Merry Christmas Eve…Eve!  I have the next four days off, how about that.  I am so excited to be able to relax with my family, get caught up on some things in my home office, read, and craft, take naps and just unwind.  What about you?  Ready for Christmas?  I have one more gift card to grab and a few things from the grocery store.


I just love this super cute Hippo from Shirley’s 2 Girls and had to have him.  He is ready to help out Santa and fly on over to your home with gifts galore.

I used my MS punch for the snowflakes and added Bella Baubles to the centers.  I love how the stickles on the ribbon and bow just sparkle.  It is great stuff to work with but needs to dry.  I ended up with sparkley hands the rest of the evening.  J

Have a wonderful Christmas!! 

Santa's lil Helper

It's the 9th of December and only 16 days until Christmas.  Things are starting to get crazy...Christmas to do's; year end and new year prep for work; every day chores and then the unexpected.  Our microwave is broken and today the service tech replaced a major part but it's still broken.  Now another part needs to be ordered.  Thank goodness we had an extra one at work I am able to borrow!!!  Nic's car is in the shop and he isn't interested in driving mom's minivan.  Heaven forbid, but it should be done today and things will be much better as far as he is concerned.

For today's Shirley's 2 Girls project I have the super sweet lil helper.  Santa needed to take a moment to eat his cookies while he double checked his list so this lil guy is doing all he can.  He is filling stockings and making sure the candles are all lit.

The challenge this week is all about glitter and bling.  Well I had a ton of glitter and added it here and there.  I love how the stocking showed up with the camera.  What do ya think???  Stop on over at the challenge blog and show us your glam and glitz.  We would love to see what you have created.

Rudolph

I just love making Christmas cards.  The colors are just so pretty and they bring back wonderful memories.  It also means we are at the end of a year that passed by so fast.  But isn't that the way each year?  Time speeds up faster & faster each and every year and there is nothing we can do to stop it.  It just means we need to treasure each moment, document those special times and start your day with a smile :)!

Today I wanted to share Rudolph with you.  This Shirleys 2 Girls digi is so cute with that wreath around his neck.  Wouldn't it be a wonderful thing to see your own Rudolph with a wreath.  We have deer in our neighborhood and I enjoy them every time I catch that glimpse.  A buck scared the bejueezes out of my husband the other morning.  He was rounding the front of his truck (he backs in) and as he got to his door there was a buck on the other side of a short fence eating our neighbors apples from his tree.  With it so dark when Steve leaves the lights on the side of the garage don't reach that far.  I have never seen a buck in our 11 years here.

Have a wonderful day & remember to smile!

Harvest farwell

Is it the end of November already??!!!  Just one more month left of 2010.  I hope every one had a great and relaxing Thanksgiving and didn't eat too much.  The three of us went out with friends for a special Thanksgiving dinner at The Pacific Grill in Tacoma.  My guys enjoyed prime rib and I had their turkey dinner.  It was a four course meal that wasn't too bad.  We usually have a family meal but decided to do something different this time.  I did cook a Turkey on Sunday though.  Must have those great leftovers for lunches.

I am showcasing a fun digi image from Shirley's 2 Girls called Scarecrow.  It is one of their new Thanksgiving images.

I was able to make this card using scraps from my fall/Thanksgiving pile.  I love being able to use up bits of this and that to make a card.  Just gives me more room for new stuff with out any guilt.  :)  Who is with me???

Here is a close up of the image.  That crow is wonderful but I would go for the corn not the straw.  A much better meal choice to me.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all

It is hard to believe we are beginning the end of the year festivities.  Our area was hit with a winter storm this week and even left more snow last night.  For those who are not familiar with Washington...I live south of Seattle and east of Tacoma in a city called Puyallup.  What some would think of as Western Washington or the Pacific NW.  We get rain.  Lots of ran...snow is not the norm nor is the seven inches of white stuff we received.  Nic went to an abbreviated school day on Monday (late arrival & early release) and then school has been cancelled since then.  One of the extras we received with this storm was freezing cold temps.  One evening it was 12 degrees and today it is 24 at the moment.  So ice has been a big factor in the driving arena.  I even slipped on our drive way and took a nice fall.  Still sore and bruised in places but I have a hard head, and no one saw it happen.

