Show and Tell

unfailing love... and... just a note

Today is Monday, September 26. It is after 1:30 as I begin this post and so far it has been a good day. And, you know that I love that! Of course, who doesn't love a good day? My definition of a good day has just changed somewhat. A good day around here now means a clear head and minimal naps. And time to complete a blog post and maybe watch a little TV. Quite a life, huh? Eventually I'll add going to work into the mix, but right now I'm usually so tired after a radiation treatment that I end up napping the morning away — and when your job is basically a half-day morning/early afternoon job... well, between treatment, naps, and lunch there's just not a lot of time or energy for work. I'm hopeful that once radiation is over, though, that I'll be able to get back to a regular work schedule... or close to it.

Today I learned that after tomorrow the focus of the radiation changes... meaning it becomes concentrated on a smaller area. The way I understand it is that right now, because there is a lot of swelling associated with the tumor, they have been targeting a large area — the tumor and all the swollen areas around it. After tomorrow, they'll narrow the focus and target the actual tumor. Of course, I may have that wrong... but that's what I understood them to say today. And, as is usual with me, I didn't ask how that will affect me. I guess I'll just see what happens. They are planning to keep my steroid dose the same throughout this week and I think try reducing it one more time at the beginning of next week.

I think that's the medical update for today. Boy, I long for the day when you don't have to endure those (and I don't have to write them)!

 

Now it's time for today's scripture — from the Psalms again. 

Psalm 69:5-6, 16

"O God, you know how foolish I am; my sins cannot be hidden from you. Don't let those who trust in you be ashamed because of me, O Sovereign Lord of Heaven's Armies. Don't let me cause them to be humiliated, O God of Israel....

"Answer my prayers, O Lord, for your unfailing love is wonderful. Take care of me for your mercy is plentiful."

Again I'm reminded of dcTalk's song, "What if I Stumble" (it's imbedded in this post). I've either commented on a similar verse before or just talked about this before, but one of my "fears" has always been that I'll do or say something stupid that will lead people astray. It remains a concern of mine... especially as I post so much here on the internet. I am often so very foolish and God knows that's true. I do pray that my foolishness does not cause people to lose sight of the Lord. And that when I temporarily lose my way that I am either quickly convicted by the Holy Spirit or confronted by another Believer. And I pray that my heart remains soft to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying to me — because, really, I prefer His chastisement (especiallly when he's gentle with me) to something more public and humiliating. And, I'm not too fond of having to apologize. :)

Since my world is a bit isolated right now — I'm not going to work or out into public too much — it's pretty easy to remain focused on the Lord and be "more spiritual". Also, I do work in a Christian environment — which doesn't necessarily mean that we all always act in Christian ways, but it does provide us with a similar standard of behavior and understanding of each other. So, I realize that my situation may make it easier to live in a holy way. But I do believe that God provides help for us in bad situations. Sometimes all we have to do is ask.

I was in a situation once as a teacher where I felt like my assistant was persecuting one especially precocious child because he talked a lot and was a bit of a smart-mouth. (He was pretty funny, though. I stifled many-a-smile that year! :) ) Anyway, I wasn't sure exactly how I wanted to handle it and after a couple days it finally dawned on me to pray about it. The next day, at the time of day where the clash regularly occured, the assistant came to me and said something like, "The way I've been disciplining so-and-so has not been working so I've decided not to do that anymore." I was so flabbergasted. And thankful for the speedy answer to prayer. So — I guess I'm saying, when you have a concern... pray about it! Seems obvious, doesn't it? So why does it often take us so long to think of that? The Lord wants us to be dependent on Him. He wants to help us in all sorts of situations. Nothing is too big or too small to take to Him in prayer. 

And, why does He do this (rescue us)? Because He hears our prayers. He loves us with an unfailing love. He loves to take care of us. And His mercy is plentiful. Could you ask for anything more? I think not!

 

Well, I spent a little time in the craft room this morning so I have something new to share today. That makes me happy. :)

If you've been around here for quite awhile, you know I decided to get rid of some of my stamp sets... but I wanted to have a party for each one before sending it off to live with a friend. Originally, I was doing that by using each stamp in the set... but I just couldn't get inspired by all the stamps in this particular set so I decided to break my rules. Instead, I'm just doing the images that I want to do. I guess when you make the rules you can break the rules. :)

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The little sentiment is the image from the set that I'm giving away.

