A must read!

Altho my reading room is the "throne room", I just finished reading a very impressive book. If you get your hands one it - I know Wal-Mart sells it - the name of it is "The Shack" by Wm. Paul Young. It is the story of a man hurting deeply inside over the abduction and death of his young daughter and how he meets God. I don't want to give away any more of the story, but it is a terrific book. It's hard to put down, once you get started.

Some breathing room - maybe!!

For once, I actually don't have a real deadline looming like yesterday and can breathe just a bit. I am down to the last five of the 200 wedding invitations I have been doing and would be done with them except I ran out of paper. Had planned exactly enough, then the bride and groom came over last week to help and he accidentally cut through two of them and cut another one a little short, so............ Paper should be here the end of the week. Actually, I just checked and it will be here tomorrow!! Yea! Then that will be out of my hair.

This is the final version of the wedding invitation. I had envisioned a picture of the bride and groom together in the center of the heart, but they never could come up with one for me. The swag across the top is from Inkadinkado and the wedding bells are from a retired Stampin' Up set called Wedding Elegance. This is the third invitation this particular set of bells have been used on. I used them for our invitations, a gal I worked with at the bank used them, and now this one! The word stamp is also a Stampin' Up stamp. The heart was cut with a Spellbinder die. Papers used were Lavender Lace and Shimmer White and stamped with Lavender Lace ink, all from Stampin' Up. The little pearl in the center of the flower is from Hobby Lobby.

Our next-door neighbors just recently had a baby boy, so to celebrate the occasion, I made this card using the Depth of Field technique from the latest Technique Junkies newsletter. The bunny is done with the Penciled Twinks technique.

Stamps: A New Little Someone, retired Stampin' Up set

Warmest Regards (word stamp)

Paper: Brilliant Blue, Ballet Blue, Whisper White

Ink: Brilliant Blue, Ballet Blue, Brocade Blue.

Wish I could go back in my rubber room and play for an unlimited amount of time, but my class reunion was held over the 4th and we are in the process of putting together a booklet of what each member of our class has been doing the past 45 years - providing they sent us the information! Since I'm doing all the typing..........has been rather harried. I do have all the individual histories, as well as the 12-year class history done, so I don't have quite so much to tear my hair out over! We are meeting next week to, hopefully, get them put together and ready to mail!!

A little stamping time.

I've had some time to stamp but haven't gotten anything added to my blog. For one thing, I was sick all of last week, so spent most of it sleeping. One of the unfortunate side-effects was that the workshop I had scheduled for Saturday had to be postponed until late July. I have 200 wedding invitations to get made by July 22, so..........


But, since I will be teaching masking, this is a simple masking card that we will be making, using one of the new Level 3 hostess sets, Asian Artistry. I know we don't really like making sympathy cards, but we all, on occasion, need them and this is a simple, but elegant one.

One of my all-time favorite techniques from the Technique Junkie newsletter is called Faux Batik and is so simple, plus when you lift the iron off the cardstock, you are ready to finish the card. You don't have to wait for anything to dry and the results are usually spectacular. I used the butterfly from the Great Friends set, in large part because it has a pattern on it other than a normal butterfly. The word stamp is from Echoes of Kindness, a hostess gift set that just retired. Pink Passion is the paper color and the ribbon and flower are some I picked up at Wally World.

My sister recently celebrated her birthday and since our parents thoroughly enjoyed watching the hummingbirds at their feeders, I thought this would be a good birthday card for her. It was done with the "Penciled Twinks" technique from an earlier Technique Junkies newsletter and I tried to be as nearly correct as possible on the colors on the hummingbird. Hope you got this okay, Sis!













One of the techniques from the latest newsletter is called "Heavenly Holes" and is a quick and easy way to make a pretty impressive card. The rose is from Fifth Avenue Floral by Stampin' Up and the flourish is a stamp I picked up in a bargain bin, but it was really effective for that. Happy birthday is from Stampin' Up's Flexible Phrases.













