Christmas and Friends, part 2

Well, there we sat, with an empty vase, a bag of craft goodies.  Sometimes inspiration happens right away, other times you wait.  Hmm, what to do?  My friend handed me a rolled up bunch of skinny twigs that turned out to be gold painted grapevine.  Very delicately, we unwound the grapevine, and with no plan in mind, rolled it loosely and placed it in the vase.  Sounds easy, eh?  Truth is, it took several tries to get it to look even.  Then we took it out - I wanted the apples (not real ones LOL) in the jar.

We added the greenery, and gold ribbon, and ta da....done.  An inspired rustic arrangement at Christmas, made by friends. 

I wish I had taken a picture of  her Christmas tree.  It's known as the tree with my last name, because so many of the ornaments on it were made by yours truly.  I did though, take a pic with the Santa I made years ago.  It sure was a trip down memory lane seeing crafts from the past - I'd forgotten so many of them.

As you can probably tell, we're very proud of our efforts and it was such a fun evening spent with a friend of 30 years!

Happy Crafting & Merry Christmas!

Christmas and Friends

What a wonderful weekend.  I spent Saturday shopping with a dear friend, wandering through specialty shops with unique gifts, delicious smelling sweet shops, and having good food, followed by yummy homemade hot chocolate on a chilly day. 

If I had to choose a high point of the day it wouldn't be easy, but, I would say it was helping re-do a Christmas arrangement.  We took a tray filled with ornaments and made it wonderful.  I'm not sure the photos do it justice. 

 We added pine cones, white sparkly and clear snowflakes, a tiny string of lights and a glass cake tray to raise the pine cone candles.  The candles are very special to my friend as her son gave them to her.

It really turned out quite lovely, and best of all, my friend absolutely loves it! Friends and Christmas - the best! 

Check back soon to see the other arrangement we made.

Merry Christmas!

Eye Spy Ornament

Eye spy with my little eye -  super cute ornaments for kids!  Super fun to make too!

With my quilled ornaments complete I  turned my attention to my hundreds (um...thousands) of beads, selecting sweet little treasures to place in the ornaments.  Below is one of the completed ornaments.  Notice the little scroll at the top - it's a list of what you need to find.

What do you spy?

Is this the end of my Christmas crafting?  What will I do?  LOL....craft on!


Happy Crafting!

Quilled Christmas Keepsakes

Like many people, I love family traditions. Throughout the years, my parents have bought myself and my sister a special ornament every Christmas, and now, I do the same for my children.  I love searching for ornaments!  Last year I didn't have to look too far - both received my quilled ornaments.

Well, I've been a busy girl and although it took a while, I finally finished my quilled Christmas ornaments.  Lots of different colours - unfortunately, the colours look a bit washed out by the lighting.

Christmas traditional colours.

Pretty pastels! Perhaps Baby's First Christmas.

Funky colours!

Whatever your preference, these make wonderful keepsake gifts.

What are your Christmas traditions?

Trio of Quilled Ornaments

I'm back!  The reno of my Mom's house took longer than expected - a month and three days longer!!  The house looks fantastic and we couldn't be more pleased with the results.  With the reno was done, it was time for some much needed rest....or not....LOL  Back to quilling and crafts.

Theses three lovely quilled ornaments are a custom order and they'll be going on a black Christmas tree.  I think the awesome colour combo, chosen by my shopper, are going to look awesome on the tree and the colours, dare I say, are going to pop!  Hmmm...there must be a better word than pop.

The papers I use are from Quilled Creations and as always for the top of the ornament, the gorgeous glimmer paper from Stampin' Up!, and it sparkles like crazy! 

I wanted to show you the bottom of the ornament. It takes 4 strips of 17" long paper done in a tight coil, then shaped over the point - see the picture below. 

 

Let's hope it's not so long between posts!  Happy Crafting!

 

They're Multiplying!

Another busy weekend, but not crafting - all reno shopping.  We found pretty much everything we were looking for, and yes, my feet are very sore...lol. 

Now, to what has been keeping me busy.  Until I gathered all my Quilled Christmas ornaments together for this photo, I didn't realize there were so many!  Check out the variety of colours.

 

They're not completely finished, but it won't take too long to add the sparkly tops, which is good because September will be a busy reno month at mom's house.  I'll try to post whenever possible.

Thanks for stopping by!   Happy Crafting!

Motivational Mondays

The Start of Another Ornament

Here I go again!  It's hot as you know what outside, so I'm chillin' this afternoon with some quillin'.  No, I didn't intentionally plan on having that rhyme lol.   Don't get me wrong - I had a busy day.  Mom is moving so the enormous task of packing has begun.  Sixty years of treasure and memories to go through, so my posts may lessen over the next few months.  However, in my quiet time, I'm making my Quilled Christmas Ornaments. 

