Blogging Two of My Challenge Cards

Happy Saturday! As a special request, I'm blogging the next two cards I've made for the Dare to Get Dirty Challenges. I do have them posted to my Splitcoaststampers Gallery, so I apologize to anyone who has seen them there.

This little orange card is going to be Holly's 12th birthday card. My main challenge will be in not misplacing it! Orange has been her favourite colour for years. It is starting to be supplanted by purple, but it hasn't been entirely replaced just yet. She did see it as I was making it and said she likes it much better in orange than she would have in purple. As far as a surprise, I think we'll be okay. She's lot like me. She'll have forgotten all about it by December!

Stamps: Our Craft Lounge - Anna Mae; GinaK - Wishes & Dreams
Ink: Versamark; Ranger Distress Ink - Rusty Hinge, Spiced Marmalade
Etc: Circle Nestabilities, Cuttlebug Embossing Folders - Swiss Dots, D'vine Swirl

For the fairy card, I challenged myself to see how many challenges I could accomplish in one card and not have it look like a train wreck. I think I accomplished that! Usually mixing this many patterned papers together makes me super nervous, but I think it came together. I did use papers from one line, so they were meant to coordinate.

The other thing I wanted to do was to use some of my new Creative Inspirations paint that Ashley sent to me to try out. Wowie, does this stuff go on so super smooth! The shimmer I got didn't photograph all that well, but believe me, it is seriously there in person. And don't you just love these Beautiful Day Fairies from Paper Makeup Stamps? I sure do!

Stamps: Paper Makeup Stamps - Kirsten
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper: Basic Grey Lemonade; PTI
ETC: Copic Markers, felt flowers, button, claret embossing powder

That's all from me for now. I've still got 13 challenges to go. I'm in the middle of another project and looking for the right ribbon. I've been through more boxes and I'm still missing my ribbon stash, a box full of paper, a box of stamps, and that illusive embroidery project.

Friends with Flair, Dirty Dozen Style

Good morning everyone!! Welcome to the last Friends with Flair for the month of July! Is it just me, or is this year just speeding by? To see a full list of participants, check out the Unity blog. I wonder who's hiding the blinkie this week...find it and you could win some Unity rubber!

I'm working on the Dare to Get Dirty challenges over at Splitcoast Stampers. There are 33 in all. Fortunately, you can combine challenges or I'd be in deep trouble! This is the first time I'm playing along with them, even though I've been an SCS fan club member for 2 years now. I don't know why I haven't done it before. Fortunately, I kind of got knocked over the head with it this time (read "somebody dared me to get them all done") so I'm giving it a shot. I may not make it, but I can try! I've got 16 done so far, with 3 cards.

This card adds 5 more DTGD challenges plus EIC98 (this headband), Create4fun #30 (use flowers), Creative Cottage Challenge 19 (Touchy Feely), Practical Scrappers (7 or more items - I used 8, not counting the copics, the ink and the adhesive), Gingersnap Creations #62 (use markers), and Pile it On #29 (Stretch that Plastic) to the table.

Supplies:

Stamp: May '09 KOTM ...another sweet day
Patterned paper: Cosmo Cricket Garden Variety
Cardstock: red -SU, green - PTI, white - Neenah
etc: Copics, button & ribbon from MFT, DMC floss, oval Nesties

Back on the H{ippity} Hop Trail

Good morning everyone! Good news and bad. The good news is that this card almost made itself. The bad news is that I still can't find my embroidery! I'm giving myself two more days. If I can't find it then, I'm off to the fabric store for some fresh muslin and more needles. I know where most of the floss and all the books are. It's just the project itself that is missing.

If you've just stumbled on my blog, I'm glad to see you! If you're looking for the H{ippity} Hop, a full list of participants is on the {ippity} blog.

Ashley talked me into checking out the Dare to Get Dirty 2010 Challenges, which are for Splitcoaststampers Fan Club members only. There are 33 of them! I'm not sure I'll get to all of them before August 1, but I managed to combine 2 of them in my H{ippity} Hop card, as well as the H{ippity} Hop challenge from last week, Hip Hop Sketch Challenge #17 and EIC98. This time I used this headband as my inspiration - and used the pretty yellow flower paper from Cosmo Cricket's DeLovely line.

