Friday Challenge

At the Hanna Stamps forum on Split Coast Stampers it is Challenge Day. Beth is in charge this week and she had us create cards that incorporate three colors from Stampin Up!, Blush Blossom, Ruby Red, and Chocolate Chip. I used Hanna's Riley Moose stamp to create the trailer scene. The accessories are from Hanna's Route 66 set and the trailer is a Stampin Up set called Happy Camper.

As an added bonus we were to create our own patterned paper background. I stamped hearts from the Sweet Celebrations set by Hanna Stamps. I chose More Mustard as my ink color as the Blush Blossom was so faint I was afraid it would not appear in a photograph. The sentiment is from Hanna's sentiment set.

I spent the day with my friend Rebecca. We decided to watch a movie in her theater room and chose Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I don't know how good it was, as we both fell asleep. They have some darn comfortable movie theater chairs! We then went to Zionsville to check a new (to us) bead store and I got some pretty little silver pieces to play with. Tonight is the Winter Carnival at Seth's school, so it will be a full day all around.

Auction Photos

If you come here solely for card making, today is not your day. Kristi asked to see what I am making for this charity auction, so I told her I would post some photos here. The picture above is of a tea set that my friend Maria and I are painting together. I have been going to her house for five years for painting lessons. You would have thought I 'd have learned in five years, right? No. I am a slow learner and not naturally talented in this area. Fruits and flowers are still difficult for me. So, I paint until I get stuck and then she does the finishing touches that help make it look just right.

The photo shows a little cookie tray/dessert plate, a tea bag holder and pie server. We are still working on the matching tea pot. The good news is that after paying for lessons for five years, they are now free for me! I do love that!

This is the photo of the necklace and bracelet and earring set for the auction. The silver is clean and in real life it sparkles, which really sets off the pieces. I use Italian glass (called effetre) that comes in sticks about the width of a pencil. I melt the glass over a specially designed glass torch (I use a Bobcat from Glass Torch Technolgies) and wind the glass into whatever shapes I want. For this set I used black and white as the color scheme as it is likely to be attractive to a large percentage of women and can be worn with pretty much whatever. The necklace is 18 inches.

So far today is a better day. The kids are still at school, and I have snacks to feed the hungry beasts when they come home. I still need to go to the grocery though and see what jumps into my cart for dinner.

I Need A Nap

Oh boy, it's been one of those days for several days now. I have been busy, busy, and most of it has not been of my own choosing. I did have painting class today. Usually I love to go, but my teacher and I are painting a few matching pieces for a charity auction and the painting is challenging to me rather than fun. So, I went, but I did not have fun. Then I met Scott for lunch like I do every Tuesday. We went to the Indian Buffet again, for lack of any other inspiration. Again. I am a little tired of going there.

I had to eat and run and get Noah from school for a doctor's appointment. He should be happy to get out early, right? Not this child. He has a chance at the end of his day to get homework done and since I picked him up early, he brought homework home with him. He likes the room to be completely quiet (no TV) and for an adult to sit with him and help where needed. He has been whining all afternoon and has been rotten. He went upstairs and decided he was warm so he OPENED ALL THE WINDOWS. Folks, it's really cold outside. Like below freezing and the windchill is even colder. And now it is really cold inside. He was cold and wanted to take a shower, so he took one, WITH THE SHOWER DOOR OPEN.

I am exhausted and want so badly to go to bed and it is only 6:30 at night. My son has Asperger's Syndrome, so he is not exactly normal, but he does have common sense and know the difference between right and wrong. I cannot even tell you how tired to my bones I truly am. Hopefully tomorrow I will hav ethe strength to post a photo or two.

Hanna Stamps Challenge

Those of us on the Hanna Stamps Design Team need to step up our participation in the Hanna Stamps weekly challenges. So, I decided to participate even though I don't have all the colors I need on hand. The colors for the week are: Cool Carribean, Chocolate Chip and Wild Wasabi. There is actually another layer of Wasabi between the background and the brown back of the card, but it doesn't show in the photo. The stamps are from the new Route 66 set.

