31 October 2008

Halloween Fun Frights

Isnt this just adorable? My darling downline, LuAnn, created this for a recent swap.

Sorry the picture is a bit dark and it's in a celo envelope for protection -but it was too cute now to show you ;o) What a cute idea to high light the fun happy cat!!

Stamp Sets: Halloween Frights, House of Haunts

Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Tangerine Tango, Autumn Vine DS Paper

Stampin' Pads: Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Basic Black

Accessories: Word Window Punch, Small Oval Punch, Grosgrain Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals


~TFL & Enjoy~

30 October 2008

Spooky Nights


As Halloween draws near I wanted to share this fun card with you ~ (sorry for the glare but its in a cello envelope for protection as I share it with all of my friends and customers)

There is soo much detail on this card that was created by Kate Holland. She recently participated in a swap that I hosted over on SCS. She white embossed the fence on black paper and then cut it out to put it on the card!! There are also two little embossed bats flying around in the sky that were cut out separately too!! COOL!

Stamp Sets: Halloween Frights & Frightful Fence

Card Stock: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, DSP Ghostly Greetings

Stampin' Pads: Basic Black, Pumpkin PIe, More Mustard, Black Stazon, Tangerine Tango

Accessories: Window Word Punch, 3/4" Circle, Hemp Thread, Antique Brads, Clear Embossing Powder, White Embossing Powder, Versa Mark, Stipple Brush and LOTS OF CUTTING :o)

How fun!!

~TFL & Enjoy~
Hello Everyone ~ Here is the latest on Miss Malia as told by her Mom. She is dressed up here as Dorthy in the Wizard of Oz - this is what she is hoping to wear for trick or treating Friday night --

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2008 11:10 AM, CDT

Malia had her clinic follow up yesterday and it presented a couple of “potential” speed bumps. Nothing major but we discovered that her ANC has dropped dramatically. Once again she is in the “extremely susceptible” window. Can you believe that it dropped from approximately 9,000 to only 162 in five (5) days?! Just goes to show how powerful those Neupogen shots were. She’s already started producing monocytes (not a whole bunch but some) which is the first thing that starts to come back before the neutrophils so we’re hoping next week she’ll have much stronger numbers. Of course we have to be very careful and I asked A, our nurse, if we could still take her trick or treating on Friday. She was hesitant but she knows how much Malia has been looking forward to dressing up so she just said, “It’ll be outside, she’ll be outside so she’ll be okay…that’s what we’ll go with…”. We just need to be careful and same thing with Makena’s birthday party at the park on Sunday. A agreed with that.

Malia is officially in the monitoring phase. With solid tumors, they don’t use the term “remission” rather “no evidence of disease” which is essentially the same thing – just different terminology. So Malia officially has “no evidence of disease” which is a fantastic feeling! The order for her port removal has been submitted, we just need to schedule it. I’d like to have that done in the next couple of weeks so we can get on with a normal life. We’ve already eased off some of her regular meds and the first night that we had just her magnesium and mouth care she said, in a very chipper and shocked voice, “…just one! Only one medicine!” with the biggest smile on her face. She got very silly after that. It was wonderful to experience. We’ll still have to continue with the meds though until her counts recover completely (hopefully next week). She’ll still have to continue with the Bactrim, however, for at least 3 – 6 months since her immune system will be compromised for 6 – 12 more months.

The other potential speed bump that we encountered yesterday was her hearing test results. Before we started chemo they did a baseline test on her to record what damage the chemo would do. We knew that she would definitely experience some hearing loss in the higher frequencies. This loss would not be at the conversational level but every child is different so it’s something they monitor. That baseline test had results at all frequencies in normal ranges. Her results yesterday showed that she took a significant hit to her hearing. There was a pretty big change L. Right now she’s borderline – she is not a candidate for hearing aids but there still could be some changes to her hearing in the coming months as the chemo is still being release from organs that had absorbed some during the treatment. They will want to monitor her closely so we’ll have to go in for another test in a few months. Right now, the level at which her hearing shows some deterioration could affect her speech and language skills. Many of you know how articulate she already is for a 3 year old so hopefully it won’t be an issue. They advised us that we should watch for her starting to have problems hearing soft sounds, like whispers, or if she stops using the “f” and “s” sounds in her speech. Those would be the first areas that would probably be affected that would be noticeable.

That’s the latest for now. Pray that this weekend will not introduce her to any exposures that result in another trip to the hospital and that her counts recover by next week’s appointment, her port removal is scheduled for shortly after, and she heads into the Holidays as a cancer free, post chemo survivor that is growing her hair back, gaining energy and is nothing more than a happy little girl who visits the clinic monthly for checkups. That’s what we’ll do!

Much love and hugs to you all!