And this is yet another card that didn't go exactly as planned. In fact, I'll explain my idea but it is still really hard to see, so I guess it didn't work out too well. My thought was that I would stamp the large image with Versamark, quickly cut it into strips, separate the strips in order, and then emboss every other one. Would've worked pretty well if I has separated the strips in order so I didn't have two unembossed strips in a row. Oh, well. Mistakes are opportunities for improvements, right? So I employed my favorite distraction tactic... strips of glitter. :) And I think that, somehow, I came up with a pretty decent looking card. 

AND TELL:  stamps are from Stampin' Up (All-Year Cheer III, Bella Toile); cardstock is SU (vellum) and a pre-scored card from Halcraft (Natural Color Card Value Pack); ink is Versamark and StazOn (Jet Black); embossing powder is Stamp-n Stuff (Detail Clear); glitter is Prisma (ultra fine gold); stickers are Martha Stewart (orange-yellow dahlia); also used 1/8" Scor-tape.

Thought I'd show you a couple pictures from around here. This first one is from the spread that Ken puts out for us to eat while we watch our Carolina Panthers play football.

He's pretty amazing, isn't he? In the pre-brain tumor days when I was doing all this, there would have been a pile of cheese slices and a pile of sausage slices. No fruit. My only quirk with our sausage and cheese was that there had to be the same number of each and they needed to be fairly thinly and evenly sliced. Well, Ken has taken our Sunday afternoon football meal to new heights. :) (We also have a basket full of crackers and our own mustard preferences — Ken's regular old yellow mustard and my honey-mustard.) Anyway, every Sunday you can now picture what we'll be eating during the football game. Unless Ken changes things up a bit. Which could happen. :)

Then I thought I'd show you my morning nap couch companion.

Isn't she a sweetie? Actually, she doesn't stay on the couch with me for very long. She thinks I take up too much room. :)

And that's probably enough for today. Thanks so much for stopping by. I appreciate your visits so much! Have a great rest of your day — and I'm sending you hugs!

Rescue your beloved... and... for my mom

Today is Friday, September 16. Another step-down-on-the-steroid-dose day. I think this is the last change in the dosage for awhile. I hope so because it kind of stresses me out — and I am not the type of person who stresses out easily or often. But, I vividly remember the first time they reduced my doses and it was not pretty. Of course, this time the reduction has gone very well at each step, with the exception of my crabbiness, so hopefully this step will go well, too. I have learned a few things. It goes better if I go and do things or if I have visitors who keep me occupied. Go figure. Being distracted and not dwelling on my own stuff makes me feel better. :) (Don't know why it took me so long to figure that out!) 

Today so far I've read my Bible, been to radiation, made a couple cards, taken some card photos, had a nap, gone to work for a (very) short while, eaten (a few times, of course!), and am trying to get a really good start on this post before we go to pick my mom up from the airport. Pretty busy day. :)

And since I still have stuff to do... let's get into the Word. Today from the Psalms.

Psalm 60:3-5, 11-12

"You have been very hard on us, making us drink wine that sent us reeling. But you have raised a banner for those who fear you — a rallying point in the face of attack. Now rescue your beloved people. Answer and save us by your power.... Oh, please help us against our enemies, for all human help is useless. With God's help we will do mighty things, for he will trample down our foes."

I don't know who your enemy is right now, but I sure do know who mine is. My enemy is a brain tumor and, in many ways, that tumor has set a lot of people reeling... not just me. But I have a rallying point and it is my relationship with the Lord. I am His beloved and He can rescue me and save me by His awesome power. He is my help against my formidable enemy — the brain tumor. And with His help — brain tumor or no — I can do mighty things. Reassuring, isn't it? 

 

Now to the crafty portion of our day. :) 

Remember the "Farewell Tour" that I was doing? It's ba-a-c-k! Of course, I started it on January 1 of this year. This may be the longest-running retrospective ever. :)

It's my 4th Farewell Tour — where I pick a set in my stamp collection and give it some extra love before giving it away. The set I'm giving away this time is All Year Cheer III, an old Stampin' Up set that I just haven't used for ages. And I'm adjusting the way I do the tour. Previously I made sure that I used every single set in the box before letting it go. I'm over that. I just don't feel like doing a St. Patrick's Day, Anniversary, Halloween, Graduation, Christmas, or Valentine's Day card right now. So I'm not going to. They're my rules and I can break them, right? :)

So, today I'm saying good-bye to a little tiny stamp in the set.

