*A*Muse Is In Da House*

What a great weekend, especially compared to last weekend. Last weekend was the Long Weekend in Canada and it was cool and wet and gross all weekend. This weekend has been beautiful so far! We spent most of yesterday outside in the yard. We cleaned out the garage, I washed some blinds (hanging them on nails on the fence and then scrubbing them with one of those car wash hose adapters), reading, talking with the neighbours, installing the screen door.... it was only about 20*C (68*F), but there was absolutely no breeze and not a cloud in the sky. Our backyard faces South West so we have a lot of sun.

I, of course, paid the price by getting a pretty good sunburn on my arms and chest. I got involved reading my book and didn't realize just how long I was sitting out there.

For those that are wondering, I was reading (and finished this morning) "Sisters" by Danielle Steel.

Now, on to stamping...

Our local stamp store carries A*Muse stamps, but she never seems to have a lot of stock in the store. The stamps I want are never there. So I decided to place an order for what I wanted. Turn around time to get it to me in Canada from the US was totally quick. About a week or so. WOO HOO!

This was actually the one stamp I bought at my local stamp store (Paper Pastimes) while Mom was visiting. I also purchased a few packages of the patterned square cards that A*Muse sells. Hard to see, but this card is an Almost Amethyst colour with a circle design on it

I had a lot of fun creating a card using the items that moved me rather than all one company. I am turning away from my Stampin' Up! stuff and trying to use some of the other wonderful images I have sitting on my shelves. I love Stampin' Up!, don't get me wrong... but I miss using stuff from all the companies. I was a stamper long before I was a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, and am happy turning back to being a stamper instead of a Demonstrator. I'm still a Demonstrator but am not going to be focusing on selling the stuff.... if people want to order from me, cool... but I'm not doing parties anymore.

I like being a stamper.

Thanks again for popping by!

items used:
*Cardstock: A*Muse Cottage Blue Pinwheel notecard; Stampin' Up! Apricot Appeal, Rose Red and Whisper White
*Images: A*Muse
*Ink: Stampin' Up Basic Black, Rose Red, Almost Amethyst (ink pads and markers), Black Micron Pen
*Embellishments: Stampin' Up! Ribbon and gold brads, Crystal Effects (on the glass)
*Tools: Marvy Uchida Giga Oval Scallop Punch and Mega Oval Punch

*Blog Candy Win*

I won some "Dream Treats" over at Michelle's blog a few weeks ago.... It arrived last week. These are the amazing treats I won!

Thanks so much Michelle!

And you should take a few minutes to check out Michelle's blog.... she has some great stuff to share!

*Blog Candy WINNERS!!!

WOW! Thanks for all the great comments everyone!!! I'd say the most popular flowers are Gerbera Daisies, Roses, Lilacs and Peonies.... and all of those are my favourites too!!!

I decided to choose two winners from all of the comments.... I used the Random Number Generator to help me out.

The winners are:

MEGAN (olse0231) who said: Congrats on the 50K - much deserved! My favorite flower would have to be daisies. So springy and pretty. :)

and

SCRAPPINTRISH who said: Wow, I just joined last week, I hope that I can get more readers. Congrats on that! :) My favorite flower is a Daisy.

Ladies, please email me at nancy at elrick dot ca with your complete mailing address and I'll get some goodies off to you!

Thanks again for popping by! I hope you come to visit again soon!

*Flashback Friday*

I am pleased to report that the snow is just about gone. We didn't get any more of the white stuff yesterday as was forecasted and this morning the sun is shining and things are going to warm up a little bit. Still not average temperatures for Calgary, but better than snow!

Thankfully we didn't have any damage to our trees.... lots of people in the city did. Allison, who lives in the opposite end of the city than I do, said that they had a lot less snow than we did.

Today is the day that my oldest son returns home from Outdoor School. I can't wait to hear how it all went. Last year the Principal spent a day at Outdoor School so at least there was a report during the week to hear how it all went. We have a new Principal at our school and I don't think she's an interested in getting involved with the students. Too bad really... it was a wonderful trait of our old Principal.

Anyways... being Friday means it's time for you to have a boo at a card from my past. I really wish I had some older cards for you. I've been stamping since the fall of 1996 and I am sure that there were more than enough ugly cards mailed out!! And of course, I am choosing only cards I kinda like to share with you. Tee hee

This card is from 2004 when I discovered Microscope Slides in my creativity. I stamped the sunflower image on the slide, put a piece of patterned paper behind it, layered on another slide and then wrapped the edges with foil tape (that you would use for stained glass) to hold it all together. Plunked that on some layers of Bazzill cardstock and then onto a Bazill card. Thank you was computer generated and printed on to vellum.

I enjoyed the microscope slides for a while (still have some here to play with again some day) but hated that I couldn't find a good way to get them to stay on the card!

I'll be back this afternoon to announce the winner of my Blog Candy!

*It's Time for BLOG CANDY*

****Contest is now closed.....****

Yup, you read it right! I was very surprised to check in this morning to find myself over the 50,000 visitor mark!! WOO HOO!!! To celebrate, I'm offering up some blog candy. I haven't thrown it together yet, but if you go back to take a look at old blog candy I've handed out, I think you'll agree I like to put together something pretty good.

