My little corner of heaven...

Everyone has their own way of relieving stress and this is just one of my favorite little spots that I can relax before I head into work each morning. This is actually in my bathroom. I didn't have any new stamping projects to share with you today and I had just put these lilacs from my yard in my bathroom so I thought I would share a little of me instead. When we bought this house almost 4 years ago this bathroom was one of the selling points for me. It is at least four times the size of my old bathroom and is large enough that I can dance in here. I fell in love with the three large mirrors, garden tub which rarely gets used now that the newness has worn off, and the "his" and "hers" sinks. I did not however like the pale blue color or the Formica counter tops. With a little paint and some granite we were able to turn this into a luxurious oasis. Every morning I feel like I am in a hotel and I never forget how grateful and fortunate I am to have this.

On the mornings that I work, I start my coffee in this little 4 cup coffee maker and head into the shower. By the time I am done my coffee is ready and waiting. I sit here with my coffee, dry my hair and put on my makeup. The coffee maker and TV fit just perfectly between two of the mirrors at the vanity area. My sink and mirror are located just to the right of the vanity area. The local news and then the Today Show is always on to keep me up to date as to what is happening outside my own little world. I have a small ironing board that hangs on the door into the toilet area and this is where I iron my scrubs every morning. Yes I know you shouldn't have to iron scrubs but when I do the laundry I have a scrub top, pants and matching lab jacket for each day that all goes into one load. Fifteen items don't come out of the dryer looking very neat especially if I don't get to them right away which is often the case. Hence I need to take the iron to them. By the time I am ready to head out the door I have been in this room for at least an hour. I would love to stay longer but somebody has to pay for the luxury. So off I go relaxed and rejuvenated to earn the bacon.

Here is another picture of some of the lilacs that I put up on the mantle in the family room. I have a lot of the yellow and green bushes out back that I cut sprigs from to help fill in the arrangement. The trim that you see at the top of the picture is the bottom of a large framed mirror that sits up on the wall over the mantle. The ceilings in this house are 20 feet or more. I love the atmosphere but not the work they create when it is time to paint. Luckily the bathroom was the only room in the house that I didn't like the color and needed paint.

I will probably do some stamping tonight so I will have something to post soon. We have been invited over to our neighbors for a cookout and I have a big bowl of pasta waiting for the vegie fixings and dressing so I better get moving on that.

Have fun and enjoy!

~Kim

Look what the mailman brought

Well not exactly but the mailman did bring a piece of this card. The larger Spellbinders Nesties label four diecut was cut from a brochure that came in my mail. I don't even know what it was an advertisement for but I loved the colors immediately. The bronzey sage color is pearlescent which makes it even more luscious. The minute I saw it I knew it was a keeper and I would be able to reuse it to make something beautiful. So what do you think? I looked through my stash of paper and found the perfect match. It is the Hannah 6x6 pad from the K-Ology line of K&Company. I also used my MS and fiskars border punches. The ribbon is actually cream but this photo makes it looks more white than the smaller nesties.

The sentiment is from SU Friendly Words jumbo wheel. How on earth did she get just that sentiment from a wheel do you say? I saw this on someones blog and I apologize for not being able to remember whose, but what they did was take the rubber off the wheel and strategically cut out all the sentiments. By doing this I was able to get 12 new sentiments and 2 emblems. Not bad for $8.50. I did have to mount it onto cling foam but I already had some. I will never look at the wheels the same way again. I really enjoy being able to look at something in a different way and find a different use for it. Although this may be considered gift it can also be considered a downfall as I tend to save way more than I need. I have to learn to draw the line at some point.

This was a beautiful holiday weekend and my flowers are all in and my pots are planted. We cooked out all weekend as the weather was nice and sunny and I was able to sit back, relax and enjoy the outdoors. We have a private wooded backyard that offers home to a fair amount of wildlife. We have birds galore. I haven't seen the turkeys lately and it has been awhile since I have spotted any deer. This winter I caught two red fox running in and out of the yard. Not bad for living in the city limits. To me it is the best of both worlds. I'm not a big city girl, but I'm not much of a country girl either. Well I have to go, I still have a few projects I want to finish before I head back to work tomorrow. Luckily it is supposed to rain this afternoon so I can get them accomplished by staying indoors.

Have fun and enjoy!

~Kim

Where did the time go...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELLIOT!

I can't believe my baby turns 20 today. I just find it so hard to believe since I am only 29 myself. Who am I kidding. I feel all my 48 years and have some gray hairs to prove it. I don't think I am going to enjoy these empty nest years. Trying to get through the teenage years of all 3 of my children, I remember thinking I couldn't wait for the time they would all be out of the house and on their own. Elliot spent his first two years of college here at the local college but will be transferring for his last two. I know it will do him the world of good as he will gain more responsibility and maturity. As he slowly gains his independence I have tried to accept the shoes laying at the back door, his laundry laying all over the floor as it takes him several days to finish it, and the little time he spends eating dinner with us. I accept this because I know it won't be long that I will give anything to see those shoes and laundry and the few meals he will grace us with his presence. Where does the time go?

