Happy National Scrapbooking Day

Hope everyone is stamping and scrapping their hearts out today.

Despite everything,

even I went in the "magic kingdom" and played today.

I will get to that in a minute.

 

Speaking of minutes,

I was early to an appointment a few weeks back

and stopped in a little shop I like to poke in

and found this...

 

It was--bright yellow.

I wanted it to match some other things in my bedroom

so I painted it.

Once upon a time bird feeder

is now repurposed as a book holder

for my daily devotional books!

I am still debating whether to add some white rope as "handles"

where those holes are

or fill them in altogether.

A decision for another day.

 

So.

Among 1,001 other things

I have been down with a numb shoulder/arm/hand.

Not fun.

A friend of mine/former co-worker

MASSAGE THERAPIST

came to my rescue last week-end.

I called her and not only was she on the island-

she made a house call!

AND

she would not let me pay her!

"That's what friends are for!"

She did alleviate the pain

and I got feeling back in 3 out of five fingers.

She came again Wed. morning and worked some more.

Whatever it is does not want to go away!

But I am so grateful for Linda and the relief she gave me

I decided to make her a thank you card

and celebrate National Scrapbooking Day at the same time.

 

Sometimes I even surprise myself-and this one sure did!

Lots of colors and patterns and somewhat out of the box for me

but I absolutely LOVE IT!

(a bit biased maybe!)



The image is Mo's Digital Pencil "Pool Party".

I colored it with Copics and used to designer paper.

Are you ready for the surprise?

This is actually an easel card-on a card!

Lots of pop dots!

 And here she s standing up...

I used an ancient CTMH stamp set for the life saver

and the turtle is from another CTMH set along with the "you're a" sentiment.

Now--I wanted a "watery" effect

and my first thought was---Crystal Effects.

But

I didn't want to wait that long for it to dry!

So I thought again---

and somehow came up with Ultra Thick Embossing Powder!

One layer was all it took!

I heated it just until it was barely melted

to give it the water droplet look

vs. a smooth finish.

I just liked it better.

I added what I call my "beachy beads" for sand--

which are simply 2/3 gold and 1/3 silver microbeads mixed together.

I use Crystal Effects to adhere them.

And here came the problem.

Remember when I said I didn't want to wait for it to dry?

Well, I didn't.

UGH!

After putting it all together I realized I had a smudge

from where I inevitably stuck my finger in the wet CE.

But, as any seasoned scrapper/stamper knows,

there are NO MISTAKES in stamping/scrapbooking

only OPPORTUNITIES for EMBELLISHMENT.

See that little turtle on the left?

Cute isn't he?

Can't tell he's covering up my boo-boo huh?!

Really-I planned it that way all along! ; )

Now all of this is mounted on a regular card base

so I have room to write a message!

That's one of my pet peeves with the "traditional" easel cards-

not much room to write.

 

And in case you are wondering how I did it

with the center stand up...

 

then click here to visit Julie Davison's blog

I tweaked it in that instead of leaving the two side panels-I cut them off.

I adhered a full piece (5 1/2" x 4 1/4" dp to the remaining flap.

Once my top of my card was complete,

I then adhered it to the front of another card base.

Clear as mud, huh?!

You'll figure it out!



 

That's it for now.

I hope to make her a set of notecards--we'll see.

Next week is going to be crazy----

Bad Cat AND Inky have vet appointments

in the same day

and then we have another appointment later in the week

I am worn out thinking about it.

 

Until next time,

happy stamping and scrapping!
Blessings,

 



Hello Tweety!

A few weeks  back my friend Theresa and I did a craft show together.

We lugged lots of stuff across God's green acres.

And it rained. A lot.

My fibromyalgia was raging

so I was a good girl (I thought)

and went to bed with a good book.

For two weeks now

my left shoulder, arm and hand have been numb

(I think the tables, the stock, and holding the big book in my left hand

did me in...yes, I am checking on getting a Kindle!)

I have a friend who is a massage therapist

who thankfully is NOT retiring like I had heard

and she made a house call this morning.

I am to rest and ice.  A lot. And do some gentle stretches.

And getting an x-ray was also suggested.

Bummers.

 

But I did create some cards yesterday

its kinda hard tying bows with three numb fingers

but I did it!

I cannot take credit for the design--

I cased it from

Dawn's Stamping Studio

and just tweaked it a bit.

 

The stamp set I used was Hello Tweety from Close to My Heart

A set I love but really hadn't used-until now!

The paper is crystal blue

and the ink color is called slate--

the case shows is as a gray color

but when stamped out it has a much greener tint to it?

Can't swear its not a defective one--appears to me it is...

but it looked good with the other papers so I went with it.

 

I was taught from the get-go that there should be

no naked mail--so of course I stamped the envelopes too

both sides of them!

The birdcage is on the address side....

 

and the birds on a wire are on the back (return address) side...

 

I left the insides blank

so I can stamp them as needed with the appropriate sentiments

 

I had made a few for thank you notes for birthday gifts

and just decided that since I had everything out anyway-

why not make a dozen to have on hand?

