Be Happy

Cardstock: Whisper White, Close to Cocoa, Pink Pirouette
Stamps: Fifth Avenue Floral (enough of this already! Love it!), So Many Sayings
Inks: Fresh Snow, Close to Cocoa, Pink Pirouette
Accessories: 1/2" circle punch, clear button, word window punch, pink gingham ribbon
It's hard to see straight on, but the flower is stamped in all three colors. I like the subtle contrast to the Close to Cocoa. Wanda's 88th b-day is next week and I think she'd like this card. :)

Yeah, so continuing the catalog saga. Jack thinks he needs to be ON Momma no matter where she sits. I was on the loveseat minding my own business (aka drooling on the catty) and up he jumps. Geesh...didn't he see I was writing out my wish list? Dogs! Can't live with 'em , can't live without 'em. *snicker*

The next day he took the easy life and dreamed about all the sets he'd seen in the catty. I think he was dreaming most of the P is for Paw wheel. It's a cute one!

And, the final answer on Jeopardy tonight was.....Alex, could I get a drumroll please.

What is....

Got Snot?

Yeah, I'm off to get the Windex now. Geesh....don't those dogs know I JUST cleaned that? LOL!!!

Meet Poppy

My neighbor Sandy has a new puppy named Poppy. She's half Chihuahua and half Beagle. She is the cutest little thing! I went over tonight and clipped her nails for Sandy. She's a kisser and loves attention. She's between 3-4 pounds now. OH, my heart just melts for pups, as you all know very well! :)
Hey, let's play! I love her little paws and ears and face and...well, yeah...all of her is so cute! *squeal* You can't see her little tongue that goes 90mph across my cheek when I pick her up.

She is all ears! It looks like she's saying "Say what?!" LOL! She swims in her collar. She's tiny!

Sandy laughed and said her tail looks like a snake in this picture. True! I can't stand snakes, but I am lovin' this little girl!

She was doing a little dance here. ha ha Yeah, right! More like a gazillion circles and not letting me get a good picture. hee hee

Oh my! Please refrain from kissing the screen....yes, she is THAT cute! :)

New Catty and a Card

Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Close to Cocoa, Whisper White, Kraft
Ink: Kiwi Kiss
Stamps: Fifth Avenue Floral, So Many Sayings
Accessories: Cuttlebug folder, white gel pen, oval punches, brads, white grosgrain ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals
I got my new SU! catalog (catty) this past weekend and man have we (aka me, myself and I) been busy licking the luscious pages! Even Riley helped! LOL!

I am not kidding when I say Riley licked it. He jumped up on my lap while I was in the recliner with my lap desk, paper, pen and catty. He thinks he needs to be up high with Momma. What he didn't realize is that it was "Momma" time with the catty. He proceeded to lick the catty, the lap desk and me! What a weirdo. Oh, wait...nooooooooooo...he's a cool dog....he likes stamps, too! LOL!

Now would I lie? Check out those lick marks!!!! You know you could possibly be afflicted, too, once you get your hands on this new catty. My wish list alone was $560! I would NEVER spend that much, but a girl can dream. Besides, I've already got my Christmas cards planned after all this visual inspiration this weekend. Ahhhhhhhh....

...ok, now off to cook supper. My husband has been on the road for HOURS today and will want a hot, home-cooked meal. I got off early, got the yard mowed and am finishing a load of towels. I think the rain is heading this way...another great night to snuggle up next to the new catty. *snort* *snicker* LOL!

I'll have another card to share tomorrow and some blog celebrity time for Jack. Thanks for stopping by!

Burdette Wedding

Kevin's co-worker Chris got married today. The weather was perfect!
Erin's dad passed away about 7 years ago and she had a memorial spot for him near the altar.

I don't know the correct seamstress term for how her dress is made, but it had a neat billowy bottom. I took all the pics after the ceremony so things were all "staged". :) Kiss kiss!

You'll see the tractor that Erin and Chris are sitting on below. The girls had pretty beaded blue dresses and the guys wore matching blue ties. Kevin's office manager (and owner of the tractor) is the 2nd guy from the right.

Ok, they had to do a crazy shot. Erin showed off her John Deere garter and pink shoes. :)

Kevin kept drooling on the tractor. He'd love to have one again, but I asked him what evening job he was going to get to pay for one and he laughed. Oh well...besides, we have no place to put a tractor. Erin and Chris rode down the country road and back on the tractor. They are hilarious!

