Playscape on Steroids

I mentioned a few days ago that there was a huge building project going on over here.  Friends have asked how the building went, when they got finished, and how the boys are enjoying it.  Well..... 


It's actually not even finished yet.  And it's not because they haven't been working at it for hours on end.  I thought you might like seeing a couple pictures to give you an idea of the magnitude of this playscape.

We own a double lot and as you can see the structure is taking up a fair amount of the 2nd lot.  See the little playscape the boys had originally there in the background?

This is the bare-bones structure.  None of the decking and just a few of the side slats are already done.

The weather has NOT been very helpful at all!

One of the slide pods has been installed here and a little more of the west tower construction has been roughed in

Here's mama and the boys checking out the work done that day before they went home.  This kind of gives a good idea of the size again.

Many more hours were spent working over the weekend and on Tuesday evening.  Coming along nicely, but still more work to be done.  And then Tuesday night was still more rain of course, so the work was suspended for today as everything was a little muddy.  Still need the swings attached, the decking on the bottom of both towers, and little touches to finish it all.
Whew!!  What a lot of work the three of them did to get this built.  But the boys are sure gonna love their playscape!

Happy Easter

On this blessed Easter day, I want to extend my caring and best wishes to you and your family. I pray God would bless and enrich your lives with His abounding love and unmerited grace.

I should be back in the swing of things in the the next day or two. Thanks for stopping in to see what's been going on. Today I'm spending Easter with my sister and my kids and grandkids. What could be better than that? Hope your day is wonderful.

Alleluia! He is Risen!!

Easter Blessings, Sharon

In a slump

Yes, I guess that's what I'd call it. A slump, a funk, or maybe even just a dry spell. Seems I've been avoiding my stamping table lately so there's really not much to show anybody at all. What a bummer. Truthfully, I'm missing being with my good friends at the SU! convention this week. Maybe I've been having a pity party lately because of this and I need to get on with it! So, today I actually have a card to share - nothing too special. But I finally did get into the stamps and ink again. Looks like I'll have to work my way back to interesting again! Here's a really simple card...

Stamps: For All You Do, Teeny Tiny Wishes, and retired set Itty Bitty Backgrounds

Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight

Ink: Daffodil Delight, Peach Parfait, and Old Olive

Accessories: Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch, Corner Rounder Punch, Basic Pearls, and Dimensionals

Like I mentioned before, this card is very simple. I used a 'rock n roll' technique on the butterfly to change things up. There was a bit of sponging added to the sentiment also. And again I dragged out my old standby - Itty Bitty Backgrounds - to add a little interest to the plain background. It just looked too bare and I wasn't sure what else I could use to brighten it up. That's a problem I have when I don't get 'inky' on a regular basis. So here's to stamping and getting creative as often as possible! It really helps keep those creative juices flowing when you find time to just play with the stamps and tools you have. And it's even better when you can get some new 'stuff' to play with!

Hope my friends are all having a fabulous time at convention. I can't wait to hear all you've been seeing and making!! Have fun!

Sharon

Stylish Blogger Award

I guess this is a 'better late than never posting'. My fellow blogger Tory Bray was kind enough to award me with the Stylish Blogger Award last month. Wow! Thank you Tory for the vote of confidence in my blog! It means so much to me to have another stamper appreciate my work. You can find Tory's blog called "If I can stamp, you can too! here and see what cute ideas she has to offer.

The only stipulation for the award is to list 6 other blogs that I visit and find inspiration when I visit them. Here's my list of blogs:

1. Ilina Crouse - My Creations

2. Janine Tinklenberg - Stamps, Paper, Scissors

3. Lee Conrey - Stampinglee Yours

4. Mary Fish - Stampin' Pretty

5. Sarah-Jane Kale' - Janeybell Designs

6. Dawn Griffiths - DOStamping with Dawn

Each of these ladies' blogs are fun and inspiring, and their styles of stamping are entirely different! But that's what makes it fun - to see what others are making and getting out of your own comfortzone to try something new. Hope you take some time to check out each one of these blogs and see for yourself how talented these ladies are!

Thanks for stopping by and I'll be getting back to my regularly scheduled card postings soon - hopefully tomorrow! Sharon

Happy Birthday Carson!