To enter, please leave a comment on this post with your name and what your favourite flower is.

You can leave your comments until Friday, May 25th at noon. I will then use the random number generator to choose a winner (or perhaps even a few winners)! This post will remain at the top until the drawing so be sure to scroll down to see new posts

Thanks so much to everyone who comes by to see my creations and to those who leave comments on a regular basis! I'm glad you come by and like what you see!

*A Spring Time Card*

I thought I would post a spring looking card to try to make my day a little brighter (damn snow). I am in awe of Mother Nature this morning and of how screwed up she apparently is. Does she now know that the snow should have been put on the shelf for a few months?!!!??

I got the idea for this card from a post on Toni's blog. Her inspiration came from a Hallmark card. Both of the cards on Toni's blog are stunning.

I look at my card and think it looks like a pair of panties... yup... looks like you're looking at the crotch of a pair of panties.

In fact, I think I'd like a pair of panties with a design like this on them. Maybe leave off the Prima Flowers and the big jeweled brad... especially since I think this is the crotch of the panties and the crotch is no where for a big flower!

So, I guess this is my "panty card". Sigh. Can't send this to anyone! LOL!

Yup, I am twisted. It's gotta be the snow....




items used: (all items Stampin' Up! unless otherwise stated)
*Cardstock: Whisper White, Certainly Celery
*Ink: Almost Amethyst, Regal Rose, Apricot Appeal, Bashful Blue
*Embellishments: Prima Flowers and a Making Memories jeweled brad

*This Is My Yard in May...*

Yup, this is what we woke up to this morning. Pretty, eh? Apparently there's another 5-10 cms possible this morning....

*Are You Sure It's The End of May??*

Just found this on the Environment Canada Website....

City of Calgary
3:01 PM MDT Wednesday 23 May 2007
Snowfall warning for
City of Calgary issued

Snowfall accumulations in excess of 10 centimetres are forecast for tonight and early Thursday.



An intense upper disturbance is tracking slowly southward across western Alberta. Widespread precipitation is forecast for much of the southern half of the province as the storm passes. In advance of the system, temperatures will fall to near or below freezing values especially over higher elevations in the southwest. Snow will begin this evening and spread southward overnight across the regions listed above. General accumulations of 10 to 15 centimetres are likely before the snow either begins to let up or changes to rain near midday Thursday. Higher amounts can be expected in mountain passes.

*50th Anniversary Card*

The sun truly will come out "tomorrow". It rained all weekend (except for those times it was snowing). Last night, the clouds began to clear. And this morning there is beautiful blue sky and bright bright sun. It's chilly, but at least the sun is shining.

Alex leaves in a few minutes from school for Outdoor School with the rest of the grade 6s at his school. They will be spending the rest of the week at a YMCA camp. I think that they are going to have a fantastic time!

(OK, in the three minutes it took to write the above, the sun has decided to find a cloud to hide behind! Geesh!)

Anyway....

This is the card I decided on for the friend who needed a 50th Wedding Anniversary Card. I had made the card all on Stampin' Up! Shimmer White Cardstock as you see it here... but then I messed up the sentiment that the friend wanted me to write inside and I was out of Shimmer Cardstock so I had to trim the cardfront and I layered it onto an Old Olive card instead.

This is a total copy of the card I made for my Mom for Mother's Day, which was a copy of a card on Tracy Durcan's blog. I just love the design that much!










items used: (All items Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted)
*Cardstock: Shimmer White
*Ink: Real Red and Old Olive
*Images: Stampin' Up!
*Ribbon: unknown source
*tools: black Micron pen

*Got to Stamp*

With the really crappy weather we're having this long weekend, I didn't feel at all bad sitting in the basement for a few hours yesterday. I will be heading back down there again when I finish this blog post. I don't see the point in being anywhere that I can see outside since we woke up to a dusting of SNOW this morning! Yup,I said SNOW! On the May Long Weekend. Geesh. Not the first time it's happened... and I'm sure not the last.

But let me tell ya... I am crabby about it all the same!! Sure am glad I hadn't bothered to turn off the furnace yet.

Stupid weather.

I was trying to come up with a card for a friend of mine who needed a 50th Anniversary card. I decided to steal the idea from the card that Bonnie and Mary gave me a while back. I love the design that she came up with.

This is not the card that I am giving the friend to use though... it just didn't scream "50th Anniversary" to me. Maybe I should have used gold paper (since it is the Golden Wedding Anniversary), but I still don't think it would have been "just right".

I'll post the card I chose for her tomorrow...


items used:
*Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Whisper White and Brushed Silver
*Embellishments: Sheer Ribbon from Michaels, Prima Flower, Making Memories bling brad
*Tools: Provocraft Cuttlebug and D'vine Swirl Embossing Folder, Stampin' Up! small oval punch, black Micron pen

*Thank You Tracy*

A few weeks ago I created a hinged coaster box for a contest that Tracy was hosting on her blog for altered containers.

Tracy was a very generous contest sponsor and in addition to sending the prize to the winner, she also sent out a little giftie to each person who participated in her contest.

Now, while the little extras are certainly appreciated (she stamped up some Bella images and sent some chipboard through her Cuttlebug to make ribbon sliders), I gotta tell you that the highlight, at least for me, was the beautiful card she created.

