Thoughts & Prayers for Joplin, MO

A few pictures to share that I found on Facebook:

Above: I think this is Dillon's Grocery Store where we shopped every week!

Above: Home Depot where Shawn shopped a lot for work

Above: Academy Sports Store

Above: The Walmart we shopped at on 15th & Rangeline

Above: Walmart on 15th & Rangeline

Above: 15th & Rangeline Walmart

Above: Joplin IHOP


This is not my usual kind of postings but I felt I should let you know that my family & I are well & safe! As most of my blog followers know, my family & I moved to Joplin, Missouri last October. My daughter & I went kicking & screaming because we really did not want to leave Pennyslvania but sometimes change is needed and I do think that the change did us alot of good!
Last Wednesday night we packed up and drove back to PA for a long vacation. We are having such a great time! Sunday I had my Thirty One party which turned out very well and the day couldn't have been going any better! Then I popped on Facebook and it all changed as I was talking to my Missouri friend, Vicki Burdick whom said they were getting tennis ball size hail and the tornado sirens were going off. I really did not think too much of it at that point because I think the thunderstorms out there are alittle more intense than here in PA. About 25 mins later Deb brought to my attention that something was going on in Joplin. We quickly turned on the Weather Channel and seen for our own eyes that a tornado just blew thru. Oh, the devestation that we saw, ughhh...it just made my stomach drop. Right away we were worried about our house in Joplin so we tried to contact our neighbor but got no answer so thankfully Vicki was kind enough to go check out our house and everything was ok. (Thanks again, Vicki!)

We have been glued to the tv ever since this happened and seeing all the places we shopped at or places we've been too that are no longer standing is overwhelming. Shawn's work took a good bit of damage and they will be out of work for quite some time. His one co worker lost his home and everything they had. The rest of his co workers have all been accounted for.

So now we are on the fence of...do we pack up and end our vacation early or do we continue on here in PA. It's so hard to wrap your mind around this tragedy especially since we live there. I thank God we were not there but yet I feel so badly for those folks that are dealing with the aftermath. I personally am not sure I can go back to that. Seeing the devestation on tv is one thing but having to see it in real life...will be another.

So I ask that you continue to send thoughts & prayers to the people of Joplin. Their lives may never be the same....

Friend to Friend

Hello & Happy Thursday!

By the time you read this I hope we are about halfway home!
I wanted to share with you this little tablet that I made for a friend back in PA. I seen this Paisley paper at Hobby Lobby the other day and it really caught my eye so I grabbed a few sheets and decided to use it for this project. I added a sheet of Chocolate Chip cs already run thru the Cuttlebug with the SU Square Lattice Embossing folder. It's probably my most favorite folder! I then found in my Image Box this butterfly image already embossed & cut out with Circle Nestibilities and added it to my Chocolate Chip panel. Then came the ribbon, pearls & the sentiment.
I really like it & hope my friend does too!

Friend to Friend Tablet:

Stamps: Stipple Butterfly. Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Memento Black
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, GP White, Paisley DSP from The Paper Studio
Accessories: Circle Nestibilities, SU Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Chocolate Chip 5/8 Grosgrain, Pearl Brad, Kaiser White Pearls, Work Window & Modern Label Punches, Scor Tape


Well, that's all for me!
Next time you hear from me i'll be back in PA!! WooHoo!
Thanks for stopping by & have a great day!
~Wendy

Sketch Challenge #333

Hello & Happy Wednesday!

Hope your all having a great day so far!
I was up really early today so that after supper tonight I can go back to bed for a nap before heading out on our trip back home.

I checked out today's Sketch Challenge and decided to keep with using the color combo from yesterday's Color Challenge.
Below is the sketch & my samples....

Sketch Challenge #333 Card:

Stamps: Eastern Blooms (set #71)
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Regal Rose
Cardstock: Rich Razzleberry, Regal Rose, PTI Vanilla, Regal Rose Patterns DSP

Accessories: Square Nestibilities, D'vine Swirls Embossing Folder, Razzleberry Grosgrain, Kaiser Vanilla Pearls, Dimensionals, Glue Dots, Scor Tape


Well, that's all for me today!
Thanks for stopping by & have a great day!!
~Wendy

Fluffy...

Hello again!
I wanted to add these pictures in my last post and realized once I hit the Publish Post button that I forgot to do so.

Fluffy got groomed yesterday and each time we pick her up she has bows in her ears and a scarf around her neck to match. I just had to take a picture of her to share!

