Christmas Projects

I wanted to share a couple of the projects I have been working on over Christmas break. The instructions for the Santa ornaments above were found on Pinterest and I just knew Kyli would love making these. We made six of them and she gave them to the family as Christmas presents. She was so proud to give them out! They were made with a simple salt dough and baked. Then they were painted up and embellished. Lots of fun to make!
The next project got started when I received a pair of fingerless gloves that were knitted by a friend in New Hampshire. Other people saw them and wanted to know if I had made them. That got me thinking that surely there were crochet patterns for them. Obviously, these are not fingerless gloves. While I was making the crocheted version, Kyli decided she wanted some, too. I dug out some old crochet magazines I had kept for particular "someday" projects and we found the instruction to make these adorable snowman hat/mitten/scarf sets. Kyli picked her colors and became a slave driver for me to get them done. Made hers the day before Christmas Eve while she was staying with us. They actually work up pretty quickly and my rusty crochet skills came back to me in a short time. 

 After I got done with her set, she decided that Liberty, my granddaughter who is six months younger than Kyli, had to have a set also. We don't get to see Liberty nearly as much as we do Kyli, but they are great friends when they do manage to get together. Kyli picked colors for Liberty's set, and it was game on for the second set...all day Christmas Eve!

And here is a picture of Kyli and Liberty together with Liberty showing off her set. It was about 70 degrees here on Christmas Day, so Kyli didn't have hers with her when we took the picture.

Before I go, I wanted to share our good news about Kyli's progress. She went to clinic yesterday and received chemo via her port. Her counts were good and she will now enter the maintenance phase of her treatment. She will only go to clinic twice a month as long as things continue as they have so far. She will receive chemo there and will also take chemo orally at home. As you can see, her hair is starting to come back in and the docs say this will continue. She has responded very well to the treatments. Negative side effects have been minimal and they say that this should also continue for her. She still has 2 1/2 years of treatment, but we are so grateful for the doctors' good news yesterday! We are also grateful for all the prayers that have been lifted up on Kyli's behalf and ask for continued prayers for healing.
I hope you have had a wonderful Christmas season with your families. Wishing you a blessed New Year as well!!

Paper Pieced Witch

Good Saturday morning to all!! I am in such a good mood today! It could have something to do with being able to sleep past 5 AM and having a day with nothing scheduled that I haven't chosen to do on my own accord! I started out by making breakfast for my hubby (I suspect he was beginning to think I had forgotten how to cook) and then actually sat down to do some creating. And here is another wonder of wonders: I actually used a stamp that I purchased yesterday!
 The papers and dies were purchased just last week!! I'm so proud of my self. I got this cute little MFT witch set and combined it with a 6x6 pack of Enchanted papers by Authentique. A couple of embossing folders and dies later, I had this card.
One of my favorite ways to create is to just start with a stamp and possible papers and let the rest of it happen as it I go. I got to do this today, though I really think I should have learned by now that some things need to be tested before putting them into action onto a nearly complete project. Those black diamond Stickles around the frame may not have been a great idea, but there they are. The rest of it I am pretty happy with. The finished card is actually mailable, too!! That almost never happens!!
Well, I'm off to get my sweet little Kyli, who isn't necessarily being so sweet today. She is having some serious mood swings from the steroids they have her on right now, but Gramma can deal for a while and let Mommy and Daddy have a break. A little retail therapy may help, so I think we will hit a couple of stores before grocery shopping and heading to my house for a little creating. I'll be back a little later to do some blog surfing....haven't had time since last weekend. Thanks for stopping in!!

Witch's Dance

I've been wanting to make this card for a while now. When I got the ballet dancer die, my friend Bonnie and I got the idea to make a dancing witch out of her for Halloween. We just weren't getting it done, though. Yesterday, I was at the Dollar Tree and I found some glittery witch hat stickers and they looked like the right size for my dancer. The dancer is cut from black suede paper and her dress from super fine purple glitter paper. The papers are from Echo Park's Chillingsworth 6x6 stack. I knew the little piece of sheet music in the stack would be perfect! All the borders are done with the same glittery purple papers with a card base of basic black.

