tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4067927698083402492024-03-13T22:09:07.421-07:00Stampin' the Good LifePiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335302821141048050noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-406792769808340249.post-16436659747911888472010-10-08T11:38:00.000-07:002010-10-08T11:56:16.867-07:00Fall's Here at Last!<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz-q3tUJk4BOwFQYA-wA40mmaF71Geb67Y_xMFuIc1Lp7qj0KB0veH3KgpGkLTxhL0jxxJgU3wNG5Qp2P7_Yjdk96icL8G1cvu12cqtur6HoyAp7CoOiFBMP46ELuXM6mMOMIMYp48AjQ/s320/Edited+From+Camera,+9-25-09+107.jpg" /> <div>I just really like this card. :) Yes, I made it a while ago. But I like it. A lot.</div><div><br /></div><div>I NEED to get stamping! It's my therapy. So I'm gonna jump back in. Soon. As soon as I get my craft/music room straightened out. Again. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Here it is sideways, so you can see that the layers are actually popped up:</div><div> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ZNVtpKzwCY3P9lXzdxCNkz_Kqs2PZQWEj2lEI1FF7PMFUW0JhCSe1bnAGecP0Iaex9-McHjzCZQOJVa6pR96uTyD6SgB6EjZ4ip2bLpKiBsCDhuYGjdvXIx5rrkCihdr-igmQAV8po0/s320/Edited+From+Camera,+9-25-09+112.jpg" /> </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Here's an inside view:</div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZOsliLeWNtcoVoM8vlt440k0iZqH_5z26Hoe770gbGrgkAVSkgJpiDVrW3ZmPk_C7qQCRPiGLDNBTKEflps7I14VgM2yjCXC6_RElrheMbE3EV67esO0dHT6Q6CbNplg-CTDFNrjRNjU/s320/Edited+From+Camera,+9-25-09+108.jpg" /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;">Okay, off to get Kat from work. Did I tell you she has a job now? YES! She's a Cued Speech Transliterator. Pretty cool! She works 15-18 hours a week and goes to school the rest of the time. I'm so proud of her! :D</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Happy Fall,</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Pia</span></b></i></div>Piahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335302821141048050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-406792769808340249.post-62784910818713806252010-07-15T13:32:00.000-07:002010-07-15T13:57:45.963-07:00A Big Sunday<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8IsuXT4vvt8HGKBTPcJGpxBK4p_EO4gLXfYnDdqw0Lo-XG4zoyoTHnHbs_kOfokofQA9Kh4oVBrq6tgCtOcHPSr7DVCGsUUJo4lGsUIsV3PAVFwQ9i2HgUH7P3JsH20YP2MTroZ8SRMA/s1600/DSC_0057b.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 246px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8IsuXT4vvt8HGKBTPcJGpxBK4p_EO4gLXfYnDdqw0Lo-XG4zoyoTHnHbs_kOfokofQA9Kh4oVBrq6tgCtOcHPSr7DVCGsUUJo4lGsUIsV3PAVFwQ9i2HgUH7P3JsH20YP2MTroZ8SRMA/s320/DSC_0057b.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494235695511053122" border="0" /></a>Got to visit with some friends last Sunday! They moved out of California last year, and we've missed them sooooo much. Of course, we all went to R. O'Sullivan's Irish Pub and Steakhouse in Escondido -- our favorite hangout! We hadn't been there in pretty much forever, so it was a lovely and FUN reunion of sorts with a whole bunch of people!<br /><br />In other BIG news, My uncle Jesse was ordained a Deacon in the Catholic Church last month! We missed his ordination 'cause I had to work, but we did get to go to his thanksgiving Mass last Sunday. It was beyond cool to see him up on the altar with the priest! What a blessing to have an ordained man of God in the family. My grandparents would've been so proud. Sorry no pics, but I promised him I'd keep him as incognito as possible. :)<br /><br />In "Kid" news, Ricky and Kathi are still healing and Selina's moving. Ricky's legs re-fractured when he was put back onto a running regimen, so he's gotta wait several months more before he can go on in his training. He's chomping at the bit to get out there, so this is a hard time for him. Kathi is STILL suffering from that pesky headache. Nothing has really gotten rid of it. Now she's on a restricted diet. Here's hoping that works! Selina is going to be stationed in Florida next year. Oh my goodness, sooooo far away.... no more spur-of-the-moment phone calls telling me she's in port in San Diego and wants to hang out... Thankfully, we have relatives in Florida so I know she's got family to visit when she's lonely out there.<br /><br />Well, time for me to get to work now. Have a great day!<br /><br />Gotta run,<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Pia</span></span>Piahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335302821141048050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-406792769808340249.post-5971927487277820822010-03-28T14:42:00.000-07:002010-07-15T13:48:18.605-07:00OOHRAH!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHObVrq9Sp59dIHn9SuNvYg8tkBcmlJJC0KaVt-jx8jLf63_LfjpuXsfmj5F7nCLNBmWQosS684CiovyF3iDJnKEy3YT9tYtDOUCuS1z3p30A-1DcaF9bgIoRJbX-Y04s3bR31vp93HO8/s1600/Ricky+and+Mom.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 380px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHObVrq9Sp59dIHn9SuNvYg8tkBcmlJJC0KaVt-jx8jLf63_LfjpuXsfmj5F7nCLNBmWQosS684CiovyF3iDJnKEy3YT9tYtDOUCuS1z3p30A-1DcaF9bgIoRJbX-Y04s3bR31vp93HO8/s400/Ricky+and+Mom.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453806002407118354" border="0" /></a><br />Well, he's done it!! My Ricky graduated from USMC boot camp on March 5, 2010. Woohoo!!! Or should I say, OOHRAH!!<br /><br />Kat, my mom, and I went to celebrate this auspicious occasion and brought friends with us! We were soooooo proud of our new Marine!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmWBegqBgZG63w8_oW5srRWf9ZLJ1V-j8SaABoQTf0Ho-6hWX8lhzc13VutilgsNiea1uld-23TGcR2wgcg-fYScC8ozd8TJYnZHE8XhOpbYazZj_cjoMxF6zJCW8vjTG3uY29fQYnSas/s1600/Four.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmWBegqBgZG63w8_oW5srRWf9ZLJ1V-j8SaABoQTf0Ho-6hWX8lhzc13VutilgsNiea1uld-23TGcR2wgcg-fYScC8ozd8TJYnZHE8XhOpbYazZj_cjoMxF6zJCW8vjTG3uY29fQYnSas/s320/Four.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453806320723812850" border="0" /></a><br />Ricky graduated with a meritorious promotion to Private First Class (only 5 in his platoon of 60 can claim this distinction!), was one of about 15 in his company of roughly 300 to score a perfect 100% on his final practical exam, and was one of the top third in his company who earned the recognition of Expert Rifleman. Wow, we were bursting with pride in his accomplishments!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtkN8uTKBt2YnSEz9ThHYV0UwqP0IppNy-7nvJ3wNXXwAP6RQ1MeHoaYj6dEzUOiNyuiV0iy776NUoGKedeNrTRtBX-AN7A9a3yB4RgTD9sxmOav2tg7qZe5sGqjmSUnB-ar0fRsrovOg/s1600/Ricky+and+Kat.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 302px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtkN8uTKBt2YnSEz9ThHYV0UwqP0IppNy-7nvJ3wNXXwAP6RQ1MeHoaYj6dEzUOiNyuiV0iy776NUoGKedeNrTRtBX-AN7A9a3yB4RgTD9sxmOav2tg7qZe5sGqjmSUnB-ar0fRsrovOg/s320/Ricky+and+Kat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453806788961754354" border="0" /></a><br />He is currently recuperating from stress fractures in both legs and one foot. He should be fine again in a couple of months, and then he gets to go to the School of Infantry for the next step in his training.<br /><br />So that's the news of the month! Hoping to get some more crafty stuff up here soon. :)<br /><br />Peace,<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Pia</span>Piahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335302821141048050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-406792769808340249.post-78215394312992995782010-02-20T12:22:00.000-08:002010-02-20T13:43:06.551-08:00Variations on a Theme<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8GCG41w6z3_Qvf4XR1EKaQf1p6-mV-veDF1XxikkbhwLxOcFvVB8xrQ0MDwjnfmf5fwKAhsaDFoYUUDLqGuPTjbjOlG1XGYXTxvuKzLzoqMeZ1VurMZnxpsGZUZpFGyCLsNhqZZ96GJk/s1600-h/CARD+EMPTYING+024+edited.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8GCG41w6z3_Qvf4XR1EKaQf1p6-mV-veDF1XxikkbhwLxOcFvVB8xrQ0MDwjnfmf5fwKAhsaDFoYUUDLqGuPTjbjOlG1XGYXTxvuKzLzoqMeZ1VurMZnxpsGZUZpFGyCLsNhqZZ96GJk/s320/CARD+EMPTYING+024+edited.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440425581112729074" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpi92DGqqUPR6yU7mva_x28E1Zn13wjqUJ-asWeTITVY3OwYUYVZi00Vcw3NPhre8962OfUXMdg6FgwPJ5LA46sNt902qx4Evpg202wrQHSuqCNfN3EzaD1mht129VnhBGDJy4k3-uaic/s1600-h/CARD+EMPTYING+022+edited.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 265px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpi92DGqqUPR6yU7mva_x28E1Zn13wjqUJ-asWeTITVY3OwYUYVZi00Vcw3NPhre8962OfUXMdg6FgwPJ5LA46sNt902qx4Evpg202wrQHSuqCNfN3EzaD1mht129VnhBGDJy4k3-uaic/s320/CARD+EMPTYING+022+edited.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440425577175318130" border="0" /></a><br />Here are a couple of cards I made while I was offline. The "Just My Style" card was a thank you to a very kind couple who gifted me with a nice outfit for Mass. The "little boy" card (I made three of these; only the buttons were different shapes) was for a few friends who all had boys born recently.