Saturday, November 26, 2011

ONE WEEK? WTH?

I am working frantically at this point as it really hit me this morning that I only have one week until my Girlfriend Christmas Party! Where did the time go? I always do this, thinking I have plenty of time and then the pressure gets on when I realize....I HAVE NO TIME!

This morning I am working on finishing up the wine charms for each guest. I will be posting a video of how I did the shrinky dinks for the wine charms and also the finished project. There will be other posts coming soon of some other projects that I have made for the party but don't want to post yet. So you see I have been crafting, crafting like crazy actually...I just can't post the projects until after the party.

My BFF Karen will be in on Thursday evening. I will go to OKC and pick her up at the airport. We will spend Friday doing our grocery shopping and getting the tables ready and living room ready. Karen always comes in a few days early and helps me. I am hoping to have more done this year so we can enjoy our time together instead of just working on the party stuff *okie knows in her heart that won't be happening and that poor BFF Karen will be running around as frantic as okie*. We do plan on having lunch with Naomi on Friday. I already told Naomi we would bring her lunch that day and I think she is looking forward to seeing Karen. Everyone always loves Karen! She is one of those people who are funnier than hell without even trying to be funny.

I first met Karen back in January of 1987, she was an exchange student from a university in Massachusetts. We quickly became friends and remained friends throughout the years. We would lose contact occasionally but then find each other again. Karen decided to fly out to see me several years ago and ever since then we have contact from once a week to daily. Now days if she goes a few days without returning my call I will leave her a voice mail and say "Karen, you have until tomorrow to call me. If I don't hear from you by then I AM CALLING DORIS!", Doris is Karen's mother. I generally get a call within a few hours saying "OMG! DON'T CALL DORIS!" and we both laugh.

Now you might wonder why I would worry about Karen not returning my call since she is an adult. Karen is a travel nurse and goes all over the United States to locations that she hasn't been before and where she doesn't know anyone, I being the mother hen of course worry about her. When she is driving to a new location I will work my schedule around her driving so I can be available to guide her through different highways and interstates. She does have a GPS, but let me tell ya something...those things aren't always right! I also will make hotel reservations for Karen. When she starts feeling tired she will let me know how much longer she wants to drive and I will get on the computer and start looking for hotels in the area. I should have her credit card number memorized by now as many times as I have made reservations for her, but I am not good with remembering numbers. Maybe that is why she is always so willing to tell it to me again, knowing I will never remember it *okie thinks she might write it down next time and keep it in a safe place and do some damage at the Coach Outlet*.

But back to the party! I still have some things to wrap up, literally, but must take pictures of the projects first. My daughter will work on decorating the house tomorrow. I have to get the swag bags ready, putting all the items in. I will take pictures of those as well to show you guys. I did get my Santa Bucks for the auction all printed and put in their envelopes I made *okie makes a mental note to take pictures of those and post an explanation about Santa Bucks*. Linda, aka LGuild, informed me this morning that I have to make the same appetizers I do every year, even though I was wanting to try something new I guess I won't *okie swears she has the bossiest friends on this earth*.  I have my list on the computer of things I need to do and things I have completed so I am good there. I am just afraid to look at the list and see that I might be further behind than I think! I guess I better get busy and get more things done or I will be rushing around here like a chicken with my head cut off. Now that's an odd little saying isn't it? But no time to try and contemplate where it came from...I GOT WORK TO DO!

Friday, November 25, 2011

A True Story of Black Friday Karma

I am a full believer in Karma. I always feel if you do bad by people then bad will come to you, if you do good by people then good will come to you. Today's post is about Karma and how once again I feel I live a blessed life. Oh sure it isn't always the feeling of blessing but I prefer to look at those rougher experiences and times as learning experiences or God testing my strength *okie thinks God really likes to test her sometimes and thinks she needs to schedule an appointment with Him to discuss this in the future*. But for today, well...it's about good Karma and even better, good Karma on Black Friday!

I had my list ready for Black Friday. There wasn't much I was wanting to get. I wanted the Ninja Blender and Naomi wanted some sheets. I was going to look at a few other things while I was there as well but figured I would have no problems getting the items I was wanting since mine weren't big ticket items. I had decided to stop in at the casino before heading across the street to Walmart. The pitboss asked if I had already been to Walmart and I told him the stuff I was wanting didn't go on sale until 10pm so I had a little while before I had to go. One of the dealers, Davy is his name, overheard me and asked if I would be willing to pick up an Xbox 360 with Kinect for him. He thought he would go over on a break or after work and get it for his wife. He wanted to surprise her for Christmas. I laughed at him about how he thought he would just be able to dash over there and get it, after all I am  a seasoned Black Friday shopper and know how this chit works! I told him I didn't mind a bit. Since I knew I would need to get there and stand in line I headed over there an hour early.

I got to Walmart and of course the parking lot was full. With lights shimmering off the shiny metal it almost looked like a placid lake at night when stars reflect of the ripples of water . I was lucky and found a decent spot and headed off in the store. There was not one buggy to be found but I figured how heavy could an Xbox, a blender and a set of sheets be. Thanks to my handy dandy map of Walmart I quickly found the line...the long line...the very long line, for the Xbox with Kinect. I asked the man ahead of me if he knew how many they had and he said he didn't. I asked him if he had counted the people in line and he looked at me like I had 3 heads. I laughed and told him "look if you will save my spot I will go ask how many they have and then count the people and see if we stand a chance, this way we don't waste our time standing here waiting when we could be getting something else". He, of course, eagerly agreed to this ingenious plan *okie smiles slightly at just another fantabulous ingenious plan of hers*. I found the beginning of the line and asked how many they had and they said "we have 147". I then started counting people, all of which who were very cooperative and would tell me if they had someone else in line and were each getting one or if they had multiple people there but were only getting one. After counting and adding a few extra in for good measure I happily reported to the man "well it looks like we are in good shape, we are standing around 80 and they have 147". The lady that had come while I was on my mission didn't even mind me getting back in line and said she appreciated knowing that she was going to be able to get one.

As time went on and we were standing there everyone was chit chatting. Every now and then I would see someone else get in line and voice concerns about there being enough and I would assure them "oh yes you are around" so and so "number and there are 147". Everyone in our line seemed to be in good spirits and discussed other things they were wanting. Suddenly we heard a commotion and I, being the totally nosy person I am said "oh ya'll watch my spot I gotta go see what's going on". Off I went to see what the noise was all about! I quickly learned that Paula Dean cookware was worth fighting over and getting tasered, well not me tasered but someone else. I found this out later on when I bumped into my daughter in law and she was wanting some of the cookware but didn't get it.

After what seemed like forever, and me seeing Ninja blenders go by and wondering why they were already being released, our line started moving. Of course my ingenious plan worked and I was able to get Davy the Xbox with Kinect so he can surprise his wife for Christmas. I quickly head off to where the blenders were suppose to be and lo and behold....THEY WERE GONE! I didn't get mad or upset, I actually kinda laughed about it. To tell ya the truth I was happier about knowing someone else was going to be able to surprise someone they loved with an awesome Christmas gift.