Thanks to all of you who continue to follow Malias courageous battle, who keep her in your thoughts and prayers and continue to remember her with your hand stamped cards ~ ~ I appreciate all of you ;o)

29 October 2008

Happy, Dandy, Candy Night!!

Do you know the definition of Halloween? 1. October 31, celebrated by children of all ages. 2. Dressing up, trick-or-treat, bob for apples, cider sweet. 3. Jack-o'-lanterns, squeals of fright, a happy, dandy, candy night!

This adorable card was created by Scheli Abraham for a card swap I recently hosted - and how adorable it tis'!! The best thing about this card is hard to see in this picture, I apologize. I have it in a clear cello envelope so it stays clean as I show it off but the witches hat itself just sparkles with fun! Scheli used the iridescent Ice embossing powder on it

Stamp Set: Eat, Drink & Be Scary

Cardstock: Tangerine Tango, Lovely Lilac, Kiwi Kiss, Basic Black and Frosty Day DSP
Stampin' Pads: Basic Black Craft and Classic
Accessories: Iridescent Ice Emboss Powder, Silver Elastic Cord, Kiwi 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, stapler, stampin' dimensionals
~TFL & Enjoy~

28 October 2008

Punkin' Suckers

What a fun project this is ;o)

Stamps :
Frightful Fence Stampin' Around jumbo wheel
Cardstock:
Basic Black
Old Olive
Basic Gray textured
Ghostly Greetings Designer Series paper
Stampin' Pads:
Basic Black jumbo cartridge
Accessories:
Basic Black 1/4" grosgrain ribbon
Sizzix Big Shot for Stampin' Up!
Pumpkin #4 Sizzlits Die
Pumpkin Faces Sizzlits Die
Florist foam
Suckers

Instructions:
1.Wheel fence image in Basic Black ink on Basic Gray textured card stock. Assemble card stock into box.
2. Cut pumpkins from Designer Series paper using Big Shot and Pumpkin #4 die.
3. Cut pumpkin stem and faces Basic Black and Old Olive card stock using Big Shot and Pumpkin Faces die.
4.Adhere faces and stems to pumpkins.
5. Adhere pumpkins to suckers.
6.Tie Basic Black ribbon around sucker sticks, and insert into florist foam in the fence box.
~TFL & Enjoy~

27 October 2008

You Rock Bag

What a FUN treat bag to make and gift away ;o)

Stamps:
JUST JAWING STAMP SET

Cardstock:
NATURALS WHITE
BASIC BLACK
12 X 12 TEXTURED IN COLOR 08-09
KIWI KISS

TANGERINE TANGO

Stampin' Pads:
STAZON PAD JET BLACK
KIWI KISS

Accessories:
CRYSTAL EFFECTS
CELLO BAGS FLAT LARGE 6 x 8 (50)
COLUZZLE CUTTING SYSTEM STARTER SET
SCISSORS PAPER SNIPS
PAPER CUTTER
SNAIL ADHESIVE PERMANENT
STAMPIN DIMENSIONALS
PUNCH 3/4 INCH CIRCLE
STAMPIN' GLITTER FINE COSMO
PUNCH 1 INCH CIRCLE
RIBBON GROSGRAIN STRIPED TANGERINE TANGO 5/8 INCH

Instructions
1. Cut out 4" circle from Kiwi Kiss textured card stock using Coluzzle Cutting System. Stamp Star images in Kiwi Kiss ink on Kiwi Kiss circle.

2. Cut out partial circle from Tangerine Tango card stock (3-1/2" x 1") using Coluzzle Cutting System. Stamp “You rock” in Jet Black StazOn ink on Tangerine Tango card stock. Adhere to bottom of Kiwi Kiss circle.

3. Stamp skull image in Jet Black StazOn ink on Naturals White card stock (3" x 3"). Adhere Fine Cosmo Stampin’ Glitter to eyes of skull using Crystal Effects. Coat teeth with Crystal Effects. Cut out skull.

4. Stamp skull image in Jet Black StazOn ink on Basic Black card stock (3" x 4"). Cut out crossbones and adhere to back of Naturals White skull. Adhere to Kiwi Kiss circle using Stampin’ Dimensionals.

5. To create ring, punch hole in Tangerine Tango card stock using 3/4" Circle punch. Punch out hole using 1" Circle punch. Adhere bottom of ring to back of Kiwi Kiss circle. Thread Tangerine Tango 5/8" striped grosgrain ribbon through ring and tie around cellophane bag.

26 October 2008

Alpine Fall

I just love love love this new Alpine Ribbon from SU! It's just the coolest ;o) This card was created by Holly Krautkremer who particpated in a swap that I recently hosted ~ she has done such a great job with this card too!! Adding the brad to the ribbon was the perfect idea!!

