happy valentine's day to you!

hey there momma, tracey, friends old and new!

i got to play a bit in the lady cave this weekend...just thought i'd share what i made.  they are for a 'secret sister' i am swapping with during the whole year.  i hope she doesn't know of my little ol blog...or there is no surprise!  fingers crossed!

the flowers were stamped on the SU! white shimmer paper...my new addiction!  i used stazon ink and my aqua painter filled with alcohol instead of water.  i prefer using the alcohol...it dries much faster.  and when you are fussy cutting, staying in the lines is not an issue!  i love pairing bright colors with navy blue...always a winning combination!!

again...a bit of fussy cutting, i know, but not a problem when you're watching Gilmore Girls and eating M&Ms!!  this card is much cleaner than i am known for creating, and i love it!


tomorrow is valentine's day.  everyone who knows me knows i love love.  but the funny thing is, i'm not a huge fan of the day.  i really think there is too much pressure to make something special out of an idea i would like to see happen every day.

i'm not a party pooper.

i just love the little bits of love i receive when it's not expected...when my husband calls me in the middle of the day just to tell me how beautiful i am or how proud of me he is.  or how about my son buying me 44 oz of diet pepsi from wawa first thing in the morning, when he knows i crave it most (remember, this is a judgement-free zone!).  love is when my daughter sends me a text that she wishes i was there, in texas, sharing some margaritas!

h. jackson brown, jr., a well known american author once wrote words to live by..."love is when the other person's happiness is more important than your own."  wow. so. simple.

i'd like to think i love in that way...

thank you for stopping by today,
i appreciate you.

until next time,
peace be with you.

leslie

Happy New Year!

hey there momma, tracey, friends old and new!

happy new year to you...welcome back!

i've written the beginning intro to this post a half a dozen times...laying down excuses of why this is the first post in over a year...and it all sounds just stupid and boring.

so let's pretend i'm new to this world of blogging and start off fresh...

i've had quite a year...the loss of my wonderful father, three weddings (about 400 invitations made by hand!), a new puppy and a new kitten. here are the happy couples...

My daughter, Sarah, and Harold

My stepson, Kevin, and Alanna

My stepdaughter, Tori, and Tim

however, i did manage to stamp.  as a matter of fact, i stamped quite a bit...some original, some CASEd and some a bit of bothe!   here's a sampling of what i've been up to in the lady cave:

i've heard, "it's not about having time, it's about making time".  preach.

i'm happiest when i make good choices.  life is all about the choices we make.  2017 needs to be the year i live from the neck up...making choices that will enhance my life, not those that will make me feel worse about myself...as a woman, wife, momma, teacher, friend, creative.

i hope you'll hang in here with me!  i love what i do and sharing it makes it extra special!

"you have a choice to live your best life every day, no matter the circumstances"...my new mantra!

peace be with you,
leslie

sweet sunday sketch #295

hey tracey, momma, friends old and new!

i've been making a few cards for a friend of mine and needed a bit of a push.  when i saw this  challenge from the sweet sunday sketch crew, i knew i'd be able to come up with something!  i needed a man card, a challenge in itself, since i'm hooked on flowers and butterflies!

here is the sketch:

and here is my card:

the silver glimmer paper really jazzes it up a bit.  i'm digging' it!

...and...i missed the contest date.  anyhoo.....

and while i am stampin these cards, i can't help but watch the latest christmas movie on netflix down in the lady cave.  i know, a bit early for some of you, but i just love a good sappy or funny or classic holiday film.  it's real feel good stuff!  

which leads me to say...the season is coming!  the season is coming!  i have my hand in so many things and it's hard to stay focused.  i feel like the main character in the movie, elf, when he answers the phone, "buddy the elf!  what's your favorite color?"  that's me.  always being sidetracked by all the other colorful, glittery things i need to do!

my wish for you this holiday season is peace and joy...in all you do...in the next several weeks.  remember to take a breath once in awhile and take in all the good.  rest.  put on a sappy hallmark holiday movie in your cozy clothes and have a glass of wine.  you'll be glad you did.

thanks for stopping by-

i appreciate you.

until next time-

peace be with you.

leslie

it's all about that bass-pp#49

hey tracey, momma, friends old and new!

i know, i know...it's been too long since i've been in the lady cave.  gah!

i had some lovely ladies over last night for a stampin soirée...so fun!  we did a few new techniques.  i could tell they were a hit from the oooooos and aaahhhhs from the girls!

it's also been awhile since i posted on  the paper plunge.  This week we are looking for fun ways to create a base to your card.  i decided to submit this card:

sooo, yeah, the pretty part isn't necessarily the base, but i think one day i may use it as such! the technique is called the ultimate glitter napkin.  it is sooo beautiful...you can't tell at all from the picture how gorgeous it really is.  glitter galore, momma!

this is the time of year i often refer to finding that special balance in my life.  school has begun so i need to plan.  i want to stamp.  i want to cook more.  i want to spend time with my loved ones. etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.  having said all of that, i would also find a soothing quote about being okay with letting things go and not being hard on myself...until i found this little nugget from elizabeth gilbert, the author of eat, love, pray:  "happiness is the consequence of personal effort...you have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings.  and once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it."

participate relentlessly.

chew on those words for a bit.

thank you for stopping by-

i appreciate you.

until next time-

peace be with you.

leslie

birthday blossoms...pp#44 & c4c299

hi tracey, momma, friends old and new!

today at the paper plunge,  we are challenging you to use gray and one other color.  i chose to pair this misunderstood hue with blushing bride...a pretty combination, i think!

here is what i came up with...

i need to start stamping during the day so i have better light to take my pictures!  the colors are so much prettier in person...and my dazzling diamonds are much sparklier, too!

i thought i would enter this card at crazy for challenges.  

the sketch is definitely an easy one to play with.  check out the site...the design team has some great inspiration for you!  

i've been thinking...

for some odd reason...feeling a bit funky and want to make an attitude change.  one person who definitely helps is elizabeth gilbert, the author.  i recently read that she has a quote hanging above her desk...

