Update on Sale

Hi friends. Thank you to those of you that have already purchased from me. Please know that if you have already bought from me or have reserved something it is either already in the mail on its way to you, or I have your email in the process of going out. Winners of the blog candy will also be notified real soon.

I am in the process of changing how I have listed items for sale. I am getting myself WAY more organized and I am almost ready for full blown business. I have added a slide show listing some of the items I have for sale right now. Please note that I have several more CTMH ink pads and re-inkers I just have not located them as of yet. I also have lots (did I say LOOOOTS) more stamps for sale, but it is just taking me for forever to get them up and listed. I have several pics up right now that say N/A til further notice. These stamps are still for sale, but I cant locate them at this very moment and wont actually say that they are ready to go out til I have my hot little hands on them. But since I have photos of them, I know that they are not far from reach.

If you click on the slideshow it will take you to the actual album. In the album youll be able to see larger photos as well as the item descriptions with measurements. Youll also be able to do a search by topic ie: fish or flowers or PSX or whatever.

Of course as usual I am willing to combine shipping.

THANK YOU GUYS for being so understanding!!

More Blog Candy

Hey beautiful friends! I hope that you are out celebrating this fabulous weekend. Dont forget to say thank you to a special military person too.

Today I want to challenge you to a copic color challenge! Kimm over at Artful Sentiments is hosting the Copic Color Challenge of B26, BG15 and R29 and Grays this week. Arent these colors just the greatest?? OK...so here is the thing. You MUST do two things: 1) go over to Kimm's and click on Mr. Linky add your submission, then 2) come back over here at tell me that you are participating. You have until next Thursday to enter. And the winner will receive a brand new Pull-EZ ribbon storage bag. These things are the coolest!

So here is my submission for this week. Kimm had to post early since her son was graduating this weekend (YAY! CONGRATS!) and I was a loser and didnt get it to her on time. So to help me make it up to her, go on over and enter the contest! Check out all of my team mates awesome work too! I knoooow that you will love it as much as me!

Of course this is a Dustin Image. Dont forget to check out his blog and enter for his Blog Candy too!

I added diamond glaze to the candle and also to the frosting squiggles on the cake. TOO FUN!

Okay, I am out of here! Have a blessed holiday weekend!!

PS Awhile ago I had Blog Candy for those that purchased items at my sale. Please know I havent forgotten. Just trying to get things caught up and straightened up.

Keepers

Hi friends.

Dont worry I will be back with creations a bit later on today. But I wanted to share this email with you that I got from one of my dearest friends (Hi, Linda!!). So often we are consumed with being the most flashy, the richest, the best....we drive fancy cars, we purchase humongous houses, we dress like we need to be in magazines~paying no attention to comfort or price. We strive to get more stuff. Pretty soon we, ourselves are consumed with stuff. Our houses are stuffed to the gills with stuff we just HAVE to have. Then we lock them up, jump in our fancy cars and head out to the local shopping mall to get some MORE stuff. As most of you know, I have been going through some major changes in this area. Some of Gods hints were a little more rude than others, but I am finally catching on. Ohhh to go back to the days of FIXING things, getting excited for Christmas and the brand new red bike that you hope youll be getting, afterall, you had been dreaming of it for a WHOLE year. Now adays for some of us, something that big is nothing more than a loaf of bread in the excitement category. Now, mind you...I do NOT speak for everyone. And when I speak...I am mainly pointing the finger right back at myself. But God's been working on me. I am learning that its the little things that really matter. My girls are precious, I have a beautiful and loving husband and a God that loves me. All this other stuff is just so stupid! So I challenge YOU today. First, read the email below...then- think about how YOU can keep some stuff in your life too.

Go and be blessed!

Keeper

I grew up in the 40's/50's with practical parents.

A mother, God love her, who washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it, then reused it. She was the original recycle queen, before they had a name for it...

A father who was happier getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones. Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away.

I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat and Mom in a house dress, lawn mower in one hand, and dish-towel in the other. It was the time for fixing things. A curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress Things we keep.

It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy. All that re-fixing, eating, renewing, I wanted just once to be wasteful.

Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there'd always be more. But then my mother died, and on that clear summer's night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't any more. Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away...never to return.

So... while we have it...

it's best we love it....

and care for it....

and fix it when it's broken........

and heal it when it's sick.

This is true.

for marriage.....

and old cars....

and children with bad report cards.....

and dogs with bad hips....

and aging parents.....

and grandparents.

We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it. Some things we keep. Like a best friend that moved away or a classmate we grew up with. There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special........ and so, we keep them close!

