GETTING PUNCHY.........

I love my punches. No if's, and's or but's. Well, there is one small "but"...... But I do not have the imagination to come up with the cool punch art that a lot of the talented ladies out in the blogsphere have (and will) come up with. This card is a case of one of those very cool ideas. I found it here. I used the retired Ski Slope DSP. I made this for a friend for her birthday and I hope she enjoyed it. I love the retro look the linen thread on the lampshade and the "wallpaper" in the background gives it. I could be walking into a parlor of yesteryear. I did try to stamp the sentiment (from Stem Sayings) directly onto the DSP, but it did not show up very well at all. So, I stamped it on the Whisper White cardstock and cut it out, placing it over the failed sentiment and raising it with Stampin' Dimensionals. I really need to practice my whiskers --- I did terrible trying it freehand.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!!!!

RUBBER BABY BUGGY BUMPERS......

Or something like that. This card was made for a cousin of my DH who was expecting her first baby. I was unsure of whether it was to be a boy or girl, so I played it safe by using the soft subtle colors from the retired Delicate Dots DSP. The only stamping is the sentiment from the retired Whimsical Words set. I ran the So Saffron cardstock through with my Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder to make my baby buggy. I trimmed it with some white cardstock punched with the Scallop Edge Border punch. The finishing touches are a couple of Certainly Celery buttons for the wheels and a trio of gold brads up the side for a little extra flair.

Since it took me so long to get this post together, she has had the baby --- a little girl. Congrats to the mom and dad on their new little miracle.

MERRY CHRISTMAS --- CARDS...........

Finally, I finished the few cards that I send out for Christmas. I did a couple (or really 3) different versions of the card for several reasons. The ones we would be hand delivering have the bow tied to the front where the ones to be mailed do not (it makes the envelope too bumpy). So thats versions one and two. The third version came to life when I ran out of the Crumb Cake cardstock that I was using for the base. Out of Crumb Cake??? You must be kidding me!!!!! I will have to place an order very soon. Anyway, when this tragedy happened, I switched the base to Soft Suede cardstock.

I love this image from the Merry Crittermas stamp set out of the mini catalog. The sentiment is from the same set. I cased this card from one on Splitcoast Stampers here. I changed up the color combo to Old Olive, Bravo Burgandy and Crumb Cake/Soft Suede. I colored it using my ink pads with one of the blender pens. Now, those that know me know that normally I would have watercolored this, but some of the spots to color were really tight. One of my stamping sisters (Hey, Cindy!!! --- check out her blog here) swears by these pens, so I figured I would give them a try. Oh my goodness!!!!! I love these things!!!! I don't know if I will ever go back to the aquapainter. Okay, that is a bit extreme, but these pens are just wonderful, especially when you are working with the smaller spaces. And especially if you are coloring on the Whisper White cardstock. If I had colored this with the aquapainter, the paper would have bubbled up from all of the moisture.

I also used the Northern Flurry embossing folder and added one of the shiny, sparkly rhinestones to the center of the big snowflake. To get the border on the Decoative Label Punch, I followed the instructions here. Super simple. Here is one with the bow on the Crumb Cake base:

And one without the bow and on the Soft Suede base:

So, from my family to all of yours

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

ALL WRAPPED UP.........

I, again, was stalking --- oops, I mean, following Mary Fish's blog and ran across this card. I fell in love with it and had to try it for myself. I used the Jolly Holiday DSP again. I am loving that paper. I really do not see it as a Christmas paper, but this card could be used for a Christmas gift. I wrapped the Old Olive satin ribbon around my package. The three buttons were threaded with the Linen Thread and mini glue dotted in place. The sentiment is from the Best Yet stamp set (retired) and is raised on dimensionals. I included this card in with my shoebox swap gift from my last post.

Thanks for looking and have a Great Day!!!!!

SHOEBOX SWAP.....

If you have never been involved in a shoebox swap, you are missing out on one of the most fun times a papercrafter could have. A shoebox swap is where you cut and place everything you need for a project into a shoebox and meet with your talented friends to complete each others projects. My Stampin' Up group does this twice a year. So, since we had 10 in attendance, I came home with 9 cards that I stamped and put together myself that my fellow demos designed. And don't even get me started on the food!!! This group of ladies is just so talented, at crafts & in the kitchen.

