Hey Chick!

Don't you just love that chicken? This is the Hen & Eggs rubber stamp by Whipper Snapper. I just love their images. They're so cute and whimsical. I only have two so far - this one, and the dog I used on this card, but I'm sure there will be more making their way into my collection before long! I found this at The Occasional Stamper, a stamp store I came across in New London, WI. It's a small store, but they had a great selection for their size. While I was there I was looking through their clearance bin and found that "Baaawk!" background stamp by Art Impressions on clearance. It's a match that was just meant to be!!

I colored the chicken with my copics, but only did a little shading on the chicken and the white part of the bowl. I used a cool blue shadow, so you can barely see it around some of the edges, but it's their. I love that color. I find myself using it a lot. The card itself is more of a square card, but it still fits in the A2 invitation size envie. Finished size is 4.5x4.25.

And here is the Inky Antics sentiment I stamped inside the card:

tee-hee! Isn't that just perfect? I love it!

Details:
Stamps: Whipper Snapper Hen & Eggs, Inky Antics Sentiment (inside), Art Impressions Background
Paper: Gable Green, Basic Black, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black
Other: Black Cord, Copic Markers, Ticket Stub Corner Punch, Large (Giga?) Marvy Circle Punch

Here's take two of my new signature. I like this font (Scriptina) better. :o) I just figured out how to get downloaded fonts into PSE. Doh!

And don't miss the blog candy over at Nikki's blog!

Enjoy the day!

Jack at 3 Months!

Hi friends - I just wanted to do a quick post with pictures of the boys to appease the other half of my blogger audience. ;) Friday was Jack's three month birthday, and bad mama that I am, I forgot to take a picture that day. I took these today - two days late. *sigh* lol. I did remember to set an appointment to have the boy's 3 mo and 2 yr pictures done this week though, so that's a plus!

Jack is such a big guy. I swear he weighs as much now as Henry did when I stopped using the car seat (he was fourteen months old, and just over 20 lbs). It weighs a TON. We went to an open house at the Legion on the Lake last weekend and this older guy walked by, looked at Jack, smiled, and said, "Whoa! He's a bruiser!" Nice. lol. Oh well - more to love, right? ;o)


Do you like how the outfit is pulling there near his knee like it might be a little too snug? Yeah. It's a 6 month outfit.

I'll let you in on a little secret. Camera = Henry. You can't take a picture of something without having to take one of him too. Case in point:

Did you see the look on Jack's face? He's thinkin', "Dude! You're stealin' my thunder!"

Here's one of Henry. :o) We bought him this hat today since we're out in the sun so much lately (we have to go to the zoo at the park every day - sometimes twice a day). I had the hardest time finding something to fit him because his head is so big. We finally found this one at Carter's Outlet. The size? 4-7 years. He's 2. I kid you not. He had his two year check up last week and is in the 95% for weight and head size, and the 90% for height.

So we grow 'em big in Wisconsin... Tough. ;)

Stay tuned for another cute card tomorrow morning using a new Whipper Snapper stamp! :o)

Best,

Inside My Heart

Choosing to Live With Passion and Purpose





by Robin McGraw



I received this book as a gift the Christmas before last (yes, it was on my wish list), and finally got around to reading it. I've always been a fan of Dr. Phil, and slowly grew to admire Robin as well as I saw more of her on his show. I love that she is in the audience supporting him everyday, and that he respects her opinion enough to ask her to share it on the show on a regular basis.

Here is a brief synopsis of the book:

You've seen her on television with her husband, Dr. Phil. But now it's time for a heart-to-heart conversation with Robin McGraw. In Inside My Heart, Robin speaks woman to woman, inspiring you to embrace and celebrate the many roles you play and encouraging you to make deliberate choices that lead to a richer, happier, and more meaningful life.

She shares with you the life-changing moments of her childhood years, dating and marrying Dr. Phil McGraw, raising two sons, and asserting herself as a woman in a man's world to show you that you have the power to make choices in your life. In fact, she's convinced that you must choose to go after the life you want.

With a deep and abiding faith in God, Robin McGraw shares her story so you too can make choices that reflect your own heart's truest priorities and highest goals.

