More creative clutter

I think this card turned out really cute. I know, I use that word a lot. Would you prefer darling? If you click on it for a bigger view you will see the detail better. The background is embossed with polkadots and I created my own Nestie for the pink square. I used colored pencil and baby oil for the bride. Can you see the subtle shading? I'm still patting myself on the back for this one.

Sherie and Nat asked to see how the shrinky dinks worked, so I made a mini tutorial.

First, I stamped the images using StazOn ink.

Then, I colored the images with colored pencil and cut them out.

Lastly, I put them in the oven and let them do their thing.

I don't know how I am going to use them, but they are really cute IRL (that's In Real Life for those who aren't addicted to blog-speak). I'd love to see what the rest of you have been up to!

Card group rocks!

Tonight we got together and just played with different tools and techniques. It was so fun! I got to try out some Nestabilities which I have been dying to do. I cut out a bunch of scalloped circles in pretty colors to use in the future. Then I remembered reading that someone had created their own embossing templates using cardstock. Eureka!! I tried it and look what happened. The square was created using a double layer of cardstock and a Cuttlebug die. Imagine how much better it will look if I use chipboard. The possibilities are endless! We also stamped on Shrinky Dinks and they turned out so cool. I am going to have so much fun creating with these new techniques!

I also thought I'd share a frame I made for Heidi's baby. I'm sure some of you could improve on it, but I think it turned out pretty cute. How fun is this paper!?

Holly/Sandy - You have until Sunday to post something fabulous from shop hop. Don't disappoint us!

FYI - Jake had a biopsy done on his "mass" today. He's still at the vet so we'll see how he's doing in the morning. We should have the test results later in the week. Here's hoping it's just an infection.

Hugs and smiles across the miles

I'm sitting here bawling my eyes out after looking at Nat and Sherie's favorite blog. I just want you all to know how much I love you and how grateful I am for every minute I get to be Annie's mom and Jer's "babe". Give yourselves and your kids a love from me. I'm going to go cry myself to sleep.

Summertime and the livin' is easy

Could it be any hotter??? My car thermometer said 112, but the pool was 90 and mom was loving it! We had lots of fun hanging out poolside. Anyone else want to come visit?

I am taking reservations, but I've had to raise the price. I spent $200 at the vet last week and it looks like Jake now needs surgery to the tune of $700-900! Remind me why I got him in the first place!!!!!

Seasons

Thank's Sherie for the idea!!! Yesterday I designed and punched this design for September. I started punching at 1:00 and finished up at about 9:30pm. Betty is going to hate to twist the floss for this one - it took a lot of floss. I hope you like it.

A fundraiser is needed for Poor Arthur :(

Well, maybe the fundraiser is actually to help me pay for this.....So my cute little puppy is in the pet ER tonight. While playing outside today, we think he go into a little snail bait. He started shaking really bad and barfed a little bit. Sherie told me I should really take him into be checked out. Of course it was after my regular veg was closed, so to the ER we went. On the way there, I told mom that he was shaking bad enough that it looked like he was having a seizure or something. Well...he may have been. The vet said that they start to have tremors and mini seizures. If dogs ingest enough, they can have major seizures. At any rate, they kept him overnight and when I talked to the vet tonight, he said he was doing well. He better be doing dang good for my $500 bill!!!! I love the dog and all, but WOW that's a lot!! Any donations would be greatly appreciated. :p kidding of course.

Nothing to Show You....Yet

Okay, so I have no fun pictures to show you right now. But just wait! I am getting really excited about next weeks Shop Hop. I have sent a darling quilt to the quilters - its a "crib quilt" that I designed. I also designed bumper pads to go with it :) The complete look is going to be so cute, Natalie let us hope one of us has a baby girl soon! I am also working on another quilt that is quilted while you sew. It's very different from anything I've ever done so I hope everyone likes it as much as I liked the picture on the pattern :) Well at least I've finally posted, right?

NEW DESIGNS

Today I sent a mailer to my customers showing my new designs so I thought I'd fill you all in.

Two of the designs are a new pillow style (land that I love and Jumbled Summer) and the other one is my August tie one on. How can you not love cupcakes.

Now I am on to designing September and new designs for market. I would love to hear any ideas you have. Maybe a cute saying or design con

cept.

More card fun

As you know, I spend a lot of time looking at blogs. Most of them tell me about all the cool tools I need for making cards and such. Unfortunately, I'm not made of money so most of them are out of reach. But I found a bunch of entries about using colored pencils and odorless mineral spirits to color in your stamps. The colored pencils were on sale at Michaels for $1 so I bought a few, but I couldn't find the OMS anywhere but on-line. I was about to give in and buy it when one of the blogs I check daily had a new post saying she used baby oil instead. Voila! It really works. You just color around the edge of the stamped image and then use a blending stump dipped in baby oil to spread the color around. It is going to take a lot of practice to get the technique down, but I'm having fun trying. Now I just need more stamps that have open spaces to color in.

Heidi Tuttle had her baby boy Chance last week so I made her this card. I don't know if you can see the shading on the robe, but it's there. It needed something on the top right corner so I added the piercing, but I'm not sold on it. Oh well, I'm sure Heidi will love it anyway.

You may remember we had our pictures taken while we were in Salt Lake last month. Sue sent us thirteen proofs and this is the best of the lot. In all the others Savannah is squirming or I am doing weird things with my chin. I may have to give in and go to Kiddie Kandids for a family shot. Maybe they'll be able to make Annie behave!

One more down....

Here is the final family room project. Please let me know your thoughts on the pictures. Should I change any? I'm not sold on the one on the far right of me and Steve. I love the picture, just not sure it fits. Sherie took a really cute one of Luke and me, but I don't know if I can have one picture of him and me and not one of Luke and Steve. Help me out here. Thanks!!

My Saturday's Work

I've been holed up in my sewing room today and finally finished my August punch needle design. I hope my customers will like it. I know that not everyone is as crazy about pink and green as I am.

Heeeeellllloooooo...

.....is anyone out there? Where is everyone? Since no one is in the mood for blogging, I guess I'll just update everyone on my IVF process. I had a sonohystography on Monday. That is the test that they put a little balloon inside my uterus and inject water into it to see if everything has healed correctly. There were no abnormalties, so we are on schedule.

I start Lupron on Sunday. That is the little needle to the stomach hormone. Then I have an ultrasound on the 25th. Starting that day I'll begin all of the other hormones. If you think I'm testy now...just wait. I remember last time I was a walking hormone, non-stop crying. Maybe that's not too abnormal for me, but it seemed to be at the time.

So once I start taking all the hormones, my egg retreival will be the week of July 7th. The transfer will be the following week.

Okay, so I've posted. Now it's your turn!

P.S. Our yard is supposedly starting this week!!! Also, our pergola/awning thing should be installed next week. Yipee!

love you all! ttfn

Help, I need somebody, HELP!?!

Is this picture cute enough to put on my wall? I have some 12x12 pictures in black frames for my family room. I need a picture of Steve and me. Let me know what you think. Please be honest!! Love you all!!

Is there life after AI?

Apparently our lives are really boring or you've been too depressed to post because I left. Either way, please find something to write about. I decided to add a picture of the hairclips I made at the reunion just for something new to look at. In the background is some cute Cosmo Cricket paper that looks like old time stitching. Sandy - I'm sure you could find a use for it. GET POSTING!!!