(diva)logues

Happy Birthday to you, sissy...

Yesterday was my sister's birthday.  Not only do we look alike & act alike, but our birthdays are 4 days apart.  Could be a reason we act alike...we put the BULL in Taurus.  We've always celebrated together and we'll be doing so this weekend.  Can't wait! 

Anyway... I needed to make a card for her.  And since she's a bit of a fasionista like myself... I decided to use a Basically Bare Dress Form.  The "skirt" is 2 layered cupcake liners.  I had a card published in Cards Magazine a couple years ago using the same technique.  You can see that one here... using the same kind of cupcake liners too, I might add...  

I used paper from the Nikki Sivils' Audrey collection for my card & random bling for my "belt" + "necklace." 

And celebrate in style?  We always do! 

And speaking of Basically Bare, we have a product swap coming up at the end of the month with them + Nikki Sivils.  I made something fun for that yesterday.

In other news around here...

Bryn had her art show on Tuesday, her DARE graduation ceremony last night with the entire 5th grade class and a talent show this morning where she sang "A Thousand Years" with her bestie.  My best friend in 5th grade & I used to sing ALL.THE.TIME. which drove the 2 boys we had assigned seats with in the cafeteria totally nuts.  LOL  Tomorrow I have to go back to school in the morning because she's receiving some kind of award at the all-school awards assembly and then again in the afternoon for the last day of school party.

Summer is here & I have to say, I'm not totally ready for it. 

Time to figure out how we're going to stay busy.  Pronto...     

Teacher Appreciation Week...

It's Teacher Appreciation Week & today was lunch for the staff at school.  In addition to sending a salad for their special lunch today, I also put together a gift to send for Bryn's teacher, thanks to some very inspiring ideas I saw on Facebook today from a very crafty friend.  Not only did she have this same "Keep Calm It's Almost Summer" theme that I stole from her, but she had FIVE different sets of gifts/themes for each day of this week for her daughter's teachers.  Love, love, love it! 

Also gotta love having inspiring & crafty friends! 

So... I googled "Keep Calm images." There are hundreds!  Just right clicked the one I wanted & saved it to my computer.  Then I printed the image to use for my card.  It's very simple in design, but I did add an American Crafts sticker + another cloud cut from my American Crafts paper (both from the City Park collection) to cover up the crown.  I machine stitched around the frame of the card to finish it off... 

The tote bag is filled with a few summer things + a gift card...

 

Thank you again, Dawn.  Even on her birthday today, she's still just as generous of her time & creativity as ever!  I'm just SURE her daughter's teachers are feeling pretty darn special this week... and hopefully Bryn's teacher will too!

Nikki Sivils + Glue Arts...

Head over to the Nikki Sivils blog to check out the product swap going on with Glue Arts today & tomorrow! 

Glue Arts was very generous with our team in sending several different adhesives!  I made a card for "dad" using the Nikki Sivils Noah collection .  I used Glue Glider Pro under my Father Knows Best sentiment and the U Cut It 3D Adhesive Foam Blanks under my patterned paper to raise it up a bit so I could wrap my twine around my paper.  I also put a small square under my star.  Both adhesives ROCK.  Very easy to use & adhere well to paper...

(The paper used for my card was cut from the cover sheet to this collection...can't waste one bit of it!)

And since Bob's birthday is this weekend... guess who will be receiving this card? 

Check out all the inspiring ways we used these products and MORE on the Nikki Sivils blog and on the Glue Arts blog!  Leave a comment at each manufacturer's blog today & tomorrow for a chance to win some prizes! 

Good luck and have a great day!  I'm off to do ZUMBA!  Woot woooot!

April is already half over...

Just a quickie... as today is my day to share a few projects on the Nikki Sivils' blog.  I almost forgot it was the 15th already.  This month is certainly flying by!   

I used the new Audrey collection to create a page about the Garth Brooks show we recently attended.  The musical notes patterned paper made me think "concert page." 

My journaling was taken from my blog post about our Vegas trip.  Just copied + pasted it into Word... then printed.  Easy peasy.  I used the Maraschino twine from The Twinery to finish off my flag banner...

I also made a boy's birthday card with the Noah collection.  I added some Want 2 Scrap bling for the tires and some Shore twine from The Twinery...

