Thursday, December 31, 2009

Fat Cat Blog Hop

We are SO excited over at Paper Pretties to be introducing a new line of stamps - Fat Cat Stamps.  Think the name sounds familiar?  That's because this line is illustrated by our own Danielle Lounds - the Fat Cat Stamper herself!   Yep, you know her, you love her and now she's bringing us some sweet little images that are to die for!  You can still expect to see her amazing creations with the rest of the Paper Pretties stamps as well but be on the look out - she's got some good things for us.
We are very excited to introduce the first set in this new line:  Home Sweet Home
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This set contains 7 images and 8 sentiments.  It is perfect for moving announcements (which I'm hoping to use my set for VERY soon), invitations, thank you cards, etc.
Be sure to hop on to Jana's blog for another sneak peak at how versatile this set is!  And don't worry, we'll still be bringing out all the Paper Pretties' characters that you have grown to love:  Wade, Luke & Lexi,Snowflake, Cooper, and of course our sweet Sophia as well as a smattering of our other Pretties images as well! Pin It

Let the Peeks Begin!!!

Today is the first day of our Prettie Peeks for the new releases over at Paper Pretties.  We are so excited about what we have to bring you this month (including a whole new line of stamps - see this post) and we hope you will love them as much as we do!
Here is my first Prettie Peek for you of Lady Liberty Sophia:
IMG_7277 Sorry the pic isn't so great!  I'm with Julie about getting a new camera!!!
This set includes the main image seen above as well as 3 very American sentiments.
Don't forget to check out the other Prettie Girls' blogs for some more Prettie Peeks and be sure to join us on the 1st in the PJ Pary forum at 8 pm EST for the release party!! Pin It

Its a Boy

I've had this cute little image colored and waiting to be mounted on a card for some time but I'm not a big fan of orange and brown together (I think any 70s child can relate - TOTALLY A&W - lol).  Anyway, then I found this cute paper and decided that with all the other fun colors in the paper I could make it work.
IMG_7223 I mounted the dp and the main image on Apricot c/s from SU.  I added some ribbon from AC and some dew drops in the corner.  The sentiment is from Heidi Swapp.  There is paper piercing around the main image on the white later but you can barely see it in the pic.  The card turned out to be nice and bright and I was pretty happy with the end result, now I've got 3 friends that are preggo and I know for sure that 1 of them is having a girl so I'm hoping that one of the other 2 has a boy now - LOL!
Go squeeze a little boy you know! Pin It

and Lastly

Here is the last one - promise and we'll move on to more summery images!
IMG_7220 This is our sweet Hippity Hoppity Sophia from Paper Pretties.  I think she is my favoriteyist so far!  I combined her with yet more sweets (paper and ribbon) from my Jessie (and I used a spiral clip to honor her - lol).  I took this chance to use my MS punches and I used as much shimmerz and glitter as possible on Sophia.  The picture below shows how nicely she sparkles!
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Thanks for putting up with my tardiness!  I hope you had a wonderful Easter Season filled with a new sense of God's love for you. Pin It

Easter THURSDAY...

Does anyone else have one of those households where you never seem to know what's going to happen from one minute to the other?  It seems lately that at any given moment, plans can change and with Andy away, there's no one to maintain the stability while the other one runs around.  Anyhow, I had to post the last of my two Easter cards.  I had very good intentions to get them posted on Tuesday but um, ya, well - just read above.
Here they are:
IMG_7218 This first one is a digi image from The Little Paper Shop - they are soooo cute and affordable!  I didn't add a sentiment to this one b/c I thought I could also use it for a baby card!
I'm not sure where the paper came from (out of my scrap box!) but look at the cute little egg button!  Pin It

Easter Monday?

Its technically still Easter right?  Easter Monday.  I played around yesterday making some Easter cards but of course, I can't post them all the same day because I want you to have something to look at over the next few days - so - it will be Easter here for 3 more days - nk?  *wink*
Here is the first one:
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1 Little, 2 Little, 3 Little, 4 Little Chickies

I made these cute little chicks for the boys for Easter.  The ribbons are in each of their favorite colors:
Black - Isaiah
Blue - Jacob
Green - Eli
Red - Benjamin
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I can't take ANY credit though because they are COMPLETELY and SHAMELESSLY CASED from Laurie.  I have to admit that hers are cuter than mine and I do have the punches that she used for the hair and the feet but they are packed :0( so I had to improvise.  I think the boys will like them! Pin It

