NEW IDEA ON THE OLD TRADITION OF CARDS

A friend of mine, who has her own blog, has already sent out 63 Christmas Cards! The only difference between hers and the ones I will be sending is that she made them all herself.

www.tammydowney.blogspot.com 

This is a site to check out if you would like to see what can be done and what crafting and stamping cards is all about. 

Examples:

"This card took me a few hours to make. First, I had to pick out the colors I wanted, design the background of the brick wall then do the wreath, I know I'm not the only crafter/stamper out there that spends hours on a card." (quote from Tammy Downey)

If you like that card, here are a few more of her latest creations ~ over this weekend ~

This card was made by her 9 year old daughter using 'Notes with Envelopes along with the Button Buddies kit'...

And these are 'Tammy's first go around with the NO PEEKING stamp set.'

What's in a card these days?  Considering what you pay for cards and you never stop at one, even at the dollar store; it just might be worth checking out her site and ordering a kit or two that will cover the cards you will need for every occasion in the coming New Year. Or, give a kit as a gift to a friend, neighbor or family member who is into crafts. Better yet, try it yourself and treat yourself to a kit! 

I doubt I have a 'crafty' bone in my body but this year I'm going to make some Holiday decorations ~ who knows, if this takes and I find I enjoy it, I'll have a new hobby in 2013; maybe one that could lead to some cash...  

Here are some more of the cards she's created. Intrigued by Vintage? Take a gander at these, you can't get these at any store that I know of...

                   Thank You Card in a new technique called
                      Faux Frame, adding a vintage feel to it.

Vintage and a bit of technique leads to a gorgeous and very masculine birthday card that any man would appreciate.

 


Here is the feminine version. Both these cards were created using sponging, embossing and watercolor techniques.




I don't know about you but I can usually, after more than one store and a whole lot of searching, find a suitable card for the female members of my family and friends, but when it comes to men...  Frankly, there just isn't much out there that's suitable. The main thing I dislike above all others is the fact that the store bought cards always have some sappy sentiment written in them that almost always is unsuitable even if I like the card. 

Yes, you can get cards that are blank but they are less then attractive on the cover more times than not. Check out her sites, Tammy has two of them and both are on the right side of my blog. There's Stampin' Up to order the kits at and Tammy Downey's Blog "Love To Create" to see the cards she has created and the latest information about how to create them.

Hey, if I can do this, so can you! 

Catspaw 

 

PARAKEETS ~~ A.K.A. BUDGIES

My cousin has a website featuring the budgies she is hand raising from a single pair. Here is that site: 
     
Cat's Feathered Friends

Please note that I have her site on the right side of my blog under the 'Stamping Up' site. This is another website I will be featuring on my blog. 

Budgies, also known as Parakeets, are not as easy to hand raise as you might think. Apparently, adult birds do not know how to raise a family and like humans, have to 'learn as they go'. Cathy has 22 years of experience with these birds and has successfully concluded her pair's third clutch of eggs this year.

Lets meet the Parents.... 

Shylia ~ 'Mom' does 
a ‘head count’ of each chick; she will wake the chick up to feed it. (quote)

 Hobo ~ 'Dad' helps 
feed and care for each individual chick so well that at one week old, their eyes were opening. (quote)















Cathy's breeding pair have now raised their third clutch for this year consisting of 6 eggs and all 6  hatched and survived. Her breeding pair are excellent parents.

And now, The Kids...

Growing from a small clutch of six eggs...

To healthy baby budgies!

"These pictures are all from the third clutch of eggs. They started hatching the last two weeks of September 2012 and are 2 months old now. They are all healthy and alert little birds." (quote)

They are a little rough looking here while their feathers are growing in...

Clearly, one chick is quite a bit bigger then the rest. This one hatched first. 

A quote from Cathy:

"The chick born first is quite a bit larger than the chick born last and as a result of the difference in size the larger chick gets all the food and the smallest chicks can easily get trampled on and die. And the smallest chick may not get fed at all if you don’t keep an eye on the chicks everyday. That is why I check all the chicks daily to see if all of them are, in fact, being fed. 

If a chick is not being fed, I remove it and hand feed it with  baby budgie formula purchased from the pet store.

I know how to tell if the chicks are being fed and I know how to hand feed the chicks to if need be. By doing this I save a few chicks that would otherwise perish if I did not check them regularly and hand feed them when necessary. I cannot just stand by and watch a chick die; I have to do something to save it." (quote)

Hello, I'm two months old! 

Adolescent Budgie

I will have more information and pictures to share concerning these amazing little birds in later blogs, hope you enjoyed this one. 

Catspaw