Party Time!

When it comes to cardmaking, my husband doesn't ask much of me, only that I make them. When he spots a Hallmark card laying around, he becomes anxious, which is not good for his heart. My explanation that I needed to buy three cards to get whatever special it was that they were offering does not console him. Anyway, before leaving town yesterday, he asked if I could make a birthday card for his dad with his age on it. It seems that Marv was visiting his dad yesterday and that Grandpa was trying to convince his son that he was going to be "much older" than 87 today. Marv's dad has been living (and thriving) in the memory unit of a convalescent home since January. Fulfilling Marv's wish was no problem with the U R A Hoot set, and in creating a specialty card for an 87-year-old, I did something Hallmark cannot (or doesn't) do. The inside reads, "Happy Birthday, Wise Guy!" Grandpa will get a kick out of it.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White and New England Ivy cardstock, Stampin' Up Kraft cardstock; Basic Grey Boxer paper pad; Black, Chocolate, and New England Ivy stamp pads; Cornish Heritage Farms U R A Hoot and CTMH Giggles Lowercase stamp sets; Prismacolor colored pencils; Gamsol mineral spirits; Blending stump; Stampin' Up Photo Corners punch; Antiqued Copper mini brads; Sanding block.

My mother-in-law's birthday was a couple of weeks ago, and with birthdays so close, the couple usually celebrates together, which is what is happening this afternoon. For Marvel's card, I used my ingenious, computer-generated "notebook" paper (I'm still impressed with myself) as the base for my stamped design. I so love the watercolor look of those flowers.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Pansy Purple, and Petal cardstock; Pansy Purple stamp pad; Pansy Purple, Olive, New England Ivy, Orange, Sunflower, Indian Corn Blue, and Amethyst markers; Cornish Heritage Farms Silhouette Blooms 1 and CTMH Happy Birthday stamp sets; Ribbon of unknown origin; Fine mist spritzer; Cuttlebug w/Swiss Dots embossing folder; Stampin' Up Spiral punch.

Now, I'm off to get ready for the birthday party this afternoon. I understand that if Grandpa is having a good day, they are going to take him up to the hunting cabin later. That's where all the guys are, building the new cabin this weekend. Marv called a while ago and said the walls are up, and they were ready to put the trusses up for the roof. I'm excited. This new cabin will make for a great weekend get-a-way destination as well as a wonderful place to celebrate family holidays, etc. What, for many years, has served as a cabin has been a bit primitive for my taste. This one will have indoor bathroom facilities, a dishwasher, and hook-ups for cable television in every room. Fun! We can't wait to get the little boys up there to explore nature at its best.

I hope you're having a wonderful day. It has stopped snowing, and there's water running off the roof, which means it's melting - a good thing. I guess Mother Nature had some kind of point to make this morning. Later!