Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Hi, Friends!

Just another day and we will close out 2023!  I hope it was a good one and wishing you a blessed New Year for 2024!

I'd like to share with you a Valentine card that I made the other day with some new Waffle Flower dies.

I started with a red card base and paired it with the Waffle Flower heart frame die.  I love the heart frame die and can see myself using it a lot!  I then added heart glittery design paper with stitched hearts on the background, which are also from Waffle Flower.  Hearts with heart buttons sewn on.  And, the hugs die from Waffle Flower with the pretty aqua ribbon peeking through. Pearl hearts to finish my first Valentine card.  

We had a wonderful Christmas and we hope that you did, too!  Here I am between my two favorite guys...son and hubby!  I love the new snowflake sweater that I wore, but it really was a bit warm this year for the temps were in the 50's.  Needless to say, we didn't get a white Christmas this year, but maybe next year!

One more photo to share with you from Christmas with the pets...

Even with treats Nicky and Sheila just weren't cooperating with sitting still for a photo.  This was the best that we could do with them.  Silly animals!  We sure do love them, though!

Thanks so much for dropping by today!  Happy New Year!

Take care, hugs!!

Merry Christmas!

Hi, there!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  Christmas is just a few days away.  I believe I have everything ready for the festive occasion.  So much to prepare for, but it's been a lot of fun.  And, more fun to come on the big day!  I hope you are all doing well and that you have a very blessed Christmas and joyous new year!

I made a card this morning to send to my friend, Nancy.  We got together on Thursday and exchanged gifts.  We both love gnomes and give each other gifts related to them.  So, I made her a thank you card with a gnome on it.  

She gave me the gnome last year and I added color to make it festive.  The snowflake stencil is from Pretty Pink Posh.  And, the craft cart is a sticker from PhotoPlay.  Gems and twine to finish the card.

I'm not sure if this will be the last card for the year, but I want to thank you for your support of me throughout the year!  It's appreciated!  Take care and have a wonderful Christmas!

Hugs!

Tweetest Christmas Wishes!

Hi, Friends!

Well, it's been awhile since I've updated my blog.  Christmas activities have kept me busy and now things are winding down.  I believe I finished my Christmas shopping today.  Maybe just a couple tiny things to do yet.  I will do more baking next week when our son comes to stay.  He likes gingerbread cookies, chocolate covered pretzels, and sugar cookies.  I already have the sugar cookies made and froze them.  My hubby likes Russian tea cakes or I think some call them snowballs.  

Anyways, I thought I'd post this card before I send it in the mail.  I used Pretty Pink Posh for the bird images and sentiment.  The holly border is from Lawn Fawn.  I used a punch for the snowflakes.  The Christmas cards are finished.  It's always so much fun making them!

Yesterday, I had my sisters over for a birthday/Christmas party.  We had tons of fun with lots of good food and sitting around the table and talking.  Before we had the birthday cake and ice cream, we played Christmas bingo!

From left to right...Cecilia, Christina, Lucretia(birthday gal),

Donna and me

My spoiled little Sheila did not want to feel left out, so she joined us sitting in her dog bednext to me.

Christina brought some props for another photo, so fun!!

From left to right back row...Donna, Lucretia, Christina

From left to right front row...Cecilia, and me

I'm blessed to have four wonderful sisters!

Thanks so much for dropping by today!  Take care and Merry Christmas!

Hugs!

Merry Christmas!

Hi, there!

I hope you are all doing well on this fine Monday afternoon!  How's all the Christmas preparations going?  I'm doing my best to keep ahead of the game.  I'm just hoping that the weather cooperates for a church program that I participate in this coming Sunday.  We could get either rain or snow.  I'm hoping we get the rain this time around.  

Last weekend I spent Saturday with some friends and made more Christmas cards.  I have a twofer for you today.  They are new and with the above card a lady offered to let me borrow the wonderful candy cane die from Hero Arts after she looked at my peeking snowman card from Hero Arts as seen below for inspiration. 

I'm entering my card over at NBUS Challenge.

For the above card, I added greenery from Spellbinder's and the sentiment dies are from Elizabeth Craft Designs.  Both the greenery and the candy canes are new.  Gems to finish the card.

Next up...

The adorable peeking snowman die is from Hero Arts, also.  The pierced snowflake plate is from Pretty Pink Posh.  I colored the snowman with copics.  

Ok, well that's all for now.  Thanks so much for dropping by!  Have a great week!

Hugs!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my USA friends!  May you all have a wonderful blessed Thanksgiving!  So grateful for all of my family and friends!  

We'll be leaving this afternoon to go to our son's place a few hours away.  All I'm bringing is pumpkin pie and some soft sugar cookies.  We'll help him prepare the meal.  I just love his sweet potato casserole and creamed corn, yum!  Anyways, whatever you are doing for the holiday may you have a great time!

I have a very simple card to share.  I made this using Echo Park paper and added dots.  

Well, that's all for now.  Thanks so much for your support of my blog and your sweet comments!  I'm so grateful for all of you!  Take good care!

