World Treasures is just to die for!

Hi everyone

Wasn't yesterday just gorgeous!  I can't believe how I can feel that when it was only 16 degrees but it was.  Spring is here and 'maybe' we wont see anymore white stuff???

Despite the nice weather I have been a busy bee preparing for this weekend's new catty kick off.  I hope you can join me this Saturday.

 On to a few creations I made with World Treasures again.  I absolutely LOVE the paper that co-ordinates with the product suite called International Bazaar.  Only one more sleep until the new catalogue goes live and all of you can view it online or contact me for a paper version.

This paper inspired me to try different colour combinations - Rich Razzleberry, Daffodil Delight and Basic Black.

Pool Party, Early Espresso, Daffodil Delight and Rich Razzleberry

Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight and Pool Party

Have a great day!


Cheers, 
K

Last robin update

We have our back yard BACK!  There was no sign of the robins so Pete and I went to take down the nest (it was empty).  Despite no robins there was quite a flurry yesterday with two crows circling the yard and actually chasing an owl out of the area.  That explains a bit how the baby bird got  . . . oh never mind, kinda yucky. 


Anyways, here is the nest and Nathan is going to take it school tomorrow to share.  They have flown away and gone on to bigger and better things!!


Cheers, 
K

 

 

The next chapter in the saga . . . (long and a little sad)

What an eventful night last night!  

Life with our robin guests was getting rather uncomfortable but we were getting to the magic two week period when the babies would leave the nest.


Just before we left to go to hockey I looked out the window (after much coaxing to try and get Pete to check out the nest) we saw these hopping around the yard.

 We could spot 2-3 of them hopping around the yard.  They were hopping not flying so I'm guessing they were testing out their legs and wings a bit.  Mom and Dad were zipping around the yard like mad.  I could understand now why they were so protective all day.  The "kids" were probably much easier to watch when they were all contained in the next compared to being spread out around the yard.


So off we went to hockey and I was excited to get more pictures when we got home.


We spotted only one bird in the corner of the yard and it wasn't moving much and there wasn't a parent in sight.  Hmmmm . . .

Kinda blurry as it was taken through our back window.

After getting out the binoculars and checking things would we started seeing the mom and dad flying about but no sight of the other babies.  Then Nathan spotted a BIG bird fly into our yard. It was just a crow but it looked so big compared to all the other birds we've been seeing.  I think you might know where this is going.

Then another crow showed up, mom and dad robin were trying to scare them off but it didn't work.  It was pretty sad but I guess that's the circle of life, right?  I yelled out the window to try and scare it away but it didn't work or at least work in time.


Tonight we are going to check the nest to make sure the robins are gone and then we can have our yard back.  It was an adventure and we have some pics to remember our guests (I'm guessing they left a few presents behind for us as well).


Thanks for "listening" to the robin chapter in our life.


I'll post a new card using fun new goodies tomorrow.


Cheers, 
K

Robin updates!

I WANT MY BACKYARD BACK!!!!!!!

Well, it's been almost two weeks now and as I look out on our JUNGLE and WEED filled back lawn I want to get sick!  A little something about me I HATE weeds!  I go out in our front lawn almost every other day and dig out weeds by hand, put them into my bucket and then onto the next one.  It's killing me to see those yellow flowers growing!!!


I headed to the backyard and after I got about 5-6 weeds out the robin flew out from under the deck.  He watched me very carefully and then he flew to a perch on the fence and squawked at me.  I banged on the fence with my garden tool, made myself look larger and the robin did not back down one bit.  He was chirping/squawking so loudly that I had to leave.  Grrr!!! 


I took these last Friday so I know why they are being so protective but GEESH, it's my house!!

I think I counted 5 little heads.

Mom or Dad back with lunch.

My bird helper.

Thanks for stopping by.


Cheers, 
K

New Catty Kick Off Party!!

Please join me this weekend at my New Catty Kick off Party!!


* Fun Make n' Take
* Free treats with every $50 order placed on the day of the party
* Free stamps with every workshop booked - Be the first to book your Christmas (yes, Christmas card class) or any themed workshop and have your choice of dates!!
* Class samples, New product samples and Ribbon share sign ups
* New Catalogues!!  I only have 16 books left so please RSVP if you plan on attending and I will hold a book for you.
 * And of course treats to eat!!!!

Downline make n'take

Here is the card we made last night at my downline meeting. 

Can you see the new colours, papers and stamp set??  I'm LOVING the Itty Bitty Banners and matching framelits.

This one is for you Deborah :)

 To create this great swing card watch the instructional video here from Dawn Griffith.   She is so amazing and has AWESOME videos!

I received her swap card at the Disney Trip - how cool is that!

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers,

K

YAWN!

Morning :)

I'm glad you checked in this early morning but I will definitely be posting something new later this afternoon.

