Happy Birthday Canada

Happy Canada Day to all. It was a gorgeous day here. Lot's of sun but no humidity. Just the way I love it. I went to the Stratford Festival this weekend with a friend to celebrate our birthdays. We saw "Trojan Women" in honour of the first university production I was in during my drama major at the University of Guelph. Although our's wasn't the same translation as Stratford's, the story was the same - very tragic and powerful.

This card in no way reflects the show we saw but does say "Happy Birthday" which was the theme of the weekend. It was made using the Cutie Pie DP's from Stampin' Up and the hostess set "For a Friend". Happy Birthday Canada!!! I'm proud to call you my home.

Play Laugh

Two of the most important words in the English language as far as I'm concerned. If we all allowed ourselves to play and laugh more, what a wonderful world we would live in. I made this 6 x 6 scrapbook page for my mom and I think it embodies this philosophy. It's both her daughters with each of their children, having fun and playing. I used So Saffron, Pretty in Pink and Designer Stampin' Up papers in Tempting Turquoise. The flower comes a retired Simply Scrappin' kit. It was quick and easy but fun.

Play Laugh.

A Journeyman Amongst Us

It's official. Summer is here. Although we have had some startling hot days here in Southwestern Ontario, it hasn't been consistently warm and sunny. I'm happy that everything is green though. My brother-in-law recently completed his apprenticeship and is now a licensed journeyman plumber. We are so proud of him. This is the card I created for him using Fast & Fun Notes from Stampin' Up along with Old Olive, River Rock, Bordering Blue and Ruby Red colours. The designer paper is from Chatterbox although the title escapes me. Way to go Chad!

Cherish

Inspired by a card creation found in the Stampin' Up Spring/Summer Collection 2008 on page 16, I used my Baroque Motif set to create this simple but classy card that can be great to have on hand for any occasion. I used it as an anniversary card for my parents who just celebrated 36 years of marriage. What better way to acknowledge their union than by igniting reflection of treasured moments with the word "cherish". Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!!

A First

My little cousin Marek turned One today. I made this card for him to celebrate the first of many wonderful birthdays to come. I just love the "Wild About You" from Stampin' Up. It's so fun and I do hope that Marek will think it's fun too. Of course, he was much more interested in the wrapping paper than anything else. Oh to be one again and see the world as such a new and exciting place full of wonderment and awe. Enjoy little one!

Thanks so Much

I don't know what is going on in the rest of the world today but here in Southwestern Ontario, we are snowed in. This has been the worst winter in ages. We've had over 30 cm of snow in the last 24 hours and it continues to come down like there's no tomorrow. I am not a fan of winter but I am grateful that I am safe in my home where it is warm. As this card says it: Thanks so Much!

Ellie Briar

I have yet another new addition to my extended family. My cousin Ang had a baby girl in February. She lives 2 provinces away from me so I have yet to meet the little one but that does not diminish my excitement for her safe arrival. Her name is Ellie Briar and I'm sure she is as sweet and perfect as the rest of her family. I created this card to send to her parents to congratulate them.

In Need of Some Elegance

I put up this card today because it demonstrates a bit of class I think and I'm all but classy today. I woke up at around 1:00 a.m. with a terrible stomach flu.
My 3 year old son had it the night before so it was no surprise that I ended up with it but it sure has knocked me off of my feet. The countless trips to the bathroom and general feeling of unwellness have made for a long and painstaking night. This leaves me weak, messy-haired and in my comfy but ugly pjamas for today. Hence the need to put up this card that I made using Stampin' Ups Baroque Backgrounds paper and one of the retired Hostess sets from the fall catalogue. The layout comes from one of Splitcoast Stampers Card Sketch challenges.

Serenity

Ahh! The house is quiet. My husband and son have gone to a model train show and I am sitting here in the stillness and calm of being alone ... not lonely ... alone. There was a time in my life when being alone was never welcome but now ... it is so rare and infrequent that when it happens it is such a gift. This card makes me think of Serenity - flowing curves, calming colours, natural. Inspired and created using the Simply Scrapping kit that coincides with the Baroque Motif set from Stampin' Up, I find this card elegant and classy and great for many a purpose (depending on the greeting used). The "self-adhesive die cuts" in the kit make this card super quick to assemble.

Post-Christmas Blues

It's come and gone for another year. I find the aftermath so anti-climatic but then I look forward to the New Year and try hard to motivate myself to jumpstart it with some resolutitions and set some goals to give me something else to anticipate. This year, I want to maybe get into a community play to do some acting again. It's been a while since I've been on stage and I long for the thrill of jumping into another character. I also want to continue with my health regime - exercising and making better eating choices. I've only been into this for about a month so I'm anxiously waiting to reap some benefits. More time for card-making would be nice too - I've still got some Christmas cards I would like to display - like this one.