Friday, May 28, 2010

EAD Designs weekly steal 5/28

How cute is this set?






 Have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend. This year the holiday has even more meaning to me since my step-son is currently serving in Afghanistan. Thank a Veteran today and say a prayer to all those currently serving in a war zone. They give all, and do so every minute of every day.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

You're a Hoot layout

I am totally loving the new Stickerz!!! The hoot a licious set were perfect for these photos of my daughter Skylar, who is such a hoot! There's even an owl who appears to be mimicking her pose (the adorable red one on the bottom corner). :) If you haven't snagged some up for yourself, what are you waiting for?!


suplies:
EAD Designs Stickerz; pp and die cuts: SEI; buttons: ?; DMC Floss;  and journaling page: Prima

there's a lot of fussy cutting on this layout, especially the branches for the owls to sit upon, but it was well worth the time. Have a wonderful week!

Monday, May 17, 2010

EAD Stickerz Debut today!!!

first off, thank you for all the sweet comments from the blog hop! It's so easy and fun to create with EAD Vinyl!
I used a random number generator to pick a number from the comments and here is the result: True Random Number Generator Result 11, which is the comment posted by Michelle Annat. Congratulations Michelle! :) Please send me your mailing addy so I can pass it along to Emily and get your cute owl sent out to you. 

I hope you've had fun this week with the EAD Anniversary Celebration. Today is the last day of the celebration and the launch of a new product called Stickerz! They are fabulous! There are two color bases to choose from; white or clear and there are so many designs to choose from- from fun to whimsy to elegant! These are affordable as well. Stop by EAD Designs to check them out for yourself. The team has also been working with them, so be sure to stop by their blogs as well as the EAD blog and leave some comments about what you think of them.  

 

I have made a few projects using two of these cute Stickerz sets: the Alice In Wonderland theme as well as the Wizard Of Oz theme. These are such CUTE sets!!!

First off is a set of puppets. I placed the stickerz on cardstock, cut around the image and then glued them onto sticks. Even though my girls are older, they've actually used them and had a great time creating a play.


 Next I made a heart to hang on the wall. The quote is what inspired this. I was planning to make bookmarks for the girls, like the one shown on Friday, but I had to run with this idea instead. The Stickerz are so versatile and with all the themes to choose from you'll never run out of ideas.

 
 Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful week!

Saturday, May 15, 2010

EAD Blog Hop!

Hello! Welcome to the EAD Blog hop! I am sharing two projects today. The theme this month is Mom, however I decided to deviate and just create. I suppose these projects play off the mom theme as I made them for my girls with love. :)

This layout features some of the new Stickerz which will debut on Monday, May 17th. I thought they were perfect for this layout I created with some pics of Skye taken last Sunday when we had a sudden hail and rain storm. 
 supplies: Stickerz- EAD Designs; pp- October Afternoon. The colors are really fun and bright IRL.

I also made a wall plaque using the Whooo Loves Ya piece. I changed up the lettering just a bit and made it my own. 

 suplies:
frame: Frame it Up
rub on: EAD Designs
pp: American Crafts Dear Lizzy and WRMK
die cut flowers: K&Co. 
cs: Bazzill

This month we are doing things a little differently. Each of the DT members will be giving a little something away. All you have to do is leave a comment on the blogs and we will each draw a name. I have decided that I am giving away one of the adorable Whooo Loves Ya pieces (as used above). Leave a comment by Sunday night and I will randomly draw a name and pass it onto Emily so she can mail your vinyl. :) You have a chance to win by visiting each of the blogs:

Jenny 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Friday, May 14, 2010

My Hero layout

Emily has something new to introduce, so head on over to the EAD blog to check it out.


I have a layout to share that I created earlier this week. I had a tough time creating this without the tears. As I was looking at these photos all I could think about was how proud I am of this girl and how she is my new hero. I miss her dearly today. It's been a month since I saw her last. I cannot wait to see her again in September. 

 everything is Pink Paislee with the exception of the flower, that is from a friend. 

Tomorrow is the monthly EAD Blog hop. :) So be sure to check out what the team has been creating.

I have been working with the new Stickerz and they are so much fun!!! Monday is the big day and you'll be able to buy them all. For now I'll leave you with a sneak of one of the sets. Can you guess the theme?




