Any Time of Life, It's Good To Be Alive!

Day 10 of 20!

Cancer Update

Day 10 of 20 is tomorrow!  That means I will be halfway done with radiation treatments tomorrow!  Woohoo for me! 

Here's some info for you, since I have had questions about this.  I go every weekday to the Mayo Clinic to receive radiation therapy, and then have the weekends off for my body to recover a little (which you really need because of the fatigue and skin reactions).  The effects of radiation are cumulative, so as time goes on here I can expect to feel a little worse.  On Monday and Tuesday I have felt okay......by Friday I am putting in some serious nap-time!  By June 30th (my last day) I expect to be sleepwalking. 

Anyway, that is where I am right now!  I am trying to keep positive and stay away from negative thoughts.

Cool Friends Update

Thank you so much to my SBS sister, Shell, for the gorgeous purple-y butterfly card I received in the mail the other day!  I so appreciated the ladybug tag you included and plan to use it as a bookmark (coolio technique you used, too, by the way).  You also win the prize for having the prettiest decorated envelope I have ever seen!  Thanks again, sweet sister!!!

Creative Update

Nothing.  I've got nothing. {sigh}  When I feel like doing anything I do a load of laundry or something mundane like that.  I can't wait......CAN"T WAIT......until I feel up to doing things again!

"Come On Over!" and "Welcome!" To My New Sisters Update

My Sisterhood Of The Blogging Stampers group #28 never really took off except for a small group of us.  We were invited to join the sisters of SBS26 and I finally joined up with them tonight.  So, I just wanted to welcome all of my new sisters to my blog!  Here are a couple of links where you can read weird factoids about me, and get to know me a little bit:

Random Junk About Me

Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants?? 

Day 4 of 20

Wow.....radiation is kind of kicking my butt big time. 
I basically have done the same things every day
because I really don't feel like doing much. 
Naps are my best friend. 
The fatigue is already crazy. 
Good thing they give you the weekends off to recover a bit. 
I know this is temporary, and so does my family....
they are treating me with lots of TLC.

Cards are only a figment of my imagination right now {sigh}.

Looking forward to June 30th (last day of rads).

P.S.  To people wanting my address......I can't find most of your email addresses easily to give it to you.  My brain is not navigating blogs and such very well right now.  I was only able to find a few before petering out.  Sorry!

And So It Begins.....

Cancer Update:

I start radiation tomorrow, and will be receiving treatments through the end of June.  I opted to do a newer course of treatment and will receive 4 weeks of a more intense dose each time instead of 6 weeks at a regular dose.  Apparently because I didn't get the most severe side effects last time I did radiation, I am a good candidate for it.  My radiation oncologist just started offering this to patients because she has been waiting for a while for good data to come out on how effective it is to do this.  At any rate, I can still look forward to skin reactions and severe fatigue, etc.....I am just not sure how awful it will be this time.  But anything it takes to wipe out this stupid cancer is worth it!

Creative Update:

I am going to share a card that I made recently that I actually did take a photo of!  Will wonders never cease?!?  I swear I am super forgetful lately, and I can't even blame it on Radiation Brain yet!!  All the sparkly gold makes me happy.  It does kind of look more autumnal than summery, but that's okay.

 

 

Card Recipe:

 

It's Good To Be Queen stamp set by The Stamping Studio

Gold ColorBox pigment ink pad by Clearsnap

Jumbo Java VersaMagic chalk ink pad by Tsukineko

Clear and Gold Super Fine Detail embossing powder by Ranger

Brighton, Bristol and Rochester patterned papers from the

     Windsor collection by SEI

Coin blanks by Pine Cone Press

7/8" gold wired ribbon by Michaels Stores Inc.

9mm gold jump ring by Jewelry Essentials

White opaque pen from Inkssentials by Ranger

Other: Ivory, Gold and Brown cardstock

           Medium and small plastic jewels

 

I am slowly getting around to people's blogs today, and hope to visit all of my SBS Sisters by the end of the day.  I just feel so far behind and out of the loop!

Can I Get A Hallelujah??

This has been a huge emotionally draining day, but I wanted to post that my oncologist called this morning to let me know that my test results were back......a whole week early!!!  Yay!

Fantastic news!  My test results were good and I do not have to do chemo!!  Right now statistically chemo would only help me 1-3%, which my oncologist does not think justifies going through all the nasty stuff that would accompany the process.   So, I will start radiation in about 7-10 days!

This is such a big relief!  Guess all of my chanting helped, huh?

Thanks so much for your comments, for your prayers and for sharing your stories with me, either here or by email or by mail.  It makes things so much brighter when you can feel the arms of people around you, and I definitely feel that!  You all have to know what a difference that makes!  Thank you a million times just would not be enough.

Still Waiting and A Little Good Luck Assistance!

Cancer Update:

Still waiting for the test results and I have to say that I am going a little nuts!  Everybody chant with me...."no chemo, no chemo, no chemo!"  That's about all I have.  Admitting that I am going insane and have now reverted to daily chanting.  It is hard knowing that I would be starting radiation at the end of this week if I didn't have to wait for the darn test results....not that I WANT to do radiation, but at least I would be doing something positive.

Creative Update:

I have been making things, but not being very good at photographing anything.  I did take a photo of a birthday card I sent off.

  

Card Recipe:

Happy Birthday Rounder stamp by The Stamping Studio

Eggplant VersaMagic chalk ink pad by Tsukineko

Wisteria patterned paper collection by Basic Grey

Frosted brad from Creative Cafe by Creative Imaginations

Clouds Paper Edgers by Fiskars

Other:  Light gray  and white cardstock

             Plastic half pearls

             3/8-inch square punch

 

The patterned paper is actually light blue, but when you photograph stuff at night it ends up not looking like the true color.  Oh well.  I think I should be content with actually getting something photographed these days.

 

Cool Friends Update:

 

Not only did my wonderful SBS9 sister, Lizzy, send me a beautiful card but she included a cute little beaded Good Luck Charm that I am pretty sure she made with her own little hands!  It is so sweet and is now hanging off of the swanky new purse that I received for Mother's Day, which it matches perfectly!  Thank you so much, Lizzy....it will now be going with me wherever I go!  (Also, Lizzy called my cancer the "Evil Being" which is just so perfect.)

 

 

Colorful Flowers Update: (okay, so I am digging for what to call each category.....give me a break)

 

Finally, here is a freebie photo of the flowers Mike gave me for Mother's Day.  Aren't all the different colors gorgeous??

 

That's it for now.  I am trying to get around to people's blogs slowly but surely, but please don't hold it against me if I am slower than usual.  I need to do it more often because it is a definite spirit lifter to see what beautiful things you are all making!

 

 

 

 

A Little Debra Winger and Some Updates!

"I want you to tell them it ain't so tragic!
People do get better.
Tell them it's OK to talk about the cancer!"

 

These are lines from the movie "Terms of Endearment", one of my all-time favorite movies (Emma, played by Debra Winger, is talking to her best friend, Patsy, after having lunch with Patsy's friends who try hard to talk about everything else, including yeast infections and genital herpes, everything besides the elephant in the room.....Emma's cancer).  The movie came out in the early 1980's, so it's kind of an oldie moldie.  The reason I am posting these words is because I have been asked why I am being so open about sharing what is happening to me with my breast cancer. 

 

If I am away for a few days or disappear for a week, then people will know what is going on.

 

If I inspire just one woman who reads all of my dribble to go get a mammogram, then I will have served a greater purpose in life.

 

If I can find strength and am lifted up from reading supportive comments posted by all of you, then my healing process will be greatly helped.

 

Okay, so here are the actual updates!

 

Cancer Update: 

I am in hurry up and wait mode again.  I am waiting until the end of next week to find out if I have to do chemo {gasp}. 

