Popping Up for a Thank You

Yesterday, I mailed off an OWH box with 62 blank greeting cards and 50 Any Hero cards with notes. I'm really excited in the participation I got from the folks at the Shrimp Boil. I was also delighted to find that the younger ones, teenagers on down to 2nd grade were all about writing a note to a soldier.

I seem to be in a "let's try something new" mode here of late. I subscribe to Amazing Paper Grace's blog and the other day, she had a standing pop-up card with a link to the tutorial. Seemed pretty straight forward, and I decided to have a go at it for the Phindy's Place challenge this week. The hard part was finding an image that was more vertical so that I could keep my card to the A2 size. Thankfully, Cat Thank You, filled the bill. The challenge was to use Red, White and Blue. I'm about starred out(after 72 patriotic cards), so I scrounged around in my stash(which is organized for patterns rather than color) and found this red alphabet paper that came in a GIANT package I bought from Sam's about 5 years ago. Using the tutorial I found HERE. I cut the box base out of the red. I "stamped" my image on some GP white cardstock, making him a little taller and leaner(one of my very favorite things about digis is the resizing option). I colored him with Copics using red, white and blue for obvious reasons. I cut out the back-up block out of the same alphabet paper, and backed it with a matching piece. The paper is Light Blue Check from Remember When. I punched the red strip with my my MS double loop punch, and cut the cat out(the hardest part for me). My tab for the top is made with Spellbinder's Label Four. Finished it off with some red and white ribbon. It is of course, going in my next OWH box, I'm just not sure where they're going to write their note.

I love hearing from you and all comments are appreciated.

It's Dripping Happy

After 3 days of absolutely no crafting, I couldn't wait to get home and get busy crafting today. We were up early at the camphouse, and I packed up everything and was home and had it all unloaded by 8:30. I told myself(yeah,I talk to myself) that I couldn't have my latte(a necessary fix for each day, thank you Deb) until I got home. It was just like dangling a rabbit in front of a greyhound. I WAS motivated.

I was in the shop and first off had to make a sympathy card for Phindy. One of her sisters passed away. Fortunately Phindy was there and able to be with her and say good-bye. I still need to write my message and that will certainly be the tougher task.



After lunch, I was able to get to work on my Sassy Cheryls Challenge card. We were charged to make a card using light blue and/or tan and peach. I got the blue(although it's got some green tones to it) and the peach. I love this image from Cheryl called Paint Something. I picked up this MS punch on mark down last week at Walmart for a song. It's called Drippy Goo and perfect for this image. Paper is called Fruity Dots and cardstock is some I had on hand. I went into PSE to create the sentiment. I finally found the drop shape and figured out how to use it. I think this card can be sent to anyone, mother, wife, friend or child.


Thanks for stopping by. I feel so much better for having a crafty fix today.

What's A Swoope?

One of the greatest things to come about from marrying my DH is that I got a WHOLE lot more family. I always thought that my family was pretty big with my parents and the five of us kids. I got over that when I met my DH though. He was one of 14 living siblings with two of them passing away as either toddler or infant. Now at this point I have to interject that I did the calculations on this and my MIL, was pregnant for 12 years out of 30. Yep, you heard me right, she had her first child when she was 17 and her last child when she was 47. I should also tell you at this point, I have never known a finer person than Miss Carrie or Granny. Talk about love multiplying. She made every child, son or daughter-in-law, and grandchild feel like she loved them most. In the years that I knew her, I never heard her say an unkind word about anyone.

At any rate, one of the things that we started doing as the Grands started getting married was taking a picture of the Siblings and then a picture of all the Swoopes that were present. I have these pictures sitting all around my house and it's fun to look at them and see Miss Carrie's namesake when she was 18 months old in her mom's arm in one picture and then see her day at 28 pregnant with her first child. At one of the niece's wedding we were doing the "family" picture and there was one little boy that kept trying to get into the picture. His DM pulled him aside and tried explaining to him that you had to be a Swoope to be in the picture. He looked up at her and asked "What's a Swoope?