So I did.

I'd really like to do more of this-even have some sets made up

to package and give as gifts.

 

This guy (aka Bad Cat)

has been taking up a lot of my scarce spare time.

We learned this week

he has high blood pressure on top of all his other issues.

God help me!

So now he's on BP medicine.

The good news is-if it works and the BP comes down

there is a chance that the kidney function #'s will improve

and we won't need to give him iv fluids!

But until that happens-

Momma gets to cart him to the vet once a week for bp checks.

They did make a house call for us

hoping it would be better here at home-but it wasn't.

Sigh.

I gotta say though

I am seeing improvement in him.

He's been a lot more vocal (not a good thing at 4 AM!),

more active, more wanting to interact with us.

He wants to sit in my lap a whole lot more

so I think it's his way of saying thank you

for forcing so many meds into him.

They know a lot more than we give them credit for.

 

 

This guy (aka Inky aka the baby...)

 

has stopped looking for Ms. Dolly.

We've tried to pay him a whole lot more attention

and it seems to be helping.

He goes for a check up early next month.

PLEASE pray that he gets a clean bill of health!

 

And this guy (aka Poppa Cat)

is still struggling with diabetes.

We cannot seem to get his blood sugar regulated as easily this time as

we did the first go-round.

Had to laugh-the vet tech that came the other evening

could not get over how calm and relaxed PC really is!

He is a TERROR at the vet's office!

 

 

Well, I've worn out my ice pack.

Time to do some stretches and replenish the pack.

 

Until next time,

happy stamping and scrapping.

Blessings,





Easter Treats for My Peeps...

It's been a busy, stressful, frustrating couple of weeks.

 

I spent last week-end with my friend Theresa

doing a craft show at a local Catholic church.

The first time-and last--for us.

It was of course the one time I didn't take our hand-truck

and we got there only to realize we literally had to drag things

across God's green acres to get to the hall.

This included her heavy tables.

 We made it-but we spent most of Saturday and all of Sunday morning

looking at the other vendors

who were sitting around looking at us.

Last year-it was a well-attended show.

We bought from several vendors.

This year-I barely made my table rent back

and I am not sure that Theresa even did that much!

And, once again, we had the better "booths".

I was in such pain by Sunday morning

both Theresa and my husband offered to sit with my stuff

and bring it all home but I toughed it out.

Monday I was in extreme pain but, being a church secretary,

with Easter week by far my busiest week of all year,

I went to work anyway.

Mistake # 2.

For 7 months I've been waiting for a new computer and software

all the while saying---it needs to happen BEFORE April or AFTER MAY.

Three guesses what was on my desk when I walked in on Monday?

One laptop, (another) my monitor and a chaos of cords.

Of course it (software) had all been updated and changed since 2007

so nothing was familiar.

 I had a complete meltdown. I had to leave.

It took me 2 hours (a couple of Xanax) and lots of tears before I calmed down.

I made it through the week-barely.

 

My highlight

was giving treats to "my peeps"--aka the preschool kids at the church.

Since Sat. had been so slow-Sun. I took my candy, bags and tags

and put the treats together.

My original plan was to give them a bag with 3 Peep bunnies in it.

That was until I opened the first 2 packages only to find that they

were all stuck to the back of the package!  What a mess!
Freezing them didn't help.

So I went to Plan B--my fail safe-mini M&M's.

The packages were adorable!!!

 

 

Of course I made 30+ tags (hand-cut with the Big Shot),

popped up the bunnies--and then thought about the fact that

I had not stamped Happy Easter to my peeps on them

or identified who they were from

(something I always like to do as I am not one of the kids teachers--and

as a parent, I would want to know who and where candy came from!)

So I hand cut 30+ more and attached them together at the top.

Added the raffia bow-and put them on the bags.

 

Of course I didn't take a photo of all of them-

and I had an assistant when I did my photo shoot today...

 

a little black bunny

 

I think they look good, Momma....

OK-I am bored-are we done yet...

 

I am posting the next picture for Theresa...

her Maltese Shit-zu mix puppy chewed up some starfish

she had displayed with some other shells...

 

This guy---has eaten this poor plant down to nothing---

it originally looked like a small fern-y type palm tree to me

(not to worry-I took the list of plants that are poisonous to cats

with me when I bought it...for this very reason!)

now look at it!!!

 

 

 

Lastly last week...while trying to get ready for the show.this guy

 

aka Bad Cat (seen here sitting in the box with my catnip fishing poles!)

had a trip to the vet.

He had not been acting right (laying down like it hurt to do that...),

not eating well...

and I knew we had had high count for but no lymphoma yet

back in January

so my heart skipped a few beats when the vet checked him

and said she did not think he was constipated-

could she do lab work and an x-ray.

THANKYOUJESUS

was all I could say

she came back through the door and said she had been wrong!

So--Momma (and Poppa while Momma was at the show...)

were on poop patrol-and he was confined to one half of the house.

Which he did not like-and did not hesitate to make that fact known!

LOUDLY!

Good news is---he has improved and his tests show

that the hyperthyroid treatment he had in January worked.

The bad news is---

he is in early stage chronic kidney failure.

So yesterday afternoon Poppa and I took him back to the vet

and we had a lesson in how to give him fluids via iv.

Mind you-this is the cat who is the worlds best patient

for the vet and vet techs.

For us-not so much!

So this is going to be a challenge!

More meds--now fluids.

After getting some yesterday-he did eat well.

Oh-and his blood pressure was up.

So--the vet and a tech are going to make 2-3 house calls

(not until AFTER my cleaning lady comes!!!)

to see if they can get a better and more accurate reading

while he is relaxed in his own environment.

(Did I mention--his brother-aka Poppa Cat---

broke the bp machine when he was at the vets office!!!)

And they have to shave a little area by his tail

and then use an ultrasound type gel to do this

no wonder he is stressing! Lol! I would, too!

 

So-that is it for me.

I have a pinched nerve and muscle in my left shoulder

and have had a numb arm and hand all week.

Two chiropractic adjustments failed to help.

Just a little bit of stress, I dare say!

 

I also had a birthday-and need to make some thank you notes to send

so be on the look out for  those.

 

Until then, have a blessed and HAPPY EASTER!

Until next time,

happy stamping and scrapping!

Blessings,

 

 



Many Thanks...

When we lost our girl a couple of weeks back

I wanted to thank our vet and her staff

for making a difficult time as painless as they possibly could.

I had a coworker contact a local bakery

and they, on short notice, made a beautiful batch

of cupcakes for me to take to the office.

For locals,

check out Crazy Cake Chics and,

if you are looking for the best vet and staff ever,

River Road Animal Hospital and Dr. Ali Travis.

 

So---

I needed several different thank you notes...

 

for the bakery bunch...

 

The card is cut with one of the Close to My Heart cartridges

and then dry embossed the thanks part with the swiss dot

 

lots of layer....and a doily!

 

and the inside...

 

For the vet and her staff...

 

the vet tech was Brad---so I needed something well,

guyish...is that a word

my keyboard is acting wonky again--cannot get the right symbols to come up...

the blues, browns, corrugated cardstock

and the burlap did it---a few brads for BRAD as well...!

Could not resist the pun...

 For Dr. Travis...

 

And then the rest of the staff...

 

The last two I have a now-dwindling stash of---

comes in handy when time is short...and I need something fast!

I do not often take time to do more than one of something...

but once the design is created and all the stuff is out anyway...

why not

 

That's it for now---

for my follower who likes Bad Cat stories---lol.

I will try to share more of those.

Tonight

I stopped in the middle of my dinner

to check on the diabetic cat who was eating his in another room...

and had walked out...

my husband brought him back to me

and while he was gone...

BAD CAT

took the chicken breast off his plate and

started chowing down on it!

He was only gone 30 seconds tops!

BAD CAT!!!

Until next time,

happy stamping and scrapping.

Blessings,



O Happy Day...

Yesterday

was my birthday

and I did something almost unheard of for myself...

I took the day off.

Literally.

I made absolutely no plans.

I had nothing-absolutely nothing

I HAD to do.

And I loved it!!!

I blog hopped,

I did a little housework

(that LOOKED like a lot-so was very rewarding---

gotta add here-I told myself 15 minutes per room.

That was it. And I stuck to it.)

I made a birthday card for my nephew

AND got it in the mail all in the same day---

it may actually get there in time---lol.

Another amazing feat for me!

My husband took me to a different library

(we don't get to very often so it's a treat...)

and to Sugar Shack for dinner--a Jamaican restaurant-

another rare treat.

Cod fritters, ribs, French fries, slaw and

raspberry mango cheesecake.

And I have leftovers

("yes, honey, you can have some of my fries,

just don't touch my ribs!!!" she said brandishing her fork

as if it were her scepter!)

And I came home to a beautiful bouquet from my

stepson Tommy and daughter-in-law Dawn.

Now

if I could only keep that relaxed birthday mode

all year long....

 

I have a number of things to post---

and I will-eventually...

but here's the card I did yesterday...

The image is a Mo's Digital Pencil image

the stamped sentiments are Stampin' Up and Close to My Heart

the paper I have had in my stash...

colored image with Copics

oh-the candles are CTMH as well...

THREE layers of pop-dots (MY FAVORITE!)

That little dip to the right of the image is a pocket

to stash the cash I sent...

Is he not just the cutest thing?!

This was for a 20-something year old

but

this guy--as does the recipient---always makes me smile

so what the heck!

We're all kids at heart, right?

 

When we got home I found his

beautiful bouquet waiting for me...

I wish I could do a

"scratch and sniff" for this rose...

it is perfect and smells heavenly!

 

This guy was napping on the front deck one morning this past week

and I actually got the photo though both the glass and screen door!

I knew if I tried to open them

he'd run off...

this pretty much sums up  my day----

RELAXED.

Why can't EVERY DAY be like that?

 

Now

I am off to a meeting

and then cleaning the magic kingdom.

Until next time,

happy stamping and scrapping.

Blessings,