Tuesday 1 December 2020
Special prize draw
You will have a choice of this Paper Roses Merry and Bright die (it is a large die),
or this Poppy Believe Fresh Script die
Just leave a comment to enter your name.
Winner - November Rudolph Days Challenge
I have been under the weather these past few days. Not covid, but feeling poorly nne the less. I will slowly get round to visiting each and every one of you and hopefully you all of will inspire me to get the last of my own cards done!
I used random org to chose our winner, # 57 Kathy Asper.
Kathy give me an email to maureenkane@telus.net and let me know your address. Keep in mind that your prize will not go out till my daughter drops by to pick up the package from my front porch. She takes my mail when she takes her own, so I do not know when until she texts me to leave it out! She just picked up last months winners package!
Wednesday 25 November 2020
November Rudolph Days Challenge
I am still struggling with the new blogger. I have not yet figured out how to cut and paste things from a previous post...like the rules for this challenge! If you have any knowledge of how to get cut and paste to work, drop me a comment explaining it, please.
In the meantime, if you need to peruse the rules, they can be found on the August Rudolph Days Challenge post.
Our team has been busy creating for your inspiration. First up is Jenny at Cardsarus blog. Jenny has made this beautiful angel card. I love the combination of kraft papers, shimmery pearlescent papers, and of course the gold. They look wonderful hilighting this pretty angel image.
Jenny has made a second card. This one features decoupage (I think) and lots and lots of glistening snow! You will have to follow the hyperlink above to pop over to her blog and read how she created these beautiful cards.
Next up is Linda at Snail's Space blog. Linda has created this reaaly adorable penguin easel type card. The blue colours here are perfect for this penguin scene. I love the snowy look here. Linda raised the heart to form the stopper that allows the easel card to stay open.
Linda has created a second really cute gnome card. Gnomes are so popular this year. I have not tried one yet, but sure love this one. I like the scene she has created for the gnome to be situated in. This card really tickles my fancy!
Methinks Linda has plans for a good many gnome cards in the days ahead as she is sharing one more thing she has made up on her desk!
Our prizes this month is a choice of this Impression Obsession small snowflake die
or this Cheery Lynn Designs, Merry Christmoose die
Sunday 1 November 2020
New Month, New Theme or maybe not!
This looked really silly and so I checked with the blogger help department and I see that many others have written in with the same problem. The solution seems to be that I need to hit shift and enter every time I want the end of a line to show. Ending a paragraph midline uses one shift and enter and then skipping the next line takes another shift and enter.
This is frustrating to remember each and every time you want a new paragraph. The other suggestion entered is to chose a new theme. Hence this new blog theme today.
Sadly, it did not solve the problem, so I still had to manually insert the line breaks.
I will now switch back to my old theme and continue with the manual inserts.
Just posting this info to help anyone else with run on paragraph problems.
October Rudolph Days Challenge Winner
We had a lovely sunny day yesterday and spent it in the garden rather than on the computer! A couple more hours back out there today, means our garden is well ready for winter. Al kept busy winterizing the boat and it is now under tarps for the winter.
As always, I used Random Org to chose our winner. The winning number is #49, Greta H. Greta, drop me an email to maureenkane@telus.net and let me know which prize you would like. Please include your mailing address as well.
Sunday 25 October 2020
October Rudolph Days Challenge
October Rudolph Days Challenge
Saturday 3 October 2020
September Rudolph Days Challenge - Winner
We had 55 wonderful entries this month. I have visited each and everyone...well almost everyone.
There is one entry that my design team and I could not comment on. I could not find a translate button, and the Wordpress blog wanted me to join something before I could comment. I can not join something without knowing exactly what I am joining as it may come back and be a problem later. If you are the Wordpress entry that did not get a comment, I apologize, but perhaps you can check and see if there is something you can disable in your settings to allow random comments.
I used Random Org to chose our winner. Helen #9 is our lucky winner. Helen, please drop me an email at maureenkane@telus.net and let me know which prize to send you. Please include your mailing address.
Wednesday 30 September 2020
September Rudolph Days Challenge Extended
Tuesday 1 September 2020
August Rudolph Days Challenge Winner
As always, the cards were so lovely. We have such a talented group of cardmakers that enter here.
I used Random Org to choose our winner and it is #30, TinaZTreebug.
Tina, could you drop me an email to maureenkane@telus.net and give me your mailing address.
Tuesday 25 August 2020
August Rudolph Days Challenge.
