Dapple Designs

Changing Directions

2011-06-14T17:50:00.000-07:00

I've been blogging at Fiskateers for almost a year now and I'm thinking it's time to change direction here. A girl can only blog about crafting so much and I think that's why it's been quiet on my personal blog. I've always believed that if you can't change your mind once in a while you may not have one. So, I'm thinking it's time to change direction just a bit while I still have a mind. Not sure exactly how that's going to look, but I'm rolling a few ideas around in my brain. Sometimes thinking out loud and throwing it out to the universe helps me see the path. Thanks for listening.

Just dropping in to say hey!

2011-06-03T08:11:00.000-07:00

The last month was a whirlwind of travel for me and I had a blast! I was in a flurry of make and takes at some local and not too local places. For now, I've stopped to rest and catch up on everything before I run off to Chicago next month. Here's a peek at one of my trips:

Seriously, what is up with the weather? While I was in Arizona, my son and husband were struck by lightning while fly fishing and while I was in Palm Springs last week, my father-in-law and his wife lost their garage to a tornado. Everyone is fine with hair raising stories to tell. I'm very grateful, but a bit hesitant to go away again, not sure what will happen next. It's just crazy.

In other crazy news, my adorable baby boy is turning 16 this week. He towers over me at over 6' tall and has moments when the hormones take over and he's not so adorable. I love him oceans and am treasuring every moment of these last few years he'll be here at home with us, even the challenging ones. He still loves fishing and rugby, which balances out the PS3 addiction and constant texting. His friends are so much smarter and more important than we are, so I'd have to say he's a pretty typical teen.

On the same day that the boy turns 16, Curtis and I celebrate the 24th anniversary of our first date. Almost a quarter of a century together, and he still surprises me. I picked a good partner for this roller coaster of life. I can't wait to see what the next 24 years bring.

Wishing you a fun filled summer. Thanks for stopping by today.

2011-04-30T18:21:00.001-07:00

Here's part 2 of Stamping Basics:

Thanks for stopping by today.

2011-04-23T08:30:00.000-07:00

I've started a new series of videos called Stamping Basics. It is very basic for those who are just starting out on their stamping adventures. Here's the very first in what will be a long series of videos:

Thanks for stopping by today.

2011-03-20T12:24:00.000-07:00

I'm hosting a Winter Stamp Out over on the Fiskateer site this weekend. We're getting inky with twenty challenges as we say goodbye to Winter and hello to Spring. It's bunches of fun. The very last challenge is called Simon Says 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Honestly I was scratching my head trying to come up with the last of the challenges and threw this one in. I've been busy hosting, but really wanted to play along in at least one challenge. I chose this one because it's the toughest of the bunch in my eyes. Here's the challenge: Create a card using 5 embellishments, 4 patterned papers, 3 stamps, 2 punches, and 1 piece of cardstock. My Chicken Soup Card:

Here's the breakdown:

5 embellishments- tag, hemp, bakers twine, green burlap, piece of old measuring tape
4 patterned papers- 1" pieces of Jillibean Soup papers from the Chilled Strawberry Soup and Snowman Soup lines
3 stamps- chicken, sentiment, messy background stamps
2 punches- Fiskars Notebook Border and Chip Off the Old Block punches
1 piece of cardstock-there's a kraft cardstock base under all that other stuff :)

For the FTC Police: The Jillibean Soup Papers and Fiskars punches were given to me by the companies. The rest of the things used to create this card are from my own stash of treasures.

For everyone else thanks for stopping by today! I hope you have time to get ink on your fingers this weekend.

2011-03-19T09:40:00.000-07:00

I'm still alive and well here. Had a wonderful time at CHA. In case you haven't seen it, here's the photo montage:

I added in some of my travel plans over there on the right. I'll be doing a big round of make and takes all over in May. I'm blogging regularly on the Fiskateer blog if you ever want to see what I'm up to when I'm not here. Will definitely try to stop in more often than every other month.

The brief update: Snow, snow, and more snow falling right now, still practicing yoga, still substitute teaching here and there, still loving the orange handled scissors, the teenager is over 6' now with white blonde hair and loves playing rugby, the dogs are looking forward to spring right along with the rest of us, and life is good-sometimes it's crazy, but mostly it's good. I hope all is going well with you and please don't hate me for not being here much. Come see me at the other place I blog when I'm not around here :)

2011-01-13T18:33:00.000-08:00

I had a wonderful birthday weekend! Thanks for all the sweet wishes. Hair was off the chart amazing. It's in my top 3, and I'd go see it again tomorrow. If it travels anywhere near you, don't miss it, and don't take the kids. It's definitely a date night play.

CHA preparation has taken over my life, but I'm not complaining. It's amazing and worth every moment of searching for crazy things like orange teapots. I made a video today of my absolute favorite new product coming out at winter CHA. Fiskars is so awesome. I asked for this product and they delivered. I have to pinch myself every once in a while to make sure this is all really happening. I'm one very happy fiskateer.

Thanks for stopping by today!

2011-01-07T17:52:00.000-08:00

I'm celebrating another candle on the birthday cake today, well actually all weekend. My sweet husband brought me a chocolate croissant and tea in bed this morning complete with a candle and the most adorable Minnie Mouse card. I'm a big Disney fan, and Minnie has a special place in my heart. Tomorrow he's taking me into LA to see Hair at the Pantages. I'm absolutely giddy. The weekend wraps up with brunch on Sunday with my mom and sister. Girl time instead of football games sounds like a perfect way to spend the day.

In the middle of all that fun, I planned to stop in the Verizon store to update my ghetto phone. I've been waiting longer than I should, holding out for the mythical Verizon iphone. I was all set to join the droid team, having given up on the iphone as a pipe dream. I just heard on the news that the iPhone is days away from being available with Verizon. Woohoo! Now, that's the cherry on top of the birthday cake. I'm doing a little happy dance.

It's definitely the beginning of a beautiful year. Just for fun, I'm sharing the horoscope from the newspaper. I look forward to it all year long:

"You become increasingly well-rounded this year as you add interesting new friends and activities to your life. A warmhearted someone opens personal and professional doors for you. February brings memorable encounters and loving exchanges. April features an unexpected gift. August brings a windfall."

That's a horoscope I can't wait to see unfold. Last year's was extremely accurate. 48 is going to be a great year. I can feel it.

grace

2010-12-31T10:58:00.000-08:00

I've chosen my one little word for the new year: grace: thoughtfulness toward others; goodwill; seemingly effortless charm of movement. Firstly, those who know me well know that I don't come by physical grace naturally. It's an effort and one I intend to continue working toward with my yoga practice. I'm working on a new project for 2011 called Hearts of Orange, Crafting for the Common Good. It's a year long effort of crafting for others that starts tomorrow.

Have you chosen a word for 2011, yet? I've found that my word takes on new dimension as the year rolls on and brings new things into my life I hadn't expected. I can't wait to see what grace brings in 2011. Happy New Year.

2010-12-26T15:11:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays from our crazy house to yours!

2010-12-23T11:01:00.000-08:00

Thank you for all the wonderful anniversary wishes. It was an amazing beautiful getaway. We spent time in the Denver/Boulder area of Colorado. The last time we were there was on a cross country trip before we had our son, so about 16 years ago. It was just as lovely as we remembered and we even ate at the same microbrewery that we hit the last time we were in Boulder. So many fond memories of that trip flooded back. We created lots of new memories and it definitely won't be our last trip there. We already have a list of things we'd like to do and see. A long weekend just wasn't enough time.

Sorry to have been away from the blog for so long. We got home from the trip and it was Thanksgiving and then all of the Christmas preparation began. Such a busy and fun time of year. We are so thankful that everyone is healthy and happy for the holidays. Looking forward to lots of yummy cookies and laughter. I hope you have a beautiful holiday season.

2010-11-17T22:38:00.000-08:00

Twenty years ago today I married my best friend. He's still my best friend and I can't wait to see what wonderful new adventures the next twenty years bring. We're getting on a plane in the morning to run away for a few days of quiet celebration.

2010-11-05T20:47:00.000-07:00

Happy 49th Anniversary Mom and Dad. Hugs and Kisses and wishes for many more!

2010-10-23T21:03:00.000-07:00

I've been busy working and playing. I went to a sewing weekend with my mom, aunt, and cousin last weekend. We giggled and sewed and ate and visited for two days. Then when we came home, my cousin stayed with me for two nights and we crafted and giggled and visited and ate some more. I don't know that we accomplished tons, but we had lots of girl time fun. I spend so much time on the computer lately, that I haven't crafted much. It was wonderful to just play and get messy and create. Then, yesterday I went to a scrapbook expo with a couple of my stamping friends and played all day looking at all the goodies and make and takes. We even stopped at In and Out Burger for lunch. What a treat! Hubby and I went to see the movie Red (funny with action, good date movie) this afternoon while the kiddo went to a Halloween party dressed in a toga. I'm afraid he's already looking ahead to fraternity parties. Curtis is happy about that, hoping for a legacy :)

I made this little card as a thank you for the Fiskateers who took on a blind color challenge last week. Take a peek at this video if you'd like to see the amazing things they created.

Thank You Card Supplies Used: Cupcake Squeeze Punch, Paper Crimper, In Stitches Border Punch, Postage Stamp Border Punch, Latte Love Stamps, Swirls of Fun Stamps, Colorbok Paper, Ranger Distress Ink, Cuttlebug Embossing Folder and Die Cut Awareness Ribbon, orange tulle, cardstock.

Thanks for stopping by today!

2010-10-09T10:43:00.000-07:00

I made a huge mess making this little boo cameo pin to wear on our Halloween Disney trip. I can hardly wait for all the spooky disney fun! You can enter to win the punch I used to make the bat by sharing a Halloween memory or tradition on the Fiskateer blog.

Supplies used: Fiskars batty for you squeeze punch; Fiskars cameo appearance squeeze punch; Fiskars grass border punch; Fiskars paper crimper; Graphic 45 papers; Tombow markers; Ranger stickles; Judikins glass beads; fabric trim scraps; pinback.

Thanks for stopping by today.

2010-10-03T11:03:00.000-07:00

I've been busy tearing up old wool sweaters to make new flowers this week. Since it's October, I want to share a pink one with you today. It's the month to remember those touched by breast cancer. I actually find myself thinking of those touched by any type of cancer, not just breast cancer. Touched isn't the correct word, body slammed is more like it.

I'm a melanoma survivor. It's been seven years since I first heard that dreaded malignant word. Honestly, it's taken me this long to be able to write about it. I can't begin to describe the range of emotions attached to such a diagnosis. I'm one of the very lucky ones. I noticed this little mole on my knee change shape over the course of a two week long car trip. I was sitting there in the passenger seat for long stretches of time and noticed what used to be a light colored circular mole had turned into a little heart shaped mole. I actually thought it was kind of cute at first. Then it developed a third little round up between the two halves of the heart shape. It was definitely asymmetrical, but had none of the other warning signs of skin cancer. The speed with which it changed scared me. When we got home from our vacation I called to schedule an appointment with the dermatologist.

He honestly didn't think it was anything. He actually showed me photos of what to look for, what skin cancer is supposed to look like. I told him I didn't care, that I wanted it removed. It worried me. I really think he removed it to humor me. In just a few days time I got a phone call from a surgeon's office asking to schedule me for surgery to remove a malignant melanoma. That's how I found out. My doctor was on vacation and the doc on call didn't follow up. It was such a body slam. I had no idea what to expect.

