Warning! This post is photo-heavy...

I have finally pulled together some photos from our recent trip into Canada and back down through parts of the eastern U.S.

We left on September 15 and headed for Ottawa, the capital city of Canada.

This is the parliament building in Ottawa, which we toured. It was so interesting to learn more about their government and how it works. This is a lovely building and the tour was very worthwhile.

From Ottawa we continued on toward Montreal (where we visited with friends and did a wee bit of sightseeing) and then to Quebec City.

Quebec City is a wonderful old city, founded in 1608. We took a walking tour and learned so much about its history. The photo at left shows one of the oldest homes (circa 1675) still in use in the city. It is now a restaurant called Aux Anciens Canadiens.

















After Quebec City we began to make our way down the eastern coast of the U. S.

I won't bore you with photos of every place we visited, but I'll try to give you an assortment.

This is my husband and me sitting in chairs made out of lobster traps.  They were actually quite comfortable!

We ate lobster and other seafood every day, since we don't get that much of it in Minnesota.

This is a photo of the Salem Witch Museum in Salem, Massachusetts. We learned in more detail about the witch trials that took place there in 1692-93. What a sad catastrophe that was! So many innocent lives lost, and all because of some sort of witchcraft hysteria.

We headed up into northern New Hampshire and were lucky enough to catch some of the fantastic fall color.

The pictures I am sharing with you here just don't do it justice.

It was amazing to come around a bend in the road and see an entire hillside covered with glorious red, orange and yellow trees. Truly breathtaking, even on a cloudy day.

We saw a couple of these pretty covered bridges. It's so nice that they maintain them for the public to enjoy.

I will end this post with a few pictures of American poet Robert Frost's home near Franconia, New Hampshire.

His home was a very simple structure, but...

there was a gorgeous view from his front porch. I can only imagine how this inspired his poetry!

This is my husband and I looking toward the house with a portion of that beautiful view in the background.

I will be back soon with a few more photos of our trip (as long as you're not too bored with them).

Thanks so much for stopping by, and remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.

Cheryl

Let's Craft and Create Challenge #119: Winter

It's hard to believe that 2016 has entered into its final two months and it is time for those winter-themed cards. But here we are in November with a brand new "winter" challenge and a fabulous intricate die as a prize to the winner. Checkout the details of this latest challenge and the prize over at Let's Craft and Create.

Here's my card for a little inspiration to join this fun challenge:

I had some wonderful paper embossed with silver dots that I wanted to use. It had been in my stash for years (maybe even a decade). It was one of those papers that I only wanted to use "for something special." I'm not sure why I do that! Every card I make should be considered "something special," right?

After adhering this pretty dotted paper to my card front, I created a panel stamped with a Deep Red Stamps image called "Winter Pines." I wish I had heat-embossed this image, rather than just stamping it, but I'll try that on another card.

I backed the panel with some silvery cardstock and added a sentiment cut with some Tim Holtz/Sizzix "Holiday Words" dies.

I also adhered a couple of Impression Obsession snowflake die-cuts with a flat-backed gem in their centers for a little sparkle.

On the inside of my card, I added a narrow strip of the silvery cardstock on the left and then heat-embossed an old Penny Black sentiment that I still really love.

Here's a closer look at that sentiment and the Impression Obsession snowflake die-cuts that I added.

I will definitely be making at least one more of these cards (with the remainder of my silver-dotted paper). I think they will work well to send to our friends who don't necessarily celebrate Christmas, but whom we want to remember over the holidays.

Now it's your turn! Visit Let's Craft and Create to see all the inspiration from my teammates, then enter the challenge with your own wintery project. It doesn't have to be a card. We love to see all kinds of paper creativity in the mix!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.

Even though Halloween has passed, I'll share one more "eek!" with you...

This card started off with a scrap of web-patterned DSP that had just one large spider on it along with some tiny ones. I wanted some medium-sized spiders on it, too, so I found a spider stamp (unknown brand) that matched really well and stamped a couple of those.

Then I die-cut the "Eek!" with some old Cuttlebug alpha dies and applied it to my DSP. My last thought was to add some green dripping goo (MS border punch) and some green dots on each side. Not sure it all works that well, but it's done. No changing it now.