Hope you're all enjoying your weekend!  Ours has been a TON of FUN! 

"I wanna dance... and love... and dance.... again..."

Last night as I was tucking Bryn into bed & saying good-night, I told her I'd see her in the morning after my 6:30 Spin class.  She said, "Yeah... I'll just be waking up & eating breakfast when you get home and you'll come in the door yelling, I'm ready to start the day!"  I laughed... because really I do usually say something obnoxious like that when I'm coming home from a butt-kicking workout that early in the morning.  At 5:55am when my alarm goes off, however, I'm not exactly thinking "I'm ready to start the day" though.  And just to aggravate her, I burst through the door this morning and yelled that.  She smiled.  She loves me.  

I registered Bryn for the new Zumbatomic class at the Y (Zumba for kids) and her first class was last night.  The instructor for the class couldn't make it though, so I subbed the class.  I had 9 awesome girls, aged 6-12.  It was lots of fun!  Well... minus the part when we got in the car & Bryn said, "Did you have to shake your boobs?"  Not only don't I have much in that department to shake, but I told her I wasn't shaking them & I did try to change the dances and make them appropriate for kids. 

Seriously?  Like I would stand in front of her class & shake my boobs?  

Welcome to the tween years.  I'm still wrapping my brain around this phase we are now in, of whatever I do being questioned.  Next week, we shall see if the real instructor shakes her boobs too.  LOL 

Ok, so what else...

Mother's Day is around the corner, so I needed to come up with a Mother's Day card for the next Nikki Sivils E-Blast that goes out to all the retail stores.  Also... it will be nice to have a card already made for the occasion, since I seem to be doing things at the last minute lately.  I used the Audrey collection to assemble my card... 

I added a staple to the center of each of the heart cut-ups and then pulled each side of the heart away from the paper to add some dimension...

I'm attending another cooking class with my mom & sister tonight.  I'm sure there will be something amusing that happens... there always is... so more on that tomorrow!  You can be sure, though, that I won't set my wine glass on the food prep counter this time... just incase the wine police is watching.   

And PS...

I'm LOVING this new Jennifer Lopez song. 

Nikki Sivils + PSA Essentials promotional feature...

It's Day #2 of the 2-day PSA Essentials + Nikki Sivils promotional feature on the Nikki Sivils blog.  Make sure to check out Nikki's blog for a chance to win one of her new collections!  There's also a blog hop happening on the PSA Essentials blog this weekend, so head over there for the details and a chance to win more prizes! 

PSA Essentials sent me their Peel + Stick "Carriage" stamps.  Simply peel them off the sheet & stick them onto a clear stamping block.  So easy...

I stamped onto plain white cardstock and then used my circle punch on my stamped images.  I punched a couple more circles out of the polka dot paper to finish up my "banner" and then inked all the edges with a black ink pad.  I added some of my Pink Sorbet twine from The Twinery to finish off the ends and put each circle onto a pop dot to add some dimension.  My card was made using Nikki Sivils' Noah collection...

Love that blue + red paper with all the words on it.  And the polka dot paper is too cute...

Don't forget to check out the Nikki Sivils' blog for details on how to win a brand new Nikki Sivils collection + some PSA Essentials stamps! 

Hope you all have a very blessed & HAPPY EASTER tomorrow! 

Well, peeps, it's almost Easter...

Back home... back to Zumba & Spin... back to buying groceries & filling Easter baskets!  I love being home.  Easter isn't my favorite holiday though.  When my sister passed away 10 years ago on March 31, it was Easter morning.  Hard to believe it's been 10 years already.  Hard to believe I'm actually happy again, when at the time all I wanted to do was get in my car, keep driving & never look back.  Having a 9-month old "angel" to get out of bed for every day, saved me though.  Thank God for the angels that come into our lives & save us.

Actually I'm looking forward to spending time with family & friends this weekend!  And Bryn has a friend spending the night tonight, so she'll have someone to dye our Easter eggs with besides me for once.  Speaking of which, did I mention that she gave me her birthday list the other day?  There were only 2 things on it:

1. A cell phone. 
2. Adopt a baby.  Preferably a girl.

She's been asking for a cell phone since she could talk.  The baby is a new one.  I think she came up with that grand idea when my cousin recently adopted a baby.  Needless to say, I told her she better come up with a new list because she wasn't getting either of those things. 