It was a very long weekend of researching what I could online. My biggest fear was not being here to raise my son. He was only in 3rd grade at the time, just a little guy. The statistics for melanoma are quite frightening. It's in the handful of types of cancer you never want to have. You can't get rid of your skin; it's everywhere. The phrase "comfortable in her own skin" no longer applied to me.

My mom drove me in for the surgery day. It was an outpatient surgery and I was awake for the whole thing. They gave me a local anesthetic and did a wide excision to remove all the tissue around the area. The goal is clean margins. I referred to it as my knee lift. That knee used to be a little thinner than the other one. They look about the same now. That was my whole treatment plan because the melanoma was in situ, which means it was on top and hadn't grown large enough to have a stage or put me at big risk of it going other places in the body. I lived for a long time in fear that they missed one little cell. Rational or not, that scared me silly.

I am forever tied to my dermatologist. We get together twice a year, I take off my clothes and he inspects me from head to toe. I'm a bit of a patchwork of small scars where he's removed other suspicious looking moles over the years. We talk about our family vacations, music, our kids, etc. His nurse and I share stories about our hair color which has changed over the years for both of us. Once a year I also get to have blood drawn and go to the room with all the disney posters so the radiologist can take a photo of my lungs. I just did all of this last week again. I also had a mammogram on the same day.

I'm walking proof that early detection is the key to surviving. You also have to be your own advocate. If something isn't right with your body, keep talking until somebody listens to you. If I hadn't insisted, I may not be here today to share my story. I'm very lucky indeed.

2010-09-16T19:14:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who stopped by and took the time to leave a comment on the orange blog hop post. So sorry I didn't get back sooner to announce the RAK winner. I've been sick the past week with bronchitis which is no fun at all. I'm feeling much better now, though. The winner of the stamp set is Laura Bray. Shoot me an email with your mailing address when you get a moment, Laura.

I just finished a new video tutorial using some of my fave fiska-tools. Click on the video to view full screen.

I hope you'll find time to make a few fall cards. Thanks for stopping by.

2010-09-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Orange Blog Hop. If you happened by not knowing about the hop, we're having a Fiskateer hop today celebrating all things orange a la the orange handled scissors I love so much. If you aren't yet a Fiskateer, I hope you'll consider joining in. All you need to do to get started is send me an email at tami@fiskateers.com and let me know about your craft interests.

I had loads of fun playing around with my new favorite Fiskars punches and stamp set to come up with this orange tag for you. It's a bit on the yellow side of orange, but it does look more orange in real life. I used some of my old favorites here, too. The base is an Avery tag covered with sewing pattern paper. It's pretty delicate, so a glue stick on the tag is about all it takes. I wrinkled up the pattern paper first for texture and then used a brayer after I got it glued down to get it to stick good and get out the air bubbles. I then stamped over the paper using Versafine Ink and the stamp set called For the Birds. The border punch is called In Stitches. The flowers are by Hero Arts with a sewing snap through the middle. I painted Radiant Pearls over the top of the tag and on the top flower. The sentiment is stamped onto a scrap with the same Versafine ink and then punched out with a new squeeze punch called Postage Stamp. That's a piece of old measuring tape tied up on the top.

I have an extra set of the For the Birds stamps to give away to one lucky hopper who leaves a comment here. Be sure you sign in with enough info so I can find you after the hop if you win. Next stop on the hop: Kate Blue #4529

Thanks for stopping by today.

2010-09-02T09:40:00.000-07:00

CHA photobooth silliness

I can't believe it's September already. I'm two months into my Lead Fiskateer gig and I think I have my sea legs back now. It's been a wild ride so far and I'm loving every minute of it. It seems like summer just flew by in a flash this year. Kyle is back in school as a sophomore with a very heavy load of classes. He seems happy with his classes and is studying every night already. That's a good sign. He comes home speaking french to me every day and I love that. It's been a long time since my high school french class, but it's coming back quickly. Maybe we'll have to take a trip to France or Quebec next year and try out our skills. I'm enjoying my weekly yoga classes and spending way too much time on the computer lately. I have plans of making a new video tutorial soon, hopefully this weekend. I'm carving out a little time to read The Help, and I'm loving it so far. Curtis and I have weekend travel plans for later this fall to celebrate our 20th anniversary. It feels like we just got married yesterday. I hope you're having a good start to your fall season. Thanks for stopping by today.

2010-07-26T03:09:00.000-07:00

I'm off to the windy city. If you'll be at CHA this week, stop by to see me at one of the many places I'll be hanging out. You can't miss me, I'll be one of the crazy girls dressed in orange from head to toe. Here's a link to my schedule. I'm so excited about this trip. I hardly slept at all. Thanks for stopping by.

2010-07-19T10:07:00.000-07:00

I love the giant slide. We took a break yesterday and ran away to the fair. The weather cooled off just enough to make it a beautiful day out. The baby pigs were born yesterday morning, so we got to see them on their birth day. They were adorable and a bit wobbly in the legs. I had to go back later to check on them because the little runts weren't getting food and I worried about those little cuties. The volunteer assured me she takes them home to bottle feed at night until they can get in there with the others. I feel much better about those sweet little piglets. So, about the food. I had a giant cinnamon roll that was just as good as it was when I was a kid. We also ate hot dogs at Pinks. It's a hollywood landmark and they have a mini Pinks at the fair. The best ever hotdogs. We bought things we didn't need at the vendor market. We oohed and aahed at all the amazing artwork and quilts and flowers and quirky collections that people submitted. We marveled at the abundant garden displays. We enjoyed all the FHA animals with the kids who raised them lounging in the pens with their charges. Kyle and his friend ate every disgusting deep fried thing they could find and rode all the crazy rides. We finished the day at the Train concert which rocked my world. They were so engaged with the audience and the music was top notch. It was a great day.

2010-07-06T08:02:00.000-07:00

I came home from my amazing vacation to a package from Fiskars. It's the new Everywhere Window Punch System. I tried punching everything in the house with it while I came up with a new video tutorial for you. I'm happy to report that it punches through cardstock, patterned paper, shipping tags, and those thin metal sheets used for papercrafting. It's shipping, but I can't find it online anywhere except as a pre-order. A little bird told me that it can be found in some Joanne's stores. Here's the youtube video:

Thanks for watching. Now, I really do need to pack my bags. I leave before the sun comes up tomorrow morning for a visit to Fiskars headquarters for a planning and training extravaganza with my co-fiskateer leads. I'm going to try hard not to make a fool of myself, but I'm sure the excitement of it all will find me jumping for joy and giggling like a crazed fan of the orange handled scissors. I'm now blogging in two places, so if you don't see me around and wonder what the heck I'm up to, you can also find me at the Fiskateers Blog here. Thanks for stopping by today.

A few photos from vacation

2010-07-05T09:22:00.000-07:00

2010-07-03T17:21:00.000-07:00

The finale. We drove up into Oregon and stayed in Medford for the night. The next morning we drove into Ashland which is a place we've dreamed about for 15 years now. I must digress to tell you that my husband was offered a job there and we almost took it, but decided to stay where we are. I never regretted our decision, and then we drove into Ashland. Oh my goodness, what a pretty little town. It started with a stop at a groovy little coffee house and a walk through the downtown. Curtis visited the fly fishing shop and Kyle and I went into the independent book store. People were walking and biking all over town. The houses had lush gardens and there's a beautiful university in town. It's also home to the Shakespeare Festival and has gorgeous architecture. It just felt like home. We have put it at the top of the list of places to retire to, now.

So, then we pushed on to visit Lassen NP which was quite different from Volcanoe's NP, but still full of amazing geography. The mud pots and really cool stuff were still covered with snow, so go in August if you go there to see that part. Curtis fished in a lake there and was happy. We then drove on to Redding for the night and pushed on home the next day for a 10 hour drive. It was good to get away and it's good to be home. I think we go on vacation just so we can appreciate our own bed when we get back. Thanks for reading the saga of the vacation. It wasn't the vacation we planned, but it held some wonderful surprises along the way. Oh, and I did score some coconut m&ms here and there. Have you found any yet?

2010-07-02T16:49:00.000-07:00

Part 2 of the vacation saga. Andi was right, we picked up the boy and continued on our vacation. We went farther north. First I have to go on a little about rugby camp, though. It was such a treat to be able to visit Cal Berkley and see the tournament the kids put on for the parents. There were high school kids from all over the world at the camp, a total of 190 boys who were all focused on the game and not a single one was texting or playing a video game. They were all watching the matches even if they weren't in that particular game. It was so inspiring. Kyle plays the lock position, which means you can only see his socks when the play begins. He's in this huddle of guys called the scrum. I'm learning all sorts of new things, but I think Kyle learned more. It helped that he was wearing yellow socks. I tried to get photos, but I don't know if any of them turned out. I'll be downloading photos soon as soon as I deal with laundry. Oh, and Kyle's team made it to the final match. He's still chatting about things he learned in those few days. I think rugby is a very solid part of him now.

So, we got in the car, fed him a huge pastrami sandwich and drove while he slept. We visited the giant redwoods and stayed the night in a tiny little community called Fortuna. I was grateful for the microbrewery across the parking lot from our motel after my little fall earlier in the day. I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but I'm not very graceful. (stop laughing Mom) We kept trying to get a place to stop to look at the Eel River. They guys are fishermen and are all about water that contains things with scales. So, I said there was no way I could get out at the first place we stopped. Too much rock scrambling. The second place had a small dirt slope down to the water. No problem. I slipped on my sneakers and trucked on down the hill. I made it about 5 steps before I slipped and went down on a tree limb. My poor shin looks like I've been in a really good bike accident. Maybe I should tell a wicked mountain biking crash story if anyone asks. It was a rocky or splintery start to our northern trek, and my dignity was injured as much as my skin.

The next day was filled with wondrous sights. We began with breakfast at the Samoa Cookhouse that served loggers back in the day. That was followed by a trek out to the sand dunes and a windswept beach. The beaches in northern CA are so different from here. First of all we didn't see another living soul and secondly there was driftwood all over the beach along with rocks and crab remains. It was gorgeous. We then drove further north and admired many herds of elk along the way in amongst towering redwoods. It's hard to describe the grandeur of giant redwoods. The world becomes a much bigger place under a redwood. Oh, and banana slugs. Those are some wild looking dudes. We thought we were going to stay in Crescent City and had dinner there, but decided it was a little rough. So, we went to a place we've only dreamed of until now. We pushed on into Oregon. We stopped at the Smith River for a little fishing and frog catching on the way. Whew, ok, more to come tomorrow.

2010-06-30T18:00:00.000-07:00

Where in the world am I? It all started a week ago with a road trip to Cal Berkley to drop Kyle off for rugby camp. After getting him checked in we headed back south a bit to the Montery Bay area to stay with my cousin, but not before we ate the best ice cream ever at a little shop in Berkley called Ici. As we were walking down the sidewalk I noticed a woman with a stroller waiting outside the shop. When I asked her about the shop, she told me to get in line even if I hadn't had lunch yet. So of course I got in line and read the chalkboard menu while we waited for the shop to open. I tasted the apricot which was a bit tart, so opted for gingersnap. Oh, my goodness, it was divine. It was a candied ginger flavor in vanilla ice cream with cruahed up gingersnaps in a homemade cone. Heaven!

