QKD Stimulus Package & Exciting News!!

You can go here to see my wonderful news! I am completely thrilled and excited!!

And, because I am such an enabler and because I know none of you can pass up a good deal, I thought I would tell you about this. I just found out that Queen Kat Designs is advertising a Stimulus Package, the details are outlined below:

Spend $10 and choose a free separates stamp
Spend $25 and choose a free background stamp
Spend $50 and choose ANY stamp set you want!

Just put your stamp choice in the comment box at check out. Prices are before shipping.

You can go here for more details.

Happy Shopping!! You can thank me later! LOL

Sweet Emma

Meet Emma, another cute fairy from Paper Makeup Stamps.

This card uses Lauren's mytimess27 sketch, it was just perfect for this image. I chose sunny colors and used lots of sparkle.

The rain just won't go away. We do need it, but I have tons of things I'd like to do outside and it is hindering that process. I'm hoping to get some beds ready for some flowers and some veggies as well as clearing off part of the deck for a container garden housing herbs and smaller vegetables.

We made a Red Velvet cake last night to celebrate Duke's return and his birthday. It was all I could do to keep Cody away from it.

Cody is on a field trip today, Rainforest Adventures with lunch at Mr. Gatti's. He is thrilled not to have to take his backpack to school...not sure why that one is a big deal, but that's all he's talked about.

A PMS Monday Challenge

THAT kind of PMS on a Monday would not be good....but I am talking about Paper Makeup Stamps.

Christi's challenge is to make an Easter treat holder. So, I used the Basket Basics template from Paper Trey Ink for the basket, and then just rounded the corners of each of the "slats". The eggs are oval punches, the grass was made from snipping at it with scissors; Cody hid the eggs in the grass all the way around the basket. I used Elle the Easter Fairy, perfect for this challenge.

Now, onto a card:

I couldn't resist using Lily again. Today is the last day to preorder this and the other stamps being released in April, you get 10% off at Paper Makeup Stamps.

Pink and green are classic '80's colors, so retro and fun. Jenn, thanks for the ribbon, I love it!

Well, my man will be home tomorrow and I tell you I can hardly wait to see him. It feels like forever that he's been gone, especially since there was little communication between us.

Cody's trip to the pediatrician was uneventful. He had to get his second HepA shot and they gave him some meds for his sinus infection. Hoping he is rid of it in a few more days.

My sister called again and told me that Dakota has kept the biggest smile on his face since hearing that his cancer cells are inactive. It's hard to not get your hopes up, but I am reserving a little happiness until we hear for sure. But I must say that we, as a family, are so grateful to God for his Grace.

A Pink Elephant's in the Room

**Ok, I was scheduling posts for next week and mistakingly posted a few for the same day (yesterday). I corrected myself soon thereafter, but it still showed up in my Reader. Sorry !!


I adore this little elephant from Penny Black.

This is my entry for Taylor's sketch for this week, TECC61. I used colors from the American Crafts paper, soft and sweet.

Crossing my fingers that I get all my cleaning done today.

Ballerina Anya

These Anyas are so sweet and cute!

Duke gets home on Tuesday and I can hardly wait to see him, it feels like forever. Of course, he has been gone since the 10th, so it kinda has been. The few emails he has sent he mentions that he is homesick and is totally ready to come home. But, the dork didn't arrange for a ride home from the airport, so I have been scrambling to work it out.

The sleepover has been going as well as can be expected. I'm so spoiled having only one child, that staying after two has been exhausting. However, they have been great about playing together and that part has been nice.

Today will find me taking off all the bags of toys and trash, fun! I will leave the heavy boxes for Duke, I won't chance hurting my back. I will definitely be stamping and creating, because once my man gets back, I'll be spending some time with him......*sigh*

Measuring Life

This is my take on the sketch from AmyR for this week, AMYRS62. The quote is from Paper Trey and I used a portion of Swirly Tree from Paper Makeup Stamps.

Now, some good news. My mom called me to let me know that the Monday test results are in and preliminarily speaking, Dakota's cancer cells are inactive. And, all the tests they ran yesterday will be back on Tuesday. Depending on those results, he may only have to go through two more treatments and we are DONE baby! I cannot tell you how happy my family is on so many different levels. All I can say is I am astounded in the power of prayer and so grateful that so many people prayed for him!

Cody has a sleepover tonight, and I hope to find a bit of time to stamp while the boys are playing. I usually don't allow sleepovers without Duke being here but I was ambushed at Wal-Mart and didn't feel like I could say no. Ah well, I can surely handle two 7 year olds....right?

