Moved to the Mountains

Another peek...and some news!

2009-11-08T13:16:00.002-07:00

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!

2009-11-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-11-01T20:27:00.004-07:00

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!

More of the white stuff...

2009-10-29T11:49:00.003-06:00

Snow Day!

2009-10-28T20:04:00.005-06:00

Yep, it was a snow day today here in Conifer - it started to snow last night around 8pm and hasn't stopped since then! So far we have over 2 feet of snow, and the forecasters say it probably won't stop snowing until tomorrow evening...so we're having another snow day on Thursday!

These are photos of our back deck...the chairs are out there somewhere :)

TCP Tuesday - Color Challenge!

2009-10-27T09:00:00.000-06:00

Hi all! Check out this wintery TCP Tuesday Color Challenge being hosted by Joanne this week!! I looove it! I hope you'll jump over to Joanne's blog and get all the details for playing along - and I'll be posting my card in the next day or two. You might even get a peek at the new holiday release coming next month from TCP! :)

Definitely...pink :)

2009-10-25T12:39:00.003-06:00

Here's the birthday girl after she got her hair colored yesterday :) It took longer than we thought because she ended up having to have it bleached first so that the color would stay on. When the stylist told us about the bleach, I almost changed my mind about letting her have it colored - that was a tough decision for this mom!

Jamie slept over at a friend's last night, and after we pick him up this afternoon we're going out for Nattie's belated ice cream birthday treat. Coldstone, here we come :)

It's official...

2009-10-21T16:32:00.005-06:00

We have a teenager in the house! Today is Nattie's 13th birthday! She opened her gifts last night (as is tradition in our family), and was thrilled with everything she received. She will be waiting for just a few days for her gifts from Iain and me: this Saturday, Nattie is getting her hair highlighted (she says she wants a chunk of pink or some other color in the front!), and then next Tuesday, Nattie and I are going to see Rob Thomas in concert in Denver. It's going to be a fun few days for her.

In other news, I've been home sick for the last couple of days; I went to the doctor this morning and she told me I have another sinus infection. Ugh! Iain and the kids are out having dinner this evening, and then when they come home we're all going to watch a movie of Nattie's choosing. We have about 6" of snow on the ground as a result that headed through here last night - it looks really pretty outside :) I hope your week is going well!

I'm thankful - for another TCP Tuesday Blog Hop!

2009-10-19T19:00:00.002-06:00

Hi all! I'm the Hostess with the Mostess this week for TCP Tuesday - and we're having another Blog Hop to show off the two new stamp sets that Alma is releasing on October 20th!! The hop starts right here with me, and I have a new inspiration piece for you on the left from the Pottery Barn catalog. I just love the mix of the fall colors with the tin!

For my card I used the brand new "Gobble It Up" set along with buttons from the "Hocus Pocus" set. The patterned paper is by Basic Grey, and I paper-pieced the tablecloth and the penguin's napkin :) As always, you can play along with the challenge and post your creations directly to Alma's blog. This week, since we're doing a blog hop, we have a PRIZE! All you have to do is leave a comment on each blog throughout the hop, and Alma will draw a random winner this coming Friday! Your next stop will be Leigh's blog - ENJOY!!

Whipper Snapper Reindeer

2009-10-17T12:49:00.004-06:00

Hi everyone - I hope your weekend is going well! Today's card was made using a layout from the Sweet Stop Sketches blog, and a stamp from Whipper Snapper Designs called "Chris Moose."

The patterned paper is from SEI, and I added some Stickles to the ornaments and the scarf to give the design more shine for the holidays :)

I'm going to get some stamping done today, and then tomorrow Jamie and I are going shopping for some birthday gifts for Nattie. Enjoy your Saturday!

Featured Blogger Friday!!

2009-10-16T11:31:00.007-06:00

I'm back with another Featured Blogger for you :) This week's blogger is Tracy Clemente - a super-creative lady and a super blogging friend. Check out Tracy's blog, "Eat, Sleep, Stamp" right here. And here's some more information about Tracy (and a sample of her beautiful work!):

Tell us a little about you:

I was born and raised in Northern California. I currently live in the Bay Area - the best place ever! By day I work in human resources for a high tech company in the Silicon Valley managing employee benefit programs. And when I'm not spending time with the family you can find me huddled away in my stamp room getting crafty. My husband and I have been together for 12 years and we have a 7 year old daughter who is our world. We also share our home with 3 very spoiled kitties and any other kitties that seem to gravitate to our house! I am also a Step Mom to 2 wonderful (grown kids) and a Grandma to 2 amazing little boys!

