*Sigh*

As most of you that know me are aware I've worked for Sanilac Mental Health almost since I graduated from High School, about 25 years to be honest. I started out as a class/rehabilitation technician and have moved my way up to a program coordinator for the mentally and physically handicapped adults that we serve.

If you've been following the Michigan economy issues you're probably aware that Michigan is going through some tough times (again yes, it does seem to be a cycle for my fair state but it's also something that makes us strong and brings us together)anyway those economic problems have begun to affect mental health and we've recently lost about 15% of our folks due to state/federal budget cuts.

One of these folks, a gentleman I'll call "bob" has been with me since he graduated from our school system. Bob is a Down Syndrome man, now saying good bye to friends and co-workers is always hard, but a DS man that doesn't understand why he cannot come to program anymore is harder than H@ll!!!! I made him this card, which is almost all SU! (except the CB folder & nailheads and I don't where I got those) and hugged him tight while we both cried at the end of his last day.

Back to my First Love

Yep sometimes I have a wild hair and decide to play with some "contraband" but I always come back to the company that I've loved from the very first stamp I held!

This "chalkboard technique card is all Stampin' UP!!!!

Thunder Road Distressing

This card is distressed to within an inch of it's life! I think this one will go to DS #1

Heya Big Boy

DH likes this image (go figure!) Not sure what I'll do with this card but I had fun making it!

A Little Girl's Ruin

Ask my DH - I want it all and I want the very best ;)

Mello Yellow Badness

How cool is this old car?!? I made this for my dad, I think it'll be right up his alley!

Appealing To My Bad Girl Side

Over the next few days I'm going to show you something different ;) These images from "Bombshell stamps" appeal to my bad side and they're great for the wild and crazy teens in my life!

An Office Supply Challenge

Last month the SCS "Fan Club" challenge was to use office supplies - eekkk... not my forte! Here's what I came up with, but I'm not to sure of it!!!

Kissed Butterflies

It was my turn to do the SCS Demo Workshop Wow challenge this week. I had a request for Kissing (the technique, not the other kind) I'm sure you can manage that without me

Pheasant in Autumn

First day of pheasant hunting is coming up soon here in Michigan! I played around with more "baby wipe swipe" colors for this card. I can't take any credit for this layout! I pretty muched "cased" this idea from SCS ;) So, so, so much inspiration there!!!

Misty Morning or Just Misty Eyes?

Well the first day of school has come and gone and I'm just getting around to posting this....

As most of you know Ben is off to Central and he's a junior now, Jake started St.Clair County Community College in mid August, and my "baby" is now a sophmore in H.S.

On the first day of school it was a misty/foggy kind of morning and as I watched Katie stand outside waiting for the bus all by herself for the first time in her life I noted that the the sky was a misty purple and coral behind the trees and I remember thinking what a cool background that would be on a card.

Maybe watching her stand there all by herself sparked me to be reflective or sentimental, perhaps I was just in the mood for "comfort," or maybe I just wanted something familiar. I don't know, but when I sat down to create later that day I reached for "tried & true" and nothing new. I ended up doing the "baby wipe swipe" technique with Almost Amethyst, Cameo Coral,Bashful Blue and my beloved "oldie but goodie" Lovely As A Tree set.

Was the sky really that color? Or was it just my misty eyes watching my baby stand there all by herself?

Either way here is my card and an updated photo of Katie beginning her sophmore year on the Equestrian team.

Clean and Simple Anniversary

This is the last in my Labor Day Cards for Troops series, a crisp and clean Anniversary card! Hope you've enjoyed the show!!!

Bright Birthday Wishes

The challenge was to make a child's birthday card using bright colors - not my forte, but I'm happy that someone overseas will find a use for it!

My Winnings

This is a set that I won for playing along with the SCS Dirty Girls, it's so sweet!

Bella's got dinner

This is a "tent topper" card, it's another in my "Cards for Troops" series - enjoy!

I'm looking for something in red

Remember that Lori Morgan song? Anyway this was inspired by a bedding ensemble, I'm quite pleased with this look which is actually very different for me! Everything is SU! except the ribbon and sentiment.

A Little Twisted

You can see the outside - the inside says "I'm in the mood for monkey S@#" I sure someone overseas will get a kick out of it!

A Punchy Christmas

A "folks" kinda of Christmas! The trees were made with my photo corners punch, the snow is white shimmer paper edged with Bashful Blue chalks. Everything here is Stampin' Up!

A Neutral Holiday

I had fun making this very neutral holiday card to send overseas for the troops to use for their families.

Sunflower surprise

Isn't this sunflower and fairy image to cute!?! I've got a secret, it's not a stamp, it's from a book of "flower fairies" that my DD had when she was little, it was falling apart and she was going to throw it out (I don't remember where we found it, it was some dollar store thing, don't worry it wasn't a classic!) Anyway I recycled some of the images and saved them to make cards, whatcha think?

More Twisted Split Negative for Fall

Same technique as yesterday, but done in a fall/autumn theme.

Split Negative with a Twist

This is basically spliting two opposing colors in half then matching them up and mounting them onto opposing colors.

Happy New Year

Again this is something that I really do not make, but hey I tried!

We had to use something "Auld" (the black/white DS paper) the numbers -2010 (the stickers numbers, this could also be "old") and only one New years style image (I went with the champange glasses) I hope someone overseas likes this, cuz it's not my normal taste ;)

Appropriate or Not?

I don't have much of a call for Hannakka/Kwanzaa cards in my area, so I really have nothing to base these cards on. I went with cupcakes, cuz no one can resist a good cupcake, right?

Alternative Christmas

A Christmas card using no Christmas images! Not a Santa, a snowman, a candy cane, a present, a reindeer, nada, nope, none!

What do you think???? This is hard for me!

Ride Sally Ride!

We were to make a card inspired by a 1965 Ford Mustang (I *heart* Mustangs!) The twist was we had to use a "Mustang" image, in any defination that we choose to interpret that, and we could only use the colors of Mustangs from the 1965 production line! Now I usually would not pair White, Black, Kraft, and Bashful blue... But WOW! I love these colors together!!! I also paired the pony from SU's "Wanted" set with a background made from Unity's "Now is the time" set - quite skriking isn't it?

Feeling Witchy?

The Stamping Bella Witch has been around for a while now, but I updated her in Blue's to mix with the traditional colors.