papermonkey.org {make time for playtime}

Shake A Tail Feather & Manuels River Hiking Photos

Hi & Hello!
Today's card uses a Splitcoast Stampers Challenge Sketch and the newest Toodles & Binks image Puddleduck Pothington (doesn't the name just make you grin??). You get the sentiment and the image in a set.

I colored little duckie with the Copics you see above (forgetting to add Pale Sepia and Sepia that I used to color the reeds). The wire Copic holder in the background has been a godsend to me - love the easy access for my Sketch and Original sized markers, and it looks so sharp on my desk. It is available by special order from Diana at Magnolia-Licious.

The paper is by Sassafrass Lass (both sizes of Vintage Yummy Blossomed and Bazzill textured cardstocks). Lots of different Spellbinder's Dies helped with the cut work.

The pretty paper and fuzz flowers are Martha Stewart Daisy Glossary Dimensional Stickers.

Toodles & Binks is a new UK based stamp company started by a fellow crafting freak Kay Bolton. Kay will gladly accept PayPal and ship her unmounted red rubber anywhere in the world!

She is such a lovely lady and the rubber is great quality.

I wanted to leave you with some shots taken this past weekend. We went hiking along Manuels river.

The trail leads from these interesting flat rocks with cascading river water all the way to the beach and ocean. Tons of baby ducks and Sandpipers along the way.

They have lots of fossils in the area; it is quite common to find Trilobytes. I wanted to find one so badly but no luck - this time around :)

 It was so serene and beautiful. The doggies loved it.

Thanks for stoppin' by!

Christmas Pics & Videos, Butter Tarts & A Few Sales

Hi everyone,

I hope you are enjoying the holidays! I apologize for not updating the blog - we are enjoying some much needed family time. I have so enjoyed doing nothing but visiting friends, speaking with family on the phone and eating way too much. That is one of my New Year's resolutions - to lose weight. I have yet to succeed at keeping a resolution, but I am not a quitter :) I can't wait to get back to crafting and have so much to post this coming week. One of the gifts Allan got me was an Ott floor lamp so I can actually craft at night now woo hoo!

Here are a few pictures of what we have been up to:

Waking the THREE kids up on Christmas morning.

 

Christmas Brunch: Truffled Eggs with Chives on a Portobello Mushroom, topped with Shaved Parmesan. Kiwi and Orange Compote on the side. It tasted better than it looks :)

It was Freeway's first Christmas and he handled it quite well overall. The tree traumatized him at first (It's big! It blinks! Why is a tree my house? Wait, can I tinkle on it?) but he got used to it.

When Rosie tore open her presents Christmas morning, Freeway just looked at her and then to us, wondering why we were not stopping her from such destruction. He let her open all the toys and treats then he took them and ran to play.

The video above is Freeway discovering that one of the toys makes an extra noise (and my very annoying laugh). Christmas dinner and all of the treats ensured that come tree time next year he will be just as excited as the rest of us.

The day after Christmas was very cold (about 15-20 F) but sunny. Heavy rains had washed away a lot of the snow, so we decided to head to the dog park. We were only able to stay for a few minutes before the dogs got too cold but here is Rosie making friends. Who am I kidding -  she barked and scared that poor dog lol - she likes to be on her own to investigate, while Freeway instantly goes and makes friends.

We also head out to Cape Spear, the easternmost point in North America, and Signal Hill where Marconi received the first transatlantic telegraph message. I think I need glasses - I saw people by these statues of a Labrador and Newfoundland dog and said to Allan WOW look how big those dogs are! I didn't know they weren't real :(

Today we are headed to Rod and Colleen's house. Allan works with Rod, his wife Colleen is very fun. I made Butter Tarts, one of the few desserts that is truly unique to Canada. They are similar to a pecan pie but without pecans.  Here is the recipe - I really have no idea if it is good as this is the first time I am making or tasting these things. The recipe I used is from The Best of Bridge, one of the most famous Canadian cookbook series - I think it is the equivalent of the Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook for us Americans. I found it on the Joy of Baking site *here*.

Sales, Specials & Happenings

Embellish-Online.com Store

Check out Embellish-Online's Deal of The Day! Every day there is a new sale for you to check out. You can use code word GLITTER to save an EXTRA 20% off your entire order - even items that are deals of the day! Today May Arts ribbon is 20% off!

