Home from the Brickyard

My brother and I planned a trip to Illinois to take our dad to see the Brickyard 400. That's a Nascar race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, of Indy 500 fame. ;) Our hometown in IL is only an hour from the track and we grew up going to the Indy 500 so this was a very special thing for us to do together.

The bad news, our dad came down with an upper respiratory infection the week before and was to weak to make the race.

The good news, my aunt Dinea and uncle Ronnie were able to join us on short notice and we had a BLAST!!!

It was like going to a rock concert. We were hot, sweaty, our ears were ringing and I have no voice left. :) Does it get any better? My dad and my friend Becky are big Dale Jr fans so I took many photos and cheered him on for them. And, we had to call them on our cell phones so they could hear just how loud it was. Too fun! Just being back at the Brickyard with my brother and getting to spend so much time with him was the best part of the entire trip. He ROCKS!!!

I stayed at my aunt Linda and uncle Dan's house and had a great time swimming, visiting and antique shopping. ;) I love my family! They are all so welcoming and laid back. :)

Turn 1, the Pagoda tower and the cars getting ready to fire up.

Turn 4 from our seats. (Which could not have been any better!)

Me, uncle Ronnie, aunt Dinea and Rob after we got back to my aunt & uncle's house. (Which was just rebuilt after they lost everything in a fire last year.)

Indianapolis Motor Speedway from the airplane.

Pit stop action across from us. #88 is Dale Jr. in case you don't know. ;)

A little thank you

This goody box is for my aunt & uncle I will be staying with this weekend. I am going to put some yummy chocolate truffles inside. This small, clear, gable box is from Emma's Paperie. If you have not checked out this online store you must. There is a FABULOUS selection of products and an AMAZING blog full of great designers and inspiration!! I cut paper to line the inside and then paper pieced stamped images on the outside. My aunt loves vintage style and lavender. :) This was an easy, yet beautiful way to deliver a little thank you.





Recipe~ Paper: Memorybox; Clear Box: Emma's Paperie; Ribbon: Martha Stewart; Stamps & Ink: SU!; Adhesive: Glue Arts.

My NEW Riley the Moose stamps

I just had to use this stamp for Taylor's Cupcake Challenege this week. Is it not the cutest? :) I have four more new Riley the Moose stamps (from Hanna Stamps) to share. I am working on a few more cards before I leave this week on my trip.

Side view so you can see the dimension. :)

Recipe ~ Pattern Paper: We R Memory Keepers; Cardstock: SU!; Ink: SU!; Markers: Copic; Embellishments: WRMK, K&Co., Tulip, Doodlebug, Bazzill, Creative Cafe; Stamps: Hanna Stamps & Stampendous.

Spreading Joy!

I love this image. It is a Penny Black stamp. These hedgehogs are so darn cute! My ggod friend Becky was kind enough to let me ink up a bunch of her stamps. I stamped out a bunch and then can color them in as I have time and need for them. I added a bit of Judikins Diamond Glaze to the balloons and colored the images with my copics. Have I mentioned that the copics work beautifully with the Chocolate Chip Classic Ink and Whisper White or Very Vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up! Noe smearing or bleeding of ink or marker. I am in love with the chocolate and vanilla combo. Just a bit softer and warmer than black and white. Plus, it just sounds yummier! ;) Well, I am off this afternoon for a very long and very overdue appointment to have my hair done. It needs color and cut. My mom is so good to come over and hang out with her granddaughter for a few hours. What would I do with out my mom? Have really bad hair!! :0

Recipe ~ Pattern Paper: My Minds Eye; Cardstock: Stampin' Up!; Ink: Stampin' Up!; Stamp: Penny Black; Markers: Copic; Judikins Diamond Glaze; Ribbon: Doodlebug; Rhinestones: My Mind's Eye; Die Cuts: Xyron XPCS Basic Shape Book; Adhesive: Xyron.

Skiing anyone?

Yes, we have skiing in July in AK. Maybe not here in Anchorage, but a short, small plane ride can get you to the slopes. My brother has been heliskiing recently. Anyway that and Amuse's new release of their winter stamps is where my inspiration came from. This is a little tag size card. But, perfect for all of my skiing girlfriends to receive. I had so much fun coloring this with my copics, glazing the windows and adding a touch of frost. I think this little card will be going to my brother's girlfriend. :)

Recipe ~ Card & Ink: Stampin' Up!; Cardstock: Taupe Metallic; Stamp: Papertey (sentiment) & Amuse (Alpine Hut); Ribbon: Michael's, Markers: Copic, Embossing Folder: Cuttlebug, Die Cut Circle: Spellbinders Large Circle Nesting Set; Rhinestones: Creative Cafe; Adhesive: Glue Arts; Glitter: Martha Stewart; Glaze: Judikins.

Lazy 'Dog Days' of Summer

This is my dog Max. He is a 90+ pound, 6 1/2 yr. old German Shepherd. He was playing so hard outside yesterday and the next time I looked out the window he was snoozing away. I couldn't resist getting few shots of him. Usually he will sleep sitting up outside. Always on alert! But, I guess he figured no one was around so he could catch a few zzzz's in the cool, soft grass. What you can't see in the photos are the crazy swallows zooming around the yard. They were flying right over the top of Max.

My first CHA!

Well, for my projects anyway. I will be in southern Illinois five days after CHA ends. :( Maybe next time I can accompany my projects. ;) Here are some sneak peeks of three albums I designed for Glue Arts. They will be on display in their booth. They have great adhesives. Their vellum sheets are amazing! You truly can't see where th adhesive is thru the vellum. AND, you can apply it to your vellum (or transparency) and then run it thru your die cut machine and presto! It is really my privelage to be designing for them.

SIBLINGS ALBUM

Cover

Cody & Marissa

(Mykids!)

