Happy Birthdays!

Anyone have any suggestions on how to get everything done that us women place upon ourselves to do? Okay, okay, I know I'm just feeling overwhelmed in my new venture and I'm probably trying to hard... And I'm the worst at forgiving myself for not getting everything done that I hoped to get done... I'm unrealistic, I know.... I have two birthdays on the 22nd, my third child's birthday is Feb. 1st, college deadlines, a dirty house and this really cute card to get done.... Well, at least I got one thing accomplished today! I'm giving it to my oldest daughter for her birthday.

Yes, you read that right. I had two children on the same day, two years apart. And what is even more amazing is my nephew was born on the same day the year between. My mother's first three grandchildren are all born on January 22nd. Happy Birthday Michael, Jessica and Kiff!

The stamps I used on this card were B Line Designs Flexibone for the corset. For the inside sentiment I used B Line Designs "Corset" Birthday stamp with my gold Martha Stewart stamp pad.






I colored the image with my Copic markers using my RV colors. I used the ZIG Painty pen for the gold. The DP is My Minds Eye, Laundry Line. Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder, ribbon from Hobby Lobby, brads and that's my card... I hope you like it and I'd love to hear your thoughts so leave me a comment. "I'm just sayin'..."

Busy, Busy

I had a WONDERFUL dinner with an old friend and co-worker last night. It was so good to touch base. I had been in college mode all day and it was such a nice break to be able to laugh and share. What a joy...

College is kicking my butt! I feel like my laptop is part of my anatomy at this moment! Whew! I stayed up until 1:00 am reading threads and posting, which then caused me to sleep late this morning! Don't you hate that? LOL. But it's so excited to be here at this time in my life. I'm pumped to be actively participating in my future.

I created my background paper with Glimmer Mist. LOVE that stuff! If you use matte cardstock (I got mine from SU), and spray your colors randomly on your Teflon mat and swirl your paper ever so slightly, you get SUCH a beautiful effect. Give it a try! The MERCI stamp is by Art Impressions. The Eiffel Tower stamp is by Stampabilities. The letter background is by Penny Black. A few brads and a ribbon from Hobby Lobby and Voila! Now if I can figure out how to include creating cards into my already busy day, I'll keep posting! I'm running out of cards folks! See you tomorrow. "I'm just sayin'..."

Back to College!

Today, I started back to college. I'm so excited, but a little overwhelmed. I've spent most of the day reading what I'm supposed to do on the school's website. There is a lot to absorb when you are going to school online. But I'm definitely a visual learner, so reading works better for me than a traditional classroom where I have to listen and absorb.

I haven't had any time to be creative. I will eventually get in the grove and get back to the wearing of all of my many hats... Thank Goodness the house is orderly for today, otherwise, I might go a little nuts. Of course, it does take a little swishing and swiping daily to keep it orderly, so that will need to be fit into my schedule as well. Maybe I should just quit sleeping? LMBO! Hubby wouldn't like a grumpy girl and no sleep makes Tracy very grumpy... It will all work out. I have faith.

This card was created using the crayon resist technique. If you look on splitcoaststampers.com you can learn the technique there. It's not one of my favorites because I'm an "in the lines" kind of gal. As you can see, it's difficult to see where you are coloing the white crayon before you add the ink. Once the ink is added and the white crayon is then wiped off, you are left with an image that's pretty cool, but just not as precise as I would have liked. "I'm just sayin'..."

Disney was GREAT, as always. However, for the first time in 50 years, it was sleeting in Kissimmee! Can you believe it? It was SOOOOO cold walking around the Magic Kingdom. I was wearing long johns under my clothes and we had to wear our sweats over them to try and keep warm. It was insane. I believe the high on this day was 36 degrees. It started out in the low 20's! But even with the cold, we had a really relaxing time. I love going down there.

My hubby is working the afternoon shift this week at work (his work week includes the weekend). It's been odd to adjust myself to just a few hours of him around in the mornings and then at bedtime. Thank Goodness he will be going back to the midnight shift soon. We've been married for 26 years and for most of that, he's worked graveyard. It's what we know. This way, he sleeps during the day while I'm being creative and cleaning the house, and then we get to spend most of the evening together as a family. It works for us. In the meantime, I've been trying to be creative while he's gone, but I seem to be having a block. I've worked all day trying to figure out the best layers for my next card. Creativity doesn't come easy for me... but it's a great outlet! So off I go....

I created this card last year for Valentine's Day. If you are interested in the stamps I used, just leave me a comment and I'll get that for you. "I'm just sayin'..."

I'm going to Florida this weekend... Not that it's any warmer than here in Georgia! Boy, the cold air has really sank deep into the South! My hubby and I are going to Disney for a few days. We bought a season pass the last time we were there and he has a few days off so we've decided to head down there for some fun. Disney is where we went on our honeymoon and we've loved it ever since.

I'm uploading a card that I made this past Fall. The stamp I used is from B Line Designs. I stamped the image onto black velvet DP by misting the stamp with water prior to using it. I then placed the paper face down onto the stamp and misted the back of the DP with water. I used my iron at a low setting to heat set the image. I cut out the bodice and stand from the black velvet. The paper that I used for the skirt and background was handmade using Glimmer Mists. The colors I used were Pinecone, Candy Apple Red and Forest Green. The word BEAUTY was individually stamped with Party Ink, Uppercase Wood Stamps by The Paper Studio. I used a fine point black pen to outline each letter. I matted the dress on a green piece of CS and used my 18 ct. Gold Leafing Pen from Krylon to make the gold edge around the CS. I LOVE that pen!!! I bought my ribbon from Hobby Lobby and used small pearl embellishments for the necklace. I hope you enjoy!