Happy Friday Hodge Podge Post!

Hi all.  Thursday is actually my "Friday"---and I LOVE having a 3-day week-end!  I am soooo spoiled but, I am the (Stamp) Queen, afterall! Lol!  There's soooo much I want to do today--this week-end... so let's get started. What I REALLY REALLY want...are the goodies I ordered from Close to My Heart yesterday-but they won't be here until the first of the week.  You see, last week I got the petal die from Theresa (and, for the record-she did not open mine and play with it--even though I encouraged her to do so--even though her's is on back order...she waited until my pain subsided and I could come and play to actually try it...) Anyway-while we were playing with it she mentioned what a cute CARROT it would make...and this is what she came up with....!  ISN'T IT ADORABLE???!!!!  Visit Theresa's blog at http://artful-whimsies.blogspot.com/ to see more of her great work.  And--ya know, take a minute to leave a comment on the blogs you visit--we really appreciate the "kudos"--share the sites with friends and become "followers".  It's a great way to get new ideas, find out about new products AND-it makes all the time and effort we put into posting (and trust me, if you've worked with Blogger---it can be an effort! One post...can easily take an hour between writing, photos, etc.)--worth it.  Back to the carrots-- am going to make at least 28 of these for the preschool director to give to the kids (she made me feel guilty-I will do something else for them from me...!) and I am anxious to get started on them!

Then, I want to use these pics on a page for the BIRTHDAY GIRL--Theresa's daughter, Theresa (aka "TT") turned 17 on Wed. so at our "groupie gathering" on Tuesday we had a cake to celebrate.  That's my goddaughter, Maren, helping her blow out the candles.  I had a cute idea for a card-but never got that far (gall bladder pain lasts long after the actual attack!)--so I am thinking of doing a page...I may wait to add the photos and finish it until after the photography class I want to take --I KNOW there's a way to remove the glass from in front of the cake---and tweak a few other things-I am just not that proficient (yet!) in photo editing or sure what program I even need to use... I also want to try some coffee filter flowers that I saw on Teresa Black's Fabulously Artsy blog that would look good on the page I have in mind for the birthday girl.

THEN...as if all that isn't enough...I am anxious to scrap these pictures into a new layout that I want to try-for the next groupie class I will be teaching ...I just happened to have princess paper and the little blocks with the different princesses are the exact size I need of DP for the pieces of the layout! GO ME! So that may be

tomorrow morning's project! I LOVE the CLOSE TO MY HEART BOOKS-Magic, Reflections, Cherish--they give you LAYOUT IDEAS, OPTIONS, CUTTING PATTERNS...it doesn't get any simpler than that! Visit my CTMH site---http://okistampqueen.myctmh.com/ to check them out! 

AND...if that's not enough to do---I STILL need to clean the magic kingdom in there. I have AWESOME cleaning ladies--I don't tap into them often, but when I lost the entire week-end last week and still felt bad the first of the week, they stepped up and cleaned up for me!  So the rest of the house just needs a "swish and a swipe"--so I *SHOULD* be able to concentrate on the craft room-aka magic kingdom-which is always last on the list---and hence never really gets DONE.

For now, its time to get out of my pjs, get another cup of coffee and get moving!  I will post projects as I finish them...not sure when...but I will! Until next time, happy stamping and scrapping! Blessings, Sharon

I Followed the Recipe...

Good morning all!  "The boys" had me up bright and early and so I decided to sit here in my jammies with my coffee and do some blog-hopping before church.  I checked Catered Crop--www.cateredcrop.com by Linda McClain (turn your sound on if you go to her site---how CUTE is that?!)--and realized I had a card in my "stash" that would work PERFECTLY for this week's recipe! Some of the "ingredients" I needed were:

cooking/kitchen themed stamps-check

color--used my Sharpies!

theme-cooking--check again (that background is perfect, eh?!)

shapes--she said squares--I have lots of circles--feel like I go around in circles with hormone issues!)

So here's a few pics of what I served up...



Didja see the egg splatters? It looks like she may have "lost it" while looking for her hormones! I feel her pain! Lol!  I hope I win!! That's it for now. Time to go get ready for worship. It's a beautiful day out--I hope to get out and enjoy it a little bit! Until next time, happy stamping and scrapping! Blessings, Sharon

Dilemma of the day....