I cased my card from --- yes, you guessed it --- Mary Fish. See her card here. I used the Cheep Talk stamp set and the Jolly Holiday DSP. The sentiment is from the Just Believe set. The card is finished off with some Old Olive satin ribbon and a trio of gold brads. The colors are from the DSP --- Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler and Very Vanilla. The birdie squares are raised on dimensionals and are placed on a Very Vanilla panel that is also raised on dimensionals. Easy as pie..............

We also did a gift exchange. I found these photo coasters at Peebles and did a little altering. I added rub-ons to the holder and stamped some simple Christmas inserts for the coasters. My friend Heather chose my gift. I hope she enjoys using these. I think I am going to do the same for some of my kid's teachers. Again, easy as pie............

The gift I received was from my upline, Debbie Naylor. Check out her blog here, she will be posting all of the projects over the next week or so. Now, anyone that knows me knows my addiction to totes --- any shape, any size. The ones with bunches of pockets are my favorite. And not only did I get a small tote with bunces of pockets as part of my gift, it was purple --- my favorite color. It has the two small pockets in front(the ones you can see in the picture below), two large openings (one on either side of the handle), and a large flap pocket on the other side. Visions of organization are dancing in my head........

In addition to the tote, she made this cool treat holder. She used the Petal Cone Bigz L Die with her Big Shot. She ran it through the Big Shot again using the Petals-a-Plenty embossing folder. Notice the shiny flower centers? Debbie glittered up every center of every flower on it. She even blinged up the label she attached using the cool basic rhinestones. She added little white dots all over it, too. I am not sure what treat she put inside, I don't want to mess it up to figure that out.

Thanks so much, Debbie, for the gift and for getting the meeting together in the first place. Thanks to all of the ladies there for sharing your talent with little ol' me. I can't wait until the summer meeting!!!

Thank you for stopping by and have a great day!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!!!!!

This card is one I made for my mother's birthday. As you can see, I have once again used the Because I Care stamp set. I just really love that flower. The DSP is from the Lap of Luxury pack. The colors are so elegant --- Pretty in Pink, Basic Gray, Very Vanilla and Concord Crush. I wanted to make another Double Display Card (see my first attempt here) and started with the Pretty in Pink base. After cutting and adhering all of the little and big DSP rectangles, I cut out the butterflies using the Beautiful Wings embosslit die. Although you can barely tell it, the little pink butterfly on the left is mounted on top of a Basic Gray butterfly. Both butterflies are embellished with the basic pearl jewels. I also used the pearls on either side of my sentiment, which is from the retired Watercolor Trio stamp set and was punched out with the Oval punch and placed on top of the Modern Label punched piece of Concord Crush. This was then placed onto the card with Stampin' Dimensionals. I think it turned out pretty nice --- better than my dark, dreary picture shows it. And like all good mothers, my mom loves stuff her kids make for her (even if the kid is as old and decrepit as me).

Happy Birthday, Mom!!! We love ya!!!!!!

ZOEY'S FIRST HAIRCUT........

While we had not planned on trimming Zoey, she is a "cow dog" after all, plans can change. The hair around her ears had started to matte up and we don't even want to discuss the issues with the hair on her backend. So, I made an appointment with the groomers my SIL uses for her pup. Keep in mind now --- Zoey is a wimp of a dog. She can bark a good game when she has back-up, but leaving her with people she doesn't know with instruments that make loud noises (she hates when I vacuum and hides in the closet long after I am done) would be a very traumatic experience for her. If I knew what to do, and how to do it, I might would do it all myself, but I am not comfortable with that. I tried clipping her nails on my own, but I am so scared I am going to hurt her. Same with the trimming.

Anyway, here is the before shot:

and here is the after:

Check out the bandana --- that lasted to just after this picture was taken.

Ain't she purty????

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!

Here's wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!!!! I hope you are able to spend it with family and friends.

Oh, and to those who will be venturing out for the Black Friday sales ----Good Luck to ya!!!!!

BECAUSE I CARE......