Yesterday was the big day for our grandson, Carson. He had his very first birthday! Hooray!! I had to make a special card for him of course. So far he isn't partial to any kind of toy, except maybe anything that really isn't a toy. Like cell phones, remote controls, boxes, ice cube trays, plastic bowls, and wooden spoons. Yep, that pretty much covers it, so it was hard to make a card that fit his likes. That left it wide open for my imagination. I love the little Choo Choo set and use it often, so that's what I grabbed to work with for his card. BTW - just a little warning that this is a loooong post with pics of Carson at the end, if you're interested in seeing the 'light of my life'! Ok, back to the birthday card....

Stamps: Choo Choo, All in the Family, God's Blessings, Right on Track Wheel, and (retired alphabet set and unknown sun)

Cardstock: Bashful Blue, Garden Green, and Whisper White

Ink: Basic Black, Basic Gray, Real Red, Bashful Blue, Daffodil Delight, and (Crushed Curry & Blush Blossom retired) Pads, and Garden Green Marker

Accessories: Wheel Handle, Sponge Dauber, Aqua Painter, Paper Snips, and Dimensionals

This was so fun choosing the different elements and then putting together. It seemed as soon as I decided on one color or stamp set, several other ideas popped into mind and the card just kept getting better and better. At first I had planned on using the tiny man from the Loads of Love Accessories set, but I wasn't happy with that and cut him right out of the window! Then I had the idea of a child's face sticking out of the window instead. It's way too big for the train, but I think that's why I like it so much!!

Here's Carson with his balloon and see the ice cube trays - I really wasn't kidding about that!! Honest! The balloon was a little tricky for him. He'd never dealt with one before and he just wasn't sure about it at all! He'd grab for it and then try to get rid of it! Just too funny to watch!

Thought you might enjoy a before and after the cupcake picture. He'd just finished dinner and was still nice and clean. But just wait...

Once he figured out you could actually eat the cake and not just squish through in your fingers, he was one happy little boy!

There was cake and frosting in his hair and everywhere else! Guess where he ended up next? If you guessed the bathtub, you're right. Funny thing was his hands still smelled like cake and frosting when he was all cleaned up. That just proves he's one 'sweet' little boy!!

All in all it was a very messy but fun experience and one that I'll treasure for a long time to come. Hope you enjoyed it a little too. Thanks for stopping by for the latest update. Your comments are always appreciated!

Sharon

Luncheon Favors

Today I want to share with you some pictures of the favors I made for our Ladies Spring Luncheon at church last Saturday. It started out small and about a week before the date the numbers of attendees rose to about 90. Whew - time to start cranking out those favors that I was asked to make. We had decided on what they would be and how they'd be filled. Now it was just a matter of getting them all made - all 92 of them! Here's a picture of the boxful - at least one layer of 30 of them. Don't they look pretty, feminine, and definitely ready for spring? Stamps: none Cardstock: assorted Designer Series Papers that were in yummy spring colors Ink: none Accessories: Big Shot with Large Scallop Circle Die, retired Double Rectangle Punch, lots of ribbons that were in my stash, cello bags for suckers, and tons of pastel M&M candies to fill them Here's a better shot of a few of them to get a general idea of the way they looked. I used so many different colors and prints of retired papers from many different packs including: Tea Party, Bashful Blue, Apricot Appeal and Regal Rose Pattern Packs, Petals and Paisley, Delicate Dots, and many more that I can't even remember the names anymore. Such a pretty collection they made! Thought I'd share a few pics of the rest of the table decoration so you could see how pretty it all looked together. This set-up looked like going to one of the lovely tea rooms in the area for high tea which I love to do. One of the ladies made up the all-in-one menu and program. They were so cute that many of the attendees took them home with them. Here's a quick look at the appetizer table. The veggies were so fresh and colorful - yummy too. And I'm still waiting for a copy of the spread for the crackers. It had cream cheese, pineapple, and green onions with some other goodies - so scrumptious! I forgot to take a pic of our plates when they came. Chicken Almond Salad, with orange slices, fresh pineapple chunks, grapes, and a flaky croissant. It was plenty filling, but not heavy. Just perfect. Lastly, I thought I'd share a picture of the center piece which also featured our desserts. These perfect little cupcakes were so cute we hated to bite into them! Each of the cakes were baked into these floral paper holders. There was a choice of lemon, strawberry, or raspberry. Each of them had a fruit jelly type of filling and a swirled buttercream frosting with delicate pastel sprinkles. And I can't forget that each of them had an edible little candy bug at the top. Aren't they just adorable? For our speaker, we had a comedian by the name of Evelyn Smallbladder. I have to tell you I was laughing so hard my sides hurt afterwards and I was mopping up the tears! Check her out on Google if you'd like to hear more about her and listen to a little clip. She is just hilarious!! Well, hope you enjoyed hearing about our luncheon. Wish you could have been there to share the day with me. It was such a fun way to spend an afternoon with friends. Thanks for letting me share it with all of you! Happy spring! Sharon