We stayed a few days with my cousin and had a wonderful visit. We ate at the wharf twice, shopped at our favorite craft store and thrift shop, canned 24 jars of apricot jam from her tree, stamped a pile of cards, went to a craft show, joined the inlaws and outlaws for a rocking barbecue, enjoyed the sea lions, and ate at the Giant Artichoke where we feasted on fried artichoke hearts, steamed artichokes, artichoke bread, and artichoke soup. It was a ton of fun and we're still on the road. More on our travels coming in the next post. Any guesses where we went next or where we are now?

2010-06-22T20:45:00.000-07:00

Have you seen these yet? I stumbled on them at a convenience mart on our road trip home this weekend. I've been obsessed with coconut lately and these seemed like a good car snack. Oh my goodness. They're thicker than a regular m & m and so unbelievably yummy. I looked online to get this photo to share with you and found out that they're a limited edition only in stores for a short time. I think I need to get a case or two while the getting's good. There are so few coconut candies out there; Almond Joy, Mounds, and See's are the only ones I know about. Maybe we should start a campaign to keep them around indefinitely. If you need me tomorrow I'll be out buying up as many bags of these as I can find before we go on vacation again. I've got room in the freezer just waiting to be filled up.

2010-06-21T14:51:00.000-07:00

School's out for summer! I love summer vacation. We took off as soon as Kyle finished his last final of Thursday for a nice long weekend in the Eastern Sierras. Mom and Dad joined us again this year for what is now a tradition since this makes two years in a row. We even stayed in the same condo. I was surprised that there was still snow on the ground up at Lake George. I read a whole book while we were there, Water for Elephants. It was a great read and a highly entertaining account of a 90 year old man looking back on his life focusing on his time working at the circus. Of course we did some sightseeing, hiking, shopping, and lots of eating out and visiting. It was a great getaway. We're home just long enough to do the laundry and pack the bags again. Next stop- rugby camp for Kyle at Cal Berkley. I hope you're having a great start to the summer. Thanks for stopping by today.

Just Peachy Supplies Cardstock: Die Cuts With A View; Tag: Avery; Stamp: PSX; Ink: Tsukineko; Markers: Copic; Pencils: Prisma; Punch: Fiskars; Other: Lace

2010-06-13T11:29:00.000-07:00

"Genevieve" Supplies Cardstock: Stampin Up; Rubons: Fiskars; Pearl: Kaiser Craft; Stamp: Buzz n Bloom; Ink: Ranger; Markers: Tombow; Vintage Pattern: Vogue; Other: Dictionary definition, vintage button.

Here's a little ATC for you on this fine Sunday. I used a couple of vintage pattern images and a button from our dear neighbor's estate. Genevieve was my parent's neighbor for more years than I care to count. I say she was my neighbor, because she was my neighbor while I still lived at home as a teen and young adult. She was a fine seamstress and grew beautiful flowers and vegetables in her yard and always had a smile on her sweet face. It feels odd to eat dinner at my parents and not take a plate of food next door to her now. She was such a kind soul, and shared her kindness with my son, too. In fact he's the age now that I was when I first met her. So, this little ATC is sitting in my display board to remind me to smile often and offer a kind word to my neighbors.

Thanks for stopping by today.

2010-06-07T07:11:00.000-07:00

The cutest orange shoes ever! I've been running all over the net and to bunches of stores searching for orange things to wear for my new gig as a Lead Fiskateer. I've got orange eagle eyes now and can spot it quickly when I walk into a place. Hubby spied these at the outlet mall this weekend. They were the only pair in the store and my size and on clearance. It was meant to be. They're so comfortable, too. Just in case you get to an outlet mall that has a Clark's store, these are from the Privo line and are not this year's style. I was meant to have orange shoes and let me tell you there are lots of orange shoes out there, but these are by far the most comfortable ones I put on my feet.

If you wonder where I am these days just imagine me shopping for all things orange. Only just a bit over 3 weeks until I start wearing all orange all the time. I can hardly wait. Thanks for stopping by today.

2010-06-04T06:35:00.000-07:00

Supplies Cardstock: Stampin Up; Patterned Paper: Graphic 45; Tag: Avery; Stamp: Serendipity Stamps; Ink: Tsukineko, Ranger; Other: Seam Binding.

Hey everyone. I'm still here, just not spending much time in the fun room or at the computer these days. The weather is gorgeous and the blue skies keep calling me. I'm still subbing bunches; every day this week. Only two more weeks until school's out for summer!

Our class is scheduled for the CHA Super Show on Friday, July 30th. Here's a link to all the Super Show classes. We'll make 4 different pendants using 4 different Fiskars tools with a whole bunch of fun along the way. If you're in Chicago, you don't want to miss it. I've already heard from a few friends who are signed up. I can hardly wait.

Thanks for stopping by today.

2010-05-26T16:45:00.000-07:00

I love days that hold a little surprise. I agreed to take a job today at the elementary school for a friend. I knew I'd be moving from class to class covering for teachers who had meetings to attend. It's fun to travel around to different classrooms all day hanging out with the little people. I like the little people best of all, they have a special place in my heart. So, today I got to attend an assembly with the little people. The local arts association provided a very interesting Korean dance group for the little people. They performed a beautiful fan dance and used drums in interesting ways. It was a real treat. I'm thankful for days with little surprises.

I hope your day holds a special surprise, too. Thanks for stopping by.

2010-05-21T18:25:00.000-07:00

The time is flying by me faster than I can count. This is the card I made for our last card swap of the year with my stamping group. We meet during the school year and take time off in the summer. We'll get back to it in September. The theme was sympathy and this single layer card was a personal challenge for me. I'm trying to get back to a simpler way of stamping. The grey block behind the image is direct to paper with a grey inkpad. It didn't cover completely which was a happy accident. I stamped the silhouette over it with versafine ink and the same ink with the butterfly which is fussy cut out and the sentiment. A few gems finish off this simple design. I think it works for sympathy or even for illness or other losses.

In other news around here. One month left of the school year. I'm teaching bunches. I was at the high school all week and even taught a couple of Kyle's classes this week and we both survived.

I've been having a blast making plans for CHA and creating class samples. So many exciting things happening this summer. I'll share my schedule when it's complete. I hope to meet up with lots of artsy friends while I'm in Chicago. It's my first time there and I'm hoping to sneak in a few fun Chicago snacks and sites before all the CHA fun begins. If you have any suggestions or tips, please share them.

Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by today!

2010-05-10T09:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day. Mom and I celebrated our mother's day by going out for a proper tea. I'd love to show you the photos, but they're so blurry they made me dizzy. Darn it all. I didn't have my regular camera and took a newer one that I don't know how to use well. I couldn't figure out how to review the photos that we asked the girl at the next table over to take. Just imagine that we were smiling, happy, and wearing the most adorable flowered hats. Our server, Lady Betty, brought out the tea leaf blends of the day for us to smell as she explained each one. I chose a lavender earl grey and Mom chose a peach ginger. We each got our own little pot of delicious tea. The plates of food seemed to go on and on and each bite was even better than the last one. If you're in Temecula, call the Truffles and Lace Tea Parlor for a reservation. You don't even have to bring a hat, she has a wonderful selection for you to put on when you get there. It was a real treat.

We stopped in an adorable quilt shop and stamp shop after our tea and oohed and aahed over all the pretty fabrics and stamps before heading back home. It was a grand girls' day out and we had the best time. It feels like it's been forever since we've gone on adventures together. The best mother's day gift of all is that my mom is finally getting well after being sick for over 2 years. We found out last week that the disease is finally waning and that the surgery and medications are working.

The guys spoiled me yesterday with breakfast, flowers, a massage certificate and the most beautiful letter from my sweet taller than me teenager. We rounded out the day with a trip to see Iron Man 2, which was so much fun. Of course with a teen boy, I had to go see an action flick. Having a boy has been an adventure that I never imagined. Being his mom is one of the greatest joys of my life. It was a beautiful mother's day and I'm thankful in so many ways.

Thank you for stopping by today.

2010-05-03T19:18:00.000-07:00

It's teacher appreciation week. Please take the time to thank your children's teachers sincerely. A kind note or kind word is as appreciated as any gift you could make or give. This year we have the ability to make a difference with our voices, and it doesn't cost a dime. Across the nation our teachers are receiving pink slips in record numbers. You can sign a petition with pink hearts not pink slips online. The goal is 300,000 signatures; one for each teacher getting a pink slip. It's not only the teachers receiving pink slips who are suffering, it's the teachers who don't receive pink slips. They're being asked to do more work, and teach more students while giving up pay and benefits. I'm a substitute teacher. Each day I work I hear the stories of these dedicated teachers and how hard they're working to maintain quality education with such little funds, time, and appreciation. It's taking a toll on them. Something has to give, and this is a simple act we can do to help.

supplies: large shipping tag, distress ink, fiskars my funny valentine punch, stampin up sentiment stamp, penny black background stamp, dictionary page, button, satin ribbon. Video tutorial link for the flower is over there on the right, called punch crazy flower.

Thanks for stopping by today. And a huge huge thank you for all the kind words of support for my new role as Lead Fiskateer. July can't come soon enough for me!

2010-05-01T21:00:00.000-07:00

I'm honored to be hosting the gothic arch challenge this week. Our theme is Mona Lisa. I have a funny story to share about the first time I ever saw the actual painting almost 25 years ago. I was in Europe with three friends and a backpack, staying in hostels and riding trains to get around. We were in a dimly lit room at the Louvre for our viewing of the Mona Lisa. She really is much larger than I imagined with a richness of color beyond my dreams. I was enjoying the splendor of it all when a flash of light nearly blinded us. Somebody in the crowd took a flash photograph of the painting. Pow, the lights all went off and it was totally dark in the room and they covered the painting. That was it, our moment was over. No more Mona Lisa for us. We had to move along. Life is like that, you have to enjoy the moments as they happen. I'm glad I got to see her. I hope to see her again someday. Thanks for stopping by today.

supplies: glossy cardstock; ink potion #9; distress ink; stampers anonymous mona lisa stamp; wordsworth quote stamp; vintage postage stamps; bingo marker.

joy

2010-04-23T16:35:00.000-07:00

Oh, it's a happy day! I'm beyond excited to share with you that I've accepted my dream job with Fiskars. I'll be one of four Lead Fiskateers for the next two years. I get to travel to trade shows and other crafty events, teach online and in person, and spend lots of time online with The Fiskateer Community. I can't imagine a better job in the whole world.

I've adored Fiskars orange handled scissors since I was a little girl. Mom used her orange handled Fiskars scissors to cut out the fabric for all of the clothes she sewed for us. They were referred to as "the good scissors" as in "don't touch my good scissors". Now I can touch all the orange handled scissors I want. I'm actually a part of the good scissors company. It doesn't get any better.

Here's the video announcing the Lead Fiskateers. I'm the only new one, so I'm at the end of the video. The other three leads are such inspiring role models. I'm honored to be in this group of talented women.

Thanks for stopping by today.

2010-04-21T20:00:00.000-07:00

The stamp girls came over to play this morning. We stamped tile coasters and trivets and swapped spring cards. Nine years ago I was invited to go on the stamp girls' annual field trip to a stamp store and out to lunch. It was such a fun day that I joined the group. I'd always been artsy crafty, but had never stamped before. I had no idea what I was getting into.

I bought my first stamp that day. I wasn't very good at it, but they didn't kick me out of the group. The girls shared their stamps and knowledge with me at every turn in the road. It wasn't long before I jumped into stamping with all my heart. Playing in the ink, paint, rubber stamps, and messy techniques makes me happy. It's taken me places I never imagined.

