Corner at www.Caliescreativecorner.blogspot.com

6. Nicolette Simpson at Beyond Scrapping www.beyondscrapin.blogspot.com

7. Bonnie Cantu at A Scrap Above at http://ascrapabove.blogspot.com/

8. Lisa Gorlewski at Lisa’s Paper Butterflies at http://lisaspaperbutterflies.blogspot.com

9. Jamie at Glitter, Paper, Stamps, Oh My! http://jamieisacraftymomma.blogspot.com/

10. Diane at Crafting This Moment at http://craftingthismoment.blogspot.com/ *YOU ARE HERE!!

11. Krista at scrapaleupagus.blogspot.com

12. Gina at Gina Thornton Stamping http://ginathorntonstamping.blogspot.com/

13. Stephenie at SS Crafter at http://www.sscrafter.blogspot.com/

14. Rebecca Maddux at Creations With Becka at www.creationswithbecka.blogspot.com

15. Kathryn at Creations By Kathryn at http://wamfamily.blogspot.com

16. Summer and Jennifer at The Cricut Diaries at www.cricutdiaries.blogspot.com

17. Mistyrose at Sweet Magnolia Rose at http://sweetmagnoliarose.blogspot.com/

18. Melissa Allore at Disney Dreamer Designs at www.disneydreamerdesigns.blogspot.com

19. Patti Hurlburt at Short ‘N Scrappy at www.shortnscrappy.com

20. Colleen McCauley at Col’s Creative Corner at http://scrappycol.blogspot.com/

21. Janice Anello at Cricut Confessions at www.cricutconfessions.com

22. Leah Pagliaroli at Leah’s Card Designs at http://leahscarddesigns.blogspot.com

23. Audrey Roseman at Life Is Beautiful at http://audreyscardsbydesign.blogspot.com

24. Ellen Jarvis at Card Monkey at www.cardmonkey-business.blogspot.com

25. Mallika Kejriwal at Miss Not So Good With Words at www.missnotsogoodwithwords.blogspot.com

26. Inga Klaus at Momma Hobbit Creations at http://mommahobbit.blogspot.com

27. Brynn Thornburgh at Flair and Frills Creativity http://www.flairandfrillscreativity.blogspot.com/

28. Kristal Andrews at Getting at http://www.gettingcricky.com

Toadally Frogs Blog Hop (Day 1)

Ribbett!! Ribbett!! "Welcome to the Toadally Frogs Blog Hop! We have Toadally amazing crafters hopping along...and we hope to give the Easter Bunny a leap for his money! You should have come from Jamie at Glitter, Paper, Stamps, Oh My!'s blog at http://jamieisacraftymomma.blogspot.com/ wasn't that a fun place to visit? If you just happened to find us, and want to join in the fun, hop on back to Karelj's Blog at http://karelj.blogspot.com to start at the beginning."

I'm a couple hours early with my post but lately I've had a problem with blogger not publishing my posts when I set them up to post automatically. Since I'm usually up by 3 am, I don't very often stay up until midnight which is why I'm posting early. So please do come back at 12:01 EST to see the start of the Karel's Toadily Frogs Blop Hop.

When I was a little girl, I always wanted to own a pet of my own. My father wasn't too thrilled with having house pets so when he was alive we didn't have them. (Well, we weren't supposed to. lol) Somehow we always managed to have pets of some sort, from a raccoon, a huge painted turtle we rescued from the road, a series of outdoor cats as well as whatever else followed us home.

I remember one summer in particular, it was all about frogs and toads. My friend Elizabeth who lived across the road from me and I spent most of the late spring and early summer trying to find frogs and toads to bring home. We had found 2 toads and we had them in a huge wooden box that we kept outside covered up so that they wouldn't escape. Well, one day on our way home from school we spotted a huge fat toad that we knew we had to have for our pet. Since we didn't have anything to carry him in, we emptied out Elizabeth's lunch box & put him in there. We had given all our toad's names and we kept them as pets for several weeks. Eventually I guess we realized that they weren't happy in their new homes and returned them to the wild. Even today I have a soft spot for frogs and toads.