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I usually make a card to have for visitors when they arrive, so this time I made a little cardlet for my mom — who is arriving today for a long visit. Probably by the time I get this finished and posted she'll already be here... I'm the slowest post-writer in the world! I think she'll appreciate the card, though.

AND TELL:  stamp is from Stampin' Up (All Year Cheer III); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (Stampers Select White); ink is Stampin' Up (Almost Amethyst, Lavender Lace); stickers are from Martha Stewart (Dimensional Hydrangea); baker's twine is The Twinery (Lilac); also used SU's Square Latice embossing folder and Cuttlebug's Tiny Tags die. 

And we'll love having her here.

That should probably be it for now. Mom did arrive safe and sound — but the pictures that I took were not very good at all, so pictures of Mom will have to come later. But we'll have plenty of opportunities because she's here for a good long visit. :)

Thank you so much for stopping by today. I love hearing from you and will plan on being in touch again tomorrow. Sending you big hugs!

Happy Wedding Day

This card is part of my Farewell Tour #4. Hmmm. Don't remember that tour? Could be because I started on January 1... with a Happy New Year card. This sentiment stamp is part of the same set that I'm saying goodbye to, and I've actually already given it away. But I'd like to gift the recipient with the whole set, so I really need to get this Farewell Tour going!

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I used a Stampin' Up embossing folder on the front of the light grey card and then inked up the edges and the embossed portions with white pigment ink to give the card a soft look.

Since I wanted the seam binding to go at an angle with the diagonal line of the embossing, I had to do a little tricky engineering with slitting the cardstock — which, of course, I didn't realize until I'd already cut into the fold, so I ended up having to cover the inside of the card to help hide some ugliness. But, sometimes little mistakes lead to improved cards and having both sides of the inside "lined" really makes a nice impact.

AND TELL:  stamps are from Stampin' Up (All Year Cheer III, Sweet Summer); cardstock is SU (Going Grey) and Papertrey Ink (Stampers Select White); ink is Memento (Tuxedo Black), SU (Going Grey), and PTI (Fresh Snow); ribbon is SU (Baja Breeze Seam Binding); also used a die from PTI's Limitless Layers 1-3/4" circles collecction and SU's Elegant Lines embossing folder.

So this card is now on top of the gift for the wedding we're going to tonight. The wedding that I photographed parts of the rehearsal dinner for last night. My friend Margie, the groom's mom, had convinced me to take photos by saying something like, "I like the pictures you show on your blog... just do things like that..." So I concentrated on the types of pics I put on my blog... the kind that tell the story from the street...

 

to the backyard...
 

 

to the deck..

 

the tables...
 

and the centerpieces.
 
I photographed the cake table...

 
and the food and drink...

 

of course. :)

I did get a few people pics...

 
Andy & Margie with their three boys...

and the boys with their girl friends and their Aunt Susie...

 
(bride and groom on the right).

 
It was a wonderful celebration that we are thankful to have been a part of. Thanks, Andy & Margie, for including us in this special time for your families. And, Drew & Emily, our prayers are with you for a fabulous wedding day and a wonderful life together!

And thank you to you, dear blog readers, for making a stop by here today. I appreciate your visits and your comments. Have a great rest of your weekend!

 

Happy New Year {with a cherry on top}

I wanted to be sure that I wished you a Happy 2011 so I made a card this morning — just for you!

This will also be the beginning of Farewell Tour #4, as I say good-bye to another of my Stampin' Up stamp sets. You know... out with the old, in with the new. This time I'm letting go of another old sentiment set:  All Year Cheer III.

 
It has some useful sentiments in it, but — let's face it — there are a lot of sets containing useful sentiments and I just don't use this one very often anymore. And it's taking up valuable real estate in the stamp drawer.

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I thought you might like to see the SU set that I used to supplement my farewell set — especially since I used it in a rather unconventional way. Instead of ice cream cones and sprinkles, I saw pennants and confetti. The cherry and sweet celebration sentiment weren't part of my original plan, but they sort of fit... so, why not?

AND TELL:  stamps are from Stampin' Up (All Year Cheer III, Sweet Scoops); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (Stampers Select White) and SU (Going Grey); ink is SU (Melon Mambo, Regal Rose, Pumpkin Pie, Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink, Apricot Appeal, Real Red, Basic Gray, Going Grey); baker's twine is from The Twinery (Berry Sorbet); also used a couple of PTI dies (circle from Limitless Labels and largest flower from Beautiful Blooms II #2).

