Cards - Charity - IWin

I picked up some clear butterfly stickers at Dollarama when I picked up the car today.

The card base is Stampin Up Pacific Point in the A2 size. 

I chose some Ranger Alcohol ink in red tones to match the butterfly.  I think the color is Red Pepper.  I diluted it with rubbing alcohol and spread it onto my clear embossed card stock.

I cut a strip of no shed gold glitter card stock to coordinate with the gold in the stickers.  I mounted the butterfly onto the gold strip.

Added a greeting with the SU Modern Label punchie in card base color and a Word Window punchie greeting coordinating color.  White quarter sheet insert.

This card is in the wide or landscape orientation with the Pacific Point card color with a inked clear embossed card stock colored with alcohol inks.

Another narrow strip of non shed glitter card stock.

The butterfly sticker was adhered over the gold strip.

A SU Modern Label punchie in Pacific Point with a coordinating colored Word Window greeting.

A white quarter sheet insert.

I chose SU Tempting Turquoise card base with a layer of my own paste paper cut to leave a medium border.

A strip of non shed gold glitter card stock across the top third of  the card with the butterfly stick mounted over it.

I added a Stampin Up small oval punching greeting in a coordination color.  Added a bit of blue pencil crayon around the edge and mounted with 3D foam tape.

Added a white quarter sheet insert.

This card has the same Tempting Turquoise card base with a looser pattern in the paste paper which I create myself.

Added a narrow strip of non shed gold glitter card stock adhered with double sided tape.

Mounted the blue butterfly sticker over the gold strip.

I added a Modern Label punchid in turquoise with a Word Window greeting adhered to the punchie.

Added a white quarter sheet insert.

Cards - Charity - Glitter Butterflies

I came across glitter butterfly stickers at the thrift store and decided that they would make great cards for IWin.

There was a variety to sizes so the smaller ones would be just right for A2 cards.

I chose Stampin Up Painted Blooms designer paper. I chose 4 colors of card base - Wild Wasabi, Regal Rose, Island Indigo and Blackberry Bliss.

For this card I pressed my butterfly onto a piece of Not Quite Navy card stock then cut the oval with my Creative Memories cutters.

I added an innie outie bow in Regal Rose grosgrain ribbon, and a Modern Label punchie greeting in pink.

This card features a large butterfly stuck to a white 110lb card stock. 

I chose a Regal Rose A2 card base and I added squiggles around the outer edge of the card and the oval. 

The butterfly was cut the same process as described above.

A Regal Rose grosgrain ribbon in an innie outie bow with a tiny white brad in the center.

A SU Word Window punchie greeting mounted with 3D foam tape. 

The A2 card base for this card is Stampin Up Blackberry Bliss.  

I cut a piece of the same designer paper paying attention to the color of the flowers so I had some purple ones showing.

I cut the butterfly the same way on Not Quite Navy card stock.  I added stitching around the edge with a white pigment marker.

I added a purple mini brad on the head of the butterfly to repeat the color.

The oval was mounted with 3D tape and the SU Small Oval punchie greeting as well.

It's hard to say if I like the white or colored bases for the butterflies best.

Here it was white based again cut the same way. The CM cutters are wonderful because you can see your layer and then choose from 3 different widths of borders.

Another layer of Painted Blooms DSP.

A stitched border created with a pencil crayon was a great match.

I added a piece Island Indigo satin ribbon on the butterfly oval and a layered Modern Label punchie with a Word Window for the greeting.

Each card has a white quarter sheet insert.

Cards - Charity

I set out this morning to make cards for IWin which is a charity which helps vulnerable women.  When they finish their program they get a card in their backpack to remind them that someone is thinking of them.

Each card needs a Thinking of you greeting and a butterfly.

I found a bag of wooden butterflies at the thrift shop the other day and brought them home.

I have been at a disadvantage to making cards for this project because of my home situation.  Back home and feeling like crafting again.  Not all is unpacked but I move forward.

I chose this designer paper with flowers printed in green. I trimmed it to leave a small border and adhered it to the front of a A2 card in SU Summer Sun.

I punched a Stampin Up Artisan punchie in Always Artichoke and adhered the butterfly with a Zot. I placed the short length of SU chevron ribbon under it and followed the pattern to trim it.  I added the greeting in the bottom right hand with a shadow of a green oval punchie.

For this yellow card base I trimmed a piece of floral designer paper to leave a small border. Wrapped the red ribbon along the bottom edge and taped the ends to the back.  It was adhered to the card front with DS tape. 

I added the yellow SU Decorative Label punchie, topped with the SU Small Oval greeting then topped with the wood butterfly accent held in place with a Zot.

Love the bright colors in this card.

Carrying on with the green floral designer paper I added it to an SU Always Artichoke card base.

