Easily Influenced

If you read yesterday's post about Club Scrap and how I found several kits in a row to come with dull, melancholy colors, you'll get a giggle to know what I discovered.  I went to their website to see if the September sneak peak was posted yet.  It was not, but the August one was.  It was bright and peppy colors. That made me laugh. So I missed it being on my hiatus. I hope that wasn't the most colorful kit of the year!

Here are a couple more cards made with the Navajo kit. As I was double checking that my humanities class homework got posted to the class website (it is an on-line class and no, I don't really trust computers or maybe I don't trust myself with computers) I realized that we just finished the unit on Native Americans. So what kit did I pick up to play with?  Navajo! I even pawed through several kits before deciding on that one. I'm not saying I'm easily influenced. You can be the judge of that one!

The Fine Print: Cards made with the January 2012 Club Scrap kit "Navajo" with the exception of silver discs (they look black in the scan) from the dollar bin, black scrap ribbon, fastenator staple, and tiny heart stamp which is a stamp on a dowel rod so I think that makes it by Stamps by Judith, but I could be wrong.

The Club Scrap Blues

Last night I decided to pull out one of my Club Scrap kits and play with it.  I have quite a collection of them stacked up. Some are unused as of yet and others have been partially used.  I don't usually break up the kit until I've feel I've had my fill of it as is.

I took a 3-month hiatus from receiving Club Scrap kits because I wasn't sure I wanted to keep receiving them. Like I mentioned I have a bunch of them stacked up already. Plus several kits in a row came with really dull, morose colors. They were not inspiring to me at all. They looked great when I first got the kit but once I started playing with them they brought me down, snuffed out the sunshine, harshed my high, whatever you want to call it. I guess I want my colors brighter and peppier, which is funny when you think that my favorite colors are earth tones.

Maybe I was just cranky over their colors because I was a bit distressed over their stamp collections.  I am actually a Club Stamp member and you get a sheet of unmounted stamps that correspond with your monthly kit.  Every month used to have some image stamps along with a selection of greetings in different fonts.  The greetings were everyday sayings like "happy birthday," "with sympathy," or "thinking of you." They were different variations of these sayings and since they are frequently used sayings, I was happy with the variety.  Now they tend to send weird quotes that I find a struggle to incorporate into an every day card. Plus they made the sayings and the image stamps in general larger and longer.  They don't work well for A2 cards at all.  They are really geared more for scrap booking. If I wanted scrap booking stuff, I'd join Club Scrap.

Anyway, my hiatus ends soon and I'll be receiving the September kit. Despite everything I've said here I am kind of looking forward to it again.  I have not yet seen the sneak peaks but I am hopeful, so we'll see. And btw, the orange in these cards is really more of a peach. Just don't tell my camera that!

The Fine Print: Eyelets by Stampin' Up, flower by Prima, corner punch by Marvy, all the other stuff by Club Scrap "Navajo" kit.

WOYWW Number One-Sixty-Nine

The desk hasn't changed too much since last Wednesday, which will be distressing for those of you who thought it too clean last time.  I have a 3-day weekend coming up so I'm sure I'll mess it up then.

 

In the middle of my desk is a piece of scrap cardstock and scrap ribbon. They are there for no real reason.  I think that is the biggest news to report today!  The coolest thing on my desk is the multicolored hand-knit washcloth that was a surprise gift (right hand side of the desk). Underneath that is workshop kit I got from A Muse so I can force my friends to make some A Muse cards. It should be fun. Also on my desk is this card that I received from an on-line friend:

Here is a fab ATC I got in the recent women's accessories ATC swap.  There were a lot of great ATCs in this swap. I just grabbed this one to share since it was on the top of a pile on my computer desk (oh, now there's a desk I've never shared with y'all and I should have to appease the non-clean freaks).

Also I have this bin I bought a couple of weeks ago.  Then I hemmed and hawed over if I was really going to use it or not. I decided to keep it to help organize my life.  Stay tuned to see if it works!

And here's a cat for no real reason except for if I end up in the poor house it will be due to this bugger.  His name is Fido and he's older than dinosaur poop.  He also has a non-operable cancerous tumor in his intestines that comes with a short time span (as in don't buy Christmas presents for this cat).  He is the third cat I've had with cancer.*  I'm not saying my house is on a former toxic waste dump, but holy cow.

