End of the Month Specials plus Party Pictures

As the end of the month is approaching (3 more days!), I wanted to remind you of the Stampin' Pad Recruiting Promotion.  During this promotion, new team members will receive a FREE assortment of Classic Stampin' Pads (your choice) with your Starter Kit!  That's an extra $67.50 of goodies.

People join Stampin' Up! for different reasons.  While some want to build a business with customers and clubs, most just want to be a part of the Stampin' Up! community and earn a discount on the products they already love.  There are so many great reasons to be a Stampin' Up! demonstrator.  Not only will you immediately receive a 20% discount on the products you love, but you're eligible to earn a bigger discount with other benefits and incentives.  The Starter Kit is just $99.  You get to choose what products you want to add to your Starter Kit AND get free shipping (plus the assortment of Stampin' Pads mentioned above.)  AND there is no commitment to ever purchase anything again!

Another promotion that will end in 3 days is the Designer Series Paper promotion.  You can get one pack of select papers FREE when you buy three packs of select papers,   Here are the ten papers that are part of this amazing promotion:

• Nature's Poem, #146338
• Twinkle Twinkle , #146284
• Under the Mistletoe, #146921
• Animal Expedition, #146902
• Best Route, #146897
• Petal Promenade, #146913
• Tranquil Textures, #146331
• Garden Impressions, #146289
• Tropical Escape, #146916
• Wood Textures, #144177

Remember, Tuesday is the LAST DAY for these offers!!

OK -  enough business - on to some fun pictures from my Mom's 90th birthday party!  She was surprised but she really enjoyed herself!

Beautiful cake from Publix

We asked for donations to Camp Dogwood (a Lions Club camp for the visually impaired.)  I decorated Mason Jars and scattered them around the tables for donations.

My brother, Lee and my daughter, Ashley.  I think they were trying to see who was the tallest!

Not 90 candles but enough that she had a hard time blowing them out!

Mom and Sally, her sister-in-law (my dad's sister.)  They don't get together nearly enough!

Mom and her niece, Candy (mom's brother's daughter)

Lee, Marianne, Mom, Me and Angela

Mom with Marianne's Girlfriend (Sharon) and Sally

The grandchildren that were present + Morgan (the future granddaughter in law)

We were missing my son, and my brother's 2 children.

Greg and Marianne, mom, me and Sonny

Mom with Candy and Mark

After the party, the family and close friends went to a local BBQ restaurant.

We didn't have a kids table at the restaurant, but most of the kids were at the end of the table - away from the old folks!

Ribbon of Courage

Hope you had a great 4th of July.  Ours was pretty quiet this year.  My mom stayed with us Friday and Saturday nights and I took her to Camp Dogwood on Sunday afternoon.  This is a great summer camp right on the lake (and about a 10 minute drive for me) for the blind and visually impaired.  This is mom's second year to attend and I hope she enjoys it this year as much as she did last year.   Although she got off to a rocky start.  She found out last week that her friend and roommate was not going to be able to come per doctor's orders.  She was not so sure about rooming with someone she didn't know!  When I got her registered, one of the counselors, Jeff, came up to her and welcomed "Miss Becky" back.  He told her he was not her counselor but he was going to take her to her room and get her settled.  Along the way, they met up with her new roommate who seemed very nice to me. Jeff told mom he was saving a place for her at dinner that night.  He told us that mom was the best camper he had ever had!  And mom told me Jeff was the very best counselor.  He took her tubing last year and she was quite impressed with him.  She was supposed to do archery today - that should be interesting!  A blind person trying for the bulls eye!

Saturday night we drove into Mooresville to have dinner at a restaurant on the lake where we hoped to watch the fireworks after eating.  Well, we waited for 2 hours - until 10 pm! for the fireworks show with nothing happening!  It had been raining earlier in the evening so we figured it was too wet for them.  So, we returned home.  I called on Sunday and was told they have rescheduled them for next Saturday, July 8!  Strange!!  Last night we planned on going to Mooresville again for the YMCA's fireworks.  Well, it started pouring down rain about 6 and when we went outside to get in the car around 8:30, it was still raining so we went back in the house.  I think they did have the fireworks around 9:30 but we weren't there.  So tonight, we just watched the fireworks on TV from New York!!  Better luck next year - or next Saturday!!

