Introducing The Pony Girl

My husband is getting stronger by the day. Thanks for all the kind comments.

Our daughter and son in law were in a curling bonspiel this weekend. The grandchildren were at MIL's for Friday night till Saturday afternoon. She kindly dropped them off at ours at 2:00 and little Miss C. wanted to go straight to the craft room to finish her cards. Little Mr. P and Grandpa kept busy upstairs, with their own art project, decorating their "shoe box tunnel" for the railroad, with rockwork and a railroad name sign.

Miss C did really well. I keep a baggie of pre-cut Spellbinder die cut shapes. She chose shapes but did find it hard to cut the glue tape and place it. I learned that it will be easier for her if I "pre-tape" the backs with the dollar store double sided tape and store them in the baggie that way!

Apart from that, she had a really good idea of how she wanted them to look. She had 2 favourites and wants to make more cards, similar to those. I encouraged her to try brad flowers on one...just so she could learn to use the pokey pin and push them through...She seemed to like it!

We used cards from a boxed card pack so she didn't have to make the card from scratch. It is very cheap to do them as they are 5 bucks for 50 and include the envelopes. They are thick and sturdy for little hands which are often not holding the card very delicately!!!

Here is the link to her brand new blog...I hope you will pay her a little visit. She has posted her very first card!
http://theponygirl06.blogspot.ca/

WOYWW #146

I am late. late, late!  It has been a bit of a scary, disorganized week at my house. My husband had a mild heart attack at work.  He was admitted to hospital and is now home, trying to rest and relax.  We could not tell his friends etc till today as our eldest is on a trip around the world and we had to get confirmation that she had read the news before we were comfortable to tell anyone other than family.

We have made her promise not to fly home as her Dad would be upset and stressed by that. He is stable, she teaches nursing at a local university, so she understands his enzyme levels etc.

Well, my desk is a very scary mess indeed! I got the bright idea to reorganize my scrapbook room and have been pulling out drawers and purging and sorting through them. I have been scrapbooking about 12 years so I had a lot of stuff that was out of style. I have been filling a bin for art supplies for the grandkids and their friends. So far I have sorted 8 michaels cube drawers...only about 40 more to go!!!
I have been busy helping little Miss C. with her horse cards. I took her images home to fussy cut (as she is only 5 1/2).  If you enlarge the photos, you can see 4 of the"horsies" on my desk. She has her own blog now and was coming for a sleepover to get a card finished so she could make her first post and debut today on WOYWW.

Unfortunately the sleepover got cancelled as ECG's troponin levels, and holter monitors etc got in the way! So you get a peek at my nightmare mess, a sneak peek of her pending cards and you can breathe a sigh of relief that this mess is not yours!!!!! hahahaha

As you can see, some of this is still last weeks mess with more stuff thrown on top. Oh dear!

Yes, That's my makeup bag. It needs a bit of a mending as the zipper has come loose. The boxes to the left are folded cards and envelopes.  One is a box of 40 and the other a box of 50. They were on sale for 5 dollars each at Homesense/Winners. They are handy to use for  Miss C or to make up lots of assembly line type cards to donate to charity.

 Way over on the right hand side of my desk where the wedding supplies dwell, there is a huge stack of paper to be sorted into themes and added to my stored paper stash. There are some lovely sparkly flowers from  K and Co and 2 more "horsies" that appear to have trotted way over here for some sort of reason...I think they are trying to make an escape. One flying leap and they could be on the ironing board which seems to never get taken down and has taken up residence just beside this area.

Once again I have to beg off leaving comments. My computer is downstairs in my basement scrapbook room. Hubby is upstairs in his recliner drifting in and out of sleep. I kind of feel like I should stay on the same level for at least a week or so. Eventually I will figure out the wireless code and then I can use his laptop. Right now it is hardwired in, way up on the top floor of the house. I usually try to get to 75% of the WOYWW posters and always reply to anyone who leaves me a comment. I may not get replies off to anyone this week...but I will try.

In case you have never heard of WOYWW,  please click here   http://stamping-ground.blogspot.ca

 to visit the lovely Julia's blog. Leave her a comment and then you can look through the work desks and workrooms of crafters from all over the globe!

