Dogwood tree...

The rain kind of stopped for a bit so I popped my head out the door to take a photo of my pretty dogwood tree. This is the first year the flowers have turned pink. I had no idea dogwoods did this. It's always been white. It's so pretty when I drive up to the house. It's getting too big and really needs to be trimmed but it's so pretty!! You can see the hydrangeas coming out just below the tree too. Now if we could just get some sun!!!

Finished with golf....

I've had enough of the golf cards! Finally finished the sentiments, inside and out, and the embellishments. They're pretty simple but I'm happy that they are done.
Sorry to repost but I didn't do anything else!

Can I say again, I love my SU punches!!! As much as I love my Nesties, there's nothing like punching out an image really quick. Can't wait to try the Oval All set.

Lots done...

Last night I unpacked my SU order (small but good). I ended up getting the scalloped oval punch which I absolutely love! I also got a circle punch (I forget what size). I emailed someone at Just-Rite to see what I needed to cut out the monograms. I'm so tired of messing around with the CM cutter to get almost the right size. Well, guess what? Either she told me the wrong one or I ordered the wrong one. It's too small for the image. The good news is I can use it for my other round stamps like Riveting and a few clear sets I have. I got some dp, Oval All stamp set and a few other things. I've already started my list for next time.

So I used my scalloped oval punch to cut out some cute sayings for the golf cards. I added ribbon, a few brads, flowers, etc. and I have 5 or 6 done. I think I'll make it a small set this time. I'm done with golf!!

I am so looking forward to this long weekend. I have Fri. and Mon. off. Yippeeeee!

Motivet's Candy...

Check out these adorable images at Motivet's Inspirational Blog.

Fore......

I've been working on a set of golf cards. It's a thank you for my aunt who gave my son a bunch of furniture. I need to print out some sentiments since I can't find my "Have a Swinging Day" stamp. I need a few Have a Par-fect Day, Fore You, Hope your day is Tee-rific, etc.

I was posting a FB note to Jennifer O. who was the "Chalk Lady" from Fairy Tale Creations until she sold the company. I was saying how I use my cloud template a lot. She laughed and said she hadn't used it in years. I said I had a few friends that use them too and she couldn't believe it. I told her how big clouds are in cardmaking right now and she had no idea. I don't think she's a card maker, she's a scrapper. Anyway, it's so nice to have something come back after a few years. This is why I have a time getting rid of stuff! LOL

Anyway, I will print out my sentiments and finish these another day. I didn't even adhere some of them. I had the day off but ended up helping my aunt move the rest of her stuff out (mostly trips to the dumpster). I had a nice lunch with my hubby and then stamped. Whew! I'm pooped.

Another flower card...

I wasn't sure about the purple card for the coworker so I made another with completely different colors - SU Certainly Celery (my all time fav color), Tempting Turquoise and Regal Rose (I think?). This is an image that I had from stamp camp WAY back when. I love this set and wish I bought it. Anyway, I still haven't worked up the guts to color in with Copics. This paper wasn't great anyway. I pulled out the old reliable Prismas & Gamsol. This color combo is more me. I have no idea what that little squiggly is beneath the sentiment. It's not on the cs any more!

So I brought both cards in and showed them to my co-worker. I asked which one looked like the birthday girl and she picked the purple one. I guess I wasn't far off.

I also finished 2 monograms for the O set. Now all I have to do tonight is make one more and the cover. I need to deliver these on Sun. a.m. so I better make time tonight.

We are off to Maine for a ride tomorrow. We'll just drive up and back but it'll be nice to get out of Dodge. Have a great weekend!

Squinting this morning...

Ok, I got a peek of the sun but now it looks nasty where I am. I hope it's just passing clouds because they did promise sun today. I was hoping to dust off my sunglasses. My flowers really need some sunshine to soak up some of the water and I need some vitamin D!!

I made this for a co-worker last night. I am not nuts about the colors. I was trying to make it with her in mind but she's really not a purply person. I hate that I obsess about it. Just make it and give it to them, right?! She is more of a blue person though.

Some stampin'....

I made myself stamp last night. I refused to log into Facebook until I had a few things done.

So I went to work stamping a bunch of golf bags and other images from stamps I borrowed from my neighbor. I want to make a set of golf bday cards for my aunt as a thank you. I will get to those maybe this weekend but at least I got the images done so I can return the stamps. The only problem is that I cannot find my "Have a Swinging Day" stamp anywhere! It must have fallen behind something. It's fairly small.

