laugh

Tim Holtz picked up on an Ali Edwards challenge for the new year and asked all who read his blog to pick a word for 2008. One that we would remember to use or put to use every day. My word was "laugh" because sometimes I forget to laugh. I have tried every day this year to laugh. I was at Bed, Bath and Beyond wandering around one day. Actually looking for frames I could alter. Didn't find any frames, but I did find the word laugh. It was painted basic black and I thought I could do better than that, and since it was on sale, I got it. I finally decided that I'd best get it altered and put it up on my shelves so I could see it every day as my reminder to laugh. Since it was already painted black, I figured I'd just go ahead and use Silhoutte papers with it. I am really pleased with how it turned out. I used 5 of the 6 B&T papers, CTMH and non-CTMH ribbon, Just Blooms paper flowers which I painted with Pearl Paint and black reinker. I'm not real happy with the way they turned out. The black has a purple-ish tint to it. But it'll do!

Catz

They can lay so nice together in this instant and in the next instant, Orleans has rolled over onto Savannah and she's hissed at him and run off. Like happened the instant after I took the picture!

Color Challenge

I've been stalking one of my CTMH sister's blogs for the past couple of weeks. Marjorie Ann Eno. Mommy Scraps She has started a color challenge each week on the CTMH BB's. This is the first one that I've felt moved enough by the color combination to complete. I just sent her an email with my card included but wanted to share it here as well.

The colors for this challenge were Spring Iris, Amethyst, Petal and Sweet Leaf. I decided to use Javabellas with this challenge. Also included are CTMH Blooming Flourishes and Make My Day stamp sets. Stickles, MM Scrapbook Shimmers, Pearl Paint and Petal reinker for the flower and ribbon.

Another swap

The new embossing folder for my Cuttlebug came yesterday so I got the last swap I'm signed up for completed today. The new embossing folder is called "Mesh" and it doesn't look too "mesh-y" to me! It looks more like little bubbles. I also picked up Spots and Dots at JoAnn's last night. So both are used in this swap. Mesh on the card and Spots and Dots on the 6x6 layout. We had to use our Cuttlebug in some way. Either using die cuts or the embossing folder. I don't use mine for die cuts since I have the Cricut for that. I used CTMH It's A Guy Thing paper pack, CTMH Checklist, Journaling Jots and Be Happy stamp sets. Colors are CTMH Barn Red, Cocoa, Desert Sand and New England Ivy.

Sick pup!

I was cleaning some crap out of my favorite places and came across this site I had saved. Good clean fun. And no animals were harmed in the making of this video! Click once for the penguin to jump. Click again for the bear to swing. My best score is 266 feet. Leave a reply with your top score.

http://n.ethz.ch/student/mkos/pinguin.swf

Stamp of the Month swap

Close your eyes Liane!

I saw something similar in a magazine and wanted to see if I could make this work. Since there's just 4 of us in our Unit swapping the Stamp of the Month anymore, I figured I'd try it out on them! And I LOVE how it turned out. I random stamped the cardstock then colored the images in with colored pencils, adding a bit of Stickles for bling! This is the Feb Stamp of the Month and is not even due to the hostess until the middle of Feb, but because I was so anxious to try this technique, my swap is done! I am so sad!

more Convention cards

So are y'all getting bored yet with Convention swap cards?!

Here's the latest 2 that I've been working on the past couple of days. The first one is actually a Bella stamp! Called Curly Ewe. She was soooo sweet, I couldn't resist her. The "ewe are the best" sentiment is also Bella. The second one is a stolen idea. Debbie sent me the prettiest card for my birthday last month. I just loved the whole layout idea of the card, so I saved it in my "will steal this idea" book and I've put my own spin on it.

Now I'm working on our Unit's Stamp of the Month swap for next month. It's not due til the middle of Feb, but I had this idea and had to work on it. I'll be sharing it when I finish.

How cute...

is this kid? Makes me want to go buy an accordian! Think I'd have a chance to play onstage with Bocephus if I did?!

Biertijd.com // Media » Hunter Hayes - Jambalaya

Special Friends card

There are five special ladies in my life. One I have met and the other four I am anxious to meet. Sooner rather than later! I sent these 5 special ladies a card the other day. And now that they have all recieved their card, I can share what they got. (In alphabetical order!) Chris, Debbie, Jeanne, Liane and Rhonda. You are all very important to me.

In non-artistic news!

