Southern Creations

Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust

2012-02-01T09:13:00.000-05:00

I love playing with paper. (and inks and glitter and stamps and and and lol) I started this canvas several months ago. I put letter stickers down for my phrase. I used inks and paints to cover the entire canvas. After the paint dried, I peeled off the letter stickers so my phrase would show in white. Pretty cool looking, right? Well, I wasn't happy with that. I added the silver Glitter Glass for my "pixie dust". Next, I added green glitter glue for more pixie dust. I still wasn't happy. I decided to set it aside and wait for inspiration. Well, inspiration finally hit last week when I was sick. Yes, while I was sick. lol This happens to me, a lot. I decided what this canvas needed was flowers.

The Brights Collection Pattern Designer Series Paper Stack was perfect for what I envisioned. I used the Blossom Party die to cut out several flowers using my Big Shot. Then I started wrinkling the paper. Yes, wrinkle it all up! The more you work with it, the softer the paper becomes. It will eventually feel like fabric. I did not want it quite that flexible and soft though. I wanted it to stand up off the canvas. I thought of distressing the paper before cutting the flowers but I worried the Big Shot would flatten out some of those marvelous wrinkles when it cut out the flowers. Next, I added tons of pixie dust aka glitter glue aka Dazzling Details. :) Remember, you can always add ink to your Dazzling Details to come up with any color you would like. After a long wait, the pixie dust was dry and the flowers were ready to assemble. As you can see, I mixed the colors on some and just mixed the patterns on others. I love that the Designer Series Pattern Paper is double sided like that. I used gold brads to hold the flowers together. I punched the brad through the canvas to hold the flower in place.

The tiny flowers are made using the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack and Boho Blossoms punch. This is one of my favorite projects so far. I love how it brightens things up on a dreary winter day. :) I hope you are having a wonderful week. Be sure and get your crafting on this week! You deserve that "me" time!

So much going on.....

2012-01-13T10:26:00.000-05:00

OK, so I told myself that I would blog more in the new year. Thats not working out so well so far. lol Life has just been crazy to say the least. We were notified that hubby's JROTC unit would be closed as of June 30th due to low enrollment. Students pick their courses in the Spring, he started this position in August and numbers are turned in to the Air Force in October. He did not have much influence over their low numbers. He has been working on recruiting for the 2012-2013 school year. Anyway, after the school officials speaking with the powers that be back at headquarters, the Air Force decided to put our unit on probabtion through the 2012 - 2013 school year. So, we went from thinking we were jobless as of June 30, 2012 to knowing we have a job until at least 2013. Now everyone in the program is working hard to meet the minimum enrollment. That being said, this is still a nervous time for me. I keep telling myself to not worry about "What if they STILL have low numbers this October and are closed next June?" There is nothing I can do about that. If we are meant to stay here in Virginia, it will work out. If we are meant to go elsewhere, that will work out too. It felt so odd to be back in the position we were last year at this time, not knowing where we would live and work come July. Now we have a clue. :) I've been dealing with many other issues and things but I won't bore you with that. I am trying my best to stay positive. Winter will not get me down! I won't let all this stress bring me down.
Now, onto my business and my art. I have started selling my art in a local store called The Charmed Butterfly. It is amazing! Artists can rent out space to sell their wares as well as rent out the space next to the retail store to work on their crafts, teach class, have a party, etc. I've sold canvases, cards and the paper tree I made. Remember, I showed it during the last Llama Blog Hop. ~Hello my Llama sisters! I promise I haven't forgotten you. I'll come bcak soon. Miss y'all!!!!!! ;)~ I have my Technique Tuesday class there every week. Well, now that I'm over bronchitis and the winter icky sickness I seem to get yearly. lol Saturday, January 28th I will hostess a fundraiser for The Lennon Project: Celebrate Hope there. I can't wait! I will be donating my commission from Stampin' Up! Sales. Attendees will make either a card or a 3D project. I haven't yet narrowed down what those projects will be. I'll work on that as soon as I finish organizing my art studio today.
Organizing is another thing that has kept me busy. I have accumulated so much "stuff". I have to decide what to keep and what to donate. The items I decide don't need to take up space in my studio anymore are being donated to the Art Center at the Charmed Butterfly. I've already sent over ink pads, wrapping paper and magazines. Many of their fabulous kids classes are crafts most of us grew up on. You know, those cool things you make using whatever is around the house. What a great way to upcycle!
I will be posting some creative goodies in the coming days. (I hope!) I have not yet been able to order new Stampin' Up! goodies from the current mini catalog. Oh the joys of living on a teacher salary. ;) I hope to get those at the end of the month. For now, I'll focus on what I have from the big catalog.
I hope your year is off to a good start and the weather is treating you well. Here, its been crazy. Its 15 one day and 65 the next. Stay safe & get crafty!

Happy 2012!

2012-01-01T11:15:00.002-05:00

Boy does time fly! The holidays, from Halloween to New Year's Day, have just flown by at our hours. Again we have been dealing with illnesses. Guess this is just an unhealthy time of year for our family. (mainly daughter and me) Anywho...you didn't come here for that now did you? ;) I hope your year is starting off well. I am catching up on my art. I am trying to finish the 12 Tags of Christmas that Tim Holtz has done. I'll add the pictures to this blog post until I have all 12 up. When I do these tags, I always use what I have around my studio. No sense in going out and buying something new. Its a good way to use up this stash of random things I have around just taking up space.

Welcome to another Llama Blog Hop!

2011-10-22T00:01:00.008-04:00

We llamas are celebrating the holidays with a fun Holiday Blog Hop! I'm sure by now you have gotten several fabulous ideas. Did you enjoy what Martha showcased? These gals are amazing, aren't they?!

My projects for this hop are 2 luminaries using the Fancy Favor die, a Christmas card and a Christmas tree. Yes, a tree. ;) The luminaries are pretty simple, cut your Fancy Favor using your preferred cardstock. Choose any punch that fits the front of the favor. I used the 1 3/4" Scallop Circle punch and the Decorative Label punch. Yes, I know, you can not tell I used the scallop circle. I punched the hole before I knew what I wanted to do to decorate the front. I covered the punched opening with a piece of our paper vellum. Be sure you cut the vellum a tad bigger than your opening so you have room for adhesive. I punched the wreath from Warmest Wishes twice. I inked over the image very lightly with Soft Suede using a sponge. I then cut both wreaths out. The bottom wreath is cut apart to spread the leaves out more. I glued that over the scallop circle whole. I used just the "Be Thankful" phrase from the turkey stamp in the Gift Givers set. I cut that like a banner and glued it to the top.

The Christmas tree luminary is stamped using Holiday Happiness. I stamped the tree using Staz On since I was stamping on vellum. I stamped after I glued the vellum on and before I folded the Fancy Favor. I cut out the ornaments and attached them to the tree using our Tombow Multipurpose Liquid Glue. LOVE that stuff!
I found battery operated LED flameless tea lights at Sam's Club. They were in a pack of 24 for around $12. What a great price!

Now the tree. You've probably seen this done before. I just wanted to do one featuring SU's gorgeous printed papers! This beauty took me a few days. My muse seemed to keep wandering off. I started with a styrofoam tree. I cut Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper (DSP) into 1 1/2" strips. I ended up using 1 1/2 sheets of 12x12 paper. I inked the edges of each strip, front and back. I then cut each piece about every 1/4" to make fringe. Next, I curled the edges up over a chopstick. Yes, a chopstick. A marker was way too big, a pencil a tad to big but the chopstick was just right. Next was the tedious part. I hot glued each strip to the tree. You have to manipulate the paper to get it to go around the tree. It takes a bit of patience. Yes, I did burn my fingers a few times. That's what I get for only having a high temp hot glue gun around. I know I have a low temp somewhere. For some reason, it didn't get packed with my craft goodies. That's another reason to finish unpacking after our big move. lol I'm not one for exact measurements. I just kept gluing the strips around the tree. I put the next layer on top of the previous one wherever it looked good. Once I got to the top, I covered the top of the tree with a square of paper. I slit the edges so they would glue down flat. (I might do another blog post with step by step instructions for this tree later.) The topper is made with 15 scallop circles. Punch them out, fold them in half, glue together but only at the top half of each circle. I stretched that over the top of the cone and glued it down with hot glue. I then decorated the entire tree with glitter glue. Did you know you can make your own colored Dazzling Details? If you are a llama follower than you knew this already! Our gals showed previously how to use reinkers to add color to your DD.

Finally, my hop Christmas card. I had so many things in my head for this one. I like to use non-traditional colors in holiday cards. This one features Marina Mist, Perfect Plum and Old Olive. Cool combo if I must say so myself. ;) I ran a piece of paper vellum through the Snow Burst Embossing Folder. Next, I cut out 2 top note die cuts. One in Old Olive, the other in white. I trimmed the edge off the white so I could layer the pieces. I stamped the trees from Lovely as a Tree, Christmas Lodge and Scenic Season on the white for my background. (Do this before you attach the white to the olive.) I used post it notes to keep the trees from stamping where I did not want them. I added old olive and marina mist ink to the background using a sponge. Next I stamped my lodge from Christmas Lodge onto white using Staz On. I colored the lodge using old olive ink on a sponge and watercolor pencils. Dazzling Details makes gorgeous snow. After the lodge dried, I cut it out. I glued together the stamped top not and the olive top note base. Next, I added the lodge using Stampin' Dimensionals. Curling the edges of the piece adds even more dimension. I embossed the "Merry Christmas" from Christmas Lodge using our Pewter Embossing Powder. After cutting it out, I glued it to my card. All done! A lot of work but well worth it. I hope you have enjoyed your stop here on the Llama Blog Hop. Now, head on over to Stacey's blog and see what she's got in store for you today. :) I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season, no matter what or how you celebrate. Be sure and stop back often.

Here's a recap of all the llama blogs in case you missed one along the way.
Home hop page http://stampinllamas.blogspot.com/

April - http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/aaa/blog

Buffy - http://buffycooper.wordpress.com/2011/10/22/hoppin-holiday-llamas/

Christine G – http://dancinstamps.blogspot.com/2011/10/october-llama-blog-hop.html

Darrah - http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/darrah/blog

Debbie M - http://cleverandcute.blogspot.com/2011/10/stampin-llamas-holiday-blog-hop.html

Diane - http://dianeoliver.blogspot.com/2011/10/watercooler-llama-holiday-hop-halloween.html

Heather - http://stampwithheather.blogspot.com/2011/10/llama-hop.html

Holly - http://gottahavestamps.blogspot.com/2011/10/stampin-llamas-holiday-blog-hop.html

Jackers - http://jackotterstamp.blogspot.com/2011/10/llama-christmas-blog-hop.html

Jean - http://jlfstudio.wordpress.com/2011/10/22/hopping-llamas-are-at-it-again-this-time-its-the-holiday-hop-join-us/

Kathe D - http://kathesadventure.blogspot.com/2011/10/second-blog-hop-adventure.html/

Kathryn R - http://kath-allthatscrap.blogspot.com/2011/10/welcome-to-holiday-do-llama-hop.html

Linda W - http://nutty4stampin.blogspot.com/2011/10/llama-holiday-blog-hop.html

Marsha - http://hereallamathereallama.blogspot.com/2011/10/holiday-llama-mania.html

Martha - http://matilliestamps.blogspot.com/2011/10/llama-holiday-hop.html

My stop here on the hop! ;)

Stacey - http://theresglitteronthedogs.blogspot.com/2011/10/hopping-with-llamas.html

Stephanie O - http://pleasepassthesnail.blogspot.com/2011/10/stampin-llamas-holiday-blog-hop.html

Join me in Fiji

2011-10-07T13:18:00.000-04:00

Yes, that's right. I said join me in Fiji. What better way to catch someone's attention and tell them about a free trip to a tropical location than with this adorable bikini card! I found the template at this blog. Yes, its years old but it is still adorable! I used Very Vanilla cardstock for the base. The pattern paper is from Sale A Bration. Sorry, its no longer available. I inked the edges of the bikini in Melon Mambo. I used the Scallop Edge Border Punch. The bling is Stampin' Up! Jewel Basic Rhinestones. A girl can never have too much bling, right?!

