Snow Day {AGAIN}!

When the alarm went off this morning, I looked outside to find it WET but not WHITE. I took my shower as usual and was very surprised to get the call saying no school today. By 8:00 AM this morning, though, the snow was coming down and piling up!


Since we will have to make up today on either a Saturday or during spring break, DH decided we had to get out. We took my 4x4 since it's roomier, his brother piled in with us, and up the mountain we went. (I think we were ahead of the DOT, but we were fine on the main roads in 2-wheel drive.)

When we pulled in to the Byron Herbert Reese Memorial trailhead/parking area, 4-wheel drive was necessary. There had to be a good 4-6 inches up there! Let the snowball fights begin!

Can you see Uncle Reid's snowball in the top left headed right toward me?!?

We went out to Helton Creek Falls while we were out. They were absolutely beautiful!

Macey pointed out these mushrooms (or whatever they are) growing on the side of the tree, and she said they must be fairy shelves or steps. Too cute!

CTMH March Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!

We are hopping again with the March stamp of the month! It is truly A Little Everything (set of 26): Thanks, Celebrate, and all sorts of Happy sayings too.


If you've come from Annette G.'s blog, then you're following the hop right along. No matter how you got here, thanks for popping in.

My card is in honor of my husband and all the things he does for us (a little everything!). It is based on the "Sun Dial" sketch from Wishes. I used the You Rock paper pack with Sunflower, Indian Corn Blue, and Outdoor Denim inks. It's probably hard to see the Outdoor Denim twill that I stapled onto the Outdoor Denim B&T strip. Hopefully the staples, pewter photo clip, and edge distressing give this card a masculine feel.

You can check out A Little Everything here if you're interested in purchasing your own set or earning it at a discount or even free! I will be featuring this set at my All Occasion card class on 3/14. You don't want to miss out on this one!

From here, hop on over to Melissa B.'s blog. Thanks for your comments before you leave!

P.S. Scroll down to my earlier post if you'd like to watch my first video tutorial! Thanks for looking.

First Video Tutorial: Add Some *Sparkle*!

Here is my first attempt at a video tutorial. Although it is painful to watch myself, hopefully you'll learn something new (and it won't be too painful for you). Please let me know what you think!

The monogram bookmark featured in the tutorial:

The Weekend Report

{If you're not interested in random tidbits about our lives, you're going to want to skip this post! No hard feelings, really!}

Since I am up way too early on a Saturday morning and tired of being the only one awake after enjoying an hour of solitude, I will chat with you. Lucky you! Here's the lowdown from this week...

*Ansley's new glasses (frames at least) came in. She is so glad to have them back, and they look great! (I managed to shut them in the car door and snap them in half, well more like 1/3 and 2/3, after she had taken them off in the car during our long trip to the dentist.) Also, can you tell that I'm teaching fractions right now?

*Sunday's scrap class was lots of fun, and I hope to finish my layout this weekend. I really need to finish my Extravaganza application instead. Nothing like procrastinating!

*Ansley competed in 4-H CPA this week and was absolutely devastated that she didn't place. It broke my heart. She worked hard on her project, and at basically the last minute decided she really wanted to place to go on to DPA (where she earned 3rd place last year). Doesn't it kill you when your child is hurting? I so wanted to take her pain away, but at the same time this is a good learning experience. Life is not always wonderful, is it? You can't enjoy the sun without a little rain and all that? The most frustrating part right now for me is that she doesn't think her project is any good now. I keep trying to explain to her that just because she didn't place doesn't mean that she didn't do well. The others just did better. Ah, those tough life lessons.

*Macey has to make a poster about Eleanor Roosevelt this weekend for a presentation she's doing Tuesday. She's also really excited about already meeting her reading goal for this quarter, and best of all, she's found some new books that she really likes after finishing a series she enjoyed. It is wonderful watching her become an avid reader!

*Logan is sick and tired of winter. The rest of us are too, but he takes it a lot harder than we do.

*If we miss another school day for snow, we're going to have to start making up days on Saturdays or Spring Break. No more snow, no more snow, no more snow...

*My Uncle Mickey has been placed in hospice care and is resting at home. While this is hard, he is ready. Thanks in advance for your prayers for his safe and peaceful crossing and for his wife. She's struggling but doing better. Of course this is really hard on my Mom since this is her big (and only) brother.

*We are sorry to see the Olympics drawing to a close but will enjoy watching the last two days.

*Logan and I are going to go play "corn hole" tonight with my brother, sister, BIL, and friends while the girls spend the night with their grandmother. It will be fun to watch our own "redneck Olympics!" LOL

If you've hung in this far, I'd love to hear the highlights of your week and your weekend plans. Life isn't always easy, but it sure is good! My little sugar lump just got up.

CTMH One Of A Kind Cards

Since my friend Sarah is considering buying the One Of A Kind stamp set (and has needed a little cheering up), I sent her a little happy mail last week.

This 8"x3.5" card is based on the "Top It Off" sketch from Wishes. This size is great because you can mail them in business envelopes. I figure robbing things from your household makes your crafting budget go a bit further. ;)

The second card is one you're probably getting tired of. It's my open house card AGAIN (Originals Center Charm), but this time it uses the Caboodle colors plus Chocolate. Isn't just about everything better with a little chocolate?

Top It Off Card:
Techniques: sanded card stock; edge distressing; cluster stamping

All supplies from Close To My Heart: One Of A Kind stamp set; That's Amore paper pack; Chocolate textured card stock; Chocolate, Blush, Tulip, Bamboo, Garden Green, and Olive inks; distressing kit; Chocolate ribbon; Sparkles (regular and bitty)

Center Charm card:

Techniques: sanded card stock; direct-to-paper ink distressing; 1st/2nd generation stamping

All supplies from Close To My Heart: One Of A Kind stamp set; Colonial White and Sorbet card stock; Chocolate and Colonial White textured card stock; Chocolate, Sorbet, Sweet Leaf, Buttercup, and Crystal Blue inks; Chocolate brad; Sorbet ribbon; Sparkles (regular and bitty)

Who Says You Can't Put All Your Cookies in One Basket?

