I Have Been So Patient!!!

   I have been waiting a little over two week for our living room to be done. I am so happy with the results so far. It has been hard not to have our Christmas tree up. We usually put if up the day after Thanksgiving, but the construction made it impossible to do.
    We had a wall taken down in the living room and a steel beam put up to open up the space. It really makes the living room so much larger. I love it.

Under construction

  There was a lot of dust due to the floor being replaced and sanded and polyurethaned  and the ceiling being mudded and sanded. Ian Smith's crew tried to hold back the mess by hanging plastic sheets and using a fan to blow some of it out the window. Thankfully it only took about a week for this step in the process.
  Yesterday they finished the painting of the ceiling, two coats, and the painting of the walls and molding. They were done. What a great team! I would recommend Ian Smith Carpentry out of Cumberland, Maine. We are very happy with the results.

Waiting for more furniture.

  Our tree is up and the lights are on. Russ is working on finishing the built-ins that go around the fireplace, so we can get the TV up and running.
  It is such an open space. We love it. Still dusting though and figuring out where to put everything.

Olaf, from "Frozen".

  I will share pics of the built-ins when he has everything done.
  This is a Christmas card I made for my niece's little girl in New Jersey. She really like the movie "Frozen". So when I saw this punch art on Pinterest, I couldn't help but make this for her.
  I used my Spellbinders oval die cuts and some of my circle punches to make him come alive. I cut out his arms free hand. I think he is rather cute. Hope she liked it.

Coming to our home

  These are the two pieces of furniture which will come on Friday. We bought them at The Furniture Superstore in South  Portland. I think they will go nicely with our couch. I am hoping the couch does not look bad sitting beside new furniture.

So pretty 

  Wishing everyone a joyous Christmas and a Happy New Year!.
 
 

Christmas preparations !!

Love this decoration at Andrea's Home

 We had a lovely Thanksgiving at my sister, Andrea's home, in Kennebunk.  We had plenty of good food. Always great to be with family during the holidays.
  I made green bean casserole and orange kissed brownies. I was

Ymmy!

so stuffed from the meal that I
could not eat much dessert.
  Andrea did a beautiful job decorating her home for the holidays.
  The family surprised us with a birthday cake to celebrate my twin sister's and my birthday. I was surprised since I try real hard not to think about birthdays anymore. It was really nice of them. I love my new bracelet.

A nice celebration to be thankful for this year.....

Lovely table setting

  I made a birthday card for my Uncle Myron. It is his 80th birthday. We showered him with cards to mark this milestone.  I used Stampin Up's bird punch . The flame is the wing of the bird. I really love how it came out.

Happy Birthday, Myron!

I have been working on my Christmas cards wondering why I don't make them in July to save all the stress of getting them done in time. I really like making them, though.

My Christmas cards this year.

  I bought Stampin
Up's Festival of
Trees and used one of the designs to make this card. I loved how I could change the background to whatever paper looked like snow.
I made 35 which surprisingly did not take that long. I bought my envelopes since I was feeling lazy and did not want to make 35 of them.
  Spend yesterday helping my sister, Chris and her husband, move boxes to their new home. Thankfully, it was not raining. I am so happy for them since they have been looking for the perfect house for over a year now. I believe they have found it. They bought us lunch at Sylvestor's in Topsham.  I was so grateful for the

The U Haul truck that carried the boxes to their new home.

my son, Nathaniel,  and Chris's son-in-law, Rob, for using their young and strong arms and legs to get all the boxes in and out of the truck.
  I still have some shopping to do, so that will be a big part of my plans for the coming week. Hope you are all have a Merry Christmas so far..

Getting Ready for Holidays!!

   Fall is my favorite time of year just because of the weather and all the beautiful colors. I am not a fan of raking leaves, but I consider it good exercise.

Lotta pumpkin pies here....

  We had only 8 kids come to our door for Halloween. I was hoping for a few more, but I had plenty of trick or treat bags.
  I found this idea on Pinterest and thought it was so cute. I changed it a little because I liked the eyes attached to the back of the bags. I used the template the site provided for the cat face and just put orange paper inside the bag to make the face "glow".

