In Everything Give Thanks

I have had such a thankful heart lately.  I don't know if its the holiday season or the fact that this year is almost done.  I am ready for 2017!!  Ever since D was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes I've been battling depression majorly.  Just in these past few weeks I've slowly started to feel the cloud around me lift and I am so thankful.

Then this past week I was blessed with a Verve Stamps gift card!  SO thankful!!  I placed my order a few days ago and after I hit send I was so pumped!  I cannot WAIT for it to get here so I can play!!  I decided to work some energy off and play along in Verve's December inspiration challenge again. :)

I was drawn to the color scheme but more of the deep, richer colors.  I also loved the bling so I added a little of it on my creation.

I used one of the stamps from the Scripture Medley 1 (which is on SALE right now!) which is a verse that I strive to daily live by.  No matter how I feel or what my circumstances, I give thanks to the One who is watching over me.  I know it's not a Christmas theme but I wasn't really in the Christmas card/page mood although I was listening to Christmas music when I made this.  Go figure!

I am very much in a Project Life mood so I decided this was going to be another card for a new layout. I have no idea what pictures are going to go with this page yet but I know the right pictures will pop out at me soon enough.  I am hoping to do a lot more pages in 2017.

I kept the sketch simple so I could show off this yummy paper that I cannot for the life of me find online!  I had a friend give some of her stamping stash when I decided to get back into stamping.  (Bless you Michelle!!) so there is no telling where it came from but I LOVE it!  The colors are gorgeous and sponging the edges with Tea Dye distress ink really gave it a vintage look.

I was loving this look so much that I decided to make another card for my Project Life page.

I actually got this idea from the scraps from the previous page.  I'm really trying to be frugal and use what I have.  This sentiment is a digital image from Verve from awhile ago that I've coveted.  I just love it!  I used my snowflake punch from Stampin' Up! to make the snowflake/flower.  I also sponged the edges of this card with the Tea Dye distress ink, which is quickly becoming a favorite of mine.

My Verve package shows it should be here Saturday so don't be surprised if you see a lot more Verve on the blog VERY soon.  I can't wait!!

Card #1

Stamps: Scripture Medley 1 (Verve Stamps)

Ink: Tea Dye Distress Ink (Tim Holtz)

Paper: Butterfly (MME), Whisper White (SU!)

Accessories: Jewels, Pool Party Ribbon (SU!), Sponge, Sweet & Sassy Framelits Dies (SU!)

Card #2

Stamps: Free Digi (Verve Stamps)

Ink: Tea Dye Distress Ink (Tim Holtz)

Paper: Butterfly (MME), Whisper White (SU!)

Accessories: Banner Triple Punch (SU!) , Jewels, Snow Flurry Punch (SU!), Sponge

4

Romans 8:18

Don't you hate it when you make a card for a challenge and then life gets in the way and you can't post until it's too late?  Yea me too. *sniffle*

I made this card for last week's Freshly Made Sketch and didn't get my post up in time.  My Type 1 child was super sick and he took precedence.  It got so serious yesterday that I thought for sure we were going to have to take him to the emergency room.  Thank goodness he is feeling a bit better and we have a doctor's appointment today to find out what is making his blood sugar levels go crazy and making him sick.  Long story short, everything was put on the back burner so I could take care of my little man.

I made this card for a special someone who has a lot going on in her life right now.  Romans 8:18 is a wonderful reminder that our suffering is only for a time.  I pray that this card gives her hope and strength as she continues through this dark time in her life.  I know this verse has helped me these past few days.

The sentiment is from Verve's Scripture Medley 2 and I used one of the dies from the All Aflutter Die Set to cut out this gorgeous butterfly.  The paper is another retired Stampin' Up! favorite of mine called Walk in the Park.  Can you tell I'm digging deep into my stash?  Gotta clear some room for the new Stampin' Up! goodies coming out in a few months!! *wink*

Verve Stamps is having an AMAZING sale right now!  To Welcome Spring all stamps and dies are 30% off until March 31st!!  I see an order in my future. :)

Product List

Stamps: Scripture Medley 2 (Verve Stamps)

Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Walk in the Park DSP

Ink: Blushing Bride, Tuxedo Black (Memento)

Accessories: All Aflutter Die Set (Verve Stamps), Big Shot, Circle Die, Pearl Basic Jewels, Sponge Dauber, Whisper White Organza Ribbon

Techniques: Sponging

Challenges: Freshly Made Sketches #279 (fms279)

1

Keep Calm And Drink Coffee

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

You know how you have those sets that you order and as soon as they come in the mail you swoon over them but life happens and for one reason or another you can't seem to get them inky?  That's how I've been with my Coffee set from Verve Stamps.

