Happy Spring!

TGIF! I spent the week trying to emerge from my funk. Sorry to say that I'm not quite there yet. I'm pretty sure that if I get crafting I'll feel better, but I literally had to make myself get in my craftroom, that's how grumpy I've been! At least the sun is shining now - we had snow again on the weekend and glum, cloudy, cold weather to start the week, so I felt only like curling up under a quilt with a good book - if I could have done just that, maybe I'd have been happy but of course, life must carry on. And surely spring will arrive soon......it is just taking forever this year!

However, it is the weekend so I've decided to try hard to leave the grumpies and the funk behind. :) To celebrate, I forced myself to get a card done to post, so here it is. Please be gentle as this is my "emerge from the funk" card! lol Actually, these were really fun colors to play with and who doesn't love a kite?

I'm going to enter this in the challenge this week over at Wee Memories as I think it fits - "Girls just wanna have fun" - this reminded me of how we used always to get a kite every Easter. :)

Heading out to meet the school bus....have a great Friday night!

Shanna :)

What I used:

Cricut: A Child's Year

papers: CTMH

stamp: CTMH Springtime

Happy Easter etc.

Hello! And thanks for stopping by. Not much in the way of mojo around here, but thought I'd share a card I made awhile ago. It is quite similar to another I made, but I had so much fun with making this elephant different patterns. I am thrilled to share that I was chosen for the Top Five over at Cupcake Craft Challenges for my pinwheel card. Thanks! I proudly display my badge on my sidebar. :)

I just had to share these beautiful Ukranian Easter eggs created by "Grandma" Joan and lovingly flown to us by Mom and Dad on their last trek up to visit us. These are so beautiful and I know they take absolutely hours to create. We will cherish them always. Grandma Joan knows that the boys of the house are into fishing and even included a fish pattern on one of the eggs, so thoughtful!

Here is just as sampling of the fabric I managd to acquire for $10 at the little quilt shop on my way to Duluth a couple of weeks ago. So fun!

My new Converse Allstars - though they are not very good for my feet, I just love fun but practical shoes! I am no girly girl! lol

And last but not least, my new and super FUN polkadot rubber boots! My Mom was pointing toward the more subtle black and white boots as I was trying these on - tastefully suggesting I might consider them. My response was "Go big or go home." If you're gonna wear rubber boots, why not have some FUN! I am sure to have some fun with these in my gardens if ever the SNOW disappears - yes we woke up to a lovely blanket of the white stuff AGAIN today! I ask you, is spring ever going to come for real??? Please send some my way, maybe some sunshine and warmth will help me out of my icky funk!

Happy Bunny day to all,

Shanna :)

Imagination....

I come to you this morning from beautiful Kenora, ON - just one of the stops on my "circle trip" this week for work. Luckily, I had this layout - gasp, yes a layout, it has been forever - completed before leaving on Monday morning and now have a few minutes to get it posted - fingers crossed my internet signal will stay strong enough to get to the end of the post, lol!

Although we had a spring storm in Northwestern ON last weekend, our roads were clear and dry come Monday when we hit the road. On our first day out, we saw a fox, a moose and a bald eagle. It is always fun to see the wildlife as long as we see them in time! The moose was indeed standing right in the middle of the road and we had to honk the horn to get it moving, but all was good. Wonder what we will see next...

While rifling through papers for another project, I came across this fun Cosmo Cricket paper and it was the quote that inspired me. I pulled out some silly photos of Pickle Pants and went to work. At first, I thought it was going to come together super fast, but then I fussed with this,changed the paper, fussed with that, you know how it goes. It sat on my counter for about a week and I just stopped by once in awhile and rearranged things until it looked like this. Still not sure that I love it, but it was fun to play with - don't you just loved the polka-dotted alligator? :) I had to add a homemade spider since the whole point of the photo at the bottom was his request to photograph him with the "giant spider" that up until then he had been afraid of! Maybe thats because Chester had been hiding them in his bed!!!

