Top 10 of 2010

Wow, this year has gone by fast.  Lots of life changes and lots of things have stayed the same.  I'm going to try and list my 10 favorite cards I've made this year, but to be honest, I'm not sure I've made all that many more than 10.  <blush>  Life has been very busy for me. 

#10

I love fall and the pop of blue made me so proud.  I reached outside my comfort zone to do that.  Please excuse the bad picture but this card was too cute for me to not make my top 10. 

#9

I mass produced these for my DH to give to his staff this year.  Simple, but elegant (I thought) and non-denominational for an office setting. 

#8

Have you ever seen skates so tiny???  Both of my girls started ice skating lessons this year and that was the inspiration for this card.  My Canadian step-father will be in heaven to get it.  :-)

#7

Totally outside my comfort zone again, but I'm trying to expand my horizons.  This was part of my 14 days of Valentine's cards for hubby this year.  I think I'll do it again next year; he really enjoyed them and still has them all in his card to pull out and look at again and again. 

#6a

Who doesn't love spring?  Particularly after the winter we had last year.  Snow measured in feet rather than inches is rare for around here.  The colors just make me happy. 

#6b

I love purple and so does my mom.  I'm trying to accept that I'm a rather simple stamper and I think this is one of my better examples of how simple is enough. 

#5

This was for a card swap.  I hardly ever use light pink, so it was a challenge and I think I did okay, if I do say so myself.  I have such fun with Copics.  I almost feel talented when I use them. 

#4

My 4 yo picked this one out to send to my niece who was having a tough go of it.  Lost her job when she was 5 months pregnant and her DH is a full-time student.  She called and said that it made her cry happy tears.  She delivered a healthy, beautiful 8 pound 8.5 oz baby girl on Dec 27!

#3

 














Again for hubby's Valentine's Day month.  This was the first of the series and a bit girlie, but he loved it anyway.  LOL~

#2

A lot of firsts for me in this card.  My first square card, my first time stamping on ribbon and the first time that I've seen a piece of patterned paper and known exactly what I was going to do with it.  I usually buy pretty paper and there it sits.  This got used right away!

#1

I saw this stamp in a catalog and knew I had to have it.  Holly is one of my favorite holiday symbols and I knew it would be just perfect for my cards this year.  I don't think I did it justice with my coloring skills, but hey, I tried!  I also mixed THREE patterned papers which is a rare day for me.  I usually can't get even one to work out in a way I like. 

Thanks for taking a stroll down memory lane with me.  I'm going to try to keep my blog updated more regularly, but life does have a way of getting away from me. 

Happy New Year everyone!
PS  Evidently I cannot count today, so I have a Top 11 with 6a and 6b.  LOLOL~

Waltzing my way towards Christmas

I cannot believe how fast October went this year.  Poof! and it was gone.  Now it's the race towards Christmas and all the associated madness.  But I took a few hours to myself to attend a crop last night.  I couldn't wait to bust out these adorable poinsettia stamps from Waltzing Mouse.  They are so beautiful and detailed that they can stand alone and don't need much embellishing.  I just stamped them in VersaMark on cream cardstock and embossed in gold.  A few snips with the scissors and they were ready to mount on this tag.  I don't have time to hand make all my tags so this one is for my most special sweetie, my patient, supportive, loving husband.  He's all my Christmas wishes and more come true. 

Gina K ivory cardstock, DSP from DCWV Christmas stack, red ribbon from the Offray Ribbon Outlet, button and twine from PTI, poinsettia stamp from Waltzing Mouse Stamps, sentiment stamp from Inkadinkado, Garden Green cardstock, white craft ink, and circle punch from Stampin UP!, Stampendous gold detailed embossing powder, and red glitter glue from Viva Decor. 

Thanks for looking and let the mad shopping dash begin!  (I ordered my first two Christmas gifts on Thursday!!!)

People that have touched my life

This blog hop is all about those who have inspired you.  Well, this card is what I call a two-fer.  It's really about two very special people in my life.  First is my friend Ellie.  I've had the honor to get to know Ellie as a friend the past few months.  I can't believe how blessed I've been to have her in my life.  She has shared her faith, her life, and her talent.  The inspiration for this layout came from a sketches website that she shared with me when my mojo was missing.  I've never used a sketch site before because I felt like it was somehow "cheating."  But it's not; it's inspiring.  My mojo is not back yet as this card was 3 days in the making.  But it's peeking out here and there.  Due to Ellie, I'm sure it'll be back in no time.  THANKS HON!!!!