Being on vacation this week I have been able to get a little more stamping time than usual and what's the first set I reached for when I got a chance to play?

Coffee!!!  

I was also able to play in a few challenges!!  The sketch is this week's Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge but I flipped it so I could highlight that gorgeous paper pieced coffee cup!  The color combo is this week's Color Throwdown which is perfect for St. Patrick's Day but sadly I do not have any Irish-inspired stamps.  I wanted to use the free digi set that Verve Stamps is offering right now but I am still a girl without a printer.  My husband tells me we should be getting one soon and trust me it cannot be soon enough!

I have been hoarding this Rockabilly designer paper for years!  It retired from Stampin' Up! forever ago but it's the perfect paper for a masculine card so I've held onto it and it fit perfect with this color combo.  My family is full of coffee lovers like myself so I'm sure I will not have a problem finding a recipient. 

I wanted to dress the card up a bit but with masculine cards that can be tricky so I opted for a few gold sequins and some Crystal Effects in the coffee cup to make it look like there is some yummy coffee in that yummy cup. 

 

It's hard to tell in the picture but both the white sentiment panel and the coffee cup are popped up on dimensionals which gives such a cool effect.  I am usually so critical of my cards but I have to say I am digging this one. :)

Product List

Stamps: Coffee (Verve Stamps)

Paper: Basic Black, Kiwi Kiss (SU-retired), Whisper White, Rockabilly DSP (SU-retired)

Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Kiwi Kiss (Su-retired)

Accessories: Corner Rounder, Decorative Scissors, Dimensionals, Gold Sequins, Square Scallop Nestabilities

Techniques: Paper Piecing

Challenges: Color Throwdown #434 (ctd434), Mojo Monday #488 (mojo488)

4

With Love My Friend

Life has been a whirlwind in 2017 for me!  It doesn't help that all last week I came straight home from work and went straight to bed.  These allergies are about to kill me!  I knew if I didn't rest that it would turn into another upper respiratory infection or bronchitis so when my body said rest I listened.

I'm still not great but I am thankful that I have today off to get some work done around the house and spend time with my boys.  We are all feeling pretty blah today.  :(

Yesterday our family went to my sisters house for a Dallas Cowboys birthday party for her mother-in-law, who is also a friend of mine.  The Cowboys losing was a tough loss for me since I do not like the Packers but spending time with my friends and family and celebrating my friend's birthday was very nice.   Going home, however, was super scary thanks to tornados touching down right near our house.  Gotta love that unpredictable Texas weather!  Thank goodness no one was hurt and we were all safe but it freaked the boys out so much that we had a campout in the living room.  No wonder we are feeling blah today!

I did manage to squeeze in a little stamping time Saturday night so I could make my friend a card for her birthday.

She is such a wonderful and sweet woman who loves all things vintage which was the direction I was going for when I started to make her card.  I thought about doing some distressing and using darker colors but decided against it.  I wanted bright to match her personality so I guess this is my take on "clean, happy vintage." Haha!

I've been pinning a lot of old sketches on Pinterest lately and when I saw this Mojo Monday sketch from a few years ago I thought it would be perfect to use my new Wavy Hearts Die Set.  I am in LOVE with these hearts!

I was able to snag this Love Blossoms designer series paper before it retired from Stampin' Up! and I love it!  How can you not with all those hearts!  The ribbon is some scrap ribbon that I had saved for awhile hoping to use one day and I cannot believe how well it matched my color combo!  Verve Stamps is having a Love is in the Air sale with many love stamps and dies 30% off INCLUDING what I used on my card! :)

It felt amazing to stamp and I can't believe it's already the middle of the month and I am just now getting a chance to stamp.  How sad is that?!  I always thought the older the boys got the more time I would have but it seems like the opposite!

Stamps: Chevron Love (Verve Stamps)

Ink: Soft Suede (Stampin' Up!)

Paper: Candy Cane Lane DSP (ret), Love Blossoms DSP (ret), Whisper White (SU)

Accessories: Assorted Grosgrain Ribbon, Assorted Swarovski Crystals, Circle Nestabilities, Dimensionals, Hole Punch, Triple Banner Punch (SU), Wavy Hearts Die Set (Verve Stamps)

1

Easter Joy

I love Easter.  Being a Christian, there is the obvious reason of my Lord and Savior dying on the cross for my sins (the eternal hope: something I will never be able to be thankful enough for) but there is also the Easter egg hunts and family time.

With the boys being older, and me sharing them with their dad, Easter isn't what it used to be.  I think Dylan picked up on my sadness because he begged me Friday afternoon to help him stamp his first card.  Since I had new Verve Stamps to play with, and I have been in dire need of mojo lately, I thought it would be perfect.  Mother/son bonding and stamping while talking about what Easter is truly about is exactly what I needed.

