Show and Tell

OLW 61, OLW51

I'm going to have to be quick today. Too much going on, I think.

These are cards for One Layer Wednesday challenges. This first one is for OLW61 which just so happens to be the challenge this week — to use clouds (as issued by Jennifer and her son).

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I used the clouds stamp from Unity, scored around the outside edges of the image, used a post-it to mask the left and right sides, and then stamped the sentiment across.

AND TELL:  stamps are from Unity (Kit of the Month: Oct. 2010) and Stampin' Up (Graceful Words); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (Stampers Select White); ink is SU (Going Grey, Kiwi Kiss); also used a Scor-Pal.

The second set of cards is for OLW51. This challenge was to make three cards using the same image but different sentiments. Here are mine. 

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I should've used my Stamp-a-majig on that first one where I repeated the image. Oh, well. I still kinda like it. :)

AND TELL:  stamps are from Unity (Kits of the Month:  Aug. 2009, Sept. 2009, July 2010 and the leafy image was a freebie I got with my first order); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (Stampers Select White); ink is Stampin' Up (Certainly Celery, Marina Mist, Pretty in Pink, Real Red), Encore Ultimate Metallic (Silver), and Memento (Tuxedo Black). 

I have a ton of things to do so I think I best get going. Thanks so much for stopping by here for a few minutes. Tomorrow is stamp club — we're doing a luncheon and recipe card swap. Hopefully I'll get back to show you my card sometime in the evening. And hopefully you'll be back, too. See you then! 

with sympathy

Today is Memorial Day in the United States — a day set aside to remember those who have fought and died for our freedom.

And today we went to a funeral. A lovely lady from our church lost her battle with cancer last week. She may not have fought or died in an actual battle for our country, but she fought spiritual battles with prayer every day and it was wonderful to sit and hear about how her life impacted the lives of others.

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Actually, this is not the card I made for Carol's husband. This card was given to our neighbors several weeks ago when his dad passed away. I'll show Carol's card another day.  

AND TELL:  stamps are from Unity (Bevy of Butterflies); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (Kraft, Rustic White); ink is Stampin' Up (Night of Navy) and Encore (Metallic Silver); silk ribbon is from PTI; also used PTI's woodgrain impression plate and a Scor-Pal.

Huge difference between these two services we've recently attended... today's filled with the knowledge that the one absent from the body is present with the Lord. It was a true celebration. The other... just empty hope that having been a mostly good person will come in handy. Scripture was not even quoted correctly... it was changed in alarming ways. This is still really bothering me. If the leader of a church is "reading" from scripture, but changing it as she's reading... how will the people know if they aren't looking at their own Bibles? I even pulled out the Bible in the pew to make sure that I was remembering John 14:6 correctly... and what was written in the Bible that was right there in the pew did not match the pastor's words. Yep. I was shocked. And horrified. Still am. And, I guess my message to you is that it is really important to read the Bible for yourself so that you know what it says. Yes. Some of what you read may make you feel uncomfortable. And some of it you may find offensive. Keeping reading. And praying. God loves you so much. And He wants you to the know the Truth that is found in His Word.

And that's the end of my preaching for the day. :) And it's also the end of the blog post for the day. Time for bed. I plan to be back tomorrow. I've a birthday card to share. Well... I hope to anyway... it isn't actually made yet. :)

Thanks so much for stopping by. I really appreciate your faithful visits and love reading your comments. Hugs to you... and we'll visit again tomorrow.

In My Beautiful Balloon

I haven't played along with a Moxie Fab challenge for quite awhile. Seemed like now might be a good time. Cath's current challenge is called In My Beautiful Balloon — to use a hot air balloon (or balloons) in an innovative way. Not sure that my tag is innovative, but I did use a balloon. :)

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I did a couple things that I don't normally do here... coloring... especially on colored cardstock stamped with colored ink... don't think I've ever done that. And heat embossing the background clouds in white... though I do emboss from time to time, it's not my favorite technique... too messy and takes too long... yes, I'm a bit lazy. :)

