i finally created something

so...here is something i worked on yesterday just to get back into making something. i pulled out some SU pattern paper and some scallop cards and stamps and went to work.

i think they turned out pretty good. i used some older retired products along with some new stamps. i had to photograph them outside on the back deck, there isnt a lot of good light in here yet.






i think i am going to make a few more today to go with these ones. some smaller rectangular sized cards. i'm just gonna create until i get sick of seeing these colors. :)


drop me a comment and maybe i'll send one to you...they have nice chocolate chip matching envelopes too.




here is L-DOG (logan) with his ever growing collection of Marvel heroes. they come in all shapes and sizes. he has spent endless summer days sharing all the tiny tidbits about each character with me...it is absolutely driving me nutso...but if i am ever in the position to talk marvel heroes with other moms, i can almost guarantee i'd run the show on that one. and when i say he shares everything i mean EVERYTHING. it is pretty cool that he is SO into them. his dad is so happy --it beats the littlest pet shop obsession from the previous years...he is finally finding his little boy stuff in the midst of living with two very dominant sisters. my favorite is to walk into a room and find them lined up on a table or hanging off umbrellas as he's done here. i love the way his imagination is taking off with this. we busted out Alex's childhood collection of comics to keep him occupied until Alex's return, and the boy is in complete marvel heaven. he even took his spiderman gloves with the fingers cut off and inserted pencils in the tips to create his own Wolverine hands. did i mention he's a little genius too?? i love that kid!!!


thats all for today. happy sunday!
xoxo

SU! celebrando creatividad & promo

SU! is having a great promotion...15% off select brand new sets. i have already ordered one or two of these. who doesn't love a great discount on their favorite stamps?? just let me know if i can email you the list....

Here is the new cover to the SU! Spanish language catalog. isn't it SO cute? love all that bright birthday stuff. i can feel my Spanish speaking skills getting ready to kick in...

and this sweet little bird book, i got off the SU! demo site. it was an art challenge done by one of SU! official design artists. whoever they are, can i just say WOW. i love it. that cute bird was cut with SU!'s new die cut machine. i really want one of those. but they are a tad pricey...something i will have to save up for. it is really nice though. they have exclusive dies with SU! only designs. birds, and flowers and labels and pouches, etc. i've never invested in a die cutting machine; but i'm afraid i will be soon enough. maybe if i save up i can have it for Christmas...i believe it debuts in the SU! Holiday mini catalog. can you believe it will be time for holiday stuff soon enough? i am just trying to get through summer and school starting--but it'll be fun to have holiday projects to think about.

that's all for today...

xoxo

i told ya...

so here it is....here i am..with my new Stampin' Up! catalog. so darn happy still. let me think what to say about it now...

ok the project ideas in this catalog are by far my favorite. i want to copy every single idea. so INSPIRING!!! i just can't decide what i need most first. i also got the SU! celebrando creatividad catalog. its SU!'s new spanish language catalog. SUPER COOL. all sorts of stamp sets and accessories in spanish. how creative is that? its 47 pages of fun in espanol. it is SO the thing to help me continue on my journey of learning spanish. i have always regretted the fact that i took classes for like 8 years and i let it all slip by me by not using the language, by not speaking it. its my bffs (yolanda) first language and one of my best friends (DIANA) teaches it...so I really have no excuse. anyways. so much going on with stampin up this year. they are celebrating 20 years of creativity, opportunity, and service. and as a little incentive to myself, i am celebrating right along with them.

i wonder if i'll find some maryland girls to be so interested in SU! i hope so. i have a lot to share. once the kids get back to school, im kicking my business in gear. i'm spending the next few weeks just playing with some new ideas and getting things ready. if i happen to owe you cards (Heather M.) i will get them to you soon. i'll forget and then remember...50 times before i get to something...but you know i'll eventually get back to it. :)

ok. off to do some mommy stuff and hopefully have a relaxing day.

xoxo

STAMPIN' UP! : I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!

OMGosh!!!
what else can i say???


...i love stampin' up! i am so happy i am a part of this company.



i have waited, and not very patiently. and the wait is OVER. i love stampin up. its that simple.
sometimes i forget that i love this company. and sometimes i get distracted by other companies and all the fun stuff out there. but since I'm a bit scatterbrained and lack focus...it is in my best interest to stay with one company...so i have stuck with SU! i'm so glad i did. my box of catalogs arrived today. so far i have only been able to look through it ONE TIME. i had to get groceries, put them away, talk to Alex on the phone, make dinner for the kids, clean the kitchen...and now i am eating dinner ( a salad) and typing this out before i go sit once again for a take two.

let me give you a few of my thoughts.
i am a card maker.
i am a project maker.
i am sometimes a scrapbooker (it takes me longer).

