Just a note

Happy Saturday!

Today's card is for Shopping Our Stash where they are looking for projects that depict what we do to relax.

I love to send "happy mail" - letters, cards, postcards. I also love music of many kinds. This card combines both of these things. Both of my boys play piano, so I love listening to them play of course, but I also love to turn the radio up. Sometimes its classical, sometimes its classic rock, sometimes top 40 - depends on what I need that particular day. And listening to music goes so nicely with creating!

Shanna :)

What I used:
music heart and treble cleft - MFT "IB - Music"
Sentiment from My Creative Time - "It's all about you"
MFT Stitched Squares STAX die-namics

Happy Birthday!

Hooray, I managed to get in my scrap space today! This card is for the sketch challenge at Kathy's Waffle Sketch File.

Here is the graphic:

My interpretation is a bit loose, but I see the balloons as the ovals. 

I would also like to share at Seize the Birthday where the challenge is Anything Goes.

Thanks for visiting!
Shanna :)

What I used:
papers: Simple Stories "Happy Day" 6x6
sequins & thread
sentiment stamp - Stampin' Up

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way...

First, here are a few more pics from my trip to Montreal, Quebec. Lots more art...

This one is outside of the Montreal Museum of Fine Art. It's a Chihully.

 LOVE this!

Cool door on one of the jewlery stores.

 Notre-Dame Basilica where Celine Dion was wed.

 Breathtaking

 Check out that organ!

love the ceiling

 Scroll down - these two hilarious statues were at the opposite ends of the square. We were a bit confused until we found the second one! The dogs' expressions are hilarious!

And here, at long last, is my card! I was especially inspired by the current challenge at Jingle Belles - Silver Belles!

Hooray -another one for the holiday stash!

I would like to share at:

Jingle Belles - Silver Belles - use silver or bells or both
Christmas at Sweet Stampin' - Oh deer!
Crazy for Challenges - Critters, use one or more
Christmas Card Challenges - optional colour challenge


Thanks so much for stopping by!
Shanna :)

What I used:
CTMH - Santa Claus C1567
Stampendous wooden stamp "Jingle all the way" G104
paper - Echo Park 'Tis the Season 6x6
border punch
mini silver Jingle Bells from Stampin Up
ribbon from Winner's
CTMH ink - ruby and black

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Sunday! I have been a bit MIA this past week as I attended an International Orientation & Mobility Conference in Montreal. I was working, but I admit, it felt a bit like being on vacation! It was my first international conference and it was super fun to meet people from around the globe who do what I do! I work with children who are blind or living with vision loss, helping them to gain as much independence as is possible and encouraging them to participate in a variety of physical activities. It is a rather specialized profession, so it is always inspiring and encouraging to gather with link-minded people. One of my favourite presentations was from a French Canadian fellow who was the organizer of a 5 day Sea Kayaking adventure involving 9 youth who were living with either vision loss or hearing loss. They planned together, then kayaked, hiked, camped (carrying all of their own gear), cooked outdoors and enjoyed a fantastic learning and growth experience! The group of children I currently have on my caseload are still a bit young for such an expedition, but this sort of adventure is certainly something to work towards! 
 This summer, during the day camps we offer, we are focusing on camping and the outdoors! The focus will be on: camping & hiking (what you eat, what you bring, how to pitch a tent, campfire safety), hiking (identifying bird calls, learning how to travel in a challenging environment), canoeing, and working together to complete small challenges. We plan to read stories about camping, learn campfire songs and explore the instruments often involved (ukulele, guitar, harmonica), play fun games, learn about the sorts of critters we might encounter while hiking/camping (guest appearance of our family pet "Yoshi" the albino corn snake!). It should be super fun!

Anyhow, my conference began on Monday morning, so I flew to Montreal on Saturday to allow for some time to play tourist! 
Here are a few pics from my travels. Mostly street art, murals, outdoor installations. Fun stuff!

 This one was called "Urban Forest"

 The rest of these installations were outdoors at The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

I have many more to share, but will save for a separate post. Here is my card.

I would like to share today's card at:

 Little Red Wagon where the theme is Birthdays

Shopping Our Stash - Gingham style!

