Samuel and the Cello

(Please don't mind the photo above; this is the only photo I have of him playing the Cello-more photos to come. He is in his jammies and you can see the blanket and backpack....LOL! This pic was taken the night of his first lesson.) Isn't he soo cute!

Well this is my young man practicing his Cello. Both of the boys love music and well I do to. We have worship music playing a lot in our home. I am so glad that the boys love music. Well poor little Sammie-dooles has been begging me for piano lessons the past two years. And because of many different reasons, I was not able to provide him piano lessons....(I know, I know, I won the worst mother of the year award!)

But not having lessons didn't deter him from practicing on his keyboard (I gave him my old keyboard.) for 30 - 45 mins a day. Now I did teach him the scales I knew and where the notes where but that was all I could do. LOL! I love music always have, I can hear the different notes, tone and pitch...but unable to tell you what note and how to fix it. Annoying!   Needless to say that my artistic side is not music. =)

Well Samuel came home a few weeks ago and said he wanted to be a part of the Orchestra and he gave me the info. Right from the beginning he told me that he wanted to play the Cello. Now I tried to get him to play the violin....for selfish purposes of course....I would love for him to play me some lively Irish jigs on the violin or viola or fiddle....see my point...(LOL!) Well as much as he loves me, Samuel told me "To go play my Irish music CD's if I wanted to listen to that kind of music, because I want to play the Cello mom." How could I argue? I couldn't. (FYI: I was only teasn' him about playing the violin. I am a firm believer in allowing the boys to choose which instrument they want to play. I am truly not one of the overbearing music moms....LOL! Just in case you were wondering. LOL!)

Samuel is now playing the Cello and having lots of fun learning. Our instructor is awesome. He is patient with Samuel and the other children. Plus he encourages them to do their best and it is helping Samuel with his self confidence.



Ok enough of the family stuff. I hope I didn't bore you to death.



Blessings!

Mary

Happy Fall Ya'll

I made this pumpkin for my mother.  They are having a contest at work (they provided the pumpkin pattern)....now I know it sounds like she is cheating ....but they said you can take it home and have help decorating.  They all know my mom doesn't do stuff like this and I do....it's kind of a given...LOL!

So do you like it?  It was lots of fun to make. I used some yummy travel Making Memories DP along with some unknown graph paper, some lace, felt, heart chipboard peice colored with Aqua Mist ink and then covered with glass glitter to make it extra sparkly.  I used two stamp set from Cornish Heritage Farms - Kim Hughes Collection. Auqa Mist buttons and May Arts twine.

I also used some of the same twine to make a hanger for the pumpkin...but did that after the photo was taken.

Well I am off.  Samuel stayed home from school today....they were celebrating Halloween at school today and we do not celebrate Halloween, so he has an extra day off of school.   They boys are also off tomorrow and Friday.....for teacher conferences or something....LOL!   So we have 4 days to spend together....to fun!

Blessings and thanks for stopping by today!

Mary

Rememberance

I made a bunch of these cards for all of the ladies that went to the Wisconsin Dells a couple of weeks ago.
I also CASED this card from Teri Anderson's blog...A bit of this a bit of that.  Check out the amazing card!
Thanks Teri for the inspiration for my card.

I used the new Earth Love - from Cosmo Cricket. (yummy!) The stamp is from Papertrey Ink - Every Day Blessings.  Love the scriptures in this stamp set.

Thanks for stopping by today and many blessings!

Birdy Rattle - Giftiness

Ok....here is the picutes of the Boy Birdy Rattle I made for my friends.  They are having a bouncing baby boy sometime in Dec.  So very happy for them.

I missed her baby shower this weekend because my boys and I were fighting some icky germy bugs that decided to crash our home....and they were totally not invited!!! (LOL!)

So what do you think?  Do you all like the rattles?  See the post below on purchasing an already made rattle by me or by purchasing the crochet pattern from Mamachee.

Thank you for your sweet comments in my previous post.  You all are are such a blessing!

I will posting some card pictures this week. 

Blessings!

Mary

Updated Etsy Shop

I have FINALLY updated my Etsy shop.  I have 3 sets of homemade felt embellishments with more to come later this week and 2 crochet birdy rattles for sale.

The crochet birdy rattles are totally unique.  They are perfect for babies.  They have sound, color and texture...everything a baby loves.  Plus they are made with a 100% cotton yarn and they are totally Eco-Friendly.

I have a fun gifty that I made for a friend and I will share with you later today.  I made another rattle, but this time it's for a baby boy. 

The two rattles that are in my Etsy shop are for girls.  I do take custom orders as well all you have to do is Convo. me through my Etsy shop.

