Welcome Fall

I found these fall themed plastic containers at the Dollar Tree recently along with some pretty fall themed paper products which just happened to fit in them.  So I bought a few of each, tied some sparkly ribbon around them and attached a tag I created from some new products from The Greetery and HWNSNBP and I made some drop offs to local friends and family.  

I die cut those leaf sprays our of various shades of fall colors and then used the negative space from one of them in my Misty as a way to hold them so I could stamp the detail on each of them rather that trying to line up the die on the stamped image each time.  It goes so much quicker that way.   

The word "Autumn" is die cut from some sticky backed cork paper.  

I got carried away and made a lot more of those leaf sprays which I'll be using for something else soon.

 

Sunshine Comes From New Zealand

Going through some photos I realized that there are quite a few that I hadn't posted including these.  This card came from my blogging friend Sunshine in New Zealand as a note of thanks for thinking of here in a special way after an accident she had.  I organized a card party of sorts for her in March with my Pig Ladies, hoping to lift her spirits and it seemed to have done the trick.  She got cards from as close as California and as far away as Ireland, with the majority of them coming from right here in New Jersey which isn't just down the block either.  

Isn't this so true.  My "Pig Ladies" embraced her with thoughts of a speedy recovery and concern for her well-being.  They worked a little flying pig magic you might say.

Even the outside of the envelope was decorated.  

I am blessed with such wonderful and caring friends.  I know Sunshine said she was going to thank everyone individually when she was feeling better but I wanted to say thanks also.  You made my heart proud!

The Christmas Elf Strikes Again - 2018

Here's the recipe:

Cut out a stack of these die cuts while watching Hallmark Channel movies.

Smoosh some Color Burst paints onto watercolor paper being careful not to get any on the back.

Take the die cuts and..........

Glue them onto the watercolor paper.

Cut away the excess from the back.   Punch holes in the top and add a hanger (fishing line).

Add clear gel pen stars or white gel pen snowflakes and a silver Christmas star if desired.

Or leave the background to speak for itself.

Add a message or sentiment to the back in gel pen.  Initial and date if desired.

Sneak into teacher/staff mailboxes the night before the last day of school.

Happy Administrative Professionals Day

I made these little tealight boxes for the ladies that work in my district.  We rely on each other throughout the year for knowledge and support.  The little tag included with each one reads:

Don't feel bad

if people remember you

only when they

need you.

Feel privileged that

you are like a 

CANDLE

that comes on in 

their minds when

there is darkness.

We light the way 

for each other.

Paying It Forward Because..........

I had a wonderful, relaxing week last week off from work despite the mess you see below. This has been in the making for a llllllllooooooooonnnnnnggggg time.  This is the room I fondly call my "Stamp Cave" sans the shelves and another large table.  It was my son's room and after he moved out I slowly took ownership of it, removing the bed and unsystematically adding more furniture for storage of my ever-growing craft stash.  There were dings and dents in the walls, not to mention staples galore from posters and pictures that once decorated the walls.  So after we removed the shelves, table and an embarrassingly large amount of stuff, HWNSNBP had a lot of patching to do. And I had to pick out a color.  And I have to be sure that it's what I want to live with for a very long time according to the painter (aka HWNSNBP) because given our age and stage of life, once the stuff goes back in, it ain't comin' out.

For the time being my worktable was left standing in the middle so I could possibly use it in an emergency if need be.  But it had to be shrouded in plastic from the dust and paint splatter (from the ceiling being painted too).

Of course, while I was packing things up and moving them out I was coming across all kinds of things like these birds and the die cut tree.  So, while he was out playing in the yard (waiting for me to finish up) I dug out a blank white card and some inks to make a background and then assembled this quick card.  A little bit of procraftinating!

And speaking of finding things, the following are a few of the things that I found that I had doubles (an in one case triples) of.  So, I've decided to Pay It Forward.  I would be glad to share these items (all of them unused) with the first person who requests them in the comments below.  Just make sure to tell me which item it is that you would like and I will get back to you for your mailing address.  

The stamps below are 1" x 3"

The stamp below is 1" x 3"

The leaf stamp below is 2 1/4" x 3"

The Jingle stamp is 3 1/2" x 5"

I will get them out as soon as possible, I promise.  

And another reason I am sharing is because I had a bit of luck this weekend.  My godmother sent me some lottery tickets in my birthday card and I won $20 AND I was the winner chosen in Darnell's April Fool's Big Boo Boo Card Blog Hop and I am using my prize to get some new markers.  Thank you to all the blog hoppers who visited and commented on my card. I certainly had some giggles visiting each and every one of you!  And thank you Darnell for sponsoring such a fun event!