I love the Because I Care set so much. It is a set that I don't think I will ever let go. I would have never considered myself a "flower person", but if you look at my stamp sets, probably 75% of them are flowery in some way. There is something about a pretty little flower image that makes me just have to have it.

I unfortunately needed another sympathy card and chose to use this set again, but wanted a different layout from the ones I made a few posts ago here. So onto Splitcoast Stampers I went. My card is cased from this one here by Mimikitty. I used Marina Mist with the black trim and a vanilla base for the flowers. The black really makes this pop. I watercolored the flowers with the Marina Mist and the leaves with Always Arthichoke. After punching out the layers for the sentiment (from the Thoughts & Prayers set), I placed it on dimensionals on top of the strip that is accented with a length of Marina Mist ribbon.

Thanks for stopping by and have a Great Day!!!!

MY LITTLE GIRL...........

Well, not so little anymore. My DD turned 12 on November 12th. One more year and I will be the mother of a teenager. YIKES!!!! Although, I think she is practicing the teenage attitude part already. This is what 12 looks like:

BTW, she is trying to let her bangs grow out --- and I am trying to be patient while her bangs grow out. She is growing up soooo fast. I really miss my little girl, but I look forward to the young lady she will become (fingers crossed for good luck).

Happy Birthday, Sweetpea!!!! I love you!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CINDY!!!!!

A good friend of mine is celebrating her BIG 4-0!!!! And the cool thing is that her birthday, November 12th, is the same day as my daughter's. Pretty neat, huh? This is the card I did for her. I Case'd it from Mary Fish at Stampin' Pretty, but for the life of me I cannot find it on her blog to link it direct (but here is the link to her home page). The card itself didn't take very long to make after I finally figured out what images I wanted to use and where I wanted them placed. Each square is punched out with the 1-1/4" punch. How much easier can it get?

I used soooo many new and retired sets to come up with this. The stamp sets I used were Beary Best Friends (the gift bag - retired), Aviary (the birdy in the cage - current), Just Believe (the flower circle and the leaves - current), Priceless (the butterfly - current), Hip Hip Hooray (the balloons - retired), Every Little Bit (the gumball machine - current), Bitty Birthday (the birthday cake - retired), Word Play (the "Wish Big" sentiment - current) and Punch Potpourri (the flowers that were punched out and placed on Stampin' Dimensionals - a current Level 1 Hostess set). The "C" was stamped with a non-SU! stamp, but it worked "Just Rite" for this. The DSP used on a couple of the squares (the numbers and the stripes) is from the Celebration pack. That is where the colors I used are from - Real Red, Pacific Point, Pear Pizzazz and Bashful Blue. The base is Bashful Blue with a Pear Pizzazz layer that holds the squares. You can't really tell from the picture, but the "i" in "wish" is dotted with a sparkly rhinestone --- cause every girl should get some bling for her birthday.

With all of that on the outside, I wanted to jazz up the inside a little, too. It has a Real Red and a Pacific Point layer underneath the Whisper White layer that has a sentiment from the It's Your Birthday set (retired) with a few flowers punched and added to the bottom corner. The sentiment was placed using my handy-dandy Stamp-a-ma-jig. I tried to keep the card as flat as possible, since it needed to be mailed, but I added an extra postage stamp just in case it was a little heavy from all of the layers. I really needed to do a WOW project, because Cindy is one of the most talented stampers that I know. Check out her blog here.

Cindy, I hope you had a great day and will have a marvelous year!!!!

Here's to you!!!!!

KICK IT UP A NOTCH.....

Unfortunately, I needed sympathy cards for 2 family members at the same time recently. It just so happened that the theme for the months Litlle Debbie swap was "Sympathy Cards". So, I guess I got 3 birds with one design. This was my first attempt:

Now, while this was a perfectly good card --- clean and simple --- I could not help but think something else was needed. So, to add some texture, I tore the edges of the Chocolate Chip layer. I also stamped the small flower from the same stamp set using Versamark on the background (Crumble Cake/Kraft) layer. You can't really tell from my "amazing" pictures, but on the second one, while I still colored the bloom in Marina Mist, I thumped it with the Night of Navy marker to give it a little more depth. The stamp set is the Level 1 Hostess Set Because I Care. What a gorgeous image, don't you think? The coloring was done directly on the stamp with my SU! markers and stamped onto Whisper White cardstock. After wrapping that layer with a piece of Marina Mist ribbon, I layered it onto the Chocolate Chip and then onto the Crumb Cake base. Here is the second card, with all of those changes:

Those few small changes really made a difference, didn't they? But it still kept the card simple (something I think is important when it comes to sympathy cards --- that "calming" colors) and flat enough to mail without padding and extra postage.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!!!!!

