Salute to the Great George Blanda!

SALUTE TO GEORGE BLANDA!

I would like to send out special prayers to the family of a really great man that passed away today! We are mourning the loss of the GREAT GEORGE BLANDA!! Not only was George Blanda a remarkable man as he was a Hall of Famer in the National Football League but he was a also a Hall of Famer in humanity!! George played a miraculous twenty-six years in the National Football League beginning his career in Chicago! My middle son was a huge Chicago Bears Fan and was a very gifted kicker from a very early age. He went on to kick in college but my story begins when he was about 10 years old! George Blanda found out that he was a huge Chicago Bears Fan as well as being a gifted kicker. George contacted him to tell him how much hard work it would take to become a talented kicker but that he had faith in him and knew he would make it. He sent my son this autographed card along with a letter of encouragement. George also checked on him off and on to know if he was still kicking and how he was doing. Imagine the Great George Blanda taking the time to check on a young kid for over ten years following his kicking career and offering encouragement. George will be greatly missed in our family and I know across the nation as George offered encouragement to a great many people! Football has lost a great man today! George, we love you and you will be missed!
Praying for your family and mine!
Big Hugs!

Challenges!

Good Morning to Ya!

I have created a little card for the Copic Creations Challenge Blog which must include shading around your image. I created this cute little bird celebration card for my nephew who is having a special Bird-day! LOL!

I also created a monchromatic card for the challenge at CMC Copic Challenge Blog and used this darling Elisabeth Bell image Little Rapunzel. Isn't she just darling! I colored her with all the E50s.

Chinese Tilda was created for a group that I am forming at Simply Scrapping Crafts for all of you that love the Magnolia images! In this group I am having a challenge in which you must use velum in your project. I used velum behind each of the panes in Tilda's screen. I am pretty happy with the results. What do you think?

This past week has been a serious of ups and downs! I was way up as my brand new Cricut Imagine arrived. I was so excited but at the same time intimidated. I took my new Imagine out of the box after it had been setting for two days, unpacked it, and carefully watching the video and reading the manual began calibrating all of the settings. Wow! It worked! I was so excited! I picked a simple image to print and cut just to get the feel of this new machine and it printed fabulously!! Then waiting for the cut.....nothing, dang it! I read over the manual again....begin recalibrating..... and still nothing! I checked the message board and sure enough another unlucky lady had the same problem. I contacted Provo Craft and they tell me that the cutting board inside the machine is not working. Dang IT! I now have to send my brand new Imagine back to Provo Craft which they will replace but I am looking at several weeks before I get the new one. Dang It! All the while my beloved Gypsy is also gone as it too needed replaced! I was hoping to play with my new Imagine while my beloved Gypsy was gone but now they will both be gone! Dang It! Oh well... at least they will both be good as new in a few weeks.

I am off to Colorado again soon I hope! I have to wait for my email with my return label to return the Imagine before I head out. Just pray I don't miss the gorgeous fall colors!

Big Hugs!

Challenges

Happy Hump Day!!
My first card is created for a challenge at Simply Scrapping Crafts Copic Group. This challenge was coloring with reds and to create a Christmas Card. I created my card using the Magnolia Stamp Christmas Morning Tilda found in my ETSY Shop! I love the Magnolias and use them in my counseling practice! I have listed some of the stamps not used by me or the counselors that I sell to in my ETSY Shop found here! I really hope you can find some little cuties and would love to see what you create also!
I wanted to let everyone know about a COPICs Challenge over at Simply Scrapping Crafts here ! The exciting news is....The Copic Challenge group will be officially starting in October. Each week will be a new challenge and if you complete all the challenges for that month your name will be entered into a random drawing and the prize will be two Copic markers or two Copic Variance refills. Wowzer!!! What an incentive for all of us that absolutely love our COPICs!! Please go to this site and sign up for the Copic Challenge and be sure and mention my name Lisa K sent you and then follow the following instructions for more chances to win!

• Place the Copic Challenge Blinkie on the sideboard of your blog. It is under the home tab and you only need to copy and paste the code.

• On your personal blog post the information about our Copic Challenges that will be officially starting in October and the random drawing at the end of the month with a link back to SSC.
  

• If a new member joins the Copic Challenge Group and mentions your name...you will receive another ticket into the drawing. This person can already be a member of SSC! So look every where for new members!
  

The RAK will continue until HALLOWEEN NIGHT! Good luck and let us get this group a rock'n! Easy peasy!! So what are waiting for?!

This card I created for another challenge at Icopic Lovers Blog. The recipe for this challenge is to create a card using the fall colors of brown, yellow, and orange. My card has the image Little Rapunzel by Elisabeth Bell. I love her images. Toooo cute! The lucky winner will receive 7 Copic Ciao Markers of your choice! and 1 Copic Color Swatch Book. Have I mentioned that I love my COPICs? LOL!

This card was created for another challenge at Color Creative Classroom here. This week the challenge is to use the feathering technique which I created on this darling Rock Chic image created by Kenny K ! I just love these images it brings out the rock lover in me!! LOL!

I am once again packing and trying to find my way back to the cabin in Colorado! I can't wait since the leaves were just beginning to change when I left. I am hoping to catch the fall colors in all their splendid glory!

Big Hugs!

September 11, 2010
I would like to take a moment and remember this important date in history for our dear United States of America! September 11th is a day we all remember with a sad heart. I pray continually for our country and all the families that were directly effected by this horrible day. I pray that peace comes into our hearts but that we will never forget what the fanatic terrorists did that day in the name of God! So many terrible acts have been committed in the name of God! I always wonder what goes through someone's mind that leads them to believe that God would ever want one of his most beloved creations to kill another in his name? Please join with me in continuing to pray that instead of the repeated hatred that is committed over and over again we turn to each other with love and remember that we all have the same creator that put each precious soul on this earth!
Wowzer! Can you believe that this entire month of August and part of September have disappeared! I have been at the cabin in Colorado since the first part of August and my how time flies when you are having fun! I have spent most of my time fishin' and we have the freezer ready for dinner before we leave tomorrow!
Today we are going to the Old Miner's Inn in Creede, Colorado one of my favorite spots in all of America! The Old Miner's Inn has the best pizza I have tasted anywhere! My absolute fav is the Mamma Mia! Yummy!! Look at the side of my blog for their button and if you are ever in Southern Colorado this is a little mining town you MUST visit and be sure and go into the Old Miner's Inn and try their fantastic pizza! I have tried them all and you can't go wrong on really anything you order. The atmosphere is wonderful just as it was decades ago with the old time bar!
I haven't gotten much crafting done as I forgot a lot of my crafting supplies including the cord that connects my Gypsy to my Cricut, bummer! I did bring my Copic Markers and went to the Copic Certification Class in Albuquerque, New Mexico where I had a fantastic instructor in Jenni Black! I also met some of the nicest people on the planet! We had a ball and if you look to my sidebar you will see that I am CERTIFIED! Woooo Hoooo! I prefer to call myself Bonified! LOL! Love the movie "Oh Brother Where Art Thou"! If you have ever watched this movie you know that you must be bonified to claim your right to whatever! LOL! Maybe this means I am Certifiably Bonified! (Okay, enough laughing and thinking commit-able!) I learned a lot and cannot wait to get my hands on the Copic Air Brush system since I have finished purchasing all of my Copic markers and now just have to work on the refills! I did make some Thank You cards for all the wonderful crafters that have purchased my Magnolia Stamps from my Ebay and Etsy Shops.
I will be returning home to Texas tomorrow and hopefully will be able to post some of my newest additions in digis from Kenny K Downloads that I am unable to print here! I can't wait to start coloring on these fantastic images! Thanks so much Cheryl for "turning me on" to these great images. I will have a link with my new posts once I get them up!
I am posting a picture is of my DH and my DD at Clear Creek Water Falls above Creede, Colorado on the way to Slumgullion Pass that leads to the beautiful city of Lake City, Colorado. One of the most beautiful drives you will ever take! (Can you tell I love this country? hee hee!)
I hope to add more later but since it has been three weeks since my last post I wanted to catch you up on what I have been doing. My youngest DS decided to stay in the car and catch up on his reading but I just couldn't leave him out of the adventure.
.
Big Hugs!

August 23, 2010

Good Colorado Morning!
I have fantastic news!! I just found out that I won the Tool Challenge at Throgh the Craftroom Door Magazine blog and my Wild About You book will be featured in the new issue! Wooo Hooo! I am so surprised and so honored. Thank you Monique Griffin for the fantastic instructions and how to create this darling book. Yes, I did change a few things but the inspiration goes to Monique! If you have never viewed her fabulous creations you can go to her blog MonkeyDoodle and see all of her fantastic designs.

Well, I am back after I have been MIA for weeks! I finally made it to the cabin and it is wonderful. So nice and cool, what a relief! My son, his wife, and my darling granddaughter met my youngest son and I here the first week of August. We had a blast sight seeing and fishing in the local area. We also enjoyed a football game (preseason of course) at the Old Miner's Inn in Creede. If you are ever in Creede you MUST stop in and try their Momma Mia Pizza! OMGosh, that is the BEST pizza on the planet! The atmosphere and the locals are an added plus! My favorite places by far! We then headed off to my favorite city Denver for some shopping! We stayed in Castle Rock and shopped the outlets (spent way toooo much money, shhhhh don't tell hubby!) and then a night out at Casa Bonita (their food is not the best with the exception of sopapillas) and great entertainment! My son and his family returned to Amarillo and Treyce and I headed west for some great scenery on our way back to the cabin. We stopped in SiverThorne for some great food at Chipolte, if you have never tried Chipolte it is wonderful!! Arriving back at the cabin Saturday night we headed to Monte Vista to the Drive-In Theater and watched Despicable Me which was very cute and a beautiful night out. We returned to the cabin with no cell phone and no internet service, it seems someone had cut a fiber optic cable and the southern Colorado area was without service. I did get my cell phone back after some extended time but no internet. Finally, with the help of my generous neighbors Ron and Sherry, I am back in business.

I received an email from my FANTASTIC friend Lisa (The Purple Place) and she told me about a fantastic Challenge going on at iCopic Lover blog for which I made this darling card.
The winner of the challenge receives 7 Ciao Markers! Wowzer! Isn't that fabulous!! I have a new sewing machine and no I have never sewed before and the instructions for setting it up were all in Spanish! Can you believe there was not an English translation in the box. LOL! You should have seen me trying to figure out how to load a bobbin and threading the machine. After much frustration I finally accomplished my task. I added sewing to this card and I don't think it was too bad considering it was my first attempt at sewing. What do you think?

This darling picture of the Thank You Card I made is for Ron and Sherry and all that they have done for me besides being some of the best neighbors ever! Yep, I sewed on this one also. Again, not too bad for the second attempt. I am going to try this on more cards and see if my technique improves. I wish I had brought more thread with me as I have almost every color available at home. (I had great ambitions of becoming a seamstress and even purchased a Disney Embroidery Machine). Oh well, I can always bring more up later. It has been weeks since I have colored any images so this was great fun and I can't wait to get back to more creating.!

Have a fabulous day! Praying for your family and mine!

Big Hugs!

August 12, 2010

Happy Thursday!
I have finally arrived at our cabin in Colorado! My youngest son and I drove up Sunday night and got in about 3:00 a.m. mountain time. Wooo Hooo ! It is about time! My middle son, his wife and my granddaughter came in that night also! We have been out fishin' every single night and I must say it is wonderful! I am running around in my jeans and sweatshirts (I love sweatshirts, they are my favorite piece of clothing)! My two shelties seem to be loving it as well as they are running around snooping and love the lakes and the streams. The day I left Texas it was 101 degrees when I left at 8:00 that evening. It has been hanging around 75 degrees here during the day and flat cold at night sometimes getting down in the 40s! I am loving it!! My poor hubby said today it was 104 degrees with 80% humidity! We never have humidity so I know it is miserable. I really miss him and wish he could be here with us.
Prior to my leaving I spent several hours in my craftroom and made a few cards that I am posting for some challenges at Simply Scrapping Crafts! I made one for the Copics challenge in which we were to color white, one for the Stamp and Scrap Challenge in which you have 5 of something, 3 of something, and 1 of something. For the Card Challenge we were to put a frame around your image. I also got a little rearranging done! Whew!
Card Challenge ~ Tilda with Candy Cane
I cut the frame that doubles for a window with my Nestabilites, Tilda is colored with Copics and stickles added to the candy cane. The Magnolia Trees on the inside are heat embossed with a winter wonderland embossing powder.

Copic Challenge ~ Coloring White
This image is "Tantrum" by Mo Manning colored with Copics. The sidewalk I drew in and colored white with shadows. I used Microsolft Word for the Sentiment and cut it with my circle scallop Nestabilies.
Stamp and Scrap Challenge includes: 5 ~ Shapes
(hearts, diamonds, clubs, spades, and circles for the chips)
3 ~ Layers of paper , 1 ~ Ribbon
I titled this one "Winner Winner Chicken Dinner"
Since I am an avid poker player I truly love this image by Mo Manning and thought it probably looks like me in a few years playing Hold 'Em! LOL!

I tried to bring as much of my craftroom with me as I could as it has been weeks since I have even colored with my Copics! I usually color five or six images a day so I can't wait to get started back on my coloring. While the boys are here though I am busy running around the mountain side fishing, shopping, and sight seeing. We are really having a good time and I feel it is much deserved after this summer from he..!
I am off to update my Gypsy and load of couple of new cartridges and then off to bed for a few winds before we head out again today.
I hope everyone has a fabulous Thursday and as usual I am sending out prayers for my family and yours.
Big Hugs!

August 2, 2010

Hi Friends!
We just returned from the Dallas and Oklahoma City area from being at my dear cousin Sharon's funeral! OMGosh, my heart hurts! It was so painful to lose my dear Uncle but now my cousin. The immediate family seems to be coping but Sharon loved the holidays as much as I do and this will be such a sorrowful time for them! Sharon was like I am and would much rather watch someone else receive a gift than get one herself, that she again like me went overboard on Christmas gifts! She had nine grandchildren all born in four years!! Sharon loved to buy them gifts and could not wait to see their faces as they opened their packages! Do you think the kids enjoyed this? I know I go way overboard and it takes us the rest of the year to recover from all the gifts I purchase at Christmas! I have always had a love of giving, much more than receiving! I think that is the people pleaser in me, I can't stand it if someone is not happy, I consider it my mission to make the whole world smile! Something I really need to work on.

After my Uncle passed away in June, I did ask my cousins if they were going to sell his SUV to the general public, I would love a shot at having first bids on it. Well, after Sharon passed away my cousin Bob called and asked if I would like to purchase it. We had just made it to Oklahoma City from the Dallas area not quite to my daughter's apartment when he called. To make a long story short, we talked about it and the next day drove back to the Dallas area and purchased the SUV. I am so glad to have it and can't wait to head for Colorado and the cabin! It means so much to me that it was my dear Uncle's SUV! We spent the evening with my cousin Bob and his beautiful wife Pam looking at old pictures (they gave me pics that dated back to 1921~) and going over old memories. We all went out to dinner and had a wonderful evening for such a sorrowful time! Once we returned to Bob and Pam's home, Bob discovered that the front and back tags do not match! LOL! Evidently when my darling Uncle put the tags on the SUV and his other car he put one tag from each on each one of them! In Texas you MUST have front and back. Bob could not find the title either so I am in a pickle until I can get it changed. It was funny though and gave us all a good and much needed laugh!

Dang It! The disasters keep on rolling this summer! Before we left for my cousin's funeral we had received a call from my in-laws neighbors and there was an emergency at their house which we still need to go through and sell. Dealing with this new disaster had set me back in going to Colorado and I still have not made it to the cabin in Colorado and it looks like it will be later this week before I can even think about going. I know that is only a couple of days away but Geeeez! This is freaking ridiculous! I had planned to be there by the 2nd as I had Alyssia enrolled in a theater class in Creede! However due to all the mishaps I am not going to make it since that is afterall TODAY!
I had to resign from the Design Team at Colorful Creations due to this mishap and it taking all my time. So boo hoo no time for crafting right now. At least not what I need to dedicate to being on a Design Team. I have been able to color a few images late at night with my Copics so all is not lost! I also ordered the last of my Copics except for the florescent which I hope to add to my collection some day.

Now, I really need to organize the craftroom as I have everything everywhere! LOL! All the disasters have kept me loading and unloading and just stashing stuff wherever I can find to stash it. I also need to load what I am taking to Colorado and figure out what and what not to take.

I have done a few Christmas cards and that is a big woo hoo as I had promised myself at Christmas that I would work on them all year and so far I have four! LOL! Hopefully once I reach the beautiful mountains, things will settle down and I can get back to normal!

Again, sending out prayers for our family and yours!

Big Hugs!