Sunday Funnies

Finally, I have another post. It's nothing creative today. I am SOOOOOO worn out with work. Yesterday I went in at 0300 to help with the foot march. I work in one of those jobs that's like Groundhog Day. I do the same thing over and over and over.... again, so I don't know what's keeping there so much lately. It's driving me crazy. I seem to get nothing done in my personal life. Even my bills are stacking up. I need to make a doctor and dentist appointment, get my car tuned, get a new eye exam for my contacts, make thank you notes and Christmas cards, mail my club cards, finish my spring cleaning, return some things to the store before the receipts expire, finish all my continuing education for my licenses and certifications, renew some prescriptions, and I haven't even had my hair cut or eyebrows waxed in almost a year. I don't even want to talk about needing to shave my legs. At this point I can either grate cheese or call a lawn service. Do you ever feel like this in your life? Does it ever go away, or does it just keep building until you crack? Midlife crisis isn't supposed to happen at 23! Come to think of it... my hair is falling out, I can't get enough chocolate, and I've been having insomnia... ahhhhh!!!!

Zero Day

Work has really been consuming my life lately. I hardly have time to even sit down when I get home before I start doing the sleepy head bobble thing. I love being a Soldier, but like any job, some days are longer than others. As most of you have figured out by now, I work at training unit. The course is a couple weeks long, and today was Zero Day. We don't usually start with Day One in the military. I don't know why. It's just the way we are. Anyhow, Zero Day starts at around 0415 in the morning in the summer months. It's just way too hot to start later with all the physical activity that goes on. They run around and get yelled at just like you see on movies and television. Can you say "push-ups"? The main events for Zero Day are the obstacle course followed by a two-mile timed run. It takes a few hours for the students to get through all of that. There are 200 hundred of them after all! At the end of the run they get to take a little break, but then it's off to the class room for their first block of instruction. This whole Zero Day process is designed to weed out the students that aren't physically and mentally ready. We find out quickly who needs to work on strength, endurance, and especially who's afraid of heights. It's nice to know those sorts of things before we whisk them away in a high-flying helicopter. LOL!

Sunday Funnies

Post Office

Alright all you G.I. Goody winners... I finally got all your packages together. I hope all of you enjoy your goodies. Be sure to send me pictures of what you make with your fun treats.

Sigh of Relief

I think this deployment situation is all figured out. My boss here at my unit got in contact with my old unit, and apparently they were trying to pull a fast one. I'm a medic, so I'm in big demand. They wanted me off their books to fill the slot with a new medic, but since they couldn't, they were trying to get me back again. "Too late!" That's what the big guys at the top said about the matter. This puts a great deal of ease in my mind now. I'm still unnerved about the whole thing though. I just won't be at ease until I see that plane fly away, and I'm waving goodbye.

Blogger Awards

I just want to give a big thanks to those of you who gave me this award. I was slammed with at least a dozen emails! You guys are THE BEST! I'm just going to go ahead and put a few links up here to girls that I dub as new ROCKIN' GIRL BLOGGERs as well.

http://studiobeecreations.blogspot.com/

http://malieta-lifessimplepleasures.blogspot.com/

http://leslierich.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/

http://ucanstampit.blogspot.com/

http://papercraftingfun.blogspot.com/

I also received this cute little award anonymously, so THANK YOU to whomever you are!

The Big Scare

Let me give you a little bit of background information before I dump this story on you. I originally joined the Army Reserves back in 2003, but shortly after realized it is a much better idea to be on Active Duty. Reserve units don't have as much training, equipment, members, or money. I also figured if I was on a 6 year contract with the reserves I'd deploy more than if I was on a 3 year contract with the Regular Army. Plus, you get WAAAAY more benefits if you're Active Duty. Ok, so the first Active Duty unit I went to was here at Fort Campbell. I was assigned to an infantry brigade. I was only there for about six months before they started packing us up for deployment. Just a week before I was set to fly off to Iraq, I was asked to stay behind and teach some pre-deployment stuff for new Soldiers that were going to be constantly coming into the unit while they were in Iraq. So, for over a year I worked at a school while my home unit was in Iraq. Once they returned I was supposed to go back and rejoin my Battle Buddies, but I didn't. I then moved over to work at another training unit. I've now been working here for almost a year. About two months ago, my old infantry unit decided they didn't want me on their books anymore, so they asked the school to reassign me as their own. They did. Now, I belong to this third unit. Today, my old boss came over to the school and told me to get my things together because I am getting on a plane in a few weeks headed for Iraq! What a curve ball!!! The unit I'm in now isn't really a deployable unit right now, so I have nothing in order to get myself ready for 15 months away from home. I don't have equipment, or a weapon, or my pre-deployment training and briefings, or all my shots and doctor's visits, and not to mention my will isn't in order! Normally you at least get to go home and say goodbye to your family and give your landlord 30 days notice, but now I just have a few weeks to pack up my whole life!

Winter Mini

Winter Mini is HERE!!!! Ooo! I can't wait to play with all of these new stamp sets. I just don't know which one will be my Christmas card yet. It's always so hard to decide. I have to make something that I can re-create at least 50 times without getting sick of it. I've tried making two or three different versions to ease myself of the monotony, but then people want every version. I also have to figure out which stamp set I want. I LOVE them all, so this is the most difficult decision. Then there's the whole planning aspect. I have to figure out how much paper and ribbon and other embellishments I need to order. It makes me feel like I'm planning a military operation. This is a big deal! This new mini catalog has a ton of new stuff besides stamp sets. Wrapping paper!!! How fun is that? It also has some pretty new papers that I can't wait to play with. Oh, and embellishments are in there too: 15/16" satin ribbon, library clips, designer gift cards, elastic cord, and chip board! I don't know about you, but I miss the cord that recently retired. I think this will do as a fine alternate, plus it's stretchy! Be sure and let me know what your favorite new thing is in this mini and what you're planning to do with it. I'll be posting a sketch for my Christmas cards soon.

Sunday Funnies

And the Winner Is...

It's time to announce the winner of the Lucky Day G.I. Goodies! I promised you I would have a second drawing, but... since seven is my favorite number we now have SEVEN WINNERS!!! I've added additional mini-G.I. Goodies for the additional winners they're sure to love. Here's the list chosen by random.org:

1. Sue who said... Hi Laura :)I found your blog after you left a comment on mine *thanks*I love your work especially "PSH" how funky is that :)Have your blog saved to my faves now ;)Stay safe chickadee :)
2. Denise who said... 10-4 sistah! TFS, great blog candy!
3. CAKVD said... Ok, that "scrapbooker on board" sign is awesome! Fabulous candy. I hope you had a very lucky day!Cheryl KVD
4. Tami who said... That is an awesome batch of goodies. Thanks so much for the chance- off to check out your blog!
5. wheeler who said... Hey Laura, miss scrappin with you!!! Didn't know you were a SU Demonstrator, WOW! Love your blog. Was nice to see your face again and to catch up. Hope to see you soon and get some scrapping done...ha ha ha....Donna Martin.
6. Angel W who said... Great and "yummy" looking candy....so sweet of you to share your treats with us. StAmPin sMilEs~Angel
7. And the GRAND PRIZE WINNER: Linda SS said... Great blog...your post regarding the 4th of July parade really touched me. (and also made me sad) THANK YOU for offering blog candy, and more importantly for protecting us through your service. Hugs to you & a STANDING ovation.

Lucky Ladies: Congratulations, and don't forget to send your snail mail address.

DOLLs

The scrapping, stamping, and gabbing group that I'm in is appropriately named "The DOLLs". That stands for Dirty Ol' Laughing Ladies. We figured that explained it all when it came to our posse. We have so much fun. This month we decided to send eachother cards as a sort of card swap. I embarrasingly admit that my cards are not yet in the mail. I do have a week left to get them to the girls though, so I'm still hanging on to that hope. I'm just so behind in everything these days. Here is the card I recieved from Marceline today:

Tagged

Ok, so two people tagged me: Malieta & Faith. This is my first tag, so I'm a bit excited. I hope I do this right... Here are seven random things about me:

1. My favorite color is RED.
2. I have more scrapping totes that I can fit supplies into.
3. My BF is BRAD (sigh).
4. I am a TEXAN!!!
5. I am 23 years old.
6. I can bake, but I can't cook.
7. Ooo! I like seven. It's my favorite number.

Here are the 7 bloggers I am tagging: (ok this is difficult, I only have about a million favorites!)

1. First has to be my BFF, DEBBIE! She just set up her blog, so let's give her some encouragement on getting started.
2. The next one is Estivalia. She lives waaaaay down in Chile!
3. Wanda gets my next shout-out simply because she's a big sweetheart.
4. I can't forget my blogging birth twin: Melanie.
5. Marie is a about to be a new mommy again. I can't wait to see pictures of the new baby.
6. Kendra gets my vote for the most fun cards.
7. And finally the blog I MUST visit daily: Leslie.

Alrighty, now I've got to go post comments to all these fabulous ladies to let them know: "Tag! You're It!"

Sunset

Well, I just can't get a good photo. I'm a natural light enthusiast, and I just keep missing it this week. Work is really getting to me. I really cannot wait for the weekend to roll around. I'm getting desperate. There was one good thing about today though. Mr. Brown showed up with my new stamp sets! I just love all my new goodies. Hopefully I'll be able to share a little project everyday with my new toys. Today's project was inspired by the Simply Sent Sending Happy Thoughts kit. Not only are the cards beautiful, but you get lots of fun treats with it. Glitter!!! Who doesn't love that? I really wish SU! would have depicted the contents of each kit better. They are way more fun than the picture lets on. I'll be sure to do much more with this set in the near future. Here's what I did: I started with an A2 card in Pumpkin Pie. I then used my corner rounder on a .5" strip of Real Red to create the scallops. I ran the 2" strip of Old Olive through my Cuttlebug to get the embossed cirlces. I then tied some orange gingham ribbon around the Old Olive cardstock before adhering. The dotted frame image is stamped in Old Olive on a 1.5" square piece of Very Vanilla and is matted on Real Red. The flower image is stamped in Real Red with leaves stamped in Old Olive. The flower with leaves are adhered with pop glue dots as well as the matted frame. I then took a paper piercer and poked holes along the upper border of the Old Olive cardstock and along the border of the Real Red scalloped edge. And...that's it!

Simple & Sweet

Do you ever feel like the day just rolls by too fast? I do! I barely caught notice that the sun was going down a few minutes ago. I like to take my pictures outside, so I had to think of a quick card to throw together. This card was very quick and easy to make. It also only used scraps of patterned paper that I found lying on the floor of my scrappy space. You can't say I don't recycle now. I love these flowers since they come shaded from the center which is often a little bit of a messy hassle to achieve if you're doing it yourself. I also love that don't need a brad or button to finish them off.

Here's what I did:

The card base is textured paper from Bazzill and is cut to A2. The patterned paper is all from BasicGrey. The blue polka dot strips are cut to .25" wide and the floral strip is 1" wide. I then used my black journaling pen to add faux stitching. The three white flowers and leaves are Prima and are adhered with glue dots. And...that's it!

Post Office Surprise

Well, it was back to work again today. Nothing much really happened. In fact, the day was quite boring until I checked my post office box during my lunch break. Look what I got from my friend Sheila:

Sunday Funnies

Ok, I'm back to good ol' Fort Campbell. And in turn that means I'm also near all of my beloved crafty things. I think I missed them as much as my family! Any-who, here's the Sunday Funny for today. I hope you get a giggle!

Top 10 Signs of a Scrapbook Addict

1. You're the only one at a social gathering yelling, "Just one more photo, folks; I don't have enough for a two-page spread!"
2. A regular sandwich is no longer acceptable--it must be cropped or cut with decorative edges.
3. You try to claim your album purchases as a medical expense because it's such good "therapy".
4. You buy a new pink swimsuit because it matches the pink photo mounting paper.
5. Your child is the only one in agriculture class who thinks "crop" is to "cut your photos."
6. You decide to give your child piano lessons so you'll be able to use the musical instrument stickers that are in the Big Pack.
7. You redecorate your family room to coordinate with your photo album covers. -Your three year old wants to know if her coloring book is "archival quality".
8. You're in a fender bender and your first thought is, "I wonder what die-cut shape will coordinate with this event?"
9. Scraps from your corner rounder cuttings can be found in unusual places: school lunch bags, briefcases, the laundry, the dog's water bowl.
10. Of course a scrapbook addict doesn't follow a 12-step program but a 12 x 12 step one.

Lucky Day

Well, today is the luckiest day of the year: 7-7-07! So... that means it's your lucky day too! It's about time to issue out a few crafty rations, so here's what up for the first G.I. Goody: -June edition of Cards -"Scrapbooker on Board!" sign -Making Memories alpha chipboard -25 yards of ribbon -Tons of Bazzill flowers -Three giant Prima flowers -One package of white MM rub-ons -One package of black MM rub-ons -A handful of clear buttons ***Also, if I hit 2000 hits by the time of the drawing, I'll have a second drawing for another G.I. Goody!!! Leave a comment on this post to put your name in for the drawing, and be sure to check back in 7 lucky days to see who the winner is. Don't forget to click here cast your vote for Blogger's Choice Awards as well. Over and out!

Belated Birthday

Since I didn't get to come home in May for my real birthday, my family had a little party this evening. My mom made my favorite hummingbird cupcakes and everything. There are only two left, and I plan on poking my finger in each to detract any cupcake snatchers that might come in the night. I'm still away from my crafty things back at Fort Campbell, so I don't have any new projects to share with you. I did manage to get a Cuttlebug out of the whole belated birthday deal though. Yeah!!! I can't wait to get started. My flight doesn't leave until Sunday, so it's going to be a couple more days before I can fed my creative addiction again. I can divulge, however, that I prepared some crafty rations ready to be issued out in honor of my 25th post and the luckiest day of the year. So, be sure to check back tomorrow for my first giveaway!

Buttons

I'm on "vacation" back in Texas through the weekend. It's on of the three occasions I actually get to come home and see my family for. The other two being Christmas and Thanksgiving. This morning my mom and I headed into Austin to give Archiver's a visit. Right when we were about to turn into the parking lot the guy behind me slammed into me. Not two seconds before I made a comment about how when I put my brakes on I tend to keep my eye on the rear view mirror for the person behind me more than the person in front. I guess I jinxed us. Anyhow, the guy didn't have his driver's license or his insurance card. The cops gave us information cards to exchange, but when we called his cell later it didn't accept incoming calls. His insurance company also said he hadn't paid since March, and his policy was dropped! How about that?! Anyhow, I'm not near all of my wonderful things, so I whipped this creation out so I'd at least have a post for the day.

Here's what I did:

I always start my cards and designs with a sketch. I'm just one of those doodling people. However, my projects rarely turn out exactly like my sketches. This card is no exception. It came out much more bland than I had intended. All of the paper used on this card is from Chatterbox. I love that they have tons of different patterns that all coordinate together. The pale blue piece was the first to go down on my card front. It's cut to 2.75"x5.25". The horizontal striped piece was adhered next and is cut to 1.25"x5.25". The other striped piece is cut to .75"x5.25". I tied and attached the twill to this piece before I attached it to the card front. Finally, the buttons are attached with glue dots and are from American Crafts. And...that's it!

Lunch Box

First of all, I want to thank all of you who left me such wonderful messages and comments on my last post. I wish I could express what your words mean to me. I hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July!!! Now, back to crafts... This is one of those projects that I started ages ago. I always thought it would end up having a name or other title of some sort along the wave line, but it just never came to me until today. I was cleaning out my craft room and while organizing all my flowers this one some how got out of the mix. This lunchbox has been sitting in my room without a face since October at least, but now "it's alive!" Here's what I did: I took one of my white Provo Craft lunchboxes and covered it in two separate pieces of the blue Chatterbox paper first. The seems are on either side of the box. To get the notch in the front for the latch, I used a circle punch. To adhere I used red line tape around the borders of each piece and a foam brush with a light layer of Mod Podge to fill in the rest. The red line will help hold it all in place while the Mod Podge dries. I also used a brayer to smooth out any bumps or air pockets. I then took two .25" strips of the striped paper and ran it through my Xyron before wrapping it around the top of the lunchbox. I did the same on the bottom but with the pieces cut to .5" wide. The wave piece was also cut out of two matching pieces of card stock. I first drew my design lightly in pencil before using an craft knife to cut out the design. I again kept the seems on the sides of the box and used a combination of red line and Mod Podge. The white circle trim is from Making Memories and is adhered using the Xyron. The blue ribbon is from Stampin' Up! and is knotted through a Making Memories ribbon slider. The white flowers are from Prima, and the two leaves are from an old bouquet. They are all adhered with a combo of glue dots and liquid adhesive. And...that's it!

This Soldier's Request

As you all know, tomorrow is a big holiday. As I'm sure you would have guessed it's especially important to me and my brothers and sisters in uniform. Here at Fort Campbell we are preparing for yet another deployment. Many mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, daughters, sons, and friends will have to say farewell to the ones they love. This deployment marks the first 15 month deployment this unit faces. Can you imagine not seeing the face of your child for over a year? It's heart wrenching. We don't become Soldiers to be your heroes. We become Soldiers to protect people we love and people we don't even know. It's a duty we are all proud of. It's not always fun, and yes, we complain. Haven't you ever complained about your job? It's never easy, but it must be done. The first time I marched in a parade was on the 4th of July. I was so excited and honored to be bearing our flag. As I marched down the streets I became more and more disheartened as I saw not one person stand up from sitting on the curb or a lawn chair as the flag waved by. Even as a child I knew this was an occasion to stand. Why didn't these children stand? And why didn't the adults? By the end of the march the only person who got up on their feet when I walked by with our nations colors was an old man in an electric chair. I was ashamed at the lack of respect from my own home town. The only person who even bothered to rise to their feet was a man who couldn't even walk. If this Soldier asks anything in return for the years I've committed to serving you it is to ask you and your children to stand up when you hear our National Anthem, the Pledge of Allegiance, and when our nation's Colors go by.

Eye of the Beholder

The idea for this book came from the idea gallery of one of my favorite scrapbook stores. Unfortunately they no longer sell online and the nearest one is about four hours away. I love taking classes for scrapbook pages, altered art, and yes, even cards. There's nothing more fun than to sit around the crop room while gabbing, snacking, and making a fun project. Since there aren't too many inspirational or unique options here locally, I often have to settle for doing my own class kits here in my "Arts & Craps Room". Here's what I did: The small composition book is from EK Success. It's 4"x6". You can adjust this design to fit any size book though. The papers are all from Autumn Leaves and Fancy Pants. For projects that I know will get handled quite a bit, like this one, I like to use red line tape since it's extra strong and sticky. The first piece I attached was the striped piece that covers the spine of the book. It's cut to 2"x6". The two pieces of hot pink ribbon went on next. I used left over rub-ons from my stash to make the border and quote before adhering. The "O" in the word "beholder" was missing, so I just replaced it with a heart rub on from another border. This piece of blue and green paper is cut to 1.25"x6". The front piece of hot pink paper is cut to 2.5"x6", and I used my corner rounder to create the scallop. The back piece of hot pink is cut to 3.5"x6". The metal tag is from Making Memories and has a scrap piece of white patterned paper in it. The flower is a stamp from Hampton Arts and is stamped on a piece of acetate with StazOn ink. I punched holes through the flower and tag and tied the green ribbon through both before attaching them with glue dots. The three buttons are from my personal collection and are also adhered with glue dots. And...that's it!

Sunday Funnies