Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Happy New Year!

Hello and happy New Year from a very chilly southwestern Utah! Last night, we had rain, sleet, snow, wind, and plummeting temps! The storm system has long since moved out and it's now sunny, windy, and cold outside. Thank you for braving the weather and stopping by! LOL

What do you have planned for New Years? It'll be a quiet night for us. We like to have a nice dinner for New Year's Eve. It's been a tradition in our home. So, I've got lobster tails and steaks ready to go. Then, on New Year's Day, we'll just snack. There are lots of activities planned within the community for New Year's Eve, but we'd rather stay inside where it is warm and cozy! Do you enjoy the New Year's Day parades and football games? I wish we could see the Philadelphia Mummers' Parade. I miss seeing their beautiful costumes with the men struttin' their stuff! LOL When I was young, I had uncles that were involved with one of the bands. They had to make their own costumes and go to tons of practices. It was a huge commitment. I personally think the men had to spend so much time preparing because no women were involved! I don't know how it is today, but, back then, women were not allowed to participate in any way, shape, or form. It was a mens' only organization! It was always a tradition to see that parade.

Well, I finally decided to give coloring stamped images with distress inks a chance. Here is the very first result. It's my anniversary card to my DH. It really looks so much better IRL! Here's the funny part. Those of you who are comfortable and well practiced with this technique could have gotten the same results using, probably, less than six stamp pads. I used 14!!!! LOL Is that funny or what? Talk about blending! (not that you can even see that I used that many, LOL) I counted up the stack and 14 was the number, LOL. Isn't that hilarious?

The photo colors are a bit off. Edwin's jeans do look like the color of jeans - that nice deep blue. I left the pockets a lighter blue for contrast. I wanted to keep the card colors in the palette used in the PP. If I adjust the blues, then the rose gets a darker lavender. As it is, the flower color is pretty true.

I believe I had the wrong watercolor paper. I used what I had at home - the Strathmore Watercolor Paper (the one with the maroon and black cover on the pad sold at M's. I don't know much about paper, but since I had it on hand, that is what I used. Are you able to use the paper you use for Copics/stamping for this technique, too? I have Neenah, Gina K., and Cryogen. Can they handle the water?

I had an aqua brush in my supplies. I don't think I had a very good one. It's a Pentel. It just started leaving puddles of water until I shoved a wad of paper towel inside the pen to slow the flow. I also had trouble with the nylon bristles staying together. They tended to separate and resemble a rake. Water was coming out nicely, but the plastic bristles just didn't stay together. Any suggestions for a good water brush?

Well, here it goes:

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Happy Anniversary


Is it OK?

Thank you so much for stopping by. I'm so glad that you took time to visit. You are such wonderful card makers, I learn so much from you. You give me courage and curiosity! Without the courage to try something new, I wouldn't be curious as to whether or not I can do the technique! You keep me motivated and challenged! Thank you with all my heart.

Happy New Year! I hope your New Year is filled with health and happiness.

XO,
Chris

Saturday, November 20, 2010

This Time of Year

Fall is finally here - REALLY here! After so many long months of heat, it is such a treat to feel the chill in the air and see the colors of the season! We have very tall trees in our front yard. From our upper windows, we can see the leaves which are the most beautiful shades of gold (Copic Y-38, Y-04, YR-16, YR-65, YR-15, YR-24, and YG-25). LOL! The wind is supposed to really blow the next couple of days which means that many of those gorgeous colors will blow away.

Today, I have a couple of Tilda cards to share. The first one is for a challenge on the new Magnolia-licious Challenge Blog. This is the blog's very first challenge - to use pink and yellow on a card. I've had this card done for a couple of weeks and just procrastinated posting it - especially after I saw the beautiful creations of the other gals. What a treasure trove of talent! If you're into Tilda, then, come join the group!

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Happy Birthday


For this card, I used my Copics, Nestabilities, Stickles, patterned paper, ribbon, a border punch, Primas, pop dots, and, of course, a darling Tilda!

The next card is also a Magnolia stamped image. The colors are blended perfectly. The camera didn't help me out when I took the shot! There are no lines where the colors begin and end. I may reshoot the photo. I just don't like how it turned out (especially when I took extra care to blend, blend, blend). I made this one for a male friend. It's one of Magnolia's early images. I especially love those old ones because of their simplicity. I love this image for get well cards!

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Get Well Soon


I wanted to make this card masculine. I think by using the blues and browns, it does look like a card a man wouldn't mind getting! The ribbon has the same colors as the papers, so it went perfectly.

For this card I used Bazzill, Basic Grey, Stickles, Copics, micro mini buttons, Nestabilities. and ribbon.

PAY IT FORWARD - A Holiday Challenge for You

I have a special challenge for you. Since blessings come in so many different ways, some subtle while others are more obvious, I'm challenging each of you to do a Random Act of Kindness. If you're in the grocery line, grab a bunch of flowers, pay for them, and give them to the person behind you in line. Buy a box of diapers or some baby food for the local food pantry. So many people are in need. The blessing you would give another will create a ripple. As you share your RAK, ask that person to Pay it Forward in some way. Thanksgiving is this week and Christmas is only 35 days away. What a wonderful reason to do something out of the ordinary to brighten someone's day.

If you would like to share your RAK, come back and share with my readers what you did and how that person reacted! You will feel so good after doing that! You will be the one who received the gift - the gift of the season - the gift of caring.

Thank you so much for stopping by. I so appreciate that you took time from your busy life to visit my blog. I treasure each of you!

XO,
Chris

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Happy Halloween!

Soon our bell will be ringing, and little ghosties and goblins will be looking absolutely adorable while snagging some yummies for their tummy! Our area is celebrating Halloween tonight since Halloween falls on a Sunday this year. So, tonight is the night! I miss not having little ones of our own to take photos of in their costumes! That's a definite downside to becoming a senior citizen! Think parents would mind my taking shots of their children for MY scrapbook pages, LOL - NOT!

I had a bad week. Early in the week, my vision decided to plummet. I couldn't see to read or do much. I hate when I have those flare ups, but am blessed in that there are meds available now that mitigate the problems and quiet the flare up - eventually. My vision was somewhat good yesterday and almost normal today. It doesn't take much, though, before those tired, old eyes of mine go back to their blurriness. I felt as if I was looking through water or a margarine smear on a windshield. Not fun! I was wearing two pairs of glasses at the same time just to see the computer screen. Now, I've just got my reading glasses on. Progress.

