Happy Easter - Giving to each other

Happy Easter everyone! Hope you are having a fun filled weekend and eating lots of chocolate!

The grandkids slept over Friday night and we were up and out of the house early Saturday to go into the city to the Stanley Park Easter Train.
 55 minutes to drive to the Park...35 minutes in a lineup to pay for parking! Poor DH and a huge queue of others couldn't get the parking ticket machines to work. After eating his money and refusing to take any other form of payment, he had to leave the lineup to walk back to the truck to get more cash from his jacket.
Luckily he did, as a woman was ticketing the vehicles of all those who were stuck in the lineup!!! After he got sorted out with her, it was back to the queue to get tickets again.

The train itself was nice. I remember going every Christmas to ride that miniature train. In those days, there was so much more at the park. There were pony rides, a free Zoo and also a petting Zoo. You could row a boat at Lost Lagoon. The ponds and man made lakes were bursting with ducks and geese...there were peacocks and tons of wildlife. The police had stables there  for the horses they rode to patrol the park. You could go and pet the horses and get a little talk from the policemen all about brushing or riding them...

I will slide in a warning for my British readers. Canadians just do not know how to do miniature train rides like you do! I have been on many of yours and they are all superb. That said...here is a little peek into our ride....you will see that my photography skills have not improved much!

I couldn't get the engine...or engineer...there was a swell of people trying for photos and we were near the back. Amazingly I managed to get in and out of the train without assistance...there were sort of pipe horizontal rails just under the red roofs...I hoisted myself in and out with them...Little Miss C took my poles!
There were a few little woodland scenes...

Both children quite liked the mechanical aspect of the water wheel and turned their heads to see it  till it was gone.

 Here is a glimpse of a Sasquatch and his camp.

The kids enjoyed the train ride itself and the little views of  "nature".

 There was a free easter egg hunt included and to my utter joy it was located in the old petting zoo. It was so much fun to walk around, through all the old areas I used to love to visit as a kid.

Afterwards we walked over to the Aquarium and had a great time looking through all the exhibits and seeing the Beluga whales, otters and small dolphins.  The otters were so busy playing, you just had to smile...all the faces around me were full of smiles at their antics.
I wanted to walk down to Lumberman's Arch and show the kids where DH and I learned to swim...well...in all honesty, where DH learned to swim...I learned to dog paddle at best!!! The lessons were held in the man made  tidal pool created within the park. You could always find it by the big log framed "arch". I think most  kids in Vancouver and even perhaps Burnaby learned to swim there. I was so hoping to get a picture of the arch but  my back couldn't keep up and after the Aquarium we staggered back to the truck. It was just as well as the kids were so tired too...poor Little Miss C was falling asleep at our late lunch and both fell asleep on the long drive home. Little Mr P was chattering away in the truck and suddenly there was silence...he fell asleep in mid sentence!!!

We carried them into the house and laid them down to have a wee rest...I knew my daughter would be here to pick them up shortly and Little Miss C so wanted to give her brother an Easter card and get one from him as well!!!  I ran down to the craft room and grabbed the leftover DP from the other day and some of my baggies of pre cut spellbinder dies. I put together 2 very quick cards and popped them into envelopes with their initial pencilled on  the front. When they woke up, I gave them each the others person card to address and sign...Poor Little Mr P...he couldn't figure out that the pencilled C was just there so I knew who to give them to...he carefully write her name...leaving off the C and writing in pen beside it, the rest of her name!

 

Here is the one she gave to him.

And a quick peek at the inside.

Not the best sentiment stamping in the world but I only had 30 or 40 minutes tops to make both cards so no times to pencil the bare spots back in!

No recipe as these are pretty basic and all the bits were listed the other day.

I am entering these cards in the following challenges:

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1.Pixies Crafty Workshop - must use snippets.

2. Simon says Stamp - Anything goes

One more

One more Christmas card added to the finished cards bin. It sure has been nice to see that stack of cards grow! I made a commitment to make at least 3 of these cards per month so this is my final Christmas card for March. Whew...I was cutting it close to the wire! Had to get this posted before month end so that it counts in my totals.

Not sure that I like it all that much,,, I send cards to a wide variety of people so I know it will work out OK for someone...just have to figure out who!

