Yee Haw!!

The first day of summer break! Yeah! Yesterday afternoon I went to the end-of-year party at one of the teacher's houses; it was great to see everyone relaxed and looking forward to their break. The teachers definitely earned it! I stayed for a few hours and then came home to watch "E.T." with Nattie :)

Today's card is made with Artful INKables' "Rodeo Rodent" stamp set. I used some older paper I found from Stampin' Up! and some kraft colored cardstock, and I added some gold brads to go with the "Sheriff" badge.

We are having a day at home today; I cleaned the house this morning, and am planning to do some stamping this afternoon while Iain paints the guest bedroom - his sister is coming to visit from Scotland at the end of July for 10 days. Then this evening we're all going down to our neighbor's house for a get-together :) Should be fun!! Have a great Saturday, whatever you're doing!

New from The Cat's Pajamas :)

Today's the day that The Cat's Pajamas is releasing two brand new sets - the "Nightie" alphabet, and the "Happy Camper" set, which I used for the card on the left.

This card is also my card for TCP Tuesday this week, and it's a card I made for my circle journal group challenge (use 10 items from your stash). Thanks, Lisa, for making me use a bunch of supplies this week!

Howdy!

I hope you're having a great Thursday :) Nattie had her last day of 6th grade today, and tomorrow is the last day for Jamie and me!

Today's card is made with one of Artful INKables' new sets, called "Rodeo Rodent". I used torn paper to make the layers of sand, and then stamped, colored and cut out the images to form the scene on blue cardstock, before hand stitching around the edge for a rugged look :)

Be sure to stop by tomorrow for release day for 2 new sets from The Cat's Pajamas!

Just sitting here stinking...

Here's a card made with the "Happy Camper" set coming in just 2 days from The Cat's Pajamas :) Isn't this little guy sweet? And on the right hand side, I've posted the inside of this card :)

Back online :)

We finally got our internet connection back late this afternoon, so now I'm playing catch-up! The DVR unit and connection are definitely fried, so we have DirecTV coming by tomorrow to get that sorted out for us.

Thanks again to Ana for so quickly taking over TCP Tuesday for me this week! I have to take photos tomorrow for my TCP Tuesday card (Inspiration Challenge) and my Seasoned CJ Survivors challenge (use at least 10 items from your stash!) - and, of course, there's the new release from The Cat's Pajamas coming on Friday - yeah!

I really appreciate all your thoughts following our scare this past weekend. I am soooo thankful that there was no serious damage to our house or, more importantly, our family :)

Just 3 days of school left before summer break! I'll be back with photos tomorrow - now I have to go and catch up on all my favorite blogging friends!

Coming this Friday...

I hope it's true...

that lightning doesn't strike in the same place twice - because our house got struck on Saturday evening! The four of us were playing the Wii together, then all within a split second we heard a loud CRACK - and an outlet plate flew 8ft across the room, having broken into 3 pieces!

Fortunately that and our internet antenna were the only things damaged. So here I am, posting via BlackBerry until the antenna is fixed.

If you're looking for this week's TCP Tuesday challenge, Ana has graciously stepped in for me - you can see her blog in my "Cat Pack" list over on the right. Thanks, Ana!

I hope you all had a super holiday weekend - hopefully I'll be back online very soon!

I hope it's true...

that lightning doesn't strike in the same place twice - because our house got struck on Saturday evening! The four of us were playing the Wii together, then all within a split second we heard a loud CRACK - and an outlet plate flew 8ft across the room, having broken into 3 pieces!

Fortunately that and our internet antenna were the only things damaged. So here I am, posting via BlackBerry until the antenna is fixed.

If you're looking for this week's TCP Tuesday challenge, Ana has graciously stepped in for me - you can see her blog in my "Cat Pack" list over on the right. Thanks, Ana!

I hope you all had a super holiday weekend - hopefully I'll be back online very soon!

You're HOT!

Here's another card made with the two sets being released by The Cat's Pajamas this Friday (May 29th). I used the "Nightie" alphabet to spell out "HOT!" to go with the campfire image :) Hahahaha!! The ribbon and button are from Alma's new line of embellishments, and the patterned paper is once again the "Mr. Campy" line by Cosmo Cricket :)

Stay tuned for another card over the weekend! Have a super one!

One week to go!

