*More Fall Colours*

I can't believe it's already the end of September. I am amazed at how quickly we adapted back into the fall schedule of life with school and activities etc. The time just seems to be flying by!

Todays card is another that I made for the contest on Cindy's Blog (which is now closed). The challenge was to use the colours Ruby Red, Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip and Close to Cocoa. Anyone who knows me, knows I still have the original packages of brown cardstock from when I first ordered them when I first became a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator. I am just not a brown person.

Of course, I didn't have a Prima flower that matched this colour combination so I coloured one of the lighter coloured daisies using my Ruby Red reinker and some water.

Items Used: (all items Stampin' Up! unless noted)
*cardstock: Very Vanilla, Ruby Red, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa
*ink: Ruby Red, Chocolate Chip
*images: Baroque Motifs; sentiment unknown
*embellishments: Prima Flower, Bling, grosgrain ribbon
*tools: Cuttlebug and D'vine Swirl embossing folder

*Flashback Friday*

The hardest part of Flashback Friday is deciding what, from my stash of old stuff, to share with you all. It's difficult because many of the items are no longer things I would consider sharing with people because my tastes have changed or because they simply weren't that good in the first place.

So this morning when I saw Cindy come online on MSN, I asked her to please help me choose something from my stash to share.

She chose, from my "before 2003" stash, a vellum beaded lampshade that I made. I was really into these for a while.

I had found a template online somewhere for the shade and I made these for a bunch of people that year. Some of them were simply stamped and embossed, some of them were stamped and coloured. All of them were heavy vellum (cardstock weight) covered in the small holeless clear beads.

This one I was asked to make for someone to give as a gift. I used a DeNami image and coloured it from behind with markers. Once you're done decorating, you cover the front of the vellum shade with a Wonder Tape sheet (which is clear, double sided tape) and then add the beads. There is a strip along the edge that you do not bead which is where you then put the two sides of the vellum together to make the shade.

These shades sit on a wine glass.... and look really neat with a small tealight candle shining through.

If I can find the template again, I'll be sure to let you know!

I'm back.... I found a template... it's not the one I used, but it looks similar. I would probably enlarge it a little. The template I originally used took up most of a sheet of vellum from top right to bottom left corners.

*Pocket Card*

I love Thursdays during the school year! Why? Quite simply because I don't work on Fridays! Gotta love that!

And what will I be doing with my day off tomorrow? Well, I believe there is a trip to Michaels with two girlfriends in my future including a stop at Starbucks. Then in the afternoon a girlfriend and I are going to craft.

Lovely way to spend a day off!

Todays card is my version of the criss-cross pocket card that seems to be so popular lately. I found that the directions called for a lot of cardstock so I went off on my own to create something similar (not the same, obviously) but using less cardstock. Not really a "criss-cross" in the end I guess though, is it?

Oh well, I still like it!

Items Used:
*Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Very Vanilla, Ruby Red, Soft Sky, Certainly Celery
*Patterned Paper: Tres Joiles
*Ink: Stampin' Up! Certainly Celery and Ruby Red
*Images: Stampin' Up! All Holidays, Rhonna Farrer Swirls
*Embellishments: Prima Flower, Bling
*Tools: circle punch

What did I learn from this card? I really want the tab punch from Stampin' Up! sigh.

*Flowers and Dots*

Well, I figured out why Blogger was acting so strange when I wanted to post yesterday. For some reason, in the Create a New Post window, the Edit Html tab was "on" instead of the Compose one. So it wasn't a problem with Blogger... just a problem with the user!

Blonde moment.

I can say that... I'm blonde... not so naturally blonde anymore, but I was naturally blonde until the birth of child #2. He stole all my blonde hair and left me with this mousey dark blonde almost brown stuff.... so off to the salon I go!

Have I told anyone how much I love the new Stampin' Up! In Color colour of Purely Pomegranate? It is such a rich and wonderful colour. It's what I had hoped Cranberry Crisp would be last year. Don't get me wrong. In the end I liked Cranberry Crisp, but it wasn't the colour I was thinking it would be. Too muted. Too dull. Purely Pomegranate really floats my boat!

