Better Late Than Never...

Here's my card for this week's TCP Tuesday challenge - I'm sorry it's late! I used TCP's "Make Merry" set and some tone-on-tone snowflake paper with lots of holiday shine :) For the layout, I used a sketch from the Unscripted Sketches blog.

It's back to work for me and the kids tomorrow. It was nice having a week-long break - and we only have to go for 3 more weeks before our 2-week holiday break!

TCP Tuesday with Amy :)

Hi everyone, this week's TCP Tuesday hostess is the super-talented Amy - hop over to her blog to find out what her challenge is :) I'm spending the whole day at home tomorrow and am hoping to get lots of stamping done - I have some really pretty holiday paper to play with, and now that I am done with my degree, I am able to enjoy my stamping without thinking about school assignments :) The first card I'll work on will be my TCP Tuesday card, so stop by tomorrow evening or Thursday to see what I came up with.

I also have some news about the GOBBLE, GOBBLE, GOBBLE SALE over at The Cat's Pajamas from November 26th - November 30th. Everything (excluding Kitty Kat Packs) will be 25% off, so it'll be a great time to stock up! HAPPY SHOPPING!

TCP Tuesday - Inspiration Challenge

Hi all! This week I'm the hostess for TCP Tuesday, and I have an Inspiration Challenge for you. I love this hat from L.L. Bean - you can see it on their website right here. The bright colors are perfect for winter, and I really like the chocolate brown background. Of course, since it's an Inspiration Challenge, you don't necessarily need to use the colors as inspiration - you can use anything that jumps out at you when you look at the picture :)

For my card, I used TCP's brand new "Give A Little" set. I cut out circles with a craft knife to replicate the pattern on the hat, and added some Stickles (Magenta) to a white felt snowflake for a little more bling. Here's the scoop on how to play along:

1. All challenge entries will go into TCP's monthly Swanky Stamper contest. This means $25 in Cat Cash for the winner to spend on new stamps from The Cat's Pajamas!




2. Link your creation to the slide show on Alma's blog so that we can all see it!




3. TCP stamps are not required, but are of course highly recommended :)




4. If you'd like to also upload your piece to Splitcoast Stampers, use the keyword TCPTUES85 for this week.




5. Have fun!!

Obtain bachelor's degree - DONE!

I did it! I finished my bachelor's degree today - after four long years of fitting school in with family and work! I am proud, relieved, tired, happy...the list goes on :)

Busy, busy....

Thought I'd post an update along with another TCP card - this card uses TCP's new "Penguin Christmas" set. I also used the German Glass Glitter to cover some felt snowflakes before I attached them to the card front.

It's been quite a week here so far...I'm in my last week of school (YEAH!) - my last official day of class is Monday November 16th - and then I'll have my degree! It's been a long few years, but I am very, very proud of myself :)

Things at school are going really well. The kids from 2nd, 4th and 5th grade that I work with every day are fantastic - they are so open and honest, and I have grown attached to every single one of them. Although I am excited to start my new job on December 10th, I will miss the kids a lot - but they have assured me that they will be stopping by to say hello (or to get bus passes, to be excused for a dental appointment, or anything else I can help them with). Change is good, right?

Nattie and Jamie are both working very hard at school. They are both turning into really nice, fun people which is cool to watch :) All the animals are well, although Sally (our diabetic cat) has to go to the vet on Friday to have her blood monitored for a day so that we can find out if her insulin dose needs to be adjusted. She's back to drinking a lot of water again, so I'm thinking there must be something going on...

After school finishes, I will have my evenings and weekends back! I am very much looking forward to catching up with all my blogging friends (I am very sorry that I've been a bad blog visitor this past month), participating in all my favorite card sketch challenges again, and generally just being able to have some "me" time :) Take care everyone - and thanks, as always, for stopping by.

Light the Way...

Here's another card made with a brand new stamp set from The Cat's Pajamas - this set is called "Shine Bright" and has lots of possibilities! All the new sets are posted right here on the TCP website, including brand new buttons and glitter - perfect for those holiday cards :)

Holiday Hop!

We're back with another TCP Blog Hop - this time we're showing off 5 new sets that Alma is releasing tomorrow (Tuesday, November 10). There will be a special offer for the set of 3 stamps included in the Kitty Kat Pack. For now, sit back and enjoy the hop! If you're joining me from Susan's blog (she's our hostess this week for TCP Tuesday), then you're in the right place since that's where the fun begins :) For my card, I used the brand new "Make Merry" set along with some patterned paper from Making Memories' "Mistletoe" collection.

Thank you so much for stopping by!! Your next stop is Ana's blog - tell her I sent you!

Another peek...and some news!

Here's another holiday card made with the brand new stamp sets coming this Tuesday from The Cat's Pajamas :) We'll be doing another blog hop starting on Monday evening at 9pm EST, so stop by and see what we have to show you!!

In other news, I have a new job! Our school secretary is retiring next month, and I applied for the position, went through an interview and got the job :) It's full-time, although I'm working pretty much full-time already anyway. With this job I'll get benefits and almost as much time off as the kiddos (I'll work a couple of weeks at each end of summer break). My first day is December 10th, so I'll get 7 full days of training with the current secretary before she leaves. I will really miss working so closely with the students (and they have told me they'll miss me a lot, too!), but I've told them I'll still see them a lot :)

TCP Tuesday - Sketch Challenge!

Hi all! I'm so excited about this week's TCP Tuesday because I'm getting to show a little sneak peek of the new holiday stamp sets coming next week from The Cat's Pajamas :) Leigh is hosting a sketch challenge, so hop over to her blog right here to get the sketch and all the details about playing along!

For my card I used the new "Give A Little" set - yep, the penguins are back! The patterned paper is from the "Mistletoe" collection by Making Memories - very holiday-ish! Be sure to check out cards from the rest of the Cat Pack throughout the week - you might get to see some more peeks of the new sets :)

What a night!

So, with all the surprise over our snow days last week, I forgot to post about the Rob Thomas concert at the Magness Arena in Denver. It was FANTASTIC. We were in row 15, so we got a great view of the stage. Nattie got more excited as the starting time got closer and closer :) The opening bands were Carolina Liar and One Republic, both of which were outstanding! More CDs to buy on iTunes :) By 9.30pm it was time for Rob Thomas to come on, and the audience went wild when he appeared on the stage. He sang a huge variety of songs: some new ones from his latest CD, "Cradlesong", as well as some classic Matchbox Twenty songs and some unreleased pieces. His live performance was just amazing. What I also like is that he seems like a completely genuine guy; he explained a lot about the inspiration for the songs, which included his wife and his dog. The snow was so heavy that we left around 11.20pm, which was just as well, because it took us 2 hours to get home (it's usually around 50 minutes from downtown to Conifer). The drive was worth it to hear an evening of great music, though! I don't think Nattie will forget her first concert experience!