I roamed around the store since the sheets were sold out as well and came across a few other little items to pick up. I went to the jewelry department to look for the Timex watches and on the jewelry counter sat nothing other than a Ninja Blender! There was a man standing in front of it and I kindly said "excuse me sir, is that your blender?". He turned to me and I noticed he had on a lanyard identifying him as a Walmart employee. He smile and said "no, I just picked it up out of the aisle". I told him the story of how that was the one thing I was wanting for myself and wasn't able to get it. He grabbed the blender and placed it in my cart and said "well Merry Christmas ma'am!". I told him thank you about 12 times and I just thought to myself...WOW! KARMA WAS ON MY SIDE! With my awesome blender acquired I headed off to the check out counter. I noticed a few people had a Kindle Fire in their buggy and I knew those probably went fast. Of course I looked at them drooling but knew I didn't have the money for one right now anyway and if it was meant for me to get one I would  get one eventually. I mean it's not like they are going to stop manufacturing them.

I drove back over to the casino and took Davy his Xbox. I handed it to one of the floor managers as Davy was dealing at the time and wasn't able to get it. The guys playing poker started discussing the craziness of Black Friday and how they thought it was great of me to get Davy the game console. I told them all the story of the blender and they agreed that good deeds pay off. Davy told me to keep the change, which was about 11 bucks. I later took him his receipt and the $50 gift card that was included with the Xbox. He told me he didn't even know it came with a gift card and he wouldn't have known if I kept it. I told him it wasn't mine to keep!

I decided to play the slots for a little while, knowing I didn't have much money I knew I wouldn't be there long. I put 5 bucks in a machine and played for a bit and then it was gone. I took the $11 that Davy told me to keep and put it in the machine. Long story short, I hit enough money to get my Amazon Kindle Fire, if only it had happened earlier! *okie laughs and shakes her head about how missed chances happen sometimes*. I visited with some friends for a bit and went and played poker for awhile, not really winning big but did come out a little ahead. After I got done I remembered I was out of coffee, so off to Walmart I went.

Luckily Walmart was cleared out by this time, almost looking like an abandoned ghost town, even down to the lonely pieces of paper and trash blowing around the parking lot as if they were tumble weeds rolling down a dusty road. I went in, got my coffee and picked up a few other things. I remembered I needed hairspray so head to the other side of the store. I saw where there were several of the $19 Shop-Vacs left and put one in my buggy. I have always wanted a Shop-Vac and my Aunt Betty swears by them and it was a good buy. I thought "well Merry Christmas to me". I was headed back to checkout and went by electronics. There were 3 guys standing around and I smiled and asked "got any of those Kindle Fires left?". One of them laughed and said "How many you want? Seven?". I laughed and said "that's what I figured". Another guy said "No seriously, do you want seven?". The third guy told me "we sold out immediately and people were upset because there weren't that many. I don't usually work in electronics so I didn't know where everything was and after all the chaos was over I went in the back and there were two more buggies full of the Kindle Fires" and he pointed behind him and sure enough there sat two buggies full of them! My mouth dropped open and said "How can I not get one?!". He quickly grabbed one and  handed it to me and told me "tell all your friends!". I kept justifying to myself why I should buy this Kindle Fire when I still have a cruise to pay for. I then thought "Karma, it's all about Karma!". I usually don't want anything for Christmas. The last time I really wanted anything was 4 years ago when I wanted a Cricut, which I did get, and that was another Karma story I do believe. I soon put my guilt aside and decided "MERRY CHRISTMAS SHIRLEY! ENJOY!"

When I said I believe in Karma I truly meant that, how else could all these events be explained? Okay, I admit it could be seen as a blessing from God but since gambling was involved I think it was Karma as I am still not sure how God feels about gambling and I don't plan on asking Him about His feelings on that vice.

So you see, on this Black Friday I was visited by Karma and it was GOOD!

Monday, November 21, 2011

I want it so bad!

I do, I really do! I have looked at it, read about it, researched the reviews and have decided....

I WANT THE KINDLE FIRE!

If I had been a good girl maybe Santa would bring me one for Christmas, but come on now we all know that probably won't be happening *okie wonders if it was the cuss words that came flying out her mouth, telling her daughter she couldn't move back home, wishing that the man who cut in front of her would get a flat tire, or many other things* since Santa probably thinks I haven't been too good this year. I love the idea of being able to get magazines this way and it would be awesome to get the Cards magazine or the Cricut magazine on the Kindle Fire. Also I think it would be awesome to be able to download the cartridge handbooks and have them all handy that way.

The book option would be great as well, if I read books that is. It isn't that I don't like to read, I do like to read. I just can't read. Well I can read, but I shouldn't do it very often. When I start to read a book I can't stop. It irritates me when people call, I have to go to the bathroom, Lucy needs to go to the bathroom, I have to stop and eat, etc. Several years ago I actually read the 4 books in the Twilight series from noon on a Saturday to about 10pm on Monday. That was with going to work on Monday which irritated the holy...*okie thinks maybe she better refrain from the word so Santa might reconsider*, um, it irritated me greatly! When I had an Iphone I read books on it and it didn't make my eyes hurt like regular books do so figure this would do the same thing.

One of these years I am going to be a good girl and get something for Christmas...one of these years.....

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Altered Frame

I got some frames from Consumer Crafts sometime ago with the intention of altering them and using them as prizes for my Christmas party. Yesterday I was finally able to get one done!

Here is what the frame looks like unaltered. It was simple to work with and I actually just turned it the other way to use it for this particular project. The way the kick stand *okie isn't sure what that thing is called but it does remind her of a kick stand on a bicycle or motorcycle since it keeps the frame from falling over* is on the back you can turn it either way without a problem. I have of the 12x12 size frames as well and they hold 5x7 photos. I will probably working on one or two of those today.




Supplies Used:
Ready to Finish Memory Frame
Crate Paper Restoration Collection
Chipboard
Basic Grey File Kit
Earring Jackets, Earring Pearls
Acetate
Brad
Cat Eye Chalk Ink
Liquid Pearls

The paper was double sided so I simply cut one piece of paper the size of the overall frame and then made a cut on that paper at 3", flipping the 3" piece over and using it on the left hand side.



I didn't use my Cricut at all on this project as the collection had some great little extra's that I thought worked well. I did add chipboard under the the punch out elements of the photo corners, banner, clock, flower and circle with words. I pop dotted the banner and the circle. The clock has two layers of chipboard behind it. I glued the flower and the photo corners directly to the frame after covering it with the paper. The border strip was also part of the collection pack.




I loved the little clock and wanted to use it for the frame but wasn't sure how to tie it into the banner until I saw the little circle with the words that say "Where does the TIME go?" and then I thought yep that will do it! *okie thinks this is just once again proving what a mind of sheer genius that okie posesses*. I used a 1 3/8" circle punch to punch a piece of clear acetate to fit on top of the clock and then punched a hole, lining it up in the center and added a brad to keep the acetate on and also to make it look like it was part of the clock hands.



