Jane's Creative Process

Closing in a Week!

2011-04-11T17:34:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry I've been MIA but life has been a little crazy lately. I am closing on a new house in a week. So, no time for crafts as I've been busy packing for months (or at least it feels that way). Here's the new place:

I am so excited! After living "in the boonies" for 14 years I'm looking forward to living closer to civilization. Only a mile to the grocery store instead of 20+ miles!

Christmas Treats

2011-01-12T15:18:00.000-08:00

I was in charge of helping to come up with a craft project for our crafting group to do for Christmas. These little M&M tubes are what I came up with. I used the 1x8 clear envelopes that my secret pal sent me. The stamp is from Stampin Up.

Aren't they adorable? Never mind they lasted about 2 seconds after I came in the door...my son at them and I didn't realize it till I found the tags on the floor. Sigh. :-)

Halloween Happiness

2010-09-20T10:40:00.000-07:00

I found a pattern for these adorable bags in a quilting magazine that I picked up at Joann's. It claimed to be a 'quick and easy' pattern.

Well, the first bag took me the better part of 2 hours. Mainly because I just didn't quite get how it all worked. Bags are NOT my thing. But once I got one finished, the rest were pretty quick and easy. I have it down to about 15 minutes per bag. Which is reasonable. And so far, I've made 12 of these. The kids want to take them to their teachers. And I have a few that need to go to friends/secret sisters.

I am HOPING to dig out some halloween stamps and add tags to the bags. But right now my stamping table is surrounded by boxes of bedroom furniture. So I can't even get to it. Sigh.

A New Quilt

2010-08-29T21:23:00.000-07:00

Sorry, my life is absolutely crazy these days.

I am working two jobs and just started back to school for my Master's Degree. I am also looking at buying a house and moving in the near future. So, to say cardmaking is the last thing on my mind right now would be pretty accurate.

I am clearing out some supplies. If you need a CTMH Eyelet Case and Eyelets or a shoebox full of prismacolor pencils...let me know and we can play a round of 'make a deal'. I also have stamp sets, single stamps, etc that are looking for new homes. Maybe I should do a posting of just stuff for sale here in the future. In the meantime, if you know you are looking for something in particular...let me know.

And on other fronts...this is what I did tonight when I SHOULD have been doing school work. :-)

I won what I thought was a 'layer cake' at the last quilting retreat. A layer cake is a package of 40 10 inch precut squares in fabrics that coordinate. Turns out my package only contained 30 squares. So my finished quilt is a little smaller (44x55) but it will still work as a lap quilt. Or I could add borders if I want it bigger. What's funny is that I now have three quilt fronts here that are finished and I've yet to have any of them quilted. Guess I should do that at some point, eh?

K, gotta run.

What I've been up to...

2010-07-11T19:27:00.000-07:00

Just got back from a 12 day trip to Idaho. It was so nice to get away from the heat for a bit. Hard to believe that I needed a light blanket to sit outside in the evenings. It was about 5,000 ft elevation where I was most of the time. The second day we took the kids and the dogs and went to this lake. It was gorgeous. The water was a wee bit cold but the kids still went in and played.

Then we helped with a petting zoo for my cousin's scout troop and my oldest son rode on the scout float in the 4th of July parade. My youngest stayed with me and collected candy. I have NEVER seen a parade where they threw out that much candy. I bet my purse weighed 20 pounds (not kidding) AND he got a t-shirt that someone threw.

We spent one day at a hot spring where the kids (once again) got to swim. I was expecting something more like a rock hole with warm water flowing into it...but this was actually like a swimming pool. It just pulled it's water from a hot spring.

Then we went camping at about 7,000 ft elevation. Brrr. Only bad thing was the stupid mosquitos that were everywhere. I swear they were as big as flies! We were planning on staying for two nights but cut it short because they were SO bad.

Then the last two days I stayed with another cousin in Boise (a little warmer there) and we went to a couple quilt shops which was fun.

All in all I got to visit with 4 first cousins and their spouses, 3 first cousins once removed (and their spouses) and all the assorted children and animals that went along with them.

This is my favorite picture from the trip...because it was totally unscripted. I love it when they play nice with each other!

Now I'm back into the thick of things getting oldest DS ready for middle school, my youngest's birthday is this week, and I have to have everything ready for my MBA application by the 19th. All while working two jobs. Yikes! ;-P

Table Topper is Quilted

2010-06-27T09:46:00.000-07:00

I still need to do the binding...but my table topper has been basted and quilted. I'm pretty happy with how it's coming along. It's certainly not perfect but once it's on a table and a centerpiece or something is sitting on it...I don't think you'll notice the mistakes. :-)

Which fabric?

2010-06-21T09:10:00.000-07:00

I've finished my table runner. Of course once it's sewn together you notice all the things you missed. But I am NOT ripping out my stitches and starting over. I did my best not to get any two colors next to each other/etc and yet once it's sewn together I find at least 3 places so far where like colors are next to each other. Argh! ;-P

Now I am trying to decide on a backing fabric. Here is part of the table runner, layed on top of the two fabrics with a little of the binding fabric showing at the top of the runner so you can take that into account as well.

Thoughts/opinions? The one on the left is less busy and has dark and light browns in in. The one on the right has different browns/reds but is busy and is very 'fall leafy' and most of the fabrics on the runner are floral with leaves that aren't similar.

Ruff Day?

2010-05-28T17:08:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you have a fun 3 day weekend planned. Nothing exciting here. I need to do a little work at some point. And I have a bookclub to attend on Sunday. But nothing exciting.

Anyways, thought I'd share the other card I made last weekend. This one is pretty simple. Uses a kraft card base.

A card and a kitten

2010-05-26T07:39:00.001-07:00

This weekend I got around to making two cards. The first one is ok. The second one I really liked. So I'm going to share the second one for today.

I received the image in a swap as well as the red embossed paper. So I used that as my starting point and went from there. I like how it turned out.

On other fronts...we've added a new kitten to the household. Meet Tigger...

I've started working a part time temporary job on top of my full time job and having the kids home for the summer (and I work both jobs from home). So I suspect I'll only be doing a few cards for the next few months. But maybe I'll surprise myself and start making even MORE cards. Who knows.

Pictures

2010-05-20T06:54:00.000-07:00

Well, nothing has changed...but not my computer recognizes the camera's USB port. So I guess that means I will share pictures. LOL.

First off...this is my quilt top after this past weekend's quilting retreat. I'm not sure if it's done or not. I was going to add a border because the sides are still just a little shy of completly covering the boxspring and going down to where the wood is. And in this bed the boxspring sits all the way down to the bottom of the sidebar piece of wood. But this isn't the bed it's going to 'live on' longterm. So I may wait and audition it on the new bed once I get it and then decide about the border.

And next up is a better picture of the long nose snake I caught with my son's assistance. He was released back outside yesterday.

Today is the last day of school here. Yikes! I'm dreading the summer...and the kids are looking forward to it. I give them about 3 days before they are totally bickering amongst themselves. Too much of each other is not a good thing. LOL.

Misc Ramblings

2010-05-19T06:47:00.000-07:00

First off, I wanted to share something I saw hanging on a bulletin board. My guess is that it's from a book but I couldn't tell you exactly where it came from. I just know I liked it and wanted to share it. LOL.

We waste so much energy trying to cover up who we are,
when beneath every attitude is the want to be loved
and beneath every anger is a wound to be healed,
and beneath every sadness is the fear that there
will not be enough time.
When we hesitate in being direct,
we unknowingly slip something on, some
added layer of protection that keeps us from feeling the world,
and often that thin covering is the beginning of a loneliness which,
if not put down, diminishes our chances for joy.
It's like wearing gloves every time we touch something, and then,
forgetting we chose to put them on, we complain
that nothing feels quite real. In this way,
our challenge each day is not to get dressed to face
the world, but to unglove ourselves
so that the doorknob feels cold, and
the car handle feels wet, and the kiss good-bye feels like the lips of
another being, soft and unrepeatable.
-- Author Unknown

I still have a 'poem' from Jr. High days that talks about the masks we wear and when I saw this hanging on the bulletin board it made me think of the masks one.

Last night I was talking to a friend and they told me that in their lifetime I was one of the few people they've ever met who was true. That I didn't initiate drama, I didn't talk about other people and stir the pot amongst people, I kept any secrets told to me, I didn't backstab my friends, etc. I told her I try my best to be true.

And I was going to share new pics of the snake and the quilt...but my camera's USB port isn't being recognized for some reason. So I guess no pictures today. Sorry about that!

Coolest Mom EVER Award

2010-05-17T20:44:00.000-07:00

Today I got awarded the Coolest Mom Ever award by my youngest son. Why? Well, let me tell you...

I heard Chewey (our youngest dog) barking like crazy outside. He was UNDER the porch. My first thought was probably a scorpion (I'd heard that bark before with a scorpion). So I ask my son to see if he can look under there and see what the dog is barking at. Well, it's not a scorpion...but it's a snake. Great. I can't leave the snake there because of the dogs. I can't let my son get it (which he wants to) because I don't know what kind of snake it is. From a distance it looks like it's brown/black in color and could potentially be a rattler.

So I get the garbage can and the broom and I lay on my tummy and shimmy my fat butt under the porch. That in itself was not an easy feat! Military crawl through dirt/rocks under me and spider webs (probably black widows) above me. Thank goodness noone was videotaping that. LOL.

I get under there and then I could tell he wasn't a rattlesnake. He was red/black in color. I thought he was a king snake at the time but my brother informed me later that he is a long nose snake. He is curled way in the furthest corner under the bottom step. It took a bit of gentle handling him with the handle of the broom to get him moving (at first he coiled up to strike at it). Then he's moving towards me and I'm wondering how quickly I could shimmy out of there if it became necessary!

Luckily he went against the wall and I was able to shove the garbage can against the wall and he climbed into it. Then I handed the garbage can out to my youngest son.

Well, then, he wants to keep the snake to show to Dad. So we had to transfer the lizard that is in our smaller cage to an ice cream pail and then transfer the snake into the smaller cage. Where he is now contently buried in the wood chips.

I think DAD gets the chore of turning the snake loose! LOL.

Bad Day?

2010-05-10T21:41:00.000-07:00

I made this card for a friend of mine who wasn't feeling well last week. I hope it cheers them up!

All stamps are from Clear Dollar Stamps.