No matter where my stamping passion takes me, it's mornings like today that get to the heart of what makes creating such an important part of my life. It's getting together with girlfriends and sharing our lives, our laughter, our stamps, and our ideas. It's inviting new friends to join us, missing old friends whose lives are too busy to stamp, and then hugging them when they find time to come back. It's taking a break from chores, kids, and responsibilities to spend time with the girls and play. It keeps us whole and sane so we can go back to chores, kids, and responsibilities with a smile knowing that we get playtime again with our girlfriends next month.

Thanks for stopping by today.

2010-04-17T08:55:00.000-07:00

It's sunny and warm and I'm so happy the weekend's here. We're going to a BBQ and softball game this afternoon. What a fun way to spend the day. I hope you're having a beautiful weekend and that spring has finally arrived for you, too.

This is a card I made quite a while back, but it fits for today. The image was given to me by a stamping friend, so I'm not sure who made it. I colored it with various markers and used the Fiskars threading water punch on the bottom. There's a bit of sparkle on the flowers, too. Thanks for stopping by today.

2010-04-15T09:40:00.000-07:00

How about a new video tutorial? We recently indulged in slightly used HD video camera and updated our imovie software. This is the first of a new crop of videos. I'm so happy that I can finally produce videos like a dreamed about in the beginning. If you don't want music turn down the volume before you click on it.

Thanks for stopping by today!

2010-04-12T18:19:00.000-07:00

It was a lovely getaway! We swam, shopped, ate out, went to see a big hole in the ground, watched movies, oh and I gambled a bit. Mostly, we enjoyed the sunshine and spring flowers and time to hang out together and laugh and play. It was a long winter and we really needed to run away for a while. Of course, it snowed last night after we came home and has been raining, snowing, and hailing today. Hurry up spring, we need you. Here's a short clip that hubby shot of the big hole in the ground. I love rocks and geology and this place has it all.

Thanks for stopping by today.

2010-04-07T21:26:00.000-07:00

We're running away for a few days of fun in the sun to finish off our spring break in style. This little cutie is the luggage tag I made a while back. So happy I get to use it. See ya next week!

2010-04-04T11:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Spring, Happy Easter, Happy Chocolate Eggs! We're heading off to my folks for a yummy ham dinner followed by boston cream pie. I think the food is my favorite part of holiday traditions. Of course there's all the part around preparing the food that I love, too. The laughter and sharing of recipes and carrying on. I hope you're having a fine day with your loved ones. Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies: glossy cardstock; Staz-On ink; Ink Potion #9; Stampin Up, Inkadinkado, and PSX stamps; feathers; metal epoxy words.

the reveal

2010-04-01T01:42:00.000-07:00

So here's the big secret project from my Graphic 45 tryout. I had a wonderful time altering this purse with their lovely papers, a copic marker, a handful of swarovski crystals, a few of my vintage supplies, and a ton of modge podge. Best of luck to those who made the design team. There's got to be a window opening somewhere, since this door didn't open. Now I need to make a purse like this for me. I loved making it.

soar

2010-03-29T08:08:00.000-07:00

Supplies: Canson Acrylic Paper; Golden Fluid Acrylic Paints; Versamark Ink; Stampin Up Embossing Powder; Sharpie Paint Pen; Stamps by Darkroom Door, Impression Obsession, Stampin Up; Ranger Paint Dabber; Metallic RubOns; Fiskars Corner Punch; Vintage Buttons.

I got messy this weekend with these ATCs and a few projects for the magazine. These are for a swap with a wing theme I'm hosting. I made the backgrounds with a palette knife and leftover paint smeared around. It mixed and messed while I was working on it, then I set it aside for about a month. This weekend when I wanted to get my ATCs going I cut it apart and got to work. I love making backgrounds like this when I'm cleaning up. I always have a little pile of clean up backgrounds. They usually work better than a background that I try to make for a project.

We had a wonderful time at Disney last week and I'm still working tons and tons. I took today off to go meet a friend for tea and go to yoga. It's been 2 weeks since I went and I really need to go get centered and balanced and strong. Yoga isn't for sissies, it works muscles I never knew I had and the peaceful feeling at the end is better than chocolate. Have a great week and thanks for stopping by.

2010-03-24T08:03:00.000-07:00

Supplies: PSX Image Stamp; Rubber Stampede Sentiment Stamp; Memento Ink; Distress Ink; Copic Markers; Fiskars Edge Tearing Tool; Topographic Map; S&H Green Stamp.

First I've got to say a huge, monstrous thank you for all the love from the blog hop. Wow, I didn't even offer any blog candy and I still got lots of love. I read each and every comment and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to share in the hop.

I've been working like a maniac lately. This happens every spring. The retired teachers who got a golden handshake deal for subbing have put in their hours and the teachers are tired and going to lots of trainings and meetings. I've been subbing almost everyday. I've taught elementary school, middle school science, wood shop and PE, and high school foods this past week. I'm really enjoying all this time out of the house and the extra money for summer fun is always good. Hopping around to different schools and grade levels is a challenge and keeps me on my toes. I just need to sneak in a little yoga and all will be good.

Today is a teacher inservice day; no school for me or the young man. We're running away to the happiest place on earth. I need to go wake him up so we can ride Space Mountain! Hope your having a beautiful spring day. Thanks for stopping by.

Welcome Spring

2010-03-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

Supplies: Graphic 45 Patterned Paper; Stampin Up and Hampton Arts Stamps; StazOn and Ranger Distress Inks; Vintage Sheet Music; Grosgrain Ribbon and Pin; Button and Waxed Thread.

Happy first day of Spring. I'm participating in the OWH blog hop today. I love this organization that was started by a dear online stamping friend who has the most giving heart. OWH spreads a bit of cheer and love to those who give so much to us. I send in cards a couple of times a year from my stash of ever growing stamped cards that get sent out to soldiers overseas who then send them back home to their loved ones. My cousin's son and our dear friends' son are both currently serving overseas. I hope they can send a beautiful card from OWH to their lovely wives.

If you'd like to get involved with sending cards, here is the link with all the information you need to get started along with shipping addresses and important do's and don'ts to make it all run smoothly. Here's a link to the top of the hop, if you started in the middle.

Next stop on the hop: Kelly's beautiful blog. Thanks for stopping by today.

2010-03-17T16:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Almost Spring! These ladybugs are warming themselves down at the bottom of our property before their flight off to other places. I've seen them other years in the woods, but this is the first year that they are right here in the backyard. It's so exciting to see them all clumped up like this. There must be many many thousands of them. Makes me happy that they chose our place to hang out before they take off.

2010-03-16T22:04:00.001-07:00

The package was delivered this afternoon. ahhhhh, now I can relax.

2010-03-16T08:42:00.000-07:00

Update on the package: it's back in Portland, OR. Anybody want to take a guess where it goes today? Thanks everyone for sharing your stories; misery loves company. The absolute deadline for it to arrive there is Friday. I'm still hopeful that it will get there on time, not convinced or certain, but hopeful.

2010-03-15T15:34:00.000-07:00

The post office makes me crazy. Seriously. I packaged up my beautiful finished Graphic 45 project with loads of bubble wrap, paid over $10 to get it there super speedy with delivery confirmation. I mailed it first thing on Friday morning. I've been checking everyday to see where it is. It was in Portland, OR yesterday morning and that's where it's supposed to be delivered. So, I'm thinking good it will be delivered today. I check this afternoon and guess where it is? You'll never guess. It's been sent to Vancouver, WA and this is the message they give me:

"Your item was misrouted. the error has been corrected and every effort is being made to deliver it as soon as possible. Information if available, is updated periodically throughout the day. Please check again later."

They had it in the right city and then sent it to a whole other state. And they wonder why the post office is losing money. I knew I should've used UPS or Fed Ex. Dang.

2010-03-10T09:53:00.000-08:00

I'm still in a flurry of scissors, glue, ink, and collage here working away on my Graphic 45 project. I wish I could show it to you, but I need to wait a bit. I'm taking pictures to share later. I feel like a spy. "I could show you, but then I'd have to kill you." I'm driving my family crazy with what do you think about this and that. The kitchen table is completely out of commission. It's been a labor of love, though. I can tell you I've used papers from 4 different lines together. That's one of the things I love about this company, everything goes together beautifully. Of course I've raided my stash of vintage stuff as well as a stamp or two. Ok, that's probably too much info already. Thanks so much for all the support on this exciting opportunity.

This is one of the cards I submitted in round one of the submissions to Graphic 45. I think the butterfly is Lost Coast Designs, but I'm not completely certain. It's colored with Copics and of course the patterned papers are Graphic 45. The ribbon is May Arts. Thanks for stopping by today.

2010-03-07T08:20:00.000-08:00

Just a silly card for you today. It's been a rough winter here and I'm thinking this sentiment could apply to any of us by now. We got a tiny little nothing storm last night according to the weather guessing people. Well, it looks like a danged winter wonderland this morning. Probably a foot of new white stuff on the ground. I really want more sand in my life not more snow. The good news is hubby and I ran away to orange county on Friday to have our taxes done and I made him take me to the ocean so I could drink it all in to sustain me through the rest of the winter. We even had lunch right on the pier at Dukes. I don't think we stayed long enough.

Thank you for all the well wishes on round 2 of the Graphic 45 design team application. I'm over the moon excited. The kitchen table is covered with paper and bits and baubles for my final project. I had it planned out, but was afraid to jinx myself by starting on it early. I'm planning to crank up the music while I'm cutting and gluing and basically making a happy mess. Thanks for stopping by today.

Supplies: Graphic 45 Patterned Paper, Club Scrap Image Stamp, Hampton Art Sentiment Stamp, Mango Lemonade Memories Mist, Versafine Ink, Postage Stamp, Brads.

2010-03-05T06:17:00.000-08:00

I'm doing a little happy dance this morning. I can't believe it, somebody pinch me. Go take a peek at this, that's me on the list. Seriously.

2010-03-03T14:08:00.000-08:00

I'm playing in a new to me challenge today. Over at Think Monday-Think ATC this week it's an orange challenge, the perfect color for this dreary winter weather. I hope they don't mind that I'm playing on Wednesday. I used a whole bunch of scraps from prior projects still on the table for this one. The focal image is a Cat's Life Press Stamp.

I hope you're having some sunny days. Thanks for stopping by today.

2010-03-01T07:49:00.000-08:00

I've been playing around with ideas for upcoming classes. The last classes I did were tag books and were so much fun that I want to go there again in a new way. This is the naked uninked version of what I want to use for the new classes. Just about everything you see here is a vintage find from my large stash or goodies. I actually have enough to sell extra kits this time. I'll list them here first if I have any leftover from the classes. The next class I'm scheduling will be a spray ink class, I'm just waiting for confirmation on the date. Can you imagine this little book all sprayed up and sparkly or would you rather see it distressed and grungy? Maybe a combo of the two. I'm excited about teaching this one.

Thanks for stopping by today.

2010-02-24T09:13:00.000-08:00

I made this card last night to send to a friend. I started with a handmade paper base that has flower petals in the paper. I stamped the main image by Hero Arts with imperial purple versafine ink. The sentiment by Stampin Up is stamped with shabby shutters distress ink. I used the same shabby shutters to stamp the Hero Arts butterfly on a scrap of basic grey and cut it out. I then added in more shabby shutters and milled lavender around the edges with cut and dry foam.

