She Who Stamps

Time to Go!

2012-01-16T19:30:00.000-05:00

Move along, move along, nothing to see here. And do you know why there is nothing to see here? Because I'm moving my interweb home over here!

That's right, I am my own dot com! I'm dressing up as a dot com for Halloween! Ok, I'm just kidding about the Halloween thing. But... I could make a tee shirt that says my website, and then walk around trick or treating. And then when parents wanted to know who the neighborhood weirdo is, they could just look me up online! No, on second thought, I prefer to be an anonymous weirdo.

I guess what I'm really saying is, come see my new digs, you're welcome any time!

A Message From Your Friendly Neighborhood Monster

2011-05-11T19:57:00.000-04:00

Hey there! If you have every wanted to meet a friendly monster, today is your lucky day. This guy is mega-friendly, and chatty, and curious, and persistent! I mentioned in passing- in passing mind you- that I was going to write a blog post about monsters. Well, ever since that day he has been asking me, "Is today the day? Is it monster blog time? Which monsters are gonna be there? Am I invited? Will there be cake?!" And on... and on... and on...

So guess what, folks?! Can I get a drum roll please? ............ Introducing, for the first time ever, little... orange... monsterrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!

"um... hi."

What?! For days on end he has been pestering and poking me, he has been chatting my ear off. Now that monster time is finally here all he can say is, "hi."??

Well, I'm sorry. I really thought he was going to fill all the time, I didn't even prepare a monster speech. I thought we'd just have this monster ramble on at you for a while so you could get the full experience. Instead, we got one word. I thought we were going to have an 8-minute monologue, but noooooo. Anyway, I guess I'll just wrap this up. I asked some of the other monsters for an interview and they just rolled around and roared.

I know! You could always check out some other monsters here at i only like monsters. Keep up with all the monster gossip and make new friends. If you like, you could scroll to May 10th and have a peek at my cactus zombie. Just sayin'

Needle Felting Makes Me Feel Alive!

2011-04-23T09:23:00.000-04:00

It makes me feel alive because I stab myself all the dang time! These needles are sharp, and I know that. You'd think I'd learn, but you'd be wrong- because I can't seem to keep my paws out of the way. Just another night in the craft room. :)

2011-04-19T17:17:00.000-04:00

Hi. I'm Tina, and sometimes I write letters to inanimate objects. Don't judge me! I see you there, Judgey McJudgenstein! You can just scoot right along. Ya hear?

Dear Basil,

I'm sorry to say I'm breaking up with you. Our relationship just wasn't working out. See, I wanted more from you besides your delicious leaves for my dinner. I also wanted a good listener, a bar-hopping buddy for Friday nights, and mutual understanding. You wanted... water. I'm sorry, but I just can't commit like that.

Love,

tina

Nearly Two Years Later...

2011-04-15T14:59:00.000-04:00

Well, what a difference a year makes. And what a greater difference two years makes, my friends. I took a blogging break around the time we found out my husband's job was being relocated. I've always been an Ohio girl, never living more than a couple hours from my parents. And I liked it that way, we didn't really want to move away from our family and friends. I was feeling like a zombie for a while. I was mad and sad, and feelin' bad, thinking 'bout the things that I never had. Oh wait, I'm bustin' out a little Salt-N-Pepa there.

Sooooo... jump to present day and we live in Georgia! It's not so bad, the area is lovely, and we get to go back to Ohio and visit every couple of months. I know it could be worse, which is why I'm not sitting here bitching about it. And if you think THIS is bitching, then you don't know me now, do you?

I didn't do any crafting for a while, which is very unlike me. So I had nothing to blog about, and a whole lotta, "Wahhhhhh wahhhhh, I don't like it!!!" doesn't make for a fun read. Catch my drift? But now I'm feeling better, I've got my new craft room nearly set-up, and I'm making all kinds of fun stuff again. So I feel like normal old Tina, and that's about that. So, if you missed me, come on back. And if you didn't... too bad! :D

Betty Crocker is in the House

2009-05-03T22:44:00.004-04:00

I got a Lodge dutch oven for Christmas, and have been trying a lot of recipes that I have collected over the years. One of them was the no knead bread recipe from the New York Times back in 2006. There is also a youtube video with step-by-step instructions on the bread making.

These photos are from the second loaf I made this weekend. This time I used bread flour instead of all-purpose flour. We actually like the AP flour better, but next time I may try half of each. I found a lot of information online about the bread online, and most people had amazing results. I'm really pleased with how each loaf turned out- it was really simple, just required some patience to wait for the dough to rise.

I'm thrilled to have baked my own bread- I was always nervous to use yeast for some reason. This is the first I've tried anything with yeast, and I have already started thinking of what to make next! Always being one to research recipes I am encouraged by these bread making tips from Smitten Kitchen. Surely something from here will be on the to-do list as well. I'm going to look for some library books as well- hopefully I can find this one or maybe this one for some more beginner recipes.

New Critter Cushions

2009-03-06T11:21:00.003-05:00

My lovely friend Annie asked me to make a hippo pincushion for her and this is what I came up with.

Just relaxing in the water with a lilypad floating alongside.

I'd say this hippo has it pretty easy in this life. I think he's pretty darn cute for my first hippo and I plan to make another one to list in my etsy shop.