~~God won't ask what kind of car you drove. He'll ask how many people you drove who didn't have transportation.

~~God won't ask the square footage of your house, He'll ask how many people you welcomed into your home.

~~God won't ask about the clothes you had in your closet, He'll ask how many you helped to clothe.

~~God won't ask what your highest salary was. He'll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it.

~~God won't ask what your job title was. He'll ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.

~~God won't ask how many friends you had. He'll ask how many people to whom you were a friend.

~~God won't ask in what neighborhood you lived, He'll ask how you treated your neighbors.

~~God won't ask about the color of your skin, He'll ask about the content of your character.

Blog Candy

Hey friends. I am a little behind in my blog hopping and am struggling to get all the comments and messages and photos where they need to be going. But I sooo couldnt forget to tell you to run on over to DUSTINS and enter for the blog candy! I have copied and pasted the legits of the contest so you can go and get busy right this second.

It''s official... It's my very first "BLOG CANDY" and after much thought I came up with this...First I was just gonna pick someone randomly from a post but then I realized there alot of people who really would appreciate a card made by the visitors to my blog... I have chosen one site.

http://www.postpals.co.uk

Next time I can find another similar site and do the same thing. If you know of a site like this please let me know and I can schedule it for another month...So whatcha gotta do is create a card, project something paper crafty for a child on this site. It doesn't have to be my art (appreciated, but not required) , follow the mailing directions and send it in the mail. Next post a photo or scan of what you did on your blog or site and I am trusting everyone on this part (mail the item)... post a comment on this post that you have done all of this and I will choose 1 grand winner and 10 first prize winners. All chosen randomly...What's up for grab.

• 1 Super Grand Blog Candy prize: Dino Rubber Stamp from http://www.papermakeup.com

Right now there are 3 stamps, but the others are coming first part of June, The winner will win the entire Dino line designed by me "In rubber", not digital stamp.

• 10 first prize winners will win 2 digi downloads of their choice from my digital stamp line.

http://doodledragon.dustinpike.com/Digis.htm

http://doodledragon.dustinpike.com/Digis2.htm

Please feel free to share this wherever you feel the need, I would like for these kids to get a flood of cards from people making their day just a little brighter.

*****Due date of June 6 2009, that gives people a little time and the dino stamp set to be done, BIG thank you to Katie at Paper makeup for donating the prize*****

Dustin

Mr Fixit & Tikki Monkey!

LOOK! Its Shrinky Dinks!! This Mr. Fixit dude is another one that Dustin is releasing today. He comes with all these handy dandy little tools! I traced them on to the Shrinky Dinky plastic and then colored em, cut two holes in each so I could thread em like buttons. I just loooooove them. I had forgotten how much fun Shrinky Dinks are. I am definitely writing it on our list of rainy day things to do this summer. Did you KNOW that you can even do them in the crockpot? So even though you dont want the babies gathered around the oven, the crockpot is a charm and they can watch em all curl up and look all a mess before flattening out. Mr. Fixit himself is sporting some glitz on his underbelly and his horns, tho you cant really see it.

I had a total blast with the next image too. Tikki Monkey is sporting some awesome Coconuts dont you think???

I sat here for the longest time trying to think of WHAT embellishment I could use for her bra. Then I came up with the idea of doing a really bad job of recoloring a brad.

First, I heated the normal silver brad.

Then I dipped the hot brad into brown embossing powders.

And then heated again. And while it was still hot I dipped it again. Allowing the powder to get bumpy and really ragged looking. I think it looks awesome myself.

I then double layered the Monkey's skirt too and cut slits to make it whip in the wind. I also popdotted the whole monkey so that he would stand out against the little dudes on the side. Again, my pic does it no justice!!

So thats it for my coming out show and tell. I hope youll visit Dustin today and see what else he has going on over there.

We are still desperately praying for a buyer for our house. Funny how the Lord's timing is never early. Please continue to pray for a buyer with a fair price to come our way soon.

How are YOU? Are you up and showered and ready for the day? Are you bright eyed and bushy tailed? Or are you still grumbling? In any case I hope that you are wonderful and are very blessed today.

Thursday Release Day!!

I have been wanting to tease you all week with all the great things that Dustin is coming out with today, but since I havent been able to get online for forever you get it all at once! WOOHOO! Lucky you! And Lucky You, you also will get to see that I CAN stamp outside of Dustin's designs too. I know it hasnt seemed like it lately. I have been Dustinfied!!!!