The strange photo at bottom left is just one of his many contraptions he has built over the last few years - he lines things up, ties them together, etc. etc. Once he had wrapped yarn around and around the kitchen/hallway that makes a circle route on the main level of our house. I think he called it a "booby trap"! He had a hard time when I had to explain that I had to "cut it down" so we could move about the house. We do need to use the bathroom after all! He wants to "save it for crafts" when we are about to send something to the garbage or recycle and is always coming up with something new. Future engineer perhaps?

Best run and review some notes before breakfast, I have several children to see today. Hope to be back visiting over the Easter weekend!

Take care,

Shanna :)

Wish

Good Saturday morning! Well maybe.... I am wishing for SPRING! I have been thinking that the weather here has been feeling more like November than April these past few days here in Northwestern Ontario and low and behold, we woke up to fresh blanket of snow this morning - oh joy! And apparently there are 10 plus centimentres on the way! This after the hail storm we had last Sunday - I do have some photos to share later. I really cannot complain though, we Northerners do know how to deal with snow - there has been so much severe weather in so many places and snow sounds minor compared to what has been happening in other places! Anyhow, my quick kid's birthday card is based loosely on a sketch from Less is More challenge blog a couple of weeks ago, the size and orientation of the card is different, but the basic idea is the same. Pickle Pants had a birthday party last weekend and this worked perfectly for his buddy. I was thrilled to use ALL scraps for this card too! Really must work on that scrap pile, but who's keeping track - only thing is that it's getting so full I can hardly close the drawer! Well, best run I have a class to teach this morning and children to deliver here and there beforehand. Have a great Saturday! I hope it is spring where you are! Shanna :)

Get outside and blow the stink off ya!!!

Thank goodness it's Wednesday! - the weekend cannot come soon enough here - why am I having such a hard time getting through this week?!? This head cold really kicked my butt, but I'm past the worst now and now I do believe I'm now kicking it, so enough whining from me! (This is a self-pep-talk, so don't mind me....) Time for a post! So, what's up with my blog title - well, the challenge over at Paper Sundaes this week is Childhood Memories - so bear with me while I explain....When I went on a little road trip with my parents and my boys two weekends ago, my favorite selfish stop on the way was a beautiful little quilt shop in Grand Marais. I had never been to this particular shop before, but when we arrived, I was thrilled to find a sign on the door indicating there was a "scrap sale" - well that certainly caught my interest!!! Thank goodness Papa was willing to sit in the car with the boys! Nanny and I picked through mounds of fabric scraps and found a plethora of wonderful scraps of material that will work perfectly on cars all for TEN bucks!!! Woo hooo! What a find! Anyhow, when I dumped out the bag a few days ago, I found a great little scrap with hiking boots on it and thought immediately of a great "hiking" themed CTMH set I got because I would use it someday....don't we all do that! Well, once I pulled out the fabric, the stamp set, and the twine, it just all came together. My mother used to tell the four of us (I have one sister and two brothers) to "get outside and blow the stink off us" when she thought we needed some fresh air - and I'm sure it somehow provided her with five minutes of quiet, until one of us scraped our knee or had to go pee! I must remember to ask her again where that phrase came from as I know she tells us that "so and so" used to say it to her and ther siblings as children. I think this makes my project fit perfectly with the challenge at Paper Sundaes. And since I incorporated twine, it also fits with the challenge at Wee Memories this week which is "Tangled Up - use any type of twine." I decided to make some letter-writing paper and a matching envelope as I wanted to use the hiking boot print and fun quote that also came as part of the set. Basic desgin all around, but it was a fun card to make. Can't wait to dig into more of that fabric scrap stash!!! I have enough to last me forever!

Hope you are having a good week!

