Sassy & Sweet Notes

A Showdown with Jacksonbelle!

I have always had a great fondness (putting it mildly) for western themed everything. Horses, cowboys, rodeos, cowboys, western decor, cowboys... well, you get the idea.
Hi Alan!

When I saw that Stampin' Up was releasing western themed stamps and paper with the new catalog, my wallet felt a pain. But it was a GOOD pain! I couldn't WAIT to place my order! As I flipped through my catalog, I said "I'll take one of those, and one of those, and one of those, and oooh two of those, and one of those..."

My good friend Lindsey (Jacksonbelle) shares my fondness for western themed goods. Her love for cowboys is real -- she's even a real life Willie Nelson groupie! She ordered the western sets too, so I challenged her to a Stampin' Showdown. The challenge: a card with Bronc Buster; all other details up to the stamper. 

This is my showdown card. The light brown paper is from the 6x6 Basic Grey Infuse paper pad. I stamped the bronc rider in a mix of Not Quite Navy and Timber Brown Stazon ink. I sponged the edges of the layer with Walnut Ink and Black Soot by Ranger. For the faint swirls in the background I used the swirl stamp from Baroque Motifs in once-stamped-off Close to Cocoa ink. I distressed the edges with scissors -- love that kind of texture!

The blue and dark plum colored patterned paper is from the Signature Life series by My Minds Eye. They have a fantastic series of both masculine and feminine papers in a western-looking theme. I sponged the edges with Walnut Ink and Black Soot by Ranger and added the accent swirl stamp from the Bronc Buster set in Timber Brown Stazon ink. All of the layers are popped up on dimensionals. There's double-lined faux stitching around every layer. I added antique copper brads and brown hemp cord for accents. The horseshoe charm is from a Karen Foster set of mini charms called Cowboy. I wish I could buy them in bulk.

You'll want to check out Lindsey's card on her blog, Embellished. Her card is brilliant! Kind of funny we both created square cards for this challenge!! That wasn't even mentioned! And we both used non-SU paper! We're steppin' out, I tell ya!! Haa!

So, Lindsey... whatdayasay... are you up for another Stampin' Showdown?

Poolside Margaritas!

My friend Aileen made a cute Memory Box penguin card and used the A Muse sentiment "When life gives you limes...make Margaritas!" As soon as I saw her card that stamp went on my wish list!

Well! Guess what I got in the mail! YAY! New A Muse stamps! I used that sentiment on this card with a poolside kitty enjoying a cool, refreshing margarita! It's getting hot enough here, that's not a bad idea!

The kitty image is by Penny Black. I think they have the cutest little critters! I watercolored this image using ink from my Stampin' Up reinkers and an aqua painter. I just love the results.

I noticed that Stampin' Up has a new background stamp in the catalog that's all little polka dots, like on the background of my card. I don't have it, nor do I need it! I have the old one that was retired years ago called Decorative Dots! YAY for good deals on ebay! I bought my stamp a couple of years ago. I'm pretty sure I didn't pay more than $6 or $7 dollars. I love good deals!

The swirls on this card were done with the swirly stamp from the new set called Priceless. Great set for swirls and dots and a whole lotta fun!

Meow!

Reminder: Summer Penguin Card Contest

Just a reminder about the Memory Box Summer Penguin Card Contest I'm hosting, right here on my blog!

You only have until MIDNIGHT Central Time July 31st to enter!

Find all the details HERE.

GO STAMP SOMETHING!

Back to School

I had so much fun creating the "Let's Hear it for the Boys" birthday card, I thought I'd do another one just like it using the Back to School set by My Favorite Things! This set is one of the four new sets being released on August 1st. In addition to the images on this card, the set also has a teacher, a chalkboard, a backpack, and the expression "world's best teacher". A great mini set, just in time for class!

More Birdies...

I've been poking around in the forums over on SplitCoastStampers and came across a thread about A Muse images. Then I got to poking around in the galleries looking at various cards using A Muse images.

And then I realized, I COULD be STAMPING with A Muse images! Duh! So, I pulled out a few of my favorites, and made some note cards.

I love to doodle, and I love trees...and as you might have guessed, I love to doodle trees! I doodled the branches on these two cards - I like making a design truly my own by adding my own drawings. Do YOU doodle?

Happy Bird

I made this card as a sample card for Lindsey Botkin's (Jacksonbelle) Dare to Get Dirty challenge happenin' on SplitcoastStampers. What a fantastic event this has been, and there's STILL more fun to come!

