PERFECT SENTIMENTS, INK

To catch you up...

2008-10-05T11:29:00.002-04:00

My computer has been on an involuntary hiatus for a while now... my laptop isn't working and I've not been able to find my camera card... or time to create anything in my stamp room. Life has turned upside down around here... things have changed, and so have my priorities.
I've gone from days filled with ink and paper, pictures and embellishments, creativity and relaxation to days of schedules, time constraints, responsibilities, and 3 KIDS IN SCHOOL!
The next phase of life has begun for Brandon and I. Our boys started 2nd and 3rd grade in August and Kailynn started pre-k the first week of September. When Kailynn started pre-k, I started my search for a job. A month later, after submitting hundreds of resumes and applications, I started my new job at the Carteret Publishing Company. I am the Classified Ads Manager for the local newspaper. I deal with all classified ads, as well as all the legal notices for the paper. I really like it. I work Monday through Friday, I get to have face to face interaction, I get out of the house, and I'm earning a paycheck too!
My kids are adjusting... Ethan, very well... Kailynn, with a few bumps in the road... and Clayton, with quite a few mountains in the way. We're taking it one day at a time, and I think in the end, it will all work out for the best. I'm excited about the venture into the next stage of life. You may be hearing more about our everyday lives, rather than my everyday creations, here on my blog, but I'll do my best to keep you up to date on my creative doings. Thank you all for your support and patience (Mom) in my search to find a plateaued ground to walk on.
Love and kisses!
~Saraleigh

Inspiration Challenge

2008-09-11T08:56:00.003-04:00

Last Saturday, I was completely inspired by the inspiration challenge over at SCS and I had to give it a whirl. The challenge was posted by SmilynStef and we had to choose one of Catherine's Animal prints to use as our inspiration. We had to interpret the picture and create whatever we were inspired to create using the layout, colors, subject and/or ideas that sparked from the pictures. This was an AWESOME challenge... and it got my MOJO flowin!

I chose to use the Zebra 1 picture as my inspiration...

I used the colors and layout to make my design... and I must say, I've very pleased with it.

I'll be back again soon... I'm off to the dentist... arrrggghhhh!

Blessings,

~Sara

Our Family Has Grown...

2008-09-10T18:41:00.006-04:00

in leaps and bounds... as of September 5, my baby boy, Clayton is SEVEN years old! For his birthday this year, we wanted to introduce him to real responsibilities. Instead of piling chores on him, we decided to get him 7 fish... one for each year he's been alive. Here are our new family members...

Meet Angus:

and Whitey

and Superman

and Oscar

and Marlin

and Big Moe

and last, but certainly not least, here's Tiny

Clayton is very happy with his newfound friends and feeds them twice daily. Anette's family also bought 10 small goldfish to add to Clayton's new aquatic community. He was (to say the least) beyond excited to have 17 new friends to call his own... among them are Stripes, Nemo 1, Nemo 2, Little Whitey, Little Moe, Mustache, and Ollie. We've had two casualties thus far... and they went over like a.... well, lets just say there were a few tears shed. Poor little guy... Clayton is slowly learning that the life span of a fish is nothing like that of a dog or cat. A good lesson to learn... but hard all the same. Thanks for listening to me blab...

I'd also like to introduce to you a new SBS10 Sistah! Please help my sistahs and I welcome Jen to our sisterhood of blogging stampers! You can visit her blog by clicking here: F Stop Memories, or copy and paste thsi: http://jenalonso.typepad.com/fstop_memories/ into your browser.

Have a lovely evening...

~Saraleigh

I Made It!

2008-08-25T19:17:00.002-04:00

Many of you have been patiently waiting for my blogging habits to improve and I think the wait is over! School started today (for my boys) and I MADE IT THROUGH THE SUMMER! I feel like the last 3 months have been so long and now I can finally get back into my routine. Summer is one of my least favorite seasons... partially because it's so darned hot and mostly because summer brings with it a severe lack of routine. If you know me, then you know that without a schedule, I don't even know where to begin. As much as I dislike the annoying repetitive sound of the buzz billowing from the alarm clock at 5:30 in the morning, I look forward to it because it means that I have something I'm scheduled to do. It means that I am beginning my day with a specific purpose... it means that for today, (no promises for tomorrow), I will have sanity.

My batteries in my camera are shot, so I can't share any pictures with you tonight, but I assure you I'll be back soon with pictures galore... after all, now I don't have to drag three kids into the store with me in search for one thing... only to exit the store with numerous bags of useless "stuff" that we couldn't live without and a receipt that I have to explain to my husband - you know how it goes...

"I don't know how I ended up spending $50 when I only went in for batteries!"

Be Blessed!

~Sara

MIA Again...

2008-08-18T19:00:00.003-04:00

This summer, I've been busy - busy making the summer a memorable one for my children. We've spent our days this summer swimming at the pool, boating on the ocean, kiting at the beach, crafting in my room, playing outside, reading lots of books, visiting family, and enjoying time with each other. So, when you haven't heard from me in a while, please know that I'm not just being lazy... I'm making memories. After all, that IS where scrapbooking begins!

I'll be back soon.

Feel Better

2008-08-04T09:25:00.005-04:00

A couple weeks ago, a very dear friend of mine was feeling very "rained on." She was having a rough week and had tears on deck, ready to pour down at any moment. I felt horrible for her. I have dealt with depression personally for years. It's hard. Depression hurts... it hurts your emotional heart, your physical body, and the people who care for you. I didn't know what else I could do for my friend, other than to tell her I'm here for her whenever she may need me and that I'd keep her in my prayers; so I made her a card.

This card has a lot of details in it that you might not notice at first glance... The puddle and raindrops are covered with Crystal Effects and Belinda Bumberboots (from Stamping Bella) is completely stickled out. Her umbrella, wings, clothes & boots all have stickles all over them. A little much? I don't think so. Next, I want to draw your attention to the bottom of the card. I used my Martha Stewart border punch to go along the Real Red, then I backed it in YoYo Yellow. On the yellow, I mimicked the pierced dot pattern from the punch onto the Yellow layer using my paper piercing tool. I used my 1/2 inch circle punch to make the scallop border on the right of my imageFor the background on the red, if you look closely, you will see that I scored lines all the way down the red at 1/4" intervals. It just added a little more texture to the card. To finish it off, I added the sentiment from Blooming With Happiness (retired SU! hostess set) that says "Friendship is the shelter from life's little storms" using my White stazon ink pad and then tracing over it with my white gel pen (to make it darker).

Thanks for checking in on me... I'll be back soon with more of what I've been working on! God Bless!

Blog Award

2008-08-04T08:08:00.003-04:00

I've been awarded the Wylde Women Award by my Mom, Debbie.

Here are the Rules:-

1. You can give it to 1 0r 100 or any number in between - it's up to you.

Make sure you link their site on this post.

2. Link back to this blogsite.

3. Remember the purpose of this award:

To send love and acknowledgment to women who

brighten your day, teach you new things and

live their lives fully with generosity and joy.

I'm awarding all of my SBS sistahs...

I always learn something from each one every time I blog-hop their sites

and they are all so completely inspiring and beautiful!

You girls are so inspiring & completely deserving of the Wylde Woman Award! Have a blessed day!

Double Slider Card & Kailynn's Birthday Invitations

2008-07-31T22:39:00.004-04:00

This month has been CRAZY at the Frawley household... on top of all the birthday and anniversaries we have in our family (and all the cards I made for them), I also had two very dear friends come visit me! It's amazing... I love having company, and even moreso, I love having people to stamp with. During the week of my birthday, my friend, Kim, came all the way from Rincon, GA to visit us! She brought her two children, Evan & Morgan, and between the three of mine and the two of her children, chaos was bound to happen, right? For the most part, the kids all got along and played well together.

Kim stayed from Sunday through Friday and then two days later, on Sunday, my BESTEST GIRLIE, PennyO, came & visited through the following Sunday. Both of my friends are stampers and we had a great time giving each other challenges, playing with my toys (stamps & tools, etc) and of course, sharing our creative Mojo!

Penny and I picked tutorials off of Splitcoast to challenge each other and to get the creative juices flowing. One of the challenges Penny gave me was the Double Slider Card. You can find the full tutorial HERE. This card had TEN PAGES of instructions and pictures, and I was overwhelmed at first, but as I started reading the instructions, I realized it wasn't going to be as difficult as I had first thought. I used my Garden Silhouettes stamp set along with a See D's sentiment set that I picked up from Archiver's (on a day trip to Raleigh w/ Penny) for this card. I used my Totally Tabs stamp set to adorn the tab at the top and my scallop circle punch to make it easier to slide the card back down into itself. (It kept getting hung up on the Black cardstock). This is a very simple (stamping-ly speaking) card to do with lots of little technical engineering to make the card "slide" up and down.

The next challenge I got from Penny was the Blurred Watercolor Technique from Splitcoast... You can find the full tutorial HERE. I knew I had to make invitations for my daughter's 4th birthday party. She only has a couple of true "friends," so I only had to make 3... I figured I could go all out & add a shrinkydink charm to it & it wouldn't be too much of a hassle.

I JUST FOUND OUT YOU CAN DO SHRINKYDINKS WITH YOUR HEAT GUN!

Why have my friends been holding out on me? Everyone I have talked to apparently knew you could do this... so why in the world have they neglected to share this GOLDEN little bit of info with me??? Hmmmph.

The background of this card is actually done with the blurred watercolor technique. You can't really see much of it, but it's there. I also used my new stamp from Stamping Bella (it was a bday gift from my PennyO) called "Jumping for Joy." It was perfect for her invitations b/c she's only inviting two friend. I colored the images using my Stampin' Up markers - No, I'm not giving in to copics... they're so expensive & I'm pretty happy with my SU! markers. I used my new Swiss Dots embossing folder for the So Saffron Panel and everything else is pretty basic. To cut the shrinkydink, I used my Scallop punch & then stamped You're Invited (from my Hugs & Wishes stamp set) in the middle. To make it stand out a little more, I added a little doodling around the scallops with my Pixie Pink marker. When you're making charms, don't forget to punch a hole (I used the larger hole on my crop-o-dile) to attach the hardware to make it dangle.

All in all, I'm proud of these cards. So, I'm dying to know... who else didn't know about using your heat gun to shrink those darn shrinkydinks??? Sorry, I just can't get over how easy it is!

Until next time, I'll leave you with a pic of my "baby" on her birthday. She's getting so big!

More to share...

2008-07-28T10:13:00.007-04:00

So... like I said in my previous post, I have been busy... I just couldn't share because the recipients hadn't received their cards yet... so, I'm here to share a few more.

First up, I have a card that I cased for the layout. I don't know where I saw it, or what the fold-type is called... I'll call it another type of Gate-fold card. I used my Polkadots and Paisley stamp set along with my Garden Whimsey set (have I mentioned how much I love my Garden Whimsey set???) I used Pretty in Pink and Rose Red ink and cs... I also used Shimmery White CS for the focal point. I think the Corner adorner is from SU, but I might be wrong. I made three of these cards and sent one to one of my SBS10 sistah's, one to my neice, and the last one to a dear friend of mine. All three were used as birthday cards.

