More Black Magic

This weekend I will be in Kernersville for the NC Stampin' Up Demonstrators Quarterly meeting.  I am really looking forward to seeing all my fellow SU demonstrators and learning some new tricks and just having fun being creative!  I will be teaching one of the demo's on Saturday.  We will be doing the Black Magic Technique.  I have done several cards this week so they would have several samples to look at.  I taught my Texas friend, Margaret how to do it when she was visiting a few weeks ago.  She took it back to her fellow stampers and taught them how to do it this week.  So, we are all practicing a little Black Magic!!  Here are a few of the cards that I have done using the technique.

This card uses images from Garden Whimsey.

This card uses images from the new stamp set, Tropical Party.  This stamp set will be available for order MAY 1!!  Contact me if you want to place an order .... OR you can order directly from my website HERE

This is the card I will be demo-ing in Kernersville.  It uses a flower from Tropical Flower.  I love these colors - Bermuda Bay and Rich Razzleberry along with Sahara Sand and Black.

These are just two more of the same card.  I just did my white "doodles" different on each one and used a different border punch.

.

This is one of the cards Margaret made while she was here.  I just love it, don't you?

Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens

Yesterday I went to the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens in Belmont with friends.  The flowers that were blooming were just beautiful and I took tons of pictures!  There were a lot of flowers that haven't quite reached their peak yet.  I think in 2-3 more weeks, the visit would be awesome!  They are presently doing an exhibit designed to take a look at how the tradition of our outdoor space has evolved over the year called "Come Sit a Spell."   There are more than 50 chairs, rockers, benches, swings and other furniture designed by artists, companies, schools and community groups placed around the garden.  From rustic to whimsical to colorful art pieces, the exhibit includes some expected and unexpected ways to honor the tradition of the southern front porch.   This chair below was one of my favorites!  I'm a ladybug gal.

The first part of the garden was called the White Garden.  I didn't know there were so many white flowers.  It was beautiful.

  

 

The weather started out pretty cool but as the day went on, it warmed up and was very nice with high's just barely 70.  When I got home, we went out on our boat with friends of Sonny's.  I bundled up with my long johns and ski jacket.  But, after we tied up with the other boats, it was really quite warm. 

Idol loses another one

Just a quick post before I hit the sack.  I had a really busy day today which I'll tell you about tomorrow after a good night's rest.

Just wanted to touch on Idol briefly.  I was dreading all day watching the results show tonight because I didn't want anyone to be sent packing.  They were all so good last night it just wasn't fair for one to have to leave.  My feelings going in to the show was that it would be Mike .... just because.  I talked to Ashley and Marianne before watching - Ashley predicted Siobahn and Marianne hoped it would be Siobahn but thought it would be Big Mike.  Well, the bottom three were Casey, Mike and Siobahn so I knew one of us was right.  Turns out it was Ashley!  Siobahn did her final song and left tonight.  Siobahn has been the one that had me smiling every night with her quirkiness but it was starting to wear thin.  She stayed true to herself but she just took it a little too far.  Add that into her screaming at the end of her songs and I guess she was the one that had to pack it up.  That leaves one girl in the final - Crystal - who I think will win.  I am just so surprised that there is only one girl left because at the very beginning I thought the girls were the most talented and the prediction by many was that this would be a girl's year.  I'm thinking the final 2 will be Crystal and Lee but it's a toss up who will be #3!  What do you think?  Next week, the singers will be mentored by Harry Connick Jr. and perform songs from Frank Sinatra.  I like me some Harry!!

American Idol - a Tough One Tonight!

Tonight Shania Twain was the mentor.  I used to be a big fan of hers.  This should be good tonight. 

• Lee Dewyze sings You're Still the One - I like that he made this his own.  All the judges liked it.
• Mike Lynche sings It Only Hurts When I Breathe - Simon thought it was "wet" whatever that means!  Think he means it was too girly.  I liked it.
• Casey James sings Don't - This was one of Casey's best.  The judges agree.  This should keep him out of the bottom 3 this week. 
• Crystal Bowersox sings No One Needs to Know Right Now - Not her best of the season but there's nothing she can't sing!  Her boyfriend was in the audience tonight.
• Aaron Kelly sings Youve Got A Way - I was set to bash Aaron and officially pick him to go home. Not gonna happen. Aaron has been bad but he redeemed himself tonight. I think that is the best he has sounded all season. Going home? No
• Siobahn Magness sings Any Man of Mine -  She sounded good but I thought you could close your eyes and think it was Shania singing the song.  She didn't make it "her own" in my opinion.

Tonight was a tough one!  I think it's going to be a toss up as to who will be in the Bottom 3 and who will be going home.  I'm afraid it might be Big Mike.