For today’s project I stumbled across a cute idea online on how to make a Frog Bank. I saved the template for the frog & later made some alterations to it in order for it to fit on my container. I used an empty yogurt container for the frog’s body. I covered it with green cardstock that was run through my Cuttlebug using the Mesh Embossing folder. After embossing the cardstock, I wrapped it around the container. I then cut out the shapes for the head and body and also ran that through the Cuttlebug. I punched out circles for the eyes. Cut a hole in the lid of the container to make a slot to put your money in. The tongue was then cut out & attached so that it can lift up to hide the money slot. This is a fun easy project that can be done with your children & that I’m sure they’d enjoy. How fun to have this frog sit on your desk to help you save your money.

Or if you’re like me….you’ll use it to store all those left over punched out spare pieces. I usually store up all my left over punchies and give them to my niece who run’s a Day Care out of her home. She always takes the time to do craft projects with her day care kids. Her kid’s always love to create things with all the left over punchies. I also have a new scrapping friend who also happens to be a long lost cousin that I met through Ancestry.ca(we have the same great grandmother), that I send the leftover punchies to. I have so many punches that it’s nice to be able to share these leftover pieces with someone. It’s also a great way to use up all my scraps.

Here’s a picture of my Frog (Punchie) Bank:

I hope that you’ll stop by tomorrow to see more of my Toadilly Frogs projects. Ribbett!! Ribbett!!

"Now that you've seen my blog, you should jump on over to Krista http://www.scrapaleupagus.blogspot.com/. Her project is so toadally fun---I know you're going to love it!"

If you get lost along the way, here's the list of the blogs and their order. Have fun hopping!! Ribbet!!

1. Karelj at One By One The Flamingos Are Stealing My Sanity http://karelj.blogspot.com

2. Celeste at Touched By a Butterfly www.touchedbyabutterfly.blogspot.com

3. Michelle Petrovich at Peanut Butter and Jelly Designs http://peanutbutterandjellydesigns.blogspot.com

4. Belinda Kersey at Queen Bee’s Musings at http://www.queenbeesmusings.blogspot.com/

5. Cali Romero at Calie’s Creative Corner at www.Caliescreativecorner.blogspot.com

6. Nicolette Simpson at Beyond Scrapping www.beyondscrapin.blogspot.com

7. Bonnie Cantu at A Scrap Above at http://ascrapabove.blogspot.com/

8. Lisa Gorlewski at Lisa’s Paper Butterflies at http://lisaspaperbutterflies.blogspot.com

9. Jamie at Glitter, Paper, Stamps, Oh My! http://jamieisacraftymomma.blogspot.com/

10. Diane Davison at Crafting This Moment at http://craftingthismoment.blogspot.com/ *YOU ARE HERE!!

11. Krista at http://www.scrapaleupagus.blogspot.com/NEXT STOP ON THE LIST!!
12. Gina at Gina Thornton Stamping http://ginathorntonstamping.blogspot.com/