Spooky, huh?

Very spooky.... ???

Hobby Lobby in Bangor , Maine

 I got these black bags at Big Al's in Wiscassett last year so I thought this would be a great way to use them.
 I am so excited to hear from a number of people that Hobby Lobby is coming to Auburn, Maine. This is much closer than the one in Bangor. I don't think it is going to open until after Christmas, though. However, I could be wrong.
  I am working with my sister, Rochelle, on a photo album for our friend, Sally. Sally wanted an album of our sister, Terri, who was her best friend.  Terri passed away in 2009.
  It has been hard at times, but working on this album has brought Terri closer to me again.

I would change the paper background, I think.

I could use this idea!

  I plan on starting my Christmas cards soon. I haven't chosen a design yet. Here are a few ideas that I would love to try and case.

Like this one cause it is simple..

  Anyway, I am going to be wicked busy with Christmas and all. I will try and post the Christmas card I make and some pics of the finished photo album.
 Have fun eating turkey!!

It's a Girl!!!

   
   I have not been blogging because I was cleaning house getting ready for the Gender Reveal Party at our
home. I was also putting up decorations and die cutting onesies for a banner. I had so much fun. We were so

Great Cake....

excited to learn whether Nathaniel and Kristin were having a He or a She. They did not even know. The radiologist just wrote the gender down and put it in an envelope for them to give to the baker.
  All eyes were on that cake when they were cutting it. Pink was the icing on the inside layers. So it is Baby Evelyn. I can now go looking at little baby girl clothes. HOLD me back... everything is so cute. ...

A Sizzix die cut for the labeling  food.

Hard to find blue flowers this time of year. 

Loved using my onesie die cut .

    I have not been neglecting my paper crafting . Since my craft room is really clean, due to the party. I have been busy making an album that my sister, Rochelle, taught us at a paper crafting party with Chris, Cathy, Mary Jo, and Lara. We had a ball. We plan on getting together to show how we finished the project. I am going to use mine for pictures of Evie, our  new granddaughter to be.. Can't wait

Love Graphic 45 paper.

  I used the Mother Goose collection by Graphic 45. I fussy cut
the picture 'cause it was a 12 x 12 sheet. Too big of the cover of this portfolio. I decided that crystal effects would be perfect on the moon face.

Inside album

  The inside is so  cute.It is a tri -fold mini album. Plenty of room for pictures. The middle is a waterfall of pictures. So easy to  make. I made a pocket on the left, and tri- folds on the right for more pictures or for journaling.  I haven't decided what I am going to do on the back. I am checking out ideas on Pinterest.

 

For Kate

For Elaine

 I had to make two thank-you cards for people who have been kind to me this past week.
 Kate, a friend of Kristin's, gave me some paper crafting items that she was not using anymore. I really appreciate her thoughtfulness. I can always use free stuff.
   Elaine, my girl friend, gave receiving blankets for our new granddaughter, and some coupons for Carters in Freeport. Wasn't that thoughtful?
  I used my brick wall embossing folder for Kate's card. I stamped the vine and leaves before embossing. I added prima flowers and the sentiment after.
 For Elaine's card I used a stamp that I really love but rarely use. The butterfly and lettering with the word "inspire" is all  on one stamp. I added the extra wing to place on top of the stamped one. I also added the purple flower. I like how it came out. I hope Elaine does, too.

Our fall mantel

 I will end this post with a picture of our fall mantel. I decorated it with indian corn and fake leaves around the swan. I love using the gourds, too.
  Hope you are having a Happy Autumn!   

Love Fall!

  The weather has been gorgeous. I have been working outside around the house mostly. I am on a crusade to get rid of crabgrass in our lawns. It is an up hill battle, but I intend to be the winner in the end. Anyway, my hands are real sore after pulling and raking up the debris. I will take a picture this Spring when I feel like I am in the homestretch.
   Our son's birthday is in September. I found a card I cased from Pinterest that I thought was wicked cute. Nathaniel likes the beach so this worked perfectly.