Finally - found the outfit

Yesterday I played bridge.  It's been a long time but it was good to see my friends again.  Afterwards I went shopping to find an outfit for my nephew's wedding.  I bought a capri's outfit on Friday but have decided it may be too hot to wear in Texas at the end of May.  Marianne met me at the store and helped me find a great dress to wear.  And then I found some fushia colored shoes to match!!  Now if I could just lose about 20 pounds and get a tan!!  After shopping, we headed over to Chilli's and shared chips, salsa, fajitas and a yummy margarita!

Here is a card I made recently.  I used the Vintage Vogue Wheel from the Occasions Mini Catalog (only 3 more days to get it!) along with the Little Butterflies Embossing Die and the Scallop Trim Corner Punch.  The colors are Rich Razzleberry and Pretty in Pink.

Little Black Sammy

We had another family night dinner at our house tonight.  Our local grocery store had a sale this week - $5.00 for a steak, baked potato and ear of corn.  So, my mom bought enough for all of us and brought them over for Sonny & I to cook it!  I made brownies so we had a feast!  On Friday my sister, Angela, who lives with my mom was given a little black kitten by their mail carrier.  She had found it while delivering the mail in their neighborhood.  I don't think the kitten could be much more than a couple of months old.  It is the cutest little thing - jet black - and is already litter box trained.  They are going to hold on to her for a week to see if anyone claims her but if not, they will take her to the vet to get her checked out.  My mom is loving little Sammy.  She wanted to name her Sambo but we encouraged her not to since we believe it is a girl kitten.  Here are some pictures I took of her tonight:

This is Harrison, Marianne's son, holding Sammy.

Marianne on the floor playing with her.

The little raincoat bear plays "Singing In The Rain."  Sammy was intrigued by it and kept trying to creep up and "paw" it.  It was so funny!

Last week I took a card class at the local stamp store taught by my friend, Deb Holland.  Deb is sooo talented and oober-organized!  The theme of the class was Pink & Orange.  Here are the cards we did:

This was colored with my Copics, but I think it would be just as cool watercolored.

This card uses a Cuttlebug embossing folder on the bottom.  I colored this one with Tombow Markers.

This one is white embossed vellum.   Marianne did hers in black and white & used it for a wedding card.

I love this effect.  We spritzed the watercolor paper with water.  Then we used Shimmer Paints for the watercolor effect.  Twinking H2Os would work as well.

This is very simple using patterned paper.

Sunshine Award

Imagine my surprise and delight to open my In Box this morning and discover I had been awarded with a Sunshine Award! Sunshine awards are given to other bloggers who help spread Sunshine and a positive, upbeat attitude while sharing what we love and do -- stamping, of course! Often my life gets busy and I don't have the time, or take the time, to express my appreciation to those of you who make my day with your comments, feedback, questions and with your inspiration! One of the things that I enjoy most about Stampin' Up! is the sharing community.  I've met so many great friends through Stampin' Up!  - both directly and through electronic communication.  We are all a creative community and I appreciate and value the friendships I've made and creativity that we share.

 A special thank you to my friend, Cathy Snipes, who is also a North Carolina Stampin' Up demonstrator.  Cathy was recently my Monday Mailer partner and I received some great cards and inspiration from her.  Check out her work HERE!! 

The rules for the reward are this:
1. Put the award on your blog
2. Pass the award to other bloggers who bring you sunshine.
3. List the Nominees in your post.
4. Let the Nominees know you nominated them by leaving a comment on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to the person who gave you the award!

My nominees are as follows:

Mary Fish - http://www.stampinpretty.com/
Wendy Bell - http://wickedlywonderfulcreations.blogspot.com/
Tammy Howell - http://tarheelstamper.blogspot.com/
Paula Goff - http://inkingaddict.blogspot.com/
Deb Holland - http://debspapertrail.typepad.com/debbies_paper_trail/

Monday Mailers from this week

Didn't get much card making today.  Sonny and I went out to breakfast this morning.  I talked him into going to a restaurant I have recently discovered in Mooresville called Gail's Cafe.  I have been there a couple of times for lunch and it is delicious!  They serve home cooking - good veggies, biscuits, gravy, etc.  All those good Southern things.  Well, my husband being the Yankee that he is, doesn't like Southern cooking.  He's a meat & potatoes man and boy, does that get boring!!  Well, I figured he'd be ok with breakfast - eggs are eggs, etc.  Well, I wasn't as impressed with their breakfast as I am with their lunches.  It wasn't bad or anything but I like some of the other places we go better for breakfast.  My main complaint was that they used American cheese in my omelet instead of Cheddar!  But my biscuit was yummy!!  After breakfast, I even convinced him to go to Belk's with me .... shopping!!  I need to get something to wear to two weddings in Texas Memorial Day weekend.  One of them will be more casual.  It is an outside wedding with a carnaval theme!   Different, huh??  The other one will be dressy since it is an evening wedding.  I ended up buying a dressy pair of capris and a top, but now I'm not sure - it may be too casual!  I'm going to take pictures and send to my fashion expert, Ashley!!  After shopping, we went to the movies and saw Date Night.  It was a really cute show.  It's not going to win a Oscar but it was entertaining.  Then, we headed to BJ's and Target!  Whew - a long day! 

