Thanksgiving Cards

Well, when I get home to NH, I'll be able to post many more of these . . . but for now, I only have these. Again, they are from last year when I was a "novice!" Not that I'm more of a pro at it now, but back then, I was really green behind the ears! LOL! This one I actually used leaves from a garland! :) I can't list all the products, because for the life of me I cannot remember what I used, much less how I used them! I can tell you, the sentiment on this one was printed on the computer. Also, the paper with the sentiment was canvas paper. I bought it to print pictures, but did not realize until after I opened the package that it was canvas and did not want to use it, so I used it for other things! :)


I had stickers I wanted to get rid of and made these next two cards and I think I managed to accomplish this! LOL I know the plastic ring was from Leaving Prints and the letter stickers and leaf are Miss Elizabeth's stickers.

I am pretty sure the slide is MM and brads are from HOTP. "Happy Thanksgiving" clear sticker is EK.

OK, this card, I totally lifted! I thought it was the cutest I had ever seen and I repeated the turkey on the envelope! :) "Turkey" clear sticker is EK Success. I didn't have paper that had a wood-grain print or a stamp, so I inked the paper in the hopes that it would kind of look like that, and I think it came out really close. What do you think? The leaves behind the turkey on the card are actually craft leaves. I remember I had so much fun making this card!
This card is special. I actually made two. I made these two cards for my sisters. The picture in the card are items in my home and the grapes are actually from our mother's home. I wanted to make it very personal. The font is from the computer and I used that same canvas paper. I also used that halo effect on the picture to create a different look.

Not much to report from the weekend. I had a nice visit with my siblings and mother. I didn't get to see my oldest brother, but only cause I ran out of time. The drive down there and back was exhausting! I'm still feeling incredibly tired from the trip! :( But I've only one week left to finish up work for my employer and then Saturday is the big day! I head out of the Albuquerque airport at 10:00 and I'm supposed to be in NH by 7:25 p.m. I can hardly wait and I hope there's no snowy weather in the NE to change my plans! :)

A Little Early . . .

but a very Happy Halloween wish! Hope you enjoy it!

Also, I'm outta here! I'm off to Texas for the weekend to see my family one last time before heading off to NH next weekend! I'm so psyched! I'm leaving late this afternoon between 3 and 4 and hope to arrive safely at Eva's between 9 and 10. I'll be returning Sunday after church, hopefully, no later than 2 and will be back in ABQ by 8. Then I've just one week left in this Albuquerque! I can hardly wait! I have lots of scrapping goodies waiting for me in NH. I had placed a large Stampin' Up order from Heidi, then I have two boxes from my monthly scrapbook club, I signed up to be a consultant with The Angel Company and get 11 stamp sets and gobs of paper from that, and I ordered 2 or 3, although I really think it's three, packages from other places! What can I say, I got a little carried away. Anyway, I hope everyone has a good weekend and hope to see you here at some point next week because you know I'm gonna want to tell you all about my weekend!! Take care and lots of love and hugs to everyone!

I've been TAGGED!

I'm Tagged ......by Ila at Artfully Ila.

Be sure to check out Ila's blog! She's got an adorable puppy named Buddy and she's a grandmother to three other just as adorable pooches! I'm a dog person, so Ila's right up there with me! LOL The first time I saw her cards, I fell in love with her style! You really need to check it out yourself. She tagged me, and at first when I found out, I was like, geez, that kinda sounds painful, but it really isn't! LOL!

Here are the scoop/rules for this tag . . .

1. Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.

2. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself (on your blog, we all want to know them).

3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.

So, here goes . . .

1. I am deaf in my left ear! Yeah, totally! When I was an infant, my older sister gave me the measles and my fever got so high that it caused nerve damage. What? Did someone say something? ;)

2. I have been on TV! OK, just for like 3 seconds and if you blink, you'll miss me, but nonetheless, I've been on TV. Long story, short! HA! Show was Made for MTV. My daughter's friend was the "star" of the show. My daughter was the "love interest." They shot a scene at our home. It is still showing on reruns!

