Happy New Year!!

First to the picture. I know it is not the most "ringing in the new year" photo, but it is an example of Mom's decorating for Christmas this year. She did a great job and don't be surprised if I share some more photos with you later on in future posts!

O.K. I am also a few hours early posting this wish, but it is still just as heartfelt! Here is hoping 2010 brings us each what we desire of the new year!! Everyone stay safe tonight! See you next year!!

Boy, when I disappear. . .

I disappear! I can't believe it has been so long since I updated my blog. Life, both the good and bad, gets in the way!

Quick updates - Grandaddy is doing well. He is back at the assisted living home, a place he calls his "home" and where he wants to be. It may not have been the best decision for him medically, but it was definitely the best decision for him mentally. At this point in his life, the family agrees his mental health is just as important as his physical health. Despite the insistence he go to a nursing home, the assisted living home is the best place for him. They can help him with what he needs (which is minor as he is still ambulatory, has a clear mind, and can do several things for himself). Plus, at the assisted living home he gets to continue living in his "home" which is equivalent to a studio apartment. He would not be happy in a nursing home. I am happy and at peace with the decision for him to stay at the assisted living home. So is he.

Dad is healing quite nicely from his surgery. He will be reevaluated as to therapy this week. They are telling him he is progressing well and that is definitely a good thing.

I am off work until the first of the year and am very thankful for that. I am looking forward to the holidays and spending quality time with both family and friends. If you are reading this, please don't forget what even the tiniest gesture can mean to someone. I just got back from visiting my elderly neighbors (who probably wouldn't like to be called that). I was so touched by how grateful they were that I came to visit them. I visit them fairly regularly in the summer and try to speak with them no less than every two weeks when the weather gets colder. This morning they made a big deal out of telling me how much it meant to them. That touched my heart. I knew they enjoyed the company, but I did not really understand until today how much it meant to them. What a Christmas gift for us all!!

Please keep. . .

my Grandaddy in your thoughts and prayers. He fell this week and has broken his pelvis. Any fall at age 94 is serious. However, Mom has assured me he is in good spirits despite this mishap. You may send my Mom some good thoughts and prayers as well. She would appreciate them also. We do know his break will not require surgery (at least that is what we have been told to date). I just know it will probably be a long recovery simply due to Grandaddy's age.

Just a note on my Dad as well. He is doing very well recuperating from his rotator cuff surgery. He can put his hands behind his head without any problem which, evidently, is a big thing. Seriously, I am very thankful he is healing like he is. I know it is not as fast as he wants, but he gets being patient (which is hard for him) is best for his recovery despite his frustration and desire to move faster and do more!

Poinsettia Gift Box Party Favors

Just listed on both eWillow and Etsy. I am thrilled with how these came out. They will hold about 2 ounces (or 10 Hershey minature candy bars). These were made using the Sweet Treat cartridge and some imagination on my part!

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. I had a wonderful time with family and friends. Now, I am back in the real world and trying to do fun things like getting my house straight and laundry!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

to all my family and friends! I hope you each have a wonderful day! Don't eat too much (which is always hard to do!) I am definitely thankful for each of you and am blessed to have the life I do!

Picture from Veteran's Day

This was the group picture of all the veterans at the celebration. Grandaddy is the one standing to the left of the stars on the flag. The lady in the front was the only female present who served and she was enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard. I think there was one male veteran who was out with his family on this date and did not get in the picture. It was a nice celebration and I think all the veterans enjoyed it. We sang several songs including all the different theme songs, if you will, for each of the branches of service.

I am out of sorts today and am not accomplishing much at all. I think I just am not thrilled about going back to work after being off a week. I also probably should be doing some work I brought home, but I am not too excited about that either. We will see what I get accomplished today!

For my scrapbooking buds, Mom sent me the recipe for the ham for our Christmas celebration so I am good to go with that. Looking forward to it as we always have a good time!

In honor of Veteran's Day

I won't be accomplishing much creative today as I plan on spending the day with my 94-year old Grandaddy. He is a World War II veteran. The assisted living home where he is at is having a program for their veterans this morning. I am going to it, then eating lunch with Grandaddy, and hanging out with him (which means playing gin rummy) the rest of the day. Please try to take time today and remember our veterans, both past and present.

Pink or Red and White Polka Dot - How to Choose?

Another image from one of my most favorite Papertrey Ink stamp sets - Holiday Button Bits. I am telling you - I don't think you can go wrong with this set. I have had so much fun creating tags with it. I haven't even started on making cards using these images!

Stamping on Wood

I saw on Michelle Mathey's blog about how she made a card using basswood veneer. (Check her blog out at http://msmathey.blogspot.com) I thought the card was beautiful, simple, and just classic. Then I thought about making tags using the same wood. These were not the original stamps I intended to use for this endeavor, but I am pleased with how they came out. The images (2 different trees) and sentiment are from Papertrey Ink. I found out I enjoy using this medium to stamp on and you probably see it again soon!

Vintage Buttons and Santa Claus

This is one of my most favorite stamps sets EVER! It is by Papertrey Ink. These tags, a set of four, just got listed on Etsy. I used vintage buttons too! How cute is this?? I have made 3 different sets of tags using this one stamp. I just think this Santa is too adorable!!

A Sneak Peek. . . . .

Of what will be popping up in either my Etsy store or my eWillow store or both!! There is a very good chance some may arrive later today!! Some pictured above are done, other items are a small part of something bigger! Plus, I still have many more surprises to come! There are already several Veteran's Day cards as well as paper goods related to Thanksgiving and Christmas listed now at my Etsy store (see link to left or go to http://ljc3.etsy.com/). These items are to be shipped to your home!

eWillow is new for me and I literally just joined 10/31/09. I am really excited about this site. It is SOLELY for paper crafters. I do have one scrapbook album up there, but I am sure I will get this store filled with more items soon! Check it out by clicking the link to the left or go to http://piesafepapergoods.ewillow.com/).