 

The first time I had breast cancer I was lucky and only had to do radiation.  This time I will do radiation and then take a  bunch of nasty drugs for 5 years, but there is still the chance I may have to do chemo.  I opted to do a big genetic test that is performed on the tissue they removed during surgery to determine if this cancer will come back or not.  If it comes back with a high risk, I will do chemo.  This test, called an Oncotype DX, was not available the first time I had cancer 6 years ago, so I am really thankful to have access to it.  I feel I will then have a lot of info with which my oncologist and I can make an informed decision.  It is hard because without this test I wouldn't be doing chemo at all, but I couldn't live with not knowing when I had the chance to know.  Yeah, I am one of those people who does all of the genetic tests offered to me.  Some people would rather not know, but to me with knowledge comes power. 

 

Creative Update:

One of the things that is helping immensely is to take a little time each day to create something.  I get to play with stamps and ink and pretty paper, and just forget about all the heavy stuff that is going on in my life right now.  No photos yet because it has been pretty cloudy here, but I'll get my act together soon.  I even colored with my Copics the other day!  Woooooooo!!

 

Cool Friends Update:

Thank you to my SBS9 sis, Alex, for the gorgeous card I received the other day!  And contrary to you saying you didn't want to make me cry, I did anyway.....because it is truly amazing to me how much people care about what I am going through.  Thanks, my friend!

 

 

That's it for now!

On This Wonderful Day.....

I want to wish all of the awesome women I know a Happy Mother's Day! 

Mother's Day is always kind of bittersweet for me because my own mom has now been gone for 7 years and my daughters are so far away, but I will get phone calls today from each of them and my husband will spoil me so it will be a good day!  And, truthfully, I am just so thankful for my life and being able to do the things I am able to do.

May your own Mother's Day celebrations be really special!

{Hugs} Wendy

A New Beginning With The Stamping Studio!

You know how you appreciate good news coming along and it kind of makes your day?  Well, good news is something to treasure for me recently, and I wanted to share that I am a part of an awesome design team again at The Stamping Studio!  I took a year away from so many things, and am so happy to be a part of this team again. 

Here's the 2009 design team:

Wendy Sebesta
Suzanne Milam
Pat Jaynes
Cheryl Kelly-Van Domelen

Alternates:
Millie Dawson-Hardy
Dina Gerner
Rita Ann Plummer

Congrats, ladies.....I know we will have an awesome year!

I'll do another Cancer Update in a few days after all of my appointments are over.  A big thanks to my lovely SBS9 sister Lulu for your beautiful, sunshiny yellow card......it was a definite day brightener and so fun to get from you across the pond!!

Hello From The Land of Unwashed Hair!

Just stopping in to say "hi". 

Still sore and moving very slowly

after surgery.

I'd forgotten how much bruising there is.

My armpit looks like a technicolor circus.

 

The surgeon's office called

with the pathology report

instead of making me wait

until next week.

Which was very wonderful of them.

Your mind tends to go to dark places

when you don't know things.

They got clean margins with the cancer

meaning they got it all out.

And I do not have cancer in my lymph nodes.

 

More next week after visits with

radiation oncologist and oncologist.

 

Also, thanks again for your messages.

And a huge thanks to Manna for the awesome card.

It made me cry.

 

News I Have Been Waiting For!

Well, here it is. 

After the two longest weeks of my life,

I finally got in to see my surgeon.   

Unfortunately, because he is so busy it just means

that there are a lot of women having breast cancer surgery.

I used him last time and he is a total rock star,

so I feel like I am in good hands. 

 

I go in for surgery tomorrow morning (Thursday). 

I actually will not know anything else

until the pathology report comes back

and I have met with my oncologist,

so I won't post again until that happens in a couple of weeks. 

I do know that I will be going through radiation again.

There are more possibilities on my horizon,

but I won't know

until discussions with the oncologist and radiation oncologist.

 

Thanks so much for your kind words. 

I totally understand that it is hard to know what to say

to someone in my situation,

so any messages I've received are really cherished. 

I Feel Like Bill Murray in Groundhog's Day!

Sorry about the lame humor.

I so need to keep life normal right now, though.

And keep my sense of humor.

 

Last week was my 6 year anniversary of being cancer-free. 

But I didn't make it past that anniversary. 

I have breast cancer again. 

For the second time.

 

Which makes me gasp and makes me a little insane.

 

The coming weeks will be filled with surgery and recovery. 

I have breast cancer again. 

I can't believe I am typing that. 

I can't believe this is happening again.

 

I am less frightened than last time.

The unknown isn't so unknown this time.

Well, still off the scale

but I know from experience that you can survive this.

I have a lot of decisions to make now.

 

I do know that I am determined to keep doing

the things I love to do this time.

And not let pieces of me slip away.

Then try to desparately recover them.

I will need to touch my rubber stamps.

And fondle the patterned paper.

 

I will try to post when I can.

Please know that I am thinking of all of you.

 

I have breast cancer again.

I can't believe I am typing that.

 

Hippity Hoppity!

I created an Easter card to send to my in-laws this year....mostly because they are really supportive of my card making endeavors and I hardly send them a handmade card.  I also wanted to try coloring with my brand new sets of Copics!  Wow, those markers are really addictive! 

Okay, so be kind....this is the first time I have tried shading and coloring with Copics.  I can see the blaring mistakes.  I hope to improve each time I use them.  I do know, though, that it makes me happy to color with them so I know I will try to do it often.  I used really old papers and embellishments from Doodlebug that I have had FOREVER! 

So all around this was a sickeningly jubilant experience. :)

 

 

Card Recipe:

 

Hippity Hoppity stamp by Shirley's 2 Girls

Pitch Black Adirondack ink

Cupcake Sprinkles cardstock, Daisy Doodles patterned paper,

     Cupcake w/White 3/8" gingham ribbon, and Cupcake glitter

     brad by Doodlebug Designs

Sweet & Pretty Pins by Fancy Pants Designs

B00 Frost Blue, BG01 Aqua Blue, C-1 Cool Gray No. 1,

     G07 Nile Green, RV10 Pale Pink, YG06 Yellowish Green,

     YR02 Light Orange, and YR07 Cadmium Orange

     Copic Markers

Swiss Dots embossing folder from Cuttlebug by Provo Craft

Other:  Dk. pink, turquoise and white cardstock; felt and

     silk flowers and leaves

With Deepest Sympathy

This is the card that I created to send off to my friend Julie for Baby Evan's family.  You can read about all of this in my post here.   The sentiment on the card is (because I know it might be a little small to read):  May prayer strengthen you and memories comfort you.  It is from a Crafty Secrets stamp set, and all of the sentiments in the set are as awesome as that one.

Again, I apologize for the grey-ish hues cast all over the card, but if you have watched any news lately you know Minnesota is just getting hammered with lousy weather.

 

Card Recipe:

Branch In Vase stamp by Impress Rubber Stamps

Card Sentiments stamp set from Clear Art Stamps by Crafty Secrets

Hint of Pesto and Sage chalk ink pads from VersaMagic by Tsukineko

Simple Scallop Edge Punch by Martha Stewart Crafts

Denium Pearls by Kaiser Scrapbook

Lt. blue and lt. green textured cardstock by Bazzill

Buttercream smooth cardstock by Taylored Expressions

Classic Scalloped Ovals, Large and Classic Ovals, Large Nestabilities dies by Spellbinders

B93 Light Crockery Blue Ciao marker by Copic

Periwinkle Elegant Organza 5/8-inch ribbon from Shades of Elegance by Horizon Fabrics

Spring Has Sprung!