The second person is my husband.  This is obviously an anniversary card.  Tomorrow I celebrate being married to my best friend.  It's also a double anniversary as we got engaged and married on the same date, just in different years.  A two-fer.  ;-) 

My husband is also an inspiration to me.  He has so many good qualities that I try to emulate.  He has made me want to be a better person than I am for both him and for me.  The verse from Corinthians is just perfect for us.  I can't imagine my life without him. 

Well, enough of my sap for today.  Scarlet Jewel, Enchanted Evening, and Vintage Cream cardstocks from PTI.  Orange textured cardstock from Club Scrap.  Wood "paper" from Michaels.  Enchanted Evening, Summer Sunrise, Berry Sorbet, and Orangiere Inks from PTI.  Stamps on front of card from SU, Corinthians verse from Our Daily Bread.  Other inside Sentiment from GinaK.  Twine and button from PTI.  Punch from SU. 

Thanks for looking!

The Password to Larkspur Lane

As a child I DEVOURED the Nancy Drew mystery stories.  She was so glamorous with her pumps (had no idea what those were at the time, but they sure sounded chic) and convertable and handsome Ned.  Her adventures were quite a mental escape for a small-town girl like me.  The Password to Larkspur Lane sounded so pretty.  I didn't know what larkspurs were back then. 

So when PTI released the July flower of the month as larkspurs, I thought "Aha!  I finally know what those flowers look like!"  Yes, I lead a pretty boring life as this was a momentous occasion.  LOL~

I think this still needs something, but since I was not sure what, I just left it.  Sometimes less is more, KWIM?  At least it is in my world.  PTI cardstock, stamps and twill tape.  Gina K light purple and white cardstock.  Oval nesties and Copic markers. 

Until next time......

Generic, ambigious, non-descript

This started out as a sympathy card.  But I always try to make more than one of each design.  So I went with a generic "thinking of you" on this version that could be sympathy, could be encouragement, could be just about anything, LOL~

I'm not very good at using patterned paper but this seemed easy enough.  I used Bazzill peach cardstock, SU River Rock cardstock, random patterned paper and London Fog gray cardstock by Gina K.  The sentiment is a SU punch, the large die cut is one of the Spellbinders Labels. 

It's definitely not my usual "style" but I like it.  Have a super, awesome day!

Back to School

We are going back to school on Sept 7th.  And we've had a rocky start to the year already.  They tried to put my son in a combined first and second grade class with a very inexperienced, subpar teacher.  So I had to push and assert my parental rights to get him put back in the class he was originally assigned to.  His teacher has picked up 4 additional students already, so I think she needs a special thank you on the first day and this is for her. 

Paper bags was a tough challenge for me.  I'm really not even a fan of kraft paper <gasp!>.  I decided to morph my bag into well, a bag, LOL.  But a smaller bag, and one that displays the homemade treats as much as carries them. 

I made tags using the jar set and mounted them on the notebook page.  I embossed the page using the letters background, but you can't see it here.  The jars are full of blueberry and sweet pepper jelly, thus the blue and green.  The "handle" of the sack is just ribbon that I braided in primary school colors.  It's just Offray ribbon from their outlet.  At $1.25 per roll, I could sacrifice as much as I wanted.  The thought of using that much PTI ribbon made me cringe.  :-)

The blueberry jam jar already had a decorative seal and ring, so it didn't need any embellishing.  But the sweet pepper jelly was a bit plain so I added a label to the lid (although after a second look, it appears to be more of an apple than a pepper, LOL Oh well!) and some Havest Gold PTI satin ribbon. 

I hope our teacher likes it and knows how much we appreciate her!  I could never be a teacher.  I don't have nearly enough patience.  ;-)  Happy blog hopping everyone. 

Thinking out of my A2 box

It seems like I always make A2 sized cards.  I think it's because it's simple, doesn't require much thought or waste and I have those size envelopes in spades. 

But I decided to get out of my comfort zone and make a 4.25x4.25 card instead.  I love the Vintage Picnic set and all the different combos of baskets and fillers.  Although I am very lazy and wish there was a die cut for the baskets.  I cut it out and popped it up on dimensisons to give the card some depth.  The white background with the flower filler was cut with Nesties. 

Sometimes it's nice to just drop someone a note to let them know that you are thinking of them.  I think this will work nicely for that. 