Administrative Professional's Day

Just a little something to show my fellow admins some appreciation.  The sentiment says "so glad we're here for each other".

There are 18 of us throughout the district - in the schools, the board office, transportation, and student and instructional services.  It's a pretty good network of support for one another as well as the school system.  

I was glad to find a couple of packages of this dsp in my stash and the instructions for this cute folded paper box here from Tiffany Bauer of My Crafty World.  One note - if you follow her great instructions, instead of marking your paper at 2" and 11", I think it should be 2" and 9" which worked out perfectly.  This is easy and was just big enough to hold a snack pack of Pepperidge Farm goldfish crackers, a single serve of Wylers Iced Tea w/Lemonade (to add to a bottle of water), a Lindor Truffle, and an animal shaped bag clip for some whimsy.  

 

My daughter works in a school and she told me that she needed to send a fax last week and she couldn't remember how exactly to do it so she sheepishly asked one of the secretaries for help.  I say sheepishly because she had asked before and gotten directions but hadn't remembered the process and she knew that this could be a little frustrating for the office staff.  The secretary remembered this, of course, and heaved a little sigh and made a little comment about it's funny that teachers have such a hard time remembering these things.  Rachel told her "I know.  My mom works in a school office and she's always telling me how forgetful teachers are.  (She didn't quite use the words that I used.)  She says it's quite a problem."  And this sent the secretary into hysterics. 

 

I reminded her of what today was and she told me not to worry, that she already had it taken care of!

That-a-girl! 

MIA - But All's OK

It seems I'm easily distracted these days.  Which...... could be a good thing or bad thing depending on what's distracting me.  Mostly though, I have been occupied with getting our house ready for some major improvements.   

On tap for this spring are air-conditioning and new wood floors inside and the removal of several gigantic trees outside.  Since we don't have pre-existing duct work inside the house, the way around this is to get a unit that goes in the attic and then they send the ducts down to the first floor through closets in the second floor.  So, not only do we have to clear out the attic (25+ years of accumulated nonsense) but closets have to be rearranged and purged to make room for the ducts.  I admit that it's embarrassing to see what has been stowed away so long like the briefcase that I gave HWNSNBP when he graduated college in 1977 that has a combination lock that neither of us can remember but has us wondering what could possibly be in there.  Almost certainly guaranteed it's not money but what it could be is puzzling.  

Irish Soda Bread baked by a parent at school.  She brought each of us in the office a fresh hot loaf on Thursday.  Delicious treat and so appreciated.

Then there was the rest of the white bedroom set that my sister's and I had growing up which we did not use in Rachel's room.  That and other miscellaneous small furniture pieces of no value which went to the dumpster on Friday while I wasn't looking.... on purpose.

I finally coaxed HWNSNBP to put up the shelves I had purchased for the Stamp Cave, not caring to wait anymore for rug removal and newly painted walls.  I needed to get things off the floor so I literally didn't kill myself falling over something trying to move around in there.  I still insist that I am not as bad as the hoarders you see on TV, but sometimes it is scary to see all the "stuff" that sits waiting to be "used" and loved.

Home-made peanut butter cups brought in by one of our student mentors for the office staff.  Another delicious treat.

My house here is not spotless.  It is very well-lived-in and regularly dusted and vacuumed and dishes done and all that.  But paper seems to multiply here, and I have a box addiction.  (Is there a Box-Lover's Anonymous out there?)  There is a box tower upstairs and a small collection down here.  One never knows when you will need a good box.   I think that's a fear of mine that I can trace back to childhood being required to make a diorama for some project at school that required a shoe box.  We didn't get our shoes at a shoe store that gave you a nice box.  Shoes were usually purchased off the rack at some department chain or at a flea market or the like.  I remember listening to my mother telling my father that she wasn't going to go out and buy new shoes in some fancy store just so we could have the box.  So she succumbed to calling relatives to find one, which as embarrassing as that had to be, would not be as embarrassing as having to go to the shoe store, not buy shoes and ask for a box!  So shoe boxes were coveted and treasured.  Scarlet, you may never go hungry again, but I shall never be boxless again!