Stamp Sets: Happy Blessings

Cardstock: Really Rust, Old Olive, Naturals Ivory, DSP Autumn Vine

Stampin' Pads: Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Alpine Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, Watercolor Crayons, Blender Pens, Rhinestone Brads Ice Circle, Big Shot Top Note

~TFL & Enjoy~

25 October 2008

Fall is in the Air

What a fun stamp set!!! Scheli Abraham has done an awesome job with this card - I love what she has done with the ribbon here on this card - she kinda unraveled the ends to give a it cool look! Scheli recently participated in a swap that I was hosting - she does such great work!!

Stamp Set: Happy Blessings

Cardstock: Really Rust, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Autumn Vine DSP

Stampin' Pads: Jet Black StazOn, Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Watercolor crayons, blender pens, sponge, Chocolate Chip 1" grosgrain ribbon, 1 1/4", 1 3/8" and 1 3/4" circle punches, stampin' dimensionals

~TFL & Enjoy~

Friday afternoon Maila update


Hello Everyone!! Here is the latest update from Tamara, Miss Malias mom ~ thanks for your continued prayers, support and cards you are sending to Miss Malia ~ I soo appreciate you!!


We are home – yet it wasn’t entirely a smooth transition.

Firstly, Malia had a couple of really rough days at the hospital. Health wise she was doing great – it’s just the emotional and mental toll that was the issue. Wednesday was going to be a very big day of tests. She had her renal test which simply evaluates the way her kidneys are functioning. They inject a small amount of radioactive material in her (no biggie right?) and then draw blood and specific time intervals to see how her body is getting rid of it. The most traumatic thing about it is that they cannot inject and draw from the same access so she needed to have an I.V. in her hand. YIKES – just the sheer thought of doing that do her now still makes me shutter; she is absolutely terrified of needles now and her resistance and tantrums are horrifying.

Anyway, to head that off, Kyle had made a request early in the morning that they give her Ativan (an anti-anxiety medication which they added to her list of available drugs after the first maniacal tantrum back in July). So after her Ativan, which by the way she gets totally high from – I’m mean you cannot even let her walk because she’s so unbalanced and loopy. Once she had her meds, they inserted her I.V. and gave the Neupogen shot. It still took three of us to hold her even with the Ativan! Once it was done she was fine and we proceeded with our day. Now by the time 3:00 rolled around she still had not taken a nap and with very little sleep the night before in conjunction with coming down from the Ativan we were entering very unpredictable mood territory. It was now time for the final blood draw for the GFR test and also for her CT scan. The CT did not happen – another tantrum did. L So we rescheduled for Thursday. Once we were back in her room she crashed out until she was rudely awaken. We had to re-access the port and take the old needle out as it wasn’t working – hence tantrum number 3. During this one though, she managed to tear out the I.V. in her hand and blood was all over me, her, the bed, and the floor. Luckily the PCT noticed it right as it happened and immediately started applying pressure to her hand. Needless to say, my BizEMoms t-shirt is now a night shirt.

After a much needed nap, Malia woke at night in a fairly chipper mood. She ate, watched TV and went to bed. A few hours later, our roommate woke crying which also woke Malia up and then she couldn’t get back to sleep until 5:00 AM. She slept in on Thursday and it started out to be a glorious day. We received news that her ANC was super high and there was no need to give the Neupogen shot anymore…EVER!! YIPEE! I cannot tell you how relieved Kyle and I are that we do not have to do that to her every day anymore.

Because she slept in, her window of being able to eat quickly diminished because of her rescheduled CT scan. So, yep, you guessed it, she had another tantrum because she wanted to eat and couldn’t. Then to make matters worse, we were giving her more Ativan to help insure that she would be cooperative with the scan so she wouldn’t have to be sedated and right as we started the infusion, the IV pump showed there was a line occlusion…AGAIN!! Yes, they had to re-access the port yet another time which of course, brought another horrible tantrum which is frightening to see and hear. Once that was done, she received her medication, she had her CT Scan and we were discharged last night at about 5:45. Thank God!

Well it was good for a while – we got home about 7:15ish and she was out like a light. She woke about 9:00 and all seemed well…until she said she was cold. HOLY CRAP – are you kidding me?!! Yes, she spiked another fever and yes Kyle had to take her back to the ER to do blood cultures and check her vitals. At least this time her ANC was super and her temp went back to normal so they were able to come home. She’s been sleeping a lot today and I keep checking her temperature – which remains normal. Let’s pray it stays that way because it’s Friday and if she spikes again we have to go to the ER again. Her next appointment is at the clinic on Tuesday for a follow up and she also had a post therapy hearing test that day as well. The humungous silver lining to all of this is that MALIA IS DONE WITH ACTIVE CHEMOTHERAPY!! She received her final push of Vincristin in the hospital and so now she is done and is in the monitoring phase. HIP HIP HOORAY!!