Dreams Take Flight

I was really at a loss when I first saw this sketch from Beary Box. But, after thinking about it a few days, it just came together.

I used a few older sets from Paper Trey that have been sitting for a bit. All papers and inks from Paper Trey as well.

Be sure to stop by the Beary Box blog to see all the other fantastic creations from the Design Team as well as the goodies Joey has just for being this week's winner.

A few of you have asked about Dakota, so I thought I would share an update. He is continuing with his treatments and sometimes has a hard time taking the meds, they make him sick. When I saw him last week, he looked and sounded great. He had come from church with my parents and the church donated a Bible to him and had a special prayer session for him. He saw a cute girl there, and couldn't wait to get back for the evening session....some things never change. LOL, he is quite the ladies man! He went through a full body scan on Monday to see if the tumors are smaller, they will then decide a course of action depending on their findings. He is back in the hospital today for more scans and bloodwork. We are also hoping to find out Monday's test results.

He told me to tell everyone thanks for the cards, my sister did as well. They really have helped everyone stay focused on the cancer-free goal.

Jaina Blossom

Jaina is another adorable little fairy from Paper Makeup Stamps. She was one of the first ones that I ordered.

I get just the bare rubber to cut down on expense (you can get a few more that way), then I just cover the back with Aleene's Tack It Over & Over. Sticks great to an acrylic block and stamps perfectly.

You may recognize this layout from my Thursday post, I had to use it again.

This one is likely going to my mom for Mother's Day. Of course, I will have to make her a gift to match. My mother has everything, so shopping for her is difficult to say the least. So, I usually stick to making a cake or taking her to dinner.

We managed to get Cody's toy box down to a semi-manageable level. I have lots of bags to take to the dumpster and/ or Good Will. I am also getting rid of a ton of magazines. I kept holding onto them for inspiration, but I never looked at them again, so the inspiration was lost. These days I find most of my inspiration from blog hopping and sleepless nights. I hate clutter, so I getting rid of it feels fantastic.

Happy Birthday Duke

Today is Duke's birthday and he is still out of the country, so we will celebrate after he returns home in a week. I've spoken to him a few times, but other than that, he's been out of pocket.

I have been enjoying white space these days, and simple cards. This one is a bit busy with all the different colored mats, but I think it plays on the whimsy of a birthday. He's gonna hate the orange, but he'll get over it.

Lily's Scoop

This is Lily, she will be released in April from Paper Makeup Stamps. She is adorable and I am jealous that she can eat ice cream and stay so thin. *wink*

This card also qualifies for the sketch challenge on the Paper Makeup Stamps blog today. Each Monday a new challenge is posted. You can see this week's challenge here. If you play along and upload to SCS, PCP, or any other public gallery use the keyword PMSSC03; be sure to use Mr. Linky as well.

This text taken directly from the Paper Makeup Stamps blog: And now on to some Preorder News! The Preorders are now OPEN! WAHOOOOO! You can preorder all of the April releases here. During the presale, there is 10% automatically taken off. Preorders will run thru March 30th. Then the stamps won't be released until April 7th! Wholesale and Presale orders will start filling the first week of April though, so ya may even get your stamps before they are released! WOOT WOOT!

TECC Indulgence

This is my entry for TECC60, found on Taylor's blog.

The image is part of a great set from H&M Stamps, so cute and fun. I embossed the black panel, but in the pic it is barely noticeable. I also used a glaze pen for the icing, just a hint of shine.

The Twilight movie wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. Several of the performances were a little flat and it deviated from the book a bit more than I had hoped. It never really captured the love story properly. It was still a good story and I adore the guy playing Edward, oh so cute. Hopefully, they will have a bigger budget and replace a few of the actors for the remaining movies.

Sprout's Garden and the Munchkin

This cute fairy, Sprout, is from Paper Makeup Stamps. I think she's my favorite {shhhh, don't tell the others, I'll deny it!}. The tendril of hair, just perfect.

I used the sketch from AmyR from last week, a great one.

Hoping to clean out Cody's toy box and get some stamping done. Trying to prepare for Easter and get a jump start on a few Mother's Day projects.

Here is his most recent school picture, notice the kool-aid moustache. He was just then getting his front teeth back in, he's self-conscious about it. Still cute as ever!

Lemon Head

This is a little gift set I made for my friend Becky at work. She started there a week before me and is always supportive and kind to everyone. She is very special and I love her alot. Thanks for being such a good friend, girl!