Tracy, thank you so much for your generosity! The card is beautiful!

*Long Weekend.... No Sun*

Well, it looks like I might get some stamping time this weekend. It's a long weekend in Canada and if the sun was shining I'd feel to guilty to spend all day in my basement stamping. Unfortunately for my deck chair and book, the sun is not going to shine much this weekend and the temperatures won't be up high enough to want to sit outside. I have a few errands to run, but other than that there is nothing going on. So hopefully when I head down to the basement to stamp I will be able to find some creativity.

I found a card very similar to this on Mary's Blog and had to make one like it. I don't have the stamp she used so I grabbed a few Stampin' Up! sets and went for it. I nefver would have used Lavender Lace and Old Olive together (not sure I've ever really used Lavender Lace at all to tell the truth). I just love the simplicity of the card.... the crispness of the card.

Mary, thanks for sharing your creativity for others to enjoy and to inspire us to take your ideas to make them our own. I sure hope you believe that imitation is the kindest form of flattery!

Honestly, I think I still like hers better, but I am pleased with how mine turned out too.






Items Used: (all items Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted)
*Cardstock: Whisper White, Old Olive, Lavender Lace
*Ink: Old Olive and Lavender Lace
*Images: Stampin' Up!
*Embellishements: Ribbon from local stamp store, Brad by Making Memories
*Tools: Provocraft Cuttlebug and D'Vine Swirl embossing folder

*Flashback Friday*

I am sorry that there hasn't been a lot of new content of mine on my blog the last few weeks. I didn't get a lot of crafting done while Mom was here... we were off doing stuff and I just wasn't feeling totally creative.

Mom left on Wednesday afternoon and the house sure seems a little bit empty. Matthew walked in the door after school on Wednesday and pretty much the first thing out of his mouth was "I miss Nana". That sums it up pretty good.

My stamp group is meeting this morning (I'm just waiting for them now) and we'll be making some stuff with the chipboard coasters. A box and a bookmark (both of which you've seen on my blog).

So, today being Friday means you get to see a card from years gone by.

Todays card is from 2003. I went through a phase where I was doing a lot of embroidery on my cards and then I started doing the embroidery with beads as well. I would punch the holes (following a pattern of course) during the day and would stitch these up in front of the TV in the evenings. I still have some stitched and beaded fronts to make into cards.

As with a lot of the different techniques and ideas with stamping, something else caught my eye and I moved away from the thread and beads.

I also was in a dark card phase when I was making these cards... most of the samples I have scanned are on very dark backgrounds. Sure wish I would have been using my digital camera instead of my scanner to capture the beauty of these babies!

Thanks for checking in!

*Splitcoast Stampers Blogger RAKs*

I had a really good mail day yesterday!!! I received three cards in the mail. I love it when I get good mail instead of bills and junk (which is all there was today). These three cards are all from the Splitcoast Stampers Blogger RAK list I am on.

The first card I received was from Amber Porter. When I got the card, the envelope was wrecked where each of the coloured gems were. I'm surprised none of them fell off!

Next was a card from Debbie Seyer. Simply Said is one of my favourite Stampin' Up! sets but it doesn't get used enough... I might have to pull it out after seeing this card

And my final card yesterday was from Jovita. I love that the Cuttlebugged piece at the top is also stamped with the canvas background, but that it is *so* subtle.

Thank you so much ladies! You totally made my day!

*60 Truths*

When I found this it said "100 Truths" but there were a lot of numbers missing... so I've renumbered it and renamed it "60 Truths"

So, here are 60 thins about me....

001. real name → Nancy
002. nickname → Nance, Mouse, Babe, Monkey
003. single or married → married since June 1, 1991 to Bruce
004. male or female → female
005. elementary school → Grant Road School
006. cell phone → Yes -- dark blue Razr
007. hair color → I used to be a very light blonde... then I had kids... now it's a mousy blonde naturally with light blonde highlights and copper lowlights
008. long or short → I'd say long... at least for me
009. are you health freak → not really .... wish I was though
010. height→ 5'2"
011. do you have a crush on someone → my husband!
012. do you like yourself → most of the time... but I can be very hard on myself
013. piercings → a total of 5 holes currently in my ears (used to be 6)... also had my belly button done but I let it grow in
014. tattoos → not yet
015. righty or lefty → right handed

FIRSTS :
016. first surgery → I was sedated for my wisdom teeth
017. first piercing → ears,when I was like 10 or 11
018. first best friend → Tracy
019. first award → ummmmmm, probably badges in bowling
020. first sport you joined → 5-pin bowling
021. first pet → I'm not counting those stupid fish my parents bought me... so my first pets were Spot and Spike... the cats Bruce and I got when we moved in together
022. first concert → Twisted Sister and Iron Maiden
023. first crush → Kelly Jefferson

CURRENTLY :
024. eating → about to go have breakfast... yogurt and fruit
025. drinking → grape flavoured sugar free Kool Aid
026. i'm about to → eat breakfast
027. listening to → the morning news
028. waiting for → nothing in particular
029. wearing → brown capris and a navy blouse

