Can I go to bed now???? Please????

I am spiritually, physically and mentally exhausted! It has been a busy week. Dad was in the hospital first 25 minutes away then to Kazoo...an hour + away.

Yesterday we were out the door by 7:15 am for church, came home long enough to drop James off and pick up mom, drove a half hour to my Uncle's funeral, back home to drop mom off and pick up James, drove to Kazoo to see Dad, back home at 10 pm...just in time to climb into bed exhausted!

Today at work they started the TS audit - an audit done 2X a year to make sure that our quality systems are in place and functioning. It's usually 2 full days. Well this is the first one that I have done in my new position and this morning I was BOMBARDED with documents to change! Nothing like the last minute! I worked from 7:30 this morning to 6:30 tonight and could have easily worked another hour or two. But I needed to come home and just STOP!

I am on my way to bed after an exhausting day. I look forward to the gentle warmth and security of my water bed. I just know I will go "AHHHH" when I lay down!

Good night, sleep tight,
Don't let the bed bugs bite!
(Or hubby's for that matter!) LOL

CALENDAR OF EVENTS-Updated!

6-29 - Last day to order retiring items!

7-1 - New catalogs released!

7-7 - New catty open house!
--------->Pick up your book, make 'n' take, door prizes!

7-13 - Ann's Team Meeting and Shoebox Swap
7-20 - Open Stamp Night
7-21 - Class - Christmas in July - 12 pm - $5
7-21 - Party - Carol Grove - 2 pm
8-17 - Open Stamp Night
8-18 - Stamp Camp - Christmas 6X6 Scrapbook - 12 pm -
--------->$45 due by July 30!
9-7 & 8 - VSN at splitcoaststampers.com

Technique Thursday - Reverse Grid AKA Faux Tile

Materials:
Trimmer with Scoring blade
Dye Ink (contrast with background)
Cardstock
Dye Ink for Stamp
Stamps

Directions:

1. Working on the long side of the cardstock, align the edge of the cardstock with the 1/2" mark. Score marks can be made at 1" or 3/4" intervals if desired.
2. Move the paper over so that the scored line is aligned with the 1/2" mark and score cardstock again.
3. Continue scoring the cardstock at 1/2" intervals.
4. Turn cardstock to work on the short side. Make 1/2" scores along the length of the cardstock.
5. Turn cardstock over so the raised score lines are face-down.
6. Stamp image on the raised tile side of the cardstock. Mat and embellish a desired.

This is the tile portion of the card. I used Cool Caribbean for the card, Cranberry Crisp for the middle layer and Very Vanilla for the top layer. I used Cool Caribbean ink on Floral Background on the Very Vanilla.

I then added cranberry ribbon, stamped Heartfelt Thanks in Cool Caribbean and 2-step stamped with Cranberry Crisp on Very Vanilla, layered on Cranberry Crisp, tied the ribbon and WAHLAH!

Give it a try! If you want email your card to me at tcates@lpemail.com with the subject of REVERSED GRID and I will post your card for all to see! :o)

Stop the world! I want off!

What a week this has been. My uncle was in the hospital all last week and passed away on Sunday at 5 pm. They are doing a memorial service for him this coming Sunday after church.

Tuesday my dad calls the ambulance and has them take him to the hospital. He was in so much pain that he had to crawl to his truck to call them! Anyhoo - they say the muscles in his thighs have collapsed and his enzymes are WAY too high...average is 200-300 and last night they were 7200! They transported him to Borgess in Kazoo last night. Today he has been a grouchy ol' man because he didn't want pain meds. Marlene said they have been running tests today and they have a couple of ideas but do not want to confirm until after an MRI this evening. They were totally stumped in TR hospital!

Anyhoo - we have been on the run most of the week and I really wanted to go up tonight but apparently God had other ideas! Someone had to stick around to pick my mom up and someone needed to babysit Stephen. So here I am...which is a good thing. I am doing laundry (which has not been done all week) and catching up on my websites! At least a couple anyway! :o)

I will be back in a few to post today's Technique Thursday!
Theresa

Flowers Galore Stamp Camp Projects

Good evening! Thought I would quickly post our June FLOWERS GALORE Stamp Camp projects. We had a blast as we created these items below.

The first is a paper box using Designer Series paper for the cover, box and the flower on top! This box template was found on Stampin' Up! I did some modifications I think though. :o)

This one is a notecard box. We used Designer Series paper, Sahara Sand, Prima flowers, and chipboard to make this cute little box. You can easily stick 4-5 notecards and envies inside to give as a gift. This one is going to my secret sister at church!

Here we made a pocket bookmark. We used the paper piercing kit to make the holes and then used the needles to sew the linen through the holes. Makes a cute little gift to a special friend!

Here we made a 3 3/4 x 3 3/4 mini scrapbook. We used Designer Series paper, Prima flowers, mini envelope template and punches. The second photo shows the inside when opened. Carol bought me a CROP-A-DILE. It is totally awesome for setting eyelets! I got out of the habit of using eyelets because of the POUNDING but ohhhh this is SO NICE!


Last but not least we made this soft friendship card using Blossoms Abound, sponging, hodge podge kit items, celery ribbon. I absolutely fell in love with this card when I seen it on Split Coast Stampers so I just had to do it. The girls loved the soft and elegant colors and using this technique.

What did you do this weekend?

This weekend was a weekend of rest, relaxation and prepping for the stamp camp! :o)

Yesterday we got up early and exercises to Hip Hop Abs which can be found at Million Dollar Body. I felt really good when James couldn't keep up with Shaun T! He quit about 1/2 way into the 40 minutes. By the time you get done with Total Body Burn you are definitely sweating! :o)

Then James and I just hung around the house most of the day. I got four of the five projects done with the last one gonna be done by tonight. I was really pleased on how well they came together and I believe the girls will really enjoy them! But I will not upload them until next week...don't want to spoil the surprise!

Today we got up, went to church, came home and grilled tuna steak, chicken and veggies on the grill. Boy, those veggies tasted wonderful! We spritzed them with olive oil and them sprinkled Cajun spice over the top, wrapped in foil and cooked for about 15-20 minutes. I can't begin to describe the taste! We were watching cycle racing and woke up at 3:30! Must have needed that nap!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Hope that you will come back to visit again this week! And don't forget to subscribe to the right...then you will get email notifications of updates!

Hugs to all,

Theresa

Bi-Monthly Stamp Camps - Classes

What is a stamp camp?
You pay a predetermined amount of money a few weeks in advance. The day of the stamp camp you will make 5-6 advanced projects and lunch. This is always held the 3rd Saturday of every other month.

What is the cost?
$20 the last Friday of the previous month, $30 the first Friday of the month. However there will be months it may run higher. For instance, you will be making a 20 page Christmas scrapbook in August. This will include an album! :o)

What type of things do you make?
It depends on the theme. Later this year we are doing a Stamp-A-Stack Christmas Card Stamp Camp. You will make 20 cards - 4 of 5 different designs. Things we have made in the past are altered clipboards, 3-D cards, boxes, etc. For the month of June the theme is FLOWERS GALORE. That's all I am saying! :o)

What is a class?
You pay a predetermined amount and may learn a new technique, use a specific tool (AquaPens, etc.), or a specific theme. This is always held the 3rd Saturday of every other month.

What does it cost?
Usually $5 - but may be more depending on the complexity of the cards and the accessories that we use. I would prefer that you pay at least a week in advance to "save" your spot but you can pay the day of.

What type of things do you make?
We usually make cards during this class - between 4 and 5 depending on the complexity of the cards. If you look further down you will see the Watercolor Class we did using AquaPens and 5 different techniques to watercolor. In July we will be doing CHRISTMAS IN JULY, making 4 Christmas cards for $5.

Here is the upcoming schedule:

June 16 - FLOWERS GALORE STAMP CAMP -

$30 now...
July 21 - CHRISTMAS IN JULY CARD CLASS -

$5 for 4 more advanced cards
August 18 - CHRISTMAS 6X6 SCRAPBOOK CAMP -
$45 by July 30
This will be needed to purchase your album,

Simply Scrappin' kit and neutral cardstock!
September 22 - HAPPY HARVEST CARD CLASS -

$5 for 5 cards
October 20 - THANKFUL THOUGHTS STAMP CAMP -
$20 by 9-28, $30 by 10-5

Email me if you have any questions! I would love to have you join us in this time of fun and fellowship.

Technique Thursday - Smashing Flowers

1. Take flowers and lay them on white cardstock. You can use them whole or as petals.


2. Take a piece of wax paper and place over the flowers/petals.


3. With a hammer or rubber mallet begin "smashing" the flowers/petals.


4. You can lift the paper to see the results and continue doing so until you get the look you want.


5. Brush off the residue and let dry.


6. As this is drying, cut your cardstock 8 1/2" x 4 1/4" (half sheet) and fold in half.


7. Stamp your focal point and layer as desired.


8. Tape the "background" paper on the card front after you cut it down to 5 1/4" x 4".


9. Tape your focal point and saying on the card.


10. Accessorize as desired!

Tonight I sorted an order out, bagged them up and made cards for my downline's 10-10 club. For those who don't know what that is - it's a group of ten stampers who buy a minimum of $15 a month for 10 months. The hostess goodies are rotated through the group on a monthly basis and you are given a chance in your month to get outside orders. Great way to restock cardstock! :o)

Anyhoo, I made these cards for her 10-10 meet. I used the Palette of Color paper samplers, cut them 5 1/4"x 2" and taped them down on opposite sides. Shows the greatness of the package of paper! This is going to be an awesome addition to the new catalog! These two sided designer papers will be available in 16 of the favorite regular colors and so of the new IN COLOR colors. What fun!

The first card is using the celery papar, white grosgrain ribbon, the 2 sizes of tag punches. The second card is using the rose red paper and celery grosgrain ribbon. The third with the lavendar paper and purple grosgrain ribbon.

Whew...what a day!

Work has been very busy the past three weeks and it's hard to maintain a blog on a daily basis but I am doing the best I can!

Time is running out for the RETIREMENT sets from Stampin' Up! There are over 250 sets retiring the end of June! So I am having a special...have a book party in the month of June (must total $150) and get $10 in additional FREE merchandise! Tonight I spent a couple of hours on the phone and then email reminding everyone that time was closing in and the special. Got three possible book shows from it. :) That's the way I like it!

Here is one of Carol's cards from May VSN. This technique is called SMASHING FLOWERS. Her card was one of the "winners" in this category. I love the colors in hers...we used the same bouquet of flowers and mine looks more purple and pink where hers is definitely blue! And the color of the cardstock sets it off! Come back Thursday and I will post the technique then! :o) Anticipation....anticipation...is making me wait! ROTFLMBO