Fairly confident she's going to be a sales person some day.  And the good news is, she'll be very prepared to hear the word NO from potential customers... as she hears it all the time from us.   

Anyway... back to Easter.  Making a couple cards is much easier than adopting a baby, so I'll just stick with what I'm good at.  I decided to get a little crazy & use the Exit Here collection from Nikki Sivils (a travel-themed collection) to make a couple Easter cards.  I think the colors in the collection are very Spring-like, so I thought it could work.  I drew my own bunny shape onto the yellow-patterned paper & then cut it out.  I pulled off the end of a Q-Tip to make my cotton tail and ahered it with Beacon's 3-in-1 Craft Glue... my new favorite adhesive.  I also added a couple blue Burlap Buttons to the ends of my flag banner...

I made a similar card using the same collection, except on this one I added some lined paper to the middle.  My "eggs" are oval-striped punch-outs that are included in the collection.  Perfect as an egg, I say! 

And speaking of Nikki Sivils... we have another 2-day cross promotional feature going on that started today... this time with PSA Essentials!  I'll be back tomorrow on day #2 of the feature with my project, so I hope you can join me again then! 

Happy GOOD FRIDAY, everyone peeps!

Happy Birthday, Nikki Sivils!

Happy Birthday to you... happy birthday to you... happy birthday, Nikki Sivils... happy birthday to you!!!

My card was made using the new Nikki Sivils' Audrey collection + a Basically Bare dress form + some Want 2 Scrap bling + Glossy Accents on my shoes to give them the look of patent leather... 

Head over to the Nikki Sivils' blog today to check out all the birthday action. 

There's even a little giveaway going on... just incase you're interested!   

"My body tells me no... but I won't quit, 'cause I want more..."

2 intense work-outs today... I am officially wiped out & ready to just sit in my craft room & create.  I got up to do the 6:30 spin class & then subbed a Zumba class at 10:45.  Was so happy that 2 of my hot & sassy friends showed up to dance with me, too!  We were rockin' the Y today... fo sho!   

I mentioned recently that my parents attend MANY weddings every year.  This really wouldn't be of any concern to me whatsoever, except that every time they have another one coming up... my mom asks me to make a card for her.  I NEVER EVER HAVE WEDDING CARDS ON HAND ALREADY MADE.  Why I don't make many of them in advance is a question I can't answer.  I must be nuts.  Or a glutton for punishment.  I don't know.  And even Bryn rolls her eyes when I tell her I have to make another wedding card for Grandma.  It's become kind of an inside joke around here.  Hahaha

Anyhoooo... for this particular wedding, it's actually a distant relative so we're invited, too.  They're getting married in New York, but having another reception in St Louis since that's where all of her family is.  We'll be out of town for the celebration, so I'm just sending a card/money.  I actually kinda wish we could go, too, because it's being held at the City Museum.  Bryn's been there, I don't know... at least a half dozen times?  And I've never been there.  And I know it's really cool.  One of these days... maybe this summer... I'm going!

So... back to wedding cards.  I try to keep random wedding stash on hand.  If I see something wedding-related at the store, I'll buy it.  For this card, I used a SRM Congratulations sticker sentiment and some really old paper, but I think the dimensional sticker is really cute, even though it's pretty dang old too! 

I machine-stitched a piece of vellum on top of the patterned paper to keep it from looking too busy.  And the inside of the card has another CONGRATS sentiment sticker...

 

On another note, I recently purchased a brown + white zebra-print area rug from West Elm.  My intention was to put it in our living room, but after staring at it there for 24 hours I picked it up & moved it to the family room in our finished basement.  I love it there.  It gave that room some new life... since it's some really old furniture in there that I've been wanting to replace for a long time.  Funny how just one different thing can liven up a room, even when the furniture isn't your favorite... 

I also happen to love a pop of animal print in just about anything.

Especially shoes... just sayin'.  ;-)

Kiss me, I'm Irish...