Items Used: (all items Stampin' Up!)
*Cardstock: Whisper White, Purely Pomegranate, Basic Black
*Images: In the Spotlight, Baroque Motifs, In The Spotlight
*Ink: Purely Pomegranate, Whisper White, black marker
*Embellishments: black brads
*Tools: 5-Petal flower punch

*Two Birds, One Stone*

Blogger is "off" today.... seems like all of the html codes are being shown as I type my post instead of the usual "what-you-see-is-what-you-get" feature. I like the WYSIWYG one much better! I have no idea how to change my font so we'll have to deal with it being different today.

I created this card for both a Blog Candy Contest as well as Cindy's Blog Birthday Contest. The layout is for the candy, the colour combination is for the birthday celebration.

Items Used:
*Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Very Vanilla, Ruby Red, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa
*Images: Lizzie Anne, A*Muse
*Ink: Stampin' Up! Chocolate Chip Classic Ink; Stampin' Up! Ruby Red and Old Olive Stampin' Write Markers
*Tools: Cuttlebug and D'vine Swirl embossing folder

*Apparently, I'm Glue*

What scrapbooking item are you?

You are GLUE!You are the adhesive that keeps things together. You go through life helping others. You stick to people and try to keep people together. You like it best when you are surrounded by people and able to help them. But Glue Beware - in your efforts to keep everyone together and with you, you sometimes overlook yourself and find it hard to keep yourself together. Don't neglect personal time in your overwhelming need to socialize and help others.
Take this quiz!








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*Wedding Thanks*

About a year ago, my girlfriend Mona (whom I've known since back in 1976 when we were in grade 1) asked me if I would make her birth announcements once her son, Liam arrived. And of course, I did.

In the spring I spent time designing and creating the wedding invitations for Mona and Chuck, the love of her life.

This was the wedding we traveled to BC for this past summer. It was a beautiful wedding and a great vacation.

After we returned home, an email from Mona... apparently I am now their card maker of choice and I was asked to help them make their Thank You Cards. The idea was all Chuck and Mo, and honestly, they did most of the work... but I helped.

This is the card they had dreamed up. The photo is of the two of them, on their wedding day, in the vintage Mustang the Chuck lovingly restored, in front of the surf on Vancouver Island.

I am so impressed with how this design turned out. I printed and cut the white card and cut and Cuttlebugged the black frame. Then sent it all to Chuck and Mo for them to assembly.

Mona and Chuck, thank you so much for letting me participate in the important parts of your life (and for including me in the little parts too). Love you!!

*Pay It Forward*

I think this is a great idea that I saw on Rose Ann's blog. If you are willing to "pay it forward" by offering a gift to someone on your blog, please play here!

The first TWO people to leave comments on this post (which include some way of me contacting you) will win! I will contact you for your snail mail address and will then send you an envelope of small embellishments and ribbon. You, in turn, will have to post a Pay It Forward on your blog to share with others.

I am hoping there are others who are wanting to Pay It Forward!

*Flashback Friday*

Could someone please explain to me.... why is it that when you have a Friday where you can sleep in, that you wake up without an alarm only a half hour or so after your alarm would have woken you anyway?

Matthew has the day off from school day... PD Day for the staff (Professional Development). Alex had school, but since Bruce had to get up to go to work anyway, he was good to let me sleep and was there to make sure Alex got off ok. I woke up with Bruce's alarm but was able to fall right back to sleep. And then, POW, 7:30... I am wide awake! Matthew is still asleep, and I am wide awake.

How is this fair?

The only good thing about it is that I didn't wake up to my alarm. I hate waking up to the alarm.

My plan for today was to get up, get cleaned up and dressed, check my email and then head down to craft, taking a break only to make Matthew lunch. But instead, I have done the first part... and then I've been sitting at the computer for far too long, ended up on the phone for a half hour with my girlfriend, started my second load of laundry and will be leaving in a bit to go to the mall to help my girlfriend find a sports bra and get Matthew a pair of jeans.

But, I will come home this afternoon and craft. I think. I hope!

It's Friday, so that means a card from my past... and thankfully (for me), I get to show you a card I actually like!

This card is from the 2004 folder on my hard drive. I stamped the image on white cardstock with black ink and then used my Radiant Pearls (which I was so addicted to) to highlight the flower.

The "missing you" was printed on my laser printer on to vellum and I tore it and attached it to the card with some square brads.

Quite a simple card really, but one I still like.