If you have been on the fence about joining Stampin' Up! then now is the time to hop over that fence! During the month of October you will receive a FREE Big Shot or $100 shopping spree in addition to all the other fabulous goodies in your paid kit. I would LOVE to have you on my team. The info is posted on my Stampin' Up! site. Contact me today for more details on this wonderful promotion and the trip to Fiji.

Hello Friend

2011-09-14T08:58:00.002-04:00

I wish you could see this card in person. It is so much cuter than the picture shows!!! I used the new, adorable Gift Givers set from page 39 in the Holiday Mini Catalog. I first stamped in Black Staz On ink. I then used the Aqua Painter (empty, no water just the dry brush) to paint this little girl's outift. The colors I chose were Melon Mambo and Tangerine Tango. Her face is Crumb Cake with Blushing Bride for the cheeks. The hill she is standing on is painted first with Moonlight Smooch Ink. I then covered the hill and the snowflakes with glitter glue. The "thinking of you" banner is hand cut. The sentiment is from Three Little Words. The cut out on the envelope is made with the 1 3/4" Scallop Circle Punch. I tied a pice of Melon Mambo Scallop Dots Ribbon around the envelope for the finishing touch. :)

Do the Llama Hop

2011-09-09T00:00:00.002-04:00

Welcome to my little stop along the llama hop! If you just came to my blog and have no idea what I am talking about, hop on over to the llama home blog.

My projects for this hop showcase the Ribbon of Hope stamp and Elizabeth stamp, both from a la carte page 20 in the Idea Book & Catalog.

The first card, I kept clean and crisp. I embossed the ribbon in white, then inked over it using a sponge and Melon Mambo ink. Supplies used: Basic Black cardstock, Heat Tool, White Embossing powder, Versamark ink, White Craft ink, Melon Mambo cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, Occassions Alphabet, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch and Basic Rhinestones.

The second card, featuring Elizabeth is very grungy and distressed. I wrinkled the pattern paper until it felt like fabric. I used the wheel to stamp flowers onto the ribbon. I frayed the edge of the card using the side of my scissors. Supplies used: Early Espresso paper and ink, Very Vanilla paper, Elizabeth stamp, white ribbon, Brights DSP. (designer series paper)

http://hereallamathereallama.blogspot.com/

http://stampinllamas.blogspot.com/

What a busy busy week!

2011-09-07T19:19:00.001-04:00

I'm busy getting ready for the 2nd Annual Midtown Street Fair. I can't wait! Today, I made a few Halloween items. Yes, I know, its 54 days away. However, if I want to show people the fabulous holiday goodies they can make, I have to get started! Tomorrow, I will finish Halloween and move on the Christmas. wwooohhoooo One of the goodies I made today is a treat cone. I will put candy in these and give them out to my daughter's friends on Halloween. Supplies used are Basic Black cardstock, Whisper White Craft ink, Big Shot, Petal Cone Bigz Die and Sticky Strip.

Another year on Blogger!

2011-09-04T18:34:00.000-04:00

Wow, I can't believe its my blogoversary again. :) I had planned on a give away but just havent had time to gather everything. Stay tuned for the news later. My goal for my blog is to update more often now. Of course, we all know life gets in the way sometimes. I took time off yesterday to spend quality time with my daughter. Today, I have been dealing with a migraine. Its eased a bit. I thought I would post real quick while I can. :) I made this card last week. I will have a artist booth at the Midtown Street Fair so I've been busy making samples.

This card's base is Pear Pizzazz. I made the background using the dots stamp from For All You Do and Wild Wasabi Ink. I stamped the flower image from the same set, in Wild Wasabi onto Whisper White. I then stamped over the image using clear Versamark ink. I sprinkled clear embossing powder on the image and heat set the powder using my heating tool. I colored in the flowers with my markers. I inked around the Whisper White using the Wild Wasabi, applying it directly to the paper from the ink pad.

I will have to add the links to the products later. If you are interested in the items for this, or any of my products, let me know or head to my Stampin' Up! site. Now to figure out why Blogger is dating my posts in the future. I hope you all have a safe and happy Labor Day!

Time to get really inky!

2011-09-02T18:35:00.000-04:00

I love love love to make things really inky. I decided today to make a tag. I love working with tags. The size makes it easier for me to just let loose. This one didnt quite turn out the way I planned. I still think its not bad. I used Bravo Burgundy and Always Artichoke inks. The base stamp on the tag is Christmas Collage. I used Black Staz On ink to add the crown stamps from Artistic Etchings and Clearly for You. I painted Gold Lame Smooch ink on the bird from Noteably Ornate using a Stampin Sponge. I then stamped that onto Very Vanilla cardstock. I cut the bird out and layered it onto the tag using Stampin' Dimensionals. I don't have any ribbon to match so I decided to make my own "ribbon" for the top. I inked Bravo Burgundy and Always Artichoke onto Very Vanilla cardstock. I tore that into strips and inked again. I threaded those through the hole in the tag and attached with a staple. The entire tag has been edged in Gold Lame Smooch Ink. I hope your weekend is off to a fun start! Have a safe & happy Labor Day Weekend! My blogoversary is in 2 days so be on the lookout. There just might be something fun happening around here. :)

Wooohhoooo Holiday Mini time!!!

2011-09-01T21:40:00.000-04:00

First I want to say welcome to everyone from loadedcouponbook.com.
I don't have a sample to post today. I had migraine & shoulder muscle issues. So, on to the goodies.....
Christmas is my favorite time of year! I am so excited that the Holiday Mini Catalog sale has started. You can either shop through that link or download your mini here. I will be posting examples from this new catalog next week.

Only a few more hours left!!!!

2011-08-31T16:22:00.000-04:00

What?? You haven't shopped the Buy 3 get 1 FREE DSP sale at Stampin' Up!? Well, you had better hurry on over there! The sale ends today!! While you are over there, don't forget today is also the last day to buy from the Summer Mini Catalog!

Now, on to the craftiness. :) Remember I said I would show you projects with our fabu Designer Series Paper? Well this is just the beginning! This planner is made with a file folder (just snag one out of your filing cabinet, this is a much better use! lol), Paisley Petals DSP, Always Artichoke cardstock and ink, Bravo Burgundy cardstock and ink, Christmas Collage stamp, Stamping Sponges, Petals a Plenty Embossing Folder and Whisper White cardstock.

Get them while you can!

2011-08-30T13:31:00.000-04:00

You have just 2 days left to order from the Stampin' Up! Summer Mini catalog!!! My favorite set from the Summer Mini is Strength & Hope. Yes, I used this one in my post yesterday. I want to share as many ideas with y'all about this fabulous set while I can. Don't forget, $2 goes to BCRF from the sale of this set as well as the digi set. I was inspired by a card on another blog for this one. For the life of me I can't find it in my saved links. (note to self, organize favorites) I used Early Espresso cardstock and ink, Blushing Bride cardstock and ink, Very Vanilla cardstock, Stampin' Dimensionals, 1 3/8" Circle Punch and 1 3/4" Scallop Punch. I inked all over this one using one of our Stamping Sponges. LOVE the way those sponges help with the distressed look.

A little hint about the sponges.....Cut them into wedges! I have wedges of different sizes. I use one per color family. Cut the sponge in half, then in half again, then in half, etc, until you get the size wedge you prefer. I hope your week is off to a fabulous start! Its a gorgeous day today here in Virginia! I will be in my studio most of the day creating for an upcoming fair. Of course I will have the windows open to enjoy the sunny day, the fabulous view and light breeze.

Hello Blog World! I'm back!!!!!

2011-08-29T09:22:00.000-04:00

Yes, yes, its been a long time! However, I am back and ready to keep blogging! So many things happened since my last post. We had hundreds, yes hundreds of aftershocks in Japan following the big quake in March. I helped my friend Tammy with her program sending backpacks of much needed supplies to Sendai and other areas affected by the tsunami.
My hubby retired from the Air Force after 24+ years and we have moved to Virginia! It is GORGEOUS here. I love it. We are far enough inland that Irene did not bother us. We had light rain and a breeze. There was a bigger thunderstorm that went through the week prior that was worse! I am sure you are wondering if I felt the quake in Virginia. Why yes I did! (and NO, I did not bring it with me! lol) We are about 30 miles from the epicenter. We still feel aftershocks occassionally but NOTHING like what we felt in Japan! This is easy breezy! I can handle this. :)

OK, enought with the update on me and on to the craftiness....... You have until August 31st to receive FREE printed paper from Stampin' Up! Yes, our DSP, Designer Series Paper, is on sale! Buy 3, get 1 free. This is a fabulous time to stock up on those fabulous 12x12 patterned papers. I made this lovely set last week. For the composition notebook, I used the Paisley Petals DSP, Melon Mambo and Crumb Cake cardstock, Crumb Cake from the Neutrals Collection Paper Stack, Melon Mambo and Crumb Cake inks, Very Vanilla cardstock (for the butterfly), Stampin' Dimensionals and the Strength and Hope stamp set. That stamp set is also only available unil the 31st! Get it while you can. Stampin' Up! is donating $2 from the purchase of this set to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.®

I will be back later with more projects. I hope you have a wonderful craft filled week!

Mickey Adorned

2011-04-09T21:14:00.009-04:00

I was so excited when Dawn sent me the Simply Adorned charm and chain. I have waited and waited for inspiration to strike. It finally did....while I was at The Disney Store! The Japanese are CRAZY about phone charms. I saw several Mickey icon charms and knew they would look adorable on my necklace. I used Love Letter paper for the background inside the charm. The Mickey head on the front (the side with the gold heart) is punched out of black paper from the Neutrals DSP stack. The Mickey on the other side is punched from the Love Letter paper. I can't wait to make more Simply Adorned projects. These would make fabulous gifts! I am planning to use the charms to make Christmas ornaments. Have you taken time to get crafty lately? I hope so! Crafty time is good for your soul! I hope you have a wonderful weekend. I will be spending time this afternoon under the cherry blossoms with our Japanese friends & neighbors.

Its been 4 weeks/1 month.....

