Bird Feeder

If you look carefully at this picture, you will notice there are two bright red Cardinals in the Japanese Maple tree located outside our back door.  Before I took the picture there were more Cardinals (both male and female), but of course as soon as I lift the camera up to capture the moment they all fly away. 

 I'm enjoying our new bird feeder. Well, it's not really new I guess. We've had it for quite some time, but just recently decided to put it up outside. We've made a lot of winged friends since then. It's been pretty popular especially with the Cardinals. 

Birds amaze me. They can be brightly colored like the Cardinals in the picture and yet be difficult to spot.  They make nests, and nest making seems complicated.  They also survive wind storms which is fairly miraculous seeing as they are so little and all. What do birds go through when the wind is strong. Do they get blown far away from their homes? Can you imagine flying through the air for miles with absolutely no control.  Maybe that doesn't happen. Maybe they have incredibly strong feet and can hang onto tree branches using a mighty grip reserved especially for storms. 

And, birds find the littlest of things to survive on.  It's amazing how they pick in the grass and find stuff to eat even in the winter time.  Minnesota birds have got to be the toughest with all that snow covering the ground, the below zero temps, snow storms and all. You'd think their little feet would freeze right off.  Somehow they keep their feet and stay alive.  I know because my parents have a bird feeder and they live in Minnesota.  They've never said anything about birds losing their feet due to the cold.

Get Noticed with New Business Cards

Perhaps your business design is getting a little stale and your tired of handy out boring cards. Well one way to get yourself and your business recognized and noticed is to hand out some stylish, new business cards. A fresh, new look just might keep your business on people's minds. It's also still one of the most effective ways to promote a business. I thought I'd feature 'Strawberry Designs' on business cards. Some are designed by myself and others by various artists. Just click on the one that you'd like to view to see upclose and view the back of card as well.

I've been working hard on new designs for my store. Along with some new ideas for business cards I've been busy creating fruit and veggie designs. Strawberries, watermelon and my latest tomatoe designs. These I've used to make cute t-shirts, postage for spring and summer, delightful mugs and other interesting gift items. Pop by my store to see more...
Designs by Shell

Annabelle

My daughter, Janine, is holding her sweet Annabelle. This little ball of fluff with floppy puppy ears, comes with a sweet personality and a wolfie smell.  At least I imagine that's what wolves smell like, I've never actually sniffed one.  It's a wild sort of scent and it doesn't mix very well with a queasy stomach.  Believe me I know! I've had the flu.  One whiff of wolfie and I lose my cookies.

Annabelle knows how to sit and lay on command now.  She's learning how to walk on a leash, how to potty outside, and to understand what the command come means.  She's a joy, but a lot of work for Janine.  Luckily, Janine doesn't mind the work.  Having Annabelle is a dream come true for her.  She's wanted a dog since she was a toddler.  Back then she pulled a rock around pretending it was a puppy.  It actually looked sort  of pathetic.  Like we were torturing the poor child by tying a rope to a rock and saying There. Be happy. That's as close as you're going to get to a doggie. 

Ready for Action!

My nieces, Krista, Natalie, and Kjersten dressed for church.  Just kidding.  They're going snowmobiling!  This is, of course, in Minnesota.

Princess and Pirate Birthday Parties

Birthday party themes have been on my mind again so I've been busy designing some cute ideas for princess parties and pirate parties. These seem to be popular themes with kids ages 4 to 12 years old. I came up with a fabulous princess cake design and of course a magical wand. Every princess should have one of these for sure! I've been designing birthday invitations, goodie bag favours like stickers, magnets and buttons. For the pirates I created cool invitations, along with buttons and stickers too. Below you'll see some of my creations, for more come by my store Designs by Shell to see other ideas.





This Princess Button I received a TBA for on Jan. 11th (Todays Best Award)

A couple of the Pirate Designs

Matthew's Winter Camping out east

Our oldest son joined a Apalachian Mountaining Climbing club.  This was his first weekend camping with them.  He has a very warm sleeping bag and they don't have to worry about mosquitoes!

Matthew is preparing himself for climbing steeper mountains.  He's in good shape, it's a matter of learning to get used to the equipment and different climbing conditions.  I have faith in him, but I'm still a mother and mother's always worry, don't they?  Well, I do.

Motivation

A New Year has begun! Here we are in 2011, what does this year hold for us we all wonder! Are you one of those people who like to make resolutions? I prefer to set goals and make plans rather than do the resolution thing. It is good to take note and review what you want your year to look like and then begin moving in that direction. We all need a little motivation and encouragement and that's what pushed me to write a lens on 'Motivational Office Products and Sayings' and then design some motivational posters, mugs and business cards to go along with it! I also found these really neat posters on Amazon, where you can purchase a whole set! Here are some of the ones I've been creating, you can view other motivational items in my store. Designs by Shell