Happy Monday!

Well it's almost Monday and this particular Monday comes with me having mixed emotions! It's my last week in my office before I transition into my new position...hey that rhymes! I'm a poet and didn't know it! LOL! I've made a lot of good friends and I'm sure they'll stay in touch and, since the missions of these two offices are close enough, I will still get to deal with a lot of them! Since the coffee bar is in between...I'm sure I'll run into them there too! LOL! Matter of fact, it's where the whole new job chatter started! LOL! Speaking of coffee check out my coffee card I made with, get this, designer paper I created on my own!



I used shaving cream and reinkers to make the paper! I'm betting you remember this from grade school if not, it's on the resource pages of Splitcoast Stampers! It was so easy and so fun! I created 2 different color schemes and using 2 sheets of paper was able to get 8 card size pieces of paper to use! Way cool huh?! The stamps are from Queen Kat designs. The set is called "Give Me Coffee", totally my philosophy when asked what I'd like to drink! Coffee or water! That's me!

Well I hope you liked my card! If you want these stamps for yourself then I suggest getting over to Queen Kat's store because all her stamps are 40% off right now! That sure beats what I paid and any discount I can get! LOL! Not too shabby!

Until next time....

Running For Fun......

Wooosh it was a warm Saturday morning here in Ohio and I LOVE IT! My first timed race was this morning. "Healthy Minds 5K", proceeds going back the to kids. I tend to run a lot of these smaller races just for the fun of it but I figure if I am I want the proceeds to go to a good cause! I don't have a "before" pic but here's an "after" pic;



I can say I finished, didn't do as good as I wanted but better then expected! I ran a total of 6 miles and walked 2 more since I tend to park a ways away for a little extra exercise and not to mention I'm sort of anal about my car and don't want door dings! Oooh how's that for a run on sentence?! Well I spared you the shots of me showing my legs.....talk about your "glow in the dark" skin! LOL! Well it's a busy Saturday with lots of stuff going on! I just finished planting some flowers, cleaning my car (anyone have good hints for cleaning microfiber seats besides a lint brush?!!) and now need to clean house, run to the shoe guy, run here........run there..... you get the picture! LOL! It's all about running today!


Until next time....

TGIF

YEAH! It's Friday! Woo hoo! Why is it 4 day weeks seem to go SO long?! I'm excited for this weekend though so maybe that's it! I have my first "official" race tomorrow and I am no where near ready?! Oh oops! LOL! Nah I'll be all right but, want to see what I was doing instead of training as hard as I should have been?! I was "playing" and have the messy crafting room to prove it! LOL! Just ask my honey, he'll totally vouch for that! Here's one of my creations;



I found some of this reall neat stuff called "Flower Soft" at my local scrapbook store last weekend and HAD to try it out! I used some of my stamps from The Rubber Cafe to make this! The butterfly I stamped on the same paper as the background DP but it looks watercolored instead doesn't it?! I was tickled at how this card turned out! I hope you like it too!

Until next time....

Flowers For You....

My kids are all growing up, 2 are out of the nest and one, as you know, has made me the "Bella" that I am (Hi Logan...Bella loves you!!)! One of my favorite memories of them, only one, is the way they used to bring me home flowers! Usually snatched from a neighbor's garden but, well they wanted their Mom to have those pretty flowers! So when I saw this design by Lindsay over at "Lindsay's Stamp Stuff", it reminded me of those times and I had to download it and make my card with it!



I colored this image with my Copic markers, practice makes perfect, after I downloaded/printed the design. Yep it's a digital design that you can print out any size you want! Cool huh?! The paper is all Stampin Up but the Designer paper is old and no longer available! Want to try digital designs for yourself?! Right now Lindsay is running a special on them. The month of May you can get a free design for every $5 you spend in her store, Lindsay's Stamp Stuff! So hurry!!

Until next time....

Elegant Yet Simple....