2011-04-08T11:52:00.002-04:00

What a long sad month this has been. A major earthquake, a tsunami, threat of nuclear fallout, thousands (yes over 1000) aftershocks including the 7.1 last night..... So much to deal with. So many emotions. So many lives lost. So many people with nothing left. Japan still has a long road to recovery. The people here are amazing. They WILL pull through this. Military and volunteers from around the world have come together to help this great nation. If you have helped by donating money or supplies, thank you! If you have volunteered your time, thank you! If you have prayed for everyone involved, thank you! Tomorrow I will be gathering with over 20 people to help put together backpacks for the children of Japan. They will include things like toothpaste, toothbrush, underwear, small toys, coloring books, crayons, water and snacks. Its not much but every little bit helps. It has been stressful enough for me dealing with all the aftershocks. Last night's big quake/aftershock was especially rattling for me. Then I thought of all those in this country with no home, no belongings, no family. That made me remember how blessed I truly am.

Thanks Kath!

2011-04-06T18:44:00.002-04:00

I feel so honored! Kath has chosen me for the Stylish Blogger Award! When you are given this award...there are (4) things you must do...
1. Thank the person that gave you the award and link back to their blog (above). Thanks again Kath!!!!
2. Share (8) things about yourself:
(1) We will be moving from Japan this summer. (more details to be posted later on my blog)
(2) I love to watch Disney movies, even when the kids aren't around.
(3) I am still a Disney nut. (Always will be.) I will never grow up!
(4) I am participating in Brave Girls Soul Restoration.
(5) I rarely watch the news. All that negativity, over reacting and exagerating annoys me.
(6) Things here in Japan are not as bad as everyone in the US thinks it is. I am fine. The water here on base is fine. The air is fine. (well other than the pollen lol)
(7) I am VERY allergic to the cherry blossom trees. :(
(8) I LOVE teaching others how to get crafty.

3. Pass this award on to (8) other Stylish Bloggers:
Bootybella Designs
Debby's Stuff
There's glitter on the dogs
Kindred Gypsy Soul
Cards, scrapbooking and musings!
Stipple Shapes
kareN stampZ
Viv's Visuals

Sping is Blossoming

2011-04-06T09:15:00.003-04:00

Stampin' Up has some GORGEOUS papers for their Spring is Blossoming promotion. I created this cake card using: Peach Parfait, Pear Pizzazz and Concord Crush cardstocks, Peach Parfait and Pear Pizzazz inks, Four Frames and Strength & Hope Stamps, Pop-up Three Tier Cake die and the gorgeous new Paisley Petals DSP (Designer Series Paper). You may be asking, "What is this Strength & Hope stamp set you speak of?" Well, thats a little sneak peek for you. It will be available May 1st. There will be much more from me with this set in the near future. Stampin' Up will be donating $2 from the sale of each set to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Patriotic Vintage Canvas

2011-04-05T09:19:00.002-04:00

Hello blog world! Yes, its been a few days. I'll try not to let that happen again. Well, until we start the big move. lol Anyway....Remember the canvas I mentioned the other day? Well, this is how it turned out. :) I started with a blank canvas, a calendar with reprints of these old war posters, the Bands 4 Arms photo, mod podge and plenty of ink. I used Crumb Cake, Soft Suede and Early Espresso to ink up the canvas. I tore the poster prints from the calendar and inked the edges using a sponge. I tried several different arrangements before I came up with this final design. I covered everything but the B4A photo with the matte mod podge. I have to say..... I LOVE the end result. Oh and to fill you in on the B4A photo....Bands for Arms is a fabulous site started by Nick, an active duty guy in the Navy. Go check out the site. I have purchased MANY of these bracelets for my family and plan to purchase many many more.

Happy Birthday Taylor!

2011-04-02T06:41:00.003-04:00

Today was my daughter's 12th birthday party. I thought I would take a break while the girls are upstairs singing and dancing to post. I bought the Stampin' Up Pirate Party Kit from the clearance rack. When Taylor saw it, she decided she wanted a pink pirate theme. It came with the supplies to make a flag banner but the colors just didn't work for our color theme. I gathered my supplies and changed the colors to match the pink and brown theme we decided to use. Taylor and I sat down together and made the flags. We used Chocolate Chip and Melon Mambo cardstock, Versamark ink and Beware Pirates stamp set. The pink embossing powder is from my stash. It was a lot of fun to do something crafty with my creative kiddo. The banner has been hanging up since her birthday earlier in the week.
Taylor wanted her cake to be covered with gold sprinkles, "like a huge bar of gold with gold coins around it." I wanted to cover the cake with fondant and dust it in gold. She insisted that the sprinkles were what she wanted. So, I gave her the cake she envisioned in her head. When I was finished, she said it was perfect. I love making my kiddo happy by little things like that. With all the decorations in place, we were ready for her guests to arrive. The Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack was playing on the radio. Her friends walked in and said, "This is going to be the best party ever!" They each got their own eye patch and treasure chest. Later tonight they will be back downstairs for a Pirates movie marathon. I wonder who will fall asleep first and how long they will all be able to stay awake. May your weekend be full of smiles and fun times. Mine sure has been so far. :)

Imagine the Possibilities

2011-03-31T07:19:00.002-04:00

As soon as I saw Valita's blog on making this gorgeous corner fold dress, I KNEW I just HAD to make it! I have made three different dress cards but this one is by far my favorite. I love the Stampin' Up red glitter paper combined with the black pattern paper from the Neutrals stack. I'll have to try and play around with the lighting to get a good photo of this beauty. For now, this scan will have to do. :) Tomorrow is Friday and the start to a very busy weekend. I hope you all are doing well.

Wish Big!

2011-03-30T21:34:00.002-04:00

I decided that I would make this 3d cake for my daughter's birthday instead of a card. Her actual cake will be made Saturday before her party. :) This cutie is made using the Pop-up Three Tier Cake die, Melon Mambo cardstock and printed paper, Chocolate Chip cardstock, Crumb Cake ink, Versamark ink, White Embossing Powder, Melon Mambo Pompom Trim and Pearls. A bit of advice......add the pearls and pompom trim BEFORE you assemble the cake. Trust me. It is MUCH easier! :) My trim would have been all even if I had thought of that first. I hope you are getting some crafty time this week. It feels FANTASTIC to be creating again. I might just end up with two blog posts today! :)

Peaceful Bird Card

2011-03-30T06:39:00.003-04:00

This card is the one I chose for my Mystery Hostess Party. I saw the idea on someone's blog but can't find it now. I know the inking over embossed images is in several places though. :) I stamped the Always Elegant swirly heart in Early Espresso onto Whisper White cardstock. I then stamped it again in Versamark and embossed it in clear embossing powder. I inked the entire card front in Early Espresso and Crumb Cake. The base is Perfect Plum that has Perfect Plum ink sponged on the edges. The bird is stamped using Perfect Plum ink and the Punch Potpourri bird stamp. I punched it out then with the bird punch. I also punched the branch again in the Early Espresso cardstock. I decided I wanted the branch double so I inked the white branch in Crumb Cake. I used Stampin Dimensionals to attach the bird but it doesn't show much in this scan. One day I will make a photo booth for capturing the photos of my cards better.I hope your week is going well. Today is my daughter's birthday. Her party is this weekend so I will post pics of everything after everything is finished. Tonight was the family dinner at Chili's.

The latest from our area of Japan

2011-03-28T19:44:00.002-04:00

We are still safe & sound here in our little corner of Japan. As Col. Feather says, "The water is tasty and the chow is hot!" OK, only my gals & guys here at Yokota will "get" that one. lol Really though....we are fine. They monitor the air and water numerous times a day here. Our water does not come from Tokyo so it does not affect us when they say the water in Tokyo is unsafe for babies. Yokota is the airlift hub for the military rescue efforts. Things are busy to say the least. Several friends & their kiddos have taken part in the voluntary departure. My friend Kate is helping with the relief efforts. I've been gathering supplies to bring to her. I believe the last count for aftershocks since the 9.0 was somewhere over 700. We havent felt them all in our area. However, there have been some decent ones. I won't lie.....sometimes it DOES rattle your nerves. I often wonder "What if" with each shake. What if this is another big one....what if I can't get to my kids....what if it happens when we are sleeping. Then I remind myself of something. Its just like one of our DJs on Eagle810 here said, "You can't keep playing the what if game."
I'm trying to stay busy myself. I've been baking cookies to donate to the relief workers. I'm plan to do something crafty every day. Now I need to make sure that I set aside blog time too! I hope to try a different technique each day. Some of them are new to me and others are not. Today, I plan to work on a canvas. Not sure what it will turn into. I just want to CREATE. Since I am watching or rather listening to Jeff Dunham who knows what it will look like. lol
Taylor's 12th birthday is tomorrow. Her party will be this weekend. Im not sure yet how many kids will make it. So many are gone with the voluntary departure. We will make it fun no matter what. Its a pink pirate theme. She wants a cake that looks like a bar of gold. Should be easy...right?? I'll post pics along the way.

We're safe here in Japan!

2011-03-11T18:49:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to post real quick to let y'all know we are ok here. We are about 270 miles from the epicenter. We felt all the rocking and rolling. We are not near any of the tsunami affected areas. I will be back later with a more detailed report of everything. Please continue to keep the people of Japan in your prayers during this difficult time.

We're going to Disneyland! Thanks SU!

2011-02-08T18:23:00.003-05:00

No, I didn't earn the trip that Stampin' Up is offering. However, I DID receive my first paycheck from Stampin' Up! I decided to use that to take my family to Tokyo Disneyland. Its so nice to actually have a paycheck that supports one of my "addictions". lol My SU business is off to a fantastic start. I have a Chics n Chocolate night scheduled for this Friday. We will be making adorable chocolate themed projects. One of which is the card you see posted here. Supplies used: Melon Mambo, Pink Pirouette, Crumb Cake and Early Espresso cardstocks, Crumb Cake & Early Espresso inks, Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder, Pearls and Eat Chocolate stamp set. I will be adding more projects soon. I hope you are all having a crafty day! Remember to take the time to do something for yourself. For those back in the US stuck in snow, stay safe! We are having our first snow of the season here where we are in Japan.

A few crafty things

2010-12-13T01:45:00.002-05:00

I'm still sick with bronchitis. :( I thought I would post some of my crafty things. This adorable purse and cards are what I made in a class that Gilda taught. Aren't they gorgeous?! They are so easy and fun to make too. I can't wait for all of my Stampin' Up kit to arrive and start teaching classes. I hope all of you are having a fun holiday season! Don't forget to take some time for yourself during this busy season.

Its been awhile....again lol

2010-12-03T22:11:00.003-05:00

I know. I'm a bad blogger. I will try my best to get better. ;) I've had so much going on. I won't bore you with the details. lol Its been a CRAZY year. I can't wait to get to 2011 and start fresh with new beginnings. Speaking of new beginnings....I signed up with Stampin' Up!! I am beyond excited!!!! I have so many ideas brewing in my head. I have a very limited amount of current SU supplies. I am starting to make samples. Here, you see the Travel Diorama that I created. I've seen tons of these done with circles for the windows. Since I do not own the circle punches, that was a tad difficult. I tried with my circle cutter but well....lets just say it was sad. lol I corrected my mistakes by cutting a rectangle around where the circle attempts were. The papers and inks are SU "in color": pear pizzazz, peach parfait and concord crush. I also used the poppy parade ink. The stamps are all from SU Stentimental Journey. I ADORE this set!

