Meet my new best friend!

In the last 2 weeks, I have had to prep over 300 cards. It's a ridiculously huge number. I have used all most every sheet of white and vanilla cardstock I own. The only thing keeping me from going insane this whole time is my new SU table top paper trimmer. I love it. Rumour has it that it is made by Tonic for SU.
There is a slight learning curve to the thing. The trick is to nicely slice with a downward motion, and not to push the arm down. You can, and this is my saving grace, cut 3 sheets of cardstock at one time. And it can cut the thinnest piece off the edge of your paper. Teeny tiny little strips that you can tie in knots, or line Easter baskets with.

I don't know where I will get the trimmer sharpened, nor do I care right now. I was going through more than a blade a month with my Fiskars trimmer, more than 2 sometimes. They really aren't meant for all that cutting. They don't stay sharp for long. So, I figured with the money I was spending on blades, I could afford to buy this baby. So far, it's more than paid for itself.
The one thing I dislike is that the measurements on the bottom edge are inches in tenths, not 8ths. Is that not weird? Took me days to realize this. And even then I had to get Kerry to come in and count the lines for me because of my head cold. I just couldn't believe what I was seeing.

No Spiders were hurt, yet.

The picture of the spider in the glass was taken awhile ago. I was home alone and had to handle it on my own. After I finished hyperventalating, I managed to catch it with the glass. I was reading my CK mag and used the subscription thing to hold the spider in the glass so I could flip the glass and set him free outside. And of course I had to take a picture. It was a big day for me.

And there is a black widow in a jar outside. She's probably going to starve to death. But if someone wants her, they can have her.

Grossed out!

Again with the lost posts. I get everything all typed in and then for some reason Shaw cuts out and I lose everything. Thought I was being sneaky buy saving as a draft, but that's gone too.

Monday night I had a Stamper's group here. As the last woman comes in she says "Did you know you have a big spider on your screen door? It looks like a black widow." It was the biggest one I had ever seen. I joked and said it was a Halloween decoration but secretly I was freaked out and glad it hadn't landed on me. Kerry took care of it and put it in a jar for whatever reason.

Soooo...last night we are laying in bed and I ask "How did you get the spider off the screen door?" With all the metal flourish thingies, I figured it must have been a challenge.
He says "With tweezers."
WHAT? "What tweezers?"
"The ones in the bathroom."
And just like that...bushy brows are back in style at my house!

He says he cleaned them. I asked "With bleach, soap and water?" He didn't say so I am thinking he used a Kleenex. He knows I am terrified of spiders, hate them with their beady eyes, long legs and hairy bodies. They are so sneaky. Now I could have spider hairs, spider germs, spider guts or spider eggs on my tweezers.

Kerry doesn't even have to be home to get my goat. I found evidence of him using my drill press yesterday, for metal! He must have drilled a hole in a bike part. He left metal shavings all over the place. He says no one uses it any way so what difference does it make if it's not the right drill bit?

So with my tweezers being used for spider removal, my drill press bits being abused and the fact that the coffee fairy didn't come to my house this morning to leave my nectar, I told him I was going to use his bike as a snow shovel this winter.

I better buy a lock for my stamping room! He might try to stamp a spider to death or worse!

Getting Old.

So, I tried to post once already and it got lost.
I noted today that as a grown-up, I can't colour all day and not expect to feel it the next day. My left wrist is killing me! Either I start colouring daily to get used to it, or I get the kids to do it for me. Boy, I would hate to have to take something just so I could do something that is supposed to bring out the kid in me!

I had a nice lunch with A. She's made some beautiful cards to sell. Very talented! She talked me into buying 1000 plastic bags for my cards. I was worried I wouldn't have the storage space but really it was more the fear of being labled weird for having 1000 of anything.
I took lots of pictures of my cards today. They are so much easier to photograph than children and pets. No treats needed. No bribing. Not many blurry picture, if there are, it's because I moved. Probably because I couldn't hold the camera steady with my bum wrist.


The green snowflake card is cased from Linley, I think that's who made the original. I saw it at Non-Regionals and loved it! So I had to make a few with a few changes. Notice the twinkly sparkles. It was really hard to photograph so that the sparkle actually showed up. So notice it already!
The JOY frame is straight from an issue of my Stampin' Up magazine. The BEST BUDS card is my own little brain working at it's best. I'm so about the sparkle the last couple days. The scrapbook page I designed for the make-n-take at Non-Regionals.

Kerry says the chili and garlic toast from Tim Horton's was good. It looked good and smelled good, but I was saving myself for lunch with Audrey. Did I mention we got a discount at Triple O's?

Stamp nazi!

Boy, did I ever feel like the Stamp nazi today. I had a group of ladies over to make4 Christmas cards. They did great, they were done in 2 hours. I figured they might take 3 hours. The first card took almost 45 minutes but they got faster after I cracked the whip. Poor things. I bet they all had to have a nap after. I probably scared them off, inky and covered in glitter.