When I added the book to my wish list, I thought it was an autobiography. As I started reading it, I realized it was a sort of psuedo self help book with her life story mixed in for effect. Had I known that to begin with I may not have requested it, but it didn't take me long to get hooked in the book. She writes just like she talks. I could hear her reading every word in my head (one of the many voices in there - lol). She was genuine, sincere, and direct.

I found her stories about motherhood particularly appealing. In one chapter, she writes, "Being a mother is more than a phase in my life; for me, it's a never-ending mission, my calling here on earth. And when the time comes and I'm standing before my heavenly Father, I just want Him to say to me, 'Job well done'." That really stuck in my mind - in fact that whole chapter on a Mother's Heart has stuck with me. Oh who am I kidding, the whole dang book keeps running through my head! In the end, I can say I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, and plan to hang on to it (I usually pass books on once I've read it) so I can read it again. There is a strong message of self preservation, and I think it is one that every woman should read.

Have you read it? What did you think of it? It was (is?) on the NYT Best Seller's list for awhile, so I know I'm not alone here! Talk to me!

Need a Break?

Wanna hear a funny story? ;o) Ok, here goes. Remember wayyy back when Bella's were the hot new thing? I mean *really* new. Well, I decided to place an order back then. I bought 4-5 bella's, and was so disappointed when I got them because I thought they were supposed to be wood mounted. I didn't realize they were unmounted stamps, and at the time I was not a fan of the unmounted stamp (oh how times have changed!). I traded some away and kept some, not sure if I'd ever use them. Grumpabella was one that I traded away, but before I did I stamped one image of it - this image. Then when I got my Copics, it was one of the first images I colored as a sort of test subject. The other day, I finally decided to make her into a card. Talk about a work in progress!

I got the idea for this card from a card I saw on page 40 of the current Stamp it! magazine by Paper Crafts. I used the same sketch and similar colors as that card (by Debbie Olson), but different stamps. It's a very simple design, but I think it's cute.

I recently ordered some more bella stamps, and am getting ready to place yet another order now to take advantage of the free shipping offer. Grumpabella is on that order. *sigh* It's all about the hindsight.

Details:
Stamps: Grumpabella, SU! Espresso Yourself (sentiment, coffee beans)
Ink: Sky Blue, Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie

Paper: Whisper White, Sky Blue, Pumpkin Pie

Other: Copic markers, Non-SU Chocolate ribbon, Keytag Punch

Charlie the Horse

Have you met Charlie? Isn't he just the cutest little horse!? He's from Clear Dollar Stamps. There are two "Charlie" sets there, and I think each of them only cost me $3.99, which is a total steal! I combined both sets for the front of this card, and used the matching wheel (it comes as a long flat stamp, but can be placed on one of their clear wheels if you wish - I just use a long acrylic block for it instead) on the inside. You can see a little bit of it there at the bottom.

I raised his nose and tail up on Stampin' Dimensionals, and stamped the sentiment with SU markers so I could get it vertical instead of horizontal like it is originally. I also did a little wavy cutting and notching (by hand) on the Ruby Red layer under Charlie. I started doing that to cards years ago and I really think it adds a nice touch to the whole barnyard feel of this card.

Details:

Stamps: Charlie Horse, Charlie Fenced In, and Hoofin' It (all Clear Dollar Stamps)
Ink: Close to Cocoa
Paper: Close to Cocoa, Very Vanilla, Ruby Red

Other: Copic markers (on Charlie), Ruby Red SU marker (on bird), Close to Cocoa SU Marker (on sentiment), Stampin' Dimensionals

Now here's a fun little blogger trick I learned yesterday. Did you know that if you go to http://blogsearch.google.com/ and type "Link:" and then the name of your blog (ex: link:www.scrampinmama.blogspot.com) and then hit search, it will show you all of the blogs that have linked to yours within the text of their daily posts (doesn't include blogrolls). I did it, and learned (a month later!) that I was one of the "Friday Favorites" in Jennifer's top ten list over at Glitter in my Hair at the end of May for my Sugar & Snips card! Who knew?! Not me!

Enjoy the day!

P.S. How do you like the new signature I made? :)

Slow-Cooked Broccoli

I am busy working on my bella swaps and a few other things that I can't show you just yet (oh the suspense!), so instead of posting a card today I thought I'd share another recipe that I tried recently and fell in love with.

