Hello to Fall

I can't believe it has been as long as it has. So much has happened...can't possibly tell you everything, but I think one of the happiest notes is that my Brother and his family just adopted a beautiful dog from the Green Co. Humane Society, Chloe. I'm so in love with her and my heart just explodes with joy. Isn't she adorable, not that I'm a proud Auntie.

What else, I am still very much in love with my wonderful husband. We celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary this June. I just can't believe it has been that long...We have been together since I was 15 and he 16, life moves so quickly.

I continue to consider myself profoundly fortunate to have fantastic parents, parents-in-law and family in general (Aunt, Brother & family, SIL). Ok, I'm extremely emotional right now, not sure why.

Ok, I haven't been stamping or scrapping in forever. When I learned that Jeff (husband) was laid off I gave it up in an effort to save money. So since May, I've been trying not to be tempted by all the fun new stuff. So instead, I focused on my gardens. They were so beautiful this summer, except for those darn Japanese Beetles! They loved chewing on many of my cannas, roses, zinnias, ahhhh heck almost any of my flowers. Despite their best efforts, the flowers still put on an amazing show. I've attached some pictures for your enjoyment.

Back in the Land of the Living

I got socked with the intestinal flu--yuck!

Oh what a miserable weekend. Starting on Thursday evening, only after being fine all day, I was completely down with this thing "that has been going around". Today is the first day that I've even been able to sit-up for any amount of time, miserable. I mentioned the other day that I would post pictures, well I was a little delayed, but here they are.

If you remember I mentioned going to a stamping night with a colleague from work and her friends. It was here that I met some great women with so much talent! They were kind enough to share their thoughts, ideas and even some supplies. It was wonderful getting inspired from so much talent. Well, I got this first page almost done in the 5 hours that we were there--lol.

This is a part of my recently begun heritage scrapbook regarding my Mom's family. This page actually contains my Grandparent's vows, their license and their guestbook. There is a letter in the envelope where my Grandmother asks her previous minister to oversee her marriage, he had moved away. What a wonderful thing to still have.

I came home and continued to work on the layout and came up with the second page.

I loved the pictures of my Grandparents. My Grandmother was always the more serious and less "public" one. She also kept things that were important to her, like this clipping from the news paper announcing her wedding and describing it. It turns out that my Grandmother was the daughter of a businessman in Beloit, WI so she had an image to keep. My Grandparents were married for over 50 years. I was actually a part of their 50th Wedding Anniversary--they were beautiful!

I also made this pretty card holder to enter into the contest the hostess was having.

Supplies

Paper: Various cardstock (two shades of violet, vanilla and white) dbp from Provo craft

Stamps: All from Club Scrap

Ink: Palette Grey and SU! ink too

Extras: Spellbinders scallopped circle die, lilac and black fun foam, silver brad, glimmer chalk from Pebbles, Dew Drops (on little butterflies bodies, hard to see) and ribbons.

So this was Friday, then on Sunday I went to a woman's home for what I thought was going to be a few hours of working on the creation of the flower that I posted earlier. She, like I, is a visual learner and wanted to walk through it together. Well what was going to be a few hours turned into a lovely day, including a wonderful lunch, with she and a friend of hers. What we learned about creating these flowers is that you have to have the big scalloped circle die from Spellbinders, it makes all the difference.

It is so nice to meet new, kind people who also love to stamp!

Chat later,

Kerry

New Friends

I had the most wonderful weekend last weekend. A colleague invited me to go with her to an all night stamping/scrapping event. It was wonderful to spend time with her outside of work and to meet some amazing people. These ladies are so creative and just lovely people. We mostly talked, but with their guidance I was able to almost complete a whole scrapbook page. This for me is a big deal, because I haven't scrapped in over a year. Then on Sunday I spent the afternoon with two other lovely women.

I had met a lovely lady last summer when she and a friend stopped by during my stamping/scrapbooking garage sale. Her name was Lu Ann and she contacted me a week ago after she had visited my blog and wanted to get together to create the flower I made using my Nestabilities. What a wonderful surprise to know that she had been keeping track of my blog all this time.

So I went over to her home thinking I was going to simply show her how I did it and then come home. She has the most wonderful studio, literally filled with all the great stuff needed to be creative. She had also invited another friend, Roxy, to join us and learn. So there we sat, Cuttlebugs at the ready...it was wonderful. These ladies are both fantastic! Lu Ann went a step further, she had lunch ready for us which was totally unexpected!

After we got done playing with the flower, Lu Ann showed Roxy and I how the Cricut works. Roxy is thinking about buying one and wanted to see it at work. I never wanted a Cricut, but boy is it awesome! I realized that it is capable of a great deal more than I knew.