I had time today to play with a new stamp set - Ribbon of Courage - that I knew I had to buy as soon as I saw the new catalog.  This stamp set was inspired by Million Dollar Achiever Patty Bennett in memory of her mother.  

This card uses a technique with Glossy Cardstock again similar to the Oh So Eclectic card I did last week.  I sprayed the glossy cardstock with the spritzer filled with alcohol.  Next I dropped 2-3 drops of reinker (Peekaboo Peach and Bermuda Bay) and let it run.  To help it spread around, I sprayed more of the alcohol.  I used a tissue to pick up some of the ink that pooled along the edges.  I love these colors together!  Who would have thought?!  I stamped the hearts with Archival Black ink and used markers to color the flowers and Wink of Stella to make them sparkle! 

This next card made me think of my sister, Debra.  I miss her every day!  She was actually my step-sister (we shared a dad) and we didn't get to know each other until the mid 70s when I moved to Texas where she and my dad lived.  There was about a 10 year gap in our ages (I'm the oldest!) but that didn't matter. We both had a daughter and a son that were the same age (within a few months) and we used to take family camping trips together.  She was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer shortly after I moved to Washington state (2003).  The last trip we took together was when she and Jack (husband) came to visit us at our new home in Washington.  The 4 of us went to Victoria, Canada for a few days and had such a good time.  They were supposed to come visit us in NC for Thanksgiving but sadly, that was not to be.  She died at the age of 50 (too young!) November 16, 2007. Can't believe it has been 10 years.

We had this picture made shortly after her hair grew back in from the treatments.

OK - back to the details of the stamp set.  I used the new in-color, Powder Pink with Basic Black card stock and love how it pops!  I stamped the ribbon with Memento ink and used my blender pen and the ink pooled in the lid to color the image.  The ribbon is cut out and a pink ribbon is cut out with the thinlet in the set and raised with dimensionals.  I love the sentiment.  It is so true - Live every moment - you never know when it will be your last so Live, Laugh and Love!


I have an organization tip for you.  I have always kept all my framelits and thinlits on a magnetic sheet and in their plastic envelope.  I filed them all in a basket in alpha order.  I often would not remember if a set had a matching die or not.  So now I am putting the dies in the box with the stamp set.  I have adhered a green sticker on the sets that have matching dies and written how many dies are in the set on the sticker.  That way, I can quickly count them to make sure I haven't misplaced one of the dies before putting the stamp set away.  I still have framelits in my basket - the ones that don't match a stamp set like the Stitched Shapes, Ovals, Circles, etc.  Maybe this will work for you.

She may ride forever above the streets of San Francisco!

Where have I been you are asking!  A little bit of everywhere!  I left NC on Oct. 24 headed to San Francisco.  What a day that was!  I had a short (I thought) layover in Detroit (arrived at 11:30 for noon departure) but when I landed, I had a message that my plane was delayed a bit.  When I got to the gate, they were offering $500 in vouchers for volunteering to take the 5:30 flight to San Francisco.  No, I didn't want to leave that late.  Ha, ha!  Should have taken them up on the offer.  Was able to get on the plane around 2 p.m. - taxied away from the gate a bit only to have Traffic Control call the plane back to the gate and we all departed!  There were bad winds from the south for San Fran and some of the runways were shut down.  We ended up being able to leave around 4!  When I arrived in San Francisco and collected my luggage, I took the airport train over to the BART station which is their rapid transit system.  I had decided to take this route to the hotel instead of a $60 taxi.  Got to BART, bought my ticket ($8) and boarded the subway.  After getting seated, they announced there was a train ahead blocking the tracks so we had to get off the train and go to another one on a different set of tracks!  Finally I'm on my way on the second BART train and when I arrived at the station, I could not find my ticket (that I needed to get out of the station!)  Think I put it in my pocket and it must have dropped out when I pulled my phone out!  Thought I was going to be like the old Kingston Trio song, "Charlie on the MTA" - instead it would be - Sharon on the BART!  The song's lyrics tell of Charlie, a man who boards an MTA subway car, but then cannot get off because he does not have enough money for the exit fare.

