Birthday Whimsy!

This is my first use of this SU set and I love it. But I did case this card mostly.

Big Blossom!

I cannot understand why SU would have retired this stamp and not have replaced it with something similar. I absolutely love it and need to give it back to my colleague as it is hers. So, I guess I'll be looking on eBay for one because I just have to have it.

Happy St. Patricks Day Birthday's!

I'm a little under the weather and stayed home today. I had a small outpatient procedure on Friday and somehow managed to get sick while in there. I had thoughts while in there Friday that isn't the hospital where all the germs are but put the thought aside because I've been so healthy. Maybe I jinxed myself. Anyway, I did manage to muster up some energy and make some cards this weekend, but just haven't posted them yet. I will later today though. But I wanted to send birthday greetings to my friend Dave in Richmond and my friend Amber. She's in Spain so I'm not sure she'll get this today as they are about 6 hours ahead of us. TTFN!

Card for Katie!

Brian called me the other day to ask if Katie liked flowers and I told him she did. So he decided he wanted to buy her some flowers and take them to her the next day; which I thought was so sweet. She is a CPA and is working crazy hours right now and has a cold too. She just go over one she got while we were in Costa Rica too. Anywho, you just can't give someone flowers and no card. So I made this card to go with her flowers. Green is her favorite color, so I kept that in mind. Everything but the cheeky clip, brads and bow are Stampin Up. And, yes, my sentiment is crooked. Oh, well!

Katie's Morkie Puppies Growing Up!

Can you believe how much Katie's puppies have grown? And, OMG they are absolutely too adorable. I've put the picture from the day we got them in September 2007 and this recent one taken on March 5 up for comparison.

They used to be smaller than the tissue box and now look at them. And, they are such good puppies. They now can go up and down her deck steps and the stairs inside her house all by themselves. And, they love the big dog next door; Hannah.

Stormy Saturday!

This past Saturday was so unbelievably windy and the skies looked very threatening. This is the view from my front porch and although the picture doesn't do justice, it's quite a beautiful view. La Bella Vista!! Hopefully if I get Photoshop Elements for my birthday coming up in 13 days (wink) I can adjust the pictures to look more like they do in person.

Embossed Birthday!

When I set out to make this card I had hoped it would be masculine enough; haha! I just have the hardest time making cards for guys. I'm just going to have to break down and buy a few sets from SU; they have some great masculine themed ones.

Yoga Monday!

Good morning to all. So DST began this weekend and while it's nice, I'm tired this morning. It was a very nice weekend. Dinner at the new seafood restaurant in the county with Ming, Ray and Emily Saturday night. I did some pre-Spring Cleaning in my house as well. Sunday Brian and I had a nice visit with Bob and Terry. Bob's birthday was Sunday and I wanted to get his birthday card to him. Seems like he was having a good day as friends and relatives were there too. And, I think he liked the chef card I made. Anyway, I love the yoga stamp set from My Favorite Things and here is the other part of the set. All paper and inks are from SU and I used my Spellbinders Nestabilities. Since I purchased the spacers for my Big Shot these work like a charm.

Button Birthday!

I'm so enamored with SU's Ruby Red paper. It matches so well with so many colors. Everything is SU except the sentiment (PaperTrey Ink) and the flower and button.

Voila Chef!

For over a year now I have been jonesing over the Voila stamp set from SU and I finally got it. I know it may not be too popular, but it really captures my attention big time. This is my first attempt with it, and I hope I get better or come up with something even more creative. A dear friend of mine has a birthday this Sunday (wink) and I think I'll make a card using the chef for him.

Big Bloom Spots!

The Big Bloom is a retired stamp from SU and I can't see why; it's ginormous and great! And, I used the Seeing Spots set for the background on the paper. I love how the Signo Gel pen works on this. The flowers are from PaperTrey Ink from the Eat Cake set; love that one too.

Namaste!

So I take yoga each week and absolutely have fallen in love with it. It's such a great exercise and makes me energized after each class. Plus the stretches are phenomenal. When I saw this Yoga stamp set at My Favorite Things I just knew I had to have it. This is the first one I made. Love it! You can also buy MFT stamps at All That Scraps as well. And, if you order at least $10 there is no shipping.

Flip Flop Birthday!

So I tried another project last week called a Flip Flop Card. This is my first one and I'm okay with it. Actually, I gave it to Brian to send to his dad because his birthday is March 6th! Happy Birthday Tom! Oh, and Emily is 3 today! Hard to believe; Happy Birthday Honey!

Morning Glory's!

Yep, you guessed it my babies are my morning glory's. This was Sunday morning while I was drinking my coffee and looking at the SU Catalog; can never get enough of it and wishing or dreaming of all the fabulous items in it. Anyway, Bella insisted on looking at it too! Haha! I think she really wanted my coffee. And, of course, Rikka has to be doing what her sister is doing.

Reflections-Aaahaaa Moments!

I will hopefully post a picture of a card I made last night later on today. But I thought I'd take just a little bit of space to share some thoughts. My role at the company I work for seems to have taken on many changes over the years. The base of my work remains, but as we grow as a company, I have found many confide in me with various personal matters as do many of my friends. This is an ultimate compliment to me. As I've gotten older I've learned the value of never betraying someones confidence; something I may not have done in my youth. And, it's funny how you can look back on the experiences of your life and now say, "Aaahaaa", so that's the "reason." And, there IS always a reason for the things that happen. You may not know the reason today, but it will come to fruition in time. Although many of the experiences I've been through may not have been a happy one while it was going on, I'm glad I've been through them. I gain so much gratification if I can help someones mood be more positive or bring a smile to someones face while in the throes of topsy-turvy or frustrating times as a result of my experiences. Just making someone feel better and smile is such an important thing for me; I'm not sure I can fully explain it. Anywho....one quote I came up with this week is this:

Sometimes one has to give up a lot to gain a lot more! For me personally this could not be more true. Have a great Friday and make someone smile!