Wow, spring is definitely coming!  The snow has been replaced by rain showers, and soon everything will be budding.  The air smells different.  I mostly love spring because I can change out the clothes in my closet, and put away the corduroys and heavy sweaters.  Pretty soon I can show off my legs, which are the color of the underside of a whale's belly and/or Casper The Friendly Ghost in capri pants.  I'll post a warning when I do that so the free world can don sunglasses to shield the glare.

Here's a quickie I made today:

 

I used some 5 year old KI Memories paper I have been hoarding.  The colors in it just make me happy, and I am thrilled to use up "old" stuff.  Also, excuse the dark photography....it is a grey, rainy day here in Minnesota, and the photos tend to look kind of grey, too.

Card Recipe:

 

Spring Fever stamp by Shirley's 2 Girls

Celadon and Heliotrope ColorBox Cat's Eye ink pads by Clearsnap

Clear Super Fine Detail embossing powder by Ranger

Starry Starry Night patterned paper by KI Memories

Cuttlebug Bloom Dots Embossing Folder by Provo Craft

Nestabilities Scalloped Square die by Spellbinders

Other:  Ivory, light green, light teal and lavender cardstock

           3/16-inch lavender gingham ribbon

Card Makers and Stampy People.....I Need Your Help!!

There are some things that come along in your daily life that make you catch your breath, and I received an email from a friend today that did that to me.  I am reproducing/posting part of it with her permission:

Hello friends,

 

I apologize for the mass email. My friend, Monica, just lost her baby boy, Evan Andrew. I would love to minister to Monica in some way and I thought it may be a good idea to do a card drive for her.

 

If you don't mind, could you make a card or buy a card for Monica and mail it to me.

 

I think that well wishes and comforting words would really bless her and her family during this painful time. I will bundle the cards up and send them to her in a large package, maybe just leaving them on her doorstep anonymously. I know she would appreciate to know that people all over the US are thinking of her and praying for her. 

 

Thank you so much!

Julie

 

P.S. There has also been a website set up in honor of Evan Andrew where you can leave a message for the family. Evan Andrew

 

 

You can click on the link on that website to go to a blog to read this family's story.  I urge you to do so because you will not be the same afterwards.

 

So, friends, here is what I am asking of you.  If you have a couple of minutes in the next few weeks, could you use your crafty, card making and/or stamping talents and make a card for this family?  I think my friend is amazing to want to ease this family's pain in some way and knowing that we can try to comfort them in such a small way makes my heart happy.  

 

Please have your card finished by the end of the month and do one of two things:  either mail it to me and I will send the whole bunch off to Julie, or mail it directly to Julie.  Just post what you would like to do in the comments section and I can privately provide you with the appropriate address.  I am giving you two options because obviously if you are reading my blog you know me in some way and may feel more comfortable mailing things to me.

 

Thanks so much in advance!

 

My youngest is home from college this week and I am getting off the internet right now to go hug her!

 

 

 

 

Beginning Another Sisterhood!

On a whim the other day, I stopped by the Sisterhood of the Blogging Stampers website and joined another new group that was forming (hi, New Sistahs from SBS28!!).  We are super small right now, but will only get bigger and better....and if it turns out to have half the super talented and wonderful ladies that my SBS9 group has, it will be great!

I am supposed to do an introduction but we all know that I don't do things in the traditional way, so I will do a random list of stuff.  It seems my mind only works that way for some reason!  So here goes:

Random Junk About Me

1 ~  You would think that I actually was a baseball player with the way my mind works.  I know when pitchers and catchers and when the position players for the Minnesota Twins team report to spring training, I know about off-season trades and salaries, I read baseball blogs.   I watch every single regular season game (which is almost every day from April to October) even if it means fast forwarding through a recorded game to see highlights.  Well, you get the idea.  Go Twins!!  This year is our year!!

2 ~  I refer to myself as OTD.  That's {Older Than Dirt}.  I am the founding member of the OTD Society, but the membership is vast and varied.  No dues or fees required to belong. 

3 ~  If I find clothing or shoes that fit great, I buy them in multiple colors.  This is why I currently have 6 pairs of J Crew corduroys in various colors and a dozen of the same Eddie Bauer t-shirt in different colors.  I also have 3 dozen of the same style of underwear in different colors....wait....was that TMI??  Don't ask me to stop.  I've been doing this my entire life.  My motto is "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

4 ~  {Hint:  Skip over this one if you are sick of me talking about it}.  I only have one more pound to go before losing a total of 70 pounds. 

5 ~  I was born in and have only lived in Minnesota (Red Wing, Crystal, Plymouth, Duluth, Fridley, Minneapolis, Rochester).

6 ~  As my daughters were growing up, we taught them that there was more life to live and explore than they were going to find here in their own backyard.  Maybe that's why one ended up in Nevada and one in New York.

7 ~  I've been stamping and making cards for over 20 years.  I have some really old wood mounted stamps that my daughters and I used when they were little.  I really got into it when I submitted and was one of the winners of the Stamp It! magazine Stamping Queen contest 4-1/2 years ago.  The rest, they say, is history.  Yup, I'm in it hook, line and sinker!

8 ~  I met my husband freshman year of college.  He was dating another girl that lived on my floor.  The next year we lived across the hall from each other in on-campus apartments.  One of his roommates was someone I went to high school with, and one of my roommates was someone he went to high school with.  We all hit it off really well and most of the 8 of us still keep in touch.  Mike and I have been together over 30 years and married for 28-1/2.

9 ~  I love patterned paper almost as much as I love rubber stamps.  I once knew someone who got a thrill from smelling their cardstock.  I am not going to go that far, but pretty new paper or some new rubbah really floats my boat!

10 ~ Truthfully, by the time you get to number ten, you are digging for stuff.  I will end this by saying that my favorite number is "4".  Hope that was digging enough for everyone who made it to the end.

 

These Things I Know To Be True (Random Stuff On My Mind Today)!

{1}  I woke up this morning with a giant zit on my chin.  I am going in for my regular skin cancer check at the dermatologist tomorrow.  The irony of this is not lost on me.

 

{2}  I have not lived up to my potential.  That was hard to type. 

 

I have not submitted anything for publication in over a year, I have not tried out for a design team in 15 months, and I have been remiss in sending handmade greetings to countless friends, relatives and online friends over the past year.  I feel like I used to be successful at all of those things.  

 

I signed up for an online class in hopes of feeling refreshed, but it just didn't work quite as well as I thought it would.  I have done only a third of the lessons.  The sad thing is that I think I have lost the confidence, nerve, and self-esteem that were always the center of when I created things in the past.  Where the heck did those go?  If found, please return to me.

 

I am not saying all of this to elicit sympathy.  It is really the result of trying to figure out why I go into my work room, stare at things and walk out.

 

{3}  The lure of collecting new stamps, however, has not been lost on me.  I have placed orders this week with some stamp companies that are new to me, and eagerly await the boxes that will arrive shortly!  Whether I use these stamps right away or just covet them is another thing.

 

{4}  I am having a hard time trying to figure out how to store my Nestabilities dies.  If anyone has any coolio ideas, please share them with the class.  I saw someone had made a little book with magnetic pages made from larger magnet sheets (like from Walmart or Michael's) and I may try doing that.  The plastic clamshell packaging they come in is driving me nuts, so I will need to do something sometime soon.

 

{5}  A skunk got into my husband's office building this week and they had to call Animal Control to remove it.  Apparently it got in by way of a loading dock.  Probably just looking for a warm place and some food.  I don't have to tell you how bad my husband would have smelled if the skunk had shared its essence with everyone.  I don't want to think about that.

All I Need Is The Air I Breathe And A Place To Rest My Head!

Those are lyrics from the song "Say (All I Need)" by OneRepublic.  The theme for today is "need".   Anywhere I can work song lyrics into my life, I will!!

