Puppy Love

Aww..... so sweet. 

It almost makes you want to barf, huh?!

The Fine Print: Heck, I don't remember. 

Excitement

It's been a day full of good news. I learned that this person at work who is less than nice to me will be leaving in two short weeks. I didn't think any news could top that.

But then some folks from the exterminators came in and set traps in my office to catch that pesky mouse who has been leaving his poopies all over (or anyway I assume it is a mouse and not the lady I mentioned in the first paragraph).

So that's exciting. And you know what else is exciting? I had a chance to play with this stamp of a silly, pudgy, multicolored cat that I like so much (because it makes me think of my silly, pudgy, multicolored cat). I even put my Copic color chart on my cat to determine just which shade of orange she is. YR23 if you must know.

The Fine Print: Stamp "Mediterranean Moments," ribbon and DSP (both retired) by Stampin' Up.

Explore

I made this card today. I picked up that word die yesterday at my stamp club meeting. I've had my eye on it for awhile but it hasn't been available. Luckily one showed up and my dealer grabbed it up for me.

I learned a little trick today about sanding an embossed card to show the white core beneath--leave the card in the embossing folder. It helps give definition to what you are sanding. 

The Fine Print: Stamp "Plane and Simple" and embossing folder by Stampin' Up, die cut word by Couture Creations. Look! And eyelet! Set with a hammer and everything!

Cement Jungle

These cards came out of a kit called Cement Jungle that I played with over the Christmas holidays. I thought they were a lot of fun. Now that you've admired these cards, go outside and play. All that fresh air will do you good.

The Fine Print: Club Scrap stuff (which is coming to an end one of these days). 

S.H.I.T!

You've heard of TGIF? Well, my coworker came up with S.H.I.T! and that stands for So Happy It's Thursday! I'm particularly happy this Thursday because it is a local holiday for us as is tomorrow.

It's our local rodeo days. One day is a parade and the other day is a rodeo. It seems like everyone goes to the parade once in their life (and that's it) but has never been to the rodeo. It seems like somebody must be going to these things.... hmm... must be tourists.

The Fine Print: Horses, of courses. By Stampin' Up, other stuff from my stash. 

Good and Bad

It's really starting to feel like spring out there. That's both a good and bad thing. Good because winter sucks (need I say more?) and bad because the plants all get frisky feeling and make lots of pollen (I'm not a fan). I'll take it though. I'll take sunshine, fresh breezes, sunshine, warmer weather, sunshine, and longer days over winter any day.

The Fine Print: Stamps by DeNami Designs, glitter by Stickles, ribbon from my stash. 

Pink Elephant

It's been kind of weird day around these parts. It's been the kind of day where if a pink elephant wandered through you'd be all, "Yep, that sounds about right."

The Fine Print: Stamp, ribbon, and punches by Stampin' Up, designer paper by DCWV. Can't even blame the moon today. 

Monday Musings

Due to federal financial aid regulations, the alignment of the planets and because people are generally untrustworthy, we are now an attendance taking institution. That means even though we are a college, we have to take and report attendance.

I guess the feds don't like paying out money for school when you aren't really going to school. One absence can slide because "stuff happens" but once you miss two or more you are in danger of losing your funding. There are some instructors who are very lazy about doing attendance and the default is absent. Students come flocking in all a dither when that happens to them and the appropriate beatings are given.

Then, of course, you get the ones who really aren't attending and are trying to come up with excuses and alternative facts to help their case, like the girl I overheard today. "Oh no, I have been attending, I just haven't gone to class lately."

Um... yeah.

The Fine Print: Stuff by Stampin' Up.

Happy Birthday to Someone!

Here is a stash of birthday cards that I have lying around made from random kit parts. I think birthday are the most useful of cards to make from these kit parts except for then when I use the cards I feel guilty because I'm not using a card I made specifically for that person.  I'm kind of weird, aren't I?

The Fine Print: Most parts by Club Scrap except what's not. 

Irish Blessing

Due to lack of sunshine today I thought I'd send you some sunshine blessings.