She’s got two different blood cultures growing in the lab now – they don’t officially rule out bacterial infections until there’s negative growth for 5 days. If anything comes up, we’ll let you know. But for now, let’s hope we have a very quiet weekend and do not have to go to PCH until Tuesday. Tomorrow we will be having family pictures taken through HopeKids – an organization that helps support kids with cancer and other life threatening illnesses. Other than that, we do need to keep her close to home even though her ANC is high.

We’ll keep you posted.

Many hugs and much love to you all!

24 October 2008

Happy Blessings

Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Fall, Happy Blessings to one and all ~ what a cute saying!! This card was created by Holly Krautkremer for a swap that I hosted for the Holiday Mini - I just love everything she has done on this card ~ from the background to the colors!!

Stamp Set: Happy Blessings, Sanded BG

Card Stock: Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel, Tangerine Tango, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White, More Mustard

Stampin' Pads: Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel, Tangerine Tango, Kiwi Kiss, More Mustard

Accessories: Blender Pen, Natural Hemp, Linen Thread, EE Buttons, Ticket Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Scallop Square Punch

~TFL & Enjoy~

23 October 2008

Fall Friendship


This stamp set out of the Holiday Mini is soo versatile! Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter! I thought this was a perfect one for the Fall! It was created by Kate Holland for a recent swap I hosted for the Holiday Mini. I absolutely love how she punched out the circles and mounted them elsewhere on the tree - brilliant idea!!

Stamp Sets: Season of Friendship

Card Stock: Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie and Whisper White

Stampin' Pads: Close to Cocoa, More Mustard, Pumpkin Pie, Ruby Red

Accessories: 3/4" Circule Punch, Horizonal Slot Punch, Chocolate Chip Taffeta

~TFL & Enjoy~

22 October 2008

Suspension Card


It's like magic!! Use simple supplies to create a fun, interactive element for your cards. It's easy - and with the step by step picture tutorial from our friends over at SCS it's fool proof ;o)
Have fun with this one!

~TFL & Enjoy~
Hello Everyone -- I just wanted to share this with you today too - this is the latest update from Tamara:

Well we’ve done the ol’ switcheroo. I’m home with Makena and Kyle is at the hospital with Malia. I thought we were done with this whole tag team game!

Things are looking up. Malia has not had a fever since receiving IV antibiotics in the ER last night and she’s doing very well. No bacteria grew from her blood cultures during the first 24 hour period which is great but they “officially” don’t rule out bacterial infections until it has been left to grow for five days in the lab and is clear. After 48 hours however, they feel much more comfortable if there is still a negative reading and no other spikes in fever have occurred. Either way, she still needs a full 48 hours of antibiotics before they will release her and her ANC needs to be rising (which it already is). Today it was 266. So, needless to say, the earliest that she will be coming home is Thursday.

They figure we’ll try to take advantage of the time that we’re in the hospital so we are trying to get as many of her post therapy scans and tests and such completed while we’re in house. She had her chest x-ray tonight, she’ll have her CT scan tomorrow (which was originally scheduled for Friday) and hopefully we’ll be able to squeeze in her kidney function test and hearing test. I spoke with the CNP, “A” (her nickname – short for Andrea) today and asked how long after the last push of chemo tomorrow that we would have to continue the meds at home. I was hoping she’d only say a week or so but she said that the Bactrim (specifically for a certain type of pneumonia that immune suppressed patients are susceptible to) would have to be continued for probably 3 – 6 months! It’s Malia’s most hated medicine. Ughhh! She said that chemo patients continue to have compromised immune systems for about 6 months after the therapy ends. At least it’s just on the weekends that she takes it...I don’t want to tell her though L.

We’ll keep you posted on any new news.

Hugs!

21 October 2008

Notebook on Life

What a fun project to do with the Sizzix ;o)

Stamps:
FULL OF LIFE STAMP SET

Card Stock:
WHISPER WHITE

SO SAFFRON
BASHFUL BLUE
TANGERINE TANGO
DESIGNER SERIES PAPER PATTERNS SO SAFFRON

Stampin' Pads:
CLASSIC STAMPIN PAD CHOCOLATE CHIP

Accessories:
ON BOARD ART JOURNAL

BRADS VINTAGE
PUNCH TRIO FLOWER
RIBBON GROSGRAIN STRIPED TANGERINE TANGO 5/8 INCH
SIZZIX SIZZLITS ALPHABET GO GO BOOTS
SIZZIX BIGZ TOP NOTE STAMPIN' UP! EXCLUSIVE

Instructions:

1. Pierce row of holes in Bashful Blue card stock (8-1/4" x 5-3/8") using paper-piercing tool from Crafters’ Tool Kit. Adhere card stock to On Board Art Journal.