Two of my SBS9 sistahs, Suzann and Manna, both of whom have a great sense of humor, posted lists on their blogs that were obtained by going to Google and entering "(Your name here) needs".  You ditch the parenthesis, type your name where indicated, and leave the quotation marks.  So, for example, I typed "Wendy needs".  Then you post the first 10 things that are listed.  Both of them have some pretty funny things on their lists and I have to tell you that more than one thing on my list made me chuckle!  Here's what Google came up with for me:

1.  Wendy needs a patient, loving and committed family who can provide structure.

2.  Wendy needs a little time.

3.  Wendy needs to warm up to animal welfare.

4.  Wendy needs every measuring cup and teaspoon she can find.

5.  Wendy needs to know that doing whippets can cause frostbite of the nose.

6.  Wendy needs a new sewing machine.

7.  Wendy needs to wake up!

8.  Wendy needs some props.

9.  Wendy needs Mac help fast.

10.Wendy needs a roommate.

If you are inclined to waste time on your computer today, go for it!  Also, if anyone can explain to me what "doing whippets" is, I would love to know.  I know that a whippet is a dog breed, but that nowhere near makes sense in this case.

Back soon with a new card.....I am just waiting for something to dry so I can take a photo of it!!  :)

 

Oooooh....Friday The 13th!!

If I was superstitious, this would really bug me....but I'm not.  Just another day as far as I am concerned.  Just the day before Valentine's Day.  Why am I talking about this?  HA

Another felt heart Valentine's card, this one using a large scalloped heart with buttons sewn on it.  I don't really sew, so this was a bit of a stretch for me.  Not to mention I went a little crazy with the buttons.  I also used Shimmerz again (wooooooo!) on the handmade flower punched from a page in an old book.  Some of the other supplies are from the awesome February Studio Calico kit that I finally dug into.

   

 

Details:

* Lace Love Notes patterned paper and Die Cut Tags

     from Love Notes Collection by Making Memories

* Bliss Bingo Card by Jenni Bowlin

* Red Pearls by Kaiser Scrapbook

Pink Cadillac Bling Cardstock by Bazzill

Hotty Pink Shimmerz

Apron Lace Border Punch by Fiskars

Flower punch by Carl

Vintage Photo Distress Ink pad by Ranger

Other - Handmade felt heart; old book page

 

* Items from February Studio Calico kit

Relapse, Comic Relief & Valentines.....3 of The Most Unrelated Things!

We went to see the comedian Frank Caliendo on Saturday night.....you may know him from either his TV show "Frank TV" or from his John Madden impersonation on the NFL pregame shows on CBS.  The tickets were one of the Christmas gifts I gave to Mike, and we had super seats in the 3rd row!  My stomach and face muscles will never be the same from laughing so much!

I paid a price, though.  I was in bed early Monday night, all day Tuesday and part of today because I felt so lousy again.  Things are okay again, but this getting old crap is for the birds!  I just don't bounce back from stuff like I did even 5 years ago.  {sigh}

These are some of the Valentines I made with the felt hearts that I sewed for the Embellishment class I am taking (speaking of which, I am now so far behind that I will never catch up.....but I keep plugging along!).  I am posting a close-up of the hearts that were stamped with Shimmerz.  Shimmerz (iridescent water-based paints) are way cool!!!  It is my new favorite medium and I plan to Shimmerz all over the place!

   

 

Details:

From The Heart stamp by The Stamping Studio

Cranberry Cat's Eye pigment ink pad by ColorBox

Pink Shimmerz

Blush Red Dark and Frost Pink Prismatics cardstock by Prism Papers

Shell Pink Twill Tape by Martha Stewart Crafts

Sugar Stripe patterned paper from Kiss And Tell collection by My Mind's Eye

Pure Red Zig marker

Heart Blocks embossing folder from Cuttlebug by Provo Craft

Classic Scalloped Squares die from Nestabilities by Spellbinders

Other:  Lace; smooth white cardstock; handmade felt heart

Saving The Environment, One Step At A Time!

I helped to save a tree's life today!  I used paper made from bananas! 

But then, in my excitement, I realized that I used a living, breathing banana and that I used other paper on this card......so now I have to live with the guilt of killing not only a tree, but a banana as well.

The banana notebook paper is cool stuff, though.  You probably can't see it from the photo, but it has bits of banana in it.  I came across a bunch of "food" notebooks at the Cornell University bookstore when we were visiting our daughter.  Off the top of my head, I have coffee paper, too. 

This card is made with an embellished button that I made for the Embellishements:  Beautifully Handmade class I am taking (see felt hearts and discussion about class in the post below).

 

Details:

Swirly Scrolls and Framed Sentiments stamp sets by

     The Stamping Studio

Coffee Bean dye ink pad by Paper Salon

Sondra Drive patterned paper and Label Sticker from

     Sonoma Collection by Scenic Route

Blush Red Dark Prismatics cardstock by Prism Papers

Banana Paper by EcoPapers

Clouds Paper Edgers by Fiskars

Other:  Red gems, big brown button, jute

 

 

I {heart} This!

The class I have eluded to taking in previous posts is through an online site called Get It Scrapped! and is called Embellishments:  Beautifully Handmade.  Our teacher is Tania Willis, which is a name you probably recognize.  I wanted to take a class to learn how to make some different things to use on cards, and the class has been really informative!  It is exciting to be doing something other than what I usually do!  Anyway, look around on the site and you'll see all the cool things they offer besides this embellishment class...they also have a gallery and message board.

Here is a small part of what I have been working on this week, trying to catch up from being sick.  These are some embellished hearts, 20 in all, that I have been sewing to use on Valentine's Day cards.  

These are made from materials I had stashed away.  Interestingly enough, all the sequins are leftovers from when my daughters used to make sequin calendars for their great-grandmother at Christmastime.  She has been gone for 11 years, so that will tell you how long I've had them!!  It makes me happy to finally put them to use and makes me smile with all the remembrances.

I'll be back soon with some Valentines cards!

Could I BE Any Later With Mailing This?

Hmmmm.....bad attempt at "Friends" humor.  Reference to when Joey comes in the apartment door wearing every piece of clothing Chandler owns because he is mad at him and says, "could I BE wearing any more of your clothes!"  Then proceeds to tell him he is going commando.  Cracks me up every time!

The real point of all of this is that I finally mailed Maureen the prize she won from my blog contest about guessing how many Christmas trees I put up every year.....from way back at the beginning of December.  Sorry Reen!!  A little package is on its way to you with a couple of extra goodies in it because I am so embarrassed that I have such a bad memory.  Enjoy!

Here's a super-duper quick little card I enclosed with the package:

 

All stamps from The Stamping Studio

I spent 10 days inside the house, not going anywhere or doing much.  I felt that lousy.  Today I feel much better and am totally sick of my iPod and reading books (not that I felt like doing much of anything else).  I am working on stuff from the online class I am taking, which is half over already, and will hopefully get it posted here soon.  I am just thoroughly grateful to feel half human again!

Happy Groundhogs Day (a day early)!  Let's hope for an early spring this year!

{Cough} This Being Sick Thing Really Stinks!

Yeah....I am sick.  I have spent the entire week either sleeping or blowing my nose.  My voice sounds like Michael Clarke Duncan (reminder, for those that don't remember....he is an actor from the movie The Green Mile....if you don't remember, imagine that I kind of sound like a tuba).

I haven't made anything in months.  To get myself motivated, I signed up for an online class a couple of months ago that started last week.  I was too busy packing up our daughter to go back to college for spring semester to actually start any of the assignments and I was going to catch up this last weekend.  Ha.  Life is cruel.  I got sick.  So.....I am wayyyyyyyyyy behind.  This is the first class I have ever taken.  I honestly had good intentions and still do, so when the Mucus Monster decides to let me off the hook I will post about the class and show what I've made.

