Thursday, February 28

Update

Unfortunately my mom's health is continuing to decline. She was admitted to the hospital last night because her liver has started to fail. She will stay there for a few days but the doctor says there isn't anything else they can do at this point. Ok anyway just wanted to give a quick update & hopefully make my post a little less depressing by sharing the card set I created for U Stamp...

Tuesday, February 26

New On Line Class From SU!!!

So here's the details....

The Basics (Download)
Item#133385 
 
Price: $14.95
Learn innovative ways to get the most out of your supplies (from stamps to the Big Shot) with clever tips and all the techniques you need to start creating with success.
Divided into six sections focused on a variety of topics, this class includes videos, step outs, and supply lists for 30+ projects. Join the fun!

Sunday, February 24

Ready for Stamp a Stack!

Well its been a heck of a week around here! My hubby has been in Florida since Monday & I can't wait to see him today! I want to thank you all those that have been praying for us. I know that's the only way I made it through the week alone. Plus I got all the SAS card samples done! The grace of God is so amazing! I have done them a little differently this time so my gals have lots more creative options! So we will have 5 different card choices but most of the cards have extra options on the designs.
Pinwheel
Birthday Flowers (Yellow Flower or Butterfly)
 

Ice Cream

Midnight & Crumb Cake (Flower, Butterfly, or Phonebooth)

Vintage Bicycle (Pink or Blue)
Class Details:
His & Hers Stamp a Stack
March 9th 11:30am **Will be RESCHEDULED
You will choose which cards & how many of each you want to stamp!
Class Fee: $30 for 15 cards Add an additional set of 5 cards for just $5!

RSVP & card choices due by March 1

*Please bring your adhesive, scissors, dimensionals, & liquid glue*

Friday, February 22

Thursday, February 21

Sunday, February 17

Paper Crafts


I got my March/April Paper Crafts magazine & there on page 77 was my card! It was so cool because along with my complimentary copy of the magazine they returned my card!
 

Thanks for taking a peek!

Friday, February 15

A Creative Mess!

First off I want to say THANK YOU to those of you that have left comments & prayed for us! I truly truly appreciate it. I know that prayer changes things & today was more confirmation of that. Today was pretty good for mom. We took her to the doctor & got the results of her blood work. One of the things that could be causing the dementia to be so bad is a bacteria in the instenstines so she will start on medications to treat that. There is hope for her over all condition to improve & I am so very grateful for that.
Anyway I had a chance to take a few photos today & wanted to share one.
I found some really fun tags at an antique store we stopped at yesterday & this one was my favorite.
I got the eye roll from hubby but I loved the saying. LOL!
Hope you have a great weekend!

Thursday, February 14

Best Ever!!

I had to share a bit. First off the last few weeks since my mom got sick have been extremely hard for us. From her condition she has started to develop dementia & it is so difficult to watch & makes caring for her even more difficult. Before she went in to the hospital she was sharp as a tack, now with in a few weeks she can't even remember how to dial a number on the phone. Yesterday we gave her some pastries to give to a friend she was going to be seeing & when she came home she gave the pastries to my girls & told them her friend had given them to her for them. The other day she caught something on fire trying to make eggs while I was in the shower. Luckily #2 was quick to act & no damage was done. She isn't eating much, having difficulty walking, falling, hallucinating, etc. As I said before it's been a roller coaster. I have developed stress related pain & stomach problems plus struggling with depression. I keep reminding myself that God will not put more on me than I can bear but at times it does feel like I just can't take anything else. I know that the Lord is my strength & He will always give me the grace to make it through but I'm just being honest about my feelings. Aside from dealing with mom I still have hubby, kids, homeschooling, housework, 2 businesses (SU & Pampered Chef), ....yeah so you get the picture. I am not complaining I am just telling you all this so you can understand how much what I am about to share means to me. Yesterday was one of the really bad days around here. So last night at 12:01 my hubby, who has been AMAZING through all of this, hands me a cute Starbucks card & says Happy Valentines Day! Aw so sweet right?! Then he says there is something else & points to the dining room, I'm thinking maybe he got me flowers or something so I go out & see this...
I seriously was breathless & speechless for a moment. Which NEVER happens!!! I know some of you may not "get it" but I have wanted one of these typewriters FOREVER! As you may or may not know I absolutely LOVE vintage things especially when I can use them in my photography or to display my cards. This was #1 on my list of things I would love to own someday but since you can't just run down & pick one up at Target or any old yard sale it has always been kind of just a dream of mine. So when I saw it sitting there it was...THE. BEST. GIFT. EVER!!! The fact that he just didn't get a card or flowers, which don't get me wrong, I would have totally appreciated but he thought so far beyond that. I know God is ultimately responsible for all of this & because my hubby is my angel here on earth he used him to give me one of the "desires of my heart" as the bible says. There aren't many tangible items that move from the "I want" category to a true desire of my heart but this for some reason was one of them. It was truly God showing me not only how immensly my husband loves & cares for me but how much He does too! Today was also pretty great. I got to spend the day out with my sweetheart & all 4 of our daughters! Anyway I just had to share that. I hope that if you are going through a difficult time that you will be reminded that through it all God loves you & he will bring you through. He is always faithful & has our best interest at heart even when we don't understand why things are going the way they are.
Ok before I go, here is the first card I got to photograph along side my beauty...
I made this card a couple weeks ago, actually the stamped image panel is a left over from the last swap I did. I added the adorable tiny hot air balloon from the Collage Curios set & the antique brad plus hand cut the black matting down a bit. The rest just came together as I went. I didn't have a clear vision when I started I just didn't want to waste the extra stamped image. Anyway it was the perfect card for this photograph!
Thanks for stopping by & hanging in there while I shared. Until next time...Hugs~ Mercedes

