Seriously Lagging...

As some of you may know, my little ones have been ill for 2 weeks now - eversince my son Joshua started preschool - and the 2 babies haven't started showing any improvement. So, I decided to make them an appointment to see their pediatrician this morning and it turns out that Joshua will be fine, but the 2 babies both have pneumonia. Their doctor prescribed antibiotics for both and an inhaler w/mask for Mia so I can give her breathing treatments every 4 hours. Man oh man...when it rains, it pours! The good thing is that it was caught early enough, so no worries there. It was just a very emotional appointment because all 3 did very well up until Mia had to get her oxygen levels tested and a breathing treatment from the nebulizer. As soon as I had to put the mask to her nose and mouth, she freaked and was crying and trying to get out of my lap. When Joshua saw her out of sorts, he started balling because he thought that the nebulizer was hurting her and he tried to turn the machine off and and begged us to take the mask off of her. My baby Luke in turn was crying and trying to comfort his older brother by rubbing his back. It was both endearing and heart wrenching. Tears came to my eyes because I couldn't comfort all of them at the same time. My hubby had to help me with Mia during her treatment because she was fighting so hard.

On another note, I've been trying to find some time to begin LNS Boot Camp, but to my dismay, it's going to have to be placed on the back burner until my children have fully recovered from their illnesses. I've also been trying to put together my Father's Day workshop for June, but again this will have to wait as well.

I'm really looking forward to getting started on Boot Camp however, because the assignments aren't difficult and I know that I can be successful and build my business once I put my mind to it.

Anyhow, I hope you all have a fabulous holiday and be sure to stop by again on June 1st for some amazing promotions from Stampin' Up!



As Always~

LIVE.LOVE.LAUGH.getCRAFTY!

New Summer Mini Product Share...

I got the idea for this product share from fellow demo, Jill Hilliard's blog. This is my first product share, so please bare with me.

Here's how it works:

* Eight people per product share
* When a share is full, I place the order with Stampin' Up!
* Order arrives at my house in a about 5-7 days.
* I will cut, sort & repackage the fun new product.
* I ship or deliver the product to you.
* My turn around time is a couple days once I receive the product (sometimes even the next day).
* If you have any questions about how it works please don't hesitate to contact me!!
* As soon as a group of 8 is full, I'll place the product share orders with Stampin' Up!.


The "Summer Mini Bundle" includes:

30 sheets of Designer Series Paper that are 6 x 6.

Designer Paper includes: Presto Patterns Specialty, Travel Journal & Island Oasis. (Includes 1 - 6 x 6 sheet of all 12 designs of Island Oasis & Travel Journal and 1 - 6 x 6 sheet of all six designs of Presto Patterns Specialty.)

8 Bitty Buttons - 2 each of 4 designs.

18 Yards of Satin Ribbon - 2 yards each of nine colors. Colors include: Bashful Blue, Very Vanilla, Celery, Old Olive, Basic Gray, Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, Real Red & Basic Black

The cost for this Bundle is $25.50 with FREE Priority Mail Shipping. The benefits of purchasing a share is you get a sample of the new product and by having a sample it allows you to see what you like and if you'd like to order more.

Summer Mini Catalog Designer Paper Shares $9.50.
Here's what you'll get with this Product Share: 30 sheets of Designer Paper that are 6 x 6. Designer Paper includes: Presto Patterns Specialty, Travel Journal & Island Oasis. The Designer Paper share will ship 1st class mail with FREE SHIPPING.

Satin Ribbon Shares include 2 yards each of all 9 colors for $11.95.

Colors include:

Bashful Blue
Pretty in Pink
Certainly Celery
Very Vanilla
Old Olive
Basic Gray
Basic Black
Real Red

The Satin ribbon is back in the Summer Mini Catalog! As soon as the ribbon arrives ....I'll cut, sort, re-package and ship it 1st Class mail for FREE.

If you'd like to participate in this product share, please email me!

The new summer mini products are simply FABULOUS...I'm sure you'll agree! You can view them by clicking on the Summer Mini in my sidebar to the right. Thanks for stopping by!



As Always~

LIVE.LOVE.LAUGH.getCRAFTY!

