Blog Hop, Blog Hop...CARDS FOR HEROES...Blog hop!!!

Welcome to the Cards for Heroes Blog Hop! If you get lost or need to link back, please click here: Cards for Heroes

Cards for Heroes is a wonderful organization that sends blank handmade cards for our servicemen AND women who are deployed far from home to write home on...what a gift! Please check out their website for a way that you can give by donating your own gift of talent or a monetary donation (if feasible).

Here is my contribution for the hop:




(recipe at the end of the blog...)


I am sooo excited to be participating in this. If any of you know me (which most of you won't since I'm not much of a "self-promoter") I am a disabled veteran from the United States Air Force. I joined the USAF waaaay back in 1987 (yes, I AM aging myself) and was in during the first Desert Storm conflict. I did not "go over" because by that time I was already sick. I loved every second of my time in the service. And, when asked if I would do it again (sign up to join the military, that is) even knowing my outcome...I would do it again in a heartbeat.

My father was in the AF and my sister was in, too. We were just one big happy Air Force family!! :) and we fully support our country and those fighting to protect, honor, and serve her. THAT'S why Memorial Day means so much to me and why Cards for Heroes has really hit home with me. It's so important not to let those who are now in the position of looking after this great nation of ours know that we are not forgetting them.

Thanks for "hopping" by my blog today. (((hugs)) to you all! I hope you liked the card I made for this special occasion and I hope you checked out some of the others I've made, too (although I've been slacking lately...oops!).

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!!

On to the next blog:
Jan's ART FRIENDZY (<----- click here!, click here! ) Lots of beautiful cards to be seen here so you don't want to miss out. Super, duper cute Inchie cards...WOW! And make sure you scroll down to see her fabulous-o Copic pen holder. I don't have enough Copics for one of those...yet. (If that link doesn't work for any reason, please use this link: http://artfriendzy.blogspot.com/2009/05/get-involvedcards-for-heroes-everyone.html)

(*Edited - all links updated for the end of the blog hop so that you can still access Jan's CFH blog hop post.)




{Recipe for this card:
cardstock base: SU! Riding hood Red (also used for corner punches which were done with Paper Shapers, Photo Corners Fancy.), SU! basic black used to mat the photo. DP is from freedigitalscrapbooking.com or go here for the FULL link to the patriotic paper : http://tinyurl.com/plqzr3 . The "Land of Free..." was typed in MS Word, then cut and embossed using Nesties Ribbon Tags Trio, and the ribbon is Navy Organza from Michael's. The photo I snagged from Google Images (credit goes here: http://tinyurl.com/qgxuwg ). The Scor-Bug was used to make a tiny little border on the "stars" paper and I then used my Sakura Gelly Roll White Pen to connect them to try to make it look sewn or stitched. Oh...and the black brads are from Making Memories. I think that covers it! :) Whew! }

Cards for Heroes, Blog Hop!

Okay, I've never done anything like this before but when I got "added" by this wonderful, WONDERFUL organization from Twitter (of all places) I just knew that I had to take part in this.

The organization is called Cards for Heroes, and they send out cards for our servicemen and women who are serving our country all around the world away from their loved ones. My jaw dropped and my eyes welled-up with emotion when I found out what they do and I knew I had to take part.

They are having a "Blog Hop" on Saturday, the 23rd and for those that sign up you simply get linked from one blog to the next. You just hop from one blog to the next during the day. Of course, you DO need to make a patriotic/Memorial Day themed card to keep in the spirit of things.

I'm looking forward to participating and can't wait to do more for this very worthy group!

Most Beautiful Paper!

So, I finally got off my duff and placed an order with Paper Temptress (links, blinkies, all over my blog). I had a really hard time deciding what I needed, though, right? Well, Patricia is just amazing. I shoot her an e-mail and just a few minutes later she replies and tries her best to help me make an educated decision on what to order.

Now, let me just say say that Paper Temptress is running TONS of specials right now so now is a great time to order all kinds of specialty cardstock, too. Leathers, metallics...just beautiful paper. I knew I had to get in on this!!!

I had my order placed and because she lives so close the order was shipped yesterday and I had it TODAY!!! Woo-hooooooo!! *happy, happy, joy, joy* There are absolutely no words though for how beautiful this paper is in person, however. It is just gorgeous.

