BOHO BLOSSOMS!

As promised, here are samples using Set 4 of the new releases from My Favorite Things! Beautiful flowers - the set is called Boho :) Be sure to go and check out the MFT website tomorrow for the big reveal - and for the special price of 5 sets for $65! What a deal!

I had a blast at the ScrapPink crop this weekend; I will post more later tonight about that and the winner of the third set of Blog Candy :)

What's that you're asking? Is there BLOG CANDY for this set? Of course!!! To be entered into a drawing for a chance to win this very set, leave a comment here before 10pm MST Monday telling me all about your favorite flower :) Good luck!

Drum roll, please....the winner is....

DAWN! Hellooooo Dawn, I wonder if you're still awake and checking in to see if you won? Well, you did! You won set #2 of the blog candy! The "It's A Jungle Out There" set from My Favorite Things! CONGRATS!!!

I'll head over to your blog and leave you a message there.

And now...I'm finished packing for the crop - way too much stuff, I'm sure! Keep adding your comments for set #3 in the post below :) Good luck, everyone! Have a fantastic weekend :) I'll be back on Sunday night!

Cafe set from My Favorite Things...

You are going to love this set - so girly! This is set 3 of 5 new sets being released on Monday by My Favorite Things Rubber Stamps. And...a little birdie (okay, it was Kim, the owner! LOL!) told me that there will be a special offer on the website to buy all 5 sets for just $65! The stampers among you know what a great deal that is!!

But in the meantime - of course there's a chance to win this Cafe set as BLOG CANDY - just like Malieta won the first set! She is so excited!

Hmmm....what can I have you comment about this time? Okay, in the Cafe theme...what's your favorite meal to eat in a restaurant? This should be a fun one!! All posts received before 10pm MST on SUNDAY night will be included in the drawing!

I'm off to an overnight crop (a ScrapPink crop!) tomorrow with my new friend Sue :) We met through a Circle Journal group on 2 Peas and this will be our second time hanging out together! I can't wait to chat and learn more about her - she's a great lady! So....that's why the blog candy drawing is open till Sunday night - cos that's when I'll be home to post samples made with SET NUMBER 4!!! WOO HOO!!

And the winner is......

Malieta!!! Malieta, you are the lucky winner of the first piece of blog candy this week! You will soon be the proud owner of the "How Sweet It Is" set from My Favorite Things Rubber Stamps! CONGRATULATIONS!!

So....what's next? Well, I'll be drawing the winner of Set 2 (It's A Jungle Out There) tomorrow, and later today....a sneak peek of Set 3! And more BLOG CANDY!!

Happy Friday everyone! Be back later!

It's A Jungle Out There!!

Thanks for waiting! Here it is - a sneak peek of a couple of card made with the second of 5 new sets being released on Monday by My Favorite Things!

And I almost forgot (but not quite, ha!) the blog candy! To be in with a chance to win THIS SET (woo hoo!!!), leave a comment telling me all about your favorite animal (keeping with the jungle theme here)! Good luck.....comments received by 10pm MST Friday will be included!

Stop by again tomorrow! Who knows what you might find here????

Settling in...

Aspen and Bailey are settling in really well! They will hang out with Tasha (10 month old lab/retriever puppy) and are standing their ground with her - which is just as well since she's about 10 times their size, LOL!! Sally, our older cat, is also getting much better. The three cats all ate at the same time this morning which is a great sign!

There are 39 responses for the first blog candy drawing for MFT stamps so far! Yahoo! I love getting people all excited about a new release of stamps - what fun! And there will be more on the way today: the second set (of 5!) is called "It's A Jungle Out There"...check back in later for the sneak peek - and possibly more BLOG CANDY!!!

In the meantime, here's a photo of some elk who decided to stop by our yard at the weekend :)

Here they are! Sweet!

Here are some cards made from one of the FIVE new sets being released on Monday 10/1 by My Favorite Things Rubber Stamps....how cute are they??? The set is called "How Sweet It Is"

And - are you ready for some BLOG CANDY? Oh, alright then!! LOL!

To be in for a chance to win THIS SET of stamps (yep!), post a comment here on my blog telling me what your favorite sweet is! Pretty easy, huh? You have until 10pm MST Thursday to enter! Good luck! I will draw the winner on Friday afternoon.

Check back tomorrow for more sneak peeks!

New Stamps!