This coming Friday is our last day of school before summer break! This year has simply flown by. As is probably the case in most schools, things are getting a bit wacky towards the end of the year: lots of activities finishing up, the kiddos getting a bit antsy, and generally just a busy time! The kids in the kindergarten class where I work are anxiously counting the days until they become first graders :) They are so sweet!

Nattie and Jamie are excited for school to end too; we have a week in Maui planned for July, and other than that we'll be hanging out here at home with day trips out to the zoo, science museum, movies, etc. It's going to be a nice, relaxing summer!

Coming next week from TCP!

So here's a peek at a project I made with the two new sets that will be available next Friday, May 29th from The Cat's Pajamas :) The "Happy Camper" set is soooo much fun - check out some of the images that I used here on the door hanger! The other new set is an alphabet set called "Nightie" - I used it to spell out "Welcome" across the top of the hanger. And the leaf trim along the bottom of the piece is also from something new that TCP will be carrying - ribbons (and buttons!). Yeah!

I'll have more TCP creations to share with you over the next few days, and also don't forget to stop by the other Cat Pack blogs (listed over on the right) to see more of the new releases :) Thanks for stopping by!

TCP Tuesday Sketch Challenge

Hi all! This week for TCP Tuesday, Carole is hosting a super sketch challenge. I hope you can play along! All the details are over on Carole's blog :)

For my card, I turned the sketch upside down! That's what I like about sketch challenge - they don't have to be used completely "as is"; quite often if you rotate them, you can get a very different look to work with!

I used some patterned paper by K and Company, and I stamped "Gene" and the "Raining Wishes" sentiment on some deckled rectangles (Nestabilities dies).

Artful INKables Blog Hop!

The Artful INKables DT is doing another blog hop today to show off all the new releases for this month :) If you want to find the beginning of the hop, go over to Kristin's blog and start from there for all the fun! If you're joining me from Dawn's blog, you're in the right place!

The set I used for this card is called "Boys Will Be Boys" - there are tons of fun boy images in the set! I did a little paper piecing with the leaves of the tree, and colored the rest using colored pencils and odorless mineral spirits (for blending). The patterned paper is from the "Prudence" collection by Crate Paper. I dressed up the edge of the green paper by using some assorted brads; I like how it turned out!

Sooooo...next stop on the hop is going to be Velta's blog. And don't stop there! I hear that there is some blog candy if you carry on all the way through to the end of the hop - enjoy!!

Friday afternoon visitor....

This little guy came by on Friday afternoon with 3 of his friends. They all crossed the driveway, feasted on our grass for about 20 minutes, then headed on up the hill to our neighbor's house :) His new antlers were just starting to grow in; they were very short and fuzzy! And you can see that the only part of his winter coat that's left is from the neck up. Spring is definitely here!

Teacher gift

Here's a photo of one of the boxed sets of cards I made for the kids to give as part of their end-of-year gift for their teachers. The stamp is by Stampendous, and the patterned paper is the "Urban Prairie" collection by Basic Grey.

The plumber came this afternoon and was able to get the motor going for now; he showed us that it's on its way out, though, so he's getting us an estimate for installing a new motor. Right now I know that running hot water is a wonderful thing :)

Have a fantastic weekend!

Flowers for Friday

Here's a bright, flowery card for Friday :) I believe this may have come from a previous sketch by Jen, but I'm not 100% sure (let me know if it looks familiar to you). The stamps are by Hero Arts, and the patterned paper is by My Mind's Eye.

Our water heater isn't fixed. Ugh! The guy finally showed up at 5pm yesterday (so much for that 4-hour window), and after an hour or so decided that he needs his boss to come and check it out. It might be a motor that needs replaced, but our unit is pretty old and so in the long run it might be less expensive to replace the unit. We'll see what happens today - Iain's back from Phoenix so he's going to be home when they stop by. In the meantime, I've been boiling lots of water!

Have a fantastic weekend!!

Home today

I think we are jinxed as far as water goes this year! LOL! First we had the leak in our basement, and now our water heater is broken. Ugh! So I'm home today waiting for the repair guy to get here and figure out what's wrong...

I do have a card to post, though :) This one was made with Artful INKables' "Post A Note" set. I stamped the envelope image and then punched it out in different spots. Two of the circles on the top row and one on the bottom row are mounted with foam dots to make them stand out. The wood-grain paper is from the "Tahiti Beach" stack by Die Cuts With A View :)

Virtual Stamp Convention

It's time for the Rubber Stamp Chat Virtual Convention!Tons of vendors! Lots to buy! And do it virtually in the comfort of your own home!Just go to the convention hall, and check it out. The Cat's Pajamas is going to be there too with an awesome deal. Be there or be square.