YOU GOTTA SEE THE BABY.....

Does anyone remember that episode of Sienfeld? I only watched the show a couple of times and that was one of them. The mom kept saying they had to see the baby and then the baby turned out to be really ugly (or so they said, because they never showed us the baby). Anyway, I have never seen an ugly baby myself. But I digress......

I actually got to make a card for a baby shower. It is a nice break from the birthday and sympathy rut I seem to be in. This card was for a friend's daughter who is expecting a little boy. I have made the onsie cards before --- they are so cute, yet so easy. This one was stepped up a notch because of a card I saw here. But this project did not go off without a hitch. I had completed my first try and was stamping the sentiment inside, when I got black Stazon on the front of it. I was so..... mad (the dots were me counting to five so I wouldn't say a bad word). But all's well that ends well, I like the second try much better. And here it is.......

I used a retired SU! DSP called East Coast Prep. The froggie is from the retired set Very Punny. You can tell this outfit was made in China --- the neck cutout wasn't centered as well as I would have liked with the bib straps. But I think it turned out pretty good.

And the baby was born on Wednesday (I think) and everyone is doing well. So....

Congratulations to Jill and Gary

and

Welcome to the World, Michael Thomas

IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME.........

A long time since I have completed a scrapbook layout, that is. This one started with an e-mail from my friend and upline, Debbie Naylor, telling our SU! group about a new on-line community that focuses on scrapbooking. It is called Soul Scrappers and it is a group of very talented ladies. Well, at least I think it is all ladies. Anyway, one of the ladies issued a challenge that started with a quote - "If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking.". She was taking 20 people to participate and, if you signed up, you would all be getting the same products to be used in your layout. Of course, you would not know what you had to work with until your envelope arrived. Free products to do something I love with --- what could be more fun. I signed up as quick as a wink!!! I was so excited when my envelope arrived. I got brads, dew drops, paper flowers, ribbon, stickers, a transparency, some stamped boot prints, a paper clip and a tag. Phew!!! I think that is everything. You could combine these with anything you wanted, but you had to use most, if not all, of the items sent. What was even better was that the ribbon was from SU!, so I was able to match products with what I have plenty of. Here is what I ended up with..........

I am partial to 2 page layouts. This is mostly because I take a bunch of pictures of my kids and love every one of them. These pictures are from a trip to Myrtle Beach in 2005. And, yes, I am way behind. Man, those were the days......

Here are closer views of each page and you can click on each one for an even larger view:

I really enjoyed doing this challenge and hope to do many more in the future. It is a good way to kick start your scrapping mojo.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!!!!!

AND THE AWARD GOES TO............

ME!!!!!! My friend, Cindy, awarded me with this Beautiful Blogger Award. Now I have to pass along 7 things about myself. Hhhhhmmmmm........

1. I am a soccer mom to my two kids.

2. And, yes, I drive the soccer mom van.

3. People seem to be surprised that, at my age, I do not color my hair. Yet.

4. I have done many crafts, from cross-stitching to ceramics to sewing to scrapbooking and card-making.

5. I have a perfectionist trait, so most projects take me 2 to 3 times longer than it should.

6. I am severely color matching challenged. (I love the new SU! color coach!!!!)

7. Although you wouldn't know it from meeting me, I am actually a 5'-9" model with a gorgeous burnette mane of hair and legs that stretch up to there. Okay, maybe not, but a girl can dream can't she.....

Now, as per the rules, I am to pass this award onto others that inspire me. There are oh so many, but I am going to narrow it down. Also, I can't name Cindy, but you should really check out her blog here.

