It's Crazy!!

Oh my goodness, I can't believe how long it's been since I made something blog worthy! I miss crafting so much! And I miss you lovely folks who keep checking in on my blog! I am in the process of clearing up some space and creating a dedicated craft space, so I hope to be back for real some time soon.

In the meantime, here's another picture of the BEST thing I ever made!

I know my husband is going to ask why I picked this picture with all of the photos I have of this child. SO...because he looks adorable, it's not fuzzy, and no one else is in the shot, Honey. :D

He's growing up so fast! And he just woke up from his nap...

I'm Still Here!

I'm around but still not crafting! And, **sniff, sniff** my cousin recently decided to clean the dining room and boxed up all of my supplies that were in there! It looks amazing, and I know it was a lot of work. Oh, but it hurts so bad knowing that I have no idea where things are now or when I'll be able to sort through and organize my stuff the way I want (NEED) to. While I hold back the tears I'll give you a quick photo update on the cutie patootie that's been keeping me away from my supplies:

No, he doesn't always smile with his mouth wide open! He is a very sweet baby, though...

Hoping to get back to crafting soon!!!

Are You Still There?

Welp... It's officially been ages since I posted to this blog. It's not that I don't love you all, but I've been super tired and not very crafty for a minute. I happen to be growing a person! I'd planned to let you all know for a while now but just didn't make the time.  However, I got a beautiful card in the mail a few days ago that reminded me that I really needed to post something.  Look at this lovely card I received from Patricia at Paper Temptress:

Isn't it adorable? The inside is decorated beautifully, too! Paper Temptress is a long time sponsor at The Outlawz. I never expected her to send me anything; it was such a nice surprise!

I'll try not to be gone so long. My son is due in three months, and I hope to have something (anything!!!) to share with you before then!

Is this a Church Hat?

Look at me - it's actually still Wednesday when I'm posting my Wednesday card!! :D Go me, go me! *insert cheesy happy dance*  My laptop is on the fritz again, and I'm on my desktop. This will be quick-ish because I get a headache being down here in the basement. I probably need to vacuum and maybe get another light bulb for one that's out...

Anyway, this is my card for this week's sketch challenge at The Outlawz.

The main stamp is Millie from Loralie Stamps, and the sentiment is by Inkadinkado. I made two other cards that I shared on YT with this stamp, but I don't think I put them on the blog. Must do that before the week is over...  You know I always end up making some mistake when I'm card making. This time, I stamped my sentiment so that there was really no way to make my circular card open up and look straight. So...I chopped the back off and ended up using a Cheerios box to make a little stand to go behind this part. I'm planning to send this off into the world and think a standing circle card will be (SHOULD BE) appreciated. :D

Here's the sketch if you want to play along:

Oak Pond Creations is sponsoring the Sketch Challenge this month, plus we have great site-wide prizes! With a new challenge daily, including an Anything Goes challenge every Thursday, you have no excuses for not joining up and entering a challenge or two every month...

**Challenges: Crafty Sentiments - Add a Sentiment, Just Inspirational Challenges - Friendship, Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes, Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

If Only...

If only criminals would use their evil minds for good we would probably have a cure for AIDS, cancer, and Alzheimer's Disease... Someone somehow got my check card number last week and enjoyed $400 worth of something from Walmart. They tried to get over $100 in gas as well, but the bank declined that. I'm still waiting for the bank to put my money back into my account... UGH!!!

Anyway, in honor of the dumb crook, I drew a burglar type and made an art journal page for the Sketch Challenge at The Outlawz last week.

Yes, that says, "Thanks for the hassle, buttmunch."

Here's the sketch, but you can only use it for a few more hours to enter for a prize from this month's sponsor, The Stamping Chef:

There's Another Afro Coming!