This technique is also from the latest Technique Junkies' newsletter and is called Double-Buggy. It involves using two different Cuttlebug or other emobssing folders. I used one Cuttlebug folder for the leaves and the new Stampin' Up rose embossing folder. I used Stampin' Up's new Rich Razzelberry for the roses and I really like the color - think it will be a favorite for sure! The word stamp is also SU.



Wish me luck with the wedding invitations. Thankfully, they aren't real labor intensive like some I've done, just have to get them done!! Add in a 45th class reunion this coming weekend and three other cards that have to be done - not too much to do!!

Y'all have a safe 4th, ya hear?!

Playing Catch-up!

Now that I'm home to stay for a couple of months, I have been playing catch-up. And with having five birthdays and Father's Day between this Thur. (6/11) and the 20th, I have a severe need to get caught up! The new Technique Junkies newsletter is out and I'm having fun with some of the techinques.



These first two cards are done with a technique called Depth of Field. It is a fun, quick and easy technique - one I probably will use quite often! Our daughter-in-law loves dragonflies, so making a card for her is relatively easy - as long as I don't run out of dragonfly themes! It doesn't show up here, but the dragonfly was painted with Shimmerz paints.



Stamps: Winged Things - Stampin' Up (Retired)
Word Stamp - The Stampin' Place
Inks: Lavendar Lace, Elegant Eggplant, Basic Gray
Paper: Lavendar Lace, Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White

This card is for a dear friend with whom we have lunch nearly every day. She and her husband are both quite a bit older than DH and I are, but we still enjoy them tremendously. The small diamonds were punched out of paper. All supplies are Stampin' Up.

Stamps: Looks Like Spring, Happy Harmony and Perfect Pairs

Inks: Pale Plum, Perfect Plum, Going Gray

Paper: Bravo Burgundy, Pale Plum, Whisper White

Another cool technique is the Clear Coat Collage. I don't know whether I will use it as a swap for June's Just One swap or as a birthday card for my BIL! The directions say to use colored pencils, but since I didn't read the instructions real closely, I used a combination of Stampin' Up markers and colored pencils.

Stamps: Angler - Stampin' Up (retired), Words of Fishing Wisdom by Inky Antics

Markers: Old Olive, Mellow Moss, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Garden Green, Real Red, Sahara Sand, Going Gray, Basic Black

Ink: Noir Black by Palette

Paper: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip and Old Olive

Home for a while!

After our trip to Santa Fe, I turned around and went to Lafayette for a workshop at the home of my good friend, Jen Lowe. We were playing with Opals embossing enamels, so it was great fun and she is such a wonderful hostess. She talked me into teaching a class at the retreat this coming October, so...... I will be getting certified in Opals in August when Linda Hanson of After Midnight Art Stamps comes back to Colorado. Can hardly wait!

In the meantime, have done a little bit of creating in the card department. Of course, Father's Day is coming up and and since I wanted to try some of the techniques in the last Technique Junkie's Newletter, decided I'd get ahead of things so I don't have to do a Father's Day card at the last minute for DH! The car is colored turquoise with colored pencils because my grandfather used to have an old turquoise Chevy. It was in our family until about 10 years ago, but I do know where it is and would love to get it and restore it. Had lots of good times in it! All supplies are Stampin' Up

Stamps: Thoughts of Father

Inks: Creamy Caramel and Close to Cocoa

Paper: Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa and Chocolate Chip

An e-mail friend from Stampin' Up, Ruthann Suttles, sent us a very sweet anniversary card, even though she's been running ragged with her DH in the hospital, so the least I could do was to RAK her back. I tried the color pop technique from TJ for a thank-you card. Again, all supplies are from Stampin' Up.

