You would think that Mr. Mojo would be like most men...

...and avoid me when I'm sick. After all, I'm a bad patient. I whine. I'm cranky. I want you to leave me alone, but be close enough to get me anything I happen to yell for. Most men would run for the hills, but it seems that Mr. Mojo likes it, because not only did he show up yesterday, but he came over to my house today, too. Granted, I was feeling better today. Not 100%. I had to cancel my day out with my gram and aunt because I didn't feel quite well enough for excursions to another state (and didn't want to make them sick), but I was feeling a bit better. I colored a couple of images today. For the first time, I tried stamping on kraft paper and coloring it with copics. Now, THAT was an interesting endeavor. The copics come out very differently on kraft paper, as you'd imagine. It was a lot differently than I expected, though, but I guess the results aren't bad. Check it out:

Paper is kraft, bazzill (brown cardstock), and Webster's Pages. Flowers are Wild Orchid Crafts. The brown pleated ribbon came from Hobby Lobby. I added liquid pearls around the image, which was cut out with Spellbinders nestabilities. I added flowersoft below her little foot. Isn't she too cute? She's another Elisabeth Bell image from my collection. I'm pretty sure I got her at Sweet Pea Stamps. I have so many Elisabeth Bell images now that I sometimes forget which great store they came from! If you get the chance, swing by Lynette's store. She's got lots of great rubber stamps from awesome artists, and her customer service is fantastic.

This card is for the following challenges:
BnW challenge blog: warm earth colors
Charisma Card Challenges: birthday card
Simon Says Stamp challenge: spots or stripes
Sketch Saturday: week 190

As always, thanks for looking! And wish me luck; I hope to feel well enough tomorrow to get to Target so I can buy some stuff for my new soldier. I don't know if I told you, but the marine I adopted through Soldier's Angels is coming home (yay!!! I'm so excited for her!). So, I adopted another soldier and I need to send him a kick ass care package to introduce myself and remind him that his sacrifices and dedication are not forgotten.

Being sick sucks, but Tylenol cold is some good stuff!

I didn't go to work today. When my alarm went off at 7:00 this morning, I pretty much felt like my body had met with a truck, and the truck had won. I went back to sleep for a bit, woke up long enough to realize I still felt like crud and that moving further than grabbing my cell off of my nightstand just wasn't a good idea. I called out and went right back to sleep until lunch time. At that point, I got up long enough to shove some food down my throat and plant my butt on the couch. All afternoon, I plied myself with Tylenol Cold and didn't move from my couch. Around 4:00 or so, I got a spurt of energy. I came upstairs, checked out some blogs, and started to make a card. Dizziness took over, and I went back to the couch. Then I came back up here and did some more to the card. Then I laid down again. Got up, did some more, then laid down again. You get the idea. Here it is, almost time for bed. I still feel achey. My head hurts, and I feel a little bit dizzy. However, this card kept calling to me to be finished. It took quite a few hours, and many stops and starts due to Mr. Nasty or whatever this is, but I finally finished my card. I really think Tylenol Cold helped out quite a bit, too. It seems to work better for me than most OTC drugs for knocking out the nasties.

Anyway, here it is:

Let's see if I can remember all I used on this card.
Paper and effects done to it: Well, there's plain old craft paper from the value paks at either Michael's or Hobby Lobby. There's some Basic Grey white basics paper. Most of the paper was distressed and one piece was crimped. Then I played around with some Copic White Opaque paint on it. I am in love. It gives a great effect and dried quickly. I used a fiskars border punch at the bottom. Oh, and the scallops and oval for the image to rest on are from Nestabilities dies.
Sentiment: The stamp is from Inkadinkado, and I stamped it on Kraft paper then cut it with a Magnolia tag die. I added some twisted twine to the top of the tag, as well as the white opaque paint.
Embellishments: The flowers and silver corner piece are from Wild Orchid Crafts. The ribbon is from Michael's. The lace is old lace that I got in a big basket of lace at an antique shop. The butterfly is from prima's canvas collection; I embossed it and then I misted it with three different Glimmer Mists.
The image (the most important part!): She's an Elisabeth Bell image from Whiff of Joy. I've had this one for a while and she remains one of my favorites. I colored her with copics, but it's been so long that I have no recollection of the colors I used. Then I covered her with Crackle Effects. It's hard to see that in the photo, but she has a really neat effect with the little crackles everywhere.

