just the way it goes...

Happy Friday Blog Friends!!

Today's post is really late, but better late than never right??

I wanted to use my new stamp set from Ali Edwards, called Hello Routine.  I liked this sentiment, because sometimes all you can do is say "that is just the way it goes" I think it makes a great encouragement card!  I also think this stamp set will be awesome to use with my Project Life album (which is still sitting in the box), I am hoping I can get motivated to print off all my photos from 2011.  I did the same thing last year, you can read about it  HERE. 

You may remember me posting a few months back about my new job, where I was able to work from home a few days a week, well...As much as I LOVED working from home, I was offered a new position that I think is going to be a great fit for me (I will def miss my yoga pants dress code!!).  It will be 40 hours per week (with every other Friday off *woot*).  I am excited about what is in store from me!!  This week I am wrapping up everything for my old office and anticipate my first day on 4/30 at my new office.  And if you know me...I will have pic's of my work space :)

Tomorrow Ashley and I are headed to her high school BFF's bridal shower in Scottsdale!!  It should be lots of fun~it is HERE  (wondering if we need a designated driver, LOL!!). 

Enjoy the weekend!!!

dahlia friend...

Happy Middle of the Week Day!!  I hope your week is off to a great start!! I am so excited to have another post up today~woot!! I think that means that things are getting back to normal around here (whatever normal is!).  

Is anyone doing Ali Edwards "A week in the Life" 2012?  Every year I always talk myself out of participating, and then kick myself after I see all the fun shots everyone else is posting on her blog.  This year I am going to try and give it a shot (last year I did a Day In the Life, you can see that post HERE).  Even if I don't finish the entire week, I think it is a great way to document ordinary, everyday life.  If I get super motivated, I may even post some pic's on the ole blog.

Okay, on to the stamping:  

I pulled out my Delightful Dahlia set and whipped up this simple card over the weekend.  I really like the giant flower popped up with a pop dot!! And I have just the friend in mind who I am going to send it to!!

Enjoy Today!!!

lets get together for coffee....

Happy Friday FRIENDS!!

Just poppin' in with a card for you today!!  I really LOVE this coffee stamp set!!  so STINKIN' cute!!  

Do you have any fun plans for the weekend??  I have a few fun things going on that I will post about next week!!

Enjoy Today!!

lets get together...

I had a few moments to play with my new stamp set.  When I saw this set last month at PTI, I knew I HAD to have it!!

 Enjoy today!!

friend banner....

Happy Thursday!!

How is your week going?  I cannot believe it is already Thursday!!  It is amazing how fast the week goes by when Monday is a holiday!! LOL!!

I was inspired (and pretty much cased) THIS card by Kristina.  I really LOVE all the banner cards and scrapbook pages I am finding Pinterest. Here is my version made with some retired SU! Designer paper and some PTI stamps. 

And here is a little trick to make your banners (which I also found on Pinterest, original link HERE)!! 

   

 Enjoy Today!!

sending warm thoughts...

Hi Friends!

I hope your week is off to a wonderful start!!  I have a quick post for you today.  

Today's card was inspired by Maile's recent PTI release card HERE. I like LOVE her minimalist stamping style, it is so clean and pretty!!  Here is my version using Warm Happiness 2.

I have been busy organizing~which always makes me feel soooo good!!  Something about getting rid of stuff that you no longer need or use; makes me feel lighter and much more relaxed!!  I think that may be my OCD talking, *wink*  

I have been organizing my closet, dresser, under the bed (lots of scrapbook supplies under there, LOL!).  

Every time I get a new shirt/sweater/pants/jacket/etc, it always comes with an extra button, I have gotten into the habit of just throwing them in a drawer in my dresser, well that drawer was starting to become a little unmanageable!!  I decided to cut open all the little zip lock baggies and add those buttons to my stash!!  I seriously have never used one of these buttons in over a year, so I think it is safe to say, they are fair game for my cards!!!  

And I think they look so much prettier stored in a mason jar!!

Enjoy Today!!

InLinkz.com

for a friend...

Hi all~
Are you ready for a long weekend (well, all my USA peeps). I LOVE long weekends!!! Not sure what I will do with all my "weekend" time, but I hope to get some time in my craft studio :) Lots of stuff going on in my brain (which can be quite dangerous, LOL!!). I really wanted to paint my kitchen/family room this weekend, but my hubby does not share the same excitement that I do about taking on that project (I will keep working him, LOL!).