In other news: I'm sorry I haven't shared an update about Kyle. He went back to school last week for partial days and is in school for full days this week. He's still tired and dizzy occasionally, so I'm driving him both ways. He's working hard to make up for lost time in his classes. Thanks so much for stopping by today.

giving back

2010-02-23T08:17:00.000-08:00

I know I've mentioned my fun bunco group before here. I get together once a month with 11 other women to play bunco, and we've been doing this for 8 years now. It's wonderful fun and we learn so much from each other. Quite a few of the women I play with are Catholic and our last bunco night was on Fat Tuesday, so there was much discussion about lent. The closest I ever came to catholicism is the nice catholic boy I dated in high school, but I never really knew much about lent. So, I asked questions. It was a great discussion about reflection and honoring beliefs and giving back. Many of my friends take these 40 days of lent to give to others, in their families, in the schools, in the community, and in the world. Some also give up things like chocolate, but that's not my style. I was inspired by the idea of helping others.

Yesterday, I met with my regular stamping group that's been meeting monthly for longer than the bunco group. There's a bit of crossover in these two groups, just a few of us are in both groups. I asked the group to help me with a project. I already had 35 cards made to send to Operation Write Home that I really need to get in the mail. OWH is having a half and half drive right now. They're asking people to send in half mother's day and father's day cards and half any occasion cards. The task of making 35 mother's day and father's day cards was a bit daunting to me, so I asked the girls to help me out if they had nothing else to stamp. Everyone jumped right in and we got inky yesterday. I'm happy to say that I'm shipping out 80 cards this morning. What a wonderful group of friends I have in both of these groups. I love the idea of giving back all the time, but during this time after the holidays and in the last part of winter it's a nice time to remember others who could use a hand. Thank you to my mountain bunco friends for explaining this beautiful time to me and to my mountain stamping friends for helping me get this box of lovely cards winging their way to our soldiers stationed overseas that they can write in and send to their loved ones waiting at home.

Thanks for stopping by today.

2010-02-20T07:39:00.000-08:00

It's Winterfest time over at the 2 peas stamping board. Right in the middle of winter when I can't stand to see another snowflake or snowplow or snow shovel, well you get the idea, we have a little weeklong stamping party. The members host challenges some with an RAK drawing and some just for fun. I'm hosting a challenge called Spray It and this is my sample. If you'd like to play along or just be inspired stop by this week and take a peek.

Supplies: Stamps: Stampington, Stampin Up; Inks: Ranger Distress; Flower: Maya Road.

2010-02-17T09:52:00.000-08:00

Just a bit of grungy fun. All the stamps are by Paper Bag Studios. I really love their stamps. The paper is an old ledger sheet and the inks are distress. I used a Fiskars metal edge tearing tool for that tear on the left side. I like how jagged it makes the tear. The button and twill tape are out of my stash, not sure where they came from. Thanks for stopping by today.

2010-02-16T13:46:00.000-08:00

How about some stamped coasters? I made these from tumbled marble 4" tiles I picked up at the home improvement store. I put self adhesive cork feet on the bottom to protect the surface they're placed on. In the past when I've made stamped coasters I always used StazOn ink, which works great, but I wanted to try something different. These are stamped with Stewart Superior Palette Hybrid ink. I used a metallic buff bronze color that has a nice shimmer. I first stamped the script background and then stamped the pines over in the same ink. I like using the same ink for this look because you don't have to mask, it just blends in. You can also stamp a lighter background, then a darker focal image and it works great. These stamped up so quickly and easily, and make a nice hostess or thank you gift. Sometimes I just can't get out to shop, so having a few of these on hand makes it easy to give a little gift anytime. They can be made to suit the recipient's decor or the season. I just picked up some 6" tiles that I'm thinking will make nice trivets. Haven't gotten around to stamping on them just yet.

In other news, we didn't make it to Vegas this weekend. My taller than me teenager has been battling some nasty illnesses and the battle continues. We've been down the mountain 5 times in 2 weeks for various medical appointments. He attempted to go to school this morning and made it through his first 3 classes before he just couldn't do anymore. He's sleeping again. Tomorrow we're going to try for the last 3 classes, so at least he can go to all of his classes once. I'm meeting with his counselor in the morning to see if we can adjust his schedule a bit while he tries to get over this. It could take weeks. I really feel for him. He's a normal teenager who wants to walk to school, see his friends, and play rugby. This is a challenge we didn't see coming, it just hit like a train wreck. I'd love to have some magic elixir to fix it and help him get back to where he was. My word for this year is Breathe. I've been doing a bunch of that lately. Not exactly what I had in mind when I chose the word. Funny how life works sometimes. I guess I needed more patience and breath than I thought.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Happy Hearts Day

2010-02-14T08:46:00.000-08:00

This is the card I made for my sweetie. You may recognize a few goodies from my treasure hunting trip a few posts back. The old label, bingo card piece, and bingo marker are from that trip. The flower is made with a scallop circle punch and old sewing pattern directions. I really posted this to tell you a love story, not go on and on about the card.

Nine years ago today, I met my sweet husband at El Pollo Loco for lunch. I was working full time days and he was working full time nights so we could care for our son who was in kindergarten. Meeting for a quick fast food lunch was a treat for us. We met half way down the mountain most nights to switch off the kiddo as I was coming home and he was going to work. After doing this for 5 years, we barely saw each other. We both felt like single parents. I was burnt out from 12 years of social work and keeping up this crazy schedule. I'd worked my whole adult life, gone to school, and this was my chosen profession. The thing is it no longer worked and it no longer fit me. Something had to give, but I didn't see it. My sweet husband has a way of seeing what I need before I see it. While we were eating our hurried lunch and wishing each other a happy valentine's day, he gave me a gift. It was unexpected and intangible. I was lamenting about the latest drama at work, and he said, "why don't you quit". I laughed and he said he was serious. You see up until that day, I never even imagined it as an option. We began to ponder the idea. The more we talked about it, the more excited I became. I sat down with our finances that night and figured out that it was possible. It would be a huge lifestyle change, but it was possible. We put the wheels in motion and 6 weeks later I became a stay at home mom who cooked dinner and helped in the classroom and drove her son to school, and began having a life I never knew I wanted or needed.

Over the last nine years many things have happened that wouldn't have been possible if we hadn't had that lovely fast food lunch that day. I've been substitute teaching since about 6 months after I left my full time job. I was able to homeschool Kyle for 2 years to help him through some learning disabilities that had gone undetected earlier. I've been able to pursue my passion with crafting in ways I never imagined. Mostly, though, I found my marriage. I fell in love with my husband all over again. Our family is stronger and I wouldn't trade one day of it for a fancy dinner out or a shopping trip to Nordstrom with a personal shopper. Those things are fleeting pleasures. This life gives me enduring love and contentment beyond my wildest dreams. Happy Valentine's Day.

inspiration

2010-02-10T14:34:00.000-08:00

Inspiration is a tricky thing. Sometimes I really want to make something and there's no inspiration. Other times, like today, I should be doing important things like shoveling snow, again. Then, bam, the inspiration hits. As much as I'd like to be out there shoveling the fresh berm of snow the snowplow so kindly left for me, I ran to the craft room instead.

This is a piece of palette paper left over from our adventure in making a color wheel this week. Kyle is still sick, so we've been doing a bit of homeschool to make sure he keeps up. High school is much harder than I recall, especially algebra. It definitely got harder in the last 30 years. His lovely art teacher offered that he could make a color wheel using just the primary colors with black and white. I loved showing Kyle about how to make darker and lighter hues with the black and white. When he was finished with the color wheel, there was still some paint left on the palette. I used a palette knife and smeared it all over a piece of acrylic paper for backgrounds for something else, and left this palette paper to dry. Today when I was picking up the dry pieces, I saw flowers in this piece of throw away palette. So I made these:

I used an EK success 5 petal flower punch to punch out areas of the waxy palette paper and then curled up the leaves a bit. I stacked up 3 flowers and used a brad in the middle. I think they're kind of fun. I love trash to treasure projects. Thanks for stopping by today.

2010-02-09T11:15:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Week! If all goes well, I'll be in Las Vegas with my family and extended family for the International 7s Rugby Tournament this weekend. Really I'm going for the rugby, not the gambling. Ok, so if you know me at all, you know I'm going for the gambling. I really really love to gamble, well play games of any kind. So Vegas is like a big playground for me. I don't know how I married a man that doesn't like to gamble at all. I guess it's self preservation, more gambling money for me. Anyhow, this is one of the tags I made for Valentine's Day. We're having a big event over at Scrapbook News and Review Magazine featuring a new tutorial for a valentine tag each day of the month up until the 14th. My tutorial for this tag is on day 4. Here's where you can see all of the tutorials including this one. If you register on the site (free), then you'll get an email each day with the tags. Thanks for stopping by today.

2010-02-04T19:07:00.000-08:00

I painted today! I love painting. Do you recognize the base for this ATC? It's one of the vintage bingo cards from a couple of posts down that I picked up on my treasure hunting. Ok, so it's not tons of paint, but it really made me happy. A bit of titan buff with some glazing liquid gave me just the right amount of milky white to still see what's underneath. The little frame around the bingo babe is made with microbeads sprinkled over a line of glossy accents. Did I mention that I painted today? It was a good day. Thanks for stopping by.

2010-02-04T09:30:00.000-08:00

I'm still drawing my way through these fun zentangles. Here are a couple of ATCs I made last week before this dreaded sickness crept into my body. The doc is taking good care of me and mom sent me chicken soup last night, so I'm sure to be back to my old self soon. I just saw that the Zentangle books are available for sale along with Chris Cozen's newest book. She's an awesome teacher that I've been fortunate enough to take classes from. So, it you need a new book for inspiration this year, take a look at Design Originals new 2010 books.

2010-01-31T16:41:00.000-08:00

It's no secret that I love to treasure hunt. Sometimes I don't find much and sometimes I hit a jackpot. Last week when I was on my way out from the chiropractor I ran downstairs to my favorite little local thrift shop and found treasure. I picked up all this goodness for under $2. I love it when I can buy goodies with the money I find in the laundry.

2010-01-29T08:39:00.000-08:00

Well, now that I've had a day to reflect on all the goodness at CHA, I have some thoughts to share. I'm so thrilled to say that I see a trend toward vintage. Last year there were just snippets of vintage here and there mixed in with tons of adorable. I have nothing against adorable, but really there needs to be a balance. I'm happy to say that vintage got much much bigger this year. I didn't see nearly as much adorable. I saw lots of glamour and vintage and sewing. All my happy things everywhere I looked. I also saw rubber stamps, really truly rubber. Most of them were cling mounted, which is a great way to bridge the distance between clear stamps and wood mount stamps. The man at the Hampton Arts booth told me that rubber stamps are making a come back. Oh, a girl can only hope he's right. I saw lots and lots of mixed media in the samples in the booths. So much inspiration everywhere I looked. Spray ink and paint were everywhere. I saw lots of black and white and sparkle. It was so classy. Metallics were big too. I may be coming back into style again.

I had such a good time with this make and take. This was from a new company called Ecogreen Crafts. The ATC base is recycled and it's on my must buy list now. It has a great weight and heft to it. I think it could take anything I can throw at it. The dye ink is all low VOC and all that good stuff and it was a nice big oval pad that was easy to hold in the hand. I loved their stamps. They're all designed by Julie Andrus and come in sets of cling mount on rubber. This one was one of my favorites. The little embellishments are recycled glass and I lovey love those. Such a wonderful company, very friendly and a great make and take. I'm sure we'll be hearing lots from this one in the future.