I would like to thank everyone who have been kind enough to visit my blog and leave those wonderful comments.  I really appreciate the time you have taken to visit.  It really means a lot to me.  I hope you all have a great day...enjoy your friends and family...and stay safe.  Eat enough to enjoy but not enough to give you a tummy ache.

I am showing off a Shirleys 2 Girls image today.  The flower says it all!  I colored some white roses to coordinate with the colors I used.  I love being able to alter something to use for different looks.  I am sure many of you are already doing this but for me the light bulb just clicked on.

Have a wonderful day and if you are venturing out tomorrow, stay safe and bring your patience!  Slow and steady wins the race.

So Thankful

Hi y'all and just one more day until Harry Potter is out.  I have our tickets purchased for Friday evening and we will head to the theater once I am off of work.  It will be just Nic & I.  Steve isn't interested in crowds so we will just go again once the masses have seen the movie.  Works for me.

Today my project for Shirley's 2 Girls is from their Thanksgiving digi's and this one is Give Thanks.

I used some rub on leaves (I need to get a few punches to use instead) for our challenge twist.  Head on over to the challenge blog and show us your twist.  Sorry this is so short, I am bushed & need to hit the pillow.

Calling the Great Pumpkin

Happy Veteran's Day to all Veteran's and their families.  THANK YOU!

This cutie is from Shirleys 2 Girls and our twist is today is to add a pumpkin.  I saw this cute template on another blog and thought it would fit in great.  Crystal has a link on her blog to a easy tutorial to make it.  I was shy a leaf punch and didn't have time to pop over to the store.  So my pumpkin has been picked, leaves removed & gutted!  

Here is a closeup of the image showing the stitching I did around the image to add a little something extra.  The dp is from K&Company and I dipped into my supply of Close To My Heart chipboard.  So easy to color coordinate with copic markers.

So check out the challenge blog to add your project.  We would love to see you participate!

Hidden Prize Winner...

Thank you all for stopping by and participating in our Blog Hop.  I loved reading all of your comments & I have to agree with you...my Family takes the cake.  They are the best.  I was one of the Design Team members that had a hidden prize so with the help of my son picking the winning number..... ***Edith from http://thinker199.blogspot.com*** please contact me for the deets to claim your prize.  


It's off to work for me.  Have a wonderful day and stop on by tomorrow for another fun Shirleys 2 Girls project.  

A Special Blog Hop of Thanks!!!

Welcome to our Blog Hop!!!  Shirley's 2 Girls and the design team wanted to do a little more than share our weekly inspiration projects. We are giving thanks this week to all of our participants and visitors with a Thanksgiving Hop! You'll travel to each DT's blog to view her inspirational project for this week's challenge. There will be all kinds of tips, tricks, and tutorials along the way! Also, there is a grand prize and four of the DT members have a hidden prize. In order to qualify for a prize, you need to leave a comment about what you are thankful for on the DT's blogs. If you have arrived from Laurel's blog you are on the right path...if not hop on over to Ann's blog to begin your journey.

I am thankful for the girls giving me this opportunity to be a part of their design team.  I work with a great group of ladies and am having a blast.  I am also thankful for the daily inspiration I get each and every day for all of you.  Visiting your blogs daily keeps the creative juices flowing and teaches me a ton.  I have enjoyed different tutorials on how to make different projects from Splitcoaststampers and various YouTube videos.  By watching videos on copics, I have learned a ton.  Thank you Suzanne!!!  The amount of sharing is wonderful and all that is asked is recognition for their work.  Who could ask for more!

