I love Fridays!

...but then again, doesn't every one!  Today the sun is coming out again and that's such a plus, it's also going to be up in the 50's and tomorrow up in the 60's which is really nice for the little Treat or Treaters.  I still have not put my goodie bags together, but will do that tomorrow morning.  I have not wanted to be tempted to eat any candy, so all the bags have been stored away.

  Today, will be a fun day as I'm off to do a little Christmas Shopping.  I'm going to Bath & Body Works, to pick up my Lambie Blanket that they put on hold for me.  If you want a wonderful comfy cozy gift for a sweet friend or family member, I highly recommend them.  They all super snuggly soft and comfy.   I'm also picked up some goodies for a box I am putting together for a charity called the ShoeboxProject.  One of the gals in my Fibro Group actually runs this project and when I read about it, I knew the I wanted this to be the organization that I donate to this year for the Holidays.  I will be sending her a big box of "Beauty/Skincare" type products that she will then use for some of the shoeboxes that she will put together.  I thought it was such a wonderful idea and I am happy to help out.

  I am also very excited to be trying out to be on a brand new Design Team that is being put together for a wonderful online store called Cutters Creek.   I happen to belong to three Yahoo Crafts groups that a owned by Kim, who is also the owner of Cutters Creek.  When I read her 'call outl looking for crafters  to apply to be a member of a brand new  DT she is putting together, I thought it would be a nice challenge for me to try out.   I'm not sure how far I'll go, but it certainly has been interesting to go through the application process.   I'm now that the point where the FUN begins, because now is time to create my project submission.  

So...today, while I'm in the area of my LSS, I'm going to stop in and see what wonderful papers or things I can find to use on my "Creation".  I am not sure what theme I will choose, so I thought going into the store and finding the perfect paper would be my first start.   I also have a $20 store gift card that is burning a whole in my purse...LOL!  .   Wish me luck, as I have never done anything like this before, but to me it's now a challenge and I simply want to complete the challenge and learn from the experience.

  That's my day...I'm off shortly and hope I find some wonderful goodies.  I also hope to pick up a few Christmas gifts while I'm out and hope I can manage a couple hours of shopping before this Fibro body, gives out!

    Happy Friday! 

Back to the rainy cold weather...!

...and it's NOT at all enjoyable.  I really mind this weather and have been really sore and extra tired since it started raining again.

  The best NEWS of this week was finding out the my friend "Sharon" was chosen as  a New Design Team Member at the new Ch(all)enge Masters Craft Community.  I am so happy for her and know she will do an excellent job.  She is a very talented paper-crafter and I can't wait to see what she comes up with.   I joined the Community to see what it's all about and it sounds kind of fun.  There are several mini groups each of which will offer some time of craft challenge beginning on November 1st.  I think I may try one of the Card Challenges and I really love them.  I also joined Sharon's Group which is called - Book of Him 

 She and her teammate, Robin will offer challenges all about the "man" in your life!  That Special Him.  This is be very unique and cool and I can't wait to see what they come up with!

CONGRATULATIONS to Sharon...!  I am so happy for you and know you'll do an awesome job!!

  Monday,  went okay, I had a lot of packages "Christmas Gifts" that arrived and I took time to open all the boxes and put things into gift bags or boxes with some tissue.  I haven't wrapped anything, but I did make a big start and that was good.  

  Tuesday, was a really quiet day, as Alex as home from school sick.  Luckily, it's a miserable cold and he doesn't have any flu symptoms or fever.  He's been battling it silence the weekend, and actually spent most of the weekend at home...pretty unusual for a 17 year old, so I knew he didn't feel good.  He did catch up on a lot of sleep and by later afternoon was feeling better.  He even went to work for a few hours, so that was a good sign and I knew he was improving.  DH has also been super tired lately from working a lot and we all were in bed very early last night.

  Wednesday (today), I was up early and happy to see Alex up and off to school and sounding better.  I hope he continues to improve and that the cold does NOT spread throughout the house.  I've been using lots of anti-bacterial soap and Lysol and so far so good.  

   This morning I had my nails done which is always nice.  I picked out a new color and really like it.  Now, I'm back and hope to work on some cards...but I'm not overly ambitious and tried.  Hopefully, I can at least color some more images that I started yesterday.  

