Baby Boy Card

This is the card I made for a baby shower.  Very simple, yet cute!

Diaper Cake

Here is the second diaper cake I made.  It was for a coworker who is having her second little boy.  I used around 215 diapers.

Please Accept My Apologies!!

I just wanted to say I was sorry for staying away so long!!!  I was out of work for over a week with acute bronchitis and an upper respiratory infection.  I did not even go into my scrapbook room for fear of contaminating it!!  :)  I'm feeling much better and am trying to get back into my papercrafts.

Favorite Sellers

Here are some of my favorite sellers with a glimpse of the items they sell! 

YAVA Glass

These were glass bottles.  They cut the neck off and smooth the rim.  A wonderful way to recycle!!

Banished

He makes wonderful toys that are safe for children!

The Noble Starfish

The pictures taken are beautiful!

Sock Monkey Cards

Just gotta love those sock monkeys!  Here is an original idea of placing sock monkeys into a variety of positions and places and turning out such cute cards!

Mini Thank You Cards

I just finished this set of 6 mini Thank You cards.  Envelopes are included with the cards.

Bye Card

Here is a simple little card I made for a coworker who is leaving us to work at the Youth Academy. 

Pics of Lucky, fresh from the groomer!!

Some Pics of my Woodwork

Kitty Litter Cake Instructions

Ingredients:  1 spice or German chocolate cake mix
                   1 white cake mix
                   1 large package of vanilla instant pudding mix
                   1 large package of vanilla sandwich cookies (the cookies
                      with the creme on the inside)
                      (I used a box of vanilla wafers and icing)
                   Green food coloring
                   Tootsie Rolls
                   1 new kitty litter box and scoop

Instructions:  Prepare cake mixes and bake according to the directions.  Any size pans can be used.
                   
                    Prepare pudding mix and chill until ready to add to mixture.
                   
                   Crumble vanilla sandwich cookies in small bathes in a food
                   processor or blender, scraping often because it sticks. 
                  (I crumbled vanilla wafers and then mixed it with about
                    1/2 container of vanilla icing).  Put aside the crumbles except
                  for 1/4 cup which green food coloring will be added. 
                  Add 1-2 drops at a time and mix until you reach the desired
                       color.

                  When cakes are cooled to room temperature, crumble into a
                   large bowl. (I set aside some of the crumbs for the end in
                   case I added too much pudding).  Toss with half the remaining
                   cookie crumbs.  Add pudding gradually and mix until the cake
                   is moist, but not soggy.  (I used about 1/2 of the pudding and
                   then added the rest of the crumbs.  This ensure it not
                   becoming soggy).
                 Combine gently.  Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty!!!

                Poor mix into the new and cleaned litter box.  Spread it all
                around the bottom.  It may not look like much but crumble
                the large clumps so it is not so clumpy. 

               Warm the tootsie rolls up in the microwave.  I set it for
               about 10-15 seconds.  Curve the tootsie rolls or roll the out
               and curl them up to look like a small pile of "kitty poop". 
              Add as many or as few tootsie rolls as you like.  I used 3 of
              the fat tootsie rolls and 3 skinny ones.

               Sprinkle the rest of the vanilla cookie crumbs over the the top. 
               Last, sprinkle the green cookie crumbs lightly all over--this is
               supposed to look like the chlorophyll that is in kitty litter.

I would love to see your pictures for those of you who try it out!  Let me know the reactions you receive when showing off your hard work.  I had a friend on facebook ask me why I was taking pictures of kitty litter and poop and putting them online!!  :)

August Drawing Winner

And the winner is.........OCCricut!  Congratulations.

Kitty Litter Cake

Just thought I would share the cake I made to take to work tomorrow.  It's a kitty litter cake.  You can find the recipe on-line.  It was a lot of fun to make and I can't wait until tomorrow when I show up at work with it!!

August is almost over

Just a reminder to leave those comments or become a follower in order to be entered into the giveaway!

Giant Card Pictures

Giant Card

Today is Amy's (coworker) last day. We are having a potluck and I offered to make a card for her. I took a piece of poster board and folded it in half. I didn't do any elaborate decorations or anything on it because I wanted to make sure there was plenty of room for everyone to sign (there are about 40 of us at work). She's been there 6 1/2 years so I know that people will be wanting to do more than just write good luck and sign their name.
Sorry the pictures aren't too good. I just couldn't seem to find the right lighting this morning.

Oh Happy Friday

I just wanted to tell everyone happy Friday! It is finally here!!! I'm ready to get to work in my scrapbook room this weekend!

Cat Puzzle

First Birthday Lady Bug Card

Here is a card I just finished tonight.