Have I mentioned lately just how much I love the Etsy Inspired Challenge? No? Consider yourself reminded. It's awesome! Anyway...here's what I came up with.
BTW, I do have some {ippity} stamps in stock...I just don't know where they are yet. When I packed, I had one box of my personal {ippity} stamps and one box with all of the others. That box is still missing. So is my box of SU and another box of Unity. I know they're around here somewhere! If anyone says they're with my missing embroidery, I think I will have to scream - even if you're probably right.

Have a great week. I'll be back to sorting and unpacking, as well as taking son #2 up to the college to take his placement exams. Lucky me...

Avoiding Unpacking

I'm avoiding unpacking today. Yesterday, Alice's urn was delivered and her ashes were returned home. I spent the evening with Barry and a couple other friends just having dinner and talking about some of the things she used to do. It was a really good evening and we had a lot of laughs.

For those who might be wondering, before she was cremated, Barry had some of her brain tissue donated to CJD research in hopes that her death will serve a greater purpose. Alice would definitely have approved.

So, since I don't want to be completely useless, and since I finished the book I was reading, I decided to get a head start on this week's Etsy Inspired Challenge, as well as squeaking in under the wire for the All Things Unity challenge, which I've missed for several weeks running. EIC98's shop is called EmenGee Designs. In addition to these earrings, I was also inspired by several other yellow items in the shop. All Things Unity just asked for anything but a card.

A while back, I had started a series of ATCs. When we were packing, I found a spare blank that I'd apparently intended to have been a part of the series. Most of that series had had birds on it. I have some new Unity birds, so I pulled out the Samantha Walker kit, What a Hoot (available at your local or online stamp shop), and some of my trusty Distress Ink.
I did emboss both the owl and the sentiment, just to make cutting them out a little easier, as it's still kind of hard for me to do it myself, though my finger is probably only a week or two from being fully healed. I used Copic markers to add a little colour to the owl, who is stamped on Neenah Classic Crest. The background is Unity's Worn Music and the patterned paper is just some scrap origami paper I had lying around.

I've got a bazillion and one things to do tomorrow. If anybody has any clue where I've lost my embroidery, can you let me know? I'd really rather not start all over again...

Mojoless FWF

Hey there Friday peeps. I'm trying to get back into the swing of things and it's a little harder than I thought it would be. I'm getting there, though. Still doing a lot of sleeping. Yesterday's Hip Hop was a big help, as were all of the hugs and good wishes I got from everyone. Thank you guys!

So today is Friends With Flair and that means that someone is hiding the blinkie that will get some lucky commenter 25 random Unity stamps. Last week it was the All Things Unity blog. I wonder who has it this week? To see who all is participating in the hop, check out the Unity blog.

I'm having some serious mojo trouble, so I looked to a few challenges for this week's card. EtsyInspired #97 is a neat shop called Mermaid's Tears. I used the flowers from these earrings. I used the sketch from this week's 2 Sketches 4 You. Then I remembered that this week's Unity Addicts' Challenge was to use Unity flowers and to make them pop in some way....Crazy 4 Challenges wanted buttons this week. I can put the two together. Buttons will make my flowers pop! Got it.

Stamps are from Butterfly Garden(available at local stamp stores) and the June '09 KOTM, Perfect in Every Way.

Alice

1949-2010

One morning, in April of this year, my friend Alice Lohr woke up colour blind. She saw lots of doctors and endured many tests. They could find nothing wrong with her eyesight, even though she continued to have other sight-related issues, including difficulties with her peripheral vision and depth perception. Nothing showed up on any tests.

By mid-June she was having tremours, which the doctors thought were related to the prednisone she was taking for an unrelated condition. Things got worse and her mental acuity began to decline rapidly. By the end of the month, she could no longer walk, dress herself, feed herself, speak in sentences or see at all.