   I also had a call from Bath & Body to tell me the "Adorable" Lambie Blankets are in.  They will hold one for me and I'll go on Friday to pick it up.  I think I may also do a bit more Christmas Shopping that day and see what else I can get done!   I'm really stuck on what to buy Brian and Alex this year, and they both may end up with money, but at least that way, they'll get what they really want.  Neither of them has any clue what to ask for?  Usually they both give me a wish list, but they are both stumped?   I really miss the days when I could find lots of cute toys and fun things, now it's harder each year!  I guess that because my boys are now adults....!  

Luckily, I'm doing WELL on the rest of my list and have quite a bit done!  I love Christmas and enjoy shopping and wrapping and getting the shopping done early makes it much easier for me and also helps me to make the Holidays so much more FUN !

  Well, that's my week so far...!  What are you up to? 

  

A Sunny Sunday.....

What a difference a day can make and what a difference some SUN and warm temps can make too.  Today has turned out to be a much better day for me.  My Fibro pain is down some and I slept over ten hours last night which is MUCH needed.

I've also spend a lot of the day in my craft room and for me, that's my favorite place to be.  

This card, is one of my most recent are two of my recent cards.  It's was created from a Finally Friday Challenge I found last week on the Two Peas website.  I feel in love with the card, so I ordered the DigiKit from Kristina Werner to cut the card shape on my Circut, and then I also bought the Hero Arts "Snowflake" cling stamp.  I love how nicely the image comes out when it's embossed and I think I may make several of these ornaments.

  Today, I've been doing some re-organizing in my Craft Room and also started on some more Christmas cards.  I remembered that I bought a DCVW "Winter" Card/Scrap Kit from HSN when it was on clearance back in July and I dug that out today to come up with some new ideas.  It was a great deal and has some really cute papers and embellishments in the kit.  I'm working with some of them today and hope to get another couple of cards done before I get too tired.

  DH is out grilling up some burgers for Dinner and they smell fabulous and are just about done.  Yum!!  I made a salad and it'll be a quick and easy dinner for us.  It also may well be on the last few times we are able to grill without it being too cold for too dark...Bummer!!   I'm definitely going to enjoy my burger tonight and hope maybe we still can have them another time before winter really hits!

 ...Oh goodies...burgers are done...I'm off...time to have dinner and then pick up my room and relax!  Bye Bye!!

Argh!!!! What a horrible WEEK!!

Some weeks are JUST miserable and this has been one of those weeks for me!  ALL I can do now and HOPE that happier and better days are coming soon!

I'm super stressed and feeling so much more pain, which is just a vicious circle with Fibro.  So many things have gone wrong this week and it's NOT fun at all.  I really do NOT deal with with upset and feeling so depressed.

I really wish something we could go back and change things, but like simply doesn't work that way.  Thankfully, I have crafts to keep me busy and keep my mind of things that upset me.  I'm going to work on projects all weekend and try and keep my mind on happy thoughts.

In the meantime I will continue to HOPE for better days for all!   

Hugs and thanks to ALL my friends who have been so kind and supportive to me!  You all rock!!

This is a picture of card I made last night for a Two Peas Challenge, but I also want to share it with ALL my friends, and to let you all know that I adore you and that I'm very thankful to have you in my life!

This card is for all my wonderful friends.

   ...With hugs and love....

Two Peas Challenges!

I have really been enjoying trying to participate in more and more Challenges lately. I started last week on the Two Peas "A Year in Cards" challenge and then found there were lot more to try, so I kept going! As it turns out, it's been really fun and it's helping me to learn new techniques and to try different things on my cards and pages.

My son, Alex told me one day last week, that he can always pick my cards out...because they all look alike and I don't' "think out of the box" enough. And he's right. I simply use paper and embellishments or stamped images. Now I'm learning to use inks, paints and embossing more again. I'm also using my Cricut more and more to create all kinds of textures and layers! It'll take time to get things to work for me...but it has been different and enjoyable!

These are some of the recent cards I have made, all for challenges!

Great Impressions - Snowman Card Class!

Despite the nasty weather, Patty and I headed out yesterday to take the Great Impression "Holiday Card" class which this year was based on a Snowmen Theme, something we both love.

We went early so we could do a little pre-class shopping and I added six more Copics to my Collection. I'm up to over 40 now and absolutely LOVE them. I post a bit more about hem tomorrow after I finish a little layout I did about my new Copic Obsession.

Here are pics of the cards we made yesterday in Class. I bought a couple of the stamps to recreate the card with the little red bird and also the card with the Birdhouse next to the snowman. The snowman was the class stamp and included for free as part of the class.

This is my Favorite!

Another Nor'easter here today....

Yuk! Two nasty rain storms in one week is a bit much! Today, the forecast sounds even worse then the storm we had on Friday, as apparently this storm is a SLOW mover.

