Another sketch challenge.

Hi all! Here's a card I did using Mercy Kerin's Tuesday sketch. So this is my second attempt at using sketches. I like the way this turned out with the brown and cranberry colors. The stamp is from Inkadinkadoo and the dp is Imaginisce "Polar Expressions - Frosted Forest". I used a Martha edge punch and oval nestabilities.

The boys are off school tomorrow so I think I'm going to drag them shopping 'over the river' with a stop at one of my favorite stores; Buffalo Stamps and Stuff . I see they've got a new shipment of goodies in. I guess the Nintendo DS will be accompany us on our day. It's the only way to have a little peace while I shop. That and a bribe with McDonalds for lunch....including toys and chocolate milk. I might even have to break down and make a run through Toys R Us. We'll see how the day goes!

Hi there! Twice in one week! I did the Sketch for You to Try (SFYTT) on Jen's I(heart)2stamp blog. Here is my card based on her sketch:

The dp is all dcwv and the stamp is a clear stamp from House Mouse! I colored it with copics. This is my first attempt with following sketches. It was easy and I think I'll do it more often. Now I just need to figure out how to add it to Jen's "Mr. Linky" thingy so I can participate :).

As I type, my son Erik is digging through the chocolate bucket from Halloween. It takes five minutes for him to choose a treat. Seriously, it's all gonna be eaten sooner or later. I think the problem is that there is sooooo much candy in the bucket that he is overwhelmed with choices. Me? I don't have a problem. I just stick my hand in and eat whatever I grab! Or maybe that is a problem?

My other son, Leo, (at five years old) had a baggie full of gummy bears from school today. For some reason they disappeared from the kitchen this afternoon while I was in the laundry room. He says he didn't eat them, but that a ghost probably came and took them. He refuses to admit what actually happened to them. Now what? I can't prove he actually ate them because I didn't actually witness it. I just know they are gone and Erik is saying that Leo ate them. As my dad says which puts everything into perspective: "Leo, you are acting just like a five year old..."..

Hi there! Again

I feel as though I need to reintroduce myself. Again! Seriously! Has it been since August I haven't posted? Wow! My time management skills have really gone in the pooper. I always thought that being a sahm would allow for lots of time to get things done and then some. But it doesn't seem to be working out that way. This school year my day is broken into bits of time. The boys get on the bus at 8 am, I catch the gossip at the local coffee shop and then head to the gym, come home, shower and then it's time to get Leo off the kindergarten bus at noon. Fix lunch, run errands and be home for 3:15 to get Erik off the bus. Then it's snacks and start dinner. Then somehow the day is over and then it all starts over again the next day. Kinda like "Groundhog Day".

Here's a card I made for my friends 40th birthday. The colors are a little more vibrant in real life. The package is actually bright orange, not red like in the picture. I started quilling last year and really enjoy it. I find it theraputic. I used an EK success edge punch for the fleur de lis. Can't tell you what kind of paper cuz I can 't find the scraps. I'm into edge punches now. I'll show you another card later.

Gotta take a shower before the bus comes!

Busy Busy Busy

Hi all!
We just got back from a day trip to Toronto. We went up yesterday afternoon, got there just after lunchtime so had to feed the boys right away. What better way than with a hot dog from a street vendor? They thought that was kinda neat. Then we bought a transit day pass and rode the subway and the trolley/streetcar. Who needs an amusement park? Since we weren't pressed for time we took many trips around the city on the subway and trolley.

We stayed in Chinatown. What an awesome section of the city. The markets are spilling out onto the sidewalk with the fruits and veggies. The bakeries were awesome too! The people were super friendly. We checked out a bunch of stores and markets. After dinner we went for another ride on the subway. When we got off it was blowing like crazy. It was an incredible wind tunnel! So up the stairs of the subway and whoa! It's pouring....and I mean pouring!! Ten minutes earlier was clear skies. We got absolutely soaked! But since it was about 150 degrees it was okay - actually rather welcoming on such a hot, humid day. Anyhow, it poured the rest of the evening so we had to cut our expedition short. The boys were rather dragged out anyway, and it was 9 p.m.

The card above was made for my in-laws 61st anniversary. My mil loves the color purple. The flowers are cut with nesties and layered. The background is embossed with the cuttlebug folder. Easy and pretty.

I'll try to keep this updated.....oh never mind......I'll get on here when I can!!

Caio!

Where's Waldo...new name....Where's Susan?

Where have I been? That is the million dollar question, eh? In the last month we have been busy and I have to apologize to all my billions of peeps who follow my blog. School let out on June 26th. I'm not sure why they need to go that long since the only thing they do for the last couple of weeks is play and have field day, go on field trips, etc. (at least in the lower grades).

After school was out we took a trip to Pittsburgh for a fourth of July pig roast with family and friends, a quick jaunt to Cleveland to visit and then back home. My in-laws came to visit from British Columbia the day after we arrived home and just left Sunday. My sis-in-law arrived Friday and is staying until Aug 19th. We are in for a busy summer. Which I must say seems more like a summer from my youth. We haven't even put the A/C on yet. I'm sure some of you think why would I need A/C if I live in Canada? Well it actually gets to the mid 90's during the summer here and is very humid and muggy. This year is the unusual one.