Anyway, I still owe a set of monograms to my cousin for her daughter. I managed to whip out three of them. These babies are so easy. The biggest issue is finding ink to match my Memory Box cards and cs to match the scrap paper I've been using. Luckily I have been finding something close in the stash that Linda sent me. Thanks, Linda! The pile has gone down quite a bit but I still have a big bin left. And, Betsy, I'm really using up the scraps! Recognize any? ;-) Thanks to you too!

A Sticky Situation....

A few nights ago I was having trouble sleeping. I finally dozed off and woke to a loud THUD at 4 a.m. At first I thought someone broke in. Then I thought maybe one of the boys fell out of bed. My son often brings friends home to sleep and my hubby refers to them as borders. Anyway, I could not get back to sleep and was exhausted all day. My hubby walked into the kitchen while I was making my salad. He said, "Wow, look at that!" I looked in the back yard and there was a fat stick that must have fallen from WAY up in the tree. It went right into the ground. So that was the source of the THUD.

Blog Candy to check out....

Go to KL Stampin N Scrappin Blog and check out the yummy candy!! The card and set is so cute! I need that with my musicians. ;-)

Sorry to be MIA. I will try to stay of FB tonight and STAMP!!

Betwine the lines....

I finished a birthday card for my BIL who doesn't always open his cards until after his birthday. How do you not take the time to open something like a card in the mail? I guess I'm just not busy enough. I know they're busy with 4 kids and all the activities but still...I get disappointed when we call and he still hasn't gotten to it.

So....I made it pretty simple with no bumps. I'm so sick of going to the post office for hand stamps and extra postage! The stamp is The Cats Pajamas. I love that saying (yes, I just used it in my previous post).


























Then I made a Father's Day card for dh from me. I pulled out the twine AGAIN. I guess I must have too much twine and I'm trying to use it up. LOL

His is simple too. I used this cute gardening Riley that my friend Pia or Kristen gave to me way back during an image swap. So thanks to whoever gave it to me. The sentiment is CTMH. I used this week's SCS sketch on this one. Thanks for looking!

A monkey off my back....

Well, I finally finished my monkey card!! It took forever, I just couldn't get it together. I was interrupted a few times by dh wanting me to come and look at something on his laptop.

I colored this cute Dustin Pike image in with Prismas & Gamsol. If you haven't seen his adorable digi images, you need to check them out! I used some textured cs that I think is Bazzill, but I really have no clue. The sentiment is by the Cats Pajamas. I just love that sentiment and it seemed to fit with the image ok. Thanks for looking. I need to kick it up a notch and get a ton of cards done this weekend if I can. I'm so far behind!

Limited time....

I had to do a few things after dinner (pay bills online, install my camera software on the new laptop, etc.). It seriously limited my stamping time. I had to get a Father's Day card in the mail today for my dad. I don't know why but his mail is SO slow. It's only going to NH but it takes more than 4 days. I just don't get it. Must be his powdunk post office!

Anyhoo, I just made a quick and simple card. He's a basic kind of guy. I colored in with blender pens and SU Riding Hood Red and then painted shimmerz over it in Royal Red and Silver. Like I said....very basic. I know I should have put some brads or something else on but I didn't. He'll never know the difference! LOL

Christening card for my cousin...

I really wanted to make one of those cute little dresses that you see on SCS. I finally sat down to do this one on Sat. It's totally CASED from SCS talented ladies.

I had a hard time because I didn't have the right circle to punch in the center of the scalloped circle. I only have a CM circle punch. So I folded my paper in half, punched the half circle, opened it up and then punched the scalloped circle around it.

Anyway, the card was a total hit. I did tell them it wasn't my idea, just my version of someone else's great idea! I had to put pink paper behind it because you could barely see the white on white!

I had a great time at the christening party. I got to hold the baby finally. It's hard with so many aunties around! She's a beautiful little girl and so good! She was passed around from person to person and never really wimpered at all.

Still no stamping.....

I cannot win lately. I haven't stamped one little bit. I've had something every night. What happened to my nice calm life?!! I have several June birthdays to do and a christening card this weekend. I really hope I can sit down and stamp either later tonight or tomorrow. I also have to make spinach squares for Sunday. My family can't live without them! LOL

Anyway, Happy Friday!! Hope you've had more time than I have! Did I say I hate this time of year?!

Train stop....

I wish this fast moving train would stop so I could get off! I used to have such a calm life. I work, get home and cook dinner and head to my stamp/scrap room. On weekends I clean, look at houses, and stamp when I have time. These days I can't even pick up my book for a few minutes. I've been running around like crazy to a lot of family functions. I've had fun but I haven't had any down time.