I don't think I shared my Monday Mailers from this week.  So without further ado .....

This is the card I made and sent.  I used the Vintage Vogue wheel (from the Occassions Mini Catalog).  I also used the Butterfly Embosslits die that I finally got (it was on backorder) and the Scallop Trim Corner Punch.  The paper is Rich Razzleberry and Pretty in Pin,

The Occasions Mini Catalog ends April 30, BUT the following items will be available for purchase after April 30!  Wippeee!!

Item # Description Price

116519 Charming stamp set $19.95
118598 Vintage Vogue  $17.95
118091 Tiny Tags  $22.95
117535 Decor Elements F IS FOR FOX CHOCOLATE $4.95
117536 DE G IS FOR GIRAFFE CHOC $4.95
117529 DE "IS FOR" BLACK $4.95
117541 DE L IS FOR LION CHOCOLATE $4.95
117542 DE M IS FOR MONKEY CHOC $4.95
117544 DE O IS FOR OWL CHOCOLATE $4.95
117528 DE SCALLOP FRAME BLACK $6.95
117549 DE T IS FOR TURTLE CHOCOLATE $4.95
117552 DE W IS FOR WHALE CHOCOLATE $4.95
118072 PINKING HEARTS Corner Punch $9.95
118870 SCALLOP TRIM Corner Punch $9.95
117191 LG 2 STEP BIRD Punch $15.95
118073 LG FANCY FLOWER Punch $15.95
117649 PINKING HEARTS Border Punch $15.95
117190 MED JEWELRY TAG Punch $10.95
117193 SMALL HEART Punch $5.95
117310 BIGZ L MINI MILK CARTON $32.95
118138 BEAUTIFUL WINGS Embosslit $11.95
117332 SCALLOPED HEART OF HEARTS Embosslit $11.95
117335 PERFECT POLKA DOTS Folder $7.95

Here is the card I received from my Monday Mailer partner:

She used the Awash With Flowers set.  This is a sneak preview stamp that will be available in the new catalog coming out this summer.  I love this stamp and need to get it out and stamp with it tomorrow!!

Hope your weekend is great!

Believe

A friend sent me this earlier in the week and it has really made me think.  I forwarded it to my son and daughter and thought all my friends out there in "blog land" would enjoy it also.

I Believe...
That just because two people argue,
It doesn't mean they don't love each other.
And just because they don't argue,
It doesn't mean they do love each other.


I Believe...
That we don't have to change friends if
We understand that friends change.


I Believe....
That no matter how good a friend is,
they're going to hurt you every once in a while
and you must forgive them for that.


I Believe...
That true friendship continues to grow,
even over the longest distance.

I Believe...
That you can do something in an instant
That will give you heartache for life.


I Believe....
That it's taking me a long time
To become the person I want to be.

I Believe...
That you should always leave loved ones with
Loving words. It may be the last time you see them.


I Believe....
That you can keep going long after you think you can't

I Believe ...
That we are responsible for what
We do, no matter how we feel.


I Believe...
That either you control your attitude or it controls you.n keep going long after you think you can't.
I Believe...
That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done,
regardless of the consequences


I Believe...
That my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.


I Believe....
That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be
the ones to help you get back up.


I Believe...
That sometimes when I'm angry - I have the right to be angry,
But that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.


I Believe....
That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had
And what you've learned from them and less to do with how many
birthdays you've celebrated.

I Believe....
That it isn't always enough, to be forgiven by others.
Sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself.


I Believe...
That no matter how bad your heart is broken
the world doesn't stop for your grief.


I Believe....
That our background and circumstances
may have influenced who we are,
But, we are responsible for who we become.


I Believe....
That you shouldn't be so eager to find
Out a secret. It could change your life Forever.


I Believe....
Two people can look at the exact same
Thing and see something totally different.


I Believe...
That your life can be changed in a matter of
Hours by people who don't even know you.


I Believe...
That even when you think you have no more to give,
When a friend cries out to you -
you will find the strength to help.

I Believe...
That credentials on the wall
do not make you a decent human being.


I Believe...
That the people you care about most in life
are taken from you too soon.

Cheers to you

I got this great card yesterday from my Monday Mailer partner.  It is so soft and pretty - this picture just does not do it justice.  Jana did the Two Step Stamping on this which is one of my favorite techniques and pretty unique to Stampin' Up.  That is what got me interested in Stampin' Up to begin with.

