Happy Mail! And NEW STAMPS!

Wow! The first piece of happy mail I wanted to show you was this huge selection of Primas I received in the mail from Benita for winning her "guess the number of containers of Primas" contest! I will not need to shop for flowers for a long time! ((Hugs)) to you, Benita, and thank you once again!

The card on the right is one that I received from Dawn - she was one of the recent winners of the My Favorite Things blog candy, and look what she came up with! Too cute! Great job, Dawn, and thank you for sending me the first card you made with this set. I hope you have tons of fun with them!

And talking of My Favorite Things....My Favorite Things is having a New Release Cocktail Party on Wednesday, December 5 from 9-11 p.m. Eastern time. Head over to the MFT forum on http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/ to find out all the details and join us there on Wednesday night. There will be give aways, coupon codes, a challenge and sneak peeks. Find out on Wednesday how you can become a MFT Guest Designer. Join us for some fun! And the new sets are amazing...I've been having tons of fun playing with them this week!

Christmas card, anyone? :)

Just wanted to find out if any of my blog friends would like a Christmas card this year :) If so, please drop me an email at toners@wispertel.net and I'll add you to my list! I am so lucky to have met all of you out there in blog world :)

The card to the left is one I made using some scraps last week - I love the stamp! It's by WhipperSnapper Designs.

Winter Thank You Card

Here's another card I made for a sketch challenge - this one was for My Favorite Things. I used the "Hot Stuff" set for the coffee image, and the sentiment is from "Essential Sentiments" which was released just this month. The card is another one from the Glitter Card set by DCWV.

And here are some winter-related questions - feel free to copy and paste to your blog for fun!

1. What temperature do you consider to be "cold" or when you would need to wear warm clothes? It takes a lot for me to feel "cold", so I don't usually feel really cold until around 45 degrees! I think that's also why I felt the heat so easily when we lived in CA!
2. What is a typical Winter like in your area? What are the average temps this time of year? Well...the neighbors said last year wasn't a "typical" winter here - which is just as well, because our yard was covered in snow from October till April! LOL! So far this year we've had 4 significan snowfalls, but nothing more than a foot of snow - yet! I'd say the average high temps here have been in the 40s since mid-October.
3. If you live in a cooler climate, what is it that you enjoy most about it? Why do you choose to remain living there? If you live in a warmer climate, have you ever visited places that were seasonably cold? What did you like or dislike about it? This is our second winter in CO after living in CA from 1997 to 2006. I absolutely love it here, and the main reason is that we have been able to experience all 4 seasons! Spring was awesome when all the plants and trees bloomed, Summer was beautiful because it didn't get above 80 here in the mountains, Fall was amazing - all those golden aspen leaves, and Winter - it's just so pretty!

Sketch Challenge!

Here's a card I made for the Sketch Challenge that Alma gives us Cat's Pajamas DT members every couple of weeks or so. I really like the way this one turned out - simple, but pretty! Gotta love those DCWV Glitter Cards :) The stamp used here is from the Kitty Christmas set.

It's another chilly one up here in the mountains - we got about 4 inches of snow last night, and today I don't think we will be getting above freezing. I took Tasha for a walk this morning, came home, and put jammies on after my shower! LOL!

Sequins and styrofoam :)

It's been a busy few days around here! On Sunday we were out shopping all day for a loft bed for Jamie...we think we found one but are still trying to convince Jamie that it's a good idea :) Then yesterday Iain and Jamie both weren't feeling too good, so I left them with their runny noses and took advantage of a day to get a head start on some Christmas shopping. It was very productive!

Made a stop at Hobby Lobby and picked up some styrofoam balls, sequins and sequin pins for the kids and I to do our holiday project - we make at least one a year together :) This is the end result of my ornament! I have to say, I'm surprised at how pretty it looks! I hope you're having a great Tuesday!

Sunday Seven: play along!

I found this question at Patrick's Place and it looks like a fun one for us to think about: Name your top seven television icons. Here's my list:

1. Roseanne - a sitcom that we could all relate to in one episode or another. I loved her dry sense of humor.



2. Bill Cosby - we love The Cosby Show and are now enjoying sharing it with Nattie!



3. Oprah - she just has to be on the list! 20 years of shows, and still going strong. The magazine is great too :)



4. George Clooney - for obvious reasons! LOL! Dr. Doug Ross on ER...they were never able to replace him...



5. David Letterman - seems like a really genuine guy, very down-to-earth, and his use of sarcasm is perfect!



6. Larry Hagman/J.R. Ewing - even though I was living in Scotland at the time when J.R. was shot, people over there were just as hooked on "Dallas" as I hear they were here in the U.S.!



