Love Me, Love My Cat!

This is one of my very favorite Mo Manning images. Adoring cats as I do, I can identify with the pure joy in this little girl's face as she holds her kitty (who is not quite as happy with the whole situation).  I smile every time I look at this image.

Well, we are still waiting to see what good old Mother Nature is going to throw at us tonite & tomorrow.  The high winds are already here & the rain/ice/snow is to follow.  Apparently, that is a given.  Just how much of each is what we are still uncertain of.  How I hate to drive in a "wintery mix" as they call it.To me, a wintery mix should include popcorn, chocolate & peanuts, not snow, ice & wind.  Everyone have a safe New Year's eve tomorrow!

My Challenged "Challenge"

Well, gals, I finally had the time to work on a card tonite. Inspired by my BFF Gail, I thought I would try something for Mo Mannin'g's current challenge " Fantasies & Fairies" but as it turns out the biggest challenge ended up being trying to figure out how to enter!  I've read thru the blog & can find no way to "enter" so the card will become one for my "stash" I guess.  After seeing Gail's gorgeous entry, though, I almost didn't make one.  Check her card out on her blog "Pop,Paper,Scissors"...it is gorgeous.  One of these days I will finally figure out how to link things. I have so many challenges, don't I? 

We are all under multiple weather advisories & warnings tonite. I think I have heard 3 different versions of what to expect the next two days since I got home tonite.  One station has us getting 5-10 inches of snow (AFTER a night & day of rain/freezing rain & fog) combined with high winds & blowing snow. Another is calling for just 3-4 inches of the snow.  Did I mention how much I HATE winter!!!!!  ha ha

Cross your fingers the weatherman with the smallest snowfall prediction is the smartest one!  I'll let you know, I'm sure.

Thank You

Well, I had hoped by now to have a new card to share, but we have been so busy at work I have not had the time (or the energy) to get a new one done.  But I do have an old thank you card from my "stash" that I can post. 

This is another Mo Manning image done in copics. And of course, you have to have a Martha Stewart border of some kind, right?  I'm sure my punches have bought her at least a downpayment on something great!

I'm hoping to have something new later this week, but if that fails, I am actually on vacation next week & plan to get some much needed card making time in! Yeaaa!!!  I can't think of a better way to start the new year than by making cards!

Merry Christmas!

I don't have a card to post tonite, but I wanted to wish every single one of you a most blessed Christmas. I hope each of you is able to spend time surrounded by all those you love & that everyone who will be traveling will have a safe journey.  For us here in Sioux City it will be a white Christmas as there is already snow on the ground & more falling now. 

Merry Christmas!

Sweets for my sweet!

I'll be really sad when Christmas is over & I don't have an excuse to make Christmas cards!  There are just so many cute stamps out there begging to be made into a card. These little sweethearts are from an old Stampin Up set I bought a long time ago at a garage sale.

I guess I'm still photo challenged.  I meant to crop this before I resized it, but forgot.  I'm sure there is a magic way to do it now, but none that I know.

I hope everyone has all their Christmas shopping done (even though I don't). I work best under pressure! ha ha  I only have a couple things left to pick up & then I'm done.

Better get busy....Catch you later!

Brady builds a snowman

This image made me smile. It looked exactly like something my cat would do if he could. (He doesn't know he is actually a cat.  I'm sure he thinks he is just a "short" person who is slightly "English challenged" but otherwise normal!

The paper on this one isn't exactly traditional Xmas paper, but the colors all just seemed to work so I chose it anyway. 

I made another card tonite, but can't post it until I give it to someone. Since I know she checks the blog, I don't want to spoil the surprise.

Off to find a snack....

Change is Good!

Well, everyone, I have been thinking about changing the look of my blog for some time now.  While I adored the brick red (my favorite color) it just didn't seem cheerful enough so I browsed thru the choices for background & when I came to the paw prints, I knew I had to have them.  What better background for a blog titled "The Cat Ate My Card" than paw prints!  And with a new look, obviously the "man" of the house wanted a new picture posted of himself as well. Such a diva!

I've been so busy today I have only had time to make one card so far but the night is still young so we will hope another is still possible.  I love Christmas, but it sure puts a strain on the number of hours you have in a day, doesn't it!  I loved this image when I first saw it.  You can feel the love from here! And that is what Christmas is all about...LOVE! 

I hope you all like the new "lighter" look. Back to the cards to see if I can come up with something yet before I go to bed.

Get Well Soon!