Back to my works in progress. I just had to give you a tease. . . . .

Let's see. . . . .

I had my hair colored yesterday (I am anal about some things and I go every six weeks for this). My hair dresser, who I think the world of, asked me if I had been stressed. (Think work, think yes, most definitely!) Anyway, I asked her what prompted that question and she said the hair near the crown of my head was turning . . . white . . . . not grey. . . . white!!!!!

She did impart some good news. Evidently the hair at the nape of my neck is a dark grey so my hair dresser, after asking questions about my parents and how their hair has changed as they have grown older, has determined I will have that pretty white hair (when I get old because it will continue to be colored for some time) with the pretty dark roots underneath!

Now, truly things like that don't bother me at all. I have had grey hairs since I was in my 20s. I had to share because, honestly, I think it is funny my hair is beyond white at this point. I guess since it has gone from grey to white in less than 2 decades (now that word makes me feel old), I wonder if I should worry about growing bald. Isn't that the next step after white hair?

Dad is doing great. He has his 6-week post-surgery check-up next week and we all think he will get raving reviews. He has done really well.

I am LOVING my Cricut!!! My brain can't keep up with my ideas and there is not enough time in the day to make everything I want to make (and go to work so I can buy what I want to buy!)

Nothing else to report. Back to cleaning and creating!

My Cricut. . . .

has arrived!! BUT - I am not allowing myself to start playing with it until I get certain things done around the house. Plus, I brought home work this weekend that has to be done by Tuesday! I will make something by Monday night with it, I am positive!! I will be sure to share it with you all, no matter how terrible it might be!

Have a great Columbus Day Weekend!

First Cartridge Has Arrived. . . .

But alas, my Cricut has not gotten here yet. First, as I have already mentioned, it the epitome of irony that this is the first cartridge I purchased. BUT - I just love some of the images. Yes, you all can make fun of me - I opened it up and have read the entire little book that came with it already! And, just to reiterate, I love the images, but not so much that I will be using them to make recipe pages! If I loved to cook, I would be all about this. I just don't think a recipe page about how to open a can of soup or tuna is all that exciting!

For those of you who have asked, I bought the Cricut Expression. I am thinking it will be here today. I know it has been shipped. I got it from eBay for a good deal (I believe). You can get into some good bidding wars and get things fairly when you are off from work and have plenty of time to check on bids and/or pending auctions. This resulted not only in my Cricut, but several cartridges. I am exercising my right to remain silent when it comes to how many cartridges I own. I will say, I won another (Doodlecharms) last night on eBay.

As I mentioned I have been busy listing on eBay and am making up some of the money I spent there recently. Those auctions will start going off this weekend, so. . ..

I have been good and stayed out of Mighty Dollar, but. . . . .I have a feeling I may make an appearance there today or tomorrow.

I can't wait until the weekend!!! And it is a holiday weekend at that!

WOW. . . .

am I tired after going back to work today! In my defense, it was a hectic day with several people reporting in. We have court tomorrow, Wednesday, and again on Friday. SO -the work week is going to fly by!!!

It amazes me how much work tires you out. I worked 8 hours today. Last week, I was home with Mom and Dad, was getting up every 3 hours to give Dad his pain medication, never rested during the day, did that routine for almost 4 days straight, and NEVER got tired. I guess it just goes to show you home life is so much more relaxing - no matter what you are doing!

Don't know much today. I am listing a bunch of stuff on eBay and trying to finalize my fall items for Etsy. Waiting on my bug to fly in. . . . should be here by Friday at the latest. I will not admit how many cartridges I have already purchased. I have already shared this with one person, but it is somewhat ironic the first cartridge I purchased was "From My Kitchen." And, this has already been asked, but to reiterate, this DOES NOT mean I will be making any recipe pages!!

Off to more listing and picking up!

Catching up. . .

Let's see. . . . .

one week ago, Dad underwent surgery to repair his rotator cuff. The tear was not as bad as the doctor originally thought, which is a good thing. However, his bicep muscle was "trash" to borrow the medical term used by his doctor. It was released during surgery which means it is no longer attached to the bone at the top of his arm near his shoulder. Amazingly enough, the bicep will find a new place to call home, reattach itself somehow, and Dad will now have a lump/bump probably somewhere down around his elbow. From what I understand, he doesn't necessarily lose strength, but the muscle does have to rebuild and regrow some.

Continuing on to other amazing things, Dad has had very little pain. We had heard how horrible this surgery is, but he has done very well. Thankfully, the nerve block took just prior to surgery which I am sure helped out immensely. He is down to taking pain medication only at night. Dad has said what pain he has felt since surgery is not really comparable to the pain he was experiencing pre-surgery, so that is definitely good. He begins therapy next Monday and has his stitches removed next Tuesday. The only problem now is that he is already bored. . . .

Visited briefly with Grandaddy while I was home. He is now the proud owner of a shiny Kentucky blue motorized scooter. I am sure he put off purchasing this as long as he could. I didn't talk with him much because they (the residents) were playing Flippo and they all take that game seriously, let me tell you!! I also had to rush home because Mom sent back a bunch of food with me and we didn't want it to spoil. I promised him to a marathon day of playing cards soon!

I am back at home and have been busy cleaning. I mowed and got the yard looking good. I still need to work on my shrubs and flowers. If you saw the inside of my house now, you would not call it clean as I have stuff strung out all over the place. But, I am making headway. . .

I have been having several sales on Etsy for which I am very grateful! Thank you customers!

I went to a new scrapbook store in my hometown and loved it!! It is called Scrapbook Haven and she carries some great products! What I bought certainly has inspired my creativity this week! I can definitely see returning here as often as I can.

For those of you I crop with. . . . . . well, I have been bitten by the bug! I NEVER thought I would succumb and purchase a Cricut, but I have! It should be here in about 10 days. I will be hitting you all up with questions I am sure!!