{cough}

Greeting From The Other Side!

In other words, Happy New Year!  Be back soon with a new post!  Before I leave, here is a photo of Mike and me on Christmas Eve.  This was taken after an exhausting but fun day of entertaining family, and before we were up until 3 am opening gifts and cleaning up the aftermath. 

It's That Time of Year!

Both of my daughters arrive home tomorrow.....and.....I CAN'T WAIT!!!!  What they don't know is that they will be meeting up in Chicago (one flies from New York and the other from Nevada) and be sitting next to each other on the flight home!  How fun is that????  Won't they be surprised!

Before I sign off for the rest of the year (because I know I will be so busy with family and Christmas and baking and shopping and eating and hugging the stuffing out of my daughters every chance I get), I wanted to try to post one more of the Christmas trees I put up.  This one is in our dining room and holds my favorite collection of Christmas bears.  There is even a bear dressed like a star on the top of the tree!  And that is a handmade wooden sleigh on the floor in front of it, with a little Christmas quilt I made a long time ago.

   

Merry Christmas to my stampy friends!  I hope you have a wonderful time during the holiday weeks with your own families!  Thanks for supporting my blog with all of your lovely comments, and I look forward to all of the awesome things you will be making in the New Year....you are all so inspiring!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Big Chewy Cookies!

I wanted to post a recipe that is one of my favorite holiday cookie recipes.  I only bake these once a year, and they are definitely one of the reasons I look forward to Christmas.  I've made these cookies for about 20 years! 

 

The recipe is from a bakery in Missouri.  Some guy there thought these up and bakes hundreds of batches each year for the holidays.  If you love big, soft, chewy cookies…..this is the recipe for you!!  They bake up HUGE with deep cracks of crispy, sugary goodness on the top!  For some reason, I don't have the number of cookies this recipe makes, but my best guess is about 2 dozen.

Joe's Old-Fashioned Ginger Cookies

 

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons molasses

1 egg

Additional sugar

 

In a small bowl combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt.  Set aside.

 

With mixer, beat butter for 30 seconds; add 1 cup sugar and beat until fluffy.  Add molasses and eggs; beat until combined.  Add dry ingredients and beat on low speed until well combined.

 

Shape dough into 1-1/2 inch balls.  Dip each ball into a bowl of water, then into a bowl of sugar.  Arrange the sugar-coated balls 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until light golden brown.  Cool on wire racks.  Store in a sealed container.

 

Enjoy!

Santa's Been Here!!

Okay.....not really.  But I kind of feel like he has!!  For the first time in the 28 years I have been putting up a Christmas tree, the first present under the tree is for ME!  That has NEVER happened!  I came downstairs this afternoon, and there it was!  This also shows that I haven't started wrapping presents yet....ahem....but let's not talk about that.  I am just going to bask in the fortune that is mine today, and will seriously start wrapping tomorrow.  (Actually, I have that scheduled for the whole day tomorrow.) 

 

This is one of the multitude of trees we put up every year.  It is the most time consuming to put up, but is full of memories, like I am sure many people's family Christmas trees are!

My Favorite Part of Christmas - Giving Gifts!

I realized that I forgot to post the gift register I made for this year!  I use them to record all the gifts I buy each year for Christmas.  Usually I forget to take photos after I am done making one to even get them posted, so maybe I should be proud of getting the photos taken and leave it at that.  If I remembered to do everything on a timely basis, I would be darned near perfect and who wants that?  J

 

ANYWAY, here is the little bugger…..I went with a cute snow theme this year!  I ended up using a pre-made board book, but made chipboard covers for it because the covers it came with had tabs on them.  Then I inserted individual pages for each person out of notebook paper made from banana plants, and stamped their names on them.  I used lots of glittery stuff and what didn’t come glittery, I used pearl paint and Stickles on.  Even the paper is glittery.  Hope the photo catches some of the bling!

 

 

Details:

Chipboard Book w/Tabs - 3 Bugs In A Rug

Snowy Jo patterned paper (Cup o’Cheer; Jingle Baubles; Jo to the World; Santa’s Secret Garden; Snow Soiree; Tinsel to the Top;) - Imaginisce

Kensington Large Vintage Frame - Melissa Frances

Holidoodles rub-ons from Snowy Jo collection - Imaginisce

Frosty Snowflowers from Snowy Jo collection - Imaginisce

HolidayHouse Plastic Winter embellishments - American Crafts

Silver Sugar Coated brads – Doodlebug

Christmas Transfers – Melissa Frances

Star Dust Stickles – Ranger

Pearl Specialty Glaze – Making Memories

Glittering Snow Writer – DecoArt

Decorative trim – World Market

 

 

Wrap It Up!

 

Festive little pillow boxes with gifts for my daughter and her roommate!  I used my Crop-A-Dile to punch holes in all the chipboard....thank goodness for great tools!!  I thought maybe they could remove their initials and the Christmas chipboard pieces, and hang them on the pink tinsel Christmas tree they have in their apartment.  How cute is that!!

Details:

Chartreuse Dots Pillow Boxes – Paper Source

Blossom 1-1/2 inch double sided satin ribbon – Paper Source

Festive Hip Chip – KI Memories

Sunset Ringz – Junkitz

Cupcake  Sugar Coated Chipboard Hopscotch Alphabet - Doodlebug

Turquoise Rhinestones – Kaiser Scrapbook

 

Ho Ho Ho.......Squeak!

Okay....well.....my title sounds like someone's car breaking down or something!  HA  Or better yet, Santa's sleigh!

Actually, it's the sound effects that go along with my photo today in an attempt to show a few of the MANY trees I put up at Christmastime.  This little tree decorates the area reserved for the Boyd's mice.  These little guys are pretty small, but really cute.....and all have cheeses for their names - Roquefort, Gouda, Monterey, etc.  They also all came with little clothing or hats, or in a stocking, or holding a stocking.  How cute is that?  Oh, and this tree only has lights and some shiny red beaded garland on it.  Easy schmeasy.  

That's part of my Snow Village collection on top of the sofa table, complete with snow.  The snow is just a bugger to put on the Snow Village displays (something I do with a teaspoon to get it around all the buildings and people).  It is loose and flaky.  It looks pretty good, though, so I suck it up and do the deed every year.   

Teddy Bear Christmas!

 

Just had to share this photo today!  This is one of the trees (which are many in number.....see the last entry) that I really look forward to putting up.  One of the reasons is that it is a quickie.  Fluff the branches, put on the tree skirt, hang the little ornaments....boom, you're done!  The ornaments are little resin gingerbread cookie hearts (soooo cute!) and the bears are all Boyds, who makes the cutest bear faces as far as I'm concerned.  Also, the little high chair was my doll high chair when I was a very little girl.  It is in pretty good shape for being OTD (older than dirt....I've talked about this on numerous occasions....keep up here, people!).  I love bringing it up from the basement every year and putting it out!

Just wanted to prove that the Christmas Spirit is trying to live here in my house despite my protests!!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree!

The contest is over, and only six people made guesses as to how many Christmas trees I put up every year (so the odds were pretty good for those six people!).

Here's the 411 on who guessed what:

Sue – 5

Alex – 5

Kim Marie – 6

Louise – 7

Maureen – 9

Manna - 21

Here's the list of my trees, which range in height from 2 feet to 7-1/2 feet:

Family Room – family tree with ornaments

2 lime green tinsel trees w/ glass ornaments (daughters)

Potted tree with snowball lights

Snowman collection

Living Room - gold and white theme

Boyds mice collection

2 with bear collection 

2 lighted mini trees in pots

Total =  11 Christmas Trees!