Enjoy!

Quilting Update

2010-05-09T11:54:00.000-07:00

Ok...a few days ago I posted a picture of how my disappearing 9 patch is coming along and asked if I should add more rows. The answer was a resounding "YES". So I went back to Hancock's Fabrics yesterday to get more fabric. There are a total of four fabrics in the quilt. Well, they are out of the yellow fabric and it's discontinued. Now what is a girl to do? I bought a yard of each of the other three. If all else fails I will make 9 patches out of the two fabrics that I have both of (so they match what is in the quilt) and make those as a 'border' (so to speak). That way it looks like I intended on it! LOL.

I am also headed out to a quilting retreat this next weekend. It's one I haven't been to before but I've heard it's a blast. So I'm looking forward to it. Will try and get my fabrics cut before I go so all I have to do there is sew it all together. With any luck by next week I'll have a quilt top to show you! I'll be paying someone to actually quilt this one though. NO WAY am I doing it!

Mojo is BACK!

2010-05-08T12:57:00.000-07:00

I am super happy with the two cards I made yesterday. I feel like I am out of my creative slump that I've been in. Yay!

Here's the first card I'm going to share...I'll save the other one for later in the week.

I used one of the recent sketches from Splitcoaststampers weekly sketch challenge. The image is a House Mouse image that I got in a swap. I don't own it but isn't it adorable?

Then today we went to the school's 'carnival'. They had inflatable rides - all you want to ride - for $2.00 per person. Here are a few of my favorite pictures of the day.

The RACE is on:

King of the hill:

I Barely Survived:

The carnival lasted for four hours...but within two hours they wanted to come home. It was hot so I'm glad we went early. Even then it was too hot by noon.

Have a great weekend!

Input/Opinions?

2010-05-07T10:14:00.000-07:00

I am getting SO close to having my disappearing 9 patch quilt done! I have enough squares to do one more row down the side of the quilt (where you see blue sheet now). But the other side is just as short so I'll need at least another row down that side. Figuring I will lose some of the 'girth' in all the seams still to come...do you think I need to do another row or two both directions? Or should I add a border to size it? Should it cover both the mattress and the boxspring?

Here's a closer view of just the quilt:

Also, keep in mind...eventually it will be on this bed (if that affects how many rows you think I will be needing and/or if I should add a border). Since it has a head/footboard I probably don't need to add a lot more length.

Failure Doesn't Exist Without You

2010-05-07T06:41:00.000-07:00

I have a t-shirt that says "Sarcasm, Just One More Service I Provide". Everyone has their way of coping with things. For me, it's often dark humor. So...when I saw this offbeat stamp...I HAD to buy it. Of course, if you like the person you are sending this card to...you'd need to make sure they'd appreciate the humor. If you don't like the person you are sending it to...then send away! LOL.

I am happy to report that yesterday I was able to do 50 minutes of cardio...20 of which was on the elliptical. When I started 5 minutes was about all I could do on the elliptical. I think I've lost around 20 pounds now. Every scale reads differently...so can't really tell. I am finally able to tell a difference in the way my clothes fit. Yay!

Girly Card

2010-05-02T10:28:00.000-07:00

Once in awhile I do a girly card. Pinks are not generally my thing. But I was inspired by my stamp and my scrap of paper and just took it from there.

I found the sketch over at Our Craft Lounge.

Next I found a stamp that would work for the sketch (the doggie). Then I went to my scraps bag and started searching for papers to coordinate. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

The finished size of the card is 4 1/4 x 4 1/4.

I have one more to share later this week. Hope everyone has a great Sunday.

Rockin' Monster

2010-04-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

This is the final card I made over the weekend. I'm not sure how I feel about it. The monster stamps have kind of 'fuzzy' lines (so the monsters have hair) but I'm not loving the way it looks. It makes my coloring look sloppy.

I tried something a little different on this card. The image is actually stamped many times in order to allow the tail to flow off the main panel and onto the the other panel. Then I stamped the tail itself again...colored it and adhered it with a pop dot.

I'll try to get more stamping done sometime soon. So keep checking back.

Smile Monster

2010-04-28T06:40:00.000-07:00

This is a virgin monster! Did you know they still existed? The poor stamp had never lied down with an ink pad. I figured it was fine time for that to happen. LOL. So, now that he's not a virgin anymore...he's a smile monster.

I don't know if you can tell it or not, but the eye is stamped a second time and then I popped it up with dimensionals. I got the set of monsters at Joann's. I can't remember who makes them. I want to say it's Impression Obsessions or something like that? The greeting is from Hero Arts.

I think I'll hang on to you!

2010-04-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

I have a lot to share this week. I went on a bit of a cardmaking spree. And I have some other pics to share as well.

So first of all, let me share a card to get the ball rolling...

On the inside of the card it says: "I think I'll hold on to you".

This is a Stampendous Changito stamp...I think it came out around Father's Day time. I don't own it, but was lucky enough to have someone send me some images. It's SO cute! I colored it in using prismacolor pencils and odorless mineral spirits. I love how the jeans look worn. To do that I only put color around the edges and blended towards the middle leaving the middle lighter. Here's a close up of the image.

On the personal front...I thought I'd show you what my Friday night was like. Take two boys, add a friend, two bedrooms across from each other, and MANY blankets/towels/etc later and this is what you get.

See the "firetruck"? It is the bridge between the two bedrooms. They can enter the 'fort' from either bedroom. The second bedroom has most of the fort in it.

And here you can see just a TINY bit of the corner of the firetruck and then the rest of the fort in the second bedroom:

It seems every weekend (and many weeknights) I end up with at least 1 if not 2 extra kids. Most the time I don't mind. But lately, I swear they are eating me out of house and home. Don't other people feed their kids? Or is it just that my food tastes so much better? The neighbor girl was telling my youngest son how lucky they were because I buy good food and I don't make them clean the house. I keep telling my kids they are spoiled but they don't believe me (of course).

Today I am off to the pet store to get baby crickets for the lizards the kids caught. Super mom to the rescue! LOL.

Turtle Thanks!

2010-04-22T18:06:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine gave me some little turtle earrings. So, I decided she needed to have a turtle thank you card! :-) I have at least 3 turtle stamps but I liked this one best for this particular card.

What do you think? I loved the bright colors and the fun image.

Retail Therapy

2010-04-21T10:17:00.000-07:00

What does one do when they have excess cash from their tax refund? They enter into an agreement to do some RETAIL therapy! LOL.

I went and got new bathroom stuff (curtain and towels) for my bathroom. I like the blues/browns.

Very peaceful. Don't you think?

Now I wish I could convince the boys to use THEIR bathroom so I could have mine all to myself. But they like my bigger tub so I guess I am destined to share my bubblebath with 8 plastic hippos looking on. LOL.

Wrong Baby

2010-04-20T06:47:00.000-07:00

If you know me at all...you know I love country music. For the most part, I enjoy both the musicality and the lyrics. I grew up on the old stuff...Johnny Cash, etc. Once in a while a song comes along that speaks to me. The lyrics in particular. At different points in my life I've had a 'song' that went with that part of my life.

I recently heard this song (Wrong Baby Wrong Baby Wrong) by Martina McBride. It spoke to me. It is probaby written more for the one who has been left in a relationship (not for the initiator) but when a relationship comes to an end both people go through the same grief emotions. And that is what this is about...feeling the hurt but moving on to better things.

Wrong Baby Wrong Baby Wrong
Martina McBride

Wrong baby wrong baby wrong
It ain’t the end of the world
Don’t you worry pretty girl
Cause now that he’s gone baby gone baby gone
You got nothing to lose
Count the minutes if you want to
It won’t be long baby long baby long
‘Til you find somebody new

Come on now
Everyone falls down
Everyone crawls now and then
Then they get up again
You cry if you want to
That’s what we all do
But if you think you’ll never move on you’re wrong baby

Cry baby cry baby cry
Go on and let it all out
I ain’t leavin’ you now
And we can fly baby fly baby fly
Let’s share a bottle of wine
We can laugh about the good times
And you’ll know why baby why baby why
It’s gonna be alright

Come on now
Everyone falls down
Everyone crawls now and then
Then they get up again
You cry if you want to
That’s what we all do
But if you think you’ll never move on you’re wrong baby wrong

Oh you ain’t gone
baby wrong baby wrong
There’s nothing wrong with movin on
When you know he’s good and gone

Come on now
Everyone falls down
Everyone crawls now and then
Then they get up again
You cry if you want to
That’s what we all do

Come on now
Everyone falls down
Everyone crawls now and then
Then they get up again
You cry if you want to
That’s what we all do
But if you think you’ll never move on you’re wrong baby wrong
You’re wrong baby wrong
Wrong baby wrong baby wrong

How's Everything At Your End?

2010-04-18T07:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I'd taken my oldest son to 'How to Train Your Dragon' and we stopped at GameStop afterwards and got both boys a new game. So when we got home they were both occupied and I used some of the time to make a couple cards. This one is based off last week's sketch challenge over on Splitcoaststampers.

I turned the sketch sideways...but other than that it's pretty true to form. What do you think?

The image is from Clear Dollar Stamps. The horse's name is 'Charlie'. If I remember right I think it was about $5 for the horse and the saying. I used prismacolor pencils (light umber and dark umber) to color Charlie. I left the mane area white because I liked the way it popped.

I also made a second card that is a thank you card for a friend but I'll post that another day. Thanks for hanging in with me while I'm not posting on a regular basis. :-)

Whoo Hooo!

2010-04-09T06:38:00.000-07:00

I am going to toot my own horn here. About 3 months ago I went to the doctor. She had tested my vitamin D levels and said I was deficient and to start taking a supplement. She also suggested I try to lose some weight (no big surprise at that suggestion! LOL!)

With everything going on in my personal life I didn't have the energy to try and do the full 'weight loss mode' thing. But I did decide to try and eat healthier. Cutting out most sweets and most soda (limiting it to my morning caffeine). I've also started walking and joined a gym.

So, yesterday was my follow up appointment. According to my home scale I'd lost 10 pounds. So I was happy when their scale actually said 16 pounds. She retested the vitamin D levels and they've dropped even further. So now she has me on a prescribed dose to try and get it up in the normal range. One of the effects of vitamin D deficiency is lack of energy and signs of depression. So hopefully once we get the levels up maybe I'll have more energy to go work out at the gym and lose more weight! :-)

Get Well Bunny

2010-03-28T23:21:00.000-07:00

I was inspired by a card on Jan's blog. She used this sketch from OWH Stars and Stamps blog.