On July 7, she was diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. On July 9, she had a feeding tube placed. She was transferred to hospice on July 12. She was attended daily by her husband and many friends the first couple days, until it was decided best to limit visitors due to her deteriorating status. The rate at which she declined was shocking.

Alice passed away peacefully on Sunday afternoon, July 18, with her husband, Barry, at her side.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease is a horrible, nasty thing. There is so very little known about it as of yet. We need to learn more. So far, all we know is that it is untreatable, incurable, and always fatal.

Alice was good people. She has left a huge void in my world and my heart hurts.

Blog Hopping with Taylored Expressions

Hey there, everyone. It's been a little bit of time with no blogging. I've spent the past week visiting my friend Alice at the hospice and everything else was off my radar. I completely forgot I was supposed to participate in the Taylored Expressions Blast From the Past Blog Hop.

I pulled out Discover Your Wings again this month. CAS is all I can wrap my brain around and this set just seems to echo my mood. Besides, it's really pretty.
Ink and cardstock are SU. Patterned paper are Sugar Rush by Basic Grey. I used plain and scalloped oval Nestabilities. The colour comes from these earrings from this week's Etsy Inspired shop, Mermaid's Tears Jewelry.

Thanks for visiting. Remember to hug those you love.

Blog Candy Alert

Hey guys...quckie blog candy alert. The nice folks over at the Stamping Boutique Challenge Blog have got some serious candy up for grabs. It includes a set of 36, yes that is THIRTY-SIX, Copic Markers!! You have until July 18, which is a week from tomorrow, to enter. Click on the photo to get the the post with all the info.

Best of luck to all!

Multi-Challenge Friends With Flair

Hey there Friday Peeps! Thanks for all the lovely wishes last week. My finger is doing lots better and I;m adapting to funky tyoing. It;s not perfect, but I;m getting there! If I take it slow, it's much better, but if I let my brain get ahead of my fingers, it starts to look like a two year old did it and it;s pretty funny.

So, you guys know the routine. It;s time to celebrate Unity. To check out everyone participating, hit the Unity blog. Somebody will have a blinkie at the end of their post. Find it and leave a comment and you'll get a chance to win 25 random Unity stamps! With the quality of their deeply-etched red rubber, you want to win those stamps, so go find that blinkie!

Anywho...We;re still unpacking. It's gonna take us a while. But I'm kocating more and more of my supplies daily, many thanks to my daughters. My sons are helping, but they;re complaining greatly. And speaking of sons, today is my eldest's 20th birthday.

This is Cody at 6 months old.

This is Cody today.

Happy Birthday Cody!!!

And now for card stuff. Of course it's Esty Inspired. The shop is Kimmieprout and she sells the neatest handmade buttons. I sort of used this set, with its colours and the heart. And of course the inclusion of the button, which I tied off with embroidery floss. The big colour inspiration came from Color Throwdown's 100th challenge, regal rose, certainly celery, real red and baja breeze. The sketch is Mojo Monday #146.

And for the last of this week's challenges, Pile it On #26 is to use your favourite things. I think I well covered that one! First is my favourite challence, EIC. Then there is Unity stamps, my favourite colour (pickj), Distress inks, and embossing!
Meg, my 16yo, helped me by cutting out the flying heart. The card is for a dear fruend, who, night before last, I found ouyt has Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. I'm hoping she'll be able to feel the textires, since she's ksot msot of her vision already.

So, that's it fro, me today. Too much to do. Here's a pic of our front room as it stands...and all the boxes I have to figure out what to do with. You may now commence laughing.

I Hate Moving

Hi guys. I'd fullu intended to have a FWF post today. Discpvered that I can't quite manage to make anything unassisted y et. For those who haven't heard, I tri[[ed on the stairs helping to move the sofa to the base,ent last satirday and broke my right ring finger. Perfect ti,ing, right?

Anyway, even my styping is wonky/

This card hasn't been blogged yet, but I'll apologize if ypu've seen it on SCS. I made it last week before everythiung got packed up.