This challenge reminds me of singing that song (In My Beautiful Balloon) in 5th grade choir. When it got to the part "love is waiting there, in my beautiful balloon," I would gaze across the room at a certain boy that I had a huge crush on at the time (and blush). He had the biggest dimples, blonde hair, and was oh-so-cute. Ah, young love. :) So anyway, I think it'd be appropriate for me to use this tag on one of the bridal shower gifts for my daughter. Ah, yes, today we're celebrating young love on the ol' blog. :)

AND TELL:  stamps are from three different Unity Kits of the Month (December 2009: Delightful Moments, October 2010: Take Time to Laugh, February 2010: Nothing but Blue Skies); cardstock is Stampin' Up (Marina Mist, Gable Green, Whisper White) and Papertrey Ink (Stampers Select White); ink is SU (Taken with Teal) and PTI (True Black); markers are from SU (Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie); embossing powder is Stamp 'n Stuff (Detail White); button is PTI (Harvest Gold); seam binding and floss are from my stash; also used PTI's largest cloud die.

I'm feeling a little chatty tonight, so while we're on the topic of young love... as I was backing my car out of the driveway this afternoon, I noticed this on the car our senior in high school neighbor Molly drives:

 
Isn't that the most clever invitation to prom that you've ever seen? I immediately had to calll and find out if she said yes. And she did... :) I'm not sure that it's young love, but it's definitely young like. Apparently he wrote it on her car last night after dark. What a fun surprise for her, huh?

I have another fun thing, too, but I think I'll save it for another day. This post is already long enough. Thanks so much for taking a few minutes to drop by. Your visit means a lot to me! See you soon.

Not one... not two...

but three (!) one layer cards for today. The first is for Susan's One Layer Wednesday 41, to make a Christmas card using red and green on a white or cream base. Seems a little weird to be making a Christmas card in February (although, I should probably start following one of those Christmas card blogs where they give you a different Christmas card challenge every week or two... then maybe I'd actually send out handmade cards instead of the standard photo card from Shutterfly).

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Not my favorite card ever — and the stamping and coloring are far from perfect. Kinda looks more like a partridge in a gourd tree to me. But... it is red and green on cream. Can't decide if I like all that white space to the right or not. I'll have to look at it for awhile longer. I'd say it's entirely possible that it will eventually be cut down so that the tree is centered. But — I guess that's my perogative. :)

AND TELL:  stamps are from Unity Stamp Company (June 2009 Kit of the Month: ...perfect in every way); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (Vintage Cream); ink is Stampin' Up (Real Red); also used a green Copic marker.

And since I diddle-dawdled around and didn't get it posted (although I finished it in plenty of time), here is the card for last week's One Layer Wednesday: OLW40. The challenge was issued on Jennifer Styles' blog — to use two and only two image stamps, each stamped once and only once, and no sentiment.

 
I was in a Valentine's Day frame of mind when making this one. First I stamped the pocket, masked it at the top, and then stamped the heart so that it looked like it was popping out of the pocket. And, I never claimed to be an expert at coloring with Copics. This card is the living proof.

AND TELL:  stamps are from Unity Stamp Company (July 2009 Kit of the Month:  pocket full of...); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (Kraft); ink is Memento (Tuxedo Black); also used Copic Markers. 

AND, because I don't always read very carefully... here is the first card that I made for OLW40. The card I made thinking that Jennifer had said it was OK to use one of your two stamps multiple times. The card that I was ready to post when I reread the directions. I can't explain why I wait until I'm finished making a card to reread the challenge. Just one of those things about me that makes no sense. :)

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Yes, I guess this shows that maybe, just maybe, I am still working through my dislike of birds... especially big, black birds. However, they are much less menacing when covered with yellow-centered flowers, aren't they?

AND TELL:  stamps are from Unity Stamp Company (August 2010 Kit of the Month:  all you need...); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (Kraft); ink is Memento (Tuxedo Black); also used a yellow Copic marker.

I can't think of a single thing in my life that would be interesting enough to write about now (except... I'm so glad that a new season of Survivor has started and I'm looking forward to Amazing Race this Sunday... how in the world did I get sucked into these "reality" shows in the first place??!!... but I do love them...). Haha. Pretty sad when talking about "reality" TV is better than talking about real life, isn't it?!?