Over the weekend we had our annual "Around the 4th of July Shrimp Boil". We haven't done a set of Swoope pictures lately. I decided we needed an updated "What's a Swoope" set of pictures, especially since the oldest sister at 87 is getting frailer with each passing day. The 13 surviving Swoope Siblings were all present,

although one was late getting there and isn't pictured. The first picture is of the Swoope Siblings recorded on 7-3-2010. The oldest is on the bottom right and the youngest is standing on the far left. The second picture shows all the Swoopes that were still around for the picture. There were 79 present(no where near all of them), but some had left to go fishing and others were wandering around. The last is a picture of 16 of the 26 first cousins that were present. The woman on the front row in the green shirt is my niece that it is expecting the next great nephew in the family. The youngest nephew is the giant in the center on the back row and the oldest nephew is standing immediately to his right.

No card today to post yet today, but give me time. I'm home and totally unpacked and in TM to work on a challenge card or two.

Around About the 4th of July

It's July 3rd and about as around the 4th of July as you can get without it being the 4th. We're down at the camphouse gearing up for our family Shrimp Boil. However, before, getting too busy, DH, nephews and I went out for a kayak run on the creek. You know it's going to be a good day when you see the eagles out. This is one of a pair that we've had living on the creek for the past 5 years. I never fail to look at one and not count my blessings on living in the GREATEST COUNTRY in this world.

We have one grandson whose nickname is Monkey Moo. My DD and DSIL are in to talk radio, so how they managed to have a child that loves music and dancing as much as MM does is beyond me(truly must be in the genes as DH and I love to dance). At any rate MM got hooked on Garth Brooks and to him, Garth is the epitome of the term cowboy. Last year he told me he needed a cowboy shirt, a rope and a buckle, so for his 3 year old birthday, I decked him out with cowboy hat, western shirt, blue jeans, cowboy boots, a belt with a "buckle" and I even made him some chaps. He wasn't too fond of the chaps and informed me that cowboys didn't wear chaps. I informed him REAL cowboys do. This is a picture of him in full regalia. I had to promise to go on a trail ride on a real horse to get him to get his picture made with the chaps(something I don't plan on ever doing again.)

This is one of MM's birthday week cards that will be mailed to him on his "birthday" week. Do you recognize the paper. It's scraps leftover from my Annie's Hat card of yesterday. This time my image is from a Precious Moments coloring page. MM got his mom a "but tar" for Mother's Day so he has something to play. How perfect is this image for him? I decided to make the denim look like the rear of a pair of Levis and was actually able to find a jpg clip art of a Levi's pocket that I used as my sewing guide. I double stitched the denim with an Orange thread. I also added the same birthday message from yesterday's card to the "bandanna handkerchief and it pulls out of that back pocket. The inside of the card has a clip of a coiled up lasso with the message "Here's roping you have a rodeoing Big Birthday". Cheesy I know, but it will be perfect for a 4 year old.

Thanks for stopping by. Be sure to grab the free Word Art posted below. Hope you all have a wonderful 4th, and please take a moment to remember the price that has been paid and will continue to be paid in order for us to celebrate this day.

It's a Red White and Blue Birthday!

Happy Birthday America! I can't begin to put into words what being able to say that means to me. I had to start a blog just so I could participate in all the fun goings on at OWH. This is an organization that I believe in with all my heart. For the past month I've been on a campaign making blank Any Hero Cards. My DH's brother and his wife and my DH and I host an "Around about the 4th of July" Shrimp Boil each summer. We invite their family(13 brothers and sisters with spouses, 26 nieces and nephews with spouses and children, and friends). This year, I'm planning on making them write for their supper. Many of the brothers served in the Armed Forces, and we're all American to the bone. I'm going to get them to write a note in the blank cards so that I can send Dixie a huge box of Any Hero cards. I even have some cards I left the images uncolored for the children to have some fun and write a note too.

Here's my card for the Blog Tour. This is a Tiddly Inks image called Annie's Hat, as in tipping your hat, so this would make a great Any Hero card also. You'd just need a different sentiment. The challenge over at Tiddly Inks this week was to create a red, white and blue card, which went along perfectly with the OWH Blog Tour. What's more American than denim, gingham and bandana print and it's red, white and blue. The paper is from Paper Studio, and the buttons are from Walmart. I found the tied rope clip art on line and created the sentiment myself in Photoshop Elements. Those red and black cowboy boots bring back fond memories, as I actually owned and wore a pair when I was dating a wantabe cowboy another lifetime ago.

I'm posting two sentiments that I created that could be used with this image. For those that might like to have them. It's my small way of giving a little back. Just right click on the sentiment and then click on save as. Be sure to check back with the OWH Stars and Stamps Blog here for the start to the tour.