If you're a fan club member, I hope you're enjoying the challenges that have been offered up each day! I know I am!

Happy Bird, Happy Sunday!

Let's Hear it for the Boys!

My Favorite Things is releasing four new clear stamp sets on August 1st and I wanted to drop a sneak peek for you. I created this card using the set called "Let's Hear it for the Boys". The set is made up of images for, you guessed it, BOYS! In addition to the images on this card, there's a remote control, a newspaper, a dude reclined in a chair watching TV, and a handful of words and expressions. If you do a search in the SplitCoastStampers galleries for MFT, you'll find LOTS of card designs using My Favorite Things stamps. And you'll see the designers have been BUSY gearing up for the release of the four new sets! More later!

Poppies

I created this card as a sample card for Leslie Miller's Dare To Get Dirty challenge that was posted today on SplitCoastStampers. What a great time the Dare To Get Dirty days have been, and there's still MORE fun to be had!

The California poppies on this card is one of my Whipper Snapper stamps. The stamp is just a single poppy, so I stamped the image twice to create two poppies. I colored the flowers with markers, added some glitter in the centers for sparkle, and finished up the rest of the design. The sentiment is an A Muse stamp I've had for a while (couple of years, maybe?) The swirls in the background are from the Stampin' Up set called Priceless. Great swirlies for all kinds of projects!

A Treat For You

There's a stampin' party going on over at SplitCoastStampers! The Dirty Dozen stampers (past and present) are hosting a weeks worth of challenges for Fan Club members! It's a HOPPIN' good time!! If you're a Fan Club member, CHECK IT OUT! If you're NOT a Fan Club member, I think you SHOULD be!!

I don't want to spoil the challenge for those who haven't been able to see or do it yet, but I can share the sample card I made FOR the challenge I hosted yesterday. A treat for you, Dog!

This is a cute Penny Black stamp I've had for a while. I paired it up with my "a treat for you" sentiment stamp by A Muse. To coordinate the background with the dogs collar, I punched out 3/4" circles and stuck them to the background. When you can't find the patterned paper you want, make your own I always say!

On the topic of pooches, a friend dropped me a note the other day and asked me to write about what kinds of treats my dogs like. Now seems like a good time to give ya the dish!

Miss Daisy will eat *anything*. The dog lives for food, 24/7. Mister Farley is a bit more reserved when it comes to his treats, but eventually (if he sees Daisy eat it) he'll eat most anything too. (Even pickles and fruit!) When I can get them they get treats by Old Mother Hubbard. They're not easy to find around here. Thankfully, they're not picky on the flavor they get. They also love Breath Busters (which are easier to find here, too). Although, I'm not sure how much "busting" they do. They've also been known to get some fun, gourmet treats during the holidays or birthdays. And, they also LOVE Snausages. (Like I said... they'll eat pretty much anything!) I've even been known to make homemade dog treats. I have a fun cookbook from Three Dog Bakery with recipes made for dogs. The outside dogs usually get rawhide chips or rawhide twists. They seem to be oodles of fun, and if they get buried and dug up later the dogs seem to think they're just as tasty as when they were "fresh".

So there you have it! Spoiled pooches all around.

I'd do it for you...

I had a few minutes to stamp last night and wanted to make a quick card for a friend. I chose some of my Rosie's Roadshow stamps to create this little 4x4 notecard.

I didn't have a sentiment that really said what I wanted this card to say, so I just wrote the sentiment myself. I chose some of my Memory Box paper for this card -- I love the stars and speckles on this paper.

A little out of season...

...but I wanted to share him anyway! This is Pudgy, one of my new Whipper Snapper stamps. Working with snowmen in the middle of summer is a bit odd. But, it makes me think of cooler weather, which in the middle of summer in the middle of Texas is NEVER a bad thing!

This little guy was so quick and easy to color. I'll be using him on some Christmas cards this year, for SURE! Oooh, I sure wish I had more of that Stampin' Up paper! It's just so cute!

Wishing you cooler summer days...

Another Sunflower!

I thought it was fitting after my Sunflower Garden card to have a sunflower photo for my Photo a Day image! How lucky that we have some sunflowers blooming in the yard and I could actually get a photo!

I took this photo earlier this evening. The cows and donkeys all thought I was out there to feed them, so they ALL came running up to the fence. Silly animals -- they need to eat GRASS!