Woo hoo! We're heading towards October 1st which means the release of 5 new sets of stamps from My Favorite Things! I have been lucky enough to have been playing with the new sets for several weeks now, and they are so much fun, in particular for those of you who enjoy coloring your stamped images :)

Check back later today for a sneak peek of a card using one of the new sets. The set is called "How Sweet It Is"...

Oh! And one more thing! There will also be some BLOG CANDY available! See you later today!

Meet Aspen and Bailey

Here are our new additions! They are 10 weeks old and we decided to get them this weekend from the Cat Care Society in Denver (see the post below about Pickle). The shelter is a cage-free facility just for cats, and it's the best-run (and cleanest!) shelter I've ever been to. The staff and volunteers over there are doing an awesome job taking care of the cats.

It's been a while since we had cats this little running around, and you can imagine what Tasha things of them: something along the lines of "Yahoo! New playmates!" :)

Aspen (on the right) is named after the patches of yellow/gold aspen trees that we've seen in the last few weeks dotted among the green trees here in the mountains. Bailey is a town near here which sounded like a cute cat name and still went along with the mountain theme.

Sally, our other cat, is doing pretty well with them; they have all checked each other out and everyone still has their fur intact, so that's a good sign :)

Still no sign of Pickle...

...so we're trying to be optimistic and hope that he has somehow found his way to the home of a loving family. We have posted photos and made calls to all the right places, so you never know, maybe he will still turn up. But with each day that passes we're all starting to accept that he may not come home.

Sally (our other cat pictured on my blog profile photo) was really missing him and Nattie was worrying a lot about all the scary things that might have happened...so this weekend we picked up 2 new kittens. There will never be another Pickle, but these little ones will definitely help while we get through this tough time.

Stop by tomorrow and meet Aspen and Bailey! :)

Cards in print :)

I got a nice surprise in the mail on Saturday: the October issue of "Scrap & Stamp Arts" with 2 of my cards inside! One is a Halloween card made with Hero Arts stamps, and the other is in the Reader Gallery and is made with stamps from The Cat's Pajamas Summer line. Woo hoo!!

We all went to Nattie's piano recital in Evergreen on Saturday; there were about 8 students playing piano or violin. Nattie has been very secretive about her practising; she wouldn't let us listen to her, and to be honest we were getting a little worried. No more after hearing her play on Saturday; she did an amazing job! We were very proud of her and the progress she has made since starting lessons with Monica 4 months ago. She had taken piano for a year in California and did really well but the lessons were group lessons; she seems to be doing much better in an individual setting.

Working on a paper for school today, then mailing off some layouts for one of my CJ groups (we're doing some "Challenge Swaps" during our downtime between CJ's), and working on other cards for swaps. Phew! Busy day! But at least I have an incentive to finish that school paper, right?

Fall Colors

When we arrived in Conifer last year it was the third week of October and we had missed most of the fall color on the trees. This year we are here in time! I took these pics yesterday just from the end of our driveway. There are some spectacular patches of aspens around, so I will have to take my camera further afield, but I think these ones are beautiful too! And they are right outside our house! Now I am really glad that we live in a state with 4 seasons again :) (Remind me I said that when we have 4 feet of snow in a few months! LOL!)

Life Rules

Here's a recent layout I did for a Circle Journal which was called "My Life, My Rules"; quite a thought-provoking title! The patterned paper here is from the "Twirl" line by Crate Paper. So cute!

Thank you for your kind words about Pickle; there's still no sign of him. I keep hoping he's going to just show up as if nothing happened, but at the same time I'm trying to be realistic given the environment we live in here in Conifer. Fingers crossed....

Have you seen this cat?

One of our cats, Pickle, has been missing since Tuesday night. He is...how can I put it...an adventurous cat, and even though we are super-careful about keeping doors closed, he somehow squeezed through a crack in the door and got out. Instead of heading for his usual spot under the deck he must have gone off somewhere else and so now he's had 2 nights outside with temps in the 30s/40s. We still have mountain lions and bears out and about at this time of year, and we haven't heard him yowling stuck up a tree or anything like that, so right now it doesn't look good.

Today I'll be calling all the shelters and putting up posters; we've called the neighbors so they know who to call if they find him. What's sad is that last week he managed to get his collar and tags off, so he doesn't even have those on right now. Please keep him in your thoughts!