The next card is one I made for one of my best friends, Anette, for her birthday (which was Saturday)... Anette's favorite color is green, so I had to use it... The scalloped edges were made with a Martha Stewart border punch (I don't know the name of it). The stamp is Cuppacakeabella from http://www.stampingbella.com/, and the sentiment is from SU!'s Sincere Salutations stamp set. My colors were Certainly Celery, So Saffron, and Real Red... not one I would've originally put together, but I like the end result. Of course, I went Stickle-crazy... on the cupcake, the & the dress! I just LOVE LOVE LOVE stickles! After all, diamonds are a girl's best friend and stickles constitutes as papercrafting "diamonds" in my book!

This next one is nearly the exact same card with a ton of color changes... I made it for one of my SBS10 sistah's... I hope she loved it! It was so fun to make!

This last one is one I made for two different people... One for my friend's (Suzanne) birthday, and the other, I changed the sentiment to say "missing you" for my GodDaughter, Lindsay. I used my nesties on this one along with my Martha Stewart border punch (that I don't know the name of). This was a sketch challenge of some sort, but it's been so long, I don't know whose it was... if it was yours, let me know so I can give credit where credit is due! :) My colors were Perfect Plum, Elegant Eggplant, Certainly Celery, and Chocolate Chip for this card. The sentiment is from Sincere Salutations (love that set too!) and the grapes are from Gorgeous Grapevine (now retired) from SU!)

I suppose that's all for today...

SYKE!

I'll give you just one more...

and I saved the BEST (in my little 'ol opinion) for last... I used my Cricut Animal Kingdom cartridge for this one... I am sooooo beyond pleased with how this card turned out. I wanted to make a card to send to my parents while they're away on vacation just to "check in" on them & see how things were going.

I cut these chickens out 4 times just to get the result I ended up with. It's a lot of layering and pieceing together, but totally worth the work! The "egg" behind those chicks was a bit of "work" too... It started out as a piece of Very Vanilla CS... I color dusted it with Close to Cocoa and used my Itty Bitty Backgrounds to add a few spots. Then, I embossed it with Ultra Thick Clear Embossing Powder & stuck it in the freezer for a couple minutes. When I took it out of the freezer, I folded it back & forth a few times to create the "cracked egg" look. This technique is called Cracked Glass and you can find the real tutorial for it HERE. To make the background, I cut thin strips of Bravo Burgandy and Ruby Red cardstock and layered them onto a sticky piece of Chocolate Chip to get kind of a "barn door" effect. I color dusted it with Chocolate Chip and then layered it onto my card base. To finish it off, I used my word window punch to cut the space for my sentiment (which is hand-written in my chicken scratch) and added buttons to balance it out on the other side. I doodled around the edges to bring it all together & I must pat myself on the back for this one... I am BEYOND PLEASED with this card!

Okay, for real this time, I'm off to do some more creating! Have a blessed day!

Finally, I can post!

2008-07-21T00:54:00.003-04:00

Okay, so the recipients of some of my recent cards have finally received them... which means I can FINALLY share them with you. Of course, if I had taken them to the post office when I had planned on it, they'd have gotten them a little sooner. Shame on me.

First, I want to share the card I made for Penny. I made the background using Pearl Ex Powders and White School Glue... add a little heat from the trusty 'ol heat gun and voila... a beautiful background. I must say, it was very messy and I was "pearly" for days following, but I think it was worth it.

The next card I'm sharing is one I made for my parents for their anniversary... I used Grillafella and Winobella and meshed the two together, eliminating the grill, burgers & spatula, and using a bit of Cotton Candy Stickles on Winobella's dress. I also used the SU Weathered Background and my Cricut Opposites Attract cartridge to cut out the word "Love." I got the sketch (slightly altered) from the Mojo Monday Sketch #42.

The final card I'm sharing tonight (or should I say this morning) is a card I made for a very special little boy who turned one year old the same day I turned TWENTY-EIGHT. My friend, Sue, had Baby Nate a year ago, and since we share our special birthdate, it's only fair I send him a card, right? I used my SU Zoofari Stamp set for this card, along with my Cricut (to cut the number one) and the Special Day Background Stamp. I added a photo corner (using my SU punch) and the circles were cut with my Coluzzle (haven't used that in a LOOOOONG time!) To get the sparkle on the Zebra, I traced him with my Silver Star Gelly Roll pen. The sketch was from Friday Sketchers (sketch #6)... Here ya go!

Don't forget that you can click on any of the pictures to make them bigger. Thanks for checking in on me... stay close, I'll be posting more soon, as they receive them.

God Bless!

Dino-Mite Double-Pocket Fold Cards

2008-07-17T16:26:00.008-04:00

So, I know I haven't blogged in about a week or so, but for good reason... I have been creating things, but no one has received their cards yet, so I can't post them yet... I do have a few children's cards to share with you (as I am pretty sure these kids don't check my blog). I finally tried the double-pocket fold cards using the tutorial on Splitcoast. You can find the tutorial HERE.

My color palatte was Ruby Red, Not Quite Navy, More Mustard, Old Olive, and Pumpkin Pie. I used the Dino-Mite SU! stamp set. For the shapes behind the dinosaurs, I used my cricut (I forget which cartridge I used). To make the pockets more noticable, I added a layer of cardstock along the top of each one, folding it over into the pocket itself. I adhered the entire thing with Super-Sticky Redliner tape and would recommend you do the same if you try this one... it just holds better. All in all, I am pleased with the outcome of these cards. The two on the ends are going to my nephews, Noah & Daniel, and the one in the middle is a RAK for a little boy with cancer.

Hope you enjoyed my cards today... as soon as the recipients of the other cards I've been hard at work making receive their cards, I will post them! See you soon!

God Bless,

Sara
P.S. Here's another pic from our beach vacation...

(click on any of the pictures to make them larger)

Back from the Beach...

2008-07-09T14:26:00.007-04:00

Okay, so it's been a month since I blogged (before yesterday) and I'm sorry for keeping you in waiting... life took over, and the internet and computer went to the back burner. I know you're just itchin' to find out what I've been up to, so here goes... Last month, my nephew, Noah, came to visit for the month and we were busy doing things to keep my 3 kids plus Noah occupied. We went to the pool, the park, the library, shopping, boating, dirt-bike & 4-wheeler riding, dune-buggying, bike riding and who knows what else... and they STILL had energy... I don't know where they get it, but a map to find the source would be nice. :) Here's a picture of the four on one of the days we went to the park. (If you click on the pictures, you can see them bigger)

Following Noah's visit at our house, we went for a weeks vacation in the Outer Banks of NC. Yes, I live in NC, but we had to travel 4.5 hours to get to the Outer Banks. I live in the South Outer Banks... much less touristy, if you know what I mean. Anyway, we spent the last week of June with my extended family... some from Georgia, Pennsylvania, and even New York. I wish I could've seen more of my family, but they couldn't make it. We had a great time seeing the ones who were there... we had a housefull... 22 people total.

I miss them all already and can't wait for next year. I have already started scrapping the pictures from the beach. Check out what I've done!

So... what do you think? I'm pleased with what I've done so far. I think I'm going to redo the Ahoy Matey page and spread it into a 2-page spread... so I can add a few more pics & make it bigger. :) I've also been making cards like crazy, but I can't share them until the recipients get them. As many of them read my blog. Sorry. :) I'll be sure to post them soon, though. Leave me a comment... I'll be back soon! Have a great day!

Tagged...

2008-07-07T16:09:00.003-04:00

The rules of the game: Each player answers the questions themselves. At the end of the post the player then tags 4 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment letting them know that they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you've posted your answers.

10 Years Ago -
I was nearing my 18th birthday... the day that my life changed. My first official date with my (now) hubby of 9 blissful years happened on July 16 1998. He was such a gentleman... he even asked permission to kiss me. (Mind you, we'd been friends for a couple years). I was beginning the next chapter to my life.

5 Things on My To-Do List -
1- Catch up on laundry
2- Make the summer a memorable one for my children
3- Scrap, Scrap, Scrap, and Scrap some more
4- Catch up on my blog (and blog more often)
5- Make about 20 more cards for birthdays, anniversaries,
thinking of you, and thank yous - just to finish the month of July!

Favorite Snacks -
Chocolate, Banana Pudding,

If I was a millionaire -
I'd pay off all our debts, buy a home we can grow INto, not out of, buy my hubby a bigger boat, set up college funds for my children, pre-pay my own college education, give to a few charities (i.e. St. Jude's Children's Hospital, Breast Cancer Research), help a few people in my family who really could use some medical attention and help and if there were any left, I'd put it into savings.

Places I have lived - Angola, New York; Martinez, Georgia; Kittery, Maine; Rincon, Georgia; Newport, North Carolina.

I am tagging - Chris S, Latisha, Sarah B & Rochelle

Killed two birds with one stone!

2008-06-10T21:28:00.003-04:00

So, a few months ago, I signed up for several swaps all in one night. I think the total was 6 different swaps - Inkadinkadoo, Stampin' Up, Stamping Bella, 3 Recipe Swaps - I wasn't worried about getting behind on these swaps because some of them aren't even due until August and I signed up in April! Well, you saw the Stampin' Up Swaps I did HERE and the Stamping Bella Swaps are HERE and HERE; I just finished the Inkadinkadoo Swaps Sunday night and I must say, I am right proud of myself. Not only did I complete the requirements of my swap, but I used the Friday's sketch challenge #5 from the girls over at FRIDAY SKETCHERS!

I killed two birds with one stone...Here's my card...

My color palat was not one I would've originally put together. I got a randomly generated combo from THIS AMAZING SITE! I love how it turned out! The set I used is called "Birds Galore" and I have come to adore it. To ink up the main image, I used my Bravo Burgandy ink pad and then hilighted the leaves a little with my Green Galore Marker. After I stamped the image, I colored a couple white spaces using my Tempting Turquoise marker. My favorite part of the card... the upper right corner - a cardstock called Black Magic by Core'dinations courtesy of my lovely momma! (*Thanks Mom*)

The next card I want to share with you is another sketch from the Friday Sketchers girls... Sketch #4...

I changed it up a little bit, but for the most part, I kept in line with the sketch. Did you see the Crystal Effects I put on the wine glasses & wine bottle? I just love this card! Oh, and did you catch the use of my new NESTABILITIES??? This girl has got to find more time to play with all her new toys! I had so much fun making this card!

Finally, I want to share a recent project I tried with you. I made my girl a camisol tee with a bella image on it! I was so proud after I finished it... it was somewhere around 4PM and I let her - no, I encouraged her to change her clothes! (You must know that my girlie girl changes her outfits more in one day than I even think about blinking my eyes in a week! Okay, slight exaggeration, but still... it's a lot). If I were to do this again, I would color it differently with lighter colors, but she LOVED it!

That's all I've got for you tonight girls... Have a good one... I'll be back as soon as I can!

"My Space"

2008-06-02T10:46:00.005-04:00

Well, as promised (though a couple days late), here are some pics of the space I call MINE... it's where I create everything from jewelry to cards to scrapbook pages along with every other crafty thing I dive into...

