Still Here

Hope you have had a great week, mine seemed to go quickly as there was lots of work to do! And at the same time that I was working there were men at my home removing all the old drywall in two rooms and partial ceiling in our master bedroom. They are almost done, I have photos but will post later. This weekend we will be back up on the roof finishing up the shingles on the back side, oh how fun....not. Happy Trick or Treating!

Lots of Work and a little fun

Is what our weekend was like here in Conroe. We worked on the roof on the backside of the house all day Saturday and most of Sunday. We are so TIRED and SORE to say the least! We pulled off all the shingles and felt paper then had to pull up all the extra nails and staples. I am sore in places I didn't realize I could be sore! LOL We actually had some fun while working, it helped make the day go by quicker! Tonight we were able to just chill out and relax once my DH finished a work project. I needed to address the Halloween cards I made for the kiddos and made a few more too. I was so excited to show Andy the cards and he quickly pointed out that I had colored my candy corns in the wrong color sequence, he he. Luckily, I had only made two of those so I was able to make the rest correctly although I'm sure most wouldn't have known the difference. The art piece is something I made for Andy as one of my gifts to him for our Anniversary. Most of the embellishments have a special meaning but since it is so late I will have to get back to you on what they mean. I hope he likes it, I am not sure I like how the canvas part turned out. I didn't want it to come out pink so I went a little heavy on the black and read and hence the cranberry'ish color. oh well. I will give him that piece on Tuesday so we will see what he thinks.

Well, it is super late and I so need to get into bed! Here are the cards I made tonight, hope you like them as some of you may be getting one of them. Hope you have a great Monday, mine will be great as it is the eve of my 1st wedding anniversary and the eve of the drywall guys coming to fix our three rooms! Yeah! Ciao for now.

Still a no go on Christmas cards

I tried this evening to start back up on my Christmas cards for the crafts open house and it was a no go. I can't seem to get my creative juices going! I did however work on a birthday card for a co-worker, this stamp is quickly becoming my favorite. I love the birds and the flowers, it looks more like artwork to me. I used alcohol inks, lettuce, butterscotch and cranberry then embossed the image over top. I decided to use foam to pop it off the card in case she wants to remove that piece off the card some day and frame it. I think it would be cute in a small shadow box! It still isn't as cute as I would have liked but it will work. I then took a break but ended up going back to my table to do one more piece. I decided to try my hand at my own version of the acrylic distressed and embossed piece. I think it turned out pretty good however I definitely wish I had the ranger acrylic dabbers as I dropped the sponge I was using to apply the acrylic paint, stained my chair and got it all over myself. I think it turned out really cool, I wish I had a few other cool embellishments to add to it but for my first run I think I am happy with it. Well, it's time to get to bed so hope your week is going well and happy hump day!

Halloween Card Re-Visited

After posting the pic of the Halloween cards I made I decided that it was too plain so I reworked it. I used my UTEE enamel and this time had success with it, what I tried this time was to be sure to really wet my stamp. Then quickly covered it with the UTEE and once I got rid of the excess powder I lifted up my card and applied the heat from underneath. This helped from blowing off any of the powder before it had a chance to start melting. I cut them out and using a foam dimensional applied it to my card. I also stamped a couple of bats to the front of the card and so now I think I'm happy with it. Of course the whole point of these cards were to make them quick and simple since they were for the kiddos but so much for that. They are still simple but I think more interesting with the embossed piece. I also included in the photograph the stamped envelope and the inside of the card. Click on the photo to see the embossing close up. OK, it's super late and I must get to bed. Ciao for now!

Halloween's around the corner

And I haven't had much time to work on cards, I had been working on christmas cards for the November Crafts Open house then IKE came. Since then I haven't had time to work on cards nor have I had the inspiration. I took 30 minutes this morning after having coffee and made some quick Halloween cards for my nieces and nephews. The large one is one I had made last week and the smaller card is one made for the boys. For times sake I did duplicate cards for all the boys and another design for the girls. I left that card out as I haven't finished it, it still needs a little something. The little buttons were found at Michael's on clearance for $1 however I forgot to watch the clerk and she charged me full price of $1.99. This weekend we worked on the roof, our neighbors helped out too. This weekend we took more breaks so to not over do it and still my darling husband worked so hard. Today I got on the roof with him later in the day after I had done my prep work for painting later this week. I was not as comfortable up there as I would have hoped but I stuck it out and we were able to work a little quicker wish I had gone up there sooner though. Oh, one last thing I tried out the UTEE by Ranger, Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel. I am not sure if I like it, super big particles and so it didn't seem to stick to my embossing ink. I really wanted the thick embossing powder (also by Ranger) I used when demonstrating for Rubbernecker stamps. Gotta get in touch with them and see if I can order it asap! If you have any tips for me on the enamel let me know. Hope you all had a great weekend! One more last thing, the little Happy Halloween square is made with butterscotch and terracotta alcohol inks. Will most likely use those on cards for the grown ups.

Update on House

Just wanted to share with you the latest and greatest on the house post IKE. My DH was hard at work this past weekend repairing the roof. In two days he took off all the old shingles on the front side of the house and then all the layers of felt and 14 sheets of plywood. He then replaced two 22' rafters and put in new plywood and felt, all in two days! This weekend he will be adding the shingles. This past week we had hard rains and there weren't any leaks! My man is good! he he And on Monday while at home I heard a loud crash and found that an area in our ceiling in the master bedroom had caved in. That makes three rooms now with holes in the ceiling!