Last night I had a few moments to make a card for a friend. I pulled out my Life stamp set (which needed some dusting off), I forgot how much I love the images in this set!! I am still on my "less is more" kick, so it is another CAS (clean and simple) card for today.




Well, that is about it for the chit chat today~ta ta for now!!!



Enjoy today and the weekend!!!

better late than never...

Hi all, sorry I am late with my post!! Last night I ended up spending some time with my hubby watching this show, and was too tired to finish my post.

Yesterday was a stressful day!! It all started out pretty normal, until I grabbed my purse to go to work; it felt lighter than normal. So I looked inside and didn't see my wallet *insert sick feeling here*. I checked next to the computer (sometimes I leave it there if I purchase something online~which I did not), and it wasn't there. Well, I didn't really have time to search for it or I would be late for work. I called Mike in a panic. He asked me what I did yesterday....I went to work and picked up a few things at Walmart...so he suggested I call Walmart to see if it was turned it (which I highly doubted, but figured I would give it a shot). At this point I am remembering that I had lots of Christmas gift cards and the $$ Josh gave me to pay for his insurance in there (which made me even more sick to my stomach!!). Since I go to work at 7am, I had a hard time getting a hold of Walmart's customer service. Finally at 8am I talked to someone and they said they would check for me. After 5 LONG minutes on hold~they said they had it!!! I almost screamed with delight!! I asked if they could tell me if there was $$ inside, and they said they could not go through it...but either way, I was just glad my wallet was found!! Once Ashley came into work at 9:30 I drove over to Walmart to pick it up~can you believe that EVERYTHING was still inside?? I was delighted!! I asked the manager who turned it in~and she said a cashier found it. I wanted to leave her a $$ reward, but they would not let me (against store policy)~and unfortunately I can not remember who the cashier was that checked me out on Wednesday (cause I would have gone back to give her something~I am a rebel like that, LOL!). I told them to make sure they told her how grateful I was!! I always think the worst~and I thought for sure that my credit cards/cash/gift cards would all be missing, but to my surprise, there are still honest people in the world!! Thank you honest person for turning in my wallet!!!

I have reconnected with several of my friends from high school on Facebook, which I think is so cool!! I love that I can stay connected with that part of my past. One of my friends from way back, just lost her mom this week. I immediately sent her a message and asked her for her address (in a non stalker way, LOL!), so I could mail her a card. Sympathy cards are not fun to make, but here is what I came up with for my friend Christin.



I don't know about you, but I am so glad it is Friday!! Enjoy your weekend!!

been thinking about my friend...

Hi all...
How is your week going? I am so glad that this week is another short work week for me; I am exhausted/drained from the holidays!! Monday was really rough getting up early for work (I fell asleep on the couch when I came home, LOL!); It is also especially hard, since Mike has this entire week off. Today is my last day of work for this week *woot* then Thursday and Friday Mike and I are going to do some major organizing in the garage (I know it is very disturbing that this gets me excited)!! My OCD is showing, I know. Mike is also planning on turning our hall closet into a pantry for me (hooray!!). I get so frustrated trying to put away all my stuff from Costco in my "little" kitchen cupboards; I am going to order some of these (which really make me happy!!). I will post before and after photos~hopefully my hubs will start the project today (since it is suppose to rain all day).

Here is a quick project I made for the Hospitality Teams at church (which I am currently in charge of). I totally copied them from Nancy (since they were so super cute??). I can see more of these spice jars in my crafting future...I am thinking Valentine's Day!!





On a more somber note...
My very dear friend, Cindy, lost her best friend and husband, Mark, on Christmas Eve. Mike got the call early on Friday morning, and I just sat in disbelief that entire morning (and most of the day). While we know that Mark is now in heaven and no longer suffering~it is still hard for all the people he left behind. I cannot even imagine what my friend is experiencing!! Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers, as she makes arrangements this week for the funeral. Big Hugs to you Cindy!!!

lacey card and "hershey"

Happy HAPPY Friday!!!
Thanks so much for the name suggestions for Ashley's little doggie.

I think they have finally decided on a name after much deliberation. Nate wanted to name him chewbakka,"chewy" for short...and Ashley like Oliver "ollie" for short. But since they were both pretty firm on their name suggestions, they decided to throw out both of those names and call him "Hershey" since he is like a little Hershey Kiss, LOL!!! He is the sweetest little dog ever!!! I seriously may go over and dog-nap him today!!!