1. The Rudolph Days Challenge will start each month (January to November) on the 25th, and will close at midnight PST, on the last day of that month.
2. The theme is always Anything Goes, as long as it is Christmas.
3. One entry per person and you just need to enter one Christmas card or Christmas project.
4. You may combine your entry with other challenges (maximum of 10 in total).
5. Your card (or Christmas project) should not have been previously posted to your blog. It should be posted to your blog during the current months Rudolph Days Challenge, (between the 25th and last day of the current month)
6. Please link back to or at least mention, the Rudolph Days Challenge.
7. Please leave a comment on the challenge post.
8. The winner will be selected by random draw and announced on the first day of the following month. Prizes will be mailed anywhere in the world.
Sam has made us a second card. I think the sentiment is wonderful here. Great to showcase it and let it take center stage. All those presents on the design paper make me yearn for Christmas crafty presents!
I hope you will pop on over to Sam's blog and leave her some love...
Next up is Sue at Sue's Crafty Corner blog.
Sue has created this lovely inky sky as a backdrop for this wonderful bird image. I love the soft inky colours and the pretty colours of the bird image.
Sue was very hardworking and managed to make eight of these beautiful cards! I hope you will pop over to her blog and leave her some love,,,
My card is another upcycled one. Because the original image was so large, I made a 6x6 inch card base and added the trimmed down card front straight onto a piece of shimmery pale blue card stock by DCWV. I hand cut two hills from white glitter card, hoping that they would look like snowbanks.
Added a glittery aqua foam snowflake that is eons old. I bought a few packages of these at my local dollar store many years ago and still have a few tucked away! I added a small bow from some fine ivory cord, just to contrast with the more dressy look of this card...
The prize this month is this Studio Light, Winter Trails Frame Stamp.
Sunday 16 August 2020
Christmas Card Club - Winter Scene
We are a group of ladies who take turns choosing a theme to make a Christmas card every two weeks. This way, we have lots made by Christmas time. You can click on the hyperlinks that are on my right sideboard if you wish to see the other ladies cards.
I chose to upcycle another of the old cards my girlfriend gifted to me. Most were from the 1950s era and all with a lovely vintage feel.
This one captures a lovely winter scene...Looks like the Mom and child with the sleigh are heading over to that hill for some great sledding fun!
I fussy cut the matted scene and added it to some gold mirri card. I added a K&Co 3D poinsettia and a mistletoe spray from another K&CO set. I added a border strip of hessian ribbon across the middle of the Lily Of The Valley Krafty Christmas snowflake DP that I used for the background. I thought it added to the vintage feel....
I finished off this card by fussy cutting the sentiment from the old card and popped it up with pop dots.
Tuesday 11 August 2020
Gardening
Many of you are aware that about 5 years ago we downsized to a teensy sized lot and a slightly smaller house. We have tried ever since to maximize every square inch of garden space. I think we are doing a fairly good job on that part, but alas, the flower blooms themselves are not what they have been in past years!
Usually my Montana clematis has a hundred blossoms or more in the springtime. This year it had 6 or 7. A couple of months later, it bloomed again and had about 10 more blossoms. Weird!
Two other trellises that have two different clematis each, are even worse. One trellis had one blossom and the other had....NONE AT ALL...sigh Here is a photo of last years Montana clematis
Luckily, the clematis closest to the front of the garden seems to be blooming up a storm to make up for the others. I keep a diary with a hand drawn map of what grows where in the garden. I list names of flowers and even tape the name tags (if I have them) into the book. I went to look up the name of this blooming clematis and although I have carefully taped in the tag, the name is not on the tag! And of course, I had not written down the name yet, thinking I could just rewrite it off the tag.
I chat with a couple of ladies via email and promised to post photos of my clematis and garden bed. So here they are...please remember I mentioned that I have a teensy, teensy lot! Perfect for my arthritis as I can garden and yet not tire myself out!
This is the back edge of the patio that adjoins the flower bed I showed above. As you can see, the evergreen that is in the foreground has a lot of brown needles in the bottom area of the tree.
Some of the clematis have that browning too, as well as all the ivy in my big pots and hanging baskets. I had to cut the ivy back to the ground and even then, some rusty coloured leaves grew back.
Normally, I would just take a few sample leaves into my master gardener booth at the local nursery, but not this year, with COVID. I think it is perhaps a virus of some sort, or maybe rust...
