Hip HOP!

HIP HOP! Woohoo! It's hip HOP Thursday! This is one of my favorite times of the week! It's a weekly treasure hunt to find the blog candy....fun give-aways!....10% discount....the works! LOVE that! Don't you LOVE Angela!

Well one of the specials is this BEAUTIFUL clock!....the Worn Vintage Clock....you can get this AMAZING clock for 1 penny!!!! Here's one of the projects I made using this clock.....
Isn't it the best clock ever! I LOVE it!

On to project number two....

I used the August Kit of the Month for this one. I colored this in with my copics...LOVE those! ...Oh no....it's another LOVE fest at The Buck's!

Here's one more. This one is using this weeks sketch from SCS.

I also used the KOTM for this one as well. Isn't this the best kit ever! ...I say that every month by the way! LOVE the KOTM! ;)

Ok...so mine is not the blog for the candy this week. So you need to keep on browsing to find the goodies...so now it's time to head on over to Patter's blog. Good luck to you guys! I hope you are the lucky winner!

A Little Stampin' Up!

So before heading to bed I thought I would share a quick little Stampin' Up! number. The trouble is I've been stamping and distressing what I am stamping and I have so much ink on my fingers I didn't realize until I got upstairs that I left a smudge on this card! Ugh!

Well, it's late...and I need some sleep! Tomorrow is Unity's hip HOP Thursday. If it's anything like last week I will need sleep just to keep up with everyone! So I am sharing my smudged card anyway! ...We will just pretend! ;)
Well, there you go! This is a little hint as well to a new something coming up! Man! I hate secrets! ;) But soon I will be sharing this one with you and I am hoping that you will all play along! That's all I'm going to say for now! If I keep talking (uh...typing!) I might just spill!

I hope you are all having a wonderful night! I am off to hit the pillow! I am so tired! I made four things tonight for tomorrows hoopla! I can't wait to share them with you! Angela has lots of goodies in store as well! I love her! She's so super generous!

Hope you all have a great night!

And the winner of the blog candy is....

.....StamperJoyce! I really loved your comment by the way...and since chocolate is my favorite...I'm hoping that you had a yummy chocolate cupcake! :)

Please email me with you deets so that I can send off your Christmas goodies!

Thanks so much to all of you for all of your kind words! I really enjoy sharing with you all! This blog is truly such a fun thing for me! I have loved getting to know you and sharing with you!

...and on a blog candy note. Be sure and come back Saturday....I am going to be offering up some Unity goodies then! You won't want to miss it!

Hope you are all having a great day! I will be back with some card ...or something! later today!

Have a good one! :)

She's BACK!

Woohoo! How excited am I! One of my favorite blogging friends is back! You all know how much I love Beate! :) Well, she's back to blogging! I so love her creative genious!

Today she has a great inspiration piece for us. Take a look at this....
I love this. Love the clean lines...LOVE the colors....In all honesty, I wasn't sure what to run with. I went for the colors and the lines! You know what's so great about these colors??? They look just like some of the new SU In-colors. I used Grey, Basic Black and my new Riding hood red, Kiwi kiss and Baja breeze for this one as well as my KOTM from Unity and came up with this....

Fun! LOVE this inspiration challenge! :) Be sure and check out the rest of the team....Charmaine, Danielle, Dawn, Silke, and Susan. How great is it to type this again! I have really missed these challenges!

Don't forget that if you get a chance to play, link your card or project at Beate's blog. If you are uploading at SCS be sure and enter the keywords BIC19.

Hope you are all having a great morning! I will post you soon! :)

Five Years Ago Today....

My life changed forever. Five years ago today I was told I had can
cer.

Talk about a thread killer! Ooo...poor choice of words there! Sorry. I know it always seems like such a 'downer' to talk about this but it really is all good.

Ok...maybe it didn't start that way...of course it didn't! ....

...There I was with my then 3 and 17 month old boys, sitting in the doctors office not expecting anything out of the norm when he tells me I have cancer. The world stopped moving for me at that moment....and I wished I could stop time. I was so afraid that I wouldn't be there to see those boys grow up. I was afraid that I would miss all of the firsts...first day of preschool, kindergarten.... Who would kiss their owies. I was numb.

Five years ago today.

One month of diagnosis....biopsies, scans, more biopsies.... Six months of chemo.... One month of radiation....that's what my tatoos are from, AJ... ;) I didn't elaborate because I guessed it would end up being a thread killer! ;) (there goes that word again!) They mark you to line up the machine that releases the radiation.

....it's not a thread killer though....

Five years later....

Two first days of preschool, two preschool graduations... Two first days of kindergarten, two kindergarten graduations.... Another baby! Never thought that was possible...chemo induced menopause...didn't realize I would come out of that.... So many firsts....sports, having the chance to teach my son to ride a bike!