We will celebrate his birthday by going out to dinner. He will have his friends over this weekend for a bonfire and all that goes along with it. I'm sure I will fall asleep just happy he is home and safe. Next year it most likely won't be at home but at a tavern as he explores a new phase of his life.

For this card I used SU ballet blue, black and silver. I also used my Spellbinders nesties- curved rectangles and labels three. I ran the curved rectangle through my cuttlebug- argyle and the bottom, I used my dotted swiss.

Have fun and enjoy.

~Kim

Today it is purple!

Wow it has been a week since I posted last. I have been busy trying to book a trip and you know me I keep looking until I get a great deal. Anyway I have been on the computer searching for the last few nights. Sorry you had to look at the same thing for the last few days.

I ran into someone who visits my blog regularly and she commented how much she has learned from my blog. I don't feel that I have offered many tutorials or "how to's" but I am glad that my blog is being used as a resource for learning. As I stated that was my intention when I created this blog. Today's card is a design using my new QuicKutz embossing folder. It is the same A2 size as the cuddlebug and I even used it in my cuddlebug. This one is "vine label" and I got it online from Cut@Home. If you haven't already realized this yet- you can use the folders in reverse to get the opposite impression. The packaging shows this with the vine down along the right side of the card. I wanted it in the left side and I wanted the label area to be indented as a frame rather than looking like a tag. So take a look at your embossing folders and see what different designs you might get if you flip them over. QuicKutz has come out with several new folders. I also purchased a set that has four small labels. One of them allows the SU curley label punch to fit inside of it perfectly.

Hope you have a great day and enjoy!

~Kim

Supplies
Paper: SU- Vintage Violet and Almost amethyst

Ink: SU Vintage Violet

Accessories: QuicKutz vine label embossing folder; SU- ticket corner punch and small oval punch; Martha Stewart- branch punch; EK Succes- Swirl Flourish punch; Spellbinders Nestabilities- petite scalloped ovals small; Prima flowers; pearls, ribbon, pearl brad

A cozy morning...

Let's see, what shall we talk about today.... I woke up this morning and it was rainy and thundering and I said to myself "this is going to be such a cozy morning". You know how much I enjoy a thunderstorm. I put on a pot of coffee and lit one of my favorite candles. I headed to my studio and began to create while I sipped on my coffee and enjoyed the sounds and smells. I find it so peaceful when everyone else in the house is still sleeping and I can just listen to the rain and thunder. It is amazing what some of us find as enjoyable and relaxing yet others find it terrifying. I guess that can be said for roller coasters as well.

I have been wanting to use my BossKut vintage tag so I pulled that out and some of my DCWV - Sweet paper. There are several papers in this pack that have printed edges on them so you can cut them off and use as a border on your cards. I have the 8x8 pack so the print is a bit smaller and just right for a card. I think the 12x12 might be a little too over bearing. The panel on the left side of the card is what I used. It was already clear embossed and has a bit of glitter on it. I also used my swiss dot cuttlebug and some ribbon I found at Michaels in the clearance bin. I love the vintage tag and wish it was a nestie but I like how Amy Sheffer just matted it onto another layer and trimmed it following the outline of the tag. I guess you could just keep repeating that depending on how many layers you wanted and how good you are at trimming. Me- not so much. I thought the Spellbinders Label Four nesties complimented the vintage tag nicely rather than just using the scalloped ovals.

I know I got the pearls from Michaels awhile back but I have taken all of my gems out of their packages and have them on their plastic sheet in an extra large Stampin Up (SU) container, so I don't know who makes them. I thought they added a bit more elegance than just the round pearls. The card stock is from SU-Apricot Appeal and Always Artichoke. The stamped flower image is from Inkadinkado's Southern Belle set in Brilliance Coffee Bean to match the ribbon. Usually I use ribbon that is of the same color family as a piece of the paper I am using, but this time I wanted a color (Bronze)that made the other colors pop.

Notice the antique frog I am using to hold up my card. I had been wanting one for quite some time and when I was at a stamp store in Florida I noticed one on a display and asked the owner where she got it. She directed us over to a little antique shop that had a bargain room in the back so off we went. There it was just sitting on a shelf like it had been waiting for me to come in and buy it. I also found some old sheets of music, a very old button maker that will allow me to cover buttons in different materials. I would like to try and make my own corduroy buttons. I also found a really cool magnifying glass that I am going to alter- someday.

I hope all of you have a wonderful Mother's Day. Have fun and enjoy!

~Kim

Yippie- I did it!

Ok I'm sorry for there being 2 posts tonight but I just got my new blackberry and I have been trying to see if I can post to my blog from my phone. This is just a silly picture I took with my phone of a small shelf that displays some of my work. It is located under a cabinet in my kitchen so it has some shadows. When I took it with the flash- yes my blackberry can take pictures with a flash as it see fit, it looked washed out. Anyway the picture doesn't really mean anything I just wanted to test the new technology. One giant step for me.