Stamps: Soft Summer

Inks: Chocolate Chip, Mellow Moss, Almost Amethyst, Lavender Lace, Old Olive and Yo-Yo Yellow

Paper: Almost Amethyst, Whisper White

Last, but not least was the monthly DTP swap for Technique Junkies. I was a little delayed, thanks to being gone, plus having several medical procedures done the last couple of weeks, but I finally got my card off to Linda Aschenbach, who had sent me such a lovely card. Even though I wanted to do something out of the last TJ newsletter, I ended up falling back on one of my favorite techniques - faux batik. It is such a fun technique and so easy, plus when you're done, you're ready to use the background right away since you don't have to let it dry or anything! And I so dearly love butterflies, so........... The shimmer and shine doesn't show up

Stamps: Winged Things (big butterfly) and Great Friend (small butterflies), Sweet and Sassy (word stamp)

Paper: Watercolor, Elegant Eggplant and Pacific Blue

Sprays: Pearl Glimmer Mist, Tsukineko Lilac Walnut Ink and Blue Lagoon Memories Mists

One More Day

Well, we have just one more day left in Santa Fe before we head back to Colorado tomorrow. Thursday, we were going to go to the hot springs at Jemez Springs, but by the time we got there, plus a few other factors - such as cost plus the water is 154-180° and it was fairly warm outside, we decided to pass. Considering we would have drive another 1½ hours to get back to the condo, we would have been totally wiped from the heat of the water. We are going to have to rent the movie, but Jemez Springs was featured in The Wild Hogs with Tim Allen and John Travolta. We saw it in the theater, but would like to see it again now since we've been in Jemez Springs.

Went to the flea market yesterday and really shouldn't have - LOL. Found a gorgeous butterfly pendant with a turquoise center, as well as a couple of vests. Need to get mine done at home, too! At least with Good News Club over, I'll have a little more time, altho Bible Study will take some time, but well worth it. Have been studying it while we're here - called Heart Like His and is the study of David.

Have been invited to Basement Babes at Jen's next week - DH says okay and would love to go since they will be working with Opals but have mixed emotions, especially after just getting home. Have so much I need to do at home, but since I'll be doing a workshop on it the end of the month........ Vivian also contacted me about leading TOPS next week since she needs to be gone, too, but she won't be leaving town. I'm afraid she's going to have to because I really need to learn more about the Opals.

It's been interesting here in Santa Fe, but it is quite expensive. We had talked about going back out to the flea market today, but it was so hard on Roy and we really don't need to spend any more money, other than maybe for dinner tonight. Maybe we'll go back up to Buffalo Thunder Casino tonight - had good luck the other night!

A Few Quiet Minutes

After running for 2-3 weeks steady, DH and I are taking a break and spending a week in Santa Fe, NM. We left home Sun. a.m. - finally - DH was in a great deal of pain and had a very hard time getting things to work. He was so worn out, he slept most of yesterday a.m., so it was afternoon before we got out of the condo. Decided to go to the Loretto Chapel after we ate lunch and there was supposed to be a stop by the "Gumball Rally" - a coast-to-coast run by several varieties of cars. They were supposed to have been in town by 5:00 p.m., but apparently had several hang-ups. Someone said that one of the participants had been picked up for doing 180 mph., then they took a wrong turn somewhere! We finally gave up a little after 7:30 and came back to the condo.

Don't know specifically what we will do today, but think we will "walk" rather than take the car - by that I mean I will walk and DH will use his 3-wheeled cart to get around. The streets are very narrow, plus all the traffic, both local and tourist. Santa Fe is, of course, a big tourist attraction.

And DH was, as usual, very generous, buying me a beautiful honker of an opal ring - opal being my birthstone - as well as a beautiful opal bracelet. I will get pictures of them later to post.

I did get some stamping done - for one thing, I had a workshop a week ago Sat. and we made very pretty aperature cards similar to the ones we made at Jen Lowe's workshop in Denver the week before. I have used my card for my daughter and SIL's 1st anniversary. We also did the star book in Denver, so will be doing a workshop on that later because they are fun! Unfortunately, I was unable to scan it in, so had to take pictures and they didn't turn out very well. My apologies - I hope you can tell basically what they are.