Oh now this was a favorite company for me, too. This little charm beauty is a make and take from Vintaj. Another company that's new to CHA. Lots of pretty metal here. The butterfly is a metal charm that was plain and flat, sort of a bronze color. I ran it through a cuttlebug folder with a shim of metal under the folder where the charm was. We ran it through 3-4 times, back and forth, and it embossed! I never would've thought you could emboss a heavy metal charm in a cuttlebug folder. Then I went around to the decorating part of the booth where lots of alcohol ink got dropped on the charm and smeared around. I used copper and silver mixatives and pool and lettuce inks to get this patina look. The other little metal pieces are from Vintaj, too. I can totally see incorporating some of these beauties into my button charm bracelets. I know we'll be hearing lots from this little company.

This is the make and take from Glitz Designs. I just had to show you because flowers are all the rage and this one is unique and was pretty easy to make. I made mine fast, so it's a bit wonky, but I'm sure you could do a better job with more time. Again look at all this vintage. I'm so happy. Ok, so first the middle part. It was a long strip of patterned paper about an inch or two wide and probably 12" long. We spritzed the front and back with liquid spray starch. This made it soft to work with, but then it dried crisp. Very cool trick. We rolled it and then twisted and scrunched it gluing it to a small piece of paper. We used hot glue, man I hate hot glue, but it worked here. I always burn my fingers with that stuff. We trimmed the paper around the edge of the inside part with scissors so the paper underneath didn't show. Next we took a coffee filter, I know a coffee filter! and we sprayed shimmery ink on it. I don't know what kind it was, no name on it. We smooshed down the coffee filter and folded it under and glued it to another little scrap of paper. Once it was all hot glued down, we glued the top piece on and the pretty rhinestone in the middle. Glitz Designs really rocked this make and take. So unique and funky.

2010-01-28T07:40:00.000-08:00

I made it off the mountain yesterday to go to CHA. Yippeeee! It was a brief, but grand day. I was busy working for Scrapbook Royalty most of the time, but did get a few breaks to peek at some things I was interested in seeing. I've got make and takes to share with you later. I shot this brief video of Zutter's new Distrezz It All tool. It's the one tool I really wanted to see and there are no videos out there of it in action. They were kind enough to show me and allow me to take this video to share with you. I love that I can run it through one way and it distresses the heck out of it in a way I could never do by hand and the other direction it's a lighter more hand distressed look. This will be a great tool to take with me when I teach classes and will be wonderful to use at home when I'm working on a project with lots of distressing or a swap. I find that hand distressing really hurts my hands after a while and I love power tools. This baby will be available in March and retails for $30 something. I forgot exactly how much he said, but it's a tool I can get a bunch of use from. He let me use it after I shot the video and it really does have some power behind it.

2010-01-25T12:09:00.000-08:00

I made this a while back for an article featuring Lost Coast Designs stamps. They make gorgeous rubber stamps like this architectural arch. I included a few of my favorite things in this one, a couple of old bingo pieces, a page from an old dictionary, and some Graphic 45 paper. I love to do the crossword puzzle in the paper, so this was a fun image to include. I adore most of the old kind of games, you know the ones that don't need batteries or electricity or a game system , so this Game Time Arch is a way of recognizing that part of me.

I'm editing to add that this arch meets the Mixed Media Monday challenge today- The Games People Play. It's been a while since I played in one of the challenges. I had it in my mind that this was the challenge at gothic arches today, but saw that it's not. I must have remembered the theme from a peek at MMM, but can't remember much these days. Thanks for the heads up, K.

I don't want to talk about that 4 letter word today, but you know that cold white stuff came down in buckets here. Seriously nearly 4 feet of it. I so want to live in a place with an ocean view and a warm tropical breeze. If I never saw another snow shovel, I'd be happy.

Oh, and UPS is holding hubby's birthday present hostage because of the 4 letter word. They might be able to bring it by tomorrow. Whatever. He had a nice birthday yesterday with two back to back play off games to watch and home made pizza for dinner with boston cream pie for dessert. Sadly no gift, just a printed out photo of the gifts along with a card made by me.

We didn't make it to CHA consumer show on Saturday due to that 4 letter word. I'm still hopeful I'll get to go the trade show part on Wednesday as planned. I'm enjoying all the sneak peeks online though. So far I think I need the new metallic StazOn inkpads, the new colors of Distress Ink, Julia Andrus and Wendy Vecchi stamps, Sizzix embossing folders and diecut flowers from Tim Holtz line, 7Gypsies printers tray and receipt tray, the sewing themed chipboard pieces by Maya Road, a few selected sheets from all four of Graphic 45's new paper lines, and Basic Grey's new Basics line of papers in 6" x 6". I hope they come in the smaller size. Those are things that I think realistically I'll get sometime this year, but there are so many other wonderful peeks out there. Have you seen anything you need yet?

2010-01-19T08:41:00.000-08:00

Wow what a fun weekend I had. The guys went off fishing out of town and left this girl here on her own. In short I ate out, caught up with a couple of old friends and family, had a friend over to stamp the day away, took a class, read a book, and downed a pint of haagen dazs strawberry ice cream. Ok, so maybe it's not your ideal weekend, but I enjoyed every minute of it.

The class was a total last minute crazy thing that I'm so glad I did. I went down to the ARTbar in Santa Ana to take a class with Suzanne McNeill on Zentangle. She just published a book called Zentangle Basics that I can't find online anywhere, but it's a wonderful jumping off place for this fun kind of drawing. She's an amazing instructor and so warm and friendly. The ARTbar is just about the coolest little place for creative fun. I fell in love with it and I'm sure I'll visit again. Oh, and I met some lovely talented orange county ladies there who invited me to join them for dinner. Just a wonderful way to finish out my recharging weekend.

The artwork up at the top are the zentangles I made. The top one is a traditional zentangle that is 3 1/2" square. It's the first one I made. Then we made the ATC on the bottom right. I finished it at home and then made another 3 1/2" square one last night to show the guys how I made it. I've already cut a bunch of blanks to continue on my zentangle journey. The whole idea is that they are a quick portable art medium requiring just a fine tipped pen and paper. You get into a zen place in the process of creating the tangle. I'm excited to have something small and fun to carry with me to create in my down time. It goes with my word of the year, too. I'm still breathing.

I think the guys had as much fun as I did this weekend. They came home chatty and happy with lots of photos and stories. No fish, it was a catch and release trip. They've taken up fly fishing now to add to their fishing options when it's not deep sea fishing season. The big surprise of the trip is that Kyle had his first driving lesson. Seriously, when did my little boy get big enough to learn how to drive. I guess by this summer he'll be old enough to take official driver training. Makes me just a little bit sad and proud all at the same time. Thanks for stopping by.

2010-01-12T11:31:00.000-08:00

Here are a few ATCs I made recently. This first one uses a Lost Coast Designs background stamp along with some distress ink and an old sewing pattern, lace, pin, and dictionary definition.

This trio is made with more of that wonderful Graphic 45 paper. Each one has a little metal piece from vintage lingerie. The sentiments are all stamped. From left to right they are by Inky Antics, Inkadinkado, and American Art Stamp.

Thank you for all the wonderful birthday wishes. It was a beautiful birthday week. Now I need to gear up for hubby's birthday. We're both January babies. Boston Cream Pie is definitely on the menu. Thanks for stopping by today.

2010-01-07T08:57:00.000-08:00

I'm celebrating my birthday today. It's a quiet little celebration, but a celebration indeed. I celebrated my birthday eve with the guys last night. They're off to work and school today and have rugby practice tonight. They gave me these beautiful flowers and the most gorgeous earrings. I have to say that the adorable Cat in the Hat card was the icing on the cake. Speaking of cake, that will come later, after yoga. Right now I'm just enjoying a cup of tea and a clear head free from all the darned sickness that's been taking over lately. I love birthdays. It's great to have brand new sparkly year ahead. Here's what my birthday horoscope from the LA Times says about my year ahead:

"You become even more like those you admire. Your growing skills put you in the running for different kinds of jobs. Jump into career changes whole-heartedly. The early success of a venture in June will be followed by hard work and then another big win in September."

Doesn't this sound great? I can hardly wait. I love reading my birthday horoscope. I'm not telling you what it says my lucky numbers are just in case they're the right lotto numbers.

I always give myself the week between new year's and my birthday as a time of reflection. My new year's resolution is very simple this year. More yoga, Less belly. Pretty straight up and to the point. The main focus of yoga is the breath. Breathing properly is the foundation that the poses and clear mind are built upon. In honor of my resolution I've chosen my word for 2010. Breathe.

2010-01-04T13:51:00.000-08:00

Here's a little trash to treasure project I made with more of those fun Graphic 45 Domestic Goddess papers. This check file is vintage, but was still new in the package at the thrift store where I found it. It was originally a cancelled check file, but who gets those anymore? I covered it with some modge podge and all the pretty papers and transformed it into a receipt file. I figure that when I get to the next year's receipts I can probably toss them and add the new ones. I keep this in my in a basket in the kitchen that gets all the mail and stray papers around the house. I try to go through it once a week to file everything and this makes the receipts easy to manage. Here's the link to the class I did for SNR Magazine for this project: http://www.scrapbooknewsandreview.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&Itemid=369&func=view&catid=165&id=22362 (why can't I get the link thing to work on blogger?...it's driving me batty)

I'm feeling better today and even got together with the stamping girls this morning for some inky fun. Thanks so much for all the get well wishes. I'm determined to make 2010 a healthy creative year.

2010-01-03T15:25:00.000-08:00

Down and out and sick again is no way to start the new year. I've got another ear and sinus infection. So tired of being sick. Taking meds and hanging out watching movies today. Just thought I'd stop in to whine a little. I hope everyone is well at your house.

2010-01-01T16:24:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I hope 2010 is good to you. I have hope that this will be a beautiful year. The only resolution I made today is to add more yoga into my life. That's a resolution I can keep. Are you adding something into your life for the new decade? I'd love to hear about it.
We rang in the new year quietly at home with some yummy chicken piccata and a fun game of Apples to Apples. We had a wonderful getaway between the holidays to Coronado and I got to luxuriate at the spa while the guys went out deep sea fishing. I could get used to that.
These are a couple of cards I made using Graphic 45 papers for an event at SNR Magazine this fall. I absolutely fell in love with this company about a year ago and they continue to make beautiful things. I added in some vintage lingerie hardware, an old button card, and a piece of measuring tape into the designs. These papers are perfect for adding in some vintage pieces. Thanks for stopping by today.

2009-12-24T09:54:00.000-08:00

This was taken a few days ago before Santa really got busy with the wrapping. We're enjoying a nice visit with my father in law. All of the cookies are baked and we all enjoyed the taste testing yesterday. We're off to my parents today to begin the festivities with a big ham dinner. I hope you're enjoying some time with loved ones and all the yummy goodies that go along with it. Merry Christmas

2009-12-20T22:32:00.000-08:00

Thanks for all the well wishes. I'm all recovered and ready for the holidays. All of the packages are wrapped up under the tree and flowing out into the living room. I still need to bake those cookies, but they can wait until tomorrow.

My sister and I saw Riverdance this afternoon. It was one of the best live performances I've ever seen. The energy was palpable. At times I wanted to jump out of my seat and then there were moments that gave me the chills and brought tears to my eyes. It was everything an experience at the theater should be and more. This is the farewell tour of this show. Be sure to grab some tickets if it comes anywhere near to you. I'm still giddy.

