Oops!

If you looked at the comments from the last post, you will note that I apparently credited the last card to Vicki, but it was indeed Kelly Schreiber's card! Sorry Kelly! I can only plead temporary insanity. Too much going on, too many late nights, and uh, too much of me not paying attention, I guess. You have my apologies.

So, it's only appropriate that I would include a card that Vicki stamped today.

This card just 'screams' Vicki with its color scheme and its butterflies. She decided to annoy me to the fullest all in one card and gave it a 'friend' theme plus an overload of butterflies. ::Hee hee! I can hear you cracking up, Vicki!:: It's kind of an inside joke, but she knows how much I adore cards of that nature. Actually, I have nothing against either butterflies or friends! Both are very valuable, not only to the world as a whole, but also to me. It's just a 'thing' I have, about them on cards, and I'm going to drop it here and now, lest I have to explain something that doesn't cast a good light on something else. Now, truthfully I really love this card. I'm crazy about the collage technique! It has long been a favorite of mine. Just don't tell Vicki. It would ruin my reputation, and then she might do something drastic---like, send me a 'friend' card or something! ;-)

That springy feeling

I only wish I were referring to a spring in my step. If only. The feeling I'm referring to should have a capitol "S", as in Spring, the season!

It's just weird! We had snow so early this year, and yet today, I stood outside in a misting rain for about an hour (attempting to move some calves, and load others onto a trailer) and really never got cold! I guess the earthworm crawling across the milk house floor last night knew something. Ugh. I know. I was tempted to monitor his progress throughout the night, ::Hello, Karen? It's your life calling! It wants to know where you are.:: but decided there just might be more constructive uses of my time. ::Ya think?:: That, and I figured Crystal just might not appreciate stepping on it....so I got it out of there....all the while wondering just how long it took to get as far as it had.

This card reflects a Spring-ish season too. Vicki made this for our stamp-and-swap session last time. I don't want to get picky, but I'm not kidding myself that you won't notice it, so here's a hint: Stamp the words on the twill tape before adhering it to the card. That way, if it goes a little wonky, you can flip it over and try again on the other side!

Black & Purple (and shine!)

Nope, not referring to the card below. I'm referring to my mom! I visited again last night. She says, "I feel fine! It's just so hard getting up and down, and in and out of bed and from chairs! It's not getting ANY better! I'm so tired of being in pain!" This from the woman who, about 30 seconds later, pops out of her chair to go get the dictionary as we ponder the actual root of a word.

Uh, yes, Mom, you ARE better in the course of a week. MUCH better! She goes on "But I can't reach my cupboard because it hurts to stretch so far. So I had to go upstairs to get that little kids stool to climb up on!" ::Hellll-oooo! Earth to Mom! Last week you couldn't get up from a chair without help---now you're climbing stairs and on stools to reach high cupboards! Of course she's giving my sister fits because she won't ask for help.::

Now she's lamenting that she has to cancel an appointment because she has so many places to go next week. Uh-huh. She'll be fine. Thanks for asking. She does have a big black and purple 'shiner' around her surgical scar that is not going away, says she, but then....oh never mind. She's great.

Now here's a black and purple shiner you will want to keep forever!

Vicki Towell created this card for swapping with Kelly and I awhile back (BCF-Before the Computer Fiasco). Isn't it stunning?! This is the Medallion background stamp. The part that took the longest for her was working out the colors. Not every purple goes with every purple as it happens. But wasn't it worth it?! It's beautiful!

Here's hoping this is as close to a black and purple shiner any of us get this winter!

It's coming!

I must say--I resist getting 'into' the commercial end of Christmas probably more and more each year. I detested it when "my" radio station, a few years ago, started playing Christmas carols the day after Halloween. In the following years it started a little later, but not much. I simply don't want to hear the same 15 carols in rotation by the same 15 artists. It's not variety, and it's W-A-Y too early. I gave up on the station for the season, and the following year, I gave them up altogether because it took them too long to get back 'to normal'. This last year I practically gave up on radio altogether. Too much junk in between the occasional good stuff. But I digress.