1

Christmas Birthday

Please tell me why when I finally have some time to take care of what I need to take care of I get sick.  I was really sick a few weeks ago and finally was feeling like a normal human being last week.  My husband comes home last Tuesday complaining that he's not feeling good and everyone at his job is sick.  I played it safe and kept my distance, but this past Sunday it all hit me again.  So, here I am on my second round of antibiotics freaking out because Christmas is only a few days away and I have not finished everything I wanted to get done.

Before the sickness took me down for the count I was able to play with some of my new Verve goodies for a bit!!  I have several Christmas birthdays coming up and thought I'd make a simple birthday card with a little Christmas flair.

I have just a few scraps left of this wonderful Christmas paper from Stampin' Up! that I've had for years.  So long in fact, that I cannot for the life of me remember what it's called, but I vowed that I would use every scrap and I am happy to say that the scraps are nearing extinction.  Just a few cards or Project Life pieces and it will be gone!

This card is super simple but I love it!  I used one of the stamps from the Die Sidekicks set and cut it out using the Vintage Oval die.  I wanted something to highlight the sentiment so I cut out an Old Olive circle using a Classic Circle Nestability. The star and sentiment are from the Chevron Love set which I am in LOVE with!  The star is stamped in Old Olive and the sentiment in Chocolate Chip.  I added some bright red grosgrain ribbon and a few Swarovski jewels finish off this sweet, simple Christmas birthday card.

I still have so much to do and this cold (or whatever crud I have) is really cutting into my time!  I have family coming to stay with us and my house is a disaster but I'm still so excited they're coming.  I love presents but the time with family is so much more precious to me.  I just love this season!

Stamps: Chevron Love, Die Sidekicks (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Unknown DSP, Whisper White (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Banner Triple Punch (Stampin' Up!), Circle Nestability, Dimensionals, 
Red Grosgrain Ribbon, Swarovski Jewels, Vintage Oval Die (Verve Stamps)

2

Love With All Your Heart

Happy Sunday! 

It is an insanely gorgeous day here in Texas!  After church and lunch we ran by the house, picked up the puppy, and had a nice family time at the park.  It was amazing to be out in the sunshine and fresh air after being home sick in bed for the past week.  

Last night I was itching to stamp, so I decided to participate in a few challenges.  I started out wanting to participate in this week's Color Throwdown Challenge but no matter what I tried I just couldn't make it work.  So I decided to just stick with this week's Mojo Monday sketch and go more simple on my color scheme.

Verve Stamps has another amazing digital freebie set!!!  It is available for download from now until February 14th called Love From Me and I LOVE it! ;) 

I still do not have a printer but my wonderful cousin let me use her printer so I could get my hands on these wonderful digi stamps!  I was so excited!  

I colored one of the hearts with my Blush Copic marker, cut it out, and popped it up on dimensionals to give it more depth. 

For the half circle I used a doily that Julee had included in my last Verve order (thank you sweetie!!) and the paper is from an old Stampin' Up! stack called Banbury (which after a quick Google search I realized is completely nonexistent).

I wanted a little more bling than just the gingham bow so I added some silver metallic thread just to add a hint of shimmer but I think I let it get away from me.  

I still love this card and think it will be a wonderful feature card at my next stamping class. :)

I am off for some more family time.  The boys want to play Life.  We played Monopoloy last night and I won big time so I think they're ready for payback. ;) 

Stamps: Love From Me Digital Set (Verve Stamps)

Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Banbury DSP (SU-Retired)

Ink: R20 Blush Copic Marker, Pink Pirouette (SU)

Accessories: Dimensionals, Lace Doily, Silver Metallic Thread (SU), Sponge Dauber, Wide Black/White Gingham Ribbon

1

Winter Coffee Lover's Blog Hop: Have A Little Joy in Your Cup

I had no idea that they had a coffee lover's blog!  Where have I been??  Well, they had me at coffee. ;)   AND they're having a super huge blog hop?  I'm down!

When I went to look for a coffee stamp set in my stash I realized I've given them all away since I never thought I would stamp again. *sniff*  Trust me, this WILL be remedied!

Have you SEEN all the amazing creations on the hop yet?  If you haven't check them OUT!

I also wanted to play along with this weeks Mojo Monday challenge and combine it with the coffee lover's blog hop.

I tried my best to draw/cut out a coffee cup and stamped it with the butterfly from Verve's Easter Joy set.  I used a Sakura Stardust glitter pen and put dots along the stamp to give it a little bling, added a red Swarovski jewel in the middle, and popped it up on dimensionals. I used a flourish from Filigree Fantasy to look like steam coming out of the cup, and the sentiment is from the Floral Whimsy set. 

