You've Got Flair 3x3 cards

I am working on some cards to show off our stamp of the month for my gathering next week. These stamps are from the You've Got Flair stamp set. I used my markers from different pallets to color in the stamps after I embossed them with clear detail EP. Once they were colored in I sponged over them to bring out the borders. This set has a middle eastern or east India feel to it. Like what you would find on artwork in the open air markets of India. It is very pretty.

I still have the August stamp set to do, but am too beat to do that tonight. That stamp set is called It's Your Day. It is about birthday cakes and celebrating. I think I need to be wide awake and cheery to work on that set. I need to get to bed and be rested for tomorrow as I will be working Mon, Tues, & Wed. My friend, Kathleen, is going to Oregon with her husband for the week. He is a certified fly fishing instructor and apparently he goes all over the country giving seminars. So I will be filling in for her.

May I ask for your prayers for my daughter's boyfriend and his family. While Chase's mom was at church this morning her dryer shorted out and caused a major fire in the house. They lost both a cat and a dog to the fire. Jacki is devastated by the loss of her pets as well as the loss of many heirlooms and antiques. I know what she is going through as we had a fire the year we moved down here to Florida when lightning struck our townhouse. The girls were in Virginia at summer camp and Alec was in summer camp here. George was fine. He came walking out of the house as if to say "Where were you, there were boots and suits all over the place disturbing me." It is a horrible feeling when a neighbor calls to say, "I don't want you to be upset, but your house is on fire.
Please remember this family in prayer.
Thank you and thanks for tuning in.

Finally finished some Tender Tags

I have been wracking my brain, checking out posts, practically begging people to post photos of what they have done with Tender Tags - the June Stamp of the Month. I just couldn't seem to get motivated to use these tags. For one thing I don't like the way they stamp and I am not sure if it is me or the stamp. I don't get even coverage on the face of the stamp. Do I have too much ink, not enough ink, is there still cleaner residue on the stamp. What is it? Someone suggested that I sponge over the stamped image once I stamped it. I tried that on the Crystal Blue stamp and I don't really like the results especially since it covers the pretty little scroll on the stamp. That's the light blue one with Thanks on it.















I used some rub-ons and lots of sparkles. The one card with sparkles on the corners, I used the square set of sparkles from our connection club rewards. If you purchase two hundred dollars in CTMH products you get a package of these crystals in three shapes. Square, circle and scroll. I made pockets using some vellum that I had on my desk. To cover the adhesive I used the rub-ons. I don't happen to have any vellum adhesive. I will probably make some tags to go on the hostess gift and other gift give aways during my gatherings. I feel better having something to show for the SOTM. Now to tackle the July SOTM - You've Got Flair. Wish me luck.

Little Birdie

Here are some photos of my precious little parrotlet. His name is Stormy. He is so tiny compared to his cage. He is full grown at just around 4 inches. My husband keeps saying we should put him back in the smaller cage. He just has so much room to play in this one. I don't know. Isn't he cute. If you look closely just below the water bottle you can see a cat nose.
Anyway, you may recall I mentioned that second daughter will be moving out in another week or two and this is one of the reasons I will be doing the happy dance.
The main reason is that I feel good knowing we have raised a child who has graduated from high school, just received her A.S. degree on a full scholarship and is transferring to the University of North Florida on a 75% scholarship, works full time and is kind and loving and most of all a Christian. But back to the other reason for the happy dance. She has this CAT! Don't get me wrong we have always loved cats.
We have George, seen here doing what he does best - laying on our bed, who has been a member of the family since 1996. This makes him 117 in cat years. There is no cat more special than our George, but I stray again. The cat you see on top of and beside Stormy's cage is aptly named MONSTER. He lives in my daughter's bedroom. We don't want him harassing our George and he is only to be here for another few weeks. See what he does to my baby, Stormy? I don't really fear for Stormy, he has a bite that will take your finger off and can fly like a jet. Stormy THINKS he is a full size Amazonian parrot so that's why he can turn his back on the large furry thing, staring in at him, with no qualms. Stormy is a pastel parrotlet. He has dark blue on his wings tips and a purple spot on the center of his back under his wings. Just the most handsome fella. A friend and fellow CTMH consultant, Patti Russell, raises these little guys. Stormy moved into the penthouse when I lost my cockatiel, Sunshine seen here sitting on top of her cage. Isn't she the cutest little thing with that bright orange cheek? . Apparently, cockatiels get egg bound quite easily as both my sister and I have lost them that way. Talk about a sweet heart of a bird. Sunshine was that. She loved oatmeal and Saturday morning we had our time together eating oatmeal. I would fix the bowls and then bring Sunshine out and she would play around on the table and eat her oatmeal and eat my oatmeal and get her face so full I would have to wipe it for her. Otherwise it ended up all over the kitchen when she would shake it off. I miss my big girl. Well, she was big compared to this little guy.

