More Roses

I just realized that I didn't post the rest of the Mother's Day cards I made. I know you're probably bored with this rose, but once I decided to work with it this year, it became the stamp to use.  I think I made 10 cards with it? Several of them are copies of the same basic layout just different color schemes.

More Copic Coloring

The two cards I'm showing today feature images I also colored while I was playing with the Copics on Monday-- one during class and one after class when Colleen so  graciously let me borrow her markers to color in my hotel room.  There are a few things I would fix now that I'm looking at it blown up on the screen, but I don't own those colors, so I'll just know and do better next time.  It's all about practicing and experimenting.
My blending still needs work, but it'll come.  The thing you need to notice about these cards is the airbrushing in the background. I told myself that I didn't or wouldn't want that... until I used it... Sigh.
Don't worry, I can wait.  I won't spend my grocery money. LOL!!!

I hope your weekend is blessed!

Just Dance...

I've been so busy that I can't think straight! But this card makes me smile as I think about taking a break for a couple of minutes to just dance.

The card fits in a business size envelope. Stamps: Swirl ( Paper Inspirations), message (Hampton Arts), Dancers( Magenta)

It’s been so long since I updated, and there’s so much to tell....

We got back home on Sunday night after being on the road for two weeks. Monday morning started a week of appointments for me and the kids. First of all, I don’t know what possessed me to make an appointment for 8 am on a Monday morning after being out of town for so long, but I did. And to make things worse, when I arrived, the doctor wasn’t there.

Evidently, one should check their answering machine when they return home from a long trip, because if one had checked the answering machine, they would have heard a message from said doctor’s office to that effect and that same person could have slept in a little bit longer. So lesson learned... always check the answering machine. That's another freebie from me to you. :)

Since I was up and out, I went to the post office and Wal-mart and the grocery store and to retrieve the dog from his doggie hotel.

And that was all before 10 am on Monday morning. My week

hasn’t slowed down since. I’ve been to the dentist for several check ups, the rheumatologist, the dermatologist,

a 2 hour drive (each way) to spend a few birthday hours with one of my very favorite people in the whole world.

As I type, I’m sitting in the dentist office again for the 3rd or 4th time this week. We have fillings today for a coup

le of kids and sealants for another. I can’t believe it’s already Friday!!!

I’m a hopeless optimist and I really anticipate a slower week next week. I may even get in a little cardmaking or coloring. :)

Since I’m updating the last two weeks in reverse, I’ll tell you about my short visit with my grandmother in North Carolina on Sunday morning. She is 97 and still sharp as a tack. I am one of her 35 grandchildren and she remembers all my children’s names. I can’t even say I get them all right on a daily basis. :) She taught Bible studies up until a couple of years ago when she started to lose her eyesight. She recently had cataract surgery and can see again. She still reads her Bible daily and memorizes everyone’s phone number. I’ve always looked up to her and if I can be half the woman she is, I’d feel like I am a successful.

We spent Saturday evening celebrating the 50th birthday of one my dear cousins. I don’t know if you remember the wedding I did several things for a couple of years ago but, she is the mother of the twin cousins I’ve talked about.

It’s hard to believe it’s been a week already since I went to Hambo

Stamps in Richmond Virginia last Friday evening and met Monica, Tim, Micah, and Sam. What started off as a maybe we’ll stop after lunch turned into early evening. They were so patient as we left much later than we planned and then sat in Virginia traffic for hours... We left Delaware and got all the way thru Washington DC without a hitch. From there, it was bumper to bumper all the way to Fredricksburg.

Monica and I have been online friends for at least 6 years. You know that Hambo’s designs are some of my favorites. I started buying from them on Rubber Stamp Auction back in 2003 and I have made quite a few subsequent purchases over the years. Not only did we have a very pleasant visit, I was given a grand tour of Hambo’s operation. It’s really interesting to see how the business works. Monica is very, very organized and it was fascinating to see all my favorite images on the shelves and in the drawers. ( more pictures >here<)

When it was time to leave, I thought we were going to bring home another son. I’m pretty sure Sam would have gone home with us once he realized we have video games and a couple of boys who love to play them at our house. But, they have an open invitation to stop in and see up whenever they are in GA. For Monica's take on our visit and her very accurate description of how we travel, go to this post on Talk to the Ham.

I spent Wednesday and Thursday in downtown Philadelphia with my husband. We had some much needed alone time. The best part about it was that we were back in a place where it all started for us. We used to love walking downtown back in the day. We revisited some of those good times as we walked together. But, I'm going to finish that part of the story in another post, because I have lots of pictures to share.

In other news, I've been feeling a little better these days. We are definitely looking at an answer to prayer. I'm not totally there yet, but it's coming. I had good news at the Dermatologist. Since the Lupus is quiet, we are starting the process of lightening the scar on my face. :)

** A quick note for my friends and family. I have a new cell phone number. If you didn't get my notice, just send me an email and I'll get you the new number. We are probably going to get our home number changed soon too. It's been two years since we've had this number and we've been getting calls daily for a business that used to have it. They get more calls than I do and I'm getting tired of it especially when they start calling at 8:00 AM.

We are winding down our summer quickly. School starts in 4 weeks. I have two more trips to make before that happens. We are going to squeeze in a beach trip and I have to take Jannelle back to Michigan. But this weekend, I'm going to take care of some things around here. I hope you are blessed and enjoying your summer. Drop me a note if I haven't heard from you in a while. :) Choosing joy! Jacki!!!

Daisy or Coneflower?

I'm not sure what this sketchy flower is supposed to be, exactly. I've always thought of it as a daisy but it looks more like a cone flower to me now. It's from The Angel Company, probably long ago retired. The stamp used for the background (Flourish 2 from Paper Inspirations) is a new stamp I picked up the last time Hobby Lobby had stamps on sale. I stamped it with VersaMark. The papers were all from my scraps and the ribbon is something I picked up last year at Michaels.

Changing the subject... I totally had almost two days hijacked! I decided that it was time to take off the nail tips and started soaking one hand at a time on Monday thinking it would take an hour for each hand. I used my non soaking hand to hold the book I was reading. Monday after several hours, I finally got the first hand done. Which means I spent yesterday soaking the other hand and watching TV. With that behind me today, I was finally able to make a card and I even managed to get a few other things accomplished.

Well, that's all for today. Maybe tomorrow will be my fancy card day?