I love chocolate

Hello everyone from the 'long lost blogger'!!!

It has been upsetting not to blog on a regular basis. I was away at Christmas. Then sick for several weeks. Finally I went to the coast to look after my grandchildren while my son and his wife went on a short holiday. I have been home for a few days and am busy making cards again. My favourite thing to do.

During my time away from blogging I have been very fortunate to meet some lovely ladies from some of the groups I am on. We have had a great time getting to know each other by emailing back and forth and I have been so very pleased to have them in my life!

I have some pictures for you. The first few are of a Birthday gift I made for our daughter-in-law, Rhonda. Her birthday is the 6 of January. She is a school teacher and I thought she might like a small calendar for her desk there. This one was stamped with Hanna Stamps. I used a CD Holder for the calendar and coloured the image with UMS and Prismacolors. The red ribbon at the top is glued to the outside of the folder as is the paper of the 'children's feet'. This DP is from DCWV - Grade School Pack. The rest of the paper is from SU.



I am sorry that the lighting is so bad - I did get a new camera for Christmas - thanks to my hubby, however these pictures were taken at my mother's where I made the gift and the lighting in her home is very poor!

Here is another look at a few other images:










After that it was both our son's Birthdays. Shawn was 39 on January 19th and I am so disappointed that I didn't get a picture of the really cute House Mouse card I made for him. He umps baseball in the leagues for 18 - 20 year old and I had a very cute baseball image I did with a large background. Oh well - it was a busy time while I was away and I simply forgot.

Ryan our second son, celebrated his Birthday on January 24th and was 36. I have his card next. Just a very tiny bit of stamping on it and the stamp is from SU. I used a white card stock as the base of the card and then used black and craft papers both from SU for the rest of the card. I also used the mat pack from SU. The stamp on the inside of the card is a very old one I have from : 'Love You to Bits'. I used classic black SU ink for the outside image and the inside image as well and then covered them in clear embossing powder and heated.

Here is the outside of his card:



The inside:




and a close up of the sentiment:



I have also planned to make several Valentine cards this year. Here is the first one.
It is made with DP from Cloud Nine Designs - Sweet Dots and Heart Flourish, plus some blue and pink I had in my stash. The image is from Magnolia and is Valentine Tilda. She is sitting on another Magnolia image called 'Valentine Cone'. I have punched out the lace design with my teeny hand held punch. ( you can buy these stamps from the Magnolia Store that is on the right side of my blog - just click. Diana's service is so fast and great that I recommend her in the highest degree )
I have used 3 of MS new punches. Two on the outside right edge of the card and the other, a single heart on the inside of the card. The wide pink ribbon is from SU and the narrow one is from Wal*Mart. I have also sewn a silver charm on the ribbon. Everything is painted with my new Copics, on Gina K brilliant white 120 lb. card stock. I had a great time using the new colours and like the copics more and more each time I use them. I was pleasantly happy with my work until I put new pink Shimmerz on the dress which covered up all my highlights :o(

Here is a picture of the front of the card:




A closer picture of the punches:




And a picture of the inside of the card:






I have been looking at more and more blogs. The work I am seeing is mind blowing. Just when I think I may finally be learning how to make a nice card - I see the work of many others and think I still have very very long way to go. The girls that started blogging around the same time as myself, have gone leaps and bounds in improvement of their designs and Copic colouring. I am enjoying making the cards though and hope you like to see them as well.


I sincerely hope that you are all very well and have started 2009 in a most positive way.

I am planning to see you much more often this year. Hopefully if not daily, at least every other day.

I haven't figured out how to make a nice note on the blog where you write your comments yet :o( - but PLEASE know that I really really appreciate you looking at my work and commenting on it. Thank you to those who take the time to write to me.

Love to you all, Candy