Insomnia - Sometimes not such a bad thing!

I was up with the baby at 4am this morning and then couldn't go back to sleep. So, doing what I do all too often - instead of trying harder to get sleep - I got up and quilled two new cards. I particularly like how the cream and gilded cream LOVE card turned out. If you want to know where my inspiration came from - it was another free font - this time called "Fontanessi" - I adapted it slightly for quillability. I just downloaded several more quillable fonts yesterday, so I may try more later.
I really should be quilling the Scottie dog, but as you can see, I've been avoiding it. I will repent and start probably this weekend. I still have two more cards to do for a friend and then I'll be done with my excuses. Although they aren't really valid as I could have worked on the Scottie this morning - other than fill-in work isn't all that fun. It's end result is worth it, but I guess I'm too young - feeling young - mid 30s really, but feel like I should have been born a decade later - to want to do much of it other than with my drive to earn some of my own spending money so I don't have to dip into our joint account and we can pay off student loans. Card making is much more enjoyable as I can get a card done in a couple of hours versus a couple of weeks of fill-in work (for projects as big as the Scottie which will be approximately 5"x7"). It feels more like real work and with four kids AND homeschooling the oldest two, don't I have enough work already? Like I said, money drives me - petty, I know, but how else am I going to be able to stay home with my kids and still buy fun stamps, paper, punches, etc, etc?

And, that could have segued unassumingly (until I had to open my big mouth) into....These cards will be for sale at my Etsy shop (by tonight - I promise), but once they're gone, they're gone. Those of you in the US, do you remember from Saturday Night Live about 15-20 years ago?..."If you drop your keys in hot lava, man, once they're gone, they're gone." I still think it's funny. I guess you'd have to have my warped sense of humor to think that is even remotely funny. I'll just laugh by myself at myself with myself. Obviously I need some sleep...Until next insomniac stroke of genius...

Cards for a Child Cancer Patient

It was brought to my attention on my "quillers" online group that there is a little girl in Pennsylvania who turned 5 last Friday who has a brain tumor and her "wish" for Christmas was to see how many cards she could get. At last count, she received over 160,000 cards! She had an MRI done on Monday (1/19/09) to see how her tumor was responding to treatment,and the results show that it has grown, instead of shrinking, so she has had her last treatment. The saddest part, is that Hannah was born early,so that her mother could receive treatments for breast cancer. Her mother died two years ago, and now the family is facing the loss of Hannah, too.

I will be sending her a couple of quilled cards. But, the cards she receives don't have to be quilled - any card will do - any theme. If you, my readers, want to participate and send little Hannah a card, you can mail it to:

Hannah Garman
704 Orchard Rd.
Lititz, PA 17543
USA

Also, if anyone is interested, her dad is keeping a journal. The link is
www.caringbridge.org/visit/hannahgarman.

Although it may not be a big thing for us to do this, it can bring little moments of happiness into this little girl's life. I know as a parent, if I were to have a terminally ill child, I would be so overwhelmed with the outpouring of love and feel immense gratitude towards anyone willing to give my little girl her Christmas wish.

Lovebirds - Filled In

I just realized that I never shared the completed lovebirds card. I decided to leave the background heart unquilled and filled in just the birds and their perch. Also, I didn't make another one like I said I would. I'm just not one that likes doing the same thing twice (unless paid for it - petty, I know, but I've got to earn some money to support my quilling habit!)

Love/Valentine's Day cards

I got up early this morning to make a card for Laura's wedding reception this afternoon. This is the result - its completely easily frameable and I added that in my message hoping that it doesn't get tossed, but will be framed - if nothing else but for Valentine's decorations in her new household.

And, also I made another filigree heart card for Janet - my one true fan - who is a self-proclaimed stalker of my quilling work. If there ever was a good kind of stalker, she's it. I appreciate her loyal following (*smile*).

Enjoy the quilling "eye candy" (as one of my fellow quilling friends calls it)!