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