Sunflower Garden

Good morning! It's a happy, happy day!! Not only is it Tuesday (yuck to Mondays), but it's a day for announcing Blog Candy winners! Wahoo!! And I thought I'd share this card with you. I made it last night with one of my new Whipper Snapper images called Sunflower Garden. The image is actually repeated 4 times on this card, slightly overlapping each other. You can do this with the masking technique. Stamp the image once, and then cover it with a thin paper mask of the stamped image. (Cut precisely around the image when you create the masking layer.) Stamp the image again, slightly over the first image. Repeat the masking and stamping until you're done! This card is 4" x 8.5" in size, and will easily fit into a standard sized envelope for mailing.

This is one of my favorite images from the release. Big cheerful faces on sunflowers! I drew this image while thinking about a trip to a sunflower farm that I took with a friend in Oregon a few years ago. It was a beautiful day and the flowers were all so lovely! The sentiment on this card is by A Muse.

But enough about that... you're here to see if you won Blog Candy! I loved reading all of the reasons for your Monday smiles! I thought it was kind of funny how many of you were thankful for your kids just settling down for a nap. Sounds like a great reason to smile! I chose two names randomly from all the posts to yesterday's post. Both people will receive the "SMILE" stamp by Heidi Swapp. Congrats to Lauren Pittman and Ida! Email me your address and I'll get these stamps out to both of you right away!

I hope you all have a beautiful day, and find even more reasons to smile today!

Whipper Snapper Designs LAUNCHED!

Tonight is a night for CELEBRATING!!

Whipper Snapper JUST launched the latest release of images!!

Whipper Snapper Fall/Winter 2007

I've put together a list of my images and provided it to you here on my blog. Thanks to all of you who requested this! =)

I MUST GO SHOP!

PS: Image on this card is one of my new ones, Happy Snowman!

The LIST: My Fall/Winter 2007 Images

Anna's Fish
Anna's Pumpkin
Ant
Apple
Apron
Autumn Sheep
Batty
Billy Goat
Bo-Lina
Broomstick
Campfire
Christmas Cactus
Christmas Igloo
Christmas Kitty
Cozy Penguin
Crow & Sunflower
Ellie
Fairy Snowman
Fall Mailbox
Farley
Fishy Balloons
Flower Quilt 
Flowerpot Snail
Folk Santa
Framed Daisies
Garden Kitty
Garden Sunflower
Halloween Toad
Hamhock
Happy Snowman 
Hen & Eggs
Holiday Bird
Holiday Cactus
Holiday Gifts
Holiday Snail
Homemade Pie
Joey
Kitchen Snowman
Lamb
Lemon
Long Hat Santa
Miss Daisy
Moon & Star Tag
Owl & Tree
Pile of Presents
Polkadot Mug
Polkadot Ornament
Portrait of a Snowman
Present Gift Tag
Pudgy
Pumpkin & Bird
Pumpkin Cart
Pumpkin with Sunflowers
Quilted House
Red Mittens
Retro Trees
Rollerderby Hen
Rooster
Round Hay Bale
Saltbox House
Sand Bucket
Sand Castle
Santa Shorts
Santa's Hat
Sheila Ghost
Short & Tall Snowman
Smell the Coffee
Snow Bird
Snowcap
Snowman & Sheep
Snowy Gift Tag
Snowy Scene
Spiral Chicken
Sunflower Farm
Sunflower Garden
Sunflower Saltbox
Sunflower Scarecrow
Sunny Bloom
Suzy
Tall Hat Snowman
Tall Vase Sunflower
Three Pumpkins
Tippy the Ghost
Trick or Treat Ghosts
Twigs
Two Bats
Watering Daisies
Whimsy Ladybug
Whimsy Tree
Woodland Gift Tag
Xmas Stocking
Young Witch

Who wants a little candy?

Blog Candy, that is! I have two Heidi Swapp clear stamps to give away, and thought what better day to give away a stamp that says "SMILE" than a Monday! To be entered in the drawing, just leave a comment on this post and tell me one reason you're smiling today! Be sure to leave your NAME too! Two winners will be chosen randomly. Enter only once, but do it quick! Names will be drawn Tuesday morning (July 24) at 8:00am Central.

Good Lookin' Bear

I can't believe how long it took me to make this little 4.25 x 4.25 card today! I kept getting interrupted by things like email, and splitcoast, and trips to the store, and dinner, and Lollie, and feeding the dogs, and checking on the chickens, and dishes, and oh my GOSH... I didn't think I was ever going to finish this card! And now, FINALLY, 1:00am and it's done!

