Few more before and after..

Below is the post to read first to understand these pictures.

Another working weekend!

Do you ever feel this time of the year all you do is work on the weekends? That is exactly what I do. And, poor Brian, he gets dragged into it too. He's such a huge help to me in getting much needed things done around my house. But it's all part of home ownership. Above are some pics of the before and after of my utility room which we finally finished this weekend. The puppy girls chewed all the wood on the baseboards and I finally got it pulled off and replaced with much of Brian's help. I think at 2 1/2 that they are finally done chewing wood. Anyway, the color before had pink undertones and I changed it to Chocolate Froth, which I love. The first picture I may have already put some of the new color on the wall so you can't see too much of the old color. Oh, and the pool is open but just not running now as the pump has a crack in one of the pieces where a tube connects. And, most importantly today is Katie's birthday. I made a card and will post later. A few of us are going out to dinner in celebration tonight.

More Thinking of You!

So here is the other card I made that I'd mentioned in my last post. I like it, excpet that I always seem to get that SU Frame Stamp crooked. And, I even used my Stamp-A-ma-jig. Oh, well.

Simply Thinking of You!

I needed to make two sympathy cards last night, but I think I'm with Ming in that I just don't like to make them. Or, I'd rather they say something aside from "With Sympathy." So, I'm going with Thinking of You instead. Because truly, that is what it is. What I write inside can convey my sympathy. I really wanted to do a more masculine looking one for one of the cards, but this is all I could come up with so quickly. I like it a fair amount except that the sentiment could have been stamped better. I may just re-do it. But I do love the DP, which I got from Target. The other card, which I'll post tomorrow I like a lot and is definitely feminine.

Grand Pooba of all Cutters!

Okay, so this is my new Purple Cows paper cutter. It's got a guillotine cutter and a rotary cutter that comes with three blades. A straight cut, a perforated cut and a wavy cut. The nicest part about the rotary cutter is that you can lock down the top and bottom once your paper is in place and it won't move at all. Meaning there is no chance for it to slip while you're pushing on the rotary. And, even though it looks ginormous the two sides separate. So if you have a preference for cutting you turn two knobs on the rotary side and disconnect. I discovered this in a current scrapbooking magazine I picked up at the store. The first place I found online wanted about $60, the next place $55, but I found it at Dick Blick Art Materials for $39 and some change. I order from them frequently and am very happy with their prices, products and service.

Meet Me at The Cafe!

I absolutely love the stamp sets from My Favorite Things and the one used above is from there. They have some new ones I'd like to get too. Hmm....

Anyway, I've been feeling so cruddy and didn't get any cards made recently so I just had to do something last night. This could be better, but it's a start. You probably can't tell that the front part of the card has a piece of clear acetate as if it's a window. The sentiment is from Stamping Bellas. I cut the rectangle using my Spellbinders Nestabilities; love those too. The DP and flowers are from Target. I used my new Purple Cows cutter to make the piece for the sentiment. I'll be posting a picture of that in the next post as I think it's the most fabulous cutter so far.

This N' That!

So I didn't make any cards this weekend. I know, my bad! But I had so many other great things I did that it's okay. I got to see Emily bright and early Saturday morning. She was supposed to play soccer, but wanted no parts of it. Saturday evening Brian and I went to Terry and Bobs with some of their other friends and relatives and enjoyed a small celebration for Michael Paul's 19th birthday. He's Terry's son. We had the best time and always love going over there and hanging with some of the finest people on this earth. Sunday morning I cleaned before my dear friends Myna and Judy came by for a visit. That was especially nice too. We've known each other since 1986 where we all worked at the bank. So we did some great reminiscing and catching up. But I've got to say I'm feeling lousy today as my allergies and sinuses are wreaking havoc with me. But, I did want to post something and I had been thinking I had not shared pictures from the Australia trip Katie and I took in 2005-2006. So here are two from the Sydney Harbor Bridge climb she and I did. We opted for the Sunset climb which was absolutely phenomenal. I'll do a slide show soon with more from that trip. And, NO, her hair is NOT that red. The sun was setting and it really made each of our heads of hair look much bolder. And, notice the Sydney Opera house in the background.