This is the Party Animal set that I KNOW you NEED! These guys are sooooooo much fun. Dont you just love the fish swimming in the balloon? I thought that was shear brilliance!

Its kind of hard to tell in these pics but the balloons are suspended with clear acetate and are actually tied with thread to the animals. I had a hard time getting good shots of the card since its not the traditional shape and an even more difficult time taking a pic of something CLEAR. I am soooo in love with this card tho and in love with these images. Dont forget to check out what everyone else on the team is doing too.

Is it YOUR Birthday today?? If so, Happy Birthday dear one!

Well GAAAAAWWWWLEEEEEEY!!!

I was having a restless night, frustrated about todays feeble attempts to get online and decided to come downstairs and give it one more shot. I was especially discouraged when Ronnie had said that Tech Support had said we needed a new $125 modem. I thought just out of curiosity I KNOW that there is a reset button on the modem. I had been resetting the modem all day by unplugging it and waiting and replugging it in. But, no--I hadnt gone and got the paper clip and put the end in that little bitty hole. Well guess what? That worked like a charm. ~sigh~ I just KNOW I have some extra gray hairs to be covering now because of my unnerved day of accomplishing nothing.

Anyways. If you didnt get a chance to head on over to Dustin's yesterday you SOOOOO need to!! This was yesterday's FREEBIE.

The inside of my card says I MAY NOT BE ABLE TO FIX THINGS, BUT A FRIEND, ILL ALWAYS BE.

Funny how when life hands us a bunch of junk its our friends that are our strength isnt it. We go through the hurt and hermit phase. Pushing everyone away, pulling the covers up over our heads, but then we grasp onto those small relationships with every breath. I hope all of YOU know how special you are to me. In the bad times and OF COURSE in the good ones!!

Whats on your plate for this week? Are you celebrating the holiday in a big way?

Stuck in Cyber Space.

I have been frantically trying to open email and blog since 730 am this morning. Email has been sketchy for the last few days working ONLY when it wants. And now Blogger doesnt seem to want to show my pics. So bare with me...Im out here. If I owe you an email or something of the sort, I am NOT ignoring you--honest, I just havent been able to get online worth saving my life over for a few days.

DUSTINS COMING OUT PARTY!!

Hahaha, no not really!!! Dustin is HAPPILY married with a whole bushel of kids! I STRONGLY doubt he is coming out of ANYTHING other than he is finally breaking into new territory with his design team. It is a great honor to work with such AMAZING people! Anyways. Dustin is releasing all of these fantastic images TODAY--go, go now!!


This one just SCREAMED baby to me! I looove the precious little animals, and their innocence. I pop dotted one of each animal as well as the water just to add a little zippity doo dah! SOO FUN!

Dont forget that TODAY is the day that you can purchase all of the images that I have been flooding you with from DUSTIN --yes, I know you have been DROOLING over them all! And did you remember to go pick up yesterday's image? Wasnt he a doll?




Also, go visit the rest of our Design Team's Blogs:

Charlotte
Cheri
Domi
Ginny
Jason
Lana
Lelia
Michelle
Paula
Peg
Poppet
Ri
Tracey
V

FREEBIIIIIIIIIEEEEE!!!

WHATS THE PEEL? Hehehehe, I made this guy using the freebie over at Dustins today. I am sending him to a friend that I am waiting for to get internet. I know she will totally crack up--I just hope it cracks her procrastination of joining the cyber world. *gasp* I soooo couldnt even imagine not being out here in the big world.

HI! Its HUMP DAY!

OK, are you about DUSTIN-ED out? I sure hope not! Isnt this pelican adorable? I thought he was just sooo springy! And happy! I KNOW pelicans arent YELLOW with ORANGE beaks. But I just wanted him to SCREAM sunshine.




I was sooo excited to find some sunglasses in my stash too. TOTALLY made him to be a BOMB dont you think????

This is another image that will be released on Thursday and I KNOW that you NEED him!

So its the middle of the week. Whatchya got goin on? Making plans for your weekend? How bout you school moms? Prepping for the kidlets to be home? YIKES! Only 10 days left!

A Spot of Tea!

inside says: Come and visit me, the tea is warm and the friendships free! I have to admit when Dustin presented us with the images this week, this one was kind of difficult for me to wrap my imagination around. But I really had a good time with it once I got going. Kinda makes me want to pull up a seat and have a spot myself!!! I like cards like this. Theyre no meaning cards. They are just sent because you simply want to make someone smile. Those are my favorite times to send cards. Remember you can get all of the images this week over at Dustins on Thursday.

