Boy's Birthday Card

 

 

I think the most challenging cards to make are those for adolescent and teenage boys.  Having only girls myself, I'm not even sure what boys in that age range think is cool, or more importantly, uncool.  So I keep things pretty basic. 

 

This birthday card was made for my 12-year-old nephew using the Cricut cartridge Martha Stewart Birthday Cake Art.  Because the cake cartridge designs are simpler than many other cartridges, I find they work great for making quick cards.  Fewer layers = less stress.

 

Thanks for looking!

30th Anniversary Mickey and Minnie Card

 

My husband and I took a short trip to Disneyworld to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary.  It wasn't the exotic, once-in-a-lifetime trip I had dreamed of taking for this momentous occasion, but it was a much-needed break from reality.   And that's what I needed more than anything.

Since my husband did all the legwork to make this trip possible, I wanted to do something special for him.  And it needed to be inexpensive.  So I compiled a slideshow of our thirty years together set to one of my favorite songs, God Gave Me You, by Dave Barnes.  I didn't have to spend a penny.  And that was a gift my hardworking husband could really appreciate--a free one.

The card theme was a no-brainer in light of our trip to Disney World:  Mickey and Minnie.  I wanted to celebrate the fact that we managed to stay together through thirty not-always-wonderful years, so I needed to incorporate that onto the card (the 30-years part, not the fact that they weren't all wonderful).  I had seen some really cool latching gatefold cards on Youtube, so I decided to use a two-part heart design in the center of the card as a latch.  I used memory thread to create the appearance that Mickey and Minnie were holding a celebratory banner.

The inside sentiment was printed using the Waltograph font, and included a reference to the rollercoaster ride we had lived the past 30 years.  This gave me the perfect excuse to use the Cuttlebug Wild Ride die for the rollercoaster on the back of the card.  I also found two pictures of our family at Epcot: one with our two daughters back in the 1980s and another with our two granddaughters a few years ago. Deja vu.

Mickey and Minnie were cut with my Cricut using the Mickey and Friends cartridge.  The hearts were cut using the free shapes from Cricut Craft Room Basics, which is available in the free online design program Cricut Craft Room.  Yes, I love freebies.

 

I'm already looking forward to the next 30 years.  Or at least the next trip to Disney World.

God's Love

...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace throught the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  Romans 3:23-24

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Romans 5:8

The first thing I noticed as I walked into church this morning was the cross that had been draped in white, symbolizing the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  I can't count the number of times I've seen this on Easter morning, but it still brings tears to my eyes.  It should have been me on that cross.  But it wasn't. 

Thank you, Jesus. 

Easter Cards for Grandchildren

Ahhh, life was simpler when I only had granddaughters.  I just made two of everything.  I only had to agonize over design choices once, and there was none of that annoying "Hers is better/different/fancier than mine!"   But now that my daughter has blessed me with a grandson, I can't do everything in shades of pink.  Well, I could, but I'm pretty sure it would create animosity between my son-in-law and me.  Now I make everything in threes, but I alter colors to be more gender-friendly when necessary.  And making that one change is a small price to pay for such a precious addition to our family.

These Easter cards were made using the Cricut cartridges Create a Critter (bunny) and Holiday Cakes (Happy Easter).  I used my Xyron to apply adhesive to the front of each bunny, then I added flocking powder to give them a furry appearance.  The grass was cut using a Fiskars border punch.

Thanks for looking!

Thirty Years

On my wedding day I was young, naive and madly in love.   Over the past thirty years I've experienced the realities of marriage and motherhood.  The pain, the heartache, the disappointments, the unconditional love.  I can't imagine a different path.  If I could start over, I'd do it all again.  God didn't give me the perfect man.  He gave me the perfect man for me.

Bracelets from Grungeboard

I wanted to post something crafty today, but since I haven't made anything in a while I had to dust off this project from Christmas.

