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The New Catalog Is Here

I've updated my link to the new catalog, check it out! As always there's some fun new stuff!

Design Your Own Stamp

Sometimes you just need to design your own image to meet your needs. This is where the SU "My Ditigal Studio" is an wonderful tool! I've had this style of card rattling around in my head for a while, but I never find an image that I loved enough to pull it off. Enter MDS! This is several "ditigal" stamps layered upon one another and printed onto Shimmery White cardstock. I left this card very clean so that the main image pops right off at you and takes center stage. I love it when a plan comes together!!!

New Stamp Envy

I'm trying very hard to be patient, my pre-order of SU! goodness is scheduled to come in on Wednesday May 9th. Guess who is working late on May 9th and May 10th? Guess who has a mandatory all staff meeting from 8:30 - 2:30 on Friday May 11th? Yep, sucks doesn't it? However, next Saturday May 12th I plan to spend the day with my Michigan Mingler pals! I know that will make up for not being able to fondle my new toys for three whole days! In the meantime look at this, it's a darling little six pocket "booklet" that would be great for small photos or little notes!

Looking for something in white

I often hear people lament the "flimsy-ness" of Whisper White cardstock, and while I will willingly admit I'm one of those people that would kiss Shelli Gardners feet if they brough us a heavier weight pure white cardstock, please don't sell Whisper White short! Yes it is thinner, and yes sometimes it does take a few extra minutes for even water based ink to dry on it, but the sharpness and clarity of an image on Whisper White is beautiful! My April class revolved around Whisper White and one or two other colors, I cannot claim originality for the Blushing Bride and the Poppy Parade cards, but I sincerely appreciate the brilliant minds that did think to!

Mixed Bunch and a Blossom Punch

I had to jump on the bandwagon with this set and matching punch! One of my customers (and a sweet friend) actually purchased, and asked me to plan a class around it. Here's two of the cards we did, hope you likey!

Finding My Happy Place

I refreshed the look of my blog, pink makes me happy so I went with this template. Is it me? What do you think?

Wall Art

I actually thought I'd take some time to share some happy! I made this piece of wall art as a door prize for our annual Michigan Mingle. I purchased a 12 x 12 canvas at Amazon and covered it with the Mocha Morning DSP. Then I added various elements and sayings. Not all the sayings are SU but 99% of them are. Enjoy!

Back In The Game?

Hi everyone, sorry it's been so long since I've posted, honestly I really haven't had an urge to blog since I posted about my mom's passing in December.

Then to add insult to injury a whole lot of "issues" I guess I could say rained down on us to the point that I've had enough rain to start another Great Lake! Do you really want to hear about my woes? Probably not, but it makes me feel better to get them out of the way.

Let's see, I believe we left off with my mom passing away four days before Christmas...
Since then we've dealt with:
1) Finding out that my dad as prostate issues that is must likely cancerous, but at 80 years old and just losing my mom, he doesn't care to follow up on it.
2) Finding out my husband has Barrett's Disease and learning that we'll have to deal with yearly cancer screenings.
3) I found a lump on my right upper hip, what we thought was a simple fatty tumor turned into a calcification of body tissue that was roughly the size of a quarter, but the shape of an arrowhead that was pressing onto my sciatic nerve.
4) Jeff underwent surgery for a hiatal hernia and a re-construction of the muscle that joins the esophagus and stomach.
5) Six day post-op, Jeff had heart attack. Luckily we acted fast enough that there's minimul damage to the heart, but it's one more thing to follow up on every year.


So I haven't felt like doing a lot of stamping in the past three months, however I did do a banner class early this month, we made this:

I think my ladies liked it, four of them bought the Pennants Die :)

To welcome Jeff home after what amounted to almost 2 weeks in and out of the hospital, I made this banner using MDS and the new Summer Schmooches Sneak Peeks, for our front door. I was going for the look of needles, but what really tickled me was when I turned it over and found a sweet way to do pencils for a back to school project!



So there in a nutshell is my limited stamping/crafting attempts and my sad tale of the past three months.

Am I doing any better? Yes, I mean I still miss mom every day and I still cry easily, but I'm thankful that my husband and kids are going to be okay overall. Plus I'm feeling the urge to stamp again! I leave tomorrow for a weekend "retreat" with some of my best stamping pals and God willing, just maybe I'll be back in the game!

20 Wishes

2011 didn't end on a good note for my family and myself. On December 7th my mom was admitted to the hospital with pnumonia(sp?) beginning the longest and hardest three weeks of my life. Beginning with the pnumonia and then adding complications of several TIA's, several heart attacks, and a septic gallbladder, my mom passed away on December 20th, 2011.

During the time that I spent in the hospital, hoping, praying, holding her hand, holding my dad and my brothers, I also read A LOT. One of the books I read was "Twenty Wishes" by Debbie Macomber, if you haven't read it, it is a very sweet story about a group of widows (probably not the best thing to read while watching someone die.) While the story has it's round about plots, the main premise is about doing things that you never made time for because the business of life in general takes charge. Over the past few days I've really been thinking about what "wishes" I may have that I've put away on a shelf somewhere waiting for "someday." The story stresses that you need to think of "wishes" not things you "should/need" to do. Things like eating better, losing weight, balancing the budget, etc, etc. We have to or should do those things, but what about the little things that get put off?

I decided to put my 20 wishes out in the open, and I challenge you to do the same thing. If you do post your 20 wishes please link you post so that I can share it with you. Now I've had time to think about my wishes and my list still isn't complete, but here's my beginning of 20 wishes.

1. Stand beside the ocean with someone I love and watch the sunset.
2. Make a quilt.
3. Knit a pair of socks.
4. Get back into scrapbooking my favorite memories.
5. Go on a Whale watching cruise and get close to these majestic creatures.
6. Have dinner with my brothers at least 4 times a year.
7. Go fishing with my dad.
8. Spend a romantic weekend with my husband at a unique bed and breakfast.
9. Take a yoga class.
10. Go dancing with Kait.
11. Play a video game with Jacob.
12. Walk in the woods with Ben.
13. Get back on a horse and ride.
14. Design an Angel garden in memory of family and friends I've lost.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.

I'm still not sure what else I'll put on my list, but I'll edit it when it comes to me.

What's your 20 wishes?