Thanks so much for stopping by today and last week while I was away!

Shanna :)

What I used:

stamp - CTMH

papers: Simple Stories - Happy Day

gingham ribbon - from my stash

EK Success punches

Teachers give a hoot

Hello! 

Here is a card I made for one of my son's teachers. He was ill for most of the last couple of weeks of school and when he went to deliver his thank yous on the last day, he realized he had forgotten a teacher! Luckily, he lives in our neighbourhood, so it can now be hand delivered.

I love this CTMH set! Imade two versions of this card set, one on white and one on Kraft. Not entirely sure which I prefer, maybe Kraft. What do you think?

I would like to share for the current challenge at Less is More - red, white and blue

Thanks for visiting!

Shanna :)

What I used:
CTMH - D1612 Teacher Appreciation
inks: cranberry, outdoor denim

Enjoy this day - It's all about love

Last week, my long-time co-worker came to me with an interesting challenge. Her daughter is attending a Wedding for a same-sex couple this summer and discovered that there are next to no greeting cards on the shelves that are appropriate - either the wording was wrong or the image. She determined that it would just not do to give the one card that seemed appropriate as inevitably, every guest would do the same and the newlyweds would end up with the same card eleventy-seven times! 

Here is where I come in - my co-worker knows that I love to make cards, she also knows that I often recycle or re-purpose things on my cards as she has saved me many, many Starbuck's sleeves over the last few years! She came to work with her request and a beautiful piece of patterned and embossed cardstock that was basically the fancy internal envelope (open at the top and criss-crossed at the front) that had held the Wedding invite - the embossed daisy pattern in the main panel of the card.

Since she gave me such a good jumping-off point and the paper was beautiful to boot, it didn't take me too long to put this together. Since it is for such a special occasion, I thought the easel design would be fun. All in all, it is a basic design, but I managed to utilize & showcase the paper provided and thanks to Unity, I had sentiments that seem perfect for the occasion.

Here is another shot that shows the front of the envelope. I have had that "Express Postage" stamp from CTMH for probably 8 years - high five as it has finally seen ink! Since I am a big fan of sending (and receiving) snail mail, I always enjoy putting a "stamp" on the envelope even if it is being hand-delivered.

Here is a shot to show the easel part, sorry about the bad lighting!

I would like to share at:

Friends with Flair at Unity

Thanks for visiting!

Shanna :)

What I used:
Unity - Enjoy this Day and It's all about Love, the Daisy on the envelope is from the Jan. 2014 Kit of the Month
CTMH - D1262 Express Postage, D1288 June Word Puzzle, D1329 Noteworthy
cardboard coffee sleeve (for hand-cut hearts)
seam binding
CTMH artisan studs
SU punch
CTMH Cocoa and New England Ivy Ink and Cardstock
patterned paper - upcycled from the "wrapper" for the couples Wedding invite
brown zig writer pen

Are you missing some Spidey underpants???

So, besides the envelope, this isn't exactly an artsy post, but I simply had to share... My sister and nephew, who live in the same province but 17 hours drive away, visited us for about a week at the end of April/beginning of May. Once gone, I noticed they had left a few items of clothing. I folded them and set them aside to return next time we see one another.

I was on the phone with my sister a few days back when she asked about the clothes. Yes, they're here, of course I will bring them when I come. Then she asks, did Graham leave a pair of underpants - specifically his Spiderman underpants? He was looking for them the other day and I told him I would ask you. Sure enough, when I checked the pile, guess what I found?

An idea arrived at that moment - I said to my sister, they are tiny, I'll bet I can fit them in a large envelope and mail them to you! She says, "Oh you don't have to do that." Well, I know, but how fun would that be? lol

So the boys and I wrote him a postcard to include and decorated the envelope because I love to do that. I am going to pop them in the postbox today and see if they get there...

Much better than going to the postbox and finding only bills and flyers, in my opinion! lol

Thanks for stopping by!

Shanna :)

What I used:
Tattered Angels - Vintage Seasons "Halloween Hauntings"
CTMH - Happy Mail