I opted to use one of my new $1 stamps that hadn't seen ink yet. It is supposed to be for Easter but I also thought it'd make a cute get well card. A friend's daughter tore her knee up and will need surgery. I thought she could use a card to help cheer her up.

Think it'll work?

Apology and Guess What I Got???

2010-03-27T19:41:00.000-07:00

First off, an apology. I'm sorry I'm not posting much in the way of creative stuff lately. I am going through some personal stuff that seems to have sucked all my mojo out.

Secondly, I am SO excited about my new find! I have wanted a cherry wood sleigh bedroom set forever. I have never owned a NEW bedroom set. So I started watching for a used sleigh bedroom set that I could afford. It took about six months but I found the set of my dreams in the town where my brother lives. And not only is it a cherry wood sleigh set, but it is a NEW cherry wood sleigh set. The grandfather bought it for the granddaughter and when it was delivered she didn't like the dark wood. So they sold it for about half the price of new but it's still in the boxes!

My brother picked it up for me and it's stored in his garage right now until we can manage the delivery (he lives a couple hours away).

Isn't it pretty????

There is also a mirror that goes with the shorter dresser. The only thing I wish it had that it doesn't...is a second nightstand. But I can live with that. :-)

I Pray For You

2010-03-23T08:10:00.000-07:00

Heard this song on the radio yesterday and it cracked me up. If I could figure out how to insert the youtube video here I would (any readers want to help me?). Otherwise, go check out the link. The song is called "I Pray For You".

Enjoy!

Massive Characters

2010-03-20T17:27:00.000-07:00

I heard this quote on Criminal Minds yesterday and it is so true.

"Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls. The most massive characters are seared with scars." Khalil Gibran

I have had both the torment and the blessing of losing two children. Torment because I lost them and it tore my heart apart...but blessing because in the process I met many other parents who have lost children and each of them are 'massive characters' and I am lucky to know them. I believe that I have also become a better/stronger/more compassionate person because of their deaths.

I do not believe 'everything happens for a reason' but I do believe we can use a bad experience to learn and grow.

Watch Out!

2010-03-17T21:39:00.000-07:00

I grew up with a Dad who was a WWII Ranger and three older brothers. I remember going out target practicing from the time I was probably 7 or 8. When I moved out on my own I got a firearm for protection. When I had kids I put the firearm away (locked up) and just didn't use it at all. So it's been at least 12 years since I've shot anything. So...today I decided it was time to take it out to the range. I had to have them go over how to load/shoot it again (it's been THAT long). They set me up and left me to practice.

When I finished the guy told me he couldn't believe it'd been 12 years since I'd shot. According to him it is a 'perishable' skill and you need to practice every so often to stay accurate. But of all the shots I fired...only a few fell outside the black circle and I got quite a few in the bullseye. Not bad for a short barreled revolver which isn't known for it's accuracy. He originally set the distance for me and I shot some at that distance (got one of the ones outside the black circle at the shorter distance) and then I moved the target further out and shot some at a longer distance and that's where I got the other few. I think there were either 3 or 4 total outside the black.

I've been wanting to do this for a few months but didn't have anyone to go to the range with and I hate going anywhere by myself for the first time. Plus I knew I was going to have to ask for help. I'm a total chicken when it comes to doing new things by myself. So I'm more proud of myself for just DOING it than the actual skill - but it's all good! :-)

Have you seen 'Yes Man' with Jim Carrey? It goes a little overboard (doesn't all of Jim Carrey's movies?) but I do like the premise. Say YES to life and all of it's opportunities.

Hopefully next week I'll get back to some crafting. Kids have been on spring break all week. Sorry!

Things to Do Before I Die

2010-03-13T20:22:00.000-08:00

Ended up making chicken nuggets and tator tots for dinner. But not store bought nuggets (does that at least get me some brownie points?) It was either that or I could have made homemade pizza...but since we had pizza a couple nights ago I didn't want to do that again. Everything else I seemed to be missing at least one ingredient on OR I didn't have enough for everyone (the boys have a friend spending the night again). So nuggets and tator tots it became (and even then I didn't eat any because it was only enough for them). Gotta go grocery shopping tomorrow!

In the meantime...I started to make a list of things I want to do before I die. I actually started a scrapbook at some point with this general idea but I don't even know where it ended up. And I have accomplished a few things from the original scrapbook (ie...seeing a panda bear, learning to sew). But these are new. Enjoy!

Things To Do Before I Die:

Visit all of the states
Visit New Zealand or Austrailia
Lose weight and become healthier
Participate on a softball team again
Complete a full marathon (have already done a half)
Have 'artistic photo' taken (ie nekkid but tasteful)
Pay for a meal for an elderly person
Spend a day on the beach
Write a book
Build a savings cushion
Pay off all outstanding debt
Buy a house of my own
Put overdraft on checking account (done)
Start a savings account for kids' education
Learn to country dance
Learn to jitterbug
Take a cooking class
Make fortune cookies
Bake a perfect cheesecake
Fry perfect chicken
Learn to pitch a tent and camp
Get my MBA degree
Take belly dancing class
Take a cruise
Ride on a train (Durango?)
Try skiing again
Learn to snorkel
Take a hot air balloon ride
Make a donation quilt for someone in need
Become a regular volunteer
Learn to play guitar and/or piano
Learn to crochet
Grow roses (without killing them!)
Write a will
Prepay/plan funeral
Take a spontaneous road trip
Learn to say 'yes' (learn to not be afraid of trying new things)
Learn to say 'no' (learn it's ok to set boundries)
Become my own best friend
Go to a movie by myself
Learn to have positive self talk
Put change into someone else's meter when it's close to running out
Pay for the person behind me in the drive thru
Adopt a family for the holidays
Learn to ride a motorcycle (streetbike not a dirtbike)
See a psychic for a reading
Go on a first date post divorce
Establish an extended family of friends
Make enough of a difference to know I'll be missed
Get my CCW permit
Live in a real house (not a modular home)
Own new bedroom set/living room furniture (always buy used)
Own a car with less than 10,000 miles on it

Ok...I guess I'm back to decluttering and reading my new book. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Bleh...

2010-03-13T14:21:00.001-08:00

I don't know what to do with myself today. I know what I SHOULD do (ie...fold laundry, vacuum, declutter, etc, etc) but I don't feel like doing that. I actually FEEL like cooking/baking but the fridge/freezer/pantry is starting to look a little barren. In particular there are no eggs or oil at all. So baking is definately out. I wanted to make some homemade bread or rolls...but those also require eggs. Tomorrow is grocery shopping day. Tonight I'll just have to make do with what I have and deal with the boredom.

My First Easel Card

2010-03-10T07:41:00.000-08:00

After seeing a bunch of these cards I decided I HAD to make one. I'm happy with how it turned out for the most part. I'm just not sure I like that you lose half the inside of the card (where the easel goes)...so there isn't much room to write. Other than that - it's a cute idea.

Here is the side view:

You can see why it's called an Easel Card more from this view. The brads on the inside hold the card front up for display. Also, you can tell from this view that I stamped his claws twice and popped them up with dimensional adhesive.

Enjoy.

Schlep Bag

2010-03-08T16:42:00.000-08:00

I spent this weekend at a quilting retreat in Sierra Vista, Arizona. It was nice and cool. Pine trees all around. A very nice change of pace. I took two projects with me to work on - a denim rag quilt and my disappearing nine patch. I got a bit of work done on both projects. I wasn't feeling overly motivated. Just wanted to slow down and enjoy the weekend. A couple of the ladies there had taken a class on making a 'schlep' bag.

According to Dictionary.com:
schlep
–verb (used with object)
1.to carry; lug: to schlep an umbrella on a sunny day.
–verb (used without object)
2.to move slowly, awkwardly, or tediously: We schlepped from store to store all day.
–noun
3.Also, schlepper. someone or something that is tedious, slow, or awkward; drag.

The bag is reversible and is made out of a total of 8 different fabrics...4 squares of each fabric. You can make the bag any size you wanted. I used 6 1/2 inch squares on mine. But saw bags ranging from 5 inch squares (more the size of a purse) to 8 inch squares (more the size of a beach bag). There were three of us that decided to try and make the bag during the retreat and each bag came out beautiful.

Here is my bag (both sides):

So...what do you think?

Paper Pieced Chickie

2010-02-26T20:51:00.000-08:00

I have been wanting to learn to paper piece with the quilting but have been too 'chick'en to try it on my own. But today I was beyond bored. So I went on youtube and found some tutorials. Then I found a free pattern online for this cute chick. And next...well, I just decided to go with it. The worst case scenerio is I'd waste a few scraps of fabric, right? Here's my final result:

I did make a few boo-boos. But for a first time experience I'm thrilled with it. For the real thing you are supposed to embroider the eye and the legs...I settled for a Sharpie marker. :-)

Weekend Trip

2010-02-22T06:51:00.000-08:00

I spent this past weekend in Strawberry, Arizona with family and friends. It was a great time. This is the 'cabin' we stayed in. I say 'cabin' because it was really a modular home with cabin siding. I was disappointed that it wasn't a true log cabin. But the patio and view were amazing. There was a little babbling brook right underneath the patio too.

On Saturday we went into a town called 'Pine' just a few miles down the road. There we found a quilt shop and visited some antique shops. The quilt shop was housed in an OLD log cabin. Very friendly people. Very cute shop. Of course I had to buy fabric!

On Sunday we did the 'tourist' thing on the way out of town. We stopped and saw what claims to be the oldest standing school in Arizona.

And then we stopped at a National Park. We had to go DOWN into this canyon to get to the park and by the time we reached bottom my brakes were literally SMOKING. Yikes! We pull in and it's a self pay station. It's $4.00 each and we have eight ones or a twenty. So we put eight ones in and call it good. Wouldn't you know they actually tracked us down for our $4 while we were there? It probably cost him $4 to drive down and find us! He had change for the $20 and we had no problem paying to get in. So we got caught and paid. :-)

The first thing we saw were a herd of javelina. They crossed the parking lot right in front of us. There was one baby and a teenager and then a few adults. This is one of the adults.