Lastly, but certainly important, be sure to keep Betty, her father, and her family in your thoughts and prayers right now.

Back to cleaning and listing and creating. . . I would probably get more done if I only did one thing at a time, but . . . what fun is that??

In with the Old and Out with the Old

You are welcome to come sit for a spell anytime! On the left are my three "new" old chairs. Mom and I found two of them here locally (the first two). She then found the other some where some other time (the one with the pillow). Anyway, the chairs traveled to Dad's shop and he stripped them all down to the metal before priming them and repainting them black. I was not sure if all three would work on my front porch, but I think they do! They are definitely comfortable to sit in. Dad and I tried them out when he brought them over this past Sunday. I just love the design on the chair on the far left. It is stamped in the metal as being made from a company out of Philadelphia. I had not seen a chair like this stamped before with its manufacturer. Please ignore my wild and bushy shrubs as well as my water deprived plants! I did not trim shrubs this weekend, but I promise I did water my plants!

After we got these displayed, I had to decide what to do with my old wicker settee. My first thought was to send it home with Dad for the burn pile! However, my friend Sheila was out walking and she likes "crap" (as another one of my neighbor calls it) as much as I do. She had the brilliant idea of painting it another color and putting it out in my shade garden. It is pretty much ruined and would probably cost more than it is worth to be repaired at this point. It is old wicker and, because of its age, the seats have decided to just give out. I thought putting it in my shade garden was a great idea!! So the picture on the right shows its new home! This was a good idea for another reason as well. Dad is scheduled to have rotator cuff surgery on Friday. This saved him from having to deal with it at all, saved him some bother to his arm, and gave him one less thing to feel like he had to complete by Friday!

I have been listing some new tags and bags. I have a few other surprises to list soon. It won't be long!! I hit the "crack" store (as some of my friends like to call it) on Monday and would you believe it crossed my mind to go again today . . . . just in case something new was put out! I think the addiction has gotten me!!! I had a great relaxing time this weekend with my scrapbooking friends!! Thanks ladies!! I needed that!!

CHECK ME OUT!!!

to borrow an old phrase from Betty. . . .

http://www.fabulousfunfinds.blogspot.com/

You might even win!!!

Contest runs through Sunday, 09/20, at midnight PST.

Happy 94th Birthday to my Grandaddy!

My Grandaddy turns 94 today and, would you believe, I have not been able to speak to him yet because he has not been in his room when I called?? I thought I had timed it when he would be there, but obviously not. He lives in an assisted living home, but he is involved in practically every activity they do. This is my Mom with Grandaddy a couple of years ago. Thankfully Grandaddy is in good health, both physical and mental, for his age. He is so determined and has such a good attitude about things! I say this all the time, but I truly hope I have his attitude when (and if ) I get to his age. Can you imagine all the things he has seen in his lifetime? He is a WWII vet and served overseas. Once he returned to the US, he was hired as a postal carrier and worked there, as well as farmed. So, I am mailing his birthday present tomorrow (yes, I am a little behind). Here's hoping he has had a great day . . . . and that I can find him in his room later to tell him Happy Birthday!!! Love you Grandaddy!!

McClard's Fall 2009 Festival

These are some pictures from our show this past weekend. Mom made the ghosts to the left and she sold out of them!! I thought they were pretty cute myself! The pictures to the right both just show bits and pieces of our booth. Several items shown sold. We had a good day overall. We have learned out we can set up and not get on each other's nerves. We have gotten better about loading our vehicles - which is a very good thing! There were several people out and about. We received multiple compliments on our booth which was very nice. It didn't seem like we had a lot of sales, but, if I remember correctly, this was our second highest selling day! It did get hot and I got burnt . . .again!

Mom and I did good while she was here and didn't really go on a major shopping spree. She purchased a couple of things from the antique mall on Friday (we did do some shopping before the show), but nothing big. She bought two Scottie dog planters at the show because they matched some she has at home. I bought two wire baskets. We went out Sunday and went antique shopping again, but neither of us bought much that day either. We just didn't have that thing (or things) catch our eye this trip. Which is ok. We don't have to have huge shopping trips all the time! We did get caught out in a bad rain storm Sunday afternoon (heard it didn't rain here), but, thankfully, we were sitting on a couch at the antique mall going through about 8 to 10 boxes of postcards and/or pictures. We were happy to sit the storm out that way. Plus, I had been wanting to really go through those boxes for a long time!

I am sure I will be back later to post more!! I have a couple of other things to

share today!!

Happy Labor Day!!

And another card. . .

WOW!! I am on a little roll right now. I do have another card made, but I don't like how the pictures came out so I am going to have to retake them.

I have added SEVERAL tags to my Etsy store and, I am quite pleased to say, I have a slight run on some sells. I am not getting rich, but I don't do sell for that reason. It is fun and creating my tags, cards, and stuff actually relaxes me (well, at least when I am organized and know where stuff is!)

I have relisted tags I made last year that are geared to being attached to homemade goodies, treats, candies, baked goods, etc. You get the picture. The week of 09/14, you can have a chance to win your own set of each of the 4 designs (6 tags in each set so 24 tags total). Plus, I have included some other Halloween-themed tags to be sent to the winner. All you have to do is to check out http://www.fabulousfunfinds.blogspot.com on the week of 09/14. She will be promoting the tags and having the contest and will notify me of the winner. Her blog features an e-tailer each week that includes a giveaway and/or promotion. I was excited to be asked to contribute.

Sorry, I did not post a picture of my September sample for Out of the Box. I am working on my October samples now. Think 3-D, coffins, and tags!!! How is that for a hint!

Mom will be here shortly and we have our show tomorrow. I don't think either of us are as prepared as we would like to be, but. . . . we still have fun. I am sure we will fit in at least a little antique shopping while she is here as well!

