Wow! Has it really been two months?......

I cannot believe that much time has gone by without my having posted even once! I would have thought that to be a virtual impossibility! LOL



LOTS has gone on in the last couple of months, so let me take the time to bring you all up to speed. (Warning: Long Post!) So get a cup o' joe, make yourself comfy and...we're off!

1: My parent's anniversary party was a huge success! They were absolutely surprised and overjoyed. Even my brother and his family came, which really made it all the sweeter because we hardly ever get to see them. This is a picture of them when they were newly married in the 60's. Aren't they cute? hehehe

2: Thanksgiving was great, less work than I thought and we enjoyed the time with family. It was our first time to put our turky in the Nuwave Oven, and I have to say it was DELICIOUS! If you don't know what this is...google it! It will be worth your while! You can put a whole frozen chicken in there and in about an hour, presto! the yummiest, moistest baked chicken you have ever laid your lips on!

3: The Car Saga: Well, seems like Hubby knew what he was doin' when we passed on that other car. We have a friend that has a car lot and he got us a really good deal on a 2008 Toyota Sienna minivan. It is fabulous! I LOVE THIS CAR! Especially that the two boys now sit WAAAYYY in the back! hehehe It is such a blessing and I am so thankful to God for providing it and for giving us friends that care enough to help us out.

4: I ended up with Bronchitis AGAIN!!!! I am just getting over it. Funny story....I started taking this Tylenol Multi Symptom Cold medicine, which is wonderful. Stops the cough really well. I had been taking the Day formula and decided to try the Nightime formula. So last night I took it at about 9PM.....I woke up at about 5PM THE NEXT DAY!!!! I kid you not! It knocked me OUT for like 20 hours! I would have slept longer exept Hubby peeled me out of the bed and put me in the shower. I know he tried to wake me up several times, but I literally could not keep my eyes open. Note to self: No meds with Doxylamine Succinate for you! I looked up this "antihistamine" and found out that it has a "profound" sedative effect (no kidding!) and that some studies show it sedates better than phenobarbitol (a barbiturate). Me being the "extra-strength Tylenol kinda gal that I am (I cannot do prescription pain killers AT ALL!) no wonder it knocked me for a loop!

5: The weekend of Thanksgiving our kitty, Leo, got out of the house and has not come home...**sniff** I would like to think that he is living it up at someone elses house and that he is happy. I was so heart broken that Hubby let me get a new kitty. I looked all over for another Bengal kitty that needed a home and found just the guy at a breeder in Corpus Christi, Texas. His name is Jag, short for "Baby Jaguar", and he is just under 2 years old. He had been an expensive cat that was dumped back at the breeder because the owners were moving. We got him for a small adoption fee and he has fit right in to our family. He is like Leo in some ways, and very different in others. He has all his claws, which has not been the problem I thought it would be, and he actually does not shed....at all! So, we will keep an eye our for our Leo, and if he comes home he will have a friend to play with.

Well, that is as much as I have time for today! Sorry to be so absent, and I will post some craft doings very soon!
I am on the DT for CopicJunkies now and would love for you all to join us for our weekly challenges as we learn to use and enjoy our favorite addiction! Copic Markers! There is also a blog that we are getting started for this group. See the links below to join in!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/copicjunkies/
http://www.copicjunkies.blogspot.com/

Blessings!

This and that...

Ok, so it is November and things are BUSY around here. The 23rd is my folks 45th Wedding Anniversary and I am throwing them a party the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving, also my birthday, I am having at my house....AM I CRAZY??????

Also, our car that has been perpetually in the shop the last few months has now decided to not start....again....ugh!

Here are a couple things I have been working on lately...

This is a Nutcracker that I drew and colored. I have a friend that is cuckoo for Nutcrackers, I mean she has like, over 100 of them! For her birthday, I drew this and colored four of them in different colored outfits and framed them.

That got me thinking about The Nutcracker Suite and so I drew this Mouse King to go with the Nutcracker.

I think they turned out pretty good...what do you think? OF COURSE...I colored them with Copic markers.

Blessings!

Shannon

Top Five List...

Of Where Shannon Has Been The Last Month!

