A Happy Mother's Day Wish...and...Grow Old Along With Me...

Good evening, everyone!

Hope it's been a lovely weekend, so far!  I haven't had too much card-making time the last few days...lots of family activities, a visit from Grandma Campbell, soccer game, and our anniversary!  So many fun things going on!

First, however, I'd like to wish you all a very happy Mother's Day tomorrow...all of you that I've come to know this last year...wonderful mothers all, I can tell.  I hope your day is filled with love and sweet memories...Here's a card I made for my Mother this week...

I love this image from Crafty Secrets' "Childhood" Images & Journal Notes booklet...some satiny ribbon, brown & cream gingham ribbon, crocheted lace, and a touch of Platinum Stickles for a bit of sparkle...

...such a sweet vintage image of the love between a mother and daughter...

Just thought I'd share of few images of the beautiful mothers in our family--vintage, of course!

Here's my wonderful mother-in-law, Shirley...isn't she adorable in this photo?  This was taken about 1933.  She grew into a beautiful young woman...

...and became the most loving mother, grandmother and mother-in-law--thanks, Mom!

And my Mom...

...here she is about 1943.  I love this picture--the beautiful colorizing--so richly done.  This piano bench (along with the piano, of course!) is now used by my daughters and I...such a well-loved heirloom.

Mom's "glamour" shot in her college days...love how it just glows!  You're beautiful, Mom!

And one of my favorite pictures of motherhood...my Mom and I about 1964 on the steps of our apartment in Southern California...I love how I'm holding on to her as she comes to give me a kiss...love you, Mom!

My husband, Roger, and I celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary yesterday...where has the time gone?!

Here we are while dating...1987...I went up to visit his family in Northern California, and we spent the day in San Francisco.  The memories of this windy day are so sweet to me...

Our engagement photo in 1988...how do you like my '80's "big hair" perm?  Hmmmmm...the things we'd change if we could, right?!  Isn't my sweetheart handsome?

And on our wedding day, May 7th, 1988...such a great day for us and our very happy families.  We've been blessed with so many things...health, happiness, three beautiful, loving daughters...we couldn't ask for more...

Here's the card I made for him for our anniversary...not very masculine, is it?!  Oh, well!  He loved it--he is always very appreciative of the things I make, which is a wonderful thing...

A sweet vintage image from Crafty Secrets' "Cherish" stamp set...so pretty!  I did all paper piecing here...just wanted that look...a bit of a job with all the tiny blossoms, though--but I like the way it turned out.  Lace, ribbon, lots of silver Stickles, and some beautiful patterened paper from "AdornIt".

Thank-you, honey, for a beautiful past full of loving memories, a present filled with all things good (not always easy times, though...right, dear?!)...and a future filled with hope, loyalty and love...

And in the words of one of my favorite poems, by Robert Browning...

"Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be.

The last of life, for which the first was made:
Our times are in His hand
Who saith, 'A whole I planned,
Youth shows but half; Trust God: see all, nor be afraid!'"

Have a beautiful weekend and a lovely Mother's Day...I'll see you soon with something new...

***Please go and visit Mimi Charmante for her lovely giveaway...beautiful vintage "actions" for your Photoshop creations!***

Just a Little Vintage Silliness...

Good afternoon, my friends!

Hope the day has been treating you well so far!  Just about time for me to pick up my youngest daughter, then head off to a softball game for my high school daughter...busy day ahead!

Just a quick post today to share a couple of silly things I made this morning...I was definitely in a whimsical mood--nothing serious today for me today, thank-you very much!

Here's the first..

This grumpy little fairy girl is from Crafty Secrets' "Altered Fairy" Creative Scraps--one of my very favorite things to play with!

Lots of Dazzling Diamonds and silver Stickles to sparkle things up...some soft & pretty white ribbon...

...and some wise words to live by!

And next...

Oh, what a cute little baby!  Love her sitting on the cupcake--a coupon for a very BIG wish in her hand!

These images are also from the "Altered Fairy" scraps...some lace, ribbon, and the last of my sweet yellow crocheted ribbon--I need more!

...and just look at thost shimmery clear glass crystals...so sugary and pretty!

Well, that's about it for me today...I told you it would be quick!  I'll be back on Saturday with something new...you should see my table...it's covered with new things I'm working on...my poor family!

Hope your day is just wonderful!  See you soon!

A Very Sugary Cupcake...and Sweet Mother's Day Memories...

Good morning, dear friends!

Seems like I haven't posted forever--just a few days, though!  It's been busy here, but today is nice and quiet...{sigh....!}

I have a couple of things to share with you today...first off...I've been needing some birthday cards to have on hand, so I finally got one done yesterday:

I LOVE these colors together--one of my favorite combinations--just makes me really happy!  I used three of my favorite Pink Persimmon stamp set for this:  "Vintage Cupcake", "Vintage Greetings", and "Sweet Greetings"...each one is just delightful!

Lots of silver Stickles, lace and the perfect shade of vintage pink rick-rack trim were used...and some oh, so fabulous German clear glass glitter for the frosting!

Also added some Diamond Stickles on some random pink polkadots on the background paper--I just can't seem to stop with the sparkles!

I've also been working on things for Mother's Day...My Mom asked me last week if I would make something with my Grandmother's picture on it for her Mother's Day display in her "shrine", as we call it...the place in her entry that she always decorates so beautifully for each and every holiday.  Here's what I came up with:

This is LaPriel when she was just 17 years old, in 1929...my Dad's mother.  I love her.  She passed away when I was just 3 1/2 years old,  but I do remember her.  What I remember the most is that she absolutely loved me.  That warm, sweet thought is stuck in my memory, and I know it will never go away...

 I used yellow and turquoise for the card because they were her favorites...As I worked on this, my thoughts kept revolving around her.  I have a copy of her journal--the only one I know she had, and in it is found this lovely Mother's Day memory from 1946...

"Mother's Day--I woke up early this morning and went in the front room and there were four lovely potted plants on the mantle with notes on them to me from my boys...I squealed out loud and out came my precious boys grinning from ear to ear.  They said that wasn't all.  They asked me to go outside, and out there they had planted flowers all out in the front...they had signs on them.  One said, 'Dear Mother, I hope these will bloom.  But they never can bloom as blooming sweet and lovely as you.  Grant.'  Another, 'Merry Mother's Day, Mother Mine.'  Then another sign said, "I hope these will grow, but they never will grow as beautiful as you, Mother Dear.  Clayn.'  (my Dad!)  I cried--couldn't help it!  I wonder so often how I happened to be so lucky to have such love as I have....A lovely Mother's Day..."

Sometimes when I'm too busy, I think of another time in her journal when her boys really wanted her to go to town and see a movie with them, and she did, writing that she hoped they always would want her to go with them like that...precious moments that fly away too soon!  I'm so grateful for that wise lesson from my Grandmother...

Her daughter, my Aunt Diana said that she always said, "Remember to smile before you answer the phone...a happy voice on the phone means you've reached a happy home." More good advice! 

She told me that once a man had called their home once mistakenly, and that my Grandmother sounded so cheerful, he called back later, "just to hear a pleasant voice on the phone"!

I need to remember that more often!

I asked my Mom what typified her the most--how could I characterize her--in the small space of a card--in the best way?  So many thoughts came to her mind, and my Dad's...in the end, I found inspiration in these words...and I just feel that it's something she would say to me right now if she could...

...so those are my words to you, today, as well...Believe in Yourself...

...and have a most wonderful day!