Happy Birthday, Daddy

Today would be my daddy's birthday. I miss him tremendously every day, but on days like today, I just seem to get a little blue. My co-worker said to me, "He and your mom are probably celebrating high today." Yes, I know, but I miss them so much.

Checking In

What a month this has been! To start it off, Labor Day weekend, I came down with a cold. Not just a little cold, a mother bear of a cold! I was so sick that I didn't care if I ever saw a stamp again, ever. That hung on for two entire weeks. But after two trips to the doctor for gigantic shots, and two weeks off work, I finally went back last week. I didn't feel wonderful, but I just had to go back.

Then, Friday, my sister called me and said that our pastor's wife, who is like a mother to us, found out Friday morning that she had colon cancer and at 1:00 Friday afternoon, she went into surgery. So we spent a lot of time this weekend with her at the hospital. (which is in a town 40 miles from home)

Ok, I said all that to say this....I haven't stamped in a month and I am finally to the point where I am missing it. I hope I get to stamp this week! I'm having a stamping "event" for World Card Making Day and I don't have everything ready so I better get busy, huh!

In the meantime, I found this heart that I altered some time back so I thought I would put it up here, just so the picture would finally change. LOL

This heart started out as one of those printed advertisements that have lots of different businesses listed. It was outdated, so rather than just throw it away, I thought I could do something with it. I stamped the chef from the Voila Stampin' Up! set with black stazon ink. Then I put the image on the tray and colored it with watercolor pencils and a blender pen. I cut a heart out of the magnet and traced it on whisper white cardstock, cut it out and adhered it to the magnet heart. Then I just distressed the edges with elegant eggplant, direct-too-paper and there she be! Too easy.

Stamps: Voila
Cardstock: Whisper White
Ink: Jet Black StazOn and Elegant Eggplant
Accessories: Watercolor Pencils, Blender Pen

Everything used was Stampin' Up!

Jami's Swap

I am finally posting my creatiions for Jami's new catty swap. I have been privileged to participate in a few of Jami's swaps and wow, she is just the best. Due to some major "real life" happenings, my part was close to a fiasco, but with Jami's help, everything turned out ok. And I am so happy that it did! I was in 2 rounds and every single card I got was just wonderful! Most of the cards have been uploaded in the SCS gallery here. Anyway, these are my cards for this swap.








This was so incredibly simple. I stamped Weathered BG on Blue Bayou cardstock with BB ink. Then I took the two music symbols in Elegant Notes stamp set and randomly stamped them in BB ink. I stamped the "a note for you" in Jet Black StazOn ink on Whisper White cardstock and mounted that on Soft Sky cardstock. I left a litte more at the top and just folded that down over the top of the sentiment. I punched two holes with the 1/16" hole punch, put in some silver eyelets with the wonderful crop-a-dile, and attached yummy Whisper White taffeta ribbon. This was adhered at an angle. Then I took a 1' strip of Soft Sky cardstock and tied some more the the yummy ribbon and adhered that on the side. See, too simple!










This one was super simple too. I stamped the splatters in the Itty Bitty Background stamp set on Groovy Guava cardstock in GG ink. Then I stamped the rose from the Wing It stamp set on the bottom, approximately 1/3 in GG ink. I stamped the rose in GG ink on Confetti Cream cardstock in GG ink and cut it out. (I forgot to add the CC cardstock in the SCS product list, oops) Then I stamped the wings in Wild Wasabi (I don't know why I used that color) on CC cardstock and cut them out. Then I mounted them on Sahara Sand cardstock that had the splatters stamped in SS ink. I layered that on Always Artichoke cardstock and then on SS cardstock, after punching the corners with the ticket corner punch. This was adhered to a strip of AA cardstock with a piece of Very Vanilla taffeta ribbon tied on. It also had three holes punched with the 1/16' hole punch and gold brads attached. This was placed on the card to "hide" where the roses on the background stopped. Another super easy card.



I want to again thank all the ladies in rounds 2 and 4 of this swap. They were so nice about my cards being delayed and sent to them separately. And my cards in no way compare to the great ones I got from them.


I hope you have a great day!

50th Anniversary Card

Some relatives of a friend of mine are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary later this month. I was asked to make a card for the occasion and this is what I came up with. I'm not totally happy with it, but I'm running out of time. :)

The card is 8 1/2 by 5 1/2. The flourishes in Baroque Motifs set is stamped on groovy guava in groovy guava ink. Then the little flower is randomly stamped around in the "holes". I used the Martha Stewart punch (that my adorable downline let me buy from her since there is not a Michaels anywhere close to me) and punched a line to put behind the groovy guava layer and the always artichoke layer behind it. Then I used the same punch and made a little "tag" to write the last name of the couple and layered that on always artichoke and then chocolate chip. I wrote their first names and punched them out with the small oval punch and then lightly sponged the edges with always artichoke and layered it on always artichoke punched with the larger oval punch. I stamped my favorite Lizzie Anne Designs flower and watercolored it with groovy guava ink. I wrote the 50 on brushed gold cs, punched it out with the 3/4" round punch and mounted it in the center of the flower. I punched all 4 corners and mounted it on always artichoke. Then, I stamped Happy Anniversary from the Hugs and Wishes set on white cs, sponged the edges with always artichoke, mounted it on a chocolate chip layer and then decided to cut it apart and put it on either side of the flower. I put olive organdy ribbon under all of that. I stamped the little flower on the top of the shimmery white base and mounted all of the above on the bottom of the base. To balance out the top, I stamped the scalloped stamp in always artichoke, cut out the inner part and mounted it on chocolate chip....and that is it.

