Full of hot air...

...and no, I don't mean me. At least, not this time. This time, I am talking about the wonderfully awesome hot air balloon ride that I took this past holiday weekend. I am so afraid of heights but I have this stupid idea that I should throw myself into the air at every opportunity. Roller coasters - the higher the better. Roof ladders - had to try a few times for fire school. Gondolas - yeah, beautiful view, until they start climbing in an almost vertical ascent. You get the picture. Well, my cousin and I decided that we should be brave and tackle the fear by riding in a hot air balloon over Lancaster county, PA. I must admit, I am mighty proud of us. Then again, I shouldn't be. It's not like there's actually any sensation of height. Well, with the exception of the first few minutes, as it lifts off the ground. Once you're in the air, though, it literally feels like you are just floating a few feet above the ground. It has something to do with no visual tether like a rope or ladder, which throws off your perception or some such thing. We had the best time and can't wait to do it again. Next trip: jumping out of a perfectly good airplane. Time to skydive, baby! Or maybe take a clear-bottomed helicopter into the Grand Canyon. Or perhaps ride a mule down the trails of the Grand Canyon. Or maybe I'll just try out the new roller coaster at Kings Dominion for now!

Layout overload, baby!

Here's a sprinkling of the layouts that I finished at a crop on Saturday. My friend Kimi hosts awesome crops at her store. I think she is trying to make me fatter...she has cookies. I have a weakness for cookies. If she had brownies, I'd really be in trouble. Her hubby James made us this Portuguese sausage that was way yummo, as well as teriyaki chicken. I am like Pavlov's dog; I am salivating just thinking about it. Oh, wait, nobody rang any bells. Anyway, you can find info on Kimi's store here: http://www.createitcrafts.com/

In the mean time, here's a few of the layouts that I managed to finish. I also colored gobs and gobs of images with my wonderful copics. Kimi says that I am officially a copic junkie; I hit over 200. I want them all! Now I just need to make some cards using all of those images that I colored. Oh, the pressure!

Thinking of You

I love this little Tilda stamp. She's too cute and so quick and easy to color for when you don't time to color up one of the more detailed, larger images. Anyway, I finished up this card today. I'm entering it in this week's copic color challenge to use R20 (cheeks), BG02 (shirt, with BG01), and BG11 (the closest I had was BG10, which I used with B00 on her jumper). Skin is colored with: E11, E00 and E000. I can't recall what E's I used on her hair (sorry about that). I used a stardust pen to bling up her wings. This is the first card I've made in what feels like forever, although I think it's only been about two weeks. LOL. Flowers are prima and Wild Orchid Crafts. The rose paper was in my stash and the brown cardstock is the back side of Bazzill Bling. Thanks for coming by!!!

Cheer up!

Everyone knows I love pink. Big duh, right? I mean, it's only the most fabulous color in the whole wide world. It's also no surprise that it's my fave, since I tend to be a bit of a girlie-girl. Well, if you don't count the fact that I don't like to play dress-up and I don't wear much make-up...usually none at all, to be precise. But I hate to get dirty, love to be pampered and spoiled (come on, who doesn't?), get my nails done, totally love shoes (can't wait to get to DSW to spend the gift card work gave me), and I've got this new love for Coach purses. The Coach outlet is my friend. Once again, though, I digress. The purpose of this post is to show everyone this cute digi stamp named Lisa. You can find her at Guylou's store: http://guylousinimitability.blogspot.com. Yeah, try saying that three times fast! Anyway, I kinda cheated. The cards from the DT aren't going to be posted to the blog until tomorrow. I'm not the most patient sort and G said I could post today, instead, so I took her up on it! Truth be told, I was afraid I'd forget to post it tomorrow. I'm already reminding myself over and over to get my passport photos printed off tonight. Work is sponsoring a passport fair tomorrow...imagine that - I can actually walk to the other side of campus and get my passport done, rather than making an appointment with the USPS. Rock on! I need it, since I hope to visit many more places. In fact, my cousin Theresa and I hope to see more of Germany next year. Fun times! Man, I am chatty today. Well, that's every day, but I think today I am just bored at work and looking for something to do! Shh...don't tell my boss, since it doesn't happen often! With my luck, I'd end up with more work than I could handle, so I am staying mum on that subject, that's for sure. Babble, babble, babble...

In2Stamps celebrates with blog candy

In2Stamps is celebrating by giving away this awesome blog candy. Just check it out at: http://in2stamps.blogspot.com/

Introducing Dominique

This little guy must be one of my fave images at Guylou's store. I just love his curly hair, big hat, and sweet face. I really like how you can set him up to look like he is leaning on practically anything: ribbon, patterned paper, or maybe a background stamp if you have one (like a cute desk or table, or how about a cloud?). He also happens to be the mascot for Guylou's store and you can find him here: http://guylousinimitability.blogspot.com/ for only $2. Want this image but prefer a girl? Just add a bow or flower to the hat. What a versatile image!


While you're shopping and on G's site already, anyway, why not sign up to be a follower? You can get her cute Jessica image for free, plus join a card challenge. The winner will win two images from G's store!

Oh, and for those of you who ask, I have absolutely no idea what copics I used on this image. LOL. I didn't write them down AGAIN. I am trying to be better about it, then I lose the paper. Geez.

Loss - Journaling Junkie challenge 78

Stefanie at http://journalingjunkie.blogspot.com has posted challenge 78, which is to do a LO focusing on grief or loss. Although I finished this LO a while ago, Stefanie was kind enough to let me enter it into the challenge. I am currently working on a memorial album of my husband, Rick, who died unexpectedly on September 18, 2009. He was just 38 years old. The challenge runs until May 1, I think (don't quote me...I suck at dates), for any of you who are interested in entering.


The journaling is long and has a bunch of private jokes in it, but if you want to read it, here it is:
Over the last four months, I've discovered that the loss of the little things is so much harder to process than the "big picture" ideas. It's the little day-to-day things that hit harder. You know, the little intimacies that are private and exclusive to who you are as a couple, to that relationship as not only husband and wife, but best friends. Things like: the feel of your skin under my hand when I touched your face, as I did several times each day; Gina speak; "boo!" "kitty!"; rubbing my hand through your hair; teasing you about your cute pj's; listening to you breathe beside me in bed each night; your occasional night terrors; waiting what felt like forever for you to finish your shower; that expectant look whenever you made us something new for dinner; your perfectionistic tendencies (over an hour to hang a few pictures? Really?!?); watching you fall asleep sitting up, then deny it; "Which way? Right or left?"; the way you closed your eyes whenever I put the car in reverse; "Do we have time?"; your love of British TV, the history channel, and Hogan's Heroes; listening to you laugh like a loon at Hogan's Heroes in German; anxious repetition of the same darned stuff; the look of concentration on your face when you were futzing about in the war room; your practical jokes; feeling your arms come around me when I was washing the dishes; "Could you use this for your scrapbook?"; "Hey, ooo! How is?"; "It's Rick's world."; your chicken peck typing; singing Sound of Music songs just to get on my nerves; your horrible timing; your inability to "say anything right"; gorilla cheeses; "Go ahead, be a mommy's girl!"; listening to your conversations with Athena each morning; the sound of your shaver; insisting on fixing things yourself; your total inability to judge time (30 minutes v. 3 hours!); crazy bike rides to God only knows where; you wash, I dry; "Honey, the cat licked my ice!" and other whiny sick bed complaints; my filter; "honey, where's our water?"; the smell of Dunkin' Donuts coffee; missions!; reading oh-so-boring educational materials to you in the car; your patience; your goofy sense of humor; we "acquire"; tighty-whities; the scar on your back that you refused to call a scar; hearing you dress in the dark each morning; forehead kisses and quick pecks; jewelry and Steiff for me, tools and WW2 for you; you unload, I put the groceries away; Gina's hair is everywhere; lit candles; cuckoo clock upkeep and repair; your insistence that I get what I want, but then your resistance to buy what you wanted; "I hear it calling you!"; the search for new members in the land of the misfit Steiff; messages from ebay; laughing at the butt songs; the "sexy" dance; rewriting history and rose-tinted glasses; "ooh...it's silky"; the way you'd laugh while telling a story that wasn't even remotely funny; "The iceberg sunk the Titanic!"; your absolute refusal to tell me what I said after you proposed; game pie; hoarding gifts; no bears left behind; definitely; your tendency to let me win and then play it off like you hadn't; "let me think about it....no."; innovative solutions to the strangest problems; chocolate cat prints and other kitty gifts; 831; how you always took in and tolerated even the most annoying people; the look on your face when we argued; different shades of blue; lists for everything; little things you'd pick up for me here and there, just because; your laugh...there are so many more things to list, but these are the first that cross my mind as I think about our daily lives. My life will never be the same without you. It, and I, are forever changed.

Just Magnolia

Finally...here's my card for the Just Magnolia challenge/blog hop, based on Mina's great sketch. I really intended to put the three items across the bottom, but Tilda's feet got in the way, so the little yellow daisies had to move to the left. Then the right corner looked naked, so I added the flower pot there. Then the yellow daisies looked lonely, so I added a few little white flowers, too. I hope you can still see the other elements of the sketch, though. What can I say? I have a hard time following things just as they are...I'm so bad about that. Anyhow, here's the sketch and my card:


Head on over to http://justmagnolia.blogspot.com to participate in the blog spot and sketch challenge!

Just Magnolia Blog Hop with a yummy prize pack

Wow...check it out!

Just Magnolia's blog has turned one full year old! My blog is still a baby, but theirs is not and they are celebrating by giving away this awesome prize pack. Follow their fun blog hop to start. There's tons of inspiration to be found. If you see me hanging out, don't mind my green face. I'm just a bit envious of the talent on the blog hop. WOW. Anyhow, you can start the hop here: http://justmagnolia.blogspot.com

When you're done the blog hop, take some time to make a card using the sketch and link it back on the just magnolia blog. I plan to make a card for this one, too, but I can't get started just yet. I'm determined to have it ready to post here soon, though!

It's a contest!

Ok, so check it out. Here's an easy peesy contest to enter and no matter what, you win because you get this cute image from Guylou's digi store (see above on my card). Her name is Jessica and she's having fun playing in the puddles and rain. So, here's how it goes: become a follower on Guylou's blog: http://guylousinimitability.blogspot.com/
Follow the directions on her blog to enter the contest. It's pretty easy...you just have to do what you love doing: create a card! Upload your project by 12:00 in the afternoon on Friday, April 30. The winner will be chosen randomly to receive two of Guylou's digistamps. You even get to choose which two you want! Come on, give it a shot!!! I'd love to see what you do!