This card below is another one I received yesterday from Jana.  It is not another Monday Mailer but a card in response to my recent trip to the Outer Banks and THIS blog post!  Jana said that my post reminded her of her college days.  Yeah, Jana, I know what you mean!  I had some wild and wooly college adventures at ECU, OD Beach, Carolina Beach,White Lake, Lake Waccamaw  .....!!  Oh what good memories!! 

Anyway, I love this card!  It's scary how much she looks like me (ha - I wish!)  And, I did a little cocktail waitressing at Myrtle Beach back in the 60's!!  Cheers!

Idol Top 7

Here we are again ... Tuesday night.  We are going back and forth between American Idol and the Stanley Cup Hockey playoffs .... go Penguins!! 

Tonight is inspirational songs with Alisha Keys being the mentor.  She is one gorgeous girl!!  Guess she will sing tomorrow night during Idol Gives Back.

• Casey James sings "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow" - Not so sure about the inspirational aspect to this song and it was a little boring to me.  Nothing memorable.  He might be in trouble tonight.
• Lee DeWyze sings "The Boxer" - Great performance!!  I love this song and I love Lee .
• Tim Urban sings "Better Days" - Not bad but not the best either.  He just doesn't have the range or the voice that Lee, Crystal, Mike and Siobahn have.  Will the teen votes save him again?
• Aaron Kelly sings "I Believe I Can Fly" - He has a big voice that's for sure.  Judges are split on him. He just doesn't have the stage presence for me. 
• Siobahn Magnus sings "When You Believe" - Her weirdness is getting old. I'm not laughing tonight.  It was hard to even pay attention to her singing for looking at what she was wearing.  Who dresses her - the Idol people or her???  It was just too distracting.  There's no question she has a super voice but that might not be enough.
• Mike Lynche sings "Hero" - I liked it but he's one of my favorites.  Simon said it was a song about Spiderman and not inspirational.  I disagree .... everyone needs a hero to inspire them.
• Crystal Bowersox sings "People Get Ready" WOW!  She is just so good and she looked gorgeous. She got really emotional at the end but that was ok - it made it real.  Her performance was the BEST!  Unfortunately, AGAIN, the show ran over and our DVR clicked off during Kara's critique so I didn't get to hear what Simon had to say.  I'm sure it was good though.  Wish they would stay within the time limit!!

My picks for bottom 3 - Casey, Tim and maybe Siobahn???  Not sure
Top 2 - Crystal and Lee

I've been a little worried about Crystal.  I heard this week that Ryan Seacrest gave her a little pep talk a couple of weeks ago and suposedly talked her out of quitting.  She was hating the attention the show was bringing to her and planned to go back home to her family and son.   But a few days later on Facebook, Crystal confirmed the rumor, writing: "We all have moments of doubt. As much as I miss my kid, the big picture is this: I'm doing this for him and my fans. I'm having the time of my life!"  Just hope the public doesn't interpret this to mean she doesn't want to be there and if she wins, she won't be able to handle the pressure. 

Another finalist will be sent home Wednesday on a special episode that will serve as the "Idol Gives Back" charity event, which benefits Children's Health Fund, Feeding America, Malaria No More, Save the Children's U.S. programs and the United Nations Foundation.  Black Eyed Peas, Jeff Beck, Joss Stone and Mary J. Blige are among those slated to perform.

Monday Mailer share

I'm loving this cool weather we are having here!  So far, we have not had to turn on our A/C although there were a few days before Easter when the temp's were in the high 80's, low 90's that it was pretty warm upstairs.  Today was really nice - just in the 70's!  Wonder how long it will last???  We're usually the last ones to turn on our A/C and it's usually my decision ... not Sonny's.  And that was his business before he retired - York Heating & Air!!  

We've been trying to catch up on all the tv shows we recorded (DVR) while we out of town and busy with our friends last week.  So last night, Sonny turned on the TV to catch the Penguins in the Stanley Cup play-offs and our DVR would not work!  Tragedy!!  We kept trying to reset it with no luck.  So, today the repair guy came and replaced our DVR.  But, as luck would have it, we lost everything that was on it.  Luckily, we had watched most of the shows that I was interested in.  We did lose Survivor, a few Criminal Minds, Saving Grace, Jeopardy and I don't know what else.  We tape Jeopardy every day and watch it while we are eating dinner.  It keeps my mind sharp (I think).