My life isn't all roses, but I can certainly appreciate that there are so many areas that are better than I could have ever imagined.

One of the great things to come out of my diagnosis...I now take time for myself. This is something I never did before. Once the boys went to sleep there was always more things to do...cleaning...laundry... My friend and neighbor, Amy, introduced me to stamping. This is the perfect 'Me' time.

I am so very thankful for all of the lessons I have learned along the way. Don't get me wrong, if I were given the chance I would never have chosen this path...NEVER! Chemo sucks! ...sorry....there really is no good way to put it! They don't have a whole line of clothing with that sentiment for nothing! I still remember the poor nurse whose shoes were completely ruined when I ...ok....we will just leave that one alone....she is one of those sweet angels that really is here on a mission!

Ok...there you go! Don't be down! This is a good day...all in all....five years later...still cancer free...I am looking forward to at least another five!

Ok...have I completely bummed you all out?! I totally didn't mean to. This is a good day! One of the things that I remember from this day five years ago...that I didn't think I would be here. I truly thought that I wouldn't last six months! I had never known anyone to survive cancer. How amazing that here I am five years later!

See...it's all good! Yeah, I'm a completely different person...but I think it's for the best...I think the changes are all good. All right! Thanks for letting me vent! Today was a day of lots of hugs in my house. I am truly so very thankful for all that I have. You know, my boys are completely oblivious to this type of thing. They remember when mommy didn't have hair....but that's really it. They really don't remember all of the other stuff. I'm glad. Yeah, there was some fighting today. You know how brother's get on each others nerves! But all in all...this was the most amazing day ever!

...because five years ago...I didn't think it would happen!

Page Plans Time!

It's Sunday and that means it's time for another Page Plans sketch.

How fun is this! I love Chris' sketches! They are always fun! Well I couldn't wait to work on this one! Of course, given the time of year, all I can think of is Halloween! I pulled out my spooky treats from Papertrey for this one....The paper is retired from SU...the dripping paper is made using my Martha Stewart punch. I love this punch! I saw it at CHA and knew I had to have it! Thank goodness for those Michaels coupons!

Don't forget to link your creations if you get a chance to play along with this weeks sketch. I can't wait to see your beautiful work!

Have a great day! I am off to play with the boys.

Post you soon!

A Little Unity Number...

Hello to all my stamping friends out there! I am in the middle of regrouping here in the ole' basement. It currently looks as if a tornado went through it! First, because I have been really laid back about the toys that are moving all around...which is because...second, I have been a stamping fool this past week! Stamping what you may ask? Well, I can't say just yet! Yet! I think it is safe to tell you about one thing. Have any of you heard of Stampin' Up!? ...yeah, I'm laughing a bit right now! Who hasn't! Well, I have the great honor of being asked to help with a little monthly challenge they are starting. In fact they have asked all of the Artisan Award winners to participate. I am so excited and truly honored to be a part of this. I really enjoy stamping and it is such a pleasure to share what I love with all of you!

...more to come about that later.....I promise not to forget! ;)

Ok...so one thing I can share is this little number I created using my Unity stamps. This is from the Love Is Toxic set....a personal favorite of mine! Do you know how many favorites I have? I'm so glad I don't have to choose just one! Anyway, here's the card....

I love this set! Anything you can stretch for lots of different occasions is a great thing in my book! ;)

I hope you are all having a great day! I guess I should get back to it. I will share that I have bribed the boys with donuts! If they clean their mess...they get donuts in the morning. Guess we won't be getting donuts! They could give a rip! How funny is that! I really thought that would get them moving! Guess that's what I get for trying to take the easy way out! ;)

Hope you are all having a great day! I will post you soon! If I finish this mess I will hopefully get some stamping done and maybe get another post in. Who knows how it will go! I do need to finish up my projects for the class I am teaching. I have new stamps though! How horrible that they are sitting on my desk completely unloved!

Post you soon! :)

Casing Me!

So it's Stamp Simply time....time to case...myself??? I so love Sharon! I absolutely LOVE her challenges! So this week we are to pick a card from our blog or gallery and 'case' it.

...simple! ;) LOVE it!

So here's the card I chose to case....

How easy is this layout! I LOVE EPLS! The scallop was made with my new scallop border punch. Since I am loving that...and loving and wanting and EPLS...this is my choice....and this is my card....I changed the size of the card...the paper...and the stamp...but the layout is the same. This is from the Love Is Toxic kit....one of my favs!

That's it for me...be sure and check out the rest of Sharon's team...Julie, Dee, Becky, Tammy, and Janine.

Hope you all have a wonderful day and I will post you soon!

It's Unity's Hip Hop Thursday!

Yup...you heard that right! Now if you are coming here from the ever so talented Christi's blog then you already know what this is all about. If not, let me explain....