She is now ready for the trip back to PA!
I am too but not at all looking forward to that long ride.....

The last 2 pictures were taken at Leonard Park in Joplin. It's a nice little park we've been coming to everyday and I mean everyday since we moved here in October! Rain, shine, sleet and snow....we were there!! We call it Fluffy's Parky Park! :)

Alrighty, that's it for today!
Hope you enjoyed seeing Fluffy all dolled up.
She is just the sweetest dog ever! :)

~Wendy

Color Challenge 323

Hello & Happy Tuesday!

Today is Color Challenge day over at Splitcoaststampers or SCS. Julia challenged us to use Rich Razzleberry, Regal Rose & Vanilla on our projects with a dessert option of using butterflies!
Well, I have most of my supplies packed for my trip back home so I had to go thru what was left on the shelf for my card. I used a set from Stampin Up called Life's Special Moments and it is set #70 in my quest to see that all my sets see ink in 2011. I loved today's colors and I was even able to add a butterfly to my card as the dessert option! :)

Color Challenge #323 Card:

Stamps: Life's Special Moments (set #70)
Ink: Memento Black, Copic Markers
Cardstock: Rich Razzleberry, Regal Rose, PTI Vanilla
Accessories: Textiles Embossing Folder, Razzleberry Grosgrain, Gold Butterfly Brad, Glue Dots, Scor Tape

Well, that's all for today!
I have 2 more projects i'm working on to post durning the days we will be traveling so I need to get them finished up!
Thanks for stopping by & have a terrific day!
~Wendy

Our Creative Corner Challenge

Hello & Happy Saturday!

What a busy day!
Had Kelsey to the Webb City Library to take her last exam of high school. Hopefully, we'll know by Thursday or Friday at the latest if she passed it and graduates high school!! :) Then we took Fluffy to the park for a walk and hit up Walmart quick for a few last minute things for our trip home this week! The wash machine is rollin and I just now had a chance to finish up my card for today's Our Creative Corner Challenge. Linda challenged us to make something Monochromatic with something metallic, lace & a button. At first I was stumped and had to think about it but I think in the end I accomplished it! Thanks Linda! :)

Our Creative Corner Challenge~Au Natural/Monochromatic w/a Twist Card:

Stamps: Uncharted Territory(set #69), Sentiment from Best Yet
Ink: Basic Gray
Cardstock: Basic Gray, Going Gray, PTI White
Accessories: Herringbone Embossing Folder, Oval & Circle Nestibilities, White Lace, Basic Gray Taffeta Ribbon, Silver Circle Clip, Silver Beads, Gray Button from stash, White Thread, Scor Tape


Well, that's all for me today!
Thank you for stopping by & have a great weekend!
~Wendy

Our Creative Corner Challenge

Hello once again!

I'm trying to play catch up after a week of ups & downs. I loved the challenge that the Our Creative Corner Blog threw out last Saturday! We were challenged to use Paper Weaving on our projects. Today, I finally had a chance to tackle it and I enjoyed it alot!

I also was able to use set #68 in my quest to see that all my sets see ink in 2011. This is one beloved set from SU that I will never part with called Watercolor Garden.

OCCC~Paper Weaving Daisies Card:

Stamps: Watercolor Garden (set #68), Swirls & Curls Verses
Ink: Daffodil Delight, Perfect Plum, Memento Black
Cardstock: Daffodil Delight, Perfect Plum, SU Whisper White
Accessories: Martha Stewart Doily Punch, Square & Square Lacey Nestibilities, Daffodil Delight Stain Ribbon, Kaiser White Pearls, Dimensionals, Scor Tape

Thanks ladies of the OCC! I loved this challenge!!

Well, i'm off to finishing watching James Durbin on Jay Leno then off to bed!
Thanks for stopping by & have a good night!!
~Wendy

Free 4 All Challenge #64

Hello again!

Made my way to my stamp room this afternoon to work on today's Free 4 All Challenge #64. It was themed "Say What" meaning we were to use words as our main focal point. Really made me think but I accomplished it! LOL Now trying to get a good picture was another story. It rained here all afternoon and it's so dark & dreary so of course.....my pics are too! One day I hope to figure out how to get good pictures even when it's dark!

So, below are my 2 cards I threw together today.
Hope ya like...