I told you guys about the load of earring jackets and little pearl earrings I got when I posted the altered Paisley Purse, well when I did the frame I got some of the jackets out, which are the flowers and thought I would try alcohol inks on them. They are originally frosted in color. They took the inks fabulously! I cut most of the post off of the yellow pearl earring and then used hot glue to adhere the flower jacket and pearl earring to the frame. I think the little flowers add the little "something special" that we all usually try to find for each project.

Well I am off to work on some more of these suckers and hope to get 2-3 done today, however I might be setting my sights a little high HA HA HA.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Recipe books completed!

I can't believe after 3 years I finally pulled these darn things out and finished them! The bad news is that I can't post them now because I don't want my party guests to see them before the party. I only made 4 and there are 14 guests invited so that makes it pretty obvious that not everyone will get one. The fun part will be after the first one is won and the reaction it gets. I am wondering if others will be trying to figure out exactly which box the other 3 are in and wait for bidding.

Okay let me explain this a little about the prizes and such. Each guest at my party will get a certain amount of Santa Bucks in their swag bags that way everyone has some money to spend at the auction. They will play games and have a chance to win more Santa Bucks during the night. At the end of the night I will hold the auction for the prizes I have made for the party. The prizes are all wrapped up so no one knows what are in the boxes they are bidding on. When they open the box they can keep the prize or sell it back to me for half of what they paid for it. If they sell it back the prize is set back for the end of the auction for guests to bid on. The fun part for me is to choose a box and have people bid on a wrapped gift that they have no idea what it could be! All the gifts are wrapped in two different wrapping papers and there are different size boxes so it will be hard to determine what is in the box even though there are some duplicate prizes. Sound like fun? It might not be fun for my guests but it sure is a lot of fun for me, and in the long run isn't that all that matters? *okie laughs evilly*.

Since I won't be posting the whole recipe book until after the party I thought I would at least show you guys the cover of the books.

There are only 15 recipes in the book. I would have liked to included more but not sure I would have found O-wires big enough if I made it any thicker!

I used a lot of cuts from the From My Kitchen cartridge and there are a lot of cuts in the book that I don't remember where I got them, remember this was started 3 years ago! I know some of them are original designs I made using George because back when I started this book we didn't have all the options for cuts like we do now.

I believe the prize winners will like the books and if they don't...well they can always sell it back to me and I can auction it off again later. However, I don't think that will be happening!

Friday, November 18, 2011

Found Out I Love...

THE CINCH!!

A wonderful person named RoseMary sent me a Cinch some time ago and I haven't had a chance to use it until last night. I have been working diligently on finishing up some recipe books I started 3 years ago. Here is a link to pages, not the whole book, I finished way back when - RECIPE BOOK. I had decided I was going to finish these up for prizes for my party this year or just cancel the party! *okie knows she is exaggerating a little*.

These books are truly a labor of love. There are 15 recipes in the book, all are some of my favorites. I won't post other pictures until after my party so my guests don't see what they look like until the night of the party.

Oh but back to the Cinch. It is so super simple to use! I have used the Bind It All and while I love it, I had no idea how Super Simple the Cinch would be to use! The directions are all printed on the machine so no need to go look for the directions when I want to use it. It cut through the chipboard like butter and the only mistake that was made was because I wasn't paying attention *okie thinks "dang that David Letterman anyway"* and didn't have a page slide all the way in. Thanks to some Undu it was a fairly simple fix.

If you don't have a binding machine and are considering one I would HIGHLY recommend the Cinch!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Be Jolly - Party Invitation

I sent out the last of the party invitations so I thought I would get them posted on here for you guys to see.

Supplies Used:
Cricut 3 Birds On Parade
Cricut Art Philosophy
Various patterned papers
Various cardstock
Decoart Snow Writer
Brads
Signo UM 153 gel pen
Stampin Up marker
Diamond Stickles







I used the Hallmark Software to do the inside of the card and came up with sentiment on my own. I know, I know, not too original but it works! Noticed I blotted out my address and time, didn't want a bunch of unexpected guests showing up at my party!! *okie falls out chair laughing*.












I wasn't sure what color to make the bird and actually wanted a red bird but thought it would be too much with the hats and boots he is wearing so I opted for the blue bird. I used DecoArt Snow Writer for the "fur" on the hat and the ball. I used the white gel pen to add a few highlight marks.












The "Be Jolly" is from the 3 Birds cartridge as well. I went over the green with Diamond Stickles and it looks a lot better in person than in the picture. 

A few of my guests have contacted me to let me know they got their invitation and how they just thought it was "the cutest thing".

And as much as I would love to stay and chat a bit I just don't have the time right now. I am beginning to feel like the rabbit in Alice in Wonderland...I'M LATE! I'M LATE! I'M LATE FOR VERY IMPORTANT DATE! NO TIME TO SAY HELLO GOODBYE! I'M LATE! I'M LATE! I'M LATE! Okay maybe not late, but always in a hurry these days!


Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Been workin, workin, workin....BUSY BUSY!

I have been busy workin not only at my job but also on stuff for my Christmas Party. My daughter and I have managed to get all the prizes wrapped that are ready at this time. I always like to make sure there are plenty of prizes and with 14 guests invited this year, well that is a lot of prizes to get ready! I am working on 4 more prizes right now and have a few more in mind I want to make. I am running out of time!!! AACCKK!! Thanksgiving holiday is gonna really mess up my schedule at work but hoping the weekend of Thanksgiving I can get the last minute things done and wrapped up before my guests start arriving the next week.

My friend Karen got her flight booked and will be coming in on Thursday. My friend Angela will be coming up from Texas on Friday and then the rest of the guests will be coming on the day of the party. I am sure we will be having a wonderful time. Karen always comes in early to help me the day before the party and I don't think she has any idea how much I truly appreciate it! Of course I always cook her a ribeye steak dinner when she comes so that is a big incentive for her.

I have my games picked out, my Santa Bucks ready to copy, my Santa Buck envelopes made and ready and all the invitations sent out!

Tomorrow I will be posting the invitations I made for the party. I meant to post earlier but haven't had time to breath much less edit pictures and get them posted.

Okay I am out of here for now, so much to do and so little time!!!


Monday, November 14, 2011

True Friendship...and a Miracle too!

I told you the story concerning my apprehension about attending my class reunion. I told you the story of how I made it to the reunion and had a fabulous time. Now let me tell you the story of how I also learned that once you are friends you are always friends and miracles do occur!

As everyone was leaving the reunion and getting into their cars I stayed and talked to Sheri and Tonya for some time. We were probably there about 20 minutes after everyone else had gone. Sheri left to go to her mom's and Tonya and I stayed for about another 10 minutes.