Hope everyone has a safe and happy Labor Day weekend!!

Yes, I made a card. . . finally!!

A very simple card, but a card still! I am pleased with how it came out. I made a couple of others as well, but I will wait and save them to post later!

Mom will be here tomorrow and we will do our second show of the year at McLard's in Scottsville. We always have a lot of fun doing these shows. I don't have as many old things to sell this time, but that is ok. It will be a good day irregardless!

I am having a great time making all this fun Halloween stuff. That is somewhat ironic considering it is not necessarily my favorite holiday. Oh, well! Back to making cards. . . .

More tags listed today. . .

at my Etsy store. This is one of my favorite. I just love the vintage images. I posted six new Halloween tags and one primitive image fall and/or autumn tag.

Today was beautiful. I hope everyone had a chance to be outside, even if for only a short time.

Had a great time yesterday cropping at Debbie's! I know my hand was sore today from coloring so many tags!! The food was GREAT also!! Thanks again!! It was great seeing everyone!

Off to do a few other little things before calling it a day. There is a lot going on this week for me!

Just listed . . . .

One of the three sets of gift tags I just listed on Etsy. There is a similar set with light polka dots as well as a set done with a light brown tin plate background.

I am trying to get my house picked up. This will be a busy week and it may be the weekend before I post again. I have a new goal of trying to share more of what I make, so. . . . we will see.

Hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful weekend we have had!! Thanks for not giving up on my blog and coming back. . . just in case.

I have a NEW roof. . . .(finally!)

Doesn't it look GREAT?? I am so thrilled to finally have this done! I mean, the damage was sustained on April 2 and it has taken over 4 months to get to this point. Learning curves of this included (1) my insurance company was less than stellar and I now know certain things I will ask and/or watch for if I ever have to file a claim again and especially if I stay with my current insurer; (2) a certain adjuster - who remain nameless - will never step foot on my property again - even though the insurance company doesn't think I will remember their name - they obviously do not know me very well at all; and (3) random people who come to your door to solicit your business may be the best thing ever.

Just a short post for right now. I have a ton of things going on and need to stay productive. Oh - and yes, I realize my shrubs need trimming, but I am waiting for a little bit cooler weather!

Here is my sample. . .

This is what I sent in for my sample for the box for August! It contains about 2 ounces of wild song bird seed. I had already posted similar birdhouses at my store for sale, but I these were made for the box and the box alone! My business cards were made by a fellow Etsian as well! I hope people that get these in their box like them. I didn't get the tag on the house in this picture. It is of two birds facing each other with the saying, "You are so tweet." The birdhouse template and the stamps used to make the tag are all from Papertrey Ink (http://www.papertreyink.com/). The cardstock used to make the birdhouses is from AMuse (http://www.amuseartstamps.com/). The bags and leather ties were random supplies I had at my house! Thanks for letting me share!

Out of the Box Sampler. . . .

goes on sale on Tuesday, August 4th! Check out the following links for more information:

http://www.outoftheboxsampler.com/ (website)
http://www.outoftheboxsampler.etsy.com/ (Etsy shop)

From the above website's homepage (not the Etsy store), click on the "who's in the box" link on the left to see my ad button as well as the write up about what I submitted. You will have to scroll about 2/3 of the way down before you will find me. I will post pictures of my sample tomorrow. I have to let some anticipation build up!! I am really excited about participating in these boxes! I am already working on my September samples!

Just for the record, I do not get any monetary profit from the sampler boxes. My participation does get me free advertising and exposure! That is the same for all of the e-tailers who submit samples! I think it is a GREAT thing!

On my vintage front, I have developed a serious adoration for the "Dick and Jane" vintage readers/books.

I am working on new Halloween items that are soon to be listed on Etsy.

If the weather cooperates, I should be getting a new roof come Wednesday. Don't ask me for a referral for an insurance agency as we are continuing to battle some things. However, I will gladly share the name of my roofing contractor should you need one!

Not much else going on here. I am trying to straighten, organize, do laundry, cook (which by itself is scary enough for me), create, and watch TV all at the same time. I am headed out to water flowers now and then back to all the multitasking!!

Hope everyone has had a great weekend!

More Flowers and Other News

This is what is on my front porch - white geraniums, red petunias, and an ever-growing potato plant. (I don't think I named the wrong flowers, but if I did, please correct me!) I love the color green of the potato plant and I am not a fan of green in general. My settee has seen better days. I am trying to look for something else, but I can't really find anything else I like. I am headed out to water flowers now - it takes me about an hour.

I listed some paper witches brooms on etsy today and have my photos ready to list what I sent in for my first OOTBS sample. I made the ones I am listing earlier this year. The ones I sent in were all done alike. These are much more random!!

Mom e-mailed earlier and said Grandaddy fell again. He does not always pick his feet up and he tripped over one of those metal strips that help carpet, tile, etc, lay flat when the floor surfaces change. Does that make sense? Mom has been out to the assited living home to see him and said he looked fine. She thought they were going to the ER, but Grandaddy said he had already been. I don't know for sure if he went. Mom said he has some new bruises and cuts and evidently a bit of a black eye. Otherwise Mom said he is fine and is acting fine. She is going to try to talk to him about getting a motorized wheelchair, but that is going to be a HARD sale! Grandaddy told his doctor just a few months ago he was working out on the recumbent bike (or something very similar) and doing several thousands of steps in the hope of not having to use his walker any more! Besides being almost 94 (his birthday is in September), Grandaddy has also had 5 different hip replacement surgeries!

It is ALREADY July??!!