Odd Bird Planet

Odd Bird Planet has tons of new releases you just have to check out - I will have lots of inspiration to show you this coming week! There is also a sale going on! Each day, leading up to the 12th day of Christmas, Odd Bird Planetwill have a coupon for a  percentage off your entire order. Starting on the 25th at 11%, increasing by 1% each day, ending with 22% on the last day. Keep an eye on Johanna's blog for the daily sale.
 
In addition to the percent (%) off your entire order, specific items will be on sale each day. Your percent (%) off will be an additional % off of that day's sale items, clearance items, and regular priced items. Nothing will be excluded from the percent (%) off that day. However, you will not be able to combine your % off with any other discount codes you may already have.
 
If you decide to shop on more than one day of The 12 Days of Christmas Sale and you want us to combine your orders to save on shipping, just include that comment along with your original order number in the "special instructions" section of each subsequent order during checkout.
 
Odd Bird Planet will be closed from December 24th through January 4th. So, no new orders placed during that period will be processed or shipped during that time. We'll begin order fulfillment the week of January 5th, when the elves come back from vacation.

Sweet 'n Sassy Shop

The Sweet 'n Sassy Store is celebrating the holidays with a huge year end sale. Save 10-40% off many items in the store!

Look for the Sweet 'n Sassy Blog Hop starting on the 31st - challenges, inspiration galore and prizes to be had! Stay tuned for details!

The Rubber Cafe

Shimmerz Paints are $3.24 a jar on sale!

Toodles & Binks

For a limited time they’ve got a choice of any three of the current designs for £11.00, under the 3 stamp bundle - all you need to do when you buy that product is place your choice in the comments box on the order. Additionally, if one of those stamps happens to be Toodles & Binks Skate, they will also include the Figures of 8 quote. They will ship internationally.

Thanks for stoppin' by!

Suzy

You Are Such a Deer Acetate Card & The Dog Park

Is this not the CUTEST card?  It uses October Afternoon's Detours and is one of my new favorites. It has been a while since I did an acetate card. I love working with acetate, it is just hard to photograph, but I think this turned out okay. The red cardstock and deer patterned paper are under the acetate, while everything else - the rubber charm, the twill, and the stamped image is on top.

I fit the Detours Rubber Charm right over the matching tree that is in the patterned paper under the acetate.  They are so fun for dimension, yet not too thick for mailing. This still fit in the envelope just fine.

I stamped the sentiment right onto the twill and shaped the twill to give it some motion and life.

I used my Classic Square Nestabilities, VersaMagic chalk inks, and dimensional foam pop up dots to create a little scene right out of Bambi.

I LOVE deer images -in fact I have a tiny gold charm necklace that looks exactly like this little guy. This is one of the rare collections that comes along that I just have to have everything: the papers, the embellishments, the stamps - EVERYTHING!

The stamp set was around $14 at Stop and Scrap with free shipping, which I think is a great deal. I hope you like this card as much as I do.

A Gorgeous Day in Newfoundland

It is the most beautiful day here! It had been so rainy and dreary the past few days.  The sun peeked out today and we headed to the coast for a drive. We have learned to take advantage of the sunshine on our little island in the Atlantic.

We packed up the puppers and took them with us. They were so good in the drive up the coast that we took them to the Quidi Vidi dog park (pronounced Kitty Vitty) for a run and some fun.

While there, Freeway fell in love with an Akita/Malamute mix. Bit of a size difference there lol!

See tiny Freeway to the right of the big dog?

Freeway also played with a Yorkie, which was more his size. Not that he would know this - he thinks he is the king of all dogs in both stature and attitude. I love the little stinker!

Rosie can be seen n her orange outfit in the first picture. She was content to sniff around the perimeter and repeatedly mark her territory.

Thanks for stoppin' by!

Taking Great Photos of Your Work: A Photography Tutorial

It seems that every crafter needs to take photos of their work these days - usually to post on a blog or forum, participate in a challenge or contest, submit work for publication, or even to use as personal reference for future card making. Digital photography makes it so quick and easy to snap - but getting  a beautiful picture takes more than a point and shoot approach. Do you ever feel yourself saying that your photos do not do your cards justice? Here are a few tips I have learned along the way that will help people see the true beauty of your work.