 

So.......REEN IS THE WINNER WITH THE CLOSEST NUMBER TO THE ACTUAL AMOUNT!!  Congrats, girlie, and I'll send you your winning stamp sets soon!!  Thanks for playing along everyone! 

 

Oh, and, I am sooooooo glad I am not the only one who feels like Ebenezer Scrooge this year! 

 

Merry December! Good Intentions, Depression and A Contest

If you don't want to listen to me blather on about my life, skip down to the contest.  If you like to listen to me blather, thanks for reading and I'll try to keep it short.

I realized today that I only made two entries on this blog in November.  Life is funny sometimes.  You get busy and you forget about things.  I also intended to make a blog entry every day in December, and fill my entries with inspiration and projects, etc.  It is December 2nd today.  So much for good intentions.

I've been kind of depressed.

A week after we got home from Hawaii, our kitty was very sick.  She had surgery last week and today she is almost like her old self.  I am so relieved!  She's 14 years old and I know she is not going to be around forever, but I am not ready to give her up quite yet.  You worry about the little furry members of your family just like a regular people members of your family, because....well....they are a regular part of your family! 

The other part of my depression is going to make some people roll their eyes.  Big deal, you'll say.  I am hating winter.  Now, I've lived in Minnesota my whole life and look forward to the first snowfall when the woods in back of our house kind of becomes magical when all the tree branches are coated with white....and listening to the kids down the street squealing when they come outside that first night to play in the snow, remembering what that used to be like when I was a little girl......or seeing the first snowman in someone's front yard on our street.  But, it is just all pretty annoying this year.   I find myself complaining about EVERYTHING!   The reason you will roll your eyes is because it all has to do with going to Hawaii in November.  I've been looking up the weather there every day since we got home, and getting mad as it gets colder and colder here because there it is sunny and in the 80's......here it got down to 5 degrees last night and we have two inches of snow on the ground.

So, today I am teleporting myself back to December in Minnesota.  I am decorating my house today for Christmas, and working on a couple of fun Xmas projects.  To celebrate that, I am having a contest!!! (Here's where you wanted to skip down to if you didn't want to read all the rest of the junk!)

"Guess The Number Of Christmas Trees I Have In My House" Contest

Yup, that's right!  I love Christmas trees, so if you can guess how many I put up you will win a sweet prize of some awesome stamp sets:

Primitive Christmas by Cornish Heritage Farms  AND  Pop Fashion by Pink Paislee!!!!!!! 

I am not going to trick anyone and say "ha ha....I only have one tree!" when the contest is over.  Let's just say we have more than one Christmas tree.  I'll post photos of the trees on Saturday.  Oh, and my contest ends Saturday, Dec. 6th at noon CST....so you have plenty of time to make a guess!  Just leave a post on this entry with your guess.....it's that easy!  If you guess the correct number either on the button or the closest, you'll win the stamp sets!  Happy guessing!

AND....here's a little Christmas ornament that I finished today!  

  

I just covered and decorated a chipboard tree with "stuff".  Pretty quick, except for waiting for glitter and glue to dry....and covering myself with gold glitter (my kitty even had some on her because she sleeps under my work table at my feet and got caught in the Glitter Cloud!)

Details:

Grinchmas chipboard tree by Rusty Pickle

A Christmas Carol and 5th Avenue patterned paper, and Clear Stamps from Tinsel Town by Pink Paislee

Dreamer Biggest Board chipboard by Fancy Pants (heart)

Antique White craft paint by Plaid

Gold Pigment Ink by ColorBox

Peeled Paint Distressed Ink by Ranger

18kt Gold Leafing Pen by Krylon

Christmas Vintage Transfers and gold glitter by Melissa Frances

Magenta Stickles by Ranger

Aloha!

 

This is the beautiful view I saw every morning at breakfast for the past 8 days.  {sigh}  Pretty amazing considering it is 34 degrees here today and a cold rain is falling.

We just returned from a trip to the Big Island of Hawaii to celebrate our 50th birthdays this year.  The last time we were in Hawaii was 28 years ago on our honeymoon, when we spent two weeks on Oahu, Maui and Kauai.  The Big Island is almost completely black lava, and a really interesting and beautiful place.  It is so totally different from the other Hawaiian islands.

  

One of the best things we did was to take a helicopter tour of the volcanoes and the entire island....two hours in total.  The above photo is a hole in the cooled lava near one of the two active volcanoes on the island.  That is molten lava and the actual size of the hole is about a mile across!!  The whole thing was breathtaking, right down to the "river" of lava flowing into the ocean and the tower of steam resulting from the hot lava hitting the cold ocean.  You only get to see all of that by helicopter, as it is obviously too dangerous to do otherwise.

Okay, enough with the boring "ha ha....I went to Hawaii and you didn't" photos.  I am now back to the real world of snow showers, corduroy pants, paying bills and grocery shopping.  But my mind won't be far from imagining the gorgeous orchids, fresh fish every night for dinner, sunny 80+ degree days, and wearing either a swimming suit or something sleeveless for most of the day.  It might just get me through the coming winter!! 

Happy November!

 

I thought maybe if I left up that Paper Crafts info long enough, the biscuits would get moldy and it would be Christmas instead of Halloween!!  HA

This is our Halloween pumpkin sitting in some of the pretty shrubs in front of our house that turn a cool red color in the fall.  As you can see, our pumpkin is still intact.  We didn't have time to carve them this year! :(  But it is still a pretty pumpkin. 

I am waiting for the guy from the cable company to come and fix our TV service.  He was supposed to be here at 9am and it is now 11:45am.  In his defense, he did call to say he was running late today.  I thought if I posted a blog entry, he would come.....you know, when you get busy doing something it makes things happen.  I've already tried going to the bathroom a few times and eating something, but neither of those things worked. 

November is going to be a busy month for us here, and I wanted to post something before I got caught up in all of it.  Have a wonderful month!  I'll post when I can, hopefully with some of the projects I've been working on!

Yum!

I was asked to take part in a blog tour for Paper Crafts magazine.....they have this cool new publication called PC Gourmet, that has 50 original recipes and over 110 crafty projects to accompany the recipes!  If you are looking for something to whip up to give someone at holiday time, I would definitely check this out.  Plus, it is a Paper Crafts publication so you know the photography, instructions and content are going to be awesome!

Here are a couple of little teases of what is in  PC Gourmet.  Both the following recipe and cute little Halloween tag are from Alisa Bangerter.

“Enjoy" Halloween Tag

Designer:  Alisa Bangerter

SUPPLIES: Cardstock: (ivory) Dye ink: (Black) Stewart Superior Corp.; (Summer Sun) Stampin’ Up! Specialty ink: (Mango Lemonade color wash) Stewart Superior Corp. Color medium: (black chalk) Craf-T Products Accents: (black brads) Making Memories; (chipboard bat, moon) Melissa Frances Fibers: (black striped ribbon) Pebbles Inc. Font: (Black Family) www.dafont.com Adhesive: (foam tape) Finished size: 3" x 4 1/2"

 

 

DIRECTIONS:

1 Make tag from cardstock. 2 Crumple tag and smooth out. Spray edges with color wash; let dry. Apply chalk. 3 Ink chipboard moon; let dry. Chalk edges and adhere. 4 Ink chipboard bat; let dry. Adhere with foam tape. 5 Print sentiment on cardstock; trim and tear edges. Chalk edges and adhere with foam tape. Attach brads. Attach ribbon with brad.

 

 

"Cheesy Garlic Drop Biscuits"

Recipe from Alisa Bangerter

 

This is a perfect recipe to pull out if you are short on time because there is no rolling or cutting. The cheese and garlic add extra kick to a plain biscuit, and kids love them. They are the perfect accompaniment to serve with soups or stews, and are great served with a salad.

