Vegas & Racing for the Cure

I'm leaving bright and early tomorrow morning to go back home to Las Vegas, NV to see my family and friends and to do the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.

This will be the 3rd time that I've done the race with my mom and it's always an uplifting and emotional experience. So many people gathered for such a singular purpose...to "help save lives and end breast cancer".

I don't run (THAT would be funny!) but I do the 5k walk. I even looked into doing the 3-day walk here in the Bay Area, but my health isn't that great and they make you have health insurance and raise a bunch of money just to participate, so that one's out. Maybe someday.

It'll be great to be home again. And it'll feel wonderful to be participating in such a worthy cause. I'm all packed up and ready to go and I even hope to make a few cards this afternoon before I leave. How's that for feeling inspired?

Please click here for more information on a Race for the Cure near you: Find a Race for the Cure

Have a great day!

Mother's Day Made Easy

So. I have been wanting to make a Mother's Day card, right? But I didn't want to go too overboard. And, even though, I just made 2 on Friday at my SU! Demonstrators house...I just wasn't "feeling" them, the way I had hoped. I guess they weren't personal enough for me. So I really wanted to make another one or two. Here's how my "thinking" process sometimes goes:

I was at JoAnn's looking for some red embossing powder and I found this paper from Die Cuts with a View and thought I just HAD to make a Mother's Day card with it, so that part really worked out. I bought 4 pieces of paper. The DCWAV paper, a Polka Dot paper that matched it perfectly, a textured green paper, and a shimmer pink paper. And, ALL of it on sale. Perfect! I even found a pretty "Happy Mother's Day" sentiment stamp there for 40% off. Then, since I still needed that red embossing powder, I asked my boyfriend to take me to Michael's (which he did, reluctantly), but while I was there I found ribbon that matched perfectly. Woo-hoo!

Here's the result:



and the inside:



I'm giving this one to Eddy to give to his mom since it says "Madre" on it. :)

Happy early Mother's Day to all of you moms out there.

{Supplies: Ink: Inside sentiment - Pink Pirouette, outside sentiment - kiwi kiss. Paper: Various (unknown), DCWAV, SU! - Regal Rose, Whisper White. Diecutting - Spellbinders Nestabilities, petite ovals. Inside embossing - Cuttlebug. Ribbon - Michael's. Sentiment - Hero Arts.}

Paper Temptress!!

Paper, paper, everywhere paper! What's a paper addict like myself to do? Go to www.papertemptress.com , of course. It's a wonderful site run by Patricia Dunbar, a fabulous Bay Area woman who understands the needs of papercrafters and card-makers everywhere!!

I've added links to her blog over there <------ and her site over there ------> so please check them out. She really has the most glorious paper you've EVER seen. If you want samples of what kinds of gorgeous creations can be made with this stunning paper, just click the link to Melanie's stamps (also to the right) and she makes a bunch of her cards with paper from Paper Temptress.

Check her out! Great deals and a really nice woman, too!! :)

Suddenly you were gone...

This will not be a crafty or card-related post today. After reading this I hope you will understand:

I found out today that an old friend passed away from a heart attack. His name, William Grizzle. To his friends, Grizz (or Bill). Grizz was a kind, caring, soulful man. He had his mind wrapped around so many things that many of us thought were far-fetched and outlandish. He had some strange ideas at times, but he always loved his friends.

He would have been turning 60 years old on the 26th of this month. And it's still uncertain whether he passed away on Easter Sunday or Monday. I just hope that he is at peace. And that he knows how VERY much he is missed.

To share a line from the song "Afterimage" by Rush:

Suddenly, you were gone
From all the lives you left your mark upon

I'll probably cry a few more tears and then I want to celebrate the man I knew. For all his craziness, whackiness, kind-heartedness, and zest for life.

I miss you, Grizz. Godspeed.

Cards, cards, cards!!

Eddy and I made it to AND from Illinois safely. We had a really wonderful time with family. They looooved Eddy. And Grandma was (*gasp*) on her best behavior. I even made it to Hobby Lobby which made me drool. Sure wish we had one of those out here in CA!! It was a fun trip and I git to see my sis, which was the bestest!! ♥ I miss her so much.

So we got back on a Tuesday or something and I had to get busy because Stamp Club was at MY house the following Sunday. Yikes! But we had a blast and made a super cute magazine-style card holder & Easter card. (no pics of those, though...oops!) I also had to make a birthday card for Eddy's sister, Gloria, and I wanted to make a "Thank You for your Hospitality"-type card for my Aunt & Uncle for everything they did for us while we were visiting.

Here's the pic for Eddy's sister's card:



Supplies: SU - Naturals White, Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss and Chocolate Chip cardstock, Chocolate Chip pigment ink, Loads of Love (flowers), Poppin' Pastels (assorted colors), Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon. Cuttlebug - Divine Swirl. Making Memories mini-brads. Designer Paper - Basic Grey, Urban Prairie Collection. Oh...sentiment is from SU's Crazy for Cupcakes. Spellbinders Nestabilities to cut & emboss the layers of the sentiment.

AND...the pic of the Hospitality card:



Supplies: SU - So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Perfect Plum cardstock; So Saffron grosgrain ribbon. Gina K Designs - Wreath of Wishes set (wreath & sentiment) and Pure Luxury base weight white cardstock. Spellbinders Nestabilities to cut & emboss the small circle for the sentiment. Purple ribbon - Michael's. Cuttlebug - Swiss Dots. Making Memories - mini-brads. Background stamp - Bold Flourish by Hero Arts.

I also mentioned making a card for my dear friend, Kristy, for her birthday but I didn't want her to see the card before she received it. Here's the pic of that one, too:



Supplies: SU - Certainly Celery, Pale Plum, Vellum Cardstock; black embossing powder; sentiment from SU Three Thoughts. Versamark by Tsukineko. Designer Paper (and brads) - Basic Grey, Eva Collection. Eyelets - Making Memories. Ribbon - Michael's. Vellum cardstock was cut & embossed using Spellbinders Nestabilities.

I'm working on more cards right now, too. For my aesthetician. There is a remote possibility that she may want to use some as "Thank you"'s for clients. So, I'm going to give her samples of what I can do and how I can personalize them for her. That'd be cool if it works, but everyone has different tastes...we'll see.

Gotta get back to work...