Another type of creativity to share...

Yesterday I typed out a big old posting and then blogger wouldn't let me add pictures. So I saved it as a draft and figured this morning I'd just sign in and add the pictures and post. Seems simple and logical right? Well I sign in this morning and my draft is GONE. So now I'm starting from scratch. Sigh. So, now you get the "shortened condensed version" of yesterday's post.

This is a diaper cake that I made for a friend of mine. I think it came out really cute if I do say so myself. I finished it off last night by wrapping in celophane but fell short of finding a bow for it. Oh well, still looks cuter than any I found online and much cheaper!

Here it is 'un-iced' and 'undecorated':



And here it is iced and decorated:



If you want details on how I made it, shoot me an email (link is at the top right side of the blog). I'd typed it all in yesterday but not going to redo it today!

I stamped with a friend yesterday. I have more artwork to share...just been sorely missing on free time to actually get postings on the blog. I apologize for that. Will try to get better but suspect I'll get worse as the holidays get closer!

Jane

Address Book #2

Good morning everyone! We've made it to hump day....a few more hours and we'll be over the midway point of the work week! Yesterday was one of those days at work where just about everything that could go wrong...DID go wrong. One of those days that I'm glad I'm a grunt worker and not a manager! But today is a new day!

I did ask about the security changes at work. We were told that they had observed someone pull into the parking lot in the evening and park next to a couple of cars in the parking lot. After a bit the car drove off and parked further down the road and then the guy got out of his car and disappeared. So, nothing actually HAPPENED - just someone saw the possibility and it made them nervous.

Anyways, I know I've been kind of lax on sharing artwork this week. So here is another address book to share. This is the one I'm keeping for myself...the other one is a gift for Christmas for someone.

Here's the outside cover:



And here's the inside pages on this one:



I started noticing yesterday that the corner of my eye is hurting again. I'm afraid the stye is coming back. Sigh. Unfortunately, that probably means another doctor's visit, another few hours of work to make up, another co-pay to pay, and either another prescription or a specialist appointment copay to have them lance it. I'll wait and see for a few days to see if it gets worse or resolves before I make any decision. With any luck maybe my doctor will let me just have her call in another prescription (but I doubt it...they can't make their $$ that way).

Jane

Good morning!

How was everyone's Monday back to work? Mine seemed REALLLLYYYYY long. :-) We also got an interesting email with no explanation. They sent out a companywide email that said they had security concerns and that from now on noone is allowed to work past 7:00 at night, that all cars are to be moved to the front parking lot at 5:00 and that they will have security on grounds from 5-7 each night. Hmmm...makes me think something happened!

I've been working a bit on my calendars but haven't gotten pictures yet....so you'll have to suffer and wait another day because I gotta get going.

I'm also working on a diaper cake and will post pics of that when I'm done. Yesterday I went in search of diaper pins and couldn't find any. I wonder if they even make them any more???

Have a great day.

Jane

Address Book

Good morning...one minute to post this morning before I need to be getting dressed for work. So this'll be a quick one! I wanted to share one of the address books I made last week at my Stampin' Up reps workshop.

Here's the outside:



Here's the first page:



And here's the inside pages:



All supplies are from SU.

Thanks for the fun class Concetta!

Jane

And yet.....MORE monkeys!

I promise...last monkey card for awhile! :-) I do love how this one turned out. The layout was a sketch challenge on SCS...all stamps are from Stampendous.



And...if that weren't ENOUGH monkeys...I thought I'd share a few more FAMILY monkeys! LOL.

This is (from left to right) my brother Dallas (who is two years older than me), my brother John (who is 10 years older than me), and then myself...please keep in mind this is what I look like on Black Friday...with little sleep! Too bad I don't know how to photoshop myself into a 20 year old thin cheerleader type! LOL.



And here are my two boys...



That's all for now!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Jane

Happy Thanksgiving!

Good morning all! Hope everyone has a full day planned with family and/or friends.

10 Things I'm Thankful For

1. My family. My boys are the light of my life and amaze me on a daily basis with their thoughts and what they say. They definately keep me on my toes! My daughters, in their brief time here on earth, taught me many lessons as well.

2. Food on the table and the job that puts it there! Many people are out of work and I'm thankful I'm not one of them.

3. My extended family. Having three older brothers was a real pain growing up. Sometimes a pain PHYSICALLY (like when I broke my arm while attempting to do something that my brother dared me to do) or mentally/emotionally (like when I tried to call home for a ride and my brother kept answering the phone "Joe's Mortuary" and I kept hanging up because I thought I had the wrong number!). But now, I'm very thankful for having older brothers. They have come to my rescue many times. Guess they CAN be useful sometimes!