Also if you are into crocheting...I have to share with you where I got the rattle pattern.  Mamachee is an awesome Etsy store and Tara the owner and creater of the crochet patterns is so sweet.  I purchased her birdy rattle crochet pattern and made these beautiful cute rattles.  Mamachee also has lots of other awesome crochet patterns.  (I have several of hers...) 

Thanks for stopping by today....I'll share a picture of the gifty boy rattle later today along with some cards later this week.

Don't forget that in a few days I'll be hosting my 3rd Blog Challenge...and remember this one has a little twist, and as always...I'll have some blog candy to share with the participants.

Blessings,

Mary

Feature Saturday

Ok....aren't these shoes totally adorable? When I saw these shoes....I swooned...LOL! Isn't that color dreamy? A size 8.5 is calling my name...but my pocket book is screaming "NO WAY, LADY"

You can find them HERE. Now as much as I love these shoes....I wouldn't splurge that much on a pair of shoes...evah (call me cheap! LOL)

And look at these:

More dreamy....olive (one of my fav. colors) and cream boots....Swoon!

And these:

Look at that yummy blue/turquoise with the white stitching.....I mean seriously ladies...I love these. They have red, olive, and yummy yellow too....Wowzers!

The last pair for today....

Old school meets modern flair....sooo sweet!


Hope you enjoyed the little funky eye candy today and many blessings!

mary

You Make Me Smile

We've been uber busy with life since I've gotten home from my little weekend away with some girls from church.  I brought my mom's camera and didn't take 1 picture...shame on me. (LOL!)  Well that isn't entirely true...I did take a few pictures using some else's camera over the weekend....but I don't have a copy of those pictures yet.  (Insert sad face here...LOL!)

We had lots of fun spending time with each other.  The fellowship was awesome.  We played games, prayed and went shopping...or I should say window shopping, which is my favorite type of shopping.  I get lots of ideas when window shopping. 

Needless to say, the weekend was perfect and so thankful for God's blessings!  I came home refeshed and it's a good thing too since I hit the ground running as soon as I pulled into town on Sunday morning and we haven't really stopped since.

Thank you all for your well wishes and comments on my cards this week.  This is the last card for a little bit using Sassafras' Vintage Yummy paper....I used Kim Hughes cartoon turkey image from CHF for my main image.  I colored the image with copics and used my orderless marker to make it look distressed.  What do you think?

I have to get the pictures of my homemade embellishments in my shop tomorrow.  I used the uber yummy Sassafras paper along with matching felt and some yummy stitching.   Each set will sell for $3.00 each plus shipping and you'll get 6 handmade embellishments.

I'll see you tomorrow....thanks for stopping by!

Many Blessings,

Mary

K. Werner - Inspiration

K. Werner has an awesome tutorial and PDF download on her blog to make these awesome card sketch books.  Can't wait to fill it.
She makes it so easy, because she has provided us a PDF for the inside sheets.  So cool....Thanks Kristina!

You are probably tired of seeing this paper line....It's from Sassafras Lass called....Vintage Yummy.  I know I've been using it a lot but can't help it. (LOL!)  I made several creations with it the other day and can't seem to get enought of these papers.

I'll have more to share with you....

Blessings!!!

Mary

Wonderful Friend

I made another yummy card using the uber awesome Yummy Vintage Paper from Sassafras Lass.  So in love with this paper....Well not really.....I really, really, really like this paper and love Jesus..(as my 8 year old corrects my words....Gotta love that!!!)  This paper rocks and that's all I have to say about it.

I used a handmade felt heart embellishment and a cardstock sticker from the same paper line.  The sentiment is from Anna Wright's - Friendly Expressions stamp set.  The card base is SU!  So Saffron.

Thanks for stopping by and many blessings,

Mary

Sassafras - Vintage Yummy Love......

I found this uber yummy Sassafras Lass paper at Michaels....it is awesome!!!  It's called Vintage Yummy and yes it is soooo yummy.

I have been making some fun handmade vintage felt embellishments for my Etsy shop and will post them to my shop when I get back into to town.  They are sooo fun... If they don't sell, I will have lots of embellies to make some uber yummy cards!

Deets: 
Stamps:Lockhart - Apples, Anna Wight's Friendly Expressions from Whipper Snapper.
Paper: Sassafras - Vintage Yummy (my current fav. dp), SU! - So Saffron
Ink:  PTI Drk Choco Hybrid ink, Copic Markers
Accessories: Handmade Felt embellies, buttons and stitching with my sewing machine


Thanks for stopping by!

Mary

Feature Saturday

I am about to show you an awesome inspirational shop called  E W McCall.  This is a family Etsy store and it is full of yummy items.

Check them out : E W McCall

Below you will find a few items from their shop.

Isn't this the cutest skirt eveah!?!????

This pin is sooo beautiful and gives you and romantic vintage feel.

