Some of My Favorite Cards

 This is one of my All time favorite cards, done with one of my favorite techniques, which I learned how to do at http://www.circleofcrafters.com/irisfolding/

I posted this card at Split Coast Stampers for a Tea pot Tuesday Challenge, and Lydia at Split Coast honored me by posting this card on Split Coast's facebook page.

This is a card I did for Carrie, who was my Mother's best friend, they were friends for over 60 years.  She was always so good to my Mother, and I wanted to make something special for her  birthday.  This card is done with the Center fold technique.A favorite card fold of mine and I learned how to do it using a tutorial at...

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/centerstepcard/

 My husband colored this card for me with copics.  We both really like the Sugar Nellie images, and I sent this card to a special on line friend, Pat Smethers.  Pat honored me yesterday by Nominating one of my cards for the Split Coast Nominees list    For Favorite cards of the year.  Needless to say, it made my day, and brought "Happy" tears to my eyes.

 This card is special to me because it was made for a House Mouse Challenge.  I felt very honored when House Mouse asked me to be a guest Designer for a month last year.

This card was made using a Dreamweaver stencil and using embossing paste.  Lynn Harlow the owner of Dreamweaver stencils, honored me by casing this card to make one of her cards..

These are just a few of my favorites, but these are the ones that stand out the most in my mind right now.

I thank you so much for stopping by my blog, and sharing your very nice comments with me. 

To all who are reading this,  I hope you are showered with many blessings in the upcoming year.

Jill

Favorite Things Friday #15

It's been a while since I've done a "Favorite things Friday" post...I've talked about many of the favorite things I like to do now, and things I liked to do in the past. Knitting was a favorite thing from ages ago...

I have to confess that I never did like knitting as much as I like crocheting. My dear friend, Eileen, told me if I could crochet I could knit. I told her I couldn't knit. I joined a knitting club while I was in school, and did not do well with it. I would NOT want to post some of my misshaped projects that I did in that class! But my friend was insistent, and signed us both up for a knitting class.

We joked about that class for years afterward. It was very evident from the even the first class that my friend knew more about knitting, than the person teaching the class. We honestly, were not making fun of the instructor she was good, and very nice and helpful, and my friend was a good sport and still attended all the classes with me. Because of her encouragement, I managed to knit about 5 sweaters, and various other small knitting projects. I only have two sweater that I have posted today left. I made the sweaters for my daughter, and when did not want them anymore she gave them back to me. After all the work (knitting did not come easy to me) I couldn't part with them.

After my very special friend passes away from cancer...I put the knitting things away for a while. I will always be grateful for my friend and all that we shared, even knitting!

"Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way."~Edward De Bono

Favorite Things Friday #14

Do you like to play games? If you do, what is your favorite Game?

I found the pattern for the above Iris folded puzzle piece at the link below.

http://www.rottehalen.dk/gallerier/IFpatterns/index.php

I enjoy playing games, On line and off line, I do crossword puzzles, and sudoku. I must admit, that I do NOT do the expert puzzles! But I still have fun doing them, and even though I do the easier puzzles, I hope it's still exercise for my brain.

I also enjoy playing board games, Balderdash is a favorite, followed by scrabble.

I enjoy playing on line jigsaw puzzles at the site below...
http://www.jigzone.com/
I like to do sudoku, and often play an online game of sudoku at the link below.
http://www.brainbashers.com/sudoku.asp

"The nice thing about doing a crossword puzzle is, you know there is a solution. ~Stephen Sondheim

"Our whole life is solving puzzles.~Erno Rubik

Favorite Things Friday #13

A Question for you. When you see the R on the pillow---What is the first word beginning with R can you think of?
My R word is rain.! I Probably thought of the word RAIN because it's raining right now and I'm hoping that it's not going to rain tomorrow for my granddaughter's class trip!

I've already posted that one of favorite things to do is cross-stitch, so I guess instead I will say that one of my favorite things is the pattern that I used to do this cross-stitch pillow as a gift for my sister-in-law and her husband for their Anniversary. I used this pattern at least four times, besides the R pillow, I remember making a B, V, and W.

"Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes and having fun."~Mary Lou Cook

Favorite things Friday #12

By now, If you have been looking at my blog, you know that making greeting cards is one of my favorite things to make. Paper crafting has also been one of my favorite things to do, even as a child with cutting and pasting, and paper dolls, I was content with just giving me paper, paste, and scissors!

