Stamp Crazy...Strictly Amused

Valentine Chocolate

2012-01-13T22:43:00.000-05:00

Time has gotten away from me and I really wanted to share my Valentine Chocolate Bars. There is not much stamping to it but I used several A•Muse products.

This is the large Chocolate bar that weighs a little over 4ozs. I used the Bubblegum Heartbreaker Cardstock for the candy bar wrap. It measures 6 3/4" x 8 1/2". The border pieces are just white and black cardstock. The black is cut 1 1/2" x 6 3/4" and the white is 1" x 6 3/4" and punched with a Fiskars border punch. The ribbon is the Onyx 1/4" Organdy Polka-dot Ribbon..unfortunately it is out of stock but the Sugar or Bubblegum would work great too. The heart is cut from our Heart Trio Die Set with the Bubblegum Sweetheart Cardstock. I placed a pop dot on the bottom point of the heart and pressed it to the bow so it would stand up.

Here is a regular sized candy bar done. The paper is Cherry Heartbreaker Cardstock cut 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" for the candy bar wrapper. The black cardstock is cut 1 1/4" x 5 1/2" and the white is 1" x 5 1/2". The ribbon is Sugar 1/4" Organdy Polka-dot ribbon. The heart is cut from the Heart Trio Die Set with Cherry Sweetheart cardstock.

Both cards are stamped with "Happy Valentine's Day" from the Essential Elements stamp set with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.

Of course you can click HERE to order all of these products.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a great weekend!

2012-01-03T22:29:00.000-05:00

Here is our January Spotlight. The Specials are good until the end of January. You can visit my website here if you would like to place an order.

You can also visit here to see the ideas!

Have a great day and check by for some Valentine ideas!

New Beginnings....2012

2012-01-01T23:17:00.000-05:00

It is a time for new beginnings. Have you all thought about what you want to do in 2012? I have thought about it but am happy the ways things are right now. I can't think of anything I want to change. We all have those little things like lose weight, make more money, etc., etc. BUT I am talking big things. I am content with life and just want to have a happy and healthy year.

I did get to do a little bit of creating. That always makes me happy. I am going to be a vendor at a weekend retreat towards the end of this month so I was working on some ideas for a Make & Take. The retreat is to raise money for Cancer. The card for the Make & Take is to do with Thinking of You. They can turn their card into the lady that is hosting the retreat and the cards will be used to sell for their cancer benefit. Anway...here are three designs they can choose from for their Make & Take..or they can mix it up however they like to make their own creation.

All products are from A•Muse Studios. I used the stamp set Wild Rose. It has the border, vine, flower and sayings all in that set. I used Vanilla and Blackberry cardstocks. The inks were Blackberry, Sage and Memento Tuxedo Black. The first card also has the twinkle embellishments on it. You can visit my website here to order any of these products. I hope you enjoyed the cards. I enjoyed making them.

Santa Candy Bar Cover

2011-12-10T11:12:00.000-05:00

I found this cute little candy bar cover on the A•Muse Website under templates. It didn't have the measurements on the diagram but I didn't it a little different anyway so I will explain that here.

I started with a 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" piece of red cardstock. Lay it flat on your work surface. Take a piece of white cardstock cut 1" x 5 1/2" and adhere to the center of the red cardstock. Use a circle punch which measures about 1 1/4" and punch a half circle centered over the white cardstock. This will be the front center of the candy bar holder. Add score tape to the back side of one of the straight sides of the candy bar cover that are going vertical. Center the candy bar to the back side of the cover and wrap the cardstock around the candy bar and adhere with the score tape. You want it kind of snug but not so tight you can't slide your candy bar. Use a piece of black cardstock cute 1 1/2" x 5 1/2" and wrap around the candy bar to represent Santa's belt. Adhere to the back of the candy bar cover. ONe the next step I used two of my clever lever square punches. If you have these...it is the blue one and pink one. I used glittle cardstock for the buckle. I first punched a square out using the blue punch. I then centered the pink punch over the negative part of the blue punch (it is the hole in the glitter cardstock)...I then punched with the pink punch making a buckle. It is a very easy technique to do making belt buckles or frames. Adhere that to the front of the candy bar wrapper. I used two different oval punches I had and punched a white oval out of the smaller punch and a black oval out of the bigger one. I stamped the words "Sweetest Wishes" from the stamp set Holiday Tags from A•Muse Studio which you can order here Hope you have enjoyed this cute little candy bar cover. Have fun...would make great teacher gifts.

Simple Christmas

2011-12-08T23:19:00.000-05:00

It is getting down to the wire for making Christmas cards. Here is a quick card I came up with. I do love the simplicity of the card. I think I will try to whip out a bunch of these within the next couple of days. I am such a procrastinator when it comes to my cardmaking. I really need to organize my time better for this. Anyway...here is my card:

I used the set Holy Night from Amuse...You can get the stamp set here. It is hard to see the colors..the picture did not do it justice. I used vanilla cardstock and a burgundy color I had here. The ink is Memento Rich Cocoa and a gold sheer ribbon for accent. The punched corner is EK Success corner punch. Quick and easy..just the way I like it.

I am going to be posting some other things that are really cute on my other blog. I have made quite a few things that aren't Amuse stuff so I am using the other blog for that. Please check it out by clicking here. Hope to see you there!!!!!

A•Muse Specials

2011-12-01T15:07:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to pass on some specials to you that A•Muse has going on. The special starts today and goes to December 15th. There are some great buys. Be sure to check them out. You can go here to place an order with me or call me if you have enough to make a $150 workshop so you can get your hostess benefits as well.

I need to check in

2011-11-21T22:46:00.000-05:00

Life has been a little busy for me. I have went back to full time babysitting for my grandkids....or at least two of them. My daughter's babysitter quit so I have stepped in to help out. It is a lot of driving on my part as I have to drive kids to and from pre-school and getting my older granddaughter on and off the school bus. Sure wish my daughter lived a little closer...LOL
Anyway....I have done some stamping but not as much as I would like to do. I am going to have to organize my time. That is hard for me.
I did this Snowflake card before I went back to babysitting but didn't get a chance to share. I used Snow Crystals Stamp Set and Snowflake Trio Die Set from A•Muse I also used a Sizzix embossing folder. What a fun card. I hope you enjoy it.

I will try to be better about posting. Please be sure to check my other blog to see what else is going on and anything I have done non A•Muse related.

Have a great day!

Need some Christmas Mojo?

2011-11-08T20:14:00.002-05:00

I have been working on some Christmas cards. Not that any of these are the ones I am making to send out...these were some class cards. I love them but I like to do something I didn't do in class. Anyway here is a cute and fast card.

Everything I used was from A•Muse Studio. You can click my link above to go to my website. I used the Holiday Tags stamps set. There are so many stamps in that set and you can do a variety of cards with it. I also used the Candy Cane and Evergreen cardstocks. Cherry ribbon and copic markers rounded out the card. It was so fast. It looks like I use a scallop punch and punched an evergreen circle but I actually punched the circle out of the candy cane paper and then adhered the white circle with the sleigh on it in the center of the punched out scallop cirlce.

Hope you enjoy the card. If you need some help deciding on some Christmas stamps for your cards just let me know. I would love to help you. Check out my OTHER BLOG by clicking the link above and seeing the challenge for Perfect Setiments which goes live at 12:01 am Wednesday November 9th. I am a guest designer with them this month so please take a look at the "Other Blog". and then visit Perfect Sentiments. THANKS!!!!

A•Muse Studio Creative Consultant's November Blog Hop

2011-11-01T23:04:00.001-05:00

The theme this month is Christmas, Kwanzaa or Hanukkah! Of course I chose Christmas. I just love this time of year. This is my first Blog Hop with A•Muse so I hope you enjoy it. Please take the time to go and visit all the blogs. I'm sure you will be blessed.

The card I chose to do was a stair step card. My daughter had actually done a card like this at a stamping event she went to. I had to dissect it and do my own. Here is a list of the items that I used:

Sage Cardstock PAPS501
Sage Ink   IAPF501
Cherry Cardstock PAPS204
Cherry Ink   IAPF204
Memento Tuxedo Black Ink IMMP900
Sugar Cardstock   PAPS001
Stamp Sets: Holiday Tags SNSR071
                     Elegant Elements SISQ011
                     Winter Wishes SNSM048
Copic Markeers
Sizzix Embossing Folder
Oval Punches

"If you are participating in the blog hop, you should have come from Chelsea Beck's blog and if not, then you should start from the beginning with Samantha's blog until you come to my blog. Now on to your next stop Sherri Thacker's blog

Just a HEADS Up!

2011-11-01T07:03:00.000-05:00

I will be posting a blog hop here tonight at midnight. Please stop back by so you can go on the hop and get a lot of Christmas Ideas.
I will also be posting a challenge where I am the guest designer this month on my other blog. That challenge will also go live at midnight tonight. If the link doesn't work to the blog...here is the address:
www.rita-holmes.blogspot.com

I hope you enjoy both the blog hop and the challenge. They will both be fun!

Have a great day!

Autumn Beauty

2011-10-24T14:38:00.000-05:00

I really love the stamp set "Autumn Beauty". I used Papaya, Pumpkin and Grass inks on the leaves. I stamped the words in French Roast. After I stamped the leaves I ran the imaged cardstock through my Big Shot with an embossing folder. Love the look! It was a quick and simple card...just the way I like it.
Hope you enjoy it!

Scrapbook Event

2011-10-21T20:23:00.000-05:00

I was a vendor at an all day Scrapbook Event. The event was done to raise money for Cancer. That is a passion right to my heart as I am a Cancer Survivor. I had a really fun time at the event. My friend, Avis, was here visiting from Kansas and went with me. She was a big help with my Make & Takes.
I wanted to share a few of the pictures that Avis took while we were there.

This is a picture of me with one of the Make & Takes we did. It was a very simple Chirstmas Card.

This is the card up close. I love the little penguins. I did a few orders for the stamp set. Everyone seemed to love the way the A•Muse stamps stamped on the cardstock. They are very crisp and clean.

Here is a picture of my little table area. We didn't take a picture of all the stamps sets I am selling to make way for new. I didn't sell a lot of the "older" stamps but did very well with orders.

The top picture is me with my sample board. The bottom one has some scrapbookers trying their hand at stamping. It was a fun day!

I am working on getting some more pictures uploaded of some samples. Keep coming back and see what is going on. I am also going to be posting some NON A•Muse cards on my other blog very soon. Keep checking that also.

I've been away too long!!!

2011-10-19T23:07:00.000-05:00

That's right! I have been away too long and need to get back to blogging. I have tons of samples I have done. Just have to get organized and get them uploaded. Keep checking back and it will happen very soon.....like the next couple of days.
I was on vacation in September then I had out of town company for 11 days. I also have had my Open House to jumpstart my business and then did an all day crop which I was a vendor. Everything went well and my sales will show that. Now to try to get some parties going and work up a class schedule.
It feels good to be back and posting. Please check in again! You won't be disappointed.

AUTUMN is in the Air

2011-09-23T07:07:00.000-05:00

I have worked on some cards while on vacation. Here is one I would like to share. It is a fall card I did for a swap I am in with my class and retreat friends. We had to use embossing powder but you can't really see it in the card. I do like this little leaf and wanted to use it. Hope you enjoy it!

Have a great and blessed day!!!!

A QUICK little Golf Card

2011-09-18T11:44:00.000-05:00

Even though I am at the beach...I am still doing some stamping. I had about 25 minutes to sit and make a card. I wanted to do something with the little golf guy. Here is the card I created.

I enjoyed doing such a fast card. I am hoping to get to stamp some more today. You can visit my "Other Blog" to see what we did at the beach last night.

Have a great and blessed day!

Last week stamping with friends

2011-09-17T07:30:00.001-05:00

Last week I got with the ladies that I used to teach class to. They have taken so long that I can't charge them anymore.....maybe they graduated...LOL Anyway we have been together for about 8 years or so...maybe longer...who knows. Anyway we did some stamping and I had to take some of the new Amuse stamps that I got. Wdid a little treat holder with the 1" x 8" cello bags. It was very simple but I wanted them to use one to see if they liked them. Here is a picture of them working:

As you can see they were concentrating...LOL. Here is a picture of the treat holders. We only did the Halloween one. I also made the Fall one which I thought would be cute to put at each place setting at Thanksgiving.

Hope you enjoyed our little project today. The "Too Cute to Spook" halloween set is so cute and versatile.