4. My loved ones that have passed. I'm thankful for the time I've spent with these people and that I had a chance to know them. This list would include my parents, my daughters, my niece, my friend Kelly and a few others.

5. For soldiers who have fought for our freedom over many many years and wars. My Dad was a WWII Ranger. I'm glad I've had chance to meet many of these warriors and had them be a part of my life.

6. For my new job and that they were willing to give me a chance. I'm really enjoying working there.

7. For my doggies...they always make me smile (well, except when Sammy pees on the floor and I step in it...then I'm NOT smiling!) LOL!

8. For my crafting...that it helps keep me sane!

9. For my friends...they help keep me sane too! There is a country song that talks about finding out who your friends are when you have a flat tire in the middle of nowhere and try calling people for help. I don't have a whole lot of friends...but the friends I do have...would be there in a heartbeat.

10. For my health and the health of my family. My oldest son was expected to have many complications due to his premature birth (which he hasn't had many). I'm thankful for the doctors who have treated us through the years. I'm thankful for a wonderful mental health provider who helped me survive the losses of my daughters and an OB/GYN who made me get that help. I'm thankful I'm here for another Thanksgiving and to be spending it with my wonderful family and friends.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Go out and hug a loved one.

Jane

More monkeys!

Here is another card I made with my new Stampendous Changito Monkey stamps. Not sure I really care for this layout. It's this week's sketch challenge from SplitcoastStampers.



So, what TV shows does everyone watch? I've been watching The Bachelor, Dancing with the Stars, Grey's Anatomy (which seems to get weaker by the weak IMO), and Desperate Housewives.

On The Bachelor:
He has issues - although it would be a very confusing place to be in. But to send BOTH girls home?

On Dancing with the Stars:
I can't believe Marie Osmond is still on Dancing with the Stars. She has spunk but she's not the best dancer. I think both of the other two are very very good...so hopefully one of them wins the show.

On Grey's Anatomy:
I swear it gets weaker by the week. Now it's more of a soap opera.

On Desperate Housewives:
Hmmm...still love the show.

Well, off to my last work day of the week. Then home to help my hubby make bread for tomorrow and I need to make a couple pies.

Jane

Just monkeying around!

Have I mentioned before that I LOVE my changito monkeys? Stampendous has a line of these monkey stamps. Cute, cute, cute!

Without further ado, here is one of my monkey cards...



For the layout I chose to use a sketch from Beate's blog. I tweaked it a bit. But I think it still meets the challenge???

Have a great day! And no monkeying around!

Jane

Snow day!

Ok...I wish it were a true "snow day"...but I'll have to settle for a snow card. I live in Southern Arizona where snow days are nonexistent. Sigh. ;-)

This is another of the cards we made at the Christmas card stamp-a-stack. I think it's the last one I haven't shared. Yesterday I made new cards with my Stampendous Changito monkeys...so expect some "monkeying around" later in the week.

For now, here's the card of the day:



Stamp set used is from Stampin Up. I think I'll probably add a little glitter glue to him before he goes postal. But he's cute, just as he is.

Well, I'm off to a training class this morning. Going to be a short work week. I have training today and tomorrow. Wednesday I'll work and then Thursday and Friday are holidays. Wooo hooo!

Jane

Is it Sunday already???

Wow, where did Saturday go?

Yesterday I did go the the stamping class and made my address books. They are SO adorable...and of course now I REALLY want a Bind-It-All! I'll be sharing pictures of that during the week to come.

I also stopped at the new scrapbook store on River and LaCholla (in the Bashas plaza if you're from here and want to go). It's a REALLY nice store. Honestly, I'd say I like it best of the ones here in Tucson. I like the layout of the room (it probably has less stuff but it feels like more because of how it's layed out and organized). It does have plenty of stuff...gorgeous papers. The workroom is pretty good sized and the chairs are fat comfortable cushioned desk type chairs. I hate sitting in hard chairs all night. They are open 7 days a week (at least a few hours) for now. Most days is all day...but Sundays are 12-4 I think. All in all, I'm sure I'll be back. Hopefully they will have some decent classes and crops at a reasonable price. I did ask if they needed teachers or designers and was told they already have what they need.

Ok...after you've put up with all my ramblings...I should share a card, eh??? :-) How about this one?



Another Memory Box Penguin card. Hopefully I haven't shared this one yet. Sometimes I lose track! It also uses Stampin' Up's canvas background.

Have a great Sunday everyone. I'm going to go check out Beate's weekend sketch challenge and use my new stamps I just picked up at the scrapbook store yesterday. They had the clear changito monekey stamp set! Yay!