Happy St. Pat's Day + March Madness weekend... aka. party time!  Wearing green will have to wait because today is all about BLACK + GOLD for MIZZOU basketball!  Family is coming over for the BIG game at 3:30... which means the party is starting early today!  Fun times!  

Let's hope our #2 seed team brings home a WINNER!   

Have a SAFE & FUN St. Patrick's Day weekend, everyone! 

"Don't you know you're going to shock the monkey..."

It's been a few days... but I'm finally back!  Been entertaining & entertained.  Been a bit crazy & somewhat sane.  Been busy doing lots of stuff & busy doing absolutely nothing constructive.  But... all in all... I've been having too much fun lately due in large part to my friend's birthday celebration last weekend.  There was a banana theme going on, thus the banana-themed card...   

I do love my Zumba friends.  They're fun to work-out with at the Y and even more fun to hang out with afterward...

And just to keep the "party" going... we had an impromtu lunch yesterday to hug goodbye another friend who's heading out of town for 2 weeks.  And lunch just happened to be at one of my favorite restaurants.  You already know where that is!  And NO, it wasn't my idea, but YES I was loving it!

Now... I really need to get busy doing something constructive and actually create something. 

Crazy concept.  I know...  

"We know who wears the pants in your family..."

image

Long day so far beginning at 5:55am when my alarm went off so I could do the 6:30 spin class, which has become part of my new work-out schedule.  The class ROCKS.  I'd prefer a more reasonable hour to spin, but for now it's working for me and I'm still back home in plenty of time to help Bryn get off to school.  Yay!   

After that I had a rescheduled appointment to take my Tahoe to the dealer.  Long story, short... I took it in last Wednesday.  Sat there & waited for the repairs for 45 minutes before Glen, the service manager, came out to tell me that "George wasn't quite available to work on my vehicle yet & I know that Bob always wants George to work on it... so could I take you back home instead of letting you just wait?"  

I said, "Umm... maybe someone other than George could work on it today & I'll let Bob know I said it was ok?" 

He said, "Oooooh... I know that look!" 

I'm thinking, ummmm... actually that was a nice look??  It does get worse though.  Haha

Anyway, it was apparent that even if someone other than Geoge was going to immediately (yeah, right)  start working on my car, it would be at least another hour before it was finished.  I called Bob... he said it wasn't that big of a deal anyway & to reschedule for another time.  So I rescheduled for today at 10:00.

This morning I asked Bob to call Glen & tell him that anyone could work on the Tahoe today, that it didn't HAVE to be George... just incase they didn't believe me that Bob said it was ok! 

So, when I walked in today, Glen said to me, "I had to try not to laugh when Bob called me this morning.  We know who wears the pants in your family."

I said, "Well, Glen... as you can see... I'm not wearing a dress today." 

LMAO!!!! 

Reminds me of the movie "Raising Arizona" when Holly Hunter is ripping on H.I. in front of his 2 friends & John Goodman's character says, "Well, we know who wears the pants in your family H.I."   Such a dumb movie, that is Bob's FAVORITE movie of all time, but that line made me laugh out loud!  LOVE IT!!!    

Anyway, Glen proceeded to randomly give me $h#t for the next 2 1/2 hours that I was there waiting, and I gave it right back.  Funny guy.  If it weren't for him, I probably would've been way more annoyed about how hungry I was getting, considering Bob told me I'd probably only be there for about an hour.  Yay me!

But... I've finally fed my face and Bob just texted me that he was bringing home dinner so... all is good!  ;-)

And here's another card that was posted on the Nikki Sivils' blog yesterday, along with a tutorial for the new page I posted... 

The card was made with the Exit Here collection for Nikki's booth at the Winter 2012 CHA Trade Show.  If you missed the Nikki Sivils post from yesterday, you can see it here!   

And yay for wearing pants.  Preferably ZUMBA pants... you know what I'm sayin'... ;-)

It's a banner day...

It's the first Tuesday of the month... so that means it's my day on the Nikki Sivils' blog.  Head over there today to see how I created this page... and then you, too, can become as obsessed with making flag banners as I am. 

Or... is it just Bryn that thinks I'm obsessed with making them? 

In addition to that page I made using the brand new Messages collection from Nikki Sivils... I also made this "thank you" card...