Anyway, it's my mom's 70th today. We took her out to dinner (15 of us - sisters, nieces and daughter). We had a fun time. The waitress remarked at how young my mom and her sisters look. They really do! My mom works out just about every day and she works part-time to keep herself busy. She can easily outdo me at partying! LOL She doesn't read this but I thought I'd post her pic anyway. I didn't have one of her alone. She's on the right and her eldest sister is on the left. I believe she's 74. Amazing, aren't they?! HB, Mom!!

A bunch of things...

What a week it's been. My cousin's aunt passed away (my aunt's SIL). They are coming up from MD for the services. I will be going to the wake today. I was supposed to go to my other cousin's engagement party tomorrow. Now I may be having a cookout for my MD cousins who roll out the red carpet when we visit. I feel so bad that they have no place to go and none of us will be around because of the engagement party. So I offered not to go and have them at my house. I'm not sure what will happen yet. I need to be prepared so I am running like a chicken today on my day off. I have until about 2 p.m.

Anyway, I stamped with the girls last night and it was fun. My neighbor concocted a delish sangria for use to put us in the mood! LOL I thought the cards were cute. I'll save my lame-o one for last. Here are the cards:












Ok, I don't have time to fix this. I saved it the right way but it flips when I post. You get the idea. This was my favorite!!

MIA....

It's a good thing no one is reading because I haven't had anything to post about! LOL

We had two showings last night so my mom ended up taking us to dinner. Yay! I love not having to cook. Then we got home and my oldest stopped by for a visit with his good friend.

I'm trying to come up with a project for Thurs. because I'm getting together with two other women to stamp. I don't know one of them so it'll be fun meeting someone new. I think I'll stick with an easy card for the first night. We are all coming with the supplies to make 3 cards. I'm looking forward to getting ideas from others. It should be fun.

A stampless weekend...

I am starting to have withdrawals. I didn't stamp once during the weekend! I had to work on Sat. for a good part of the day so I relaxed when I got home. Had dinner & a few margaritas with my hubby and went to bed. Sun. I had to clean in the a.m. because we had a showing.

During the showing we went to look at a new laptop and tvs for future reference. Our computer crashed and we lost everything. This has happened a few times and you would think we'd learn and back up our system. NOT. We lost a few pictures, my husband's work documents, etc. It's not devastating, just annoying. I'm very lucky to have someone who will diagnose and rebuild, if necessary. That's what we're waiting on now. The computer is kind of old though so when it goes the next time, it's being tossed. My hubby wants a laptop so it's just him (and me sometimes) using it.

Anyhoo, no stamping for me. I need to get moving on another monogram set to deliver this weekend! I did price out a bunch of stuff for my lss yard sale, which also has to be delivered that this weekend.

Limelight Anniversary.....

Ooooh, you need to go and check out Lime Light. They have some great products and they are having an anniversary celebration. Leave a comment on their blog and you could possibly win a bottle of Shimmerz Spritz. I am dying to try it so I thought I'd take a chance.

What number should I choose....

My mom will be 70 this year. She does not look nor act it. She's in great shape because she works out just about every day. I should be so good. She travels, parties, has a good time all the time. Most people guess that she's in her early 60's, if that.

I remembered this image I colored in when I saw my friend Peggy's card using the same stamp set. I pulled it out and went from there with scraps from Betsy! I love that paper. I know my mom loves blue and yellow so I decided that maybe I'll give it to her.

I left the number out because I am not sure what to put. I don't want it to be 70. I thought about 39 or 49 to be different, but I'm just not sure what to put. What do you think?

I usually think decorating the inside is such a waste of time but I had the yellow pieces left over and figured I'd use them.

Monogram holder.....

I was browsing my favorite blogs through Google Reader (don't know what I'd do without that!) and found this tutorial at Julie's Stamping Spot. It's a holder for the monogram cards. I made the first one using Julie's instructions and realized her cards are probably smaller than mine. I pop dotted every monogram so the're a little fat. I made a few changes by making the edges more squared to accommodate my fat little cards.

I probably should have made them all the same. It would certainly look nicer, however, these are for young girls (9 & 11) so I knew they'd want all the different colors.

Here's the first:

Ahhhhh...what a weekend!

I had a nice relaxing weekend & hope everyone else did too! We had a nice family cookout on Sun. and I was lazy on Mon. I sat on the patio soaking up a few rays. Bad, I know.

I've been working on two sets of monogrammed cards for my cousin. I still haven't come up with a price. It's very hard when it's your family! I told her to just cover my supplies but she won't hear of it.

Anyway, I've been using my Just Rite monogram stamps and a lot of scraps for these. It feels so good to use up some of my huge stash. I used Memory Box notecards to make it even easier. Please excuse the nasty photo. I made the other two for the E set after I took the photo. Now I have 7 O's to do and I'm done!

