How About This Idea

Well, I get lots of great ideas from some great bloggers on how to organize your scrap room/crafting room. Not all work for me but some give "birth" to new ideas that do! As a military wife, moving a lot, it's hard to settle on one great idea because just as I do, we move and I have to start all over! I thought I'd share some of my ideas, maybe they'll help you! So since I can't honestly say I'll do it habitually I'll call them my "Random Lightbulb Moments"! How about that?! Okay, enough of the not so fun stuff here! Now for the real fun stuff! LOL!
This idea I got a long time ago, shared it on a couple of websites but figured I should probably put it on my own now.
If you're like me you probably have a ton of punches, limited space and if they're out of sight they're probably out of mind! Don't use what you don't see! That in mind when I went to Ikea (in D.C.) I was looking for something versatile (remember military wife = ideas must be versatile/flexible!)to put my punches in, on, or "something"! I walked past their outdoor type section and saw the shoe racks. At first I thought "hey verticle storage, collapsable, re-usable - get it"! Then I got to looking at the thickness of the wooden slats, the distance in between and the lightbulb went on! YES! I was pretty sure it would work for storing those rascals where I could see them and, therefore, be able to use them! So, without further ado, here's my shoerack/punch holder aka storage! LOL!




How's that idea for about $3?! I also got those cute brown boxes at Ikea and use them for my SU markers and just "stuff"! If you see it's high enough too that you can store some flatter items underneat like my Creative Memories cutting system! The cute little buckets came from Target Dollar Spot/vortex!

I hope this helps someone the way it helped me!

A Little Fun!

Okay this is for your curious side! I know we all have one and I'm no exception! LOL! Have you seen on other people's blogs where you can see what kind of Popsicle you are, what day of the week would you be and other ones like that?! Well, I don't know that knowledge of my alter Popsicle ego would make that big of a difference in my life so I usually don't do them! This one, however, got me! LOL! This one tells you what your name means, okay.... I did it! Guess what?! It was close, so close I decided to share! Here's mine;

What Michelle Means

You are confident, self assured, and capable. You are not easily intimidated. You master any and all skills easily. You don't have to work hard for what you want. You make your life out to be exactly how you want it. And you'll knock down anyone who gets in your way! You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. You are very open. You communicate well, and you connect with other people easily. You are a naturally creative person. Ideas just flow from your mind. A true chameleon, you are many things at different points in your life. You are very adaptable. You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out. Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia. Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Now, go on, I know you're curious! Go see what your name means and see how close it is! LOL! I won't tell you what part of that is close to me but, if you already know me, then you already know!

Have fun!

Until next time.......

Brace Yourself.......

Ladies and Gentlemen we have made progress! Here's an update on the house! They have the foundation walls poured! YEAH! It's still at that "looks smaller then it really is" stage but we're getting there! Here's this week's picture;



Hey! Who's that itty bitty (love those words!) person in the back?! he he he!

My Fat Ribbon Entry..

Over on "Stampin When I Can", Allison is having a "Fat Ribbon Contest" of sorts! I usually can't think of something or just don't have time to play but, I got to this time! We had to use a "fat ribbon" - hence the name! LOL! Here is my entry;



I used a couple of neat things in this layout, cute kids picture (he he he!) and I had to try some of the flowers I had just laying around (okay really they were neatly bottled up but begging to be used!), buttons, rhinestones (blue flower centers) but can you see those little tiny circle mirrors, the ones in the middle of the bigger flowers?! Cool huh?! Got those from Starbucks! Yep! Sure did! Timing was perfect last year and I went to one just as they were taking down their holiday decorations - I acquired as many as I could! LOL! I got lots of these mirrors off one of the wreaths to use in my projects! Okay, now back to the layout! Mandy had challenged us, last week, to use rub-ons in our cards well, I took it one step further and chose to use one on here! The scroll design at the bottom is a rub on from SU but, I only had one! So, what do I do? I take my white gel pen and copy it up top! Can you tell?! The really pretty fat ribbon was tied around a gift from a friend of mine - Chantal! I sure do miss her something fierce! She was the sweetest person to hang around, we had SO much in common! I hope she reads this so she knows how much I miss her and she calls me, writes me, something........ She was busy moving at EXACTLY the same time as us too! How weird is that for having stuff in common?!!

