I don't even care if this isn't a real story...but I believe

OK - did you ever read something that just touched you inside....this was an email sent to me by my SIL, Romaine, and of course I blubbered like a baby (doesn't take much these days) - and I thought even if it is just a story - I LOVE it! So look at this lil pic and know I have decided that I will believe it it true.....enjoy!

E-mail entitled: "This will make you feel better about our postal service"


I have no way to know who sent this, but there is a beautiful soul working in the dead letter office of the US Postal Service.

Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:

Dear God,

Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.

I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her, You will k now that she is my dog. I really miss her.

Love, Meredith.

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, 'To Meredith,' in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies.' Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:

Dear Meredith,

Abbey arrived safely in heaven.

Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away.

Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by.

Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you.

I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much.

By the way, I'm easy to find, I am wherever there is love.

Love,
God

From the SU! Cruisers

Just one of the many fabulous and beautiful things about being an SU! demo - is the fact that every demo has the ability to EARN the yearly Incentive Trip. It is completely "doable" - my up-line Tracy has earned it for like 8 years or more....and many of my INKredible sisters have earned it as well...so its not like "yeah right - for 2 or 3 peeps only" - nope - for all who can do it...I believe they have all been Cruises - and this year's was to Bermuda....(last year was to Panama Canal) and this year demos are qualifying for a week stay at the Big Island of Hawaii.....Anywho....I have surfed around and found from several demos on the Cruise - SNEAK PEAK pics of sets and colors that are a'comin'!!!! So I thought that I would share them with y'all!! (have no idea where that twang came from other than inside my silly lil' head!!) so - without further ado....TA DAH!!!!!

a new scallop edged punch that did this banner...

new in colors...



new sets......



new papers....

what you can do with that craft ink!!!



more new sets...

Just love this set!!

I had been so busy making things for classes and the SAS - and then working on the calendar that I really didn't have time to actually just PLAY with some of my new things....And I just LOVE this set from the Occasions Mini...While I did not CASE the whole card, I saw a card on the SU! demo website showcase - and fell in love with the layout and the colors....And I thought it would be perfect for this set....this card was soooo quick and easy - and being pretty doesn't hurt either!! Whaddya think?

Paper: soft sky, creamy caramel
Ink: creamy caramel (marker, craft and dye inks)
Stamps: she’s all that, oh so lovely (RETIRED)
Access: slit punch, soft sky ribbon, tool kit, clear embossing powder, aqua painter

The last of the birthday cluster...for a bit...

So - I just realized that I did not show you my last of the boy's birthday cards from our February/March birthday cluster. Here is Collin's card:

I believe this is referred to as a filmstrip - however- I REALLY meant to leave enough room to use the spiral punch on both sides, but I didn't....still cute though, IMO. And he liked it so that's all that matters!! Here's the recipe:

Paper: only orange, gable green, black, whisper white
Ink: real red, gable green, tempting turquoise, versamark, basic gray
Stamps: bugs and kisses
Access: spiral punch, 1 3/8 and 1 ¼ square punches, hodgepodge hardware, tempting turquoise ribbon

3/28/08 Girl's Night Out

So...what is Girl's Night Out you ask? The last Friday of every month I host this event and it has evolved with time...and is now an evening of gal pals getting together for a fun night of stampin'! There are three options for you: 1) for $15 you can come to the studio with scissors and adhesive - and use all my stuff to work on scrap pages or cards (ink, embellishments, paper, Designer Paper, stamps, ribbon - you name it - I got it!) 2) $20 Do a Stamp-a-stack - 3 designs, 5 cards each for a total of 15 cards with envelopes 3) FREE - bring your things to work on with friends in a fun filled atmosphere!! You can even bring a set you are stuck on for ideas - I would love to help you find some new uses for it!! For all three of those options, if you did not have dinner, add $5 for salad and pizza...snacks and drinks on the house! And its easy to remember too - Last Friday of the Month!!!