Unity Stamp Co. has a fun new weekly event called 'Hip Hop Thursday'. Follow the blogs to find yourself a little blog candy. On the way, you will find plenty of inspiration to get you stamping! There will also be free stamp kits...three lucky winners will receive one of these...and a single that will be sold for a mere $5....and 10% off of all orders today!

Holy moly! There's so many goodies!

Ok...so on to a couple of cards from me. My first card uses a couple of Unity stamps. Have you seen DooDads? I love this little set. It's perfect for scrapbooking...but I just knew I had to make a card with it! The paper is from October Afternoon, the chipboard is SU.

With school starting for us it seemed perfect. This card is just what our excitement level was at yesterday! My sons were thrilled to be back! No words necessary...we've all had moments like this!

On to my second card....the one that SCREAMS! my name!.....

This is Shopaholic....I knew I had to have this one! Perfect! I used this weeks SCS for this card....a little bit of glitter and there you go! The paper is Papertrey....the chipboard is???....

But hey...onto the next step to get you closer to the prize! Good luck and thanks for playing along!

...and now off to....

AJ! You know I love her! She is such a sweetie and so super talented. I can't wait to see what she has in store for us.

Have a good one! :)

{Heart} U..nity

It's time for another quickie.....today is our last day before school starts and I am off for donuts. Somehow I can't get the whole 'last meal' thing out of my head! The boys are so excited for school to start....they aren't old enough yet to be bummed about it. We never do donuts during the week so it seems like one last horah before back to the books.

I thought I would share a quick little number I made using Unity's July Kit of the Month. You can find more info about the KOM here. I haven't received August's yet but let me tell you! It's soooo cute! Can't wait to play with that!

Anyway....here's one that I did with last months....

Still using the Bella Rose paper from SU. Love it! The ribbon is random...I can't remember where I found it...my guess is Flower Factory. Die cut U covered in silver micro beads. That's about it.

I hope you are all doing well. I will be back in a bit for a little bit more. Post you all soon!

Sweet RAK From Linsey

It's a first for me! I have so many new projects on my desk. But I can't show them just yet! Insert sad face here :( I promise that I will start sharing some of them tomorrow. I will share this....I need to find a better place to put the things that I haven't yet photographed...I had one thing all colored...it was just waiting for it's home on a project...it's gone. I think that little Hayden liked it so much he ran away with it. Just glad I didn't put the markers away. It was a great color combo. I always forget what I use.

Anyway...I wanted to share a little RAK I received from the super sweet and talented Linsey. Take a look at this.....

This is one of my favorite Gina K sets. LOVE it! How sweet is Linsey! This is from a secret swapper thing that Joanne hosted a bit ago. You know that little bag was full of all sorts of embelli's! I think that Linsey now officially knows what a dork I am as I sent her this screaming...with JOY....email after I opened it!

...well, the first email came with screaming JOY over just how cute it was! I hadn't opened it because I wanted to take the picture first. I was pretty sure I would botch the ribbon if I didn't! She got a seperate one after that. Yeah, it doesn't take much to get me all happy! ...simple girl....

;)

Ok...off. Today is a busy one at the school. Iam looking forward to it being over...don't get me wrong....it will be tons of fun...but it's like hosting a giant party! I get nervous when I do that kind of thing!

I have lots of stamping for tonight. The boys are back on their school bedtime routine! That is such a good thing! I need an extra couple of hours at night to get caught up! It's always harder when you stop to play games and whatnot in between! They are ready as well. They are both so excited!

Where did the summer go! By the way...I needed a sweater when we were sitting outside last night! What a stark contrast to Utah!

Have a wonderful day! I will post you all soon!

Page Plans Sunday...And Some More Stampin' Up!

Happy Sunday everyone! It's time for another fabulous Page Plans sketch. This one is brought to you by the ever so talented Chris Ross. Take a look at this.....

Well, since it's time for the new catalog over at Stampin' Up! and I actually have some new SU rubbah, I decided to use it for this card. LOVE this set! It's called Flight of the Butterfly. Here's my card....The paper is also from a new paper pack it's called Bella Rose. The colors are both from the new In-Color line...Kiwi Kiss and Pink Pirouette...not sure who has the task of naming these things....I'm just glad it's not me! That's where my creativity ends! It would be pink #4 and green #7! Guess it's safe to say I would NEVER be hired for that job!

Anyway, since we are on the subject of SU I will share the picture from the Artisan dinner. My camera flaked out on me so I am so happy that Mary Jo sent me a copy! She's such a sweetie!

What an incredibly awesome night! The restaurant was amazing! This was a room off of it that allowed us to close the doors. It was as if we were eating in someones home...it was soooo quiet! ...which made it easier to hear all that everyone was saying. Very cozy...the view was amazing...food incredible....and let's face it!....I was surrounded by such tremendous talent! What a wonderful night!