So anyway I hope you, and Allison, like my entry!

Until next time......

Always On My Mind......

Always on my mind......forever in my heart! Doesn't that ring true for so many people in your life! If only you could talk to them whenever they were on your mind! It's not always possible but you could make them a cute card with this stamp set from SU that way they can read it when ever they want! It's from the set called "Stem Sayings" and it's still in the current catalog! I made this card as an entry into a contest on Heather's blog! She's actually doing what so many of us wish we could do - drop it all and follow our real dreams! Hope my card wins! I've listed the "deets" below in case you're interested!

Stamps - SU "Stem Sayings", SU "Baroque Motifs", $1 clear stamp by Rhonna Farrer (got it at a grocery store here - cool huh!)
Paper - SU "Whisper White", "Elegant Eggplant" and "Bashful Blue"
Ink - Staz-On black, versamark, PrismaMarkers
Accessories - purple Stickles (glitter), Michael's $1 rhinestones
Cuttlebug and swirly folder used for the card base

I know you can't really see it too well since my picture taking skills are ones I'm working on but the butterfly is actually placed on separately to stand out a bit. I also put the swirly design on in versamark on purpose as I didn't want it to be overbearing. I hope you like it!!

Exciting News!!!

I can't believe it! I've been to so many blogs and have seen so many of them with awards! I have always wondered "how do they get those"?! Well, guess what?!!
I received a Javablu Award!! Hooray! This award was actually CREATED by Ms. Javablu! I was given this award from one of my favorite blogs/stores to shop at - Mandy at Limelight Papercrafts! Mandy you ROCK! If I could give it back to you I sure would p.s. that last order could you like wrap it in a box and put "pasta" (he loves pasta!)on it! That would make it easier for DH to not ask any questions.... until the bill comes in that is! LOL! Thank you!!

[** side note - I got this award a couple of days ago and am just now getting to put it out because Blogger was a baaaaddd website and wasn't being very nice to me for a variety of reasons! LOL! It's here now so enjoy! **]

Here are the rules (rules - I know right?!!)...


1. The winner can put the logo on their blog.
2. Link the person you received your award from.
3. Nominate at least 5 other blogs.
4.Before listing the nominees give a brief reason why you chose them.
5. Put links of those blogs on yours.
6. Leave a message on the blogs you have nominated

Okay so here are my blog choices -

1) I have to give this to my "Comadre" Kela - she's not a papercrafter "per say", she does however use paper to create the most awesome itty bitty quilt blocks using paper! LOL! That and the fact that we have been friends since, OMG, I think 1999?! She was inspirational to me in another military move, as a friend, a shoulder to cry, I mean lean on and she was the sponsor for my oldest to get her confirmation in the Catholic church - now that's cool! We had good times together and keep on still, okay so enough - here's her blog "Kela's World"

2) This one is for another type of blog, not papercrafting but I hope that's okay! I chose it because if you follow this particular blog you will have more time on your hands to make all sorts of crafty projects! It's for a crockpotting blog and her name is "Crockpot Lady", no really it's Stephanie but I bet she'd answer to both! LOL!

3) The next one is actually for a papercrafter/comedian/enthralling person to read about but, fair warning here, don't read her posts with your mouth full! LOL! She's hilarious in her posts! I love to read it as often as I can get over there! So, who is this wonderful blog owner with great reads?! Danyelle of Hangnailz and Papercutz!

4) Another blog who is most deserving of this is Allison of "Stampin When I Can" her blog is AWESOME! She is a wealth of information and has the best blog roll ever! I keep almost all of her blogs since there are always a ton I want to go back to! She has great challenges on there, one of which I actually did last night and still need to post!

5) My last one, for a total of 5 great blogs, is one I just found recently! The name of the blog is "Kim's Kreative Korner" and um, well her name is "Kim"! LOL! I can't remember how I found her but I have been to her site a few times and she has a great tutorial on there for coloring with Prismacolour pencils and mineral spirits! A great technique if you haven't tried it - do! I asked her if she had a tutorial for using PrismaMarkers - well long story short but she went out of her way to find me one! How sweet was that?! I totally appreciate it and, so that everyone can have it she put it on her blog! Check it out!