Something about Aunt Hope actually leaving a comment on my blog rather than sending me a text made me feel like I probably should post something! :D  Is it strange that I've been happy since this afternoon because they finally released an Android update for the S3 and I was able to get awesomely cool emoji on the Google Keyboard?? (Don't judge me for being nerdy...)  My godmother was texting me after my mom died, and I was severely disturbed that she had all these great emoji and I had NONE! Just smiley faces. I did all sorts of reading and ended up with a couple more, but not enough to make me use the Google Keyboard instead of Swype. I think I might just type with Swype then switch to Google to add cute pictures when I'm actually in the mood to do so...

Was that enough nerdspeak for you??? :D Cool... I just decided that I should just post projects as they occurred, so you'll probably see some Father's Day cards next week or so. I'm jumping back to the beginning of June for this project. ***GRRR... my internet died for, like, the seventh time today. I'll just keep typing and hope that the connection comes back so that Google can save this post. Now I don't feel like typing anymore. SOOOOO... here's another, yes another, big haired lovely from my art journal. **Are you frustrated enough to lose your common sense? Umm...how can Trina upload a picture to Blogger with no internet?? Shame...

Yes, her cheeks are mighty pink, but it's an art journal page! :D

Here's a collage to show how the page went from a little sketch in my sketchbook to this colorful page:

I have to get some patience so I can let my paint layers dry. I kept pulling up the paint...

Be well out there!!

Geez, I Suck!

Well, I guess I only suck a little since I did have to hide pack all of my crafty stuff so that I could clean up for company. We celebrated my grandmother's 92 birthday last weekend, and with her two of her three children, four of her grandchildren, six great-grands, and six great-greats all in this house, leaving my stuff out was so not an option! :D

Now that it's quiet again, I stayed up late with my cousin making cards. Here's mine for the Sketch Challenge at The Outlawz this week:

You know I HAD to get Charlotte Chic from The Greeting Farm! Her hair looks like mine!

I feel like it's been a minute since I reminded you of the awesome prizes we have at The Outlawz. The Sketch Challenge is sponsored by SheryK Designs this month, and we have site-wide prizes from Oozak, Paper Temptress, Jellypark, Rick St. Dennis, Squigglefly, and Touched by a Butterfly! Here's the sketch if you're interested in joining us:

AND... Here's my lovely cousin's card!

She was going for a 4th of July look, and I think she nailed it!

THANK YOU!!

I know I have really slacked off on this blog lately. I've been so tired when I get home from work that I've been going to bed at, like, 7:30/8:00. Some days I'm at school until after 6, then I come in, make my grandma her dinner, eat something, get grandma ready for bed, and crash when I take her up for bed. I haven't made anything since the crop! Plus, I had to clean off the table again as some of my mom's friends came over to have lunch with her over the weekend. Right now, I am DYING to make something! I came home early, and I'm feeling a bit energized. Maybe I can get to one of my DT projects...

Before I run away, I want to send a big thank you out to all of you who are praying for my mother and/or my family! Sandi, thank you so much for the card and shawl you sent her! Saturday she asked if I sent you a picture of the living room as the colors in the shawl match our carpets perfectly.  :D And Mary Joyce, thank you for the adorable card!  I'll be back soon (ish) with pictures!

Just a Little Something...

My boyfriend is super stubborn. He's a know it all and often requires "evidence" before he will accept being wrong about something. It drives me nuts - especially when I know I'm right - but I love that guy. A few days ago we were talking about some conversation he'd had with someone who was trying to get him to do something he didn't want to do, and he said something like, "They don't seem to get it. They'll hate me before they break me." It is SO him! I instantly filed that away because I knew an image that had been sitting in my computer's memory waiting for ink that would go perfectly with his feeling!

I made him a little (5.5"square) tent card/sign using Mo Manning's digi Chad in Timeout. Put my guy in the corner all you want; he's still going to be a pig-headed bugger! I haven't decided what should go on the other side yet. I'm debating about a scripture or a picture for the times he's not feeling like fighting! :D

**Are any of you who follow blogs via Reader missing posts? I follow a lot of blogs, but lately I have been seeing the same posts in the afternoon that I saw in the morning. I follow my own blog, but the last four, five, six posts haven't showed up in Reader either. I had to actually add a subscription to my blog for them to show up. ??? I am slowly going down the VERY long list of blogs I follow and adding subscriptions to them in Reader because I am pretty sure I'm missing a lot of your posts! Maybe my phone is just angry with me because I just saw a lot more posts on my computer than I have all day on my phone...