13. Stephenie at SS Crafter at http://www.sscrafter.blogspot.com/

14. Rebecca Maddux at Creations With Becka at www.creationswithbecka.blogspot.com

15. Kathryn at Creations By Kathryn at http://wamfamily.blogspot.com

16. Summer and Jennifer at The Cricut Diaries at www.cricutdiaries.blogspot.com

17. Mistyrose at Sweet Magnolia Rose at http://sweetmagnoliarose.blogspot.com/

18. Melissa Allore at Disney Dreamer Designs at www.disneydreamerdesigns.blogspot.com

19. Patti Hurlburt at Short ‘N Scrappy at www.shortnscrappy.com

20. Colleen McCauley at Col’s Creative Corner at http://scrappycol.blogspot.com/

21. Janice Anello at Cricut Confessions at www.cricutconfessions.com

22. Leah Pagliaroli at Leah’s Card Designs at http://leahscarddesigns.blogspot.com

23. Audrey Roseman at Life Is Beautiful at http://audreyscardsbydesign.blogspot.com

24. Ellen Jarvis at Card Monkey at www.cardmonkey-business.blogspot.com

25. Mallika Kejriwal at Miss Not So Good With Words at www.missnotsogoodwithwords.blogspot.com

26. Inga Klaus at Momma Hobbit Creations at http://mommahobbit.blogspot.com

27. Brynn Thornburgh at Flair and Frills Creativity http://www.flairandfrillscreativity.blogspot.com/

28. Kristal Andrews at Getting at http://www.gettingcricky.com

Where Have I Been?

It’s hard to believe that it’s been over 3 weeks since I’ve last posted to my blog. Where has the time gone? This month has been pretty hectic. I’ve been working on my projects for this weekends “Toadilly Frogs Blog Hop” as well as trying to catch up on other things around the house.

Lately I’ve been doing a lot of reading. April hasn’t been the greatest month weather wise & I’ve been suffering a lot with knee pain because of it. I don’t care what some of the doctor’s say, when you have arthritis, the weather plays a huge part of how you feel. At least it does for me. We haven’t had a lot of nice sunny days this month & for the most part, April has been rainy, cold, damp, etc. This week we’ve had snow (fortunately it hasn’t stayed on the ground), rain, hail, sleet, etc. On the day’s that my pain levels are really bad, I spend a good part of my day sleeping or reading. (It doesn’t help that I get up at 3 am most days).

Fortunately, I’ve found a new author to keep me occupied. I’ve been reading Joanne Fluke’s “Hannah Swensen’s Mystery novels” and what can I say….I’m hooked. There are 14 books plus 4 shorter novels in this series. I wish that I could have read them in order but unfortunately I haven’t been able to locate all of the books to do it that way. So far I’ve read 5 of these books and am currently reading one of the shorter novels “Candy Cane Murder” that’s at the back of “The Chocolate Chip Murder” book.

Hannah Swensen runs The Cookie Jar, Lake Eden’s most popular bakery in Minnesota. Along with baking cookies, she helps solve murders. Each of the books have recipes for the mouthwatering cookies, etc that she bakes for her bakery/coffee shop. What I love about these recipes is that for the most part they sound pretty easy to make plus the ingredients are all things that I have in my cupboards. I do plan on attempting to make some of these delicious sounding cookies. When I do, I’ll be sure to take a picture & post them on my blog.

If you are looking for a good, lighthearted read, be sure to check out Joanne Fluke’s Hannah Swensen series. If you enjoy Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum series, I think you’ll like these books as they are along the same line. Even thought they are murder mysteries, they don’t go into a lot of details about the murder victim or the actual crime so the books are not what I call full of blood, guts & gore…nor are they scary. Just a fun, lighthearted, enjoyable read. Definitely addictive!!

Blog Candy Winner

The winner of my blog candy from this weekends "Make Your Own Holiday" Blog Hop hosted by KarelJ, (which I am actually still rounding up & will post a picture of before sending it off) is ……

First, I contacted Karel’s friend “Randy” (Random.org) and asked him to help me draw a winner. He drew….

Drum roll please…..


Marianne Fiskateer #6708

Congratulations Marianne! I have sent you an email for you to send me your mailing information.

Thank you everyone for your wonderful comments & be sure to stop by again. Our next blog hop is KarelJ’s Toadily Frog Blog Hop on April 23rd & 24th.

Please stop by again. I appreciate your comments & your visits. Enjoy your day!

Copic Marker Journal

Some time ago I found these pages online that have tips for Copic Markers, a chart where you can keep favorite coloring combo’s, hair combo’s, skin combo’s, as well as the Copic Marker chart. I decided to take all of this & make myself a Copic Marker Journal that I could carry in my purse so that when I am out on a buying trip or even an online shopping spree, I don’t replace or buy what I already have.

