Health Update and Apology

First the apology - I'm sorry I haven't blogged lately. I haven't felt very creative so have no new projects to show. Hopefully that will change with the new year. Read on for more about my health.

As of this past October I was 3 years post chemo. I had labs about 2 weeks ago and saw my oncologist on December 22 (#4 in 4 years for reasons beyond my control). I wasn't due for a CT scan until March, but in order to get labs, exams and scans all "in synch," we bumped it up to December, so I had that on Christmas Eve. My labs were perfect - my CEA, which is the tumor marker, was even lower than it was in June (yes!). My CT chest/abdomen/pelvis scan was perfectly normal, no spots on lungs, liver, kidneys, spleen, etc. More than once during our visit the doctor told Stan and me that I'm a "miracle." He said he had reread my chart (I'd only seen him once, last June, so he isn't very familiar with me yet) and with all I've been through and the course of things it really is a miracle. I guess that switch of chemo regimens midstream and the extra 2 treatments must have helped!

In March I will be 4 years out from diagnosis - the further away from 3 years, the better, and once we hit the 5 year mark we can really celebrate!

And Debbie Has Blog Candy

Click on Debbie's name (in this sentence) and check out this tasty blog candy, too!

Courtney's Got Blog Candy!

Check out Courtney's post for details (click on her name in this sentence). Leave a comment regarding what you're thankful for and you might win some goodies!

Happy Birthday, Mike!

Thursday is our brother-in-law's birthday. I had this stamped image as a "bonus" in an on-line order and thought it would make a cute BIL birthday card. The image is from the Changito line by Stampendous. I colored with Koh-i-nor pencils/odorless mineral spirits. The stickers on the corners are by Jolee.

Chemo Angels RAK request

I made this card for a fellow Chemo Angel who needs some encouragement right now. Background paper is Basic Grey, Stampin Up Purely Pomegranate cardstock was used for the mat. Stamp image maker is unknown - this was an image I received as a freebie in an on-line order. Flowersoft used on 2 of the flower images; other images are watercolored with Stampin Up inks and an aqua pen. Ribbon is Spring Moss from Papertrey Ink.

November 2008 Stampin Up Workshop

One of these days I'll remember that Blogger doesn't put my photos and scans were I think it's going to. These first 2 photos were uploaded last. After I photographed my Santa bag and Peace card (see below) Clancy jumped up in the chair like it was his turn - so I took a couple of him, too.

Saturday's workshop was a fun one. This card uses one of the new Stampin Up exclusive die cuts - We cut out the word we wanted to use on our card. I don't now which stamp set the saying came from; I think it's in the Holiday Mini. The snowflakes are from Stampin Up and the center of the snowflake uses the Build-A-Brad hardware.

This is the "famous" box in a bag - or bag in a box - I've seen it both ways. These are much easier to do with decorative papers than with regular cardstock, but they certainly are cute this way!

Here's a fun little "punchy" snowman card. The actual card (the white part) is abut 2.5" x 3.5" and the hat is placed on so that the entire thing will fit in an A2 size envelope. The eyes, nose and mouth are all made from various sizes of circle punches. The flowers are made from the SU 3-flower punch (sorry, I don't know the true name). A white gel pen was used to make the flower centers, the faux stitching and the lines on the eyes.

This was our monthly technique. It was made on glossy paper using a couple drops of reinker and an aqua pen filled with rubbing alcohol. Drop 2-3 drops of one color on the glossy paper, then spread it around with your aqua pen. Next, do the same with your second color. If it gets "muddy" looking, use the aqua pen to pick up the color where it's muddy. Let dry, then stamp image with Staz-On. Unfortunately, I pressed a little hard on this one and you can see the outline of where the stamp was punched out.

