Pet Rock

OMG! I found my Pet Rocks.... I believe circa 1976! If you need to know what I'm talking about, please go check out Highlowaha.

Yippee!!

Ain't life grand!!! This girl sure is having the time of her life, jumping for joy! We'll should all be so happy! I'm going to live vicariously through her.... wishing I was as skinny and had the curly hiar... don't know if I'm a pink kinda gal or not? mmmmmm

Saw this card and of couse had to CASE it!! Doodle drawings are so fun for me to copy!!! Used a little stickles on the edge of her purse and the bottom of her skirt. Colored in with those infamouse BIC markers I bought for(34 ct) $12 in the back to school aisle... it was the rage at that moment. I agree the colors are great, but I would like the colors to be lighter to gradually increase the color tone... that's why people are buying the $5 each Copic markers!!! Distressed the edges of the light pink and reddish frames. Love the swiss dot embossing folder and only used it on 3/4 of the card so I could put the YIPEE!! on the bottom. I think she got a good deal shopping somewhere!!! "Remember your God heals everything."

Coffee anyone??

Hey, what's up with my blog header? Sometimes it shows up and sometimes it doesn't? Is it trying to be sneaky? Did I touch a button or something??? I want to know what I'm doing, I don't have time for playing around on this thing!!!

Today's card is the cute coffee cup with steam coming out of it... I've made this before... and probably knew a few days ago who created the image.... mmmm was it My Favorite Things? I don't remember... but I just CASEd the image, and I cut out my own coffee cup and saucer, add a handle... it probably looks handmade verses the 'real' ones.... but I like it. After I took this picture I added a circle punch that said "My Friend" on it.... it looked a little plain in the upper right hand corner! Love the blue and brown color combo too!!


I feel like it's been Ground Hog's day around here already FEB 2 (the movie, if you've seen it, with Bill Murray, little known fact was filmed in the city Woodstock only 5 miles away from here). I keep waking up and repeating the same day over and over and over again!!! Wake up to kid's making noise getting ready for school, cold.... cold.... cold, icky snow, go to work, same 'stupid' questions and patient types over and over again, coming home to a sick dog, who's left us presents in various places (ugh!!) and then going to volleyball or hockey practice.... repeat, over, repeat, over, do again, repeat!!! I need a new opportunity to knock on my door, I need some change.... what can I do???

Oh well, hope you in cyber land are having a great day. I love today's quote.....


"What other people think of you is none of your business."

Un-traditional Valentine

Here I CASEd a card from Markie's Mom, an untraditional Valentine. I think the paper is the SU! Blush. Love the layout and look of this card, seems more sophisticated with the swirls, which I've heard are so popular in the up-coming season of new stamps. I added the leaves to the swirl images I have. I also don't have a big heart punch or scallop punch for that matter, so I almost had to take time in cutting out my own images. Butterflies seem popular again, and I have a teeny weeny punch, but I think they look good here!

And now for the weather, beautiful blue skies with bright sunshine, but cold, only about 11 degrees. We had a light dusting of snow overnight.... I did a clean sweap of the drive and then took Coopy for a little walk, where he met his girlfriend, Charlie (see Charlie cards posted on the right side of my blog, to see how cute she is)... checking out other fav blogs and then off to work for 6-1/2 hours, before the ride share takes place, I think the sport of choice tonight is hockey!!!! Shrimp pasta for dinner, yum! Lost is on tonight too!!! Happy Day ~

"Forgive everyone for everything."

It's home

Love and laughter make a happy home don't they? This card was inspired by the tutorial at Michelle Zindorf's blog. If I'm smart enough to remember where I was inspired (got the idea) to create a card, or where I CASEd (copy and share everything)... I will post a link to that marvelous card maker. So Zindorf and Markie's Mom are two blogs I visit all the time, I like what they make, and try to create either with their tutorials, or just viewing their blogs. I visit many other blogs too, and share their links on the side bar.... look to the right and scroll down a bit.

This card we're working on background and foreground a bit. I didn't have the colonial house stamp that Michelle used, but I have this stamp set from the Bella series.... Sell a Bella, when I made some cards for our Realtor Roseann. Every once in a while I try the brayer (roller type inker) and just can't control it enough... so I go back to smooshing my ink color in with make up sponges. I like how it turns out!!

"Frame ever so-called disaster with these words. 'in five years, will this matter?"

A cupcake with heart!

Okay, since cupcakes are so popular in the stamping world, what's Valentine's day without a little scrumptuous, individual, tiny, surpirse of single joy? A Valentine cupcake!! Hand drawn, not stamped, though. I thought this layout was quite cute. Making my own background paper, a few scallops with pink dots, it says it all!!!

I'm debating if I should walk the dog, mmm, it's only 5 degrees out, but that's warmer than -17 ... oh, you know I can't pass up that cute Cooper face if he wants to go frolic in the winter wonderland!!

"No one is in charge of your happiness except you."

When Pigs fly...

