A PTI Christmas

Good Morning everyone.  Hope your weekend is starting on a pleasant note.  I've been up since 5 this morning and just could not go back to sleep so I decided to get up, do dishes, fold laundry, and enjoy a relaxing cup of tea before my kids get up.  

Since I had the time, I thought I would share some christmas cards that I made last year but just didn't have time to share on my blog.  It's nothing new but thought it might help anybody whose having some creative block such as I am this week as I am still exhausted.  These were all made using the PTI set "A Wreath for all Seasons"  Very versatile set and worth the money!  Love it and use it a lot.

Non-Traditional

Traditional

One Layer Card:  Fast and Easy!

 Anyhow, hope you all have a wonderful weekend and fabulously frightful Halloween on Monday.  We'll be busy decorating the house today since we didn't have time to do it last weekend...But nothing gets done until I visit Maureen's new home for the first time.  I'm looking forward to our small visit...it's been a while.

Happy 7th

I was so inspired by this verve sketch that I had to make another card for my son's 7th birthday.  That sketch makes it easy to use up some of that chipboard I seem to have laying around.  I definitely have more than I need.  Don't you just love when a sketch works so well you could make it over and over.  The only drawback for this sketch is the somewhat finicky circle cutting.  

 I fell in love with the fun colours of the this patterned paper.  I believe it's an October Afternoon collection. It's usually hard to come up with masculine cards since my stamp collection for that category is somewhat limited.   The "Happy" sentiment from the Waltzing Mouse may be a little too feminine but I thought I could pass it off as more boho LOL.  The happy birthday sentiment might be a little too slanted but whatever....it's still a fun card.

Disneyland Haunted Mansion at Halloween

Anyhow we're back from Disneyland and we all had a blast.  It was a large group of us, 6 kids and 8 adults, making it easy to keep an eye on all of them.  We were able to separate and make the most of our time.  It was so awesome to see everything done up for halloween...I can only imagine what it looks like at Christmas.  Has anyone ever been during that time? Would I do it all again?...I'm much too exhausted right now to even think about that.  I must say that any family outing or wait in line in the future will be a peice of cake.  In the end, the memories made were magical and I was so surprised at how well the kids travelled.  

What magical place have you travelled with your family and what made it so special?  I'd have to say that one of our most memorable trips still has has to be the Vancouver aquarium only a few hours away.  The kids were just so excited to see the wonders of the ocean.

Happy Birthday Mom

Wherever you are, whoever you're with, whatever you're doing, I still love you and wish you all the happiness in the world.  

It's my mom's birthday this week and I'm sure that she thinks I don't remember or don't care as I'm so busy with my own life.  But I don't.  As you may be able to tell my mother and I aren't very close.  We use to be, but life happens and we started to need each other less and less.  But whatever life brings between us it doesn't stop the fact that I love her and I am thankful for her efforts in raising me.  Being a mother now I can appreciate the sacrifices that were made and the emotional roller coaster that comes from having a daughter of my own.

Anyhow, this card was inspired by another October Viva la Verve sketch.  It's not one of my best accomplishments but I do like the cupcake.  I layered it and frosted it with glitter.  I wanted to use a darker pink background with lighter ribbon but I also wanted to be able to stamp a sentiment.  Thinking back now I could have done that a white embossed the sentiment.  I'm starting to get back into my grove and I'm liking it.  It really is nice to find the time for this.  I'll try to find more time to surf the blogs and see what else I've missed while I've been gone.  I've noticed a couple of my other blog friends are currently on hiatus as well and it kind of makes me sad :(

Have a fantabulous day!!!

Is it Really?

Is it really that time of the year again?  In a couple of weeks it will be Halloween and then Thanksgiving (in the US) and the next thing you know it's Christmas and New Years.  I don't know about you but I always find that the next few months fly by.  I remember before I went back to work, I used to have all my holiday shopping done by now.  This year and last...not so much.  The same goes for having my holiday cards made.  And I can't bring myself to buy them when I have all that crafty goodness packed away in my cupboards.  

So heres my first card of the season, inspired by the October Viva la Verve sketch.  I've made another card for this sketch but it will have to wait.

Tomorrow we are on our way to Disneyland.  The one nice thing about being back at work is having a little bit of money to put aside for special things like this.  That and I traded in a bunch of travel points that we had been collecting for 8 years.  We are headed there with friends and neighbors and very much looking to our first family holiday.  I'm hoping for a fabulous family adventure, but wonder if I'll need to be put in a padded cell once we arrive home. LOL

Take care everyone and have a fantastic weekend!

Grateful for Time

Well it's been a long time hasn't it.  Almost a year since my last post and how I've missed it.  I've decided that I need to make time for me and what better way but in my craft time.  I really do need that time for my sanity.  And I do miss the support of this wonderful crafting community.

For my first attempt and getting comfortable with things I decided on the latest Mojo Monday sketch which just happens to be contest week.  I decided on a thanksgiving theme as tomorrow is our Canadian Thanksgiving.  I'm off to dinner tonight with the in-laws.  Anyhow I hope find some kind of inspiration and wish you all my fellow Canadians a warm and wonderful Thanksgiving and to everybody else enjoy a lovely week ahead.

Cheers,
Laural

Just the Ticket

Hello everyone...it's been a while hasn't it?  I did have plans to be on here more often but life just happens.  I have been busy these last few weeks but still managed to make 35 christmas cards.  And they're all in the mail!  Phew!  

Anyhow...on with the show!  I'm so excited to show this creation I made last night.  As I was looking through my stash of craft goodies, I was thinking about how much I'd love to find a unique way of making a fireplace and I happened upon the PTI set "Just the Ticket" and that's exactly what it was. When positioned just right those tickets made perfect bricks for a fireplace.  What do you think?  I did a ribbon treatment for the 'mantle' and 'hung' those lovely PTI die cut stockings.  It's odd that the first time I use that stamp set it would be for a Christmas card.  I'm going to try something with the ticket strip die.  Hopefully I'll be able to share that with you in a more timely fashion.

Tomorrow I'm heading out of town with my daughter as she has a scheduled ultrasound for her tummy.  She's had multiple issues these past couple of months and now we're having to run a multitude of tests.  Sick kids cause so much worry!  My son has been home with a high fever these last couple of days and I felt guilty for not being at home with him.  It's such a strange and sad feeling knowing that last year at this time I was at home full time with kids being able take care of them while they were sick and able to answer all the doctor's questions because I knew my kids so well.  Now...not so much. We are fortunate that we have family daycare so I don't necessarily have to miss work.  Hubby did stay at home today though and that made me feel much more comfortable not being at home.

That's my life for now and I'm looking forward to the Christmas holidays.  If I'm not around before then have a very merry Christmas and a happy and healthy 2011

Like a Kid in a Candy Shop

My new craft room is pretty much the same thing.  And my favourite thing right now is my jars of scrap ribbon and buttons.  Just looking at all those colourful goodies gives me plenty of inspiration.  I need all the inspiration I can get right now because I need to get those Christmas cards done!  I'm half way there.

My desk looks out the window facing the cul-de-sac where my kids spend the majority of the time playing with the neighbourhood kids.  That will probably be less of the time now that the weather's getting chillier and wetter.  We're expecting snow later this week.  I don't enjoy the roads but appreciate that snow gets rid of the gloominess.

Anyhow I also have an extra table for a few friends  or kids to spend some crafty time with me. The tables also handy to spread out my materials and get creative.  Now I just need a handy peg board to pin up some challenges.