3. I come from a 5-generation family, that's right FIVE generations. I think this is WICKED AWESOME!

4. I am embarrassed to write this, but I'm a MySpacer! LOL I really do it mostly to keep in touch with my daughter. That's her "e-mail" account. But it's a private profile, so no big deal really! :)

5. I am a preacher's kid! Yeah, really! No lie! :) I think that explains my innocence. ;)

6. I have been up in a hot air balloon and a Cessna! The hot air balloon was heaps of fun. The Cessna, not so much! I kissed the ground when we landed! :)

7. I don't know how to swim but I really want to learn. I had someone throw me in the pool when I was 25 to teach me how to swim. He said I'd either learn to swim or drown. Well, I almost DROWNED! So I'm very scared of water now, but I am determined to overcome this in my lifetime.

Okay! Now my turn to tag 7 other people. All these people have WICKED AWESOME Blogs so be sure to check them out! I hope they have time to play!

Heidi

Isabelle

Leendaluu

Dana

Karen

Renee

Emily

Halloween Cards

Please do not adjust your screen! LOL! These are some Halloween cards I made last year. Now, remember how I've gone on and on about how I don't have any scrapping supplies with me? Well, I had them last year, but I had just STARTED making cards. Before that I was a diehard scrapper, so bear with me! :) I've always admired Heidi's style of card making. For lack of a better word, I've always called it shabby chic and I just love her cards! I've always wanted to be a shabby chic kind of gal, but I've been told that I'm eclectic with a heavy emphasis on cutesy. Geez, I hope that's a good thing!


Supplies: Cardstock; OTC alpha charms; organza ribbon; Fiskars border punch.

I made this next card for my sister, Eva. She is not a cat person either! LOL! I call it a "re-card" because it's a picture of a card I'd received before and I thought it was too wicked awesome to just sit in a drawer!


Supplies: Cardstock; discarded card pic; brads and buttons; ribbon and floss; unknown glitter glue; ok, I made it last year, do you really expect me to remember? LOL

I bought this textured felt and HAD to use it! And ok, I went a little crazy with my Fiskars border punch, what can I say? When I like something, I use it! :) You can't tell from the photograph, but I glazed the eyes and so IRL they are very shimmery and raised.


Supplies: Cardstock; textured felt; Leaving Prints die cut; floss; Miss Elizabeth's brads; glaze; Fiskars border punch.

I know, I know, more craziness with the Fiskars border punch! LOL


Supplies: Cardstock; organza ribbon; Fiskars border punch; Miss Elizabeth's metal charm; OTC PP.


Supplies: Cardstock, Miss Elizabeth's brads; Leaving Prints diecut and tag; organza ribbon; Fiskars border punch (yeah, again!).

This one I actually made this year. Can you see how I've evolved? Spooky, isn't it? :) I made this with the emphasis on making it Halloween-y looking without coming out and saying it. Did I get the message across?

Supplies: Cardstock; Reminisce PP; Prima flowers; MM, brads; Dress it Up button; black ink.

OK, so next week, I'll post some old fall-y cards and then I'll be back in NH and will be able to show you the REAL damage I can do! LOL! Yeah, in case I hadn't said this before; I'm going home! I made a go of it in Albuquerque, but it didn't work out and so I'm heading back. I've updated all my info to reflect that I'm in NH already just cause I'm impatient! LOL! But, I actually won't leave until November 3rd. This coming weekend I'm going down to Texas to visit my family one last time before I head up north. I'll share all about my visit with you next week! Look forward to it! LOL!

You Make Me Smile!

I feel so honored! Here I’ve only been blogging for a little over a month, by maybe a day or two, and my talent has been recognized! :) My friend and fellow blogger, Heidi, has nominated me for the “You Make Me Smile” award. On her blog, she says some of the sweetest things about me that just made me blush! :) She is the one that encouraged me to start blogging. As a stamper, when I grow up, I want to be just like Heidi! :) In my book, she’s a very talented artist!


I, now in turn, will nominate five bloggers. Since I am so new at this, I’ve not had a chance to view other blogs extensively, much less make blogger friends, but let me tell you, I have found some bloggers that have truly amazed me. I visit their blogs religiously to see what they have been up to. I’m always inspired and awed! Visit each of these blogs and you will see what I mean. Each of them, in their own right, are truly moving with their talent. These bloggers are: Dina Kowal, she's got a great birthday prize she's giving away right now; Maria Bell, she's got some great card sketches; Kendra Giles, she's got some really great artwork you must see; Dee Jackson, I love so many of the things she has posted; and finally, Anna Wight, her blog is over at Typepad, but she’s still a very talented woman! ;) Anna has some really unique items posted.

