To Gnome You!

Is this not the cutest little gnome you have ever seen? He is the freebie this month over at Birdie Brown & you just might still have time to get him if you hurry over there.

I colored my little gnome with prismacolor pencils & mounted him on Bazzill CS cut from spellbinder dies. The autumn colored pearls are from Bo Bunny, buttons & leaves are from my stash & the sentiment I printed on the computer. We have left autumn behind & are right into that nasty wintery weather here...much too soon I might add! We had 5" of snow over the weekend & it isn't showing signs of disappearing anytime soon. Oh well, I am off to the city for a jaunt around the shops to make myself feel better....maybe get some Christmas shopping started. I do plan to stop at the craft shop & see if I can pick up a few Memory Box dies....they are hard to come by here in the boonies! Have a great day!
Hugs, Renee

I am entering my card in these challenges:
1. Birdie Brown.....monthly challenge
2.Brown Sugar.....anything goes
3.Poodles Parlour.....anything goes
4. Wags n Whiskers.....fall colors
5. 2 Sisters.....fall colors
6. Challenges 4 Everybody.....anything goes
7. Scrappy Frogs.....fall
8. Stamptacular Sunday.....NOT just your ordinary card
9. Celebrate the Occasion.....fall
10. Through the Craftroom Door.....anything goes

Letraset Giveaway!

 

Wow, look what you could win (actually, I'm hoping I win) !!

 

To be eligible to win this whole set of Letraset markers check out Going Buggy's blog. It's as easy as signing up for the Letraset newsletter & leaving a comment on the Going Buggy blog! Can't get much simpler than that!

Get Them Checked!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month & the girls over at LUFP are having an amazing event to get the message out there! They have tons of great prizes to be won. This is the prefect opportunity to tell everyone you love to get their mammograms. I made this card in honor 3 beautiful women who have each touched my life in their own very special way....my sister-in-law Sue & my "little sister" Catherine who are both cancer free &for the most inspiring woman I have ever had the priviledge to know, my "blogland" friend Jennifer who is currently fighting the monster with everything she has! Love you ladies with all my heart!

 I am entering my card in the challenge at LUFP for a chance to win one of the 127 great prizes from 92 very generous sponsers! You still have time to enter!                                                    

 

I would also like to enter my card in the following challenges:                                                             

1. Glitter & Sparkle Ch. 2.....buttons & bows                                                                                           

2. Crafty Sentiments.....anything goes                                                                                                      

3. Stamping Boutique.....pink ribbons                                                                                                       

4. In the Pink.....pink & one other color                                                                                                    

5. Paper Crafting Journey.....add some bling                                                                                            

6. 2 Sisters.....anything goes                                                                                                                      

                                                                                                  

   I almost forgot to tell you about the gorgeous images I used: first, the infamous "Boobie Love" from Saturated Canary & the glittery ribbon is from Beccy at Beccy's Place.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Hallowe'en Cutie

I have just returned from a visit to the city where I spent a few days visiting my Mom & catching up with the friends I used to craft with before moving to the lake. We got together for lunch & a good giggle. I think the waitress was glad to see us leave...we were there for over 3 hours! Have you ever noticed how time flies when you are with great friends? I drove home on Thursday afternoon & I am sooooo glad I didn't wait until yesterday as originally planned. We had the weirdest weather yesterday! Everything from sunshine, cloud, high winds, rain, sleet & even SNOW! Yuck, it is way too early for that dreaded white stuff! Today was chilly but lovely & sunny. So, I have just made my first ever Hallowe'en card! Can you believe it....61 yrs. old & making my first one! And, I think it is adorable if I do say so myself. The image is from Sandi Huggett at The Outlawz, CS is Bazzill & there is NO DP! (another first for me!) the scalloped frame is a sticker from Making Memories that has been in my stash for over a year; the ribbon is also from my stash & is probably 2 yrs. old; the bling is from Queen & Co.