Like I said, I'm not totally happy with it, but it is just going to have to do. The lady who asked for it is pleased with it, so I'm going to just accept it and go on. LOL

Stamps: Baroque Motifs, Hugs and Wishes, Lizzie Anne Designs Jolies Fleurs
Paper: Shimmery White, Groovy Guava, Always Artichoke, Chocolate Chip
Ink: Basic Brown, Always Artichoke, Groovy Guava
Accessories: Always Artichoke Stampin' Write Marker, Olive Organdy Ribbon, Non SU Brad, Martha Stewart Punch, both SU Oval Punches, Ticket Corner Punch, Blender Pen
Techniques: watercolor with blender pen and reinker

Tagged

This is a really quick card that I did for a make & take at last Friday's workshop. It is sooo easy!



Stamps: Sweet Shapes and Sincere Salutations

Cardstock: Whisper White, Real Red, Yoyo Yellow

Ink: Basic Black, Real Red, Yoyo Yellow

Accessories: Red Gingham Ribbon



The card is so simple, it is self-explanatory.



I have been tagged by Tami. You have to go visit her blog! She has some gorgeous creations posted! So for this tag, I'm suppose to tell you 7 things about myself and then tag 7 more people. Hmmmmm, I'm not sure there are 7 interesting things about me, but here goes....

1. I have 2 sisters by birth and another sister by choice. All 3 are the greatest sisters in the whole world!

2. I signed up to be a Stampin' Up! demonstrator the day after I attended my first workshop. When I got my starter kit, I had made a grand total of 2 cards.

3. I use to be an Emergency Medical Technician, but only because it was a requirement to work at the Police Department. I let the license expire as soon as I left the P.D. and have never regretted it. I didn't really like being an EMT.

4. I am a very shy person and have trouble talking to people until I know them really, really well. Some people think I am snobby and have no idea that I'm just scared of them! LOL Now, I have no idea why demonstrating Stampin' Up! products doesn't scare me. Or how I can sing in the trio in front of real people. Hmmmmmmm.

5. I love Mexican food, especially if it is spicy HOT! The hotter the better. Maybe that is because when I was a very little girl, I got in my daddy's pepper patch and set my little mouth on fire! Somebody told my mom to put syrup or honey on my lips to stop the burning and it worked. I don't remember if she used syrup or honey.

6. My son has always been one of my very best friends. Even when he was a little guy, we had some really great conversations. I got him hooked on Queen (the rock band) and he got me hooked on NASCAR.

7. But my very best friend is Jesus Christ. It still amazes me that he died on the cross for me.

I am going to have to edit this tomorrow to tag people. I can't believe it is after 2:00 a.m. and I have to work in the morning and here I sit at the computer.

Pastor Martin

My sister and I have been fortunate enough to have a "step-in" daddy since our daddy passed away. He is our pastor and he and his wife have taken us under their wings. He plays the guitar and his favorite hymn is "Amazing Grace" so that is how this card was born. I gave this to Pastor Martin for Fathers' Day.

I copied the song and sponged the edges of Very Vanilla cardstock with Creamy Caramel ink. I masked the guitar and sponged around it, then "rock & roll" stamped the guitar with Creamy Caramel and Chocolate Chip, cut it out and plopped it on the card. I layered this on Chocolate Chip cardstock and then on a 5 1/2" X 5 1/2" square Very Vanilla card that had been wheeled with the Jazz Wheel in Creamy Caramel. Then I just sponged and stamped the envelope in Creamy Caramel and was done.

Stamps: Jazzed Up and Jazz Wheel

Ink: Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip

Paper: Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip

One more brag...

Can I brag one more time on my son? Thank you! :)

Kevin is hooked on Trans Siberian Orchestra. (if you don't know who they are, check them out at Christmas) Anyway, he participates in some of the members' forums and sent a link to this video to one of the singers, Tommy Farese, and got a very nice email back from him. When Kevin went to their OKC concert, he introduced himself to Tommy and asked if he could use the email in his resume. To make a long story short, Tommy was VERY nice and told Kevin that he was going to have his webmaster put Kevin's video on his website. Of course, Kevin was over the moon excited. But then, it didn't happen for a while and I thought Tommy had probably forgotten as I'm sure he has tons of fans that talk to him each concert. Well, it is there! Here is Tommy's website. The post about Kevin is second in line at this time.