If It's Friday, It Must Be Weigh In Day

Just a quick post to say the weigh in bag and I made it home 1.2 pounds lighter this week. Did not lose anything last week so this week was a struggle to stay focused. I am down 21.2 pounds in total so I am really pleased with that.

I had mentioned on my WOYWW post that I have been quite fatigued lately. I have also been freezing cold for a few months whereas normally I am always roasting hot. I found out this week that I have hypothyroidism so the doctor started me on Synthroid  tablets to help even it out. Apparently I should start to feel less tired (and warmer) in about a month. Yay!

Can't have a pesky thyroid problem interfering with my paper crafts!

WOYWW #145

It's time to visit the lovely Julia at  http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/  to check out what all the bloggy crafters around the world have been up to this week...or more importantly...to get a good snoop at what's on their desks!!!

My desk is a mess:(. The angle of the picture makes it look much better than it is in real life...

That is a huge pile of stuff to be sorted, coupons waiting to be cut and papers waiting to be filed. Ugggh!! What a mess! I hope to deal with this tomorrow as I've decided that the couponing is taking up too much space in my scrapbook room! So the big stack of flyers, the coupon sheets, the binder, the binder tote bag, the whole shebang is going upstairs to the office. Along with all of that, I am also sending up the files from the filing cabinet in my room. From now on, that filing cabinet will be referred to as the "scraps cabinet" and "project cabinet".

Still working on my projects from previous posts. Now you might remember, I have warned you all that I am a  S L O W  worker.   In actuality, I like to have several choices of things ready to work on. I like to be able to choose between inky projects, sewing projects,  hot glue projects etc. I like to have some choices all ready to just grab and go ( take with me to a friends to work on, or to a crop).

On my desk you can still see the tropical bird cards at the back right still laid out...I have managed to find a bit of green swirled bling to go with them but am currently looking through my ribbon to find something that works. My original plan was bakers twine but all the shades are a little off. I was thinking the flowered ribbon beside the messy stack might work...but ooops, wrong shades again!

I am using this futile ribbon searching exercise to try to convince myself that if I had spray mists, I could just keep a stock of  white or ivory ribbon and then spray mist it to match any project. Yep, think I just have to get some...teehee

The stamped tags are for my grandaughter to colour. She is 5 1/2, in kindergarten and wants to make some cards and put them on a blog. She is very intrigued with my blog and fancies herself able to try to do the same. Today she coloured 4 Thelwell horse images. She did really well on the horse parts but struggled a bit with the lead rope which was very fine. I will have to fancy cut them for her to pop dot onto a card. Luckily I stockpile  50 packs of heavy DCWV prefolded cards and envelopes, as well as a baggie of precut Spellbinder ovals and circles, so she could create a card on her own quite easily.
Hopefully she might enjoy inking the edges of the tags and colouring the butterflies. I might show her how to chalk these ones with a nib dipped into water.

I try to visit 75 or 80 % of the posts. I may not get around that far this week as my thyroid numbers are really high and I can't get in to see my doctor again till Friday afternoon. It is just leaving me feeling bone weary  tired and is a contributing factor to just  how slow I am lately at getting things done. I will visit anyone who leaves me a comment of course and then try to get round to another 50 or so. Sorry to be a party pooper!!!

A Wee Coupon Shop

Stopped in at No Frills and picked up a few coupon bargains.

Bounty Paper towels Reg 9.99 Sale $5.88 less $1.00 coupon = $4.88 I am not a paper towel kind of girl but DH likes them for the bar-b-que both here and at the lake.
Head and Shoulders Shampoo for DH  Reg 4.96 Sale $3.99  less $1.00 coupon each = $2.99 each
Ivory Bodywash Reg 4.28 Sale$ 2.99 less $3.00 coupon = Free
Ivory bar soap 10 bars 4.28 Sale $2.99 less $3.00 coupon when you buy 2 pkg of 10 bars = $1.50 for 10 bars
All in all, an additional saving of another 40 % off the sale prices. Not a great trip but not bad.
I am on the scrounge for another couple of the Ivory bodywash coupons...I think DD has 2 and doesn't use that brand...hopefully I will be picking  up 2 more free ones on my way home from her  house tomorrow.

