Dreams....

I absolutely adore this new set by Crafty Secrets called a Couple of Cuties! It was so much fun to color! I used my Copics and some glitter/rhinestones to bling it up a bit! The paper is by Martha Stewart.....I just love the fun bright colors!

See all the glitz? : )

Today is the last day for Crafty Secret's Shop Hop Sale! Go HERE for more info!

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Got up a bit late this morning, I was out with my scrappy girlfriends for our annual Christmas get together. We always have so much fun!

Today is a stay-at-home kind of New Year's Eve. I have steaks and lobsters to cook up, and then on to family game night. We just watch the countdown on TV (if we are able to keep our eyes open that long!), and have a little toast with sparkling grape juice. I've never been a big fan of driving anywhere on this particular holiday. ( I keep telling Kyle that unfortunately, he got nerds for parents! poor kid......... : )

So to all of you, my friends and family............Have a safe, happy, healthy New YEAR!!!!!

Girlfriend.....

How about I send this cyber card to y'all? I love that I have this giant network of girlfriends! Between the blog and all of you on Facebook, a girl can never feel alone! It truly makes my heart smile! : )

I created this card using the stamp (Pink Paislee) from Noel's Paper Doll kit. (sold out) I love that it is a silhouette image of these girls whispering and sharing secrets! I stamped them in black and used my Copic airbrush to add a bit of color behind them. I cut the image out with my Spellbinders and added glitter to the edges.
I added a bit of vintage lace and a Maya Road flower. I added my own sentiment from my stash and cut it out with my oval punch from SU! I added some pretty beads to my stick pin to finish it off.

And to all of you who sent me Christmas RAK's.........THANK YOU!!! I will take pics today and get them posted!

Lastly, THANK YOU for the Internet advice.......I downloaded Firefox and it is finally working!!! So if I've neglected your blog, I won't be anymore! : )

Hugs to you!!!!

JustRite's Newest Releases!

JustRite is coming out with a boat load of new stamps! They will start shipping on January 4th. Go HERE for more info and more sneak peeks of these gorgeous new sets!

For this little card I used the soon to be released set called, Plant a Little Love Borders and Centers. (3 1/4) I stamped it twice and colored it twice with my Copics. I added a bit of pale yellow glitter with my Sakura Glue Pen to the centers of the flowers. I cut out one set and popped them up with pop dots. I also added rhinestones. The paper is DCWV. I added the Hello sentiment using my new Martha Stewart letter punch. I love this punch because the letter size is perfect for cards!

I added a Papertrey Ink satin ribbon and button to the top. I included a Maya Road stick pin to mimic the image.

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I have been having trouble visiting many of your blogs lately. It takes forever to load the page and then when I click it, it says, Internet Explorer not responding. The only way to get out of it is to close out. Does anyone know why that is happening? Is there a way to fix that? I feel bad that I can't visit some of you! Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated!!!! : )

Have a wonderful day! Thanks so much for visiting me today!!!!!!!!!

My Girl is Growing Up......

Happy Monday to y'all! What a busy, fun weekend I had! It was such a great time with family! Christmas Eve we made it safely to and from Wisconsin (ice/rain storm) to see my sister and her family. Christmas Day we spent it with my in-laws and Brian's Grandma. (Who is 89) The highlight was his Grandma playing Catch Phrase! She couldn't see the words on the disc, so I had to write them on a piece of scratch paper for her! What a good sport she was! Saturday, hubby and I spent the day together, shopping, having lunch, and just enjoying being together. (Which we don't do too often) Some lady in Carson's told us how cute we were and wondered if we were newlyweds.....nope......16 years........ : ) Sunday, we spent the day cleaning, organizing, and enjoying our new things. We stayed in our jammies most of the day until Cort decided she wanted to go out to eat. So we obliged and went to Chilis.

