Carrots, Cats, Crab Soup & St. Patty's Day Cards!

Whew! I am worn out just thinking about all that!  It's been a BUSY but productive day in the Stamp Queen's kingdom today!  First up...I decided to work on the carrots I promised to make as Easter treats for the preschool director.  28 of them....and then some more will go to my husband's office for sale.  They are not embellished-but the carrots themselves are put together.  I had help, of course.  There was a little black rascally "rabbit" in the carrot patch--funny thing, tho-his ears are a little too short?! In the middle of carrot production (slowed by the keeper of the leaves--he decided that sitting on my "grass" was a good thing!),

 I had to run to the Oak Island Restaurant to try and get a bowl of this...the item on the RIGHT...they SOLD OUT yesterday before I could get any--they told me to be there when they opened at 11 this morning if I wanted to be sure to get some! The line was 3 deep at 11:10 and EVERYONE was ordering it!  It was nice of them to feature it--and I remembered to get pics of the restaurant, etc. and even got one of the blue ribbon winner sampling their version...the verdict? While their's was good...it was a little thin and my hubby thought the onion in it tasted a little burned.  Hmmm. I did have to pick through some crab shell as well but it was good.  The red pepper in it was just right so it had just enough "zing".

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Then since the mailman kindly brought my SO LUCKY Close to My Heart stamp set, I went to work on St. Patty's Day cards.  Here's what I came up with:

Maybe tomorrow I will try and post the pics with the inside of the cards! Blogger and my photo programs are fighting me tooth and nail. It's time for some refreshment and relaxation.  Maybe one of my many helpers will fetch and serve some for me...

somehow...I doubt it! Lol!

Until next time, happy stamping and scrapping! Blessings, Sharon

Beautiful...

Love is.  The newlyweds are only about to celebrate their first anniversary...and I am *just now* getting their wedding present done! Ahhh, well....as I've said before, let the celebration linger...Got the shadow box frame at Michaels, used the Wings Close to My Heart papers and the Find Your Style stamp set (butterfly, Beautiful, Love) and the Journey set (just the word "is" at the bottom). Of course I used Pop-Dots-in real life that butterfly is layered twice and looks like it's in flight!  And the photos are layered and pop-dotted as well to give them some extra dimension.  I had a heck of a time deciding what to do with the photos--I liked my page layout (several posts back)--but the "gap" in the middle of the smaller pictures didn't set well with me for the framed page.  I liked the "nip" in the corner of the photos that I created with my Stampin' Up punch (I think it's ticket corner?) and  I had put brads at the corners-but that was too much...sigh. What to do? I now had holes all over my base page from the brads!  I cut off the top portion, adhered it to another base sheet, and layed my photos out closer together. That's ALL it needed! Leave it alone, Sharon!  So I think it's ready for me to clean the glass one more time, adhere the page to the back of the frame and ship it off...

Gotta say a "thank you" here to Theresa. Yet again-she saved my sanity!  I think know I am going to go quite insane dealing with health issues and doctors and not getting "all the facts"---she and my husband deserve medals! I may make them some, too! It's all going to work out...it's all in His hands...they keep reminding me of that!  For now, I'd better go get ready for work!  Until next time, happy stamping and scrapping! Blessings, Sharon

God is good...

Ok.  So I threw a "Sharon fit" with Him last night.  And I put out a prayer request before that even.  You see, the test result (mid-Jan.) was "abnormal."  Need another test. Need another dr. to do another test. Hurry up and wait...only to have said test not happen as planned.  I am a Type-A personality. I worry.  I also buried a husband with cancer.  If something isn't right-I don't care that 99.9% of the time the second test is normal.  I want to KNOW and I want to know NOW.  So finding out the test wasn't going to happen tomorrow...that I was faced with another 2-month wait with that dr. (whom I knew nothing about)--and an even longer one with a highly-recommended physician....it was the last straw yesterday.  I lost it.  Totally.  Today...Linda, from my primary care physician's office, called.  I have an appointment in 2 weeks...with the physician I thought I was going to have to wait 3-4 months to see!  I don't know how she did it---but she did.  I am not sure what I will do to thank them--but I will do something! They listened.  They heard my frustration-not to mention fear-and acted on it.  And I am appreciative.  Particularly to those around me who interceeded on my behalf.  Prayer works!  Maybe now I can go finish that scrapbook page.  Right after I thank Him one more time.  Have you...counted your blessings today? Hmmm...until next time, happy stamping and srapping. Blessings, Sharon

BLUE RIBBON!