<br /><br />The card bases are white and they stand as tents -- the fold is at the top rather than at the side. Both cards are standard size. The sentiment, small image in the top right, and the main image are all popped up on STAMPIN' UP!'s dimensionals, with the main image mounted on a colored square first. The "threads" in the buttons are slivers of coordinating card stock slipped through the holes and tied, and then the buttons are mounted using sticky dots. I ran the Kraft paper background through my Big Shot to get the raised dots all over it.<br /><br />I like this card sketch very much. Took me a while to think it up, but I really think it will work with a lot of different occasions and images so it's worth the time spent! :)<br /><br />Peace,<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Pia</span>Piahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335302821141048050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-406792769808340249.post-51404030540626735632010-01-31T10:19:00.000-08:002010-01-31T10:43:47.235-08:00Back Online... What a Journey!Well, life threw us another curve ball. And this one was a doozy! Kathi (my youngest) was struck in mid-September with a severe headache that just wouldn't go away. We thought at first that it was a migraine, but it wasn't. It was accompanied by dizziness, nausea, vision problems, and too many times of her just randomly toppling over. Talk about scary! This went on for weeks, without a single headache-free moment for my girl. They ran every test in the book (some of them more than once), and everything kept coming up normal. This was a GOOD thing, but it was frustrating because we couldn't treat her if we didn't know what she had.<br /><br />She went into the ER twice in November, and while she was in the hospital the second time they ran even more tests. One was a spinal tap. And guess what -- after the spinal tap, her headache went away for a few hours! Eureka! Her doctors determined that what she has is an excess of cerebral fluid, which causes too much pressure on her brain. The fancy technical name for it is Pseudotumor Cerebri. They gave her a medicine that decreases the fluid, and now she has headaches only once in a while! The headaches she does have these days seem to be stress related (I guess increased stress equals increased pressure for EVERYONE, so this is normal). Whew!! Praise be to God for Kat's doctors and medical team!<br /><br />She still has vision issues and some tingling, but we're dealing with those with her doctors. The main thing is that her big headache has been relieved!<br /><br />So, all of this has taken me away from my blogging and stamping and pretty much everything that didn't have to do with Kat's health and my day job (gotta be able to pay for all of this medical stuff, yes?). Sorry for the extended absence. I hope to be back more regularly as things begin to settle down at home. And maybe if I can get Internet at home that would make it even easier. :)<br /><br />Here's a photo of my Kat, feeling better at long last!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVbFU34an1MvGFgjZ8gK9xskfnv_fVdb4cXG6SRabKZgOlSsJqXgmDw8Re5Ea-7lFYtLnT4uaHav-JVEpTB7r75TQjR6FJ1hVaDR0-87lZuVyQe63ahUj0z_FBm46KwT15IVeuTi6iQPA/s1600-h/HOPE+514.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVbFU34an1MvGFgjZ8gK9xskfnv_fVdb4cXG6SRabKZgOlSsJqXgmDw8Re5Ea-7lFYtLnT4uaHav-JVEpTB7r75TQjR6FJ1hVaDR0-87lZuVyQe63ahUj0z_FBm46KwT15IVeuTi6iQPA/s320/HOPE+514.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432975763097366066" border="0" /></a><br />Peace,<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Pia</span>Piahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335302821141048050noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-406792769808340249.post-13304315787842845932009-09-18T09:02:00.000-07:002009-09-18T22:10:44.663-07:00Candy, Candy Everywhere!A fellow stamper is posting a series entitled, "Wrapping 101" on <a href="http://www.seasonsofstamping.com/">her blog</a> -- it's a series showing a lot of different ways to wrap candy! How fun is that! In the same vein, here are some past projects that I found hanging out in my computer. Enjoy! And go check out <a href="http://www.seasonsofstamping.com/">Martha's blog</a> for a whole bunch of cool stuff!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsHqSzykpShIfyFKYAvpiIN4balfJIrCDxgFnC-6AfYF9A3wx3lWgdIWACsyh5MXwoMxRIUxBvJgijuNC7tdvx7TNsu_YnSzf27rB1777De10IR-Fphk-IfJCuK1COr1DTJ_rp0DALbXk/s1600-h/DSC04138.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsHqSzykpShIfyFKYAvpiIN4balfJIrCDxgFnC-6AfYF9A3wx3lWgdIWACsyh5MXwoMxRIUxBvJgijuNC7tdvx7TNsu_YnSzf27rB1777De10IR-Fphk-IfJCuK1COr1DTJ_rp0DALbXk/s320/DSC04138.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382841036482252754" border="0" /></a>This is a lollipop cover that I made a few years ago. Really simple, so I could mass produce them for our Trick-or-Treat kids! Inside is a caramel apple lollipop. Yum!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTyzcFmgd4LKIIe3_Sv0NaKnNZJiueuWRzbgGRmfcVIQdmSkQNxAfShLt547L1gUHBIxHG5gd0nKZubEbIidGTqyIHxmEso-a7Mt2FD1OgfwCleMRGWl6cqYbAQW1TzP7Fzjnth_qHL5g/s1600-h/DSC04122.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTyzcFmgd4LKIIe3_Sv0NaKnNZJiueuWRzbgGRmfcVIQdmSkQNxAfShLt547L1gUHBIxHG5gd0nKZubEbIidGTqyIHxmEso-a7Mt2FD1OgfwCleMRGWl6cqYbAQW1TzP7Fzjnth_qHL5g/s320/DSC04122.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382841046195523906" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEileO609npdE61fYSnEizORinCy0AYCteSeYBVTIXie8tyJ7mJdJRdSuthumrOglmgMNrElQNhVFMwQ9gG_lPwO_xftXISX-6gml5psME9GDAhJCaezhq4vXYPn6BJr6GG3YaLRCQgA2Lg/s1600-h/DSC04161.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEileO609npdE61fYSnEizORinCy0AYCteSeYBVTIXie8tyJ7mJdJRdSuthumrOglmgMNrElQNhVFMwQ9gG_lPwO_xftXISX-6gml5psME9GDAhJCaezhq4vXYPn6BJr6GG3YaLRCQgA2Lg/s320/DSC04161.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382841052847339554" border="0" /></a><br />Above are little nugget holders. The top photo shows the ones I made for our Trick-or-Treaters, and the bottom photo shows a slight variation for the teens on a weekend retreat. Super simple to make!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx-USr6tOGHf2ok4RFI7wTRsN5Bc3kMAWg3jdXT1_iPzGAjG3yRFnZ4nZL1bKMaab_NOvQNzoaGpPVY9qafZfBOlj8vTeW-6718P_z_7wtu76FsF7AEMOAOSw6204CYX8GGuMz86JVCNU/s1600-h/Candy+bags+for+Maureen.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 203px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx-USr6tOGHf2ok4RFI7wTRsN5Bc3kMAWg3jdXT1_iPzGAjG3yRFnZ4nZL1bKMaab_NOvQNzoaGpPVY9qafZfBOlj8vTeW-6718P_z_7wtu76FsF7AEMOAOSw6204CYX8GGuMz86JVCNU/s320/Candy+bags+for+Maureen.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382849633055185714" border="0" /></a>Assorted candies in cellophane bags, with stamped tags.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj42TyB94-XzJtNTsxqZWE4EuGau2SihTvgToyYP23yGFomQxcwTTin6Tfsuv9d8zAnHhAyTHyQ_WcpwGPcCMBt9lxLAFGOomODUUlpP-rrA4_bsKTSqtsXZKhwYdKq39SIcBcbNqOrEfc/s1600-h/KitKat+box+3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 190px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj42TyB94-XzJtNTsxqZWE4EuGau2SihTvgToyYP23yGFomQxcwTTin6Tfsuv9d8zAnHhAyTHyQ_WcpwGPcCMBt9lxLAFGOomODUUlpP-rrA4_bsKTSqtsXZKhwYdKq39SIcBcbNqOrEfc/s320/KitKat+box+3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382849641771667698" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjw1l6RNshHGqtcYgfIj9QNMm_crUTrK1gkLe0z3YHiOGPSRJ0d-8_Hszwu-rj49G4SoL_qUbfIM5jqXG3QOyfiZfJ5hTvwEqHcdXz1m6OFYhyphenhyphenwlKd9KsqjXuUjHYVZ5Q9DQ3FrS00kwA/s1600-h/KitKat+box+4,+two+boxes.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 295px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjw1l6RNshHGqtcYgfIj9QNMm_crUTrK1gkLe0z3YHiOGPSRJ0d-8_Hszwu-rj49G4SoL_qUbfIM5jqXG3QOyfiZfJ5hTvwEqHcdXz1m6OFYhyphenhyphenwlKd9KsqjXuUjHYVZ5Q9DQ3FrS00kwA/s320/KitKat+box+4,+two+boxes.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382849648775917442" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy6THGJZzT_RAqeZuE1pVd3-fCRTCvDK4VyuVo3GKiEkBvd3d1OrjR8iQZbw_SSKDNdYLzqnIEkg_SHFqWbfFKqd0RHTjUcvLzaVApqJAdjHqm4SBelvjP548QpZFbAZ1JDEGOf6z7j0o/s1600-h/Hershey+bar+box,+almond.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 122px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy6THGJZzT_RAqeZuE1pVd3-fCRTCvDK4VyuVo3GKiEkBvd3d1OrjR8iQZbw_SSKDNdYLzqnIEkg_SHFqWbfFKqd0RHTjUcvLzaVApqJAdjHqm4SBelvjP548QpZFbAZ1JDEGOf6z7j0o/s320/Hershey+bar+box,+almond.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382849660657355778" border="0" /></a><br />These are boxes I made to fit different candy bars -- Kit Kats and Hershey Bars.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWh_2HymvM_72P0wPBRX0pP5eY70XrtSI90PskEBOPBrkQsNWlVuB4NgshNn7QLB1avw9xxdRvA9MpB9ObnvWZs1cT7F3Xae17Z_I79OQ5zTjt-rvmMQEhQI3IYENOOrYI978QMkxp1Hk/s1600-h/Hershey+bar+wrap,+plain+chocolate.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 136px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWh_2HymvM_72P0wPBRX0pP5eY70XrtSI90PskEBOPBrkQsNWlVuB4NgshNn7QLB1avw9xxdRvA9MpB9ObnvWZs1cT7F3Xae17Z_I79OQ5zTjt-rvmMQEhQI3IYENOOrYI978QMkxp1Hk/s320/Hershey+bar+wrap,+plain+chocolate.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382849651817017074" border="0" /></a>This last one is a simple wrap using decorative paper with stamps and embellishments.