5/1/09 - 6/1/09 | Stampin' When I Can

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Just coloring...

I just made this one since I wanted to color...trying out the Copics on kraft.

Image: Starving Artistamps.
Sentiment: Gina K.

Spent most of the weekend in garden. I really like using my brawn (ha ha!) instead of my brain sometimes. You just can't sit at a computer and write all the time. Maybe I will become a farmer. Nah...the hours suck!

Anyway, I share some pics (as I commissioned Tristan to do [busy work!]) after a long, nasty winter! He takes some pretty nice pics!

Newly Discovered

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Newly Discovered

Friday, May 29, 2009

A Magnolia, Some Euphoria and Taylor's Sketch

The post title says it all, don't it?

clipped from 2.bp.blogspot.com

Newly Discovered

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Another Anya...

I had colored an image and even matted it before I went hunting for a sketch. Do you do that too? This one fit the bill quite nicely.

clipped from dutchdare-cardchallenges.blogspot.com

These Anyas are so darn addictive! And me love my copics...like a fat kid loves cake! Anyway, I got to go write a document on networking explosive detection scanners...yay!

Random...

Turned the comment verification off...thanks Deb!
Ain't keeping up with Google Reader lately. I am going to let it lapse for a while...I have too much on my plate with work, housework, gardening, WJ fun, etc.

Ave is:

12 lbs. 13 oz. She gained 8 oz in seven days. So if she continues gaining an ounce a day, in a year she will be 35 lbs. Ha ha...not likely!
A bear! Seriously, her teeth are bothering her such a great deal that I have to keep her doped up on the Tylenol all the time. Marry that with a gal who ain't sleeping and she is so charming!

WJs have taken to re-purposing Ave's toys. They use her exersaucer as a traffic circle (AKA roundabout) for their ride-on toys. It sounds like a Nascar raceway around this joint every afternoon but at least they are keeping busy. And our new trampoline is wearing Charlotte out but not Tristan. He has taken to staying awake until 10 PM every night (and no, he ain't up...he just lies in bed). It's quite disconcerting to go into a darkened room to put something away and hear "Hi Mom". Jeebus - go to sleep already!

BTW, if you ever see me driving around in the car, I can guarantee that someone is screaming (usually Ave, sometimes the WJs and, when all hell breaks loose, me!).

Newly Discovered

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Got a Card to RAK?

Remember the post about #eric below? If you have an extra card to RAK, donations are being collected via the following address:

Eric De La Cruz in C/O
Hedrich Creative Group
306 Montgomery Ln
Glenview, IL 60025

Thanks!

SC230 - Super cute!

I got this image as an IRAK forevah ago from Jen...is it not the cutest?

Newly Discovered

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Ave is Five Months Old!

This past week she has been working on some new goals:

Sitting up. She presses her chin to her neck and grunts. I feel bad for her so I prop a whole bunch of pillows around her. She looks at me and thinks "You're overcompensating."
Scooting on her back (has no real interest in tummy time still). She can do a 360 in no time.
Three days of rice cereal. No adverse reaction. Bananas today were enjoyed but meals were a challenge since she was overtired (and kept rubbing banana into her eyes).

Look at these tired eyes!

No more fortified breastmilk (i.e., I don't need to add formula) since her weight is gaining steadily. She is a little ornery since her diet change but oh so happy to not get constipated. She just sits there and grins like a fool after "an evacuation". Ha!
Tomorrow is vaccination day so I will see what her weight is up to this week...

A New Meme...

From Soul Pancake, list three experiences you've had, that you wish every single person could have:

1) Hang with the WJs. They drive me crazy, make me giggle and teach me about who they are and, more importantly, who I am.

2) Enjoy the simplicity of walking to the hospital on a somewhat warm winter day, London Fog in hand, knowing that your baby girl is going to be okay. I even remember thinking while I walked what a great morning that was (especially considering all the harrowing, freezing days of the previous two weeks).

3) Get in a car with your significant other. Pick up road pops and road chips. Turn radio dial to cheesiest 70s/80s station you can find. Serenade (badly) your significant other (good songs include "How Deep is Your Love", "All Out of Love" and "Close to You"). Drive with no destination in mind.