 

Christmas for our family this year was kind of "Little House on the Prairie".  There wasn't a huge pile of money sitting around, so after digging change out of the sofa cushions to buy the must-have items I had to get creative to keep the stack of presents from looking so..tiny.

 

I had seen this idea on the Martha Stewart Show a while back and tucked it away in the recesses of my mind.  Of course finding it there when I needed it wasn't easy.   So I went to MarthaStewart.com and found the video.  Much easier.

My bracelets are a little different from those shown in the video, but the overall idea is the same.  Since I didn't have sturdy leather for the bands, I used Tim Holtz grungeboard instead.  After cutting the strips to size with a craft knife, I painted them to resemble leather using Martha Stewart satin finish craft paint in Chestnut Brown.  I had planned to add monogrammed metal elements to the front of each, but for various reasons that just didn't happen.  What I did instead was use a couple of oval shapes from a Tim Holtz grungeboard pack called Mixed Minis Plain, and to make them resemble metal I painted them with Martha Stewart metallic craft paint in Sterling.  I let everything dry for a few hours, then punched holes for the beads with my Martha Stewart screw punch.  I used the Making Memories Magnetic Stamp Set to emboss each girl's initial into one of the oval shapes, and then took a fine tip permanent marker and traced inside each letter to make them stand out.  I used some heavy coated thread from my jewelry-making stash to form the loop closure at one end, after which I continued threading in and out of the holes to attach the beads and oval shapes, and finally finished at the other end by adding a button.

 

 

Thanks for looking!

Logan's First Birthday



My favorite grandson celebrated his first birthday last month.  I was thrilled when my daughter asked me to make the banner for his airplane-themed party.  She knew exactly what style banner she wanted, which definitely made it easier for me.  I'm more of a worker bee than a creative type. 

My daughter preferred that I not make an age-specific banner so that she could use it again another year.  Since I knew I needed a space between "happy" and "birthday" I designed a couple of different options, one being the star that says "1st" (what can I say?  I'm a rebel).   Because the pieces of the banner are joined with individual lengths of ribbon, it will be easy to remove the star and replace it with another piece if she decides to use it again.  

 

The airplanes are from the Cricut Lite cartridge B is for Boy.  Using the Cricut Craft Room design program, I took the letters from the cartridge Martha Stewart Elegant Cake Art  and stretched them to the proportions I needed to fill the rectangular flags I had cut with my paper trimmer.  The stars I used are free shapes from Cricut Craft Room Basics.

                                            

 

The night before the party we stayed up late cutting mats for about ten thousand photos showcasing Logan's first year.  Yes, I exaggerate, but not by much ;-)  My granddaughters and I worked hard assembling all the pictures.  My daughter spent most of the day and night cooking the most amazing food, which looked as beautiful as it tasted.  And finally, sometime well after midnight, we finished our tasks and went to bed.
 

The day of the party we woke up to snow.

My two granddaughters were excited to see the white stuff.  They were the only ones.  I was heartsick for my daughter.  I knew she had been looking forward to this day for so long, and she had worked so hard to get everything ready. We weren't sure what would happen.  How much more snow would accumulate?  Would anyone come?  As for me, I was disappointed that my sisters, who live a few hours away, might not be able to make the trip.

 

We set about decorating the neighborhood clubhouse anyway, uncertain what the day would bring and not willing to be unprepared should the weather improve before afternoon. 

 

Then the sun came out.  The snow melted.  The guests started to arrive.  And my sisters were able to get across the mountains safely and spend a couple of hours with us.  It was a wonderful day.

Don't be fooled; there were tons more photos of Logan on the walls. 

The excited guest of honor.

He thoughtfully opened each and every gift. 
At least that's how it appeared to this adoring grandmother.

Little Bird Birthday Card

 

 

 

Although this card is pretty simple, I actually like the way it turned out.  The bird is from the Cricut cartridge Birthday Cakes.  The blue background was made with the Martha Stewart Punch-Around-the-Page Cherish set, then embossed with the Darice embossing folder Damask.  I added a little brown flocking powder to the hat and used a googly eye to give the bird some personality. 