The stamps are all from Rosie's Roadshow - Arthur the bear, the scalloped frame, and the expression. On any other day this would have been a real quick card. But not today! =)

Meet Shirley Manetta!

Well, well, well... I'Lean, our one-legged hen, hatched a baby turken! It's a couple days old now, so I thought it might be safe to post a photo and introduce you to it. Sometimes I wait a couple of days to post a photo; I like to make sure they make it before I tell the world about um'.

Alan and I knew exactly what this baby's name would be! For some reason it's little head was swollen, like it had lots of excess fluid under its skin. So, it was obvious that her name had to be Shirley Manetta! This of course will make no sense to you (except my family) until I tell you why.

I had a Great-Aunt (my Dad's father's sister) named Shirley. All the kids in the family were supposed to call her Mean Ol' Aunt Shirley, at her request. (Although, she wasn't really mean...) Shirley was born with hydrocephalus, or 'water on the brain'. As I understand it, when she was a very young girl doctors weren't sure she'd live to be much older than 13, or if she'd even live that long. She did live to be 13. In fact, she just died a few years ago at nearly 70 years old. She lived most of her life with Great Grandpa (her father) on their farm in Idaho where she cooked and looked after Grandpa. Mean Ol' Aunt Shirley.

Sunday's Peek!

It's Sunday morning and I thought I'd throw out another Whipper Snapper Sneak Peek for you!

I love cards with pets on them, so I thought it would be fun to do a little pet portrait stamp. This cute little chocolate dog poses in a field of posies. Remind you of anyone? (Here's a hint...)

Make her golden, make her white, make her spotted... One thing is for sure -- whatever color you make her, she'll be so cute!

Happy Sunday!

Reminder: Memory Box Summer Penguin Card Contest

Just a REMINDER!! I'm hosting a Memory Box Summer Penguin Card Contest, right here on my blog! You're going to want to win this contest! But first you have to enter!

You can find all the details by clicking HERE.
(Or by following the link to the contest page over there ---> under my photo.)

I made this card just before dinner this evening. It's so easy and fun to use Memory Box stamps! And who doesn't love PENGUINS!? I used one of the flowers from my new Stampin' Up set called Small Flowers. Maybe I should have used a Memory Box flower...BUT, I'm a rebel stamper, and like mixing it up a bit. The notecard is from Target. A similar notecard could easily be created using a colored Memory Box card, and a layer of white cardstock. I had this one handy, so I got it inky.

Also, if you love Memory Box and you love Penguins, you need to know this! Memory Box has a big holiday image release happening soon! I'll have the new images in my shop as soon as I can get them in! If there's something you'd like special ordered (either with the new release, or any existing product), just drop me a note! If you're unable to email me using that link (AOL users sometimes have troubles) you can leave me a comment on this post and I'll get in touch with you.

Now, go stamp something cute! I'm going to!

Saturday's Peek!

Time for another Whipper Snapper Sneak Peek!

I like goats. I think they're cute! So I was tickled when Whipper Snapper wanted to use my little billy goat as one of their new images. It's not too often you find a cute goat image. I'll have this stamp for my very own, for sure!

I jotted down some ideas for what I'd use this image for...

Happy Birthday, you ol' goat!
Flowers for you!
Thanks for Lunch!
Invitation to Lunch
(Next to a Chicken) Friends Forever!
(With a bird on his back) We're quite a Pair!
Kittie could use him in her stamped scenes! He'd eat all the weeds in her flower beds! (...just the weeds though...)

Let's hear some of YOUR goat ideas!

Can you handle another?

It's Friday night and I feel like I'm living on the edge with the number of posts I've made today! But I think it's the right time to share yet another new Whipper Snapper release image with you!

For some reason I keep referring to this little guy as "pot head" ... but, I should probably stop doing that. It really does make me giggle, though!

Snowmen really do make me happy. Oooooh so very happy!

I'm a Rockin' Blogger too...

There's a whole lotta rockin' and taggin' going on these days! Thanks Karrie and Frances for makin' me a rockin' girl blogger, and thanks to Liz and Leigh for taggin' me earlier this month. I might not be the swiftest to respond to tags, but I do appreciate them!

So... I'm suppose to refer you to five rockin' bloggin' girls, and then I'm supposed to tell you seven random things about myself (per Liz's tag). Phwew...this is starting to feel like work!