PTI cardstock, patterned paper, and stamps.  SU punch.  Nesties Labels 1????  I can never remember all the details, LOL~

Thinking of all my wonderful blog friends....  :-)

Large Families

I have a big family. 7 kids, 5 grandkids, a bazillion aunts, uncles, counsin, nieces, nephew, etc. So LOTS of birthdays. Thus I am always on the look-out for birthday sets. I'm not sure that this set was intended to be a birthday set, but I used it that way. And kind of like how it turned out.

I've been on a Versamark tone-on-tone stamped background kick. I think it adds a nice touch without being overwhelming.

PTI stamps, cardstock and ink. SU Top Note die cut.









Have a good day and thanks for sticking with me through feast and famine here on my blog. :-)

Springtime

Daffodils always remind me of spring.  I have a yard full of them that just seem to shout "Winter is over for another year!!!"  They are just bright and cheerful and I love them. 

This is another of the PTI's Year of the Flower sets.  I made these cards for my family for Easter this year.  SU So Saffron and Green cardstock and punch, random patterned paper, Copic Markers, PTI stamps. 

Simple but it works for me.  Cutting out the daffodils was a royal pain (particularly since I made 6 other these), but I think it makes a nice presentation. 

Thanks for looking!

Dads

I've spent my entire life as Daddy's Girl.  My dad was not always an easy man to live with.  We inherit so much from our parents and he got his dad's temper.  Which he passed on to me.  It seems to be diminishing through the generations and that's a good thing. 

But I digress.  My dad is special to me.  So I want to make his birthday a special occasion.  I really struggle with masculine cards, so I was pretty pleased that this came together so well. 

The PTI On the Road set seems very appropriate for my father.  He loves cars.  Really, really loves them.  Some of my most vivid childhood memories take place at car lots/car dealers.  He's even been known in recent years (now that all of us are grown and gone) to go out to a yard sale (another of his loves) and come home with a Mercedes Benz, LOL~  I can't wait until my daughter is 16 and goes for her annual weeklong summer visit and comes home with a car.  I only wish I was kidding. 

Anyway, the green brown combo appealed to me..  The double yellow stripe on the side is my attempt to make it look like the car is indeed "on the road."  Sometimes I think it looks okay; other times I think it looks like it's just hanging out there in space.  Either way, I hope dad will like it. 

Have a great day!

SU at GASC

A friend and I attended the crop at the GASC in Chantilly.  It was not nearly as crowded as I remember last time.  But the chairs were every bit as uncomfortable as I remembered, LOL~  The good news is that I now have a super, awesome, new stamping buddy.  An honest to goodness, real-life, local stamping afficionado. 

This patterned paper is from Basic Grey.  I really liked the pretty, bright, cheery colors. 

The embossing folder, cardstock, and punches are from SU.  The stamp is from PTI. 

Take Two

Designing a card takes a lot of work for me as I am not naturally creative.  So when I find something that works, I make more than one with slight modifications. 

This card was made for my secretary's birthday.  She appreciates my work so much that it's a real joy to create for her. 

The stamps are PTI, the ribbon and word window punch are SU.

This second variation is a thank you card.  I never seem to have enough of these. 

The stamps are from PTI, the large image is from the Graduation set and the circle images are from the free set that PTI gives away if you buy 12 sets in one year.  Free is always good! 






Have a wonderful day~

Memories

When I was small, we lived with my grandparents while my dad finished school.  So for the first two years of my life, I was not only the only grandchild, I had Grandma's attention 24/7.  Then for the next four years, I spent almost every Saturday with her going to the "beauty salon."  To say that she was a huge part of my life would be an understandment. 

Grandma loved to garden.  She had green thumb that I've never seen the likes of since.  Anything would grow for her.  One year, she planted  Lily of the Valley all along the walkway since they are my birthmonth flower.  Shortly thereafter when I was 6, Grandma died of a massive stroke caused by high blood pressure.  I miss her every day.  But for years, every spring the Lily of the Valley would bloom and make me feel like she was still there with me in a very small way.  I've tried to grow them myself, but they never took. 

So when I saw this stamp set from PTI's Year of the Flower series, I knew it had to be mine.  I paired it with SU's new Daffodil Delight cardstock and PTI's New Leaf cardstock.  The ribbon is SU's Crushed Curry from last year's In Colors.  It actually goes very well with the new Daffodil Delight. 

This card makes me smile.  It cheers me up.  Hope it makes you smile too.

The pressure of a swap

I made this card for a card swap on the PTI forums.  My forum friend's favorite PTI color is Sweet Blush.  For some reason, I have a truly difficult time using that color.  Particularly as a main color. 