OMGoodness!

UMM...It seems like forever since I touched my blog. I don't know how it happened! It's been 10 days since I last posted, and I haven't been sick or on vacation or anything! Just busy and tired and blah and working and so on... Sorry.

First, those Thanksgiving/Fall Inkadinkado stamps I was giving away ALL that time ago will be heading out to live with BELLDOUBLEYOU!! If you would please send your address to trina.willis at gmail.com, I will get them in the mail to you.

Highland Monkeys, where are you?

I completely missed posting the new release at Little Miss Muffet Stamps.

Two of the Van Family Sisters...

We have some new Thanksgiving stamps and the adorable Van Family! I'm such a dunce, I didn't realize until yesterday that they're the Van family because they look like those little family icons that are on the backs of a gang of vans and SUVs. OOPS! At least that's what I decided their name is for... (Sidenote: If you've been here a while, you know I have some safety issues because of a job I used to have. If you have one of those families on your vehicle, PLEASE do NOT put your last name, kids' names, pets' names on your car. It makes it a lot easier for someone to trick your kids into some nonsense with a name.)

There was also a pretty simple sketch at The Outlawz. You should check that out too. Cards Etc. Shop is sponsoring the Sketch Challenge this month...

Anyway, it's a new week. Hopefully, I'll do better. No promises, though! I'm working to get ready for my father's 60th birthday party this weekend and cleaning up my crafting mess from the dining room before Thanksgiving...

Dunce Cap, Please!

I have been coming home from work super exhausted the last two weeks. Before then, I'd been working something like three days a week. Going in every day was an adjustment I should have built up to! Anyhow, I guess I should start taking a nap when I get home because once eight comes around, I'm struggling to watch all the good shows this season. (I really don't normally watch much tv, but this seems to be a good season of television...) Plus, it's hard to make cards when you're asleep! That Halloween card took me days to finish coloring since I would have to stop once I felt myself drifting off.

Unfortunately, this week I found another bad thing about being half-awake when it's time to put together a card. I stayed up WAY past my work bedtime to finish my Little Miss Muffet Challenge card last night only to get a very polite message from Faye to let me know that the Pollycraft image that I grabbed from the pre-printed images pile is not available at LMMS! UGH! Pass me the dunce cap! :S

So YOU know, the challenge at Little Miss Muffet is Simplicity. The challenge runs for two weeks, and if you use a LMMS image then theme is Anything Goes.

What Can I Say?

So, last week I didn't make anything. After I went to the crop, I can't even tell you how many days it was before I pulled my supplies out of the car. That cough, which I'm slowly getting over, really just wore me out... Plus, school started last week, and I spent a lot of time helping my mother get her classroom and kids together.

I figured no one would like it too much if I took another week off. And somehow, I had a gang of projects due this week. My cousin requested some cards a week and a half ago for this Friday. I had some candy buffet decorations due yesterday. And, of course, DT projects. Unfortunately, I still haven't unpacked, my table is a mess, and I am only about 1/3 finished moving my stuff back upstairs after moving it down for the new carpet. I swear every time I take something upstairs, I get upset because the nice clean room I had is disappearing one item at a time...

ANYWAY, this is about to be another monster post. It's the *anniversary of my birth (!!), and I want to knock this all out at once!

First up, this week's card for the Sketch Challenge at The Outlawz.

 
I'm not gonna lie; July and August's sketches were a challenge!! My dear friend Sandi really made these hard! This one left me looking seriously confused. I decided to use rolled flowers to mimic that spiral shape in the middle. If you want a crack at it, here it is...

Next up, the candy jars.

Geesh, I should have opened the window instead of using the flash...