Hugs!

Merry Christmas!

Hi, there!

How are you doing on this fine November day?    I'm doing well here watching the leaves fall while looking out the window.  Soon the leaves will be gone and snow will be falling.  I won't try to think about the snow yet!  But, I am thinking of Christmas and would like to share with you two stitched cards that I made.  I do love the stitch dies from Spellbinder's, so fun!  I'm sharing one of the cards over at NBUS.

Next up, I'd like to share a couple crochet hand towels that I made.  My sis wanted a couple and so did a lady that I visit from church.  

I made these two with cardinals and I made several with a coffee theme.  I'm trying to get a head start on Christmas this year with gifts and baking.  Yesterday, I baked five dozen soft sugar cookies.  I will freeze them and frost them later.  I know I will be baking more, but at least I got started.

I did have a wonderful birthday last weekend with a wonderful dinner in Columbus with my husband, son, and his friend.  It was also a special stay at the one hotel nearby where my niece works.  She gave me a discount and my one sis had a special surprise in the fridge with perrier water and a meat/fruit plate, so sweet!  I see my sisters this coming Friday for my birthday get-together.  I'm looking forward to it!  And, thank you to my sweet friends here in blogland for the birthday cards and wishes!

Ok, friends, thanks so much for taking the time to drop by!  Take care and have a great day!

Hugs!

Maria

Coffee Lovers Blog Hop-Fall/Winter! (2023)

Hi, Friends!

I'm back again today with another card, but this one is for the Coffee Lovers Blog Hop Fall/Winter 2023!  I recently purchased the Holiday Mug Additions die set from Pretty Pink Posh.  I just love how you can make a reindeer mug or a Santa mug with the wonderful cute dies!  My favorite coffee drink is Starbuck's peppermint mocha...yum!  And, that is exactly what this reindeer mug is holding today!  All stamps and dies are from PPP except for the frame die, which is from MFT.

Here is a closer photo...

You can see the pierced snowflake background in this photo.  The die is from PPP, also.

I had tons of fun making this card for the coffee blog hop and it's great seeing all the wonderful creations!

Thanks so much for dropping by!  Take care, hugs!

Happy Birthday!

Hi, friends!

I'm hoping the above birthday card is received by my sis-in-law before she sees it here on my blog.  I already posted it on my IG if you have seen it there.  I do love the stitched dies from Spellbinder's.  It was a lot of fun stitching all the pretty flowers on this card!  I should have taken a better photo, but wanted to get it out in the mail.

Anyways, I hope all of you are doing well on this fine November day!  It's hard to believe that it's November already.  In just a few days is my birthday on the 10th.  Wow...how did I get to be this old, lol!  I now have a Medicare card.  All kidding aside, I have many blessings and celebrating my birthday with son and hubby at one of my favorite restaurants on Friday will be fun!  Next week I celebrate with my sisters.  And, I hope to celebrate with my good friend, Nancy, soon also.  Lots to be thankful for this month.  

Did you vote today?  We voted early so we already have that out of the way.  

Ok, not much else is going on right now.  Have a wonderful rest of the week and thanks so much for dropping by!  Take care!

Hugs!

Maria

Harvest Blessings!

Hello, Friends!

Happy Saturday to you!  I hope all is well your way and that you are enjoying the weekend.  I got my housework out of the way and decided to make a couple fall cards, but right now I'm sharing with you a couple cards I made while we went camping with my sis and her hubby.  Just a couple of quick easy cards to show today.  I don't remember the company the sentiment is from, but the chipboard pumpkins are from Echo Park.

Another card using an Echo Park tag.  Tags are easy to make cards, right?!  

The weather turned much cooler today.  We did enjoy a nice day in Berlin, Ohio(Amish Country) yesterday.  I was able to get some Christmas gifts and a couple birthday gifts for my sister.  We bought some kettle corn, pumpkin cookies, and a raspberry pie.  We waited in line awhile to eat at Der Dutchman, but it's always worth it for the food is so delicious!  Not sure if we will have many more sunny warm days before winter sets in, so I'm glad that we made the trip.

Ok, well that's all for now.  Take care and thanks so much for dropping by today!

Hugs!

Season's Tweetings!

Hi, Friends!

Happy Saturday to you!  I'm up in my craft room looking at some Christmas cards that I have made recently.  I thought I could enter this one over at the Peace on Earth Christmas Challenge.  I spotted the cardinals in the second photo image.  

For my card, I started with a red card base and used Altenew wash tape for the background.  The birdhouse is from SSS.  The cardinal is from Newton's Nook.  The sentiment is from Honey Bee.  I added a bow, gold dots, and white spray ink for the final touch.  I do love cardinals and get so excited when I see them around here.  I haven't seen one in awhile except when we went camping a few weeks ago.  Just this morning I saw a blue jay.  It's so fun watching the birds especially at the bird feeders and bird bath.

Well, that's all for today.  We are watching the Ohio State v. Penn State football game right now.  It looks like it's going to be a good game!  Go Bucks!!

