At last....some cards! And meet my cute hubby...the cards are for him.

This blog was first created to post cards, wasn't it? We all have times in our lives, when life surely gets in the way of the things we love to do and want to do. Hobbies take a back seat, to duties and health problems and friends who need us. But I am going to do my best to try to keep this blog moving along again. So back to the fun of creating and cards!

Last week was my darling hubby Brian's birthday, on the 24th. Isn't he a cutie? I think he is. ;o) People often ask him if he is a certain television star that is on the TV show "Grounded for Life" as well as some other shows and movies. The actor's name is Donal Logue and you can check him out by clicking on his name. He does look a bit like him and we always get a chuckle when some waitress asks him for the table near us, if he is that man. hee hee... He'll always be a star in my eyes. *swooooon*
His birthday was on the 24th, which was also the day Anna Wight's (Sweet&Sassy) baby cow was born! You can check out the glorious photos she took of her new little heifer here: Sweet & Sassy - Life on the Farm. I just thought it funny that he got to share his birthday with Anna's long awaited arrival of Dixie's baby cow.

We celebrated with my husband by taking him out to lunch with his Mom, Sister, Brother & Co-Worker and our sons too (because it was take a kid to work day too!). In the photo are L-R, my 13 yr. old Zane, me, my DH Brian, his Mother-Pearl, his brother-Lenny and his sister-Donna So he had a yummy lunch with family and friends. Uncle Lenny beat me to the check, so THANKS FOR LUNCH LENNY! Jim (his co-worker) took the picture. Shane, my 10 yr. old, is off flirting with a girl from his school in the parking lot. He won her a bunny playing the games inside. He's my little flirt! I will have to show him another time....when he's not so busy playing "Romeo".
My Mom took Brian and us out to dinner on Friday. THANKS FOR DINNER MOM!
My boys made him cards too. Shane's is sort of missing...it was a large piece of cardboard, hand colored and he had taped it to the door. I am sure it's here somewhere.
Zane however got into the cardstock and cutter and stickers and did a little creating himself. I like his eye for design. His card for Dad has clean and colorful look to it. He also took the time to write Daddy a poem. (I must admit to feeling a bit neglected and cheated in that regard because for my birthday I got NOTHING! LOL Shane made me a card, but Zane is Daddy's boy).
But I do want to share his art and poetry with you all as it was quite good!
First the card, on orange and green cardstock with cut rectangles in vibrant colors and he used alphabet stickers to say happy birthday. I love the clean simple layout and look of this card. I think he has a great eye for design and thinks outside the box!

Here is Zane's poem:

THANK YOU
I thank you for everything you do
Especially when it is just me and you
Thank you for playing catch and cleaning up our mess
You even prepare us for our tests.
But there is only 1 more thing I have to say
You're the best Dad in every way.

Isn't that sweet??

And here is my card for Brian...I hadn't made it when we went to lunch and so I let him pick the color he wanted. I was surprised when he said PURPLE! It's my favorite color, but I was just sort of shocked that he wanted a purple card. So I scooted on home, before he got home and created a purple masterpiece just for him!

This card is done on purple DCWV CS and DCWV DP, and purple mulberry paper. I trimmed the edges with my gold metallic calligraphy marker. The curly wired trim is a ribbon that has purple beads on it. I found it at Pier 1 Imports at an after Christmas sale for 15 cents a spool! I bought every one that they had. They were so fun and funky! The purple ribbon had gold edging (that led me to do my paper in those edges too). The image is from the Stampin' Up - Lovely As A Tree set and was stamped in elegant eggplant ink. There are gold brads in the corners and the trims on the corners were a rubbery sort of sticker from Dollar Tree's scrapbooking line. They were plain white and I colored them in with the same gold pen and purple permanent Bic markers. He just loved it!

Thanks for the prayers for Shelly & now a prayer for you....

First off....let me thank you all who took the time to enter for my blog candy, by leaving such kind and thoughtful prayers for Shelly. I will be printing them out for her to take with her on her trip to travel to Mexico for a special treatment. Shelly is on my mind constantly and I can't tell you how much it means to know that you are all thinking of her and praying with me and sending in cards. The cards that have come in by the handfuls daily are a glorious testimony to the beautiful hearts of the women who post on Splitcoast Stampers. What wonderful, compassionate women you all are. I am so grateful for the day I discovered that site. It has literally changed my life. And getting to know all of you has been such a huge blessing to me. I consider you all friends and am grateful for these newfound friendships.
Give yourselves a hand for the wonderful compassionate women you all are, as I now say a prayer for you....

Heavenly Father,
Bless each woman who has taken the time to stop in the middle of their busy lives, to say a prayer for my dear friend Shelly. I thank you for letting me get to know these women by the cards they have sent and the prayers they have left here. They have richly blessed my life as well as Shelly's. I pray you will bless them and their families with good health, happy children, happy homes, peace, bliss and joy always. May they always have enough stamping supplies and room to create, so as to bless other's lives with their glorious talents and gifts. Amen.

Pretty Parrot Picks Prize Person!

OK, I got a little carried away with those "P"s. LOL But you can tell by my name that I love BIRDS! Feathers in Feathers&Ink is most definitely for my birdies as well as calligraphy quills.
I had actually created a little video for you all to see my parrots actually picking our winner for the blog candy. I put all of your names on little slips of paper and folded them in half and put them in a box, then offered them to the birds to pull one name out. The cockatoo girls were the ones who did the picking. They are in the picture above. The one in the foreground is in need of a new home. Long story, but if you are interested or know anyone who is have them contact me!
When I have more time I will publish the videos to YouTube and you can see them there.
Mico (my umbrella cockatoo) and my favorite bird in the house was permitted to select our winner. You can thank Miss Mico Pie for choosing your winning slip!

