Some Cards to See

It's been a while since I've posted so I thought I would try to catch up a bit. Last week was the Michigan Mega Meet. Mega Meet is a huge scrapbooking, card making, papercrafts convention. It happens once a year and just happens to be about 2 miles from my house. How dangerous is that??? It turned out to be pretty dangerous for my wallet. I did spend a few more $$$$ than I had anticipated, but heck, I deserve it! I bought some Nestabilities dies and am excited to try them out. I also bought some Copic Markers which are fabulous! If you have not tried them, you must. They are nothing like a regular marker. I thought I might share a few cards I made this last week with all of you that are interested.

Here is the first card. I made this card using the Garden of Life set from Papertrey Ink for the flowers. Then I used the leaf design from the Papertrey Ink anniversary set. I think I've mentioned before that Papertrey Ink is my current favorite stamp company. The papers and ribbon are also from Papertrey. They now have their own line of coordinating cardstock, patterned paper, ribbons and ink. I just love all the colors they have. The little scallops at the bottom of the patterned paper is made using my new Fiskars punch called "Threading Waters". It's a very cool punch and really adds a neat design element.

Here is my second card I made for my mother for Mother's Day. Again I used the Papertrey Ink anniversary set for the design and their pale yellow cardstock. I just love the color combination on this card. The last card I made is a total copy of one of my favorite designers. Her name is Heather Nicholes and I just love her style, she has a sort of "rustic" flair to her work.

http://pinefeather.typepad.com/pine_is_here/ Check out her blog to see her great stuff. If you scroll down you will see her awesome butterfly cards and how they look nothing like mine. I guess I'll keep practicing and hope that some of my cards are OK.

I mostly do my papercrafting for my family and myself as a creative outlet. I work in a very technical environment with no artistic freedom so papercrafting helps break the monotony of living in a cubical most days a week .

Hope I'll be able to have some new things to show you soon.

The Gem!

Work has kept me busy the last week or so. Although, all the bosses have been in Germany this past week, it seems that those of us left behind still have to work just as hard.

So glad it's Friday, as the week seems like it really dragged. I think because I knew we're heading up to the cabin for the weekend and I have been looking forward to it. Of course the weather has been exceptional for this time of year but, the temperatures are supposed to take a nose dive tomorrow. It figures as we are getting our new (to us) toy delivered tomorrow and want to take it out to play.

Our very old and very used pontoon boat was lovingly referred to as "The Jewel" and it was in desperate need of replacing. While out driving around and visiting a few marina's, we came upon this snappy little number and it was right in our price range. While it is still an older boat, it is in "like new" condition. To pay homage to our old boat we've decided to name this one "The Gem".

Keep your fingers crossed that it runs as good as it looks and gives my family many years of happy boating. Hope you all enjoy a fun filled weekend.

Noah is Here!

My friend Judy finally delivered her baby boy this morning at 1:??am. He weighed in at 7 pounds, 1 ounce and is 21 inches long. Since dad is a bean counter it is only right that little Noah arrived on Tax Day! Judy is doing fine despite having an unscheduled C-section. Here's a picture of the latest member of our morning message board chat.

What Brought You Here?

Just checking to ask, What brought you to my blog? I have many views and hardly any comments. Please comment here and let me know how and why you visited this blog. There's is no real reason for my question, but I am curious. Your comment can be about anything.

Hope you'll comment and Hope you'll have a great day.

Real Biker's Wear Pink.

First Ride of the Season!

A little chilly out, as temps were only about 50. but K.I.S.A. and I went for a little motorcycle cruise last evening. It was great to get outside after this extremely long winter.

As you can see, I'm wearing 3 layers of clothes to keep the the wind down. Strange to be riding and still see a few snow piles in some parking lots and still a bit of ice out on the lake. But all in all it was a very enjoyable ride.

