Blessed

I am very blessed to have a circle of friends both near and far that care so much about me, and I care so very much about each one of them. Everyone should be so lucky to have people like this in their lives. True friends. Friends that stay with you through thick and thin. That's what life is all about. So today, I'm sharing some cards that my friends made for me. Not only are they all awesome people, but a good majority of them are crazy creative!

These first two cards are from my dear friend, Ana. She is a Stampin' Up demonstrator and knows how to work that rubbah! You go, girl :)

This next card is from the wickedly talented Jennifer McGuire. I had won a book from the Hero Arts blog back in early December, and because it was so delayed in getting to me (I finally got it last week along with two other great books), she sent me some Hero Arts stamps and this great card. What a sweetie! Thanks, Jennifer!

Next up is a card and goodies from my cross-country BFF. She sent out a package to me nearly two weeks ago, and it finally arrived yesterday. What's up with the Post Office these days, anyway??

Seriously, how cute is that hippo?? I must have her :) She also included some fun Valentine's Day gifts. How "me" is this little fellow?

And socks! I love socks! My feet are always cold.

Lastly, she sent me this great alterable tin and some Studio G stamps. YIPEE! It's so funny that she sent me a tin because I just sent her a package with an alterable tin, too! We're on the same brain wave, obviously ;)

And that's it for now! I'm going to attempt to enjoy a relaxing weekend with the hubs. Perhaps I'll squeeze in a little creative time, too :) Have a great weekend!

To thine own self be kind

How true, how true. Everyone should remember to take a little time out for themselves, and this card is a good reminder to do that. I was completely inspired by the card that Chat made and shared on her blog.

Supplies: Botanical Blooms stamp set & Paper Trey Ink Polka Dots; Kiwi Kiss, Rose Red, More Mustard, & Whisper White cardstock; Black StazOn ink, Kiwi Kiss, & Whisper White stampin' pads; Bold Brights & Earth Elements Watercolor Wonder Crayons; Aqua Painter; Vintage Brads; 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon in Old Olive & the pink ribbon is from an unknown company; Sakura Gelly Roll Pen - Rose Star; Scallop Border Punch & 1 3/4" & 1 1/4" Circle Punches

The other day I went to Target with a friend to browse around, and I found this stack of paper on clearance for $2! Now that's my kind of deal. I figure I can use them on cards or as journaling spots on my pages. If you're interested in getting a pack, I found it in their stationary section by the greeting cards.

I have a bunch of stuff to share with all of you tomorrow. I'm very excited and you should be, too, because it's all about friendship, cards, and goodies! See you all tomorrow!

Thank you + Catching Up

It's been exactly one week since I had to say goodbye to Bay. Everyday gets a little easier, and I am very thankful for all the sweet comments you have left for me. They certainly touched my heart.

As is tradition when one of my little ones passes, I had him cremated. His remains were ready for me to pick up yesterday. The tiny cedar box just brought a whole flood of tears, but I was happy to bring him home.

I spent part of my weekend and most of my day yesterday finishing up Thank You cards for the staff at the vet hospital. They are always so kind to me, and they all know and love my critters. For the gals, I made these cards with bookmarks. In spite of the sad reason I was making them, I was really happy to be creative for the first time in a long time.

I wanted to make the veterinarian a more masculine card, so I used the Big Owl from Hero Arts and made a little window card with my 1 3/4" punch.

Now to catch you up on a mini trip I took last week. My friend and I wanted to drive up to the mountains and walk around in the freshly fallen snow. Our ultimate goal was to hit the scrapbooking store up there, but to our complete disappointment, they were closed. I was not at all happy especially since I had checked their website before leaving. I guess next time, I'll call.

All the shops we passed had these great big old icles hanging from their rooftops. Some of them were at least three feet long! For where I'm at, that's a huge deal!

The entire area looked like a little rustic snowy wonderland. It was beautiful.

It was a really quiet day on the main drag and most of the shops were either out of business (sad!) or closed, but we did find a lovely boutique that was open. It had the most wonderful chandelier adorned with sparkling glass beads. I was really inspired.

We also stopped off at a furniture store where I drooled over the most comfortable glide rocker. I've been eying it for years, but it has a bit of a hefty price tag. One day, maybe, it will come home with me. For the time being, I was content to bring this little guy home. Isn't he cute?

He'll go just perfect in my *new* vintage-styled craft room. Yup, I'm getting a new room, but I need to get it all done before I show it to the world (or at least to my small circle of blogging friends). I have grand ideas for my room, so bear with me as I piece it together slowly but surely.

I have another card to share with all of you tomorrow, so be sure to stop back then!

Rest in Peace, my little Bay

My heart is once again filled with saddness. Yesterday I had to say goodbye to one of my little furballs, Beowulf, affectionately called Bay-Bay by many. His passing comes less than three months after I had to say my final goodbyes to my dear Zoe. It's so hard to put into words the emptiness I'm left with after one of my little ones passes on. My heart aches. It literally aches with a dull pain that I can't describe. I know that as time goes on a smile will replace the tears that stream down my face, but the pain of losing him is still so fresh, and it will take me a while to get back on my feet again. For now, I just want to remember him as the lively little bundle of fur that I love so much.

