Stampin' With Di

House Cleaning...

...or should I say Studio Cleaning.  So today after I got back from the PO to mail the swaps, and the new catalogs, (don't forget today is the LAST day to order out of the current catalog.  The new one starts tomorrow, the 1st, at noon)  I thought I really need to do some cleaning, purging and dusting.  I think it is also called procrastinating, as I had some other stuff to get done, but hey, there's always tomorrow right.

So this morning pest control came to sprinkle stuff in the house.  I wrangled my first scorpion of the season the other morning, so wanted them to come and sprinkle stuff to hopefully get them.  We always toss the pillows off the bed when we go to sleep and then when I make it in the morning, I pick em up and bang em together just in case before I put them on the bed.  So the other morning sure enough I picked up the pillow...well hello Mr. Scorpion, of course I had just taken off my flip flops, not that they would kill him on the carpet, they are pretty hard buggers to squish.  Luckily I had thrown Toby up on the bed, since I had been headed to the shower.  So he ran under the dresser, so I went off to get the fly swatter, and I was dragging it back and forth under the dresser trying to get it to come out, it did just a bit and ran back under. So I went to get the flashlight, took two different ones till I found the one that the batteries worked, cause no way was I not killing this sucker.  Toby is too small and I am afraid a scorpion bite would be lethal to him.  So I laid down on the floor with my flashlight and my danged old tri-focals, it's kinda hard to wiggle your head up and down next to the carpet so I could find just the right dang spot I can see out of, but there he was up against the back wall.  So I got the yard stick, and squished him and cut his tail off and killed him.

So tonight I was walking from the living room and I passed the front door and saw something down by the threshold and up the door a bit, and I thought crap, a scorpion, so I took my foot and tried to hit it but it hopped down, thank goodness I missed, look what it was...

...aint he sweet? So Jeff and my BFF Tracy both said, oh is it one of the babies from under the treadmill?  I sure hope not.  Jeff said he saw a little one up front the other day, so I am sure he just scooched in tonight when the door was open.







Here he is on the tip of my finger, I so wanted to keep him, he got pretty tame after a while, when I let him go, I really had to coax him OFF my hand.  But outside is better as he would die inside, cause what would I feed him?

I am glad that American Idol is replaying the Micheal Jackson songs they sang during the contest.  I watched The Jackson 5 movie on tv this weekend, and boy their Dad was a real creep. At least the movie made it appear so, he was so mean to those kids, no wonder Micheal had issues as an adult, he was never allowed to be a kid.  Such a sad story, cause he was truly talented in his days.

Well I am off, I still got some more tidying up to do.  Have a great Tuesday, and thanks for stopping in!

TLC Class - Faux Wood Grain

I'll be floored! Ha! Okay it's late, and that is as good as I could do.  Today was a lazy kinda day, I slept in a little, and was actually still in my nightie (note to self: buy a new nightie) when Betty (hey Betty!!!) came by.  I did venture out and get groceries (note to self: you are your own boss Di, don't shop on Sunday) it was busy.  I got my swaps all sorted and packaged up and I will head to the PO in the morning and get everything, including the brand new catalogs mailed. I wanted to get them out on Friday, but I was stuck at home with no vehicle since Jeff's truck was in the shop. 

They say the monsoons should be starting this week, we really need the rain, so hopefully we will get some, it seems like all the people in town get the rain, us country folk with all the dirt just get our dirt blown all over the place.  Jeff needs to replace the vent cover on the top of the camper trailer so I am hoping the rain holds off a day or two till he gets that done. (note to Jeff: hint! hint!) Gotta love me! Well he does...right?

Well just a quick card to show you all tonight, this is the second technique everyone will be learning at my TLC class in July. I love this technique and it can be done in any color really, I am just going for the standard wood grain, but imagine it in blues and stuff...yum.