Our trip to Denver was a ball, regardless of the fender-bender and all the snow. My friend, Michelyn Kirkman, who went with me, is new to stamping and she thoroughly enjoyed it! I don't know when I have laughed as hard as I did while we were there - seeing Jen, Kathy Watson, Kathleen Matelasky, Linda Hansen of After Midnight Stamps, and those we met, just really capped a great weekend. Thanks, ladies!

Another project we did while we were there was faux carnival glass pendants and using Opals to make gorgeous pendants. Michelyn did hers with the Opals and I tried making the faux carnival. Michelyn's is gorgeous in shades of blue. Mine is okay, but I'm not real happy with it. Hopefully, I will be able to take a certification class in Opals with Linda in August. I have been having fun since we got back making some more pendants and will see what I can do about selling some jewelry!

Well, we're off to see more of the city as soon as I get my shower.

I'm behind!

And that's no more than usual - LOL! Have played some, but mainly for deadlines (again!!). When my DH proposed to me, he also proposed that we get married on his birthday (smart man!!), which was April 2. So.........cards to be made, altho I didn't get them finished until the afternoon of his birthday/our anniversary. Luckily, he worked, so that gave me time to work on them. Our grandson's birthday was the day before, but we celebrated it on the weekend with a barbeque, so had a little bit of breathing room there. Without further ado, here are the cards!

Hubby's anniversary card: The background was run through the Cuttlebug, then brayered with SU's Real Red. The rose, from Stampin' Up's Fifth Avenue Floral, was actually stamped three times, then colored first with a Really Red marker, then gone over with colored pencils. The rose is in three layers. The leaves were cut out of Handsome Hunter paper from a template I made. The word, "Love" is from SU's Wonderful Words set (retired). Paper is Whisper White and Real Red from SU.

His birthday card was done with a Technique Junkie's technique called mono montage. Since fishing is one of his favorite hobbies, I thought it was rather appropriate!! And yes, that's a real hook that I took out of my tackle box!



Stamps: On the Fly
Paper: Stampin' Up - Kraft, Close to Cocoa and
Chocolate Chip
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Feathers: Wal-Mart, most likely






Grandson was 10 on April 1 and that is a hard age to know what to buy or what to do for a card. He's no longer a little boy, but not yet a teenager. I would have done a card with a skateboard, since that was what we got him for his birthday, but did that card last year!! A dollar short and a day late, definitely! The glasses on Snoopy were rather important, too - he was just fitted for glasses right after his birthday and has been rather self-conscious about them - but does enjoy being able to read things again!! It does make a difference!

Stamp: Rock Star Snoopy byStampabilities

Paper: Whisper White, Handsome Hunter, DCWV The Glitter Stack & The Glitter Cardstock Stack

Colored with Shimmerz paints

Monday was the birthday of a very good friend with whom we normally lunch at the Senior Center here in Delta. The background is called "chalk lines" from the latest Technique Junkies newsletter. I was afraid it wouldn't show up very well, but it does better than I thought for. Hope she likes it! All supplies by Stampin' Up.

Stamps: Two-Step Stamping Wonderful Watercolors and Sincere Salutations

Paper: Lovely Lilac, Whispering White and Bordering Blue

Inks: Elegant Eggplant, Garden Green, Opulent Orchid and Lovely Lilac

Winds and more winds!

This time of year, we always say that Utah is moving in as we have high western winds and get a lot of red dirt from the high deserts of Utah. Last Sunday, the wind was especially vicious, with just waves of red dust blowing. I was thankful we weren't on the road pulling a camper or trailer of some kind because it would have been all over the road. We have had some snow and rain, altho nothing like they've gotten on the Eastern Slope, and it did clean the air, but the wind is blowing hard again this afternoon and the skies are looking red again. There is supposed to be another storm front moving through, so we'll see if we get any moisture from it. We are so dependent on winter snow and what small amounts of spring rains we get to give the crops a good start and provide plenty of irrigation water for the rest of the summer. I was totally flabbergasted a couple of years ago to learn that right here where I live, we have a lower annual rainfall than Tucson, AZ!