Jane

Feeling Crabby?

Then this little guy is sure to cheer you up! The crab stamp is from Gina K Designs. Love her stuff...specially her critters! The saying is made using Karen Foster Snap Stamps. The crab is actually stamped on the inside of the card. I made the window and the "frame" outside the window with my coluzzle (love my coluzzle too!) Apparently, I love EVERYTHING on Saturdays! LOL!

Without further ado...here's my cute little critter to cheer you up.



Have a wonderful Saturday.

Jane

Happy Friday?

I woke up this morning at 7:02. You'd think that's good right? Well, NOT when you are supposed to be on the ROAD at 7:00. Yikes! I shoved my head in the sink, brushed my teeth, dressed and rushed off to work this morning. I full expected to be at least 20 minutes late (because I was 20 minutes late leaving) but the traffic was actually much lighter and I was only 10 minutes late. Whoo hooo. :-) So forgive me not posting artwork this morning. I'll have more to share this weekend.

Tomorrow I'm going to a class where we are going to make address books. So I'll have pics of those...and I still have a couple cards from last week to share as well. I'm not out of artwork...just was out of time this morning!

Jane

PS...I want to send out a HUGE thank you to the people who leave comments for me. I don't get a whole lot of them and the ones I do get mean a lot to me. Just wanted to let you know they are appreciated.

Christmas is almost here!

Ok, I'm officially freaking out. I'm NOT ready for the holidays! Someone care to buy me a winning lottery ticket?

Well, the one thing that is done, is my cards (getting them mailed out is another story!) Here's another card that we made at the Stamp a Stack class. It uses all Stampin Up stamps and supplies.



I love this card. Very simple and easy - yet still classy.

Well, I gotta finish getting ready for work. It's thundering like crazy outside and I'm afraid I should probably leave early today because if it rains it's going to make my drive even longer. Amazing how when you add water (even a little bit...not poring) that people seem to lose the capacity to drive. LOL.

Oh...a new scrapbooking store opened closer to me (still about 30 minutes...but the other is probably 45 minutes away that I design for). I'll have to check this one out. I've heard that it has a nice size work room. I'd love to find one close enough that I could make a monthly "date" and scrapbook. I do very little scrapbooking at home because 1) it requires space and my space is imploding on me at this point and 2) because with the kids and all the interuptions it's easier to work on a project that takes me 30 minutes versus something that might take me 1-2 hours. I'm a slow creator (good thing I wasn't God....it'd have taken me a month instead of a week to create the world!) LOL.

Jane

Slugger and a Ganga Deal

This is another of the Happy Hopper images I received in the image swap. Isn't he adorable?



Also, thought I'd share my "ganga deal" with you today. See this ATG gun?



Look closely at the price in the bottom right corner. If you need to see the picture larger...just click on the photo...I'm waiting....

...
...
...
...
...
...
... waiting
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...
...

Ok...now HERE is the FRONT of the box.



So I got this adhesive gun that normally goes for over $55 for a whopping $3 at the thrift store! What a deal!

Anyways, just had to share. Happy Wednesday all!

Jane

Flower Mouse

I received this wonderful image from my friend, Virginia, on my ArizonaStampers group. I love, love, LOVE the House Mouse images...my only complaint is that they are SO LARGE that they leave little room for any layering/embellishments. To me, that makes them more difficult to work with. But they are OH SO CUTE, that I guess I'll forgive them for being difficult! :-)



I actually had a surprise moment this morning. I'd posted a few of my cards on Splitcoaststampers and someone left me a comment this morning that they admired my "coloring skills". I about fell off my chair. Now THAT is a compliment considering how I feel about my coloring abilities.

Well, I better get ready for work. Going to be a short work week. I'm dreading going in this morning, which is unusual for this new job. Normally I like it pretty well. Maybe it was just the extra day...gave me too long to get settled in at home. But I guess I gotta go. So have a great day all...and if you're staying at home today...take a nap for me!

Jane

A VERY merry frog! LOL!

Made a couple more cards last night. They both are very bright in color. Not my "normal" style...but the coloring works well with the particular stamps I used. Sometimes you just have to step outside your comfort zone. I know some people LOVE the bright colors...but for me they are very difficult to work with.

Anyways, I picked this frog up at the last stamping convention (comes every February...just in time to spend $$ at it and call it my birthday gift!) I believe he is by Sparkle and Sprinkle...but if he is...I can't find him on their site now. Maybe he has been discontinued...or maybe I'm remembering the wrong company all together.