<br /><br />Too much fun stuff! Don't forget to check out <a href="http://www.seasonsofstamping.com/">Martha's blog!</a> We've got some fun <a href="http://www.stampyourlife.com/search/label/candy">candies on our STAMP YOUR LIFE blog</a>, too, so hop on over there if you wanna see!<br /><br />Happy Friday,<br />PiaPiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335302821141048050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-406792769808340249.post-17797964375791002642009-08-23T09:28:00.000-07:002009-08-23T09:49:06.428-07:00Sympathy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrfA6JXRSrCqwzDMPX5DdWxHCrtI7vw3zvI0iJ9Fb43HPZGpZyTlcKN5ZtkOA8rxQVo4OBvxIcCPSqjX5qLNQE8KzIzK2JCiVjhRetHC8fkKhbCzh8MivSsgwxdnbN_C9UbNMzLyZCgcA/s1600-h/IMG_0202.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 337px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrfA6JXRSrCqwzDMPX5DdWxHCrtI7vw3zvI0iJ9Fb43HPZGpZyTlcKN5ZtkOA8rxQVo4OBvxIcCPSqjX5qLNQE8KzIzK2JCiVjhRetHC8fkKhbCzh8MivSsgwxdnbN_C9UbNMzLyZCgcA/s400/IMG_0202.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373198993799611874" border="0" /></a><br />Our dear friends lost a dad and grandpa last week. He was 90 years old. This is the sympathy card I made for their family. <br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgNU4rKCrJNfGM0p7vyN5Thk597TS02E1EWilGEio5Pm4dF3bjC_4on0HVECpsaMRLC1ew3rSSNSJMtLLaeM3at-Ht8xo1_T8kfcwemCVB3iVH2YUwiuauNd5qcvN20aMNMt3dEuNFC4M/s1600-h/IMG_0201c.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 242px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgNU4rKCrJNfGM0p7vyN5Thk597TS02E1EWilGEio5Pm4dF3bjC_4on0HVECpsaMRLC1ew3rSSNSJMtLLaeM3at-Ht8xo1_T8kfcwemCVB3iVH2YUwiuauNd5qcvN20aMNMt3dEuNFC4M/s320/IMG_0201c.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373200096107020882" border="0" /></a><br /><br />No matter the age, it's so hard to lose a loved one. May he rest in peace.<br /><br />~ PiaPiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335302821141048050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-406792769808340249.post-15255309628991697462009-08-22T21:01:00.000-07:002009-08-22T21:55:44.026-07:00USMC<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5FJTM_y6LHMm5muxXBg5Ouh5Q7UxM7kv4x_EkOBeChVDf4u1bM08Wn-74ksoSxO7AyuiggXb3RGrlpy6etj8i8cSqg2YTjDoXMKK1JjEqYLPCgKIeQpcl3tK6iHrLyZiY5gQHGh0h5b0/s1600-h/scan0091.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 255px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5FJTM_y6LHMm5muxXBg5Ouh5Q7UxM7kv4x_EkOBeChVDf4u1bM08Wn-74ksoSxO7AyuiggXb3RGrlpy6etj8i8cSqg2YTjDoXMKK1JjEqYLPCgKIeQpcl3tK6iHrLyZiY5gQHGh0h5b0/s320/scan0091.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373015313375151282" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim4HybDTqbS54w4aNtycpM0VQQitgZe3hPDXUdmu2OLOM9jZxzExzpreXeMZJGzklLHzaTGP-t-s9Ze-KbA_7NU5jCxSktRc5LQ-JW0_MT_bYtGEYqcZG4dCcrsBjmQQ6c9lA-thusTRA/s1600-h/Ricky+with+Mom+in+the+snow.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 253px; height: 336px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim4HybDTqbS54w4aNtycpM0VQQitgZe3hPDXUdmu2OLOM9jZxzExzpreXeMZJGzklLHzaTGP-t-s9Ze-KbA_7NU5jCxSktRc5LQ-JW0_MT_bYtGEYqcZG4dCcrsBjmQQ6c9lA-thusTRA/s320/Ricky+with+Mom+in+the+snow.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373015303220913234" border="0" /></a>So my son took his tests for enlistment in the US Marine Corps this past week. He scored a 98 on the qualifying exam and placed in the top 3% on the ASVAB.<br /><br />His high ASVAB scores give him free choice of pretty much any job he wants, quite a few with hefty sign-on bonuses, so he's quite excited. He passed his physical today, so he will be sworn in on Monday.<br /><br />He's been talking about joining the Marines since he was pretty young (ha ha, not THAT young... I just really like this pic of us!). While I'm concerned for his safety because of the state of the world right now, I'm so very proud of him for desiring to serve his country (and for scoring so high on his exams!).Piahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335302821141048050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-406792769808340249.post-72622883710622462872009-08-18T10:46:00.000-07:002009-08-18T11:36:34.664-07:00Kat's New Look<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBaWcR2vvv90j0X3wPeeCYIp9z9wP06COtIKmEr52uLMf-PtrlX9xlvm870mCZwowFQnZpDDuWsB3dihpBwOnJuySGQFaEN-xx0vfZAsc7KWcIaRC0T0lxKWxuGvKYudmJKWLEdSQ7oY8/s1600-h/K+New+Haircut+8-16-09+061b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 187px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBaWcR2vvv90j0X3wPeeCYIp9z9wP06COtIKmEr52uLMf-PtrlX9xlvm870mCZwowFQnZpDDuWsB3dihpBwOnJuySGQFaEN-xx0vfZAsc7KWcIaRC0T0lxKWxuGvKYudmJKWLEdSQ7oY8/s200/K+New+Haircut+8-16-09+061b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371365153208141794" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivjLzxMmLr8Xx8402LU4h-dkckLIFabNyD35m1lChTWHXp97OX0zVSd5wunvxjyq-a3LronvwthByIr0SdtgE2Liy5pQsyDrO9xYiPLDKkEuycVNDuGpw8Naxxq41VTb9K82P8MJbI_sw/s1600-h/K+New+Haircut+8-16-09+030c.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 154px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivjLzxMmLr8Xx8402LU4h-dkckLIFabNyD35m1lChTWHXp97OX0zVSd5wunvxjyq-a3LronvwthByIr0SdtgE2Liy5pQsyDrO9xYiPLDKkEuycVNDuGpw8Naxxq41VTb9K82P8MJbI_sw/s200/K+New+Haircut+8-16-09+030c.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371365146047784482" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipDbIwcS3KfPwbPUQsRneRtRad-2oCGlgYiNGmEjRAf6mVp3hwz3jNBcyDVK5OX-B8_ZWMKIcPA2blGAMYVVCauuooJuS09E2i2Y0rPH3gq53VIfggeiBbXoa3c2zMGLa-dw8qCllTa0M/s1600-h/K+New+Haircut+8-16-09+027b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 132px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipDbIwcS3KfPwbPUQsRneRtRad-2oCGlgYiNGmEjRAf6mVp3hwz3jNBcyDVK5OX-B8_ZWMKIcPA2blGAMYVVCauuooJuS09E2i2Y0rPH3gq53VIfggeiBbXoa3c2zMGLa-dw8qCllTa0M/s200/K+New+Haircut+8-16-09+027b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371365134342844146" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr9NO0MpdtEO8ZqkQ-lVDxtfrXIOZgoMH_5OfUYztAjOE3oUEVuGkh37h8mPpV89p-H285OURteNj6yN9Ay6tTfLqFWm4a5JUE0p9I_PfFPnJqfE-KGrCC5IgUcz62u9AEDtgP1orw6gA/s1600-h/K+New+Haircut+8-16-09+034b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 148px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr9NO0MpdtEO8ZqkQ-lVDxtfrXIOZgoMH_5OfUYztAjOE3oUEVuGkh37h8mPpV89p-H285OURteNj6yN9Ay6tTfLqFWm4a5JUE0p9I_PfFPnJqfE-KGrCC5IgUcz62u9AEDtgP1orw6gA/s200/K+New+Haircut+8-16-09+034b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371365131740002770" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtAGwUX1glt5dcLBKf6v8jfgM6nWWBJIRiTInE_C35cGl5qOD7ZA1SUeEk9eytEZywC26w07dFAqDgfSp8Y14raS6RPk19UvvqpyeZEsNSAiBWlY6Lb_HzobDUfaT87UX4QKSEInKX89U/s1600-h/K+New+Haircut+8-16-09+031b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 152px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtAGwUX1glt5dcLBKf6v8jfgM6nWWBJIRiTInE_C35cGl5qOD7ZA1SUeEk9eytEZywC26w07dFAqDgfSp8Y14raS6RPk19UvvqpyeZEsNSAiBWlY6Lb_HzobDUfaT87UX4QKSEInKX89U/s200/K+New+Haircut+8-16-09+031b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371365119571417394" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />So my "littlest girl" doesn't look so little anymore... Kat awoke Sunday morning with the desire to cut off her long locks. We were already at the mall after Mass and work, looking for a costume for her (we're having a Cartoon Mania dance at the church and she's going as Pepe Le Pew!), so we stopped in to the salon there and got it done. Wow, what a change!! She's excited and I'm nostalgic. I guess that's how it's supposed to work, right?<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />My s<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg65hlbqz3qsI4BTaRoBLlJdi5EByrNUOzQXBZlqHI2ljpFfnalmGGoDAaG6ur13sjRtN3mGFqDv1QO1X8p-N1F91zc8LHOjnCpEy6q9JWx4GVYdCavkf1BAeAlI6bvbRVuCqIpnCU-Q_4/s1600-h/Ricky+and+Stacy,+8-15-09.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 280px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg65hlbqz3qsI4BTaRoBLlJdi5EByrNUOzQXBZlqHI2ljpFfnalmGGoDAaG6ur13sjRtN3mGFqDv1QO1X8p-N1F91zc8LHOjnCpEy6q9JWx4GVYdCavkf1BAeAlI6bvbRVuCqIpnCU-Q_4/s320/Ricky+and+Stacy,+8-15-09.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371366806139140450" border="0" /></a>on turned 20 on Saturday. No longer a teenager... I was blessed to catch him right before he left for an evening of celebration with his girlfriend, so I got to hear his voice on the phone! And not just on voicemail, either! I asked him if he got to have his favorite German Chocolate cake, and he told me he hadn't but he got to have three other yummy cakes in its stead. Lucky guy!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEA7r26P6dJ_8o2WdqWJkXxQBt92zXIWnZaZ8rG49LPIDbAptlb6dfDjcVUUiZNJXwYj8z298oMyYneSh0b8AAtsAN5Hvg5mOM4xi406BJF_IAYeGYioTjD1PgVUjOUTziwgPVY__dtQg/s1600-h/Selina+and+Mom.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 190px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEA7r26P6dJ_8o2WdqWJkXxQBt92zXIWnZaZ8rG49LPIDbAptlb6dfDjcVUUiZNJXwYj8z298oMyYneSh0b8AAtsAN5Hvg5mOM4xi406BJF_IAYeGYioTjD1PgVUjOUTziwgPVY__dtQg/s200/Selina+and+Mom.