And another deadline!! I have been a Stampin' Up demo for about seven years ago and a member of the SUFriends Yahoo group since I first signed up. Soon after I signed up, we had a card swap where we included info about ourselves so we could get a little better acquainted and I participated in it. SUFriends is now celebrating its 10th anniversary (Congrats!!) and to celebrate, one of the members is hosting another "get acquainted" swap - which I signed up for and promptly forgot about! It dawned on me about Wed. that I had signed up for it and when I checked, that was the post-mark date! Oops! I contacted the hostess and she graciously gave me an extension, altho I had to take some liberty with it since I had to make a quick trip to the VA hospital 40 miles away with DH Fri. afternoon (he's okay now). Anyhow, I have my cards all done and ready to go in the mail tomorrow. My cards were done with a modified polished stone technique, using Pixie Pink (of course, they are supposed to be done using SU products!), Mellow Moss and Pale Plum inks on glossy. The flower is from Echos of Kindness, a hostess level 2 gift and colored with Pixie Pink and Garden Green watercolor crayons. Papers used are Pixie Pink, Mellow Moss and Always Artichoke. The butterfly is done with a Cuttlebug cut/emboss folder from Pixie Pink paper. The ribbon isn't SU, but I think that will be allowed!

TOPS fun

I belong to an international organization called Take Off Pounds Sensibly, otherwise known as TOPS, and when the need arose for some cards........ Members take turns doing the program, so I suggested we make simple get-well and sympathy cards to have on hand! Yesterday was the day and by and large the ladies had a very good time and were quite pleased with their creativity. I took my camera with very good intentions, but intentions don't take photos, either, so....... Only one lady didn't really enjoy it and, of course, she had to get one of the last that I put together about 1:00 yesterday morning, so it wasn't the most ingenious, cute, etc., etc. Actually, I shouldn't even have included it. But they now have a supply of several cards when they need them. And I had each lady sign the back of her card - or cards as some of the more creative did a couple of them. The cards were "thirds" cards, as my friend Shelly Newkirk calls them, where you add two or more strips of paper to the front of the card, a sentiment and maybe some embellishment and you are good to go. I had made a kit for each card and if you don't think coming up with 24 different ideas wasn't something?! I had included eight birthday kits, but they don't do birthdays, so we had sixteen get-well and sympathy cards kits, each one a little different. It is one way to use paper - LOL! I am just thankful it's behind me for now - hope we can do it again sometime.

Deadlines - Again!

Well, another deadline popped up - but at least I got it all under control. Saw the notice in the paper this a.m. of the death of my dentist all the time I was growing up (he was the only one in town - LOL). He enjoyed riding mules and after he and my dad both retired, they would head for the high country, Doc on his mule and Daddy on his horse. They rode together for 20-25 years and now they're riding together again. Happy trails to you both!

Wanted just a quick and easy card to take to the funeral, so dug around in some stack packs and came up with this card. Everything except the printed paper is Stampin' Up - Hunter Green, Whisper White and Going Grey. The background paper is from DCWV's Old World Mat Stack. Stamps are from SU's Brighter Tomorrow and I added grey ribbon, adorned with the Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware. I thought it all came together quite well. I really need to get another sympathy card done for a woman I've know since she was a baby who also passed away yesterday, but we'll have to see.

I belong to TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) - I know, it really doesn't look it - but I am supposed to have the program Thur. a.m. and I am hoping I can get enough kits put together that we can do some quick and easy cards to have on hand for birthdays, etc. Wish me luck, as I have at least the one funeral to go to Wed. a.m. - the other one is that afternoon, but how close I am to being ready for Thur. will decide whether we go! Will post some of the ideas we're going to use later.

Hope you're having a good week!

Time Doesn't Slow Down - For Anything or Anyone!

