MERRY CHRISTMAS

Hi there everyone. Hope you are finished with all your Christmas shopping, cooking, baking, cleaning etc. All that goes along with Christmas. It sure can get hectic, can't it?

I cut down on my Christmas card giving this year and decided to send out my cards via Facebook and "blogger." So if you did not receive a card from me this year....here 'tis....Have a Very Merry Christmas and a prosperous and healthy, happy 2019 New Year with many, many blessings!!!

PS. These cards actually went out to relatives and two Pastors. Wish I could have made more like these....they were stunning in real life. Some day I will find the die and make more!!!

Another thing I cut down on this Christmas is my decorating, I still have about 5 boxes to put up, my village, the manger and lots of figurines. I did manage to put my little tree up with lights, decorations etc, the presents were wrapped the other night and put under the tree. I put 3 window lights up (tree, wreath and snowflake) with still one box to unload. It's Christmas Eve....I may not finish, not unless when I finish this post and unload that box, then I am done with my decorating. LOL!!! 

Made some cut-out cookies and a pumpkin pie. The cut-cookies still have to get decorated....do I really care? Not sure, they are pretty good just as they are.

Had a few financial things going on this month. Had to sell a few things just to keep our nose above water. Next month won't be any better because I have to come up with $288 for taxes on the house. Not sure where that will come from....oh but God does, we will just have to wait and see.

JP has this week off, which means a smaller pay check in a couple of weeks. It has been rough going since August when he decided to work just part-time. Maybe in the spring I will get a job with Rover.com and dog-sit, my home or the dogs home.

Well, I am going to close here, time for dinner. You all have a GREAT Christmas. Keep looking up......better days are coming. Cheers ~ Louise

French Toast and Image Card Exchanges

Hi there everyone. Well.......I am still in a French Toast mode....sorry I have not changed my previous post.....but it still looks so good to me. Today I made French Toast with French bread, slivers of strawberries, and some Philadelphia "ready to eat" Cheesecake filling and syrup. Sorry.....no pictures. All I can say is, it sure was delicious and it was very hard to share with JP, but I did.

Have you ever tried Philadelphia "ready to eat" Cheesecake Filling? All you have to do is pour it into a graham cracker crust and chill. So far, the cheesecake filling has not made it into a pie crust and is just making it into my mouth via strawberries and French toast and such. SShhhhhhhh......I've not shared this with JP as yet, he would eat it all in one sitting....yes he would!!!!

Last November I joined a Stamping Group. We send 12 stamped images or die cuts to the person whose name we have and someone sends us 12 stamped images or die cuts. We then make a card for our selves and one for the person whose name we have. So altogether we have stamped 14 images or die cuts. Then, at the revealing party, we find out who had our name and visa versa. We bring the cards we made for the person who had our name.  Following are the cards I made, using the images I sent to my secret stamper and the images she sent to me.

In the picture above, I sent my secret stamper the gold snowflake on black card stock....this is what I came up with.

My secret stamper sent me the Santa tag, I colored it in and let the tags sit for awhile, because I could not think of how to incorporate the tag into a card. Suddenly one day I got this idea to just make a present, add the ribbon and stick the tag on it...oh and I learned how to make a double bow with my two fingers. WALA...a present!

I sent my secret stamper 12 images of this vintage Santa Claus....This is what I came up with. This would not be a card that could be sent through the mail too easily.

My secret stamper lady sent me these silver hearts. The only thing I could think of is to add them to a vintage valentine.....good enough.

I sent my secret stamper lady 12 of these die cut trees....this was an easy peasy card.

I sent my secret stamper 12 of these love mice....I distressed these  two mice then brushed them with pearlex. I sent her 12 love mice stamped in black and white. I finally made these love mice into cards last night....in a later post I will show you how they ended up.

I sent my secret stamper these snow men....I still have to make a card out of them yet. I still have two weeks to think about and finish this card.

My secret stamper sent me these bunnies. All I did was color in the back ground, they have hung around for a couple of months..finally turned them into cards last night....they turned out cute. I probably will make a couple of these cards for Hospice too. She also sent me 12 images of a golf ball on a Tee. I surely did not know what to do with the golf ball, till I remembered I have a vintage golfer taking a swing. I am working on that card tonight and when finished will show it in the next post.

My secret stamper is behind in her sending, she did not send March's image and April is yet to come. I contacted the lady that runs this group to let her know the lady that has my name is late in sending images. This isn't the first time this has happened, November and December did not come till January. Sure is frustrating..why join a group if you cannot follow through...makes no sense to me and takes the fun out of even doing this.

The reveling party is on the 23rd of this month....so I shall meet whoever had my name....if she even shows up. I may or may not sign up for a second time. It's fun doing this IF the other person holds up their end. Oh well, enough of my complaining.

I will take pictures of the images sent my secret stamper lady and what they looked like after I turned them into cards. Oh and pictures of the cards of the Easter Bunny, Snow Man and love mice.

I need to close this post now and go have a piece of coconut cream pie. That was my project for tonight. Also made dinner for JP. When he comes home at 1:30am he will have chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy and vegies and some pie and fruit. Good enough. Now I shall go downstairs and ride my bike for 2 miles and finish up my Hospice cards for Friday.

Have a great night and keep looking up~~better days are coming!!

