A birthday card for Tony.

Our son's birthday is in December and he's always been such a "country boy" who loves to hunt and fish and just roam the countryside. I made and sent him this card. He really liked it and I like the shimmer on the pheasant. I used Pearl-Ex. Stampin' Up! retired Pearl-Ex a couple of years ago. Good thing I stocked up on it! I can't tell you how old my son is.....that might tell you how old I am! Let's just say my children aged faster than I did. :-) The pheasant and cattail stamps are from the Autumn Days set (115452) and the background paper is from the Autumn Traditions Designer Series Paper collection (115668). The grassy stamp is from Inspired by Nature (111656). The speckles are made using the color spritzer tool. If you don't know what that is, I would love to show you all the great effects you can create with this fun tool. Check it out here in the catalog on page 192.

Kailey's dedication ceremony

In January, we traveled to Georgia for the dedication of our granddaughter, Kailey Elizabeth. She and her cousin, John shared the spotlight for this auspicious occasion. We are so proud of the children for making a commitment to raise their children in a Christian home filled with love and praise. Everything was so beautiful as friends and relatives gathered to celebrate. Of course, I have to share some of my favorite highlights of the day: Kailey's adorable slippers, the fabulous cake her Aunt Carol made (I mean, really! It was delicious, too!) and I just had to come home and make a page for her scrapbook using the vintage technique Shelli shared with us at Leadership....but that is yet another post!

Have you missed me?

***Well, I've been a bit preoccupied with the latest additions to our ever-growing family. Aren't they beautiful? Kaden arrived on December 17th as the 3rd child of daughter, Crissy and her husband Rob. Brother Christopher and sister Kariann are so proud of their baby brother. We went to Georgia to participate in the dedication of granddaughter Kailey in January. She's so sweet and you can see more about that weekend in another post coming soon.....

Have you missed me??

A lot has been going on since my last post......and I do mean a LOT! But let me introduce you to the newest member of our family. Meet Kaden Anthony Minasian, born on December 17, 2009. The little man arrived weighing 6 pounds, 14 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. He was welcomed into the world by his mom & dad, Crissy & Rob, brother Christopher and sister Kariann. Isn't he beautiful?

Last night was a lot of fun. We had some adorable trick or treaters. This group was not that cute, but the one with the red face is my oldest grandson and these are some of his friends. They called themselves "Wurld Domunashun" and that was a very scary thought. The spelling was a farce. They're all a bunch of brainiacs. At least they had a fun and safe Halloween night.

I used My Digital Studion to create this layout. What fun that is! I think I have a new addiction!

My husband's Aunt Josie passed away recently. We will miss her. I made some thank you cards for the family to send. I wanted something simple, yet elegant and something that would make Aunt Josie smile. This design uses Stampin' Up!'s "Elegant Bouquet" embossing folder to create the raised images. They are then "dusted" with pastels and dotted with glitter. The embossed piece is framed by Basic Gray cardstock and a tiny bow is tied on using Basic Gray taffeta ribbon. So Saffron Designer Series paper is nestled behind the gray and all is mounted onto one of the Whisper White note cards (I love these little note cards!). A personal note was printed inside thanking the recipient for their kind expression of sympathy. Yes, I think Aunt Josie would like these cards.

More Halloween Projects?

One last (maybe) Halloween project to share. I love these little Fancy Favor boxes made with my Big Shot. This one is done in black cardstock, but I added cute little pumpkins from "The More The Merrier" hostess set. Old Olive grosgrain and Old Olive Striped ribbons dress it up a bit and even though they aren't really visible here, I used Pumpkin Pie corduroy buttons on the sides. Finish it off by adding a "Trick or Treat" tag at the bottom from the "Holiday Best" hostess set and add some "googlie" eyes to a couple of the pumkins and it's ready to go. Oh, don't forget to add the candy! This one had some candy corn in a cello bag and a Halloween themed pencil added to a bookmark. I sent this and another bag to my 4 year old grandson. He wanted to give his teachers a treat. He is such a sweet little boy. He turns 5 next week and I can't wait to see him and his new baby sister -- and their parents, of course. :-)