The first rows are easy, then the fun starts.  I'm saying that tongue in cheek because to me, these are like making a puzzle, with no directions.  My kind of craft!

 Be sure to check in every once in a while.  I have some funky colours planned for my next ornament!

Thanks for stopping by!  Happy Crafting!

Motivational Mondays

Red & White Quilled Ornament

Is it winter already? Thankfully not yet, but it's not that far off (argh!) so I'm ramping up my work on Christmas crafts.  This is the time of year when I use my breaks and lunch time quilling, in addition to evenings and weekends.  You'll notice a difference from this ornament and one in a previous post.  These tight coils use a lot more paper, and take a lot more time, but I do love the look! 

I just realized it looks like the ornament is on an egg cup but it's actually resting on a silver candlestick holder - thought I'd try something a bit different.

I hope you're having a great start to your weekend!

Thanks for stopping by!  Happy Crafting!


Sand

Dragonflies & Butterfly Card

Another fabulous day - good and busy - just the way I like it!  Funny though, I do find my office job gets in the way of my craft fun.  What's a girl to do!!?? 

This card is a bit of a departure from my 'norm' - I did an overlay of colours and images which is somewhat new to me.  In my craft room, I found a roll of wide metallic ribbon with holes in it...perfect for laying over the paper and sponging on more colour.  At first I thought I ruined the layer because it looked like it had a partial footprint, but with an addition of another colour, voila, all fixed.  I'm good with a bit of trial and error - you just never know where it may lead!

After stamping the various images, I embossed the paper, yup, for a bit more depth. Unlike my card yesterday which had my hand cutting a dragonfly, I used my butterfly punch after I did a subtle two-tone colour on the butterfly. 

I'm really happy with the way this card turned out and will definitely be using the technique again! I may even venture into bolder colours! Gasp!

Here's an answer to a couple more questions:
I'm not a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, although I was a few years ago.
The majority of stamps, paper and ink I use are from Stampin' Up!  Great products!!

Thanks for stopping by!  Happy Crafting.


Sand

Dragonfly Birthday Card

Today was my first day back from vacation, and wow, am I ever tired!!  Perhaps it's from sitting at the computer for most of the workday???  Or, I'm just plain tuckered out! LOL  Anyway, I had a great vacation!  It was actually another stay-cation, so no travel pics, but I do have this card to show you!

I love the dragonfly stamp in a set from Stampin' Up! Notice the one dragonfly was cut out and raised from the layer?  I did it for two reasons - to give the card depth, and, because I have the cutest, sharpest little scissors ever, and wanted to give them a try!  If you're wondering if I goofed on the sentiment, it's all good - I stamped it several times to check and turns out it's supposed to look kind of rustic.

To answer a couple of questions I had - yes, my cards, and quilled items are for sale, and yes you can choose from a variety of colours. Contact us via Facebook - our group name is Lolly & Sand. 


Thanks for stopping by!  Happy Crafting!

Motivational Mondays

Happy!

Happy Sunday and happy long weekend for Canadians!  I have the song Happy by Pharrell Williams in my head, and as I sit typing this post my feet are doing a little happy dance, so I was thinking how appropriate it would be to show you my Happy card today.

When I made this card, I originally thought it would be for a birthday, but it would also make a great wedding or anniversary card.  Or...as is - a happy card.  Needless to say, as usual, I haven't added a sentiment inside - keeping my options open for now. 

I love the embossed flower image; so pretty!  As you can see, I added a few 'pearls' and went with a subtle sparkle paper for 'Happy'.
 

Clearly I'm feeling pretty darned happy today!  I hope you're weekend is happy too!

Thanks for stopping by.  Happy Crafting!


Sand

An Inspired Card

Beautiful sunny, breezy perfect day!  Is it true Canadians talk about the weather...a lot??  Probably, but how else would we know what to wear? LOL

Here's another card I made in minutes, and right about now, you're thinking I'm the laziest quiller/card maker around!  I do tend to make card bases long before I actually use them.  The 'wings' were ready too, but hadn't considered what I would make. I literally dropped them on the card, along with the sage coloured tight rolls.  Quite often, that's how inspiration happens for me...so perhaps not lazy...um...let's say...prepared for those inspired moments.

All for now!


Thanks for stopping by!  Happy Crafting.



Sand

Quilled Swan Card

In my quest to beat the heat, I managed to get two little gardens done yesterday.  Then I had a 'lightbulb' moment - get out early,before the sun hits the garden, which is what I did this morning, at 6:30.  Why I didn't add mulch to my gardens in May!  Live and learn baby, live and learn!

My week has been so unexpectedly busy - I've started, but not finished any cards, but I do have a pretty card made not too long ago.

I did a few of these cards, and each swan was slightly different.  I like that.


