Taking a break

I'm sure you've already noticed the quietness of my blog. I have decided to take a break from crafting for a little while. I will be back soon, just getting photos in order, cleaning out closets, etc. Love ya!

Christmas is in the air...

Hi there! Welcome to the blog hop! If you are just joining us, head on over to the Sweet 'n Sassy blog to start.

For today's Christmas project, I decided to make an acetate Christmas ornament.
I just love these ornaments. They are so glittery and pretty. And they show off my favorite scene!
I used Chris Dickinson's stamp set, Jesus is Born.

For those of you who have never made these ornaments before, they're quite easy.
1. You stamp your image on a clear acetate sheet with Staz-on ink.
2. Then you color on the back of the clear sheet with sharpie markers.
3. Then you cut them in a circle, add clear-drying glue to the other side and cover with glitter.
4. Once that dries, you roll it up and slip it into a glass ornament ball.
5. Add glitter or snow or whatever you like, a bow, and you're done!

Now, head on over to Janette's blog for more Christmas fun!

Everlasting Life

One Day Blog Hop!

How about a recycled gift! What do you think of the new release blog hop so far? Cute stuff, eh?

I made a gift with the new stamp set, Baked with Love. I altered a small clear box I had saved... I bought something a LONG time ago and saved the little clear box it came in... (I have a whole stash of things like that!) AND I used another blue jean strap from my daughter's shorts! LOL!



Inside the box are 5 blank recipe cards:

Your next ingredient for our Sweet 'n Sassy scavenger hunt is PUMPKIN Continue along the hop to collect all of the ingredients!

(for some reason blogger is not letting me copy and paste the list of links here. Go to my sidebar on the left hand side and check out the other blogs!)

Once you have all of the ingredients, head back to the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps blog and comment with the recipe you think the ingredients are for. You just might win this month's new release: Baked with Love and Forget-me-not!

Enjoy!

Song for Kitty

We were adopted by a kitten. It is really cute and loved the kids, so I started leaving a little food for it outside, thinking it might be nice to have an outside cat around to keep the snakes away.

One day Vivian came to me carrying the kitten and asked if it was a boy or girl. I looked and realized that it was not only a girl... but a PREGNANT girl.

So a few weeks later I hear little "meows" around our yard. The momma had the babies and abandoned them! She was a kitten herself and didn't know what to do with them.

My husband told me to take them to the vet. I couldn't do that because I knew that the vet would put them down if I did. (There were four of them.) So Josh huffed and puffed and took them to the vet... only to return an hour later, kittens in hand and a bottle of kitty milk. lol!

So we're up every TWO hours feeding FOUR newborn kittens for three weeks. Over that three week span, three of the kittens slowly die. It was so sad!

One survived. Corbin named him Sparks. Here's a very tired Josh with his baby, Sparks: Awwwww.....

So anyway, Josh and I had to bathe the kitten just about every time we fed him because, well, he'd poo or pee and smell bad!

One day after feeding him I was playing with him and petting him when Corbin (my 5 year old) came to me and said:

Corbin: "Mommy, we need to sing songs to the kitty."

Me: "Ok, Corbin, why don't you sing him a song?"

Corbin: "OK!"

And he starts singing:

"Oh, kitty, you smell really bad...
but I love you, kitty...
you make the house smell bad...
but I love you, kitty...
your eyes are too big for your head...
but I love you, kitty...
you look funny...
but I love you, kitty..."

and the whole time he's singing, he's singing so very sweetly and petting the kitten. LOL!

Vivian (my 7 year old) has one chore. Unloading the dishwasher. It's not even a yucky chore. The dishes are clean by the time she gets to them.

She gets $2 a week for unloading the dishwasher. At first she was LOVING getting money for doing this chore. But then it started to wear on her. It got more and more inconvenient for her to stop what she was doing to come and unload the dishwasher.

So she started whining. And I started getting upset when she wouldn't do her job, or make excuses, or just plain WHINE.

So I quit paying her.

And she didn't notice.

Until one day, during one of her whining, I don't wanna, I don't wanna, I don't wanna fits, I said:

Me: "Vivian, have you noticed that I have not paid you your allowance in a while? That's because when you grow up and you get a job, you HAVE to work... and if you don't do your job, you DON'T GET PAID. So... come do the dishes so I can pay you, because you have two choices. 1. come do the dishes when you're called and get paid for doing it, or 2. whine, get in trouble for whining and not doing your job, and do the dishes anyway.""

Vivian is staring at me, wide-eyed during my whole speech. I can tell she is soaking every word in. She continues to look at me for a couple of beats after I finish talking... she's obviously thinking. Then she says:

Vivian: "Well, then.... I quit."

I know, I know. I'm in trouble. She's only 7 for Pete's sake!