And, of course, I have to show you some more photos from New York City. Our absolute highlight of the trip came as a surprise to both of us.

 
On a whim, Ken bought us tickets to see the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular with the Rockettes. Let me tell you... I would go to NYC specifically to see this. It was so unbelievably phenomenal. The way they incorporated visual effects into the performance was just terrific. I'm going to show you a bunch of pictures (mainly because I can't decide which ones to leave out) and kind of walk you through the program from beginning to end. My photos don't do it justice, but maybe you can get an idea. OK — I'll stop blabbing now and just get on with it.

 
The theater itself was spectacular, with big organs on each side...

 
and small stages that they incorporated at various times.

 
Right after this, there was an amazing part where you used the 3-D glasses that were included with your program. I can't really remember the specifics — and, of course, I couldn't photograph it — so you'll just have to take my word for it that it was wonderful.

 
Those are the Rockettes as reindeer. Can you kind of tell how vibrant the scenery was? And, this guy needs no introduction...

 

Oh, my. This is where I'm having trouble cutting out photos.

 
All those ornaments in the photo above? In different parts of this segment they were all blue... or all red... or all green... or all purple... It was beautiful.

 
Of course, the Rockettes had to do their signature dance move — more than once.

There was a Nutcracker portion...

 
with dancing animals...

 
and a joyous Clara...

 
I've seen this famous toy soldier dance somewhere before.

 
But it's so great in person.

 
 
 
And, this part with the bus...

 
where it appeared to be moving right through the city...

 
I told you the way they used the scenery video effects was incredible.

 
In part of the show, Santa has a little number where he explains the magic multiplication of himself so that he can be many places at once.

 
 
And then he and a young believer (along with his brother, a skeptic) fly to...

 
the North Pole...

 
where they select a special Christmas present for their sister...

 
Do you always think of the Rockettes as being glamourously costumed? Well... they aren't always.

 

This one is more like it...

 
And isn't that background gorgeous, too?

But, here's the best part.

 
The boys, back home with their sister's doll, sitting in the living room and reading the Christmas story from the Bible. The whole thing...

 
the angel and the shepherds...

 
the wise men following the star...

 
all the way to a stable in Bethlehem...

 
honoring and celebrating the birth of the Savior of the world, Jesus.

It was so incredible and hearing Jesus' story told in such a public and secular venue really warmed my heart. I pray that no matter how they change the show in the future that they always conclude with the true story that is the real reason for the season. Now that's a spectacular Christmas!

It seems a little trivial to talk about cupcakes after that, but there is a Magnolia Bakery right near Radio City Music Hall.

 
Of course, cupcakes from Magnolia were on my NYC list...

 
and I've told you how Ken likes to humor me and my lists...

 
He had Red Velvet. I had Snickerdoodle.

 
We enjoyed them across the street (in the cold) at the edge of more beautiful New York City decorations.

 
And then we took a carriage ride through Central Park.

 
Whew! That's it for today. (Aren't you glad?)

Believe it or not, though, that only ends our second day in the city. Two more days to go. The next day we went to MOMA. I'll try to restrain myself with those pics.

Hope you have had a wonderful first day of 2011 — and that your year is full of joy and blessings! Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you again soon. 

 

 

 

Farewell Tour #3 -- The End

Finally, the last two stamps from All Year Cheer 1 have been used and I can officially say farewell to the stamps. Adios. Hasta la vista, baby. (To see the other cards I made with this set click on the Farewell Tour category in the right side bar.)

Nearly two months ago I promised to use a (retired) Stampin' Up Halloween set to make cards for other occasions. (The set I used for a Halloween card here.) And today, besides the farewell to these sentiments, I'm going to show you how I sometimes think outside of the box with holiday specific sets.

This first card is also for Clean and Simple Stamping's Fall-to Layout 114. Gotta knock these out when I can, you know. And I felt pretty lucky when I discovered that I could adapt the Christmas card that I had in mind to this week's sketch. That just doesn't happen every day.

 

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My card started out as a 4-1/4" square, but a little of the height got shaved off when I decided to use the border punch.

AND TELL:  stamps are from Stampin' Up (All Year Cheer I, Pumpkin Patch, Shapes & Shadows); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (white); ink is SU (Melon Mambo, Tempting Turquoise, Rich Razzleberry, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive) and Encore (Ultimate Metallic Silver); also used a Creative Memories metallic silver pen and an EK Success border punch.