Perfect for Nathaniel!

 We went to Texas Roadhouse for a lovely celebration. I mentioned to the waitress that it was his birthday... little did I know that they would make him get on a saddle and everyone shouts: Yeee... Hawwww... Kristin his wife was laughing like mad in the corner booth. He was good natured and said he would get me back. I was innocent I tell you.
   The next weekend my husband took my sisters and I to Hobby Lobby in Bangor. It is an hour and 45 minute ride. It went fast because we talked about our latest finds for papercrafting. Rochelle had come across a new die cutter called : Revolution Advanced put out by We R Memory Keepers. It sounds interesting. It has no sandwich method because the bar is moved with a dial to go up and down to "press" the dies. The price is not bad either. I am going to check out reviews to see if it might be something I would buy. I will let you know.
  Anyway, Hobby Lobby was so fun. We spent two hours there.

Gotta get me some knobs.

Wonderful way to organize.

 I just love the variety of items they have in this store. I especially like the home decor section.

Signs

Fans

   The papercrafting section was great, too. They had Tim Holtz , Sizzix,  Martha Stewart and many more companies that I like. I bought a few small things from this section, but I had my eyes on the Thanksgiving couple that I wanted for our table this November. It was on sale, too.

Ready for Thanksgiving

  Well, October is the end of the fair season here in Maine. We went to the Fryeburg Fair this past week. It is the oldest and biggest fair in Maine, I believe. We went with my sister, Rochelle and her husband, Mark. They had never been before. It was the perfect day weather wise.
  We had a great time. The animals are the highlight for me. I couldn't believe how HUGE those draft horses are compared to other animals. I don't like to watch them pull heavy blocks, though.

Handsome horse

Liked having picture taken.

They were having fun.

Old McDonald's Farm

   I am now getting ready for a gender reveal party at our home next weekend. We are so excited to be grandparents for the first time. I have gotten wonderful ideas from Pinterest. I made a poster for people to try and guess the baby's birthday. I have the baby feet stamp so it worked out great. 

What a keepsake....

                            

  I used Stampin Up's "Baby Firsts" stamp set to make a border on the bottom. I don't know the name of the set that the bear came in. I purchased this set online and the name of the container is wrong. I plan on mounting the poster and framing it, too. People will stamp the date with the baby feet and then write their names under the stamp. If baby feet are already on their chosen date, they just add their names under it. I made this calendar free hand with careful measuring. Love this idea.. thank-you Pinterest!

   As you can see the kids have already chosen the name of the baby depending on a girl or boy. I love both of the names. So happy for them. Praying for a lovely warm day in October, so that we can use the deck for lunch seating, too. 

  I am using my onesie die cut from Dynamics to make white onesies for people to guess the weight of the baby. I think I will make a banner of them for the front of the fireplace mantel, too. I will use pink and blue for paper, though. I will post more pictures when I am finished decorating the house. 

I made this!!!!

  I wanted to post this picture of a bundt cake I made

this summer. I love how it came out so pretty. I love

drizzling the white frosting over it. Just the right 

amount to make it tasty. It looks good on my green

cake stand, too. As you can see, I was ready to try

a piece.

 Fall if going too fast. Just like this past summer. We have had alot of fun, though. Not sure how winter is going to be. I heard it is going to be a bad one. We will see. I will just remember all the fun times  at the Fryeburg Fair. 

 

 

 

Amazing August!!!

  I feel bad that I have not blogged for a whole two months, I think... Summer is such a busy time and when it is hot I am a slug. This is the end of August and things are cooling down getting ready for Fall. Spring and Fall are my favorite seasons.
  Our garden this year did pretty well. I am especially proud of these sunflowers

Sunflowers from our garden.

that I grew this year from seed. I plan on growing many flowers this way to help save money.
  We grew cauliflower, but I think the grocery store's looked better than ours. We will not be growing that again. Also, the broccoli looked so good with the  leaves and all but the broccoli heads were tiny. Not enough to even have a meal. Not growing that again, either.
  The beans, however, are great. Giving some away 'cause we have so many.