BLUE BEAR

OK, so this little man resembles Blues Clues just a bit much....but well, I dont for certain WHY I wanted him to be blue. Thats just the color that screamed to me when I started coloring him.

I am excitedly trying to show you all of the fantastic images that will be available over at Dustins this THURSDAY, cause I just KNOW you will want to get them! This little bear is precious dont you think?? I hope that YOU are having a BEE-U-TIFUL day!!

I DONT DO MORNINGS...

Inside says: I DONT DO MORNINGS...ESPECIALLY WITHOUT YOU! Is this image not the most precious thing you have ever seen in your life?? I just loooooove him!!! He will be released over at DUSTIN PIKE'S place on Thursday, along with several other images. Also dont forget to swing over there on Wednesday for the free art. This weeks' is TOOOO precious!!

Things are going well here today. And THANK YOU JESUS the sun is shining! Mind you, it just means that I need to go out and mow the grass and clean up the rain drenched ditch line, but thats ok! I will GLADLY do it!

How are YOU? Stamped anything lately? I got to play with Marilyn and Janet (hi guys) yesterday and had suuuuch a blast! And since I am home today doing laundry and all that sort of stuff, I am anxious to get inky again this afternoon!

Birthday

This is more from Kimm's COPIC CHALLENGE colors. I cant remember for certain who sent me the image, but isnt it just precious!?! Soo much fun!

So tell me, did you have a spectacular weekend? What did you do to make someone happy?

Copic Challenge

This is big news! I mean REALLY big!! Its official! One of Kimm's design members had to step down, so I am now not just a GUEST designer, I am a full blown TEAM MEMBER! How uber awesome is that??? So anyways. Kimm's challenge this week is to use BG15, Y06, R17 and oranges. I just loooove this truck and it often gets neglected. Anyways. I popped some of the images up so that thered be a little more dimension. I kinda still feel like the card is missing something, might have to fiddle with it a little more.

What are YOU doing this weekend? Enjoying yourself? If you are getting inky, be sure to go over to KIMMS ARTFUL SENTIMENTS and try out her Copic Challenge. TONS of fun stuff going on there! In case yer wondering who the heck this chick is, she is famous!! Shes one of the Senior Designer Peoples for Technique Junkie...and I KNOW you know who THAT is!!

I hope you have a great rest of the weekend! Go and be blessed!

Unbearable...

I am still in love with my digi bears. Arent they soo much fun??

Things are good here. I am really glad its Friday and we have the weekend free. The rain is back and I am of course back in the slums, but thats ok. God is still good!

The Mojo is Floodin!

I have just been creating up a storm! Awww it is soooo great to have ink on my fingers again!

Anyways...I decided to go ahead and knock out a few of the challenges I like to participate in. This one, probly doesnt fall into the SCHOOL term that they were looking for over at DIGITAL TUESDAY , but it IS the card that I made for Hannah's teacher. Just a little gift to wrap up the end of Teacher Appreciation Week.

On the inside, it says: Soon...You can take it easy ~ Hang in there! He of course is a Digi Image from Dustin. (You can get him by clicking over there on the link →→→→)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

This is also not following EXACTLY what the sketch said to do, but I really liked how it turned out just the same. On the inside of the card it says: A little fishy told me it was your special day!

Heres the sketch that I was supposed to follow from over at My Time, My Creations, My Stampendence -- way cool stuff there!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I have had this tea cup from Dustin for awhile now and just havent been able to make it work the way I wanted it to. I dont know why, but the little thing TOTALLY spoke to me the first time I saw it and I HAD to have it. Not a bad rendition of the MOJO is it??

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

And again...heres another challenge. Since I am not a Stampin Up! specialist, I always have to wing my way thru these colors. And get as close as I can.

Thankfully, one of the mat stacks I had purchased recently TOTALLY had these colors! How cool is that??? You MUST go check out their challenges. They really do cause one to break out of their comfort zone.


This is a CC DESIGN digi image. I am still in love with her stuff.


So there you go! PROOF that I CAN still create!!! Hope your night/day is fantastic!!

IGUANA

I know that Dustin called him a Chameleon, but I sooo like him as an Iguana. Especially since the inside says IGUANA MISS YOU! This, as you can see is another KILLER digi stamp from Dustin Pike. I am soooo excited to be on his design team and having a blast with his images!!

The sun is shining today!! I just MIGHT make it! I am smiling and getting inky!!!!