Puddle Jumper

        I've been pretty busy with the new school year. I have to admit though, that I've had more time in the evenings than I've had in past years because we have switched to an earlier start time. That translates into an earlier release time. So, I am off the clock at 3 pm!! I still don't get out of there at that time most days, but even though I am getting home earlier, I am exhausted and am usually in bed at 8!!
       I had some extra time this weekend and chose to spend it with a sweet little girl that looks a lot like the one in the image on my card! Okay, so my girl doesn't have that much hair anymore, but that's fine with me. Here she is showing off a tattoo she got at an end of chemo party for a two year old boy she met at clinic.

I think I made the best use of my time by spending it with Kyli!
     Anyway, the card is made with a Kraftin' Kimmie image that I actually bought with the hubby's blessing. He thought it was too cute to pass up, too! I colored it with Copic markers and used some Vanilla Sunshine papers I won in a drawing at the LSS! I think they are a perfect match!!
     Well, that's all for today. Hope everyone has a super Labor Day weekend!!

Apple's Tip Jar

I've been busy with trainings and getting my room and lessons ready for the new school year which begins next Monday. There never seems to be enough time to get it all done, yet every year it all gets taken care of and the new year goes more smoothly than I could have hoped. In all this chaos, I realized I had never posted the photos of the tip jar I made for the restaurant run by my DIL's mother. The restaurant is called Apple's Bar and Grill and has a New York theme. I tried to keep it simple so that parts of it would be replaced fairly easily if necessary. After all, accidents do occasionally happen no matter how hard we try.
I started with a basic apothecary styled jar. I used a couple of precut wooden apple shapes and painted them up with acrylic paints. I added the skyline and simple lettering and attached one to each side. I had to try several different ways of attaching the apples to the glass surface. In the end, the best adhesive turned out to be self-adhesive Velcro squares.
Here are a couple more angles:

TP and Ice Cream and a New Member of the Family

Here is another quick card made with an image I had colored previously using colored pencils and Gamsol. The background is another piece of the faux hand-made paper. Very quick and simple to put together.

I also made this card from another image in my pre-colored stash. I love this one from Mo Manning! Really miss our sweet Ice, who was a Siberian Husky. Colored with Copic markers and the border punch is from Martha Stewart.
It's been a crazy summer, so we have put off getting a new fur baby until things settled down. With the new school year breathing down my neck, I found it was getting harder and harder to look at, read, or hear about other people's adorable dogs without having one of our own. A dear friend of mine heard about a dog that completely fit the bill. So here we are; introducing Roxie the Rockstar!!

He is a Rotty/Boxer mix. Loves kids, cats, dogs...well, everyone! He is a neutered male, about 1 1/2 year old. He is so gentle! When we introduced him to my son's dog, a Minpin, she wasn't exactly hospitable. He just ignored her bad behavior and walked away. It was a perfect opportunity for him to display aggression but we saw NONE!! He loves Kyli already and we are so excited about him coming to make our house his forever home!

TP Giraffe

It was my goal this summer to work my way through some of the "stuff" that I had already cut, colored, or prepared in some way prepared and reduce the pile of incomplete projects. Well, my summer did not turn out as planned and while I did get a lot of these things sorted out, I didn't get a lot of completed cards or projects from the deal. This is one I did get done. I had already colored this adorable giraffe image. Several years ago, there was a technique challenge on SCS to make "faux hand-made paper." It was a fun and completely messy process that I got a little carried away with. I made about 50 pieces of background papers in quarter sheet size, ready to put on a card. The colors in this one were perfect for the giraffe image! I layered it up with some gold mirror paper and black card stock. To make the giraffe stiffer because of the fussy cutting and to help it stand out from the rough background paper, I added a couple of layers of clear embossing powder before cutting...this baby shines!!
To make the background paper, I started with a quarter sheet of white card stock, a roll of cheap toilet paper, and an assortment of acrylic paints. I squirted a small amount of several colors of paint on a palette (recycled foam tray). I dipped a wad of TP into the lightest color of paint and dabbed it all over the card stock. By using the cheap TP, small pieces of the paper sticks to the card stock with the paint creating a fabulous texture that looks like hand-made paper. Repeat with a new wad of TP and each color of paint until you are happy with the results. Every piece of paper led to another color combination possibility and I just couldn't stop making the stuff. In fact, I'm thinking I may have to get out the supplies and make some more!
On a personal note, Kyli is spending the weekend (at least) at the hospital. She finished a round of chemo the other day and hasn't been feeling well. Yesterday she started have some gastro issues and vomiting, so they took her in. They are treating her with IV meds for speed and effectiveness which is why she was admitted. We will be heading up to see her later today, but hoping she will be home tomorrow or Monday.
Thanks for stopping in today. Hope everyone enjoys the weekend!!