After the repair guy left today, we decided to go the the movies to see Date Night.  We'd both heard good reviews.  So, I popped my popcorn (yes, I take my own - much better for me than the movie kind), got my milk duds and Sonny stopped and bought himself some soft pretzels and got to the theatre to discover that what we thought was a 4:15 movies actually was a 5:35 movie!  Luckily, I didn't look up the times so I couldn't catch the blame if you know what I mean!!  We decided we didn't want to wait around that long so we ended up running into WalMart and going to Hooters for beer, wings and friend pickles!  (Not much better than the movie popcorn, huh?)

I think I finally came up with the card I am going to do for my swap at Quarterly.  I will be sharing it next week.  But, I don't think that I shared the card I sent out last week for my Monday Mailer.  It is really sparkly from the spray of Shimmer Mist.

I used the Hostess Level 2 stamp - Asian Artistry and the swirl from Baroque Motifs.  It is embossed in gold.  Again, I am trying to use up the retiring paper.  This time it is Pixie Pink.  I just love the pink and black!

Spring Two Step Sale

Don't forget - Stampin' Up has 4 2-Step stamp-set on sale this month.  Time is running out for you to get these great sets at a great price! 

Fifth Avenue Floral on sale for $19.96

Trendy Trees on sale for $14.36

Greenhouse Garden on sale for $20.76

Flower Fancy on sale for $29.56

If you want to order any of these sets, contact me or go to my website (look in the top left column of blog) and place your order.

Scrappin' Kits

Whew!  What a week!  Today I did pretty much nothing and it felt good.  As you know, we went to the Outer Banks last week.  When we returned, our Texas friends were waiting for us at the house.  We had a great visit with them last week.  The guys went on the boat and to the shooting range with a group while Margaret and I "carded" in my room all week.  Graham flew back to Texas on Wednesday, but I convinced Margaret to stay until Friday and we made the best of our remaining time together.  When I returned from taking Margaret to the airport, my sister, Marianne, came over and spent the night.  We were busy getting our projects lined up to take to the Kernersville SU Quarterly meeting in a couple of weeks.  She knows what she is going to do, but I'm still trying to decide on a couple of ideas.  Then we had a class on Saturday in Mooresville taught by my friend, Debbie Holland.  Her cards are always beautiful and she is one of the most organized stampers I know.  Plus, she stays so calm during class when people are demanding her attention one way and another.  I really enjoy her classes.  I'll be sharing the cards we made a little later.

So, by the time everyone left and I returned to my stamp room, I couldn't stand the mess any longer!  My friends didn't make all the mess - my floor was awful before they got here!  So, today, I pulled out Sonny's Super Duper Industrial Vacuum and cleaned my floor.  I couldn't believe how nice they looked when I finished!!  It's been a while, believe me. 

So .... on to my creations.  I recently ordered the Sunny Day Scrappin' Kit (pg 164 of SU catalog).  I don't usually use these kits but I wanted to show my Club ladies how many cards you could make easily with the kit.  So far, I have made 10 cards and I still have a lot left - probably enough to make another 10 cards at least.   And they are so cute!!  In the kit, you get 8 sheets of 12"x12" textured cardstock in 4 different colors; 6 sheets of DSP (2 double sided sheets of different patterns); 6 sheets of stickers (3 different patterns).

If you are interested in ordering one of the kits, click on over to my SU website and place your order!!

Stamp Club Day Projects

I held my Stamp Club today.  This was the second meeting for the ladies and they did really good.  I think they really enjoyed the things we made - 2 cards and a little post-it holder.  Margaret was still here so she was a big help to me in showing the ladies what to do.  This time I broke the group into two groups of four and had them each making a different card.  That way, there was not too much sharing and waiting for materials.  It worked well with Margaret being able to help one group but I don't know how well it will be without her.  I may just have to go back to doing one project for the group of 8.  We'll see. 

I had their orders ready that they had ordered last month and it was like Christmas to them, opening up their bags.  I made thank you cards with My Digital Studio and put in each bag.  That sure made it easy!!  Here is one of the digital cards I made:

Here are the projects that they made:

I'm trying to use up the retired colors and retired DSP.  This card uses Taken With Teal, Close to Cocoa  and Holiday Lounge DSP.  The stamp set is Fun & Fast Notes and I let them pick which one they wanted to use.  Everyone but one chose the bouquet of flowers!  The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes.  The brad is the Build A Brad.

This card uses Taken With Teal, Close to Cocoa, Apricot Appeal and Pick a Petal DSP.  The ribbon is the 1 1/4" Chocolate Chip Striped Grosgrain.  The stamp set is Define Your Life and again, I let them each choose which one to use.  It's hard to tell from the picture, but the Teal is paper pierced on the right side.