That's it for WOYWW. I don't have anything to share that I made this time being as I shared everything I've made recently in previous posts. I opted to read a book for pleasure last night instead of playing or doing homework.  Yeah, I'm taking a class this semester too.

Hey for you Blogger experts, is there a way to turn off comments on one particular post?  I have one post from back in March that the male enhancement people like to make spam comments on. 

The Fine Print: I could really do with a lemon meringue pie and yes, that thought is out of left field.  In case you are wondering how the first week of school went (from an employee perspective not a student one) we only had one crier this time. I told my boss he was slipping.

* The other two cancerous kitties are in the great catnip garden in the sky, it isn't Jack and Poppy for you Jack and Poppy fans.  

This Card is a Lie

Because if every good thing we could image was possible, I'd be flying right now, soaring through the clouds.  Washcloths would be made out of bacon so we could shower and have breakfast at the same time.  Household pets would speak in our language and cure cancer for us.  Mean people would be struck by large falling objects.  There would be a mandatory nap time at work, right after we had milk and cookies, following by story time.  Life would be awesome!

I feel betrayed by this card.

What a bummer.

The Fine Print: Stamp and skeleton leaf by Hero Arts; ink by Memento; card base, lime pearls and washi tape A Muse Studio; dragonfly brad by unknown.

Validation

If you work in the corporate world I'm sure you have been to a professional development workshop, employee development, teamwork building, or whatever they are calling self improvement workshop these days.

I've been to many, but two stick out in my mind.  There was a team-building workshop that was mandatory for my department after we went through a period of civil unrest.*  That workshop was memorable because we learned that you can beat someone with a phone book and it won't leave telltale bruises.

Another was a workshop where we learned about validation and saw a short film on validation.  That one stuck with me because I love the guy in it.  You. Are. Awesome!

And you are.  TOAD-ALLY AWESOME!

Yes! You!

Now stand back and give me some phone book swinging room.

The Fine Print: * Civil unrest = a bunch of adults forgot this wasn't junior high and no one really cares who likes who or who is having lunch with who and who didn't get invited to prom.  No, really, just do your effing job.  Stamp credits holy crap I forgot to check.  Stamps by some stamp company.  How's that for a save?  

To check out the Validation clip

Slide Thingy

Is it 'thingy' or 'thingie'?  Remember those plastic slide thingies that were all the rage many years ago?  I'm talking about these things:

They probably have some more official name than 'slide thingy' but I don't know what it is.  Besides being popular in plastic of all colors, they came in chipboard versions, cardboard versions, and pre-printed versions.  At one time I even had a punch that would punch this shape out but later got a sizzix-style die instead (since a punch that big was the kind you had to stand on to get to work).

I cleaned out my big desk drawer and found my stash of the plastic thingys so I thought I'd put one to use. Despite what the scan shows you this is actually an orange slide thingie with orange flowers, but you know, it looks okay here in red.

Often stamping fads come and go, but this one hasn't come and gone.  Maybe we can resurrect it!  Break out your slide thingies and make a card today!

Apologies for turning word verification back on.  It is just for a few days until the dude who spams me with 17 enhancement comments a day goes away.

The Fine Print: Plastic slide thingy by unknown, but man they were the rage. The local shop even had small stamps set aside "perfect for inside the slide."  Row of flowers stamp by Penny Black, greeting by Hero Arts, border punch by Martha.

Sweetness and Light

I made this sweet little girl card for a swap and then failed to mail it out in a timely manner.  I definitely subscribe to the better late than never rule of thumb.

The reason for her postal delay was because I cleaned up my desk and put her in one of those very important places that I will be sure to remember and won't ever forget, otherwise known as "lost."  I really like the Lily of the Valley stamps and have a small sampling of them myself, but for sure I "need" more.  A Muse Studio just needs to stop tempting me with their holiday catalog so I feed my LOTV addiction in the manner in which it would like to be accustom to.  And also, it would be nice if the dollar got stronger so my dollars to pounds ratio would improve so I could buy more stamps.  I think I'll write to my congressman to get right on that.

The Fine Print: Well, I pretty much told ya already, the image is by Lily of the Valley. This image came from a UK magazine who sent along a bunch of LOTV images one month and immediately because my new BFF.  The paper is a freebie from a different UK magazine, or maybe the same magazine, but definitely a different month.  Cardstock ("currant" and "lichen") and lime pearls by A Muse Studio.