MDS Card...

Here's a card that I created today using My Digital Studio. It's similar to a traditional card that I made for my husband last year picturing our oldest son, Nicholas when he was about 5 years old. Our son that is pictured here is our 5 year old son, Joshua.



I really love how quickly this card came together. My Digital Studio is very user-friendly and I'm very pleased with the software. The sky's the limit! You're not limited to using only Stampin' Up! content. I love the versatility!

All Stampin' Up! product used, unless otherwise noted!
My Digital Studio Software - Kraft & Baja Breeze cardstock, The Write Stuff DSP, Star Embellishment from Nursery Necessities
Fonts used: Berylium & English


As Always~

LIVE.LOVE.LAUGH.getCRAFTY!

Reflecting...

I've been sitting at home all week while 3 of my 4 children have been sick with coughs and colds and I've had a lot of time to reflect on my life, family, accomplishments, short-comings and overall goals - the good, the bad & the ugly!

I've come to realize that the very thing that my parents told me over and over again while growing up is true... Only you can write the ticket to your own destiny. Even as an adult, this very phrase applies. I can write the ticket to my own destiny! Not only does this apply to me in the business sense, but in every aspect of my life as well.

I need to reprioritize and find some balance in my life. All the changes that I've had to deal with these past couple of years took its toll not only on me, but on my family and the way I've perceived myself. I got lost in the shuffle, put myself on the back burner and have some what been on auto pilot ever since. I'm ready to regain control of my life... be the wife and mother that I want and need to be to my husband and children. Not that I'm bad at either of the two now, I just know that I can be even better.

I want to be more involved with my church and fellowship. This would be wonderful for my family! I need to stay close to my faith because that is what has kept me afloat during the good and bad times. I love the way I feel when I go to church on Sundays... it's amazing - all the love and graciousness I feel when I walk through the doors. It's like receiving a great big hug from the Lord himself. I wouldn't trade that for anything!

I want to build my Stampin' Up! business. I know it's a process and it won't happen overnight, but I know that I can be successful and accomplish this. I just have to set some realistic goals and post them in plain sight because I feel if I can see them, it'll make me work that much harder to attain them.

I know that this post is a little unusual in comparison to my usual posts, but I appreciate the fact that you've indulged me thus far... I really needed to express my thoughts and for some strange reason, I feel relieved. Thanks for stopping by & listening!



As Always~

LIVE.LOVE.LAUGH.getCRAFTY!

Christmas Card Challenge Week #23...

So, I was blog surfing and came across Sparkle's Christmas Card Challenge site and decided that I'd give it a go. Here's the sketch...



And here's my entry...

Paper: CTMH Evensong Level 2 Pack
Stamps: CTMH Christmas Melodies
Inks: CTMH Olive & Sorbet Exclusive Inks
Accessories: Rhinestones (KaiserCraft), Stickles - Ruby Red (Ranger)& SU! Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder (Sizzix)

This challenge was a lot of fun for me. I got to get out some of my other product and play around. It's nice to have this wonderful product not go to waste. I did have to dig around a bit in our workshop to find this product, but it was well worth it! I hope you like my latest creation... Have a great evening! ;)



As Always~

LIVE.LOVE.LAUGH.getCRAFTY!

Card Share Using FTL84...

Here's a quick card that I made using a sketch from Clean & Simple. Natasha's card was 4.25" square, but I decided to make mine A2 size.

Now, here's a closeup of the card...

All Stampin' Up! product used, unless otherwise noted...

Paper: Good Neighbor DSP, Whisper White, Close To Cocoa & Rose Red Cardstock
Stamps: Fifth Avenue Floral & Very Thankful
Inks: Close To Cocoa Stampin' Write Marker & Rose Red Classic Ink Pad
Accessories: Stampin Dimensionals, Snail Adhesive, Embossed Curve Edger Punch (EK Success) & Glitz Stickles in Tiara (Ranger)

This card was a lot of fun to make and quite easy to duplicate. Would be great for a make and take, or to make as a set of all occasion cards with a 3-D project to hold them in. The sky's the limit!



As Always~

LIVE.LOVE.LAUGH.getCRAFTY!

