Happy Mother's Day!

The best conversations with mothers always take place in silence,

when only the heart speaks.

~ Carrie Latet ~

For the Birds . . . . .

I wouldn’t call myself an avid birdwatcher, but I do have a strong appreciation of all things nature, and birds are no exception.

Lee and I have a fairly large backyard, with lots of shrubs and trees, and over the years, our yard has been visited by countless birds, and home to many.

Although we don’t have a huge variety of avian wildlife here in our part of the suburbs, we do enjoy the sights and sounds of junkos, blue jays, house finches, quail, hummingbirds, mourning doves, flickers and magpies on a regular basis.

There have been many a morning that I have awakened to the cheerful chirping of robins and the melodic songs of the cute little house finches that frequent our yard. Lee and I love to hang feeders in various locations throughout our back and front yards, where we can watch bird activity year round from our deck and through our dining room and front windows.

In addition to providing real-life diversion and fun photo opportunities, birds also provide me with inspiration for my card creations. Sometimes I’ll be struck by a particular quote or play on words that lends itself well to a handmade card with a bird-related theme or paper piecing. Other times, I’ll discover some colorful and cute patterned paper at the crafts or scrapbook store that includes a bird image or theme, and I’ll be inspired to create a card around that. And yet other times, I may find an especially sweet or whimsical ready-made bird-themed embellishment that just begs to have a handmade card designed around it.

I never quite know when I first start working on a card, how the final design is going to turn out. . . so each new card design is a work in progress, until that final moment when my eye and my heart say to me, “That’s it! It’s done!” And indeed, this is the aspect of card design and cardmaking that I most enjoy. . . .this sort of free-floating aspect that allows one’s creativity to emerge and evolve.

Only recently have I realized just how many cards I’ve actually designed with a bird-related theme, and there have been quite a few! So, I thought it might be fun to share some of my previous and current card designs with you.

May I present to you, my collection of bird-themed handmade card designs, which I’m calling “ For the Birds.” I hope you like them!

Until we meet again. . . may you always keep a song in your heart.

The BUTTERFLY counts not months but moments . . . . . .

and has time enough.


~ Rabindranath Tagore ~

Until we meet again . . . . . . . Wishing You Memorable Moments.

Sharing the Love. . . . . once again!

Good Morning, My Friends and Fellow Bloggers!

It’s the beginning of a brand new week, and I can’t think of a better time to post another blog entry along the theme of Sharing the Love!

One of my fellow paper crafting friends, Rebecca over at Scrappers Delight, recently surprised me with the Craft Diva Award for ­­­­­­­style and creativity. Now I have to say, I've never considered myself a diva, but where crafting is concerned, I'm more than happy to have that title bestowed upon me! And I’m honored to have a fellow artisan and craftsperson think highly enough of my various efforts in paper crafts and cardmaking to bestow such a nice award. Thanks so much, Rebecca!

I hope any of you who are reading this post will take a few minutes to check out Rebecca's blog and see what creative and unique designs she herself makes! (And congrats to you as well, Rebecca, for receiving the Craft Diva award!)

As a new recipient of this award, one is asked to pass it along to a few more crafty "divas" (sorry, guys, I guess that leaves you out on this one. . . but I'll make it up to my creative and crafty guy friends another time!) .

So, without further adieu, I’m happy to pass along this Craft Diva Award to the following Blogs/Bloggers, whose talent and creativity have caught my attention, particularly from an artisan/craftsperson perspective. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to visit their blogs and become acquainted with their work. . . .I trust that you won’t be disappointed!

Lisa at La Femmme Papier - You'll see a little art, a little crafting, a little photography, but always something creative and interesting!

EFA Artists Helping Animals Monthly Challenge Blog - More than one crafting diva is represented here, but a visit to this blog is well worth your time! You'll be amazed at the talent and creativity represented here, AND a portion of the sale proceeds from any of the artists' creations are contributed to a variety of animal charities!

Lazy Bone Creations - By her own admission, Lazy Bone "makes cards, drinks coffee, and contemplates life". I discovered Lazy Bone's blog quite some time ago, shortly after I started blogging myself. And from her blog entries, I've watched her cardmaking develop and evolve. I can honestly say that I consider her card designs to be some of the most unique and creative I've seen. Don't miss checking them out yourself!

Pondering and Paper - Also known as NYPaperCrafter on Etsy and Artfire, this talented and crafty diva is another fellow cardmaker. I discovered her blog only a short time ago, but have found it to be an enjoyable place to visit. And I love seeing all her new card designs as she posts them!

I hope you'll take a few minutes to check out the great blogs and enjoy the work of these four special Craft Divas! It's been my pleasure to "share the love" today, by passing along this award to these extremely talented and creative women.

If you like crafting yourself, and might be interested in joining a network of fellow crafters. . . .


Check out Craft Diva @ http://craftdiva.ning.com. This is a free networking site, where you can get to know and share information and ideas with other crafters.

Until we meet again. . . . . May we all continue to discover our creativity within.

A Father's Day Card from Harley . . . .

Our sweet greyhound, Harley, surprised my husband Lee today with a lovely Father's Day card! (Well, if the truth be known . . .Harley did have a LITTLE help from me, good ol' mom. But, shhhhh! Don't tell Lee, 'cause he already thinks that Harley is quite a special, indeed, gifted dog!)


This is the card that Lee found this morning, before I even got up. It had been carefully packaged in an envelope with a pawprint drawn on the outside, and propped against the coffee pot on the counter, where Lee was sure to see it as he started his daily routine of making coffee.

And the inside . . . . . .


Needless to say, Lee was touched, and Harley got some extra hugs (and bacon bits) from him today!

Harley is pretty lucky to have a greyt dad like Lee . . . and he knows it!

I'd like to dedicate today's Blog post to all the other wonderful dads out there . .including those of you who are "dads" to furry family members like Harley.

And I would like to wish you all a

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!