This is a Post It Note Holder.  The pen fits on the side in the little slot.  I got the little mini pens at Staples.  I used the French Background Stamp along with the flower from Fresh Cuts on this one.  Some of the ladies used the larger background stamp that is in the Fresh Cuts set instead of what is shown above.  The flower uses the Fancy Flower Punch in the Occasions Mini Catalog and the small flower in the middle is from the Boho Blossoms Punch.  We punched the flowers in Barely Banana and Crushed Curry.  Then we ran them through the Crimper several times to break down the fibers in the paper.  Next peel the layers of paper apart.  Then just crumble up the flowers and insert a brad through the center.

Here are the directions for the Post It Note Holder:

• Cut cardstock 3 1/4" x 7 3/8"
• Score at 3 1/8"  /  3 1/2"  /  3 7/8"
• The 3 1/8" side (shorter side) will be your FRONT
• Decorate as desired.
• Fold at 3 1/2" and mkae 2 slits about 1/2" apart for the pen.
• Accordian fold at the score lines.
• Attach sticky strip to the inside between the back and the small accordian fold.  (see picture below)
• Use sticky strip to hold your post-it note pad to the inside.

American Idol Results - Two More Gone

The top nine performed a medley of Elvis songs at the beginning.  I liked it!  Sometimes I don't always like the group performances but liked this one.  The Ford commercial was kinda cheesy this time. 

So on to the results - Casey. Aaron and Andrew are asked to stand.  They are the three I predicted in the Bottom Three!  Without much ado, Andrew is dumped. WOW.  That was quick. It’s his time or rather past his time!   Andrew and Casey are safe, by the way. 

Brooke White performs.  I really like her and enjoyed listening to her.  Her song is a FREE download on I-Tunes - gotta remember to do that!

The rest of the contestants are called to the stage.  Crystal. Lee and Siobahn are sent back to safety.  That leaves Aaron, Katie, and Big Mike.  Oh .... hope it's not Mike again!!

Adam Lambert performs while we are all wondering who is on the chopping block.  I like Adam's performance and his song.  The others in the room with me did not like him at all!  I just wish he would tone down the eye make-up .... hope he owns stock in Revlon!!

OK - back to the results!  Tim is safe and it's down to Mike and Katie.  Ryan announces that one is going home and the other one is not even in the Bottom Three.  So confusing ... why mess with us (and them) and have him out there if he is not in jeopardy???  Katie is going home.  Again, I think it is her time.  She is cute and I like her performances sometimes, but there are too many other really good ones.  This year is a tough one! 

I'm still predicting Crystal, Siobahn and Lee for the top three.  What do you think????

Spoiler Alert!

I've been really industrious today!  I have realized that my blog posts have not been as creative as they should be and I am sorry for that and I intend to do better!!  My friend, Margaret, is still here - her husband left today to return to Texas and I convinced her to stay for a few extra days.  Her husband is a retired American Airlines pilot so they fly for free.  She always tells me she'll come up on her own but never does, so this time I made her put her "money where her mouth was."  We spent the whole day in my craft room working on various projects.  We both got a lot accomplished!  Plus, I got caught up on some of the TV programs I had DVR'd while I was out of town last week.

Here is a card featuring paper and a stamp from the upcoming Summer Mini Catalog.  I love bright colors and this Tropical Party stamp set lends itself to them.

The colors in the paper are Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Rose Red and So Saffron.  I used my SU markers to ink the stamp - in black and Rose Red.  Then I applied Glossy Glaze over the "cup."  The card is a gatefold card with a belly band.

Here is the card opened.  I stamped the leaf fronds and flower in the corner of the white piece that I had sponged the edges with orange. 

This set also has a Bigz Die ($21.95) to coordinate with it that has flowers and leaves on it as well as Party Favor Boxes ($5.95) favor boxes come with 12 boxes and 12 coordinating bellybands.  The DSP is great for summer cards!

Idol Elvis Style

Tonight the contestants mentor is Adam Lambert, last year's runner up and the contestants are singing Elvis songs.  Interesting since no contestant has ever been a mentor before.  In an interview published earlier today, someone said Adam was the mentor so that the show can help out his career which is faltering.  I thought Adam did a good job of mentoring — and was quite critical of the singers. He helped out Tim Urban, Michael Lynche and Katie Stevens the most.

Crystal Bowersox sings "Saved."  The judges loved her as usual.  It wasn't my favorite of hers but she always does a good job no matter what she is singing.

Andrew Garcia sings "Hound Dog."    No ... hope he's got his bags packed because I think he's going to get the losing ticket tonight.  It was pure karoke.

Tim Urban sings "I Can't Help Falling In Love."  The judges liked it but I felt it was boring. 

Lee DeWyze sings "Little Less Conversation."  As usual, great!  Another step closer to the finale for him.  He gave the song his take on it and it was upbeat and fun.

Aaron Kelly sings "Blue Suede Shoes."  Pretty karoke - should put him in the bottom in my estimation.  Elvis he is not!

