3" x 3" Note Card Tin

I made 2 sets of these note card tins. Each tin holds 4 note cards and 4 envelopes. I stamped a different greeting on each card in the set. The green branch is one of our new sizzlet dies. I just love it! It is so cute!

Top Note Box Set

I made 3 of these Gift Card Sets last week with the Big Shot and the Top Note Die and the Scalloped envelope die. It holds 12 little gift cards and envelopes. I gave one to Danene as a thank you gift for hosting her party. If you have purchased the Big Shot starter kit, you have the right dies to make this. I took a box pattern off the Stampin' Up website and revamped it to fit in between the two top note dies. The designer paper is Delicate Dots which you can get for free right now when you place a $50.00 order.

Priceless and Top Note Card

Monday night was Danene Quigley's stamping party at the church. We had a great time as usual! As one of my stamper's said...(and I couldn't say it better!), I never laughed this hard when I had been drinking, this is a natural high. We have so much fun. Now mind you....you have to be able to accept being unmercifully teased, picked on, harassed etc. But it is all done in good natured fun. A few hours where everyone escapes from there problems and we all need that!

9 little notebooks

Hello! Here are some pictures of 9 little notebooks that I altered over the weekend. I love doing little projects because I like instant gratification. I am not one of those people who can work on one project for a year...or years. I admire people who can but I learned years ago when I first started crafting that it wasn't for me. I like to get something done and move on to something else.

Thoughts & Prayers

Tonight is Danene's stamping party and I am really looking forward to it. I have some beautiful projects cooked up for it which you will have to wait to see. But in the mean time, I thought I would show you a couple of cards that I made at Susie's and that I will be showing to the gals tonight. These are made with the new stamp set that Susie bought called Thought & Prayers. It is a really beautiful stamp set. My scans don't do it justice that is for sure. I think it is because the color's on the tree and branch are light. Have a great day! Boo

Birthday with the Girls

Last Sunday, I met the girls in the Dells and we had lunch to celebrate my birthday at UNO's. I had never been there before and it is a fun place and the food was good. Afterwards we went to Cold Stone Creamery for ice cream and then spent the rest of the day at Sarah and Zach's house in Reedsburg. I shot a few pictures to show you. The one of the girls was taken at UNO's, and the other two at Sarah's house. Jenna is holding Whiskey, Sarah and Zach's cat, and Sarah is holding Hunter, the new puppy. It was a fun day. I also celebrated my birthday again on Thursday with Carol Camp. We went to the Dells and did some shopping, saw a movie, had icecream at Culvers, and then went to Book World before heading home. It has been a fun week. Friday, I was out at Susie's working on cards, and yesterday Diane was here and we worked on projects in the afternoon. I have a bunch of things that I need to take pictures of to show you!

A Few of My Favorite Things

In February I taught the scrapbook class how to make these scrapbook pages. I have loved the song from Sound of Music, These are a Few of My Favorite Things, since I was a little girl. In fact, when Jenna was little my mom got the two of us a music box that plays that song which I still have. It is a basket with 2 stuffed kittens in it that move there heads along with the music. It is adorable. So I decided that it would be fun to do some scrap book pages with this theme. I went around the house and took pictures of things that I love to do. Some of these pictures are just symbolic. Like I love to read, so shot a picture of a book. That I love Red, White & Blue/&/or Americana stuff, love chocolate and collect chocolate items, love to quilt, love to talk on the phone, love music, and love to be on the computer. You get the drift!