How long have you been blogging?

I began blogging in early 2007 after stumbling across Amy Rysavy's blog. I'm consider myself technically challenge so it's kind of comical to me that I even have one!

Why do you blog?

That's a really good question. One that I ask myself often, like when I'm behind on my ever growing TO DO list! LOL! But seriously, I blog because it's an extension of my passion for stamping and a way to connect with others that are just as passionate. I have met so many *amazing* women as a result. And some actually in real life! The world truly is such a small place.

What’s your favorite topic to blog about?

Everything crafty! But I do also love to talk about my family & kitties. :)

Have you learned anything special from blogging?

That there are A LOT of good people out there. I have had a few bumps in the road since I began blogging and the unconditional support and random acts of kindness that I have received is such a special and unexpected gift. While I try to keep my blog mostly about my passion for stamping, I have to be honest when my life happens. I can't tell you how many times someone has left me a comment or sent me an email that has truly made my day or gotten me through a dark time. My family isn't terribly large so my extended family of friends is HUGE for me.

What do you hope that people get out of reading your blog?

You mean people actually read the darn thing? Just kidding! Well hopefully they get my sense of humor! But seriously I hope that they get a little bit of inspiration and a lot of friendship!

Can you give us links to 3 of your favorite blogs, and tell us what you like about them?

The hardest question for last! There are literally dozens that I pour through on a daily/weekly basis the I get inspiration from. Three that I visit every morning (with my coffee) are:

I {heart} 2 stamp - Jen del Muro
Wild Stamping Sprinkles - Tori Wild
Taylored Expressions - Taylor VanBruggen

I am completely in awe of each of these artists.

I am drawn to Jen's clean style and flair. Every time I see her work I'm like WOW, I never would have thunk to do that!

Tori is the queen of color. All of her cards have such a fun use of color. I am lucky enough to be on a design team with Tori and she just knows how to work a card. Oh and it's because of her that I own almost every Nest-ability out there!

And Taylor. Taylor is just amazing. She has a simple & clean style that I just love. And when my mojo isn't cooperating I can always turn to her wonderful Key Ingredients kits to help me along.

A Winter Welcome :)

2009-10-14T19:50:00.003-06:00

Here's another card that I made this past weekend. I used this stamp by Whipper Snapper Designs - it's called "A Winter Welcome" and is a perfect image for coloring! I pulled out my colored pencils and blended the pencil with odorless mineral spirits. I like the soft look it gives to the colored image!

Jamie returned to school today now that his antibiotics are working. We have school tomorrow, but we all have Friday off - the teachers are having a staff development day. Another nice long weekend! I have to do some shopping for Nattie's birthday (she turns 13 next week!), so it's a good job that I have an extra day...

I hope you're having a terrific week. I'll be back on Friday with a new Featured Blogger :)

TCP Tuesday!

2009-10-13T10:00:00.000-06:00

Hi there :) This week's TCP Tuesday challenge is being hosted by Amy - you can find her blog and all the details for playing along right here...

For my card I used the new "Gobble It Up" set being released next week. I pulled out my TCP "Hocus Pocus" buttons, stamped and cut out the sentiment and the pie (isn't it sweet?), and overall this card was pretty simple to make. This layout is from the Card Positioning Systems blog - I love the overlapping on it.

Monday, Monday...

2009-10-12T22:55:00.003-06:00

Poor Jamie...this morning he woke me up at 4am telling me that his ear hurt; I knew right then that there would be no school for him today. Iain took him to the doctor while I was at work and sure enough, he has an ear infection. So tomorrow I'll be spending the day at home with Jamie since Iain is off to San Francisco for a couple of days. As of tonight, Jamie still isn't keeping much food or water down. Hopefully tomorrow after the antibiotics have kicked in a little then he'll be able to keep something down. Poor little guy :(

There's still a lot of "stuff" going around at school: today I had just 14 kids in a 2nd grade class that is usually made up of 21 kids; Jamie's teacher had 8 out of her 22 kids absent. Time to pull out more Clorox, Lysol, Purell and Kleenex...