It's a good thing this blog is at my mercy and on my time set - if there was a deadline for anything, I seriously doubt anything would get accomplished! I keep thinking tomorrow is the day I'm going to really get things going in my rubber room - and of course, tomorrow never comes. Having a back that decides it is not going to cooperate and let me get things done doesn't help either. Ah, the indiscretions of my youth - rather, the foibles of my youth. I was fortunate to grow up around horses, but they have also been the source of a substantial amount of lower back pain in the years since! Doesn't keep me from wanting to ride again - DH and I both were so lucky and we still want to get a couple of horses - even if it means hiring a crane to get us on board! A stump or a ladder will definitely be a requirement - LOL!

Anyhow, I have finally gotten a chance to play a little in my rubber room - of course, there was a deadline for two cards and have some more to design before Thur. - maybe I do need deadlines! The first card was for a baby shower this past Saturday for our grandniece, who is due around May 24. She does know it's a boy and the colors chosen for the shower were blue and brown, so..... The "B" was done on my Silhouette and the rest of the words are from "Just B" by Stampin' Up. Colors used were SU's Chocolate Chip and Bashful Blue. The baby rattle is from SU's Sketch an Event, which is retired. The ribbon was some I picked up in Michael's and it is such a perfect match. I also picked up a couple of the new EK Success punches while at Michael's, so used the "zig-zag" punch along the edge. It also embosses small dots, so highlighted them with a Chocolate Chip marker. I also did up a dozen thank you cards for her, using Cuttlebug folders and SU's Much Appreciated set in the Bashful Blue and Chocolate Chip.

I participate in the Just One swap on Technique Junkies each month and this month I was paired with an incredibly talented lady, Vaudene Tanaka. She always makes such beautiful cards and I certainly wanted one that would at least come halfway close to hers. So, without further ado, here 'tis! The technique I used was Golden Glow for the background and I used Blush Blossoms and Cameo Coral for both the paper and the inks. The small roses, from SU's Flower of the Month set (retired) were done with Regal Rose and Garden Green markers. The large leaves, from the Level 1 Hostess set God's Beauty, were also done with Garden Green. Although it's not readily seen, there is a swirl stamp in the background, which was from SU's Baroque Motifs. The large rose was done with a modified Penciled Twinks technique - I didn't have a Twinkling H2O that really went with the colors I used, so I used rust Perfect Pearls! I accented some of the petals with Crystal Accents to make it look like there was dew on the rose. The words are also from the God's Beauty set.

New Plaything!

My good friend, Shelly Newkirk, played a great enabler last weekend and we both ended up purchasing a Sihouette electronic die-cut machine. Of course, I wait until the last minute of a deadline to do anything and so is the case with playing with this machine. For one thing, I was dismayed to try to download the software from the CD, only to have my anti-virus program tell me it was infected. After contacting QuicKutz, however, I was assured that although this message pops up, the software is not infected, so if any of you out there have recently purchased the machine and gotten this message - it just isn't the case. Download without worrying! I did also get the website to download, so either way, there's no problem.

A year ago, my DH had to have what is known as a collectomy, which is complete removal of the colon and connecting the small intestine directly to the rectum. He was operated on by the same doctor two years ago to remove a needle that had apparently been left in him some 20 years ago and had finally moved, thanks to an MRI, so that its presence was made known. Dr. Van, as he's called by his patients and the staff at the VA in Grand Junction, CO, has been very compassionate and wonderful through both surgeries and since then, so when Roy knew he was going to be seeing him again for a 1-year check-up, he crafted a scalpel out of oak. He wanted to put "#1 SURGEON" on it, so..........after playing long enough to half-way know what I was doing on the Silhouette, I cut the letters out of black cs, ran them through a Xyron sticker machine and violá - a "statuette" for the good doctor.

We aren't quite sure just what Dr. Van thought, but he did seem pleased and even joked about wearing it on his scrubs - altho with a 3"x3" wooden base, it would have been a little difficult! I am sure it is a one of a kind, tho, and probably sitting on Dr. Van's desk right now!

Here's another card I've done the last few days, using the Stampin' Up markers with a spritz of water. The stamps are from Stampin' Up's Inspired by Nature which is one of my favorites. It is done with Garden Green, Pixie Pink and Pink Passion inks on Whisper White paper, then layered on Pink Passion and Pixie Pink paper. The ribbon is probably from Wal-Mart.