This is a quick get well card for a gal at work who was hospitalized over the weekend.  Not my best effort, but it was almost 8 pm before I got home & my "mojo" doesn't work well when it's dog tired.

At least she will know we are all thinking of her & wishing her the best!  I'm hoping tomorrow won't be a repeat of the wild day we had at work today, but I'm afraid it will.

Catch you all later.

Snowmanny Thanks!

Well, the Christmas cards are done & mailed except for the ones I will hand deliver.  That means it's time to do some quick "thank you" notes,  I've made 10 of them today and think I had about 10 already made so I should have a great supply for my daughter & myself both. With some to spare! I just grabbed the last one I made & snapped a photo of it.  I forgot to crop it before I posted.  Darn.  Been a long day.

I think I'll take a break for the rest of the night.  This poor old body isn't used to shoveling & I'm putting my feet up & relaxing while I see what ridiculous things are happening on Desperate Housewives.  Lord, I'm glad I don't live on that street!

Have a great week!

Somebunny loves you enough to share his carrot!

I wasn't going to share this one since I also posted it on Splitcoast, but I just loved it so much! Another Mo Manning image. Her artwork is just beyond belief.

Everyone stay warm & safe!  Hopefully the blizzard will be gone by tomorrow & we can get back to normal.

Is this the biggest candy cane you have?

I wasn't going to post this one to my blog since I just posted it to Split Coast Stampers & I would like to have some variety, but for the first time ever, my photo actually turned out well enough to see the card. All this thanks to some helpful hints from another stamping angel by the name of Dawn. There may be hope for this old gal yet!

We are in the midst of a raging blizzard. The wind has been howling since last night & the snow is falling so fast it looks like someone shook a snowglobe really hard. Which means I will have huges drifts to try to get thru tomorrow to get dug out again. Yuk!  And my poor little buddy just HATES wind. He runs from the safety of my shoulder to the window all night long trying to see what is happening. How do you explain what wind is to a cat!  Poor little man.

Since it is still early, I'm going to get back to making more cards. 

Stay safe!

A Polar Bear Birthday

I finally finished all of my Christmas cards but one, so decided I would take a break & make a birthday card for a gal at work who has a Dec. 26th birthday.  A hard date to do a card for.  Christmas is over, but you still want to do something wintery so I decided on a polar bear.  And having a Rosie's Roadshow stamp of a polar bear holding a birthday cupcake & balloon seemed to be the perfect choice.

Since we are forecast to have a half a foot of snow & possible blizzard tomorrow, I'm sure I will have plenty of time to work on cards!  Sure makes it hard to do any Christmas shopping, but guess Mother Nature is in charge.  Did I mention I HATE winter!  ha ha

Until tomorrow..

Not a creature was stirring...

Another post tonite.  I thought my glare problem could be the overhead light so I turned it off before I took my picture. Apparently, that was NOT the problem.  One of these days, I will figure it out.  My BFF says she takes photos of her cards on her bathroom counter!  In my little bathroom, there isn't a counter so that idea is out!  ha ha  Besides that, the cat would probably sit on top of the card before I could snap the picture. But come to think of it,  that could be a much cuter image than the card!

Now I really am done for the night. It's been a long day & I'm tired.
Catch you all later.

Let it Snow.....Again!

Another snow globe to share tonite.  I'm going through my stash of new Xmas stamps & trying to do one card from each one.  With limited time this year, I am going to have to send everyone a different card for a change.  I usually make several "test" cards trying to find an image that is just perfect and then use that same stamp on all my cards, even though no two are ever the same.  The bad part of having so many different images is trying to match them up to each person on your Xmas list! 

I've decided it isn't my camera that I'm having problems with, I think it is my lighting. Hopefully, I can get some good tips from my kids when they come for Xmas! Until then, you will have to put up with my shiny images.

Snow Globe

What a busy day. A visit to the nursing home this morning, then Xmas shopping. I even managed to get everything wrapped! At least I now have a "start" on it.  I even managed to make 3 cards today. This is one of them. he is actually much cuter in person as the glitter paper behind him doesn't show up well.

With any luck, I will be able to send our Xmas cards by next weekend if I keep on plugging away.

Everyone have a great week!

A Christmas Toast

It wasn't a productive day today.  Only one card to show for the whole day. The morning was spent at the Toyota dealers getting some kind of timing chain replaced. And the rest of the day just went downhill from there as far as getting anything done. Some days are like that I guess. 

Another Penny Black stamp. I love the critters she makes!  Guess I just love all critters. Especially the ones that go meow.