I added a card stock strip on the left hand side and adhered with double sided tape.

I made the wood butterfly and the SU Small Oval greeting punchie touch and attached with a Zot and tape.

This card features a water colored piece of the green floral designer paper.  It was not very thick so I had to be really careful with the amount of water. I adhered it to the card front.

I combined the wood butterfly and the greeting in the bottom right hand corner.  

A Zot for the butterfly and DS tape for the SU Small Oval greeting punchie.

Slow Stitching 2025 - Feb - Week 2

 K3N Cloth Tales - Slow Stitching 2025 - Comfort Coverlet. February 2025 - Week 2

I added curlicues around the edge in several colors. 

Then, I added the flowers and insects - bee, butterfly and ladybug to the left hand side.

I created a flower with long stitches then added some weaving at the center of the petals.  Several yellow French Knots for the center of the flower.  I used the end of the curliecue for the flower stem and added a large leaf at the top for the ladybug to sit on. 

There will be 3 more compositions to come to fill in the space on this square.

Card - Slow Stitching - Pojagi Butterfly

I created the pojagi cloth element from thin fabrics I found at the ReUse Center.

The green butterfly was on one of them so I chose to keep it. I found some fabrics which worked with the color of the blue fabric.

All handstitched then backed with another fabric to finish off the edges.

A great organic element.  I added the small orange button for a bit of interest and dimension.

Mounted to a Stampin Up Baja Breeze card base. 

With a quarter sheet insert and a white envelope it is pressing before it hits my card box.

Card - Butterfly Sympathy

I created a simple sympathy card for my aunt who lost my uncle recently.

I chose a deep burgundy card in the A2 landscape orientation.

I added a piece of warm purple paste paper trimmed to leave a bit of border top and bottom.

I cut a large butterfly with the Sizzix Winged Beauties thin die set from gold on deep purple cardstock.

I added a gold foil body to the butterfly and adhered it with double sided tape.

Oil Diffusers - One of a Kind - Set 2

 

Wings at Rest 

An elegant butterfly gently resting on a circle of leaves.  It is ceramic with a satin finish and features beautiful colors on the butterfly.  A reminder to breathe deep and rest for a bit. The circle rests on a crystal glass base with ivory felt in between to catch the drops which may escape from the butterfly.

Place 1-2 drops of pure essential oil on the butterfly to enjoy the scent in your personal space.

Tropical Fish 

Here, I have paired painted wood tropical fish with a turquoise felt and a yellow pompom.  It would work well in a sun room or a bathroom. It features beautiful bright colors.

Placed 1-2 drops of pure essential oil on the yellow pompom.  The turquoise felt will ensure that no drops escape onto furniture.

It is a bright and cheerful diffuser to lift our mood and brighten our day.

Caffe Latte is brought back from last year.  

It features a felt coffee layer then an ivory cream layer and topped with a cinnamon heart with a glass  bead with copper highlights.

One to two drops of essential oil on the bead will ensure the ivory layer is not stained by the oil. 

The blown glass vessel will protect your furniture.  Perfect for all coffee lovers and will fit into an office, a man cave, or maybe even a kitchen.

Set of Cards

I made a set of cards with one single sheet of designer paper.  The design is by graphic45 - Couture Collection - Gorgeous - I agree it is a beautiful floral paper. Rich colors and a dramatic black background.  This paper measures 12x12 inches. Cutting 4 inch strips I ended up with 6 pieces for A2 cards. With the direction of the design all the cards were created in the portrait orientation.

Next I selected card bases for these cards.  With the colors in the paper there was lots to choose from.  Finally, I chose Old Olive, Lost Lagoon, and Dusty Durango.

For card 1 I cut the layer down from the top and flipped the piece to show off the blue striped backside. I then added a strip of orange card stock across the split.

I added a Decorative Label greeting mounted with 3D foam tape. A white quarter sheet insert finished the card.

For card 2 I did the same layout but put the stripes on the bottom this time.  I laid a length of So Saffron ribbon across the split.

The base this time is Lost Lagoon.

I layered silk flowers in warm tones and a small gold sequin onto a tiny black brad to create the floral accent which I mounted on the bottom left hand side.  The brad was pushed through the designer paper keeping all layers together.

This layer was then adhered to the card front with double sided tape.

A white quarter sheet insert was added.

This is card 3.

Here I split the layer top to bottom instead of side to side. Once split I flipped the small piece and taped back the designer paper so I could handle it as a full piece.

I added a length of Apricot Appeal grosgrain ribbon over the split and taped the ends to the back.

I added a Dusty Durango butterfly accent on the bottom right side.  The butterfly was cut with the Sizzix Winged Beauties thin dies.  I used my steel plate to ensure all the tiny spaces were well cut. I wrapped black thread around the body of the butterfly and left the ends to be the antennae.  Adhered with double sided tape.