Maybe someone out there loves me enough to adopt me in my present pitiful state and supply me with SU colors, so I can play according to the rules each week......

Makin' Deliveries

A big shout out to my friend Rebecca who came up with the idea for the Easter Hanna making deliveries. I just love how all the Hanna sets work so well together. I took Hanna from the Route 66 set and added the accessories from the Spring Time set. Wouldn't you just love to get a great easter basket delivered full of stamping supplies?

And as to the question about "Why the arrow?" Why not? It is hard to come up with appropriate accessories for a set like this. Flowers just don't work. The arrow conveys motion and movement, and I like it.

Frantic Friday

Here I am, looking like woman who can't decide which craft she wants to settle on. I start today with a card made from the new Hanna Stamps set, Spring Time. The paper is from Cloud Nine and you'll find some flowers, pearl bling, velvet ribbon, corner punches and copics used here.
This is a real life story for me, whatever I plant in the yard the rabbits come to eat. I guess I should be thankful it's not the coyotes that stop by to get a bite to eat. It makes me miss my old neighborhood as I had a neighbor who had a collection of guns in his home and I always wanted him to shoot at the varmints for me. He wouldn't do it, though. Something about firearms laws in the city.....The government reguates everything fun. :) Then I took an example from noted stamper Becky Oehlers, who found some adorable Martha Stewart kitchen towels and stamped on them. I had to track down a K Mart to get these, but the price was right. I think I got 4 towels for $6.99. I'll have to check the receipt though as none of the items at K Mart had prices on them. If they took some of the mystery out of shopping, maybe they'd get more business? I used the Best Blossoms set from Stampin UP and used Certainly Celery, Ballet Blue, Real Red, and Apricot Appeal. I just love their stamp names ( almost as much fun as OPI nail polish colors).

Then I dredged out another old Stampin Up set, On Angel's Wings and stamped with Stazon Ink on a tumbled tile from Lowe's. It would look better colored in, but I don't want to ruin the water resistance that it currently has. The tile and towel are gifts, but I can't say for who, as she stops by the blog on occasion.

Happy Friday. We got more snow last night so I am just staying home and staying warm with my crafts today.

The Scenic Route

Well, mention a product you don't care for and see who comes out of the woodwork. I do appreciate the comments from yesterday. I don't care if people like my opinions or not, I am just glad to get responses from people. (Be kind, leave comments on blogs. )

Today's Hanna is called Route 66 and it is sure to be a hit. A woman on a motorcycle is a unique sight in the stamping world. That background paper is appropriately enough from a company called Scenic Route.

I volunteered at Noah's school today. I laminated and laminated and laminated. I don't think his teacher realizes how much lamination can cost or he wouldn't be quite so addicted to it. I used up every last bit of lamination on the roll. Poster after poster went through the lamination machine today. I really don't like to volunteer in Noah's class. The school is huge and his teacher usually has me running all over the place to help out and the class is on the second floor, but nothing else is. I am up and down the stairs all morning. I know his teacher appreciates me as I do whatever needs to be done, but I don't enjoy it. I wnat to stop going but cannot come up with a good enough excuse. I mean, I do have the time to share. If I were to quit, I'd just feel lazy.

Another thing I don't like to do...make dinner. It's just so daily and so under appreciated around here. Seems like I am always trying to come up with something. No sooner do I finish cooking one meal and then I have to worry about coming up with something for the next. I feel particularly lazy today, maybe it will be pancake or waffle night.

Same Stamps, Different Verse

I have no idea why Hanna keeps stealing the farm animals, but that seems to be the theme these days. Today she has the rabbit, yesterday it was the lamb. Bad Hanna! Bad! I promise to shake it up tomorrow and show something different.

I made an apple cake for dessert today. Seth smelled it cooking in the oven and asked what it was. When I told him he bent over, pretended to choke while sticking his fingers in his mouth. I tell ya, I don't know why I try. I would love to stop cooking for these little unthankful beasts. Seth does not like Apple Pie, while Noah loves it. Can't they both agree on anything? And who doesn't like Apple Pie?! Freaks.

