Happy Independence Day

Hi there everyone. Hope you are having a wonderful 4th of July!!! The day is beautiful and sunny here in Wisconsin. Perfect weather for fireworks, get togethers, picnics, cookouts and fun in the sun. Me....I will just lay around and maybe get a few things done around the house. Oh, and enjoy my gardens and hope the mosquitos don't find me and carry me away. (that would be a miracle)

So, as we enjoy this day, let us not forget all those men and women who fought for our freedoms. Our freedoms that seem to be dwindling more each day. Remember all those that went before us doing great things and accomplishing great things never before seen. Things that you won't hear on the news media that can only be explained, because God did the doing.

I thought I would share a few pictures and ideas for cards that I found on the internet. I did make a few cards via the idea above. Some of my ideas are in the banner above.

My Patriotic House Mouse's. They show up every year about this time.

Loved this poster when I saw it....I think I found this on Facebook along with the horse below.

Another card. I think my rendition of this card is in the banner above.

Happy 4th of July and celebration of the Birthday of the Declaration of Independence. We are still so very young as a Nation, with lots to learn.....but, we are one of the greatest Nations and still very much blessed by God. For now.

So keep looking up, better days are coming. Cheers ~ Louise

God Bless America!!!!

Some Christmas Mice.....

Hi there everyone. How are things going with you...this will be a short post today, as I have to run out to the store for a few short errands.

I love these House Mouse pictures.....I must have at least 20 house mouse stamps in my own collection. Actually an old friend gave me her House Mouse stamps years ago....what a treasure. But I really need to start using them. Eh...maybe in 2015 (hahaha...that's just 3 weeks away isn't it?!?!)

Every day I get one of these house mouse picture in my email....so I thought, why not put them up here...only problem is, they make me want to order a few stamps now or at least hunt up some at the store.

I Like these Candy Cane House Mouse stamps.....they are so sweet aren't they??? My only problem is, when I stamp these...can't seem to get the color right on the mice...oh well, guess that is something to work on.

Well there you have it...a short blog about nothing much. Except maybe just a little bit of Christmas House Mouse Cheer. Hope you are getting all your Christmas "ducks in a row" or should I say "Mice" hahahaha.

Have a great day and keep looking up. As soon as I take some pictures of the cards I made the other day at my friends house, I will post them here...maybe tomorrow. Talk to you later.
Cheers ~ Louise

PS....Happy Birthday Diana!!!!

~Memorial Day~

Hi everyone. Hope your day is going well. I just wanted to give thanks to all those that served this wonderful nation by giving their lives that we might be free. Not just those in the present, but in the past...Revolutionary Wars, Civil Wars, 1st World War, 2nd World War, Korean War, Viet Nam War, Desert Storm, Afghanistan War and all those wars in between. So many lives given that we might be free. It is like when Jesus died on that cross over 2000 years ago....He gave His life willingly that we might be saved. That we might spend eternity in heaven with Him. The ultimate sacrifice.

It is sad how this country is changing so radically by men and women whose only desire is for more money and power. Who want to take away our freedoms more each day. I only hope those that died for our freedom will not have died in vain. And, when Jesus died for our sins....that too was not in vain. I know God will have the last word, for He still reigns supreme and has total control. He created this world and only HE can end it, anyway He desires.

The above picture is from House Mouse Stamps, I get a sample stamp every day via my email. So I thought today's stamp was a must to use for this special day. Cheers ~ Louise

And the Winners Are........Sound the Trumpets

Hi Everyone.........how exciting is this, JP just picked the names of the winners!!!!

But first...I want to.....

Thank all of you ~ for playing along with me leaving your sweet comments. Also a big thanks to Angela at: http://startinganewcreativelife.blogspot.com and Shaz from the land down under: http://calligraphycards-shazinoz.blogspot.com for becoming my newest followers. What fun it is to make new blog friends!!!

HERE ARE THE WINNERS!!!! (toot, toot, toot, toooooooot)

1st place goes to: America, she makes lovely cards using House Mouse stamps, um....maybe I better add a House Mouse card or two to her packet of cards. http://cardsbyamerica.blogspot.com

2nd place goes to: Brenda in Indiana....oh wow, she makes really neat cards also!!! http://inkspiredtostamp.blogspot.com

3rd place goes to: Susie and she junks http://shejunks.blogspot.com

Congratulations to the winners, I will contact you via email to let you know you have won and get addresses so we can send your gifts in the mail.

Thanks again to all of you who left comments. Please do come back again, you never know when I may do this again and it's always fun to hear from you all. Have a great day and keep looking up. Cheers ~ Louise

I'm Waiting for Spring.......

Hi everyone......well, it is February 1st....not much longer and it will be spring!!! And just think, we will see flowers and sunshine, there will be bugs and spiders, mosquitos, bees buzzing, lots of rain, tornados and who knows what else. But it will be spring and lots of work outside. I am looking forward to it.