Lots of Hearts

Ok, I think it's officially going to be one of those days! Ooops, make that one of those weeks, or maybe even months!!!! Will I ever be able to get back on track with my life? (weak little sigh) Can you believe I actually started this post exactly one week ago today? I got as far as the title, first line, and the pictures. At that point I was interrupted by my younger sister walking in the door. My hubby had run to the airport to pick her up and I was going to do a quick post. Instead there was a phone call that had to be taken care of, a few last minute items to pack, etc., etc. Then the baby woke up and needed changing from a reeeeeally messy diaper, and feeding, and visiting with my sister, and, and...... Then it was time to leave to go an hour to pick up my older sister, then on another two hours to get farther up north for my dear aunt's viewing Friday night and then the funeral on Saturday. Definitely rushing around like a mad woman, but loved visiting with both of my sisters which doesn't happen very often. And then seeing my cousins and their children and grandchildren too - how wonderful is that?! Why do we only meet from all corners of this country when there is a funeral to attend? I enjoy spending time with my cousins so much! It's a shame we're all so very spread apart geographically.

Oh yes, on with the saga. (You can fast forward here to get to the good parts beyond the story if you want!) On the way home late afternoon on Saturday, I started feeling rather queasy. For those of you that know me personally, you're probably thinking "oh oh, car-sick"! Ah, so was I, that is until we got back to my sister's house and it was all over for me. There was no way I could go any farther at that point. I know, only another hour to get back home and into my own bed, but I just couldn't. Then my younger sister came down with the flu too!!! Oh yuck! So that was two of us that were heaving at my older sister's house. Not a pretty sight - or sound either. Sunday morning my hubby and daughter drove up there together to rescue us and drive us home again. My poor sis had to get on a plane to fly home again that afternoon, and I went straight to bed. Later that afternoon, my hubby came down with it too. This whole week has been spent just trying to feel normal again. Not exactly fun by any stretch of the imagination! Just a final update, my younger sister, hubby, and I are all doing better, and my older sister never did get the flu. Lucky for her!!

Ok, time to move on from that yucky story on to more pleasant topics. And what could be more pleasant than stamping? Today I have a different technique to share with you. When I saw this done, I was blown away with how cool it was. Hope you like it too! It's called embedded embossing. Here's what it looks like...

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes
Cardstock: Real Red, Basic Black, Whisper White, with Love Patterns Designer Series Paper (on special right now!)
Ink: Real Red
Accessories: Full Heart Punch, Small Heart Punch, Bit Shot with Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch, Real Red 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Glue Stick, Sponge Dauber, and Dimensionals




Can you see how the punched DSP and cardstock pieces look embedded into the white cardstock layer? The look is as easy as 1, 2, 3 to achieve, but gives such a different look. Here's how you do it:

1. Punch whatever shapes you want to embed. Use a glue stick liberally to attach punched pieces to the white cardstock.

2. Enclose the white cardstock inside the embossing folder and run through the Big Shot.

3. Take out of folder and admire your work!!

Go on! Give it a try! It really is quite fabulous and I know you'll love it. After it's done, you can go ahead and add some sponging to the edges and put together in your card.

Well, that's it for today. Hope I'll be back to post again tomorrow. Stay warm, stay well, and find some time to relax with stamping!
Sharon

Happy New Year!!

Hope you didn't celebrate too much last night - just enough to have a good time. And I also hope you've found time to reflect on the past year. This is a great time to go over what was good or bad about the previous year, and how you would change your actions or maybe reactions. It's wonderful that God gives us a chance to make a new start each year and use the time to learn to become better people. Of course we all will have our failings, and yes I'm probably the worst offender here. But the slate is wiped clean and it's time for a fresh start. Take the time to think about who you really want to be a year from now, and figure out the steps you need to take to get to that reality.

