Did you miss me?

Here I was, plugging along getting a post in not once but twice a week.  It was grand!  Grand, while it lasted.  I have been traveling and hosting for the past two weeks.  I do have a card to share with you though!

Stamps: Wild Rose (retired), Hope Happens (retired)
Cardstock: Pool Party DSP (retired), Gumball Green, Barely Banana (retired), Whisper White
Inks: Daffodil Delight, So Saffron, Pear Pizzazz (retired), Gumball Green, Primrose Petals ink mixed with Craft ink and added with a brush.

I made this card for my mom.  She found out last week that she has oral cancer.  Never smoked in her life, but she has the cancer of a smoker.  This is her third battle with cancer.  She had a sarcoma in her Kidney in 2005, then melanoma on her head in 2007, and now carcinoma in her mouth.  She has a good outlook, and her spirit is strong.  She amazes me.  If you are of the mind, a prayer for her would be appreciated.  She is in for some painful surgeries and some blows to her appearance for awhile.

On the good news side of life, my son was honored with an award from his middle school on Wednesday.  His school mascot is the Diamondback (yes, only in Northern Nevada) and they have a education matrix they call S.T.R.I.K.E.  The letters stand for Strength, Tolerance, Responsibility, Knowledge and Empathy.  Thomas was chosen for the honor because the staff at the school feels he exemplified these characteristics for the past three years at the school!  His graduating class is around 600 students, so this is a wonderful thing to be selected among so many. I am such a proud mom! I know he is a wonderful person.  I have been blessed by God with both of my children.

And here is another rascal in my life.  This is my friend's son, Kyle. I think of him as one of my own. He calls me Ne-Ne.  I think that is his attempt at Auntie.  He just turned two.  Lordy I remember the twos.  I will say this...being around a 2 year old when in one's 30s in a heck of a lot easier than doing it in one's 40s!  He's fast. Colleen and Kyle stayed with us for a week.  He adored being with my kids. They adore him, but you know what the best birth control might be for teens?  Put them in a room for a week with a two year old.  Then ask...wouldn't you love to have a two year old around all the time?! (insert menacing laugh here) I love the vagabond beard he has created for himself in this photo.  I know he REALLY enjoyed that ice cream! :-)

And finally, when I came home from my trip, my peony bush greeted me in full glory.  So many luscious blooms that the poor thing was bent to the ground even with a flower ring to support the blooms.  I picked a few to enjoy inside and fill my house with the wonderful scent.

Thanks for sharing some time with me.  You're grand. 

Kristine

Sketch Challenge

My email today delivered a sketch challenge from the Stampin' Queens. I like the simplier sketches without so much layering. I thought I might be able to get a card made in the 30 minutes I had.  Amazingly, the card came together quickly.  Once I picked the stamp set, the rest just fell into place.  Gotta love it when that happens!  Here's the sketch:

  And here's my take on it:

Supplies:

Stamps: Love and Sympathy

Card stock: Very Vanilla and Bravo Burgandy

Inks:  Bravo Burgandy and Alway Artichoke

Always Artichoke Seem Binding, Basic Rhinestones, Extra Large Oval Punch

I used a stamp set I just bought called "Love and Sympathy."  I like the sentiment in the set and the font of the word "Sympathy." And this set is NOT on the retiring list. Big smile.  As you can see on the sketch, there are three "somethings" in the lower right side of the card.  I stamped three of the flowers and cut them out and popped them up with dimensionals.  A small rhinestone adds just a little flair.  Kinda reminds me of dew drops.

Amazingly there is actually nothing on this card that is retiring!  I lost of ton of sets to the retiring list.  I'm excited to see what there is to buy to replace them.  (Shhh, don't tell my hubby I want to replace that many sets. :-)  He doesn't need to know the extent of my addiction. Although with the fact that my stamping space is in our dining area, I bet he has a pretty good idea. Grin.)

I hope to not have to send this card out.  It seems to me that when someone dies, there are two more deaths that follow closely behind--as if God takes souls in threes.  An oddity I have noticed in my own lifetime.  Anyone else ever notice that?  And so as not to end on a morbid kind of thought, ...here are my beautiful blooming violets. 

    

Are they not GOR-JUS!  In real life the "blue" violets are actually a deep purple.  Think Concord Crush rather than the Pacific Point they look like in  the pictures.  I really need to figure out my camera settings to get the right colors. 

Thanks for sharing some time with me.  Special thanks to my Subscribers and Followers. 

Kristine