Miss You....

I got the call late Tuesday night......that my sweet Nonnie passed away. I have been fortunate enough to have her in my life for nearly 40 years, but it still stings to lose a person you love. My Nonnie was a tough cookie who endured much in her 91 years. She never lost sight of who she was or succumb to sadness or anger over the hand that was dealt to her. She was my "fun, cool, and hip" grandma. She was pretty, sophisticated, and strong willed. She once said to me that no matter how sad you may be, if you stay there, the world stops listening....so it is best to put a smile on your face and move on. I think my strength and courage have come from her and I try my best to live a happy life everyday. I am a better person for knowing her......and am glad I got to love her for so many years.

Here she is in 1971 with her 4 grandchildren.
And again in 2010 with her 4 grandchildren......

Nonnie........................I love you more.

Cricut Birthdays

I have been fortunate enough to have my projects published in several magazines including this one. If you are looking for ways to create birthday cards, favors, decorations using your Cricut machine, this is an incredible magazine for inspiration! I have a few projects in this one....but I will only share one with you today! ; )
It was created for their kids section. Just little treat bags with these cute lil' mice peeking out of their boxes!

Wet noses and all.......: )

If you are interested in purchasing this jam packed magazine you can purchase it HERE!

Thanks soooo very much for popping by for a visit!

Weekend in Chicago

Apparently, my birthday has turned into a birthday month......since it isn't even my birthday yet, and already I've gotten this wonderful gift, a weekend with my sister. It was great to have a weekend away with her....no husbands, no kids.....no stress. Just girl talk, lots of laughs, way too much eating, drinking, and enjoying each other's company. So here is a little peek into our weekend!

I had so much fun taking photos of this beautiful city I live so close to!
Lisa and I rode the Ferris wheel at Navy Pier....... : ) (And yes, I did take this photo!)

I am not sure why, but a huge sculpture of Marilyn Monroe was there right on Michigan Ave. Had to take a picture of her..... ; )

We visited the famous Sprinkles Cupcake Bakery on Walton Street........it has been highlighted on Food Network....and I can see why! Their cupcakes are YUMMY! and yes, being the big dork I am had Lisa take a picture with my $34.00 worth of cupcakes......but oh...so worth it!

And here they are........Red Velvet, Carrot Cake (x 2), Black and White, Chocolate Marshmallow, and Chai Latte........

And here is my big sis and I stopping to look at the view at Navy Pier.......

Shall I take more photos of food? Of course! I got a surprise knock on the hotel door for this delicious surprise........

We went to see Million Dollar Quartet and I got my picture taken with Jerry Lee Lewis......okay not the actual Jerry Lee......but as you can see from my lack of eyeballs in this picture I was pretty happy with this Jerry Lee..... ; )

We had a delicious dinner at Catch 35........one of my favorite places!

Oh! And did I mention I got cake? ; ) A molten lava type of cake that was warm and gooey!

And here I am just a couple weeks shy of my 40th birthday........I get to enjoy a couple of more weeks in my 30's! LOL!

I seriously think I gained 10lbs eating all the cakes and sweets from this weekend! But in all seriousness, I had a great weekend......and is definitely a part of the many sweet memories I hold near to my heart.

Thanks for letting me share this with you!

An Early Birthday Present.....

Good morning! I am more excited than usual that today is Friday! Why, you ask? Because last weekend, my hubby, in-laws, and dad decided to surprise me with an early birthday present. Since my birthday isn't until September......I didn't suspect at all! My mother-in-law created this adorable presentation......yep....she's crafty like that! : ) Inside this cute card is a girl's weekend away with my sister! Just the two of us......shopping.....talking......laughing......

......eating........drinking.......

....And watching this awesome musical!!!

I couldn't be more excited! I can't remember the last time my sister and I have had the opportunity to spend time alone! Since getting married, having kids.....life always seems to get in the way. So for the next couple of days, we get to reconnect a bit and build a few memories.......

Thanks for letting me share! : D

Have a wonderful weekend!

Day 3 of JustRite's Newest Releases!