One of my goals this year is to lose some of my extra weight that's been added the last couple of years. For me that's going to be a really hard thing to do because I hate to exercise! I know hate is a strong word, but it really fits here. I know I'd feel much better and my clothes would fit better too if I got this weight thing under control. shhhh.... Don't tell my hubby. For some reason when we both watch our weight, he loses his and I just watch mine! How unfair!! And it does get very depressing. So I'm not even telling him what I'm trying to do so he won't be comparing how we're doing on this. So what's your biggest goal for next year? Is it physical like mine? Or is it spiritual? Or is it business related? Let's help and encourage each other to be the very best we can be!

Ok, on to sharing a card with you all! I had looked at the Stamping 411 site earlier in the week, but didn't get around to getting my card made in time. Well, the card's finished, but the link to the site is closed. So I'm just sharing it with you instead. It's still a classic layout that's good for so many occasions. And one I need to get out and use more often! Hope you like it.

Stamps: Friends Never Fade

Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, Very Vanilla, Always Artichoke, and the new Springtime Vintage Designer Series Paper

Ink: So Saffron and Baja Breeze Markers and Not Quite Navy Pad

Accessories: Curly Label Punch, Vanilla Narrow Grosgrain Ribbon, 2-Way Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, and Dimensionals

The two prints I chose for the card is on just one sheet of paper. I thought they went together so very nicely that I had to add a strip of the backside to the card.

The flower accent was colored with the markers then used the rock'n'roll technique on the edges with the Not Quite Navy pad. It gives the flower a bit more dimension. And then adding the glitter really sets it off nicely. Instead of adding leaves, I punched the Artichoke cardstock and layered it behind. It still needed something, so I added the snippet of ribbon.

The card can be used for any occasion at this point depending on what words are chosen for the inside. I think I'll save that decision for later when I need a card at the last minute.

Wishing you a very blessed New Year with all the best that our heavenly Father has in store for you! Let me know what you're planning on working on this year, and I'll keep you posted on any progress that is made in the weight department!!

Hugs,

Sharon

Year End Thoughts

Here it is, the day before the end of 2010. What a year it's been. So many ups and downs, twists and turns. But all in all it's been a good year for us here. Of course our greatest blessing has been our little grandson that we love dearly. Thought you'd like to see how much he's grown in 7 months, so here's a pic with him and his proud grandpa. My sister got him the plushy Santa suit and he looked just adorable. Don't you agree? For some reason he was the center of attention throughout the day, and he seemed to really enjoy it!



OK, on with something to share with you. Each year I have customers that want a gift certificate for a friend or family member. And each year I come up with one that I make from scratch. (I also make birthday and thank you certificates, but that's for another time! ) Since everyone probably has received their gift certificates by now, I figured it would be safe to share and not mess up the surprise.

This year I chose to use the Candy Cane Christmas Designer Series Paper for the main theme of the certificates. The prints were all very cute and playful, but there really wasn't a problem deciding which one I wanted to use. The print with the trees and birds fit the size of my certificate very well, so that's what I chose. Here's a picture of one that I'm sharing with you...

Stamps: Occasional Quotes (hostess) and A Cute Christmas

Cardstock: Whisper White, Real Red, Wild Wasabi, and Candy Cane Christmas DSP
Ink: Wild Wasabi
Accessories: 1/4" Circle Punch, Designer Label Punch, Wide Oval Punch, Small Oval Punch, 1/4" Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon, Bone Folder, and Dimensionals

The holly leaves were punched with the small oval punch, then trimmed up with Paper Snips. I don't have a holly punch that's the right size, but it worked out well this way anyway. The inside of the gift certificate is printed on my computer on our white cardstock, then trimmed up and layered. This all fits into a small open-end envelope that's been stamped with the trees from A Cute Christmas to match.

That's it for today. Don't know if I'll get anymore stamping in this year as we're sort of running out of time. My best wishes to each of you for a happy and healthy new year. May God bless the next year for you with pleasant surprises and many warm memories with your family and friends. Happy New Year!
Sharon

Carson has arrived!

