Stamptoberfest

I've finally got a start on Stamptoberfest--a fun stamping event at one of my favorite sites. If you want to look at some wonderful cards or read through the challenges, please go to the site and check out anything labeled SOF09!

Two Peas Stamping Board

My desk is a disaster and I will be gone all day but hopefully I can get lots done tomorrow. Cleaning up can wait until next week, ha ha!

Card Credits:
Paper by Basic Grey, Little Yellow Bicycle and Stampin' Up! Stamps by Karen Lockhart and Clearly Wordsworth. Coloring using Copics and memento ink.

August CFH Bloghop

Welcome to the CFH August Bloghop.

Did you get here from Sheila's amazing site?
If not, make sure you start here to see all the featured cards today.
You're almost done now so continue to the last stop of the hop. Thanks, everyone who made it this far and to everyone who participated in any way!


Can you believe Summer's almost over!? That means it's time to think of holiday cards for our heroes. You need to make them early so there's enough time to organize them and then mail them overseas and back again. The deadline for holiday cards is November 1. They don't have to be fancy or perfect or anything at all except heartfelt and made with love so there's no pressure. Make one or a hundred--they are all appreciated.

One of my favorite things about making these cards is knowing just how much joy one little card can bring.

1. Of course I get the joy and relaxation of doing my favorite hobby.
2. Then whoever gets my box at CFH will feel great knowing that another bundle of goodness will be ready to mail soon.
3. When our heroes get the cards I hear they have tons of fun picking out which cards each person gets to send to their loved ones.
4. Finally, a friend or family member will get a much-needed card from their hero letting them know they are missed and everything is ok.

That's a lot of love for one tiny card, isn't it!?

Here's a super simple card you can make for any occasion and in any color scheme. All it takes is a large sentiment stamp, a gem or brad some embossing powder and ink and a marker. If you have a Scor-Pal that will add the perfect touch. To start, cut your card out of heavy ivory cardstock. I used Papertrey Ink brand because it is extra smooth and extra heavy. Score it in half and add two score marks on the bottom side for an elegant decoration. Use your marker if desired to add a line between the decorative score bumps. Stamp and emboss your sentiment using green powder (mine's from My Sentiments Exactly) and add a red gem. Voila! A fast and easy card.

I am thinking of making more with some dark burgundy cardstock and gold embossing and marker. You can also do a "Thinking of You" or any other occasion card using your favorite colors!

Memorial Day CFH Bloghop

Today is the start of the big Cards for Heroes Bloghop! If you haven't been there yet, please visit the CFH website at http://cardsforheroes.org/bloghop to start your hop (everything starts at noon, PT)!

Sandy has done wonders with the site and there are so many fabulous volunteers working hard to create cards and make sure they get out to our heroes overseas so they can write home to their friends and family. Every time I see the pictures of the heartfelt cards people make it makes me feel so good. You can send one card or a hundred—each card it accepted with appreciation and love.

My card features a beautiful red poppy to observe Memorial Day and the sacrifices that were made for our country.

Card details: Cardstock from Papertrey Ink and Bazzil; patterned paper from me & my BIG ideas; stamps from Stampin' Up!; markers from Copic; Punch from EK-Success. In the background is my grandfather's flag; Alfred H. Bentley served in the Army in WWII and retired as a Master Sergeant.

Once you are done here please hop over to Vicki's site where you are in for a special treat. Her cards are so cute and cheerful I know she will have something wonderful cooked up for us today! Whoever gets her cards are very lucky!

(Scroll down to read more about why poppies are a symbol of this day. )



Thanks to my coworker Captain Troy H. for forwarding the text and story below.

The Poppy Story

From the battlefields of World War I, weary soldiers brought home the memory of a barren landscape transformed by wild poppies, red as the blood that had soaked the soil. By that miracle of nature, the spirit of their lost comrades lived on.

The poppy became a symbol of the sacrifice of lives in war, and represented the hope that none had died in vain. The American Legion Auxiliary Poppy has continued to bloom for the casualties of four wars, its petals of paper bound together for veterans by veterans, reminding America each year that the men and women who have served and died for their country deserve to be remembered.

Poppy Day has become a familiar tradition in almost every American community. This distribution of the bright red memorial flower to the public is one of the oldest and most widely recognized programs of the American Legion Auxiliary.

This poppy, as a memorial flower to the war dead, can be traced to a single individual, Miss Moina Michael. She was so moved by Col. McCrae's poem that she wrote a response:

. . . the blood of heroes never dies
but lends a luster to the red
of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.