5: She starting cleaning out the garage...we should see her sometime next spring!
4: She joined the Circus...you should see her beard!
3: She joined the Peace Corps...she thought it was a spa retreat!
2: She was abducted by aliens...good thing she has her CHL!
1: She joined the CIA...now she has to kill you! hehehe

Actually, I have been recovering from the Mother Of All Colds, which turned into Bronchitis. So needless to say (and yet I am still saying it...hehehe) I have not been in the mood to blog...or do much of anything else.

I will begin posting regularly again soon!

Miss you!
Shannon

Sweet & Sassy Stamps Christmas Cheer Blog Hop Day 1!

I know, I know... it is only October. But, if you are like me, you need ALL the time you can find to get those cards out in the mail for Christmas! Sweet & Sassy Stamps is having a 3 day Blog Hop to showcase some of the incredible Christmas stamps and digi stamps that are available RIGHT NOW! I am the last stop for the day, so if you did not start on the Sweet & Sassy Blog, you should hop over there to start from the beginning. You do not want to miss out on all the DT's lovely creations!

This lovely image is from the Jesus Is Born stamp set. It has this image and several sentiments, including portions of scripture. It is a very versatile set, in that you can use the image as the focal point, or you can use the larger scripture portions and have a completely different look. I chose to use this portrait of Jesus, Mary and Joseph as my focal point. I colored them with Copics, cut them out and popped them up on foam dots.

I used several different shades from the E range to get the skin tones the way I wanted them. I used W1-3 for the swaddling clothes to add some contrast between Jesus and his parents.

The CS is SU! Mellow Moss and the DP is Basic Grey Mellow. I really like the way this paper coordinates with the colors I chose for the image.

I carried the same "feel" to the inside and added a portion of the Book of Luke, which I cut and embossed with my new Nesties Labels 9. I cut one size larger with the BG DP for a border and put my white CS on the opposite page to allow plenty of space for writing.

Here is one of the sentiments that go along with this set. I stamped, trimmed with edge decor scissors from Fiskars, and popped it up on foam dots as well. I was trying to go for a "stable" feel so I used a large rectangle Nestie to cut out the angular piece of DP and then embellished with hemp twine.

Come back tomorrow and start the Hop again with the lovely and talented Chris Dickinson. You can see the rest of the schedule for tomorrow and Friday on my sidebar.

And don't forget the BIG SALE!!! going on at Sweet & Sassy Stamps right now for subscribers! Just visit the SNSS store, sign up as a Sweet & Sassy Stamper, and then you can take advantage of a Subscriber Only Buy 1 Get 1 Free Sale on a large number of soon to be "out of print" stamp sets. Get 'em while you can! While you are there, check out the new digis and get your Free Digi!

Thanks for Hoppin' with me!

Sweet & Sassy New Release Blog Hop

It is time for a new release from Sweet & Sassy Stamps! The two sets that are being released are Forget Me Not and Baked With Love. The SNSS DT has some yummy eye candy for you today using these two sets.

AND!!!! we're also sending you on a Recipe Scavenger Hunt in honor of our new Baked With Love stamp set. What you do is, visit all the blogs on the Hop. While you are checking out the incredible creativity, you will collect "ingredients" for a mystery baked good. Once you have all 13, try to guess what the item is. Go back to the SNSS blog and leave your guess in the comments section with your email. Don't worry, only Korin can see your email! She will draw a winner from all the correct guesses.

If you didn't start on the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps blog, please head there now to find out your assignment then come back here to continue on the hop.

Here is the card I made using the Baked With Love stamp set.

This set was so much fun to use, it has so many adorable images.

Here is a close up of some of the individual images that are colored with Copic markers.

The set comes with several sentiments, and here is the one I have chosen. The CS is SU! Brilliant Blue and Real Red. The DP is from the DCWV Summer Stack but I colored in the turquoise flowers with Copic to make them match the CS. I added ribbon and some gems.

I stamped the images on Neena Classic Crest Solar White and then used my Cuttlebug to cut out and emboss with them.

This Sugar Jar turned out really well, so I just HAD to show it off! hehehe

After designing our new Baked With Love stamp set, Korin thought it would be wonderful to have a recipe card digi to go with it...so follow the link to see that digi! And while you are checking out the digis, don't forget about the freebie for today! It will be gone tomorrow!

Now how about that recipe clue????

Your next ingredient is:

ALLSPICE

Continue to hop along and collect the rest of the ingredients (note: not all blogs will have a clue)...