Spring Flowers!

I absolutely love Spring and all the beauty it brings. So I'm into making cards with flowers lately. I made these two about two weeks ago and I did another one last night in the same format. But I didn't have time to take a picture. I must say I think I am more favorable to the SU Ruby Red with the Chocolate Chip. Just love that combination. But I love the Aqua Mist Ming got me from PaperTrey too.

BIG Birthday Wishes!

One of the cards Ming made inspired me to create this one. In comparing the two today I can see where I need to make an adjustment to the little piece under the scalloped circle. But in person, it doesn't look too bad.

Ming's creativeness!

I've got to say I'm blown away by Ming's creativeness and her eye for just the right touch. This is a group of cards she brought over on Sunday when she visited and I love her work. For the short period of time she's been doing it, there is just no telling what fabulous things she'll create in the future.

Puppy Posts!

You know I just can't let too much time pass without posting pictures of Bella and Rikka. And, since they always want to get in the light kit I take advantage of those times. I think these are just precious of them. They could have stood to have been brushed, but it wasn't planned. Although, I think I know where their Holiday Picture will be taken this year.

2-Step Bloom!

The flower in this card is part of a retired SU set, and I'd have to say it's one of my favorites. I think Ming likes it too cause she drooled over it yesterday. I made this card last week with it and I'm pleased with the results.

Where did the weekend go?

What a super busy weekend. It started Friday night for me. I started the second coat of paint in my utility room with anticipation of getting cabinets and other things from the hardware store on Saturday. Brian helped me get those up and what a job that was. My non-stop task day on Saturday started at 7:30 a.m. and didn't end until just a little after 11:00 p.m. And, then Sunday I had to seriously clean my house before Irene and Ming got there for a stamping day. The cards in the picture are what Ming, her colleague and friend Irene and I collectively created for Irene to give to a few members of her wedding party as her thank you to them. They are just absolutely stunning in person. And, as usual Ming's visit will end up costing me money. :D She has some items I just have to have too.

Emily!

Ming just sent these pictures of Emily and I just had to post. She is just too adorable and precious IMO. She was 3 on March 4 and the Barbie Jeep she got for her birthday. I love her pink baseball glove too though. And, that body of water in the background of the Jeep picture is the river that is Emily's back yard. She's a very fortunate little girl.

Inspired Thank You!

Ming every so often gives me grief about not using all the wonderful stickers I purchased in the very beginning of my cardmaking hobby. And, I got them from the UK which means there was much more effort put forth into getting them. So Sunday I decided to go through my sticker stash and make a card that was inspired by one I'd received from a very dear friend Saturday night.

Birthday Cards Received!

For years I used to save every card I received. I have since decided there is really no good reason to do that. Granted, some are very unique and truly make me laugh. Some even inspire me in my card making. But with the technology we have today I can do just what I've done here. Put them all together, take a picture of them and post to my blog. My next post will be a card that was inspired by one of the cards amongst the ones in this picture. See if you can figure out which one.

Seeing Green!

This is a card I made keeping in mind the Mario inspired card I previously made and posted. Love the Martha Stewart small square scallopped punch I got from Michael's recently. And, the flower punch too. I think I may have taken a picture of this card using the white background of my light kit and will post it instead of this one when I have time to load it from my camera.

Thank You Berry Much!

Ming gave me some fabulous PaperTrey Ink items for my birthday and this is part of their Green Thumb set. In her goody bag of items to me she also bought their new coordinating papers, ink and ribbon. I will be posting a card I made with that tomorrow. Gee, wonder who's getting this thank you card. Haha!

Oh, and this card was definitely cased.

Birthday Greetings from Ming!

I just love the card Ming made me for my birthday and wanted to share it with everyone. It's the Birthday Whimsey set from SU.

3rd Bloom Card!

So this is the third card we made in class Monday night. I love it except I didn't do such a great job of the placement of the stems. They should all be crossing each other for a more unified look.

Bloom!