Next we walked DOWN what felt like a zillion uneven steps (some 6 inches deep some probably closer to 2 feet) to get to a little waterfall area. My knees were shaking by the time I made it down. By the time I made it back up I had decided it was a good thing I have life insurance! LOL.

Lastly we walked around a couple trails until we found what we'd really come looking for...the natural rock bridge.

It was a great weekend. But I am glad to be back home with my boys. And I slept like a baby in my own bed last night. Always good to be home.

Bunny-Zoe's Blogoversary Candy

2010-02-18T15:46:00.001-08:00

I don't follow a lot of blogs. But I do follow this blog on a daily basis. She has been blogging for two years and is offering candy to her readers. So go check it out HERE.

A Toiletry Bag

2010-02-17T17:02:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine is coming to visit. She's flying in and is only bringing a carry on so has asked to use my shampoo, etc to save space. I thought I'd surprise her with this little gift. I found the pattern on the Moda website. It's actually pretty easy (I put it together in an afternoon using the scraps from my disappearing 9 patch quilt). So my only cost involved was the fusible fleece ($1.00 ish) and the velcro (maybe .20?) It cost me more to fill it than it did for me to make it. Too much fun!

Here are a few views of the completed bag:

The strips are 1 1/2 x width of the fabric. You sew 10 of those together and cut into a rectangle. Then that one piece of fabric becomes the whole bag. These instructions didn't have you quilt it but I think I might if I do another one. I also may use slightly larger strips of fabric because all those little 1 1/2 inch pieces were a handful!

But it was fun and I like the finished product.

Love This...

2010-02-16T06:33:00.000-08:00

I was driving the other day and heard this song. It was by Matt Cannon (I think that's what they said). I've never heard the name before but love the lyrics and the idea behind them. We never know when something small that we say or do will make a HUGE impact on someone else. It might be as simple as calling to say 'hello'.

So Glad You Called

Today was gonna be the day
He´d already wrote the note
And parked that Chevrolet
At the end of that dead end road
Had his finger on the trigger
Just about to end everything
He was taking one last long breathe
When he heard his cell phone ring

And his best friend says man where've you been?
We´re headed down to the lake this weekend
You better not miss it ´cause buddy I swear
It won´t be the same if you ain't there
And i told that girl that you like so much
You were coming along and her eyes lit up
I better let you go man i really hope i didnt catch you in the middle of anything
He said you kinda did but i don´t mind at all
I´m so glad you called

In another town down the road
In the backseat of a car
Two 18 year olds had let a kiss go to far
He said how are we gonna have this child
When were both headed off to school?
He convinced her late one night there´s only one thing to do
She was scared to death in that waiting room
When the nurse asked how far along are you
She said 5 weeks and just about then her phone lit up
And his call came in
Saying baby i was wrong about everything
I´ve already bought you a diamond ring we´re gonna start a life
Would you be my wife
Boy or girl; pink or blue; yeah either way
All she could say as she felt those tear drops fall was
I´m so glad you called

If someone you know is weighing on your mind
And needs a friend on the other end of the line
Don´t hesitate what you say may seem so small
But who knows
They might be glad you called

So make the call

Yeah make that call

A Little of Everything

2010-02-11T16:40:00.000-08:00

Today's posting will have quilting, cards, AND personal ramblings. A little bit of everything! :-)

First, the quilt. This is the quilt front that I made at my last quilt retreat. I decided I should probably have it quilted before the next retreat in March so I'll have something for 'Show and Tell'. So I laid it out and measured it (54x71 inches). I was hoping for a full size quilt and thought this was big enough. But now I'm thinking I may want to add a border or two. The pictures here are taken on my queen size bed and it ALMOST covers the top of the mattress but not quite and there is no overhang. So I'm thinking of adding a thin white border and then a thicker solid color border. And finishing it with white binding and backing. Thoughts???

A little closer so you can see the fabrics/colors:

Next I wanted to share a few cards I've received. The first two are birthday cards sent from my fellow Internet stampers...Darlene from TheStampersUnite yahoo group and Melanie from Splitcoaststampers. Thank you ladies! It was really hard to get a picture of Melanie's frog card. It has some great texture and glitter but in the picture it just looks like psycho frog. Sorry about that!

Next up is a card I received from VA for a swap on our ArizonaStampers yahoo group. She made an easel card. I've never made one and am going to have to try my hand at it. It's pretty cool! Thank you for sending me such a unique card!

And lastly...I thought I'd share what Dakota and his friend were up to this afternoon. This is what is in my kitchen right now...

This should explain why I will NOT be keeping the white quilt for myself! LOL. My quilts often end up on the floor or as part of a fort.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Disappearing Nine Patch

2010-02-07T09:03:00.001-08:00

It is slowly taking shape. This is what it is looking like if I keep the pattern I liked best from yesterday's post (the bottom one) and mixed the two different patterned blocks that I have.

Here it is a little closer up so you can see the fabrics.

In my mind, I was trying to make it so the solid fabrics would be in the center square of the original 9 patch (and thus would be the smaller squares on this after it was cut up). But somehow I messed it up both times and ended up with the opposite. But it's ok...I still like it. It's a little softer this way and maybe that's ok. Right now I have enough fabric to do 32 blocks (each block approx 12 inches). I'm making this for my bed eventually. So that'll be a queen size. So...either I'm doing 4x6 and adding several borders...or I'm buying more fabric and making more squares. I guess either way I have to buy more fabric. I wouldn't mind doing a border...but I think it'd have to be a huge border on the 4x6. So I'll probably go to a 6x8 (would need to buy another 3/4 of a yard of each fabric) and then add a smaller border. They had a pink fabric that matched the pink in the floral pattern that I might use. Hmm...so many choices!

Miss You Monkey and Split 9 Patch

2010-02-06T20:50:00.000-08:00

I absolutely love this Stampendous stamp. It's so playful! This card is perfect for a friend or family member (who doesn't have a brother or someone in their life that this would work for?).

And on the quilting front...I am making progress with my nine patch squares. The bad thing is I'm about sick of it already and have a long way to go. I love the end result of quilting...but I don't know how people have the patience for this! And I'm only doing simple quilts!

Ok...here is the basic nine patch and then a few versions of how it can look like after you split it and put it back together.

I like how this looks but it'd need sashing between blocks...think I'll pass on that. Also, I'm trying to go for a more random look.

I think this last one is my favorite...

I did my nine patches with two different color patterns so I'll need to mix them up a bit. I'll have to play with it a bit to figure that out. But it's slowing coming together. I'm really happy that my blocks are pretty darn square...which means both my cutting and sewing are getting better!

Have a great rest of the weekend!

Celebration Frog

2010-02-04T19:15:00.000-08:00

I love this stamp! It's just fun to look at.

I made a few of these to send to my old coworkers to invite them out for happy hour in honor of my upcoming big FOUR OH. Yikes! LOL.

Enjoy!

Busy Week

2010-02-03T16:13:00.000-08:00

So far this week I've made several cards and several 9 patch quilt blocks. So...hmmm what should I share with you today? Let's start with a card. This is one of the cards I made today.

This card went through a 'rough draft' first. Originally I cut him out with the oval nestability and added a scallop oval as a border...but then the panel seemed too big and I just didn't like the way it looked. So I scaled it back and did a basic straight cut and layer. I like it much better this way! The word (Celebrate) is from a Hero Arts set. The hat is really red but in the picture it almost looks orange.

And this is the first of my group of 9 patches. I bought 1 1/2 yards each of four fabrics. I chose the first two and cut the 1 1/2 yards in half so it wasn't as much fabric to work with. I'm not an expert at cutting and find that too much fabric makes me crazy. So I cut it into a portion I could handle. After cutting it into 3/4's of a yard I then cut each 3/4's of a yard into 5 inch strips. I sewed three strips together (floral, solid, floral) and then another three strips together (solid, floral, solid). Then I cut these strips every 5 inches so I had one five inch strip of floral solid floral (and the same with the other strip). Then I sewed these units together to make the nine patch.

The next thing I will do is actually cut the nine patch unit into quarters. Rotate the quarters and sew them back together. I'll show that when I get to it. I haven't quite decided if I want to do all the 9 patches first and then start cutting and rearranging or what. I think I might be better off doing that. And I still have a lot of nine patches to go! So it might be awhile.

I will say that I'm pretty darn happy with the results thus far. I can tell you that both my cutting and sewing have gotten consistently better. Even between the last quilt and this quilt there is a huge difference. So I'm happy!

Have a great day.

New Fabric!

2010-02-01T11:20:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I went shopping for fabric. I have been wanting to try a disappearing 9 patch. Basically it is a 9 patch that you then cut into quarters and reassemble for a scrappy look. I have yet to make a quilt that is for me...so this one will be for me. In blues and yellows. These are the four fabrics I chose.

And then because most of the fabrics were on sale 50% I decided to try another new project...pillowcases. So I bought these three fabrics to do pillowcases for the boys. I'm sure they'll love them!

Once I get started sewing I'll share a couple of disappearing 9 patches with you!

A Little Pick Up

2010-01-29T08:25:00.000-08:00

Remember the card I posted yesterday? Well, I gave that card to my friend that gave me the stamp sets. She called me in the evening to say she liked the card so much that she ALMOST decided she should take that stamp set back! LOL.

This card is made with another set she gave me (maybe I should send this card off to someone else!) I found the set a little difficult to work with just because it's a relatively large stamp and I had a hard time picking a layout I liked. I'm still not sure I love what I came up with...but I can at least live with it.

This morning I took a nice long hot shower and discovered a surprise for me after I finished. Apparently my son wrote me a note on the mirror after he took his shower last night...

It says "I love you Mom". So, of course I wrote him a message back for him to find tonight. :-)

Have a great day all!

A Thanks and a Dragon

2010-01-28T07:25:00.000-08:00

My friend, Concetta, cleaned out her stash of stamps and gave me first dibs on the sets she no longer wanted. This card uses one of those sets. I like how it turned out!

And on a totally different note, I thought I'd share something I wrote. My oldest son had an assignment to write an argumentative essay about why he should get a pet dragon. I joked and said I should be able to write a rebuttal. He told his teacher and she said she'd like to see me write one. So...below is my essay...it was fun to write! Enjoy and have a great day!