I captured this picture of Cort at my Dad's house last week during our Christmas celebration. This was her expression when Santa walked in the house. With her new haircut and "sophisticated" dress, she just seemed so grown up in this picture. I mean she is 14 and all, but I think because of her disability, I tend to view her as younger than she really is.

I used Noel's newest kit called Paper Doll. Which just went up for sale on the 26th and is already sold out!

I love the embellishments Noel includes in her kits.....they are just fabulous!!!

I hope you had a wonderful holiday with your family and friends!

Off to go clean a bit more.......I think Cort needs a bigger closet for all of her new clothes! : )

Last of my Holiday Buckets....

Heading out to Wisconsin today to see my sister, brother-in-law, niece, and nephew for Christmas. We've had some frightful weather here, so driving will be slow and steady today. Lots of ice and freezing rain. So just a quick post this morning of Christmas Eve. These are the last of my holiday buckets. I used my Cricut to cut this candy cane. (Winter Wonderland Cartridge) The paper was from Noel Mignon's Dear Santa kit. (sold out) The sentiment is Papertrey Ink, and it was cut out using my oval Spellbinder's Nestibility.

I hope all of you have safe travels today and a wonderful holiday with family and friends.

Thank you for stopping by to visit. I am grateful that I've "met" you all on this wonderful world wide web! Merry Christmas to you!!!!

Sending You a Bucket Full of Kisses.....

Hi all! Hope your week is productive and you are getting lots done! I have a ton of wrapping to do today........and a bit of cooking for my sister's house tomorrow. I think it may be a "stay in my pajamas" kind of day! It is hard to believe that Christmas is tomorrow already......sheesh, where does the time go!?

I have a little project to share with you today using JustRite's new Loving Thoughts set. (Coming out January 1st)

I love the sentiments that come in this set.......so sweet, so true. : )

I picked these mini buckets on my last trip at Archivers. I dressed them up with some cute DCWV paper. The sentiment was stamped in Papertrey's Pure Poppy. I used my Spellbinders to cut the various sized circles and the edges were inked up a bit. I added a bit of ribbon and a couple of rhinestones.

These buckets have a sort of country feel don't they? (As opposed to a "city" feel ? LOL!)

Head on over to the JustRite blog today for a chance at some yummy blog candy!!!

Have a great Christmas EVE, EVE!! Thanks for taking time out of your busy day to visit!! It is a bright spot to my day to read your sweet comments!

You Hold the Key to my Heart....

JustRite is releasing some fabulous new sets after the first of the year.......here is a sneak at one of them. This is the Romantic Sentiment's set. Just in time for Valentine's Day! This set is so versatile because it can be paired with the new Square borders or 1 5/8 round borders. For today's card though, I used neither. : )


Instead I used a chipboard frame from Tattered Angels. I sprayed it with Glimmer Mist and then applied Crystal lacquer over it. I then sprinkled it with Dazzling Diamonds. I stamped the JustRite sentiment on a piece of Fancy Pants paper, placed the frame on top, and cut the excess paper off. The rest of the card is Basic Grey and Fancy Pants paper. I did a bit of stitching, added a great big Papertrey bow, some rhinestones, and a key.

Head on over to the JustRite blog for more inspiration and a sneak at another new set. (I will be posting many sneaks here over the next week or two as well!)

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Heading to my Gram's today. It is always a bitter sweet visit. This was a woman who participated so actively in life up until a few years ago (She is 89) when Alzheimer's robbed her of much of her memory. She doesn't remember the kids, but she does know me, my mom, and sister still. Which is good.......... : )

Lots to Share Today.....

What a busy fun weekend we had! Saturday, we had Christmas at my Dad and Step-mom's. It is always so great to see all the little ones together. (Pictures further down this post!) Even my son, who is 12, gives up his tween attitude to "play." (Although he tells me he is just babysitting........uh huh.....right...... ) Sunday we baked 3 different types of cookies.....yum! Kitchen is an utter mess along with the rest of my house.......but it's all good! I am off today, so cleaning it is my goal!