Hopefully, I will have a more productive day tomorrow.

Have a Purrfect Christmas!

Still struggling with the camera.  I can't seem to get the colors right. It's frustrating. The scanner is looking better each day! 

Another busy day so this is all I managed to finish tonite.  I'm going to have to crank it up if I want my cards done in time for mailing. There are never enough hours in the day to get it all done anymore.

As you can see, the deep reds in the card look like deep pinks. Guess you will have to take my word for it that the colors are vibrant red & the card is much cuter in person. 

I should have done a black cat, but they don't show up well in photos.  Sorry Brady!  We will pretend you are  a yellow tabby for this card.

On an unrelated note, I have discovered that peppermint is apparently a smell that cats really like.  My cat at least.  I got some soft peppermints tonite & put the wrappers in my waste basket only to find Brady tipping it over to get at the paper.  He went straight for the wrappers & began trying to chew them so I had to tie the garbage bag shut.  That is the first time he has ever even looked at the waste basket so it has to be the smell of peppermint! (Apparently, the chocolate wrappers usually in it are of little interest to him) ha ha

Off to check new mail.  Have a great day!

Snowman with Holly

Well, I have taken 6 photos of this card & not a single one turned out well.   Apparently, my talents as a photographer are as great as my talent for singing.  And I can't carry a tune in a bucket!

Tomorrow they are saying we are in for possible freezing rain/snow/wintery mix/big mess again. Yuk! That sums up my feelings about winter weather. YUK!  And icy roads don't help with Xmas shopping either. Somehow Xmas sneaks up a little earlier on me every year.  One day it is Halloween and the next week it is time to put up the tree!  At least I have that done!!

Right now I think a bag of popcorn is calling my name. And I certainly don't want to be rude & ignore it!
Drive safely everyone.

A Hedgehog Christmas!

You know how I adore Penny Black stamps & hedgehogs have always been a favorite of mine.  I couldn't resist these two!

I also finished another card with this same gorgeous paper tonite.  This one is also a Penny Black. I think I need stock in the company!

Time to get to bed. Hopefully the wind won't blow as hard tonite as it did last nite. My little four legged buddy doesn't like winds & spends the whole nite alternating between snuggling close & running to the window to see what the noise is about.  Needless to say, neither of us get much sleep on windy nites!

Just hanging around!

What a day!  Rain/sleet/freezing rain/snow.  All words you never like to hear. And now we are getting more snow & 40 mph winds. How long till spring???  I'm starting a count down as of right now!

I did manage to get a Xmas card done tonite. If I had more energy, I'd do another, but I'm running out of steam so he may be it.

This is an old Judith stamp I got at a sale.

Catch you later!

Have a Beary Wonderful Christmas!

Well, only one card to share tonite. The whole day was spent decorating the outside of the house and then the inside.  The outside was much easier as I had "help" from my furry friend on the inside decorating.  For every sack & box of decorations I brought up from the basement, he made at least 2 trips inside them to check out the contents before I could hang them up.  I'm convinced he sees Xmas as the fun time of year when I put out new "toys" to play with.  The tree is his favorite, of course! I can't complain about a lack of entertainment at my house!

Have a great week!

Christmas Critters

With everything else I had to do today, I only got 2 Christmas cards done. Not exactly as many as I had hoped when I am so far behind. But 2 is better than none!


The first is a Mo Manning image which could be a photo of my cat at Christmas. If he didn't weigh 20 lbs. he would be able to climb higher up into the tree, but being "big boned" he has to try to bring it down from the bottom branches. Oh, how he LOVES Christmas!

The next card is a mouse all tucked in & waiting for Santa to come.

All this talk of Christmas reminds me I still have to put up my decorations (inside & out).  Oh, how I wish that job was done! I'm getting exhausted just thinking of it.  All that stuff to take down off my walls & carry to the basement & boxes of stuff to bring up & hang back in it's place. But, of course, I will have a four-legged "helper" climbing into every box & trying to wrap himself in the garland. How I ever managed to decorate before he came to "help" is a mystery! 

Have a great day!

Dear Santa, I can explain!

This image is SO what my cat Brady would do if left alone with the lights! His first year I couldn't even put a tree up because he would not leave it alone.  The second year I vowed I was NOT going to go without a tree so I put up a small one & carried it to the bathroom every night where I could hide it from him & get some sleep.  He has gotten better the past two so I'm hoping he will finally "grow up" and leave it alone. But regardless, I still wouldn't trade the little devil for a million dollars! He is one of the many blessings I can count on this Thanksgiving. The older I get the more I realize that it is family & friends that matter more than anything to make your life happy & fulfilled. And I am thankful for every one of them!

