Sunday, January 31, 2010

To My Friend

Here is a quick card I made while I was watching the first season of Lost on hulu.  (I have a lot of catching up to do!)  Well, it wasn't really that quick because I kept watching the show!



I off stamped the flowers so they were a little bit muted.  The white edge around the oval was preserved by leaving the paper in the Nestabilities die when I sponged.  GinaK does that a lot, and I really like the look of it.  The oval is up on pop dots.  They do wonders for adding dimension to projects, don't you think?

Supplies:
Stamps - Pocket Silhouettes, Every day flexible phrases
Ink - Rich Razzleberry, Crushed Curry
Paper - Rich Razzleberry, Razzleberry Lemonade DSP, GKD white
Accessories - Eyelet border punch, Nestabilities, sponge, SAMJ, half pearls, pop dots

I hope you enjoy it!

K

Saturday, January 30, 2010

My first blog award

I just received this blog award from my BSF Lisa!  Thank you Lisa, I am so honored!  Check out her blog to see why she is such an inspiration to me!



Here are 10 things I am thankful for...

1.  My husband  - he supports me no matter what.  And he makes me laugh!
2.  My job - I absolutely love what I do, and I am grateful to have a flexible schedule so I can spend time with my family.
3.  My children - I never could have imagined the incredible joy (and sometimes pain) that comes with having children.
4.  My parents - for raising me with good morals and a good work ethic.  They are always there for me.
5.  My health - and the health of my family.  My son has some severe food allergies, but nothing we can't deal with.
6.  Our dream house - that may seem silly, but as soon as I walked into it, I felt like I was 'home'.  I know this is where I will grow old.
7.  My craftiness - Is that even a word?  I'm glad I have an escape that isn't harmful to myself or my family.
8.  My friends - where would we be without friends?
9.  CAS - and Susan, aka LateBlossom, for starting the CAS movement at SCS.  I would still be struggling if I hadn't found my style.
10.  Love - the love given to and received from family and friends.  That's what it's all about.

Makin' it a great day...K

Valentine Milk Boxes

Here are some really fun treat boxes that are really easy to make.  You can view Beate's Milk Box tutorial on the resources page at SCS.  It is like a 2-4-6-8 box.  This template has been around forever, but this is the first time I have ever made one.  I will be making more, for sure!  They are so fun, and the recipients are sure to be WOWed!



I made these for my kids for Valentines day.  I thought the little heart paperclips were a nice touch to hold the top together.  (Do you recognize the sentiment?  It is from the stamp set I received in my RAK from Lisa.)  The pink box is also for two of the challenges at SCS.  CC255 - the color challenge to use Pretty in Pink, Melon Mambo, and Blush Blossom, and LSC257 - the limited supplies challenge to make a milk carton.  Don't you just love challenges?  They always inspire me to try something new.

Supplies used:
Stamps - Doodle This, Happy Hearts, PTI Heart Prints, Inkadinkado sentiment
Ink - Melon Mambo, Real Red
Paper - Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink, Blush Blossom, Real Red, GKD white
Accessories - ScorPal, Treading Water punch, Nestabilities, paper piercer, plastic canvas, heart clips, gingham ribbon, pop dots, red tape, Real Red and Melon Mambo markers

If you haven't tried one of these yet, go make one now.  They are addicting!

K


Friday, January 29, 2010

P90X

This is long...

My husband and I have been doing the P90X program for 3 weeks now.  So far it has been one of the best things I have ever done for myself.  If you haven't seen the infomercials, it's pretty intense.  If you have seen them, you know what I'm talking about!  It's 90 days of intense exercise paired with a nutrition plan.

The first week was HARD!  I was so sore after the first 2 days, I could hardly walk.  I couldn't even sit down without grunting and groaning in pain.  Every move I made took much effort, and was usually accompanied by more grunts and groans.  Even rolling over in bed was painful.  Then my Results and Recovery drink arrived,  (it's one of the P90X supplements), and the post-work out pains were gone.  That stuff is amazing!  They must put narcotics in it or something, because I haven't been sore since I've been drinking it.  It tastes yummy, too!

P90X has a nutrition plan to go along with the excercises.  If you do the portion plan, you make your own menu using the appropriate amount of proteins, carbs, fats, veggies, etc. every day.  Since I am Terrible (with a capital T) at meal planning, we chose to do the meal plan.  You have a week's worth of meals and snacks already planned that you will repeat for the first month.  All you have to do is cook them.

Sounds easy, right?

I spent more time in the grocery store and kitchen that first week than I did sleeping!  There was a different soup to cook every day, along with some kind of dressing, sauce, gravy, or salsa that had to be chopped, cooked, pureed, reduced, reduced again, mixed, pureed...  You get the point.  The cooking and eating part was harder for me than the exercising!  And since my husband can't boil water without burning it, the cooking was up to me.  Needless to say, Dear Hubby has learned how to chop vegetables AND do the dishes!  He has been a wonderful help in the kitchen since that first week, and has even prepared a few meals alone.

