I love Rose and Tracy!

Nope . . . I've never met either of them but I love 'em just the same! How could I not? They are following my blog!

Want a share of my love (and eternal gratitude) too? Find the 'FOLLOW' button in the right hand column and click it! You DO want to make my day, don't you?

And Rose and Tracy . . . if you will send me your snail mail address, I'll send you a card! Seriously, I love you guys!

Sweet Bees

I just love bees! I love to watch them and I love what they do for us . . . you know, make fruit and veggies! The minute I Stampin' Up! released a preview of this set, I knew I HAD to have it. So, why, you ask, is this the first card using this set posted on this blog? It is worse than even that . . . this is the first card I've MADE using this set even though I've had it for months. *hanging my head in shame* Oh well - better late than never, right?! Aren't the bees just the sweetest? And pink bees - even better!


The layout for this card is actually a CASE of one of my own cards. See the card to the right? That was one of my SU! Convention 2007 swap cards. For today's card, I added an extra layer and used texture plates on the So Saffron and the Pretty-in-Pink layer - the texture doesn't show at all in the photo which is a shame because it really gives it some extra pizazz. I also tied paper 'ribbons' on to the tags. What do you think of my changes?

Check Out My Blog Group!

When I first started to get serious about blogging, I decided I would designate certain days for certain types of posts . . . I've not been great at following that plan but I'm gonna try to get back to, starting today!

So . . . today is Make a List Monday! WooHoo! My list for today is my Blog Group! (Yeah . . . you can see the list in the right hand column, but if I put it in a post, the list will get noticed for sure!)

• Alisha's Blog
• Amelia's Blog
• Amy's Blog
• Benjamin's Blog
• Beth's Blog
• Brenda's Blog
• Debbie's Blog
• Jaime's Blog
• Jamie's Blog
• Jennifer's Blog
• Jess' Blog
• Jessica's Blog
• June's Blog
• Karen's Blog
• Krissie's Blog
• Lisa's Blog
• Ronda's Blog
• Rose C's Blog
• Rose F's Blog
• Tessa's Blog

So, what is a Blog Group, you ask? Well, this group was formed so we could offer encouragement and motivation to other stamping bloggers . . . we all want to improve our blogs, improve our stamping, and get more exposure on the internet. Pretty cool, huh? Check 'em out! You will see some amazing stuff!

I did a Color Challenge . . . well, kinda.

My previous post might clue you in as to one reason why I've been MIA . . . what I didn't tell you is that I've also been busy with a neighborhood garage sale, I'm making the wedding invitations, save-the-date cards, and thank you notes, and I actually have a job that I show up to every weekday! Notice I didn't say I had been Spring Cleaning or catching up on laundry - I AM a very honest person, after all! *snort* Anyway . . . it was high time for me to stamp something!

A couple of weeks ago, I 'discovered' Jaron Winder's blog - if you don't know who Jaron is, it probably means you are not a Stampin' Up! groupie (or maybe a VERY NEW groupie)! So, in case you DON'T know, Jaron is a huge personality with tons of creative energy who has been a major part of all the SU! events I've attended. Sadly, he is no longer an employee of Stampin' Up! and I'm really gonna miss seeing him at Convention this summer BUT I'm looking forward to seeing what his next big thing is!

Sidetracked? Oh yeah . . . back to stamping! Jaron posted a color challenge on his blog . . . and the card posted above is based on that challenge. UNFORTUNETLY, it is not the card I had in my head when I started! Oh my . . . this one just took on a life of it's own! First of all, I messed up on TWO of the colors! I didn't go back and look and remembered that one of the colors was Bashful Blue - WRONG! I was supposed to have used Soft Sky. Oh well. THEN, I wanted DSP but didn't have Old Olive - so I used Kiwi Kiss instead. Bet you would not have know, if I hadn't told you! LOL Secondly, I didn't intend for the card to be distressed but I messed up a bit while trimming the vanilla Top Note piece. I couldn't find my sanding block so I grabbed my pumice stone out of the bathtub - Nope, I do NOT recommed it! I ended up 'over' distressing the DSP so I just did everything else to match. Did you notice the distressed hardware? I did THAT on my back steps! LOL

Sorry to talk your ear off . . . I guess I'm just excited to be back!

Life Comes at You Fast . . .

Cute couple, huh? That is Drew, my son, with his fiance, Sarah. Yup, my only child is getting married!

As you might imagine, I've been on a roller coaster ever since he called to tell me the news a couple of weeks ago. I mean, just who IS this girl that wants me to share my baby?! LOL! I did manage to convince him to bring her down (we are currently living 9 hours apart) for the weekend so I could AT LEAST meet my future daughter-in-law!

Like every mother, I just want my child to be happy, healthy, and safe . . . their visit confirmed what I had been hearing through the phone. He is unbelievably happy. Not only that, but she appears to think that he is wonderful. How could a Mom not love someone who makes her son so happy AND shares her own high opinion of him? LOL About the healthly and safe bit . . . I guess now I have TWO kids to worry about!

When in Doubt . . . CASE!

