A full and happy life

Yea! I have my background back!!!

2010-08-19T09:06:00.000-07:00

Good morning!

Quick post - have finally figured out background again. Not really sure why it went missing or what was going on but I did make a change in blogger for the new posting it is offering. Not sure how to explain it but I found a spot that showed I had the old version of how posts were edited and I switched to the new version. Whatever I did was right and THAT FEELS GREAT! Never have enough of those moments!!! LOL

Lots on my list again today - chickens need their house cleaned and new hay put in (we have gotten 6 little eggs so far - only one out of the bunch seems to be laying and it's only every other day.... the eggs are a bit small too... but hey, gotta start somewhere! I am in no hurry for the rest to start laying. The list of chores is too long anyway and another one added to the list right now isn't what I am longing for... I WANT TO PLAY IN MY CRAFT ROOM!!! Not just an hour or two, but for DAYS!!!!

Hope you have a wonderful day,
me

Background issue here.....

2010-08-17T08:20:00.000-07:00

Hello - quick post here. I thought I would look at my blog for a second and noticed my background had been removed. Tried to redo it but no luck..... Who knows...

I will mess with it later - maybe it's just time to change it all around..... change is good. It has taken me a LONG time to welcome change. A few years ago, I noticed an older lady who just rolled with the flow no matter what. I thought about all that she had experienced in her life and how she handled it all. Her name was Devota and I just loved her strength and zest for life. Because of her, I have tried to adjust my way of life and I have to say.... wow! Much better way to be!!

I have accomplished a few cards which need photos but other than that, I haven't done too much crafting. Summer has been the usual - busy but good - and I am soooo wanting fall to start. I have NEVER wanted fall to come this badly ... and yes, I am sure I will regret what I ask for! LOL

Gotta run - kitties and mules and horses all want fed. Dogs are barking at something....

Have a great day!
me

I haven't left the planet!

2010-04-02T18:19:00.000-07:00

Hello to all! I am soooo bad for not posting since .... was that November!!! Like with everyone else, life just happend. As I look at my blog, there are still CTMH specials and info from winter 09..... oops!
I will try to remember how to either update with current info or maybe just not worry about it at the moment.
I am still with CTMH but happy as a hobby gal. If something happens down the road, yea. If not, yea too. I want to PLAY badly though!!! I have cleaned and organized my Studio .... LOVE IT! I made a couple of cards and didn't even take pics. Maybe next week.....

OOOoooo it's coming back to me now.....I remember what drove me to being blogless and uncaring about my computers.... Here is what I am remembering.... I found my old computer was full and ancient and decided to purchase a new one. Spent a ton of time (I thought) researching and found a great buy at Sams. WELL..... the new computer is a 64 bit and old buddy was just a 32 bit. None of my printers would install AND when I tried to use my Verizon internet on the new one for updates, well, nada! GREAT idea I had!! Here I tried to make life better and all I did was open a case of worms....yippee for me. And O - that was during a huge birthday party, Thanksgiving, finishing a massive project here with my husband, Christmas, New Years Eve and shortly after that, another birthday party. I hosted the holiday's and the party's (using my dusty restaurant skills mind you). Mmmm, let's throw some lovley -29 degree mornings in December and the many animals we now have.....ooo some frozen water pipes tooo - No wonder I had no play time !!! LOL
During the same time, my laptop was on the verge of crashing but the silver lining there was that my hard drive was missing the screws to hold it in and it never gave me a single problem. Talk about being grateful for what I had!! No more complaining.
I need to run but will write more. I want to tell you all about the perfect printer / scanner I found - my pictures printed AWESOME!!!! I also found a nifty gadget for negatives that is soooo working with all I have now!!! AND on a recent trip to Archiever's, discovered the sweetest tool from Melody Ross - Chip Art. Let me just say this, just when you thought they had thought of everything..... sooo cool!

Nite,
me

working the computer .....still!!!

2009-11-06T17:33:00.000-08:00

No paper projects completed.... argh! I started working on my incredibly long list of TO DO's since Rich went hunting and then it just keeps growing. Lately, I have been working on the computer and playing with Adobe Photoshop Elements - that is one HUGE program! I had no idea what I had started when I purchased that program. Don't tell my husband, but this grand idea of digital camera, perfect printer and the ultimate photo editing program isn't the cheaper way to go! HA!! Now I realize the 8+ year old computer isn't nearly strong enough to hold all of these pictures and neither desktop or laptop burns DVD's. I swear I had chosen that option when I ordered this computer from Dell - but hey - life is just a blur these days.

