The Arrival of Wynter

It has been an exciting and busy two weeks. On Monday, February 27, while I was out doing some craft supply shopping with a friend and my sister in law, I got a text from my daughter in law that the doctor wanted to induce labor that evening. Since her mother couldn't be with her, and I was honored to be invited to be in the delivery room with her. So about six in the evening I was off to the hospital to be with her and my son as they prepared for the birth of our newest grandchild. It's been along time since I stayed up all night but it was well worth it. At 6:42 on Tuesday morning Wynter Iona Ray Brandt made her entrance into the world. We think she is just beautiful!

I was able to go home around noon time on Tuesday and catch a little bit of sleep before going back to the hospital to pick up her big brother who had been with her aunt. But since Auntie had to work the next day, he was going to spend the night with us. 

He was so excited to meet his little sister and to see Mommy and Daddy again.

He stayed with us two nights since Mommy and Wynter and I took him home after they arrived at home on Thursday. He helped me make brownies for their dinner. And then he crawled up on my sofa and fell asleep. Being a big brother is hard work.

Friday was a busy day of catching up on housework and getting ready for the weekend. Unfortunately I woke up on Saturday with the onslaught of a cold so the next several days were spent resting and recuperating (and staying away from the baby and her family).

Babies are a miracle and such a wonderful blessing from God.

More Card Crafting Fun!

Last Thursday was our monthly card crafting day with my sister in law and two friends. it was scheduled for the week before but that was the day it snowed and since many of the schools were closed, we decided it was probably wise to postpone for a week.

We have been having so much fun playing with sketches that we find on Pinterest. The previous two months we chose a sketch and all made our cards from the same sketch. It was interesting to see the different ways we interpreted the sketch. This month we each just selected our own sketch and came up with a card or two to share with the others.

Here are some of the beautiful cards we made.

Not only do we have a great time of laughing, chatting, and fellowshipping we always end up with five or six new cards by the end of the day!

And now we are officially on "baby watch." Our new little granddaughter is scheduled to arrive any day now. This Nana is excited!

Snow and a Sewing Project

When I wrote my last post we were expecting snow. Well, we finally got snow last Thursday, but not as much as what was predicted. We only got about 3 inches here at our house.  However, it was very pretty. And it was enough to close many of the schools in our area for the day. Mostly because of the timing of the snowstorm, not the amounts. Here are just a couple of pictures from our side and backyards.

My project for last Friday was a little sewing project. My daughter-in-law wanted a carseat poncho for my grandson to wear when he was in the car since it is not recommended that children be in heavy coats in the carseat. So after looking at a lot of different ones on Pinterest, I made him one. It is reversible so he can choose which side he wants.

Here you can see the two different fabrics I used.

                  

Here he is checking it out. The neck is a little larger than it would have needed to be. She didn't want it to have a hood, so I had to experiment with it. I had a hard time getting him to stand still so I could take a picture. He seems to like it very much. 

And I caught this beautiful sunset from my front porch one afternoon this week.

Will It Snow? and Pop Out Cards

As I am writing this post, we are awaiting the arrival of a snowstorm. If it arrives as called for, it will be our first snowstorm of the winter. We have had some snow showers and some snow flurries but we have yet to get our first measurable inch of snow here in south central Pennsylvania. It's hard to think about waking up to snow tomorrow morning when the temperatures were into the 60s today! We certainly have been having crazy weather this winter. 

Meanwhile, I have been busy in my craft room. One of my Christmas presents was a die to make pop out cards so I have been experimenting with it. Here are a few samples:

These are all birthday cards.  As you can see, I love flowers and I think this type of die lends itself very well to working with flowers. These flowers are cut from fabric. I have another similar die that allows more versatility in where the pop outs are as well as more depths.  I haven't played with it much yet.

I think they turned out pretty well. What do you think? Do you have a favorite?

Enjoy the snow!

It's a New Year

I didn't realize that so much time has passed since my last posting. The holiday season came and is gone and we are well into the new year. I spent the last part of 2016 working on making my love for card making and paper-crafts into a recognizable business. I opened an Etsy shop.  You can find me at www.etsy.com/shop/LorelCardsandMore. I am excited about this new venture and even though it is slow in beginning, I have sold a few cards. 

November and December found me busy at craft shows with my good friend Beckie. We sold lots of items over the seven weeks that we had shows, made new friends, and had a lot of fun as well. It was also a learning experience for us.

Now that we are into the New Year, life has settled back into more of a routine again.  Which means I have more time to spend in my craft room. Here are a few cards I have made recently.

I love making 3 dimensional cards like the box card above. They are so much fun and are a very unique card to send.  This one was made with some fabric I found at one of my favorite stores Farmhouse Memories. I have been experimenting with some pop out cards.  More about those another time.

This was a special card I made for my daughter in law's baby shower last week. New little granddaughter is due to arrive in the next few weeks. We are delighted to be welcoming another grandchild into the family.

Until next time...