Taking A Week Off

I've haven't been on line much since my last post on Monday. It's been kind of a weird week but I'm now ready to get back at blogging and participating in challenges.

Work has been very slow. I worry some about my job because my utilization has been so low. I've been spending a lot of time working on marketing efforts and I think this is taken into consideration. Our regional director was in the office on Friday; he made it very clear that things were going to be very rough but he was really hoping there would be no more lay-offs. Of course, there were no guarantees.

Since it has been slow at work, I took a half day off on Wednesday. My plan was to drive up to Arnies (a great arts and crafts store about 40 minutes way) to take advantage of their "25% off everything you can fit in a bag" sale. They have a great selection of House Mouse stamps, Penny Black stamps, Cuttlebug folders and dies, and Nestabilities, along with any other stamping and scrapbooking goodies one can think of. I was ready to spend some money. But, I live in Michigan and you can never count on the weather in February. By the time I got half way there, it was snowing great big flakes and raining both at the same time. I just didn't dare go any further so I turned around and came home. I still have that money burning a hole in my pocket!

Sue and I were also meeting Barb and Sandy for dinner on Wednesday. We met up at Ruby Tuesday's and had a great time. We always do when the four of us are together (we really need to do it more often). We talk and laugh, and commiserate with each other about what's going on in our lives. Barb, Sandy and I each had steak. Sue had a broken tooth pulled earlier in the morning so she had soup... good soup.... but just soup none-the-less. We all shared a dessert, even Sue. It had ice cream with it.

Sue and I have also started helping Mom with her income tax. She has to fill out a workbook for her accountant which has become too much for her to handle. I have to admit that I'm not sure what the accountant does for her when I look at all this paperwork we have to complete for him. We may try TurboTax next year.

This is also the first anniversary of our Dad's death. I can't believe he's been gone a year; sometimes it seems like only yesterday that he was puttering in his workshop or trying so very hard to remember how to use his computer. But I know for Mom, it has been a very long year. They had celebrated their 63 wedding anniversary just before he passed away. She's never lived alone and, even though she lives in an assisted living community with lots of people, she still feels very much alone. Sue and I have tried very hard to help her through this year, but I'm not sure we've always succeeded. We all miss him very much.

But, there was also a very high spot this week. I found that I won the "Cuttlebug Be Inspired" award for Challenge #19. This is my first challenge win. I was dumbfounded. I didn't even know until I happened to check the comments on my blog and found all these congratulations. I didn't know for what. Then I got an e-mail at work from Barb and things started to make sense. I feel very privileged to have been chosen for this award.

So that's been my week. It's now time to put stamp to paper again and get working on those challenges.... Cuttlebug's Wednesday challenge will be my first.

Cheers, Judi

Penny Black Saturday Challenge #37

Get Well Soon is the challenge this week over at the Penny Black Saturday Challenge. I chose the PB stamp "Letter and Daisy" which I colored with Prismacolor colored pencils. The DP happens to be from Penny Black (I have no idea where I got it but I've had it forever), the CS is Bazzill and the handmade paper is from my stash. I used Fluid Chalk Creamy Brown to add a bit of distress to the paper and then added lace from Hobby Lobby and the bow of Michaels. "Get Will Soon" is SU.

Hope everyone is having a good Monday. It may only be 17 degrees here but the sun is shining. Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers, Judi

Cuttlebug Be Inspired #19

Cuttlebug Be Inspired #19 challenges us to use acetate in our project. I decided I wanted to use my new "Build-A-Flower" set but, I have to admit, this card took me forever to make. Each petal of the flower has to be handled separately.... cut, then embossed... which means I did this 15 times (5 petals x 3 layers each). I'm not sure you can actually see the embossed acetate layer in the photos but it is really there (the top layer of each petal).

Besides the Build-A-Flower set, I used the Swiss Dots embossing folder as well as a border from the With Love embossing set. The DP is The Paper Studio from Hobby Lobby and the CS is Bazzill. I also used the Martha Stewart punch Lattice Arch and "thinking of you" is Stampendous.

Have a great day. Hope you come back again.

Cheers, Judi

House Mouse Monday Challenge #25

Jami of the House Mouse Monday Challenge has created a wonderful sketch for this week's challenge. I really like this sketch and can see many uses for it.


I chose "Something's Fishy", stamped it in Coal Black Ancient Page and colored it with Prismacolor colored pencils (with gamsol). I used the oval and scallop oval Nestabilities. The DP came from Hobby Lobby, the CS is Bazzill, the fiber is called "Just a Little Daisy" fiber bundle which came from a scrapbooking convention and the brads are from my stash.

I'm off to bed. Thanks for visiting my blog.

Cheers, Judi

Penny Black Saturday Challenge #36

If you've visited my blog before, you may notice that it has changed a little. I have been playing around with it to make it more my own. It definitely is a work in progress.

This week's Penny Black Saturday Challenge is a sketch challenge and here is my card. I used Penny Black "Cat Bath" (1458J) and colored the image with Prismacolor colored pencils (blended with gamsol). The dark green CS is Bazzill and the DP is from DCWV Nana's Nursery "Baby Girl" paper pack. The flowers are Prima, the black ribbon is from Michael's, the jewels in the collar are Hero Arts, glitter glue is Stickles Diamond and the brads are from my stash.