YOUR FUTURE :
030. want kids? → my kids sure hope so! no more though
031. want to get married?→ I don't plan on getting divorced so I could do it again
032. careers in mind? → Mom, love slave, kept woman

WHICH IS BETTER WITH THE OPPOSITE SEX? :
033. lips or eyes? → eyes
034. hugs or kisses? → hugs
035. romantic or spontaneous? romantic
036. nice stomach or nice arms? → arms
037. sensitive or loud?→ somewhere in between
038. hook-up or relationship? → relationship
039. trouble maker or hesitant? → somewhere in between

HAVE YOU EVER :
040. kissed a stranger → no
041. drank bubbles → who would?
042. lost glasses/contacts → not yet... only had my glasses since November
043. ran away from home → no
044. broken any bones → yes -- my right ankle and left pinky finger
045. broken someone's heart → yup
046. been arrested → god know
047. turned someone down → yes
048. cried when someone died → DUH!
049. liked a friend → liked as in a crush? then yes

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
050. yourself → yes
051. miracles → not really
052. love at first sight → yes
053. heaven → kind of
054. santa clause → of course! tee hee
055. sex on the first date → no
056. kissing on the first date → depends who I'm with
057. angels → no

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY :
058. is there one or more people you want to be with right now? no
059. had more than one boyfriend/girlfriend at one time? nope
060. do you believe in God? that's a big question.... I guess my answer would be "not in a traditional way"

*Poetic Artistry Contest*

I came across a layout contest over at Poetic Artistry the other day. I really liked the layout so I saved the link in my bookmarks and thought I'd get around to trying the design.

I finally found some time to craft with Mom yesterday afternoon and decided to make the card for the challenge. I came up after crafting and thought I would photograph the card in the morning sunshine instead of evening light, but then went to Poetic Artistry to see if there was anything I had missed and realized that I needed to get that card photographed and entered asap. The contest was open until she reached 25,000 hits on her blog and I was hit #24,995!!

I have seen all the entries to the contest and I don't feel like mine is the best one there, but I had fun with the layout and like the card I came up with.

On another note, finding it hard to believe that today is Mom's last full day here in Calgary! She's been here almost 2 weeks and the time has just flown by. It's not like we've been totally busy or something. Just poof and it's time to go home! It's been a great visit and we will all miss her for sure!

items used:
*Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Ballet Blue
*Patterned Paper: Stampin' Up!
*Images: Stampin! Up!
*Ink: Stampin' Up! Ballet Blue
*Embellishments: Michaels Ribbon, bling
*Tools: Marvy Giga Scallop Circle Punch, Marvy Mega Circle Punch, 1/4" hole punch

*My Mom Has A Blog!!*

I got Mom set up with a Blog this morning... we'll do another post before she heads home on Wednesday to help get the technical stuff stuck in her brains... then I'll help her remotely if I need to.

Go check it out here!

*Black White and Red All Over*

I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day yesterday.

It was great to get to spend Mother's Day with my Mom this year. This is the first year since my oldest son was born 12 years ago that I've spent it with my Mom. My husbands brother and his wife invited us over for Brunch on Sunday. We got home in the early afternoon soon after Matthew returned home from Cub Camp. I was given gifts from both boyz and from Bruce... Matthew gave me a Webkinz Cat, Alex gave me "Cookin' Mama" for the Nintendo Wii, and Bruce gave me a wonderfully comfortable lounge chair for the back deck. We ordered in Chinese food for supper and watched the "Survivor" finale while we ate.

I haven't crafted a lot while Mom was here... hard to get to the basement when the weather is so beautiful. I have made a few cards, though.

I fell in love with this Luxe paper as soon as I saw it in the scrapbooking store. It is double sided... the other side is the same design only it's black paper with white highlights. I think I like this side more than the other... less dramatic perhaps?

Not much going on in this card... I used Gina's idea for the tag using the Scallop Square Punch. I added the dots to the Whisper White card with my Micron pen (from Michaels) just because it needed something.

Items Used:
*Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Whisper White, Basic Black and Brushed Silver
*Patterned Paper: Luxe
*Ink: Stampin' Up! Basic Black, Micron Pen
*Embellishments: Making Memories silver brads, Prima flower
*Tools: Marvy Mega Scallop Square Punch

*Happy Mothers Day!*

Happy Mothers Day to my Mom and to all the Moms who are reading my blog. I love that there is one day a year set aside to let your Mom know just how special she is to you. I think we should all say it more often, but at least there is one day a year that reminds us just how special Moms are.

This was my first attempt at a Tracy Durcan one layer card. I am totally in love with Tracy's designs. And am so pleased with how this card turned out. Making a one layer card is a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. It was also very difficult to walk away from this card without adding more to it. Adding something. As it was, I had already gone back to add the Swarovski bling to the centres of the flowers. I couldn't leave it totally plain.

The card is 5.5" square when folded.

Mom will get this card at brunch this morning... I sure hope she likes it!

items used:
*Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Whisper White
*Images: Stampin' Up!
*Ink: Stampin' Up! Certainly Celery and Bashful Blue Classic Ink
*Accessories: Ribbon from Michaels, Swarovski Crystals from Outlines, black Micron pen for "mom"

*Flashback Friday*

I borrowed (with permission) the idea for Flashback Friday from Amy. I thought it would be a neat way to show you all some of the older cards I've made over the last several years.