My grandmother has held a subscription to Taste of Home magazine for over ten years now. She goes through the magazine each month and cuts out the recipes that interest her and then passes it on to me and I cut from those that are left. I have a small recipe box that I keep all of these "potential" recipes in until I try them. If I like the dish, I make a handwritten recipe card for my book. If not, I pitch it.

This recipe was cut from the Feb/Mar issue of 1999 (!!) and it is one that will definitely be going into my recipe book now that I've (finally) tried it! It is so flavorful and tasty, and is even yummy warmed up for seconds and thirds. I made this for the birthday dinner we hosted for my grandma, and everyone loved it. Well, everyone except hubby, whose only vegetable intake consists of celery, carrots, and pizza sauce. ;) Even Henry ate some! I had quite a bit leftover, and ate on it here and there for a week. Just typing this has me wanting more already so I think I'll be making it again soon!

2 - 10oz pkgs Frozen Chopped Broccoli, partially thawed

1 can Cream of Celery Soup (I used Campbell's)

1 1/2 c. (6 oz.) Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese, divided

1/4 c. Chopped Onion

1/2 t. Worcestershire Sauce

1/4 t. Pepper (I used a little more)

1 c. Crushed Butter-Flavored Crackers (about 25)

2 T. butter or margarine (I used butter)

In a large bowl, combine broccoli, soup, 1 cup cheese, onion, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper. Pour into a greased slow cooker. Sprinkle crackers on top; dot with butter. Cover and cook on high for 2-1/2 to 3 hours. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cook 10 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted.

Yield: 8-10 servings.

Enjoy!

It's a Cupcake Thing

Cupcakeabella is one of the images I received in the image swap I participated in a few weeks ago. Although I do love me some Bella's, she is not one that I would normally buy for myself (that's the whole point of an image swap though, eh? To get things you don't already have?). I wasn't entirely sure what to do with her, but then I came across Bella Sketch Challenge #33 on SCS, and decided to give it a whirl.

I love how the ribbon matches her dress, and I love how her leg sticks out beyond the main rectangle image. I even love the way I cut up the sentiment. What I don't love is the black border around that same main image. It started out as a dotted border, made with my black Sakura gelly roll pen. In hindsight (gotta love hindsight), I should have left well enough alone, but did I? Of course not. After the dots were dry, I decided maybe I'd like a solid line better. Wrong! The dots kind of stick up because the ink from the gelly pen is so thick, so it looked more like a stitched border than anything. I hated it. So then I decided to sponge black over the edges to hide the gelly stuff all together. Bad idea. You can still see it. Of course if I had this actual stamp I would have just started all over again, but being that it was the only image I had of her (originally got two, but the first one smeared when I tried to color it with my copics... grumble, grumble) I was determined to salvage her somehow. Ultimately I think a squiggly doodled edge would have been the best option, but it's too late now! Ugh!

Details:
Stamps: Cupcakeabella and Sentiment, Small Flower stamp by Clear Dollar Stamps
Paper: Pretty in Pink, Basic Black, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black, Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue

Other: Watercolor Pencils, Blender Pen, Dazzling Diamonds (on frosting), Sakura Gelly Roll Pens - black (edges), sparkle (base of cupcake), Non-SU Ribbon, Copic marker (shadow of cupcake)

Petals and Stems

One of the ladies who sings in the choir I am in passed away unexpectedly yesterday, so I needed to make a sympathy card for the family (a number of her family members sing with us as well). My first thought was to make something incorporating music notes, but I didn't have any kind of sentiment that would match and couldn't come up with anything good off the top of my head to print, so I skipped that idea.

I recently bought both this sentiment (Stampendous) and set (Petals and Stems, Verve Visual) and had them sitting on my desk waiting to be put away when the idea for this card hit me. I've never been happy with any sympathy card I've made in the past, but I like the simplicity of this. It looks naked to me without any ribbon or glitter on it, but the occasion just didn't call for frills.

I rarely speak of my faith online (it's so hard to understand people when reading rather than listening), but when I've been down it has always helped me to look at the world around me - particularly things in nature. To see the tangible work of God reminds me that he is still there, and if he is taking care of that little flower he is surely also taking care of me. That was my inspiration for this card.

Anyhow, let me know what you think...