So now, I feel so fortunate to have met so many wonderful people who share my same passions. I'll post pictures of recent creations tomorrow.

Need It...

...ok I don't Need it, but I want it so I think you should too--smile.

I'm going to be placing an order for Bazzill cardstock and other stamping scrapping stuff. If you are interested let me know and I will add your list to mine. Simply contact me with what you are looking for and I will follow-up with the price. I don't think you will be disappointed.

See you all soon!

Floral Card

Just playing today as I'm recovering from one of my migraines (day #4). Feeling better though so I thought "I'll clean house a little and then rest a little and then play a little." So I went out searching for inspiration, needing a lot of that recently. Wonder if anyone else goes through these long bouts of just not being inspired? I'm not thrilled with it at all, just lacking something. I wonder if my colors are wrong, stamp is wrong...

Supplies

Stamp: Club Scrap Desert Blossom (I think that was the kit name)

Ink: Palette Bordeaux and Moulin Rouge and Brilliance Pearlescent Crimson

Paper: Basic Grey Perhaps and Bazzill (blue/teal and buttery yellow)

Other: Fiber (this fiber is going into a swap I'm participating in with the Inky Fun Stamper Yahoo Group--great group), embroidered medallion, a chipboard flower and a bit of bling.

My source of inspiration was from You Tube Stamping With Heather, see below. Very cute set that she used.

Birthdays in January

This afternoon I was busy creating a couple of Birthday cards for colleagues at work. I used the tutorial described by Linda at After Midnight Art Stamps. It is just wonderful and has so much potential! Please check this out when you can. Keep in mind that it is a 2 part tutorial (I've only provided the link to the first part.)

Linda does such a wonderful job of explaining the process. Enough so that even Iwas able to follow--smile. If you aren't sure how to use the Nestabilities in your Cuttlebug, which is what I used, it is pretty easy. Place the following in order from bottom to top: "A" plate, "C" plate, cardstock, Netabilities die and lastly (on top) a "B" plate. In Linda's video she also states having put her cardstock through one of the Cuttlebug Folders first. For my projects I did not. She also mentions using two-sided cardstock. Again, I chose not to instead I simply used the "direct to paper" technique to add interest to the backside of my paper.

Rather than make a tag like Linda describes doing I made this card for a friend at work. Never mind the fact that it is a little belated...sorry Sue! I had fun with this and found that I just could stop from adding "just a little more" every time I looked it over.

Supplies:

Paper: creamy, pearlized, textured paper (flower petals) pink plaid bg paper, banana yellow cardstock (Of course I don't know where, or from what companies any of this came from, just found it in my stash--sorry!)
Stamps: Squiggle Ladybugs (TAC)
Ink: Eggplant from SU!
Other: Pre-made tag, flower, sequin, fuschia colored glitter glue (Hard to see, but I put a little along some of the scalloped edges around the whole flower. Not too much though because I didn't want to detrack from the pearlized paper.) and large glue dots just like Linda recommends.

I had so much fun with this one, I couldn't help myself but make another, but with a twist.


After enduring -26F degree weather for the last four days I guess I needed somthing spring-like. So with today's "thaw" (all of 20F degrees), I made this fun card.

Supplies
Paper: Banana yellow cs, pink plaid and speckled ivory (again, I am sorry, but I have no idea about companies)
Ink: Eggplant, SU!
Stamp: Foam, large Dragonfly stamp from Michaels (this stamp is really large, measures at least 3 - 4" long and almost as wide)
Other: "Happy" sticker and yellow glass paint (on abdomen and wing edges so they look shiny)

Instead of making 8 petals (like the flower) I simply used 4 to make the wings. It was so much fun and added such wonderful dimension.

Hope you enjoy and I hope to see you soon!
Kerry

Sharing a New Year's Wish

Happy New Year!

We welcomed in the New Year with another medical surprise with my father (he is better now though). As I was anxiously waiting to hear how he was doing I worked on New Year's cards since I didn't get any Christmas cards out.

Jeff, my wonderful husband, took a picture of some ornaments that we put out on our blue spruce trees during the winter of 2008. The weather was just perfect winter weather and that included a light frost that encased the fragile ornaments. They just dripped with extra glitter, it was so peaceful. Jeff captured the look so perfectly. So of course they had to be shared with friends and family. I just hope I was able to enhance their substantial beauty.

I created the cards and sent them out with my New Year's wish that my parents would stay healthy, that my family and friends would know of the love I hold in my heart for each of them and that things in this gigantic world will only improve.

I hope to see you here again.

Kerry