When he got there the conductor told him,

"One more nickel."

Charlie could not get off that train.

The song goes on to say that every day Charlie's wife hands him a sandwich "as the train comes rumbling through" because he is stranded on the train. 

He may ride forever

'neath the streets of Boston

He's the man who never returned.

 

I ended up going to the Security Office and they let me through the gate!  Ashley was waiting for me - with a sandwich (not really! but she was waiting.)

We headed off to the Marriott, Union Square, just a short 2-3 blocks away and then on to have dinner and a well deserved cocktail!

Notice the bags under my eyes!!

Before I started on my little adventure, we met the family at a restaurant in Huntersville on Saturday (10/22) night (my birthday) to celebrate mine, Sonny's and Greg's birthdays.  Sonny and I had just picked up my brother-in-law (Jack) from the airport and he was able to join us too.  Fun!

Marianne and Kim

Sonny and I

Mom and Angela

The boys - Greg, Jack and Sonny

I'll be sharing more pictures of my trip in the next few days!

The Versatile Swirly Bird

I am sorry I have been so lax in writing in this blog.  I have been super busy working on bags, boxes, goodies, etc. for the September Quarterly as well as my own swaps!  I have all my swaps finished except for the Holiday one which I can't do until I get my pre-order some time next week.  I've got another week to get my part done before I leave for Hawaii and leave the details in Marianne and Debbie's capable hands.

I have a few Swirly Bird cards to share with you today.  I got both of them in a swap last month.  The first one just goes to show you how versatile this set is!!  I just love the swirly snowman, don't you?!!

For this next one, it can be used for any occasion.  But couldn't you see this card done in red and black and be a Disney themed card??!!!  Love it!!

I made this next card using the pieces in the Swirly Bird set to make a sailboat!  I stamped the sails onto Vellum and used my bone folder to rub the back of the striped sail so it would puff out a bit.  Makes a great male birthday card!

I had a bit of a scare today.  Mom, Marianne and I went together 2 weeks ago to have our annual mammogram done.

I got a call on Monday that I needed to come back to the Imaging Center for another mammogram and to talk to the radiologist.  So I went back today.  For my second mammogram, they did a 3-D image.  I was told that a small spot had showed up and it was still there with the 3-D so they sent me to have an ultrasound.  The radiologist came in and looked at it and explained to me that all was ok.  But what was showing up is called duct ectasia where a milk duct has widened and perhaps has become clogged.  In the mammogram, the ducts could be crossing each other and causing a shadow which looks like a spot.  There is nothing to worry about - whew!  You can imagine what was going through my mind as I was laying on the table while they did the ultrasound!

Swirly Birds Swaps

I have a few Swirly Bird cards to share with you today.  This is a really versatile set and I love seeing what I can make with it.  A couple of these cards are ones I received in a shoebox swap.

Made by my sister, Marianne

I was busy all weekend making plans for the NC Quarterly me and my downlines will be hosting in September.  Our cut-off date for signing up (and paying) to come is Sept. 5 BUT as of today, we had exceeded our maximum number that we had planned on.  We were going to limit the attendance to 30 but now have 39 signed up and paid.  So that is our limit now.  It is just too hard to have more than 30 when you are doing shoebox swaps plus you need some room to move around in the room.  We are renting the conference room at the Wyndham Hotel in Mooresville.  Our Quarterly's are always so much fun but a lot of work go into getting it ready!!

Saturday, Sonny and I had a busy day.  We left the house at 10 a.m and didn't return home until about 7 pm.  We went to a movie first and then to Kohls.  That is a biggie when I can get Sonny into a clothing store!  I didn't even go into the women's section but picked out shorts and golf shirts for him to try on.  We decided with me being gone for 2 1/2 weeks in August, he needed more "wicking" golf shirts to wear since he has started playing golf 2-3 times a week.  That way he won't have to wash clothes while I am gone (not that he couldn't but he wouldn't!)  From there, we did some shopping at BJ's and Lowe's before stopping for a late lunch/early dinner at Duckworth's.

I have to brag on my sister, Angela.  She is very active in the local Lion's Club along with my mom.  They attended a Lions Club district meeting this weekend and she received the Melvin Jones Foundation Award which is the highest recognition you can receive in the international Lions Club.  She also got the Gary Steele Outstanding Zone Chair Award and the 100% Secretary award!  My dad was really active in the Charlotte Lions Club and I know he is smiling down on her as she carries on the tradition.  Way to go Angie!

Happy 4th of July Swirly Style

Here is a card I actually mailed!  Not sure if it has reached it's destination so this is going to be a spoiler.  I used the great set, Swirly Birds along with the framelits to make the flag.  The banner & happy is from Thoughtful Phrases and the "4" is from the Large Numbers framelits.  Fun card!!

Happy 4th of July!  Stay safe and have fun with family and friends today.  Today is the day to celebrate America's freedom, honor its history and remember all those who fought to keep us free!

We drove into Mooresville last night to watch the fireworks put on by the YMCA.  They were good, despite the drizzling rain, but not long enough.  They only lasted about 15 minutes!  Boo, hiss!!  I know, in the past, they have been at least 30 minutes.  Oh well ... what cha gonna do??  Not any plans for today.  Sonny is doing his "prep work" for tomorrow's colonoscopy so we'll be staying close to home if you know what I mean!  Ashley is celebrating in Hawaii - she got the contract on the condo she wants!!  She and I are looking at dates for me to fly there and help with the move - probably mid-August. 

My mom is at camp for the first time in 60 something years!!!  She is attending a week long camp at Camp Dogwood for the Blind and Visually Impaired.  (My mom is legally blind.)  She has been so excited about getting to go this year.  Angela dropped her off yesterday along with another lady who lives in mom's neighborhood who will be her cabin mate.  I'm sure Angela's car was weighted down with all their stuff.  Both of them have walkers plus their suitcases, and Mom was taking a shower chair, a potty seat and who knows what else!!  The camp is located on the lake (just a few miles from my house) and they offer boating, fishing, swimming, tubing, arts and crafts, mini golf and various off campus trips.  I hope she has a great time!

Sympathy

Thought you'd enjoy this picture of Ashley and I at a Mexican restaurant in San Antonio.  Fun!

 This next picture was taken on Mother's Day.  I don't have many pictures of us 3 girls with mom.  Of course, I always tower over all of them!

 

I needed a sympathy card for a friend of Ashley's who lost her grandmother last week.  I love this white on white!  I used Botanical Blooms thinlets for the flower and leaves and added a bit of Marina Mist as a mat for the card.



 

 

This is the inside of the card.  I typed the sentiment and glued it inside.  I love the message.  When my dad died in 2001, Marianne sent me a card (we had different dads) with this message and I read it over and over.  It really helped me in that trying time.  Feel free to use it in your own sympathy cards.

 

Garden In Bloom

I am loving the two-step stamp set, Garden in Bloom.  (Think I have said that before!)  Here is another card I made using the set.  The striped background is from the set, Brushstrokes (pg 128) using Tip Top Taupe ink. I cut an oval from the center of the striped piece and put a piece of Whisper White card stock behind it.  I stamped several of the flowers and leaves through the oval.  I stamped the large flower and leaves on a scrap of white, cut it out and adhered it to the front with dimensionals.  The sentiment is white embossed on the Delightful Dijon card stock that is punched out with the Tags & Labels Framelits.  I tucked a small piece of Mint Macaron ribbon behind the sentiment and a butterfly on the front.

My mom came through her dental surgery with flying colors yesterday.  I went over to sit with her today but really didn't need to.  She was not in any pain - only took 2 pain pills yesterday and none today.  I fixed her a couple of smoothies and took her to the dentist for a follow up before leaving to run a few errands.  She even went to her clubhouse tonight to play bingo!

