Visitors!

We had company over the weekend! My Dad and my brother (#4 in the line-up of siblings) came up to just "get away" for a bit! I love having company so it was great to have them visit! Here's a couple of pictures to share of us!

Breanna and my brother William



Me and my Dad





This is one way to make up for a cancelled show! LOL! I love my stamps but this was a great weekend anyway!

Happy Birthday Breanna!

Happy Birthday to my youngest!




Today my youngest turns 14! Scariest thing now is also the fact in 2 short months I have to send her off to high school! Where did the time go?! I guess you can look at my blog and tell that June is a busy month for me and my girls!

p.s. this picture was taken over a year ago at the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History! I love that particular museum! I can't seem to get enough time there!

Good Things

Remember the summers when you were a child and it was hot - all you wanted was a popsicle?! That was the first thing I thought of when I saw these popsicles! Yummmy! I have always loved the grape ones the best though! I made this card to mail to my DSS - I hope it makes her smile!

I used the SU tag punch, small ribbon punch (sticks), both large and small oval punches, old SU paper for the background,and some scraps I had laying around (I really have to use them up!) I also used the magic marker technique to get the words "good things" from another stamp. This is a technique I'll be showing this weekend at a party! I can't wait!

Happy Birthday!

The beautiful girl in the picture is my oldest daughter! She turned 22 years old yesterday! I couldn't give her a party since we live in different states right now so, I'll celebrate with whoever reads my blog today!

Happy Birthday Jessica

Longer Days...Shorter Weeks?!!

How exactly does that work?! If my days seem longer how does that make my week shorter?! It's the end of the school year and everyone is getting pulled in a million different directions! Winding up and winding down all at the same time, learning a new job (at least trying to....) and training with my husband, the marathon runner (or at least trying to) makes my time fly by way toooo fast! I'm up at 4:30 and falling asleep after 8:00 - gee I wonder why! LOL! Anyway, since I haven't had time to make AND post anything lately I thought I would share a picture of one of my quilts! It's a favorite of mine and one I won 1st place for applique and 3D elements! I love the little birds, I love beads (they're on the leaves in the corners), I love to sew (too!) so this combined all of them! It hangs on the wall in my kitchen so I can just look at it any time I want to! LOL!



I hope you like it too!

Covered Notebooks

I have seen lots of covered notebooks, most with the spiral binding on them! I couldn't figure out how they got the paper in between the spirals and for it to look so good! Well, this is a "duh moment" here but, thanks to my awesome "upline" Nancy, I "got it" now! I made a covered notebook to give to a friend of mine. I practiced my watercolors, okay I tried watercoloring for the first time! LOVED IT! I used the SU watercolor pens and they are SOOO easy to use! I also used some SU "Dazzling Diamonds" in the center of the flower! Take a look!

Here are 3 of them in their different phases - 1- as I purchased it, 2 - with the cover "removed", and 3 - then all done!



Here is a close up of the final notebook! I used some pretty paper from Michael's, and two different stamp sets. The flower and bee are from a retiring set called "In Full Bloom" and "Heartfelt Thanks" for the word.



I love how the notebook turned out and will probably have a class on it soon! The neat punch I used also came from SU. The punch, along with the "In Full Bloom" stamp set are part of a retiring list of items of Stampin Up - if you're interested don't hesitate to call me to order it - soon!

Secret Sister

I have always wanted a sister, have had some really good friends who came close (one in particular) so I joined a group on-line to make a new one! Yesterday, after another long day at work where I swear if you could swim in paper, I was for sure, I got a box from my wonderful "sister"! She is awesome and it's as if she knew me personally! Look at the "goodies" she sent me!

Here is the outside - see the "quilted" print paper she used! It's from SU and is going to be part of their new paper line! How exciting!



Here's the "goodies" on the inside! My daughter literally snatched the puffy paint from me when she saw it! If I know that little rascal she already has plans for it!



Am I a lucky sister or what?!! Thanks Big Sis!