Free 4 All Challenge #64~Flowers Say Hello Card:

Stamps: Flowers in Silhouette (set #67), Sentiment from Hero Arts
Ink: Bashful Blue, Memento Black
Cardstock: Bashful Blue, Black, PTI White
Accessories: SU Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Black Gingham Ribbon, Kaiser Blue Rhinestones, Glue Dots, Scor Tape


Free 4 All Challenge #64~Know That You Are Never Alone Card:

Stamps: unknown sentiment from York Stamp Show
Ink: Memento Black
Cardstock: Bashful Blue, SU Whisper White
Accessories: Flourished Frames Embossing Folder, Blue Satin Ribbon, Pearl Brad, Kaiser White Pearls, Corner Punch, Scor Tape


So, did any of you see the results for American Idol last nite??
OMGosh, my James went home! How, I do not know! Seems like everyone I know that watches votes each week for him. I'm so impressed by what he's overcome and how the man can sing! I just hope he goes somewhere! I know they said at the beginning of the show on Wednesday that this was the week that Chris Daughtry got eliminated and look how far he's come! I'm hopin the same for James Durbin! :) Go get'em James!! :)

Well, that's all for me for now!
I'll be back tomorrow!
Till then....Thanks for stopping by & have a great Friday!
~Wendy

Ways To Use It Challenge 322

Hello & Happy Friday!

It's been a week since i've been on my blog. I tried last night to update it but Blogger was down so it was a no go. Alot of things have been going on and my heart wasn't into any stamping. Sunday was Mother's Day. I had a wonderful day! Hubby & Kelsey took me out to see some sights here in Missouri. We visited George Washington Carver Park and then went to Prairie State Park to see the buffalo & elk roam freely. It was very hot & humid here that day and I had a great time exploring until we ran across a snake at the one park. I'm deathly afraid of snakes and that did me in! That same day my oldest daughter back in PA was admitted to the hospital with severe pains in her stomach. Turns out she was pregnant in her fallopian tube and her tube burst. Her doctor told her she had never seen a case as bad as hers and she was lucky to still be alive. She had 2 blood transfusions trying to get her hemoglobin levels back up but doing better now. She was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday night and thankful to be home but for me being her mom it was hard being 1200 miles away and just getting updates thru text messages. Stinks being this far away!! Then Monday was hubby's birthday! We took him out to the Olive Garden for supper but the very next day he woke up with kidney stone pain. I thought "here we go again"! If only he'd give up that darn Turkey Hill ice tea and I thought moving would solve that problem but wouldn't you know it, he found a store here in Joplin that sells Turkey Hill ice tea!!! Errrrr! 3 days at home and he passed it! I tell ya....it's been one of those weeks!!


Anyways, I sat down and stamped yesterday since I knew everything was calming down. The Ways To Use It Challenge was to use trees. I don't think I have any tree stamps anymore so I found this Lovely As A Tree image in my Image Box so this is what I went with. It's always good to have some masculine cards on hand! :)

Ways To Use It Challenge #322 Card:

Stamps: Lovely As A Tree, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Old Olive, Memento Black
Cardstock: PTI White, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Tree Branches Embossing Folder, Word Window & Modern Label Punches, EK Success Tree Punch, Old Olive 5/8 Grosgrain, Chocolate Chip Grosgrain, Gold Brads, Dimensionals, Scor Tape


Well, that's all for now!
I'm heading off to my stamp room to work on today's challenge so stay tuned, ok?

Thanks for stopping by!
~Wendy

Ways To Use It Challenge 321

Hello & Happy Thursday!

Hope your day is going well!

Today's Ways To Use It Challenge is themed "Sweet Treats" and what's more sweeter than cupcakes! We are to use any sweet foods on our projects today and if we had no sweet food stamps we were to use glitter. Luckily, I have a whole drawer full of cupcake stamps and found this set from Stampin Up on my shelf called Got Treats and used the cupcake image from it. This is also set #66 on my quest to see all my stamps see ink this year! :)

Ways To Use It Challenge 321 Card:


Stamps: Got Treats (set #66). Sentiment from AMuse
Ink: Memento Black, Lavender Lace & Mint Melody SU Markers
Cardstock: Lavender Lace, SU White, DSP from Making Memeories
Accessories: SU Scallop Trim Border Punch, Rectangle & Rectangle Scallop Nestibilities, White Satin Ribbon, Glue Dot, Stamp A Ma Jig, Scor Tape


Well, that's all for me today!
Thanks for stopping by & have a great day!
~Wendy

Sketch Challenge 331

Hello & Happy Wednesday!