This past Friday eve - Thank goodness Stef came up to run it for me since I was sick! I did pop in and out - but was far away from spreading germs!!! I did however, have 3 kick-ass cards to make if I do say so myself (and all three CASE-d and altered to fit my needs and my supplies....and here they are!!! Cute, eh??

This card is CASE-d from Joan Hajek, a talented SU! demo who is on a list serve I am on. I did not have all the supplies she did so I altered a few things, but it is basically the same card....Ladies I tell ya....you don't have to be an artistic genius and come up with all your own ideas...as long as you acknowledge the maker (like I did) people are pleased you loved their card so much you wanted to copy it! All you need to do is CASE (remember - copy and share everything!) After CASE-ing for a while - you start using the style and techniques you learned along the way and the next thing you know- you are making gems like these!!! Thank God for these talented stampers, as my poor brain was fried and foggy for creation - but I can CASE things in my sleep! LOL! OK - so here is the recipe for this cutie-pa-tootie...

Paper: brocade blue, creamy caramel, chocolate chip, whisper white
Ink: brocade blue, basic black, chocolate chip
Stamps: pun fun, paisley BG, itty bitty backgrounds
Access: 5 petal punch, word window punch, ¾ circle punch, brown 5/8 grosgrain ribbon, twill, cutter kit, blender pen, sponge, brad, eyelet, dimensionals

Next is a card CASE-d from my up-line's BFF Diana Gibbs (and those two gals are side-lines or something!! anyway - we're all INKredible Impression girls - a FABULOUS family!!) She made a long skinny card and I just made it normal size. I think this is a great masculine birthday card. Here is THAT recipe:

Paper: close to cocoa, sky blue, blue bayou, really rust, creamy caramel
Ink: close to cocoa, chocolate chip, really rust, creamy caramel
Stamps: wanted, its your birthday
Access: ticket corner punch, scallop punch, blue bayou ribbon, sponge, jumbo brass eyelet, crop-o-dile, white gel pen, ziggy painter, dimensionals, cutter kit,

And the third card in the stamp-a-stack is a CASE from Amy Sheffer, another talented stamper on my list-serve. She also made a smaller, skinny card and I made it normal sized... The recipe for this beauty is as follows:

Paper: river rock, groovy guava, apricot, so saffron DSP, vanilla
Ink: so saffron, cameo coral, river rock, versa mark
Stamps: canvas BG, 3 for you punch box, true friend
Access: SU tool kit, cutter kit, black gingham ribbon, slit punch

So ladies - I hope I have made a case for CASE-ing....pun intended!! LOL And remember, the next Girl's Night Out is on Friday, April 25th - the last Friday of the month!! See you there!

Workin' on the Calendar

My up-line Tracy Altemose (true genius creativity) showed us this calendar a couple of months ago and I never had time to work on it...it is created with 2 chipboard coasters, and then fashioned with good ol' card stock embellished with SU's fabu Designer Series Paper and "stuff". I CASE'ed many pages - although altering the DSP and colors to what I have on hand or for what is current (except for the Halloween paper - all other DSP can be purchased now) - and altering some pages for those I wanted to change....like my favorite - the Dog Days of Summer for August!! Anyway - I do want to do a class on this, but will need to see how many of my customers are interested and then find out WHEN they want to make it. The beautiful thing is - I can print whatever calendar pages they want to work on as the date portion of the sheet is generated from the computer.

Here is the front cover - and to hold the calendar together, punched holes with the crop-o-dile and used the jumbo brads - then used two rings like those in a 3 ring notebook. Cute, eh??

Then here are the pages that are inside (Feb, March, June, July, and August were my ideas)

These are so stinkin' cute - I NEED to make many more!

Yes - I am home again - only been in 1.5 days this week! OK -nap time now - yet again!! Can't believe how much this illness has whipped me...Will post more later!

Sorry I haven't been on in a bit...We had off last week for our Spring Break and of course, I got sick!! I have been so good about NOT getting what all the students have - being vigilant about my and the student's hand washing - and about cleaning my keyboard and phone at the beginning of the day...so I was totally bummed...I did periodically work on stuff in the studio, but have been in a fog or asleep for the most part....oh well....stuff happens! I have been to work Mon and off today...don;t know how the rest of the week will play out...I HATE BEING SICK!