I made this "paper" house as a gift for my sister-in-law many years ago, but she still has it, and kindly took a photograph of it for me to post here. The pattern came from a Leisure Arts book "Christmas Gifts of Good Taste." I gave it to her with a loaf of pound cake inside the box. She now uses it to keep mail inside. The house is made with a shoe box, and paper twist. I made several of these to give away as gifts, they are easy to make but just a bit time consuming.

"Go often to the house of thy friend, for weeds choke the Unused path." Ralph Waldo Emerson

Favorite Things Friday #11

Today is supposed to be Iris Day...

The Iris flower is my second favorite flower (the rose being my first) So my favorite thing for today...is the Iris

3d image by Solaris
This is a picture of a pillow I had given to my Mother-in-law many years ago for Mother's day. Her favorite flower was the Iris.

"It was comforting to know that I was not at the head of the parade, that there was an older, wiser woman moving in front of me."~ Phyllis Theroux

"You Don't have a garden just for yourself. You have it to share."~Augusta Carter

"When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it's your world for the moment."~Georgia O'Keeffe

Favorite Things Friday #10

I know I posted "sewing" things in last Friday's Favorites post. This is like a part 2...Even though I am not sewing at the present time...sewing, at one time, was a big part of my life, and my hope is that I can get back to it again.

This card kind of reminds me of a quilt, The pattern and the directions for the card are in a book I purchased called "Paper Quilts" by Sandra Lounsbury Foose.

"Our lives are like quilts-bits and pieces, joy and sorrow, stitched with love."

This Box of a miniature sewing room has always been a favorite gift of mine, My sister-in-law made it for me many years ago for a Christmas present. It has been hanging on my walls for many years.

"I rather be stitching than in the kitchen."

The above statement is so true...It has always been true that if I had my choice between baking, cooking and crafting...I would take crafting any day!

I sewed and cross stitched the above apron as a gift for my mother-in-law.

Favorite Things Friday #9

May I tell you a story?

Once upon a time, there was a young mother who used to spend a lot of spare time at her sewing machine. She loved to make clothes for her young daughter, some clothes for herself, and even made shirts for her husband.

All the windows in her house had hand made curtains on them. Christmas gifts were often something sewed, Like pillows, aprons, and hand stuffed toys, etc.

She would try and buy patterns that would teach her how to learn new techniques. At one time she could smock, embroider, make pleated skirts, even match plaids, and make covered buttons, etc.

Where did she go? She grew OLD,

and got a computer!

Now her sewing machine is gathering dust and is used just for mending rips. Her craft room is still full of patterns, fabric thread and assorted notions (which she now tries to use in making greeting cards)

My how time changes things!

Yes, at one time, Sewing was one of my favorite things to do. I would spend many hours sitting at my sewing machine. I don't have many photos of the things I sewed other than the dress I made for my granddaughter. I don't think she liked the dress much, but it was the first time I had ever done anything with pin tucks, and I think the dress looked cute on her.

Sewing

At one time, I had sewed so much that I even kept a little memory book just in regard to my sewing. I have four pages in the book with swatches kept from the fabric of the garments that I sewed. Even today, looking at the swatches with the descriptions underneath the swatch...I can remember the garment I sewed and picture my daughter wearing the clothes. I had even made us a couple of mother and daughter dresses. Am I dating myself or what? Well my daughter liked it anyway! She loved to have a dress just like Mommy's, of course, we are talking about when she was 4 or 5 years old!

"Memories are stitched with love."

Favorite Things Friday #8

This is to show you another one of my favorite things to do...crocheting. My mother-in-law is the one who showed me how to crochet. Through the years I have definitely lost track of how many items I have crocheted. mittens, slippers, afghans, baby blankets, baby sweaters, ladies sweaters, pot holders, scarves, etc. My favorite item to crochet has always been baby dresses. I made at least 20 baby, toddler dresses, including one for my granddaughter when she was about 4 or 5 years old. I have very few pictures of my crochet, but I did manage to find this one. A dress I made for my niece several years ago.

"Creativity is merely a plus name for regular activity. Any activity becomes creative when the doer cares about doing it right or better."~John Updike

The pattern I used for the baby dress came from "Baby's Heirloom Wardrobe #87h30

Favorite Things Friday #7

Low fat Cheesecake...