1. Lighting

Lighting is critical - it affects color, clarity, - the ability to SEE the work. Bright yet diffused sunlight is the best light for photos. If it is direct and harsh like a spotlight you will get glare and spots, which isn't good. You want a bright room that is filled with light that will face the work (coming from behind the camera). Flash usually washes out artwork, or causes glare and creates shadows.  The warm, bright light of the sun is magic for your pictures.

2. Focus

If your project is out of focus nothing else you do will help your photo to shine. How can it when we can't see the project? My digital camera (Sony Cybershot) has a macro flower selection on it that allows for extreme closeups. The danger with this is if your auto focus doesn't select the right area to sharpen. In the photo below, the background is sharp and in focus while the card is blurry. Be sure to focus in the right area.

3. Background

Nothing is more distracting from your work than a busy background. You want a neutral background which can serve as a blank canvas for your work. White is my favorite background, but it can wash out pure white cards.

Because I have no shame I will show you the first card I ever made and photographed. EWWWW! Not only is the background distracting, but the light is coming from the back of the card not the front, the card is out of focus, the angle is too extreme, and I took the photo standing too close and on top of the card. Don't do anything I did here - including make such an ugly card lol!

For a neutral background you can do one of the following:

• Buy a mini photography photo lighting box (they run anywhere from $20-500+) which is basically a white box that usually comes with lights. There are tons on eBay. A cheaper alternative is to make your own. Amy Westerman has great directions for making your own for just a few dollars on her blog here.
• Use cardstock. A quick, affordable way to get a neutral background is to take 2 sheets of 12x12 white cardstock and lie one on the table and prop the other against a wall or something sturdy that is on your table. A Sheet will work for larger items.

4. Watch the Angles

• Large items: You want to make sure scrapbook layouts or books/albums are not photographed at an angle. Often the easiest, best way to get a good shot these items is to lay them flat on the ground and take a photo as you stand over it. Be sure to be high enough and perfectly centered.
• Cards: A slight angle is best - this shows people that it is a card and gives dimension to the work. Angle it toward the light to pick up sparkle and texture  - remember not to get too close to your card or your photo will become distorted i.e. rounded on the sides. A zoom is good for this reason, or you can take at a distance and crop the photo later.
• Close up details have different rules: I know I just said to be centered, straight, and have a proper distance but I break the rules when it comes to details. Extreme angles are perfect for showing off a detail or embellishment on a project- the unusual angle provides interest or eye candy and really shows off texture, depth and sparkle.

In this sneak peek of a Design Team card I will be posting next week you can see the angle allows you to see how I paper pieced the dress and put the dress and the bouquet on 3D pop up dots.

It also allows you to see the sparkle and the gold trim I added.

I just like the interest an extreme angle creates for details.

5. Photo Editing Software

This is a must for color correction, cropping, adding special effects like the butterflies and flourishes I added in the photo to the left, or watermarking (adding your name to the picture).

Software can be very pricey and get super complicated. For a basic, easy to use software I highly recommend Adobe Photoshop Elements - it is $100 and will satisfy all but a super pro's needs. Be sure to download the free trial version to see if you like it before buying. You can try it before you buy on the Adobe website.

I hope you find this tutorial helpful and enjoyed the two sneak peeks of cards to be posted next week . Thanks for visiting! My camera is still in the shop but I should be back with a card tomorrow or Friday at the latest.

Suzy

Dog Park Adventures

This weekend we went to the Quidi Vidi Dog Park with Freeway and Rosie, our Hairless Rat Terriers. It was their first time socializing off leash with other dogs. They were the smallest dogs there, but the big dogs didn't stand a chance :)

Rosie spent most of her time sniffing the perimeter and chewing grass.

Freeway was the object of attention for dogs and kids alike, and got his butt nipped by a Cocker Spaniel in play, but it still caused him to run to the safety of daddy's arms.

Overall a fun time was had by all.

Rosie making friends. My little angel.

Investigating ducks. For a second I thought he may try to go in, but he just stayed at the edge.

An exhausted Freeway.