In all - I absolutely love our Nikon D40X -sweet camera!! The HP printer I own now is awesome at printing pictures - even though the amount I have to catch up on now is way crazy..... and with the visual book from Amazon, I am learning Photoshop Elements - but won't set out to conquer it...lol

I better go - had way enough hours on a computer lately. Wish me luck on finishing this batch of to do's..... I REALLY need it too!!

TTFN

I bought a friend....

2009-10-19T20:20:00.000-07:00

I have wanted this book for a REALLY long time - but mostly found it for a pretty penny or two - most expensive copy was around $200! I finally caught one on Amazon.com for around $22.
I remember as a young child, this was the book I would ALWAYS check out at the library. Even if I didn't read any of it during the time it was in my possession, it just gave me comfort to have it around.

Here are some of what is inside....
Fishy, fishy
Come bite my hook,
I'll go Captain,
And you'll go cook!

Spell 'mouse trap' in three letters....
C A T

I wonder, I wonder
Why lightning bugs don't thunder.

It will frost as many times in May as it thunders in February

Don't wait for your ship to come it. Row out and get it!

Anyway - this is what arrived in the mail today. Needless to say, it has been a very good day!!
Good Night,
michelle

update.....

2009-10-19T08:51:00.000-07:00

Thanks to SophieLaFontaine over at SplitcoastStampers - Ritz Camera has a sister company called scrapbookingalley.com This is where to go - free shipping!! The Advantus Refill Pockets are just $ 2.25 each!!

My storage solutions - on a dime!

2009-10-19T07:32:00.000-07:00

This is how I store my cuttlebug small dies and the small embossing folders - I have just a few of the Quickutz small dies and this works for them as well. It is hard to really see but the plastic cases are the cheap clear CD cases from Big Lots - I don't care for these ones - really cheap! (The piece for storing the CD has been taken out and just the basic case is used.) And using a bit of bubble wrap keeps the contents from moving around. Then I just store the cases in a CD holder - like the crates from Walmart

I still haven't gotten the hang of loading the pictures in the order I want..... but I think this order works ok. I tried to lay the subject on a the green paper hoping you could see the size of the envelope better. They are Tim Holtz Refill Pockets - come 5 in a package and are a bit frosted in color. If you want to try these - go to ritzcamera.com and search for 'Advantus' refill pockets. I believe this is how I find them because they aren't listed under Tim Holtz. I spent a bunch of time trying to find the best price and Ritz Camera was the cheapest - like around $2.95 or so... can't remember. Here I have a stamp set from Inkadinkado (hopefully that is spelled right!) I used a thin piece of foam (like how CTMH has their stamp sets) instead of the cheap thin plastic sheet that comes with clear stamps.

Cheap $1 crates from Walmart - these must be a hot item - never very many in stock and my store runs out quite often. These little buggers are just sooo versatile!

I took this pic to show how many sets fit in these crates - I have 27 sets here - each in their own envelope. This is perfect for me! I can search through each crate easily to find what I am looking for. Fairly compact storage - not too heavy either. I am lucky enough to have this office cabinet my hubby found at an auction - steel and lots of drawers and two large compartments on top which is where these are at - the door closes so my clear stamps are out of sunlight.

Just another picture

Hope this gives you an idea for your own system. I have to be thrifty on my storage ideas.... I want to spend money on more stamps and supplies!! Such a sick hobby this is ...LOL

Have a wonderful Monday!!

michelle

Good Morning and Happy Tuesday...

2009-10-06T06:08:00.000-07:00

Here are the cards I made last week. This first one was for my nephew's wedding. I used CTMH stamp set Adorable, CTMH Just Blooms, CTMH adhesive pearl, CTMH cardstock and ink. This set will retire at the end of this year. It really is a cute set and I hope to get to play more with it soon. My favorite colors are these too - light pink and chocolate. Yummy...

This is a birthday card for our friend and neighbor - He LOVES golf and although CTMH has a great golf set, I found this Changito golfer on clearance at Michaels the other day.... LOVE CHANGITO!! The tree and clouds are hand cut and that inspiration came from Jen - mine don't compare but worked ok I think. I sponged the sky and grass... that is one of those practice make perfect things! It took me a while to get it where I wanted... lots of scratch paper!! The leaves are a punch from EK Success and the saying bubble is a cheap set I also found at Michaels. It was only $6 and you can really tell the difference. Cute set but very cheap in quality and I couldn't get a decent image to stamp....

Time to go - have lots to do today,

Have a blessed day!

This weekend went too fast!

