Sunday, December 27, 2009

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas Everyone and Happy New Year! I hope that your celebrations were everything you hoped for and more. For those who don't celebrate the holiday I hope you enjoyed your day no mater how you spent it.
This is my poor dog Scully. She was not thrilled to be an elf but I couldn't resist. She is a sweet little dog who put up with the hat and neck piece for all of 30 seconds.

I have two cards to post today...the first is taken from one of my stamping magazines and altered. It was so simple to use a couple of embossing folders and a few scraps and I was set. I will probably make a few non-holiday variations of this card to put in a last minute gift I am working on. I won't see my friend until New Year's Day so I should have enough time to finish...good thing she doesn't read my blog, right?

The last card was a clearance stamp set I got at Michael's some time ago and some bling I had left over. I used a scrap of ribbon and colored with my beloved Copic markers. As I looked at this picture I see some ways to improve the coloring I did but since the five of these I made were mailed before Christmas I guess I'll put my changes into effect the next time I work on this image.


Sunday, November 29, 2009

Drummer Boy


I really like how this card came out. I pulled out a Debbie Mumm scrap pad I picked up last season for the DP and some scrap cardstock that I ran through the music embossing folder that Cuttlebug puts out. There is a little gold inking around the music and the gold stars and voila. I colored with my Copics.

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Thankgiving Weekend Ramblings

************************RAMBLING ALERT*******************

What an odd weekend this has been for me. No turkey this year (my husband and his brother wanted ham for a change). No father-in-law at the table complaining how cold it was and talking about how much warmer it is in Florida.

This is the first year in ten or more that I wasn't out with the other nuts at 3:30AM looking for the "best" deal on Black Friday. Our Chrstmas tree, which usually makes an appearance Black Friday afternoon is still tucked away in the basement and probably will stay there until next weekend although we did take advantage of a beautiful Sunday afternoon to get the lights up outside. I have 25 Christmas cards completed and I have about six projects I will most likely finish before Christmas because I won't be out going nutty shopping.

I think that this year more than any in memory I am thankful for everything I have. While my husband and I both have jobs the economy has hit his industry hard, making the finances tighter around here than ever before and in tightening our belts like so many others in this nation it has given us both time to reflect on what is really important and shopping isn't it. I sat in my craft room and marveled at my own excess. I have stamps that have never seen ink, ink that has never seen a stamp and a full gamut of bling, baubles, ribbon and the like that I couldn't use in a year (or two or three...).

So, to cap off my intorspective post, here is a partial list of some of what I am thankful for...

God and all the blessings he continues to grant us
My husband and son and family
Our health
The friends I have
Our jobs (especially mine that provides great health care)
Living in a country where I can stand on the street corner and share my beliefs with anyone who will listen
My sisters...the two related by blood and those of the heart
My students, who so wonderfully teach me about life
My silly dogs, Mulder and Scully, who love me no matter what and always wag their tails when they see me

I am also grateful for my cyber friends. Your comments have brightened many a day for me.

Lori

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Sleigh Full of Toys


I have had this SU set for a long time and yet this is the first time I've pulled it out and used it. I made six of this card to send out this year. The picture isn't great...it has a lot of shine to it that just isn't coming through. I have a couple of fall cards to post later today or tomorrow.

Have a great Sunday!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Christmas Card, Version 1

















These are the first batch of Christmas cards I made...I went to my first Crop in September with my friend Rosemary and instead of scrapbooking, I used the 12 hours of time (less the time spent eating, visiting with a lovely set of ladies, and running my husband to get his car from the mechanics) to work on a couple of designs. I would never make it on a design team because I can't remember who the image is by or even where I got it. I think the DP is DCWV and I know I colored the images with my beloved Copics.

Happy Wednesday!!

Thursday, October 15, 2009

A Boo-tiful Card


This card is one of about five I made with hanted house Sizzix die I picked up for 50% off at AC Moore and a cute little skeleton by Eat Cake Graphics I got from Cathy at Paper Garden. The card came together in a flash.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Back in Action!