This is where the magic happens. I sit in the chair on this side of the table and I have two other spaces for guests to create with me. Anette usually sits across from me and one of her daughters is usually at the end of the table. The comfy recliner chair that you see in the background (by the tv) is usually the host for my puppy, Bailey.

This is the space that holds all my cardstock (in the drawers), my ribbon, my Cricut, printer, extra tape, scissors, etc... It's kinda my catch all...

Here's how I store all my ribbons. I got the ribbon dispensers that you see on the bottom from Michaels and the top rack is actually a towel bar that I stole from my bathroom. :)I picked these spice racks up at the local thrift store... I literally paid $6 for the two of them and they work great for storing the little things I need within arms reach! I got the idea for using the shoe organizer for all my punches from my Mom... she did it first. :)

I even have a table for my kids to craft on, so they don't invade my crafty little bubble... LOL

Here, I store all my stamps in the baskets on the right and all my embellies, tools, scrap papers, etc are stored in the baskets on the left.

Now you've seen my space... show me yours... where does your magic happen?

Whew... it's been a LOOOOONG week!

2008-05-29T19:11:00.011-04:00

Okay, so the last time I posted, I was on a roll... keeping up with my blog, keeping you informed of the ongoings in my life... and suddenly, I lost it. I knew my "on top of it streak" would come to an end... and it did... but here I am... back in the saddle... exhausted, but I'm here.

I've been making jewelry, scrapbook pages,

cards,

and memories... My mom visited this weekend and for the first time in a VERY long time, we got to stamp together. She brought my nephew, Noah, with her and he'll be staying with us for a month until we meet back up in the Outer Banks of NC for our VACATION!!! So, since Friday afternoon, there hasn't been a single dull moment in my house! We all know that when Momma comes to town, gifts aren't far behind... and luckily, my Anniversary (9 precious years of marital bliss) is next week, followed by my birthday in July... so to celebrate, Momma blessed us with this...

oh yeah, baby... my very own all in one... fax, copier, printer, and the very best photo printer there is! She even loaded us up with photo paper & ink refills... So now, I don't have to wait for pictures to get developed... no lines, no wasting time or money... I can print each picture the size and shape that I want it and no one can stop me! So as you can see above (my strawberry picking pages)... I've already put my new toy to use. I printed all the small prints on the right side as 2X2 prints so I could get more pics on the page. Great, huh? Oh, and the fun didn't stop there... Momma just ordered the whole set of Nestablilities, so do you know what that means? You guessed it... her clone inherits the ones that she'll have double of once she receives her shipment of Nesties... LOOK WHAT I GOT...

and if you look a little closer at the Lattebella card pictured above, you'll see that I've already put my Nesties to use too! I can not complain... I AM a blessed girl.

I've seen many people posting pics of their "stamp/scrap haven" and I have finally taken pictures of my space... I'll post those tomorrow... for now, I've got to get FOUR kiddos into bed! Ta~

Thank you from Chris

2008-05-21T23:15:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago, one of my SBS10 sistahs, Chris Severs, had a major surgery and I sent her a get well card... in return, she sent me a thank you card and even included a few Bella images that I've been coveting... Thank you Chris! You can see more of her work HERE. Check out the beautiful card she sent!

Check out the detail!!!

I do love me some bellas!!!

Thanks again, Chris!!! Have a great night!

Don't forget to scroll down...

I posted TWO TIMES IN ONE DAY...

I'd say I'm on a roll, but I know it's just a fluke! HaHa

See you tomorrow!

~Sara

Featured Stamper: Penny O'Brien

2008-05-21T20:59:00.003-04:00

My best friend, PennyO made the following two cards for some of her classmates in school. She's due to graduate by the end of the year... YAY PENNYO! Penny doesn't have a blog anymore... but you can see more of her great creations in her SCS gallery: MyHobbyIsStamping

Aren't they just darling? Stay tuned... I'll be back!

Look What I've been dabbling in...

2008-05-20T21:36:00.003-04:00

Much like my Momma, I have a tendancy to "dabble" in everything I can get my hands on (craft-wise)... I've recently taken to making beaded jewelry... It's so fun... and it feeds my need for instant gratification...

Kailynn and I are regular attendees of a weekly playgroup organized by the local Partnership for Chidren and the two ladies who host (and plan) the whole shindig are amazing. The year is coming to a close, as the public school year comes to a close, and I thought they deserved a small token of our appreciation for the big impact they've had on our lives.

These ladies oogled over the packaging just as much as they oogled over the jewelry!

This one is for Miss Lisa... her favorite color (today) is blue, so I went with this...

This one is for Miss Sue... she loves the color red, so I came up with this...

Not bad, eh? I'm so proud of myself... this just goes to show that you can do anything you put your mind to. I'll be back soon with some scrappy goodness (hopefully)!

G'nite!

Insanity runs in the family...

2008-05-19T09:08:00.002-04:00

We inherit it from our children!

I got this quote from a dear friend of mine after thinking long and hard about what the perfect title for these pictures should be. I'm not sure where I got the sketch for this page from, but as soon as I figure that out, I'll be sure to share that info with you. The base is ballet blue, then layered with a white piece that I stamped using Fabulous Flowers. I pulled my colors from the DP used under the picture panel from a pack called Cutie Pie. I LOVE dp, and many of you don't know that I used to be DEAD SET AGAINST using DP. I am a stamper first, so making my own DP has always been the way I've gone. I have learned, though, that sometimes you have to open up your options a bit by adding elements that you wouldn't "normally" add to get the look on your page that you are going for.

These pictures were taken at Christmas this year. The kids were soooo willing to sit and make goofy faces and funny gestures as long as we were snapping shots of them. They're all such hams! I stamped out the word "insanity" using the Doodle Alphabet and then layered various punches to spell out the word on the page. I hand-wrote the rest of the title/quote. My color palette was: Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Rose Red, So Saffron, Night of Navy, and Ballet Blue. I framed the top center image using So Saffron to draw attention to the goofy picture cause it's so darn cute! This page is a little busy for me, but I had to include all the pictures... it wouldn't be complete if I hadn't!

I didn't get to do any of the sketch challenges this weekend, but hopefully, I'll get to play tonight. Have a great day!

Only the BEST Mothers' Day EVER!

2008-05-13T16:53:00.004-04:00

I had the best Mothers' Day this year... I woke up to the sound of my children whispering "Happy Mothers' Day, Momma" while standing almost literally TWO inches away from my face, still sporting their morning breath... from my wonderful wakeup, we moved onto an Ethan Frawley original play... he wrote it and performed it with his brother and Daddy. It was a beautiful story about a horse who was lost in the woods and nearly attacked by a dinosaur and a bear. Very heartwarming. They acted it out with stuffed animals and Clayton even drew the "forest" on an 8.5 X 11 piece of paper for the backdrop. I've never been so proud. After the show, I was showered with gifts... several hand-drawn cards with sweet sentiments like:

Happy Mothers' Day Momma. I will try to be better in school. Clayton.

and

Dear Mom, Thank you for cooking dinner and taking me to school every day.
Love, Clayton Frawley

and beautiful poems like:

Roses are Red

Violets are Blue

Candy is Sweet

and so are You.

P.S. I love you

Love, Ethan

and

I also received a COVETED gift card for Michaels. I would have loved to have a gift card for an online stamp designer instead (like Magnolia Stamps or Stamping Bella or Treehouse Stamps or My Favorite Things or even Hannah Stamps... but hubby wasn't into the whole "spend money online instead of going into a store"... oh well... My birthday is in July, so maybe then... until then, I guess I'll have to drag myself into Michael's... LOL - j/k.

After we were done with gifts, we all got dressed and went to breakfast (more like brunch b/c it was so late in the morning) at the Moose Lodge. It was nice. After that, we went back home and I took Anette a spice rack that I had sanded down, painted & decorated for her to hold 14 jars worth of embellishments. I found it at a thrift store and couldn't resist a SUPER bargain!

So after I got home from dropping her little gift off, I decided to take a nap... with no guilt. It was great! When I woke up, we went to dinner at the Outback and again, it was superb! I had such a great Mothers' day.

PennyO sent me the beautiful card you see below. It came on Monday, so my Mothers' Day was extended. Thanks Penny... I love you girl!

Anette gave me two new bellas... and I've already inked em up. She also made me a card using a Cuttlebug embossing folder... It's a pic of a crown and under it says "...for a day" the inside says "stamp away." You can't really tell in the pic below, but the crown is outlined in glitter.

So, what did you do/get for Mothers' Day?

I hope all the mothers out there know how truly special they are... you are the only one that can do your job as well as you do.

Come back soon... I'll be posting again later.

God Bless!

Challenge, Cupcake!

2008-05-09T22:54:00.005-04:00

For my first Friday Sketchers Challenge, I just HAD to ink up my new Cuppacakeabella.
I also wanted to participate in Gina's Card Kabin Blog Candy Challenge... and my entry applies to both challenges... I used the Sketch from Friday Sketchers and the requirements from Gina's challenge (pretty paper, flowers, ribbon & a stamp) and this is what I came up with. I wrote the sentiment b/c I didn't really have anything to go with my image (yet). And the scan didn't pick it up very well, but I watercolored the Cupcake and the polkadots on Bella's dress using my Watercolor Wonder Crayons (LOVE THOSE!). The icing is Lovely Lilac and the wrapper & polkadots are both Pixie Pink. I used an image from the Fabulous Flowers (SU) set for the BG on the WW cardstock. I ticket punched the lovely lilac layer and dabbed a little Pixie Pink ink onto an already pink flower for a little punch. As an afterthought, I masked and stamped the Polkadot stamp from the Polkadots and Paisley (SU) stamp set onto the Lovely Lilac cardstock. All in All, I love how this turned out (except my little boo boo on the Lovely Lilac paper - did you see that? - and it's WAAAAAY prettier in real life! Oh, and the bella image layer is pop-dotted... is that a word?

On to greater things... I got a RAK a couple weeks ago and have neglected to post it... my Best Friend, PennyO (myhobbyisstamping on SCS) sent me a card just because and I just think it's GOJUS (shout out to Jan Tink!)

I miss you too Penny... watch the mail... your Mother's Day card is en route!

Well y'all, I'm off to keep playin... I'm inspired... perhaps because I have two more uninked bellas sitting on my table SCREAMIN "Ink Me, Ink Me!" TATA for now!

Scrappin Again

2008-05-06T18:39:00.003-04:00

I finally scrapped the photos I took of the boys with their mohawks... I wanted to scrap them seperately so that eventually, these pages can go into their own scrapbooks designated for each boy.
Here's Ethan's page... I stamped "rock" onto acetate and overlayed the picture with it, attaching with the star brad in the right corner of the pic. (just in case you were wondering if I had actually stamped on the picture - what a sin!). I had all the letters in the word "Mohawks" in glittery chipboard, except for the letter "O" so I had to improvize... I covered a piece of chipboard with Green Galore cs and then dipped it in black craft ink and covered it with Dazzling Diamonds. It doesn't match the others, but I think it fits with the rest of the page just like it was meant to be.