On impulse, she bought a bouquet of poppies–all that New York City's Wanamaker's Department Store had–and handed them to businessmen meeting at the New York YMCA where she worked. She asked them to wear the poppy as a tribute to the fallen. That was November 1918. World War I was over, but America's sons would rest forever "in Flanders Fields." Later, she would spearhead a campaign that would result in the adoption of the poppy as the national symbol of sacrifice.

Baby Fever!

Well, it has been a whirlwind of babies around here lately! My SIL (the one who was engaged and pushed up her wedding, planned everything in a month and got married a couple of weeks ago!) had an "emergency" baby adoption that was the cause of the shortened wedding time.

She got word from a friend of a friend of a friend that someone was giving birth and was going to leave her baby at the hospital because she didn't want to keep him. So instead of abandoning the baby to be left with social services, the birth mother gave the baby to someone who has wanted children for so very long! Nena went to the hospital that very day to pick up her sweet and precious newborn.

She and Carlos have a long adoption process to go through but they are some of the happiest parents ever! I helped them out by making emergency birth announcements (80 of them!) to mail out.

Pictures today are the birth announcements, an extra card I made while making them, and the card I made for her shower.

In the meantime, Lena (one of my other SIL's) found out that she is pregnant and she also getting married soon (at the end of the month). She is due in October and I know that she and Joe will have a beautiful baby! Today I found out that my cousin Laurel is also pregnant and her due date is in January. I am thrilled for everyone!

Details: Precious One shower card uses Hambly transparency, Stampin Up and Hanko Designs papers and Cosmo Cricket rubons. Punch is by EK Success.

Happy New Baby announcement and card use papers by Prism, Amuse Art Stamps and Hanko Designs. Stamps by Stampin' Up.

Sunshine

I was on a photography forum and the challenge was to post a photo of "sunshine". I thought it would be fun to post some photos that feel like sunshine to me.

I love sweet Ollie with the warm sun on his fur. He has such a sweet disposition that I even call him "sunshine" sometimes. Matt took this picture.
We are so lucky to live on the beautiful California Coast. This was taken near Malibu. Can you see the rainbow in the sea spray?

My baby cousin, Ruthie got married in a beautiful redwood grove in Northern California on a perfect day last May.

Here's another wedding shot of the sweetest, freshest strawberries you've ever had! They were grown locally and picked at their prime the day before.

A lovely waterlily at the Getty Villa in Malibu. I love how the sun shines off the leaves and petals.

What is more sunshiny than bold, beautiful sunflowers?

A final wedding shot. It really was a perfect day for Ruthie & Craig. These cosmos were the centerpieces.

I did not take this picture (obviously!) but I wanted to leave you with one of my favorite wedding photos. I love the soft glow of sunshine here and the peaceful feeling it has. We were dancing to either "As Time Goes By" or "Moon River"; our first two dance songs. (Did you know how much Matt loves "Casablanca"?)
Hope you have a nice end of your week and hope my sunshine warms you even if it's still cold where you are.

Hong Kong Trinkets & Treasures

Colleen Challenged us to blog about the 6th photo in the 6th folder so here is mine. My photo was just awful and blurry (I guess I was in too much of a hurry and now I can't re-take it) so I figured I'd blog about all the items in the small folder.

These are some of the gifts I brought back from Hong Kong. Hong Kong is known for its fabulous shopping and boy did we have fun! I got most of these at the Jade Market, which is a section of the city with some big warehouses that are set up with small kiosks for individual vendors to sell. It is a great place to find some deals on trinkets and haggle for costume jewelry. Oh, how I love me a good haggle!

The Jade earrings on the left were for my mother.

I got these pretty stone and braided bracelets for my cousins. Some of them are jade and I'm not sure what the other stones are. I just liked the work that was done on them. The one with the 5 jade flowers was the most expensive and it cost about $10 American. I could have gotten something similar for cheaper, but I wanted just the right one.



Sometimes you have to pay more if you don't have time to haggle and you have other people with you that are in a hurry, but it's all part of the fun. And we are talking about a few dollars here; not hundreds so there is no big loss.



I found a tiny jade elephant for myself and I had to have it. When I was a girl I collected carved elephants and I wanted one as a remembrance of my old collection. If the trunk is up in the air it means good luck. I bargained that elephant down to about $5. Imagine my chagrin when I went to the next booth and they tried to sell me the same elephant *starting* at $5! So much for my mad haggling skillz! I have the elephant at work. Someday I'll take a picture to show you.



These chopsticks were a gift for my cousin who was getting married the week we got back from vacation. I did not get any sort of bargain on them but I thought they were so beautiful I had to buy them. They were from a very touristy chopstick shop in Big Buddha Village. I ended up spending about what I would have spent buying a wedding gift here in the states.



