Great Photo Card Ideas!

You know how everyone and their grandmother takes a family Christmas picture and has it made into a card to mail out to friends and relatives?

Custom Photo Cards makes it a snap!

You simply chose a card layout and then upload the photo of your choice. You can add any text to the front or inside the card that you like. You even get to choose the font style and size. You can order different quantities as well.

Well what if we sent out cards with our pictures or favourite photos for other occasions?

Just think about all the possibilities!

• A great photo of you with a bunch of scantily clad girls/guys on Spring Break – send it to friends that couldn’t make it to let them know what they are missing and to your parents so they know the tuition money is being well spent J

• How about a photo of you in last years Halloween costume to use as this years Halloween party invitations?

• Your engagement photo would look great on the thank you cards for your wedding shower gifts.

• Same goes for the wedding gift thank you cards – great way to share your wedding photos too. Wedding photos are a great addition to anniversary party invites too.

• A cherished baby picture would look great on your child’s high school graduation announcement (although, they may not think so J). How about the graduation picture on the grad gifts thank you cards?

• Imagine a great group shot of last year’s New Years Eve party for this year’s invitation?

• Then of course there are baby announcements, Easter cards, and Valentine’s cards – oh the list is endless!

Just check CardsDirect out!

Making Monday Better

All I need is love....ummm and this :)




I can thank Vickie that I am not drinking instant.

I usually only have one coffee a day but I REALLY need that one coffee!

So instead of making a pot, I usually just grab instant. Not now that we have the good stuff in the house!

What we did this weekend

On Saturday we surprised the kiddo by giving him his Birthday gift a few days early. His actual Birthday is Tuesday - he will be 11.

But we wanted him to have time to play with his gift and school nights are not ideal.
So this is what happened....

Reading the card...

Gets a glimpse of the XBOX logo...no way!

Totally cool!

I didn't get a picture of him running first to his Dad and then to me to hug and thank us - wiping out on the floor in the process :)

Then we let him open the box only to realize it was empty.

I acted all put out - Oh man - now we will have to go back to the store and it was the last one there. He was thinking he was going to have to wait at least a week to get a replacement - until his Dad turned the TV on and the XBox logo displayed :)

Here he is checking out the console.

And of course we didn't see or hear from him again for days :)

Look look what I got!

Look, look, look!

I received my tote from my swap buddy Vickie today.

When I was paired up with Vickie and we started corresponding via email, Vickie told me she doesn't sew much - look at the amazing job she did!


And we even picked similar fabrics for each other's totes.
You can see the one I made her here.

Check out the cool fabric inside!

And just look at all the yummy stuff she included!

A Saltscape magazine (from her side of Canada), a lil handmade pouch with beach glass, rocks and shells, a bag of gummy Lifesaver candy (that my son wants to claim) and a large bag of organic French Roast coffee (my husband & I will really enjoy this!).

Thank you so much Vickie - I love it all!

P.S. I couldn't keep the candy monster away!
He promised to save me some though.

There has been some sewing going on!

Updated: New pic at bottom of post!

Since I made the tote for my new friend Vickie as part of the Tote Swap over at Down To Earth, I have kind of been on a tote-making kick.

Vickie received the tote I made her in the mail yesterday, so now I can show you pictures.

It looks kind of plain at this point.

I also added pockets inside.

I decided to add this to the front - it is quilted and then hand stitched to the front.
I like its' puffiness :)

The other evening I whipped this one up in a couple hours.

And then this one I made from an old skirt that didn't fit well but I love the fabric. I still have lots more fabric so may make a couple more. The fabric colour differs on each side. I used it yesterday to hold my wrap when I went to my Dr's appt.

The there is this patchwork bit that I made that I think will become a tote.

As will this denim and fabric patchwork.

I have some small square canvas tote bags that I bought a long time ago - I am thinking to add this to the front of one of them.

In my haste to get going on my next project, I sewed the back to the front the wrong way around - so here is a nice picture showing what happens when you are in too big of a rush :)

I really like how this one turned out. The embroidered bit is from a blouse I bought at Value Village. I had planned to incorporate it into a crazy quilt - but I like this better and there is still another side to the blouse with the same embroidery.

I am not sure what I will do with them all.

I can't really use them all myself. I have a tote that Vickie made coming in the mail.

My family and my in-laws aren't really people who appreciate handmade items - well not true - my sister D loves stuff I make her - I just don't think she needs that many totes :)

My son is going on his first sleepover tonight and asked me to make him a tote - I have to get started on that right now :)

So this is what I came up for the kiddo - I don't have many boyish fabrics unfortunately, so I took one of those square canvas totes and an old shirt that didn't fit him anymore and made this. I hope he likes it!

That dreaded time of year again....

No I'm not talking about taxes but those are bad enough ......no I am talking about it being time for my ACK yearly physical!

I travel into Toronto, approximately 100 Km and an hour train ride away to see this Dr because I cannot find a female doctor out here in the boonies. I only go to her for the yearly physical, I have a male doctor (that used to be closer but then he moved and its a pain to go see him too), for all other stuff.

So I dread going in for this appt each year - it isn't pleasant yanno. But it is made worse by the fact that this doctor is ALWAYS triple booked and I usually have at least an hour wait until I am called in. Today of course, I was 25 minutes late and they raised stink about it. Seems the Dr showed up on time for a change. So I was rushed in, given a total of 3 minutes to put on the paper napkin gown before the nurse hustled back in to give me an ECG, since I am over 40 now - like anyone will let me forget. (It was fine by the way)

I remembered to bring a wrap with me this year to stay warm, thanks, to a bloggy friend who complained about the paper napkin gowns the other day. And then I sit and wait another 35 minutes until the doctor comes in.

The first thing the doctor does is rip the paper napkin down the front and then the back checking my skin for moles or whatnot - so why do I bother even putting it on - it is not like it is keeping me warm.

I grit my teeth as the doctor tries to make pleasant conversation through the rest of the exam and wonder if I should mention that I really dislike the picture she has put on the ceiling for the patients to stare at - I mean its a nice gesture and all - but I really dislike this picture and I have to stare at it every year. And why oh why are the damn exam tables so narrow and butted right up against the wall? I kept feeling like I was going to fall off.

I have slightly elevated blood pressure that I have been on meds for the past few years for. When she took my reading with the regular cuff (we usually use the large cuff as I have fat arms :)) it was 144/98 - higher than it has been. So she then put me on he electronic blood pressure meter with a large cuff. It takes 6 readings and averages them.

My average came out as 119/71. What?! One of the readings was 104/70! When she came back in to read them - (they had left me alone for the 6 readings), she mentioned that sometimes they get false readings because people get nervous when doctors are there. So perhaps I was more relaxed without her there. So maybe I have normal blood pressure and have been on medication just because doctors scare me?

Who knows. I'm just glad it is over for yet another year.

Catch up post

I know I haven't posted very much lately - I haven't been feeling especially inspired.

But here are a few pictures to catch you up with my life.

Kiddo with Easter stash.

The one plant I haven't managed to kill.
My sister gave it to me as a housewarming gift.
It's in my office

See the babies on top?

And finally, I have finished the top of the lap quilt that I am giving
my sister to raffle off for her Weekend To End cancer walk.

I have a small fleece throw that I will back the quilt with.
More pictures to come as I progress with it.