Wednesday, May 12, 2010

'Hope' Bottle set feauturing SRM Stickers

post #2 today- to see the EAD Anniversary special for today please scroll down to the next post. ;)

I have another 'Celebrate Life' project to share today using the Breast Cancer Awareness stickers from SRM. For a step-by-step tutorial, visit the SRM Stickers blog.




  supplies: SRM Stickers, pp and die cuts: Crate Paper

The EAD celebration continues!

Aren't these guys the cutest?!


Do you want some for FREE? (who doesn't love free.)


Today, May 12th, you can! Emily is giving Free Silly Owl clingz with every order over $20.00 with the following Coupon Code : HOOT Head on over to the EAD shop now and start filling up your cart... it's REALLY easy to do I tell ya!


I have them in my living room window. They bring a smile to my face. :)

Stay tuned for another great offer tomorrow. :)

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

One of my May SRM Stickers projects and another EAD giveaway!

Before I get to the layout: Today, May 11th The EAD Anniversary Giveaway continues with a $10.00 GC to 4 FACEBOOK fans AND 4 blog followers!!! If you aren't signed up, now is the time to get on it! Such an awesome and generous prize from the wonderful Emily! Make sure to thank her for all her hard work. She does an amazing job day in and day out. Best of lucky everyone. :) 


The May theme for SRM Stickers is 'Celebrate Life'. I have been waiting for the perfect colors to scrap these pics of Kara in her prom dress and these Bo Bunny papers were perfect! (Thanks again Bo Bunny! :)) I just love this layout. It makes me happy to remember this day in the park.

 SRM stickers used: Sticker Sentiments #51006 Thinking of You, Sticker Sentiments #51002 Baby, Express Yourself #42038 Everyday Life and Express Yourself #42029 New Year's

What I like most about the SRM Stickers is how versatile they are. Even with the huge selection of themes and phrases, I have often cut out a word or two from one sticker and mixed it with a word from another to create a custom saying perfect for whatever it is I need. The possibilities are endless! I did just that with this layout. It turned out perfectly... elegant, yet fun and full of personality. Just like Kara. 


Take some time to celebrate life by checking out the amazing projects by the talented DT all month long on the SRM Blog. You will be inspired to create something amazing!

Come back tomorrow for more fun! Have a great day! :) 

Monday, May 10, 2010

It's EAD Celebration Week!

It's EAD Designs 8th Anniversary and Emily has a lot of fun things planned for the week!

To kick off the week, today, May 10th,  She is going to giveaway 8  "CREATE" craft room sayings in Size A

How cool is that?! Check out the EAD blog for all the details. :) 


I chose the "CREATE" word this month for one of my projects and used it to create this collection of butterflies that I am going to hang on my wall. This is my new favorite project (I think I say that just about every time I create something using EAD Vinyl. heehee)! These papers are also amazing! This all came together quickly, which I like. :)
















supplies: 
pp: October Afternoon 
chipboard: October Afternoon, Cosmo Cricket, Prima, Chatterbox, K&Co., Bo Bunny and Tattered Angels
ribbon roses were made by the ever-so-talented Danielle Flanders. Aren't they divine?!
flowers: Prima
rhinestones: Tattered Angels
floral twigs and butterfly bases from Michael's
twine

Be sure to keep checking back to the EAD blog daily for more inspiration and fun giveaways!!!

Mother's Day

I had a wonderful Mother's Day morning! Skylar and Ashlyn had been working for days on a special Mother's Day show for me. It was very sweet. They did a combined cheer spelling out M-O-M-M-Y and included something with each letter that they read off a paper. All this while I ate a fine breakfast of fresh coffee, 2 eggs over easy and caramel crepes that Skye prepared for me. :)
To make things all the more memorable Ashlyn apologized to me for not being able to stand up straight while doing the cheer because it hurts her tummy to stand up straight, and she didn't want to ruin the show. lol I also had to try my best to pretend I was hungry because I do not like crepes. Ick. I tried really hard, I mean really hard to stomach them, but I just couldn't. I ate one bite and had to force myself to swallow. Kenny said it was funny to watch my face because I was struggling to get it down. Then I took a second bite and had to spit it out. I couldn't do it. I felt awful because I know Skye worked hard on making them for me. It was all good though. Skye wasn't upset about the crepes and the eggs were delicious! :)























I then opened wonderful handmade gifts that Skye, Emily and Ashlyn had created for me. I let them use some of my SRM Mother's Day Stickers and some glass jars I had sitting around. They also added a few things from around the house. They are all very sweet.