--------------------

In our household the number of pets outnumber the number of humans. With the latest addition of a ‘robo’ hamster for Christmas I thought we were finally done with new pets. But yesterday my oldest son asked me for another. This pet request is SO unusual that I cringe at the thought of it. Mind you, I am not the typical queasy female when it comes to critters. I grew up with three brothers. I’m used to all things creepy and crawly. But I draw the line at this request. He wants a DRAGON! I love my animals and I can see some value in a dragon. And it would be cool to be the first family on the block to own the rare pet. However, there are several factors we need to consider here.

First, where would we house the dragon? Dragons are huge. It’s not like we can stuff him in the hamster cage or even the larger snake cage. I don’t think he’d even fit inside the house. And if he did fit in the house, I am NOT cleaning up dragon poo when he has accidents! So, I guess that leaves the outdoors. We do have two acres, but even if we added a fence he would just fly over it and escape. Currently, when our dogs escape the neighbors complain. Can you imagine if it was a dragon in their yard doing it’s business instead of a dog? We would be ostracized from the neighborhood!

Second, what about the lifespan of the dragon? Dragons live for a LONG time. If we got a dragon for a pet it’d outlive both myself and the kids. So who takes care of the dragon once we are gone? There are no guarantees that the next generation is going to want to keep a pet dragon.

Third, let’s look at some of the practical issues. Dragons eat a LOT. It costs me $20 a month to feed the five foot gopher snake little frozen rats. Can you imagine how much it’d cost me to feed a dragon? Then there is the whole ‘fire breathing’ thing. There are good practical uses for fire breathing. But what about accidental fire breathing? What if he coughs and sets the house on fire? And what if he gets sick? I don’t know of any vets that can care for a sick dragon. I’m sure we’d have to find a specialist to help care for him and that isn’t going to be covered under my current PPO healthplan!

So, I think I’m going to have to draw the line at the dragon. Three dogs, one hamster, one snake, and two boys is enough of a zoo already!

Snail Mail

2010-01-26T18:49:00.000-08:00

I saw this quote on someone elses card and I couldn't resist using it. I knew I had at least ONE snail stamp and I thought I had three. Well, I could only find one and it wasn't the one I was thinking of. Wish he was just a bit bigger! But I made it work for me by using it repetitely to depict SLOW motion. :-)

I think we could all learn a few things from the snail. (And no, I'm not talking about learning to be slimy!) LOL.

The snail stamp is from a Close To My Heart set. I printed the quote using the computer. Enjoy!

Crazy Weather!

2010-01-23T10:08:00.001-08:00

Keep in mind these pictures were taken in 'sunny Arizona' this week! Yikes! We had tornado warnings, high winds, and flash flood warnings.

Picture taken from back door:

And the trampoline I bought the kids for Christmas? It USED to be in the backyard. I found it two acres over. It broke our chainlink fence, chopped a neighbors tree in half, went over the next neighbors fence, over their house, and landed in their front yard. It isn't savable. Sigh. There went $160 (and that was black friday special).

On a positive note, my computer arrived for my new job. Now I need to figure out how to get it connected to our wireless network. AND I've now lost over 10 pounds this month! That's been with minimal effort. I still need to add in exercise. But right now I'm just taking it one part at a time and getting the eating under control.

I have plans to help a friend stamp invitations tomorrow and a neighbor wants to come stamp next week. So more artwork to share soon!

Monster Mania!

2010-01-20T06:57:00.000-08:00

First off I wanted to mention that today would have been my Dad's birthday. He's been gone now for a few years but I still miss him dearly and I suspect always will. That's the bummer of being the youngest child of older parents. You are still young when they die.

Now on to happier things. I found this stamp set at Michael's for 40% off the other day and HAD to have it.

Then I found this card sketch on Mojo Monday and decided to use it:

Lastly, here is the card I created. I love the way it turned out. I don't know why I had such a hard time photographing it. It's purple and kind of lime green. But the purple isn't showing well here and the green coloring looks all washed out. Sorry...tried taking the photo multiple times and this is the best photo.

Gotta go! Have a great day.

Monkey Love

2010-01-19T08:23:00.000-08:00

I am trying to get myself back into stamping after taking a brief break (well...maybe not so brief...sorry about that!). Whenever I am looking for inspiration I start with a sketch. The first place I look for sketches? Splitcoast. They post a new sketch every Wednesday and you can use the current sketch or an old sketch. This sketch (#261) is from a couple weeks ago...

I flipped the sketch and then used my changito stamp to come up with this card:

I love my changitos...except I've noticed the newer changitos are chubbier. I wonder if they now have a different artist? Or if the artist just decided they liked them better chubbier? Hmm...I like them better the old way.

Tomorrow I am driving to Phoenix to meet my new boss. Yep, have a job and have yet to actually MEET anyone! Isn't the world of technology amazing? In some ways I find that scary. By the time my kids reach adulthood...are they going to just stay in their houses 24/7? You can order pizza, groceries, clothes, etc all via the internet. Now you can also work a lot of jobs remotely. As much as the flexibility is nice, I do miss the interaction with coworkers and can't image never having had that experience. I don't know...just seems like too much of today's world is 'virtual' and I wonder what the future holds.

Clean and Simple Challenge

2010-01-17T19:28:00.000-08:00

This week's Clean and Simple Challenge at Splitcoast was to do a Valentine. Only requirement was to keep it (yep, you got it) clean and simple. I actually CASED (Copied) a card that was created by another stamper. I used different stamps, a different embossing plate and added a few embellishments. So I guess I didn't copy hers...I used hers as an idea springboard for my card.

So...how often do you go to Joann's or Michael's with a 40% coupon in hand and not get to use it because it seems EVERYTHING is on sale? I went to Joann's today. Got 8 sheets of cardstock (on sale 4/$1), a pair of scissors for rag quilting (on sale 40% off), 4 fat quarters of fabric (clearanced for .50 each), and a package of basic color threads (also on sale). Didn't get to use my coupon at all. I need to get more denim and more batting so I can start my rag quilt but the cutting line was HUGE so I may go back later in the week and use my coupon on that. Also, as an FYI, all quilting books were 40% off. There were several I eyed but couldn't bring myself to spend the $.

Hope everyone gets tomorrow off for MLK day. Honestly, I'm not sure if tomorrow is officially a holiday or not at my new job...but since I still don't have a laptop or access...it is still a day off for me. :-)

Thank You Cards

2010-01-16T19:12:00.001-08:00

These are the cards I sent out this year. Well, at least most of them looked like this one. I tried to keep them pretty simple yet with a little bling.

I tried to take the picture at an angle that shows the embossing. The bottom of the card is white with snowflakes dry embossed on it.

I made a couple cards today so will be sharing those in the days to come.

Guess what I did????

2010-01-12T10:23:00.000-08:00

I am SO proud of myself (yes, it's the little things that make me happy!)

I am so NOT electronically adept. But the DVD player in my bedroom had died a while back and I really wanted a new one so me and the boys could do our 'picnic and a movie' routine on my bed. So I went out to Target and picked up an inexpensive DVD player (wow they have gotten small and cheap). Then I brought it home and easily hooked it up myself. Easy peasy!

I think I will go rent Aliens in the Attic and surprise the boys!

I apologize that I haven't been posting much artwork. If you are close to me you know I have a lot of personal stuff going on right now and not a whole lot of time for creating. I did make my Christmas thank you cards but don't want to post a picture until the recipients have received their cards. But those will be coming soon. I promise!

First Week at New Job

2010-01-09T10:41:00.000-08:00

Guess what I've accomplished this week since starting my new job?

Did a zillion loads of laundry
Did a zillion loads of dishes
Cleaned toilets in both bathrooms
Started reorganizing bedroom to make space for a small desk
Read two books and started a third (Janet Evanovich)
Went for a mile walk
Started Weight Watchers
And did this...

I think the dogs ate one of the pieces because it's a brand new puzzle. Either that or $1 store puzzles come with missing pieces! LOL.

I am waiting for my company laptop to be delivered. Until that happens I can't do much actual work. I did have a team meeting via telephone and filled out some HR paperwork. They hope to have me set up to do some of the trainings next week that I can do with my home computer. But actual work has to be done with their hardware.

So I am sticking close to home (or trying to) in case the man in brown shows up and trying to stay busy doing housework/organizing/etc at the same time. I am already feeling a little stircrazy so have gone out to lunch a couple times this week with friends to get some adult interaction.

Wacky Wednesday

2010-01-06T20:47:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine does a post every Tuesday where she posts anything she did that week that was a 'screw up'. Some aren't a big deal and some are. I guess it is a way to acknowledge mistakes and laugh at yourself and keep life light.

So, I thought I'd share a screw-up that I did today. And since it's Wednesday I'll call it Wacky Wednesday.

Can you guess what this is???

I washed a load of laundry. When I went to transfer the laundry from the washer to the dryer I noticed some bits of cardboard. The more I looked the more I found. I dug deeper and started pulling out dryer sheets. IN THE WASHER. I'm like "What the heck?" Then it occurred to me. When I was putting the pile of clothes into the washer I must have knocked the WHOLE BOX of dryer sheets INTO the washer. So, not only were there like 100 dryer sheets mixed in with the laundry but there were bits and pieces of the cardboard box that had disintegrated. What a mess! I had to shake out all the clothes to try and get the bigger chunks and dryer sheets out. Then wipe out the washer and reload the clothes BACK into the washer and rewash them again. Hopefully all the white comes out of the clothes and they aren't ruined from the sheets.

Sigh. Calgon...take me away!

What are YOU working on in 2010?

2010-01-04T11:13:00.000-08:00

I have been keeping busy...

making Thank You cards for holiday gifts
cleaning and reorganizing at home
starting back on Weight Watchers

And of course there is always the regular housework, laundry, dishes, bill paying, playing with the boys, taking care of the pets, etc.

I bought a new needle for my sewing machine (used the other one to sew on cards and got the needle all gummed up from the adhesive). So I want to get started on my next project soon. Probably a denim rag quilt.

What are YOU up to?

I will make sure and take pics of the thank you cards soon.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T17:16:00.000-08:00

As I enter 2010 I feel very blessed with my life. I have family who love me. Friends who support me. Kids who keep me laughing at the wonderment of life. Enough animals to start my own pet shop (3 dogs, a snake, and the new robo hamster).

I don't have a lot of material 'things'...but I have hobbies I love. And I have a job that pays the bills and puts food on the table with a little left over. In today's society that is something.