 

The next picture is a real bear that was chomping on acorns just a few cottages down from us the other night.....he wasn't the least bit concerned that I was there taking his picture (from the safety of my car!)                                                                                                                                                 

 

I am entering my card in the following challenges:
1. Hiding in my craftroom.....hallowe'en
2. Pattie's Creations.....anything goes
3. Simply Create Too #22.....anything goes
4. Wags 'n Whiskers.....circles
5. DL.Art Thankful Thurs. Ch.....hallowe'en for a child
6. My Heart Pieces.....anything goes
7. Paper Play Ch.....choose a holiday
8. Inky Impressions.....for a child
9. Paper Pretties.....no DP
10. Oldie but Goodie Ch.....use something atleast 6mths. old (sticker frame & ribbon)

 

 

 

 

 

Crazy September

September is a crazy month for birthdays in my family....last week was my hubby's; this week is my beautiful niece Alyssa's & my sister-in-law Dianne & next week is my brother Terry's. My craftroom has been a busy place lately! For Alyssa's card I decided to use the gorgeous "Ava" from Saturated Canary. I have had this image for ages & have been waiting for just the right occasion to use it. So, here she is:

 

As always I have colored the image with Prismacolor pencils. The CS is Prism & the beautiful DP is "Airy Fairy" by Kaisercraft. I have used 2 Memory Box dies: Valerian Flourish & Petal Party; the bling is from Recollections & ribbon is from my stash.

I am entering my card in the following challenges:
1.  Dream Valley.....Celebrations
2.  No Matter Which Challenge #2..... die cuts/punches
3.  Platypus Creek Ch. #15.....birthdays
4.  Squiggles & Giggles.....punches & dies
5.  The Squirrell & the Fox.....anything goes
6.  Allsorts.....purple passion
7.  Di's Digi Designs.....2 die cuts/punches
8.  Simply Create Too.....anything goes
9.  Crafty Blogger Network.....color challenge (purple)
10. Forever Friends.....purple
11. Lollipop Crafts Ch#90.....2 punches/dies
12. Make It Monday.....anything goes
13. Totally Stampalicious.....girlie birthday card
14. Tammy's Scrapin Corner.....anything goes

Birthday Fishes!

Tomorrow is my wonderful hubby's birthday & when I saw this image from Anne Fenton  I knew it was the one for him. When we lived in the city Bill created a beautiful oasis in our backyard with a big pond, waterfall, patio & cedar gazebo. His pride & joy were the "fishies" that lived happily in the pond all summer & in tanks in our basment in the winter. I think the hardest part for him when we moved to the cottage was leaving his pond & his koi behind! The young couple that bought our house were very excited about taking over the care of said pond & fish but Bill just wasn't sure they would love them as much as he did! LOL We have plans to build a pond here at the lake but until that time comes I thought maybe these little fishies would tide him over! The image as I said is one from Anne Fenton at the freebie challenge on the Outlawz site, colored with prismacolor pencils & OMS, papers are Basic Grey, ribbon is from my (huge) stash & the manly bling is Recollections. Thanks for stopping by....hope you have a great week....me, I have tons of birthday cards to make....Sept. is a big time birthday month in my family!

I want to enter this card in the following challenges:
1. Digi Haven.....fins or feather
2. Dude Time Doodles.....2 shades of blue
3. One Stop Craft Challenge #198.....no flowers

I HATE spiders!!!

I hope you all took the time to do the "Jen's Sunshine" blog hop & send some love to our lovely Jen. Wow, there sure were some beautiful cards created. Thanks to everyone who stopped by my blog & left such lovely comments....I truly appreciate every one of them! I've had a very interesting few days since my last post. On Wed. evening I was sitting on the chesterfield talking on the phone to my daughter when I noticed a big red welt on the back of my leg. Within a couple of minutes my leg started to swell up & got very red, hot & painful. The next morning I could hardly walk with the pain so I phoned the clinic & got an appointment to have it looked at. One look & the doc sent me down to the emergency dept......she said I had been bitten by a spider & had cellulitis. So, I spent all day Thurs. hooked up to IV antibiotics. I have always disliked spiders but now they are on the top of my "squish list"!!! (& I didn't eve see this critter or feel the bite) While I was in emergency the doctor drew lines on my leg to mark where the inflammation was & where it spread to as the day went on. I was told not to wash the marks off until the inflammation started to receed. Well, we were going to a dinner on Sat. for our friends 50th anniversary & I was wearing white capri pants....needless to say my leg got a few stares....with it's blue road map drawn all over this nasty red calf & shin! I'm happy to report it has improved greatly. The pain is gone & the color is almost back to normal....now, does anyone know how to get these rotten pen marks off my skin? My card today is the one I made for the anniversary party on Sat. It is the first card I have ever made without an image on it & I really love how it turned out! The CS is Bazzill, DP is Basic Grey Picadilly...breakfast nook, I used the gorgeous Valerian Flourish die from Memory Box...putting 2 of them together with the Recollections flower in the center (thanks to Debby4000 for that idea!) lastly, the beautiful lace is from the dollar store....$0.25/meter....gotta love that deal!!! Whatever you are up to today I hope it makes you happy! Thanks for stopping by.      Hugs, Renee