Where exactly does time go? August slipped into September and now we are half way through October! I've been sort-of crafty since my last post and have a few things to share.

Here is an unfinished card I am working on. The images are from Stamps by Judith. I really like her stuff, especially the versatility of them. This image is actually three separate stamps. I colored them with my Copics and will just be adding some ribbon with a tag saying "boo" on it to finish it off.

Friday, August 7, 2009

Almost Back in the Crafting Saddle

Here is my second cast. It got decorated today at VBS. It was a great week but I am glad it is over---I am exhausted!












This is my son's Lego Club 2009 Book. We put it together using a clear acrylic book I picked up at Creative Inklings. I love this store and am hoping the economy leaves this sweet little store alone. While AC Moore and Michel's are great for the basics, this store rocks for the special touches.


























This card is simple. A stamp I picked up at CK Valley Forge for 1/2 price and a couple Nestabilities I picked up as well. The scalloped oval was airbrushed with my Copic air brush system and the image was colored with Copics as well.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Easing Back Into Posting

I have been easing back into spending time on the computer and crafting, which I have really missed these past few months. I am scheduled to have my left hand done (carpal tunnel and deQuervain's tendinitis) on the 31st of July but it really shouldn't be too bad as I know what to expect this time.

I have some stuff to post and will get to it later tonight. I have a leg of lamb in the oven that is in need of attention.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

One Down, One to Go!

Hello Everyone!
My right hand is out of its cast and I am typing without too much discomfort! Surgery and recover went well and now onto a month of therapy to build the strength in my right hand. I am scheduled to have my left hand done the last day of July. So for now, it is full steam ahead for crafting!

Lori

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Happy Memorial Day & Surgery

Happy Memorial Day! While we will be having a cookout tomorrow it won't be without a trip to the cemetery. I want to make sure my son understands all of the sacrifices that have been made on our behalves.

Well, it looks like surgery is in my future. I'm scheduled to get my right hand operated on in a little less then two weeks. We are trying cortisone shots in the left hand before surgery. I had the shots a week ago and so far, I wish I had skipped them as my left wrist and hand hurts worse now. I miss my blog hopping and the time I was spending on the computer but my hands bother me a lot less if I abstain. I did manage to make my rounds to my SBS2 favorites today but will be good and give my hands a rest for the rest of the weekend.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

A Quick Update

Just a quick update to say I'm still here, just not very crafty lately. I have been having problems with my hands and wrists for some time and finally gave in and saw a doctor about them who sent me to an orthopedic specialist. Long story short, I have arthritis (which I suspected), carpal tunnel, and to add insult to injury, tendinitis in both wrists. I had a EMG on Monday (what a strange test...reminded me of the feeling putting your tongue on a 9V battery produced as a kid) I go back to the ortho guy on Friday and will see what comes next.

Lori

Monday, April 13, 2009

Shout Out to SheetLoad!


The April edition of Sheetload of Cards is out!! (APRIL) I really like this resource, especially when I need a lot of the same card. I have used it for several of my Christmas cards as well as thank you's.

Here are the latest I made using the April sketch. The paper is SU and the stamps are as well. I love these punny images! The embellishments are things I had laying around my work area. I am doing my best to use up what I have before buying anything else 'cause each dollar really has to stretch far these days. I colored the images using my Copics and added a bit of fluff to the ewes. I don't love the ribbon on the one card with the little balls dangling. I was a little too aggressive with the adhesive or I probably would have used a different embellishment there. Oh well....


Saturday, April 11, 2009

Spring Cards

Spring has sprung with this batch of cards. After a great vacation with my husband and son it was nice to be home and to have a little stamp time. I keep meaning to do a little cleaning in my craft room but the rubber is hard to resist. Here are three I made yesterday and one I forgot to post.....