He got all fixed up at the groomers on Wednesday, so of course I went over to Ashley's house to see what he looked like...TOO CUTE!!! I snapped a few photos of "Hershey" with Ashley's camera (so she could post his new haircut on Facebook), and Ashley took a few of me with the cutie pa~tootie!! Here we are posing for the camera :)



Ok, now onto the stamping:
I have been wanting to pick up some of these doilies forever and always forgot!!! I just so happened to walk down the cake decorating aisle and saw them~woot woot! So in my basket they went!!! I pulled out my Delightful Dahlia stamp set and Die and went to work. The doilies add such a nice lacey touch~really pretty!!! I ran my Creamy Carmel ink pad over it to give it more of and antiqued look. They were lots of fun to work with~ and I am sure there will be more doily posts in the future, LOL!!



I was too tired last night to photograph my non stamping craft projects...so Monday will be the day to show them off, LOL!!!

Do you have exciting plans for the weekend?? I downloaded a bunch of stuff from this website, since I signed up for the free trial lesson last week (it included lots of PF files to download and print). From what I saw in the first lesson, the class looked pretty awesome!!! But I just could not justify spending $65 on the course right now (since I am in FPU).

This weekend I hope to put together a Christmas Planning binder that will hopefully get my hiney in motion for this years festivities!!! You can read Aby's article for getting organized for the holidays here.

Ok Friends~have a Marvelous weekend!!!

precious and few...

Hi all...
I finally got my card photographed, edited and uploaded :) for my Wednesday post~woot woot!!

Of course I had to use the Clean & Simple weekly sketch (I am seriously lovin' them at the moment!!).



Ok~I am off to do some vacuuming, unload the dishwasher and maybe take a little nap with my favorite doggie, Kodi *smile*

Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday!!!
Happy Stamping!!!

Supplies used (PTI unless noted): Beautiful Blooms 2/Blooming Button Bits/Remember stamp sets; Melon Berry/Kraft/Spring Moss/White Cardstock; Melon Berry/Close to Cocoa (SU!)/Spring Moss ink; Beautiful Blooms Dies; Ric Rac Die; Dark Chocolate Button; Twine

another clean & simple sketch...

Hi all!!

Well I was excited to see that y'all are interested in my Menu Monday idea~I hope I don't disappoint!!! I figure if I am doing the work, why not share it??

Last night Mike and I attended our first week (of 13) of Financial Peace University. If you have never heard of Dave Ramsey...he is a great speaker and teacher on getting out of debt and saving for the future. I was very scared when I saw he used an example of buying fancy coffee, cause I like to get my Starbucks fix every so often, LOL!!! Mike assured me that we would budget for my 1-2 weekly SB fix (gotta love that guy!!!), I hope he is that generous with my stamp and camera fund, LOL!!! I am sure I will be blogging about the experience as the weeks go by, so stay tuned *wink*

I used the C&S sketch for today's card ( I think I am getting addicted to their challenges!!), they are so great if you just need a starting point...which is usually the case when I sit down at my craft table~then once I get a card done, the creative juices start to flow (most of the time).

Today I am taking 5 cards with me to work, along with my address book then I am picking 5 friends to encourage this week! I don't know about you, but sometimes life gets so crazy that I forget to let others know I am thinking about them.



Have a wonderful Wednesday Friends!!!

Supplies used (PTI unless noted): Delightful Dahlia/French Script Background (SU!); Raspberry Fizz/Dark Chocolate/White cardstock; Fresh Snow/Raspberry Fizz/Choc Chip (SU!) ink; EK Success Edge Punch; Raspberry Fizz Grosgrain Ribbon; White Button; Twine; Stardust Stickles (unknown)

bye bye weekend...

Hi all, can you believe it is already Monday again??? I hope you had a great weekend!!! I don't know about you, but I usually jam way too much stuff into mine and then once Monday rolls around I am exhausted!!! I am def gonna try to plan on having a "nothing to do weekend" really soon!!!

Mike was supposed to go to a Cardinal's game on Saturday night, so I was all prepared to stamp the night away~but his plans changed (being in the ministry is sometimes like that!!), so I got a little side tracked, LOL!! I did some shopping at Michael's with Ashley...she was trying to use up a gift card (she is not really that crafty, but she found some cute items that I think she might blog about this week~so I won't spoil the surprise). I had my 40% off coupon and decided to buy some vinyl wall art (gonna let my perfectionist measuring hubby put it up for me)~will post once it gets up on the wall.

So Sunday I had a few moments to stamp and decided to do the Clean & Simple sketch (since I wasn't feeling the creative mojo). I have to say~it never disappoints!! I had a card made for the old blog in about 10 minutes (it took me longer to clean up my craft table, LOL!!).