I'm entering this card in the Digi Bells "anything goes" challenge for guest DT spots. I'd love to be on their GDT. I have been a fan of Elisabeth Bell's images for a long time, and probably have 75-100 of them. They're just too cute to do anything but buy them and bring them home!!! I'm always so excited to get them in the mail (or email, for digi).

Fabulous Fun with the Greeting Farm

As I've already said in the last post or two, I'm trying hard to build up my stash of cards to send to deployed soldiers, that they can then use to write home. The Farm Fresh Challenge this week really got me thinking and I wanted to make a card for it. I mean, after all, it's a challenge about pink, polka dots, and ribbon, which are three things that I love! Unfortunately, Mr. Mojo was being a brat tonight. He just didn't feel like helping me out. I made two cards and hated them both. In fact, I hated them so much that I tore them apart, because I didn't want to waste this cute image on them. I think she's retired, because I didn't see her in the store and I know I've had her for a while. After much tossing and cutting of paper, I finally came up with this card:

I hope it doesn't sound too vain, but I like it! Of course, since nothing was going my way tonight, I didn't notice that I put the one piece of paper too low, so I had to make up for that with a tab and some pearls. Of course, that also meant that the big ribbon covered up most of the dog's face in the patterned paper, and I was hoping to have him peeking out a bit more. Then I realized that the challenge said two pieces of ribbon, and you can't see the velvet piece behind the big bow. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out how to get another piece on there. Then I got the idea to tie some twine through a button. Man, I hope twine counts. If not, then I hope that the ribbon behind the big bow counts!!! If not, at least I got a card made, right? And I still like it, which I definitely can't always say.

Anyway, head on over to the Farm Fresh Challenge blog. It's a recipe this week to make a card with pink, polka dots, and two ribbons. Come on, don't you have a cute Greeting Farm stamp in your stash, just calling to you to color him or her up?!?!? I had quite a few. You've got to have at least one, and if not, they sell digis! Get on over there and get one!

Sometimes, it's okay to have a mouse in the house

When it's a House Mouse stamp, that is. I got some time to create this weekend. I'm trying hard to build up my stash of cards for soldiers that they can use to write home. With the weekly letter writing, my stash has gotten extraordinarily low. I didn't have any motivation to color, so I used some images that I had colored months ago, and came up with these cards:

 I have long been a fan of House Mouse images, and their cute counterparts Happy Hoppers (bunnies) and Gruffies (bears). They're just too cute, as well as fun to color.

I got this little guy with his inkwell and pen on ebay. Even though it's one of the more simple of the HM stamps I own, it's also one of my favorites. I love how you can put a sentiment up near his pen tip and make it look like he's written it. It also makes for a sweet card every time, with minimal time needed for coloring if you are in a hurry.

I also love the images with fruit, for some reason, especially when their little tummies are all fat. It just cracks me up.

As always, thanks for taking a peek at my blog! Have a wonderful week. I've got a busy one coming up this week, but maybe I'll find more time to create in there somewhere.

Friend to Friend

I know, I know. I disappeared for a couple of weeks. Sorry about that. The holiday hubbub drew me in and kept me running! Then this weekend came and I got so much done. I even got some time to create. I already showed you the three cards I made for the soldier's family. This card is for a dear friend of mine who just needs a pick-me-up. She's a generous, kind soul and although she struggles with health issues, she continues to put her own needs to the side for others. I tease her that I am going to teach her how to say "no". Truly, though, her giving nature is one of the many things I love about her. Now if I could just get her to see that she needs to take care of herself, too....

Anyway, I used my new DCWV stack of adhesive fabric paper. That stuff is REALLY sticky. Everything else is from my stash. I know that the ecru lace was on sale at a Joann's when it was closing its doors, the pink rose ribbon is from Hancock Fabrics (I think), the pink leaves are from Joann's dollar spot, and I bought the crocheted flower in a lot on ebay. The pink polka dot border is a self-adhesive fabric border, but I don't know which company makes it. The lined paper is a journaling spot from Heidi Swapp. Oh, and the fabric leaves are Prima. I think that covers almost all of it.

As always, thanks for looking!! I sincerely appreciate your comments, but I haven't figured out yet how to change the comment section to say so. I'm a bit of a techno-idiot like that.

Oh, yeah! I almost forgot!!! I started this card using a sketch over at Cardabilities. It's sketch #46. Go check it out!!!

Thinking of our military on New Years

I hope everyone in the blogosphere is having a safe and happy day, counting down to the New Year. I got a letter from my marine yesterday that made my day. She is coming home to her two year old son in February, just in time for his birthday. She wrote me to thank me for the letters and care packages, and tell me how much they meant to her over the last 6 months or so. Now that Jessica is coming home, I'm going to adopt another soldier. In the mean time, I'll keep writing letters to a new soldier each week. This week, the soldier's story really touched my heart and made it hurt for him and his family. This is his second deployment. Five days after he was deployed, he found out that his daughter has cancer. His wife and daughter are currently at the hospital while his daughter undergoes treatment, and his son is several hundred miles away from them (and he is several thousand miles away!). I wanted to do a little extra something for him, rather than just writing a letter. Well, for several of them, I include a blank card that they can use to send a note to family. In his case, I'm going to include a donation towards a phone card or internet service (they have to pay $70/month for it, where he is stationed), as well as a card each for his wife, son, and daughter. Here are the cards I've made. I used some images that I had already colored.

This is the card for his wife. The "I'm Yours" is actually a pin that she can later remove and wear, if she so chooses. Image is Edwin from Magnolia. Papers are Prima.

And these are the cards for his kids. The little monkey card is for his son, and the House Mouse card is for his daughter. Many thanks to my awesome friend Tracy for making the sentiment for me!

In each card, I added a folding piece of paper so he can write a lengthy note to each one of them. This New Year's, stay safe, stay warm, be happy and please...remember those courageous men and women who sacrifice for us each and every day!

I hope I don't have to draw a new winner

Ursula, please contact me by Tuesday to claim your prize from our Guylou's Inimitability blog hop. If not, I'm going to have to draw another winner and I don't want to do that to you!

Congratulations to Ursula!

First off, thanks to everyone who hopped along with us on Saturday. I hope you got lots of inspiration and had fun, too!

The winner of my secret RAK and Dorothy Makes a Snow Angel is:

Ursula Uphof

Congratulations, Ursula! Please email me at RSL314 (at) verizon (dot) net with your home address, so I can mail you the RAK. I will also email you the certificate to use for your free Guylou's Inimitability image, Dorothy Makes a Snow Angel.

Are you ready to play a fun game with Guylou's Inimitability?

Hey, there, all the readers in blogland! I'm a bit punchy today; it's been a super busy week both personally and at work, so I'm rather tired and slap happy. I promise, I'm usually pretty sane. Most of the time. LOL.

Ok, ok, I'll get to the point. It's coming up on Christmas! I love Christmas and have such a great time making gifts for family and friends. I usually make Christmas cards, too, but I didn't do too much of that this year. Time just got away from me. Man, I can't seem to stop being tangential today. Sorry about that. Back to it: we're having a hop at Guylou's Inimitability. If you've made it here from our wonderful NEW DT member Chana's blog, then you're in the right spot. If you get lost at any point, head on back to Guylou's Inimitability for some direction.

First off, welcome, Chana! We're so happy to have you with us on our DT. You rock, girl!

This is our awesomest hop of the year. We've got so many prizes, freebies, and a fun game, too! All you have to do is visit each stop on the hop, leave a comment, and collect the secret word on each blog...it shouldn't be too hard, since our DT has made every effort to um...showcase and provide some form of highlight on their particular word. Once you've got all of the words, reorganize them to a Christmas phrase and go to Guylou's Inimitability and put it in the InLinkz on the GI blog. You should have nine words once you've collected them all. Two people with the correct phrase will win gift certificates to the Guylou's Inimitability store. We're not done there, though. I mean, after all, it's coming up on Christmas, people!

In addition to the chance to win a gift certificate, you could win free images. At the end of the hop, each DT member will draw a name from their commenters. One lucky commenter per blog will win the image used on that DT member's blog. In my case, you can win Dorothy Makes a Snow Angel. Isn't she darling? Check her out:

I made her into a tag for my aunt's Christmas present (the to and from are on the back). She's a shakerbox full of teeny, tiny blingy beads. The light reflects off of those beads like crazy! I added some silver ribbon, which I attached with KI Gloo to the back. Papers are Basic Grey. I used Liquid Applique to suggest the snow angel shape.

Oh, yeah, back to prizes and such. We're not done yet! Not only will I give away Dorothy Makes a Snow Angel to one lucky winner, but I'll also be giving away a secret Christmas RAK! Trust me, it's yummy. I'll give you a hint of some of the things you might find in it: a Tim Holtz mini bird with cage die, a 6x6 paper pad or two, maybe some ribbon and buttons....I tend to go a bit overboard with my shopping, so trust me, you will love it!

We're STILL not done. Just for participating in this hop, everyone is eligible to receive two free digis from Guylou's store. You can get the wreath with the bow as well as without it. Just add it to your cart at the GI digi store and apply the coupon code 2011-12-BH-WREATH.

Did you catch all of that? In short, we're having fun at Christmas time, offering prizes, a game, and two free images!!! Thank you so much for your support throughout this year. Have fun hopping! Your next stop is my awesome buddy, Sara. Just in case you need it, here's the blog order:

Chana
Gina (you are here!)
Sara
Tracy
Trina
Kim
Carmen
Guylou
Guylou's Inimitability

Thanks for coming by and Merry Christmas!!!!

(Did you get my secret word yet? I'm seeing red....)

The secret life of a marriage

I didn't plan on posting again today, or any time within the next few days, for that matter. I will blame it on Stephen King. I used to read his books repeatedly. Repeatedly, as in, I read books like It at least five times. I lost my passion for horror for a bit there, though. Then he released his new compilation of short stories. My brother got it, read it in two days, and loaned it to me. In one of the stories, he talks about the secret life of a marriage, consisting of ordinary day-to-day things that speak about that life and that relationship. Simple things, like where he puts his toothbrush, what side of the bed he sleeps on, and so on. If you are in a committed relationship, then you know what Mr. King means. I think it also encompasses things like those decisions you make together: the big ones such as where to live and the smaller ones, like what furniture to buy. Only the two of you know every step and detail that happened during that decision-making process. It's a life that's secret from everyone else, because only the two of you know the intimate details of it. His story got me thinking about that life that Rick and I shared. As usual, when the grief hits one of the bottomless ocean pits, it helps me to journal about it. I had my cry, then came up to my computer and journaled. Then I felt that internal push to put that journaling on a LO for his memorial album. Unfortunately, my design mojo is vacationing right now, probably someplace warmer than it is here in Maryland. So, I went hunting for a sketch to kick start the process. I found the new sketch, posted today at Sketch Support. It's sketch #15 and suited my purposes perfectly.

The layout is called: The Secret Life of a Marriage. Papers are Cosmo Cricket and the cardstock is Bazzill dotted swiss. I love that stuff! The hearts were in a pack from Walmart, I think. The ribbon is from Hobby Lobby. Letters are felt (red) and the tiny alphas, from Making Memories. The journaling says:
Perfectly matched oak furniture, found after much hunting and discussion. Simple gold lamps. Rotation of the items displayed above the tv. The maroon crocheted throw. The green throw pillows. Your toothbrush on the shelf. Hairspray clouds in the bathroom. The sound of your shaver. Colorless walls, covered in pictures we spent so much time choosing and hanging. These are just some of the things that made up the secret life of our marriage. I bought new furniture, removed the matching lamps, remodeled the bathroom, replaced the pictures, and painted the off-white walls. Part of me thinks that I did these things to prove to myself that I could move forward; to prove to myself that I could get past this, even though sometimes, I’m not so sure that I can. Sometimes, I miss you so much that I want to take it all back to matching furniture and eggshell walls, just so I can hear your voice again, disagreeing with me on the merits of mixing patterns.            

As always, thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!