Anniversary

I have been officially blogging now for count them . . . one entire month! LOL! I never imagined doing something like this. I've seen blogs before and always thought about doing it. I always worried I'd become one of those blogs that started and never took off. I remember seeing blogs that had great titles and I thought, oooo, I want to read/look at that and I'd click on their pages and there would be a post that was older than time or a blank page. Which reminds me; why do men think it's cool to take a picture of themselves drinking a beer? OK, maybe for a college aged kid, this is something that can be viewed as somewhat normal. But I'm talking grown men who look to be well into their 40s or more! Please! Yeah, how does that saying go . . . I think, therefore, I am single? Yes, that's me, thank you! :) And then, why would you want to even start a blog and the first thing you write is something telling folks to F*** OFF? What is the point to all that? I just don't get people sometimes! Anyway, sorry, let me get off my soap box here. So . . . when I started this blog, I had a blank page for a bit. I remember thinking though that if I couldn't get it started, I'd ask to have it deleted. I wouldn't want others being deceived by a picture or title leading them to believe that there was more to see. And I most certainly wasn't gonna download that awesome picture of myself with the two-beer drinking hat! I know, I know, you probably want to see it, but I like to think of myself as a somewhat respectable adult here, so please, email me, I'll send it to you! ;) LOL It's been a struggle some days, but I think only because I started all of this with the hopes of sharing my paper crafts and maybe inspiring others with it, but I find myself limited with the scrapping things I have with me and not able to be as creative as I had hoped to be. I have found myself writing and sharing funny (or scary) things I've seen instead. I did want to wish myself a "Happy Anniversary" and post with a written piece over my growth as a person in the blogging community this past month and hope you'd be interested enough to read all about it! :)

Well, for starters, I haven't read any books or magazines that I feel, I must share nor has there been too much TV or movies to review, with the exception of the movie, Rosewood. It is an old movie, but it was the most disturbing movie I had seen in a really long time and I cried during a good portion of the movie. If disturbing is what you want to see, check it out! Oh, and I've also become horribly addicted to the show, Clean House. I know there's lots of these cleaning house shows these days, but I really like this one. And also, Law & Order: Criminal Intent launched it's new season on USA. Gotta love Vincent D"Onofrio! So other than that, not much on TV! LOL! Oh, but there's also . . . just kidding!

I turned 46 on the 18th of September and I shared pics of the celebration in Lubbock with my family. I don't feel 46. My body does, but I still think I'm a spring chicken in a barnyard filled with old hens! LOL! Every morning when I jump out of bed, I check for new aches and concerns. Any day that I don't encounter one, I'm thinking is starting out as a good day! LOL Anyway, my family gave me cash as birthday gifts and I've spent a portion of it on (GASP!) scrapping supplies. *blush* I still have a good portion left and am waiting to spend that on . . . more scrapping supplies! I did also buy a blue top that I look radiantly pretty in ;) and a much needed toaster. NOT a red one, but only cause I couldn't find one. I know, I know, I probably should have waited and it should have been red, but let me tell you it, keeping fingers crossed, has caused me no grief or frustrations. Not once has it burned my toast! I think that's good! LOL!

I've not done much this past month. Albuquerque has a Balloon Fest in October and here are a few pics for you to see. I wanted to take a picture of them as they took off because the sky just fills up with all these hot air balloons and it looks wicked awesome! My digital camera's batteries died and by the time I replaced them, the balloons had dispersed. You really need to see them when they first take off. It is a sight to behold that is for sure!

On the homefront with my kids, Jay has had some ups and downs. Mostly downs. He desperately wants his mom back home with him. Nina, well, I haven't heard from her in a few days, but I can only assume that things are ok with her. I haven't heard from Savage either, but he's never been a phone dog to begin with and I figure he's doing well. :)

Back in April, two of my scrapping buddies, Heidi and Lee, and I talked about how we wanted to open up our own Christian message board, along with Deb, Lee's cousin. There was some silly talk among us about being another set of Charlie's Angels and Heidi's husband could be Charlie, but I don't think he was up for it! LOL We have been working tirelessly on it since then (I say we, but it was Lee who did most of the work!) and although we're still a work in progress, I'm excited to announce that Angels Wings and Crafty Things has launched and it's doors are open to anyone interested in visitng a Christian message board with a focus on scrapbooking, cardmaking and stamping.