I have been stamping for more than 10 years now, but didn't start scanning (or photographing my cards) until 2003 and I didn't bother saving one of each creation until about that time either. So you don't get to see much of my beginner work (thank God!).

I made this card for my very very good friend Denise for her birthday back in 2003. I loved the simplicity of the black and white and added a touch of pink, Denise's favourite colour.

The "happy birthday" sentiment was handwritten by me. The tulip image is by Hero Arts.

Thanks for popping by today... have a great Friday!

*Doodled*

When Stampin' Up! came out with the 2007 Spring Mini, I totally fell in love with the stamp set "Doodle This", so of course I bought it without any hesitation.

What dumbfounds me is how a set that I love so much is so difficult for me to use and create cards that make me as happy as just looking at the set. Explain?!

Anyway... Mom and I were playing in my craft room the other day and I decided to use some beautiful ribbon as my inspiration and then turned to Doodle This to make something beautiful. I like the idea, but the execution isn't quite what I had in my mind... I think next time I'd use my water brush or perhaps my blender pen to make the marker look a little less vibrant.

I think that part of what makes this card not exactly like my vision is just the colour combination... I'm not a big fan of these two colours together, but that was what was in the ribbon... and I liked the ribbon!

items used:
*Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Whisper White and Green Galore
*Images: Stampin' Up!
*Ink: Stampin' Up! Basic Black Classic Ink, Green Galore and Pink Passion Markers
*Embellishments: Ribbon by May Arts or Maya Road (can't remember which!)
*Tools: Cuttlebug and D'Vine Swirls Embossing Folder, Stamp-A-Ma-Jig

*Another Blogger RAK*

I received another beautiful card in the mail this week. This one is from Stefanie, another member of the Blogger RAK Club over at Splitcoast Stampers. Thank you so much for the beautiful card, Stefanie!

*Spring Bloggers Only Swap -- Take Two*

I was beginning to fear that my Bloggers Only swap cards had gone missing while trying to come across the US/Canada border. But they arrived safe and sound on Monday afternoon. This swap was organized on Splitcoast Stampers by Sarah.

The card I created for this swap can be found here.

Here are the cards I received back in the swap....

Created by Terri Digness... *Cardstock: Whisper White, Cool Caribbean, Old Olive, Petals and Paisley *Stamp sets: Polka Dots and Paisleys *Ink: Old Olive craft ink, Versamark (pressed silver brads into the versamark pad and then embossed them with white EP) *Accessories: Grosgrain polka dotted ribbon, brads, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, heat and stick powder.

Created by KH... *Stamps: Art Impressions, Stamps by Judith, Stampin' Up *Paper: Marcos 100% Cotton Cardstock Watercolour Paper, others unknown *Ink: Gray Marvy Dye Ink Pad, Dark Brown Marvy Marker, Tombow #553 and #098 Markers, Memories Soft Baby Blue, Distress Ink Walnut Stain, Distress Ink Tattered Rose, Copic Pale Yellow Marker *Accessories: Essential #4 Watercolour brush, ribbon from Joann's

Created by Connie Reichert... *Paper: Stampin' Up Gable Green, Lavender Lace, Barely B anana, Whisper White *Ink: Stampin' Up Green Galore, Basic Black, Brilliant Blue, Lovely Lilac *Accessories: Michaels White Grograin, Making Memories square brad, Fiskars scallop paper edger, Starry Night Stickles

Created by Anne Marie Zimmerer... *Ink: Stazon, Brilliance *Stamps: The Artful Stamper, All Night Media, Stamp Craft *Punch: Marvy, CM *Tools: Prismacolour pencils with gamsol, gems for a cell phone, Stardust pen, Glitter Glue

Created by Sarah Moore... *Stamps: Autumn Leaves, Just Johanna *Paper: Stampin' Up Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, Basic Black, Transparency *Ink: Black Staz-On, Basic Black, Cool Caribbean, Sakura Glaze Pen in Black *Accessories: Black Grosgrain, Black Brads, Bleach

Thank you to everyone in group #4 for such great looking cards! And a HUGE thank you to Sarah for hosting!!!

*Shane's Wish*

I'm sure many of you have heard about this already, but I am appealing to everyone to help out this little boy. This is not a hoax. Shane is a 7 year old boy from Ontario Canada who will be turning 8 on the 30th of May. Shane was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia when he was only five. His wish is to break the world record of birthday cards received.

First, I just sent him a card from me. But then I got to thinking... and I contacted my two sons' teachers and asked if they could do something in school to get the kids making cards for Shane and I would pay the postage to get the cards to Shane. They then made the suggestion to more of the teachers at school. They talked about it in their classes and many of the kids not only made cards during class but also went home and made more cards for Shane.

On Saturday I mailed off a box with 244 cards for Shane in it. Two of the teachers at our school had already mailed off cards for Shane before I had come to them with the idea.

Take a look at his website... and do your part in putting a smile on Shane's face! Send your card... have your kids make cards... encourage your family and friends to send cards. Ask the teachers and daycare providers to do a craft project to make cards for Shane... get creative and have some fun!