We rescued Bay and his sister, Pennelope, in the summer of 2005. (Unfortunately, Pennelope was extremely sick when we rescued her, and she passed only two months later despite our best efforts to keep her with us. We miss you, too, Penn-Penn.) Both of them came to me just as filthy as can be and crawling with fleas. In my house, that's unacceptable! I put them in the tub and gave them refreshing baths. I introduced the pair to my established brood, and everyone started bouncing and playing. It was a match made in heaven!

Bay was quite a big boy. He remains the largest weasel I've ever had. His coat was gorgeous, and his personality just beamed with simple delight.

Of course, like any other weasel, he loved his naps. He would often sleep so deeply that you could pick him up without waking him.

And, like all of my weasels, he just loved his treats. He was always looking up at me with that innocent face just waiting for his daily yum-yums.

My little Bay...you came into our lives quite unexpectedly and stole our hearts. A little piece of me went with you as I felt your last breath leave your body. I miss you, my sweets. Until we meet again across the Rainbow Bridge, sweet dreams.

XOXO,
mama & daddy

Cup of Love

Today I braved the tiny bit of snow we got this morning to go to Target. I was taking a leisurely stroll down every aisle, examining all the goodness that Target had to offer. I especially loved their bed quilts which are on sale right now for half off. Not bad considering the original price on some of them is $100. After drooling over all the bedding, I went to the kitchen section and found the most adorable cup. Mind you, I've been a good girl lately and haven't bought much of anything, but this I just had to have.

Now tell me you wouldn't find yourself reaching for this cup of love and sticking it in your cart. I even got a bonus - 30% off! Since there was just the one left, I decided I deserved a Valentine's Day cup. I'll probably use it as a pen holder since I want to see if all year round, and it doesn't hurt that it matches my desk tote, either ;)

I don't have anything crafty to share with you today, but once I do, I'll post it here first! Until next time, have a good one :)

Friday Creativity

TGIF, right?! I'm happy to report that Mr. Mojo payed me a visit yesterday, and I was able to make a couple Valentine's Day cards. I think I almost have enough to send out to friends and family. Yay!

Supplies: Season of Friendship stamp set; Whisper White, Riding Hood Red, and Chocolate Chip cardstock; Chocolate Chip & Riding Hood Red stampin' pads; Pretty in Pink ribbon; Small & Large Oval punches

Supplies: Love Owl-ways stamp set; Whisper White, Riding Hood Red, & Pretty in Pink cardstock; Chocolate Chip stampin' pad; Scallop Edge & 1/16" circle punches

That's all I have for now! Have a great weekend, and I'll blog at you next week :)

Thank you all for your kind words about my little one. He's not doing as well as I would like, and the decision to let him go may come sooner than I had hoped. He's such a darling little thing, and my heart aches to see him like this. We'll see what the weekend brings.

This past Monday night I attended my weekly SU demo meeting. Normally, we talk shop and make a pre-determined project. This time around, we did something a little different. Our hostess had just gotten her "big" SU order in that day, and by big, I mean she ordered pretty much every new item in the catalog. It was great! She had us pick a new stamp set that corresponded with the first letter of our name, so I choose "Simple Friendship." The challenge was to create a card right there and then using the set we choose. Talk about pressure! Here's what I came up with:


Supplies: Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke cardstock; Sage Shadow & Chocolate Chip stampin' pad; To the Nines Specialty DSP; Scallop Circle Punch; Dazzling Diamond glitter; Chocolate Chip Satin Ribbon

What do you think? Not bad for an on-the-fly card. I definitely like this stamp set and hope to add it to my SU collection soon.

I'm currently working on organizing my stamp collection even more. I know, you're wondering how my stamps could get anymore organized, but believe me, I can always find more ways! I'm not sure when I'll be back, so if I don't blog at you before the weekend, have a good one!

MIA, but with good reason

Oh my! Looks like it's been a while since I last updated this blog. I know I've been MIA for a few days, but I have good reason. Lately, I've been having a bit of a creative block due to the fact that one of my little ones is extremely sick. His chances of being with us much longer are quite slim, and as you can imagine, it's hard to be creative when you're sad. I've been spending a lot of extra quality time with him, and I suspect my future postings might be a wee-bit sporadic, so please bear with me!

In other news, my girlfriend was fortunate enough to attend CHA this year for the first time. I would have loved to go, but I couldn't leave my sick little one. Maybe next year. Although I wasn't able to go, she kept me updated on all of the cool stuff that she saw, and she brought back a huge stack of catalogs for me to drool over. Check 'em out!

I am so amazed at the variety of creative options out there on the market. These catalogs are a wealth of information and inspiration which is probably why I've been thumbing through them everyday for the past few days.

She also brought back a really nice Making Memories tote bag. I'm a BIG fan of using totes for shopping, so this little gem has already come in quite handy!

Yesterday was a fun day since it was my girlfriend's birthday! I made her my famous baked ziti as well as a yummy cake. We also had our Stampin' Up demo meeting last night where I made a very elegant card that I'll show you all tomorrow. For now, here's the b-day card I made followed by a picture of the birthday girl herself!

Alrighty, I will be back tomorrow to share the card I created last night. I'm hoping that Mr. Mojo pays a visit and stays for a while. We'll see!