Wish this stencil was going to be around

I wanted to use it for convention.....loved the way my card turned out...it was one I just did in one of my classes.   I took a 5x5 piece of whisper white and punched the two blossom punches out for the flower...one piece was flat, the other crumbled up.  Used the middle piece of the flower..it was from Mixed Bunch and embossed in white....used Night of Navy ink and cardstock.  The middle of the flower is cut out with the 1 inch circle punch.

Dealing with Life's little forks in the road

I am so sorry I have not posted since the 19th...bummer.  My three roofs are finished..still am trying to get the rest of the money to the roofer from my mortgage company.........HATE this stuff.  He is calling Monday to demand his monies....which he is entitled to.....word to others....if you have an insurance claim and the money goes to the mortgate company and you...and it will if it is over 10,000 dollars...beware!!   This is new to me to say the least!!   I checked with the insurance company....(the only insurance company that has fully paid all of their claims due to the 2011 April 27th tornadoes)  I was told I could spend whatever amt I wanted to for the roofs, so I got the better roof.(s).  The bank won't release the funds, until the drywall is done...there is not enough funds to finish all the drywall. In addition to that.....the roofer had to sign a affadavit to prevent a  lien ....which he did and now he does not have all his monies .  They accepted the contract I send them which covered all the funds that they had in their possession.  This was to cover the roofs. He is calling Monday to fight with the bank...he wants his funds...told him to go ahead...even gave him the money.

Got an estimate for the drywall....only 2200 more than I have.....hoping to get part of it done and the rest at a later date...

Went for my first bike ride....only two miles but the wind was bothering Nita...we both have allergies...well, at least I got my bike out.   Her hubby, Mike....will fix my hatchback trunk if I get the parts...that is good news!!

A couple of weeks ago....guess it was right after one of my customers, Gloria left....I kept killing honey bees...thought that was strange for a couple days...that day I killed about 20.  I couldn't figure out why....so after Gloria left, I stood in the doorway of the bathrom in my Craft House and heard this large swarming...it was coming from the vent.  Went outside and looked at the side of the house and all these bees were going in this PVC pipe.  Called Cooks....asked if it was an emergency..it was a Saturday night....said I had a class Monday so I needed someone to come out and take care of it.  Waited a few hours  and when they came....was asked if I thought they had been in there for long...said maybe a week.  Since that wasn't long enough for them to build the hive....they dusted it.  I didn't realize that bees come as far as three miles to their hive. It still needs to be caulked...my regular guy said he would get to it.  If the hive has been established , you don't want to dust as the honey will sour and smell....so far, so good.  If there is a honey nest, usually they call in beekeepers to save and move the hone.  Since it was in the rafters, I had no choice.  The other strange thing was the PVC pipe out of the house is for the sewage fumes/gas I guess....but he said that he has never seen one that high...well, I knew this house is unusual....nothing usual has happened so far.  My plumber,Daniel , is the best and he said the plumbing in the Craft House was better than the main house.....until he tried to change the fixtures out for me....guess, it isn't much better...lol

It has been a sad week...I have been visiting my friend Rose at the rehab center in Piedmont.  Saw her Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday.  Thursday she was tired so I didn't stay long but was kidding her about someone not stopping to see her...told her I would call them and give them a talking to...she said Good and laughed!!   Was going to meet a friend over there on Saturday but when Cathy went over the bed was empty but she found out that she had gone back to the hospital.  Rose missed the bed in the middle of the night and laid there until morning....she said she managed to pull the cover over her until someone came to her house the next morning.  She did have COPD and was on oxygen but had a feisty humor and a lot of energy, other than the breathing treatments she gave herself.  I tried on Saturday to find out which hospital....the rehab ctr didn't know.  Between talking to Cathy, calling one hospital and calling the priest...Cathy found out where she was .  I called that hospital but she wasn't taking visitors.   The next morning on the way into church...the deacon asked me if I heard about Rose....said she has been sent to the hospital...he told me she had passed away the night before.  I was so upset and crying so much that I left church right after communion.  What a lady and such a lot of fun....the most positive person I have ever met.  She will be missed!!  How blessed I have been to have her in my life....I know she is with God and in heaven but I will miss talking to her and having her in my card ministry!!  I was planning to run out before the funeral home visitation, and my key got jammed in the lock of my car....................was in auxiliary....couldn't get the key out or turn the car off....called Triple A.  After four hours of waiting, the man showed up....there is no locksmith connected to AAA  in this area....90 dollars later the key was out...had to do with the electrode in the ignition...guess it happens all the time.  Said it was fixed and would never happen again....here's hoping!!    Have a great day....