Then, they took a spin in Ron's BMW. He's the branch manager and this is his "my kids are out of college" present to himself. LOL! I was surprised he let Erin drive it. She only went 35mph so he can exhale now. LOL!

They had everyone move inside for the cake cutting. The heat would have melted it in a heartbeat. It was starting to lean already actually. Her one bridesmaid made her cakes. They were yummy! Vanilla with a strawberry filling. Kevin and I split a piece since it was so super sweet.

Chris really likes John Deere tractors the best, so this was so appropriate for the wedding. The Kenny Chesney song by that title was playing as we left the reception.

This is Chris and Erin's daughter Olivia ("Livy Bug"). She was born in February. They woke her up from a sound sleep to take some pictures and this was the expression I got when I took her picture. She just wanted to go back to sleep. She is so precious.

Erin's friend has this beautiful home and backyard patio area where the wedding and reception were held. I didn't get any good pics of the landscaping or stone walls. Everything was just beautiful as was the inside of her house! Perfect setting for a perfectly happy day!

Whew....four down, zero to go. The summer wedding marathon is now over. All of them had good weather. Wow! That's amazing, huh?

I picked up my new Stampin' Up! catalog today. My friend Joan is now a demonstrator. I will now go and drool on each page as I devour the ideas and see the new goodies. Ah....it's like a drug. LOL!!!!!!!!!! Seriously, I am not insane. I just like the stamping/scrapbooking hobby.

Blessings

I decided to take some time to "play" Friday night and was happy with my final creation. This was after several failed attempts at being creative. :) I'm so happy when God gives me ideas and things turn out. He is my real mojo. :)
Cardstock: Kraft, Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss.
Inks: Fresh Snow, Baja Breeze, Close to Cocoa, Kiwi Kiss.
Stamps: Fifth Avenue Floral, and a retired word set (sorry, forgot the name)
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, linen thread, white gel pen
To make the leaves, I simply stamped the flower again on Kiwi Kiss cardstock, using Kiwi Kiss ink and cut out a few petals. I had to get clever. Perhaps part of my doing this was the fact that Jack's nose was on my foot and I couldn't easily get up and browse for a stamp of a leaf. LOL! I just let him sleep so Momma could keep stampin'!!! :) He loves his Momma and wants to be right by her. He's so sweet.

I didn't want to add bling or metal or real beads, so I kept the earthy look of the card going by making some paper beads. I cut a small strip of cardstock, then ran the strip through my fingers and over the edge of my fingernail to break down the fibers. I then carefully peeled the two paper layers apart. When I rolled the strip up, I made sure the "rough" side showed. I added a dot of glue to the end that will be hidden first and continued to wrap it tightly around the metal stem of my stylus tool. It is skinny enough that your bead can still be threaded onto the linen thread later. I then added a final dab of glue to the outside end to finish the bead. I threaded it onto the linen thread and tied about 3 knots to keep the bead on the thread. Make sure you cut your linen thread long enough. You can always trim the ends when you're done with the knots. I hope all that makes sense. :)

So, what are some blessings in your life this past week? I will soon be making a project to use for one purpose only....praising God for my blessings. I want to create a notebook or journal to write down memories, blessings, thoughts, etc. It will be written in a way that I am giving thanks for all He has done in my life. I think of little things each day and now I want to record them. I think it will be a sweet thing to do each day so that I really stay focused on who gives me just what I need daily. For Mother's Day and Father's Day I did projects that reminded each parent of some memories I had of them, and let them know what a blessing they are to me. Why not do that for my Heavenly Father, too? Stay tuned...

Today we're going to the Y, then we have a wedding to attend. The sun is shining and the birds are singing, so I hope the weather stays as is. Thanks for stopping by!

Every Day is a Gift

I try to count my blessings each day. Whether it's as simple as the sun shining or a good parking spot, it's the little things in life that make it wonderful. Kind of like the few moments I stole Wednesday evening while the boys chewed their rawhides. I was able to watercolor this image and create a simple card that made me smile. That was after an already wonderful day that ended with ice cream in the park with Wanda and meeting my neighbor Sandy's new puppy. OH my! I'll have to take some pics of that adorable little face! She's part beagle, part chihuahua. Her name is Poppy.