I have a couple more cards I made for her Winter 2012 CHA booth on Nikki's blog today, as well.  

On my way out the door to Spin class & then to lunch with friends. 

Did I mention I'm glad to be home?  ;-) 

Sweet emotion....

It's Monday... aka. my day to teach Zumba!  Love that!

Had a fun time seeing family in Illinois over the weekend to celebrate 3 grandkids' birthdays.  The good news is, while we were there... we went to my favorite Mexican restaurant outside of Mexico.  YUM!  The bad news is... Mizzou lost to KU in overtime... even though at one point they were up by 19 points.  POO.  Bob was not happy.  LOVE those kids though, and I even managed to put together a very tricky Lego Batman airplane. 

I also found out my sister got a BIG promotion and will be moving to Denver soon.  Happy for her, but I'm going to miss her SO MUCH! 

POO again...:-( 

Here's another card I made for Nikki Sivils' booth at the 2012 Winter CHA Trade Show using the Exit Here collection!  I just used a journaling card, some letter stickers & some cut-outs, along with some ribbon to make a quick and easy card...         

I love quick & easy!  ;-)

Have a GREAT WEEK, everyone!  I'm thinking it's going to be REALLY great!   

"Hello... is it me you're looking for... "

Hahahaha! 

For the next 2 weeks... introductions are being made on the Nikki Sivils' blog of her new 2012 Design Team.  Today is my day to be "introduced"... although I've kinda been around for awhile... like since the beginning... sooo...  Hi again!  It's me!  Still loving Nikki Sivils & loving being part of her team!  Thank you to Katrina for the sweet intro about me on the blog today.  Love ya!    

Here's a few more of the projects I created with the Exit Here collection for Nikki's booth at the 2012 Winter CHA Trade Show...     

I know, right?  So unlike me to actually hand-stitch something.  It's been awhile since my lazy butt got out the embroidery floss...

I've mentioned it before, but it bears repeating.... I love the Exit Here collection!  Fun colors, patterns & perfect for all our travel photos! 

I guess I'm just gonna have to leave town soon so I can take some more photos...Woot wooot! 

"When you're feeling down & out... and you've got troubles on your mind... love will save the day..."

Eventually... things change.  Sometimes I go with the flow, other times I'm kicking & screaming the entire way.  Change is good though, right?  Right...

Bob gets to deal with my kicking & screaming, so-to-speak.  I have to say though... he does save me.  Mostly from myself, I suppose.  We take the day-to-day for granted sometimes, probably more often by me than by him... but he's the love of my life.  And I wouldn't want to be traveling through this life without him.  We make a good team.  Not a perfect team, but a really good team.  We get each other.

Whitney Houston's death kind of got to me today.  I was listening to the radio & they played a clip of a lot of her "best-of" hits.  I grabbed my phone to download a couple favs of mine.  Then they were talking about her daughter... how she'd gone to the hospital twice that day after she had passed away.  I just sat there & stared out the window.  And then I started bawling.  I know that feeling of disbelief when someone you love passes away suddenly and without any warning whatsoever.  My sister & I went to the hospital later that day after our other sister had passed away.  She had already been taken to the morgue by then, but we hadn't seen her.  So they brought her from the morgue to a hospital room for us.  I needed to see her.  I needed to know it was real and not just the worst nightmare in the world.  It's a memory I wish I could erase from my mind, but I had to say my goodbyes to her in her body... even though her soul had already passed on.

I'm a mess sometimes, what can I say.  

In the meantime... it's almost Valentine's Day.  So I ran out today to get some gifts for my Valentines.  I'm also busy making some cards using the old Sugar Cookie collection from Nikki Sivils...

And speaking of Sugar Cookie... head over to the Nikki Sivils' blog to check out the "Box of Love" you can purchase for an awesome price!  But hurry... it's only while supplies last.

Have a great week, everyone!           

A big THANK YOU to SRM Stickers...

Today is my final post on the SRM Stickers blog.  It's been a lot of fun to have been part of SRM Stickers first ever design team in 2010 & then to have been asked to continue on for another year as an Emeritus Designer in 2011. 

The new releases that made their debut at the Winter 2012 CHA Trade Show this week are completely adorable!  I'm LOVING the fun colors & patterns on the new border stickers! 