Sunny Days

The first week of school is winding down now and it looks like I'll survive it.  The extra sunny good news is that my one-week long headache is finally subduing.  Here is my unsolicited advice.  If you go to the doctor with one symptom (a runny nose) and he offers you a cure that causes another symptom (a never-ending headache), weigh the options carefully.  Hindsight says I'd rather have a chapped nose than feel brain damaged.  Besides, think of how many students I could have frightened off by blowing snot in their general direction! I only took the headache inducing stuff for 3 days so apparently it sticks around in your system awhile.

The Fine Print: Hedgehog stamp by Penny Black, greeting by Hero Arts, border punch by Martha.

Cherry Good Day

I hope you are having a cherry good day.  I'm having a cherry good day.  I also could be delusional.

The Fine Print: Yeah, papers and stamps and punches 'n stuff all by somebody. I'm sure of it.

WOYWW--Surprisingly Good!

After you hear me out, you'll realize that is actually a rude title.  But first!  Here is my workdesk before I head out to work for What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday.

The desk before work

It is shockingly clean again because I kept getting long phone calls over the past few days and I tend to fiddle with things on my desk while on the phone. Since I wasn't working on any project, things just ended getting tidied.  Never fear, it won't last long.

Here is the ATC I mentioned last week.  This lovely piece of art is by our own Peggy aplseeds.  I am quite pleased to have this as I find it very soothing.  And soothing is what I need right now.  Today is the first day of school and by the time you read this I will probably already be frazzled, hoarse, and will be convinced that I've talked to at least 8000 of our 10,000 or so students.  Ya know, all in a day's work.

Here's a giggle for you and I mean besides this crazy card that always makes me laugh.  The hubby and I used to enjoy this snack cracker that had the tagline 'Surprisingly good taste!" printed on the box.  Hubby wondered what ad agency came up with that line and why the company thought it was okay to use.

"Hey! I thought this cracker was going to suck, but no! It is surprisingly good!"

The Fine Print: Don't be surprised if I don't visit too many workdesks this time around-apologies in advance!  Dude stamp by Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers, letters by someone. 

The desk after work

Go into the Light!

HI! My Name is POPsicle and me 'n my zombie doll are going to be the guest columnists today because my mom is like six different kinds of tired.  Apparentlys peoples brains turn off after awhile.  Like light switches.

Dis is me n my zombie doll
He don't say much
I wunder how many words we can
put in a caption
before bloggggger explodes?

Speaking of light switches (and I woz) here is a light.  Dis is called a chandelier, which is a French werd for "fancy light that hangs from the ceiling."  We have lights that hang from the ceiling but they aren't fancy.  We call them "ceiling fans."  They have a chain that is the switch to turn them on.  And off. On. And off. On.  Off.

I'm thinking that is wot happened to my mom today--someone jerked her chain.

---Poppy and Zombie out!

The Fine Print: My zombie doll is named Clyde and he is a vegetarian.  He sez, 'Grrrraaaaaains!"  The light and werds (but not the ones I wrote) are by A Mews Artstamps.  The giant photo corner punch is by EK Success, and the circles are by Marvy.  The papers are maybe by CTMH, but maybes not.

Felt!

Hey! It is time for another new A Muse Studio Challenge at their blog.  This time the challenge is to use felt in your creation.  You heard that right--felt.

I don't usually think to use things like felt or fabric on my cards as I take the term 'paper crafter' seriously.  It isn't that I feel uber-loyal to paper; it is just that I don't think outside of my paper box.

Well, check this out! I made a poinsettia out of felt. It isn't nearly as bulky as I thought it would be.  I also finally got around to trying out that crushed silky ribbon that A Muse came out with this year. I like that it is supple so you can easily knot it or tie it in a bow even though it is quite wide. I'm kind of pleased with this card and I'm really thrilled how easy it was to cut the felt with a thin metal die. Expect to see some more felt on my creations some day, especially since I bought the variety pack and have lots of different colors to play with.

I also made another Santa card. This time he is stamped in brown and paired with red since I think brown and red look fab together.  It is a good think I kept an open mind about this set.