My daughter and I started up the van and were ready to head home. I tried to put the van in reverse and the gear shift wouldn't budge! I turned the van off several times and would try again but still that gear shift was stuck like it had been set in concrete. My daughter asked what we were going to do. I think I forgot to mention that the little school I went to was out in the middle of the country. The closest town is about 12 miles away. I remember growing up, way before cell phones were even thought of, if you had car problems you just went to the nearest house and could say "I got my truck stuck on the side of the road and I was wondering if you could help me. I am Shirley Thompson, my parents are Don and Nellie" and the farmer would say "sure thing, just let me get my boots on" and sure enough he would grab a chain, hop on his tractor and come pull ya out. You never offered them money because it would offend them, all they would ever accept was a very grateful and sincere "THANK YOU SO MUCH SIR!" and the reply would always be "anytime kiddo".

Anyway back to my story....Thank goodness to this wonderful age of cell phones I was able to call my friend Heath. I said "Heath do you have Ed's number? My van won't go in gear and I want to call and see if he knows what might be wrong". Heath asked if I was still at the school and when I told him I was he said "I got Ed's number in my phone but I'm on my way. We can call him when I get there".

Sure enough Heath showed up not long after I called. He worked on trying to figure out the problem but was quite perplexed. He gave me Ed's phone number, who just so happens to be a mechanic and actually teaches at Gordon Cooper Vocational School in Shawnee Oklahoma, and I called him. His wife answered the phone and I told her "This is Shirley. I am stuck at the school because my van won't go into gear. Is Ed around? I thought I would ask him if he knew what the problem might be". She quickly gave the phone to Ed. He asked "do you want to wait for me" and I told him "well I ain't goin no where". Ed kinda laughed and said "give me about 15 minutes and I'll be there". There was a couple in the gym and they came out to see what the problem was. Now this was close to 9pm at night and it was rather chilly as strong winds were blowing. The man tried to take a look and he and Heath still couldn't figure out the problem, even with trying to rock the van in case it was seized up and checking the fuse box under the hood.

At this point I started praying, well actually I don't pray as much as I just converse with God. I said "God, I don't think I ask for much but I really need your help tonight. It's too cold for me and my daughter to be stranded out here in the middle of the country. My nice friends are out here trying to help me and I think we could use a little of Your help right now". Now I am not a religious person at all, I could write several posts about my thoughts and opinions on religion but I will spare you at this time. I am however a VERY SPIRITUAL PERSON. I feel my relationship with God is more binding and sacred than any marriage or relationship that could ever occur. 

Soon Ed showed up and the men *okie giggles at the thought of calling her "boys" men* discussed what all Heath had tried. Ed hopped in the van, stepped on the brake and looked toward the rear of the van, explaining to us that if the brake lights go out the gear shift won't work, some kinda sensor thing. He got out and they popped the hood again and checked the fuse box and didn't see the fuse Ed was looking for. Ed crawled into the floorboard of the van and said "there is another fuse box down here". They were talking about the amps of the fuses and Ed pulled out the 10 amp fuse that was in the slot for the brake lights and said "sure enough, it's blown". Ed asked Heath if he had a 10 amp fuse and Heath said he just bought some but they were all 20 or 30 amps. I told Ed, well I don't need a radio so if that works just take it out. Ed suddenly seemed a bit perplexed for a moment and said "this should take a 20 amp fuse". About that time Ed looked down and picked something up off the floorboard and said "where did this 20 amp fuse come from?". They discussed how none of them took out a fuse and it must have fallen out but it couldn't have fallen out.

I looked at them and with a bit of a smug smile on my face I said "God sent it. I prayed". They began discussing how some woman and her daughter had gotten stuck in a bad part of town and their car wouldn't start. They began to pray and the car started. Once home the husband checked the car and there was NO battery. We discussed a little about miracles. I just shrugged slightly and smiled to give them a little "well, I'm not surprised" reaction.  Ed popped the fuse into the slot and told me to try it. I hopped in the van, turned the ignition and stepped on the brake...I didn't even have any worry that the gear shift wouldn't move because I knew God had provided...and pushed the button on the gear shift and of course it moved without a problem.

My knights in shining armor!
I thanked everyone profusely for coming to help me. Of course they acted like it was no big deal, that's how country folks are ya know. But as I drove away I started thinking about what had just occurred. Not only did I see a little miracle from God but I also realized that "my boys", even after all these years, were still there for me. They did not question, they did not hesitate. All I needed to do was call and say "I got a problem" and just like knights in shining armor they were there in no time at my side during my time of need. I am not sure which I am more thankful to God for right now, the 20 amp fuse that miraculously appeared or the action of Ed and Heath proving once again that "once friends, always friends". I think it is the latter actually. A 20 amp fuse can be bought at any automotive store. True friendship however, can never be bought, sold or fade away.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

I went, I saw....I had a great time!

I made it to my class reunion. I really wasn't sure what to expect and of course I was ready to go into "shell mode", you know the kinda mode where you figure there might be something hard to hear, deal with or see so you feel like you have a protective bubble around you. I didn't go in on shell mode, was just prepared in case. But ya know what...I didn't need to hit that mode!

My daughter and I got there a little early, actually the first to arrive *okie thinks she needs to write that on her calendar since she is generally fashionably late...then giggles to herself because she calls it "running on Indian time"*. My friend Heath and his wife soon showed up. The last time I saw Heath was at Gary's funeral. He didn't look any different, but then again I think in this electronic age in which we live and can see a lot of folks on Facebook it helps us feel we get to "see" people more than we really do. We went into the cafeteria and started setting things up. My daugther, who can be so wonderful at time...and it is getting to be most of the time these days knew just how those new fangled lunchroom tables worked and was able to get them set up in no time. Heath got the projector ready and started setting up the pictures.

There weren't as many people as we had thought would come but ya know what...I feel we all still had the best time ever. Ed, who started organizing this little shindig, and Heath did a fabulous job! I can't believe that after all these years Heath had the Last Will and Testament that he and I read at our Jr./Sr. Prom. He also had the Senior Spotlight which was a little paper, evidently I was the editor, where all the Seniors were interviewed about what they planned for their futures. Most were rather hilarious.

During the slide show there were quite a few pictures of Gary. I was able to look without tears, I was able to look without heartache. I was able to look with a warm feeling and a slight smile on my face. I had taken many of those pictures since I was on the school newspaper and yearbook staff and did a lot of the photography and darkroom work. I could remember the stories behind not only the pictures of Gary but many of the other pictures. I had no idea that I even still had those memories in my brain *okie thinks to herself...yeah my extraordinarily large brain, but I won't say that*. We all would start talking at a picture that brought the memories rushing back. Of course the majority of our classmates were not there to add their memories but it didn't seem to matter because the ones that were there...well we had enough memories of different events that would fill a book.

Here is a group picture of the classmates that made it to the reunion. The guy in the green shirt in the back was actually a year younger but like I said we were a small school and a tight knit group.There were a few people that showed up who graduated a year before us. Somehow I missed getting a picture of them.

I also learned something very important last night...about how it doesn't matter how many years have passed, how long it has been since you have seen your "friends" they are always there for you! And that my dears, will be the story for tomorrow!

Saturday, November 12, 2011

It's my blog and I can be melancholy if I want to

Do you ever....Look forward to something and dread it at the same time? I am at that point right at this very moment.