Just one little tip and then on to the recipe as I am tired from our Stanley Park train ride and visit to the Aquarium afterwards. The large red cardstock was embossed in the center with a spellbinders square die...then the white cardstock in the center was embossed with a size smaller square die...and finally...yes...you guessed it the red cardstock square in the center was embossed using another smaller square. Hard to photgraph so thought I would share that detail.
Recipe:
Card base - Michaels 5x5 card and envelope pack from my stash
Cardstock - red and white from my snippets stash
Dies - Spellbinder squares used to emboss a frame around the white square
         - Corner Die Marianne Creatables LR0143 (a candy win from Shaz in OZ @ http://calligraphycards-shazinoz.blogspot.ca/
Bling - Dollarama from my stash
Ribbon - a very teensy snippet from my stash...could hardly tie it!
Stickles - Stardust stickles around the embossed edge of the smallest red square and the white square.
Sentiment - a rub-on from my stash...so old that I don't know the name anymore.
Stamp - unknown from the stamping day at the LSS (next time I  will stamp one image and record the names for my files.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Pixies Crafty Workshop - must use snippets...think I might win something for using the teensiest piece of ribbona nd managing to tie it too!
2. CHNC Extra - must be Christmas
3. Marks Finest Papers SpeedyTV Christmas Card Challenge - must be Christmas
4. Crafty Ribbons - Anything goes with ribbon
5. Jingle Belles Rock - Jingle Belles are Blinging I used stickles and lots of diamond gems
6. Marks Finest Papers Simple Salutations - Anything goes

Easter Chicks

Well, maybe not the real ones but this will have to do.

It's down to the wire and I have to produce a couple of Easter cards so finally buckled down to it tonight...

Spring is finally here in Surrey B.C.  DH spent a couple of hours in the garden yesterday and again today and I took advantage of that and raced down to the craft room to prepare some Easter card kits for the grandkids. They arrived at 4:30...full of giggles and boundless energy and dying to make some cards for their Mum and Dad. I had the kits all laid out to save time...Two lovely card were quickly created, signed, and into the envelopes before I could grab a picture!

I had a smile on my face as they both signed each card, using the same pen. Little Miss C went for the dark ink look...pressed nice and hard and went to town with medium sized writing. Little Mr P sat down after her and printed his name so tiny I may have to run out and buy a magnifying glass for them to see it! He also managed to make it appear as though he used a super fine point, pale ink pen!!! Oh, what a sweetie!

They were up into their beds at 9pm and this tired Grandma made a card with the leftover scraps from their creating spree. Now keep in mind that we are almost 60...we love them to bits but are TIRED by bedtime when we have them for sleepovers...they are great kids, quiet, play nicely together etc...but it is all the extras that we are not used to that tire us out! Glad  I got these cards made,  as we are off to Stanley park to ride the Easter train tomorrow. It is about an hour's drive to the park and probably a fair bit of walking from the car parking area to the train. I shall bring my poles and I'm sure buy the time we get home, I will not be making any cards tomorrow!

Here is the first one...A very simple card made from snippets and hoarded stash! I have finally come to the realization that they do not all have to be works of art. In some cases, they just have to be a card...ready at the right time...made to suit the audience they are intended for. This is one of those.

Gosh, this photo seems so washed out. I will try another one...I think it is a little clearer...but the photo is a little wonky...sigh...I need to take a photography course!

Recipe
Card base - 5 inch square scalloped card;  made on the accucut machine at my local scrapbook store...free to use as long as you are cutting paper you bought from them. I keep their heavy weight card stock in separate folders marked with their store name...that way I can use those machines when needed.
Designer Paper - from my stash, Floral with bunnies and chicks is Best Creations Craft n Craftin Glitter paper Bunny Love
Designer Paper - from my stash, Words;  Flair Designs 2008  Easter Surprise Collection - Words
Cardstock - from my snippets bin
Dies - Spellbinders square Fleur de Lis
Embellishments - from my stash,  3D chick and egg, tiny carrot and blue flower, as well as the 3D Easter sign are snippets of various  Dollar Store Easter scrapbook packets.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Pixies Crafty Workshop - must use snippets.
2. Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes
3. Friends of Speedy TV MFP - # 65 Make an Easter card or project
4. Simple Salutations MFP - Anything goes
5. Inspirational Challenge MFP - Inspirational photos provided