 

 This is the inside of the card:

I'm going to try my luck in the following challenges:
1. Crafts 4 Eternity.....less is more
2. Daring Cardmakers.....focus on flowers
3. Inspire Me Fridays.....anything goes
4. Make it Monday.....anything goes
5. Paper Pretties.....square card
6. The Pink Elephant.....use patterned paper
7. The Cupboard Trilogy.....tic tac toe (flowers, lace & glitter (50th)
8. 2 Sisters.....use a primary color (yellow)
9. Basic Grey.....punch it (Valerian flourish)
10. Challenges 4 Everybody.....anything goes
11. Paper Crafting Journey.....anything goes
12. Through the Craftroom Door...anything goes
13. Papertake Weekly.....anything goes
14. Little Red Wagon.....use a number (50)

Link Up For Pink

Keeping with the Breast Cancer Awareness theme....check out this awesome giveaway that Yolie has at LUFP!

Who wouldn't want to get their hands on this!!!http://www.linkupforpink.com/

For Jen With Love!

Paper Makeup Stamps & Party Time Tuesdays Challenge Blog proudly presents 

"Jen's Sunshine" Blog Hop
This hop will remain open till Tuesday Sept.4th
Winners announced Sept. 7th

Today we take time to honor our friend and fellow crafter Jen Scull.  If you are here hopping with us, then I am sure you know Jen is battling breast cancer.  She has been fighting this nasty disease since February.  On behalf of Jen, we thank you for being here.

                                                                                                                                                                                 
Jen, I am so lucky to have "met" you & I am honored to be part of this blog hop for you! Love you to bits girl! Hugs, Renee

We ask as you hop along with us, please consider donating at least $1 using the paypal donation button at any stop along the way.  Your donation will go directly to Jen. Thank you.

It wouldn't be a hop without prizes.  To see a full list of the prizes up for grabs, please visit 

Paper Makeup Stamps

and

Party Time Tuesdays Challenge Blog

To be eligible to win a prize from our sponsors, collect the hidden letters located throughout the hop.  Once you spell out the secret phrase, please email Jenn Cochran at partytimetuesdays@hotmail.com.  This will get you entered to win one of several fabulous prizes.

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A Walk In My Garden!

Wow, I have been away for so long....Hubby was off with my camera for 10 days, I was busy with our local flower/craft show & when that was over, we had company for 3 days. I now have a few hours to spare before granddaughter # 2 arrives for her "special time" with Grandma & Grandpa. She is 5 yrs. old & very "busy" so Grandma will definitely be ready for bed every night! I had 30 enteries in the flower/craft show & won 27 ribbons! My favorite entry was a garden journal that I made using a lovely digi image from Anne Fenton at the Outlawz challenge blog. I love to garden almost as much as I love paper crafts! I picked a few of my favorite pages to share along with the cover to give you a bit of a stroll in my garden....hope you enjoy it! I have used all kinds of paper so won't even begin to list them. The "I'm a Gardener" is to the tune of Monty Python's "I'm a Lumberjack" & the sentiments were all computer generated & copied from the net.

And this is the beautiful spot where I live!

I am entering my journal in the following challenges:
1. Bunny Zoe.....summer (definitely summer here)
2. Craft Your Passion....power of 3....there are 3 flowers on the cover
3. Created With Love....3 of a kind....3 flowers
4. Eureka Stamps....anything goes
5. Make It Monday....anything goes
6. Simon Says Stamp & Show.....anything goes
7. Tammy's Scrapin Corner....anything goes
8. 2 Sisters....In the garden
9. Inspire Me Fridays....anything goes
10. Pattie's Creations....anything but a card

Panic time!