I did do some scrapping thanks to the DT. I altered a tin and clip board for AW&CT. Hush though, I can't post it until November and I was dying to show it off, so I did post it here. *blush* I've also worked on a chipboard purse and accordion album from 7Gypsies with some of the DT stuff, but am not finished with it. Can't wait to show it to you once I am done though! Maybe in a couple of weeks or so.

Have I ever mentioned that I work from home for my employer? Most folks think, wow, how awesome, to get to work from home. Well, other than getting to work in my jammies, ;) it's not all it's cracked up to be. I'm a social person. I find myself talking to myself and no one to share my funny thoughts with. Add in the frustrations over jammed faxes and constantly replacing ink cartridges and it's just not what I thought it would be. But, hey, lucky me, I get to work from home! 8) Oh, and one of the things I discovered since working from home; Friday mornings are landscaping days. There's about a half hour of lawn mowers and blowers right outside my apartment windows. Yeah . . . lucky me!!!

Oh, and before I forget . . . fall has officially arrived in Albuquerque and I LOVE IT!! It's . . . well, only one word can describe it . . . WICKED AWESOME! Yeah, I know that's two words, but in New England, trust me on this one, it's considered ONE WORD! There's lots of sunshine and pleasant temps. I've developed bad allergies since arriving in Albuquerque and this tends to keep me indoors a lot, but I love my morning walks. I'm thinking the neighbors I used to see at the gym, when I was foolish enough to be using the treadmill, see me walking around and are thinking to themselves that I found out the treadmill does NOT work! YES, I did, thank you very much! Anyway, the temps have been in the 70s and if it weren't for my allergies, I could open my windows to let in a wonderful breeze. And, in case I haven't said this already . . . I LOVE IT!

I think that wraps up this past month. I've not done much, seen much or talked to anyone. :( But next month, now that I know I want to share it with you, I'll do more! LOL! But only if you promise to keep checking back to see how I've been keeping myself out of trouble. ;)

My Craft Space in New Hampshire

I miss so many things that are in New Hampshire. I miss my dog, Savage. I miss my kids. I miss the leaf-peeping. I miss my apartment. But the things I miss the most, are all in one little room. My craft space!

Altered Items

This is my first attempt at altering items. I did this for the Design Team at AW&CT. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed myself when doing this! I wish I had more of this paper and more things to alter! LOL! I love the colors of the paper.

For the clipboard, I cut out the roses from the Marzipan PP and crumbled it. I then flattened it back out and used the acrylic paint dabber to highlight the creases on the roses. I lightly sanded the edges of the clipboard and the Marzipan PP to give it a more weathered look. The clipboard photographed very brightly, but the PP and edges of the clipboard do look distressed in real life.

Basic Grey Lollipop Marzipan and Strawberry Jam and cutouts, Colorbox Scarlet and Pistachio pigment ink, Adirondack Brights Acrylic Paint Dabber - watermelon, ScrapGoods ribbons and stamp, EK staples, MM create clip
The tin was quite a challenge. Since this was my first attempt, I didn't know if there was a secret on how to get the paper on the top around the handle. So I did A LOT of measuring and clipping until I was sure that I could cut the paper and fit it in around the handle. It was quite a learning experience! I didn't know I was that patient! LOL! :)

Maya Road Coffee Break Tin, Basic Grey Lollipop Marzipan, Strawberry Jam and Cherry Pie and cutouts, ScrapGoods ribbons, Colorbox Scarlet pigment ink, Miss Elizabeth's brads

Fall

I miss New Hampshire's fall season. It is FINALLY starting to cool off in Albuquerque, but it cannot even begin to compare to the fall season I love up in New England. There are no golds, reds, oranges to be seen. I LOVE these colors!

Anyway, I roped myself into a fall swap over at AW&CT. I have been close to tears over this. All of my beloved scrapping things are up in NH; although, I had someone tell me that a true scrapper can make anything out of nothing. :( I guess I'm not a true scrapper! 8) Anyway, this is the first draft of the card. I had some help from Heidi! I did not think it looked like a fall card because of the colors. AND I spent WAY TOO much time looking at and critiquing it. So I had to get a second opinion and I followed some of her suggestions. I didn't follow all of them, only because it required purchasing more scrapping supplies that I refuse to buy cause I have them up in NH! LOL! I know, I know, vicious cycle. Anyway, what do you think? Does it make you think of fall?