The paper is from the Adventure 6x6 stack from My Mind's Eye that I distressed with my scissors.  I didn't realize until after I glued everything down that the vanilla panel was supposed to go over the espresso ribbon panel.  Oops!  I hope the challenge police don't disqualify me for that! ;) 

I only had a little of my cocoa gingham ribbon left so I had to improvise a bit but all in all I don't think it turned out half bad!  The Coffee Lover's Blog Hop theme is winter and that to me means rich, warm colors and nice, hot coffee; not just snowflakes and Christmas. 

There are so many amazing sponsors included in the Coffee Lover's Blog Hop including Verve Stamps!!  If you do not have a coffee stamp Verve has an amazing FREE digital stamp set.  I wanted to use it but my printer bit the dust a few weeks ago and we can't afford to replace it yet.  No worries though!  I saved it for later use. ;)

Enjoy the hop!

Stamps: Easter Joy, Filigree Fantasy, Floral Whimsy (Verve Stamps-all retired)
Paper: Early Espresso (Stampin' Up!), Adventure (My Minds Eye)
Ink: Early Espresso (Stampin' Up!), Rich Cocoa (Memento)
Accessories: Cocoa Gingham Ribbon, Dimensionals, Real Red Grossgrain Ribbon (Stampin' Up!), Red Swarovski Crystal, Sakura Stardust Glitter Pen

23

Simply Wonderful

I LOVE December!!  The holidays are in full swing and most people don't know this but when Louie and me first got engaged our original wedding date was December 8, 2013.  We couldn't wait that long which is why we got married in April instead. ;)  

I'm also super excited that I got to stamp on Thanksgiving!  I have always loved doing challenges and decided to do a simple 6x6 scrapbook page using a Viva la Verve sketch and doing the Thanksgiving Ways To Use It challenge on SCS.

I still had my Holiday Treasures paper out from my last creation so I decided to roll with it and make a Christmas-themed mini scrapbook page.  I know this doesn't look like a scrapbook page but I made the sentiment to where it can move so you can put a picture behind it.

I found this digital stamp that I got from Verve Stamps a LONG time ago.  I looked through all the sets they have on the site now and could not find it but the closest set I could find was Christmas in the Air.  I also used a flourish from the Filigree Fantasy set which sadly has been retired.  It's crazy how much of my stamping stuff is retired so don't be surprised if you see a lot on here that is not around anymore.  I apologize in advance. ;)

I really wanted to keep this layout simple and this sketch was perfect for it!  Almost everything on this layout is leftovers from other creations.  I'm telling you this challenge was made for poor crafters like myself. LOL

Thanksgiving was very low key at my house this year.  We went to my cousins at noon, saw a lot of my dads side of the family, got stuffed, and then I came home and spent all afternoon working on this  layout and starting to get my very sad stamping area more together.

My ex always gets the boys on Thanksgiving which is very bittersweet for me.  It was the first holiday I didn't spend with my boys after the separation and Thanksgiving 2010 was by far the loneliest day of my life.  I still get a pain in my heart when I think about it but I love that they get to spend time with their dads family too. That's one thing my boys get is a LOT of love.

Stamps: Verve Digital Stamp (2009); Filigree Fantasy (Retired: Verve Stamps)
Paper: Select White (Papertrey Ink), Holiday Treasures (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red (Retired), Old Olive (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Swarovski Crystals, Oval Nestabilites, Heart Border Punch, Dark Chocolate Swiss Dot Satin Ribbon (Papertrey Ink), Sponge Dauber

3

Groovy Kind of Love

Happy Sunday!

Today is the first day that I have been out of bed and sitting up.  I was officially diagnosed with the flu last Thursday and it's been rough to say the least.  I've been in bed almost two weeks.  I've done nothing.  Nothing.  My poor neglected house and poor neglected family.  :(

I'm not well by a long shot but with Valentine's Day only a few days away I was motivated to get up and stamp today!  Just stamping took it out of me so I am going to post this and then its right back to bed.

When I saw this week's Color Throwdown Challenge I knew I had to play along since this is one of my all-time favorite color combos.  I decided to make my oldest son's Valentine card first.

The sketch is this week's Mojo Monday Challenge which really was a challenge for me.  I blame the cold/flu medicine I'm on. ;) I feel so spacey!

This sentiment is from one of my favorite Verve Stamps sets Feeling Groovy.  Each sentiment is a song lyric and since my son and me share our love of music I thought it would be fitting.  I plan on playing this song when I give it to him.