My mom & her sister

Left: My hubby & siblings

Right: My dad & siblings

Me & my brother

A little pretty on the inside cover page

Pink Lemonade anyone?

My first blog award!

Bestowed upon me by my sweet friend and fellow designer Shirley Pando! :) Thank you so much. You must check out her blog and see what she is up to. She teaches, she designs, she has her own business and.... You get the picture. She is AMAZING!!

I am now to select six more bloggers to receive this award. The hard part will be narrowing down the choices. I love so many.

Oh, and here are the rules for playing along.

1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog.
2. Link to the person you received the award from.
3. Nominate at least six other blogs.
4. Put links of those blogs on your blog.
5. Leave a message on the blogs of the guys/gals you've nominated.

Here are my selections:

1. Denise
2. Kayla
3. Jenn
4. Jessica
5. Sonja

Love is brewing

Isn't that the cutest sentiment? Taylor is hostessing her weekly cupcake challenge and here is my version of this weeks sketch. No cupcake, but my second favorite item to stamp. COFFEE!!

I love all of the cute sentiments and styles of cups. We drink alot of hot beverages here in Alaska. So I have a large collection of coffee themed stamps, paper, etc. Plus brown is one of my favorite colors. I know how boring does that sound. But, I have loved it long before it was in fashion. :) The paper is from Memory Box's new release. I paper pieced the coffee cup. But, added another dimension. I also stamped on the cup onto a transparency and layered it on top of the paper pieced stamped image. I was going for the look of a glazed cup. I also used pop dots to raise the cup off the saucer to add more dimension. I am really pleased with the way it turned out.

Recipe: Pattern paper: Memory Box; Cardstock: Stampin' Up!; Ribbon: Martha Stewart; Transparency sheets: Office supply; Metal embellishment: Close to my heart; Stamps: Close to my heart (coffee mug & steam) & Papertrey (sentiment); Ink: StazOn (Timber Brown); Adhesive: Glue Arts Vellum Sheets and Xyron adhesive runner.

DIGISCRAP 101

Wondering how I changed the look of my blog? Well, it was the fabulous tutorial created by Kayla Lamoreaux (The Legacy Lady). She did a tutorial on Shabby Miss Jenn Designs site. So I bought the blog images from SMJD and followed the tutorial on how to install them myself. :)

Are interested in learning more about digital scrapbooking or how to personalize your blog? Well, Kayla has a great site with lots more tutorials and a special deal for bloggers until the end of July. Check out www.digiscrap101.com to see what she has to offer. If you are interested in what she has to offer leave me a comment here and I will send you the special deal information. :) Kayla has been so gracious and willing to share her knowledge. She also makes it very user friendly. Love it!! I like being able to learn new things, not just pay someone to do it for me. ;) I can't wait to take some of these tutorials.

Sunny Side

How do you like the new look of my blog? I am in love with Shabby Miss Jenn Designs. Check out a link to her site at the bottom of my blog. I LOVE CHERRIES!! They are so sweet. As fresh and funky as I think I want to be, I really am a gingham, polka dot and calico kind of gal. As you will see with my little project for today.

I saw this little red chicken and just could not leave the store without it. It is from Rubber Soul Stamps. The layout is inspired by Michelle. If you have not checked out her blog you must do so. She has the best ideas for using stamps in so many unique ways. This cute little notecard and matching envelope will look great in a farm themed set I am working on. I will post the other critters soon. :)

Wine Gift Box

I saw these flowers yesterday at Michael's and had to do something with them. I knew this wine box would look very elegant with a flower topper. After it is given as a gift it is pretty enough to set out as a decoration. The wine charms I made using swarovski crystals, silver chain and silver ear wire hoops. I added a bit of seam binding lace to finish off the edges of the box and tucked a few eggs into the flowers. If I can find a beautiful decorative bird I may need to add it to the top. Or maybe I'll just have to do another box. ;) Since we have a wine cellar, we give alot of wine as gifts. I always try and include a handmade topper or charms with the wine. It is overcast here today so I had to set the box right on the windowsill to have good lighting. Sorry for the background 'noise'.

I AM BACK!!

Between design jobs and a road trip in the rv with the family for a week I am happy to be home and ready to blog!! We had an amazingly beautiful trip from Anchorage to Fairbanks (Chena Hot Springs), to Lake Louise and then home. I will be sharing some of the few hundred photos I took and a few family shots to mix it up. Starting tomorrow I am back on track with my blogging. It has been too long. :) I am so psyched about CHA coming up and all of the new and exciting offerings for fall and winter. I am hoping to have all sorts of new and exciting crafty news to share with you over the next few months!!!!! If you are still checking in and reading my blog THANK YOU!! I know it has been too long and I hope that doesn't happen again. ;)

Heading north! As we were on our way out of Anchorage the first day it started turning cloudy, windy and rainy. That was the last we saw of bad weather for the week. Every view out of the front window was amazing! We really do live in a majestic state.

Some brand new ducklings trying to get off the road. Momma duck hopped right off the road into the tall grass, but these little ones didn't know where to go. After much of my pleading my husband drove down the center of the road very slowly and kept blasting our airhorn until these babies finally turned off onto a side road to safety. We had traffic blocked for about a 1/2 mile, but the babies stayed safe! :)

Marissa and daddy off to a morning swim in the pool and hot tubs. It was so warm. You would never guess this photo was in Alaska, huh?! We took her to the pool about three times each day. This is an ice sculture inside the Ice Museum at Chena Hot Springs. Professional ice carvers are on staff. Amazing artwork! It is a chilly 20 degrees year round inside this museum (It was 75 degrees and sunny outside). My husband and dad are enjoying their appletinis in martini glasses made of ice. We kept the glasses in the freezer for a few days and then let them melt. :)