CASE 2 of Easter Gifts

The second case is from a tutorial from the magnificent Beate Johns - whose list serve I humbly belong to...she is "da bomb" and so as I learn a project from copying EXACTLY what the originator has done - I can then take that to my own things...but here is my exact CASE - and it was soo cute I had to do it!!! Took awhile to find the chocolates I wanted for inside the thing! LOL

CASE 1 of Easter Gifts

Ok - just wanted to share with you 2 CASEs I used....the first one is from Cambria Turnbow - and I followed her directions at SplitCoast for the lil treat box...I made 10 of them for the grand kids and we put an egg with a brand new, blue colored $5 bill. Its just easier as everyone has different food allergies so our egg hunts contain change and the occasional bill...So here is the box...

My First Card from my Secret Sister!

OK - this card is just the best...I struggle to use the bold brights - don't know why - but I do. I tend to use a lot of Rich Regals and Earth Elements...as a matter of fact, my home is mostly in those two families of color!! At any rate, my Dabblin' Demo Secret Sister sent me a candy jar and this card...I love it...I have the entire setup on order as we speak! Now let me give this a whack...Text and Texture stamp set; only orange, brilliant blue, night of navy, and old olive card stock; Jersey Shore DSO; only orange and brilliant blue ink; orange striped grosgrain ribbon, green duo beads, large and small punches, dimensionals and some sticky type stuff! But don;t quote me on that - but I am pretty sure I got most of it correct! Isn't it cute! I just love it!

One more birthday card!

Did I mention our family is in a "birthday cluster" right now? No...well we are! LOL Out of the 11 grandkids (compliments of my husband) we have 2 in Feb, 3 in March, 2 a week apart in May/June, then way down to 2 in the HUGE cluster month of October (7 all in all in the family) and 2 in December. Hmmmm.....Maybe, just maybe, my weight is due to all the cake!!! LOL - always lookin' for a good excuse, KWIM?

Anywho...here is one more of the cards for another grandson that I made last night, while I was trying to stay awake until at least 8pm after the daylight savings change (I HATE spring ahead!! 5 am was bad enough until if felt like 4am! ICK!). I definitely feel like I gotta a lotta MO in the Mojo - cuz I really like this one too....and wait til you see the recipe!! That brown/krafty color paper is not cardstock - NOPE- its the paper that comes in the SU box that Mr. Brown brings! LOL I hate to waste anything and was excited to be able to use this! So - ENJOY!




Card Recipe:
paper: SU box packing paper (teehee), real red, brilliant blue, black, whisper white
ink: used pad and/or markers: real red, brilliant blue, black, yoyo yellow, going gray, sahara sand, close to cocoa
stamps: ahoy matey
accessories: blender pen, white gel pen, sponge, dimensional

Two new projects

So - I have learned from reading information about blogs that posting more than 1 or 2 items per post is too much - and I have noted the references to text size, font and colors, so I am going to try and make this blog as palatable as possible. (ooohh - wasn't that a good word?!?!?) Anywho - I have two projects that I made Thursday and Friday evening...one is a birthday card for Brayden whose birthday was Friday and the other for the newest Stivala - our great-nephew, whose christening we attended on Saturday (which by the way was an awesome service in a beautiful church!) I have also learned to write down the recipe AS I GO, because when I come upstairs to post - I cannot remember all the things I used...you know - the CRS disease!! LOL!