Siobahn Magness sings "Suspicious Minds."  She has the pipes!  What a great job in my opinion.  She made that song her own for sure.  The judges are trying to pin down the type of artist she is and she basically shemut Simon down.  She told him she couldn't label herself so how was she supposed to tell them who she was.

Mike Lynch sings "In the Ghetto."  I'm so glad he was saved last week.  His vocals are sooo good.

Katie Stephens sings "What Do You Want Me to Do."  All the judges liked it EXCEPT Simon.  I thought she did a good job tonight and that should keep her out of the bottom this week.

Casey James sings "Lawdy Miss Clawdy."  It didn't do anything for me.

My picks for bottom three are Aaron, Andrew and Casey.  Two will be leaving this week.  Who do you think it will be????

Outer Banks Fun

We had a great time in the Outer Banks.  I forgot my camera so took a picture of my shells when I got home.  The weather was a little too cool for laying on the beach but we had a few nice walks and gathered some nice shells.  I also got some nice worn shells that I call "worry stones."  They've been worn smooth and are nice to rub and try to make all your worries go away!!  We saw the Wright Brothers Memorial and Museum, the Hatteras Lighthouse and the Bodie Lighthouse.  We also went to Roanoke Festival Park, an interactive attraction that celebrates the first English settlement in America. There are period characters who tell you about the Elizabeth II, a representation of one of the seven English ships from the Roanoke Voyage of 1585. There was also an interactive Indian settlement as well as the original settler's site, an interesting Adventure Museum and a film, "The Legend of Two-Path."  We ate lots of wonderful seafood too!  The last night we were there, we stopped in at the Jolly Roger for a couple of drinks.  What a laugh we had!  It was karoke night and there were some real doozies in there!  The bar was filled mostly with locals who were having fun.  Next to Sonny sat a guy who was downing one beer after another.  He was a little mentally challenged and just knew that he had seen me earlier that day at "his" store (Food Lion).  I finally convinced him that I had not been there.  He had at least 7 beers in the couple of hours we were there and they continued to serve him.  Then a couple came in who had just driven their Harley's from Greensboro - at least a 5 hour drive!!  They were sure something!  There was another woman who came in with her husband - they were probably in their 50's or 60's -and she was well on her way to being drunk when they arrived.  They were standing behind us in the bar area and she kept falling over.  Finally her husband told her it was time to leave and they walked out right in front of us and she promptly fell in the shrubs outside!  Bet she didn't feel too good Sunday morning!  That's not even mentioning the people who thought they could sing and got up on stage to belt out a few songs.  The most interesting one was one woman who had to be about 80 years old.  She was wearing a crown on her long gray hair and had on a bright red loooww cut dress.  When she was singing she was bouncing up and down to the music and I really thought her "assets" were going to fall out of her dress!  You had to be there!!

We arrived back home Sunday night and had friends waiting for us at the house.  Margaret and Graham had brought their grandson back to NC after he visited them in Texas during Spring Break.  So, today she and I had fun making cards while the guys put the boat in the water and boated around the lake.

Monday Mailer

I made a bright Spring-y Monday Mailer to send to my partner last Monday!  I haven't used Pick A Petal in a long time, so dusted it off and came up with this great card!

I used the DSP from the Sweet Pea stack (have I said enough times how much I LOVE that paper????).  I think it coordinated with the polka dotted flower great!  And don't you just love that Orange Corduroy Button?  I think those are one of my favorite accessories .... besides ribbon, of course!

The Golden Rule

I want to share the Monday Mailer I receive this week. We are into a new month and our theme this month is Spring. Our Monday Mailer group is in a bit of an uproar because a lot of people don't send their cards in a timely fashion and also a lot of them don't share the cards with the group and/or acknowledge that they received a card. Remember .... it is always nice to be remembered and to be told thank you and that you did a good job!! That's the Golden Rule, isn't it? "Treat Others As You Want To Be Treated"

My cards this month are from Jana who lives in Statesville. Jana just recently had a baby but she still has time to make beautiful cards! She used the set, "A Flower for All Seasons" and the new Butterfly Embosslit Die. I just got this stamp set but haven't used it yet. AND ... I finally got the Butterfly Die that was on backorder today but guess I'll have to wait till I return to use it.

37 Years and Counting

Today is our 37th anniversary!  Wow .... that seems like a long time ... well, I guess it is!  We're headed to the Outer Banks tomorrow for a little vacation so I probably won't be blogging for a few days.  Even though I grew up in NC, I have never been to the Outer Banks.  I would prefer to go during the summer so I could see the outdoor musical, The Lost Colony.  I mentioned it to Sonny last summer but he doesn't love the heat and the beach so, we're going now instead.  Hopefully, he'll like it enough that we can return during a summer one day. 