Today is Day 3 of JustRite's newest releases! This set is such a fun vintage inspired set that is perfect for coloring or doing a bit of embossing. (Like I did on my card today) ; ) This set is called Shabby Chic Labels Four. Isn't it just beautiful!!?

I colored the perfume bottle and background image with Copics. The bottle was cut out and popped up with a dimensional foam circle. The center image was stamped a second time and embossed in silver. I added a bit of stitching, twill, and a pretty lil' flower.

Here is a close up of that main panel that was colored and the center embossed in silver. You can also see that I added glitter to the white sections for extra sparkle!

I hope you have enjoyed all the new releases by JustRite this week! I have had so much fun creating with them! Be sure to visit the other designers' blogs for more inspiration!

JustRite Inspiration
Becca Feeken
Debbie Olson
Mona Pendleton
Kellie Fortin
Michele Kovack
Kazan Clark
Sankari Wegman
Kathy Jones
Stephanie Kraft
Angela Barkhouse
Barb Schram

Have a wonderful Thursday! I've almost officially survived my first week of school. ; )

Day Two of JustRite's Newest Release.....Greetings From Paris

Today is day two of JustRite's newest releases! If you loved yesterday's set, you are sure to love this one called, Greetings from Paris. This is the set I got that postage stamp from in yesterday's post. My absolute favorite part of this set is the postcard image......what a cool thing to be able to make your own faux postcards!
I stamped the post card image with brown Memento ink and distressed the edges a bit with brown ink and a few swipes of pale pink acrylic paint. I backed that with olive green and used my (very) old postage stamp scissors. (Remember when all the funky scissors were the big rage? Yep......I got 'em all! ; ) The image was stamped in green and blue ink and covered with clear embossing powder. (Apparently, I am on a bit of an embossing kick!) I used that postage stamp again in red this time. : )

The flowers were cut using my Cricut machine and glitterfied. I added a bit of twine, ribbon, and a couple of stick pins.

Be sure to visit the other DT blogs to see the many creative ideas these talented women have come up with!

JustRite Inspiration
Becca Feeken
Debbie Olson
Sharon Harnist
Mona Pendleton
Michele Kovack
Kathy Jones
Stephanie Kraft
Kellie Fortin
Angela Barkhouse
Barb Schram
Heidi Blankenship
Kazan Clark
Sankari Wegman

Today is my first day of class with my 5th grade kiddos. I am excited but always seem to get butterflies the first day. I guess I am not a whole different than the students! ; ) I am sure it will be a great year and I am grateful to work in a profession that is so rewarding. I hope all of you have a wonderful day! I look forward to coming home this evening and seeing all of your sweet comments and knowing you took a few precious moments of your day to visit me! : )

New Release by JustRite, Bon Voyage!

Is there any other place in the world more romantic than Paris? It is a dream of mine to go there someday and see the Eiffel Tower and all that France has to offer. But for now, I will enjoy this gorgeous new JustRite set called Bon Voyage. It is an ode to Paris and is deliciously vintage.
I decided to dust off the embossing powders and put them to work! I used silver for the background image and black for the Eiffel Tower. The postage stamp is from another new set being released this week......so consider it a little sneak peek! ; ) I stamped that in Avocado green by Papertrey Ink and added a bit of Crackle Accents to the top of it. I glued it to a pin to make my own stick pin.

The flower was created with my Cricut and sprayed with Tattered Angel's Glimmer Mist. I nestled a rhinestone in the center and added a bit of twine to the back of it. I also added a clear charm to hang from the flower. I believe it is by Teresa Collins.

I do love the look of embossing....it gives the card such nice dimension and texture!

Here is a close up of my aged vintage postage stamp........

Be sure to visit the other designer's blogs for more inspiration using this gorgeous new set!

JustRite Inspiration
Becca Feeken
Debbie Olson
Mona Pendleton
Michele Kovack <------ Me! : )
Stephanie Kraft
Kellie Fortin
Angela Barkhouse
Barb Schram
Heidi Blankenship
Kazan Clark
Sankari Wegman

Have a wonderful day today!!! Thank you so very much for stopping by!