Smile

That's what this card makes me do. It just makes me smile. I do love this fairy, but coloring her with my Copics is just so much fun. I've been on a Copic kick lately, so that's what to expect with my next couple of cards. And I have to blame my newfangled love of yellow on my Copics, cuz if I didn't have to color things yellow (it's a good starter color when you're learning how to blend), there wouldn't be yellow everywhere. I also have to say that the clear Copic Atyou Spica glitter pen (phew, such a long name for a pen) is the best thing ever. That's how my little fairy has a faint hint of glitter on her shoes & bottom layer dress thing, while her wings have Stickles. Can't have too much shimmer. Oh, and Darien (who is doing much better, btw) has informed me that this is one of her favorite cards that I've made. Ever. Wow. That's nice to hear. Of course, how will her birthday card ever live up to this one? It probably won't since she never likes the cards I make for her. But since her birthday is coming up soon, it will probably either have yellow in it, or some kinda glitter. I should add, I was just farting around when I made this card, so it wasn't made for anyone specific. Anyone have any ideas, let me know.

Stamps: Eloise Greengrass & sentiment (Stamping Bella), Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko), Pink Pirouette (SU!), Paper: White & Lemon Tart (Papertrey), Pink Pirouette & Marigold Morning(?) (SU!), Accessories: Nestabilities, Lemon Tart ribbon (Papertrey), Copics (Y000, Y02, Y17, YR04, YR000, RV000, RV02, RV10, E51, G24) and Clear Atyou Spica Glitter pen

Happy Birthday Dana

Ok, first, I know you're about to pass out cuz I'm posting 2 days in a row! What?! I know, it's madness I tell ya. Well, since I can tell you're all just so worried, yes, I made it through the first day of school. (Oh, I guess my kids did, too.) And yeah, it was pretty wacky. First, I took Krista shopping for school supplies, since she's in middle school now (she loved her first day, btw) and she doesn't get that list until after she starts school. Greeaaaat. Then, came home & listened to how Darien's day was on crutches and how she still got to go to volleyball practice after all. And watch. =( Then, once I was ready to fall asleep on my living room floor, Darien asked if she could go get her school supplies. Now I know it would seem counterproductive to not do both girls at the same time, but I didn't think Darien would be up for going after walking all over campus on crutches today (it's a really big school) and then staying after school until 5:30 to watch other girls play her sport. Um, Darien not want to go shopping? What was I thinking? All in all, it was a day. Well, a Monday. And we all survived.

P.S. Hey, Stephanie ~ I set my posts to automatically go up at 12:01 a.m. Don't ask why. There was a reason when I started doing it, but now I just have no idea. I usually write them during normal hours when I'm wide awake, altho, today, not so much. It's 9 p.m. and I'm exhausted, so if what I wrote above makes no sense, now you know why!

Stamps: Out on a Limb, Wedding Day (Papertrey Ink), Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Rose Red (SU!), Paper: Bali Breeze DSP, Rose Red & Basic Black (SU!), Papertrey white, Accessories: Nestabilities, black ribbon (Offray), paper piercer

A funny thing happened...

Hey kids! Remember when I said that this is going to be the year that pushes me over the edge? Sure ya do, cuz it's two posts below this one. Pay attention. Anyway, turns out I was right. Sorta. My stress level has indeed gone thru the roof, but the school year hasn't even officially started yet. First, let me give you a little background. Our daughter Darien is a fabulous, smart, funny, beautiful and athletic 14 year old. Yes all that and a teenager at the same time. Weird, huh? She loves volleyball. This summer she went to volleyball camp and then last week had volleyball tryouts, which were brutal. She fought her way all thru the week and then on Thursday found out she made the JV team. Only 2 girls made the team that hadn't been on a high school team before, and she was one of them. We are so proud of her. So Friday was her first practice. Our brand spankin' new middle blocker was going against the other middle blocker and the other middle blocker came down on her foot. Hard. She was fine when I picked her up. But then it hurt more and more as the night went on, so Saturday she went to the hospital and they said it was a bad sprain. And there was possible ligament damage. And she'd have to be on crutches for several days, but she'd be good as new in 2-3 weeks. How bout that? Starting school on crutches. Yeah. Oh, but there's more. When Darien plays volleyball, she collects injuries like trophies. So, her knees are all banged up, with big bumps and bruises and she's so proud of them. Oh, did I mention that although she's athletic, she's not the most graceful of the bunch? Yeah, which is so strange considering all the years of ballet she's had. So, coming down the stairs the other day, she kinda slammed into the wall/banister at the bottom of the stairs, which skinned and bruised her arm pretty badly. Wait, there's more. When she got her braces off, there was an issue with her gums, so they needed work so her teeth wouldn't open even with her retainers. So, Friday (this is before THE practice - ya still with me?) she had her gums lasered. Which turned them temporarily black. Now they're just kinda scabby and oh so lovely. Actually, now it's just a little red bump right in the middle of her two top teeth. Whew. So, to recap: I've got a beautiful, yet lumpy, bruised, scraped, hobbly, brace wearing, crutch using teenager with scabby gums off to start her sophomore year. Again, I ask, who's ready for school?

