Beautiful Hummingbirds!

Today I wanted to show you the great pictures I was able to snap a few days ago!

First off, I have to tell you about this wonderful hummingbird feeder I got when I was in Belleville, Ontario.  It was from this great little shop called, A Place to Perch.  The owner was so knowledgeable and friendly and she told us about this simple red feeder.  Soni and I both bought one, as well as the nectar and a "waspinator".  The hummingbirds find this feeder easy to use and even like to perch on the little rail.  There also is a moat in the center to prevent ants from getting into the nectar.

Sure enough, hummingbirds came to my feeder within a day of me hanging it up!  I've had a different feeder years ago, but I haven't seen as many hummingbirds as I do now!  Birds come to this feeder all day long.  It is so exciting to see these little colorful birds fly over and take a drink.  It just puts a big smile on my face.

I then became determined to snap a picture of these beautiful birds.  It's not as simple as you may think.  These birds are so fast.  You have to be ready with your camera at a moments notice.  I would sit out on my deck, but no birds in sight.   But I didn't give up.  I was determined and was hoping that by the end of the season, I would have a picture or two.

Last week when I was out on my deck taking pictures of the "round wall hanging", I turned around when I heard the humming.  And since I already had my camera in hand, I was able to snap a few pictures!!!

Aren't these birds just gorgeous!!!

Now remember, the hummingbird is very popular and so is the hummingbird die that is from Elizabeth Crafts.  It is perfect for your summer projects like for example this beautiful card Els Van de Burgt made.

She used the hummingbird and fern dies, shimmer sheetz and micro fine glitter; all of which are presently in stock!  Stop by today to get your supplies.

Oh yes, as for the "waspinator", it works great.  It's a large grey bag that is supposed to look like a wasp's nest.  Wasps are very territorial and when they see this "nest", they turn away not wanting to trespass on what they think is already claimed ground.  So far, it is working.  I don't see any new nests being built and I have always had wasps building nests on my house siding.  Thank you Tina and Susan for your expertise!

 Thanks for "flying in"
         ~Anna

A Sample of the Cards We Made in Canada

I'm happy to post some of the cards we made in Canada this past weekend.

This is a close up of one of the 3-D Pop up cards we made in a clear dome; notice the new glitter swirl peel offs!

 And I just love this new die, Anja's Roses Centerpiece, that was used to make the "window" in this sample.  There is also a matching Anja's Roses Corner die!

Here, we used this new beautiful shimmery card stock and the rose flower punch and embosser set.  We used 2 different size punches, even though there are 3 sizes available.  Notice the beautiful embellishment inside the flower!  It is so elegant and simply made with a silver spacer and a mini glitter brad.  I am sure you are going to love these!

I'm thrilled that the goodies have arrived from Canada today!  I'm going through the order and getting it out on the shelves for you!  Join us on Saturday, May 19 for the big Show & Tell and see these and more up close and personal.  (The pictures unfortunately do not do them justice.)   In addition, we will have a Make & Take  and give away the new Nellie Snellen Catalog to the first 10 customers of the day! 

Looking forward to seeing you!
               ~Anna

We're Back From Our Canadian Adventure at Ecstasy Crafts

Hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day!  Soni and I were blessed to be able to spend the special weekend doing what we love most; paper crafting in Canada!  We simply had a blast!

We met up with our Canadian friends, ate at our favorite places and of course crafted, crafted, and crafted.  We saw lots of new product and got to use them in making new samples.  And so many dies are coming out........it gives the saying, "so many dies, too little time", a whole new meaning.  I'm looking forward to showing you the new cards we made as well as share with you the new product that has come out!

First though, here are some fun photos from our weekend:

Here's Soni working hard to get her card just right!

And Marilynne making sure that everyone has the supplies they need.

Soni, even got a picture of me working.............

 

and here at Montana's, waiting for our "ribs" with this fabulously refreshing drink called, "Big Momma's Afternoon Lemonade"!  Soni had one too, but unfortunately I don't have proof of her having it!  Oh well.  You'll just have to trust me; Soni enjoyed hers also!  (Can't believe that they serve them in Mason jars!!!  But, oh what fun though!)  As usual, the ribs were simply delicious!  We so look forward to our trips to Belleville so we can have them there!

For our last evening, we ate at the Boathouse with our Canadian friends Mary and Donna.  We all simply had a wonderful time.

This is the view of the waterfront from the Boathouse.  The fish here is always fresh and we always look forward to the house specialty, "Keith's Beer Battered Halibut"!  It is soooo light and tasty and the view helps make the whole evening a truly relaxing one.

Stay tuned for pictures of the cards we made!  Hopefully the sun will come out and I will be  able to post them tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing our weekend with us,

                                 ~Anna

Cards We Made in Canada

Here is just a sample of the cards Soni and I made in Canada over Mother's Day Weekend.  Dennis ALWAYS has so many beautiful samples in the showroom, it's just spectacular!  And he always has great cards for us to  make.