$50.00 Gift Certificate Blog Candy

I have never posted about blog candy before but today I stumbled across quite an unusual one.
Marjo at Kona Krafter is offering a $50.00 gift certificate to the craft store of YOUR choice as her blogoversary candy.
Just thought I would let my bloggy friends know as this seems to me to be a good prize. Details are here on Marjo's blog  http://www.konakrafter.blogspot.com/2012/02/blogoversary-candy.html

Good luck to you (and to me)...fingers crossed!

Wednesday's Words Of Wisdom

this
is your world.
shape it or
someone else
will.

                          Gary Lew

WOYWW #144

Seems like this week flew by...I was feeling a bit under the weather for a couple of days.  As luck would have it, I think I caught it from the grandkids! Throw in my birthday and the Bday celebrations and the week really did speed by.

I did get started on colouring my stamped images from last week. I'm about half way done. I even  have a couple of the tropical bird cards laid out, ready to glue and assemble. I still have to choose bling, buttons, etc to finish them off. I am looking for a sassy birthday greeting or verse for it! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
The last tropical bird will become a  Christmas card for some friends who are going to Mexico (with all their children and grandchildren) for Christmas. I'll have to work in some Xmas PP and maybe some Xmas lights on the palm tree.

That half of the other images from last week that are coloured, are still not cut out yet. Yes, I know, I have been a bit lazy!  I have come to live with the fact that I am S. L. O. W.   Maybe I can blame it on being older now...teeheehee

Now in typical Scrappymo! style, even though I have a ton of things to work on, ( I'm still slogging through the hair pretties from the last couple of weeks) I started a new project. Crazy, I know!  I was at the local dollar store and spyed a huge, canvas butcher type apron. I noticed right away that the canvas was really stiff and heavy. I immediately thought of running it thru my Big Shot with the Timm Holtz flower die and then embossing each layer a different pattern. You may remember the ivory card I posted where I made blooms like that from cardstock.

So for $2.00 I got 13 large layered flower, 15 leaf sprays, a ton of medium 2 layer flowers, and a bunch of left over bits to combine with other fabrics for even more. Seeing my die was going to need delinted after this, I went ahead and also rolled out some more in coloured burlap (from my previous burlap purse post).  Boy oh boy, was my die ever covered in lint! A few rolls back and forth with the lint roller and it was right as rain.

Here is a finished triple layer flower in the canvas. I will use it for a scrapbook page and combine it with a couple of the smaller sizes. The rest will make great scrappy gifts for girlfriends,  maybe in groups of three assorted flowers with a leaf spray.
Lastly, I strayed from Starbucks and tried out the coffee shop within my IGA grocery store. Right away I noticed that their coffee had even prettier sleeve holders than the Starbucks ones I so carefully save and reuse. While I had the Big Shot out, and my room was a mess anyway... I cut out this little bird and branch from the IGA sleeve. I used the Stampin Up punch. The clouds above it are left over bits of the canvas project above. I am trying out different shades of chalk on the edges.

Off to peek at what is on the work desks of all the others crafty/arty bloggers. If you would like to join in, you start with the gracious Julia,  at  http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/ who started this What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday. Be sure to  leave her some bloggy love for hosting us, and then chek out all the other desk linked to her post.

Another Spring Bird Card

Finally finished the last of my Spring bird cards. This one is for my Birthday card stash. It will be saved and used for a bird and nature lover!

The corrugated cardboard and the bird are cut from the inside of a Starbucks sleeve. I take little Mr. P to Starbucks on Tuesdays. He always has banana bread and an apple juice. I order a coffee and quickly slide the sleeve off and into my purse. I have a little stash of these and have used them on cards before. Thank goodness, Mr P is a slow eater so I manage to drink my coffee after it cools down!!!