I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving filled with many blessings.

Penquin Christmas

My first time in days to make a card & I just couldn't get any ideas. Too stressful a day, perhaps.  With an icy drive home as an added bonus.  How I HATE winter! This little penquin is the best my tired brain could come up with tonite. As you can see, I'm really trying to use my camera instead of just scanning the cards in. Too bad I am not talented in the photography dept! 

Perhaps I can come up with something better tomorrow when I am not so exhausted.  No promises!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, after a busy weekend out of town, I won't have time to do my usual Thanksgiving cards this year. Since there was only time to make one, I'm sharing it with everyone!  Hopefully, this lack of time will not last & I can get back to creating & posting daily again.

My photography leaves a LOT to be desired!  And this card had a back which kept it from standing on it's own.  It's a learning process & I seem to be learning by my mistakes, not my successes. It is SO much easier to just scan them in.

Time to finish up some e-mail. I think my next card will have to be a Xmas card since I am behind on those too!  I'm starting to see a theme here, aren't you?  I'm behind in everything!  ha ha 

Catch you later.

Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?

Well, I'm not sure I can repeat this when I get home, but with my genius grandson's help, he is trying to show me how to use my old camera to post pictures instead of scanning them on the printer. We just grabbed some old cards I had sent them as a test.  I can tell you right now I have no idea how he actually did this so I'm guessing once I get home I will be calling him back or getting on the phone & yelling "HELP" to my friend Gail who is much smarter than I about all things in the computer world.  To me, it is just magic & I don't need to know how things get there.  They just do.  And that's the way I like it. Nothing hard or complicated.

It has been a fun although exhausting weekend. I've been at my daughter's for a craft show.  What an experience. The deadest show they have ever had (of course) for the first time I try to exhibit. And not signing up until almost the deadline for entries, we (of course) got stuck in the basement in a back room in the far corner.  But they did have amazing (and free) donuts!

Hopefully, I can miss all the freezing precipitation that is forecast for the midwest & make it home in one piece tomorrow.

So enjoy the dimensional photos I just posted in case I have to end up going back to the scanner.  Catch you later!

Get Well

Today's card is from an old Stampin Up set.  I have to confess these are the only mice I like. You can have the real ones!  I prefer mine stamped on paper.  I had hoped to have something better to share tonite but the past few weeks have been so hectic I am lucky to get this much done.  Hopefully, things will settle down soon & I will get my "creative juices" back.

A few more birthdays

I had thought I would have a lot of cards done today, but that didn't happen.  With Mom in the nursing home now, there are lots of things to be taken care of & of course, visits there.  Some of these were actually old cards, but hopefully, nothing I have posted yet.

A duck card!  I can guarantee not many people are going to be sending out duck cards!

Since we are on an animal theme today, with the dog & duck,  I thought I would throw in a party bear for good measure!
Hope everyone has a good week!

Hope Everything's Just Ducky!

All my good intentions to crank out a ton of cards today just didn't work out.  Half of the day was spent moving 15+ years of "stuff" from my office to the new one down the street.  And as if that wasn't hard enough, the new area is not as large so everything is just pretty much cluttered.  Which will drive me crazy in short order! 

I did manage to get this done tonite & hopefully tomorrow will be better.  If I can manage to get to the nursing home, the grocery store & get all my laundry done.  ha ha

It's been awhile since I did duck cards.  I have a few more ideas to try tomorrow. Right now my new mattress is calling my name.

It's a dog thing!

Another dog card tonite.  Although the inside of the card is cuter & has the "whole" dog sitting there with a dog bowl on his head, it is just too hard to scan insides. So you will have to use your imaginations!

Looks like my energy is gone so I'm calling it a day. At least I got one card done!  Next time I promise no dogs.  I'm thinking ducks would be good!

Woof!

Thought a doggie card would be a good choice for today. Something simple that didn't require a lot of extra energy.  ha ha 

And after I share this with you, I am off to devour a gorgeous cupcake that a wonderful cupcake angel left on my doorstep tonite. Another reminder that the world is a beautiful place full of very special people.

Cards at last!

After what seems like months, I finally got to make a few cards this weekend! Therapy at it's finest!

For the cat lover's out there I started with a Penny Black cat image. I adore her cats! But then, I just plain adore ALL cats if I'm really honest!

I also added a chubby cheeked little critter eating a cupcake. Sure wish I had a big cupcake about right now! Yum!!