My project is a small thank you gift for someone special.  This lil girl giving a great big ole hug is so sweet.  I used some spellbinder dies for the decorative edges.  I need to increase my collection of dp.  I just couldn't find the right fit to match the flowers on the package of scents.  One can always use more dp...right?!!

The beads are a part of my football apparel.  Purple and gold are my son's high school colors and they make a great showcase peace.  Tomorrow night is his last game.  He did great last week and received a "player of the week" t-shirt.  Hard to believe that next season is his senior year..but if he attends the University of Washington I can still wear the beads.  Same colors!!!

Thanks for visiting and don't forget to leave you comments on each of the DT's blogs.  You never know who will win.  It could be you!  Now hop on over to Melissa's blog.  Have a wonderful weekend & THANK YOU!

Boo to you..

Welcome to another Twisted Thursday featuring Shirley's 2 Girls.  I am featuring several of these fun Halloween images and designer paper available at S2G.  That spider is much sweeter looking than the ones I see in my house.  It has to be the eyes and that pumpkin has the best grin.

You scared yet???  Ready to hand out candy to all those trick-or-treaters?  Well grab your supplies and enter the challenge over at the S2G challenge blog.  We would love to see you play along.  

Have a wonderful weekend and a fun, safe & yummy Halloween.  

Stirring Up Some Trouble...

Hi y'all....Happy Thursday to ya.  My card for today's Shirley's 2 Girls challenge is this super spooky Bubble Bubble.   I just love the cauldron of brew being stirred to perfection and that smirk on the kitty's face.  Wonderful.  The challenge for today is spots & dots and I broadly followed the challenge adding orange dotted bling to my card.  I just love the dp and didn't want to take away too much from it.

I cut the image out and popped it up with foam adhesive.  I just love the swirls all over the paper and that bat is perfect.  Matches the image wonderfully.  Closeup....

Hop on over to the challenge blog to add your project.  We would love to see your creations!  Have a wonderful weekend & wish us luck with our football game tonight.  It is a must win to qualify for the playoffs!!!  GO VIKS!

Witchey Woman...

Good morning y'all and happy Thursday to ya!! Only one & a half day of work left for me.  I am off half of Friday so I can go home & cook four lasagna's and make two large pasta dishes.  I am the coordinator for my son's football teams pre-game meal.  The parents serve all the players, coaches and cheerleaders before each game.  The kids & coaches have no time to go home and eat before the games so this helps them out a ton.  I always worry that there won't be enough food for everyone, I have my fingers crossed.
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My Shirley's 2 Girls project for  today is this wonderful witchey women stirring up a fresh brew.  What of you ask???  Well I will let you imagine for yourselves.  We were given a sketch for our challenge today along with a black and white theme.  My dp is also from Shirley's 2 Girls and I added a bit of orange to the mix.

Well off to work I go.  Don't forget to head on over to the challenge blog to play along.  See y'all.

Boo....

Here we are in October...leaves are changing, days are shorter and the heater is starting to kick on.  I forgot how cold the house gets during the day.  Coming home for lunch at a toasty 64 degrees is chilly.  I break out my small heater to keep me warm.
Today at Shirley's 2 Girls we have headed into the Halloween spirit like gangbusters.  Like our fun icon I added to my sidebar?  She is the bomb!!!  My project today showcases some super cute scary images.

How wonderful are they?  Just perfect to add to a goody bag or other project.  As you visit the design teams blogs you can see all the great ideas they have come up with.  I know these bags of candy will be gone in a few days and I will have to make more, oh well.  That is what happens with a growing guy in the house.

I also wanted to share a picture of our own Mt. Rainer.  The weather has been so beautiful these last two days.  Fog in the morning but when that clears the sky is just so blue and crystal clear.  I took this picture from my development after I got off of work.  I have a crafting cyber friend moving into this area next year and even though we get a ton of rain....there are also beautiful surroundings.  So Danni, these pics are for you!