Have a blessed day.

September Spotlight

2011-09-16T07:30:00.001-05:00

Our September Spotlight Sale has started. Each month Amuse showcases FIVE stamp sets and puts them on sale. Here are the stamp sets that are on sale!

Victorian Charm....SALE....$19.79

Celebrate in Style....SALE....$19.79

Foiled Again...SALE....$18.89

If you Dare...SALE....$14.39

Web Background...SALE...$14.39

You can visit my website to place an order if you would like. They also have a paper pack on sale to go with the halloween theme.

Here are a couple of samples made with the stamps. They are from the home office.

Hope you enjoy the stamps and samples!

Have a blessed day!

It has been a BUSY Week

2011-09-15T07:30:00.001-05:00

I have been trying to get things done to go to the beach. I will probably be on the road as many of you read this. I will be gone Sept. 15th - Sept. 25th. It is an all girls week. There will be 10 of us sharing a beachfront house in Surfside Beach...which is outside of Myrtle Beach. It will be a great week of visiting and yes I will be doing some stamping.
I did stamp a quick card today to send out with a catalog to a potential recruit or customer. Whichever it is...it will be nice.

This is a lot like the first Amuse card I made. I love the colors and the stamps so well I did a slightly different version of it. What I mainly wanted to showcase was how nice the cardstock is. It is colored on one side and white on the other so you don't have to mat your card to get white inside. I'm lovin' it!!!

I hope to blog from the beach but if I don't...I will be back as soon as I get back from my vacation.

I have also started another blog and you can click on the link at the top of this blog to get there. It is brand new and will feature NON-Amuse cards and daily life happenings. I hope you also visit it.

Have a blessed day!

Happy Birthday

2011-09-12T07:30:00.005-05:00

I hope everyone had a nice weekend. Mine was busy and I will say I am glad it is the beginning of the week. I did get time to make a Birthday card. Of course it is a simple card but I am liking all the simplicity with the Amuse stamps.

I used Buttercup and French Roast solid cardstocks, Papaya and French Roast ink pads, French Roast buttons, Paper Flowers Meadow Mix, French Roast/White Bakers Twine, Birthday Greetings and Polka Dot Patterns Stamp Sets.

Hope you enjoy my sweet and simple card!
Have a great and blessed day!!!

A Little Halloween Fun

2011-09-09T07:02:00.000-05:00

Halloween is just around the corner. It is not too early to start thinking of some of the things you might like to make. Here is a card we did in class Wed. night. The flower is made our of petite cupcake papers. I put a big brad in the center to hold it together really well. The stamps and papers are by Amuse. Of course you can visit my online store . You can find all of the Amuse items there.

The stamp sets are Too Cute to Spook and Essential Sentiments. The Paper is Orange Polka Dot and Slate Woodgrain. I used Memento Tuxedo Black ink. A very simple cute with a little twist (the flower out of cupcake papers)

Hope you enjoyed a quick card today. If you don't see me over the weekend...Have a good one and be safe in all that you do.

Have a blessed Friday!!

Fun Cute Card

2011-09-08T07:30:00.001-05:00

I thought this was such a fun card. I loved using the gingham paper as grass. I actually used three different stamps sets on this cards. One is Friends Fur Ever Just Because and Woodland Friends. They sure compliment each other. You can check these out in the online catalog if you wish to do that.

I used Sky, Sugar and Sage solid cardstocks. Sage gingham cardstock. Memento Tuxedo Black ink pad. Papaya, Bubblegum and Fern ink pads. Copic Markers. Martha Stewart grass scissors from Michaels.

It was a fun little card to make. I hope you enjoyed looking at it as much as I did making it.

Have a blessed and wonderful day!

Sympathy Card

2011-09-07T10:08:00.000-05:00

I absolutely love the stamp set Loving Memories from Amuse. It is in the Fast and Fabulous section of the online catalog. Here is a picture of the stamp set you can look for. It retails for $9.99.

Here is the card I made with it. I used Blush, French Roast and Vanilla cardstock. Fern and French Roast ink pads. Quickie glue pen and diamond glitter. 1/4" polka dot ribbon in Vanilla. Border punch which I purchased at Michaels.

This is one of the cards we will be doing in our class tonight. I love the simplicity. This will be an introduction of Amuse to these girls tonight. I hope they love the simplicity as much as I do.

Watch for more samples to come in the next few days.

Have a Blessed and Happy Day!

A FUN night with my downline

2011-09-05T23:05:00.001-05:00

I had my downline over tonight....all TWO of them. We will grow and that's okay. Jess and Sylvia were both in my downline with TAC and we had a good time. Anyway they came over and I gave them some goodies. Made all kinds of Charts for them to make a notebook to show the inks, papers, nesties and dies, and of course the markers. We covered a lot of stuff. Two of the main things we did were exchange cards...so we could have some ideas and I helped them set up a blog.
Here is the card I did and gave them. I used the christmas set COOL YULE. I knew they haven't received any of the holiday stamps yet so I wanted to give them a sample with it. Hope you enjoy it.

Besides using the Cool Yule stamp set, I also used the cherry woodgrain paper, 'twas the night before Christmas cardstock, bakers twine in frech roast/white french roast buttons Memento Tusedo Black ink, Papaya ink and Fern ink. You can order all of this stuff my visiting my website.

As for visiting my downline blogs...You can visit Jess here and Sylvia here. The are both new to the blogging community so bear with them and visit often.

Here is another Christmas card I did using the same stamp set. I used the Wasabi cardstock, candy cane cardstock, vanilla cardstock, the Labels 8 nestabilities, Fern, Papaya and Tuxedo Black ink pads and the 5/8" cherry satin ribbon.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a stamping day. See you all then! I hope you enjoyed your visit here. Please be sure to tell your friends to visit my blog also. Thanks!!!!!!

Mr. Brown delivered again Today

2011-09-02T22:10:00.000-05:00

I got a visit from Mr. Brown again today. He brought me my order from the Amuse Holiday Catalog. What fun!
I got to go downstairs and play for a few minutes. I whipped up a quick and easy Halloween card. I did use a couple of NON Amuse items. I am going to have to work on building my products up.
Here is the card I did and the list of supplies will follow the card.

Supplies:

Wasabi Cardstock PAPS506

Sleepy Hollow Cardstock PASH100

Slate Woodgrain Cardstock PNWG101

Onyx Cardstock PAPS100

Too Cute to Spook Stamp Set SHMR008

5/8" Satin Ribbon Orange RASA301

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad IMMP900

Martha Steward Border Punch

I hope you enjoy the card! It sure was quick and simple. I love the Wasabi Green Cardstock. It is a great color for Halloween.

My FIRST Amuse Card

2011-09-01T12:11:00.000-05:00

Since I received my kit yesterday I was just itching to make a card. Finally got to my stamp room at 11:00 last night. I wanted to use all items from Amuse. That is hard for me. I like to dabble with all kinds of stuff. Although I love simple cards I had a hard time keeping this basic. Anyway I hope you enjoy it.

My Suppy List:

Casdstock: Sage PAPS501

Blush PAPS200

Stamps: Essential Sentiements SASU009

Polka Dot Patterns SJEM009

Beautiful Botanicals SISM005

Beautiful Botanicals 2 SISM004

Ink Pads: Grass IAPF503

Lemon Whip IAPF400

Shell IAPF201

Memento Tuxedo Black IMMP900

Pretty Petals Meadow Mix EAFW006

Buttons Buttercup EABT401

Hope you enjoyed the card. I hope to create more today sometime. Watch for new cards!

Oh HAPPY Day!!!

2011-08-31T13:13:00.000-05:00

That's right! My starter kit from Amuse|Studios came today. What a treat. I have to share with you that the kit comes in a recycled box....what a way for a company to save money.

I had a heads up that this is how it would arrive. I was happy to see UPS knock on my door.

Now...what was inside? Let me just show you...it is too much to sit and list separately.

I was just in awe. It is one thing to read on a piece of paper what you will get but another story when you see it in person. I am just loving it all.

Now that you have seen it and was wondering if you would love to see Amuse....you should. It has been great just going to their website and reading their forums and all. The starter kit is $149 for the deluxe one (what you see here). What a deal! Click on my website at the top of my blog and click on Start a Business.

Are you wondering what the stamps sets look like? Here ya go!

I am showing you two different sets so I could show each side of the rubber. The stamps come in a DVD case which is already indexed. The stamps have great detail as you can see the rubber side. The cling side has the image on the cling for accurate placement of your stamp. There are NO stickers to place on the cling making it not stick as well to your acrylic block. What a great feature!!!

The images are all laser pre-cut and are so easy to pop out and place in the DVD cases. Do you wanna see? Of course...here ya go!

I hope you can tell how clean cut they are. Now I am going to have to get busy and do some stamping. I'm sure I will have some cards to share tomorrow.

Hope you enjoyed taking a look at all of my goodies. See ya all tomorrow!!!

Final Farewell Blog Hop in Honor of TAC

2011-08-28T20:12:00.000-05:00

It is kind of sad to say this is the final blog hop for TAC. I would just like to say how much fun I had with this company and will really miss it. I made so many friends through TAC. Some of these friendships will be forever. TAC was our common denominator but we will reign in friendship. TAC will live on in our memories. I just want to give Mischelle Smith big KUDO's for what she did for us and TAC. She is the best and I wish her all the best. The doors at TAC may have closed but that just means that God has a bigger plan for her and the Smith's. I have no doubt she will prosper no matter what. I hope she will be one of my forever friends.
Now onto our Blog Hop. Below is a card that I had just made with one of the newer stamp sets. How cute it is. The card is layered for the fact that it opens twice. Once small piece of cardstock for the front that opens with a saying and then the main card opening with another saying. Fun card to make. I hope you enjoy what is my last publicized TAC card.

Have fun visiting the following blogs to read about their final farewell to TAC:

Julie: http://juliesstamppad.blogspot.com/

Seleise: http://www.amethystcat.blogspot.com/
Rita W.: http://handmadebits4u.blogspot.com/
Donna: http://lakesidestamper.blogspot.com/
Chan: http://purpledfly.blogspot.com/
Mary: http://www.marysangelinspirations.blogspot.com/
Angela K. http://www.angelakelley.blogspot.com/
Laura: http://www.thecraftysister.com/
Barbara: http://www.stampingwiththekamperstampr.blogspot.com/

Trudy: http://www.trudystreasures.blogspot.com/

Shirley: http://glitteredpaws.blogspot.com/
Wendy: http://wendyswhimsyandwit.blogspot.com/
Carol: http://stampincarol.blogspot.com/
Rita K. http://ritasangels.blogspot.com/
Chelsea: http://inkystamps.blogspot.com/
Kim: http://angelatmydoor.blogspot.com/
PaulaKay http://www.angelstampingwithpk.blogspot.com/
Ginger: http://rubberstamped.blogspot.com/
Teresa: http://mamapickle.blogspot.com/
Maria: http://www.meastamper.blogspot.com/
Angie: http://www.creativeinkspirations.com/
Deb Miller: http://www.creamcityangels.blogspot.com/
Diana: http://memorycrafter.blogspot.com/
Betty G.: http://www.stampinteacher.com/
Christine: http://christines-creativetherapy.blogspot.com/
Sandy A. http://inkingofyou.blogspot.com/
Char: http://pawsn2stamp.blogspot.com/
Diane H. http://www.thesmilinstamper.blogspot.com/
Chris F. http://allamericanstampers.blogspot.com/
Stacy http://www.stacysangelcreations.blogspot.com/
Rita H. http://www.ritaholmes.blogspot.com/

Making a BIG Change

2011-08-25T21:37:00.000-05:00

It is with great sadness that I have to say I am no longer an angel with The Angel Company. They closed their doors this past weekend. I spent nine great years with them and loved every minute. I made friends and memories that will remain with me forever. BUT....life still goes on and I have had to move on.

It is with great pleasure and excitement that I am happy to tell you I have joined another direct selling company. I am now a creative consultant with Amuse Studios. I am so excited about getting my new kit and moving forward.

I have taken a big break from classes and have really missed it. I am happy to say that will be starting up again in October. I will be taking a great vacation for a couple of weeks to Myrtle Beach, SC and will get to work when I get back. I do plan on creating before and while I am gone.

Now for Amuse News:

I do have an online website that you can visit and place orders. All you need to do it click here and be on your way to happy shopping.