5 Rockin' Bloggers:
Ooooh, I"ve tried...and I can't pick just FIVE!
I can't!
Don't make me do it!
YOU pick five!
Go on, do it!
They're all listed over THERE ---->

7 Random Things:
1. I love books, but rarely read them. (I prefer looking at pictures.)
2. I love the smell of new acrylic stamps. (Do you know that smell?)
3. I have three favorite chickens: I'Lean (the one-legged hen), Hatcher (she hatched in my office), and Lefty.
4. I love flowers. My favorites: Forget-Me-Nots, Sunflowers, Poppies, Holly Hocks, and Black-eyed Susans
5. I DVR the daily craft shows shown on DIY and HGTV and watch them at night while Alan sleeps. Sometimes, I fall asleep on the remote.
6. I'm conflicted by the color pink. I love the soft look of pink, all shabby and sweet. I wear pink. But when asked if I like pink, I sometimes say no. Why?! What's so wrong with PINK? Pigs are pink. I like pigs. But Pepto is pink...and I DON'T like Pepto.
7. I've just decided I like the color pink. But I still don't like Pepto.

Another Whipper Snapper Lookie!

Yay! Another Whipper Snapper Lookie for you! The image of the girl on this card is another one of my new images being released at CHA this weekend. A cute little girl bundled for winter with Jack Frost kissed cheeks.

I know a girl, and her name is Ellie... this is Ellie. Sweet as can be.

Hi Ellie!!

Oh, I should also add that the sentiment I used on this card is by Memory Box. Life is sweet because of you. And so it is...

Whipper Snapper Lookie Lookie!

This weekend is the CHA convention in Chicago, and Whipper Snapper is there doing a new fall & winter image release. Wahoo! I've got 95 new images with this release! I have no idea how many new images they'll have from the other artists... but I DO know that I DO love new Whipper Snapper releases!

They're at the CHA show this weekend filling orders for their retail customers. Watch their site for updates on when they'll have the images available in their own online shop.

To celebrate the release, I thought I'd share a card with you and give you a good look at one of my new stamps being released.

Oooooh, snowmen make me happy!

The cute little sentiment is from My Sentiments Exactly. It does seem a bit strange to be coloring snowmen when it's 95 degrees outside. But, everyday is a good snowman day in my mind!

Crab Chef

I spent a couple of hours stamping this evening. This is one of the cards I made. I haven't used my Voila chef in a while, and figured since he made it into the new Stampin' Up catalog it was time for him to see ink again! He's still as fat and sassy as ever! I think this set, along with the accessories that are now available, are just so fun! Think of all the things he could serve up!

I used my little A Muse crab stamp, and one of the stamps from the Itty Bitty Backgrounds Stampin' Up set to decorate the chef's jacket. I had to create a reverse mask so I didn't accidentally stamp crabs or dots outside the lines of the jacket. I used a black gelly glaze pen on the jacket buttons to give them some shine.

The text on the background is an Inkadinkado stamp that just repeats "thank you" in various fonts and sizes. *LOVE* this stamp for subtle background filler. To use this stamp in the background, I had to create a mask of the chef so I didn't get "thank you" words on him when I stamped the background.

I used the swirl from the new Baroque Motifs set for the design on the red polka dot patterned paper. I like how that swirl adds a bit of detail without distracting from the main image. I think it might just be my favorite swirly stamp!

The crab on the platter is from the Stampin' Up set called Crab & Company. It was in a mini catalog, but didn't make it into the new Fall/Winter catalog. Maybe it will make it into the new Spring/Summer catalog coming out in January. It's such a cute set!

I added a little bit of glitter, and a layer of Glossy Accents to the crab to make him shiny and give him a little more substance. His legs are kind of spindly on their own, so I thought it might be good to give them some additional support. The crab is adhered to the platter with a thick foam dot. The layer that the chef is on is also adhered to the card base with thick foam dots, so there's lots and LOTS of dimension on this card!

Sometimes I have a hard time sending my projects off to other people. This will be one of those projects that is hard to send away. All that coloring, masking and reverse masking was a lot of work! It's one of those cards that I hope the person I send it to appreciates it as much as I love it! =)

a flower for you

I couldn't WAIT to pull out my new Vases in Vogue set from my recent Stampin' Up order! Yahoo!! New Stamps! For the background I used my Paisley stamp, also by Stampin' Up. I went with a color theme for this card - Cameo Coral and Cool Caribbean. I like the freshness of this color combo.

