How do YOU do it???

So...

As you know, I was without computer for a couple of months, and I could not participate in challenges, etc. Now that I'm back, I'm having a bit of a coordination problem! Many of you work on multiple challenges each week, serve on five or ten design teams, etc. Sometimes, your cards meet 20 or more challenges! I am so, SO impressed!

I would really love to know your methods of coordinating it all!

• Do you know ahead of time each week, exactly what challenges you are going to participate in, or do you spend time on your computers searching for them?

• Do you have notepads at your computer where you scribble like crazy, or do you have a nice, tidy calendar with things neatly penciled in and/or color coded?

• Do you do the same challenges all the time, or do you hop around and try new challenges?

I am 100 percent NOT being sarcastic or sassy here - I really, truly, would love to know some of your organizational and coordination secrets so that I can tidy up my life (and desk) a little! It will be fun to hear what you all have to say, and I'm sure that others would love some 'tidy-up' advice, as well!

I'm excited to hear from you all!!! Thanks!

Patti J.

Food for thought:

I saw this on a bumper sticker yesterday: I'm so old that when I eat out, they ask me to pay in advance!

Anything but a card...

The challenge this week at For Fun Challenges is (not) to make a project that is anything but a card. Sweet! I needed a 'little something' for someone, and here is the perfect excuse to make it!

So I guess I lied! Helen at For Fun Challenges just emailed me and whispered very politely that the challenge was to use a stamp! lol...thank goodness I did indeed use a stamp! Oh, well...I have been away since March 11th, I'm allowed a couple of mistakes! I'm sure I saw that someplace...wonder where??? lol!!!

I just took some scraps of cardstock and made this post-it holder. The only stamping is the simple sentiment on the cover from The Angel Company. No coloring! Easy Peasy! (Not clean and simple though - LOOK AT THAT FLOWER!!!)

Have a great day, everyone! Thanks for stopping by.

Patti J.

Food for thought: Sometimes I wake up grumpy, and sometimes I let him sleep!

Simplicity with Ribbon!

(Image and sentiment are by The Angel Company. All coloring done with Koh-I-Noor colored pencils and low-odor mineral spirits)

(I still don't have Copics!)

It was so exciting to wake up this morning, and run to the office to check e-mail on MY computer!

I knew that it was Wednesday, and that Susan would be posting a new challenge for this week. UGH... that means a clean and simple one layer card. Have I ever told you how confident I am making one layer cards? lol.... Hellooooooooo...how do you hide an ink smudge without using flowers? Tee hee!

WELL...today's challenge by Susan, at Simplicity by Late Blossom, was to make a one layer card. Even so, I got excited! I said to myself, "self, you can do this", (with lots of exclamation points!), and then I commented on Susan's blog and said "I can do this"!!! So I picked out my ribbon first (notice it has BLING) and THEN made my card. Am I wigged out or what!

Anyway, dear friends, I hope you like it! I am SO very excited to be back among the blurfing that I can hardly sit still to blurf! Tomorrow, I hope to be able to show you the baby shower invitations I've been working on, using one of Melanie Muenchinger's wonderful stamp sets. Until then, I'm off to visit your blogs and see what you've been up to!

Hugs and blessings to you all! I will leave you with a little...

Food for thought...

When I was younger, all I wanted was a nice BMW. Now that I'm older, I no longer care about the W. (smile!!!)

Patti J.

Hooray!

I'm back! I've been doing some visiting tonight, and will catch up with many more of you tomorrow! Hope you are all well, and I can't wait to get back into some challenges! Take care - cya soon!

Today's the Day!

I'm getting my computer today!!!

Life is good!

Happy Friday!

Excitement and Punctuation!

Let me start by saying hello dear blogging friends!!! My goodness, it's been a while since I was here! Thank you to all who are hanging in with me... more in a minute on that situation!

I have a card to post today. Talk about being outside of my box! I totally SUCK at CAS (clean and simple) cards. That's all there is to it. I cannot stop. I MUST add a dot of glitter. I WANT to add ribbon and buttons so badly that I almost get hives! And flowers??? Come on, do I ever make a card without flowers? Rarely...so are you surprised that I've done a ONE LAYER CAS card? I'm totally surprised...

ANYway....now that my heart palpitations have subsided, I'm ready to post my CAS card. I have become totally hooked on a blog called "Simplicity" by Late Blossom. Susan does the most phenomenal one layer work that I have ever seen. And darn, she makes it look SO easy, that I almost find myself believing I can do it! I think I will have to read her blog for about the next 800 years before I can really do what she does! Be sure to drop over and check her blog out - wow!

Susan posts a weekly challenge on Wednesday. This week, the challenge was to use a punctuation stamp on our card. As many stamps as I own, I think I really only have one set, Playful Parenthesis, by the Angel Co., that has any punctuation! So, guess which set I used? lol... The ink is Tim Holtz Distress Ink, Dusty Concord. Yes, I actually DID use a starburst glitter pen on almost everything! (sorry Susan, couldn't resist)

I hope you like it!

Now for some really exciting news! I have good news and bad news - the good news is that I AM GETTING MY COMPUTER BACK BETWEEN 3 AND 4 P.M. ON FRIDAY!!!!!!! WAHOO!!! The bad news is that we will have out of town company for the weekend, and I may not get to 'surf' until next week... :( I am so excited! I can once again check in on my peeps, leave comments, and join in challenges!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Patti J.

Food for thought: I'm retired - (I was tired yesterday, and I'm tired again today)!

Blue Roses

Tonight's post will be short! I didn't realize how late it had gotten, and my bubbles are gently calling me. Okay, I lied - the bubbles are yelling at me to get my act together or they will give me the "chilly treatment". I do have a good excuse though - the Cardinal's were winning a ball game, and desperately needed me to cheer them on. You know me and my baseball...


Sadly, a couple of sisters that I know lost their mother this week, so I needed to make them each a sympathy card. I chose to use this pretty soft CS that I bought at our LSS, O'Dear, What a Memory. It's double sided (plaid on the reverse), and is made by Chatterbox. I love the softness of the pattern. The sentiment stamp, by Verses Rubber Stamps, was purchased by my friend Shirley, from Inkeined to Stamp, and she kindly let me borrow it. The rose, is a beautiful stamp from Inkadinkado. The ink is Denim Blue, by Adirondack. The totally perfect bows were made with my fabulous Bow Easy that Shirley gave me for my birthday.


Sympathy cards, like CAS, are very hard for me. I'm always tempted to run to Hallmark, because I sit and stare at my CS and stamps, and just draw blanks. With that in mind, I think these turned out pretty. I hope you like it.


Thanks for stopping by. Off I go to my hot, well warm, or maybe lukewarm bubble bath! My job tomorrow is a full day of paperwork for DH!


Well, goodnight all - see you soon!


Patti J.