 



Laughter from Above

God has a sense of humor.

After years of quiet isolation, I decided to venture into a "small group" at our very large church.  As much as I enjoy sitting at home being judged only by my granddaughter, it seemed like it was time to get out of the house and allow a few other people to form their own negative opinions about me.  I might not make much of a mark in this world, but I'm good for helping other people feel better about themselves.

My husband and I have tried a small group in the past, but with children in tow it never seemed to work out the way we needed.  The meetings were held in members' homes, and often lasted past the girls' bedtime.  Also, I hated dealing with my kids constantly coming into the room interrupting our conversation.  After a few months it started to feel like a chore instead of a time to connect with other adults and grow closer to God.  When I'm yelling at the kids and using bad language while driving home from Bible study, it's not a good sign.

Fast forward a few years.  My now-teenage granddaughter had been asked to help with childcare for a small group on Wednesday night.  My husband received an email from another small group leader asking if we'd be interested in joining them on Wednesday nights at the church.   And childcare for the youngest granddaughter would be provided in the church gym.  It seemed like a perfect fit.

Trying to mask my social phobia, I slapped on my best smile and walked into the room with  my husband.  Only a handful of people had arrived before us.  After a few introductions, we took our seats and watched as everyone slowly trickled in.  A disturbing pattern began to emerge.  These people were young.   My granddaughters are older than most of their children.  Heck, strictly from a biological standpoint I could be a great-grandmother.  (Note to the Princess:  If you ever want to kill me, making that happen in the next few years would be an effective method.) 

All these attractive young people were as nice as can be.   But we're at very different stages in our lives.  I've been at this for 35 years, and I've grown weary.  They can't yet accept that someday far in the future their little ones will actually leave for college.  I'm happily counting down, in single digits, the years left until I can kick my second set out of the nest.  Right now their parenting problems revolve around toddlers who are just starting to test the word "NO!", while I'm dealing with a teenager who knows everything and imparts her wisdom with a side of attitude.  I don't want to be the bitter old lady who laughs and says, "You just think you have problems now."   I also don't want to be in a group where I'm described as "the older lady".  As my husband astutely observed, putting me in a situation where I'm the oldest person in the room isn't good for anybody.

There was a real effort by several people at the end of the session to make this old couple feel welcome.  As I was chatting with one nice young lady, I mentioned that my granddaughter was babysitting at another group meeting.  "Oh, if you don't mind I'd love to get her name!  My babysitter is leaving for college soon!"  Reality hit like an asteroid.  My granddaughter is old enough to babysitter her children. 

I picked up my reading glasses and got out of there as fast as my old-lady legs could take me.

Simple Birthday Card

 

The base of this card is kraft paper, one of my favorites when I don't want my card to look too girly.  Presents and balloons were cut using the Cricut cartridge Martha Stewart Birthday Cake Art.  The banner was a ready-made embellishment from my stash.  I added more jute along the side to coordinate with the banner.  I actually did a little stitching around the edges of this one to help justify the purchase of my rarely-used mini sewing machine (I have a long way to go with that).

 

Thanks for looking!

Grandson's 1st birthday card

 

My grandson recently celebrated his first birthday.  Since his daddy calls him "little monkey", he's inundated with monkey-themed papercrafts from me.   (Yes, I'm creatively challenged.  Give me a theme and I'll work it to death.)





I started with the monkey from the Cricut cartridge Birthday Bash (page 36 in my handbook).  Since he looks like he's either swinging at a pinata or about to get some street justice with his baseball bat, I decided alterations were in order. 

The monkey base before alteration



After removal of his weapon



I carefully cut the bat away and replaced it with heart-shaped balloons from the same cartridge (Kangaroo, layer 2, page 49 in my handbook).  I ditched the blindfold/facemask, too.  No longer wielding his weapon, it seemed out of place.  (BTW--Who decided it was a good idea to put a group of eager children in a circle around another blindfolded child who's swinging a big stick at a box of candy???)