Stamp Set: Totally Tool
Paper: Basic Black, More Mustard, Very Vanilla
Ink: Basic Black, Vanilla Craft, Close to Cocoa Craft
Misc: Sponge, sansodor, stumps, watercolor pencils, art pen

I popped the saw up a couple times on glue dots. Cool eh? My Poppa ( I love you Poppa, and miss you) was a carpenter and an electrician, and oh my gosh he could play music by ear, I would come home with my violin and practice and he would listen to me and figure it out on his own violin.  When Poppa died, he left me his violin, I treasure it, and want to take lessons again one day.  I don't know if I would remember how to even read music, and I know the violin needs tuning, but I can't part with it long enough to leave it anywhere for someone to do it...weird I know....anyway,  when we grew up, my Mum, and my sister Jax and I lived with my Poppa and Granny (hey Mum, tell Granny I got some light green TicTacs for her), and Poppa always said it was better to learn to do things on your own, we weren't rich so that is how it was.  Poppa taught Jeff how to do electric stuff when we lived in our old house, so I like this set, cause I know Poppa would love these cards, and I love the greetings that go with them.

Well I am gonna clean up my studio so I can start fresh in the morning...to make a mess again!

Have a great Monday, and thanks so much for stopping in, I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate it!

The Bots & The Bees...

When we moved to Queen Creek (which might be called San Tan Valley some day...who knows....grrr), 11 or 12 years ago there was nothing out here where we built our house, the real estate guy just drove us basically out in the desert and said "do you like this property?" and we really did, the borders were just marked with a little stake in each corner.  So we made our bid, and bought the property, and then eventually the house started to get built.  One day we came out on the weekend (we came out every weekend to check on things), we were like hey we had neighbors, there was a house being built not too far away, so we walked over there to say hi and danged if the guy didn't work at the same place as Jeff, cause they recognized each other.  So anyway, when my Dad came to visit one time shortly after we moved in he was walking around, and he found a little cactus, just a flat little thing in the back yard.  So after all these years, it is getting taller and taller and it blooms every year.  We love it, cause it was just here all on it's own. We didn't plant it, Mother Nature did.

Here are the flowers on it.  They are not all open yet, and they open and close throughout the day. Eventually I think when they die Jeff picks them off and throws them on the ground for the critters to eat.

But look how funny this little guy was, there were a few bees flying around and he was right in there and digging and digging I mean eventually...

...all you saw was his little butt sticking out, it reminded me off the Bee Movie, remember that one?

You can see all the pollen they are getting on the flower.

They must not have been killer bees cause they never messed with me or anything, they just buzzed around content to be in the flower, of course I didn't mess with them either.  I did not fall off the turnip truck yesterday.

So today I was working on my swap, yeah I saved it till the last day, but hey it was not like I had to deliver it...to myself...I will get them sorted and put in the mail on Monday.  Wanna see it?
I did the Lots of Bots set again.  Hopefully you aren't sick of it yet.  We only had limited amount of things that we could pre-order, so come July 1st at noon, look out, the catalog will be live, so all of us, you included can be ordering brand new stuff...tick...tock...tick...tock!!!

Stamp Set: Lots of Bots
Paper: Melon Mambo, Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White, Razzleberry Lemonade
Ink: Basic Black
Misc: Melon Mambo Polka Dotted ribbon, Clip Assortment, Scallop punch, Watercolor Pencils, Sansodor, stumps

So while I was playing around with the SU! watercolor pencils, I realized a few of them kinda match the new In Colors, so that is cool. Cause you know how I am addicted to the sansodor and stumps now. Copics Schmopics!

So I installed Firefox so that I don't have those stupid error messages all the time from Windows Internet Explorer. I just have to get use to Firefox, the fonts look way weird, and instead of favorites I have bookmarks.  I don't like the way the fonts look on my blog, it was nicer with the IE, so I hope it is just me, and that it looks nice for all of you. I would hate that all this time, it looked like a yucky font.

Well I am calling it a night, my buddy Rhonda just left, she dropped off her swap, we chatted for about an hour, but if her hubby asks, it was 5 minutes...ha!

Have a great Sunday everyone, and thanks so much for stopping in!

TLC Class - Magic Pop-up Card...

...well it seems kinda magical, cause it tricks your eye a little bit.

I wanted to show one of the cards that the girls will be doing in my TLC (Technique Lover's Club) Class 2.  This is a technique that I showed a card for a while back with the Easter chick and I made it into a baby card.  I learned how to do this at a class that MAMMa taught, (added: MAMMa learned it from Elizabeth) now of course I can't find the post.  I hope it shows up in the little Linkwithin thing on the bottom and if it does, I will fix my post and add it.  added later: thanks to my BFF Tracy, she found it, AND corrected my spelling too...must have been tired last night...so here is the chick card and the other post. I wanted to use the set Under the Stars cause I have kind of abandoned the dear old bear for quite a while, so this card shows that he is trying to show off so that I won't let him collect dust in my stamp cupboard any more.  He is juggling the skeeter spray when he should be using it on the skeeters, look at poor old racoon trying to hide by the bear so he doesn't get all eated up by the skeeters.