They slept really well that Sunday night :)

Bay Bulls, NL Boat Trip Pics (Non Crafty Post; Pic Heavy)

Yesterday thanks to Allan's surprise we had the most glorious day on a boat sailing around the islands surrounding Bay Bulls, Newfoundland. It was the perfect day for sailing - the last bit of fog soon burned off.

I wanted to share some of the pictures I took and the information I learned yesterday about this beautiful part of the world.  As you can imagine, this post will be quite pic heavy so I understand if those of you on dial up do not come visit this post.

You can double click the photos to get pop up larger versions. 

I still can't believe all this incredible marine life can be found about 30 minutes from my home. These tiny islands (some no more than great big rocks) are all part of an ecological reserve. The photo above was taken on Gull Island, which is home to Gulls, Common Murres, and the Atlantic Puffin.

Some of the islands were literally white with bird poop.  It smelled um, very fishy.

Around this time of year Atlantic Puffins breed and nest in burrows. The Puffins in the grass are guarding their nests.

It is hard to tell until you blow this photo up but there are thousands of birds in this photo - mostly Gulls and Puffins. The trees on the island are dead because of the Puffin burrowing.

We saw so many babies, but no Puffin babies as they were well hidden.

This island, Green Island, has no mammals like rodents to prey on the Puffin - the only predator is this Great Black-Backed Gull, seen on the right, who sneaks up on the Puffin while he is diving for fish in the water.

The other gulls will not eat the puffin, but are quite happy to lie in wait to rob the Puffin of his fish. Apparently some people here do eat Puffin, but I am told they taste something like a rubber boot.

Who could eat such a cutie??

Common Murres. They look like penguins! The black and white is natures way of protecting them - the dark back hides them from predators in the sky, while the white belly hides them from the fish they hunt in the water.

Atlantic Puffins love the cold water in this area. They eat cold water fish, most notably the Capelin that arrive in the summer - which is also why the whales are here.

Puffins dive for fish into the water and can carry 30 or more fish back to their nest to feed their young.

The tent is a research project - apparently Puffins are very hard to sex, so some will be captured and samples of blood taken to determine sex for a survey. Some job, huh? The tent is there for a while so that the Puffins get used to the researchers. See the thousands of Murres below the green on the rocks?

The rock formations are so beautiful - they do kayak and Zodiac tours of the caves (which have bats in them). 

I have to admit being in a kayak with all those fins that look like sharks would really freak me out.

The water will eventually erode the rocks until they become sea stacks.

We saw at least a dozen Humpback and Minke whales, many with babies who were so curious about our boat. You can see the spout. See the white under the water? We were told to MAKE noise as it attracts them to come check us out.

This was the only tail picture I could get - they kept diving shallow, and you only see tail when they dive deep.

They were too busy fishing to give us a tail show.

A school of White Beaked dolphins decided to play with us for a while. They put on such a show! They are so fast they were hard to photograph too- I can't believe I got his little face :)

This last photo is one of my favorites. It is a momma and baby Humpback whale. That "baby" is 12 feet long and drinks 6 gallons of milk a day!

If you made it through this very long post, thank you for putting up with me. I wanted my family to see these photos and this blog was the best way.

Thanks for stoppin' by!

Suzy

Canada Day in Newfoundland (Non Crafting, Lots of Photos)

 

Happy Canada Day to all the Canucks out there!  As an American living in Canada, I love going out and seeing how the locals celebrate "Canada's birthday".  Allan and I are still new to Newfoundland and learning our way around. We decided to pack up the dogs and take a drive, going wherever our wheels took us today. We drove from the main city, St. John's, out around the coast hitting the Bay of Bulls, Cape Boyle and Admiral's Cove. Some of the roads were so tiny and used only by those living there- the car was chased by BIG yet old Newfoundland and Lab dogs more than once. They must not get to see strangers very often. The following photos show our day. At the end is a history of the local flags here, which you can skip if you aren't a fan of history - what can I say? I am :)

I conclude with some photos of Canada Day in Halifax taken by me last 2007.

I know I am living on the edge of North America but sometimes I feel like I am at the end of the world here.  It has such a rough beauty.

