Valentine Making Marathon ~

I haven't made so many Valentine's since I was in grade school. And let's just say that was a "few" years ago! ;)

Last week, while recuperating and keeping my foot elevated, I sat and colored several of these darling little huggable Changito Valentine images. They are from an acrylic set by Stampendous that I bought at Archivers last month. It says "Archiver's Exclusive" on the package. Does that mean that's the only place you can get them? I didn't ask them, but I assume that's what it means. I stamped the images with Versafine Onyx Black and colored them with prismacolor pencils and blended with gamsol. Each one is just a little bit different coloring as I tried almost all of my pink, red and brown pencils! :)

The cards are all a little different too as I used whatever paper I had in my stash. This layout was "cased" from LeAnne at Wee Inklings. She sent me a *love*ly get well card with this layout and I had to try it! The base of the card is one layer of cardstock cut the standard 4-1/4 x 5-1/2 with the bottom corners rounded. The top layer should be approx 4 x 8" or so. If you scallop the edge, you'll have to allow for that too. If you have double sided paper, it works perfectly for the top layer as you just fold it and away you go! In my case, I did some piecing together of two different papers. Just cut an extra inch or so for the top layer and fold it over the bottom layer. Once it's glued down, you cant tell. ; )

Another really COOL feature of this card is the way LeAnne tied on the ribbon. Maybe you've all been doing it this way, but it was NEW to me! I'll try to explain it the best I can: There is a hole punched in my cardstock. I cut approx a 13" piece of ribbon and wrapped it around the front of the card to the back and put the ends up through the punched hole. Once they are through (one end on top, one end on bottom of ribbon that's across the front of the card), tighten the ribbon and tie your bow! Easy Peasy and it stays in place on it's own so you don't have to tape it down. Who was the genious that thought of this?! LeAnne, was it YOU?! I love it and will use this often now!

Ok, I would love to know which one of these is your favorite? Can you tell I had FUN with them? What a wonderful way to get back into stamping again!

Now, I better get them addressed and in the mail! Don't forget that Valentine's Day is this Saturday already!

This morning I had a dental appointment and a funeral to attend. It was my second venture driving on my own since my surgery. It went well, except that it's RAINING and windy today and you can't really hurry when you've got a walker! :) This afternoon I'm going to make "Barnyard ATC's" for a swap I've joined at the Stamp Shack. Then tomorrow morning, it's back to WORK for me! My life of leisure is nearly over...and just when I was beginning to feel like stamping all day!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Have a *LOVE*ly Valentine's week dear friends!

Hugs & Smiles,

Quote for Today ~

Love - a wildly misunderstood although highly desirable malfunction of the heart which weakens the brain, causes eyes to sparkle, cheeks to glow, blood pressure to rise and the lips to pucker. ~Author Unknown

Check out my X-ray & new Stamp Room!

How's this for a random post? :)

When I had my cast removed on Tuesday, my daughter Katie asked me to take photos so she could see what my ankle looked like. I won't gross you out with photos of the incision, but here is closeup I took of the x-ray screen. You can clearly see the stainless steel plate and 7 screws. I wish I had a copy of the original x-ray, as you can tell how my ankle bone was moved back into place.


Now, onto a much more relevant topic... look at how my new Stamping Room is taking shape!!! I love it! Again, this wouldn't have happened if not for my sweet DIL Jami who moved EVERYTHING up from downstairs so I could stamp again! Well, hubby & son moved the desks and shelves, but Jami has made countless trips up and down the stairs moving all my STUFF!!! And I know she spent at least 2 hours just organizing the stamps on the shelves above my desk. The shelves are a little high, so I'll have to use a step stool to reach them, but for now I'm using a "grabber" that one of our friends gave me when we borrowed their walker. I may just have to get my own little "stamp grabber". LOL

Just so you can fully appreciate all the work Jami did...this is what the room looked like when she started....

Seriously!! Do you think I have a problem? :)

I'm not sure how many of you know about my extensive smiley face collection. It started years ago at work and I guess you could say it grew out of hand. (I know my kids think so!) But, I have SO many wonderful stories and memories that go along with it all. :) Anyway, it was taking up an entire bedroom on our main floor and Jami packed all of this up into boxes and totes. Well, I do still have a few things here in my new stamping room, but most of it is packed up. When I can get back downstairs again, I may convert my old stamp room into the new "Smiley Room". And then again, maybe I will try to donate some of it to a good cause. Time will tell!

Thanks so much for blogging by today! Your comments are always appreciated and brighten my day. Wishing you all a wonderful weekend filled with many reasons to SMILE!

Quote for Today ~ "It is almost impossible to SMILE on the outside without feeling better on the inside." - unknown

Now I know why they call it I.C.U. ~

Isn't this a perfect image and sentiment for a Get Well card? It makes me laugh. And yes, the gowns still look like this! :) When I was in the hospital for my ankle surgery, the physical therapist wanted me to walk down the hallway. Thankfully, they gave me another gown to wear backwards like a robe. :)

A sweet stamping friend sent these images to me a couple years ago and I colored them up the other day while sitting in bed with my foot elevated. My incident has reminded me how much it means to receive a card and know someone is thinking of you. You all know I *love* to stamp and make cards, but I'm not always so good at getting them sent out! Usually, my intentions are good and I think of doing it, but I don't always follow through. Well, my goal is to try and do better starting with this card today!

