Recent Photos

It was "spring forward" because of Daylight Savings Time this weekend.

I went to visit Mom and Dad as we are finally having decent temperatures and the traveling was good.  I had postponed the visit 3 times because the temps were in the -25C or worse for the last few weeks.

I captured some of the sparkle in the snow along the highway.  I was able to stop because it was near 0C which was very pleasant.

I loved the shadows I saw yesterday.  I have managed a few in this shot as well.















I finished this book.  It was story about Novalee, a pregnant 17 year old abandoned in a town in Oklahoma.

She meets a Sister Thelma Husband, a devout Christian and the welcoming committee for the town. Forney Hull, the man who runs the local library. Novalee seeks out Forney's help in caring for her buckeye tree, a gift from Benny Goodluck.   She be befriended by a photographer which was my favorite connection to Novalee.  The novel has a happy end because Novalee has finally found her native place where her heart is. There, Novalee regains her love and good luck, which she didn’t have all her life.

I attended my aunt's art reception on Friday. She was presenting her latest intuitive art series.

The weather in the morning was very snowy and travelling was not the best.  I pressed on as the roads were not slippery and the temperature was decent.

She really appreciated the support.  I brought healthy muffins and we had a sprinkle of folks drop by all afternoon. I managed the food while she visited with those who came to see the show.

I always enjoy spaghetti but don't want to used canned sauce from the grocery store.

I went on line and found Beef Stroganoff sauce.  It had lean ground beef, onions & garlic, mushrooms and canned tomatoes.

The sauce was made with white sauce, the tomato juice from the canned tomatoes, and of course sour cream.

I managed to freeze 5 containers to I can have this sauce a few more times.  Loved it!

I finally have all the plumbing jobs done in my place.

The kitchen sink drain has been cleaned to ensure no back flow of soapy water in the sink. That was Jan 24th.  It has been 6 weeks of making calls, waiting for response, more communication, water shutdowns, and plumbers from 2 different companies. 

This is the new sink, taps and aerator installed in the bathroom.  It is nice and shiny.  It was no dings in it and the best part is the underneath is no longer rusting and making a constant mess under the sink.

I have reorganized the storage under the sink as well so things are not just dumped in there.

With refurbished bathtub taps as well it is feeling like a new bathroom. No dripping taps, no mess, great storage all is good in there.

This is my Flickr Macro Monday submission for this week.  You can check out my Flickr photo stream here. 



 





I created the mosaic from great sunny shadow snow shots from Sunday.

Sharing at Mosaic Monday #18 hosted by Angie at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf.


Also sharing with Through My Lens 182 hosted by Mersad Donko.

Game Night 2 - CH - 1st Letter Game

I am headed to Compassion House to facilitate another 1st Letter Game Night where any resident can participate.  This gives the guys a chance to participate.

We start with a phrase that describes an object.  We take the first letter of each word and place them vertically on a sheet of paper.  Then those in the group try to guess what the object is based on these clues.

One little red wagon ornament. OLRWO.

I have prepared a 10 prizes for those who guess the right phrase to describe the prize.

A gift box of teas I am sure will be appreciated.


A box of greeting cards for all occasions is a prize most folks can use.

I have to thank my sister for her donation of this prize.


Below is a set of Micro Pitchers by Tupperware which was donated by my niece.










I appreciate the donation of good quality prizes from those around me. It offers those going through tough times a time of fun and relaxation.

Exchange Cards - March - Blue and Copper

I managed to get my March exchange cards made today. 

I used a 4x6 piece of alcohol ink background that I made for this set of cards.

I cut the piece in half and layered it onto a piece of copper metallic card stock leaving a larger border on the bottom.

I then added a layer of black adding a bit more to the bottom again.  Then layered onto a turquoise card base.

I added a Stampin Up Artisan Label punchie greeting in black to the bottom right hand corner.  It is adhered to the card front with 3D foam tape.


Identical supplies for the second one but laid out in the landscape or wide orientation.

This are in the mail today!

Exchange Cards - Bright and Bold

I managed to get my February Exchange cards made.

This is alcohol ink backgrounds.  I added some black ink markings to this one with Nick Bantock ink in Lamp Black. It took a long while to dry so I need to dilute it a bit before doing my marks.  I used a bottle lid to make the circle.

This one was cut to just under 4" square.  I then layered it onto a piece of warm lavendar card stock to coordinate with the warm tones in the top left hand corner.

Then layered onto Tangerine card base.  I added some stitching with a black marker. 

The greeting was color printed and punched with the Stampin Up Artisan punch. 


