Busy Busy Busy!

Hi! Just wanted to pop in and say HI! Busy week here, working all week until Saturday morning! Got my Tastefully Simple goodies, which are part of my covered dish for the 4th. Also working on gathering my crafty supplies for our project at LINNIE'S BIG JULY 4TH BASH!!! WOOOOHOOOOO!!!!

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I never knew how hard it was going to be to find glow in the dark paint!!! Not at Wally-work, none at Michaels, not at Lowes, Sherwin Williams could order it, but they would have to buy a case of it and I only wanted one teeny tiny can and it would take a week to arrive, and then FINALLY there it was at Home Depot! Thank goodness!!!

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I am making the cookie sheet calendars with the big girls this year. I am so excited to do something crafty with the gals. They always like to play and make the kiddie craft that I do, so I thought this year I would do something for the big girls as well! You can see what the calendars look like over at the 3 E's blog! Too cute, check the May archive for Teacher Gifts!

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This is the craft I am doing with the little ones this year. Comet Balls I got plastic whiffle balls though, instead of tennis balls and my string glows as well and I got glow in the dark beads for on them too! I figure that these wll be fun to play with after it gets dark PLUS they will all be easy to spot with their glowing comets!!!

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A SWAP UPDATE!!!

We are full!!! Thanks to Angie and Chicksa Jody!!! I can't wait to see the cards!!!

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Take care!

The kindness of strangers...

I am still amazed at the kindness of strangers. I know that in the world I would like to live that people should be kind and helpful, however that is not always the case.

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Today I pay tribute to some kind strangers who came to our assistance last evening. It is no secret that we have constant car troubles. The Blazer is at Kenny's mechanic friends home and the To-bomb is irrepairable. At the moment we are using my Mom's Lumina. Last evening we drove the L to Johnstown to pick up parts for the Blazer. Come out to the L, and it will not start. Just CLICK & nothing. The nice guys from the parts store try jumping the battery, that doesn't work.

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Another customer (Jim) sees our distress and offers to help us change the starter right there in the parking lot. The men conference and determine that is indeed the starter. New starter is purchased, and Jim and Ken get to work changing it. Thanks to Cal and the other employee for loaning a jack and keeping the lot lights on & not letting us in the dark and going home before they got it done. I know they had a long and busy day with all the Thunder stuff going on in town.

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I got to visit with Jim's fiancee, Tracy while they worked. We chatted, she is pregnant. We shared pictures on the cell phone and camera. Nice couple. Kind caring people. Good samaritans in a sometimes unkind, uncaring world. Their child will be fortunate to have them as parents.

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Take care!

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P.S. Still two spots left for the Summer Swap! Sign up you won't be disappointed!

Summer SWAP anyone???

Anyone interested in a Summer Card Swap?



5 spots available (actually 4 since I plan to participate.)
Sign up soon, only two spots remain!
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Each person makes 10 cards, 5 each of 2 different designs.
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Please use materials that you would like to receive.
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Please put a sentiment inside the card.
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Include an envelope for your cards (decorated would be nice!)
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Give the back of your card your mark.
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No Vendor Requirement, anything goes! I know I will be dazzled and amazed with your talents as always!
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Sign up for a spot by June 30.
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Cards due to me by July 25, I will mail back to you promptly after receiving all cards.
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Please send your cards in a zipper bag to be sure it all stays dry.
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Include an addressed return envelope with the same amount of postage it took to mail your cards, plus a few extra stamps (loose so they can be returned to you if they are not needed.)
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PRIZES!!!! A little something *special* will be included for the first cards received! I will also choose MY FAVORITE CARD from the swap and send a special prize for it!
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Let a comment on this blog post to sign up for your spot!
Take care!

1. Me!
2. Sharon
3. Babs
4. ?
5. ?

This is probably one of the most used $1 set of acrylic stamps I own. I love the little sunshiney smiley face and the "you are my sunshine" sentiment. I have been on an orange-y ribbon buying spree lately too. I guess it is all the warm and sunny days. Love the orange-yellow-green together too!