I kept the inside simple and used a sentiment from one of my other all-time Verve favorite sets, Hearts on Fire.

Thanks for checking out my creation today and I promise to be back this week with more Valentine's Day eye candy.

Stamps: Feeling Groovy, Hearts on Fire (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Brights Stack DSP (SU)
Ink: Tangerine Tango, Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Accessories: Big Shot, Circle Nestabilities, Orange Simmer Ribbon, Paper Piercer, Silver Metallic Sequins, Softly Falling Embossing Folder, Sweet and Sassy Framelit Dies, Triple Banner Punch

3

NEW Verve?! Woohoo!!!

If you've read my blog or seen any of my recent creations you know that I am a HUGE Verve Stamps fan.   The obsessions started way back when they were still Verve Visual in 2007.  Julee's style is something I've aspired to for years and every time I'm on any Verve Stamps site I am immediately inspired.  PLUS it is a Christian company and I fully support my Christian sisters. ;)

This Friday is their August release and each day this week their amazing design team is showing off the goods.

I just poured me a cup of coffee and sat down to blog hop and let me tell you it was amazing!  I am SO inspired and I'm already begging Louie to let me purchase the two sets they've showed off already!

Head over to the Verve blog and start hoppin'!  I promise you will NOT be disappointed. :)

I think after I get the kiddos settled with their homework later I just might get inky.  It's been such an tremendously stressful week already and it's only Wednesday!  *sigh*  I need a little stamping therapy. :)

4

From Me To You

Happy Valentine's Day!!

For many today is a day of flowers, candy, and oodles of romance.  My husband is the most non-romantic person I've ever met.  We have never celebrated Valentine's Day together.  The fact that he even wished me a Happy Valentine's Day before he left for work this morning was shocking in and of itself.

It does make me sad because I love flowers, candy, and romance (what girl doesn't?!) but I like to say that I traded all that for true love.  Just knowing that my husband is the love of my life is a gift in itself and he doesn't need a day to show me that.  He shows me every day that he loves me and for that I am blessed. ❤️

I am also blessed with two amazing little boys that have been awesome since Mom has been sick.  I wanted to do something special for them since these past few weeks have been so rough so I made them each a card to show my love and gratitude.  I posted my oldest son's Valentine's card a few days ago and today I am showing the card I made for my youngest son.

Since I still hadn't cleaned up my scraps from my last card I decided to stick with last week's Color Throwdown Challenge colors but used this week's Mojo Monday Challenge as my sketch.  I wanted the cards to be similar yet different.  Just like my boys...

I kept many of the same elements like the die-cut hearts and the two silver sequins but changed up the sentiment, paper, and ribbon.  I chose the black ribbon for a specific reason that I think my youngest will find amusing.  Right now he is obsessed with dressing up, particularly in dress shirts, and he is obsessed with ties.  I tried to make the ribbon look like a black tie so his card is "dressed up" like he always is.

The sentiment is from Verve Stamps Love From Me digital set which is free but TOMORROW is the last day for you to download it so head over there and snag it while you can!

Thank you to everyone for your get well wishes over the past several days.  I am still pretty sick and actually have a doctor's appointment this afternoon to see if I still have the flu or if it's turned into something else.  My chest hurts pretty bad and I have a horrible cough so I'm sure it's turned into an upper respiratory infection or bronchitis.  Fun, huh?  Hopefully my doctor can get me on an antibiotic that will kick this crud for good!  So many people are sick right now!  I don't know what's going on this month but I am ready for all of us to be better!

Here's to a wonderful and blessed day of LOVE!

Stamps:  Love From Me Digital Set (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Brights DSP (SU)
Ink: Black, Copic Marker
Accessories: Big Shot, Silver Metallic Sequins, Sweet and Sassy Framelit Dies (SU), Wide Black Grosgrain Ribbon

1

Rise and Shine

Happy Sunday!!

I am SO excited I finally got a little stamping time in!  I have a quick card for you that combines THREE challenges!!

I barely got this little beauty done in time for the Mojo Monday challenge!  I had five minutes to spare!  I don't think I've ever cut it that close before but I made it and that's all that matters.  This card is also for the Color Throwdown which is the gorgeous orange, turquoise, and yellow and the CAS on Sunday challenge which is to use just a sentiment.  CAS is very hard for me but I'm really trying to get more out of my comfort zone.

This adorable sentiment is from Verve Stamps new digi set, Rise and Shine.  My husband FINALLY bought me a new printer since mine died a few months ago and this digi set was the first set I printed.  I am in LOVE!!  I'm also working on another caffeinated card for the Coffee Lover's Spring Blog Hop so you'll have to come back and check it out!