WOW!!! Summer is just flying by isn't it?? This is what you see as soon as you turn the corner around my garage. I just LOVE all my flower beds and I LOVE them looking a little wild and untamed. Although there are some goose neck that need to be tamed for sure!! I will post some more pictures of the beautiful flowers my Mom planted for me later. The pink minature zinnias above are the only ones that are planted in this spot that are not an annual flower. We have gotten this side of the house to almost be all annual plants which is wonderful. There is also a yellow and red theme in this garden (save for the pink minature zinnias). I should add that not all of my blooms on the black-eyed Susan have opened yet! It is SO full! to give you an idea how tall it is, it is about 2 to 3 inches to the ground from the door out of the garage. The black-eyed Susans are as tall as the doorknob and are every bit as wide as the door. I swear I think this plant would grow on the concrete if it could! For those of you who may not know, I can not stand to put my hands in dirt. The deal is that my Mom comes over and plants my flowers and then I will water and weed them the rest of the season. My cardinal has faded, but I can not repaint it without it looking worse. Cardinals have a special meaning for me personally! It takes me right at an hour to water all of my plants each evening, but I get so much enjoyment from them!

Work is fairly better. My coworker is back, but there is still going to be some rough days ahead for them. The extra work I got is not seeming as daunting as it first did. Quite honestly, it was how I was told I was going to do this extra work that was more upsetting that the work itself. The good thing about my new duties is that I am going to have to stay on top of my job more than ever which I really think in the long run will be a HUGE benefit to me. Not to say I didn't do that before, but there were certain aspects of my job I would procrastinate about doing (i.e. chronos). That never really mattered or impacted anything all that much. However, my new duties require me to make sure some information is entered into the computer very timely because it CAN have an impact if it is not there and I am not available. So, I am just doing this part of my job as it happens which has made for some busy days, but, again, in the end, it will benefit me. Thanks to all who e-mailed and/or offered their support some way. It was and is very much appreciated!

Still in the work theme, my supervisor announced they would be retiring by the end of the year. That means there might be a chance for a promotion. . . . . I will have to seriously give it some thought. We will see. The job announcement has not come out yet and it may not for a few more weeks.

Onto other exciting news for me. . . . I have had some great sales on Etsy lately!! I have also been asked to be a member of the Out of the Box Sampler team. I was very honored by this and will be participating in the boxes beginning with the August box. I will be contributing some samples through at least the end of the year. The idea behind this store is that they gather samples (no less than 25) from various Etsians and then make sampler boxes they offer for sale. The boxes sell out quickly. It is great free advertising for me. I think I may have gone a little overboard on my "sample" for the August box, but. . . . I will say it is not something I have made for sale in my store yet, but similar items are coming for sure!! Check out their store: http://www.outoftheboxsampler.etsy.com

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th!! I went home and went to a terrific fish fry and then to a picnic hosted by family friends. ALL the food was good of course and it is always great to spend time with family and friends.

My Grandaddy fell just before the holiday. He was trying to use the table to help push himself up and managed to flip the entire table over as well as cause himself to fall backwards. He will be 94 in September. Can you believe that he had NO serious injuries in regard to this incident? Not a broken bone or anything. Don't get me wrong, anything that happens to him at this stage in his life is serious, but from this fall he just sustained some deep bruises, has been very sore, and was hospitalized for a couple of days. Much to his chagrin, he is having to use his wheelchair more just because he is so sore. He normally uses his walker and has a goal of being able to not even have to use that some day!! I hope I have his attitude if I make it to my 90s!

I have scored some great vintage stamps lately and I can't wait to share some new creations using them!! I have SO many ideas and am just having difficulty in finding time to "play." I have done some serious purging in my scrapbook room and that has added fuel to my desire to create!!

It is July and I am STILL waiting on my roof to be repaired. Yes, that same damage that was done the first Thursday of April. I have a new roof contractor that really seems to be on the ball and I have had a second inspection by the insurance company of the damage! The adjuster met my roofer out at my house last week and I hoping to hear back from the insurance company this week. I do know the adjuster acknowledged there was more damage than he initially noted, so. . . . .keep your fingers crossed.

I am back on my low-carb, low-sugar diet and have lost over 14 pounds so far!! This is really an easy diet for me to do. Now, I just have to get my exercise routine back up to par with my eating habits!

Enough of a break for me for now!! Back to finishing my samples, making some cards for some special people, and creating new items for my store!!

If I didn't have to work . . . .

I could get SO much more accomplished. AND - unfortunately work has hit an all-time worst case scenario right now. Last week was an absolutely horrible week. It didn't help that two icons from my preteen and teenage years passed away and that I only slept for two hours one night and not much more any of the other nights. I am trying to stay positive on the work front, but I don't know. I have a bad feeling it is going to be very hard to stay positive and there is virtually no relief in sight - definitely not for the near future. So, I just had to vent a little. . . . . maybe this will make me get in my craft room more to relieve some stress!! Cross your fingers for me as well as for all my coworkers. It is definitely a difficult time. I can't go into a lot of details. Sorry. Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Taking a break from . . . .

cleaning out my scrapbook room. I am making GREAT progress today!! I can see the end!! I will be SO thankful to get this room done where I can come in here and just create! I am purging like crazy. Of course, I still have tons of other stuff I have taken out of here and put in another room to go through. BUT - I will be done with this room by the end of the weekend which will be a wonderful feeling!

I finally broke down and turned on my air conditioner last night about 10p. I don't know why I hate to turn it on. I seriously had not been uncomfortable at all until yesterday . . . and there was a heat warning out yesterday. I still had a great breeze coming through the house, but it just wasn't enough. Oh, well.

I am going to try to post some pictures of my flowers later today. Mom worked so hard in them and they are so pretty. For those of you who may read this, but do not know me, I don't dig do dirt. I will water and weed and take care of these flowers for the rest of the season, but I am not putting my hands in the dirt to plant them. So, my very nice Mom comes and does that for me. I am excited that she planted hollyhocks back by my bedroom window. They probably won't grow a whole lot this year, but they should be really nice next year. Anyway, I am trying to figure our Picasa so I can post several pictures at once. We will see how that goes!!

Back to cleaning and sorting and organizing (and making a huge mess)!