Well, I hope you liked all my choices as much as I do! They're all great for so many more reasons - go find a good one for yourself!

Thank you again Mandy!! Can't wait for my new monkeys!!

A Flower For You From Teddy!

I love this beary cute card! It's another one using Lauren Meader's Saturday Sketch! I tell you if you haven't used a sketch for your card and find yourself in need of some cards - try a sketch! There are a lot of them out there and they're fun! I'm not quite sure what I'll do with this one but maybe it has a home and I don't know it yet! LOL! I used a lot of different techniques on this one too! First here's the card;



I used almost all SU paper for it except the patterned yellow came from one of my many pads I have found on sale and the ribbon I bought "just because"! The stamp is a very old SU stamp, matter of fact it's dated 1995! It's from my first time through SU! I used Prismamarkers on the bear, his bow tie is paper pieced and stuck back on, I used the retired flower punch from SU for his flower and a Michael's rhinestone from the $1 bin (love that bin!)!

Well, I hope you like it! Let me know what you think okay?!!

Until next time....

ITB - Short For....

ITB or Iliotibial band, for today though it stands for "it'sa training buster"! No LOL here though! That rascal hurts! So I send my gang off to school and set about doing my morning training, my head full of thoughts and about 3 miles into it my left leg just decides to cramp up! I stop, stretch and start going again - umm no, not going to happen again but it does! This time I decide I'll just have to walk! I was not very happy! If you had read my previous blog, after last year's marathon I pulled my IT Band too and it put me off for 2 months from training! It hurts when you pull it or do whatever too it! Heck I didn't even know I had one until it started hurting that day! Last year I tried the "run through it" approach - um wrong move and is why I was off so long! Today, I walked back home 2 miles, iced it up immediately and took an 800mg Motrin. The one bad thing about that is Motrin doesn't like my stomach but, my leg feels better! LOL! I'm off to a warm bath and to do some leg stretches! Oooh and I have another new card to post! YEAH!

Tomorrow is a whole new day!

Until next time.....

Meet My Two New Students!

Here they are! Well, okay they're new students today but not MY new students! LOL! I knew this day was coming that they'd both leave the nest to go to school and I'm so proud of them both! Breanna got all of her advanced placement classes except one but that's a long story that really upsets her! They call the scholarship classes here though - hope that helps her get one since the colleges she's talking about are all big $$$$! Brian has his first big test this week. It's not the real school but more of a placement type of thing they're doing. He said he saw a guy walking around with a HUGE Calculus (can't even spell it myself - thank goodness for spell check!) boy that made ME nervous but I know Brian - HE can do it! He graduated from his last college with a 4.0 average - YIKES! Opposites attract and thank goodness for that! LOL! I'm a lucky girl! LOL! Anyway, here's their pictures;

I got this picture of Breanna just as she was leaving for the bus! She sure does smile pretty despite being mad for me making her stop for the picture! LOL! Aaah I remember when it was a pretty dress, white socks and little mary jane shoes she wore instead....!



Okay, this one is the night before when we took the picture! Breanna and I decided to make a big deal out of him starting the next day! Those are all his little treats we got for him! The school he is attending is called "AFIT" or Air Force Institute of Technology and for him to be there is a huge compliment too! He was one of 6 enlisted picked out last year Air Force wide - no pressure there right?! LOL!



They'll both have a great day I'm sure! Breanna will be home in 1 hour and 49 minutes - not that I'm counting.......LOL!

Until next time!

Card Buffet

I have more cards to show you - YEAH! I hope you like these too as they were fun to make! Each card is different so I'll explain next to each one!

This one I tried my own sketch! I thought I'd use some different shapes and try to make it have an "Asian" look to it! I think I succeeded! I used my Coluzzle for the shapes, the image is from SU's Ginger Blossom stamp set as is the green galore cardstock. The patterned paper is from a pad of paper I got from Target on sale! Love those red sale tags! Anyway, the gold cord is from SU too and I used it to match the gold dots in the center of the flowers! This one is for a friend in Va too!