You can see the entire 2011Catalog and Inspiration Guide by clicking here

You can see the NEW 2001 Holiday Catalog and Inspiration Guide by clicking here

Right now it is Stamp-a-Palooza at Amuse!

Receive a FREE stamp set for have a $150 party...this can be a book party or your own order equalling $150. Here is a peek at the stamp set:

I hope you are as excited about my news as I am. I'm hoping to hear from some of you and I would love to be able to do business with you. Please check out Amuse....you won't be disappointed.

Missionary Card

2011-02-12T17:22:00.000-05:00

It has been a busy week this week but I took time to make the following card. A lady at my church asked me to make a special card for someone that runs our local missions. This is what I came up with.

I googled some poems and found one I really liked so I printed it and then stamped the lighthouse next to it. Of course it is colored with Copic Markers. I used Chalks for all of the blue on the card. I was really pleased with the way it turned out. Makes a nice masculine card. Hope you enjoy it!

Toadally Awesome

2011-02-08T16:00:00.000-05:00

I am doing a swap with some friends...what did I get myself into? There is about eight ladies that swap cards monthly. I have decided to join them since I'm not teaching my classes like I used to. This month we had to do Valentine's with any color of red on the card. Of course I am the simple bumpkin so my card is very simple. I chose red cardstock, Hoppy Everything stamp set from TAC and of course my Copic Markers. Added a little ribbon and there you go.
My card was inspired from a card on Savvy Projects Blog made by Mischelle Smith. She is the founder, owner and CEO of TAC. She does some awesome work. Go over and check her out. You will have to scroll down for her cards because there are also guest designers on the blog also.
Hope you enjoy my card today. It was quick and easy...just the way I like them.

Cupcake Cuties

2011-02-07T18:34:00.001-05:00

I am really trying to be more active with my blog and also my fellow angels. Today Mabelle did a segment with Cupcake Cuties on the Savvy Projects Blog. I love this set but haven't used it a lot so I thought I would make a card with it too. Here is my version with the stamp set. Hope you enjoy it!

Coloring with Copics

2011-02-06T22:13:00.000-05:00

I just did a demo for about 65 ladies and I focused on the Copic Markers. I love playing with these and just wanted to share some ideas on shading with them. I have had so many people tell me they love them but don't know how to use them. I have given my version of that here. Remember it is just my version on how I color...by no means is there anything professional done here. Above is the coloring sequence I did...you will see it up closer in the next pictures.

The Colors of Copics I used were: Skin E000, E00, E02...Hair Y21, YR21, YR24....Shirt RV10, RV21,
Pants & Bow B41, B45...Leaves, Stems and Grass YG11, YG63.....Flower Centers Y17, YR31..... Peach Flower R20, R22.....Pink Flower RV02, RV06.....Purple Flower BV02, BV13.

THE FOLLOWING DEMONSTRATION IS FOR LEARNING ONLY. WHEN I AM COLORING I DO ONE SEGMENT AT A TIME...MEANING I WILL DO ALL THE SKIN FIRST, THEN THE HAIR...SO ON AND SO ON. I DON'T COLOR EACH VALUE COMPLETELY FOR EACH SEGMENT AND THEN GO BACK. YOUR COLORS WILL BLEND A LOT EASIER THIS WAY!

Step 1

I stamp the image with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink. I used my lightest colored markers and colored the image. The colors above are listed lightest to darkest for each segment of the image I colored.

Step 2

I now picked up the second color and added shadows. You can see in the image where I added the color. My rule of thumb is...if the sun doesn't shine there it needs a shadow. HINT: If you are going to be adding a third color for shadowing, make sure you bring the second color down a little bit to add room for the third color to go over it without hiding it.

Step 3

I now added my third color which is the darkest color value. You can also see in the picture above where the darker colors were added. Not all segments had a third color on them. Remember to be careful and leave some of your second color showing.

Step 4

For my last step; I pick up my lightest color value for each of the segments and color the image again blending the shadow colors. I start on top of the shadow colors and work away from them. It seems to blend better for me. I may go over the segments a couple of times to get the blending the way I want it.

I hope you have enjoyed this and go away with some hints that will help you in your coloring.

Happy Stamping and have a Blessed Day!

Retiform Blog Hop

2011-02-04T17:17:00.000-05:00

This is my first time participating in a blog hop with TAC. Today's blog hop is to do the technique Retiform. It has been a long long time since I have done this.

I used the TAC stamp set Joy Found. I also used Copic Markers, Palette Stamp Pads, Ivory Cardstock, Green Cardstock and the small round sponges. Below is a bigger picture of my card. I hope you enjoy it. If you have the time click on over to Savvy Projects Blog and check out all the other entries. You won't be sorry.

Design Team Call

2011-02-03T10:53:00.000-05:00

What do I have to lose? The Angel Company has a Design Team Call out and I have decided to post for it. You don't know unless you try, right? Anyway I think it would really boost my morale and creativity for stamping again. I thought and thought about it and decided to give it a go.
With that being said...here are my entries. We had to do three cards and a project. The first picture shows all three projects together.

The project I decided to do is a gift snack jar. It is just a glass jar purchased at Hobby Lobby. I used our Emma paper collection, mini bet alphabet, Cupcake Cuties stamp set, copic marker, flowers and my Cricut to cut the letter "S". Here it is up close:

My next one is a card done with Oh No She Didn't stamp set, copic markers and the cardstock that matches the copic markers. I also used an embossing folder and corner punch to give dimension to the cardstock.

My next card is a masculine cards. You can't get enough of those. I used the All Things of Nature and Ordinary Greetings stamp sets. The coloring is done with chalks. I used an embossing folder on black cardstock and rubbed them with a VersaMagic Metallic ink pads.

The last card is a very simple card. It is done with our Maggie paper collection and our Ivory Cardstock. It is the best color of Ivory I have ever used. I also used the Extra Jumbo Flower Punch with a leaf punch I had laying around. The stamp set is the Savvy Sayings set which I love.

Wish me Luck. I hope you have enjoyed my projects! Have a blessed day!!!!!!

More Felt Flowers

2011-01-20T16:02:00.000-05:00

I really do love making the felt flowers and leaves. I was asked about what I used for these. I use my Big Shot die cut machine and the Sizzix dies. It is the regular sized dies. You will need to use the two clear plates also. One on top and one on bottom of the die. Cut your felt to fit your die before sandwiching it in between the two clear plates. Run through your die cut machine. It cuts like butter. It will make a little bit of noise at it cuts the fibers but it doesn't hurt anything. In the flower above; I used a button and embroidery floss to embellish the flower. I hope you enjoyed another version of the die cut flower.

Felt Die Cut Flowers

2011-01-15T14:03:00.000-05:00

I have really been enjoying making die cut felt flowers. It is so easy. The felt cuts like butter. I use my Sizzix dies with my Big Shot. The card I am showing you today also uses the Cuttlebug embossing folders. I used the embossing folder on my cardstock to add some dimension and decided to try it with my felt flowers. It is hard to see in the picture but it turned out well. It is a great way to tie the card and embellishments together. I hope you give it a try!

Showcasing Patterned Papers

2011-01-12T14:58:00.000-05:00

I did this card a while back. I was wanting to showcase the different papers that are in the Emma Paper Pack from TAC. I love the colors in the papers. I also used one of the tags from the tag sheet. I hope you enjoy it. It is a fun way to get rid of those small pieces of patterned papers. They don't have to be from the same set of papers...just make sure your colors go together.

Coaster Die Cut Flowers

2011-01-11T13:16:00.002-05:00

It may be snowing outside but I am feeling like flowers. I thought I would share some cards I made using the 4" chipboard coasters and my Big Shot machine. I glued paper to the 4" coasters making sure it was glued well all over the coaster. I used my Big Shot die cutting machine and dies to cut flowers out to make some cards. It is so quick and easy not to mention a way to use those small pieces of printed papers. The card done in the greens and browns was done by piecing small strips of the patterned paper on the coaster before cutting with a die cut. The pink flowered card was done with a 4" scrap of printed paper. I hope you enjoy the cards and it gives you some inspiration today.

Happy Monday

2011-01-10T09:25:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I had such a nice one. Friday night started it off with a small wedding/baby celebration for my great nephew who is in the service. He was home for the holidays and we got to have a celebration for him and his wife. Saturday was full with going to watch my granddaughter compete in gymnastics and then a surprise 60th birthday party for a friend of mine. She loves Mickey Mouse which she has her kitchen decorated in. Her kitchen is green with Mickey Mouse as the decor. I am sharing the small gift I made for her. It is a glass jar decorated and holds three to four boxes of Little Debbie Snack Cakes. My daughter made this at Christmas for gifts and I thought there were really cute. I hope you enjoy them. I am sharing two pictures. One from the front and then one from the top so you can see the top of the jar.

I'm Back

2011-01-07T10:48:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it has been 10 months since I have posted on this blog. A lot has gone on in those 10 months. I am happy to say that health wise I am doing fine. I have struggled with what to do with my stamping business and the classes I teach in my home. I am going to hang in there with the stamping business and just let it run it own course. I am happy just playing with it. As for the classes...I have stopped my Tuesday night classes which I have taught for about 9 years. I have had the same wonderful ladies come the whole time. They have depleted my brain and I just want to play. Needless to say there were some sad faces but we worked through it. We are going to get together a couple of times a month and share ideas and do little projects. Heck we are even going on some road trips and do some shopping. With all of that being said I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I will still be offering some classes to people that haven't been with me as long as these ladies.

I have been doing a lot of cardmaking but just didn't take the time to post. However I did do a little snowman card the other day. I got the idea from a fellow TAC Angel, Carol Norby. Here is the link to the card she made
Snowman Card. I thought it was so cute. Here is my take on the card:

It was a fun card to make and what a cute idea for a Winter Birthday.

I sure hope to be around more. I do have quite a few things I can share that hasn't been shared on here. I hope you enjoy it all.

It has been TWO YEARS

2010-03-17T07:50:00.002-05:00

I'm sorry I'm not sharing anything today but just wanted to post my excitment. It was TWO YEARS ago today that I had Breast Cancer Surgery. What a journey that took me through. I have to say I don't regret any of it. I look back and wonder sometimes how I got throught it all.
I feel that today I am a much better person and a stronger person because of all I went through.
To anyone out there that is now battling Cancer; hang in there. You can do it!!! Be strong and listen to your doctor. Also CONGRATULATIONS to anyone that has won the battle. You are a HERO!!!

I Give a Hoot!

2010-03-15T13:47:00.002-05:00

With all the colds and allergies going around right now...I do give a HOOT! I'm just really tired of this weather and all the "gunk" going around.

I came across this little travel tissue holder and thought it was very useful and cute for this time of year. Of course I have to say I saw one on the net somewhere and had to do one. I don't have a ton of Get Well Stamps so I got creative again and came up with something that I had. I thought the Owl and the saying went well for Get Well!

The background cardstock is cut 4 1/2" x 11. It is scored at 3/4", 3", 3 3/4" and 6". I used an oval punch to cut out for the Kleenex. It is a really cute idea and fun to make. The top folds over very easy and would go into a padded envelope for mailing.

Well that is my share for this cool Monday in Ohio. Let's pray I stay on a roll and keep uploading pictures so I can share. Have a great and blessed day!!!!!

Gotta Love CHOCOLATE

2010-03-13T14:14:00.004-05:00

I will be hosting my semi-annual retreat in a couple of weeks and this is one of the Make & Takes. I was surfing the web one day and came across this cute idea using a Business Size Envelope. I thought it would do great as a Make & Take and give everyone a bite of chocolate to boot. Here is the link to her directions. They were easy to follow and also really accurate (which sometimes doesn't happen when trying to follow directions on the net). The stamp set I used was Wonder and Joy from the 2010 Serendipity Catalog from The Angel Company. You can view the set on my website. The saying set is called Little Things which is on the front of the envelope and Celebration Time is on the candy bar. Both of those are also on my website. I colored with the Copic Markers using the Memento Rich Cocoa Ink. I hope you enjoy looking at this as much as I enjoyed making it.

Have a Great Weekend!!!!!