Speaking of Etsy- this little sheep on a hill is listed there- he's smaller than my other sheepy pincushion, and there are more critter cushions to come! :)

Needle Felted Critters

2009-03-01T00:36:00.004-05:00

My friend Anisa and I both have early February birthdays and we exchange gifts. She gave me some acorns she collected in Texas, because she knows I'm a scavenger at heart. She also gave me some really cool acorn candle holders. I wanted to make something for her because she quilts- and it's fun to craft things for other crafty people. I wanted to make a pincushion for her, and I had this little dish that came with a flower growing kit. I made this little sheep in a pasture, and it inspired me to make more critter-cushions for my Etsy shop.

I found some small dishes, but then decided to look at goodwill to find other one of a kind bases for the cushions. I'll be making more soon, but for now the little group of felted items are all I have. Sunday is my day to stay home and craft- and I can't wait to get started on more!

Houdini Dog

2009-02-20T00:24:00.002-05:00

See this sweet little pup? She looks so innocent, but she cannot be trusted! A week ago she escaped from her crate while we were at work and had a really good time on her own. She had a crap-tastic time actually, but luckily for me Jeff beat me home!

This afternoon I came home and spotted a stick on the living room floor. I picked it up and saw that it was a perch I had just taken out of the bird cage. What the... oh, hello Trixie! She greeted me with a mouth full of bright green wool roving that I bought yesterday and hadn't put away yet. It was fluffed up all over the craft room, and she has still been finding pieces tonight- she has some stashed away I'm sure. Then I saw that Trixie had also found a pair of my socks and roughed them up a bit, isn't she helpful? A few shredded napkins finished off the scene. Not too bad for a pup on her own for who knows how long. I *think* I have secured the escape-hatch on her crate, but I guess time will tell. For now I'll have to close the craft room door and cross my fingers!

ATCs Made using Greeting Cards

2009-02-17T17:56:00.012-05:00

I'm part of an ATC (artist trading card) swap with a group of ladies, and we have a monthly theme. This month's challenge was to make ATCs with store-bought greeting cards as a base. I gave away most of my store-bought greeting cards when I started making my own cards several years ago. I managed to scrounge up one or two, but decided to make a trip to the Dollar Tree where I found these:

I liked the flourishes and the little pink hearts, so got these and a package of a different design and headed home to make something. The swap is for 9 cards, but this pack only came with 8 greeting cards, so I knew I'd have to use the sides with the sentiment as well. Here is what I came up with :)

I have a little story about the second pack of cards, but I'll save that one for another day. If you'd like to be part of a monthly 9:9 ATC swap let me know and I'll pass your info on to the organizer- the more the merrier!

A Wee Mouse

2009-02-08T11:13:00.000-05:00

I took my needle felting supplies on vacation to visit my parents in Myrtle Beach. Mom wanted to give it a try and she made a little grey blob that I turned into a mouse. He's sitting on a quarter in these pictures and I left him there to keep them company. :)

Valentine Bunny

2009-01-12T22:31:00.002-05:00

I needle-felted this little guy over the weekend and am really pleased with how he turned out.

The heart was going to be for something else, but I liked it better with the bunny than the carrots I made for him.

I like him right down to his fluffy white tail. In fact, I like this guy so much that I'm going to do something I seldom do- I'm going to keep him! More needle-felted critters to come- I promise!

Ornaments

2008-12-13T01:32:00.002-05:00

I am in the ornament making mood and have really been having fun making these little goodies. I have all kinds of ideas for more of them too!

I love these little birds- the cardinal is Ohio's state bird- so I'm especially partial to those and have lots of them on my Christmas tree. These ornaments are the first two things I've listed in my Etsy shop. I have finally taken the plunge- constructive criticism is always welcome :)

Glub Blub Glug Glug...

2008-10-13T19:41:00.006-04:00

That's the sound a lawnmower makes. At least that's the sound MY lawnmower made yesterday. I was bitching and moaning about having to mow the lawn because my sweetie had a benign lump removed from his ankle and can't do a lot of walking. As I was getting started he asked if I'd remembered to take my back pill- and I hadn't. He went in to get it for me, and as I came around the side of the house I saw him standing on the deck. I stopped the mower and turned to walk over to him and saw him pointing toward the pond. The lovely pond where our mower was heading. It hit a bush and slowed a little as it bounced down the slope- but not enough for me to catch it.

I'm accident-prone and usually don't walk down the slope- and I had no idea I could actually RUN down it. The bubbles and glugging were just getting started as I grabbed the handle that was still above water. I dragged that blasted machine back up the hill with one hand. Adrenaline is a wonderful hormone- it worked well for me yesterday. I'd like to take this moment to give a shout-out to my adrenal glands for not letting me down. Thank you adrenal glands, I've never given a second thought to you, but you were there for me when I needed to drag my fat butt up and down a hill to rescue an off-roading-mower.

I'm also thankful that we went "green" with our mower and use the Neuton, a battery-operated mower. I think having no gas tank, no oil, etc- was helpful in this case of scuba-mower. It's a very nice mower- quieter than a vacuum cleaner and no emissions and no tune-ups. There was water in the battery, but we have a second battery that wasn't dunked in the pond. We sprayed it off and wiped away any pond scum. We left it out in the sun to dry and set-up a fan to blow on it too. This morning it started right up!! WHEW!!! So now that all is well in the world and I've finished mowing the lawn I must admit it's funny. So go ahead, have a laugh, I can take it!

ps- the card in the pic is ooooold, but fit the theme.

All Decked Out

2008-09-20T21:35:00.004-04:00

From Deck Progress

Our deck is finished, has been for a couple weeks actually, I just didn't get any photos up. We really like how it turned out. I do think I'm going to see about having more of the crossing-slats across the top of pergola though. It would provide more shade, and the other pergolas on their website show more going across, and another one they built on our street has closer slats as well. Overall I'm pleased with their work though- more photos in this album.