I think this has got to be my favorite from the cards we made Monday night. I ordered this set and think it will be used for many types of cards. Mother's day will be upon us before you know it and I think I'll be doing much with the set for that. You can probably tell I put this in the light kit for the picture.

The Kit!

And, here it is. It's absolutely huge and takes up a bit of space in my studio. But thank goodness it's collapsible. You can put small dogs in there (:D) and children too and probably take some very professional pictures. Ming, get ready to bring some way cute clothes and Emily over for a photo shoot!

The light kit difference!

Monday night for my birthday I decided I wanted to attend a Stamp Class that one of my SU Demonstrator Colleagues held. She is phenominal and has numerous classes each month. She does this full time, but mostly to support her habit not necessarily for income. You should see the huge room she added to her house for her stamping stuff. One day I'll take a picture and post. Anyway, we made three awesome cards using the watercolor technique. I'm hooked on that now by the way. And, this is one of the cards we made. One taken in day light on my kitchen island and one taken last night in the light kit. See the amazing difference. I'll post a picture of the whole kit after this post.

Birthday Present!

So Brian got me the light kit I so badly wanted for my birthday. I was able to work on it just a bit tonight and of course the puppies had to check it out. I think they think it's a new crate for them to sleep in and they didn't want to get out of it, especially Bella. When I put the white back drop in I'll take some pictures of them and post. I truly think it will help me with some better looking pictures.

Birthday Flowers!

Yesterday was my birthday and what an awesome day it was too. As I get older I find that presents are not foremost in my mind on my birthday. It's just being remembered and thought of by phone calls and emails by friends/family and their wanting to spend time with me. And, when this beautiful bouquet of flowers showed up at work yesterday I was so surprised. My dearest and most long term friend, Tami, sent them to me. Aren't they just beautiful? She and I have been the closest of friends since we were 10. And, that is a most priceless gift as well. I am a very fortunate person to be surrounded and loved by so many wonder people. Thank you everyone for making my birthday so special.

Emily's Card

So here is the one I made for sweet little Emily. In person it's so much prettier. And, like I said, under the vellum piece is a Nestability cut piece that I ran through my Big Shot in the Cuttlebug Birds and Vine folder. Happy Easter everyone. And, to my dear friend Gloria, Happy Birthday!

Mario Inspired!

Remember I'd written about hopefully making some cards to get a little green back? Well, I'd discussed the matter briefly with the owner of the hair salon where I get my hair done and he seemed interested and noted he needed birthday cards. He's fabulous by the way. He owns Salon 5:01 in Richmond. Well, this card I made with him in mind. I'm not sure if this is the style he's looking for, but to me it seemed it would work. I'll have to see what he thinks. As usual, it's much better in person. Of course, when I get my PhotoShop Elements up and running I hope to be able to post pictures that are more true to life.

Spring Cards!

So these are the cards I ultimately made to send to my niece and nephew and friends daughter for Easter. I realized after I'd made them that not a one had been made with any stamp or ink. I did not set out to do that and thought it was kind of cool it ended up that way. And, I'm not going to post the card I made for Emily just yet cause I know Ming will see it and I'm going to see her tonight when a group of us meets for dinner and I'll let her see it first hand then. The picture really doesn't show the embossing under the vellum that well, so it's much prettier in person.

Sweet Dreams!

I truly think this is such a nice Hostess Set from SU and I had much fun creating this card. It was time consuming but worth it.

I did manage to crank out 4 Easter cards last night and I'll post those soon. I tried to keep them simple due to time constraints. Which brings to mind. I'm trying to get some of my cards out there with hopes of reaping a little green back and am hopeful that I can get that done soon. I've discussed it with some business owners around and there seems to be an interest. But I may need to create some very simply stated yet impacting designs for their specific needs, so I'll be doing that very soon and posting.

Charlotte's Webb!

So today is my friend Charlotte's birthday and since I have two friends with that name the title of my post today clearly denotes which one I'm referring to. (wink). And, I sent her one of these cards for her birthday; hopefully she'll get it today in the mail. But I hope she doesn't see this post first. The big round brad I got from All That Scraps from the Queen and Company line.