Vintage Valentine

Happy Valentines Day! This is my Valentine to you! I absolutely LOVE old Valentines. Especially the pop out ones. I have my Grandmother's old valentines and I used to display them years ago but right now I don't have a good place to display them so I haven't had them out for Valentines for quite a few years. But they are just precious! I also have a scrapbook of cards that my mother made for me. She saved all the cards that I received from the time I was born til I was 5! It is a really neat book. It is interesting, as with fashion, greeting cards change over time periods and you can tell the circa by certain styles. I found a really cool Vintage Valentines Museum that I will share the link with you in case you would like to look at some old Valentines. http://www.vintagevalentinemuseum.com
That is where this Valentine is from. This one was made in 1939 in the US.
I have been busy celebrating my birthday for days. For those of you who don't know, it is on Valentines Day. My mother said that when she was pregnant with me, she never even thought about the possibility of me being born on that day until she was shopping for Valentines the week before I was born. You see...my grandmother was born on the 16th and she had been thinking that perhaps I would be born on that day. We would celebrate our birthdays together and my grandmother always made me chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. Can I blame her for my love of chocolate!?!?! Tee Hee!
So the celebrating started on Thursday night with the Yackette's. Then on Friday, Carol and Susie both stopped over with gifts, hugs, and well wishes. Then Lady Di took me shopping and to dinner at Plover to the Charcoal Grill to celebrate. Saturday, Mom and Melissa both stopped over with more gifts and well wishes, plus I have received cards, and emails. Thank you to all of you! You have made my day very special and I feel so loved by you all! Hugs! Boo

February Stamp Camp

I had Stamp Camps on Monday and Tuesday and here are some pictures of the projects we made. Tammy earned a gift certificate for $10.00 for introducing Angela July and Danene Quigley to stamping. They have both attended parties and stamp camps and now are "hooked"!!! Welcome to our CULT!

Tammy is in the center of the picture holding the catalog and to the left is the "serious" buyer, also known as Lady Di, and to the right of Tammy is the chow hound.....also know as Sister Mary Beth or Beth Griffith.

Fibromyalgia

I subscribe to a fibromyalgia newsletter and in it is a basic fact sheet that I thought I would share with you. I have fibromyalgia and spinal problems. Fibromyalgia can be difficult to explain to people what it is like so I thought I would share this with you because it is one of the first documents that I have seen layman terms.

About Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia (pronounced fy-bro-my-AL-ja) is a complex chronic pain disorder that affects an estimated 10 million Americans. While it occurs most often in women, it strikes men and children, and all ethnic backgrounds. For those with severe symptoms, fibromyalgia (FM) can be extremely debilitating and interfere with basic daily activities.

Diagnosis:

• The FM diagnostic criteria, established by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) in 1990, includes a history of widespread pain in all four quadrants of the body for a minimum duration of three months, and pain in at least 11 of the 18 designated tender points when a specified amount of pressure is applied.
• Since people with FM tend to look healthy and conventional tests are typically normal, a physician knowledgeable about the disorder is necessary to make a diagnosis.
• Physicians should rule out other causes of the symptoms before making a diagnosis of fibromyalgia.

Symptoms:

• Although chronic, widespread body pain is the primary symptom of fibromyalgia, a variety of other symptoms are common in FM patients. Symptoms include: moderate to severe fatigue, sleep disorders, problems with cognitive functioning, IBS, headaches and migraines, anxiety and depression, and environmental sensitivities.
• Research has documented neuroendocrine physiological abnormalities that may contribute to the symptoms.

Causes:

• Recent research has suggested a genetic component. The disorder is often seen in families, among siblings or mothers and their children.
• Fibromyalgia often occurs following a physical trauma, such as an acute illness or injury, which may act as a “trigger” in the development of the disorder.
• Increasing attention is being devoted to the central nervous system as the underlying mechanism of FM. Recent studies have suggested that FM patients have generalized disturbance in pain processing and an amplified response to stimuli that would not ordinarily be painful in healthy individuals.

Treatment:

• Since there is no known cure for FM, treatment focuses on relieving symptoms and improving function.
• A variety of prescription medications are often used to reduce pain levels and improve sleep. On June 21, 2007, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Lyrica (pregabalin) as the first drug to treat fibromyalgia. Cymbalta (duloxetine HCl) was approved in June 2008; and Savella (milnacipran HCl) was approved in January 2009.
• Alternative therapies, such as massage, myofasical release, acupuncture, chiropractic, herbal supplements and yoga, can be effective tools in managing FM symptoms.
• Increasing rest, pacing activities, reducing stress, practicing relaxation and improving nutrition can help minimize symptoms and improve quality of life.