This card is for my friend Marge's birthday. It was made using a couple of stamps from Denami Designs that I bought last year at a stamping show in Allentown, PA. I cut a strip off of the card front to expose the white interior and stamped the line of chicks. It was colored with Copics.


The bunny is a mess but I had to post him. I like the parts of this card but will rework them to make it flow a bit better. The bunny is from Stamps Happen, Inc. and the carrots in the background are from Denami Designs. I used my Copics again and included an air brushed background. I have a carrot punch that I used in the four corners then decided I didn't like the look at all and glued them back in place...at least the ones I could find. The other two where covered up with flowers.



I really like how this card turned out. It is so quick and easy to put together. I used my Copics to air brush the back ground then used Versa Magic (Purple) to stamp the flowers. The stamps are from SU's Glorious Gift.

This card I made some time ago but forgot to post. I used an image I recieved in a swap and bits and pieces I had around. I was quite pleased with how it turned out.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Picture of Couple at Dark Hollow Falls

We met this couple at the Dark Hollow Falls in Shenandoah National Park. They were nice enough to take a family picture in front of the falls of us so we did the same for them using our camera with the understanding I'd post the picture for them to find as they didn't have an active e-mail account (or a camera). It was a chilly day but so worth the hike down to the falls.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Spring Break

Greetings from Virginia! When life gives you lemons it is always good to make lemonade. In that effort when the trip to California to see my mom, sister, and brother fell apart due to a screwy pace maker, a gall bladder that needs to come out and knee surgery we decided that it wasn't meant to be. My mom's pace maker was fixed with a minimally invasive procedure, my sister has an appointment with the a surgeon for the gall bladder and my brother had knee surgery a week ago tomorrow and is recovering as well as he can at my sister's house. After everything with my father-in-law we decided to head out on the road and unwind a bit so we are on our way to Natural Bridge, Virginia then to the Luray Caverns and finally to Gettysburg, PA before heading home on Wednesday.

So...from Rt. 66 heading south, hope everyone has a great week!

PS...looked on the map to see where Woolvine was located. Was sad to see it wasn't near any of our destinations.

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

More cards from the basement...

These were the last two cards that came out of my Sunday afternoon stamping. I love the faux stamp card. It was amazingly easy using my Copic air brush and a couple of stamps.

Monday, March 30, 2009

A Quiet Sunday Afternoon with a Monkey




I spent yesterday quietly stamping in my craft room for a few hours. It felt good to listen to some of my favorite music by Mercy Me and Jars of Clay and just "be". Thanks for all the support and prayers. My MIL is feeling better physically and now working on the business of getting on with life.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Update

My father-in-law quietly passed away Friday, March 20th. Services were held yesterday. We're heading over to see my mother-in-law today. She is not feeling well and sadly, wasn't up to attending the funeral yesterday. She is diabetic and just hasn't felt like eating. With all the stress of the past few weeks I can understand the loss of appetite but not at the cost of her health. My husband and brother-in-law spoke to her at length yesterday about her health and while she agreed to try harder to eat we'll be spending a lot of time with her in the coming weeks and months to make sure she follows through.

Thank you all for the thoughts and prayers!

Friday, March 13, 2009

MIA

I have been missing from action for the past few weeks. My father-in-law, whom I love like my own, is in the final stages of COPD. He developed pneumonia in late February and finally agreed to go to the hospital on March 1st. We brought him home from the hospital today after two weeks not because he is improving but because there is nothing the doctors can do for him in the hospital that we as a family can do at home where he is more comfortable. For those of a mind to, please pray for my FIL (his name is Bob).

With all of the time I have been at the hospital I haven't been able to surf for sometime but thanks to someone in my in-laws neighborhood with a wireless router I have been able to visit some of my favorite blogs on my laptop while Dad has slept. We're working out a schedule for being here so my MIL is alone with Dad as little as possible. She is the sweetest woman. She cleared off a small table in the spare bedroom so I can color and "do my crafty stuff" since I'll be at the house so much.

