Snow storm 2010 :)

It's been SNOWING for more than 2hrs here in East Tennessee! The ground is covered, most of the driveway is covered and so are the cars - and the snow keeps falling!

I took a short nap after talking with Jim; now I'm ready to fix some fresh coffee and sit down and make some cards. I have finally received my Stampin' Up order yesterday, after being on the phone with UPS and the driver of the truck that said I was NOT home to sign for my package! I have also received my very first order from Verve Stamps - I have purchased their whole "New Release Bundle" and I have to say I am quite pleased with the whole package, as well as the customer service (one of the stamp collection had a small misspelling, so they will send me a replacement as soon as possible...) Now, all I need is learn how to use my Copic markers and I'll be all set! lol

Coffee... I need coffee...

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Hearts for Haiti - part 2

Today I've decided to donate two more cards to Hearts for Haiti. These two cards are similar to the cards I've posted today in my Etsy shop, but with different stamped sentiments.

As of January 27, 2010 "Hearts for Haiti" raised over $20,000 in sales from donated items!!

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Physical therapy

Five weeks after slipping on a puddle of oil at work, my back is still a mess. It actually hurts worse now than a few weeks ago... We've tried conservative treatment, we've tried Biofreeze, we've tried a series of exercises meant to strengthen abdominal and back muscles... Nothing has helped so far, so the nurse at work sent me to start physical therapy. After the assessment, Danny hooked me up to a neat little device and placed some pads on my lower back - then the fun began! Creepy-crawly sensation that lasted 15min! Thank goodness I was laying down on the heat pad! Almost fell asleep :)

I have two more appointments this week: Thursday at 9am and Friday at 9:30am... This week we started working a 9hrs shift, which means by 7am I'm pooped, so going to therapy will end up in my falling asleep, at some point. Oh, well - they'll wake me up when time is up :)

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Checkered Hearts :)

As I seem to be in a "Valentine's Day" frame of mind, I just had to do something else than a card - so here it is: a Valentine's Day bookmark!

Most of last night, while Jim was peacefully sleeping (sadly, with the aid of two Tylenol PM... lol), I sat down to my recently cleaned craft table, went through my stash of cardstock and patterned paper and created three designs of Valentine's Day cards. They might end up having different sentiments but they can be used for many occasions. I do have to confess, it was not easy working on those cards - I would much rather hoard said cardstock and petterned papers, but alas, I am running out of space to store them! They are not finished yet, but I'll get them posted as soon as I get the sentiment labels stamped and cut :)

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Hearts for Haiti donation :)

One of my card donations to Hearts for Haiti, "Wagon full of hearts Cross-stitch card", sold this morning! My very first Canadian customer EVER - even if not directly from my shop! LOL... Monday will be a busy Post Office day...

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Stampin' Up :)

I absolutely love the Stampin' Up! products, though I never thought I knew enough about card making or stamping to order any of their awesome products! Well, today I decided I just had to order some of their specialty paper; I did and then some! LOL

This weekend I am planning to create some cards to donate to Hearts for Haiti. It will be my first such venture, but it is for a most worthy cause :)

Well, got to finish my laundry, get more coffee, eat some breakfast then attempt to get some rest. Y'all be good now and stay warm and dry (it's an absolutely beautiful morning here, but we are expected to have two days of heavy rain...)

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First week...

...back on 3rd shift is over! It wasn't that bad, I crashed no machines - though a clamp came loose and the drill went through it like butter... lol... But it felt great to be with people I used to work with, and see the sun rising each morning when I leave the plant :)

Here is my latest addition to my Valentine's Day cards - this one has a fun little surprise inside the pocket that IS the actual card! It was quite fun to do - though I need lots of practice. More photos can be seen HERE :)

My college advisor called me today to let me know I need to fill out another LOA form, an extension to the form I submitted in October 2009. The original form did not cover the few days in March, when my term actually starts... lol... I found it funny, but I'll fill it out and email it to him so he can take care of things on Monday...

Well, gotta go: fresh coffee, a half stitched card and "Becker" are ALL waiting for me

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Learning curve...

Trying to keep my promise to myself to learn and try new things... As Valentine's Day is just a month away, I've decided to try my hand at creating a Valentine's Day card that is NOT cross-stitch. I've used watercolor, dimentional piecing, punches, diecutting labels, stamping - even sponging edges and embellishing with brads and bling! I like the way it turned out, even if I can see areas I can improve on. You can see it HERE :)

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Forever Adore Pocket card

In the past, I have never really thought that burnt orange and light blue would work together, but looking at these latest cards I realized that the colors used offer contrast and POP!

Another pocket card, with a stamped and embellished tag tucked away inside a decorated side-cut pocket.

You can take a closer look at this and other photos HERE.

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Valentine, Valentine...

I have been working on Valentine's Day cards and this is the last card listed in my Etsy shop - here is where you can take a detailed look. Though is not created in the traditional white, pink, red (and the occasional black... lol) color pallette, the sentiment stamped on the pocket tag says it all!

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Trying new things...

One of my New Year resolutions (besides the usual one regarding healthy eating, weight reducing and activity increasing... lol) is to get over my fear of trying my hand at new things. Than includes working with stamps, coloring them with watercolors or my Copics, and learning the awesome braying techniques of Michelle Zindorf's of Freedom in Creating. So last night, after finishing 5 cards, I took a Manila tag, and did a Wrinkle Free Distressed look on the front of it (Sherry Cheever's tutorial). On the back I've tried my hand at brayering (check out any of Michelle's tutorials).

It turned out OK, especially the watercolored rose - but I am a far ways to go before reaching an intermediate level. However, in the process of learning all these neat things I've realized that I need to spend some serious money to get the necessary ink pads & reinkers... LOL

Well, fresh coffee is waiting for me, as it will be another long night :)

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