I used the slit punch on each end of the red cardstock, slipped the edges of my stamped piece underneath and secured it with an eyelet. Cardstock: River Rock, Riding Hood Red, watercolor. Inks: Timber Brown Staz-on, Bashful Blue, Summer Sun, Really Rust, Riding Hood Red, Always Artichoke, River Rock. Accessories: linen thread, eyelets, slit punch, dimensionals, aqua painter. Stamps: Garden Pleasures (SU!), Out on a Limb (Papertrey Ink)

I love this sweet moment of peace while the boys watched out the front bedroom window. This is Jack's fav spot and I love when Riley joins him for some "spy time". Aren't they precious! They are such a gift in my life. :)

It's a Hot One!

Whew! Kevin said the temp was about 90 today. I was outside after work for a bit and now I know why I was so hot in such a short time. I get hot easily whether I'm working outside in 70 degree weather or 90 degree weather. LOL! It was just plain hot to me, I guess. Oh, and there were two serious dork moments today. First, I ran the weed eater and for the life of me couldn't understand why it would NOT cut very well. Kevin later told me it has no string in it! Duh! Then, I couldn't find my debit card. I retraced my steps to the car wash on Sunday where I got my dad's gift certificates. I called. They had it. I picked it up. I have NEVER lost something important like that. What a dork! Anyway....it's a hot one! Hope you all stayed cool today!
This is where Jack lays when I blog or surf the net. Right under Momma's chair. Look at his precious face. Gotta love this little man.

I got a new squeaky toy at Wal-Mart the other day since Mr. Squeaker has a little hole in him. I figured this might be a good back up. Here are the boys checking it out. Jack isn't too sure about noisy toys and tends to ignore them. Riley, however, is Mr. Make Noise A Lot! LOL!

Yep, he likes it! It's a bit quieter than Mr. Squeaker. It fits his little mouth just right. We've seen Jack sniff it or put it in his mouth. He'll periodically run away with it or push it with his nose. But, no noise making for him. LOL!

Life moves pretty fast when you're a dog. Even when Momma brings home big kickballs for you to play with, you've still gotta check out the other sniffin' in the yard. Riley was pawing his like a hamster rides in a wheel. Jack just sniffed his. He's a weirdo. He just wants his chewy toys. I would kick these and they'd run after them. I bet the neighbors were thinking I was nuts. Playing kickball with dogs. Oh well. Doesn't that count as exercise? LOL!

Speaking of exercise...this is me at the Y today.------^ *snicker* I went for a little swimmy swim while Kevin was at work. I love that mostly older folks go to the adult open swim time. I feel sort of buff being the young one.....not! LOL! Every time I put on my bathing suit, I think "this is not pretty!" Oh well....kicky kick.... swimmy swim....I'm gonna do it anyway!

I've been spoiling you readers lately with posts showing projects. I have to also take time to share life's randomness every now and then. Thanks for stopping by!!!

whoa...........

I went to the Y tonight to try the Zumba class. It is an energetic exercise class that uses Latin and international music. I watched it briefly last week and decided to try it this week. Man, oh man. Why is it so much easier to sit and eat than to work muscles I forgot existed? Man, oh man. That kicked my butt! Hey, it better. I need that! We did steps like the salsa, cha-cha, merengue, etc. It is fast-paced and full of rhythym. Once I get the hang of the steps more, I'll do better. I had two BIG left feet at times. LOL! And, tell me....why on Earth do they put mirrors in that room. I do NOT want to see my jello in action. I'd much rather pretend I look like the instructor. I bet the lunges didn't hurt her. LOL!!!!!!!!! Oh, that was fun. I think I am dead now. *pass out*

Oh...and I got my other wrist injected today. Should be on the road to less and less pain on the left side now. Yeah!!!!

Ok, so where is the Advil? Seriously, I am taking some. Whew! Zumba rumba....cha-cha-deaddddddd! *snicker*

hi

Cardstock: Sahara Sand
Inks: Tangerine Tango, Pacific Point
Accessories: black journaling pen, chipboard letters, glitter pen, brads
Stamp set: Fifth Avenue Floral

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Tuesday, everyone!

For Chris and Erin

We will be attending the fourth wedding of the summer this coming Saturday. Wow! Lots of love in the air! LOL! Chris (Kevin's co-worker) and Erin are having an outdoor ceremony with a potluck afterwards. In lieu of a gift, we are to bring a covered dish. Of course, there must be a handmade card, too! :)

Cardstock: Pink Pirouette, Kraft
Ink: Vintage Cream, Regal Rose
Accessories: Top Note die, Cuttlebug embossing folder, woven ribbon, flowers, chipboard letters, bling stones.