I highly, HIGHLY recommend ordering specialty cardstock and text-weight paper from Paper Temptress. It's not ALL "specialty", but I love the metallics, iridescents, "leathers", lustres, etc. There are many other varieties to fall in love with, as well. If you make cards...PLEASE check out her website!! You won't be sorry.

Oh yeah...and for all you Mom's? (Even though I'm not one.) HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

So far behind...

Oh my goodness...I feel like I haven't made a card in forever! And I haven't blogged in a while, too.

I just got back from my trip to see my family and do the Race for the Cure (17,000 attendees!) and now I'm getting ready to go on another camping trip (to Sunset State Beach) and then my mom comes out...ONE day later. Not much rest, but I can't wait for her to spend some time with us.

I really need to get working on some cards, though. The good news is that there are TONS of specials going on all over the place! Yay! Paper Temptress has some good ones (check out the new blinkie down there to the left) and I found a fabulous scrapbook store in Las Vegas while I was home that gave some really wonderful discounts, too, Scrappin' Time. Really beautiful store!! If you're ever in the SE/Henderson area of Las Vegas I highly recommend it.

Oh, yeah...and I've started Twittering! Can you believe it? Not sure what I think of it yet. Seems like a pure waste of time so far, but maybe it'll grow on me. Ha!

Happy Spring!

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...

Travelin'

I'm heading off to Illinois to see family tomorrow. I'll get to see my sister who will be flying in from Germany, so I'm super excited for that! Yay!! ♥ And, I look forward to seeing the cousins, their families and my Aunt & Uncle who all live out there, as well. But, I'll also have to see my Grandmother. She's not the nicest woman in the world and it makes it tough to be around her.

The whole reason we're getting together is for her 90th birthday "celebration". What a hoot! Sorry to sound so cynical. She's made my life quite difficult at times. In fact, I made Easter cards to bring to the family, but she won't be getting one. Why? Because she's the type of person who'd say, "What? You couldn't afford to buy me a nice card?" instead of appreciating all the effort the goes into making one for her.

So...I made some Easter cards. They turned out to be much harder than I expected. Quite labor intensive. AND...I made a card for my dear friend Kristy in Canada who's having a birthday on the 3rd of April. But, I'm NOT posting pics...nope. Sorry! I can't have Kristy seeing her card before her b-day now, can I? And, as far as the Easter card goes, well, I got the entire idea from the wonderfully talented Gina K (of Gina K Designs). If you want to see (basically) what my card looks like, check out a link to HER card which is the original and should receive the credit. Gina K Easter Card

See ya when I get back and wish me luck!

¡Ay Caramba!

Just made my very first card in Spanish. :) But, let me tell ya this card gave me grief. I have no Spanish-language stamps so I figured, no problem, I'll just use my Justrite block and letters and I'll make my own, right? HA! I don't have all the necessary squiggles, wavy lines and accents necessary to make it "right".

I did so much research trying to find the correct way to simply say "celebrate" in Spanish that my eyes were crossed. After about an hour I still didn't know how to say (or stamp) it correctly that I just texted my boyfriend and asked him. (I should've done that at the beginning!)

Here's the result... and please forgive my lopsided "¡" :



So, my supplies... Paper: SU! Chocolate Chip, So Saffron, Whisper White, & Windsor Knot DP. Ribbon: SU! Sage Shadow. Brads: Making Memories. Ink: SU! Chocolate Chip pigment ink and Tsukineko Versamark. Stamp: SU! Stitched Exotics. Embossing: Cuttlebug Distressed Stripes.

I didn't take a picture of the inside of this card (I hardly ever do), but I did manage to stamp "Feliz Cumpleaños" inside of it. I had to handwrite the tilde (~) but it looked okay. As long as Eddy's dad likes it...I'll be happy. :)

New pics!

So...I finally decided to upload some more pics of cards that I made. I don't know why it takes me so long. So sorry. I always want to...just seem to put it on the back burner, then I have so many to upload. Ugh.

The first one is of an Anniversary card I made for my folks. They'll be celebrating 46 years together on March 14th!! Isn't that awesome? I think so. The card is a bit feminine, hopefully my dad won't mind. :)



There's so many elements to this card, I don't know where to begin. All of the CS is Stampin' Up except for the pinky looking piece, which is from the Porcelain collection by Basic Grey. The rose is also from Basic Grey, Porcelain. The sentiment stamp is Inkadinkado and the ribbon is SU. Oh, yeah...brads are MM. Also used my Cuttlebug and did some sponging and used pink Stickles on the rose. (I also used Nestabilities Label 1 and Standard Circles for my shapes.)