Now this is the front of the card...nothing fancy here, nothing magical...the magic happens inside.

I left the front kind of plain cause I am thinking you would probably, maybe give this card to a guy.

I did use a saying from "On your birthday" on the front.

It will make more sense once we open the card.

Ready?

Stamp Set: Under the Stars

Paper: Garden Green, Whisper White, Flock Together DSP

Ink: Basic Black, Creamy Caramel, Really Rust, Bashful Blue

Misc: Window sheets, scallop circle punch for cloud stencil, watercolor pencils, stumps, and sansodor, word window punch

Now the magic is hard to see, the bear, racoon and sleeping bags pop up when you open the card, and the skeeter spray cans are actually floating in the air as the bear juggles them...cool eh?

So I got a nice call today from a fellow Demonstrator, and I am gonna send out a "Hey there girlfriend to Memphis Robin" - there now you have to comment. Ha!  See you at Convention!!!

A bunch of people tell me to switch from Internet Explorer over to Firefox, and that will stop that stupid abort operation error message, and I am so tempted to do it, I just hate changing my computer, I am a worry wart when it comes to that. So we will see if I get the guts to do it or not.  My sister Jax (the computer guru) says to do it.

Oh and any of you that use the RED antifreeze in your vehicles..ask your mechanic if you should be using it!  Or maybe it is just an AZ thing I don't know.  About 2 months ago Jeff put the red stuff in, it is better for the environment or something...well the other day his truck overheated and he had to take it to the shop.  The red stuff was sludge, and totally ruined his radiator, so he had to get a new one.  $425.00 later...I think the red stuff company owes me some moolah!! It's back to the old green stuff.

Well that's it for me folks, got a busy day tomorrow. We were gonna go to a movie, but with the truck expense, we are thinking staying home might be better. Ha!

Have a great Saturday and thanks for stopping in!

Punch Book & Artisan Award Invite...

...I think the one question that I get emailed me most is, where is...? like where is the faux wood grain tutorial, where is the paper piecing card, and where is the punch book etc.?  So off to the right are categories, and under that list what I will categorize things in my blog post.  Now when I first started blogging I had no idea what I was doing and all these nifty little things, so you may find that things are missing...then holler at me and I will find it and categorize it.

So in 2007 I did a punch book class, this class was very popular, here is my original post, and what I did was put the class pages on my blog so everyone could see them and get ideas, and well copy them, I mean if we didn't want to be copied we wouldn't post right?  What I usually think is blogger etiquette, is if you post something on your blog you really need to give credit, and I do that, and if I ever miss anyone, I want to be told so I can fix it.  I did that recently when I had no idea what the technique was called that Patty Bennett had a tutorial on her blog for, later I found out the proper name and I fixed it, heck we are all human.

So I took this punch book with me on cruise to share and everyone enjoyed seeing it.  So to make a long story short, I have added a Photo Album on the right where you can see the pages a lot easier.  It is labeled of course Punch Book.  A few of you have asked why I don't do more punch critters etc., well I just might have to and add them to my book as I go. There are some talented girls out there thinking outside of the box punch.

So a couple weeks ago I got my hand stamped card inviting me to the Artisan Award dinner while we are in Salt Lake City during Convention. It does not say who stamped it so I am gonna pretend Shelli made it.

Stamp Set: Razzle Dazzle

Paper: Old Olive, Pale Plum, Whisper White, Razzleberry Lemondade DSP

Ink: Perfect Plum

Misc: Scallop punch, clip assortment, satin ribbon

Pretty eh?

Oh and look what came today. My boxes of new catalogs...or should I say, YOUR boxes of new catalogs. 

Aren't they beautiful?  Well I can't show you the actual catalog...but the boxes sure are pretty!

Have a great Friday, and thanks for stopping in!