I really want to see these in their full glory at Ari's party this weekend! She's having a spa party, and her mom is trying to do it big since it's Ari's first "real" party. I know the whole thing is going to be spectacular!

Finally, a new challenge started today at Little Miss Muffet. The new challenge is PINK, PINK, PINK! Now, maybe because I'd just finished Ari's decorations I was a little pinked out... This is what I ended up with!

Challenges: Craft Your Passion - Power of Three, Lollipop Crafts - AG, Tammy's Scraping Corner - AG

PUNKY PINK! Some little girls have a little sprinkling of something else, you know? :D  If you want to play along, you have two weeks. Remember, if you use a LMMS image, the challenge is Anything Goes!

*Anniversary of my birth - My father used to have a thing about "birthday." He'd remind me that everyone only has one birthday, then all the rest are anniversaries of birth. Well, he sure said, "Happy Birthday" in the text he sent me this morning!! :D

New Carpet Woes...

The upstairs carpet in my house in being replaced. The job was supposed to be finished Tuesday but didn't start until today. My house is a serious mess as a result of moving all the drawers, knick knacks, books, etc. from the rooms. Wanna see??

Yep, we've been watching the Olympics up in here...

In the midst of all the mess, I had the worst time trying to photograph my card for this week's Sketch Challenge at The Outlawz. I apologize for the quality of the pic...

All that pink and blue on the card should be bright white!

Here's the sketch:

Come play along! You know we have great prizes!!

A Little Something Different...

Do you ever type words then think that they look misspelled? I just typed "different" as the title of this post and was just waiting for the squiggly red lines to pop up! DOES is another word like that for me. I can't tell you how many times I've written that word and been seriously confused after... :D

Anyway, I've been working for most of the week to clear out my room in preparation for new carpet. Despite the clutter of drawers in my living room and the baskets of clothes that I've moved, the room still looks a hot mess! The man is supposed to start tomorrow, though, so I guess I'll have to move into a higher gear to get that room under control! I do have issues at times with large projects; I need something else to keep me going so I don't end up overwhelmed. So, on my moving breaks, I worked to create a little encouraging piece of art.

The colors are all a bit wonky. I could not manage to get the purple to photo right on my digital camera inside, outside, natural light, direct light, OttLite - anywhere! My phone photos with a red dot in the middle, but the shots looked way better than my camera's.

Thanks to my dear friend Dana, I transformed a Kashi bar box into a piece of shelf art to inspire me. I used a digi from Guylou's Inimitability (that I drew) then went crazy on the box. I have to say that I'm a bit amazed at how many supplies I have around the house. Granted, I used to sponsor an art club at my mother's school and was given some supplies by a very supportive, arty ex-bf quite a few years ago.  But yeah, I like her and hope you do too!

**Challenges: Come & Get It Challenges - Anything but a Card, One Stitch at a Time - Use a Digi, Sentimental Sundays - Paints/Inks, Color Me Creative Classroom - AG with a Girly Twist

There Has to be Something Better...

Last night, I was minding my little business reading about someone's journey in genealogy when **POW!!** I got hit with one of those wack *ss fake anti-virus viruses. These people have to have something better to do!! I have spent all of today getting my computer back on track. I THINK I got it all... I said that earlier, but then my firewall decided it wasn't going to stay on. After getting that handled, I found that my Microsoft Office wouldn't come on and needed to be repaired. Serious aggravation!

So, I'm going to be nice and brief because looking at this computer screen is not making me happy right now. I'm going to color and get my attitude back on the positive side. In reality, this is not a big deal - just a minor, minor bump... On to the good stuff!!  :D

First, Paper Makeup Stamps has a very cute set for sale to help out my fellow Outlaw and super sweet lady Jennifer Scull!

Next, as I spent most of Tuesday and Wednesday moving furniture from my room in preparation for new carpet, I didn't make a card for the Sketch Challenge on The Outlawz this week. Here's the sketch to inspire you to come over and play!