Pirate Booty

I made this for Vivian's teacher. {I couldn't send something for Corbin's teacher without thinking of Vivian's as well!} Vivian's teacher has a pirate theme all throughout her classroom. I thought the Pirate's Life stamp set would be perfect to make goodies for her classroom!
Here's a closeup of the cute little pirate:

I asked Vivian if her teacher would like it and she said: "Yea, I guess. Even though it is a BOY pirate."

LOL!

Vacation Countdown

Corbin's Kindergarten teacher is going to Hawaii for Christmas break. She has a class of 22 with only 9 of those being girls. Poor thing, I'm sure she's counting down the days!

So I decided to help her out a bit:
I took an old candle and cleaned it out really well. (ran it through the dishwasher several times)

Then I used two different stamp sets to create a beachy-type scene. I made it into a shaker image so she can just shake the jar and voila, she's at the beach! tee hee hee...

I used Dino-mite and Summer Fun to create the beach scene.

Her favorite candy is gummies, so I got a package of gummy worms and just stuck it inside the jar. I didn't want to open it up and count out how many gummies would equal how many days she had left and touch them all... the might think that was gross. LOL!

Anyway, enjoy and have a great day!

SSS22 Recycled

Sweet Stop Sketch #22!
So I guess you're wondering where that blue jean strap came from. I bought Vivian several new pairs of shorts for the school year. They are the kind that roll up and button on the side. Well, they were too short rolled up, so she has to wear them unrolled at school so that they will be long enough. However, when she does, the little strap hangs out below the shorts and looks funny. So what did I do? I cut the straps off and made a card! LOL! Now THAT'S recycling!!

Go HERE to see the sketch and all the SWEET inspiration from the rest of the DT!!

Fall Alterations

Well, I just couldn't leave the Autumn Blessings stamp set alone. I took one of these small scrapbook albums from the $1 spot at Target and altered it:
And this is what the inside page looks like:
Here's a closeup of the leaf:

This is what it looked like before:

Worth a little more than a dollar now, eh?

Simple Blessings

I send cards to people when they visit my church. I wanted something simple, elegant, yet unisex so I could make a bunch and have them on hand. This is what I came up with: I used the stamp set Elegant Blessings. I stamped the cross and sentiment in black, used my large scalloped rectangle nesties to emboss, and added a gem to the center of the cross. I think they turned out nice!

Blog Hoppin'!

Are you guys enjoying the blog hop so far? You should start at Sweet 'n Sassy Blog with Dawn Lusk then go to see Ceal Pritchett and then come see me!

The stamp set I'm showing today is Autumn Blessings by Chris Dickinson. I just love these fall leaves!


I decided to make a framed piece. I am pulling out all of my fall decorations and thought this would be the perfect touch!

Now, head on over to Jeanette Comerford's blog and enjoy the rest of your hop!

**insert cool signature here**

Wow, I'm late

This is my take on the July 11th Sweet Stop sketch. Cheese. Why didn't I post this? Go HERE to see the sketch and more samples! (I used the Summer Fun stamp set, btw)

Wall Art

I found these blank canvas wall hangings in the Target Dollar Spot. The colors matched the kids' bathroom exactly.
I used the Pond Pals stamp set to decorate the canvas to match the pond theme of the kids' bathroom. I think it turned out cute, the kids like it!

SSS21

I completely thought I had scheduled this to post yesterday! Apparently not, and I'm so sorry! I DO however have lots of projects scheduled for this week, plus a Vivianism AND a Corbinism, so make sure to check back every day!

Go HERE to see the sketch for this week.... and samples from the other very talented DT members!

Here is my take on it. I used the Be Still stamp set (I love this set, I know the illustrator personally.... she is REALLY nice). I stamped the deer on a piece of my kids' tracing paper because I didn't want to cover up that yummy designer paper... I think it turned out rather nice!

Help!

My MIL just updated her website. It has a whole new design and I think it is really nice! She makes shopping cart covers for babies.

Head on over to www.nanasbuggybuddies.com and let us know what you think!

Thanks!

Purses... it's a girl thing!

I made this for one of the CAS card challenge on SCS. The theme was purses and shoes. I used the Trendy Girl stamp set. I think it turned out rather cute....

Card Positioning Systems Sketch

Sweet 'n Sassy is sponsoring the CPS sketch this week! Here is the sketch: And here is my card:

I used the Autumn Blessings stamp set. Aren't these leaves gorgeous?

Now head on over to the CPS sketch blog to see more inspiration!

Tornados make my hiney shake.

Did you know that the kids and I were caught in the middle of a very scary tornado? Yep, last month I took the kids to the mall to get some school clothes. We were standing in the hallway when we heard a loud BOOM! And all of the windows above us busted out. There was debris flying everywhere! I grabbed the kids and ran to the back of Bath and Body and hung out with several employees and other shoppers around the counter.

My cell phone rang. It was my husband (who is a firefighter and was at the station). He said "Where are you? Did you know there's a tornado hitting the mall?!?"

and I not-so-calmly replied "YES, I KNOW THAT, I'M AT THE MALL!!!"

