It's June 19th?!? Already?!?!

I can't believe how fast this summer is flying by. To me, it always seems that once we hit July 4th, summer is over in the blink of an eye. I can't believe we're already near the end of June! We love to go camping during the summer, and we've finally gotten everyone's schedules coordinated for next weekend. I can't wait! While I love a lot of things about summer, I'm not a fan of 100-degree temps with 90% humidity, so all it takes is one or two days like that and I'm cranking up the central air and waiting for Fall to get here. Fall just happens to be my very favorite time of year, though, and there's nothing like throwing on my favorite old sweatshirt a faded pair of jeans, going for a hike through the timber, picking out pumpkins, or bundling up in a fuzzy blanket on a Friday night and drinking hot chocolate to keep warm during the local Varsity football game.

Our summer schedules will be slowing down a little bit, as my oldest son just finished Driver's Ed classes. My youngest son is in the middle of his baseball season, so I'll definitely still be a taxi-driver for a few more weeks. He really enjoys baseball, and it's a 'good' kind of busy. Their friends come over to hang out every day, so our house is usually pretty full. Pre-teen & teenage boys' stomachs are bottomless pits, I swear, and we're going through a ton of pizza, snacks and pop. It's a good thing the grocery store is only 5 blocks away!

I have a bunch of new cards to share with you today, but for some reason, Blogger isn't letting me upload more than one photo. I'll add the other cards in a separate post and see if that works.

This card uses 'Take a Break', one of the new 'MFT Presents' images by Annie LaPoint. It's wonderful to see these beautifully detailed images come to life as you color them in. Be sure to check them out at http://www.mftstamps.com/ .

The flowers in the bathtub remind me of lilacs--my all-time favorite flower. Every time I see or smell lilacs I'm reminded of my late Grandmother. I remember spending the night at her house when I was a little girl, snuggled up in line-dried, fresh, cool sheets, with a cool, lilac-scented breeze blowing in the window next to the bed. Grandma's house always smelled SO good----because of the wonderful things she used to cook and bake for us, and from the lilacs and other flowers surrounding her house. She's been gone for almost twenty years and I still think of her almost every day.

Since the flowers were colored to look like lilacs, I decided to try to make the card look sort of vintage and aged. I used cocoa ink and a distressing tool to 'age' the edges of some of the layers. I used my watercolor brush to gave the DP a faint 'wash' of creamy caramel ink.

I need to run---my youngest son's baseball practice starts in a few minutes, and I still need to find the cap he insists on wearing today.

Have a wonderful day!!

Yummy, yummy, in my tummy!! An MFTeaser & some great news!!!

Sorry for such a LONG absence (again!)....this summer started out busy, and it doesn't show any sign of letting up anytime soon. (Driver's Ed. classes, baseball, guitar lessons, general 'stuff'....ahhh, the fun never ends!) I'll bet you can all relate, huh?

This month is a VERY exciting release for MFT!! These sets are some of my favorite sets EVER, and I had a ton of fun playing with them! Reserve some computer time on Wednesday evening---you're not going to want to miss these sets---I guarantee it!

When I saw this set for the first time, I immediately thought of this DP--the colors just screamed 'ice cream' to me. Wouldn't an ice cream cone like this taste wonderful? I know the colors aren't exactly right, but, for some reason, the colors remind me of my cousin's birthday parties when we were children. Every single year, she had Neopolitan ice cream to go with her birthday cake. Of course, being the birthday girl, she got a gigantic bowl of ice cream, and a piece of cake the size of a dinner plate, while the rest of us got a teeny spoonful of ice cream and a little sliver of cake.....sharing was NOT her strong point. (Of course, that could be why she weighed over 200 pounds by age 10, huh?) Too much information?? Probably... :-)

My Favorite Things (http://www.mftstamps.com/) is having a New Release Cocktail Party on Wednesday, June 4 from 9-11 p.m. Eastern time. LOTS of fun (and a surprise release) is planned including finding out how YOU can be the next MFT Guest Designer. Head over to the MFT forum on http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/ to find out all the details and we hope to see you there on Wednesday night.

In addition to this month's awesome releases, Kim will be making some exciting announcements and filling you in on the latest MFT news. Be sure not to miss it--we'd love to have you join us!!

Card info:

Stamps: Here's the Scoop-My Favorite Things.
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink, Green Galore, Papertrey white, Paper Studio DP.
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink, Green Galore, Versafine Onyx Black.
Accessories: Copic markers, ticket corner punch, Cuttlebug & Swiss dots embossing folder, brads, ribbon, sponge daubers, dimensionals.

