Swallowtail Beauties

I guess I've complained about the cold enough!  We are starting to warm up.  Sunday, noon and it is 30 degrees with the sun shining.  By Tuesday or Wednesday, it is supposed to be in the 60s!!  Whoooo Whooo!!  Sonny is obsessed since our trip to Alaska with their weather this time of year.  Every day he tells me what the temps are going to be in Fairbanks.  Today I think he told me the high was supposed to be something like minus 40 degrees. I can't even imagine what that feels like.  Guess I won't complain about NC's highs and lows!

Despite the cold outside, I have been warm inside and working away with my new toys!  One of the stamp sets I didn't think I would get was the huge Swallowtail Butterfly single stamp.  I kept seeing some really pretty samples using it so I caved.  I am so glad I did.  I just love the cards I made with it this weekend.  What do you think?  Which one is your favorite? 

This one I stamped the butterfly on Whisper White card stock with Versamark and then sprinkled Melon Mambo embossing folder all over and heated it up.  Just gorgeous!  The little "thank you" uses the stamp, Pretty Petites and the small Label Punch (both items FREE in the Sale-a-bration catalog!

This butterfly was stamped on Naturals Ivory card stock with Versamark.  I sprinkled Classy Copper (retired) embossing powder over the little guy and heated him up.  Then I used my daubers to daub Baja Breeze and More Mustard on the wings.  Just daub the ink on lightly - you can always go back and add more.  Very lightly, in the background, I stamped the swirl stamp from Everything Eleanor.  (I'm not sure if "daub" is a word but you know what I mean!)

My final beauty is this black and white Swallowtail.  Make sure you remember to wipe the cardstock with the Embossing Buddy before stamping!!  I stamped the butterfly with Whisper White Craft ink (which is now retired BUT you can use Versamark and get the same effect.)  Next I sprinkled White embossing powder all over and heat set it.  I don't know if you can see it, but I used the Needlepoint Border embossing folder from the Spring Mini (pg. 5) on the Pool Party card stock.  The sentiment comes from one of my favorite sets, Word Play.

Last night Sonny and I went to the movies.  You've probably figured out by now that going to the movies is one of our favorite things to do.  Sonny had not seen Lincoln and I have been wanting to see Silver Lining Playbook and knew that was not his kind of movie.  So my movie stated at 7:05 and his at 7:15 so it worked out completely - except we couldn't share popcorn, which we don't do anyway!!  Truth be told, I usually pop my popcorn at home and take it in with me in my purse - much less calories!!  I really enjoyed my movie.  I wasn't too sure at first - it started rather slow and was kind of bizarre at first, but by the end I had a big smile on my face and was rooting for Bradley Cooper.  I don't think it will win the Academy Award but it was entertaining. 

A little of this and that

Whew!  What a crazy busy day!  Remember  a couple of months ago when I had that spot floating around in my right eye and the eye dr. told me it was a sign of aging and was called a vitreous detachment??  Well, yesterday, I noticed with my LEFT eye, a cobweb like matter floating around in my field of vision and a couple of times, a few light flashes.  I remembered that the eye dr. had asked me if I had seen any light flashes with the right eye when I was there last month and I had not.  So this morning, I was able to get in to see the doctor right away.  Turns out, this cob-webby thing is blood.  Doesn't sound too good, huh? Last month when I saw the eye dr, my vision in my left eye was 20/20 ... today it was 2/40.   I am going to see a retina specialist in Charlotte next Friday.  This could mean that the vitreous is pulling away from the retina or that the retina itself is becoming dislodged from the inner back of the eye that contains blood, nutrients and oxygen vital to healthy function. When the retina is torn, vitreous can invade the opening and push out the retina — leading to a detachment.  Right now, my eye dr. doesn't see that but he wants to be safe than sorry.  Yeah - me too!  What I've read about this is:   "A study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association in late 2009 found that sudden presence of eye floaters and flashes means that one in seven people with these symptoms will have a retinal tear or detachment. And up to 50 percent of people with a retinal tear will have a subsequent detachment."   So,  if you believe in the power of prayer, please say a prayer for me this week.  I'm really pretty scared.  And I just hate that there is nothing I can do but wait.

On to happier topics!  Today was the first day for my Stamp Club.  I had 7 ladies and they really enjoyed stamping.  I just need to remember to make simple cards!!  They really don't know anything about stamping and that's hard for me to remember when I was like that!  But, really, the most challenging thing to them was tying the bows!!!  We did 2 cards and a little Easter basket.  Unfortunately, I only remembered to take a picture of one card and I gave my samples away!  I am going to make the other card and the basket tomorrow for one of the ladies who was out of town so I will share it with you then.  Here is the first card we made.  I wanted them to know watercoloring because I think you can get a really pretty look very easy by using watercolor pencils or crayons.

This uses the stamp set, Abundent Blessings from the Occasions Mini Catalog.

I also colored this panel in different colors to give them another idea of how to do their flowers:

Most of them just did the yellow flowers but I did have one lady who "stepped out of the box" and did multi-colored flowers.

After the ladies left, Sonny and I hopped in the car to meet a group of his Golden Boy members at the movies.  We saw "The Green Zone" - a real action packed movie.  The focus of 'Green Zone' is on the early stages of the 2003 US Iraq invasion.  The war being fought in the film is more between the Pentagon and the CIA than the US vs Iraq which makes it all the more interesting and the film allows you to see things from Iraq's perspective for a change.  No matter what your view is of the Iraqi war, this film will make you think as it deals with looking for the non-existant WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction.)

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Hope you are enjoying your New Year's Eve celebration! We drove to Austin today, stopping in New Braunfels first at the Outlet Malls! Sonny was a good sport - he took his book and sat in the car and read while Ashley and I popped in and out of a few stores. Surprisingly, we only bought a couple of things. But, Ashley did find a great TV armoire piece that she will probably go back and buy. I just love spending other people's money!! I think I would be a great personal shopper.

Tonight we went to a Draft House movie theatre and saw Sherlock Holmes. Sonny and Ashley loved it. It was ok to me .... just not my type of movie. The theatre was neat though. Each row of seats has a table in front of it. Menus, order cards and pencils are placed on the table. A waiter will come by to take your order (beer, hamburger, appetizers, wine, etc.) Throughout the film you can order food and drinks. About 30 minutes prior to the film ending the server will come by and do “last call”, at which point they will find out if you would like any final items before closing your tab out.

So now we are waiting for the ball to drop on Times Square! Ashley called it "Old Fogey New Years!"

However you celebrate, enjoy and be safe!!

Inking a folder and going to the movies!

Here's a video  from Gina K. on inking a Cuttlebug folder.  I sometimes have to review these techniques so I thought you might like to also!

It's been raining all day and cold!!  I don't think it got about 45 degrees today.  And, I heard it snowed again in Dallas - none here in San Antonio though!  But tomorrow is supposed to get up to 60 and Thursday to 70!!  Gotta love it!

We took advantage of the dreary day and went to the movies when Ashley got off work.  We saw It's Complicated.  It was just good entertainment.  Sonny went with us and had a few laughs although, truthfully, it was more of a chick flick!  With Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin in a romantic triangle, you really don't know who Streep will end up with in the end.  Alec Baldwin has a "full moon" scene that is hilarious!!