Left:  A bold piece of alcohol ink paper.  I hand drew the daisy with silver marker then retraced with black as I did not feel the silver stood out enough.  I added stitching around the edge with the same black marker.

It was adhered to a medium blue card base.

I added a silver daisy punchie, a small back sequin and all held in place with a pewter tiny brad.

These are in the mail.  With the plumbing issues here over the last month it has been quite distracting. 

Christmas Card Challenge - March - Manger

The theme for my blog's March's Christmas Card Challenge is Penny Black Manger Die.

I chose some different type of paper and color.  It is a Karen Foster design called Maroon Shimmer.  It is paired with a slighter darker card base in the same color from a Michaels collection.

I cut the label from champagne pearl card stock with one of the Stampin Up Apothecary Framelits. I adhered it to the designer paper then onto the card base.

I cut the Penny Black Manger die from the same card stock as the base.  It is held in place with a tiny purple brad in the star and in the bottom point.

The greeting was created with a banner from the Stampin Up Itty Bitty Banner thinlits topped with a SU Word Window punchie with color printed words. It is adhered to the card front with 3D foam tape.

Photo Blogging Challenge - Feb - Glasses

1. Here's a collection of clear glasses in my collection.

A tall champagne glass, then my every day water glass for the start of my 16oz of water each day, a crystal wine glass, a small crystal shot glass and a vintage cut glass drinking vessel.

I lit them from the front so I achieved a nice shadow.








2. An original Bodum Presso 10 Ounce Double Wall Glass with Silicone Grip. Of course the fact that the silicone was yellow was appealing to me.  

I filled with Chamomile tea which I like to have at the end of the day to wind down before bed.

3. NAVAN glass
This is a glass which was one of 2 in a gift set included in the purchase of NAVAN Liquor.

Navan is made from the blending of cognac and
vanilla beans from Madagascar.

It has not been produced since 2010.

I received a set of 2 when my Mom and Dad downsized a few years ago.  The bottle of liquor is gone.  He likely received as a gift somewhere along his career.

I love how the yellow is in the base and travels up the glass to the rim.  I placed some marbles to give a focal point.

4. Sunglasses with really reflective lens.

The brand is Dazed and Confused which I found to be an interesting name.

It is important to wear sunglasses all year long even in winter as the snow can be very bright and your eyes still protection.

5. These are my 3D glasses that I received for "free" when I went to see "Avatar" with a group of friends in December 2009.

It is such a great movie and the 3D effect was wonderful to see in a big theater.

Joining the February Photo Blogging Challenge hosted by P.J. at A L'il Hoo Haa.

Recent Photos

These flowers were presented at church yesterday in memory of death of my friend Nelson who passed away 6 years ago on Feb 23rd.

He was on holiday in Hawaii with his wife and 2 grandsons.  It was a shock to all of us.


The Christmas Promise is written in alternating first and third person point of view. The first person narrator is Gloria aka Miss Glory. She is a retired widow whose adult son has been missing for seven years. He left home just before Gloria's husband, his father, died, and she hasn't seen or heard from him since. She somewhat recently moved to the unnamed small town that has been the setting for all the Christmas Hope books. In an effort to keep busy and to help others in lieu of helping her son, she collects and sorts donations of food, clothing, household items, and even the occasional car, which she them redistributes to the needy in the community.
She ends up host a few community members in her house - Miriam her neighbour is having renovations done in her house, Erin a young woman who is pregnant and estranged from her Mom, and Donovan who is a young boy whose mothers works evenings at Wilson Department Store and is in an abusive relationship.
Chaz a young man has recently come to town who has alcohol problems and works at Wilson's Department Store. He befriends Donovan's mother Carla and Mike who is a homeless man who sometimes sleeps on the steps of the Wilson Department Store.   Their lives are all entwined and come together around Christmas. It was a very good book.

I have been dealing with plumbing issues for quite a while.

It was confirmed that the isolation valves in the bathroom and kitchen will be replaced on Wednesday. 

Once those are done I can get the rest of my work done.









I had to replace my phone charger this week.  A few areas of my life are starting to right themselves but the weather continues to get down to -30C.

Another terrific book that takes place in two different generations.  The Kashmir Shawl by Rosie Thomas. When Mair Ellis clears out her father's house, she finds an exquisite antique shawl, woven from the finest yarns and embroidered in the shades of lake water and mountain skies. Wrapped within its folds is a lock of child's hair. Tracing her grandparents' roots back to Kashmir, Mair embarks on a quest that will change her life forever.