Speaking of freaks, my neighbor Joanne just cannot let go of a product called MonaVie. It is made of the acai berry, found in the SubAmazon and is suposed to have tons of fabulous health benefits. While I think the acai berry may very well be a wonder nutrient and fabulously good for you, I do not belive in Mona Vie. It is a product sold through a pyramid scheme. So, Joanne at the bottom sells the product and people higher up also get a portion of the money. It is packaged in a fancy wine like bottle and sells for $35-$50 for a two week supply. It has a blend of juices in it, not only acai but others. You know what? You can just buy the acai berries in a juice or pill for a whole lot less. With Mona Vie you are paying for the pakaging and the pyramid.

Joanne told me about it for the first time and told me she'd only mention it once. Well, she has mentioned it about fifty times now. Each time I politely decline. Now she wants me to have a tasting party in my home and she will also have a powerpoint presentation. I just politely declined again. Seriously, I have asked her to stop with the hard sell and if I hear bout it again, I just might blow. I know that when you are excited about something it is hard to stop talking about it. But, I do not have the disposable income to but overpriced fancy juices and I am tired of being polite.

Hanna in the Spring

This is a new Hanna from a set that will be released Friday Feb 22 from Hanna Stamps. In this set hanna is ready for Spring. I added the little sheep stamp from the accessories that come with Hanna. I thought it would be no problem to hust cut around Hanna's arm with a little craft/Xacto knife and put the sheep under her arm. I ended up mutilating poor Hannas arm and decided to try something different. I stamped another partial image of Hanna, colored in and cut out her arm. I put the sheep on the full image of Hanna and added the arm over the top. This way worked out to be so much easier tha n cutting my main image.

Maybe that is what I love about crafting. There is no right or wrong way to do something. You just do whatever works best for you. The paper is from die Cuts With A View. I love that it is one sheet of paper with the bling already added onto the paper. I am a girl who loves her bling!

On the home front, the boys are out of school for the day. theyw ere out Friday, too, thus giving a four day weekend. I suppose it is great if you have somewhere to go, to have a little winter break. But most of us are just sitting at home for a four day weekend with the kids. It's a bit cold for them to play outside. We are going to Disney World for Spring Break, so the kids know something fun is coming their way. We thought about going to an indoor water park this weekend, like Great Wolf Lodge in Cincinnati, but the rates doubled for President's Day weekend and I refuse to bow down to high priced corporations and participate in their terrorism against the clientele.

I finally started to feel better on Saturday. Saturday! I have heard of people who have food pisoning and never fully recover and began to think it might happen to me, but I feel much better, and promise to keep up woth my blogging from now on.

Death By Food

Well, almost. I got a case of food poisoning on Monday and it has taken me this long to recover. I have been in bed since Monday evening, it's now Thursday. I got up to run an errand with the boys yesterday and came straight home to bed again. I got up to take care of Seth this morning and realized that we were out of bread. He wanted toast for breakfast, which I made him. But then he wanted peanut butter and jelly for lunch. I had to call a neighbor and ask her to make a sandwich and take it to him at the bus stop.

I met a friend for lunch today and had some soup. I stopped at the grocery and got a rotisserie chicken for dinner. Happy Valentine's Day! I hope Scott appreciates the effort I put into making a meal. I know the children won't. I have to try to feed the little whiners, though. I think it's part of the parenting agreement.

Ah, The Lazy Days of Summer

The temprature is about 12 degrees farenheit right now and the windchill is minus 20. Someone remind me why I live here? I never wanted to. And as an adult I find myself trapped. It is too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. And far too Republican year 'round. So, today I find myself harkening back to simpler times, the simpler times of summer vacation. When Noah wouldn't put the newest Harry Potter book down, despite the fact we were at the beach.
And Seth would not tell people his real name. People would ask and he would say "Chicken Bob." People would ask again and question him and he would just say "Bob." When we asked him about why he wouldn't talk to the other kids on the beach and was making up this crazy name he told us that you should not tell strangers your name.

I suppose all moms fell this way, but see his sweet little chest? When he was younger and naming body parts he couldn't say 'nipple' he would say "nibble." We always teased him that he had such cute little nibbles. Now, with Hannah Montana being the woman in his life we call them his Sweet Niblets.