INGREDIENTS:

2 c. flour

2 tbsp. granulated sugar

4 tsp. baking powder

1 ½ tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. salt

2/3 c. butter or margarine

1 ½ grated cheddar cheese

1 ¼ c. milk

Chives (optional)

 

Mix together dry ingredients.  Cut in butter with pastry cutter until mixture is fine.  Add cheese and mix well.  Add milk and stir until just moistened.  Drop by spoonfuls onto greased baking sheet.  Sprinkle top with chopped dried or fresh chives, if desired.  Bake at 400 degrees for approx. 15 minutes.

 

Here's the link to pre-order your copy of PC Gourmet!!

 

 

There's Snow On My Pumpkins!!

It is snowing today.  I can't believe it!  It is way too early, and the pumpkins we bought for Halloween yesterday are freezing their little, orange cheeks off.  :(

Some random junk:

 

- The WCMD prizes are in the mail!  Hope you like everything, and I've included a little something extra because you were so patient with me while I was recovering from The Dumbness (see below).

 

- I am almost done with my Christmas shopping!  Yay! 

 

- I had to break down and buy a swimming suit.  Yes, I had to do the dreaded deed because we are going on vacation.  I kept having to try on smaller and smaller suits until I got to the correct size.  What?  Wait.  That isn't how it's done!   Don't you stand there in the dressing room and try to wedge yourself into a size that you think you are now, but actually were 10 years ago?  Or 20+ years ago before you had two babies and your butt wasn't hanging down to the backs of your knees?  Okay....so I AM proud of myself, and the smaller sized person I have become.  It definitely made shopping for a swimming suit a 5 on a scale from 1 to 10.  It used to be a 1.  The reality is that my butt still hangs down to the backs of my knees.  {sigh}

 

- I am working on my gift register for Christmas.  Every year I make a little book to keep track of the gifts I buy because my brain ends up being like mush and I can't remember a thing.  Then I check stuff off as I wrap it.  It's almost done and I am tickled with it.  I am using the Basic Grey Wassail line this time.  Will post it soon.  Fa la la la la la la.....la.....la.

 

- I have been playing Majong Tiles on my laptop and I think I am a certified junkie.  Oh, please.....if someone knows of a place where I can go to detox and get some counseling, let me know.

 

 

Here's a fall card I included for all of the WCMD girls with their prize packages.  The leaf is actually a petal from some cool printed Prima flowers that I cut apart and inked.  Those, along with the patterned papers, are from a new kit club I ordered from.  Well, the kit club is new to me.  I tried it out for one month since I am not too familiar with kit clubs, and I loved it!  It's called Studio Calico and you get a stamp set in your kit, which is a huge bonus as far as I am concerned (even though I didn't use it on this card).....I will probably be ordering from them again!

 

Details:

Lime, Straw, and Tangerine patterned papers and Brown Sugar die cut paper from the Lemon Grass Collection by Crate Paper

Lemon Grass Epoxy Buttons by Crate Paper

Collage Flowers by Prima

Watch The Leaves stamp by Impression Obsession

Row of dots stamp from Sweet Dreams stamp set by Technique Tuesday

Spanish Olive chalk ink from Versamagic by Tsukineko

Van Dyke Brown ink from Nick Bantock by Ranger

Brown With Leaves grosgrain ribbon from fall collection by American Crafts

Walnut Cream Smoothies, and Java textured cardstock by Bazzill

Other:  jute

 

Don't Be Lookin' In The Mail Just Yet!

Dear girls that won prizes on World Card Making Day:

I knew the minute I posted that your prizes would go in the mail on Friday, that I shouldn't have written that in stone.  Well, I didn't make it to the PO.  I sincerely apologize. 

I think I am suffering from something called "High Altitude Dumbness".  

Reno is 4,000 to 6,000+ more miles above sea level than Rochester is, depending on where we were in the city or the mountains there.  You don't think that is a big difference, but it is.  I was light-headed at times and felt more tired than usual while we were there.  Now that I am home, I feel "off".  It's like I can't think. 

So whether it is due to High Altitude Dumbness, or just general Wendy Dumbness,  I apologize again and hope to get your stuff mailed soon!

Sincerely,  Stuck In The Clouds

:)

I'm gonna post a photo of a card I made....don't ask me when I made it, because remember that I can't think, and thinking and memory are tied together somehow.  Recently....I made it recently.  How's that?  Whew....I need a nap!

   

Details:

Patterned paper from the Blush Collection by Basic Grey; Ribbon by Prima; Stamp from The Stamping Studio; Cardstock (light pink and kraft) from Bazzill; Envelope from Paper Source; Van Dyke Brown ink from Nick Bantock by Ranger; Clouds decorative scissors from Fiskars; Other:  flower punch, button, jute

Tired, But Happy!

We are back from visiting our older daughter in Reno, and I am really exhausted but still riding the cloud I am on from seeing both of our girls!  We did some great sight-seeing, with our daughter's boyfriend as our tour guide, and loved seeing the city and surrounding area where our daughter has chosen to make her home now. 

A photo of my darlings on top of Cave Rock overlooking Lake Tahoe:

 

Card making to resume shortly.  Just as soon as the voluminous mountain of travel laundry gets done!  Will also get the World Card Making Day prizes in the mail by Friday of this week. 

Have a good one!

More Proof That Life Is Too Short

I don't usually write about too many personal things on here, but I had to take a moment to write about a horrible incident involving a good friend of my daughter's from high school that happened early Monday morning.  We are still reeling from the information today.  When we send our children off into the world, the farthest thing from your mind is that something like this will happen to them.  If you are the praying sort, please put this young man in your prayers.....if not, please keep him in your thoughts. 

Eric's Story  

Warm Wooly Mittens.....In October?

For one of the fun World Card Making Day challenges at Cornish Heritage Farms on Saturday, we had to make cards with non-traditional color schemes.  I am not very wild and wacky with my imagination when it comes to dreaming up color schemes, so I chose to do light pink and light green with some paper from the Melissa Frances "Thankful" kit that supports Breast Cancer Research.  Gorgeous papers!

Details:

Christmas Expressions (Mona Lisa), Winter Vintage Signage (Rummage Bin), Christmas (Kim Hughes) and Pin Dot Scrapblocks stamps by Cornish Heritage Farms
Patterned paper and tag from Thankful page kit by Melissa Frances
Oasis Green and Malted Mauve VersaMagic chalk ink by Tsukineko
Pinking Paper Edgers by Fiskars
7/8-inch reversible satin ribbon by Martha Stewart   

The photo is kind of dark because it was taken at dusk with a lamp on, and the mauve ink looks a little red in the photo, but you get the idea of what I was going for with non-traditional. 

 

And The Winners Are...

First of all, thanks to the ladies that stopped by this weekend to participate in the challenges.  I loved all of the cards you made.....they are fabulous!!  You guys are ALL awesome, and I hope you had a great World Card Making Day!!

Now, on to the good stuff!  I used this website (Random Number Generator) to pick the random winners of the challenge prizes and blog candy.  I don't have a talented dog, like some people I know, to pick numbers for me.  I only have an apathetic cat, who would just walk over the pile of numbers to get past me and probably yawn on the way by.  So, I assigned a number to each person in the order they posted their cards, and here's who was picked:

Bling It On! Challenge:  Pamela

Punch Me! Challenge:  Alex

Blog Candy:  Natalie 

Congrats to you girls!!  I have addresses for Alex and Natalie, but need to have Pamela PM me at Coconut to give me your mailing address.  The goodies will be in the mail to the winners soon! 

Happy World Card Making Day!

Sunday Update:  Just wanted to remind everyone who stops by that you still have time to do the challenges and sign up for the blog candy!  The deadline is tonight (Sunday) at midnight!!  So if your Sunday ends up being a bit more leisurely than your Saturday, I hope you'll find some time to make a couple of cards and enter them!!  The ones entered so far are AWESOME!