I used a cereal box to make the covers. Sized the pages to the size I wanted. Added binder rings, (I still have to add some ribbons) and viola… I have a Copic Marker Journal to carry in my purse. Surprising enough, I’m even using it. Lol

TFL! Have a wonderful day!

KarelJ’s “Make Your Own Holiday” Blog Hop Thanks

Thanks Karel for all the hard work you do in putting together these fabulous blog hops & allowing me to participate. Your hard work doesn't go unnoticed. I really appreciate all the hard work you put into making these blog hops such a huge success.

I also want to thank all of you who stopped by, are now followers as well as left such wonderful, encouraging comments about my projects.

I’ll be back with the blog candy winner from the weekends comments as soon as I can. Thanks again to everyone who stopped by & I hope you’ll continue to visit. Have a great day!

Karel's Make Your Own Holiday Blog Hop Day 2

My holiday is…..

“Who Do You Think You Are Day”

Welcome back to Day 2 of Karel’s “Make Your Own Holiday” Blog Hop. I don’t know about you but I was absolutely floored by yesterday’s projects posted for this hop. These girls really knocked themselves out and I was so impressed by the various projects. My holiday, “Who Do You Think You Are?” Day is all about discovering and sharing your roots. I believe that it’s important for our children to know their families history and to know the hardships that their ancestors went through so that they can live the lives that they have today.

If you arrived here from Bonnie's blog at A Scrap Above at http://ascrapabove.blogspot.com/, your on the right track. The next stop on this 2 day hop is Nicolette's blog at Beyond Scrapping at http://www.beyondscrapin.blogspot.com/. If you get lost along the way, please go back to Karel's blog at http://www.kareljcreations.com/ for a complete list of the blogs participating.

Ok…first I’ll tell you about the blog candy and then on to my holiday post.

“Karelj (http://www.kareljcreations.com) is offering an over-all blog candy for those who are hopping along with us. She thought it would be fun to have some holiday-themed candy for this hop--but, of course, made-up holiday items were hard to come by! She decided to do a whole bunch of *regular* holiday themed stamps for you to enjoy. From Fiskars, there is an assorted holiday set; there's an alphabet from All Night Media, a set of 100 plus clear stamps and a storage case from Family Memories, and 5 sets of clear stamps from various dollar bins in big box stores. How to win them? Follow along the blog trail, leaving a comment on each and every blog. On Monday, Karelj will ask her buddy Randy (random.org) to select a blog number (from the list), a day (Saturday is one, Sunday is two), and a comment number from that blog. Please make sure you have left a reliable way to contact you (email is best, in the safe format of **** at **** dot com) so you can be notified by her personally. If you don't, she’ll have to select another winner.”

I will also put together something for blog candy. I'm not sure what yet but I will pick one winner by random over the two day postings to win a prize. I'll try & get a picture posted soon.

If you get lost along the way, the list for the blog hop is on yesterdays post.
When I first started researching my family tree it was before I had a computer. I made several trips to the local cemeteries, the local museum where they have a genealogy department that had a fair bit of information on my mother’s father’s family (Doane/Doan/Decou/Lemon/Marr & Thomson’s of South Ronaldsay, Orkney Islands, UK) who for the most part remained in this area. I went as far as I could on this line and quit for a few years. When I got my first computer in the late 1990’s I started back at it & was amazed at the wealth of information. I started researching my Thomson’s of South Ronaldsay, Orkney Islands, UK and met a friend online who helped me connect my line back to the early 1700’s. Not only did I have the names & dates of my ancestors, I also had the documents to prove that these people were my family.