For the background I used Stampin' Up's "Crosshatch" stamp and then at every "intersection" I used a white gel pen to place a dot. The saying to the right is also from Stampin' Up. Normally I'd think of using this staying only for Christmas...but this frog seems pretty merry! ;-)



I also then went back and added liquid glass (a clear adhesive that looks wet once dry) to the drink in the glass and to the olive. Added the little tabs (used a punch from Stampin' Up to make those) and some mini brads from Oriental Trading Company...and walaa...done. Actually a pretty simple card but I struggled with it. Sometimes simple is very difficult for me! LOL.

Have a great day all!

Jane

A Brief Note

I love how this card turned out! It's just so darn cute. Even my dh liked this one. He asked me where I got the idea...I told him it came from my own little brain. LOL.



The underwear stamp is from Viva Las Vegas Stamps. They have some really fun, cute stuff. Next time I go to Vegas I have to check out their store! The saying I created using my Karen Foster Snap Stamps. The notebook punch on the side, the scalloped circle punch, and the "tab" punch that the saying are on...are all from Stampin Up. I love their punches! If you can't tell, the underwear is actually on the inside of the card. Here's a picture of the card open.



Ain't it just the cutest thing????

Jane

Happy Hoppers

Sorry I haven't been sharing the last few days. Haven't had time (nor the inclination) to create anything new. Working 40 hours a week...driving an additional 10-15 hours a week - it really cuts into your stamping time. LOL! And honestly, I'm feeling sad too. And when the depression creeps around I also feel like doing less. So I'm sure it's a culmination of things.

But, today I DID create a few new cards (4) and I took pictures of a few other items. So should have plenty to share for the rest of the week.

I love how this card turned out. These Happy Hoppers are so cute. They are a bunny line of stamps made by the same folks who make the House Mouse stamps. I only own one Happy Hopper (the one in the bathtub) but have gotten a few images in image swaps...so that's what I was playing with here.



I colored it in with chalks. And I added glitter to the flower just to give it a little sparkle. Isn't it cute?



Hope everyone has lots of fun stuff planned for the holiday weekend. I don't have any plans today. Tomorrow I have to take my 7 year old to a birthday party for 4 hours at the park. No plans for Monday. Other than just getting caught up around here.

Jane

Last page of Album and a Couple Cards

Good morning! Let's see if Blogger cooperates with me this morning!

Here is the final page of the album for the Design Team. Once again, the coloring is off. Taking pictures while the sun is rising is NOT a good idea. Makes the pictures look yellow/orangish.



And then I was wanting to make a card with some of the left over paper...so I went to Angel's blog and choose THIS sketch. I LOVE how it turned out!



Full frontal view :-)



This uses the Autumn Leaves stamp set (for the flower), and a SU background (weathered). The rest is decorative paper and sponging on ink to age it.

Then I looked through her blog some more and chose to go with THIS sketch. And here's my take on that...



This card uses a Memory Box penguin and a saying from CTMH. Thought the saying went perfectly with the patterned happy face paper (an OLD sheet of decorative paper from CTMH).

Sometimes I do 2 TOTALLY different cards like this back to back and it amazes me how you can make two totally different "feelings" with the same materials for the most part. It's all paper and rubber and ink!

Ok, gotta run to work. Have a great day all!

Jane

Final Design Team Album Pics

I'm going to apologize first for the coloring on these photos. I tried to grab the early morning light but I think it was TOO early still. Photos came out a little orange like the sun rising. Oops. But I think they are good enough for viewing (plus I already handed in the "real thing" so can't take any more photos!)

Here are the four different photo pages (2 pages to each layout)...





This next set of two is kind of like old denim color blue and red bandana colors...imagine it as such! ;-)





Final page to come tomorrow! Blogger seems to be hiccuping and now I can't get the last picture loaded. Hopefully it saves this!

Jane

More Christmas!

I took more pictures of my Design Team album but haven't uploaded them yet. So today, I'm going BACK to the Christmas cards! I love, love, LOVE this card! I love the little window and the little pocket inside holds a gift card!

Here it is closed:



And here it is opened:



Isn't it festive? Now I just need to have enough money to BUY the gift cards! LOL! I need to place an order from Clear Dollar Stamps soon for their calendars. Those are going to be some of my gifts this year. Beyond that? I haven't a clue who is getting what. LOL.

I've made a few purchases recently and I'll share pictures later this week. Also received a new package from my secret sister (who isn't so secret thanks to customs and postal regs). Will share some of those goodies later in the week as well. For now, I need to go get dressed and get headed off to work. Have a great day all!

