You know how things happen when you least expect it and the timing can be just perfect? Divine intervention? Well, I have been pretty upset about my car this week - and out of the blue Laurel nominated me for this award! I know it wasn't in reaction to my woes, because she did it before I spilled my guts yesterday! (LOL)
I am so thankful for my blog-friends! We are such an interesting collection of talent and humanity - in a variety of places! Yet here, we are friends as much as we would be if we lived in the same town. I am passing this sweet friend award on to the following people:
Jeanne, Leslie, Jane, Nancy, Iona and also need to mention Kathi and Alanna here too (even though they got the award from Laurel already!). Thank you dear friends for making my life richer and fuller!
Here are the rules:
Nominate 5 other bloggers you feel have become part of your circle of friends.
Link to your nominees within your blog post.
Include these instructions on how to pick up the award in your blog post.
Link back to the person who gave you the award in your blog post, to show appreciation.
Comment on their blogs to let them know they've received the award.
The week of July 20th we celebrated a 40 year anniversary of the historic landing of US Astronauts on the moon! The same week I received a gift from a colleague of a dozen fabulous photos from the Endeavour launch on 7/15. I decided this was the page for the weekly planner - I would just "nudge" the Harry Potter movie into the next week! (my weeks run Sunday - Sat).
Not much to say about the page - lots of matting, incredible photos (again, not mine but don't I wish!) and a little tag tucked behind one of the photos. I chose the page colors just to enhance the photos - no theme there.
It's been a difficult week. I don't want to be melodramatic, but my car is dying. Chloe has been my dear friend for almost 8 years and she is truly not doing well at all! Last week the repairs were over $900, this week the estimate was $800. She peed all over the garage floor!!! I did a McGyver fix and am shopping for a new car. That has been painful - because I really only want Chloe to be whole and new again. And I know that I can't get another VW after all the problems I've had with this one. It would just be silly. I may be an emotional woman, but I'm not stupid.
So - hang in there with me. I'm car shopping - that won't leave much time for scrapping. I'm trying to be my cheery self - but my heart is broken.
I do love the Harry Potter stories! As you know, last weekend I got to see the newest movie (don't worry - no spoilers here) and when I got home I found some wonderful images on-line to use for my weekly planner page! Isn't this fun!?! I wish I had a camera (and the talent) to take such great photos!
Work was good today - I'm surprised I wasn't feeling more after effects from the dentist yesterday but, hey! I'm NOT complaining! I made it to Yoga class tonight and will sleep so good tonight . . . zzzzzzzz! :-)
I just had to try it! This card was designed by Lisa Stenz and has inspired all the best artists I know! I couldn't resist giving it a go myself! The coolest trick about the flair stamped image is that it's white embossed on baby pink cardstock. What that means is that even people like me who can't color inside the lines, can color this image! Yippee!!
You won't believe it, but I've been to the dentist again today! It went much better than expected (but again, I have such a horror about dentists - my expectations are not good!). I'm planning to go for a peach milkshake in a little while - doesn't that sound cool and refreshing? Just waiting for my mouth to wake up enough that I won't be wearing the milkshake down the front of my t-shirt! ;-)
Have I told you recently how much I cherish your sweet comments?! You guys ROCK! (and no, I did not have any funny gas at the dentist)
Not much time to stamp this weekend, but I did "correct" this card and do a couple of other things I'll save to post tomorrow ;-)
I like this better with the "spring" tree, the larger nesties (room enough for the sentiment at the bottom) and the tree branches and trunk in brown. Just looks "right" to me now. The small, dark blue ribbon goes better, too. The rest of the card I didn't touch!
Have a wonderful Monday, dear friends!!
I bought a Janome Sew Mini. "Resistance is futile." This is the first card I made with my new machine! I'm happy with the zig-zag, just not thrilled with the tree and sentiment - so I'll probably re-do the focal point. Anyway - thought I'd post about the sewing!
I'm home from the new Harry Potter movie. It was good! I have read the books several times now and the collection is probably my favorite story. There is something about Harry's kindness and goodness that has always appealed to me. His friends, too, are so loyal and brave. I won't say more in case you haven't seen it yet - but if you're not sure - I would recommend you go. It's worth the time.