Compendium of Curiosities Challenge by Studio L3

2010-07-04T07:12:00.003-04:00

I know I'm way behind posting but......lol .... I am participating in the challenge posted by Linda over at Studio L3. Check it out! Each week she pics a technique from Tim's new book. This is my entry for week 3.
I hope you are all having a safe and fun 4th of July holiday weekend. We went to the Celebrate America festivities on the 3rd (yes, I know its the wrong day but I didnt schedule the event lol), today we went to a friends house for lunch then a farewell dinner for another friend at Chilis. Tomorrow, we are having a cookout at our home. busy busy busy as usual! lol I hope you find time to get crafty this weekend.

Busy busy busy

2010-06-23T18:08:00.003-04:00

Summer is finally here! wwoohhooo! For those not in my area of Japan, allow me to fill you in. The hot humid weather we are used to in this area finally arrived. Well, not that you ever get "used to" the hot humid weather. lol It was 60 degrees in early June. VERY unusual from what I understand. June also brings out 2 year anniversary of living in Japan. It ALSO means, just 1 more year left here. Boy have we got a lot of traveling to do in the next 12 months! Oh so back to the busy part. lol Well, I decided to sell some of my cards online. I plan to eventually start up an etsy store. For now, I am listing them on a site owned buy a guy here locally. I vow to no longer do the craft fairs on base. Their fees are too high for such a low turnout of customers.
I am now the President of the Middle School PTO here. This is my first time in an officer position for PTO. I'm sure it will be a learning experience. I'm looking forward to an exciting year.
Yesterday, I went to Key Spouse training. I can't wait to offer help and support to our squadron families.
And finally the biggest news...we have a new addition to our family. I'm sure by now you have noticed her picture. How could you not? lol A lady was moving and couldnt take her Silkie Terrier with her. We adopted this sweetie into our home. Her name is Princess. We aren't loving that name. It just feels weird to us all to yell Princess outside or even say it. lol We just aren't fru fru name people I guess. Plus, it doesnt seem to really suit her. So, we are debating changing it. She doesnt really answer to Princess anyway. We have already trained her to walk on the leash and stay off the furniture. (for the most part) She seems to know "sit" but not lay down. She loves playing with her tennis ball. The lady we got her from said she never got a cage or house for her to sleep in. She said her bed was the sofa. Not in our home! lol She is very happy sleeping in her house. She goes in there at various times so we know she likes it in there.
Well, thats about it for now. I have a doctor's appointment shortly. The girls are coming over for lunch. We just might get crafty. Depends on how much talking we do. lol I hope you are all having a wonderful week. Do something crafty!

I just had to....

2010-06-12T02:55:00.005-04:00

So most of my readers know, I do not like word verification on comments. When I am blog hopping, it slows me down when I have to take that extra step to leave a comment. I even had the "say no to word verification" pic posted on the side of my blog. I selected to monitor all comments and require my approval. That did not work. They still tried over and over again to post their SPAM comments on my blog. So, sadly, after NUMEROUS spam comments from the SAME source, I have had to add word verification to my blog. :(
Now, on to crafty things.......I am working on a canvas (well, 2 actually) right now that uses my Tim Holtz inspired 12 Tags of Christmas. Yes, I know, Christmas is over 6 months away. However, I was inspired by the Chaos Swap on All Things Tim. I will post pics when I am finished.
I plan to sell some of my creations. So far, I only have them posted on APO Ads. I listed my "Panthers" albums for a start. I plan to list cards later. Hopefully, I will work on getting some things listed on Etsy soon. I am running out of room to store my goodies! lol I hope you are having a wonderful weekend and get to have some crafty time!!

Newbie Swap - LONG post lol

2010-06-08T18:34:00.004-04:00

When I saw Kylie's Newbie Encouragement Swap posted on All Things Tim, I just knew I HAD to participate!!! She would assign an experienced crafter to send a goodie to a newbie crafter. I wasn't sure what I would make. Once I saw Linda's Grungeboard Faux Leather Journal, the ideas started flowing!! Now my cover is a tad different, ok a lot different lol, than Linda's. I have no smooth solid grungeboard. All mine are textures. So I chose the harlequin design. My Vintage Photo ink pad isn't very juicy. Its my fav so it gets well used. In fact, I have 2. I know, I know, buy a reinker already! lol Anyway, I decided to spray the grungeboard with Adirondack Espresso Color Wash. That came out MUCH darker than I planned. What to do....what to do.... I decided to try and rinse some of the color out. After all, the Color Wash IS water based. If it didn't work, then I'm just out 1 small sheet of grungeboard. Guess what? It worked! At least enough to make me happy. it was still a tad dark. Next, I grabbed my Adirondack Gold Acrylic Paint Dabber. I smeared it all over the grungeboard. While that dried, I started work on my inside pages. I wanted to try different techniques from Tim's new book, "A Compendium of Curiosities".

Page 1 is using Tim's "Wrinkle Free Distress". I used Broken China, Faded Jeans and Tumbled Glass Distress inks. I used Staz On black for my stamping. I added Glossy Accents for "rain".

Page 2 is "Scribble Stain Distress". Since I don't have a Distress reinker, I used my Adirondack Cranberry reinker. It didn't work quite the way Tim's did but I love the end result. Other supplies used are: Vintage Photo, Fired Brick and Walnut Stain Distress inks, Staz on black ink, Adirondack Gold Paint Dabber, grungeboard heart, Adirondack Snow Cap Paint Dabber.

Page 3 is "Water Stamping". I used Dusty Concord, Black Soot and Vintage photo Distress inks. I stamped "Artist" with black Staz On.

Page 4 is "Blended Batik". I used Shabby Shutters and Faded Jeans Distress ink. The bird is stamped with black Staz On. The crown was added with Copper Metallic Staz On. The chandelier is stamped in Faded Jeans.

Page 5 is "Dabber Resist". I used Tumbled Glass and Dusty Concord Distress inks, Snow Cap and Gold Paint Dabbers and Black Staz On.

Page 6 is "Perfect Distress". Supplies used: Vintage Photo and Fired Brick Distress inks, Copper Perfect Pearls. Believe it or not, this was my first time using Perfect Pearls!!!! I finally bought some when I was back stateside in April. They have been waiting on my shelf until now. Thanks Tim for inspiring me to use more stash!!!

Page 7 is "Distress Powder". This one is my least fav. I just do not get good results using Distress Embossing Powder. Maybe I'm not heating it enough. I don't know. Guess I will continue to try it and eventually get it right. lol I used Spun Sugar and Dusty Concord Distress inks and Black Distress Embossing Powder.

Page 8 is "Shabby Chic". I used Pitch Black and Copper Dabber Paint and Clear Embossing Powder.

I wanted to show you 2 different shots of Page 9. You can't really see the distress cracks in the one shot and the stamped images don't show up well in the other. lol I used Rock Candy Distress Paint all over the image. Tim called for Stickles but I didn't have enough. lol I also used Staz On black ink, Aged Mahogany Distress ink and scrap paper.

And Finally page 10...Thanks for reading this far! lol Page 10 is "Extreme Masking". This one was tons of fun!!! I used Tim Masks, Faded Jeans & Fired Brick Distress inks as well as Staz On black ink.
I bound all these pages together using my Bind It All. I used the Copper Staz On to age the metal rings. The latch is one of Tim's grungeboard shapes. I inked it with Spiced Marmalade and Black Soot Distress ink. I did the same thing for the corners. Oh and about those corners, they are cut out of extra grungeboard. I always keep scraps for just this reason! I stamped the "title" for the journal on a scrap of paper, inked all over it with Aged Mahogany and Black Soot Distress ink. I attached everything to the cover with Glossy Accents. I really wish y'all could see this in person!! The details just dont show up very well in the photos. I hope you are all having a wonderful and crafty week!!

How I Distress

2010-05-27T19:12:00.002-04:00

My all time FAVORITE designer....Tim Holtz is having a challenge on his blog. He wants to know how everyone uses his Distress inks. Well, I use his FABU Distress ink so many ways! It was hard to choose just one thing. I finally narrowed it down. I covered a chipboard album with my son's high school colors. I used the foam blending tool to add Mustard Seed Distress Ink and Faded Jeans Distress ink to the edges. I repeated that technique on the photo mats throughout the album. I directly applied the Mustard Seed to the "2010" grungeboard numbers. It wasnt quite bright enough so I covered that using Snow Cap Adirondack Dabber paint. Once that dried, I applied another coat of Mustard Seed ink. I then coated the numbers with Glossy Accents. Oh a tip.....if you touch something that has a thick coat of GA and is waiting to dry....(oops!) simply wet your finger and smooth it over the GA. You know, like you do when you touch your nail polish before its dry. It smoothed out the smudge and was good as new!! woohooo Problem fixed. Ok, back to my album.... I applied Faded Jeans directly to the grungeboard star and frame. I printed "YHS" on my label maker and added that under the frame. I cut the backs off the brads so the little YHS grungeboard frame would lay down smooth. I thought it still needed a little something extra. hhmmm a rose! perfect! I made the rose using Close to My Heart cardstock. I used Faded Jeans to stamp CTMH Adorable Backgrounds all over the petals. I directly applied the ink to the edges of the petals too. I painted Lumiere Pearl Blue paint over the back and edges of each petal. The rose is attached with Glossy Accents. (of course lol) If you havent tried Glossy Accents, you have GOT to go out and get a bottle! That stuff is AMAZING!!! Well friends, its the beginning of a glorious 4 day weekend here. The sun is shining, hubby is home from work, the kiddos have a 1/2 day at school. I am off to finish more paper roses to mail to my Maw Maw and then its family time! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend. Go get creative!!

Journal this, journal that

2010-05-25T18:46:00.002-04:00

I am finally creating all these fabulous projects from Club Scrap that have been collecting dust. This Quick Jot Journal was a prize during the last PSL session I participated in. (Way to rock PSL Embellishers!!!) The papers used are from Club Scrap's Private Eye kit. My flash made the blue a tad brighter but you get the idea. FABU colors! I inked around all the edges with Tim Holtz Faded Jeans Distress ink. The inside pages are hand stitched together with waxy linen thread. I just love that these projects come with all the supplies needed. (Well almost. I did have to use my bookbinding glue. lol Note to self: order more bookbinging glue.) The inside stitched pages slip into the back cover. They can easily be pulled back out if needed. I had planned to do something fancy on the cover but changed my mind. I like it just the way it is. I hope you are having a fantastic day and get to do something creative!!!