I graduated in 1984 and today we are having a reunion. That was 27 years ago, a bit odd of a benchmark for a reunion but hey, that was always us. We didn't even want to have a graduation ceremony and agreed to go through with it if they didn't make us have a speaker. We were a bunch of 18 year old kids who were more interested in going on our senior trip to California. That was a pretty big deal back in those days, some of us had never been out of the state of Oklahoma. Heck there might have been one or two that hadn't been much further than the big cities of Oklahoma City or Tulsa.

It's not that I mind seeing my classmates, I am looking forward to that. It's not that I was an unpopular kid and have terrible memories of high school. Just the opposite actually. High school years were awesome for me! What I am dreading is not seeing the one classmate that meant the most to me. Gary Keith. I still remember the first time I saw him. It was my first day at a new school at the beginning of my 7th grade year. I was so nervous about it and the school was so tiny that the whole 7th grade was in one classroom, I think there might have been about 25 students. I was sitting at my desk with my head down wishing so hard that I could go back to my old school when I heard a voice say "Hey, what's your name". I looked up and there was this red headed freckle faced kid smiling at me with dimpled cheeks, I swear I thought I had suddenly been transported to Mayberry USA and Opie was talkin to me! I looked at him and said "Shirley" and he said "Welcome to Strother, I'm Gary Keith". I was so grateful for that break in the ice and even more grateful that years later I was able to tell him how much that meant to me.

Gary become a dear friend during the rest of our school days. But then again when there are only 200 students in the entire student body of a school most everyone becomes close friends. Anyway, things changed between us our Senior year and we suddenly realized that we cared a little more for each other but being young kids we never really knew how to express it. We dated off and on our senior year and the two years I was in junior college. I left for an out of town college in the fall of 1986. I would see him when I came home for weekend visits...but then my visits got less and less frequent. Next thing I knew he was married and had a baby on the way. I would run into him occasionally over the years, always glad to see him but always knowing things were over between us.

We reunited again in October of 1998, he was getting a divorce and I had just called off a wedding, that was about 14 years after our graduation. My mother was actually the one that suggested to Gary that he call me and we go out and do something. For the next 5 years we were together off and on, more off than on, but my love never faded. We had talked about how we both thought back when I left for college that I would go off and finish college and once done I would come back and we would be together. It just didn't work that way. We talked seriously of marriage but there was one thing that always stood in the way. I always told him "I refuse to come second to a bottle of beer and a game of pool". While I loved that man dearly, I loved myself and my daughter more and couldn't fully commit to someone who couldn't stop drinking, the whole "been there done that" type thing. If it had been just me I probably would have accepted it, but for the sake of my daughter....well I just couldn't. I wasn't going to let her grow up in a home where there was just too much tension and dysfunction *okie figures her daughter got enough dysfunction by having okie as a mom*.

It came to a point where I knew I had to call it quits for good. I couldn't allow myself to hold on to a busted dream that would never happen. Then the letter came...I swear it was probably as close as a love letter than man ever wrote. I still have that letter. My emotions were torn and I took some time, well okay a few weeks, to think things over before contacting him. I called him and he sounded pretty chipper. Then came the punch to my gut. He told me he was getting married. I was hurt, furious, relieved and so many more other emotions all at once. Had he not just written me 6 weeks prior to tell me I was the love of his life and he always loved me and wanted us to be together? But here he was suddenly telling me he was getting married!

I didn't talk to him again after that, but in my heart I hoped he had finally found the happiness he was seeking. I had convinced myself he had found happiness and everything was roses.

Over the years I would dream of him, that he came back to me and things were better with him. All those dreams were shattered early on a Sunday morning, November 5th 2006 to be exact. I got a call from another classmate, my dear friend Heath. He called to tell me that Gary had died due to injuries from a car accident. My heart sank. I won't go into the details of everything but I will just say that Gary was evidently not living the fairy tale I had hoped for him.

I debated about not going to the funeral but with my Aunt Betty at my side I was able to make it there. I had told myself I would be okay. And I thought I would be until we walked in the church and sat down. I couldn't stop crying...sobbing actually. There laid the one man who would always have my heart. Sure I have loved other men in my life but nothing like the love I had, or should I say have, for Gary. When it was time to walk through and view his body I looked down at him, he looked as if he almost had a little smile on his face and years of memories and emotions rushed through my head. I felt my knees start to buckle and I had to quickly get out of there. Once in the hallway I looked at my Aunt Betty and told her "I am going to pass out". She swiftly grabbed my elbow and lead me to a chair that was in the hallway. I was able to pull myself together and we left for the cemetery. After the grave side service was over and everyone was mingling around I saw his wife standing next to the casket. I wondered for a moment if I should go say something to her and decided to go and offer my condolences. I told her "I know there is nothing I can do or say to help with the pain you are feeling right now but I do understand". She looked at me and smiled and said "You know he always loved you". I was stunned, floored, shocked...you know the type that makes you feel all the air escapes your lungs swiftly and you wonder if you will be able to breath again. I stood there not knowing what to say to this woman who had just lost her husband, a man we both loved. I just looked at her and said "I never stopped loving him". We hugged each other with an understanding that only two women who loved the same man could ever have.

Over the last 5 years since Gary's death I have avoided trying to be anywhere or see people who would bring back the painful loss. Yeah I know the steps of grief and how resolving is essential in order to move on, I am a therapist for goodness sakes. I have been able to get past many deaths in my life. I have been able to overcome some very painful childhood experiences. But the whole situation with Gary is different, and always will be. I still dream of him occasionally. The same haunting dream where he appears and I tell him "you came back to me". I will admit that the pain has lessened over the years and I don't wake up and cry anymore, but there is still a degree of heartache that occurs.

Today I will be hit full force with memories of Gary as I know he will be the topic of many conversations as we all go down memory lane. I don't know what to expect or how my emotional state will be and I told my friend Heath just this morning "you know I am dreading this". Heath is likely the only person from our class that understands the full extent of my dread. But I have to go. I promised Heath I would be there, even told him I would be there a little early to help with some pictures.

Maybe typing all of this out will help me. Once this posts it will be out there for anyone to read and know how I feel. Maybe that is what I need, to just get it all off my chest. It's time for me to take a deep breath and exhale slowly and let it go. Let go of the pain, heartache and loss and realize it doesn't mean I am letting go of Gary. I know I will always have my memories of Gary and will always feel love for that man. I feel blessed to know that he did always love me. Even though he is no longer of this earth I will always treasure knowing that Gary was my first love and the love of my life.

Sorry for such a long boring post today and an unusual downer post at that. I just figured I need to get some of this stuff out so I can carry on today and make it through. Heck maybe no one will take the time to read this sucker today and after returning home this evening  I can log back in and delete it, no one ever knowing that even I have my melancholy days.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Paisley Purse - Altered Item

This is the last of my little Bare Elements Sonia purses. I really do wish I had a few more. I only had gotten 6 at the Great American Scrapbook Convention in Arlington when I was able to attend in 2010. Hopefully I can find something just as cool next June when I get to go again.