Thanks for stopping by and would love to here from you and be sure to come back tomorrow for another Red, White and Blue birthday card that I made for MonkeyMoo.

TazMania Today

Welcome to TazMania and come on in for a tour. This is what it looks like as you walk in. Oh and would you mind taking off your shoes? You know those hours and hours I spent varnishing the floor have made me a bit anal about taking care of it. The left side of the room is set up with my neighbor's scrapbooking stuff. She's working on scrapbooks for 7 grandchildren and it's going really slow. The back of the room is my sewing area and the door in the back on the right isn't to the bathroom(for that I have to go back to the house). The building isn't anywhere near the septic tank.
To the left, when you enter and not visible from entry is my entertainment center. I have my TV with satellite, my stereo, my Wii and my exercise videos. I also have a plastic shoe tray for you to leave your shoes, and help yourself to some dusting houseshoes.

This is my sewing corner. The red doors are hinged together and can be pulled out and opened up to block off the area.

This is a picture of my ribbon rack located in the sewing area. It's a canned goods storage rack I purchased from Lowe's and it's perfect for the ribbons.

This is the completed cedar storage cabinet. My fabric and lace stash is stored inside and protected both from light and bugs.

This is my Christmas closet. On the shelves to the right are all my Frick and Frack(DH's name for Fitz and Floyd) serving pieces and the boxes on the left are filled with decorations.

You're looking at my main storage wall. I think my two cabinets turned out pretty darn good. The one on the left has my Cuttlebug, embossing folders, Spellbinders, Cricut cartridges and extra tape. The one on the right is filled with boxes of pictures, cardstock and colored paper(that was given to me and I never turn down free paper). I bought the paper racks from a scrapbooking store that was trying to upgrade their storage system. I just need to figure a better organization of my pictures. You can get a glimpse of the bowling alley table and under it storage boxes that contain either rubber stamps or scrapbook memorabilia.

And finally we're back to the front where what used to be my office desk and is now my Cricut/Printer/Computer area. It' s not a Cricut cake, it's a red Cricut that I got on Black Friday last year(the one and only time I've ever gone shopping on Black Friday at 5:30 in the morning). DH just recently built the punch shelf for me and then I found a clear shoe holder that's perfect for my corner punches.

Hope you've enjoyed the tour and would love to have you come and play with me making cards anytime you want. You're welcome anytime.

Fun Time with my Sister

Yesterday was an incredible day. My younger sister(and we ain't young) is on vacation this week. I met her for shopping and lunch on Tuesday, and yesterday she drove down to play in TM with me. She brought a whole passel of colored images, and we spent part of the day putting them into cards.

My talents with Photoshop Elements isn't too great with editing pictures, but I have figured out how to do Word Art from a tutuorial that WAS on the internet. When DS went to watch it the second time, it was gone, so I shared my knowledge with her, so that she can make her own word art.

Today is the final day of the Phindy's Place 3D Challenge card. I've had a plan for several days, and had my image colored. I finally got to make the card last night. This is my first easel card.

Isn't this image something we are all familiar with? One cookie is never enough, you need at least one in each hand. Phindy catches childhood memories so well in her images. He's colored with Copics and papers are cardstock I had on hand and scraps out of my scrap box. The ribbon is from Walmart. I decided to cut him out and raise him up off my Spellbinders scalloped circle. When I saw this Word Art by Create with TLC, I knew that it was just the PERFECT sentiment for my card. Then I got to thinking about what to use for the stop on my easel card.

NO, the cookies aren't real. I'd have eaten them if they had been. When I go to Hobby lobby, I shop the WHOLE store. I couldn't find any cookie embellishments to use in the Scrapbooking department, but over in the aisle with wooden crafts I found these perfect little wooden hearts. I painted them with acrylic paints that I matched to the color of the cookies in the image. I then covered them with Alene's Paper Glaze and sprinkled the tee-tiniest glass beads on them for a sugar effect.

Then I remembered cookie eating by every child I've ever known that included sugar EVERYWHERE and "sprinkled" some sugar on the cookies in the image, a few on his face and of course down his overalls. He VERY much reminds me of MonkeyM00, my grandson.

Tomorrow is the grand tour of TM as it is today. Off to prepare for WW Thursday. Have a great day.

Thanks for stopping by and I love hearing from you.