We've Got Your Border birthday stickers...LOVE, LOVE, LOVE...

and the We've Got Your Invite stickers are so cute...

I made a quick card using more border stickers, cut to fit...

We've Got Your Border thanks stickers... adorable!!!

My closing thoughts & appreciation for my time spent with them for these last 2 years was posted on the SRM Stickers blog today.  While this is my official last posting with them, it definitely won't be the last you'll see of SRM products used in my work.  I'm hooked on their products & will ALWAYS be a fan! 

Thank you, thank you, SRM Stickers! 

XOXO

Decaf venti soy latte please...

Seems like there's been quite a few birthdays lately among my friends.  Some BIG celebrations... & some more subdued lunches too.  I've been making a lot of birthday cards though & SRM stickers make the job a little easier.  For this particular card, I used a cardboard Starbucks sleeve to hold my note & a gift card for coffee, of course...     

It's "early release" day at school, so I'm off to pick up Bryn & do something fun together!  Too bad the weather is cold & rainy today...

"Good King Wenceslas looked out... on the feast of Stephen..."

Check out the Nikki Sivils' blog today for a chance to win a HUGE giveaway from Provocraft and also a chance to win Nikki's Gingerbread Land collection!

I have a couple Christmas cards on her blog today, too.  Both were made using the Gingerbread Land collection...

And... just to help get you into the spirit of Christmas... how about a little holiday music from one very crazy 10-year old who loves to use dramatic voices when she's on camera.  Not sure where the crazy comes from... because I'm perfectly normal, you know.  Also not sure why she's wearing our Mizzou tiger tail, that we hang from the back of our Tahoe for Mizzou games, as a headband.  I think we can just sum up all of those answers by saying... her & I have spent WAY too much time together in her last 10 1/2 years of life.  Poor thing... LOL

Have a FABULOUS weekend! 

FREE printables for the holidays...

Head over to the Nikki Sivils' blog today for some FREE holiday card + envelope printables!

Simply save them to your computer, print them onto a sheet of 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock, cut on the dotted lines & fold!

They are CUTE cards just as printed, but I embellished my set with some punch-outs from the Gingerbread Land collection, some patterned paper + a border punch and some bakers twine to finish it off.  I also added a little faux stitching with my black Sharpie.  Quick, easy and FREE cards!  What could be better than that?! 

Have a GREAT weekend, everyone!    

"We ain't done... I said we ain't done..."

I'm meeting my mom & sister for a cooking class tonight.  We all know how to cook... pretty well, I might add... but it's always a blast & an excuse to get together so we try to do it a few times a year.  We're going to a new place tonight.  Hoping it's like the other ones we've attended where it's NOT a hands-on class.  I can cook at home, so I prefer to watch someone else do the cooking & be served, thank-you-very-much.  LOL  We'll see what happens.

Anyway, more often than not, if we're getting together my mom will ask me to bring a wedding card for her.  She has this thing about giving cards that have a "DKM" logo stamped on the back of them.  (DKM... as in mine & my sister's first initials.)  I NEVER have wedding cards already made.  NEVER.  In fact, the only time I make them is when she's going to a wedding, which seems to be quite often.  It's endearing & annoying all at once.  LOL 

So, I mentioned at breakfast this morning to Bob & Bryn that Grandma had asked me to bring a wedding card tonight, so I had to make one for her today. 

Bryn said, "Another wedding?!  How many weddings does Grandma go to every year... 70?!"

I said, "Actually I think it's 71.  And I should know because I have to make a card for every single one of them!" 

Frankly, this card looks more like it should be for a new baby... girl, that is... but I just don't have much in the way of wedding-themed stash sitting around (aside from my SRM Stickers) & the pink crepe paper was still on the brain... so it is what it is. 

All stamped & ready to go. 

Now let's eat...

11.11.11 Operation Write Home Blog Hop...

In honor of Veteran's Day... SRM Stickers is participating in the Operation Write Home Blog Hop, along with 10 other manufacturers in the industry.

 

About Operation Write Home:

 

OWH is a 501(c)(3) organization; we send blank handmade cards to deployed service members so they can write home to their families. As of May 2011, we've sent one MILLION cards!