New Purple Onion!!!

2008-09-17T00:04:00.007-04:00

I made these first two cards while the power was out. I also was faced with the truth that I get soooo much more done when the computer is off! I like the way the word "witch" shows right next to this witch image her. I used some of the tiny stamps- eek, boo, and the spider, on some little plastic tags. I have a couple more Halloween cards in the works.

I found this dancer on a clipart cd and thought she'd be cute on a thank you card. This is one of my favorite Basic Grey color schemes- an oldie but a goodie. Do you think she needs something in her hand?

I am thinking of using this angel over one of the winter note-block stamps, but for now she's over the POD music background with another POD sentiment. I got this lace in a vintage trims grab-bag at the stamp show last month.

Fits of Fairy Fluttering

2008-09-16T20:10:00.007-04:00

I did end up adding a blue card back to the third card here- I guess I didn't re-scan it, but it's cute either way. I love to color the ECG stamps, and I am convinced that I neeeeeed those new fairies from a recent supplement ECG put out. I don't have enough fairies, I am absolutely sure I need more. I must express myself through darling sparkle-winged fairies and that's all there is to it!!!

I am glad that our power is back on- not that I am even going to complain about being without it for around 24 hours. Those in the areas where hurricanes came ashore are much worse off than we were with the 70-80 mph winds. Ohio doesn't tend to see wide-spread winds like this since we are land-locked. When we get high winds it tends to be in the form of a tornado which has a devestating, yet narrow, path of destruction. We have less damage than many of our neighbors- we have no mature trees on our lot, so no down limbs. Several neighbors with the rubbermaid cabinets and sheds had them blown over, trash cans and patio furniture blew around. A few shingles in need of repair, and our grill and chairs flew around the deck. We were out to eat at our favorite Mexican place when the storm hit- they have a large canopy that was ripped from the building and landed in a big mud puddle in the construction site next door. Thankfully no people or cars were hurt. Many parts of our area are still without power- it's patchy. My husband's workplace never lost power, and mine is back online today, so I'm back to work tomorrow. At the end of it all we are thankful to be safe and home!

2008-09-15T16:55:00.002-04:00

This is not the card I just made... but I thought I'd show it to you anyway since I seem to not have posted it anywhere yet. More cute Eat Cake Graphics stamps and Purple Onion Designs stamps here. Colored with my trusty prismacolor pencils.

Lots of Birthdays!!!

2008-09-14T13:30:00.002-04:00

September is so full of birthdays that I am not sure if I can get all the cards done! I'll post them as I go over the next couple days. This one was going to be for my sister, but I haven't seen her in a couple weeks- so I'll make a belated one for her and am gong to recycle this one for a friend- shhh... don't tell!!

It's about time

2008-08-03T21:54:00.002-04:00

that Annie got a blog! You don't know how much bitching I had to put up with about how she would never do it. Check out Annie's Ponderings.

This Old Man is 80!

2008-07-23T09:27:00.004-04:00

My dad turned 80 on Memorial Day this year and my brother Gary had a fantastic cookout at his house. We picked up the cake, and decided to do the skinny candles so we could fit all 80 of them. Well, it was windy, so Dad only had to blow out one candle because we couldn't get them to stay lit, but it still counts!

Legacy

2008-07-22T13:26:00.001-04:00

Over the July 4th weekend we went to my family reunion in Port Austin, Michigan. The Schwanitz farm has been in the family since the late 1800s and remains in the family due to the love and care of my cousin Matt and his wife Monica. They have spent a lot of time and money on improvements and restoration and they have really brought it back to life. I can't imagine how it feels for Dad and my uncles to be able to revisit their childhood home and see things put back to the way they were back then. We had a fantastic time, and even though I took about 300 photos, I wish I had taken more! Blogger only wants to let me show you 4 of them, so here are some of my favorites. I really like the picture of the three nails- not sure why, maybe it's the antique spider web ;)

For Mom

2008-05-10T09:09:00.003-04:00

Still not much time to work on anything crafty, but I had to take a break from my school work to make a couple cards for Mothers's day. Nothing fancy here, just two Hero Arts stamps and some rhinestones. The tiny ones are from a snowflake-shaped rhinestone sticker that I cut apart. Happy Mothers's Day to all the Moms out there!

Puppy Tricks

2008-04-16T17:38:00.003-04:00

Trixie got her first haircut and I took a little video of her tricks.

I swear this will not become a dog-blog, I just have no crafts to show!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

2008-03-17T23:53:00.002-04:00

Trixie O'Puppy wanted to take a moment out of her busy schedule to wish you a fantastic day for the wearin 'o the green. I haven't managed to make any St. Pat's cards or Easter cards this year, so this pic is all I've got to show.

Welcome Home Trixie

2008-03-07T21:46:00.004-05:00

Here she is- Beatrix "Trixie" the new puppy in the family. I'm working on some new puppy photos that have to be touched up- it sure is tough to photograph a black dog! Anyway- here is one straight off the camera from last Thursday, the day we brought her home. I'm amazed at how much she's grown and changed in just a week! Sweet little fuzz-butt, she's been such a joy to have around the house.