I start a new job this coming week which will allow me to stay home with the boys. No more 3 hours of commute time. No more wear on the car (that now has 97,000 miles on it).

I am excited about what 2010 holds.

Snow Day!

2009-12-28T17:53:00.000-08:00

We rarely get snow here...so my kids had never seen the white cold stuff. They enjoyed it for the first 20 minutes or so...and now have decided they never want to see it again! LOL. I think better (warmer) clothing would have helped. Maybe we'll try again some time in the future. I think I had more fun playing in the snow and laughing at myself than they did. (Although they enjoyed jumping on top of me when I was already down!)

Of course on the way home yesterday my power steering went out on my car. At least it waited till I was almost all the way home. Now I need to figure out what happened and how much it's going to cost to fix it. Where is my dang brother when I need him?????

The Stocking(s) Were Hung by the Chimney with Care

2009-12-23T05:12:00.000-08:00

Hmm..wait, I don't HAVE a Chimney! :-)

However, I did make this super cool stocking to hang somewhere! My friend assisted me in making it. She showed me a technique where we were quilting it as we sewed it.

The fabrics were ones I'd originally chosen to be part of a quilt but I ended up using them for the stocking. I like that they are Christmas colors but not a Christmas print per se. What surprised me was how much fabric it took to make this! I'd say the better part of 6 fat quarters. Yes, there are leftovers but I used most of each of the squares. I may put my initial on it or something later. Will wait and see how this settles on me.

I would like to make each of the boys one with some personalization (maybe a fabric they like or a theme they like). But that ain't gonna happen this year! I was lucky to get one finished before the holiday actually hit. Next year I'll plan ahead.

If I don't post before then, I hope everyone has a happy holiday season. Be careful on the roads!

Thanks for your Support!

2009-12-12T11:04:00.000-08:00

This image is from The Angel Company. I think it's called "It's a Girl Thing" but I could be wrong on that. It has a hanger, a bra, and a teddy outline stamp, and then a 'two step' fill in stamp for each of those items. Lastly it has sayings like 'Thanks for your Support', etc.

I'm not sure I love the card. But then again I never love my girly cards. I'm just not a girly girl kind of person. Guess that's because I grew up as a tomboy...the only girl in the family.

I'm hoping to make the teacher gifts this weekend (the caramel corn). So I'll need to at least make some gift tags for those. It's going to be another busy week. I am always amazed how quickly a month can go by and how you feel like you are never finished.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Christmas Yummies!

2009-12-10T04:56:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I decided to try to make something new, something I've never made before (and I do quite a bit of baking). I decided I wanted to make caramel corn. So, the first thing I did was went to my favorite cooking/recipe site, AllRecipes.com and typed in Caramel Corn. I decided on a recipe which calls for stovetop and oven usage (there was a similar one for microwave but my microwave is cooking funny these days so I opted for the more old fashioned way). Then I went to work in the kitchen.

Doesn't this look yummy?

Well, I can tell you it IS yummy and it was easy! I think this will be the Christmas gifts for teachers/coworkers this year. I just need to go to the Dollar Store and get a bunch of smaller inexpensive containers to put another batch or two in. I took two containers to work and left two containers here at the house. And the two at work are GONE (were within 4 hours) and there is about half of a container here at the house left.

Best Way Bears

2009-12-07T05:19:00.000-08:00

This stamp set is an older one from CTMH but I LOVE the bears. They are so classic looking. And they look worn and lovable. At the time I bought the set I was a consultant for CTMH. Anytime anyone saw a bear card they assumed it came from me...because I was SO hooked on these bears. :-)

Anyways, just a little something to share for the day. Enjoy!

Necessity...

2009-11-30T19:47:00.000-08:00

I haven't been feeling much like creating lately. By the end of the day all I want to do is crawl into bed. But tonight stamping was a necessity. Why? Because a coworker had a birthday (she's been off since her birthday but will be back in the office tomorrow). I know she loves Patron Tequila...but I couldn't afford a big bottle so I went to BevMo and got a little tiny bottle and a tequila shot glass to go with it. I started with the green color on the little bottle and used that color to inspire the packaging. If I had more time I think it would have been cute to have bought a lime and somehow included it in the packaging. But...this is what I got! ;-)

And here is just a close up of the box:

I think if I had it to do over again I would wrap ribbon around the box to match the card. But it's good enough.

How was everyone's Thanksgiving? Anyone hit the Black Friday sales? Are you done with your Christmas shopping? Yikes!

Man's Best Friend

2009-11-17T04:50:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure how much I love (or don't love) this card and the way it turned out. It's cute but still doesn't excite me. Oh well, they can't all be winners, eh? I did do liquid glass on the dogs nose so he has a wet nose. The dog stamp is from Stampin' Up. The greeting is from Clear Dollar Stamps.

So...are you ready for Christmas yet? I am having the hardest time this year. The boys are past the 'toy' stage. My oldest only wants PS3/Computer games. My youngest won't give me a list at all...other than he wants a ferret (which I do NOT want) and a laptop (which I can't afford). Sigh.

Jane

Many Thanks Bear

2009-11-14T10:52:00.000-08:00

I love how this card turned out.

To me it looks very old fashioned. The bear is from a Close to My Heart set and the greeting is from Stampin Up.

Jane

Quotable Card

2009-11-01T08:43:00.000-08:00

I saw this quote and loved it so much that I had to rush out and create a card using the quote. I wanted to keep it simple to draw attention to the quote itself. I wanted to use a rose stamp but not have it be the main image. So I did a second generation image of the rose over the top of the quote. I like how it turned out.

Well, that's it from the past week's stamping adventures. Now I'll need to make something new. I don't know if that is a good or bad thing about this blog...it forces me to continue to make new things to post pictures of.

How was everyone's Halloween last night? I am so proud of my boys. I enjoy watching them with all the other kids and adults. They were always polite. Always said 'thank you'. And they always watched out for the smaller children. We started at houses out near ours that is a newer subdivision and sure enough there were a fair amount of houses lit and hardly any trick or treaters. So they were generous with the candy. Then I went further into town (we live in the boonies) and hit a couple other subdivisions. One subdivision had houses that were still being built. This one (once again) had no trick or treaters. Some places said we were the only trick or treaters they'd had. Lots more candy. The last subdivision (which was literally across the street from the previous one) was packed with trick or treaters and lots of people had run out of candy. So, not so much candy here but better ambiance. Lots of lighted jack-o-lanterns and decorated houses. One was doing a 'scare tactics' with a rabbit they were killing (fake). They asked 'Are You Scared?' and of course my kids just said 'No'. They asked if they knew why they shouldn't be scared and my kids responded 'Cause we're on scare tactics'. The guy thanked them for being good sports. Takes more than a little blood and fake rabbit to scare my kids! LOL. After trick or treating we went out for pizza. Then we came home and put on a movie (Wonderdog) and all laid on the floor with blankets and pillows and candy and watched the movie. Then curled up and slept there together. It was a really nice night. Hope yours was too!

Batter Up!

2009-10-29T06:28:00.000-07:00

Just playing with my new changito stamp! No sketch or anything fancy.

Have a great Thursday!

Another card...I'm on a roll!

2009-10-26T21:51:00.000-07:00

This next card was (once again) inspired by a weekend sketch challenge from Beate over at Fresh & Fun

Here is the sketch:

And here is my card:

This weekend I went on a cardmaking spree...so lots to share this week!

I also want to make a few treats for coworkers before the end of the week. But I don't have a lot of time so they will probably be something simple. I can't believe it is already almost Halloween! This year is FLYING by!

Weekend Sketch Challenge

2009-10-25T16:39:00.000-07:00

When I need inspiration...I almost always head off to find a sketch. Beate, over at Fresh and Fun, posts a new weekend sketch challenge each weekend. I like hers because they generally don't have TOO many layers. I'm layered challenged. Don't ask me to mix and match too many papers! LOL.

Anyways, this card was inspired by this weekend's sketch challenge.

If you look close...you'll see my boo boo. On the right side of the card when I put the card front on, there was a bit of white still showing of the card front. So I tried to trim it, but then the card was uneven. So then I trimmed some more...till it was even...but then the edge isn't as wide as the others. Sigh. Also, not sure if I want to add a single brad to the top left or not. Seems a little bottom right heavy. Thoughts?

On a totally unrelated note - yesterday was my lucky day. On Friday my car had stalled so I had plans to take it to the mechanic on Saturday. We live in the boonies and in an effort to not come to a complete stop (and have the car potentially stall on the way to the mechanic) I did kind of a rolling stop at the stop sign. You can easily see beforehand and make sure noone is coming. Well, what I didn't see was the Sheriff coming from the other direction. Oh...and for a change I did NOT have my seatbelt on either. I see him start to flip a U-turn behind me so I immediately grab my seatbelt and fasten it on while he's turning around. He pulls me over and asks me if I know why he pulled me over. I fessed up. He said as long as everything checked out he'd let me off with a warning. He asked for insurance (which of course I couldn't find a current one but I have insurance). He went back and ran my information. He came back and told me that he could ticket me for the insurance but he wasn't going to, he told me that he was going to ticket me for not wearing a seatbelt...but my seatbelt was the same color as my shirt and he must have missed seeing it...and he let me off on the rolling stop. Whew. Drove away with NO tickets! :-) What I'd like to know...is when did they start accepting high school kids into the Sheriff's department? I used to shit my pants any time a cop pulled me over...but it's hard to get scared of a kid who looks like he should still be in high school! LOL. They don't instill that basic sense of fear that a veteran officer does.

Anyways, that's my exciting weekend. They didn't find anything wrong with the car. So I guess I just drive it and pray it doesn't stall any more. Not good when I drive 2 1/2 hours a day. Maybe it is time to get AAA. I have towing on my insurance but I have to pay for that up front and wait for them to reimburse me.

Hope all is doing well.

Finally...a CARD!

2009-10-23T06:19:00.001-07:00

I finally got around to making a few cards yesterday. Unfortunately, they all are the exact same design...so really only have one to share. There were a few people at the quilting retreat that were extra nice and I wanted to send them a card. I hope that this is appropriate for them. :-)

I found the design for a quilt block and then used paper to create it instead. Lots of little pieces of paper and glue. What a messy situation! I wouldn't want to create more than a few of these. But I do like how they turned out.