Ashlyn's
Emily's
and Skylar's

Meghan gave me an awesome mug! It's from Starbucks and it's the kind that had a black message space on it that you write on in a special white pen and then bake it on. Each girl wrote a beautiful message on it. Made me cry.

Emily wrote me a sweet letter, drew me a pretty picture and also included a note to use today. It's a "get out of work" letter, but can only be used today. Since I have to work tonight I am going to take it to work and show my boss. Wonder if it'll work... bahahaha!!! Somehow I seriously doubt it, but it's worth a try. ;)

Skylar also got me another gift, and this was really clever of her. She had them in a box for me. I got a good chuckle out of some of them. :)

All in all a perfect day. I got to scrap a bit and I am going to go upstairs and read for a bit before I head off to work.
 
One more thing for you. I got it from Tania's blog and it moved me. Powerful.


Rae

Friday, May 7, 2010

some cards and miscellaneous things

Both of these birthday cards feature sentiments from the new EAD Stickerz which will debut soon! These happen to have a white base, but they will be available in clear as well. Stay tuned for the BIG EAD Anniversary Celebration next week!

supplies for both cards:
pp and die cuts: Scenic Route, Stickerz: EAD Designs, cardstock: Bazzill, ric rac
A card I made for BlackLeaf Studios this week:

supplies: carstock: Bazzill, digital image: Blackleaf Studios Baby Doodles Stamps, SRM Stickers: Express Yourself #42028 Mother's Day, pp: Little Yellow Bicycle and Chatterbox

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

and a card I made awhile back featuring SRM Stickers:


supplies: 
cardstock: Bazzill, pp and die cut: Scenic Route, sticker; SRM Stickers- Sticker Sentiments #51006 Thinking of you, button and ribbon
=========================================================================

One more thing before I sign off for the weekend. :) Momenta.com
I don't know that I mentioned that I made the DT!


Have a wonderful weekend! Come back Monday for a full week of fun from EAD Designs and some projects from SRM Stickers. :)

Thursday, May 6, 2010

just a layout to share

I created this layout last month and just haven't gotten around to posting it. I used everything Crate Paper. :)



Life has been a bit stressful lately, but fortunately I have had enough scrappy time to ease some of the troubles away. Ashlyn has been sick for almost a month now and she's not getting better. It was found that she has highly elevated levels of bacteria in her small intestine, which is not good. She had an allergic reaction to the first round of antibiotics they gave her, and the replacement meds didn't sit too well with her either, but she trudged through them... experiencing just about every side effect listed. I felt so guilty for giving them to her knowing she wasn't tolerating them, but that bacteria needs to go so you do what you have to do.
She's still not feeling well, in fact she cannot even stand up straight, nor can she move without catching her breath because she is in so much pain. She spends a lot of time in her bed or hunched over in a chair. It's truly heartbreaking to watch and there is nothing I can do for her. She has another dr. appt. on Monday morning, so hopefully we can keep moving forward to the next test to figure this out. I have faith in her Dr. I believe that he will find something... heck, just figuring out she has bacteria in her small intestine is something tangible, Something to work with and figure out why (at least I pray).

We've seriously done 4 complete school days this past month. That's it. She doesn't have the stamina. I am not stressing about. We get what we can done each day and it is what it is. We are still managing to move forward and make some progress, so I feel good with that. It's not like she's doing much else. lol

For the past 15 months we've just had to sit back and do test after test with nothing really showing up that we can move forward with. All the doctors have basically said the same thing, "We'll just have to wait for her to get sick and then we'll be able to add another piece to this." For several months she seemed to be doing well and when this hit, it came on like a hurricane... she went from feeling great on a Saturday to not being able to eat or move on a Monday. Have I mentioned what a trooper she is? Because I don't think that I could live like she has to. It's miserable.

I had someone dear to me tell me yesterday that I must be a very strong person because God only gives us what we can handle and with everything I have been feeling/experiencing lately, I have a big load. As if Ashlyn isn't enough to deal with, Kenny is going to have to have surgery on his lower back. He has no disc or something there. He works then comes home and goes straight to bed. I have to take care of everything around here. I see now the benefits of a condo. bahaha! Every so often he'll get up and try to do a little something, but nothing that I can consider helpful. I feel badly for him as well. I have had back pain and had to lie in bed for a weekend and that was more than I could bear. lol I have to be moving all the time. It's not easy to watch someone who feels helpless actually be helpless.