Just a couple more weeks of school, we're having some winter weather, so I'm going to stay indoors and have a homework-fest! I went to my advisor to be sure I'm close to graduation- just one more quarter at full-time, then ONE math class is all that stands between me and graduation! :D

The Language of Love

2008-02-15T09:43:00.006-05:00

Our Valentine gifts to each other got me thinking of this book that I read before Jeff and I got married called The Five Love Languages. I was given the book as a wedding shower gift, and it's a fast and worthwhile read. Dr. Gary Chapman outlines the five different ways that people show and feel love. Once you have figured out which language you and the people around you prefer, you can show your love in the lanugage they understand. There is a quick quiz you can take to find out your language, and if your spouse hasn't taken the quiz you can figure out their language by watching how they express love to you. Usually the way a person expresses him/herself when they show love is the way they understand best.

So, since Jeff knows I like a little something to show he was thinking of me, I got a beautiful card and a darling little bear as my valentine and Jeff got acts of service, aka a cleaned up house. I hope your Valentine's day was as lovely as mine! :)

Puppy Love

2008-02-14T20:11:00.003-05:00

Awwwwww, sweet little poochie- just an updated pic from the breeder. Little pup looks sleepy here, I wonder if she takes their pictures right after the puppies wake up to cut down on the friskies.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone- I'm bummed I didn't make cards this year- but I'm not going to miss the boat again next year. I've got some new ideas cookin' up for this blog and for my crafting life. If school would just stay outta my way that is ;)

Puppy Update

2008-02-09T23:06:00.000-05:00

Here she is folks- a little black ball of fur who probably won't have a name until we bring her home and play with her a bit more. We went today to look at some puppies and had three to choose from. We loved this sweet little girl and she'll be coming home with us at the end of the month. Here are the details- she's a shih-poo like Buckeye from previous posts, a dog that is generally good for people with allergies such as myself. Hopefully I'll have luck with this dog too *knock on wood* and won't be sneezing all day. She was born on January 1st and she'll end up being about 10 pounds. I'm going to take some time off work to get her all settled in and used to life here. It will be a homework and puppy-fest. ACK! I'm excited and nervous at the same time. We have been out browsing for supplies and making notes about what various stores have and the prices. Yes, we really are that dorky. I need to see all my options for puppy stuff before I buy- I'm just that kind of girl.

We decided to get a puppy sooner than later, having Buckeye here really convinced us that we wanted a dog. I'm able to be home a bit more right now because I'm working on school, so I can be here to take her in and out. We also like the thought of having her here for the nicer weather, making housebreaking easier... hopefully. Then, when the winter holidays come around we'll have a pup who is nearly a year old and hopefully polite enough to do a little Christmas visiting. Whew- the countdown begins!

Juror 101

2008-02-07T07:40:00.000-05:00

That's my number folks, I have jury duty again. I guess it was a few years ago that I had to serve on a jury, but it seems that this jury duty summons is only for today. The wording isn't very clear, so I guess I'll find out more when I get there. This is just City of Dayton court, so it's not anything big. The last jury I served on was a felony case and was under a different court. I'm missing a doctor's appointment to go to this dang it! Hopefully I will be released this time- fingers crossed.

On a happier note, we have decided that we are definately adding a fur-baby to our family. Having Buckeye here for nearly a week showed us how much we really want a dog of our own. Watch this space for puppy updates- we'll have a little fuzz-butt here sooner rather than later! :)

A Sad Change of Events

2008-02-02T21:37:00.001-05:00

Well, I guess I jumped the gun posting good news about puppy adoption. I called today to see when we could go pick him up and got bad news. Seems his first family has changed their mind, so we won't have a new fur-baby after all. I'm very sad- I wanted us to adopt him, and hadn't gotten my heart set on him until she called me Tuesday and said we could have him. Guess it's just another case of not counting your chickens before they hatch. I shouldn't have gotten puppy fever before having the puppy in my house. Looks like birdie is an only pet after all. Kind of a birthday bummer! :(

Waiting

2008-01-30T16:05:00.000-05:00

So tired, tired of waiting, tired of waiting for yooooouuuuuuuuu...

This darling little fuzz-ball is Buckeye, and next week he will be adopted by us! A week ago a friend of my sister let us borrow this six-month old puppy because they were thinking of finding a new home for him. Well, he didn't want to chomp our bird, and he fit in here right away. Yesterday Buckeye's family had a meeting and decided that he is indeed up for adoption- and he's going to move in here. We'll be gone for the weekend, but we'll be picking him up when we return.

Who? Me? I'm moving?

He's a shih-poo, and will stay pretty small. I mostly took pics of Buckeye on his own just being cute- but here is one of Jeff walking him down the street behind our house. (I love my 10x zoom!)

Now we just need to decide if he stays Buckeye or if he gets a new identity. He was named for Ohio State University. Living in Ohio, but not having any OSU ties and not sports fans... we might need to think about that. Any suggestions? ;)

The Sweetest Thing...

2008-01-20T19:16:00.000-05:00

One of the most thoughtful and amazing things happened to me at work this past week. My friend Angie told me to close my eyes and hold out my hands- and she gave me this basket.

She gave me new shoes- and really cute shoes too. They were in this basket arranged like flower petals, and they're a bit messed up in this pic since I was trying them on for size. Shoes? Yes- shoes- lots of them! It may seem like no big deal to you, but I'll tell you why it was so amazing to me.

You readers in blog-land probably don't know this about me, but I am a large lady. I am 6'2'' I have big feet- size 13 women's shoes, and I'm, how shall I put this so I don't hurt my own feelings... not slim. I was always large for my age, growing up I was the tallest girl in my class all through school. As far as feet go, I've always had whoppers. I wore a size 8 when I was 8 years old, 9 when I was 9, and wore a 10 when I was 10. I held at 10 for quite a while, but slowly went up to a 12- and in my 20s, when my size 12WW shoes were just too small, I finally found a pair of size 13 shoes that were a perfect fit- I'd probably needed them for years and my feet could finally be comfortable.

