RitasCreativeNest Has Moved!!

Not only have I moved but I have a new name!….  Please visit me at my new blog – HandmadeBits4U!  Here’s the link

http://handmadebits4u.blogspot.com/

Thanks for popping over to the new blog…

Rita

Eggplant with Greens

Purple and green are one of my favorite color combinations.

Purple is often associated with nobility and royalty.  You will frequently find purple in nature too – lilacs, lavender, orchids, and violets come to mind.  In fact the lilac bushes are in full bloom at the moment – the aroma is oh so sweet.

Green is all about life, all about nature, and all about the environment.  Green is signifies growth, renewal, health, and environment.

And green and purple are favorite colors of my fellow Etsians in their homemade creations…  just take a look…

Thanks for stopping by…

Rita

Today’s Abundance
-Lilacs – my favorite spring flowering bush
-Cardinals – love their bright red color
-A good afternoon of yard work
-Fresh green peas – my favorite green vegetable
– Hostas – a great green annual

Another Blog Hop …

Today is a busy day for me for Blog Hops.  If by chance you stopped by for the UWIB Wedding Bells Blog Hop just scroll down a bit and you will see that post after this one!

PaperWings, a site for demonstrators of The Angel Company, has its monthly blog hop today.  The theme is “Favorite Final Farewell.”  With a new catalog due out in late June, a number of our beloved stamps are being retired.  And we are here to showcase our favorites tonight!

I couldn’t pick just one favorite stamp set that is about to be retired!  Nor could I stick with just 2 – I have 3 favorite stamp sets showcased in my samples for you!

First up, is Spunky Sprite Boys… this is a great set for to use when making cards for little boys!

And here is Spunky Sprite Girls (on the left) and Toodles (on the right).  Spunky Sprite Girls is a great set for little girl cards.  And Toodles has delightful images for both boys and girls.

And here are all four together…

The images on all 4 cards were colored with Copics.  The designer paper and colored card stock is from Toodles paper collection.   Hope you enjoyed these cards and be sure to hop on over to these blogs for more Final Farewell inspirations!

Rita W – http://ritascreativenest.com
Laura N – http://www.thecraftysister.com
Trudy O – http://www.trudystreasures.blogspot.com/
Carol N – http://stampincarol.blogspot.com/
Angela K – http://www.angelakelley.blogspot.com
Shirley H – http://glitteredpaws.blogspot.com
Seleise B – http://www.amethystcat.blogspot.com/
Teresa J – http://www.mamapickle.blogspot.com

Thanks for stopping by…

Rita

Today’s Abundance
-Safe and sound after two days of storms and tornados rolling through
-Playing with my Copics – love the new colors I just got
-French Toast
-Blog Hops
-Lazy Sundays

Wedding Bells UWIB Blog Hop

The UWIB ETSY team is  once again excited for their monthly Blog Hop!  Since June is a big month for weddings, we are celebrating with a “Wedding Bells” Blog Hop.

The big day is filled with family and friends, flowers and beautiful dresses, jewelry and tuxes, vows and rings, food and cake, pictures and more pictures!

Leading up to the big day, the bride is busy with invitations, picking out colors and flowers, planning the reception, selecting her wedding dress, and making lists and more lists.

Before the big day the bride is also showered with gifts from family and friends.  The bridal shower can be very traditional with women only, games, advice, and good food or they can be a very modern, co-ed affair!  So what is a good gift for the bride at her shower?  Well, gifts for the kitchen are always a good idea!

To start with, all new homes need potholders for the kitchen.

In addition to the traditional potholders, these new Microwave Bowl Potholders are a great gift for the bride too!

And to round out the kitchen gifts, how about  this matching set of placemats, napkins, and coasters.

And best wishes to all of the brides!  Have a wonderful day and a beautiful life!

Be sure to visit these blogs for more Wedding Bells!