I am very happy that I have plans and will be leaving shortly for a Card Class. I'm going to my LSS, Absolutely Everything with my friend Patty, to take the Monthly Great Impression Class and it's the perfect kind of day to craft. This link will take you to Sierra Stamps, where you will see the cards well be making - Click Here!

Snowmen cards are some of favorites so I really am looking forward to this class. We'll make all six cards and the free class stamp is the large snowmen, which is cute. I will post some pics of my cards in a day or so.

After class we plan to stop at Bath & Body Works, as we both have coupons for a Free Aromatherapy Lotion and another coupon for 20% off your entire purchase. I make stock up and see what is one sale.

So that's my day...pretty good for a miserable cold rainy day...the only bad part will be the drive to Topsfield, but we'll leave early and take our time.

Hope you ALL have a wonderful day!! Bye Bye

Stamp Camp Fun!!

I found a new Challenge on Two Peas that I love and it's the Weekly Stamp Camp. This week's class was taught by Jennifer McGuire who is one of my favorite stampers. It involved using inks, background stamps and heat embossing to create some really neat backgrounds for cards or pages.

This is a link to the Class on the Two Peas site - Stamp Camp - FALL 09 - Week 2. I worked on it yesterday and it was fun. I didn't have any distress inks on hand, so I tried it using an Adirondack Ink Dabber and a set of Color-box Cat Eye inks and various stamps. It worked great and I really liked how it comes out.

Here are some pictures of my stamped images, while they were drying --






And then this morning I used some Cuttlebug Nesties to cut out some shapes and picked my favorite and made these three cards -

Not a great Fibro Week...but good for crafts!

The cooler temps are already starting to make my body ache, which is not so fun. But, I still feel very thankful that I found a hobby I can still usually do, even on my worst days. This week I've been like a little kid and doing lots of coloring. What? Yes, I'm coloring lots of Stamped images for cards with my new Copic Markers and I have fallen in LOVE with Copics. LOL!

If you know me, you'll know that for months and months I swore I would NOT give in and buy such expensive markers...and for a long time and I didn't, but once I bought my first "Tilda" Stamp from Magnolia, I knew that I need to at least try Copics for her face. That was the beginning of what has now become my obsession to buy Copics and keep coloring. I also watched several of Suzanne Dean's videos and bought my first flesh tone markers, based on her descriptions. She is awesome and you can find lots of great images, tips and fun things on her blog.

Yesterday, I was super sore and had no energy, but I did color and it was very relaxing...kind of therapeutic for me and it feet good to keep busy. These are some of my first attempts at learning to color and blend with these awesome markers.

Tilda in Purple!

Herbs and Pots!
I bought this stamp from a Gal
on the TWO Peas Forum last week
and I LOVE it! Thanks Gen!



Tilda in Pink!

I still have to learn more about shading and blending and will continue to practice, but I do LOVE how well these blend.

My new goal to add two or three new colors to my collection at least once a week and to buy extras when I find them on sale or at special deals. I've already filled one Copic Storage case with (36) wonderful colors and I think these will be on a lot of my Christmas Wish Lists.

I want to thank Kim at Cutters Creek, for encouraging me to try them and for the special she recently offered on the Copics at her store! Between, her and the wonderful gals in my Craft group, I was hooked! Thanks girls!

Pink Love...

.....That's how I feel about my PINK Expression! I Love it and that's also why I decided to use it as my Project 365 Page for last week!

Here are some pictures of my wonderful Pink Expression and my Project 365 Page that I made from some of the pictures.

I Love how the buttons all
light up in PINK! Too Cute!!

This the the Layout I made
from some of the pictures and the Pink Journey
Cartridge, which I LOVE!!

A Sunny Sunday....

...but a very chilly one too! It was only 40 degrees out when I first woke up! I miss SUMMER so much already and it's not even really that cold...YET! The forecast for mid week had one day that the high was only in the 40's...Brrrr! I asked DH to be sure to bring in some WOOD and Kindling today, so I can have a nice fire going in our wood stove on the cold days.

Today, I have a urge to want to take a ride up to AC Moore and do a bit of shopping. I want a few photo boxes are than are ON-SALE today and tomorrow ONLY, plus I have a 50% off coupon for two days only. I just send an email to my friend Patty to see if she feels like going, if not, I'll go tomorrow...! I hate passing up GOOD sales and I want a few more Halloween decorations, which are also on-sale!!