Here's Clayton's page... He's infamous for "winkin" at me when I'm trying to take a picture, so I had to put that one on his page... Clayton's page is a little less complicated... The words were cut using my Cricut - yes, I love it, and I cut around him on the 5X7 pic so it'd stand out a little more. I like how it came out... and it describes him to a TEE... he's definately my Wild Child!

Thanks for poppin' in on me... I'll try to post again tomorrow. :)

God Bless!

I am Just Me - SBS10 Challenge #4

2008-05-01T22:15:00.008-04:00

So this week was my turn to post a challenge for my sistahs in my SBS10 group and it was

"We're all getting to know each other a little more each day and now it's time to dig a little deeper. Make a scrapbook page hilighting all things YOU. This page should include things like your favorite color, movie, time of day, things that make you relax, things that make you happy, and most importantly, things that make you who YOU are... there are no color, size, or paper stipulations... just make a page about you."

I've finished mine... this challenge has been swirling around in my head for about a week before I actually posted it for my sistahs, so I had somewhat of an advantage over them. I will admit, this was a tough challenge... perhaps the toughest yet; here's why... We find it so easy to scrapbook about the people we love... those who light up our lives with the smiles they beam at us... it's rare that we use ourselves as our main focus... I mean, think about it... we make these pages for others to look at and often we are the ones who actually took the pictures, so it's natural that our faces don't show up very often in our own scrapbooks... anyway, I overcame my lack of scrapping myself and dove in... here's what I came up with...

I wrote sort of an essay as my journaling block... to include all things that make me who I am... well... most things. I had to limit my words, because my space was limited. I am by nature a writer, and when given a challenge to write, I can get kinda wordy... funny thing is... I'm not a regular journaler. I don't keep a diary, or a journal, or anything like that... I just blog. :) If you are interested in what my journaling says, you can read it below... don't kill your eyes trying to squint to read it on my SB page. :)

DEETS: Paper: Certainly Celery, Butterfly Montage DP by PSX Paper Designs, Orange Sherbet DP (don't know who makes it, sorry), Ink: none, except the ink from my printer; Accessories: Black Sharpie Marker, Cricut Cartridge Opposites Attract

My journaling reads:

"I am a girl who loves to be loved; someone who needs to be needed. I am one of the most stubborn people in the world and I am bold. Many times, I appear to know exactly what I want, but too many of those times, I am questioning myself every step of the way. I try to be self-confident but low self-esteem sometimes gets in the way of that. I am just like my Mother in more ways than one; I love to make things with my hands – Being creative is what gives me serenity. I always strive to be the best at everything and I often come down too hard on myself when I feel I have fallen short. I am a dreamer… Some might say that I have far too many ambitions for one person to accomplish in a lifetime. When I was a little girl, I dreamt of becoming a famous singer, but for now, I think I’ll just stick to singing my children to sleep. I love to dance, as long as no one is watching. In high school, I wanted to become a famous actress… and now, I play the leading role in my life as a Wife and Mother. Family and friends mean the world to me. I love my husband more than words can express. He makes my heart beat steadily. My children are the axel on which my world spins… they keep me on my toes and they never cease to remind me of the important things in life – like unconditional love. I am a Child of God and He cracks my knuckles every time I make a poor decision. It’s ironic how right he is sometimes… Okay, all the time. I like to be the shoulder that my friends lean on when they need a good cry; after all, a good cry is good for the soul. Giving advice comes naturally to me, but I will be the first to admit that I don’t know everything… Okay, maybe the second. I enjoy taking care of others and though I may grow tired or weary, I press on, because I am needed. I love to laugh and I enjoy making others laugh too. I am optimistic – the glass may only have one or two more sips left in it, but that’s one or two more sips that I still have to enjoy. Though I am notorious for being late, I don’t like to miss a thing! I like to think of myself as a great friend – someone you can count on no matter what the situation or need may be. I’ve learned, over the years, that it doesn’t matter what others think of you – it’s how you feel about yourself that really matters. There are so many words I could use to describe who I am, but I’d rather sum it up in just one short sentence…
I am Just Me."

Thanks for popping in on me... don't forget to link me up to see your challenge cards for my
Send a card to a Burn Victim challenge...
Who will be the lucky winner of the blog candy in store? Get your cards done & link me up!

Curly Surpisabella

2008-04-29T11:38:00.004-04:00

I just got the Cuttlebug Embossing folder that you see used on this card and I've been totally inspired by my bellas lately, so I decided to combine the two. I just LOVE the Summer Picnic DP on page 16 in the Occassions Mini Catalog and I've got some great news for you... The Occassions Mini Catalog's dates are extended through August 10! That's an extra month and a half we have to purchase the items in that mini catty! I'm so excited!
So anyway, about this card... I paper pieced Bella's entire outfit & the gifts she's holding. The only coloring I did was on her hair and I used the Summer Sun Marker to do that. My card base is Pumpkin Pie, layered with the Cuttlebugged (Spots and Dots) Bashful Blue. I got my ribbon from good ol' Michael's & Walmart and on top of that, I added faux Bows, then layered Old Olive Cardstock under my Bella image stamped onto Glossy White CS. I used my Slit Punch on the left side and added a large orange brad that I got from Oriental Trading (a gift from my momma). It still needed something, so I punched out a Real Red layer of my Scallop Punch and layered on top using the So Many Scallops Sale-a-bration set for the Happy Birthday candle image on top.

Don't forget about my

Send A Card To A Burn Victim Challenge!

There's blog candy to come for those who take me up on the challenge... Kailynn Grace will pick her favorite and that lucky person will get a special package from ME!

Have a wonderful day & don't forget to link me up to show off your challenge creation!

God Bless!

SBS10 Challenge #3, My Challenge, and Blog Candy

2008-04-26T19:16:00.004-04:00

I've been sitting on a challenge that was given nearly two weeks ago to me by my Sisterhood group and I've finally finished it. The challenge was to use Hot Pink and Black together and also throw in a little heat embossing. The lovely Lastel gave us this challenge, and I'm so glad she did because she inspired me to ink up a naked stamp and try a technique I haven't used in ages! Thanks Lastel!

I used the Always stamp set from Stampin' Up and the French Flair BG stamp. I embossed the Background in White using the Versamarker to ink up the stamp b/c I didn't want the birds on it. Then on Pink Passion Paper, I inked up my naked bird with Basic Black craft pad and embossed with detail black EP. To make the brackets around the word "everything," I punched out my round tab punch on black cardstock and then moved it slightly to the right and punched it again (side by side) and it created the fun bracket you see here on my card! Cool huh?

I hope I've inspired you today to try an old technique...

Don't forget to Send a Card to A Burn Victim...

let me know you did...

I think some blog candy may be rearing it's pretty little head soon for those of you who take a pic of the card you send & link me up to spread the word!

Happy Anniversary Challenge

2008-04-25T18:00:00.001-04:00

Two years ago today, my life changed. My husband was on a deployment for a one year tour overseas and my sister had come to visit for the week with her two children, Noah and Autumn. We had gone strawberry picking with my MOPS group and our children and ended up with a TON of strawberries. In all the excitement of what we could make using strawberries, I got caught up in the idea of chocolate dipped strawberries. So off I went to the kitchen to make a chocolate fondue to dip them in.

I made the "fondue" like I always did... one pan stacked on top of the other with boiling water in the bottom pan and the fondue ingredients in the top pan. We had added a little too much cream and needed to add a little more chocolate, and so I had to go searching through my kids' Easter candy to make up the difference. When all the chocolate finally melted and the fondue was ready for the strawberries to be dipped, I reached over the pan to turn the burner off and the pan blew up in my face, causing severe 2nd degree burns all over the left side of my face, neck, arm, and abdomen. My sister was leaning over me taking in the aroma of the melted chocolate when the explosion happened and ended up with burns to her forehead and right eye. The explosion threw us both to the other side of the kitchen and we both struggled to find our footing. I don't remember much from that point on until we got to the hospital and I was able to calm down after several doses of morphine. My husband was called by the American Red Cross, my family was informed and my children were taken care of by some of the best friends a girl could ever ask for. I was taken via ambulance to the burn unit in Augusta, GA from Savannah, GA (two hours south). The had originally called in the medivac (helicoptor) to transport me because they had a hard time stablizing me, but in the end, I stablized enough to go via ambulance. It was the longest trip I had ever taken in my life, or so it felt. I felt so alone... the ride was quiet and I was exhausted... and still in excruciating pain. I was admitted into one of the best burn units in the United States taken in for surgery the next morning to scrub away the burnt skin. Doctor's Hospital in Augusta, GA did an amazing job in repairing my burns as well as my sisters burns. We were well taken care of and my family really swept in and did everything they could to keep me & my sister comfortable and upbeat. I was in the hospital for nearly 5 days and I got to go home (to my Mom's house in Augusta) when my husband flew in on Saturday. The two weeks following that was an even bigger blur, as they had given me some really good pain meds.

In the surgery, after they had scrubbed all the burnt skin away, they covered it with various healing agents: pig skin, cadaver skin, and a manufactured skin called "biobrain." Two weeks post surgery, all of the healing agents had peeled away and my skin had completely repaired itself. I serve a Great God... and He gets all the credit for my quick recovery. All I was left with was very pink/red skin and a slightly shaven hairline where the burns had burnt my scalp near and above my ear. My scars are minimal now and the only time they are really evident is if I get overheated and/or my bloodpressure goes up (like when I'm upset). We joke now about knowing when Sara's mad because her burns glow, but I can assure you, at the time, it was no joking matter. I thought I was going to die... and for a little while, so did the docs at the hospital in Savannah. It was by far the scarriest thing I've ever endured, and I'm thankful for the family, friends, and strength that God gave me to get through it.

In honor of my Anniversary, I'd like to propose a challenge. There are millions of burn victims all over the world... my challenge to you is to

make a card and send it to a burn victim.

You can check out this site to find a burn center to send cards to in the United States. A little bit of caring goes a long way.

To send a card to someone in the burn unit that I was cared for in, the address is:

Joseph M. Still Burn Center

3651 Wheeler Rd

Augusta, GA 30909

United States

Address your card to "Burn Victim."

One of the biggest steps in recovery of any kind of trauma, burn or not, is talking about what happened and realizing the great blessing of having victory over an uncontrolled situation. Thanks for listening and helping me spread awareness. If you'd like to see pictures of my burns, Ihave added a second post titled "My Burn Pictures". Discression is advised in looking at these pictures (I wouldn't view them while my 3 year old is nearby). They are not edited, enhanced, or censored at all. I highly recommend you view the pictures, though... it brings a sense of "realness" to my story... somewhat of a toss into reality of the severity.

Thanks for listening... take the challenge. Send a smile to a burn victim!

My Burn Pictures

2008-04-25T16:30:00.005-04:00

To view the photos in this album, enter "burnpics" as the password. I set this album to private so that those of you who do not want to see the pictures don't have to. Don't forget to participate in my

Happy Anniversary Challenge

Send a smile to a burn victim!

God Bless you All!