2. Adhere So Saffron Patterns Designer Series paper (8-1/4" x 1") to journal.

3. Adhere Tangerine Tango card stock (8-1/4" x 4") to cover. Wrap Tangerine Tango 5/8" striped grosgrain around cover, and adhere ribbon to inside of cover. Tie additional piece of Tangerine Tango ribbon and adhere to cover.

4. Adhere Bashful Blue card stock (5" x 1-3/8") to On Board Book Basics. Cut On Board Book Basics and Bashful Blue card stock using BigShot for Stampin’ Up! and Top Note Bigz die.

5. Ink stamp with Chocolate Chip Stampin’ Write marker and stamp along bottom edge of Bashful Blue card stock. Stamp sentiment again in Chocolate Chip ink on Whisper White card stock. Cut out “Happens” and “Busy” and adhere to Bashful Blue card stock using Stampin’ Dimensionals.

6. Stamp end of sentiment in Chocolate Chip ink on So Saffron card stock (2-1/8" x 3/4"). Adhere card stock to chipboard note.

7. Cut “Life” from Chocolate Chip textured card stock using Big Shot machine and Go Go Boots Sizzlits Alphabet die. Adhere letters to chipboard note using Stampin’ Dimensionals.

8. Punch flowers from So Saffron and Tangerine Tango card stock using Trio Flower punch. Attach Silver brads to one flower of each color, and adhere to chipboard note.
9. Adhere chipboard note to journal.
~TFL & Enjoy~

Speed Bump?



Here is some news we just recevied tonight on Maila -- please keep her in your thoughts and prayers ~

MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2008 11:18 PM, CDT

Okay well we’ve hit a bit of a speed bump. We’re not sure what kind of speed bump it is yet. As I said, no news is good news yet here I am posting an update.

I took Malia into clinic today because last night she looked, well, let’s just say not great. Her color was definitely getting worse and she has been increasingly crabby…although she has been for a while now. Anyway, I was pretty certain that she needed a transfusion so I took her in. We were also kind of hoping that in the process of checking whether she needed blood or not that they’d discover that her ANC was high enough to stop the Neupogen shots. Well her hemoglobin was very low so she definitely needed blood but unfortunately, her ANC was very low as well. It was only 44! That is the lowest it has ever been and that was also with 11 days of Neupogen shots! She’s never had that much before so this round definitely knocked her down pretty hard. Basically she has no immune system at all which is very nerve wracking because any fever spike can send you to the hospital. Now I guess with a blood transfusion, it’s not uncommon for people to spike a fever so they gave her some Tylenol in clinic before the transfusion and she did very well. Her body temp was normal before during and after. Things were going as they should; it was great to see her lips pink! J.So, we came home and she was acting peppier (is that a word?) and seeming very comfortable but then right about bedtime she made the comment that she was getting cold and had the chills. Immediately I knew – we took her temperature and sure enough, it was just over 100. Now the protocol is that if they have a temp of 101 you go immediately to clinic or the ER depending on the time of the day. If it’s 100.4 twice in one hour then you call the “on call” and they will most likely tell you to go in. Anyway, I didn’t wait and I called and spoke to the Oncologist. She told us to check her temp again in an hour and if it was the same or increased to call her back. Well Malia was visibly uncomfortable so we took her temp before the hour was up and it had increased to 101. I called back and they said to bring her in but we could give Tylenol before leaving home to help keep her comfortable. While I was packing and getting ready, Kyle took her temp again and it had jumped to 102. Oh CRAP!

We’re here in the ER now and they are giving fluids and antibiotics. She no longer has a temperature and they have already taken blood to test for an infection which I’m praying will be negative. We won’t find out until tomorrow whether an infection has been ruled out or not. Even if there is no infection, however, she will not be released until her ANC is rising because she is at such a high risk. The positive so far is that they did another CBC here in the ER and her ANC is already up to 200 so it seems she’s on the upswing which makes sense because, as I said, she’s had eleven (11) days of Neupogen already. Either way we will be here in the hospital for at least another day or so.Pray that she does not have an infection and that this was just a reaction to the Neutropenia (lack of neutrophils in the blood which is one of the main numbers used to calculate the ANC).

We’ll keep you posted.

Love to you all!