So, that's it for today. Hope your Thursday has been fabulous — and thanks for spending a bit of yours here with me!

you're such a treat

Ah, the first day of school. Here at last.

I like to take a little treat for the teachers on the first day of school — kind of a welcome back and I'm glad you're here offering. This is the card that I made to go with the plate of goodies. It was inspired by Card Patterns Sketch 80.

 

 

 

 

 

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Lately it seems like everytime I finish a card and get it photographed, I think "oh, I should've done this" or "oh, I should've done that". Maybe I should make a checklist for myself to look at as I'm designing a card. I think I need a list that says things on it like "texture", "dimension", etc. Seems so obvious to automatically think of these things — but obviously not to me! Gosh — having a brain over 50 years old is getting a little scary! (Please tell me I'm not alone!)   

AND TELL:  stamps are from Unity (June 2009 KOM: perfect in every way, July 2010 KOM: Happily Ever After); cardstock is Stampin' Up (Marina Mist, Daffodil Delight) and Papertrey Ink (Stampers Select White, Rustic White, Kraft); patterned paper is from Sassafras Lass (Cherry Delicious line); ink is SU (Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Wild Wasabi) and PTI (Dark Chocolate); red stickers are from my stash.

Before I go back to a few more Oregon pictures (I'll do that on the next post) I thought I'd show you one picture that pretty well sums up my entire Labor Day holiday weekend.

Yep. Food. Specifically burgers. And desserts. This picture was taken Saturday night at the house of some friends down the street. That burger with bleu cheese and american cheese and onion and tomato and whatever else I put on there was huge. Thankfully I have a big mouth. And I ate every bite. And then I had a nice sized piece of chocolate fudge layer cake. And then when we left there we went to our next door neighbor's house (where they were having a family backyard campout) and joined them for s'mores. And then we went home and had blackberry cobbler with ice cream. That was just Saturday. Ridiculous. But delicious. :)

So — a few days ago when I spoke of making potato salad and blackberry cobbler, you asked to tell you how they turned out. Um, the potato salad was the worst I've ever made. But the next day I doctored it up with more sauce and it was much better. Much closer to Grandma's. But not quite there. {sigh} The blackberry cobbler (made with this recipe from the Martha Stewart website) was easy and tasty. Ken especially likes it. I'm not a huge cobbler fan — I prefer my desserts to be much sweeter — but it was good enough that I may make it again. With more sugar. :)

And I think that's it for tonight. I really need to get to bed — because tomorrow is another first day of school. When some kids only come on Tuesdays and Thursdays and others come on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, you get more than one first day of school. Keeps that first week really interesting.

Thanks for stopping by today. I really appreciate your visits and hope to see you again soon!

Hmmmm...

Not sure if the mojo is back or not. I like the colors of the card that I made for this week's sketch on 2 Sketches 4 You (Kazan's 56), but... well... I'm not sure that I did that awesome butterfly tree from Unity's June Kit of the Month justice. Oh, well. Here it is anyway.

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The image seemed a little stark, so I used a sponge to add some additional color to the white cardstock.

AND TELL:  stamps are from Unity (June 2010 KOM:  fly...free, December 2009 KOM:  delightful moments); cardstock is Stampin' Up (Melon Mambo, Tempting Turquoise) and Papertrey Ink (Stampers Select White); ink is SU (Green Galore, Gable Green, Creamy Caramel, Cool Caribbean, Tempting Turquoise, Only Orange) and PTI (True Black); ribbon is PTI (Orange Zest); rhinestones are Kaiser (clear); also used PTI's rickrack die.

Now let's talk Flylady. When I left off over a week ago I was on Day 25 of the Beginner BabySteps. Day 25's task was to read her testimony on how she developed her routines over the course of a year. I've read it before, but I enjoyed reading it again. It's a good reminder that for people who were not born organized, it will probably take awhile to get positive actions to become habits. What I know that I need to do is one of the things that she did — and that's to develop a basic weekly plan. You know — clean on this day, run errands on this day, etc. The way I work my life now is a bit haphazard. Like... you know, I feel like going to the mall today —where I might wander around aimlessly for a couple hours and not buy anything. Talk about a waste of time! I need to bring some focus to my life and I think a weekly plan will help that. I'll give that some more thought tonight and let you know tomorrow — when I'll also tell you about Day 26.

