Get Well Soon Joey!

My cousin's little boy, Joey, had surgery on his arm after taking a fall. He is only 5. So my daughter and son picked out some books for him as a Get Well Soon present. I made this card out of my new stamp set Bronc Buster on p. 89 of the Fall/Winter Catalog. The Apple Cider paper, which can be found the in the Holiday Mini Catalog on p. 19, works so well with this set. My goal was to keep the card simple and boyish.

Patty Bennett suggested using punches on this paper to punch out the images. It looks great on this card. Thanks Patty!

Marathon Training Update

Since one of my passions is running, I thought it would be fitting to provide an update on my training. My next event is October 14th in Long Beach, California. I'll be running the full marathon.

On Saturday, my running shoes were back in action after sitting for 4 weeks! My training has been hit or miss due to our pending move (too long of a story). But Saturday I was able to get out and run 12 miles. Wow, it was great to be running again. I didn't realize how much I missed it. My run felt good and I was happy to get the miles in.

Now when I woke up on Sunday, that was a different story. Not running for 4 weeks makes a huge difference. I wasn't this sore after my last marathon. They say that your body remembers and will bounce back. I have learned that your body also holds a grudge and makes you pay when you don't take care of it ;-)

So I'll be running a couple times a week from now until Long Beach!

Featured Card of the Week

We all love to sit down and stamp away, creating wonderful cards, goodie bags and so on. Do you have a card you are proud of? Or maybe a card that is showcasing some new product? Have you tried a new technique you would like to show off? If so, send it to me and I will feature it on my blog. Once a week, I will post a card that was shared with me as the 'Featured Card of the Week'.

I won't be able to send your card back to you, so if you love the card, make a copy!

Re-Inkers and Sketch Challenge

Today was filled with all sorts of challenges. My 2 year old was starting his first day of Playschool. How exciting. He was dressed all cute and ready to conquer school. We all get in the car and about 5 minutes from home, he gets sick. Yes, that kind of sick. I turn the car around and proceed to face the challenge of getting him out of his car seat through all the mess. My daughter was very kind to tell me over and over that my car was stinky and she wanted out. So as my son walked up and down our driveway in his diaper, I removed the stinky car seat from my car. After a quick bath for the little guy, the next challenge was cleaning the car seat. Any mom that has been experienced this, can feel my pain! I did my best.

My final challenge of the day was the Sketch Challenge on Splitcoast. Yes, finally something fun. I am happy with the way this card came out but it was a challenge. Some cards just go together but not this one.

I used the Polished Stone technique. You take a cotton ball moistened with alcohol, not too much. From your re-inker, drop 3 - 4 drops of ink onto the cotton ball. Dab cotton ball on a piece of glossy white card stock until covered. Let dry. I used Bashful Blue and Almost Amethyst. Then I put the card together using the sketch layout.

My friend is coming over to stamp. The kids are in bed and all is well. So my challenges for the day have come to a close ;-)

Good Things Come in Small Packages

These little 3x3 cards were part of my Open House last month. The theme was 'Quick & Easy' and these cards were both. I love to have this size card handy to include in a gift bag or on a gift box. If you are looking for a gift for a teacher or someone special, these are perfect! On p.169, you'll find the Mini Square Envelopes that fit these cards. You can also purchase the Love Notes which include 30 scored cards 10 of each, Soft Sky, Rose Red, and Very Vanilla. You even get envelopes! Whether you cut your own card stock or purchase the Love Notes, try making this size card.

World Card Making Day - Only 34 Days away!

October 6th is World Card Making Day. This event happens each year on the first Saturday in October. It is a special event especially for card makers around the world to:

• Celebrate the creativity of handmade cards and the personal connection that they create between friends and family
• Kick off (and get a head start on) the holiday card-making season

You can visit their website to get all the details.

To celebrate this event, from October 4th - October 8th, Stampin' UP! is offering 20% off all of their Simple Stampin Card Kits! You can find these kits in the Fall/Winter 2007 catalog on pages 12 - 14.

These kits include instructions and supplies to make at least 10 cards. You get everything, ink, stamps, embellishments and envelopes!

What a great holiday gift this would make! Be sure to check your holiday gift list and order now to receive your 20% discount.

September Stampin' UP! Special - Fall Frenzy

The Fall Frenzy promotion runs from September 1st - September 30th.

Spend $30 in regular priced merchandise and qualify to purchase one of each of the six promotional stamp sets listed below at 30% off!

#105355 - Bitty Boos Too (page 26)...................................$12.57
#109284 - Haunting Halloween (page 29)............................$13.27
#107383 - Thoroughly Thankful (page 30)...........................$16.07
#109373 - Autumn Fest (page 108).....................................$16.77
#109421 - Elementary Essentials (page 91).........................$19.57
#110366 - Stem Silhouettes (Holiday Mini page 17)..............$23.37

Contact me today to take advantage of this great special offer!