Summer's Over!

Well, it's official! Summer is over here in my neck of the woods. I returned to work this week for planning sessions by department as we get ready to implement new standards and new curriculum. I'm really excited by how much I accomplished and my expectations for the new school year. I work with an awesome group of people who make coming to work after a long break much more bearable! I made these little books for some of those peeps.....I wish I had the time and resources to make them for everyone! The image is from Art Impressions and it speaks volumes about how we are all going to feel by the end of next week as we get our rooms, plans, and other assorted requirements ready for the kids who will arrive on the following Monday! Did I mention the endless hours of trainings we have to work around to get our stuff done?
I made the notebooks refillable and even supplied each recipient with a small supply of refill pads!

The pads are the biggest hangup to making more of the books. I have bought all I have found, which are very few. Must be a hot item for the new school year as I usually see them everywhere. Have some of stampin' peeps on the look out, too.
Time to get some more planning done before the whole house wakes up and then some fun time later today as it's the last Friday of the summer!! Hope it's a good one for all of you and thanks for stopping in!!

Fight Like a Girl Leukemia

I made this card for my granddaughter, Kyli as she continues her battle with leukemia. She is winning, but it's going to be a long road. I used a Magnolia image that reminds me so much of her before she started chemo. She doesn't have nearly that much hair anymore. I colored it with Copic markers. 

Of course it had to be an easel card so she can display it in her room. I'm not sure if the MFT T-shirt die fits with the feel of the rest of the card, but I used it anyway. Here is a closer view.

Thanks for stopping in!

Loralei Shopper

Almost a month without a post.....whew! I thought I was getting better at this. Here is the shopping queen....definitely not me. Don't really like to make big shopping trips but a couple of times a year. Personally, I think food and clothing are overrated...cuts into the stamping budget too much! But she's cute and so much fun to color. Image is from Loralei and colored with Copic markers. I added a little glitter gel pen for sparkle. I had just purchased the MFT corner dies, so I had to use on my card. Not sure that it was a good move for this particular card, but it is what it is. 
On a personal note, just when I thought things were settling down, it all went a little crazy again. The hubby and I spent another two weeks in Ohio working at my dad's place and things are finally starting to take shape there. We got rid of a lot more of the outside clutter and started working on some of the outbuildings. Planning on another trip next summer.
Things with Kyli have been going well. She is responding extremely well to her treatments. She is at the clinic right now for an all day appointment for a chemo treatment and spinal tap. It won't be long though before she begins a segment of her treatment plan that will have them running to the hospital about 4 times a week most weeks. This will make it difficult for my DIL to work enough hours to make ends meet. Trusting that God will provide.....

Cowgirl Easel

This is a card I made with the intention of using it for my son's MIL's birthday. She is a big western/cowboy fan, so when I make her a card, I often use that theme when designing it. This one did not make it. I was almost finished on the night before we left for our trip to Ohio and hit a wall with it. I just couldn't cut the papers on the right diagonal for anything!!! It's just not that hard, but I guess with the trip coming up, I just couldn't focus enough to get it done. When we got back, it was one of the first things I tackled and it fell together with no problem. Guess I'll save it for her next birthday or special occasion!

I made it an easel card, which is what caused me all the grief. I had already scored the diagonal line. If I hadn't done that first, I could have made it swing the other way and saved all the mangled papers.

I made the star embellishment using chip board stars and embossing powders and glitter glass. I applied the embossing powders repeatedly to get a really thick coating.
And there you have it....another card with lots of postage!! Pretty typical for me!
On a personal note, today is a happy day because it looks like I will be getting to bring my truck home!! My son has had it since Kyli's diagnosis so they had could have a dependable, air conditioned ride to and from the hospital whenever needed. Yesterday, they were able to get a car that fit the bill. I'll be helping out a little to cover some of the expense, but I will have my truck back!!! It will sure make life easier at my house!! I hope everyone has a blessed day!!