I guess that's it for today. Thanks so much for stopping by and I'll see you again tomorrow!

No Mojo Day

Today I just haven't had it. I had high hopes. I thought I'd get quite a few cards done, challenges knocked out, and maybe even get brave enough to make some cards to submit to magazines. But — the mojo is missing. I'd try. Take a break. Come back and try. Take another break. And so forth. Pretty crummy when you have a free day and your creativity takes a vacation. Tomorrow I have an appointment before work and an appointment after work and my mind will probably be teeming with ideas. {sigh}

So — you would think that sketch cards, especially when the sketches were from Clean and Simple Stamping, would be a great place to start a week. Easy cards. Half the work done. Kind of ease into a day of productivity. Just didn't work out that way. Here's my first card, for Fall-to Layout 97.

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There are a multitude of problems. But let me show you the path that I took to get to this point. Here's the first try.

For some reason the colors didn't photograph well here. They look better in the photos below. Anyway, I really wanted to use some of my scrap circles. But they didn't look right spaced apart. And they certainly don't look right bunched together — kind of like a Picasso-esque monkey face. Don't see it? Check out the close-up.

Tilt your head slightly to the right. He's definitely giving you "the eye". So I tried to take the card apart to rework it — tearing the cardstock in the process — and here's Try 2.

 
At least the monkey is gone (but not off my back, I guess — haha). Here the green strip seemed too wide, so I removed it, trimmed it down, and put it back on the same base. Then, to be honest, I gave up. So — it is what it is.

AND TELL:  stamp is from Unity (Jan. 2010 KOM: Savor the Journey); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (Simply Chartreuse, Rustic White) and Stampin' Up (Barely Banana); decorative elements are made from pre-punched scraps; ink is PTI (Simply Chartreuse); black mini-brad is from SU.    

My second card was for FTL 48. Things went better with this one. At least, I like it better. Hope you do, too.

 

 

 

 

 

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Told you I wanted to use my punched scraps today. Even the leaves are from punched circles — folded in the center, unfolded and then pinched at one end — adhered under the flower with a mini glue dot.

AND TELL:  stamps is from Unity (May 2010 KOM: ...a little happy); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (Rustic White) and Stampin' Up (So Saffron); decorative elements are from pre-punched scraps; ink is SU (Real Red); also used Spellbinder's Scallop Circle and Circle Nestabilities and rhinestones from my stash.

Thought I'd share a few photos from yesterday's party at our neighbor's house.

First — the neighbor kids:

The two biggest sisters and the baby brother. When it started to get dark, the other sister had her first experience with a sparkler.

She wasn't too sure about it. And as it got darker and the dads brought out the more potent fireworks, she sat with the group of neighbors — not wanting to get too close.

North Carolina doesn't allow much in the way of fireworks, but South Carolina does — and lucky for us, we're just over the state line. :)

I'm no fireworks expert, but they had quite a variety — smoke bombs in a variety of colors, snakes, fountains, firecrackers, and some aerials.

All in all, a very happy Independence Day. Hope you had a great Sunday, too!

I've decided that tomorrow I'm back to finishing up the Flylady Beginner BabySteps. Yes, tomorrow is the day to start finishing. haha. I left off at Day 25, so that's where we'll pick things up tomorrow. And hopefully I'll somehow find the time (and the mojo) to make another card.

Thanks for visiting!

Butterflies

I've never really considered myself a butterfly girl, but recently I have acquired quite a few butterfly dies and stamps (and have my eye on a few more, too — maybe I'm becoming a butterfly girl after all). One thing that I do love butterflies for is sympathy cards.

For today's first card I followed the Clean & Simple Stamping sketch, Fall-to-layout 96. I was originally going to use patterned paper for the main panel — and set out some pieces last night that I was considering as possibilities. Then this morning I must've awakened in a stamping mood, because I completely switched gears from my first plan.