Enjoy your Friday all (and please send me some crafting vibes so that I can have more to share with you soon!)

*Another Sketch Card*

Last Saturday night I had Allison, Shannon and Tracy over to play. We had a great time chatting, eating and even doing a little creating. This was the first time for all of us to meet Allison and the first time we've all gotten together to stamp. We already have plans for next month!

When I said we did a little creating, I mean I did very little creating. Other than a card I will never show anyone, I made one card! The other card was me playing around trying to come up with a design for a special order I am working on and I wasn't "feeling the love" for the colours or the balloon image I was trying to work with. I gave up on that and struggled to create this card.

This card uses a sketch from Jen's blog from several weeks ago. I keep printing off sketches but haven't been down to do much stamping!

I tried a new idea for taking my photos today... not sure how much I like it yet... instead of in front of a sunny window, this was taken in my basement with a white table cloth and an Ott Light... seems kinda yellowish to me... let me know what you think of my photos over the next little while.

Items Used: all items Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted
*Cardstock: Bashful Blue
*Patterned Paper: Stampin' Up! Cutie Pie
*Ink: Old Olive
*Images: Baroque Motifs; Rhonna Farrer Swirls
*Embellishments: Swarovski Crystals

*I Almost Forgot*

Old age? Blondeness? Just too busy? I don't know what it is, but I almost forgot to post a winner for my Blogaversary Blog Candy!

I used put all of the names in a bowl this afternoon and had my son draw a winner as soon as he walked in the door from school (he still had his bike helmet on!!!).

The winner of my blog candy is

CINDY KEERY!! who wrote:

Happy Blogiversary to you!! You're the one who inspired (coaxed) me to start blogging and I'm so glad you did!

I hope you will keep it up for a long time to come! Even though I have many many blogs that I look at yours is definitely still one of my top favorites!

Thanks for offering such a nice blog candy! I hope I win. :-)

Cindy

CONGRATULATIONS CINDY!!! Please let me know which Lizzie Anne set you'd like and I'll order it for you right way!

A HUGE thank you to everyone who left such kind comments... I appreciate all of your kind words about my writing and my creating....

*Happy Blogaversary!*

I can't believe an entire year has passed since I started blogging. I started my blog, kind of on a whim. I don't think that I imagined I would enjoy it as much as I do.

I love that it has inspired me to go down to my craft space and create so much more than I had in the previous year.

I have met some spectacular people through my blog and have been blessed with several new online friends.

The world of creative bloggers have given me so much inspiration and so many ideas... for that I am thankful.

To celebrate my First Blog Anniversary (or Blogaversary!), I am giving away a little treat to one lucky winner. What is this little treat? I will send to the one lucky winner, one Lizzie Anne stamp set valued at $19.99 (or less). This stamp set will be chosen by the winner... I will then order it and have it sent directly to the winner.

Now, what do you have to do to win this awesome prize? Please leave a comment on this post and tell me what your favourite card or project has been from my blog in the last year.

THIS CONTEST WILL CLOSE ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19th at midnight.

Thanks to everyone who pops by to visit.... I hope you find something here once in a while that helps to inspire your creativity!

*Name Tag*

I was tagged by Julee over at Poetic Artistry.... this one is kinda fun...

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME (first pet + current car): Spot Vue

2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME (favourite ice cream flavour + favourite cookie): Chocolate Chocolate Chip

3. YOUR FLY GIRL NAME (first initial of first name + first three letters of your last name): N-Elr... doesn't really work, does it?

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME (favourite colour + favourite animal): Blue Dog

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME (middle name + city where you were born): Lee Regina (that sounds bad)

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME (the first 3 letters of your last name + first 2 letters of your first): Elrna (again, doesn't work so well!)

7. YOUR SUPERHERO NAME (2nd favourite colour + favourite drink with "the" at the beginning): The Red Pepper (Dr. Pepper)

8. YOUR NASCAR NAME (the first names of your grandfathers): Carl Walter

9. YOUR STRIPPER NAME (the name of your favourite perfume/cologne + your favourite candy): sorry... this one is bad.... FCUK Oh Henry (sorry, I warned you!)

10. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME (mother's and father's middle names): Agnes James

I'm tagging...
Cindy of imagine.dream.create
Shannon of Live, Love, Laugh and STAMP
Tracy of Tracy's Happy Place

*Woo Hoo!*

I saw this on Allison's and Shannon's blogs and had to give it a shot....

You Scored an A

You got 10/10 questions correct. It's pretty obvious that you don't make basic grammatical errors. If anything, you're annoyed when people make simple mistakes on their blogs. As far as people with bad grammar go, you know they're only human. And it's humanity and its current condition that truly disturb you sometimes.

The It's Its There Their They're Quiz

*Bad Blogger*

Well, I've been a bad blogger... I celebrate my anniversary and don't come back to post any creations. Part of the problem is that with the start of school I have been either busy or too pooped to craft. I like to have a small stash of cards to share with you all, and that stash is getting very small. After today's post, there is only one more card!

I had really hoped that I would have been more creative on Saturday night when Tracy, Shannon and Allison were over, but I think we all spent more time talking than crafting (except Shannon who managed to pull of a tonne of 6X6 pages!). I managed to make two cards... one was a sample for a custom order I am doing (and honestly, I hate it) and the second card will be on the blog sometime this week.

But, after tonight, I should have a little time, somewhere in there! Tonight is the Welcome Back BBQ at Matthew's school and I have been in charge of organizing it. Thankfully I have some people helping me... I've been more the orchestrator. I will be at the school from 4 until 8 or so tonight making sure everything goes well.

I don't know why this year is so different... it's not like we're any more busy than any other September in recent history. It's not cuz I'm old, I hope! I think it's mostly that I'm not using my down time to craft. My mojo isn't strong at the moment so it's easier to not craft. How sad.

I do have bad news... unfortunately, my information on this card is no where to be found... so we'll be guessing at the items I used! I might get it right!

Items Used:
*Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Purely Pomegranate, Wild Wasabi, River Rock; Classic Crest white
*Ink: white Gelly Roll pen, Stewart Superior Black Document
*Images: Lizzie Anne Designs, Stampin' Up
*Tools: Marvy Giga and Mega Scallop Circle punches, coloured pencils, odourless mineral spirits, blending stump, Cuttlebug and D'vine Swirl embossing Folder, Stampin' Up! Word Window punch

I know that this card used a sketch and I *think* it was a Splitcoast Stampers Sketch.... but hey, I'm without my notes.

*Another Game of Tag*

Kelly "got" me today..... looks like a fun one so I'll play along!

Four place I have worked.
1. My first job was at Burger King. I sucked so bad at cash that I only got to do it once. Instead I made whoppers and cleaned the dining area. Oh such fun.
2. Pinders Drug Store... this was fun because I worked with some great people. The worst part of my job is that I worked every Friday night from 6 until midnight. The best part was that I read all my favourite magazines for free during my breaks!
3. University of Toronto Students' Administrative Council.... I was their receptionist and then had my job title changed to Office Assistant. I did all of the typing, answered the phone, took care of students who came into the office. In my position there I got to meet Spike Lee, Pierre Elliot Trudeau and got to see several great bands as well.
4. Paper Arts.... it was a stamp store here in Calgary several years ago. I worked there on Saturday afternoons and taught classes once in a while as well. It was a fun job for me... but I never came home with much of a paycheque!

Four places I have lived.
1. Regina SK until I was almost 20 (June 1990)
2. Toronto ON from June 1990 until November 1995
3. Calgary AB from November 1995 until now
4. nowhere!

Four places I have been on vacation.
1. Disneyworld
2. Punta Cana (Dominican Republic)
3. San Francisco
4. BC... Kamloops, Burnaby, Courtenay, Ucluelet, Victoria and home again

Four of my favorite foods.
1. French Fries... by far my favourite food!
2. BBQ steak
3. sourdough bread (hot with butter please!)
4. "seasoned" chicken wings (season salt)

Four places I would rather be right now.
1. On a beach, where it's sunny and hot!
2. Watching a beautiful bonfire, roasting marshmallows and enjoying the company of good friends
3. back on Friday evening (instead of Sunday evening!)
4. Bed

Four friends most likely to respond.
1. Cindy
2. Shannon
3. Tracy
4. Kelly

I'm going to tag a whopping FIVE people!