Yesterday I took my hubby Bill to the airport & sent him off to visit his brother in Penticton, BC for 10  days. Driving home I thought how much fun I was going to have crafting for days on end without interruption.....what's for supper....where are my car keys....my jeans need washed (says he doesn't know how to use the new front load machine!!) The smile was soon wiped off my face this morning though when I went to take a picture of this card & remembered he had taken my camera! What do I do now? Ah, ha....my new printer is also a scanner...let's give that a go....suffice to say it took me about 6 tries to get the scan done properly & into my pictures instead of documents (where it wouldn't upload to blogger) Why can't they make anything easy on us poor old computer illiterate seniors??!! I'm sure everywhere I go on my computer now I am going to have this ice cream sundae staring at me & laughing!

This adorable image is by Heather over at Fresh Brewed Designs; colored with prismacolor pencils & OMS; DP is Little Yellow Bicycle & Basic Grey; CS is The Paper Company; I have used a MS border punch & Spellbinders; ribbon is from Michael's & the bling (which is purple but looks clear here) is from Queen & Co.

I plan to enter my card in the following challenges:
1. Celebrate the Occasion #73.....I scream for ice cream (I am just getting in under the wire on this one because of all the scanning issues!!!)
2. Papertake Weekly #70.....sketch
3. Tuesday Alchemy.....ice cream social
4. Crafty Creations.....cool summer treats
5. My Mum's Craft Shop.....#68....favorite ice cream flavour....strawberry
6. Crafty Ribbon.....spots & dots
7. DYSU.....polka dots
8. Little Miss Muffett.....neapolitan ice cream colors
9. Crafty Catz.....pink
10. Poodles Parlour.....anything goes
11. Simply Create Too.....anything goes

Hope you have a wonderful day & thanks for stopping by!

Sweet Wishes!

Our scorching weather is continuing & the other night it brought a fierce storm our way. Trees blew down, power went out & in one small community houses had their roof blown off! A tornado touched down not too far from where we live but thankfully the area  had  minimal property damage & no one was injured! This heat & humidity is prime storm weather.
My card today is a lovely image by Anne Fenton over at the Outlawz & the sentiment is from Inky Antics. My image was colored with prismacolor pencils (I still haven't sprung for Copics or Promarkers) The DP are from a beautiful 6x6 pad by Prima called "Fairy Flora" & CS is Bazzill. The pearls are Recollections, ribbon is Offray & Michael's & the gorgeous glitter flowers are from my stash (not sure but I think they are Prima) The design is from Sketches by Carly.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Color Me Creative.....anything goes with a girly twist
2. Card Makin Mamas.....1 image, 2 DP, & 3 embellies (flowers, ribbon, pearls)
3. Crafts4Eternity.....brilliant birthdays
4. Poodles Parlour.....anything goes
6. Sketches by Carly.....sketch

Country Life!

I absolutely love living out in the country! I have a lovely big yard, I can walk down the hill & go for a swim any time I feel like it & there is no hussle & bussle of the big city! However, lastnight one of the drawbacks of country living showed it's face! Bill had just headed off to bed & I was sitting reading when I felt the cottage shake a little bit. At first I thought I was imagining things but when it happened again I got up, turned the outside light on & had a look out the window....there on my deck, staring back at me was a huge black bear!!! Not sure who was more surprised....the bear or me! Bill, my hero, came to the rescue after hearing me yell "OMG there's a bear on the deck"....in the mean time the poor old bear clamoured over the railing & disappeared into the bushes. Now, I must add to this story that my deck is 20 ft. up off the ground & one has to climb 20 steps to get on to it! That bear climbed all that way & didn't even find a morsel to eat....thank goodness I wasn't sitting outside reading....he could have had a real feast!!! A  truck is a necessity when living out here in the boonies...atleast that's what Bill tells me....he uses his about twice a month to take the garbage to the landfill....but it is a necessity!  Boys & their toys! Our son Chris just bought a new truck & it is his birthday on Sunday (29th) so what better image to use for a card for him than this one from Sandy over at The Outlawz. The trees in the background are from Rubber Stampede & are stamped with Versafine ink.  I went out to our yard & dug up some sand to make a "dirt" road for the truck (it is stuck on with Provo craft Terrifically Tacky Tape) papers are from my stash. Well, I'm off to hunt for bears! Thanks for stopping by.