Growing up I never had the cool shoes or clothes that the other kids had, I was adult sized as a child and they just weren't available. I've been wearing men's gym shoes for years, I also have several pair of unisex birkenstocks which have served me well over the years. I have plenty of work shoes and dress shoes, but was unable to find cute, casual shoes in my size... and then I was handed this amazing gift. Shoes that are exactly what I was looking for, they're in style, they're *women's*, cute, pink- they are something I've never had in my life.

This is the amazing thing about friendship- my friend noticed something that I wished for, and couldn't find, and took the time to go and find it for me. It doesn't have to be a concrete object- friends see the confidence you're missing, the joy, the strength, the forgiveness, the peace, and share their own. My friend gave me something I've wanted since childhood, and most of all, she thinks enough of me to think about me.

Happy 2008

2008-01-12T17:03:00.000-05:00

toothpastefordinner.com

Just popping on to say that I'm busy crafting away and making some thank you cards and birthday cards to use in 2008. I'm trying to use up some scraps and make more cards that I can send during the year. I've been slacking on card sending since I went back to school- I'm not sure that I'll graduate this year or not, but I've got my fingers crossed! I hope you're having a great year so far!

A Little Happy

2007-12-17T10:12:00.000-05:00

I'm in love with this song, I can't help it- it makes me happy. I'm playing it over and over while I'm sitting here wondering why I didn't measure my Christmas cards before spending $11 on envelopes that are just a smidgen too small... Hmmmm, nevermind... I don't think I care about that right now...I'm too busy singing...1234 tell me that you love me more...

Wanna Dance?

2007-12-15T12:06:00.000-05:00

I'm sure you've seen this, but have you seen my bird dance? I don't think so! Click here if you want to watch us elf ourselves.

Sock it to Me

2007-12-09T21:23:00.000-05:00

I was in an altered stocking swap on a message bord I'm on, and this is what I came up with. I really had a hard time getting it going, but decided to go with a snowflake theme on these baby pink footies. I tucked it into my white Christmas tree to take a photo. I stitched a few ornaments and buttons onto the sock and filled it with goodies. I sent the other sock too so my partner can just snip the threads and hang the ornaments on her tree then wear the footies.

This Birdie Means Business

2007-12-06T09:58:00.000-05:00

Olie the bird says to go visit Lisa Renea's blog The Tattered Tiara where he is currently being featured in ornament form. Actually, he only has about twelve phrases, and that's not *really* one of them, but half of his phrases include the word "bite". Such as: Nice birdies don't bite, Ouch! Don't bite me!, and sometimes he shortens it to a simple "bite me". So, if the promise of cuteness won't get you to click the link, how about a little encouragement from birdie, after all- he bites!

Happy Birthday Jeff!

2007-12-05T11:28:00.000-05:00

Just a little happy birthday wish to my husband Jeff who turns 34 today. He always wants snow for his birthday, and today we woke up to a couple inches of beautiful snow. The flakes were fluffy and falling softly, it looked like our little house was inside a snow-globe. Here he is setting up the train around the Christmas tree- wearing his circa 1973 shirt. Fitting since Jeff made his debut in 1973 as well.

These are a couple photo ornaments of our trip to Rhode Island this summer. Our tree has several photo ornaments of me as a little girl, and he gets a kick out of those, but there are none of him- so I fixed that! Mine has some shell beads hanging on the bottom, but I left Jeff's plain. I had a hard time choosing a picture of me, so I chose a laughing one. It's easy to pick one of Jeff since he is handsome and photogenic, doesn't he have a baby face? These ornaments are his birthday gift, and we'll go out to dinner if the roads are clear.

I made a quickie card for him using Basic Grey paper and Purple Onion Designs stamps, the center circle was rubbed with distress ink for color and raised on a pop dot. Happy Birthday Jeff!

Band-Aid Boxes

2007-12-04T22:40:00.000-05:00

These were made a while ago for a swap- they're little band-aid tins with handles on the top. They're just the right size for ATCs, but mine will house little bits and pieces of crafty goodness. These started off white, I colored them with alcohol inks, stamped on them, and added some torn dictionary pages with mod-podge. I tied some ribbon and charms and/or beads so they had a little more decoration.

I tried for about 30 minutes to put each box into one front/back image so I'd have three instead of six... but I just couldn't figure it out! Maybe I need to get photoshop instead of paint shop pro. The backs follow the fronts, that's the best I can do for now.

An Ornament Preview

2007-12-03T23:21:00.000-05:00

I've been making some ornaments with microscope slides in several different shapes and sizes. I learned to solder with lead, but being that ornaments can last a long time I decided to use lead-free solder on these. This way if they are handled often, or heaven forbid are chewed on by children, there will be no harm done. Well... besides the usual harm that chewing glass would cause- I mean there would be no lead poisioning! I ate more than one ornament as a child, so I'm looking out for the health of other ornament eaters out there, but that is a story for another day! I've made several of these for gifts, so I won't show those to you, but this little one is for my tree. More to come! Thanks for stopping by :)

Bird Fight!!!

2007-12-01T21:42:00.000-05:00

It really is true that tomorrow never comes, because I STILL haven't bugged DH to load my pictures, and I also haven't played with the new camera yet. It's a Christmas gift for me, but he'll be wrapping an empty box because I am not going to wait. Patience is not my strong suit. So... I bring you more cell phone pics of my rotten little bird when I introduced him to my knit and felted owl.