Yes, the wait is over! After a really crazy week, I'm finally back to share our wonderful news. Carson arrived Wednesday evening and is a perfectly precious little boy. He weighed in at 7 pounds 10 ounces and 20 inches long. After quite a long and hard labor, mom is doing fine and dad is thrilled with his 'little man'. And of course, Gramps and I are equally thrilled too. In fact, I'm having trouble putting him down. He seems to be permanently attached to my arms!!

I know these pics really aren't about card ideas, but you'll just have to bear with me for a bit as I get used to this wonderful event in our lives. If you know me at all, you know I've been waiting very (im)patiently for this day to come. So now I'm revelling in it!

Besides that, both our computers died last Sunday and it's been crazy not getting emails or being able to check orders, read blogs, or anything! Sometimes I get really frustrated with this machine, but what would I ever do without it?! Hubby was an angel staying home to field phone calls from family, friends, and customers while I was at the hospital helping. In between all the calls he worked on our computers and called in help from our son's friend. So far, my computer is now up and running fine, but his might not make it. We're keeping our fingers crossed that it can be salvaged. Seems like we keep running into alot of extra expenses now that hubby is retired. Oh well, that's the way it goes.

Just have to share another pic of this sweet little guy. See, I told you I can't put him down when I'm in a room with him. Thank heavens his mommy and daddy don't seem to mind having me around too much.

I've ben thanking God for his many blessings, among them a healthy baby to love and cherish!

I promise I'll try to get back to my old schedule asap! Now, I've got to run over and check on my little family today! Ta!

Sharon

Happy, Happy Birthday

...to me that is. Looks like another year has come and gone. Not much has changed other than a few more wrinkles and more gray hair. But it's a great day - the sun is shining and I'm healthy, so life is good. God has blessed me in so many ways with wonderful friends who I treasure immensely. When birthdays roll around, I tend to take stock of my life and where I'm headed. Do you do that too? Most of the time I'm happy with how I've been living my life and the people I've surrounded myself with. But there's always room for improvement - hence the soul searching.

Now before I get too deep and philosophical, I think I'd better get back on track with what you came here for, right? A few days ago I was working with Bashful Blue cardstock and that cool houndstooth patterned paper from the Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper Pack. There were a few extra pieces sitting around and I finally did something with them. Here's what I created.


I just love Chocolate Chip with almost any of the soft subtle colors we have. And Bashful Blue is right up there near the top as a favorite. No matter what elements are put together with these two colors, I seem to gravitate towards them.

Stamps: For All You Do
Cardstock: Bashful Blue, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla cardstock with Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper Pack
Ink: Chocolate Chip and Bashful Blue
Accessories: Scallop Trim Border Punch, new Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack, Chocolate Chip Narrow Grosgrain Ribbon, Silver Mini Brads, Ice Round Rhinestone Brads, and Dimensionals


I have to admit that the little flowers didn't really fit the new punch, but I was in a hurry and it seems to have worked out just fine. Unless you're really looking at those little blossoms, you don't notice that they don't quite match up. Does it bother you? I hope not. I would really hate to cause any 'unmatched punching' anxiety out there. lol In fact, if I hadn't mentioned it to you in the first place, you'd probably be running to quickly make something using that set and punching out the flowers and wondering why they didn't match up. So now you'll just have to buck up and deal with this nicely!! As you get older (and hopefully wiser!) you'll find some things just aren't that big of an issue anymore.

Now about all those gray hairs and wrinkles... That's really something to get all worked up about!! LOL

Wishing you many hours of happy stamping for another year!
Sharon

Christmas Wishes

I just wanted to wish you a very blessed Christmas this year and thank you for being part of our lives through this blog. Your comments and suggestions have all been greatly appreciated and eagerly awaited. I hope you'll continue to stop by for stamping and papercrafting inspiration through the coming weeks.

This has been an eventful year for us as a family, as it has been for many of you. This past January, our daughter was married and they are now expecting a little one in May. How very excited we all are!! Then earlier this month my husband, Rick was laid off from his job. This looks to be a permanent layoff. Consequently, we are looking into retiring a little earlier than planned. The downturn in the economy isn't helping matters right now either. So at this point in time, everything in our lives is in a state of flux. No telling where we'll be at this time next year. But that's part of what makes life interesting, right?! Come join us on our journey and be part of our extended family.

Blessings and peace to you from the newborn Child in Bethlehem,
Sharon