These are three things I wish for all of you. In fact, if you want to hang with the WJs, I am willing to pack them up at a moment's notice. Ha!

If you try the meme yourself, let me know. I think it is an interesting one...

LPS Release Day!

Today Julia releases both {Sweet} and {Flower Frenzy}...these two sets are really versatile! I share with you one more sample using LPS' {Flower Frenzy}.

When I saw this damask stamp (obviously I like damask...look at my blog!), I knew I wanted to incorporate Basic Grey's Romani. This is an older line but I have lots of it (you should see the box of Basic Grey I have sitting here!). Plus I must have that new June Bug and Lemonade once it's available (drool!). Sometimes I hate living in Canada...it takes so long to get our hands on the good stuff! (I know all you gals from Australia/New Zealand are thinking "Shut up Allison"...you're right I shouldn't complain about waiting a few extra weeks compared to you guys!). Anyhoo, here's my card!

The DP really made the color combo for me...a mix of apricot/pumpkin, pink and vanilla. Plus I used a free piercing template from Fred, She Said...loves it!

Note: Tracey Lynn has a slew of other freebies...check 'em out!

Newly Discovered

Monday, May 25, 2009

Newly Discovered

LPS Sneak Peek #2 - Flower Frenzy

It is a sneak peek day, LPS Monday and the day we show off our "Stampin' Out Alzheimer's" sketch...this is going to be one heck of a card!

Here's the sketch:

Here's the color challenge:

And here's my card featuring {Floral Frenzy}...me loves this set!

I may have gone a little overboard on the bling here but I like it! This flower comes as both an outline and a solid-stamp in this set (two-step, anyone?) and I just love the points on all those petals. So I though, "Why not show them off with some pink rhinestones?". Yum-o!

Should you want to participate in today's LPS color challenge, link up your creation at the LPS blog. (Note: If you use SCS or PCP, use keyword LPSC17 so we know where to find your entries!)

The great thing about LPS challenges is that there are always prizes...today's challenge winner (chosen via Random.org) will win the new Flower Frenzy set! (I am not exaggerating when I speak of the versatility of this set...all the DT has come up with some fun ideas!)

Finally, don't forget about LPS' participation in the Stamping Out Alzheimer's challenges! That sketch is a neat one...you should try it whether you have LPS stamps or not!

P.S. Don't forget to enter my blog candy below!

Sunday, May 24, 2009

#eric on Twitter - Eric De La Cruz CHD Battle

For long time followers of this bloggity-blog, you know all about the blessing that is Avery. Born with a congenital heart defect (CHD) called Transposition of the Great Arteries (TGA), she was repaired at two weeks old. We have had a few bumps along the way (an infection here, a worrying cold there) but overall, Avery is awesome.

Unfortunately, there is a man in Nevada named Eric De La Cruz who has not fared as well. He has a CHD that I had never heard of before called Dilated Cardiomyopathy (essentially his heart muscles are so weak that his heart can not effectively pump blood through his body). As per his support site, "His kidneys are having trouble because of his heart. His creatinine levels are high, his blood pressure is very low and he keeps retaining fluid. The diuretric-type meds the doctors have him on are no longer working: Lasix, Dijoxin, Aldactone, Coreg, etc. He is currently on three different IVs."

Eric needs a heart transplant and he needs it now. His body is shutting down because his heart muscles can no longer do the job. Due to the fact that he has a pre-existing condition, Eric was unable to procure health insurance. Again, per the support site, "Eric has been turned down for a heart transplant list because he is on Nevada Medicaid and there are no transplant centers in Nevada (Nevada Medicaid is only accepted in Nevada). He needs to go to California under the Medicare Disability program".

Almost 700K has been donated thus far to offset the costs that insurance will not cover (especially aided by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails). Even though he is closing in on the funds he needs now, he needs to muddle through excessive red tape to get transferred to CA. For any of my American readers, you can help by signing the petition found here (to pressure your local representatives and those in Nevada) to do what they can to aid Eric. For the rest of us, visit the support site www.weloveeric.com to learn more and, if you can, donate to the cause. Perhaps the most important thing you can do is simply use your blogs, Facebook or Twitter accounts to publicize the cause.