The Fine Print: Most products by A Muse Studio--French roast, cherry, sugar, and cherry gingham cardstocks; cherry crushed silky ribbon; poinsettia die set; "Making Spirits Bright" stamp set; and onyx pearls.  Other supplies-Marvy scalloped circle, regular circle and scalloped square punches, Fiskars scalloped hole border punch, and Stampin' Up corner rounder.

Red Santa

Yesterday, at the last moment I tossed in a comment that I didn't like a certain new A Muse Studio set when it was first shown to us consultants.  Not only did I not like it, I went to the consultant website and queried to see what others thought of it.

My issue with the set was how the Santas were bold, not outline, images. That meant the overall color of them would be the color you stamped in.  I pretty much stamp in black and color my image in because most of my stamps are outline images. I've never been much of a fan of bold images--having always had a difficult time getting a nice crisp image from them. 

Anyway.... back to my issue which was if you stamped the Santas in black, well, how satanic is that? I mean 'Santa' is already and anagram of 'Satan' so lets not purse that issue even more.  Stamping it in red seemed weird to me because then when coloring in his belt, boots, and beard they would have red outlines?  Then I saw a few samples made with the set where they stamped in red and didn't color anything in and it worked.  I had already resigned myself to the fact that I'd probably have to get the set anyway as it seemed like the kind of thing my customers would like and would want to try out or see in action, but then it worked.

So then I couldn't wait to try out the set.  Then I found out we needed someone to teach a class for my big stamp club this month and I really couldn't wait to try out the set!  I did have to wait though, because the stamps were delayed in customs, but now I have it and I'm rather tickled with it.  It has lots of sayings in outlines that you can either color in or not and that works too.

I hope this doesn't seem like it is just one big commercial, because it isn't. What this is, is a story where the moral is 'keep an open mind.' 

The Fine Print: There is no truth to the rumor that Santa is or ever was associated with the Communist Party.  Also, I know, me with morals?! Who'd of thought?!  Stamp set "Making Spirits Bright" by A Muse Studio, dotted paper also by a|s but alas it is retired now so don't like too much.  Oh and hey! I did color in both these Santas' faces which gave the images a little lift (Santa's got a face lift, Santa's got a face lift!).  Yeah, I'll shut up now.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

I mean, why not? Everyone else has come to town now.  All the residents who fled for the summer are back and the university students are back, why not Santa too?

Today's post is late in coming because the medicine the doctor gave me (see Wednesday's post) is a nasal spray that may cause drowsiness.  For real?! A nasal spray that might make you tired?!

For real.  I slept so hard last night I was unaware that I was abducted by aliens, who then used my body to fold into various origami shapes. When I finally dragged myself from my coma late this morning I was a wreck. My back hurt so much I could hardly move and it felt like my legs were attached backwards.  I had to take another pill for that.  That one also may cause drowsiness.  So after I fondled some paper (have to feed the inner crafter, you know) I took a nap on the couch.  My afternoon nap received high approval ratings amongst the feline demographic.

So now that it is almost bedtime I thought I should make the cards I am going to teach at next weekend's stamp club meeting.  I wanted to do a quick and easy Christmas card to get people in the holiday card making spirit.  And by 'people' I include myself.  My vision was to make this card. It was to be all red and white.  However, I didn't like the red and white bakers twine on it so I switched it out to black and white.  I still wasn't fond of the card so I did it again with the greeting in black.

I like it much better with the greeting in black, however, sending around two different stamps and two different colored ink pads is a recipe for disaster.  You can count on someone to put Santa into the black ink, so be prepared to clean him off so the next person can stamp him in red.  Worse, you can count on someone putting the greeting into the red ink pad, staining the red with black ink.  For that one, you can blot at it with paper towels and hope for the best.  Anyway, now you know what I needed the dew drop sized ink pads for (mentioned a couple of Wednesdays ago).  As an added bonus if a dew drop ink pad gets ruined you are only out a couple of bucks. I do see now that I should have gone for the darker red than Lady Bug, but live and learn.

Since this is a large group of ladies, I'm pleased that this set has two different Santas in it.  That means more people can be stamping at once instead of making 40 people wait for one stamp to go around.  The other Santa is similar enough that I don't think people will be upset that they got one and not the other.  And now other teachers are laughing at me.  Here is the other version. I actually did tie the red an white baker's twine around one of them.

 Stay tuned tomorrow when I share some more cards I made with this set just to show off some more quick and easy holiday cards.  True confession: I hated this set when I first saw it debuted.