Product List
Stamps: Rise and Shine Digi (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Whisper White, Bright Stack DSP (SU), Delicate Dots DSP (SU-retired)
Accessories: Beaded Circles Nestabilities, Banner Punch (SU), Paper Piercer, Ribbon (unknown)
Challenges: CAS on Sunday, Color Throwdown #435 (ctd435), (Mojo Monday #489 (mojo489)

4

Stamping: Am I Back?

Once upon a time I was a lonely woman home all day with two little baby boys whom I loved dearly and took care of daily.  I was a tired house wife and in dire need of social interaction with humans over the age of two so I began exploring things that a weary mommy could do while at home with her babies.  Magically scrapbooking somehow popped up and even though I do not have a shred of artistic talent in my body despite having extremely artistic parents and a sister that can draw anything something about scrapbooking intrigued me.

I remember going to Michael's for the first time and really looking at each item on the scrapbooking isles.  I could do this!  How amazing would it be to have scrapbooks to give to my boys wives one day?!  Could I have finally found my artistic side?

That was the beginning for me.  After that scrapbooking became a daily obsession.  As soon as I would put the boys down for their nap I would turn on my laptop, sit at my dining room table, find some ideas that I liked and try to mimic them.  I soon learned several things about scrapbooking.

#1 Scrapbooking is expensive and...
#2 I sucked at it!  

I loved doing it but the finished product was awful in my eyes so I decided to try a smaller scale paper craft and that's where card making came in.  I still wasn't great at it either but as weeks turned into months I really got into the whole stamping world and found exactly what I was looking for.  I made many online friends and even designed for several different companies.  It was amazing.  AND everyone that I gave a card to gushed about how awesome it was.  Maybe I wasn't as bad as I thought I was!

July 2010 my whole world changed.  I left the life I knew in hopes for a better life.  I left everything including my stamping.  I realized that a huge part of my stamping obsession came from me being able to escape the terrors of my life during that time.  Raising the boys was such a blessing and something I will forever cherish but there was another darkness that loomed daily that I needed to get me and my boys away from.  So I ran.

As you know, in the past five years I have found my better life.  I love it so much but lately I have felt that something is missing.  I have let go of so many dreams in my life so I went to each one wondering if there was still something there.  Several of my dreams I cannot get back.  I will never be the professional dancer I aspired to be and I can never give birth to another child.  Those will forever hurt but are there other dreams that I could reach?

When I was in my stamping prime there was one company that I fell in love with from the beginning: Verve Stamps.  I still have every single set I've ever bought from them and even though its been almost five years since I've inked any of them up this past Saturday I finally did.  It felt incredible!

I always wanted to design for Verve and I realized that is still a dream I could do if I got back into stamping.  Not that Julee would ever want me but even if I never get to actually design for them I think I need stamping back in my life.  This time its because there is a passion and excitement inside of me and not because I'm trying to escape from anything.  I truly feel like God has given me a gift and I need to use it.

My mom has kept a lot of my stamping stuff (thank you Mom!!) but I think if I get back into it again I'm going to pretty much start from scratch.  What's so crazy is how much everything has changed!  I went back to some of my old standby websites like Stampin' Up! and Papertreyink and almost all the colors I used to design with are gone!  Verve still looks amazing and is still doing their awesome Mojo Monday and Viva la Verve challenges so I am definitely going to start participating in those as much as I can.  I also want to purchase every single stamp set, dye, and embellishment they have on their site much to my husband's dismay! ;)  With money being extremely tight I told him I would settle for a gift card to get glue and cardstock and plan on using as much of my old pattern paper and stamp sets as possible. I guess now it'll all be considered vintage?

For those of you that did not know me in my stamping years I used to have a stamping blog but because of some very unkind people I chose to take it down.  You can still see all of my creations at Splitcoaststampers but those are all in my past.  I'm all about my future.

Want to see the card I made this past Saturday?

Not too shabby for being out for almost five years huh?

I'm not sure if I'm going to go back to card making or if I should try to do scrapbooking again.  I think if I do I will still stay in the smaller scale.  Those 12x12 pages still scare me! LOL  All I know is I am going to get my fingers inky!  Today I'm going to start figuring out a good stamping space in my office and hopefully later I can make something else.  :)

So don't be surprised if you start seeing more Christi creations here on the blog along with my other crazy Christi ramblings in 2016.  I'm excited and thankful that I have another dream to aspire to accomplish.

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Thinking of You with Sympathy

I woke up Monday morning all ready to tell you guys about my continued struggles with my #lifewithtumors and #lifewithteenagers.  I'm enjoying giving you a glimpse into my crazy, messy life.  It's therapeutic and for the first time in forever I look forward to Monday's!