7. Scooby Doo - because he and the gang have been around for what seems like forever and our (pesky) kids enjoy watching Scooby just as much as we did!

So what are your favorites?

Holiday Photo 2007

OK, this is the one that got the majority vote. Iain and I always choose different photos: I like the more classic ones, whereas Iain likes the ones with the funny faces - like this one! Jamie was just being soooo goofy when I took the photos outside...and I have to admit, this one shows how his personality is right now - and isn't that the point of these photos? The ones that go out to friends and family at Christmastime?

Yep, they can really see how Jamie is at 5, that's for sure! And look at Nattie, so grown-up looking - and Tasha, almost a year old now!

Relaxing Friday...

I hope you all had a happy, safe Thanksgiving. We spent the day at home, just the 4 of us, and we actually had roast chicken for dinner! (Nobody wanted turkey, LOL!) We ate late afternoon, watched TV and had our pie later on: apple pie for Jamie and I, and pumpkin pie for Iain and Nattie.

Spending another quiet day together today: I need to finish a paper for school by tomorrow night, and this afternoon I'll bundle the kids up in their snowclothes and (hopefully) get their photo taken for this year's holiday card....we'll see...

Holiday card - and Happy Thanksgiving wishes to everyone :)

Just checking in with a quick holiday card made with a gorgeous stamp from Whipper Snapper :) I want to wish all my blogging friends a VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Enjoy your day with family, friends, or whatever you're doing...and I'll catch up with you all on Friday. Take care!

BRRRRR!!!

Wow, it's chilly here today! We got about 5 inches of snow last night, and right now it's only 19 degrees outside....definitely a day to stay inside with jammies on :) And maybe even get some time to create! Sounds good to me....back later with a card!

Random questions!

I'd love to learn more about my blogging friends - here are some questions for you to copy and paste to your blog, and post your responses :) Enjoy! Here are mine:

1. Who am I? Toni - wife, stay-at-home mom, friend, DT member, student
2. Who knows me best? My hubby!
3. How old am I? 35 (for one more month!)
4. How old do I feel? 23 :)
5. The most important thing in my life is... my family - hubby and kids
6. I always carry...my cellphone!
7. Something I always do is...drink tea - at least 3 cups of Earl Grey a day.
8. I'm at my happiest when...I'm calm :)
9. On a Monday morning, you'll find me...at my computer after walking Tasha! Probably finishing up a paper for school since they get turned in on Mondays!
10. My favorite mode of transportation is...my car!
11. My eyes are...blue/grey, and one of my favorite parts of me!
12. My favorite material possession is...my room of crafting supplies!
13. To relax, I like to...stamp, scrapbook, read...
14. The town I live in is...small, friendly, and has 4 seasons!
15. What's my worst habit? Worry/anxiety
16. My guilty pleasure is...reality TV!
17. When I look at someone, the first thing I see is...their smile (or lack of one!)
18. I think ....................... is beautiful. The sound of a child's hearty laugh
19. One thing that I can live without is...stress! If only I could get rid of it!
20. One thing people don't know about me is...that I was abused as a child.
21. My life is...filled with surprises and extra-special people!!

I won??? And a couple of cards :)

I got a note from Benita saying that I'd won the RAK from her blog! She asked visitors to guess how many bottles/jars/containers of Prima flowers she owned....check out the photo on her blog right here! I guessed 322 and the answer was 319! Wow! Thanks again Benita for making my day :)

Finished off a couple of cards yesterday using this Stamping Bella image, along with sentiments from The Cat's Pajamas. I have a couple of friends' birthdays coming up, so I will be putting them to good use!

Jamie is home from school today; he has a cold and his nose is super-runny, so I thought I'd better not subject his teacher and classmates to that. Tomorrow is the last day of school before Thanksgiving break, then the kids are out of school till next Monday. Looking forward to having the long weekend with the 4 of us together!

One little boy and a swirl and a kitten :)

Guaranteed to make a great photo! I took this one last week before Jamie's haircut. The swirl on his forehead doesn't bother him now, but I can foresee him complaining about it as a teenager :) The ladies who cut his hair are never quite sure what to do with it! For now, though, I'll enjoy the cuteness factor it adds to a photo! I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend!

Stamping Bella!

I had fun yesterday playing with this Snowy House stamp from Stamping Bella; I popped it off the page and of course added some holiday sparkle with my Stickles :)

Working on a paper for school today, then hoping to get some creating done! Have a great Saturday!

Getting there....

