Lovin' My "Groovy Grape" ...

... and it's all my BFF Cheryl's fault!! When SU announced all their new colors a few months back, we were all havin' a hard time remembering the names of them (especially since we didn't actually have any of them yet!!)! Anyway, Cheryl was having a brain block on the name of the new purple color ... she kept referring to it as "that grape-crush" color ...

So it is HER fault that I can NEVER remember the name of the lovely new Concord Crush cardstock (I have to look it up almost every stinkin' time!!). First thing that comes to my mind?? "Groovy Grape" ... so, I have just decided to succumb to my failing memory and call it what I like. So, it's just always gonna be "Groovy Grape" to me!!

While my OTHER BFF, the infamous JanTink, was staying with me during Convention, she decided she needed to play with my new Aviary stamp set (a set she SWORE she didn't really love, but has since bought due to my evil influences!). She made a card VERY similar to one I had been thinking of in my head ever since getting the stamp set (really...HONEST!). Here is HER card that was the inspiration for mine:

Jan's Awesome Birdcages

Great minds think alike, I guess!!

And I just HAD to use some of my "old" SU stuff to finish this card ... the "Happy Bird Day" sentiment from the Tickled Pink stamp set and some Wild Wasabi striped ribbon ...

Stamps: Aviary, Tickled Pink
Paper: Wild Wasabi, Concord Crush (aka Groovy Grape), Melon Mambo, Whisper White
Ink: Wild Wasabi, Concord Crush, Melon Mambo
Accessories: Sizzix Birthday Embossing Folder, 1 3/8" and 1 1/4" Circle Punch, Wild Wasabi Striped Ribbon, Whisper White Grosgrain Ribbon, Dimensionals

Whhhoooooo Loves Ya????

Hoot! Hoot!! I really stepped out of my comfort zone today with the little bit of Tempting Turquoise that I added to my peek-a-boo owl. I have seen several cards since Convention where the little owl is peeking out of a hole in a tree. I'm not sure WHOOO to credit for this idea, but I {{{heart}}}} it!!

I'm probably going to go out of town one last time this summer for the weekend (we are probably gonna run up to our family's condo on Bear Lake .... IF I can get it packed and put together after work today!!). Not quite sure where the time has gone this summer, but I guess there's no turning back, right??

Stamps: Woodgrain Background, Fabulous Phrases
Paper: Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Tempting Turquoise, Daffodil Delight
Ink: Early Espresso
Accessories: Owl Punch, Wide Oval Punch, 1" and 3/4" punch, 1/4" Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon, 1/8" Daffodil Delight Taffeta Ribbon, Double Scallop Ribbon Border Punch, Elegant Lines Textured Impressions Folder (for owl's belly), Dimensionals

Glamourous!

A friend of my daughter's recently had a murder mystery birthday party. She had asked all of her friends to dress up in clothing from a bygone era, and this is what Amelia looked like as she was headed out the door.

Shazam!!! When she walked in the room BOTH my sister in law and I had our socks blown right OFF!!! Holy COW!! Could this REALLY be my little girl???

The most fun thing about this is that pretty much EVERYthing that she was wearing was vintage ... the dress was my mother's (from the 1950's), as were the beads; the little black gloves were from my paternal grandmother (found them in the drawer of a VERY old sewing machine while I was moving my mom last February); the hat and fur cape were my maternal grandmother's (and Amelia's namesake). How AWESOME is THAT??? She really looked amazing!! It was totally fun creating this layout using MDS. I swear I have more fun with that program than I care to admit!!

Supplies: My Digital Studio

End of Summer Wildflowers

Where on EARTH did this summer run off to? I am always amazed at how each year seems to fly by more quickly than the one before. It seems that my children were just barely little ... and they are now 22, 19 and 16. Those years were so precious and fleeting. As hard as they seemed at the time, I would do them over again in a HEARTBEAT. So many lovely, wonderful memories.

Our summers are always filled with good times spent with family ... something for which I truly feel blessed. I have always enjoyed a really close familial relationship ... nothing is as important to me as they time I can spend with those I love.