*Mother's Day #1*

I am totally loving that the sun is shining and the weather is warm. I sure hope it stays like this for a while before more rain comes. If only it wasn't so windy all the time in my backyard.

When Mom and I were stamping on Saturday I managed to make a card for my mother in law for Mother's Day. I already have my Mom's card done but I can't post it until Sunday. I didn't know what I wanted to do for my mother in law.

I bought this Great Impressions stamp at Paper Pastimes, which happens to be the stamp of the month (which meant I got it for a few dollars off). The image is beautiful. When I saw the two daisy stamps on it, I totally imagined adding Prima flowers to it. The Primas don't match the image perfectly, but it's pretty darn close!

items used:
*Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Whisper White and Rose Red
*Images: Stampin' Up! and Great Impressions
*Ink: Stampin' Up! Whisper White Craft Ink and Basic Black Classic Ink, Stampin' Up! Stampin' Write markers in Rose Red, So Saffron, Almost Amethyst, Certainly Celery
*Patterned Paper: Stampin' Up!
*Embellishments: silver brads, bling, Stickles
*Tools: Stampin' Up! small oval punch, black Micron pen

*Saturday Was Stamping Day*

My Mom arrived in Calgary on Wednesday evening and we finally found some time and creativity to go down to the basement on Saturday to play. We spent almost 5 hours downstairs and all I accomplished was two designs. Sigh. But that's OK

On Friday we did some craft shopping, stopping first at Moments to see what was still in stock (since they are closing). Was disappointed that there was a lot of stuff there, but really nothing I wanted to buy. From there we were off to the South Scrapbookers Paradise where I spent a bit of money. After there it was off to Paper Pastimes for more goodies and a quick visit with the owner, Carole.

In our travels I purchased this flower stamp by Hero Arts. It's not the same as the one I fell in love with on Cindy's blog, but it will do.

This card took a while. I stamped the image on Certainly Celery Cardstock for the base and stamped it also on Rose Red, Almost Amethyst, So Saffron and Bashful Blue. I then cut out each and every petal other than the Celery ones. That took some time. You can't tell in the photo but the petals are all on pop-dots for some dimension.

The finished card measures 4.25" X 4.25"


items used:
*cardstock: Stampin' Up Certainly Celery, Rose Red, Almost Amethyst, So Saffron, Bashful Blue
*ink: Stampin' Up Basic Black Classic Ink
*embellishments: Making Memories bling brad, Swarovski Crystals
*tools: pop dots, black Micron pen

*Do You Have A Life?*

I saw this over at Dawn's Blog..

It’s been said that if you’ve seen over 85 movies you have no life. Mark the ones you’ve seen. There are 239 films on this list. Copy this list, go to your own blog, paste it in and put x’s by the ones that you have seen. Add them up...

(x) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest
( ) Boondock Saints
() Fight Club
() Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
() Blazing Saddles
(x) Airplane
(x) The Princess Bride
( ) AnchorMan
( ) Napoleon Dynamite
(x) Labyrinth
( ) Saw
( ) Saw II
( ) White Noise
( ) White Oleander
(x) Anger Management
(x) 50 First Dates
(x) The Princess Diaries
(x) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Total so far: 12 out of 22

() Scream
() Scream 2
() Scream 3
( ) Scary Movie
( ) Scary Movie 2
( ) Scary Movie 3
( ) Scary Movie 4
(x) American Pie
(x) American Pie 2
(x) American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp
(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
(x) Harry Potter 4
( ) Resident Evil 1
( ) Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
(x) Little Black Book
( ) The Village
(x) Lilo & Stitch
Total so far: 22 out of 43

(x) Finding Nemo
(x) Finding Neverland
( ) Signs
(x) The Grinch
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
() White Chicks
(x) Butterfly Effect
(x) 13 Going on 30
( ) I, Robot
(x) Robots
( ) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
( ) Universal Soldier
(x) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
( x) Along Came Polly
( ) Deep Impact
() KingPin
(x) Never Been Kissed
(x) Meet The Parents
(x) Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
() Joe Dirt
( ) King Kong
Total so far: 33 out of 66

(x) A Cinderella Story
(x) The Terminal
( ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
() Dumb & Dumber
( ) Dumber & Dumberer
() Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
(x) Halloween
( ) The Ring
( ) The Ring 2
(x) Surviving Christmas
( ) Flubber
( ) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
(x) Practical Magic
(x) Chicago
( ) Ghost Ship
( ) From Hell
( ) Hellboy
( ) Secret Window
(x) I Am Sam
() The Whole Nine Yards
() The Whole Ten Yards
Total so far: 40 out of 90

( ) The Day After Tomorrow
() Child’s Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky
(x) Ten Things I Hate About You
( ) Just Married
( ) Gothika
(x) Nightmare on Elm Street
(x) Sixteen Candles
() Remember the Titans
( x) Coach Carter
( ) The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
(X) The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask
() Bad Boys
( ) Bad Boys 2
() Joy Ride
() Lucky Number Sleven
(X) Ocean’s Eleven
( x) Ocean’s Twelve
( x) Bourne Identity
( ) Bourne Supremecy
( ) Lone Star
( ) Bedazzled
( ) Predator I
( ) Predator II
( ) The Fog
( x) Ice Age
( ) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
( ) Curious George
Total so far: 49 out of 121.