Ok...hope you guys get a chance to try out this weeks sketch. Don't forget to link up over at the Page Plans site if you do. ...and be sure and check out the rest of the team for more sketch inspiration.

Have a wonderful Sunday. I am hoping to be back with more for you this evening but am playing catch up currently! We have some stuff to do for my boys school so I have to finish that up today. Hopefully everything goes smoothly so that I can share more with you guys.

Post you soon!

LOVE This Kit!

Ok...just a quickie before heading off to get my hair cut...so looking forward to a little me time by the way!

I made this one using Unity's Together Forever kit. This kit is one of my personal favorites. I love the font and I love the flower silhouettes....here's my card....
This is really a super simple....EPLS!....card. Just a couple of stamps and then some distressing....throw on an embelli and a ribbon and viola!

Ok...off to get a little me time...I mean a haircut...hey, I take it where I can get it!

Hope you all have a wonderful Saturday! I will post you soon!

It's My Party....

...and I'll cry if I want to....

Why would I cry? Because I missed my own party! Oh my heck! Where have I been!

...besides running around like a crazy woman around here!....

I missed my own blogiversary! How sad is that! ....insert sad face here.....

Wowza! I wanted balloons....and cake....and beverages!....mocktails....cocktails....whatever your personal preference....

What did I do....big ol' nothing!

How about a late blogiversary celebration! ....of course you get the reward! I can't believe that I have been updating this blog for a year now! This has been such an amazing experience! I have so enjoyed meeting each of you! You are all so sweet and I can't thank you enough for all of your kind words and support! You guys ROCK!

So let's celebrate...ok....almost a week late! But what do you say! I've got a little something for you! How does this look......
It's a good start to something cute for Christmas....and I'm sorry...you know how I am...once I get through this junk pit I will probably add to it...hope you don't mind! It's impossible to find stuff down here! That I can even find my way in and out is a miracle! Just leave a post on this entry to be entered in the drawing. You know the rest! Be sure and leave your post by next Sunday the 17th of August...I will pick a winner Monday morning.

Thanks again to each of you! I so love sharing with you guys and I have really enjoyed getting to know you all!

Have a great one! :)

Something Old...Something New....

What a fantastic challenge Sharon has for us this week. For the Stamp Simply challenge #47 you should use something old. Now you gotta love Sharon....she thinks of everything! You can use any old stamp you have. Something that maybe you loved once but is being neglected in a dusty old corner somewhere. Ok...like your corners would be dusty! That's my verbage!

Don't have an old stamp set? Well then pull out some old embelli or paper...better yet, create a vintage look to your card/project. Do you see??? She's always thinking about us! Keeping us on our toes and keeping us stamping!

Well I pulled out an old Stampin' Up! set of mine for this one...those are the oldest sets I have! Since it's getting closer to Halloween I decided to use this set. The name eludes me...I will have to check on that one....but here's my card....The paper is from Cosmo Cricket. I picked it up from CHA. LOVE this paper. I used my copics to color under the pumpkins....and that about sums up this EPLS!

I cannot wait to see what you come up with. Be sure and check out the rest of the Stamp Simply team.....Julie, Dee, Becky, Tammy, and Janine. If you are uploading to SCS be sure and use the keyword ssnotime#47 and link it up at Sharon's site.

Hope you are all doing well! I will post you soon! :) Have a good one!

Just A Few Pics....

Hey you guys! How about a little MFT and a few pics from convention. My upline was such a sweetie to send ...and take these for me. Here's a few.....

First, last night I had the great pleasure of hosting a challenge at the MFT release. Here's the card I made for that challenge....

I really love this one. Flowers are a fav of mine and I used my Papertrey paper for it. The ribbon is from Flourishes. I am soooo excited to be able to buy this ribbon still. SU had it in Chocolate Chip and an In Color last winter. I stocked up because it is decadent! I am so happy to be able to keep on purchasing it! The light pink color is a really great match to Papertrey's Sweet Blush...which you know is my FAV!

Ok...moving on....

Artisan award night. Here's a picture of the winners that were able to attend convention....

These gals are so super sweet! It was my pleasure to get to spend time getting to know each of them a little bit better. Truly such a joy.

...and my new bling....

How fantabulous is this! One of the designers at Stampin' Up! actually created this for us. I am so in love with it!

That's it for me for now. I have two new cards to snap a picture of....I will be posting them....well for sure one of them tonight....and I am so excited that my night is pretty much free to stamp, stamp, stamp! I have a little work but otherwise it will be all play!

I hope you are all having a great day! I will post you soon!

Bloom!

Oh how much do I love this set! This is one of my new loves. It's from Unity Stamp Co. The set is called Humble Bloom. I love flowers and I absolutely love the whimsy of the ones in this set. Here's the card I created.....