If you live in the Texas you know how the weather can change on a dime.  It'll be sunshine, not a cloud in the sky, and out of the blue dark threatening clouds roll in, there's a tornado warning, and you're running to your safe place, body shivering in anticipation because you don't know what power this storm is going to bring with it.  Well, life has those kinds of storms that come out of the blue too that leave you shaken to your core.

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Strong Coffee Bookmark

Being the bookworm that I am, I am a sucker for a good bookmark.  I also love me some coffee.  We've been out the past few days and my head has not been too happy with me.  One way for me to stay caffeinated is to play along with the 2017 Spring Coffee Lover's Blog Hop!

I saw THIS cute idea on Pinterest and it inspired my bookmark.  The theme for the blog hop is SPRING which is why I went for a sunny color combo of Bermuda Bay and So Saffron.  The bookmark measures 2 x 9 1/2" and I used my Triple Banner Punch for the bottom.

The edges of the patterned paper was lightly sponged with Chocolate Chip ink and I printed my sentiment from Rise and Shine onto vellum.  I actually hand stitched the vellum sentiment to my Cupcakes & Carousels designer paper.  A sewing machine is next on my wish list but until then everything is by hand baby!

I popped the entire panel up on dimensionals and finished off the bookmark with some small So Saffron grossgrain ribbon.

Thank you so much for stopping by today and if you are a coffee lover like yours truly please go check out the Spring Coffee Lover's Blog Hop! There are so many AMAZING sponsors. It's insane!!  I'm hoping to crank out one more caffeinated creation before it ends so stay tuned!

Product List
Stamps: Rise and Shine Digi (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Bermuda Bay, Cupcakes & Carousels DSP (SU), Vellum
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Bermuda Bay and So Saffron Stampin' Write Markers, Dimensionals, Paper Piercer, Sakura Glitter Pen, So Saffron Grossgrain Ribbon, Triple Banner Punch, White Thread

Challenges: 2017 Spring Coffee Lover's Blog Hop (#spring2017clh)

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Viva la Birthday

I must say that both my boys have been such an inspiration to me this week.  I have started a challenge to help me lose weight and Eric has been an awesome motivator.  I am listening to my body and cannot do even an quarter of what the other women are but this round I am focusing more on what I'm eating and my mindset anyway.  Plus I figure any extra movement I'm doing is better than the nothing I've been doing and I'm getting time with my son, so it's a win-win.

Dylan has been my creative inspiration and I am happy to report that I actually have a card to show off!  He wanted to make a card for his cousin for his 12th birthday but then inspiration struck and Mom took over.

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The Year That Was 2016

Man has this holiday season been a whirlwind!  I started feeling better, then my in-laws come and stay with us for a week, Christmas happens, my in-laws leave, and now it's already New Years Eve!  I enjoyed my family time so much but time could you slow down a bit?!

After my company was gone and I was able to sit still for a moment I looked over my journal for this past year and made a timeline of the highlights for 2016.  

What is sad is that I was sick for the majority of the year so when I asked myself what I thought about 2016 one word came to mind: WASTED 

Not only do I feel like I wasted this year it was rough in other ways as well.  I lost my grandmother, Dylan was diagnosed with diabetes, my mom had a cancer scare, and both my dad and sister had to have surgery.  Praise the Lord that everyone is well right now but I think we can all agree that we are ready to say goodbye to 2016.

I thought it would be fun to answer some questions about 2016 to look back on the year and think about what I would like to see different in 2017 so here we go.

1. What was your favorite single day/single event of the year?

My favorite event of this year would have to be me becoming a Stampin' Up! demonstrator and teaching my first Stampin' Up! class.  That entire day was amazing and I had so much fun!  Winning the November Verve Stamps challenge was a close second.  I have wondered if getting back into stamping was a good idea or not but teaching that class and winning that challenge was a validation to me.  I cannot wait to see what 2017 brings as far as my stamping journey.

2. What was the best thing you built/created?

I don't know if you would call it building but we did move our office to a different room of the house and now I am "building" my stamp room.  I got a cute shelf from my wonderful husband for Christmas which is going to help with a lot of my current storage problems.  He just put it up last night so I will be beginning 2017 getting organized! 

3. What was the most impactful decision you made for you and your family’s future?

After Dylan getting sick our families lives were forever changed.  We decided to become healthier together and are slowly working on ways to incorporate healthy changes into our lives.  It's a slow process but one that will benefit us all in the long run.