Welcome to my new front porch!!

I am absolutely thrilled with how the columns changed the look of my front porch. If you don't recall, I did have three posts and a railing with spindles. I love the open look so much better. Dad did a GREAT job!! I just had a neighbor stop and tell me how wonderful the columns look as well!!

Dad came on Monday afternoon and stayed through Wednesday afternoon. It was probably one of the best visits ever. Usually he comes and I have so much I want him to do that he is rushed and we don't get much time to visit with one another. Also, because he is trying to do so much in a short time, it is easy to get irritated and frustrated with things. This time there was no rush because he stayed longer, we got everything done we wanted to do (met with the roofer, got the columns up, sprayed, mowed, repaired the siding where the hole was made - well, sort of, trimmed trees, hoed down weeds), we were able to sit and talk, we grilled out for at least 3 meals, and we even did some shopping!

Thanks again Dad. I love you!

Yes, I am still here. . . .

despite what you may think. Work has been busy and that is the main thing that has kept me away. However, I am taking off next week and you should see lots of interesting things on my blog. Mom has been here and my flower beds are looking beautiful (pictures to come). I have been working hard on my scrapbook room and am ready to create (pictures to come as soon possible - I plan on making a lot while I am off). I have made a few new vintage finds since my last post and Mom has put some vintage spin on my garden (of course, I will share pics of those as well). Dad is coming some time while I am off and I should have new columns on my front porch (pictures to come). Hopefully, I will make some headway on my roof (yes, it still has those lovely blue tarps - very long story). I will be visiting my Grandaddy and Garden Glory Days at the Garden Patch is coming up as well!

BUT - first things first. Yes, I am technically off work now, but I have to work in the morning. I know - that doesn't make a lot of sense. I said I would help out and I don't mind. The good thing is I will be earning comp time, so it all works out. Then I am headed to card class, then back to the office, and then a pedicure!! At that point the vacation is ON!!

So, don't give up on me. More to come!!

Our Treasures

The finds Mom and I made are not listed in any particular order. These are just pictures of what all we couldn't live without last weekend when we went shopping. We pretty much just shopped here around town. It was Sunday, so some of the spots we wanted to it were not open. The picture above is a very pretty blue quilt that was really in good shape. It had a very, very fair price as well. Mom took it home with her. Notice my old kerosene heater on my porch? It has now moved back into my garage, but it is in great shape. I found out when we were loading things to take to the show it still had kerosene in it - that was not a good thing!

The vintage postcard on the left was my single purchase at McClard's show. It came from a vendor who comes every year and who, evidently, does several shows a year. The little puppy's face is truly priceless.

Pitty Pat: The Fuzzy Cat has a little story behind it. I am always telling my Mom she is a cross between Prissy and Miss Pitty Pat from Gone With The Wind. Of course, Mom does not agree with me. She has a "fuzzy" black cat book that I have no idea how old it is that she has in her house. So, when I saw this and then saw the title, I just HAD to buy it for Mom.

I am all about vintage and/or primitive pictures right now, so the festive dressed little boy just had to come home with me.

All of these items are things Mom brought to sell and I now have claimed. The far left is an old glass ketchup bottle. Remember them? I barely do. In fact, I had forgotten they were ever in glass until Mom told me what that bottle was used for. The next is an old glass cottage cheese container. I never knew cottage cheese came in glass - it has always been in a plastic tub for my life. The blue drawer is something Mom picked up somewhere, maybe from a hardware store, but it will love even more adorable holding cards for me. Then, I had to have the unusual shaped flower frog for me. I have a fairly large collection of them as well. They are great to stand pictures in. If you have ever looked at my Etsy or Artfire stores, you can see I use them all the time in my pictures.

Mom is all about feed sacks right now. I was holding this one up for her and had this side facing me (it is the back). I immediately told her she had to buy this feed sack no matter what. I mean, seriously, how adorable is that little girl??

Didn't I say Mom was all into feed sacks? This is the stack of the ones she bought that day. The scale was given to me earlier this year by someone who knows I like old things.

Last, but not least, is a red and white quilt Mom bought. I had seen it right before Mother's Day and had thought about buying it for her. I thought it was fairly reasonably priced, but I did not buy it for her. Honestly, I didn't want to pay what it cost and then have her cut it up to make stuff. I thought it was in better shape than that. I should mention, Mom and I are GREAT quilt hunters, and we find some GREAT buys (as low as $15) on them. Anyway, this quilt was still there and Mom snatched it up.

One of my most favorite things to do is to go antique shopping with my Mom. I can barely remember going to garage sales with my Mom and my Grandma when I was little. They would give me change and I would buy depression glass. I am sure I got some other stuff because I am pretty positive I acted up a little and I kind of think Grandma may have spoiled me just a little (I was the first grandchild in my defense). It is always fun to find a bargain or some other great find, but some days just going and looking is just as much fun. We both enjoy old things, so it definitely something we enjoying doing together. I am much more into primitives than my Mom and we have distinct tastes. I am very thankful we are able to do this together. It is amazing she still shops with me after she has to put up with me. Love you Mom!!

McClards Show

Here are some pictures, finally I know, from our show last weekend. The top left is a full view of our booth. The other two pictures are just some closer shots of what we had to offer. This time last Saturday we were still setting up and getting ready. It was a beautiful Saturday. I actually even got a sunburn! I think it is fair to say Mom and I were both pleased with how we did. There were a steady stream of people all day long. I don't know if she had as many vendors as before or if it just seemed that way because they changed where the booths set up. There were some great items there, but I showed restraint and only bought a vintage postcard (I will post our finds later!) It was a lot of fun and I know I try my Mom's patience at times, but I am glad we do this together! McClards will have another show in the fall! I will keep you posted.