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bridal shower card

My daughter asked me to make a card for her. She is going to a bridal shower today.
I'm not sure if this is appropriate for the occasion, but this is what I came up with. I used the Floral Impressions paper pack and my stickease. I don't normally use the stickease, but this was supposed to be quick and easy. The flower and sentiment on the front are popped. The flower on the front is stamped. It is one of those thatyou stamp the base first and then the texture on top, so I was able to make the flower look as though it was part of the set, it is a stamp set called Cherish.
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Grab Incredible Deal-a-Day Specials in June with Close To My Heart

Grab Incredible Deal-a-Day Specials in June
In June you a can take advantage of a different deal each day on MyCTMH websites—a product special available only that day and only while supplies last. Specials include Great Goodies boxes priced 50% or more below retail and popular products for free with a My Acrylix® stamp set purchase (size A, B, C, D, or E; excludes K-size and Stamp of the Month) PLUS irresistible shipping discounts.
I don't have a MyCTMH website, but my upline, Faye McKee does. Just click on her name and you will be taken right to her sight. If the link doesn't work for some reason just go to http://fayemckee.myctmh.com. You will still be helping my business if you place an order on her website. Look for the June Deal-a-Day link to see that day's deal.
Take a look and see. Close to my Heart is recommending that you wait until after 11:00 a.m. to start your shopping to avoid the crowds. Close to my Heart is in Utah so they don't open for business until 9:00 a.m. mt. They say that there are enough of the special items to go around so you won't miss out on anything. There will be a different deal each day.
I don't know what they will have on special so I am excited to see what is coming up. Hope you will join me.
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Three awards on the same day - I am so blessed

Wow, can you believe it, three lemonade stand awards in the same day. I love this blogging thing. Blogging is such a wonderful boost to your self esteem, and your morale. Or are those two the same thing, hmmmmm..... It is so special to get ehugs.
Heather over at Dragonfly Designs , Judy over at Scramp Alot and Paige over at Paige's Paper Paradise have given me this award.
Thank you ladies for the kind things you said about me on your blogs.
Heather, Judy and Paige are truly creative ladies. Check out their blogs for some inspirational works. I do, where do you think all my creative thoughts originate - grins? These three ladies are Close to my Heart independent consultants which make them even more special to me.
Thank you again Heather, Judy and Paige. Hugs!
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Granny gift - baby photo album

I made this gift for my friend, Robin, who just became a grandmother for the first time. This seems vaguely familiar so I might have mentioned her in the past few days. Any way, I used Animal Cookies B&T and the cardstock to match. This is an easy album to make. It only took a few hours. I hope it doesn't look like that though. I made one a few years ago for my boss and was going to look for the photos to get an idea for the cover of this one when I came across a card made by Sharli, over at Sharli's Place. I just clicked on her blog to get her link and see that she has made another darling card - check it out. I will want to make copies of them some time soon. Need to put them in my to be copied file. Oops, I forgot where I was going with this. I am talking to my daughter on the phone as I write this. This cover is inspired by her card. You can't see it in the photos, but I stamped journaling spots on the accordion. I don't know if I should add B&T to the bottom pieces or if I should leave them blank. Any opinions? I don't think I will send this to her until after my gathering in June. I want to be able to show it off.
I thought I was going to have two gatherings in June but I cannot reach the one lady. She emailed me and asked me about having a gathering, but hasn't responded to my emails. Oh well.
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Baby Gift card