And I did get some camera time in (not like I had planned), since Josh was not really excited about a photo shoot~I took Kodi outside and snapped a few photos (let me just say, he is not very cooperative)~this is the view I got most of the time, LOL!!!



I was calling his name a million times trying to get his attention~my neighbors were probably wondering what the heck I was doing, LOL!!! Finally I got him to look at me~sort of ;) Crazy Doggie!!!



Enjoy today!!

Card Supplies (PTI unless noted): On My Couch stamp set; Spring Moss/Dark Choc/White cardstock; PTI Dies; Spring Moss/Choc Chip (SU!) ink; Melon Berry Dotted Satin Ribbon; Melon Berry Button; Twine

Felt Flowers...

Happy Friday!!! I am so happy to have the weekend ahead of me~such a great feeling!!! Lots to do, but still a great feeling!!

I have been seeing lots of cards lately with felt embellishments and decided to give it a whirl, and I have to say, that I LOVE IT!! The PTI felt is so nice, and great to work with!!! So more colors are now added to my ever growing "want list"

*note~ever since I have been using my new LED screens my colors have been kind of wonky~things look great on my monitor, but when I upload to Flickr or the web they look weird, (which is driving me CRAZY!!!). Tonight I am going to pick up this. So glad they are holding one for me ;) I almost didn't post because I think the colors look funky! Hopefully I will be calibrated and in a better mood tonight, LOL!!!


I used this card sketch from the Clean & Simple blog.


ETA~Calibrated Image


Have a super weekend blog friends!!!

Supplies used (PTI unless noted): Delightful Dahlia stamp set; Kraft/Hawaiian Shores/Spring Moss/White cardstock; Choc Chip (SU!) /Ripe Avocado ink; Raspberry Fizz/Hawaiian Shores Felt; White Button; Twine; Raspberry Fizz Grosgrain Ribbon; EK Success edge punch; Beautiful Blooms/Delightful Dahlia Dies

back in business...

Well, I am finally back on my computer~woot woot!! My hubby did a complete overhaul for me (He Rocks!!) I have a new hard drive/Windows 7 (which meant a complete wipe out of everything from my computer (and reload of all files and Programs), since we upgraded from Windows XP/2 new 23 inch LED screens and I am in HEAVEN!!!

I had been without my computer all weekend (which made me realize how dependant (addicted) I am on (to) it, LOL!!!

So since I finally have CS4 re-loaded onto my computer here is my card for Friday's post (very late I might add). I got this color scheme from this post of fashion blog I read everyday (I am not really a Fashion~ista (is that a word), but I like to see her neat wardrobe pairings).

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!!
See ya tomorrow for my usual posting schedule :)

Supplies used: (PTI unless noted) Warm Happiness/Papertrey stamp sets; Enchanted Evening/Scarlett Jewel/White Cardstock; Fresh Snow ink; EK Success Edge Punch; More Mustard Grosgrain Ribbon (SU!); White Button

floral frenzy squared...

TGIF!!! enough said!!!
I am working today...can you believe I worked 5 days in a row (whoa!). I am so blessed to have my Friday's off (I look forward to my day off every week), but sometimes I have to fill in for others who would like a Friday off here and there...LOL!

My son in law, Nate is having his wisdom teeth out today...so if you wouldn't mind saying a little prayer for him, I am sure he would appreciate it (he is a little nervous). Ashley had it done a few years ago, and we realized how sensitive to medications she is, especially anesthesia. Hopefully it will be uneventful for Nate!

We are also going to celebrate Josh's birthday on Sunday (his actual birthday 5/9), I can hardly believe that he is going to be 21!!! Where did the time go?? I am certainly not getting any older, ha ha! His birthday is always on or around Mother's Day, which is kinda neat I think!!

For today's card I pulled out my Floral Frenzy stamp set, and my square punch! It is a pretty quick and easy card~my favorite kind!! Of course no card is complete without some ribbon and buttons!




Thanks for popping in! Have a Fantastic weekend!! And if you are a mom~Happy Mom's Day!

Supplies used (PTI unless noted): Floral Frenzy stamp set; Kraft/Dark Chocolate/Berry Sorbet/White cardstock; Berry Sorbet/Fresh Snow ink; Berry Sorbet Grosgrain Ribbon; Dark Chocolate Buttons; Twine; Square Punches (SU!)

like you a latte...

Happy February Friends...
Hope your weekend was fabulous! Mike and I never did make it to the movies...but we did buy a Pay Per View movie Saturday night. We watched this, it was OK...I had heard pretty good reviews, but IMO it was pretty slow and boring. Glad we only paid $5.99 to see it, LOL!

