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!