I love this card and it will be hard to part with it too! I used my Martha Stewart butterfly punch here with some paper from the pad I won from Limelight Papercrafts Blog! The stamp is from SU and so is the pink cardstock! I am planning to part with this one (*gasp* I know right!) to send to another friend!



I made this one with a particular friend in mind too! I'm on a roll here with making cards to actually give away! YEAH ME! I used all SU products with the striped paper being the exception. It came from a pad I got at JoAnn's on sale (of course!) The flowers are actually 3D to stand out a little if you can't tell! There are pearls in the center of them as well!



I've been trying to get better at using embellishments on my cards. Sometimes it's so hard to figure what would be best or what to put where! How do you decide what embellishments to use on yours?! I can't wait to hear!

Newly Discovered!

Guess what?!! I am listed on "Allison's" blog "Stampin' When I Can" this past Saturday! How exciting for me to be on her blog! She has a great list - daily, and how she does this daily with what she calls her "2 wild jackals and one more on the way" I don't know! Maybe she has a cape hidden that you just can't see or something! LOL! Super Blogger! LOL! Anyway check out her blog as she does have some awesome lists, ideas, cards etc....!

Off to the showers now after my morning run! Did you see I went over 200 miles this weekend?! That's the amount I've run since I started training for this 1/2 marathon, not the ones I ran before - just in case you were wondering! LOL!

Until next time!

Last Sunday Night Post....

I just finished the cutest card EVER! OMG! I'm totally in love with this one as it features my favorite (one of many of course) stamps! It's Changito Monkey time! I used the most recent Saturday Sketch from Lauren Meader! I have a couple more in my mind to do but those will have to wait until tomorrow! I need to get my school kids to bed here! LOL! Take a look and tell me what you think of this cutey!



So I used my Changito monkey stamps that I got from, well Limelight Papercrafts (think I got a habit going here?!), my Prismacolor markers, Sta-Zon black ink, Stickles (for the spit =o)!!) oh and the purple ink is SU, paper is from another pad I have from somewhere! LOL! The flower is just a random one as is the button. Breanna just loved it too so I think I need to make a few more copies for her to send off too!

I hope you like it!

Until next time....

More Sketch Fun!

I love Sundays! I love Sundays because I get to take a nap, it's my "free day" so I get to eat what I want and I had time to play! YEAH! Over at Limelight Papercrafts Mandy put out a sketch for fun! If you haven't tried a sketch it's a great way to make a card to have on hand when you need one! Now, to talk myself into letting them go! LOL! I really have boxes of them! Anyway, here are my two that I did for her sketch fun;

Okay, one thing about her sketch was to use a "rub-on". I put mine on the metal rimmed tag hanging off the ribbon! You can barely see them but there are stars on the background that I used Versamark ink on! I love that ink it's definitely a "must have" for your stamping kit! I did the patriotic look maybe because my DH starts his school tomorrow and for him it is a dream come true to be here!



Here is another one. I decided to go more feminine this time since I might, just might actually send this to a friend of mine back in Virginia! I used some of the SU rub-ons from "Sale-a-Bration" time on the circles and the tag!



So two cards, same sketch, different layouts! Leave me a comment and tell me what you think! I can't wait to hear what you think!

Until next time....

Another New Card

Yesterday about 8:45 in the morning out on the trail I'm thinking to myself "why the heck am I doing this?" "am I nuts or what?"! I was at about mile 7 and I felt like my legs were stumps of wood that I was trying to move down the road! LOL! It was the first 10 mile run I had done in a while and oh boy did I hurt for the rest of the day! I even took a nap - didn't even sneak it in just said "I'm taking a nap" and went to bed! LOL! All better today though as I also went to bed at 9:30 which, lately, is early for me! Moving here to Ohio and not having a T.V. in my bedroom makes a world of difference! Anyway, 4 weeks until the marathon - YIKES!!

Now on to more "fun" stuff - YEAH!! I took a sketch (or close to it anyway) from Mandy at Limelight papercrafts (I was supposed to use rub ons but I was too lazy to pull them out last night!) and made this card!