Happy Birthday!

to my Dad. Here he is doing one of his most favorite activities - riding the tractor. This was taken in November, so he is probably taking hay to the cows. I know Dad did nothing special on his birthday, but I still wanted to wish him well. He got his gift from me early this year - it was a bottle jack that would hold 20 tons (I think). He liked it and I received stern orders to "not buy anything else!" Happy Birthday Dad!! I love you!

Happy Memorial Day!

In honor of the Memorial Day holiday as well as in honor of all the veterans, including my precious Grandaddy, I am hoping you each are enjoying the holiday and are thankful for all veterans, past and present, on this day. This is a picture of my Grandaddy taken last November. He is a veteran of WWII and is 93 years old in this picture!

I will post pictures later this week of our show. Mom and I are pleased with how we did. We did our on shopping after the show around town and in Franklin, Kentucky. I will also post some pictures of our "finds" later as well!!

Take care and enjoy the holiday!!

To Motivate Me. . . .

This was how Mom and I set up this past fall at Rock Garden. I had to look at some pictures to get me motivated tonight. I have SO much to do before next weekend!! For those of you who might be coming to the sale at McClard's Antiques then, I will post some pictures later this week of their event last fall.

Bumper Card, Flowers, and Exercise

This is the wonderful Bumper Card from Penny in Pennsylvania that was waiting for me in my mail box today!! I think it is just stunning. If you enlarge the picture, please know the card does not have the spots - my camera lens has them! Penny was clever enough to write her note on a post-it so I can reuse this great gift!!

I have totally forgotten the name of this flower. But, I do know Mom planted it for me last year and it came back so it is an annual? I tell you, Mom does my flowers because I have no joy for digging in the dirt and then I take care of them for the rest of the summer. Anyway, this flower sits at the corner of my house. The church birdhouse was left by the people who I bought the house from and it is sitting on a large rock. If you enlarge this photo, please know I have not mowed and the grass is a little scraggly.

I do know this is clematis. I think it is supposed to be "red" in color, but this is how it has looked the last two years. This is on the side of my house. I am hoping it does not pull down my trellis. I can't believe how full the blooms are this year!! It looks so pretty next to the white siding. Along this side of my house (which borders the garage), I have several other flowers. I know one is a black-eyed Susan, I have a gerber daisy that the bunnies eat on, some type of ground cover, a lily, some hostas, and a plant that I think is an air fern, but it is not. I am sure Mom will tell the correct name of it soon. It has yellow blooms. Mom and I both put a variety of old things in with all the plants. We we get it all pretty looking, well, Mom actually, I will take pictures and show you that.

This is just a close-up picture of two of my clematis blooms. They are SO pretty. While I was outside, there were at least two bunnies. I tried to coax them to their salt lick, but they were not very cooperative. I wanted to get a picture of them, but I did not have my larger zoom lens on the camera, so what pictures I did get were not very good. I have one peony bud that is still all balled up. Last year I got a multi-blooming hydrangea plant and it is coming back (yay!!). I have another hydrangea bush that is starting to fill out. I can't wait for Mom to come and do all my flowers. I know it is a lot of work for her, but I ask her to do it because I think she enjoys it and I know I do. Plus, there is that dirt thing I don't like!

On to TaeBo - I went to class tonight and it was SO hard!! But, it was a great workout. Yesterday, I tried Zumba. I see where people really like Zumba and that it is fun, but me in that class was like a very low-end and very bad rap video. I guess my body is supposed to move like that, but it wasn't happening. A black girl in front of me told me to "Move it, girl!" and my response was that what I was doing was me "moving it." She just laughed at me and, honestly, I laughed at me, too! This was my second TaeBo class and it was much harder than the first. I do think I am really going to enjoy these classes. I won't be challenging Ali or anyone else soon, but it is fun. I can't work out tomorrow because we have a late afternoon training session in Louisville that doesn't end until 5pm EST. I need to get busy and get ready for our show. I made three sets of new tags this evening an dI might color them tonight. . . . and maybe not!

Happy Mother's Day!

First, and foremost, Happy Mother's Day to my wonderful Mom!! Equal well wishes are sent to my family and friends who are mothers!

I spent yesterday with my Mom at the primitives show at Cinnamon Creek in Centertown, Kentucky. It is in Ohio County. It is one of my most favorite shows ever. If you like primitives, it is well worth the drive. There are dealers from all over - including out of state - and the displays are just great to see. They have an old-timey band playing each year and you can buy bar-b-q from Hadley, Kentucky, for lunch. Believe me, you don't just rush in, look, and leave. We usually spend the better part of a day looking around.

We were a little bit worried due to the amount of rain we have had lately. When we arrived, we were motioned into the parking lot where we always park. However, we very quickly became mired down in about 6 or more inches of mud. It took 4 guys/men (who were very, very muddy by the end of the day) to push us out and we ended up parking in an "overflow" field. They had golf carts to ferry you to the show, but it was not that far of a walk.

Mom and I usually just take a "first" tour and take it all in. We make note of what we could not live without and then make purchases on our "second" tour or "third" tour. Mom made one trip to her car with purchases before we made our "second" tour. She bought a bunch of old cutter, quilt pieces (for her crafts) and some blue swirl Granite wear (for me for Christmas) from a lady we know, hence, the first trip. We both bought each other gifts for our birthdays (both in November) and/or Christmas. Mom always buys flax at this show and this year I got it for her. There were some very reasonable deals and, of course, there were those items you just drooled over, but knew you would not purchase.

I asked if I could take pictures and was told I could. However, horror of horrors, I did not take a single picture. I will try to remember next time. There are people that make primitive things and you don't want to take pictures of their items without their permission. I just got caught up in the looking and forgot about pictures. Anyway, here are some of the things I brought home with me:

This was an unusual shaped wire basket with a long wire hanger. It had a geranium in it (still in its plastic pot) when we bought it. Mom got this for me. I have a thing for wire baskets. I have not decided what to do with this quite yet. Right now it is hanging empty from a hook in my kitchen.