I used my liquid pearls for parts of the flowers. If I had pink they would be complete with liquid pearls but that color is not in my little box of stuff....yet! The paper is from Crate Paper and is still one of my favorite collections. I was completely bummed when they didn't have it at my LSS anymore. Why does that happen!

....I know....it's to keep people like me from going overboard with it! Can't help it. When I find something I love I just want to use it over and over!

The ribbon is SU. Love this color. I also used my new scallop border punch...also SU.

So many products...so little time! I am on sensory overload this week!

I hope you are all doing well. I better get off to some of the business of the day....and definitely some play time with the boys! I will post you all soon!

Have a great day! :)

Diva!

Me again! ....and another super quick post! Sorry for being so short lately. We are still getting things ready for school next week. The good thing is that I finished LOTS of stuff last night! The bad thing is that I cannot find my cord to upload from my other camera...the one that I HAVE the charger for! Seriously, I am feeling so disorganized right now!

I am off to Best Buy to pick up another one but first I thought I would share another card I made for the Unity release using the Diva-lish set. LOVE this set! Yeah, I wish I was a diva! ;) Hmmm, maybe I should put the tiara back on.....

I love this paper. It's from the Rusty Pickle. We were lucky enough to meet a lot of the gals from their team while at CHA. Talk about SWEET! ...and I'm not just talking about their chocolate fountain! They are fabulous!

I will post you with something new once we get back from the store. My post is all ready to go...it's just waiting for the picture!

Have a great morning! :)

Fragments...

Good morning to you all! I hope you are all doing well! Before I head off to a day full of kids and fundraising I thought I would share a quickie little something. Ok....this card was soooo not quick! But the post will be!

While at CHA I happened to lay my eyes on the little fragments from Tim Holtz. That man is a genious! Imagine my surprise when I found them at our Archivers! Woohoo! Well....I had to have them and then I used them for another card with the Growing in Unity kit from Unity Stamp Co.

Here's the card....

How cool are those fragments! LOVE them! They come in a package with a ton of them! I just kept stamping the image on different paper for this one and then put each tile where I needed it and then glued them on. Not that difficult but very time consuming! Love the effect though.

Ok....like I said....quickie post! Hope you are all doing well! I am off to get things done! Stamping in a bit! I have another quickie that I think I will share this afternoon. It's using this super cute stamp from Unity....Humble Bloom. LOVE this set! It's so much fun!

Post you all soon!

Ooohhhhwwwaahhhhh......

Heehee....

Do you guys know how much I LOVE Halloween? Have you seen Donna and Heads up Harry? Yeah, if you clicked on that link you will find one unfinished scrapbook page and a Christmas card...but more importantly you will find the 'piece de resistance' for my Halloween decorating from last year.

You see every year one of my neighbors and I have a challenge to see who can be the spookiest. And YES....ADRIENNE....I WON! :)

Ok...she knows I am only kidding...well, about the tone of that sentence...not about the winning part! All the kids said so!

Anyway, it's really no wonder that when I got my hands on Unity's new Growing In Unity kit, that this would happen with at least one card....
I don't know...maybe I am a little demented! But this tree screamed for this! Yeah, I know...it can be super romantic but you know I had to do this at least once!

I'm thinking I may have one more in me...I will have to work on that in a bit! For now...I am off to play with some of the super cute stamps I brought home from CHA....then some of the super cute stamps that came home from convention....yeah, I know I was supposed to post some pictures today...I promise to get to that...I still haven't picked up a charger for the camera. My upline did send a few....but I really MUST stamp!

.....seriously....I am suffering withdrawals! My fingers have not been inky in wayyyyyyyy tooooooo LONG! They are suffering folks!

Hope you are all doing well! I will post you soon! :)

Page Plans

Ok....yesterday completely got away from me! I am so sorry! I still need to share my Page Plans card! Be sure and check out the site for the sketch....I am in a dash today.

Here's my card....

I used my Papertrey quilt set for this one.

I will post you guys in a bit. I have some more Unity to share and I am hoping to ink up my new Stampin Up today. So much rubbah! Where to begin! These are the decisions I love!

Post you in a bit!

Home Again, Home Again...

Happy Sunday morning to you all!

I'm home! Wowza! I'm just going to say...how under prepared was I! Yes, I know there are TONS of Stampin Up demonstrators.... and, yes, I know they were not all at convention.... but there were around SIX THOUSAND there! Holy moly!

Yeah...I really did just expect to walk in and see all of the people that I knew! Reality check! I am so incredibly bummed that I missed so many people! I was a bit late getting there due to my husbands travel, so I missed the SCS dinner. I'm so happy that at least there was someone who was able to take my place. I would hate to waste a spot there! So many super sweet gals there!

There are so many cool and exciting things coming up with Stampin' Up! Can we all say 'Big Mouth Sizzix'! Yup, SU will have it and sooooo many super cute dies! Oh my goodness I am still drooling thinking about it! The new papers are so beautiful! Hodgepodege hardware in vanilla! Oh yeah baby! You can get it in silver and vanilla! I am so excited about that!