I used all SU items here. Stamps are Ginger Blossoms, coordinating Ginger Blossoms designer paper, cardstock in whisper white, green galore and cameo coral, the marker colors match the cardstock colors and the ink was close to cocoa. I also used my beloved little dew drops on here and some of the awesome Stickles on the main flower's center.

So here's a burning question, it actually came up last night through the course of making this card - do you make cards just to make cards, to only give away, or as samples?! What I'm trying to do is figure out what most people do with their cards! I just can't seem to part with most of mine! I might just box a bunch of them up to give my DH's Grandma for Christmas as she is one to write cards and stuff - I'm more of an email person! So, what about you?!

Upon Which All Else will Stand....

YEAH! We've got progress already on our new house! I'm so excited! They've poured the base of the foundation.

Look =o)



Down at the bottom I also put a ticker for 145 days till it is supposed to be done! YEAH!

Until next time.....

What Is Black, White and Red Almost All Over....

No it's not a blushing zebra silly - but close! It's my card - I made this one for entry into a contest over on Ohio Stampers group! I used SU cardstock in black and red, don't remember where I got the zebra paper (probably JoAnns or Michael's), ribbon is SU and the bling came from Michael's for sure! Take a look and let me know what you think!



I've really got to figure out a better way to take my pictures! This one is not the best - sorry!

Until next time......

What's Purple, Green and Yellow?

My card is! He he he! There is a blog out there whose owner is just an amazing lady and I love to read it daily! It's on my side bar under "Lauren Meader" or just click that hyperlink! Take a minute and read her blog and you'll see why I call her amazing! LOL! Anyway, nothing like being a little behind on trying something new right?! Well for her Saturday Sketch from August 16 I decided to give it a shot (and actually post my picture! LOL!) so without much further "ado" here it is;



I love purple, green and yellow together, it's such a pretty combination! I actually tried a couple of different things for this particular card too! The circles came from both using my Coluzzle and my nestabilities (scalloped circles), the bee is from PaperTrey Ink's Honey Bees set and I put it on Shrinky Dinks - plus it's a little bee just like my "little b"(my daughter)! Haven't done that in YEARS! I also did the "marker trick" for the word "me" since I didn't have any letters that small. I simply colored only the "me" part of another word stamp and then punched around it! Cool huh?! The word "inspire" is from a set I have from JustRite stamps called "Inspirations Set - Small".

I had another goal for this card too, since we've moved here my daughter has been such a trooper. Don't get me wrong, she's had her "moments" but overall her attitude towards everything has been great. If you've moved as a teenager you know the challenges she'll face next week starting, in high school, on the first day! It's more then the right outfit (which believe me the girl has plenty to choose from), the hair but trying to navigate the halls, find the right seat in each class - ON TIME no less. Her school is huge and her class schedule is a tough one since it takes her from one end to the other with what maybe 3 minutes in between?! Then comes lunch... well, you get the picture! I thought I would make this card to give it to her! She does inspire me - a LOT! The things this girl can do is amazing, but anyway this card is for her! Now to find the right words and the right spot for her to find it during the school day!

Life Can Go On Now....

What possibly could I be talking about here?! Well, long story here but I got in touch with a company who asked for my resume! Yeah, truth be told, unless we want to live in just that hole they started digging today I better get a j-o-b! I was SO excited, when they asked, at the prospect of new employment! If you know me you know I can't just sit around! I have to be productive and at work it's worse! I am a driven woman in the work force! LOL! So, life can get back to normal for a bit as I am done re-writing my resume! Try condensing work experience over 23 years into a 2 page document and that's not including the space for your contact information, objectives, education etc....! Woosh! Not easy but will be so worth it!

Anywhooo, on to more fun stuff! I had made quite a few really cute cards that I'd like to share! I just love how these turn out! A couple I made as entries to a DT(Design Team), won't say which one as I really want to try again! I am going to share them with you all now since I didn't make it =o(! I hope you like them, let me know if you do okay?! I'd love some feedback since I would like to try for a DT again!

So we all have a favorite stamp or two or three or, well you get the picture! This is one of my hundred favorites! I got it because it's what my brother says ALL THE TIME and I had to make him a card with it! He's still in Iraq, for those that are curious he'll be home in just a couple of weeks! YEAH!! So, the words are supposed to be this "What's up?"...."chicken butt"! LOL! Get it - chicken but.... well I hope you get it! LOL!