Rue Des Fleurs

I sent these cards to customers as a thank you...loved the vintage look..but maybe should have embossed them...always second guessing ...lol..a lot of times I make a card and change a part of it when the class comes around...lol...Have a great day~~

Love & Sympathy

This card is using the vintage wallpaper embossing folder on the Wisteria card base.  The two label dies are popped up.  The phrase is done with versamark ink and black embossing powder.....Have a great day...

Bordering on Romance

This is a Leadership swap....the rest of them looked better than this one....sorry I swapped the good ones....the coloring was done with a blender pen. I marked the inside of the label punched area with a pencil before putting it together.   That gave me a guideline to center the stamped flowers.  Have a great day!!

Delicate Doilies

I will be posting cards from the past year ongoing on my post..  This one was done right after we got our new catalog...just love the details in this set...SU designers are the best!!  It is colored in Wisteria and Pear Pizzaz. It may be hard to see but there are bitty pearls in the lower left hand doily on the front of the card....Have a great day!!!!

Challenge 168 LNS (Herb Expressions)

The first card is my original card made earlier in the year...the second card is using the same design and set....Herb Expressions....Have a great evening....

Creative ELement Share

I did this card for a class as soon as this Mocha paper came out.  I love the way it turned out....the butterflies and the designed line were embossed with versamark and black embossing powder.  The background is in black ink.  The butterflies were cut out and popped up and folded.  Have a great day....

 

Always Card Share

Sorry...not the greatest picture.  This was embossed with versamark and white embossing powder...there are pearls added to the picture but that is difficult to see in the photo.  The white scalloped frame is 3 13/16.....I am not crazy about the bottom of the card but it works...lol...

Can't wait to see the retired list on Sunday....I wonder if SU will pick Concord for a new color...just my thought...lol.........am really looking forward to the new mini and catalog a lot more....Have a nice day.....

Mini tutorial for blossom punch mat/Type card share

It has been a day.....bees galore in my Craft House....had to call my regular exterminator....turns out that there is a bee hive in my rafters....finally came and sprayed the dust.  He hoped that it was a new one otherwise I will have  a smell of rotten honey.   Hope it hadn't been there too long...here's hoping..lol  Need to find someone who will caulk the area so it doesn't happen again...I could write a best seller on this house..lol

I had received a few inquiries concerning the mat on the purple print blossom punch on a card...here is the card

I believe that I cut this in thirds or in halves and cut out an extra third..

and added a couple of pieces until I liked the look.....the cleaner look can be had cutting the blossom in fifths.....

One of the cards from my class today and last Thursday was this type card..

.I love this card..it turned out well.   Someone at Leadership had the smile on the typewrite...thought that was very clever.  The typewriter is embossed with versamark and  black embossing powder and has dimensionals behind it...the paper is Eat Cake.  I used the rosette die and sponged with a black dauber.  The label piece is sanded.  Have a great day.....

Diane's creativity.....my downline

Diane is sssssoooo creative..she paints like you would not believe...it took a lot of asking for her to show me her paintings....she is a natural talent to say the least.in her painting.the water looks so real ...they are amazing to say the least.   She is the same waywith her cards....above are three of her cards...the last two are from the occasion mini notecard set....Have a great day...hugs...

Fun Fold .....case of Dawn's

Swapped with Dawn G at Leadership and had a hard time picking the hard I wanted....she is ssssssoooo good.....but this was a case....actually it is a direct copy....I just changed the paper and the colors...the card was perfect!!  Perfection can not be improved upon....lol..I believe Dawn has a video on this card..or at least the directions on her blog...I would attach the link but haven't learned that yet...lol  I used limeade and pool party and different enchantment paper but it is exactly the same card as Dawn's.....great gift card idea. I LOVE Dawn's bubbly personality...her utube videos are so much fun!!

LNS Challenge 168

LNS Challenge 168

This card is a case of another card I made for a swap at Monika's.  It is using the same technique and set.  The colors are whisper white and Not Quite Navy with white embossing powder. The banner is from the set Take it to Heart  and the words are from the stamp set, Loving Thoughts   The card below is the original card that I made.

On the original card I used the 1 3/4 circle punch and the pennant die.  The 1 3/4 JUST fits in the tea cup....if you have any space use a versamarker and then white powder to cover it up so you do not have any blank spaces.

The mechanical wonder....your laugh for the day

This is to show you what a mechanical wonder I am....I bought a bike to use on the trail near me...could not get it in my hatchback...this wonderful college student helped me....in the process..he pulled the lever for the front tire and it came HALF off(screws going everywhere...lol)....thereby the problem.....I got it into my house (15 miles away) and the bike had been upside down for about a month and a half.  The tire was half on and half off..even went back to Walmart to find out how to fix it...no help.....finally, my wonderful plumber, Daniel came over to replace a faucet.....and knowing he had children...I asked him if he could fix it....2 seconds later...done..this stuff stresses me more than anything ...can never figure it out....lol.....
I scheduled a bike ride and my strap to my helmet was not long enough   Off to the internet to find strap extensions...none.  I had gone to every store within an hour from me and was unable to find another helmet....big head...what can I say..lol     Today I found one in Ga....finally,will try to ride ...the  weather is suppose to be nice and cool....it has been hot since Feb...

While I was getting ready for my next class, I tried to kill this wasp...with a fly swatter....not the smartest thing to do.....I finally got it to land on a light fixture on the bathroom ceiling.....missed it and smashed the fixture off the ceiling and into millions of glass slivers....a mess doesn't describe it...so now I go back to my house and get the wasp spray....sprayed the wasp and the wall...got it...the wall got the worst of it ....go back to the house to get rubber gloves and a rag to clean the wall...but the time I got back to the Craft House......the wasp spray had eaten into the paint , so I have to repaint that section.   Sometimes, it is good to be alone with your dysfunction (mechanically)....lol

The roofers are here...what a mess this is....can't wait until I get the drywall fixed...lol...but I know it will look great.....can't wait for that  part!!

Fun fold card....will use it at preconventon shoebox swap

This is a card I got in a swap at Leadership...changed it a little but loved the design...there was not a name on the swap otherwise I would share who did the design.  I have seen this card design before.....I took it apart to see how it was made.  I altered it a little...I will use it for Sherrill's preconvention shoebox swap.   There are so many great ideas that anyone can use during the year...the preconvention activities are so worth the money to attend.  I have been instructing for the last two year's....so many creative people and events.....as I stated...so worth the money and time!!  Sherrill Graff's link is http://latenightstamper.stampinup.net/  Visit and look at the photos of past years.....Have a great day...hugs...

Another fun fold.....Cascading Card

I watched so many videos when I first saw this card on the internet and they were sssssoooooo confusing!!   Thanks to Frenchie's video I was able to make a template.  Her video was sssssoo easy to follow compared to others I watched.  I didn't want to give up on the card...but was tempted.  I just followed Frenchie's instructions and created the card and then made the template and the rest was easy.  I was no super satisfied with the end result....don't like the front..but love the rest of the card...I probably would have gone with different colors for the front..I stamped after cutting and putting the card together.  If I did it again, I would stamp first....but you would have to preplan how you were going to do it.   Have a great day...hugs....

Parts of the shed....April 27th tornado

This is sections of the former shed...and its demolition.....it is in the process of being taken apart.   I didn't take pictures of the roof etc but you can see the huge holes made from flying  debris  A lot of the sections had already been hauled away.  Storms scare the beegeebees out of me...always have.  Now when a tornado warning comes...I am in the bathtub with a pillow and lantern and a good book...lol.  Need to give some serious thought about building a storm cellar...if I ever move, my next house will have a basement .