Oh...and the new clips and flower in fusion in new colors...you can still get the original....the ribbon, the RIBBON! Oh my goodness!

Well, I am still drooling over the catalog! I got to convention just in time to dash over before lunch....pick up my bad full of stamps, the catalog, etc....then run into my first class....then another class...then I hooked up with my upline for my first make and take....I have a sheet of the new alpha chipboard from this....it's sooo cute!

Then it was off to dinner....still no time to look at the catalog.....then quick to the hotel to change for the awards ceremony....super fun!.....Let me just say....you all know Shelli! We see her beautiful face in every catalog. She has the sweetest, warmest smile. She's even sweeter and warmer in person! LOVE her! We were entertained by this fantabulous group Tonic Sol-Fa! These guys are amazing! ....and super funny! I did not have the energy to stand in the LLLLLOOOOOONNNNGGGG line to buy the CD....it's a must have! After that I took the long treck back to my hotel.

I was staying at the Marriot Courtyard...it's probably about a mile from the convention center. There is also a Marriot just across the street. When I was getting ready to head back to mine after the whole shebang I ended up at the wrong place....then I got lost trying to find mine....one of the many times I got lost....but why I decided to where my heels I have no idea! I think because I grabbed a cab on the way there it never occurred to me! Boy were my feet sore once I finally found my way back!

I was toooo tired to check out much in the catalog that night, plus my roomies came back. Dawn and Susannha.....two of the sweetest gals around! My new Stampin UP buds! Well, we chatted for a bit then I was off to sleep. I thought I would snooze a bit in the morning....my schedule said that the classes wouldn't start until afternoon but Susannah told me about all of the wow in the morning so I actually drug myself out of bed to go for that. So HAPPY that I did! That's when Shelli shared all of the great new stuff with the Sizzix! Oh my goodness! AMAZING! That's all I can say!

Then a quick dash back to the hotel....I forgot my ID....then a quick dash back to the convention center for lunch with the gals....then....classes....a quick dash back to the hotel to change for the Artisan dinner....yes, I skipped out early for that.....then a quick dash.....NOPE....time to get lost again!....a quick stop into some random business for directions....finally made it back to the convention center just in time to meet and greet and then head to dinner.

We had dinner with Shelli, her hubby Sterling....both so super nice and just adorable together! Brent Steele....if I am not butchering this....he is the head of the concept design stuff at SU....and his beautiful wife....both also so sweet! And two fantabulous concept designers from SU. What an amazing time!

Then for me it was back to the hotel to get some ZZZZ's before my super early flight Saturday morning. I had to rush home due to a business thing my hubby had going on.

Yay....I survived the flight(s)! Yay....I'm so happy to be on solid ground again!

Where are the pictures you ask???? Well, apparently my battery charger is lots somewhere and the camera is out of juice! I will head to the store for a replacement sometime tomorrow....I am still so tired! Last night once Hayden went to bed I took my catalog out to the deck to sit and enjoy the comfortable temp....Utah is HOT!....and browse through all of the new goodies and fell asleep, in my chair in a matter of minutes! One of the boys woke me. I decided I would take a quick nap and then go back to look and woke up this morning at 7:30 in all of my clothes, jewelry, and makeup!

Pictures to come! I took some with my camera so I will have to figure out how to get those in here....and the very sweet Mary Jo is emailing me the picture from dinner. She is even sweeter in person! LOVE her!

That's it for now...except that there is soooo much to love about the new catty....and that is coming from someone who has only seen the accessories and up to the first couple of holiday stamps! LOVE it all so far!

I am off to play with the boys a bit. I will be back to load my Page Plans card....what a fabulous sketch this week! Head on over there for it so you don't have to wait for my lazy, tired self! ....and I am hoping to drool a bit more over my catalog! I cannot wait for the 11th! I NEED this stuff now! I am going to get my Sizzix NOW! That I can get now as a demonstrator. The dies are, well, to die for!

I hope you are all doing well! Thank you all so much for your words of encouragement! I cannot tell you how much it means to me! I am so very proud of myself for getting on those planes. It was so very difficult. You just get flooded with memories. But I am really happy that I did it. It was such a wonderful experience!

Post you all soon! :)

Christmas in ...August?

Well, at this point you just gotta start working on it! Let's face it, if not then you will be hitting the card section at Target and that, quite frankly, should be a sin! ;)

Here's one I created using Unity's new Bitty Christmas Tags. This is a super fun set as well. I used some of my Basic Grey paper for this one.

The ribbon is something I picked up from my LSS. Did I tell you I was going to start teaching there? Cord Camera's scrapbook store...yup, starting in October! You know, because I don't have enough to do! I picked up the ribbon while choosing my supplies for the first class. It's in October so I am going to do some Halloween stuff. LOVE the paper I chose. Once I finish it I will share it with you guys.