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371368921521742306" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCBpa50zXw8mJEUATsRTpp5oYcP0Rev_QRNOPy_vzDYJQmJIz1J8PzHrpyDEtBIhRPZwbyWbjVwVDB56ZvucO79agDi0HD6R8vieBVvWr97zhvP4lcULKDvO_CpZL9n_3YiOHjlESshYk/s1600-h/IMG_0119b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCBpa50zXw8mJEUATsRTpp5oYcP0Rev_QRNOPy_vzDYJQmJIz1J8PzHrpyDEtBIhRPZwbyWbjVwVDB56ZvucO79agDi0HD6R8vieBVvWr97zhvP4lcULKDvO_CpZL9n_3YiOHjlESshYk/s200/IMG_0119b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371368909276189410" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLmbLkwWPPuGYtF8U5HXmNQqTIiwfAIbBOTE622-yV1ZAGGGjRSNEp10-eIoM_Bx-OOQVaujQPMKfZST8tVu8-8i1SZIyHl9IRcAdPTvN6T_uZ6TAKHBlEvbqQ6c7x5tB5LmatYPzdjEg/s1600-h/IMG_0124b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 158px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLmbLkwWPPuGYtF8U5HXmNQqTIiwfAIbBOTE622-yV1ZAGGGjRSNEp10-eIoM_Bx-OOQVaujQPMKfZST8tVu8-8i1SZIyHl9IRcAdPTvN6T_uZ6TAKHBlEvbqQ6c7x5tB5LmatYPzdjEg/s200/IMG_0124b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371368906813282626" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> <br />I got to see my eldest daughter last month, when her ship was docked in San Diego. What was originally going to be a really brief visit became a full afternoon-to-evening of fun with her and Kat. We got to meet a few of her friends, took a tour of her carrier (the John C. Stennis), and then the girls played bowling. It was a good night.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJLZPqoG1jDs1mkQpwoGJ8aAs92aNNvrxngCX4Ygxv9GhiiL3v6uK29onE1upSttY3ovJRRJhCsU6cJ54cKlFlBAGppIUHUPifeJrOtffZiLVohlW2z52lr_d2RTn5_ncJdAHA38pSVo/s1600-h/Picture+105.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 230px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJLZPqoG1jDs1mkQpwoGJ8aAs92aNNvrxngCX4Ygxv9GhiiL3v6uK29onE1upSttY3ovJRRJhCsU6cJ54cKlFlBAGppIUHUPifeJrOtffZiLVohlW2z52lr_d2RTn5_ncJdAHA38pSVo/s320/Picture+105.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371373719465795650" border="0" /></a>Oh, and we got a new cat, too! Her name is Pineapple, and she's 6 years old. She's so sweet (and I'm not a cat person!). So far, she spends most of her day up on top of the kitchen cabinets -- way up by the ceiling. She comes down occasionally, when she thinks Bo is otherwise occupied... He wants to play with her but he's so big and she's so small! They're slowly becoming friends, so we have high hopes. :) This is a photo of Pineapple's first morning at our house. She's hiding from Bo!<br /><br /><br />Wanna see the new card I made this morning? Stop by my other blog: <a href="http://www.stampyourlife.com/2009/08/new-card.html">Stamp Your Life</a> to check it out!<br /><br />Peace,<br />PiaPiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335302821141048050noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-406792769808340249.post-71084608228962957122009-05-14T07:41:00.000-07:002009-05-20T17:21:42.148-07:00RIP George W. Kayo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPUw7IXFPBuJJYJoXGfSjC-lBQCrwIbor-gzdiEQGSRV5LCa3gGhsMwFJs9QxbBR7WQ5HFpayUbvgSnLZ2zRzcWnakb-8adnhHgNjqWy-day6kpBnUL58wBSBkyMb_PBB1GFFB7mbpScU/s1600-h/K-G.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 246px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPUw7IXFPBuJJYJoXGfSjC-lBQCrwIbor-gzdiEQGSRV5LCa3gGhsMwFJs9QxbBR7WQ5HFpayUbvgSnLZ2zRzcWnakb-8adnhHgNjqWy-day6kpBnUL58wBSBkyMb_PBB1GFFB7mbpScU/s320/K-G.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335690485446792290" border="0" /></a>Sad news... Kat's Grandpa passed away Tuesday night, before she could get there to say her good-bye. She's heartbroken, but she has faith that he heard her in spirit and that he's with Our Lord now. Thank you so much for all your thoughts and prayers.<br /><br />- PiaPiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335302821141048050noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-406792769808340249.post-90746049172415825632009-05-11T15:28:00.000-07:002009-05-12T16:18:44.761-07:00Mother's Day!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJoeDKe_m3ehEO4yQ3M28rABsYbRLVAZD66pg2a3yuYWQtzVDnbXz4VttIP7mjRhkN4NSRav4dDtRnGCYjyVb1qe6qsQH2kR_mQTPETvf-sEgVhzAJR4zc6b4C-uggTRT8J9TtafHRmzg/s1600-h/IMG_0110b.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 159px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJoeDKe_m3ehEO4yQ3M28rABsYbRLVAZD66pg2a3yuYWQtzVDnbXz4VttIP7mjRhkN4NSRav4dDtRnGCYjyVb1qe6qsQH2kR_mQTPETvf-sEgVhzAJR4zc6b4C-uggTRT8J9TtafHRmzg/s200/IMG_0110b.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334699347109580514" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVoaGsDLZnO9gXW6DdlGP8MisVJ9dd6c_aR-JBYKAVXucg_GBVLqweneBq3HqW4o8VJkoD7uOW2-KDWKv1ZH-20565RDcdcRCFVGqNJ2_P8l_vWeHVlDJ4U_S7cghGPwp8qmTa41E546A/s1600-h/IMG_0113c.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 169px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVoaGsDLZnO9gXW6DdlGP8MisVJ9dd6c_aR-JBYKAVXucg_GBVLqweneBq3HqW4o8VJkoD7uOW2-KDWKv1ZH-20565RDcdcRCFVGqNJ2_P8l_vWeHVlDJ4U_S7cghGPwp8qmTa41E546A/s200/IMG_0113c.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334699348968954898" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9dwedPdsLH_h0xiL3c_tuASqZ4n1QNmyms2R5EbvyZAA6BZZ3W42qgJdKCl4-24myqcHuZC7M5OZ1GtRBc-NQuFgAIzzajfwJaPMWRo7OuwVgsofj9MG8PInfuNc-R7RJw-DDSC8YsOQ/s1600-h/IMG_0114save.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 175px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9dwedPdsLH_h0xiL3c_tuASqZ4n1QNmyms2R5EbvyZAA6BZZ3W42qgJdKCl4-24myqcHuZC7M5OZ1GtRBc-NQuFgAIzzajfwJaPMWRo7OuwVgsofj9MG8PInfuNc-R7RJw-DDSC8YsOQ/s200/IMG_0114save.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334700550389790370" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day and were spoiled, pampered, and ....... what else is synonymous with spoiled......? :)<br /><br />Kat and I went to the San Diego Wild Animal Park in the afternoon and then out to dinner with friends. We had such a nice time! Here are some photos of our day.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGtDo4DE9kGNlS4pDiB9O93Et2K4LUSMYPUV3SyFCgwvGPh59_iIAyD4PJtctsePqx5Vh8ZGVs9F7dcYb372pazJteH4MOlQgiJpaP86Qqek__tFY1FaZkpuO0NYdkC0fClvO7FtTdBW0/s1600-h/IMG_0186.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGtDo4DE9kGNlS4pDiB9O93Et2K4LUSMYPUV3SyFCgwvGPh59_iIAyD4PJtctsePqx5Vh8ZGVs9F7dcYb372pazJteH4MOlQgiJpaP86Qqek__tFY1FaZkpuO0NYdkC0fClvO7FtTdBW0/s200/IMG_0186.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335080300249259554" border="0" /></a>See those wooden frogs? They're musical instruments! Yep, they're on our list to buy next time we go!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Please keep Kat's Grandpa in your prayers. He had a heart attack late last night and is now in the ICU. She loves him very much, and we're all hoping he gets better real soon.<br /><br />- PiaPiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335302821141048050noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-406792769808340249.post-78724824386030178002009-04-26T14:14:00.000-07:002009-04-26T14:20:36.570-07:00Get Well Card<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQDc7bUai5bgrf_4aMygfonF6l6A-To1_Nzgo-3UJUR2qxo1GfiluqWDZhMJgoWHr3Zv9ljxq-tRJRg8BkNi6i51dI2VtltD8AurmpU1LqpKkB_GGjoeKrJiBjoF3EzwO43Iyg1oKW2A/s1600-h/IMG_0626b.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 162px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQDc7bUai5bgrf_4aMygfonF6l6A-To1_Nzgo-3UJUR2qxo1GfiluqWDZhMJgoWHr3Zv9ljxq-tRJRg8BkNi6i51dI2VtltD8AurmpU1LqpKkB_GGjoeKrJiBjoF3EzwO43Iyg1oKW2A/s200/IMG_0626b.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329112912664183922" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv-rMogL2I-yNgB-31X71rCIsgL2Sdo7qt_06m3rIRJ2m-ExC1X34u3_-IjTkAVKMinIOxq0bdZVedwNc59l9JVZ-cbGCrMy6iG5j6L3NiLyijQ_NlJbyvJY6OJ6Way79O5Ly5Gci8Eew/s1600-h/IMG_0624b.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv-rMogL2I-yNgB-31X71rCIsgL2Sdo7qt_06m3rIRJ2m-ExC1X34u3_-IjTkAVKMinIOxq0bdZVedwNc59l9JVZ-cbGCrMy6iG5j6L3NiLyijQ_NlJbyvJY6OJ6Way79O5Ly5Gci8Eew/s200/IMG_0624b.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329112913813811426" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmSrKe9OQJWds-xApmdnAjiwGW27kjTDB85RtQIL7SyEwP4po2ML3tUrskhQxV3wUg2qqJCn9p6H-RXsWLzxzfUxrkMmzKfjsCGWQq1lMgvtq_vAjbyF01OfBjyBSRo2d-VIS8UHKbtE/s1600-h/IMG_0622b.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 152px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmSrKe9OQJWds-xApmdnAjiwGW27kjTDB85RtQIL7SyEwP4po2ML3tUrskhQxV3wUg2qqJCn9p6H-RXsWLzxzfUxrkMmzKfjsCGWQq1lMgvtq_vAjbyF01OfBjyBSRo2d-VIS8UHKbtE/s200/IMG_0622b.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329112910179555906" border="0" /></a><br />Here's a card I made for Kat's friend who broke his collarbone. I think this little penguin is just so cute! I remembered to decorate the inside and the envelope, and there's even a little decorated package of gum to finish things off.Piahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335302821141048050noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-406792769808340249.post-51105403568348889572009-04-17T09:02:00.000-07:002009-04-17T09:09:15.831-07:00I'm baaaaaack! With News!!Well, we finally got Kat's (really, really old) laptop Internet-capable so now we are live once again! Woohoo!!