April 27th tornado damage to be fixed

I am sssssoooo happy....the roofers are coming to replace both the craft house and residence roofs.  I am praying that they will be here when they said.   Everyone is on their own time frame here....lol...much slower life style than in Ohio...lol.   There was so much wind damage to both of the roofs that both need to be replaced....I am so fortunate/blessed.   SO many folks lost homes and received much more damage than I encountered.  I had a huge shed in the backyard and a huge railroad tie came from the heavens and landed next to the shed and numerous items and things shredded that roof.  Josie, the grandson of my friend JoLane.....tore the rest of the shed down....I will show you the great result of his work...unfortunately , I did not get a picture of the mess before the tear down...lol...I had tried since after the storm to try to get someone to come look at the roofs so finally had to contact my insurer, Nationwide....they had to send someone to me from GA (I am 15 mins from the border AL/GA)...he told me that the man that put my insulation in the craft house did it wrong, so have to have that done up the road....bummer!!   HATE mechanical things.  Below are some pictures.....including some in the house...water damage...etc.....will deal with that after the roofs!!
Josie even raked the whole area after he and his friend tore the rest of the building down.  You can't really see a lot of the damage from the distance but in the back a good section of the pecan tree was on the porch roof ( I was hiding in a friend's basement 15 miles away on my way back from a card ministry)  I had NEVER experienced this in my life .....semis folded in half on a telephone line..could not believe the devastation!!  The plaster is part of the inside damage.....they put the drywall tape up and then sprayed the popcorn ceiling in the one part of the house....minimal damage in other rooms.

My friend told me that I would never be finished with this house...I told her I was on the 20 yr plan here...lol....a room at a time.....just finished the master bedroom...not the window replacement but the painting/wallpaper removal/spackling and got a new bedroom set with my IRS refund...Nita, a friend, was making fun of me getting so excited about my new bedroom set....told her I hadn't had one in four years....but I really think it is seeing something done ...at least a portion of the house...lol....before and after is below.....need to replace both of the bedroom doors , but the curtains may not go up before I replace the windows....undecided about the walls...have to give it some thought.
Have a wonderful day...hugs...

Sorry for being gone ssssoooo long....Happy Easter!!

 I recently came back from a visit to Knoxville, TN...my sister Joan lives there and is finally moving back to Florida.  She never wanted to leave and now she has bought a house there and trying to sell hers in TN.....if anyone knows anyone in the Knoxville area looking for a house..it is really cute and they put so much money into it.  I hope she sells it soon , so she can get on with the rest of her life.  On the way back from TN there was a high speed chase ....this person whizzed past going at least 80-90 on the beam....they followed him /her from TN into Ga...hope no one was hurt!!!   My sister had picked up a coffee table and two end tables for me...so it was a dual reason for traveling to TN.  My grand nieces are two cuties....a 4 yr old and 4th grader...Pawton and Gaby (she is ssssooo bright!!)  It was a great visit!!
I had planned to post on a regular basis...it had been so long that I forgot my sign in info and had to call my techie fav, Diane Squires (Joyful Stampin) for much needed help.   There are not too many people who will call you on Easter.....thanks DI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Was with her and Monika at Leadership.....I am such a non-techie....hope she won't be sorry that she is rooming with me at Convention in July....I talked her into helping me instruct at preconvention (that is with LNS and Sherrill Graff....loved every minute of it)...I am sure we will have a good time...and just got two new roomies to add to the mix...a good time for all.......

The first thing I wanted to post was my Easter card I did recently at a Fun Fold class....may repeat that one, as everyone was traveling during the time I had it.  Hopefully, you can see this card ..Sorry, I am trying to be a better photographer..lol.....I used certainly celery and wild wasabi, with whisper white cardstock.  I cased the bunny from a card from Leishman Williams, one of Diane's talented downlines.  Use the scalloped template for the clouds with a combination of bashful blue and marina mist  Used the 3 and 3 1/2 in  circle dies, the 2 1/2 circle punch and the large scallop circle....I was so pleased the way that it turned out..  Leishman's card was from a swap at Monika Davis's downline meeting.    She has adopted me...I am ssssooooo fortunate. 
A big congrats to Diane....we both were trying to get MANAGER.....Diane made it!!!!  I am still trying...and will continue to do so.  I will make it but may not be in the time frame that I would like.