4. What was your best financial achievement?

We have decided to become a debt free family.  We have quite a bit of debt right now but we are working on a plan to get us closer to being debt free in 2017.  One tool we have started using in 2016 was Quickbooks so we can get an accurate picture of where we are financially and it has been eye opening to say the least.  Our plan is still a work in progress but one that we want to aggressively pursue in 2017.

5. Did you achieve any lifelong goals?

 I can't say that I've achieved any lifelong goals this year but I can say I am more actively pursuing lifelong goals than I think I ever have in my life.  The biggest pursuit at the moment is my book reviews which I hope will one day lead to my lifelong goal of becoming a writer.  

6. What was the hardest lesson you learned over the past year?

Never take your children or your family for granted.  With my grandmother, I always thought I had more time to go and visit her and before I knew it she was gone.  It happened so fast.  It's so easy to let every day life get in the way of your family, even those that are right in front of you.  I'm not saying that I neglected my boys by any means but after Dylan got sick I realized just how much I pushed them off to do unimportant things.  Now we do more things as a family.  I play Legos and Pokemon with them and enjoy every moment I get to spend with them.  I've learned just how precious life really is.

7. Did you develop any new hobbies or passions? Are there any new hobbies or passions you want to develop in the New Year?

I started stamping again!!  For 2017 I would love to design for a stamp company again.  I used to stamp for quite a few online companies and miss it so much.  I also hope to have a monthly stamp class.  I think I missed the community more than the stamping!

I also started jogging again this year even though I haven't been jogging much these past few months.  I have a 10k coming up in March that I really need to start training for and hope to get back into strength training and FINALLY lose this hysterectomy weight gain.  If I could get to 150 this year it would be amazing but honestly if I could get under 200lbs I would be happy.

8. What was the most humbling experience of the past year?

Experiencing all that I have with Dylan was definitely the most humbling experience of this year.  I see my world with fresh eyes.  Everything that has happened this year, both good and bad, has made me a better person.  I am realizing that my world is bigger than what is past the end of my nose and am thankful for each experience that opens my eyes to the truth.  My faith has grown more this year that it ever has and that humbles me.  God continues to do an amazing work and I continue to be in awe.

9. What is the one thing you are most grateful for from this past year?  

My family.  I love my family so much.  I don't get to see most of my family that often but when I do now I am present.  I am in every experience with a thankful heart.  I would never say that I am thankful for my son being diabetic but I am thankful for how God has used it to enrich our lives.  My family closer now than we have ever been.  I love it.

10. What are your personal goals for the coming year? Family goals? Religious goals? Health goals? Financial or career goals?

 I haven't been able to sit down and think about what I want to achieve in 2017 so this will have to be answered in my first New Years post! :)

If you've stuck with me this long then KUDOS to you!  I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Years!!!

0

The Best Is Yet To Come

I love is stamping.  

It's been a passion that I haven't been able to pursue much these past few years and it makes me sad.  When I went through all my "drama" and my deep depression I think I lost my muse.  Since I'm slowly feeling better I am beginning to get my loves back.  One of those is reading which is why I'm SO excited to be a book reviewer but I am also falling in love again with stamping.

About a month ago I went to a Stampin' Up! party.  When I began stamping in 2007 I was a demonstrator and loved it but when I lost my passion I also let my being a demo die with it in 2010.  After going to the party the light was sparked again so in September I once again signed back up as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator!  There are some amazing ladies near me that are passionate about Stampin' Up! like me so I joined their amazing team. :)

We have a private Facebook group and each week we have a challenge.  Last week it was a color combo: 

Blushing Bride, Rose Red, and Mint Macaroon

I was not too psyched about the combo because (a) I don't have a lot of current SU colors and (b) it just wasn't jiving with me at first. 

Once I paired it with last week's sketch challenge I ended up with a pretty cute CAS card!

Like I said, my stamping supplies are extremely limited so to be able to do an all SU card was a challenge in itself but I like it!  

If you've never heard of Stampin' Up! or haven't seen what they're up to in awhile be sure to check out my website.  I will be posting more SU creations here on the blog as well as specials that the company is running.  This does not mean that I will use JUST Stampin' Up! on everything I create (Verve still has my heart) but maybe in the future I might have a Stampin' Up! only blog.  Right now I'm still so new I am trying to get back into the swing of things and learning everything that has changed the past few years in the world of stamping. 

I hope everyone has an amazing Saturday!  It is absolutely gorgeous here in Texas!  This afternoon I am going to a Christmas card class to get some demo ideas which I am so excited about and then tonight is date night with my man!  :)  Good times...

Stamps: Frosted Medallions

Paper: Love Blossoms DSP, Mint Macaroon, Whisper White

Ink: Rose Red

Accessories: Metallic Sequins, Paper Piercing Tool, Whisper White Ribbon

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