2009-10-04T20:38:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post tonight. Our nephew's wedding went awesome Saturday night - Welcome To The Family Crystal!! The wedding was beautiful and now we are waiting on a new baby with our other newphew.... Lately there have been so many events happening. Most are celebrations but a few are not. (I don't feel comfortable posting too much of my private life so we will just stop there. ) I tend to feel the rush of fall before winter sets in and time goes a bit slower..... you know, the forever it takes for the snow to melt in between storms! We noticed the mules have long, fuzzy winter hair coming in and I BELIEVE we are in for a cold and long winter up ahead. Time will tell..... remember I had a picture of the catapiller with really fuzzy hairs too....isn't that a wives tale??
I will post the pictures of the wedding card and birthday card I made for the weekend - just didn't download the camera today.... weather changed and I wanted to stay on the couch.... just had that tired and lazy feeling today.
I added the Close To My Heart information to my blog - hope it looks ok. I have decided to NOT do a MYCTMH website since this is mostly a hobby thing at the moment. I am taking the classes to earn my degree and thinking about what goals I want to set. It will all come together in time. I added my email to to my profile in case anyone wants to contact me.
Time to go - I am tired and it's time to go nighty night! I just remembered... Harvest Moon tonight! It's overcast too!! I love this moon but I feel November's Full Moon is truely the BEST!!
Nite....

Last post and a card!

2009-09-18T19:37:00.000-07:00

Hello again - I know I could just post this all at once, but trying to upload the pictures in the order I want seems to be a struggle for me. Maybe I will start something new with Bulk Posting! Can't you just see it - the new rave that everyone will want to copy!! ......I know - come back to earth...
This is a card I made for a baby shower this weekend. I am still trying to stick with my goal for this year ... using my paper in stock. This isn't CTMH paper but the stamps and inks are. The paper is from the bulk package from My Minds Eye that I bought three times at Hobby Lobby. The stamp set is It'a a Zoo and retired set Random Thoughts from CTMH . Ink is Black and Juniper from CTMH. Ribbon and brads are what I have on hand.
This also is my first sewing job on a card!!! I have wanted to sew a card soooo many times but just didn't get to it. The book from CTMH called 'Wishes' really motivated me. The extra steps made on the cards in there gave me inspiration.
That is it for tonight... ok.... probably it for a while... until then, take care!!
Me

Can you see the moth??

2009-09-18T19:31:00.000-07:00

Don't look to hard because I took the picture through the glass door and it is WAY dirty! I opened the door one morning to see how the dogs were doing and to say good morning and this is what met me at the glass door .... Molly with no clue as to what was sitting on her nose!
I loved this moment. So innocent - Molly just couldn't understand what the fuss I was making but she loved the attention!
One more post to go,
Me

I made the switch to CTMH!!!

2009-09-18T19:17:00.000-07:00

I spent a lot of time making this choice. I want to get back to scrapbooking and with the new book "Wishes" from Close To My Heart, I thought it was time to make the switch. When this beautiful box showed up and I opened it up, I knew I made the right choice!! Look at this lovely package.... doesn't it just say " You're Special"!!
I still want to be a hobby demo - I read once that a hobby demo wants to make sure she gets the supplies she wants as they retire...... a consultant will get rid of what is retired in order to make room for new and to help sell the current items. I never want to get rid of my old friends!! That is what makes my studio heaven.... KWIM?? (know what I mean)

I am bulk posting tonight, so see ya till the next post LOL

Here are the studio kitties.

2009-08-19T07:03:00.000-07:00

Here are Rolo (grey) and Maki (choc point). I am not sure how my step daughter is spelling Maki but this is what I am going with. The third pic is when we first got these little guys, and the first two pics are from yesterday. They really want to be outside now - full of energy and ready to see the world but I am making they stay indoors still. I think I will get them fixed first and then hopefully they won't venture too far away. Too many critters outside our fenced in property and I just don't think I can explain that to these little guys.

I have really loved having them in my studio - I can't get a lot done when they want to be in the middle of EVERYTHING. But the company is entertaining. My favorite card making moment was when Rolo decided to run across my open ink pad, he did however, continue running on the bare part of the table and not the card I was working on... so considerate!

I tried to spend some time with them yesterday by cleaning and putting things away that really didn't need to be out. They are growing and getting into more and more. As I was running the vacuum, I heard Maki meowing loudly and peaked around the corner to see where he was at. He was standing on top of my craft table and when he saw me, he loudly explained to me he wasn't very thrilled with the loud noise.... he really expressed to me in a series of meows - ranging in tone and pitch. He sounded like he was scolding me thoroughly. I just busted out laughing and then he looked at me like this was what he wanted as well. A comedian kitty!