I worked on this wall hanging for a challenge for the Magnolia Blog. The requirements were to use at least one Magnolia stamp and have a kitchen/cooking theme. I chose to make something for my kitchen. I went to a local antique store and purchased this silver serving fork. It's about 7 1/2 inches long. Then, I found the perfect frame for it. This frame is 13 x 7 1/4 inches. I used adorable rooster paper and some yellow gingham paper with red rick rack as the divider. My stamps are Chef Edwin and Chef Tilda which were colored in Copic markers. I added a sweet little bow with a matching yellow flower at the knot. My plans are to continue creating other framed utensils to create a wall grouping in my kitchen. The downside is that that fork will have to be polished as it is silver - pretty, but silver! LOL Here it is:

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Stick a Fork in It!


Next, is a card I started before my eyes got all wonky. I had most of it done and just had to add the finishing touches which I was finally able to do. It's for another challenge on another site - Totally Tilda Challenge Blog . The challenge was to utilize pearls as well as the color pink on a card. It is Challenge #8. You should see the gorgeous things gals have created for this challenge!

For this card, I chose to use Basic Grey papers, pale pink cardstock, a gorgeous Tilda stamp (I think it is Fairy Tilda), some glitter, pearls, die cutting, and roses. I colored the centers of the roses with my Copic markers so that they would match the paper colors. Tilda was also colored with Copic markers. The pearls are in the exterior low points of the shape behind Tilda. Here she is:

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Pink and Pearls


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Well, there are munchkins making their way to our door. I need to help DH with the treat distribution.

Have a wonderful evening! Thank you so much for stopping by. Your visits mean the world to me.

Blessings,
Chris

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Stop the Political Spending!

OK, I'm on my soapbox again! I'm not going to go on and on about anything, but I want to leave you with a simple point to ponder.

Why do the current midterm candidates scream, "Stop the spending!" or "Washington's spending is out of control!" when the very people screaming those remarks are guilty of the very same exorbitant spending in attempts to BUY their political office? $140 million from one candidate. $25 million spent on the campaign of another. Do you see any hypocrisy here? If the candidates are willing to spare no expense to BUY their seat, how can they have the audacity to criticize Washington? ~ just a thought. Think of what that money could do for the children of this nation...you know, those very children that are the future of this nation...

Thank goodness, Fall is finally here! Last night, we had a wonderful thunder and lightning storm! The rain came and went for a couple of hours. Wonderful! The air is clean today. The windows are open, and it is GORGEOUS! Did I mention that it is cooler outside, too? Yay!

I have some goodies to share with you today. First is a Tilda card. This stamp is named Tilda in Dalecarlia Coat. I also used the Magnolia stamp of the blanket covered bench. I used liquid embroidery on the blanket, heated it with my embossing gun to fluff it up. The images were colored with Copics. It's hard to see, but I added ultra fine clear glitter to the embroidered details on her coat and hat to add some sparkle.

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Thank You Card


Next, I have a couple of scrapbook layouts to share with you. Life Preservers Scrapbook Club had an online crop this weekend and I scrapped my heart out. Here are just a couple of layouts I did:

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My Paella


This challenge was to scrap food! Well, that was right up my alley! One night, I had made a wonderful Paella after DH came home from the store with bags of seafood! I put some of it to good use right away! I was so happy with how pretty the Paella turned out that I had to photograph it! Doesn't that look delish?

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OUCH! There's a Stake in My Heart!


This challenge was to scrap a non Halloween photo but use Halloween items for the actual layout design. Well, I thought this photo was just the thing! I love, love, love this donut from Voodoo Donuts in Portland,OR. It is just the cutest thing! There is a pretzel stick stuck in its chest for the stake. Then, raspberry filling is oozing out around the stake's hole! Yummy! Is that cute or what?

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How Does Your Garden Grow?


This LO is a tribute to the gardening endeavors of our DS! He proudly sends photos of things he is growing in his yard. I thought these photos were perfect with the paper! Aren't those colors wonderful?

Thank you, sweet visitors, for stopping by. I so appreciate your visits! I hope you will come back soon!

XO,
Chris

Friday, October 15, 2010

Getting Political about Education!

OK, this is my blog, and I can say what I think, right? As long as it isn't a personal attack, a profane comment, or a statement that is just plain whacko, I should be OK. What I'm going to share is my frustration with the increasing separation between the wealthy and the middle and lower classes regarding wasteful spending, out of touch wealthy people, and the children of this nation!

I spent my adult life teaching children. I loved each and every day that I went to work. Children are precious to me. The children of this nation are the FUTURE of this nation! If we don't start caring for them, nurturing them, and providing for their needs, our nation will disintegrate!It will happen in YOUR lifetime or, at the latest, your children's lifetime!

When I hear the amounts political candidates are spending on their campaigns, I want to cry. Have we come to the point where we just buy a political office? Is that what America has become? It doesn't matter if you don't have the intellectual ability to represent your constituents, or adequately do the job, as long as you had the money to buy the position! It makes me ill! With $140 million being spent by one candidate, $25 million by another, how does this glut of campaign funds better our children's futures? It doesn't.

Today, Hoda Kotbe on Today, recalled a time she was visiting an elementary school in the good old USA. It began to rain outside. She was stunned when the little children working at their desks, automatically pulled out rain caps from their desks because the roof leaked so badly! Everything in that room got wet, including the children, the students' work, and their supplies. How can this happen in our country? How can we allow it to happen in this country? We need to open our eyes and do something! Did anyone care that there was probably mold growth throughout that one school - sickening those children and staff members?

Our schools are crumbling. They are in a literal state of disrepair. They are under budgeted. Teachers have to spend funds from their own meager salaries to help make their classroom be a better place. Many schools can't even supply pencils. My goodness, this isn't a third world country. Yet, there are glimpses of such a country reflected throughout this nation's schools. How does your local elementary school shape up?

Would you want to show up day after day as a student - or even a teacher - knowing that your school was infested with rats or other disease laden critters? Would you want to go to work in a room that was broken down on so many structural levels? I seriously doubt it. Yet, there are real troopers out there - sucking it up and going in each and every day so that the children of this nation, our children, can have a better future, but will they? Children go in so that they can learn. Teachers go in so that they can work with their young charges.

Yes, $140 million for one, $25 million for another - for what? Those are just two figures for two candidates! How many textbooks and roof repairs could be accomplished with just a small portion of those war chests. Imagine what is truly and totally being spent every time there are elections in this country.

How can we have allowed it to come to this? Where are those that can afford to give a little to help those children and schools in need throughout this country? What would it take?

I think we've become a nation of greed. The man or woman with the most money wins. Where are the Oprah and the Gates' Foundation mindsets? For those who just keep adding to your coffers, think abut this - You've been blessed with riches - share them - just a little bit with the children. Bill and Melinda Gates have it right. Oprah has it right. Too bad they are among so few.

This class division, flamboyant and political spending are just three more nails in the coffin of our country. Did you really need to spend $5,000 for a handbag?

God help the USA!