See y'all!

Man's Best Friend

Happy last day of September.  It is hard to think about being in the last quarter of 2010.  Didn't we just start the year yesterday or possibly last week?  

My S2G project for today features this great Man's Best Friend image.  It reminds me of our dog Zoom.  He loves to jump up into our lap with his front feet and give kisses.  The chair and our lap isn't big enough for him but he thinks I love it.  I do & I appreciate his kisses but he gets heavy after a bit.

Isn't this the sweetest?  What pure love we get from our pets.  They are blessing for sure.

Please join us in our challenge.  Head on over to the challenge blog and show us what ya got. 

Meow owowo

Welcome and thanks for joining us for another "super scary" Twisted Thursday at Shirley's 2 Girls.   We are still celebrating our four legged friends and todays twist is to add some spooky to your project.  
Today I am showcasing Ghoul Friends.  Don't ya just love these kitties singing to the moon???

I created a 7 x 31/2 card and then realized my dp wouldn't fit.  So I matted my image to fit the entire card and cut the dp to fit each side and hid the gap behind my image.  Trick I had read from other blogs.  I also used a trick from Debbie Olson.  I was reading one of her posts and she needed to change the color of her swirls.  She used a coordinating copic color and colored each rhindstone.  I had to try it with my pink swirls and it worked.  They now coordinate prefectly.  

I added diamond glaze to the moon for some extra shine.  The brown kitty was a bit too dark so I ran the colorless blender over it to lighten it up a bit.

Now it's your turn.  Show us your spooky stuff and post your creations over at the S2G challenge blog.  It just hit me...these cats remind me of the song "Stray Cat Strut" by the Stray Cats.

Happy Thursday to y'all.  I am so shocked it is Thursday again and the middle of September to boot.  Nic has a football game on Friday and rain is in the forecast.  This will be the teams first real challenge.  Our last two games have been blowouts.  Here is a picture of Nic (#81 the tall one with the red hair) & his girlfriend Kelly...GO VIKS!!!

 

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Today for the Thursday challenge over Shirley's 2 Girls we are honoring our critters with a birthday celebration. I have used two different digi stamps for my project.  Don't you just love this pup jumping from that cake?  What a perfect caption.  Isn't Spot a great image to add to your pet's gift?  I grabbed a new bone from Zoomie's bag and some treats for this picture.  I tell ya...that dog didn't even let me get the bag all the way open until he was at my side.  He followed me upstairs and was sniffing my desk trying to get his bone and treats.  He had to sit in the hallway until I snapped some shots.

We would love to see your challenge entry, so bop on over to the challenge blog add you entry and good luck on the challenge.  Yummy prizes are in store!!!

Critters Gone Wild...

It's Shirley's 2 Girls "Critters Gone Wild" Blog Hop.  The design team is saluting the critters in our lives.  

The sisters are RELEASING ALL NEW DIGI Stamps that have to do with our 'little 4-legged friends'. Those sisters are going NUTS again with a fabulous BLOG CANDY

package!  Everything from ribbons to glitters! 

We'll have 1 GRAND PRIZE WINNER of the blog candy and 3 critter digis & a 2nd place winner of 2 critter digis!

Here’s how to win….Grab your favorite furry friend and let’s go for a walk around the DT’s blogs! . . On the last stop you will be directed back to the S2G Challenge blog so you can leave us some love. The winners will be selected from the comments left on the Challenge Blog.  

If you walked here from Laurel's blog, then you’re in the right place. If not, head on back to the S2G Challenge blog to start from the beginning. You don’t want to miss a thing!

**Don’t forget ** We also have our regular Twisted Thursday Challenge with the usual TWIST this week~ The TWIST this week is to use ...SPOTS & DOTS. Chances are better to WIN if you use a S2G DIGI or Clear Stamp. We'll also pick someone from this
Challenge to Be a GUEST DT for a CUSTOMER BLOG HOP next month!  Exciting...isn't it!