A Baby Card

2010-03-12T12:50:00.004-05:00

I found this really cute baby ribbon and just had to get it. When I got home I realized I didn't have a baby stamp suitable for it. I had to get in my creative mode and came up with this rattle made out of the Scalloped Circle Punches. It was a fun card to do. I used the Extra Jumbo Cirlce, Super Jumbo Scalloped Cirlce and the Mega Scalloped Circle. I layered the circles; stamping on the plain circle. I used a small strip of cardstock for the handle and used to small circle punches to make the small handle grip at the end. I did this by first stamping the smaller circle onto a piece of cardstock. I then centered the larger circle punch over the previous punched "hole" in the cardstock and punched again. I layered this on my card which had been punched with a border punch and embellished with the ribbon. I stamped the saying and used pop dots to mat it on the card. What a quick and easy card and you can do them in any colors you want. Give it a try and see how fast that baby card can be made.

Wonder & Joy

2010-03-05T22:32:00.004-05:00

That's the name of the stamp set I used on this card. It is in the new Serendipity Magalogue with The Angel Company. I just love this little boy. I am showing the card twice because I colored with two different methods. The little boy with the orange hat is colored with Copic Markers. I can honestly say I am beginning to like these markers. I am so NOT a marker person. The little boy with the red hat is colored with Watercolor pencils and a Tomblow Blender Pen. Such an easy way to color. The FISH on the end of the fishing pole is an old punch I had made by McGill. It adds a lot to this stamp set.
I hope you enjoy the cards. I just wanted to show off this cute little boy. You can visit my website and view the new Serendipity Magalogue and see some other really cute sets too.

A2 Size Easel Card

2010-02-12T14:15:00.004-05:00

I was working on some class cards and decided to do some Easel cards. All the stuff I was finding on the net was for square cards. I like to make most of my cards in A2 size (5 1/2" x 4
1/4") so I made one that size also. The sample I am showing is the A2 size card. I used the stamp set Sunday Afternoon from TAC. The punched flower is to hold the Easel Card in place when open. The printed paper is some that I had laying around. It was "springy" looking and I am so tired of Winter so it was the pick of the day. I colored the image with my new Copic markers. I'm not used to using markers but thought it turned out okay. I really need the lighter set of markers so I can do some shading...my colors tend to be a little darker.

This is a picture showing the front of the card when it is closed. It wouldn't close all the way on the little easel because of the flower on the inside but it would close well enough to fit in an envelope.

I hope you enjoy the card and get some time to make some yourself.

3D Gift Card Box

2010-02-04T23:31:00.004-05:00

I got the idea of this box from the March 2010 Scrap & Stamp Magazine. I did a little tweaking on the directions and made it my own. It was a fun project but I got a little carried away. There is 62 pieces of paper on this box counting the punched pieces. We did it in class a couple of weeks ago and everyone loved it. I hope you enjoy it also.

St. Valentine's is Coming

2010-01-21T15:49:00.005-05:00

I have to admit this is not one of my favorite holidays. I always thought of it as a way for Hallmark to get your money. Since I makecards...I guess I can't say that anymore. I still am not a big Valentine Day person. Anyway I have done some Valentine ideas (since I did a Valentine class) and wanted to share them with you. One of the ideas is a big Hershey candy bar covered and a card to match. Makes a nice little gift set. The stamps and cardstock used are from TAC. The printed paper is from Hobby Lobby. The punches are punches I have had forever. Hope you enjoy the ideas.

New Stamp Set

2010-01-17T16:50:00.002-05:00

I got an order from TAC the other day and in the order were some stamp sets from Stamp Spree. I thought the set "Furry Friends" was really cute. I wanted to share a card I did using that set. The papers on the "Pinks" Monochromatic Paper Pack. I used the Super Jumbo Oval Punch and the Mega Scalloped Oval Punch. I colored with the Copic Markers. It was my first reall attempt at coloring with the markers. I only have one set of them so my colors are limited. I'm not really a marker type of girl was it was hard for me to use them. I hope I get used to it.

Have a great day...what is left of it.

Just a Quick Winter Birthday Card

2010-01-13T17:35:00.002-05:00

Here is a birthday card I made for Winter Birthdays. I bought the Giga Snowflake punch because I thought it was so cool and had to use it. This is what I ended up with. The saying for the card is TAC's Great Greetings. I love the font on it. Hope you enjoy the card.

Happy New Year

2010-01-05T09:53:00.002-05:00

Don't fall over....I just wanted to check in and see if the new year will bring me better luck in keeping up with my blog. Although I am not sharing anything creative today I do want to post some of the great things going on with The Angel Company.
Our new Serendipity magalogue will be out the end of this month so we are discontinuing some stamps out of the old Serendipity. They are 40% off!!! What a great deal.
http://www.theangelcompany.net/Promos_Flyers.html
If I can be of any help in ordering these for you please email me .

TAC is also having a Special Sale until March 1st. Check out the flyer below!

http://www.theangelcompany.net/Promos_Flyers.html

I have to be really honest here and say I didn't know what I really wanted to do with my stamping business. I have decided to keep trudging along. Now to get some motivation and work on getting new customers. I love to stamp so much but just wasn't feeling the energy to partake in any of it. After deep thought on this I know I would miss all of my stamping friends and the enjoyment I do get out of teaching.
I am looking for help in getting more creative...if you have ideas for me just give me a holler. I would love to hear from all of you.

Thanks!!!!!

Another Little "Peppermint Patty" Favor

2009-11-05T10:03:00.008-05:00

Again I was inspired by a "Peppermint Patty" Favor that was made with SU punches and looked around my messy stamp room to see what I could use that TAC carried. I came up with the Super Jumbo Scalloped Circle, Extra Jumbo Flower Punch and the 1 1/2" Circle Punch.

I hope you enjoy it!!!

Directions:

3 Flowers punched from different fall colors with the Extra Jumbo Flower Punch

1 Scalloped circle punched from one of the fall colors with the Super Jumbo Scallop Punch

1 circle punched from an ivory scrap with the 1 1/2" circle punch

Tiny scrap of yellow and red to cut out the beak and gobbler for the turkey

Black permanent pen

Tag Tidbits stamp set

Palette Noir Black ink pad

VersaMagic Sahara Sand ink pad

Adhesive

Peppermint Patties

Layer the punched flowers by lining up one petal on two of the flowers and adhering together. Lay the third flower on top and adhere the three together. Distress the edge of the ivory cirlce with the Sahara Sand ink pad. Adhere to the front bottom section of the flower punhces. Add beak and gobbler that was cut from scraps to the ivory cirlce to make the turkey head. Stamp the words "Many Thanks" from the Tag Tidbits sets on the middle flower. Finish off by using the black marker to make hash marks on the "feathers" and head of the turkey. Adhere a peppermint patty between the "turkey and the scalloped cirlce. ENJOY!!!!!

DON'T FALL OVER...I'm here to share!

2009-11-03T20:08:00.004-05:00

I know it has been forever and I keep promising to keep up with my blog. I am one walking medical soap opera. I haven't felt good in a good while. I had a very short (1 day) hospital stay due to blood pressue issues and they are now under control. Since then I have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and working on that. We have caught it early and hopefully will be able to control it with pill form meds and not insulin. This past weekend I was really sick and found out I have a touch of pneumonia in my right lung. Now that I was put on a ton of meds I am feeling better and actually did some playing in my stamp room tonight. I thought I would take a picture and share.

This ideas was prompted from a Pumpkin made with the SU Oval. I used the Super Jumbo Oval that TAC carries and made the one you see here. I stamped on it with the "Happy Thanksgiving" saying from Trendy Greetings with Burnt Umber ink.

Directions of the Pumpkin:

6 Orange Ovals from the Super Jumbo Oval Punch

1 small scrap of green paper cut into the thin strip

1 small piece of brown ribbon for the pumpkin stem

Trendy Greetings Stamp Set and acrylic block

Palette Brunt Umber Stamp Pad

VersaMagic Jumbo Java Stamp Pad

Adhesive of your Choice

Brown Extra Fine Sharpie Marker (optional)

Adhesive of your choice

Peppermint Patties

Distress the 6 Orange Ovals with the Jumbo Java ink pad. Set in two groups of THREE. With the distressed side of the ovals facing up; adhere two together side by side (long part up and down) overlapping them a little. Adhere the third oval on top of them centering it. Do the same for the other group of three. Lay one group of ovals face down (distressed side down on the table) and adhere a peppermint patty to it. Cut the small scrap of ribbon to represent a stem and glue to the back side of the remaining set of ovals. Curl the small strip of green paper around a pencil or paper piercer (that's what I use) so it will curl. Adhere next to the ribbon. Stamp the saying "Happy Thanksgiving" to the center oval and adhere to the top of the peppermint patty. Embellish with hash marks with the Sharpie Marker if desired. ENJOY!!!

I had a lot of fun making this and will be posting some other things using our punches later. The above project would be great to have sitting on the table at Thanksgiving for a little after dinner chocolate.

Cancer Article in The Journal News

2009-10-15T07:10:00.004-05:00

I just wanted to let anyone know that has come to my blog from the article in the Hamilton Journal today that you will need to visit the archives of my blog.

I blogged most of my cancer experience to bring awareneness to Breast Cancer and to let everyone know to stay strong and all things will work out. Keep your faith and your strength...you will do fine.

Here is the link where my journey begins http://ritaholmes.blogspot.com/2008/03/for-now-my-blog-will-not-only-be-about.html#links or you may go to the 2008 Archives and scroll down to March 12, 2008.

Thanks so much for visiting and I hope you enjoy reading my journey!

The American Cancer Society:

2009-10-06T06:58:00.001-05:00

The American Cancer Society:

Shared via AddThis

I have been away too long!

2009-08-17T09:57:00.002-05:00

I know I have said that many times. It has been a busy summer. I don't know where the time went. I do know I had a great time at Seminar this year. I also got to visit Avis Anderson. We had such a good time...I wish I could go back.
My hubby and I also took a vacation this summer. It was a history vacation. We went to Gettysburg, PA. My hubby is a Civil War lover and we got to see a lot of history there. We also went to Philadelphia, PA and toured the city. What an amazing history story in one city.
Between those two destinations we went to a Biblical Theatre and saw the Journey of Abraham and Sarah. What an amazing story.
After those events we went to see a dear friend in Easton,PA. While there we visited a place called Ringing Rocks. We happen to see it on the travel channel. It was different. Google the words Ringing Rocks and see what it is about.
I also was the director of our Vacation Bible School at church. That took a lot of my time also. It was fun and we averaged about 48 kids per night. For a small church...that was great.
I am back to watching my grandkids (not full time yet) while my daughter gets her new classroom ready at school. She is moving into a brand new elementary school and has a lot of unpacking to do. School starts on the 27th so I will be back to watching kids full time a few days before that.
I have tried to maintain some classes but the mojo hasn't been there. I am hoping it comes back as things calm down here. I will get some pictures uploaded soon to share.
I also got a new laptop computer and have been busy trying to transfer alot of files. My main problem is getting my address book moved. I am not using Outlook on my new computer and I can't find a way to transfer or print it out from my old computer so I am typing them in. What a job.
Anyhow...I am alive and doing well...just busy and I know that is no excuse. I need to set some priorities and take care of business.
Until next time...have a wonderful day and may God Bless You!!!!

A QUICK Baby Card

2009-06-03T21:30:00.003-05:00

I had to make a quick baby card tonight before I left for church and this is what I came up with. I love the Hello Baby set from The Angel Company. I used it along with the Scor-Pal and the Bug Embosser. I can't say enough about the Scor-Pal and Bug Embosser. They are both great tools and a must have in my book.
I had the card attached to a gift bag and then decided I should take a picture of it to share. This little set makes such sute cards for boys or girls. You can check the set out here. It is such a resonably priced set that you can't go wrong with it.
Enjoy!!!!

June Specials and I NEED RECRUITS

2009-06-01T12:13:00.009-05:00

It is already June 1st. Can you believe it? Half of the year is gone already. Time sure flies!!!!
As you can see I have put in all CAPS.....I NEED RECRUITS! I will be real honest and say that I am not the best recruiter but I am a decent upline when I get recruits. I have so much wanted to make EXECUTIVE with THE ANGEL COMPANY the last couple of years but just can't get the recruits. I get one and then one goes inactive. I do have 14 first line recruits and 1 second line. New Angels also get one of each of the following Three Stamp Sets along with all the other goodies for signing on as an Angel. ANYHOW...I am here to say that if you are thinking about selling with a direct selling stamp company that I would love to have you on my team with THE ANGEL COMPANY! To look at the application online; here is the link. Here is the link if you would like to read about the benefits of becoming an Angel. NOW for the BIG part of all of this....I need the recruits by June 20th. If I can be of any help please email me .

