Saturday, July 30, 2011

Yes, it's Christmas card time!

It's the time of year that I get together with my friend, Cindy, and make Christmas cards.  We have a system - each of us comes up with a design and then we put together kits for 10 cards each.  At the end of the evening, we go home with 20 cards - which is a decent start on our Christmas cards.  Friday night was our first night of the season making Christmas cards.  I am still putting them together, but here are the results:
That first picture is my dining room table - I was using Stickles so I needed space to lay out the cards and let them dry.
My design is a snow man - melting.  I think he is missing a top hat and will probably try to work on that. One of my goals is to use paper that I already have, so this particular card is using one of the Christmas lines by Cosmo Cricket.
This is Cindy's design - so gorgeous!  The ornaments are 3-D.  She used a paper line by Echo Park.  I really do love it.
Okay, so this is just the beginning of our Christmas card making sessions.  By sharing the design work and cutting of kits, it helps get this task done way before we need to place them in the mail.  






Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Only 2 More Days!!!

Until Project Runway, Season 9 begins... I LOVE that show - my daughters got me started on it, oh, I don't know, maybe 5+ years ago.
So then I rented all of the back seasons - didn't want to miss a thing!  Now - finally - Season 9 is scheduled to begin this week.  Where else can you see a dress designed and made out of car parts, or party goods, or old wedding dresses?  They actually have to make something, prove themselves, in order to stay on the show.  I love it!








car seat belts...

black paper plates and sparkly bags.

It is pretty amazing when you think about how creative these designers are.  Check it out... Thursday night, July 28, at 9:00 p.m./8:00 central.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Sample of another card

This one if for my card exchange...
This one is the same layout as the one I posted yesterday.  The theme is "yellow" and I used Cosmo Cricket's "Salt Air" line, a Magenta stamp, Karen Foster brads, and ribbon.  The brad holds the top piece in place.  The inside is blank.  This is such a uniquely folded card, yet simple.
Tomorrow I have a big day planned, which I will share with you later, as usual.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Craft time!

I was able to spend a little time in my craft room (a/k/a "my haven") last night, working on cards.  One of the ladies in my card exchange made a card using specific folds... like below...
It is just so cute, that I wanted to make one of my own.  I used some scrap pieces of paper from the Cosmo Cricket Early Bird line.  I added a couple of chipboard pieces and then the card opens up like this...
I love it!  I can see some Christmas cards being made with this design.  Thanks, Theresa, for your inspiration!

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Errands on Monday

On Monday, I ended up running errands.  We were having a wind storm, so it was really dusty.  Below are a few pictures - it is hard to see, but check out the trees in the first photo...
It is hard to tell just how hazy/dusty it really is. 
This was taken from the parking lot where you will find...
 and
After these two stores, I had to go into the mall and when I walked by Pottery Barn, or Williams Sonoma, (I can't remember which) this light fixture caught my eye.  I absolutely LOVE it!  So rustic, yet very cool!
That's it for today. 

Monday, July 18, 2011

What a great class!

Today was my All Occasion Card Class featuring the Gluber product by Cosmo Cricket.  I just love these things - they have such great potential.  We made flowers and placed them on hand made cards.  Here are some photos from today...
 Miss Aubrey using the Cuttlebug
 Claudia on the left, Linda in the middle and behind the easel is Mary.  Sorry, Mary!  They are oblivious to my taking this picture.
 Carol... always smiling.  Brooke - we missed you, but know you had fun at your party!
 Michele and Aubrey
 Nancy, Linda, and Colleen using border punches.
A group shot, starting with Colleen, Michelle, Aubrey, Carol, and Linda on the left... and
Nancy, Claudia, and Linda on the right.  I am missing Amanda and Mary - the photographer missed that!   
 There's Amanda (Colleen's daughter)
 Dana, on the right standing, is also teaching a mini book class.  Dana designs mini books every month and offers her classes about 3 times, so there are many opportunities to take her classes.  Her mini books are absolutely gorgeous.
 This months book is "A Book in a Box - very cool.
 These are the embellishments and buttons - from a distance they looked like food.  I must have been hungry.
I couldn't leave out Karen and Patti.  They are friends who get together and scrapbook about their children and families.  So nice.
Well, that was pretty much my day!  
Take care!

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Must have been a hard day...

I worked on my card kits today for class tomorrow and you would think that my dogs actually did all of the work.   Here's what Sophie and Jack looked like by early evening (I didn't even start until 4:00):
Sophie actually was sleeping with her feet up on the back of the chair and her head down on the pillows.  I'm sorry, but that just doesn't look comfortable to me.
Jackie was sleeping with his head hanging off of the sofa.
They definitely looked whipped!  They are my sweeties and are pretty good company.  They might have an opinion, but they never talk back.  They never ask for money, but they do "ask" for treats.  They are generally just happy to be with me.  :)

Friday, July 15, 2011

Do you believe...

in orbs?  My sister and I have a fascination with them.  My brother-in-law doesn't like for us to talk about them.  I found orbs in about 3 photos recently taken on our vacation.  Here's the one I took...
Click on the photo to make it larger - you can see several small orbs on the right side of the photo.  You can't see them on your camera, but they appear on your computer.  This photo is actually one of the prison cells in Williamsburg - there could definitely be orbs there. 
I did not take the picture above - it is just a sample of what orbs look like.  This simply is a garden.  Orbs can show up in both daylight and night time photos.

