A Surprise for a Very Good Friend

It took special planning, but I pulled off a surprise for a very good friend, one with whom I have shared spiritual and health issues, prayers, and the ability to vent (on both sides) -- and whom I have never met face-to-face!
I am talking about Linda, owner and mod on Your Scrapbook Place Yahoo Group and soul sister.
When she mentioned that her sis-in-law had passed away and the services were in Dodgeville, I Googled the town, made arrangements, and FB'd  her daughter, Becky, to let her know my plans and to keep it secret from her mom.
Here we are (above) together in the gazebo part of her green house (I would liken it to a lighthouse tower).  Bill and I were very impressed with the house and its energy-saving, energy-efficient, home.  Verdon took Bill out to the shed to show him his "toys", while I toured Linda's craft room and. as you can see below, made friends with Nikko.

Although it was a sad event that finally got us together, we put a positive spin on the day by meeting and talking and having the best visit ever.  Thanks to Becky who kept the secret so well, we almost didn't get to meet, as Linda was thinking of skipping the funeral), and to Shelley, both of whom we met at breakfast, discovering we were staying at the same hotel!!  Great seeing both of you, and so sorry for your loss.

What I Did on My Dad's Birthday

Last Sunday would have been my dad's birthday. My dad died in 1994, my grampa in 1997.   Seems the women of the family are longer-lived than the men.  So we women went to the cemetery to pay our respects, shed a few tears and laugh over fondest memories.  The weather was perfect, not too cold, and the rain had stopped.  In fact, the ground was perfect for adding a couple flowers and butterflies near the headstones.

Afterwards, we went across the street to a little German restaurant and again shared our favorite memories as we drank a toast to both my dad and my grampa.  Here we are, the women in the family, all but my granddaughter.

My mom is seated on the left (she'll be 80 this year).  My gram is on the right--she's 102 years old.  My daughter is on the right behind Gram, and my youngest sister (in red) will be 50 this year.  Although I miss my dad still (and Grampa), I am blessed to still have my mom and gram, and I really believe that God gifted me (and my mom) with a daughter to take dad's place.

Snag of the Week

I love finding deals--especially when they end up being free!  I found a pillow in the giveaway bin at school, a pillow that no one could possibly use comfortably.  But the reason for the discomfort was the reason I rescued it--it was covered with fabric-covered buttons!!
I snipped them all off, stripped off the pillow cover, and was able to save the pillow form as well.  And here is my haul!!

I can see tons of beautiful cards using these colorful embellishments, and all it took was a little time on my part, removing them from that uncomfortable pillow.  So, what is your best "snag" of the week?  Doesn't have to be free if you feel you scored!!
Whatever turns you on, keep crafting!

Merry Christmas!!!

I'm writing this post two days before Christmas.  I will be very busy for the next two days cleaning house, preparing dinner, putting final touches on presents, pretty much checking my list at least twice, then spending time with family and friends (and eating too much)!
I wanted to showcase this gorgeous, gooey gingerbread house, a team effort between my teen daughter and my new granddaughter.  I have so much to be thankful for this year--
a new family that my son married into, complete with young kids,  in-laws, and a beautiful wife, both outwardly and inside;
 a job, complete with co-workers I call my friends (not to mention a salary);
 a home in which to keep warm this winter, whose walls stretch to welcome guests;
food to eat and share with family and friends, and with those less fortunate;
 good health and insurance to cover us when our health takes a slight dip;
 friends, neighbors and family to love and be loved by, to lean on, to help, to share successes and failures, and with whom to celebrate life's events;
 a strong faith on which to lean in times of hurt, anger, stress and despair, with which to share with those who need more than this earth can provide, who have lost (especially this year).
As I sit at my computer (another thing for which to be thankful), watching another Christmas movie, the nearby twinkling lights of the tree catching my eye, I can't help but feel blessed in this life.  So no matter what presents I unwrap, the best gift I received this year is life and love and my faith.  I have everything I need, and much more than I want!!  I am so lucky, and wish all of you who read this a very Merry Christmas!!

Tag You're It--Christmas Tags, That Is!

The house is beginning to look a lot like Christmas.  The tree is up, there are even presents underneath it already!  Started my Christmas baking and froze the dough (you can't trust me with chocolate chip cookie dough).  And I am up to my elbows in ink and ribbon and bows and Mod Podge!!  I'm making it a homemade Christmas this year!