As the summer is quickly rolling to a close, I find myself on the road once more. This time I am with my darling daughter, Amelia, and my new "daughter" who is here visiting us from Germany - Coco. She has been a true joy to have around. We have all really enjoyed her company ... her sweet smile, gentle nature and infectious laugh. She has been here nearly two weeks already and only has two short weeks to go. We will be sad to see her leave ...

We are currently in a little town called Rockville, Utah. It is just about a 5-minute drive from Zions National Park. We are hiking, relaxing in the stone pool and playing games (doing a little reading and eating in there, too!). With any luck, we will be on the OPPOSITE end of Utah next weekend when we plan to take Coco up to Bear Lake on the Utah/Idaho border (another place where we have spent countless summer days enjoying time with family).

Which leads me to this card ... I so enjoy the flowers of spring and summer and will be so sad to see them go. Such a great thing that they will all be back again before we know it ...

Stamps: Silhouette Sentiments
Paper: Peach Parfait, Poppy Parade, Concord Crush, Very Vanilla
Ink: Peach Parfait, Poppy Parade, Concord Crush, Pear Pizzazz
Accessories: Scallop Trim Border Punch, Scallop Border Punch, 3/4" Circle Punch, 1" Circle Punch, Small Oval Punch, Whisper White Grosgrain Ribbon, Elegant Lines Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Smooch Moonlight Pearlized Accent Ink, Dimensionals

Freaky Peeky for the Holidays!

I have to admit that I was havin' a really hard time getting into the holiday spirit ... I mean, it's freakin' in the 90's outside!!! Sheesh!!!

But here we are again with some FAB new stuff from SU for the holidays (I am always amazed at how much stuff I end up getting, even though I don't NEED more holiday stamps! WAIT!! Did I really just TYPE that????). You should have just come from the blog of the ever-talented Wendy Jansen (cool name!) ... so this is a "Wendy Double Play!"

"Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!" Sing with me now!!! (Okay ... sorry 'bout that ... just tryin' to catch a little Christmas vibe, which is difficult when it is still AUGUST!). I am lovin' lovin' lovin' all the snowflake-y stuff in the Mini Catalog! These snowflakes are ta DIE for!!! (DIE!! Get it??? I crack myself up!!) I knew as soon as I saw this die strip that it was gonna be MINE!! And I have always loved the rich elegance of brown and vanilla together. It's really a shame you can't "see" the Smooch spray as well in photos ... just one of my little snowflakes got "Smooched" ... but I love how it changed the color just enough to make it stand out.

Stamps: Bells and Boughs
Paper: Brushed Gold, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla
Ink: Early Espresso
Accessories: Northern Frost Decorative Strip Die (snowflakes), Northern Flurry Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Very Vanilla Seam Binding, Gold Glimmer Brad, Gold Glow Smooch Spritz, Wide Oval Punch, Dimensionals

I made this notebook to give my darling daughter something to look forward to on that ever-so-exciting first day of school next week. Her school's colors are red and black (GO WEST!!). I put four black tabs and four red (okay, well - Cherry Cobbler) tabs on here to represent a space for each of her classes. They are on a block schedule - red days and black days - and they have four "red" classes and four "black" classes ... hence, the tabs. I though I would let her write what she wanted on the labels ... (and actually, when I went in to show this to her and her friend, Emma (the friend) asked if SHE could have it for school!! HAHAHA!! I told her she could 'cause Amelia had just made a notebook for herself anyway. Just glad it is gonna go to good use!




And who DOESN'T love a matching pen??? Seriously??!!?? Especially when there is a little bling involved ....

Stamps: Day of Gratitude, Cute by the Inch
Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White, Basic Black
Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Basic Black
Accessories: Extra Large Decorative Label Punch, Eyelet Border Punch, Spiral Punch, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding, Round Tab Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch, Basic Rhinestone Jewels, Pen, Notebook



These last little cards make me smile ... ain't they stinkin' ca-YOOT??? I made all four of them using the Christmas Collage background stamp ... Don'tcha love it??? They were easy and fun to make! (And can I just tell ya that the "seam binding" ribbon is oh-so-MUI-luscious??? It's probably be ALL GONE before I know it!!). I thought that these little cards would be perfect for gift toppers ... they are only 2 1/2" square ... cute and little!