I finished my editing session and will post a link to my Flickr set, in a day or two (after the recipient receives their images), and you can see what has been keeping me so busy the past few weeks. I was so thrilled to finally play in my craft room without photo editing hanging over my head, LOL! Check out my mess from Saturday afternoon.

I start my Phaunt U class today~and I am super excited!!! I just love learning new stuff for Photoshop CS4. I am sure I will ramble about it over the next few weeks :)

Enough rambling for today, huh? I whipped up this little cutie with one of my favorite sets Warm Happiness (from PTI of course). A really quick and simple card.



Enjoy today!

Supplies used (PTI unless noted): Warm Happiness/Coffee Cafe (The Paper Company); Dark Chocolate/White cardstock; Raspberry Fizz/Fresh Snow/Choc Chip (SU!) ink; Cutie Pie Designer Paper (retired SU!); Raspberry Fizz Grosgrain Ribbon; Dark Chocolate Vintage Button; Twine

bright & cheery card for a rainy AZ day...

Happy Friday to you blog friends!!! I hope you had a marvelous week, it is getting even better now that today is Friday, LOL!

We have been getting buckets of rain here in Phoenix...I heard on the news yesterday that we were supposed to get 6 inches from this storm (that may not sound like a lot, but in the desert that is tons!!! I think it is more rain than we got all last year~now that is crazy! I do have to say, that I am glad it isn't snow!).

I am still plugging away with my last photo session and will hopefully finish it up this weekend (or next weekend at the latest). I will post once I mail the CD to the family.

Here is a bright and cheery card for a rainy AZ day...
I used my Blooming Button Bits again for this card...I seriously need a 12 step program for my button addiction, LOL!



Enjoy today~and stay dry if you are in AZ :)

Supplies Used (PTI unless noted): Blooming Button Bits stamp set; Orange Zest/Ripe Avocado/Sweet Blush/Dark Chocolate cardstock; Orange Zest/Hibiscus Burst/Ripe Avocado/Choc Chip (SU!) ink; Vintage Buttons; Orange Zest Bitty Dotted Satin Ribbon; Twine; Scallop Edge Punch (SU!)

yummy coffee...

Hi my blog friends...



I pulled out my Warm Happiness stamp set the other day (I had to have this set because...I LOVE my coffee!!!) and forgot how much I enjoy these mugs *smile* And just in case you didn't hear...Starbucks now has their red cups back~and that means peppermint mocha time, YUM!!! I was actually thinking of mixing two of my fav's together this season...white chocolate mocha and peppermint mocha~sounds DELISH!!!

I finally finished editing the family session Josh and I did a week ago (boy, it took me forever!!!), I spent most of my day off finshing them...but I was happy with the images...I hope they are too!!! You can see them here.

I hope you have a terrific Wednesday!!! The weekend is near :)

Supplies used (PTI unless noted): Warm Happiness stamp set; Enchanted Evening/Dark Chocolate/Whisper White (SU!) cardstock; Enchanted Evening/Fresh Snow/Choc Chip Ink; Enchanted Evening Double stitched ribbon; Button (unknown); Twine; Corner Rounder Punch (SU!)

sending a smile...

TGIF!!!
Happy Friday my blog friends...do you have any thing exciting planned for the weekend? Today I am doing a newborn photo shoot (really excited~hope it goes well, as babies can be a little unpredictable). I also have some Papertrey goodies on the way *woot woot* (didn't order any of the new release stuff yet, because I am still trying to decide).

I used my Everyday Button Bits for this card (have I mentioned before how much I love this set, LOL!!!). I was really happy with the color combo as well really soft and pretty. I stamped the flower in Summer Sunrise ink, using my Text Box set, onto Lemon Tart Cardstock...I just love stamping my own patterned paper :)



Don't forget to remember your boss today...it is Boss Day...I packaged up my gifts and delivered them to the office last night after everyone had gone home...(since I have today off) and totally forgot to take a picture of them for my blog *sigh* I'll see if Ashley can take a picture with her Blackberry today and email it to me, LOL!

Have a great weekend!!!

Supplies used (PTI unless noted): Everyday Button Bits/Text Box stamp sets; Whisper White (SU!)/Lemon Tart/New Leaf cardstock; Choc Chip (SU!)/Summer Sun (SU!)/New Leaf ink; Corner Punch (SU!); Vintage Buttons; Twine (SU!); Berry Sorbet Grosgrain Ribbon; Brad (Memory Makers)