#56: Happy Mother's Day, 2012

Three years.

I would have never believed it's been three years since I last updated my blog.

In 2010, I lost my Mom after a long and difficult battle with Alzheimer's and lung cancer.  I think I miss her more now than I did immediately after her death, because I have less of a sense of relief and more of a sense of loss.  She was suffering so much, that it was a deep blessing to have her pain-free, at long last.  Now, the suffering is a more distant memory, and the reality of the fact that she has gone is more poignant.

But, I'm still making cards and creating other things, so I hope to be back, remembering to smile both at what I had and what is yet to come.

I love you, Mom.  Always have and always will.
XXX OOO
Mary

#55: Mother's Day, 2009

As my Mom's Alzheimer's disease progresses, she has less ability to understand anything abstract in nature. So, no puns or poetry for her Mother's Day cards, but I do try to incorporate as much texture as possible into them. Patients with Alzheimer's are very tactile-- they enjoy touch and the differences in how things feel. Mom's card this year included as much as I could to make it a happy card for her-- lots of textures and depth--but boy, did that same intent make it a tough card to scan or photograph!

The base is a sheet of heavy, white, linen textured acrylic painting paper, and the layer is a beautiful shade of textured metallic cardstock from DCWV called "Nightlife," which is actually a silvery lavender color.

The intricate flowery square is from a pack of four felt coasters I bought from Michael's "10 for 10 Dollars" section. I added a few small silver brads to the center and some huge, jeweled brads to the corners.

In all my years of stamping (almost 20), can you believe I've never had a "Happy Mother's Day" stamp? When I found this Inkadinkado beauty in the SALE bin, I knew it had to come home with me.

This is my third year of posting Mom's Mother's Day cards; the first post I ever put up for my blog was one of them. I love you, Mom.

#54: Talking Cards

Now that they're being discontinued and just about impossible to find, I've discovered "Bubble Stickers" from Martha Stewart. I purchased several packages on sale at Michael's.... well, because they were on sale. No other reason.

Now I find that they're really tickling my fancy and I've had a lot of fun with them. Since they're hard to find, I did the next best thing and bought a h*u*g*e punch at Hobby Lobby that's a rectangular "Cartoon Bubble," as they call it. This is going to be fun!

----------------------------------
Bunny Stamp:Studio G ($1.00 at Michael's)
Thank You: Pre-inked JustRite Double Stamp (What a timesaver!)
----------------------------------

#53: And now for something completely different...(Finally!)

It's a card made with a napkin, and every time I look at the cartoon, it makes me laugh... Poor St. Patrick! Just look at those big circles under his eyes. Every Mom and Dad in the world can relate!

#52: I love snowflakes!

I have an awful lot of snowflake and snowflake-themed stamps, but since I don't make my own Christmas cards, they don't see as much use as they should. I love to incorporate them into other types of cards, like this get-well card for a co-worker.
Here's the cover: .... and then a small scan of the inside:


The card is 6"x6" and I think all the stamps are from various $1.00 bins.

The round snowflake punch is an old one from All Night Media, and the snowflake border punch on either side of the "Get Well Soon" is Martha Stewart's embossing border punch. (Note to self: The embossing shows on the underside of the cardstock, so put the cardstock into the punch upside down....)

The wonderful sparkly chipboard letters are from the Dollar Spot at Target-- some of the prettiest I've ever seen! I only got two packages, so I'll definitely need to make a return trip for more, now that I've seen what a nice touch they add.

Hope all your holiday plans are coming together. Try not to stress, OK?

#51: Why is it...?

The more stuff I have, the less stuff I create? Sheesh, I don't think my hobby is stamping/card-making anymore....I think it's collecting stamping/cardmaking stuff.

Do I love all my stuff? Yep, unreservedly! Do I use my stuff? Er....not so much. I should be ashamed. Should be, mind you, but I'm not. Every once in a while, I go into a flurry of creating and then I'm so happy with myself, I remember why I started all this!

I've also realized that my favorite creations never make it to the blog because I am a card-carrying crappy photographer. If it doesn't scan, it doesn't appear here. And even if it does appear here, it's a little pathetic. But pathetic can be kinda cute, too! (example follows...)

===============

Penguin & Happy Birthday stamps from various dollar bins. My expensive stamps are carefully stored and I have a hard time remembering where... which is why I use my dollar stamps, mostly.

===============

#50: Impulsive Bunnies

I love this teeny, little stamp (1"x¾"). I've had it for years and have no idea where I bought it. However, the information from the side of the wood mount says "Noteworthy™, Chatsworth, CA." When I put Google to work on that, it turns out it isn't a stamp company, but a "...company highly focused on providing front end, value oriented, impulse merchandise programs..." (The bold underline is mine.)

Yup, the word impulse describes my shopping habits perfectly!

These bunnies have graced lots of birthday, thank you, get well and thinking-of-you cards-- and every single time I add them to something, I have to laugh!