Oh boy....

My niece just had a baby. She was told hit was a girl but SURPRISE!!! It was a boy! Can you imagine? The funny thing is that her mom had the same thing happen. My brother and SIL were told all along that it was a boy and they were so excited because they had three girls between them. Their first together ended up being a girl!! Luckily this was my niece's second child. Their first little girl is not to happy about having a brother. She's three. LOL

Anyway, I made a quick card to pop in the mail. I mostly used SU papers & stamp. I won't bore you with the details.

Everybody's Workin' for the Weekend....

Yep, I have been so busy at work, it's been crazy. I worked through my lunch hour today and ended up staying a bit late. I love when people ask me if it's nice and slow now that the semester ended. HUH?!! I have another one beginning in one week and our fiscal year end is coming up so budget issues are surfacing. Oh, and I sometimes get the question, "Do you get the summer off?" HAHAHAHAHAHA, that is hilarious! NO. I have vacation time to take but that's about it.

Anyway, enough griping. I cannot wait for the long weekend. I'm not doing a thing!! This is what I did on Mother's Day and I'm going to repeat it without sandals. LOL I hope everyone has a great weekend! I will try to post but just in case I get lazy....

Head in the clouds....

I keep seeing clouds on the background of cards lately and wanted to give it a shot. First I tried the non-template version which is using a scalloped circle or scalloped oval and sponge & ink. I cut one out in cardboard and went to work. It looked pretty bad when I was through so I went online to see others work. Don't laugh too hard, I used the scallop upside down. I should say that I inked on top of the circle at the top of my image. It should have been at the bottom of the circle, at the top of my image. KWIM?!!

In the meantime, I remembered that I had a Fairy Tale Creations template that I bought years ago at CKC. I bought them with my Hawaii trip in mind but honestly never used them. I gave it a try and it was much better than my first attempt, which is not saying much! LOL I need more practice.

I used this cute digi bee stamp from Dustin Pike. You should check out his blog! He gives free images on Wed. and has some amazing designs for very little $$. I stamped in the Happy Birthday but you could use it for just about anything! I really wanted to put Happy Bee-day in the banner, but I just wanted to get it done fast so I grabbed a stamp.

A retro birthday...

This is what I made for my other twin cousin. He's very into retro. He loves shag carpet and all that 70's stuff. This is from my Cat's Pajamas set. Beware, the colors are very loud!

One martini, two martini, three martini, floor....

I just crack up over that saying.

Made this card for my cousin who lives in NY. He loves martinis. I had this image from way back when I used to go to stamp camp. I stamped a bunch because my aunt asked me to make an insert for a cute frame she had for her bathroom. It was a tiny red frame. I stamped a few colors because I wasn't sure what she was looking for.

I ended up doing hers on cream, stamped in black. It's very simple with a green & red olive. The frame makes it really. I also stamped a saying that says something about always having your glass half full. I can't remember but it looks so cute in her bathroom.

Anyway, my cousin (NY) has a twin who lives in CA. I have to make his next but I'm not sure what I'll use yet. It may be a cute retro dog with a cake. He loves dogs. These two are really artistic and sophisticated. It's hard for me to make their cards.

I really rambled here. I used SU Riding Hood Red, Mellow Moss & some paper that my good friend, Betsy, gave me. I just love that paper. It's so masculine. I'm not sure what the SU gray is. I also have no idea who makes the martini stamp but the sentiment is from my new SU birthday set. I put Judikins Diamond Glaze on the top to make it look liquid. I'm not sure if that shows in the photo. You can see it if you click on the picture. I also embossed the "Birthday Greetings." Thanks for looking!

Clip it up....

Want a chance to win a Clip It Up? I could really use one of these! Go on over to Adrienne's Sentiments and post a comment. One of us could win!!

Fast post....

Today is my day from H-E-double hockey sticks! LOL I have a big event and lots to do so I only have a sec to post this card. The colors look off in the photo. It's not my favorite but it's a post. It's for my aunt/godmom's bday and I had to get it in the mail today. She loves red and yellow. I do not.

Wow, yummy candy....

Here's some more candy you have to check out!! Debbie over at Passion for Crafts is offering birthday candy on her blog! She's really talented so check out her projects too. I follow her daily.

Relaxing day....

I had a nice relaxing Mother's Day. We had to wait until 6:00 for my son to get out of work. My other son and fiance slept in because he had shows on Fri. night and Sat. night, so they didn't get there until late either.

I spent the day playing some games on FB, reading a book & catching up on my magazines. The I decided to give myself a mani & pedi. I can't remember when I had a day all to myself!