These are two of the tiny islands that make up the Five Islands area. The larger on the left is home to sheep. I don't know the back story of these sheep - I wonder if they run wild or belong to someone. If you double click on the next photo you can see them. I captured them with my zoom so they turned out a bit blurry.

What would our sightseeing trip be without an iceberg? See that white speck in the back center of the photo? Scientists actually track their path from Greenland to here, where they finally get trapped and melt. They have been traveling for three years by the time they arrive. Scientists who track them say next year we will not have many so I need to enjoy these now.

You can see by the gentle, rounded slope that it is melting. It doesn't look very large does it? But this photo was taken with my zoom from several miles away. It is several stories high and we are just seeing the very tip. Imagine what it underneath the surface. They harvest the icebergs here for drinking water and vodka. Some clowns actually go out and climb them - very dangerous as they can tip in an instant.  The cracking sound as they melt and break apart can be  heard for miles.

They also hold many years of history in them - recently a 10,000 year old seal was found in one.

A house decorated for Canada Day in Admiral's Cove.

Tons of flags strewn about the lawn.

Lupin flowers are just now starting to bloom. They adorn the sides of roads all over Atlantic Canada where they convert nitrogen from the atmosphere into ammonia, fertilizing the soil for other plants.

Our season runs late here - the tulips just began to bloom a few weeks ago, whereas in Halifax they usually arrive in late May.

The only whale I have seen so far has been atop this gazebo lol. They are due to arrive very soon :)

A Brief (or long if you hate history) History of Flags (skip if you want!)

See all the different flags up there? Newfoundland has quite a colorful history. The first flag on the left is the official NL flag, adopted in 1980. Before that, NL had used the Union Jack since 1949, when it joined the Canadian federation. According to Wikipedia: "The design was chosen due to its broad symbolism. The blue colour represents the sea, the white colour represents snow and ice of winter, the red colour represents the effort and struggle of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, and the gold colour symbolizes the confidence Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have in themselves and for the future."

The next flag is the flag of Canada. The third flag from the left is called the Tricolour and is the unofficial flag of NL to many. When I first saw this flag I thought it was supposed to be red but had faded to pink. But it is actually pink! It is the oldest flag in the world to use the color pink, and one of the oldest flags in North America. Again from Wiki: "The flag is reportedly symbolic of a tradition between local Protestants (represented by the pink) and Catholics (represented by the green). It fell out of use for many decades, but starting in the 1980s underwent a resurgence."

The last flag is the Red Ensign flag, an unofficial flag of NL from 1904-1931. Once again I turn to Wiki for the history: The badge in the flag consists of the Union Jack and Mercury, the God of Commerce and Merchandise, presenting to Britannia a fisherman who, in a kneeling attitude, is offering the harvest of all the sea. Above the device in a scroll are the words Terra Nova.

I just love the history of this part of the world.

Canada Day in Halifax 2007

Last year I took these photos while living in Halifax. I was still waiting to become a permanent resident and while I am sure people thought I was so odd, I was completely enthralled with this perfect Maple leaf that fell right in front of my feet in Point Pleasant Park.

Crossing the bridge from Halifax into Dartmouth was also a treat - flags were hanging down from the bridge. The combination of warm sun on our skin, shocking white, fluffy clouds, and a big beautiful bright red flag in the sky made for such a vision.

On the way home I saw the largest poppy flower I have ever seen in my life - this one flower was larger than my dog! It was in someone's yard so I snapped it quite quickly and ran lol. The petals of the flower billowed in the wind like a great big sail.

Wherever you are int his great big world of ours, I hope you are having a great day!

 

Smile Bella... and Doggy

Today's card is rather clean compared to the (in)famous windmill card. The smile sentiment is from Stampin' Up!'s Eastern Elegance rub-ons. Yesterday I showed you some from the black sheet so wanted to show the white sheet today. They are so fun and versatile. The whiskers and nose of the kitties are glaze pens, and I added Liquid Pearls to give Bella's belt some elegance.

The tilted white base underneath the stamped image is me trying a more restrained version of the European style of card. I will get it right someday!

Whew what a cold day today! It snowed all day. I kind of like this photograph - I was messing with my diffuser in Photoshop Elements and liked the result (mostly seen at the top left).

