Happy New Year!

Just a quick post today to wish everyone a  happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!

It's an amazing 11 degrees C (though raining) today.  I think that's a pretty good start to 2011.  With the holidays winding down it will be time to think about crafting again.  Is it too early to dream about gardening too?  I figure we have about 3 and half months of yucky weather till the garden shows much sign of life.  I'm sure it will make us enjoy the spring and summer months even more.

Happy 2011!

Silhouette Blog Giveaway

Just popping to tell readers there is a great Silhouette blog giveaway today.  Follow the Silhouette link (My Favourite Toy) on the right.  Good Luck!

Rosette Card

I created this card using my Silhouette to cut  out the rosette and borders. The rosette reminds me of the large rose stained glass window behind the choir loft of the church where I was married.  The Cathedral of Christ the King in Hamilton (where I occasionally sing with the diocesan choir) also has a gorgeous rose stained glass window. 

The  patterned paper was from a pad purchased at the dollar store! 

Gift Wrapping Embellishment

I recently wrapped this large gift and wanted to decorate the package without using the usual large bow.  Instead, I cut embellishments using my Silhouette.  I used flourishes cut from green cardstock and cut   3 large flowers  (with a rhinestone centre) in colours that complemented the colours found in the wrapping paper.  I think odd numbers of embellishments look better than even.  Don't you agree?

One advantage to using a flat embellishment rather than a bow is that you do not have to worry about the decoration getting squashed in transit!

Wedding Card

My daughter attended a wedding a while ago, and I offered to create a special wedding card for the occasion. The card and embellishment were cut out using my Silhouette.  The sentiment is a Stamp'n Up stamp that belongs to a set that I won from Stamp4fun .   Thanks again, Lynda and Tammy!

Earth Hour Tablescape

I have a rather unorthodox tablescape for you this week.  It is a tribute to Earth Hour 2010.

In March 2009, hundreds of millions of people took part in the third Earth Hour. Over 4000 cities in 88 countries officially switched off to pledge their support for the planet, making Earth Hour 2009 the world’s largest global climate change initiative.

Earth Hour 2010 takes place on Saturday 27 March at 8.30pm (local time) and is a global call to action to every individual, every business and every community throughout the world. This year over 120 countries and territories are participating. It is a call to stand up, to take responsibility, to get involved and lead the way towards a sustainable future. Iconic buildings and landmarks from Europe to Asia to the Americas will stand in darkness. People across the world from all walks of life will turn off their lights and join together in celebration and contemplation of the one thing we all have in common – our planet.  (Source http://www.earthhour.org/)

If you look closely at the placemat, you will see that it is actually a bus schedule.  We could greatly reduce our carbon footprint if we would take public transit when possible.

I have placed an unusual ornament in the middle of my centrepiece. It is a solar light (borrowed from our garden). We have much larger solar panels on our roof which are capable of producing 500Watts of energy on a sunny day.

 

Clothespins anchor the corners of the napkin centred on the table. This is to remind us to use our 'passive wind generated clothes dryer' (ie. clothesline) rather than the electric dryer when possible.

The plates,napkins and cutlery are reuseable, of course. Our landfills are reaching capacity. It makes sense to avoid the use of disposable materials when appropriate. In fact the cloth napkins and napkin rings were purchased at a thrift shop. If we have no further use for items it is better to donate them to a thrift store, have a garage sale or give the items to someone who can use them rather that just throwing them out.

 
In our municipality we must sort our refuse into paper products, containers (bottles and cans), which are recycled, and organics and yard wastes which are composted. We are limited to one garbage bag per week. It is rare that we even fill it.

My dinner guest, Mr. Grey, a visiting dignitary from Area 51 agrees that it is in all our interest to be good stewards of our planet.  After all, Earth is our home.

Spring's Baby Steps

Today I'm excited to be participating in Outdoor Wednesday for the very first time!

Spring is just starting in Southern Ontario. No glorious trees laden with blossoms, alas. The temperature still frequently drops below freezing overnight. We did have spectacularly warm weather for March break. Unfortunately we have fallen back to more seasonable temperature ranges.

There are some hopeful signs:

Buds on daffodils,

daylillies poking up through the ground,

sedum sprouting through the cracks,

A glorious blue sky...

So I will ignore the snow in the forecast for next week (sigh), and enjoy the first stirring of spring!