These are some of the cards I was planning to have completed in time for this year's Relay for Life event in our area. They were intended to be part of a fundraiser for our booth. I brought my collection of completed cards to be sold, with all proceeds going to the cause. When we listed it as one of the fund raisers for our team, the organizers said, "Yes, having some cancer-related cards would be great!" Well, only one or two of the cards in my stash were actually caner-related, so I got to work and started getting more cards together. The event took place on May 10th. Kyli was diagnosed with leukemia on May 1st. Needless to say, I didn't have a lot of time to get the cards completed before the event. While I still participated, with more purpose than ever, I did not get the cards completed until recently. I guess I have some cards ready for next year's event! I made several of each design and tried to keep them very simple for the sake of mass production. I hope to get more done before next year!

Birthday Flamingo

I needed a birthday card for a friend and I needed it in a hurry! Fortunately, I had everything I needed laying out on the work table. I had a digital image of a flamingo all colored up in a box next to the desk. The other papers had been pulled for another project that never happened some time ago. I had just purchased the punch and hadn't put it in its home yet, so it was also sitting out. I just had to reach up a little to get the bling from the drawer on my desk...and her it is. Quick and simple!! I can't remember who makes the digital image, but he sure is cute. I colored him with Copics. My friend is a flamingo fan so it is perfect for her. DSP is retired SU!
I have another very busy day of projects ahead of me. I am working on a tip jar for the restaurant that my son's MIL manages. It took me weeks to decide how to design it and now that it's in my head, I'm hoping it comes out like I have envisioned it...or at least close to it! Also working on a toy box for Kyli and shelves to house the tea pot collection I brought home from my dad's. My grandmother collected them and I brought home the ones that survived my aunt's wrath after my grandmother died. Most came from overseas while my dad was in the service for WWII. I am quickly running out of summer!!!

More Punched Edges

Here are two more of the punched edge cards that I made a while back. I haven't found a bad punch to use on these! In fact, I bought two more punches a couple of weeks ago, but haven't had time to try them for this technique yet.
The flowers on the blue card are a digital file I have had for ages and unfortunately, I can't remember where I got them. I had to cut them out by hand and I added glitter to them to dress them up.
The second one is very similar to the first card I saw done with this technique. I changed the colors and stamp set, but the use of the retired SU! ribbon border punch is how I first came in contact with this style of card.
Had a little scare with Kyli today. Running to the hospital is the new normal, but we've had a long spell without a temperature spike. Today it happened, but she got to come home. We are headed down soon to spend some time with her, so no stamping time tonight! With her home from the hospital, I can deal with the trade off!!

Punched Edge Cards

These cards were made back in May when I went on a stamping retreat with a group of friends. We spent the whole weekend at a house on the Withlacoochee River and stamped and stamped and stamped... One of the things we got to playing with was this technique of using punches down both sides of a card to make a pretty border for a thin image. I fell in love with this technique and so did some of the other girls. We had quite a collection by the time we were done! Here are three of the cards I made using the punches. I love that they look so fancy but are really simple to make. That really appeals to my apparent need to do complicated cards.