That, and I have a lot of kit cards hanging out in my pending folder to show you. I keep thinking I need to sprinkle them among my other posts so you wouldn't think I forgot how to stamp (since many of them are no stamping required).

The Fine Print: Mostly Club Scrap, you know the drill.

BYOS

Our wonderful weather is taking a downward slid. It looks like we'll have to truck in some sunshine if we want to have a pleasant weekend.

Yep, it's a BYOS--bring your own sunshine--kind of situation.

The Fine Print: Stamps by Taylored Expression, bow die by Stamp Doctor, and designer paper by someone cool. 

Pretty Garden Cards

I made some pretty cards last night which is amazing because Tuesday night zumba night and usually I'm too wiped out afterward to play. I guess that means I'm getting into some kind of shape. Or maybe I was just extra motivated to play. Or maybe it was to escape my plague cough which was.. um... plaguing me. Whatever. Here's pretty garden cards I made.

Yes, yes, yes, they are completely the same except for the treatment on the greeting. I started off sponging around the oval and wasn't too thrilled with that so the next one I sponged inside the oval. Only the piece fell out of the oval before I got nice coverage. Anyway, I liked the second card better until I added that heart embellishment to the first one. Now I like that one better.

The Fine Print: All products by Stampin' Up except the oval die by Spellbinders. Avant Garden stamp set, Flirty Flamingo and Basic Grey ink, Pear Pizazz marker, and Up Up and Away designer paper. BTW, I don't actually have anyone to send birthday cards to right now. I just wanted to play with this set and thought this greeting worked best. 

February 14

It turns out that I still have some Valentine's cards to share with you all. I know this day gets some folks' undies in a wad, but I think my husband summed it up this morning, "This day, just like other holidays, is what you make of it."

Least you think my hubby says that because he has me, a single friend of mine also said today that everyone should do something they love with someone they love, even if it is just Netflix and chill with yourself.

The Fine Print: Designer papers, stamps, and dies by Stampin' Up and card bases by A Muse Studio.

Better than Wishes--Oxygen

I'm like deliriously perky today. I've been telling all my friends, family, and colleagues that it is the steroids. Finally a coworker suggested that it was the OXYGEN that I am finally getting into my body thanks to the steroids.

You know, she might be onto something! You know, that oxygen stuff is pretty good. You should try some. As an asthmatic, I don't usually fuss with that stuff but if it makes you feel like this I' just might have to have some every day!

The Fine Print: Rose die, greeting, and jewels by Stampin' Up. Cardstock from my stash. I'm so deliriously happy that I don't even care that one of my fake teeth fell out and there's a mouse in my office. It's all good! Oxygen, it's the bomb! Either that or I'm cranking a really high fever. Those make me feel on top of the world too. 

More VD Cards

These are the other cards I made at my friend's house the other day. We talked about doing it again for St. Patrick's Day or Easter and I hope we do because it is a lot of fun to craft with other people. Plus, your friends always have the better stash, have you noticed?

And thanks for asking about my plague. It's slowly meandering its way away from me. I've brought in the big guns now (hardcore asthma meds). Other people are now catching it for the 2nd or 3rd time. I think I'll take a pass.

The Fine Print: Vintage card toppers from K and Co, hedgehogs by Penny Black, love die by Stampin' Up, papers, doilies, tape 'n such from someone's stash.

Play Date

A few weeks ago, before I caught the plague, my friend invited me over to her house to play. Of course I said yes, because once you become an adult you don't get invited over to play much anymore. It's a really sad thing.

Anyway, she had invited several ladies to come over and play. The purpose of our gathering was to make Valentine's cards. I had a ridiculous amount of Valentine embellishments lying around so I brought them and we had a grand old time playing. These are a couple of the cards I made.

The Fine Print: Big heart die cut from friend, loves from Stampin' Up and A Muse Stuido, heart DP by DCWV, dotted DP by Theresa Collins, ribbon and paper flowers from my stash. 

Just Playing

I sent this card out to a friend the other day. There's no stamping on it as the greeting is some rub ons. I thought it was kind of fun. It reminded me of being a kid again where you made cards with this and that and not rubber stamps, because who knew what rubber stamps were when you were a kid.