Wishing you peace!

Lori



Friday, February 27, 2009

TGIF!!

Hi Everyone!
TGIF!! I'm hosting a baby shower tomorrow at my home for about 30 women. It should be a lot of fun. I've been scurrying around getting ready for it this week but did take Wednesday night off to go and play with my friends at Marge's. Here is what Marge had for us to make...I particularly like the card using SU's Bloomin' Beautiful. I don't travel with my Copics so I missed them when I colored these, especially being a CERTIFIED COPIC INSTRUCTOR!! (I so wish you could see the cheesey grin on my face!!) My friend Donna and I made the drive to Long Branch, NJ and participated in the class being offerered by Sally Lynn McDonald. It was awesome! I can't wait for my schedule to open up so I can spend some time in my craft room.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Bits and Pieces but not much crafting!

Hello All,

It has been a wild couple of weeks for me with little time for crafting :( One of my best friend's mother had a catastrophic stroke on the last Friday in January. She wasn't expected to live but I can say with a grateful heart that she is alive and very slowly improving--if you are of a heart, please add Marian to your prayer list.

School is starting to get a little manic...the all important testing season is nearly here so I've had extra work above and beyond teaching my classes and working on grades, which are due next Monday.

Toss into the mix a baby shower being held in my home next weekend for a dear friend from church and the regular running around having a seven year old boy brings although I must say Cub Scouts has been particularly active lately. We're heading to Trenton, NJ tonight for a minor league hockey game with his pack. (Hi Lori!! I'll think of you tonight at the game.). My son is really excited because they will let him play broom ball on the ice between periods.

The big crafting news for me is a seat at the COPIC Certification Course tomorrow in Long Branch, New Jersey!! I was a able to swing a seat for myself and my friend Donna. I can hardly wait!!

I hope you have a great weekend!!

Saturday, February 7, 2009

How Sweet it Is


These cards were inspired by a wonderful card over on Michelle's blog. I just loved the colors and the use of the heart embossing folder and wanted to put my own spin on their use. The stamp is from My Favorite Things (How Sweet it Is) and the card stock is all DCWV. The background on the large heard card is from SU...it is a discontinued jumbo wheel. I am off to lunch in a quaint little shopping area known as Peddler's Village then my friend and I are hitting the new papercrafting store that opened a few months ago. It is called Creative Inkling. I am just excited to have a brick and mortar store in the area again.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Light unto my Path


These cards are about as simple as you can get. The image is from SU and the DP is Wild Asparagus. I have a few more things to post but will have do dig out my camera to do so. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Christmas Cards in January and more things to share...


These cards were made after attending Copic 101. On the way back from the class I was talking to my friend Donna and she was saying how she was going to make 10 Christmas cards a month so that when Christmas 2009 rolls around, she'll have plenty done. I thought about it and decided to give it a try (on a smalller scale). Here are my first four cards. The House Mouse stamp seemed like like a good place to start since I wanted to practice the skills I had learned in the class. There isn't much to them, just a little left over DP from one company or another, a piece of crimped card stock and a few brads.
The next three are variations on a theme. Same basic layout using a different stamps. There are a couple of ladies at work that are out with long-term illnesses so I wanted a few cards to send that were bright and cheery. Have I ever mentioned that I really dispise tying bows???

The "Here's a Hug" card is my stepped-up version of the other three. I added a blittle bling, stamped and cut out some flowers.








This last card of this post was made with a blogging sister in mind (it left my mailbox yesterday, I didn't trust it to my husband ;) ) I bought this Autumn Leaves set from Paper Garden I don't know how long ago but haven't really done much with it but then I was at Michael's and saw a card that had a similar little monkey with the Hang in there..." saying. I bought the saying and set out to see what I could do. This is it. The leaves and vines are airbrushed using the corner of a Spellbinder die. A couple of flowers from Michael's and a piece of my Wild Asparagus DP to mat it. I really like how it all turned out.