Stamps: Christmas Collage, Bells and Boughs
Paper: Brushed Gold, Very Vanilla, Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso
Ink: Very Vanilla, Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso
Accessories: Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding, Large Oval Punch, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, Real Red and Gold Glimmer Brads, Northern Frost Decorative Strip Die

Now, go and take a peek at LeeAnn Greff's amazing projects!! That girl ALWAYS knocks my socks clean OFF!!

Sneakin' Into Fall (Already!!)

When I was doin' the "Insomniac Shuffle" the other night (perusing the 'net and dinkin' around on the computer so I could get tired enough to go back to sleep), I started playing around with MDS and my blog header ...

... and here it is already!! I was going to save it 'til September so I could sneak into fall, but I just couldn't WAIT!! I was so happy with how it turned out that I just had to share!!

And I made this little 4"x4" card for today's sketch challenge on SCS (SC294) to go along with my new color scheme ... cool, eh??

Another crazy day ahead, so I'm off to the races ...

Don't forget to tune back in on Friday for the Control Freaks Blog Tour. We are going to share some fun things from the upcoming Holiday Mini (how's THAT for getting a jump start on the season????)

Stamps: Sense of Time, Baroque Motifs
Paper: Daffodil Delight, Soft Suede, Pumpkin Pie, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla
Ink: Early Espresso
Accessories: 1 3/4" Circle Punch, Beautiful Wings Embosslits Die, Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Folder, Early Espresso Taffeta Ribbon, Pop-Up Glue Dots

Cards That Make Ya Go OUCH!!

If you have been following my blog this past month you will know that I have been running-running-running ... river rafting/hiking, Stampin' Up Convention, Family Reunions and Trekking Across the Wyoming Wilderness. Through it all I have been healthy and injury free ... that is, until NOW!

Last Thursday I decided to tackle the MOUNTAIN of laundry that had been accumulating during all of my escapades (I DID do SOME laundry over the prior weeks, but mostly on an I-absolutely-have-NO-clean-underwear basis!). When I was bringing in several of the items I had taken outside to dry (I am the Queen of Drip Dry), I stubbed my two little toes on a footstool that was on my back porch. YEE-OUCH!!! When my next-to-smallest toe would not stop hurting, I figured I must have broken it ...

I was seriously gimpin' around for the next several hours. I went to my book group (have been a member for 19 years!) and had to leave a little early so that I could come home and make a card for the Free for All challenge on SCS (for which I was the hostess last Friday). As I was semi-frantically trying to limp around my craft table to make a sample, I smacked my toe AGAIN!! This time on a chair!! OHMYGOSH!! I made some VERY unnatural whimpery-squeaky noises (so much so that my son came running out of his room to see if I was okay). It makes my hair hurt just thinkin' about it!! If I wasn't sure I had broken my toe before, I MADE sure I got 'er done the second time around!! Sooooo, that is how this card came about (the challenge on this card was to make a get well/thinking of you card ... and then actually MAIL it or DELIVER it to someone!!).

I debated on whether I should show ya a pic of a my toe, but then decided against it. Suffice it to say that it has colors similar to my card ... purple and green ... happily, it seems to be felling a bit better today, so hopefully I will be able to walk around a bit better!!

Stamps: Ornate Blossom, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Pear Pizzazz
Accessories: Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Folder, Photo Corners Punch, Large Oval Punch, Small Oval Punch, Modern Label Punch, Whisper White Satin/Organza Ribbon, Pearl Stickers, Paper Piercing Tool, Pop-Up Glue Dots

Of Airplanes and Birthdays ...

Many of you may remember that I posted a little while back that my husband had FINALLY finished building his own airplane after 10 looonnnnggg years ... and I mean a REAL honest-to-goodness-fly-people-in-it airplane. SUPER cool.

Before a home-built airplane can be flown with passengers in it, it needs to have 40 test hours flown off (I guess to be sure it isn't gonna blow up or crash or anything, right??). A good friend of ours who has been a pilot forEVER was excited enough and kind enough to do this for us (since my husband hasn't flown for so long, he needed to pass a flight review before he could actually fly it, too!). Anywho, I diegress ... long story short, the test hours have finally been flown off and my hubby has finally finished doing his own flight review.

