And Life Goes On (personal update & a creation)

I've been so bad ..... I haven't made a post in a long time. I've tried not to make them all on a personal note, but I haven't been able to create much lately! However I did create one card this week ……

(stamp credit: CTMH - Hunting # D1213)


So here’s a little of my dirty laundry! Some of you may know that I left my husband in March because he was verbally and emotionally abusive. It just wasn't a healthy environment for me .... let alone the kids. So I made a big change in my life and the lifestyle of my boys! Unfortunately, the husband is oblivious to his problems … even though I’ve told him for almost ten years that he has anger issues or needs to stop making mountains out of mole hills.


I've interviewed for a job (although it has nothing to do with my clerical background) and I'm a little leery about it. But .... it beats not making any money! I did get that job and have been there for about a month. When I say I'm rollin’ in the dough.... I'm not kidding! It's a bakery!


What's happened since then ..... Hmmm, my sister got married on St Patty's Day and we had the reception in May. She got some pretty great little treasures for her house! I think their favorite was their coffee/espresso machine. YUMMMMMMY! Congrats to ya both, but Rick better develop eyes in the back of his head with you Sarah ... I see those bunny ears!




My two boys have tested and are not quite as ready as I am for them to go to public school. You have to understand, they've been homeschooled all their life, so this will be a drastic change for them.


Oh and here's what I've been up to.... Vroom Vroom baby! I bought me a car. It wasn't brand new, but the miles were low, the price was right AND my personal favorite .... it's a manual transmission! I ABSOLUTELY HATE AUTOMATICS!!!!


So with all that said ….. the only thing to say is that I’ve been missing you, my friends!!!!!! I will try to post again. Hopefully, I'll find my creative muse again!

Found Blog Candy to Share!

Scrappin' with Adrienne has got a goodie giveaway to celebrate her 5k hits! Hop on over to her bloggy and tell her "ScrappyDoo" sent you too! Hurry though, you only have until Sunday, March 1st to get in the game. GOOD LUCK!

Congrats and a big THANK YOU!

I've been secretly searching for some great card designers. Although I made a post on ScrapbookSuppliesDirect, I didn't run any official call for card designers.

What this is all about is.....

I'm organizing a new group called STAMP OF THE MONTH CLUB (SOTMC) at SSD. This is something new and I honestly hope it will grow. I'll announce more on the SOTMC in my next post. Right now, I've got the daunting task of announcing the gals who have been selected to participate in the maiden month of SOTMC.

Right now we have an awesome sponsor, Clear Dollar Stamps! If you haven't visited Lori's site, what are you waiting for? She's got some of the cutest stamps I've ever seen! Many thanks to Lori for being our sponsor!!!

Now .... I'd like to offer my Congrats to....

Lorelie of My Paper Adventures

and then there's

Bree with From There to Here

(whom I wasn't able to snag a picture of yet)

If you'd like to see their wonderful creations, please hop on over (after you finish reading up) and check out their blogs.

So Bree & Lorelie if you will please send me your mailing address I will get your stamp set right out so you can get your scrappin goodness.

I'd like to thank everyone who submitted entries to the search.

I want Candy, Do you want Candy?

You’ve got to head over to California Stampin’s Blog and check out the delish treat she has up for grabs! Hurry, because she’s giving it a new home Saturday (2/21). Good luck!!!!

Here’s the delish stuff up for grabs...

So much news!!!!!

Well there’s been a lot going on and I just haven’t had a chance to get around here to boast and roast! So I think I'll do it over the next couple days! However I do have a couple pretty amazing things to share with you for now!

I'll start with something I wanted to do some time back, but just never got around to doing! I'm so behind right now! Ok, so even thought it’s now February, I just wanted to showcase the wonderful handcrafted cards I received for Christmas. I treasured them!

^ Dorothy's Card

MissySue's Card ^

^ Kimmie's Card

Donna's Card ^

Thanks gals for the wonderful handcrafted cards Ladies!


Secondly, ScrapbookSuppliesDirect.com (SSD) has a new Designer! I’d like to introduce to you Cristal, commonly known as Pinky and she's one hot scrappin mama! Please make welcome Pinky to the team!

Thirdly, SSD is taking on something new! A stamp of the month club for those that LOVE stamping!!! Our first sponsor is CLEAR DOLLAR STAMPS! We are so gracious to have their support….. Thank you Lori! Details will be in an upcoming post about the Club.

Mystery Challenge Winner & a RAK

Well Scrapbook Supplies Direct has a winner for the monthly mystery challenge from December! Congratulations are in order for MSIPPI .... Congrats girl!

We'll have a new challenge up by noon tomorrow .... it'll run through the end of the month so come on over and give it a try.

AND ........

ScrappyGal's also got a challenge where you can win a great RAK! Create an altered item and submit it to the gallery (and the challenge post). The challenge will end Friday, January 23rd and the winner will be announced by Sunday the 25th.

What's up for grabs? Hmmmm a birdhouse, paper and embellies to alter their birdhouse with. Sounds yummy! Here's one that she's done .....

Click HERE to pop on over to check out her challenge!