1. Mary Fish

2. Diana Gibbs

3. Debbie Naylor

4. Beverly Cole

5. Lori Subosits

6. Sandy Hancock

7. Lynn Pratt

Thanks, again, Cindy!!!! I hope to have some of my recent projects posted soon.............

WATERCOLOR TRIO.........

Hello, again. I have yet another birthday card for you. This one was inspired by a scrapbook page and a card done by my friend and upline, Debbie Naylor. Check her creations out here and here and here. This is using the now retired Watercolor Trio stamp set and Cottage Garden DSP (I love that paper!!!). My base is Orchid Opulence (retired, also) with layers of Old Olive and Rich Razzleberry added. The sketch had the sentiment on the opposite side, but I didn't want to cover up the part of my DSP with the most design on it, so I shifted it over. I colored my stamps with my markers to add the flowers to the top half. The ribbon is the back of the old Ploka Dot Grosgrain ribbon in Rich Razzleberry (two ribbons in one).

This card was made for my friend, Tammy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TAMMY!!!!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!!!!!

THE METHOD TO THE MADNESS......

You know, you just can't beat a good card sketch. You can start with the basic sketch, but it can take you in so many directions. The card I have for you today started with a sketch found here at Clean & Simple Stamping. Their sketches are wonderful and I check them out (and use them) quite often. Whether you CASE (Copy And Share Everything) the sketch exactly as it is or just use it as a stepping stone to tweak to your own style, it is an invaluable tool.

Next (or vice versa, whichever works at the time), comes the picking of the colors. I am the first to admit, I am a bit color challenged. It is not from lack of trying, but cool color combos do not come easy for me. If it were just me coming up with them, there would only be around 5 combos to choose from. And not all of them may work so well together. Boring!!!! So, the new Color Coach that Stampin' Up came up with is just what I need. The old coach was okay, but this one is so much better. It is set up like a paint swatch collection --- you have each color in a 2-3/4" x 4-1/4" rectangle, not the little spot of color like on the old circular one. Then, on the back of each color card are two combo suggestions. Of course, if those don't suit you, you can twist the cards around and come up with your very own. You can also unfasten the screw that holds it all together and lay them out, if you choose. How stinkin' cool is that??? They also have cards with tips on color, ones showing the four color collections and blank ones for you to fill in your favorites. Even the new In-Colors have cards of their very own. Below is a picture of the one I used. I wanted to use Pacific Point, so I pulled up the card and after checking out both combos and my sketch, I decided the "sweet set" would work just fine --- Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight and Rich Razzleberry. And sweet it is.

Here is the card that all of that created. The base is the Daffodil Delight, then you have the Pacific Point and Rich Razzleberry (ran through the Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dot embossing folder) layered on top. I punched out the bird from the Two-Step Bird Punch in Daffodil and it's wing in Razzleberry (I stamped on the wing in VersaMark to put a little design on it). It is raised up on dimensionals. The limbs are from the same punch and done with Pear Pizzazz. The finishing touches are the Daffodil ribbon tied around the layers and the little pearl added for the birds eye. The sentiment is from the retired Well-Scripted set and is stamped in Pacific Point. This card is for one of my Little Debbie friend's birthday. I hope she likes it --- it can be a little intimidating making cards for people who make cards (and this is such a talented group, so that doesn't help). Anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DARLENE!!!!!!

Sorry this is such a long post, hard to shut me up once I get started. But I'm done now so......

Except, I would like to remind everyone to never forget the losses and sacrifices of those involved in the 9/11 attacks 9 years ago. My thoughts and prayers are with all of the family and friends left behind. I also pray that God continues to guide and protect our country.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!!!!!!

AGAIN WITH THE BACK TO SCHOOL..........

Ah, back to school time. All of the supplies have been purchased and labeled. We've met the teachers and toured the new school. Now the actual first day has to be lived. My kids seemed excited for the year to start, much to my surprise. I figured Lindsey would be a total wreck going to a new school and not knowing anyone in her classes, but I guess that was just me. Logan is very excited to be at school without his sister there --- he is even riding a different bus. Sometimes they can be so independent. Here is a picture of my independent kids waiting for their buses (that is the dad in the background). Ain't they the cutest???? (They take after their mom.)