I want to enter this card in these challenges:                                                                                          

Make it Monday.....anything goes                                                                                                            

Papertake Weekly Challenge.....make you own...I made my own sentiment & DIRT ROAD!              

Shopping Our Stash.....use something new.....the truck digi is new                                                         

Stamp N Plus.....anything goes                                                                                                                 

                                         

Check out this giveaway!!!

Ingvild Bolme, a designer fro Prima is giving away this amazing "mountain of Prima" products to celebrate the new look for her blog! Check it out here. Who wouldn't love to win this awesome prize!!
Hugs, Renee

Little Irish Dancer

I fell in love with this Mo Manning image the minute I saw it & knew I would have to add it to my collection! Irish dancing is near & dear to my heart....my granddaughter, daughter & myself have all danced for the McConnell School of Irish Dance at one time or another. (my daughter danced with them for 15 yrs.) To this day I love to listen to the rousing music & watch the jigs & reels. We have a festival in Winnipeg every August called "Folklorama" which celebrates the multiculturalism of the city & the McConnell Dancers put on an amazing show....if your ever coming to the city make sure you come in Aug. so you can take it in! I have colored my "Little Irish Dancer" in the colors of my daughter's last dance costume; the Celtic Knot is a design that was on one of my favorite costumes she ever wore & the lace represents the collar on her very first costume.....when she was 5yrs. old (she is now 35yrs.) Can you tell I LOVED making this card? And yes, I still dance in my heart!!!

I am entering my card in the following challenges:
1. Bronte & Bella.....dancing
2. Paper Makeup Stamps.....dimensional (the dancer & Celtic knot are raised)
3. Cutie Pie.....glitter & bling.....(green glitter paper, jewels, buttons, lace)
4. Sketch N Stash.....sketch; new to stash...image; old stash....Celtic knot from ATC's made in Feb.
5. Make it Monday.....anything goes
6.. Papertake Weekly.....all things girlie
7. Stamp N Plus.....anything goes
8. Tuesday Alchemy.....buttons (shamrock buttons)
9. LEJ Designs.....anything goes
10. Crafty Blogger.....anything goes

Summer fun!

What a fabulous weekend we had! Our daughter & her family came out to visit for a few days & it was lovely & hot. The girls got into a water fight with Grandpa....I would say Grandpa lost!!! Even though he had the garden hose & Jessica only had a water gun! Even the dog got in the action.

My card for today brings back other great summer memories of days at the beach with the girls making sandcastles & catching minnows in their pails. This is an image from The Stamping Boutique & the shells were off the net; it is colored with prismacolor pencils & OMS; the papers are from DCWV "Citrus" stack & the brads are Recollections". This is also my first attempt a sewing on a card...I need lots more practice!!! Hope the sun is shining where you are! Hugs, Renee

I plan to enter my card in the following challenges:
1. Fab n Funky.....summer holidays
2. C.R.A.F.Thttp://www.trimmiescraftchallenge.blogspot.ca/.....summer
3. Digi Doodle.....summertime
4. Paper Crafting Journey.....summer
5. Poodles Parlour.....use a digi
6. Craft Punked.....summertime
7. Pattie's Creations.....summertime
8. The StampMan.....anything goes...summer colors
9. Simply Create Too.....summer/vacation
10. Pan Pastel.....sun, sea & sand
11. The Squirrel & the Fox.....kids or babies
12. Paper Pretties.....try a new technique (sewing on my card)
13. Make It Monday.....anything goes

Whine, whine, whine!!!