Maybe there was something in the air because later on, I was making a tuna fish melt and tried to give Cricket (the kitty on my banner) the tuna water -he is beyond picky when it comes to food. I knew he would turn his nose at it, but I had to try.... I even dipped my finger and placed a bit on his mouth just to get him to TRY it. Neither of my indoor kitties care for anything tuna. But as I was making my sandwich, Cricket came back to his food bowl and sniffed it, then tried to cover it by raking the floor. He then sniffed it again, and then tried to cover it again. This went on 5 TIMES!! It was hilarious!! He was trying sooo hard to taste it again, but just couldn't do it... maybe, yuck!... maybe, yuck!...

What a hoot!

Have a great day!!

Me

The 4th post in 2 days......and cards to show off too.

2009-08-18T05:59:00.000-07:00

Good Morning,

I wanted to add some pictures of cards I made. I haven't had much time to play at all but I made the most of what there was. My craft room has two little visitors right now which makes playing even more interesting.... two kittens that my husband was talked into by his daughter. They are adorable AND they want to investigate everything I am doing or touching.

Truely cheap therapy. I am able to shut the world out and then deal with all the changes and situations happening in our lives. Or maybe I just slow down enough to let life happen....

The kitties will eventually live out in the big shop and help with mouse control. I will try to get some pictures of them today.

I read my posts from yesterday and wow, am I ASHAMED at all of my typing errors.....BIG OOPS!! I think I tried 10 or 12 times to post the pictures and writing. Either I forgot a picture and couldn't add it where I wanted it or the order was messed up - and then came the simple fact I just couldn't decide as to what I wanted to say and what I shouldn't...anyway...

As for the cards, all Stampin Up stamps - I have found my In Color inks from the past couple of years actually match the paper from MME (my minds eye) , as well as my CTMH inks. I totally feel in love with these paper packs from MME in the last couple of years. When Hobby Lobby had their paper on 50% off, I took advantage of the savings - I noticed the other day that I own 3 identical packs! SCORE!! I still love the patterns that much so I guess it was a smart purchase.. right? I am slowly learning to use them and not just admire them.... My goal in the next couple of months is to play with my CTMH stamps... I could hear them calling me yesterday... badly neglected. I did use them this summer but ended up giving the cards out before I got their picture.... bummer!

Better get movin' - have a wonderful day !!

A new addition!!! YYIIPPPPEEEE!

2009-08-17T16:23:00.000-07:00

Hello again - 3 posts back to back!! It's amazing what one can accomplish with a couple of hours into trying to post! I think I finally figure this out...

Here is Axel - he is from a Great Pyrenees Rescue... hope that is spelled right... He is such a wonderful guy. All the dogs are getting along and that was a feat within itself. I should go buy some lottery tickets while the luck is with me - haha.

Blackjack is the chow mix and Molly is the Shepherd. They love the idea of a new playmate but not sure about the order of things yet. Axle deals with it well and I think he has a plan all his own. I am just the happiest girl ever. THANKS DAWN!!

I feel like I marked off some items off my TO DO list. What a great feeling that is!! All that is left today is to hear from Sonic about the program I bought online back in June. It just doesn't open and I cannot get any pictures to print. What a mess... I think I will only buy software from a store with real people. I could choke on all of the computer generated answers I have gotten. Live and Learn!

Have a blessed evening and hope to be back here a bit sooner next time! (ya, right, uh)

Michelle

By old buddy....

2009-08-17T16:08:00.000-07:00

This is my hubby's beloved dog Brutis. The week of our anniversary, we lost our first baby mule and had to put Brutis due to old age. I later found out a friend of mine was going through her own rough time and it sure made all of this seem trivial.... The picture below is our second baby mule and he is doing wonderful!!! He wants attention all of the time and will nudge you hard in order to get your attention. His name is Riley. He was named in memory of my husbands grandma that left us April 08. I remember her saying with a big smile that she was living the life of Riley now. Sleep in and get up when ever she chose. Since this little guy absolutely loves his naps, it just seemed fitting to give him that name. He is such a cute and Piper is a great mom. I spend a bit of time today taking the mats out of her mane. There is this awesome stuff called 'Cowboy Magic' that I ordered from horse.com and it is the greatest detangler ever made. Last year, my family told me a horse of our had the biggest knot in his tail and it just needed to be cut out. We are down by the river and there are tons of bugs so that seemed such a cruel thing to do to him. I broke down and ordered this magic potion and WOW! It even smells great!!!