Now for our SPECIALS:

Tri Shutter Cards Seem to be the Rage

2009-05-31T15:11:00.006-05:00

Tri shutter cards seem to be the rage using the Scor Pal. I decided to try them and loved it. In fact we did this card in class last week. I didn't do a lot of embellishing on it because I was actually teaching how to do the card. We did three other cards in class that night also so we didn't have time to really get into the embellishing. With that said...I will say that I like the simplicity of the card. Here is the link to the tutorial for the card. It is a fun card so don't let it intimidate you. I hope you take the time to give it a try. It's not a card you would make all the time but it sure is a good one for something special.

My HOMEMADE Colored Pencil Lazy Susan

2009-05-29T22:52:00.005-05:00

I made this lazy susan for my colored pencils probably two years ago but was asked to share it. I figured everyone knew the cheap way to display your pencils so they were easily accessible. I hold classes in my house and we color a lot with colored pencils because it is fast and easy.

Anyway I took NINE empty soup cans and ONE empty large fruit can and covered them with printed papers. I typed up the names of the pencil color categories for the cans; printed them and attached them to the cans. I bought a cheap lazy susan at WalMart for like $2.44 (in the housewares dept.) and added the soup cans to the outer edges of the lazy susan and put the big fruit can in the center. The fruit can holds the big Skin Tone pencils, Gamasol, blenders, sanding pad and marker for shading. It works great to sit on the table for classes or general use for yourself. It is much cheaper than a lot of the pencil holders out there. I have the biggest pencil set plus a 48 pencil set in mine...not to mention some I have bought singly and added to it. Needles to say your won't run out of room. You could even categorize them so you had an empty can for just your watercolor pencils and so forth.

I hope you enjoy it and can maybe use the idea for yourself.

Stamping for the Church Card Ministry

2009-05-23T21:19:00.003-05:00

Not long after I started attending church again I started a handmade card ministry there. It has been a lot of fun. We strictly use these cards for members of our church. I have other ladies that help me put the cards together sometimes and they love it. It is great fellowship. Anyway we make all kinds of cards to send to members. We do birthday, anniversary, thinking of you, get well, sympathy, welcome visitors and anything in between. If there is a need we try to send a card. I was running low on masculine birthday so I whipped out a dozen of them today. I thought I would share the card. Two of the three stamps I used are either already discontinued or is on the newly discontinued list. Both are favorites of mine. The giraffe from African Giraffe is on the new discontinued list and can be ordered at 25% off right now. The crackle background was gone from last catalog but I love it for masculine cards. The saying is from the set Be Still which is still current. I love that stamp set for the ministry cards because I like putting a verse on them. I hope you enjoy the card too. It was so simple but yet great for a guy.
Thanks for taking the time to stop by my blog. I know I'm not the best at keeping it up but I want to keep trying...LOL See ya Soon (I hope).

I'm finally posting something to Share

2009-05-19T11:57:00.006-05:00

I have been so busy with church stuff but that is pretty well over now. We had the ladies banquet and it went very well.

Now for posting something to share. I know a lot of people have seen the Toilet Paper Tube Mini Albums but I thought I would post mine here. I am doing it in a class tonight but we are also making a card to match along with a gift bag to put it in. I followed some of the directions from my great friend Char Wilson. You can see her tutorial for the album here. Thanks Char for putting that together.

I did use a couple of sets that are on our discontinued list but it is sets that I love to use. You can order them at 25% off. Here is my website if you would like to order them.

I hope you enjoy my little ensemble that we will be doing tonight. These little books turn out cuter in person than what they look like on here.

It's about Time

2009-04-09T22:19:00.003-05:00

That I post that is! I can't believe how long it has been. I will say that I have been pretty busy. My son found the love of his life a couple months ago and they decided to get married. It was all said and done in two weeks. They were married last Friday. I have gained a daughter in law and two more grandkids. I love her to death and of course the kids too. I wish them the best!

I am also working on a retreat that I hose twice a year. It will be coming up May 1st. Never a dull

moment around my house. I am actually doing this retreat as a Cancer Awareness project. I am hoping to raise money for the ACS through a Chinese Raffle and Split the Pot Raffle along donating part of my earnings for any orders I get for TAC.

I did take time to play tonight. I was at Michael's and found these cute chipboard journals for a dollar. They measure 5 1/4" x 5 1/4" and were very plain. They had a small picture of an owl on them but you can see I covered that up. I made a prayer book out of it. It has approximately 100 journaling pages in it. Not a bad deal at all. Hope you like it!

It has been ONE YEAR!

2009-03-17T13:16:00.002-05:00

It has been one year today that I had breast cancer surgery. I can't believe it! I will say that I feel fantastic. I look back at this past year and sometimes wonder how I did it all. I do know...GOD. I feel I have become a better person through this whole experience. Did I want cancer? NO!!! Do I regret having it? NO!!!! It has taught me that I have more stamina and will power than I ever thought I could.
I knew I was a positive person and I also knew I could handle what ever was thrown at me but CANCER was one thing I was afraid of. I now know that I don't have to be afraid of it. It has to be afraid of ME.
What were the bad things that had happened within the last year? Of course the Breast Cancer, radiation, chemo, losing my dear dog, Tanner and dealing with my hubby with some major back and thyroid problems.
What were the good things that happened within the last year? I found I could conquer Cancer, I was a recipient of the blessings of many friends and family and really found out how much people do care, getting a new puppy (thanks again to many friends), finding the Lord Jesus Christ again (and for good), being asked and now serving on the American Cancer Society Board for the county I live in and also serving as Children's Church Director at Church.
The moral of this story is no matter how bad things get; the good will outweigh the bad. My advice to anyone going through a difficult time is to keep your chain up, trust in God and let your friends and family be there for you.
Now...If I could only catch up on stamping and do as much as I want to do there. There is not enough hours in the day for me. Anyone have some extra ones they could send my way? I could really use them.
For now everyone have a Great and Blessed Day. I know I am counting my blessings today!

TAC March Promotion

2009-02-28T18:56:00.005-05:00

TAC is having a great promotion you may want to take advantage of. For $19.95 you can get the Small Animals Stamp set, A pad of the Gentle Beginnings 8" x 8" paper pack and a 60 piece set of Hardware that matches the paper. This stamp set would be great for Easter favors and cards. It would also work for baby and kids cards and favors. If you would like to order and don't already have a TAC demonstrator please email me. I would be glad to order it for you.

www.theangelcompany.net

Have a great weekend! What's left of it anyway!

Another Watch Me Grow Book

2009-02-23T22:46:00.002-05:00

I just went to a baby shower and this was the gift. The Mommy to be doesn't know what the baby is so I did it in colors that could be for a boy or girl. The make wonderful gifts. The idea is to take the baby's picture every month in the same onesie (size 12 months) and watch the baby grow out of the onesie...or should we say grow into it? LOL I did this album as a 6' x 6 album and it turned out great being that size. I have a few more to do. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Thanks for stopping by and looking.

The COOKBOOK is DONE!

2009-02-21T23:19:00.002-05:00

That's right! I have been working on this cookbook for a friend of mine. Her husband is a chef and she wanted a cookbook done for her son who also loves to cook. It is family recipes that she compiled and sent to me. She is such a very dear and close friend. I actually consider her as a sister...thanks for the internet for us to meet. Anyway I told her I would post the cookbook here so she could send family here to see it. I hope all of you enjoy it as well. Tomorrow is Andrew's birthday and this is his gift. Let's all pray he loves it also.

GOOD NEWS

2009-02-11T10:05:00.005-05:00

Can you belive it has been almost 11 months since I had Breast Cancer Surgery? Well it has. I went yesterday for a check up with my surgeon and had my mammogram done. Praise the Lord....everything was fine. I did have fluid built up in the area where they took out the cancer and it has been really sore. I was concerned because I wasn't sure what was going on but she aspirated the area and took the fluid off. Boy it does it feel better! I just wanted to shout out a praise and let you all know that I am doing fine and staying busier than ever.

What of the things that is really keeping me busy now is CHURCH! Yes...I have gotten back into church and love it. My hubby also goes all the time and now my son and his son. This makes me happy. I would love to have my daughter and her family in church with me also but she is married to a catholic guy and we are Baptist so it is hard to mix the two. She does go to church with him (when he goes) and they have my granddaughter in religion classes so all is not bad. I do thnk she is still Baptist at heart...LOL Anyway church does keep me busy but that is at my own doing. I am now head of Children's Church and love it. Gotta love working with those kids. The good thing is I only have to teach it once every five weeks.

Tonight is our Valentine Dinner at church and the men are fixing the food. I can't wait for this. They did take a collection and ordered Hams but they are doing the side dishes and desserts. My hubby made cole slaw (it had to be easy for him to do) and my son made a Cherry Cheesecake. Can't wait to see what they rest of the men do.

As for my stamping...I have been busy although my last class was really paper crafting more than stamping and they loved it. It was a nice change since I have the same ladies all the time.

I visited a website, Valita's Fresh Folds and she has some awesome "shapely" cards. You need to check her out. That is where my ideas came from but I changed the sizes a little bit to fit what I like to do. This is one of the cards I did. It is the cupcake card. You can't see it clearly in the picture but the top layer of "icing" is glittered. I hope you can go visit and make some of your own cards. It was a nice change. I did use the Happy Birthday stamp from the Stamp Set "Ordinary Greetings" out of The Angel Company Catalog. That set has some nice sayings and is well worth the money. You can check it out here.

I'm off to get some stuff done before my two little grandsons wake up. Have a great and blessed day!!!!

Shame on ME

2009-01-28T23:30:00.005-05:00

I am sharing a project I did but didn't use TAC products. Well I guess I did if you count the Bind it All. I didn't use our stamps or papers. The stamp set came from Michael's and the paper from Hobby Lobby. This bird set was so cute. I actually bought it for the saying "Happy Birthday you old bird". I thought that was the cutest. I also saw that Vicki Hook used the same bird on a web

address book she made. Great minds think alike...LOL Anyway I hope you like it. I have seen a lot of these on the internet and just made my own size up. ENJOY!

My My I am here again this Week!

2009-01-22T23:34:00.004-05:00

Not that I haven't been busy. I have. In fact I hosted a Premiere Jewelry Party tonight and had a $770 show. Sure wish I could do that with my stamps...LOL Anyway now that everyone has gone and I have the house straightened back up I thought I would post another idea I am doing this weekend at the retreat I am taking part in. This is the 6" x 6" Scrapbook page I am doing featuring the Scor-Pal. It is a simple little layout but the scor pal adds some dimension to it. The picture was taken at last year's TAC Seminar. It is me with Diane Short. She is another angel from Wyoming. Sorry the picture is a little dark but I was tired of messing with it and wanted to get done. The patterned paper is Angelee from TAC. The stamp set is called "Little Things".

Again thanks for stopping by and taking a peek at what I've been doing.

Another Share

2009-01-20T22:33:00.005-05:00

I thought I would share one of the scrapbook pages I am putting on my demo board for a demo I am doing this weekend at a local scrapbooking retreat. The picture of course is me and my dear hubby. As you can tell that was pre-cancer days as I had hair and it had some red in it...Not any more...LOL Everything I used was from TAC except for the small square brads. They were from JoAnn's. The background cardstock and the dark greencardstock is from the Monochromatic packs we carry. It is the one called Greens. The coral color is called Coral #2. I also used acetate and the Extra Jumbo Flower punch together along with the 3/4" circle punch. I stamped the acetate with white Staz-on. All the swirl stamps were from the stamp set Curls and Swirls. The inks used were Versamagic Red Magic and Palette Noir. The saying on the page is from a special promotion set which is available until Feb. 2nd. It is called Souls Kisses. Hope you enjoy it. Have a great night!

Time Sure Flies

2009-01-19T21:36:00.012-05:00

When you are having fun that is!! I didn't have to babysit today as my daughter was off work since she is a teacher and the schools were closed for Martin Luther King Day. I stayed in my basement and worked all day. This is what my stamp table looked like when I got done. LOL I guess it was a good thing I was done because I had no where left to stamp.
I did manage to get 8 cards done which I have to give a big thanks to Heather Scott as I used her Card Sketch ideas.

I am going to be doing a class tomorrow night and used these and yes I gave all the credit to Heather and please do so if you go to her blog and use them. Anyway I am sharing what I did with her sketches. I took the easy way out and did a lot of printed papers. Unfortunately they aren't TAC. I am trying to clear out some stuff I had. All stamps are TAC though.