Thanks so much for dropping by today!  Take care and have a great weekend!

Hugs!

Merry Christmas and Pumpkin Patch...

Hi, Friends!

How are you on this Friday afternoon?  I hope you all are doing well!  It's going to be a busy weekend here with the Apple Festival going on in town.  Good food and fun will be on the agenda for the next couple of days.  I just hope the forecast, which is calling for rain will hold off for awhile.  

I made Christmas cards a couple weeks ago, so I thought I'd share a couple with you.  They were quite easy as you will see.  The above card is with a Christmas tree die from Elizabeth Craft Designs.  The sentiment is from the same company.  A bow added to finish the card.

Next up,  a simple card using a card panel.  This one is vintage with the sweet angel singing a Christmas carol.

  Gems, star, and a bow to complete the card.  A couple more Christmas cards for my stash.  This one will take a couple stamps.  And, I hear that stamp prices are going up again.  Not what I want to hear when I create layers on my cards, oh well!

We've been wanted to get to the pumpkin patch to decorate outside, so that is what we did this morning.  Here are a few photos of our fun time.

Ok, that's all for now.  I hope you have a wonderful weekend!  Thanks so much for taking the time to drop by, take care!

Hugs!

Happy Fall!

Hi, Friends!

It's a hot one again today.  And, what a time for the air conditioning not to work!  But, hubby did order a part a few days ago and got it repaired today with the help of our son.  The days have been beautiful, but just a bit warm for me.  For the weekend, it will turn much cooler into the 50's and 60's.  Oh, well, Mother Nature rules, lol!

I'd like to share with you a quick card I made today.  I'll be seeing a friend over the weekend and wanted to give her a fall card.  This one was very easy peasy with Echo Park paper and chipboard pieces.  I added a little white bow on the vase of flowers for the finishing touch.  

Well, that's all for now.  I hope all is well in your world.  Thanks so much for taking the time to drop by, take care!

Hugs!

Thinking of you...

Hi, Friends!

I hope you all are doing well!  I've been working on a few cards. I made an easy embossed card as seen above.  I think the card spray went a little too much with the gold, but I wasn't going to trash it.  So, I decided to add another spray of distress oxide spray(wild honey).  Now that I'm looking at it, I think a stencil outline around the trees would have been great with the wild honey spray.  Ah, ideas that come too late, lol.  I'll just have to try with another card, right?   The images and sentiment are from MFT.  I'm always needing thinking of you cards for my stash.

Edit...

Ok, I decided since I had the stamps out that I'd make another quick card similar to the above card.  For this card, though, I made a stencil for the outline of the trees.  Gold spray was added, too, but just here and there by tapping the nozzle.  Ok, so which card is your favorite?  I think the second card is my favorite.

Well, not a whole lot else is going on right now.  My arm and fingers are doing better, but when I do too much I can feel it.  Thank you for those who have wished me well with it.  I continue to wear a brace on my arm.  It's really difficult to stay away from crafting.  I started crocheting a baby blanket, but had to stop with it.  The baby shower is next month.  I can always finish it at some point, but I don't think I'll get it done before then.  

The weather has turned cooler and rainy.  More rain is due tomorrow.  But, next week looks like warm weather again. We plan to camp with my sis and her husband in a couple weeks, so I hope we have nice weather.  I'm looking forward to it!

Ok, the cat just jumped up on my lap making typing difficult, lol. So, I'll end here for now.  Thanks so much for dropping by! Take care!

Hugs!

Anniversary and Birthday...

Hello Friends!

Just popping in quick to share with you a card and a few photos from my son's birthday celebration.  First up, the above card was made for my sister, Christina and her husband, Paul.  They will be celebrating their 25th anniversary next month.  They have made plans to go to St. Thomas.  Sounds like fun to me!  I hope they have a wonderful time!  

For the card,  I started with a white card base and paired it with an embossed panel from SU.  The heart die is from Trinity Stamps.  The sentiment is from Jillian Vance.  The number dies are from TE.  Gems and a tiny bow to finish the card.

Next up are a few photos of our son's birthday celebration.  He lives near Columbus, so we went down and spent the weekend.  His birthday was on Friday and we met with him and a couple co-workers at their favorite Mexican restaurant that they go to every Friday night.  The food was delicious and we had lots of fun.  

My hubby took the photo and the waiter

put a cowboy hat on Jeremy.  We didn't think anything

was going to happen...

All of a sudden the waiter asks me to move

out of the way for minute and he smears the whip

cream dessert all over his face.  His co-worker, Dustin,

told the waiter ahead of time to do it.  I'm thinking

what is happening?!  

But, Jeremy was a good sport and everyone

had a good laugh!  Happy Birthday, Jeremy!

Ok, I have worked ahead of time and have more cards to share, but I have to do things in moderation for I overdid it while making cards and crocheting.  I think I have ulnar nerve impingement.  I bought a brace and am doing better.  I guess I'm not a spring chicken anymore and my new Medicare card reminds of it, lol!  Anyways, thanks so much for dropping by today!  Take care and have a great week!

Hugs!