Another Quilt Completed

2009-10-19T06:07:00.000-07:00

Well, it hasn't been 'quilted' yet...but the quilt FRONT is done (and as any quilter knows that's the only part that counts! LOL)

This is the quilt I started at the retreat. I saw the pattern in a magazine and loved it. I thought it'd be simple. Well, apparently I need to get someone to go with me and smack me upside the head when I think ANYTHING is simple. :-) Actually it wasn't difficult...but it was time consuming. And now that it's done I realize that I really probably shouldn't use it in MY house (all that white with two boys and three dogs...). So it will probably be a Christmas gift for someone. Just not sure who yet.

Next up? My first rag quilt. And a Christmas wall hanging.

I was hoping to get some cards made this weekend but that didn't happen. I spent Saturday catching up on rest. And Sunday was catching up on housework, homework, grocery shopping, and taking the kids out to a movie and dinner. Therefore, no cards to share. Sorry!

Jane

Weekend Endeavor

2009-10-13T05:47:00.000-07:00

I spent this past weekend at a quilting retreat. I sewed from 2pm till 10pm on Friday, 8am to 10pm on Saturday and Sunday and from 8:00am to noon on Monday. I went through 3 spools of thread (considering I'd never used a complete spool yet...to go through 3 amazed me).

The ONLY thing I completely finished was a tote bag. Needless to say, I am really REALLY proud of this bag! LOL. I had picked up the pattern at a recent quilt show. It LOOKED easy and I thought it'd be a nice quick project for the retreat.

Well, quick turned into an ALL day project on Sunday. If I did it again it'd be much quicker, but the instructions weren't very clear and there were no pictures to help. At one point I was ready to cry (after I realized I sewed the handles on incorrectly...and I'd sewed them on REALLY well and was going to have to rip them out). Instead I started laughing and I laughed till I cried...and got the other lady at the table laughing as well. We were rolling around and couldn't stop. But the bag is FINISHED.

I also started working on another quilt. This one has 120 blocks to it and on 60 of those blocks I had to sew white strips on all four sides. I spent Friday and Saturday on it - then Sunday took a break from it because I was sick of it and thought I'd work on my EASY bag (so NOT). On Monday I laid it all out, pinned it, and got the first three rows sewed together before we had to pack up. So it's in the works.

A very productive weekend and a lot of fun. Unfortunately, at some point you HAVE to come home. They have another retreat in March and I can't wait to go have more fun. :-)

Simple Changito & Baby Horney Toad

2009-10-04T20:49:00.000-07:00

First...a card to share...

I really like the color combo (kind of a aqua blue and red). I used my cuttlebug and nestabilities again to cut out the circle and scalloped circle and to emboss the circle. This close up shows that better.

And on to things unrelated to cardmaking...remember a posting a few weeks back where I showed a picture of my son with a "horney toad" and I talked about the babies and how cute they are? Well, my son comes into the house again a couple days ago with the smallest baby I've ever seen. He/she has to be a newborn (are they new'born' if they hatch??? hmm).

Here's the baby:

And here's the adult for comparison:

After he caught the baby he wanted to save it to show to daddy. So we put it in a container with about an inch of dirt in the bottom. He quickly dug himself into the dirt and all but disappeared. About an hour later my son comes out and he's sure that the critter has escaped because he's drug his fingers through the dirt and he can't find him. I look in the container and see what looks like a clump of dirt. I gently touch the clump and it scurries out of the dirt. He was too cute. After we showed him to Dad we let him loose again.

Boys...they are just too much fun. :-)

Lemons or Limes?

2009-09-29T06:04:00.000-07:00

This is just a quick 4 1/4 inch square card. It says "When Life Gives You Lemons" (and on the inside it says "Ask for tequila and salt"). I know it says lemons but I didn't like yellow...so I went with green. Can we have green lemons? If not, too bad! ;-P

I have one more changito card to share this week. So stay tuned for more monkey business.

Playing with New Stamps

2009-09-26T22:29:00.000-07:00

Today I played with my new Changito stamps that I got at the stamping convention a couple weeks ago.

What do you think?

I even broke out the cuttlebug and my nestabilities and did the cutting/embossing on the white part and then the scallop outside. I also sponged on some ink around the outside to highlight the embossing. I thought about stamping him another time, cutting out just the hat and popping that up with adhesives. But with the main image already being popped up I figured it would get too thick with another layer popped. The other thought was to add just a bit of grey shading to the hat. It looks so stark. But I wasn't sure I could do it justice. So I left it as it was.

On another note...my personal monkeys were wrestling today and I grabbed some pictures. This takes me back to the days of my childhood. Growing up with three older brothers it seemed like there was always 'horseplay' going on. Inevitably, my Mom would eventually wander into the living room to try and break it up and about that time my brother would reach out and grab at her leg too and she'd screech. (It was all in fun...my brothers were probably late teens by then.)

Love the look on the oldest's face in this one. Even though he is older (and bigger) his little brother is more of a scrapper. So, for him to have the upper hand is truly a victory and it shows on his face. :-)

But, it didn't last for long. Now little brother is on top...

Hope you enjoyed the 'monkey' posting for the day (both the changito monkey stamp and my monkeys!) More to come later this week.

Storage Options

2009-09-22T06:13:00.000-07:00

A friend asked me how I stored my stuff...so I decided to take a few pictures and post them.

These iris carts originally held ALL my stuff (now I can't even come close). But I still use them to hold my individual stamps plus all the 'extra' stuff (like ribbon, templates, etc).

Now the sets have found a new home in a book case. I write their names on the side (or use labels if they came with them). In addition this is where my cuttlebug and bigger stuff lives.

Then there are my unmounted stamps...these living in CD cases...in a CD rack of course :-). I write the names of the set (or company name) on the side in permanent marker.

And then there are my inkpads (that live in an old cassette tape holder) and my ribbon (which live in a rain gutter).

Ok, I gotta run get ready for work. Should be leaving in 10 minutes and can't even find a hairbrush to brush my hair with. Last I saw it Chewy (the puppy appropriately named) had it. Now I can't find it at all. Sigh. Going to be one of those days!

All Things Creepy!

2009-09-20T13:56:00.000-07:00

I've been lack in posting. What can I say? And, it's not likely to get a whole lot better in the near future. Have a lot going on in my life right now keeping me quite busy. On kind of a funny note...here I am feeling guilt for not posting more often and yesterday I get a notification that someone is no longer following my blog because they think I post TOO often. LOL. Can't win either way.

But I do have several things to share today. And, as noted, this post is about all things creepy.

What is more creepy than little boys and their critters? This is my youngest son and a 'horned lizard' (we call them horney toads). As far as critters go, the horney toad has always been one of my favorite desert critters. Their colors allow them to blend in with their surrounding. Their babies are hatched from eggs. They are on their own from the moment of hatching. They eat ants (one of my favorite things about them other than how cool they look). And they protect themselves by puffing up to appear bigger than they are, blending in to their surroundings, and some species shoot blood from the ducts in the corner of their eyes.

On a card related note, my friend and I got together and created some Frankenstein cards. I decided to make a Happy Frankie and an Angry Frankie. It's amazing what a difference it makes just by changing the eyes and the mouth!

Here is Happy Frankie:

And here is Mad Frankie: (or as I've named him...Pissed Off Frankie)

Here they are side by side (so you can see his multiple personalities LOL)

Aren't they adorable? We used the 'Top Note' die to create the green card base. Then we used the same die and purple paper and trimmed either end for the hair. We used different size circle punches for the eyes. The nose is a label punch. All pieces were sponged with additional ink to give them more dimension. And the eyelids are attached with dimensional adhesive dots.

These have me thinking about Halloween ideas now!

Tires or Testicles?

2009-09-17T22:21:00.000-07:00

I love this saying stamp! It says, "If it has tires or testicles, it's going to be trouble!" It is from River City Works. The jeep stamp is from Victorine Originals.

Enjoy!

Sympathy

2009-09-09T22:30:00.000-07:00

This is the sympathy card I made for my male coworker who lost his mother. It's a very simple card but I like how it turned out.

The leaf is from Close To My Heart and the saying is from Stampin' Up.

Sweet Magnolia...

2009-09-07T23:34:00.000-07:00

I needed to make two cards this weekend...for TOTALLY different occasions. The first was a sympathy card for a male coworker who's Mother passed away. The second was for a female coworker who had a birthday. Today I'm sharing the birthday card...will save the sympathy card for later in the week.

This card was made using a new Magnolia stamp I won as blog candy from my SBS4 sister Chris (if memory serves me correctly). If I have the wrong name...I apologize...I am ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE at remembering names. Also, the papers I've used are from that same blog candy package. I love how it all came together! The greeting is from Hero Arts. In addition I stamped "Growing Old is Mandatory...Growing Up is Optional" on the inside of the card (quote from CTMH set). The saying worked with the sweet little girl image...and also fits my coworker who refuses to grow up! LOL.

Hope you like it (and she does too!) Now I need to get to bed. Have a great week everyone!

San Diego Zoo Layout

2009-09-04T05:55:00.000-07:00

Another couple of scrapbook pages to share. These are from the San Diego Zoo.

I love these layovers. Don't use them very often but they really do add some pizazz as long as you aren't using them on every page.

Just Hanging Around

2009-09-02T17:34:00.003-07:00

I love how this card turned out! Simple but the coloring really catches the eye. And the stamped image itself is adorable. I once again used a FTL from the Clean & Simple blog.

I don't remember who makes the frog stamp. The saying is from Hero Arts. I bought a clear set of sayings from them that I use ALL the time.

Enjoy!

Hound Dog

2009-08-28T07:31:00.000-07:00

I LOVE how this card turned out! The stamp was a 'virgin' before this card. It is one I got in a grab bag from Viva Las Vegas Stamps. The saying is from Hero Arts. The paper (ironically enough) is from the same friend that the card ended up going to. She'd cleaned out her stash and given me some papers. I made a card and sent it back her way. LOL.

Isn't it cute?

Fall To Layout

2009-08-26T20:08:00.000-07:00

There is a blog I've mentioned before that I really like to visit. It is called Clean & Simple. She has layouts she calls "Fall To Layout (FTL)" which means they are the layouts she returns to time and time again. This is one of her FTL's and I can see why. I made a first one, and then a second...and then a third! All within a couple hours. Clean and simple!