Check this out!!

If you're familiar with SCS (Splitcoaststampers), then I'm sure you know Cindy Haffner. Not only is Cindy an amazing, fabulously talented stamper (and Dirty Dozen member!), she's also a kind, sweet, wonderful person that I'm lucky enough to call my friend.
After much encouragement, Cindy has started a blog called 'Cindy Haffner's Corner'!! (Here's the link: http://cindyhaffnerscorner.blogspot.com/ .) Be sure to stop by and welcome her to the world of blogging.

I'll be back later today to post the blog-candy goodies!! Have a great morning, everyone!

Little Girl's Treasure Box......Love this DCWV DP!

The shape of these alterable boxes (found at Hobby Lobby) have always reminded me of a little girl's jewelry box. You know, the kind that had the dancing ballerina that twirled 'round and 'round to the music when you opened the lid? When I was little, I remember watching that ballerina dance to the music, wishing that I could be as pretty and delicate as she was--and wanting to be able to wear a pretty, sparkly tutu like she did! A tutu just wouldn't have been very practical growing up on a farm, spending most of your time climbing trees, riding motorbikes, cleaning out the hog sheds and and helping with other livestock chores, etc. There was always plenty to do. It's funny, because I still miss those days, growing up on the farm. (Yes, I was a true 'tomboy' in my younger years..............until I discovered boys, that is!) Of course, after I hit my teen years, it was all about spending an hour (or more) on my makeup and hair before going to school, flirting with boys, going to pizza parties, movies, etc. etc. etc.....:-) Oh, those wonderful teen years, huh?

I altered this little box using some absolutely GORGEOUS paper by DCWV, called 'Nana's Nursery' Girls' stack. I am hooked on the pink polka-dot, the striped polka-dot and the light-green background with the pink-ish cherries. I give full credit for the enabling to Jen delMuro (genie1314), as I found it one day while checking out her blog http://iheart2stamp.com/ . Jen has made some beautiful things with this line of DP, and I just couldn't resist temptation any longer. (In fact, I've got a got a bunch more of this DP on its way to my house, just to make sure I'm stocked up.)

The framed sentiment uses MFT's featured 'oldie but goodie' set for this month, 'Setting the Stage'. Lots of great staple images in this set----the double-line frame (that I used on the top of this box), plus scalloped borders, polka-dotted ribbon images, a dotted-line image, an embellished corner stamp, and some 'doodle'-type images as well. The scalloped border along the bottom of this box was created with open-scalloped stamp in this set. 'Setting the Stage' is WELL worth the money, IMO, and the best part is that Kim has it ON SALE this month! How can you beat that?!?! Go to http://www.mftstamps.com/ to check out this set, as well as the new releases for May.

Now that I've got this all finished, I like it so much that I'm not sure I can give it away!! I may keep this one to hold buttons and things like that, and just make another one like to give as a gift. Do you ever do things like this?

Well, should close for now.

I've decided to put off the blog-candy post until next week. DH and I have to go out of town next week---and the city we're going to has countless scrapbooking stores that I'm going to have to 'visit' while he's tied up in meetings and appointments. Waiting a little longer makes it better for you, though, because I'll have SO many more neat things to offer in the blog candy drawing after I've hit these stores. I'll make sure that the prize is drool-worthy, you can be sure of that!

Thanks for stopping by today. Now, I'm off to read through the 29-30 pages of posts from the MFT release party last night. After that, I'm going to spend some 'Mommy' time just having fun and creating.

Take care of you today----I hope your day is fabulous!! Hugs to you all!

New MFT Sets---Release Party Tonight!!

Lots of good stuff going on with My Favorite Things today---the release party is tonight. These sets are a lot of fun to play with (again!), but if you're a dog-lover, you're going to have a tough time resisting these sets.

Here's some information about the release party tonight:

My Favorite Things (http://www.mftstamps.com/) is having a New Release Cocktail Party on Wednesday, May 7 from 9-11 p.m. Eastern time. Lots of fun is planned including finding out how YOU can be the next MFT Guest Designer. Head over to the MFT forum on http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/ to find out all the details and we hope to see you there on Wednesday night.

FYI: Time zone information for the release party....I always have trouble remembering the time differences, so I hope this helps you out a little bit!

9-11 p.m. Eastern; 8-10 p.m. Central; 7-9 p.m. Mountain; 6-8 p.m. Pacific.

Kim got all of the DT members fun, new watermarks, and I've been playing around with mine a little bit this morning. I am NOT a computer genius, so it took me a while to get things figured out.

I hope you enjoy looking at the new things I've made. Be sure to check out the other MFT Design Team members blogs and galleries on Splitcoaststampers---they've got a ton of great stuff to show you using the sets for May.

Have a great day---hope to see you at the release party tonight!

Hi, everyone!! It's been a long time, huh??

Sorry for such a long absence....our busy lives can get in the way of even the best intentions, can't they? Here's a quick update on what's been going on around here....first, a very dear friend of my mother's was diagnosed with advanced, terminal pancreatic cancer, and passed away within a week of the diagnosis, so I've needed to be there for my Mom. (It's nice to know that she can lean on me when she needs to---Lord knows that she's been there for me through thick and thin!!) (Hi, Mom!! :-) ) My sons have both been very busy with end of the year school activities, and my oldest son has his Confirmation ceremony in our church this morning. (I found out just HOW grumpy a teenage boy can be when it comes to trying on a new suit! Ugh!!) My hubby has been working extra shifts on Saturdays, due to high demand in his industry. That translates into trying to get more done in much less free time!

Anyway, I've been thinking about you all---and I've missed blogging and keeping in touch with everyone. The messages, personal emails and posts that many of you have sent (regarding the removal of my Ribbon Blossom tutorial) have meant SO much to me. I can't begin to tell you how many times I've gotten teary-eyed! I'm touched---beyond belief---in the support and encouragement that you've shown me. My blog readers rock!! Big hugs from me to all of you!

I think it's about time that I reward you, so, how about some blog candy?? (I'll post that in a separate post later today, OK?)

I've gotta get going, for now. (It's time to get everyone dressed and ready for church.) Here's a new card for you to look at. I'll be back later this afternoon to post some goodies for the blog candy drawing.

Have a wonderful Sunday morning!

MFT Fundraising Sale.....Please Read

Kim, (The MFT Lady) is having a sale at MFT, as a fundraiser for a family that has had a terrible tragedy occur in their lives. SO, if you've been thinking about placing an order, now would be a good time to do it. You'll not only get the things you want on sale, but you'll also be helping raise funds for this family during this difficult time. It's a win-win situation, and a wonderful way to help support this family during this time and in the future. Let's show this family how wonderfully supportive our stamping community is.

Kim posted the following information on her blog:

A few months ago, I posted about a friend, Tish, who’d been diagnosed with a very rare form of ovarian cancer. Tish battled through 6 rounds of chemo only to discover two additional tumors, one on her spine and one in her stomach. My heart fell when I read her CaringBridge post which broke the news. Since her diagnosis last August, the family has held the motto of DRIVE ON! in dealing with this aggressive cancer and fought a valiant fight. Tish lost her battle early Tuesday morning, and I found out about it late last night. Tish leaves behind two beautiful, young sons and a hubby, Todd, who I worked with for several years in my past life. I know Todd much better than I knew Tish, and know just how difficult this has been and will continue to be for the immediate future. Prior to Tish passing, a benefit was planned to help the family recover from the mounting medical bills and ensure a bright future for the boys, Tucker and Tanner. The benefit is still underway, but with a more solemn feel. My husband and I are donating some items to a silent auction, and the picture above is the gift card holder for that auction. The content of the gift card is about $200 in MFT merchandise, and I know every little bit helps. But I want to do more. Todd was the most compassionate, tender-hearted *boss* I’ve ever had, and I want more than anything to really help this family. So what I’ve decided to do is two-fold: 1) Starting tomorrow, I am offering a 10% discount on ALL stamps on the site. Use the coupon code Tish at checkout to receive 10% off all all the stamps in your shopping cart. (It won’t discount your other merchandise, just stamps.) The coupon code will run from Tuesday, April 15th-Friday, April 18th. 2) I will donate 10% of ALL proceeds (including money spent on other items on the site) to the family at their April 26th benefit. FYI - The discount applies only to retail orders… I am making it my goal to personally pay for the FL College Pre-Paid plan for the boys during an entire year which will be about $1200. Please help me reach this goal. And should you feel moved to do so, please email me for the family’s address, as I am quite sure they would love some happy mail. (And given that Tish was an SU demo, those hand-made cards WILL be appreciated!)

Here's the link to My Favorite Things: http://www.mftstamps.com/home/homepage.html