Thanks so much for reading this. I do not normally write advocacy posts but I am so grateful for what science has done for my Avery that I hate to see any other individual be devoid of the choice because of a pre-existing condition or superflous red tape...

Quickie Blog Tip

Want to add a line to separate different parts of your post (like this one)?

It's simple! Just pick your spot in the HTML where you would like the line and enter the code <hr></hr>. Easy, right?

LPS Sneak Peek #1 - {Sweet} (and Blog Candy)

Note: This is one of two posts featuring sneak peeks of {Sweet}. I'd hate you to miss the super cute layout of Charlotte below!

So how can you not feature a set all about sweets without some candy? This seemed like a great excuse to go shopping and buy some of my faves!

Mackintosh Toffee: Sticky goodness guaranteed to pull out any dental work. So worth it though...

Tootsie Roll Midgies: Mmm...takes me back to a Halloween many moons ago.

Finally some Goodies. Love the black licorice with the candy coating...these stamps were so perfect here!

I thought I might RAK these (and some stamping goodies too!) out to y'all since these would look "better on your hips than mine"...ha! Leave a comment and tell me what candy makes you salivate. I will pick out three random winners on Tuesday night!

From Jess (Our Glorious DT Coordinator [I don't know how she keeps us all organized...it's like herding cats, I tells ya!]):

Want to STAMP OUT ALZHEIMER'S? We do too, and hope you'll join our cause! Jen Tapler and Susanna Boyd have been hard at work organizing "Stamping Out Alzheimer's": an amazing event that you won't want to miss! For a mere $5 donation you will have access to exclusive challenges and fun prizes from numerous different companies. And the best part? 100% of the proceeds go directly to the Alzheimer's Association!

The Little Paper Shop is hosting a sketch challenge on the Stampin' Out Alzheimers forum and would love for you to join us. At the end of the event we will be drawing one name from all the entries to win 4 - 4x6 stamp sets. That's over $60 in value! But the only way to enter is on the Stampin' Out Alzheimer's forum! Hope to see you there!

As for this adorable new set, head on over to the LPS blog to see more samples from the rest of the DT. While you're there, leave a comment to get a chance at winning a set of your own!

Saturday, May 23, 2009

All A Girl Needs...

...is "Love and Cupcakes"!

Here's C on her first birthday. I am giving you a pre-sneak of the LPS set Sweet...and indeed it is!

Deets:

Cardstock - Purely Pomegranate and Wild Wasabi.
DP: DCWV's Nana's Nursery (Girl)

Felt Floral Flourish: Kaiser Scrapbooks.

P.S. Cut my stamps to make up this sentiment...I will not be bound by polymer!

Some FYIs

I have finally updated my Google Reader share after being shut out for a couple days.
I have been keeping up my compilation of challenges and sketches (see here for the updated list). Should you know of any new ones, please let me know. Thanks!
And for Calgary bloggers, should you want to be linked up locally, see yycblogs (your blog posts will be included in that site's aggregation). I have found posts on lots of interesting items "about town"...

P.S. Should you want to know who's checking out your blog, remember this blogging tip for instant feedback. If you want a quick review of all past links, check out Technorati or Who Links To Me?.

Newly Discovered

Friday, May 22, 2009

Just a Heads-Up on Blogger Viewing Problems...

A couple of people have asked me about problems with some Blogger sites (such as my very own) so I thought I would post a quick blurb here...

There is apparently a bug in either Explorer or Blogger that prevents the blog from loading if the "Google Followers Widget" is located on the blog. Some of you may have seen the following message display:

Internet Explorer cannot open the Internet site http://<Web site>.com.
Operation aborted

To test whether this is truly the case, I am going to remove my widget for the next day or two. If you still experience problems, can you let me know? Thanks!

P.S. Not to be an anti-MS snob, but so many of these problems vanish if you use Firefox!