Made this cute Hedgehog Thank You card last week for my dear friend, Heidi. She hasn't even seen it yet!!! I thought I'd be able to give it to her last week at our Stamp-A-Stack, but I didn't see her. Boo-hoo! So, I'm going to mail it, but she may see it here now 1st. ;)



Everything except the brads on this card is Stampin' Up!. The stamp set is Fun & Fast Notes, as is the wheel (on the Kraft paper). The ribbon (certainly celery) and the DP is from the SAB catalog. I colored in the little guy using my watercolor wonder crayons. Turned out cute!

And last, but not least is a birthday card I made for one of my dearest girlfriends. I really like the Crazy for Cupcakes set, but sometimes I wonder if it's "too" cute, you know? I tried to make it a little more sophisticated with toned down/richer paper.




I used some old SU paper that I had from last years in-colors and also some paper from the Bittersweet Collection by Basic Grey (it's just delicious paper!). I embossed the image using Versamark & black embossing powder then colored with the watercolor wonder crayons. The image is stamped onto SU Naturals White (one of my faves). Again, I sponged the edges of the paper and finished with some ribbon that I purchased from Michael's and a few Dew Drops. Voila! (The sentiment on the outside IS embossed and from another set, it just didn't turn out that great.)

I have more birthdays and other celebrations going on this month so I'll be busy, but I'll TRY to be better about posting those pics. :)

Sunshine & Stamping

Hey!

Sunshine!! Wow!! What a concept! I'm so happy to be seeing some breaking through all the rain. Yeah, yeah...I know "we need the rain". But, do we really need it all at once?

Even better, with the sun breaking through the clouds I was able to get out and do some stamping today for our Stamp Club did some "Explosion" cards (pics soon) and we're having a Stamp-A-Stack class tomorrow! How fun!!

Cards, cards, and more cards. And just in time, too. March is a month filled with events for me. Birthdays, anniversaries...all kinds of stuff. So good timing.

I got notified that I messed up my link for my blog from stampTV™. Bummer. But, I just fixed it, so hopefully some of the wonderful stampers, card-makers, and just all-around good peeps from that site will make it over here and give me some critique-ing. (And there's some really talented folks there, too. I may be out of my element. Yikes!)

I'll post my pics from today's class and tomorrow's event, ummm...tomorrow! :) Think for now I'll just enjoy the sun.

New Pics from Field Trip

I completely forgot to post the pics of the cards that I made from the card-making field trip that I went on. Figured better late than never so, I'm posting them today.

The first is a simple note-card/thank you:



I used So Saffron, Kraft, & Naturals White paper, Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon, Sweet Little Sentiments (inside & out), and the Botanical Blooms stamp set all by Stampin' Up!. I also used a piece of Denby Chiffon from the new Porcelain collection by Basic Grey and a few brads by Making Memories.

This next card is a card that could be used for anything. I left the inside blank. Basically, a "Thinking of You" kind of card. It's not one of my favorites, there are mistakes here & there, but I liked the layout a LOT!!, and I liked the basic color scheme:



So Saffron, Naturals White, Delicate Dots DP (SAB), Kraft paper from SU!, Certainly Celery 5/8" grosgrain ribbon (SAB) SU!, Making Memories brads, colored with SU! variety of markers (no idea which ones...I just colored :) ). And, I used Sahara Sand, So Saffron, Bashful Blue, and Certainly Celery inks to stamp the little flowers.

I made multiples of both cards. Just to have on hand. I never seem to have any cards on hand...I need to get better at that.

More card classes this week at Mary's. Yay!! Maybe it'll get my mind off the rain. The non...stop...rain. God, I miss the sun.

Maybe I need to make a sunny card? hahhaha!

stampTV™

Kudos to Gina K for her really wonderful new site, stampTV™!! This is a place for card-makers/crafters and scrapbookers to go and learn from someone who is at the top of their game. Someone who designs and creates for themselves and for profit. Not bad!!

I'm really excited to learn from the tutorials on her site. Don't think I'll do many of the challenges, or post my cards, but that's okay.