 

Sorry for the hazy photo

The sentiment "Happy Birthday little Guy" and the number "1" are also from Birthday Bash (page 61, Squirrel key).




This is definitely one of my favorite cartridges.  Thanks for looking!



Valentine Card for my granddaughters

I made two of these cards last Valentine's Day for my granddaughters.  (FYI:  It's always a good idea to make identical items for competitive children.  They'll still complain that something about theirs isn't quite as good as the other.  You can't win.) 

The ladybug is from the Cricut cartridge Simply Charmed.  The inside sentiment is from the Cricut cartridge Holiday Cakes. (I've bought several of the Cake cartridges primarily for the wealth of sentiments they contain.)  For the life of me I can't remember where I got the small hearts on the inside, but they were probably left over from another project.  Waste not, want not.  Just be prepared for the clutter.

"Miss You" Card for Teresa

 

When I buy Cricut cartridges I like to make sure they work before I forget I have them.  One that I recently bought was Birthday Bash, which had caught my attention because of this adorable roller-skating giraffe.  My sister, Teresa, collected giraffe figurines for many years, and I try to send her cards (usually with a giraffe image) as often as possible to let her know I'm thinking of her.   Since I had several new cartridges to test, it seemed like the perfect excuse to make a card for my sister.

 

In addition to the giraffe from Birthday Bash, I used Martha Stewart Elegant Cake Art for the sentiment "Miss You" and the clouds are from the lite cartridge Dino Play.

 

 

 

 Thanks for looking!

Owl Birthday Card for my sister

I only recently learned my sister loves owls.  How did I not know that???  I guess that's what happens when you're separated from family by hundreds of miles.  So sad.

 

All the die cuts are from the Cricut Lite cartridge Hoot 'n' Holler.  The white background was embossed with the Darice embossing folder Flower.    

 

Thanks for visiting!

Masculine Birthday Card with Airplane



This card was made for someone who loves to fly and was turning 30.  I wanted to acknowledge this milestone birthday in a subtle way, so I added the number to the tail of the plane.  The airplane is from the Cricut cartridge Wall Decor and More.  The background was cut from black Core'dinations cardstock, embossed with the Darice embossing folder Dots, then sanded to reveal the core.

 

Thanks for looking!

Altered Boot Box

While cleaning out my closet (or more accurately, while reinstalling my closet rods after they fell under the weight of my clothing hoard) I found a pair of boots I purchased years ago, still unworn and in their box.  The boots themselves didn't excite me; if they did, they would probably have been worn by now.  But the box?  That's a different story.

The box was fairly sturdy and looked like a matchbox on steroids.  At first I couldn't think of a specific use for it, but I just thought it was too darned cool to throw away.  Stuck at home and bored to tears, I decided to turn the box into something pretty and useful.  Or at least useful.

The box was slightly larger than 12x12 so I wanted to find paper that would coordinate with the blue border on the box, thereby allowing me to use less paper and expend less energy.  I was able to use just three pieces of 12x12 paper--one covered most of the top, another was cut into three 4x12 pieces to cover the sides and back, and the third was used to cover the front and to fill in a few gaps.

I used Mod Podge to glue the paper to the box.  To make it look a little fancier (I didn't say fancy, just fancier) I brushed a small amount of gold Martha Stewart Craft Paint along the edges.  After allowing the paint and glue to dry throughly, I brushed Mod Podge over everything to seal it.  As a final touch I attached a metal label holder to the drawer front using my Crop-A-Dile. 

Because it is large enough to hold a 12x12 sheet of scrapbook paper, I decided it would be perfect to store my unfinished paper projects.  I can also set my current project on top of the box if I need to temporarily free up table space, and because it opens like a drawer I can still access the contents inside if necessary. 

I got to play and ended up with something useful.  And I reduced my paper stash by three sheets.  It was a very good day.