After putting together my family tree, I wanted a way to showcase this information for my son in a format that would appeal to him. I decided to combine my love of genealogy with my new love scrapbooking (a hobby I picked up after a 2003 auto accident left me unable to work again). I created a mini album with a “shadow box” type display to show it off. The first mini album I created was for my Thomson’s of the Orkney Islands. Inside the shadow box I have a photograph of my Great Grandfather who immigrated from the Orkney Islands, my Great Grandmother (who died of Tuberculosis in 1887 at the age of 29 in Denver, Colorado) along with my maternal grandfather & his sister. (This is the only photograph we have of them). Also included in my shadow box is a Parish Token from the Parish of St. Mary’s, South Ronaldsay, Orkney Islands, Scotland. My GF’s husband does metal dectecting and during a time when the town was tearing up our streets to put in new sewer lines he found this Parish Token. When I saw it & told them that it was from the Parish where my Great Grandfather was baptized, they gave it to me and it is now one of my cherished possessions.

Here is a picture of the paperbag mini album with shadowbox that I created for my son a few years ago. In my album I started off with the first generation that I was able to find and ended it with my son who was the 8th generation.

I also created a paperbag mini album of my father’s paternal side going back generations ending again at my son who is the generation.

This past summer I discovered Ancestry.com and thought that I would see if I could go any further on my mother’s maternal side that always stumped me as well as my father’s maternal side. I was amazed at the wealth of information that I found on both lines. I was able to go back 6 generations on my maternal grandmother’s side and 8 generations on my paternal grandmother’s side. (I ended at my son who is single and is the end of the line following me).

Now that I have discovered all this information on my mother’s maternal side of the family, I thought that I’d make her a mini album that she could show off. I plan on adding a shadow box as well before giving it to her.

My mother is 86 and has always been interested in learning more about her mother’s side of the family, relatives that she remembers and lost touch with over the years, etc. I know that she would love to have something to show off that tells the story of her mother’s side of the family. This is going to be her Mother’s Day gift this year from me. This is the album that I have created to give to her along with the journal/journal jar. I am sure that she will love them.

Thank you so much for all your wonderful comments and for taking the time to hop with us. I hope that you’ve enjoyed yourselves and that this might encourage some of you to want to discover your roots as well.

Karel’s Make Your Own Holiday Blog Hop

Hmmm! When Karel posted that the March Blog Hop was going to be “Make Your Own Holiday” I thought that I knew immediately what I wanted to do. Trying to come up with a holiday either real or pretend was a tough one for me. I won’t say how many different holiday themes that I came up with & then over the course of a few days, changed my mind for one reason or another. One theme that I had thought of was a Princess Day but unfortunately my three little princesses weren’t available in time for me to do a project for this hop.

“You should have arrived here from Bonnie at A Scrap Above at http://ascrapabove.blogspot.com. If you just stumbled across the hop, and you’d like to start at the beginning, hop over to Karelj’s blog at www.kareljcreations.com to start at the beginning. After my stop, you should head over to Nicolette at Beyond Scrapping at www.beyondscrapin.blogspot.com to see what she has in store for you!”

Ok…first I’ll tell you about the blog candy and then on to my holiday post.

“Karelj (http://www.kareljcreations.com) is offering an over-all blog candy for those who are hopping along with us. She thought it would be fun to have some holiday-themed candy for this hop--but, of course, made-up holiday items were hard to come by! She decided to do a whole bunch of *regular* holiday themed stamps for you to enjoy. From Fiskars, there is an assorted holiday set; there's an alphabet from All Night Media, a set of 100 plus clear stamps and a storage case from Family Memories, and 5 sets of clear stamps from various dollar bins in big box stores. How to win them? Follow along the blog trail, leaving a comment on each and every blog. On Monday, Karelj will ask her buddy Randy (random.org) to select a blog number (from the list), a day (Saturday is one, Sunday is two), and a comment number from that blog. Please make sure you have left a reliable way to contact you (email is best, in the safe format of **** at **** dot com) so you can be notified by her personally. If you don't, she’ll have to select another winner.”

I will also put together something for blog candy. I'm not sure what yet but I will pick one winner by random over the two day postings to win a prize. I'll try & get a picture posted soon.