~Sara

Photobucket Album

2008-04-24T11:31:00.002-04:00

I signed up for a few swaps this week on Splitcoast and here's a card I made for the Favorite Stamp Company - Stamping Bella swap.

I signed up for two spots using Stamping Bellas and two spots using Stampin' Up! stamps.

Deets: Paper- Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Summer Picnic DP; Ink- Black Stazon, Old Olive; Accessories- Ribbon (assorted from Michaels), Paper Piercer, Ticket Punch, Spiral Punch, Oval Coluzzle

I paper pieced the chair and her pants... my first time ever trying this technique... I must admit, it was a little more work (I hate cutting things out), but I think it turned out WAY cute! Ta-Ta for now... I'll be back later with a couple scrap pages I've been working on... and a project that Kailynn and I worked on together!

~Sara

Blog Candy!

2008-04-21T10:11:00.004-04:00

If you're looking for some YUMMY (and I mean really YUMMY) Blog Candy, go and check out Misty's Blog Booty over at http://mistylynnwhat.blogspot.com/2008/04/sweet-pea-and-finally-blog-booty.html
and for crying out loud, hurry up, you only have until midnight tonight (April 21)!!!

You've got to get your comment in by NOON today to win his candy! http://wooddeboraha.blogspot.com/
Go... what are you waiting for? Come back... I'll wait!

Ta!

Special Someone card revealed:

2008-04-19T11:04:00.006-04:00

So the other day, I told you about a card I made for a Special Someone while Anette's daughter Catherine, made a card for her professor. Mom sent me a picture the other day of the card I sent her. I miss my Mom, and can't wait to see her. Every now and again, I get homesick and just need a Momma Hug. This was my way of sending her one.

I Love how this card turned out... It's so elegant. I used the Faux Shaving Cream Technique for the butterfly and Two-Step Stamping for the flowers & leaves. I overlayed the whole thing with a piece of Vellum and added a little organdy ribbon with a Bling-Bling Charm for a little something extra.

Enjoy! Be back soon with more posts!

Oh yeah, and by the way... I updated my swap post... be sure to scroll down to see all the 6X6 recipe cards that Anette & I worked so hard on...

~Sara

More Recipes: UPDATED 4-19-08

2008-04-16T12:10:00.008-04:00

Anette and I are signed up for another 6X6 recipe swap, and I'll post our pages after we've finished each page. We each are signed up to make 7 cards in 5 different categories...

For my bread, I made a page for Monkey Bread...

So far, it's my favorite... I just LOVE that little Monkey from Zoofari! Iused the leaves & branches from Gorgeous Grapevine (retired).

For my side dish, I made a page for the Lady's Mac N Cheese (from Paula Deen's kitchen)...

I went with the "Old Americana" theme for this page because Mac N Cheese is an "old favorite" among us Americans... I am very happy with how it turned out!

For my appetizer, I did Stuffed Mushrooms:

For my dessert, I did Strawberry Trifle:

For my Main Dish, I did Creme Brule French Toast :

Be sure to check back to see my "updated" post to include pictures and I'll also be adding Anette's 5 pages too... she did Scalloped Pineapples, Strawberry Pizza

Barbeque BeefShrimp Tarts, and Zuccini & Walnut Bread.

Have a great day and here's to hopin' your MoJo is Flowin! Get Creating Girls!

~Sara

Sleeping Beauty & a few interesting links...

2008-04-11T09:49:00.004-04:00

The other day, Anette's daughter, Catherine called me and asked me to help her make a card for her college professor who taught her CNA class that she graduated from Thursday. (Way to Go Catherine!) So we sat down in my stamp room and started creating... I'll have to post a picture later, because the ding-bat that I am, I forgot to take one... but I made the same card for a special someone in my life, and as soon as they get it, I'll ask for a picture to post here.

While Catherine and I were busy being creative in my stamp room, just outside the door, in the hallway, my sleeping beauty made herself comfortable in the hallway after pitching a fit because it was bed time. I had to capture the cutie on film (after she was asleep) to be a part of my "Classic Kailynn" page that I've been working on. She does this a few times per week. I know, I'm creating a monster by letting her do it, but I'd rather fight over more important things, like peeing in the potty rather than her panties or the importance of taking a bath and brushing her teeth... the way I look at it, at least she's sleeping, right?

I also wanted to share a few links with you... some cool things I've recently discovered.

Chris has added a few new scrapbooking & card sketches to her gallery...

Kristen & Ashley have some new stamps coming out over at Treehouse Stamps (along with the opportunity for FREE shipping and a FREE stamp set! Check them out!

Pat Huntoon over at The Technique Trail is offering up a free stamp set if you enter by 11:59am TODAY!

If you're up for a challenge, checkout Tag You're It! for a weekend Tag Challenge.

Allison's looking for some partners to help pick up the slack when she's too busy to update us... check her out... www.stampinwhenican.blogspot.com

Biblical Expressions is offering FREE SHIPPING to all US & Canadian orders through the month of April!

badeee badeee badeee th...th...that's all folks!

Have a wonderful day!

God Bless,

~Sara

Swap Crazy!

2008-04-06T18:15:00.008-04:00

Anette and I have been hard at work over the last week, creating layouts and putting together 6X6 recipe cards for a Recipe Swap we signed up for on Splitcoast... (Hi girls!) We had such a great time doing these, and we're so proud of our creations (as it's our first recipe swap, and our first 6X6 swap), so I decided to ruin the surprise for the other participants so I could share it with you (my loyal readers)...

I signed up for the letter X and my recipe was "eXtra Easy Cherry Cheesy Pie."

You can't really see on the scan, but on the red background, I stamped the cherries from the Tart and Tangy Stamp set from the Occassions Mini Catalog.

Anette had the letters L and N... she made cards for "Luscious Lemon Squares" and "Never Enough Manicotti...

We were so pleased with the results... I hope we've inspired you today... I'm really getting the hang of this whole "scrapbooking thing"! Thanks for checking in on me... I'll be back tomorrow to show you the other progress I've made this weekend on my personal scrapbook!

God Bless,

Sara

Scrap Happy!

2008-04-03T10:54:00.005-04:00

Okay, so I am typing this for the SECOND TIME now and if that isn't enough to make someone really mad, I don't know what is! Just kidding... it's frustrating, but nothing to waste energy on getting angry over.

So here's the short & sweet version of what I had before. I love scrapbooking... but once, I was the girl who was convinced that scrapping was not for me. The instant gratification of making cards was so much more enticing to me... but I have jumped that hurdle and I'm diving full force into scrapbooking!

I made this page the other day... and I have really come to love it! My boys really enjoy fishing with their Daddy and Brandon finally took pics for me while they were out on the boat.

And my wonderful husband - the great fisherman that he is, has taught my boys how to properly tell "fish tales"...

The next spread I did was to fulfill a challenge that was given to me by Joan in my Sisterhood 10 group... the challenge was to make a scrapbook page using NO Designer SB Paper. We often tend to take the easy way out and use dp in nearly everything we do... so I was all over this challenge when it was presented... and I must admit, I am right proud of myself... not to TOOT my own horn or anything, but I think it came out beautifully!

So, what do you think? I'm getting used to this scrapbooking thing... and I must admit...

I REALLY LIKE IT!

So I'm off... to feed my girl some lunch... thanks for stopping by - and leave a message, let me know who's visiting me! Have a blessed day!

~Sara

Cards, Challenges, and Crazy Hairdos!

2008-04-01T12:41:00.007-04:00

Well, as promised, here are the other cards I made over Easter weekend while I was at Penny's house.

The first one was one I made for my friend, Anette... She has seen this stamp over and over again in the SU hostess set portion of the catalog and has always said "I don't like that", so I made something I knew she would love... and of course, she loved it. It's too easy to say you don't like a stamp set before you actually see it used. Lord knows, I've done that a million times and some of those sets grew to be my favorites!

This is what the inside says:

This next challenge was a color and stamp set challenge. Penny handed me her new and uninked Embrace Life stamp set and said "use Real Red, Blush Blossom, and Certainly Celery". I had such a hard time with this one, but in the end, I love it... now this set is on my "need it" list!

The next one was a set challenge. I used the She's All That stamp set from the Occassions Mini Catalog... this was really tough for me... I loved this stamp set in the catty, but once I held it in my hand, I was kinda stumped as to what to do with it. I came up with this, and I guess I like it... it's alright.

This next one was a color challenge... Ballet Blue, Summer Sun, and Real Red. This is a pretty simple card, but with an image as big as the one I used, it was easy to fill the space. I really like how this one came out.

And last, but not least, my SBS10 Challenge #1 card:

On this challenge, I had to use an embellishment that has been stashed away for at least 6 months... And if you're anything like me, you have tons of embellies that are just lying in wait, just ITCHIN' to be used... every good stamper has those... So, I asked Penny to pull out an embellie that fit the challenge, and she whipped out some Silver Cross Charms. To challenge myself a bit more, I also asked for a stamp or set that hasn't been used in over 6 months... she pulled out a collective set of Cross stamps... I pulled out the Garden Sillhouettes set to add a little color and interest, and here's what I came up with:

And, after a long Spring Break week with the kids at home, we had to prepare to go back to school on Monday, so, on Sunday night, my boys got a hair cut... I shaved their heads with the electric trimmer and jokingly, I left a "mohawk" on the tops of their heads - just to get a chuckle out of them & my hubby. I got more than a chuckle... they wanted to keep them! So, we gelled and spiked them up on Monday morning and that's how they wore their hair to school. I shaved it off before school this morning, because we told them they could only wear it to school for one day. My girl, Kailynn, didn't want to feel left out, so Kelsey and Taylor (Anette's daughters) made her hair stand straight up like one of the "Whoo's from Whooville". And we took pics for scrapping, of course! Here are my cuties:
Clayton, Ethan, and Kailynn:

Thanks for checking in on me... I'm feeling a lot better, still not 100%, but at least I don't have to go to work anymore! HOOOOOORAY!
I'll be back soon! :)
God Bless
~Sara

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T11:21:00.004-04:00

Happy Easter to you all!

My family is spending the weekend in Maryland with one of my closest friends, Penny O, along with her hubby, Patrick, and her daughter (my God-daughter), Lindsay. Penny and I have been friends for about 5 years and it has become our tradition (since she moved to MD and I moved to NC) to get together nearly monthly (sometimes bi-monthly) at either her house or mine. This time, it was our turn to drive... so Friday, we trecked 6 1/2 hours up the road to Penny's house. There really was no agenda for the weekend... just to relax, have fun, and enjoy our time together. I finally got to give Lindsay her Christmas gifts (I know - 3 months late), and I also got to give Penny the "secret sister" package that I owed her from January. I have a stamp that says "I like sending birthday cards late; thus, retaining the element of surprise." That explains me to a TEE! I am always really great about making whatever I'm going to make on time... it's the sending part that I have a hard time with... I am horrible about that!

Anyway, Penny and I got up Saturday morning and made our way to her stamp room. Normally, when I come to her house or she comes to mine, one of us ends up with "stampers-block" and we can't seem to whip anything of quality out... well, ladies, not this time... we were on a roll! We asked each other for a challenge... every time we finished one challenge, we asked for another... some were color challenges, while others were stamp challenges... some were a combo of both! We had such a great time.