As I mentioned earlier, I collect blue swirl granite wear. I bought these two pie plates for myself. The rectangular frog was outside with me to take pictures for Etsy and/or Artfire. Both of these pie plates were very reasonably priced and are going to go great with my growing collection!

The Luzianne tin is for me. I also have a huge penchant for old advertising things. I have not decided what I am going to do with this yet either. It is in really great shape so I don't want to do something that will damage it. The green bait bucket tin is for my Mom for either her birthday or Christmas. It has metal hooks (like a belt loop) on the back because you were supposed to wear it on your belt and keep your bait in it. Although you can't see it, it says "Old Pal" on the front in raised letters. My Mom's dog when she was little was named "Pal." Now, you know why I wanted it! Mom approved of it and said she had an idea for it. I guess we will all have to wait and see what that idea turns out to be!

This is one of my favorite purchases - an old pair of a child's shoes. Flax has been stuffed in them. The shoe on the left is missing one button, but the shoe on the right has all of its buttons. I think these shoes are too cute!! I have no idea what Mom wants to do with them, but she said she wanted a pair. These were very, very reasonably priced compared to similar pairs that were available, so I grabbed them up.

Well, this has been a LONG post and kind of picture heavy. Hope you enjoyed my purchases as much as I did. I will get the hang of Blogger eventually so I can make a better presentation, but this was all I could do for today!! Thanks for looking and reading!!

New Tags - Just Listed

For those of you who I will be spending the upcoming weekend with - you will probably see me coloring lots of these tags as well as other similar stuff! I am looking forward to it - just hope I can come somewhat organized! ( I gave up on being organized!)

I am still around. . . .

I am still waiting to hear about my roof.

Good news has been received on the Dad front and his condition is not as serious as we were first led to believe. He is back to his old self, however, he has still slowed down on some things that were/are bad for him.

Work has been kind of busy, but manageable.

I started a new exercise routine and it is kicking my rear (which is a good thing).

I am working on some new creations tonight, so look for something soon!!

I will also be glad when the weather gets warm for good!!

Now, guess what. . . .

I have a banged up roof (and I am hoping that I am told to just go ahead and get a whole new roof). The tarps are over, horror of all horrors, my scrapbook room. I woke up this morning and noticed I had water damage that was about 8 to 10 feet in length (almost the whole length of the room) and it was about 3 to 3.5 inches in width. Now, I have an insurance claim pending, but my roof is patched and ready for any weather in the interim. As I sat down to send Mom and Dad pictures of my room, I noticed I have two other water stains (both much smaller though) on this side of the ceiling. I meet with the guy who did the emergency tarps on Monday to see what he says. Obviously he has already been up on the roof and, on Monday, he is going in the attic and checking out the ceiling damage from there as well as from inside the house. Now, I REALLY do have to clean up my scrapbook room!!

Did lightning strike today??

My Dad actually went to the doctor. He had been feeling dizzy since being prescribed some medicine for his shoulder. He drove here last Friday (again) and once he arrived, he immediately went over to my neighbors to get aspirin (because he had no idea if I had any and if I did where I would keep them). He sat over there for an hour and told them he had felt dizzy driving over here too. Dad also told my neighbors he had felt dizzy Thursday as well. According to Mom, he got up Saturday, said he was dizzy, and was going to the doctor, but of course, he did not go. When I talked to him Saturday night he told me he was "fine" all day. Mom told me he was dizzy again Sunday and he slept pretty much all day. OH - and I forgot to add I fibbed and told him my nursing friend (Debbie - that would be you) told me it was not normal for that medicine to make someone dizzy and he should be checked out. I didn't talk to Debbie, but I knew he didn't know that so. . . . Well, I was trying to make a point to him. Anyway, he woke up dizzy again this morning and he actually went to the doctor. They ended up doing a cat scan. The scary part is that he has had a small stroke some time in the past (who knows when) because it showed evidence of that, but there was no bleeding or significant damage from it . That he had had a stroke DID get Dad's attention as well as the idea that they thought he was having one this morning which was causing him to be dizzy (for right now). The good news is that he is dizzy due to an inner ear infection and a sinus infection. He now has new meds and is supposed to take a baby aspirin every day. I am VERY thankful this is all it was. . . Oh - and for those of you who have heard me talk about my neighbors, Dad called them and told them about his day before either he or Mom told me about it!!

Well, not to let Blogger beat me. . . .

here is one of the set of 12 notecards I made for the bride-to-be. Her wedding invitations, made to be absolutely gorgeous by her mother, were in these same colors - which I also understand to be her wedding colors. Again, a very simple card. I cut a strip of red paper and used a Martha Stewart edge punch to give it a little something extra. Then I cut a strip of patterned paper and a strip of cream paper. I adhered these to the card in the same order as I cut them. I used my Nestabilities to make the red circle. I stamped the monogram and its border on cream cardstock using my Just Rite stamps and then punched it out with an old circle punch I have had for years. I placed the cards in a clear plastic box I had purchased just for this type of gift. Since the edges of the box folded in, I punched two circles of the patterned paper, put adhesive on them, and adhered them to the edges of both closures to ensure the box would stay secure. I purchased coordinating black envelopes for the cards, but did not do any thing extra to them. This is really only the second time I have played with my Just Rite stamps, but I LOVE them. I now have a million ideas running around in my head!!

To Clean or To Stamp???

Well, stamping won out today for sure. But, it was all done for a good cause - a wedding shower.

This card was what accompanied my gift to the bride-t0-be. It was made using A Muse's new Latte notecards, new Juliette Latte paper, the new cherry blossom stamp 2-4136F, and the new "Congratulations" stamp (9-8545C). Simple card, but I love how it turned out.

I also made the bride-to-be a set of 12 notecards with her soon-to-be monogram. I will post those later as Blogger is not liking me much right now and I don't feel like trying real hard to figure out why!!