Here is the layout I came up with for my Circle Journal Group Challenge. Kristi asked us to create a 1- or 2-page layout using black and white - and glitter! I used the Black and White line from Doodlebug, the flower embellishments are from Making Memories and so are the white glitter initials. Then I used white glitter on the top and bottom of the white page, and black glitter around the black page. This is one of my favorite challenge layouts so far I think!

Have an awesome weekend!

Friday!!

It's been quite a busy week, with some card projects due and school work to be done - along with the usual house/family stuff. So I'm glad it's Friday and tomorrow we don't all have to rush out of bed in the morning :) Nattie's going to a sleepover birthday party tomorrow, and then after we pick her up on Sunday we're going to to shopping for a new bed for Jamie: right now he's sleeping on a queen-size bed, but it takes up too much space in his room so we're going to see if we can find him some kind of loft bed that will help us use his space better.

Back later with a layout for a scrapbooking challenge....how to combine black, white, and glitter!

More ATC's...

This is my second set of ATC's for the upcoming swap. These ones are made with stamps by Stampendous! I just love the image of the owl and the mouse! Thanks for stopping by :) I'm off to Nattie's classroom to help out for the rest of the afternoon. Catch you tomorrow!

Oh deer!

Sorry, just couldn't resist the pun there! LOL! This cute little guy was in our yard yesterday morning :)

It's a swap thing!

I finally finished my Artist Trading Cards for Taylor's swap :) I love how they turned out! That liquid applique is so cool for the snow effect :) These ones are made with stamps from The Cat's Pajamas and patterned paper by KI Memories.

Oh, and one of my cards is being featured on The Cat's Pajamas website as November's Project of the Month. Alma has created a PDF file for you to download - so stop by and check it out :)

Not too much else going on today...working on lots of school work. Week 3 is always busy, it's right in the middle of the class. So I'd better hit the books! Have a very happy Wednesday :)

ENABLER ALERT FOR STAMPERS!

Yahoo! What a great time of year to stock up on those stamps you've had on your wishlist! The Cat's Pajamas is holding a sale this weekend - 25% off! Wow! Just click here to check out all the fabulous images featuring Sprinkle, Poochie, and friends, all designed by Alma. She has also updated the Gallery, so be sure and stop by there too!

Working on ATC cards, challenge pages....and lunch!

I have a few projects going on right now! I'm working on 2 sets of 10 Artist Trading Cards for Taylor's swap. I'm in a group using images by The Cat's Pajamas and another group using Stampendous stamps. I'm about halfway done with the TCP ones - decided to use the snowglobe image shown at the left, so will post the finished product tomorrow!

After I finished helping in Jamie's classroom this morning, Iain and I went down to Colorado Mills and picked up our DVD's (see post from earlier today!), went to the eye doctor for Iain to have his glasses adjusted, and then had lunch at California Pizza Kitchen. Yum! I had my usual - BBQ Chicken Pizza with a half Caesar Salad....

Movies....

Well, it's a pretty good day for DVD releases...Iain and I are big "Ocean's" fans, so I will be off to Target today to pick up a copy of "Ocean's Thirteen" :) Love those guys! And for the kids (and the kid in us), Shrek 3! I don't think it was quite as good as the others, but still a funny movie! Donkey has to be one of my favorite movie characters of all-time!

I know, I know, I promised another card yesterday but had a loooong doctor's appointment and was really pooped by the end of the day. I'm feeling fine today, though, so stop back again later for a card (or to check out the eye candy on this post again! LOL!).

10 things....

that I have said or done that I am proud of (today's Two Peas blog challenge question):

1. survived the emotional and physical difficulty of miscarriages and a stillborn baby, to go on and have two healthy children
2. started working towards my BSc. in Criminal Justice Administration
3. told my family about the abuse I suffered as a child
4. decided to bring up my children differently from the way I was raised
5. made the move from southern CA to the beautiful mountains of CO
6. given our pets from shelters an awesome home and family
7. made it on to Design Teams
8. raising kids who love to read
9. managed 14 years of marriage (and counting!)
10. found a hubby who loves and supports me - and who has a great sense of humor :)

Will be back later today with a card! Happy Monday!

Friday!

This is another card I made for the My Favorite Things sketch challenge....the tag fits neatly inside the pocket :) Patterned paper is by Basic Grey, stamps by MFT.

Yahoo! It's Friday! That means that Iain will be flying back from his trip to South America. He's been gone since Sunday so it's been a looooong week for me...

Not too much going on here this weekend - Iain's flight doesn't get in until tomorrow morning. Nattie has a birthday party on Sunday afternoon, but that's about it. I hope you all have a great weekend!

One more card....

I got a set of stamps from Verve Visual a couple of weeks ago and just finished this card the other night...I had the exacto-knive out cutting the middle of these shapes out but I think the effect was well worth it! :)

The kids and I are watching "Ratatouille" tonight - time to get the popcorn going!

Quote....and a card

Today's Two Peas blog challenge: "Find a quotation that moves you and write it down. Why does it move you?". Here's mine (along with a card I made for a My Favorite Things sketch challenge):

"I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see." - John Burroughs

This says it all! There are so many days when I feel overwhelmed with all the little things, but this quote tells me that whatever I do or don't do, life is simply too short. And it helps me deal with those things that really aren't such a biggie after all!

It's the little things that matter most.

Isn't that a great sentiment for a baby card? This one is made using stamps from The Cat's Pajamas and patterned paper by Basic Grey. I really like how this one turned out! It's a 6" square card.

Last night I was on a creative roll; I went upstairs just intending to finish one card, and ended up making 4! I love it when creativity just sneaks up like that :)

Is this cat relaxed or what?!

I think it's pretty clear to see that Bailey is settling in nicely here! He and his sister, Aspen, are great buddies and are a form of unique entertainment :) Pickle is also gaining weight back slowly and steadily after his month-long adventure, so all is well with the cats! The other cat photo here is Sally: she doesn't hang out often for photos, so when she sat still the other day I just had to get the camera out....thanks for stopping by!

New rule:

always check for elk before letting the dog out in the morning...

Mosaic Challenge....

One of the circle journal groups I'm in is doing some challenges between now and January, and this month's challenge was to make a mosaic page. Here's my version...

I found this one difficult, but got there in the end...I'll be off to the Post Office in the morning to mail them out to my fellow CJ-ers :) Have a great evening!

Two Peas Blog Challenge...

"What is your earliest memory?"

What a great question! My earliest memory is when we moved from Bedfordshire, England up to Dalgety Bay, Scotland in Summer 1977. I was 5 and my sister was 2. I remember saying goodbye to our neighbors and then going to spend a few days with our grandparents in Mansfield before heading up to Scotland. It was Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee year (25 years on the throne) and there were lots of street parties going on throughout the summer.

When we got to our house in Dalgety Bay we were so excited! We had our first phone in this house: a Trimphone (see photo). My parents rented this house and then about 5 years later were able to buy it. Our street was pretty new and there were lots of families with kids moving in around the same time. Our family lived here until the early 90's when mum and my sister moved down to northeast England and I stayed in Edinburgh to finish college. I think after dad died in 1989 we were all ready for a fresh start.

Wow! Just wow!

Elton John's show was AWESOME! I'm not sure if I can express how much I loved the concert - and Iain did too! We arrived in Las Vegas early on Friday afternoon, and headed straight out to the hotel. We stayed at the J.W. Marriott Resort and it was gorgeous! The room we had was one of the nicest Marriott ones we've stayed in: it had a jacuzzi tub, so Jamie insisted right away that he needed a bath that night :) We had a walk around the hotel, then Iain and Nattie went in the pool for a while (till they got cold!), and I let Jamie play in the tub. We had room service for dinner...and then headed off to Caesar's Palace!

The Colisseum in Caesar's Palace is where the show was being held; we were in the center up in the Mezzanine level. Everyone was so excited! Elton's piano was covered in a big sheet...and then right at 8pm he came out! He was dressed in a black and red suit, covered (Elton-style) in plenty of bling on the collar and up and down the sleeves :) Most of the songs he sang were his older hits: our favorite was near the end of the show: "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" (some audience members from the first few rows even got to go up on the stage and dance next to Elton's piano!). Other songs that really stood out were "Philadelphia Freedom", "Believe", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and (of course) "Your Song".

One of the best things about the show was listening to Elton talking about the background behind some of the songs, what's going on in the world today, and how much he loves performing. We could see that he is a genuine, good person who simply enjoys life to the fullest and loves to make people happy with his music. What an amazing night. I will never forget it!!

Exciting weekend ahead....

Yahoo! This time tomorrow we'll be on the plane heading to Las Vegas to see Elton John's Red Piano show at Caesar's Palace. This is my hubby's anniversary gift to me :) I think that he is one of the greatest singer/songwriters of all time and I can't wait to see him LIVE!

It'll just be a flying visist - we're coming back on Saturday afternoon - but will be well worth it!! Woo hoo!

I will be sure and report back on Sunday with all the exciting details! Have a fabulous weekend :)