• Chris Dickinson
  Courtney Fowler
  Sandy Domelle
  Janette Olen
  Jeanette Comerford
  Teresa Kline
  Ceal Pritchett
  Deedee Anderson
  Lorie Souther
  Nancy Brown
  Leah Cornelius
  Shannon Pankow
  Belinda Chang
  Lisa Hjulberg

Remember, once you have collected all 13 ingredients, to head back to the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps blog and comment with the recipe you think the ingredients are for. You just might win this month's new sets, Baked With Love & Forget-Me-Not!

Thanks for hoppin!

A Drum Roll and A Blog Hop.....

TA-DA!!!! A new card! Finally!

This card is made using the new Basic Grey "Eskimo Kisses" paper, isn't it just adorable? I have paired it with the Waddle I Do Digi Stamp that was a special with purchase a while back.

I added silk/paper flowers and bling brads from my stash, along with a few other finishing touches that you can see below.

I colored him with Copics and added Glossy Accents to his scarf, eyes, cheeks, feet and beak. I trimmed him out and popped him up on foam dots.

Here is the heart charm from the wedding section at Joann. You get a bunch in a pack and they are perfect for sliding over ribbon. The pearl pin is a corsage pin and the beads were recycled from an old belt my DD did not want any more. I did not have *quite* the right shade of green ribbon, so I colored a lime green grosgrain ribbon with Copic to match the cardstock. (This is a handy trick to use if you are in a pinch!) And I finished it with Light Blue grosgrain ribbon tied with a bow.

Here is the sentiment I chose, which I outlined top and bottom in two different Copic colors (C3 & B21). I love this image! He is so sweet! You can still get Do Not Open Until Christmas at the Sweet & Sassy Stamps site, which was a companion set to this one.

DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE NEW RELEASE BLOG HOP THAT STARTS TOMORROW!

We are celebrating our October release with another 1-day blog hop. You will see amazing projects using our two newest sets as you hop along the DT blogs Thursday, October 1st. Find the clues along the way for a chance to win both sets from the new release!

Start at the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps blog then visit the following in no particular order:

• Korin Sutherland
• Chris Dickinson
• Courtney Fowler
• Sandy Domelle
• Janette Olen
• Jeanette Comerford
• Teresa Kline
• Ceal Pritchett
• Deedee Anderson
• Lorie Souther
• Nancy Brown
• Leah Cornelius
• Shannon Pankow
• Belinda Chang
• Lisa Hjulberg

Blessings!

Me, maybe some Candy and a Friend...

Ok, this is not a sale advertisement, or a DT Blog Hop or anything remotely craft related. Just me, sitting here typing...while my kids continue to NOT go to bed and I continue to wonder whether or not Laptop Wrist is a REAL ailment or just a figment of my imagination...I think it *might* be carpal tunnel, but I don't really want to *think* about it much! Things here have been pretty out of the ordinary...I cannot go into details but suffice it to say that our stress levels are WWAAAYYYY over the normal threshold and your prayers are greatly appreciated. On the up side, we both still have jobs! I know many people are not so blessed and I hope that God will open a new door, a better door, for them in the near future.

Interestingly enough, I did something recently that most people think of as a "man-thing". In fact, I was the only woman there! If you really want to know what it was, email me and I will let you in on the secret. I would post it here, but DH tells me that my blog now shows up when my name is Googled so my personal privacy is pretty much out the window. Actually, I might end up making a Blog Candy out it...that would be fun! Put all the correct answers into a hat and draw a winner? What do you think? What kind of things would make a good "Candy?" I know what my crafty friends will say....but what about the rest of you? Let me hear from you!

Now, I want to tell you about a sweet person that I have come to know in the blogging world. Ellyn, who owns the blog Profoundly Seth. Seth is her youngest who was born early and was profoundly deaf. They fought to get him Cochlear Implants, which he now has, and the journey was amazing to read. She also talks about her losing a child (stillbirth), losing a husband (in the process) and how she is coping with being pregnant while her marriage seems to be ending. She has three other kids, Ava, Jace and Eli(he was stillborn) and is currently expecting #5. Her blog is an adventure into faith, family and fortitude. Please give her some bloggy love, and help raise her "hit-count"...it is her only source of income at the moment.

Blessings,
Shannon