Altered Tins

2010-05-24T20:06:00.004-04:00

Ok, I said I would post about the tins I altered. Remember, the ones I bought from Kodomo at the 34th annual Japan Hobby Show last month? Well, here goes. This is my FAV tin!!!! I stamped it with a Kodomo stamp. I colored in the image using Copic YG63, G99, G28, E47, E59, R27, B14, B16. I added Crystal and Picket Fence Stickles to accent the waves. I painted the snow on Fuji-san and the cliff on the left with Lumiere Pearl White paint. For the crane, I stamped it onto white cardstock. I used Copic r27 for the red on his head and Y00 for his beak. I then layed him onto 3 pieces of cardstock and cut him out. I curled up his feathers and beak a bit. I finished him off with a nice coat of Glossy Accents. Thanks to my gals over at Paper Artists Online for sharing this technique!! I used Tim Holtz stamps to decorate the edge of the tin.

The first tin I attempted is this one. I used a Kodomo stamp for the fans & butterflies. I then painted the blue using Lumiere Pearl Blue paint. I stamped the image of the fan onto white cardstock. I colored all images with Copics G07, G28, BV08, RV09, R85, Y17, BG05, B16, V15, BG13, RV06, RV23, YR07, YR68. Check out the difference of the Copic colors on the tin versus on the white cardstock! The butterflies are YR07 and YR68. After coloring in the fan and the butterflies, I cut them out and glued them each to 3 layers of cardstock. While the glue was still wet, I folded them to get the shape I wanted. I then covered the entire image with Glossy Accents. The same technique as the crane but more movement. They are attached to the tin using Glossy Accents.

For my second tin, I started by painted the entire tin with Lumiere Halo Violet Gold paint. I love how the brush strokes are visible. I think it makes it look more like a fabric than a painted tin surface. I them stamped the Kodomo image using Staz On. I colored the image in using Copic R29, R27, R23, Y21, YR15, BV08, R85, G09, YR23, BG05, R59, E33, E55 and E47. I hope you enjoyed these tins. Have a creative, crafty day!!!

2010 Japanese Craft Show

2010-05-23T21:24:00.004-04:00

Ok, I'm finally back. lol Lets hope I can post regularly now. I went to the 34th Japan Hobby Show, at Tokyo Big Site, back in early May. Michelle R and I took the train. It was nice to be able to explore the show this year and take our time. Last year, I was there for work and it was nuts! We did 1 make n take. We painted watercolor images. We were told to come back in about an hour. When we did, they gave us our original plus a stationary set that they had printed a copy of our art onto! It was amazing. If we had known that was what our 100 yen was going for, we would have made more!! I was beyond thrilled to see Tim Holtz dies displayed at one booth. The "X" through some of them in the photo are the ones that were sold out. I was not thrilled to see the 2200 to 4500 yen prices! OUCH! Thats about $25 to $55 depending on the exchange rate. I decided to wait and order mine online. I would have LOVED to come home with a few but not at that price! I did snag a few clear Alice in Wonderland themed stamps and Staz On Metallic ink pads though. I picked up a few tins at the Kodomo booth. I have altered 3 of them so far. I will post those later. There were so many fun and interesting things to look at. From a piece of bread about 6 feet long to stuffed animals, wait no it was food with faces. lol They even covered a quad in Swarovski crystals! When I saw it, I thought my friend Troy would have a fit if he was there! lol
This week looks like it will be a very rainy week here in Japan. Its not even rainy season yet!!! I plan to get tons of crating done!!! I hope you all have a crafty and creative day!

hhmmmmm

2010-03-26T02:41:00.001-04:00

I've been having issues getting new posts to show up. Hopefully I can figure this out and updat y'all soon! I have so many new artworks & photos to share!!

Project 365...Day 30

2010-01-30T23:48:00.002-05:00

So I read online that the largest and brightest moon of 2010 was to be on January 30th. Sure enough, it was GORGEOUS!!!!! I tried to get a few good photos. Even with the tripod, it was difficult. THIS is why I need a huge fancy smancy lense! lol

Project 365...Day 29

2010-01-30T23:44:00.003-05:00

Many days I catch myself gazing out he back glass doors and enjoying nature. This is the view. I know, not that fancy for some of y'all. There is just something that I love about this tree. Once I have pictures of it through the seasons, I will post them all together. I love to watch the seasons change.

Project 365...Day 28

2010-01-30T23:32:00.003-05:00

There are shrines and gardens displayed all over the base. This is one of many. This one is by the Officer's Club. I plan to spend a day in the Spring photographing all of them.

Project 365...Day 27

2010-01-27T17:47:00.003-05:00

For my Paper Artist Online sisters, this one is no surprise. :) Yesterday one of our neighbors moved out. They put several pieces of furniture by the dumpster. We snagged a desk for dd. For now I plan to use the desk as my crafty area. Her room is such a mess there is no room for anything else in there! There were also 2 cubes and this goodie.I'm already starting to alter it. I hope to finish today and show y'all the end results! I am SSOOOOO excited! My own crafty area AND storage! wooohhooooo dumpster diving rocks! lol

Blog candy WINNER!!!!

2010-01-26T17:39:00.002-05:00

Sorry I am late posting this. Life got busy. I'm sure y'all can tell by the fact I played catch up today with myproject 365. lol Anyway....the winner of my blog candy is.......
"4nancie said...
Very nice of you go give away so much fiber. I have you linked on my ArtBox. Glad to see your doing so well!!
nancie"
Congrats Nancie!!!! Email me at nativetexan 814 at g mail dot com (spaces removed of course lol) and I will drop these goodies in the mail to you!!

Project 365...Day 26

2010-01-26T17:37:00.001-05:00

The Japanese have many many interesting advertisements. This one is for the gas company. I'm guessing it says something about their gas heating your bath water for a nice relaxing time in the tub. In the US, this would be perverted. Here in Japan, this ad is perfectly acceptable.

Project 365....Day 25

2010-01-26T17:32:00.003-05:00

My friend Michelle brought me to a new to me curry restaurant. Its called KCs Dining. The curry was OH SO YUMMY!!! This is the mango yogurt drink they serve. Delicious!!!! The only thing I didn't like about the restaurant was the smoking allowed inside. YUCK!

Project 365....Day 24

2010-01-26T17:24:00.003-05:00

A store here in Japan called Seiyu is partially owned by Walmart. They do NOT have Walmart prices though. It is cool to see familiar brands such as Mainstays. They have a parking garage across the street. Parking is 600 yen (about $6.50) unless you buy something and have them validate your parking. This is the view from the walkover bridge connecting the 2nd floor of the parking to the store.

Project 365...Day 23

2010-01-26T17:16:00.002-05:00

Yes, those ARE Mickey heads there on the gate. This adorable house on the way to Daiei (a shopping sotre/complex close to the base) has Mickey Mouse everywhere! Notice he is above the mailbox too. I will have to walk by later and take pics of their other Mickey decorations. This is one of my favorite houses here. lol Disney is very very popular here in Japan.

Project 365...Day 22

2010-01-22T21:37:00.003-05:00

One of the many many things I've found interesting here in Japan is their vast array of pastries. There are several shops that offer yummy baked goods. Japanese sweets aren't as rich as American sweets. That means less calories & fat. Right? lol When you enter these shops, you grab a tray and tongs, wander around & choose the goodies you want. Once your tray is full, you bring it to the register and they ring up your purchase. The thing I don't like though is that they wrap every single pastry in a plastic bag. I cringe and think, "Oh no! This is greatly enlarging my environmental footprint! Not good!" They really should put them in one big box. Some of the goodies are oh so yummy. Others, not so much. This one was kiwi & cream. It looks much better than it tasted. I took one bite then decided it wasn't worth the calories & fat. lol
I'm working on my Mardi Gras masks and invites. Just wait until you see them. I am loving the mask so far!!!! Don't forget about my blog candy. Time is almost up! Happy crafting!!!

Project 365.... Day 21

2010-01-21T19:47:00.003-05:00

When we went to the Japanese Festival at Tokyo Dome City (day 9 pics), I bought some dried blueberries. I bought them with the idea of making cranberry/blueberry/macadamia nut cookies. Since they cost $10, I was hesitant to use them. lol I decided instead to make a blueberry cheesecake. YUM!!! It turned out AMAZING!!!! Now I need more for my cookies. lol That's ok though. I cant lose weight if I keep making cheesecakes & cookies. Don't forget about my blog candy! Just a few more days left to enter!!!!

Project 365.....Day 20

2010-01-21T19:38:00.002-05:00

So today's picture isn't the best in the world, the flash made it freaky, the shadowing is weird, there are blurry spots. However, it was a quick snap, spur of the moment shot. A moment and memory captured in time. A very funny, rather hilarious moment too! Here's the story.... Taylor came home and sat down to do her homework. She needed a Virginia state quarter. They are studying Jamestown in her class. She was to use the images on the quarter to tell us what she has learned so far. This is the conversation that followed....
Taylor: Dad I have to tell you 3 things about Jamestown and you have to right what I tell you on this paper for my homework.
Ron: What? I dun did my learnin. (said in his best "redneck" accent)
Taylor: No, its for MY homework. Its about Jamestown.
Ron: I know all about it. Its a town, named after a guy named James.
Taylor: Yea, King James.
Ron: Yeah but I called him Jimmy.
Insert TONS of laughter here! I was laughing so hard I was crying!!!
Taylor: They came over on ships.
Ron: Yeah, the Pinto Bean, Santa Anna and what was the other one.
Taylor: NO Not that and not during Columbus.
Who knew that homework could be so much fun!!! lol

Crafty time! A few ATCs

2010-01-20T18:19:00.004-05:00

I absolutely love ATCs. Its so easy to create a piece of art when it is 3.5 inches by 2.5 inches. I've started maning Zentangle ATCs too. They are much easier in this smaller size. I created a few using Japanese Dr Pepper labels. The Stitch on the third ATC is cut out from a package from a toy.
Don't forget about my blog candy too!

Project 365....Day 19

2010-01-20T18:09:00.002-05:00

Oh how I love fresh flowers! Today I bought roses and tulips from Joyful Honda. Who can pass up roses for 50 cents each?? I had to buy the tulips because one of them is half yellow/half orange.
The wine cork wreath in the background is another of my creations. It was very simple to make. Glue wine corks randomly onto a grapevine wreath. When the corks are as you like, wrap ribbon around the wreath. Easy peasy! Don't forget to enter to win my blog candy! Your chances of winning are great!

Project 365....Day 18

2010-01-20T17:59:00.002-05:00

I just had to snap a close up photo of my flowers. They don't smell the best but they sure are pretty and vibrant! lol This photo is one of the many many reasons I LOVE my Nikon D60. That was the best birthday present hubby has ever gotten me!!!

Project 365....Day 17 BLOG CANDY!!!!

2010-01-17T17:37:00.004-05:00

I was going through my ribbons and fibers to give some to a friend. I realized how much excess I have and decided to share the wealth!! So, my day 17 photo is also my BLOG CANDY giveaway! If you would like a chance to win these ribbons and fiber, simply follow me, comment and/or link to this post or my blog. If you would like more entires, simply do all three. :) I will choose a winner on next Monday, 25 January. (Thats Sunday night 24 January for those in the states.) Good luck!!!