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When I stamped the sentiment with the metallic silver ink it just didn't show up too well, so I quickly used clear embossing powder (don't have silver...) to give it a little more shine and definition. It definitely helped make the words more visible, but looks a little blurry in the photo. Oh, well. In real life it looks better.

AND TELL:  stamps are from Unity (Bevy of Butterflies); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (Spring Rain, Stampers Select White) and Stampin' Up (So Saffron); ink is SU (Mellow Moss, So Saffron), PTI (Spring Rain, Tea Dye Duo), and Encore (Ultimate Metallic Silver); also used clear detail embossing powder on the sentiment to pop it out a bit.

The next card was inspired by FTL 47.

 

 

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Since I already had the butterfly set spread all over my work surface, I decided to use it for my catch-up card, too. The So Saffron paper that was still out also made it onto this card, but I thought I'd brighten things up a bit by pairing it with turquoise. And the ledger paper? Well, I did have to open a cabinet door to get to it — I'm not totally lazy. :)

AND TELL:  stamps are from Unity (Bevy of Butterflies); cardstock is Stampin Up (Tempting Turquoise, So Saffron, Sahara Sand); ink is SU (Tempting Turquoise); also used punches from SU (scallop border) and EK Success (mini scallop border), scallop circle Nestabilities die, Creative Memories corner rounder, old ledger paper, and a teensy strip of white cardstock for the antennae.

Now I get to tell you about our fun stop in Tennessee! About a month before our trip I had contacted my dear blog friend, Kelley, to tell her we would be driving through and see if she was interested in trying to meet in real life. You know, that's kind of putting yourself out there — I mean, what if she didn't really want to? But, thankfully (for my ego) she did. :) So, we were tentatively scheduled to meet for breakfast on Sunday morning. [Oops. You know how days get all mixed up when you're on vacation? Well, when you read here Sunday morning, think Monday morning. And when you read Saturday night, think Sunday night... details, details... {Thanks, Ken!}]

But, when we were getting into her area earlier than expected on Saturday night, I sent her a text message to see if meeting for a late dinner would be better — and after receiving a very confusing text back from her, Ken confessed that he and Kelley had been e-mailing for a couple of months about setting up a surprise meeting. He'd even been lying to me about not being able to find a hotel near the Grand Ole Opry (where we stayed last year) because of the flooding earlier this year! (A lie which I had unknowingly repeated several times in conversation to others... grrrr.) He had instead arranged for us to stay at a hotel near Kelley's house to make a meeting convenient for her. OK, so that was incredibly sweet of him — all the lies are forgiven. :)

We met at a Cracker Barrel (recognize the fireplace?) and had a wonderful time together. Of course, Kelley and I hit it off (we did already "know" each other, after all) — but the surprise to me was how much Ken & Michael had in common. Michael is the first person that Ken has ever met in a social setting that understood what he sells for a living. That was quite exciting! And, their son Carver? Adorable, active, verbal, friendly — just the way I like my 3 year old boys!

I thought about being vain and not showing this picture, but... well... it is me (squinty eyes and all). The me that spent the morning traipsing through a cemetery, the afternoon in the heat of a public park, and then 4 or so hours in a car heading south (meaning the setting sun was shining through my window...). But, isn't Kelley such a cutie? You may want to stop by her blog, My Front Porch, to say hi and get some good papercrafting inspiration.

And, that's it from our little trip to the midwest. You're good to bear with me while I replayed it all. Of course, you're always good to listen to my ramblings after I bait you with something papercraft-y. :) Tomorrow may be back to Flylady. Or — maybe it'll just be stamped paper. We'll see how the day is going.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and — if you're in the U.S. — Happy Fourth of July weekend! See you again soon!

with sympathy

We needed a sympathy card this week. Here's what I came up with using this week's sketch from 2 Sketches 4 You, Laura's 54.