I have a picture from last week's brunch, of my sweet little niece. Her expression while meeting Santa was absolutely priceless! I used this photo for this week's challenge at Noel Mignon, to use a favorite holiday quote. I love the quote, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus!" (Miracle on 34th Street.) I used Noel's Dear Santa kit.


Could she possibly be any cuter???? : )

I used some Thickers and my new Martha Stewart letter punches for the small letters. I sprinkled everything with glitter. (Because you know my motto..........everything is better with glitter!)

Here are a few pics from Saturday..........

Here is my very grown up son........goofin' with Santa! : )

This was Cort's expression when Santa walked through the door........... sooooo cute!

The hit of the night was this silly blinking red nose! All the kids took turns wearing it........I guess it was Katie's turn.........

Here is a pic of all the cousins together.......did you happen to notice the little guy's expression in the middle? That's my nephew Alex.......to me......that just makes this picture!!!

And lastly.......a picture of the kids playing store.......notice the big kid? Remember........he is just babysitting!

Are ya still with me? Whew!!!! Thanks for hanging in there! I love sharing with all my girlfriends out there!!!

Hope your weekend was great!!! Feel free to share......I love hearing what you're up to! (Especially since my computer time has been scarce these days!)

Have a great day!!!

Noel.....

For those of you concerned about my safety and well being.....the bank robber was apparently caught last night (Thank God!) ...so I guess that means our police department is doing its job! : ) Now I can sleep a wee bit better at night!

Have you visited the message board at Noel Mignon lately? There are so many ideas floating around there....it's hard not to be inspired! I just added this project to the "living quarters" thread. I picked up these Jenni Bowlin "pennants" awhile ago and decided to alter them using my Dear Santa kit. I cut the letters using my Storybook cartridge, inked the edges and sprinkled them with a chunky glitter. I added little doodads from the kit and a few of my punches to dress each of them up.

Here is a close up of each of the letters individually.

See this cute snowman? Martha Stewart punch......... : )

So let's see......today is my last day of school.......for two whole weeks! (Don't hate!) : ) Cortney has her first choir concert today at 10:3o. She has been singing at home constantly in her little sweet voice! (She is so darn cute when she sings!) Saturday is Christmas with my Dad, step-mom, sisters, nieces, nephews.....and Santa. Sunday we are baking up a storm all day! And I guess at some point I need to wrap some gifts.....like before I see everyone on Saturday! I better get a crackin'!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!!! I appreciate your visits and sweet comments tremendously!!!!! They are definitely a bright spot in my day! : )

Joyful....

Well nothing like coming home to some scary stuff last night.......I had gone to dinner with my Dad only to come home to a helicopter circling above my house. At first I thought it was for the hospital, but it had its searchlight on.......which ruled that out! My neighbor called and said that our pizza place right down the street had been robbed. No details on if anyone was hurt. I hope not. I didn't sleep well last night at all. waaaaaaayyyy too close to home!

Anyway, you didn't come here to hear about crime in my neighborhood.....so onto my card! : ) This is a Crafty Secret's image from the Snowbunnies set. I colored him in with Copics and used my Spellbinder's Nestibilities. I did a bit of airbrushing while the template was still in place. I added glitter for snow. I finished it off with a glittered chipboard from Maya Road, a felt snowflake I cut using my Spellbinders, and some rhinestones.

Today my school is taking a field trip to see a Christmas Carol in 3-D. My students are soooo excited! A lot of them do not get many opportunities to see movies and such. And.....it's ugly sweater day!!!! I am so grateful that I have a job where we can have fun! : )

Have a great day!!!

Happy Holidays....