The Fine Print: Stamps, paper, and baker's twine by A Muse Studio.  Stamps from the "Making Spirits Bright" set, cherry chevron paper, cherry and white baker's twine or onyx and white baker's twine.  Inks by Memento-tuxedo black and lady bug red.

The Ultimate Accessory

Today was the kind of day where everything took longer than I thought, cost more than I anticipated, was more complicated then first suspected, or just plain took the long way 'round.  All in all it was a good day even if the accomplishment level was really low.  I did get a jump start on my ATCs a whole week ahead of time, which probably confused the delicate balance of the universe, which would explain today's wackiness.

The theme for the latest round of ATCs is women's accessories. I expect to see many purses and shoes in this swap. I also expect to see a lot of bling because women love bling (ooh, shiny!).  However, my favorite accessory is a little bit off the mainstream:

 A mute houseboy.

You can't beat that with a stick.  Or I suppose you can as he wouldn't scream.

The Fine Print: Mute houseboy stamp by Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers.

Sprinkled with Fun

Hey You!

Yes, YOU!



You deserve a day sprinkled with fun.

Why? Becuase I said so.

The Fine Print: Stamps by Hero Arts, circle and scallop circle by Spellbinders, corner rounder by Stampin' Up, papers by unknown.  Now go eat a cupcake, you deserve it.

WOYWW-Hazmat Suits Required

Today is WOYWW #167 and I come to you filled with hatred and snot.  But mostly snot. And my desk comes to you filled with an assload of everything! And it's no small ass either, we're talking the Hottentot behind here....

What you see here are a couple of card kits, Halloween and other paper pads, my new Taylored Expressions stamps, the lady bug dew drop inks I inquired about last week, and the same old stuff that is always there.  Best of all this pile contains my new A Muse Studio goodies! I'm so excited to have the stuff from the new catalog to play with so expect to see that in action soon.  Well, as soon as I can quit blowing my nose long enough to play.

 

And what the heck, here is a wide view of the whole sordid mess. It is really quite a disaster area. You can see all three cats, washing up after their breakfast, and the hubby who isn't washing and who didn't get breakfast. Hubby was trying to convince me that the flash would flash (and it did) for this photo taken with the lights off.

I had some ATCs and a card to show you but there are lost somewhere in the rubble. I didn't have time to tie a rope around myself and go spelunking in there to find them--as you can see by the clock in the one photo it is time to hit the road for work!  Instead I'll show off a card I received from a friend.

The Fine Print: The hubby is breakfastless because he didn't want any of the cat food he was offered.  That, and he doesn't eat breakfast on weekdays. It isn't that I'm mean, even though I'm filled with hatred and snot, and hatred AT snot. What if I'm allergic to paper?  Have you thought of that? I  have... Don't go there, it's too awful.

Girly Girl

I made this girly girl card over the weekend with the idea of sending it out for a 'your choice' swap but after the card was done it made me think of my mother so much I decided I had to send it to her instead.  I have no idea why it made me think of my mother.  She's not a girly girl either. 

On the topic of girly girls, a few of us at work were talking about the insanity that is the local university, whose classes start tomorrow and someone mentioned that sorority rush was in full swing. I had a good chuckle to myself when I heard that.  I've never been a girly girl either yet I was invited to a sorority tea for prospective recruits.

This was a bazillion years ago after I graduated high school and applied for the local university.  Not long after I applied I received this invitation to the mother-daughter tea.  My mother insisted we had to go; that it would be a lark.  I think she was looking forward to sticking it to the snooty ladies (mom can have a sense a humor!).  See, her daughter (that's me) was a punker, complete with dyed wild hair, spikes, leather, and black makeup. We had a great time. All the girly girls rolled their eyes at me and me at them.  My mother sat with the other mothers and listened to them promise to make hefty donations to the sorority and talk about their sorority ties and how they were going to make hefty donations and how it was such an important part of college life and how they were going to make hefty donations.  When we left we laughed and laughed, "Holy shit, Mom! Was that for real?!"  Needless to say they didn't come looking for me at rush time and I certainly didn't come looking for them.

The Fine Print: The first hint you might not be a girly girl is that you can go to the restroom by yourself.  The second hint you might not be a girly girl is if you can answer the telephone without makeup on.  Image by Lily of the Valley, butterfly punch by Martha, background papers from a magazine. And it isn't that I have to make y'all laugh all the time; it's that I feel bad when I ain't got no words to say.  Everyone should have the opportunity to have some Princess Judy words of wisdom in their life, even sorority girls!
 