Quick and Simple Thank-You

I just whipped up this card as I need to get it to my friends today. We met them for lunch on election day and they brought with them the most gorgeous homemade carrot cake (my favorite), made by their daughter who is a pastry chef. I don't know why I didn't take a picture of the cake with my cell phone but trust me, it was gorgeous and delicious! This card is to thank the three of them for remembering me on my birthday (which was 2 weeks ago but this was our first chance to get together).

Stamp is from Stampin Up Cute and Curly, base cardstock is Stampin Up Soft Sky textured CS, designer paper is from the Autum Vine collection (2008 Holiday Mini). Felt ribbon is from Stampin Up. Pearls are from K & Company.

Happy Halloween!

I made this quick card today because it has to get in the mail to go several states away. As you can see, it has a lot of layers, but I think it turned out cute. I imagine that big knot on my ribbon will make it require hand canceling and extra postage...oh well, the recipient is worth it!
Supplies: All cardstock and stamps from Stampin' Up! (Set used is Web Wishes, which is retired.) I got the ribbon at Michael's, manufacturer unknown.

Faux Dry Embossing

This was my first attempt using a stamp positioner (Stamp-A-Ma-Jig). I'm left-handed, so I always thought I was stamp positioner impaired. Not so. Once I figured out that I have to do it backwards from "normal" people, it was a piece of cake! I won't go into details on how to achieve this look here, but if you would like instructions, please email me. The most difficult part was getting the sentiment right - and it could still use some work!

Fun With Punches

The background of this card is stamped with Versamark and sprinkled with Iridescent Ice EP, then heated for a sparkly background. The red square is punched with the Scallop Border Punch - just center your paper in the punch and going all the way around, punch each of the 4 sides identically. The white stamped layer uses a stamp from a Hostess Level I set called Punches Three and is punched out with the Scallop Square Punch. Simple card to make and so pretty.

(My scanner doesn't do the colors justice; the ribbon actually does match the CS pretty well.)

October 2008 Stampin Up Workshop

My SU demonstrator holds monthly workshops. Last Saturday we had our October workshop and the projects we did are posted below. Since I still haven't figured out how to post text with a picture and then more text with another picture in the same post, I'll have to do these separately. If some kind soul out there in Blogger-land knows how to do this, please email me with instructions!

The stamped layer on this card started out as a piece of white cardstock. We brayered with yellow (I think it was More Mustard). Then we used removable adhesive to adhere a circle punchout for the moon. Over the entire card we then brayered Pumpki Pie. Then we stamped the reeds from Inspired By Nature with Chocolate Chip ink. The edges were sponged with Bravo Burgundy and the sentiment was stamped with the same color. I think this is a stunning card.

Bella Rose Birthday Card

This card is for a special friend of mine. I used Stampin' Up! Bella Rose paper collection, Pirouette Pink for my card base, Riding Hood Red for the red ayers. The sentiment is from Stampin' Up!'s Circle of Friendship set, ribbon is Stampin' Up! Pretty in Pink taffeta. Also used were Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder, Nestabilities Scallop Circle dies (x2 sizes), Stampin' Up! 1 and 1/2 inch circle punches, and Fiskars border punch, whose name I don't recall.

Love this Bella Rose paper!

Back from Boise

Well, actually we've been back from Boise since Tuesday and I'm just now getting around to posting on Sunday! While there we met up with fellow "Gingerwoodie" Jenna and her husband, Ron, for breakfast at IHOP. Had a very nice visit and it was great to meet a "cyber friend" in person! I had Stan take our picture but didn't realize my camera was set on "portrait" until after Jenna and Ron had left :(

World Alzheimer's Day

Today is World Alzheimer's Day, and you can enter this contest at Carolyn's Blog to win $1,000 in stamping goodies donated by many vendors and amazing cardmakers. Be sure to read her entire post carefully and follow her rules at the end. Good luck to all of you!

In honor of World Alzheimer's Day, and in keeping with Carolyn's wishes that we each make a card to send to a caregiver, this is the card I will be sending to the caregivers at the home where my aunt resided until her death from Alzheimer's this past July.

I WON!