For his birthday this past Thursday, he and his brother flew in the plane to Oregon to help move my niece and nephew-in-law into their new apartment there (my nephew is starting law school in a couple of weeks). This was actually just an excuse for my hubby to fly his plane somewhere ... and was an excellent way for him to spend his birthday!!

I made him this little airplane card for his birthday (and YES, his plane IS actually red!!). Cute, eh?

And this is ME in the cockpit as I was getting ready to go on my very FIRST ride in our new plane. I can't WAIT to get my license so I can fly it by myself!!!

Stamps: Fly Away by PTI
Paper: Basic Black, Bashful Blue, Poppy Parade, Whisper White, Play Date dsp
Ink: Basic Black, Poppy Parade
Accessories: Top Note die, Argyle Embossing Folder, Offray Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Scallop Oval Punch, Glassy Glaze Embossing Powder, Black Buttons, Pop-Up Glue Dots

Hearts ... and Pioneers ...

I am working on making myself love this stamp set. It is one of the ones we got at Convention this year. I think it is starting to grow on me, but may take a few more rounds of ink before I am truly convinced. I put this together for today's sketch challenge over on SCS - SC293. A whole LOTTA layers goin' on, that's fer shure!!

Stamps: Paisley Prints, Baroque Motifs, Well Scripted
Paper: Pear Pizzazz, Poppy Parade, Concord Crush, Whisper White
Ink: Pear Pizzazz, Poppy Parade, Concord Crush
Accessories: Large Heart Punch, Wide Oval Punch, Pinking Hearts Border Punch, Elegant Lines Textured Impressions Folder, 1/4" Whisper White Grosgrain Ribbon, Pearls, Pop-Up Glue Dots

Since I had so many responses and emails about my "pioneer" post the other day, I thought I'd share a couple more pictures and a little info. I was asked how one goes about going on such a "trek" ... here is a link to a website where you can arrange to go on one yourself. A truly wonderful experience!

http://www.handcarttreks.com/

We went for a total of four days. We spent the better part of the first day driving to our destination and setting up camp (and OHMYGOSH did we ever get POUNDED by rain, hail and WIND that first evening ... luck for us the tents were all already up and dinner had been prepared!)! Gotta love those Wyoming Plains and the wind, right?? It was actually kinda cool ...

The next day we awoke to the most beautiful misty fog. It disappeared as soon as the sun came over the ridge ... gorgeous!!We spent the day visiting several sites in the area ... Martin's Cove (named for the handcart company that lost many of its members due to illness, freezing and starvation as a direct result to their late start in the year ... a very spiritual and beautiful place), Independence Rock and Devil's Gate, as well as Veil Crossing. We alternated between walking and pushing handcarts. Some areas do not allow the handcarts to be pushed through, so those are the places where we walked.

We climbed to the top of Independence Rock to look at the names of many pioneers who had carved rememberances there. Holy COW, though! We were all attacked at the top by a swarm of flying red ants ... no kidding!! See all the little buggers flying around my head?? Needless to say, we didn't stay on top very long ...

We returned to camp that evening, ate dinner and had a rip-roarin' good time square dancin'! (I spent most of my time videotaping the event while my husband took photos ... I did manage to swing around a LITTLE bit, though!)

Then, the next day we spent the entire day pulling our carts along the trail. At one point we separated the men from the women and each group had a little devotional where they talked of the importance of love and respect for one another. One of the harsh realities of the pioneer experience is that many people died. Women and men were left widows and widowers ... children were left orphans and parents were left childless. To appreciate that whole experience, we had what is known on the trek as "Women's Pull" ... where the women pull their carts along a stretch of steep rough terrain in silence. The men walk alongside the women, but are not allowed to speak or help in any way. Just having them there for moral support was sooo powerful, but for us and for them.

We then proceeded along the trail, where we crossed the Sweetwater River at three separate crossings. The boys in our group carried the girls across one of the crossings to commemorate four young men who nearly froze to death by carrying most of the members of their company across the river when it was literally frozen over back in 1856. We crossed in silence, and it was a truly memorable experience.




We then had a PRIZE-WINNING water fight on our last river crossing!! WHAT FUN!!!