Details:
Stamps: Sentiment by Stampendous, Petals and Stems (Verve Visual)
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke, So Saffron, Rose Red
Paper: Mellow Moss, Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla

Other: Tarnished brass brad (center of flower)

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

This is one of the non-dog themed items I made for Henry's party. It's the third or fourth time I've made it, and it's a hit every single time. My Mom already requested that I make it again for our family reunion in July! I got the recipe from my friend and former boss, Chef Greg. ;o) Ok, so he's not *really* a chef, but he has played one on tv! Seriously - he and a friend had a cooking show on a local tv station back when I started working for him in April 1999. It was called "Taste Buds"... get it? LOL. It still cracks me up today!

Ok, enough about him! Here's the recipe:

3/4 c. Picante Sauce
2 T Olive Oil
2 T Lemon Juice
1 t Ground Cumin
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1 (15 oz) can of black beans, drained and rinsed
4 oz Monterey Jack cheese, cubed
1 (11 oz) can of whole kernel corn, drained
1/4 c. sliced green onions with tops
3/4 c. thinly sliced celery
1 small sweet red pepper, diced

Mix the picante sauce, oil, juice, cumin and garlic together (I mix it in my large Pampered Chef Batter Bowl - it's the perfect size once everything else is added and it has a lid of its own too - very handy!). Set aside. Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl. Stir sauce mixture into beans, cheese, and vegetables. Cover and chill several hours or overnight (I vote for overnight).

It is sooooo good! It's kind of a chunky salsa, so I'd recommend getting the Tostito's Scoops to serve with it.

Enjoy!

Henry is TWO!!

Today is Henry's second birthday (can you believe it?!) and we celebrated with a puppy party yesterday. It wasn't a huge event, just grandma's and godparents, but we still had a good time!

Make a Smilebox postcard

Here is a short video of Henry that I took before the party. He found his balloons when he woke up in the morning and carried them around the house with him for the longest time. He had to take a few breaks though - one of which you'll see in the video. ;o) LOL.

That's our day in a nutshell! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HENRY!!

Ter.RUFF.ic!

Here's Henry's birthday card! Of course it had to have a doggy on it, and isn't this little dog by Whipper Snapper the cutest thing EVER?! I just fell in love with the image when I saw it, and I knew it had to be mine. The sentiment is from the CTMH Puppy Love set that I used on the party invitation a few posts back. This is also my first card using dew drops. I just bought a bottle from Ellen Hutson and I LOVE them! OMG. Why did I wait so long?! I only bought one bottle (Poinsettia - clear, pinkish red, olive, pale yellow) but I'm sure there will be more in my future! And how do you like my photo? I'm still playing around with pictures. I kind of like how well the card stands out on the white background though.

I couldn't figure out what sentiment to put in side the card, so I decided to go with a handwritten note instead. It won't mean a thing to him today, but hopefully some day he'll look back at it and it will make him smile the same way he makes us smile today. I can't believe my baby is two years old! *sniff, sniff*

Details:
Stamps: Whipper Snapper dog, CTMH sentiment
Ink: Basic Black, Chocolate Chip

Paper: Creamy Caramel, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Basic Grey DP

Other: Copics, Poinsettia Dew Drops (The Robin's Nest)

I've Been Tagged!

It took me a few days to post, but better late than never, right?!

I was just tagged by Julie at Special Craft Mom of 4! The "rules" of the game: Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

Here it goes:

Ten years ago: I met my husband and moved to DeKalb, IL, then later that year to Wheeling, IL to be closer to him.

Five things in today’s 'to do list':
1. Decorate the cupcakes for Henry's party tomorrow.
2. Finish stamping his birthday card.
3. Get all of the decorations out and assembled (I'm think of that centerpiece for the table).
4. Figure out what to feed all of us for supper.
5. Exchange a Copic at Hobby Lobby - I bought a color on sale last week and already have it. Doh!

Snacks I enjoy:
1. Dark Chocolate
2. Cheddar Cheese Combos
3. Green Olives
4. Soft Batch cookies heated in the micro.

Things I would do if I was a millionaire:
1. Pay off the remainder of the mortgage.
2. Buy hubby a new car.
3. Hire a chef.
4. Build a house.
5. Start an animal rescue business.