XO,
Chris

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Just One More Sleep

DH has been gone for what seems like forever. It's been just shy of three weeks. I've been home alone with my feline friends. You would think I would have scrapped my heart out. I didn't. He left and took my mojo with him, I guess. It was very hard to be alone so long. I'll tell ya - it's pretty darn hard to do everything around here by yourself! I'm too old and things hurt now! But, tomorrow is the big day. DH will be home in the early evening. I never slept like an average person. I went to sleep at three AM and got up around nine AM when the cats decided I should open my eye lids. Quite frankly, I think they were afraid I may have passed away and then what would they do!

I am so ticked. Things I've ordered on line are not getting to me. It really bugs me. I bought stamps as a gift for a friend. They never arrived. What made it worse was that I told her I had found them (they've been discontinued). Then, a stamp I sent to her never reached her either. I had my return address on the envie, too. Another friend sent me something from Australia. I never got it, either. Add to that another order that never found its way to my mailbox or front door. I think someone is getting pretty lucky. I'm not. Doesn't that bug you, too?

I made some fruit leather today. It's been dehydrating in the oven since this morning. I'm using the heat of the light to do the work. I started out with the oven on convection. My lowest temp. is 170° and you were supposed to set it at 140°. So, I got it going at 170° on convection and then turned it off. I'll check on it before going to bed. Have you ever made fruit leather?

Yesterday, DS and DH went to the Olympic Peninsula and visited the rainforest and FORKS, WASHINGTON!! It was a downpour, but my DH, the trooper he is, got out and stood by the "Welcome to Forks" sign so DS could get a picture for me to scrap. No, they didn't see Jacob or Edward. *sigh* How fun was that? I told DS to tell his dad that the picture wasn't good enough and that he had to take a couple more, LOL. DH didn't fall for it, though! LOL.

I made a birthday card for a friend. It's Singing Tilda. I loved this stamp. I loved the gown. I forgot to add the green leaves before I took the photo. They are on there now, though. I colored her w/ Copics. Then, I added some Stickles in strategic areas to make the gown look like gossamer. I added silver Stickles to the end of the microphone. It looks really nicely, I think. I hope you like it. Here it is:

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I am so far from being a good Copic user. I try, though. I loved the pale color I managed to achieve on her gown. I wouldn't mind one like it, LOL

Thank you, friend, for stopping by. I appreciate the time you took. Leave a little love if you want. That is always a treat!

XO,
Chris

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Some Tilda Cards to Share

A funny thing happened during an organizational cleanup session - I found a note written by DS from 1987! He was six when he wrote the note. I had it tucked away all that time. The funny thing is that I had recently done a scrapbook LO journaling that very event! So, I modified the scrapbook layout so that the handwritten note could be included. Here is the revised LO:

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The Great Knott's Berry Farm Caper


The unedited handwritten note reads: "Dear Mom; Dad,
Leo (as stuffed lion) and I are down eating breakfast.
wait for telephone call.
PS: I took the key"

Of course, we didn't wait for a telephone call because WE WERE ASLEEP AND HE HAD LEFT THE SUITE ON HIS OWN BY QUIETLY GETTING DRESSED AND LEAVING! Be still my heart. Of course, we didn't get the note because HE LEFT IT ON HIS PILLOW IN THE OTHER ROOM!

And this is probably why we only had one child. The Lord knew that we'd have our hands full with just this one! He could have so easily been taken since the courtyard was open on three sides to the parking lot with hallways leading right to the lots!

Here are the Tilda cards I made. I hope you like them. Each has been colored with Copic Markers. I'm trying to get better and better. LOL It's a very slow process for me! LOL

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For this card, I did double stamping. I stamped the hay bale and Farmer Tilda as one piece as well as the fence pieces and the attached horse. The sheep and the rooster are individually stamped. I added some bronze and yellow Stickles to the rooster to add some bling. The shee'p's inner ear parts are covered in hot pink Stickles. I elevated Farmer Tilda and the hay bale, the rooster, and the head and tail of the sheep using pop dots.

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Hello Cupcake

I used Fairy Dust Tilda and the Love Muffin for this card. I colored the Fairy Dust in crystal Stickles so that it sparkles.

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Hang in There

For this card, I used an acrylic card as my base. I took the predominant figure, Edwin on the anchor, and placed it on the front. Inside the card, I created the remainder of the scene. Mermaid Tilda has a delightfully glittered tail. The scalloped circle behind her, flips up so that a message could be written inside. I had some paper that had water marks on it and accented it with matching Robin's Nest dots. I love these acrylic cards! You can get the acrylic cards at Happy Scrappin' Scrapbooking. They are listed under the Page Frames section.

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Try to Relax

I know that everyone likes to make blue water, but really! When was the last time you went to the lake or the ocean and the water color was a pretty blue? Isn't it usually a greenish brown? LOL. This is another card in which I combined stamps so that they made one image. In this case, it is the background stamp paired with the dock stamp. I may have also made the Tilda as part of the single grouping. It's a little tricky to do that, but I think I'm getting better at layering the stamped images.

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Lady Tilda

OK, first of all, all of the shades of purple go together. I have no clue why the camera gave me three different shades - paper, flower, and ribbon. They look weird, but trust me, they all are in the same hue family. Go figure. I mounted the papers and matting on a card base of very pale grey Bazzill cardstock.

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Tilda with Fairy Wand

The background papers are a pale cyan and match the dress perfectly. There is a very subtle print on the PP.

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Pregnant Tilda

The greens just didn't come up well. They are a pretty pale, mint color. This is such a cute stamp and I love that baby buggy!

I've had fun stamping and coloring with my Copic markers!

Thank you for stopping by! I hope there is something above that will provide some inspiration!

XOXO,
Chris

Thursday, August 19, 2010

It Finally Rained!

Last night was heavenly. We had wonderful thunder, rain, and the not-so-much very likable lightning! When it thunders here, it just rolls and echoes forever off the walls of the canyons in this area. The rain was so needed and, even though we didn't get tons and tons, it was enough to rehydrate the trees, shrubs, and flowers.

I only have a card to share today. It took me a while to do it, but I'm happy with it.

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The photo colors are a little off on the rose and the bow. I don't know why the camera didn't get it, but they have more blue and really are close in color to the paper. The card has a pale grey Bazzill foundation. Then came the eggplant cardstock and paper. I colored Tilda, her frog, and the window with my copic markers. I also added just a tad of Stickles to Tilda and the crown of the frog.

Here is a LO I did to journal the time our DS ate a bottle of Children's Tylenol in an attempt to make himself well. He figured that two Tylenols weren't working, so 22 would work better. DH was so tired the night before, that when he put the medication back, he inadvertently din't place it in the locked cabinet. DS had been ill for so many months and, at age 3, was down to 24 lbs. We were always at the doctor's and had tons and tons of tests done. It turned to be an inner ear infection that had gone undetected! After I discovered what he had done, we spent the night in the Emergency Room. Poor baby! He looks so ill in the photo.