On to the card. I made this for my son's friend. The monsters are stamps from October Afternoon, dp is from CTMH. I colored with prismacolor pencils and popped the monsters. Quick and simple. I hate to say it but I had made a bunch of other cards that I sent out without taking pictures! After I sent them I coulda kicked myself. It's part of the reason I haven't posted in a while...... I promise to try and do better...... Happy Summer!!

While I'm typing this I am awaiting the pretty little card to upload. It's probably going to be sideways. Again.....don't know how to fix it...... I just love this little stamp from Sarah Kay, called "Spring Blossoms". OMG it loaded straight!!! I colored with my copics. The dp is "Que sera sera" from K&Company that I picked up at Michael's for a discount. I used a Martha doily punch, one of my favs.

The weekend was uneventful, as in no real kid mishaps. The boys had track and field at school Friday afternoon. Erik won the long jump (or as he puts it, "running and jumping in the sand"), and came in second in both "throwing the heavy ball", and the speed race. He looked behind him to see where 'Logan' was and 'Logan' was apparently passing him to come in first in the race. Duh! Run fast, cross the finish line and then look to see where the other guy is!

Leo chose not to participate in the track and field events and wandered off back into the classroom where the teacher found him later and put him on a time out for, can you guess?...........Wandering off without telling someone. I just don't know where these boys get their independent streaks from.

Saturday saw the dragon boat races for a little while, Sunday went to Marineland which was ridiculously busy, then to Queenston Hts park, where the splash-pad was NOT running. Came home and swam in the neighbors pool. Like I said, quite uneventful........

I'll try to have better stories for you later......guess I'll have to feed the kids a couple spoonfuls of sugar before school........(which, for you americans, is out June 26th).

Seriously!.....

I made these cards for Father's day. One is for my daddy and one for the FIL. I used paper from Scenic Route "Providence/Richmond St". The stamps are CTMH "Worlds Best Dad" and "I am" from the Tickled Pink collection. I popped the flowers with pop dots. I really like em!!

Now, seriously.....I get a note from the teacher today about my younger son in junior kindergarten. It seems he decided to be stubborn and not participate in the Daily Physical Activity (DPA) session. The teaching assistant tried to redirect him to participate and he tried to spit on her and since he missed and dribbled on himself, he stuck out his tongue instead. Seriously, where do they learn this stuff????? It's not like I'm going around spitting on their dad or sticking my tongue out at people........ Is it the TV? Scooby Doo isn't doing it either.

Well I'm back to suffering, I mean he is grounded again. No DS for two days. Then I wonder why I'm putting Bailey's in my coffee.......

Okay, I found time...

Howdy all! The week is finally over and I was able to find some time to sit at the craft table and work on a couple of projects. It was usually after I put the kids to bed. Bedtime was on time this week too. I guess all the whining wore them out. I am thankful the week of grounding is over. I suffered more than they did. Though, I have come to the conclusion that it doesn't matter what I ground them from, they will whine about it. "It's so unfair." "This is the worst day ever." "Why can't I do/get/have....?" If I had grounded them from eating lemons for a week they would have complained about their lack of lemon intake all day.... Puuulleeease!!!!

This is a layout I did using the CTMH Workshops on the Go template. I tried to show pictures of each page individually, however, everytime I upload the picture it comes out sideways. So I give up. Anyhow, this paper pack is called "Bella" and that it is. I love the colors and who says you can't use pink and purple for boys?? I had to alter the layout to accomodate my picture sizes, but it was relatively easy to do.

I'm trying to put together a workshop for my 'peeps', so if you're in the area, let me know if you want to join!!

Got a couple more projects, so stay tuned in the next couple days and I'll post them!!

Grounded!!

I just had to share....my boys are grounded! They acted up on the bus so the driver took them back to the school and I had to pick them up from the principals office. That was lots of fun considering my van was up on the jack in the garage while my dad changed the brakes. Had to borrow a car, switch car seats, etc.....so the boys are now grounded from friends, TV and the DS for one week!

My question is: Who is actually being grounded? The boys or me? It's a constant "mom, can I watch TV, I'm going to watch it anyway.....can I play the DS? (insert whining here) Why?????, but mooooommmmmm!!!!" So I ask, who is the one actually suffering???

As for sitting at the craft table to work on a project, well might as well just forget that......

Incidentally it took 22 minutes to type this.........

another card and another excuse

Do you want me to start with the card or the excuse?

Okay, the excuse first. After we got back from Florida, we were home for a week only to find out my grandma died. So back to Cleveland we went for her funeral. I am sad that she died but at the same time I am happy for her. She was going to be 101 in September. She was miserable and begged daily for someone to "Dr. Kevorkian" her. I told her I couldn't help her as they frown upon that kind of thing...... Anyhow, she died in her sleep on May 18th. I am sad because I am remembering her when I was growing up and all the things we did together. But she hasn't been that person for a long time. Sometimes I wish I could go back to being a kid when things were easy.......