50th Anniversary Card

After 12+ hours at work today, I am tired! We had a parent night tonight, so there was lots to do: get a power point presentation and handout ready with my team of teachers and present it tonight. No, we didn't do all that today; we've been working on it for a while. Today was just one of those days that didn't make sense to go home to turn around and come back. With our crummy weather, if I'd gone home I wouldn't have wanted to get back out! Can you believe they're calling for snow again tomorrow?

Our session was about the reading portion of the state-mandated end-of-year tests that all 5th graders must pass, along with the math portion, to be promoted to 6th. It seemed to go well. I plan to sign off the computer shortly and watch some Olympics before turning in early.

Since I haven't had time to create, I'm glad I still have a few projects that I haven't shared yet. This anniversary card was so much fun to make! Remember, the Piece of Cake stamp set is only available until Sunday.

Originals "Button Trio" 6"x6" card

Techniques: heat embossing, direct-to-paper ink distressing

Supplies from Close To My Heart: Silhouette paper pack; Bamboo textured card stock (Hope for Haiti!); gold card stock (retired); Piece of Cake (Feb. stamp of the month), Say It In Style, and The Works stamp sets; Versamark ink; gold embossing powder; heat tool; gold conchos and square brad (retired)

OTHER: gold (Offray?) ribbon from my stash; NEW Martha Stewart scallop dot punch (40% off!)

Happy birthday, Dad!

Some may remember and honor one of our Founding Fathers today, but instead we celebrate my Dad! Happy birthday, Grumps!!! We love you and wish we could be with you to celebrate. Enjoy your special day and your steak tonight!

Thanks for being the best Dad a girl could have. I appreciate all the character building throughout the years, the many travels (especially sitting on the seat with no books nor "Intendo"), and so many more fond (and happy) memories! Most of all, thank you for your love, support, and your belief in me.

I couldn't resist posting a few photos of this past year. The first is from our trip to Hunting Island.

Mom and Dad's 41st anniversary

Being silly with the girls

Hard to tell which one's the ham or the turkey, isn't it? LOL

Again, we wish we could celebrate with you today. Know that we're together in spirit at least and thinking of you always and especially on your special day.

More Cake

These lovely cards are all from my unit's stamp of the month swap. (Hello, Heartprints!) Just looking at them makes me want to plan a little par-tay! No party plans today, but my scrapbook club is getting together here tomorrow. One of the embellishment options will be this same stamp set, and I'm looking forward to everyone's creations. It will definitely be fun. (We'll have to crank up the stereo today as we clean house to make that portion of the weekend fun!)

Read on to find the deets about these amazing cards. Remember, the February stamp of the month, Piece of Cake, is only available for a short time! We all used the Topstitch paper pack to unify our creations for display.

Clockwise in the first photo: Carla R. random stamped "You're the Sweetest Thing" lightly all over the Heavenly Blue base, plus she added some dots of Liquid Glass to the cake itself. Tanya S. heat-embossed the sentiment and highlights of the cupcake image with silver embossing powder. Camy E. paper-pieced her birthday cake. Doesn't it look delicious? Chris H. stamped the cutest cupcake/Make a Wish border across the bottom of her card. So sweet!


Clockwise in the second photo: Bridget M.'s paper pleating is divine! It looks like a little skirt at the bottom of her card. The details of Pam's card have got to be seen up close and personal! She used eyelets and pearls to accent the Vineyard Berry circle, plus she pop-dotted the cupcake image on top after coloring with markers AND paper piecing parts of it. The next card is my creation, which you've already seen if you've been here before. Last but not least is Taralyn's scrumptious cupcakes complete with Liquid Applique "frosting." [BTW, don't you like how I invent craft-related verbs? I am convinced that Webster's needs an overhaul to include "pop-dotting."]


Here's a picture of them all together (from my Open House and for tomorrow's class). Just looking at them makes me happy!

Sisters Layout

These are some of my favorite pictures of the girls! They were hamming it up for the camera during the spring of 2006. Look at how little they are! (You HAVE to click on this one and make it larger to see their funny faces and their sweet faces!)

This layout also uses the Floral Tapestry from yesterday, complete with My Stickease and some waxy flax.

Boy, do I love these girls!

{Layout 2010 #12}

Easter 2007 Layout

Here's another layout I finished recently. It too uses retired papers (Floral Tapestry, also available in Studio J). I'd like to think Spring, but this Easter was so cold the girls didn't even wear their pretty dresses!

Most of the decorations on this page use the My Stickease that came with this set, plus a few Just Blooms paper flowers and brads for some dimension.

{Layout 2010 #11}

9th Anniversary Card

My sister and her husband are celebrating their 9th anniversary today. Happy anniversary to them! (That also means that my baby will be nine before we know it, as I was *very* pregnant with her serving as matron of honor.)

This card was (literally) a Piece of Cake to make. It is based on the "Aubrey's Invitation" sketch from Originals. The tag pulls out to give them their anniversary message from us.

Can you see the frosting on the cupcakes? It is liquid applique that hasn't been heated.

Techniques: liquid applique, sanded textured card stock, direct-to-paper ink distressing, coloring w/markers

Supplies from Close To My Heart: That's Amore paper pack; Piece of Cake, Say It In Style, The Works, and All My Love stamp sets; Chocolate ink; Tulip, Chocolate, Baby Pink, Blush, and Bamboo markers; Chocolate Mini Medley accents (retired); Chocolate ribbon