Thanks, Many Many Thanks

This is the point where I am supposed to write something brilliant, funny, and awe-inspiring. But here in my own little world, I got nothing.


Also, here in my little world you can see that my scanner is having an illness.  Do you see in both cards the tiny white pixel that is upper center right?  Yeah, I suspect that is a sign of the beginning of the end.  Also, that top card? It isn't red.  Nope, it is brown.  Don't listen to the scanner--it lies!

The Fine Print: Well, I've had quite enough of this Monday, can we scurry along to a new day now?  This one is used!  Top card stamps--greeting by PSX, other stamp by Magenta, brads by Recollections.  Bottom card-stamp by PSX, label die by Spellbinders.  Both cards-papers from Club Scrap.

Yee-Haw!

Yee-haw!  That's all from the wild, wild west today, folks.  Thanks for checking in and don't forget to return your seat backs to the upright position.

The Fine Print: Background paper by October Afternoon, denim paper by unknown, star nailheads by unknown, twine and stamps by A Muse Studio.  Now excuse me while I go help Poppy find her zombie doll's head again.  Jack keeps beheading it.

A Faithful Friend

I had a busy day today, with lots doing.  Hubster and I saw the movie Campaign and it is good for laughs and helps you not take the mud-slinging politicians too seriously.  I am, however, now hopefully confused between movie fiction and the real ads. I'll be at the polls in November asking which candidate punched the baby.  After the movie we visited the Sterlite Mecca of the Universe* and for this container freak, it was quite exciting.  It was a good day with my bestest bud.  Everyone should have a faithful friend like that.

I like how this card came out with a bit of a country feel to it.  I originally wanted to put the piece below on the card but the yellow was too jarring for it.  In fact, the yellow may be too jarring for any card.  It does not rest easy on my eyes.

*Target, the back to the dorm room section, which has expanded to the whole store.

The Fine Print: Printed papers by My Mind's Eye "On the Bright Side," girl with greeting by Stampin' Up "Lean on Me" set, lemonade stamps by Lawn Fawn, circle punches by Marvy.

What Kind of Dream is This, Anyway?

So school is still two weeks away (11 days, but who's counting?) and I'm already exhausted.  I'm so exhausted I can't even fall asleep properly.

These people know how to sleep

Last night I dreamed that a bunch of us were in a wild west town.  We were walking on the wooden sidewalks and into a building. I swear I could really hear the clomp of our shoes on the wooden floor. I veered off from the main room into a side room and there on the floor was a body wrapped up in a white shroud.  Somehow I knew immediately it was a dead body but still I prodded it with my foot to ascertain it was indeed a dead body.  Then suddenly I wondered if the dead body was going to come back to life.  I turned to the others and asked, "What kind of dream is this, anyway?"

Does this dream have zombies in it?

Because really, I did not have the energy or patience to deal with it if it was going to be a scary dream with zombies in it.

The Fine Print: Camping card stamps by A Muse Artstamps, paper by DCWV.  Zombie cat card stamp by Stampotique, papers by Memory Box, ribbon and orange mist by A Muse Studio.

What I Want from My Phone

I admit it, I'm a simple girl. What I want most from my telephone is it to work. It is that simple. I do not need it to be portable. I do not need it to tell me who is calling before I pick up. I do not need it to give me conference calling. I do not need it to tell me there is a call on the other line when I am using it. I do not need it to also be able to surf the web, email my friends, or post twitter statuses. I do not need it to have different ring tones. I rarely want it to ring as it is! (The outcome of answering a phone for a living). I do not need it to take pictures. I do not need it to tell me the time or what time zone I am in.  I do not need it to tell me the weather outside.  I do not need it to send text messages to friends, family, or even complete strangers. I do not need it to send me reminders. I do not need it to play me movies or to download filthy pictures.

I'm actually now trying to figure out what I do need it for. Oh! To order pizza and set up appointments with the massage therapist.  I knew I paid for that thing for a reason.  I suppose normal people would also say they like to keep in touch with family and friends.  Let's just end that line of thought by my saying that I'm not normal.