Thanks for visiting.
Cheers, Judi

Cuttlebug Be Inspired #18

This is becoming a Saturday habit... two posts in one day. Cuttlebug Be Inspired #18 asked us to create a card in a different shape. Wasn't sure what to do so I took a square card and made it into an octagon. I'm not sure why, but I'm not very happy with this card. I guess that happens every now and then.

The Sarah Kay image is my friend Barb's which I had stamped on New Year's Eve. I embossed the blue card stock with Swiss dots, as well as the punched flowers (unfortunately, after putting glitter glue on the flowers, the dots don't show up very well). The DP and the rub-on are Melissa Francis. I used Prismacolor colored pencils (with gamsol), lace from Hobby Lobby, ribbon from Michaels, Stickles Diamond glitter glue, Hero Arts pearls and EK Success punches.

Done for the day. Thanks for taking the time to look.

Cheers, Judi

House Mouse Monday Challenge #24

Typical week; here it is Saturday and I haven't posted anything since Monday. The week just gets away from me. I work, come home, (sometimes have a quick nap), have dinner and try to spend time each evening in the craft room, and then it's time for bed. I'm not the fastest creator so it can take several evenings to finish up a card. And, I made the mistake of joining Facebook. I don't know what that's going to entail but everyone says be careful, it's very addicting.

It was relatively slow at the office. Still a little worried about lay-offs. We missed out on another project which means no new work, but there was an interview on Friday which went very well. One can only hope.

I went to the dentist on Monday and had a glowing report. Now if only I could remember to floss more. Sue also had a doctor's appointment and we found out that she has to have hip replacement surgery. Finally some answers, she's been walking about like a question mark for a couple of months now.

Well, I digress... this post is really about The House Mouse Monday Challenge #24 "Tall and Thin". Another great challenge as this is not a card size that I work with very often.

"It's My Party" (HMJR1059) was stamped in coal black Ancient Page and colored with Prismacolor pencils (with gamsol). "Happy Birthday" (D175) is from Endless Creations and stamped in Encore Ultimate Metallic Blue. The DP is Frances Meyer (I've had it for years) and the CS is Bazzill. Everything was edged in Encore Blue and Fluid Chalk Chestnut Roan. Lastly, I used a Martha Stewart punch, Prima flowers, Hero Arts gemstones and ribbon from Michaels.

I need a birthday card for a friend at work. I think this one will work perfectly.

Enjoy and thanks for looking.
Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day!

Cheers, Judi

Penny Black Saturday Challenge #35

The Penny Black Saturday Challenge #35 is "Romance", appropriate for the upcoming Valentine's Day. Not much into mushy cards which means I don't have a lot of heart stamps... so I had to convert a Christmas stamp into a Valentine. Hope you enjoy.


I used "The Light Brigade" (PB 3916K), colored with Prismacolor pencils (blended with a bit of gamsol). The heart paper is called "Pastel Hearts" from Hot Off The Press; all the rest of the papers are from my stash. "Perfectly Paisley" embossing folder was used on one of the pink pieces. The heart punch is Marvy, "Hugs & Kisses" is Darcie's and the glitz is Stickles Diamond glitter glue.

Thanks for looking. Come back again.
Cheers, Judi

House Mouse #23 and Cuttlebug Be Inspired #17

Well I'm back... and with a new card.

Valentines and Love seem to be the theme of the week, as can be seen in both the House Mouse Monday Challenge #23 and Cuttlebug Be Inspired #17. I have combined both these challenges into the same card.

The stamp is Love Bunny and Itty Bit and Hop-It have been colored with Prismacolor colored pencils (blended with gamsol). I used circle and scallop circle Nestabilities, the Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, Fiskars border punch, The Paper Studio red dotted ribbon (from Hobby Lobby), "I Love You" is Stampin' Up and red Stickles glitter glue.

I hope everyone has a great Valentine's Day and give the person you love a great big hug.

Cheers, Judi

Been Gone Too Long

Okay, I've been gone a long time. Can't believe I haven't posted since last Saturday. We've progressed from January and near zero temperatures, to February and 50 degrees. Who'd ever figure that would happen. I don't suppose it's going to last though. I'm really ready for spring.

Since it is February, it's time to add my next calendar page. We always make calendars at our annual New Year's Eve party and I thought I'd post mine each month. A little late, but does it really matter??!! I love this old SU set; these little mice are so cute.

Marla (my hairdresser and friend) came over last Saturday evening to stamp and work on cards. She's fairly new to card making but I'm trying me best to get her hooked. I'll admit it, we have a lot of "stuff" and she loved playing with it all (even though it was a bit overwhelming). I do think she bought herself a Cuttlebug. It's only a matter of time.

Besides working, the rest of last week was spent prepping for a card making session on Thursday with a group of my co-workers. This group so enjoyed the Christmas cards we made that they wanted another session. We decided to make Valentines during our lunch hour. I put together packets with all the paper they would need, but they left them to do their own stamping and adding any embellishments they might want. This is my sample card:

Several of them followed my card exactly, but I was suprised (and very pleased) by the group that ventured off on their own. They all did a really good job.... and they wanted to know when the next class would be. I don't know if I can come up with something for St. Patrick's Day, so will probably be Easter or spring.

Thus, I'm now two challenges behind and a new one posted today. I hope to be back this evening with a card for House Mouse Monday Challenge and Cuttlebug Inspiration. Figuring it will be a two-for-one.

Cheers for now,

Judi