Missing You.....

Today would have been my best friend's 41st birthday. She was taken 3 years ago suddenly.  She was my friend, my children's Godmother, my confidant, my "go-to" person.  We met at the age of 13, with our too big hair, our acid washed jeans, rolled socks, and 80's music playing somewhere in the background. We connected immediately. 

 And tonight her sister is honoring her memory with a dinner and drinks to toast this exceptional woman. She truly had a heart of gold....and there isn't a day that does by that I don't think of her....

This picture was taken on her wedding day....we hadn't gotten our dresses on quite yet...hence the denim and overalls! 

How long ago it all seems....

So I thought I'd share this silly card.....she is probably smiling down on me. She didn't like serious.....she was about being "light" and fun.  She would appreciate this lil' card. 

So this One's for you Jen!

This quick and easy card was created with the Imagine Machine and the Greeting Cards Inside and Out cartridge.  I just added a bit of glitter, lace, stick pin, and paper straw to make it a bit special. 

Thank you for allowing me to share my heart with you a bit today.....

I Know...Baseball Season is Over....

Good morning! I know baseball is coming to an end and football season has begun....but I kind of forgot I had created this card over the summer! It uses a Crafty Secret's set called, Play Ball. I used my Tim Holtz Distress Markers to color it in. (Love those markers!) I love the watercolored/distressed effect they give to the image. Since I really couldn't use glitter or lace as an embellishment.....I opted for a baseball glove and baseball from the set. ; ) Oh, and a black pearl too! (That's manly right?)

I am off and running again this morning!  I have a meeting at Cort's school today to talk with her teacher and speech therapist.  We are looking into a new communication device for her and we are having a difficult time settling on a device.  So hopefully today we can come to some sort of agreement.  Sometimes this stuff wears me out.......but it has to be done....so I keep plugging away! 

I hope you have a great day, and thank you my friends for visiting this blog.  It truly is my escape from the day and I love your visits!

A Guest and a Giveaway!

Happy Saturday to you!  I am excited to be guest designing today for the Cricut Fanatic's Blog! It is an honor to share my lil' creations over there with passionate Cricut users and getting to see some friendly, familiar faces!

Since I am a school teacher, I couldn't pass up an opportunity to create this little school house. I welded the images together using CCR and the Something to Remember cartridge. I created a bit of vintage charm with lace, glittered wooden buttons, twine, and flowers. 

For my buttons I swiped a bit of white paint on them, sanded them back a bit, and gave them a coating of glitter. 

I was going to do a giveaway on Monday for my birthday.....but time got away from me.  So instead let's celebrate the new Cricut Fanatic's blog! I will be giving all of this to ONE winner!  The giveaway includes: Cricut cartridge binder, 2 My Little Shoebox stamps. 

 All you have to do is leave a comment on the Cricut Fantatic's blog and a winner will be chosen there!  I will pick one winner on Monday night at 10 PM CST. 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! : )

Fly...

Good morning! I hope your week has been great so far.  Mine?  Ummmmm....not so much!  My van is needing more repairs.  Can you even believe it? The door on the driver's side is not closing properly.  Which means I had to override my lights and pray that the tiny light on my dashboard doesn't drain my battery overnight.  I will find out in a bit when I head to school.  I can't express enough how frustrating it is!  But I guess that's life, with its constant ups and downs......curve balls being thrown at ya all the time. 

I have another JustRite card to share with you today using the Grand Sentiments set.  I wanted to use it in a totally different way than my previously posted stick pins.  I stamped the butterfly and pretty filigreed piece in Versamark and embossed it in white. I machine stitched a piece of white felt over the background piece with pink thread.

I added some Maya Road wooden letters for my sentiment.  

Here's hoping to a better day!  Thank you as always for popping by!

JustRite's New Release-Lace Medallion Labels!

Good morning! Before I share my crafty stuff, I wanted to thank you all for making my birthday extra special! I appreciate all of the comments, e-mails, and well wishes on Facebook. I am so glad to be a part of this crafting community with such caring people! So thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Today I have a fun, bright card using JustRite's new Lace Medallion Labels set. I stamped it in Versamark and sprinkled it with black embossing powder.  I used Tim Holtz Distress Markers to add a bit of color.  I added a few Spellbinder's  dies behind the image to make it pop a bit.  

I added a Cricut flower and gem to the center and a few pearls to dress it up a bit.  

Here is the set in its entirety.  It has a romantic, Victorian feel to it, don't you think? 

Be sure to visit the other gal's blogs to see their craftiness at work! 

Marisa Job
Barb Schram
Kathy Jones 
Darsie Bruno
Heidi Blankenship 
Michele Kovack

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Thank you for stopping on by!  

JustRite's New Release-Grand Sentiments!

Good morning! It's that time again for JustRite's new releases!  You will not be disappointed by all the fabulous new sets!  Today's set is called, Grand Sentiments and I just adore the butterfly in this set.  So for today, I am going to focus my energy on that one particular element.  I have a tutorial to share with you on how you can make your own customized stick pins.  I love having embellishments on hand to use for later projects....and these butterfly stick pins fit that bill! ; )

To create your own, you will need your butterfly stamp, Staz On ink, and a sheet of clear Shrinky Dink material.  

I prefer to stamp in reverse.  Meaning, I placed the Shrink Dink material on TOP of the stamp.  I have less sliding or smearing doing it this way. 

Then just peel off the Shrinky Dink material. 

Cut out your image....

Punch a hole in the center using a standard sized hole punch. 

Gather alcohol inks in colors you like....

And give a few squirts of complimentary colors.....

Dab off excess.  If you leave it too dark or thick, you won't see the pretty lines of the butterfly. 

Use your heat gun to shrink.  (Or you can do it the old fashioned way and stick it in the oven!) 

While it's still warm, bend wings up. 

Slide over stick pins, add beads if you wish, flip over, and add a drop of glue to prevent butterfly from sliding all over the place.

Once they are dry, I wrapped a spool with a bit of felt, so I had somewhere to store my new stick pins. : )

Here is the entire set. I have several more cards to show you later this week.  

Be sure to check out what the rest of the DT did with this pretty set!

JustRite Inspiration

Darsie Bruno

Michele Kovack 

Eva Dobilas

Angela Barkhouse

Kathy Jones 

Marisa Job

Sheri Holt

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I've been blessed to have a week's worth of birthday celebrations with my family. I am truly spoiled rotten.....

Have a great day my friends!!!

Shaker Style

Happy weekend to you! I have a tiny lull in my morning and thought I'd post today, since I neglected to do so yesterday. I have a JustRite card to share with you that uses the Antique Autumn Tags One set. I created a sort of shaker with vellum, sequins, and my sewing machine. I think it creates kind of a cool backdrop to the sentiment.  I added additional leaves using    Spellbinder's dies.  

I colored my mini leaves and acorn with Copics, cut it out by hand, and added glossy accents to make it a bit more substantial. 

I have a busy weekend ahead of me!  Hubby is taking me out tonight for my birthday and hasn't spilled the beans on where he is taking me.....so that's always fun! : ) Tomorrow we are headed to the north side of Chicago to volunteer our time at Misericordia.  It is a group home for children and adults with mental and physical disabilities.  

Be sure to check back on Monday for a giveaway!  (It will be pretty big....cuz it's......ahem....a special day! 

; )