This is sooo stinkn' cool!  I wouldn't wear it...but it's gorgeous...again romantic vintage feel...so glamorous.

I am out of town and will be back on Sunday...Have a wonderful weekend!

Many Blessings,

Mary

Christmas Blessings

I made some Christmas cards this past week.  I had to show you all three colors even though they are the same layouts and stamps....so sorry if you are totally bored...LOL!

I used one of my all time favorite Christmas stamp sets from Asela by Gina K Designs.   I also CASED a card.....check out my original inspriation for my cards....HERE.

I am getting ready for my weekend away!  Too excited.   It seems to have been an extreme challenge to get to this point.  Life just keeps happening...(LOL!)  But God is ever faithful!!!

Have a super wonderful weekend!

Many Blessings,

Mary

Grateful

There is a group of ladies from our church that are going away for the weekend for some fellowship, shopping and fun.  We rented a HUGE house for the weekend and  I was blessed to have an anonymous person pay my way for this trip....What a blessing!  God is ever faithful.  My friend who has organized this trip asked for me to make a Thank You card for us to leave for the home owner.  (Such a sweet thought)

I used one of Asela's tree (Ash Tree) stamps from CHF.  I added some fun stiching for the ground and stamped the tree image with Timber Brown Staz-On ink and water colored the tree.  The card base is the super yummy Fabriano Medioevalis cards. The sentiment is had written.  I use to do Calligraphy 8 plus yrs ago and Lisa Ridgley from Pen & Ink gave me the inspiration I needed to get out my dip pens, nibs and inks to do a little calligraphy on my card.  I am a bit rusty...but with practice I can start to add some more personal touches to my cards.  Thanks for the inspiration Lisa! 

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to enter your name for the homemade felt embellishments - Blog candy in the post below.

Many Blessings,

Mary

Feature Saturday

I am starting something new....Each Saturday I will share with you a new blog, shop, or something that has inspired me. I hope you enjoy and I would love it, if you shared with me some of your favorite inspiring blogs and shops.


This morning I found an awesome blog, while blog surfing......
You must check out this blog: Pen and Ink. Oh my goodness is it awesome. Lisa is uber talented and I love Calligraphy so much. Anything to do with writing, pens and ink. Her blog is full of eye candy. I will be visiting her blog often.

Here is a link to her online store....Lisa Ridgely.com. Oh my she does beautiful work!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

Many Blessings,

Mary

Vintage cards

Here are the three cards that I made with Moe's Vintage Card Kit.....



This card used the Lemon Tart card base, cherry paper from Cosmo Cricket, chip board shape from K & Co., Home made patterned paper flowers with vintage button centers (sprayed with coffee glimmer mist.) and May Arts Silk ribbon. I used my white Signo gel pen to outline the chip board piece. I used CHF - Scripture essentials 1 stamp set and the compass from their light house - scene it collection. The chip board piece is popped up on dimensionals.

The second card uses the Kraft Card base and the polka dot paper from Cosmo Cricket. I used one of the 2 - crochet lace pieces. I cut out a cream felt heart from my stash, used the red twine from Martha Stewart, 2 leaves from Making Memories, my home made flower and Tim Holtz tickets.

The last card I made, used the white card base and more yummy Cosmo Cricket paper that is in the kit. I used my last piece of the crochet lace, another cream heart (cut from my felt stash), a home made flower, fancy pants pin, more May Arts silk ribbon and CHF's - Scripture Essentials.

I still had plenty of embelishments and paper left for a few more cards.

Thanks for stopping by and I still have 3 of Moe's Vintage Card Kits availb. in my Etsy shop.

Have a beautiful day and many blessings,

Mary

Moe's Vintage Card Kits

This is my first ever card kit...and it's on sale at my Etsy shop. I have a limited qty of 3 kits.
Each kit is loaded with vintage style goodies that I love to use. Take a look at the pictures...below you'll find a description.

______________________________________________________________

Each kit includes:

3 - Blank card bases (1-Kraft, 1-White, 1-Lemon Yellow)

NOTE: Card stock is from Paper Trey Ink. (Card size is a regular A2.)

3 - White envelopes (size A2)

1 - Manila Med. size tag

1 - Fun Chipboard shape from K & Company

1 - Mini square glassine envelope from Making Memories

3 - Tim Holz tickets (Love, Play, and Hope)

12 - Vintage buttons (cream and white)

NOTE: Buttons are from Making Memories and PTI

1 - Yard of Creamy White silk ribbon from May Arts

1 - Yard of red twine from Martha Stewart

1 - Yard of burlap twine from May Arts

2 - 4.5" piece of crochet lace

4 - Making Memories flowers from the vintage finds line

1 - Making Memories leaf from the vintage finds line

4 - Different sizes of Cosmo Cricket - Early Bird DP

Sizes: 4.25" x 5.5", 2" x 5.5", 3" x 5.5" and 3" x 4.25"

5 - Paper flowers spayed with coffee glimmer mist3 - Home made layered patterned paper

flowers with vintage button centers. (flowers made from an old unused dress pattern.)