i am beyond excited about the color combinations in this new fall-winter catalog. they are fresh and wonderful and they make me want to sing and dance and...oh yeah...craft.
the new stamp designs are trendy and so totally cool. the papers and colors and doodads and whatnots...
good grief.

i know it is silly to be so happy over something so materialistic. i mean it is only rubber stamps and paper and glue and "little things"...but i am telling you. it makes my heart happy. it makes me creative. it gives me something to do. it gives me something to share with others. it is simply my thing. years ago, alex told me to find something for me--i'm almost certain he regrets that talk now...but i dont.

oh--one more stamp related thought to share.
i am going to be working on transitioning from a hobby stamper to a hobby/business stamper.
which means i'm gonna try my hardest to share SU! with everyone i meet, and shove it in your face every chance i get. :) no, i'm kidding there. i plan to focus and use my creative skills to expand my demonstratorship into something with classes and maybe a stampers club.
i still will be making cards to sell, to share and give ...i just want to reach for some higher goals this year. i want to see if i give myself a push...what i can actually accomplish.
do you know there is a cruise for demos to go on each year...if you reach certain sales or recruit goals. MAN that would be cool. Alex would think differently of my "envelopes and embossing" if i earned him a free cruise with me...

so please remember to think of me if you'd like the new catalog...if you'd like to order cards made by me ( i do it all even invitations, announcements, birthdays, blank, etc) or if you'd like to order supplies for you to get into this wonderful addictive hobby yourself--or your friends...spread the word... :)

ok.
i must go...the catalog is seriously calling to me....

summer is in full swing

so here's a bit of our fun summer stuff. wanting to get on here for awhile now and just say anything....it's kinda hard when its summer and my job consists of keeping everyone busy.

it seems that no matter what they all seem to be in my face on a consistent basis, waiting for me to somehow entertain them. good grief...enough already--go play!!!

here are some photos of us all in DC...exploring with the kids cousin Bryan. DC is huge and busy and it was amazing seeing all the buildings of importance for our country. the sad part was its about 99degrees, so all of us are just about dying as we walk around trying to site see--it kinda pooped us out before we saw much of anything. it is definitely something that is an ongoing thing--we will be back for more, for sure. there is a really nice place here by our house called Kinder Farm. Its got a huge playground, and acres of trails to walk or bike ride through, and it has a real farm of animals to check out and visit with. our favorite part is that it is free to active military vs the 5$ a car fee for everyone else. Cool place. Once the heat cools off, i can see us going there A LOT!!

Alex is back in WA for a bit, finishing out his command, so we are here finishing out our summer. We found the local library yesterday..it was nice; but way smaller than the Lacey library we were so use to. its ok though, its all about adjustments when you move.

Camille and I had an appointment with her 6th grade guidance counselor yesterday. Ok, that was scary--for me. I dunno, I want my baby girl to get bigger and experience life, but i want her to stay tiny and sweet and innocent as well. she got to choose some classes called encores, and then was placed in advanced language and math to prep her for high school credits later. :) it really is all exciting. the day before that, i got Izzy and logan registered for their school...it seems like a fun place. we discovered ALL the teachers with the exception of the PE teacher--are all women. Kinda funny. so far we just met one of the office ladies, but she was pretty nice and welcoming. Right before school starts we have a new student orientations, so that should help us all get the feel of things soon.

lets see---creative stuff for me...nothing right now. I haven't had much time to myself at all. the kids are staying up way to late with bryan for me to have any alone time to create. im hoping that will change soon. I am expecting a box of SU! goodies today....and the newest fall 08/catalog should be right behind the box. Im so excited to see it, its like all i can think about.....im stalking the mailbox and nothing yet. :)

of course i still have boxes to unpack, things im not sure what to do with yet. and i have not put any pictures on any walls, so that may help everything feel more homey. I still need some bathroom rugs and tiny things here and; but taking 4 kids to the store results in poor purchases for me, and extra goodies for them...so some of these things may have to wait until everyone is back to school and I can shop alone again.