Places I have lived:
1. Oshkosh, WI
2. DeKalb, IL
3. Wheeling, IL

I'm supposed to tag 5 more people:
1. Merry = Random Thoughts of a Confessed Stampaholic
2. Dawny = Pink Piggy
3. Lorie = Live, Love, Laugh, Create
4. Mary Dawn = My Pink Mexico
5. Holly = Hog Wild About Stamping

It's a bird! It's a plane!

It's LAUNDRYBOY!

Every mother has been there. He wanders out of your sight, and all of a sudden it gets reeeeally quiet. And what was my OCD son doing during this time? Was he ripping all of the clothes out of the laundry basket? No. Pouring his milk over the clean clothes? Nope. He was trying on his dog clothes! What a nut!

Now you know why we are having a puppy party. The kid is doggone crazy! The pool shark shirt (or what he calls his "na nu" shirt, because we sing the ditty from Jaws when he has it on - lol!) had to go. Dogs rule!!

Bow wow,

Puppy Party Favors

As you may have read, we're having a puppy party for Henry on Sunday. It's just a small gathering with us, his grandma, great-grandma, and godparents, but I still want to make it special. I posted the party invitation the other day, and here are the party favors. I made one for Henry and one for the other little boy who will be there. Inside the wrap is a little spill-proof (supposedly!) bottle for bubbles and a bottle of bubbles to fill it with. I found them at Target for $1.99 each and thought they'd be great for a little treat for Henry and Caden. I didn't want to put a ton of time into these because they are for two year olds, but I still think they turned out cute!

The DP is Basic Grey, and the dog is "Cocoa" from Clear Dollar Stamps. Take a minute to look through their site. They have some super cute things at reasonable prices and it's all cling vinyl (which I love, as I've mentioned before). I bought Cocoa, and all of the Charlie the Horse line. I couldn't help myself!

Details:
Stamps: Cocoa (Clear Dollar Stamps)
Paper: Whisper White, Ruby Red, Basic Grey DP
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Other: Non-SU stitched ribbon, weathered brad, copic markers, sponging (edges of white paper)

Have a Cool Birthday!

Have you seen the popsicle cards that have been floating around the stamping community? I was first introduced to the idea on Jen's Crazy Stamp Girl blog. I just love it! It's so nice and summer-y!

Although I was smart enough to bookmark her instructions, I didn't have them handy when I decided to make the card, and as a result I ended up making my popsicle much larger than hers. It still works, it just leaves less space for other card elements.



The lime is stamped in Gable Green, then rolled (using the Rock n' Roll technique) in Green Galore so the edges are a little darker than the middle. This is one of my favorite techniques. It's so easy and is so eye catching! I used the same technique to make 30 of these and 30 of these to send as Christmas cards in 2006. I also added Dazzling Diamonds to the center of the lime for a little added kick.

And here's the inside:

I thought this sentiment from SU!'s retired "Totally Cool" set was a perfect match. What do you think?

Details:

Stamps: Tart n' Tangy, Totally Cool
Paper: Green Galore, Gable Green, Whisper White, Creamy Caramel

Ink: Green Galore, Gable Green, Basic Black
Other: Dazzling Diamonds, Non-SU Gingham Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensional, Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, Corner Rounder Punch, SU Scallop Punch

A Puppy Party!

I found this fire hydrant card idea on Lauren Meader's blog, and case'd it for Henry's 2nd birthday party invitation. Isn't it adorable? I seriously don't know how she comes up with this stuff. If you happen to be in the 2% of stampers who don't frequent her blog already, you really need to start!! ;o)

My changes to her design were slight. I switched to Rose Red paper instead of Ruby Red, because I had more of it. Rose Red was a little too "pink" for my tastes, but it did the trick. I also changed the sentiment to "Let's Party" from the set of the same name by Stampin' Up!. I also drew an oval template by hand to use for the curve at the top of the hydrant. If I had nestabilities, it would have been light years easier but I don't - so I improvised!



And here is the inside of the card. It's a puppy party, thru and thru! I printed these inserts on the computer using the Mufferaw font, and then stamped the little paw print in the middle.