That cute little scalloped circle is my Martha Stewart scalloped punch -- love that little thing! Found it at Michael's. I matted it with a 1 3/8" circle punch and added the little coral flower brad. The flower layer is mounted with one layer of dimensionals, and the little circle tag is mounted using one dimensional on the side that overlaps the flower layer, and two dimensionals on the side that adheres to the base of the card. I like the added height this provides.

I added a fun sparkle-y fiber to finish it off! Why isn't sparkly in the dictionary? It's a word, isn't it? Hmm... well, in my world it is! Or maybe I'm just spelling it wrong? That wouldn't surprise me...  =)

Out and About...

Whatever bug I caught really did a number on me, and my weekend. Ugh. But, I'm feeling human again! Yay! Thanks for all the happy healthy thoughts you left for me -- they were so nice to read!

It's warming up around here again. Today was in the mid 90s (phwew, hot!) Thankfully, we still have a bit of cloud cover, so things aren't drying out as fast as they would if we had the sun beating down on us all day, every day.

I was poking around outside and thought I'd take a quick photo of the nest that the scissor-tail flycatchers have built in our old windmill. Not a very sheltered place to build a nest, especially with all the rain we've had this year. But I guess it's safe from the barn cats, since it's about 30 feet above ground. I don't think the cats are brave enough to climb the metal windmill. =)

The sky... part sun, part cloud. I like it that way.

icky sicky...

I got home Thursday from Chicago...the flight was ok. Later that night though, I came down with an icky sicky bug that has kept me in bed (mostly sleeping) until late late LATE this morning. I've been up for about 40 minutes now, and I'm still not feeling all that whippy. Ugh...

Heart of Gold...

If you read my post from yesterday you know I'm in the Chicago area (Oak Brook to be exact). I'm here for a bit of time in the office with co-workers. One of my co-workers, Suzanne, has a heart of gold. She took time today to take me to Archiver's in Downers Grove before we met the rest of our team after work for dinner. How NICE was that!? You can bet she's getting a special thank you package from me!!

It was great! There were new papers, stamps and goodies galore! I ended up getting several Hero Arts stamps (some flowers and sentiments, and the set of four decorative birdies). I also picked up a package of clear buttons by Foof-a-La (SO FUN!!) I got a bit of pink velvet ric-rac, and some AMAZING glitter that I've never seen before called Twinklets Diamond Dust. It's a larger glitter, like sugar for the tops of cakes... it's wickedly sparkly, and randomly shaped (which adds to the sparkle quality.) I can't wait to use it on some of my Crafty Secrets projects! It's a glass crystal glitter, and I think it will be perfect for the vintage look! I also got some new-to-me papers by Sulyn Industries (chocolate/kitchen/food themed), some sparkly pages by Cloud 9 Design, and some of the new Autumn Leafs papers. I love it all!

Even Suzanne, who's not a scrapper or stamper, was able to find some pretty treasures for herself and her sister! Don't you love the how the paper bug bites even the unexpected?! A HUGE thank you to Suzanne for my first trip to an Archiver's store! I had a great time!

Tomorrow I fly home again... an early flight, direct from Chicago to Texas. Can't wait to get home!

Work, work, work...

So..... I had to take an airplane ride today. I don't really like airplane rides all that much. And our flight was totally full too, which always makes them even less enjoyable. So many people, so little space.

I'm in a suburb of Chicago for a couple of nights. I had to come up here to spend a day (tomorrow) in the office with some co-workers, and meet my new boss! (Did I tell you I got a new job?! Well, I did! I did!!) Same company, same department, just a higher level and better paying position.

Anyway...the flight itself was fairly uneventful (which is always a good thing), but when we landed in Chicago we came in just before a big ol' storm that was causing canceled flights in and out of the airport. In fact, some of the people flying in to attend the same meetings were re-routed to different cities and won't get here until tomorrow.

I was in the airport waiting for the shuttle to my hotel when a HUGE clap of thunder hit (it was L O U D inside, and people out on the sidewalk were very startled.) Just seconds after, the lights in the airport went out. It wasn't long before what appeared to be backup lights came on...it was pretty strange being in a place that big without lights. Maybe the lightening hit something "critical" at the airport. And the rain was just COMIN' down!!