Cheers ~ Louise

Daylight Savings, Elections and Some Cards

Hi there everyone.....how you doing on this mighty fine day......2nd day of daylight savings....what for, I do not know. I had a hilarious day yesterday. FORGOT to set the clocks back Saturday before going to bed. (too many clocks for one thing-at least 12 in the house alone). JP's fascination is clocks.

So, anyways, JP woke me up Sunday morning at 8am to see if I was going to church.....yeah I guess so. Finally got up, did the ritual of getting up, bathroom, hair, teeth, wash hands, then I decided to do my blood, (usually don't do it on Sundays, take a day off). Sat down at the computer and turned it on, started to do my blood and noticed the clock on the computer said 7:30am (what, am I dreaming????) Then I looked at the Atomic clock and it said 7:30......oh my, my watch said 8:30.....OH-OH I forgot to set the clocks!!!! I went outside to tell JP, "It's only 7:30 not 8:30, I forgot to set the clocks back!

Oh how funny, it sure is crazy getting older and forgetful. How do you like my funny pictures....I love ducks and could not resist the funny duck above. I used to have 4 ducks when we lived up in Ladysmith....I sure did love those birds, they were so much fun to take care of till they started getting killed off by some wild animal. We later found out it was one of my dogs.....gosh I was upset!!!!

JP brought home 4 little pumpkins for me to cook up and make pumpkin pies, have one cooked up and ready to make something with it.......when I saw this picture, I just had to copy and paste......funny picture. Wish making pies was this easy (I think)

So tomorrow is Election day......I sure do hope the right person gets in. The right person is on the right......get it????? I don't think I can stand another 4 years like these past 8 years have been....all our liberties will definitely be taken away.

In these next few pictures of cards are ones I have found on the Internet, and would like to make these cards. I have made this card already, but not using the trees in the background....shall have to try this one for sure.

I like this snowflake card and actually have the stamp.....such a simple card and very clean looking.

I thought this was a lovely card using the butterflies....looks like patterned paper and folding it over and adding a butterfly and some verse.

I just bought this die cut....and have cut out a few leaves....just have to find the embossing folder, patterned paper  and ribbon to make this card. Pretty, pretty for fall.

Think I will cut this post short, need to get a few cards up in my Etsy store....more Christmas cards to sell....hopefully they will....

Have a great day and keep looking up, better days are coming.

Cheers ~ Louise

Some Christmas Stuff

My Christmas Voltive. Using my Cuttlebug and snowflake die, this little Voltive was produced with etching cream. This is a very fun project that makes lots of great gifts. Will be putting this little candle in my Etsy store, the price ~ $7.00 + shipping and postage.



My Christmas cards. Decided to put 4 of these cards in my Etsy store, plus make enough to send out......as yet that has not been accomplished. But who knows........just need a few hours on NO interruptions. Selling these cards on Etsy for $2.75 or $11.00 for 4 cards plus shipping and postage. The background of this card is embossed clouds with  a sticker star.



Here is the same card but in red, the background is swiss dots with a gold star.

So there you have it, a few of the things that I have been working on. This will be a short blog for today.....as I am on the hunt for work pants for JP at the local thrift shops, found a nice pair yesterday at Goodwill, Levi Strauss black jeans for $13.00......hope that was a good price.....they should last him awhile.

Well, talk later, have a great day and keep looking up for your redemption draweth nigh!! Cheers ~ Louise

Doing the Etsy Tap Dance Today and Another Snowman Card!

Here's my newest card that I just put in my little Etsy store tonight. Titled "Snowflakes are just unassembled snowmen!" It's a fun card to make, using alcohol inks dabbed on the metal piece which was run through the cuttlebug. Gems, another snowflake and the pre-made snowman embellish this card.

Doing the Etsy tap dance tonight, didn't even realize it till I went to my etsy store to add this "snowflake" card and noticed two cards were sold......wow made my night that was for sure!!!!! It's been awhile since I last sold any cards through Etsy, so this was truely a blessing to me.

Oh, I've sold a few cards here and there, but not alot. I have to figure out how to get my cards out there more without having to spend alot of money doing it. Got any ideas????? I am going to try getting more cards in my little store....it is said that if you keep listing and renewing your pieces of art you are in the forefront more instead of in the "back 40". Guess it's worth a try.

Going to close this blog for tonight. Have to get dinner ready for the husband......roasted vegies on penne and salmon burgers on rye toast and salad.

Talk to you later ~ Louise ~

Winter's Greeting Snowman

Winter is here, whether we want it or not. We got 11 inches over the weekend.....whew, guess that is better then rain, as our roof leaks into the ketchen, so snow is better at this point. Well, here I have a snowman card, he is a "Winter Greeting Snowman" as I have finished the Christmas cards. Now it is on to Valentine and Winter Cards. I am going to put him in my etsy store, probably tonight, you can go to http://www.cards4ubylouise.etsy.com/ to see all my other cards. This particular card will be $3.00 + postage. You will receive one free card of my choosing plus a bookmark.

Well, you have a great day and see you in a few days as I am trying to get ready for Christmas and get all my cards out to friends and family. Take care and take Jesus!!!! ~Louise~

Silent Night

"Silent Night, Holy Night".........this is my newest card, made and put in my Etsy store last night. The price is $3.00 + postage. Go to: http://www.cards4ubylouise.etsy.com/ to see how I made the card. Going to make a few more of these cards to send out to friends and family. But I have to get a move on if I want them out this week end. Cheers ~ have a great day ~ Louise