The back of the card is stamped with my favorite, "If you had any idea how long it took me to make this card, you would never throw it away." warning. ;o) lol. It wasn't really hard to make per se, just time consuming. I made 6 in all - 5 invites and one to use as a RAK for my stampin' friend Lesley (SCS: Hoosierstamper). It's totally worth it though. I'm hoping my boys will look back through their scrapbooks some day and get a little warm fuzzy at the thought that I've made all of their birthday invites and birthday cakes, and even some Halloween costumes. Ya know?

Details:

Stamps: CTMH Puppy Love, SU! Let's Party, A Muse narrow oval (at top of hydrant)

Ink: Close to Cocoa (all edges, dog, paw print), Rose Red (on narrow ovals)

Paper: Rose Red, Whisper White
Other: Copic markers, White Signo gel pen (SU!), Close to Cocoa SU! Marker (sentiment), Non-SU Brown Grosgrain Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, corner rounder punch, keytag punch, 3/4" circle punch

Double Standards

by Judith McNaught

I read McNaught's Once and Always last summer, and really enjoyed it. Since then, I've picked up a few more of her books here and there as I've seen them at rummages for cheap but they've just been stacking up. When I finished Joshilyn Jackson's Gods in Alabama last week, I decided to start this book.

Here is a brief synopsis:

The ruggedly handsome president of Global Industries handled his business the way he handled his women -- with charm, daring and ruthless self-control. A man used to the very best, Nick hired Lauren Danner, and assumed the proud beauty would soon be another easy conquest. But Lauren's flashing wit and rare spirit dazzled him -- and slowly, against his will, he was intrigued, challenged -- and in love.

Yet Lauren was living a lie, a charade that became more dangerous with every passing moment. Trapped in a web of deceit, she fought her growing love for Nick. Her secret could destroy his fragile trust -- and the promise of life with the most compelling man she had ever met!

What can I say? Well, for starters... I wasn't impressed. The book is 310 pages long. I read 236 pages before learning anything of the history of the main (male) character. Not cool. Once I knew his history I was able to understand him better, and enjoyed the story... but by then it was just too late. Everything seemed rushed in the last 80 pages or so, which was kind of disappointing. It was an easy read though, which I guess is why I stuck with it. You kind of need a no brainer when a good portion of your reading time comes at 2am in a semi-lit darkness.

Anyhow, if you're thinking about reading this - maybe think again and reach for Once and Always instead. She did much better with the historical fiction than the simulated business empire.

Little Angel

I have been in love with this Baby Bella Hanging Bundle stamp by Stamping Bella for MONTHS now. I was originally going to buy it to use for birth announcements for Jack, but then decided against it in favor of my Raggedy Andy stamp (which matched the Raggedy Andy nursery theme we chose for him). Still, the baby bella haunted me. I recently placed an order with the company and I had to add it. I HAD TO!

Isn't it an adorable stamp? I am on a quest to use every stamp I buy at least once before I put it away, so here is baby bella's debut performance! What do you think? I colored with Copics, and added white dots to the flowers on the bundle using SU!'s Signo gel pen. I also raised the baby face and star off the paper with Stampin' Dimensionals, and added some glitter to the star with the Sakura stardust gelly roll pen.

Details:
Stamps: Baby Bella Hanging Bundle, SU Star Wheel, Sentiment (pictured)
Ink: Basic Black, Barely Banana
Paper: Barely Banana, Ballet Blue, Whisper White
Other: White Grosgrain Ribbon, Stampin Dimensionals, Copic Markers, Sakura Gelly Roll pen, White Signo Gel Pen, Making Memories Button Brads, Ballet Blue SU! Marker

Ahoy, Matey!

I thought and thought about this Father's Day card. It's no secret to anyone who reads this blog that masculine cards are not my forte, but I had to come up with something. Then, the other day I was given a challenge by my friend Lorie. The challenge was to come up with a card using the "Torn Apart" sketch in this month's Sheetload of Cards publication. Put two + two together, and voila! You have a Father's day card!

I used Stampin' Up!'s Ahoy Matey set, and some of the "sheetload" of Basic Grey DP my friend Karen gifted to me recently (How sweet is that?!). The sketch called for a small embellishment on the far left side of the torn DP, and I used two staples. I'm not sure if you can see it in the pic, so I wanted to point it out for you! There is a third staple in the top right corner of the pirate image. I made the "Ahoy, Matey" sentiment round and pierced the edges of the background piece for it to look like a porthole.