She pulled out our winner and it's ~~~da da da daaaaaaaaaaa ~ LENA ~ SCS-Tackertwosome! CONGRATULATIONS MISS LENA!!!

Your prize will be mailed tomorrow, as it is in the box all ready. While I was cleaning up my office, I put it all in there after photographing it. Just email me your address and I will get it out to you.
Enjoy all the goodies. We may even throw in a feather or two (you can use them on cards!)
CONGRATULATIONS!

Blog Candy - Just leave a prayer for Shelly

It's CANDY TIME!
And Prayers for Shelly are all I ask...

I have never given away blog candy. So now's the time!
And as a way to get as many people as I can
praying for my dear friend Shelly,
I ask that you leave a prayer for her
on this post or your get well wishes for her.

Many of you who know me, know about my dear friend Shelly who is suffering from breast cancer that has spread. Shelly is undergoing radiation and chemotherapy and she could use our prayers!
She is a faithful wonderful mother of 4 beautiful children and a loving and devoted wife to her hubby Bill.
Shelly has never complained once through this entire struggle with this horrible disease. She still even worries about me and my health issues. She is a loving, kind & devoted woman of God, who prays regularly and loves everyone she meets. Everyone loves Shelly! She has the sweetest soul you would ever want to meet.
She always stands on God's word that He WILL HEAL HER of this! I ask that you stand with us and declare to the heavens that a miracle will come to Shelly and all of this cancer will be reversed.
Man doesn't have final say, doctors don't have final say....God has final say!

Many of you have all ready sent a card to Shelly via the Splitcoast Stampers web page I have created for her.
If you haven't done so and would like to...please visit this page
for further information to send a card to Shelly to lift her spirits. Click on the link here:
CARDS FOR SHELLY

For the blog candy...please just leave a thought or prayer for Shelly and I will print them all out and give them to her the next time we meet which is Thursday for healing church services.
I will take as many comments as I can up until Saturday afternoon and will pick our winner that evening.
The number will be picked randomly.

Blog Candy Package contains:
A handmade mini lunch box made by myself in purple and green.
Using the Priceless set by Stampin' Up and it's filled with little goodies for your cards inside.
(This was from a swap from last year and I got back one of my own. So I am passing it along to you!)
A set of 8 mini bags of yarns and threads for your cards in black, black and white, white,
purple variegated to white, purple, pastels, baby blue and variegated browns.
A set of 12 tassels mixed gold metallic and white threads.
A magnetic notepad with chocolate pattern on top.
A magnetic weekly day planner for your desk in a paisley pattern.
A set of Hallmark Frames & Shapes by Marjolein Bastin from her Nature's Sketchbook line,
which includes 3 sheets of adhesive backed shapes and 4 paper frames.
Avon Naturals, peach lip balm. A set of 3-dimensional wedding stickers in ivory and purple and glittery!
And last but not least!!! ~ A CUTTLEBUG DIE CUT - The one called ~ STAMPS
Which has 4 stamp images - Square, Oval, Circle and Rectangle.

Good luck to everyone...thank you for sending your heartfelt prayers heavenward.
I thank you all for being a part of this and for blessing Shelly with your prayers.

At last! A post and a creation!

Well I finally got a small break in the calligraphy action. I have never seen such a busy wedding season in all of my 23 years of doing calligraphy! I am not complaining...just wish I had more time for personal things like stamping along with having orders that bring in $.
This item is called a Grunge Tag, ala Tim Holtz.
It was made for a swap hosted by my friend Deb on Splitcoast Stampers -dcoder.
I had such fun making this tag as it was my first creation from scratch in quite some time. It was great fun picking out papers and thread and pins and eyelets! It is somewhat hard to see in the photo but the top and bottom or on the elephant, left and right, is stamped in Cosmic Copper.
The entire tag was run through an inked cuttlebug folder - "Mesh"
using SU Orchid Opulence, using a tutorial I found on Paper Pleasing Idea's blog (Julie Buehner). Edges were then inked in SU Elegant Eggplant.
Rolled over impression with brayer on back as well in orchid.
Elephant & giraffe images are from Stampin' Up set - "In the Wild", stamped in SU elegant eggplant on white 110# cover stock.
Corners paper pierced (just got my paper piercer set from SU and I LOVE IT!) and edges dragged through
Cosmic Copper Brilliance Dew drops.
The designs on the ends were stamped using the Stampin' Up Sculpted Elegance in Cosmic Copper on
Stardream Metallic Shimmer (lilac shimmer paper!), and attached with copper eyelets.
Embellishments include purple safety pins & purple oyster shell button tied with copper shimmery ribbon.
Multicolored Bernat Bling Bling Yarn for the tails and background of tag.


I took a lot of photos today of things from past swaps that were never posted, so look for some more posts upcoming! I am back in business and hopefully can keep this little ball rolling!

Thanks for waiting for me!

Blog Candy will be coming up soon too! So stay posted!

MIA

Missing in action is all I can say.
Calligraphy orders and my flaring RSD have left me with little time to play with my blog and my cards. Some lay trapped in the camera. Some I forgot to photograph, like my parent's anniversary and my nephew's birthday. Alas...they are my hobby and sadly the hobby comes second. With the bit of energy I have had lately...I have only had enough to complete the necessary tasks. Some folks have thought they were no longer getting my blog, but I had to explain that it was because my poor blog has been left in the dust. They didn't miss anything at all, for there was nothing to miss.
Please don't unsubscribe though! I plan on revving it back up soon!
Stay posted!
Luv,
Tammy