Bird and Banner Birthday Card

I recently purchased the Cricut cartridge Birthday Bash, which had been on my wishlist for quite a while.  I found this cute bird and banner on page 39 of my handbook.  The white background was die cut then embossed with the Darice embossing folder Dots.  

 

 

Sorry for the dark picture.  I guess if I'm going to photograph my projects late at night I either need a camera with a working flash or better lighting. 

Thanks for looking!

Birthday Card for my Husband

 

What can I say?  I'm out of ideas for masculine cards.  I had a background stamp I wanted to use and a new whimsical stamp set I was dying to try out, so this is what my husband got.  We've been married almost 30 years.  If he was expecting more it just proves he hasn't been paying attention.

Birthday Card for my Daughter

Since I first learned my daughter likes owls, she's been inundated with papercrafts featuring the feathered creatures.  I decided she needed a short break, so I reverted to her previous favorite--dragonflies.

 

I enjoy trying new techniques when I have a couple of extra minutes, so I decided to use a stamped acrylic overlay on this card.  (Truth be told, the glittered background paper I used was making a complete mess in my craft room, so I decided to put it under a protective cover.)  The script was stamped on the acrylic with Stazon metallic ink.  The frame was designed in Cricut Craft Room using shapes from Cricut Craft Room Basics stretched to fit the card base dimensions.  The dragonfly is from the Cricut cartridge Disney Pooh and Friends (who would have guessed?).  I cut the dragonfly base from vellum and the body accents from metallic cardstock.

 

Butterfly Birthday Card

This is a birthday card I made for my sister.  Now that she's also a Cricuteer I don't even try to impress her.  I just keep it simple and try to stay in my comfort zone so as to not embarrass myself.

 

I cut a frame from the Cricut cartridge Lyrical Letters and brushed on a layer of Ranger Perfect Pearls to dress it up.  I then glued it to a piece of patterned paper cut to the same size.  The butterfly is from the Cricut cartridge Lovely Floral.  I cut the base layer from light blue vellum and the top layer from shimmer cardstock.  The body was cut from black cardstock, embossed with the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder, then sanded to show the detail.  To finish I added small gems to a couple of the flowers and glitter glue to the four holes in the wings.

 

 

I apologize upfront for any potential inaccuracies in my description.  It has been more than five minutes since I made this card and my memory isn't what it once was.  I really should post to my blog in a more timely fashion if only for my own peace of mind.  And a photography class wouldn't hurt, either.



Masculine Birthday Card

From reading other blogs and messageboards, I know I'm not the only crafter who struggles with ideas for men's cards.  This card was no exception.  It was one of those I'm-out-of-time-and-must-make-something desperate creations that came together better than I expected.

 

The embossing was done with the Tim Holtz Texture Fades folder Pocket Watches onto some Core'dinations cardstock, which was then sanded to reveal the core color.  I added some washi tape from Michaels' Recollections line to fill in the gap at the bottom since my card base was larger than the embossing folder. (I rarely plan ahead, so I often find myself "filling in the blanks" as I try to pull a project together.)  The sentiment was stamped on a label cut from a Spellbinders set, and I added brads to each corner as a final touch.

 

 

This card was made for my brother-in-law's birthday in November, and imagine my surprise when I saw it displayed in my very-talented sister's craft room at Thanksgiving.  That made my day!



Simple Nativity Display

Last week Provocraft offered free cuts from the Cricut cartridge Christmas Village. At the last minute I took advantage of this generous freebie.  And now, included with your admission fee, I give you a sneak peak at my nativity scene.  I can't stress this enough; with my blog you get what you pay for.

 

 

 

 

I was really just playing without much thought to details, but surprisingly I like the final product.  I plopped the pieces on the table randomly, certain I'd be tossing the whole lot into the trash, but when I got positive feedback from the family I left everything as-is.  I'm sure I would have made a few changes to the pieces and layout if time (and energy) permitted, but that never happens.