This one started off life as something else! The striped paper was actually off of another "thank you" card I got from someone. I just loved the raspberry colors of it so I tore off the half that wasn't written on and remade it into another card! LOL! I love how it turned out!



This is one of the simplest to make cards and can be made from just scraps! The flower gives it that little extra! Can you see I broke down and actually used one of my SU rhinestone brads! I'm hording them for some reason that's still not clear to me either! LOL! Do you do that with your "goodies"?!



This stamp has to be another all time favorite! I saw another girl use it on her blog (don't remember who's though - sorry!) and I emailed her to find out where she got it! If you want to know it's from Clear Dollar Stamps! I stamped it on designer paper and cut it out to layer it onto this card front! I added the daisy since you can't have a VW bug and no daisies right?! I plan to send it on to a friend of mine back in Va - sure do miss her!

Dishing The Dirt.....

Okay so maybe not THAT kind of dirt but how about they started digging our basement today! YEAH!! It's like my little brother's Tonka trucks they had when they were little! It's so cute! I remember they used to play with them and make "sounds" too! Okay so maybe back then I didn't think it was so cute, but now, looking back I sure do! LOL! So now the clock is ticking! In our pre-construction meeting they estimated 140 days from "dig" to "house" so we'll see what happens since Fall is coming and Winter usually follows! LOL! I hope we're on track as I'd love a place to sit other then in a dining room chair! LOL! Oh, okay fine, I have the floor I can sit on! LOL! Don't even ask what I'm scrapping on! We'll just suffice it to say our dining room table normally has a leaf in it.... for the next 3 months or so it won't! LOL! Here's a picture of the basement;

Here's a view from the street. It looks awfully close to that neighbor's house doesn't it?! Hopefully they won't feel a need to keep that bunker there when we move in! LOL!



Thar she blows...oops wrong line, "Thar they dig"! How's that?! LOL! I don't know why the hole looks smaller then it really is when the house is done?! Weird huh?!



Okay that's it for now! I'm going to keep trying to take pictures weekly so, if you're interested keep watching our new home "grow"!

Until next time....

New Running Trail - Ohio

One of our (my) concerns when we moved here to Ohio this summer was whether we'd find a good trail for our long runs on the weekends! We moved in the middle of training for the upcoming USAF Marathon that is on September 20th so finding one that is at least 10 miles long was imperative for Brian's schedule! He's training for the full marathon so his long runs include 20 mile runs! With some good searching we were able to find a really nice one AND it's nearby! YEAH! It's such a nice, quiet and stress free place to run and so far we've run it twice! Luckily I remembered my camera so I was able to get some good photos of it! Take a look;

Creekside Trail, Beavercreek Ohio

This is looking down the trail where we begin. It's another trail utilizing old railroad tracks - great idea!



This is the gazebo where I'll wait for Brian to finish running. I always finish before him - not because I'm faster but because he runs farther then I do!



Here's my tired honey after having just done 20 miles....



Here's where you'd find me after running 20 miles.... JK! Seriously though - a cemetery at the end of our trail?! Think there's a hidden hint there?! LOL!



This is also near the gazebo - not just a rock but a time capsule that they put together at the town's Bi-centennial! Too cool! I wonder what they put in there?!



While I was waiting for Brian I found some gorgeous and HUGE sunflowers that were begging me to take their picture! Didn't they turn out pretty;





Well that's it for today! Tonight I hope to post some of the fun stuff I've made recently! I'm also going to an Open House I was invited to over in Fairborne! I can't wait to see what she's got going on!

Until next time.....

Meet Frankie!