New Items Added to Clearance Rack...

New items have been added to the Clearance Rack on my Stampin' Up! Demonstrator Website. There are lots of goodies deeply discounted - WHILE SUPPLIES LAST! To take advantage of these great prices, click here! You can shop online at your convenience or email me with your order. It's completely up to you!

On another note, I took my 3 little ones on a last minute trip to the beach on Cinco de Mayo. It was kind of a fluke. I had called my sister to wish her a "Happy Birthday" and she had told me that she, our brother and our mom were at Laguna Beach on Crescent Bay, and that I should drive over with the babies in tow. So I decided, "Why not!" It was a beautiful day and I had already finished laundry and cleaning house, so I packed the kiddos a lunch, drinks and some snacks for our last minute adventure.

The drive was lovely, with no traffic, we flew! It was fantastic. And once we got closer to the ocean (there's nothing like the smell of ocean air), the view was phenomenal! Seagulls soaring through the air, waves rolling in and crashing on the shore, sparkling water and shimmering sand, such a sight to see. I look forward to it everytime the school year is coming close to it's summer break. My children are water babies and they LOVE the beach!

Anyhow, once we arrived, my family helped me get settled with the kiddos and my 5 year old headed down to the tide pools with his hand in my mom's - such a precious sight. My baby girl sat reclined in her seat of my double jogger stroller (a.k.a. - The Beast) taking in the all of the beauty that surrounded her, while her big baby brother (he's 13 months older) sat in a beach chair to my right snacking away. It was a wonderful afternoon and surprisingly, a relaxing one... I didn't have to chase after the kids because they were content and cautious of their surroundings.

And so the countdown to summer begins....



As Always~

LIVE.LOVE.LAUGH.getCRAFTY!

Update On The Stampin' Up! Color Renovation...

With the upcoming Color Renovation, Stampin' Up! is already experiencing some backorder situations on reinkers as well as cardstock.

For the reinkers, they are filling the orders as fast as they can. Once June 1st rolls around, the reinkers will be available on a while supplies last basis (i.e. no backorders).

The cardstock situation poses an interesting problem. Although Stampin' Up! forecasted a large need for these retiring colors, they didn't expect the response they have been seeing since the Color Renovation announcement was made.

If you place an order for retiring cardstock, Stampin' Up! is going to try to fill that order for you. If the cardstock you ordered is unavailable, Stampin' Up! will substitute textured cardstock (in that same color) for the same exact price. If you haven't tried the textured cardstock, it really is beautiful and adds such an elegant touch to your projects.

Stampin' Up! will not be announcing when they've run out of smooth cardstock and transitioning over to the textured for a particular color.

I know this is not the ideal situation, but Stampin' Up! is really trying to get you as much of your retired favorites as they can.

If you know that you would like a certain color that is going to be retired, please place your order as soon as you can. The colors are going to sell out quickly, and I don't want you to miss out on your favorites.



As Always~

LIVE.LOVE.LAUGH.getCRAFTY!

New Downloads for My Digital Studio...

121065 - Athletic Department stamp brush set - digital download $7.95

122263 - Jersey stamp brush set - digital download $9.95

122264 - Scoreboard stamp brush set - digital download $5.95



As Always~

LIVE.LOVE.LAUGH.getCRAFTY!

It's National Scrapbooking Month Peeps...

Stampin' Up! has a wonderful promotion beginning today, May 1st through May 31st. When you purchase one of the following stamp sets or a copy of My Digital Studio, you will receive your choice of Designer brads for FREE! That's right! You read me correctly... Designer brads for FREE, your choice. So what are you waiting for, shop now!

Click the image of the flyer to view it in its entirety...



As Always~

LIVE.LOVE.LAUGH.getCRAFTY!

The Summer Mini is Here...

Isn't she gorgeous?! Just wait until you see inside... Simply click on the cover and enjoy! You will also find an image of this mini in my sidebar to the right now through August 31st. If you would like your very own hard copy, shoot me an email and I'll happily mail one out to you. Thanks for stopping by!


As Always~

LIVE.LOVE.LAUGH.getCRAFTY!