Jane

More Design Team Album to Share

Here's another two pages from the album. I tried to stick to some common themes throughout (stitching, distressing w/black ink, etc). Out of the 10 pages I have one that is the front page (kind of like a title page), two 2 page layouts that are like these (friendship quotes), two 2 page layouts that are for pictures, and 1 page that is the final page (kind of like a "the end" page).





Sorry my pictures aren't better lately. I tend to get the best photos from light that is early in the morning...but now with winter here...it doesn't GET light till I'm out on the road driving to work. My husband got me a "photography" type light (the kind with the metal flaps that fold in/out - but I've yet to master it.

Jane

Design Team Project

The saga continues! Are you ready for some more of my album? I'm happy with how most of my album came out...although I'm still not happy with the "pay" for doing it. I'm hoping the next project isn't as intensive as this album. I was thinking it was a 5 page (double sided) album so 10 pages. I could do 10 pages. Well, I realized on Saturday that it's 10 pages (so really 20 pages). There was NO WAY I was going to do 20 pages - for no pay whatsoever and just getting a few sheets of paper. I'd actually be surprised if they supplies they gave me were enough to complete all 20 pages. So I took out 5 of the page protectors and made it into a 5 page double sided album. Still 10 pages probably took me 10+ hours to complete. Let's hope my next assignment is a few cards! ;-)

Oh...and after working on the inside...I couldn't leave the cover plain black like it was. So I also decorated the cover. The cover on the existing album was a shiny black cardboard (which showed your fingerprints, etc). So I layed it on the decorated paper and drew around the cover. Then cut out the paper and adhered it to the cover after decorating it (so the mini brads don't go all the way through the front cover.



Then, here is the 1st page of the album:



I used a chipboard letter for the "F"...traced around it on my patterned paper and then cut it out and adhered it to the chipboard letter. I used little sanding tools to sand away any excess paper and then a black ink pad to distress the edges. For the background (definition of friend along with the "riend") I used Word and printed it out. Love how it came out!

That's all I'm sharing for now...will save more for the week to come. Have a great rest of the weekend (a few hours left...yikes!)

Jane

Halloween and Christmas?

I'm starting to feel like the commercial stores where they have the Christmas stuff out and the Halloween stuff out at the same time! LOL!

Short on time this morning...so a quick post.

Here is my oldest...dressed up for halloween as a pirate.





And here is my youngest...he's supposed to be "Legalos" (or however you spell it from Lord of the Rings). Ended up looking more like Robin Hood (but don't tell HIM that.) :-)



And now to share a card and then to run off to work!

This is one we made at the SAS. She "lifted" the design from the catalog. Very cute little card and just goes to show that a catalog can also be a great idea source. Stamp set is called Merry & Bright and is from the Stampin Up Winter Mini.



K, I gotta run. Should be leaving the house by now and I'm still sitting here undressed with wet hair. Yikes. I'm so sick of this commute already. Someone want to give me a few million dollars? Just a few...I'm not greedy! LOL! Have a great Friday!

Jane

Oh no....time to starting thinking about CHRISTMAS!

I can't believe it's getting so close already. I have next to nothing completed (or planned!) I haven't bought anything for my kids. I have finished ONE small gift and started 3 others. But beyond that? Nada. Oh, wait, I am DONE with my Christmas cards! Thanks to the stamp-a-stack I went to over the weekend. Actually this is only 16 cards...so I'll probably either make more or buy more (because I send out more than 16 usually). But at least it's a good start!

I was going to share a card...but blogger and I don't seem to be getting along this morning and it's not letting me add a photo. So you'll have to come back later and visit me again if you came to visit the artwork and not my general ramblings ;-)

I went in to work yesterday morning and left my little halloween cups. Most people weren't in yet. I talked to one of my coworkers later in the day and was told noone had even asked about the cups...where they came from, who they were from, etc. The group there is such a strange group. I like my little team (there are three woman analysts and then my male boss) but we work closely with the Development Team (all men). Out of that group there are two guys that seem pretty normal...the rest are kind of prima donnas. I've never worked in a place full of men where you can have donuts or cake and still have it left at the end of the day. This place most of the guys are watching their weight. They bicker and fight over little things (like cat fights over someone talking on the phone too loud...or people not being "team players"). Just not the typical "guys" in my experience. So I guess it doesn't surprise me that they didn't ask at all about the candy cups. Maybe next time I'll just do it for my team of 4.

Well, off to get ready for work. I'm so tired and grouchy this morning. It's been a long week (and halloween in the middle of it didn't help). I couldn't believe they actually sent home homework last night for both kids...so after rushing to do dinner and go trick-or-treating...we still had to come home and do homework.

Jane