What's black, white & red all over?! A zebra in a paint store...ha ha ha! Remember those jokes from when we were little? I used to love them and, shh when my nephews are around I still do! LOL! Now I have a new answer to the joke, a serious answer that is! It's my new "Elegant yet Simple" card I designed using a card kit from my friend Lindsay, owner of Lindsay's Stamp Stuff! Take a look at what I created using this kit;



Easy peasy promise! Simply download the design, available for $5 a kit, print it out and have fun! All I added here was the card base, the red and the blingy flowers! The designer paper and the words are all part of the kit - only part though! There's enough in one kit to make 3 cards! Still not sold?! How about if I told you there's a "freebie" you can try for yourself?! Lindsay, the Frugal Crafter, has decided to share 1 kit on her blog for you to try on your own! Go take a look, download this one and see what you think! Matter of fact it's a way cute kit so I'll race ya over there........

Coffee Anyone?!!

Anytime is a good time for coffee! Yep, that would be me "coffee junky"! One of my kids once told me "I love the smell of coffee, I smell coffee and I think of you Mom"! Don't kids say the sweetest things sometimes?! LOL! Santa, the Easter Bunny, Mother's Day always brings me a beloved and coveted Starbucks card too! Love my coffee, just in case you didn't get the picture here...! LOL! I not only LOVE to drink it but I love to give coffee and gift cards as gifts! Now the crafter in me won't allow for a gift to be given in just any old envelope either but, the busy girl in me doesn't allow much time for fancy wrapping! So when I was sucked into the $1 vortex at Target I saw something I knew would be a perfect gift wrapper one day! They were selling flower seeds in these neat little burlap bags! Well, buy one and put it to the side for future use! YEAH, good idea! So when the "Queen Kat Design Team" was challenged to make a card using stitches I thought "hhmm coffee...stitches...GOT IT"! I grabbed my favorite Queen Kat Designs stamps, coffee stain stamp and my Give Me Coffee stamps and made this little swing note card to attach to that cute little burlap bag! Here's pictures of what I came up with;

Swing card closed


Swing card open


So can you see how I made this swing card?! Just simply make 2 circles, one larger then the other (I used my Nesties), punch a hole with your hole punch in both of them where you want your "hinge" to be and put your brad in there! I chose to use a button to go along with my stitches theme, which you can see on the purple part! Now how's that for a fast card to decorate an already cute bag?! You could make a few and stock up on them for Christmas tags or birthday party tags! So fast and so fun! I hope you're up for more fun with the Queen Kat Design Team keeping you "in stitches"! Check out Beverly's Blog to see her great projects! She has a great idea to share too!

Until next time....

Who's Bag Is It?!

In the military when you're getting ready to catch a military flight you do what they call a "bag drag". You're carrying everything to the pallets to get loaded on the aircraft. At Breanna's school she has to put her cheer bag in a pile with other girls things and Logan, well he just needs one of everything his Bella makes right?! Well you have to identify your bag as your own right?! So how about a personalized bag tag then?! Last year when we first got here Brian, yes, my own sweet handsome love/husband, made his own bag tag for his computer bag! I know, grab your tissue it almost made me cry too! I saw what he used and thought "OMG! I so have to have some of those!" Until recently, when another DT member made her own I had forgotten about them. Well flash forward to this past weekend and a stop at my grocery store I find exactly what Brian used to make his tag! Yes, my grocery store had these! LOL!



Sure, I could have just shoved a piece of paper with the information in there and called it good but, what kind of crafter would I be then?! A pathetic one if you ask me! Okay, so you didn't but here's what I did with 3 of them!



Close ups;

Breanna's for her cheer bag


Logan "had to have" one of course;)


If Logan has one then his buddy Garrett has to have one too - right?!


The cheer turtle is actually a "Bella" stamp, mine possessively but from the company "Bella Stamps"! I love her Bella's and, well, all of her stamps! Logan's turtle is from one of my $1 stamp sets and the dog stamp is part of a set that I picked up at Michael's I think! I colored the turtles with my Copic Markers! I think my practice is paying off a little more each time! Still nowhere near some of the other talented ladies out there but...give me time! LOL!

The grocery store where I got these in Ohio is called "Meijers" and it was in the office supply area! I wish I would have gotten more but, I'm sure I'll be back at the grocery store sooner then I want to be! UGH!

Well, until next time....