Thanks for stopping by!  Happy crafting.


Sand

Quilled Thank You Card

I woke up to a 'chilly' morning and will be heading out shortly to tend to my gardens before it heats up, so my post today is brief.

This was fun to make - I set the red and pink fringed flowers on the card, then added in the quilled leaves and buds.  Generally, I make quilled leaves etc, long before they the are used.  Ready to go when I need them. That's the 'Coles notes' version.  My garden awaits.

Thanks for stopping by!  Happy Crafting.


Sand

Quilled Ornament

Mid-way through a beautiful week of vacation and enjoying every minute!  Although  I didn't make much in the way of plans, my week is filling up with activities quite nicely.

I asked myself - is it ever too early for Christmas crafts? Noooooooo! Teehee!  This quilled ornament isn't exactly traditional Christmas colours - it's okay to break with tradition.  Especially with these fun colours!  

 

I've been 'quilling up a storm', so come on back soon to see what new goodies I've created.

Thanks for stopping by!  Happy Crafting.

Sand

Motivational Mondays

Lolly & Sand - A Trip Down Memory Lane

For many years my dad took lots of pictures. Later in life dad became interested in genealogy and sorted through thousands of very old and new family pics in an effort document the people in the pics. I can't imagine how long it took dad to write names, places and dates on the pics, but I'm so glad he took on the project.  It resulted in 100+ photo albums full of memories.  Unfortunately Alzheimer's ended the journey a few years ago so some of the people in the pics will remain a mystery.

Today, I was looking through some of the albums, and wow - what a step back in history.  Some of the clothing & hairstyles, oh my, are sooooo groovy!  My goal was to find a pic with Lolly & myself in a pic together. After about an hour - jackpot!  I found two  Yup, two. LOL

This was taken in the Bahamas.  Somehow the date wasn't noted...let's just say it was a while ago.

Oh how I despised those glasses,  I purposely broke the arm on them, hoping my parents would spring for a new pair.  Boy oh boy, was I - they had the arm replaced, and no, it didn't match the other. Well, you can't blame a gal for trying!

Fast forward to the early eighties.  Sorry about the quality of the pic.  Note the HUGE glasses.  Can't blame mom for those, I chose them myself!  All I can say is - thank goodness for laser eye surgery!!

Guess what!!??  We signed up on Twitter so be sure to follow up.  Please be patient with us - we're still figuring out how it works.  We're so old school...teehee!

Motivaltional Mondays

The Third of Three Baby Shower Cards

...and Friday, happy Friday! Another whirlwind of a week has come to an end and I'm ready for the weekend!  First on my to-do list is to sleep in Saturday morning. One can wish, LOL.

As promised, here is the third baby shower card.  I considered using a different embossing folder, but this patterned paper only needed the little dots.  Add in a cute little owl and sparkly 'Happy' and ta da, baby shower card! 

If you missed the other two baby shower cards, be sure to check my older posts!

Thanks for stopping by - happy crafting!

Baby Shower Card

I am inspired!  It rained most of the day - we needed the rain so bad.  Just as I sat down to work on this post, the sun came out.  Awesome!

As promised, here is the second baby shower card. This card is simply elegant!  The off-white embossed layer is a glimmer paper, the butterflies are made of sparkly paper, and I just love my new Elegant dots embossing folder from Stampin' Up!  

For depth, the layer was raised using Stampin' Up! dimensionals, as was the sentiment.  You may have noticed I use lots of Stampin' Up! products - they are awesome!

Thanks for stopping by.  Happy crafting!


Sand

Motivational Mondays

...and you can too!

Thanks for stopping by!

Lolly & Sand

Hop

This weekend brought hot hot weather.  It was an enjoyable afternoon spent swimming and staying cool. And, I thought I might have the start of a tan, but by the evening, yikes - it was a burn, not too bad though.  Yes, I know better.  I hope your weekend was great!

Candlesticks - love 'em, so in my search for pretty and unique candlesticks, I found this cutie!  Okay, so not the most unique, but I do have good news.  I also found this fantastic little plate which clearly was made to be with the candlestick!  The bunny is sweet, and that bit of pink makes is a perfect match.  I wish the deep pink colour of the candlestick could be seen the my pic.

Hop - how cute is this!!  My first re-purpose project - yay!

Thanks for stopping by.  Happy crafting!

Baby Shower Card

Winter is clearly over, and we moved into what is known as pot hole season, construction season....you get my drift.  Well, I think it`s baby season!  In other words, I`ve had a few requests lately for baby shower cards!

Today I have for you, card one of three requested by my co-worker.

Here we go....

This is my first attempt at cutting out a stamped image - in this case, the giraffe.  It would have been much easier if I`d been able to locate my preferred scissors, but I`m always up for a wee challenge and managed quite well without them.  Heart shaped balloons....awwww!