Now, let's switch holidays — and turn the Christmas ornaments into Easter eggs. 

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Even the grass was made from one of the stamps that was originally designed to be a pumpkin. Still can't believe that Stampin' Up retired the Pumpkin Patch set after one short stint in a mini-catalog. What were they thinking?

AND TELL:  stamps are from Stampin' Up (All Year Cheer I, Pumpkin Patch); cardstock is SU (Bashful Blue, Gable Green) and Papertrey Ink (white); ink is SU (Wild Wasabi, So Saffron, Lavender Lace, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Pink Pirouette); ribbon is from Michael's; also used PTI's Large Scallop Border die, Sizzix Snowballs embossing folder, and Spellbinder's Nestabilities Label 4 die.

That's it for today. I've been trying to do too many things at once this morning — making cards, baking cookies, reading blogs, writing blog entries, cleaning, laundry... my self-diagnosed ADD is showing! Time to stop this craziness and focus on finishing one thing. So after this I think I'll focus on cookies. Of course. :)

Have a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you again soon!

Farewell Tour #3 -- Day 5

Two more cards using stamps from the set I've been saying goodbye to all week. After this I'm going to have to go hurry and make cards using the last two stamps so I'll have something to post tomorrow!

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I had a pretty hard time deciding how to use this sentiment stamp, but am pretty happy with what I ended up with. I especially like the color combination — and Early Espresso is quickly becoming my favorite brown. Just love the richness of it.

AND TELL:  stamps are from Stampin' Up (All Year Cheer I, I {Heart} Hearts); cardstock is SU (Early Espresso, Confetti White, Sahara Sand, Soft Suede); ink is SU (Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso) and Papertrey Ink (Tea Dye Duo); ribbon is PTI (Scarlet Jewel); also used PTI's Woodgrain impression plate and Sizzix's Frame Fleur de lis & Vines embossing folder.

Now, this next card isn't my favorite. It's smallish — around 3-1/4" square — so may be useful as a little gift enclosure.

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Funny story about the rhinestones. They weren't in the original plan. I somehow got black ink smudges in a few areas of the white cardstock and had to cover them up somehow. Rhinestones to the rescue! Hopefully it doesn't look too much like the elephant is, um... pooping ... that one large crystal.

AND TELL:  stamps are from Stampin' Up (All Year Cheer I, Out of the Box); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (white) and SU (Pink Pirouette, Only Orange); patterned paper from my stash; ink is PTI (True Black) and SU (Melon Mambo); rhinestones are from Kaiser; baker's twine is Martha Stewart; also used PTI's large scallop die and SU's medium jewelry tag punch.

Well, off to work on a couple cards for tomorrow. Thanks so much for spending a little time here with me today. I enjoy our visits!

 

Farewell Tour #3 meets Clean & Simple Stamping

Well, here are a couple more cards using sentiments from the Stampin' Up set that I've decided to get rid of, All Year Cheer I. If you're interested in seeing the other cards that I've made for this "Farewell Tour", you can click on the Farewell Tour link under categories in the right side bar.

For these two cards, I gathered inspiration from Clean and Simple Stamping. This week's sketch is FTL113.

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I love a good, hot beverage and nearly always have a mug of steaming coffee or tea nearby, so this cup image seemed a perfect complement to the "warmest wishes" sentiment.

AND TELL:  stamps are from Stampin' Up (All Year Cheer I, Portfolio Collection II); cardstock is SU (Sahara Sand, Old Olive); ink is SU (Real Red, Early Espresso); also used Creative Memories' 1-1/4" square punch.

And, if you've visited me here before, you may remember that I'm a bit obsessive about making sure that I complete all these sketches. Sometimes I get behind and then start operating in catch-up mode. Thus, this card for FTL105.

 

 

 

 

 

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Sweet and pretty and sort of vintage-y is not my natural style, but I do like to dabble in it every now and then. And this card catches me up with all of Natasha's sketches. Woohoo! (Wonder how long it will take me to get behind again?!)

AND TELL:  stamps are from Stampin' Up (All Year Cheer I, Watercolor Minis); cardstock is SU (Pink Pirouette, Lavender Lace) and Papertrey Ink (white); patterned paper is Anna Griffin (Isabelle collection); ink is SU (Bashful Blue, Lavender Lace, Basic Black) and PTI (Tea Dye Duo); gems are from my stash; also used PTI's Eyelet Lace Border die. 