So after many false starts, many failed attempts, this is what I came up with.  I sweated and fretted about it.  But thankfully, she liked it.  Whew!  This is why I don't do many swaps.  I'm afraid that I'll do substandard work and let down my fellow swapers.  Too much pressure for something that is supposed to be fun and a stress relief for me, LOL~

All PTI materials.  Cardstock, ribbon, ink, stamps, ric rak die cut, texture plate, etc.  Oh, and Copic markers. 

Thanks for looking and have a great day~

Mary-posa

Butterflies are a favorite in our house.  My youngest flits and flutters around just like a butterfly.  Never staying in one place very long, and always very graceful (unlike her mother).  Her name is Mary, so a logical extension is that we call her Mary-posa, meaning butterfly in Spanish.  All my kids speak Spanish. 

So when we saw that Mariposa DCWV stack at JoAnn's, we had to have it.  This butterfly paper came from that stack. 

This paper has a wonderful glittery shimmer which appeals greatly to my 4 year old.  What little girl doesn't like glitter, right? 

The ribbon is white satin dyed with PTI Chamomille ink.  The butterflies are stamped from the PTI butterfly set and colored with Copic Markers.  The cardstock is SU's new Cajun Craze and Marina Mist.  The border punch is also from SU.  The die cut is from Spellbinders Fancy Labels. 


Hope your day is as delightful as a watching butterflies. 

Paris

This card is for my sister for her first anniversay.  She went to Paris on her honeymoon, so I thought it was very fitting for her. 

Someday, I'll make it there.  Someday, I'll get to go on a vacation that doesn't consist of Disney World, a construction project, visiting family, or Las Vegas.  Don't get me wrong, I love doing all those things.  But someday, I want to take a grown-up, romantic vacation with just Hubby and me going somewhere I've never been  before.  For now, this is as close as I've ever been to Paris, LOL~

A new attitude

It would seem that I need a new attitude.  Something upbeat.... positive.... grateful.  I have been given many blessings and with those come a few crosses to bear as well.  I need to focus on the good and uplifting aspects of my life and allow the rest to slide off like water off a duck's back. 

This card seems to embody that thought.  The sky really is the limit when you have the right attitude.  I can see that quite clearly now, but how do I focus on that when the bumps come along?  If you have any sage wisdom to offer about keeping things in perspective, I'd love to hear it.  I let so many things affect me on a personal level that I should just let go and keep in source of the angst in mind. 

Anyway, I loved this PTI set and had to have it.  Then I saw the patterned paper and immediately thought of this application even though I think those are supposed to be waves, tee hee!  Of course, it took a month or so to actually get around to executing this grand (in my mind) idea, LOL~ but here it is.   The ink kind of ran a bit on the ribbon (used Momento ink) so if you have any advice on a better ink to use, that would be most welcome.  Balloons were colored with Copic markers and hand cut as I forgot I had the matching die.  Ooops!

Have a great and uplifting day!

Life happens.....

My life seems to be filled to the brim and speeding by faster than a freight train.  Each day is full of work, kids, activities, household projects, and on very rare occasions, crafting. 

It seems that the more I do, the more I have to do.  I've spent the past 8 months working my guts out trying to pick up the slack at work for vacant positions.  I thought I was doing a good job.  I was TOLD that I was doing a good job by my boss.  But yesterday, he blew up that one thing is not moving fast enough for him.  Suddenly, all I've done is not enough.  As much as I try to remain professional, that hurt.  A lot.  Maybe I'm wrong, but when you give it your all (and then some) and am told that that is not enough, it stings.  I'm really not sure where this will end up.  I've put up with this kind of thing for 3 years now and I'm tired of it.  I love what I do, but maybe it's time for a different path for me.  We shall see. 

But enough doom and gloom.  I thought this card was very appropriate.  Life is more than just that moment yesterday.  I'm trying very hard to remember that today.  This card uses SU's new color Cherry Pie with another new color Blushing Bride.  I honestly can't remember the name of the stamp set, but it's by SU too and in the Summer Mini catalogue.  It's super simple, but that's about all I have time and energy for these days, LOL~ 

Thanks for looking (and listening to me vent).  Have a great day!

Shimmer and flowers

The challenge was to use tissue paper on a card.  This is what I ended up with after three false starts, LOL.  First I decided to try a painting technique that I've seen before where you wad up tissue paper and daub it on wet paint leaving behind a nifty distressed pattern look.  So I dabbed bronze pigment ink on a piece of cardstock and tried it.  Nothing happened.  Strike one. 