One of my color challenges was to use Certainly Celery, Tempting Turquoise, and Whisper White together... I added the Real Red for a little "punch" and came up with this:the inside reads this:
The stamp set is called Sassy Suzie from Stampin' Up... I just love it! It's in the Ocassions mini catalog. She totally reminds me of myself... so sarcastic! :) I'm going to send it to my long-time friend from High School, Angela (ADM)... I got to see her last weekend when I was in Georgia visiting my Mom.

I'll be back tomorrow with some more of the cards I made this weekend... I only accomplished 6, but they were all unique and thought out... I poured my SOUL into these cards! :) Have a Stamptastic Easter and say hello to your "peeps" for me!

God Bless,

Sara

Top O The Evenin' To Ye, Lassies!

2008-03-17T21:00:00.004-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I'm not feeling well tonight (recovering from the altitude/weather change from GA to NC again... my body just doesn't like change), so I have to make this a quick post. I wanted to share our festive dinner... take note - the pics aren't very good, but they were quick and the kids were hungry!

My family isn't big on the whole "corned beef & cabbage tradition" to celebrate St. Patty's Day, so we improvised and had steak, smashed potatoes, broccolli & cheese, cottage cheese, applesauce and milk...with a little green food coloring to boot!

If they hadn't seen me add the green food coloring, my children wouldn't have had anything to do with eating all the Green Goodies I had made for them.

Turns out they are good sports and they had just as much fun eating the green stuff as I had had making it green!

My hubby is on the Atkins diet again, so he didn't have all the green goodies that the rest of us enjoyed, but he entertained the idea and encouraged the rest of us to enjoy! I hope you had a wonderful St. Patty's Day & wish you the best of luck with your year to come!

Another Random Fact About Me:

I got married the DAY AFTER I graduated from High School... we'll be celebrating 9 married years in June.

Thanks for peeking in... I'll be clickin' my heals all the way to the bed tonight (leprechaun style)! I'm off to dreamland!

G'nite!

My name...

2008-03-11T21:05:00.003-04:00

Here's a fun little bit of info for you... this analyzer is almost right on the money... except for the whole "You don't get worked up easily." part. :)

What Sara Leigh Means

You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong.
You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know.
You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do.

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection.
You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive.
You have the classic "Type A" personality.

You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something.
You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense.
You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun.

You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow.
You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily.
Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is.

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone.
You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together.
At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing.
You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long.
You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

You are deeply philosophical and thoughtful. You tend to analyze every aspect of your life.
You are intuitive, brilliant, and quite introverted. You value your time alone.
Often times, you are grumpy with other people. You don't appreciate them trying to interfere in your affairs.

You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out.
Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia.
Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person.

What's" Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Ewe doing okay?

2008-03-10T20:06:00.003-04:00

I used my completely UNDERUSED Farm Fever stamp set from SU for this card. I got the flowers from the dollar bin at Michael's... some of the G-Studio stamps... gotta love em! Anyway, you can't really see the "emerging color," but I used Pretty In Pink for smaller flowers first, then embossed the larger flowers with clear EP and brayered over with Rose Red. Using the ticket punch, I "ticketed" all the corners, mounted it on Black, and then onto Mellow Moss cs.

As you can see, I used cotton balls and pulled them apart to make the wool more life-like on the sheep.I recently sent one of this card to my Gramma... but I still have one (I usually make an extra of each card I design so I have one for my stash.

Another Fact about me...

I got my first tattoo on October 16, 1998 - I was a Senior in High School and my boyfriend was away at Boot Camp... once he graduated, he celebrated with his friends by going & getting a tattoo... I wanted to feel closer to him, so I got a tattoo at the same time. It's a little butterfly in the small of my back. After I got my tattoo, I went to our High School football game to show it off to a few of my friends... and then, being the "honest jane" that I am, I went home and showed my Mom. I couldn't keep it from her. By the way, about 8 months later, my boyfriend became my husband.

Tune in again soon... I'm dying to share some more stuff with you! And thank you all for the well wishes in our recent "life happenings." SBS10 Sistahs - I haven't forgotten about you... I'll be visiting your blogs soon... I'm sorry I've been slacking.

Melanie J (batgirl) -your FEBRUARY package is on it's way Friday... and I've added a month's worth of extra goodies to make up for lost time. I have really enjoyed being your secret sister & hope you will keep in touch.

Penny, I hope your wrist is feeling better soon... watch the mailbox.

Momma, I'm not avoiding you... I'll call you tomorrow. I love you!

God Bless Y'all...

Time Well Spent

2008-03-05T21:19:00.002-05:00

The only stamp set I used on this card was Time Well Spent by SU... I have really had a hard time taking to this set, but I wanted to try a technique I've seen over and over again... I colored the images with colored pencils (no special ones... just borrowed 'em from my kids) and then blended the color using a blending stub & some baby oil. I am so excited about this technique... it's so easy and makes the color SO much more even! You can even add dimension with color shading (darker & lighter)... I am pleased. I cut out the orange butterfly and the large flower... everything else is stamped directly to the paper. I used my Black Stazon ink to stamp the images b/c I didn't know if the baby oil would smear the ink or not. I also hand-drew the "flight-lines" for the butterflies... I just love to doodle & the card seemed so plain before I added those lines. Hope you enjoy... I'm trying to get back into the swing of things... and (hopefully), I'll be posting more often than I have been lately. My mouth is healing after surgery quite well... thank you all for your well wishes... God Bless... I'll be back soon! Have a STAMPTASTIC day!

Cheers!
~Sara

Sara Frawley, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?

2008-02-28T08:51:00.002-05:00

Good Question... I have been inundated with life! Last week, I spent all my extra time planning the Blue and Gold Banquet for my boys' cub scout pack. It was a big hit and it really ran pretty smoothly. I had lots of help from a few key people who are involved in the pack, so I got to share the responsibility and it really made it much easier. They say "More hands make for a lighter load", and this is certainly true in this case!
On top of the Blue and Gold Banquet, my husband, Brandon, injured his knee last week and has been "hobbling" around trying to keep up his day-to-day activities... He gets around, but he's not as efficient as he usually is... poor guy! This past Sunday, I taught Sunday School, and then came home and attempted to create my swap cards for two swaps that I have signed up for. Sara over at SaraJaneStudios.com is hosting a Welcome Spring Swap... the only rules are that we make a full card, include an envelope, sign the back, and make the cards "springy." Easy, right?
Not so much.
Anyone who really knows me, knows that I am not a good decision maker when it comes to more than two choices... Give me three and I'll be there all day trying to decide which option to choose... When these swaps came up, I jumped all over them... and I did that before I really thought about it... I am having a really hard time coming up with two cards! This should be easy, right?
Not so much.
I've got to get them done tonight, and I have an idea for one of them, but it's not "complete" yet... I don't have a clue on the second one... any suggestions? stamp sets... colors... layouts... sketches... ANYTHING???
"Why do I have to get them done tonight?", you might ask... Well, I am scheduled for Oral surgery tomorrow morning to yank out my final two wisdom teeth... and I'm not being put under. I'll be as awake as a bluebird on a warm spring morning...and No, I'm not looking forward to it. I don't think I'll be up for much stamping after my surgery, so I need to get them done and in the mail beforehand.
So that's where I've been... busy busy busy... I thought things were supposed to calm down after the Christmas season ended... I guess that's what I get for thinking, right? ;)

Updates on the rest of the family:
Granna is still in the hospital, and they have determined that she did not have a stroke, but a siezure, instead. She continues to have siezures and the doctors do not know what is causing them. They are planning to keep her in the hospital until they figure it out.
Aunt Sandra is still in ICU (3 hours south of the hospital that Granna is in). The doctors there want to refer her out to a specialist so that she can be better monitored and have care tailored to her illnesses. One problem, though... there haven't been any doctors willing to take her as a patient, as she is not able to pay for her care. Please pray that someone will step up and help her.
Kailynn Grace still has a broken elbow, but it doesn't seem to bother her much. She has taken her splint off a few times (when she wasn't supposed to) to scratch an itch, but we quickly put it back on so that she doesn't re-injure her elbow. Good news is that the conjunctivitis has passed and she is back in school. She has started with a wet cough, though... I hope it doesn't progress into anything else.
Brandon went to the doctor yesterday to see about his knee and they are referring him out to a physical therapist... that oughtta be fun... He is doing better than he was a week ago. It still hurts a lot, but he's hangin' in there!
I will update as soon as I feel up to it to tell you what my swap cards look like and to let you know how I'm doing with my mouth surgery... I hope it goes well... the next step is to get a couple fillings and then on to a retainer... eventually on to braces... (can't wait for that... can you sense the sarcasm?)

Until next time...
Have a STAMPTASTIC day!

When it rains, it pours!

2008-02-17T23:19:00.005-05:00

Many of you don't know that I almost lost my demonstratorship with Stampin' Up... I was in pending in January, because I really don't have any customers anymore, since we moved, and my two customers that I found when I got to NC signed up to be my downline (hi Gina & Anette!). Anyway, the whole month of January, I was sweating, wondering how I would ever be able to place $400 by the end of the month... the 31st rolled around and I met my goal... by the skin of my teeth! I ended up having to purchase $160 worth of new stamps & paper in order to make it, but it was SOOOOOO worth it!

and now that I'm up to my EYEBALLS in new stamp sets, I have been diving in full force in an attempt to ink 'em all up!

I also recently received a $100 gift certificate to Michael's for a belated Christmas gift from my in-laws... needless to say, it was burning a hole in my pocket, so I HAD to go shopping.

Saturday, Anette & I ventured out with my 3 children and I came home (very happy) with this...

TWO new Cricut cartridges (Animal Kingdom & Fabulous Finds) and lots of goodies from the infamous Dollar Bins! I am very pleased and can't wait to get the Design Studio program so I can WELD images from different cartridges... OH the possibilities!

Anyway... last night, after our outing, Kailynn Grace developed conjunctivitis... aaarrrggghh! When it rains, it pours!

Brandon's Granna and his Aunt Sandra are both in the hospital, he's in Georgia with them. Please add them to your prayer lists... Granna suffered from a stroke on the way to see Aunt Sandra in the hospital (she's diabetic & got very sick... when they tried to give her a chest tube to help her breathe, they punctured her right lung... then, they went in to try and intibate her left lung & punctured that one too, so now she's on a ventilator and in a medically induced coma.

I've postponed my mouth surgery until they are stable & taken care of...

man, oh, man... I guess it's a good thing God knows how strong I am... cause Lord knows, I wouldn't be able to handle all this alone...

I was reading a blog last night and the girl (I forget where I was) adds a little known fact about herself to the end of each of her blog posts... I think I will follow suit... I think it's good for my readers to know me personally... so....

Fact # 1

I was born in Buffalo, NY on July 16, 19.... wouldn't you like to know? Ha Ha Ha... take a gander... how old (or young) do you think I am?