Ashley has arrived at her next group of islands - this time the Solomon Islands.  They had to move off of the ship because it can't stay docked at the pier.  They will be staying at a compound which is the Australian military compound that is now minimally staffed with civilian police.  She will be taking a 5-hour ferry ride to another island and staying in hotels.  But she has been told there is nothing to see or do there.  She surprised us yesterday with a phone call to check up on her grandmother.  (I have been bad this week and not emailed her much with updates.)  She sent a quick note to us today to say they had arrived and were moving off the ship so she is not sure if she will have internet.  Also to tell us that an earthquake had hit the islands yesterday before they arrived.  Prayers for them that they don't have another one while she is there!

Build A Birthday

There is a really cute birthday stamp set in the catalog this year called Build a Birthday for only $16!  Below are two cards I have made using the set but you will be seeing more in the very near future!

On the card above I stamped the cake layers on to white cardstock and stamped the sentiment on a piece of Vellum card stock and layered it over top of the white.  Then I punched little holes in the top of both pieces and threaded the silver ribbon through it, tying it into a bow.  I adhered it onto a piece of Lost Lagoon DSP (unfortunately, I realized just now that the DSP is retired!).  The base card is Lost Lagoon card stock.

The second card (above) is directly from the catalog.  I participated in a recent "Copy the Catalog" swap and this is the card that I made.  The top and bottom layer of the cake is  Cherry on Top Washi Tape.

One of the neat things about this set is that you can use the stamps as cake layers or as candles! 

Yesterday was one long day!  I don't know how just sitting around all day can make a person so tired but that is what happened to me yesterday.  I took mom to the hospital at 11:45; she was finally wheeled back for the scope a little after 1:00.  Poor thing - the nurse really had a hard time trying to put the IV in her arm.  She finally got one in on the third try!!  And Mom is going back for another procedure today and another IV!  As it turned out, the doctor's suspicions were on target.  A pill had gotten stuck in her esophagus and formed two ulcers on either side - called Kissing Ulcers!  He had no way of knowing which pill it was as it had dissolved by that time.  But he said there were several pills that were the worst for that happening and two of them mom is taking - Fosamax and an antibiotic.  He said to prevent this from happening, you should follow three rules when taking meds:  

1. Drink plenty of water 
2. Eat something with meds
3. Stay upright for 2-3 hours after taking meds.

One of the things I harp on my mom about all the time is to drink more.  She just doesn't.  I hope she will listen and start drinking more water.  He also gave her a diet of things she should and should not be eating.  I know she will have a tough time following that though!  Some of the things to avoid:  coffee (she loves her coffee), fried foods, french fries, ice cream, citrus, carbonated beverages, citrus (she loves lemon in her tea, water, coke ....), creams, gravy, chocolate .....  When I got her home yesterday, I found a chicken breast in the freezer and baked it with a tiny bit of Teriyaki sauce to give it a little flavor and cooked some lima beans.  She was able to eat most of it if it was cut up really small.  But her favorite thing has been the smoothies I  have been making for her!  I have just been putting milk, fruit (peaches, strawberries, blueberries), yogurt and ice in a blender and she drinks them down!  My sister is taking her today for her tooth extraction.  I think she wanted me to take her but this is Angela's day off and she can do it.  I am exhausted!  I am going to get busy getting cards together for stamp club next week.  Plus I just signed up for one more swap at convention so need to figure that out too.  It is only for 12 cards so not too bad.

 

Garden In Bloom

Another swap card.  I was going to use this one for my shoebox swap but too many pieces to have to prep for!

This card uses one of my favorite new stamps from the catalog (photopolyment, pg. 119) - Garden in Bloom.  It is a two-step stamp and that is my favorite kind!  That is what got me into Stampin' Up in the first place.  I like the look of Lost Lagoon paired with Mint Macaron.  The striped paper is a piece of the Envelope Liner Paper.