Scrap Withdrawals!! Help!!!

I haven't scrapped for most of the week and all of the weekend and it's killing me!!!! I made myself finally clean up my scrapbook room. Before, I had a path five feet in the room to the chair at the desk. The rest of the floor space was taken up with baskets, totes full of pics, paper; the two desks I have for working were covered in paper, pens, tape, embellishments and it's all pretty much in it's place now!!! Yea! I should have taken before and after pictures but didn't think about it at the time. Can't wait to get to work this week!!

Hope your weekend went well.

Good story...turned bad

Yesterday afternoon my husband brought out two scruffy looking kittens from underneath mower. He left them within a few feet of where they had been and began mowing. I became worried about them since they are so little that he wouldn't see them if they wandered into the grass so I moved close to the porch steps. The mother cat finally showed up and moved the black and white one underneath my husband's work van but left the orange tabby where it was and disappeared again. I put the orange tabby with the black one and went inside, feeling they would be okay. An hour later, the wind had picked up and it was getting ready to storm. I ran out to check on the kittens and they were still under the van, with no mother in sight. I didn't know what to do. So I sat down and watched...I know it wasn't smart with the way the lightning was popping, but I'm an animal lover. The white cat that has two-three kittens that are slightly older than the two kept going over to the van to look at them since they were crying so loudly. She took the black one under the steps with her other babies and then went back for the tabby one which she took under the house. I could still hear the tabby one crying, which concerned me even more. After a few minutes of watching, the mother appeared. She was by the mower and then went to look under the van. I was able to get the kitten from underneath the van steps and put him back under the van. The mother then took him under the house and within a few minutes the tabby had quit crying. I was so happy!! I went back in and told my husband about the "babysitting" the cat had done until the mother showed up.


Now for the sad news...


This morning I took the dog outside and one of the older kittens was lying on the driveway, dead. It was soaking wet. I just assumed it had fallen into the large pond beside the house and for some reason hadn't been able to get out. So I went and buried it. I never thought to check the little plastic pond we have outside the side door. Once again, I'm taking the dog outside for a potty break and there's a second kitten floating in the little pond. I'm hoping the mother cat really did have three kittens so there is at least one left for her to take care of. So now I know the mother cat dragged one of the kittens out, hoping to save it, but it was too late.


I kept telling my husband that I wanted to take out the pond, but we just haven't gotten around to it. But it will get done this weekend, even if there will be a hole in the ground.


Sorry for such a sad story on a beautiful weekend......

Featured Artist ~ Altered Beauty ~

The first Featured Artist is Altered Beauty.

She writes:

I have been happily married for seven years. My husband is an artist. We don't have any kids but have a dog named Buddy who is alternately a joy and a terror, depending on the day.

The name of my store is Altered Beauty and is located at: http://alteredbeauty.etsy.com/ I got started making jewelry when I was working overnight shifts at a domestic violence shelter. (I have a BA in Psychology and work in the nonprofit field.) I met a woman (a shelter resident) who was making beautiful jewelry all the time and she encouraged me to try it with her. I loved it.

I started making items for family and friends, and eventually heard about Etsy and thought it would be perfect for me! I am currently an Overnight Relief Manager with my local Ronald McDonald House, and make jewelry as a second job.

My favorite items in my store are the Steampunk items, because they are all one of a kind. I love the process of finding beautiful movements inside old forgotten watches and turning them back into something beautiful.

Something about me that I think is interesting is that I don't personally wear jewelry. I appreciate it and love to look at it, but very rarely wear it!

Thank you Altered Beauty for your work. It's beautiful, affordable, and one of a kind!!

USS Yorktown

We visited the USS Yorktown Saturday in Charleston, South Carolina. It took us about 8 1/2 hours of drive time to get there. The USS Yorktown is an old naval carrier. You are free to roam the ship on your own. I loved it!! It is a huge floating museum. There were rooms dedicated to women in the military, african americans in the military, various wars, other ships, and other maritime disasters.

South Carolina Weekend

Sorry I haven't blogged much in the last couple of days. I had a migraine Wednesday and Thursday....thank God it is gone today and I am back to normal!!!!!

Wednesday evening my husband and I are watching TV and out of the blue he asks if I would like to go to South Carolina this weekend. I was surprised but said yes. When I asked him what for he said it was a surprise for me. Well, he finally told me yesterday what we are going to do. In June he went with Boy Scout Troop 818 on their summer trip and they went through South Carolina and toured a naval carrier and a few other ships and helicopters. (He is an Eagle Scout and is also their Assistant Scoutmaster.) When I saw the pictures, I just made the comment that one day I'd like to go visit the same place. So that is where we are going. That is all he has planned for the trip so that before/after we can find other things to do as we make our way back home.

