WOYWW # 168 - Another parcel....Oh My!!!

 Today my worktop is a sea of folded laundry as I slowly work through the mountain that came home with us from the lake. Six sheets sets and assorted towels done and dusted...whew! 

I pushed all that to the right so that I could show you all my special parcel..

 

It came all the way  from Scotland... from the lovely  Elizabeth at   http://silverscrappers.blogspot.co.uk/

Elizabeth had a beautiful card on her blog that was sewing themed. Here is a link to that gorgeous card. Elizabeth's sewing themed card.

I left a comment drooling over the card and the paper...and...she emailed that she was sending it to me!!!

As this is my second parcel in as many days, I feel I need to assure you all, that if I comment on your blog...you don't have to send me something! teehee

Elizabeth emailed me to say that she had a couple of sheets of that patterned paper that she would like to send to me...

This is what greeted me when I opened the parcel...  

Oh my!!! Let me tell you it is just gorgeous.  The weight of the paper is just superb. It is all double sided paper...but it is much heavier than the double sided paper we can get over here. The papers are all from one line and all coordinate beautifully.  I am still drooling over the flowers...they are in matching patterns to the patterned paper and are really nicely embossed around the edges.  There are also 2 series of journaling cards that match the line as well.

Elizabeth tucked in this gorgeous handmade card. The cardstock weight is again superb. The weight is so superior to the cards I buy over here or even the cardstock that that we can buy to cut and fold our own cards...I was so very impressed with my lovely card!  

The small photo of the flower looks a daylilly. It looks like a photo...I think maybe this is a flower from Elizabeth's garden!!! I love the way the inside patterned paper element inside, matches up with the card front.

I feel so blessed to have connected with such lovely blogging friends...

Well, off to check out all the other workdesks on WOYWW at the lovely Julia's Stamping Ground blog http://stamping-ground.blogspot.ca/

Time to leave some bloggy hugs!

Funny things kids say

While the grandkids were with us for their little vacation at the lake, it was smoking hot!!! Around 33 or 34 every day. Luckily our lot faces away from the setting sun so we have a few feet of shade from the RV itself. We are lucky enough to have 3 big trees so we get additional shade there. Still, it was 30 minimum in the shade every day.

That is prime swimming weather so we went swimming at the family pool at least twice a day. Grandma made sure she pulled at least one popsicle stick a day that said pool!!! teehee

One very hot day, Grandpa got a little overheated and overtired. He headed up to the adult pool to  relax and cool off. He jokingly refered to joining the other  beached walruss up on the pool deck.

Little Miss C and Mr P were finally sprayed with suntan lotion, in their swimsuits, towels and sunglasses packed and off we headed to pick up Grandpa on our way to the family pool.

Little Mr P said "Why we goin this way? I neva been this way befoa"
I answered "We are going to pick up Grandpa at the adult pool and then we will all head over to the family pool.
We walked up the equivalant of a city block and he looks around at the quiet pool and the adults lying about suntanning on the deck lounge chairs. He announces to me..
.
"When I gwow up, I neva goin to be an adult...I'm goin to be a Daddy so I can go to the family pool where it is lots of fun. I don't want to go to the adult pool and have to go in a time out on those chairs! It's too quiet theya"
I nearly died laughing silently...Of course I had it be silently...we were still right beside the adult pool!  It is very quiet there...often there is no one in the pool and DH and I can go for over an hour and not see another soul in the pool. Other times there may be 2 or 4 others...that is about it. The occasional time that we go and there are several people, DH goes in and right back out and home...remarking there is too many people for his liking!!!

Here is a photo from yesterdays post demonstrating the adult pool as it usually looks...empty!

I can't show you the family pool as it is so full of people that I can't post of shot without displaying everyone in their swimsuits and I don't even know most of them in order to get permission. LOL

There are 274 units at the resort...where do all those people swim? We do have a shared access beach between all of us but it is never full either!  Sure, some go out in their boats...but that lake is cold when you are way out from shore and we have only had someone want to swim off the boat once...ever...

The family pool on the other hand always has a shortage of lounge chairs and has a full pool and hot tub all the time! It has lots of splashing and screams of joy...all...day...long!!!!!

Their first, very own vacation

Little Miss C and Little Mr P came with us to the lake for their very first vacation without Mum or Dad along. They were very excited to drive up to the lake with us, sans Mummy or Daddy. It is a good 4 or 4 1/2 hour drive so we had the portable DVD players set up to help them pass the time.  Thank goodness they are used to travelling, so that part went smoothly.

We had a couple of discussions beforehand to help dispel any concerns about activities, sleeping arrangements, etc. They had a really good grasp of exactly how many days and nights till Aunty and Mummy came up to join us for the weekend and eventually drive them back home.