2009-12-14T22:32:00.000-08:00

I made this card for a dear friend who recently finished treatment. Lots of hope that her future is full of good health and happy days. The butterfly is by Lost Coast Designs.

So, I went to the doctor. She was wonderful and she gave me good care and healing medicine. I hope I'll be able to bake those cookies soon. I hate being so isolated from the world. I'm no good just laying around at home. I need to shop and visit my parents and play with their new puppy. I guess I'll just have to wrap presents for now. and stamp, there's always something to stamp. Thanks for stopping by.

2009-12-13T21:36:00.000-08:00

I made this tag with a Lost Coast Designs stamp for SNR Magazine recently. I have to say that company has some amazing stamps. This one is heat embossed on a distress ink background. I used a metal piece by Stampin Up for the body. I'll get back to Tim's tags soon. I'm just halfway through them.

We finally decorated the tree today and I wrote out a few holiday cards last night. We even have a couple of presents wrapped under the tree. I think I'm slowly getting in the swing of the season here. I'm going to the doc tomorrow because 10 days is just too long to be sick. I'm hoping they can give me something to kick this thing out of me because I'd rather be baking cookies than coughing. Seriously. I hope you're having a beautiful start to the holiday season.

2009-12-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

Here's my take on Tim's Day 5. This one was a challenge for me because it didn't translate so easily into an ATC. I just went with one larger fragment instead of multiple small ones. The branch is Hero Arts and the image in the fragment is a large Stampin Up background. I'm not thrilled with the way the colors contrast from the fragment to the ATC, but it's probably more realistic to how my actual tree looks. I have a plethora of ornaments in every color and design from a lifetime of collecting them. I really need to get them up on the tree that's set up with lights and no ornaments. Working on getting some holiday cards in the mail today. Thanks for stopping by.

2009-12-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

Back to ATCs for day 6. I only had this tiny little car in a collage type stamp by Club Scrap. I love how Tim made his with the old fashioned car, you can see it here. Used some Christmas sheet music for the background and most of the rest is like what he did. I didn't have the sparkly fluff he used on his tree, so I used some old SU fun flock. It's not as pretty, but it works ok. I really liked the tape trick to rough up the vintage paper. I didn't have any masking tape handy so I used scotch tape, but stuck it to my robe first to take some of the sticky off of it. I've been sick, so I'm hanging out in my pjs this week. Stamping is good medicine. Thanks for stopping by.

2009-12-08T21:30:00.000-08:00

Here's Day 7 and it's an actual tag this time. I know I skipped days 4, 5, and 6 and I didn't make an ATC this time. That's just where my creativity went today. In case you haven't been around this week, I'm working on Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas tutorials. I loved making this one. I don't have a white paint dauber, so I used silver for this and I like the silver and gold together. It was like magic when I got to the part where I wiped away the ink from the paint. Seriously, even the black ink wiped off. So cool. I suppose you could get the same look by stamping with paint at the end, but the magic part was worth it. This santa image is by Paper Inspirations. I love how vintage he feels. I have no idea about the purple, I just had to do it. I fell in love with purple on the first day's ATC and had to go there again. Who knew purple worked for Christmas. It just does.

We have another snow day today. There was absolutely no shoveling done yesterday. I forgot about Kyle's cast. Guess I haven't mentioned it here, but he broke his hand in the midst of the whole surgery thing with my mom. Anyways he has a cast on the last two fingers of his right hand up to the elbow. The only good part about the whole deal for him is he can't shovel snow, can't get it wet and can't manuever a shovel and follow the docs orders at the same time. I'm fighting off a bug of some kind, so I really don't feel up to shoveling either. We're snowed in for now. Not such a bad thing. I may hire Kyle's friends to shovel for me later after they get their own place dug out. I guess we'll just have to make more hot chocolate and watch another movie. Enjoy the view below. That's what we see off our back deck. Not too shabby.

2009-12-07T06:06:00.000-08:00

Day 3 was so much fun to make. I've done the plaid thing before, but adding in some of the new colors made it more intresting. I forgot to put in the black stripe, but there's so much black stamping that I think it looks good without it. I added in a vintage black snap up in the corner. I pick them up in my treasure hunting excursions for a song and they make a great embellishment. Not enough twine here to wrap up the little set of these that I made, so I subbed in a bit of gold. I think it looks festive, so it works for me.

We had a grand time at Knott's and the snow is coming in like crazy now. We made it home just in time last night. It's a snow day, no school. Kyle's happy about it and I'm just going to let him enjoy his morning before I remind him about the snow shovel and the work that comes along with a snow day. For now, I'm off to make us some hot chocolate. Thanks for stopping by today.

2009-12-06T05:49:00.000-08:00

This is day 2 of the 12 tags of Christmas. I'm having so much inky fun with these little ATCs. I didn't have any of those cool metal flowers, so I used a Making Memories flower and sprayed it with walnut gold Glimmer Mist. It's my favorite color. This one came together more quickly than the first tag and I love the colors. I definitely wouldn't have used black for the swirls and sentiment if left to my own choice, but I'm trying to follow along as closely as possible. I love the touch of black here and I'm so glad I used it instead of the brown that made more sense to me. I remember my mom telling me in decorating any room you should always include a touch of black because it grounds everything. Of course Mom is right and it works in creating art, too. Thanks Mom.

We're running away to Knott's Merry Farm today. It's become one of our favorite holiday traditions. We ride roller coasters, listen to carolers and other live holiday music, watch Snoopy on Ice, and eat at Mrs. Knotts for her famous fried chicken dinner. I can hardly wait. It was supposed to start snowing here tomorrow, but I see a bit of white on the ground now. That makes it truly a run away escape day. I'm not a fan of the snow even after living here for 18 years.

2009-12-05T13:29:00.000-08:00

Here's my take on Tim's first day of the 12 tags of Christmas. I love that he shares these classes each year. I started out making them as ATCs last year, so I decided to roll with it again this year. Working on a smaller canvas of an ATC means I have to scale it all down. I don't use everything he does, but I do try to follow the background technique. This one was so much fun. I really love the rock candy crackle paint. I improvised on my bird which was a snowman on his design. I painted some grungepaper with gesso, then stamped the design over it with black soot distress ink. When I tried to smear on some rock candy stickles it smeared the distress ink. So, just a little tip for you, the embossing is a necessary step. I ended up clear embossing over the whole image and skipped the stickles.

I've been slammed with life stuff, so not much art time. Trying to play catch up today. Hope you're finding some creative time amongst the hustle and bustle of the season.

2009-11-27T17:13:00.000-08:00

Mom is home and doing great after her surgery. Thank you so much for all the well wishes and kind comments. I had a little stamping time today now that I'm back home. You can see the cards I made here and my adventures in coloring with Copics here.

These next cards are all made with Darkroom Door stamps. Oh, how I love this company. Such gorgeous images and the owner is an amazing photographer. Stop by Rachel's blog here to see all of her beautiful artwork and stamps that she makes down under. I have a long wish list for her stamps. These butterflies that I worked with stamp so beautifully. I can't stop using them and they arrived on cling mount for easy storage.

I hope you had a lovely beginning to the holiday season yesterday. Thanks for stopping by today.

thankful

2009-11-24T14:26:00.000-08:00

Mom is amazing. She came through surgery like a champ and even walked a lap around the floor today. By tomorrow afternoon all the tubes should be out. It's very likely that she'll go home on Thanksgiving. Thank you for all the beautiful wishes and sentiments and prayers. It's truly a beautiful day.

mom

2009-11-22T05:44:00.000-08:00

Here's my beautiful mom. She's beautiful from the inside out. This picture is from a quilt show we attended in January. Quilts are something we both love and we had so much fun oohing and aahing over them. Mom's partial to the very traditional hand quilted designs and I love the wild artsy quilts. It was fun to share what we loved about all the different types of quilts. I'm feeling very sentimental today. Tomorrow morning at 7:45 Mom goes in for major surgery. It's her best shot at getting rid of this disease that she's had growing for 2 years. We're all feeling very hopeful that after her long recovery period she'll feel better and not have to take all the toxic medication she's been on for the last two years. She'd like to have more energy, more hair, more health, more quality of life. We all want that for her. Please send out some good karma, vibes, prayers, or hopes that her surgeons have a good day tomorrow, and can give her better health. Any positive energy you can send her way will be so appreciated. I'm working on breathing in and out until we get to the other side of this journey. Thanks for stopping by today.

2009-11-19T08:00:00.000-08:00

I made these cutie little paper fruit pieces using punches and Basic Grey Papers. I love the designs and weight of Basic Grey. The pear is made with a large scallop heart punch by Fiskars and the pumpkin is made with a large oval scallop punch by EK Success. Each punched shape is edged with distress ink, folded in half, and then glued to the next one. I got the idea for these from this blog tutorial and amended it to suit my needs and supplies. These were a part of an event we had over at SNR using Basic Grey products. They sit on the lazy susan where I keep fruit in the kitchen.

I've been lucky lately on the work front and have worked the last 4 school days subbing at the high school. High school is a whole different ballgame than middle school where I normally work. I survived, but I'm looking forward to hanging here, going to yoga, and getting some things done around the house. I'm hosting our early Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday and I have a small craft show at my friend's house on Sunday afternoon. It'll be an action packed few days. Guess I'd better hop in the shower and get moving. Yoga starts at 11:00. Thanks for stopping by.

more snow babies

2009-11-11T08:11:00.000-08:00

These are the two little snow babies that are joining my collection. The guy on the left is made from a parmesan cheese shaker and the one on the right is an old pint milk bottle. I just can't begin to tell you how fun it is to make these. Each one took on a little personality as I worked with them. We used all sorts of goodies to create them including bits and baubles from old jewelry, old cookie cutters, jingle bells, wire, ribbons, safety pins, brads, bottle stopper and lots of glittery goodness. I think my cousin and I have started a tradition we'll long to continue. It's so much fun to get together and make things like we did when we were teenagers before college and husbands and kids and jobs took priority. That's one of the blessings of having teenagers and working part time. We can play again once in a while.

Here's last year's snow babies that were in the Cloth Paper Scissors Newsletter. That was so fun. I can hardly wait to unpack the holiday decorations. For now the two newbies are hanging out in the craft room with me. I haven't figured out their names yet.

snow babies

2009-11-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a peek at the newest crop of bottle snow babies. My cousin came for a visit a couple of weeks ago and we made 34 of these guys. We didn't get to the glitter part while she was here, and I just got to that last week. These guys are all boxed up to take to a craft fair in a couple of weeks. It's been years since I did a craft fair, but I'm drowning in crafty goodness that really needs to find new homes. My friend who makes amazing candles is hosting a quick afternoon holiday open house in a couple of weeks. It's the perfect venue to hop back into the fray and it's before mom's surgery. Perfect. Here's the link to last year's edition in case you missed them.

I'm running off this afternoon to an event called Wrap Up Christmas with some of my stamping friends at the scrapbook shop down the hill. It's a wonderful event with lots of inspiration, make and takes, and yummy food. Can't wait. I hope you're having a beautiful Sunday. Thanks for stopping by.

Holiday Inspiration

2009-11-07T10:28:00.000-08:00

If you need a little inspiration to jump start your holiday projects, stop by Scrapbook News and Review for our holiday sampler. New classes posted each hour for the next 7 hours along with lots of inspiration, games, and prizes. I'm teaching two classes today.

This is a little peek at my 2:00 class sponsored by Graphic 45 that might help you contain a popular gift.