Beautiful as a Rose

SAD is kicking my tail again. Geesh---I cant hardly stand the rain much longer. It seriously has rained buckets since last Friday and my mood has sent me barrelling to the back of the closet, mumbling sweet nothings to myself and dreaming of a land of sunshine and lollipops.



If you have talked to me on the phone at all this week, I am sure that you have heard me go on and on and on about my precious rose bush that has just completely taken on a whole new life this season. One day I had counted 21 new blooms. Now, of course that it has rained for a solid week, many of the petals are on the ground and it is doing all that it can to stand up tall. But this is just one of the many proofs of God's handiwork. I cant take credit for its beauty. Now, if it were laying there lifeless--I CAN take credit for that. Afterall, I have the uncanny ability to kill a silk plant. But its beauty had NOTHING to do with me.

Another one of God's masterpieces is my darling daughter. This past Monday was her annual band concert. They sounded absolutely fantastic and as usual it was an honor to witness the musical talent of her school. But she too---is created through God. I cant take credit for her beauty. No, it is one thing I just get to sit back and enjoy. THANK YOU JESUS

Updated on the Tweenie cat.

"Yes....can I help you??"

Thanks Allison for reminding me that I needed to update the pic of the kitten, since shes not really much of a kitten anymore. Punkin AKA Boo-Bit has been fixed and therefor is loosing many of her kitten characteristics. No, not all....she still chases bugs, or rather any small object that appears to be flying across the floor (yes, even lazer beams). With her age tho--means shes not QUITE the frady cat that she used to be.

I MADE IT! I MADE IT! I MADE IT!

Wow! What an honorable week it has been! I made the Design Team for DUSTIN PIKE! WOOHOOOHOOO! Get ready to be cutesied to death! *LOL* I looove his dragons and his bears oh and his ballerinas and and and...I just like him! SOOOO MUCH FUN!



Being blessed with a tweenager and a little girl following close behind in her sister's footprints, means that I am also blessed with music playing almost 99% of the time. Now some of this so-called music is awful, like really nerve grating and disturbing. But I do also find myself tapping my foot along with much of it as well. Recently, I also got the pleasure of seeing the movie HANNAH MONTANA. Now besides the fact that the show completely makes us Tennesseeans out to be complete hicks, I thought it really was a good movie. One of the songs that Miley sang is called the Climb. And I have to say...this song hits way home for me. Especially right now. As we are struggling with a few things here at home. Weve just taken a huge leap of faith to put the house on the market, prepare the children for a possible move and keep my husband hanging on at a job that he truly hates and that is also beating him to a pulp. Did I mention, that we really have no direction of where we will go next...no new job, no new home....nothing. I think the lyrics are just sooo fitting. I hope that you might be blessed with them as well. Remember....gotta keep the faith.


The Climb


I can almost see it
That dream I am dreaming
But there's a voice inside my head saying
"You'll never reach it"

Every step I'm taking
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking
But I gotta keep trying
Gotta keep my head held high

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down
But no, I'm not breaking

I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm gonna remember most, yeah
Just gotta keep going

And I, I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on'

Cause there's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb, yeah!

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Somebody's gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb, yeah!

Keep on moving, keep climbing
Keep the faith, baby
It's all about, it's all about the climb
Keep the faith, keep your faith, whoa

Good Morning friendlies!

How is every one?? I hope that you are enjoying your weekend!!! I have fantastic news! My house is officially on the market! THANKS MOM & DAD for all of your extreme hard work! We painted all of the trim both inside AND out, relandscaped, cleaned, pressure washed, stripped and buffed floors, painted walls, rearranged furniture. You name it! We did it!! In a matter of about 6 days! I think its going to take me a LOOOOOOOOOOOOONG time to recover. But I pray that it will all be well worth it and we will get a fabulous buyer quickly!

Beautiful home full of Southern charm, nestled in the heart of East Tennessee. Corner lot with private back decking, gorgeous wrap around porch and a hot tub! Inside holds 4 bedrooms, 2 ½ baths a gorgeous kitchen with island, formal dining room, a spacious living room with both a gas and a wood burning stone fireplace. Tons of storage, move in ready!!!

The next great big news is that I am a guest designer this month for ARTFUL SENTIMENTS BY KIMM and I am having sooo much fun with this! I have never been on a design team before. I am sooo loving the challenges. Anyways. This week her challenge was to use

YG11 R20 & B21 in your design. Come on and play along with us!! I know MANY of you can rise up to the challenge!!! Dont forget to leave your name and such on Kimm's Mr. Linky.

Heres the card I submitted.

I hope that you are enjoying your weekend. Go and be blessed.