<br /><br />It'll take a little while to upload the photos and things and to catch up on my posts, but I'm soooooo excited to be back!<br /><br />And the news.... drumroll, please......... Kat and I have become Stampin' Up! demonstrators!! Yes, we took the plunge and are having a blast! We even got a new blog that's just for our Stampin' Up! stuff! Please do go check it out and subscribe. It's called <a href="http://www.stampyourlife.blogspot.com">Stamp Your Life</a> -- Kat thought of the name; it's pretty cool, yes? We have one whole post on there already! :)<br /><br />So I'm off to catch up some online stuff and go blog hopping. I'll be back later with a sample or two of what we've been up to!<br /><br />Peace,<br />PiaPiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335302821141048050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-406792769808340249.post-81987266580278892622009-03-06T20:08:00.000-08:002009-03-06T20:10:35.715-08:00Sorry!Hi, everyone! <br /><br />I'm so sorry to be away so long... my home computer still hasn't recovered from its viral ailment... in fact, it's completely dead now. (heavy sigh)<br /><br />So until I can get a new one at home I have to use the computer at work. That means, sadly, that my posts will be few and far between for a while.<br /><br />I've been working on new projects that I can hardly wait to share with you! I'll post them just as soon as I can!<br /><br />Happy stamping,<br />PiaPiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335302821141048050noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-406792769808340249.post-50553166590485084692009-01-11T22:27:00.000-08:002009-01-11T22:36:19.964-08:00Blog Candy!!Sally's doubly celebrating!! 39 years with her hubby and 1500 hits on the ol' hit counter... and she's got some fantastic blog candy to share! Hop on over to <a href="http://sallyscreativecorner.blogspot.com/2009/01/blog-candy.html">her blog</a> for your chance to win. Good luck!<br /><br />Hop over to <a href="http://www.donkeysmiles.blogspot.com/">Stamps, Paper, Scissors, and Donkey Smiles</a> for a chance to win some Valentine blog candy. Quite a cool little prize, that!<br /><br />And Dannie's got some great candy up for grabs, too! Check it out on <a href="http://danniescreativeoutlet.blogspot.com/">her blog</a>. See the Cuttlebug folders? Oh, yeah!!Piahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335302821141048050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-406792769808340249.post-28922385952186810882009-01-11T21:31:00.000-08:002009-01-11T22:19:15.475-08:00Keeping Up with My Project-a-Day Plan... and Suffering from SpyWareHere's my project from the other day, but I was only able to take a photo of it just a few minutes ago. Oops!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJu1c6tZygG2Znc3aeNkIC994HvtLySGU8fvgaZ6Sgks_6mMxZpU42EkI6OA-gmiRweu34gUsas5hGe-cXQS_o-8Xl8q_6cJ_aIQj77084gdtIeGywbhB_EYc6q97z4aApTex8rEfOp-0/s1600-h/Uploaded+1-11-09+018b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 145px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJu1c6tZygG2Znc3aeNkIC994HvtLySGU8fvgaZ6Sgks_6mMxZpU42EkI6OA-gmiRweu34gUsas5hGe-cXQS_o-8Xl8q_6cJ_aIQj77084gdtIeGywbhB_EYc6q97z4aApTex8rEfOp-0/s200/Uploaded+1-11-09+018b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290277539210490674" border="0" /></a> Anyway, it's a stationery box. I needed something in which to keep my finished cards, and I wanted to see if I could make it pretty simply. Success on both counts! The base is cardstock and the lid is acetate. I decided to have the lid sit inside the base rather than fitting it on top.<br /><br /><br />The belly band is a 12" x 1" strip of cardstock. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJW4lTvN975sFNUUdJf5UAQlbdz9QGhJUo3KZ5lvno8L6LYVoHBidithZyLfpSjlgZf_nsQRVvve9H4TTPEGAdvnKOqNpknp_IdmsAYFePOyPDSSmzd3CjCH52_ECR2gH1qMbhq2vAuz4/s1600-h/Uploaded+1-11-09+018c.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 98px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJW4lTvN975sFNUUdJf5UAQlbdz9QGhJUo3KZ5lvno8L6LYVoHBidithZyLfpSjlgZf_nsQRVvve9H4TTPEGAdvnKOqNpknp_IdmsAYFePOyPDSSmzd3CjCH52_ECR2gH1qMbhq2vAuz4/s200/Uploaded+1-11-09+018c.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290280467423637106" border="0" /></a>I added clear craft glitter to the flower petals, though I don't know if you can tell in this photo. Also added is a little circle punch for the center of the flower.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Next is yesterday's card. It's a sort of everyday card.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKo4KM5uZfLVGAFYcEWD9Cqie76AzWJG0ssJ69_USuZFl_FTuW2-zwWbnFRZR7182RhEaFX5RaaUS4XmE6I8285Y-TvLgho0Jzve5kdcV7GKc81ajQ7s4HdiLwkl7RxHI8ACxL4zMWf9Y/s1600-h/Uploaded+1-11-09+019b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 143px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKo4KM5uZfLVGAFYcEWD9Cqie76AzWJG0ssJ69_USuZFl_FTuW2-zwWbnFRZR7182RhEaFX5RaaUS4XmE6I8285Y-TvLgho0Jzve5kdcV7GKc81ajQ7s4HdiLwkl7RxHI8ACxL4zMWf9Y/s200/Uploaded+1-11-09+019b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290277541973014402" border="0" /></a> I used a Stampin' Up! image and added a Michael's dollar stamp for the sentiment.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Lastly, we have today's project. It's a Thank You<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfkG0aPHDGh7YG4NxMpDzx_g6XN6juD_khrGS0BVspLLlMUN25VOZ0fg0zOM6PEHBA4bJ_O05-Hz7U0iwDX-repmPaKLqf9JLTuYx6jdljOBXzaKtK5qN05BpPyAKYUfu291gcI61otjc/s1600-h/Uploaded+1-11-09+017b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 123px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfkG0aPHDGh7YG4NxMpDzx_g6XN6juD_khrGS0BVspLLlMUN25VOZ0fg0zOM6PEHBA4bJ_O05-Hz7U0iwDX-repmPaKLqf9JLTuYx6jdljOBXzaKtK5qN05BpPyAKYUfu291gcI61otjc/s200/Uploaded+1-11-09+017b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290277534146916978" border="0" /></a> tag for people who remembered Kat and me on Christmas. It's attached to a little cellophane bag that contains a couple of small chocolates. Kat and I made about a dozen of these this afternoon.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Off the stamping subject... Kat's computer (which is our only computer) has been hit HARD with spyware and malware. HELP!!! I can't figure out how to get rid of it and, frankly, it scares me. It's shut off my Automatic Updates and new tabs keep popping open when I'm in the middle of stuff. And sometimes it shuts down the computer on us. Even Ad Aware crashes when we try to use it. Aargh..............Piahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335302821141048050noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-406792769808340249.post-78947200047891252412009-01-10T08:21:00.000-08:002009-01-10T09:09:18.298-08:00Happy Birthday, Chrisi!!!It's my <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2J7iTNQ0bPhnHs2RenuOUydCEkyBZBFIlZhVRqulArIX6lLDFQCIax0LIqy1Y1P82hj8aM8UGe_7hzk5pGmamSy2xf8ue2ELrIco6g9_0rtQlPODa8OBLs21k_joDsaoSe621Jx_msP8/s1600-h/Uploaded+1-9-09+017b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 130px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2J7iTNQ0bPhnHs2RenuOUydCEkyBZBFIlZhVRqulArIX6lLDFQCIax0LIqy1Y1P82hj8aM8UGe_7hzk5pGmamSy2xf8ue2ELrIco6g9_0rtQlPODa8OBLs21k_joDsaoSe621Jx_msP8/s200/Uploaded+1-9-09+017b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289705713500985842" border="0" /></a>second daughter's 22nd birthday today! Yay!!! I made a card to send her the other day. Here are some shots of it along with the matching bookmark and envelope. Sorry I didn't get back to the computer to post them yesterday.... got caught up with other stuff!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I was able to borrow Kat's<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7BcIKzmVTyfq6KHLnYY89J-XukIV3MHEgrvcgqpobxvdqAcP-oXIcH7wB-eqStheRXI2Jo5-aF-HSR3MdVH0Iz85VGca2fxIpaKlI0L2wIbIYHr1_2WzFXdgxTOOF32J4bVs8ppEOeJs/s1600-h/Uploaded+1-9-09+013b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 162px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7BcIKzmVTyfq6KHLnYY89J-XukIV3MHEgrvcgqpobxvdqAcP-oXIcH7wB-eqStheRXI2Jo5-aF-HSR3MdVH0Iz85VGca2fxIpaKlI0L2wIbIYHr1_2WzFXdgxTOOF32J4bVs8ppEOeJs/s200/Uploaded+1-9-09+013b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289705724605189634" border="0" /></a> scrapbooking markers (thanks, Kat!), so now we've got some fun, vibrant colors goin' on. Woohoo!! Anyway, this stamp set is soooooo Chrisi!! I had bought it originally because it seemed to match my girls so well... and I was right!Chrisi changes her hairstyle quite often, so both the long hair and the short worked for this card. I used the slit punch on the bottom right corner of the yellow layer and added a button for some interest.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I took <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXmAIu57pRcEsUYQNt6V45YRfZ9OmAXQmX1N6YLj9fM-btbL0cMqoC646l3dJgVEWVGl1-RGwxk22-1D3rri5t5z_vA1jJm-j3NTAaEWiIuHvPhM856Mwldo-iaZuEv-CY9LEvFRGpPTM/s1600-h/Uploaded+1-9-09+020c.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 181px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXmAIu57pRcEsUYQNt6V45YRfZ9OmAXQmX1N6YLj9fM-btbL0cMqoC646l3dJgVEWVGl1-RGwxk22-1D3rri5t5z_vA1jJm-j3NTAaEWiIuHvPhM856Mwldo-iaZuEv-CY9LEvFRGpPTM/s200/Uploaded+1-9-09+020c.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289705732890546370" border="0" /></a>scraps of the yellow cardstock to paper piece onto the two purses so they would have some fun texture. I also grabbed some textured red cardstock for the gift she's holding.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I popped the cell phone onto a dimensional to give that some "oomph" as well.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNM13UGhxkjNjh2Icigo-FaWn5XTDHqP8zZfsk1ivdlu49qXyJCgKgGklB8RnsQuMuLZcIsqqpK9bGtfqCXR1Z_rNPgJn2SrLFgHi0hWTW7liQzMBRHEsqqvyHB3Qql2Yq9v4rK6ZMTDs/s1600-h/Uploaded+1-9-09+020d.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 186px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNM13UGhxkjNjh2Icigo-FaWn5XTDHqP8zZfsk1ivdlu49qXyJCgKgGklB8RnsQuMuLZcIsqqpK9bGtfqCXR1Z_rNPgJn2SrLFgHi0hWTW7liQzMBRHEsqqvyHB3Qql2Yq9v4rK6ZMTDs/s200/Uploaded+1-9-09+020d.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289706764831972370" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The circles containing the purse and cake are on dimensionals. Since I don't have a bigger circle punch (long story) to layer the 1" circles, I just used a dauber to sponge some color on them instead.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEmKRiyJRgZgUf2P-c0x0AgxkQbfX6dynCIxxcZQ0jbZYhp6pVjr1hUlu7N7exrXeQre4M1tWN1H5Ya6MuY0novllkC5V06ECAsTSWyfw6HNruyBt1Fve7jd7V7wmg1CHZyTAEsN-xrpM/s1600-h/Uploaded+1-9-09+019b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 79px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEmKRiyJRgZgUf2P-c0x0AgxkQbfX6dynCIxxcZQ0jbZYhp6pVjr1hUlu7N7exrXeQre4M1tWN1H5Ya6MuY0novllkC5V06ECAsTSWyfw6HNruyBt1Fve7jd7V7wmg1CHZyTAEsN-xrpM/s200/Uploaded+1-9-09+019b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289705733912439170" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Here's a side view so you can see how the bookmark is "attached" to the inside of the card. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxL5vh9YNeeon0dCZmlp55lB5nkGtGM9I-4qYoYLhp_yK5NmJbanPVC1UxT-ZJ3vm0z1T2CgR2ci2P6KhtvvEBAnSBoRJ7ia4GM4vibtX4OHxBXotBxjhDk6GHaJ3xiJxj-sOil8hqn4M/s1600-h/Uploaded+1-9-09+014b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 96px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxL5vh9YNeeon0dCZmlp55lB5nkGtGM9I-4qYoYLhp_yK5NmJbanPVC1UxT-ZJ3vm0z1T2CgR2ci2P6KhtvvEBAnSBoRJ7ia4GM4vibtX4OHxBXotBxjhDk6GHaJ3xiJxj-sOil8hqn4M/s200/Uploaded+1-9-09+014b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289705727784334082" border="0" /></a>It's one of those over-the-page magnetic bookmarks. The image I used for the front of it is the same long-haired girl with the cell phone; just no dimensionals so it won't get wrecked in the book. You can see the front of the bookmark up in the next photo. I also made one with black hair for Kat. That photo will be up later...<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Oh yes, and I did remember to stamp a little flower inside the card to carry the theme through.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnajNQ0M5NQuC9ScRUzvRqDbDKwi8TraoME6oQkbFGYnRnhQjGvbJm7Pt7z2oCLLk1Zv5BdPEJlEMByrjb1aCWZkRC_FqbygQBoMmjBee27xrDwxvWjtnBJbzDT4DoPydyhWhKiG8vp8o/s1600-h/Uploaded+1-9-09+012b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 186px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnajNQ0M5NQuC9ScRUzvRqDbDKwi8TraoME6oQkbFGYnRnhQjGvbJm7Pt7z2oCLLk1Zv5BdPEJlEMByrjb1aCWZkRC_FqbygQBoMmjBee27xrDwxvWjtnBJbzDT4DoPydyhWhKiG8vp8o/s200/Uploaded+1-9-09+012b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289711878382858098" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Gotta head out now. Kat's got an internship task today! I really hope Chrisi likes her card. :)<br /><br />~ PiaPiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335302821141048050noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-406792769808340249.post-15914786117247592542009-01-09T09:23:00.000-08:002009-01-09T09:53:59.922-08:00Non-Christmas CardsI'm trying to do one stamp project a day in 2009. Doesn't matter how big or small, or whether it's a card or a 3-D project. I just want to keep those creative juices flowing! So far, I've missed a couple of days but I think I made up for that yesterday with three or projects in one day! I find that I tend toward the more simple layouts, but I'm going to stretch myself this year... eventually...! Anyway, here's what I've been working on over the past few days. Mind you, I haven't bought any new stamping supplies in many, many (too many!) months -- with the exception of that Curly Punch bundle I keep talking about! So these are all made using things I have in my stash.<br /><br /><br />The first card is a Thinking of You card. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFca2qJ4PUNHjtQfc_h7KUB6t1SGosoyNbbkXFmHL6VF-064ZG26NOfnF94fAMCPMsnVlSALy_Nz4LwNDYs6edVLLeFkRU8aOMcWKdVzsFgDyokBQWR1SkSDAy6JrxX0CZSE1rgYblrp0/s1600-h/Uploaded+1-9-09+001b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 152px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFca2qJ4PUNHjtQfc_h7KUB6t1SGosoyNbbkXFmHL6VF-064ZG26NOfnF94fAMCPMsnVlSALy_Nz4LwNDYs6edVLLeFkRU8aOMcWKdVzsFgDyokBQWR1SkSDAy6JrxX0CZSE1rgYblrp0/s200/Uploaded+1-9-09+001b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289347288737552418" border="0" /></a>I just wanted to try something with a wider ribbon than I normally use. I'm trying to remember to <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizrF_3MxGyKSOVfmf656IZAQV8YxEyN2tHM7Ihm5w6i1a_RdqZfZxQBKyw5KcGzjR8ekcQQaLkP3qwFlgB7-IzObZI3ALcsBinazfPmfLYXGSIHAaJgQCcpZGkP69S60LomaXKiM0vgnM/s1600-h/Uploaded+1-9-09+002b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 84px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizrF_3MxGyKSOVfmf656IZAQV8YxEyN2tHM7Ihm5w6i1a_RdqZfZxQBKyw5KcGzjR8ekcQQaLkP3qwFlgB7-IzObZI3ALcsBinazfPmfLYXGSIHAaJgQCcpZGkP69S60LomaXKiM0vgnM/s200/Uploaded+1-9-09+002b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289347290504400562" border="0" /></a>carry the theme of the cardfront into the inside as often as possible.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Next is a Thank You card. Wow, this one was a toughy for me! <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjDdYCh7-aVURpSt1ivgrN1BxMvBTGa6QuSliszzLW0GXh7RDSAWx87eBalZtbbTd7xjvJidzImmA1qGYSBaottwPrwbvRRdjofiRHFfWpy5rRTlUUIExIxi9LmGHpXrio8rqvlck5fOY/s1600-h/Uploaded+1-9-09+003b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 155px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjDdYCh7-aVURpSt1ivgrN1BxMvBTGa6QuSliszzLW0GXh7RDSAWx87eBalZtbbTd7xjvJidzImmA1qGYSBaottwPrwbvRRdjofiRHFfWpy5rRTlUUIExIxi9LmGHpXrio8rqvlck5fOY/s200/Uploaded+1-9-09+003b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289347298958274770" border="0" /></a>I wanted to use the scraps from the Christmas gifts and cards we made, so here's the result. I started with the striped paper and then tried to match everything from there. Not "perfectly" matched in all cases, but I think it works.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Third is a Friendship card. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY0nn4-s0jhR0IN3ymep0ACpTzpmebXELLdaAkfJHSuogjvF5mHzkSslnlVEA0IwmMXSAboS0HwsYbl7fCA4HuW8JhM0uVGEAjyKR76DrSjXQdOM63RKA_OPz9e8iyoMe4NJ9jhu2-NTA/s1600-h/Uploaded+1-9-09+006b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 158px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY0nn4-s0jhR0IN3ymep0ACpTzpmebXELLdaAkfJHSuogjvF5mHzkSslnlVEA0IwmMXSAboS0HwsYbl7fCA4HuW8JhM0uVGEAjyKR76DrSjXQdOM63RKA_OPz9e8iyoMe4NJ9jhu2-NTA/s200/Uploaded+1-9-09+006b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289349601571558034" border="0" /></a>I started out with the intent to try Sketch Challenge 201 over on Splitcoast Stampers, but I had to improvise because one of my stamp images was too short! Ha! It's my first time trying my hand at a Sketch <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheGCVvtW5zi7No2eBLzJt5-WlicSH7zDC8IVKu10C6DhPYXjMCkzl7Nmu8wY-OmdsoRflhwXmNqSjN03QOmzfRhFzLsXK0tdvdMogcikh7jiiZWfUOoiXvVGqTt9F1kIwIY9yj8HjjjKc/s1600-h/Uploaded+1-9-09+007b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 122px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheGCVvtW5zi7No2eBLzJt5-WlicSH7zDC8IVKu10C6DhPYXjMCkzl7Nmu8wY-OmdsoRflhwXmNqSjN03QOmzfRhFzLsXK0tdvdMogcikh7jiiZWfUOoiXvVGqTt9F1kIwIY9yj8HjjjKc/s200/Uploaded+1-9-09+007b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289347308374270402" border="0" /></a>Challenge, though, so I'm being lenient on myself. Every layer on the front is on dimensionals with the exception of the big green base. And I remembered to carry the theme through to the inside on this one!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Hmmm... well, I've got to get to my "regular" work tasks right now. I'm putting together two retreats that are coming up at the end of January and mid February, and having a BLAST! I love my job! So I'll post yesterday's card and projects up when I take my next break.<br /><br />~ PiaPiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335302821141048050noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-406792769808340249.post-12329760874420411482009-01-05T16:42:00.000-08:002009-01-05T17:00:43.964-08:00A Few More Projects to ShareJust a few more Christmas things that we've been working on.<br /><br /><br />The first is a set of Pirouette cookie gifts. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1o75L7MT24VhyA6ZblP-fMNZr8qpbavVYRweCkm_LZrF6x4BwQIe9v3eI6kDXgkBg-JQ8Hz7AqmfI1SKbavGPYkXkpcvOHDkgcnwsQGomy5beCOwuc1u3DUTTF87hco6RS9ZdKaqwJsE/s1600-h/Uploaded+1-5-09b+007b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 181px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1o75L7MT24VhyA6ZblP-fMNZr8qpbavVYRweCkm_LZrF6x4BwQIe9v3eI6kDXgkBg-JQ8Hz7AqmfI1SKbavGPYkXkpcvOHDkgcnwsQGomy5beCOwuc1u3DUTTF87hco6RS9ZdKaqwJsE/s200/Uploaded+1-5-09b+007b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287975341938820738" border="0" /></a>Wanted to show off the cute little snowmen (I especially like the baby in the middle!). Each one contains four cookies... two vanilla and two hazelnut. Yum!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Next is a bag cover for one of Kat's friends' gifts. We used a set that I had purchased long ago but never mounted until now. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpRkTuedbzRc4h2D7Rqxitu6qiN7GMyjwedMTZs_dJtd7LSZ3DRD2yrn0stQz6vfHCPnyEJKh-gao9-xBJZGzmCEN-labK02jlSY38QWitomDtVKf5HnVR9TXmbAflVRXGGDddiyq49g0/s1600-h/Uploaded+1-5-09b+009b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 181px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpRkTuedbzRc4h2D7Rqxitu6qiN7GMyjwedMTZs_dJtd7LSZ3DRD2yrn0stQz6vfHCPnyEJKh-gao9-xBJZGzmCEN-labK02jlSY38QWitomDtVKf5HnVR9TXmbAflVRXGGDddiyq49g0/s200/Uploaded+1-5-09b+009b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287975344586585666" border="0" /></a>The image of the girls on the cell phones really fits! Of course, they're colored to mimic the two young ladies. I gotta get some more vibrant colored pencils... the ones I used are just some from the stationery aisle at one of the department stores.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The third one is a Christmas/Thank You card for a young friend of ours<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPSlOiZTY9k5BC2HxjMo2YTKuFUqkDB5Tg8arc4y24MiZtQagJY5BrJDYDW9o4BIMLlBzZCmBloO9gRiCiqNhx_iouf-7hLRYGWfyPcywFX_mcHn9AbZ5DLui5t46_M4Wx21plU1T3Waw/s1600-h/Uploaded+1-5-09b+010b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 164px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPSlOiZTY9k5BC2HxjMo2YTKuFUqkDB5Tg8arc4y24MiZtQagJY5BrJDYDW9o4BIMLlBzZCmBloO9gRiCiqNhx_iouf-7hLRYGWfyPcywFX_mcHn9AbZ5DLui5t46_M4Wx21plU1T3Waw/s200/Uploaded+1-5-09b+010b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287975349843963234" border="0" /></a> who did A LOT of work on our fundraisers for our latest trip to World Youth Day (he's very much into computers). Again, we used a set that had been purchased long ago but not mounted until now. I originally bought that set to use for my son, who's a computer wiz. The computer actually is colored grey, though I don't think you can tell from the photo. Really gotta invest in some new pencils! :)<br /><br /><br /><br />Lastly, Kat made a bag cover for another friend. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKmSn0OHWDCzryzwOEwTknsdWqLTEVFn9t5sGA4du8Yfc1qvpzz9KF9TEPhOM6nHZJdHSwWtrE7gucPhQ7eHMqOeDiBCYa1erj_xwrPpRMfTPjUzDgmWBBItMYgyBX7f7h_PmUr64O-KE/s1600-h/Uploaded+1-5-09b+011b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 192px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKmSn0OHWDCzryzwOEwTknsdWqLTEVFn9t5sGA4du8Yfc1qvpzz9KF9TEPhOM6nHZJdHSwWtrE7gucPhQ7eHMqOeDiBCYa1erj_xwrPpRMfTPjUzDgmWBBItMYgyBX7f7h_PmUr64O-KE/s200/Uploaded+1-5-09b+011b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287975355233635762" border="0" /></a>She thought the little Eskimo girl resembled her friend, so she snatched it right up! She added some way cute eyelashes to our miss Eskimo and gave her some wonderfully rosy cheeks. Too cute!Piahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335302821141048050noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-406792769808340249.post-43485667442824870012009-01-05T09:13:00.000-08:002009-01-05T09:16:14.666-08:00Papercrafts by Rach -- Blog CandyHop on over to <a href="http://www.papercraftsbyrach.blogspot.com/">Rach's blog</a> for a chance to win some pretty cool blog candy! We're talking raffia lace, flowers, brads, eyelets, stickles, new stamps... WOW! Good luck!Piahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335302821141048050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-406792769808340249.post-42969785546932445322009-01-02T11:19:00.000-08:002009-01-02T11:47:08.962-08:00Challenge CardToday was the funeral of a beautiful young lady whose family I've known for a little over 5 years. She died suddenly on Christmas Eve... she would have been 21 years old next week. This is a family whose faith is firmly rooted in Christ and in the hope of resurrection and eternal life. When looking for just the right images and text to use on the family's sympathy card, I came across a set that I had ordered long ago and had never used. It wasn't even mounted yet! The set had a lot of butterfly images, which was just perfect for the theme of being born into new life. For the text, I used one from a retired Sale-a-Bration set that just seemed very well suited for this occasion.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI-RwgFqPV3ekJMa0Rr1MMKGiRpp-DHNgAl1CuYek-77UKgPA9SxEgCQJPDBteN_eSKy71AXvBBrBhml0-4A8aL3b2japwjAjiD58MXFBzTNIdVtF1CTfPS-JQ2GoXZlc0DS95DVg1HIw/s1600-h/Uploaded+1-2-09+002b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 182px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI-RwgFqPV3ekJMa0Rr1MMKGiRpp-DHNgAl1CuYek-77UKgPA9SxEgCQJPDBteN_eSKy71AXvBBrBhml0-4A8aL3b2japwjAjiD58MXFBzTNIdVtF1CTfPS-JQ2GoXZlc0DS95DVg1HIw/s200/Uploaded+1-2-09+002b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286780186616739410" border="0" /></a>I cut out each butterfly individually so that I could mount them wherever I wanted them. The big butterfly is stamped in Vintage Violet and adhered flat on the cardfront. Then I mounted another of the same image in Cool Carribean on top of it (slightly askew so that the darker one becomes its shadow). I glued down the body and added dimensionals under each wing to give it the semblance of fluttering. The two smaller butterflies in the upper right are adhered flat, and the third little butterfly is mounted on a dimensional near the text, which is also on dimensionals. The background stamp I used is the Script Background from Stampin' Up! which I chose because it is a nice prayer for the family. I wanted the large butterfly to represent the young lady whose soul has flown to new life in Christ. The three butterflies on the front also (by happy coincidence) represent the three family members -- mother, father, and sister -- who are remembering this young lady specially on this bittersweet day.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTzL5VtpWTLf5Xhpmow0SKv0Tf_6IJTjV72ake9IKxtXk3OXO7UimWN6zoPQ_oaBdZ7kKLUt8xxZDD4TkSlfFg2YhJapMqWflz73YXvXwX7CwOjSTdFT4L9HBKAbq8uTzKjkpdGHyD0ig/s1600-h/Uploaded+1-2-09+004b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 140px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTzL5VtpWTLf5Xhpmow0SKv0Tf_6IJTjV72ake9IKxtXk3OXO7UimWN6zoPQ_oaBdZ7kKLUt8xxZDD4TkSlfFg2YhJapMqWflz73YXvXwX7CwOjSTdFT4L9HBKAbq8uTzKjkpdGHyD0ig/s200/Uploaded+1-2-09+004b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286780187547412946" border="0" /></a>Inside the card, I mounted another butterfly on dimensionals to carry the theme through. In this photo, you can also sort of see a couple of the dimensionals on the front of the card.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheAAcTSzcruOg3OnPgaiFyuHLACFRUVUaskuE45mY45-z8hMzBnh7mZPm63cUmzyPS7N2sslFq8W5ER2lab3gzgzCA7kFMCHXl-QKm1YW68fRKQADRK79J9vZl8skz29nDk_twTEe5kUg/s1600-h/Uploaded+1-2-09+005b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 100px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheAAcTSzcruOg3OnPgaiFyuHLACFRUVUaskuE45mY45-z8hMzBnh7mZPm63cUmzyPS7N2sslFq8W5ER2lab3gzgzCA7kFMCHXl-QKm1YW68fRKQADRK79J9vZl8skz29nDk_twTEe5kUg/s200/Uploaded+1-2-09+005b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286780191769224722" border="0" /></a>I stamped the small flowers from the same butterfly set along with another little butterfly on the envelope to tie everything together. <br /><br /><br />This card is being entered in the <a href="http://stampchallenges.blogspot.com/2009/01/something-new-challenge.html">"Something New" Challenge on Stamp Something</a>. I think it qualifies because of the new-to-me stamp set that I used. <br /><br />~ PiaPiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335302821141048050noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-406792769808340249.post-33826934140927102372009-01-02T08:11:00.001-08:002009-01-02T08:16:33.192-08:00How 'bout Some Fabulous BLOG CANDY to Start the New Year off Right?Starving Artistamps has got a <a href="http://starvingartistamps.blogspot.com/2009/01/new-releases-and-some-blog-candy.html">very generous giveaway</a> to kick off 2009 -- over $40 worth of fun new rubber!! <a href="http://starvingartistamps.blogspot.com/2009/01/new-releases-and-some-blog-candy.html">Check it out!</a> Such CUTE designs! Good luck all!<br /><br />~ PiaPiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335302821141048050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-406792769808340249.post-9834742771902802182009-01-01T09:24:00.000-08:002009-01-01T10:27:36.012-08:00Happy New Year!Welcome to 2009! I hope you all had fantastic celebrations last night, remembering with fondness the blessings and challenges of 2008 and looking forward with hope to whatever 2009 has in store. Kat felt well enough to venture out for a bit (going out with her brother and his girlfriend for a couple of hours on Saturday wiped her out and she's ended up nearly bed-bound ever since -- but she says it's absolutely worth it!), so we almost headed to a friend's house. Yes, we were invited; we weren't crashing their party, ha ha! But just before we left, we gave our friend a call and lo and behold, she wasn't home! Talk about all dressed up and nowhere to go! No worries, though, we went to see a movie instead: Bedtime Stories (the new Adam Sandler flick) and had a good time!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_BYhj6vdHUgw2fjL9N9Xyjlmr6ta199PWzZvhJ9ROy4wyjMy3AZnGP8UJ8bonYPVK1SkN7Vgp6Om_oTGR4musaBNVuPG89F81RUbkIbHxlR6SfdKwnpnsWLPSOPbxZJtMEYh3cwvbT-4/s1600-h/IMG_2456b.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 197px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_BYhj6vdHUgw2fjL9N9Xyjlmr6ta199PWzZvhJ9ROy4wyjMy3AZnGP8UJ8bonYPVK1SkN7Vgp6Om_oTGR4musaBNVuPG89F81RUbkIbHxlR6SfdKwnpnsWLPSOPbxZJtMEYh3cwvbT-4/s200/IMG_2456b.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286378674474831058" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZjj3Fbj_fc1cGhvddqG3cmCe48ytIEHyYSmbvDfDBWU3q4-To03I8omRQ1T6AJ2GtXamxJP8u2n6S6GRRN5V3xH9IeHF1Gi5M9GPHp_4Ebk7rO6HguplseMj6FXD5R2etk7Te9qAdw0s/s1600-h/IMG_2458b.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 165px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZjj3Fbj_fc1cGhvddqG3cmCe48ytIEHyYSmbvDfDBWU3q4-To03I8omRQ1T6AJ2GtXamxJP8u2n6S6GRRN5V3xH9IeHF1Gi5M9GPHp_4Ebk7rO6HguplseMj6FXD5R2etk7Te9qAdw0s/s200/IMG_2458b.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286378672176505666" border="0" /></a>Here <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAVvRNIFLVpGlxQu2KMoLpkoJTvuqAAOs9FvsRO-zuX6jn9zYpY_4XJzyvH8DzRBrsqTKJ87r8g1syHecrD12Sv-PTt0fnUqzXlxwimEO6_JHq-Ay3F9zpYGGZb8LCibTJaRKApWo7u50/s1600-h/IMG_2464b.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 162px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAVvRNIFLVpGlxQu2KMoLpkoJTvuqAAOs9FvsRO-zuX6jn9zYpY_4XJzyvH8DzRBrsqTKJ87r8g1syHecrD12Sv-PTt0fnUqzXlxwimEO6_JHq-Ay3F9zpYGGZb8LCibTJaRKApWo7u50/s200/IMG_2464b.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286378684315266338" border="0" /></a>is our Christmas card... well, the <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilmZYvCkZng_oqgsD88DNINKUcuj1i7Ag6Ch8W7Tb8xdh6XE-Gmv8KeyK3xzymhiAjIyOLvMPiyyKcV8psSwqr-1FhTMMOLQKUvJ0zw6yD6AE_cceJEiWmkfaA7KJZW-HHfo9i-UbyKXM/s1600-h/IMG_2453b.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilmZYvCkZng_oqgsD88DNINKUcuj1i7Ag6Ch8W7Tb8xdh6XE-Gmv8KeyK3xzymhiAjIyOLvMPiyyKcV8psSwqr-1FhTMMOLQKUvJ0zw6yD6AE_cceJEiWmkfaA7KJZW-HHfo9i-UbyKXM/s200/IMG_2453b.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286387930576756082" border="0" /></a>version that got sent to most of our family and friends anyway... I just couldn't decide how I wanted this year's cards to look. The finished product is fashioned after <a href="http://www.soshelli.com/blog/2008/12/29/a-christmas-card-story-guest-posted-by-shalae.html">Shalae's card</a>, which can be found on Shelli's blog. Her <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbgzsYc2r_H8Puydbp2o3BGuktwdhcA9ohLCF9jVN0fVlEqh7bw2EYHFSYC5aVMX7Y2EuxWzlsKwh411LX9C9n6AjepMPBnFqSHF9QuOdLcx5RHSMaE-Kuu-dRYJw5ucrhIJYqM-vSB0/s1600-h/IMG_2463b.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 193px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbgzsYc2r_H8Puydbp2o3BGuktwdhcA9ohLCF9jVN0fVlEqh7bw2EYHFSYC5aVMX7Y2EuxWzlsKwh411LX9C9n6AjepMPBnFqSHF9QuOdLcx5RHSMaE-Kuu-dRYJw5ucrhIJYqM-vSB0/s200/IMG_2463b.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286378691877661954" border="0" /></a>card is so cute!! And what a fun idea! I didn't have the tools that Shalae had, so I put my own spin on it. My cards are almost-4-inch squares. The photos inside are just 1/4" smaller than the card stock. The corne<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8yqeSovEQict1VGuH-81JSoAYCVQ2ILnSQxEUp1bYQE4EJvAdMnQabPx6VI6ujsFoNu7FejI6idKPEQHk2NguG5MZBPiViVvU6wTlJQ15vmQArRszOT_XZk1QTm5Mz0oSDw7Id5GMGP4/s1600-h/IMG_2465b.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 189px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8yqeSovEQict1VGuH-81JSoAYCVQ2ILnSQxEUp1bYQE4EJvAdMnQabPx6VI6ujsFoNu7FejI6idKPEQHk2NguG5MZBPiViVvU6wTlJQ15vmQArRszOT_XZk1QTm5Mz0oSDw7Id5GMGP4/s200/IMG_2465b.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286378689399706994" border="0" /></a>rs are notched using the corner of my curly label punch. Boy, did that punch get A LOT of use this season! I really like the texture on the card front (I'm not one to usually go for textured papers, but this worked out nicely, I think). And the little bird on the background stamp (French Flair; retired SU! stamp) showed up in just the right spot! Again, most of the materials used are from my stash (hence the variety of colors). The only thing I bought this year was the Curly Label Punch Bundle from Stampin' Up! -- yay, me!!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Thanks to everyone who's been dropping the wonderful comments on my posts, by the way! I can't figure out how to send you an e-mail reply... help, please?? I do want you to know that I totally appreciate your kind words and encouragement and sharing! I get so excited when I open up my e-mail to find a notice that I've got a comment to moderate!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Oh, and in other holiday news, my son and his girlfriend came to visit!! <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBFAMaLFNiYKDf7TJHE9NLgkaXhlHLENaIOUmaD8HedhXu8Q7kAkmrNTbNN3kDjVDvrbMcMSA3HeOZqNYyXzafGzQ37VgguSzFjnF7FhaW7-oj_AUCsn5s21zcsReRWHxk7JxC-fWxdVw/s1600-h/Christmas+2008+081d.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 127px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBFAMaLFNiYKDf7TJHE9NLgkaXhlHLENaIOUmaD8HedhXu8Q7kAkmrNTbNN3kDjVDvrbMcMSA3HeOZqNYyXzafGzQ37VgguSzFjnF7FhaW7-oj_AUCsn5s21zcsReRWHxk7JxC-fWxdVw/s200/Christmas+2008+081d.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286388351694713442" border="0" /></a>It was so nice to have him here with us again, and his girlfriend is just too cute!! They really do seem to be a good match -- she even got him one of those metal brain teaser puzzles for Christmas, and it has him totally stumped (no easy task!). The visit was all too short, naturally. I also got a call from my eldest daughter, who will ship out again in a couple of weeks. This will be her last tour before she gets out of the Navy (she'll be gone six months this time). Kat and I are putting together a little care package to send her... hope to mail it tomorrow.<br /><br />Well, it's back to crafting for me! I'm taking full advantage of these wonderfully lazy days before I head back to work on Monday. I just love vacations!<br /><br />~ PiaPiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335302821141048050noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-406792769808340249.post-71403486989520976732008-12-31T09:04:00.000-08:002008-12-31T09:08:27.701-08:00Anniversary Blog Candy!'Tis the season to celebrate, and Katarina is celebrating her 10th anniversary with her fiance this month (Dec. 4th, to be exact)! Congratulations, Katarina! In honor of this milestone, she is giving away some Valentine blog candy. The beauty of this giveaway is that it grows with every new comment! Yes, that's right, the more comments Katarina gets on her blog candy post, the more fun stuff she's giving away (within reason, of course)! So hop on over to <a href="http://kamadesign.blogspot.com/2008/11/my-first-blogcandy.html">Katarina's blog</a> to check out her contest and to wish her a hearty CONGRATULATIONS!<br /><br />~ PiaPiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335302821141048050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-406792769808340249.post-89294640454593681022008-12-30T07:07:00.000-08:002008-12-30T12:31:38.607-08:00Blog Candy!!Yummy blog candy can be found on <a href="http://rosaswelt.blogspot.com/2008/12/show-little-love-by-stampavie.html">Claudia's blog</a>! And there will be THREE winners!<br /><br />Fun candy on <a href="http://www.stampinpretty.com/2008/12/its-blog-candy-time.html">Mary's blog</a>, too!<br /><br />And on <a href="http://andreawalford.com/?p=953">Andrea's blog</a> as well -- this one with FIVE lucky winners!<br /><br />Wow, what an awesome way to end the year!!<br /><br />~ PiaPiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335302821141048050noreply@blogger.com0