Here we have Owlie, a darling little bird I knit up in one night thanks to a very clear and easy pattern I bought from CraftyAlien on Etsy. I love birds, I have one of my very own, and decide to introduce him to the newest member of our flock. Olie meets Owlie... it ain't pretty folks...

Dang! Look at him go straight for the EYE! He means business- this house is not big enough for the two of them- goodness me! I have always said that this bird is 2.4 ounces of evil covered in perty feathers- do you believe me now?? Owlie suffered little damage, but won't be making nice with any other birdies any time soon. Once bitten twice shy.

My Lamp

2007-11-30T19:48:00.000-05:00

Yes, I made this my very own self! I am a crazy person, so when I only registered for two courses this past quarter (and I'm used to three) I decided to take a stained glass class at the craft shop. Well, I don't regret it, because I love my lamp. I still haven't gotten the pics off my real camera, so this is a phone pic, but you get the idea. I used a creamy vanilla color for the center panel, and a toffee color for the thin strips, then a chocolate for the outside. Mmmmm, vanilla, toffee, chocolate- can you tell I'm always on a diet? I made another piece in the class as well, and I've been soldering some christmas ornaments with microscope slides, but those I will save for another day and for *real* pictures. The lamp has been banished to the guest bedroom for the holidays since it lives in the same place as my nativity set. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, so I await the day the lamp and I can be together again ;)

I have lovely treasures to show...

2007-11-29T09:49:00.000-05:00

If I could only figure out how to work the camera! I'll have DH download for me tonight- I have forgotten how to hook up the cords, and it's just as well since we just bought a new camera. Why remember how to use the old one now that I have to learn the new one... right?

I wanna show you my stained and fused glass work, and my new ornaments, my new table and chairs which almost sent me to the looney bin, and my beeeeeeeautiful Christmas tree- I have been making stuff. But for now all I have to show is a scan of some glass earrings I made for my mom's birthday back in October.

Mom is seldom impressed with my crafting ventures, and repeatedly tells me not to make anything for her because she doesn't want it. Well, I just see that as a challenge, and I shower her with unwanted gifts because I was born to annoy her as much as possible. These are mirror images of each other, and I let Mom choose which end was up before I glued the backs to them. They aren't as heavy as you'd think, and Mom wears clips- so she can take it! ;)

More Needle-Felted Stuff

2007-09-20T09:19:00.000-04:00

Well, I go in spurts, and haven't updated here in a long time. But if you think this was long, these pics have been on my digital camera for nearly six months... so I'm slow at everything. Anyway, here are some fuzzy cute things if anyone still checks in ;) Needle-felted purse that I knit for a friend's birthday- the daisy on the front, and a little ladybug on a leaf in the back. The white bunny is a bit washed out in the first pic, but has a little pink puffy tail, where the "wild" brown bunny has a super-soft angora tail. These guys are tiny- each one could sit on a quarter.

Felted ATCs

2007-07-11T18:08:00.000-04:00

I've been needle-felting lately, and have made some ATCs just for fun. Some of them are gone already, but I'm just getting around to posting. They are tough to scan because of the thickness, but the colors are much nicer IRL- this gives you an idea though- I've been up to something :)

Blog under construction

2007-06-24T21:22:00.000-04:00

Well, here is another inchie ATC for you to look at while my blog is under a bit of construction. I upgraded my template to the easier to use kind, and I lost my links in the process. I am too tired to go putting them all back now, so it will have to wait a bit. I'll post some inchie art as I inch along in getting the blog back in shape. This one is a bit blurry due to the flowers, but it's up for trade- any ATC traders out in blog-land want to swap for some buzzing bees?? Thanks for stopping by!

All you need is love

2007-06-23T09:57:00.000-04:00

I love this Beatles song, and I must be in a lovey-dovey mood I guess. A simple card for a simple sentiment- just some black paper, white ink, and heart stickers. Muchas smooches ;)

A daisy a day

2007-06-22T00:37:00.000-04:00

I had made a bunch of distress ink backgrounds, and was in the coloring mood. I colored dozens of these daisy faces by Catslife Press to use in future projects, this is one of my favorite stamps. I'm going to make a whole garden of these cuties, and a baby card or two :)

Summertime

2007-06-21T08:11:00.001-04:00

I do not like summer...not one bit. If you are a fan of the heat you can have my share any day- I'll trade you for your snow. This June hit us with a dry spell and a heat wave, and I'm such a summer scrooge that I didn't even get a couple pots of petunias. This ATC is the most love I've ever shown to this season!

Smoochie Inchie ATCs

2007-06-19T15:05:00.000-04:00

Well, I was in a 3:3 swap where the theme was inchies on ATCs- I made this set of kissy-face and huggy-bear cards. I had printed these pictures of a couple kissing on the subway, and had planned to use them on Valentines the year. They either got lost or I scrapped the idea all together, but they worked out well here. The scan is a bit blurry due to the dimensional hearts- but the definition on the first card is "glow" and the definition on the third card is "make-out" I love cutting up this old dictionary! XOXOXO

Seven Things About Me

2007-06-19T00:41:00.000-04:00

Ok, make that old western movie sound where the tumble-weeds blow across the screen... I'm back baby! ;) Tracy tagged me on her blog ages and ages ago- and I'm just getting this posted now. Drum roll please... here are seven things about me! (ps- this started out more light-hearted and took a bit of a turn- I'll post some fun crafty stuff to look at soon, I promise! :) )

1. I love to play cards and I’m always up for a friendly game. I didn’t have regular games as a child- no Chutes and Ladders and Candy Land for me- I played gin rummy. My parents showed no mercy either- they kicked my butt again and again. I would have liked to have won more, but Mom and Dad being hard on me made me a better card player.