And now a picture to show you one of the great things about being a preschool director.

 
You had to know it was about some kind of sweet treat, didn't you? (Yes, I'd already had a few bites...) And, of course, the ever-present coffee cup. Sometimes there are leftover treats from classroom parties and sometimes I just happen {wink} to walk into a classroom where there are particularly good looking treats and sometimes the teachers feel compelled to offer me a goodie and, well, sometimes I just can't say no. :) This was quite the yummy pumpkin-shaped Rice Krispie treat. Hmm. I didn't take a picture of the iced pumpkin-shaped cookie that I ate (from another classroom that I just happened to walk into at just the right time...). And tomorrow there will be more "pumpkin parties". Wonder what delicious treats will be served in the Monday/Wednesday/Friday classes? (haha — you know I'll be looking!)

That's it for today. Hope your day has been fabulous and that you'll get a chance to come back tomorrow for a couple more cards using sentiments from this set. Thanks so much for stopping in! 

Farewell Tour #3 -- Day 3

For those of you who just happened upon here today, I'm in the middle of saying good-bye to an old Stampin' Up set, All Year Cheer I. The set has been retired for quite some time now, but I'm just getting to the point where I know I can't keep every rubber stamp that I've ever purchased. At least, not if I want to keep buying more. I don't live in a mansion. Or a warehouse — which is what I'll need soon if I keep collecting at my current rate. :)  

So — can you stand a couple Christmas cards today?

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Just a fun, easy, bright card with very little stamping. Sometimes I like them that way.

AND TELL:  stamp is from Stampin' Up (All Year Cheer I); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (Rustic White) and SU (Green Galore, Real Red); patterned paper is from my stash; ink is SU (Basic Black); ribbon is recycled from a gift; rhinestones are from Kaiser (Black); also used SU's Little Leaves die and Two-Step Bird Punch.

And here is today's second card.

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I like to get a little non-traditional with Christmas cards sometimes. I thought the "hugs and kisses" sentiment worked well with the mistletoe image. And the pink matting just seemed fun.

AND TELL:  stamps are from Stampin' Up (All Year Cheer I, Good Things Grow); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (white) and SU (Positively Pink, Real Red); ink is SU (Green Galore) and PTI (True Black); baker's twine is from Martha Stewart; also used Cuttlebug's Traffic Jam embossing folder, Creative Memories' 1-1/2" square punch, SU's 3/4" circle punch, and a 1/16" punch.

Now — since we're talking about Christmas, this is a glimpse of the scene that greeted me when I went to the mall today...

 
The decorations in the department store were really quite pretty, but I'm just not ready for it yet. I remember when I was a kid that the day after Thanksgiving was like Christmas magic had happened. It was so fun to go into Salem with my parents and see the decorations at Meier & Frank. And J.C. Penney. And, especially, at Lipman's — the best place to see Santa. They also had the Cinnamon Bear who gave out cookies — apparently my love affair with cookies began early in life!. {sigh} I know that to make all that happen means that a whole crew of people had to work like crazy on Thanksgiving Day, but I sort of long for those days. It made Christmas seem even more special.

Time to get on with the evening. Last night there were storms in the area — let me rephrase that... in our TV stations' viewing area — so it was weather, weather, and more weather all night long. So that means that out of 2 hours of Biggest Loser we saw maybe 20 minutes. And we only saw the first half of Parenthood before they interrupted with yet more weather updates. So, tonight Ken's going to try to hook my laptop up to the big TV and we're going to watch Parenthood online. That's the plan anyway. And since there are storms in the viewing area again tonight, we may be watching even more shows on the computer this week. While we don't get even a drop of rain or a gust of wind at our house. Not fair. (But, I know that if they were saving my life with all this information I would be ever-so-grateful, so I'm really, really, really trying not to be aggravated at the local networks for being overly zealous. I probably watch too much TV anyway...)

Hope you have a wonderful evening doing whatever you do on Wednesday nights. Thanks so much for stopping by — I love hearing from those of you who comment. :) I'll be back tomorrow with a couple more cards using sentiments from All Year Cheer I. See you then!  