A Crafty Weekend

2009-10-11T15:05:00.004-06:00

The kids and I spent the day indoors yesterday keeping warm - we were in the 20s all day!! It looked so pretty outside; we hardly got any snow, but what we did get had frozen on to the branches of the trees - they were beautiful! I got several cards stamped, including my cards for the next 2 TCP Tuesdays!! I also wanted to let you know that the release date for TCP's "Gobble It All Up" Thanksgiving set has been changed to Tuesday, October 20th - and there will be another blog hop to show off this super set.

For today's card I used Tracy's sketch for the week. What a versatile card layout this one is - thanks, Tracy! And the sweet reindeer is by Impression Obsession - you can check out the stamp here :) The patterned paper is an older line by Sassafras Lass. Enjoy the rest of your weekend - and thanks for stopping by!

Brrrrr!

2009-10-09T23:31:00.005-06:00

It's going to be a chilly Saturday here! The forecast says we will be hovering right around 30 degrees...the fog is rolling in right now. Nattie, Jamie and I are planning to stay home and keep cozy! Perhaps a movie, playing a game, some stamping....sounds good to me!

So, to go along with our chilly weekend, here's a nice winter card :) I used the sketch from Sweet Stop Sketches. The cozy winter dude is a stamp called "Brrr!" from Whipper Snapper Designs, and the sentiment is by Savvy Stamps. The striped paper is by Doodlebug, and the felt snowflake came from Stampin' Up! Have a great weekend - stay warm!

Thankful...

2009-10-07T22:50:00.002-06:00

Today I am very thankful for all my supportive friends in the blogging world and the real world. You all know who you are - thank you for being there for me!

Here are some other things I'm thankful for right now:

New stamps from The Cat's Pajamas (a set of clear Thanksgiving stamps will be released next Tuesday, October 13th)! I used the new stamps, buttons and glitter to make today's card :)

Beautiful fall weather here in Conifer - crisp, sunny mornings!

My job. I'm thankful not only that I have a job, but I am also lucky enough to have a job that I really LOVE.

The health and happiness of my kiddos.

Our family pets (Tasha, Pickle, Sally, Aspen, Bailey and Sandy) who give us unconditional love every single day :)

Being only 6 weeks away from completing my bachelor's degree! I'm doubling up on classes for the home stretch, but it'll be worth it to be done before the holidays.

School shows! Jamie is playing "Pete Moss" in the 2nd grade "Save the Plants" show next week. We have been practicing his part every night for the past week :)

Still being able to remember enough math to be able to help Nattie with her algebra homework!

TCP Tuesday - Happy, Happy Birthday!

2009-10-06T08:15:00.002-06:00

Hi all! This week the super-talented Leigh has come up with a great sketch for us all to play with! Head over to Leigh's blog to get all the details on how to play along (including how you can add your creations directly to Alma's slideshow!)...

For my card I used one of my favorite TCP sets - "You Say It's Your Birthday" - I paper-pieced the birthday cake and matted it with some Nestabilities shapes. The patterned paper is from Basic Grey's "Bittersweet" collection. Have a super day!!

Happy World Card Making Day

2009-10-03T12:55:00.002-06:00

Hi all, I know I've been very quiet on the blogging front this week. I'm into my last couple of classes before finishing my degree, so between that and keeping up with work and home life, I haven't been able to post as much as I'd like :(

I had to post today, though, because it's World Card Making Day! Yeah! Talking of cards, I have several published in the latest issue of "Just Cards!". It's full of terrific card ideas! I will be spending time creating over this coming weekend. I'm going to work on some sketch challenges, work with the new Holiday sets coming soon from The Cat's Pajamas (you're going to loooove these!), and just generally catch up! My husband is going back to the U.K. tomorrow for a week, and so on Thursday and Friday I'm taking the days off to create all day long. I need it!

TCP Tuesday - A Haunted Hop!

2009-09-28T19:00:00.003-06:00

Hi all!! This is a very special TCP Tuesday - we're doing a "Haunted Hop" featuring TCP's "Fright Night" set. Alma also has a special price for the "Kitty Cat Pack" which includes the stamp set and some coordinating buttons and glitter! The hop starts with Susan, and if you're working your way through the entire hop, you'll be joining me from Carol's blog!

Something else that's special about this hop is that some of our past Swanky Stampers are playing along too - which means even more super creations for you to check out!

Remember, you need to leave a comment on each blog to be eligible for the prize drawing :) Alma will announce the winner sometime this coming Friday. And there's a new way to post your creations directly to Alma's blog!

Now - head on over to your next stop - Amanda's blog! Happy haunted hopping!

TCPTUES77 - Color Challenge

2009-09-22T09:29:00.001-06:00

Joanne has a terrific color challenge for us this week - these colors are perfect for that overlap between Summer and Fall. I hope you'll pull out your stamps and play along! Get all the details on Joanne's blog right here :) I'll be posting my card tomorrow (Wednesday). Have a great day!

SNOW!!

2009-09-21T21:32:00.002-06:00

Yep, we've got SNOW on the ground - a foot of it - and the yellow/gold leaves haven't even fallen off the Aspen trees yet! It was pretty light this morning, not even settling on the road, but by the end of the school day it got really heavy with big, fluffy flakes.

I had an appointment in Evergreen right after school, and the drive home took me an hour - it's usually just a 25-minute drive. I'm a wimp driving in the snow; everyone gets stuck behind me on the single-lane road up to our house :)

Then again, I'd rather get home safe and slowly than get stuck or swerve off the road like the dozen cars (and one school bus!) that I passed in the last couple of miles of my drive...

Spoooooky!

2009-09-21T07:51:00.004-06:00

I love this cat image by Impression Obsession - it's spooky but sweet at the same time :) I popped the cat and the moon off the front of the card to add some more dimension. The layout is from the Card Patterns blog; I believe it's the one from last week (Week 32). Have a great Monday!

Foxy

2009-09-20T19:46:00.001-06:00

Here's a visitor who stopped by our front yard last week :) Look at that beautiful coat!

I apologize to my blogging friends for not stopping by as much lately with everything going on here at home; I plan to spend some time this week catching up with you all! Have a super week ahead.

Featured Blogger Friday

2009-09-18T00:04:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone! This week our Featured Blogger is a super-talented crafter and a new mom who was nominated by several other bloggers :) Say hello to Sarah Coggins over at her blog, "2 Paws Designs" - and here's some more information about Sarah...

Tell us a little about you: I'm 30 years old. Born and raised in rural Virginia, just east of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I moved to North Carolina in 1996 to attend college, and I have been here ever since. My husband and I share our home with our new baby boy, Dylan, and 2 cats (aka my "four-legged kids"), Cali and Chester. For the last 9 years, I've worked in commercial architecture designing buildings. With the recession and the arrival of Dylan, I'm currently holding a new title - "stay at home mom." I plan to return to work when I can, but for now I am just enjoying every moment being at home with my son.

How long have you been blogging? I'll celebrate 2 years in late October. That truly stuns me, as I had blogged once years before (circa late 90s - i.e. before the term "blogging" was even coined!) and grew tired of it. I think part of my problem was that it was also before the age of the comment section - having that interactive portion to blogs helps keep them interesting and proof that you aren't just talking to yourself! LOL!

Why do you blog? Initially I began blogging to share creative ideas from paper crafts to do-it-yourself projects. Over time, I began to write more about personal events in my life - a public journal of sorts. Now my blog is a mix of these and I continue it both for myself as a way to remember and as a way to share with friends and family.

What's your favorite topic to blog about? My little boy is my newest favorite topic! Can you blame me? :) As a first-time mom, I'm trying to absorb every little moment and blogging about them helps me remember to jot them down so I don't forget and can add them to his scrapbook album as I have time later. My second favorite topic would definitely be that - scrapbooking.

Have you learned anything special from blogging? I like to think I've learned to write better. Not sure if that is true or not. I've definitely learned a lot about other people and how it is possible to create wonderful friendships and truly care for people you've never met in person.

What do you hope that people get out of reading your blog? A little entertainment, some creative inspiration, and maybe the desire to try something as crazy as repairing a bathroom disaster with their own 2 hands? :)

Can you give us links to 3 of your favorite blogs, and tell us what you like about them? Just 3?! There are so many blogs that I enjoy reading. Off the top of my head...

Pattye Duffner's blog - I love the fun, creative projects she shares and the how-to's she shares.

Cameron Crazy - Besides sharing my love of scrapbooking, I became hooked on Laura's blog after realizing we were both expecting our first child (both boys) within 2 days of each other (although her little Cameron surprised her a month early and my Dylan held out 10 days after my due date). Now I enjoy seeing what similar adventures she and her son are up to.

Trying Our Best - If you want an ab workout while blog reading - this is the spot. My belly has literally hurt after reading posts by The Mrs.