Remember we have a gift certificate to Oozak and goodies from Paper Temptress in the Sketch Challenge this month!

And finally, there's a new challenge at Little Miss Muffet Stamps! Lots of people's favorite treat when the temperature goes up is ice cream, and our challenge is Neapolitan! Pull out your chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla papers and embellishments and get going! Here's my card using one of the new digis, Chili Pepper!

He comes with a starburst and "pow" on his shirt, but my brain decided these colors would be great for a "Real Men Wear Pink" or "Save the Ta-Tas" type card so I drew him a ribbon. You have two weeks to play in the challenge. If you use a LMMS stamp, the challenge is Anything Goes!


**Challenges: Link Up for Pink - Breast Cancer Awareness/Sketch (I know I'm only a little in line with the sketch, but you said I could follow the sketch "loosely."), So Artful Challenges - Neapolitan Colors, Cupcake Inspiration - Photo is linked...

Sparkle!

It's time for a new challenge at Little Miss Muffet! I'm behind with this card. It's mostly my fault as I didn't start until VERY late, but I've spent the last few hours being harassed by a fly. It's a big, huge, loud fly - the kind my father (yes, that guy again) would call a doo-doo fly. You know why... This thing is so loud that no matter where it was in the room, it sounded like it was right in my ear. Or like a swarm of bees was about to attack. Surround sound! I can only imagine how many calories I burned twirling my arms around my head like a crazy woman and wielding the fly swatter like a baseball bat. Heck, those calories are the only good thing about that fly being in my house!

Yeah... back to the challenge. For this challenge we want to see some sparkle! It could be bling, glitter, or whatever else sparkly you have at your disposal.  I used some of the trim that came in my Webster's Pages warehouse sale box. I've looked through that box a bunch of times, and I'm not sure that should have bought it. I like bright paper! I've seen lots of awesome projects using their stuff; I'm just not sure that I'll ever even try...My image is one of the Pollycraft/LMMS stamps, Luna Bitterfrost Birthdays Rock. One of my markers decided it wanted a refill as soon as I started using it and left a mucky mess on my image that didn't blend out well.

You know what? I am going to bed. I will sit here and keep complaining because it's after 3 in the morning. Love you guys! Make something for the challenge! You have until July 11...

**Challenges: Anything Goes Challenges - Polka Dot + Birthday, Bearly-Mine Challenges - Anything Goes

Ninjas are Killers!

My father bought me a Ninja (blender/food processor) for Christmas. I just decided to pull it out since I can get lots of fresh fruit for smoothies and it's getting close to the time that I hate being so fluffy - summer. Well, let me just say that the blades on that thing are no joke! I'm sitting here looking like a crazy person with my fingers all bandaged up. I cut myself twice in less than 12 hours. The first time, my thumb kind of grazed the blade as I was washing it. Then, as I was taking the dishes out of the dishwasher today, I went to grab a cup, and the blade went right up into my pinky. It is so not easy to color or type with a bandaged pinky. BUT, I'm making due. I should be back with another card in just a few hours...

In the meantime, here is my card for this week's Sketch Challenge at The Outlawz using Maurine with Tea from MayzyArt and a sentiment from Flourishes.

I had forgotten that my phone's charger works in my camera until I looked at the camera today. Thank goodness because I am tired of looking for the charger! (And of looking at my cell camera's shots...)

And, so you can play along, here's the sketch...

Remember, an entry into any challenge at The Outlawz this month will give you a shot at prizes from Oozak, Jackson's Digital Expressions, Gilli Rubber Stamps, Paper Temptress, and Color Me Creative Classroom! Oh, Outlawz founder Colleen Holmes recently took over Through the Craftroom Door magazine! Her first issue just came out; check it out!

What Had Happened Was...