So then I tried it with brown acrylic paint.  But the paint dried too quickly to get any sort of design.  Strike two. 

Next up was embossing plates.  I embossed some cardstock with the woodgrain plate and then painted it with brown acrylic paint and brayered the tissue on top of the paint.  A kindergartener could have done better.  Strike three, but I wasn't out yet. 

Thus the nothing new, but tried and true, tissue paper flowers.  I used two different scalloped punches to give a bit of a different look.  I also sprayed each flower with a mixture of bronze Perfect Pearl and hairspray to give it a bit of shimmer.  Hard to see in the picture. 

So there you have it, my attempt at recycling nothing into something.  I'm in need of birthday cards in my basket, so I'll keep it, but not my favorite.  I don't do well under pressure, LOL. 

Thanks for looking and more later. 

Mother's Day Continued

I'm blessed to have two moms in my life.  My stepmom is a wonderful person whom I love dearly.  She makes my dad so happy and for that I'm eternally grateful.  She's also just a phenominal grandmother and a very good friend.  So this card is for her.  She's an avid gardner so I went with the dahlia stamps and matching dies.  Colored with copics and rhinestone accents in the center. 

And since glitter was good on my last card, I thought we'd try it again.  Never too much Dazzling Diamonds, right? 

Bazzill pink cardstock, PTI white cardstock, stamps and dies, and SU ink and glitter.  Nestabilities for the scalloped oval. 

I think I'll give her periennials with the card so she can think of us every spring when they come up. 

More later, friends!

Mother's Day is fast approaching

Mother's Day is the one holiday that always seems to get away from me.  I'm not sure if it's because all the kids' spring activities are starting up and I'm just getting into the groove with them.  Or it's because I sudddenly have a ton more things to do around the house, more specifically in the yard.  But I'd say more often than not, I'm scrambling to get cards made and sent. 

But not this year!  I was determined to get ahead of the curve and by gosh, I've done it!  This is for my mom who love purple.  Simple, but effective I think.  Taking a note from Nichole's book I added a strip of ScorTape and dusted it with glitter.  Subtle but bling-y.  Toss in a few pearls and rhinestones and voila!  A card fit for any mom. 

PTI stamps and ink.  Bazzill bling cardstock and SU Top Note die and glitter. 

I even bought stamps today so I'm going to address this and clip it to my calendar so I'm sure to mail it.  :-)

It's raining babies

My good friend is having baby number 3 next month.  Her shower is this weekend.  In fact it's a joint shower for THREE ladies having babies in my church ministry.  Sarah *thinks* she's having a girl, but it's not certain so I went with a neutral aqua color for her card.  It's kind of plain looking, so if you have any suggestions to spiffy it up, I'd love to hear them. 

I used the polka dot impressions plate on the umbrella and hand cut it, then popped it up on dimensionals.  I'm going to use Inside Out:  Baby *if* it gets here in time for the inside sentiment. 

PTI stamps, impression plate, scalloped border die, and Aqua Mist cardstock.  Stampin Up polka dot ribbon, white satin/organdy ribbon,  and Bermuda Bay ink.  Nestabilities label die. 

More posts schedule for the next few days so stay tuned! 

A new size for me

I saw someone use this SU die like this on a blog.  I wish I could remember who or where to give them credit.  But all I can do is say that the idea is not mine, although the colors are.  I added the flower with glass seed beads and Crystal Effects because I thought it needed a bit more color and butterflies like flowers, right?  I also broke out of my A2 rut and tried something a little different.  4x4 cards.  But now I have no envelopes, LOL.  Better order some so that I can actually use these. 

SU Bermuda Bay, Whisper White, and Pink Pirouette cardstock.  Unknown aqua cardstock from my stash.  SU Lattice Die and Beautiful Wings Embosslit.  Kaiser rhinestones. 

Hasta tarde, chicos. 

Crafts for the Crafty

I loved this set from the minute I saw the previews!  I love sending my creations to other crafty people who will appreciate them.  I found out this past weekend that both my sister and sister-in-law keep ALL of the cards that I send them.  That made me feel REALLY good.  And I'll be sure to send both of them more cards now, LOL~

I couldn't pass up the jars of buttons all lined up in a row just like I have them in my studio.  I covered the jars with Crystal Effects to give them a glass-like look.  And the border punch on the bottom was a happy accident.  I had scored the card on the wrong line on my Scor-Pal.  So I chopped a bit off the back and added the border to the front to even it all up.  I love when bad things turn out good. 

PTI supplies; SU border punch from SAB and SU Crystal Effects.  Kaiser rhinestones. 