His training is coming along well!

After the first few days of a 100% change in my eating habits along with new exercises, my body felt much better.  I almost felt detoxified.  I didn't crave chocolate and sugar like I thought I might.  I didn't crave carbs even though the first phase of the program is low carb.  I just felt good!  My body felt good.  My mind felt good.

Then came the weigh in.  My goal for the program is to lose 10 lbs.  After the first week, I was really excited to see how much weight I had lost.  We don't own a scale, so we use the Wii fit for our weight.  I stepped on the fit board and waited for it to calculate my weight.  Imagine my surprise when the number popped up on the screen.  After only one week of circling the grocery store buying foods I had never heard of, chopping them up, cooking them, eating so much food I couldn't finish it all, and sweating my pants off, I had lost...are you ready?...drum roll please......  0.1lb.  Yes, that's right - one tenth of one pound!  That's only 1.6 ounces!  Not even a drink of water's worth!

But you know what?  I wasn't discouraged.  Not even one little iota.  Because I felt so much better.  My body was happy with the changes I had made, and that made me want to continue.

The second week in the kitchen was much easier.  All the dressings, soups, sauces and gravies were already made and waiting in the freezer.  I didn't feel like I was spending every spare moment grocery shopping or cooking.  But I had just started this blog and it took a lot of my time.  My husband was traveling, and I didn't find the time to exercise every day like I should have.  My body needed a break, I told myself.  I could only do so much.  I could tell my body was melting away the fat, though.  My clothes fit better, and I could actually see myself getting smaller.  I was even more excited about my weigh in after the second week.  This time I lost 2.4lbs. for a total of 2.5lbs in 2 weeks. Not bad!

My hard work was paying off.

Cut to the third week.  The cooking and eating came naturally this past week, and the exercising happened every day like it was supposed to.  I could still feel my body transforming and becoming more proficient at the exercises.  I actually enjoyed the Ab Ripper X exercises this week ('cause I could finally do them!)  My body felt 'clean' and preservative free.  We had a potluck at work yesterday, and none of the sweets even looked good to me.  (I'm not sure if I want that to last!)  I look at food in a whole different light now.  I see at it as fuel, and if you want the car to run at it's best, you have to use the premium grade gas.  Ok, I'm scaring my self now!

Let's get this post over with!  For my weigh in this morning, I lost another 1.3lbs.  Total 3.8lbs in 3 weeks.  Wow!  It feels good!

I will be posting a P90X update every Friday.  If I'm brave enough at the end, I might even post before and after pictures.  That should keep me motivated!

If you've made it this far, thanks for hanging with me.  I hope you have a wonderful day!

K

Thursday, January 28, 2010

I got RAK'd!

Who doesn't love getting something in the mail besides bills and 'junk' mail?  Imagine my surprise when I got the mail after a looooooong day at work, and there was a bubble envelope from my BSF (Best Stamping Friend)!  I could hardly wait to get inside the house to open it!



It was like a mini Christmas stocking filled with all kinds of goodies - a RAK (Random Act of Kindness) from Lisa.  She stamped several images of a cute little chickie, and some love monkeys (stamps from Clear Dollar Stamps).  Then she threw in an assortment of punched borders, a clear stamp set, and 6 pieces of double sided designer paper.  But the one thing I liked the most was the little hand stamped card she included.  I looked at it for at least 10 minutes admiring all the cute little details...the cute paper pieced image with it's googly eyes, the subtle sponging and shading, the perfectly spaced white dots around the edge, the fact that the sentiment is stamped on patterned paper, (I never think to do that), and the cute gingham ribbon that ties it all together.  In fact, I'm still looking at it!



Isn't he adorable?  This is going right on my desk by my computer so I can admire it every day.

Aren't friends the greatest?  Thanks, Lisa!  :)

K

Monday, January 25, 2010

Gift Card Holder

Well, I had a busy weekend, and finally had some time to stamp after the kids were in bed tonight.  Here are two quick cards I made.



This gift card holder is the same size as a regular A2 card.  I started with a base layer measuring 5 1/2" x 11", scored at 5 1/2", then scored at 4 1/4" from both ends.  The slot for the gift card was made with a Nestabilities label die, and the center of the card is held together with red tape.

I made this for the CAS51 challenge at Splitcoaststampers to use designer paper on our card.  The DP gift is backed by a piece of white cardstock to make it sturdier and popped up on dimensionals.


Supplies used:

Stamps - PTI Birthday Basics
Paper - Razzleberry Lemonade DP, Razzleberry, GKD pure luxury white
Ink - Razzleberry
Accessories - Ribbon, dimensionals, Chit Chat rub-ons, Nestabilities, TTT (red tape)







Here is another card I made that fits the CAS50 challenge to use teal, white and one other color.  I even broke out the sewing machine for this one.  I love the look of sewing on cards, but never do it on mine.  Guess I'll have to practice some more!!