Here's a peek at my 3:00 class sponsored by Stewart Superior Ink. It would make a wonderful hostess gift over the holidays.

I have to say that I adored working with both of these sponsor's products. I fell in love with Graphic 45 papers at CHA in January. Their double sided papers and punch outs are amazing. I love the vintage feel of these and they go so well with all my vintage embellishments that I treasure hunt for and hoard. The Stewart Superior ink is new to me, but it was love at first stamp. So much shimmery goodness in the colors I played with. These are the folks who make Palette inkpads. Good stuff. I hope you'll have time to stop by to play.

joyful

2009-11-04T09:04:00.000-08:00

Supplies: Cardstock: Stampin Up; Stamp: A Stamp in the Hand, Stampin Up; Ink: Tsukineko; Alcohol Ink: Ranger; Leafing Pen: Krylon; Glitter Glue: Ranger; Other: Button, Ribbon.

Here's a little joyful pear ATC to share with you this morning. I used just a part of a larger stamp for this one. The original stamp is huge and has three pears on it. I masked the stamp and used cactus green stazon ink to ink up just the last pear in the trio. I wasn't sure if the green would cover since it was a lighter color, but it worked beautifully. Getting the sentiment in that little tag was tricky, but I just eyeballed it. I know a stamp positioner is easier, but I'm too lazy to mess with it. I'm not sure what alcohol ink colors are in the background. This is one of my clean up bases. What I mean by that is when I'm doing alcohol ink techniques that I use the craft mat for, I clean it up with an ATC base. I keep some glossy cardstock cut to ATC size and when my craft mat needs to be wiped off, I add a little blending solution and wipe it up with a base. I do the same thing with regular cardstock and distress inks. Sometimes I use a tag as my clean up base with distress inks. Just spritz with a little water and wipe it up. I do the twirl and lift thing. Lay down the cardstock, then twist it around in the ink and lift. Repeat until the craft mat is clean. These are some of my favorite backgrounds and I try to always include this in my classes. It seems like the best stuff comes out of my just roll with it and see what happens play sessions. I hope you'll find some time to play in the ink this week.

On a personal note, Mom's having surgery on the 23rd. It's been a very long two years of illness for her, and this is her chance at getting rid of most or all of it. We're feeling very hopeful that this will give her the quality of life she deserves. Thanks for stopping by today.

fashion

2009-11-02T09:13:00.000-08:00

Supplies: Cardstock: Stampin Up; Patterned Paper: Basic Grey; Flowers: Prima; Crystals: Prima; Stamp: Paper Bag Studios; Ink: Ranger.

Supplies: Carstock: Stampin Up; Patterned Paper: Basic Grey; Ribbon Flower: Offray; Ticket: Advantus; Stamp: Peddlers Pack; Ink: Tsukineko; Embossing Powder: Stampin Up; Gel Pen: Inkssentials; Tools: Paper Piercer, Heat Gun; Other: Tulle, Lace.

These were in a fashion article of the Aug/Sept issue of SNR. I really love how these cards tie into sewing and girly things. There's just something about shoes and gloves that remind me of childhood. Maybe it was those fancy little Easter outfits with matching hats and gloves and new shoes. I know it's almost Christmas, but we had new outfits and shoes for that, too. My mom and my aunt sewed all of our little dresses and we all matched. So much fun.

It seems like there's lots happening around here these days. If you just stopped in for the cards, skip this part, if not then here's the quick rundown.
-My hubby is back home now after spending a week with his family and attending the public memorial service for his mom. By all accounts it was a beautiful celebration of her life.
-My father in law is about to embark on his grand adventure in this new chapter in his life. He'll be here for Christmas after traveling around the country in his new home on wheels.
-My son found his bliss last week as he helped build, paint, and decorate the haunted house put on by the Arts Foundation. Of course the best part was that he got to work in it for 4 nights as the Predator and scare the heck out of all who entered. I can personally attest to how incredibly scary the house was, I was hoarse from screaming after walking through it. The scary clowns sent me over the edge.
-I won a huge pumpkin at the little coffee shop by my parents house when I correctly guessed the weight of 81 pounds. You should have heard that phone call to hubby asking him to pick it up on the way home.
-I taught wood shop last week for 2 days, which was my first full days of teaching this year. It's good to get back in the swing.
-I'm busy working away like an elf for the holiday sampler event at the magazine on Saturday. So many pretty holiday goodies that will be available for all to see. Be sure to stop in on Saturday afternoon and evening to see it all.
-Oh, and I almost forgot about the snow people. My cousin was here for a couple of days for a creative extravaganza. We made 34 new bottle snow people, dozens of stamped dominos, and several button charm bracelets. I'll take some photos to share with you as soon as I'm done with all this elf labor. Here's the link to the snow people we made last year.
-Here's the plan for this week. Hubby's home today and we're installing a new vanity/sink in the bathroom. Taking the kiddo to the dentist on Wednesday to see if the pain in the back of his mouth is wisdom teeth. Going to see the surgeon tomorrow with my mom to find out what they are going to do for her. Teaching a fun distress class on Saturday in Escondido. Oh, and yoga, there's definitely yoga in there. I think I need it! I hope you're having a great week. Thanks for stopping by today.

blog hop with candy

2009-10-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

Wonderful Friend Supplies-Cardstock: Stampin Up; Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye; Flower: Making Memories; Gems: Mrs. Grossman's, K & Co; Stamps: Our Craft Lounge; Ink: Ranger; Mask: Advantus; Edge Distresser: Tonic; Other: Linen Thread.
I really enjoyed using OCL cling mount rubber stamps to make this card. First I put a mask down over patterned paper and applied broken china distress ink with a blending tool. I removed the mask and stamped the flowers with the same broken china ink. I love layering inks this way for a subtle look. I stamped the sentiment, the same flowers on the paper flower, and added color to the distressed edges with tea dye distress ink. The flower is folded in half over a loop of linen thread. I like to add a hint of bling to brighten up a distressed card. These gems do the trick.

Welcome to the Scrapbook News and Review/Our Craft Lounge Spotlight Blog Hop. It's a hop to the blogs of SNR staff members who produced art for the Our Craft Lounge article that first appeared in the giant Aug/Sept double issue. Today's your chance to take a peek inside this great digital magazine. Each blog on the hop will give you a look at projects from inside the magazine.

Our Craft Lounge Stamps and Scrapbook News and Review is offering prizes for two very lucky winners. One winner will receive 2 sets of OCL stamps and a 3 month subscription to SNR magazine. The grand prize winner will receive 3 OCL stamp sets and a 6 month subscription to the magazine. Visit the blog of every staff member on the hop, take note of the titles of their featured projects, then drop a note to games@scrapbooknewsandreview.com with the list. Be sure to include your full name, the names of all featured projects, and your email address. Winner will be chosen at random. All entries must be received by 10 pm EST Oct 25, 2009.

Next stop on the hop is Erika's blog . If you're joining us in the middle of the hop, you can find the first blog post at the Scrapbook News and Review Blog. The blog hop will conclude on the Scrapbook News and Review main page where you'll have the chance to read the entire Our Crafts lounge article, and enjoy all of the art and ideas included. Thanks for stopping by today.

Chicken and Dumplings

2009-10-22T15:39:00.000-07:00

This is not your grandma's chicken and dumplings, but it's pretty darned good. I can't tell you how many pots of this I made for my mom when she was sick. It seemed to make her happy, so it made me happy. When I found out that my neighbors have H1N1 that has turned to pneumonia, I decided it was time to cook some of this elixir. If you have friends, family, or neighbors with the flu, drop some by. We need to help each other through this flu season. We're going to get our flu shots tomorrow night when I pick hubby up from the airport. He's been visiting his dad this week.

Chicken and Dumplings

Get out a great big soup pot and put a whole chicken in it, without the giblets. If you have chicken parts, that works too. Fill up the pot with water. Add in 1 garlic clove, 1/2 tsp. Emeril's Essence Seasoning, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. or 1 cube chicken bullion, 1/2 tsp. dried minced onion, and bring to a boil. Simmer on the stove for 2 hours. Your house will smell yummy. Take the chicken out of the pot and let it cool enough to handle it. Take all the meat off the bones and put the meat back in the pot. Throw away the skin and bones and garlic if you can find it. Bring back to a boil and here's the tricky part. Cut up a package of flour tortillas into squares about 2" x 2". Put them in the boiling pot, and they will puff up and make yummy dumplings. Whisk together 1/4 c. flour with water and whisk it into the pot. Taste it and add more salt if needed.

My great grandma made amazing chicken and dumplings which involved first catching a chicken from the yard and wringing it's neck. I was pretty horrified by the whole process, but she knew how to make good chicken and dumplings. This version is much easier.

2009-10-10T10:30:00.000-07:00

I lost my mojo a few weeks ago. I missed it so much. I need to get ink on my hands. It's good for my soul. I found it, and my spirit is singing. Guess where it was? It was hiding amongst a group of incredibly talented and creative women. To my great surprise I had a nearly full class last night and I agonized about whether or not I could inspire them. They paid good money to learn and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to deliver. Their light and creativity surrounded me and I taught and laughed and learned. Ahh, it's so good to have ink stained fingers. Thank you ladies for all of your creative energy.

I made this tag using my old neglected Tombow Markers. I forgot about those fun little guys. The stamp I used is an oldie, too. It was one of the first used stamps I ever bought and it's made by Rubber Stampede. Here's how I made the tag. First I stamped the apples using a dark red and dark green marker directly on the stamp. Then I colored in the image using lighter colors and a bit of the blending marker. I put the whole thing in embossing folders and embossed it right over the image and words. A bit of distress ink over the embossing makes it pop. That's a piece of vintage measuring tape up there at the top. Stop by 2peas for their free stamp camp classes. Every monday they're posting a new class, and this week is Stamping with Markers by Nichol Magouirk. Thank you for the inspiration, Nichol.

I really want to thank all of you for your support through these last few weeks. It was a rough road, but we all have to travel the difficult roads so we can enjoy the happier times. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Thanks for stopping by.

2009-09-24T07:24:00.000-07:00

I've been on staff with SNR now for almost a year, but it's been really hard to share it with you since it's by subscription only. Great news, we have a brand new site that's absolutely gorgeous and we're holding an open house this weekend. Stop by between Saturday, September 26, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. EST until 8:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, you'll have complete access Double-header, double issue FREE weekend at Scrapbook News and Review Magazine. Come get a gander at the site, chat on the forum, join in a challenge, play a game or two and the best part of all, see the inside of the magazine for FREE. Don't delay -- register on our site today. You must be a registered user to play.

back home

2009-09-23T08:03:00.000-07:00

There really is no place like home to rest, heal, and recharge. I'm glad I could make the trip out to help my inlaws. My mother in law passed on Friday and we had a small gathering at the house on Sunday before I came home Monday night. I don't have any grand insight or wisdom to share yet. I'm still processing it all. I've never been that close to death before it happened. It's not a pretty or peaceful sight. It's messy and intense, sort of like birth. In fact I'd say it's very similar to birth. When it's over everyone breathes a sigh of relief. I don't mean any disrespect by that, I just mean she went through so much we were thankful that her struggle was over and she could move on to the next journey. Thank you all for the kind words and thoughts and prayers. Shared sorrow is a lighter load to bear.

I'm running off to spend some time with my mom to hang out, do girl things, and have lunch. Happier posts and art coming soon. Thanks for stopping by today.