Temps are supposed to reach the low 60's this weekend so we will definitely do a bit more riding. We usually ride out to Hell, Michigan for lunch at the Damn Site Inn. Yes, there really is a Hell. Kind of a biker hang out, but really nice people and good food. Not the kind of bikers you're thinking, but the old couples like K.I.S.A and me.

Here is another picture which shows my bike a bit better. It's a 2003 Suzuki Intruder 800cc. It's a small, light bike which is great to learn on and easy to handle for a Grandma like me. Lately though, I've been having the itch to get a newer bike and really thinking of getting a Harley. Can't decide though, since they are pretty expensive since you are just paying for the name and the prestige, my bike is paid for and there is nothing wrong with it. It's just that almost every biker wants a Harley.

So what do you all think? Wanna go for a cruise?

Happy Tuesday!

I actually have a free afternoon here at work. The boss has gone home for the day early so that means I'll get to leave a little early too. Yipee!

It's really been a pretty boring day. Just the usual paperwork here at the office. I really need to win the lottery. I say that alot, don't I? I'd rather be home playing with my scrap and stamp stuff or out on the road traveling somewhere.

I think my "Bucket List" is probably the same as most. My main goal is to visit all 50 states before my time comes. I have about half of them done and hope to get at least another one or two in before the end of the year. It's really hard when you only have three weeks to use through the whole year. I think the American work force really needs to adapt the European views of vacation and family. The Europeans get at least six weeks a year as they place a higher priority on family time. I do work for a German owned company, however us workers here in the United States don't get to benefit from the six week rule only the German facility gets the time off.

Oh well, maybe some day I'll get to retire and spend my days traveling.....One can dream.

Happy Sunday!

I belong to a RAK (Random Act of Kindness) group through Papertrey website. http://www.papertreyink.com/. And the way it works is you send random homemade cards to others who have signed up as well. It's just kind of a fun way to practice using your stamps and that the cards will be received by someone who is appreciative of the work and fun it takes to create a homemade card. Well, I received my first ever RAK card this week from a girl named Kelsey who lives in TN. It was such a nice surprise to find it in the mailbox. Here is a picture of the great card she sent.

Then this weekend I went to the mailbox and there was another RAK card. How cool is that??? I got another great card from Angie in Indiana. It's so fun getting mail from around the country. Plus everyone is just so talented and willing to share ideas and techniques. Here is the card I received from Angie. Papertrey makes such fun stamps that really work well and interchange with each other so easily.

Today I was able to get in my stamp room and play a little bit and made a quick card to send as a thank you to girls who sent me a card. My cards are pretty simple since I never have nearly enough time to play with my stamps as I would like

Here is a picture of the card I made today. Actually the only part of this card that is stamped is the stem and the little "thanks" in the lower corner. The flower is a die cut from "Cuttlebug" dies cuts. It's probably one of my favorite flower dies. There is a little crystal in the center that really sparkles. It doesn't show up too well in the picture.

Tomorrow is back to work. Blah.... I'm so not ready for Monday. Well Tuesday is another chance to win the lottery.

We're Back from the Smoky Mountains

We had a great time and lots of fun. It's funny how K.I.S.A. and I can have such a good time all by ourselves. Once the kids are grown and gone and it's just the two of you again it's amazing how much we like to be together and like doing the same things.

About the trip - I poured rain all the way down and it rained hard. After we checked into our hotel, which was in a great location we went in search for some lunch. We heard the BBQ was great. We found a place called Corky's and both ordered the pulled pork sandwich. It was pretty yummy. The waiter then asked us if we'd like to try some deep fried pickles? Well, we had seen them on the Food Network after all, so we weren't totally oblivious to them. They were awesome and I would definitely eat them again. If you've never tried them, you must. After lunch we decided to go to the Aquarium since it was still raining. What a great Aquarium, lots of cool stuff like sharks and stingrays and assorted other sea creatures that you can get up-close and personal with. Once we were done at the Aquarium, the sun had come out and the weather was perfect. Luckily it stayed that way the rest of the trip. We spent the next few days wandering around Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and the Smoky Mountains and doing all the usual tourist stuff. We even went up in the Tram that is suspended by wires and takes you up the mountain. What a great view of the town we had.