Supplies Used:
Bare Elements Sonia Purse
Cricut Flower Shoppe cartridge
FancyPants All Fall patterned paper
Various cardstock
Prima Paper Flowers
Swarovski Crystals
Cat Eye Chalk Inks
Glimmer Mist
Basic Grey brad
Pearl edging
Pearl earrings minus posts

Since the paper was double sided I was able to use one of the sides for the large flower and not have to worry so much about trying to match the colors *okie so loves things made simple*. the center is cut from the green and brown polka dot you see on the purse flap. I am not sure how I like the patterned paper flower but it stuck on there now and actually might be wrapped up already so I can't change it. The little blue flowers are made from Flower Shoppe and I used Prism paper for those.


I wanted to try and show you the sparkle of the Swarovski crystals but let me tell ya, it ain't easy photographing sparkle! My friend Carol, aka Carol with two hearts, had sent me some of the crystals from her stash probably about two years ago. Well I am so picky about who I use them on that I rarely use them. I don't want to waste them on a card someone will throw away so I thought this purse was a great use for a few of them.




Here you can see where I randomly added a few of the crystals. It just kinda like the overall design of the flowers seem to flow over the flap of the purse.

You might be able to notice the pearl center in the small flower at the bottom of the picture, that is the earring with the post cut off. Years ago I went into a shop that was going out of business and they had this HUGE container of pearl earrings, fake of course, and earring jackets so I snatched them up. I had forgotten about them until the other day when I was looking for something else and got the needlework and beads tote down off the shelf. I wondered if I could cut the posts off and since I had some jewelry wire pliers/cutters I was able to snip them off easily. You will probably be seeing these in the future as well.

For the flower petals I folded down the middle lengthwise. I wanted to give the flower a Mum sort of look and I think it worked out pretty good. I again used a piece of chipboard and cardstock left over from another project to add to the top of the flap so I would have a little more room to work with and would have some extra support for the flower that is "standing" off the top of the purse.

Not sure I will get a project done tonight to post. I need to wrap some more of the prizes for my party. I got 8 wrapped last night. I still have to get the tulle so I can make the bows for them. I also have to take Naomi to wound care today. For those who know who Naomi is, she is doing well. Her surgery a few months ago went well and she goes for treatment once a week. She says there is no pain and if she hadn't gotten infection while her incision was healing she probably would be fully recovered by now. However, she is in great spirits, other than being really ticked about having to go to wound care and treatment. I told her "well ya ding bat it is better than the alternative!" and she just laughed and agreed.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Linen And Lace Purse - Altered Item


Blogger hasn't been working to well for me so this is posting a little late today!

Here is the finished project I did with the flowers I showed earlier this week. I hope you can see why I am so loving Flower Shoppe! I love the idea of being able to bend or curl the flower petals and make them look almost alive! If you want to ooh and ahhh right now that is fine. It's pretty much what I did when I got the flowers finished and put on the purse. I think this cart can make even the most simplistic project into something that everyone will ohhh and ahhh over!

Supplies Used:
Bare Elements Sonia Purse
Cricut Expression
Cricut Flower Shoppe cartridge
DCWV Linen and Lace
Various cardstock
Pearl Brad
Imaginesce heat set pearls
Small tatted doily
Cat Eye Chalk Inks
Glimmer Mist



I cut the brown flowers from paper scraps from the Linen and Lace stack and also from some Prism pink cardstock. You can see the heat set pearls that I used around the edging of the flap. I really love those little pearls and wished they offered different colors of them. I used a scrap piece of cardstock and paper I had cut out from another project to adhere the tatted doily to the purse. This also gave me a little extra room to add the flowers and leaves.



I used Coredinations to make the leaves. I first crumpled the cardstock and then sanded it a little for the distressed look. I used a paper towel to wipe off the excess paper dust before putting down on my Cricut mat to cut. I cut the leaves in two different sizes. After getting the leaves cut and inked I folded them in half length wise and then smooshed it together a little to get the effect you see in the picture. I think it helped give them a more realistic dimensional look than just a flat leaf would look.

If you watched the CRICUT PROJECT FLOWER SHOPPE video that Christina did you saw where she sprayed with water and suggested glimmer mist, I used the glimmer mist. It is hard to see in the photos but it shows more in person and gives the pieces a nice little shimmer.

I love the little rosettes and I was concerned about them being difficult to work with due to the small size but thanks to Christina's instructions it was very simple. I think I do want to get a quilling tool like she used as it might make it easier to assemble the smaller flower centers or rosettes.

I will be posting another altered purse tomorrow. I wasn't sure if I liked it. I send a picture to my friend Carmen and she said she liked it even better and thinks it is because of the colors. You guys can make your judgements tomorrow.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Take A Grasshopper For A Walk

I was going to edit some pictures of the projects I did using the Flower Shoppe cartridge and get one of them posted today but I decided to wait and write about this instead...

I have a a client base at a residential facilty for people who are developmentally delayed and have been going there for over two years now to see clients. I always enjoy my days there and make sure to take time and talk to residents who aren't my clients. It's always nice to walk in the workshop and hear several voices calling my name excited to tell me their latest news, whether it is they got a letter from dad with $10 in it, if they got a phone call from their brother, if they get to go into town and go shopping on the weekend or even if it is just for them to say hi and ask how I am doing.

Yesterday I had gotten one of my clients, who has the sweetest nature and disposition you can ever imagine, and asked if she wanted to walk "the circle". "The Circle" is a sidewalk that goes around the inside of the campus and links to each cottage on the campus. She was very eager to go outside and walk after being "rained in" all day. She quickly began telling me how she had stood up for herself and made a decision to break up with her boyfriend and get a new boyfriend who "is nicer to me". I was praising her about her good work when all the sudden she says "OH! There is a grasshopper!". She moved quickly to catch the grasshopper and cradled it in her hand. She spoke softly to the grasshopper and asked him "do you want to take a walk with us?" We walked further talking and she would make comments to the grasshopper occasionally asking such things as if he was enjoying the walk, if he was comfortable and was he enjoying the beautiful day after all the rain. I kept reassuring her what a wonderful job she did on being assertive and how I was so proud of her. She smiled sweetly at me and said she was proud of herself.

At one point I looked at her hand and noticed the grasshopper was just sitting calmly on her thumb, not moving, not trying to jump away, but instead like he was just listening to our conversation and very aware of the fact that she was just trying to take him on a little walk. We discussed some of the past issues she had about letting others "take advantage" of her and how she doesn't want to do that anymore. She looked up me and said "you know what?" and I smiled back at her and said "no I don't know". She suddenly had a very serious look on her face and said "I feel safe now. I feel like I can stand up to people and they listen to me". I told her "That is because you have become a stronger person now". With her free hand she grabbed my hand and made me stop, she looked up at me and said "Thank you. You have helped me become a strong person". Of course I smiled at her and let her know she had done the work, that I was just a tool for her to build herself stronger.