We had a nice meal, cake for my hubby, and opened gifts. My hubby wasn't supposed to get me anything because I bought my own gifts - two pair of sandals and a Pandora bead. He got me a big fat gift card for a jewelers so I could pick out my own Pandora beads and a book.

It was fun while it lasted. Why do weekends have to be so short!!!

Happy Birthday to my hubby today! I'm taking him out to dinner tonight.

Kristen's candy....

Ok, you HAVE to go on over to my friend, Kristen's blog, Scrap-Creations! She has gorgeous cards & projects on her blog. I've seen her work IRL and it's fantabulous! She has three fantastic prizes to give away so be sure to leave her some comments!

Happy Birthday and Mother's Day...

My dh's birthday is Monday but we have to celebrate on Mother's Day. It's always the same each year. My son and his fiance can't come two days in a row so we just group them together. The big question is always, "Who's going to cook?" We can't take everyone out to dinner because it would be way too expensive paying for six. My kids don't have the money to pay their own way and I can't very well make my mom pay.

So......we (me) made some marinade, cut up the meat (dh) and we'll make kebabs tomorrow. We make chicken and steak with zucchini, summer squash, mushrooms, orange peppers and Vidalia onions. It's really delish!

I also asked dh what kind of cake he wanted. I thought for sure he'd say Carvel but he decided on the ice cream sandwich cake so I made that today. I got the recipe from Kraft Foods Family & Friends cookbook.

I was about to make a couple of cards, one more for dh from my son, when I got a call for a last minute showing. So I ran around cleaning instead.

I just now finished the card and I'm not making another. I kept it pretty simple since it had to look masculine. I mostly used Bazzill cs (from Linda). I'm not sure who makes that pp but I love it for guys cards. The stamp is from Whipper Snapper.

I hope all of my mom friends have a fantastic Mother's Day!

Cherry Blossoms....

First of all, I never meant to create such a stir with the title of my last post! All I was thinking was lost, as in can't find, my mother!! Sorry about the near heart attacks! LOL

I am struggling to find the source of this beautiful cherry blossom digi stamp. I will update as soon as I find it. If you know, please let me know. I'm so bad about this. ** Thanks so much, Kristen! ** The image is from The Digi Shack. They have great stuff over there!

Anyhoo, I made a mother's day card with it. After the last fiasco, I decided to stamp and color two images so I didn't have to do it over. and then decided I'd make a birthday card to have in ready-to-go box. I think I like the bday card better.

I colored in with my Aqua painter, SU Pirouette Pink, Regal Rose and Certainly Celery. Then I put lines in Chocolate Chip on the branches and some Old Olive on the leaves. I used Certainly Celery cs and I believe Pretty in Pink. Thanks for looking!

I lost my mother (just can't find her).....

I did not have a good stamping night last night. I had a Penny Black image hanging around for-EVAH, so I decided to use it for one of the six Mother's Day cards I have to make.

I never use SU Groovy Guava and I have the paper, ink, ribbon, etc. So.....I found some dp that had colors that resembled Groovy Guava, Certainly Celery and Old Olive. I used my waterbrush and colored in the image. Oh, it was really pretty. I added some Regal Rose to the center, just to make it look a little better. Then I mounted it on a mat and put pop dots on the corners. I put my dp on, ribbon, etc. and then decided my Happy Mother's Day wouldn't fit on an oval to the side.

Ok, then I thought I could just stamp it right on to the image, down below. I could not for the life of me find my Mother!! I moved papers, inks, etc., looked on the floor, but I couldn't find it.

I had to take out a CTMH set I have, arranged that on my block and stamped. Only I forgot it had popdots on the back, so of course the middle didn't stamp. Grrrrrr...I ruined the whole image. I wasn't too happy. So my smaller MSE sentiment set is missing it's mother!!

Little penguins...

I guess I must have a thing for penguins. I picked up this set from The Cats Pajamas recently. I already have a penguin set but I couldn't resist these little guys.

Again, I used pp scraps, SU Riding Hood Red cs and ribbon, Baja Blue and Certainly Celery. The circle stamp is by Scrappy Cat (or something like that). Thanks for looking! (HA, just had to add that these are the color throw down colors this week!! They copied me! LOL, just kidding)

Couple of things....

Mary asked if I saw the twins. Yes, I did, Mary. They are adorable and so tiny!! I didn't post a pic because I didn't get permission of the parents. I'm funny like that, I 'd never post without someone telling me it was ok. I'm quite sure she won't mind me posting little Aiden's legs and feet though. Look how small he is compared to my hubby's hands.