"a person will be called to account on judgement day for every permissible thing he might have enjoyed but did not." 

about this, she wrote...

"It makes me smile to imagine God looking over your life at the end of time, and saying, "Seriously? I gave you the gift of a body and a spirit, and you could have enjoyed yourself in this beautiful world, and you DIDN'T? You had opportunities to experience pleasure and satisfaction and delight, and you DIDN'T TAKE THEM? Because — what? You were too busy? You were too afraid? You thought I wanted you to deny yourself everything good — everything good that I myself created? What were you THINKING?!"

man, that woman has a way with words!!  she continues...

"This sentiment is such a warm and reassuring antidote to a theology of suffering. 

This sentiment is the opposite of a life of self-denial, self-punishment, and martyrdom.

This theology says: HAVE A GOOD TIME, PEOPLE.

This theology doesn't suggest that the world is a paradise, or that life isn't hard. It just says: HAVE A GOOD TIME, PEOPLE...WHENEVER YOU CAN.

This theology suggests that not only are you ALLOWED to enjoy yourself sometimes in life, but that perhaps you must. Perhaps enjoyment is the highest form of worship and the sincerest expression of gratitude for the miracle of your existence."

liz ends with this...(when i met her at her store, she said...please!  call me liz!)

"Just talking about pleasure. Mere pleasure. Simple pleasure. Healthy pleasure. Sincere pleasure. Holy pleasure. 

Enjoyment is your birthright and your destiny. Don't waste the chance for it.

And after each moment of enjoyment, don't forget to say simply: THANK YOU."

tomorrow is a new day.  i will live in complete joy and be grateful for the gift of being!!

thank you for stopping by-i appreciate you!

until next time-peace be with you!

leslie

awesomely artistic atc...pp#43

hey there tracey, momma, friends old and new!

i know, i know...twice in one week!  well, it was kinda easy...

my last post included an atc made for the paper plunge challenge #42.  this week we are challenging you to turn that atc, or one you already have that is sitting patiently in a box with its friends, into a card.  to see the original challenge, go here. 

the title of this post makes it sound like i'm a braggart, but i'm not...i used the set, awesomely artistic, to create mine...

the gold embossing does not show up too well in the picture, but it sure is pretty!  

in the past few posts, i have hinted that this summer has not been awesome at times.  that is do in part to the passing of a dear friend, maureen...someone that i worked side by side with for 12 years.  she was my teaching assistant before i became a general education teacher. (i have since returned to special education, however, in a different school and in an inclusion class.)  

maureen was taken way too early and did not have more than two months to live from the time she knew she was sick.  in those final days, she managed to squeeze in a visit with so many friends...including myself. i will always be grateful for that.

she was my 'classy' friend...always a lady with integrity out the whazoo!  she was funny, kind...more so to her dogs than humans sometimes!  she always put others before herself, and loved children with unconditional dedication.  maureen did not get a huge paycheck as an assistant...but that never mattered.  she gave 1,000% of herself to her students every single day.

maureen didn't have a funeral...instead she planned a celebration-a real irish wake!  the beer, wine, food and great memories were flowing.  i almost felt silly for crying amongst all of these people laughing over some wonderful story being told.  maureen made it easier for all of her friends and family, even after she wasn't here to do it in person.  

again i ask myself...what will i take away from this experience so that her passing wasn't in vain?  the obvious...live life, for you never know when you will be called home.  secondly, friends matter...people matter.  stay connected.  i'm going to try harder with that one.  i will try harder to make the time for a visit, phone call, card...something to let people i care about know i do.  

tonight john and i had an impromptu dinner out when i picked him up from work.  we were in my teacher-friend's neighborhood, so i texted and told her so.  without hesitation, she hopped in the car to visit for just a few minutes before she took her son to hockey practice.  i really don't think tricia knew how much that simple gesture meant to me.  and that's what i'm talking about!  her little stop-in made me feel like i mattered...thank you for that, tricia!  

when it comes to seeing, calling, visiting, texting, writing-don't wait...the time will never be just right.    i read once, "nobody has time for anything.  you need to make time for the things that matter."

i'm going to try.

thank you for stopping by-

i appreciate you.

until next time-

peace be with you.

atc challenge...pp#42

hi tracey, momma, friends old and new!

i hope you are enjoying the last few weeks of summertime before it's back to school and the halloween candy!!

it has been quite a summer around here, which unfortunately has kept me out of the lady cave!  gah!! but i'm back with a challenge at the paper plunge...to create ATC cards.  my momma has always been in a swap group that focuses on these little nuggets of fun.  i decided to give it a go.

this is what i created...

artist trading cards, or ATCs, began in the tradition of business cards, but with a personal, artistic twist. most ATCs are created on paper, but they may also be any other medium that can be worked in a suitable size. ATCs are traditionally the size of baseball cards and other trading cards. they're a fun way to exchange your own one-of-a-kind artistic flair with other artists you meet. express yourself or show your style! 

If you can stamp inside of 3.5 x 2.5 inches, you can make an ATC!  join us at the paper plunge, won't you?

speaking of small things...

one of the greatest yoga masters, swami sivananda, once said, "put your heart, mind and soul into even your smallest acts.  this is the secret of success."  imagine if we all tried?

thank you or stopping by-

i appreciate you.

until next time-

peace be with you.