(x) Independence Day
(x) Cujo
() A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
(x) Christine
(X) E.T.
( x) Children of the Corn
(x) My Bosses Daughter
( x) Maid in Manhattan
( ) War of the Worlds
(X) Rush Hour
() Rush Hour 2
( ) Best Bet
(X) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
( x) She’s All That
( x) Calendar Girls
( x) Sideways
( ) Mars Attacks
( ) Event Horizon
( ) Ever After
(X) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
(x) Big Trouble in Little China
( x) The Terminator
( x) The Terminator 2
( x) The Terminator 3
Total so far: 67 out of 147.

( ) X-Men
( ) X-2
( ) X3
( x) Spider-Man
( ) Spider-Man 2
( x) Sky High
( ) Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
( x) Catch Me If You Can
(X) The Little Mermaid
( x) Freaky Friday
( ) Reign of Fire
( ) The Skulls
( ) Cruel Intentions
( ) Cruel Intentions 2
( ) The Hot Chick
(X) Shrek
(X) Shrek 2
Total so far: 74 out of 165

( x) Swimfan
() Miracle on 34th street*
() Old School
( x) The Notebook
( ) K-Pax
( ) Krippendorf’s Tribe
(x ) A Walk to Remember
() Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
(x) The 40-year-old Virgin
( x) Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
( ) Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
( ) Lord of the Rings: Return Of the King
() Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
() Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
() Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Total so far: 79 out of 181

( ) Base-ketball
( ) Hostel
( ) Waiting for Guffman
( ) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
(x) Elf
( ) Highlander
( x) Mothman Prophecies
() American History X
( ) Three
( ) The Jacket
( ) Kung Fu Hustle
( ) Shaolin Soccer
( ) Night Watch
( x) Monsters Inc
(X) Titanic
( x) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
( ) Shaun Of the Dead
( ) Willard
Total so far: 84 out of 200.

( ) High Tension
( ) Club Dread
( ) Hulk
() Dawn Of the Dead
(x) Hook
( ) Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
( ) 28 days later
( ) Orgazmo
( ) Phantasm
( ) Waterworld
( ) Kill Bill Vol. 1
( ) Kill Bill Vol. 2
() Mortal Kombat
( ) Wolf Creek
( ) Kingdom of Heaven
( ) The Hills Have Eyes
( ) I Spit on Your Grave
( ) The Last House on the Left
( ) Re-Animator
() Army of Darkness
Total so far: 85 out of 220

( x) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
( x) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
( x) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
( x) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
( x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
( x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
( ) Ewoks: Caravan Of Courage
( ) Ewoks: The Battle For Endor
( x) The Matrix
( x) The Matrix: Reloaded
(x) The Matrix: Revolutions
() Animatrix
() Evil Dead
() Evil Dead 2
( ) Team America: World Police
() Red Dragon
() Silence of the Lambs
( ) Hannibal
Total: 94 out of 239

Yup, I have no life!!

*Very Interesting*

This is how I will be defined in the dictionary...

Nancy Elrick -- [adjective]: Sexually stunning 'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

*One Year*

A year. A year passes so quickly. So many things can happen in a year. And then you think back to a moment a year ago that changed your life and you realize that a year can feel like yesterday while feeling like an eternity at the same time.

A year ago today the bottom fell out of my boat. A year ago today, my sisters and I became members of the “Dead Dad’s Club” and my Mom was alone for the first time in more than 45 years.

My Dad was always healthy when I was growing up. I only remember him being home sick from work a few times. He was a healthy guy.

Until the Christmas of 2004 when he ended up in the E.R. What sent him there, we found out later, was an infection and gall stones. But in diagnosing this, they discovered he had liver cancer. Apparently it’s quite rare for someone to have liver cancer as a primary cancer, but that’s what Dad had. In April 2005, Dad had his liver resected, needed no follow up treatment for the cancer and life went on.

Until July 2005…. we got another phone call… Dad was in the hospital with Congestive Heart Failure. He spent about a month in the hospital waiting for valve replacement surgery and recuperating. He healed well, was on a tonne of meds and was moving a little slower, but life went on.

Until April 2006. Mom and Dad traveled from Regina to Calgary for Easter. They went home on April 18th and I remember feeling like my heart had been ripped out as I watched them walk away through security at the airport. I was depressed like you wouldn’t believe. Something just wasn’t right. On the morning of April 26th, I was in tears and Bruce said I should call him, just to let him know I loved him. I thought I’d do it later in the day as it was still early and I didn’t want to wake him and Mom. I went to the gym and came home to a ringing phone. It was Mom… Dad was just taken by ambulance to the E.R…. the word was “stroke”.

My older sister and her daughter arrived at the Regina airport about an hour after I did the next day and we went straight to the hospital. Dad had had surgery the night before to try to alleviate the pressure in his brain and to stop the bleeding.

We spent the next 8 days back and forth to the surgical ICU. Hours sitting in the waiting room to be able to go in and see Dad for a few minutes. For the first few days, we held out a lot of hope. Then we were “guardedly optimistic”…. hoping he would wake up, but fearing the damage that was being done. And on May 3rd my sister and I were the first to go into his room and we knew something was wrong. It was if he was already gone, even though there were machines that were helping to keep him alive. It seems like the nurses knew too… instead of 2 of us allowed in the room, all of us were there… Mom, Heather, Sandra and Tim and I. We were sure that he wouldn't make the night...