Lots of Bots doing the Melon Mambo

So I have a swap due tomorrow, and I jumped at the chance to use the new set Lots of Bots, I knew as soon as I saw it, it was mine. 

To be honest it is gonna take me some time to get used to these new colors. They are always easier to fall in love with when we also have the new Designer Series paper to go with them.  As Demonstrators, there are a few things we can pre-order to get us using new stuff to show our customers, I can hardly wait to place my first order on the 1st of July. It will be my Artisan Award order, I still pinch myself that it happened.  I can hardly wait for this Stampin' Up! year to see all that we have to do as winners. I am looking forward to meeting all the other girls at Convention. I already know my buddy old pal Cindy Lawrence, as she got picked too. The rest of the girls I don't know. 

So I used new In Colors as well as some new DSP.  I love the vacant look in the robot's eyes, unlike that weird robot they showed on the news the other day that can have emotions and stuff...freaky teaky!

Anyway, here is the swap card I did, I got the layout from Ilina, I just changed it a tad - she is a fellow INKredible Inker side line of mine, and one very talented girl.

Stamp Set: Lots of Bots

Paper: Bermuda Bay, Basic Black, Melon Mambo, Watercolor Paper, Razzleberry Lemonade Designer Series paper

Ink: Jetblack Stazon, Going Gray, Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry, Crushed Curry

Misc: Silver brads, white gel pen, clips assortment

I used my ink pads and a blender pen to color, I have more control using the blender pen when coloring smaller sizes then I do with the aqua painter.

When I was doing these today I had on Judge Judy, OMG I love this woman, she just tells it like it is, I think that she is a little mean to people, but I guess if they are there they deserve it.  I wouldn't want to be in her courtroom, I think I would cry...unless I was in the audience and then well maybe I would get kicked out cause I might laugh at loud at some of her sayings.  I remember one time she said "Don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining!" I mean does she sit up at night coming up with these or what?

Well I am off to bed, I have another swap to do tomorrow, and my new catalogs are due to arrive, so I gotta get labels on them, and packaged up to run to the PO on Friday.

Have a great Thursday and thanks for stopping in!

Simple is Good

Ya know, you don't always have to have ribbons, buttons, sparkle or even layers to make a nice card. This one is tres easy...I hope that means very easy...and it is just stamped and colored.  I did use my paper cutter and bone folder and scored along the edges just to add a little somethin' somethin'.

What do you think?

Stamp Set: Easter Beauty, On Your Birthday

Paper: Whisper White

Ink: Basic Black Classic pad (I have found this bleeds less then Stazon with the sansodor-figuring it out by trial and error)

Misc: Watercolor Pencils, Sansodor, Stumps, Artmarker, white gel pen, bone folder, paper cutter

Here you can see the lines better that I scored into the paper.

So I got my permanent crowns today, let's hope I don't have to go to the dentist now for a while.  I have a couple teeth on the bottom in the back on each side that were filled years ago that have cracked a bit and they want to crown them, and I am hoping these new crowns don't push and mess me up.  I swear if I was a horse, I would be made into glue already, I could actually be part of the SU! catalog in the form of 2 way glue or something...Am I a worry wart or what? MAMMa says "Don't waste a worry".  Don't ya love her? 

So when I was walking on the treadmill today I was thinking, what if the lizard was a girl? what if she had babies? are they born in eggs? would they be inside the treadmill? would I be squishing them as I walk? am I wacko?  Then I turned the TV up louder and shut my brain off.

Have a great Wednesday and thanks so much for stopping in!

 

Trendy Trees

This is the 10th card from my 10/10/20 Birthday card class and I got the idea from Nancy Riley and you can check out her beautiful card here, I did not do the same layout, but basically this is where the idea came from for my card.  Since I had so many pieces to cut out for class, I simplified mine a little bit, but I still love it, and I will miss the Rockabilly paper.

Stamp Set: Trendy Trees

Paper: Riding Hood Red, Whisper White, Kiwi Kiss, Rockabilly DSP

Ink: Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Jetblack Stazon

Misc: Riding Hood Red Striped Ribbon

If you go over to check Nancy's card, tell her hi for me after you drool over all her masterpieces...maybe say hi first, your tongue might be all dried up from all the drooling, and she won't understand you.