Thanks Gina!!

Card-making Field Trip

Had a really fun day. I went with Mary (my Stampin' Up! Demonstrator) and another one of the Stamp Clubbers, Heidi, to Mary's friend Chery's house for a day of friendship and card-making. (Cheryl is also a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator and is Mary's downline.)

It was nice that the weather had changed, the sun was out, and it was a fun group of women getting together and being creative. It's also really fun seeing what kind of creativity comes out in other people.

I always have such a hard time just getting started on a project of any kind. And I loved just watching these women "go"! Paper cutters, inkpads, stamps, ribbon, paper, brads...a little bit of everything everywhere. I learn a lot by just watching the creative process of others.

Thank you to Cheryl for having us in her home. Thank you to Mary for driving and inviting me. And thank you to Heidi for letting me steal her ideas. :) What an amazing bunch of women. I hope we get to do this again. I soooo needed it.

The Queen of Slackers

I can't believe how time has passed since I blogged last. Just unbelievable. I meant to post my pictures of the notecards I made...and didn't. Ugh. So, I'll do that today. I also made 2 cute Valentine's Day cards. I'll post those pics, too.

First up, the notecards that I made:



I really liked, how they turned out and my sister loved them. I used Nestabilities by Spellbinders and JustRite Stampers for the monograms and a variety of papers, ribbons and other embellishments.

The Valentine's Day cards also turned out pretty good, but VERY different. The first one was for my parents:



I used the Loads of Love Stamp set (and Accessories) from Stampin' Up! and all the paper is also SU. I used Prismacolor watercolor pencils to color in the images and then used a SU blender pen to (duh!) blend the color out. I also used my Cuttlebug Distressed Branches embossing folder on the Real Red SU paper for some texture.

My other V-Day card was for my honey. I used paper from Basic Grey (Bittersweet) and a Valentine paper pack from My Mind's Eye, SU in chocolate chip and natural white. I also used Ranger Stickles in Pink and SU hemp twine and some MM copper brads. (I think those are all the supplies, but I'm probably missing something on this one!)



Hope you like them. :)

I also see that I have my FIRST follower to my blog. Sarah...I adore you! Can't wait to get busy on making your cards. xoxoxo

Wishing you all love this weekend...

Been a while...

Didn't realize how long it had been since I posted, but that's what happens when life gets in the way.

I finished a few more card projects...or...just one big one. Depends on how you look at it, I guess. I've been trying to get a monogrammed notecard set (using JustRite Stampers which ROCK!) completed for my sister (who's been patiently waiting for her DVD's of Dancing With the Stars...I don't watch it, just record it). Well, I just finished it today. Yay, me! Just can't believe how long these things take me. :/ I did an odd set of 7 cards since I was going to do 6, then changed it to 8, when I decided upon 8...the 8th one fell apart. So it became 7.

I also did a card for my sis using a cartoon strip that my mom sent me spoofing DWTS from Bizarro. It's pretty weird, but funny. She'll "get" it.

I'll post the pics tomorrow since I'm too tired to do it now and I want to watch the American Idol auditions. hahhahahaa! :D

Tomorrow I spend 3 hours learning more stamping and creative techniques with Mary. I can't wait. I need the help to get more motivated and be more organized when it comes to my cards. That's one place I feel so messy. Hate it.

So pics tomorrow!

Listening Party - RUSH...oh yeah!

Had a great time chatting with some friends last night on a messageboard I belong to. I'm a HUGE Rush fan (music, not the radio talk show weirdo - ugh! - for those of you not in the know) and we try to get together on the occasional Sunday to listen to some Rush and chat.

It was a small group, but fun. A great playlist was put together by GhostWorks (no name...just GhostWorks, hahhaha!) and we listened to the music and talked about nothing and everything.

So today is my shout-out to: Mary, Beth, Justin, Leon, Jim, GW, and anyone else I'm missing. Eddy was on the sidelines, too, just not signed in. Ha!

Always a good time, my friends. And thanks for looking at my cards and for the opinions and comments. I appreciate the input. You all ROCK! \m/

Birthday Cards

I almost forgot to post the cards that I made on the 14th. This one was made for my honey's 40th birthday:



This one was for my friends birthday back in NV:



and this one was for my boyfriend's niece, who (obviously) is turning 11:




Hope you like them.