In the mean time I will keep dreaming and looking forward to the next season coming up. Which is just 48 days away, that being the 1st day of spring March 20th. Daylight Savings is just 37 days away on March 9th. So you see, we have much to look forward to. Easter is April 20th and "NEW LIFE" begins!!!!!! I love Easter and the true meaning of what Easter is all about, not about rabbits, chickens and chocolate but that Jesus was Resurrected, what an exciting day that must have been.

This will be a short blog....was just going through my emails and ran across this House Mouse picture and he immediately reminded me of Spring. So you all have a great weekend and keep looking up, better days are a coming. Cheers ~ Louise

Fresh Out of the Oven Bread and Get Well Cards

Hi there everyone. How is your day going so far? I slept in today.....till almost noon...yikes! Course I did not go to bed till almost 3:15am. I guess I am a night owl @ ♥. Was up making cards for someone that special ordered some "Get Well" cards from my Etsy store. I love when an order comes in, so I can create something new. The order is for 6 get well cards. So as I make this order up I am also making a similar order to put in my Etsy store. I will be selling the cards for $2.50 a piece so 6 cards X 2.50 = $15.00 + postage (might be around $2.50.) Tonight I will finish up the order and put the cards up in my Etsy store for the lady to buy. Then off to the Post Office tomorrow to mail them out. Those are the plans for now...(smile)!!

Here is a picture of my "Fresh out of the oven bread" Oh my is it delicious, as I sit here blogging and bite into my turkey and pepperoni sandwich!!!! I did not take a picture of the sliced bread as it was too warm at the time of this picture. As you can see I baked the bread in my dutch oven with parchment paper. Directions said to heat the oven up to 450 to 500 degrees then place the bread dough in the dutch oven. Turn down the heat to 425 degrees and bake 30 minutes with a cover. Then 15 to 20 minutes without the cover. Being very careful not to touch the dutch oven as it is VERY HOT!!

After cooling, I took the bread out of the dutch oven, lifting up with the parchment paper and let cool some more. Then I sliced a little piece for tasting purposes...(wink)!! Let me just add.....this sandwich is out of this world delicious!!!! The recipe is really easy.

Now I cut this recipe in half for one loaf of bread, but here is the recipe in full:
6 1/2 cups regular flour
3 cups warm water
1.5 tablespoons yeast
1.5 tablespoons salt

Thats it. Mix the flour, yeast and salt well in a large bowl. Add water and mix, making sure the flour at the bottom gets incorporated. It will be sticky, no worries.

The original recipe (which I got from "Biz" at www.mybizzykitchen.com ) says to let rise for two hours, (My dough was not rising, so I let it go overnight, covering with a bowl and sitting it in the oven with no drafts, by morning it had doubled in size). Preheat your dutch oven in the stove at 450 degrees (another recipe said 500) Place the parchment paper in the pot with the dough and bake, turning down the heat to 425 degrees.

So between the two recipes, I came up with this beatiful loaf of bread....I need to add, there is no kneading required for this recipe, so that makes it very easy too. In a few days I will add a picture of the sliced bread (already took a picture of it and it is already in JP's lunch bucket).

So here are the pictures of my get well cards. I found this idea in one of my many magazines, trying to get ideas for get well cards. I thought this was a pretty card and can be for Birthdays, Thank you, Thinking of you, maybe even Mother's day too! I really liked the way it turned out. Ready to make some more.

This is my House Mouse get well card....used water-color pencils for this one, the ice cube and cotton is covered with speckles. Poor little mousey must have a touch of flu.

This card is a picture of my roses. I took this picture back in 2006, I am thinking. I have used these roses for many different things, mostly as a banner for my Etsy store. Just love this picture and thought, now wouldn't they make a nice card too...need to do some more of these. I added the butterfly for a little embellishment. Turned out very pretty.

Here is another view of the roses from a different angle and focused on different flowers in the full bouquet.

This get well card is a stamped picture of a sea-scape. I colored it in with pencils then must have run it off on the copy machine to make more copies.

So there you have it, just a few cards. Tonight I will finish off the order and get them ready for mailing. So you have a great evening and keep warm, make some tea and cuddle up for a long and cold winters night. Keep looking up. cheers ~ Louise

Saturday's........

Aaahhhh Saturday's......we had plans of going out on a date. But, it is just too icy out there, plus JP thinks the alternator or air pump bearing is going out on the car....so no driving today or tomorrow. Taking the car in Monday for it's diagnosis......geez more $$$$! Guess the winter has been harsh on cars too!!

So, I guess I will just rest today and drink some coffee. Maybe work on some cards and possibly list a few things on Etsy.

Maybe do a little bit of cooking. Going to roast some tomatoes, peppers, garlic and carrots and make some sauce for spaghetti. Got this recipe from Biz @ http://www.mybizzykitchen/2014/01/10/pissed/ (Sorry, my link button is not working) I have all the ingredients, might even try "julianning" some zucchini.

Also on the agenda for today is a little bit of exercise, mostly riding my bike for a spell and maybe lift a few weights, just like these mice are doing....hahahahaha!