Several of you have commented about my organizational skills. I'm going to share a secret with you. I'm not organized at all. I just live alone with my cats, and don't go out a lot. I love playing with my scrapping things. I do like to be ahead of the game (in work and home life) so any project assigned, whether it be a report at work or a swap I'm participating in will be tackled right away and prepared well in advance of the due date. Sometimes I've prepared so far ahead that I have to revisit the project to remember what I was thinking! LOL
I'm a HUGE believer in lists. When I have a moment, perhaps early to a meeting (yes, that happens too), I pull out a piece of paper and make a quick list of what I need to do before the Open Stamping at my house on Sunday (for example). Then I LOVE crossing things off my lists. It's silly - I know; but sometimes I even write things down after I've done them just so I can cross them off. So, now the cat's out of the bag.
This was a fun card! I used the elephant from the It's a Zoo! stamp set (Close to My Heart) and stamped it onto the back of design paper. I stamped the "ear" part onto a scrap of another color and cut them out. Itsy-bitsy black brads for the eyes, buttons for the wheels, hemp for the tails, the papers on the background were the leaf pattern from Unforgettable and a brown spotted one from Bella. Natural twill stamped with the sentiment from Treetops. The elephants themselves were scraps from a Basic Gray pack (Urban Prairie).
I'm home early today! Yippee!! I had a meeting that was held at a facility 1/4 mile from my house! We were done at 3:15 PM so it just didn't make sense to drive 25 miles back to work to be there for 30 minutes and then go home. It's a small gift - but I'm thrilled for the little bonus time! I've got to get my house cleaned up because my friends are coming Sunday for Open Stamping! I also have plans to see the new Harry Potter movie tomorrow so (in my typical, overly organized way) I've scheduled out what has to get done in order to get to do both things! There may not be a lot of time for stamping - but there's always hope. Happy Friday!
This card is the same darling image that I used on the weekly planner page. It's a "Bella" stamp (the Ohm is, too) that I just HAD to have (I guess you know why!). The papers are a few more pieces of scrap from that Basic Gray pack that I've been using up. I'm sure if I had Copics the "brush-strokes" on the mat wouldn't be so obvious - but we are always our own worst critics, huh. (ps - what's with the skinny arms on these girls?)
Today seemed to go on forever. We've had storms rolling through - mostly wind to blow down our fences and tear at our roofs and such . . . but the pressure changes are giving me such a headache! I read on several blogs that I'm not alone - so I'll quit whining now. Where did I put my cheese . . . .?
By popular demand . . . the Ghosting Technique! If you click on the photo, it will get large enough to read the instructions! I learned that sometimes it takes two pieces of scrap cardstock to lift off all of the embossing. I also learned that you need to grab a fresh piece rather than just flipping the first piece over if you want to protect your iron from getting gooey embossing stuff on the surface.
I left for work well-rested and happy - had a great day at work and am home again feeling more balanced. Chloe had a rough day though - she had to go to the mechanic! First on the list was just a routine oil change which she enjoys, but we've also been having problems with the battery. It's been making me crazy (-ier) to have to always drive straight home and put the charger on the car. UGH! Turns out that not only was the battery bad, but my alternator wasn't working right either. Isn't that strange? They tell me that alternators used to work, or not work, but that isn't true any more with the new cars - apparently they can now "sorta" work. (deep sigh!) So, Chloe is all better now. (again). :-)
This planner page came about because of my obsession with Thai curry! I decided about 6 months ago to reward myself IF I made it to Yoga class twice in one week, then I could have Thai curry from Swaddees. Recently when I called from the gym parking lot to place my order, they recognized me immediately and said, "for Charlie?" (Charlie is my "Starbucks" name - it's easier than Sharli and I respond to it). I felt so loved!
I'm posting this before work because I came home last night after a rough day and fell immediately into bed and slept 12 hours. I had started work very early, and was home asleep by 5:30 PM. I haven't done that in awhile! Today should be wonderful but I did want to post before running off. Have a great day!