CINDY of imagine.dream.create
SHANNON of Live.Love.Laugh.Stamp
TRACY of Tracy's Happy Place
KELLY of Kelly's Art Journaling
ALLISON of Stampin' When I Can

*Free Blog Templates?*

Someone posted on their blog recently a few sites with free Blogger templates. Was that you? Or did you bookmark it?

Help me out?

Thanks!

*Flashback Friday*

Friday again... wow

I created this card during my first year as a Demonstrator with Stampin' Up! I just loved this set... but for some odd reason, I think I sold it after it was retired. I just wasn't using it enough to justify keeping it. Silly silly me.

At the time I made this card, I only had the bold brights family of inks so I was rather limited as to what I could create.

Not the best card, but honestly, not the worst either! It's somewhere in the upper-in-between area!

Have a fantastic weekend!

Check back on Sunday to help me celebrate my First Blogger Anniversary!

*Stiff and Sore*

Two years ago, I was going to workout at the local rec centre 3-4 times per week and loving it. I wasn't at my lowest weight after my weight loss (I had gained back a few pounds) but I was feeling good.

Fast forward a little bit to May 2006 when Dad died. The wheels fell off my bus and my regular routine of the gym (now a solid 3 days a week) slowly died off.

I've attempted to get back at it several times, succeeding in a week or two or three and then giving up again.

But today was the day.... I went back... Maybe not the smartest move after our first Tae Kwon Do lesson of the year last night, but I was feeling good this morning and decided it was time. I didn't do a tonne... 20 minutes on the treadmill (I have to work my way back up to running a little) and then about 20 minutes worth of abs and arms.

Tae Kwon Do... I never thought I'd say this but I have fun with it! It started out as an activity I could with my boys last fall. I wasn't totally keen on it but I really wanted Matthew to do something active a few nights a week and the only way I could get him to go was to do it too. The three of us did it twice a week until May when classes finished for the summer. Over the summer Bruce and I have become good friends with the instructor and his wife (theirs is the puppy we babysat a few weeks ago).

This year it's a little different... the three of us are no longer beginners. And Bruce has joined as well.

My muscles weren't at all stiff this morning... that is until after I worked out at the gym.

Tomorrow could be interesting.

This card was created with inspiration (and a card design) that I saw on Cambria's blog. I only had a picture of the card with me at my stamp table, and that was the picture of the card closed... so I missed out on the one design element that I thought was really cool originally. My circle is on the outside of the card... hers is on the inside.

The day I made this card, I found myself struggling to put it together. Nothing really caught my eye or tickled my fancy, so not my best work.

Unfortunately (for you) I am unable to find my cheat sheet with all the items used on this card. So you'll have to use your imagination LOL!

I can tell you (although you can't really see it on the photo) that I used my Sakura Stardust Gel Pen along all of the Cuttlebug embossed swirls to add a little extra pizzaz to the card front.

Thanks for blurfing by! (that's a term I learned from Allison... blog + surfing = blurfing!)

*Clearly it's Clear*

Finally, my first attempt at an acetate card! I don't know why I felt so intimidated by these. I think it was probably because I had never seen one face to face and I wasn't sure how you would hide the adhesive.

But Splitcoast Stampers came to my rescue again! They posted a tutorial on acetate cards so I printed it off and went to play.

I am so pleased with how this card turned out! What you can't see is that the inside writing surface layer that I added is crooked, but that's OK... I'm a crooked kinda gal.

I will be making more of these for sure!

Items Used:
*Cardstock: Acetate Sheet (for laser printers); Stampin' Up! Summer Sun and Purely Pomegranate; Classic Crest white
*Ink: White StazOn; Stewart Superior Black Document
*Images: Lizzie Anne Designs Jolies Fleurs; Hero Arts
*Tools: Prismacolor Professional Quality Colored Pencils, Odourless Mineral Spirits, Blending Stumps

*Flashback Friday*

It's FRIIII-DAYYYYY.... Friday of the first week back into a routine. And let me tell you, I need a weekend! I am not a morning person so getting up all week with the alarm has been tough. But, I am proud of myself... I have not once hit the snooze button and fallen back to sleep. I have turned off the alarm, stayed in bed for a minute or two stretching, and then up and at 'em. Go me!

Being Friday means I got to go through a bunch of old cards for you again.

I decided that since the weather is chilly here today that it was time to share a fall card.