Logan's school has an awards program to honor the kids for doing well on their (dreaded) SOL's. Each child gets a certificate. If they made a perfect score of 600 on any of the tests, they also get a medal. On the back is the school year of the test (which would have been last school year) and the test it was (Social Studies, Math, Science or Reading, I think). Of course, the old 5th graders (now 6th graders) are not there, so this only includes the previous 3rd and 4th (now 4th and 5th) graders --- clear as mud? They let the now 2nd and 3rd graders sit in on the ceremony, also. I think this is to hopefully give them incentive to try hard to get a ribbon. Anyway, to cut to the chase, this next picture is Logan and his medal for a perfect score in Social Studies. Anyone who knows my history loving boy is not surprised that he aced this one. The sad thing is that he missed getting one for Math by one question. He and Lindsey did great on all of their tests last year and we are so proud of them both. Ain't he the cutest????

Of course, we cannot leave out our other "child". Zoey is getting ready to turn a year old next week, but she is still all puppy. Ain't she the cutest????

I hope to post some cards this weekend. I have them done, I just need to sit down and get the pictures and words together.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS, RITA!!!!!!!

Sometimes I wonder where my brain is!!!! If you have seen it, please let me know. I have had this post ready for a week now, but have not sent it. Anywhooo, here ya go.........

Every once in a while, a project not only turns out just like you planned --- it actually turns out better. For me, this usually only happens every once in a blue moon, but I love it when it does. I made this card for a friend, Rita, that I worked with. She has retired to pursue her art full-time. I have mentioned her before, but just in case, you can check out her blog here. Really, check it out, she does beautiful work. Her goal is to post one work a day.

I wanted to try a Joy Fold Card that I found a tutorial for here. I have not purchased any of the DSP from the new catalog, so I started digging into my stash and came up with this. This is from a retired paper set called Ski Slope, but I don't think it necessarily looks like it has to be used on something "wintery". The colors are very pretty together and I love the striped paper. The other, with the swirls, actually looks more "springy" to me. The stamp set is Happy Heart Day, which is also retired. I wished the picture had turned out better, but ..........

This shows how the card opens. Pretty neat, huh? It's something a little different that will not take you hours to accomplish --- I am all about easy and quick. The flowers on the left are used to hold everything shut.

I could not find my catalog that has this DSP in it, so I hope I have the colors right. I used Baja Breeze as my large base and Chocolate Chip as my smaller base. The flowers are Baja Breeze and Real Red with a center from the Designer Brad Flowers set. The striped paper also has a little Old Olive in it, too (I think). I am very happy with how this turned out and I plan on doing more along this style.

Thanks for stopping by & have a great day!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!!

While I was on vacation at the beach (good times, good times), I had a birthday. Now, if we must get older, celebrating it at the beach is just the ticket. But, be it ever so humble, there's no place like home. So lookie what I had waiting for me when I arrived back. If there is anything that I like as much as making cards for people, it would be receiving cards. It just brightens your day, know what I mean? So, drumroll, please......

This first one is from my friend and SU! sideline, Cindy Blekas. This link here will give you the card details. She is a whiz with DSP. And the inside is just as pretty as the outside. Not sure if you can tell from the picture, but she topped the cupcake with Dazzling Diamonds. And she is an ace at making bows, too. Love it!!!!

The next one is from Cindy's sister, Debbie Naylor, who just happens to be my upline. This is a WOW!!! factor card. Check out this link here to see how she did this. Pretty cool, huh? I love how she placed the bow on the corner. I think I may be CASE-ing that touch very soon.

Now, onto the card from Sherri Gough, another friend who is also my sideline. Can you tell that she knows my love of bright colors and punches? She also added some Dazzling Diamonds to the flower center to give it a little bling. This card just makes me smile...

Another friend and sideline, Debbie Williams, sent me this gorgeous card. She doesn't have a blog, but she sure needs one. I just love the colors and the satin ribbon is too die for. Did you see the little pearls on the side? Such a nice touch.

This last one is from a non-SU! friend, Rita Johnson. She made me card using a picture she took herself in her front yard. Did I mention that she is an artist? Check out the work she has on her blog --- it is amazing!!!!

Thanks to everyone who sent me birthday wishes, either by mail or by e-mail. They were all appreciated.