So here we go!


card recipe - all SU! product unless otherwise noted:
paper: certainly celery, only orange, whisper white, Designer Series Paper-celery
ink: only orange, certainly celery, river rock, brilliant blue, lovely lilac, sky blue, real red, tempting turquoise, yoyo yellow
stamps: unfrogettable, family accessories
accessories: blender pen, ticket corner punch, stapler, pumpkin pie striped grosgrain ribbon, crystal effects, googlie eyes(M's), sponge, dimensionals, SAMJ







card recipe - all SU! product unless otherwise noted:
paper: soft sky - reg & text; blue bayou - reg & text; whisper white; Design Series Paper - soft sky
ink: soft sky; blue bayou, versa mark
stamps: celebrate everything, short and sweet, brocade basics, priceless
accessories: white gel pen; irr. ice EP; Punches: tab, scallop, 1 3/8 and 1 1/4 circle, snow blossom; mini glue dots, sticky tape, dimensionals, soft sky double stitched ribbon, rhinestone brad, jumbo eyelet

OK - so he isn't stamped...

LOL My husband says I stamp everything that doesn't move, so Scruffy is lucky! Isn't my lil boy cute?! I just had to share this photo....I love doggie things and especially things that remind me of my dog...I got this when I was in Colorado visiting my girlfriend Carol who had recently moved out there...and NO it was NOT the convention! I was so excited when my daughter and I could go to convention - and we were traveling to Denver - and my girlfriend got excited until she asked me the dates...and then deflatingly said she was going to be "home" in the Lehigh Valley at that time....Anywho - Carol and Rick took me to Boulder and we were shoppin in this funky lovely artsy crafty area - and in one of the stores I found my Iron dog...He sits in the foyer at my home and I caught Scruffy looking at him the other day and actually had my camera in my hands for a change! So - my dogz iz lookin' at each utter!!! Hey Whaz UP, DAWG!!!!!!! LOL (yes I am sick- but loveable)

big sigh here...

I joined in Oprah's online class and of course had major computer problems and then got blocked out of the streaming video when I tried to refresh...I will have to watch it tomorrow....which is in 1/2 and hour!! Anyone else reading the book or doing the class out there?

Also - if I hadn't putzed around with the computer for the 90 minutes the webcast was on - I could have looked up all the info about those cards I posted...I promise that I will be adding the recipes...If I could only remember to write it down as I created it would make my life SOOO much easier....but, what on earth would I do with an easier life?!?!?! LOL

ok - off to bed....totally kaputz!!

ttyl my friends!!!

Stamp On!! with your own Bad Self!!

I have no idea where that comes from or what show (replace the Stamp with Rock) but my god-daughter said it when she was little and it was hysterical! So - sorry - but that is what was in my mind....SOOOOOO - here we go, at least I have been stampin' (scrappin too but those pics will be later!) So as I look at the last post, I realize I posted the SAME pic from before (sparkles) when I meant to do the second one I did which has a lil change...so that pic will be included too....please enjoy!





CJ's 9th birthday card...



card that Steph and I both used at several workshops, cased from someone on SCS (sorry I forget who?!?!)



lil booklet I made for myself for my days doings....long story....love that paper!




OK here is my favorite!! This is a card I just made for a SWAP with my INKredible Impressions sisters from the Occasions Mini....unfortunately, you cannot really see the dazzling diamonds on the flower....I was very pleased with how they came out....








THIS is the card I was supposed to put in the last post...I wanted to make the inside punch that I used irredescent ice embossing powder on, to pop more and at my U/L's suggestion (Tracy dearest- my momma bear) - I added the orange flower punch under it....I really like it! LOVE those new Stampin' Up!® glitters!



Another case from a friend from Beate's listserve - and I forgot her name! So is the card directly underneath...I told you, to be creative, you only need to recognize beauty and reproduce it for yourself...However, in this CASE, I tweaked the punches used for the sentiment...




Stephanie's Valentine's card....(another case)....and this one has the spotty stamp used from the new punch box set (3 for you, I believe) and chocolate chip craft ink on pretty in pink grosgrain ribbon....was a great idea!




I have posted a previous card created by Sally - and this is one I just did at a Demo club for a make and take....too cute!



This card I made from that same Listserve of Beate's - only I know Patty (Bennett?) made this one - she knew I wanted to case it for my Girl's Night Out - which I do every last Friday of the month....

Hope you liked what I have been working on, since the dang computer is giving me fits...now I need to focus more on my dissertation this week - or I'll be in the doghouse!!!

TTYL! Later dudes!