Last night I participated in the on-line forum leading up to the release of the new Papertrey Ink September release and I answered the contest question on Nichole's blog. My comment was chosen by the random generator picker-thingy....and I won the entire release, almost $200 worth of product! How great is that? I can't wait to get my things and play. Please be sure to visit Nichole's blog, too, if you need some inspiration. This woman is amazing, and she has an amazing design team.

September Stampin' Up! Workshop

Today was our monthly Stampin Up! workshop at my demo's home. These are the projects we did. The first one is made with punches, the hair is cut freehand and the "stitches" are hand drawn. I don't remember the name of the set the sentiment comes from.

Isn't the red and black one stunning? (My scanner doesn't do it justice.) That was designed by Kate, my demo's daughter, who is an amazingly talented stamper.

The third one is one we made for our "technique" booklet and I'm glad, because frankly I wouldn't send this one to anyone, it's so bad. We did a technique called "grid" where we scored gridlines on the diecut piece, then stamped. Well, of course I didn't have my Scor-Pal with me and we had to use our paper trimmers - what a pain in the butt that was. And then I glued my ribbon on crooked. By the time I'd finishede this I was glad it was going in the technique book! My die is backordered but I brought home an extra and intend to try this again with my Scor-Pal and a different color comination. I think that Kiwi green color is hideous and I never was much for orange, either. I love the layout of this card but I think I can make it much better.

Stamp set used for the red/black card is Pocket Silhouettes; set used for the orange card is Upsy Daisy.

A Very Special Birthday Card

This card is for a very special person whose birthday is coming up. I can't divulge more, as I think she reads this blog!

Supplies used: Close To My Heart cardstock and B&T papers, Cuttlebug, Cuttlebug Happy Birthday embossing folder, Nestabilities scalloped circle dies, Just Rite Stampers (Curlz font).

Glacier National Park, Montana

Saturday we took one of our day trips to Glacier National Park, the last one before season's end. Going To The Sun Road, the only road east-west through the park, will close earlier than usual this year, as there is lots of repair work to be done and a very short season in which to do it. We took a few pictures as we approached Logan Pass from the west side of the park. Usually we travel east to west from St. Mary to West Glacier, but this time we reversed the trip and went from west to east to get a different perspective. In all the years I've been going to Glacier, I on't recall a more beautiful park at the end of August. Waterfalls weren't dried up and there were all kinds of wildflowers blooming. Just breatheaking.

I have some more pictures of Glacier and others (Garnet, Montana, a ghost town) in my Webshots Albums if you'd like to see some more of "my" Montana.

Card Parts

My friend brought me some "card parts" for 3 cards, which she received at a Close To My Heart scrapbooking/stamping retreat. I don't know the whole story, but I think maybe she just didn't have time to finish them. She didn't think she could make anything from them and thought I could. I've had them for a few months and finally last night decided I would do something with them. My challenge was to use only stamps that I have upstairs in my dining room pile and not in "the mess on my desk" in the basement. I did have to go downstairs to get the rust ink and the caramel ink, but I had the stamps up here. A card designer I am not and I have no clue what the samples of these parts looked like (or what stamps/sentiments they used). I think they turned out OK.

Sympathy in Green

My original scan showed this card to be yellow but in fact it's Stampin' Up! Certainly Celery stamped with Old Olive ink. With a little tweaking of my scanner settings I was able to get it back to green.

I first saw this simple design on Angie Juda's Blog and then I received an RAK of the same design from Joan over at Paperlicious. So cute and so simple. I needed a sympathy card today and this was fresh in my mind. Thank you to Angie and Joan for the inspiration!

Inque Boutique #2

This is the sixth little set of stamps I'm offering (see the other 5 in the post below, as well as other details regarding payment and shipping).

**A little bit about See D's stamps: Taken from the packaging of these stamps - "Designs printed on stamp backs for 'see where you are stamping' ease!" They are made for use with acrylic blocks and every stamp/set comes with a little stamping mat included in the package. DO NOT THROW AWAY THE MAT as it will make your life easier when stamping and help you to get a better impression.

