Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Celebrating Bandit

 P1010007 This morning we said good-bye to our dear friend and family member, Bandit.  She has been a treasured part of our family since 1997.  Before that she enjoyed herding doggy friends near the ranch she lived on.  Earl and I bought our house in 1997 and my sweet friend Anne convinced me we needed a dog (this dog!) to make it a home.  She was right of course!  Bandit was about 5 or 6 when she came to live with us.  She loved going for long walks, sitting on our couch, chairs and bed, and most of all, playing ball or catch for hours on end.  She was a kind and loving companion to all of us, a great mentor and big sister to Riley and numerous kitties, and incredibly patient with Emma and Parker as they grew and learned about doggies.  She had an endless supply of love and pretended to be a great watchdog.  She was a big fan of steak bones, belly rubs, cookies, cats and cat food!  When she could she liked to wander around the neighborhood looking for new friends, she was so adventurous!  Even this last year with her tired legs she managed to get herself arrested and was able to wander to the creek about a mile away to meet one last new friend.  We are taking comfort in the thought that Bandit can now play catch endlessly again and herd new friends in heaven.  We'll miss her terribly.  Here are some of our memories of Bandit.

bluebonnets "Will I still have to do this when you have 2 leggeds?"

 

santa

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Honest Santa, I've been VERY, VERY good!"

     

 

action

 

 

An action shot - "I got it!"

 

 

 

loving my new puppy

 

"I love my new puppy (Riley)! She's a great new chew toy!"

 

big pillow

 

 

 

 

Sharing the pillow, sharing the love!

 

 

teaching Riley

 

 

 

         "Here's how you play catch young grasshopper"

 

 

alpha dog

 

 

 

 

This is what you call "alpha dog"

 

 

swimming

 

                 "Come on in, it's not that cold!"

  waiting for catch

 

 

 

"Look Bandit, I'm learning!"

bandit and riley

 

 

                                                Nearly equals.

waffles

 

 

 

 

Teaching Waffles how to "run with the Big Dogs!"

 

 

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                                  Snoozing with Bobalu!

 

 

 

 

 

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"It's hard work watching after the house all day!"

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Merry Christmas

From our home to yours...Merry Christmas!

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Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Joyful Mail!

I'm sure most of you feel the same way...any time I receive mail that is not a bill, I am so thrilled!  It is even more joyful when I receive a handcrafted card!  This time of the year is especially fun because it is the one time of year that many actually use the US Postal Service!   Here are some of the beautiful handmade greetings we've received this year.  Aren't they inspiring??

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Monday, December 1, 2008

Domino Frame

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This was another project we did at the gift camp.  Again, this was inspired by a swap I received at convention.  Unfortunately, I cannot find the name of the person who swapped this!  The frame is a $1 frame from Michaels (although apparently they are now in short supply here in the Austin area).  Images were stamped in Stazon and colored in with chalk.  At Saturday's camp, Lucinda shared that she has started sealing her dominos (she makes gorgeous jewelry with her dominos) with floor wax....BRILLIANT!!  If you keep floor wax in one of your aqua painters like I do, this is so easy to do!  Here are some of the ones that were made at camp:

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P1010012_edited Again, I missed several people's frames!

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Stationary Box

Yesterday was the second round of Gift Camp.  I look forward to this camp every year, although I spend many months worrying if the projects will be as satisfying to everyone as last years, or the year before that, or the year before that... The stationary box was one of the projects this year I included and although it was a bit frustrating at first with some of the scoring and cutting, it was a great project and they turned out so beautiful!  One of my friends requested that I do this project in the gift camp and coincidently I received one in a swap at convention from Donna Henley.  The pattern from the box can be found here.  Here's the sample I made for the class:

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I think some of the boxes left without being photographed (camera shy at such a young age!), but here are some of the great boxes that were created.  If you need details on supplies, e-mail me and I'll be happy to fill in the gaps.

It's been awhile since the first camp, I think this one is Jeanette's.

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I think Mary Alice's.

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Teri's

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Nancy's

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Ashley's

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Lucinda's

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I'll make corrections as my wonderful stampin' friends refresh my memory!  And, I'll post the others if I can get pictures of them.  Aren't they beautiful??!!

Thursday, November 27, 2008

So Thankful!

Happy Thanksgiving! I love Thanksgiving because it is the perfect holiday (in my humble opinion)...there is no expectation of gifts, so no stress about finding the right present, just the gift of presence! Don't get me wrong I love presents...in fact, feel free to send me presents any time you want! I just love that we all recognize at least once a year to be grateful for all that we already have, not necessarily what we are about to receive! Like many others, I feel blessed that I have so much to be thankful for: I have two beautiful and vivacious children, a truly caring and loving husband, 2 devoted dogs who love us unconditionally, 2 cuddly cats who allow us to be in their lives, extended family who love and support us no matter what we do, and countless friends to laugh (and sometimes cry) with who have become much like family! I am grateful for all the people who give of themselves so we all can live safely (soldiers, police, firefighters, etc)! In a time of uncertainty in our economic world, I feel fortunate to have a job that I love and that is secure and that stretches me intellectually...I truly learn something new every day. After my recent trip to Ohio I am also reminded of how thankful I am to be living in Texas where snow and sub-freezing weather is so rare!!! And, of course, I'm grateful for stamping and the art of paper crafting in general! I have learned that even I can be creative and I'm quite sure I have been spared countless hours and thousands of dollars in therapy! (However, it really has impacted my ability to maintain a clean and clutter free home!) And then there are all the people I have been so fortunate to meet who share the same passion for creating! I am grateful for all of you! (especially if you are still reading!) Lastly (or at least for now), I am grateful for my health. I'm so happy I have the opportunity to wake up each day, breathe the wonderful (and usually warm and sunny) fresh Texas air, and do whatever is in store for the day! Isn't life great??

For those of you just visiting my blog for the ideas....here's a project we made at stamp club this month that suits the day.

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This is a card portfolio made with large envelopes. Unfortunately, when we made this I didn't realize that Stampin' Up! no longer carries this size of envelope, but if you can't find them at your favorite craft or office supply store, SU does carry a large square envelope that works as well. You attach the two envelopes together and insert these note cards and matching envelopes into the two pockets.

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I forgot to snap a picture of the inside of the portfolio, so if this doesn't make sense e-mail me and I'll try to give you improved directions! The cards were super simple. This project uses the Season of Friendship and Thank You Kindly stamp sets. The Autumn Vine DSP coordinates perfectly with the stamp set and the colors are pulled directly from there: Sage Shadow, More Mustard, Really Rust and Chocolate Chip. Circle Punches make putting the whole thing together fast and easy!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. I'd love it if you would leave a comment and share what you are thankful for!

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Holiday Extravaganza Sale!

card

Images © 2008 Stampin’ Up

Oh my...just in time for your holiday shopping...what a great sale! You can take advantage of this via my online store, or by e-mailing me your order, or if you are attending the Holiday Gift Camp 2 this Saturday! Quantities are limited...I'm sure you'll find the perfect present for all the creative crafters in your life - or for you! Click here to see all the bundles!

More Holiday Cards

We made these cards in October at the Stamp a Stack!  Sorry the pictures are a bit shadowy.  I have to pay attention to what time I take pictures.

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Stamps: Snow Swirled; Paper:Bashful Blue, Night of Navy, Whisper White, Brushed Silver Cardstock; Ink: Versamark, Bashful Blue, Night of Navy Classic Ink; Accessories: Silver Embossing Powder, Pretties Kit, Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon, Elastic Silver Cord, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Double Rectangle Punch, Snow Blossom Punch

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Stamps: Holy Triptych; Ink: Stazon, Versamark; Paper: Elegant Eggplant, Shimmery White, Brushed Gold Cardstock; Accessories: Gold Embossing Powder, Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Aqua Painter.

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Stamps: A Cardinal Christmas; Ink: Always Artichoke, Riding Hood Red Classic Ink; Paper: Always Artichoke, Confetti Cream, Riding Hood Red Cardstock; Accessories: Riding Hood Red/Very Vanilla 1 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon,  Big Shot, Top Note Die, Chunky Essentials Glitter, Tombow Multi Purpose Adhesive.

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Stamps: Jolliest of Holidays, Season of Joy; Ink: Basic Black Classic Pad, Real Red, Basic Black, Blush Blossom, Pretty in Pink Stampin' Write Marker; Paper: Whisper White, Real Red, Basic Black Cardstock; Accessories: Vintage Brads, Hodgepodge Hardware (retired), Chunky Essentials Glitter, Black Grosgrain Ribbon.

Bonus card: I made this one as part of a swap with some of my favorite demos!:

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Stamps: A Cardinal Christmas; Ink: Stazon, Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip Reinkers; Paper: Chocolate Chip, Shimmery White Cardstock, Ski Slope DSP; Accessories: Alpine Ribbon Originals, Big Shot, Scallop Circle #2 Die, Stampin Dimensionals, Stampin' Sponge