Have you seen these little paper mache boxes at the craft stores? I think they are like 50 cents or so. Since my brain is not normal.....at all.......I am constantly saving and buying anything and everything that I might be able to alter someday. (Do I need to remind you of the Pringles lid from yesterday?) So I bought lots of these little boxes. (You may notice that only one box has actually been altered here.....) Anyway, I cut up pieces of my scraps from Noel Mignon's Dear Santa kit (sold out) and Modge Podged them to the lid. I outlined the perimeter in Stickles and sprinkled it with mica flakes. The snowflake was cut using Spellbinders and then airbrushed while the brass template was still in place. I added a button, some jingle bells, and a little tag from My Mind's Eye.

I am actually going to give this box to one of the teachers I work with. (GASP! I am actually giving something I made away!!!) I purchased a pair of earrings for her and thought this would be a cute way to give them to her.

I haven't heard yet from ELLE for her blog candy. ($320.00 gift certificate for Crafty Secrets) IF anyone knows her and can contact her, I'd appreciate it! She didn't leave an e-mail address. If I don' t hear from her by Thursday night, I will randomly pick another number.

And one more thing! Have you seen Noel's peeks at her newest kit? It is called Paper Doll! It is a total must have if you have girls! GO and take a PEEK.....it's going to be sold out super fast!!!

An Ordinary Pringles Lid.....

......was transformed into a vintage inspired Christmas ornament! I used my Spellbinders to cut an image from the Crafty Secret's Postcard kit. I added some Stickles to his holly berries and glued a piece of red tinsel ribbon around the perimeter of the ornament. I used my Cropodile to punch two holes at the top for a hanger and one at the bottom for the dangling bead. I finished it off with a glittery 25 and a vintage music sheet tree. In real life it is very sparkly and doesn't look quite so dark......I just can't seem to take good pictures lately!


Let's see......what's on the agenda today? After work Cort and I have a little Christmas party with her cheerleading squad. She has a little grab bag too. It is fun for the girls to get together as well as us moms! (Ok.....maybe us moms have a wee bit more fun than the girls! ; )

Have a Terrific TUESDAY!!!!!

The Last Bitten by The Bug Challenge of the Year...and some Family Photos!

This is the last BBTB challenge for 2009. We are taking a break until after the new year......which is kind of nice! This last challenge uses the branch cut from the Woodland Cartridge. I wanted to incorporate this little Elzy Bells stamp with the lil' mouse. This cute image was colored with Copics and then cut out. I added some texture paste to the branches and then sprinkled chunky glitter over it while it was still wet. I used my Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder for the background, added a pretty gingham ribbon, and a cute clay button by Tessa Ann.

I just love this mouse!

What a busy weekend it was! Saturday, Cort and I went to get our hair done. She got a trim and some blonde highlights. (You'll see in the pics below) She just loves being fussed over! Saturday night we had Brian's office party at a wonderful Italian place. The food was great and we laughed a lot!

Then on Sunday my sister, niece, mom, Cort, and myself went to brunch at Misericordia. (A residential place for disabled persons) It was so much more than I expected. Just look at this beautiful center piece on the table!

Here we are in front of the tree. Too bad the girls aren't looking at the camera! Kids! Sheesh! (Can you tell we are related?) LOL!

Could this dessert platter be any cuter? Or tastier?

All in all a wonderful weekend filled with family and friends.......busy......but good. : )

Have a wonderful day!!!!

How About a Few More Buckets?

Are ya tired of seeing my altered buckets yet? If you are.....click away now! More buckets are coming!!!! Actually after today's post I only have one more set to show you.....maybe I will go through bucket withdrawal?? Anyway, for today I am getting my fix........ : )

I used the JustRite stamp set called Merry Little Christmas and Borders. I used my Spellbinders circle template and left it on while I airbrushed it. I love the crisp white ring on the edge! ( I am thrilled very easily.) The little Santa hat was colored with Copics and then white flock was added. I used my very large Sizzix snowflake die behind the image. I cut some Doodlebug glittery paper.....which BTW is waaaaaay easier than having to add glue and sprinkle with glitter. And another bonus? I don't have glitter stuck to me for weeks to come!
Shredded some vintage music paper for the insides........and filled it with Bath & Body products.