They are hand-carved rosewood with gold engraved tops. One set has a phoenix to symbolize the wife and the other one has dragon to symbolize the husband. They are a traditional gift for a wedding and I wanted Ruthie & Craig to have something special.



I had to hunt all over town for these earrings. I ended up going to a jewelry store on Stanley Street near our tailor shop. If you look closely you can see that the gold work is much finer than the cheaper ones I got at the jade market. These are jade too; it is called lavender jade. They had similar ones everywhere, but I wanted this shape, color and gold tops. I can't remember what they say, but I think one is "good fortune" and one is "happiness".

Dreams

I made some cards this week using my new stamps by Wendi Vecchi. She's the one who taught me the resist technique that is used in my post below and in the leaf card above. If you're interested in the stamps you can find them here and here

White Ink Samples

If you're a stamper, you know how many basic inks you acquire in your search for the perfect ink. I thought I'd stamp out all my white inks for fun so I could have a comparison. The first sample is stamped on Stampin' Up (SU) Basic Black paper. The Colorbox ink was extra juicy so it is a little darker than the rest. The alabaster needs to be re-inked, I think. The alabaster is really more of a cream color than white, but I wanted to compare it anyways. It also shows up a little better in person than in the scan. I think I like the Adirondack and SU ink the best for this purpose, but if you're stamping a solid non-detailed image maybe the Colorbox is best. Of course, depending on your needs, each one of these inks has its own advantages.


This second image shows the same inks stamped on SU Ivory paper. Once the ink is dry you can try this cool technique I learned yesterday from Wendy Vecchi. I'm using her stamps as the sample. Use your sponge tool and your Tim Holtz Distress Inks (I used Spiced Marmalade). Keep adding more ink onto the paper until the image magically pops. Depending on the look you want you can choose which ink you like best. She was using the Adirondack and made some fantastic samples. Let me know if you try this--I'd love to see what you make!

Aeronaut

Can you believe I did it? People who know me soon realize that I'm scared of everything. I'm afraid of heights, cars that are too fast, bridges, skiing, falling, being cold, suffer from claustrophobia; I'm even afraid of Tzatziki Sauce! I never would have gone on a balloon if it hadn't of been my friend's 30th birthday and I knew my husband has always wanted to do this.

So with steely resolve I vowed to go on the balloon and hoped I wouldn't cry. I kept reminding myself how brave I had been to go on the Big Buddha tram in Hong Kong and how I would be able to do deep breathing and hold Matt's hand when I was scared. I reminded myself how scared I had been to snorkel and how by the end of our honeymoon it was my favorite thing ever. I reminded myself how many people go in balloons and love it. I prayed I wouldn't get hysterical and embarrass myself in front of my friends and ruin their trip.

All that worry was for nothing! As soon as the balloon took off I knew it would be OK. We ever so gently floated in our basket; slowly rising off the ground like angels. We climbed into the sky and saw the grape vine fields and citrus orchards and houses that looked like tiny models. My worries about the cold were unfounded—the heat from the flame was more than enough to keep us warm. I was at peace with the world and I didn't want it to end. Our landing was a little adventurous; we took out a couple of saplings in a small industrial park and came very close to a large plate glass window. But our skilled pilot and crew got us down safely with one big jolt and that was it—safe again on mother terra!

Afterwards, we enjoyed some almond champagne and a picnic breakfast (our adventure started at 6 AM!) and then went to a winery for a much deserved (and needed!) wine-tasting. As we drove home I was happy that we had enjoyed a perfect day!

Have you ever conquered fear and been surprised at the outcome? This time I was more worried about being scared than I was during the actual event. I'm glad it worked out and I could have a beautiful memory of a great day.

Guess what I did?

Can you guess what I did yesterday? I'll post the answer later...

Home is where my heart is

Sigh! It's good to be home again! It's just about always where I'd rather be. Sometimes when I turn the corner into our neighborhood I start smiling and feel brighter because I know little Ollie cat will greet me at the door! He almost always comes to greet me after a long day and he will run ahead of me, say a happy "meow!" and plop onto the floor in front of me so I can scratch him! What's better than that!?

Boo is usually waiting nearby and she will let me have an "audience" with her princess-self if I have been good! It is funny how they have such different personalities. He is goofy and lazy and she is dainty and wants to play all the time. Sigh! I love coming home. I step lightly up the stairs and say hello to Matt, who is usually on the computer (and hopefully done with work for the day!)

