Torn Paper and Cracked Glass

I haven't done these techniques in a long while so I decided to do both on one card. I stamped the image on four different colors of cardstock, stacked them and tore them into strips. You have to be careful about which way to tear because you want a clean and defined stamped image once you put them back together. I then covered it with Versamark ink, poured UTEE on top and melted it. I did this a total of three times to get a think coat. Let it cool completely then bend it in random spot to "crack" the UTEE. Just be careful - if you bend too many times in roughly the same area the UTEE will start to peel or pop off.




I've had a migraine all day. Hopefully two Ibuprofens (800 mg. each!) will do the trick so I can get back to creating!

New cards and puppy update

I love lighthouses so I decided to create a new card featuring one :). As always I did a lot of machine stitching and used adhesive gems by K & Company. I bought a few things at Jo-Ann's and found a hardware set that just screamed "BUY ME! BUY ME!" and so I did! The mirror cardstock was the perfect partner for them.


Our adorable puppies are now 4 weeks old and are eating canned puppy food. I wish I could keep them all, but I can't. They are looking for a family to love them! They are a mix of shih tzu, lhasa apso and maltese. They will be about 6-8 pounds full grown. If you live in San Diego or Riverside counties please contact me if you are interested. They will be ready to go to their new homes at the end of August.

We call her Tabitha - she looks just like her momma :)

This is a little girl we affectionately call Ginger.

And this little boy is Black Beard, obviously :)

These are my fur babies - also known as the parents! Daisy (Mom) is 6 lbs. and Samson (Dad) is 8 lbs.

Tea Bag Folding Tutorial

I love doing these folds even though it is a little time consuming, but the final result makes the effort worth it!

Supplies:

• 2" square of printed paper (you'll need 8 to make the star medallion)
• adhesive

Start with the printed side down.
Fold in half and unfold. Turn and fold in the other direction. You should have 4 quadrants.

Fold in half diagonally. Turn and repeat in the other direction. Collapse fold into a square Fold top layer corners to the center line.
Open and pull out, then flatten.
This is what you should end up with.
Assemble your eight folded squares into a star. I used tape on the back of the star to keep them in place.
My finished card.

Flowers and Butterflies

I've been noticing a switch from "cutesie" cards like those using Penny Black hedgehogs to the more elegant cards on the selling front lately. I go with the flow and these are two new designs that I worked on. I used Crystal Effects, wet embossing, mini hinges, Prima flowers, stitching, Glimmer Mist and foam adhesive.

Happy Birthday to my Goob!

We are currently in San Diego and I wanted to make sure I posted this on his actual birthday. So...HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVAN!!! I LOVE YOU SOOOOO MUCH! YOU CONTINUE TO SURPRISE AND INSPIRE ME!


I will make sure to update this post as soon as we get home. By the way, my Evan goes by many, many, MANY nicknames and this one seems to be his favorite. I asked the lady at the bakery to write "Happy Birthday Evan" and my son quickly corrected me and told her to put "Happy Birthday Goob" so that's what was written :).


Evan was born with mild to moderate bilateral hearing loss and he has had the best intervention and education since he was diagnosed at 3 months of age. None of that has hindered his development...he has progressed above and beyond despite his hearing loss. I was told he would have difficulty hearing the softer sounds with words that start or end with "h", "s" or knowing the difference between words that have "sh" or "ch" and so on. At age 3 months the H.O.P.E. Infant program gave him hearing aids and worked with him 3 times a week for his first year with them. By the time he was 2 they were decreased to once a week then every other week because he was responding so well. It was hard for me to see my little baby boy wearing hearing aids, but soon I was calling him my "RoboBaby". When he started crawling and walking around it became a challenge for me to keep his aids on his ears. One time I found them thrown in the toy box! We learned a few tricks like using eyeglass holders around his aids and pinning the string to his shirt.

Journaling reads:
You truly are my Boy Wonder. When you were born you were diagnosed with bilateral mild to moderate hearing loss. Look at you now...sometimes I think you can really fly. You've soared through pre-school and kindergarten. You're in 1st grade who does 2nd grade math and reading. You have this thirst for knowledge that is so remarkable to me. You never quit anything you start. Keep flying high, baby.............

When he turned 3 he had to leave H.O.P.E. and he was enrolled in a hard of hearing pre-school. The first day of school was difficult for me - I had to leave him for 3 hours Monday through Friday. I cried as soon as the class door closed. His teacher knew I was nervous for him and she came out to reassure me. The 15-minute drive home felt like an eternity. After his first day he was so excited to tell me everything he did in class and right then and there I knew he would be just fine. His class didn't use sign language, but instead they focused on using what hearing he still had and worked with his speech and listening skills.


So now here we are at age 7 (starting 2nd grade in August!)and he rarely uses his hearing aids. He was mainstreamed in kindergarten and has been blazing through school! There is no stopping my Goober and he knows no limits. I will forever be grateful to those who have made sure he had the best start possible: Ross Adams from H.O.P.E. Infant Program, Mrs. Lynn Shasky and Mr. "Frank" from Vista Square Elementary and Mrs. Hall from Morgan-Kincaid
Elementary.

While my sons played on the computer...

I was able to practice some tea-bag folding. I love doing this with double sided papers because it creates so much dimension. I will post instructions with photos on how to do a particular tea bag fold in a few days so look out for that! In the meantime, here are two cards I made using two different folds. I used circles for the black and pink card and squares for the turquoise and brown card (instead of making a medallion on this one I split it in half).

Playing with my Clear Dollar Stamps and Card Scents

I just got my order in from Clear Dollar Stamps and just had to play! I used the Family Recipe and Kiss the Cook sets along with Simply Sista's Card Scents Apple Cinnamon.



I made some pleats using striped paper and the inside smells delicious!

9!

My son Marcus turned 9 today! How quickly his 9 years have gone by! I am so proud of my little boy (little?? not so much anymore...). He was the only thing right in my life when he was conceived and I owe him so much. HAPPY BIRTHDAY and I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART!

Paraphrasing Kitty from "That 70s Show"...even years from now when you're all grown, married and have a family of your own you'll always be my LITTLE BABY MAN!