Argh - one must plan!!

2009-08-17T15:53:00.002-07:00

Ok - I am going to try this for the umthenth time - lol!!! I will just have to post a couple of times - too many pics to add and I just have spend enuff time trying to figure this out.... hee hee

The first is a picture I just love- was taken around the end of April or early May - see all of the water in the arena??? Argh - very wet spring and early summer. Anyway... I think this is Moose - he wants to be a lap mule when he grows up!!!!

The other pics are from our early trip to Lake Powell. That was such a beautiful place and where I was lucky enough to get to jet ski all around. That was IMPRESSIVE! What a massive place and so close to GOD!

A baby mule!!

2009-06-08T09:46:00.000-07:00

Here is Rascal - he was born on June 3 -09 at about 7pm. It worked out so perfectly that he waited until we were all home and my niece had just gotten here. I had been watching Ally for weeks thinking she was ready and she wasn't. Wednesday morning, my mom called and said she knew today was the day... I wasn't so sure but did mention that Ally seemed less ready than all the other days I thought were 'the day'. Sure enough... mom was right!

The girls were outside and noticed it was time first which made the whole process more meaningful for all of us. Rich was there and careful to not scare or stress out Ally. To our suprise however, she glady wanted some help at the end. This was her first baby and just wasn't so sure of what all was happening. It was fast and without any problems. I was scared to be there - my luck with babies and momma animals isn't so hot and as I get older, I am getting to be a HUGE wimp. The last incident was a beautiful momma cat and she prolapsed during labor. None of the kittens lived and she died later that day. It just killed me - I cried for weeks!

Anyway... I was posted at the house assuming that would be lucky!!

It took a bit for the Rascal to find his first meal - Ally let Rich teach the baby to find the magic food spot and that was all it took. It was truley a beautiful miracle!

We should have our next baby mule in about week or so.... till then.

Michelle

Stampendous Robot

2009-06-08T09:20:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday to all - Had a moment to post a card. I used the Stampendous Robot sets. I just love these stamps. There are sooo many possibilities of what to make.

I am still being true to using my value packs of cardstock from Joann's and Michael's. I want to use my other cardstocks BADLY!! But..... have to use what I buy and the value packs were before SU.

My coloring was with Prisma color pencils and goo gone to blend. The longest part was the cutting out all the pieces and then assembling them - it takes time but I like how it looks in the end.

Have a great day!!

Michelle

Springtime in Colorado....

2009-04-23T07:53:00.000-07:00

Howdy

These two pictures are from the last few weeks. I can't remember exact dates but it's like within 4 weeks time. I loaded the pictures backwards - first was the snow..... Rich and Holli had a blast in the snow that day... And last Thursday was the rain! It came in buckets and the weather station we purchased from Cabela's read over 5 inches!! I listened to the rain and pea sized hail as the storm dumped and it get this... as the storm moved, all four sides of our house was blasted... not at once but each side had it's turn. What a crazy storm. In the picture, you can't see that there is a pit for drainage and it holds about 10,000 gallons of water or so. It's completely submerged! It rained all the next day as well, but thankfully it was a fluffy rain.

I am trying to get caught up on all the projects I have started around here.... which I have come to conclusion it will never happen but my new goal is to start organizing my time better... WISH ME LUCK!!

See ya soon

A couple of cards I have done lately...

2009-04-15T19:57:00.000-07:00

It's hump day. I can't believe how fast time flies! It's also the dreaded April 15th - hope today finds everyone done with their taxes.

I haven't had time to play still... I think I need to take a look at how I manage my daily tasks. I always have great intentions but seem to fall way short. It's been a theme for me lately as well.... 42 birthday was last Tuesday and I finally admit that my clothes are fitting different and there is extra weight that wasn't there before.

So to start my 42 year here on earth, I am working on the body and health mode. I recently purchased a Vitamix (big bucks but WOW) and started working out with the Kettleworx system. I love the Vitamix big time. It really is different from a regular blender and I love the smoothies it produces. Lots of whole fruits and veggies.... yummy. I bought mine from Costco - best value there and I really searched around. As for the Kettleworx system, it is a great exercise system. Fairly low impact and the weight is unique - I don't know anyone uses more than the 5 lb one. I wish I could add a link here but another thing to learn that just hasn't happened yet! LOL

Better go - made some yummy apple bits from the Schwans guy.... not on my list of healthy item but still have a lot of cool whip left and with no one here this week, it will just go to waste. Ya, I know you can just re-freeze it...... but hey.... no one is watching either ...hahha

tootles

michelle

OMG!!!! It's here finally - YIPPEE!!!