More cards!

Got a couple more cards put together yesterday from techniques in the latest TJ newsletter. Without further ado:

Technique: Golden Coat (really shimmery, altho you can't tell it from the picture.

Inks: Stampin' Up Gable Green, Sage Shadow

Flourish Stamps: Inque Boutique

Word Stamp: Stampin' Up

Swirls: QuicKutz

Wreath: Cuttlebug

Paper: Stampin' Up Whisper White, Hunter Green

Technique: Mono Masking

Stamps: Stampin' Up Happy Heart Day, Pocket Silhouettes

Frame: leftover from cutting Big Top die

Ink: Real Red

Paper: Whisper White and Real Red

My muse is finally back!

Now that my creative muse has finally decided to reappear, I've been playing this last week with several of the techniques in the new Technique Junkies newsletter. Still have a few more to go, but must say these are some of the best yet. I don't have cards made from all of the backgrounds I have made, but will post the ones I have made so far.

Like my good friend, Shelly Newkirk, from the Nebraska panhandle, I like western, plus southwestern stamps. I was especially please with this card, which features both the pots and the collage stamps from I Brake For Stamps, one of my favorite vendors (besides Stampin' Up, of course - LOL!). This is the Block Collage technique from this last newsletter. I used both SU's chocolate chip and Stazon timber brown ink and Whisper White, Creamy Caramel and Chocolate Chip paper from SU.

This is my husband's valentine - I realize it's a little unconventional, but then, so is he - as any of you who know him know! It was done in the brayer tapping technique and the windmill is from B & J Stamps, words from Stampin' Up. I used the Autumn Leaves Spectrum pad and Stazon Timber Brown on Creamy Caramel Paper, layered on Chocolate Chip and Purely Pomegranate. Brads are from SU, also.

Like I said, I like southwestern stamps and this is another one from I Brake For Stamps and uses the Pierced Spotlight. The pot is painted using Spiced Cider and Coal Shimmerz, which are really neat. I just hope they don't go the way of LuminArte! Anyhow, the shine is hard to tell here, but IRL, it's a much different story. It is layered on SU's copper, now retired, and then on black. The "arrows" are SU's photo corner punch with copper brads.

A major project for our backyard the last 2½ years has been a pond which is 14' wide, 17' long and 4' deep. It began it's life after we had a huge globe willow stump taken out. When I say huge, I'm not kidding - it was 40" in diameter and DH and the guy who took it out figured it must have weighed somewhere in the neighborhood of 1½ tons. The guy who removed it used a regular backhoe to dig it out and when he tried to pull it out of the ground, after digging around it, the back tires of the backhoe came off the ground because it was so heavy! Anyhow, after much mauling, etc., he finally got it out of the ground and started shaping the pond.

The next summer, then, DH and I made several trips to the high country for rocks to build a waterfall which ended up to be 9½ feet! Trying to get the "lip" rock, which weighed about 90#, up that high was quite an operation and took four of us to get it there and in place. Since then, the pond and waterfall have been DH's pride and joy, and rightfully so - he has spent many hours working on it, working on filtration, etc., etc. Last winter, we didn't keep the filter running and ended up losing all of our fish, so this year, he has kept the filter running and it has made for some very pretty pictures!

This was taken this winter and please note the chunk of ice on the lower right-hand side. That is where the filtered water comes out as a small waterfall.

The next photo is a close-up of how it froze over this winter. It was amazing how crystal clear the ice was. Hope you've enjoyed these pictures!

After preparing frantically for a workshop that started out for approximately 20-25 ladies, only four showed up, but it was the best workshop I've ever put on, so guess I did something right! It was for consultants for BeautiControl, a cosmetic company, and the workshop was geared towards items that the consultants could use. The first item was a sack that they can use to deliver their products to their clients. I purchased the sacks at Wal-Mart, 10 for a dollar something, then used the Big Note Bigz die and my Big Kick machine to make the tag. It was stamped with a frame from Frames with a Flourish and the thank-you is from Taking Care of Business. This particular one is stamped with the sentiment in black, the frame in real red and sponged with real red.

