Trying Day...

Today was an exceptionally trying day. I'm very happy to be home.

I'm supposed to be working on taxes, but guess what? I'm not! I found another challenge! Yay! SCS posted a pop-up challenge, and I do so love making pop-up cards! So...tonight I will cheat just a little while and move from one desk to another! I won't tell Manley Stanley or Uncle Sam if you won't!

I have to say that the challenge card that I posted was received well! I had absolutely not a minute's hesitation on who to send it to once I used the "I miss you" sentiment. My dear friend Tami, that used to be my daily "rock" at work, had her program disassembled (as Short Circuit might say!) early this year, and moved to another building. If friends can be soulmates, Tam is certainly mine. There is not a single day that goes by that I don't think of her a dozen times, so it was only fitting that she get the card! And I guess I received the ultimate compliment - she said it was even prettier 'in person'! Love ya Tam, and miss ya lots!

Off I go to play a bit with some pop-up ideas!

Have a good night - Patti J.

~A friend is a person who knows your sensitive spots but will never poke you there.

Did I mention that I am a St. Louis Cardinal GEEK and that I am totally hyped that it's nearly
baseball season? Did I also mention that I am like totally bummed that Aaron Miles won't be
a Cardinal this season??? Sniff, sniff..... sigh.

My First Ever Challenge!

Okay, I've done it! I've made a challenge card! "

Our Creative Corner" is an awesome group of women who LOVE to stamp and create. Weekly challenges are a part of what they offer! This month's hostess, Laurie Schmidlin offered the challenge sketch shown below. (Laurie not only has an amazing talent, but she is also very kind!) Her directions said to make the card as shown below, or flip it, change the shapes, etc.



Here is my card. As my good friend, Shirley (who taught me more than I ever knew existed about papercrafting!) will attest, I nearly always change up a design by flipping, rounding corners, etc. (This picture is not as good as I had hoped - the card is actually mounted on brown cardstock with squared corners). Papers are all from the Basic Grey Sugared Paper Pad, ordered from Gina K. Designs. The sentiment is from The Angel Company. The ink is Color Box Chestnut Roan Chalk Ink.

The best part of this challenge is that it was suggested that I send this card to someone who means a lot to me when I am finished with it. With that in mind, the sentiment was SO easy for me! I can't wait to get the card in the mail tomorrow!

Whew! I did it! I entered a challenge!

Have a good night,
Patti J.

~A joyful heart is good medicine. --Proverbs 17:22

I'm so excited!

Okay - here is the scoop!

I am going to try my very first challenge this week!

I'm not saying what or where just yet, in case I bomb, but I am so excited about finally having enough courage to try! If I don't chicken out, I'll post my entry Wednesday night! (Tomorrow I'm taking one of the kids from the Children's Home out to eat and shop a bit, so it will have to wait a day!)

Have a great Tuesday - Patti J.
~If God had intended for us to touch our toes, He'd have put them on our knees.

Shopping is for the Brave!

Wow - it's almost time to go back to work already!

I was home sick on Friday, which actually gave me what one could call a four day weekend!

On Saturday, my handsome man took me into the city for dinner out and a shopping trip (cut short!).

Let me tell you about our shopping trip! Stan the man always stays at Borders and sips coffee, watches the babies (babes?), and reads anything he can find on wars, presidents, government, etc.

So, I go off through the mall thinking that most certainly I can make a couple of returns, and find just one item - a coat for this time of year. Sigh... I am certain that one must buy coats when one should be buying swimwear, and swimwear when one wants a coat! Lol...long story short - no coat.

I return to Borders to look for manley Stanley, and walk thru the store about 100 feet. I don't see him, so I turn right, which would take me to the history, war, president, government sections. B A M ! ! ! The second I turned right, there was a rolling stool left in front of me. Someone had apparently used it to reach a higher item, and had not returned it to it's home. Of course, I am looking UP, trying to see my main man's cute beard, not his shoestrings, and down I go, tangling myself up in stool, shelving, and a poor lady probably 10 years my senior. Thank goodness she was there - she broke my fall, sort of catching me as I went down. Otherwise, I would have had shelf imprints on my cheekbones and nose. As it was, my legs were all that was beat up (and my poor already operated on shoulder was very very sore yesterday). I was instantly multicolored - black, blue, and red. The lady called for help, telling me to lie still (as if I could do anything else???) lol. A manager came over and said, "what did you do, honey (grrr), get dizzy or something"? Well, my DD and I sort of have a thing about people calling us honey! Before I could answer, the other lady (my guardian angel) very loudly says "NO she did NOT get dizzy - she walked around the corner and fell over your crap - you have crap everywhere in this store!