Ok...on my way home today. Wish me luck! Still freaking about the whole flying thing! That I've made it this far is cause for a celebration! Can you even believe it!

Hope you are all doing well!

Flaunt It Baby!

Heehee! It really doesn't take much to amuse me! Yeah, I know...simple minds!

Still playing with my new Unity rubbah! Ok...as you read this I am in Utah...hopefully all went well and I am having a blast meeting some new Stampin Up friends! ...and actually hanging out with my super sweet upline Debbie who really only lives about 20 mintues from me but you would think it was 20 hours! :)

Anyway, I thought I would share another super fun one from the Hey Chick set. I used more of my October Afternoon paper for this one. I am such a HUGE fan of this paper now! I actually talked the sweetest gal into parting with a bit of it while I was in Chicago. She was sooo nice! ....and the paper is adorable!

Here's my card...

Well, there you have it folks! Isn't that the cutest bird ever! LOVE it! Ok...I'm delirious from all of this posting! This is actually my third one of the night. How bummed will I be if they don't work out and just sit in my blogger box! You know that's happened before! I am not even going to risk that I will not be able to get my posts up in Utah. We know what happened when I said I would do that in Chicago! Don't want to repeat that fiasco!

I hope you are all doing well! I will post you soon!

Simply White

Hello to you all....from Utah! Yes, I made it on the plane....with the assistance of a little friend Xanax. Whatever it takes! I'm here. It's crazy! But it's fun!

I thought I had all of my posts scheduled but then realized that I took the picture of this card last night but didn't edit it. I figured I would wait until today when I got here. You know I need all kinds of things to take my mind off of the plane ride! ;)

So let's Stamp Simply! This weeks challenge is to use white on white!...you can add a little something...but keep it white. Ok...I'm probably botching the directions a bit. I've been up since about 3....and I didn't go to be until 12! I am ready for sleep now!

...let's get to the card!

Hoping the black counts....I LOVE stamping this in black! ....and this IS my favorite kit!

Ok...you guys are losing me now! I can't keep my eyes open a bit! Be sure and check out the rest of the Stamp Simply team....Julie, Dee, Tammy, Becky, and Janine. ...and make sure and post your fantabulous creations over at SCS or your blog and link at Sharon's site so we can all see them.

Hope you are all having a great day!

Flip Flop...Unity's Project Of The Week...

Wowza! They actually trusted me with a project of the week! Ok...don't let on that I have NO idea what I am doing! ;)

Ok...here I go trying to seem all knowledgable and stuff!

This project is inspired by Angela, Brooke, and AJ...can I get a Flip FLOP!...ok...I guess Chris and Ryan are responsible for the whole Hip Hop...but the gals turned it into Flip Flop. These guys are a RIOT!

This should be an easy one for all of you Unity stamp owners out there. You know those cute little wooden tags that come attached to your stamps? Well, we are going to make a little 'flip FLOP' book out of them.

...and here's the skinny....

Supplies needed:

1.) Printer Paper

2.) Book ring

3.) Two Unity wooden tags

4.) Red sticky tape and other adhesive

5.) paper and embellis

6.) Stapler

With me so far...told ya I was easy!

1.) Take some printer paper and cut it into strips that measure 3 X 3 3/8. Can as much as you would like for your book. Hey...I'm easy...make it as big or little as you would like.

2.) Now take a piece of card stock that measures 3 3/8 X 1 3/4 and fold this in half. This sheet will staple to the top of the printer paper you just cut. Set this aside.

3.) Now you want to embellish your wooden tags. I will play the elevator music now while you do yours. Hey, I figure you guys know how you like it. Just pick back up when you are ready....

...groovy tune, don't you think.....

4.) I covered mine with some awesome Cosmo Cricket paper. I so LOVE this paper! First I cut a piece that was slightly larger than my wooden tag...then I sanded down the sides to make it fit.

I'm using Flip For Fun....get it...'Flip'.....dork alert!

5.) I also used my silent setter to punch holes in the top of the tags...they are already there on the wooden ones. After you cover one side with your decorative paper punch the hole so that you have that for a guide with the other side.

6.) Now use your sticky strip to put your paper on one of the tags.

7.) Attach your book ring to both sides.

8.) Finish with a little ribbon...and viola!

...it's pretty close to being EPLS....hey...it's just really slapping some paper on the thing. How easy can you be!

I hope y'all get a chance to play. You know you've got those Unity tags just lying around screaming for some love! Why not put the stamps and the wood to use! When you are finished you will have a super cute little 'flip FLOP' notepad ready for your purse or car. I know I am always in need of something to write on! Now maybe I can give my hand a break! Do you know how often I write on it! More than I would care to admit!