National Fibromyalgia Association (NFA) is a nonprofit [501 (c) (3)] organization
www.FMaware.org (714) 921-0150

NFA 2008©

Angela's pretzels with Yummy for Your Tummy stamp

Good Evening! I just got home from a fun evening with the Yackette's. We went to Firehouse Pizza by Christmas Mountain. We had a great time...as usual, with lots of laughter. The gals had a card which they somehow snuck around the table and everyone signed it and I did not see them...which just amazes me so I wonder if they did it while I was at the salad bar. They sang "Happy Birthday" to me which for some reason made me blush....could it have been the Bacardi Silver Razz!?!?!?! Any hooo....our waiter gave us free Frozen Fried Brownies and Frozen Fried Cheesecake, neithor of which I had ever had before and they were quite yummy. I had bite of each. Delicish!

Today's pictures are of something I did not make. Angela July, a new stamper made 40 of these pretzels for the children in her kids school, along with cupcakes for her daughters class, presents for all the teachers, etc. Little Miss Overacheiver.....more power to you Angela! I asked her if she would send me a picture to show you all as she used a stamp set she just received during Sale-a-bration called Yummy. I think it is so darn cute! Not too late to get one for yourself! Just order $50.00 worth of Stampin Up merchandise (at one time) before the end of March and you can pick one of 6 different things for free from the Sale-A-Bration catalog!

Today I was finishing up some left over packets from stamp camp and I will post some pictures of those tomorrow! Have a good night! Boo

Hunter

Grandma finally got some pictures of the new baby! Here is Hunter....isn't he adorable. Sarah says he is doing really good and they love him. He loves his pillow that Grandma made him and Sarah says he will go into his cage by himself when he is tired and will lay down on it and take a nap. I wish I had time to go down and see him this week but during stamp camp week, I can't do much bumming. I always need to rest up after that. But the pictures will tide me over for a little bit. Sarah was telling me how much Hunter loves his toys and that he will already "sit" if they have a toy in there hand. He just loves this little alligator she says and you can sure tell that by the picture!

Today, I went to an Uppercase Living Party at Angela July's house and had a fun time. She made us a wonderful lunch and then Darla did her presentation. It was the first time I had been to one of these parties although I have been invited to a lot of them. I just don't have the right type walls for this stuff but it sure is cool. And I love all the expressions they have. After the party, Diane and I headed up to the Rapids being as we were so close, and I did some grocery shopping and I picked up some CD's as I was down to my last one. I caught up on my email after I got home and then started packing for tomorrow's Stamp Camp. I am just about finished packing. I finished reading my book tonight and then started reading Nicholas Sparks book "At First Sight". It was a little bit too interesting and took me along time to get sleepy but then I was too warm to fall asleep so here I am writing to you! Hopefully no one will call too early in the morning! Chow! Boo

$5.00 Magazine Subscription Offer

Hello- I just received this email from Good Housekeeping and Hearst magazines has an offer for one week only where you can get magazine subscriptions on certain magazines for only $5.00!!! Check it out and see if there are some you just have to have! Here is the link. https://subscribe.hearstmags.com/subscribe/veranda/23398

Mini Notebooks

Good Evening! Two post's in one day, aren't you lucky! Yesterday when Zach and I were out at Melissa's I brought home a couple of crates of House Mouse stamps that I borrowed from Melissa. I started playing with them tonight and this is what I created. I did some notebooks covers. I sell a lot of little notebooks at the flea market. People like them for themselves and for little gifts for teachers and friends. I also finished the 24 matchbooks that I had started yesterday so it was quite a productive day even though I laid down for awhile because I had a headache. I am not really tired yet but need to get a library book finished before Monday so I think I will hit the hay and try and get that finished up. My luck...I will fall asleep before getting it finished! Have a good night! Boo

Matchbook Note Pads

Good Morning! I tried and tried to upload this post last night and it would not let me upload a picture! I finally gave up. I wasn't sure if it was the website or my computer. I tried again this morning. Same problem. So finally I decided to reboot the computer and now it works! YEAH! All else fails, rebooting usually works. I had received an update last night from Mozilla Foxfire and sometimes updates can goof things up a bit!

