Small Tag Book

At the StampScrapArt Tour in Mesquite, Texas in 2008 we made this tag book from Mrs. O'Leary's/Artfull Illusions-I believe that's the one. We stamped, punched, used decorative papers, clips and collage pics to make a small tag book. This is the front.

The back.

Inside front cover with folder made with decorative paper.

Page inside folder and ribbon run through holes to attach them.

Inside back cover with small tag and clip.

The night before the convention a MakeIt and TakeIt Project night is held with a dessert party that is such fun. You roam from one table to the next making projects-about 10 I think-from different vendors and then have more desserts than you should have to choose from. My bud, Jimmie, and I have gone two times and haven't been disappointed with the Friday night projects or the convention.

Here are some I've done this year and never gotten around to posting.

This is a notepad holder covered with decorative paper and ribbon for the binding-white velvet/plastic back kind. I used Lumiere paint and Glimmer Mist to paint the ribbon-worked beautifully and makes a great binding. I added metal corners, stickers, lace trims and other embellishments.


I used the same technique of decorative paper and the ribbon painted and spritzed for this book. I also added word charms, trims,stickers and stamps to complete and give for a workshop friend's birthday.

A favortie image to color for a 'boy' card-this time a big boy, my SU demo's husband, Don. I stamped this image years ago at my bud, Jimmie's, house. I used Prismacolor pencils to color the image and Marvy ink pads to stipple the sky.

Say hello to 'Daisy' who is made up of parts of several stamps, a tag stamp for her body, the head from another stamp and the arms and legs from another. She is wearing metallic tights and rhinestone embellished ankle boots!

And always one of my favorites, a lily colored with Prismacolor pencils, plain and simple layered onto Bazzill cardstock.

Had to make a sympathy card and those are the hardest. These images are from CC Rubber Stamps, stamped with Versafine Sepia and colored with Prismacolor pencils. The background was done with a template and Marvy ink pads and stipple brushes.

New cards and things

These were done at a recent workshop and made with a couple of different punches from SU and the 'Top Note' die.The turkey has a little window dome for the 'body' to put the corn in and the 'wiggle' eyes'.

This is a Christmas card using the 'Top Note' die, I love the colors on this one.

This one is not completed until you take the 'glow-in-the-dark' bracelet, make it 'glow' and add underneath the first layer of the jack o'latern to make his face glow. It's a box for candy to be put into-cute idea, thanks Valerie for all the good ideas and making me do 'cute' things!

Card for fall, using SU wheel, ribbon, punches and woodburning.

How appropriate for the cold and flu season, the 'body' is a petal from a floral stamp set and notice the 'tissue' coming out of the box at the bottom!

This was done in hopes of entering the contest at Blockhead Stamps recently-when I read the fine print it said that only 10% could be other than stamped images of theirs-I did 10% stamp and the rest 'other' stuff so I didn't enter it. I used many different things including grunge board, metal charms, mini puzzle pieces, paper napkins, stickers and some stamps.

I'm finally getting back into wanting to stamp and be creative after a year and a half of barely thinking about it, it sure feels good to be back at it!

Couldn't Find Paul Bunyon or a Blue Ox

Twenty years ago we moved here to the WOODS and I begged, pleaded, asked, stomped my foot to have some of the trees cut. Chuck said "No, they are my trees and I want them." For many years this went on, me asking to have some of them cut, he always said "No, they are my trees and I won't cut them."
About 4 years ago a breezy lady came through by the name of Katrina-remember her? Chuck sat up as long as he could and at times used the 'fireman's flashlight' to watch the trees BEND in the breeze. That's when he started wanting the trees cut-worry wart.
The next storm came through about a week later-same old thing-he wants the trees cut, they will fall on the house and that was a BIG possibility. We were lucky so far. At that point it was 16 years and no trees-well one had frozen one year and the top dropped out and fell on the tailgate of a truck we had just bought for Loren, but nothing onto the house. Oh, wait, another ice storm and a limb went into the overhang.
Over time a limb would sometimes fall on the power line and pull it a bit out from the house but hey, things happen.
Then last year at the first of September WHAM!!! Gustav came over to our house and huffed and puffed and blew down a bunch of trees-way in the back. Several pine trees and 5 huge old oak trees.

This is one of the oaks after Chuck and his friend, Johnny, had gotten it to a manageable size, kind of. Nothing near the house, safe, sound, no power for 8 HOT, HUMID, HOT, SULTRY, HOT DAYS AND HOT NIGHTS. NO POWER. We weren't suffering as some, we had generators running 2 tv's -we don't watch the same programs-the computer, coffee pot, refrigerator, freezer and the sump pump to keep the toilets in working order. We even borrowed a small window airconditioner for the bedroom at night. We didn't suffer, we just didn't like it. I don't do camping and this was as close as it gets for me.
The next week, the next storm, Ike this time, nothing to write home about.
Anyway, Chuck has been talking about cutting the trees all around the house since then. I've gotten used to them and if they are going to fall, they are going to fall. We are now in the process of having the trees cut, hauled away, limbs bunched up to burn, stumps to be ground, YARD WORK TO BE DONE! It looks like what you saw in the papers and pictures after Mount St. Helens exploded in Washington state several years back-devastating. We have light coming in from places it never got to before, my curtains aren't nearly thick enough to keep out the glare-they have to be closed now during the day-whoever heard of such. This is a house that for the first 15+ years we didn't have curtains except in the bedrooms, didn't need them. Well, you need them now and they will probably have to be lined-I think my rug in the breakfast room has already started to fade!
Take a look starting at the before-the house is up in there, trust me. You had to follow the winding drive about 100 yards to the house. Oh, and when backing out of the carport there were enough trees for guideposts to let you know how far to go, how far not to go and were not easily bruised if you bumped them lightly when you didn't exactly pay attention.These trees were my guideposts for backing out of the carport and getting to the driveway. Now there are garbage cans sitting there to give me somehthing to shoot for! Stumps and the Mercedes don't go well together.