Happy Easter from Bean, Peeper, and Bunny Toes

One of my New Year's resolutions this year was to lose some weight and get healthier (isn't that the resolution for 90% of people EVERY year - OIY).  Anyway, I've decided that my whole family would benefit from the effort (not so much on the losing weight part but definitely on eating better and being more active).  I'm very proud to report that Andy has lost 36 lbs and I've lost 15 lbs so far.  It is going a little slower than I'd like for myself but I figure the weight gain took 7 years and definitely won't take that long to lose so I'm happy.  Andy and I are working together to train to do a small marathon before next year when I turn 40 - YIKES!
I said all of that to say that we didn't buy any chocolate at all for the boys this year for Easter so I took extra time to try to make them each a card that they would like.  (You'll see my cards for the boys tomorrow) but I made this one today for Bean (Jacob), Peeper (Eli), and Bunny Toes (Benjamin) to give to Sugar Bear (Isaiah) LOL for Easter.  I think Isaiah will like it.  He's planned a sleep over tonight for his little brothers in his bedroom.
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Happy Easter to you and yours.  May this season bring a renewed sense of joy, hope & thankfulness. Pin It

Delight in Simple Things

The Prettie Girls had Secret Santas this year and I received this great stamp from Lockhart.  I've admired cards with it by Debbie Olson and Michelle Wooderson and I've wanted it for some time.  Can you believe just now - almost 4 months after Christmas I'm finally getting a chance to use it - OIY!
Anyway, I had fun putting this little card together.
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I used my nesties and these super cute cherry embellies from Heidi Swapp.  The buttons are from SU as is all the c/s and dp!!
Take time today to delight in something simple - you might be surprised at how happy it makes your heart! Pin It

They Wanted Simple...

so simple is what they got!  I was asked (and pleased to be asked) to make some invitations for an Emergency Services BBQ.  They asked that the invitations be simple and casual with no folds so that they could be posted on bulletin boards.  Here is what I came up with:
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Here is a close up:
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I ended up making them in several different colors which I kind of liked.  All of the c/s is from SU as is the printed paper that my sweet friend Jessie sent me for a Christmas treat!  I managed to find some pretty ribbon to match and I got to use up some of my many eyelets & voila!  The main page of the card was printed on the computer.  They are very happy with how they turned out so I'm happy too. Pin It

Are you going?

to the Paper Pretties release party tonight?  Stamping in Your Jammies is always alot of fun.  We giggle and stamp and visit and shop for about 2 hours in the Paper Pretties forum.  We announce a new cutie pie and give away some prizes!  Here is a sneak peak of one of the sets we'll be releasing tonight called Right on Par.  Its a great set for Father's day, a man's birthday or a get well card for a man.
IMG_6156 Hope to see you tonight at 7pm EST!  Pin It

Easter's Coming...

whether spring is or not - LOL!  I purchased this cute little flower set from Technique Tuesday quite some time ago and haven't had a chance to use it yet.  I thought this was so cute paired with the MS fence and bunny punches.
IMG_7134 The button is from the new Basic Grey Porcelain collection - I LOVE the colors in this collection; which is what I used for inspiration when I made this card.
I added a little fence to the inside of the card and used the Happy Spring sentiment from Paper Pretties, but afterwards, I thought that the Hippity Hop sentiment would have been cute too!
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For anyone out there who has kidlets that are fans of Franklin the turtle, you'll recognize the song we're singing at our house - "spriiiiiingtime, spring where are you, spriiiiiingtime, come on spring lets have some fun!"
Hope you have some springtime weather where ever you are! Pin It

MIA

Omgosh, I am so sorry I've been MIA!  It is totally crazy trying to live in a half packed house with 4 boys, no husband and people coming to view it all the time - AGH!!!!  We're still looking for a house in Kindersley - hmph!  My goal today was to clean off my desk and get a card made.  I've been itching to stamp but it seems other things take over my life sometimes.
I had this little image already colored so this was a pretty quick card but I like how it turned out and I wanted to share. 
IMG_7131 It is still soooo cold here, it is kind of depressing.  It seems like we have one really nice day to tease us that spring is coming and then its back to cold again.  It has been a long, cold winter here with lots of snow so my kiddos and myself are definitely ready for spring!  The cold is what inspired this card.  The image is of course, house mouse and the sentiment is from PTI.  A very simple layout but sweet nonetheless.
Hope you're cozy warm where ever you may be! Pin It

Hola Chica!