More dripping goo, spiders and green dots on the inside, along with my stamped sentiment.

Now...I'm finally done. I will share NO MORE HALLOWEEN CARDS this year!. Bet you're relieved that I'm finally moving on to the next holiday.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.
Cheryl

Life is a Journey...

A few days ago, my son-in-law celebrated his birthday. As I thought about what kind of card to make for him, I really struggled to come up with a design. Then I came across this Silhouette Design #53272, called Mountain Bike Wheel.

Isn't that an amazing cut? The spokes on each wheel are so thin, it's a wonder that they didn't get completely messed up during the cutting process. As I look at this photo, I see that I didn't get one little negative cut shape pulled out (look at the lower right section of the panel). I'll fix that as soon as I'm done with this post.

Since the wheels designate a journey, I decided to use a sentiment that reflected that, as well.

I created the banner in the Silhouette software, adding the starburst cutout. I also used my Silhouette to print the front and inside sentiments before cutting out the banner and the inside panel. It's so easy to center everything when it's all done on one machine.

The main font that I used for this card is called "Simply Gorgeous." It has a fun flow to it, and it doesn't look too "girly."

We will soon be home from our trip, and then I will be able to share some pictures and stories with you. Not too many, though. I don't want to bore you!!

Thank you so much for stopping by, and remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.
Cheryl

The years have been kind to you...

The good-looking guy in the bunny slippers is a Bugaboo digital image that I won a few months ago. Isn't he a hoot?

I've colored him with my ProMarkers, and I added a little yellow chalk to the background so that it didn't look quite so stark. You may not be able to tell, but I've also added some Glossy Accents to his glasses.

My balloons were made with a Stampin' Up punch and tied with real thread. The thread is held taught by securing it behind my sentiment oval.

The sentiments on both the front and inside of my card are computer-generated. I love this punch line. This card is for my brother-in-law (Happy Birthday, Bill!), and I hope he loves it, too

Thanks so much for stopping by, and remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.
Cheryl

Spiders! Eek!

More fun Halloween cards involving smiling spiders...

Aren't those spiders cute? They look almost cuddly, don't they?

I've made them with two different sizes of CS circles, some googly eyes and some hand-drawn legs and smiles.  EASY PEASY!!

Here's a close-up of one of the little guys. You can just barely see that I rubbed a little Perfect Pearls around the edge of each circle. It adds a very subtle sparkle.

The smiles were made--of course--with a white gel pen. I only wish now that I hadn't made them all smile. At least one of them could have had a little round mouth that gave it a surprised look.

I picked up these gem border shapes at a BIG discount...and then I had to figure out how to use them. I measured them and then used my Cricut to cut the same shape (a little larger) and its shadow from the Elegant Edges cartridge. After using my computer to print my sentiment onto the white shape, I adhered it to the black shadow and then applied the gem border. Pretty!

The inside of my card is another Silhouette pop-out (Design #66067). Isn't it awesome? I love it so much. The spider web border was made with a Martha Stewart punch.

I couldn't stop at just one circle spider card, so I made a second one - with the same pop-out on the inside, of course.

Well that's it for me today. Halloween continues to inch closer and closer. Have you purchased candy for the trick-or-treaters yet? I love handing it out to the little ones who come to the door. They're all so cute in their little costumes.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.
Cheryl

Today is our wedding anniversary...

Today is our 17th wedding anniversary. We have had an amazing life together, and the adventure continues. In fact, we're on a wonderful trip to the northeast quadrant of the U.S. right now, so this is a scheduled post.

Even though we're traveling, I wanted to show you the card I made for my husband before we left. Please excuse how parts of it are out of focus (I was in a big hurry to get these photos taken).

To start my card-making process, I used my Silhouette to print my sentiments and cut two blue panels--one for my card front and one for the inside.

For the first time, I tried my hand at texture paste. I took a checkered stencil, laid it across my cardstock, and applied the paste with a spatula. It was actually really easy, and I love the dimension it adds to my card. It truly didn't take long to dry, so I was able to finish my card in an afternoon.

The inside is super simple, with only my sentiment and a little heart. I think the simple design is just right, though, for a masculine card.

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.
Cheryl