At the same time I made the first one I made this second one, again without stamping. I don't really care for this one. The proportions are off and that fat fabric brad in the center makes the card way too bulky to mail. This one will probably just lurk in my craft room until I get tired of it and toss it away.

The Fine Print: They can't all be winners. 

Mousse Munching Mouses

This month my big stamp club's card exchange theme is "oldie goodie." That doesn't come with an explanation so you can interpret that however you like. I picked out one of my older stamps to use for the swap. This is from the days when Stampa Rosa did House Mouse. I picked it up at one of the Co*motion warehouse days.

That probably doesn't mean much to you, but those from Tucson know about how the stamp company Co*motion used to be housed here and they'd have certain days they'd open their warehouse to the public. I think standing around Co*motion talking about the desire to get together is how the big stamp club was born. Just so you know, the big stamp club is old enough to legally drink. It too, is an oldie goodie.

The Fine Print: Well, I kind of gave it away already by telling you it was House Mouse by Stampa Rosa, designer paper by DCWV, ribbon from my stash, colored with Copics, not valid with any other offers. 

You're Awesome

I pulled out an oldie (but goodie) stamp set the other day and decided to play with it. I didn't even give myself palpitations by not using designer paper. I must be getting old or something. I mean, like, mature, not aged.

The Fine Print: Okay, maybe I'm aged too. Stamps and embossing folder by Stampin' Up. 

Being Healthy

I figure that I'd better post something before you all start thinking that I've succumbed to the flu. I've lived through the ordeal with some residual asthma lingering on (the onus of being asthmatic).

We are a really an unhealthy bunch at work, which is a school, and it has more to do with lousy lifestyles and poor choices than it does to our extreme exposure to so much public. In the past my school would partner with the city when it came to purchasing our health insurance. We would get better rates when trying to cover a larger employee mass.

But then the city divorced us and said they didn't want to partner with us anymore because they did a study and the study showed that we were far too unhealthy and it was our employees who was driving the cost up. They wandered off into the sunset with their lower health insurance rates and our school floundered under the increasing costs of covering such an unhealthy bunch.

To try to get us to make healthier choices my employer started offering perks for completing wellness goals. They have offered healthy eating and cooking workshops, offered discounts on equipment, created employee-only fitness classes (being a school with a thriving athletics department we had lots to offer anyway), health screenings and finally discounts on health insurance.

See, without the city our rates continued to climb and our employer covered it until last year when they said no more! You had to complete X amount of wellness activities and then they would continue to cover the increase. If you didn't do them then you yourself paid for the increase. I did them last year and they have a new set of things for this year. Currently I'm doing a sleep study and 150 minutes of exercise a week (both completely skewed by having the flu). I've signed up for a couple of foodie workshops and still need to schedule my health screening, but maybe I should wait until I'm healthier first.

So that's my story and I'm sticking to it! And BTW, the really unhealthy people? They continue to do nothing and complain about the rate increase.

The Fine Print: This is a birthday card I sent today made from Club Scrap stuff.

Life Looks Beautiful

Well, then I am pleased to announce that I am going to survive this current iteration of the plague that I managed to go and catch. I'm not up for dancing, singing and celebrating but am down with having a shower and being upright for a few hours.

Life looks beautiful on you! It looks rather ragged on me, but at least I have it!

 I'm going to enter my card into the Rubber Dance Blog's February challenge. My pink is a bit more rose than their hot pink offering but hopefully it counts. What the heck, you only life once!

The Fine Print: Stamps and designer paper (retired) by Stampin' Up, dies by Spellbinders.

T.G.I.F.!.

Thank God It's February!

I thought January would never, ever end.

The Fine Print: All products by Taylored Expressions except solid heart and background paper.

Zumba

The other day I went to my Zumba class. I pulled and I pushed and I sweated and turned this way and that and jumped around and twisted myself almost inside out. And that was just to get the stupid sports bra on.  Who the hell invented those things?!

The Fine Print: Stamp by Hampton Arts, designer papers by My Mind's Eye.