Before the war, Newlywed Nerys Watkins leaves rural Wales for the first time in her life, to accompany her husband on a missionary posting to India. Travelling from lonely Ladakh, high up in the Himalayas, Nerys discovers a new world in the lakeside city of Srinagar. Here, in the exquisite heart of Kashmir, the British live on carved wooden houseboats and dance, flirt and gossip as if there is no war. But the battles draw ever closer, and life in Srinagar becomes less frivolous when the men are sent away to fight. Nerys is caught up in a dangerous friendship, and by the time she is reunited with her husband, the innocent Welsh bride has become a different woman. Years later, when Mair Ellis clears out her father's house, she finds an exquisite antique shawl, woven from the finest yarns and embroidered in the shades of lake water and mountain skies. Wrapped within its folds is a lock of child's hair. Tracing her grandparents' roots back to Kashmir, Mair embarks on a quest that will change her life forever.

It is a great story of strong women doing what has to do for their loved ones.  Loved this one which was very similar style of Kate Morton.   

Sharing with Mosaic Monday #16 hosted by Angie at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf. 

Bible Study - Thank You

I have been participating in this Grace is Greater bible study for the last few weeks.  It has been nice to take a study instead of leading one.

We get together, share a meal then we watch the video and break into small groups to discuss the lesson. 

We have 4 leaders who have volunteered to facilitate the discussion.


I made a card for the lady who has been leading my group.   You will see that I used left over kits from my class on Tuesday. 

I made this one in the tall orientation which is the versatility of some of the kits I put together.

I added a Stampin Up Itty Bitty greeting adhered with 3D foam tape.

I will add a few cards as a small gift for her time to prepare and lead this study.

Here is another card made with corner rounded squares that I used earlier this week.

I used warm tone designer paper squares which were adhered to the lines printed on the greetign layer.

I adhered that layer to a brown card.

Welcome to my Kitchen

It was our Welcome to my Kitchen fellowship group gathering this morning. 

We met in a clubhouse of a condo complex so there was plenty of room for everyone with great kitchen facilities!  Thank you so much.

We had mini quiches, ham and cheese breakfast oven casserole. There were crackers, cheese and fruit. I really appreciate the yogurt.  The tea and coffee was excellent.

We had a good turn out with the weather being very decent this morning. 

2019 Cardmaking - CH - Class 2

I taught my card making session at CH tonight.  I had few ladies participate.

This card features bright yellow striped designer paper cut to leave a small border on an golden yellow card.

The flower was cut with the Sizzix Flower, Leaves & Stem #4 from black card stock.  The stem was cut to fit the length of the card.

I poked a hole in the center of the flower with a push pin. I placed the gold sequin and Prima paper flower onto the tiny black brad and inserted into the hole I made.  I pressed the prongs apart on the inside of the card.

With no greeting it makes a great card for any occasion for a music lover.

This card makes a great one for a birthday or thinking of you.

I chose a white card and cut the bold graphic designer paper to leave a small margin and adhered it to the card front.

I wrapped the black ribbon around the card front and tied in a square knot on the front left.

The black label was cut with the Stampin Up Deco Label framelit. I printed the house and punched with 2" circle punch.  It was adhered over the ribbon with 3D foam tape.

 I started with a deep teal card.  I cut the textured  designer paper to leave a small border and adhered it to the card front.

I cut the flower from copper card stock with the Sizzix Daisy #4 die.  It was adhered to the card front.

With a push pin I made a hole through the card front for the brad which holds the two handmade paper flowers (teal and terracotta) in the center of the flower.

The greeting was printed in a warm blue then punched with the Stampin Up Artisan Label Punch.

It was adhered to the card front with 3D foam tape.

The weather was more seasonal this evening which was much appreciated.

Thank You Cards

This was an easy one as I cut trimmed the front of a small card and adhered it to the front of a coordinating purple card.

I love the teapots with gold accents on this image.








These pine cones images were left overs from a Christmas stack kit.

This one I added a black layer to a red card then adhered the pine cone square aligned to the left.  I added a greeting with the Stampin Up Itty Bitty Stamp set and cut with the coordinating framelits set. 

 

I chose a black card.  I layered the pine cone onto a layer of white leaving a small border.  I ripped the bottom edge.  I added a length of self adhesive lace in red below the white.   I then added the greeting  which was stamped on a Stampin Up Word Window Punchie.  I added a white tiny brad and added it to a Modern Label punchie. The greeting was adhered to the card front with 3D foam tape.

This is a refurbished card featuring a snowflake punched out with a circle.  It was added to an ivory scallop punchie.