ETA: To remove your widget:

From your Dashboard, click Layout.
From the Page Elements page, find your Followers element and click Edit.
When the pop-up window displays, click Remove.
Click OK and you're done!

Another question: Will removing the widget mean that I lose my followers?

Nope. Just because you remove the widget, does not mean that you "remove" your followers. Your followers can still see your updates (via their Dashboard or Google Reader), you just can't display the widget on your blog if you want those IE users to see your site.

In fact, you can always "follow" someone whether they have a Followers widget or not (and even if they use another blogging platform such as Wordpress or Typepad).

From your Dashboard, (under the "Blogs I'm Following" tab), click Add.
When the pop up window displays, enter the URL you wish to follow.
Click Next.
Choose whether you want to follow the blog publicly or not.
Click Follow and the site is added to your Dashboard (and, if applicable, your Google Reader).

Note: Blogger says they are working on the problem...

Blue Screen of Death!

I have been up since 4:30. Got up with the girl, pumped and then decided to catch up with some more work deadlines. While working on a drawing, I got a blue screen of death...argh! I hope this doesn't mean that another laptop is on the decline! All my Adobe products I work with are inoperable due to registry editors so I am having to "make it happen" ad hoc with Microsoft Office (yuck!). This thing better not die since IT is in California and they are definitely not going to want to fix my system on Memorial Day weekend!

Anyway, enough from me...I have to go back to work! Here's a quick card with an image I found in my drawer that was already colored (woo hoo!). The layout is an old SFYTT that has been flipped on its side. Cheerio!

Newly Discovered

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Sultry Card

A card featuring LPS' {Inspired by Asia}. I made the bamboo my focal, added the crane in the corner and then finished it off with metal coins (with Asian characters) and delicate organza pink and mint ribbon.

Ave's visit to the cardiologist went really well. Her stenosis (i.e., the stretching of her pulmonary arteries) has been upgraded to mild from medium (which means her arteries are now growing to keep up with the blood flow). She has gained 12 oz in 2 weeks (booyah!) which means she no longer has to have formula added to her milk. (12 lbs., 5 oz. -- I gotta write this somewhere since someone [e.g. dietician, GP, clinic nurses, etc.] are always wanting to know her last weight measurement!) The only new item of note was that she has a herniated muscle just below her sternum where her chest tube was inserted after her surgery. The muscle is just thinned from the tube but, ideally, that too will grow with her.

She got pretty ticked at the technician administering the echocardiogram. She was pretty sleepy at that point and the technician was having some difficulty getting a shot on the right side of her chest cavity (I don't know what she was looking for but Ave's innards were not cooperating!). By the time her cardiologist was done, she was asleep in my arms in no time! Of course, once we were home she was ready to par-tay (which meant lots of practicing as she attempts to sit up on her own. I am afraid it will be sometime before she masters that one though!).

Newly Discovered

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

SC229 - On the Side!

Gotta fly to the cardiologist today...TTYL!

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

My Boy's a Man Now!

Tristan lost his first tooth yesterday! He is both excited and sheepish!

Since Charlotte had to get in on the photo session, here is her mugshot too! (That girl is gonna need to tweeze those eyebrows soon! I kid, I kid...)

Anyhoo, to aid the tooth fairy (and commerorate the lost tooth), I readied a tin for the boy.

DP: DCWV Grade School Stack. Image: Microsoft Clip Art. Font: Pussycat Snickers.

P.S. Tristan has his own blog. It is mostly a collection of things he is interested in (esp. his web finds). He likes to just go sit on his blog and check out all the pictures day after day! These darn kids need their own computer...

Note: My post title plays off this past secret confession of mine!

Newly Discovered

Monday, May 18, 2009

LPS Monday - What's With You and That Robot?

I like this robot. More importantly, Tristan likes this robot so it has become my "go to" for his friends' birthday cards.

This one is glitterfied with black Stickles which were RAK'd to me forevah ago. I was all like "WTH am I going to do with black Stickles?". Dumb question since I use them all the time!
I used some chipboard buttons up top...not feeling those...may have to remove 'em.
Added the Saturn die-cut (per the sketch) to make it more "space-y"!