Time for Favorite things Friday, and since several people seemed to like my husband's recipe that I posted last Friday...I asked him if I could post another one of his recipes...and this is one that he came up with (through lots of trial and error--- till he got it to where he was happy with it). I got to eat the ones that he didn't consider that great, and I thought they were still delicious. We tried to double check this recipe that everything is correct...If you make it please let us know how you make out...

Favorite Things Friday #6

I can't believe that it is Friday already. This week did go fast for me. So that means it is time for my Favorite things post. If you have been following my Friday posts...You should know a bit more about me by now, You would know that I am a bit too sentimental, (save too many things) like to cross stitch, sit on the swing my husband made for me and read, collect music boxes, and consider spring my favorite season. Today I am posting my very favorite meal, Spaghetti! See recipe below. I know the picture isn't too classy, putting the "PAN" on the table, but it's how my husband served it, and the most important thing is that it tasted GREAT!

"No man is lonely while eating spaghetti; it requires to much attention." ~Christopher Morley

Favorite Things Friday #5

My favorite thing that I'm posting about today is...Spring. Spring is my favorite season. I had hoped to be able to post lots of photos of flowers, and spring related things today...but that didn't happen for me. I'm a real novice at taking photos, and the ones I've taken lately, aren't worthy of posting on the net, and I couldn't find the discs that have some old photos of spring flowers on them to post...so this is a disappointing Friday post for me..I hope to do much better later on.

"Our greatest glory is not in never failing but in rising up every time we fail." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Flower of the Month for March

Above image is from www.familymanagement.com
The Daffodil is the flower for the month of March.
Below is a link to a website with The daffodil principal...I know it has gone around the internet quite a bit...but if you have never read it...it's worth reading...or if you have read it before...it's worth reading again...

http://www.atthewell.com/daffodils/

Favorite Things Friday #4

It's Friday and it's time to post another one of my FAVORITE things, and this beautiful music box is sure to be a treasure. My husband ordered it for me for Valentine's day, but it came late. So it's now a Valentine's day present and an early Birthday present. I have over 50 music boxes, collected over many years, I have only purchased one myself, all the rest were gifts for Christmas, birthdays, Anniversaries, etc. given to me by many different members of my family and friends. They are all special to me. This one is special because it was a gift from my husband, and when he saw it, he thought to himself that it was so ME! And he is so right, besides liking music boxes, I like Thomas Kinkade things, and gazebos. The Music box plays, "You Never Walk Alone." another favorite song of mine.

When you walk through a storm hold your head up high,

And don't be afraid of the dark.

At the end of a storm is a golden sky

And the sweet silver song of a lark.

Walk on through the wind,

Walk on through the rain,

Tho' your dreams be tossed and blown.

Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart,

And you'll never walk alone,

You'll never walk alone!

Favorite Things Friday #3

This can definitely be called one of my "favorite" things. My garden swing! My husband made this swing for me for our Wedding Anniversary. It's one of my favorite places to sit and read a book. As you can tell by the picture, it's a cold place to sit and read these days, but the snow and cold weather will be gone soon, and my swing will get well used again. My husband even put a roof overtop of my swing so I can sit in the shade, and I even use it while we are having a light summer rain.

Favorite Things Friday #2

The pincushion in this picture...I no longer have...I gave it away in a pincushion swap that I participated in. I still had the pic so I decided to post it because Cross stitching for me could be considered one of my favorite things, however, I don't do as much of it these days. (too hard on the eyes) I have lost count of how many items that I have cross-stitched in the past-- Framed pictures, wall hangings, pillows, bookmarks, towels, bibs, aprons, pincushions, etc. Since I gave most of it away for gifts...I have very few pictures of my cross-stitching to show.

Favorite Things Friday #1

I can't believe that a little more than a month has already gone by since I started this blog. I'm sure that by now, anyone who has looked at this blog realizes that one of my favorite things to do is make greeting cards. However, even I am getting a little bored with just posting greeting cards, so I'm sure everyone else must be too! I'm going to start posting some things other than just greeting cards. I want to have a "Favorite things Friday" where I can post some items that are special to me. I have very few things in my collections that have a lot of monetary value, but they have much sentimental value to me. Yes, I am overly sentimental "that's why I have so much stuff."

Today, I'm posting something that was given to me by my next door neighbor. My neighbor does not have a computer, so I will have to print out this page and show it to her. This is something that she gave to us in gratitude for the delicious meals that my husband has cooked for her. It means a lot to us that she has been such a good neighbor to us for so many years. The card that I am posting today, I made using her gift for my inspiration.