My kids will be so proud of me. Their old mom is getting so techno savvy.

Thanks for putting up with me!

~Kim

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Mother's Day...

Mother's Day is one of my least favorite holidays only because my mother is no longer here to celebrate with. She passed away way to young and too quickly. She was only sick for 2 months and it was critical right from the start. She was unconscious for the first few weeks and very weak after that. Knowing that she wouldn't be with us much longer only heightened the need for me to want to sit and talk with her every moment I could. She didn't have the energy to talk but there were moments that when we looked at each other it spoke more than any amount of words could. Realizing that you are loosing someone forever is the most painful feeling I could have ever imagined. It does get easier as time passes but I don't think anyone can completely get over the loss of your mother especially when that person was such an influence in who you are. I envy all of you out there that can still spend the day celebrating with your mother. On the other hand being a mother myself I will be able to spend it with 2 of my children and I am sure it will be a lovely day.

I found this template on someones blog and just fell in love with it. I used SU french script in true thyme on SU old olive card stock. The striped designer paper is Anna Griffin. I really surprised myself because as you know I don't really care for the color orange. I guess the olive in it won me over. I used my nesties for the ovals and my Martha Stewart butterfly punch. The sentiment is an oldie from SU. The paper for the scallop oval is the plain side of Tim Holtz library paper and the regular oval is K & Company-Hannah Green Floral. A bit of bling around the scallop and some tan satin ribbon really punched it up.

Tomorrow night I am going to a dinner to celebrate the numerous volunteers that spend endless hours helping out within the hospital where I work. They like to have an employee from each department and I was asked to represent ours. We have a great group of volunteers and I don't know how we would ever be able to replace them. Some of them have become good friends and I would truly miss them if they weren't there to brighten my day- and they always seem to do that. I guess it's because for them, it isn't work and they are there because they simply enjoy what they do. Now that I said that I guess am the same way or I wouldn't have been there 21 years. Love what you do and do what you love. Confession- my first love would be to work for a major stamping company making samples every day.

Have fun and enjoy!

~Kim

Live...

Live-n- the good life. This was such a nice weekend and I thought this card was so appropriate. I made it awhile ago but hadn't posted it- don't ask me why, I just never got around to it. Yesterday we met up with my sister and her family for dinner. They were in the Detroit area from Chicago for my nephews travel hockey. We had a nice visit and did a little shopping. My husband and son were astonished beyond belief because I didn't even hit Michaels while we were down that way. The closest Michaels was right where we were- 40 miles away from home. I don't need a single thing and if we had stopped I would just buy more of what I already have and I can barely find room for what I have now. Yes- you can teach an old dog new tricks!

On this card I did a little bit of layering with my MS doily edge punch. Since I love dragonflies I added the one on the button. It is actually a brad but I stuck both tabs into the same button hole and then cut it with my wire cutters. I did stick a bit of glue in the button hole for extra measure. I had picked up the Heidi Grace ds paper when Jo-Anns had this line on clearance. I just love the earthy tones.

This morning I sat out on our deck in the sunshine (something we haven't seen a whole lot of lately) and it reminded me of those wonderful mornings in Florida when I had my coffee out on the lanai. Carol calls me all the time to let me know the pool misses me and that I am welcome to jump back on a plane anytime I feel the need to get away to paradise- I would love to go to Florida tomorrow. But today it was like Dorothy in the Wizard of OZ when she realizes that everything she was looking for was in her own backyard. No we don't have a pool, because I'm sure the novelty would wear off and I would hate to clean it, but I realized how fortunate I am to have a beautiful house, family, a really good job, a good education and enough money to be comfortable. I don't have everything in life- there are still frivolous things I would love to have but I can't imagine what life would be like if I had everything and nothing to want or yearn for. I learned that happiness comes from within- it's nobody else's responsibility to make you happy and if you don't figure that out you will always be miserable. Remember, sometimes it is as close as your very own backyard.

Have fun and enjoy!

~Kim

Supplies:

Stamps: Penny Black-nature's dance
Paper: Heidi Grace, SU-Always Artichoke, kraft and black
Ink: SU- classic black

Accessories: MS edge punch, SU scallop circle punch, The Paper Studio-flower punch, ribbon, brads, button

Just a quickie....

Ok this is going to be a real quickie since I have to leave for work in 15 minutes. I had to come up with another birthday card for a male co-worker and again I struggled. I thought I might be pushing it with the butterflies and I can't tell you how badly I wanted to make a double looped bow out of the striped tan ribbon. I used SU french script on the background in SU's very vanilla. The butterflies from "The Paper Studio"-botanicals & birds were embossed with PSX black detail powder. Three little black brads finished it off. I think this card only took me 20 minutes. I know it isn't one of my better cards but I wanted to show you something simple. I am very critical of my work but I am sure my co-workers will think it is wonderful. Lucky me that they don't surf the stamping sites. I found the ribbon at Big Lots- 8 yd roll for $1. A bargain always makes me so happy.

Hope you have a wonderful day and enjoy every moment of it.

~Kim