 

 

 

 

 

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I had a terrible time getting a picture of this card — tried at different times over three days and this is the best of the bunch. Clear just wasn't meant to be, I guess. But — hopefully you can still tell how gorgeous that ribbon is. And, although it's not perfect, I really like the way the Perfect Pearls came out on those flower stamps. I've had the Perfect Pearls set for a long time and I think my problem was that the adhesive included had turned into a gummy, mushy mess — and I used it anyway. Haha. Sometimes I wonder at my intelligence. I'm thinking that the pearly powders would probably work with VersaMark, too, so I'll try that next time. Anyway, I hope it's not too bright and fancy for a sympathy card. I think it'll be OK. 

AND TELL:  stamps are from Unity (December 2009 Kit of the Month - delightful moments, February 2010 Kit of the Month - Nothing but Blue Skies, Bevy of Butterflies); cardstock is from Stampin' Up (Old Olive, Bermuda Bay) and Papertrey Ink (Kraft); ink is Encore Ultimate Metallic (Copper); ribbon is from Michael's; also used PTI's woodgrain impression plate, SU's 1-1/4" circle punch, and Ranger's Perfect Pearls (Metallics).

For the past 19 days I've said something here about my Flylady journey. Are you getting tired of it? I kind of am — there are other things I'd rather talk about — but here we go with Day 20. So, yesterday I was supposed to add laundry to my daily routine. I have a pretty good laundry routine already — really thanks to my previous Flylady phase. It is one thing that stuck. Even though there are only two of us now, I still do a load of laundry most days. It just seems more manageable that way. And, we always have clean clothes. And no big piles of dirty clothes, towels, etc. Besides — laundry became a lot more fun when we remodeled a couple years ago.

Our laundry area is in a short little pass-through hallway on the first floor. Originally the washer and dryer were behind louvered bifold doors with a wire shelf above the appliances. Handy for detergent, but not in the least bit attractive. And louvered doors are dust-catchers. Well, maybe not for people who keep up with the housework... but for me? Not good. When we got the new washer and dryer there was no way they were going to be stuck behind doors of any kind — way too pretty for that. So we had cabinets built around them. Now the pretty stuff is out in the open and the other stuff is behind doors. Works beautifully. And — there is a crowning touch...

Wanna make laundry fun? Hang a chandelier in your laundry area. :)

One more thing for today — well, yesterday actually. Last night I went to my one neighborhood swim meet of the year. When our kids were young we spent many hot, hot summer evenings on the steamy pool deck watching our kids compete in summer swim league. Or huddled in neighborhood clubhouses waiting to see if thunderstorms would pass. Well, for the past several years I've started attending one swim meet a year — when our neighborhood swims the neighborhood across the big road from us. Our preschool draws pretty heavily from these two neighborhoods, so I get to see lots of "our" kids swim. And former students, too.

These three all happened to be eager-beaver swimmers — just couldn't wait to get on the blocks. They also all happened to be on the other team. But, that's OK. I'm really cheering for individuals now — not a team. If you were to click on the middle picture you'd see that she's got a smile on her face. I think she smiled the whole way across the pool — employing her own style of swimming. A few strokes freestyle... get tired... flip to back and do backstroke for a bit to recover... turn back to the tummy... Just so cute. But the best part of going to a swim meet now? I can leave after the shrimps (6 & under) swim. :)

I think that's enough for today. I have more I want to tell you, but I'll save it for tomorrow. I had the absolute best morning today. It involved item number 10 from yesterday's list of random things about me — so you know it was a beautiful morning around here! I'll tell you about it tomorrow. Now I've gotta get ready to go out. We were invited to Katie & Michael's wedding rehearsal dinner at Maggiano's. Mmmm. :)

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you've had a fabulous day! See you tomorrow with Katie & Michael's wedding card and more of my usual prattle. Have a great evening!

  

Songbird, Angel, and Tea

More Clean and Simple Stamping cards.

The first is for this week's sketch, FTL94. Yea, I'm caught up to the current sketch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I'm using this card as a graduation card. Seemed like it could work. Maybe it'll be the last time I need a graduation card this year.