I survived 6 events since Friday evening and I'm POOPED!  Not only did I have a FULL Stampin UP weekend I attended two hockey games of the kids on Sat and Sun morning (which was at 8am I might add). YAY ME!

I have a big work day planned starting with My Digital Studio creating yearbook pages and planning out the details of my New Catalogue Open house this Sat!

Please check back later for a the great card we made at my downline meeting last night.

Cheers, 
K

More World Treasures

I {heart} Fed Ex, especially when they are on time!  I was a bad girl and expedited an order on Monday so I could have it in my hot little hands in two days and today it arrived!  You pay for it but BOY is it worth it, not to wait!

Here is my fun new card.  Can you spot the awesome new goodies?

All of these supplies I received on the Incentive Trip. Lucky me!

Here is a close up of some new buttons.  Yes they are clear!

Thanks for stopping by!  I have a super busy weekend so wish me luck I get everything on my list accomplished. 

Check back on Monday for some other new sneak peeks.

Cheers, 

K

Sneak Peek at World Treasures

FINALLY!  I was able to spend a little time with my new rubber and ink!

Two new colours - Primrose Petals and Raspberry Ripple

New stamp set and embellishments.  Oh, and a new framelit - I didn't cut this out!

Love the new set with the new firm foam stamp pads.  These are WOWZERS!  The colour is so rich and easy to stamp.  Plus lots of bling!

 I have one other card partially completed but that will have to wait until tomorrow.  I have some more new products arriving tomorrow that I have to use on my next card.  Check back tomorrow to see some new Designer Series paper!


Cheers, 
K



 

Inspired by Nature - Blast from the past!

Can you believe I have had new stamps and inks now for over a week and I haven't touched them yet.  That is CRAZY!   I have been working on clearing the must do things off my list and that I haven't had two secs to create.  So tomorrow is the day!

Here is a card I made a while back that I do love.  And sadly this set is also retiring - Inspired by Nature 111656 $ 29.95

 This card is a double slider card - when you pull up on the Rose Red piece the sentiment pops out behind the daisies.  I'll have to make this card again at a  class.  It's a cool funky fold. 

Thanks for stopping by and wish me luck finding my mojo!

Cheers,
K

 

Season of Friendship - blast from the past!

Hi everyone

I hope you had a fantastic weekend with your family either camping, enjoying the weather and spending time with loved ones.

We had a great 4 days off (coming off a 17 day vacation) doesn't hurt either :)  We went to the zoo on Sat and saw the penguins - what  a treat!  If you haven't checked them out you should.  Be prepared to wait but you can really see them up close.  Here are a few shots taken inside the Penguin Plunge.  I'm working on uploading the video but it doesn't seem to be working tonight.  

Two silly penguins we found at the exhibit!

The rest of the long weekend was filled with club, hockey in the driveway, some gardening and even some rest. Notice how stamping was not on the list.  This week I promise!

 On to the stamping part of my post :)  

At my club meeting on the weekend, we used a stamp set, Season of Friendship and sadly it's on the retiring list.  It is a good one, one that I'm sure to miss.  Here are a couple of other great cards that were made with this versatile set.

Love the buttons on this fun card.

This one was created by my friend Lisa in a shoebox swap.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers, 
K

An update from the bird whisperer

I GOT IT!

 Yesterday I went to check on our guests and I saw the nestlings in the nest but no mom or dad.  Hmmm . . .  I wondered if something happened to them

Nathan was gardening in the backyard (not as punishment, he really likes to dig in the dirt) and he told me he went under the deck and saw the nest, no mommy bird, just the nest. So I quickly went to grab the camera, came back, snuck under the deck and lo and behold, the nest and MOM (or DAD, can't tell).  I snapped two pictures and hightailed it out of there.  


Later that evening I had to do some watering so I had Pete "cover" me with the broom stick and keep watch while I watered the few plants we had planted.  Not to worry.  The mom and dad are both still alive and well.  They didn't attack us (thankfully) but they were on watch.  


I think I'll avoid the backyard this weekend.  If I can that is . . .  Maybe I am a sucker for punishment.


Cheers, 
K

Pillow Gifts part deux - Day 3, 4 and 5

On the third day of our trip we received this.  It's a dual purpose tote.  One large strap on the top like a purse and two straps to use it as a back pack.  I love it but haven't had a chance to use it yet.

  
And on Day 4 we got this.  Sorry I can't share the contents of the bag but be sure this one made me squeal with delight.  It contained some new products from the upcoming catalogue like Designer Series paper, a stamp set, ribbon, embossing folder, brads and new roller stamp too.  We are sooo spoiled.

And on Day 5 we had a funtastic evening out at the Epic Theatre Stunt Show (more to come about our final night party).  If you know DisneyWorld at all the final event night was at Hollywood Studios in the Indiana Stunt Show arena.

 Before we boarded the bus we received these.

Indiana Jones pack sack

Adorned with the finest ribbons and embellishments

And filled with white cheddar popcorn (yum), cotton candy (not sure how people eat this) and water. 