Over on Ohio Stampers the Halloween fun has already started! I noticed quite a few stamp companies, and not to mention several stores, have started their Halloween fun as well! School is starting so we should all have time to make more stuff right?! Ha ha ha I crack me up! Anyway, if you're lucky enough to have the time check out my "Frankie"! I saw green bags at Michael's last year and thought "hey, I can do something with that! So I did, I made Frankie in my crafting lab! LOL! Here he is - deets to follow



So here's what I used - feel free to use what you have (obviously!)
Small green lunch bags from Michael's
SU spiral punch (hair)
SU oval punch (eyes)
SU Pick a Petal set (retired - edited to let you know I found out today, 08/17 this set is NOT retired! YEAH!!!) but you only need a circle stamp!
SU Eyelets (any eyelets will do!)
Black scraps
Grey scraps
Black pen
Red inkpad

You can pretty much tell from the picture what I used where I'm sure but if you need more info - just email me! I'm happy to chat! Now go make some for your favorite little goblins, co-workers, friends etc...

Until next time......

Blog Header

As much as I LOVED that header Breanna gave me, I had to change it! I realized that if I didn't put "words" on my header, and put them in the picture, you would get your "feeds" from feedblitz reading as "."! Not cool! So, once again, it gave me an opportunity to show off yet another great picture Breanna took recently! The girl is amazing with her photos! Who ever knew there were so many shades of green in one plant?!

Enjoy and until next time....

Home Sweet Home - August 15, 2008

Big News -

When we were chosen for Brian to attend the AFIT program here in Ohio we were faced with a decision we've had to make many, many times or at least every time we've moved that is - buy or rent! Breanna is in high school, 10th grade to be exact, and I know from personal experience moving can be difficult especially in high school! I can't move her again until she graduates! So faced with the knowledge we will be here until at least 2011 we decided to make an investment in a home! YEAH! So now all those years of watching HGTV and thinking "when I get my own home again....." will really pay off! I'll be sharing pictures of our home as it's being built so if you're interested it will be under the title "Home Sweet Home"!

In the beginning.....

Blog Header Change!

Guess what my daughter made for me! A new blog header! Isn't it pretty?!! She took the picture when we were in Atlantic City and then changed it to make my blog header! What a lucky Mom I am to have such a talented child! LOL! If you like it, leave her a message and tell her what a great job she did!

Bright and Sunny

I joined a group recently called "Ohio Swappers" - great bunch of women by the way! I am having so much fun chatting with them. They are doing a swap called "Summer Swap" and I decided to play! Here's a picture of the card I created. I wanted to do a little extra since it was my first one with them. Take a look and let me know what you think!

I used mostly SU products except the ribbon was from Michael's and the yellow paper came from a pad I bought a while back!



Hope you like it!

Until next time....

I Won, I Won!!

I love blog surfing and seeing what everyone else is up to - who doesn't really?! I just try hard not to remind myself they're working on projects and I'm goofing off when I shouldn't be....! LOL! Anyway while stalking one of my favorite blogs (see sidebar for links!) I saw one of them was giving away freebies and I WON! WOO HOO! It was on Mandy's blog "Limelight Papercrafts Blog"! She also owns Limelight Papercrafts online store. Anyway she put together an awesome bunch of goodies too! I can NOT wait to play with them!




See!! -->

Magazine, rub ons, GREAT paper and a cupcake holder that is PERFECT for when your daughter LOVES to bake cupcakes!! The only hard part will be giving it away! LOL!

I got this a couple of days ago and let me tell you that magazine was a lifesaver! No TV, No internet, No "stuff" you need something to release your inner creative demon right>! LOL! I got some great ideas! I'll share my finished project when I'm done with it! Food poisoning over the weekend put this sort of fun on the back burner!

You really should go visit Mandy's store as she is great to deal with! She's also running another great special right now. No affiliation here other then being a happy customer and now a happy winner! YEAH!!

Hershey Park

On our trip north to our new home we made another fun stop - The Hershey Museum in Pennsylvania! If you're a chocolate lover this place is like your Mecca of sorts! Not being a chocolate lover (I know *gasp*!) I enjoyed it anyway as I'm always curious as to how things are made! We did the tour of how it's all made, had personalized candy bar wrappers made - so cool and, of course, shopped and had a treat! Here are a few pictures we took of the museum and the fun;

Looks like a happy place!



Two chocolate lovers!



I think he's happy since he knows he's in no danger with me!



Look at that happy twinkle in his eye!



Notice the lack of chocolate! Unfortunately no chocolate is not a specialty for them as the cookie was not worth the caloric intake! LOL!