From the carport looking toward the front yard. Notice the birdfeeder surrounding by all the trees that the squirrels and birds could have nice restful places to dine-not so much anymore-a lone birdfeeder.






Rudy is surveying his domain, and it is his, he lets us care for him and his area and we try our best to keep him happy-it's only right, he owns us completely.

This is the back yard. We have a plum tree now, it's in the bottom left corner with the skinny trunk.

The guys have been working for about 2 weeks and they are down to this or should I say a picture is worth a thousand words. Can you believe it???





The back yard. The bright green in the mid left side is the plum tree mentioned before-it gives off a lot of shade!

From the fence before the driveway looking toward the
backyard.


More of the backyard-from the bedroom end of the house. Ah, a better picture of the shade tree, aka plum tree, it's a beauty.

It is not the same, but it will get better-I keep telling myself that. Lots of work on our end when the workmen are done and that's a few days away. Oh, and we have to have the phone company come back out and put in a permanent line and bury it. The second or third day we had no phone until the next day-it was pulled from the box. Now we have a lovely orange cord running from the corner of the fence, down the ditch, up the driveway across the yard and around to the side of the house. It can easily be spliced together then taped and we are back in business. Done that a couple of times, no problems.
That's what we've done for part of August and into September, what about y'all?

It All Started...

...on June 3, 1944 in a double wedding with best friends, Bettie Ann and Casey and Charles and Jane, later to be known as Jeff and Peep, getting married at Trinity Methodist Church in Sumter, South Carolina-Peep's home church. They were blessed with 4 children, daughter, Jane, and sons, Chuck, Wayne and John. Then you have 11 grandchildren, 18 great grandchildren and 1 great, great grandchild. Luck has really been with them.
Ashley Claire, my daughter, and I hosted a party for Peep and Jeff's 65 years, 1 month and 29 day anniversary at Ash and Jude's house. They have a wonderful house and 'outdoor kitchen' to entertain in with a large inside space with full facilities and a covered outdoor area with plenty of tables and swings and comfy seating. There is also a pool but no one wanted to swim. (It's not an 'outdoor' kitchen, just what they call their entertainment area and where they watch football when not attending the games of their favorite team-New Orleans Saints).
Family and close friends came and enjoyed much laughter, great conversation, entertainment by the boys-Chuck, Wayne and John telling tales of growing up and their escapades-and some fabulous food.
It was an honor and privilege to help do this for two exceptional people, ones I truly treasure.


Peep and Jeff-Jane and Charles-the reason for the celebration.

The invitation for the party-address and phone numbers have been deleted for this entry.

Let's get this party started-dips, chips, relish tray, snacks-many delicious things got the party started.

John-the youngest, Chuck, who is mine and the oldest boy, and Wayne-the middle boy having tasty snacks and stories.

Jimmie, Angie and Peep chatting and catching up.

Ashley Claire and Jude listening to many conversations at once, Wayne to the side involved in another chat.

Enormous pretzels and small mints were the first gift opened from daughter and son-in-law who didn't attend.

The Waterford basket in motion from Jimmie.

...a Waterford picture frame from Ashley, Jude and LolaMae.

...even more Waterford in motion from Chuck and I. We just hope she puts these pieces to good use and doesn't just 'wave' them around.

Outside with tasty brisket, chicken, sausage, beans, rice dressing, potato salad, slaw and buttery garlic bread-YUM! Near table is Wayne, John, Jimmie, and Abby. The back table you can see Angie, Jeff, and Chuck. No tablecloths and the candles weren't lit-too much wind, but white tablecloths, small blue candleholders, white candles, and blue beads had been set out on the tables and the chairs accented with blue bows. We had tried to add sapphire blue streamers but the wind was just too much, the thought was there!

'Jeff, Jeff, come sit down and see this beautiful cake.'

'Wait, I'm getting hugs from LolaMae.'

The Happy Couple

Sitting pretty-telling something very important to all.

Peep's version of 'getting intimate'-her words not mine! This is one funny lady.

telling even more stories

Party place! Outdoor kitchen cover in background.

LolaMae and her party dress.

Catching up on 'news' -Jimmie, Angie and Peep with Chuck standing in the background.

This is another granddaughter, Abby, who belongs to John who came to the party but couldn't bring her 3 children. I believe she had been listening to Peep, Angie, and Jimmie telling tales here and then was nearby for the gifts.

Party favors-fans decorated with ribbons, wedding cake charms, words of inspiration to help with the extreme heat and humidity. Hand-decorated candy boxes filled with Godiva chocolates and the second of the pair of doves-candy doesn't need to have a reason to be there and Godiva chocolates never need a reason for anything!