This card is from sometime in 2004... an off-white speckled cardstock and some great copper accents. The front panel of the card was created by stamping the leaves on white glossy cardstock with clear ink and embossing it in clear. I then smooshed dye based ink on top to create the resist.

I remember being very pleased with this card... but to look at it now, it is missing something.

Isn't it amazing how our styles and tastes change???

*Groovy Wasabi*

I'm happy to report that both boyz had a great first day of school. Matthew is thrilled to have the same teacher as last year and has a couple of his best buddies in his class again. Alex isn't a fan of his long day (thanks to being on a bus), but it sounds like he is going to have a great year in the new-to-him program at the Jr. High. He came home with so much to talk about... something new to us.... usually we have to ask a lot of questions, but yesterday he just went on and on.

Last night we did our annual "back to school" dinner out and decided to go to Tony Romas as we hadn't been there in ages. Matthew ordered his standard dinner out meal... chicken strips. Half-way through the first strip, he says "Yuck"... I look and while the outside is nice and crispy, the inside was still pink! I nearly died. I broke apart all of his strips and sure enough, not one of them was fully cooked. I called over our waitress who brought over the manager who then went into the kitchen and laid into the cook staff. We got Matthew's dinner for free, two free desserts plus the phone number to the restaurant because they wanted to know if Matthew got sick. Thankfully Matthew was fine last night... no tummy troubles at all. They brought him more chicken (and made sure it was fully cooked... although I checked too just to be sure) but Matthew wasn't really into the chicken at that point. I didn't blame him honestly. So, just a warning if your kids eat chicken strips... don't assume that because they're crispy they are cooked... pop them open and check them before they start to eat!

So, on to my card...

I decided I wanted to play with some of the new Stampin' Up colours so I grabbed Wild Wasabi and Groovy Guava. I am so in love with all of the 2007/2008 In Color colours.... ahhhh

Items Used:
*Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Whisper White, Basic Black, Wild Wasabi, Groovy Guava
*Ink: Stampin' Up Groovy Guava, Wild Wasabi
*Images: Stampin' Up Baroque Motifs and Warm Words
*Embellishments: Bling

*First Day of School*

I thought I would share the photos I took of the boys this morning, before they each ran off to school. I've taken this photo every year since Alex started Kindergarten back in the fall of 2000...

This is Alex.... he is 12 and he went off to grade 7 at Jr. High today. We're sending him away from our community school (which goes to grade 9) for a program for Gifted students. He knows two other people in this program going into the first day and while I was very nervous about the change in his life, he was really excited this morning! I think he's starting to look so grown up.... sniff sniff

This is Matthew... off to grade 5. Not sure how he's not a little kid anymore. I remember thinking I was a pretty big kid in grade 5. He wasn't thrilled about having to head back to school this week, but this morning he was happy to be going to see his friends. He's also thrilled that his homeroom teacher is the same teacher as he had last year. A good thing since he really had a great year last year.

And of course, since school is back in session, I was back at my job in the lunchroom today... I work 2 hours a day over 4 days in the lunchroom at Matthew's school. It was noisy and hectic but not so bad... it's great to see the kids you got to know last year, fun to watch the kids who are new to the school try to understand the added freedoms they have.

My legs are killing me from standing for two hours though... not used to that!

Have a great day!

*Thank You DAWN!!!*

I can't believe how spoiled I've been by having Dawn as my sender for the August RAK Club over at Pieces of Me. We only had to send one card.... instead I got a whack of cards plus this wonderful little package that arrived today!

Included in the package...
*a Michael's stamp
*a pad of decorated Post-It notes
*a handmade Post-It note holder
*a stationery set with matching pen
*a neat gift card holder (can't wait to try this) that actually has a gift card to WalMart in it!

Thank you SO much for spoiling me Dawn. You totally ROCK!!!

*Best Blog Friend Again!!*

Kelly nominated me too.... what a sweetie!

*Thanks Tracy*

A big thanks to Tracy for her kind words about me on her blog.... and for the nomination for a Best Blogging Buddy award!!!

Tracy was in my first stampers club a few years ago... we met as she is the sister in law of one of my good friends. Natalie brought Tracy along to see if she'd be interested in the club... the next thing I knew our year was over and Tracy was signing up to be a Stampin' Up! demonstrator under me.