 

The seed of the 11.11.11 idea:

 

This special hop was dreamed up by the OWH blog team - 12 creative women who brainstorm new ways to use blog technology to both inspire and entertain our donors. Celebrating our veterans - both those who have returned home AND those currently serving - is something we love to do, and we're so glad you're joining in with us! We're delighted to share our favorite companies in eleven sectors of cardmaking (two paper because we just adore paper!) - and allow YOU to share your passion for our troops, present some of your wonderful products, and to provide your well-known stamp of approval on our organization too!

I used SRM's 4th of July stickers + their We've Got Your Sticker Plus - Flower stickers for the "thank you" sentiments on my card...

Head over to the Operation Write Home blog for details on how to participate in this cause AND in this weekend's blog hop. 

Also... leave a comment on the SRM Stickers blog for a chance to win a SRM Stickers prize package!

Happy Veteran's Day... and thank you to all of our men & women in the military!

Have a GREAT weekend, everyone!

Abnormally "normal..."

I received the results from my annual mammogram yesterday and all is normal...in that area anyway.  As for my brain, I'm not so sure sometimes...

SRM "Celebrate Life" stickers found here.

Happy Halloween!

There's lots of Halloween cards posted on the Nikki Sivils' blog today... all created with the Boo-tiful and My Lil' Monster collections.  I added a SRM Halloween sticker sentiment to mine, since the colors in my card aren't your typical Halloween-ish colors.  

Also... a new challenge was posted on Nikki's blog yesterday... to create a page using black + white photos along with any of Nikki's collections for the chance to win the collection of your choice!  Link your entries up here by November 28th.

Happy Trick-or-Treating!  Have a safe & fun Halloween! 

What a HOOT...

Check out the Nikki Sivils' blog today.  Megan Hoeppner, the Creative Editor for Creating Keepsakes magazine, has been announced as the guest designer for October.  She has a cute tutorial posted today, and there's also a giveaway!  See the blog for details on your chance to win the collection of your choice.

And speaking of Nikki Sivils... here's a card I made using the You're a Hoot collection + a corduroy brad...

Hope you're weekend has been a real HOOT...  I know mine has been!   

5th grade camp is RUFF for me...

... but I'm just sure that Bryn is having a blast!  There was a big thunderstorm on the night we dropped her off at camp, so I know the opening night bonfire didn't go off as planned.  And hopefully she wasn't too freaked out by the storm.  But aside from that, I'm sure she's having fun with all the camp activities & especially being able to hang out with her friends.  I can't wait to hear all her stories that I know she's going to come home with... 

 

 

 

 

 

I miss her SO much. 

C'mon... Thursday night.  Get here quick! 

Forty is the new thirty...

What a fun, fun weekend.  I had a BLAST with my sister & mom on Friday night at a St Louis art studio.  We had purchased some Groupons last October for a "Canvas & Cocktails" class and FINALLY set a date to use them before they expired.  All I can say is... those poor 2 people sitting at our table with us.  All we do is talk & laugh (mostly at each other) every time we get together... and trust me... this "art" we were creating gave us plenty of reason to laugh.  The theme was "Tuscan Landscape" and we had a table full of postcards & pictures we could pick from to use for inspiration for our paintings.  

I told my mom her apples she painted looked more like "road apples."  LOL  And then someone told my mom as we were leaving, that her painting was so good it should be hung in a restaurant.  We all decided that wasn't a restaurant where we'd want to eat.  LOL  Oh my gosh... I love them so much.  We really need to get together more often than we do.  

I took pictures of each of our paintings along with the postcards we chose as our inspiration... 

 

Then on Saturday night, I was out with Bob & my friends to celebrate a 40th birthday.  I made a quick card for my friend using some of my "Family Dynamix" from Bella Blvd + a couple sentiments from the SRM birthday stickers sheet...... 

 

 

 

 

Forty looks good on her.  Actually I think the forties look good on all of us.  Or maybe it's Zumba that looks good on us... since that's where I met all my fabulous friends.  Or maybe it's all the wine.  It is an antioxidant, you know... LOL   

Whatever it is... age is merely a number... not a state of mind!   

Have a great week everyone!