20 October 2008

Season of Friendship

Here is another fun card idea to make with the current 'Season of Friendship' stamp set.
Here is the list of ingredients you will need to complete this card ~
Stamps:
SEASON OF FRIENDSHIP STAMP SET
Cardstock:
OLD OLIVE
VERY VANILLA
CHOCOLATE CHIP
KRAFT

Stampin' Pads:
CHOCOLATE CHIP
OLD OLIVE
BAJA BREEZE

Accessories:
PUNCH HANDHELD 1/8 INCH CIRCLE
SCISSORS PAPER SNIPS
PAPER CUTTER
SNAIL ADHESIVE PERMANENT
STAMPIN DIMENSIONALS
RIBBON GROSGRAIN STRIPED BAJA BREEZE 5/8 INCH

Instructions:
1. Stamp tree image in Chocolate Chip ink on Very Vanilla card stock (3" x 4-5/8"). Stamp leaves in Old Olive ink. Adhere Very Vanilla card stock to Chocolate Chip card stock (3-1/8" x 4-3/4"); adhere to Old Olive card.

2. Punch two holes in card, approximately 5/8" and 7/8" from right edge of card, using 1/8" Circle punch. Thread Baja Breeze 5/8" striped grosgrain ribbon through holes and tie in front of card.

3. Stamp sentiment in Chocolate Chip ink on Kraft card stock (2-3/8" x 5/8"). Adhere to card using Stampin’ Dimensionals.

4. Stamp bird image in Baja Breeze ink on Very Vanilla card stock; cut out. Adhere bird to card using Stampin’ Dimensionals.

19 October 2008

Happy New Baby!

Yeah! We have a new baby in our family and I offered to stamp thank you cards for them ;o) So here is what I came up with - something simple that can be mailed without additional postage but yet cute!

The 'happy new baby' is embossed in black - it really makes it pop! Also, the handprint that is mounted on the chocolate chip cardstock is attached using stampin dimensionals to give it some dimension as well.

On the inside I just stamped a simple 'thank you' using the Family Phrases stamp set as well. I just love that stamp set and even though it is retired I still find myself going back and pulling it to use!!

Stamp Sets: Nursery Letters Jumbo Wheel, I'm Here, Family Phrases

Card Stock: Pretty in Pink, Naturals Ivory, Chocolate Chip

Stampin' Pads: Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink,

Accessories: Black Embossing Powder, Stampin' Dimensionals, Paper Piercer and template

~TFL & Enjoy~

18 October 2008

"Better Your Best"




Wow! I received happy mail from my SU! upline that I wasn't even expecting this week! Now that is what I call a pleasant serendipity for sure ;o)

She sent me the following cards for a "Better Your Best" promotion from September. Bascially it's an 'incentive game' where you better your sales of the best month you have had kinda thing..are you following me? Clear as mud? LOL

Now this is the kind of mail a person needs every once in awhile -- or maybe every day would be fine too! LOL

Thanks Betty!!

Yeah for Miss Malia!!


What wonderful news to share with all of you who have been following my cousins daughter, Miss Malia, and her fight with cancer!! Here is the lastest from her Mom:

Hi Everyone -

Just a short and quick update. There's not much new to report other than Malia's AFP level continues to decline - YIPEE! She had her regular clinic visit on Wednesday for exam, Vincristin, and blood count. All went exactly as it should. I asked about her last AFP test which was the day of the last admit and oddly enough there were two different numbers. Apparently it was run on two different days. Anyway, they were both lower so I don't care. One was 19 point something and the other was 20 point something down from 77.8. Remember she started at over 300,000 and went down to 1608 after the resection surgery and 1st round of chemo. Then it was down to 77 and now 20 so I'm happy with that! It's still a little above normal but very close to normal so we should see it back at the appropriate level within a couple months (that's my guess).

This coming Wednesday is her final push of Vincristin (Yahooooooo!). I won't be surprised, however, if she also needs to get a blood transfusion. She's pretty pale (gray actually) and she started having nosebleeds last night but that's pretty much par for the course for the 2nd week of the round so I'm not concerened. We do have to give more Neupogen shots this round than what we have before because it's taking her so much longer to recover but thank God this is the last round of shots!!

We'll be sure to update you all after her next clinic visit on Wednesday but again, no news is good news so until then - let's pray that I have nothing to report :-).

Much love to you all!

17 October 2008

Season of....


Include a bit of nature in with your cards - a twig from the yard works great ;o)
Ingredients you will need to complete this card include ~

Stamps:
CANVAS STAMP SET
HARVEST HOME STAMP SET

Cardstock:
REALLY RUST
VERY VANILLA

Stampin' Pads:
STAMPIN WRITE MARKER REALLY RUST
STAZON PAD JET BLACK
VERSAMARK PAD
CLASSIC STAMPIN PAD REALLY RUST
CLASSIC STAMPIN PAD MORE MUSTARD

Accessories:
THREAD LINEN
SNAIL ADHESIVE PERMANENT
STAMPIN DIMENSIONALS
TWILL TAPE
COLOR SPRITZER TOOL
SMALL TWIG

Instructions:
1. Stamp Canvas background image in VersaMark ink on Really Rust card.