Supplies: Bazzill cardstock, HOTP printed papers, Prima flower, ScrapGoods nailhead and ribbon, Rubber Stampede and Colorbox inks, Michael's acrylic stamps

Probably not, huh? Well, at least it should make you think that I am "thinking of you!"

Ready for Halloween?

This is a car advertisement from Great Britain. When they finished filming the ad, the film editor noticed something moving along the side of the car, like a ghostly white mist. They found out that a person had been killed a year earlier in that exact same spot. The ad was never put on TV because of the unexplained ghostly phenomenon. Watch the front end of the car closely as it clears the trees in the middle of the screen and you'll see the white mist crossing in front of the car then following it along the road....Spooky! Is it a ghost, or is it simply mist? You decide. If you listen to the ad, you'll even hear the cameraman whispering in the background about it near the end of the commercial. A little creepy but it seems to be authentic!

My First Love

My nephew, Fabian, has asked that I write another creative little story. I may have come across as a writer with some of my blogging. In all honesty, I am just creative! LOL! If it can be crafted, I'm gonna do it! I do write on occassion, because, well, I often have lots to say! :) But my first love, is paper crafting. Maybe I should have told Fabian I'm being heavily medicated these days and the can opener blog was inspired one day when I took some serious medication for pain AND was trying to open a can. LOL! But have faith, Fabian! I'm working on my 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' parody I send out every Christmas. And now and then, as I've written before, I do have things to say! But for now, I'm writing about my first creative outlet. The only reason I started blogging . . . really.

I am currently on an up and coming design team at AW&CT. We're just getting started over there, so there's not much to look at, but it's a place I can show off some of my artwork and the hope is that someday it will be productive. I was on another design team that started all of this. It was not the greatest experience, but it taught me so much about myself and my love for paper! :)

Today, I'm coming on here to share something with you. It started as an experiement. I was learning a new technique. I like new techniques. Reminds me that I am not all that I think I am at times! :) Anyway, I goofed the image and so I started layering things around it to maybe downplay the goof and no one would notice it. Of course, I point it out! :) I got kind of carried away with the layering and by the time I stopped, well . . . let's just say, I forced myself to stop! LOL! And this is what I ended up with.

Ranger embossing ink/powder, UTEE, Blockhead Stamps, Scrapgoods fibers and embellishments

I still have it. I've never given it to anyone. I guess cause everytime I look at it, I see my goof. :) Oh, I'm not unhappy with all my creations! Here's one that I absolutely love! I made it for a contest and can you believe that it did not win?! Cause I still can't believe it did not win!

Cardstock, Miss Elizabeth's PP and brads, Leaving Prints ribbons and chipboard, OTC alpha tags, MM charm, DSX floss, vellum, Whispers ink

Just to share something funny with you. I made this one for Valentine's Day and seriously considered sending it to my 87 yo mother! She's been a widow since 1983 and has had more boyfriends than I have since then! LOL! J/K! But don't tell anyone! She'd get really mad at me for saying something like that. Especially since it's not true! ;)

Cardstock, EK PP/metal, Wal-Mart ribbons, vintage button, DSX floss, StampCraft bronze ink.

Oh, I got off the subject there for a bit. Sorry, What made me start thinking about my cards is that there's a stamping company looking for a new design team. I immediately thought of my friend, Heidi and suggested to her that she should apply for it. I then remembered that when I grow up, I want to do something in the scrapping field. So, I'm contemplating applying myself. It's not whether I win or lose, but how I play the game, right? Yeah, right, whatever!

Before I leave, here's another experiment. I was learning to make tag books. All I will say is that this almost made me cry! Long story short, the paper is NOT supposed to be cut but folded into an accordion and I got the bright idea that I wanted each panel to be a different color and type of paper and so really, I brought the water works on myself without any help! :) My kids are in these tags and I just like to show them off. It's their graduation pics.

Cardstock, Stickopotamus stickers, EK fibers/PP/printed vellum, HOTP Family Quotes

Was the post what you anticipated? I think the title may have been misleading! LOL! :)