Until next time......

Sick!!

OMG! If you've ever had food poisoning you can totally relate to how I felt this weekend! Saturday night till now I have been, well you know... sick as a dog (where did that term come from anyway?!) unable to do anything even lifting my head from my pillow! Today, being day 3, I am able to sit here and enjoy the computer a little bit! That's not the only reason I've been off line though. We are trying hard to find our place in the electronic world here in our new home. Our internet stinks! Luckily my DH is a smart guy when it comes to this stuff and he's able to finagle it but I'm not sure where we're heading with this so if I'm not on here for a while it's because of the internet connection no cooperating! LOL! I am pre-posting a few things I have saved to put up just in case!

Until next time.....

Just an FYI

In case you were wondering or, even noticed for that fact, I have a picture of different running shoes up on my side bar! I originally had my Pink Panthers up there but, they're gone. Well not really gone I still have them but only use them for my cross training now. Why might be the next question so here's "why"! I bought them with the best of intentions as they are pretty, they were on sale and I had a coupon and, probably most importantly (and since I was SO close to it myself) portions of the sale went to support the breast cancer research cause. The only thing is they didn't provide enough shock absorbency for me since I tend to run "hard". I got some pretty bad shin splints from the lack of it so I had no choice but to do a lot of resting and switch back to "Mizunos"! I love these shoes since having a wide foot (remember the sandals in that other picture - I know you looked! LOL!) I need a wider area to spread my toes when I run so I don't get a foot cramp and these work great! I'm doing better with the shin splints and my Mizunos are showing the wear and tear already! LOL! So learn from my, well not really a mistake, but if you're going to run or exercise make sure your equipment totally fits your "needs"! If you go to any quality athletic store they can evaluate your running style (for shoes) and fit you - it's worth the extra cost trust me! One more tip - if you get the vented type and walk or run in all weather situations make sure you don't get the ones that are vented on the bottom! LOL! Your feet can, and will, get wet! LOL! I found out the hard way - accidentally! LOL!

Good luck and I hope this helps someone!

Until next time.....

Just Bloom...

We're here! We're in Ohio, in our apartment and ready for our next chapter to start! YEAH! I didn't have much time really to read the messages in my inbox before this morning so if you're waiting for a response please just give me a little more time! I thought I'd also share a really pretty card I made recently. I used the SU "Bloom" set from their last mini (sorry the set is still in boxes and I can't remember the full title) and just love that set! It's so pretty and is so versatile for different needs from birthdays to sympathy and even would be great on a scrapbook page.

I used black cardstock for the base with two different purples for layers. The ribbon is SU's old sheer ribbon and the rhinestones are from Michael's $1 bin that I picked up a long time ago.

Take a look and tell me what you think!



I've been researching on how to take a better picture too. I found sites for making my own photo tent - cheap. If you have any tips let me know!

Until next time.....

Share Our Summer Fun!

Here are a few pictures of the fun we had in Atlantic City! It's a beautiful beach and we loved hanging out there!

Atlantic City Beach



We love the fun in the sun (I cropped this one for you so wouldn't get too scared at the whole picture! LOL!)



We love the fun in the sun - yes.... but Breanna loves it more!



Breanna and I wanted to have just a little fun of a different sort! Check these photos out! We got henna tatoos! For some reason I still have mine but Breanna's faded =0[






Enjoy!

Until next time.........

On Our Way Heading North!

We are in Atlantic City now enjoying the beach! It felt so good to just relax and not have to rush out of the hotel to do something for the house or to run or anything! We are just going to sit on the beach and enjoy the sun and water! Hopefully the sun won't have a love affair with my skin as I burn way too easy! We walked along the boardwalk last night and wow is this place amazing! The shopping, the variety of people out there, the beach is great as always! We also went to the shops on the pier where they have stores connected to Ceasar's casino. Breanna had to visit Tiffany's too! Let me tell you all we could afford in that place was a lungfull of the air we breathed while inside! A key chain was $380! Can you believe that?! OMG! Too bad we'll never put our keys on it as Brian did a little gambling while we were walking around and let's just say we'll hold our breath again for tonight's possible winnings! LOL!

Well, we're off now..... until next time........