This was layered onto a Tim Holtz label die cut in black.  It was layered onto a printed greeting layer. 

Then added to a coordinated deep rose card.

I delivered 10 cards in all today.

Thank You Cards - Corner Rounded Squares

I prepared another set of Thank You cards Compassion House.

Here I paired some corner rounded square in warm tones with an ivory printed layer and an olive colored card.

The cross on the printed greeting layer helps me align my squares.


The next set of squares were paired with purple cards.  I produced one which creates a flower with the Thank You greeting

For the last one in this group I used black and white snowflake paper. I aligned 3 of them along the top of the card. 

I placed a Stampin Up Itty Bitty Banner greeting below mounted with 3D foam tape. 

Delivered those today.

Large Photo Cards - Gallery

I am dropping off card to the Art Gallery today.  I was hoping that it would have warmed up nicely in the last week but not really.  So I am just doing it!

This watercolor brush card should be a hit with artists.  We shall see.









The dahlia and rose card make great cards for birthdays.








The Leaf on Still Pond and Red Barn provide a great card for guys.

Recent Photos

This is my entry into Macro Monday Challenge "Hole(s) on Flickr this week.  Very good response to this one.

This is 16mm film which I picked up at the ReUse Center.  I chose a length of the film which did not contain any recognizable images.

I had picked up the rolls of film thinking I would put them onto cards but that did not happen. 

The letters on the film are super tiny and I managed to get them in focus next to the hole I was aiming for.

I made a bag for my walks this summer.  This is aimed to carry what I may need in an emergency. 

I was using this project to try out the method of putting a zipper into a bag.  After digging into my box of zippers I chose this light blue one. 

This is left over fabric from a shirt apron.  The method is putting the zipper in between pieces of fabric.  I cut 2 pieces of fabric and sewed one on each of the tabs of zipper then top stitched the fabric down very close to the edge.   I wanted tabs to allow me to easily open the zipper so I took some grosgrain ribbon from the shirt and placed 2 tabs in the side seams next to the zipper.  Once the side seams were done I turned the bag inside out.  I placed a top stitch seam all the way around the edge. 

With not enough fabric from the shirt to make a strap I dug through my stash of grosgrain ribbon and chose a deep purple one.  I cut a length and knotted it on each side.
 

The main character of this book is Katie Byrne a young girl of seventeen that suffers tragedy in a small town in Connecticut which stunts her acting ambitions in New York.

Years later, living in London England surrounded by several strong women mentors she faces the tragedy and things turn around for her.  

I loved the parts of the story set in England.  Her relationship with her family were very heart warming.





















I worked on a couple more frame bags to protect my framed photographs during transport.  It ensures no dings to frames, no scratches and protects the glass when they are placed facing to the fleece divider.

I needed larger bags with my recent purchase of 15.25 inch frames.

The use of fleece as the divider in center worked really well. 

The fabric is cotton polyester so it will wear well for a long time. Super happy with these.  These are the ones I made last year.

Mosaic Monday - 2019 Goals

I like to set goals for the year and in 2019 there are few on the list.  Some of the these are just continued affirmations of what is best for me.

1. Creative Photography
I've done lots of nature photography in the last couple of years.  This winter weather has made me focus on indoor photography.

This is a photo of my camera taken in an old mirror I found at the ReUse Ctr.  Love the bokeh I was able get on the right.

2. Photo Challenges
I will continue with my Flickr challenges despite the limit of 1000 photos for free accounts.

3. Homemade Food

This is a bowl of soup I made the other day.  Carrot Ginger Curry soup.  I had bought coconut milk a while back so I went searching for a recipe in which to use it.   I made chutney with ginger and curry this fall so I knew I liked those flavors.  I knew I had all the ingredients as they are staples in my house.

I did not blend the soup as it was suggested in the recipe.  Chunky is good with me.  I cut the veggies on a mandolin.

It was pretty spicy hot from the ginger and pepper but I have eaten all three bowls.

It is colorful, flavorful and delicious.  I will definitely make that again.



4. Continue to Read

A read a quote this other day.  “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.” – George R.R. Martin

I have been to London, England and Paris, France and New York NY in books.  I have visited different times during my reading.  Learned about different cultures during my arm chair travels.

Here's a few of the books on my reading shelf.




5. Walking Everyday

Walking every day to get the heart rate up and investing in my health.  I can use the treadmill during the winter and really enjoy the outside as soon as the weather gets warm.

Drinking lots of water as well is a priority.

Sharing with Mosaic Monday #13 hosted by Angie at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf.