My friend, Sue, recently passed away. Sue was an example of what it meant to really love the Lord. I mean, REALLY love the Lord with your whole heart. The video I've attached here I believe was made by her daughter and it is so beautiful. We all miss you, Sue.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB5ddySut_c
My niece told me today how much she liked my blog, so I thought maybe I'd better do a little updating of it! I haven't kept it up much lately. My family and I have had some medical issues to deal with the last couple months or so, but things have settled down a bit now. At least for a while, anyway.
So here are some of the projects I've done since the last time I've posted. Hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I've enjoyed creating them!
This was created for the WiScrappers design team. Our challenge was a color challenge to use orange and black. I wanted to create something other than Halloween, so, for me, Harley themed was the obvious choice! This layout is a photo of me, my friend, Heidi, and her mom, Helen. We, as in, me, Gary, Heidi, Wayne (Heidi's hubby), Helen and Lynn (Wayne's brother) went Harley riding on this glorious fall day this past September. The weather was perfect! We traveled to Michigan for a pig roast. Oh, did I mention that Helen is 92 years old?! I love this lady! She is sharp as a tack, very charming and sweet and incredibily witty. I can't wait to see her again next summer!
The following layout I created for WiScrapper design team. I had to follow a sketch for this one.Here's the sketch I had to use followed by the layout I came up with. When I acquired the safari themed paper in a paper pack, I wondered what on earth I would ever use it for, but I think it worked terrific for this layout. I stamped the harlequin pattern on cardstock with Versamark for a watermark look. I absolutely love mixing patterned papers, too.
Here's a card sketch designed by WiScrapper design team member, Kim, that I had to use for a blog challenge. Here's my take on the sketch. When I first saw the sketch, it made me (and other DT members, too) think of a bowling ball! Anyway, here's my interpretation of the sketch.
The following card was a product challenge for the design team on WiScrappers. The product we were required to use was stickers. I'm really glad Melissa challenged us to use stickers because I have a ton of stickers from when I first started scrapbooking. Now I'm on fire to look for different and innovative ways to use up these stickers I have stockpiled! I've always avoided them, as I like dimensional scrapping and don't care too much for flat. For this card I adhered the sticker to cardstock, cut it out and used foam dots to raise it up and add dimension.
Make sure you visit the WiScrappers blog to see what the other design team members have created!
Until next time...
Here's a couple layouts I completed this past weekend for my WiScrappers design team assignments. 
Well, here's what I've accomplished this weekend in between my Harley riding with hubby and just spending time with the family.
Here's some more layouts I completed during the WiScrappers virtual crop.
Here's a couple layouts I've completed for the WiScrappers virtual crop and a card, too.
Woo, hoo! I was selected to be on the WiScrappers design team! I'm really excited, but a bit apprehensive, as well. I have no idea what I got myself into and I sure hope I can fulfill my obligation. I'm just a bit worried because I am a terribly slow scrapper. I over analyze every layout and card. It sometimes takes me hours to complete a card or layout. I hope I'm given enough time to complete stuff. I'll just do my best. That's all I can do! I'm sure I'll love it. If it involves scrapping and paper crafting, what's not to love, hey?! So pop on over to the WiScrapper blog and check me out! I start sometime in August.
Until next time...
I'm having fun over at WiScrappers at the Virtual Crop. This card happens to fit one of the sketch challenges in the VC and it also happens to fit TPE challenge this week, too! Lucky me!
Until next time...
Tomorrow starts the virtual crop on WiScrappers! It's been a long time since there's been one. One pre-VC challenge was to take a photo of your scrap area before the VC started. Here's my scrap room. I'm slowly taking over the entire basement!
Until next time...
Wisconsin Scrappers is having a virtual crop from Sunday, July 19 through Sunday, August 16! Yeah! It's been what seems like a really long time since the last one. I'm excited especially because at this point I still don't have a job lined up so I still have some time to craft. I have a couple job prospects, but won't know for a week or two, yet.
I found out yesterday that my golden retriever, Cedar, has anaplasmosis (a tick-born form of lyme's disease). We started treating her for arthritis a couple months ago as she had started to become stiff in her hind legs. She is 8 years old. Well, when I took her in for her routine heartworm test, I expressed my concern that she just wasn't showing much improvement on the arthritis meds. The vet did some tests and discovered anaplasmosis! Apparently it can be treated with antibiotics, so hopefully we will see some marked improvement in her stiffness within a day or two. Who knows, maybe she won't have to have the arthritis meds for now anyway. Or if she does, maybe they'll work better for her.
Here's my baby Cedar!
Until next time...