Project 365....Day 16

2010-01-17T17:22:00.002-05:00

I wasn't sure what to take a photo of today. The kiddos have been busy with friends. Its cold outside so that keeps me indoors. hhmmmm I finally decided on these cuties. I purchased them at the Arts & Crafts Fair in November. They were made by an 83 year old Japanese lady. She wasn't there. She had someone slling her crafts on her behalf. These two were the only ones with sad expressions. I decided they needed to come home with me! I call the bunny "Ninja Bunny". lol

Project 365....Day 15

2010-01-17T17:18:00.004-05:00

I have been eyeballing this glass vase at Joyful Honda since before the holidays. It always called out to me from the shelf when I walked by. Tammy & I went shopping and I decided to buy the vase while it was still available! I wandered and wandered through their floral department trying to decide what flowers to buy. I finally decided on these lovelies. The vase was 2400 yen. (About $26) the flowers were about $5. Not bad! they have several more vases in a variety of colors and shapes at Joyful Honda. I just might go back and add to my collection.

Project 365....Day 14

2010-01-17T17:14:00.003-05:00

Sometimes a beautiful photo just happens. Hubs and I were driving to Joyful Honda. One of my fav places to shop here. lol They sell Copics!!! Anyway, I looked to my left and caught a glimpse of Mt Fuji at sunset through the buildings. I quickly grabbed my purse and told him I wanted to snap a picture. He slowed down & thankfully the light turned red so we could stop. I waited for a group of teens to cross the sidewalk then snapped this picture. I had just enough time to get it before the light turned green. Beauty is all around us. We just have to take the time to look around!

Project 365...Day 13

2010-01-17T17:09:00.002-05:00

To days photo may look like something not that special but believe me, it is! (At least to me lol) I've been on the look out for a yummy body scrub that smells yummy but didn't cost an arm & a leg. Well, shopping for some things is limited here in Japan. (especially things at a reasonable price!) I decided to make my own scrub! Since I have many rough dry spots during the winter, a salt scrub is out of the question! ouch! This one is very simple.
1/2 cup brown sugar (not packed)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup oil (I used Vitamin E oil. It was all I could find at the time.)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Mix all together well and store in an airtight container. To use, rub over dry spots and rinse off with very warm water. Pat dry.
There ya go. My secret to smooth skin. hhhmmm I'm thinking this will make nice gifts. Wonder if I can find small glass air tight containers here in Japan.

Project 365....Day 12

2010-01-17T17:04:00.002-05:00

I plan to take more family photos this year. . I have more pics of "events" or "objects". I guess that's part of what Project 365 is about. BTW, if you are doing a 365, please let me know. I love to see others works. Today's photo is dh helping the kids with their homework. Yes, ds on the computer IS doing homework. The majority of my kids assignments these days seems to be "on the computer". I guess its a sign of the times. Oh for the "old days" when you had so much homework your hand cramped from all that writing. lol

Crafty Time!

2010-01-12T21:16:00.003-05:00

I realized I've not posted much artwork lately. I thought I'd get y'all caught up on several of my latest goodies. I made this awesome dragon card using a brass embossing stencil, Embossing Icing, and Club Scrap's Ornamental Papers. I did 2 versions, one with Black Soot Distress Ink and one without.

While crafting with my friend Cindy, I made this cool bead card! Its almost completely covered in microbeads. The stamped image and paper is from Club Scrap's Ornamental kit.

I decided to try and make a Michelle Zindorf inspired card. I had to improvise on supplies. I will have to practice this technique a bit more.

Here are 2 versions of the Christmas cards I sent out. I used Club Scrap papers and Close To My Heart stamps.

Project 365..Day 9 Festival of Festivals

2010-01-11T19:56:00.003-05:00

As you can see, I had a very difficult time choosing just one photo for today. Thought I would share the day and several photos with you. On Saturday, January 9th, we went to the Tokyo Dome for The Festival of Festivals. It was advertised as a way to experience some of Japan's 3000 festivals all in one place. They had 2 groups perform while we were there. We didn't get to watch up close but did see them on the big screens. The main focus of the event seemed to be food. Boy oh boy was there a lot of food! Several vendors offered free samples. We tried a wide variety of noms! One vendor stopped us and gave us free sushi. He asked us to tell the crowd how delicious it was. Another was so excited to meet someone from Texas. While the event wasn't what I expected, it WAS a lot of fun. I just wish we could have seen more dancers and drummers perform. When we were leaving, we saw one dance troupe and one group of drummers perform. Too bad I didn't bring my small Nikon with the video feature. I could put tons of pics here but think I will try to limit it as best I can. I can't wait to scrapbook this day. The colors are so vibrant!!!

Walking up to Tokyo Dome City. We will have to go back and ride the rides in the Spring!

HUGE screen inside!

Another view of the gorgeous float!

The curly hair in the middle of the photo belongs to a guy. Stunning locks!

It was sssoooo crowded!! Its was shoulder to shoulder people. I've never been pushed around so much. This made Disney on its busiest day seem like a ghost town!

Not sure why she's dressed like this. Will have to find out the story and share the details later.

Ron & Britt checking out the noms. Those wings were huge!

Project 365... 8, 10 and 11

2010-01-11T19:39:00.003-05:00

Yes, I skipped 9. That will be an entire blog post in itself. :) Day 9 was very difficult to choose just 1 photo. You will soon see why. So, onto the other pics. Day 8...My dd was home sick from school. She started a Hanna Montana marathon to pass the time. I had to interrupt to watch the longhorns lose. ;) To keep her entertained, I taught her how to make tags, Tim Holtz style. I am very very proud of her results!!!

Day 10 is one of the plants hubby's coworkers gave me when I had my hysterectomy. If anyone can give me tips on this plant I would GREATLY appreciate it. He is just not happy in my home. I've tried lots of light, little light, no light, lots water, no water, medium amount of water. Nothing seems to work. Another plant in the same area is very happy. Not sure what the issue is.

Day 11 I finished reading Dacre Stocker's Dracula The Un-Dead. Thought it was appropriate for the book to be my photo of the day.

Wow, I just realized how big those look. lol I willl have to make them smaller next time. I'm off to resize the pics from Day 9. Look for that post soon. I hope you are all having a crafty day!!!!

A New Project 365

2010-01-07T20:27:00.003-05:00

I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday season. I didn't stick with Project 365 last year. I hope to do better this year. I'm off to a good start! Since I am behind in posting the pics to my blog, I thought I'd do a photo collage. Pic 1 was my "Happy New Year" block. I made them out of various scrapbook papers. The letters on the back side of the blocks say "Merry Christmas". Pic 2, we went to Cafe Calico in Kichijoji. Most Japanese do not have pets in their homes. There are various places you can go to play with the kitties. That's my friend Michelle in the stripped shirt to the middle/right of the photo. Pic 3, my Happy Bag (grab bag) stash from one of the Japanese craft stores. Pic 4 is hubby's delicious meal from one of the new Udon restaurants we tried. Pic 5 is dd in front of the tree before we took it down. Pic 6 is dd with Mt Fuji in the background. Snapped that one before taking her to school one morning. Pic 7 is me bundled up before I had to walk to the doctor. Its a little over a quarter of a mile but at 30 degrees, it feels like more! lol I do NOT like the cold. bbbrrr Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed my first week of Project 365. I have so many crafty things to share. It might be a marathon blogging day. lol

Blog candy

2010-01-07T20:24:00.002-05:00

Go check it out. Erika has many fabulous goodies. After you check out the candy, browse through her wonderful artwork! You will NOT be disappointed.

12 Tags of Christmas Day 12

2009-12-16T17:15:00.002-05:00

When I saw Tim's Day 12 tag I was beyond excited!!! I've been wanting to make a grunge rose ever since i got instructions from Liz. (Hi Liz and ATT gals!!!) Anyway, I just havent made the time. I did now and boy oh boy and I ever happy! This tag is my absolute favorite! I used Glimmer Mist, Lumiere paints and Rock Candy Distress Stickles on my rose. I think with more practice, my roses will get better. I had Glossy Accents EVERYWHERE when making this one. lol I printed the sheet music, tore it and added to my tag. I inked all over the stamped over the entire tag with various Club Scrap stamps. I was so suprised at how good this one came out. I hope you suprise yourself in your art too! Try a new technique or product. You never know what you will come up with. Happy Crafting!!

12 Tags of Christmas Day 11

2009-12-16T17:02:00.003-05:00

OK, Day 11, almost done. Tim's tags have been so inspiring to me. I wasn't so sure about this one. I have nothing to make my own brads and no local scrapbook store. No, the Arts & Crafts Center on base doesn't count. lol Well, unless I want paper or stickers. They don't have cool new gadgets. Anyway....I thought on this one a bit then remembered a card my mom has that I made as a child in school. It was a flower made from a cupcake liner with a photo of me in the center! BRAVO! Good idea!!! I decided to use my daughter's smiling face as the center of the flower. The tag just took off from there. She loves horses so I knew I would use Close To My Heart set that I have with a running horse. I used Shabby Shutters and Scattered Straw on the background. The "Tis the Season" & snowflakes on the tag are Hanna Stamps. What happened to Hanna Stamps anyway? I sure do miss seeing new stamps on their site! Plus, I would love to buy more. Oh I got off track there. Back to my tag. lol The flash washed out the colors on this one. Its a bit darker in person. I stamped the horse in Walnut Stain directly onto the tag. I stamped another horse onto grunge paper and embossed it in black. Then I inked all over in Fired Brick. I smeared Rock Candy Distress Stickles all over the "Tis the season to be pretty" phrase. It sorta smudged the ink but that's ok. It only adds to the grungy look. (Yes, I know, this card isn't all that grungy. lol) The snowflakes are stamped using Faded Jeans Distress Ink. So have you done anything crafty today??? I sure hope you've found time to do something fun for yourself. Happy crafting!!!

12 Tags of Christmas Day 10

2009-12-16T16:51:00.003-05:00

I have finished all 12 tags! I hope to get them all posted on my blog today. Day 10 took some work. Tim used metal tape sheets on his Day 10 tag. I used 2 layers of heavy duty aluminum foil. Instead of grungeboard letters & shapes, I used Thickers and Holiday House Foil Merry Mint from American Crafts. FYI, if you try this technique with Thickers, do not use the foam letters. Use the cardboard ones. If you click on the photo, it will bring it up larger. Notice the "fun" and "joy"? Those were the foam letters. They didn't come out as well as the other letters and shapes. When using foil, press it along each letter and shape gently before attaching the foil to your tag. I used Copics G09, BV08, B16, Y17 and R46 for my coloring. Go slowly with the Copics. One of mine was really juicy and the ink pooled a bit in a few spots. Happy crafting!

12 Tags of Christmas day 9

2009-12-10T19:08:00.002-05:00

Yet another amazing tag from Tim.Somewhere, I have a pic of my daughter crying on Santa's lap. Maybe I will find it and make a tag more like Tim's. I love the ideas of using photos on tags!! I don't have his filmstrip ribbon so I made my own. I used Close To My Heart's Picture Perfect stamp. I stamped the image onto the plastic cover my Tim Holtz ruler cam in. Creative, I know. lol Staz On works great on plastic! These are pics from one of our trips to Tokyo Disneyland this year. The Mickey heads in rhinestone are EK Success. The 09 is American Crafts Thickers. I think the Mickey sticker is EK Success. The photo corners were white. I inked them with Weathered Wood ink. The background stamp is from Club Scrap. Remember, you can click on the photos for a larger view. I hope you are having a happy crafty day!!!