Yesterday I got my first Christmas gift of the year purchased, and it feels good! Actually, I don't have to buy many gifts these days. My kids pretty much want or need money more, and they can choose how to use it. There are no returns, everything fits, and they can shop guilt free for themselves. It's a win-win situation. All I can say is I'm going to have to have more grandchildren to use up the stash of wrapping paper I've got in this house.

Hello?



Hello?



::Tap tap::



This thing on?



:-) Ahh relax kids. I'm kidding. ::Crossing all my fingers tightly. Does that actually work?::

The part that you didn't get was that to buy this Christmas gift, I did nothing. Nothing-I tell you-except stand in the store, and write a check. Didn't have to drive to a mall, walk miles, compare prices, or beg for lists and check sizes. All I did was ride along with my friends Sharon and Cheryl, who were taking me out for my birthday, and say, "Hey Sharon, while you're here, maybe you could pick something out for Danny I could give him!" and off she went. That was the easiest shopping I've ever done! Then, to make it even easier, she paid with her credit card, gave me the savings, (I paid her back! Relax!), and took the receipt along home so if there's a problem, they don't even have to ask me for it back! Whoo-hoo! That in itself was a birthday gift! ::Thanks Sharon and Cheryl! I had a nice time! Looking forward to doing it again soon! Um-but for Cheryl's birthday! I'm old enough, thank you very much!::

Yes, when it comes to "Christmas prep" I tend to put my time into cards and cookies until the 11th hour. I'm still learning to cut back on cookies (not real well though). Cards are my biz though, so there's no cutting back on those.

This is one that you missed by not participating in my first (I think...if I remember correctly) Christmas Stamp-a-Stack of this year. See, I told you I tend toward 'uncommon' color combos for Christmas cards! I'm a big fan of monochromatic cards too, but some people aren't so I don't do that too often.

I have another SAS on Friday night, to give we non-deer-hunters a little diversion from the frenzy 'the guys' tend to feel as they try to get commitments out of the way and prepare for the big hunt. For years I was in the eye of that tornado, so I'm equally glad to have my own diversion this year! I think it's going to be fun to have 'the girls' over again. I just hope I can get some house clean by then!

WHAT was I thinking?!!

Some days, you just have to slap yourself with a palm to the forehead and ask yourself that, don't you?!

Ok, maybe you don't....but I frequently do. The day I decided to make 3 of these cards was one of those days.

Of course, looking back at it now, I realize it was a fun, if tedious, learning experience, but I'm going to do it again someday! Besides, I've already got the great big die that turns out this bad boy, when you open the card!

So, to not use it, would just be criminal. No gasps, please. I managed to get the die for only $10, if I remember correctly, so it's not that big of a deal.

Now, it's an adorable card, and can you imagine the person receiving it?! They would love to open it and get this surprise! But.....

....You knew there'd be a 'but', didn't you?!

Yes, the day I made these cards (I'd made 3 for a swap, and it took me a lo-o-o-ong time!) was not so bad as the day I didn't use my brain and actually bought the Sizzlits Die, that coordinates with it, Tree Decorations. Now that deserves a palm to the forehead! Folks, I recommend the Christmas Tree Pop-Up die. I really do. It's a really fun piece of craft work, and is quite easy to do. But let me save you any foolish notions here. Unless you plan to run that little Tree Decorations die through your Big Shot approximately 48 times per tree that you want to decorate, just don't bother. Of course, you could always purchase 6 dies and line them up and run them through 8 times, if you wish (but I wouldn't recommend it!), but that seems like a LOT of trouble too.