But some of those boxes are going to come in handy because............. when we do the floors we are going to have to pack up EVERYTHING downstairs and rent one of those pods to put outside to store everything for about a week.  Doesn't that sound like fun!!!  We have "stuff".  Stuff like pictures and knick knacks and candles and plants and stuff.  This is in contrast to the condo where I do not want a lot of stuff.  Packing up all this stuff will be a lesson in what's important and what's not anymore and what to do with it.  The kids have already told us that there is nothing that they are particularly wanting so how do we (I) let go of these memories?  

I am glad that we are finally moving forward with these projects, I just wish that we had done them when we were a little younger and had more energy and stamina (and less stuff!).  But I have to look forward to not being uncomfortable in the heat and easier maintenance of the floors.

Water-colored card made for a friend in Ohio recovering from surgery.  

I did get this card done earlier this week and two others for birthdays this week which I can't show yet.  And, I have a few projects in the works.   Remember, Administrative Professionals Day is this week and so is Earth Day - making it busy for me (by choice of course).  See what I mean about being distracted!!

(And HWNSNBP felt the need to remind me that the garden needs some attention soon!  Where will I find the energy for that!)

More Pigs Came Flying In

These came from North Carolina and my blogging friend Dawn.  I love them all.  And, I'm a little envious.  Not only is she a master stamping artist, she is mastering her Silhouette and has shared all these lovely little piggies and wings with me.  

She also sent me this sweet little iron flying piggy bank.  I am so touched.

Thanks Dawn.  What an unexpected treat.  You are too kind to me.  

Now HWNSNBP...... about that Silhouette....... you know what's coming!

How Far is it to New Zealand?

Maybe I should ask SIRI that?  Hold on - SIRI says................oh forget SIRI.  I know it's halfway around the world from here.

Well, getting a package from halfway around the world is what I call a special occasion and I had the good fortune to have one such special occasion recently.  My friend Sunshine, who lives, creates, and blogs in New Zealand sent me this adorable card and some of her "peg" creations.

Sunshine really liked the little pig that I sent her for Pig Day and treated herself to the die and stamp set and look at what wonderful results she got.  This is so cute.  I'm loving the wings too!

And below you will see the fruits of her crafting.  She sent me this lovely assortment of what she calls pegs.  They are made with what we call clothespins that are covered with decorative paper and then embellished.  She had a great idea to use them too - to hang cards she receives.  I think I will do that too - as soon as I get the craft room organized!

Thank you Sunshine.  You really did make me smile with both the card and the pegs!

Catching Up With Sharing

I'm trying to catch up with some projects this week while I'm off from work - (yes, I decided to take some days off while school was out).  It occurred to me that I had not yet posted all the lovely handmade cards that I have received lately so here goes.

This first one is from my cousins Barbara and I'm sure that you can tell it was for St. Patrick's Day.  Don't you just love all those shades of glittery green?

The next couple of cards are BRAK's from Splitcoast members Emily, Angie, and Sally.  It's always such a surprise to receive these BRAK's.  You never know where they'll come from but it's so nice of these ladies to share their time and cardmaking skills.

The next two cards are from my friend Carol.  This is a sweet birthday card and below is a clever Easter card she put together.  I really love that layout on the Easter card.

The card from Rita is a thank you for a card that I sent to her.  She was one of our recent destination stations in one of the teapot challenges.  I'm loving that background and can't figure if it's patterned paper or a stamp.

The next card comes from my friend Sabrina.  I love interactive cards and this one is particularly pretty too!  

There's a little magnetic clasp that keeps that sun up there and when you gently open it - ta da!

A trio of lovely flowers!

The pink bag and tag below are also made by her.  The colors of these beautiful packages just make me smile!

Thank you all ladies!  I love receiving this kind of happy mail!

Pig Updates

First I want to share a card that I received from my blogging friend Dana in Florida.

She sent me this "just because".  And believe it or not, she drew this image from something she saw.

She is quite a talented artist.  Inside the card were all these additional images - some colored and some not.

Looks like I've got the makings for some pretty piggy cards!  

Speaking of pigs, back to the update.  

I have been working on my pig.  It has been a bit of a process as I have something pictured in my head and now the chore is to be able to create it in real life.  I spent part of today working with a new tool as part of the process.  And my pig has gone through several different "paintings".  I started with a couple of coats of gesso and then decided to add color.  The initial color was too dark so another coat was tried mixed with some gesso.  Well, that too was too dark, so yet another coat was slopped on.  It's not quite what I had pictured at this point, but it's getting there.

Also, I have heard (and seen) that three of the pigs are completed!  And beautifully I might add!  We shall see them all in a little less that two weeks and I am so looking forward to that.