2 - Home made layered patterned paper flowers with vintage button centers, sprayed with

coffee glimmer mist.(flowers made from an old unused dress pattern.

______________________________________________________________

Like I said the kits are full and at a minimal cost of $12.95 plus shipping.

Please let me know if you like this kit and would be interested in seeing more. I'd like to do one kit a month.

I also have a kit for myself and will be making some cards today and will be posting them tonight or tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!!

Many Blessings,

Mary

Happy Campers - The Lambeson's

This card is made for one of my old child hood best friends, Carol Lamberson. This summer the Lamberson's went RVing with their 5 children. They are brave! LOL!! Carol has a beautiful family and they had a lot of fun.

Well Carol and have kept in touch over the years and we connected again this week and I made this card for her. Miss her so very much! It was fun catching up and next time we talk we can reminisce about the good ol' days growing up in WA state.

I miss my Grumpa and my Uncle Jeffy very,very, very much, they still live in WA and of coarse I miss the ocean and mountains too. Praying and believing that we'll be able to take a trip out to WA soon. My boys haven't seen the ocean or real mountains before. And how fun would it be to take them back to my old haunts and give them a tour of all the places that I've told them about in my stories. They've seen pictures....but it would be soooo cool for them to experience it.

Deets on Card: The card is using paper from my all time favorite paper company, Cosmo Cricket. This line is an oldie but goodie....Mr. Campy....I just lovey this line and it's hard to find and I'm almost out...=( The stamp set is also Cosmo Cricket - Mr. Campy...it was just by chance that I came across this stamp set a couple of months ago and so I snatched it up.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Many Blessings,
Mary

More Challenge #2 Entries....

I have a couple of late entries....well technically not late. I accidentally closed my challenge early. (Woops...thanks ladies for being soooo forgiving!) So please check out their awesome cards and give them a shout out by visiting their awesome blogs.


Isn't this card adorable? This entry is from Chris D. I love Basic Grey's crazy girl stamp.... She did a great job with the sketch!

Here is sweet Janet's card. I love the colors she choose and the present stamp is tooo adorable! The added scallop border is perfect! (love that punch!)

Thanks again ladies for playing along and for your support!

Many Blessings,

Mary

WCMD - PTI Challenges

Good Morning almost afternoon....

I am finally posting 3 of the 4 challenges that Nichole Heady from Paper Trey Ink had on her blog on Saturday to celebrate World Card Making Day. We have until Tuesday to post the cards. Which is a good thing, since we were busy on Saturday and I could not steal a way time for card making....Here are my cards:


This card is for challenge #3 - India. To use sequin, jewels, sequins....sparkly things. I used my spica glitter pens and the Life stamp set from PTI with some gold pearl accents. The main image is full of glitter and the background wood stamp (from Happy Camper - Cosmo Cricket stamp set) is also full of gold glitter. I hope you like it. Using all that bling and gold on my card, was a challenge for me. I normally will use a little bling on occasion...but this was too much for me...(LOL!)

The next card is for challenge #4 - Australia. I made a crude heart mask out of some left over card stock and sprayed some yummy coffee glimmer mist. As you see there is a crude heart left in the middle from where the mask was. I then used my white gel pen to add white dots around the card and heart. The card is my attempt at being primitive...

The last card I have to share for now is challenge #1 - China. I used the original out on a limb set and my gold spica glitter pen. I stamped the flowers on the back in versamark ink. I love how this turned out.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day! I will be posting the last challenge, #2 - Mexico, either later tonight or tomorrow.

Thanks Nichole for the fun challenges!

Many Blessings,

Mary

Challenge #2 - Blog Candy Winner

There were a couple of peeps that played along for my second blog challenge....THANK YOU!!! I also have Janet that will be a little late with her entry and I will post her card here when she finishes it.

A. Nancy
B. Marta

Thanks ladies for sharing your beautiful creations and inspiration with us! I love how both of the ladies picked frogs for their focal point....and I don't think they planned it that way...It's too cute!

Let's get on to the winner....since there was only two ladies...I didn't use Random generator...LOL! I did it the old fashion way...and

Nancy from Inkcicles won this months challenge blog candy.

Nancy please email me your addy. (I probably still have it, but just in case I lost it, please send it to me again...) CONGRATS!!!

At the beginning of Nov. I will be posting another challenge. Challenge #3 will be another color challenge with a twist.

Hope you are having a super duper Sunday! We had an awesome church service today. God is ever faithful!

Thanks for stopping by and see you soon.

Many Blessings,

Mary