Hope you are all doing well! I look forward to posting you soon! From convention if all goes well! Hey! I'm not going to promise that one again! I was sure that I would be able to in Chicago and we know how that went! I will promise that I have posts scheduled for the next few days. When I get back I will hopefully have lots of great pictures to share from Utah. ...I still can't believe I am going to fly! Freaking out just thinking about it!

Have a good one!

Can I get a flip FLOP!

A New Release From Unity

Yay!!! It's release day! I can finally share some new stamps! Sorry for the sneaky peek yesterday! I really hate being a tease! ;)

Here's a card I made using one of the new Diva sets. If I am totally honest, I would have to tell you all that I made this card wearing my tiara. If I was going to be honest I would say that! Well...let's just skip that....I can't have you thinking that the diva thing went to my head! ;)

Moving on...taking the tiara off of my head....shhhh....

How fun is this stamp! This is my new motto! Hey, I live in a house filled with testosterone! A girls gotta do what a girls gotta do! Can't wait to share the rest of this set! It's soooo super fun and adorable!

Ok...second card. This is from another of the new stamp kits. Hey Chick! How cute is that!

I LOVE this set! This little birdie is the cutest! Love the font....Lovelovelove the set! Ohmygoodness! New rubbah! It's the little things in life that make me smile! Yup...I'm a simple girl!

Ok....Ann...leave that one alone! ;)

Hope you are all doing well. Be sure and check out the rest of the Unity team for more. They are each posting something using their new sets. I can't wait to see them!

Have a good one! Hope to see you tonight at the release party!

Unity Sneaky Peeky's!

Well it's that happy time again! Time for some new rubbah from Unity Stamp Co! Which means it's time for a sneaky peeky from me! ...and true to form...very sneaky! ;) Angela has some of the cutest stamps coming out! I am going to share two...well, part of two that I have created. I have had so much fun playing with these!

Here's one...this is from one of the new Diva sets....

Can't wait to show you the rest of this one....let me just say....this is my new motto! ;)

Here's one more sneak peak...LOVE this one!

This is a bit more of a clue....LOVE this set! What can I say! LOVE them all!

Hope you are all doing well! I will post the rest of these tomorrow and don't forget to stop by SCS for the release party tomorrow night at 8PM...you can find us here!

Another Page Plans Challenge

Chris and Lesli have definitely been keeping me on my toes this month! Last week they had the team create both a card and layout. I love sketches and I love to scrapbook but for some reason combining the two is a HUGE challenge for me! But all in all I think it turned out ok.

A couple of weeks ago I got the coolest little package from them in the mail. A challenge! When I opened this package I found this.....

Oh my goodness! Our challenge this week was to use the items that came in this package for our sketches. Well, there was so much stuff I could have probably made about 12 cards! Since I am still catching up from last weekend I opted for one! I would like to say that I will come back to it and make something else this week but I am supposed to be heading to Utah for the Stampin' Up! convention later in the week....all that is hanging on the flight...well, you know where this is going!

Oh yeah, back to the card....I LOVE these little owls! I couldn't resist using them! Here's my card for this weeks Page Plans sketch....

LOVE those owls! Thier little jiggly eyes are the cutest! Be sure and head over to Page Plans. It was so much fun to see what everyone created with these supplies....we all got the same package...I think I forgot to say that earlier!

I am off! I have so much stamping to do! ...a class tomorrow night, Unity has a release coming up on the 30th!....new rubbah! I am loving all of the new images!....and then out of town the 31st....if all goes well! I will bring my computer this week and share from Salt Lake...again...if I can actually get on that plane! I am really excited to meet so many of my SU friends and I still cannot believe I am actually going to have dinner with Shellie Gardner! How cool is that!

...it's also pretty cool that I will be getting an early copy of the catalog! Oh my goodness! That's a TON of motivation to fly but I don't know!

Hope you are all having a great day! I will post you all soon!

Simply Christmas In July

It's that time of week again! Sharon Johnson's Stamp Simply time...#45! Our challenge this week...Christmas in July! The first thing I thought of when I heard this was my Papertrey Believe set and since I just received my new Papertrey...minus the little owl...he's on backorder! Ahhh!....but I used my dark chocolate card stock and ribbon and a piece of the dotted paper that came in the little paper pack.

Wait??? Chocolate and red???? Yup....why not? Anyway, here's the card....

What do you think? I really like the brown and red for Christmas. Be sure and check out the rest of the Stamp Simply team....Julie, Dee, Tammy, Janine, and Becky.

Hope you are all doing well! I must get busy on another card. I have three started on my desk. Of course, my desk currently looks as if a scrapbook store exploded on it! I know they are there somewhere!

Post you all soon!

...sorry...completely forgot to add....his beard and the trim of his hat and suit is covered in liquid pearls. I really love this product. After his beard dried I went back and added more dots for a bit more dimension.