So, I started today off with a mini shopping trip at Blitsy. I was so excited to have some credits; all I had to pay was shipping! I got a couple of things for me and knocked a Mother's Day present out . This week they have some good stuff, including the mini Xyron machines; I was just telling my bf's mom a few weekends ago that she needs to get one since she just started using her Cricut. We worked together to make her husband a bday card, and she was disturbed that she had to glue all the letters and the shadows that she picked. Can you believe it was my first time using any electronic cutter?

Anyway, I'm WAAAY behind on cards. I was too tired last night and had errands to do today. I tried taking a nap before errand mission number two, but it was interrupted by a phone call. Had I been able to finish, I could have stayed up a little later to work on my late cards. Gotta work so I have to sleep!

So you can do better than I did, the two things I'm working on are:

A card for the April Showers challenge at Little Miss Muffet. I had a plan for the card but was so sleepy last night that I couldn't even remember what it was until after I woke up in the middle of the night.

Gina's Sealpoint Siamese kitties

And a card for the Crazy Cat Lady Challenge at Guylou's Inimitability. This is a color challenge based on Gina's Siamese cats - brown, cream/off white, and light blue. I have cat issues and have never been a Siamese fan after watching Lady and the Tramp as a kid. I know, singing cats are make believe, but still...  Check the blog because Guylou is giving her Cat on a Fence digi free for 24 hours on April 20. The code for the freebie is in the challenge text.

I have my stuff almost completely colored and will be working on my cards as soon as I get in from work tomorrow afternoon. Go enter the challenges and get the free digi! Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Trying to Fight Back!

I have plans today to complete my late project for Little Miss Muffet's new challenge, Spring Colors, and my project for Guylou's challenge which will start tonight. I just wanted to quickly apologize for the super short post yesterday. I was running out to the mall with my mom. While there, we stopped and got some awesome cupcakes then popped into the Chinese herb shop. I got a container filled with bark, berries/seeds, and other forest-y type things for my sinuses. It cost way more than I wanted to pay, but since I hate taking medicine AND am still coughing like crazy, I bit the bullet... I have no idea what I'm ingesting! The only thing I know that's in this mix is magnolia flower buds. I thought they were pussy willows. Gotta love Google!!

Sorry for the raggedy photo. I took a pic of all of this in the pot yesterday, but it seems to have disappeared.

I'm not supposed to eat spicy foods while waiting for my sinuses to clear. I thought that would be easy until a minute ago when I made some ramen noodles for breakfast. I always douse them in sriracha but had to skip it. :( I'm also not supposed to have alcohol. I forgot that last night and had a shot of NyQuil. That stuff doesn't make me sleep; it actually usually keeps me awake (sudafed issues...), but not last night! Might have just been because I haven't had a decent night of sleep since last Thursday...

Even my grandma has been asking me if I'm taking something for this cough. I asked her if she knew something I could go outside and boil up! :D She has Alzheimer's, and the first time I asked, she acted like she'd never heard of such a thing. About thirty minutes later, she started telling me how her great-grandmother was "an Indian" (no idea about a tribe) and that back in the day I would have been told to get some rabbit tobacco, bluegrass, or heartleaf (wild ginger) to work on this cough. I Googled rabbit tobacco for coughing and found plenty of references. So, if any of y'all have some old rabbit tobacco dried up let me know!

**Yes, I'm one of those annoying people who will Google anything in the middle of a conversation. I like to know things, and it is super convenient!**

Spring Break Blahs!

Digi from San's Design. Card published in Nov/Dec11 Ready-Set-Create e-mag.

Spring Break is here, and I so want to be happy about it. BUT I'm yet again having sinus issues and have had a fever all day. I took some meds for, like, everything earlier, and I hate taking medicine. Right now, I have sweat running down the backs of my knees and just about everywhere else! Not pleasant! I'm just hoping that this bout with my sinuses is over quickly so my whole break isn't ruined! Hugs to all of you going through similar or worse issues right now!

That's it really. I'm trying to do better about posting over the weekend. Oh, the new Ready Set Create should be available very shortly! I'll post the calls for the next issue once it's published.

**I've turned into a Coin Dozer addict! My poor phone battery!**