 

I have a lot to say about this cartridge.  I love the concept.  There are so few Christmas items that actually reflect the true meaning of the holiday, so I applaud Provocraft for creating a cartridge that depicts the birth of Jesus.  However, did anyone give thought to providing some instructions to help us see the designer's vision?  For example, the four images used to create the town of Bethlehem appear to be intended for an Advent calendar, but I only count eight windows.  Admittedly, my math skills are in rapid decline, but even with a calculator it didn't add up.  Also, in the case of the people and animals, the proportions seem a little off.  While I commend the designer for giving the baby Jesus a powerful presence, I'm not sure He should tower over His parents at such a young age.  Also, the shepherd was giving the baby Jesus a run for His money (size-wise, at least).  But then again, his sheep was the size of building so maybe where they come from there was something in the water.  (The sheep didn't make the final "cut".  He was scary.)  Mary was bigger than Joseph, and I'm not talking about her place in history.

 

If you choose to cut a similar decoration, I suggest you use a very heavy cardstock, or maybe even adhere your cardstock cutouts to thin chipboard for stability.  All I can say is that when I woke up this morning it appeared Bethlehem had been under siege while I slept.  Buildings were toppled, and one kind-hearted wise man was carrying his fallen comrade on the back of his camel.  The poor oversized shepherd, despite his hefty appearance, was no match for whatever enemy had attacked overnight.  It was a bloodbath.

 

The backdrop of Bethlehem was cut at 12 inches, and the characters were cut at 6 inches.  And believe it or not, I had relative sizing selected when I designed the pieces in Cricut Craft Room. 

Dorothy's (Grandmother's) Search for the Ruby Slippers

I've been raising children since 1978.  This means I've been responsible for children's Halloween finery for the past 34 years.  I honestly don't remember ever making a costume completely from scratch.  It seems you're never too old to try something new.

My youngest granddaughter (Chatty Cathy) wanted to dress as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz this Halloween.  Or so she said several weeks prior.  Knowing how kids are inclined to change their minds right up until dinner on Halloween night, I didn't rush to buy the supplies necessary to complete this costume.  I even went out of state for a couple of weeks with the realization that I would probably get home with just days left to pull together the final costume, whatever that might be.  I was willing to take my chances so as to not waste my time, money, and limited supply of energy.

When I arrived home the weekend before Halloween, I confirmed that yes, Chatty C did still want to be Dorothy.  While impressed with her ability to stick with a decision, I was a little concerned with whether or not I could construct the costume with relatively little time until D(orothy)-day.

I'm convinced there must have been a parade of Dorothys around town this Halloween because there was barely over one yard of Dorothy-worthy gingham left in our local fabric store.  Even though my pattern required 2 1/2 yards, I was sure my (now-dormant) sewing skills would help me stretch that yard into what I needed.  Or maybe I expected Jesus to multiply my fabric much the same as He did with the bread and fishes when faced with a multitude of hungry people.

I spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to fit my pattern pieces onto that tiny piece of fabric, but I finally succeeded.  It was later in the construction process that I realized I had misread the instructions and was actually missing one pattern piece.  But I made it all work somehow.  (Desperation, perhaps?)

Then it was on to finding ruby slippers.  I was certain I could find a pair of shoes around the house that could be repurposed.  After all, I had multi-surface glitter paint and red glitter to sprinkle on top.  How hard could that be?

Turns out it was much more difficult (and time-consuming) than I imagined.  We had nothing on hand even remotely close to what I needed.  I decided to visit my local Goodwill store to look for a pair of size 4 girl's slip-on shoes.  No luck (and I wasn't being picky).  I drove to Walmart.  Surely they had something inexpensive I could use.  Not only didn't they have anything inexpensive (by my standards, at least) they didn't have a single pair of size 4s.  On my drive home I passed another Goodwill, where I found a pair of off-white girl's size 3 1/2 shoes.   I had no idea if they would fit, much less work for what I had planned.  But it was 2 p.m. on October 31st.  I had no choice.