You are going to think "this one is never happy, she is always whining!" Not long ago I was moaning about the cold, rainy weather we were having.....well, now it's too darn hot!!! Our temps have been above 30C for over a week now & the humidity is awful....I don't do well with humidity! One bonus to the heat is I'm seeing all kinds of birds having a bath in my fountain....there is a little bubble of water that comes out the top & the hummingbird loves to sit on it! I'm trying to get a picture but the little fellow is just too shy & flies off everytime I get close enough with the camera!
So, about my card. I made this for a friend from TCC...we have a birthday card exchange over there. The digi is from Anne Fenton at The Outlawz & the "happy birthday" is Penny Black; colored with prismacolor pencils....I attempted to do the distress ink thing (on her jeans) but I need alot more practice with that!!!! DP is from My Mind's Eye & the music note paper is downloaded from the net; CS is Bazzill & I have used Spellbinders (oval & scalloped oval) & a beautiful  Memory Box die that I just bought....cherry blossoms. Have an awesome day!

Challenges I am entering this card in:
1. Celebrate the Occasion.....Happy Birthday
2. Party Time Tuesdays.....Let's get punchy
3. Stamp N Plus.....anything goes
4. Crafty Bloggers Network.....anything goes
5. Lexi's Creations.....for a friend
6. Make It Monday.....anything goes
7. Tammy's Scrappin Corner.....anything goes
8. Totally Stampalicious.....favorite embellishment (flowers)

Proud Canadian!

I created this card for a challenge over at The Outlawz challenge blog & then realized there were lots of blogs with "patriotic" or "colors of your country" challenges. This card makes me smile! While I was born in Ireland, Canada has been my home since I was 5yrs. old & I wouldn't want to live anywhere else in the world! I love to travel & see other places but it is always good to be home at the end of it all. Canada is a very diverse country...a real melting pot of the worlds many lovely people. This card represents a few of the "Canadian" staples....hockey is our game....the RCMP are our national police....the beaver is (apart from a pest if he is chewing on your trees) our national symbol along with the maple leaf. On driving from one coast to the other you are able to experience such vast changes in the land....from the prairies (where I live)  to rolling hills to majestic mountains; small streams to pristine lakes; & our climate is another story....in the summer we swim in those lakes & in the winter it is cold enough to skate on them. (atleast here in Manitoba anyway) The other day the temperature here was 36 degrees Celcius (somewhere in the 90'sF) but in the winter it is liable to be    -36C! (not a place for wussies) Anyway, back to the card....the female hockey player image (which represents my granddaughter Jessica by the way) is from Fresh Brewed Designs; the heart flag, RCMP & beaver are images from "free coloring pages" & the background paper was  download from the net. Hope you are having an amazing day & thanks for stopping by.

I am entering my card in the following challenges:
1. 4 Crafty Chicks.....red & white
2. DYSU.....red
3. Incy Wincy Designs.....patriotic
4. My Craft Spot.....Canada Day/July4th
5. Tammy's Scrapin Corner.....celebrations
6. Crafting for all Seasons.....patriotic

Happy Anniversary

Some very dear friends of ours are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary next Sat. They are the sweetest couple....still strolling down the road holding hands after 50 yrs....awesome! This is the card I made for them....it has much love tucked inside!

The beautiful calla lily digi is from Anne Fenton over at The Outlawz Challenges & is colored with prismacolor pencils; the word stamps are Making Memories...they are heat embossed with pirates gold embossing powder;  paper is Fairy Flora by Prima; pearls are from Recollections; the lace is from Paper Studios...Spare Parts & has gold ribbon from Michael's woven through it.
I am entering my card in the following challenges:
1. Chocolate coffee & cards.....anything goes
2. Aud Sentiments.....Bingo
3. Crafty Blogger.....anything goes
4. Make It Mondays.....anything goes
5. Pan Pastel.....use a digi
6. Crafty Calander.....flowers in bloom
7. Craftymess.....ribbons & lace

Irish Eyes

My Dad had the most incredible blue eyes that twinkled with mischief.....beautiful Irish eyes that were usually smiling! Growing up my Dad was my hero. I thought he could do absolutely anything & actually believed this until the day he died. When I saw that the challenge at "Scrap it with a song"  this time was Heroes this page immediately came to mind. My Dad, My hero! Wesley Albert Crymble born July 21, 1924 in Belfast N. Ireland & left this world on Nov. 5, 2005 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. As the page says....I miss those beautiful Irish eyes!