2. I go in spurts- I would like to follow a daily or weekly routine, but I tend to get motivated to do a certain thing and stick to it until the motivation runs out. Like this blog for example- I go from daily updates to a weeks of silence. I do the same with my school work- two weeks of study and research, then two weeks of slacking off… usually the slacking off leads to blog updates- funny how that works…

3. I seldom sit down to craft something and finish it in the same day. When I get in the mood to make backgrounds I sit down and make dozens of sheets. I may make embellishments, whip out the knitting, paint like crazy, and then I come to a screeching halt. Later, when I’m in the mood to actually finish something, I have all the pieces ready. I wish I could get an idea and see it through from start to finish, but that’s just not me I guess.

4. I have to make things- I have no choice. I’m compelled to make stuff (for lack of a better word) and I don’t need a reason why. Even when I was a broke college student- every extra penny went toward craft supplies. Part of the problem with making so much stuff is that you can get buried under all of it very easily. I think this is partly the reason I started making greeting cards- they are easy to get rid of! So these creations need to leave my home in the form of cards or gifts- or something! Once I have given something away it is the recipient’s choice what happens to it from then on- give it away, throw it away, keep it forever- whatever! I need to room to make more stuff!!

5. I’m terrible about responding to email- I read the email… then I ponder my reply…but I may never type and send a reply. My family teases me and one other brother about our lack of electronic communication, they nearly faint dead away when a message from either of us graces the old in-box. BUT, I do send actual paper letters and cards by snail-mail, and I like those better anyhow. So there!

6. I don’t like to borrow trouble, but I have to remind myself that worry gets you nowhere, I could spend all day playing “what-if…” and that is a waste of time. I work every day not to be a worry-wart. I’ll deal with what actually happens when it happens, I have wasted enough hours in worry and wonder, and I’m done with that. I don’t watch sad movies, I don’t read tear-jerker books- or even the short little email stories. I don’t watch the news or read the paper- not even for the weather- I’d rather be surprised by a rainstorm than depressed over some bad news I have no control over.

7. I loooooooove Christmas- it is my favorite season. I love the smell of the winter air, the snow, the cold- to heck with summer. I like the time of giving and reflecting on the year, and the way people behave when they are thinking of others instead of themselves. I wish that feeling lasted all year long. The funny thing about the golden rule is that we rarely truly follow it. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you- the DOING must come first. It is not “Do unto others as they have done to you.” There is no tit for tat, was it Gandhi who said that an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind? I guess what I’m saying is that I want to always be the kind of person I am when I have that Christmas feeling in my heart. I try to keep it all year long.

THE END!!

Now do I still get to tag other people even if I took soooo long to do mine?? I tag Kerilou and Sue! :)

Bunnies by the Inch

2007-05-14T10:07:00.000-04:00

I like to make tiny little things, and maybe that's why I love ATCs so much, but could I go even smaller?? Inchies are one-inch collage pieces which have been around a while, but are new to me. These are my first attempt at inchies- I may have gotten a bit carried away, there are a lot of flowers and brads on there! I've made some ATCs using inchies, but you'll have to wait a while to see those ;)

Happy Mother's Day!

2007-05-13T15:04:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms :) This is the card I made this year, there's a little glitter on it, and the inside and the envelope matched as well- lots of love for Mom and MIL!

Check out the Scribbler

2007-05-06T09:36:00.000-04:00

This is so fun, check out The Scribbler and make a rough drawing. Start the scribbler and watch it appear- my little snail and flowers is just one of a dozen I made- it's addicting!

ATCs made with the same image

2007-04-22T23:27:00.000-04:00

Just for fun, I really like this lady, and wanted to add a pattern to her dress and get some use from this stamp. The last one is an April fool's day card- red roses for a blue lady ;)

Piet Mondrian

2007-04-15T19:48:00.000-04:00

This ATC was inspired by Mondiran, I didn't directly copy one of his designs, but used a sharpie and a ruler to draw the lines. This is a big change from what i usually do, and I really had fun with it.

You Rock

2007-04-12T16:55:00.000-04:00

This is just a thank you card for the person I interviewed for a school project. I'm sending a starbucks card too since I didn't interview him in person. I conducted several interviews and always met them somewhere for coffee or a snack. I was just itching to use this new Purple Onion Designs alphabet. The base card is black, not sure it will show up on this black background blog.

What a cool idea!

2007-04-10T10:19:00.000-04:00

I found this video clip today and I love the idea. Artists really do see the world in a different way, this is so clever.

There's No Place Like Home

2007-03-31T20:32:00.000-04:00

I made these pages for a circle journal with a home theme. My house is my favorite place to be in the world. I love to travel, but there is nothing like coming back to my own home and sleeping in my own bed. I like how this turned out, I might have to make something similar for me to keep. I love working in circle journals, and doing swaps. I like the challenge of a theme, and usually end up doing something I'd never have come up with on my own. I'm a bit bummed this CJ project is over, but it also means that I get my journal back next month!

Lucky Me

2007-03-30T16:30:00.000-04:00

I am a bit Irish, about 1/4, my paternal Grandmother came to America in 1913. So, I tend to make something for St. Patrick's Day, and this is what I came up with this year. The scan of the ATC is a bit blurry due to the thickness of the flowers, but you get the idea. I already know what I want to send next year- I found a rubber stamp of a prayer that my grandmother had hanging on the wall. I remember it was right inside the door, embroidered and framed. It said: May those who love us, love us; and those who don't love us, may God turn their hearts; and if He doesn't turn their hearts, may He turn their ankles so we'll know them by their limping.