If you have any questions regarding the stamps, please email me at the address provided on my blog.

All of these stamps are brand-new and never opened.

Inque Boutique Stamps for Sale

August 21, 2008 - Sale pending on the entire lot of Inque Boutique Stamps.

I bought a bunch of these cute little sets by Inque Boutique at my LSS and they have been on my desk in a bag for several months now, so it's time to sell them. As Blogger only allows 5 photos per post, please see the next post (above) for scan #6.

I'm selling these in little sets, tried to put them in "themes" as best I could. Prices are marked on each picture and shipping is extra. I charge actual shipping plus $0.50 handling for each small set if you purchase just one; $1.00 handling charge if you buy 2 or more sets. Accepted methods of payment are Paypal (bank transfer only, no credit cards) and money order only. Please contact me at the email listed on my blog with any questions.

These stamps are brand-new and packages have not been opened.

If you are not familiar with See D's, please see post above for information about mounting and using them.

Not My Best Work - Part 2

This is the second project of today's workshop. It's the coneflowers from the new Inspired By Nature set. I love this stamp and the reeds/grass that accompany it (this is a double-mounted set). However, that coloring job is way scary - kinda like a bad hair day! I can color much better than that. We used markers but I think watercolor crayns woudl have been a better choice.

All stamps and supplies used are from Stampin' Up!

Not My Best Work

Today I went to my monthly Stampin Up workshop and this is one of the cards we made. I'm not in love with it, but I think I'd like it better with different colors. This is a "mosaic technique" where you cut up little snippets of DP and lay them on a strip of sticky-backed paper, sticky side up, then sprinkle embossing powder all over and heat it. I like the idea, but not this card. I think it needs a lot more little mosaic pieces.

All supplies used are from Stampin' Up! except for the sticky paper, which came from Staples and as I understand it is quite pricey.

Up for Grabs - Grab Bags!

I finally went through some of the unmounted stamps that have been sitting around unused and some not even mounted on EZ Mount yet, and have put together several grab bags to sell. My loss is your gain. They are described below, as best I can:

Christmas Theme - 10 stamps on EZ Mount - $10
Photo Stamps - 2 stamps, 1 on EZ Mount, 1 on HALOS - $6
Chocolate Theme - 3 stamps, rubber only - $4
Grids and Frames - 3 stamps, 1 on EZ mount, others rubber only (ranging from +/- 2"-4" in size) - $8
TAC Nature Theme + bonus - At least 15 stamps, all rubber only - $10
Fall Theme - 6 Stamps, 4 rubber only - $5

All stamps will be sent in a padded envelope, shipping is extra (actual shipping) + $1 handling fee per package to cover cost of packaging and fuel.

I accept paypal (bank transfer only, no credit cards) or money orders. Email me via this blog with questions.

Inque Boutique Butterfly and Koh-I-Noor Pencils

I've been discussing Nestabilities with a novice stamper friend of mine so they've been fresh on my mind. I haven't used them a lot, and when I received my new Inque Boutique stamps today, I thought the butterflies needed to be framed with a "Nestie." I also had some brand-new Koh-I-Noor woodless pencils I was dying to play with, so I decided to use them on my butterfly - or is it a moth? Colors were blended with Gamsol and a blending stump. I was looking through my papers and found this in the Basic Grey Phoebe collection. It's hard ot tell in the scan, but I mounted the matted butterfly on small pop-dots. Very simple card and I think it's awfully pretty, if I do say so myself. I hope you enjoy!

Supply list:

Inque Boutique (See D's) Stamp; Stampin' Up! Naturals white cardstock;

Stampin' Up! Purely Pomegranite cardstock; Basic Grey Phoebe collection; Koh-I-Noor pencils; Gamsol odorless mineral spirits; American Crafts Ribbon

Acrylic Blocks for Sale

I'm selling most of my "original Prairie Stamper" (now sold at smARTworks) acrylic blocks, as I hope to replace them with the blocks from CTMH. If interested, please email me for sizes and prices.