My mom ended up staying at the hospital Sunday & Monday nights.  They did all kinds of tests on her and actually were discharging her around lunch time Monday.  As she was trying to eat some lunch, the GI doctor came in as she was hurting every time she swallowed solid food.  So, he changed the discharge papers for her to stay another day & put her on a liquid diet until he could do an endoscope.  He thinks she could have one of her pills lodged in her esopahogas which causes a cyst to from around it.  Marianne stayed the night with her and I don't think either of them got much sleep. I was just headed out the door this morning for the hospital when Marianne texted me that the GI dr. had come in early and wanted her to stay another day until he could get the results of her stress test back & schedule the 'scope.  Shortly after he left, the Attending Physician let the nurses have it because he discharged mom yesterday.  Said the GI Doc did not have the authority to extend her stay!  She was only there for observation & Medicare will only pay for 1 night.  So, back to the discharge!  I took her home around 9 a.m. and made her a milkshake.  She drank all of that.  She slept most of the day while I was there.  I am headed back in the morning to pick her up and take her to the hospital for the 'scope.  We are keeping our fingers crossed that he can fix the problem tomorrow and she will still be able to have her dental surgery on Thursday.

We got a surprise phone call last night from Ashley.  They are on the ship heading to the Solomon Islands.  She was just calling to check on her grandmother.  We didn't get to talk long because an alarm started going off on the ship and she had to evacuate that area.  I got an email from her today and she crossed the equator yesterday.  So she is now offically a "shellback."  There is a traditional Navy line-crossing ceremony.  (You can read about it here.)  She didn't tell us much about what they did - only that it wasn't as bad as she was expecting since they probably cannot do hazing anymore.  She said the seas have been rough on their crossing.  She forgot to take her seasick meds when they left Micronesia and the seas got the best of her.  She was 0 for 3 on keeping her meals down on the first day.  She is taking her meds now and the seas have calmed down so she is ok.  They are due to arrive in the Solomons on Friday.

Here is a great story which just emphasizes the wonderful work Ashley and the team are doing.
Midwife Saves Baby
Sure makes me proud!

Paper Craft Crew 132

It is snowing like crazy outside right now!  It's been snowing a couple of hours - fat wet flakes - and our yard is completely covered.  It is supposed to keep snowing until about 3-4 a.m. to give us about 7 inches!!  All the snow from yesterday had melted away except for a little bit in front of our garage door but now it is back in full force!  The poor school kids are going to have to go to school all summer at this rate!  And of course, I had moved my stamp club to tomorrow from last Thursday when we were snowed in.  As of now, I have one gal who lives in the neighborhood and can walk here coming Thursday; one coming Saturday; and two coming on Tuesday!  Haven't heard from the others yet.  I'm glad I was able to get my hair cut today and go to my chiropractor.  Tomorrow I'll be making a snowman!

Since it's Wednesday, it's time for  Paper Craft Crew challenge.  I actually made my card this week and didn't use My Digital Studio!!!

How do like these bright colors?  The card base is Hello Honey.  I stamped the stars for a background all over the Whisper White card stock.  The middle piece with the Honey background and white stars is the Irresistibly Yours (Sale-a-Bration).  And I even "fussy cut" SHINE from Banner Blessings!  (Products used can be found below.)

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Ashley gave Sonny a film converter for Christmas so we could convert our 35 MM slides to pictures so I could make a book with them.  Well, I found a really old picture of me with my parents and Angela from Easter - who knows what year - probably in the mid 50s.

Don't know about you growing up but at Easter I always had a hat and a corsage!  And I'm betting my grandmother made my dress!

Birthday Celebration

I had a nice birthday dinner celebration with my family at Firebirds.  And I received some beautiful birthday cards.  Here are a few of the beautiful hand made cards I received:

from Marianne - love this stamp set!

from Margaret - another flower favorite!

from Judy - These die cuts are so pretty!

Don't you love this sentiment (from Judy's card)

Joyce did a great job making this origami dress.

This is funny.  The first card I received from the NC Demos, made by my downline, Deb Michael.  Then on my birthday I received the second card in the mail from Deb!!  Love it!

from my upline, Carol Bartle

from Tina Lesson, one of my NC Demo friends.  I have this stamp and haven't used it - need to get it out and stamp.

Angela, Mom, me and Marianne at dinner