DH was worried that they would be homesick...especially Mr P as he just turned 4 this spring. He need not have worried...they were happy, excited, and eager to start the adventures. Just in case they had a teary moment, I got my daughter to write them 4 little letters. Each morning we read them aloud. Those little notes were treasured and were fondly read and reread.

To take the pressure off deciding what to do each day, we took a huge handful of popsicle sticks and everyone chose an activity to write on them. Every morning we each got to choose one activity and that gave us 4 adventures for the day. Some were outings...to the bumper poats or the arcade games

Arcade games are fun cuz you can win some little wee tickets that buy you some prizes...like whoppee cushions! 

Others were outings to play  family bingo at the clubhouse or attend the ice cream social.

Others were simple like a walk to the pool or the playground.

What fun they had anticipating which one they would choose! We left the chosen sticks out on the bar counter to remind us all day. Some days we had to choose more after lunch...oh, the excitement!

Little Miss C wrote make cards on a couple of the sticks so we had 2 intense card making sessions and she churned out 20 more little quickie thank you cards for her stash. Here is a little sneak peek...she will show the rest of her stash on her own blog later this week. (when poor Grandma is rested enough to catch up 2 blogs)!

Miss C's favourite activity:

and the flip side for Little Mr P.

Mr P spent his beloved gravel time outside, carving and digging roads (for his trucks) out of the gravel driveway. He even managed to dig a little lake and float a wee boat in it. Thank goodness Grandpa had the hose out!

It was easy on vacation cto make everything an adventure. Even taking out the garbage became exciting...Little Miss C  would run to tag along...well, bike along actually. Soon as she saw that garbage bag being tied up, she would ran and get her helmet on and tag along to the garbage bin. If you took the "long" route there and back, it was 4 blocks. Mind you, 4 RV resort blocks, which are not all that long. After the first trip, she came bursting into the RV and announced, Grandma, Grandma, I rode 4 whole blocks and didn't have to stop once to steady myself!!! Her face was beaming!  She still has training wheels but doesn't get a lot of chance to practice riding her bike at home as they live in a hilly area.

Finally, like all vacations, it started to come to an end.  Mum and Auntie came to stay a couple of days and then headed home with the kids quite content that their vacation was done and dusted. I could not resist this picture of their shoes at the RV steps...Glamour Girl doesn't make it up to the RV very often and so I wanted to immortalize this wonderful family visit!

.  teehee...I just noticed all the girls shoes are on the left and guys on the right!!!
..

Finally...a little peek of the beach, the lake and Copper Island.

It was a wonderful week but no time for writing any new posts. I will just have to catch up now that we have all returned home.

A parcel

A while back, I was checking out all the busy desktops on Julia's What On Your Workdesk Wednesday.
I left a comment on the lovely Kay's blog...505 Whimsy girl. I told her that I thought the bird stamp on her worktop was gorgeous! She emailed me later and told me that she wanted to mail me the stamp as she was downsizing her wood mounted stamp collection.

I was so touched as I just left the comment as we all do...drooling over each others desks and what is on them.

Today, I arrived home from the lake and raced up to the mail box...brought a carry bag with me to shove all the envelopes into.  Eyes peeled, I was watching for my parcel from the lovely Kay. aka 505 Whimsygirl.
YES...it was there!!!

Raced home (all 3 houses...teehee),  handed DH the bills (teehee), and raced downstairs to tear open my parcel so I could share it with you all.

The stamp was carefully protected with a Starbucks card sleeve.  That brought a smile to my face because if you read my blog you will know that I often use coffee card sleeves in a certain series of recycled bird cards that I make.

There was also this  pretty little note from Kay...I am such a lucky girl!
Here is the close up of the stamp...

Isn't it just gorgeous? I can't wait to get it inky and create some pretty cards with it.  Little Miss C is going to love it as well!

Thanks again to Kay and hope you will pop over to check out her blog. Here is the link again.
Kay's blog

Birthday Card

Aug 1st was birthday celebrations for  my next door neighbour and very good friend, Lisa. She always celebrates her birthday camping in Washington State, USA. They have an RV membership at Beachwood Resort and she often goes down for 10 days or so and her hubby comes back home during the week to work.

They returned home today and I have made her a card and decorated a gift bag to match. The bag has 2 little 6x6 paper pads (she is a card maker too), colourful stick pins, and some paper ribbon that goes with. I tucked in a gift card to her favourite scrapbook store so she could also get something that was more just what she wanted!.