08/22/08 - The blocks are sold.

I've been tagged!

So I'm catching up on my blog reading, which I haven't done for several days, and I see that my friend Jacki over at The Card Castle has tagged me. I'm pretty new to the blogging world - at least from the blogger's end of things - so I'll play along.

Here are 7 things about me that many of you probably don't know:

1. I type 140+ words per minute (my last timed write was on an electric typewriter in about 1980, so I'm sure I'm faster than that now, with the advent of computers)!

2. I married Stan - my soul mate - at age 40, first marriage for me as well as for him (he was 43).

3. Stan and I knew each other for roughly 20 years before our first date!

4. I can talk like a Munchkin from the Wizard of Oz!

5. I can't eat scrambled eggs without ketchup.

6. Speaking of food, I despise macaroni and cheese.

7. I graduated from high school at 17.

Some of the people whom I am tagging don't even know me, but they are people whose papercrafting skills I admire on a daily basis. If they choose not to participate, I certainly understand. They are:

Gina K

Lisa

Michelle

Cammie

Julie

Michelle

Leslie

Another Sympathy Card

Lately it seems I've been making too many sympathy cards. I should have some on hand, but I'm the kind of cardmaker who doesn't keep a stash on hand, and I don't much like making a lot of cards at once. I'm trying to change my ways. I made this card tonight for a coworker whose mother passed away yesterday at our local residential hospice home. Inside the card is a sentiment, "Each time we embrace a memory, we meet again with those we love...for the heart never forgets ~ Flavia" which I found at this website: Making Greeting Cards. All cardstock, brads, inks and stamps are from Stampin' Up! Flowers are Bazill dyed with Stampin' Up! Groovy Guava ink (one more dilute than the other). Flower centers were a gift and I don't know who the maker is.

The followup

I had a plan for that too-cute bag-in-a-box. Our friend Cheri was having a birthday and we were invited to a BBQ at her daughter's home on Sunday. As she is also a coworker who has recently resigned her position and the party was also to celebrate her new position, I thought a little gift was in order. My Stampin' Up! demonstrator had some retired stamps for sale and one of the sets was one that Cheri had been wanting. It was a small set and the stamps fit perfectly inside the bag (without their clamshell case). I chose the decorative paper I did to make the bag because I knew I had more at home and could make a matching card. Here are the card and the bag side by side.

Bag-In-A-Box

For starters, let me apologize for my lack of presence on my blog. Shortly after my last post I came down with an awful cold, and I wound up down for the count. I spent most of my scheduled time off over Fourth of July week either in bed or wrapped up in an afghan on the couch in my living room. I still have laryngitis!

Saturday I went to a workshop at my Stampin' Up! demonstrator's home. This was not our usual "Stampers 10" group, as July is a "free" month, and we aren't required to make a minimum purchase. There were only two of us there, which was really nice - room to spread out and not a lot of hurry up and wait (for stamps and other supplies that are shared). We made this "Bag-In-A-Box" which was super-simple and turned out so cute.

08/05/08 - Edited to add: The blog I think the instructions came from has apparently been deleted. However, Cambria has a link to the tutorial on her blog. That link is here: Stampin' With Di.

Bad, Bad Blogger

Good grief! Here it is June 25 and I haven't blogged since June 4. Perhaps that's because the month of June has gotten away from me and I haven't made one single card to share! This week is super-crazy, with Stan's sister's birthday tomorrow, his on Friday, a wedding out of town on Friday, and lots of stuff in between. I hope things slow down next week. After Monday I will actually have six days off work in a row (a rarity!) and I have made a promise to myself that I WILL STAMP SOMETHING! Please check back next week to see if I've kept my promise!