As an update to yesterday's post, we in no way condone the washing of animals with human shampoo. We do own the appropriate canine shampoo. Our dog appears not to have suffered the ill effects of itchy/dry/oily/irritated skin from the experience. We doubt that Noah will continue to shower with the dog in the future. One good watery shake off from the dog that lands droplets of cold wet water in your face as you are drying off is enough to remind you that your dog didnt relish the experience.

Our Poor Dog

Noah was so proud. He gave the dog a bath! Well, a shower really. Noah was in the shower and he saw the dog, so he grabbed her and pulled her in. He told me later that she was all clean. I asked what he washed her with and he said "The Princess Shampoo." Being the tomboy mother of two sons, I was unaware that we had princess shampoo. Noah said of course we did, it was the stuff in the pink bottle for colored hair, and since Kadi is colorful, he thought it was perfect.

I don't actually know what type of shampoo it is. He is right, it is for colored hair, which mine is. But since it is the only shampoo in the house we all use it. You see, I buy a bottle of shampoo and we use it till its gone, then I buy more shampoo, whatever is cheap and available at Target or WalMart. I read somewhere that the average house has something like 7 different types of shampoo in it. What? Think of all the money you could have for crafting with!

Leftover Day

See these glass blocks? I made them recently for my nieces to match their bedrooms. I got the glass blocks and drilled a hole in the bottom, and put in a string of white indoor/outdoor Christmas lights.
Actually, my husband who is handy drilled the holes. I covered the blocks with tissue paper sent to me by Kristi, who owns Hanna Stamps. She wraps things ever so beautifully before she sends them out. Being a miser, I mean, frugal, I kept the paper and covered the fronts and backs of the blocks with it. I used double sided sticky red tape that you can buy in sheets. I laid the tissue on the block, covered it with the tape, leaving an extra 1/4 inch or so on the sides to hold the tissue in place, and then covered the sticky tape in clear beads.

I wrapped it up like a present. The ribbon goes around the sides and at the top I tied a bow and hot glue gunned some flowers and little pearls on sticks that I got at Michaels. They are so pretty in person. I think white cords look slightly better inside the blocks but all I could find is Christmas lights on green cords.

They are easier to make than to describe. I usually heat the sticky tape/sheets of sticky tape with my embossing gun so it holds really good. My sister in law won't be happy if she has little beads rolling off these all the time. I hope my nieces like them.

Sleep Deprived

I did not sleep well a couple nights ago and slept a lot yesterday. I couldn't decide if I had picked up a bug that is going around or not. I think not, I am just tired. I don't know what brought on the lack of sleep, but sometimes there is a lot going on in my head, too many ideas, and they keep me up at night.

Last night I had a dream that Scott took away my driving priveldges on my new red van as I kept getting speeding tickets. I have no idea where that came from, except everyone believes that red cars get more tickets. Speedy red cars maybe, not middle aged mini van driving ladies.

Above is Riley Moose from Hanna Stamps. this is an easter Riley. I love him and his little chicken friend too. Now I need a set of cute chicken stamps, like SU used to have. Riley needs some animal friends and maybe this chicken is just a start. There are so many silly chicken sayings like "Best of Cluck" Or "Just Chickin In." Got any good Moose sayings? I sure don't. But I love my sweet Riley anyway.

It Feels Like Spring

Yes, spring. Why? Must be the grey rainy weather. Thankfully it is warmer today and the rain is just a bit of sprinkles here and there. I woke up and took some Excedrin and then I was so hopped up on caffeine that I started to clean my house. I even opened the doors to air it out a bit and get some of those yucky germs out. I mopped the kitchen floor, did several loads of laundry, including bed sheets and am looking for dinner recipes.

The Hanna Stamps card above is from the Rainy Day set, which seems perfect for today. The transparency technique might be the death of me though. I had to buy a whole box of transparency sheets, so I will be making these cards till I die, I fear. You know I cannot allow a perfectly good box to go to waste. It must be used. I couldn't get a good picture without the flash on the card, and now I can see fingerprint smudges too. Oh well, life is all about living and learning isn't it? And some lessons get learned the hard way.