Although we were gone for several days, it was still wasn't long enough. All we talked about on the way home was how we needed to win the lottery so we could just cruise around this beautiful country taking in the scenery and talking to the interesting people we met along the way.

Oh well, no winning ticket this week. It' s back to reality for us.

Today's Stuff!

1. The Good Stuff: We are headed out of town for a few days and boy am I looking forward to it. I haven't had a day off since New Year's Day and am ready for a little vacation time. K.I.S.A. and I will be heading to Gatlinburg, TN for a few days of relaxation, site seeing and hopefully some fun. Plus I will have a chance to play with my new camera.

2. The Great Stuff: I had my review at work today. It turned out to be very good and I'm happy with everything that the boss said. To make it even better, "I GOT A RAISE" on top of maxing out on the bonus amount. The boss even told me to take Monday off as a freebie and not have to count it toward vacation time. I really do work for a very generous company, for as much as I complain sometimes.

3. Just Stuff: So, I will be back early next week and hope to have some nice pictures of the Smoky Mountains to share with you.

2 Posts in One Day

I thought I would share a few cards I made, plus it gave me a chance to try out my new camera.

The last card is an Easter card for my Grandson, I guess it's a bit dark, but I'm learning. The other cards are a Mother's Day card I made using another set from Papertrey Ink stamps. http://www.papertreyink.com/ The set is called "Woman of Life" and I think it's one of my favorite sets. I also used the same set on the third card. I hope you like the cards and I'll be playing with the camera some more so I can get the photography thing down.

I finally bought one!

For over a year now, I've been eyeballing a nice new digital SLR camera. However, they are a bit on the pricey side. I've had an older digital point and shoot type camera for a couple of years and have just never been happy with the pictures it took. (see the Lamb Card in the previous post). Since it is time for the second part of our bonus at work, I thought I would get something for myself and I was good and put the first bonus in the bank to save.

So Friday evening K.I.S.A. (Knight In Shining Armour) and I are grabbing some dinner out and making a few stops when he decides he needs to go to Radio Shack. Well, right next door happens to be a Ritz Camera store. I said "I'm gonna look in the camera store while you're in Radio Shack". He replies, "OK, I'll meet you there". Wouldn't you know it, the camera store is running a big sale that starts on Saturday morning. One of the camera's I've been looking at is going to be on sale, plus it comes with a nice camera bag, several extra goodies and a $50 gift card too. I do have to say the sales girl, Carol, was very helpful and really taught me a lot about the camera I was interested in as well as a few others. My biggest concern with buying a digital SLR is ease of use. My fears were soon alleviated as I was soon snapping away with the store model. Since the sale doesn't start until Saturday, I walk out with nothing, but Carol does offer to hold a camera and sales gifts for me.

Saturday morning, I'm up early and ready to head to the camera store as soon as they open. I'm there shortly after 10:00 am. After learning about filters, downloads and free classes I'm out the door and on my way home with my new Nikon D40X camera. It is a beginner SLR camera, but heck I'm a beginner and we all have to start someplace. I do have to say, that I really am happy with the camera and it truly is easy to use. I feel that I can do some advanced things with it already. Hopefully in the next few days, I'll be able to post a picture or two taken with my new toy.

I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday.

T.G.I.F.

So glad it's Friday. Even better because it's payday!

Today, I thought I'd share a card I made with you. I'm going to a baby shower today at lunch for one of the girls here at work. She is having a girl next month.