More later, peeps!

Hey everyone!  Sorry for the long time between updates.  Life is just crazy busy right now.  This card is just a little something I whipped up playing with a new technique I learned at a Copics class.  You color on the stamp with your Copic markers and then mist with blending solution and stamp.  Kinda reminds me of a watercolored look a bit. 

Anyway, mostly SU materials, cardstock, ribbon, stamps, etc.  And some new Nesties that I ordered.  Abstract rectangles I think they are called.  I apologize for the bad picture.  I was just too lazy to drag out the DSLR today, LOL.  I obviously need a new P&S. 

More later, amigos!

Is is spring yet?

This winter has been a tough one.  Record breaking snow falls, bitter cold for weeks, $400 electric bills, etc.  But it finally feels like spring might show up after all.  It was 74 degrees today and the sun was shining.  My daffodils are bustin' out all over and the tulips are sprouting too.  Redbuds are budding and my eyes are itching.  All good signs of better weather to come. 

So I couldn't wait to dig into bright, cheerful colors.  And what better to signify spring than flowers?  Lily of the Valley have nothing to do with this card, but they are my favorite flower, so I decided to use them to set the stage for my blog hop entry. 

All supplies are PTI.

Cardstock:  Stamper Select white, Lemon Tart, Hibiscus Burst, Hawaiian Shore, Vellum

Ink:  New Leaf and Hibiscus Burst

Ribbon:  Lemon Tart Dots

Buttons:  Lemon Tart and Hibiscus Burst

Dies:  Beautiful Blooms II and Picnic Plaid Embossing Plate

Felt:  Hawaiian Shores

I feel like spring has sprung.  At least until tomorrow when they claim we have a chance of snow showers, LOL. 

Later gators!  I'm off to make dinner and arrange a playdate. 

Inspiration

I am not a very creative person.  I am very analytical and linear in my thought processes.  I guess that's part of what makes me a successful engineer.  Not a good idea to "wing it" when you are building a bridge, LOL.  But those same qualities often lead to a loss of creative energy.  So that's why I love to blog hop.  I get so many good ideas and fantastic presentations.  And since I see so many of them, they all meld together in my mind and combine to form ideas somewhat like what I saw but not exactly the same. 

So it is with this card.  I got the idea to use the word stamps as a background from Dawn's card here.  http://dawnmcvey.typepad.com/these_are_a_few_of_my_fav/2009/12/say-it-with-style-day-3.html  Fortunately for her and unfortunately for us, the image is out for publication.  However, you can see bits and pieces of how she did it on the link.  She used pinks and reds for Valentine's Day, however, I used a more generic Berry Sorbet and Sweet Blush to make a birthday card. 

I think I'll repeat this technique with blues and greens and a less "frilly" nestability for a good masculine birthday card.  Thanks Dawn for all the color, technique and inky ideas!!!!!!

And thanks to everyone for looking! 

V-day Card #14: A Colorful Finish

So this is how I started my last card of my Valentine's Day project.  Just like the card that Nichole did with some Scarlet Jewel added for contrast.  I was making a play off the "Love" birds theme. 

I even found this adorable button that has stripes on it that mimic the trees in the stamp.  And it's a very nice winter theme.  Very much appropriate given that today my backyard looks like this. 

But it just didn't seem right to finish off my project.  Not enough of "us" in it for it to be meaningful, KWIM? 

Hubby and I used to work together which meant that we carpooled together too.  Sunrise and sunset became very special times for us.  Even after hubster got a new job and we no longer rode to work together, we made a deal that we would always think of each other at sunrise and sunset.  And we could know that the other was always thinking of us.  My sweet man even calls me on his way to work when there is a beautiful sunrise.  In fact, he called me on Thursday.  (Worry not, his car is Bluetooth enabled and his Blackberry links to it, so he's calling hands-free)   So this is what I came up with.  I think it captures us perfectly.  And I *LOVE* the color combo.  I would never in a million years have put them together, but nature did on Thursday and who was I to argue?  LOL~

Thank you for joining me on this amazing journey.  It has stretched my creativity in ways I could not have dreamed of.  It's not as easy as it seems to come up with 14 cards that you think are worthy of your soul mate.  And hubby is loving it.  He's been so sweet and romantic all week.  You reap what you sow and I really need to put something back into my marriage.  This was just the ticket.  I can't wait to give him this card on the 14th.  Right now I need to go dig out from under the 30" of snow that we've gotten since yesterday afternoon. 

Later y'all.