2. Stamp “Season of thanks” in Really Rust ink on Very Vanilla card stock (4" x 2"). Tear top edge of card stock. Spray card stock using Really Rust Stampin’ Write marker and Color Spritzer Tool. Adhere card stock to card.

3. Adhere twill tape to card. Tie linen thread around stick and twill tape; adhere twig to card.

4. Stamp leaves in Jet Black StazOn ink on watercolor paper. Watercolor with More Mustard and Really Rust ink using watercolor brush. Cut out each leaf and adhere to card using Stampin’ Dimensionals.

16 October 2008

Stained Glass on Paper!!


Yes! It is possible! You can do a stained glass technique ON cardstock ;o) Our friends over at SCS contine to razzle and dazzle us with this fun technique!

Supplies you'll need for this project
Outline image stamp
Dark pigment ink
Clear embossing powder
Heat tool
Vellum
Markers or other coloring tools
Have fun trying this out!

~TFL & Enjoy~

15 October 2008

~ ~ Meet Ava ~ ~

I just need to do a bit of Auntie braggin for a moment today, ok maybe more soon too ;o)

My brother and his wife welcomed their 2nd child in to this world Tuesday! YEAH!! What a sweetie she is already ;o) I have been saying for 9 months it was going to be a girl - - WOW! Am I good ;o) Big Brother Jack is very excited and even last night HE was saying it was going to be a sister too!!

Here she is just a few hours old

This is the proud Daddy and Jack with Ava

I am including a pic of me and Ava as my Mom says I never let anyone take MY picture ;o) So here is the proof ;o)

This is Grandpa, Grandma, Jack, Ava and Uncle Dean taking a peek at her

What an exciting time!

~TFL & Enjoy~

14 October 2008

Congrats to Miss Malia


Hello Everyone!! Yeah! Good news to share with all of you ;o) The following is the latest update on Miss Malia ~ Thanks to God! As told by her Mom:

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 09, 2008 03:32 PM, CDT
Complete in patient chemo – check. Yep, we’re home! All in all it wasn’t so bad. I was really nervous that Malia’s nausea was going to result in numerous vomiting episodes but there was just one – and it wasn’t that bad. She’s even eating a little here and there. I don’t know if it’s that her body is becoming a little more adjusted to it now that it’s about to end or if it’s that we keep telling her that this is the last round. Either way, she seems to be doing much better this time than last. H-O-O-R-A-Y!!

We’ve got quite a few more visits to Phoenix Childrens over the next couple of weeks – her two (2) regular clinic visits for chemo and exams, a post-chemo CT scan, a hearing test, and a follow up (I’m hoping we can just get them to switch that follow up appointment to be the same day as the hearing test). Then after that, as long as the CT comes back without any areas of concern then we should be able to make one more appointment to have the port-a-cath removed and we will officially be done with chemo!

We’ll get the AFP results at clinic this next week and I’ll be sure to report any other info I get.

Cheers to Malia – she’s almost done!! We’ll update you all soon.
Love to you all!

11 October 2008

Gourds! Gourds!! Gourds!!!



Got gourds? We do ;o)

Not knowing what we 'could' grow or what 'would' grow I guess we planted enough of everything! LOL Here are the totes of the gourds we have left after our punkin' pickin' party! Want some and live close? Email me and we will get together! Want some shipped to you? We can do that too! Contact me for further deets!

Also, here is just another shot of a pumpkin display at our place in front of the shed. I thought this long orange pumpkin was strangely odd - and it goes well with my fave white punkins too! Next year I am going to try my green thumb at the blue punkins - how FUN!

Happy Fall Y'all!

~Enjoy & TFL~

10 October 2008

Hello Fall!


Here is another fun card to share with you ~ it's just soo beautiful out there right now! We received about one and a half inches of rain the other day so the grass is really looking green yet ~ but the leaves are changing even more now with the temps dropping at night like they are!

~TFL & Enjoy~

08 October 2008

Custer State Park ~ Buffalo Roundup

My DH and I had a very enjoyable weekend out in the beautiful black hills of South Dakota about a week ago now -- I wanted to share with you a few snapshots of the event.

If you ever have a chance to go to the Buffalo Round Up I would encourage you to do so -- it's not like you can see this just anywhere ;o)

In this first picture it was about 6:30 a.m. in Custer State Park as the sun was coming up -- you can see the little red spots or dots too - those are the tail lights to cars in front of us making their way to the Buffalo Round Up too!