Leave a comment! Love ya bunches! Mom... don't tell - that's cheating!

New Stuff!

2008-02-16T22:48:00.005-05:00

Okay, so I know I haven't posted in a bit, but I have good reason! I have been having some major problems with my TMJ syndrome acting up... turns out I have quite a problem and it has to be addressed... starting with surgery to remove some more wisdom teeth... aaaarrrrggggh! Then, moving forward, I'll have to have an appliance or retainer in my mouth the majority of the time for a while and then, I'll have to move on to braces to reset the way my mouth closes... a long process - and I'm only getting started!

But enough about the rough stuff... it's been a busy week! Of course, you all know that Valentine's Day was this past Thursday... and I received the best gift I could have ever asked for...

My husband stamped a card for me... WITH NO HELP OR INPUT FROM ANYONE! I could not have asked for anything more special and I will cherish it for the rest of my life.

He went into my stamp room and found paper, stamps and adhesive - all by himself... and made this card for me.

He added a poem that he wrote on the inside and even signed the back! It made me tear up.

My husband thinks so much of me that he knew just how to make my day... taking interest in something that I love... and then going above and beyond... putting into practice what he has seen me do for over 3 years now!

He also had flowers delivered to me at work...

Brandon has set the bar a little higher (okay, A LOT higher) for the special occassions to come...

I just love him!

I made this card for him...

and gave him a baggie full of his favorite candy... reese's pb cups with a bag topper...

it was cute, but it didn't even compare to what he did for me!

I'll be back again soon to share some of my NEW stamp sets & embellies... and I got to go shopping today... Michaels was the agenda... and I was NOT going to be stopped! Tune in tomorrow!

TAGGED... the middle name game

2008-02-07T09:23:00.001-05:00

I've been tagged by Michelle over at O 2 B Stampin... and also, My Momma - Debbie, over at Dabbles by Deb.

These are the rules:- You must post the rules before you give your answers. You must list one fact about yourself for each letter of your middle name. Each fact must begin with that letter. If you don't have a middle name, just use your maiden name. After you've been tagged, you need to up-date your blog with your middle name and answers. At the end of your post, you need to tag one person for each letter of your middle name. (Be sure to leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged and need to read your blog for details.) .

My middle name is Leigh, (yup, Saraleigh, that's me) so here goes...
L - Loving - I have a big heart (so I'm told) with plenty of room to love more.
E - Energetic - I'm like a time-bomb of energy waiting for the right opportunity to explode... and most times, I have poor judgement on when the "right" opportunity is there.
I - Inquisitive - I have always been curious (mom always called it nosy)... and I always want answers.
G - Goofy - I must admit, I am a child at heart... acting like an idiot comes naturally to me.
H - Humble - I'm so thankful for everyone and everything that God has chosen to bless me with. And though, as humans, we all tend to take for granted every good thing we've come across, I try to keep that in check (if nothing else.) :)

I think I will tag...
Lastel, Karen, Chris, Lori, and Rochelle from my SBS10 group... Have fun ladies!

By the way, Kailynn Grace is doing well. Her elbow is healing nicely. We have new X-rays that I'll be sure to post this evening... You can still see the break, but the gap between the broken bone isn't as big. We can now remove the splint to bathe her, but other than that, she has to keep it wrapped. Thanks for your continued prayers and comments asking about her.
If you'd like to RAK her, send me an email and I'd be happy to give your our snail-mail address.
My email address is slfrawley@ec.rr.com.
See you soon!
~Sara

Three blind mice... see how they run...

2008-02-05T09:23:00.001-05:00

Today, I want to share a funny story with you. A couple weeks ago, in my office, we found some mouse droppings on the desk of one of my co-workers... so we did what any normal office staff would do... we baited some traps and attempted to catch what we could... don't get me wrong... I think mice are cute... as long as they are little and in a cage... but these mice were wandering around the office looking for something to eat! Wondering if I would come in to mouse droppings on my desk was not the way I wanted to spend my mornings... so, nonetheless, the bait worked and we caught two of them. We thought we were done with the whole mouse fiasco...

We thought wrong.

As I was sitting at my desk one afternoon last week, I witnessed a tiny little baby mouse scampering across the middle of the office floor. I shrieked... and thought to myself, "that's a brave little bugger!" He wandered into my boss' office and he had the bright idea of trying to catch him and let him go. So as you can imagine, we had quite a time trying to "catch a mouse." We were scampering around the office trying to sneak up on him as he was scampering around the office trying to find something to eat. Finally, we lost him... we thought he climbed up into the cabinet that the copier sits on... so we took the copier off and took the cabinet outside... about an hour later, we came to the conclusion that he wasn't in the cabinet. Late last week, I found him... under the refrigerator resting in peace. Mr. Hamad took the liberty of giving him a proper burial in the trash can out back. Thank God! I think our mouse-catching days are over. We have the sticky traps near all the doors and along some of the baseboards... so far, so good.

Well, anyway, Mr. Hamad (Samer's dad) is a trickster... and on Friday, he put a brown shoelace in one of the sticky traps and left it on my desk... All I saw was the end of the shoelace and the trap, so naturally, I thought there was a mouse in there. Upon closer investigation, I figured out that it was a shoelace, and about that time, I looked up, and Mr. Hamad was standing in my doorway giggling to himself b/c he had pulled off his trick! So, just for fun, I made him this card.

I got the house mouse image from my secret sister, Courtney (dnicklaus on SCS) in my December package and it was the PERFECT time to use it. Anette just got the Sizzix Big Kick for Christmas and we were playing around with some of her texture plates. I used a card sketch that I found on Amber's blog (hi Amber - SBS10 hugs) and this is how it turned out. I distressed the edges to make it look like the mouse had been munching on them and I scraped my More Mustard inkpad over my textured white cs to make it look antique. I am very pleased with how this card turned out. I don't think I've ever used this many brads on one card before, but I think they add just the right touch.

SUPPLIES: Sizzix Big Kick, Texture Plate, House Mouse teacup stamp, Antique Brads, Oval Scallop Punch, SU Cutter Kit, SU Stampin' Write Markers; INK: More Mustard, Chocolate Chip; CARDSTOCK: More Mustard, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip

I'll be sure to upload a picture of Mr. Hamad's face when he gets this card... I can't wait... I should be able to upload that this evening. Thanks for peeking in on me...

P.S. Kailynn Grace has her 1 week followup appointment this afternoon... wish us luck... we'll have more x-rays taken and we should have a better idea of the healing time frame that we're facing by the end of her appt.

We don't call her "Grace" for nothin'!

2008-01-29T10:53:00.000-05:00

Last night was pretty uneventful...

UNTIL...

My one and only daughter decided she could fly...

Poor thing was trying to "fly" and totally missed the mark, resulting in a crash landing directly onto her elbow. We spent a couple of hours in the ER last night and learned that Kailynn Grace has a "simple fracture" and we have to go see the Orthopedic Surgeon this afternoon. She was in a lot of pain and didn't sleep well last night.

Her arm is in a splint until we see the OS...

we'll know a little more after that appointment... whether they'll have to fix it surgically or whether they can treat it closed (no surgery)...

This whole situation doesn't "feel" very serious, but, indeed, it is...

She broke her elbow right where her growth plate is and if we don't do something about it, there's a great chance that her arm will not continue to grow normally.

You can see the actual break a little better in this picture...

After we saw the X-rays, the doctor offered a copy so she could keep them for "bragging rights." Kailynn was excited to show off her bones... and asked everyone in sight "Aren't they so cute?"

Well, I've got to get ready to take her in... wish us luck and please pray for the best. I'll share the results when I get a chance~

DON'T FORGET TO SCROLL DOWN AND SEE THE BEAUTIFUL ARTWORK OF MY SBS10 SISTAHS ON THE EMERGING COLOR CHALLENGE!

Magician? No, just an experimenting Rubbah-Stamper!

2008-01-26T22:50:00.000-05:00

Okay, so the other day, a friend an I were piddling around in my stamp room and we thought to ourselves... "let's try something new." Of course, we went to one of our most valued and used sources of inspiration - Splitcoast- and started looking through the tutorials to see what we could "conjure" up... I came across instructions for a magic card and I've always wanted to try one, so I suggested we try it. Much to my friends chagrin, we dove in with both hands (seemingly tied behind our backs once we got started).

I made two of these and my friend made two using the Rubberstampabella stamp set. They really came out great and we WOWed our husbands for once... My husband actually showed interest in something I made with my stamps & paper! He said "Who do you think you are, a doggone HOUDINI STAMPER?" (He uses the "houdini" line quite often when he's amazed at something... long story.)
Have you ever seen the commercial on TV for the Tide To Go Bleach Pen where the drill sgt is inspecting his company and he sees that one of his soldiers had a ketchup stain on his white shirt... anyway, the other soldiers pass a Tide To Go pen down the line and the spot "magically" disappears after the "dirty" soldier applies it to his stain... When the drill sgt looks again, he jumps back and yells "What they do, send me a doggone HOUDINI?" (You can watch it by clicking this link!)
Nonetheless, I was amazed that we got through the whole tutorial without ripping our cards in half and giving up... it was not an easy task, but now, I can say... I tried. (I am sticking to my New Year's Resolution.) I am quite pleased with the results, but I think it will be a while before I try that one again.
Have you tried to make a "magic" card like this? If so, did you feel like you conquered the world when you FINALLY finished it? Or, did you whiz through it like it was a direct to paper technique?
Thanks for popping in on me... and to my SBS10 sistahs... I'm still looking for your emerging color challenge cards! Can't wait to see what you've done! :)

UPDATE: CHECK OUT MY EMERGING COLOR POST BELOW TO SEE THE ARTWORK DONE BY THOSE SISTAHS WHO HAVE TAKEN UP THE CHALLENGE!

Emerging color causes emerging creativity!

2008-01-22T19:16:00.000-05:00

So, the other day, Anette and I decided to try a new technique. We saw the emerging color technique on Kathi's blog and of course, on Splitcoast and we decided to give it a whirl. Anette wasn't very impressed with the way hers came out, and, to be completely honest, I wasn't all too thrilled with mine either... until I started embellishing it... that's when the magic happened.

My color pallet (sp?) included Summer Sun, Ruby Red, Cameo Coral, and Real Red. I used clear embossing powder and it was all done on Shimmery White CS from Stampin' Up. I used my Garden Whimsy stamp set for this one. My card base is Summer Sun, and I had some wide "summer sun-like" yellow ribbon that I had stashed away for a project I'd get to "some day." Then, I used the Rock n' Roll technique to stamp my butterflies on some more Shimmery White CS and cut them out. I mounted my fluttering butterflies onto Ruby Red CS and then backed that on Summer Sun CS. Then, using my pop-dots, I adhered my main image to my background. At this point, I thought I was done...

I thought wrong!
It didn't "feel" done, ya know? Well, after some debating on what it needed, Anette and I decided that some snap topped eyelets would be PERFECT... so I added 3 to the top left of my card. Again, I thought I was done...

Again, I thought wrong!

My card sat on the table as we moved on to other projects and kept whispering to me...

"I'm not dazzling yet. I'm not dazzling yet."