I had my 6 month check-up at the Dr yesterday. Been feeling a lot of the same feelings that I had a year and a half ago when the thyroid condition was diagnosed. Of course, it was not due to be checked until June and I did not know that when I went 2 weeks ago for the blood work. So all the Dr had was my cholesterol numbers, which were fine.They also checked my liver because if the cholesterol meds start going "bad", your liver is where it shows up first, so they check it every six months as well. So I ended up having to have another blood draw yesterday and they also did a bone density scan and thyroid ultrasound to see if the thyroid meds are gonna have to be changed again. So again, it's wait and see. He said if it's not my thyroid and I continue to not feel well, we will "have to explore other avenues." Yay! @@

I got my sushi fix last night! We were supposed to go this past Sat night and we had some wicked storms move thru, so discretion being the better part of valor, we opted instead for Subway. John was off early yesterday, so we went last night. I could eat sushi 7 nights a week if he'd let me! But I generally settle for once a month. Sometimes it's longer, but we average once a month.

Bella Swap

In honor of Grumpabella, today's post is PINK!

Meg just emailed me to let me know she recieved my swap cards in the mail. So I can share her with everyone. I could not decide what she was saying. If it was "I don't do mornings" or "Mornings ain't for sissies" so I asked Chris and Debbie their opinions. Course they each liked a different one! So I divided them up and did half and half and it will be luck of the draw as to who gets what. They are painted with Pearl Paint and chocolate and Hollyhock reinkers. More To Adore CTMH papers are used.

more Convention swap cards

While I'm waiting for a new embossing folder for my Cuttlebug to come so I can start working on my next swap, I decided to do a couple more Convention swap cards.

I bought a bunch of Japanese style stamps from one of my on-line friends (Lisa!) when she was cleaning out her late mother's stash. I wanted to incorporate one of the stamps with a CTMH set that is kanji, the Japanese writing. The stamp set is Wisdom. The kanji symbol on the card is friend, so I thought these two lovely ladies looked like friends, so that's the reasoning behind this one. Papers are CTMH Simple Pleasures and ink colors are Twilight, Bamboo, Desert Sand and Cocoa.

The second is Bella! Stampabella to be exact. And isn't that what Convention is all about?! Stamping! I used Simple Pleasures and the same inks as with the Japanese card. I random stamped Blooming Flourishes on the background. Bella is stamped in black archival ink, then colored with colored pencils and Stickles are used on her hair bow, scissors and paper in her rolling tote. I used Doodle Alphabet for "Stamp Diva."

Helping a Friend!

Liane and I were talking on the phone yesterday and she was mentioning to me that she's got this Expo coming up mid-March in Portland...or somewhere out there on the left coast! She's got a butt-load of cards to prep for the attendees to do make and takes with. So I volunteered to help her out. Design a few cards, cut out everything so all the wimmen have to do is stamp a couple of images, distress some cardstock, tear a piece of B&T here and there and in five minutes, walk out with a beautiful card they've created.

Here's what I've come up with so far! First is done with Silhouette and Make It Count stamp set. Second is It's a Guy Thing and uses Take Flight and Be Happy stamp sets. Third uses Paper Garden and Butterfly Kiss stamp set. And last but not least is Good Times with Star Struck, Tiny Typewriter and From Me To You stamp sets.

31 Years Ago

We had measurable snow on the ground in Florida! I was a freshman in college. I remember mom & dad coming in and waking me up about 5:30. They told Kathy, Jan and I that it was snowing. We couldn't get outside fast enough! It was the first time any of us (mom & dad too!) had seen snow. It snowed as far south as Miami that cold January morning, 31 years ago today, Jan 19, 1977. We've had flurries here since, but nothing measurable. We had 1/2" that morning!That's me in the beautiful white housecoat. I LOVED that housecoat! And what happened to Kathy's head you ask? That was and still is a favorite thing of mom's to do. Cut off peoples heads. We're still looking for Kathy's head, as a matter of fact! And I have no recollection of where Jan was!

Crazy weather

We had that cold snap a couple of weeks ago here in FL. The one where they got snow flurries over by Daytona Beach. Coldest weather we'd had in over 5 years. And then we had the typical FL warm-up. So all the plants think Old Man Winter is gone. Notsomuch! We're supposd to be getting another cold blast this weekend. OK all you Northerners! Stop rolling your eyes! Cold for us!!

That doesn't change the fact that almost all of my azalea's are blooming. Or getting ready to bloom. That is, if the cold doesn't kill the buds this weekend. Azalea's don't normally bloom here til around Easter. Which is March 23 for those of you without benefit of having a calendar handy! Today is Jan 18. Easter is a full 2 months away. So the bloom, even if they don't get killed by the cold this weekend will be loooong gone by Easter.Thankfully I have camera at the ready. And my cherry tree is blooming too! The cherry tree that I have yet to get a cherry off of. Because the birds stalk it and the instant a cherry thinks it might possibly be ripe, it goes into their birdy bellies! And yes, I know the last picuture looks like snow. Trust me, it's Florida dirt! It may look white, but it will turn your feet just as black as the night!