Okay, so it's technically World Card Making Day tomorrow, but I wanted to get some challenges posted tonight.  There are two challenges and some blog candy to take part in....the deadline for all of it is Sunday, October 5th at midnight CST so you have plenty of time to jump in and make something!

Have fun with these, and have a great time celebrating, whatever it is that you are choosing to do!  Looking forward to seeing your cards, and hope that you take the time to participate!

UPDATE:  Added some links to all the prizes so you can see what they look like!  Also added a fun stamp set to the blog candy prize list.

World Card Making Day Challenge #1 - Bling It On!

Make a NEW stamped holiday card and make it pretty with glitter, jewels, glimmer mist, Stickles, whatever you can think of to make it shiny and sparkle!

 

The card can be any size or shape you want, it just needs some stamping on it, have a holiday theme, and some bling on it.  That’s it!

 

Please link your card in the comments of this post (to your blog or a gallery somewhere) and you will be entered in a random drawing to win the following:

 

* Doodlebug Home For The Holidays clear stamp set

* Pink Paislee Pixee Stix glitter tubes - these are brand new! (you'll get 4 colors - Coconut, Strawberry, Green Apple and Silver Berry) 

* Doodlebug Boutique Brads (Ladybug)

* American Crafts Holiday House patterned Christmas chipboard

 

Here's my card for the challenge:

 

 

Details:

Gigi Border Stamps by Paper Trunk

Christmas Expressions by Cornish Heritage Farms

Raisin Adirondack dye ink by Ranger

VersaMark watermark ink by Tsukineko

Batik Collection patterned paper by Paper Trunk

Super Fine Detail-Gold embossing powder, Gold Embossing Tinsel, and Gold Stickles by Ranger

Gold Metallic Chipboard Stars by Heidi Swapp

Coconut Swirl Smoothies cardstock by Bazzill

Clouds Paper Edgers by Fiskars

Other:

Burgundy silk ribbon

Burgundy and dark brown cardstock

Have fun playing with glitter!

You have until Sunday, October 5th at midnight CST to post the link to your card!

World Card Making Day Challenge #2 - Punch Me!

Make a NEW card using a punch or punches in some sort of fun way!

  

The card can be any size or shape you want, you just need to use a punch or punches in some way on it.  That’s it!  Easy schmeasy!  Make some flowers or punch an opening in your card…..the sky’s the limit!

 

Please link your card in the comments of this post (to your blog or a gallery somewhere) and you will be entered in a random drawing to win the following:

 

* Granola by Basic Grey 6x6 paper pad

* Bazzill Square Envelopes (Lighthouse)

* Leave It To Weaver Fiskars Border Punch

 

Here's my card for the challenge:

 

 

Details:

Whirly Words, and A Banner Year stamp sets by Technique Tuesday

Denim Adirondack dye ink by Ranger

Moss Green ColorBox Cat's Eyes pigment ink by ClearSnap

Patterned Paper by October Afternoon

Royal Butterfly paper punch by Martha Stewart

Green & white dot 3/8-inch grosgrain ribbon by Michaels

Coconut Swirl Smoothies, dark blue and moss green cardstock by Bazill

Other:  tiny jewels

(The sentiment is pretty small on this card.....if you can't read it, it says "If you want to be happy...just be."

Have fun playing with your punches!

You have until Sunday, October 5th at midnight CST to post the link to your card!!

World Card Making Day Blog Candy!

Just get your name in the comment section for this post and enter yourself in a random drawing for another great prize…..this one is just pure candy:

 

* Urban Prairie by Basic Grey 6x6 paper pad

* Making Memories Mixed Ledger Tiny Alpha Stickers  (they are the multi colored ones)

* Maya Road Pink Felt Beaded Flowers

* Paisley Stamp Set by Pink Cat Studio (this is mounted on cushion and cut out)

 

Deadline to sign up is Sunday, October 5th at midnight CST!!  Good luck!

 

 

 

Watercolor Leaves

Seems like I was waiting for something to dry all day!  Literally!  First it was the watercolor background, then the painted leaf, then the glimmer mist on the leaf.  Whew!  I am reminded that I am not a patient person....AT ALL!! 

This card is for the 2nd challenge for Fall Frenzy at the Coconut Scrapshop.  The challenge is to make a card using 10 things from a list of 14.   I think I use 10 things or more anyway when I make a card, so it was just a matter of looking at the list to make sure I was using the right things.  Try it sometime!  I bet you all use over 10 things when you make a card, too.  The stamp is from Cornish Heritage Farms again for the second day in a row.  These are easy stamps to reach for, and a lot of fun to use!!  

    

Details:

Leaf and Acorns, and Giving Thanks stamps by Cornish Heritage Farms

Espresso Adirondack dye ink pad by Ranger

Timber Brown StazOn solvent ink pad by Tsukineko

Lyra Watercolor Crayons

Copper Glimmer Mist by Tattered Angels

Terra Cotta, and Sunset Orange Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabbers by Ranger

90 lb. watercolor paper by Canson

Papaya Puree Dark, and Desert Coral Dark Prismatics cardstock by Prism Papers

Harvest Silly Stripe patterned paper by Scenic Route

Autumn Type Cuttlebug Embossing Folder by Provo Craft

#300 brown embroidery floss by DMC

Clouds Paper Edgers by Fiskars

Hemp Twine by Ecolution

Other:  Gold acorn charm

Happy Harvest Pumpkin!

Fall Frenzy started over at the Coconut Scrapshop today and challenges are posted.  Here's the link to read all about what is going on over there this week:  Fall Frenzy  I am excited to participate, and hope that you'll join in, too, if you're inclined.

The first challenge is to make something 3D, completely out of paper!  I kind of felt like Pooh with a head full of fluff when I read that!  I can alter anything like nobody's business, but to have to make something completely out of paper was really a challenge.....thus, the reason I am sure it was posted.  Okay, back to my fluffy head.  I was wracking my brain for what I could make and surfing some blogs at the same time.  I came across the perfect project on Melissa Baldwin's blog!  She owns The Stamping Studio, and is one of the nicest cyber friends I have.  She designs and sells a line of beautiful stamps.  You can see the tutorial for the little pumpkin here: Paper Pumpkin Tutorial  And, while you are there make sure to look through the blog because there is a lot of fun info on it.

I used a couple of stamps on the little tag for my pumpkin that I think were perfect for it!  They are from the Fall Silhouettes and Let's Get Stuffed stamp sets from Kim Hughes at Cornish Heritage Farms and are sooooo super cute!  

Okay, I think I've linked everyone in the free world now, so here's a pic of my pumpkin. 

  

Details:

Fall Silhouettes and Let's Get Stuffed Kim Hughes stamp sets by Cornish Heritage Farms
Ginger Adirondack dye ink by Ranger
Pumpkin Spice VersaMagic chalk ink by Tsukineko
Patton Ave and Scrap Strip 1 patterned paper from Asheville by Scenic Route
Clover Double Dot ribbon by Bo Bunny
Pinking Paper Edgers scissors by Fiskars
Papaya Puree Dark Prismatics Cardstock by Prism Papers
Kraft cardstock by Bazzill

Mini Brads by Doodlebug
Other:
Green and white flowered ribbon
7 green buttons

Orange coated wire

Challenge Guidelines:

1) Must be made out of paper; 2) Have a fall theme; 3) Use 2 different kinds of ribbon;  4) Use at least 3 buttons; 5) Must be a saying, phrase or sentiment somewhere on the project; 6) Use 2 brads

October Is A Special Month!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and I just want to remind you to schedule an appointment for your yearly mammogram and continue to do monthly self exams.  It may just save your life.  It saved mine.