12 tags of Christmas Day 8

2009-12-10T18:52:00.002-05:00

Tim's Day 8 tag is STUNNING!!! I will eventually make one like his with the music stamp, lamp etc. I just have to wait for the supplies to come in. So, I improvised yet again. I started this one by digging through my stash. The only key I had was the one that said "Dream". While searching through ny stamps, I stopped at Tropical Christmas by Close to my Heart. LOVE that set!! Its always been my dream to live at the beach. sssooooo, this tag was born! I again used the CTMH Jingle Borders for the background. This time on the vellum. The swirl on the tag is Club Scrap. The palm tree is embossed on grungeboard paper. I added bells from my stash and Stickles.

12 Tags of Christmas Day 7

2009-12-10T18:40:00.004-05:00

Day 7 was the toughest tag for me so far. See Tim's amazing tag on his site. Stunning as always! :) I mixed stamps from several companies on this one! The wavy line background is Close to My Heart Jingle Borders. The snowman and snowflake are Inkadinkado. The white Swirl is Stampin Up's French Flair. I painted Jacquard Neopaque white paint onto French Flair. It seemed to soak into the tag. I tried wiping off the ink like Tim said. It just wasnt working for me. I decided to hand paint the swirls. I simply painted over the swirls that were stamped. It took awhile but I love the results. I used Distress Stickles on the snowman's scarf and hat. OH I almost forgot the coolest part about this tag experience. I don't have any of Tim's blank masking material. So, instead of using a post it note or piece of paper to make a mask, I searched the house for alternative. I have a digi photo frame sitting in the box that I haven't yet made the picture sd card for. On the front of the screen is a clear, lightly adhesived plastic sheet to protect the screen. I peeled it off and gently stuck it to a tag. I held my breath while I slowly tried to remove it from the tag. It worked!! It didn't stick!! I was so excited. I stamped the snowman using Staz On and it stayed. When I tried to wipe the paint off though, some of the Staz On snowman came off the "mask". So, while this isn't a replacement for Tim's blank mask, it sure was a temporary choice. I can see I am going to love masking once I get some of the blank mask material.

12 Tags of Christmas Day 6

2009-12-10T18:29:00.003-05:00

Ok, I'm trying to play blogger catch up. lol I've had a nasty head cold and haven't spent much time online. I have however, completed my Tim tags every day. :) As you know by now, I have no Tim stamps. YET! They are on their way thanks to Croppinsville! Allie shipped the same day I ordered. Talk about amazing customer service!!! Check out Tim's tag. So, what stamps DID I use? The car is from Close to My Heart's Road Trip. The tree is from Tis the Season by Hanna Stamps. The tree is pretty thin so I stamped it 3 times on grungeboard paper. I then cute them all out, inked then and then layered. I didn't have the fluffy stuff Tim used so I used some sparkly stuff from my stash. I hope everyone is staying warm this winter. I've noticed the weather in the states is cold & snowy. Its rainy here in Japan today. The high today is in the mid 50s. I would love to see some snow here!

12 Tags of Christmas Day 5

2009-12-06T17:47:00.002-05:00

Tim's tag today uses fragments to make ornaments. AWESOME!!!! Luckily, Laurel had sent me some fragments so I had a few to use for this lovely tag. I must say, I really like the way this one turned out. The stamp I used is Kodomo Tanabata. Scroll to the bottom of their page. I just pocked this stamp up 2 days ago when Michelle R and I went to shopping in Kichijoji. We went to Yuzawaya which is a 7 story craft store and crafters HEAVEN! I will be frequenting their store in the future! lol Ok I got off track again. lol Back to my tag...I stamped the image in Weathered Wood. I tried to emboss but it didn't work so well. I used Tim's blending tool to add green, brown and red to the stamped image. The gold swirls are made using Lumiere gold paint and Stampin Up's French flair. The gold border is stamped from Close to My Heart's Cupcake Sprinkles and embossed in gold. The stamps for the ornaments are Inkadinkado. I again used the gold Lumiere paint to make the top of the ornament. the hooks are green wire from my stash.

12 Tags of Christmas Day 4

2009-12-06T17:40:00.002-05:00

Ok, y'all know how much I love Disney. Since I don't have any Tim stamps, I decided to make a Disney collage for this tag. You can see Tim's tag here. Like most of my tags, they are darker in person. As soon as there is a sunny day & I'm at home, I will take better pics of the tags. The flash really washes them out. At least you get the general idea. Ok, back to the tag....Disney collage background and Disney charm. The charm & chain are a bracelet that I will be giving my daughter for Christmas. The charm has tiny Mickey heads inside. wwwaaayyyyy cute! :) Notice the small Mickey heads on the tag? Its Mickey made from Sakura flower petals. Thanks to Michelle R. for finding that stamp for me! I stamped the image on a different piece of cardstock then cut out the Mickey heads. They pop off the tag just a tad. So, have you attempted anything crafty today? I hope so! Happy crafting!!

12 Tags Day 3

2009-12-06T17:14:00.003-05:00

Tim Holtz made TWO tags for Day 3. This plaid technique with alcohol inks is so much fun!!!! Mine looks a bit brighter than it actually is due to the flash. I used Club Scrap stamps and glossy paper.

12 Tags of Christmas Day 2

2009-12-06T02:53:00.003-05:00

Tim's art is absolutely amazing & inspiring! I am having so much fun with these tags. I don't have a lot of his supplies so I am improvising. Let me tell you its a great way to dust off those supplies in my stash and get them into a piece of art!
Instead of Tim's circle, I used corners from Autumn Leaves Heather Bailey line to frame my sentiment. Instead of Distress Embossing Powder, I simply brushed off some of the powder before using the heat gun. I used Inkadinkado (I think) stamps for the swirls in the corners. I do not own any Perfect Pearls. Yes, I know, sad. Feel free to mail me some. They don't sell them here & I haven't ordered them online yet. lol So what did I use instead? Watered down Lumiere gold paint. Cool huh?! Oh a reminder....Tim said make sure everything, including yourself, is covered before you flick the paint. He wasn't joking! It went everywhere. I have nothing around to attempt his gorgeous metal rose. Instead, I used a metal tag. Easy Peasy! lol So break out your supplies and give it a try! You don't have to make yours just like Tim's. Its all about creating! Happy Crafting!

FREE Printables!!!!

2009-12-06T02:51:00.003-05:00

Yes, you heard that reight. (or rather read lol) There are fabulous FREE printables this month over at Ten Two Studios. Check it out!!! They list a new one every day this month. You just need to share the link. Enjoy & happy crafting!!!

12 Tags of Christmas Day 1

2009-12-02T22:51:00.005-05:00

Ok crafters, like I said in my last post, Tim Holtz is doing his 12 Tags of Christmas again this year. His art is amazing. He gives step by step instructions. You can either copy his or use it to inspire you in other ways.
This is my tag from Day 1. I had to improvise a bit. I don't have any snowmen stamps so I decided to go a different route. I used the guitar from the Close To My Heart You Rock set. Well that just wont work with snowflakes so I thought I'd use the stars from their Shining Star set. I'm loving the crackles from the Rock Candy paint. I painted it on VERY thick. I can see that I will run out of this stuff soon. lol I dont have the paint dabbers so I used Jacquard's Neopaque white paint. I applied it with my finger to get into the swirls on the guitar. I dont have grungeboard so I stamped the guitar onto a piece of grungeboardish thick stuff that I had in my stash from working at the Arts & Crafts Center. It was shipped with diecut paper as a base to keep the paper flat. I used Frosted Lace Stickles since I don't have Picket Fence. I painted the chipboard swirl with the white paint and then added Crackle Accents over it. On the background of the tag, I did the stars from CTMH in black Staz On. I then stamped Stampin Ups French Flair in Weathered Wood. You cant really see the design much though. I didn't have the ink colors Tim used so I improvised on that too. I used Weathered Wood, Ancient Page Cobalt, black Staz On, and CS white.
I'm making these tags to hang on our tree this year. This one is for my ds who loves to play his electric guitar.

Ok, I know its been awhile...again lol

2009-12-02T22:44:00.002-05:00

Ya know, sometimes life just gets in the way of...well...life. lol I intended to blog regularly all through surgery, recovery etc. We can all see that didn't happen. lol Anyway, its been a little over 7 weeks since my hysterectomy. Everything went great. I'm all healed and things are returning to normal. I's still tired but doc said that's to be expected and take it easy when tired. hhmm whatever. lol I am slowly getting back into a workout routine. My crafting life however is wonderful. Tim Holtz is doing his 12 tags of Christmas again this year. Check them out. He's AWESOME!!! I hope to post my tags for each day. Well, I'm off to decorate the Christmas tree. I hope everyone has a glorious, crafty day!!!

Melor is gone!

2009-10-08T01:09:00.004-04:00

Typhoon Melor worked itself into a Super Typhoon (category 5 hurricane), then weakened into a Category 2, then 1 before reaching us. After a tiny bit of wind and a long rainstorm, Melor is no longer bothering us. The satellite view shows clouds all over Japan but it is a GORGEOUS sunny day here. There are very few clouds in the sky. The birds are singing. The crickets are chirping. The temperature is perfect. Its a glorious day. PLUS, we are all on administrative leave today so that means a day off WITH pay! Wwwooohhhoooo! The all clear will be given in about 45 minutes but the store is staying closed. Even better news!!! :) That means, I only have 2 more work days left. I can't wait!!!

So much going on......

2009-10-04T20:07:00.004-04:00

First, to explain the photo.....there is a Super Typhoon brewing out in the Pacific. That translates into a Cat 5 Hurricane. Its headed our way! It is projected to be a cat 1 by the time it hits land though. Just to be safe, I am going "hurricane shopping" today. I will keep y'all updated on its progress.
Second, I quit my job. Yes, the one I was so excited to start less than a year ago. Yes, the one I was so happy with. Basically, a bunch of drama happened & all 3 of us "sales clerks" quit. You can only do your managers job for so long before you get disgusted with the situation and leave. I refuse to do her job for half of what she gets paid and let her get away with it. She's had 2 years to learn her job and the computer system and she still hasn't. I wont enable her anymore! My last day is the 10th. I am so excited!!!! I can't wait! I will be going back to college in January and looking for another job around that time too.
Lastly.....My mom called last week to say my aunt had passed away. (my dad's sister) She's been in the hospital for about 2 months now so it was no shock. What was a shock was not being told before it was in the newspaper. My parents divorced when I was young. Mom read the obituary and immediately called me. My dad's side of the family didnt want to call me until after the memorial service so I didnt spend so much money on last minute air fare. Oh well. Nothing I can do about that. I was very angry when it happened but I've moved on now. She is no longer in pain and thats what matters. Her request was that donations be made to Susan G. Komen or the ASPCA in her honor instead of flowers. Thats what I will be doing. I plan to do a tribute album to her once my dad sends me the photos. So, hug your loved ones tight and tell them how much they mean to you!!

I'm back!