I would love to hear your thoughts on orbs.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Just a reminder of my upcoming class featuring Glubers




Being held at Paper Vineyard Scrapbook Store in Chandler - set for Sunday, July 17, at 12:30.  We will be making 6 different cards using Cosmo Cricket's Glubers.  You can call the store at 480-656-2058 to sign up, or go to the website listed above.  Above are samples of the cards we will be making.  Hope to see you there!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Wednesday, Jul 13, is my mother's birthday - she turns 86 years old - which is truly amazing.  I can't imagine the things she and my father have seen, the vast differences in technology, the changes in this world.  She raised five children.  She is a grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, sister.  She was one of ten children.  She has battled major illnesses, including cancer.  She was second in her high school class.  She has worked both inside and outside of our home.  She is still a homemaker today.  She has been married to the same man - my dad - for 65 years and she still looks after him.  She played the piano at church for many years.  She has entertained many people in our home.   She took "new" math classes as an adult just so she could help her kids with their homework.  She was a seamstress and a wonderful cook.  She was a librarian.  She taught us the love of games.  She made sure all of us could swim.  She IS a great, strong, woman full of spunk.  She is exactly as God planned.
Thanks, Mom, for making me a part of our family.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Can you see where I'm going with these photos?

Adriana sent me this photo of a stitched card - you can see the square stitching over the flowers. 
She previously sent me a photo of this page - a stitched page in an album, which is currently the background for my blog...
My plan is to do a 4-hour stitching class where we will make a few projects (layouts and cards).  I absolutely LOVE stitching paper.  I think it adds detail and great dimension.  You have seen some of my stitched pages in the past and I hope to have more in the near future.  The great thing is that you can use your scraps to make these great background pages - like this one...
made with Crate Paper "Restorations" line.  Just like patch work.  Have a great day!

Saturday, July 9, 2011

It has rained everyday

since we got here, but we are still having fun.  It gives us something to talk about.  Here are a few things we've seen lately...

 The entry to the Jamestown settlement.
The kitchen - note the chicken under the table - very friendly.

 Apothecary - this one is in Williamsburg.
 My personal "tour group" planning a strategy, mapping out our next move... 
and also waiting out the rain.
Rainy and wet street - but the sun is definitely trying to shine!

Friday, July 8, 2011

Dipping my feet...

Since it was raining today, we decided to take a drive down the coast just to see whatever we could.  I think we all had different agendas, but I was still able to dip my feet in the ocean.
I think this picture makes the water look cold - and it was!  We stopped a couple of times to check out the beaches.  I think this beach was called "False Cape Beach" but I am not 100% sure.

Before our day trip, we started our day with french toast made from cinnamon pecan bread flown here from Phoenix.
I purchased the bread at the Farmers/street market held on Central Avenue, stuck it in the freezer, and then packed it for our trip.  Everyone said it was good.  I just wanted to do something different and special.
Stay tuned for more to come...

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Travel partners

These are my travel partners in Williamsburg...
My brother-in-law, Rudy, Kate (my oldest daughter), and my sister, Gail.  Small group this year, but we are having a good time.  We are at the Williamsburg settlement - and there is a little sunshine, but we weathered a storm while walking through the streets and shop the first day we went to Williamsburg.
More to come...

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Whew - that was a storm from what I hear...

We have heard about the storm in Phoenix - the monsoon - and saw the news on the tv.  That was a huge wall of dirt and rain.  I was worried about my daughter and she said she was fine, but there was dirt everywhere and that my car was covered in mud...
So I asked her to send me a photo and here it is.  She is right.  It has never been dirtier!
Take care, Phoenicians!

A hot and wet vacation


We have had storms every day since we arrived in Williamsburg, which has not been bad except when we were out seeing the sights.  The first two pictures are our short road trip - less than 3 hours - from the airport to our resort in Williamsburg.  We just thought the trees and foliage were so green!  And, of course, I had to have Kate snap a photo of the water tower.  You just don't see those in Arizona.
This is the back side of our building.  Our balcony overlooks this pond.  I just laugh because there are frogs at the pond and at night and that actually sing "ribbit" and they are so loud!  I don't ever remember hearing frogs that like before.
This is just another view of the resort.  And then, our front door for the next week...
Last night at about 2:55 a.m. the fire alarm went off in our building.  All residents emptied out onto the sidewalk, generally in our jammies, with a few prized possessions, not knowing what as going on.  So we are a little sluggish this morning. 
More to come!