2009-04-10T03:51:00.000-07:00

No, really.... I have decent internet service.... YIPPEE!!!! Tuesday marked my 42 birthday and with that came what I had been waiting for......VERIZON. I still have about a month left on both contracts - AT&t and HughesNet but the internet thing just couldn't wait any longer. I felt like I was gonna go postal!!

Now that means I have a lot of pictures of cards and stuff to start sharing. I will be getting back into the swing of things soon.... promise.

This will probably be it until next week .... so Happy Blessed Easter to you and your families.

Tootles
Michelle... aka HAPPY GIRL!

2009-01-23T04:41:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone. I am sooooo sorry I haven't posted a thing for all of this time!! After we came home from Disneyworld, it seemed I couldn't catch up to save my life. I really felt I had organized myself, but then reality tapped me on my shoulder again - Dang it!!
The pic is our first night in Florida. It really wasn't that warm and this is pretty much how we looked all 5 days! I have been catching the weather off and on since and it has been a cooler winter for them. On the plus side, we didn't have much wait in line for the rides!! The girls were able to re-ride the rollercoasters till their little hearts content. Isn't that the saying?? Nothing seems right in the wee hours of the morning.
Christmas was beautiful and the New Year's Eve was a blast - we went gambling and had crab legs!!! YUMMY!!! I live for the food at the casino's while my hubby is the lucky one. It all balances out - me makes the money and I help him spend it - haha!!
Have a blessed day!

Oops - missed a song...

2008-11-24T19:32:00.001-08:00

Good evening out there....
I was thinking about my day and all I had gotten done and then out of the blue.... BAM!! - it hit me! - I forgot to explain a song on my list!! It's the one called Riding With The Legend . Two summers ago, we had the honor of being invited to a beautiful private lodge in Nor
thern Canada - Did I say beautiful ? WOW! Anyway, when we came back over the border, we followed all of these Nascar Semi's all traveling to their next race! SO COOL!!! The one we kept ending up with at the same fuel stations was the one that Paul Newman owned - wow, I forgot that memory ... ahhh.. another legend that left a huge hole in our world! Well, the song is about car racing and it kept playing on XM Raido all the way back to Coloado. It is also a beloved memory with our late friend Dave and his wife.
I never had gotten into car racing - tried once to REALLY understand ...It was a great race and I was asking questions and everyone was great at helping me understand all of the rules and such. Then there was this crash - it didn't look to be too bad but we all watched closely and had that sinking feeling something was wrong.... It was Dale Earnhardt's car and that awful day he was taken from all of us.... I didn't realize there were so many memories attached to that song...
Guess I am finished now.... good nite!
michelle

Who Hoo!!! I've added my playlist !!!

2008-11-24T08:29:00.001-08:00

Happy Monday !!
I am sooo happy to have finally figured out what I was doing wrong and fix it 'cause now we have tunes here!! It was pretty simple - just needed to see what was in front of me - hahaha
These are a list of songs I adore and all mean something very special to me. Here is a quick rundown....

Unwritten - what I want my step daughters to grasp about life - EACH day is a new unwritten page of life
I'm Moving On - meaningful to all the changes I went through at 30
Old Rugged Cross - my favorite version of this beautiful song
Just noticed this one is here twice :)
Washed in the Blood - Liked this song but when I saw the video, it just reached out to me -I think I was thinking of my Dad that day big time
When I Get Where I'm Going - Had to have this CD the day it came out and loved this song. Became sooo much more the day they played it at my Uncle Billy's Funeral
What A Wonderful World - Tears me up every time I hear it - From the moment I first heard this song, I wanted to NEVER take my life for granted (sp)
Battle of New Orleans - What can I say - you just gotta love his songs -takes me back to happy childhood memories
Melt With You - was a fav from the day it came out but still remember the day my Mom heard this song and loved it too - I always think of that day with her :) hi mom!!
Fly Away - I was lucky enough to see Tim on July 4th (the same day we took the pic at the top of my blog and we are all in those cute outfits) Such a happy song!!
Put Your Record On - fell asleep watching SNL and this song woke me up. I found her video on the web and just love her voice (sorry she lost her husband this year though - you're in my prayers Corinne!!)
American By God's Amazing Grace - was blessed to catch this video before Thanksgiving two years ago - God Bless our Soldiers and God Bless Luke for this amazing song. Very Moving.
Amazing Grace - Leann Rhimes is truely an angel - THIS is the absolute most beautiful version of this song - It was given to tribute a dear friend who passed this year and is missed so very much - God Bless and Love ya Dave!!