You girls crack me up.......with all of your funny, sweet comments about my less than stellar LO from yesterday! I guess they can't all be winners right? Maybe I'll stick to the buckets! : )

Just a reminder to head over to the MESSAGE BOARD at Noel Mignon. There are some great last minute holiday ideas over in the Santa's Workshop Forum! Plus the girls are pretty cool too!

And......I am the featured designer over at Artful Inkables. (toot, toot!)

This weekend will be busy......Brian's office party, and brunch at Misericordia on Sunday.

Have a wonderful happy weekend!!!

2008 Christmas

The current challenge over at Noel Mignon's Challenge Blog, is a holiday theme with lots O' BLING! Unfortunately, I think some of my scrappin' mojo has left town......I fiddled with this LO for hours and finally had to say #%@!! it! Then on top of it, the lighting hasn't been very good for taking pics, so it came out a bit dark. In any event, the picture of my family from last year was at least a good one of all of us. Everyone is smiling and everyone looks good. I used Noel's Dear Santa kit. (sold out) For my bling, I used glittery paper, my homemade snowflakes, rhinestones, and little mirrors for the tree.
......and I incorporated a JustRite stamp into my title! (It was left over from another project, and I have a tendency to save eeeeeeeverything! Call it a sickness!)

My vintage inspired snowflake.......and a glittered heart.

Go ahead, don't leave a comment.....it probably isn't worth a comment anyway! LOL! MAke sure you check out the other DT gals though.....because their projects are Beeeeautiful! : )

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It's that time of the year at school again, for Santa's Secret Shop. You remember the place don't ya? It's where you go and buy those dollar store finds for everyone on your list. It's where I as their teacher get many earrings, necklaces, and coffee mugs. ( I have LOTS of coffee mugs!) So I gladly accept their sweet offerings and even put on those earrings........and remember what it was like to buy for those you care about. Picking out the perfect gift......even if it does turn your ears green! They are the sweetest........It makes me realize everyday that I picked the right profession. Love those kids.

Have a fabulous Thursday!

Blog Candy Winner!

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:32
Timestamp: 2009-12-09 23:07:52 UTC

That would be: ELLE!

Ellekk said...
I simply adore your notebook! What a sweet idea--I had some cut but they did them lopsided shall we say? Oh well, with ideas you present to us I am sure that you inspire many more than just me. Elle
December 7, 2009 2:43 PM

Please send me your address so we can get you your blog candy!

JustRite, Family Pics, and Last Day For Blog Candy!

I have a little card today showcasing JustRite's New SQUARE stamps!! I love this new shape! I stamped the sentiment on black paper and used a pink glittery embossing powder. I used many Nesties here to layer the card. I used some older Making Memories paper that I love. I am a total sucker for pink and black together! There is something so retro about it!
I finished the card off with some rhinestones, Papertrey satin ribbon, black tulle, and a pretty crystal button.

This past weekend was a busy one! On Saturday we headed downtown to see the lights, eat, walk, and visit Navy Pier. Here is my little family. : )

Friday night, Cort had her dance with her Daddy. Here they are heading out........don't ya just love her little fur jacket? And yes........my hubby bought this sweater so he could match. Can you tell he is married to a scrapbooker? LOL!

And I am embarrassed that I didn't post this card earlier.......it is a RAK from Diane! She won my blog candy awhile back and sent me this beautiful thank you card! I love the many layers of vellum........so soft and pretty! Thank you Diane!

......whew.....this is a long post! One last thing.....tonight is the drawing for the $30.00 Crafty Secret's Gift Certificate. If you haven't entered.......go HERE!

Check back tonight to see who wins this very generous prize from Sandy Redburn of Crafty Secrets! : )

That's all..........later gators!