Wednesday, February 13

Quick Cards

Well it's still a roller coaster ride over here so I haven't been able to post as often as I'd like but anyway I'm here now...I have a couple of very quick & simple cards to share since that's all I have time to make these days. The first one I made with the Best of 25 special edition set Best of Birthdays! I love cupcakes so I just had to have this stamp.
 
The next one was a simple card with a vintage feel. I paired the SAB Vintage Verses & Established Elegance.
Thanks for stopping by! Hope your day is blessed! 
Until next time...=)

Tuesday, February 5

Finally a Card!


Well I feel like I haven't shared something I've made in forever! Not because I haven't been busy creating but because most of what I have created has been for the new round of U Stamp so it has to stay under wraps until it goes public over there. Oh yeah before I forget to tell you the huge news....Karen Burniston, creator of the Pop n Cuts die, will be one of the guest designers in this round of U Stamp! SQUEEL!!! I can't wait to see what she creates! 


Anyway last night I was playing with the beautiful products from the Spring mini & this card was born! It's a lot different than I had originally imagined but sometimes that works out for the best...
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Print Poetry DSP Stack! Hopefully I will have more time to play with it because the patterns & colors just really inspire me. So I used the patterns to guide my stamp set decisions & kind of mimic the style of the DSP. Stamps I used: Secret Garden (flower), Vintage Verses (swirly), Memorable Moments (sentiment). I think it all worked very well together. Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you're inspired to take a peek at the Print Poetry DSP & get crafty!

Sunday, February 3

New Pop n Cuts Dies!

Just wanted to share a great video by Karen Burniston, designer of the new SU Pop n Cuts dies!

Friday, February 1

Checkin' In

I have been performing my juggling & high wire act in the Weber family circus again! Not literally of course but that's what it feels like. I need a VACATION!
Anyway...I wanted to pop in & share a little. 
#4 had a great time at Chuck E Cheese. I decided since they were having a birthday party over the weekend that I would make a cake instead of ordering one. Lets just say I was reminded why I don't make cakes. LOL! It tasted fine but it was NOT pretty. Ok on to the party details. Since #2 & #3 have their birthdays so close to Christmas doing a big party in December usually doesn't happen so this year we decided to have one party for all of them in January. They had a blast! But I was absolutely worn out by the end of it. Whew! I haven't been that exhausted & had so many body parts hurt at once in a looong time. They are totally My Little Pony fanatics so that was the party theme. Of course the local party stores could not make my life easier & stock such items...but we did find some stuff on the internet & we did a little DIY stuff. The girls had some stickers & I found some really cute blank cupcake picks that happened to fit my 1" circle punch perfectly so we punched out some of the stickers & made these...
The cake was so yummy! It was white cake with fresh strawberries inside & whip cream icing. Mmmmm! I found the plastic pony decor on line & popped it on top of the cake. I wish I had taken more pictures but I was running around like a crazy person the whole time. 
One of highlights for the girls was the face painter! Yes #4 got Spiderman! Another of her favorites! Weird because she has never seen any Spiderman cartoons or anything but she is currently refusing to take off her Spiderman pajamas that we bought yesterday at Old Navy. Everyday she pretends to be a different character which ranges from Rainbow Dash, Simba, Baby Bear, Spiderman, Puppy, & a few others. And watch out if you call her by the wrong name, sheesh!

 #2 got a pretty butterfly & #3 got the 49ers logo, she is a big football fan! Anyway enough about the fam how about some super fun NEW RUBBER!!!! SU just released 2 new stamps sets! I am totally drooling over the Sent With Love set! OMGosh can't you just imagine sending your bestie a super cute card & stamping the envelope with the adorable "Please Deliver To"!!!  And this set has matching DSP...Yes, Please!
Click!
The second new release is the February Best of 25 Years set! Just in case you missed the January set, its still available! Click Here
Click!

Ok I guess that's all I have going on for now but I will be back soon with some new cards!
Hope your weekend is great!