Once again I will try to keep up with my blog a little more. Life just keeps getting in my way. I do have some other things to share but will save them for another day. Have a good one!!!!!

WONDERFUL TAC Promotions

2009-01-01T22:28:00.010-05:00

TAC has really outdone themselves on this promotion. Starting January 6th and ending January 26th all T-coded stamps are 50% off. That's right......half price. You can check out my website for the online catalog and order there, email me with your order and I will place it for you or give me a call. My number is on the website. This would be a great time to think about having a funshop or just a book party. I will be glad to help with that also.

http://www.theangelcompany.net/Promos_Flyers.html

TAC is also coming out with a 48 page MAGALOGUE in February. It will be loaded with new stamps and accessories to satify your needs until our new BIG catalogue comes out the end of June. If you have any questions on this please contact me.

TAC is also have a fabulous promotion with new stamps sets. Check them out and add them to your oder. This promotion is good until February 2nd.

http://www.theangelcompany.net/

This is also the Januray Stamp of the Month. You can purchase it with a $30 order. The cost of the stamp set for you is $9.75

The Award "Encouraged"

2008-11-16T13:55:00.005-05:00

I have been awarded the "Encouraged" award from a fellow angel. Bridgett has so graciously awarded this to me. Thanks Bridgett. You can view her blog here.

The rules for the Encouraged Blogger Award are:

1. The winner may put the logo on their blog. (I will.)
2. Put a link to the person who sent you the award. (I did.)
3. Nominate 5 blogs. (See below.)
4. Put links to their blogs. (Just click on their name.)

5. Leave a message for your nominees. (I will.)

Here are the people that I have nominated:

1. Char Char is always an ispiration to me. She is such a good friend and can always make me laugh when I need it. She is also a fellow angel who shares her ideas with me. I so much cherish our friendship and always wish her the best.

2. Avis Avis is a very dear friend and also a fellow angel. She loves to share ideas and we have such a good time together. I wish we lived closer.

3. Rita Rita is my upline and also an ispiration to me. She has encouraged me when I have needed it and shared her ideas with me.

4. Heather Heather is an encouragement to me just by looking at her blog. She is a fellow angel who is just blessed with talent.

5. Nicole Nicole is an encouragement through her blog also. She is also a fellow angel that shares good ideas on her blog.

Remember ME!

2008-11-09T11:42:00.006-05:00

I can't believe it has been two months since I have updated my blog! What is wrong with me? I can answer that.....I have been really busy and not taking the time to do the things I should.

Let me just update you on me first. I am feeling much better. All of my chemo treatments are behind me. As you can see from the picture I am finally getting hair again. I have already had a mammogram since my treatments and everything was fine. I just went Friday for my blood work to make sure things are fine there. As far as the dr. visit...I am doing well. I am down 25 lbs. from when all of this mess started. Yeah for me! I could stand to lose another 60 or so but that is a dream. These pictures were taken at the Longaberger Homestead. We had such a great time that day! What a big basket I was standing in front of. It had apples in it. Wonder how they made all of that? Amazing!

One of the awesome things that has happened through all of this is my oncologist, who is the best doctor in the whole world, asked me to consider being on the Butler County (the county I live in) American Cancer Society Board. He thinks I have done an amazing job with all I have been through and keeping the attitude I did and thought it would be beneficial to the board. I jumped on it and am now the Breast Cancer Mission Chair Person for our Board. I am excited. If I can help improve people's lives doing this then it was meant for me. Thanks to Dr. Crane for thinking of me for this. Did I say he was wonderful?

Since October 28th Avis Anderson, another TAC demonstrator, has been visiting. We have done a lot of stamping. I wish I could put everything we have done on here but I can't for now. Some of them are projects I am using for some other things right now. We went through a bunch of swap cards I have received and did some stamp lifting. Not to mention we visited some blogs and did the same thing. I want to thank all of the TAC demonstrators we got ideas from. I should have written them down but forgot! View the slide show I have added. It has some of those cards plus some cards from some classes I have done lately.

I promise to try and update a lot more now that I have gotten this done. I so need to be better at these things. I hope you all enjoy my post and I am happy to be here and hope you enjoy your day!

WOW...Our Fall Supplement is Up

2008-09-12T15:40:00.003-05:00

The new Fall Supplement is out with Fall, Christmas and Everyday stamps. And YES....we now have a Spanish greetings set. You can visit my website and click on products then Fall Supplement and see the new stamps.

We have another promotion also. There will be a Double Rewards Program starting Monday. All customers will get 2 GWP stamps for every $30 instead of 1. All Hostess benefits will double also. If you would like to become an Angel (whish is awesome) you will get an extra $50 of stamps (your choice) along with your kit. Please email me if you would like to place an order or have more Demonstrator information.

I will say that I would love to get some recruits. I am working very hard on becoming an Executive with TAC. I wanted to do this last year but I just couldn't accomplish that with my medical problems. Please email if you would like to do this or know someone that would.

I can't believe September is here!

2008-09-03T13:14:00.009-05:00

I am almost four weeks out of chemo treatment and it sure feels good. I am doing more and more. In fact I am leaving Friday for a much needed vacation to Myrtle Beach. I know Tropical Storm Hanna is suppose to hit the Carolina's Friday sometime but we are still heading in that direction. I can't wait to go and get away. I am taking some stamping with me. I figure we will have some rain so I might as well stamp. There are 7 other women going. This is our 14th year to do this. It is so much fun!

I am posting pictures of a baby gift I made for one of my downline who is also a very good friend. The book is a "Watch Me Grow" book. I have heard of them but never did see one so I did my own take on it. I made the book and with it is a plain white Onesie in size 12 months for the baby to have it's picture taken in at the same time every month so you can see the progress of it's growth. I made up the poem I put in the front of the book as well as the one on the onesie. There are several pictures so enjoy!

Where has the time gone?

2008-08-14T21:07:00.003-05:00

I can't believe the last time I added anything to my blog is July 29th. I had my last chemo treatment August 8th. I will happily say I am glad to put them behind me. I have had a rough week with bone pain and feeling so drained. I do feel better today but still tired. I know it will take some time to feel really good but hey....no more treatments...hopefully forever.
I have also been busy trying to get things done for my classes and of course I am in some swaps which I love to do. I will try really hard to start sharing more samples here now that I won't have every other week of my life put on hold with chemo.
I just wanted to check in with everyone and give you an update. I will be sure to be back soon!

Happy Birthday

2008-07-29T09:33:00.005-05:00

Today is my daughter's birthday. I can't believe she is 34 years old. Where does the time go? She is catching up to me for sure...LOL

This is the birthday card I made her:

The stamps on the front of the card are from The Angel Company. It is called Linear Sentiments. I am loving this set. I also used Apple Green #2 Cardstock from TAC. The inks I used were Palette inks Chartreuse and Boudoir Blush. The sentiment on the inside is from Verses and says "Surely a star danced in Heaven on the day you were born" I love that sentiment and really like to use it on my birthday cards. I bought the little flower rhinestones at a local stamp store for the center of the flowers.

As for my last chemo treatment it has left me with a lot of bone and joint pain again. It is better this morning. Yesterday was bad but I took it easy and rested. All I can say is I will be glad when August 8th gets here and we can do the last treatment. We will think about today and enjoy it. Tonight we are going out to dinner to celebrate Alison's birthday. It will be fun to have all the family together.
Who could ask for more?

Another Chemo Treatment Down and ONE to Go!!!

2008-07-26T20:18:00.002-05:00

I know it has been awhile since I posted to my blog. I have been pretty busy. You know I wanted to get my business back up and running. I had my Open House on July 17th, A benefit for Breast Cancer on the 20th and then I started my classes back up on the 21st and 22nd. Let's just say it was fun to be back in the swing of things but I did get tired. It was a good tired though.
Now for my Chemo Treatment. All went well with it as usual. I did have some questions for my Dr. since it is getting close to the end of treatment. I wanted to know what the course of action would be for me after treatment is over. I will be going to his office every six weeks to have my port flushed so it doesn't clog in case we should need it again. Let's hope not! I will see him every twelve weeks for an exam and blood tests. Depending on what the blood tests show on if I would have to have any kind of scans. I also need to make an appointment to have a mammogram in September. Life will be good.
Since I am nearing the end of treatment and looked back on what all has evolved; the biggest advice I can give to anyone is to LISTEN to your Oncologist. He is your best friend through this. That wasn't hard in my case because my Oncologist is fantastic. The word "CANCER" was enough to scare me into listening and doing everything I could to stay healthy through this process. Another thing is to keep positive and have a good attitude. It is not to say you won't have bad days...Lord knows I did but you go on.
August 8th is my last treatment so I am going to be one happy person that day. My white blood count was low yesterday but not low enough to cancel my treatment but I am going to go and get a Neulasta shot on Monday. This is a shot to boost your white blood cells which is what fights off infections and sickness. This will bring my white count up so we hopefully won't have to postpone my last treatment. That hasn't happened to me through this whole ordeal and I sure don't want it on my last treatment.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
God Bless!!!!!

Another card to share

2008-07-11T20:33:00.005-05:00

I have really been busy trying to make cards for my Open House and also for my first class since early March. My class which is on July 22nd is Different Folds. I will share those as I get them done. The card I am sharing tonight is my other Make & Take for my Open House. I used the Linear Sentiments on it. I also used the Super Jumbo Circle Punch and the Mega Scalloped Circle Punch. I just love using these punches. The printed paper and the lavender paper I used is from our new Angelee Paper Line. The cardstock is our Matchmakers Cardstock Plum #1and also our Ivory cardstock. I used the Palette Ink Pad Violete.
I hope you enjoy the card. I know I have enjoyed being creative again.
I also went and had my chemo today. They cut the Benadryl in half and I wasn't as sleepy which has been good. Now to see if the bone and joint pain comes back. I am ready this time...LOL
Have a good weekend everyone!!!

Update on my Chemo and a Card Share

2008-07-09T10:35:00.002-05:00

It has been brought to my attention that I haven't updated anything on my chemo treatments. As most of you know that come here often, I started a new chemo drug this last treatment. I have to say it is a lot better in the fact that you don't feel the fatigue and nausea as with the other drug. The down side is I had bone and joint pain for about three days. That wasn't fun but I could stay awake and function. I get my next treatment Friday so I know what to expect. After this treatment I will only have two more to go. Can you belive it when I say I am very happy about that? LOL I think I have come through all of this very well and boy do I have a new outlook on life. I can't stress enough for all of you to take care of yourself and get your yearly checkups. They sure pay off. I have been very adament about that and it sure paid off for me that my cancer was caught so early.

Now to share a card. I finally played some. Actually I have been doing some swap cards but the card I am sharing today is one for my Open House next week. This is done with the All Occasion Circles and Celebration Time. They are both new stamp sets in our new Fall and Winter 2008 catalog. I hope you enjoy the card and get some inspiration from it. It is great to showcase the Mega Circle Punch and the Giga Scalloped Circle Punch. The little strip with the brads I did with a corner rounder punch.

Have a great day EVERYONE!!!!!!!!

Blog Award Nomination

2008-07-08T20:56:00.003-05:00

Bridgett from my Angelhood Sisters nominated me for this award. Thanks Bridgett. This award is to go to someone that inspires you from their blog. I have many people that have inspired me through their blog. Below will be my nominations.

Sonja http://sonjascene.blogspot.com/

Diana http://www.memorycrafter.blogspot.com/

Vicki http://angelstamper2.blogspot.com/

Thanks again Bridgett for the nomination and I'm glad that you have been inspired by my blog.

Thank You to HilmaRose....My SBS_16 Secret Sister

2008-07-07T20:01:00.004-05:00

We have had a Secret Sister Swap on our Sisterhood_16 group. I just want to say that Hilmarose really out did herself with what she sent to me. First of all she made me a set of handmade items....all matching. It is a stationary set in a box, journal, notepad, address book and post it note keychain. WOW! She also did it in my favorite colors. Besides all the handmade stuff I got she also sent several types of tins to alter, Bind it All O Wires in black, 2 picture frames, scrapbook, ribbon, buttons, eyelets, snaps, brads, glue, glitter, Maya Road notebooks, and a clear stamp set for the cure. I just want to give a BIG thanks to Hilma...she really made my day and gave me a lot to play with. Below are the pictures of the items she sent.

