If I Only Had a Heart

I do have a heart. However, not for long. Donna has claimed this one for a friend.

I had this song in my head as I was creating this. Ha Ha Ha, now you will too;)

When a man's an empty kettle,
He should be on his mettle,
And yet I'm torn apart.
Just because I'm presumin'
That I could be kind-a human
If I only had a heart.
Now I know I've got a heart... 'Cause it's breaking.



Here is a link to a previous post on an altered heart tin.

Tutorial found on Thinking Inking.



Product List...
PTI Heart Tin and dark chocolate ribbon. Daily Design Sentiment and pure poppy ink.
Bo Bunny Love Bandit DP and Flowers
Wilton Lace Doily Heart
SU pretties kit
Prima pearl flourish
circle and hole punches
red liner tape

Happy Stamp Day. God Bless.

Just NUTS

I have PILES of retired dp along with Totes of alterable items so I used some of them. OMGoodness. I know. I used some of my Hoarded stash so out of character.

Emily Giovanni has the best tutorial out for these mailboxes you can find the tutorial here


I am playing around with an opacity effect in this post. What do you think?




This is my FAVORITE mailbox of the day. I totally went NUTS on this. So darn cute;)


"God gives the NUTS but he does not CRACK them." LOL, I love it! Script is computer generated.


I learned a HUGE hard lesson in 2010 about living today you don't know what tomorrow will be. This is the script on the front reads..."You gotta go NUTS you never know how long this is going to last".


This is the final side it says, "Here is to all the NUTTY things we have done". Sorry for the crappy pics need to drag my camera with me to town and have it serviced :(


The girls want one of each...I must be doing something right. LOL!

Product List...
Bo Bunny Love Bandit dp
PTI and SU card stock
Cricut
Cricut Cindy Loo
PTI Rick Rack die
computer
printer
google eyes
glue dots
Target Dollar Spot mailboxes
Marvy Scallop Punches
Copic Markers

Happy Stamp Day. God Bless.

NUTS for Love Bandit

On a clean up sort out kind of day when I found last years line from BoBunny called love Bandit. Had to take a time out and get a little inky. The text is computer generated and the squirrel comes from Cricut Cindy Loo cartridge cut at 3". I really had to work hard to get this looking boyish. Any hint of pink my Nephew would freak out;)


Girl version...


Here is a raccoon version he is from Cricut Happily Ever after cartridge cut at 3 1/2"...


Product list...
BoBunny DP Love Bandit
Cuttlebug embossing folder hearts
MS border punch hearts
SU border punch scallops also scallop circle punch
Circle punch
PTI card stock and ribbon
Computer
Printer
TH distress ink Old photo
Cricut
Cricut Cindy Loo
Cricut Happily Ever After
Bling
Google Eyes
Wilton paper doily heart
Copic Markers

Happy Stamp Day. God Bless!

Happy 79th Birthday Dad

I find myself wondering...
Did I give you your due..
For all that you've done for me
Did I ever thank you?

For all of my childhood memories
For helping me deal with life's stresses
For helping me accept my defeats
And celebrate my successes?

Or for teaching me the value of: hard work, Faith,
Good judgement, courage, and glue
The laughter, smiles, and quiet times we've shared
Did I ever thank you?

If I have forgotten, I'm thanking you now
You taught me right from wrong....
I hope you know how much you're loved and appreciated
I hope you, instinctively, knew it all along.

Happy Birthday, Dad

My Dad learned quickly that I was a very CREATIVE little Devil. He ended up putting the Largest bulletin board he could find and gave me a stapler and some tacks. He prayed really hard that I would never find the glue bottle again. LOL!

Dad and I 1970...

My first memories of my Dad are of him coming home from work with candy in his pocket, we would attack him and wrestle around till he gave us candy. I also remember he HATED watching Sesame Street at 6:00 PM, he wanted to watch the news after work. Ha Ha, we watched Sesame Street most days (three times a day). LOL! Let's face it I am the youngest out of five when it came to me I knew how to get what I wanted from my Daddy.

Dad in Korea...

Do not know much about his time in Korea I do love the pics my Mom saved and her Mussy love journaling. She would not know what to think of my creative space today. Dad always rolls his eyes when he comes in and sees my stash. I come back with, "you have not seen Julie's" (my sister) her DH calls it her store. Yep, she has that much! Mine is minimal in comparison.

Dad with bowling trophy...

My Dad rocks at Bowling and he taught me all of his tricks. Literally every Saturday morning he would take time to bowl a few games with me. I became just as good (I think so anyhow). If you as my Dad he would probably tell you about a state meet where I choked on the last throw and ended up in the gutter. I was in first place that one mistake brought me back down to 10th. He did not care he got a wonderful belly laugh out of it. LMAO;) When it came to PE class and bowling I was always first to be picked...yeah, I rock bowling too. Thanks for Teaching me Dad.

Dad and his grill...

Most of my childhood days were spent at the pool...yeah, you could call me a pool rat. When it closed for dinner I would hop on my bike and peddle home as fast as I could following the smell of my Dad's grill. Soy Sauce Marinated Steak is a fave of mine. My Dad also took us on many adventures in the summer from long weekends camping at various lakes to long cross country vacations. He took us to the school playground and pushed us on the swings. Dad I don't care what you or MYTHBUSTERS say the swing did wrap around the set twice. LOL, no really it did LMAO. I remember the chiropractor saying I had crickets in my back I was cracking so much. MYTHBUSTERS does says it is possible read here...
http://mythbustersresults.com/episode34


Dad and Arnold Murray at the Shepherd's Chapel in AZ...

My Dad is very Faithful and is not shy about sharing his beliefs. I like to say I let my light shine...My Dad shines brighter. He would read to us every night from bible stories for kids, take us to Church and Sunday School every week. Saved my little fingers from being squashed because I was not quick enough to remove them from the pew in front of us before the lady sat down. A quick tap to her shoulder and a glace set my fingers free;)

Dad enjoying retirement...

Talk about role reversal. My Dad thinks he is old...He does more today then I do. (Let me bring up the swing incident once again.) He has partied his way to 79 all month from friends, to outings and casino trips. I told Jan next year we are going to have to send a leash along to AZ. Seriously, I can't wait to be 79 and have my bday last all month;)

Have a great Birthday Dad, We love you!!
God Bless.

Crazy about YOU

Found a new company (to me) today, I first loved the template box for my clip it's. t I started looking through her images and was HOOKED. You have to check Tiffany out here...
TiffanyDoodles.com



Here is the Sketch she has offered up...


I played along with the sketch using her Umbrella Heart image...


Bonus card measures 4 by 4"...


Product list...
Umbrella Hearts Digital image from Tiffany
PTI stampers select white and Pure Poppy card stock, Mini Dot DP, pure poppy ink and ribbon, all about you and Fresh alpha stamp sets.
DP from Target Dollar spot (retired)
Crocheted Flower (made by ME)
Recollections flower
dimensional dots
computer
printer
Adobe photoshop
Copic Markers
Stickles
Memento Tuxedo Black Ink
Marvy Scallop Punch

Happy Stamp Day. God Bless!

PTI Blog Hop Old is New...

From Nichole...
"With the new year comes a clean slate along with many resolutions.
This month's blog hop challenge Involves you challenging yourself
to use a Papertrey stamp set that has yet to see ink or even one that
might be collecting a little dust!

Go through your stash and see what little used treasure it might hold.
If you are in need of inspiration for your chosen set,
feel free to utilize the gallery posted in the side bar of
each set's sale page on our website,
or go to the Previous Countdown page on Nichole's blog where
each set is organized by month of release.
2011 is the year where what's old is new again!"

Seriously, I can't remember the last PTI Hop I posted to?? What a crazy life 2010 turned out to be. However, I am back and more CREATIVE then EVER so watch out;) Needless to say I had MANY dusty yet clean sets. I pull out last year's Anniversary set that has not even seen ink yet. Thought I better get on this before the next one arrives in a few months. Here is my project...



I just love these little gems of wood scrap I picked up. They look so very cute altered. I made a necklace that matches the recipient can remove that and they then have an altered piece of art.

I have shown in previous posts how to make these you can find more about them here...
You Make my Heart Sing
Inspired Crafters Challenge Blog Christmas
Shabby Knobs Tutorial

Product List...
PTI Anniversary 2009 Stamp Set
Felt, ribbon, Rick Rack Die
SU Melon Mambo Ink
BasicGrey DP
Glass Round
Diamond Glaze
Bail
Chain
Recollections Flower
Wire
Round Nose Jewelry Pliers
Wood Scrap

Happy Stamp Day. God Bless.

Finished Mirror Project

Here is the total finished Mirror project. You can visit these past posts to see tutes on how this was created...
Shabby Knobs
G R A C E

It started out life as a bureau mirror we picked up while junking' for the rock bottom price of $9.99. The girls stripped the veneer off, sanded and stained it for me. Wasn't that nice? They did a wonderful job and did not argue once, total shocker!



Happy Stamp Day. God Bless.

You Make My Heart Sing

I played along with the Card Patterns sketch you can take this link and check it out.




Here is my creation based on the provided sketch...


While junking I found this bag of nice sanded wood scraps and thought OMGoodness so many possibilities. We arrived at the register to here the clerk say "why would you want to purchase a bag of wood"? Seriously? Let Me just say she would not have been around very long in one of my stores. Anywho, this is what I did with one today. I took the same DP used on the card and created a glass round necklace. the wood block has become the gift box (of sorts) for the necklace. Why would I want to purchase a bag of wood? LMAO!



Here is a second card I created while all the supplies were still out...


Product list...
PTI Bird Watching stamp set, card stock, ink, ribbon, buttons
Wood block
Glass round
Diamond Glaze
Bail
Chain
Cricut Expression
Cricut Cindy Loo Cartridge
Dimensional tape
pop dots
SU word window punch
MM stick pins
jelly Roll Glitter pen
recollections flowers
Old German Hymnal

Happy stamp day. God Bless!

Graceful German Plate Arrangement

I have been working this out in my mind for almost a year...so happy to see the finished product. The script is in German it is the mealtime prayer I grew up saying and our family now says.

Come Lord Jesus, Be our Guest. Let these gifts (Let this food) to us be blessed.



I love the little pastel flower plates they are actually bone china the other plates are Corelle wear. (All found while Junkn' at our local Y's Buys store total cost for plates $2.50.) I did no harm to the plates the way I hung them they can be easily removed.

Product List...
Assortment of Plates
Wire
Adhesive
Nails
Hammer
Cricut Expression
Cricut Vinyl black and grey
Cricut Storybook and Cindy Loo cartridges
SU Flourishes Home Decor in White

I will be back on Saturday to show you the finished G R A C E Mirror project.
Happy Stamp Day. Gesundheit!

Inspired Crafters Challenge Blog Christmas

I have lots of little things going on with this creation. Santa has felt and paper piecing. And I created a round paper lace border for the back of the Santa circle. See photo below ZOTS are amazing things;)




Banu has this great sketch up over on
Inspired Crafters Challenge Blog...there is still time to play come join in on the fun.


I went a step more and altered a piece of wood scrap using the card sketch. This time I put santa under a glass round. Did the lace border same as shown above.


Product List...
PaperTrey Ink Cardstock, DP, Buttons, Ribbon, Holiday Button Bits Stamp Set and Borders and Corners Circle Stamp Set
SU Top Note Die, silver cord, pretties kit elements, scallop border punch, label punch
Big Shot
Wilton Paper lace round
Cross charm
1 1/2" Circle Punch
Marvy Scallop Circle punch
2" Glass Round
Tim Holtz Distress Ink
Wood Block

Happy Stamp Day. God Bless.

Health Care

Our Sick little Jessica finally is getting some sleep. Some quiet time for Mom to check email.

Many of you know I sat on two Boards for the city of Sioux Falls...
Falls Community Health Governing Board Vice Chairwoman;)
Sioux Falls Health Department Board Member

I really enjoyed my time there and it felt good to be in a position to help others on such an important topic. Breaks my heart today as I read the email (can't share sorry it is confidential...wish I could). Just 4 words, Health Care Reform Legislation...enough said!

I can share with my Associate Degree BA/BM peeps this...Run get your application in I have a couple of you in mind. Call or email if you have more questions.
Administrative Assistant - The Community HealthCare Association of the Dakotas (CHAD) is seeking an exceptional individual to serve as Administrative Assistant to provide administrative and clerical support for CHAD CEO and staff.

Full Job Description

Qualifications:

Associates degree in Business Administration or Secretarial practice. Relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of education requirements
Strong attention to detail, and organizational skills
Ability to effectively communicate verbally and in writing
High proficiency with computers, Microsoft Office, Access, Excel, Outlook, Publisher, Word, PowerPoint, and Internet Explorer
CHAD offers competitive wages and benefits.

To apply please send resume and references by January 24, 2011 to Amy Cravaack...
amy.cravaack@usd.edu
Place in your subject line "Administrative Assistant Job Inquiry from CHAD Web"

I was actually at Falls Community Health on Tuesday...happy to report a 13 lb weight loss. (Insert High five and a happy dance here). Over the years I have just become so attached to the employees I choose to go there for my health care. You know you can as well. Not just for those w/o medical insurance. They are on a sliding fee scale according to your income.

Okay, back to regular programming. I hope to have a creative post Thursday.

Now get going check into this amazing opportunity! Go! Now! ;)

God Bless!

Shabby Knobs Tutorial

These are so fun to make, I keep going and going...using them in different ways. I did show you a version of these here "Awkward Tiles and Trees" post.
Today I am showing you the 2" glass rounds and how I have used them on our Bureau Mirror Project as Knobs.

Step 1: Place Diamond Glaze on one side of the round, align your fabric or paper so the side you want showing out through the glass is face down.



Step 2: Press down your fabric or paper so the Diamond Glaze soaks through to the back.



Step 3: Trim your fabric or paper after the layer of Diamond Glaze has dried.



Step 4: Turn the round over so you can place more Diamond Glaze over the backside of the fabric and let dry. After it is dry you have many options as how to use these such as...magnets, jewelry, push pins etc...


Let's talk craft glue for one second. I love E6000* I use it all of the time wonderful product. However, I have on two occasions blown the end off the large tube after I have used it a few times and it has set. Then I spotted this little gem...small tubes YES! These are perfect! No they don't sell just the small tubes alone at HL only with the craft adhesive (works wonderfully also I use it with fabric flowers). Highly Recommend these little babies, a bit expensive but throwing away a large tube is not cost effective either. *I do not receive product or payment from E6000 this is just my opinion after using the product.*



Step 5: Use E6000 to place drop of adhesive onto he nail head.
Step 6: Place your glass round and let dry.



Product list...
2" Glass rounds
Diamond Glaze
E6000 Adhesive
Fabric
DCWV Luxury Stack DP
Large Head Nails

Happy Stamp Day. God Bless!

G R A C E

I keep seeing this pic pop up while visiting InCourage. The Script GRACE is hand painted on wooden tiles.
Grace Tile Set Dayspring

I have been giving some peeks on facebook on a family* Project Bureau Mirror. This is a tiny part of the project. I was tossing around how I could create this for our living room. Floor tiles would be hard to hang...get big eye roll from DH...has to be easier way. 4 by 4 wood tiles...check stash...one short...ACK! Oh here we go...I have over two hundred blank 4"drink coasters...remember those...we all just had to have SOME;) LOL, 200 = SOME!


Have to click in on these coasters this DCWV DP stack is so growing on me it has this beautiful shine and the patterns...YUMMY!

Product list...
4" Blank Drink Coasters
DCWV Luxury Stack DP
Corner Rounder Creative Memories
Making Memories anywhere Hole Punch, rub ons
Papertrey ink Vintage Cream Satin Ribbon and ink
Recollections flowers, butterflies and pearls
Hand Baked Tags from Chrys
Wilton round paper doily
Tim Holtz Distress Ink
Modge Podge
Cricut Expression
Cricut Story Book
Cricut Chocolate Vinyl

Cut DP 4" Square and round the corners.
Apply to blank coaster with Modge Podge and let dry.
Punch Hole in upper corners.
Distress the edges with ink.
Place your Vinyl letters.
Thread Your ribbon through the holes starting in the back.
Apply your embellishments.

Happy Stamp Day. God Bless!

Skating Church?

I did use my Copics over PTI Kraft to get a suede look on the skates. They actually turned out to look like the real thing dirty and abused. The skates the place uses have to be 20 years old or better...NASTY...won't catch my feet in a pair!

Our neighbors asked us to go last spring to their annual church skate party and Dinner. I do think it is good for children to experience different faith practices then they are used to. When I was in HS our youth group attended a different Church service quite often. But, never a skating church! LOL!

Yes, our then four year old thought our skate outing was actually to a Skating Church. She happily announced, "I want to go to this Church all the time". Some Church'n shoes those would be! Jessica calls her dress shoes Church'n Shoes. Just give it a few years if you see a Skating Church pop up you know who is running the show.

Jessica's Church'n Shoes...I had to do it! LMAO!


Onto the second half of the night...Hang on here you can't purchase dinner and a show tickets and get this type of entertainment. DH did not get it right away I had to explain when we got to the car. Seriously?!

Okay, after skating we gathered at a local school gym for dinner. Before dinner there was a LONG, very long sermon based on the Apocalypse, Hell Fire, Book of Life, damnation etc... I could not in my mind figure out why he chose this day for that sermon? Did not make sense. I was starting to feel totally out of place. I turned to DH to say this, "DON"T DRINK THE PUNCH."

Okay, do you get it?


Those who don't remember the past are condemned to repeat it. George Santayana


Jim Jones
False Prophet
Jonestown
The Peoples Temple
Cyanide Laced Punch

**I am in no way making fun of what happened to the people of Jonestown. Such a sad event in history. Heartbreaking indeed. There is a powerful lesson to learn here..."As soon as you can say what you think and not what some other person has thought for you, you are on the way to being a remarkable man." James M. Barrie

Jeremiah 5:30-31... A Horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land. The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end?

What will I do in the end? I know I won't be drinking the punch! ;)

Product list...
Cricut Expression
Cricut Everyday Paper Dolls
Basic Grey DP and sticker alpha
dimensional dots
Copic Markers
PTI cardstock

Happy Stamp Day! God Bless.

Shabby Ribbon Valentine Wreath Tutorial

Above is the first shabby wreath I made to coordinate with Grab A Cup Valentine and the Tea Party Card. Ribbon for this project is from Michaels.

Below I am going to show you a traditional red/white heart.
Step 1: Make your heart form.
I used paper wrapped flower stems (what I had on hand) you can use a coat hanger or wire.


Step 2: Secure your heart form with floral tape.


Step Three: Cut your ribbon to 6" Lengths.
Step Four: Start tying on your ribbon, leaving no space between ties.


For the center I had some heart shape make your own ornaments I filled the one below with heart shape ribbon. Would also look really cute with colored sugar, red hots etc.
Step 5: Tie on your center focal point, this tie also becomes your hanger.
Here is the finished Ribbon Valentine Wreath, this one will hang on our cabinet;)


Product list...
Paper Wrapped Wire floral Stems
White floral tape
ribbon Michaels, pti, SU
Silver string SU
PTI Red/White bakers twine
DCWV paper
cricut Expression
cricut wild card cartridge
Heart create an ornament Hobby Lobby

Happy Stamp Day. God Bless!

A Tea Party

Here is a card that I made using the Sketch from Inspired Crafters. It goes wit the Grab A Cup Valentine post.





Product list...
Papertrey Ink Two for tea stamp set, buttons, twine and stampers select white cardstock
DCWV DP
Fabric Scraps
Head Pin and beads
Copic Markers
Spellbinders labels die and oval die
dimensional dots

Happy Stamp Day. God Bless!
Sewing Machine and pink thread