One more thing....please think good thoughts for my house sale right now. I don't want to say anything. We don't have any offer but.....I could use some positive vibes!!! Thanks!

We all scream.....

Made this card for my hubby's birthday which is coming up in another 2 weeks. It's so hard to make a male card. I've already made him the guitar, mouse, owl, penguin, etc. Anyway, I found the cutest digi images and I got them for free by signing up for the newsletter, I think! Check out Jacilynn's blog and see if the free images are still available! They come with and without the sentiments. She has some adorable cards on her blog too!!

My husband loves going for ice cream at a local ice cream stand. They make the BEST and creamiest ice cream ever! You stand in line for quite a while during the summer time, and even if it's cool or rainy in the spring. It is well worth the wait.

Again, I used scraps for this. You can't see the shimmery cherry & ice cream but you get the idea. Thanks for looking!

Just ducky....

I made this for a work friend who will be having surgery next week. I wanted it ready to be mailed on her surgery day. I'll make a few more because she's going to be out for 6 weeks or more.

I had this image from a swap and I am trying my best to use scraps on all cards. I did use a double sided paper on this one. I believe this is Tangerine Tango but I'm not sure. I have a little ring of SU papers and that is the only color I haven't added so that's why I'm not sure. I had one sheet of this paper.

Anyway, the sentiment is Amuse and the flower is a Heidi Swapp glitter flower. Thanks for looking!

p.s. I didn't think this really qualified for Kerry's challenge of a zoo animal. Maybe it does. I didn't make it for that specifically though. I would have used a giraffe!

To answer a question.....

Linda asked if I did the previous card based on a sketch. Yes, I did. I go to Splitcoaststampers.com weekly and get their card sketch and then try to make a card that mirrors it. Here is the sketch:



I hope that's what you meant, Linda! Thanks for your sweet comments!!

A sketch card....

I had a bunch of scraps in a bag so I purposely left them on my desk. I figured if I looked long enough at them, I'd use them. So I pulled together a quick card using Splitcoast Stampers sketch from last week, SC225.

I know this is old paper. It's SEI and I can't remember if it's Granny's Kitchen or the other one, but I love it!! These colors are very calming to me. My porch is painted in that blue/green color (what do you call it anyway?).

I pulled out old Amuse cake and sentiment stamps. Thanks for looking.

thank you card...

I'm hoping to see the twins today! It's supposed to be gorgeous out so I'm looking forward to getting out of the house.

I made this thank you and didn't want to post it before the recipient received it. I got the image in a swap from a card group I used to belong to. Thanks for looking and have a great weekend!

Used: CTMH dp & cs. MS lace punch, SU very vanilla ribbon, Nesties, prismas & gamsol. I forget who makes that stamp.

Shout out to Sheet Load...

I know that sounds nasty, but you've got to check out the free ezine download. The sketch is really cute!!

Go to Sheet Load and click on the thumbnail.

Christening card....

I needed to make a christening card but didn't want to buy a cross. I checked with all my stamper friends and no one seemed to own one. I finally decided to buy one, went to the lss and they didn't even have one. Mike's had a tiny one that I didn't like. So....off to SCS I go. I found this idea and decided to have a go at it. It works for me - simple, but done.
















I CASE'd from SCS Here

Chit chat and a question....

First off, I started out coloring an image in last night for a male birthday. My son came in and asked if it was cool for him to use the basement. I said yes, of course. Up I went with a clipboard, my image and my prismas & gamsol. That's as far as I got.

So....this morning I was seriously contemplating wearing sandals with my slacks. I put them on, got as far as the garage and then realized how horrible my feet looked. I never wear sandals without my toes polished. I ended up putting on some clogs instead.

Do you know that students and others here have been wearing them for at least two weeks or more. Shorts too!! I mean, don't you think it's rushing the spring to be wearing those things in 50 & 60 degree weather?!! I do. When my son's friend walked in my house in short shorts the other night and it was not even 50, my eyes popped out of my head!

On to my ride in...I was listening to a dj talk to a guy who called in about his wife taking their FOUR year old daughter to the day spa with her. Ummm...unless you're someone like Britney Spears, I think it's completely ridiculous. I understand giving them a little manicure but this was a facial, mani, pedi, etc. - exactly the same services as her mommy was getting!

Off my rant....Do you consider yourself high or low maintenance? I am definitely low. I've only had one facial in my life - when someone gave me a gift card for a bday. I've had a handful of manis and pedis - again, gift cards or getting ready for a trip.

If I had a lot of money, I would love to get a weekly mani and monthly pedi, but I see it as a waste of money I do not have. I paint my own toes and nails unless it's a special occasion like vacation or wedding. Then I love to get a french manicure on my natural nails and I can't do that myself.