Today my project is titled Picture Perfect.  I was inspired by a layout I saw in Cardmaker Magazine.  My dp is spotted/dotted and I hand stitched the sides.  I really like making the 6x6 card but need to purchase some envelopes for them.  You can do so much with that size.

I tried to color the pup the same as my Zoom and think it came pretty close.  Here is a close up of the image...

Our Zoom is a Vizsla and is a ball of energy.  He is getting older now and turning gray with less energy but still such a cutie with velvet ears.

Ready for your next stop on your walk…Then head on over to Melissa's blog and hope you had fun while visiting here. 

Meow...Meow...

Today is Nic's first day school.  He is now a junior at Puyallup High School.  A JUNIOR.  That means only this year and next.  Two more years before college and he keeps mentioning colleges in New York.  We live on the west coast y'all and he is interested in the east coast.  That is far away from home.  I get being on your own but mom will have to visit no matter what, no matter where.  I have never visited the east coast and would love the chance but I will be flying across country a lot!!!

Shirley's 2 Girls is devoting this month to all the wonderful critters out there.  My image features this sweet fluffy kitty on her flocked pillow.  She looks so comfy.

I embossed my cardstock using my nesties to showcase my image.  I added these rhinestone swirls and fun polka dot ribbon.  This is the first time I have embossed cardstock and will keep at it.  It is fun learning new techniques from others.  That is what this whole hobby is about.  Over at S2G we have weekly challenges for everyone to share their work and possibly win a free digi.  We have also started a tutorial page so stop on over to see something new.

Have a great Thursday!

School's In Session

I am going to make this a quick one.  I am sweating up here in my craft room.  We do not have AC in our house and when the temps get in the mid to upper 80’s my craft room gets hit with full sun all afternoon and it is on the top floor.  Heat really does rise!!!  That’s what I get for not completing things early.

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Today I am featuring my final Back to School summer digi with complimentary designer paper from S2G.  This is an altered composition book for my BFF’s  daughter to go along with the notebook I featured last week.  Her school has already started but I will be mailing these to her tomorrow.  I also need to create something for her son and I have some fun things in mind for him.  He just needs an altered comp book for younger kids.

 Don’t you just love all the added fun school images you can add?  I pick a few and cut them out for added fun.  I used chipboard letters to personalize the book, now all Erica needs to do is take some notes. 

Well night all, have a wonderful day and don’t forget to join in on the challenge over at the S2G Challenge Blog.  We have some really cute things in store for you next month.

School's Almost Here...

Happy Thursday to y’all.  I am writing this Wednesday evening while I watch Big Brother.  I really enjoy that show and watching all the silly people, it is also the only thing on at the time.  I love that I can read while watching it or surf the net. 

I am in a technology slump right now.  Our router decided to not work with the Comcast internet update we received on Monday and my practically new cell phone decided to kick the bucket.  After an hour on the phone with tech support they it wouldn’t even turn on.  I used it all day yesterday, sent my son a text at 10pm them by 10:45 is won’t send texts anymore.  Today it won’t call at all & then just nothing.  I don’t get it but the new router and cell phone will arrive on Friday. 

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Today I am featuring another new Back to School summer digi and complimentary designer paper from S2G.  Perfect fun and bright colors to get the kiddos excited to start hitting the books again.  I had this idea to make my friend’s daughter a set for school.  This week I altered a small notebook that she can take notes in, keep a record or the books she reads, write notes to her friends (not letting the teacher see her pass them in class) or just doodle in.  Next week will the other piece to the set.  

The image says it all!  I have said before I am an avid reader and the girls created the perfect image to relay that.  The inside of this notebook has a small flap that I had to dress up just a bit.  I didn’t want to add too much glitz and glam because backpacks really ruin things.

Well night all, have a wonderful day and don’t forget to join in on the challenge over at the S2G Challenge Blog.