Yeah, so I've been a little busy these past couple of days. And I've still had 2 other girls to get ready to go back to school. I do have a card to post, but that will come tomorrow. Promise. I had to get it in Dana's hands before I could put it online. So, no pretty card today, but you do get a picture of my pretty baby. K, let's hear it: Awwwww.

Happy Birthday Daddy

Yes, I still say Daddy. I'm such a daddy's girl it's disgusting. But it's always been that way and why change now? I really like this card and it's also very much "my dad". I think it's elegant and to me, that's my dad. He's that guy that irons his jeans. He always has to look good, which could come from years of being on stage. Actually, no, I think he's always been like that. Oh, sorry. Yes, I said stage. My dad is a singer, but even cooler to me, he plays the drums. No, I won't go into how he wouldn't let me learn to play them. But he wouldn't. But I won't whine about it, cuz it's his birthday. Anyway, he used to (and sometimes still does) sing with The Platters. I know I've mentioned that before, but I'm pretty sure when I did, my mom was the only one reading my blog. So now you guys are all caught up. Anyways, what I was getting at is that my dad is just a really classy guy, so I think this card is really fitting for him. He's an awesome guy and everybody loves him. Everybody. And everybody seems to know him too, which is strange. So, if you're in Las Vegas, and you know Otis and you see him today, be sure to tell him Happy Birthday!

Stamps: Baroque Motifs (SU!), Father Knows Best, Wedding Day & Birthday Basics (Papertrey), Ink: Brilliance Graphite Black (Tsukineko), Paper: Papertrey white, Basic Gray & Basic Black (SU!), Accessories: clear embossing powder (SU!), Nestabilities, black brads (Making Memories)

Life's a Beach

Ok, who needs a laugh? This stamp just cracks me up. I love how she looks sorta out of place. I made this card early on in the summer and I had every intention of sending it out, just because. And yet, here it sits. I liked it, then I didn't (as usual, with me) so I never posted it or sent it out. But I didn't want to just leave you guys hanging with nothin' while I was waiting for it to be time to post my dad's card. His birthday is Friday, and since I gave my stepmom my blog address, I was afraid he would see it online before he actually got it in the mail. Now his card I like. But we'll get into that one on Friday. For now, you'll just have to be content with Miss Betty Bombshell here and wonder to yourself how another summer has gone by already. The girls all go back to school next week and I'm totally prepared to lose my mind. Well, yes, partially with excitement, but also due to the fact that they are at 3 different schools and their release times are so ridiculous. I won't bore you with the details, but let's just say that if I make it home with 3 kids everyday (the 3 that I actually gave birth to), it will be the miracle of all miracles. I'm pretty sure that by the end of the year, we'll be having a moment of silence for my lost sanity. Ok, now, who's ready for school?!

Stamps: Betty Bombshell & sentiment (Stamping Bella), Ink: Brilliance Graphite Black (Tsukineko), Creamy Caramel & Bashful Blue (SU!), Paper: Papertrey white, Real Red & Creamy Caramel (SU!), Accessories: Copics, corner rounder punch

Happy Birthday Kayla

Yes, I'm still here. Sorry for being gone so long. My mom knew where I was and was still itching for a new post. On August 1st, we went on a little vacation to Disney World. I had set my posts ahead of time to post while I was gone and the last one went up on the day we got back. Hmmm, next time I will definitely have to plan better. When we got back, life started right back up (registration for 3 schools and volleyball camp, among a million other things) and I didn't have anything new to post or any other posts already written. Yesterday was the first time since we got back that I sat at my desk, and all I really did was straighten up. I've had this card done for about 3 weeks, but Kayla's birthday wasn't until today and I didn't want anyone (ok, her mom) to see it until now. So now I've got to get to work cuz my dad's birthday (ugh, another guy card!) is Friday and it's got a little traveling to do to get there. Plus, I've just plain ol' missed my stuff! So, I'm back and hopefully I'll be cranking out some pretty stuff for you guys to look at. Meanwhile, here's a shot of us at Magic Kingdom in Disney World. It really was great and if you get a chance, I definitely recommend you go.