Participants
Rita Wetzel   http://RitasCreativeNest.com
Judy Woodley   http://WellspringCreations.blogspot.com
Ann Rinkenberger   http://harvestmoonbyhand.blogspot.com
Cory Trusty   http://aquarianbath.blogspot.com
Nancy Pace   http://NancysWildWireJewelry.blogspot.com
Trudy Miller   http://MommaGoddessTreasures.blogspot.com
Linda Stranger   http://capecoddreamer.blogspot.com
Wendy Kelly   http://blog.vintageday.com
Miriam   http://goldcrestbags.blogspot.com/

UWIB Blog  http://uniquewomeninbusiness.blogspot.com/
UWIB ETSY Team Page  http://www.etsy.com/teams/6263/unique-women-in-business-uwib

Thanks for stopping by.

Rita

Today’s Abundance
-Apple trees in full blossom
-Lilac bushes in full bloom
-Farmers Markets
-Cool temperatures after the storm has passed
-Spring – even though it is very late this year

Words of Wisdom from an Unlikely Source

A fresh cup of coffee sure tastes good on this cold, windy May Day – yep, it is still cold here in Minnesota!!  It’s only in the 30’s at the moment.  Will it ever end??

Coffee and the Sunday paper go hand in hand.  First it is the news section, then the variety and entertainment sections, the comics,  the sports section – well,  only the headlines, and then the ads.

Today, I found some great bits of wisdom from a very unlikely source!  It is the Menards ad!  (Menards is a competitor of Home Depot and Lowes but has been established locally much, much longer.)  I noticed some small print on the bottom of the ad pages and upon looking at them closer was surprised as all get out!  The small print wasn’t disclaimers, it wasn’t anything about how long the specials lasted, or anything like that.  The small print was more than that – they were words of wisdom.   So, I thought I’d share some with you…

-I think the next best thing to solving a problem is finding some humor in it.
-Sometimes it is necessary to go a long distance out of the way in order to come back a short distance correctly.
-Humor can alter any situation and help us cope at the very instant we are laughing.
-Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time.
-Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious.
-If you don’t invest very much, then defeat doesn’t hurt very much and winning is not very exciting.
-Nobody can be exactly like me.  Sometimes even I have trouble doing it.
-A person with one watch knows what time it is; a person with two watches is never quite sure.
-A clean tie will always attract the soup of the day.
-A smile is understood in any language.
-Never tell me the sky’s the limit when there are footprints on the moon.
-Don’t wait for someone to take you under their wing.  Find a good wing and climb up underneath it.
-The prime ingredient is FUN.

Hope you liked these words of wisdom.  And I’ll be checking next weeks ads to see what else Menards has to say!

Thanks for stopping by…

Rita

Today’s Abundance
-Budding trees (despite the cold weather)
-Sedum cement planters found yesterday at Craftganza
–HandmadeMN
-A tired, sleepy puppy
-The cat that’s burrowed under the bed covers for his naptime

Celebrating Womanhood

The UWIB Etsy Street Team is hosting their monthly blog hop once again!  Our theme for this month is “Celebrating Womanhood!”

Over the years, women have acquired much wisdom.  Their experiences, feelings, family, journeys, ups, and downs have generated much insight from which all of us can benefit.  Can you relate to any of the following bits of wisdom?

The greater your capacity to love, the greater is your capacity to feel the pain.  ~ Jennifer Aniston, American actor

Those who don’t know how to weep with their whole heart don’t know how to laugh either. ~ Golda Meir, first female Prime Minister of Israel

Old age is no place for sissies. ~ Bette Davis, American actor

I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well. ~ Diane Ackerman 

When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child. ~ Sophia Loren

What great insights these women have passed onto all of us.  And what about UWIB?  We have our own insights and our own way of expressing them.  Check out how my fellow team mates are “Celebrating Womanhood.”

Audrey Fetterhoff     http://AudreyGardenLady.blogspot.com
Linda Stranger          http://capecodjewel.blogspot.com
Judy Woodley            http://WellspringCreations.blogspot.com
Janet Bocciardi         http://www.honeyfromthebee.com
Ann Rinkenberger   http://harvestmoonbyhand.blogspot.com
Celeste Bocchicchio-Chaudhri   http://ElephunksTrunk.blogspot.com
Wendy Kelly               http://blog.vintageday.com
Cory Trusty                 http://aquarianbath.blogspot.com
Karen Terry                http://jmjcreations.blogspot.com

Thanks for stopping by…

Rita

Today’s Abundance
-Love
-Laughter
-Life
-Young and Old
– My journey

April Showers Bring May Flowers

PaperWings is hopping around blogs again tonight!  This months theme is April Showers Bring May Flowers.  At least it wasn’t April Snow Bring May Flowers – although it probably would have been appropriate many places this year!!