Anyway, long story short again, Borders wanted to call an ambulance. I settled for eventually getting on my feet and walking out, but only after they insisted I fill out an incident report. My shopping was not as much fun as my dinner was!

We met my sister Judy and her handsome man Bill for dinner. We got to Red Lobster at about 3:45, thinking that would be very early and we would beat the crowds...not. One and one half hour wait. So...we piled into their car and found a very beautiful old Italian place to have dinner. For a while there was only one other couple there. Dinner was delightful!

Anyway, as I recouperated yesterday, I worked up some cards for a swap. This is to be a "Technique" swap, we're to use our favorite technique. I reverted to alcohol inks - God Bless Tim Hotz - he just gives us all kinds of fun things to play with! The stamps are all from The Angel Company. I have created my cards, now I just need to create my 'recipe' and get it to the hostess!







Have a great week! Patti J.

~I think I must have been born to crop, not to mop!!!

Four in a Row...

Four in a row.... Days off, that is! I'm home sick today, so I guess I can't really count today, but I am just stubborn enough to do so anyway! Don't have to go back until Tuesday! For anyone working in education, the second semester is a killer. Not too many holidays, and very seldom any snow days. Makes for a long five months!

Hope you are all enjoying long weekends as well!

Yesterday, I made a quick card for a lady we know in Branson that has had surgery. She is an absolute sweetie, and I wanted something that had a bit of a 'blingy' feel for her. What should have been a very quick and easy surgery had her in the hospital for about a week. She's home now, and hopefully, will bounce back quickly. If you get a chance, send up a prayer or two for our Jean!

Here's what I made for her:

Card front

Cream background, blue layer (trimmed up with my cutter John got me for Christmas last

year - the little lighted one with the interchangeable blades! White layer was run through my Cuttlebug. Stamp is by: The Angel Company

The paper is by Cloud 9 Designs and is just yummy! I get it at O'Dear's! I used my Martha Stewart Scalloped Border Punch on both ends of the paper.

Card Inside - stamp is by: My Sentiments Exactly

Envelope - Stamp is by Stampendous.

I stamped and colored sentiment, and punched a piece of the cardstock with the Martha Stewart Scallop Border Punch.

I hope that you like it! I hope to get out into my workspace for a while tomorrow! Will try to post what I do. I think I'm going to ask for some Spellbinders (Nestabilities?) for my birthday! What fun!

Take care everyone! Have a nice weekend.

Patti J.

~I only play with paper on days that end in "Y"!

Life's Trials

It's been a very trying and busy last week or so. There is much going on here, and I have not had much time to do any crafting. Please bear with me, and I will do better soon!

Almost forgot - the countdown to baseball is ON!!! We're in the 50's!!!

Countdown to retirement is in the double digits!!! We're at 98!!!

Have a great night - see you soon!

Patti J.
~Be nice to unkind people (they probably need it the most).

Someone Read My Mind....

Theresa M., you SO totally read my mind! I was in my messy (I try so hard, really I do!!!) workspace yesterday, and found myself wondering what YOUR workspace looks like! Your work is always so neat, clean, and beautiful, that I could not imagine there being an extra scrap of paper on your desk! Ironically, it looks like you and I have almost exactly the same countertop type of worktop! Thanks for sharing with us all - someday, I'll try to post mine! (That's a July job!!!)

I have gotten so excited over the little Scraplings, that this a.m. I designed their own special little box! I've sent a note with the details to Hero Arts - we'll see if they want the pattern or not.

It works perfectly for both Scraplings and Nuggets!

Let me know what you think! (The box on the right below says to score 1" all sides)

I'm pretty bad with my homemade tutorial, but since this is my first time, there is hope that I will improve!!! Lol...

Back to the Superbowl I go! Have a great weekend - Cya tomorrow!

Patti J.

~Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5,6 (NIV)