Learning to Love Starfruit and a Benefit Ride

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The hubby and I got away for a couple of weeks!! I can't say it was a vacation, because we went to my dad's house in Ohio to help him get the grounds and house ready to sell. My dad has lived on the property since 1947 is a bit of a collector. Needless to say, he has acquired a large amount of "stuff" over the years. Some of it is really cool stuff that others would be interested in and we were able to sell some of it while we were there. Unfortunately, a large amount of it has been ruined over the years and is only suitable for the scrap pile. He worked in the automobile industry for most of his life, so much of the junk qualified as scrap metal and we were able to haul it off in exchange for $$$$$ from the scrapyard. We hauled about eleven loads there. I also made two trips to Goodwill and several runs to the recycling center with my truck. Things are looking up there, but after two weeks, we still aren't done, so we will be going back later this month for another couple of weeks...so much for my summer vacation!!! But it's good to be able to help out my dad, so it's all good!
Before we left, I was able to pull together this one card using a new LaLaLand stamp, Kimono Marci. Now, I have to say that when I got the collection of new SU! In-Color card stock, I was less than thrilled with the color Summer Starfruit....well, actually, I hated it...YUCK!!! GAG!!! Then a friend of mine put it up to a piece of Echo Park paper she was playing with and WOW!!! All the new colors were a perfect match and it actually made the SS color look good!!! I had the same paper at home, so I had to put together a card using the combination and this is what I came up with. It's been a while since I've done an easel card and it was fun putting this together. I colored it with SU! markers, something I haven't done in ages!!
On a more personal note, we returned home from Ohio a few days earlier than originally planned because a benefit ride had been organized for my granddaughter Kyli and her battle with leukemia. Harley Davidson of Ocala put together the event which included a ride that ended at Apple's Bar and Grill, also in Ocala. The ride included two world-famous bikes, The Flying Pan and the Red Knuckle, with an additional famous bike parked inside Apple's, the Detroit Motors Goodfellas bike.

Kyli arrived at Apple's just before the bikes got there. She was really excited about the idea of all those people being there for her, but was a little overwhelmed by all the attention. When she got tired, the hubby and I took her home and stayed with her until her parents got home. The guys from HD of Ocala are awesome and incredibly generous. They fell in love with my girl, but what's not to love, and inspired generosity among all the guests and participants for a very successful fundraiser!! Thanks so much guys!!! Here they are with Kyli in the middle.

I know this has been a long post if you are still with me, but one last picture! We rarely get the opportunity to get family shots (someone always manages to be left out), but we were lucky enough to get this one taken that day so I have to share. Me, Kenny (the hubby), my son, his wife, and the guest of honor, my granddaughter Kyli!

Seaside Class

 I made these cards for a class at the LSS using Just Rite images and the border punch technique I love so much. For the second card, I used Spellbinder's dies. I also used cork to for the matt on the second card.

Blue Roses

I saw this technique done on a blog somewhere and I just fell in love with it. I carried all my border punches to a stamping retreat and the next thing you know, all the girls were making card bases using every imaginable color/punch combination. We even got a few cards completed using our experiments! A few days later, I found this Martha Stewart punch and I had ideas popping into my head right away. I had to play right away, so I got into Bonnie's scrap pile at Priceless (the LSS) and I ended up with blue roses. This card currently lives at Priceless, so if you live in the area, you can see it live and in person if you stop in. Can you see the glitter???? You know it had to be there!
On a personal note, my son and his wife got all moved into their new home (new to them) which is so more bright and cheerful (not to mention cleaner) than the old one that was just not suitable for Kyli's current health needs. There is no carpeting in this house which makes keeping it clean much easier. Her new bedroom is so bright and cheery! She just loves being there and is content to play there much of the time instead of dragging all her toys out to the living room. It's where I spend most of my time when I visit because that's where Kyli is!
Her other grandmother bought her a new bedroom set, all in white. It had these really pretty hearts and ribbons carved into it and my son decided right away that they needed to be painted pink and purple and glittered up. The other grandmother almost had a heart attack as the ink wasn't even dry on her credit card receipt when Robbie told her he wanted to paint it. When he explained that he was going to have me do it, so relaxed considerably. I spent about three days working on this project as I had to do it in sections and I think it turned out pretty cool. Kyli loves it and even helped a little. Robbie is very pleased and the other grandmother even loves it!! So I guess I did okay! Here's a few shots of the project:

Of course, it's very glittery...because I did it!

Housework Fairy

I ran across this photo this morning and realized I had never posted it. It's a card a made for a friend for her birthday using an image from Mo Manning. This little fairy is just adorable and I couldn't resist using her to make the card...especially since she was all colored up and ready to go when I found out I needed a card because my friend was coming to the scrapbook store to play and it was her birthday. I needed a card....QUICK!!
Kyli update: She is home for a while. She had surgery Thursday to put in her port. It's still a little sore, but she is home and in good spirits. I was called in to stay with her for several hours the past two days so Mommy and Daddy could finish up some moving details and other errands that needed to be taken care of. While they were working, Kyli and I painted the hearts and ribbons on her new bed. I still have a few finishing touches to do on them, but they are looking good. I hope to get them done tomorrow and then I will post some pictures.
School is out now and I have the summer off, so hopefully, I will get some stamping time in....starting today!! Maybe I can get into a pattern and be able to get back to my blog and stamping regularly! Thanks for stopping in!