SEMINAR was WONDERFUL

2008-06-25T18:10:00.004-05:00

I had such a great time at the TAC Seminar. I got to see friends I have made in past years and met plenty of new friends. It was so good to put faces with names from the past year.

I had to share this picture. A few of us were sitting outside looking at the river and enjoying the weather one evening and I just happened to look up into the sky. This is what I saw. Isn't it awesome? There were Angel Wings right above us. Of course I had to run into the lobby of the hotel and tell everyone to come look. It was just like it was meant to be for us.

The Make & Takes and Classes were great. They were all put on by the TAC staff. I just have to give kudo's to them. They did a fantastic job.

Our new catalog is now in effect. It is wonderful. If you click on the catalog it will take you to my website where you can order at your convenience. If you happen to do that...thanks in advance. If you don't want to order but ponder through the catalog please feel free to do that also.

I do have to toot my own horn here. I won The Angel Award at the banquet on Saturday night. I would post a picture of me in my crown but I don't have a good one so if anyone was there and got a good picture please send it to me. The Angel Award is an award that is done by your peers nominating you. I think it is one of the best awards as it shows how much you have thouched the hearts of your fellow demonstrators. I am so blessed and to be able to win this award. I want to take the time to Thank everyone that sent in a letter about me. You are truly awesome angels.

I will post a picture when I get one.

I also had a wonderful friend send me flowers and fruit to share with my roommates for the weekend. Aren't they beautiful? I carried them back home with me on the airplane and they survived.

I also have to say that I am feeling really good right now. It has been 2 1/2 weeks since my last chemo appt. I start the new chemo this Friday. They say it is not as bad as what I just finished. Let's all hope and pray they are right.

I plan on trying to be more creative and sharing if this is the case. I am also wanting to start some classes back up if I can. I am so ready to get things rolling again.

Thanks for stopping by my blog and checking in. It means so much to me to have all of you stop in and see what is going on. Have a great moment, day, week or whatever.

Seminar Is Coming Fast

2008-06-14T21:22:00.002-05:00

And I am happy to say that two of my downline and very good friends came over yesterday and helped me with my Club Med Trades. They are all done. That sure made me feel better since I have been battling fatigue with this last round of Chemo. Debbie and Kathy came over around 11:00 a.m. and we worked until close to 4:00 p.m. and got them done. It was such a huge help and I was so glad to have them here. We had a very nice time chatting while we were gluing...LOL I will share the trades when I get back from Seminar.
On a happier note I did feel better today. The fatigue is still with me some but I did a lot more today than I did in a whole week. I am working on building my strength by Wednesday so I will be ready for my trip. I can't wait to see all of my Angel friends. We are going to have a great time.
Now I can work on a few other things I wanted to do. You know the fun things and little gifty stuff to take with me. I have the ideas and they of course are all easy. That's my way of life right now.
I hope everyone has had a good weekend so far. Have a wonderful Father's Day tomorrow celebrating with the Father's in your lives. I know we are going to breakfast with my daughter and her family. My son will be sleeping as he is working third shift right now. We will see him later. We are going to breakfast early enough that I am hopefully going to make it to church. I didn't get there last week because I slept through the morning. After that it will be a relaxing day with my DH.

I finally made a CARD!

2008-06-10T08:06:00.003-05:00

I actually made a quick card for my DH's Birthday today. The chemo has given me much fatigue again this time. I am hoping it is coming to an end. I have slept for two days again. I am hoping to have more energy since today is Birthday Day. This card is quite simple. I found a poem on the net and then stamped the TAC Tiger Face onto the poem. Matted with some masculine paper I had here and called it a day. The striped paper is actually mounted on the cream cardstock which is also for the poem.

I have been trying to work on my Club Med trades for Seminar. They are coming along slow but sure. Pray for energy so I can get them done. I am too far on them to stop and say NO.

I again want to thank everyone for reading my blog and sending me such nice and comforting messages. You guys just keep me going.

Until next time.....Have a great day!

HOORAY!!! for Today

2008-06-06T20:17:00.003-05:00

I had my last round of the BAD chemo today. I saw the Dr. first. My oncologist is on vacation so I saw one of the others. I want my Dr. Crane back...LOL Anyway he told me I was anemic but not bad enough to give a blood transfusion so he said the fatigue would probably be bad again this time. They gave me 100% of the dosage and didn't cut it down. That means I took 100% each time so those lingering bad cells should be DEAD. Dr. Lang said to go home and just take it easy. He sure doesn't know my personality. I can only stay down so long and then I have to do somthing. I guess I will shuffle my time around but know that sleep will be approaching in the next couple of days.
I do get a break as I don't start the next kind of chemo until June 27 because of the TAC Seminar. I hopefully will be some strength up for that. They say the Taxol is like taking an 80 proof shot of alcohol straight into the artery. They told me not to drive myself. This should be very interesting since I don't drink. My DH said he wondered if they paid for rehab after the chemo....LOL
I have been stamping for Seminar but don't want to share the stuff since it is for there. I have also been doing some things for Paper Wings which is for Angels Only also. I need to play with just fun stuff so I can share. Maybe if the fatigue isn't so bad that I can play in my little corner of the basement. After all it is in the 90's here and I am staying in...the heat zaps me fast.
I hope everyone has a great weekend! Thanks for coming back and reading my updates.

What a Week

2008-05-29T18:19:00.003-05:00

Saying that fatigue hit me would be putting it mildy. Sunday and Monday I literally slept most of the days away. We figured I probably slept 20 out of 24 hours each day. There was just nothing else I could do. What a weird feeling for the fact there is nothing you can do about it. Tuesday and Wednesday were a little better and today was much better. At least I have been up and doing things.
One thing my dr. told me is he can cut back my last doasge of the Adriamycin/Cytoxin mix I am taking right now. That will help a lot with the fatigue. I get the last dose of that June 6th. I will then start on the Taxol after getting back from Seminar. There will be a little break because of Seminar which will help build some strength up.
I still consider myself lucky and know that things could be much worse. I can't believe I am actually going into my fourth treatment already. I can't say time flies when you're having fun because it is in no way fun but the time has flown. I guess losing a week every other week to be sick kind of does that.
I will say I am so looking forward to Seminar and am working on trades and stuff as I can. It keeps me going. I do think I need to step it up a notch...LOL
My little dog, Myrtle, is doing great. She is a stinker though. She has some issues we need to work on but frankly some days it is just easier to let them go. I hope it all works out in the long run with her. She sure is a lot of company.
I want to thank everyone for the nice comments on my blog and the emails. It means so much to me to know people are reading and thinking of me right now. I wish I could take the time to answer everyone individually but I just don't have that much energy right now. You guys are all so great.
I am hoping to get to feeling better and maybe even play a little bit besides stuff for Seminar. It has been so hard to be creative right now and I miss it so much. I hope that part comes back soon.
I wanted to keep this short and sweet so I will sign off now. Everyone have a good weekend if I'm not back before then.

Much Needed Update

2008-05-25T20:04:00.002-05:00

I know a lot of people check my blog for updates on my health issues and I haven't done that lately. I just had my third chemo treatment Friday. It has really left me with a lot of fatigue this time. I slept most of today away. I usually push myself more to stay up but today was not one of those days. The last chemo treatment also left me with a lot of fatigue and mouth sores. That was not fun either. At least the mouth sores are gone and that feels so much better. I did have a good week despite the fact of mouth sores and fatigue. My Tuesday night class ladies came over Tuesday night with snacks in tow along with stuff to work on themselves. We had a great time and it was so much fun to see them all together. We all miss our times together. Wednesday my friend Pam and I went and got a pedicure and out to lunch. It was nice...she drove me around and we got some pampering done to us and we also did some bead shopping for our Troll bracelets. Thursday I had a dr. appt. with my liver dr. My friend Ginger and I go to the same liver dr. so we make our appts. at the same time and go together. We went out to lunch after the dr. appt. and then walked through the new Ikea store they have built close to us. I had a long nap after that excursion. Friday was chemo which my sister took me to and then we went out to lunch. As you can see...I do eat. Sometimes not too much but I do tend to get out with friends and not to mention my family too. Tomorrow being Memorial Day.....we don't have plans as we didn't know how I will feel. If the fatigue is like today I will be laying around and I'm sure my DH won't mind a bit.
In between all of this I am trying to work on things for Seminar. I can't believe how close it is approaching us. I can't wait to see all of my TAC Angel friends and meet some new ones also.
I hope to post more this week but if not....I will be around when I can. I am in great spirits and this Cancer Crap won't get me down.

My Nomination

2008-05-24T19:18:00.004-05:00

I finally came down to check my email and found out I was nominated for the Kreativ Award by my really good friend Char. Thanks Char...I needed this today since I am having a very "tired" day.

Now I have to nominate THREE people.

They are:

Percy

Angela

Stacey

AngelHood 2 & Update

2008-05-16T14:45:00.008-05:00

I wanted to let everyone know that we now have AngelHood Blogging Sisters which is created at Paper Wings. There is a total of 10 Angels in each AngelHood. Check it out and join if you are a TAC Angel. Also be sure to check Paper Wings out. It is a place for all Angels to gather and talk about their business, life in general and also to share ideas. There is a lot of stuff there and you won't be disappointed.

The links to my AngelHood Sisters are to the side of my post. Go and check them out! Everyone is so awesome.

Now for my update. I haven't talked a lot about me in the last couple of posts. I am holding my own. The chemo is going okay. I have had some extreme fatigue but that is to be expected. At least I didn't have the nausea this time around. I think it is because we changed the meds around a little bit. Hopefully I am on the upswing and will have a good week before I go back for my next treatment next Friday.

I am going to go with my sister tonight to her church. They have a scrapbooking night once a month. Sounds like fun and I really want to get out amongst people that love to do what I do. I may not get a thing done but I sure can socialize and visit....LOL

I thought I needed to share something so I went and found this cute little tote I made with the Scor-Pal. Actually my very good friend, Avis Anderson, had made me one when she came to visit about 1 1/2 years ago. I finally made one when I got the Scor-Pal. How cute is it? It holds 3" x 3" cards.

Here are the directions for the tote and cards: Hope you try them out!

Avis’s 3” x 3” Card Tote:

Tote Directions:
1 piece of cardstock 5 ½” x 7 ½”
2 pieces of cardstock ½” x 6 ½”
Scor-Pal

Lay your cardstock on the scor pal with the 5 ½” going across the top. Score at 1 ¼” and 4 ¼”. To score at the 1 ¼” move your paper to the ¼” mark and use the score line at 1 ½”. Move back even with the side to do the 4 ¼” mark.
Turn paper so the 7 ½” is across the top. Score and 3” and 4 ½”. Cut the tabs in the small section to the scored lines and tape inside the sides of the box. Stamp the handles and bottom of the tote. Fasten handles to the tote with mini brads.
Make 3” x 3” cards by cutting cardstock 3” x 6” and folding in half for card and decorate to your desire.

An OLD Idea

2008-05-14T12:27:00.014-05:00

Here is a card that I used to teach a long time ago. It is done using a quilt ruler and black permanent marker. I call them Marker Grid Cards. Below are the instructions on how these cards are done. They are fast and easy and you can change the looks of them by where you put your grid lines.

The first thing you will want to do is decide what size cardstock you want to work with. I usually work with 5 1/4" x 4" or 5" x 3 3/4". That way I can mat the design when I'm done. Use the ruler and set it on your cardstock so you can mark in 1/4" from the edge of the cardstock. Do that on two oppposite corners and then connect with a line. Finish doing that around the piece of cardstock until you have a blocked outline.

Decide on what images you would like to put in your grid area and stamp one of the images in the outlined area. At this time you can also stamp another image if you have an idea where you want it or you can continue to the next step and then come back and stamp another area.

Using the ruler again; you will draw lines around the stamped images and place them in "grid" boxes. Outline the boxes with stitched marks to make them pop a little. Color your images and decorate as desired. Good luck and I hope some of you get a chance to try this!