So, out came the Dazzling Diamonds and the 2-way glue stick from SU and now, I feel like it's complete.

Well, it better be... I mailed it today to a very forgiving & deserving woman who shares my love for stamping. A former customer of mine forgave my mistake and I needed the perfect card for her... I hope you like it Sarah O.

Now it's your turn...

SBS 10 sistahs, this is your first challenge...

Try the emerging color technique and upload it to your blog... after you've done so, leave a comment here and I'll go get the pic & add it to this post...

Let's show the world what this Sisterhood has in store!

Here's Michelle's Card! Thanks for playing Michelle!

Whimsey gave it a shot... here's her card...

Chrissy tried it too... she did a few different cards... check out her blog for the other pics... Here's one...

Alyssa gave it a shot too... Isn't it beautiful?

Anyone else up for it?

Be inspired and then produce... the art of CASEing!

2008-01-18T16:24:00.000-05:00

Here's a card I received from my BFF, PennyO, after she and her hubby stayed with us for the weekend... I absolutely love this card. It's so simple, and yet your eye doesn't seem to want to "rest" on any single feature. This card was made using the Certainly Celery Prints DP from SU and our 1 3/8 circle punch, the ticket punch, and the large oval punch. It's all about the layering and didn't she do a GREAT job? I thought so, that's why I CASEd it...twice!

I used the exact same design, but needed some birthday cards, so I changed the paper, ribbon, and sentiment to cater to what I needed. One is for my brother, whose birthday is Feb 20 and the other is for a friend born on Leap Day!

This one is more feminine (with the ribbon) b/c it's for a female...

I don't know if you can see it, but I added Crystal Effects to the Oval punched "Happy Birthday" to add just a little more dimension. It didn't come out exactly like I wanted, (b/c it smeared a little) but it still works for what I needed.
Thanks for checking in on me... and...
here's a SHOUT OUT to all my new SISTAH'S out there in the Sisterhood of the Blogging Stampers (group 10).

Little known fact about me: I LOVE dangling earrings... but don't have many... I hate having to wear the same earrings several days in a row, but it seems every time I get new ones, they break or I lose one, or better yet, my daughter, Kailynn, seems to find them in her grubby little paws. :) Gotta love kids, right?

Two cards from last weekend

2008-01-12T13:24:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, my BFF, PennyO, and her hubby, Patrick, came to visit and celebrate a belated Christmas with us... they also surprised my husband, Brandon, for his 28th birthday.... I can't believe we pulled that one off - he had NO idea!
Penny and I used our time wisely and caught up with each other and really enjoyed each others' company. We attempted to stamp, and all I could squeeze out were these two cards. The first one, I'm almost embarrassed to post, but since it was my first attempt at a card in months, I guess I have a good excuse. I was so excited to be able to use one of the new tools I got for Christmas (Making Memories Tag Curler) that I really didn't put much thought into my card... hence the BEAUTIFUL blue card below. (can you sense the sarcasm?)

The next card, I am a little more pleased with. I cased the layout from Penny, and I also used similar colors to the card she was making. I am semi-happy with this card. I am definately convinced that I need the Baroque Stamp set from SU! I'm sending this card to my new hairdresser. She cut my hair last week and she would LOVE this card.

You can see I got excited with my tag curler again... it took a little while for me to figure out how to get it "just right," but I finally got it.

Thanks for looking in on me... leave a comment & come back soon!

Have a STAMPTASTIC day!

Oh Baby!

2008-01-10T20:19:00.000-05:00

Last night, my friend and downline, Gina, came over to stamp. She had the project she wanted to work on in mind with a plan to get it done... we did all we could to finish as many as we could... and here is what we did...

Several months ago, another one of my friends and downline, Anette, made some beautiful baby announcements with a similar layout and design for her new grandbaby. Gina loved those cards and wanted to make some like it for her friend who is having a baby soon. Gina's friend, Amanda, doesn't know whether she's having a little boy or little girl, so Gina wanted to make a unisex announcement that would knock her socks off either way... she knew that Anette's card was the one. So, last night, we sat down together and came up with the certainly celery and barely banana version of what we could "remember" about Anette's card. When I find a picture of Anette's original card, I will definately post it here, but until then, I'll keep searching.

Supplies:

Paper - Certainly Celery, Barely Banana, Whisper White, and Chocolate Chip

Ink - Certainly Celery, Barely Banana & Chocolate Chip

Stamps - Simple Shapes (R), Bundle of Joy (R)

Accessories - Wide Multicolored Stripe Ribbon (Walmart), Chocolate Grosgrain Ribbon, 1/2 inch Circle Punch, Corner Rounder Punch, 1/16 hole punch, 1/8 hole punch, Certainly Celery Brads

I hope I've inspired you today... come back again soon... I promise to post pictures of the cards I made this weekend and the cards Anette and I made on Monday evening (via inspiration of PennyO). Have a STAMPTASTIC evening... and don't forget to let me know you've been here... leave me a comment! :)

New Additon to our Family

2008-01-08T23:24:00.000-05:00

Say "hello" to Bailey. She's a 9 week old lab mix and as sweet as can be! We rescued her from the SPCA shelter today and I just couldn't wait to share her with you!
Bailey is very curious and energetic when left to explore the world around her. She's playful and at the same time, melancholy... if that's possible! LOL

It's hard to get her to look at the camera, but I promise, there'll be more pictures to come really soon! The kids love her and she's good at running the energy out of them!

I was busy this weekend and yesterday... get this... I STAMPED! It feels like a lifetime ago since the last time I actually created a card... and I'm so glad to get back into the swing of things. I'll share my creations from this weekend tomorrow... until then...
Have A STAMPTASTIC DAY!

Thanks

2008-01-02T21:10:00.000-05:00

Allow me to introduce you to a very special person in my life. I'm not sure she will ever know the impact she has had on my life, but she has definately made a lasting impression. Ms. Sherri Hankins is the professor who taught me my first college course. She helped me get over the hurdle of starting college... she helped me conquer the fear of failing. Ms. Hankins has been a teacher for over 30 years. She taught my "Effective Teacher Training" class at Carteret Community College. The course offered information to help teachers (and others) acquire effective teaching skills in order to make classroom time more effective. I originally enrolled in the course so I could become a substitute teacher in our local school system. Two weeks into the course, I was hired at Hamad Realty (as the bookkeeper), but instead of quitting, I decided to finish the course and apply my newly acquired knowledge to my volunteer time in youth ministry.

Ms. Hankins is full of knowledge, war-stories, advice, and wisdom and I am so glad I decided to stay in her class. I learned a lot and at the end of my college career, I will have owed so much to her because she nudged me to complete the first phase of it. As a small (very small) token of my appreciation, I made her a little notebook to carry in her purse wherever she goes.

One of her little bits of knowledge that she shared was "Write everything down and always carry a little notebook with you... you'll need it for something you think you won't forget." I truly enjoyed every minute in her class and hope someday she knows the impact she has made on so many more lives than just mine.

Supplies: Unfrogettable Stamp Set, Stampin' Write Markers, Brocade Blue Cardstock, Rose Red Cardstock, Whisper White Cardstock, Googley Eyes, Charmaine's tutorial (http://oodabugalley.blogspot.com/2007/03/notepad-holder-tutorial.html) and a little creativity.

Thanks for checking in on me... have faith, I'll be back soon! God Bless!

I'm BAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaak!

2007-12-29T00:31:00.000-05:00

So I guess I've been MIA for a while... but I can explain, I promise! I started my job as a bookkeeper for Hamad Realty, here on the Beautiful coast of NC and though I only work part time, I have now lost the 8 hours a day that I had at home while I'm out working for 6 1/2 hours and driving my children to and from school, doing homework, and oh yeah, all the other stuff I used to do as a SAHM. My home has suffered tremendously... but now that the holidays are coming to an end, I feel like I'm starting to get back on top of it. The laundry isn't piling up anymore, the dishes are usually done before I climb into bed, and my family has really helped me in picking up my slack as far as keeping the house "picked up." On top of going back to work, I also took on my very first college course. I graduated high school over 8 years ago, and it took me that long to enroll in and complete a class at the local community college. And if that wasn't enough, sickness has swept through our house like never before... we've been fighting colds, the flu, and worst of all, bronchitis! This has (by far) been the worst year for our family healthwise! At least one member of my family has been sick EVERY week since Halloween... I'm so ready for the spring... allergies are so much better (and easier to deal with) than viruses and bacteria!I've not blogged since before Halloween and man, oh man, have I caught a hard time (to say the least). Ha Ha Ha! I have faithful blog-stalkers who have been going through withdrawls from my daily projects, antics and stories. I miss you all so much...
And, despite popular belief, I have been busy stamping and crafting.

For Christmas this year, our family made all our gifts with our own hands and imaginations. We painted a lot of unfinished wood products (mainly birdhouses), made scarves & pillows, stamped sets of cards, carved walking sticks & wood-burned designs on them, and I even painted canvas wall-hangings. I was so proud of my family. We wanted our children to learn about the "true" meaning of Christmas. We wanted to teach them to appreciate the hard work and dedication that goes into giving a gift from the heart and we also wanted to teach them to appreciate (and respect) the gifts that were given to them so maybe they would still be around next Christmas. I think we were semi-successful, but how do you get your children to take care of the things they have? How do you teach them the value of hard work? I think the lessons were learned for a brief period of time... but that they have been pushed to the back burner in their minds somehow. Christmas wasn't even one whole week ago, and they've already broken a few things, been caught mistreating them, and not taking care of their new things. It's hard to spend so much time making something that really isn't going to be appreciated, ya know. And I know - they are just children, but they have to learn sometime, right? Anyway, I didn't start this blog so I could rant and rave about how my children are just as hard-headed as me, I started this blog to share my life with those I love and to provide a little inspiration for those looking for new ideas for stamping, scrapbooking, papercrafting, and all other things "crafty." Here's a picture of my beautiful little darlings...

Ethan (middle) is 8, Clayton (left) is 6 and Kailynn (right) is 3 1/2... This picture was taken on Thanksgiving when we visited our family, the O'Briens, in Maryland. We have a very special bond with the O'Briens, and if you visit my blog, you're bound to hear about them, because they are a big part of our lives.

So anyway, I thought I'd start the New Year off right and introduce you to my family. Pictured here (from top to bottom) are my Dad (Gary), and Mom (Debbie), on the next step down, are my Sister-In-Law (Ashley) & my crazy Brother (Mike), then down one more step are my Husband (Brandon) and I, and on the bottom step are my Brother-In-Law (Brad) and my Sister (Krystal).

Tune in again tomorrow... I'll be back to share more pics and projects... and I've made a New Years Resolution. Are you ready for this? My New Year's Resolution is to TRY. I promise to TRY... no matter what I am faced with, I will TRY to get through it... and do my best. I will TRY to look at the positive in everything. I will TRY to do more than "get through it," I will TRY... to post nearly everyday. Stay Tuned... and since you're here, leave me a comment, I want to know who my readers are... Don't worry, April Clark... I know you're here, but leave me a comment anyway. :) LOL