I rushed home and got to work.  The glitter paint didn't provide much coverage, but seemed to work pretty well as a base for the red glitter.  After allowing 30 minutes for the base coat to dry, I coated the shoes with a spray-on adhesive and applied more glitter.  Another 30 minutes and I applied a spray-on fixative with the hope it would minimize the trail of glitter left in my house.

The shoes fit well enough for a couple of hours of community-sanctioned begging trick-or-treating, and the trail of loose glitter was quickly absorbed by the cracks and crevices of my home that hold the rest of the dirt and grime.  I thought Chatty C looked adorable.  And she was quite pleased with her costume.  All was well in my world.  And it only took 34 years to get here.

Grandson's First Halloween Card

I'm pretty much a one-trick pony.  At bedtime my children (and grandchildren) heard countless renditions of "Jesus Loves Me" sung off-key.  Playtime usually consisted of endless rounds of "Peek-a-Boo".  It must have been a big bore for them all.

For a couple of weeks in October my newest grandson was subjected to more of the same.  The singing didn't go over very well.  Peek-a-Boo?  Now that was a hit.

I wanted to make his first Halloween card as soon as I returned home.  I always struggle to come up with crafty designs.  But this one designed itself (or at least that's where I'm laying the blame):

 

The pumpkin is from the Cricut cartridge Create a Critter.  The rectangular frame was designed using Cricut Craft Room Basics.

 

The ghost is from the Cricut cartridge 3 Birds on Parade.  "Peek-a" was cut from the Cricut Lite cartridge B is for Boy, and the three dots following were cut using the Martha Stewart Screw Punch.

 

I also used an EK Success punch for the spider and web.  The ghost border inside was cut using a Martha Stewart border punch.

 

Yes, the card requires an explanation and a well-placed hint on the pumpkin "door", but I was pretty pleased with myself.  Not so much for the card itself, but because I mailed it before Halloween.





Sweet Birthday Surprises

Yesterday was my birthday.  At my age there wasn't much reason to celebrate.  Well, I suppose I could celebrate the fact that I did, in fact, wake up. 

My granddaughter had been hinting to me all week that my husband had done something special for my birthday while I was out of town.  She wisely informed me that it wasn't something big, just "really sweet".  It was obvious she was excited about whatever it was.

The morning got off to a rocky start due to what I'll call a "difference of opinion" between my husband and me.  And I wasn't thrilled to be crossing another year off my countdown to death.  I started to think the entire family would benefit if I just stayed in bed all day.  But even I get tired of being lazy after a while.  So I finally dragged my aching body to a semi-standing position and stumbled to the coffeemaker, where I found this:

 

 

"Awwww, how sweet!!!" you're probably thinking. 

 

Not me.  I felt violated.  Someone had been in my craftroom.  Using my stuff!  I felt the same anguish the Three Bears must have felt when Goldilocks invaded their home and ate their porridge. 

 

But once the shock wore off my heart started to melt.  My wonderful family had crafted.  For me!  They used punches, and stamps and cardstock, oh my!  Hubby even had one of the girls show him how to use my old red Sizzix machine so he could cut out "Happy Birthday".  (From what I was told it was the only die-cutting machine they didn't find too intimidating.)

 

The wall of Martha Stewart border punches was of particular fascination to my husband.  He had no idea how they worked so my granddaughter showed him how to punch a continuous border.  (If he ever listened when I talk to him he'd realize he's been given a full tutorial on every craft tool I've ever purchased.)  He even found my Mickey Mouse punch and used it for balloons (pretty clever!)  Then they inked and stamped... and stamped some more.

 

I recently wrote about my suspicions that my husband is a closet crafter.  These have now been confirmed. 

 

 

It took guts for him to mess around in my craft room.  But he had the good sense to stay away from my pretty paper.  Sometimes in spite of himself he actually hears something I say.

In the evening the four of us went out to dinner, then came home to enjoy cupcakes in all my favorite flavors.  For a few hours I was able to forget that I'm getting really old, and I simply enjoyed spending time with my husband and granddaughters.  And my cupcakes.