I am asking everyone to please take this challenge from Cards For Heroes (click on Current Challenges). It's the Christmas in July challenge! Create Christmas, winter or holiday cards for our nations heroes to stay in touch with home. The deadline is August 15th, so you have lots of time to crank out a whole bunch of awesome cards! There is a prize involved... But, please, just do it out of goodness of your hearts. These men and women do what they do so that we can live the lives of freedom that we enjoy. Let's show them our appreciation and gratitude.
Until next time...
Did a layout and a card last night for the DT "audition" for WiScrappers. And I did my June Christmas cards. Now I'm only behind for July's Christmas cards, but still have half the month to do them. So, I guess, technically, I'm not behind! I'm really liking the idea of doing 6 cards per month for 10 months and when it comes time to mail out Christmas cards, I will have them done! And this way I have a variety of cards to use, too. Andway, here's what I did last night.
Until next time...
Well, that job was very short-lived. I already quit! It was definitely not the right job for me and it was not a good experience. I'm not going to go into the specifics. So, needless to say, I am still looking for the right job. I trust that God will lead me to the right job for me in His time if I am just patient and listen to Him.
Until next time...
Well, tomorrow I am starting another job. I'm not a happy camper about it, either, but it's a necessity as there is barely any building going on around here. Taking into consideration what is happening in our country, I guess I should be happy that I even found a job. I have worked for our family business for 13 years at home, so this is going to be a BIG change for me. And an even BIGGER change for the rest of the family. I will still continue with my job for our business in addition to this new full-time job. I'm really anxious and worried about it. I know the house won't fall apart if I'm not here, but things just won't get done the way I would do them... I've actually got myself sick over the whole thing. And the worst part is that I won't have as much time to scrapbook and paper craft...
I'm so terribly worried about the direction that this country is going. I sure hope we can hold on until we're able to vote these Bozo's out of office. I just have one thing to say. Educate yourself on what is happening in our country! Don't just listen to what you hear on the 30 second blurb you see on your evening news. It is not fair and balanced coverage and it's not the WHOLE story. Tell your senators and congress people what you want and tell them over and over that they work for you, not the other way around. If we don't, we have no one to blame but ourselves...
Until next time...
Just finished another card for several challenges. This one qualifies for these challenges:
This one was super fun to color with my Copic markers! It's all digi stamps from Dustin Pike. This card qualifies for several blog challenges. My 4 year old nephew is just gonna flip when he sees this card! I can hardly wait to give it to him.
1. Scrappy Frogs Challenge Blog challenge #7 - use the Pirate Dragon Background
2. Copic Creations challenge #6 - coloring techniques for wood
3. Corrosive Challenge Blog #17 - unique folding
4. Lili of Valley Challenge Blog challenge #30 - paper piecing
It's been a while since I've sat down to actually make some cards. I did this one for The Pink Elephant challenge for this week. Once again, I've waited until the last minute! It was a sketch challenge this week.
Until next time...
OK. I've got to do it. I've got to show off the graduation card my daughter made for one of her friends graduating tomorrow. They played volleyball together. She used the Sports Mania cartridge for the volleyball and then she designed the cap and tassel herself. I think it turned out just awesome! Don't you think?
Until next time...
This past weekend I went to an awesome scrapbook retreat owned by my friend, Casie, called Tall Oaks Retreat which happens to be practically in my own backyard. It's located only 20 minutes away from me! I was there with 15 other wonderful scrappers and stampers. I swear all we did was eat and drink! I got to see several girls I had met before like Casie, Kim R., Kim B., Kathy, Nicole, Angi, Juli, Lisa, Robin, Jess and Kari and got to meet some new girls, Heather, Cathy and Carla. It was a good time! I truly did get some scrapping done. Here's what I accomplished. There's another 2 page layout I did, but my daughter said it needed something more on it so I'm tweeking on it a bit more. I got 11 pages done! For me, that's about average. I'm a slow scrapper, but that's OK because for me, it's my creative outlet and I'm not interested in volume.
I came across this site and thought it'd be quite fitting to share it with you this Memorial Day weekend. It is called Cards for Heroes. The purpose of the site is to send our troops blank greeting cards to write home on. I'd love to see all of you card makers out there take their 25 + 2 Challenge (see details on their website). Support our troops! They are the brave men and women that preserve the freedoms we enjoy in this wonderful country we live in.
The challenge this week over at The Pink Elephant was to use light blue, medium or dark blue, green and white. Here's what I came up with. My cards tend to be a bit on the simple and plain side, but I really like how it turned out. I loved the patterned paper I used on it. I've used it on a layout, too. Well, anyhow, enough babbling. Here it is!
Until next time...
Here's a layout that's been laying on my table for a week now as I felt it needed something more. Well, I think I got it where I'm happy with it now. I used the May challenge sketch from the WiScrappers blog.
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