We are leaving tonight as soon as we get home and finish packing. I will definitely have a lot of pictures to post when we get back!!!

Don't forget to leave comments, Join my Blog, or link my blog to yours in order to be entered into the drawing!!

Altered Beauty I have not forgotten about you. :)

August Birthstone Earrings

Looking for something special as a birthday gift this month? Well check out hollystott's shop! She has earrings from sheep to frogs to decorative beads! And everything in her shop is very affordable!!

Her blog is http://www.hollysdesigns.blogspot.com

Have fun shopping!

Vintage Looking Bobby Pins

I bought these vintage style bobby pins from gigglesapu and can't wait for them to come in. The heart is my favorite one! I just love the colors of it.

The link above will take you to her store. She has a customer appreciation give-away going on right now. Each time you buy from her you are entered into a drawing for a bath and body goodie. Her store has everything from party hats to tatters to invitations to flourishes. So check out her shop, I'm sure you'll find something you "can't live without." I know I did.

Another Day Gone

I guess I'm going to wrap things up and go snuggle with the hubby on the couch....he's so good about my "holed-up Sundays." Sundays are my days to stay in my scrapbook room all day. I do go out occassionally to eat and use the bathroom, but for the most part I'm in the room from the time I get up to the time I take a shower to get ready for bed.

Are any of you like that? Do you have certain days that you use to work or are you able to get enough time in through the week?

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend, I know I did!! I will post a few more pics of some cards I worked on later this week.

Other projects

Halloween Tags

I made these tags and the paper envelope today. The tags read Best Witches and the front of the envelope has a pumpkin on it.

Summer Fun

I found these cute little hair clips on Etsy and thought I'd share them with you! They are on LiliBugBoutique. Click on the title to follow it to her Etsy Store.

Wooden Horse

I have begun to experiment with frames and different backgrounds on some of the silhouettes I cut out. This one is a horse framed in dark cherry, almost black. I used white shimmery cardstock for the background and the wood I stained.

July's Drawing

The winner for July's drawing is Altered Beauty. Please let me know whether you would like the gift certificate or the free shipping! Congrats!!

The new drawing for August starts today! Leave your comments in order to enter the drawing.

The Week in Review

Well, this past week has certainly been a busy one!! Monday I still had a migraine until late afternoon and so Tuesday felt like Monday....maybe that is why it's hard to believe tomorrow is Friday. On Tuesday I also had to get approval from work to be off Friday afternoon for the dryer repairman and a few other deliveries. Yesterday afternoon, my husband decided that we could use a new tv. He went and looked around, gave me a call on the one he found that he really liked, and then I called the place to see what type of deals they were offering. Then he wasn't sure whether we should spend the money on the tv when we also have furniture we just bought. I told him to let me know and once I was comfortable at home, he called me and asked me to run down to Musselman's to look at it. I said it was fine so we brought it home with us last night. We also had to stop at Walmart for a tv stand for the tv because nothing would fit our old tv stand. So last night we spent a couple hours putting together the tv stand and then setting the new tv on it. I also set up for a new receiver from Direct TV to be installed Friday afternoon as well....I thought Friday afternoon would be a nice relaxing one (me on the new couch before the hubby :P ) but not anymore! The dryer repairman is coming out, our furniture is being delivered and the Direct TV guy is coming out to do an installation!!

I've been working like crazy this week and as soon as I take a few pictures I'll post them. I cut out turtles, catepillars and ladybugs. The only thing I have left to do is to glue the turtles together.

Just remember, Saturday morning I will be using random.org to pick the winner of my first give-away!! Leave a comment in order to be picked!!

Frustrated!!!!

I am so frustrated right now. I had an ambulance ride to the emergency room back in March. I was only billed $100 for my copay for the ER visit and I thought the ambulance would be the same...it says $100 copay. WRONG!! I was informed that the only ambulance service that is offered for Highlands/Hardee county is not a provider for Blue Cross and Blue Shield. So now I have a $445 ambulance ride to pay for on top of the ER bill. This is absolutely ridiculous!!

When I hear about Obama's Healthcare plan, all I can think of is how big an increase in medical services are we going to see? I understand that everyone needs insurance, but aren't those of us that have insurance going to have higher premiums since we can afford it in order to pay for the insurance of those who can't pay for it?

Sorry for my ranting, but I'm now up to 6 medical bills to pay for that add up to over $1500. Sometimes I wonder if it's really worth it.......

Lucky and Annikan

Lucky and Annikan were really into something out in the yard. They were able to calm down and lay next to one another last night. Sorry it's a bad picture, but I took it with my phone.