Hope you enoy - Have a wonderful day and will let you know how Disney World is.... leaving next Monday!! YYYYYIIIIIPPPPPEEEEE!!!

TTFN,

michelle

Two new cards

2008-11-20T10:56:00.000-08:00

These two cards are my latest - one is for my step daughter's 14th birthday and the other is one I found on the internet. Both cards are cased - just my hand at recreating them. All supplies are from CTMH and SU.

Hope to get more posted before vacation.... can't wait!!!!

TTFN

Michelle

Have a great day

2008-10-19T15:24:00.000-07:00

Wish Card...
Recipe:
SU Stamps- Pick a Petal, Frames with a Florish, Outline Alphabet and BG Polka Dot
SU Paper - Brillant Blue, Bashful Blue, So Saffron
Ink - SU Craft White, Stazon Black, SU Basic Black
Accessories - SU Pastels, SU glue stick, Dimensionals, misc brads, Prismacolor pencils and goo gone to blend, White embossing powder.

See ya

Hi again...

2008-10-19T15:18:00.000-07:00

Finally - a day to play!!

2008-10-19T13:33:00.000-07:00

Isn't this guy the cutest ever!! I found samples of him on splitcoast and surfing blogs - sorry I can't give credit to who came up with this idea. I wish the picture was better - had to stop and upload this card. I finally have something new to show off!!
I helped Rich with a shop this week and it ended up taking a bit longer than expected so his hunting trip has been cut short - he left this morning and will be home tomorrow nite.... he tried soooo hard to stay on top of his schedule, but it just wouldn't work out like he wanted it to. Poor guy! He tries soooo hard all of the time!! I hope that he has some fun!!
I waited too long to play and now that I can, I am totally overwhelmed with ideas. I am off to create some more!

Recipe:
Cardstock and paper from stash - (michaels or joanns pack)
Top Note Die - SU
Punches - SU (circles, round tab)
White Gel Pen - Black journal pen
Sizzlit alphabet - playground

Happy Sunday!!

Where has the time gone!!

2008-10-11T06:23:00.000-07:00

Hello - sorry I haven't posted a thing lately - I seem to always fall into thinking that towards the end of summer, I will get caught up......then BAM! It hits me all the chores that need to be done for fall, the weeds take over again. (We live close to river bottom and the weed spray doesn't seem to ever do much damage - too wet at the roots) It took 7 black trash bags to gather up all of the stickers that took over in our pasture. Unfortuately I haven't used the weed burner to catch the fallen stickers so when our horses rolled on their favorite hill, they ever so nicely spread those little guys all over out there. Argh!!

Here is a card I made a while ago but didn't post. I will get back to listing all the goodies used. It early and I just had to post something. I found this design on Splitcoast Stampers and cannot take credit but also can't give credit to who came up with it either...sorry. This is my absolute favorite card ever!

It's rainy here this morning. We have an auction to attend and I hope we don't get drenched before hand. It is mixed feelings to go to auctions when the weather is not so great - I feel bad for the owner of the goodies because it may be a bad turnout, but then I think what treasures might be had if few show up. After my first try at a garage sale however, one goes into these things knowing it's a gamble!!

Guess that is it - hope to get some pictures of our mules this month AND some cards done. Rich goes hunting and that is my ignore the house and play time! Wish me luck on this big Oct to do list!!

Have a great weekend!
michelle

Wow - it's already August!!!

2008-08-03T07:23:00.000-07:00

Good morning - here is a card I made for our niece and her boyfriend. They just moved into a new home and today is their open house. I love this set from CTMH! I fell in love with it when I first saw it and have waited for the right moment to use it! I love this card - the picture in the box with the lamp and puppy has liquid glass to make it look like more real. I used EK Success colored pencils and then Goo Gone to blend it - this really makes the colors blend. I will someday move up to markers but the Copic price tag makes me want to wait a while!

SU! Convention was this past week in Salt Lake City - lots of new things to come but what I am totally thrilled about was the new partnership with Sizzix! They will have dies only for SU - yippee!!!

Gotta run - will post all of my supplies on Splitcoast Stampers

Some old. some new

2008-07-14T08:26:00.001-07:00

Hello - Here are some cards I have made. I didn't list supplies used because I did so when I posted them on my gallery at Splitcoast Stampers. If you want to know what I used, just ask me.

Have a great day!!