Sending get well wishes...

 

Please check out the Nikki Sivils' blog today for details on a "card drive" for a sweet little 5 year old girl who's having surgery today for a brain tumor.  Olivia is the niece of Stacy Rodriguez, who will be the Guest Designer on Nikki's blog next month.   

Use Nikki's new collection “Get Well Soon” to make a card for Olivia.  Then post it on your blog or Facebook (or both) and link the post in the comments of Nikki's blog post for today.  Stacy and Nikki will pick 2 winners... one from Nikki's blog & one from Facebook.  You’ll have the next 3 weeks... deadline is Monday, September 5.  That should give you enough time to get the papers (if you have to order online), make a card, post it and then mail it.

 

(Even if you don’t want to play along with this contest, please take a few minutes to send Olivia a card... any card.)

 

Here are the prizes...

 

*4 of the new releases:

School is Cool

My Lil Monster

Gingerbread Land

You’re a Hoot

*A Cricut cartridge

*A Sketch Book by Allison Davis

*A Unity Stamp set that will coordinate with one of my newest collections!

This is a prize package worth over $100!

 

I'm sending my card off tomorrow with some Strawberry Shortcake stickers & a package of tattoos.  Hopefully it will put a smile on her sweet little face.  Thanks everyone & have a GREAT week!

Back to COOL...

 

It's almost back to school time.  Next Wednesday for us.  The School is Cool collection from Nikki Sivils is the perfect way to document first day of school photos, school-related activities thoughout the year and teacher cards + gifts.  Check out more fun projects on Nikki's blog today!

And on a totally unrelated subject... my sister's boyfriend, Tony, is in a contest with his remixed Nick Carter song, "I'm Taking Off" (Poplectro Darkhorse Remix).  Would LOVE it if you could take a second and vote for him here.  The lyrics are REALLY cheesy, don't blame Tony for that.  He didn't write the song, he just remixed it and according to my sister... made it sound a whole lot better than the original version.  I told Marci I put my space suit on and voted for him... LOL.  Thanks for your help, friends!

 

Well, more "date nights" for us this weekend... dinner + a movie tonight (Horrible Bosses, I think.  Anyone seen it yet?) and then a birthday party tomorrow night.  And Bryn will FINALLY come home on Sunday!  Yay!  

Have a GREAT weekend, everyone! 

"Wastin' away again in Margaritaville... searchin' for my lost shaker of salt... salt... where's the... "

Actually I'm not into margaritas.  Not at all.  I might have one, on the rare occasion that we are in a Mexican restaurant, but it has to be a frozen fruit margarita... like peach or watermelon.  Just not into tequila.  It's bad news.  And that's all I'll say about that.  LOL 

The Margarita collection from American Crafts, on the other hand, is GREAT news!  I love it.  And I've had some of the collection for awhile now, but I've finally had a week to sit down & do something with it.  Yes... I said a week, because it took me that long to create & re-create these 2 pages when I was thinking something's not looking quite right here.  And that paper with the buildings on it... yes, I had to have it.  Reminds me of the paper with the buildings on it from my all-time favorite, favorite, favorite Craft Fair collection... that I probably used on AT LEAST 20 different projects.  And that's not an exaggeration, as you are already painfully aware. 

So, now that we know I can sometimes take way too long to create 2 pages AND I hoard American Crafts paper with buildings on it... let's get to the pages.  On this first one, I used my border punch to create the waves and then made my own flag banner, using the bar code strip at the bottom of my flags to add a little more interest...

 

Love that crab sticker.  And please.  No crabs on trips.  Leave that nonsense at home. 

 

Used my circle punch on the next page to create my border & then used a left-over punched circle in my title.  More bar code strips, too.  Some fun ones in this collection, so I had to use them... 

 

Speaking of the Craft Fair collection, I felt the need to add a couple little bits on here.  There can never be too much Craft Fair, as far as I'm concerned...

 

And... I made a card with this collection, too.  Because that buildings paper goes a long way.  Don't laugh.  You know you all have your favorites, too...

 

 

It's a busy week ahead, but lots of FUN things planned.  There could be some more party pics... just sayin'.  Looking forward to it all! 

Have a GREAT week everyone!