Julie and Josh will return from their European honeymoon extravaganza tomorrow! Wow! I bet they have really missed their little pooch Tucker like crazy! I can't wait to see all their billion pictures and hear the fab stories about their trip. Wow! I bet they'll be super sick of flying after this. :)

Father's Day

We went to my parents' house this evening. Rhonda and I made an italian dinner of lasagna, chopped salad, bread and dessert. Steve had to work so he didn't eat with us, but stopped by briefly. I gave my dad this handmade keepsake about favorite memories of him, plus some car wash gift certificates and a squirrel-proof bird feeder. He loves a clean car and loves to feed the birds. :)

I had a happy accident when I made this. I intended to cut the chipboard piece into two pieces. I measured 6 inches from each end and cut it in my paper cutter. Instead I got a nicely scored "book" piece and I was thrilled with it! I sanded the metal "memories" piece and painted it with olive green acrylic paint, stamped a couple words, wrote "of" with my journaling pen and inked some chipboard letters. I added all that to the die-cut shape and added two eyelets. I adhered the whole piece with sticky strip and glue dots.

I wrote a letter on the inside left and made a pocket on the right to hold the strips of paper where I wrote some favorite memories. I inked the edges of all the cardstock and added some eyelets and hemp twine so he could easily pull each one out to read it. I told him to read it when his eyes felt dry. LOL! I sure cried some happy tears as I made this. *sniffle* I am so blessed to have the parents I do! This is the book opened flat. I added some stamped messages on the back as well as the date. The spine is covered using a strip of patterned paper. It is the pattern on the back side of the striped paper.

Here's my sweet dad after his belly was full of yummy food and holding his goodies. :) Love you, Dad! Happy Father's Day!

Ashley's Wedding

Our dear friend Ashley married Andy, the love of her life, today. She is truly one of the nicest people we know. She and Andy have dated for several years and begin their happy new life together now as husband and wife. Their ceremony was filled with memories, Godly advice, laughter and a few wet eyes...mine included. I loved the look on her face as she walked down the aisle. It was a mix of nerves and emotions. I loved it! The neat thing is that once they were announced as husband and wife, the processional was Burnin' Love by Elvis Presley. You know how it goes...."hunka hunka burnin' love". Too cute! It added a smile to everyone's face.

I remember hearing her tell a story that on the school bus one of them had a backpack with the initials ALB on it. One of them said to the other, "Hey, those are my initials, too." I forget who had the backpack. And, as they say...the rest is history. They became friends, fell in love, and now they still both have the same initials. Ashley went from Ms. Bunn to Mrs. Brown. Kinda neat, huh?

I love these kinds of pictures. The bride and groom will look back many years from now and see how their hands have aged and recount all the memories through the years. I hope they always hold hands and share the happiness of today. Ashley's ring is so pretty. Click the pic for a closer look.

I didn't get a better pic than this of her bridesmaids' dresses. She had a maid of honor and three bridesmaids. Their dresses were chocolate and turquoise. See how they alternated the colors and a band of the accent color? You may have to click the pic for a closer look. I see the girls have their comfy little shoes on here. :) Her flowers were calla lillies and were tied with matching ribbons. The wedding details were simple and elegant and we both had such a great time there today. We were both honored to be invited. ha ha I just noticed...the ring bearer's sippy cup is on the table. His mom is on the left. :)

Ashley's toes even matched her colors. All of the girls wore this same color. Cute!

I got a quick pic of her flower girl, but none of her ring bearer. Both of them were super adorable. Love this little dress and see her matching bracelet? Just precious.

Everyone enjoyed marble cake with chocolate icing. This heart-shaped cake was for the bride and groom.

I thought their cake topper was not only unique, but will be such a nice keepsake.

She had brown tulle, turquoise ribbon, confetti and metal embellishments like this one on each table. She told me to take some of the metal things for scrapbooking. I got this one and a double heart one. She knows the scrapper in me, huh? Ashley is a stamper/scrapper, too!!

I wanted to share this happy occasion and hope you enjoyed the pics! Thanks for stopping by! Or, as Elvis would say...thank you, thank you very much. LOL!