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Hope you are staying cool and having a good summer. Bible school went well. We had 22 kids, which is a good crowd for us. The program is this evening.
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Take care!

Best Wishes

The photo doesn't do this card justice. The greens and blues are much more vibrant to the eye. All materials and stamps are SU! This was made at a workshop a few weeks ago.

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Bible school is going well. We have about 20 kiddos and we are having a great week!

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Sorry to be so short today, but I have plenty to do around this place!

Take care!

Insides first

This is the last of the graduation cards... going in the mail this week. I often forget to show the inside of my cards, but I did remember this time. The stamped image inside this card was made using three acrylic stamps together on a single block. I do like to mix up my stamps and see how many different looks I can get!

I am on vacation from Wally-work this week for our church Bible school. I am the crafty lady. It has been a great year for crafts, usually I have to find crafts for us to do because the ones that come with the curriculum are cheesey or cheap quality (but expensive) kits that you have to buy. Not this year, the ideas in the book are excellent, fun and easy. They are made of common inexpensive items and the kids seem to love the projects!

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Take care!

Megan's Card

My cousin Megan's Graduation party is this afternoon. Hope the weather holds out for us! Can't wait to visit with some family and friends and eat some good food!

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Gotta run and get my beer bread out of the oven!
Take care!

Beautiful Butterfly

This card showed me some new techniques... first the wheel, which is what the purple image is done with. The other technique was gradation, I believe, and that was used on the butterfly image. We colored the stamp in two colors, huffed and blended the edges of the colors with a sponge. Pretty neat!

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One more day (night) of work and then it is NINE days of vacation... Porchville is the destination for this one. I have some house cleaning to do and of course it is Bible School week and I am the Crafty Lady!

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Kenny made the trip to Pittsburgh yesterday to file the custody paperwork for T. T has told us that he really would like to live and go to school here. Please keep a good thought for us. We have a court date and are just praying that things work out for T. He will be so upset if he has to return to the city at the end of the summer.

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Take care!

Flower Pot Notes

This adorable project was one that we made on Sunday at the card workshop I went to with Sharon, my BS2. The decorated pot has 4 3x3 notecards and a pen in the flower pot. Too cute! I know the stamps used are Stampin' UP! but I don't know what the name is.

I am on the flower pot kick today since yesterday I finally got around to planting the 3 flats of flowers that have been on my porch for a month now. Honestly there is still an entire flat of violas to plant but I ran out of pots/planters. My DH is going to get some lumber and make me some more box planters.
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My nephews and T helped with the planting, I will have to get the pics off the camera and onto the blog soon.
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Glad it is raining today. The veggie garden needed it!
Take Care!

Another FUN wedding!!

I just want to say first of all that I love hunky weddings and I had a combo redneck-hunky wedding myself. I do not think that hunky is a bad or negative thing and I really enjoy a good hunky wedding! People who did not grow up in this part of the country are normally clueless about these traditions, so read on learn.

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For those of you who don't know what a good hunky wedding is let me give some examples... one of the ladies who was preparing the food for this wedding said her son calls it a Chicki-Piggy-Rigi wedding... LOL! ( Chicken, Pigs in the blanket, & Rigatoni are practically always on the menu and occasionally there is also Ham on the menu.) When DH & were planning our wedding he wanted input on two things... the type of beer we were serving and the food, every other decision was mine to make. We had Coors Light and MGD and ham, pigs and rigs and I wanted chicken, too.

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There is usually some tapping (or banging) on the tables that lets the newlyweds know that you would like to see them kiss. My DH hated this and still finds it quite annoying when we attend weddings. I think it is rather fun and harmless.