Oh, and the first one is the promised card that goes with the Vacation swap pages.

FINALLY!

Debbie finally got the swap pages yesterday, so I can share with all you stalkers!

First is the Vacation pages. I used CTMH Route 66 paper pack. Colors are Clover Meadow, Cranberry, Moomstruck and Sunflower. Stamp set is Star Struck and Vintage Postcard.

Second is Spring pages. Paper pack is Paper Garden. Colors are Blush, Buttercup, Petal and Sweet Leaf. Stamp set is Spring Equinox. I also used the Pearl Paint and reinkers to color the ribbon and the flower die-cuts. The paper flowers are also tipped in the reinker and Pearl Paint.

And Blogger is being ornery this morning and it won't let me post more than 5 pics, so I'll post the card for the Vacation pages in a later post. That was one of the "requirements" for this swap. You had to make a card to go with your pages. A Year of Pages, with a Twist!

Bella and Tim!

I've been playing with Bella and Tim (Holtz!) since about 5:30 this morning! Obsessed? Me? No! Why do you ask?!

The first one is a combination of Bella, CTMH and Tim stamps. Tim is the background postal stamp and the "Moments" word stamp. CTMH is the number running across the top of the card from the Make It Count stamp set. Bella is Javabella. Inks are CTMH Bamboo, Desert Sand and Cocoa.

Second we have Clickabella with a Tim stamp "Trust Your Crazy Ideas." I thought this stamp pretty well described me. I need to learn to trust my crazy ideas. Because they generally end up being some of my best! Paper is CTMH Life Delights. Ink colors are CTMH Blush, Sweet Leaf and Lilac Mist.

Third is the Javabella's again! I had one of my crazy ideas, trusted it and love how this turned out! I used the Pearl Paint and reinkers ( Hollyhock, Breeze, Sunflower and Orchid Bouquet) to paint the flowers die cut and also the Bella's clothes and table. It really doesn't show in the picture, but it's very sparkly!

Fourth is Tim. The sun stamp on the top is embossed, then different colors of Ranger DistressInks are applied. Once I had it the way I wanted, I used an iron and newspaper and ironed over the embossed part to lift the embossing powder up. It's called Distress Batik.

And last is Tim. The stamp is the brick wall. I found some Harlequin paper in my stash. I used one of the skulls from Tim's new GrungeBoard and painted it with the Black Soot and Red Brick CracklePaint. Then distressed with Vintage Photo DistressInk.

There's still a few more Bellas and Tim stamps that I haven't shared. I can't show my entire hand of cards all at once! It keeps the Niele ones coming back! One is for a swap, so once I get them done and the hostess (Meg!) has them in her hands, I'll be sharing them.

Bella!

This is Javabella! Isn't it devine?! I am hooked. I bought 4 out of the gate! If you need a Bella or two or ten, you can get them here:

Stamping Bella

Just know before you go that they are addictive! And if you use acrylic blocks for stamping, you WILL need the EZ Mount to adhere to your Bellas so you can use your blocks. They sell it too at Stamping Bella. One stop shopping!

I also got a delivery today of Tim Holtz stamps, so I will be creating with them tomorrow. Fun, fun! I love new stamps!!

I got the swap pages mailed to Debbie today as well. Hopefully she will have them by Wed, so all you stalkers (and you KNOW who you are!) can just keep checking back!

swaps and stuff

NO! It's not Debbie's swap! It is complete, but I have to find a box big enough to fit my phat, fat pages in! I cannot get both sets in a 12x12x3 Priority flat rate box! I got carried away and put too much stuff on them and now they won't fit! So I have to go find a box that's big enough to send. So you'll have to wait til probably the end of this week to see them.

However!

I am also in my third upline, Susan's swap. It's a 9/8 card swap using any stamp set and paper pack from the new Spring catalog. I chose Silhouette paper pack, Joy Forever and Lovely Lace stamp sets. I just finished these, so thought I'd give people (Liane!) a sneak peek. And the scan does not do the card justice, The bottom piece where it says, "A thing of beauty is a joy forever" is "bumpy." I used one of our foundry frames and brayered over it to make the outline, then sanded the bumps. Between the two different pieces of paper on the top, is lace that I embossed in black then cut out. The flowers are stamped and cut out. The two on the outside I used the pearl paint on to give them some shimmer and they are also pop-dotted for dimension. Like I said, the scan does not do it justice!

