Birthday Card

Tuesday was my hubby Gayle's birthday and this is the card I made for him. It doesn't look like your traditional birthday card, but neither are we, so let's get out of the box!

I have this cute GinaK stamp set called "Love you to Pieces" which seemed appropriate and he likes the retired SU Cool Caribbean and I tried out my new nestabilities (classic scallop rectangular-large) with my cuttlebug I forgot to write down what set the birthday cake was from - oh well, at least I got the picture! For the sentiment, I took verses from an assortment of poems and sentiments and put them together. He thought it was cool.....and that's all I needed.

On to my next project:

I signed up for a challenge at PWA / the winner will get all pieces from the crafters who have signed up - I sure would like to win!

Anywho--I had this delightful card made with alcohol inks for the background and a delightful image of a lighthouse (Joani, do you recongnize this?) and I had trimmed it with beads from Stampin Up.

But, I didn't want to just enter a card, so as I was thinking; I noticed that it fit perfectly on top of the plastic stamp box that it was laying on -- "LIGHTBULB goes on" and I added a piece of O SO Sticky tape and SU real red grosgrain ribbon and this is the trinket box:

What do you think?

I Am Spoiled!

Look at all of these Goodies! I went to a friend's house to some stamping time and we made these delightful mini photo albums. Stampin' Up! has retired them but they are darling!


My thoughts for using these will be from my grandaughter and grandson's pictures from school. They both started Pre-K this year, so I can start adding their school pics into these albums and have them all in one place. I also came home with some sweet treats ---rice krispies bars and chocolate chip cookies. We had a terrific time and only counting the time for our next visit.

This is an ATC (artist trading card) for a swap that I am in on Pennywise Arts. There are so many talented ladies there and I really like the use of beads on my projects.

The swap was titled "About Face" and you were to decorate the card accordingly. Sentiment reads:
"I think your whole life shows in your face and you should be proud of that."
Doesn't that pretty well sum up our first impressions of others? So why not give someone a smile today and let them know you care.......

I'm going to play today with some of the new seasonal "cuttlebug" folders that I received last week. 1. lace tree 2.holly 3. joy and cheer and finally 4. boo to you.

QUOTE: "A faithful friend is a strong defence: and he that hath found such an one hath found a treasure." (Ecclesiastes 6:14)

Website Added!

I took the plunge and subscribed to a Stampin' Up! website. It is just more or less a template right now, I will have to study on how to add specials and promotions to it. Computer savvy, I am not, but; if you have suggestions, just let me have them! I have been a demo since Oct 2004 but never pursued customers or workshops.

Camping In Your Own Backyard

So, our money is "tight" at the moment. I have been wanting to take the camper to a campground for a little relaxation. Camping gets rid of my stress--it seems if I am home, there are thousands of things that need to be done, I make lists - none of it gets accomplished. I mean really, how do you choose which items needs my attention first?
I think Gayle's objective was to shut me up so he moved our camper to our backyard. Now you must remember we have 3 acres and our double-wide sorta sits in the middle of that. On the photo to the left, you can see a tent shaped like a gazebo? That is on my back deck and my house is behind those trees and shrubs. This location protects us very well in the winter!
This photo shows the camper set up, complete with grill, lawn chairs, an old tire wheel for campfire, 4-wheeler (to go to mailbox and get my mail-Ha!) a trailer that has a load of branches and limbs that blew out of trees during our last storm. We have a special plug on the back of the house dedicated just for the camper, so I can have air-conditioning, a water hose hooked up for water, but Alas, no sewer hookup . We just move the camper to our sewer system for the house and unload! Is this redneck or what?

This would be the view I can see from my back deck of the house . Gayle has taken this opportunity to redo the roof - you know painting on that protective stuff, washing & polishing the camper, and all that other maintenance stuff......

The grandkids love coming over so we can eat our lunch in the camper and take our naps. We have a full size bed in the front (which is end where gas tanks are) then a nice living room, kitchen/dinette area, and double bunks then a bath in the rear.

So what do you think? I would love to read your comments!

Finally -- I made some Cards

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1.I will not stuff craft supplies in every corner of my house
2.I will not keep 9 projects going at one time
3.I will not pick up more buttons,lace or fabric when I have a ton at home
4.I will not let my crafting area look like a condemmed area.
5.I will not relegate the kitchen table to crafts.
6.I will not attend craft shows just to get more ideas.
7.I will not stock up on more craft supplies just because they are on sale.
8.I will not go off on a tangent when anyone mentions that little word 'import'
9.I will not let my crafting distract me from fixing dinner.
10.I will not stay up all night crafting.
11.I will not save dryer lint,empty cereal boxes,detergent scoops etc.
12.I will not buy every craft magazine I see.
13.I will not make promises I cannot keep...see you at a craft show!

I thought this was a cute little "diddy" that I found. Hope you enjoy it.

The above cards are ones I made this week, but for some reason I cannot get them edited.
All products used were from Stampin Up. Maybe I can get some help later in the day to edit this post.

T-Ball

G O Y A N K E E S !!!!!!

It's true - I now have the Bug -- the T-Ball Bug that is ! Tuesday night Gayle and I decided we would surprise Chloe (age 4) and Hunter (age 3) at their T-Ball game.

Well, the surprise was on me! I have decided I MUST go see all their game from now on! I just know I was the proudest grandmother there, and there were lots of them---Chloe is not shy, so everytime she did something on the field she would SCREAM:

"Mamaw, did you see me?"

Meanwhile, Hunter would be out there kicking his toes in the dirt and filling his glove up with gravel and throwing it up in the air. Aaaahhh the innocence of childhood!!! In this photo, he wanted to take these rocks home, but daddy discouraged him.....

The Ball Poem

What is the boy now, who has lost his ball,

What, what is he to do?

I saw it go merrily bouncing, down the street, and then merrily over--there it is in the water!

No use to say 'O there are other balls': An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy

As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down

All his young days into the harbour where his ball went.

I would not intrude on him, A dime, another ball, is worthless.

Now He senses first responsibility in a world of possessions.

People will take balls, Balls will be lost always, little boy, And no one buys a ball back. Money is external.

He is learning, well behind his desperate eyes,the epistemology of loss, how to stand up

Knowing what every man must one day know and most know many days, how to stand up

And gradually light returns to the street

A whistle blows, the ball is out of sight,

Soon part of me will explore the deep and dark floor of the harbour . .

I am everywhere, I suffer and move, my mind and my heart move with all that move me, under the water or whistling, I am not a little boy.

John Berryman