I posted the gift I was sending to my friend's daughter earlier this week, tonight I made a card to go with it. I saw a card on Paige Dolecki's blog today that I really liked so I attempted to make one similar. I used Sweet Pea PP with Baby Impressions and Baby Steps stamp sets. I stamped the baby feet tone on tone on the cardstock then stamped the little clothesline on the cardstock underneath. Oh Yeah, I forgot, I used Ms. on the Go stamp set for the baby carriage and mom. I paper pieced the carriage and mom's dress. Used pearls for her earrings and colored in her shoes with CTMH marker. I used the wrong color at first so her shoes are a little bit darker. I know, I shouldn't have pointed that out , but I can't help myself. The frames on the photo are a Fiskars punch.
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The Little Black Boxes

Ladies, you must check out this website. Well, Okay, you should check out this website.
The Little Black Boxes website
I saw where Dawn had posted about this site and she was thrilled with her Little Black Box that she received in the mail so I checked it out. NEAT, NEAT, NEAT! It is for people with home businesses to show their wares and put their names out there for customers. Customers order the little black box and depending on what samples are in the store that month is what you get. If you check out the link Who's in the box and can see the advertisers and their crafts. I was sold immediately. I will let you know when my box comes in.
Off to get ready for work. Just a little part time thing I am doing until a real full time job comes available.
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P.S. Look I even got banner ads from Kimberlee to put on my blog. I am just too excited. My package is already being shipped. Woo Hoo!!

gathering goodies - which tray would you use?

I want to thank Suzie Lay, a fellow CTMH consultant, for the idea for these gathering goodies. Suzie gave me permission to post these photos since she was the one who had the idea originally. I was so impressed I duplicated them.

These will be used at my next few gatherings as incentives or thank yous for placing an order. I took photos of them in the 6x6 tray and also in the 8x8 tray. Which one would you use? I am leaning toward the 8x8 even though it isn't as full as the 6x6, but you can see them all better and will be better able to choose the one you want, right?
The top two photos are the 8x8 tray and the bottom two are the 6x6. The middle photo is so you can see what they look like not all jumbled up. I still have about 11 more that I need to get baggies for so by then I would definitely need the bigger tray. Okay, I just talked myself into the 8x8. Maybe I'll interest someone in the Magic Moments paper packets.
Thanks again Suzie for the idea.
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Essentials - for a fun wedding

I know what you are thinking . . . Here we go again. I promise I won't tell the entire story about the wedding over again.
Let me tell you about this layout. I used Imagine - one of Close to my Heart's how-to layout books called Sideline Surprise. It makes layouts so VERY VERY EASY. In fact, that is our mission. We show you how to celebrate relationships through the art of scrapbooking and stamping. Faster. Simpler. Easier.
Back to my layouts - I love this layout pattern even though I usually mess up a couple photos before I get it right. Fortunately, I have others or I can use the photo in a different place or something. I just love how the photos on the sidelines are cut at an angle. I had so many of these photos that I wanted to use and this showcased them so well.
These are some of the things you need - essentials - for a wedding. Ash & Alan's was just a fun one. Becky, the other mother-in-law, and I worked together separately to put together everything needed. You know like linens and favors and guest book, memory box, punch fountain, arch, floral arrangements, etc. . . The wedding was small and fun. Yes, I know I have said it before. Just humor me, please. Anyway, I purchased a guest book and decorated the front of it. I purchased the Memory Box by Martha Stewart. I decorated the inside and the outside of it. It looks very similar to the guest book. I just took ten minutes to see if I could find the original photo and be able to tell you who I got the idea for the memory box from, but no luck. I looked through 3 flash drives and a cd and couldn't find it. Anyway, Ash carried a bouquet of blue roses and the girls wore blue dresses that match our moonstruck color perfectly. We had bubbles and I made over 90 clippy boards for the guests.
Ashley and Alan chose the cake and the topper. That's the Question from Batman - The Dark Knight or something. I'm not familiar with it myself and Supergirl. Tell me that lady didn't have a challenge on her hands with that cake and she rose to the challenge very well, I'd say. My brother-in-law tied the sashes on the chairs. Four of my sisters and my brother-in-law catered the wedding. Becky and her other daughter in law got the arch and decorated it. I don't have photos of it here, but it is very prominent in most of the wedding photos. I'd say between the two mother-in-laws everything essential was there.
I used sparkles and this really neat sticker pack from Flower Soft. It is silver strips and corners. You can see it if you look closely at the blue rose, the word essentials and the words for a fun wedding. If you want to see the silver stuff you need to click on a photo to get a close up of it.
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Where have I been?