So, I needed a card NOW! And it had to be pretty . . . and I had to not stress about the design . . . and it needed to be purple! Luckily, while 'cruising' my blog list this morning, I came across THIS card on Lisa's Blog (Lisa is one of my Blog 'Peeps' . . . check out the SU Blog Group in the right hand column!). Perfect! Obviously, I changed the colors and I added some 'poppin' pastels' to the base, but I used Lisa's great design and it gave me just what I needed! Thanks Lisa!

As to WHY I needed a card . . . I'll be posting more on that in the coming weeks! Oh my goodness but life comes at you FAST! Stay tuned . . .

Happy Valentine's Day!

No . . . I'm not crazy. Well, maybe only a little! Let me explain . . .

My husband bought me flowers for Valentine's Day BUT they were in the form of a rose bush to plant in the yard. This week, I have my first beautiful bloom and I wanted to share! Isn't it gorgeous?

In the Mood!

All Supplies from Stampin' Up! unless otherwise specified. Stamp Set: Great Friend. Paper - Kiwi Kiss, |DSP Patterns - Riding Hood Red, Very Vanilla. Ink - Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze. Accessories: Baja Breeze double-stitched ribbon, non-SU glitter.

In the mood to stamp, that is! I rushed home for lunch today to stamp this card . . . I even took an early lunch! Yes, I am in a Stampin' Up! frame-of-mind, for sure! Why such a 'stampy' mood, you ask? Because I am making plans with my Sparkle Peeps to attend the Stampin' Up! annual convention in August! WooHoo!

I know some of you are familiar with Stampin' Up! and their awesome events . . . the energy is amazing and the creative talent is unbelievable. It is hard for me to imagine a better 'vacation' for me and my girlfriends! (If I'm imagining a vacation for my HUSBAND and I however, that involves Italy! LOL) If you are a Stampin' Up! demonstrator I HIGHLY recommend attending convention! If you are NOT a demonstrator, I HIGHLY recommend you contact me to find out how you can BECOME a demo, so you can go with me! LOL

So . . . do you like the card? It uses a brand spankin' new set from the mini catalog and I just adore the butterfly image! I must confess that I 'cheated' on this card a bit . . . because I stamped it on my lunch break, I used non-SU glitter (because it was sitting on my shelf left over from a Christmas project) instead of the 'good stuff' (which is in a drawer somewhere and would have required some effort to find). I'm still happy with how it turned out but I'll make sure I have the prettier stuff handy for my next glittery project!

One More . . .

All Supplies from Stampin' Up! Stamps: Font of You. Paper: Manchester DSP, Cameo Coral, Kraft, and Very Vanilla Cardstock. Ink: Always Artichoke. Accessories: Stampin' Pastels

One more Font of You card before I move on . . . I really like how the tiny 'smears' (applied with a Qtip) of Cameo Coral pastel soften the look of what otherwise would be a masculine looking card. I don't think that Cameo Coral gets much 'respect' from most stampers but it has always been one of my favorite Stampin' Up! colors. On this card, I think it really makes the main image POP! What do you think?

April Showers?

All Supplies from Stampin' Up! Stamps: Font of You. Paper: Manchester DSP, Baja Breeze, and Very Vanilla Cardstock. Ink: Not Quite Navy. Accessories: Rhinestone Brad & Double Stitch Ribbon

Not a cloud in the sky today but I had to pull out the umbrella anyway! I just love this image from the stamp set Font of You. Okay . . . I love ALL the images from this set. It is kind of hard to see in the picture, but the 'top' of the umbrella is cut out and 'popped' up.

I have one more card using this set and this DSP that I am going to post tomorrow . . . after that, I will move on to something different. I promise!

Whole Latte Love!

All Supplies from Stampin' Up! Stamps: Font of You. Paper: Manchester DSP, Baja Breeze, Always Artichoke, Kraft, and Very Vanilla Cardstock. Ink: Chocolate Chip. Accessories: Hodgepodge Hardware & Double Stitch Ribbon

I was DETERMINED to stamp something today! Between my love of coffee and my love of 'letter' images, me falling in love with this image from 'Font of You' was a given. I just love this coffee mug! Do you recognize the layout? Yup! This card was inspired by the card Cheryl sent me last week! Thanks again Cheryl!

Equal Time for Chas

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a pic of our kitten Rowdy . . . my Mother told me I should post a picture of his brother Chas also. Since both Rowdy and Chas were born on HER living room floor, I figure she had a right to ask! LOL

Here you go Mum!

How Cute Is THIS?

My friend Cheryl sent me this adorable card! Isn't it the cutest? It was a 'You Go Girl' kind of card because she knows I've been working my tail off at the gym most every day for the last several weeks. Yeah, that is right . . . I've been doing cardio instead of stamping! On the other hand, Cheryl, who is the ultimate multi-tasker, reminded me (in so many words) that I CAN do more than one thing at a time . . . for example, I can stamp AND exercise on the same day. LOL Maybe I'll even attempt exercise, stamping, and laundry! What do you think? It is worth a shot!

Thanks Cheryl!