Another idea was a holder for a gift certificate. I had recently received a newsletter from Inky Antics which gave directions for a "Santa Baby Pocket Card". The more I looked at it, the more I thought it could be easily adapted as a holder for a computer-generator gift certificate for these ladies. My first sample was done on Green Galore using Pocket Silhouettes as a background stamp, Say It With Scallops on Whisper White on the front and organdy ribbon from Wal-Mart. The inside card was stamped with the gift stamp from Year-Round Sketches, a retired set.

The second gift certificate holder was made with real red cardstock. The front edge of it was punched with SU's new scallop punch, which makes it so much easier. The "Love you much" sentiment is from the new Valentine's set of the same name that is on special right now. I stamped it on Whisper White, then filled in the letters. The flower was colored with markers on the stamp before I stamped it.

DH and I have been down with bad colds - thanks, Jen and all you Woocies - LOL! It has been a running joke on the Lucy McGoo group that this cold/flu crud has been passed around on the internet as several of us have fallen victim. I started using Zicam right away and I think it has lessened my misery, but I could just as well done without any of it - LOL! We felt cruddy enough we didn't even try to make it to church Sun., and today was the first day we went to the Senior Center to eat lunch with our friends.

Yesterday, while I was waiting for an appointment that actually wasn't until today (ah, yes, those senior moments), I put together a quick valentine using the Cuttlebug heart folder, my Big Kick (lovin' it more and more all the time), the Love You Much stamp set and the Hearts punch, which is part of the SU Valentine special. I thought it turned out really cute and was so very simple.

On one of my first blogs, I introduced Buglet, who was our daughter's cat. He refused to move with her when she got her own house - it's only 1½ blocks from us, so he kept coming back here. The last time she tried to take him back to her house, he spit and growled so at her, she basically threw him in our door. This was much to the dismay of our other cat, Pete, who is the grand old man of the house.

Pete is a tuxedo Manx and is one of the most contrary, but loveable cats I think I have ever known. He's 20 years old, altho you would never know it, and while he's not real sociable, he does like attention - on his terms. When I first met DH, whose cat Pete was, you could pet Pete two, maybe three times and that was it. He had, however, a great big wad of tangled fur, about the size of my fist, right in front of what would normally be a tail, and I could tell it was bothering him as he frequently tried to reach it with his mouth. One night, finally, I picked him up, and when scissors were ineffective, used a craft knife to cut that wad off, then brushed him. DH says I spoiled him as he has been my cat ever since and likes, no, loves to be brushed! He comes in and sits down beside me when I'm at the computer - he has finally learned to come brush up against my leg first - whenever he wants something, be it food, drink or just to say hi! If I ignore him, he might meow, but if I ignore that, I'm just as apt to be on the receiving end of one very sharp claw! Gets my attention quickly, that's for sure! His favorite sleeping position is on his back, with all four legs curled up, as you can see.

We had a quiet New Year's Eve and on New Year's Day, we finally got to go snowmobiling up on Grand Mesa. The mesa is the largest table-top mountain in the world. It was originally a series of volcanoes, but during the Ice Age, glaciers literally cut the tops off of them and what had been lava flows became literally bottomless lakes in most cases. The water in most of them is so cold that a person swims with a very real risk of hypothermia setting in in just a matter of minutes. There is some awesome fishing, tho, and the snowfall during the winter sometimes reaches 10 feet or better. There is skiing on the north side, but on top, the sledding and snowmobiling is really grand! For one thing, the lakes are frozen over and there are enough snowmobilers out that there are some well-packed trails. I goofed, though, and forgot to take my camera. Probably just as well as I managed to pretty much bury my machine! One of those really OOPS! moments. It took two men and a teenage boy to get it out for me - DH and I are both glad there were several other people around to help because he and I could never have done it ourselves.