I finally decided on “Who Do You Think You Are” day. I borrowed the title from the new television show where they follow different stars while they trace their family trees. My holiday is more about remembering your roots, remembering those that came before us and celebrating them. Without them there wouldn’t be a you or I.

I’ve always been fascinated by my family history and have always wanted to learn more about my ancestors. I started back in the early 90’s tracing my mother’s paternal side of the family tree. My Great Grandfather came from the Orkney Islands in Scotland, UK and it wasn’t an easy job to tackle. With no one really knowing much about my Great Grandfather and his life in the Orknies, it was quite the difficult job. I am thrilled to say that after hundreds of hours, some help from online friends, a lot of research and quite the paper trail, I’ve been able to accurately trace my Great Grandfather’s side of the tree back to the mid 1700’s.

I also traced my mother’s paternal mother’s side (Doan/Doane) of the family tree and have accurately been able to trace them back to the late 1500’s on her side. My mother’s maternal side of the family tree has always been a mystery to her. It was always my “brick wall” and eventually I’d give up. Last summer I decided to play around on Ancestry.ca and try to see if I could trace her mother’s family tree. It was funny because I had sat down at the computer on Mother’s Day and started putting in names and before you knew it, I had found her family. I was thrilled because this has always been something that my mother has wanted to learn more about as did her older sister, my Aunt Elva, who sadly passed away in 2009. She would have been totally thrilled with my findings as over the years she was a huge help in my family tree research. Aunt Elva was 93 when she passed away from the C-Dif virus, she was an amazing woman and it’s so sad to think of all the stories we’ve lost now that she’s gone.

This got me to thinking of the stories that my mother has that haven’t been told yet. How at 86 years old it’s time for us to ask the questions and to hear the stories. Because I want to hear the stories of my families history, my mother’s childhood, her parents and siblings, I decided to make my mother a Journal Jar.

I took an old jar that I’ve been saving for just this purpose and decorated it to match the journal. I printed off over 100 questions about her family, her thoughts, memories, etc. Then I cut each question down to size, rolled them up & put them in the jar. The journal is a composition book that I picked up at our local dollar store. I decorated the front & back covers as well as the inside covers. On the front inside cover, I’ve added a pocket just in case she has a question she can’t answer right then she can place it in the pocket and answer it at a later date. I didn’t want any thick embellishments on the front cover as it would make writing on the back side of the pages too awkward. I'm still not quite finished with my jar and am still attempting to try different finishes for the top. I don't want to make it to bulky as my mother has arthritis in her hands and adding bulk to the top will make it difficult for her to remove the top.

The way that this Journal Jar works is that each day (or week) mom pulls a question out of the jar, then glues it to a page in her matching journal and writes down her memories to that question. I’ve also provided a matching glue stick for her. I also plan on adding a matching pen but unfortunately I ran out of time for this post. Then when she’s finished I’ll take her answers and put them in some sort of order in book form and pass it on to my siblings and nieces. This will be a way for my brother & sister and I to learn more about our parents and grandparents as well as our children to learn more about their roots. If we don’t ask the questions now, someday it will be too late.

One of the questions that I’ve put in the journal jar is “When and where did you meet our father. Tell us the story of how you met.” My father passed away when I was 11 ½ years old. I know bits & pieces of how they met but I’ve never asked her the question of how they met to get the story behind it. I’d love to more about their meeting, courtship and marriage.

Here are some pictures of the Journal and Journal Jar that I’ve made for my mother. I plan on giving this to her for Mother’s Day along with my project that I will be sharing tomorrow.

Come back tomorrow and celebrate more of “Who Do You Think You Are” Day and see part 2 of my Mother’s Day gift to my mom. I’m really excited about this gift for her. I just hope that I can hold off until Mother’s Day now. Lol

Thanks for stopping by and staying throughout this long post. Next stop on the list is Nicolette at Beyond Scrapping at www.beyondscrapin.blogspot.com where you can see the awesome project she has to share.