Might you be the lucky winner?

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND AND I HOPE TO SEE YOU OVER AT SSD!

*Don't forget SSD is having a big sale!*

Happy Birthday Irina & Blog Candy

Happy Birthday Irina!

(She's turning 35 ...... again!)

Even though it's her birthday, she's giving away the present!

Check out this loot......

Ain't it grand!It consists of....
- Five (!!) clear stamp sets... "Feminine Friends" and "Masculine Monikers" by Stampendous, "Border It!" and "Bold Alpha" by Art Warehouse, and "Love Lines" by Junkitz- Five (!!) embellishment sets.. "Family Reunion" by Soft Spoken, "Winter Rub Ons" by Basic Grey, "Sola Purses" and two small sets by K and Company- Twelve (!!) Scalloped Notes in three different colors with Envelopes by Stampin Up- Three (!!) large silk flowers from Prima- Three (!!) Tilda stamps.. this have been used by me a few times to make cards..- and last but definitely not least.. Spellbinders Nestabilites Classic Squares Large set ..
Just pop on over and leave her a comment!She'll be picking the lucky person around 9 pm PST Friday, January 9th!

Um, ya better go now .... I'll wait!

Click HERE to visit her blog!

Sweet Treats for Valentines Day ... Blog Candy

Stamps, Paper, Scissors & Donky Smiles is having some sweet treats as blog candy right now. She's got oodles to celebrate in Feb so she's giving you the goods! Pop on over and check it out .... isn't this just uber yummy!!!!

Hurry and check it out ... you have until January 15th!

The Scrappin Goddess has spoken!

Well the Scrapping Goddess has spoken ......

She's been cleaning house at Scrapbook Supplies Direct!

For a limited time, you can....

Take 40% OFF ALL PAPER & CARDSTOCK

(Plus you can still "Buy 10 (sheets) Get 1 Free", which equals another 10% OFF on the paper for each set of ten sheets purchased!)

Take 40% OFF ALL DISCONTINUED SIZZIX DIES

Take 20% OFF ALL CRICUT DIE CUTTER MACHINE & ACCESSORIES

Take 20% OFF ALL PHOTOBOOK MAKER SUPPLIES

Hop on over and snag yours up, it's going to go fast!

Design Team Call .... SSD!

ScrapbookSuppliesDirect is having a Design Team Call!!!

So get to scrapping ladies and upload them to the DESIGNER CALL gallery.

We're a little slow getting out of the gates this year, but we're running full tilt boogie!

This Design Position should be for the months of February & March.

We'll be accepting uploads through the 10th, I believe.

If you're new to the site, tell 'em ScrappyDoo2u sent ya!

Happy Scrapping!

Counterfeit Christmas

Well as I've already posted, I just returned from Nashville visiting family. We had our annual Christmas gathering and I got to see some family I hadn't seen in two years. It's always great to see them!

Last year my parents got me a gift certificate to Michael's for Christmas, but this year since I didn't want anything in particular they just decided to give me cash. I held onto it for a while, but finally got around to taking it to the bank. I'm saving for a kick butt camera and if I kept it in my purse it was gonna burn right through.

Imagine, if you will, my surprise, when the teller informs me that one of the $50 bills I'm attempting to deposit is a counterfeit!!! They used one of those color change pens that indicate if it's legit or not. So now, I'm stuck in this waiting game! I get to wait 30 days to see if their fraud division determines if in fact is truly a counterfeit bill. I mean what a mood quasher!

I hated to call my parents to tell them. Mainly because I know my mom. She'll feel bad that her gift wasn't good and want to replace it. I can't seem to get her to realize that it was the thought that counts and not to replace it. I just don't want her to pay for someone else's screw up! The bills she gave me came STRAIGHT FROM THE BANK! I can't believe that the bank passed a bogus bill and there's no possible recourse.

So ... I suppose today I'm going out to buy one of those darn counterfeit detecting pens and mark every bill someone hands me (not family though). I don't want to be like that but by golly if they make me wait while they do my bills when buying groceries, then I'm gonna make them wait while I check what they give me back! I don't care much for being screwed over.... especially when it comes to money.

I just feel so bad for my mom, because now she feels guilty and it's not her fault. I would have never mentioned it to her, but I knew that she had more bills at home from that same transaction .... my sisters present.

Anyhow, gonna end this post and try to make a happy one next.

Cosmo Crazy ...... Giveaway!

We'll I've made it back from Nashville and visiting family. We had a great time, but there were oodles of people out with the flu! Stinkin flu! I'll post some picts up sometime in the next day or two.

I'm trying to get back on track with my posts shortly, but I couldn't help but pass this along to you.......

Cosmo Cricket giveaway!

Over $150 worth of goodies!

Hop on over to Leah's bloggy and see just how many ways you have of entering her contest!

Handmade Holiday Creations & Giveaway

We'll Christmas is approaching rapidly and I am NO WHERE near ready. I can say that I've got my tree up (since 11/28) AND that I've mailed some of my Christmas Cards..... but I haven't finished my other cards, nor have I put anything under my tree! EEEEK!

Somehow, I still found time to create! Here are a few Handmade Holiday Creations that I've done .......

In it's former life it was a baby formula can, but after wrapping it and creating a paper bow on top it has transformed into a lovely package for a gift.

These were glass balls that I purchased from Michaels. The first one I used the ol ship inside the bottle to create a presents under the tree look. The second one was much easier to do, it was simply filling it with quilled coordinating papers.

Oh, I suppose you want to know about the Giveaway !!!!!

Ya just gotta check out what Lainey’s has going on……..Check it out……

Okay, you can stop droolin’ now and wipe your chin. Wanna know how you could try your hand at giving the goods a new home? Pop on over to blog and read all about it.

What cha waiting for ...... go now, just make sure to come back and visit me!

HAPPY HAUL-A-DAYS GIVEAWAY

HAPPY HAUL-A-DAYS GIVEAWAY

and boy it is a HAUL!

You've gotta hurry though, time's running out.

Pop over to PAPERMONKEY.ORG

Winner announced the evening of the 15th!!

Santa Baby

We'll yesterday WAS eventful, but not very productive! Boy oh boy did my kiddos hate going to the bank with me yesterday! They usually enjoy it since they get a treat or a coffee, but on this trip .... SANTA was waiting. Check it out.....

Now you can tell that this trip wasn't planned .... oldest son wore his holiest of pants.

I didn't get to scrap anything, but honestly I think my brain needed the evening off! Instead I mindlessly played mahjong on my computer and watched tv .... I super zoned out!

I finally hit the town to try to get a little Christmas shopping done... and it's about darn time! I had a really hard time finding things for my oldest son. He's getting to the age now where he doesn't seem to want toys....more gadgets and gizmos! The youngest is still into toys, but also likes gizmos! Egad, it was hard shopping for them. I'm not done yet, but I couldn't really find ANYTHING that I felt they would enjoy. I had better luck on Amazon.com, not to mention they've got a 70% off section w/free shipping on certain items!!!! Anyhoo, I'll be doing some more shopping tomorrow I suppose. What I was UTTERLY SHOCKED to see is that while at Target they only had TWO (yes, two) registers open ... and there wasn't really a line at either one. I also went to a couple other stores and it was the same thing. This wasn't like the other years with wall to wall people .... then again, I haven't hit Wally World yet (not sure if I want to either).

That's about all for now .... I'll be making another post tomorrow!

Hit the brakes & a Whoo Hooo!

WOW is Christmas getting ever so close! It's only 12 days away!!!! What happened, it was just Thanksgiving, then I blinked! I haven't even started my shopping... how awful is that! I just told the husband that tomorrow I wanted to have some time to get a few goodies for under the tree!

I'm proud of my fellas too, they put the Christmas Tree up all by themselves! We'll actually my youngest did nearly ALL the work!!! He's such a hard worker!

HIT THE BRAKES ..... I'm getting older! I'll be turning 38 next week. EEEEK! I remember when I used to think that was old, now it's my turn! It just all seems a blur after 30. Everything seems to have flown by and the kids are getting older right before my eyes! {sigh}

On another note, I WON A CONTEST TODAY!!!! WHOO HOO!!!! I have been trying the Advent Contest on GinaK's blog. It's so easy... Just pop in there daily, check the new post. Leave a response and then check back the next day to see who won! Check out my goodness....Isn't it just dandy!!! Pop on over and give it a shot, she's doing this until December 24th!!!!

Advent Calendar with a twist!

Stampin with Whiff of Joy by Katharina Frei has an amazing give-a-way going on right now! She's in day 3 on her Advent Calendar give away. What this means is .... each day, come and post!

Black Friday & Maxine!

I wanted to share my take which is right in line with Maxine!

I hate the pandemonium that comes with Black Friday!

I'll take Cyber Saturday any day!

Scent-sational Cards!

I'm long overdue for another technique. This is another one where you will think that I have flipped my lid, but if you're on a budget ... you can make this one work for you!

I promise it works and the end results can be quite 'scent'- sational and fun and a lot less costly than buying those scented embossing powders. Give it a shot ... what do you have to lose except a little time and a little bit of supplies.

Basic Supplies List

VersaMark Embossing Pad (or other embossing pad)

Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel (UTEE)

Stiff Patterned Paper

Heat Gun

Coffee Grinds, Unused of course!

Step One

Make a tag out of patterned paper that is slightly larger than your embossing pad.
Press embossing pad against tag and wiggle it around to make an imperfect rectangle.

Step Two

Take 50/50 mixture of UTEE and dry coffee grounds and mix in a bag.

Insert tag and do the mixture to cover embossing ink completely. Shake off excess.

Step Three Apply heat to melt the mixture. Here I used my coffee pot's warming pad. I used this because I didn't want a heat gun to bow mixture off of the tag. If you do not wish to use your coffee pot in this fashion, apply heat gun from the UNDERSIDE of tag. The embossed tag is finished.

Here is the card that I taught at my LSS using this technique.

Have fun and go make some Scent-sational Creations!

Happy Thanksgiving !!!!!