I am getting around okay. did NOT get lost going to the library. i can get to target easily (thank heaven for that)...i think i can get to the superwalmart easily enough although i haven't tried just yet alone. maybe later in the week we can give that a try--the kids are complaining we have no cereal--and they are all of course too lazy to make themselves toast and oatmeal is beyond them. I guess summer causes some slack in capabilities for young kiddos.

anyways.

nice to finally catch up.

its noon --a bit after --and i am finally going up to get dressed for the day and finish my coffee. oh wait, i guess i am a slacker as well. :) i'll just blame it on summer...

xoxo

today

good grief...the days are flying by (hence the photo- i think ive posted it before but it was just too perfect for how im feeling) and i swear i am not getting anything done. i'm just not. i guess thats ok. there is really nothing on the schedule until school starts anyway.

i do have news. today is a big day for us. today we drive down to DC to pick up little byran. it has taken me years of asking and waiting, but he is finally going to come visit us for 2 weeks. he just wasn't ready to venture out alone on an airplane...but now at 15, he finally is. i think it helped that we stopped in indiana and saw him on our drive east. he could see for himself that we're not crazy...well, at least not THAT crazy.

i am so happy and excited for him to be here with us. I'm not sure that i am all that exciting for a 15 yr old, especially with alex going back to WA in a few days. but we'll make do. we have a pool and it looks like all the cute teen girls in the neighborhood like to hang there a bit each day...im sure that's enough excitement in itself for one boy. :) alex got the xbox 360 live stuff going, and the computers and tvs in the basement/fun room...so i think he'll feel fine here. and i know if we venture out it'll be nothing if not exciting getting lost in this city. i can almost guarantee that i will be lost A LOT here. its kinda a given. i do have a notebook in the truck and i am writing down directions each time we go somewhere or get lost...and how we got back. and if all else fails, i can get us to the post and target and a hugeass mall...so really, what else do i need until september when a-dog returns right?

moving in is coming along. slow. i have the living room pretty much set up. we bought new couches, which is so ding dang cool. brown microfiber (for kids and dogs) and they recline...and i love them so much. i am so blessed that alex worked so hard to buy them for us. its like our first big adult furniture...finally. i mean camille is 11, it only takes about a decade to step up into that 'nice things' category. :) all of you with tiny children know what i mean. why bother having nice things, when little ones or puppies will most likely tear it up...plus we could never really afford it.

did i mention this house is pretty darn big?

its big for us. we have so much space I'm not sure how homey i can make it. we are making the family room kind of an office/homework/house hub. which is funny to do when you don't really have furniture to make it look like that. for now we have the computer set up, and one lonely desk, and 3 random chairs, in various heights. last night alex joked about the chairs. i don't know whats up with them either...sitting together in the middle of the room. the kids suggested we could tell people we are playing musical chairs with them...that sounded good so we left them in their spots. :)

i am NOT complaining about the hugeness of this house. it is awesome. even though it took forever to get here IN it; its been worth it. i really love it. each kid has their own room, that alone is a huge blessing. telling them to go to their rooms, and it is quiet (without the girls fighting) ohmygoodness, i cant tell you how long we've waited for that to happen. glorious i tell you.

i am setting up my creative space downstairs in the finished basement. im not altogether happy about it all being down there, i like to be upstairs by all the house action. but we are setting it up as the kids area...so we'll have games, tv, SPACE TO PLAY, and my stuff. i am planning on using the lonely little desk upstairs to work on projects when everyone is upstairs until alex gets me a desk. (mine is now the computer desk--and gave the card table it was on back to the kids :)

things are coming along.

last night alex and logan played halo 3 live with some little nerdy kids online and got their butts kicked. i laughed so hard when they told me about it. evidently alex isn't a match for these little toddlers who can dedicate their days to playing hal03. i think they got creamed 58 to 2. logan said everyone quit their team when they saw how bad alex and logan were...im telling you i just had to bellylaugh, cause of the bragging that goes on around here by A-DOG and how good he is at everything....an 8 year old indian boy put him in his place quick. :) i love that.

well its 930am here and i have a buttload (ridiculous word there, but seemed appropriate) of stuff to finish up. and i haven't even showered yet. this is the first day since we left WA that anyone could sleep in...and of course buster baxter woke me up with a potty plea first thing. but i've had my coffee and gone through my blogs and emails. so its time to get going.

as the days progress i hope to be back here. just pop in from time to time, i will get my butt in gear with this blog soon. :) i have big plans for it.

xoxox

**forgot to add, im expecting a box from Stampin'Up! with some new items in there...and i also ordered the new fall catalogs to be delievered in august. and for my lovely best friends who speak spanish, guess what? SU! is now venturing into the spanish speaking world, with a whole new catalog with spanish language stamps. i am so happy about that--its going to open up a whole new opportunity for me, and i cant wait to send cute little cards to my beauiful amigas...yolanda and diana. maybe this will help kickstart my goal or learning to speak spanish again....i cant let those 8 years of spanish classes go to waste now can i?

Maryland

**Just a quick post to update that we have arrived safe in MD. some trouble with our house being ready--so we are homeless for a bit--staying in hotels. not exactly fun with 3 children and a dog--for more than 8 days. we will survive.
i will be back online in a few weeks-- and can update this blog with all kinds of travel photos and even a few cards I've made on the road. :)

thanks for peeking in on me.
xoxo