Colleague Merci!

I love this SU set and can't wait to get mine. My colleague Debbie made this card and gave it to me last week. I absolutely love it! Her colors are fabulous together and it sparkles big time. To see it in person is truly better than the picture I took. I helped her a little when she found herself in need of a few car repairs and this was her thank you card to me.

Delight in Life Folio!

I discovered the technique used for this card and CASED it. As always, I changed the colors entirely. I've been in the mindset that I should try at least one new technique a week if possible. I like this one a lot, but I haven't decided how it can be used. Perhaps to hold a gift certificate or a picture or two.

Seeing more spots!

This is a great set from SU IMO and so is their DP. Everything is SU except the ribbon and brad.

Purseonality!

I used my SU tag punch to make these purses. Every thing used to make this card was from SU except the sentiment.

Flowers from Brian!

Brian has been out of town for almost two weeks, but he made sure he had special things for me on Valentine's Day, including this beautiful arrangement of roses. He also had a digital picture frame sent to the house which I thought was something for him after it arrived, so I never gave it anymore thought. Of course, I'll need him to try and get it to work because after I spent 2 hours and it still not doing what it's meant to do, I gave up. He is truly very thoughtful.

Seeing Spots Galore!

OMG, do I love this SU set. And, I've got a feeling that it will be around for a long while. I may even give more thought to using it for swaps at the SU Convention this year. Which, I'm pumped about big time. Of course, July is a long way off, but still.... Anyway, everything on these cards is SU except for the embellishments in the middle of the scallop and the ribbon. Love the Green Galore Card Stock.

Purple Hearts!

So here is the card I made Charlotte for Valentine's Day. I did CASE this card, but changed all of the colors.

The DP is from SU as is the CS and Stamp Sets. The only thing not SU is the ribbon, brads and ink. And, I love the clear embossing powder from SU too.

A Tree for Spring!

I love this stamp set from Stampin Up; A Tree for All Seasons. And, I'm digging the spritzer tool big time too.

First Criss Cross Pocket Card!

Woohoo! I finally tried a new technique last night. A criss cross pocket card. It was a little time consuming, but I like it a lot and will try to do more. Actually, I think this could be a good workshop card to do. It will take practice to get it just perfect. Most everything used was from Stampin' UP.

Not the dotted ribbon.

Puppy Posts!

What can I say, I love Bella and Rikka like most people love their children. They are so very special and I love to show them off. Brian has not seen them in over a week and I told him I'd post some pictures of them today. This is where they are when I'm in my studio; each on their own papasans. When there was only one papasan, they would get in it together. The papasans are not usually placed there, but they like to be close to me and will insist on getting in my lap if the papasans aren't placed there. So that's where they are when it's just me in the studio.

And, when I'm in the house, they love to look out the front window on their ottoman. And, just how in the world did two little puppies get custody of a $300 storage ottoman not intended for them in the first place? Puppy love baby!

Ming's Valentine!

I realize that Valentine's Day has passed, but I still wanted to post the cards I made for my friends. Well, this one for Ming today and hopefully Charlotte's tomorrow. It's just been very hectic the last week and a half. And, I did a SU Workshop at Ming's on the 10th, which was very successful. So I've wrapped all that up and the orders are mostly delivered. She had a spectacular workshop and I cannot thank the attendees enough for their excitement about the SU products. I plan to hold a "how to" workshop for the newbies to SU soon. And, last night I worked on flyers to hand out in the nearby sub-division where I live. So we'll see what traffic I get from that.

Emily's Valentine!

Ming's daughter, Emily, will be 3 in just a few weeks and this is the Valentines Day card I made for her. The reason it's basic yet colorful. Each year I make my two youngest nieces and my youngest nephew fun holiday cards. I make sure they each get one for Valentines, Easter, Halloween, and Christmas, and of course their birthdays. And, I mail them so they have something fun in the mail. And, I've started including my friend Charlotte's daughter, Jess, in the tradition too. She's such a sweetheart and just the best and smartest little girl. I also am meeting 4 of my girlfriends for a Valentines Eve lunch today and can't post those cards just yet. Hopefully later today. The items used for this card are mostly SU. That's their DP.

SnowBella!

I love this stamp from Stamping Bellas. As I do the Coluzzle. The brrr brad came from Queen & Co. The snowflakes were made using my Big Shot; love that too. And, the colors used on her were with my Copic markers; which are also fantastic IMO.

Brian's Birthday Card!

Yesterday was Brian's 34th birthday and this is the card I made for him. I just don't really have masculine themed stamps so this is what I created. It was made using all SU items and the stamp set is Always. Which I like so much.

Pinwheel & Petals!

I've been waiting for a while to post this. I finally got my watermark to work; with the help of my IT guy from work. He's the bomb I must say. Anway, I was ver happy with how this card turned out. I love the oval Coluzzle set I have which I despised at first. And, I'm very partial to the die cut flowers that are a part of my die cut Sizzix alphabet set. Everything else is from Stampin Up. I handmade the pinwheel though. It was the toughest part of the card. And, it actually does spin a little with some assistance. I put an eyelet in the CS first and then fed the brad through the eyelet loosely so that it would spin around.