When hubby & I were in the cardiologist's office waiting for them to run some tests before my surgery, we ran into someone in the waiting room that we've known for years. He was planning to have heart surgery the next week and we've been thinking of him ever since. I really hope he's doing well and that my card makes him SMILE!

As for me, I'm doing better each day! It's still tender and swollen and I'm not to put any weight on it yet. I'm wearing the big heavy protective black boot and getting around with the help of a walker. I may even venture out on my own tomorrow for a hair appointment. We'll see how that goes! Next week, I'm planning to go back to work so I better get some stamping done this weekend.

THANK YOU again for all the cards and messages of encouragement. It's such a blessing to have friends like U! Happy Stamping! Smiles...

Quote for Today ~ "The greatest wealth is health." ~Virgil

Ingenious Punch Storage!

Check this out!

Thanks to my sweet DIL Jami's brilliant suggestion, we have converted a CD rack into my new punch storage rack! This was built by my son several years ago for all his CD's. Somehow I had acquired it and had been using it to display some of my smiley collection mugs, etc. When Jami was moving all my things around, she came up with this idea. MW cut a few more dividers and now my punches are all stored here. There are four sides and I have 3/4 of this full already. Thankfully, there will be room for a few more because I want to order the new Stampin Up 3-heart punch! :)
Jami organized all the shapes together, but I may still label the front of the punches or put a clear label next to them on the wood. Did I mention this spins around? Yes! Very COOL!

Now, I'm getting especially anxious to get my new stamping room organized. I sit here looking around and have a zillion ideas running through my head. Not being able to move around without the walker is limiting my options on what I can do, but I have sorted my paper scraps, colored some images and I'm working on sweet-talking MW into hanging my stamp shelves today. He has to play hard-to-get, you know? :)


That's all for today. Thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful SUPERBOWL SUNDAY! Whether or not you're a football fan, you've got to admit it's fun to watch the commercials and enjoy the game snacks. May the best team win! :)

Smiles,

Word for Today ~ (from my nephew Jon)

chillaxin'
Combination of the words chillin' and relaxing, something you do on the weekend with friends. Synonyms: hanging out, relaxing

Quote for Today ~

"Weekends don't pay as well as weekdays but at least there's football." ~S.A. Sachs

Happiness is a Journey ...

. . . not a destination.

This is a favorite quote of mine. The rubber stamp has "anon" at the bottom, but the official "Happiness is a Journey" quote and inspirational message that goes along with it were written by Crystal Boyd in 1997. (see her website or read below) This message has circulated throughout the internet for over 10 years with variant wording.

My sweet DIL Jami {Crazy Daisy Creations} made this for me and I intend to frame it. The photo is a bit dark and doesn't do it justice. It is simply beautiful!

Jami selected a beautiful patterned paper for the background and embellished with jute ribbon, blue grograin ribbon and bronze brads. The sentiment is framed with a scalloped rectangle. (Spellbinder die in Cuttlebug)
Sorry, I can't tell you who makes this stamp as all my rubber stamps are currently in baskets and boxes waiting for MW (Mr Wonderful) to move up and install my stamp shelves. You can just about imagine what he thinks of all this, can't you? :)
And now he knows how much STUFF I have ! :)

God bless all of you who've emailed or sent cards since I broke my ankle and had surgery. What a special group of blog friends you are! Your lovely cards brightened my day and made me SMILE! :) The past two weeks are a bit of a blur as I've taken my pain meds and spent most of the time in bed with my foot elevated. I've got such an awesome family & friends that have stopped in to visit, brought food (MW especially loves this!), magazines, flowers, cards & SMILES! What a blessing! I enjoyed watching all the Inauguration festivities, caught up on all the HGTV, TLC, Ellen & Oprah programs, and have even watched a few movies. (Thank U Vicki for the portable DVD player!) I'm happy to say that I've become much more proficient with the TV/DVR remote control and can now tape and watch whatever I want. LOL ~ What a Life!

Have a happy weekend and make time for YOU!
Smiles,

Happiness is a Journey ~

We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we're frustrated that the kids aren't old enough and we'll be more content when they are. After that, we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We'll certainly be happy when they're out of that stage.

We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice vacation, when we retire.
The truth is, there's no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when?
Your life will always be filled with challenges. It's best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway.

One of my favorite quotes comes from Alfred D. Souza. He said, "For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, or a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life."
This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have and treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time with...and remember that time waits for no one.

So, stop waiting until you finish school, until you go back to school, until you lose ten pounds, until you gain ten pounds, until you have kids, until your kids leave the house, until you start work, until you retire, until you get married, until you get divorced, until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until you get a new car or home, until your car or home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until fall, until winter, until you're off welfare, until the first or fifteenth, until your song comes on, until you've had a drink, until you've sobered up, until you die, until you're born again to decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy.

Happiness is a journey, not a destination.

Copyright © 1997 Crystal Boyd