Another gorgeous day here where the skies are blue and the sun is brightly shining!
Joe Calhoun always says "Sunny & 70's are my kind of weather" and I have to agree!

I'm alittle late on posting today. I slept in alittle longer than usual today and since it is nice out I decided to put Fluffy in the tub for a bath. I'm sure she feels so much better now, she certainly looks & smells better!! :)

Today is Sketch Challenge day, one of my favorite challenges! Below is the layout & my card samples. I pulled another set off my shelf and literally blew the dust off this one! It probably hasn't seen ink in about 8 or 9 years! LOL This is a pretty set from Stampin Up called Fresh Fruits.

This card is going to Shawn for a lady in his office who is celebrating her birthday tomorrow. He requested that I make her a handmade card so I hope she likes it!


Sketch Challenge 331 Card:

Stamps: Fresh Fruits (set #65), Warmest Regards
Ink: Certainly Celery, Daffodil Delight, Memento Black
Cardstock: PTI White, Certainly Celery, Daffodil Delight, Certainly Celery & Daffodil Delight DSP
Accessories: SU Scallop Trim Border Punch, Daffodil Delight Satin Ribbon, Kaiser Yellow Pearls, Scor Tape


Well, off to make a few more cards before supper time!
Thanks for stopping by & have a great day!
~Wendy

Color Challenge 321

Hello & Happy Tuesday!

Hope your all having a great day so far!
It's looking like a great day here! Starting out a bit cool but I think it's gonna warm up quite nicely as the day goes on! Bright sunshine with beautiful blue skies! That's enough to make me smile!

So, today over at SCS is Color Challenge day. The colors are: Black, Kraft/Crumb Cake & Cherry Cobbler. I also used last weeks Sketch Challenge 330 since I did not participate then. It also gave me a chance to use another set off my shelf that has collected dust for years! The set is SU's Farm Fresh from a few years ago. Cute set but one I hardly ever use. Yea, I know, it's sad!
Below is the sketch and my sample. I flipped the sketch so I could use this set....

And my last picture....well it explains itself!

I picked this cute Smile thingy up at Micheal's last week for a $1 when I was out with Vicki. Eventually, i'd like to spray paint it a different color!
It sure makes me SMILE!!


Color Challenge 321 Card:

Stamps: Farm Fresh (set #64)
Ink: Memento Black, Copic Markers
Cardstock: Black, Kraft.Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Vanilla
Accessories: SU Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Scallop Trim Border Punch, 3/4 in Circle Punch, Black Grosgrain, Gold Brads, Scor Tape


Well, that's all for me for today!
Thanks for stopping by & have a great day ahead!!
~Wendy

Happiness Shared....

Hello & Happy Monday!

Last week Vicki & I went out to lunch one day and afterwards she came back to my house to teach me how to watercolor. I owned the Aqua Painters from Stampin Up but could never really get the hang of water coloring so she gave me a quick lesson. I learned quite a bit and realized that it's all in the amount of water released from the painters and it can be a bit tricky!

Below, I made 2 cards....one is water colored and the other I used my Copics.
I know my pictures aren't the clearest (i'm still learning the new camera too!).
Can you tell which is which??

Anniversary Card:

Stamps: Happiness Shared, Sentiment from Hero Arts
Ink: Stazon Black, Memento Black, Stampin Up Ink Pads, Copic Markers
Cardstock: Pumpkin Pie, Vanilla, Pale Plum, Perfect Plum, White
Accessories: SU Elegant Lines Embossing Folder, Square & Square Scallop Nestibilities, Pearls, Rhinestones, Ribbon, Glue Dots, Scor Tape



Vicki also made a card with this same set. You can check out her card here.
Her water coloring is amazing!

Well, that's all for me today!
Thanks for stopping by & have a great day!
~Wendy

May Calendars

Hello & Happy Sunday!

I have taken a break from blogging for a few days and just realized that today is May 1st and that means it's time for another calendar update!
I was doing some cleaning today and when I got to my refrigerator I noticed my calendar was on May and that's when I realized I needed to get my blog updated! LOL

The 1st calendar was made with the Pure Innocence Girls from My Favorite Things.

The 2nd one was made with Magnolia images.

I love them both and hope you do too!

Well, that's all I have for now!
I'll be back starting tomorrow with regular updates and I hope to get back to catching up on blogging & commenting. I've been such a slacker! LOL

Thanks for stopping by!
~Wendy