My phone is attached with two cords. One goes into the wall and the other goes from the phone base to the handset.  Yep, it is true. I do not even need my phone to be wireless!  Sometime remind me to tell you the story of how in our youth when my little bro and I were bored we would use my parent's cordless phone to spy on all the neighbors' phone conversations. 

I do kind of like the voice mail feature so I can know who has been trying to get in touch with me and why, but that doesn't mean I'll act on any of these messages.  It does make me wonder who designed voice mail.  My voice mail at work always tells me how many unread messages there are. There is no way to read them so what the heck?  My voice mail system at home asks me, after I've logged in, if I'd like to hear my messages.  What? Does it think I just logged in for grins and giggles?  Of course I want to hear them, you nitwit.  That is such an unnecessary step. I also have no clue how to log out of it properly but hanging up on it seems to work.

The Fine Print: Stamps by A Muse Studio, but they are retired now, like I sort of wish I was at this very moment in time.

Workdesk Wed #166

I cleaned my desk last night and hubby said, "You can't do that! It's workdesk Wednesday! What will they think?!"  Well, I don't what they will think, but I'm sure they will tell me!

I had to clean it though. I had lost track of far too many things on it, there were too many pending projects on it and there wasn't enough room to play.  There is still plenty left to ogle. I have the usual pile 'o crap to the left (there's good stuff in there), a pile of snippets, a basket of abandoned embellishments, a few ATCs, the ribbon and tape May won from my giveaway (post office trip scheduled for Friday), a sun decoration, stamps for a girly project, small fun flock containers, a black/white/red card I'll share tomorrow, birthday present stamps tucked up out of sight (bday for someone else, maybe I should mail them? bday was in June), a pile from the What's Up kit that I was steady making cards from but then veered off in other directions, and a Penny Black stamp set on top of that.

Here a  long shot with the chair in place this time.  Last time I showed a long shot view I removed the chair for better viewing and then folks said they didn't understand where I sat.  The door you see is the front door to the house.  So you walk in and there I am.

Here is a copy cat card I made. It based on a card in the current A Muse catalog using heart paper instead of stamped polka dots.  That idea was swiped from another A Muse consultant.  This is an A2 card and after I started putting it together I realized that the one in the catalog is not that large. It is probably notecard size.  I didn't feel like chopping it down, so this is what we get. I have no idea what the stuff is on the card that looks like crumbs (middle top). I promise it isn't cupcake crumbs!

Edited to add: I am desperately searching to buy 3 Memento dew drop ink pads in lady bug red for a class.  Any ideas?  I only seem to find it in packs with other colors.

The Fine Print: Surely it must be nap time now?! All the everything from the card by A Muse: Hey Cupcake, and Vintage Labels stamp sets; bubble gum, buttercup, and sweetheart bubblegum cardstock; and bubblegum ribbon.

Time to Smile

I think it is almost always time to smile.  You know, when you are happy--smile.  When you are sad you should smile too--it makes people be more concerned for you.  Sometimes when you'd rather scream--smile. When you are just sitting around doing nothing--smile. It makes people wonder what you are up to. 

Besides they say smiling is healthy. It lowers your blood pressure, makes your face look good, smooths out wrinkles, and eliminates toenail fungus.  I'm sure I read that on the internet somewhere and you can believe everything you read on the internet.

The Fine Print: Stamps by Hero Arts, patterned paper by Basic Grey, which is neither basic nor grey.

No Blog Post Today

No blog post today.  Does that sadden you?

It does?!

Okay then, here's a quickie.  It has been two weeks since the last A Muse Studio Challenge so it is time for another one.  This one is hosted by Kay and the theme is red, white, and blue.  You know what the coolest thing about this challenge is?  No, not that anyone can join in, although that is pretty cool too.  No, not that you can possibly win a prize if you are a US contestant, although that rocks too.  No, not that you don't have to use A Muse products... give me a chance! I'll tell you what is cool.

What is cool about a red, white and blue challenge, now a good month after Independence Day is that people will do other red, white, and blue things and not just patriotic cards.  How fun is that?!  Here's mine:

Now that I've just said 'hello' I must dash!

The Fine Print: Really join in the challenge if you can and wow us with your RWB non-patriotic ideas.  All papers, stamps and ink by A Muse Studio. Stamps-Love Conquers All and Friend to Friend sets. Papers-sugar (white), cloud print, cherry, and navy.  Punches by Marvy.