The ladybug is from TAC (The Angel Company). Greeting is from Hero Arts. Enjoy!

Jane

Girly Hang in There

2009-08-23T13:09:00.000-07:00

Well, I have now officially finished TWO cards since I've moved my workspace. It is still not completely finished/organized but it's good enough I can start using the space a bit.

This is the first card I made.

The image and saying are both from The Angel Company. This is one of the first sets I bought from them. It's a "two step" stamp and they aren't clear stamps...so they can be a little difficult to line up. But I trim mine pretty close so it's not too difficult. As you can see, it is off just a tad. I figure the recipient will just have to deal with it and be thankful they got a card! LOL. The paper is from Close To My Heart.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed the card. I made another one today that I really like - but will wait to share it until after I give it to the recipient.

Have a great day!

Pool Boys

2009-08-20T07:29:00.000-07:00

These are a little older pics - but I love the pictures themselves and the simple layout. The saying in the middle is a CTMH stamp.

I finally sat in my new space a couple nights ago and made a card. So that will be shared pretty soon.

Enjoy!

Jane

Beach Scrapbook Pages

2009-08-16T17:51:00.000-07:00

I have spent the better part of two weekends and I'm STILL not finished. How much stuff can there possibly be??? Well, I spent most all of today organizing PAPER. Good grief! :-) But it is slowly taking shape.

I haven't managed to make any new cards to share - so instead decided to share some scrapbook pages that I found while cleaning. These were probably completed at the last scrapbooking retreat I went to...I don't think I've scrapbooked since then. (Linda...if you are reading this tell Stacey she HAS to start having Scrap Camp again or my poor children's lives will NEVER be documented via scrapbook pages...cause it seems like those retreats are the only time I get anything done! LOL.)

Anyways, here are a couple pages to share. We'd taken the boys to San Diego. I had the pictures developed in both black and white and color. I really like the black and white. And for just a little "pop" I "spotlighted" the boys with the color photo on the second page.

Hope you liked the pages. I have more to share - so come back and visit!

Going to be MIA for a Bit

2009-08-09T16:28:00.000-07:00

I have spent all weekend trying to move (and in the process) declutter my scrap/stamp room. So...if you don't hear from me...it's because I'm buried under a stack of 12x12 papers and can't get up! LOL.

Seriously, I do have a few items for sale...

- An ATG Gun (Scotch ATG 752) Older but works fine.
- Sizzix Machine (would be heavy to ship)
- Sizzlet Machine w/alphabet set (would be heavy to ship)
- Fastenator and 2 packs of staples to go with it

In addition I've thrown out 2 boxes of stuff, and boxed up 2 boxes of stuff to give away to friends. And I'm STILL not sure I can make everything fit into my new alloted space! (A bookcase and three iris carts).

Wish me luck!

Jane

Brayered Friendship Card

2009-08-08T10:32:00.000-07:00

This is another attempted at brayering and then using a sillohette stamp on top of the brayering. I like how it turned out!

All stamps are Stampin Up.

Jane

Be Happy Penguin

2009-08-04T17:47:00.000-07:00

I love my Memory Box penguin stamps. If I had to choose between the Memory Box Penguins and the Stampendous Changito monkey stamps...it'd be a realllllllly hard choice!

The greeting is part of a Hero Arts greeting that says BE HAPPY EVERY DAY. I just inked up the first two words. The layout was taken from a CAS (Clean and Simple) challenge on Splitcoaststampers.

Enjoy!

Jane

Sympathy Card

2009-08-02T21:26:00.000-07:00

A former coworker lost her son recently and I wanted to send her a card. I had seen some cards made which used a brayer and a silohette stamp...so I decided to go with that. For me, sympathy cards are so difficult to make. You don't want them to be too cheery - but you also don't want them to be too dark. Hopefully I found the right combination.

What do you think?

Silohette stamp is from Stampin' Up. Sympathy greeting is from Clear Dollar Stamps. Ink and colored cardstocks are from Close To My Heart.

I actually had time this weekend to make a couple other cards...so keep your eyes open for more to come!

Jane

Cookies or Alien Secretions?

2009-07-31T20:07:00.000-07:00

Well, if you live where it's over 100 degrees right now...check out THIS post to find out how you can bake cookies in your car!

It was 109 here today. I think I could easily bake those cookies! Instead I opted to buy the ingredients and make myself an Alien Secretion to cool off with. I tend to like drinks that don't taste like alcohol but my experience is pretty limited. So one of the times I went out I asked the bartender for a suggestion of something with a 'punch' yet still sweet and can't taste like alcohol. His suggestion was an Alien Secretion. I've been hooked ever since and they are super easy to make.

Alien Secretion Drink
Mix equal parts of the following three items:
Midori Liquor (a melon liquor - green in color)
Malibu Rum (coconut rum)
Pineapple Juice (I actually use more of this)

Pour over ice and mix. Yummy!

Some recipes call for vodka to be added, some call for orange juice to be added...but this particular recipe is the one that's served at the local bar.

Enjoy!

Jane

Wanna Laugh?

2009-07-25T09:11:00.000-07:00

I saw this video on utube and laughed my butt off. (Well, not really...but figurately.) What I found so humourous is not the guy who 'goes off' but his coworkers response.

This is my first time trying to embed a utube video so if this doesn't work I'll try it again. Ok...well, embedding it didn't work (anyone more savvy care to share with me how to do this?) I'll just put the link so you can go check it out yourself. Sorry!

Office Stress 4

That seems choppy...Geez...this should be easier!

Well, I'll just give a synopsis I guess. Guy is sitting at his laptop. He's smacking at the keyboard hard. He gets frustrated. Picks up keyboard and throws it into the brick wall straight ahead of him. Coworker (who is directly in front of him and has viewed the whole thing) calmly walks over, picks up the broken laptop and tosses it back over the short cube wall onto his coworker's desk. The part that cracked me up is just how calmly he goes and retrieves it and tosses it back...kind of like 'hey, you dropped your laptop'. Too funny.

Jane

You Rock!

2009-07-23T07:16:00.000-07:00

Now...what are the chances that my ONLY 'man' stamp and my only 'guitar' stamp would fit together? They aren't even from the same stamp company (the man is from Stampin Up and the guitar is from a Disney set).

I made this card for my boss. I've been working for him for almost two years now. And during that two years he has always tended to work too much and not find time for anything fun in his life. He has commented on my hobbies and how impressed he is that I find time for them. I've told him I MAKE time for them because they are what bring me enjoyment. So...he signed up for guitar lessons and he told me it was my fault. :-) That (of course) prompted a card in his honor.

Let the sore fingers begin (I briefly took guitar lessons myself when I was a teenager...I STILL remember those sore fingertips!) LOL.

Have a great day...go find something FUN to do!

Art Inspired!

2009-07-21T07:26:00.000-07:00

I found a challenge on SplitcoastStampers that I was inspired by. We were supposed to go to a website called Art.Com and choose a piece of art for inspiration. Then make a card based on that piece of art. So...I chose this piece of art by Jon Bertelli as my starting point.

And this is the card I made using the art as my inspiration...

The stamp is from a company called Biblical Impressions. I have a set of animals from the company...and this is the first time this particular stamp has seen ink. Up until now it's been a virgin! LOL. The saying is from a clear set of stamps from Stampendous. The rest should be pretty self explanatory! Simple card but I REALLY like it.

Enjoy!

Jane

Finally a CARD!

2009-07-19T14:57:00.001-07:00

I finally sat down and made ONE card today. LOL! I will try to do another one or two this afternoon so I have more to share during the week. But for now, this is my one and only card to share. For the most part I've been cleaning all day (the card was MUCH more fun!)

I bought this stamp at the local $1 store. It is made for little kids (has the big plastic handle) but I thought he was cute...and for $1 I couldn't go wrong. I will probably actually end up pulling the rubber off the big handle and mounting it with EZmount instead. Otherwise the handle takes up too much space. Anyways, without further ado...may I introduce you to MR. ROBOTO!

Isn't he a handsome robot?

Dinner Entertainment and Birthday Happenings

2009-07-18T18:45:00.000-07:00

This is a totally personal post. Sorry...no creative mojo is flowing right now. So, instead I will bore you with personal stuff. :-)

This was my dinner "entertainment" last night. They KNOW who the sucker in this family is! LOL. Here are my three furbaby sweeties. The only time they are all three this close for a picture is when they are waiting for me to drop them some of my dinner remnants.

Today we went to a waterpark for my son's birthday. I have to say it was a bit of a let down. It is supposed to have this huge 'wave pool'. When I was a teenager we had a waterpark and it's 'wave pool' was like surfing waves. You would get picked up and pushed. It was probably dangerous as hell...but it was fun! Today's wave pool was literally umm...baby waves. Like the gentle ripple near the shore. It was a total let down. But the boys really enjoyed the water slides.

I had a hard time getting a picture because if you are too far inside the slide the picture is just too dark. And a split second later they are in the water. Out of the photos today these are the better ones I took.

It was a very expensive day. Not something a family could do on a regular basis. Why does everything cost so much these days?

Anyways, I am going to attempt to at least do SOME stamping this weekend. So I'll try to have something stamping related to share soon.

Jane

Quilting

2009-07-12T17:00:00.000-07:00

I finished the next baby quilt top (looks just like the one I did previously). This one will be sent out for someone else to quilt. One time of that experience was enough for me! LOL.

So, today I started cutting the fabrics for my next quilt. I found the pattern for the quilt in a Quick Quilts magazine. It's pretty muchly just squares. There are 12 different patterned fabrics and then a white base. The patterned fabrics are cut into two size squares (larger 7 1/2 inch squares and smaller 4 1/2 inch squares). Then to each smaller square white strips are added. Then these are assembled.

I'm not sure I'm sold on all the fabrics yet. But hoping once I add the white to the mix and spread out some of the ones that I'm questionable about...hopefully they will work ok together. My other concern is that some of the patterns are on a white base and I'm wondering how those will stand out with the white added. I may have to add a border around the patterned fabric before adding the white if I really want those to pop. But I'm nowhere near ready to start putting it together yet. Spent quite a while ironing and cutting the fat quarters today. Will save the cutting of the white for another day. And then I get to actually start SEWING (imagine that!).

Anyways, here are some swatches of the fabrics I've chosen. What do you think? If there is one (or more) that doesn't coordinate...which one(s) and why?

Jane