Sorry for being so long winded this a.m.!

Check out this fantabulous candy....

Wow, it's amazing what Debbie has for candy to celebrate her blogoversary!! There are Nesties, Copics, adorable stamps, etc. She is a very talented stamper too. Check out some of her projects while you're there!

A scrappy card....

I used scraps to make this card. I love this paper! The stamp is Inkadinkado colored in with prismas & gamsol. I found the sketch on SCS or a blog. I'll have to look to give proper credit.

An altered picture frame...

Made this to go along with a check for my cousin's little guy, Tyler. He is a precious little man with huge blue eyes and beefy legs and feet. He's being christened next weekend.

I took a cheap Mike's frame, some scraps (thanks Bets!!!) and a few chipboard pieces and buttons and made this.

p.s. I really should have given this credit the first time. Sorry! I found the tutorial at The Pink Elephant. They have great tutorials!! Check it out!

Twins card....

Here's the card I made for my niece. The colors are a little off in the picture and so is my bow. I used SU soft sky and Bazzill colors similar to Bashful Blue and Pretty in Pink and the markers in those colors. The ribbon is Amuse. I think the sentiment is too. I Shimmerzed the bodies in butter cream. I saw the "squared" part of it on Splitcoast and thought it was cute. I also made a thank you but I can't post because I'm afraid the recipient might see it. ;-)

Twin update.....

I need to get going on a card for the twins who were born on Fri. My hubby forwarded the pix that they forwarded to him. I assumed the bigger one was the boy but I was wrong! The girl was born first and then the boy. Addison was 4 lbs. 15 oz. and Aiden was 3 lbs. 11 oz. Can't wait to meet them. I'm wondering when they let them go home. It used to be they would wait until they were 5 lbs. but that was quite a while ago.

Off to make a card!!!!

Exciting news coming up....

My niece is in labor at the moment. Hopefully I'll be a great aunt twice soon. She is having twins - a boy and a girl. This is her first birth. I'm hoping it oges fast and as painfree as possible. I cannot wait to see the little nuggets!!

Have a good weekend!!

PJ MAN!!!

Speak of the devil....I was driving in this morning and guess who appeared before my eyes?!! Yep, PJ Man! I was extremely disappointed in the ensemble though. He had gray sweats with the white stripe down the side and a normal man's green jacket. His hair was going every which way so I think he rolled out of bed just in time to catch the bus.

For those of you who don't know PJ Man, just ignore my comments. I just had to update for Pia's sake!

A congrats...

I planned on working on some scrapbook pages tonight but I didn't have the energy. I had to do a quick cleaning throughout the house because we have a showing tomorrow.

I needed to make an engagement congrats for our friend's son. I had a hard time making it really girly because it's the guy I know, not the woman. Anyway, this is what I came up with. This is an ancient stamp but it caught my eye while looking through a bunch while trying to figure out what to use.

You can't see the butter cream Shimmerz that I painted on the watches or the platinum around the rims. I also painted Royal Red Shimmerz on the heart. I used SU dps in real red, Kraft & real red. The black was a scrap from a stash I recently received (see, Betsy?). The mini pearls are Kaiser, I believe. The sentiment is CTMH. Thanks for looking!





This isn't a great shot either but you can see that it really does shimmer!





p.s. I have not seen PJ Man in AGES!!

Scrapped again....

I left work early for a dentist appt. My crown wasn't fitting right so it's going back to the lab. Oh well....

I forced myself into scrapping a two page lo in the gift album and I used paper from my huge stash of scraps (thanks, Betsy!!!). I was going to do another but my son asked if they could play music in the basement. I thought they were coming right back to do that so I hopped on Facebook and played a bunch of games. I have to stop this horrible habit!!!!!!! I'm addicted to Bejeweled and my hubby is addicted to Scramble. He starts several games a day with me so I have to do those so he can finish them up and whoop my butt. It's depressing, I tell ya!! LOL

p.s. Linda, I do make meatballs from scratch and I have an easy recipe if you'd like it. They are delish!!!!!

Etc.

Whew! It's been so busy lately, I can hardly stand it.

I had fun last night sorting out a humungous box of papers a sweet person sent me (wink, wink, Betsy!!) I guess I'm just an organizer. I enjoyed putting the cs by color in my scrap bin and sorting out the pps. I'm going to have fun making cards from this stash! You know how you get tired of your own papers? Well, now I can play with someone else's stash.

I'm heading out early today to get my permanent crown so I hope that doesn't feel too uncomfortable. I'd love to get some crafting in later.

Happy Easter & a card....