Corbin and Vivian were terrified. Shoot, I was, too! After it passed we picked our way through the parking lot to find our car unscathed. That's when 5 year old Corbin told me:

"I'm having a hard time getting my hiney to stop shaking!"

After that I took them to get Icee's. Anyone who's just been through a tornado and had a shaking hiney deserves an icee.

Stick With Me... We'll Go Places!

Yep, it's true! LOL!

Here's my card for this week's Sweet Stop sketch challenge.
I know it's supposed to be a large square card but I have so many A2 sized scraps that I just couldn't bring myself to cut another piece of cardstock! LOL!

I used the Elly and Friends stamp set. I just love this little gal.

Go on over to the sweet stop blog to get some more inspiration!

Christmas is HOPPIN'!

Welcome to the Sweet 'n Sassy Mini Christmas blog hop! There is no rhyme or reason to this, we're just listing our blogs to hop, and you can hop around at your leisure!

While you're here, wanna see some Christmas? Here is a sample I made using one of the two new release stamp sets from Sweet 'n Sassy:

I used the spotlighting technique to color this little guy. Isn't he just the cutest?!?!? Here's a closeup of the spotlight:
I had to put some glitter on my snowman... I felt like the snow should glisten :) We don't get much snow around here, so I get pretty excited about snow. :)

There are two new releases.... and they're super cheap! You can get both stamp sets, plus shipping for less than $15! WOW! You can't beat that deal!!!

So what are you waiting for? Check out the rest of the eye candy!!

Here's the list:
Belinda Chang
Ceal Pritchett
Chris Dickinson
Connie Babbert
Courtney Fowler
Deedee Anderson
Janette Olen
Jeanette Comerford
Korin Sutherland
Leah Cornelius
Lisa Hjulberg
Lorie Souther
Nancy Brown
Nicole Anderson
Sandy Domelle
Shannon Pankow
Teresa Kline

You're going to love the talent going on all over these girls' blogs! Go check them out!

I've changed my name...

5 year old Corbin: "Mom, why did you name me Corbin? I don't like that name. I've changed my name to Rock.... because I rock!"

Sweet 'n Sassy Scripture Blog Hop Day 1!

If you're just joining us, please head over to the SNSS Blog featuring Chris Olsen to start!

Korin (the owner of Sweet 'n Sassy stamps) gave the Senior Design Team members a challenge. It was to use the Roman's Road stamp set in a way that you could use it at any time, anywhere to lead someone to a new life in Christ.

You know I'm all about thinking outside of the box. So here's what I came up with:

A necklace and bracelet set with all of the scriptures from the Roman's Road stamp set.

The scriptures were stamped on Shrinky Dinks. I cut them out and punched holes, cooked them and strung them with beads to make this jewlery.

I think these turned out so cute! Even my husband said "wow"! :)

Do you have a personal relationship with Christ? You know none of us are good enough to get to heaven on our own.

God says He will forgive our sins and cast them as far as the East is from the West. There is NOTHING that you could have done to make God not love you.

If you would like to know how to get into heaven; how to have a new life, EMAIL ME. Let's talk! :)

Ready for more scripture inspiration? Head on over to Janette Olen's blog!

Colorful Scripture

Guess what I did today! I dropped my kiddos off at school and DIDN'T CRY!! THEN, I came home and did the color challenge on Splitcoaststampers.com!

Today's color combo challenge is Real Red, Kraft, Chocolate Chip, white and black. Here is what I came up with: I used the Romans Road stamp set.

I thought this would be an excellent way to get you guys ready for the scripture blog hop... starting tomorrow! Make sure you check back tomorrow because Korin has issued the Senior Design Team a challenge... and I'm sooooo excited about my project! Let's just say I've thought "outside the box" for this one.

Enjoy your day and I'll see you tomorrow!!

Kids' First Day of School.... Awww, Buckets!

Well, it's official. I'm old. I am no longer a mother of a preschool age child. SOB! Corbin started Kindergarten and Vivian started Second grade today. Needless to say, he's a *tad* excited. I do have to say I am excited about their teachers. They both seem very sweet and organized. :) Organized is good, because I'm NOT! LOL!

Anyway... their teachers each have different themes throughout their rooms. Corbin's teacher has a jungle / monkey theme, Vivian's teacher has pirates.

I had this GREAT monkey ribbon that my online BFF Dani gave me. I was afraid to use it because I just knew I would have to use it for something special and... well, I think it looks cute!!!

I punched holes in the bucket and ran the ribbon all around the top. I also added diamonds to the flowers on the buckets. Every bucket needs bling, baby!

The buckets have hand soap from Bath and Body, post-it note pad, pens, chocolate and a water bottle with plastic re-usable ice cubes and lemonade drink mixes. Ya know, just the basics to get the teacher started on the first day of school! :)

Ok, I am practicing my *breathe in* *breathe out* exercises until I can pick up my babies today! It's tooooooo quiet in this house!!!