Here we learned how to make those small, beautiful roses, using a new rosebud maker die set.  The set allows you to make 5 different size roses! 

In this example, the roses were made from the largest two dies. 

We also used 2 butterfly punches; the small and medium sets.  These sets first punch out the butterfly and then you give it texture and dimension by putting it in the embosser.  I just love the layered look of these butterflies.


Isn't this card just gorgeous with the beautiful satin bow ribbon? 

 We learned how to use this new bow maker.  It is easier to use than the flat, plastic template one, especially for thicker ribbon.

 These new bow makers have simple picture instructions for you.

This is a great masculine card and you were able to personalize it with the Alphabet Clip Punch set and peel off letters.

With this punch set you are able to punch ovals with inner clips that allow you to weave them on ribbon!  What a neat way to personalize your card!

Hope you enjoyed viewing some of the new items we brought back for you from Canada.
Please let me know if I can be of any assistance to you on these new items!

Thanks for stopping by,
Anna

We FINALLY Got Home from Canada

We’re finally home from Canada!  And I have been catching up with everything…….we had two great Cupcake classes last Thursday and Saturday was Make & Take Day.  Everyone enjoyed the cards they made and looking at all the new goodies we brought back from Canada. 

I’ll post those pictures shortly, but first I wanted to let you in on our Canadian adventure!

Here’s how Soni and I took a 7 hour ride home and made it into a 3 day excursion/adventure.

First we thank God for getting us home safely!  It may have been long, but we’re here.

We had a great time at the Open House at Ecstasy Crafts.  We made great card samples, saw some wonderful new product and can’t wait to show you all the new ideas.  I also, want to wish everyone a “belated” Happy Mother’s Day.  Soni and I were lucky enough to be away doing the thing we love the most…..paper crafting!

The only unfortunate part of the trip was when my car started to act up in Canada.  I know things like this happen, but  it’s always difficult when you’re away from home…..a bit far away from home.

I want to thank the whole front desk staff at the Best Western in Belleville and Jim, Craig & Rick at Canadian Tire, also in Belleville.  Everyone was so nice, helpful and accommodating.  It was great dealing with them in this tough situation.

We had to wait til Monday morning to have the car fixed (no mechanics on staff late Saturday or Sunday).

So we finally got on the road in the early afternoon on Monday.

Unfortunately, as we turned into the Duty Free Shop by the border, the knocking started again.  We crossed the border and got in touch with Canadian Tire and they suggested to return to Gananogue's Canadian Tire to have it checked out.

So, it was over the border again!

But by the time we got there, it was after 5 and so we had to stay over.  The next day they couldn't find anything wrong and we were on our way.

And again it started to knock at the Duty Free Shop..........I guess it was trying to tell us not to spend any money there...........but we did.......I got this t-shirt to remind me to just keep calm and a great souvenir of this part of our trip...........will wear it at the next Special Wedding Class!  Hey, it's a "Royal" T-shirt!  And Soni was not left out.......she got herself a new purse she was eyeing for some time!

After the quick shopping stop,  we said, "we're going home"!

But in Syracuse it started knocking really badly and we found a Jeep Dealer who was able to help us. Another wonderful place!  Romano Chrysler Jeep in Fayetteville.  They figured it out.....it was a different problem with the same symptoms.  (knocking while decelerating and turning, no problem on the straight highway)

The car is driving wonderfully now!!!! Yeah!

We learned so much about CV Axle joints, the Pitman arm and track bars, and even welding metal to build up a part.   Believe me, I feel that Soni and I can pass Mechanics 101 now! 

Well, I finally drove into Soni’s driveway at 9PM on Tuesday and got myself home at 10!

It was great just flopping into my own bed that night!

 

We were so happy to get home safely............it was an adventure but thankfully we had each other and still had our sense of humor with us.

And don't worry.  This has not deterred us from returning to Canada in the future!  We just love seeing our Canadian friends, learning about the new product from Ecstasy Crafts and then sharing it all with you!

Thanks for listening!
Hope you enjoyed this part of the trip with us!

Anna

Back from Canada!

Soni and I had a wonderful trip to Ecstasy Crafts, all the way up in Shannonville, Ontario. We made lots of samples and learned new techniques! And thankfully, we even had some time for R&R! Here are just a sample of the cards we made. Well, I thought that I would be able to post some card samples and pictures of our trip.......but no. I'm having computer issues......I even was on the phone with HP, Norton and my internet provider....and it still seems that certain things are not functioning:(

Well, the Show and Tell is still ON for Thurs, Oct 1 at 1PM......so, if you have the time you can see everything up close and personal. Meanwhile I'll continue trying to get into secure web pages.

Speak to you soon!
Anna