On to the card.....I made this for my dad's birthday. It's similar to the sunflower card I made for my husband. (see two posts back) The stamp is Stampendous "Sunny Flowers". The paper is Pinecone Press "ribbon weave and candy dots". It's a double sided cardstock. Used the nesties for the circle. I colored the image in with copics. For the inside I used my prismacolor pencils. I love the way the colors blend. I gave the card to my dad blank. That way, if he has to send a card he has one to use instead of having to run out and buy one. Is that cheap? I think I'm being "green". Reduse, reuse, recycle. Especially since my dad is not a pack rat. He's not one to save a bunch of stuff for sentimental reasons. Too practical.


A big "Hi" to my cousin, Al. He likes to check out my blog on occasion, or so he tells me. I think that brings the total of followers to three.....

The New Summer Idea Book!!!

Hey, remember me?

As usual I've been keeping up to date on this blog. Hey, once a month ain't bad? Okay, we were in Florida for 11 days. It was awesome!!! Hot around 95 degrees daily and sun, sun, sun! My dad said he felt like he was in a frying pan. Love this view from my pool lounger (left).

At least there was a bit of a breeze during the day and the pool was right there. So refreshing. Then we came back to 50 degree weather. Wow, did it ever feel cold! I'm thinking I could become a "snow bird" when the kids are out of University. So what's that? Another 18 -20 years from now?

Here's an anniversary card I made for my husband. I colored the image with copics using the blend/feather technique that Marianne showed us at the certification workshop. If you use two different colors ending in a 1, 2 or 3 and feather towards the center they seem to blend really well. The paper is sassafras lass. Used the nesties for the sentiment. The stamp set is Stampendous "sunny flowers".

Here's the inside. I colored the image with my prismacolor pencils trying to match the outside as best I could. I think it turned out well!

I'm really proud of this card. It's one of my favorites.

five boys and a card.....

Here's a card that I made for a little girl's birthday last week. And yes, I managed to remember to take a picture. The stamp is from Hero Arts which I colored with copic markers. The frog turned out a little too dark for me which means I probably need to acquire some new greens. Yes, I "need" some new ones. I can't be having a dark green frog. It's just wrong.

The paper is from CTMH "Daydream" pack. I finally had a reason to use some of the more girly choices. I find it hard to make pink cards for boys.

Well, my friend from Cleveland has come to visit with her three boys over spring break. That means there are five boys between four and ten years old in the house right now. I cannot believe the energy and testosterone level!! Of course they all went to bed late last night and were up at 6 o'clock this morning! So they are whining with just as much exhuberance as they are playing! We set up the Playstation so they are occupied for a few minutes. I'm sure they'll be fighting over it soon.

I'm really feeling like a nap........can't imagine why.........

I hate cars

Got a crack in the van windshield recently, and now there's a leak. Took the van in to get the windshield replaced only to find out that the roof of my van is rusting away. I guess this is a big problem with Pontiac Montanas. Something like 60% will rust out and you'll either have leaky windshields or need to replace the roof. Certainly made my day. Anyhow, got the rust cleaned out, gooped up, new windshield, gooped up some more.....and the result is Mastercard loves me right along with Jesus!

My boys have a couple of neighborhood girls over. There's a 3 yr old, 4 yr old and two 6 yr olds. The big discussion is do they want to play princesses or superheroes. A little while back there was no discussion. They just all played together. Pretty soon they won't even play together because one will be a girl and the other will be a boy, eew yuck, cooties.....

Here's a card using an Asela Hopkins stamp. I colored with copic markers. There's a Martha punch for the stars, nestabilities dies, flowers, and paper from Basic Grey "infuse" collection. I made it to enter a contest and finished it on the day the contest was ending. I went to upload it to the site and realized the site was from the U.K. who are 8 hours ahead of us....so the contest was already closed...duh! So now I have this pretty little card......

Happy Easter to all. My guess is I will show you my easter cards in May as I am so prompt in getting things on this site.

Where I've been...

Howdy all my party peeps! I can't believe I haven't posted since February. That is disgraceful. I guess my real reason is because I haven't been very crafty lately. The weather here broke a little and we have been outside. My boys are bouncing off the walls and if they don't get out to burn off that energy I'm afraid my furniture won't last another six months. My friend thinks I'm raising jackrabbits for all the jumping around they do.

I took the Copic Certification class at the end of March which was taught by Marianne Walker, the Copic guru. The class was quite informative. I have been practicing my coloring and haven't done anything with the images. One of these days I'll start putting those images on cards and continue posting them here.

Okay, I found one that I haven't posted before. The stamp is one of those little mini 'snag ems' for like a buck...it's "Wildflowers" by Imaginisce. The paper that goes with it is really cute too. I did not however use it with this card. This paper is from EK Success "Seashore" line. It's lots of blues and greens and creams and yellows. I colored with the copics (pre-class) and popped the image. I love the nestabilities shapes. Sorry the picture is so dark.

Well, I guess I'm going to have to start again. I'm feeling that urge to create more often.....