I see myself making this card again...same colours, different colours, multi-colours - ooh...I like that idea! 

That`s all for now.  Be sure to check back soon to see the second baby shower card.


Thanks for stopping by - happy crafting!

Happy Mid-week!

Whatever you want to call it - we're half way through the work week!  Now, is it just me, or do we all count the days until Friday, then start all over again on Monday!? LOL

Today I have a card for you that I'll happily admit, is a CASE (copy and share everything)
from my favourite Stampin' Up! demonstrator http://alacards.blogspot.ca/2015/06/birthday-roses.html

I wanted this to have a vintage look, and to achieve that look, I used a sponge to add colour to the roses.  Then, I backed the layer with cardstock to make it thicker, and used Stampin' Up! dimensionals to give the card depth.  A clean & simple card!

By the way....you're not seeing things...the layer is on an angle.  Oh...lol...and I meant to do that.

Thanks for stopping by.  Happy Crafting!

Sand

Motivational Mondays

We both love this and remind ourselves to have the courage to take the step that gets us to where we want to be!! 


Thanks for stopping by!


Lolly & Sand

One of a Kind

That's what this card is - one of a kind, and the reason I say that is because of the watercolour aspect of the background.

I sprinkled a powdered paint medium called Bister http://ibrakeforstamps.com/bister.aspx onto watercolour paper and sprayed it with water.  Each time I use Bister I get a unique look which is exactly why I love using it.

Once it dried, I stamped the image and sentiment using black Stazon ink, then punched the butterfly and ovals - both Stampin' Up! products.

I

A truly one of a kind card for a one of a kind lady!  Mom loves the card!

Thanks for stopping by - happy crafting!


Sand

Three Little Owls

Happy Saturday!  What a beautiful day; the sun is shining and I can see more flowers blooming in my garden. 

A lovely lady I worked with years ago asked me to make a special baby card.  Her niece recently gave birth to triplets - a boy and two girls.  Coincidentally, I had just re-discovered my Stampin' Up! owl punch, and went to work.  The resulting card is one of my new favourites!  It's got subtle 'bling', texture, and the cuteness factor necessary for a baby card.

The card looks a bit washed-out, but I assure you it's just the lighting.  I use my cell phone as a camera, and generally get some decent results; however I'm trying to use natural lighting and am struggling a bit.  Regardless, the card is super cute!  Did I just toot my own horn??  Yup! LOL


Thanks for stopping by.  Happy crafting!


Sand

S is for Sand - hey that's me!!

I have another lovely quilled letter for you today.  But first, let's go back to my previous post; a  minor detail was neglected.  The base of the quilling is a white wooden letter - you probably figured that out already!

For my quilled letter, I chose pastels - oh so pretty!  The same technique was used as in Lolly's letter. 

Did you notice something?  Compare the 'L' to the 'S' - it's no accident that we chose completely different colours.  We have many similarities and differences, naturally.  For her letter, Lolly chose a rich, bold pallet, whereas I went subtle...this time!

I'm totally in love with quilling.  Still learning, but enjoying every moment!


Thanks so much for stopping by.   Happy crafting!


Sand

Pretty Quilled Letter

Lolly Lolly Lolly get your....quilling here.  Do you remember Schoolhouse Rock?  I do, and it might have contributed to my penchant for changing the words in songs.

For today's project, I present to you, the letter 'L'.  I gave Lolly her choice of colours, and she chose a rich and beautiful combination.

I thought about using my fringer, but found it much more satisfying and therapeutic to use my little scissors to make the tiny cuts on the 1/8" wide quilling paper.  Teeny flowers and even smaller tight rolls - love love love the letter 'L'.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Happy crafting!

Sand

Happy Birthday Canada!

We're so blessed to live in such a beautiful country!


Lolly & Sand

Welcome to Our Blog

Granny called us 'Giggling Gerties' - what a wonderful term of endearment. We loved playing dress-up - wearing Granny's pretty cotton dresses. playing Kings Corners and Rummy, throwing sand-muck at each other at the beach. Family gatherings at the cottages were the best!

As kids we shared similarities; same goofy humour. A love of music reading and drawing. Drinking water backwards from glasses (uh huh). Writing secret notes to each other. Vivid and recurring dreams. Oh how we rocked out to The Partridge Family. A bit goofy, a bit dorky.

Fast forward several years and we're now grown up, both with kids. And although we live 4+ hours apart, when we get together at the cottages, it's like we were never apart. Splashing and wave crashing at the lake, outlasting our kids, and most others at the beach. Still giggling, still silly; perhaps not quite as dorky.  What we are though - artistic and imaginative, creative cousins!

Thank you for stopping by.  See you soon!

Lolly & Sand