Mountain flowers :)

It's always nice...

to get thanks from people! I got an email today from Bluemoon, who won the second Blog Candy prize in our drawings for The Cat's Pajamas rubber stamps last month. Here's what she had to say:

"Dear Toni,

What a great mail day. I got them! I got them! (big smile) yipppeeee!!!! THANK YOU!! You certainly made my day. I received your lovely Candy RAK in the mail. Thank you so very much for the cute set of Cat's Pajamas clear stamp set. They're adorable and I appreciate your kindness and generosity. I had never seen TCP before finding your blog! And there is even a penguin in the set too. Thank you also for your pretty card, with huge prima.

Stampingly yours,
Hugs, Bluemoon"

I love the fact that this Blog Candy made Bluemoon's day. It really doesn't take much to make people smile: a card, a phone call, a hug, a listening ear, a surprise cup of tea (or coffee!!). It's the little things, right?

Back to kindergarten!

Today was my first day helping out in Jamie's kindergarten class. He rode the bus as usual and then I went down at about 9.15am. OMG, the kids were so little and cute! They all said their Pledge of Allegiance, went over what day it is, etc., and then they split into groups and did rotations around the classroom. My little station was an activity for them based on the book "Ten Apples Up On Top", so the kids had to draw themselves, then color and cut out ten apples and paste the apples on their heads. They all did an awesome job! Next we went out for recess and it was great to watch Jamie interacting with all his classmates; he seemed totally at ease. After recess they had a story and worked on their journals, and then all of a sudden it was time for me to go! The morning flew by! It was a busy, busy classroom!

Today's card is made with the Halloween set of stamps from My Favorite Things. It's pretty simple, but I like the effect of the witch popping off the front :) Thanks for stopping by!!

Tagged!

I've been tagged by Alma! Here goes :)

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) Boris QX56
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fav ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) Vanilla Milano
3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) T-Arm
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) Blue Cat
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) Hitchin (no middle name for me!)
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) Armto
7. SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd favorite color, favorite drink put “The”) The Red Mai Tai
8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers) Percy David
9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne, favorite candy) Paris Mini Eggs (!)
10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ) Ann James

LOL!! So now it's your turn! Maureen, Liz, Heather, Christine, Sue, and Sabrina - consider yourselves tagged :) Just copy and paste the above information on to your blog, change the answers to reflect yourself, and tag some fellow bloggers!

Card Swap :)

Here's the card I have posted for the swap being hosted by Jennifer over at Splitcoast Stampers. Alma posted hers over the weekend and it is gorgeous! Check out Alma's card here.

The paper for my card is from the Blitzen line by Basic Grey. The wreath stamp is one of the awesome new acrylic stamps from The Cat's Pajamas, and the tiny snowflake was in a pack I picked up at Michael's.

I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend! Jamie is feeling much better - I ended up taking him to the doctor on Friday and he's halfway through a course of antibiotics now. Unfortunately Nattie has been in bed most of today (when the 10 year old is staying in bed, you know they really are sick), so I may be back at the pediatrician tomorrow...

Iain spent a few hours this afternoon attaching heating elements to the base of our roof. Last winter we had so much ice built up out there that he spent a whole morning chipping ice off the roof and swore he wasn't doing that again this winter: hence the heating elements :)

Instructions for Holiday Project - especially for Liz :)

Liz posted and asked for the instructions for the project I posted on Tuesday using the Buck Naked Chipboard Lacing Cards from Cosmo Cricket. Here goes:

Supplies:

6 Buck Naked Chipboard Lacing Cards

2 packs patterned paper: I used Cosmo Cricket's Little Boy Paper Crafting Kit on one side and DCWV's Christmas Glitter Stack for the other side.

Sanding block or sandpaper

Embroidery floss

Ribbon

Assorted stamps from The Cat's Pajamas

Colored pencils or markers

Stickles

1. Cover chipboard with patterned paper, ensuring that all sides are secure. Punch holes (lacing cards already have holes so you can see where to punch).
2. Sand edges of paper to smooth and distress paper.
3. Use alpha stickers if desired, to spell "Winter".
4. Attach matted photographs.
5. Stamp images on white paper, color and cut out. Attach to cards as required.
6. Decorate with Stickles to add sparkle.
7. Cover reverse side in similar method, using other set of patterned paper.
8. Attach cards together with embroidery floss; attach ribbon at top of project.
9. Hang and enjoy!

Woo hoo!!! Is it November yet???