Quarter sheet insert completed the card.

Card 4 has an Old Olive card base.  

The designer paper was left at 4.00 x 5.25 inches.  

I wrapped a length of Baja Breeze ribbon across the middle and taped the ends to the back.  

I added a Artisan Label greeting with black letters which was adhered with 3 D foam tape over top of the ribbon on the right hand side.

A quarter sheet white insert completed the card.

Card 5 is similar to card three.

This time the ribbon is So Saffron which is wrapped over the designer paper top to the bottom with the ends taped to the back of the layer.

I added some Candy Dots to the left of the ribbon in pink tones to coordinate with the large flower near the bottom of the card.

A white quarter sheet insert on the inside.

Card 6 repeats the lay out of the DSP split with the striped paper on the bottom.  

A length of wide Tango Tangerine ribbon across the split with ends taped to the back.

I found 2 tiny turquoise blue buttons in my stash.  They are adhered to the ribbon with Bling Zots.

A white insert on the inside.

This makes a nice set of card with enough variety to be interesting.  Versatile in that some have greetings and others are left blank to used for any occasion.

Happy with this set which will given as a gift.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

More wonderful time spend at Heritage Hills Wetlands this week.  There were many Common Terns this year which was great to see.  The Mourning Cloak butterfly was my first capture of this year.  The Ruddy Duck was showing off his blue bill as usual.  They are very photogenic.

I had to replace the flush lever and toilet handle this week.  I thought no big deal, checked out supplies on line and headed to Canadian Tire. 

When I got it home I could not install this for the life of me.  I called my brother in law and he suggested maybe I had stripped the plastic threads.  

When it was not on the toilet I was eventually able to get the nut on the handle so what was the problem?  The situation was that when I transferred the lever to the toilet the arm was turned around and my mind had not made that adjustment.  Once I figured it out it went on as easily as it should have and in 10 minutes I could flush the toilet with the lever again.

I spent a couple of days with my sister and brother in law.  I was treated again to a hot dog supper on the open fire for my birthday.  They taste so good.  I normally have ice cream cake but the price is just getting out of hand so I bought Hagen Daas ice cream bars instead.  Very yummy and much more in my budget.

My sister and I attended the Rhubarb Tea fundraiser on Saturday.  This was a belated celebration for our birthday.

There was a bake sale, a merchandise sale and the tea.  I selected this burnt orange tea cup and we had rhubarb crisp rather than pie.

It was a very successful event.

This was a Reader's Digest book that sat on my bookshelf. Short stories which was just what I needed.

Lake News by Barbard Delinsky - Lily Blakes heads for Lake Henry in New Hampshire where she grew up after some trouble in the city. She meets a journalist which helps her tells her side of the story.

A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks - very interesting.  It was a lovely love story with a sad end. 

Thunderhead by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child - Nora Kelly gets a letter written by her late father sixteen years ago.  Very thrilling story.

The Devil's Teardrop - Jeffery Deaver - This story was very engaging as police try to find this killer before he strikes again.  Very intriguing plot!

Sylvia's Simple Shots

On my visit to Beaumaris Lake this week,  I found several pairs of Blue Winged Teals.  Maybe they are checking out the lake for nesting places.

These are ducks and the blue patch can only be seen when they open their wings.

I have not seen these at this lake in the past so things are different this year.  Not sure why.  I have not seen pelicans yet but a lot of Canada Geese.

A friend gave me a small art glass vase designed by Robert Held - a Canadian glass maker.

Love the gorgeous purple glass with the iridescent colors along the bottom third of the vase.

I placed some baby's breath in it for now.  Maybe, later in the year I will be able to have live flowers.

It joins my other pieces made by the same maker.

A Desperate Fortune by Susanna Kearsley which is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

Historical fiction set in Paris.  In the modern day, Sara an amateur code breaker has arrived to look at a diary from around 1732.  Sara comes to live with the owner of the book.  Her live-in housekeeper has a young son who seems to have abilities in this area as well. The son's father, Luc lives nearby as his parents are divorced.  Soon, there is an attraction between Sara the loner and Luc the business man.

The dairy was written by Mary Dundas who wrote it in code to be sure the contents could not be discovered by spies.  She is a second generation Jacobite exiled to France. Mary becomes embroiled in a plan to help a mysterious Jacobite man stay out of the grasp of English authorities and the diary tracks her journey over the country, her relationships with her compatriots and her budding romance with the severe MacPherson.

Loved this book!

A friend and I went out for lunch this week. I suggested Vietnamese food and she agreed.  My favorite Vietnames restaurant survived most of the pandemic then closed as other business were opening.  Disappointing.  I had to find another. I had eaten in this restaurant years ago and it was as good as I remember.  