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Other necessary components of a good hunky wedding include the chicken dance, polka music, and cookies. Probably the biggest indicator that you are at a hunky wedding is a specific polka, the Bridal Polka, where the guests line up drop some $$ in a satin bag or apron worn by the Maid of Honor give the Bride a spin or two and then down a shot and get a piece of napkin wrapped wedding cake to enjoy for breakfast the next morning. There are tales that if you are a single woman you should sleep with the cake under your pillow and you will dream of your future husband.... interesting theory that I never personally tested out. After all the guests dance with the Bride they form a circle around her and try to keep the Groom from getting to her. Usually fun, a bit crowded and as long as it doesn't go on for too long not so bad.

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I was the cake decorator for the above wedding cake from the wonderful wedding this past weekend. I want to let the wonderful hunky ladies who made the delicious food we had that they were just too much fun and that I loved their presentation!

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I think I covered the major points of a good hunky wedding. Let a comment to remind me if I forgot something! Take care!

Itty Bitty Fork Bows!

I found the BEST TUTORIAL for making these teeny tiny bows... so get out your forks! LOL! I have always had an old butter knife in my scrap tool bag, and now right beside it is a fork. Probably should put a spoon in there too just for good measure! LOL!

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Seriously, they are super simple to make and you can learn how to make yours by clicking the link below!

Stampin' with Di

One warning, making these bows is addictive, so have plenty of ribbon on hand when you start!

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Take care!

Weddings and Anniversaries...

We have a couple more weddings this summer as well as an anniversary party, so I crafted a couple cards for those occasions as well. I was having a rather PINK day when I sat down to make these. I have been LOVING my new scallop eyelet border punch from Stampin' UP! Really pretty and super easy to use!

I have a bunch of stickers in my stash that I tend to forget about. These wedding bells are an old favorite of mine. I believe that this one is Mrs. Grossman's Lasercut/mirror image.

This is a finished wedding cake card. The stickles just finish it off so nicely. I did this to the other card like this, just after I scanned it, because I was in a hurry and it needed time to dry. Didn't want to smear wet stickles on my scanner!
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On the homefront.... Travis arrives today for the summer....look out! I am prepared to be eaten out of house and home! First order of business upon arrival though is attending Hunter's Safety course. It FINALLY worked out that he would be here early enough on a Friday to get to the class. This boy has been itching to go hunting for two years now, so thank goodness he will finally be able to hunt!

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Take care!

more grad cards

Made these for my mom, she needed several so I made 2 tall and 2 wide of this design. The stamped image on the front is made from two separate stamps, the achievement stamp is wood mounted $1 from JoAnn's I think and the cap is from a $1 acrylic set. I used my "homemade" pattern paper in a "generic" Shade High School Class of 2009 design. Ribbon was from my immense stash. (I am such a ribbon Ho!)

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Life has been happening here as well. Some good, some bad, some sad. I finished a six day work stretch. The hot water heater broke and needed replaced, the car broke down and I was stranded on a road with HEAVY big truck traffic, my 9 month old niece and no cell phone service. I am not sure if I had announced on here that I was to be an Auntie again, but sadly that is not to be. My brother's baby was born very early and died the same day and we are heartsick about that. So, how about some good.. we are still going on our trip to North Carolina next month to visit with DH's family. This will be the first that Travis will have visited this Grandpa since we was a very tiny baby. Looking forward to relaxing and enjoying a good time.

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Hope to post up some projects from a workshop that I attended on Sunday with my BS2, Sharon. We had a great time and made some too cute things!

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Take care!

Hey!

My apologies for being a total blogging slacker!

I have been crafting though, so check back, I have lots of cards to post!

A Lovely Wedding...

We went to a lovely wedding yesterday! It was a beach/sea shore theme bash and it was so nice! The couple was just beautiful and we had a great time. Just a few touches... leis on the seats, flip-flop chocolate suckers for favors, fun drinks served in stem glasses with little umbrellas. Loved it!