AND TELL:  stamps are from Unity (Feb. 2010 Kit of the Month - Nothing but Blue Skies) and Papertrey Ink (Turning a New Leaf); cardstock is Stampin' Up (Soft Sky, Sahara Sand, Ruby Red) and PTI (Vintage Cream, Spring Moss); a scrap of patterned paper (Prima, I think); ink is SU (Sahara Sand, Kiwi Kiss); also used Spellbinder's Nestabilities Classic Circles & Scallop Circles, Allegro embossing folder for the Cuttlebug, and SU's two-step bird punch.

In my catch up mode, I went to do a card for FTL45. And, imagine my surprise when there were two sketches, not just one. And then that they were to be 3x3 cards instead of a larger square. Well, I still gave it a go. First my card for FTL45a.

 

 

 

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I stamped the angel while the cream circle was still in the die and then added a bit of Melon Berry ink to the heart with a wet watercolor brush.

AND TELL:  stamps are from Unity (May 2010 Kit of the Month - ...a little happy); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (Vintage Cream, Melon Berry) and Stampin' Up (Sahara Sand, Soft Sky); ink is SU (Basic Gray) and PTI (Melon Berry); button and twine are PTI (Melon Berry; Rustic Cream); also used Spellbinder's Nestabilities in Classic Circles & Scallop Circles.

And now FTL45b — another little square.

 

 

 

 

 

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And you thought Faberge just bejeweled eggs, right? haha

AND TELL:  stamps are from Unity (June 2009 Kit of the Month - ...perfect in every way); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (Vintage Cream, Melon Berry) and Stampin' Up (Sahara Sand, Soft Sky); patterned paper is a scrap from my stash (Crate Paper); ink is SU (Basic Gray); blue pearls are from Prima; green rhinestones are from Kaiser; ribbon is PTI (Melon Berry Satin). 

Yesterday was Day 19 with Flylady. Another reading day. This time it was a little part of a testimonial that she apparently uses at the beginning of her book, Sink Reflections. So, I read it, of course. I was going to declutter my pantry for 15 minutes — but, well, um, didn't quite get to it. I did put a great dinner on the table, though — and the sink is still shiny, I'm still getting up and getting dressed before turning on the computer, and I'm sort of keeping hot spots under control. And I went to bed a little after 11:00 last night. That's something. Right?

Another note from yesterday, my blog friend Lindsay gave me a blog award. (Which brought to mind that Kelley gave me a blog award months ago that I completely forgot about and probably didn't even acknowledge — oops and sorry, Kelley. Sometimes I'm such a social clod.) Anyway, thanks so much, Lindsay! It's always amazing to me that anything I make or say could inspire someone in any way.

So, part of the deal is that I'm supposed to tell you 10 things about myself. Here goes:

1. This year I'll have been married to my longsuffering :) husband for 30 years!

2. We have two grown children, a girl and a boy. Hmmm. A woman and a man?!?

3. I'm a preschool director for a church-operated part-day program.

4. To go along with #3, I adore preschoolers. Looking at the world through their eyes is one of the greatest pleasures of my job.

5. I workout at Curves 4 or 5 times a week — and have done so long enough to be approaching 1000 workouts.

6. I grew up on the west coast of the U.S., but have lived on the east coast for 23 years.

7. When my kids were young I taught craft classes to kids in our house — we painted t-shirts, cooked, and made little gifty things.

8. #7 led to having some designs published in the major craft magazines of the 1990s along with a few craft books.

9. We watch too much TV at our house. And we like it that way. :)

10. I love with a capital L-O-V-E anything sweet — especially with a good hot cup of black coffee or tea. (Yes, a hot beverage — even if it's 100 degrees outside.)

Everything you wanted to know about me but were afraid to ask, right? haha.

Anyway, thanks again, Lindsay. Part of the deal with the award is that I'm supposed to pick 10 other bloggers to pass it on to. I just can't do that. I can't choose just 10 from the kazillion in my Google Reader who all deserve awards — and I would never be able to keep track of who I passed it on to, etc. — so I'm going to cop out in the way that Becky does on Inking Idaho. Feel free to pick up the award and take it to your own blog. You know you deserve it!

And, thanks so much for stopping by today. Your visits are special to me, so thanks for keeping in touch! I plan to be back tomorrow — this time with a sympathy card.