Rosie was glad to be inside with one of her new Christmas toys. Had to show you my smiling doggy. She is such a loveable kookster.

Hope you are keeping warm!

{hugs}

Suzy

Stamps: Kittycattabella by Stamping Bella

Paper: Stampin' Up! Pretty in Pink and Garden Green; White from my LSS; Bazzill Large Eyelet textured cardstock

Ink: Ancient Page Coal Black

Accessories: Stickles by Ranger in Magenta and Turquoise; Liquid Pearls in White Opal; Petalloo Fabric and Bead flower; May Arts 5/8 White Satin Ribbon; Stampin' Up! Eastern Elegance Rub-Ons; Sakura Black and Pink Glaze Pens; Faber-Castell Artist Pencils and Gamsol; Stampin' Up! Corner Rounder punch

Card Size: 4.5 x 4.5inches

Presents & Presence: Christmas Traditions (Warning: Corny non-card post ~ the card is on the next post)

 

We do not remember days, we remember moments.

Cesare Pavese

In our hectic, constantly changing, and sometimes fearful world, tradition is a nice constant. It is an eternal lighthouse, always there, to admire amidst blue skies or to guide us through troubled waters. As Christmas nears on the horizon of my life, the warmth of that lighthouse beams through to my soul and warms my spirit despite the chill of winter. What is it about tradition? Why do we need it?

When we are young we give little thought to the customs and habits our family is establishing for us year after year - Christmas means Santa, presents, and the birth of baby Jesus. As we get a bit older we become more cynical. One of my favorite poets says it best: "down they forget as up they grew" (e e cummings). Something is lost as we gain our independence. By the time we are teenagers, we are full of hubris and turn to that lighthouse on the horizon less and less, feeling we can steer our boat with our own inner compass. It is true what they say: absence makes the heart grow fonder. As the years go by and we are separated from our family by distance, death, and world events, Christmas, and the traditions we establish, both old and new, become so meaningful.  I treasure my moments with my grandpa and grandma, who only live as memories in my heart now. Funny - as a kid presents was all I thought about. As an adult I can't remember what the gifts even were - it is the presence of my family I remember most.

I remember Grandma and a huge, empty cardboard box. I don't even remember what came in that box. What a treasure that box was to me. Grandma cut windows out of the box and gave me graham crackers and milk through the "windows" as I sat in my little house playing with my dolls. That day, in that instant, did she know she was creating a memory, a moment just for me? While I was fixated on the box, the object, the material thing - it meant nothing without my Grandma.

I can't remember what my dad got me during most of my younger years, but I still treasure the wrinkle that would appear by his eye, his face nothing but smile amidst the glow of a million blinking lights, telling a crazy story, acting out each character in both voice and body.  While this was going on I could still smell my mom's cooking and frenetic movement - all blur and action. I was so frustrated that she was always in the kitchen, always serving or doing for others. Never sitting by the tree, never SITTING down at all. Now I understand. She wasn't there, but she was THERE. Making moments for me. Looking back, I wish I appreciated that more.

Now I live so far from mom and dad. It is up to Allan and I to create our own moments now through out own new traditions. Taking a cue from mom I spend way too much time in the kitchen, baking Grandma's pineapple squares or Grandpa's turkey, and probably every form of cookie known to man. Walking to the tree lot and trying to carry home an eight foot Christmas tree in a shopping cart. Allan and I, cuddling on the couch in front of our tree - he with his Grandpa Roy Christmas drink and I with my hot apple cider. Rosie is running everywhere just as excited as we are.

Rosie is just like a kid - she seems to know which presents are hers and even sneaks them out of their bag from under the tree - cautious tip toeing, teeth gently yanking a toy from the tissue papered bag, then backing up and running off. Here she is last year on Christmas morning, ripping open one of her presents.

Allan started a fantastic new tradition last year. We have a crystal maker here in town (NovaScotian Crystal) that makes the only mouth blown and hand cut crystal in Canada . Their workshop is encased in glass so you can watch the master craftsmen at work. Allan bought one crystal ornament for every year we have been together. It was one of the most romantic gestures ever. We played catch up and a new tradition was born.