Tracy's Sketch Challenge

Hey there :) I hope your week is a super one so far! Thank you for all the kind words about the tutorial. Janet asked a great question about what kind of scissors I use for paper piecing: the ones I use most often are the Fiskars Softouch Micro-Tip Scissors, and sometimes I'll use a craft knife.

The card I'm posting today is another one featuring paper piecing that I made for Tracy's Sketch Challenge; Tracy posts a new sketch on her blog every Thursday and I try to play along whenever I can. For this card I used a stamp I've had for several years! It's by Rubbermoon. The patterned paper is Basic Grey's "Porcelain" collection - love it!

The temperature here reached over 70 degrees yesterday; it's beautiful! I told Iain we should get the cushions back out for the chairs on our deck this weekend. Spring is finally here in the mountains! Have a terrific day :)

It's TCP Tuesday!

Hi everyone! I hope that all the moms had an awesome Mother's Day and that your week is off to a terrific start! This week your hostess for TCP Tuesday is Susan - she's hosting a Stamp Challenge! Click here to get to her blog and all the details :)

For my card I used TCP's "It's a Mod, Mod World" set and some patterned paper from the "Tahiti" Stack by Die Cuts With A View. Isn't Sprinkle just purrrrrfect? :)

Check out my tutorial :)

This month it was my turn to write a tutorial for the Artful INKables blog...you can see my "Paper Piecing" tutorial right here where there are directions on how to make this card using the AI "Think Big" stamp set :) I will also post it on my blog later this week. Enjoy! It was fun to work on!

Monday Thanks

Here's a fun thank you card for today (stamps by Stampendous; paper by Crate Paper; scallop punch by Fiskars). On this Monday I'm feeling thankful for:

• The sunshine and melted snow!
• My hubby, kiddos and pets
• My friends (IRL and online)
• Earl Grey tea
• Having a job that I truly enjoy
• Being just a few classes away from completing my degree!
• Creativity
• Strawberry season (yum!)
• Sunscreen (covering 3 recesses a day at school can take its toll!)

Happy Mom's Day :)

Hi everyone, I wanted to wish you all a Happy Mother's Day (and share a fun photo of the kids and I from several years ago)! I have to say, this is always an emotional day for me when it rolls around each year. My relationship with my mom (back in England) is non-existent, but I won't even go into the details on that. Also, Iain and I lost our first baby, a daughter named Carol Helen on May 4, 1995. She was stillborn at 24 weeks and had spina bifida. At this time of year (Carol's birthday and Mother's Day) I find myself thinking about Carol a lot. She would have been 14 this year!

Having gone through the loss of a child and the loss of my relationship with my own mother, it makes me even more appreciative of the 2 fabulous kiddos that Iain and I are lucky enough to have. Nattie and Jamie make me smile, laugh, feel proud, worry plus all the other feelings that moms go through with their kids every day :) They are both very special kids who are going to grow up to be wonderful people, and I will be there to cheer them on every step of the way. And that makes my Mother's Day happy.

Just Be You!

I made this card for the Card Patterns weekly sketch challenge :) I pulled out my new Basic Grey "Lime Rickey" paper, an Elzybells stamp, and got to work. I love the bright colors on this one! I colored the little girl with my Copics, added some sparkly star brads, and made the card nice and big to show off the image and the cool paper! This one is 5.25" x 7.25" :) Yep, it's a biggie!

Have a SUPER weekend!

Nattie and Bailey

I promise, Nattie's not choking Bailey in this photo! She really loves him! Actually, she's terrific with all our pets. Quite often she'll have 2 or 3 cats snoozing on her bed, and then Tasha might come and lie down on the floor in her room :) So sweet!

I have the day off today so that I can go and pick Nattie up from her Camp-In at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. I can't wait to hear what they got up to! Then, this evening she's going to the school carnival/dance and Jamie is going to a birthday party. It's a busy day!

On Saturday Jamie has a swim lesson, and then I don't know what our plans are for Mother's Day - I'd love an entire day of stamping! :) Have a very happy Friday! I'll be back over the weekend with some more cards!

Crazy Aspen!