I have come to terms with Kara being gone. It does get easier each day. Somedays I miss her terribly, but my heart is bursting with pride! I get to talk to her several times a week. It's amazing as a mother to hear the growth in her voice each time I speak with her. She's still Kara, but she's really growing up and I can hear it, even in just the few short weeks we have been able to communicate regularly. I always told the girls that I cannot be their friend while they are living in our house. I have to be their parent. I will be their friend when they are on their own. I feel like I have a new bond with Kara now that she has moved on. She'll always need me to be her mommy, but we can relate on a new level with everyday things, even the mundane. All the things that were taken for granted when she was here and had them at her beck and call. I am motivated to work more hours so I can still pay the bills, but save a little more so I can go visit her. I am hoping to take the girls on a driving trip from Spokane to Chicago in September when Meghan graduates from boot camp. Kara will still be there and this time we'll be able to spend more time with her. We are already looking forward to eating at the Cheesecake Factory there on Michigan street in Chicago! YUM!

Meghan graduates high school here in about a month and then near the end of July she heads off to Navy boot camp. Time to focus on this joyous time admid all the chaos around us. We will be half-empty nesters... 3 of our kids will have moved on and we will have 3 at home. :) 

Nathan has made it safely to Afghanistan. He called us yesterday morning. He will have a great experience there, and he's already taking the culture in and noting the huge differences between there and the United States. He's even experienced a mortar attack (eeek! Talk about my heart dropping into my stomach!) and said that was extremely scary. I cannot imagine and I am glad I do not have to. He's going to have a new take on life once he spends any amount of time there... how can one not?

All that being said, I will not be spending my free time doing much needed yard work or cleaning the garage or anything that absolutely doesn't have to be done at this time. I will do the basics and call it good. I am going to create and hang out with my family and do what I enjoy. Life is good, even when it is brimming with stress.

So, I suppose I have done enough rambling for one day. In 2 days the fun begins with the EAD Anniversary! I have some projects that I am really excited to share!
Take care and have a wonderful Wednesday... oh wait it's Thursday. This week is just melting away. ha!

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

floral magnet set featuring EAD Vinyl

I am now addicted to making magnets. heehee. I used the fun Flower Doodles Vinyl rub on set to create this set. I placed the rub ons on some scrap pieces of patterned paper, cut them out, glued some cute up pieces from a magnet strip onto the back and then finished each off with a button. Our fridge now has a bit of spring time cheer. :)

 
 Don't forgot about the awesome EAD Anniversary Celebration coming up soon! You can stay tuned by keeping up with the blog.
Take care!
Rae

Sunday, May 2, 2010

EAD Designs Stickerz Sneak Peek

I just wanted to give you a sneak peek of some of the new Stickerz that will be released from EAD Designs in a few weeks! There are going to be SO MANY to choose from! You are going to want them all!
Here are just a few:
 




Like I said, this is just a sample. May is EAD's 8 year anniversary and they are going to have some awesome sales, giveaways and much more! Make sure you follow the blog and become a fan on Facebook so you don't miss a thing!

Saturday, May 1, 2010

three little piggies- Blackleaf Studios

As soon as I saw this adorable pig image from the Barn Fun Stamps set I just knew I had to have it! I don't collect pigs but I sure do think they are cute. :)

I created a trio of magnets which I call the "3 little piggies". I printed several images, each about 3"x3" and cut them out. I also cut the inside of the ears, snout and tail out of coordinating papers. For added dimension I the heads out and then added pop-dots for two of them. I also applied a few coats of Mod Podge to give them a layer of protection since they are refrigerator magnets.

This was a quick project, maybe 20 minutes total and now I have some cute additions to my fridge. :)

 supplies: Digital Image- Blackleaf Studios Barn Fun Stamps
pp: My Little Shoebox, Chatterbox and K&Co. 
die cut fowers: K&Co.

I also forgot to post my project from Wednesday. The challenge was to create a project and use chipboard. I used one of the Favour Bags to create this "It's your day to Shine" bag and then added a few embellishments to finish it off. Again, a quick and easy project. The longest part was cutting each of the star edges.

supplies:
cardstock: Bazzill
Tattered Angels: Glimmer Mist
die cut: Scenic Route
stickers: SRM Stickers
chipboard: Fancy Pants Designs

Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful weekend!