3:00 am

2008-07-12T05:47:00.001-07:00

Woke up at 3 am today and just couldn't go to back to sleep. Bummer!! The really frustrating thing is that I can't go play in my craft room, aka 'the studio' For reasons unknown to me, the kitties think everyone wants to hear what they have to say in the wee hours of the day. I try to let keep them quiet so my husband can sleep and they have turned this behavior of mine into a game! What nerve!! I probably don't help when they make me laugh either....hee hee.
The week was good and I can finally say the craziness is becoming normal. Monday afternoon we noticed my dog was missing and spent hours looking for him. I could feel the wave of sadness come over me but I did manage to hold it at bay. Rich looked as hard I as I was and it touched my heart soooo much. I love those moments when you see all the reasons you fell in love with your husband. We gave up around 8pm and checked on the mule we had fixed earlier that morning. As I walked by the horse trailer we used that morning, I heard the slightest noise inside.... guess who????? Blackjack crawled inside when we moved Moose (the mule) back to his pen.... like at 10:30 that morning!!! He never uttered a sound - no barking, no crying ... nothing. Like I mentioned before, this is becoming normal life for me.
Today will be watering and catch up around here - haha... like that is possible either! THEN... then I am gonna play!! Mr. Brown was here yesterday!!! I have two new SU sets that aren't available for another month!!!! Happy Dance!!!!
Have a safe and Blessed weekend!

Thunderstorm and limited supplies

2008-07-03T06:21:00.000-07:00

My husband's dog is now majorly scared to death of thunder after lightening hit by our house last fall, so when the storm came through last night, so guess who HAD to come inside the house? Along with my dog who is shedding like crazy still (no matter how hard I try to brush him, he sheds until the end July!) Anyhoo - I sat on the floor and used the limited supplies I had in the house. All I had to stamp the images out on was a kid's Crayola watercolor paper pad. It was thin and took a bit of time to cut out without tearing. I only grabbed a few items out of my craft room (which is in a seperate building) before the storm.

I used SU Unfrogettable stamp set - I almost didn't get this set either. I had put it off every time I ordered from SU. It is sooo cute and has lots of potential too - I hope to use it a lot.

My Supplies:
Stamps: SU Unfrogettable
Ink: SU Basic Black
Paper: Crayola watercolor paper (kids) - Joanns paper pack - GP Cardstock base
Supplies: Crayola colored pencils - nail jewels (crown) - crystal effects - walmart glitter glue

Have a great day!!

Happy Monday!!!

2008-06-30T05:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my family and I spent the afternoon at the Greeley Stampede - it's hard to believe it is almost July! Time is flyin' by.... We had a great time. The girls did some of the rides - I tried one and they spinned me to the moon and back!! Childhood really felt a lifetime ago after that! HeeHee!! Had some great food (I had a yummy Gyro - mmmmmmm it was WONDERFUL!! ). Then we finished the night off with Tim McGraw - what an awesome concert that was!! I sang my heart out!!

I have finally gotten a card to upload. My internet service has had issues and every time I came close, there was an outage problem - EEK! so frustrating!!!

This stamp set came by way of Ebay (thank you) I have a history of letting retiring sets go only to find down the road, I need it for some new project. I blame SCS for all of these regrets! I would never know otherwise!! I even tried to find a single stamp- I looked everywhere - no luck. The time and money I have used learning these lessons ......I can now justify my SU purchases from current catalogs!! (Doesn't it work that way??)

I tried to make the bag look like it was full of water - lightly colored and my coloring job on the fish... should look like a Beta.

Here is a side view - I think it needs another coat of crystal effects

Thanks for looking - Have a GREAT day!!

My Supplies

Stamps - SU All Wrapped Up

Ink - SU Rose Red , SU Not Quite Navy, SU Basic Black

Paper - Hobby Lobby Kraft, Georgia Pacific White Cardstock and unknown piece close to rose red color

Accessories- Crayola colored pencils and Goo Gone to blend with Q-Tip, brads, hemp twine

2008-06-20T07:05:00.000-07:00

This is my second kitty Chloe. Cricket is my picture on my blog. Both kitties are Ragdolls and I love them dearly. I had to share this pic for two reasons - first, to learn how to upload pics to my blog - second, too darn funny! Chloe wants to be outside in the dirt BADLY!!! I only let her do this AFTER the liter box has been cleaned!

My first post

2008-06-20T05:32:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! This is my first attempt at the world of blogging and it will a be rather slow start - pictures will be next. I love searching SCS and reading other artists blogs and it was time to join in the fun and participate rather than sit on the sideline forever. I joined SU as a hobby demo last month (May) and want to use my supplies rather than just be a buyer and hoarder! I have learned I am not alone in this either!!! (yea)