Have an awesome Tuesday, I need to get a couple swaps done, and I am pulling out my retired stamps and accessories, I'll let you know what I am selling.  Gotta make room for the new "stuff", oh yeah baby!

Thanks for stopping in!

Crocodile Dun-Di

Well it kinda looked like a crocodile, and maybe it means I need to vacuum more. I don't know, but today I was vacuuming, and I lifted the treadmill walking platform so I could vacuum under it and look what I found...

...a baby crocodile.

Ok, well he's not really a baby crocodile. But he did surprise me, I mean, I was not even going to lift the platform up, so I had one hand on it lifting it, and it is pretty heavy doing it with one hand, and the other hand had the vacuum, thank goodness I didn't lift a little and just vacuum under, as this might have been a sadder story.  So anyway, up the platform goes all the way and there he was curled up, and I was like oh I hope he is not dead. I quickly turned off the vacuum and bent down.

So when I went down to pick him up, he tried to get away, and then I quickly scooped him up, he just wiggled a bit, and tried to get away. He could not have been in the house long cause he was pretty healthy.  Eric keeps leaving the dang doors open.  Yesterday before class I come out to the studio, and the door is open. Thank God it was only a lizard that got in....(shivers). So I am thinking a day or two at the most he was in here. Poor thing.

Luckily I didn't scare him enough to make him drop his tail off, cause he had a good lookin' tail. They will drop off their tail as a way to get away, so the critter chasing them will chase the tail as it flops and flips and they get away, then they grow a new one. Gee wouldn't that be nice to do...my tail is old and droopy, I'm gonna drop it off and grow a nice toned firm one...oh and my belly and boobs too.

I took him outside to show Jeff, (Jeff is smoking a brisket) so he is sitting out manning the smoker, as it smokes next to my new screens - yeah let's not go there.

So the lizard wanted to check out Jeff's tat, so he could know the proper spelling of my name when he sends me a thank you card for sparing his life from 1) the vacuum, 2) Toby 3) death by starvation.

Jeff wanted me to put it on him like I had the gecko that time, I think if I had of handled him a bit more he would have been more apt to stay longer like the gecko did, but he was so happy to be free, he jumped down and is now happily crunching on bugs under the trees in the back yard.  Do you think he will remember me next week?

Well that was a quick post for today, I have class tonight, so I know it will be nice to not have to post when everyone is gone, I can clean up for the morning class, and go to bed early.

Have an awesome Monday and thanks for stopping in mates!

Shadow Boxing

Well today I had my first round of 10/10/20 Birthday card classes.  Such fun girls, such fun cards.

We also had sunscreens put on all our windows, so I will let you know if it makes a difference in our electric bill, I hope so.  I just know that now the house is so dark during the day.  Jeff says that is good for the summer time for the house to be dark.  I just wanna say nanner-nanner-boo-boo, to all the dang flies.  No more fly poop on my windows.  Well it will get on the outside frames but I wont see it looking out.  Please tell me that everywhere gets fly poop and not just my house.

Well I don't know what got me talking about nasty old poop, when I have the beautifulest shadow box to show you.  A little giftie from my BFF Tracy when she was here for that very short visit a few weeks ago. She got the little shadow boxes from a dollar store in PA, and they were plain wood and her tight tushed, popeye armed hubby Steve stained it for her...for me.

Stamp Set: Spring Song

Ink: Jetblack Stazon, and watercolor crayons for coloring.

Misc: Riding Hood Red Taffeta, Lots of cutting out, and popping, which means lots of luv!!

Here is a side view so you can see how beautiful it is from all angles.

So tonight we watched a movie called "The Happening", ok I am just sitting here now wondering, gee Di what could you have been doing instead? Cleaning the lint out of the dryer, giving Toby a bath, finishing the dishes, shaving my toes...I mean anything would have been more useful in spending my time...especially my toe hairs giving Toby a bath! It was a scratch your head kinda, what the heck movie, we borrowed it from friends, and now I can happily get it out of my house.

Well I am going to go to bed, and read, I changed my class schedules on Sunday's so that I have only one class and it is early evening, that way people can go to church, or sleep in if they want, and you know what? I want....to sleep in tomorrow, and with my nice dark screens and the blinds closed...I just might!

Have a great Sunday, Happy Father's Day Dad, and to all you Dad's out there!!

Thanks for stopping in!