For Andrea...

  I have so many sisters that we draw names to celebrate our birthdays. I got Andrea so one of her gifts was this portfolio like photo album. I had a ball making this. Ginger from My Sister's Scrapper made one, so I just ran with her idea.
  I used my favorite paper, Graphic 45. It is their Secret Garden collection. I embellished the front with some metal items. I also used a stamp from Rubber Monger that I had picked up from somewhere.
   The inside has a pocket on the left for tags and such. The opposite side has a waterfall for many photos to go.

Inside album portfolio

 Again I used more of the Secret Garden
collection. Love the colors and the little girl in the garden. Hope Andrea likes it.


  I have been having alot of fun this summer. Russ and I went to Canobie Lake Park with my sister, Rochelle and her husband, Mark. It was a little hot that day,but we enjoyed the rides.

Too Scary

 I would not go on this ride. It goes way up and then drops you little by little. No way... I don't like heights. Good picture though...
  We had a lovely birthday get together for my sister, Rochelle. It is so nice that they live only a few miles away from us.
  I made a double pocket card for her birthday card that included tags with pictures of her as a kid. This is an easy card to make. I love it. You have to use double sided paper to get the nice effect you see in the picture.
  My sister, Chris, used this same double sided technique and put it in her 8 x 8 mini album  as a page. I think I will use this idea, too.

Double pocket fold card

   Again, I used Graphic 45 paper collection called Botanical Garden. I love the pockets that came with it. You can see that the paper is double sided with the purple pocket edge.

Inside the Rochelle's card.

  I love the bunny I used inside the card. I am not sure where I got that from, but I am into bunnies lately. I used a ruffled ribbon around the circle and stamped, "Happy Birthday".

Geese on Madawaska Lake

  We just came back from a week long trip to Northern Maine. Boy, did we have fun. It is beautiful country up there. We stayed at a camp on Madawaska Lake. It was just on the edge of the lake and it was perfect. We could hear the loons every night and most mornings. We golfed and ate our way through Stockholm, Caribou, and Limestone. What fun!                         While we were away the funeral of  Elaine's mother was held. Elaine is my best friend. This was not a surprise since her mother has been struggling with Alzheimer's for  a long while now.  Her mother was such a lovely person. She is at peace now which is a comfort to her family.
 I made this card for Elaine after I got back from camp.

For Elaine

I used Stampin Up's Garden Silhouettes and Close as a Memory stamps for this card. The ink is also from Stampin Up: Old Olive and Brilliant Blue,

  I leave you with a slide show of some of the fun we had at Northern Maine. I hope to post more often now that summer is winding down. Looking forward to the cooler climate. Happy Labor Day!

Such a Romantic Wedding!!

Mr. and Mrs.

    What a great weekend for a wedding. The weather was perfect, really beyond perfect. Not too hot , not buggy, or too  windy;  it was just right.
     This was our son's wedding day. It was an outside wedding so I was praying for good weather and God answered our prayers. We couldn't be happier with Kristin as a new member to our family.
   York Harbor Inn is a great place to hold a wedding. The staff there did a great job in getting the reception just right. The food was awesome. Everything went smoothly.
   We are relaxing after such merriment. Watching our garden grow and me working in my craftroom on projects I am either anxious to start or finish.

 
      I have not done much in my craftroom lately. I have loved working outside

Wedding Card

in my garden. I did make a wedding card for Nathaniel and Kristin. I used
an embossing folder from Sizzix and stamped a flourish at the top. The sentiment is from Stampin Up.
 

Fresh from the ocean

 We had a lovely time with family on July 4th. The food was fantastic. As you can see we had lobster and clams at my sister, Rochelle's home.

  The spirea has bloomed on our patio. I love the floating pink blossoms. We sit out on the patio in the morning hours to watch our gardens grow. June and into July has been wonderful here. The wedding is over so now we get to sit back and relax and enjoy the summer. Hope you are enjoying yours.