Statistical Anomaly - Yay! Snow on Christmas Day!

It hardy ever happens here on the wet coast! I hope you're having a magical day, too!

 

Merry Christmas!

What is Christmas without a hippo!?  I had a hard time finding a good quality version of this ad.  Telus no longer has it on their YouTube channel.

Hazina never fails to make me smile.  She's the hippo at the Vancouver Zoo.  I must get there one day and see her in person.

I hope you have a hippopotamus size Christmas!

 *Note: This is from the Telus 2005 Christmas campaign

Merry Christmas, Mich!

You have to come home to get the card at New Year's!  Drive safely!

Happy Birthday Yogi!

How daunting.  Making a birthday card for Yogi Grunwald....  It's like sending coal to Newcastle!!!

Happy Birthday Yogi!  (Yes, it's original lettering! and yes, it will be late arriving!)
Have a great day - treat yourself!

 

 

 

Lettered with a 3-1/2 Mitchell Roundhand Nib using Dr. Martin's Bleedproof white on Core'dination's cardstock (the smooth side!!).  The Spellbinder's die is the Cut Fold Tuck Spectacular Spin.

Let it Snow - Teabag Folded Snowflake

Pop on over to Quietfire Creations to see all the details of this card.  I loved how it turned out!

 

In Memory :: John Stolarski

It's that time of year when you have the opportunity to re-connect with friends you may not have seen in many years. You dash off a happy note with your card mentioning something you may have shared years ago, suddenly forgetting the relentless march of time - as though you were magically transported back and nothing has changed.
 

And then the return card comes, with the unfamiliar handwriting and the return address that, although familiar, is not quite right. That happened last night.

 
 So why am I sharing this?  Because a friend, a dear friend of my parents, is gone. But the loss is significant here because this person sparked my fascination with lettering.  Oh, so long ago. 

 
 I guess I was 10 years old.  We’d moved to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan and as we looked out the back window of our new house to the neighbour’s, we saw the largest cage we had *ever* seen.  It never took my mother long to solve a puzzle.  That was how we met John Stolarski and his family.  John was an RCMP Dogmaster.  And he loved Italic lettering.  He shared nibs and ink with me and an instruction book that I cannot remember the name of. He took my parents to an RCMP Ball in Regina. He took me out on the bald prairie one weekend, asked for my scarf and told me to go hide.  Then he laughed at my saucer-eyed expression when his huge German Shepherd suddenly found my scent and came roaring over a little rise towards me.  And when we had our first son many years later, he and Mildred brought the gift of a wonderful stuffed bunny with bendy ears.  I remember sitting beside John watching him give that bunny life and character by rearranging his ears, chuckling the whole time. "Mr. B" still sits on the shelf behind my chair. His ears are pretty worn out now, though!
 
John passed away a few weeks ago and it feels like I’ve lost my parents all over again.
 
Our paths weave in and out and lives tangle and stray and often come back together.  I haven’t seen the Stolarskis in years.  But the memories are still vivid and never forgotten.  
 
John never stopped addressing Christmas cards in his jet black, strong Italic hand.  Watch for the next black cloud in the sky.  Perhaps John has spilled his bottle of ink.

My deepest sympathy to Mildred and Shawnee for their loss.  And my apologies to John that this quote, lettered many years ago, isn't even Italic!



I Will Honour Christmas - Card

I do love these Memory Box Dies!  It was impossible to resist that little version of Furry Woodland Creatures (those eating machines which devour precious flowers with great abandon....).  It seems every time I drive into Comox I see one or three and have to stop to let them cross the street.  I swear there is a field near here that grows them like a crop!  And I love every one of them.

I went for white and the blue grey of Distress Weathered Wood for this card.  There is one touch of red in this card - it's a simple bow made of waxed linen thread.

 

Here are the thumbnail links to the products.  The Embossing Folder is Spellbinders M-Bossabilities and it was diecut with Spellbinders Grand Ovals. If you find the links don't work, then the product may be sold out.

Thanks for stopping by! Suzanne

I Will Honour Christmas MB Deer Trio MB Wreath Die Grand Calibur Distress Inks Coloured Cardstock Double-sided Tape Pop Dots Glue Dots 4-ply Waxed Linen Thread

InLinkz.com

12-12-12-12

Now how much fun is that?!

 

Monogrammed Gift Tags

I've been wanting to make these since the dies came out!  At last I found a few minutes to play.  The idea is pretty basic, but what you do with it can be exceptional! I chose the Capitals, Double Stroke (link is below) and opted for using chipboard. I knew I wanted to use the leafy ribbon for a garland.


I found out very quickly that Distress inks bleed on the chipboard, so there is no point in using it for work with detailed stamps.  I was happy with Versafine Olympia green as well as some other pigment inks, but chose the Versafine because it had the best green!  I did use Distress inks for sponging around the outside edges of the tags.


I wanted to do a vertical garland, but this looks awesome as a swag garland as well!  For the vertical version, you might want to use some strategically placed Glue Dots and hang it against a wall so it doesn't twist.  The leafy ribbon is a bit of a free spirit!  On the other hand, you can make two of each tag and glue them back to back with the ribbon running between.  Then it won't matter which way the garland twists.  The bells at the bottom give it some weight so it hangs straight.











Here is a close-up of the bottom tag. I used Distress Markers and a Gold Gel Extreme for the dots. The buttons are threaded with 4-Ply Waxed Linen Thread which makes it easy.  The buttons are held on with my beloved Glue Dots.

Here are some tags made for gifts.

This tag was stamped and clear embossed.  The Holly motif is from I'm Telling You He Comes Down the Chimney stamp set and coloured with Distress Markers.

 

Unfortunately, this one doesn't show that it is glittered!  I re-inked my Essential Glue Pad, stamped the letter and then added Glitter Ritz from the Vintage Christmas set.  Then I didn't touch it for 24 hours.  I even burnished it a bit with my fingers.  Gee I wish it showed in the photo!

This tag is embossed with Gold Embossing powder and embellished with the little copper bells.  Pretty darn easy!

Thanks for having a look! Suzanne

Here are the thumbnail links to the products: 

Flourished Noel - Card

I'm letting the paper do the heavy lifting for me today!  Gorgeous, isn't it?   The Christmas ball ornament was sponged with Brilliance Galaxy Gold and the Quietfire stamps were stamped with Versafine Crimson.

Thanks for visiting!  Happy creating, Suzanne

Here are thumbnail links to most of the items I used today: