Road Trip

Guess what?! I have nine days off from work... YES! I really didn't expect to have the time off, so there's not time to get a plane ticket. I'd have to take Lilly to the vet for records and shots verification to get her a plane ticket or kennel stay, so I just decided to take a road trip instead. The trip isn't too bad with all the stops I like to take. Between Lilly and I we need to take breaks of some sort every 2-3 hours. I left from Tennessee Sunday morning and arrived here in Texas around 2330 (11:30 pm for you civilians). I really enjoyed the trip. It's the first time I've really taken a long car trip alone. Well, I did drive down to Fort Benning, Georgia last year for Officer Candidate School, but it wasn't a terribly long trip like this one. I forgot how nice it is just to be away and alone sometimes. I still had to call about a dozen different people at every stop to check in, but it was still worth it.

Rock Climbing

So, I did it. I went rock climbing like I wanted to. I actually went twice already, and I'm getting a tad bit addicted. It's not my first time doing this, but it's been a super long time since I have. I started climbing and rappelling in the fire academy a few years ago. We were all certified in rope rescue during the five month long course. I loved it then, and apparently I still love it. I hope I can meet some other people there too. You can't rappel on your own after all. You have to have someone at the bottom on belay (to stop you from falling). I can't wait to go back again and again.

Summer Schedule

We're officially headed into our summer schedule here at the school house. This means the days are even hotter and longer. We also start traveling quite a bit too. I already have two trips to Fort Knox and three to West Point on the books. Most of the instructors took off on up to Fort Knox around 0630 this morning. We're teaching 200 college ROTC students up there. There's not really a whole lot that I do in the middle of the course, so "Sergeant D" (my boss) and I are taking turns. He's doing the first half, and I'm going up for the second half. Neither of us will be there in the middle. It's only two hours away, so it's easy enough to just drive back and forth without having to hitch an air ride. He's got a whole brood of kiddies plus one on the way, so I don't blame him for lacking travel interests lately. Being that we're a mobile course in the summers also means it's quite boring around here when I'm left behind. I suppose there's less excuse for not blogging now. I like to write my blogs in my email server before I post them over to Blogger. It seems so unreliable at times. I never know when the links are going to stop working or when it just decides it doesn't feel like playing with me anymore. It's a pain sometimes, but at least it's free! You can't beat that deal, right? Anyhow, I found this fun-looking indoor rock climbing place in Nashville (50 minutes away). It's called Climb Nashville. I've already emailed the point of contact to get some more information. I'm dying to be a member already. I just hope I have enough time to get there at least once a week or so. I learned how to climb and rappel in the fire academy back about 5 years ago, and I totally loved it. I just hope I get that same thrill again. I'm not a terribly athletic or sporty girl in general, so it's rare I find a sport that I take interest in. There's just something that doesn't spark my interest about running in circles or on a treadmill like a hamster. I don't like things being thrown at me either, so that eliminates most of the ball-sports. I did play on the golf team in high school and college, but my old clubs are still back home. My golf coach gave them to me after our home burned down my senior year of high school. They're definitely way past their prime, but they still managed to help me earn 3rd place at state. I've been eying a new set from Callaway though. They're the Cadillac of golf equipment, and I've ALWAYS wanted a set. Perhaps it's a good gift to give myself for my birthday. I hope I'm not the only one out there who buys themselves a present. I don't have to worry about keeping gift receipts after all.

Don't Ask Me Why...

I did it. It was on a random whim. There was no forethought to it whatsoever. I signed up for the dating site again! I'm already regretting it. I don't know why I'm sitting in remorse over it either. I'm not sure if I should be proactive or sit on my bum about the whole thing. Perhaps I should have taken that hundred bucks for a measly six-month subscription to love and spent the night shakin' my booty at a club. Mr. Right just might be a rump-shaker...Not! I sure hope my MR isn't a bar-scene kinda dude. Beer guzzling and butt gawking aren't exactly on the checklist for my McDreamy. I wonder if they have any of that weird speed dating stuff around here. I'm interested to try it out. I have complete and profound doubts about it, but at this point I may as well start collecting the rest of my dating memoirs, tearful woes, and silly stories for the book that seems to be well on it's way to creation. Even the stuff in Cosmo doesn't give me the same gag or giggle that my own formerly boring life does. (P.S. 9 more days 'til I'm 24!)

Happy Tears

Wow! I'm overwhelmed at the sweetness that comes from total strangers. I really feel like I know many of you even more so than some of my own family members. You're awesome! You got me to thinking too... is anyone interested in doing a Rolodex swap of sorts for birthday information (name, address, email, website, and birthday)? I just want to make sure to send birthday cards to all of you, but there's no way I can remember them all without a little help. I won't open this up as a traditional swap, but if you'd like to send me your information as an altered index card, Rolodex card, ATC or by whatever means you keep track of birthdays I'll be sure to return the favor as well. I've already started crackin' on some cute little Rolodex cards and ATCs for you. I hope you'll come play with me! (P.S. 12 more days 'til I'm 24!)

Laura Barefoot

PO Box 323

Fort Campbell, KY 42223

One of Those Days

Do you ever have a day when the smallest seeming thing just sends you into tears? Well, I'm having one of those days. I really think it's an accumulation of so many things, but you know what they say about the camel's back... Although there are a couple other females that work here somewhere at the school with me, I mostly interact with men. Let me remind you that I am in the Army, so we can't flirt or dress cute or do anything that the average workforce would consider socially acceptable or just plain normal. You can't tell someone "You look nice today!", or you'd be accused of sexual harassment. The military is very strict on these things. I don't know how any female could begin to look "nice" in a man's uniform anyhow. My clothes are so baggy and bulky. Even my knees rub together when I'm wearing my fitness uniform. Who's crotch hangs that low, really?! I think someone was thinking entirely too generously when they designed those things. Since we aren't allowed to say most compliments and pleasant things to each other, they instead dish out rude elementary verbal slaps. Keep in mind though that around here we can only say something disrespectful to someone whom we don't out-rank. I'm on the bottom of the totem pole here, so that means I'm the target for all of the jerks here. I'm the butt of every joke it seems. Sometimes I can laugh with them, but other times they're just plain mean. Anytime there's a screw-up with paperwork it somehow ends up being my fault too. The top guy blames the guy under him and the guy under him and the guy under him... all the way until it crashes down onto me. I guess today it just got to me a little. The weight was just too much for a second. I cracked. I shed one tear in the privacy of a community latrine. You're not supposed to do that here either though. You can't be weak. At least you wouldn't dare let them find out. Who wants the enemy to have more ammo?! Not me! I think being a single Soldier is another issue that I have a difficult time dealing with. I'm the only single Soldier at this unit. I don't mind being single in the general aspect, but little things like not hearing my own name. I'm "SGT Barefoot" here. I just want to be "Laura" every once in a while. And what about being able to vent? I can't talk to people here about personal matters, and really there is no one to talk to at work that would actually listen without laughing. This blog does help to an extent, but I'm not allowed to say so many things I would rather scream than type. I can't even remember the last time I had a hug. My birthday is just a couple of weeks away too. I bought a box of butter pecan cake mix and cream cheese frosting to make cupcakes as normally do. Baking cupcakes has been my main celebratory event since I've been stationed away from home. My birthday happens to fall on a Wednesday this year. I can't ask off a day in the middle of the week. It doesn't work that way. So instead, I'll be sitting at my desk knowing the whole time that today I am 24. I'm one year away from being able to rent a car on my own without any extra insurance, waivers, or signatures, I'm officially in my mid-twenties, and other than the annual phone call from my mom reminding me that today I made her a mother no one will say anything to me regarding my special day otherwise. I just hope it's one of those rare days that I make it safely under the radar and perhaps manage to get home early enough to see any bit of remaining sunlight.

I've Been Tagged

I was tagged by Marie a couple days ago. It's been a while since I played along, so here we go... What was I doing 10 years ago? Well, I was a couple weeks shy of being 14 years old. (My birthday is May 21st.) I guess that means I was in 8th grade. That was a scary time. I was just a few weeks away from leaving middle school and heading off to the treacherous HIGH SCHOOL! I was in the choir, on the basketball team, and I was also the school mascot, a DUCK! What was I doing 1 year ago? I was down at Fort Benning, Georgia going to Officer Candidate School. I HATED it! 5 favorite snacks? Just five, huh? Let's see... Nilla Wafers, homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, peaches, plums, and Blue Belle Homemade Vanilla ice cream with bananas and pecans! 5 things I would do if I was a millionaire? I'd pay off all of my debts, pay off my family's debts, start a college fund for my future children, start my retirement savings, and buy a new set of golf clubs. 5 things I like doing? I love to take naps with Lilly Belle, laugh at Brad's silly faces, find new places within driving distance that are "undiscovered" to me, play with paper and ribbons, but mostly I love being a Soldier. 5 things I will never wear again? Short skirts, short shorts, anything neon, bikinis, and CULOTTES! Arg! Do you remember those? They're a funky fusion of shorts and a skirt. They're just so wrong! 5 favorite toys? I love my laptop, any craft supplies, roller skates, my camera, and boys! 5 people I am going to tag: Debbie, Danielle, Estivalia, Roree, Anabelle.

Lilly's New Do

I finally took Lilly in for a hair cut. I've been debating over it in my head for a while now. I just couldn't bear the thought of cutting all that cute shaggy hair. She just looks SO different now. All the pretty black hair is finally gone. I miss that too. I'm not sure that she likes her new do though. I've been getting the stink-eye from her since I picked her up. She kinda looks like a little old man... Don'tcha think?

My First Time

I'm always telling my friend Debbie that it's my goal to at least send in a card to one of the paper crafting publications. I finally did it last week. I jumped right in and submitted to my all-time favorite publication: CARDS! Don't you love their stuff?! I DO! I've been subscribed to their monthly book for over two years now. I can't live without it. I waited on pins and needles to hear back from them. I didn't know what they'd say or even if they would respond to me at all. Last Friday when the clock hit 1600 I gathered my things to go home for the day, but not before hitting the refresh button on my email server. Ooo! A new email... it was from "them"! I was so excited I couldn't really read the entire email. I only got through the first "Congratulations!" before I yelled across the office for the other two girls to come and see. We printed out the six-page email with complete directions on how to get my card to them. I only had until the following Wednesday to get it in their hands. That didn't leave me much time. I carefully measured and wrote directions on how to remake my project, kissed it goodbye, and handed it over to the mail man. Thankfully, this morning I received another email from "them" saying my project arrived safely. Yes! They also made it clear that although they've accepted my project for consideration, it doesn't mean I've made it in the book. Now I just have to WAIT until SEPTEMBER to see if I'm in. Ugh! That's FOREVER away. I don't know if I can stand it!

Ribbon Slider

You asked for it! This is my first attempt at a tutorial of one of my cards. I'm sure that I'm not the original creator of this interactive card, so I'm not taking credit by any means. I hope you like it...

Step 1: The first thing you want to do is create your card housing base. The card from the last post was a sealed envelope that I trimmed one edge from, but today I'm using a library pocket. Since not everyone has an oval shaped Word Window Punch (Stampin' Up!) like I used on my original card I decided to show you how to make an oval slot with a circle punch. You can do this with any size. I first drew a line matching the width of my desired slot as you can see by the pencil line in the picture.

Step 2: Now you'll want to punch your circles on the end of each line. I made sure to let my pencil line dissect the circle exactly in half before squeezing. I then drew straight lines with my ruler and pencil connecting the tops of each circle and the bottoms of each circle. Using your craft knife or scissors you should then cut along these lines to create your oval opening. (I would glue my decorative paper on before I did all these steps, so that I would only have to punch and trim all in one step, but it turned out to be easier for the tutorial to show you a simplified version.)

Step 3: Now that you have your oval slot for your ribbon to slide through your card's housing base is complete. For my project though I wanted a matted piece of patterned paper. Normally you would just trim your patterned paper 1/4" or so smaller, but since I had a curved edge at the top of my library pocket that wouldn't do for me. I trimmed the width of my PP to 1/4" smaller than the base then slid it into the pocket. I then traced with a pencil the curve of the pocket and cut it by hand. Now you can measure your PP to a quarter inch smaller in length and have it matted nicely. You'll also want to create your card to fit in your pocket and a piece of matching ribbon at this point. Step 4: You'll want to slide your card into the base with the ribbon loosely sandwiched around it so that both ends of the ribbon are hanging out of the open end of the base. You'll then pull the top end of your ribbon through the slot you've already created and tie a knot or bow.

Step 5: I recommend adhering your ribbon to the back of your card insert so that it's not wobbly when you slide it in and out of the base. Your card should work like this now:

Step 6: Embellish! I've been into making little paper bears out of mulberry paper for a while now, so I thought I'd put one of my fuzzy little guys on this card along with a few pieces of bling! (Do I need to do a tutorial on mulberry bears too?)

I also turned the card insert into a gift card holder. Once I get a real gift card I'm sure anyone will love this card. And...that's it!

I'd love to see your creations with this technique. I've got some blog candy waiting for all of my creative participants. Happy scrappin'!

Finally Expired

UPDATE: This project has been removed for publication. Look for it in CARDS - September 2008.

My account finally expired on my last dating site. I haven't really used it in quite sometime, but I can't help but feel relieved now that I don't have to shell out any more money on crap that's not really working for me. I did meet a couple of guys who were nice but had no personality. I meet even more guys who were total weirdos though. Remember THIS POST? I was signed up for three sites there at one point. Yeah, I'm pathetic. At least I was committing, right? All my chips were in there for sure. As I promised yesterday...I made another card with more stuff from my Scarlet Lime kit. This card has a ribbon pull tab that slides the inner card in and out of the envelope. I just love interactive cards. They're so much fun. If anyone wants instructions on the construction of this card just let me know, and I'll whip up a tutorial.Cardstock: Bazzill Basics, Envelope: Bazzill Basics, Patterned Paper: Making Memories, Ribbon: American Crafts, Flower: Making Memories, Brad: Making Memories, Stamp: Close To My Heart & Stampin' Up!, Chipboard/Stickers: Making Memories, Button: Unknown, Special Tools: Circle Cutter & Window Punch (SU!)

Scarlet Lime

I'm home earlier than usual at least. I've even taken a shower already! It's amazing how the little things really start to make you feel good when you've missed them for a while. I haven't been able to unwind this early in quite some time. I still missed Oprah, but I think I can catch up on the highlights online. I haven't watched that show in so long that I think I really have gone past missing it to not caring anymore. I'm not sure when the last time was that I even picked up the remote. More often than not I'd rather spend time listening to music, playing with Lilly, catching up on house work, or finding any spare creativity I can to make something. The project below is created with my fun new Scarlet Lime kit. The name of the club is yummy all by itself. You can sign up for a three or six month membership. I signed up for the six month stint. You even get an extra special treat if you sign up for six months, (but don't ask me to spill the beans on that one because I don't even know what it is yet!) Christy is the creator of this site, and I must say she is alone the epitome of superb customer service. She's always SO sweet and SUPER quick to respond to any little thing I happen to email her about. I give it two thumbs up! I can't wait to play with the next kit. Anyhow, this is my first creation with the kit. I added a couple of things from my own stash, but I've got WAY more stuff to use from the kit, so I already have another project waiting for you for tomorrow's post. So...what do you think?

Cardstock: Bazzill Basics, Patterned Paper: Making Memories & the Paper Studio, Brad: Making Memories, Flower: Making Memories, Ribbon: American Crafts, Die cut: Cricut, Fabric & Lace: Unknown

Altered Composition Book

Today was such a tiring day. I didn't do anything particularly strenuous, but I'm wiped-out completely! I just got home, so that means I spend yet another extra hour at work somehow. I even went in an hour and a half earlier this morning. It's sucking my life away! At least I managed to get a post in. It's short, but it's here... Here's what I did: I started with a blank composition book and painted the spine and page edges in thin multiple coats of Meadow paint (Making Memories). I then used a combination of red line tape and a liquid adhesive to attach the embossed glittered polka dot paper (MM). I used my craft knife to trim the edges. I then attached the striped patterned paper (MM) and a couple of scalloped borders I trimmed from another piece of die cut paper (MM). I then attached the chipboard pieces, brad, and flowers (MM) using glue dots. And...that's it!

Altered Organic Soap

I bought these organic soaps packaged beautifully in egg carton-like boxes when I purchases the wedding favor stuff I posted a couple of weeks ago. I wanted these to accompany the bath salts, but I never got around to it. I'm such a bum sometimes. There's the side of me that works way too hard and the other side of me that could sleep the whole day away. That lazy bum side usually comes out more frequently after a long day of being G.I. Jane. More and more I think of how much I wish I could live back home though. I love being a Soldier, but life here isn't really moving forward the way I always thought it would be. I've felt like a transient for the past three or four years that I've lived here. I just don't have a sense of permanency that I really long for. I want to settle into something. I want something stable in my life. I just don't know what that something is. You'd think my job would fulfill this need. I mean, I do have the most stable job I can think of. I don't foresee getting laid off anytime soon. I'm not even in a deployable unit right now, and I'm even guaranteed to stay for another two years. That's stability, right? Then why don't I feel like it. Am I being selfish? Maybe I'm just done with this chapter of my life. I've accomplished all of the goals I set out to achieve. I just don't know what's next...

Here's what I did: I cut a strip of (double sided) patterned paper to 2-3/4" wide and a solid piece to 3/4" wide. I stamped the solid piece with a background stamp from Stampin' Up! in Really Rust also from SU!. I then wrapped the strips of paper around the box before adhering the strips to themselves, so I can still slide the band off without damaging the wrapping. I used the Making Memories Tag Maker to create the center embellishment, but stamped it with a set from PTI in Sahara Sand (SU!) first. I used my Crop-o-dile to punch a couple of holes in the tag so I could run the ribbon (SU!) through before tying it in a bow. And...that's it!

Vaccinate Your Children

I always let Lilly out back in the mornings for a few minutes before I let her run around in the house again. Normally she's sitting there by the door waiting for me, but today she must have gotten into some little adventure because this is what I saw:

Yet Another Tweak

I don't know why I'm obsessed with "correcting" this card, but I just am. I made this one right after I posted the last one, but it's been sitting on my studio table. I've walked passed it a few times thinking of how to change it yet again. I finally decided to just move on. I'm sure I'll wake up in the middle of the night with a brilliant idea in a couple of weeks or maybe a couple of years. I tend to not let things like that go. The perfectionist in me annoys me quite often. Having something that's not put together the way I like it annoys me too though. It's a lose-lose situation I suppose. I cranked out two other projects today somehow as well, so I'll post those in the next couple of days to come. It'll be nice to have four consecutive posts for once. I started off blogging so well, but I wax and wane. I see you other bloggers are the same, so it lessens my guilty feeling. Ha!

Here's what I did: I started with an A2 base in black then added a 2.5" x 4" piece of patterned paper from KI Memories "Jacks" to the bottom half. The green is the other side of the pp and was ran through my Cuttlebug. It's cut to 3"x4". I then used my craft knife to cut a slit for the ribbon to slide through on the fold. I tied pink stitched ribbon (from Michael's) in a bow. The black circles are from a Quickutz die and adhered with tape runner. And...that's it!

A Little Tweak

I'm stuck inside this weekend while I recover from the dreaded PINKEYE! I really sucks. I feel like a bit of a pirate being able to only see out of one eye and all, so "Arg!". I really didn't like the card I did yesterday anyway, so I made a little tweak. Actually, I made an entirely new card. I love the glittered frosting from the first version, but the rest of it just didn't work for me. I started with the same foundation and just changed the focal point embellishments. I'm still not satisfied. I don't think I ever am. Which card do you like the best?Here's what I did: I started with an A2 base in black then added a 2.5" x 4" piece of patterned paper from KI Memories "Jacks" to the bottom half. The green is the other side of the pp and was ran through my Cuttlebug. It's cut to 3"x4". I then used my craft knife to cut a slit for the ribbon to slide through on the fold. I tied two pieces of the pink stitched ribbon (from Michael's) each in a knot. The black flower and green circle are from a Quickutz die, and I then used the Making Memories Tag Maker to add the silver rim. The brad is from Making Memories as well and is used to attach the blue flower (Bazzill). I used pop dots under the rimmed tag as well as under the black flower to adhere them both. And...that's it!

Cupcake

I've had this stamp set forever now, and I just cut the rubber today. I have more than a dozen other sets that are still sitting in the box they shipped in as well. I hope to eventually get to them all, but for now I'll settle with any amount of being creatively productive. Here's what I did: I started with an A2 base in black then added a 2.5" x 4" piece of patterned paper from KI Memories "Jacks" to the bottom half. The green is the other side of the pp (Don't you love double sided?). It's cut to 3"x4". I then used my craft knife to cut a slit for the ribbon to slide through on the fold. I tied two pieces of the pink stitched ribbon (from Michael's) in a regular knot. I punched out a 1-3/8" square (SU!) and matted it with the black scalloped square (Marvy) before pop-dotting it. I then stamped the cupcake base in VersaMark onto a teal piece of embossed paper I found. The frosting is also stamped in VM. I then added heat & stick powder and dazzling diamonds (both from SU!). The candle is stamped in Yoyo Yellow (SU!). All of the cupcake parts are also pop-dotted. I then used a VersaMark marker to hand draw the flame before using heat & stick and orange glitter. (It's not in the picture, but I went back and stamped a polka dot background on the green with VM. It was just too plain for me.) And...that's it!

I Love You, Dad!

What a relief! My dad found my old logo that he had designed for me last year. I lost it after my computer crashed not too long ago, but alas it's back! Woo-hoo!

Wedding Favors

Whew! I did some extra special PT (physical training) this morning, and now I'm really feeling it in my hip flexors. PT is a great way to firm your buns and feel geriatric for a day or so. It's just super! Okay, so I was strolling around Wally-World as I often do. I get lost in there sometimes. It's really just a ploy to waste time on occasion, but this time I ventured into the kitchen section and discovered these cute little jars next to the assortment of sugar, salt, pepper, and parmesan shakers. I'm a sucker for any cute container, so I grabbed five. It's easy enough to make your own bath salts at home, but I bought three jugs while I was there anyway. They were only a couple bucks each and had enough salts in each to fill two and half of the jars. I guess I'm too lazy when there's a good deal and less mess. I also picked up some beautiful organic soaps to match. I brought my goodies home and filled them with with the colorful bath salts, added a fun little tag, and voila! I now have the wedding party gifts for my sister's reception this weekend. It took less than ten minutes to finish all five. I'll be sure to pick up some more on my next visit. It's a great thing to have for a quick gift. Here's what I did: This one is EASY... All you'll need are two scallop punchies (Stampin' Up!), one 1-3/8" punchie (SU!), six inches of ribbon, a flower, and a brad. One end of the ribbon is sandwiched between the scallops and the other end was pulled through a double slit made on the rear scallop so the user can remove the tag without loosing the ribbon. I originally secured both ends of the ribbon between the scallops, but my test audience (aka the girls at work) didn't like that the tag wasn't removable for "keepsakes".

Ashle's Invite

My cousin, Ashle, asked me to design some invitations for her high school graduation that's coming up in May, and since I'm going home this weekend for my sister's wedding reception I thought it would be the perfect time for us to get together and put them all together for mailing. I know that when I was Ashle's age (not long ago) I really didn't want anything traditional, so I went ahead and asked her how she felt about it, and I was right on. She wanted a fierce pink and black combo and polka dots of any sort, so this is what I came up with:

Here's what I did: I purchased pre-cut scalloped card fronts/postcards with envies from JA's. When I saw them I immediately knew they were my starting point. I also picked up EVERY pink/black polka dot paper I could find between JA's and HL. The card above is just one of the color/pattern combos I ended up with. I first trimmed off the long sides of the black scalloped card base after discovering they weren't true A2. It made the card easier to slide in and out, and you can't see it anyhow. I then trimmed the white/pink paper to 5.5" x 9.75". I scored in at 2.75" from each short end and folded the edges in. This should give you an A2 base (4.25" x 5.5") for the inside. I then used my Circle Scissor at mark 140 to create the curve on each end. I was able to get two card wraps out of a 12" x 12" piece of paper with a 1" strip left over, so of course I utilized that scrap too for my card band along with the trimmed off scallop from the black card base. After assembling all the pieces I wrapped the whole thing with a piece of ribbon from my stash. All of the cards are completely different since I just used a mix and assortment of ribbons I already had and six different sheets of coordinating patterned paper. And...that's it!

I'm Not Fat

I haven't shared anything about this subject, but something pushed me to let it go... Actually, someone said I look fat, and I lost it. It's been nearly two years now since I started treatments to rid myself of some "bad cells" as the doctor first described what I now know as cancer. I'm sure we all know someone who has it, or you've even had or have it yourself. It's not fun, and it's scary no matter what type or severity you have. The word "cancer" just flashes sweet memories of my Aunt Sarah. It was my senior year of high school when she was diagnosed one day and gone the next. I didn't even know what was going on until I saw her in a hospital bed so stocked with medications that I doubted she knew I was even there. I can still see her there and hear the moans that I never was able to escape. I never got the chance to say my goodbyes, to hug her one last time, or even tell her how much I love her. I hope she knows. Anyhow, I've done a few different recommended methods of treatment from burning it off (stinky!) to getting huge butt shots (owwie!). One day I'm feeling great and the next day I can't venture two feet from a bucket. I've gained 20 pounds, my skin is pale and pasty, my hair falls out constantly, I've got two black eyes, and I'm just so tired all the time. I'm emotionally and physically drained constantly, and there are days when I just want to throw in the towel... but I don't.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Another lovey holiday has come upon us. It's kind of been a crappy day actually. I did get flowers yesterday and today too. That was nice. But...I woke up nauseous from the new "crotch cancer fightin' pills" they gave me. It made me late for work which started the whole day off wrong. It was a super busy day which I suppose made the day go by fast, but I was still sitting there lonely for sheer fact of the holiday waving it's big stupid cupid baby in my face. And to make the holiday even more fantastic is the fact that my beau just happened to bring up how he dislikes the holiday due to something concerning his ex who's been on his mind, and now he's not sure if he's even into being in a relationship right now. Would it be okay if I just cry for a second? Oops, too late to ask for permission. Here it comes... Arg! Soldiers are supposed to be able to control this. Okay. Okay. It's over. We're trained to suppress things. LOL! Why am I always rebound girl? Anyway, HAPPY Valentine's Day! Here's what I did: I used the Scenic Route Loveland collection for this card because I super duper LOVE IT! I love all their paper. Anyhow, I cut the pink circle with my Circle Scissor using mark 150 which made the card slightly smaller than 6" across. I wanted it to fit in a 6x6 envelope so this worked out well. I made sure to leave the top edge uncut, so I would still have a card that opens. I then took the Scrap Strip (my favorite) and cut the strips into 3/4" wide pieces and adhered them with a tape runner. I then used Basic Black from SU! to faux stitch the edges. The polka dot heart blended in too much with the top strip also being white-based so I inked the edges of the heart in Lipstick Red ColorBox chalk ink. The 'X' and 'O' are self adhesive pieces of chipboard from Basicgrey. I used the same chalk ink to tint them to match before adhering. The green gingham ribbon is from American Crafts and the tiny little rhinestones are adhered with Stickles for double glitz. And...that's it!

L-O-V-E

Well, tomorrow is Valentine's Day! I'll be at work like most of you. I hope the day doesn't turn out to be too sad and lonely for me. I turn into a corny little sap on this day for some reason. I never get too hyped for it until it's actually here. I blame middle school and high school for that. We used to be able to send flowers to each other and get balloons and candy and all sorts of things delivered by the office aides during the day. It was a real show to see who was admired the most. It was just another popularity contest. Since 1992, (yes, I remember exactly), my dad has always ended up sending me the biggest and best out of all. Everyone was certainly jealous, but I really knew that they weren't from a secret crush or anything. My dad has always been my best valentine. He made it no secret that he was setting the bar high for any man that ever came along to take his girl away.

The Worst Date EVER!

I just love the rub on I used for the 'V'. It reminds me of those check yes or no letters we used to pass around to as kids. Anyhow, I forgot to fill you in on another date I had over a week ago now. (It was after the car accident date and before the Cha-ching date... got it?) Okay, so I met this guy at a nice place downtown in Nashville, and once we got in there I was wondering why he said we should wear jeans here. I didn't see anyone else dressed that way. It was one of those places where even the waiters were dressed better than James Bond. There was nothing I could do about my outfit a this point anyhow. The place had a fairly funky menu, so I opted for the safe chicken fingers. Besides, I was already dressed to wipe my hands on my own pants. The chicken fingers turned out to be more of a mountain of fried poultry than a delicate finger food more appropriate for eating during a date conversation. I nearly had to have a booster seat to look over my chicken mound at my date peering out over the top of his Eiffel Tower shaped mashed potato wad. I obviously didn't finish even half of my meal, but rest assured that my date got every crumb off of his plate before he started to indulge on my leftovers. We had already planned on going to a musical venue after dining, so I followed him in my own car to our second location. We didn't get one block out of the parking lot before he had his entire head and half of his torso out of the window while shaking his fist, yelling, and punching his horn at a car trying to merge in front of him. I was embarrassed, and I wasn't even in the same car! There's more. We pulled into the parking lot behind some building that I had yet to identify as something more than an old shack that had gone out of business or was about to be turned into a parking lot any day now. The show wasn't supposed to start for over an hour, so I suggested that we get ice cream down the street. He then walked around to my driver's side door and signaled me to put my window down. He then said, "I've got an emergency!" I heard a zip and a tinkle! Is he? No! YES!!! He's totally peeing right here next to me in the parking lot. I didn't know what to do, so I just turned up the radio for him. I didn't know if I was doing him a favor or myself. I don't know why I'm still on the date at this point, but I was still in shock I suppose. We made our way over to the ice cream place where I made my way to the bathroom to call for back up. I informed my secret bail-out agent to call me in 20 minutes with an emergency call from work before heading back out to enjoy my favorite Coke float. This part of the date wasn't so bad. I did have to clean up his huge sloppy ice cream mess before we left though. I guess it was bad. By the time we got back to the parking lot I had received my emergency call, and I told him I had to leave. He wasn't too upset, but he did want a goodnight kiss. He leaned in while I did the awkward head dance trying to give him anything but my lips. I was locked in one of those hugs that just doesn't know when to end while his "little buddy" started to get excited. That's when he points down at his crotch and says, "Compliments to the lady!" OMG! I'm sure I don't have to tell you that there has been no second date and nor do I plan on there ever being one. Ewwww! Deep breath.... back to the project: Here's what I did: I adhered, trimmed, and sanded the patterned paper to the letter first, and then highlighted various words with Star Dust Stickles. The three pieces of ribbon are just tied on and were found among my collection. The acetate wings are from Heidi Swapp and are adhered with Scrappy Glue. I then took a scrap piece of patterned paper from this collection and made a heart shaped tag using the Making Memories Tag Maker and applied it with a pop up glue dot. (The rub on is from 7Gypsies and was applied to the patterned paper before the metal rim.) I found the little red button stuck to the bottom of my foot, so I attached it to the tag with Scrappy Glue and covered it in Stickles as well. And...that's it!

Ultimately...love is everything.

"'L' is for the way you look at me..." Do you know that song? It's one of my favorites. I have tons of favorite songs though. Tomorrow I'll probably favor "Manic Monday". That's always a good song to start the week off. I really wish I knew how to download songs onto my iPod. My sister loaded a ton for me when I received it as a gift a few years ago now, but I've never bothered to sit down with it to figure the thing out. I still don't even know out how to turn it off. I just let the battery die, and then I recharge it. That's how I turn a lot of things off. I know. I know. It's not the right way, but whatever! Okay, so here's "L":Here's what I did: This one is easy! Just like with the last piece of this set, I started with the Love Letters Kit from MM and attached my PP with a glue stick then trimmed and sanded. The rub on is from Cloud9 Design and the ribbons are all from my assorted collection. I added Stickles (Star Dust) in most of the circles and doodled around the rest with a Basic Black marker from SU!. And...that's it!

Lovey Dovey

This is part of the four-piece project I've been working on since the blog candy game last week. It sure has been taking me a while to create lately, but I'm getting there. I blame work mostly. It's just too easy to do that. I seem to go in earlier, stay later, and miss more and more lunch breaks as time goes on. I'm so worn out by the end of the day that I just want to lay there on the couch and do nothing. It almost seems not worth it to take my uniform off when I just know I'll be back at it again in a couple of hours. You'd think being so tired that sleeping would come easier, but I've been staying up all hours of the night too. I think I need a tune-up! Perhaps the dating thing is getting to me as well. I'm tired of going on dates already. I took my profile down from the dating service too. Besides, there's someone I'm a bit sweet on. I feel like giggling just talking about it. He's super sweet and funny. And here's the best part... he actually thinks I'm sweet and funny too! Cha-ching! Here's what I did: I started with the Love Letters Kit from Making Memories that came out last year. It includes pre-printed hanging chipboard letters including L-O-V-E. Well, the O is actually a heart that you see above. I love kits, but I also love changing everything about them. I covered this piece in patterned paper from Reminisce with a heavy duty glue stick and then used a craft blade to trim the edges leaving the already attached ribbon hanger. Next, I added the big blue flowers and brad from Making Memories and tied on some fun ribbon and ric-rac from my stash. Then I used a lime green gingham fabric covered brad from The Paper Studio to attach two pink flowers and a polka dot acetate flower also from MM. The last little red flower is from Prima. I used a combination of glue dots for immediate attachment, but also dabbed Scrappy Glue around as well to ensure longevity of the project. "ooh la la!!" and "lovey dovey" went on next. They're both rub-ons from 7gypsies Next, I took a Basic Black marker from SU! and added tons of dots, lines and doodles. I then punched holes 3/4" of the way in on each of the scallops using the Crop-o-Dile. Finally, I used Stickles in Star Dust along the white stripe of the patterned paper to give it some glamour. And...that's it!

And the Winner Is...

Marceline who guessed, "The paper is the love collection by Reminisce." As those of you know who read my blog regularly you know my favorite number is seven, so now for the SEVEN runners up chosen by a random integer generator....

1. Shannon at Live, Love, Laugh and STAMP
2. Susan at susiestampalot
3. Alex at California Stampin
4. Elizabeth at Scrapbook Mama
5. JenMarie at Taylor-Made by JenMarie
6. Melanie at Stamp-a-Doodle-Doo
7. Deb at Paper, Ink, Scissors, & Stamps

Congrats to all the ladies!!! Just send an email with your snail mail address included to claim your blog candy. Happy Scrappin'!

Check it Out!

Check out Debbie's post.

Quick and Dirty IQ Test

We talked about IQs at work today for some reason. I've never taken a real IQ test and was amazed that I was the only one in the discussion that hadn't. I didn't know it was such a popular thing. So of course, I simply had to take this little Quick and Dirty IQ Test after seeing it on Elizabeth's blog today. As it turns out... I'm a total nerd!

Your IQ Is 125

Your Logical Intelligence is Exceptional Your Verbal Intelligence is Genius Your Mathematical Intelligence is Genius Your General Knowledge is Above Average

A Quick and Dirty IQ Test

Let's Play: Name That Paper!

Check out what I've been working on in my few spare minutes of a lunch break... One of my weird "talents" is being able to identify any piece of paper, solid or patterned, by collection, manufacturer and even the year it came out. I know that's a totally useless talent, but it was one I acquired without a real intent to. So....if you can tell me what manufacturer and collection this paper comes from then you're in for some yummy blog candy!!! The first person to with the correct answer wins the grand prize, but there's more! Leave a comment with your favorite paper collection, and I'll pick a few more winners at random. Let the games begin!

Adventures in Dating

I went on yet another date! I guess that's no surprise to those of you who actually read my posts. I know a lot of people just look at the pictures. I've been known to do that too. Some of the things people write about are boring or just way to freaky for me to read. My friend Debbie and I always joke about the "two tampons blog lady". We still say "EWWW!" whenever we recall that story. "EWWW!" Anyhow, I met this guy at a local place downtown that's kinda quaint and cute. Our waitress seemed in a real hurry to get us outta there, so we decided to go for ice cream at another place instead of having our desert where we weren't feeling so welcome. This is where the interesting part happened... We were driving along a two lane road that really should be much bigger considering the traffic. Anyhow, as we were chatting my entire SUV was showered in debris as a huge crash and gust blew us to the side. Firefighter Laura switched on, and I whipped the car around. I told him to jump into the driver's seat, and I took off running down the road. It was a three car pile up. Apparently car number one wanted to make a sudden turn into his drive way while the teenager in her mom's minivan was driving a little too close slammed into him, and thus causing car number three to hit the van. As I'm trained to do, I first made contact with each person to make sure I knew what sort of incident I had on my hands. Car number three was the first one I came to. She was okay, so I told her to sit still, turn off her engine, and call 911. Next was the minivan with the teenager. She was shaken quite a bit. Her airbags had deployed, and she was sitting way too close. I took a quick look at her eyes and wrists and told her to just breathe and turn off the engine. The first car in the line up was an old pick up and just a few feet from smashing into a pole. It was an older man. He looked like he had hit the steering wheel with his face. His son had come running up from their house followed by his hysterical wife, so I asked the son to take her back inside and gather his medications and insurance to take with them to the hospital. (You've got to find something distracting for hysterical people to get them under control.) It wasn't long before EMS arrived, but the cars were starting to leak all sorts of things, and the van was filling with smoke. I had no choice but to get the girl out of there with or without a c-collar and backboard. The guy in the truck was pinned in quite a bit though, so I had to pry his passenger door open to get in and talk to him after finding his glasses that had flown off his face under the passenger seat. Sometimes people just need those little things to be comforted when they've experienced something like that. They certainly don't need more stress. Anyhow, that's how my date went! Do you have any funky dating stories???

Wish Big!

I'm really frustrated that it's been cloudy the past couple of days, so my pictures are just icky. I've already given this card to "BB", so perhaps I'll have to borrow it on a sunnier day for a little photo shoot. I no longer have my fun little water mark anymore either since the computer crash. I'm hoping my dad can find it somewhere since he's the one who gave it to me. Any-who, here's the card... Here's what I did: Using a white A2 card base I trimmed two pieces of patterned paper (Scenic Route and Stampin' Up!) to 4"x5.25" (smaller than the card front to make a mat). I then took a ruler and traced identical lines out from the center of each. I cut them apart and pieced them together to get the sunburst background. (I was going for a comic book super cupcake vibe.) I then took a marker in Basic Black (Stampin' Up!) and traced all of the edges. Next, I drew a cupcake onto chipboard and trimmed it out with a craft blade. I adhered patterned paper (Stampin' Up!, Chatterbox, & Scenic Route) to each of the pieces and used files to smooth the edges. I used a few funky brads (Queen & Co) for the sprinkles and used my marker again to doodle a bit here and there. I pop-dotted the entire cupcake and double-popped the pink frosting. For the inside I trimmed matching patterned paper from the front to 4"x5.25" (the same as before) and then cut at .25" from each edge with my paper trimmer to create the frame. I used one of my Quickutz fonts for the word "wish" and a Cricut font for the word "BIG!". (I can't remember which fonts exactly, but let me know if you're experiencing a need-to-know situation.) And finally I added more doodles with my marker. And...that's it!

Crash!

Just when I thought I was getting back on the horse about posting my computer crashed! It's okay now (knock on wood), but I still have ton of things to download again. I lost ALL of my pictures and files of every sort that I had as well. It's really frustrating. Anyhow, I found my digital camera too, so at least I can take a new picture for my yummy post tomorrow.

Sunday Funnies

I feel like my family and friends learn more about my life through my blog than from first hand these days. Do you ever get that way?

You Made My Day!

I just wanted to thank LAURA ROTH for giving me the "You Make My Day Award!" She's a great inspiration and talent, so drop by and check out her blog. And as the rules state, here are my 10 nominations for the "You Make My Day Award!"

1. Debbie at StudioBeeCreations
2. Estivalia at Paper Leisure
3. Lorien at Stamps N More
4. Stephanie Earls
5. Melissa at Simply Pink
6. Sandy at It's a Colourful World
7. Leslie at Running With Scissors
8. Alexandra at California Stampin
9. Jayne at Cardznmore
10. Melanie at Stamp-A-Doodle-Doo

Award rules: Give the award to up to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel so happy about blogland! Let them know by posting a comment on their blog so that they can pass it on.

Crazy Life

(I like to think of songs to go with my posts, so I added one to my playlist down on the side menu to the right. It's called Almost Lover by A Fine Frenzy. Turn on the volume and set the mood...) Man! Things have been crazy lately. Some days I wish I had more of a boring life. I've been home a couple times in the past month or so. Family is still dramatic. It always is. My love life is nuts as usual as well. As of the moment: I'm single. You'd think I was juggling half a dozen guys at once with all the emotions that are flying around though. My last boyfriend broke up with me right when another ex comes back into my life. Irony always finds a foot in the door, doesn't it? Anyhow, I feel like I'm in a love triangle now or something of a midnight talk show interest. I'm single, so I should be free of all blame and guilt and strings from either end, but instead I'm surrounded with everything but content. This last guy totally makes me feel guilty about everything I've ever done from the start. I'm not sure if it's a manipulative thing, or if I really am a total screw-up. You know, it's hard to see something beautiful looking at your own reflection, but he made me see it. He had me wrapped up in a dream. I was a star brighter than the moon itself. It wasn't long after though that every vessel and pore in my body exposed some sort of flaw. I was over-weight, someone who didn't care about my appearance, a domestic failure, not classy enough, a bad driver, and not to mention completely boring with a fake affection for babies. I'm sure glad he pointed out that I'm such a cruddy girlfriend. Wouldn't you want someone to tell you how sucky you are? I don't want to live in a bubble! (Babies do smell a bit musky now that I step back and look at the big picture.) I have to be a hero and a homemaker, a lover and a fighter, a woman and a warrior, and all the while wearing control top panty hose! I mean, he's the one who started getting back into the dating scene while we were still in a "committed relationship". Isn't that cheating??? Didn't he just get out of a relationship because his ex cheated on him??? There's good ol' irony knocking at the door again...

Sketch 3

My lovely friends Sheila and Debbie have pointed out to me that I haven't posted anything crafty in quite some time, so I decided to put up a Sketch Challenge once again to inspire both you and myself. I've decided to put myself up to challenge as well this time, but I'm exempt from claiming the blog candy. Shucks! Since this week is about over I'll give you until next weekend to email your entries. Happy Stamping!!!

Check out Estivalia's card:

That Was Fast

I guess all I can do at this point is laugh at myself. I'm SOOO single AGAIN! I told you I wasn't any good at this dating thing. I always find a way to screw things up. I'm amazed I've had a boyfriend at all in my short little lifetime. I just can't seem to pin-point where I go wrong. Surely though, "it's not me it's you!" That's what I'm telling myself anyhow. I've got to be me, the real me, 100% no matter what, and if that's my flaw then I just can't change it. It sure does suck though! I can't get overly mushy with my pity party here. You ladies know how laughing at yourself can easily turn into a sob-session especially with the absence of chocolate nearby. My next drug of choice would be to max out a credit card on ordering scrapbook supplies or tons of little doggie outfits online. Chocolate is FAAAAAAR better in comparison when I think about the aftermath. I'd really like to go on a super long run, but it's completely dark outside and it's raining. I guess the mood is set for me, but then again this mood makes me sloth-like at the same time. I'm trying to be as perky about this situation as I can be, but I'm sure I'm just overly sarcastic instead. Oh well! It's my blog and my rant and my crappy situation. I just need to go dump all my ribbons on the floor and roll around in them. That always makes you feel good, doesn't it!?

The Dating Scene

It's hard to tell sometimes without looking back at all my old entries which parts of my life I haven't yet shared with you through my blog. I do know that dating is one of those areas in which I have a difficult time writing about and have therefore neglected in blogging. My mother signed me up for one of those online dating sites a while back and as of lately I have been taking advantage of that "gift". I hadn't really noticed that I've been single for this long until the holidays crept up on me, and I actually looked at the calendar. I suppose it's a good thing that I was able to be distracted by dealing with my own life for a while, but I'm ready to get back into the dating scene. It's been almost a year since I went on a first date, so I was quite nervous not to mention the whole stigma that lies with online dating in itself, but really where am I supposed to meet a guy around here? I know what you're thinking... I'm in the Army, so I must be surrounded by guys. That is true, BUT they're all married! In Army time I am SOOOO an old maid already. Most Soldiers are married with two and a half kids before they're even old enough to drink. That's not an exaggeration. I also can't date anyone that out-ranks me or anyone that I out-rank myself. Those two things alone eliminate everyone that I know already. It's a tough gig! The first few guys that sent me messages online were either married, or just wanted a "good time", or lived a million miles away, so didn't even bother responding. Then there were the guys that I began correspondence with that found out I wasn't exactly a girly-girl, so they stopped responding to me. Finally I discovered one who I actually met in real life, but I ended up paying for the dinner and movie only to have him sneak off to answer the phone while I overheard him explaining to his WIFE where he was. Sheesh! The last thing I want is an angry wife after me. The last date I went on was last week, and this time I was the bum. It was during the week, so I had planned to get off around a decent time so I could make myself look a little less Soldier-like. Of course I ended up staying super late instead. I didn't even have time to wash my hair or put make up on! I looked horrible. I gave him the wrong directions. I was late. I can't believe he asked me out again!

The Last Thanksgiving

I didn't mean to keep you hanging after my last post. I'm okay! I'm just back down here in Texas with my family for the holidays. I'll be back up to my studio next week. Yesterday marked the official last Thanksgiving dinner for this year. I have several that I have to attend since my family is so large. My family is absolutely strange in every way possible. I've posted our family picture below so you can see what a funky group we are. (I'm rolling my eyes even as I type this.) We took this group photo after the "guests" left, so it's just my grandparents and all their kids and grand kids. Believe it or not though I can't wait to get back to work. I just don't like sitting around all day. Well... maybe one or two days, but then I can't take it anymore. I have to put my hands into something. I'd prefer to create something, but I don't have all of my creative gadgets here with me. Later this evening my step-mother and I are going to paint Christmas ornaments. I'm not a very accomplished painter though. Perhaps I can bury my creations in the boughs of the tree.

Where Oh Where...

has my camera gone??? I have made a couple of projects that I want to share with you, and I still have the swaps to post, but I just can't find my camera right now. I can't seem to find anything. Things have been disappearing lately and turning up in places I just know I didn't leave them. It's really weird. My make up bag was open in the front of my car seat when I went to work this morning, but I haven't even worn make up in weeks, so how did it get there!? It's a little creepy... Anyhow, I haven't gotten home when the sun is still up anyhow, so I don't think my pictures would turn out how I prefer them. I'm having a difficult time typing right now since Lilly is licking my neck. I'm so ticklish! She sits on the back of the couch behind me while I watch TV and surf the internet. Usually she leaves me alone, but not when I want to work of course. Anyhow, I got a package from Stampin' Up! today... it was a new stamp set from the upcoming Spring/Summer 2008 Catalog! I'll be sure to make a project with it right away. I found one of the pictures I took of Lilly sitting by the back step when I first moved to my new apartment that I had been looking for. It totally cracks me up for some reason.

Happy Veterans Day

Today is such an important day to so many different people. These days it's very unlikely that your life is not personally touched first hand by a Soldier, Airman, Marine, Seaman, or Guardsman. If you're reading this than perhaps I'm that Service Member! It's quite appropriate that this holiday falls so close to Thanksgiving. I know there are many veterans in my life that I'm extremely thankful for. My grandfather retired from the Air Force after 20 years of service. Several of the other firefighters that I know are also retired from various services, and of course I can't forget all of my battle buddies that I work with everyday. Today is for you! Happy Veterans Day!!!

Leave of Absence

I know a few of you have noticed that I haven't been posting for a little while. There are a lot of funky things going on in my life. That last trip to Washington didn't turn out so great, and for legal reasons I'm not allowed to talk about it quite yet. I also got the news that my sister is now engaged to a guy she has known for three weeks and wants to get married by December 1st. Woah! This isn't her first engagement by any means, but it's the scariest. Each new one was the scariest. I love my sister more than anything in the world. She's the only sibling I have. I grew up with her. Until her own kids live with her for 19 years there will be no one on this earth that has been with her longer or more than I have. Even parents aren't there for their children as much as siblings are. I was there for her in sleep, play, school, home, and EVERYTHING else. She does have a few faults though. She's never lived on her own for the first. Neither has this guy she wants to marry. She's not even responsible for her own finances yet. No car, no insurance, no money, no house... I could go on and on. Being engaged isn't the problem to me. It's the big rush that is baffling me. Why the hurry??? He still owes the military more time, so he's not going anywhere. Supposedly he's Mormon, so for his family it's appropriate for him to marry at 21 years old. (They're both 21.) If he's so in tune to his religion they why aren't they getting married in a church or in the presence of a minister/pastor?! They also say they want to get the military's medical insurance. If he's getting out then they'll have to pay for it anyhow. My sister already has insurance through the family, so that doesn't make sense either. My sister has been wanting to get outta the nest for quite a while. She's asked to move in with me a few times over the past three years that I've lived here. Every time I tell her that it's okay, but she'll have to pay half the bills, provide her own transportation and get a job. When I tell her this she flips and says I'm trying to control her, so she might as well live with Mom if I'm going to have so many rules! What??? I guess she thinks this guy is going to support her and she can continue to rack up debt and live like a princess. She doesn't even know what the generic brand of toilet paper feels like or the taste of the cheap cheese. I could go on and on about all this, but I've got to breathe after all. Okay. Okay. Here's a picture of Lilly I took yesterday. She lost five of her baby teeth last night. I didn't realize how big she's gotten until I started looking through old pictures of her. I have one of her sitting by the back door. She used to be shorter than the step. I had to pick her up just to get her in and out of the door. Yesterday she even jumped onto the couch all by herself. She's much more hairy than she used to be too. Her roots are even starting to show on her head. My baby is growing up! I need to get working on going through all the mail I've got piled up for me. It looks like there are some swaps waiting for me to discover! I'll be sure to post as much of them as I can. And...that's it!

Connection

Whew! I finally got a good enough connection to do a post. I only wish I had some pictures to share of this beautiful state. Washington looks very much like Kentucky, but still different in a more beautiful way. I never thought I could settle at Fort Campbell, but now I'd love to transfer to Fort Lewis. I think I'll put in for one! I've been sleeping and working most of the time that I've been here. My body's clock is way way way off at this point. I keep waking up in the middle of the night thinking it's time to get dressed for work, and of course there's no way to talk to my stomach about this new eating schedule. It just gets angry and growls when I try to explain it. I don't have a car either since only every other person who came here was authorized a rental car. I don't feel like paying for a taxi to drive me five blocks to the grocery store, but I don't want to walk that far in the rain with grocery bags either. LOL! A couple of us are planning to go into Seattle today though, so I'll be sure to take some pictures. I didn't bring my glamour shots camera, so I hope I get something decent to post and to hopefully make a real live scrapbook page! I haven't done that in a long while. Before I left, I did get a cute little picture of Lilly laying in the laundry basket. It's one of her newest favorite places to be. She loves snuggling up to a nice stinky Army sock.

Ode to the Funky Button

I've made a few things now with my current favorite paper collection. This card was actually made with some of the scraps that Lilly got a hold of. I've tried to preset a few of my posts since I will be gone for a week, but of course I haven't had time for much of anything. The construction company is supposed to be here in ten minutes to finally fix a couple things, Lilly has an appointment at the groomers at 1500, and I still have to pack for the trip to Fort Lewis, Washington tomorrow. I'll be leaving Lilly with Debbie for the first leg of the trip (I'm going twice). This is the first time I'll be away from her, so I'm quite nervous. I just don't want her to get lonely or forget me or make any messes or... on and on. It's that motherly side of me coming out that I don't like right now. I should be worrying about the dirty dishes in the sink before the repair people come or the fact that I still need to do a load of laundry before I can pack my uniforms, but of course my mind is always on something else. Here's on last card before I leave:Here's what I did:

I started with Whisper White card stock from SU! and cut it to 6"x12" and scored in in half for the card base. Then I took the kraft patterned paper cut to 6"x6" and the orange patterned paper cut to 4.5"x4.5" and used the mat set from SU! to pierce a border around the outside of each piece. I used a white Signo gel pen to do faux stitching around each piece as well before using my scissors and filer to distress the edges. After adhering these pieces to the card base I then attached the chipboard followed by the large blue blossom from Making Memories, then the pink flowers from Doodlebug Design Inc, and finally I threaded fiber through the button also from Doodlebug Design Inc. and adhered. Finally, I attached three brads from SU! And...that's it!

"hi"

This is the card some of you have been waiting for. I'm so glad it turned out cute. It's a matchbook card for Brad. I've already started to stock up on my creations for him when he finally gets his address. I'll be making more to send to the other guys too, but of course I am a bit biased when it comes to my favorite Soldier. ;-) He always gets the first card of the batch. I spoke with him on the phone a couple days ago, and you'll be happy to hear he's safe and sound. His only complaint right now is that he hasn't slept more than a couple hours at a time so far. He also doesn't have a mailing address yet since his group is still milling around over there. It usually takes a few weeks for new groups to settle in. Anyhow, how is everyone liking this new layout? It's fresh for the new month! I'm trying to get a grip on my life and it's lack of organization. I want things to be neat and clean even my blog. My studio is still being unpacked, but I think that will just take a while since I'm being picky about the organization. I want things to be perfect. I've been trying to put things away, but so far Lilly has claimed all of the bottom cubbies in my shelving system as her napping spots. She's also learned to lay down, but I think I jumped too fast from "sit" because she's seemed to have gotten the two confused. I'll have to start over I guess. We'll start puppy classes at the pet store after I get back from Fort Lewis, so I hope to have a perfect little baby very soon. (I'm rolling my eyes already.) Anyhow, here's the card:Here's what I did:

I started with 12x12 card stock and experimented with sizes until it eventually trimmed to 4.25"x9.25", (so I could have just stuck with 8.5"x11"). I then scored it at 1.25" and 5.75". (All of my patterned paper is from Autumn Leaves, Rhonna Farrer.) Next, I trimmed the bottom flap piece to 1.25"x4.25" and used my corner rounder to create the scallop before adhering with a glue stick. I then trimmed the blue/green background to 3.25"x4", and again adhered with a glue stick. At this point, I used a the black journaler from SU! to create the doodle borders along the edges of my patterned paper and on the paper flower. The next step is to attach the following in order from top to bottom: brad (Making Memories), ribbon (Autumn Leaves), flower (Making Memories), and chipboard (Autumn Leaves). I attached all of these with a combo of glue stick and glue dots since there is a lot of weight to this card. I stamped the word "hi" on white card stock using Technique Tuesday stamps and then trimmed them out leaving a thin white border for contrast and adhering with SU! dimensionals. Once again, I added doodles with my black journaler. I added an extra piece of paper to the inside of my matchbook and used SU! jumbo eyelets to secure the bottom flap and inner card. Finally, I knotted some ribbon (from an unknown source) through the eyelets. And...that's it!