Well, time to hit the road and get a few things done. Enjoy your weekend and keep looking up and stay warm.
Cheers ~ Louise

PS the House Mouse pictures are from: http://www.house-mouse.com (Sorry, my link button is not working) I have quite a few stamps from House-Mouse, really need to start using them. Maybe that should be my challenge for 2014.

House Mouse Challenge

Hi everyone...how is your Saturday going?? It was so beautiful this morning, I had all intentions to working outside. But, as you know, plans change as the day goes on. I got up early to go to a "Warehouse Paper Sale" and also to Festival Foods for a $10.00 box of "dented and scratched" canned goods and boxed food" and get home by 11am, so JP could have the car to do his errands. His plans fell through, I could have spent more time at the Warehouse sale. Shucks, could have browsed more and not rushed. Oh Well....that is life!!!

My "$10 box of dented cans and packaged foods" was a success. Probably getting $45 worth of food from soups, tuna, beans, vegies, cereals, and candy. Some of the things we don't use, I pass on to the Pastor's son.

Also, my trip to the Warehouse sale, I got 3 stamp pads in red, green and purple and re-inkers to match. Some pretty card stock and paper. We are also able to make and take a couple of cards. Maybe I will take pictures and download those pictures in my next blog.

I have entered a challenge on another blog. "America" makes cards with "House Mouse" stamps. I just love her cards....she has been gone for awhile (moving) and just came back. If you go to her blog, you will be able to see her "give away" which will be October 1st....well, I am just hoping I will be that "blessed" winner for this "give away." So here is a cute little "House Mouse" all dolled up in a pumpkin outfit. Pretty cute!!!

Not exactly sure why I can't get the picture of all this luscious candy so you can see it. But, here's the link...."America's blog" http://cardsbyamerica.blogspot.com She has 185-ish adorable Charms in many themes, a bag of 24 Rolls of Colored Twine and a box of Liquid Metal markers (for coloring your charms to match up to all your projects). She says, "Isn't this fun??"

"All you have to do to win this CANDY is leave me a comment, FOLLOW me and help to spread the word about my little blog by posting a pic of this candy with a link coming back to my blog. That's it! Anyone, anywhere is eligible to win. The lucky winner will be chosen on Oct 1st. :)

For extra chances to win, I would LOVE it if you also became a FOLLOWER of our FUN House-Mouse & Friends Monday Challenge Blog found HERE. Simply stop by to see what we are all about. Maybe you'll want to join us by playing along with the NEW "Autumn Leaves" Challenge! If you do, you will have another chance to win more fabulous prizes from our incredibly generous sponsors Simon Says Stamp and Di's Digi Downloads. PLUS, another chance at a second huge CHARM LOT prize! So don't miss out! Check us out HERE!!"

So I am going to try following on House Mouse and Friends and see about those challenges.

Okay, I am going to close this blog....see if I can get a picture of that candy on my blog....if not, this will be a "pictureless" blog today. So you all have a great day and keep looking up for your redemption draws nigh. Cheers ~ Louise

Magnolia Rose Girl

I have fallen in love with the Magnolia "Tilda" Stamps. Just love coloring them with my copic pens and then embellishing Tilda in a card. This was my second attempt to make paper flowers. Still trying to figure out my own technique, haven't come up with a system yet.

Went to a stamping rummage sale today and found a few punches that I might be able to use for flowers. Bought some scrapbook paper, 20 sheets for $2. A House Mouse Stamp to add to my collection and some embossing ink and oval die cuts...........a splurge today for sure.

We also went to a Cooking Show today........the chef made "Comfort Food". I am going to make each one of the dishes, oh gosh they looked so good, and then take a picture and talk about it and leave the recipe on this blog for anyone to try................Lets get cooking!!!!

Well, I think I shall close here for today and I am hoping to blog on Monday or Tuesday about Ukranian Easter Eggs. I am looking to feature an Etsy guest who makes Pysanky eggs. So do come back and read about her in my next blog.

Have a great day ~ Louise

Etsy Dance and Some New St. Patty Cards

Added these cards to my Etsy store in the last couple of days. Will be adding a few more St. Patty cards in the next few days and that will be it for St. Patrick Cards till next year. The first card with the House Mouse is one of my favorite cards.......I am a huge House Mouse fan so I have lots of stamps with the cute little mice..........just don't like those mice running around in my basement!!!! One night I was working at making cards and I opened a drawer and WA-LA there were pieces of dog food in the drawer......now how could they have gotten there???? You got it, a friendly little mouse was finding hiding places for her food and my stamping studio seemed the perfect place!!!! I finally caught her along with her babies!!!!!

This is another card I put up on Etsy the other day.......Irish enough?????? Did the Etsy tap dance the other day, so I was pretty happy. Sold a St. Patrick Card, soooooo, thought I better get another few cards up for the Irish!!!! Next on the agenda will be a few Happy Birthday Cards and then comes Easter..............my how the seasons fly by, before you know it Christmas will be here!!!!!

Well time to close this blog, have to go to my Etsy store and put up another St. Patrick card if you go to www.cards4ubylouise.etsy.com I tell how I made these cards and the others that I will put up. So you have a good day and take care.

~Louise~