Apparently, a pipe from the air conditioner to a trap was dislodged when the tree hit the house and it had been leaking since then. It finally gave on Monday and so my brother who is a plumber fixed the pipe and my DH put up heavy plastic so that the air doesn't go into the attic. Oh well...........it could have been worse. Right?! Here are some pics of all that I mentioned, hope you have a great Friday and hopefully we all have time to do some fun stuff this weekend!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Please take time a moment to check out the link HERE and learn more about Breast Cancer Awareness! So many people that I know have been touched by some form of cancer and even I have had a brush with it. Many years ago I found a lump on my left breast and at my yearly visit my doctor said it was cyst and that if it really bothered me I could have it removed. Well, it really bothered me and so I made and appointment with a specialized doctor and along came my mother with me. He was totally flippant about my lump and actually had the nerve to say that if it bothered me vanity wise he would remove it. Well, thankfully I was required to have a second opinion and it was that doctor that realized that it was not just a lump. I saw him on Wednesday and by Friday I was under the knife and because it looked bad once they saw it the surgery took a bit longer and they took more tissue out. So, a few days later I did hear that it was the first stage and it was a tumor that normally had been found in men. To this day I am so thankful that I was insistent in getting it removed! So, please be sure to do monthly self examinations and educate yourself as much as possible on this horrible disease. On a fun note Hambly Screen Prints has put together a great kit full of lots of pink stuff and all the proceeds will be donated so check them out! Oh, and one last site for you to visit pretty please, The Breast Cancer Site has a button that you click and by doing so their sponsors help to pay for mammograms for those who need help. So click HERE please.

Live Inspired!

These last few weeks have been tough with all the work that Hurricane Ike left us with. Then there are our day to day responsibilities to also keep up with. I know there are others who were affected greater than we were but sometimes it is still hard to keep my chin up. Then tonight I read Donna Downey's Blog and she cheered me up and Inspired me to Live Inspired! Take a few minutes to visit Donna's Blog by clicking HERE and get Inspired!

New Friends and New Techniques

Hi all! I hope you had a great weekend! I was a busy girl all weekend working at the Expo with my friend Christina along with some new friends Tall Debbie, Little Debbi, Loretta and Dave. The Expo was fun and we met lots of great ladies who like us love to use Rubber stamps and use all sorts of inks and are hungry to learn more! I am sharing some of the items we made and if you click HERE you will get to the Rubbernecker Stamps Blog where you can learn the techniques. I demonstrated the Acrylic Distress both days but had a chance to learn the others too so can't wait to try them at home. For now I am simply posting the photos and when I get a chance this week I will write more on the experience. If you are one of the great ladies I met this weekend thanks for stopping by my blog and I hope to keep in touch! If you live near San Antonio you will get a chance to visit the Rubber Stamp and Scrapbooking Expo this coming weekend. So, if you missed out this weekend take a road trip!

In one photo you will see me with my BF Christina, I'm the short one, hehe. And as always click on the picture to see it in a larger size.

Ciao for now!

New Work

Just wanted to show you something I learned today, I helped Dave with Rubbernecker Stamps set up for this weekend's show at the Lone Star Convention. This is a technique one of us will be demonstrating. I will give you more details later or you can go check out their blog by clicking HERE. If you live near Conroe you should come to the Rubber Stamp and Scrapbook Expo lots of awesome vendors click HERE to check it out! If you do stop by and ask for Nancy and Christina and we will hook you up with some great stuff!

Store Bought Card Turned Handmade

What do you mean you can't make cards? Here is a simple card I made using a card bought at Michael's and then tweeked to my liking. I simply used a Martha Steward Lace Trim Punch to cut out the black card then cut off some of the pink store bought card. The black is peeking out and then I used some white ribbon and a cute bling buckle and poof a plain card turned cute! What do you think?

Happy World Card Making Day

You read right, there is a World Card Making Day and it is the first Saturday of October. There is even a website dedicated to it where folks can upload their cards for all the world to see! Click Here or on the title of the post to go there. If you enjoy making cards then how about you take a little time out today to make a card or cards for someone you love. I recently made my grandmother a card in honor of Alzhemier's Day, she is my grandfathers caretaker and he has Alzheimers/Dementia. I wanted to drop her a card to let her know how much we love her and appreciate her taking care of him. I spoke to her this week and she said the day she got my card she had been sad that morning missing the days that she and my grandfather could carry on normal conversations. My card she said was a great pick me up! So, just think you too can cheer someone up by just making them a card. I plan on making some cards, some will be for birthdays, halloween and possibly a few more Christmas cards. We will see.... My sweetie is going riding with friends tomorrow, his boss has lent him a motorcycle and so he will be out and about riding with friends. I am both excited and nervous for him, I know he will be a safe driver it's just the folks in cars that worry me. Then tomorrow evening we are gathering with some of the neighbors for a mini block party and I do mean mini! Well, have a great weekend and hopefully I will be able to share some of the cards I make with you on Sunday night's post. Ciao for now!