The shuttle ride to the hotel took just under 2 hours (to go about 15 miles). In addition to the rain that slowed traffic, there was an accident fairly close to the hotel. It looked like a billboard sign was blown onto the freeway onto the hood and front bumper of a car. Traffic was backed up well beyond the airport area. I hope the driver of the car is ok. How scary would that have been!

Tomorrow is a day packed with meetings and discussions, and it doesn't look like I'm going to be able to squeeze in a moment of free time tomorrow during "store hours", which is a bummer since there are at least 4 Archivers stores within 20 minutes of where I am. One is less than 5 miles away! HUGE BUMMER for me...I've never been to an Archivers store! But, there's good news! Tomorrow my first Stampin' Up order with goodies from the new catalog arrives at home, so I'm going home on Thursday to fun new stamps and paper! Yipppeeeeee!! I'll have new cowboy/western stamps, and animal stamps, and flower stamps, and pretty papers, and new inks, and ooooooh what fun! I do love new stamps and goodies! I can't wait to dig into it all!

I told Alan that the UPS man is coming by the house tomorrow with my package. Alan jokes that we should just invite the UPS man to our house for Christmas...he's there so often, he's practically family. It's not a bad idea, actually... =)

Alan's at home this week, alone, with ALL the animals... wish him luck! I'm sending hugs his way! =)

Mmmm...Strawberries!

Mmm...I love strawberries! I bought a big container of them on Sunday when I was at Costco, and they are just delicious!

I made a creamy fruit dip to go on top...mmm-mmm-MM!

Creamy Fruit Dip
1 8oz Package of Cream Cheese
1 2/3 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 to 1/2 Cup Sugar (to your taste)
2 tsp Vanilla

Beat the Cream Cheese until it's creamy. Add in the remaining ingredients and beat until fluffy, soft peaks form. Eat on all kinds of fruit... strawberries, apples, melons, (yes, even watermelon!)

Your lips will thank you now, your hips will thank you later! =)

New Chicks.... (really!)

These two Turken chicks were hatched here on the farm on July 4th.

I haven't been able to get good photos of them since, due to either rain, or not being able to catch the little buggers!

They were kind of a surprise. Alan was out feeding the chickens that morning, and they were trotting around the barn yard with their mother.

They're REALLY small... MUCH smaller than usual. Alan wanted to call them Holy and Sh*t (in reference to the surprise), but I said NO SWEARING! Holay & Molay works just fine! But since all the Turkens on the farm are *really* called Manetta, their full names are them Holay Manetta and Molay Manetta...  Hahaaa! =)

Alan went out to the barn with me today so I could try and get some photos. We did good! It's Alan who's holding them for me in these photos.

Their little naked necks totally CRACK me UP!!

A New Chick...

In January I came across a website that allows you to customize a little Chick graphic and have a small image file of your Chick emailed to you. Well... I went back to the site tonight and see that they've added a BUNCH of new options for your Chick!

Check out Bless This Chick.

You can create a cute girly graphic to represent you - or a friend - for free! Just start clicking on different images available on the page and you'll see how things change.  Don't miss the additional options available (lots of new outfits, pets, and accessories!) You'll see lots of additional items if you click on the arrows in each section. When you're done, click the 'done' button and you can email yourself the finished graphic. Pretty cute!

Pam & Valerie Inspired Clips

Altered jumbo clips like these are a very popular craft item lately ... and all thanks to Pam and Valerie (two of my stampin' idols)!

Pam made the first altered clip (that I know of), and it was Valerie who took the idea and matched it with Cuttlebug flowers. Brilliant ideas, girls! And how could I pass up a genius idea like this?

These are not the first clips I've made, but I think they're the first I've shared here on my blog. I liked the citrus colors of this Crate Paper designer paper.

These are very fun to make, if you are lucky enough to find the jumbo clips!

Garden Journal

I've been meaning to cover this little notebook I've had for a while now. Tonight, I finally did it! I used paper from the Radiant paper pad by Crafty Secrets.

The strawberry label is also from the Radiant paper tablet. I layered it with black CS and patterned paper. Then I stamped over the entire matted image with VersaMark ink.

Once it was good and sticky, I added a layer of Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel and melted it with my heat tool. I like the added durability the enamel provides for the decorative image.

I added some of my FAVORITE May Arts ribbon, and a fun little silver leaf charm by Blue Moon Beads. See the faux stitching along the edges of the book? I did that with my handy-dandy serrated tracing wheel!