Funny story I just had to share, well maybe just cute.
Remember the card I made on Friday to thank my friend, Kathleen, for lunch? I took it to the post office. I had a few other things I had to mail. I had postage on the envie but handed it to the lady behind the counter anyway. She told me I would need two cents on it. I told her I had put 42 cents on it and she laughed and told me that postage had gone up to 44 cents. I couldn't believe it. Where have I been????? I asked her and she kind of chuckled and told em she didn't know where I had been, but that postage had gone up on the 11th. At least I was still in the same month. I am wondering if things I have mailed out have been getting where they are supposed to go and if people are having to pay to get what I am sending them. hmmmmm!!!!! Oh Well!
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The ABCs of me.

I saw this on Lori's blog. Copy and change the answers to your own, then post to your blog with a link to mine (or when your blog friends copy yours, they link to you). Let's see how far this gets.

Here's ME:
Age: 53
Bed size: King
Chore you hate: cleaning
Dad's Name: Daddy - what else?
Essential start your day item: Coffee
Favorite actor(s): John Wayne
Gold or Silver: Gold
Height: 5’2"
Instruments you play(ed): Do boys count?
Job title: Unemployed bookkeeper, Close to My Heart Consultant)
Kid(s): Ashley, Casey & Alec
Living arrangements: Own a home in Florida
Mom's name: Mommy - Duh
Nicknames: Les
Overnight hospital stay other than birth: none that I can think of
Pet peeves: Ignorance
Quotes you like: Oh Well
Rightie or Leftie: Rightie
Siblings: Suzanne, Barbara, Dianne, Christine & Lisa
Time you wake up: 7:30
Umbrella: not usually
Vegetable you dislike: Brussell sprouts
Ways you run late: I like to be early
X-rays you've had: back, teeth, hands, chest
Yummy food you make: Polvorones - Mexican Wedding Cookies
Zodiac: Libra

Now that you know a little more about me, let's hear about you. Leave a comment & I'll read your ABC's.

A quick thank you card

My friend, Kathleen, asked me to lunch today, but I told her I couldn't as I was short on funds and she offered to pay. So I went. I love making cards, as you know, so I sat down and made a quick thank you card, and I mean quick. I hope it doesn't look that way. I want her to think I slaved over it for hours. Yeah right! I had already addressed the envelope when I remembered to take the photo. I just love this stamp set. I love it, yet I couldn't remember the name of it. I had to look it up. It is Bon Appetit. The ribbon is just because the background stamp just kind of ends right there and I needed something to make the transition. I used petal and pansy purple for the grapes and garden green for the greenery. The grapes, of course, are pop dotted. You can tell by the shadow to the bottom left of the bunch. The corner stamp goes great on the front of the envie, don't you think?

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Cute Card Thursday Challenge - A Sporting Chance

Here is my entry to CCT - A Sporting Chance. If blogger will upload it. Another message that IE had to close operation aborted. Anyone else having these issues? I will try saving this post and go have some lunch. Maybe it will work when I get back.

Finally finished with gift

I finally finished the envelopes and the rest of the cards. No, I won't show you the envelopes. There is nothing special about them, although I could make them special. Hmmmm! I will have to think about that for awhile. My biggest problem is what do I put them in to mail them? The pizza box would get crushed if I put them in a padded envelope. I don't have a box small enough. I am thinking on that at the same time as the envies. Sarah Masteller showed me this great idea for circle cards. You put them together using a brad as a hinge and slide them open. I had not seen that before. If you click on the link you can see her card where I got the idea from. This computer has been acting up for several days now. I have heard other people comment on how it is acting so I don't think it is just mine. I tried to upload two photos and after ten minutes I got an error message from Microsoft - "Interner Explorer cannot 'something' the web page". I can't tell if Blogger is having issues, Microsoft is having issues or just Leslie having issues. I keep getting message that "could not contact Blogger.com saving may have failed." I will have to come back later to try to upload the photos.Finally,finally, finally. Thanks for tuning in.

Nilla's blog candy at Live it Scrap it

Nilla over at Live it Scrap it has some great blog candy up for grabs. check it out.

Check out True's Gift's from the Heart

True has some fantastic blog candy giveaways on her blog. See my sideline for her link also. Cute photo of lollipops.
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