On this card I used some stamps from my favorite stamp company, Papertrey Ink. http://www.papertreyink.com/ Three different sets were used. "My Punny Valentine" set was used to make the lamb head and legs. "Year Round Puns" was used for the sentiment on the little tag. The tag was cut from a set of mini tags from Cuttlebug dies. The third stamp set I used was "Polka Dot Basics" at the bottom of the card. The lamb's body was cut out of some fuzzy type paper I've had for a long time. I used the Mavy Uchida Mega Scalloped Oval punch. The ribbon is just some I had in my stash and the brown ink is also from Papertrey. It's Palette Ink in Burnt Umber. Hope you like the card. (Sorry the photo is not better).

Happy Thursday!

Actually, Thursday is my lease favorite day of the week. I would really like to just skip over it and go straight to Friday.

Another boring day here at work. Actually, I do work for a very good and generous company and most of the people are pretty good to work with, it's just that I hate spending so much time here. Really wish I could just work part time, but I don't see that coming for at least another 7 or 8 years.

By the way, I did receive my Borders coupon in my email today. So I'll either run over there after work today or tomorrow.

On to how I met my Knight In Shining Armour (KISA), if you're not interested you can just skip over it.

It was a cold and snowy Saturday morning (January 1994). The boys were spending the weekend with their dad. (that is a whole separate story). I ended up going to meet some girls I knew for an early lunch. While we were having lunch they told me they needed to go out to a bar in Waterford to pick up a trophy that had been won earlier in the week. The trophy was for playing darts. Electronic Darts was huge, with leagues all over town. I decided what the heck, I didn't really have anything else to do so I decided to go with them to pick up the trophy.

When we got there another big Dart Tournament was going on. I sat down at a long table with a group of people that my friends knew. I sat right across from KISA, he was playing in the tournament that day. We were talking on and off during the afternoon, only to find out he thought I was "with" the girls I came with as they were a lesbian couple. This was something I was definatly not interested in, nor had the thought ever crossed my mind. However, I guess I could see how he could have assumed it. I thought the idea was very funny and laughed about it with him. When it was time to leave, I got up to go and he continued with the tournament, we said good-bye and that was it.

To be continued.....

Hump Day!

Another boring work day. I guess I really shouldn't complain, since I do have a good job that pays very well and there are so many people out of work right now. However, this is my blog and I can do anything I want on it.

On to other things.

1, How come Borders Books sends me coupons every week and I rarely use them? Today I want to get something at Borders and guess what? You guessed it! No coupons so far this week. Maybe tomorrow, they'll send one that's good for the weekend.

2. Tonight should be fairly quiet as we don't have to do any running around. I have some yummy lamb chops marinating and they will be ready to throw on the grill when I get home.

3. I'd really like to finish working on the cards I started over the weekend. Maybe I can even take some pictures of them and post them here. Of course, I have to figure out how to do that.

4. My favorite stamp company http://www.papertreyink.com Papertrey Ink is doing their countdown to their March releases this week. The 15th of every month, Papertrey releases some new stamps and product. They start having sneak peaks on the owners http://nicholeheady.typepad.com/capture_the_moment/ blog on the 10th of every month. Nichole is a marketing genius as well as extremely talented and can get all us stampers in a wild frenzy leading up to the 15th.

5. Another stamp company I use quite a bit is http://www.stampinup.com/us/enu/default.asp Stampin Up. Although since Papertrey began a year ago, I tend to buy more of their line.

Tomorrow I'll tell you about my Knight in Shining Armour (KISA).

My First Official Post

I guess I have now joined the 21st century. My kids accuse me of still living in the last century. Apparently anyone who is anyone must have a blog. This is my first official post to my first official blog. Not sure what course this blog will take at this time, but will most likely be a place to post my artistic endeavours. Artistic you ask? Well, not really but I wish I was and will make an attempt. It may also hold some of my traveling rambling. I am hoping to do a little more traveling as well. Maybe some of my motorcycle trips, car trips, snowmobile trips, boat trips and plane trips. I think that about covers it.Welcome to my blog and hope you come along for the ride.