I am so excited about this card. It's a little different in the neutral tans / browns, but I think that adds to it's charm. I was so proud of the focal image that I posted it DAYS before I finished the card. Call me silly . . .
About the card: CTMH products except for the ribbon. The colors are Cocoa, Desert Sand, Bamboo, and Colonial White. The design papers were scraps from various (3) old paper sets. The technique is called Ghosting and I'll post my technique page tomorrow with all the directions! The stamp set is called "Bethlehem".
I had a wonderful weekend and a good Monday! It's been hot here, and Chloe's battery is trying really, really hard to poop out again. I need to be at work early tomorrow but may be able to slip over to the mechanics at lunch and get her in for an oil change and a new battery. The desert is hard on batteries! Have a wonderful week!
Here's another image I used the ghosting technique on - I love the way this looks! I have settled on one for the technique next weekend and prepped for it. (I'm funny that way - I need to have these things prepared ahead of time or I start getting anxious.) I played a bit in the craft room today and will take some photos tomorrow and post more . . .
Hope your weekend is shaping up to be all you want it to be!
Well, actually, my weekly planner page. I think I already posted how much fun we had that night - and possibly how it was my first time to photograph fireworks. I used the Route 66 papers because that just seems so "American" to me - perhaps because I live out "west". The best part about this planner has been that I have scrapped one page a week (except for one) since the beginning of the year. That's really quite an achievement! I love remembering the year this way - and it will be so much fun on New Year's Eve when my family tradition is to sit down and create a "thankful" list of what's happened during the year.
Today was a good day at work, busy, and interesting. Can't ask for more than that! Hope you had a wonderful day, too, and found some moments to play.
I picked up this design paper from a clearance bin at the wonderful little scrapbook store my friend Pam and I were supporting the 4th of July weekend. I added CTMH Sweet Leaf textured cardstock on the top, and a yummy ribbon. The long rectangles were cut with my "nesties". This card came together in about 10 minutes! I love the colors . . .
I love my job, don't get me wrong, but I am always just a little happier when we reach "hump day"! The weekend is coming . . . YIPPEE! Hope you are having a good week, and looking forward to some fun and relaxation soon!
I've been noticing that LOTS of people have posted a Christmas card lately. Ok, I'll share one, too! This started with my attempt to learn how to do "Ghosting" (explained in detail in the new Close-to-My-Heart book Wishes). I wanted to learn the technique well enough to teach it this month when my Open Stamping friends come over. I found two images that would work in my stamp drawer and tried them both. I LOVE the results! This one was clear embossed on white cardstock, then sponged over with Garden Green, then a scrap piece of cardstock layed over the image and you hit it rub over the scrap with a hot iron. When you lift the scrap piece off, the embossing comes with it. Pretty cool, huh!
NOTE: I'm STILL trying to tell IONA that I can't post any comments to her blog - it's all wonky!!!
It has been so good to spend time in the craft room this weekend! I nearly got caught up on my weekly planner pages (only one week behind now)! This one was fun - I used a piece of design paper from the Close-to-My- Heart Emporium paper pack for the base and added to it from the little square pad I've been playing with from Basic Grey (Prairie something).
I saw David at church this morning! He's looking thin, but good! His cousin is in town helping him, which is a blessing! I know he will gain strength quickly - he is SO determined!! I launched the Outreach Back-to-School project the weekend before the holiday and this weekend was VERY busy checking items back in and organizing the remaining "wish lists". My church family has provided the most adorable backpacks, fun notebooks and pencils, brand new boxes of crayons (that was always a BIG DEAL for me, personally!). I love coordinating this project because it is so dear to my heart. We'll have adopted 30 this year - which is truly a feat in such a bad economy. But the need is greater than ever and people are cleaning coins out from under the car seats to help us!
Have a wonderful week! {{{{ HUGS! }}}}
This one I KNOW where I stole it! This was a gorgeous card that Kathi posted recently HERE. I had never thought of using this stamp to make "wallpaper" and it looks fabulous, don't you think?Well, enjoy! I'm off to the craft room to play for a bit. Hope to post more later.