She let go of my hand and we continued to walk and talk until we got closer to the building where she works. Suddenly she stopped for a moment and bent over and told the grasshopper "Okay it's time for you to go now. I hope you enjoyed your walk with us Mr. Grasshopper". I told her "oh I am sure he enjoyed it since he didn't ever try to run off". We finished the last little bit of our walk just chit chatting about her work assignment and how she has the right to make the decision where she works, me always reassuring her that she was in charge of her life and her choices. As we got back to the door she just simply said "okay I gotta get back to work now but I will see you at group tomorrow, right?" I told her we would indeed have group tomorrow and then I was off to get my next client.

On my drive home I got to thinking about this client of mine and how joyous the simple things in life are to her. How taking a grasshopper for a walk gives her joy, how learning to stand up for herself and be assertive with others gives her such a sense of pride and it made me think of how to be thankful for the little things in my life. Sometimes I think we get so involved in the materialistic belongings, hustle and bustle of family affairs, stress of our jobs, etc. that we forget we indeed have small things in our lives to enjoy and for which to be thankful. Maybe we all need to learn to take a grasshopper for a walk every now and then, thinking about how wonderfully blessed we are and be thankful for every little thing!

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

It's A Soapbox Day....

No I am not making soap or boxes for soap...I am on my soap box *okie suddenly fears this dang box she is standing on might not be sturdy enough to hold her fat azz and steps down*. Okay it is theoretically a soapbox...

I know I have talked many times about my feelings concerning ProvoCraft and their customer base, but I am going to do it again today.

I guess I am still amazed at how so many consumers have a sense of "ownership" of ProvoCraft and how they are never pleased and want to tell ProvoCraft how to run the company, what changes need to be made, how to treat their customers and so many other things. I can't think of any other company that I deal with, and I stress the "I" in that, that allows their customers so much input to the likes of ProvoCraft. I can't imagine being on a messageboard for my cellphone and telling HTC that they need to stop making new models of phones, or they need to make new models of phones. I can't imagine being on a Dell messageboard and telling them what processors they need to use, what color of computers they need to manufacture, etc.

I guess what I am trying to say is that there are so many products in our lives that we don't even consider trying to tell the companies that make the products how to run their company or manufacture their products to please us I wonder why we often feel we can with ProvoCraft. Heck if there is a product I like I buy it. If I don't like like the product I stop buying it. I don't go and tell the company how I think they need to do things differently. Sure I might shoot them an email and tell them "hey tried your product and it fell apart on me. Not to pleased with the service so from now on I won't be buying from you again", at least this way I got it off my chest and they know I was a dissatisfied customer. But I don't see myself continually emailing or messaging the company and telling them "you need to do this, or you need to do that". I am more of a "put your money where your mouth is" kinda person...

Oh and let me ask...*okie hopes people realize this is a rhetorical question*, why is it that when I tell someone "Put your money where your mouth is" people think I am rude? I am simply saying "if you don't like the product don't buy it" *okie sighs and rolls her eyes at the thought of some, especially ONE, super sensitive person she encounters at times*.

That's all for that today...just had a few thoughts about all this and figured I could type them out on my blog. Oh and...just remember one thing 'THIS IS MY HOUSE UP IN HERE! I WON'T TAKE NO ABUSE IN MY HOUSE".

*okie smiles sweetly*  Hope everyone has a great day!!

Monday, November 7, 2011

I have a problem....Flower Shoppe cartridge

I am one of those personality types that when I get a good thing I want more and more and more of it. It doesn't matter if it is a good pack of Cream Horns, gorgeous paper, comfortable socks or heck even men! *okie thinks she might not want to go into that right now as it would take a whole notha blog to even begin to explain okie and the male species* Anyway I think I am going to have this problem with the Flower Shoppe cartridge!

I found two more of the chipboard purses that needed to be altered and wanted to get them done for my Girlfriend Christmas party as prizes. I picked out some papers and got them covered and then remembered I had the Flower Shoppe cartridge that I hadn't used yet. I have been wanting to try it but thought it was going to be very difficult to use and of course I didn't really look at the handbook *okie thinks instructions are for boys*. I went to Christina's blog, ya know Creations with Christina *okie would so hate Christina's butt for being uber talented if Christina wasn't such a sweetheart*, and of course she has the video CRICUT PROJECT FLOWER SHOP showing how to make the flowers. Well within 10 minutes I felt like I could be an expert flower maker!


This is the first flower I made and it was super super simple to do thanks to the video! You guys know me and my inking habit *okie thinks it is more like an addiction than a habit* so I had to ink the petals a little. I used a pearl brad for the flower center. I think Eyelet Outlet actually as some of these very pearl brads in their clearance section right now.

Here is the group of flowers for the project. I will post the project sometime this week. But for now I just wanted to share a little of the project and let you guys know how much I am gonna love this cart! I am not sure how many of these flowers i would use for scrapbooking or cardmaking since some stand up quite a bit, but I know they will be fabulous for altered projects for sure!

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Photo Tray Project

I have seen the photo tray's before and always thought how cool they looked. I never pictured me making one because I wasn't sure what I would put in it and always figured it needed a theme base to make sense. I finally figured out a great theme for one....THE CRICUT CRUISE!!


Supplies Used:
- 7 Gypsies Photo Tray
- Cricut Expression
- Creative Memories Cricut Traveler Cartridge
- Patterned paper - Hobby Lobby
- Various cardstock
- Mounting foam
- Cat Eye Chalk Ink
- Charms, buttons, etc
- KI Alphabet Soup
- Seashells from various locations
- Heat set pearls
- Red Line Tape






I printed my pictures in my photo software using the feature that allows me to a number of small prints at once. I wanted to get as many photos included so it would tell the story of the Cruise. The pictures are actually in order of our trip starting at the top and working down to the bottom of the tray. I was able to find all the great cuts for this project on the Creative Memories Traveler cartridge.





I added seashells from the actual beaches where we stopped while on the cruise. I thought they would give a little extra momento to the project. I had to use Red Line Tape or Mounting Foam to get them adhered but they worked out great and I dont think they are going to be falling off *at least okie hopes not*.






As soon as I saw this cut on the Traveler cartrdige I knew I would use it for the picture of my daughter holding a bunch of cameras. We had met up with some friends in Ft. Lauderdale the night before leaving and everyone gave her their camera's so she could snap a few group pictures. I love this picture of her because she definitely looks like a tourist!






Here is a good close up of some of the shells. I had them in baggies labeled with the beach we were at so I was able to get the appropriate ones with the right photos, although I am so no one would know the difference since they all seemed to be pretty much a like. For the palm tree to be dimensional I used 3 layers of mounting foam. I also did this on various other cuts and pictures in the project.




The word "ocean" is with the KI Alphabet soup, as are the flowers in the picture perfect slot. I have had these for sometime but haven't ever used them on anything until now and it seemed like the perfect embellishment. The little fish charm is something I found in my stash of chotskies. I also found the embellies in the taxi slot in the same container. I used tape from my ATG gun to attach the letters.


