Wishing you a fabulous 2009!

Photo by Shelley Stanton - Golden Fronted Woodpecker

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year. May you have good health and prosperity in 2009.

Updated: My Pbase Gallery

How to take photos of cardinals

Step 1. Grab a digital SLR camera --preferably Canon ;-)
Step 2. Put on a telephoto zoom lens
Step 3. Find a nice picnic table in a brushy area
Step 4. Throw out some cookie crumbs
Step 5. Focus
Step 6. Shoot.
Step 7. Keep the cookie crumbs coming and so will the birds.

Bonne Annee

Bonne Annee - you see it all the time on vintage greeting cards. Ever wonder what it means? It translates "Happy New Year!". Or "Happy Year". I wondered that myself and I speak very little French so I wasn't sure if it was a birthday wish or a wish for the new year. I suppose it could be both, since when you have a birthday, you gain a year and a wish could be for continued happiness.

I've seen cards that say Bonne Annee with an obvious summery photo or design on it too. If you know why, please leave it in the comments area.

Christmas night, Dale and my brother, sister-in-law and their exchange student from Greenland, went to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. It's based on a story by F. Scott Fitzgerald about a man who "ages" backwards. It stars Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett and Julia Ormond. I loved the film and it was one of the best I've seen in a few years.

The film raised some interesting questions in my mind about age. I highly recommend it.

Bonne Annee 2009!

Merry Christmas To All

Its been a crazy, wonderful week. With the wedding, the holidays and visiting family, I've hardly had time to think--much less deal with a stomach bug. Yet.... So here we are, the wedding is over, Christmas is here and the New Years is just within reach. I'm blissfully happy as a new wife and very late in getting around to posting in my blog to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas!

PS...everyone needs a panini press. (my new favorite toy)

New Handmade Card

Another handmade card using the Cuttlebug Machine (Provo Crafts) for embossing. I used a linen card blank and embossed a red patterned piece of scrapbook paper. The card was "distressed" using Color Box pigment inks and chalks. A gold embellished red ribbon is placed over that using "Zots". It is finished with a vintage card cut out which has also had the edges distressed using Color Box inks. The final touch was an application of gold glitter glue.

Recent Photos

These were all taken last week while we were waiting to watch some deer feeding by the windmill. We weren't disappointed, but it was a little too dark to photograph.

Vintage Christmas Postcards

I just love vintage postcards and the ones for Christmas are particularly charming. Here are a couple that I have from my vast collection.

Click on the image for a larger view.

What Big Pies You Have

All I can say is that THIS pie looks richer than Donald Trump. I might have to try it. If I dare.
I love Ezra Pound Cake food blog!

Speaking of rich looking...

I really admired some embossed cocktail napkins I saw in a party supply store while looking for things for my wedding. They were very expensive--16 for $8.00. Then I got looking at them closely and suddenly my brain kicked into gear. I found plain cocktail napkins in the ivory color I wanted and ran them through the Cuttlebug machine using a lacy embossing folder. Voila! Now I have the pretty embossed napkins and paid $4.00 for 50!

Another Cuttlebug Embossed Card

Yet another Cuttlebug embossed card. I really love this machine. Here, I used dark cream colored card stock and ran it through the machine. I cut some music print paper and trimmed the corners with a corner punch from Fiskars. I used chalk inks along the edges of both the card and the music paper. In the center I placed a piece of embossed gold paper, at glittered leaf and a gold ribbon rose.

Thanks Dale for the photo. And thank you (all) for the nice comments on my previous cards.