Supplies used:

Stamps - Upsy Daisy, Congrats, Sweet Little Sentiments
Paper - GKD pure luxury white, Bermuda Bay
Ink - Bermuda Bay, Memento black
Accessories - Sewing machine, dimensionals,SAMJ

Thanks for stopping by today!

Friday, January 22, 2010

Valentine Card



Here is a valentine card I made combing two challenges from Splitcoast this week.  The color challenge, CC254, was to use Bashful blue, Soft suede and Ruby red, and the ways to use it challenge, WT254, was to cut out your image and/or sentiment.  I am loving my new Penny Black stamps that I just got, so I used this cute little doggy.  I stamped the dog 3 times, cut out one whole image, then cut out just his paws and nose.  They are separated with dimensionals for a 3-D effect.  I masked the bottom image and sponged with Bashful Blue ink.  The image is colored with Prismacolor pencils and gamsol.  I put a little Glossy Accents on his nose to make it shiny.  "Valentine" is my handwriting.  You should see how many times I had to practice to get it to look right!  Heehee!

Supplies used:
Stamps - Penny Black dog, JustRite small letters alpha
Paper - GKD pure luxury white, Ruby red, Bashful blue
Ink - Memento tuxedo black, Bashful blue, Ruby Red, Soft suede
Accessories - Nestabilities, ribbon, scissors, sponges, Prismacolor pencils, Gamsol, Ruby red marker, Glossy Accents

Thanks for stopping by!  K

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Meet Stubby

When we bought our house a few years ago, the yard was severely neglected and had grown into "The Jungle".  But it was the perfect place for the foxes to live.  So perfect in fact, that they had removed enough dirt under the patio for their den that we had to have it mud jacked to fill the void.  All the construction activity we did on our house forced them to find another place to live.  They chose the yard directly behind us.  So now we have a great view of their comings and goings.




This is one of the neighborhood foxes I have named Stubby. Isn't he cute? My daughter wishes he wasn't mean so she could keep him for a pet.  (Anything that has fur is pet material to her.)  Most of the time, the foxes are on the move, and I never have enough time to grab my camera to get any pictures.  But on this morning, Stubby was just sitting there on the golf course enjoying the early morning breeze.   I grabbed my camera and started snapping away.




Breaking and entering!!!  He is coming into the yard!  And he just peed on the tree!  Just like a dog marking his territory.  The kids are really excited now, and its hard to keep their voices and bodies quiet.





Busted!  How did he hear my shutter through the window?  Or was it the kids' excitement he sensed?    From here he moseyed across our back yard to the corner of our house. I thought I might be able to ambush him if I went out the front door.





Busted again!  He heard me and decided he'd had enough of my stalking for the day.  See why I named him Stubby?






He never stopped looking back at me until he felt he was out of harm's way.  Just look at that cute little face!





Bye Stubby!  See you around!


K

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Card Box



This is a very simple box to make if you have a ScorPal, and it can be used in so many ways.  I got the template from GinaK at http://stamptv.ning.com/  I had made the cards earlier this week, and this ended up being the perfect finishing touch to wrap them all up for a little gift.  There are 6 single layer cards with envelopes in this box, and they fit perfectly.  The box probably wouldn't hold 6 cards if there were lots of layers or embellishments on them.




Supplies used:
stamps - Medallion, Warmest Regards
cardstock - GKD pure luxury ivory (120lb makes for a very sturdy box!), soft sky
ink - Soft sky, close to cocoa
ribbon - baja breeze
Scorpal, corner rounder punch


Thanks for stopping by. K

The Middle of January


The neighbor boys came up to play with our kids over the weekend. My husband called me in to the kitchen to take a peek at them, and this is what I saw. Yes, the boys have their shirts off, (I am really surprised my daughter didn't take hers off too), there is snow on the ground, and it is the middle of January! Granted, it was about 50 degrees outside.

Warm enough to go shirtless if you're a kid!

Monday, January 18, 2010

My FIRST blog post!!


Well, I finally did it and jumped on the blogging bandwagon. I never in a million years thought I would ever do this. It will probably take me a million years to figure it all out!


Here is a card I made for the CAS50 (Clean and Simple) challenge over at Splitcoaststampers.com. I ended up putting Stickles on the cupcake frosting after I took the picture, and it looks so much better.


Supplies used:

Stamps by Penny Black and PTI Mixed Messages
GinaKDesigns pure luxury white cardstock (120lb for base, 80lb for image)
SU! Cool Caribbean and Pretty in Pink cardstock
Memento tuxedo black ink
Oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities
CM corner rounder punch
pink gingham ribbon (unknown source)
Various Copic markers
Thanks for stopping by!