It is a little different than my usual style...but Lisa is a "just do it" type of girl. She shurns out cards like nobody's business. I am usually like the turtle and the hare, compared to her. She will be quite proud of me as  I followed her cue and "just got her done"

It is now 30 degrees inside my house and I am going out to do some yard work in the garden...preferably in a shady corner of the garden. Seems like there is always something to deadhead.  I really need to be cutting back some of the earlier flowering daylillies but they seem to have one blossom left on each! I think they are resisting the final showdown with the scissors!

Recipe
Kraft base card - Stash supplies (either  DCWV or Recollections)
Stickers  - Bo Bunny Let's Party
Chipboard Flowers - Dollar Store
Kraft Paper Bag - Dollarama

Eat Drink and be Married!

The wedding went off without a hitch...well, not quite,,, but I digress!

Here is the card I made her. I forgot to take a picture of the inside but it just simply said Forever in an embossed, heavy silver script,.I tucked gift certificates to a local scrapbook store that has the largest  selection of wedding papers, embellishments, ribbon etc. I wrote a little note that this was for the wedding album I knew she would be scrapbooking. Luckily, he seems to really enjoy her hobby so it kind of was for both of them...teeheee They had  "The honour of your presence is present enough" on their invite...but what can a good friend do!

It was a gorgeous sunny day, 33 degrees in fact, and the golf course balcony had a bit of shade, and a bit of sun, to suit all. The wedding ceremony was lovely, the bride looked gorgeous in an ivory heavily beaded halter dress and both of them laughed and smiled and just looked happy and relaxed all evening.

We were greeted with this pretty program on our chairs.

Of course she made them....here's  a little peek at some of the inside pages

They were married by their minister with the backdrop of the golf course just through the huge windows behind them. Luckily she has agreed to let me show the pictures on my blog. It helps that she (and some of the othere guests) read my blog!
Here is the entrance

He met her and they walked down the aisle together

 After the ceremony, we all retired to the balcony where there was a lovely spread of appetizers and wine aplenty. I thought you would all enjoy the napkins.

Once the professional photographer was through with the wedding party, we were called in for supper. I snapped this photo of the table settings.

Well, I teased you on my last post with the story of how she was wearing white cowboy boots with aqua trim under her wedding dress. Not sure if that actually happened as when I went to take that picture...she had changed...into this cute little dress and dark boots...for the dancing.

Sorry about the picture, I had only a minute to take it as they were waiting to start the dancing!

And now the mishap...
My other good friend had kindly offered to make the cake. It was delicious! Apparently, the top 2 layers slid off on the drive over. The 33 degree heat, combined with an hour journey by car, was just too much for the poor cake. My friend was in bits. Luckily a member of staff, grabbed the cake and did a quick repair job. The coke looked perfect at the cake cutting ceremony and my friend breathed a sigh of relief.

Bridal Shower Card

I attended a surprise wedding shower on Sunday.   It was for a very special friend who had lost her husband in a diving accident about 3 years ago.

She met the most wonderful man who cherishes her and treats her like a queen! It is so nice to see them together. She met him through her family...he is her cousin's father-in-law!

He carefully kept the shower a secret and delivered her to the hostess on the pretext they were stopping by for a swim. Luckily, the hostess had smuggled in one of the brides sundresses and had it stashed for her to change into.

We all contributed to a group gift but I just had to make her a handmade card. I met her at a scrapbook retreat around 12 years ago and for many years we shared a room at all the scrapbook overniters. For a couple of years she was even my next door neighbour!

Her wedding colours are white and a fairly bright aqua. The aqua will be in a hair flower that she had me make up into a headress and ...drum roll please...white cowboy boots with aqua trim!
She is a great country music fan and loves to dance two step in her cowboy boots! What a hoot!!!

Here is the card I made for her shower.

The shower festivities were held outside on a lovely patio. It was a gorgeous sunny day and the hostess had the patio decorated like a Victorian tea party. She had some lovely old character tables set up for us..

Tea was served on tiered plates and tea and a various assortment of pretty china teacups were used for the tea and coffee..

I thought the cupcake presentation was quite special. I hope you can see that there is a little engagement ring on the very top!

It's the wedding this weekend and I am really looking forward to seeing her dance in her cowboy boots!!!

I am entering this card in the following challenges:
1.  Totally papercrafts  http://totallypapercrafts.blogspot.ca/  Monochrome
2.  PaperPlay  Cahllenges    http://paperplaychallenges.blogspot.ca/   Layer it up
3..The Sisterhood of Crafters  http://thesisterhoodofcrafters.blogspot.ca/   Use at least one of diamonds,        pearls or lace.
4. Wishcraft Cards Challenge  http://wishcraftcards.blogspot.ca/  Use your forgotten stuff.
The diamond belt buckle has been sitting in a jar for I just don't know how long. The ribbon is a few years old and all the paper on this card is from my stash.