Oh Nuts

September is such a busy month.

Aside from the start of school and the craziness of that schedule change, I am lucky enough to know 9 people with birthdays this month. I feel like I walk around this month with a perpetual "Oh nuts" expression on my face because of all the birthdays I seem to miss. Thank heavens for the little reminders from facebook "You have 4 friends with birthdays this week" that come to my e-mail or I'd be sending out MORE belated cards than actual happy birthday cards this month! Confession time, I've already sent out THREE belated cards!

Hope it was happy Jackie.

Supplies:
Stamps: Inky Antics
Accessories: Lables 11, nestibilities; copics; ribbon; MS punch

Thanks

I needed a quick thank you card for the principal and office staff at my oldest's new school. They all worked sooo hard to get him registered for classes today. I feel incredibly grateful for their speedy efforts. Oldest's new teacher is amazing and reminds me of Mrs. Frizzle. Today she was wearing neon orange shoes with lime green socks. Kooky!

I was laughing with DH this morning that if I ever go back to teaching, I will be lucky to be hired. I'm calling in all my markers and even burning a few educational contact bridges. Oh well. When you have a special needs kiddo, you've got to be a bit of a mama bear.

I wanted the card to have a school days feel so I turned to By LORi Designs. I love her little Landon and Lucy series. They are PERFECT for teacher/school stuff. Thankfully I don't have to mail this card ... I know that the post office would freak out over the puffiness of the pencil that I used to decorate the card!

Supplies:
Stamps: By LORi Designs, SU
Accessories: Ribbon, pencil, brads, nesties

August Secret Sistah

Susie's challenge was to create the perfect local stamp store. When I think of a great store I want it to be open all the time (thus the Eat, Sleep, Stamp sign ... those are it's hours, pretty much open 24/7), it has to have great stuff (check out all the goods in the window) AND everything has to be on sale, marked down or on clearance.

I also needed an "I love you card" for the hubby. He's been a good sport while the kids and I went to Arizona to see my mom. I know it's hard for him to hold down the fort, feed our assorted menagerie of animals and be alone. Soo, I combined the SS challenge and a "love ya" card and made this.

I totally cased Patti's cute window treatment. You can see her wonderful card here or the entire collection of local stamp stores here! Fun challenge Susanne!

Supplies:
Stamps: Art Impressions
Accessories: wire, brad, pop dots, copics, Banner Nesties, SU word window punch

Going to the Chapel ...

"and they're gonna get mar-harried." I guess you're kind of glad that sound isn't a part of my blog otherwise you would be required to listen to my off-key singing of The Crystal's "Going to the Chapel of Love" song.

My nephew Logan is getting married in four days so I needed a card. I totally cased the card from Francis' blog. If you haven't ever been, I highly recommend it. I loved how she used the two hearts and dressed them in wedding duds. I changed it up a bit and the inside reflects the heart theme with the verse "Two Souls with but a single thought, Two Hearts that beat as one." I usually hate my wedding cards but this one ... I gotta say, I like. Thanks SS for the ribbon bow tie. It was absolutely what I needed.

Now if only I could manufacture something for ME to wear.

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampin Up, Wordsworth
Accessories: button, baker's Twine, scallop punch, CB folder, All other accessories from Michaels: pearl, bling, one flower, bow tie.

Shoulda, Woulda ... Coulda

So the youngest turns 6 and we planned a big bash. I had just received my monthly images from our SSMIS hostess (Lena hosted this month) and she chose THE cutest little dragon space image. It was right in keeping with the Space theme of the party... so I planned to make 12 little cards to send out. This is the proto-type.

I made a slider card.

But it got busy and we ended up sending generic Hallmark invitations (insert horrified gasp here)

And I arranged to have a friend make an R2D2 cake. Here is the picture of the cake before the devastation. Poor R2 was a victim of the heat and died in a heap of cakey rubble. We had a supermarket cake (it was delicious, stop beating yourself up Mary ... he LOVED it).


Then, the party was supposed to take place in the basement of a local store with A/C. But ... there was NO air ... none!


So the darling astronaut costumes that the kids were to wear lasted all of 15 minutes before the kids stripped them off, gasping for cooler temperatures. This is a picture of the birthday boy "using the force" to whack the balloon. He was having a blast because anytime you can whack ... is good!



But the alien cake pops were cute.
The kids had fun.
The birthday boy was excited and happy.
Mission accomplished.

Supplies:
Stamps: High Hopes, Stampin Up
Accessories: Pop dots, copics, Star punch Circle Nesties, ribbon and CB embossing folder

Diving into the SS stash

(Sigh) I'm thinking that I would be kinda happy if my DH's abs looked like this (the legs kinda creep me out ... but I could do with the six-pack abs). My lovely geeky husband can be called many things but a dumb blonde is not one of them.

I'm sending this card to a friend who has cancer. It's ironic because when she was diagnosed, I kinda fell apart and she ended up comforting ME! My friend is one of the strongest, bravest people I know. Go Team Wendy!

I also wanted to post a picture of the bane of my existance ... Buzz Lightyear. I mentioned to a friend the other day about how I spent a significant portion of my Saturday trying to put this guy together for my soon to be 6 year old. I grew up with Barbies so the finer points of lego building elude me. By the time I started to work on him, the youngest had already lost a piece in his arm and one in his foot. He's together but looks kinda goofy with that replacement red piece in his arm and foot.

In my next life ...

I've decided that in my next life I want to be Stampabella. She's unbelievable thin, always doing something fun and she just looks like a kick in the pants to know.

I'm kidding.

I had some time to waste and some new supplies begging me to use so I made this card for my bestest friend ever. The new items I used were the baker's twine and the pennant dies from Nestabilities. I used some images that I snagged from my friend Deb. I think it's Cosmo-bella but I'm not 100% sure.

Have a great day

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampabella, SU
Accessories: Bo Bunny paper, copics, nestibilities, ribbon, bling, MS punch, SU hardware