I've been spending lots of time crafting in the past two day and finished some cards that I'm working on for a Challenge and a Halloween card. The Challenge was to "sew" on a card (ya right)...I am so NOT a gal who can sew, LOL! But, you could also use markers to 'create' a stitched look and that's what I did. I have to say I am NOT thrilled with any of my results...but after trying "3" times...I'm tired of it, so I'm moving on. These are the cards I made for the Challenge.....






I also finished up my Project 365 Page for this week and it's all about my new Pink Expression. I named it PINK LOVE, since I do LOVE LOVE my new Expression. After using a Baby Bug for so long, it's really awesome to have a nice big machine, but I also still really enjoy my Baby Bug and so I have decided to keep it. It's worth far to me, then it would be to sell it. It's in excellent condition and I know I would take a big loss to sell it so I won't.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yippee! Patty just called me and we are going to go to AC Moore tomorrow! Actually, that will work out better as both are DH's are working and that way we can SHOP away and they won't be asking us all about what we bought...that they might "think" we could NOT possibly need! LOL! They simply do not understand how MUCH we LOVE craft things and how we can NEVER really have enough.

A day off...at last!

Today is the first day this week that I can actually stay home ALL day and hopefully work on some crafting. You would think that being 'disabled' with Fibromyalgia, that I would be home every day, and yes, most weeks I am. But, then there are those weeks like this one, that all my appointments all end up together. I'm thrilled now that I am done with all my medical stuff, my errands and all the little things that wipe me out.

I am can finally work on some cards and enjoy a day to myself. As much as I have tired to get a few things done this week, (outside my doctor's appointments), I've been overly tired, so it's been hard. I did manage to finish up a "Distressed" challenge card and few more cards for my upcoming swap and I finished a new Project 365 Page, but that's been it!

Here are some pictures of what I have done --

This is for my Challenge and is my "Distressed" Card!

And this is my Project 365 Page from last week!
"O" is for October and Organizing!!

My New PINK Expresson!

Yippee!

After hearing that Michael's was going to have the Pink Cricut Expressions for $100 off today, I called the store yesterday and asked them if they had any in stock. As it turned out they ONLY had ONE, and I asked if they could hold it for me for today and they said SURE! WooHOO. They took my name and told me to ask a sales rep when I got there and they would get it for me. I was all excited and simply praying it ALL worked out. I arrived just before 10AM to be the first into the store and all excited to find that they DID have it all locked away for me in the back room! Once I had it in my CART I called DH to let him know I had it and that I was going to browse around and do a bit of shipping! After all, how could I go all that way and NOT shop too!

I very happily arrived home with my Pink Expression about 11:30 and still could hardly believe I had it and for $100 off too! . I have been wanting an Expression for months, but as soon as I heard about the Pink one and the Exclusive 'Pink Journey' cartridge, I knew that's the one that I wanted. I've been saving for a while and when the price came down $100 for the sale, I knew it was meant to be! I got home about noon and DH carried it up to my Craft Room and I've been playing with it every since. I took lots of pics and will do a page for my Project 365 next week. I am IN LOVE with it and especially LOVE LOVE LOVE the Pink Journey Cartridge. Being that my Mom and two very dear friends are ALL Breast Cancer Survivors, this is very near and dear to me. It will also work wonderful to make PURPLE Awareness Ribbons and and cards for my Fibro gals too! It's fabulous and I could NOT be happier to have it. What was a lousy rainy weekend, has turned out to be absolutely wonderful for me!

Here are some pics of the my new machine and my very first sheet of cuts too! I'm sure lots more will follow!

Isn't it beautiful!!!

October 1st......Brrrr!

Yikes did it get cold last night! I actually had to add to blanket to our bed and now I want DH to get ALL the AC's out and put away for the season. It's amazing how fast the weather here in New England can change and once it does, it's cold! I am NOT at ALL a fan of Winter or cold...so I really do not like the cold coming in. It was only 45 degrees when I got up this morning....Brrrr. I actually had to break down and turn on the heat for about a half an hour, simply to get the chill out of the house. The sun is out now and hopefully it will warm up.

~~~~~~~~~~~

I also wanted to remind everyone that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I hope that everyone will take time to give a Big HUG to any of your friends or family who are survivors or are currently battling this miserable illness! I hope this month it will also help to remind us to have our yearly mammograms and do our monthly self-exams. Early detection is the key to win this batter! Hugs to my Mom and my two friends, Kimberly and Kim, who are ALL survivors! I pray you ALL will continue to be cancer free and never had to go through the battle again.