I’ve decided to combine papercrafting with my passion for sewing for April’s blog hop!  The paper is used is from the Kaleidoscope Girls collection – this orange paper with pink flowers has always been a favorite of mine.

I used an adhesive and clear vinyl to cover both sides of the paper.  Then I used one of my fabric patterns to make a mini wallet by adding a snap and sewing the sides together.  These wallets are great for carrying credit cards, reward cards, and some money.  They slip into your pocket for a quick getaway and are fun to carry around in your purse too!!

Here are the other participants – you will find some lovely flowers as you hop around their blogs.

Shirley     http://glitteredpaws.blogspot.com/
Teresa     http://www.mamapickle.blogspot.com/
Carol       http://stampincarol.blogspot.com/
Rita W.    http://ritascreativenest.com/
Chelsea   http://www.inkystamps.blogspot.com/
Seleise    http://www.amethystcat.blogspot.com/

Thanks for stopping by….

Rita

Today’s Abundance
-A sunny day
-Bunnies
-Rummage sale pile of stuff
-Coffee and French Toast
-And, of course, blog hops!

Our 4 Legged Friends

I’ve always loved animals whether they be pets, farm animals, or jungle residents!

Our dog friends are loyal and protective. They are companions and family members. They may keep our herd together or they may hunt with us. We train them, we love them, and we grieve when they are no longer with us.

Our cat friends are a bit more aloof than our dog friends. While independent creatures, we sure do like their purring, meowing, and paw kneading!

Animals, whether domesticated or wild, bring so much to our lives.  We can learn from their demeanor, their loyalty, their community interactions, and how they care for their young.  This has not gone unnoticed by our ETSYBloggers Team – they, too, are fond of animals of all types! Just take a look at this treasury…

To all of our 4 legged friends…

Thanks for stopping by…

Rita

Today’s Abundance
-Dogs and puppies
-Cats and kitties
–All Creatures Great and Small, by James Herriot
-Animal Humane Society
-Veterinarians and Vet Techs

HandmadeMN “No Name” Treasury….

So how does one end up with a “No Name” Treasury?  Well, I started out by looking for items that would fit into a HandmadeMN Summer Vacation treasury.  I found a few items; then, I became enamored with things with oranges and copper and blues – pretty soon I had something other than a summer vacation treasury.  I liked it!!  But no clever theme or name has popped into my mind.  Thus, it is my “No Name” Treasury!

HandmadeMN Etsians are awesome!  Just look at the variety and quality that I’ve captured in this treasury!  Enjoy….

Thanks for stopping by…

Rita

Today’s Abundance
-A high tolerance for pain – snow is in the forecast for tomorrow – will it ever end??
-Getting to the post office before the rush of last minute tax payers
-Hardy spring annuals – they certainly are being tested this season
-No nap today – I’m getting over the crud so it is nice not to be so tired that I need to nap during the day
-HandmadeMN Etsy Team

First Aid

I’m feeling sorry for myself today!  I’ve had this nagging cold and congested head on and off over the winter months and every time I think I have it licked, it resurfaces.  (Of course, our never ending winter isn’t helping at all – it is snowing yet again!)  The last few days I have slept more than I’ve been awake!  Finally, today I think the waking hours exceeded the sleeping ones!

Now on the positive side, it has given me guilt free time at the computer – little energy to do anything but catch up on emails, surf the web, and peruse cyberspace until it’s time for the next nap!

Now perhaps I just need some good First Aid to finally kick this thing…  Do you think any of these will help?  The nurses certainly will offer comfort!  The First Aid kits and salves are always good to have around!  And what do you think about those “sick polka dot heels?”  And I absolutely love “Every time it rains, An Angel gets Pneumonia!”  I wonder what Angels get when it snows??

Well, it’s probably time I start thinking about taking another nap!

Have a great weekend…

Rita

Today’s Abundance
-Humor
-A cuddly pup and cat
-Warm handmade quilts
-Cyberspace
-The hope of warm weather