This is the card I gave him.  Time got away from me and I didn't have time to make one yesterday.  This is one I had in my "stash"!  Luckily, I hoard cards for just such occasions!

I like the way this card opens ... and I stamped my own sentiment on the inside!

Watching American Idol as I type this  (we DVR'd it).  Ryan pulled one of his tricks on the girls tonight.  He had the three girls, Siobahn, Crystal and Katie come out to center stage and then after a few suspenseful minutes, he told them they were all safe and to take a seat. 

The guys - he divided them up into 2 groups:

Group #1 - Lee, Casey, Tim - SAFE
Group #2 - Mike, Aaron, Andrew - Bottom Three

Unbelievable - Big Mike is the bottom and having to sing for his life??  America - you got it wrong!!  He is damn good and should have made it over a couple of the other guys.  Well, thank you judges for the SAVE!  We'll see Mike next week.

Top Nine on Idol

Beatles tonight ... Lennon / McCartney songs!!  Whoo Hoo!  Ashley & Marianne should be happy although don't know if Marianne is watching - she's camping in Florida for Spring Break. 

• Aaron Kelly singing "Long and Winding Road" - Not bad, but kinda boring.
• Katie Stevens singing "Let It Be" - Her best performance, I think but she needs to get the crowd into it.
• Andrew Garcia singing "Can't Buy Me Love" - Terrible - Bottom three I think.
• Mike Lynch singing "Eleanor Rigby" - Great vocals - I liked it.  He should be safe.  He is so confident on stage.
• Crystal Bowersox singing "Come Together" - One of my favorite Beatles songs!  She's just a great entertainer no matter what she's singing.  One of the accompaniments was a guy playing the didgeridoo (an Austrailian wind instrument.)
• Tim Urban singing "All My Loving"   This didn't do much for me tonight but the teeney boppers will probably save him ... again!!
• Casey James singing "Jealous Guy"  I'm not familiar with this song but it is very pretty.  I liked his performance tonight - one of his best.  Simon thought it was the best of the night.
• Siobahn Magnus singing "Across the Universe" A great vocal as usual. We didn't hear any screaming tonight and that is a good thing.  Her voice is just incredible.  She definitely has been getting advice from Lady GaGa for her outfits.  You just never know what she is going to look like from her clothes to her hair.  As Simon said, she is unpredictable.
• Lee DeWyze singing "Hey Jude"  Another favorite song for me and a great performance by Lee again.  He's gotten so much more comfortable on stage.  The guy playing the bagpipes was really interesting but I don't know that it was necessary.

One thing I loved tonight was all the contestants giving their thoughts about their fellow contestants.  They were really insightful.

Tonight is a toughie!  They were all fairly good except for a couple.  But my picks for bottom 3 are:

Tim Urban
Aaron Kelly
Andrew Garcia

I predict Andrew will go home because the Teeny Bopper vote will save the other two.  But with such a strong season, we could have an upset .... hope not though!

What say you?

New Colors!!

More info on the color shake-up.
There are four Color Collections (taking the place of Bold Bright, Earth Elements ...) with 10 colors in each.

These include five new colors:  Marina Mist , Daffodil Delight, Cherry Cobbler, Cajun Craze, early Expresso

We have 10 returning In Colors:  Tangerine Tango , River Rock , Riding hood red , Wild Wasabi, Baja Breeze , Pink Pirouette, Pacific Point ,Melon Mambo , Soft Suede & Rich Razzleberry
 

Stampin' Up Color Renovation

I'm excited to share with you the news regarding the Stampin' Up! Color Renovation!!

29 colors are retiring but not to worry.....some of our past In Colors are returning (I want to insert my excitement here but I'll hold off).  These In Colors will be in the new collections:

Pink Pirouette
Melon Mambo
Rich Razzleberry
Pacific Point
Baja Breeze
Wild Wasabi
River Rock
Tangerine Tango
Riding Hood Red
Soft Suede

Stampin' Up! has done a wonderful job of introducing all the facts about the Color Renovation. And.....what I want to focus on first is the retiring colors. I'm pretty sure they'll be while supplies last. So, if you have a favorite....you might want to order it soon.

I've created a nice sheet for you to show you what color is retiring in each Color Family.  Click HERE to see the info.

I'll post more as I know it!

New Downloads for MDS

There are the several new downloads available today for My Digital Studio!!  I have listed some of them below.  Other include the Bird Punch, Extra Large Flower Punch (from the Occasions Mini), the Medium Jewelry Tag Punch, Pinking Hearts punches and Scallop Trim punches.  You can shop for these on my SU

website or by contacting me directly.

Rough Type Stamp (above)

Well Scripted Stamp

Vintage Vogue Stamp

Vintage Overlay Stamp