This is one of our youngest cats; her name is Aspen. Some of you might remember me posting photos of her and her brother (Bailey) before. They'll be 2 in July. I took this photo of her a couple of weeks ago; she doesn't usually put her ears back like this, and Nattie and I were cracking up when we saw how crazy she looks on the photo! :)

Welcome Home :)

Hi! Happy Wednesday :) So far my week is going pretty well; the weather is expected to be beautiful for the rest of the week - mid-60s!

I can't believe we finish school in just over 3 weeks...the time is flying by! The kindergarteners are very excited and are counting the days left in school :)

Today's card is one I made a few weeks ago with a stamp set called "Welcome Home" by Lizzie Anne Designs. I figured it would be a good one to have on hand for any friends who might move house. Have a super day, whatever you're up to!

TCP Tuesday - Color Challenge

Hi! I'm hosting the Color Challenge this week! I hope you can play along :)You'll see it's a bright, fresh combination for you to play with.

I actually have 2 cards to share with you. I made the golf card first (using "Golfer" and "Chip"), and then when I saw it in clearer light, I realized that the green was more of a lime green, so I made the other one (using "Knitting Kitty" and "So Much Yarn", plus Sketch #12 from Card Patterns). So, this week you're getting 2 TCP Tuesday cards from me for the price of one! :) Here are the details for playing along this week:

1. Add a link to your creation in the comments for this post. You can post up until midnight this coming Saturday, May 9th.

2. If you're posting to the gallery at Splitcoast Stampers, use the keyword TCPTUES57 so that we can find your piece!

3. TCP stamps are not required, but are of course encouraged :)

4. All of the cards will be featured in Alma's "Holey Moley Monday!" slideshow!

5. Each month, Alma will select the "Swanky Stamper" for that month. The Swanky Stamper will receive $25 in Cat Cash to spend on the TCP site, and the winning creation will be featured on the TCP site for the following month :)

Buy some stamps AND support an excellent cause!

My friend Lisa asked me to help spread the word about these great new stamps that have been designed to raise money for "A Place to Bark and Meow", a no-kill animal foster and rescue shelter. The stamps were designed by Claudine Hellmuth, Lydia Fiedler and Suzi Blu. You can see them on the "Scrapbooking Supplies R Us" website :) Great job, Lisa and everyone else who is involved!

Simple card :)

Here's a nice and easy card to start off the week. I made it with some scraps I had left over this past weekend...I thought about adding a sentiment, but then decided to just leave it blank for now - I can always add a sentiment later when I decide what to do with this particular card :)

Another busy week ahead; it's Teacher Appreciation Week, so I made packs of cards for Nattie and Jamie to give their teachers, along with a Starbucks card and a nice handwritten note from the kids. Nattie is having a camp-in at a museum on Thursday night with her science class (fun!!), so I have Friday off because I need to go to pick her up that morning. In between all that, Iain has to go to San Diego for 2 days (his favorite place!), so he'll get to escape the leaky basement for a little while. It's supposed to get nice and warm (and dry!) here as the week progresses, so fingers crossed that all the moisture dries out quickly...

Have a fantastic week! I'll be back tomorrow with this week's TCP Tuesday challenge - it's a color challenge!

Treat Box :)

I hope your weekend is going smoothly! Our basement leakage issue is still going on, but we'll get there :)

I've been working on some DT assignments, and this one is my non-card project for the "Celestial Bodies" set and the "Basic Sentiments" set by Artful INKables. I made the box using 2 sheets of cardstock and some directions from a tutorial on the Scor-Pal website right here. It was very easy to follow. I added some ribbon from Artful INKables too. The box is the perfect size for a little set of cards as a gift...

Enjoy the rest of the weekend! As always, thanks for stopping by!

Wedding Day :)

Here are a couple of cards I made with the "Bride" stamp by "Shirley's 2 Girls". I don't have any friends or family members getting married soon, but I still had fun working with the image :)

Friday!!

Yeah! I'm glad Friday is here! For us it's a foggy Friday - I could hardly see the kids out on the playground at lunchtime today!

This is an image I received in a swap several months ago; I believe it's from Hero Arts (correct me if I'm wrong, though!). I used some scraps of striped paper and some fun green ribbon from my stash :)

What are your weekend plans? I have a couple of projects to put together for Teacher Appreciation Week next week, I will be catching up on some stamp challenges, and - I will be inking up the new stamps that Alma sent to the TCP DT - they will be released very soon, and you're going to love these ones! That's all I can say!

One more thing - huge CONGRATS to Carol, who won the Swanky Stamper Award for April! You can read all about it here on Alma's blog :)