Yesterday, in between phone calls, Susie's visit, and going with Zach out to Melissa's to pick up a dog carrier, I worked on making these mini Matchbook's. They have paper inside so you can jot down a phone number or quick note. They are fun and fairly fast to make. I finished 16 of them yesterday and put together another 24 which I plan to finish today. I just need to make all the little tags for the covers. The sun is shining here and the snow seems to be melting off the roof so it must be fairly warm out! I think I will call Sarah and see how things are going with the new puppy! I asked Zach to send me a picture of him and when I get one...I will post it. Or....maybe I will have to go down and take some pictures and see him for myself!

Dog Bed

I am becoming a grandma again! Sarah and Zach are getting a puppy. They are adopting a puppy from the shelter in Oxford and it was rescued from a place in Indiana that puts dogs down. They are so very excited. Zach will be going to Melissa's tomorrow to pick up a training kennel and to pick up the dog bed that I made and a mini rag quilt for the dog. I had this big pillow upstairs and I made a slipcover for it so that they will be able to take it off and wash it. They will pick up the puppy tomorrow night. It is a German Shepard/Lab mix. I am not sure what they are going to call it. It is named Toska right now but they may change it to Hunter. They weren't sure yet. I will put a picture of the new baby on here when I see it!

Trees Silhouettes

This stamp set is a set that I borrowed from Susie that is called Tree's Silhouettes by Gina K Designs. Susie bought it when we went there this weekend. I used Stampin' Up's Sanded Background on 3 of the cards and the other card, I ran it through the big shot with a dots texture plate. I also used SU's wide oval punch, photo corner's punch and a piece of hodge podge hardware. On the second card from the top I used the double rectangle to make the slots for the ribbon to go through. I weaved it from front to back and to the front again. If that makes any sense! One of those things that are easier to show you than to say! Have a great night! Boo

CURDS Get together!

Last Saturday, Melissa, Diane, Susie, and I took a road trip to GinaK's store in Mc Farland. They were having an open house and we did a make and take which was a cute valentine treat bag. I will try and remember to put pictures of it on here tomorrow. Then we headed over to Culvers to meet up with some stamping friends for lunch. This group decided to name our group the CURDS. It is a bunch of online stampin' girls. Not everyone was able to attend our little get together but it was fun seeing our new friends again. Some of us brought stuff that we had made to show the group. Kinda like show and tell in kindergarten....some of us just never grow up! And we don't want too! LOL It was fun getting all kinds of new ideas and I took alot of picture's of cards. Jeanie had a really cool candy center piece on the table with balloons attached to it so that anyone new joining us would know where our table was. And the best part was that it had LOTS OF CHOCOLATE IN IT! Wasn't that sweet! She is a sweetheart and Jeanie is the one who started our little group! Can't wait till the CURD Herd get's together again!

Cupcakes Anyone?

Today was another day of stamping. I got these 6 cupcake cards done. I think they turned out sweet! Tee hee! I should have had more done today but ended up with a headache late in the afternoon. I had to lay down, and I looked at a couple of scrapping books I have checked out from the library and ended up falling asleep. I think I got about an hour of sleep in before the phone rang which is a miracle in itself that it didn't ring for a hour! Daytime is pretty crazy around here except for the weekends. Anyhow, I did a few things on the computer then layed back down and immediately fell asleep again and slept from 5 till 9:30! So once again....this baby has her days and nights mixed up! But my headache is alot better and that is the important thing! And you never know...I may just go back to bed and sleep the rest of the night. You never can tell. My body is whacky like that. Feast or famine in the sleep department! Hope you enjoy the cards....leave me a comment! Love, Boo

Hey Cupcake!

Hello! Yesterday I spent most of the day putting stamping order's in. Sale-A-Bration is a BIG time of the year. Today was a play day in between phone calls and people stopping in. I made a couple of treat containers which I am going to make you wait to see....unless you stop over to the house, then I will give you a sneak peek! I just finished making these 4 cupcake cards that are going in to my card rack for the flea market this summer. I think they turned out stinkin' cute!