This project is definitely a labor of love as it is to be a gift for a very special person. I certainly hope they enjoy it as much as I loved making it!

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Your Story Bundle

I mentioned in yesterdays post how I got a Your Story Bundle and thought I would explain that a little. I know a lot of you took advantage of the fantastic price that was available a few weeks ago. There were several ladies who got 2-4 of the bundles so they could give as gifts. I don't know anyone crafty enough that would want to use this so I just got one for myself.

This picture pretty much represents what was included in the Your Story bundle
Provocraft was running a great Green Wedneday special a few weeks ago where you got an extra *okie tries to remember*, I think 20% off but it might have been 30%. If you were a Cricut Circle member you got another 10% off. They were also offering free shipping at the time. The bundle was on sale for around $17 or so and after all the discounts it was less than $12. My friend Amy, aka Scraparazzi, kept telling me about the bundle and about the trimmer. I wasn't sold on the Your Story machine but was intrigued by the trimmer so I took the bait. I had $60 credit on Cricut.com so figured I would get that and stock up on blades. I ended up ordering 7 packs of blades *okie is so thankful she did since she can't seem to find them locally anymore*.

I am not sure what I will make with the Your Story but I did ask around about it and a lot of people love it for laminating things. I did hear that you can use the Scotch laminating sheets in the Your Story and they work great. I guess I will have to find something to bind or laminate soon just so I can use it!

Friday, November 4, 2011

Actually Got A Card Made

in Stamp Club last night! I usually never complete anything when I go to Stamp Club so me finishing even one card is quite a feat! I generally am too nosy seeing what everyone else is doing and talking to be able to complete a card.

Linda came to town around 4pm and we headed off to Walmart so she could look for some ribbon she was needing. We then went and ate dinner at the Super China Buffet. We usually go to Applebee's but we are about Applebee'd out at this point. After dinner we decided to go ahead and go to Scraptopia, where Stamp Club is now being held. Of course that meant browsing through the store! I quickly found some really great paper on clearance for 25 cents a sheet. After I got all I wanted I went and showed Linda *okie smiles to herself at her sly move of making sure she got what she wanted before informing Linda of the awesome sale*. The ladies who own the store are so awesome and are always ready to help us find what we need. They are also very willing to order things if we ask. This time we asked for refills for our Memento ink pads. Linda and I may have caused some others to get addicted to the ProMarkers!


Carol, the lady who runs Stamp Club, brought a ton of great Thanksgiving stamps and I chose a vintage looking one that had a turkey. She said it was meant to be just stamped and used but I couldnt resist using my ProMarkers on them *okie thinks she better start using those markers more before she forgets how to use them*. Since the stamp was so detailed I didn't want to color everything because it would have taken me 3 days to get it all colored.

The turkey was pretty easy to color but I had to look at a picture to decide how it needed to be colored. I used 4 different shades of brown and to be honest right now I can't remember which ones.

I dipped 3 orange brads into the Cat Eye Chestnut Roan chalk ink to tone down the color a little and make them blend with the colors of the card a little more.

The wavy edge on the deep red paper is a blade from the Your Story Trimmer *okie suddenly remember she never posted about getting the Your Story bundle and makes a mental note to do a blog post about it*. I really like the trimmer. It is convenient to take to Stamp Club but it won't take the place of my beloved Xacto Guillotine trimmer.

My friend Lisa is coming over this evening to help me work on the spa sock cupcakes. I have the wrappers all cut and put together, the socks all rolled and in the wrappers. We just have to add the little cherry pom poms and package them up. I will be posting them once they are all done and I get pictures taken.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Friday!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

No Project, Just Chit Chat

I don't have a project to post today so just turn around and go back out the door *okie points to the door and then cracks up laughing*. I guess we can't always have something to post but if you read my blog a lot you probably already know that. Especially since this summer I didn't get anything done to post.

My next few weeks are going to be busy getting ready for my Annual Girlfriend Christmas party. I started having the Christmas party because I thought it would be a nice thing to do with my friends and after the first year my friends decided it needed to be a yearly event *okie thinks her friends can be such pushy beeches sometimes*.

I have the invitations all made, just need to get them addressed and probably mailed out next week. Why so early you ask? Well because my party is always the first Saturday in December. That way it gets my girlfriends in the Christmas spirit and doesn't conflict with any work or family obligations during the holidays. I have a very tight guest list. My house is not big so I can only invite 12-14 of my closest friends *okie suddenly thinks about that number and realizes how blessed she is to have 12-14 close friends*. The list does rotate out sometimes due to friends moving or having other obligations but the core list still stays the same. I can always count on about 6 to always be there as they have attended every year. This will be year 7 *okie suddenly feels depressed realizing she is getting old*.

Last year after Christmas my daughter and I were at Walmart and they were clearancing out some of the left over Christmas items at really great prices. My daughter, being the bargain hunter that her mother is, noticed that a man was clearancing out Santa hats for 25 cents! We quickly snatched enough for every guest. I will be filling the hats with little gifts for my guests. I have some things accumulated now but will probably be trying to find a few other things as well. I will post pictures on here later of some of the items for the "swag bags" and also some of the prizes. I use to buy things on clearance, ranging from bath and body products to jewelry, as gifts but after getting the Cricut I started making some prizes and they seemed to love those even more.

Okay I am off to do my groups with the lovely, attitude filled teenagers I work with. You guys have a great day!


Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Vacation Time card - DT Project

One of the requirements for being on the Obsessed with Scrapbooking Design Team right now is that we use the Traveler Cartridge. I really love the cuts on this cartridge. While at first there seems to be just beach theme cuts there are some wonderful cuts that go with other vacation themes, some of which I will use on my next project that will post later this week.

I made this card with a few people in mind. As you know the information for the next Cricut Cruise has been released and I have a few friends from last time that are going to be on the boat as well as a few new sailors. I thought I would send my friends this card about a month before the cruise just to let them know it was almost vacation time and that I am looking forward to spending the time with them.

Supplies Used:
- Cricut Expression
- Creative Memories Cricut Traveler Cartridge
- Patterned paper - Creative Imaginations
- Doodlebug glitter cardstock
- Various cardstock
- Signo UM 153 Gel Pen
- Mounting foam
- Cat Eye Chalk Ink
- Heat set gems
- twine





 
I loved the postage stamp cut on the cartridge and decided to use it to mat the flip flop cuts on. My friend Karen is gonna go GAGA over this cut as she is a lover of flip flops. In the summer it is rare to see her in any other kind of shoe and I think that is what she wore on the cruise unless we were going to the dining room. Oh anyhow back to the flip flops, I used a 5mm heat set gem for a little added bling. The strap was cut from Doodlebug glitter paper. I thought the twine just added a little more accent and went well with the tropical theme of the card.


This phrase was readily available on the cartridge and just seems perfect for the occasion in which I will be sending the card. While I might have been better off choosing a different color I am still over all pleased with the card.


If you would like to order the Creative Memories Traveler Cartridge you can order it from Joy at her CREATIVE MEMORIES WEBSITE.