I had my newest granddaughter over to the house for some Christmas crafting recently.  When I asked her in October what she wanted for her birthday, she said a day crafting with my new grandma!  She has already won my heart, and now she's won my Copics (and my stash and whatever else she can create with).

Here she is working on some "Santa Hat" brownies.
We took a break from our painting and stamping to make some sweet treats for later.

She made some awesome presents for her siblings and her cousins.  Two of her cousins are getting an altered Starbucks Frappe bottle crafted into a Christmas treat container.  The youngest cousin and her new step-sister (my Bella) are getting handmade fleece pillows.  And she also made snowman ornaments out of round coasters for her uncles, aunts and grandparents!  She was one busy crafter.

Meanwhile, I managed to pump out a couple projects myself.  One of them are these cute wooden Christmas tags using Crafters' Companion stamps from the Humphrey collection.

First I used alcohol inks and blotted some red and green ink onto my tags.  I used a green Copic marker on the edges.  Then I stamped small reindeer from the Humphrey Christmas set and used a scallop circle punch on them.  I framed them with red cardstock and adhered them to the tags.  The set came with a couple sentiments, so I used the "For You" sentiment and framed them in red as well.

I tied the sentiments onto the tags with white ribbon and finished off each with some Stickles around the edges.  I added a bit of green lace to the bottom of one.

Come back tomorrow for the Handmade Christmas Gift Blog Hop!  I'll show you my next project and if you hop along the way, you're bound to find inspiration around every corner!!

Mmm, Leftovers

My favorite part of Thanksgiving--besides sitting at the table with family, passing the house with Christmas lights twinkling, and yummy food--is the leftovers!!  I make two special dishes with the turkey meat, and I made the first one earlier this week.  I had help, too!  My new daughter-in-law, Cami, came over to help and to make pies for her family.

Here are the results, a pie for me, hubby and daughter.  Cami took hers home for the family to enjoy that night.  Each pie is custom made for the individual's taste buds.  I like mushrooms but not peas, Wendy likes peas but not mushrooms, and hubby likes it ALL!! LOL

My other special leftover dish is lovingly referred to as "turkey balls"!    They are croquettes, small molded balls of cut-up turkey and cream of chicken soup, rolled in flour and egg and bread crumbs--crunchy on the outside, creamy on the inside.  Mmm-mm-mmm!

So, do you have any special leftover dishes you make after Thanksgiving?  Let me know!!

Life is a Paradise When You're in Love

And so the theme for my son and future daughter-in-law's wedding is tropical.  It will be a small affair, about 40 people, performed near our local lake, with guests dressed comfortably in Hawaiian shirts and flip flops.  The luau is going to be at my house (what was I thinking?!).

Meanwhile, I just finished and mailed the invitations.  Chase's fiance, Camille, loves my cards and asked me to make these.  After discussing styles and wording, she told me to choose the final draft and mail them---she trusts me to make the very best!  I love her already!!

They're doing a small civil service now, and then when my son returns from his deployment, they will celebrate the sacrament of marriage at our local church, with the big Catholic wedding and a hundred or two guests and a honeymoon after.

Did I mention that the wedding will be in just 28 days????  Tell me when to freak out!!  Too late, I'm already there! LOL  Let me say a little something about the invitations, maybe that will calm me down a little.  I bought a package of black cardstock cards with the circle already cut out (from Michael's), but ran out and had to make my own in addition to those I bought.

I embossed the palm tree with white pigment ink and white embossing powder from Stampin Up.  The border embellishment is from EK Success, also purchased at Michael's (40% off!).  Doesn't it look like frosting on a wedding cake??  I didn't buy enough, so I used some gem borders I found in my file drawer of stickers.  Yep, I emptied the whole drawer and organized them all into labeled folders taped on their sides into pouches.

The black and white is so formal, so I adhered some purple (bride's fave color) paper onto the inside of the card and popped a pair of flip flops to be framed by the circle cutout.  On the inside is the invitation sentiment, along with a poem that describes their relationship:  "Time flies so fast, so too does life. You work, you play, and then some day...Love happens!"

I also added the informal dress code by quoting: "Love makes life a paradise, so wear your Hawaiian shirt and flip flops"  Hopefully, we'll have enough photos taken so I can show my crafting buds the luau I have planned for this event!!  Meanwhile, keep crafting!  I'll be a little busy for the next month, but will try to manage a few posts here and there.