I am so excited! Tomorrow is our 14th anniversary and (since I'm so impatient) Iain and I exchanged cards/gifts tonight. We gave each other the traditional funny cards :) and I gave Iain a gift certificate to the Boulder Running Company and also the DVD of "Extras - Season 2" (starring Ricky Gervais; a really funny show on HBO). And, of course, the box of Iain's favorite See's candy - the caramel patties.

I was thrilled when I opened my card and found the confirmation for tickets to see Elton John's Red Piano concert at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas in November!! WOO HOO!! I have been a fan of his for many years and seeing him live is one of the things on my "list of things to do before I die". I think he's a musical genius and can't wait till November!!! I'm a lucky, lucky girl!!!

Is it November yet?! (See, there's that impatience kicking in again!) LOL!!

An important topic! :)

So...regular readers will know that I'm a Brit and of course with that goes an innate love of tea. For years after moving to the U.S., I would find a British store wherever we were living (or, online) and obtain my Tetley tea bags. A few years ago I succumbed and tried the Earl Grey tea they sell at Starbucks (made by Tazo), and it has served me well. Recently, though, I noticed that it tastes better in the paper cups from Starbucks than it does in a regular cup at home! Why is that? Is it just the Starbucks cups?

At Safeway yesterday I saw a pack of "to go" paper cups and decided to try them out. I came home, made my tea and drank it from the paper cup. It tasted better! Iain went into the kitchen this morning to make my tea and his latte (our little morning routine!), and I told him to use the cups I'd bought yesterday. I don't think I can express how much he rolled his eyes :) We started wondering what could be affecting the taste of the tea in the regular cups: could it be our dishwasher detergent or rinse aid? Or are there some unnatural "things" in the paper cups that seep into the tea and make it taste better? The mystery continues......

Thursday ramblings :)

Ah...almost the end of the week! My hubby arrives home tonight after 5 days in Colombia :) I think that tomorrow I'll have to take both kids to get checked out by the pediatrician - they've both had colds for over a week, which is typical for the start of the school year, but now they have both developed coughs and it doesn't seem like the coughs are going away any time soon. It doesn't do any harm to check, right?

This morning I met up with two of my neighbors and we walked our dogs together. I can't believe how much faster the time passed! Tasha was a bit distracted by the other dogs, but overall she did really well. We're going to meet up again tomorrow morning and make the most of this great weather - the mornings are just beautiful right now! Temps in the 40s/50s, so it's perfect for walking.

I started a new class with school this week - Juvenile Justice. It's only been a few days, but I find the reading really interesting. There are so many factors that can affect kids and the decisions they make over time - as juveniles and as adults.

Not too much else going on today: grocery shopping in a little while, then a little school and - alright - a little cardmaking or circle journaling :) Today's card is another one made with The Cat's Pajamas' Winter line of stamps. Don't you just love Skating Poochie with his winter sweater on?

Thanks for stopping by! Have a fabulous day!

A new friend!

I have been a member of a new Circle Journal group (30-somethings) for a few months now, and through this online group I met Sue, who lives down in Castle Rock - about an hour from Conifer. Today we met in person! I drove down to Sue's house, and we hung out there for a little while: she showed me her lovely home, her (very tidy and organized) scrap room, and her amazing photographs of the beautiful outdoors here in CO. I had brought a few magazines to show her my published cards, and showed her the ATG adhesive gun :)

Next we went out for lunch and then - of course - we headed over to a scrapbook store (Your Scrapbook Destination). We did some shopping there, and still had some time left, and Hobby Lobby was just a minute away, so we went there too before I had to head home in time for Nattie and Jamie getting home. It was so much fun to get together with a fellow scrapper whom I've been chatting with via e-mail for a while now! Our daughters are only a year apart, so they will get along well I'm sure :) Thank you, Sue, for a great day! I wish I hadn't needed to leave so soon though!

In the spirit of friendship, here's a friendship card for today :) Stamps by Hero Arts (flowers) and Hampton Art (clocks). Thanks for stopping by!

Holiday Project!

Along with the fantastic Fall and Winter stamps, Alma also sent us DT members a set of Naked Chipboard from Cosmo Cricket. I love these things! They come in sets of 4, but I had a pack of my own here so I put 6 together and made a photo display that can be hung up on the wall. It is double-sided! On one side I put Winter photos (and of course embellished with stamps from The Cat's Pajamas), and on the other side I did more of a holiday theme.

Hopefully if you click on the photos you'll be able to see the images clearly :) Thanks for looking, and have a fantastic Tuesday!

Quick photo

This is a rainbow we saw from our house on Labor Day. So pretty!

