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.

you've got this...sss#279

hi tracey, momma, friends old and new!

found some time to stamp with tracey the other day...well, we did more talking than stamping and it was fun!  i was showing her how beautiful using aqua painters and alcohol with reinkers work together.  when i was left with a lovely flower, i truly wasn't sure how to use it on a card...until i saw this...

the sweet sunday sketch challenge was so perfect for my flower, i quickly put it on a 5x5 card, and voila!

you really must check out their design team creations for inspiration!  i particularly love vicki burdick's beauty from itsastampthing.blogspot.com.  she does such amazing work!

stamps:  you've got this, birthday blossoms

ink:  momento black, rich razzleberry, old olive

paper:  black, white, rich razzleberry, brights dsp

extras:  paper piercing tool, crushed curry stampin write marker, black permanent marker, vanilla seem binding ribbon, antique brads, aqua painters, alcohol, glue dots, dimensionals

i've also taken a bit of time to tangle.  i wanted to combine stampin and tangling and decided to use the same flower.  here is what i created...

not bad for being self-taught!  not nearly as amazing as others...but not bad!  

the romantic poet, william wordsworth, once wrote, "fill your paper with the breathings of your heart."  i believe i do that.  every.  single.  time.  i.  create.  

whether you write, stamp, zentangle, draw, type, text...whatever...i hope you do it with all your heart.

thank you for stopping by,

i appreciate you.

until next time,

peace be with you

best thoughts...pp #41

hi there tracey, momma, friends old and new!

i know...once again it has been awhile, however, getting back in the lady cave got the creative juices flowing!  i look forward to staying up too late again tomorrow night!  i've got ideas in my head that need to get on the table!

this week at the paper plunge, we challenge you to create a tall and skinny card...one that ordinarily measures 8 X 3.5.  this size will fit in any letter-size envelope you can purchase in an office supply store.  the design team created some beautiful inspiration-please check them out!

here is what i did...

stamps:  best thoughts, hardwood, me=grateful

ink:  momento black, rich razzleberry and old olive reinkers, crumb cake, chocolate chip 

cardstock:  ivory naturals, soft suede, chocolate chip, blackberry bliss

extras:  ivory seam binding ribbon, aqua painter, lots of labels framelits, antique brads, 91% isopropyl alcohol

i love how the alcohol mixed with the ink makes it a bit thicker and easy to paint with, without weakening the paper.  and yes, tracey, more fussy cutting'!  i couldn't help myself.  i wonder if there are support groups for people like me?  hmmmm...but look how nice the layers are...

so worth the fussy cutting'!

sooooo...my sweet daughter, sarah, just got engaged to a wonderful young man named harold!  it is so exciting and crazy all at the same time...my baby is all grown up!!  the best part is, she is encouraging me to get the creative side of my brain to get to work!  

sarah is all about DIY...thank you, dear pinterest!  (you've made homemade go from nerdy to trendy!)  i have been dreaming of the day i would make my daughter's invitations, decorations, shower favors...i'm just giddy with excitement!  i feel like mrs. krank, from christmas with the kranks.  as she was getting ready to throw her daughter the best christmas party ever, she yelled to her husband, "luther!  get me my vest!"  that always cracks me up!  (i guess you had to see the movie to appreciate the analogy!)

speaking of sarah...she has grown to be someone i admire so much.  i am so proud of her for taking a risk and starting her own very trendy online business, DAISY NATIVES.  her headwraps are adorable and her tees are the next best thing!  She continues to be a full time baker at sugar + sunshine bakery in plainsboro, nj, so i know she is working hard!  please visit sarah online, on instagram and at the bakery!

so many young girls have reached out to her through social media to tell her she is 'all that and a bag of chips' and i couldn't agree more!  she is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside.  she is such a hard worker and focused.  she is quirky and funny and definitely has her own drumline in her head that only she is following!  i am so blessed to have such a wonderful daughter and it is amazing to watch her grow up with such grace...

sweet sarah-if i could give you one thing in life, i would give you the ability to see yourself through my eyes.  only then would you realize how special you are!  i love you more.

thank you for stopping by-

i appreciate you.

until next time-

peace be with you.

leslie