The bird punch is Stampin Up, and the little branch he is perched on is a Memory Box die. The jute ribbon and twine have been in my stash for a few years or more. The "It's your day" phrase is leftover from card projects up at the lake. I like to stamp off a few images before I clean the stamp. I usually ink the edges all at once and then save the leftover bits in baggies in my card storage drawer. The yellowish tag behind the bird is a label I stamped and fussy cut out. I chalked it to get the yellow of the label and the torn sheet music to match. I stickled the eggs as it is impossible to colour kraft paper with a light shade and have it show up true to colour.

I did the inside with a Birthday verse and restamped the little bird in the bottom right corner. I like to stamp the verse on a separate paper and then  cut it as I always seem to stamp crooked!  This way, I can just adjust the diecut to the stamped words.

I am entering this card in the following challenges.:

1. http://onestitchatatimechallenge.blogspot.com/ - recycle- The torn corrugated piece and the bird are from my Starbucks coffee sleeve.
2.http://thespottedchick.blogspot.com/2012/03/thats-krafty-thursday-59.html
 - kraft coloured card stock
3. http://craftspotbykimberly.blogspot.com/ -  for the birds
4. http://allsortschallenge.blogspot.com/  - spread your wings
5. http://thekraftjournal.blogspot.com/  - use kraft card stock
6. http://marksfinestpapers.blogspot.com - recycle - torn corrugated piece and bird are from my Starbucks coffee sleeve.
7. http://stamptacularsundaychallenge.blogspot.com/  - text me
8. http://abcdtchallenge.blogspot.com/  - springtime challenge
9.http://www.creativetimeforme.com/  - cricutless design...no electronic machines
10. http://pennyblackatallsorts.blogspot.com/  - spring

Liebster

I am so honored that Dotty of   http://dottyacardsthings.blogspot.com/  nominated me for a Liebster award.

My little blog started as a therapy tool to help me with lingering memory problems and other issues, from a brain injury sustained in a car accident almost 4 years ago. My blog records precious stories of my grandchildren and my paper crafts. It has grown into such a source of joy for me. I love blogging and interacting with all my "bloggy" friends! 

Thanks so much Dotty for thinking of me.

For anyone that doesn't know, the Liebster award is given to inspirational blogs with less than 200 followers.

Liebster is a German word meaning dearest or favourite and the tradition is that I would pass on the award to 5 other blogs that have encouraged, inspired and motivated me. To accept the award here's what you need to do:

1....Thank the person who gave you the award on your blog 

2....Link back to that blogger on your blog

3....Post the award to your blog         

4....Pass on the award to 5 of your most valued blogs (less than 200 followers)     

5....Leave a comment on those 5 blogs to let them know  

 I chose these 5 bloggers because they are fabulous crafters, their work inspires me and their blogs are just lovely to visit. In no particular order, here are the five I have chosen: 

1.  http://www.maryannjenkins.com/

2. http://madforpaper.blogspot.com/

3.http://maisiemaycrafts.blogspot.com/

4.http://brittneyunwritten.blogspot.com/

5. http://becciscraftcorner.blogspot.com/2012/02/mummy-loves-you.html  (she is only 9 years old and so talented)

I hope you will check out their blogs as I know you will enjoy the visit.

If It's Friday, It Must Be Weigh In Day - A Milestone Day

I'm feeling very positive! The infamous weigh-in bag and I, just got home. I lost 2.4 pounds for a total of......
Exactly 20 pounds since Jan 10, 2012.
I am eating healthy, cooking in a very low fat manner, eliminating refined grains etc and eliminating sugars.
My formerly "puffy" fingers feel "looser" (all the better to do paper crafts with)!

And

It was my birthday yesterday...I was grateful for willpower to get me through the festivities...I figure 20 pounds less is a great way to start my 58th year.

Pretty packages

Finally got my Mom's present wrapped. Found a box big enough to ship the huge comforter/bed in a bag set and will just tuck the prezzie and card in that big box. She gets the 2 presents this year as I didn't see how I could ever find a way to wrap up the comforter and everyone has to have something to open!

I did the little gift up to match her card...just happened to find a box the right colour and made up the tag to look similar to the card.

 Had to ask my sister not to let my Mum see the blog for the next couple of days. Can't have her seeing any sneak peeks before it gets there!