Cute, right? But then the dilemma became an issue of what to stamp inside. The only other sentiment with the set is "You Arrrr Invited" - that wouldn't do. So I turned to my good friend Noelle - a pirate wench lass at heart - to come up with a saying or two for me. She didn't let me down! I took her sentiment and printed it on Very Vanilla cardstock, prettied the edges up a bit and here's the end result...

By then I was just a land lubbin' fool, so I figured I might as well keep going. Looky what I did with the envelope!

Details:
Stamps: Ahoy Matey
Ink: Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip
Paper: Basic Grey DP, Very Vanilla, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip
Other: Copics, Staples, 1" and 1.25" Circle Punch, Paper Piercing kit, Copic Markers, Sakura Gelly Roll Pen (accents on sword blade)

Flooding in Oshkosh - The Day After

Here are some more flood pictures. These were taken Friday, a good twelve hours after the storms had passed. The picture below is of the parking lot between Stein's and the Cinema. Stein's was obviously flooded, though I drove by the area today and they were open for business so it couldn't have been *too* bad.



Here is a tree in North Park, just a few blocks from my house. I'm guessing it was hit by lightning given the break and the fact that there was no other substantial wind damage in the area.

The next two pictures are of Koeller Rd. The road was flooded from the old Rocky Rococo's building (not sure what's in it now - AT&T? Cingular? I never really paid any attention) OH!! Starbucks occupies half of it. It's all coming back to me. ;o) lol. Doh. Anyhow, the water went from there North around that bend towards 9th Ave.

I don't have any pictures of it, but I guess Lourdes High School is flooded as well. They showed the school on the news, and they had about four feet of water in the basement. Apparently the water accumulated in the parking lot and pushed the basement windows in. They lost everything in four class rooms and their sports equipment room.

I'd like to say we'll be rain free for a few days, but it looks like we could get more today or tomorrow. Thankfully they won't be as strong, but still at this point I don't think it will take much to flood the town again. Everything is saturated.

Here's a news story with a video link about the damage in Oshkosh:

Extensive Damage to Oshkosh Homes

Stay dry!

Gods in Alabama

by Joshilyn Jackson

I swapped a few books with a fellow stamper on SCS a few months ago (don't even ask me who it was, at the moment all I remember is she lived in Florida). This is one of the books that was in the books she sent me. I started it about ten minutes after I finished Jodi Picoults The Tenth Circle, and I finished it this morning. I do almost all of my reading while I'm nursing Jack. It sure helps to make the time go by faster - especially in the night time hours.

Here's a brief synopsis of the book:

When Arlene Fleet headed off to college in Chicago, she made three promises to God: She would never again lie, never fornicate outside of marriage, and never, ever go back to her tiny hometown of Possett, Alabama (the "fourth rack of Hell"). All God had to do in exchange was to make sure the body of high school quarterback Jim Beverly was never found. Ten years later, Arlene has kept her promises, but an old schoolmate has recently turned up asking questions. And now Arlene’s African American beau has given her a tough ultimatum: introduce him to her family, or he’s gone. As she prepares to confront guilt, discrimination, and a decade of deception, Arlene is about to discover just how far she will go to find redemption--and love.

It was hard for me to get into this book. I don't know if it was due to a lack of interest or, more likely, just that the content and writing style were so different from the last two books I read. Once I got into it though, I was thoroughly entertained. Some of the lines Arlene and her Aunt Flo come out with are hilarious, in a witty and dry way. Another big plus was the end of the book - I can honestly say I never saw that coming! Be forewarned though - the book is, at times, pretty explicit, and there are a few chapters in the book where the f-bombs drop like crazy (a big overdone in my opinion, but whatever - it was still a good book). All in all, I'd say it was a good read. I'd gladly read another of her books in the future. I like her style.

How Many Fingers?

Isn't that the sweetest image of a little boy? I knew as soon as I saw it, I had to have it. It's called "Take a Stand Kirby", and I found it on the Stamping Bella website (along with a number of Bella's I ordered as well, of course).

A few days after I ordered it, I found this super cute stamp at Hobby Lobby and I knew I had to have it. Isn't it a perfect match for Kirby? I love it! The stamped image includes the "Happy Birthday" and the bit about it being a quote by "Shane O'Donnell, Age 4" but I didn't want all of that, so I just colored what I wanted with my Stampin' Up! marker and stamped it that way.