Yep, he brought home the BLUE RIBBON! Hands-down, no contest!

Even though they ran out of his soup before all the "testers" got to vote! 

I am so proud of him! Love my COOK--and yeah, I kissed him too!

Until next time, (burp) happy stamping and scrapping!

Blessings, Sharon 

Just gotta shear--uh SHARE...I Mean SHARE...!

Ok---so HOW CUTE are these???!! Not BAA---AAAD, Huh?! No, I cannot take credit for them! I did not make them and, after my attempt to make Betty Crocker Wannabe's marshmallow reindeer suckers that looked like psycho reindeer---I am not about to attempt the make these baaa-bies! All these puns on two sips coffee! I am bright-eyed and bushy-tailed today-more on that later. Baaaa-ck to the sheep... go check out this blog: http://fowlsinglefile.blogspot.com/2011/02/not-baaaad-for-sheep-cake-and-cupcakes.html and see the ADORABLE cake she made--along with the cupcakes.  Wish I had one to go with my coffee!  How did I happen on this site? Well, I happen to follow another blog -- Just A Girl at http://www.justagirlblog.com/.  Some days she posts thumbnails of things from other posts and, when I have time, I flip through to see what catches my eye and check them out.  That's how I happened on this one.  Ok-so now I want to take a cake decorating class, too. Right after the photography class....! Sigh.  Sometimes there's just not enough time...!

Speaking of time, I was wide awake at 4 AM--hubby had been up and I guess I was sleeping lightly as I woke up when he returned.  So I got up and something kept niggling at me to go and look at my goddaughter's scrapbook.  So I did. Lo and behold, in the back of the book, in a page protector where I've put some of the larger yet--to--be--scrapped photos I found this---opps-well, guess I won't share it afterall-the camera battery is exhausted! It's a pic of her standing next to a large "3"...yep, her 3-year old "official" photo...and what did I spend yesterday doing? Laying out the pics and papers I want to scrap with today--of her 3 year old birthday party! This is one of those GOD INCIDENT things I believe in! The page called for a 6x6 photo--I was going to use 3-2"x6" photos...now...I can turn that part into a little accordion book and have yet another interactive element to the page (already planning on using the CTMH Flip Flaps!)  So stay tuned later today. I'll charge the battery while I'm gone and post my efforts later on. Oh---and don't forget to stop back by and see what the outcome is on the CRAB SOUP entered in the SOUP OFF. Any Ocean View UMC readers---yep, it's BY FAR the best you're going to taste today! Shameless, I know. Plugging for votes! Well, I think the ladies would appreciate my having a shower and fixing my hair so off I go. I'll be baaaa-acccck but, until then,  happy stamping and scrapping! Blessings, Sharon

Crabby!

No-not me!  The SOUP my darling husband made as an entry for our church's annual Soup Off tomorrow!  I LOVE LOVE LOVE...this soup! If gall bladder surgery means I can go back to eating it---well, it would be worth it!  We found crab soup at a restaurant in Kilmarnock, VA that was awesome. My dh, a great cook, through trial and error, replicated it! In fact, I think it's even better than what we had there! It's even WHEAT and GLUTEN FREE (and I KNOW their's wasn't!)

Anyway-- I don't *know* if the submissions needed labels or not-but he has 'em!  The crab stamp is by Stamp It! and is one of my favorite! I used Publisher's word art to do the crab. Embossed the base with a Cuttlebug "bubble" folder. The ink is called spring iris and is CTMH.  Of course the crab is pop-dotted and I like the way it looks like he's holding the sign in his claw! I'm sure tomorrow I will be posting the blue ribbon (or whatever it is!) he'll win---oh, and if you live close to Oak Island, we're told that the Sub Shop on the island will be featuring the winning soup on Friday and Saturday! Here's hoping that BLUE CRAB = BLUE RIBBON!

Tomorrow...I am off the library to stamp and scrap.  The same dh brought me home photo paper at lunch time so I was able to finish prepping not one but TWO layouts to work on! And, being the over-achiever I am, I am thinking about the THIRD project to prep! I think, instead, it's time to read and relax-perhaps a rum drink!

Until next time, happy stamping and scrapping! Blessings, Sharon