If you get lost along the way I’ve included the list of blogs participating in this hop. They are as follows:

1. Karelj at One By One The Flamingos Are Stealing My Sanity at http://www.kareljcreations.com

2. Janice at Cricut Confessions at http://www.cricutconfessions.com/

3. Summer and Jennifer at The Cricut Diaries at http://www.cricutdiaries.com/

4. Denine at Pumpkin and Spice at http://pumpkinspiceblog.blogspot.com/

5. Colleen at Col’s Creative Corner at http://www.scrappycol.blogspot.com

6. Mistyrose at Sweet Magnolia Rose at http://sweetmagnoliarose.blogspot.com

7. Ellen at Card Monkey at www.cardmonkey-business.blogspot.com

8. Rachel at Suburban Crafter http://www.rachelstampshappy.blogspot.com/

9. Monica at Scraps 2 Treasure at http://scraps2treasure.blogspot.com/

10. Jen at Young’s Scrapping at www.youngsscrapping.blogspot.com

11. Becka at Creations With Becka at www.creationswithbecka.blogspot.com

12. Jamie at Glitter, Paper, Stamps, Oh My! at http://www.jamieisacraftymomma.blogspot.com/

13. Michelle at Peanut Butter and jelly Designs at http://peanutbutterandjellydesigns.blogspot.com

14. Celeste at Touched By A Butterfly at http://touchedbyabutterfly.blogspot.com/

15. Leah at Leah’s Card Designs at http://leahscarddesigns.blogspot.com

16. Calie at Calie’s Creative Corner at www.Caliescreativecorner.blogspot.com

17. Audrey at It’s A Beautiful Life at www.audreyscardsbydesign.blogspot.com

18. Bonnie at A Scrap Above at http://ascrapabove.blogspot.com

19. YOU ARE HERE ***Diane at Crafting This Moment at http://www.craftingthismoment.blogspot.com YOU ARE HERE****

20. Nicolette at Beyond Scrapping at www.beyondscrapin.blogspot.com

21. Gina at Gina Thornton Stamping at http://ginathorntonstamping.blogspot.com

22. Kathryn at Creations With Kathryn at http://www.creationswithkathryn.com/

23. Yolie at Just Yolie, Just Create at http://justyolie.com

24. Patti at Short ‘N Scrappy at http://www.shortnscrappy.com/

25. Krista Orr at Scrapaleupagus at http://www.scrapaleupagus.blogspot.com/

26. Kay Craig at 100 Things at http://kopperhead100.blogspot.com

27. Jane Hollon at Sneezy’s Ramblings at http://sneezy1956.blogspot.com/

Happy Birthday to my Wonderful Son

(This is an older scrapbook layout that I did of my son when he was younger. He still has my heart today!)

Today (March 19th) is a very special day. It’s my son’s 25th birthday. I have such a difficult time believing that he’s 25 years old. It seems like only yesterday he was a little boy. These years have certainly gone by fast. I was definitely blessed when he was born. Having been only able to have one child, he certainly made being a mother easy. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful son that I am so very proud of.

Happy Birthday DS! I hope that your day is as special as you are. I love you. Mom

Happy 9th Birthday Chloe (March 13th)

(Photo from fall 2008)

Today is my beautiful Great Niece Chloe’s 9th birthday. I couldn’t let the day go by without wishing her a very happy birthday. I hope that her day is as special as she is.

Happy Birthday Chloe!! Enjoy your day!
I love you!
Aunt Diane

Ooops, I Did It Again

I do this every time it’s Daylight Savings Time. I go to bed at night knowing that I should change my clocks ahead (or back) but never do. Then of course by the time morning comes, I’ve forgotten all about the time change.

Last night I went to bed a lot later than I normally do & finally shut my light off around 12:45 a.m. (actually 1:45 a.m. with the time change). Then of course I get up at my usual wake up time of 3 a.m., not realizing it was actually 4 a.m since we lost an hours sleep with the clocks going ahead. Since my pc clock automatically changes with the Daylight Savings Time it took me awhile to clue in. It wasn’t until the sun came up that I realized I was supposed to change the clocks ahead.