This weekend I won't be home much (to my regret!) but we will be doing fun, interesting things. Saturday it's off to the Travel Show in LA and Sunday I get to go to the Scrapbook convention for a little supply run. Then Monday (hooray for an extra day off!) I will go visit my mom to have lunch. Then, it's home again for me with an Ollie greeting and another relaxing evening in my favorite place.

Stamp credits:
Stamp by Unity Stamp Company colored with Copic Markers. Font is from Spellbinders.

Some pink to cheer a rainy day

I'm not a fan of the rain so it's good that I live in Southern California where it rarely rains. But it rained yesterday and it looks like it will rain again today. Rain, rain go away!

I was thrilled when my mother in law had to throw away her copy of Jane Austen. She had read it so much that it was falling apart. I asked her if she would dig it out and save it for me. I got it on Christmas and it was my favorite thing I got that day!

Here's some pink valentines. I made the last two a couple of months ago at a friend's house. It was really fun to get together and stamp! We usually get together to shop at the local stamping convention but this time we saved our money and actually used our supplies!

Stamp credits: Girl on moon by Magenta. Swirl by Buzz and Bloom. Heart and background French Text by Stampin Up. Fairy and butterfly by Unity.

No Tzatziki Sauce!

In our house, "No Tzatziki Sauce" has become synonymous with anything I don't like. My list of foods I will not eat is very long and when we go to a restaurant there are always things I do not want on my plate. If I don't like something, I don't want to look at it, have it near my food and for goodness sake I don't want to smell it or have it touch anything! Mayonnaise, ranch dressing, guacamole, mushrooms, sour cream, and pickled ginger are all offenders.

And when we go to Daphne's it's "No Tzatziki Sauce!" I know they put it in a little cup but sometimes it spills over onto the plate and then I make the face. You know the face--the one that says "Ewww! This tzatziki sauce touching my food may kill me!" I have been known to order "No Tzatziki Sauce" and then order extra on the side for someone else just to ensure my food doesn't get contaminated (I'd rather pay extra then have to eat "tainted" food)

Sometimes, Matt likes to go through the Starbuck's drive thru by our house to get himself a cup of coffee. Imagine their confusion when he orders it with "No Tzatziki Sauce!" just to make me smile.

All Day Marker Class

Well, I'm so excited because I got to take a Copic Marker Certification class yesterday. My friends were teasing me because I spent all day learning how to color with markers, and I paid money to do it! But really, that's what I did and it was worth it in so many ways! Plus, isn't it fun to sit down and color!?

I went home so inspired and I wanted to play with the multiliner professional drafting pen they gave us so I picked up an old botched attempt at an ATC and "fixed" it up! Face stamp is by Club Stamp and I think the sentiment is from Stampin' up. The tiny text is just some drivel I wrote: "Do robots dream of electric sheep? Do sheep dream of dancing humans? Will humans learn to get along with each other? Are we human or are we dancer? Are dolphins smarter than yuppies? What is the meaning of life the universe and everything? Will you dance with me in the clouds? What does a cat really think about while asleep? Do they debate philosophy with each other or do they think they are the center of the universe and the rest of us really don't matter?"

The background of the ATC and the face details are enhanced with some Copic markers. I like how it highlighted his face and really made the pattern on the paper stand out. I wish I had taken a "before" picture so you could see how it changed.

Picture to make you laugh!

Need I say more? We had a great time, even though my blue 70's eye-shadow faded after the first hour and my Janice Joplin wig came off. Matt looked pimperific all night and Uncle Bill even danced. Laurel was the prettiest prom queen ever! And boy am I sore from trying to dance like we did in the 80's!

Just a short explanation: My crazy cousin likes to do theme parties and when she was younger her school was so small they didn't have a prom. So since that was 20 years ago and her stupid school didn't even have a reunion, she decided to make her own prom! It was all her friends and their kids so it was an all-ages bash! Everyone went retro with outfits from the 50's through today's fashion!

Pictures to make you smile!

Sorry I've been ignoring everyone lately! Thought I'd post pics to make you smile! Aren't they just the cutest!?



Here's a preview of what Matt will be wearing to Laurel's prom party! This will be a crazy, fun event! Oh, yeah--I think he's lookin' mighty pimp-a-licious, pimp-tastic and pimp-a-riffic! I'll post real pics of us after tomorrow!

I found the perfect 80's dress for myself and it was on sale too! Unfortunately, the sale price was $175 so I didn't get that one, LOL! I got the 70's dress instead that was only $30 and it matches Matt's costume better. I was so excited when it arrived in the mail and fit perfectly! Yahoo for polyester--only for you, Laurel will I wear poly interlock, LOL! Tomorrow I have to get some fake eyelashes, blue eyeshadow and hopefully some tacky "suntan" pantyhose!