This card is intended for a little girl, so I went with mostly pink tones, despite the fact that Kirby is a boy.

Details:
Stamps: Cheery Chat, Take A Stand Kirby by Stampingbella, Sentiment, SU! Hands Wheel
Ink: Basic Black, Rose Romance
Paper: Rose Romance (still using that stuff up!), Ballet Blue, Whisper White, Dotted DP (brand unknown), Rose Red
Other: Copics (on Kirby), Stampin' Up markers (on both sentiments), Dotted Ribbon , Sponging

Flooding in Oshkosh

It has been raining here for the better part of the entire day, and this is coming only four days after another major rain day. Our local station is reporting that 50-75% of the city's streets are flooded. I started out the night at my Mom's house and had to drive home through some of that, so I can vouch. When I got home, I went out and took a few pictures. Our block is "dry", but the block to the North and South of us is flooded.

I walked down to the corner and took these two pictures. They're blurry (try standing in a storm while simultaneously trying to balance both a camera and a ginormous umbrella sometime), but you get the picture. The kids playing in the water (I'd guess them to be about 8 years old, having seen them around the neighborhood before), are about waist deep.

To give you an idea of how close the water is to us, I took this picture standing in the exact same place, but facing the other direction. The white picket fence is the beginning of our property, and the blue house is my neighbors.

That's another neighbor in the red coat walking down to meet me. I asked her what she was doing out in this, and she said she had to get away from the kids. Ha ha! Summer vacation just started girlfriend!!! ;o)

Here is a link to WBAY, our local news station, with more flood photos of Oshkosh and Neenah.

Our backyard has some water standing in it, and we have some standing water in the unfinished part of our basement, but I don't think we had anything on the ground that could get too terribly damaged.

It looks like it's going to continue raining for at least another three hours, if not more.

Crazy!

Double the Fun

As you might remember, my friend Karen (SCS: jusgottastamp) was due with boy/girl twins at the end of May. I made this card to send along with their baby gifts before they were born, but wanted to send another quick card after they were home from the hospital. This is what I came up with. The baby stamp is by Great Impressions, and I did a little bit of masking to make it look like they were holding hands (awwwww!). I colored these with my Stampin' Up! markers, back before I got my Copics. Despite a few lines showing up I think the coloring is ok. The image square is raised up on Stampin' Dimensionals.

I hope you like it!

Details:
Stamps: Great Impressions Baby, Non-SU sentiment
Ink: Basic Black, Bashful Blue
Paper: Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Pretty in Pink
Other: Stampin' Up! Markers, Blue and Pink Gingham Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

More Happy Mail!

Looky what I got in the mail on Saturday!! Are you jealous? I thought you might be. ;o) lol. I participated in an image swap that my friend (and fellow Packer Backer ;) ) Lorie hosted, and I'm thrilled with the results. The only down side is that most of these images are of stamps I have been contemplating purchasing, and as it turns out I love them ALL so I'm going to have to do some serious budgeting this summer! That quad square with the bugs and flower in it at the bottom was my contribution. I'm feeling a little silly for sending something that wasn't "up and coming" like most every one else did, but hey... who knew?!

Things are definitely interesting around here lately. Henry taught himself how to climb up on the ottoman in the library on Friday while I was in the living room nursing Jack. I could see him, and it all looked very safe and innocent but I still asked him to please get down. He started to scoot forward to get down and must have leaned forward in the process, because he tumbled off. Head first. And to add insult to injury he landed smack on a little car (see photo below).


FF to Monday night when he woke up crying three or four times. He was fine Tuesday morning, but woke up from his nap that day with a temp of 102 and complained of pain in his tummy, mouth, and ear. I took him into the Dr and he has another double ear infection. He has been congested and coughing for a month now, and I don't think the ear infection will go away until that does because the liquids seem to be backing up into his ears. *sigh*

And then there's today, which for the most part went off without a hitch... until Henry went outside with his Papa tonight and took a digger on the cement sidewalk out front and split his lip. Blood everywhere. Hubby mildly freaked out. Mama to the rescue. ;o)

Never a dull moment here in toddlerville.