Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July!  Have a safe one!

I made this card for all those who are currently serving their country - near and far.  Thanks!

We are headed into Mooresville tonight (Friday) to watch the fireworks.  We usually go to my mom's church parking lot where we have a good view of the fireworks that are set off by the Y.

Not sure what we will do tomorrow.  We'd like to go out on the boat and drop the anchor where we could watch the fireworks that will be put off on Saturday.  But, the weather may not cooperate with us!  We'll have to see.  We badly need rain but couldn't it have just waited until after the weekend???

PLxSU Calendar Challenge - Graduation

I had a little time at the beginning of the week and decided to try another PLxSU challenge using My Digital Studio.  The challenge was to use a calendar on your page.

I dug back into some of my older pictures and found these from when Ashley graduated from medical school at UT-SA in 2003.  It was such a fun day with so many of our friends there.  That evening we had a joint party with several of her friends who graduated also.  They are all still good friends and see each other whenever their busy schedules permit.

Fly Away Like a Butterfly!

This has been a week of doctor's appointments and taking care of my mom.  She has not had a good week.  I may do like these butterflies in this card and just fly away!!

This is another swap card that I have made for convention.  I used the Watercolor Background stamp for the background (Pool Party stamped off) and then just die cut 3 butterflies from the Butterfly Framelits and adhered them to the center of the Whisper White cardstock.  The corners are rounded and the white card is adhered to a Wisteria Wonder card.  I drew in the antenna with a black Sharpie marker and added a pearl to the center.  Quick and easy card.

Mom called me on Tuesday complaining of her ear hurting.  It was on the same side as her teeth that she is having extracted next week so I assumed they were all tied together.  I took her to the dentist and they gave her another prescription for an antibiotic.  Then yesterday she bent over to pick something up off the floor and pulled her back out again.  She has been going to the chiropractor now for a week and was feeling much better - even, quit taking pain pills last weekend.  So, I took her to chiropractor yesterday and he did a few adjustments.  He thinks she will probably need to have a cortisone shot.  But she is going back to see him this afternoon and he will decide then.  My sister just texted me that she had a rough night and was really hurting today.  I am headed over to pick her up this morning for her pre-op appointment at the hospital for her teeth extraction!  In the meantime, I realized yesterday that I had missed my doctors appointment that was scheduled for Tuesday!   Hoping things will calm down soon!

Ashley finally made it back to Pohnpei safely and went straight in to work.  She is having her phone interview today for the Pediatric Program Director at Madigan in Washington.  Keep your fingers crossed for her!  She is guessing they will make the decision in the next couple of weeks.  She feels like she is fighting an uphill battle since she is the only "outsider" applying for the position.  The other candidates are already at Madigan although that is where Ashley did her residency so she won't exactly be a newcomer.

Another Wetlands swap card

Here is another swap card I made using the Wetlands stamp set along with Feels Good.  Isn't that the truth .... the best thing in life aren't things .... but hugs, kisses, love, respect, .....

I think Ashley made it out of Chuuk finally today although she wasn't too hopeful when she got up this morning and messaged me.  She said it was still rainy there and stormy.  But the last time I talked to her, she was heading to the airport to meet the military plane that had just flown over to pick them up.  It is a 2 hour trip back and forth.  She is supposed to email me when they arrive safely.  I'm saying prayers for their safe return.  She has missed two days of teaching the Babies Breath class.  Luckily, there was someone back at Pohnpei that could teach for her.

I went to the Y today and took a stretch class.  It had been too long!  I love the stretch class on Mondays.  Unfortunately, I play bridge just about every Monday and can't go.  This was the 5th Monday of the month, so I did not have anything scheduled.  After exercising, then Sonny and I went to Pomodora's Italian and had pasta!  Probably not the best idea!

Tomorrow marks the beginning of Stampin' Up's  BONUS DEALS!  You can save up to 30% on Weekly Deals or up to 60% on extra items in the Clearance Rack (while supplies last).  The Weekly Deals discounts are available in limited quantities before the items return to retail prices.  You can order ONLINE by clicking on the ORDER ONLINE button above.  When you are asked for a Hostess Code, enter ZTUM7QAT please.

Wetlands Swap

I am on a roll with my convention swaps.  I am not making a bunch of one design - too boring. Instead, I am pulling out stamp sets and finding some inspiration and making a card.  Then into my convention swap bucket it goes.  Here are a couple I made this weekend using Wetlands (one of my favorite sets.)

For the card on the top, I used the masking tape technique.  I took a strip of masking tape (get some of the sticky off first) and pat it into the ink pad (Soft Sky, Mint Macaron and Crumb Cake)  Then lay it onto your card and kind of pat it to get the ink off.  With the Mint Macaron, it was a little dark so I put it on a piece of paper first to get some of the ink off.  Then I stamped the oats on top with Tip Top Taupe and added a bit of glitter to them.  I stamped the sentiment on a scrap of white and punched it out with Oval Punch.  I punched a larger oval from Mint Macaron & backed it.  I wrapped the Bermuda Bay twine around 2-3 times before adhering the piece to the Soft Sky card.  I used dimensionals under the sentiment.