Farewell Tour #3 meets One Layer Wednesday

Just popping on quickly to show you a couple more cards for my third "Farewell Tour" — I started saying good-bye to an old Stampin' Up sentiment set, All Year Cheer I, yesterday. Since I like to do the One Layer Wednesday challenges, I decided to use a couple of those challenges as inspiration.

The challenge for OLW 25 (as issued on Jennifer Styles' blog) was to use birds, bees, flowers, and/or trees along with a sentiment. (And, yes, I've been singing that old song for nearly a week now...)

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I decided to keep the look simple — just coloring in the flower centers and adding a little Stickles to the bees' wings.

AND TELL:  stamps are from Stampin' Up (All Year Cheer I, In Full Bloom); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (Rustic White); ink is Memento (Tuxedo Black); also used Stampin' Write marker (Daffodil Delight), Stardust Stickles, and a Scor-Pal.

And, since I had just one more One Layer Wednesday challenge to be all caught up, here's a card for OLW17 — to use a border stamp.

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Since I liked the previous card a lot (and since that floral stamp set has a border stamp in it), I decided to go with the same sort of idea on this card. I like the first card best, but this one's not too bad either. :)

AND TELL:  stamps are from Stampin' Up (All Year Cheer I, In Full Bloom); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (Rustic White); ink is Memento (Tuxedo Black); gemstones are Kaiser (Black); also used Stampin' Write marker (Daffodil Delight), Stardust Stickles, Scor-Pal, and PTI's Picnic Plaid impression plate.

I think that's it for tonight. We're sitting here watching The Biggest Loser and then we'll watch Parenthood. Love Parenthood. Such a great show. Do you watch it?

Hope you're having a great evening, too. Thanks so much for stopping by here for a few minutes! See ya tomorrow.

Farewell Tour #3

This good-bye party is for an old Stampin' Up sentiment set, All Year Cheer I. There are 12 stamps in the set so this will be a l-o-n-g goodbye. In fact, it may just stretch out over the rest of this week.

 
The first sentiment I used is paired with a newer set — Fox & Friends. I'd been wanting to use the monkey for quite some time. This seemed like the perfect opportunity.

SHOW

 
I drew in the little movement lines around the monkeys. Hopefully they look like they're doing cartwheels. Or flips. Or at least jumping up and down. Something to convey excitement and congratulations.

I hardly ever stamp words in a color. They're almost always black or brown, so this was a real departure for me. And — I think I like it. I suppose I should step out of my box a little more often!

AND TELL:  stamps are from Stampin' Up (All Year Cheer I, Fox & Friends); cardstock is SU (Marina Mist) and Papertrey Ink (Rustic White); ink is SU (Pumpkin Pie, Marina Mist); also used SU's Early Espresso marker.

The next sentiment I paired with an older set — one that was in my "give away" pile, but somehow made it back into the drawer. I just can't seem to get rid of it yet.

SHOW

 
I'm sure you can tell that I didn't use my Stamp-a-majig to help line up the outlines with the flower images. I decided that close would be good enough — and maybe look a little artsy or something. I think it works. The stems were drawn with a marker and a ruler. I almost forgot about the sentiment (duh!) and had to squeeze it in at the bottom. But — I think that works, too. :)

AND TELL:  stamps are from Stampin' Up (All Year Cheer I, Shapes & Shadows); cardstock is SU (Pale Plum Whisper White); ink is SU (Basic Black, Rose Red, Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight); also used SU's Basic Black marker, a 1/8" hole punch, and ribbon from Michael's.

Today was picture day at school. We have a new photographer this year and she wanted to shoot every child. (We haven't done the toddlers and young two year olds in the past.) She also wanted to take the pictures outside in the courtyard, which was fine with me. After 12 or so years of more traditional inside school pictures, I was ready to try something new. So here's a picture from today...

 
Yes, it rained. And most of the toddlers and young two year olds screamed. Or refused to have their picture taken in other ways. You know. Rubber legs. Falling to the ground. Hands over their faces. That kind of stuff. What a day. Our family photos scheduled for this afternoon had to be rescheduled and we didn't get two of the older classes done due to pouring rain and time-wasting toddler shenanigans. But I think the pictures she did get taken are going to be gorgeous. It'll be fun to see.

And tomorrow we get to do it all over again. Hopefully minus the rain. And the toddler shenanigans. :)

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I know I haven't posted in awhile, but since I have most of the cards for this little farewell tour already finished I should be back every day this week. Hope you'll get to come back, too. I really appreciate your visits!