Stamps: Patricia Birthdaycake (Stamping Bella), Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko), Paper: White & Lemon Tart (Papertrey), Pink Pirouette (SU!), patterned paper (Paper Reflections), Accessories: Copics & Nestabilities

Happy Birthday Kaleb

This here card is for my brother. And if you knew him, you would know that this card is perfect for him. See, to look at my brother and then to look at me, you could see that we are related. And that's weird, cuz we don't look anything like our mom, but that's all we have in common. However, he also has an identity crisis. Ok, maybe not so much a crisis, more like total confusion. Would that be a crisis? Anyway, he thinks he's Japanese. Not in a bad way. It's actually pretty cool. He speaks Japanese pretty well, from what I'm told. I mean, he could stand there and blab all day and I'd have no idea what he's saying. He could just be making stuff up, for all I know. But he's also incredibly smart, so I bet he's got that language down cold. Not to be outdone (it's a sibling thing), I can count to 10 in 4 languages. Not as impressive as mastering a whole language, but hey, counting can come in handy, too. If you're 5. Which is beside the point. He's also very interested in the cutlure and in going to Japan. I totally think he should just up & go. He can, he just hasn't. So Happy Birthday, Kaleb, and maybe this will be your year.

Stamps: Embrace Life & Artfully Asian (SU!), Ink: Always Artichoke (SU!), Antique Linen Distress (Ranger), Paper: Very Vanilla & Always Artichoke (SU!)

Happy Birthday Tomika

Ok, so this is the card that my niece is getting. This one feels a bit more age appropriate for a young and sassy girl. Hey, has anyone noticed that I'm a bit obsessed with my Nestabilities? I sit here & wonder what I did before I could add a scalloped trim to my images. I currently only have the rectangle ones, but I plan on getting the other shapes eventually. Then there will be no stopping me. I have become a scalloping fool. I think eventually I will be *gasp!* purging my supply of punches. Not all of them of course, but all the great big circles & scallop circles and whatnot. I'm too lazy to turn around & see what all I have, but there's a lot. So, Dana, don't go out & buy a bunch of them cuz we're gonna work something out. This is funny. When I first started to see Nestabilities, I thought, how lame. That's so much work. With my punch, all I have to do is whip out the punch & punch out what I need. But to be honest, the Nestabilities aren't that much work. It's not like my Cuttlebug is put away, in another room, in a cabinet on the top shelf. It's under my desk. My folders are in my cabinet a foot away from my desk. I keep the actual Nestabilities in CD cases right with all my stamps in the same cabinet. Easy peasy. I have to admit that I have come over to the dark side. I love my Nestabilties.

Stamps: Giftabella with Hat (Stamping Bella), Pretty Princess (SU!), Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko), Paper: Papertrey white, Cool Caribbean & Basic Black (SU!), Accessories: Primas, Baubles (Stamping Bella), Copics, Stickles, Nestabilities (duh)

An Oopsie Birthday

This card started out being for my niece who is turning 18. It had some cute little butterflies over on the panel where the Primas are. They even had little trails behind them. Then, I thought, hmmmm, those butterflies look nekkie (somehow, that became how we say naked in our house...), so I added some stickles. Man, that just wasn't working. So I thought I'd just pry off the butterflies and stick something over the trails that were left behind. Well, I couldn't cover them up, cuz while trying to be artsy fartsy and random, I also spread those suckers out all over the darn place and there was to be no covering them up. So, I pried off the other panel with the stamped flowers and just redid the whole bottom layer of the card. Aaaahh, much better. Added some Primas and viola! Yeah, that says VIOLA and not VOILA. It irritates me when people do that, so for some reason I just couldn't resist doing it myself. Clearly these people took Spanish in school. Anyway, by the time I finished all that switcherooing, it looked too *ahem* mature for an 18 year old. So, it's for my stepmom, who I'm pretty sure will love this card, cuz it's feminine and she's into all that kinda stuff. She's tough and doesn't take any crap, but she's still feminine and we love that about her. Happy Birthday Grandma!

Stamps: Spiral Bouquet, Birthday Basics (Papertrey), Ink: Riding Hood Red, Mellow Moss (SU!), Versafine Onyx Black, Paper: Papertrey white, Basic Black, Mellow Moss & Riding Hood Red (SU!), Accessories: Nestabilities, Primas, Stickles, Baubles (Stamping Bella)