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!