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How to Give Us Gray Hair


Thanks for stopping by my sweet friends. Your visits mean the world to me! I'll have more to share in the next few days as I have other cards in various stages of completion!

XO,
Chris

Saturday, August 14, 2010

At Any Age, Being a Mom is So Hard!

Dear Readers,

I don't even know if there are any readers out there, but if you are reading this, thank you!

IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR MY MONTHLY VISITING TEACHING LESSON IDEA, PLEASE GO TO VISITING TEACHING SISTAS. All of my monthly ideas may be found on that blog now.The link is HERE.

I've been so very blue lately. I'm missing DS so much that it hurts! I don't think I could make the drive due to some physical limitations. I know I cannot fly. So he's 1100 miles away and I feel like crud - racked with guilt because I am unable to be close. I've missed his birthday. I miss him. I miss his voice, his humor, his bear hugs. I miss being a mom who is there. For all of the previous reasons, I am filled with guilt and such a feeling of sadness. I've just been so teary eyed for about the past month. I never thought that being a mom would ALWAYS be this emotional! I worry so about him.

I've been scrapbooking and card making in an attempt to keep my mind busy. I've read tons and cooked/baked tons of new recipes. This week, I made a grape cake using fresh grapes. It was surprisingly very good, sweet but good. I also made a talapia oreganata which was delicious, too! My most favorite cooking endeavor this week was a huge pot of cioppino. I had all sorts of shellfish/fish in it. It made for many great lunches and two dinners as well. I also baked a batch of popovers for DH again this week. He really enjoys warm popovers with jam or honey. I'm seeing a pattern here - sad? Then hit the kitchen! That can't be a good thing, right?

Here are a couple of LOs I did.

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Toothless


DS was about six when these shots were taken while vacationing in Oregon. He was so tan! I made the filmstrip and then printed the filmstrip image on a transparency so that it would look realistic with the photos behind it. The inner perimeter of dots may look crooked, but it isn't. It's just the way I had the camera. I loved using the Kraft card stock.

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Back Seat Monster


There is quite a long story with this layout. I have it all written down and tucked behind the monster. The orange fibers are on the end of the journaling tag and are positioned to look a little like the monster's hair. I thought the monsters were so cute that I took one of them and made it large for the layout's focal point. It's cute, huh? Suffice it to say that DS spent two hours, NONSTOP, saying things like, "I want McDonald's. Why won't you buy me McDonald's? I want french fries. I want a Happy Meal. I want a cheeseburger. Why won't you take me to a McDonald's..." We were on a road trip and had no idea where we were. DS kept this up to the point that DH and I thought about putting DS in the trunk (not really), but we did consider it as a possible solution. DS wasn't yelling or anything. He just talked incessantly saying things like what I wrote for two hours straight. I was driving. Suddenly, as if the heavens felt our pain, there, in the middle of the road, was a McDonald's bag and french fries all over the roadway. Now, we were in a very rural area (lost) and had no idea how they got there (a miracle maybe?). I quietly pointed them out to DH and wondered if I should pull over and pick them up or just get personal satisfaction by running over the whole thing. I chose the latter and told DS to look about the back window at what I had just smooshed in the road! Revenge is best served up cold, right? LOL Then, all of the sudden, the road opened from a two lane to a 3 or 4 lane highway. Still lost, I continued to drive north. Lo and behold, all of a sudden, a McDonald's appeared! We had managed to find ourselves in Carson City, NV! Yes, DS did get his McDonald's. We had been traveling up through the Sierras and somehow wound up in Carson City on our way to Auburn, California. Who knows how I got us there from California's Hwy. 395 and the Sonora Pass!

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Taking a Chance on Love


This is a LO of DH. Sorry about the glare off the title alphas. I printed DH's photo on aida cloth to give it texture. That's why it has all those little dots. In case you don't know, aida cloth is the fabric on which cross stitching is done. I think red, white, and black is one of my favorite color combos. I love this man! The little hearts on the oval tags are black heart shaped brads.

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Sunkissed Me


This is just a fun LO for my Book of Me. I spritzed the white CS with Smooch in red, yellow, and blue. I cut the flowers and added pop dots of differing heights underneath so that some are higher than others. Because I love textures, I added several kinds of textures to the LO as well. The crocheted pieces that look green are really yellow. For some reason, my camera just hates yellow and makes it look an ugly green.

Thank you for stopping by. I appreciate your visiting.

XO,
Chris

Friday, July 16, 2010

A Moment to Treasure

I've been a busy bee this week. Today, I would like to share the LO I finished last night.

This LO really started in the Fall. DH and I sat and watched the movie, "UP," and just loved it! We both got misty eyed. I know we both saw parallels in our lives together with the life Carl and Ellie had together. At that time, I just knew there was a LO in there somewhere.

Just after Christmas, DH traveled to AZ to help his dad open up the winter house. While he was gone, I purchased a DVD of the movie. I sat and watched it. Once again, I was all teary eyed. I took notes as I watched the movie. I knew I needed info from the movie and wouldn't be able to watch it when DH was home. That would ruin his surprise!

Months passed. My wheels kept turning as I pondered the LO in the back of my mind. I knew which PP to use with the house on it. I was unhappy with all the cloud papers out there until I saw this one. Because it had grass and trees, I thought it was perfect to ground my LO.

Last night, I sequestered myself in my scrap room and started assembling all the precut pieces. What you see is the final result. Now that DH has been given his surprise gift of love, I've pulled the DVD from the pocket behind the house and replaced it with a love letter to DH. When DH saw the LO, he got all misty eyed! It really touched his heart!

Some of the balloons are elevated on pop dots. I didn't like the clouds as they seemed lost on the paper. By sewing around the perimeters of the clouds, they became more visible. There is a little heart where the strings tie. It says, "Made with Love." I added some bling to the flower centers and took a phrase from the movie for my title - "Thanks for the Adventure." TFL!

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Thanks for the Adventure

Thanks again for stopping by! Love you guys!

Blessings,
Chris

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Spellbinder Nestabilities Storage Idea

Hello from a very hot southern Utah! It's supposed to be 110° by the weekend. Too hot to do a single thing!

I wanted to share with you how I store my Nestabilities. Yes, I tried the clear plastic CD boxes, but even all those little clear plastic cases took up way too much space. I wasn't pleased with the result at all. Then, one day, I was going through my music CDs which are stored in a small metal carrier with a sturdy lock and handle. The lightbulb in my mind went off and my Nestabilities storage issue was solved in such a nice way!

Below is a photo of the carrier. It is filled with about 180 pockets - four pockets on each side of the page (8 per page). Well, why not use it for the Nestabilities? I kept them on their backing cardstock - the taped one - which came in the packages when purchased. I did, however, cut them down and curve the edges so that they would fit better in each pocket. The flaps fold over the opening. For the larger Nestabilities, the super long ones, I have used two pockets. One end goes in a pocket and the other end goes into the adjacent pocket. Because I have so many larger ones, I stick another set in the second pocket and reverse the process.