Misty Monday!

It is so damp here this morning; we woke up to fog and drizzle - I feel like I'm back home in Scotland! LOL! And in the spirit of wet weather, here's a "shower" card :) This one is made with stamps from My Favorite Things (the set is called "Shower Time"); patterned paper is by Fancy Pants. I pierced holes around the scalloped punched shape and stitched around the edge, threading beads on as I went. A bit time consuming (I decided after I'd done 3 beads!), but the effect is worth it for a special occasion card :)

Iain was up early to get to the airport to fly to Bogota, Colombia for 3 days. The kids and I got a few more hours of sleep before we had to get up, and then of course we had the required "discussion" about whether it was cold enough for them to have to wear jackets or not! Hello - it was 40 degrees at the time....

Tasha and I had our long walk, both dried off, and now it's time to put the kettle on and have my first cup of tea - the best one of the day! I may even sit and watch "The View" and decide what I think of Whoopi on the show. I've read mixed reviews so it should be interesting.

"Curb Your Enthusiasm" season 6 started on HBO last night; it's one of our favorite shows! Iain and Larry David have a lot in common... I also TiVo'd the new HBO show "Tell Me You Love Me" which got some good reviews, so we'll give that a try.

BBQ Invites

These are some invites I made a couple of weeks ago when Iain and I thought we were going to have a Labor Day BBQ with the neighbors. I worked hard making a dozen invitations and then we changed our minds - well, I should say Iain decided he didn't want to grill for that many people! LOL!

We ended up having just drinks and appetizers, and I gave the blank invitations away on Two Peas to someone who could use them :) They are so cute, I should have just sent them to the neighbors anyway! Ha ha!

Stamps by The Cat's Pajamas. The white pen is a Uniball Signo. Happy Saturday!

My Favorite Things...

... isn't that a great name for a rubber stamp company? And I am so lucky to be on their DT :) I received a package of goodies last week from Kim, the owner of MFT, and I have had tons of fun playing this week! The card on the left is made from a set called "Hot Stuff", which can be found with the other MFT stamps right here. Happy browsing! (Patterned paper is the "Bohemia" line from My Mind's Eye)

The blog challenge on Two Peas today definitely applies to me: "do you tend to stay up late to scrap more if your DH/SO is away?". I do this often: if it's during a school class, I'll sometimes be up working on assignments (although I'm hoping to do that work during the day now that the kids are back in school). Quite often I'll work on circle journals at night; the peace and quiet seems to be effective for my thought process!!

Ran some errands this morning: Nattie is going to a friend's birthday party on Sunday, and she thought the best thing to take as a gift would be a Barnes & Noble card - sounds good to me! Also went to Target and spent way more money than I should have :) Picked up an Earl Grey tea from Starbucks and then headed home to a couple of hours of quiet before the kiddos get home!

We were all pretty late getting up this morning - it was a bit of a rush to get the kids fed, prepared, and out the door! I think we are all ready for the weekend :) Have a great one!

I'm not a cook, but....

I received a Circle Journal a couple of weeks ago and the theme was "What's For Dinner?". The owner wanted us to put our favorite family recipe in there....well, I was stumped. I don't have any recipes like that! In fact, I just don't like cooking, period. I cook because I have to, not because I want to. So here's the layout I created - feel free to borrow my recipe anytime!! LOL!! Patterned paper is by Cosmo Cricket (Dutch Girl Collection); title letters by Doodlebug and Making Memories.

Our Labor Day get-together with the neighbors was lots of fun! Our new neighbors from up the hill came and introduced themselves to everyone, and the food and drinks were flowing freely. It rained earlier in the afternoon, but then dried up quickly so some of us were able to sit outside - and the kids all played outside too. I hope all of you enjoyed your long weekend :)

Simple Sunday card :)

Been spending some time stamping this weekend! I really like this card - it's nice and simple! Patterned paper from 7 gypsies and stamp by Stampendous! Then I used my Prismacolor pencils + Gamsol to add some color. I think that the blue around the edge of the image makes it look a lot more realistic; better than having the flower floating on the cardstock. I used pop dots to make the whole panel stand out from the card front, and also on a second image of the flower :)

We have had a whole weekend of doing.....nothing much! Iain always takes a couple of days to recover from jetlag after a S. America trip, and Jamie isn't feeling too hot today, so we are taking it easy. Tomorrow will be busier - we have the neighbors coming round for drinks and appetizers!

Have a great long weekend, everyone!