Pet Sympathy Card

My friends, Cheri and Rich, had to have their border collie, Sadie, put to sleep this week. Sadie was a great dog and loving companion. She was diagnoed with bladder cancer several months ago and was able to have a fairly decent quality of life with medication since that time. Monday evening Cheri got home from work to find Sadie paralyzed, so they knew it was "time." I made this card to express our sympathy.

I Finally Made a Card!

Unfortunately, this card was made out of necessity. A woman I've known for some time, the mother of a gal I've known for many years, passed away last week of ovarian cancer, after a four-year battle. I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it to the memorial service so I wanted to make sure I got a card out to Ruth and her family.

A Very Soggy Saturday

Geez, we're on day #4 of rain, drizzle, downpour, and more of the same. We haven't had rain like this in I don't know how long, and while we really needed some moisture, I think most of us now really need to see the sunshine! I'm sure it will be peeking out at about 5:00 p.m. on Monday, at the end of the long weekend! With all this gloom, you'd think I'd want to stamp. Well, I DO want to stamp but I just can't motivate myself to do so.

Instead, I'm practicing on my blog. My friend Jacki at The Card Castle taught me how to make my hyperlinks show the name of the blog, website, etc., instead of the entire URL. Thanks, Jacki! If you don't already read her blog, click on her name or her blog's name above and take a peek. There's some good stuff there.

Tomorrow is our anniversary and Stan was going to take me out for dinner tonight. However, I'm having some "tummy trouble" today and don't feel all that great, so we cancelled. We'll shoot for this Thursday instead. The restaurant we're going to (not fancy but serving some of the best Montana beef ever!) has a to-die-for prime rib, which they serve only Thursday and Saturday evenings. If I'm going to have some of that delicious meat, I'm going to feel good so I can enjoy it!

I hope everyone is enjoying this weekend with friends and family, and remembering those who have served our country as well as those who continue to serve.

A Recipe to Share

No stamping projects yet. I haven't been too creative lately. Stay tuned for that.

Wednesday is my day off so I make a weekly trip to Wal-Mart for groceries. Today I had a plan to pick up a few things for a new chicken enchilada recipe I found in Kraft Food and Family Magazine http://kraftfoods.com/ Thankfully, we had a very cool and rainy today so it was a good day to come home and work in the kitchen without heating up the house (not counting my hot flashes!). I also made some candy to take to a Medical Transcription Week celebration tomorrow. I want to share the enchliada recipe with you, as we loved it and it's definitely a keeper.

Fiesta Chicken Enchiladas

1 small onion, chipped
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cooked small chicken breasts, shredded
1 cup thick and chunky salsa, divided (1/3 cup and 2/3 cup)
4 oz (1/2 of an 8 oz pkg) cream cheese, cubed
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro*
1 tsp ground cumin
1 cup shredded cheddar & Monterey Jack cheese, divided (1/2 and 1/2)
8 flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 350. Heat large skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium heat. Add onions and garlic; cook and stir 2 min. Add chicken, 1/4 cup salsa, cream cheese, cilantro and cumin; mix well. Cook until heated through, stirring occasionally. Add 1/2 cup shredded cheese; mix well.

Spoon about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture onto each tortilla; roll up. Place, seam-side down, in 13 x 9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with remaining 3/4 cup salsa and remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese.

Bake 15-20 min. or until heated through.

Makes 4 servings, 2 enchiladas each.

*I did not use cilantro, as we don't like it in our house!

I hope you enjoy this as much as we did.

A Work In Progress

Welcome to my blog!

So many of my friends on Gingerwood http://gingerstamp.com have started blogging, that I decided I better join the club. My blog will be multipurpose: to share stamped projects and other paper crafts, as well as to journal some of my day-to-day life.

I'm a three-year colon cancer survivor and many times have thought of keeping a blog dedicated to my survivorship journey but never got around to doing it. This blog will accomplish that.

Stay tuned for creative sharing, family news, health news and anything else I might decide to document!

R.