We removed some river rock edging around the lower patio and changed it over to brick patterned slabs. We needed the extra room as we added a portable hot tub. When it wears out, we will change over to a pack and play hot tub, They are sold out right now across Canada. In some cases, the factories have not yet reopened and in others the manufacturers delivery dates are running into mid October. The main factory that we want to purchase from (through Costco) is still shut down due to COVID.
This one we bought is just a cheapie, but serves its purpose well. Al has been in soaking nearly every night. It is easily maintaining 104 degrees Fahrenheit.
Luckily the patio doors to our walk out basement are right beside this tub. So it is just a few steps inside to a bathroom with a shower for a quick rinse off afterwards!
The antique looking trunk was Al's grandfathers. He bought his tools in it when he left Wisconsin to come and make a home in Canada. We are now keeping the spa chemicals in it.
The tall topiary tree in one of the large pots behind the tub, is a California lilac. We had masses of beautiful teensy blue blooms earlier in the year. I think there are still a few left in this photo...
We are going to take out the small evergreen trees you see in the other pots and replant with two more California Lilac. It is a nice way to create a visual screen between the neighbour's house and ours. An added bonus is that it keeps those glossy green leaves all winter!
We are very lucky that our neighbours are not outdoor people. We have only seen them out in their back garden once, in the last 5 years. Al always mows their grass when he does ours as the front gardens are so teensy here. It is easier to mow straight up to their sidewalk, than guess at the arbitrary line down the middle. He asked if they minded, when we first moved in and they burst into huge smiles and said they were not garden people at all and would love it. He also shovels their sidewalks when it snows, as he is out there anyway and he knows that they have to go out to work. Each Christmas, they bring us a bottle of very pricey wine, and a lovely box of chocolates.
Here is a shot from the main sidewalk, just inside the gate to the garage..
Hope you enjoyed this little peek into my back garden!
Sunday 2 August 2020
Christmas Card Club - Nativity
If you are interested in joining this club challenge, let me know. We take turns chosing the theme and we make a Christmas card every two weeks. My right sidebar has hyperlinks to the others members blogs...click on them if you want to take a peak.
My Nativity stamp is Christmas/Noel, from Recollections, 2017. I think it is the first time I have used it...but not completely sure. I can not remember using it but wonder of that is just old age setting in!
The image was hard to stamp. I wasted a whole 8x10 sheet of Bazzill stamping paper and kept getting an image that was not crisp. I switched to Tsukineko, Versa Fine Clair, Nocturne and got a crisp image first time!
I swiped the image with soft aqua and pale lavender chalk inks. You can barely see it as I think I was a bit too cautious.
I matted the finished image with a snippet of dark teal ombre style HunkyDory Mirri card and placed that on a piece of Best Creations Surf's Up glitter embossed paper.
This card is proof that any design paper can be used on any type of card! The A side of this paper is large aqua hibiscus flowers heavily embossed with clear glitter here and there. Luckily, the flip side is this sunburst type design hopefully looking like the rays from the North Star.
I wiped all the edges of the DP and the mirri card with a violet chalk ink. The teal ombre Mirri card fades into a violet colour even though it hardly shows up on this card.
Another mat of the HunkyDory mirri and this card was done. Well, almost done. I added a small aqua diamond on the star over the nativity. Of course I did not realize it was slightly crooked till I took this photo...it has since been straightened,
Saturday 1 August 2020
Winner of the July Rudolph Days Challenge
As always, I have used Random Org to chose our winner, #38, FT Fit Kitty
FT Fit Kitty, will you drop me an email to maureenkane@telus.net and give me your mailing address? I can not promise exactly when, but will send your prize as soon as I can.
Saturday 25 July 2020
July Rudolph Days Challenge
Hi there. Once again, it is time for the Rudolph Days Challenge. Here are the rules for your perusal...
1. The Rudolph Days Challenge will start each month (January to November) on the 25th, and will close at midnight PST, on the last day of that month.
2. The theme is always Anything Goes, as long as it is Christmas.
3. One entry per person and you just need to enter one Christmas card or Christmas project.
4. You may combine your entry with other challenges (maximum of 10 in total).
5. Your card (or Christmas project) should not have been previously posted to your blog. It should be posted to your blog during the current months Rudolph Days Challenge, (between the 25th and last day of the current month)
6. Please link back to or at least mention, the Rudolph Days Challenge.
7. Please leave a comment on the challenge post.
8. The winner will be selected by random draw and announced on the first day of the following month. Prizes will be mailed anywhere in the world.