Now I'm off to vacuum my cat-litter tracked up house and take down my Christmas decorations.@@ Good Lord! That single wide is calling mah name!!

new pearl paint

Just a small sneak peek for you, Deb!

CTMH has a new pearl paint that I thought would look so cool on our paper flowers to embellish the Spring pages I'm doing for Debbie's swap. It looks better than I thought! I also discovered that since the container is designed "upside down" so the paint stays at the "bottom", actually the top; when you open it, it sqooshes out too much paint. Happy accident! I custom painted some antique white grosgrain ribbon I had in addition to the flowers! The first pic, the white flower has the pearl paint and Lilac ink. The blush flower has the pearl paint and Blush ink. The ribbons are Blush and Sweet Leaf. They are hanging in a bush in the front yard drying. We are above 80 degrees again today. All the winders and doors are flung open to the breeze and I'm in shorts, natch!

Lucky Me!

Not only can I now join AARP, I also qualify for their Special Auto Insurance Rates. @@

AND!

I am now recieving info in the mail about Laisk eye surgery. @@

I'll be the one sitting over in the corner in my rocker with the quilt over mah legs to keep out the chill.

Whippersnappers!

I'm here!

Diligently working on swaps. I promise I'll share when Debbie has them in her hands. Not before!

The Christmas stuff is still up. @@ We're thinking about moving into a single-wide with a car up on blocks in the yard on a dirt road. Then we'll fit right in. Thank God we don't put up outside lights!!

more cards

Here's some more cards I've been working on for CTMH Convention. The first one is my take on one we got as a Christmas card. The little tag insert is where you can write your sentiment. It also has silver Stickles on the flower centers and as the dot on the i.

The second one is another Criss Cross card. I used an old Heart of Winter campaign paper pack called Promise of Spring. It's no longer available, but I had some left over in my stash! The flower on the front of the "envelope" is pop dotted for dimension and the bottom part is embossed. The color is Smokey Plum and is really beautiful in person, but does not scan well at all.

I got my paper packs I need to finish the swap I'm in yesterday afternoon, so I'll be concentrating for a while. I'll take pics and share once I get them done and to Debbie. There's not a snowball's chance in hell she's gonna get a sneak peek before they arrive on her doorstep! Love ya girl!

ooh that smell.........

Can't you smell that smell? Don't you wish this was Smellanet?

That is a ginormous pot of spagetti sauce with meatballs bubbling away on my stovetop. And before you all get in your cars and start racing over here. Slow down! It's not for tonight. It's for tomorrow. So drive the speed limit! I can't eat spagetti the day I make sauce. After tasting and adjusting spices, wine, spices, wine all day long, the last thing I want for dinner that night is spagetti. :::Hick!::: Too much wine? No! Never too much wine! And what do you ask happens to the rest of that ginormous pot of sauce? Since it's just John and I eating? And we can't possibly eat that much sauce in one sitting? Worry not Dear Friends! I put it in Ziploc bags and freeze it. Then I have individual bags that I can take out and I don't have to make sauce again for a few months.

Also, a cute little door hanging I picked up today at my local JoAnn's for a buck 99! Couldn't beat that with a stick! He is hanging happily on my front door.

And yes, my Christmas decorations are still up. I am thinking I may take them down on Sunday before the Bucs play the Giants in the first playoff game. Or not!

some cards

This year, CTMH is holding it's annual Convention in Orlando! Practically in my backyard! It's a 3 day event that will be the end of August. I'm really looking forward to meeting some of my CTMH sisters that I've formed online friendships with in talking on the bb's and swapping. I have decided that in between my other projects, I'm going to go ahead and get started on cards to swap while I'm there. I figure I will need between 150-200 and I plan to do them in lots of 24 to make it seem less daunting! I've gotten the first 24 completed in the last couple of days. I also worked on my Stamp of the Month swap cards for our monthly Unit swap. It's called a Criss Cross card. I really thought the card was pretty when I saw it, but wanted to start with a small number to see how easily they went together. They really weren't too bad, so I'll be doing some of them to take to Convention. So the first card is done with our Heart of Winter campaign paper pack, "Serendipity." It will be one set of my swap cards for Convention. The next two are my SOM Unit swap cards using the "Silhouette" paper pack in our new Winter catalog. It shows the card insert and the "envelope" that the card goes in. Then the last one is the insert inside the "envelope."

A clean slate

So here we are, in the early hours of the New Year. I'm not gonna do a bunch of resolutions I know I won't keep. I'm not gonna wax poetic on shoulda's, coulda's, woulda's. I'll just wish everyone a happy, healthy 2008. May we all win LOTTO and retire to a desert island or mountain top in TN! Or both...since we'll be gozillionaires and all.