As for an update on the kids, they need more supervision than they have been getting. In the beginning it was nice to know kids could play in the basement and I could shut the door and they'd all be happily getting along. Lately the kids are spending too much time on the computer. I am in and out of the basement a lot and have never seen anything inappropriate on the screen. That does not mean that they have not been looking! Yesterday one of the kids (a neighbor girl) said the boys were looking for certain images on the computer. We ran a history and they have been spending a lot of time at moron.com. (Well, they are 11-12 year old boys). They were actually watching people sink in quicksand and things like that, but they were searching for things we would find inapppropriate for them to see. Thankfully, they did not find anything. The computer is now on lock down and the neighbor kids are not allowed to use it. I gathered the guilty parties and threatened to call their parents, too.

I am thinking of making the kids sign an agreement about behavioral rules in my home and expell or suspend their household entrance based upon their behavior.

Joy and Dismay

The football season is over. I love football season. My friend Steph made an off hand comment recently about me not being a football fan. Not true. Not at all. Just not a hometown team fan. When I grew up I didn't have a hometown team. So, if you were a football fan, you found your own team to love. I am so very happy that the Giants won the Super Bowl last night. You don't want to know how much disdain I have for Bill Beliceck. I would personally find it fun to flog that fat cheater myself.
I was asked to make a little something for a charity auction. I made the matching bracelet and earrings, but can't decide on the necklace. I made a focal bead just for this necklace, but can't decide if I like it. The silver is clean in real life, not tarnished like it looks here. I use sterling silver and the swarovski crystals make this piece really stand out and shine, shine, shine. I am waiting for some silver chain I ordered to come in so I can finish this piece and deliver it to it's auction. I think the three piece set will do well for them.

Tell me if the focal bead should stay or go. I think without that bead, this piece is much more wearable on a daily basis.

I forgot to crop down the Hanna Stamps Moose at the top of this post. I love little Riley Moose in his chair, chillin' out and havin' hot chocolate. It's the kind of dayI would like to have right now. The paper is from Chatterbox and I colored him with copics.

Cold February

The first of February and the kids are out of school for the day. It's a Staff Development Day. Seriously? I would think they are developed enough by now. See my dog? before we got her, I knew she was at least part Australian Cattle Dog and prone to follow you around the house, not just lay around like a regular ol' lazy dog. (Oh darn,I don't know why my writing just changed colors nor do I know what to do about it. Hope you like it...'cuz you'll be livin' with it.)

Anyhow, back to the dog. Kadi is her name. She follows me around all day long throughout my waking hours. If I cook at the stove? She is between me and the stove. If I move to the sink, she does, too. I have stepped on her (unintentionally) so many times, you'd think she'd wise up and move away. No. This is a picture of her laying on my foot while I sit at my craft desk. She always lays at/on my feet in this position, her head is always to my left. I don't know why. I love my dog, I really, do, but so much closeness is not really needed. There is no other dog here for me to pet.

This is a picture of some beads I made recently. I need to note that black and white beads don't photograph so well on white. Below is what the beads look like when on the mandrels, and above is the photo of what they look like once clean and ready for use. I tried to put them in the correct viewing order, but my skills failed me. I'd like to be able to blame the computer, but I am willing to accept some blame.
This is my project for the day:
When we moved into this house I made two quilts for Noah's bunkbeads. One is in horrible disarray, despite my changing them up a bit. I am going to sew the fabric pieces together again. Only this time I have to do it by hand. I sewed a bit up this morning, only to have both of the children walk off with my sewing supplies while I was using them.

I was sitting on the couch sewing so I had a magnet with me. This way instead of just putting down the needle, I could put it on the magnet and it couldn't roll away from me. Seth took the needle, and Noah took the magnet at one point, putting the needle on the floor. Despite my best efforts I am raising idiots. Thank God for the days when they do open school. If it weren't for public education, my kids would have no chance at all. All they would have is a mother who screams all day. Or drinks.

Did you notice how the font changed back to black at some point during this post? I have no clue how that happened either.