Happy "Black" Friday

So...did YOU get out of bed at 4a.m. this morning?

Nope...not me! In general I hate crowds - they make me crazy. So I try my best to avoid shopping on Black Friday. I went last year with my sisters-in-law and it was ok to be out with other people...but certainly not worth doing just to do it and save a few bucks!

So...hmmm...if I HAD gone out shopping, what might my purchases have been? Some sort of digital photo frame for my mother-in-law, nerf guns for my boys (the longshot version on sale at Kohls at 50% off), and if I had mucho dinero??? A kitchenaid mixer for me!

I don't know why I suddenly got THAT urge but I've got it. But they are pricey (even for the "cheaper" versions) and I don't know enough about them to know what I "need". We (both dh and I...but mostly dh) makes homemade bread and pizza dough, I make double batches of cookie dough, I make homemade noodles (by hand right now but it'd be nice if a mixer could handle it), etc. So I know I want a version that is powerful enough to handle that...but don't know really what "wattage" that translates to. KWIM? My Mom bought us a mixer and I've had it for over 10 years (can't remember when we got it exactly...seems like I've ALWAYS had it...but know that we haven't...). It's starting to smell hot at times so I wonder how much longer it will last. I was surprised (while looking at Reviews on the Artisan version of the KitchenAid mixers) with how many folks had had problems with them...I've always heard so many good things...maybe it's this "version" in particular?

Well, I guess you REALLY came here to see artwork...not to listen to me babble. So, without further ado...here's another card I made recently.



This card features a House Mouse image (not sure the name of it...received the image in a swap). The greeting is from my new set from Clear Dollar Stamps. It is colored in with chalks (my favorite medium for the HM images).

Have a wonderful weekend!

Jane

Good morning all!

After a few days of vacation...I think my mojo is coming back! (Either that...or it's the kick in the pants I got from all the bitchin' and whinin' I've been hearing from everyone about not updating my blog.) LOL!

I made three cards yesterday. I at least somewhat like all of them. A step up from a couple weeks ago. It seems like my creativity ebbs and flows at times. Maybe there is a creative "that time of month". :-)

Anyways, without futher ado...here is one of my favorite cards...in time for tomorrow (thanksgiving). This looks a lot better in real life. The overlay is a transparency with alcohol inks on it. I can't remember who the flower stamp is from. The saying is from Clear Dollar Stamps.



So...what are YOU thankful for this year?

I'm thankful for my family, that we have a roof over our head, that I have a job and an income that at least meets the bills, that I have a few good friends, and that I have puppies/dogs who make me smile.

Have a great day!

Jane

What I create when my mojo is gone AWOL!

These are the latest two cards I've created. The first one is SUPER simple. I was just trying to get stamping again. I used a sketch from a blog called Clean and Simple. I like the cards they made with the sketch....not so much mine! LOL. Actually it isn't horrible...but it certainly doesn't fulfill my creative mojo expectations! :-)

Here is the first card I made:



Then I decided to use a different sketch from the same site. The idea is to stamp in threes. Recently I received a stamp set from Clear Dollar Stamps and the cards used on this set are from that set. I actually do like this card...a little on the simple side...but sometimes simple is good. This would be easy to replicate for a set of notecards. To get the images lined up I actually used my paper trimmer! I put my paper in the trimmer but mainly used the ruler on the trimmer (I just didn't have a ruler). I stamped the middle image first and then went the same distance either direction and stamped the other cupcake. They are colored with copics and then covered in stickles glitter.



Tomorrow my son gets his cast off! I can't believe he will heal in 4 weeks time but I guess the doctor should know. We are fighting the insurance company. We pay $1,000 a month in premiums and the insurance is CRAPPY. We went to the first ER and paid our $150 copay. They were unable to fix his arm and transferred him to another hospital that had a pediatric ER. We were transferred there and a pediatric orthopedic surgeon inserted two pins in his arm and cast him. It is my argument that this should all be part of the $150 copay. We didn't choose to take him elsewhere...the facility was unable to fix it. But the second hospital billed it as an outpatient surgery (not an ER visit) and therefore the insurance is saying we owe a $2,000 deductible before they will kick in. Argh. I'm so glad I've paid over $10,000 so far this year for health coverage...yet they can't cover a $1,600 arm fix.

I've spent the last week just feeling very depressed over the situation. Not so much the $$ but the idea of never getting ahead. I worked hard all year at work, got a whopping 4% raise (the max we can get) and now that will all go towards a broken arm because my son played on the monkey bars! It just feels like whenever I take one step forward I get knocked two steps back.

Anyways, that is part of the reason I've been AWOL. Been dealing with some personal stuff.

Have a great day all!

Jane

Finally...a card!

Well, this is cheating a bit - but I do have a card to share. This is the card I made with my new Sophie stamp a few weeks ago but then forgot to get a picture before I gave it away. The recipient was nice enough to let me borrow it back for a picture.

Without further ado...here it is!



I used the swiss dots cuttlebug folder and only inserted the paper about 2/3's of the way. Then I embossed two straight lines across the top of that area. It's a little bright but I like how it turned out. The cupcakes have "fluffy" frosting (liquid applique).

I did stamp a bit over the weekend...and maybe I'll even share that with you. I showed one of the cards to my husband and said "It's official...my mojo is GONE"...and he agreed with me! LOL. So, maybe I'll show you one of my less than mediocre cards. I guess not every card can be a winner...right? The good news is that I started two others and I think they are going to be better.

Have a great day all!

Jane

Random Pics

I really haven't had any creative juices for awhile. I feel like all my cards are looking alike. I know at some point my mojo will come back. Tomorrow I have the day off of work - so am going to clean up my stamping area. Sometimes that gets me going again (believe it or not!)

In the meantime, here are some photos from the past couple weeks.

First, here is my little man (with his new BLUE cast) and Chewey looking like a wet rat after his bath...



Second, here is a picture of me and one of my best buds in the whole world. His name is John. He taught advanced math and computers in high school. He's the one that got me started in the computer field (maybe I shouldn't like him so much any more! :-) ) Now we live 3 hours apart but over Halloween weekend we met in Phoenix (midway) and had lunch together.



Third, this is me and my friend, Clare. We met in college. She had a Halloween party at her house and we were able to make it. I took the easy way out and wore scrubs...she, obviously was Cleopatra.



And lastly, here is another party-goer. Didn't get his name...but had to take his picture...I knew the boys would enjoy it!



Well, hope you enjoyed the photos. I'll try and get some cards posted soon. For now I HAVE to get to work!

Jane

Puppy Love

I picked up this stamp at the local stamp store when it was going out of business. I saw it sitting there and it was feeling unloved...so I inked it up and used it! LOL. Isn't it cute?



Good grief I'm tired this morning. How is it that 6:30 on a Monday feels earlier than say 6:30 on a Thursday???

Jane