I cannot tell you how delighted I am with this! Here's a look:

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I have filled almost all of the pages, LOL! It is so wonderful having all my Nestabilities in one place. The case is so strong that it can take the weight of all those sets. When I fill the entire case (which won't be too long), I'll start a second one. It is a compact way of storing a ton of metal Nestabiities.

Next, I'd like to share a LO I did of DS. I used OA papers and elevated a ton of the components using foam dots. I love how this turned out. It's just so happy! DS is about three in this photo. My mom had given him a Mickey Mouse phone for Christmas. He had her number memorized right away! The phone spent years on the dresser next to his bed. I miss my mom. I miss DS. I wish he lived closer.

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Thank you for stopping by. I'm fighting a migraine and am going to hit the hay! I hope you are well. I love that you cared enough to come by. Thank you for that. You are wonderful!

XO,
Chris

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

How Was Your 4th of July?

Did you have fun? Was the long weekend a good one? Ours was quiet. It is just too hot to go out. Over the past couple of months, I've already whined enough about the heat. I honestly feel guilty with having the air conditioner run as much as it does to keep us cool. We don't run any major appliances during the peak hours - washer, dryer, oven, etc. I guess I'm helping out a little bit by not doing that. I try to use the crockpot to minimize cooking and heating up the kitchen. My scrap room is very hot. I have a fan going in there whenever I'm in there scrapping. I'm still warm even with that blowing directly on me. Come on November!

I did a LO yesterday that is just so so. I don't know what else I could have done to make it better. If you have any ideas, I'm open for them! I thought the theme might be something our son might appreciate some day - or not, LOL.

That is me in the photo. My mom and my aunt told me that the coat and hat were a beautiful emerald green. I used that info to make this monochromatic LO. It's too much, huh? The photo was in black and white. Using Photoshop, I made the coat and hat green. The rest of the photo is still in the black and white. Sometimes, I just surprise myself with what I can do in Photoshop! I am strictly a trial and error person when it comes to Photoshop!

In the pocket are strips. Each strip has two tiny photos. One photo is of something from my childhood that we had in our home or I remember from my grandparents' homes. The other photo is the modern component. If you look carefully, the photo in the center of the pocket has something that looks like a "V." That was our refrigerator when I was growing up. If you pulled down on one side of the "V," the door would open from one side. If you pulled down on the other side of the "V," the door would open from the other side! It was sooooo cool! My mom was just tickled when she got it. So, the counterpart photo is the beautiful stainless double fridge and freezer in my kitchen. The tiny photo you see in the right, back, looks like a fly swatter. It is a photo of a carpet beater! I remember my grandmother taking the rugs out into her back yard, hanging them over the clothes line, and then whacking all the dust out of it with the carpet beater. Sometimes, I would even get to do it. The matching photo is of our Dyson vacuum. I thought it would be fun to record these things. Each strip also has some written journaling regarding the items in the photos. The ticket under the clockface says "Always Remember."

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Then and Now

Thanks for stopping by! I'll have something more to share really soon.

Blessings,
Chris

Friday, July 2, 2010

Visiting Teaching Lesson & Idea, July 2010

The new July Visiting Teaching Idea is up on my Visiting Teaching blog. If you are on this site thinking that you're at the right place, please go HERE (it's a pretty good one!)

Thanks for stopping by, though! :o)

Blessings,
Chris


Monday, June 28, 2010

S'mores on the Dashboard!

Well, it's that time of the year! It's time to make s'mores on the dashboard of the car! It's currently 105° outside - perfect baking temperature! All you need to do is arrange the ingredients the way you would normally prepare s'mores. Then, wrap the s'more very carefully in aluminum foil. Make sure that you do this very well as you don't want a mess on your car's dash! Seal those edges! Park the car so that the sun shines through the windshield. Place the packet on the dash under your windshield, close the windows, and then go away for about 15 minutes. Return and check for doneness! I guess that is one advantage to living in the desert, right? Do you think the heat has gotten to my mind? LOL

After a long and arduous task, my scrap room is now back in working order. DH and I spent days putting things back. How did I ever get all of that stuff in there? I think it multiplied once it was set free in the more spacious confines of our home's other rooms! I know there are things I cannot find, but, you know what? I don't care. I was so tired of replacing and reorganizing that I actually thought it would be easier to just throw it all out and start over again! At least it's very clean and everything is in its place (for the time being).

Feline Frenzy News: Precious, our Maine Coon, never growled. She was always so loving and caring. Now that we got her a companion, Cedar, she is always growling at Cedar and whacking her. I feel so badly because Cedar doesn't see very well. She runs into walls, doesn't see food, and just has a hard time tracking. Can a cat be far sighted? She would never survive in the wild. She would never be able to catch food. Cedar, at last check, weighted 2.8 lbs. Precious, at last check, weighed 14 lbs. Cedar will take a flying leap at Precious and knock Precious right over! It is hilarious. What is NOT hilarious is waking up to growling in the middle of the night or early in the morning. Cedar is pretty scrappy. I give her credit. She is NOT intimidated by the larger cat. As large as Precious is, Cedar is very thin and long. Her legs are sooooo long! Her body looks like an eel's when she is flat. She's not quite three months old, but is amazing long. About a month ago, we would be afraid to wake up in the morning because we didn't want to see her tail! It was growing by leaps and bounds. Her body was so small and her tail was so long! We felt if we watched carefully, we'd be able to actually see it grow! Even Cedar didn't know what to do with it. Now that her body is getting larger, she is becoming more proportioned (except her really long, thin legs).

I did a LO over the weekend. The challenge was to use orange, yellow, teal, lime green. I immediately knew what paper to use! There is a glittery finish to the word "carefree," the sun, the flowers to the left of the photo, the trim at the lower right. When I took the photo using the flash, I got flashback. I had to take the photo without the flash and lost all visuals of the sparkle. Here it is:

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Our Carefree Summer Days

Thank you for stopping by! It is just wonderful to have visitors that are the sweetest on Earth!

Blessings,
Chris


Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Mid June Already?

Hello everyone! Happy Tuesday to each of you! I cannot believe how quickly time is flying by! Can you believe it is mid-June already? I am so happy that you took the time to stop by!

The weather is hot, but not over 100°, thank goodness. We had some rain and thunder toward the end of last week and over the weekend. I think I actually heard the plants and trees in my yard emit sounds of ecstasy! Poor things were fried!