This weekend we picked up 2007's crystal ornament for our tree. We put it on our tree, together. While I cherish these fragile and expensive ornaments, it is the time I spend hanging them on the tree with Allan that matters, and the meaning he put into those things that far exceeds their monetary value. Gifts confuse the issue but our moments are often born of things that do not require money, just time.  Presence. I wish you many, many presence this Christmas.

A Birthday Card, Noel is Headed Our Way and the Big Juan

Due to my dumb cold I haven't been making much of anything so thought I would post a card I made a while ago for my mom's birthday. The paper is from the BasicGrey Stella Ruby collection. I made the flower and Happy Birthday sentiment from the Stampendous Perfectly Clear Stamps Petal Plus set that can make flowers, hearts and butterflies. So cute. I used my Marvy Uchida Square Scallop punch to make the "mom" sentiment. I just fit the pattern of the scallops carefully then once again punched the already punched out square. Lots of Stickles and Autumn Leaves buttons finish the whimsical card.

Hurricane Noel is expected to slam into our part of the world tonight, so there may be a power outage due to heavy winds and rain. Noel did a lot of damage in the Caribbean, killing over 100 people and forcing 65,000 people to be evacuated from their homes. As it comes across the Atlantic it will lose the characteristics that make it a hurricane, and thus be downgraded to a "post-tropical storm", but will still carry "hurricane-force" winds in Nova Scotia. To stay up to date on the status of the weather here, you can check out Environment Canada's Official Weather Warnings.

Haligonians (people who live in Halifax) generally just get a lot of rain and wind from any hurricanes that have the strength to make it through the colder waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The last hurricane to actually hit our coast and do significant damage was Hurricane Juan September 29th, 2003. Juan was one of most powerful and damaging hurricanes to ever affect Canada. Because of the severity of the hurricane, and the loss of life and property, Canada for the first time ever requested that the name Juan be retired from the hurricane naming list. That wish was granted.

Here are some recent pictures of Point Pleasant Park, which was ground zero for the hurricane. As you can see from these pictures taken four years later, the park has yet to recover.

Because of a fumble between Provincial and Federal government, the park was left in a deteriorating condition until recently, where plans have been made to plant new trees and fix the trails of our beautiful park.

Thank you all for the kind words about my health - I am feeling better and hope to post a card later today, weather and cold permitting.

Suzy

Saturday in Halifax

Hi everyone ~

Busy day here in Halifax. It is cool, humid and overcast. The leaves are finally beginning to turn in my neighborhood. Being from California, I still am in awe of the change of seasons here in Canada. So beautiful. This post will mainly be about my rather uninteresting day.

This morning we made crepes - wonderful way to get rid of that extra cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving. I use the recipe found here at allrecipes.com except I add vanilla. Last night we had turkey enchiladas. I am finally done with Thanksgiving leftovers! YAY!

This is the street I live on. Notice anything unusual? Yep, that is a cruise ship! I live right across the street from the pier and they are always stopping by. It took a while to get used to, I thought they were parked in the parking lot! That is a Tim Horton's coffee shop, the equivalent of Starbucks in the US in terms of popularity and number of locations. They are everywhere, but especially popular here in the Maritimes.

After breakfast, Allan drove me to Carousel (my local stamp store) where they were having an anniversary celebration. We got to make cards and got free Inque Boutique stamps. Lots of demonstrations - it was great fun!

This card is what I made there. The mitten is a die cut (I think that would be easy to cut out and make on your own). I sponged the mitten with blue chalk, then silver embossed the sentiment.

The snowflake is actually a double sided sticker (both sides have adhesive on them). Perfect for adding glitter, which is what I did here. The cuff is liquid applique swirled  with glitter.

We also went to Point Pleasant Park, a park on the harbor with trails and such. Very pretty.

Rosie loves to play with other dogs there, and hunt for squirrels.

Sadly, there is a fungus covering most of the trees. I forget what it is called but it is not harmful to the trees, just ugly. The city is trying to control it. So far the fungus is winning.

Thought I would leave you, for now, with some Stampin' Up news: November's promotion will be buy 4 designer paper packs and get one free.

Paperosity is having a 40% off sale. They have great ship rates to Canada, and the VersaMagic dewdrops you always see me use here are just $1.41 each!

Be back later with card porn!

{hugs}

Suzy