I couldn't let this go without a picture - these 4 coyboys/cowgirls were sitting in front of us for the big event - it just looked soo neat with their hats on that I had to snap their picture!
Here is a portion of the buffalo as they are rounding them up and getting them towards the final destination of the park.And there is a little gate there they are all pushing towards in the picture - that takes them into the corral where they will draw their blood, give them their shots and sort them for auction as well as the group that will return back out to the park for another year.


Another HUGE highlight of the trip was staying with our friends, The Techs, while we were out there. Michelle and I met on SCS (where else is there more awesome people?!) and we hooked up earlier this summer when we were out at Sturgis, SD for the big motorcycle rally. So when we headed out to the Buffalo Round Up we for sure wanted to get together again! They have the most awesome guest house where we stayed for the weekend ~ if you are planning a vacation to the Black Hills be sure to contact Michelle for your lodging...it's the BEST!

Michelle and I were also able to sneek in some stampin time too with her son and Mom who came out to play all day with us!! Check out her blog for the projects we did - Pop Up Card, Punkins & Gourds, Tiles and more tiles!!

Michelle also showed us how to make the Stationery Set Boxes which are just fab-U-lous!!!

Our DH's got some 'guy time' in too -- they went ATV'ing thru the black hills - that is something my DH thoroughly enjoyed and is still talking about!

Thanks for such an awesome weekend Michelle!! I can't wait to do it again ;o)

An Update for Miss Malia


Hello!

I just wanted to share with all of you the latest update on Miss Malia ~ we are truly hoping this will all soon be just a memory for Malia and her family ~ things are looking up again...thank God!

Here is the latest note from Malia's Mom:
Okay, so we're here! Malia's clinic visit resulted in an admit to the hospital to begin her 4th and final round of chemo. Her ANC had jumped up from under 300 last week to over 2000 today - YIPEE! I'm just so happy that this part is going to be over with and that she'll most likely be well enough to enjoy Halloween and Makena's birthday.
The Cisplatin (the infusion drug and the reason why she needs inpatient chemo as well as outpatient) is what really causes the majority, if not all, of her nausea. It's usually just a few hours after they begin to administer the drug that she starts vomitting. So this will be the last infusion of that nasty poison! The last couple of rounds have been pretty similar so I'm on edge thinking that this one won't be any different. She's asleep right now but is starting to stir here and there so I'm hoping it's not starting already. They began the infusion about 1 to 1.5 hours ago but there was a good chunk of time between the start of the chemo and the end of her pre meds (anti nausea) so hopefully they'll be in here soon to give her some more. The infusion runs over 4 hours so she will definately be receiving more anti meds before the Cisplatin is finished.
Well I should probably get off the computer and get some sleep but I am just so happy to report that the final round is underway. We'll post another update from home later this week :-).
Love to you all!
Thanks everyone ~ we appreciate all of your continued thoughts & prayers!

07 October 2008

PPP Friday night highlights

What a fun time had by all!! We had perfect weather for our Punkin' Pickin' Party on Friday night and Saturday! Here are some fun pictures to share with all of you from Friday night ~ I'll be sharing some more from Saturday tomorrow!This was just the start of Jack's pile -- he ended up choosing a few more to take home too!


Here is Jack trying to carry his own punkin' out of the patch ~ but he did end up needing a little assistance from Dad ;o)

Here is Jordan proud of his big find! Notice his punkin' socks?? ;o)
This one was just too cute to pass up on a picture - he was tired and had to sit down to take a break from lookin' thru the patch!

~TFL & Enjoy~

05 October 2008

Dressed up for Fall Fun

Here are a few pictures of our place as I decorated for fall and our punkin' pickin' party ;o)

I absolutely love fall and all things about it!!




~TFL & Enjoy~

04 October 2008

Today is the day!!!

It's PPP day -- Punkin' Pickin' Party day! Yeah!!!


So of course I have punkins on my mind ;o) Enjoy this card for today and think of us out in the punkin' patch snappin' pictures to share with you later here!!

~TFL & Enjoy~

03 October 2008

Fall Thanks!

This thank you card features the technique of watercoloring. It's fun to use the aqua painter pen and your stamp pads to create such a cool look! Add a little hodgepodge hardware, twill and linen thread and you have another wonderful fall card!

~TFL & Enjoy~

02 October 2008

Thankful....

....for you!

This card features the "Thoroughly Thankful" stamp set that is currently available in the Stampin' Up catalog on page 30. It's just amazing what you can do with this stamp set when you stamp it and cut the pieces of your cardstock apart to use the squares individually! Don't forget about your different punches, oval here!!
~TFL & Enjoy~

01 October 2008

Just for You



How fun is this? You must work a bit to see the message left for you inside this one ;o) The hemp twine really goes with the fall theme, dont you think?

~TFL & Enjoy~