They gave us snacks to enjoy the Stunt Show, how thoughtful.


I'll post more about what happened at the show as it's a post in itself.  One word - WOWZERS!


But when we returned we came home to this rather large package with a rather large flower on it.  First thought for both Pete and I was " how in the heck are we going to get that one home."  I forgot to take a pic of the box but here is what was inside.

Isn't it gorgeous!!  It's a Thomas Kinkade canvas print.  What a fantastic keepsake of this great trip!

And here is the size of the flower on the package.  Gorgeous but huge!  Needless to say I carried that flower and print on the plane, through the Toronto airport and home and it made it safe and sound.

See how large it is compared to our ink pads!

Thank you for stopping by to see my Disney pics!  I hope to be more creative this weekend and show you something new next week.


Hope you have a great long weekend!  

Cheers, 
K

Disney Pillow Gifts Days 1 and 2

As I scoured the 100's of photos we have from Disney I'm not sure how to go about sharing them with you.  There are so many great ones but one of the highlights of an Incentive Trip are the pillow gifts Stampin Up leaves for us each night. (Ok, realistically the staff at the Boardwalk ACTUALLY brought them our room, but it was compliments of SU)


A couple of days ago, I shared with you the awesome personalized Disney Bag.  The bottom is insulated and worked perfectly for keeping the water bottles cool which came in handy when it was 37 - 39 degrees out!  Each morning we would check the weather and at 6am it was often 21-23 but 31 degrees with humidity.  WOW, especially coming from dry Calgary.

The kids were treated to their first Stampin Up incentive trip and when they saw the bag they wanted to dive right in.  Pete was great because as soon as I saw it I started squealing in delight and Pete yelled out "Don't touch it, until your mom takes a picture of it."  They knew after day one that MOM gets to touch it first and then boys can.

Day 2 - We received these super fancy cups and a sun visor.  

On each of the treats they had a cute tag with a quote from a Disney character.  Attached with some pretty cool fabric (hint hint).

Pete also received a golf shirt with Stampin Up on the sleeve.  Hmm, I wonder if he'll wear it.  He hasn't yet but I'll let you know.

 More Disney pillow gifts tomorrow.


Thanks for stopping by.


Cheers, 
K

Thoughts from the bird whisper (long but humorous)

Okay an interesting title to start this post but bear with me.

A couple of nights ago after doing a bit of yard work Pete came in announcing that we have a bit of a problem.  Apparently while he was mowing the backyard he was "attacked" by a bird.  He was walking close to our deck (we have an upper and lower deck) and a robin swooped in close to his head and began chirping loudly.  

The culprit

  As he looked around he noticed that we have a rather large nest underneath our deck.

This was taken on super zoom from across the yard.  Not getting too close to it!

 Upon further investigation, (looking through the spaces of the decking) there is indeed a birds nest with one blue robin egg and at least one nestling.  We scoured online about what to do with a nest (since we can't go outside without being attacked) but according the the Migratory Bird Treat Act (yes, there is such a thing) you can't remove a robins nest with babies or eggs in it.  SO, for the next couple of weeks the Burns' family will have guests.  


Why am I the bird whisper??  Well, today I REALLY wanted to go out and see if the eggs were still there (they look all bare and squirmy like when I squint through the 5mm space to see them).  Well, today was my turn to be "attacked".  I took these photos, as I was dying to blog about it today and as I was going into the house the daddy or mommy robin took a "fly by me".   TOTALLY freaked me out!  I came running into the house and texted Pete right away.  See, I was kinda mean and was laughing about his experience on Monday night and now it happened to me.  It was his turn to laugh at me and thought I was NUTS for going outside in the first place.   


Pete - U know they came at me twice last night, right?
Kristine - Thought they'd like me better.  I wanted to see the babies again.
P - Go ahead
K - Guess sending you out to get a pic tonight is out of the question?
P - Nice work, bird whisperer


So alas, no picture of the nest but Nathan was brave enough to go out with the camera and walk onto the deck.  I was 'covering for him' which meant I was at the door ready to run inside if I spotted any.  Oh yeah, and to warn him if I saw any robins around.   Andrew was smart - he stayed inside and watched from the screened window saying "Nathan, are you nuts?!?!"


We had fun talking about maybe sporting the goalie mask and full pads (blocker, glove and all) and trying it but that's a BIG maybe!  Maybe a full length coat and ski pants too.

Well, no word of a lie you will NOT believe the card I began creating BEFORE I knew about the robins.  

With a matching envelope created with the Diagonal Scoring plate.

A matching bookmark that can be torn from the card by the receiver.  I made the card with two colour choices.

And a fancy inside too.

 And I also made a birthday pie for Pete.  He likes cake but he LOVES lemon meringue pie. 

Thanks for stopping by and reading this REALLY long post.


Cheers,
K