Since then we've chatted a lot and become friends. She is a very talented and creative person and I hope you'll take a minute to check out her blog.

I get to nominate some people now for this very nice award.... I choose

CINDY at imagine.dream.create: Cindy and I started out as enemies more than 10 years ago. Well, maybe that's a strong word. We started out with a disagreement. And a few years later we were chatting all the time over msn. When I decided to sign up with Stampin' Up!, Cindy was the culprit behind it. You can find us chatting on msn pretty much daily. Cindy is very creative and I admire her work.

SHANNON at Live, Love, Laugh and STAMP: You know, I don't honestly remember how I met Shannon. I know she's a member of the YahooGroup (CST) I moderate. But beyond that, I have no idea. I do know that she's a great girl with a lot of wonderful ideas to share. Unfortunately for us, we pissed away her unemployed period and instead of stamping on a regular basis, we haven't done it at all! Darn girl goes back to work soon! sigh.

KELLY at Kelly's Art Journalling: Kelly and I met when they first moved here... I had taken my youngest son to the school to pick up my older son back when he was in grade 1. We were followed home by a woman I didn't recognize and her two boys. Talking to Alex I found out that this was the new boy in his class. They live a stone's throw from our house. Our older sons played together, our younger sons became best friends, our husbands met and Kelly and I become very good friends. Over the years I have taught Kelly how to stamp and I've learned that she is a very talented, creative and artistic person. She has some beautiful items on her blog.

Please take a little time to check out my friends' blogs.... they're worth the time to visit!

*Last Holiday Monday of Summer 2007*

The more people I talk to lately, the more I realize I am not alone this summer. I found that the summer just flew by. I think my 23 days worth of vacation in July helped the summer to fly by. It seems like it all went so fast, but then, on the other hand, my trips to Regina and BC seem like forever ago.

Strange how time and your mind work.

We've had a great last weekend of summer.... a BBQ with friends on Saturday, an entire day at Calaway Park with friends yesterday. So far today, just laziness, although a trip to the grocery store to pick up lunch items is on the agenda... and I think a trip to the rec centre for the guys to go swimming as well.

Then tonight it's early to bed for everyone as the alarms will ring and we'll all have to get up and at 'em. Alex is heading off to Jr. High on the bus this year and the bus arrives at his stop at 7:39am. Matthew will be leaving here around 7:45 to walk to school for an 8am start.

Early mornings!

Today's card is a Bella card I decided to make a few days ago. I got the layout from Lauren's blog.

I wish I would have stamped the yellow cardstock with some sort of background design before putting it all together... it looks so plain.

Items Used:
*Cardstock: Barely Banana, Bashful Blue, Brilliant Blue, Whisper White
*Ink: Stampin' Up! Craft White ink; Black Classic Ink; Bashful Blue, Barely Banana, Brilliant Blue, Blush Blossom and Creamy Caramel markers
*Images: Stamping Bella and A*Muse
*Embellishments: Sakura Stardust clear gel pen, Brilliant Blue Grosgrain Ribbon

*Congratulations Winners*

I used the Random Number Generator to pick two winners from the 96 comments left of my 75K Blog Candy post.

Blog Candy #1 goes to:
PAT S who wrote:
Hi Nancy!
Congratulations on 75K...woo-hoo!!! Thanks for offering not one, but two, great prizes! I really like your piece of plastic card...I would never have thought it was colored with pencils...great job!

Blog Candy #2 goes to:
TODY2 who wrote:
Loved reading your blog and enjoyed seeing your creations. Congrats on your milestone.

Please email me with your address and I'll get your candy off to you!

Thanks to everyone for the wonderful comments!

*75K Blog Candy*

I can't believe I've surpassed 75,000 hits on my blog!!! WOO HOO! That's such a HUGE number!!

As a thank you to everyone who pops by to visit and leave comments, I'd like to offer up two pieces of Blog Candy!!
To win one of these two beautiful pieces of candy (there will be some small things thrown in with each of these as well), please simply leave a comment on this post. I will draw for a winner on Saturday, September 1st after lunch sometime.

Thanks again to everyone for your support of my Blog and for your kind words on my creative works. Having the blog and knowing that I have people who check in on a regular basis has inspired me to create more this year than I have in the last few years... and it feels GREAT!

**Please note that this draw is now closed**