SOLVED~!  So--we all know how Theresa and I feel about Tim Holtz stuff---but---when I saw the filmstrip die and I had a 40-50% off coupon...well, it had to come home.  At least I know his dies (usually) work.  This one has some weird clips and cuts in it---in other words it's not symmetrical ---but I can live with it since it was less than $ 10!  But then...I went to cut it.  Here's the dilemma:  while I have the extended cutting pads for the Big Shot...the base is only well, small?! So now what do I do?  Of course, it's next to impossible to hold it all together, run it 1/2 way through and then flip it around...without it all slipping (I know, I tried-I failed).  But then I had a light bulb moment! Solution? Double-stick tape! Making sure it was on the outer edges of the the die--I put down 3-4 small pieces, layered my paper on top, put all that together in it's proper sandwich layout, and ran it through, flipped it around, and ran it the rest of the way. Presto! A long cut out even though my Big Shot base is much smaller!  Maybe ya'll knew this trick already-maybe not. For me--I thought it was worth sharing!

Back to it. Until next time, happy stamping and scrapping! Blessings, Sharon

It doesn't pay to cheat!

Hi all.  Sorry there's nothing new to post today--at least not yet. That may (hopefully) change before the week-end is out.  Between "nibbling" on Valentine chocolate and eating at a Chinese buffet not once but twice this week...(at which I cannot resist the seafood casseroles (with cheese...) and crab rangoons (sp?--again, more cheese)...and some extra stress...I suffered with a 7-hr. long gall bladder attack Wed. night. So not fun!  It finally subsided around 9 yesterday morning but by then I was too sore and worn out to do anything other than sit on the sofa with the heating pad.  Hubby was a great nurse-fixed my lunch and supper (even though he fixed two since I wasn't going to upset the apple cart again and went bland and light!) as well as picking up a pain Rx and bringing me juice.  Ahhh...high price to pay for being pampered but it was nice!  Today I feel MUCH BETTER and while I LOVE cheese and chocolate...I think I've learned that MODERATION--a little with a lot of time in between (as with all my other food allergies!)-- is the only way to go. 

It's a pretty day here-sun is out-may even warm up a bit. The daffodils and jonquils are budding up and we've already enjoyed a few crocus.  And,Theresa has new Stampin' Up stuff for me! Including the new whatever that CUTE little triangular hanging pouch thingy is---! IT'S ADORABLE is all I can say! And my friend, whose cute little triangular hanging pouch thingy die didn't come it--it was back ordered...was patiently sitting there with mine all wrapped up...looking at it...and, since we're so much alike I can safely say she was probably doing some drooling---and me, being the good friend I am (!), told her to GO FOR IT--rip that package open and try it out for crying out loud! It was ok to play with my toys!  What are friends for, anyway?! I was an only child. My mother sent me to Sunday School so I would learn how to share! Lol!  So--I'm sharing! Hopefully she did what I told her...and will have a few made up when I go to pick the stuff up.  For now, I am off for a coffee refill and some housework!  Until next time, happy stamping and scrapping! Blessings, Sharon

"Armed" and dangerous...!

 If you consider a TAPE GUN dangerous! Lol.  Sometime back I purchased a tape gun from THE Stamp Queen.  It was "new" to me--and while I loved the large capacity--the threading and ungunking was a real pain.  So yesterday, after my 1 hr. drive to town to have blood work done---FASTING blood work--translate: NO COFFEE--thank God Theresa went with me--I don't think I could have stood it by myself!-we went and played. It was a girls day out.  We hit AC Moore (which was pointless-it's sadly becoming a mish-mosh of junky stuff), Michaels (OHMYGOSH~! What BEAUTIFUL spring things they had!), the health food store (I am allergic to wheat so had to stock up on special breads, crackers, etc. that can only be found there), and then had lunch on the way home at Peking Buffet.  Yum!  ANYWAY--I digress: while at Michaels I got a Scotch Tape Gun....this is what the reverse side looked like.  Note the PAST TENSE....!

It was a steal with my 50% off coupon! GO ME!  It was a bit tricky to open the first time--but loading the tape, even though it's a wrap this here, loop that there...it wasn't too hard.  Easier than the old one.  Then I hit the embellishments aisle  because, well, even though it's at least a pretty pink...you can tell a man designed it and the Stamp Queen needed some serious BLING!  I found crystal embellishments by Reflections (more on that later) and alpha stickers by Me & My Big Ideas---all for $ 1!!!  That name brand label had to go.  It took a lot of patience and even more Goof Off--but it came off!  Then it was time to embellish!  Now, I've used crystal "appliques" before-and some of them were so flimsy that once it was actually placed on the paper well, it was cattywhampus to say the least!  These-by REFLECTIONS-are AWESOME! I placed, removed, replaced...SEVERAL TIMES! They held their shape, the crystals stayed stuck and they are FIRMLY adhered to the tape gun.  While I thought the alpha stickers were vellum rub ons, they actually show up much better with white background so that was another plus!