Hope everyone had a nice Easter. I did! I'm stuffed but I ate a little extra since I'm starting my diet tomorrow. I made meatballs this weekend to get rid of the cravings and I had all kinds of carbs today. YUM! The fun is over though. I've packed on the pounds and I need to lose.

We went to my aunt's house for dinner. It was so much fun spending time with aunts, uncles and cousins. I have two new second cousins who are precious. Tyler is 9 months with big blue eyes and Norah is just 2 months and is so sweet.

I just finished making this for my friend who is turning the big (gasp) 5-0. I still need to finish the scrapbook I'm making for her. I will be busy with that this week!

I used SU Birthday Whimsy, Ancient Page primrose ink, glittery pens, Mike's ribbon, cuttlebug HB, nesties. I sponged the ink on the cb piece. You can't really see the pink rhinestones in the upper right corner or the silvery lines through the cake but you get the idea. Thanks for looking!

It's all about the shoes....

I'm not sure if I've posted about my son's shoes or not. He started working at a shoe store 4 or 5 months ago. Since then he has purchased at least 9 pairs!!

So this morning, I headed out to the garage to get another cream in the fridge out there and I saw the shoes all piled up nice and neat. There are two hanging on the rack above this pile that you can't see. I think he has a couple in his room too. I just about busted out laughing. He must have arranged them late last night when he came in. You can see the old boat shoes going the wrong way underneath the neat pile. The sandals are old too but he uses them to go outside quickly.

There was one other day that I came home from work and saw this incredible display in his room. The boxes were all arranged with shoes on top, almost like what you'd see in a store. I laughed and laughed but then I had to tell him to dismantle it because we were having a showing. He wasn't too pleased. I told him he could have whatever display he wants in his room, just as soon as we get another house. I thought girls were the fashionistas....

A quick two pager finished....

I got to my craft room a little early last night because it was my night off from cooking (always on Wed.). So I went down to the dungeon (basement) and finally put together a two page lo for my gift album. I was about 3/4 of the way through when my son came down to ask if he and his friends could hang out in the basement. We're always happy to have him home instead of out who knows where so we said yes. My dh moved upstairs to the t.v. and I quickly adhered my pages and then went upstairs to dig through high school pix to see if I could add any to the album.

So I'm digging through pix and chuckling and getting depressed at the same time. I was SO skinny!!! I looked like a twig. Now I'm a house!!

Anyway, my son's friends left except for my adopted son ;-) who is always with him. They started looking at the pictures and laughing at how young we were. My hubby had a fuzzy long hairdo and they thought it was cool. So it turned out to be a lot of laughs even if I didn't get a whole lot accomplished.

Now if I could figure out how to scan these pix....

Check it out...

This guy has some amazing artwork on his website. He has a few free digi stamps so go and get 'em while you can!! I just love the bunny ones and today he has a toothy-grinned monkey.

http://dustinpike.blogspot.com/

I think I got the link from Paula's Ponderings originally. She has some amazing cards on her blog!!

A little sparkle...

Sorry my blog has been so dull lately. I've made a few quick cards for some little guys and that's about all I have had time for.

I've been making a gift album for a 50th birthday that is rapidly approaching. I won't bore you with all of them but I thought I'd share the first page. I added those Stampendous hologram (?) sticker dots to the 50 to make it sparkle and also to the scalloped bottom. I used a free stamp I got from Inkadinkado and added dots to that as well (on the bottom left).

I just finished two more pages that I'm pretty happy with. I probably have about 6-8 more to go. I also want to search my photos for high school pix of us, just for laughs.

I know this doesn't make it any better color-wise but it's better than text only. I can't even begin to tell you how nice it is to scrap for a non-scrapper! There's no pressure to get it perfectly balanced and all that.

Chatter....

Sun. was my oldest son's 23rd birthday. I stayed inside and finished up a few cards and scrapped two pages in the gift album I'm working on. Then I started the dinner stuff.

The boys get to choose what they want on their birthday for dinner. We used to give the option of going out to eat but they hardly ever took us up on it. Now that's not an option. We'd have to pay for six of us and it's just too much. They don't ask anyway. They always prefer to have one of my homemade meals. Usually it's homemade mac & cheese or chicken lasagna or chicken, broccoli, Ziti. That's what it was today (chick, brocc, ziti). My mom usually makes it but I did the honors today and it came out great. Then we topped the meal off with a Carvel. My boys do not like regular cake very much so we always opt for the ice cream cake.

Anyhoo, not looking forward to work tomorrow. When is the next holiday again?!! Oh yeah, it's Patriot's Day and that's coming up pretty soon (4/20, I think). I live for my holidays! Hope you had a nice weekend.