Now, onto my next year..............

BACK TO SCHOOL TIME.......

It is that time again ---- Back to School. So, we have done the shopping for supplies, the meeting of the teachers for Logan, touring the new Middle School for Lindsey, and getting the bus schedules straight. I just cannot believe that summer is over (maybe not calendar-wise, but it is for me). We will be starting soccer practice next week, also. Nothing like doing everything at one time. It should be a challenge this year to fit everything in. Logan is going into 4th grade, so his homework will be kicked up a notch.

Then, there is Lindsey. She is going into 6th grade at the Middle School. When we toured this week, of her 3rd through 6th period classes, she has only 1 friend from her old school in 1 of her classes. There are 5 feeder schools coming into this one. So, she is going from a total of 35 fifth graders last year to 250 students in 6th grade this year. Quite an adjustment. But I try not to worry too much. She is a great girl (no bias there), so she will not have trouble making new friends.

One of the items that Logan needed was a canvas bag to carry his books from classroom to classroom. I didn't have, in my stash of tote bags (one of the many fetishes I have, like stamps...), any that would work for a guy --- or so Logan said. So, I went to Michaels and picked up a ready-to-finish canvas bag. I wanted to get an iron-on transfer (I needed it the next day, of course), but they must not think guys would want any --- everything was very girlie, girlie. I didn't even see anything I thought Lindsey would have liked. So, in true crafter's fashion, I took matters into my own hands. I had been wanting to try stamping on fabric, but never seemed to get up the nerve. I had done it once at my upline, Debbie Naylor's, house, but that was way back when I first started. I was very indimidated by it. I don't know why, it is soooo easy. This is what I ended up doing for him.

The name is done with the one of the very first sets I purchased, the Tall Tales Alphabet. It is, of course, now retired. The dino's are from Prehistoric Pals, also retired.  I used craft ink in Brilliant Blue (retired), Pumpkin Pie, Real Red,Glorious Green (retired) and Chocolate Chip. The weave of the canvas was very high and I may not have let the ink soak in as long as I should have, so the image didn't come out solid, But I really like how it turned out. More importantly, Logan liked how it turned out.

Here is a close up.

Good luck to all of you parents that have kids going back to school and extra good luck to the teachers teaching them.

Thanks for visiting and have a great day!!!!

TAKE ME BACK..... PLEASE....

Okay, I am home again and back into to everyday grind. Boy, was it hard going back to work!!!! But work is a necessary evil. Anyway, here are a few more shots of our trip. This first one is from the trip down. Zoey was just worn out......

This is from the trip coming home. Zoey and Logan are worn out.....

This is Lindsey and Logan on the pier in Myrtle Beach (not sure which one).....

This is my SIL and BIL that went with us on the same unknown pier.......

Me and my DH on ditto.....

This is the kids in the Lazy River. What a way to float................

Then we have Logan in the ocean.........

Prepare for this next one --- it is Lindsey and me boogie boarding. I swear, that is me doing my own stunts. It is actually a lot of fun, but it does tire you out pretty quick.

That was my week in a nutshell. It really went by very, very quick. Now we are in the back-to-school mode --- now that really puts a damper on things.

Thanks for visiting and have a great day!!!!!!!

AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!! THE BEACH............

Hello to all of you good folks out there working your little fingers to the bone. I am beaching it this week. That is not to say I am not working, because I am still with the family. But I am at the beach.....aaaahhhh...... It will all end soon enough, I'm afraid (and much quicker than we like). It is really sad that we need to work all year for one measley week of vacation.

It has not been all sunshine and good times, though. This is what it looked like when we arrived.....

Quite a thunder boomer!!!! And this was our front door.....

We only had this site for the night and then we would be moving to our site for the week, so we left the camper hooked up to the truck and angled it in the spot to miss the little lake. Luckily, we have not had anymore thunderstorms since. We did have a short shower on Tuesday morning, but it was over by the time we all woke up. It has been HOT, HOT, HOT!!!!!

This is what it looked like when I walked Zoey this morning...........

And this is Zoey enjoying rubbing in only God knows what........

Well, back to the grind --- beach, pool, nap....

See you in the real world & have a Great Day!!!!!