Where has the summer gone?

We are almost finished with the month of August!  Kids and teachers are getting ready to go back to school, and I sit here clapping my hands, because I do not have to go back to school.  It is so nice being retired.

I have some more cards for you today and I thought I would update you on what I have been doing.  First the cards...

This is a mandela card.  I stamped and cut out 4 different layers, then built them up with pop dots in between.  I like how this card turned out.

This card was made with a digital stamp.  I kind of like how it turned out.  Using digital stamps is different, but has advantages.  Of course, my problem is I download all these free digital stamps, then when I got to scrap, the computer is upstairs and I am downstairs.   I need to coordinate it better.

I made this with a stamp from Heartfelt Creations.  You can't see the glitter in the background, but it is sparkling!  I really like this card.

Now...as an FYI, I am still "substitute" teaching classes at Michaels.  My friend, Kim, is the teacher, but when she has a daytime class or is sick, I try to fill in for her.  Things are going slow.  We have several boards that we have completed, showing the finished product for several classes.  Unfortunately, only one can be posted in the front of the store at a time.  There is no other way for us to showcase our classes to the public, since corporate office wants all stores to be uniform.  We can demo in the store 2 hours a month, so that doesn't leave a lot of time.  Once a quarter there is a big open house for all the different instructors to showcase their work.  That is about the limit of what we can do.  It would be nice if things would turn around and we could get more people to take classes.  

Oh Well.  Life goes one and we get a little bit older each day.  Until the next time......

Cards from the past.

 I am still in recovery mode from my surgery.  I am not allowed to lift more than 2 pounds, pull, push, carry, etc anything.  Walking is up to how I feel, but I have to take things slowly.  I can go up and down stairs a couple of times a day, but that is about it.  No driving.

I am hoping to go downstairs tomorrow to make a few new cards and I have some things ready to cut in my Cricut.    

         Today I thought I would share some of my older cards with you.  I have made several that I have used in card swaps or sent to friends and family.  Usually I try to make duplicates of each card I have.  

This card us cut entirely with the Cricut.  The rose is fairly detailed and the wording on it is simple....but it makes a great note card.

 This next card is one of my mushroom cards.  I love this set.  Each stamp has a mushroom shaped house with a theme assigned to it.  There is also a verse or saying with each card.  I love it.

  The next card is a lattice card.  I used the astericks and built up a wall.  Then on each end I added letters to spell Thanks.  Very simple and plain.

Here is one of my favorites.  I stamped grass in a couple different shades and then stamped some butterflies.   These I popped up.  I used a fancy lace around the card front and place the whole thing onto a card.  All that is needed is a note.  

These are some of my favorites.  Of course I have more.  Until next time....

We had several days of hot weather, then there were a few with cooler temperatures.  They say the heat is coming back again.  I have to go into the hospital for a couple of days, but I will be back before long.  Since I will have a 6 week or longer recovery period, I hope to produce several new items for your viewing pleasure.

This is a card I created for a friend of mine.   I think she really liked it.

 

Here is a card I made for my husband.  

Finally, here is a layout I created on canvas.  It was done for a contest at a Quick Quotes Private Reserve weekend.  I won first place for it.  

Until later.....bye

Hot! Hot! Hot!

It has been really hot here these past few days.  They are saying it should feel like 105 tomorrow.  I think I am going to stay indoors, downstairs in my basement.  It is much cooler there.  (Also, it is time for our crop.)  Tomorrow I will have some digital pictures from the new contest at Outlawz. 

Since I don't have them today, I thought I would share some items I made with my granddaughter Christina.  (While she was married in April 2011, that was a civil ceremony, not a church wedding.  Christina was going to have a church wedding on May 9 2012.  She would come over for the day and  bring our great granddaughter, Renee with  her.  Here is a picture our that cutie.  Renee just turned 2 in June.)

Here is a picture our that cutie. Renee just turned 2 in June.)

Christina worked real hard on these coasters.  She made sure there would be one for each guest.  They were ceramic tiles, with cardstock paper.  We had printed on each square, the Cricut machine wrote Christina and Jeremy Routhier and the dates of the weddings.  They really came out nice.  Also, I made a box for her that could hold her cards from the wedding.  I created each flower by hand and then glued them onto the box.  Inside I covered the entire lid with a bed of flowers.  On the outside there were 3 simple roses.  It came out nice. 

Outlawz challenge

Last week I relocated a website for digital stamps.  It is called Outlawz and you can find it at http://outlawzchallenges.ning.com/  There are several challenges on the site...at least one every day and then there are other "special" types of contests.

Here are the cards that I created:
 

Here are cards created by my friends....

Cindy made these cards....

 and Kathy made these cards....

(As you can see I am having difficulties uploading some pictures.  Bear with me please.  Thanks.)

Back in the Saddle again~

I finally have some things I can post.   I have started entering some card contests, so I am making cards again.  I am hosting a weekend getaway at my house, so I have some pictures of classes I will be teaching.  Finally, I have been taking some painting classes.  While I definitely am NOT an artist, I do like painting.  I will let you be the judge of my paintings.  
Here are the first ones....

This still needs some work.  It has leaves with flowers, trees in a forest and a dirt road running through it.

Here is a sun flower with a butterfly.  

This shows the fields near a bridge and the lake.  

More to come later.  

Catch Up Time! I am Back!

I have been busy with so many things these past few months, time once again slipped away from me.   I really need to start filling this out more frequently.  Lets see if I can catch you up on what has been going on.....

In early December, my mother was ill.  Her trigeminal neuralgia was acting up and painful.  She didn't eat or drink much.  She became dehydrated and ended up in the hospital for a few days.  We weren't sure she would be out of the hospital by Christmas, but she made it.

Christmas came, and we went on a cruise to the Western Carribbean.  It was a Christmas gift from my mother.  Both of my brothers and their wives, along with my mom, my husband, and I, went cruising down the Gulf to Cozumel and Costa Maya.  The scenery has beautiful.

My fibromyligia and arthritis were both misbehaving, and creating a lot of pain and discomfort.  I saw my rheumatologist and was told that I would have to learn to adjust.  The medication was up to the max, and the next step is the heavy duty narcotics, which I am trying to avoid. 

In the past couple of months I have been feeling much better, and I am going to get this blog running again.  I have several pictures I will upload.  There are projects I am working on, so look forward to seeing what I have in store.