... or give you flowers and a smooch!!!

Here's a cute little piggie I drew. (inspired by someone elses great image) I'm working more on shading, it certainly does give dimension (duh). Anytime I write the word Piggie, piggy, pig.... I just remember being called that in grade school.... not that I was a fat pig (myself) but with my name, being so close, it was often easy to make the mistake, I guess..... and hurt my feelings and scar me for life.... no not really....

Someone out there in cyber land is getting something SWAK (sealed with a kiss!!!)

The embossing folder of 'swiss dots' is kind of neat when you only use it on half of the card!

"Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about."

Taking the bull by the horns

Okay, so I was on a Markie's Mom kick last week... here is the third card I made. If I find out who the adorable animals are by, I will post that. I can't get enough of how the black background paper makes the card pop!! This would make a cute hello card (hey, hey hey!) She uses way too many brads (and I'm cheap) so the bottom embellishments are brads and the top are Crystal glue dots.

"Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present."

My friend

Here's a fun layerd card, inspired by Markie's mom. This was fun to do, almost like putting a puzzle together with all the pieces. Although it's pink, it seems un-traditional for a Valentine card. The "my friend" stamp is part of a clear set from the $1 bin at M's. I had to do the puppy 3 times to make him the right size to fit in the heart... he still may be too big! Background paper is SU!



"You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree."

Piece of artwork

Feeling a bit challenged, I've gone back into Stampin with Markie's Mom old post and found some cute cards that I wanted to CASE {Copy and Steal {share} Everything} or my term to be inspired. Love the results, but this card took more than an hour to make! Markie's mom, Faith, has dots on most of her card creations. I'm know she states who the images are by... but since I don't have the stamps from the cards I CASE.... I make it up as I go along! The stars a embellishments I found at Big Lots cheap, they just stick on.

Back to normal in our house. {hee hee} Finals are done at the high school level! And it isn't below zero.... took the dog for a walk, drinking my homemade chai tea, and I'll check out Highlowaha
and then I'm off to work!!!

"Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does."

Flowers to hockey

It felt good walking the dog this morning in 7 degree weather. Can't beat em, might as well join them!!

So this card is an old inspired image. One of the first types I did with Zindorf. This has a different twist with color on both sides of the vase, dark to the left, white to the right. I just think this is such a simply beautiful and easy card.

Below here, are a few pictures of the 6 posters I made for senior night at the last hockey game. I decided to make the poster boards look like hockey team jerseys. Each photo is framed and there are embellishments of hockey skates and pucks scattered about. I think they turned out well! It only cost me $12 for all the materials. Now that project is done, and I can move on to the next one!

"Life is too short to waste time hating anyone."

(what if don't hate them, just dislike their personality, does that count????)

Bloom where your heart is

An old favorite. I was paging through some of the tiny magazines that SU! sends out to promote their upcoming sales or new catalog, and saw this cute image and was inspired. I don't have this stamp set, so I drew the flower and colored it in with my watercolor pencils. (I still just LOVE those pencils) Used the blender pen to 'blend". I crumpled up both pieces of paper and then tore the edge off to give it this rough look. Used some hemp, mine was too thick, so I pulled the strands apart and tied it to the top of the image. Hard to tell, but there is stamped writing to the bottom right side, and then I added the bloom, trying to follow the SU! script! Simple and clean!


"Life isn't fair, but it's still good"

Budding artist

Well, Sissy has been around me enough, she sits in my office to watch tv, she's gone to stamp camp, it's about time she makes her own cards for her friend's birthdays!!! Here is her recent masterpiece!! Using a little cuttlebug embossing folder (happy birthday), some dashes of paint and ink, cut out letters from a magazine, some embellishments of staples and buttons!!! Pretty cute!!! She did a great job!

"Smile and laugh more. It will keep the NEGATIVE BLUES away."

Flowers for a birthday wish

Having fun making cards? I am!! The stamp set for this card I got at a local thrift shop... I himmed and hawed over paying .75 cents for it .... because how many flower stamps do you need? But I broke down and bought the two on the shelf... the other image will pop up some time in another blog post! I love the polka dot ribbon, it seems to be showing up on a lot of my cards lately... must be a large role of ribbon!Nothing special or new on this card, pretty self explanatory!! A little stickles glitter in the middle of each flower.

Wow! It's almost 30 degrees warmer than it was yesterday, above zero and almost 20... but it is very windy today...so, is that truly any better?? The birds are having great fun around the bird feeder right now.. it's like they are playing games!

"Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card."

Need a little warmth

Right now I seem to be making an eclectic style range of cards ... bouncing back and forth between colors and themes. On this card I used a cute little butterfly punch and some older patterned background paper...it's about time I used up. I think the card describes itself, warm!

Ha! Warm.... today is the coldest day I recall in my adult life.. OMG!!! I woke up to -17 degrees.... two degrees colder than yesterday.(That's not even with the windchill) That can't be right! A patient yesterday boldly said that he thinks it's even warmer in Alaska! Weather can be quite the topic! No school today either! It's my day off an I was going to run errands... I might just want to go hibernate!

"Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime."

Dots & Flowers

This cute card is inspired by Markie's Mom. Her cards are simply adorable and do-able... but she has some sort of flair with the dots, some color combo coolnees ~ that her cards are just right and she completely COMPLETEs her designs. In the mean time, I'll just be inspired and try to do my best to follow her inspiration!

School was cancelled today for both kids (they actually are in two different school districts, one middle school, the other high school) due to extreme weather conditions. It is currently -15 degrees out (that is below zero folks!!!!!!) and if kids had to wait for the bus etc.... I'm still getting ready to go to work... there is eye care that needs to be handled, and we can listen to every patient who comes in and complains! and smile as if this is the first time hearing it!!!

"Invest your energy in the positive present moment." edited

Although there is creativity constantly floating through my brain cells, I can't say there is always creativity floating through my drawing hands. Busy days at work, running around after school for the kids ... I'm just a bit tired.... run down last week with a viral infection. But I went through some of my pictures, and think I missed posting a few valentine cards. Got a sweet heart that you want to recognize??
"Clear clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life!"

Another Valentine Moment

With the busy weekend of vollyball tournaments and hockey games (and snow, and snow and snow), I didn't get as much card making done as I hoped. But... I did get the house finally de-void of the holidays... I had kept my snowman collection out... and now everything is stored up, the rooms are clean... that seemed to take me all morning yesterday!!

I was able to make this Valentine card. Found the sentiment in the $1 bin at M's. Used the cuttlebug to punch out the hearts and to emboss the background.

This week I'm working on 6 poster boards/scrapbook pages.... during this Saturday nights hockey game, they honor all the seniors, and I volunteered to do the posters. They are turning out cute... I'll show you when I'm done! Think hockey!

Stay warm!!

"Try to make at least three people smile each day."

Zindorf 1-12

Oh my goodness, I'm so excited about this card. It was one of Zindorf's latest tutorials. I searched high and low, looking for a more simplistic gnome to draw, but I couldn't find any cute enough to inspire me. (When I say inspire, I mean I literally draw it myself. Now some artsy fartsy types have said, WOW... you are so talented you can draw!!... yes I can, we are all given talents! Some don't always know what they are or how to use them ... But mostly I can copy someone elses image quite well... it's drawing it from my own imagination that I have great difficulty) Thus the reason I copy... or CASE (Copy and Share {Steal} Everything) The challenge to myself is how close I can copy something without infringing on another artist's trademark! mmmmm..... I try to give credit when I can remember! The ferns are SU!

"Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts."

I guess my Doritos don't count as a good tip for eating healthy in 2009!

Zindorf 1-05

Sadly I did not get to post yesterday, I had been doing so well in keeping up with my blog, but one thing led to the next and pretty soon I was out the door( eight hours later) to a volleyball tournament to the city reported with the most snow in the Chicago suburbs.... over 9"!!!

So, the back yard looks like how it did at Christmas time, we're back to almost a foot of snow on the ground. The snow piles are just amazingly huge!! Record cold temperatures are supposed to bless us now! (Enough about the weather, and sadly the tournament didn't go well for Sissy's team... she did played well!!)

Here is a Zindorf tutorial card I made last week. I'm not sure I like it. I love most of the cards from her, and I really havent sold or given away these 'tutored cards', I like looking at them, I think they are so amazaing.... created with graduations of ink color! This card is different for me too, because it's long...4-1/4" by about 7"... I'm going to see if I even have an envelope for it.

Hopefully today I will get some time in my craft room!! I feel I've missed viewing so many great cards to inspire my creativity!!

Happy Day, Stay warm!

"Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants."

An AHA moment- finished journal

Better late than never!! I wasn't able to add pictures to my blog this morning. I finished my HLA journal! The front view, and with the journal open, I have tabs every 4-5 pages, and swirl stamped images throughout. I thought I would use this journal to record High, Low, Aha moments throughout the year. You can check things out like Goal Fishing and Mind Mapping at Highlowaha!! It's a creative community that I found last May!





"Dream more while you are awake"

We interrupt for a Valentine Moment

Weird morning in our house... bubba has an 8 am orthodontist appointment, so I didn't have enough time to find my latest picture of my HLA journal, stay tuned for tomorrows completed goal!

Here, however, is a very cute Valentine card I created over the weekend. I'm liking the creamy carmel with the red thing, going on. Simple $1 stamps for the curly heart and the sentiment.... I wrote the word LOVE, seeing a patterned paper somewhere. SU! Corner punches give the card dimension.

Off to a busy early day!!!

"Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6"

An AHA moment III

Okay, I'm progressing along a little further, finalizing my layout for my Highlowaha journal. I like the colors and am having fun with the pre-cut cardboard letters. Stay tuned to how you can turn a $1notebook into a wonderful keepsake journal, HLA sytle.

"Make time to practice meditation and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives"