SWAP

Giggle!  Swaps are so much fun.  you make three cards all the same and one for the hostess and you get three different ones back.  Now these cards are cards you are proud to own.  You can use them for ideas or send them on to others or send them to OWH.  Over at SpeedyTV they are running a swap and everyone enters receives a free stamp set besides the cards you get back.  Too Fun!
Here’s my card, come and and play along, you have until June 30th to get your cards in.   Here’s mine and I’m testing out the cool watermark they sent me. 
I know it looks similar to the one for Marion’s birthday.  Well, I personalized the one I kept because I liked it so much and I thought Marion deserved a beautiful card on her 90th, eh?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to me

Yep, it’s my 61st birthday.  It’s a glorious day and I told Gilbert this morning, yep, God has kept me for sixty-one wonderful years now.   Today is the first spring day.  It’s so beautiful out, I’m smiling as I type this.  Here’s a few of my favorite things especially meaningful on a celebration day.

morning cappuccino   my wonderful Gilbert  walnuts, blackberries & Fage yogurt

our colorful birds and this little fellow was sleeping in the sun.  He got up and left shortly after this picture. I love hanging clothes on the line and seeing the blue skies and feeling the breeze.  There is something poetic about hanging clothes up. 

NEXT UP: I got a very special surprise this week and it was finalized this morning.  What an exciting birthday gift.  I was chosen by Mark’s Finest Papers to be on their design team for the summer months.  It is a real privilege for me to be chosen for this.  I am SO EXCITED.  My spot starts in June.  If you look on the side-bar to the right I posted the Designers Button that they give to their designers.  So join us over there and come have fun with the challenges and you might win a stamp set.  You don't have to use their stamps to play in the challenges.  They do have wonderful acrylic sets that stamp beautifully, just like the rubber stamps.  Feel free to follow along on my blog as I stretch myself for this journey.  Thanks for visiting me.

Three of a kind

• Just my kind of challenge.  Simple and challenging at the same time.  Jennifer over at Styles Ink challenges us with One Layer Cards every Wednesday.  Fondly known in the stamping world as OLW.  I’m getting this in just under the wire for last weeks challenge number OLW 51.  The challenge:  Choose ONE image and make three different cards, the sentiments were allowed to be different.  These were so simple and fun, lets take a vote, A, B, or C?  I like them all but I do have a favorite.

A.

B.

C.

The corner frames and the frame on the green were made with a Scor-Buddy.  One of my favorite tools, a recent purchase and how did I ever make cards without one?

Tomorrow I will tell you how I did the little dots on the B. card.  I can’t believe I used to use a ruler and try to do a straight line of dots every 1/16th of an inch apart.  (am I nuts!!!) You know if you click on the picture you can get a closer view, right?  I didn’t know that you could do that on a blog for the longest time.

Uh-oh

Did you ever have one of THOSE days?  I could not believe my ears when I heard this happen.  This is the Pretties Kit from Stampin’Up.  Do you know how many little pearls and do-dads and pins are in here?  Accck!  Oh well nothing to do but pick them up.  It wouldn’t have been so bad except just about an hour before this I had opened up my chalks to use and they went flying all over too.  Now, my chalks are well used and are broken into lots of little pieces, almost as bad as this mess.    Well, I had chalk all over my fingers and my table and it’s not real easy to put all the pieces back into those one inch squares like little tiny puzzles.  Just so you know I did get it picked up…AND sorted.

Getting Older

Marian has her 90th birthday today.  Oh my!  When I look back, wow, she was my age when she used to babysit our one year old and three year old.  Really, Marian? It just doesn’t seem that many years ago. My favorite memory is when we took Marion with us  to Florida to help with the kids.  We went by car and it had no air conditioning.  It was soooo hot.  Several times when we stopped I would get out and walk with Troy and Marion would take Sarah into the ladies restroom and run her feet under cool water to cool her off a bit.  It was such a help.  I really don’t know how we would have done it without her help.  Our grown children still love her and also attended her party. It’s been a privilege to know this meek and humble lady who has gone through so much in her lifetime and yet is so pleasant to everyone and always is grateful for any little thing you do for her.  So Happy 90th Marian.

Details: Stamps: Speedy the Cat  Musical holiday/Frames and Flourishes.

Die cuts:  Cuttlebug Red Tag Sale Alphabet covered with Designer Paper

Embellishments: Pearl Accents from Good Will. 

Speedy the Cat's Friends Challenge #53

Yay, I'm back in my stamping room.  When we have Hester we have her use that room because then she doesn't have to manipulate the stairs where our guests usually stay.  I try to take a few things out to stamp with while she's here but that just doesn't let my creativity flow.  Well, actually it's a challenge and I don't altogether mind that either. It is great to be back in the stamping room though b/c I have the space and I know where all my pieces and parts are.   ENOUGH!

The challenge this week at Speedy the Cat is to use a hat pin.  Do you know what a challenge that is for me?  It's not that I don't like them, I think they always look good on other peoples cards, but it's the whole vintagey thing that just isn't my style.  Ta! Da!  Mark's Finest Paper is the home of Speedy and way back in November they gifted me with this very beautiful set called Musical Holiday.  It's gorgeous, stamps beautifully and it was perfect for a hat pin card. The sentiment is from the same set. The image is stamped with Mark Holtz Lipstick Red - Gorgeous!  What do you think?

Speedy Cat Challenge #43

Black, White, One other color and paper piercing
This really challenged me. I like that! For some reason the elegance of the color combo just threw me. I knew I didn't want red to be my other color. I think b/c I didn't have anyone specific in mind as the recipient I couldn't come up with a plan. Then I remembered my brother has a March b-day. Aha! Then the brain kicked into gear. After I got it all assembled I realized I forgot the piercing. Take it all apart and make some holes!! I love it and it looks fabulous IRL. The ribbon really helped it come together. Thanks again Gina for this great technique. :)

SSIC-challenge #83

SSIC has a challenge to make a card for a child.  Here's the matching card that I have made for yesterday's post for the other twin.  Thought some of you might want to see this if you were wondering what the girl card would look like.  Thanks for stopping by.  The twins go to our meeting on Sundays and they are both pretty shy.  But over the years I have just continued to give them little things and make cards for them and now they talk to me after meeting and let me hug them and they even told their mom to send me their school picture this year.  Isn't that nice of them.  It's like God patiently giving us his love and all the good things that come from him and finally if we can be as a little child we start loving him back.  ....Thanks for the thoughts and the challenge Stamping Sisters.

OLW47 and Grab and Go # 12

Yep, I haven't forgotten.  I'm still doing Grab and Go and tonight I grabbed this lil' ole bear that has been a Stampin Up staple for years when they first started.  He's been hangin' around here for awhile.  I thought he would make the perfect card for the One Layer Wednesday Sketch annnnnddd I need another one similar to this for the twins birthday.  This will be for the boy and now I need a girl bear.

One Layer Wednesday is a sketch challenge this time.  Here's the sketch and here's the result.  Thanks for looking.  Remember to go out and vote tomorrow if you live in the States.

gingham and buttons

When you "stamp lift" an idea from somebody else in the crafting world we call it "CASEING" a card.  I saw what Maille did over at PTI and I just had to try something like it.  I love how it turned out.  I might get used to this CASEING stuff.  :)

You can help the people in Japan

Here's my red card and I'm using a tulip stamp that has only seen ink once in about five years.   I masked it and stamped it several times across the bottom. 

Use it Tuesday is having a challenge that will directly help the people of Japan.  Please join me in making an d posting a card to their website.  Let's get the word out about this.  Please post this on your blog even if you can't personally make a card...maybe it will appeal to others and they can.  The rules are to use RED as your main focal point.   Thank you everyone for your care and participation. Cllick on the highlighted words to go to their blog. 

Our challenge this week is related to recent world events:

Please make a project using the color RED in honor of Japan. Remember to use something from your stash you have been hoarding and please tell us in your post or project description what that item (or items) is!

As an added twist...we are going to make a donation to the Red Cross based on the number of participants we have! If we get 1-25 players, we will donate $50; 26-50 players we will donate $75 and so on up to $400! So feel free to get the word out! We would love to make a great donation on behalf of our fellow crafters. :)

P

Let the BUYER BEWARE

We were grocery shopping today in a large chain store and came across this label touting NO HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, then we looked at the ingredients.  The very first ingredient is CORN SYRUP.  Here is a study done at Princeton on the HFCS but in my opinion we shouldn't be ingesting the corn syrup either.  It is a highly processed sugar and the pancreas cannot handle all the simple sugars that are being put into our foods.  In this case something that is really not healthy for you is being marketed to the consumer as a perceived healthy product.  I say TSK TSK!! Shame on them.

 Princeton researchers had been studying not only side effects of high fructose corn syrup, but how your body reacts when it's ingested. They discovered that rats which had access to high fructose corn syrup gained significantly more weight than those with access to basic table sugar, even when their overall caloric intake was the same.

They did two studies and here are a few excerpts from their findings:

The first experiment — male rats given water sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup in addition to a standard diet of rat chow gained much more weight than male rats that received water sweetened with table sugar, or sucrose, in conjunction with the standard diet. The concentration of sugar in the sucrose solution was the same as is found in some commercial soft drinks, while the high-fructose corn syrup solution was half as concentrated as most sodas.

The second experiment — the first long-term study of the effects of high-fructose corn syrup consumption on obesity in lab animals — monitored weight gain, body fat and triglyceride levels in rats with access to high-fructose corn syrup over a period of six months. Compared to animals eating only rat chow, rats on a diet rich in high-fructose corn syrup showed characteristic signs of a dangerous condition known in humans as the metabolic syndrome, including abnormal weight gain, significant increases in circulating triglycerides and augmented fat deposition, especially visceral fat around the belly. Male rats in particular ballooned in size: Animals with access to high-fructose corn syrup gained 48 percent more weight than those eating a normal diet. In humans, this would be equivalent to a 200-pound man gaining 96 pounds.

Eggsactly

Since we had the discussion about balancing the egg on the Spring Equinox it was very fitting that Susan over at Simplicity would choose an egg image for the one layer Wednesday challenge.   So it's a one layer card, I embossed the oval with my nesties and added a matching ribbon to the duck.  I love this little duck stamp I purchased in Las Vegas years ago at the first physical stamp store I was ever in.  I didn't know you could buy stamps in a store, I thought you only got them at Stampin' Up parties.  :)  He was just tooooooo cute to leave in Vegas.

Today's Bride

Spring Equinox

It's the Spring Equinox today and you can stand a broom up all by itself and it won't fall over.  The earth's axis is spinning evenly.  Supposed to be able to get an egg to stand on end too but mine didn't.  I am boiling some now to see if that makes a difference.  Do you feel balanced today?

Editor update:  Here's the egg.  It worked boiled but I had to put it on this coffee filter.  I think the counter was too slippery for it.

Very happy Gentoo penguin

This is a very interesting video. I didn't take it and I didn't upload the music with it, just turn your speakers down a little bit. It just reminded me that we saw dolphins jumping while we were at the CA beach. At least we think they were dolphins and not sharks. I love it when that happens. :) Doin' the happy dance over seeing the dolphins.

Another Award

When I got home and back on the computer I found that Nancy D from crafting passions had presented me with another Stylish Blogger award.  How fun.  Thank you Nancy and I feel I've found a new blogging friend.  I love her work with cute little images and lots of design.  I'll be stopping by often .  I don't know enough of you to pass this on to more people as requested. Most of you who I follow have already received it.  I don't want it to start feeling like a chain letter.  :)   So if you would like to have this award let me know and I will add your name to the list and then you can add this to your page too.  It's kind of fun, really.   See my Dec. 26, 2010 post to see who I passed it on to.

Mojo is BAAAAACCCCKKK!

Okay, just so you know, I found my Mojo, or it found me.  I was starting to think I had depression or something the way I was so unmotivated.  Guess my body was just saying, you need some rest and when I am ready I will tell your brain and then you can jump up and begin doing things.  Yep, that's exactly what happened.  I was moping around in the morning and all of a sudden I just jumped up and started cleaning the kitchen, then hit the bedroom and put away all the suitcase goodies, then after supper I hit the craft room and mojo kicked in to stamp out nine cards in a couple of hours and then I designed a sticker card quickly this afternoon.  Got five cards ready for the mail tomorrow too.  I love MOJO!!

While I was in cleaning mode, I once again noticed the scraps sitting on the corner of the table waiting to be turned into something so here's a picture of the inspiration and also my finished products.  I only have one piece still sitting there waiting to be used.  That blue and white China vase has to be made into something and those other pieces of embellishments are going in the give away box for some kid to enjoy.  Can you see what cards I came up with with each of the scraps?  I love those kinds of challenges.   Happy Creating!!!

At the Beach

 Marina Del Ray, Venice Beach, Santa Monica, We hit all the hot spots only it wasn't so hot, it was kind of chilly really.  I was glad to have my long pants and my hooded sweatshirt on.  But it was still nice to hear the waves and see the surf rolling in.  We had to put our feet in the sand for a little bit anyway and eat at an open air eatery in Venice Beach.

 Do you know what makes this kind of track?  We just love how cute these little crabs are.  They scoot along sideways and leave this cute little trail.  They have to bury themselves fast though or the sea gulls are on them in a second.  Those gulls can gulp these little fellers down in a hurry.  Isn't he cute?

My Favorites at the Health Expo

Seeing things in action...You can't beat that.  This sprouting display got my attention last year and I went looking for them again this year.  For them it's all about eating Raw and nothing cooked.   Well, I don't do that by a long shot but I do like to include sprouts in lots of things because of their high vitamin and enzyme count.  It gives the body a rest and we don't have to produce our own enzymes for digestion because sprouts have the enzyme activity going on and they digest themselves.  Well, that's a simplified layman's way of saying it.  I'd like to sprout things on my own but whenever I've tried, and believe me, I've tried, my sprouts mold and get sad looking.  I think we don't have enough warmth in our house and since we are in the woods we just don't get rid of the dampness.  But with these sprouters I do believe anyone could make sprouts and they look so healthy and yummy and they have so much crunch.  If  I had these I would probably make a ton of sprouts and then sell them at the Farmers market.  Sprouted lentils make a wonderful crunchy summertime snack.  mmm...I'm getting hungry. LOL.  You're looking at four day growth of garbanzo beans.

Another booth I found really exciting was the GO RAW booth which is not affiliated with the sprouting company posted above.  These friendly and conscientious folks make bars, you know Health Bars that really are healthy for you and not just sugar bars pretending to be healthy for you.  The sorting process they use for their nuts and seeds is the most sophisticated I have seen and their bars when put on a plate and spritzed with water actually start sprouting.  This was major impressive to me.  Try that with your current health bar and see what happens.  Isn't this great?? Now you know you're getting live food in your body and it takes living food to create living cells.  You are what you eat.  The best part.....the bars taste really really good.  Look for them at your local health food store or Whole Foods Market.  Yum!  (I don't get any kick back for delivering this message)  :)