Since my last post, Kyli was able to go home, but had to return after three short days because her temperature spiked. She has been at the hospital ever since so she can receive antibiotics via IV to help treat the infection she has no white cells to battle on her own. Her hair is very thin now and virtually gone in the back of her head. She is doing a little better now and she should be able to go home near the end of the month!
Technology is a wonderful thing! Through the wonders of Facebook, my son and his wife have been able to inform family and friends who use Facebook of Kyli's progress instead of writing hundreds of messages and making as many phone calls. Kyli's Kause has drawn attention from around the world! One of my son's friends from school days, Joe Bryk, is now a sergeant in the US Army and is currently deployed to Afghanistan. He and his unit sent a package to Kyli that contained a card, letter, and a combat patch worn by the soldier.
Somehow, this gained the attention of a news channel in nearby Orlando, Florida and the next thing we knew, a news crew showed up to do a story on Kyli's Kause! They were there for about an hour and were sooooo nice. The news anchor, Tracey Jacim, is the reporter who actually came to the hospital and Kyli really warmed up to her considering her steroid-induced mood swings. I managed to avoid the camera but it was so interesting to see how it all happened. They did at least 45 minutes of video and interview to create the story that took less than five minutes of air time.
I have included a link to the news story if you care to watch it. My son and his wife were so nervous, but I think they did a really great job! And Kyli? She just had to be her sweet self!

Kyli's Kause via FOX 35 News, Orlando

As for my creative time, I will be on summer break in two weeks and should be able to get in more stamping and paper crafting. I went on a stamping retreat last weekend and made a pile of cards that I will be able to share as soon as I get them photographed and uploaded. I want to go through my stash and send a bunch to Joe's unit in Afghanistan. He personally sends out many letters and cards to friends and family, so I know they will be appreciated. They get many of them from Operation Write Home.
Bryk, Joe, B Co. 296 BSB, Khandahar Airfield, APO AE 09355 is his address in case anyone wanted to send any to this group also. Of course, they could always be sent to his unit and others through Operation Write Home. I'm pretty sure that for them to be sent to a unit, you have to have one of the soldier's names specifically on the address.
I have a long holiday weekend and I am planning to have a slumber party at the hospital with Kyli one of the nights so that Mommy and Daddy can both come home and get some things taken care of for the move to their new home. I also plan to get in some stamping!! Thanks for stopping in!!

Coming home

My Kyli will be coming home tomorrow!! She has had a very dramatic week and a half. She spent two days in the peds ICU and has had good and bad days. Every day, though, showed improvements over the one before in at least some ways. The picture above was taken just after returning to the peds oncology ward from PICU. She was still in considerable pain and cried a lot.

Yesterday, she started physical therapy to get her up and walking again. It started with some lessons with Chemo Duck. She learned all about the different instruments the doctors use and why they use them. She was very interested in learning all she could! As you can see, she has no shortage of friends in her bed to practice on!
Today, she was up walking around the floor with her little shopping cart and visited the Tebow room several times to play games and create with her Play-Doh...she sure loves that stuff. She did all this activity after a second spinal tap to put more chemo into her nervous system to help prevent relapse later on.
BTW...they call it the Tebow room because the room and entire ward was refurbished and provided X-Box systems from the raffle sales from Tim Tebow jerseys that he donated to the hospital. Pretty awesome, I think. It's a great room for the kids to play in, and not just with the video games.
This is going to be a very busy weekend. They will be moving into a temporary place while a new home is secured that better suits her medical needs. Then three visits scheduled for next week back at the hospital and cancer clinic with about the same number of visits each week for some time to come. She will lose all her hair by the end of the month and will puff up from the steroids. I just know she is going to be a survivor...she's too tough to do otherwise. We finally received the good news verifying our belief that they would not find the Philadelphia Chromosome in her!!! So glad of that as it will make the treatment of the cancer much easier.
Thanks so much for the prayers that have been offered up for her! The family appreciates every one and we are convinced that it was the power of prayer that has helped to ease her way in the battle she is facing and for the survival of so many others!