2009-09-29T19:38:00.003-04:00

Yes, I know, I know. I've been gone far too long. So much has happened. Basically, I quit my job so I'll have more time for "me time" now. My last day at work will be the October 11th. I'm having a hysterectomy on the 13th. I will be blogging about the hysterectomy process a bit. My pre-op appointment is Friday so I should know a bit more then. All I know for now is that the doc is going in through one of my c-section scars so I dont have additional scaring. I will stay in the hospital for at least 2 days. Oh and I'm keeping my ovaries due to my age and the added risk of breast cancer that hormone therapy poses.
I have been crafting during my absence. I participated in Summer Camp at Club Scrap. I completed TONS of layouts during the 5 week PSL. It was a blast and got me out of my rut. The above picture is of all the layouts I completed. I hope everyone has had a productive and fun summer. Fall is here in Japan. I will be sharing fall foliage pics as soon as the rain stops.

Mt Asama Eruption Video

2009-02-02T22:52:00.002-05:00

I found a link that shows video the eruption of Mt. Asama. Its dark but you still get the idea.

Project 365...Catch Up!

2009-02-02T22:43:00.002-05:00

Here are the pics I didnt get a chance to post last week.

Pic 18... "Real Ingredients" hhhhmmmm If this jar of salsa now has "Real Ingredients" then I wonder what Taco Bell salsa used to contain?????

Pic 19 ..."Time to get CRUNKY!" Ya know, some days ya feel "crunk" and others ya just don't. Try this tasty snack and you too can be Crunky!!! lol

Pic 20... "Quilt 1" This is one of the 2 GORGEOUS quilts hanging at work.

Pic 21... "Quilt 2" This is the other quilt hanging at work. The details in these 2 quilts is amazing. Once I find out more info about them, I will share with y'all.

Pic 22... "Still Life" This is a painting that is also hanging in our class room at work. The pic is a weird angle because the painting is hung very high on the wall.

Project 365..... Pic 23 Mount Asama is erupting!!!!

2009-02-01T20:44:00.006-05:00

I will post my other 365 pics later. For now, I just HAD to share this!!!! No, that isn't snow or frost on my car. Its volcanic ash! Mount Asama is about 65 miles from here. Its Northwest of Tokyo.

Japan’s Mount Asama Erupts, Spreading Ash on Tokyo

By Takahiko Hyuga and Tak Kumakura

Feb. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Mount Asama volcano in central Japan erupted overnight, spreading ash as far as central Tokyo 150 kilometers (93 miles) away.

The volcano had a “small” eruption at 1:51 a.m. local time, throwing rocks up to 1 kilometer, the Japan Meteorological Agency said on its Web site. There were no reports of damage or injuries.

“I woke up after midnight to the sound and shake of the eruption,” Daisuke Tanaka, 24, a convenience-store attendant, who lives about 20 kilometers away from the mountain, said by telephone today. “The sound was as if an airplane was taking off nearby and it continued for 30 minutes.”

The 2,568 meter peak, which last had a minor eruption in August last year, is one of the most active volcanoes in Japan. A major eruption in 1783 killed more than 1,000 people. The meteorological agency yesterday raised its alert level, prohibiting people from entering the area around the volcano, after recording an increase in seismic activity.

Japan has had several major volcanic eruptions in the recent past. Mount Usu on the northern island of Hokkaido erupted in 2000, forcing more than 15,000 residents to evacuate.

In the same year, about 3,000 people were evacuated when Mount Oyama on Miyake Island off Tokyo erupted. And in 1991, 43 people died after an eruption of Mount Unzen on the southern island of Kyushu.

To contact the reporters on this story: Takahiko Hyuga in Tokyo at thyuga@bloomberg.net; Tak Kumakura in Tokyo tkumakura@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: February 1, 2009 20:04 EST

And the winner iiiiiissssss.................

2009-02-01T20:27:00.002-05:00

Faye!!!!!

Faye said...
Wow! I have been dying to try copics and this would be wonderful!! Thanks

January 20, 2009 9:59 AM

Congrats on winning my first ever blog candy!

Blog Candy Winner announced soon!

2009-02-01T19:00:00.002-05:00

Howdy gals! sorry I haven't been around. My dd will draw the winner of my blog candy during the Super bowl half time show. We don't get to watch the commercials here. :( Guess I'll have to watch them online. I'm not sure if we get to watch half time or not. I'll let y'all know. Thanks again to everyone who entered. I've had so much fun checking out y'alls blogs.

I've been tagged!

2009-01-26T22:26:00.003-05:00

Lori tagged me! For this one, I have to go to my pictures and look in the 6th folder and post the 6th picture and explain it. I am also to pick 6 friends that visit my blog that I would like to get to know better and let them know that they have been tagged. Also post a link to the person that tagged me. Click on Lori's name above to visit her blog.
My pic is one of a teabox that I made. Actually, its made for drinking sake from. Teabags fit perfectly so I altered the box a bit. I stained it with Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink. I then stamped tea cups, teapots and tea phrases all over the box. I haven't decided who to give this to yet.Its sitting in my china cabinet looking cute. :)
So who am I tagging??? hhhhmmmm lets see, how about.....
Lorraine
Jacqueline
Megs
Robin
Kim
Lastel

Thanks again to everyone for sharing my blog candy. Its so cool to see people from all over the world stop by and visit! Good luck everyone!!!!

Project 365...Pic 17 Shower Me With Gifts Galore

2009-01-26T22:14:00.002-05:00

So I am FINALLY working on our wedding scrapbook. This is one of several layouts of my wedding shower. I was going to edit out the mess on my table but it shows part of the creating process. I will show close ups of the layout earlier. You cant really see in this pic where I wrote "with gifts galore" under "Shower me". I also drew a stitched border on both pages. Frizzybella is colored with Copics and chalk. I really need to get flesh colored Copics! lol I wanted her pants to look like jeans.

Project 365...Pic 16 Wine & Cheese mmmmm

2009-01-26T22:05:00.003-05:00

Hubby & I occasionally have wine & cheese night. This night was a bit different from others. The only brie we could find was in a small box at the commissary. When I opened the box, out came a can. What?! Cheese in a can? and not the spray kind of can cheese either lol The next abnormal (at least for us) was the wine in a box. We always try a different bottle of wine. We have a list of the ones we liked while in Texas. NONE of those are sold here! We've started our list all over. We decided to give the box wine a chance. The one we got doesn't go so well with cheese & apples. I think next time, I will serve it with a rich, decadent, fattening dessert. That should be much better!

Project 365...Pic 15 We've Been Framed!

2009-01-24T17:45:00.003-05:00

Yesterday hubby & I took a "Framing & Mat Cutting Class". It was so much fun. Now I understand why special order frames cost so much. Its a lot of work but well worth it. With both the pics we framed, we were able to cover parts of the photo we didn't want to show. (empty space & our dining table lol) I love how mine turned out.
Thanks again to everyone for entering to win my blog candy! Keep spreading the word and entering.

Project 365...Pic 14 Narnia is finished!

2009-01-24T17:40:00.003-05:00

It took me awhile but I FINALLY finished reading The Chronicles of Narnia. I must say, the books are so much better than the movies! Isn't that usually the case though?! I know it was with Twilight too! If you liked the Narnia movies, I highly suggest you read the books. See if your local library has them. I purchased this one at Sam's Club. I planned to read it on the 13 hour plane ride to Japan. I never did but at least I finally finished. lol

Project 365...Pic 13 Dinner at the Great Taj Mahal

2009-01-22T01:15:00.002-05:00

Ok, so its not THE Taj Mahal. However, the restuarant we tried today is called Great Taj Mahal. We ordered the chicken & vegetable curry and naan. Naan is an amazing bread! Compare the size of the naan with the chopsticks. It is HUGE! Hubby found a recipe for me to try. hhmmm not sure about that. I'd just rather pay them 283 yen and be done with it. lol The curry was spicy but not too spicy. You can choose levels 0 - 6. Zero is no spice, 6 is the hottest they make. Mine was a 3. mmmmmm yummy! After we ate, they packaged up our leftovers then served us hot chai. I can see this being a fav spot in the future!

Time for a change!

2009-01-21T20:15:00.002-05:00

I decided it was about time to change the look of my blog. Cheryl has an adorable background so I went where she went. lol Go see Allie over at http://alliebrownslayouts.blogspot.com/. She not only has fabulous layouts and headers, she lists instructions for adding them to your blog! All I did for my header was add my text to her header. (Hope you dont mind Allie.)

Please be patient

2009-01-21T19:44:00.001-05:00

Blogger is giving me a hard time about changing my page layout. Hopefully, I can get this fixed soon.

Project 365...Pic 12

2009-01-21T07:10:00.004-05:00

mmmmm Some days you just need an ice cold Guinness in a frosted, chilled mug. Tasty!

Memories Cubed instructional video

2009-01-21T00:47:00.003-05:00

For my cube, I used papers from Club Scrap's "Gimme a Ring", January 2009 kit. The stamps I used are from Kodomo. The one in the pic for Day 10 is one of the stamp designs I am giving away in my blog candy. As you can tell from some of the pics, its hard to get a clear stamped image on this cube if you stamp after you assemble the cube. I suggest you stamp prior to assembly. I did it this way because I was unsure how it would turn out. Its a good thing. I messed up a step and ended up tearing apart my cube to redo it a few times. If you follow Tricia's directions exactly though, you should have no problem. lol I got ahead of her and skipped one part. Pause is a wonderful feature in videos! ;)

Project 365...Pic 11

2009-01-20T03:24:00.003-05:00

Today was like Christmas at work. Well, almost. We received tons boxes but can't put the tiems on the shelves yet. We have to have the invoice first. This is the boxes we received from Inkadinkado. I can't wait to get my inky hands all over those stamps! I have images of gorgeous art flowing through my head! lol
Don't forget to enter to win my blog candy!

Project 365...Pic 10

2009-01-19T08:28:00.003-05:00

Today I worked on a cube project, using Club Scrap's Memories Cubed instructions. I learned that the images, without a doubt, need to be stamped BEFORE the cube is assembled. You can tell exactly why in this photo.
Thanks again to everyone for spreading the word about my blog candy. I wish I had enough to give to everyone! If you haven't entered yet, you still have time!

More Blog candy!

2009-01-18T15:25:00.001-05:00

Check it out......

LuLu has some great candy to celebrate her bday.

Butterfly Award.......

2009-01-18T08:07:00.002-05:00

aaawwww Isnt Janet the sweetest! She gave me this gorgeous award! I love butterlies. I am so thirlled to receive this award. Sorry it took me awhile to post it Janet. *blush* I really do love it. Thanks!!! sssooooo, without further ado, I award this to.....

Debby
Sharon
Joan
Luanne
Neith
Karen
Teresa
Deby
Viv
Miss Bootybella Herself ;)

Project 365...Pic 9

2009-01-18T07:33:00.003-05:00

Today at work, I made examples for the upcoming Valentine card making class that I will be teaching. They had to be relatively simple and inexpensive cards. This class is open to ages 5 and up. We also wanted the class to be inexpensive. These two cards are my two choices. I hope we have enough people interested in the class.
Don't forget to enter to win my blog candy!