I had already started coloring this little pup earlier, so pulled him out & finished him too. 

This one was made especially for my grandson's godmother who has been having some serious health problems lately.  I'm hoping it will cheer her up & let her know I am thinking about her.

And finally, another birthday card.  You can never have too many!

I actually did another 6 cards as well, but those will have to wait for another posting. My clock is saying it is time to go to bed, but with the daylight savings, my body has been ready for at least an hour! I hate daylight savings, by the way.  And if you live with a cat, let me tell you that they don't get it either! Brady is already sawing logs & dreaming little kitty dreams. 

Have a great week, everyone!

A much needed update

Although I had hoped to have something to post before now, there has just been no time yet. As many of you know, Mom has been fighting a battle with Alzheimer's for several years & it finally became time to give up trying to care for her at home. Yesterday we admitted her to a nursing home. As any of you who have been through this will already know, it was a hard decision & one made with many tears by all of us. But we know it is the best thing for not only her, but for Dad. 

For all of you who have sent us prayers, I want to say thank you and they really helped!

Hopefully, my next post will be in a much lighter tone, but I know that a few of you check daily & have been wondering what was going on. This seemed to be the fastest way to tell you.

Don't Give Up!

I thought I had better leave a short note for my friends who check the blog daily explaining why they haven't seen much the past few days.  Mom has Alzheimers as many of you know, and this has not been a good week.  For the first time, we are talking seriously of a nursing home. As soon as I can, however, I will be back to post something. 

A short post!

There aren't enough hours in the day.  Although I've been making cards this week, they are all for family so I don't dare post any of them.  This fast wedding card will have to do for tonight. Hopefully, tomorrow I will have time to do more.

A little chuckle never hurts!

We spend so much time making & sending all the flowery sentimental cards that sometimes it is nice to just send a good belly laugh.  Especially if the birthday is a dreaded milestone one! I've been doing the "silly" cards this afternoon.

I LOVE this stamp!  Don't we all feel like this most mornings?  Especially Mondays! 

The message inside is "Happy Birthday from one glamorous babe to another!"

Quite fitting don't you think!

This is another of my favorites.  She shares the same message.  Hopefully, they will bring a smile to the recipient.  I guess we just have to be sure the birthday girl can laugh at herself!

Off to do another one before Desperate Housewives comes on. 

Baby Bunnies

Well, between doing 25 M & M treat bags I also managed to do 2 baby cards this afternoon.  I had to try out the new Martha punch that jumped in my cart & begged to go home with me!  I hope my daughter has invested my retirement in some Martha stock!  I'm sure I have made it soar since her punches came out.

I'm not sure why this shows up so aqua when it is really a true baby blue, but don't you love the "lace" made by the new punch?   I am a sucker for anything with lace on it.

I had planned on posting the 2nd card, but after scanning it 3 times & getting the same white card when it is really a pale pink, I'm not going to bother.

Off to make more cards.

Just for Shirley!

I have to post at least one card tonite just for my friend Shirley.  She told me today that she checks my blog daily & is really bummed out if there is nothing new added.  So, Shirley, this is just for you!


This is my little boy version of my baby bear.  He is such a cute little guy.

I've been on a roll tonite with baby cards.  I have two "drying" now so they can't be scanned yet.

This is the "girl" version, although the pink is so light it may not show up at all.

I'll be hitting it hard tomorrow making M & M cards. Or, at least that is my plan if the M & M's hold out!  I've already had to "test" their quality.  

Let's try again.

Hopefuly, I have figured a way around my scanning problem.  I almost gave up!  It wasn't working this time either, but I am resourceful, if nothing else.  Apparently, a folder can become too large.  At least that is my guess, since nothing I scanned would go into it, so I opened a new folder & plopped this there.  When I get my mind set on something, I just keep working on it until I'm satisfied.   I'm going to try one more scan just to be sure I have figured this new version out.

Well, it took me 3 passes to get it dragged to the new file, but it finally went in. Life shouldn't be this complicated!  ha ha

time to stop & watch a bit of Leno before I call it a day.

I'm back!

Well, 2 days of my 3 vacation days are already gone & the list of things I need to do is growing longer instead of shorter. Here are a few of the cards I made this morning. 

It's hard to see on the scanner, but it says "An udder year older?"  Inside, of course, says "Have an udderly wonderful birthday!"

Well, scratch the "few" cards I was going to post.  Another problem with the scanner.  At least I got one posted. It hasn't been my day!