Here is Paper Pretties Stamp of the Month for April.  This little set - Hola Chica will be released for sale to the public on May 1st - just in time for Cinco de Mayo!  If you'd like to receive her in April, you can get all the deets on the Stamp of the Month club HERE
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This is a sketch Danielle used for a challenge at the beginning of February.  You can check out Danielle's challenges HERE.  btw - you can win prizes for participating in these challenges!  So what do you think of our cute new Sophia? Pin It

A Bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck...

I'm so excited for our new release on March 1st. Have you heard all the excitement? 
On Sunday March 1st, Paper Pretties will be having their monthly Stampin In Your Jammies party!! The party starts at 6pm CDT and will last until 9pm. We will be issuing a challenge every hour so be sure to come and play along!! Besides the challenges, chatter, and all around fun, we will also be releasing Bunny Hop Sophia to the public as well as a new stamp set!! We'll also be revealing our March stamp of the month!  Sneak peeks start today!!  Hope to see you there!!

Cutie Pie Contest:

Paper Pretties is having a release on the March 1st so that means it is time for another CUTIE PIE CONTEST!!! All you have to do to enter is upload a card you have made using Paper Pretties stamps to the Cutie Pie Contest gallery over at the Paper Pretties website. Entries must be in by no later than 8pmCST on February 28th to be considered for the prize. Besides getting to call yourself a CutiePie, you will also receive all the new stamps that are released on the 1st!! Good luck!!

Here's my sneak peek of a new set called Love You This Much:
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Make sure you visit these other Prettie Girls to see their amazing creations to get your creative juices flowing for this set!
 
 

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Love the Ones Who Love You

I received this email just a little while ago.  This afternoon I went to Kindersley to look at a home there for us.  I ended up at the hospital visiting Andy and Lindsay (a nurse I went to nursing school with who was a good friend of mine all through school).  She and Andy work together now.  We all visited and chuckled, I had no idea what was going on with any of the patients in the hospital today.
 
Throughout my nursing career I have seen many couples in rooms, one watching the person they love most  in the world pass away.  Everytime, it breaks my heart and while other nurses seem to explain it away as "they've had a long life together"  I could never really imagine how terribly painful it must be to lose the one with whom you've shared your whole life - good, bad, and ugly.
 
I think for most of us that are married, we are in the daily doldrums of life where one day blends into the next and we forget just how important that person we share our life with is.  I know for the last 9 months I have been more grateful for the wonderful, amazing husband I have been blessed with, maybe more than ever before.  I know for myself, NO ONE has ever loved me like Andy loves me. 
 
I know this is all pretty raw and transparent but I wanted to share the following message wtih you - Andy sent me this just a short while ago.  I think it drives home the point how important those people are in our lives and how important it is to show them - even in the doldrums of our everydays.  After all, it is our everydays that make our lifetimes, right?  I hope this blesses you and touches your heart as much as it has mine.
 
--- On Sun, 2/8/09, A Ortman  wrote:
From: A Ortman
Subject: Elmer Harris
To: "Christie Ortman"
Received: Sunday, February 8, 2009, 9:32 PM

Every single day for the last 7 weeks, Elmer's wife has pushed her walker from their home, where Elmer was the primary care giver for his wife because her legs were so weak.  Everyday she pushed her walker, with I am sure, great effort to come and sit with him and visit.  We would bring them supper so they could eat together in his little room.  Every night she would kiss him goodnight and walk home or get a ride from one of their children back to her home where her daughter would help her to bed.  Then she would wake up and come back in the morning.
Everytime we woud have to make a trip in the ambulance to see a doctor in the city, his wife would be there to see him off and be the first one to greet him when he returned.  She sat with him so much, for so many days that 2 days ago she ended up with major edema and sever cellulitis in her lower legs for which we put her into the hospital on large doses of antibiotics. 
Lindsay and I pushed a bed into Elmer's room and moved some stuff around so that she coul be in there with him, right beside him to hold his hand.  It was at that time that I promptly warned them that "it is summer camp rules only, no hanky panky Elmer".   So, there she was, legs elevated, head raised, one foot 6 inches shorter than the other (hence the problems walking), layig in bed next to her husband of 50 some odd years holding his hand.
At 7:30 pm this evening, Elmer Harris passed away holding his wife's hand with a room packed with family, so much family that we had to open another room. 
It is the most wonderful thing I have ever seen.
Though I don't always show it, I love you.
Andy Ortman



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