I have a bunch more to share but will wait until the middle of the week or so. Hope you are all healthy!!


PS.......If you've noticed my blog looks a little different I'm working on sprucing it up a bit. It is kind of sad that a person who makes her living teaching children how to use computers hasn't figured out how to personalize this space a bit better.







Saturday, January 24, 2009

School Picutres


Sometimes all a page takes is a set of stickers, the right piece of paper and a seven year old to put it all together. This simple page took my son about 5 minutes to do. My son has the only green background so he stands out.

This page took me forever to do because I couldn't decide on anything for it. In the end, I was happy with the look but still think it needs a little something.....


The paper is SU and the big swirl was cut on my Cricut Expression and airbrushed with my Copics.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Copic 101


Thanks to my friend Donna letting me know about this class, I was able to participate and really enjoy myself at Sally Lynn MacDonald's Copic 101 Class held at Creative Inklings in Lahaska, PA. She traveled down from Connecticut to teach. We made the cards pictured and two more besides. She is teaching a Copic certification class in March but I doubt I will be able to get a seat...they let the enthusiasts like me in last. Oh, well....

*****Whining Alert******Whining Alert******Whining Alert******
This has been my first post in a bit because the 'flu saw fit to tear through 2/3 of my family. I'm praying it skips my son. My husband started out last Friday feeling blahh. He made it through the weekend and into work on Monday and Tuesday but relapsed and added a few nasty symptoms to his repitoire for Wednesday and today. I started Sunday night with fever, chills and a killer headache. I had off Monday, went in for 1/2 day on Tuesday and have been home Wednesday and today. I feel considerable better so will gladly go into work tomorrow.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Swim Team Page

This page was done for my son's album. He proudly swims in the summer for Eddington Seals. I cut the swimmer and title on my Cricut Expression and had the DP and stickers from a cute little scrapbook store I found in Williamsport, PA. The funniest thing about the picture is that my son isn't in it. We got stuck in traffic the night they took it and missed it. He was not upset at all because he said he knew what he looked like. Gotta love the logic of a seven year old!LOL!!

Monday, January 5, 2009

PageMap (Inspired by Carol)


Carol over at Crazy for Crafting posted a PageMap sketch and her awesome page a few days ago. I really liked the page and decided to give PageMap a try. The result is found below. About the only thing I can tell you about are the flowers...I got them in the Michel's floral department on clearance just for this page. I plucked them off their stems and popped a large brad in the center of each one. The rest is bits and pieces I had laying around.

Thursday, January 1, 2009

2008 Put to Rest

My Christmas tree was packed away on New Year's Day and the stockings are nestled in their Rubbermaid container waiting to make an appearance next Christmas. We've seen Bedtime Stories with Adam Sandler (very cute if you were wondering) and played Apples to Apples (great game the first 15 times you play it) until I must confess I want an orange. My husband seems happy with his Play Station 3.

I am sending Maria a big THANK YOU!! Pictured are the contents of the box she sent as my secret sister in a SBS2 Holiday Swap. If you've never visited Maria Bell's blog I highly recommend it!

Tomorrow it is back to the daily grind. I've had 12 glorious days home with my family so I really can't complain. Teachers are usually just as bad as the kids about returning to school but I have to say that I'm not sad to return tomorrow. The whole family needs to return to a more regular routine.

I managed to complete five scrapbook pages in the past few days. I'm only going to post one tonight and then stretch the rest out into the next week.
This was done to commemorate the first snow of the season. We had a dusting in October. I used my Cricut Expression to cut out the letters. The paper is DCWV if my memory serves me correctly and the snowman is a sticker, probably Jolee. We haven't had much snow since but we have had a couple of days that make you think you are in Siberia. Brrrr!!!!