I have an extra one of these- since I've been absent soooo long, the first person who wants the extra card- leave a comment saying so. It's up for grabs :)

It's ALIVE!!!!!

2007-03-30T16:03:00.000-04:00

I'm so very lazy, and I have ignored this blog... I've ignored it so much that I cannot even claim that school is keeping it from me. I'm lazy folks. Lazy. It made me think of this Shel Silverstein poem that I loved as a kid. In case you can't read the text it says: Lazy lazy lazy lazy lazy lazy Jane. She wants a drink of water so she waits and waits and waits and waits and waits for it to rain. It still suits me today, I guess some things never change! :)

2006-12-20T15:46:00.000-05:00

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Inland North You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop."
The Midland
The Northeast
Philadelphia
The South
The West
Boston
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

A cute little survey I saw on Tracy's blog and had to try out for myself. It' has me pegged!!!

Dymphie's ATC Challenge

2006-11-02T08:12:00.000-05:00

Dymphie posted a challenge on her blog to use this cool picture of the old car. The challenge ran through November first, and although I was a little late finishing I thought I'd post it anyhow! :) The policeman is from a picture I found on the web and saved to my computer.

Backgrounds

2006-10-07T20:48:00.000-04:00

A few backgrounds I made today with distress inks. Really fun, These are actually posted in reverse order- the top one being the last one I made as the ink was running out. :) The colors are Broken China, Dusty Concord, Worn Lipstick. Smeared on a craft sheet and sprayed with water, then soaked up with paper. I saw this link on Dymphie's Blog and gave it a try.

Cool Tool

2006-09-10T11:34:00.000-04:00

I found a link to this cool map tool on Sue's blog and had to try it out for myself. These are all the states I have visited. Can you tell most of the red ones are within driving distance for me? :) Give it a try!

I Won!!!

2006-08-25T23:55:00.000-04:00

Well, my monkey book (see previous post) is "top banana" because I won first prize in the contest!! Finding the $50 gift certificate in my mailbox really made my day. It looks like I'll be treating myself to more Rubber Soul stamps in the very near future :)

A card for Konni

2006-08-17T00:44:00.000-04:00

This is an ATC I made in memory Konni, a great artist and friend who passed away earlier this year. Some friends and I made cards in her memory and I have sent a set to European Papers for their second ATC exhibit. Konni had several cards in the first exhibit, and we have entered 9 cards in her memory for this show. Nine cards fit in a sheet, and we had eight cards from different artists. I made this one to fill the page, I look forward to seeing these displayed in person when the show opens next month.

The colorful background is Konni's work- I scanned a tote bag that she decorated and sent to me. I reduced it to ATC size, then I did some stamping on top of it and added her photo. I think Konni would have liked it.

Recent Frustrations

2006-08-16T22:16:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm headed back to college this fall, in three weeks actually, and I've had nothing but trouble so far. One college didn't send my transcript although I paid and filled out all the paperwork required, so my application was hung-up. I got that taken care of. I went to the interviews for the program -it is new this quarter and will only accept 20 students. Accepted! :) Then yesterday I went into the advisory office during walk-in hours to find out what previous credits will transfer and what I still need. Hmmm... I am not in the system... I have an ID number, a college email address, a letter of acceptance into the program- so what's the problem?

It seems that even though I have been accepted by the faculty I have not been accepted to the *university* itself. Hmmm... at least five people told me how strange this is. Very strange, but seemingly unable to be fixed so far. I got to go on a nice self-led tour of the campus though- the advisory office, the student union, the undergraduate admissions office, the records office, the student ID office... Lots of looking me up in the computer, leaving messages for various people... I'm not able to do anything else until I'm accepted, so I'll have to keep up on this to be sure I can eventually register for classes before they actually begin.

On a brighter note- I am also taking a few classes at the local community college and that went off without a hitch! :) It will be much cheaper, and the credits will transfer. I walked into the admissions office, re-applied, and wasn't charged an admission fee. Seems I still have faculty status from years ago when I taught there, so maybe that's why it was waived. I wasn't able to register for classes at that time since the computers had just gone down, but once I got home I was able to sign up for a section I thought was closed, and was able to pay my bill and I'm good to go. All I have to do is get a new ID made with my married name, and buy my books.

Wish me luck from here on out!! :) :)

New ATCs

2006-08-10T10:45:00.000-04:00

This set of four ATCs is going out to an ATC trading friend who was very generous in a recent trade with me. I tried to make it so they could each stand alone, but I like them together as a set with the globe in the center. I want to make more ATC sets like this- where they make a larger picture when place together. This set was inspired by Penny Richards, see her ATC set here

Monkey Business

2006-07-22T09:50:00.000-04:00

This is a little accordian book that I made as a contest entry for Rubber Soul's monkey contest. http://rubbersoul.com/ I want to get a couple other little things made this weekend and mail them out on Monday. The deadline is the 31st, and I have several things due on the 31st, so I need to kick it into high gear and get creative today!!!

Our Trip Out West

2006-07-17T21:03:00.000-04:00

Jeff and I went on an Alaskan cruise earlier this month, and it was fantastic! We had wonderful weather the entire trip, and I got some great pictures. Our favorite part was the helicopter ride we took in Juneau where we were able to land on a glacier and get out to walk around. The views were simply breathtaking! I haven't gotten all the pictures up yet, but we are putting them on Picasa. http://picasaweb.google.com/SheWhoStamps

2006-06-09T09:43:00.000-04:00

Oh boy, I'm blogging!