She's a big fan of the lemon flavor, so I went all out for her. I love that it is all matchy matchy and hope she loves it too.

Hope you are having a great weekend.

Hey Sexy Bombshell

I have been dying to ink up Butterfly Queen since I got her a few months ago. Sadly, it has taken me this long to use her.

I added some Shimmerz to her stockings and stickles to her waistband. I am giving this to a friend to send to her long distance boyfriend, I'd say it won't take him long to find his way back to Tennessee. *wink*

Cody is headed to my parents' again this weekend. It has been rather nice to have some silence and be able to complete my to do list without constant interruptions. This weekend will have me going through his toy box and purging. Plus, I will be picking up the Twilight movie and swooning over Edward on Saturday. *sigh*

Oh, and Queen Kat Stamps is having a sale, be sure to check it out.

A Note For You

This is my interpretation of the Beary Box sketch for this week. Joey, I love this one!!

I used SU! Branch Out, such a lovely set with lots of possibilities and seems perfect for almost any occasion. I don't know if you can see the embossing on the large white panel, but I used a Sizzix Texturz plate.

Head over to the Beary Box blog to see what Joey is offering up to one lucky participant in either the layout or card sketch challenge. Hope you can find time to play along with us this week.

Bunny Basket

Ok, so admittedly, it's not perfect. I'll work on it. But, I just had to share because it's a cute idea with the Easter holiday coming up.

Gifts of Spring

So you can see that I am hopelessly hooked on Shimmerz, LOL! Just realizing that I should have posted this yesterday, ah well....senior moment.

This card fits challenges from the Paper Makeup Stamps party at PCP on Sunday, a sketch challenge and a color challenge. You can see the details here, here, and here. If you make a card or project for the challenges, you are eligible to win a $10 gift certificate to the Paper Makeup Stamps store. What are you waiting for? Get creating!!

I have watched two great movies in the last week, Changeling and Reservation Road. If you have the chance to see them, I highly recommend them. Both movies feature moving human experiences and touching performances. I hope I never have to go through either of the situations in these movies, but the story lines are gripping.

Basket Tutorial

Is anyone else excited for the release of Twilight on DVD? I wasn't able to see it when it was in theaters, so I am truly looking forward to it. Cody is wanting to spend the weekend with my folks and I am tempted to let him so that I have some more "me" time before Duke returns from his trip. It's not often that I get to be totally alone, it will be nice.

I finally got pictures taken and edited for the basket I posted here. I threw away my original measurements, so I am going off my memory which isn't all that great. This is only my second tutorial, so forgive me if I missed anything or haven't explained well enough.

Here are all the supplies you will need:

Circle Cutter

Glass Cutting Mat

Die Cutting Machine

Paper Snips

Adhesive

Stamps (optional)

Ink (optional)

Scor-Pal

Circle Nestabilities or Circle Punch

Cardstock

Removable Tape

Using removable tape, tape cardstock of choice to glass cutting mat in a few areas so it doesn't shift. Then use Circle Scissors to make a 6" circle.

Here is a shot of the tape, you can see that you just need a tiny bit to hold it securely.

Once the circle is cut, stamp randomly on the circle. Obviously, if you don't want to stamp it, it can be left as is. For this one I used Ocean Tides carstock and ink with a SU! SAB set.

Once you are pleased with stamp placement, score at 1.25 on two opposite sides and at 2 on the other sides. Scor-Pal does not have a scoring channel at 1.25, so you must move the paper to the .25 mark and then score at 1.5.

Now, you need to make one cut on each side in order to assemble the basket. I used my ATG gun and tape to secure and it's still holding, so you don't need red line tape if you don't have it.

Ok, so now you just fold in the tabs and adhere to the sides.

Here is what your basket should look like so far. Now, we just have to make the handle and the insert for the terra cotta pot.

Cut matching cardstock to 4 3/8 x 5 3/8, score at 1" on all sides.

Grab a circle nestie and place in the center of the center panel. Secure with removable tape and then use die cutting machine to cut.

Then, make one cut on the score lines on all sides and secure to sides.

Once you have it secured well, place the insert into the basket bottom. It will be snug, so you may have to fiddle with it a bit.

Cut a 1 x 8.5 strip of matching cardstock for handle, if desired. Here I stamped with the same stamp. Secure just below the top of insert.

Wasn't that easy??!! Here is your finished basket.

Obviously, you can finish it as you like adding ribbon and other embellishments. If you decide to make one, I'd love to see it.