I have got to get better about re-naming photos so that I can give credit to the artist when I try to re-invent their card! This one wasn't watermarked, so I've lost the person to give credit! If it's yours, please, please, tell me! I had never looked at the Magic Moments paper as Autumn colors - but here it is! They are so pretty done like this and the card that inspired my attempt was even better. UPDATE !!!! I FOUND IT !!! It was Rachel's blog HERE.
I made it to my Yoga class twice this week so my reward was green curry with chicken from Swaddees! YUMMMM. I'm a happy camper!
It's hot here, and planning to stay that way from what they tell me. I'm planning to hide indoors and play in my craft room. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
NOTE: Iona, your blog isn't allowing me to post any comments. I tried e-mailing you . . .
This card was my first attempt at using the Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist! I picked up a few whole bunch of these at the local scrapbook store over the holiday weekend - - - and a few masks, too, such as this Tim Holtz flourish. It was really easy to use (just prepare a space with something to protect your surface). I love the look in real life - the photo shows the glimmer a little but not as pretty as it really looks.
It's Thursday already! Wow, where did this week go? It's been a busy and good one for me. I have to share though - I had the strangest dream last night (it felt like it went on all night long, too!). I dreamt that my cat had a litter of kittens. (My female cat is spayed, and 18 years old). She had 22 kittens. I know there were 22 because I counted them all night long! I counted 22, then oops! only 20, then, wait! only 7, then oh! there's 12 more, then . . . well, you get the picture. I was exhausted when I woke up.
Anyone a dream interpreter? I have NO idea what that was all about! :-)
More of the weekend creations with my bag-o-scraps from the Basic Grey workshop. Clearly I was on a roll with the diagonal theme here!!! (giggle) I had two pieces of paper that were roughly 5x5 and wanted to make two cards. One was patterned and the other mostly plain (just distressed). SO - you can see what happened. I like them both, actually. I think it's funny that I oriented them the same way - it hadn't started out that way - in fact, it wasn't until Sunday night when I was home with my stamp sets that I actually put them together. I guess I like the diagonal moving "UP"! Does that make me an optimist?
Yoga was wonderful tonight. I've missed a couple of classes and really, truly needed this class. I feel much better. My yoga mat is in the washing machine (that's why I had time to post) because it smells like a dirty gym floor. One of the summertime challenges here in the desert.
Have a great Wednesday and I'll post more weekend retreat works of art tomorrow!
I was invited to my friend Pam's "cabin" for the 4th of July weekend. It was absolutely delightful! The local Chamber of Commerce put on the best fireworks display I've ever seen in my life. Did you notice that they have new colors this year??? I spotted orange and lavender as well as pink and pastel green. The other amazing colors were there as well. It was 40 solid minutes of display - it was in a very comfortable setting (a natural amphitheater and grassy lawns). The weather was beautiful, the kettle corn was perfect (the best ever, again!) Absolutely fabulous!
I hope you had a wonderful weekend, too. My friend Pam and I watched a parade, and browsed the antique shops, ate at the local restaurants, and did our best to support the local scrapbook store (LOL) then we spent a lot of time playing with our scrapping supplies at the "cabin". I'm sharing one of the cards that Pam made (hope she doesn't mind - but it is just so pretty!). I'll have more to share this week as I found my mojo in the mountains . . . I guess it just ran off ahead of me!
My mojo left me! I played around with an idea tonight but wound up clearing the desk off into the "round file". It's a bit disappointing. I'll try to get a card made tomorrow. I work in the morning, and then I've got a dental appointment (I know! Twice in ten years and they're within 2 weeks of each other - what gives with that!?!) I just hope I don't come home exhausted from the tension of it all and sleep all afternoon like last time (LOL).
I did see David today - and he's had a rough couple of days as his immune system tries to kick in again. Please keep him in your prayers. We chatted for about an hour - it was wonderful to see him and I hope I didn't wear him out too badly. Hope your Thursday is great. Be back soon.
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