Bye Bye Hair

2008-05-08T20:32:00.004-05:00

Yeap!!! I got up this morning and my hair was falling out. Just like that! I was able to run my hands through my hair and it would come out and I felt like a dog shedding. I don't have to worry about that now. I have NO HAIR! My DH and grandkids took care of that. We did manage to get a lot of pictures. I let my two oldest grandkids do the honors of shaving my head. My grandson was really getting into it. At one point he had my hair really lopsided and he said I looked like the Mayor of Whoville in The Grinch. LOL After we got done with the hair bit and my darling daughter took the vacuum cleaner to my head we had cupcakes and ice cream. I think it was good for the kids to be part of it. I will admit that I cried today as I was rubbing my head and making a mountain of hair on the arm of the couch. Life is no fun when realization hits you square in the face! I got over it and didn't shed a tear while they buzzed away on my head. I am fine now and don't care much about what anyone thinks of my bald head. That's life and we are going on! Here are our before and after pictures. I'm sure you don't need captions to guess which is which....LOL

My grandson has that silly 8 year old look on his face in the later picture....why do kids do that? I guess I will break out the hats now.

Tomorrow is my second Chemo treatment. I am sure it will go well. I'm not looking forward to not feeling well a couple of days but hey it will be one more treatment down.

I hope everyone has had a good day and hopefully I will feel good enough to be back this weekend sometime for a few minutes anyway.

MAY Special at TAC

2008-05-07T10:13:00.005-05:00

Here is the current May Special from TAC. What a great special!!! Please email me or go to my website to order.

Your Memories Have Met their "Match"...The Angel Company™ Matchbook Kits really measure up to the quality of your memories. Constructed of premium-quality cardstock complete with double-sided printing, the TAC™ Matchbook kits are generously-sized, have easy-to-punch-out pieces, coordinating tags and tabs, and are easily “do-able” in an evening.In celebration of special photographs waiting to be showcased, we’ve paired our exquisite Pemberley Bay™ Matchbook Kit with the specially-created “True Wealth” Limited Edition stamp set (shown below).

Available only for a limited time and as part of this special memory-keeping promotion, this unique stamp set features heartfelt quotes and phrases that will perfectly fit a variety of photographs.PLUS, completing an entire album in an evening is so rewarding.

WE ARE GOING TO INCLUDE OUR ROCKIN’ ROXIE MATCHBOOK KIT FOR FREE!!!TAC™

Time-Saving Kits and Your Special Memories…A Perfect Match!

PB-08 Pemberley Bay™ Matchbook Kit $28.90 Limited Edition True Wealth Stamp Set

Free Rockin’ Roxie™ Matchbook Kit True Wealth • set of 91 1/2" x 4", 2" x 2", 3" x 3"

*No other special offers or discounts apply.*

Available only May 9 – June 16, 2008.*

The Matchbook Kit promotion is commissionable and counts toward FUNshop™ Totals.*

Price does not reflect shipping/handling and applicable taxes.*

Retail price of True Wealth stamp set is $19.95.*

The True Wealth stamp set will not be available after June 16, 2008.*

The True Wealth stamp set is not available for individual purchase.

Meet Myrtle and her friend Jack

2008-05-05T22:25:00.002-05:00

MY NEW LOVE!!!!!

2008-05-05T21:34:00.005-05:00

That's right! You can look at the picture and tell what I'm talkin' about!!!!! I know it has been three weeks since Tanner passed away but I needed a furry friend to cuddle. I thought I would wait until Chemo was over but I have never lived without a dog and I'm too old to start now. My DH and I talked and we decided on a Chihuahua. We have had a few in our lifetime and we absolutely love them. I found this little one on the internet last night and just happens she was only about 25 minutes from me. I went to see her this morning and the rest is history. Now let me tell you the story.

First of all let me introduce you to MYRTLE!!!! She might be a very tiny girl but she is named after the Big City.....Myrtle Beach! Last night I decided to look on the internet at Chihuahua's and looked at our local paper's classifieds and found a website for some little puppies. I found two Chihuahua's on there so I called this morning. I could tell by the phone number it should be pretty local. It was so I called my really wonderful Ginger and asked her if she could skip out of work and go look at a puppy with me. Ginger by the way is one of my closest friends....she is technically a sister to me without being blood related. Anyway....lukily ginger works for her brother and he had already told her if I needed anything not to worry about taking off work to help me out....SO Ginger told him that I called and wanted her to take me somewhere. She neglected to say it was to look at puppies. Anyway we had a wonderful country ride and a nice talk on the way out. There were three Chihuahua's to look at. How was I going to decide? It was hard and at one point I told them they may have to put them all three in a big brown paper bag and let me pick out of it. Ginger and I played with them and I then decided on the black one. I loved the white one but I have had two white Chihuahua's and the other one was beautiful. She as called a Blue and Tan but looked like she was going to get a little bigger than I wanted. I asked the lady if she would take a check and Ginger jumped up and said "No...I got it!" I was like "No way Ginger....You are not buying me a dog!!!!!". She said she wasn't that "All the Myrtle Beach Gang was". I cried right then and there. The lady must have thought what a bunch of loons. She did ask me not to cry because she gets emotional...LOL Anyway that is why my puppy is named Myrtle....it is after the Myrtle Beach Gang.

Now I guess I need to explain that. They are 10 of us (All women from different walks of life) that get together once a year and rent a beach house for a week. This will be our FOURTEENTH year. It is those ladies that had already planned on buying me a dog right after Tanner died but hadn't said anything. They waited until I was ready. Ginger was just lucky I felt the need to call her...LOL and she got to go. No wonder she was so darned excited.

Was it enough that they bought the dog......NO!!!

After we left the ladies house getting the dog Ginger wanted to know if I wanted to go shopping at the pet store since I needed some puppy food and all. Off we Go!!!!!!! I called another good friend Joyce...who is also part of the MBG and she left her work and showed up at the pet store within 5 minutes. Let's just say that Myrtle came out of that store wearing the dress that she is in in her picture. Aunt Joyce had to buy that. She also got a pink sweater, toys and treats from Aunt Joyce. The MBG bought the rest........a pink bed, pink crate, pink harness, pink bling bling collar, pink bling bling leash, pink retractable leash, pink water and food bowl, more toys, pet shampoo, dog food and poop bags to clip on the leash. OMG can we say spoiled or what?

Oh...did I say I have wonderful friends? Not only are these guys my wonderful friends for what they have done but for the friendships we have made over the years and how suppportive we have all been for each other. I only wish everyone could endure the friendships I have. I am so blessed.

Before I go I do want to thank all of you that read my blog and also send me comments. I cherish it all more than you know. I tell you what I don't know what I have done in this dull life of mine to be so blessed with friends near, far, old, new and anything in between but I hope I can keep up the pace and continue what it is.

I FEEL like a PERSON!

2008-05-04T19:30:00.002-05:00

That's right! The last couple of days I have felt like a person. I am 9 days out of my first chemo treatment and I am feeling good. I still have some nausea and some fatigue but hey......I feel good! My DH and I cleaned out (he is such a sweetie), did some shopping, went to see my granddaughter play softball, took a walk, grilled hamburgers and I even sat down and made a card. Right now life couldn't be better!!!!

I also went to Hobby Lobby and JoAnn's Friday before I went to my dr. appt. It sure helped inspire me some. Not to mention I spent way too much money. I did buy a packege of 3D stickers (which I never do) and made the card that is showing here. It was fun to mix my stamps with some sticker stuff. I so enjoyed doing it. I hope you enjoy seeing it. I did ink the 3D flower with my VersaMagic Ink pad to give it some color to match the cardstock. I also used my white gel pen to do some doodling. For the saying I curved my stamp a little bit to make it fit to the scalloped circle a little better. I got out my old Clickit and did the holes in the scallop.

I am hoping for a good week this week as I don't have any dr. appts. until Friday when I get my chemo again. I think I will start on my Seminar trades and see what I can get done.

I hope everyone has a great week! I am really going to try to post again soon!

How Angels Lives Cross

2008-04-28T20:52:00.003-05:00

I have been wanting to tell a story about how small this world can be. I have not shared this story with you about another angel that I have come to love so dearly and how our lives have crossed. I'll start from the beginning and tell the story. I hope you stay with me.

I went to my first Seminar in June 2004 and so did this other sweet angel. Of course you know how people are at Seminar if you have ever been. They talk to everyone. Two Angels that I was rooming with (Jess Hansen and Kathy Harrison) and I decided to go to the Casino in KS and we asked this Angel to go with us. We had the most fun. Kathy drives like Mario Andretti...LOL and she had me and this person colliding in the back seat when she almost missed the exit for the Casino. We went in and had the best time. New friendships were born.

This sweet angel that was with us has the appearance to be a very outgoing person but is also very reasonably shy. It was this year that she won "The Angel of the Year Award" for starting the New Angel Packet Program. I remember watching her and she cried and couldn't look at anyone. She was so shy and didn't know what to do to be in the spotlight. She is one to help others and try not to be noticed. I'm sure a lot of you know who I am talking about now if you have been a TAC Demonstrator for anytime. It is our one and only Denise Collier. What a hoot this girl can be. You would love!!!!!

Denise and I didn't correspond much until she sent out a note about seeing the time to give up the Angel Packet Program. I wrote her about this and told her I would take it over. Very reluctantly she gave it up and has since said she would take it back anytime. We both love it. It is in our blood. In one of the emails Denise sent; she had told me of some tough times she is going through. I wrote her back and said "What a coincidince" I am too. We found out we were both battling breast cancer. As you can see we have connected three times in some way. We joke that this last one really takes the cake.

We have kept in such close contact sharing our experiences and our lives and how differently we have dealt with this. We have helped each other out tremendously. Even though our cancers were different and mine was invasive and could have ended up much worse; Denise's was a little more concentrated. She had her lumpectomy a week before I did. She has since had to go through a mastectomy and then I found out I needed the aggressive chemo. It seems like things are never ending right now. We tell each other we will get through it and be stronger than before.

What I guess I am saying here is that you never know who is going through something the same as you or even similar. The thing is please tell someone what you are going through. There are so many wonderful people out there that care and that caring can just get you through. I have received so much from my fellow demonstrators, friends and family.

I know that many of the Angels that come to my blog may want to email Denise and I'm sure she wouldn't mind. Here is her email addy.

Now on to my update. This is my third day out in Chemo and I guess has been my worst day. I have gotten a sore mouth, nausea, fatigue and constipation. What fun! I look at the whole scheme of things and I still don't feel as bad as I thought I would. I can function but not so fast.

I have babbled enough on here so I will go and hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Updates with Pictures

2008-04-26T17:30:00.017-05:00

I thought I would first show the picture of me with my hair and then with my "chemo" cut. The picture with the yellow shirt was taken the day before my Breast Surgery which was March 17th. The other picture was taken at 4:30 in the morning the day I went to have my Port A Cath put in and start my chemo which was April 25th. I called my hair style the chemo cut because I had all of my hair cut off so when it started falling out it wouldn't be so messy. I actually like it and it is so easy to take care of. Maybe when it grows back after the chemo I will have a hairstyle like this.

My ordeal yesterday went like this. I got up at 4:00 am to shower and go to the hospital to get the Port A Cath put in. My DH and I left the house at 4:35 and was at the hospital about 5:10. We got there a little early and they took me on back to prep me. I was prepped and ready about 6:15. My surgery was to start at 7:30. My doctor came in about 7:20 and did the markings on my left side to do the cath and I was on my way to surgery at 7:25. They surgery was to take about 40 minutes and ended up being 2 1/2 hours. They couldn't get the cath to go in the left side so they had to switch to the right side and still had some problems. Here is a picture of what it looks like. The bruises don't look as bad in the pictures as it does in real life but you can see how it bruised. They had to cut the throat area too as you can see the line of the bruise how it goes in the artery and down to the catheter. You can also see on the left side where they couldn't get it in. It is not as painful as it looks...thank goodness.

Needless to say I didn't make my 9:15 dr. appt. to start the chemo. They called looking for me and said to come as soon as I was done. I woke up in recovery at 10:30. I looked at the clock and asked the nurse if it was right and she said yes. I told her my DH had an appt. at a different hospital for a test at 11:00. She called him in the waiting room to make sure he canceled it and he had. I ended up at my Oncologist for my dr. visit and my chemo at 1:00. it was a long day but we got it all done.

I haven't felt real bad. I went to bed with a headache and woke up every hour. When the nurse called today I explained that to her and she said it is the Steroid injection they gave me yesterday and also the ones I took today. I have two more days of those so I know what I am facing with that. I felt pretty good otherwise until about 4:30 and then I go really nauseated. I took my nausea medication and laid down. I finally got up and ate some crackers and drank som diet Dr. Pepper. They both helped as the crackers settled down the nausea and the Dr. Pepper made my burp. I guess we will see what tomorrow brings. Everyone have a great weekend...what is left of it.