I however, was committed to making these 3 swaps, so instead I just used my little 1/4" circle punch and only used the star from the Tree Decorations die. That all was labor intensive enough for me. Next time, I'm probably going to get my hands on some self adhesive crystals or some such thing. Maybe some Crystal Effects and Dazzling Diamonds would do the trick, if you have enough time to let it dry for each side.

The possibilities are practically endless. But don't think you're going to get enough of those little ornaments or tree lights punched out. That is a dead end.

It's a banner day!

I got word tonight that Miss Avery rolled over for the first time (of her own volition)! Yup. Word came through on the 'grandma hot line'. It wasn't so much a surprise to us, as her, I'm sure. We've been watching her come right up to the finish line without crossing it for weeks, it seems, but now she's done it!



We had an impromptu babysitting night with her last night, and she was teasing me then too. She was laying on her back, 'talking' with Gary. who was, perhaps more than babysitting her, watching the CMA Awards with a quick glance now and then in her direction. As she got increasingly bored, she started fussing, and then began her roll, but didn't finish it. I gave her a helping hand because this late in the evening, things could go very, very wrong, if she got too upset. The thing was, she didn't notice it because my helping hand was very light. That is, she'd done most of the roll already, and I provided her tipping point. It was so hilarious because after she rolled, it seemed to me that she thought she had accomplished it herself, and she just laid there on her tummy, head held as high as can be, legs equally high behind her, and smiled a big ear to ear grin, and looked in wonderment at her surroundings with dimples as deep as caverns! She was PROUD! Little did she know it then, but tonight she holds the honor all by herself! You go girl! We'll expect no more fussing from you! ::Hee hee. Ri-i-i-i-i-ight::

Speaking of banner days, last week Jill Wasmund and I finished up one banner, shown above, and started on another one, shown below! The upper one says, funeral or Easter to us. It wasn't so much difficult, as it was a process getting back into the learning curve again! We waited too long to address the issue of hanging and draping, and so had some 'body' to add to it after we were done. How do you like that little addition of words at the bottom? It was a logistical decision, but we like how it turned out! We can still make up different verse to switch in and out with this one. We'll have to see what develops...maybe we will, maybe we won't. Either way, we're hoping there's not an alert man in the congregation that will notice it, and ask us "What's up with the plumbers chain?!" Hey, we liked the color and its size. ::Plus it has a nice tune and you can dance to it. But I digress. Name that show for 10 brownie points... and practice leaving a comment.::

Then there was this banner. I could be wrong, but I think Jill is is still having nighmares about those flowers. They had a way of traveling. You could lay them out any wonderfully, beautiful way you wanted, but until they were glued down, they tended to latch onto your clothing like zebra mussels! Then, of course, they mussed up the arrangement of the petals as well!

But I think they will be a nice addition to our church, when the time comes to hang them! We're looking at making some Christmas ones too. Not too shabby, I'd say, for just trying to use up old felt. It was time for a change!

Well, after two very late nights, I'm about to drift off to sleep on my keyboard, so I'd best sign off. Maybe with a full night of sleep, tomorrow will be a banner day for me too?!

Links!

Nope. No golfing. Sorry. It's a beautiful day and all, and some people probably even have the day off, but that's not the purpose here.

Sometimes, (read: usually), there's just no point in saying anything when someone else has done it so much better than you ever could. Today is that day.

Pastor Jeremiah Gumm (see the link to The Shepherd's Study at the right) has posted an encore of last year's post from Veteran's Day, paying homage to his family members and generations who have served. Please read, and offer up a prayer for those who keep us safe and free.

http://shepherdstudy.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/thank-a-veteran-today-2/


Then, continue on, and read this post about his grandfather, and his love for his Savior. Now stick with me here! There's something for everyone in it, and it's a 'must read' to borrow a phrase. Furthermore, it's a 'must share', which is what I hope to accomplish here today.


http://shepherdstudy.wordpress.com/2009/10/28/a-man-named-george/


That's it. There's nothing to add. Except to say, now you know why I link this blog.