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I made the card above for the happy couple. It was super easy and I added some touches after I scanned it. I put stickles on the eyelet edges and the sparkles just gave it that finished look!

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Off to picnic with the family... we go to a ton of parades tomorrow, so we eat today!

Take care!

I Found the Kitchen Table...

and promptly covered it with paper, punches, stamps and inks! There was important crafting to be done! My cousin Amy's daughter Megan is graduating and we were working on her party invites!

The pattern background paper was custom made by me on the computer. It has Megan's name on it, 2009, and the name of the school. It was super easy to make and I love that it makes her invites so completely personalized for her!

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To make your own paper all you need to do is open a word document and choose a font. Type in your line of text. Change text to any colors that go with your scheme... ours was blue and gold, the school colors. Then comes the easy part... highlight text, right click, copy and paste, paste, paste until you get a nice couple lines worth. Then rehighlight (or edit and select all) and paste, paste, paste again until you fill the page! I made my page set up for landscape and set the margins at 1/2 inch all around with no headers or footers so the page would be pretty full. If you don't want an entire page though, you could just insert a text box on the blank page and fill it up instead. Did I make that all clear as mud??

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I made some pages with just the school name and Class of 2009 on it as well to use on cards for some graduates.

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Glad to be crafting again!

Take care!

Just checking in...

Nothing new on the crafting front here...

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I have been busy planting posies and hubby has been putting in the vegetable garden. Hopefully since my Dad no longer has the high jumping champion goats of last year we will do better with the whole garden this year!

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Also working on clearing out some stuff for spring trash clean up.

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And enjoying the nice weather, although it has brought on a bout of allergies like I haven't had in many years. I am going through tissues like nobodies business and coughing and sneezing and my eyes are a-watering like I am crying from peeling onions.

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Take care!

Plum Spooky... FUN!

Not much crafting going on here. I have had my nose in the latest of the Stephanie Plum books, Plum Spooky! I finished it last night and I have to tell you, I LOVED IT! My poor husband thought I was crazy! Imagine watching someone reading a book, laughing so hard that she can't catch her breath, with tears running down her cheeks! Too darn funny! I only have one thing to say... Elmer the Fire Farter!

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No big plans for National Scrapbook Day here either... hope some of my friends are getting all crafty though!

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Take care!

I Love a Good Baby Shower!

It is always a good time when the ladies of my family get together to celebrate! We always have a great time and the food is always fantastic! Sandwiches, macaroni salad, veggies & dip, pizza casserole, beer bread & dip, rosa marina salad, cake, cheesecake... I know there were some other things too... YUMMY!

I don't know if you have ever played this game at a shower or not... but we did... We passed around diapers that had melted squished candy bars in them....I kid you not! It was too darn funny, smelling a chocolate "turd" in the diaper and if you were brave enough, sampling it to see if you could guess what the candy bar was. There are some pretty funny pictures of that game that probably will need some serious explanation in somebody's scrapbook!

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There was a lot of ohhhhs and awwws at the cute & pretty little girl outfits. Above is the card I made for the parents to be. A tutorial can be found here >>> Onesie Card Tutorial. It is super simple and this gal has a GREAT blog!

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Take care!

Just a card today...

Hi! Just a quick post with a card today. I am working six this week, so not getting much crafty done.

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Sympathy cards are one of the hardest for me to make. The others are fun and cute and somehow just easier. This card is a little larger than normal for me. It is a 5x7 size. Papers are Creative Memories. Image stamp is SU! It is watercolored and blended with an Aqua painter. I accented it with a Gelly-roll glitter pen. Sentiment is a new one for me, just bought it at Art Tech last week. It is from Verses Rubber Stamps. The inside sentiment is an old one for me, it is from

Ann-ticipations and says

"In the days ahead, may the

memories be your comfort

and may time bring you peace."

My friend Jody and I were talking about how it is hard to find secular sympathy cards. I thought this one fit that bill somewhat.

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Take care!