DH is sick. He sounds awful. I think it's a cross between a cold and allergies. I made a big pot of chicken tortilla soup for dinner at his request. I'm so glad that he wanted soup. I love making soup and am pretty good at it! He's quietly watching the Lakers play in the basketball playoffs. There is a kitten asleep in the crook of his arm. It's soooooooooooo cute!

I did do a LO of our sweet little kitten. Of course, she's not that sweet in the middle of the night and early in the morning when she is flying across our bed! I never knew a cat could just levitate about 2 feet off the bed, do a 180° turn while in the air, land, and zoom at the speed of light to a destination unknown! My DH, after she pulled this in the middle of the night while in a frenzy, nicknamed her "Crackhead!" She was so wired. She pulled the same stunt this morning before the sun came up! Ugh!

As I wrote before, we adopted her from a local shelter. She has an eye problem called nystagmus. Her little eyeballs constantly bob up and down. I don't think she sees very well because she slams into furniture, walls, doors, us. It is so wonderful that she came to live with us as we will care for her better than any where else she may have gone. The older cat, Precious, loves her some days and not so much on other days. That all depends on the annoyance factor. Precious has a habit of flicking her tail. She's done it since we got her two years ago. Well, Little One thinks that catching the tail is a really fun game! She attacks it and bites it! Precious doesn't think it's very funny! Cedar constantly annoys Precious. There are even times when Precious is so frazzled that she gets mad at DH and myself. I know what she is thinking, "Why did you bring this animal home?" LOL Speaking of tails, Cedar's tail just keeps growing. Right now, it is longer in length than the length of her entire body from head to hip. We would wake up in the morning and think that that tail had grown two inches over night! Poor little thing doesn't quite know what to do with it! She keeps trying to catch it.

I did do a LO of Cedar. I used Basic Grey PPs for this one. I think they all came from the Origins line. I did it for a challenge to use distressing. I used several types of distressing on this LO. Here it is:

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On this LO, I've torn paper, sanded, painted, inked, applied green Perfect Pearls to the birdcage, machine stitched, and scraped (see two corners on the photo). I wanted to make the LO match the green in her eyes. She has such interesting coloration. If you look to the right of her nose, it is white. The further away from her nose, the white changes to a pinkish color. It's like that on her bib as well. She's going to be a great feline friend.

My scrap room is still a total disaster. They haven't come to do any replacement yet. I was going to put down hardwood. Then, because I'm always dragging 35 gallon Rubbermaid storage containers out of one closet (I store my alphas and ribbons in them), I was afraid I would scratch the wood. The containers are just too heavy to lift, so I just drag them over to my scrap table. I nixed that idea and went back to carpeting I've made my choice and it's been ordered. I don't know if we're going to repaint the room. I honestly don't know what color! The interior of our entire home is painted a very nice tan (like a rich hot chocolate beverage color). I don't want to have a rainbow house with each room a different color. So, I need to be careful what I paint in that room. It should be a color that compliments the rest of the home. Any ideas? So, as of today, my stuff is in every room of the house except the two bathrooms! How the heck did I get all of my scrappy stuff in that room?

I would like to provide a word of warning concerning an internet scrap site. The name of the internet store is Stop and Scrap located in upstate New York. Here's why. I placed an order on April 20. Four weeks later, my order arrived! I tried to cancel the order after three weeks, and the owner told me it had already been pulled and was in the process of being mailed. She stated she couldn't stop the process and that it was in the mail. The postmark was after I tried to cancel. She only got her tushie into gear when I unsuccessfully tried to cancel the order! When the box finally arrived, we didn't even open it. We immediately put it into the mail and returned it. The owner received the returned box right away according to the tracking number. As of today, almost four weeks after she received the return, my credit card account has not been credited. I called Stop and Scrap and left a message to return my call. As of this evening, I have not had a return phone call. I don't know about you, but I would be very wary of ordering from this site! I know I won't be doing it anymore. I hate when people put me in this position. I do NOT like conflict. I do NOT like people taking my money and not providing the goods or service. I do NOT like people who are dishonest! Be forewarned!

Well, that's enough yammering for today. I'm glad you stopped by! I'll be posting in a few days.

Blessings,
Chris


Sunday, June 6, 2010

Visiting Teaching Idea for June, 2010

If you would like the info for June, please visit my new Visiting Teaching blog HERE. All future Visiting Teaching entries will be placed on that blog rather than this scrapping one. Please bookmark Visiting Teaching Sistas so that you can go directly there in the future!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope I don't lose you!

Blessings,
Chris

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

My Scrappy World is Upside Down!

I'd like to begin by apologizing for not having my Visiting Teaching lesson idea ready and posted. Read on to find out why, LOL. Also, please use my new Visiting Teaching blog, Visiting Teaching Sistas as the site to view each month. I just don't wish to mix my scrappy stuff with my VT things.

Now for the entertainment portion of this post.

I did absolutely nothing in my scrap room for just about all of the month of May. I don't know what was going on, but I just didn't feel like scrapping. Usually, I am in there every day for just a bit. On Sunday, I decided to go in and get my tushie in gear to get my Visiting Teaching idea all ready. I walked in and the carpeting squished under my bare feet! My first thought was that our feline friend had decided that her box wasn't her preferred depository. I quickly realized that what was squishing between my toes was more like that of what a baby elephant might have eliminated rather than a cat!

Suddenly, terror set in. Where was the water coming from, and how much damage was there? I turned on the light (I hadn't even done that yet) and saw that, indeed, we had a water problem. DAH! I called DH into the room. We began moving everything out in order to find the source of the water leakage.

Now, I do believe that blessings come in all forms. I was truly blessed. I keep my paper and cardstock in 36 drawers, on shelves and in drawers of my hutch, and the brand new goodies are stored upright on the floor in a box right next to my chair by the scrap table. I have always had the habit of keeping the papers in their cellophane wrappers or in zip lock plastic bags. I lost only about 50 8 1/2 x 11 pieces of discontinued Lasting Impressions paper that I use for making cards. The bottom portion of every sheet is water stained. The top half, however, is still fine. I just kept those in a brown envelope. I'll just cut those in half and use what is left. Not a single thing was lost! Can you believe that? The 36 drawers are in one of my closets. The water there was the worst. Nothing - absolutely nothing - was ruined.

Opposite the end of my closet, on the other side of the wall, is the culprit that has turned my scrappy world upside down. What, you may ask? It was the hot water heater! It died. It lived a good life but finally succumbed to age, spewing all of it's life fluids through the wall(s) and on the carpet.

We didn't think that our insurance company would have anyone working since it was a three day weekend. So, we didn't call AAA. We should have. Someone is always there for emergencies such as this. DH, just on a hunch, called them yesterday evening. They have already been here, ripped up the carpeting and pad in the affected half of the room, sealed the floor, assessed the wall damage, and will be here tomorrow to get the hot water going again and continue with the repairs. I'll get new carpeting and the walls will be repaired. Talk about fast! I love AAA!!! They may cost more, but I have to say that they have always been there right away to take care of any problems we've had in the past. For us, it has been such a relief. The first thing that AAA offered was hotel lodging during the repairs. We declined as there was no need. We only lacked hot water and could make that by heating water on the stove.