I am sad to announce that I will have to suspend mailing of gifts until things are safer here in my area. Our province has relaxed things somewhat, but are still recommending if you fit the high risk group then follow the original rules. With so many people out and about now, it is riskier to go to the post office to have the parcels customs sticker stamped. I do have everything here at home, customs forms, stamps, scales etc, but the customs form has to be stamped by the post office. I will mail them all out once this has let up to a safe level.
Our designers have been busy.
Jenny has made this beautiful winter forest silhouette against a lovely glittery background. I love the contrast here.
I hope you will click on the hyperlink and visit Jenny's blog to learn about how she made this card and leave her some praise too.
My card is a Bella image from LOTV, coloured with pencil crayons and gamsol, I matted with a green dotted DP and matted again with a turquoise mirri card. The background DP is from Bo Bunny Christmas In The Village, and the two strips of dotted green paper are the leftover snippets from cutting the image mat. I gave them a heavy swipe of Ocean Depth Blue, Versa Magic Chalk Ink along all the edges to make them stand out a little more against that colourfull bauble background. I even used it on the outer edge of the bauble design paper.
The Snowflake is from Hobby Lobby, and I popped a sentiment from Helz Cuppleditch's Wonderland series over that snowflake.
The prize this month is this Tutti Designs Forrest Friends Nativity die.
Sunday 5 July 2020
Snippets and a NBUS (at least I hope it is NBUS)!!!
Do you ever feel like you are drowning in snippets? I sure do and so armed with my snippets boxes, I sat myself down to somehow use up a bunch of them.
There are also leafy branches in brown and in green with these sets...I think they are in one of the unopened matchboxes of owls.
I am entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Pixies Crafty Workshop - must use snippets.
2. Darnell's NBUS Challenge - must use NBUS
Wednesday 1 July 2020
Winner of the June Rudolph Days Challenge
We have a National holiday and my kids and grandkids are away camping. They are sending us so many lovely campsite photos. Prior to Covid, if they camped locally, they would invite us for a meal and Al would bring the boat there to take out all the campers for a ride or a tow... how the children loved this! They do not go to ordinary campsites, they use small campsites where you rent the whole place and then invite friends and their families to join you! Usually there are 5 to 12 trailers of friends, so lots of children!
Long gone are those days. Now, we would have to let them pick up the boat, and they will have to sanitize it before returning! Luckily, my son-in-law has his boating license, so we are able to loan it to them.
I usually draw the winner at midnight on the last day of the month, but could not manage to stay awake that long! Hence the draw this morning...
We had 52 lovely entries this month. While I have looked over all of them, I am only up to number 42 in leaving comments. I will get to you all, I just find it hard to sit and type right now. Neck still pinched, but slightly better than it was...
Our winner # 28 Shaz in Oz was chosen by Random Org.
Shaz, could you drop me an email to let me know which die you prefer and also please include your mailing address. That way, I can get it into the addressed envelope so that once I have a chance to mail the prizes, I will have everything ready!
Although one of the rules here is that entries must leave a comment, Shaz's comments go direct to my email. I confirmed that she did indeed leave one this month as always!.
Thursday 25 June 2020
June Rudolph Days Challenge
1. The Rudolph Days Challenge will start each month (January to November) on the 25th, and will close at midnight PST, on the last day of that month.
2. The theme is always Anything Goes, as long as it is Christmas.
3. One entry per person and you just need to enter one Christmas card or Christmas project.
4. You may combine your entry with other challenges (maximum of 10 in total).
5. Your card (or Christmas project) should not have been previously posted to your blog. It should be posted to your blog during the current months Rudolph Days Challenge, (between the 25th and last day of the current month)
6. Please link back to or at least mention, the Rudolph Days Challenge.
7. Please leave a comment on the challenge post.
8. The winner will be selected by random draw and announced on the first day of the following month. Prizes will be mailed anywhere in the world.
I am sad to announce that I will have to suspend mailing of gifts until things are safer here in my area. Our province has relaxed things somewhat, but are still recommending if you fit the high risk group then follow the original rules. With so many people out and about now, it is riskier to go to the post office to have the parcels customs sticker stamped. I do have everything here at home, customs forms, stamps, scales etc, but the customs form has to be stamped by the post office. I will mail them all out once this has let up to a safe level.
Our designers have been busy.
First up is Sue at Sue's Crafty Corner blog.
Sue has made this beautiful Christmas card with delicate tiny fairies flying between the snowflakes. I am looking forward to Sue's blog post as although I think the fairies re Lavina stamps, I do wish to learn who makes those gorgeous snowflakes!
Pop over and leave Sue some love on this gorgeous card.