I have Fibromyalgia as well as Rheumatoid Arthritis. Part of my fibromyalgia is a sleep disorder. I can fall asleep no problem, I just can’t stay asleep. This past year it has gotten worse and I’m now starting to wake up between 2 – 4 am to start my day. It doesn’t matter if I go to bed after midnight, I’m still waking up at 3 or 4 am. I know that the arthritis doesn’t help as most nights now it’s the pain that wakes me up. I’m in the process now of having pre-op testing done & will be having knee replacement surgery in the next few months. I plan on having both knees replaced this year but will do them a few months apart as long as my surgeon agrees. I don’t think I’m up to doing both knees at the same time. I’ve had a long battle with this knee pain and finding a surgeon who’d operate. Because of my age the surgeon’s have wanted to put it off until I’m around 60 yrs old. This new surgeon finally gets that my quality of life sucks because of the pain I’m in and my limited ability to walk. I don’t even like going shopping anymore unless it’s online. That so isn’t me…lol Anyways, enough of that subject. I’ll keep my blog updated as to when I’m having the knee replacement surgery.

So now since I only had 2 hours sleep, I will be dragging my rear end all day today. Arghh!!

Punch Art Flowers

Awhile back I stumbled across Valita’s Fresh Folds blog and watched her video where she used the SU Modern Label and the Scalloped Oval to create these beautiful flowers. I immediately got busy making flowers and then put together this card.

I love how it turned out and decided to make it a Sympathy card. I always find that Sympathy cards are the hardest to make and really don’t have any in my stash.

Pipe Cleaner Flower Tutorial

Pipe Cleaner Flower

I found these cute Pipe Cleaner Flowers either on a blog or in a magazine. Unfortunately, I can't remember where. I thought that they were really cute & they go together pretty quickly. They look great on cards, layouts or even a 3D project.

Here's how you can make your own Pipe Cleaner Flowers.

Supplies:
Pipe Cleaner
Wire snips / scissors
Scor Pal Tape
1 ½ ” Fiskars Squeeze Circle punch
Brad

Using the wire snips or strong scissors, cut your pipe cleaner into 2” sections. Take each section & twist into a “U” shape. Punch out a circle using your 1 1/2" circle punch. Add scor pal tape or strong adhesive tape to the back of the circle. Stick each 2 inch section of the pipe cleaner to the adhesive side of the circle. Once you have all 5 sections attached, you can shape them to your preference. Attach a brad in the center of your flower. Trim excess circle so that it doesn’t show through.

Here’s my flower on a “Accordion File” that I made for myself to keep my extra stamped Magnolia images in.

I hope that you've enjoyed this tutorial and are on your way to making your own pipe cleaner flowers.

Thanks for stopping by & have a great day!

What Have I Been Doing Lately?

What Have I Been Doing Lately? Well, I got started on making these different types of flowers and can't seem to stop.

My First Cricut Card

Well, I finally did it. After months of having my Cricut sitting in the box, I finally took it out & decided to try it out. I’m embarrassed to admit that I have a “Die Cut Machine” phobia. I don’t know why I am so terrified of using them for the first time. Not only has my Cricut spent months in the box, the same thing happened with my Cuttlebug, Wizard & my Sizzix. Once I get over the initial fear of playing with them for the first time, I’m ok.

For my first Cricut card I decided to start out easy. I saw this cute card on a blog (unfortunately I can’t remember who’s blog it was) that had a teapot & cups along with this cute verse. (if this is your’s let me know & I’ll give you credit) The Teapot & Tea cups are off the “Everyday Paper Dolls” cartridge & can be found on page 43.

I created another Twisted Easel card for this and also used the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder & my Stampin Up Eyelet Border punch. I also added some blue buttons to help hold the card open. The background paper is from a pack I bought a long time ago.

Have a great day! TFL!