Take Care,

Shanna

Well Wishes for a friend

A friend at work had surgery last week, so I needed a card for us to send to her from the office. I didn't have any ideas until I visited Splitcoast the other day and found a fabulous pinwheel card that provided just the inspiration I needed! Unfortunately, I didn't write down the name of the blog and now I can't find it! Sorry! Now that I have this all together, I am wishing that I either stitched around the edges or distressed or something, it seems a little plain around the edges...next time that's what I'll do... The challenge this week over at Cupcake Craft Challenges is "Nurses and Doctors" - Get Well cards. Perfect since I really needed to get my butt in gear and make one! Thanks for choosing a great (and timely) challenge Fluffy! Oh, and by the way, if you've never been by to visit Faye and Stampin Fluffnstuff, you really must - I go often to see her beautiful creations, but also for a regular dose of laughter! And here is the inside...oooh, sorry, it's a bit fuzzy now that I look more closely, sorta how I'm feeling today... :) Oh well... Oh, for the local girls, I should mention that I still have one spot left in my card class coming up this Saturday. You can click here to see the Kraftin Kimmie card we will be making. That's it for today folks! Thanks for stopping by! Shanna :) What I used: stamps: CTMH papers: CTMH Petal CS, Basic Grey Kioshi Does anybody else have trouble with spacing in blogger? Often there are TOO many spaces, but other times - like today - it seems to remove all my spaces, no matter how many times I go back and add them, urgh? Would love any advice....it is probably something silly I'm overlooking as I'm not that technical and easier miss things...

Potions and wands and cupcakes too

Just a few photos to share from Chester's Birthday two weeks ago. Instead of writing the children's names on the goodie bags, we wrote names of the characters from the movie. We had this same group of kids over a couple of months ago to watch The Philospher's Stone together, then Chester decided he may as well make his Birthday Harry Potter themed as well. This time they watched the second movie. It's a long movie, so we took an "intermission" to serve dinner and dessert, then presents. Below are one of the things we put in the goodie bag - our version of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. (They are the gourmet jelly beans from Walmart - and are not too expensive - they even have the ID chart on the back of the bag! They had lots of fun with these!

Here is dessert - Butterbeer cupcakes. Thanks for the recipe Kelly! Even though Chester doesn't usually like cake, he enjoyed these. The wands the boys got for Christmas are also in this photo - they were worth the effort of ordering by phone - Chester got Harry's and Pickle Pants got Voldemort's. They love them! They go around the house "casting spells" on one another. :)

Lastly, I made some "licorice wands" by dipping licorice in melted chocolate wafers and then dipping in cupcake sprinkles. I love the black ones! I ate way too many of these since the kiddos preferred the red. Don't tell! We found the idea for these on-line on a Harry Potter related website.

The potion labels are from a fabulous book my parents got for Chester at Christmas, it is all about the Harry Potter series - comments from the producer, actors, etc. A fun read, even for me! It included lots of hands-on stuff like the ticket to the ball, the Marauders' map, etc. Too fun!

Have a great start to your week!

Shanna :)

p.s. Hope to be back soon with a card.

Celebrate

Thanks for stopping by! This is the other card I put together last Friday night when I got together with Danderella. It sat on my scrap counter all week because it still needed to have the eyelets set. Well folks, it has been a really long time since I've used eyelets - so long I couldn't even find my setter! I almost called Danderella to borrow hers, but since I knew she was not home, I kept looking and found it at long last! I think it was worth it since these eyelets are so fun!

I really should make up a few more of these for boy birthdays. I have had this robot from Stamping Bella for years, and this is the very first time I've actually colored him!

We had a warm day yesterday and there was a flock of these pretty birds around. Hubby grabbed the camera and the zoom and managed to get a few shots. My Reader's Digest "Book of North American Birds" shows these to be Cedar Waxwings. I can't recall ever seeing them before, but they sure were beautiful. So glad hubby came running for the camera. He scored even more points when he took the boys out to see "Roderick Rules - Diary of a Whimpy kid two" and left me with a quiet house for a few hours! Thanks hubby!