Typically, I tie a pretty ribbon around my tools so they are easy-peasy to spot on a table during class, crops, etc.  A ribbon on this would interfere with the "trigger" and well, we can't have that. I'd say the stickers and crystals will help me locate MY GUN anyway! I mean, is there ANY DOUBT whose this is?! Lol! Oh-and then there's "ammo"!  It comes with not one but TWO rolls of tape...and I can easily pick up more at Michaels when I am in town. No more internet ordering and shipping costs.  The purchase of this tool also helps support the Susan G. Komen for the Cure.  The box says, "From 2010 to 2011, with each product purchased, 3M will donate $ 1.20 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure with a minimum of $ 25,000.00."! SO-the Stamp Queen is also supporting the ta-ta's!  I gotta say--you're gonna have to practice a little bit to get the feel of this "weapon"...just like a real gun (I shot a real gun for the first time this year. While I couldn't do the smiley face on the target like my step-son, I at least HIT the target! And I will practice some more...) or any other new tool, ya gotta practice.  See, my type-a personality gets me in trouble: I *should* be able to use it/do it PERFECTLY...the first and every time! Learning...to go a little easier on myself!  Once I got the feel for it, the angle right...it worked fine.  I am happy with it. I like the glam!  It's fit for a Queen. The Stamp Queen! Oh-and the new magazine I got yesterday says:

Princesses QUEENS wear crowns to remind them that they are smart and beautiful

because some days it's easy to forget.

I like that. A lot.  Off to polish my tiara and admire my glammed atg GUN and feed the boys! Until next time, happy stamping and scrapping! Blessings, Sharon



Our Love is...

Happy Valentine's Day!  I am *SCHEDULING!* this for the very first minute of Valentine's Day---hopefully--it will happen "on it's own!  Let me start by saying that, three years ago on this special day, my husband proposed!  We had been together for some time and, if truth be told, we were going through a difficult time at that point.  He took me out to dinner at the resturant we had one of our first dates at and, after eating, he asked me to marry him as he plopped the black velvet box on top of the take out box sitting on the table! Lol! He was so nervous, bless his heart!  A marriage takes work-lots of work.  But, like anything, if you work at it...it's wonderful. This was a second marriage for both of us-I was a widow and he a divorcee, so we were approaching things from two very different perspectives.  We've been through tough times, before and after...but we keep working at it.  And it keeps getting better.  This photo was taken last summer at my step-son's wedding reception.  I think the smile on my face says a lot...and is a reminder...of what a heart can sometime forget.  Enough preaching!  Here's what I came up with for this years Valentine...

This is the front...I accidently created this...!  I managed to get a black smudge on the right edge-and had to trim part of the card base off...then I got the idea of attaching the little fold-over panel...it juts a little off the side (it's attached to the backside of the back panel...) and fold over the front...so to open the card... you move the rosette piece...and today, when I opened it, I decided that the inside of the flip panel didn't look finished...see what I mean?  Scroll down...

(Before tweaking...)

(after tweaking!)

and doesn't this look MUCH BETTER?!  I tried to post a close up of the "V"--it's a cherub with the filgree "V" from the Close to My Heart Wings paper collection...it keeps uploading and posting it sideways! Oh well!  All the stamps, papers & inks are Close to My Heart---great for Valentine's Day, huh?! Visit my site: mailto:www.okistampqueen@myctmh.com to order your stamping and scrapbooking supplies!

I also had to post this picture:

Our "Poppa Cat" has taken to lying underneath my Hoosier (old-tyme kitchen hutch)!  There is a heat vent under there and let me tell you--it get's TOASTY WARM!  I've been tempted---oh so tempted!---to crawl under there as well.  There's a scrapbook paper (not CTMH~!) that shows the Wicked Witch's striped stockings and shoes from the Wizard of Oz!  It cracks me up to see this---and that paper is going to make an AWESOME page! Lol.  

Whatever you do---spread some LOVE today---particularly to those who may be missing loved ones, are alone or shut-in.  And, as always, until next time, happy stamping and scrapping! Blessings, Sharon