Neeje Crop - 2015 - Bunny Fry Box

Hi Friends

I am looking forward to seeing many of you at the Neeje Crop on Saturday.  The Neeje Association for Women and Families is a wonderful organization here in Ottawa and I am proud to say that I have been one of the attendees every year that the Crop-fundraiser has been held.  

Once again this year I will be representing Stampin' Up! and as such, I will hold a few classes during the day.

Here is one of them:

Attendees will get to make this super-cute Bunny Fry box to use for Easter treats.  How cute is that?!?  Participants will be able to make as many as they want, for $2 apiece.  

How about you?  Don't you wish you were going now?  Never fear, I think I will offer the bunny box as part of a class during March so keep your eyes peeled for my announcement about when that will be.

Until then, hope you are all enjoying a wonderful week.  God Bless,   ~Cynthia      <><

In Humble Gratitude For Your Sacrifice....

Hello Friends

I've been away all weekend at Children's Choir Camp with 80 young people and among the wonderful things we did (singing ranked very high on the list), we made a wreath to lay at the National Military Cemetery today for Remembrance Day.

If you remember, last year at this time we also made a wreath and one of the choir members lay it during the ceremony while the rest of the Children's Choir sang.  Today will mark the second time we have been asked to lay a wreath on behalf of the Children of Canada, and we will be both honoured and humbled to do so.

Making the wreath at Choir Camp was tons of fun.  We cut Real Red cardstock using the Big Shot and Fun Flowers BigZ dies, then spritzed the resulting flower shapes with water and scrunched them to give the petals a realistic ruffling.  We then un-scrunched them and placed a Basic Black Boho Blossom punched piece onto the centre and pierced through all of the layers.  Simple florists' wire was threaded through the pierced holes and this wire was used to hold the resulting poppies onto a grapevine wreath.  Letters were cut from Whisper White cardstock using the Typeset Alphabet Bigz die, and these were attached to a purple sash that was tied across the wreath.  

Isn't the resulting wreath gorgeous?  Simply and beautifully gorgeous?  It has been a privilege to be invited to sing year after year at the National Military Cemetery to honour our fallen soldiers.  And it has been our pleasure (literally!) these last 2 years to make and lay a wreath of our own during the poignant ceremony.

And it is totally cool that every child's poppy looked different and individualistic...just as each child is!  The cumulative effect on the wreath of each of these individual blooms is quite stunning, just as the cumulative effect of each of our choristers' individual voices is.

I am blessed to be a part of this choir organization.  I am blessed to live in this wonderful country.  I am blessed with freedoms that were hard-won by many fallen countrymen.
In short - I am blessed.

I hope you are feeling equally blessed both this day and all the rest.
Lest We Forget......                              ~Cynthia    <><
 

Happy Birthday Sarah!

Hi Friends

With today's card, I want to honour my friend, Sarah, who celebrated her birthday yesterday.   Sarah is extremely busy with 2 very young children, a loving husband, a job and an active home life, but she still manages to read my blog every once in a while....and I didn't want her to see this until after she had received the card.  Hence the day-after posting!

This birthday card uses a stamp set that I received at Founder's Circle a few weeks back.  I loved it the instant I saw it, but it won't be available to purchase until January so I cannot show you the actual set.  Still, I am allowed to show you any samples I create using it.  So here is the first one.  I just had to use it for Sarah's card since it says exactly what I wanted to express.

Sarah is one of those people who brings warmth and sunshine into so many other people's lives!  And for me last week, she was an answer to prayer.  No.  Seriously.  I mean it.  She was an answer to prayer.  I had something weighing on my mind and I brought it to God in Prayer and asked Him what I should do about it.  In fact, I was so conflicted that I boldly asked God for an answer that would be quite clear and easy for me to recognize when I heard it.  Honest to goodness, I made this prayer for over a week and then last week Sarah sat in my kitchen and made a few statements that jolted me because they were an unequivocal answer to the question I had asked.  And you know what - it really shouldn't surprise me that Sarah was the messenger!  She's just the sort of person that I would have chosen.

Okay - On with the actual card then....

Supply List
Stamps - Betsy's Blossoms, Feels Good (not available yet)
Paper - Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise, Daffodil Delight
Ink - Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo
Big Shot -  Perfect Polka Dots EF, Floral Frames Framelits, Labels Framelits
Tools and Accessories -  1 1/4" Scallop Circle Punch, Boho Blossoms Punch, Itty Bitty (Flower) Punch, sponges, Brights Brads, dimensionals

I love stamping the gorgeous flower image from Betsy's Blossoms then punching out a flower shape using any of the scallop circle punches.  And layering them with some smaller Boho Blossom pieces as I did here just adds so much depth, don't you think?  And I wanted bright and cheery colours - the combination of Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo and Tempting Turquoise always make me feel happy and bright!

I'm hoping Sarah had a wonderful birthday!  And I'm hoping she realizes this sentiment was hand-picked for her.  Because she really does bring sunshine into the lives of others.  She certainly did in mine!

Hope the rest of you have sunshine in your lives.  Better yet - I hope you are bringing sunshine into the lives of those around you! 
               God Bless,        ~Cynthia      <><

Betsy's Blossoms Thank You

Happy Saturday friends!

My various Betsy's Blossom Thank Yous

Itty Banner Framelit Banner

 I wanted to show you some of the quick and lovely Thank You cards I have been creating with Betsy's Blossoms.



Stamps - Betsy's Blossoms, Fabulous Phrases
Paper - Whisper White, Marina Mist
Ink - Raspberry Ripple, Summer Starfruit, Midnight Muse
Accessories - Itty Banners Framelits, Large Oval Punch, Decorative Label Punch, Boho Blossoms Punch, Basic Pearls, Dimensionals, 2-Way Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds

Large Oval Frame

Itty Banner Framelit Frame

Decorative Label (altered) frame

I tried various means to frame my sentiment and to be honest, I cannot decide which one I prefer.  Every card has its own personality and I can't decide which style I like best.  That's where you come in.  Go ahead and leave me a comment to let me know which frame style you prefer.

Hope everyone has a spectaclar weekend!    God Bless,      ~Cynthia    <><.