So, that is why I'm late with my posting. I have scrappy stuff all over the house. There isn't a room that hasn't been affected in some way. OK, the bathrooms have been spared! My poor husband just looked and everything and said to me, "There is just so much stuff!" That made me feel good (NOT)! Guilty, yes. The workmen will take out the table, the desk, the shelf units, and computer stuff. DH is currently emptying the shelves of all the baskets.

I can't help him because I shouldn't be in that room until everything is done. I had been having asthma and didn't know why. Now, we know. It was the mildew from the wet carpeting. The short time I was in there on Sunday, I was wheezing terribly. I could smell mildew. So the door is shut, the room is airing out, and a huge fan is helping to eliminate any moisture.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it! It could have been so much worse. In the grand scheme of things, my inconvenience is absolutely nothing compared to what is happening in Lousiana and areas of the midwest who have recently had severe flooding.

I am blessed. I am grateful. I am ever so thankful.

XO,
Chris

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Corrected Link

OK, I don't know what happened, but I know I was the cause of the problem which is now fixed. I posted a link, w/ an error in it, to my new VT blog the other day. The error has been corrected and the link will now take you directly to the new site. I don't understand, however, why Google isn't pulling up my site when I type in the name of the blog (Visiting Teaching Sistas). If anyone has any ideas, please let me know. I'm clueless.

Visiting Teaching Sistas


I hope you will move over to the new blog if you need a VT handout idea! I'd love to see you there.

Thanks,
Chris

A New Visiting Teaching Blog For You!

Well, I finally got the courage to create a new blog just for Visiting Teaching lessons and ideas. I didn't like having it on my scrapping blog and, after much thought, decided to use a specific VT blog for those entries. You can now find my new VT blog at:

Visiting Teaching Sistas


Everything that is here will remain here for a little while. All future VT posts will be posted only at the above address and not on this blog. I hope you will bookmark the new page and visit often!

Blessings,
Chris

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Visiting Teaching Message, May 2010

I want to begin by thanking those of you who were so sweet and caring and left a message for me to continue posting my ideas. From the bottom of my heart, thank you! I want you to know that those comments are gems to any blogger who writes and provides helps in cooking, church related items, scrappy items, etc. It takes time to create, shoot the photos, upload, and then write the blogged item. We all love "warm fuzzies," so why not give someone one? It doesn't cost you anything, right? It'll give a little love to someone you don't even know! Your comment may turn a bad day into a bright one!

As a convert, I watched conference for years before I even considered joining the church! I always found it so inspiring. I look forward to each one so much.

We have been asked to find something from Conference that personally touched us during Conference. I love President Monson and hang on his every word. I chose his closing talk in which he said, "...My counsel for all of us is to look to the lighthouse of the Lord. There is no fog so dense, no night so dark, no gale so strong, no mariner so lost but what its beacon light can rescue. It beckons through the storms of life. The lighthouse of the Lord sends forth signals readily recognized and never failing." Isn't that a powerful statement?

Here is the link for all the talks given:
http://www.lds.org/conference/sessions/display/0,5239,23-1-1207,00.html


Now, what I am going to share is NOT DIFFICULT! It took no time at all to make the craft item. The things that took the time were covering of the box and making the cards exactly layered the way I like them to be. You can make them as simple or elaborate as you wish. I love layering. The purse front and back were done in a snap! I bet you could even stick a sack in between the two purses if you wanted. I had my darling husband cut a USPS small, assembled priority box in half. It was perfect. I'll place the note cards in the box.

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How to make this purse:

1. Find a round pot lid, move the bottom of the lid off the paper about two inches or so (to create the straight edge), and trace the remaining portion of the lid on the back of your paper. I chose double sided paper. Cut out.

2. Stack the front and back together. Cut an oval shape for the handle area.

3. Decorate the front however you wish. A ribbon and flower would be perfect! I did make the back match the front of mine, but without the flower.

4. If using a box, cover it or paint it. Attach to back first using adhesive. Now attach the embellished front. If using a sack, attach it as you would the box. Then, stick a rectangle, cut to fit the bottom of the sack, from a stiff cardboard. That'll help keep the bag's opened shape.

You're done!

Next, I made six note cards for each gal. Since I loved President Monson's lighthouse comment, I went with that as the theme for my note cards.

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For the note cards, I chose to use Bazzil cardstock in a bright white and navy blue. Inside the card, I added President Monson's quote and attached it to the TOP of the card leaving the bottom half empty so that a personal message could be written. Each sister will have six note cards.

The lighthouse image came from the Ensign, Feb. 2001, p.3. You can find it here:
http://www.lds.org/gospellibrary/pdfmagazine/0,7779,592-6-1-2001,00.html


I did crop it and made rectangular and oval versions. Here are the images for you to drag to your desktop, if you wish. If you would like a larger version of either one, let me know and I'll send it to you via e-mail. There is a particular maximum width allowed by blogger, and these images are both as wide as blogger allows.


Here is the message which I attached to the inside top half of the card. I did print it on white cardstock. Click on thumbnail to see a larger image. If you wish, let me know and I'll send you a copy via e-mail.

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I did find this image, wrote to the person who had the blog, but never got an answer. That is what held me up from posting on April 30th. Today, I found the image on a free site. So, I guess it's all right to share. Whenever I look at this image, I get the chills. It is so beautiful! What do you think?

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I hope this month finds you well, happy, and enjoying Spring. Thank you so very much for stopping by and checking out my VT info. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask!

Blessings,
Chris

Sunday, April 25, 2010

On a Clear Day - You Can See Forever!

Do you remember that song? I never thought about all of the implications found in that title. I always took it at a literal level. Oh how age mellows the mind. Sometimes, we just get caught up in the daily muddle and can't see through the muck! Then, there are days, like today, when the mind is free of muck and the we have the clarity in thought we should have each and every day!

Today is a beautiful day in southern Utah. The air is cool w/ a breeze, the sky a bright blue, the trees are green, and the mesas a lovely rust and cream. It's the time of the year I so love in the desert.

I was so lucky to have been given this award by another blogger I've known for quite some time. Her name is Jamie and her blog is Cute Cards and Crafts by Jamie. When you have time, please check out her blog and look at the amazing things she creates! She's just the sweetest! Her award was such a fun surprise! Thank you, Jamie! XOXO

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Want to see a pretty card? Well, I think it is pretty, LOL. Here's the thing - I forgot to add the tag with the sentiment before I took the photo! DAH! A senior moment struck again! LOL. I tucked it under the white flower at the top right. I colored the image with Copic markers and added some pretty flowers and punched leaves.