Hope you are having a great weekend! Pickle Pants has a birthday party, but other than that no big plans. I am hoping to just lay low for most of the day.

Happy Sunday!

Shanna :)

What I used:

stamps: Stamping Bella, CTMH sentiment

papers: kaiser craft "On the dot"

copics: C00, T1, T3,BG75, R27

Herd you were sick....

First up today is Pickle Pants adorned with what I call the "karate kid" get-up. He came up with this all by himself - I especially love the mint lifesaver inside the goggle lens!! Looks almost a little zombie-like...I couldn't help but share. :) Next up, a quickie card we made a week or so ago when we heard that our farmer friend, "Keither" was in hospital again. He is a very cool ole farmer who is very dear to our hearts and we worry a little about him as he lives alone but has difficulty with his lungs so needs oxygen. He is stubborn as a mule and still insists on keeping a variety of animals, including turkeys, donkeys, a pony, workhorses and a farm dog names Skip. Anyhow, when we heard he was in hospital again, we whipped up this quick rather "punny" card and popped it in mail as soon as we could. I think he will appreciate the pun! The best part about this card is that every single piece of paper came from my scrap bin!!!

I was really hoping to sneak into my scrap space last night, but found myself with little energy as I seem to be fighting a cold. Fingers crossed I'll get to sneak in there today.

Have a great weekend!

Shanna :)

Three chairs to you!

Who would have thought I'd have so much fun with stamps of chairs..... not me!

This one I made for a co-worker who celebrates her Birthday this weekend. Danderella and I snuck in a little stamping time last Friday night since my parents were in town and they were able to take Chester and Pickle Pants to gymnastics and trampoline. Even a couple of hours in the scrap room is a VERY GOOD THING! So glad you were able to sneak away my friend - can't wait to do it again very soon! I managed to get this card made as well as another that just needs the embellishments added. I am hoping to get that put together and share it later in the week. We had a very busy weekend away which explains my absence from Blog land. Fingers crossed I can do a bit of visiting tonight. My parents were in town to celebrate Chester's Birthday and we took them to Duluth, MN to spend some time at a super-fun waterpark/hotel. We did manage to sneak in a bit of shopping by saving the waterpark for the second night - ie. Cooperate with Mommy by trying on these shoes (and pants) and we will get to the waterpark sooner.....) The boys are not big fans of shopping - but certain things require their presence in order to avoid a major return headache, so the torture begins.... Thank goodness I had the help of my parents to get the deed done. We came home with four pair of new shoes, four new t-shirts and three pair of jeans. I did manage to get to Bath & Body for some fab handsoaps, a quick stop at a quilt shop, a couple of thrift shops and a speedy run through Kohl's and Target. I'll share my finds later on. Although I am a bit on the tired side, a good time was had by all and the boys won't soon forget this little trip with their grandparents, especially since we managed to keep it a secret until we drove away - we even had their bags packed into the car so they thought we were just going "out" for the morning. :)

Cheers, Shanna :)

What I used:

stamps: CTMH Chairs to you - May stamp of the month

papers: Echo Park - For the Record

Be You

Here is another card inspired by the sketch at Less is More challenge blog this week. This challenge is now done, but I see myself coming back to this CAS design again and again. Wouldn't you just love a funky polka dot easy chair??? I can totally see myself curled up in there with an old quilt and a good book, maybe a cup of tea on a little table next to me......my current fave is Chocolate Mint Oolong by Stash. Hmmm, if it wasn't so late, I'd be thinking seriously about doing just that right now.... As it is, I must keep this short as my bed is calling and we have a busy weekend planned with my parents who arrived late on Wednesday. Happy Friday everyone! Shanna :) What I used: stamps: CTMH Chairs to You - May Stamp of the month D1456 papers: My Mind's Eye - Quite Contrary