Make a Wish Cottage Vignette

I thought I'd share another one of the Thomas Kinkade cards I created for the release of the new series by Cornish Heritage Farms. I really love how quickly these images make a very nice project. There's not a lot of stamping or fancy coloring, and I think this card is very classy.

I stamped the Make a Wish Cottage Vignette twice onto Very Vanilla cardstock by Stampin' Up with Stazon Timber Brown ink. I cut out one of the stamped ovals, and the other I trimmed around the rectangle border.

I colored the oval image with Prismacolor pencils, using several shades of pinks, browns, and greens. Once I was happy with the colors, I stamped VersaMark ink all over the entire colored image and added a layer of Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel. I set the enamel with my heat gun, and repeated the VersaMark/Enamel process a couple more times so I had a nice thick layer of enamel.

The enamel really made the colors pop, and I was really pleased with how it sort of blended the pencil colors a bit. I put the enameled oval in the freezer for 10-12 minutes to chill. When I removed it, I gently snapped the chilled enamel which created cracks. I really love this technique, and think it works wonderfully with the TK images.

I added some ribbon to the matted layers, mounted the enameled oval over top of the second stamped image with dimensionals by Stampin' Up, and then adhered the matted image to the base of the card. I'm really pleased with this card. This is another design I could make again and again and never get tired of.

Happy 4th of July!

Alan and I took a quick trip down to the farm supply store earlier today, and decided to take the smaller farm road back home. The fields out that way are so pretty right now, as the milo gets ready for harvest. Most of the fields have turned an amazing color combination of rust and green. Very pretty for a livestock feed grain. I took my camera with us, just in case there was some good light and I could capture the color of the fields.

I think the milo is a crazy sort of grain. Every so often there will be a stalk that is MUCH taller than all the others. Alan says they're over-achievers. =) Anyway, just a couple of shots I thought I'd share with you. We're headed out the door now for a yummy BBQ dinner with Alan's parents.

Happy 4th of JULY to you and yours!

Illustration Friday: Twist

This week's Illustration Friday theme is "Twist". This is my take on the topic.

Twisted Balloon.
Pesky Powerline.
What a bummer.

This is just a quick watercolor illustration -- watercolor inks on Fabriano Watercolor paper, with a quick black ink outline for detail.

Ribeye 84 days, Fitz 127 days

The vet came out to the farm yesterday. We loaded all of the cows into the chute and they all got their vaccinations, and whatever else they needed. Ribeye and Chick also got pretty new red ear tags. The ear tags look pretty big on the little calves, but they'll grow into them.

This is Ribeye...he's 84 days old today. I guess he's telling me what he thinks of his new accessory.

If you're wondering what the letters and numbers on the tag mean, it's LF2T for Lauhoff Farms, Calf #2, and T=2007.

Today Alan separated the calves from their mothers, so now we've got Chick and Ribeye in the barnyard and all of the other cows in the pasture. We do this to wean the calves from their mothers (a benefit to us is that we can love all over them while they're still little), AND so in a couple of weeks we can put the bull in the pasture with the cows and they can "get it on".

I'd thought I'd also share this photo of Fitz. He's such a crazy donkey, and his GIANT ears and wild hairdo don't help.

I think this weekend we'll put him in the barnyard with the calves. Maybe we'll be able to brush his wild hair! He's soooo crazy... he's got dreadlocks! Haa!

He's a very sweet donkey. He loves to have his nose and face rubbed ALL over! The other donkeys think he's a pest. (And he is one...to the donkeys.)

Maybe he'll grow into those ears... some day.

PS: An update on the "pocket picking" that occurred yesterday with the vet: Only Butthead, one of the big bulls, got his pockets picked yesterday. The vet was here for a LONG time, and we just ran out of time to do Billy and Fitz. So, they've still got loaded pockets. For now. (Not that either one of them know what to do with their accessories!) You'll notice I spared you all the photos of Butthead getting snipped... *wink*

Time for Whimsy!

The moon is 97% full tonight...and well, you know what THAT means... I'm ultra sensitive and there will be lots of unexplainable tears. Ugh.

What could possibly cure that!? Rosie's Roadshow stamps! I pulled out my Simon bear and the beach ball, and went nuts! I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig stamp positioner to line up Simon just right on his back. Then I carefully stamped the tower of beach balls. I think Simon's got some serious talent if he can balance THAT many beach balls *almost* successfully. =)

Thanks Rosie, for always bringing a smile to my face when I stamp. You're a lifesaver!