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Midsummer Tilda


I just fell in love with the colors of this paper. I loved the preprinted design. The problem is, I had selected a photo which matched the colors and wanted to make the LO masculine. The PP really lent itself to being girly. Here's how I tried to deemphasize the girliness. I added a matching gingham printed PP and stitched it to the background paper. With that, I added machine stitching and a tailored strip across the middle. I pulled in the same papers for the mats behind the photo. Next, I chose flowers that matched but selected colors that weren't feminine. I added two copper zipper pulls. Using my Nesties dies, I cut a piece of brown burlap after I had adhered it to a sturdy piece of cardstock as a backing. To that, I added a piece of matching PP with the title alphas. Lastly, I added dark brown brads around the circle and on the title tag. Photo is of DH on a trip we took to Capitol Reef.

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A Visit to Capitol Reef


I found this psychedelic paper and just had to have it. I know, it is L-O-U-D!!! I thought it would be fun for a LO. Boy, did I have fun!

The first LO is of DS way back when. I wanted to show the energy expended when the ball made contact with the bat. Also, I wanted to show the focus DS had. I wish you could see his little face. He is so determined. I love that whomever took the shot caught his foot in the air, his face, and the bat making contact. What an amazing shot! Now, you may wonder why I have flowers around the perimeter. It's to remind us that on so many occasions, he chose to pick flowers or dig in the grass with an errant popsicle stick as the ball rolled by right in front of him! LOL. Bless his heart. The blue mat has been mounted on white Bazzil CS. I used ribbon that was preprinted with the word "baseball" on it. I made an apostrophe after the title by using a small bat and ball embellishment.

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Wham!


Now, come with me on a trip to the wild side - back to the 60s! It was a wild time, a time of bright colors in tie dyed clothing and daisy painted VW vans! When DS saw this LO, his response was, "Boy, that's LOUD!" LOL That is me, barefooted and in the tree, way back when. It was the 60s and I was into my "flower child" stage! I wouldn't say I was a hippie as I wasn't anti establishment. A flower child wanted peace and love! I think that was more fitting of me. Once again, I used that wild paper. I added lots of flowers reminiscent of the time. I elevated most of the flowers and curled the petals. I had DH find one of the beaded leather straps that I used to wear in my hair and added that to the LO. The title is one of the euphemisms of the day, and I had to have peace and love signs! One of the things I did was make four cuts of each alpha and peace/love signs. Then, I stacked them and glued each layer together. It has a very nice result in that the cut outs look like chipboard because they aren't flat. Give that a try! It's a great look (subtle) and you can save a little $$.

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What a Gas!


I'll be back soon. It's getting to be the time when I get my Visiting Teaching Extension posted. I hope you will come back and check it out if it is something you'll be doing this month. Until then...

Peace out, man!

XO,
Chris

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Feeling Lazy

I need to get into gear! I'm just wanting to hunker down with a good book and not do anything! I know I have things to accomplish today, but, ugh, I don't want to! One of the things I'm going to work on is a Spring centerpiece for our dining room table. Maybe I'll get more enthusiastic after I get going!

I do have some layouts to share. I made these over the past two months (in between coughing and fighting fevers). Here we go:

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I did this LO for a competition. I didn't win, but I was the runner up! LOL I don't do vintage things very often as I am out of my comfort zone when I do. I think I am going to frame this one and hang it in the hall. I utilized lots of layering and lots of details for this one. I surprised myself with this one!

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Two of a Kind


Think they're related? LOL These photos were taken at Fort Stevens State Park on the northern Oregon Coast. They are still so close to one another and enjoy each other so much! They're just the same - only bigger! LOL

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You are My Sunshine


There is machine stitching along the bottom that is hard to see. I also used lots of layering using scraps of paper from my scrap box. I think the only new sheet was the background cardstock. Love those cheeks! I have to admit that this LO was inspired by one I saw in a gallery. I cannot remember the gal's name, but when I saw the photo of her little one, my heart melted. Her design was so much better!

Thanks for stopping by. Hopefully, my craft project will be photo worthy and I'll feel comfortable enough to share it with you.

Have a blessed Easter!

Chris

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Visiting Teaching Message, April, 2010

Thank you so much for stopping by! I am so glad that you did!

After giving this much thought, I wanted to let you know that I am considering no longer posting my Visiting Teaching ideas. So many of you have visited over the past few months. Thank you. If you would like me to continue posting my ideas, please leave a comment below indicating that you would like me to continue posting. I would like to know if I am helping anyone. If I don't receive enough comments, I'll have my answer, huh? LOL

I finally broke down and went to the doctor's. I just wasn't getting better! I'd have a good day and then spend two more days in bed! DH had to drag me there! We found that my primary infection caused several secondary ones which is why I wasn't on the mend with what appeared to be only a chest cold. Ugh! After a battery of meds and cough medication w/ codeine, I finally got my body settled down. I'm still coughing, but not like before. I cannot remember being sick for so long!

I have some goodies to share. Your VT appointment dates will come faster than you think! Maybe there is something below that you will be able to use. Please drag the images to your desk top. Because of the size restrictions, the photos aren't the best. Please feel free to contact me if you need more info.

April's objective was to remind us that we have the ability to receive and seek personal revelation. It's interesting. When I was contemplating joining the Church, I was very cautious. Each Sunday, as I prepared for Sacrament Meeting, I would have a specific question in mind. I prayerfully asked that I would have my question answered. I began to notice that the answers WERE being given to me each and every time during Sacrament Meeting! The questions I had were very specific, so as I was listening to the speakers, I was astounded each time the answer was given while embedded in a talk. The questions and answers were not the general type that one might hear during a Sunday service. I do have a strong testimony as to this gift.

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This is what I will be giving my gals this month. The bucket has drainage holes in the bottom and there are seed packets for Basil and Chamomile for the sisters to plant. There are also, some seed packets that I created as well as sweet little seeds to help convey the lesson's message.

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This is a quote that I read and loved! It really struck a note with me, so I decided to include it with the visuals.

There are two types of seed packets below. I wanted to create an analogy between having and not having personal revelation. The first seed packet has no identifications listed on the front. Therefore, someone would not know what they are planting. Along with that, they wouldn't know how to plant the seeds. The little seeds inside are also blank. The second seed packet does have the information. Therefore, the gardener would know the specifics for sucessfully planting the seeds within. The seeds are labeled with the four steps to help us achieve our goal. Score along the black lines and cut where the green meets the white. My packets are approximately 4 x 5. Fold the large flap first followed by the small one on the side and bottom. Glue into place.

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Thank you for visiting. I appreciate your visits. Please leave a comment if you would like me to continue posting my ideas. If I do not receive enough comments, I will save myself some work and omit these particular blog entries.

Blessings,
Chris