But he did. We were all surprised. We went in to see him on the 4th and again, we weren't limited in our visits. We left in the mid afternoon and made the decision that it was time to let Dad go. They started to unhook Dad from all the machines somewhere after 6:30… we were there with him, we said good bye. Mom and I couldn’t stay in the room, but Heather and Sandra both wanted to stay with Dad. Dad was gone in minutes. And when we went back to his room after it was all over, it was so silent. No machines, no dings, no nothing. Silence. And peace.

And he was gone.

My Dad was 74 years old…. And was the greatest Dad I could have asked for. He wasn’t perfect, but he was my Dad. I miss so much about him…. His whistling… the twinkle in his eyes….hearing him call me (and my sisters and nieces) “Babe”.... hearing him call my sons “Guy”.

Growing up, I was Daddy’s little girl. I think he had hoped that this third child would be a boy, but alas, he had all girls. I did a lot of stuff with Dad. We played catch with a softball and our gloves in the summer. We rode our bikes together. We cross country skied. He taught me to drive. We played cards. We’d watch Days of our Lives together on his days off.

He loved his grandbabies so much… all five of them…. When the kids were babies, Dad would often have them entertained and happy. He’d have their diapers changed before anyone even knew they needed it.

A year. It can go by so quickly. But the memories make it seem like it was yesterday.

If tears could build a stairway
And memories were a lane
We would walk right up to heaven
And bring you back again

No farewell words were spoken
No time to say goodbye
You were gone before we knew it
And only God knows why

Our hearts still ache in sadness
And secret tears still flow
What it meant to lose you
No one can ever know

But now we know you want us
To mourn for you no more
To remember all the happy times
Life still has much in store

Since you'll never be forgotten
We pledge to you today
A hallowed place within our hearts
Is where you'll always stay.

author unknown

**Lovingly remembered and sadly missed by Bev, Heather, Rachael, Sandra, Tim, Casey, Ali, Nancy, Bruce, Alex & Matthew

I love you Dad

*What Year Do You Belong In?*

Apparently, I belong in 1962...

You Belong in 1962

You are a free spirit with a huge heart. Love, peace, and happiness rule - oh, and drugs too.

What Year Do You Belong In?

Interesting, since I didn't even get to SEE the 60s....

*Altered Items Carnival*

Check out Craft Critique for some links to some wonderful altered items (including some of mine!)

*Happy Birthday to a Good Friend*

I want to take a minute to wish my good friend Cindy a Happy Birthday! I hope you'll all pop over to her blog and leave her a birthday wish today, just because I know it will put a smile on her face!

I met Cindy online about 8 years ago... she was the moderator of a Canadian stamping email list. We actually got off to a bad start... I disagreed with something about her list, quit and started my own. A while later she joined the stamping email list I had started and after a bit we started emailing back and forth, then started using msn. Eventually, we were chatting pretty much daily. She was my upline when I joined Stampin' Up! We support each other with our addiction to all things paper crafty.

Cindy is a great friend and such a talented craftsperson... she sews, knits, crochets, bakes, papercrafts and who knows what else. And she does them all so well! Visit her blog and have a look for yourself!

This is the card I made for Cindy. I sure hope it arrives in the mail today... I kinda left it to the last minute. Bad friend. I also hope she doesn't pop in here for a visit before she sees the card in real life!

In other news, my Mom arrived yesterday. She is on a one month vacation from her home in SK. She spent 2 weeks with my sister and niece in Toronto and flew here straight from Toronto. She arrived around suppertime last night... unfortunately one of her suitcases didn't come with her. We've already had a call from Air Canada this morning and it's in Calgary and will be delivered by courier this morning. As I mentioned back a month ago in a post, my Mom is the reason I started stamping and card making. Yes, it is all her fault! She does beautiful stuff... you should check it out in her Gallery. I hope to get her started on a blog while she is here.

items used:
*cardstock: Stampin' Up! Whisper White and Rose Red
*Images: Stamping Bella and Stampin' Up
*Ink: Stampin' Up Rose Red & Regal Rose Classic Ink, Black StazOn
*Tools: Stampin' Up! Stampin' Write Markers
*Embellishments: bling, Sakura Stardust Gel Pen

*Hinged Coaster Box*

Tracy, over at Tracy's Happy Place, hosted an altered container contest over the last few weeks. I really wanted to do a DVD tin but didn't have any left after making a bunch at Christmas. I decided to try to make a Coaster Box with a hinged lid instead.

The box is pretty easy to make... just takes time gluing the sides together and on to the base. I only did two sides at a time and then propped them up while they dried. The Primas are along the bottom on all four sides.

Unfortunately, I didn't place in the top 3, but I am very pleased with how my creation turned out.

Take a peek at the winners over at Tracy's blog... I'm sure the judging wasn't easy for Tracy and her husband Allen!





items used:
*Patterned Paper: Basic Grey
*Embellishments: pewter letters (unknown source), grosgrain ribbon, Prima Flowers, Bling