The pelicans were at Heritage Hills Wetlands this week but due to a situation on the trail my attention was diverted for a time.  While lending a helping hand to a senior on the trail time passed so by the time I had a camera in my hand again, they were at the far end of the pond.

I decided it was too hot and I had been out too long in the heat to pursue them any further.  I was told they had been around for a couple weeks already so I will find them again on another day.

It was exciting to see them even at a distance.

A few other things I found at the wetlands.  A Mourning Cloak butterfly, a Ruddy Duck with it's blue bill and of course Poplar Fuzz.

A good week!

Sympathy Card

My aunt passed away recently.

Her funeral was today.  Another occasion for family to get together and visit.  She was 79 and had health issues most of her life.  She leaves a husband, a son and daughter.

Butterflies are always a symbol of rebirth and life in a different form for me.

I gave this card to my uncle.

I should work on a watercolor butterfly I can use for this type of card.

Special Project - Thank You Set 2

I made another set of cards this morning for the special project at Mom & Dad's.

I chose a piece of 12x12 designer paper in Soft Sky color with white polka dots and cut 9 circles with the Spellbinder smooth circle thinlets measruing 3.25 inches.  I again traced loosely the images of butterflies, garden and bird with a border with black marker.

Layered the white Cuttlebug Thanks Words embossed layer onto the card front. 

Used a brad to hold the ornament in place so it can be removed by the recipient.

Loving these! 

2022 Photo Calendar - Nature

 Another winning year for nature photographs.  A lot of walks and visits to wetlands garnered some new species for me.  The Blue Heron was the first time I got a good shot of one.  I have seen them before but they were hiding in the reeds.  The Bunny and the Lesser Yellow Legs are also firsts. 

01 Jan - Lesser Yellow Legs                                07 Jul - Muskrat

02 Feb - Wasp                                                      08 Aug - Barn Swallow

03 Mar - Downy Woodpecker                              09 Sep - Dragonfly

04 Apr - Bunny Rabbit                                         10 Oct - Red Wing Blackbird

05 May - Rednecked Grebe                                  11 Nov - Fiery Skipper Butterfly

06 Jun - House Finch                                            12 Dec - Blue Heron                   

Are you a planner?  

Do you want to see a date in the upcoming month?

Is your calendar stored in the black metal holder?

This calendar can deliver.   Just slide the current month up about a third of the way up to reveal the next month dates.

This idea came from one of my calendar users who has had one of these on his desk for nearly a decade.

Thanks for the tip!

Cards - All Occasion for my box

From the kits prepared for Compassion House a year ago I made a few cards for my upcoming family birthdays.

This is beautiful deep teal card base with a half circle of decorative paper, caramel seam binding tied on the fold, with a butterfly accent.  

The butterfly cut from deep teal with the Sizzix Winged Beauties thinlit set mounted on a ivory circle to highlight it's shape.

 

 

On this card it is a true blue A2 card base with polka dot designer paper in the half circle with the navy seam binding tied on the fold. 

Same Sizzix Winged Beauties thinlits set diecut on a white circle. 

 

 

 

Same supplies of the first just arranged in the portrait orientation.

On this true blue card base I added a circle greeting above the butterfly accent.

 

 

 

A bright orange card base with a geometric patterned half circle with a Hampton Arts tree diecut and a circle greeting. 

 A couple of nice male themed birthday cards with the same supplies as those above. 

The greetings are color printed and punched with the Modern Label punch by Stampin Up.

 

Sewing - Car Litter Bag

I decided to make a new car litter bag holder.  The one I have been using was the very first one I made.

I used some really nice blue butterfly cotton fabric on the outside and some of the leftover black from the car blanket.

You can check the instructions in this post.  I originally designed them as thread catchers for the craft room.

This fabric bag has 2 ties to secure it and holds a used yogurt plastic container.  I store extra bags in the bottom.

It`s been a full week of sewing.

AAC Gallery - Photo Coasters

With good sales in December at the gallery I brought 3 more sets today.

This is the sunlit mountains called the Three Sisters in Canmore.  I was on a trip with my sister.

This set has 4 of the same photo.

The top is well protected with a layer of Modge Podge and a layer of matte spray acrylic.  The bottom has a layer to protect the furniture.

This set has Wild Stripes in the form of tigers and zebras.

The set contains 2 of each photo.




This set is called Winged Ones and features a Bumble Bee on a Globe Thistle.

The Blue Morpho was taken at the Butterfly Conservatory in the Niagara region of Ontario.

Above is the Goliath Birdwing Butterfly which a very large butterfly which I photographed at the same Conservatory in Ontario.

The Lady Bug is sitting on the silver leaf of the perennial Forget Me Not plant.