'Cept when ya get a long dress wet it weighs, like, TEN POUNDS or something!! Good times. A wonderful way to end a long, hot and inspiring day. We headed back to camp to eat and spend time together. My brother in law, who was also our "Trail Boss" is an accomplished violinist. As everyone was laying in their tents preparing to fall asleep he started playing some beautiful music for us to fall asleep by. Sigh ... nearly brought me to tears (and just recalling it now is causing my eyes to well up) ... what a lovely way to end the day.

On our last morning we had a devotional where everyone was allowed to share their feelings on the experience. Very moving and sweet. One of our youth was even baptized in the Sweetwater River ... which came as a surprise to most of those in our group. There was hardly a dry eye in the company ... and we all burst into spontaneous applause and cheering once it was complete. PERFECT way to end a PERFECT trek!! This is what we all looked like when it was all said and done ... dirty and sunburned, yet happy and content.

O Pioneers!

We are back from trekking across the Wyoming wilderness with our friends and the youth from our church (who happen to ALSO be our friends!)! It was a wonderful experience. It is always inspiring to see how you can put young people in a situation that is so foreign to them and they will rise to the occasion. We had very few complaints and everyone seemed to get along with one another pretty well. So ... as an ode to the pioneers I put together this little card (which, weirdly enough, has a lot of the same elements as the last card I posted, yet it looks VERY different!!)

Here is a picture of my husband and I in front of Devil's Gate. It was a major landmark for the pioneers as they were making their trek west. One of those things that help you feel like you are making progress (and will help quiet the children's cries of "Are we there yet???) Actually, I was more than inspired by being able to walk where the pioneers walked ... it was very humbling to contemplate the sacrifices that they made in an effort to go someplace where they could make a better life for themselves.






And here is my darling daughter Amelia ... doesn't she look adorable? LOVE the hat!!










This shot made me think of "Little House on the Prairie" ... it was really neat to look at our entire company stretched out across the trail ... it made it easier for me to imagine the pioneers as they must have looked over 150 years ago. Very inspiring, as I said ...

Stamps: Just Believe, Define Your Life
Ink: Soft Suede, Daffodil Delight
Paper: Soft Suede, Very Vanilla
Accessories: Cricut Heritage Cartridge, Grace's Frame Embossing Folder, Double Scallop Corner Punch, Extra Large Scallop Circle Punch (trimmed for the sentiment)

In the Heat of the Summer ...

... and the midst of the craziness I am having a VERY difficult time finding time to stamp anything!! Sheesh!!

I have been running like a frog on a hot rock since we started getting ready for our river trip about three weeks ago. Came home from that and headed straight off to Stampin' Up Convention ... THEN, after Jan (my BFF!) went back home I had ONE DAY off before my brother and sister-in-law showed up for a four-day visit and family reunion (which was last Saturday).

I have spent the past few days running around like a ... let's see ... chicken with my head cut off shopping and organizing and packing as we prepare to leave tomorrow morning at 6:30 A.M.! for a pioneer handcart trek that we are taking with a group of 50 young people from our church (which will last until late Saturday). I am really excited for it, too!! And if that weren't ENOUGH, we will be picking up our cute exchange student - Coco - on Sunday as she comes to stay with us for about a month all the way from Germany!! Needless to say, you can see how finding time to "play" has been difficult ...

In any event, here's a card I did for today's sketch challenge on SCS - SC292. I really struggled with gettin' the fan-thing to look right, but I DO love this "Just Believe" stamp set ... it's VERY purdiful!!!

So .... you probably won't hear from me again 'til late Saturday or Sunday, since I will be runnin' with my pants on fire!!

Enjoy the rest of your week. I will share some pictures of our trek experience once we get back ...

Stamps: Just Believe
Paper: Early Espresso, Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Old Olive, Marina Mist
Ink: Always Artichoke, Early Espresso, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Marina Mist
Accessories: Cuttlebug Grace's Frame Embossing Folder, SU Perfect Polka Dots and Elegant Bouquet Textured Impressions Folders, Sizzix Birthday Embossing Folder, Scallop and Classic Oval Nestabilities, Daffodil Delight Taffeta Ribbon, Word Window Punch, Dimensionals