This card is very similar. But I didn't use masking tape this time.  I inked up the large background stamp, Watercolor Wash (pg 129) first with Soft Sky and stamped the top of a piece of Whisper White (5 1/4" x 4"); then I inked the background stamp with Tip Top Taupe (and after stamping off), I stamped the bottom of the white card - making sure it met up in the middle with the Soft Sky.  Then I stamped the oats in Mint Macaron on two sides and stamped the birds in the center with black ink.  I tore the top and bottom edges and had to sponge a bit more ink on the torn edges.  I stamped the sentiment on a scrap of white, sponged Soft Sky on it and made a flag on one end.  It is attached using dimensionals.  I attached the white torn piece to Mint Macaron and then to Chocolate Chip card.

I have been able to chat with Ashley this weekend via Facebook.  She has internet in her hotel in Chuuk.  She was supposed to fly back to Pohnpei on Sunday morning on the military plane but the weather was bad and the flight was canceled.  The plane only holds 7 people and it had already shuttled two groups back.  Ashley was scheduled for the final group and got canceled.  So she took advantage and had a massage.  I have just been chatting with her again and there is still bad weather and the plane is still in Pohnpei.  There was a United flight that her group tried to get on but when they got to the airport, there was only one seat left.  She put one of the junior officers on the plane and went back to the hotel.  She is hopeful that the military plane will still make it to pick them up later (it is Monday afternoon for her.)  The next commercial flight is Wednesday!  Hopefully, she won't be stuck that long.  They have turned in their rental cars so they are pretty well stuck in Chuuk!

Here is a gorgeous sunset picture she took this weekend.

Another Joy Fold

Whew!  Has it been HOT here!  But I think there is a little bit of relief in sight - Sunday's predictions are for the 80s!!  I've spent a lot of time in my car the past few days going back and forth to Mooresville.  Mom called me Tuesday morning with back problems .... again!  The way she was describing it, I thought it sounded a lot like the re-occuring sciatica and I suggested a chiropractor. Absolutely not!  A little bit later (after talking to Marianne who gave her the same advice), she relented and I was able to get her an appointment for the afternoon.  I was in town anyway having my annual check up with my doctor and a much needed hair cut.  So, I grabbed some lunch and got Mom to the chiropractor who I think helped a little bit.  I went back to town yesterday to take her for another visit.  Angela will take her on Friday.  Afterwards, she and I had lunch and it dawned on me that I had tickets for us that evening to see Chicago at the Davidson Community Theatre.  I went home for a few hours and then came back to town to pick mom up and see the show which was very good.  Each time I pick her up, I have to first get my sister's car as Mom can't climb up into my SUV with the back pain!

My other patient (Sonny) is doing great!  He has really surprised me that he has not been grouchy during this whole ordeal.  I know he has been bored but he is handling it well.  He is driving now. Today he had his first PT visit that wasn't in the home.  I dropped him off while I had my annual mammogram and when I came back to get him, he was walking without the cane!  He was surprised (and me too) that he has progressed so far.  He still uses the cane sometimes but he can manage without it.  He will be going to PT twice a week for the next 8 weeks.  I was kind of surprised he will go that long.  By the time, he finishes, it'll be time to do the second hip!

Ashley is now in Micronesia on the island of Chuuk teaching the mid-wives there the Helping Babies Breathe program.  The plane they took there only held 7 people she said so several trips were made.

She is staying in a hotel while she is there.

Ashley is one of those people who runs into someone she goes everywhere she is.  Well, Micronesia is no different.  She said one of her college sorority sisters is there and they are going to try to get together on Sunday when she returns to Pohnpei.

Meantime, I have been working on convention swaps.  I am expecting some more goodies tomorrow from Stampin' Up that I will play with over the weekend.  Here is another Joy Fold card that I made for a swap.

Joy Fold Card

I love thie new Ronald McDonald Stamp set - Sprinkles of Life.  Here I used it to create a "Joy Fold" card.  I also used another favorite - DSP from the Cherry on Top stack!

You can find this stamp set on the inside back cover of your new 2015-2016 Catalog, and the new coordinating Tree Builder Punch on Page 167.  Did you know that every time this stamp set is purchased, Stampin' Up! donates $3.00 to the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC)?  To date, over ONE MILLION DOLLARS has been donated to RMHC and their network of local RMHC chapters from Stampin' Up!!!  That means it is going back to your community to keep families together when they are receiving medical treatment far from home.  Every year a new stamp set is created by Stampin' Up! to make a difference just for the RMHC, and I think this year's set is the best (yes, I love ice cream and cupcakes!!).

Happy Fathers Day - PLxSu Trio Challenge

Since Stampin' Up retired My Digital Studio, MDS Monday also quit doing their challenges.  I loved those challenges and it made me do some digital pages and stretch myself.  So, I discovered another digital challenge last week and made a layout for it.  It is a Project Life Challenge also.  I have not done much with Project Life and really had to put my thinking cap on for this one.  But I did it and found out this morning that I won the challenge last week!!  That made me happy!  The challenge was to make a Project Life page of a dad - any dad.  Since Ashley was not here with her Dad for Father's Day, I decided to make my page about her and her dad.  I love how it turned out.  My intent was to print the page out for him for Father's Day but I made it in 12x12 and couldn't print it with my printer.  So, I just shared it with him.

Here is how I described this page for the challenge:

My first challenge for PLxSU Trio. I am still using MDS & this was my first try at a Proj Life page digitally. I did this page for my daughter. She is in the Army and on deployment so will not be with her Dad for Fathers Day. She and her Dad have a love for sports (yellow and gold sports!) and she is definitely a "daddy's girl"

We had a pretty quiet weekend.  I took Sonny to the Galway Hooker (Irish pub) for Fathers Day since Dads ate for free and right after we got there, we got a call on my cell phone from Ashley.  She is now in Micronesia - arriving Sunday morning (Saturday for me).  She said the trip there was fairly uneventful.  I think it took them about 4 days.  It seems these islands have a bit more civilization than Kiribati.  She left the island of Pohnpei (never heard of it - I had to google it) today and was taking a small plane to the island of Chuuk for a week or so.  She will be staying in a hotel there (probably not equivalent to the Hilton .... or even Days Inn!)  When I googled Chuuk, I found that the island is known for it's wreck diving and that is about all there is to do there.  There are two rustic hotels on the island which are air-conditioned but with few amenities.  This part of my research disturbs me a bit - It is best to observe the cultural norms of each island. For the most part conservative dress and manners will do much to ensure you have a safe visit. Women should NOT wear shorts or short skirts and bathing suits should only be worn at the main resorts. It is best to wear a T-shirt over your bathing suit if you will be swimming near public beaches. Speaking to a local of the opposite gender can be thought of as an open invitation to a more serious relationship. When on the main islands, avoid going out alone after dark. As in many places around the globe men have more freedoms to behave as they choose. Many use the darkness, and a few too many drinks to behave as they would like. For the most part they will be more aggressive and overt in their attention seeking behaviors. They will over-react if they believe their ego/reputation has been questioned."

But I am sure they have been briefed as to the culture there and how to act.

Convention Swap Card #1

I have been working on some card swaps for Convention in July.  I am doing two organized swaps and one shoebox swap.  They are not too crazy this year.  I have to make 15 cards for one swap; 12 cards for the other swap; and two different cards for the shoebox - one I finish completely - 14 cards and the other one, I cut all the pieces for the shoebox - again, 14 cards.  So I have finished my two swap cards.  I have made one card for the finished shoebox so just have to duplicate it.  And I guess tomorrow I'll be browsing Pinterest for my other shoebox card although I have an idea in mind for it. That is always the hardest part - coming up with the design!!  That's why I love Pinterest and Google Images.

Here is one of the swap cards:

I used Kinda Eclectric and Feels Good stamps.  The hearts are from Perfect Pennants.  I really like this color combo - Hello Honey and Watermelon Wonder with a little bit of Tip Top Taupe.  What do you think??

Stamp Club for June

This is the third week of the month which means it's Stamp Club.  I had my first group over yesterday and the rest (that are in town!) will be coming tomorrow.  These are the cards we made:

This Blackberry Bliss beauty uses the flower from Garden in Bloom - a new two-step stamp.  I love the new Brick Wall embossing folder.  It is a bigger folder than the usual embossing folders.  I used the white gel pen to color in the "mortar" on the bricks.

This card was actually a CASE from my friend, Allison.  She did a card very similar to this one in our New Catalog Swap last month.  I wanted a chance to use the Layered Alphabet stamp set and this was perfect for it.  I gave the gals a choice of color - Cucumber Crush or Watermelon Wonder.  They both look great paired with Basic Black.

I love this little koala but haven't used it much.  I think I was trying to color him in and it just didn't work.  This little guy, I stamped with Early Espresso and didn't color anything except for the flower and added a few tiny dots around the flower and the sentiment.  I used the Score Board to score vertical lines on both sides of the bear and backed it with Marina Mist that I added lines to with the gel pen.  Since this was a square card (4 1/2"), we also used the Envelope Punch Board to make an envelope.

We also made the Slider Card I shared HERE.

I really enjoyed having a new member join us and a guest who I met for lunch last week.  Barbara is visiting her son in Mooresville and lives in Florida.  She is also a SU demonstrator.  I was glad she was able to come to club and have a creative day with us.  My new member is Gayle who just moved here from Florida too.  It's funny - she found me through either my blog or contacting SU directly.  As it turns out, she moved in to the same neighborhood as me.  And to make it even more coincidental, her back yard backs up to my front yard so she was able to just walk over yesterday.

Some good deals this week - I have my eye on the Sweetheart Punch and you can always find a use for White Ribbon - use it white or dye it to match.  Here are the Weekly Deals for this week:

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