I have 8 more coming tonight for their first stamping club. We're doing Halloween cards, again. I've got the 2 sets, I've got to use them! I'll try to be better behaved.

I tried my hand at watercolouring my Booglie Eyes set with my watercolour crayons and Aquapainter last night and really impressed myself and Kerry, but then again, I think he says things just to get out of the craft room fast. "Yup, looks good!" But he's probably thinking "What are you doing making dozens of Halloween cards? Please don't make me take them to work to hand out." I did think of giving him the Frankenstien one for his co-worker, Frank.

The cards in the picture are coloured with Gamsol and Prismacolour pencil crayons. I love that spider!

Drum Roll Please...

The winner is Audrey with her guess of Kasagui Gardens. If you haven't been there, go. It's a hidden jewel in the middle of downtown Kelowna. Take your camera and your kids, the leaves are turning. Just behind the museum, go there too, and city hall, don't go there. I will have something special for you when I see you this week, Audrey!

I had a great day at the SU Non-Regionals today. It's put on by a group of local gals. They do such an awesome job organizing the event. About 30 local, and some not so local, demos attended. There are so many talented people out there! I have many new things I need to try. And as a special thank you for helping with the make-n-takes today, I got a Patstamps Technique Junkie Newsletter CD! Watch for new things from me! Oh, how I wish I wasn't sick. I'd be stamping up a storm right now.

I must get rid of this nasty head cold. I have such a busy week ahead. I still have to get all the cardstock cut and organized, but that's the easy part. The hard part will be trying to look like I know what I am doing with my runny nose and watery eyes, and the sneezes, I won't describe them.

I got my hair cut this week, I just wish Nancy would stop cutting off all the coloured hairs. She leaves me with the little white hairs, which stand out like sore thumbs on my head! That's the price to pay for short hair I guess.

Who knew?

I guess I need to be more specific about my little contest.
Name the place (hint: park in Kelowna) where the picture of my daughter Emily was taken(she's the one in the picture dressed as a cat) .

OH HAPPY DAY!!!

Scrap the list of what I planned to do, my CK magazine just arrived and it's so thick.

Still making cards...

I'm trying something new...
Be the first to tell me where Emily the Cat is sitting and get a little prize.

I spent most of yesterday planning workshops, cutting and designing cards, and getting caught up on my recorded shows. If you haven't seen or heard about SU's new table top paper cutter, come and check mine out. It's super! It can cut the tiniest piece off the edge of your paper. It can cut 3 pieces of cardstock at one time. It does take a bit of getting used to but makes things go so much faster. Very glad to have spent the money. Much better investment than the Accucut.

In the next 10 days I have 6 workshops. As of Oct. 15, SU has a promo for $40 off the price of the demo starter kit, any takers? Not that I am complaining about being so busy, I really wish things were spread out through out the month more. And I can't complain about the money or the free stamps.

I am missing the crop at Memories and More this weekend because I am going to the SU Non-Regionals on Saturday. There will be at least 30 people attending and we always have a great time. I come home feeling very motivated, creative and tired. It's a full day of stamping, mingling and learning. This year I have to demo a 6x6 page infront of my peers and I have a head cold. I should probably do up notes today.

Plans for today...
cut more cards
do notes for 6x6
haircut
chauffer kids around(another 1/2 day, 2nd this week)
eat better
pay bills
blow nose at least 30 times
check mailbox for CK that I could have read 3 times already if I had bought it at the store instead of subscribing to it
maybe take library books back
pack stuff for tomorrow

OR
lay on the couch and watch Regis and Kelly, the View and Ellen before hair appointment
blow nose at least 30 times
pack stuff for tomorrow

Be on the lookout for ads for SU's new ribbon. Rickrack, velvet, sheer, pretty, pretty, pretty!

Today, I'm a Card Making Machine!

I have to get 30 cards done for the Non-Regionals swap this Saturday. Of course, I have left it to the last week to get them done. But after some duds, I finally decided on my card and got them almost finished today. I just have to put my labels on the back and will do that while Emily is it music lessons. I don't know why I always pick a labour intensive card to make for swaps, this one wasn't any different. Lots of cutting, lots of taping, lots of colouring. I do love how the Designer Series Patterned Paper from SU! matches the cardstock.

I am also working on some cards to sell at craft sales and this isn't going as well as planned.

I realized that I didn't take any Birthday Boy pictures this weekend. So I will force Shaun to pose for some nice shots this week. Should be fun. Not.

Today's blog is dedicated to a very special Librarian!

Gobble til you Wobble!!!

I got my camera back this week! I'm so happy to be reunited with it. The whole lens mechanism got replaced so now it works like new. I had great customer service from Visions!

I have taken pictures of so many things in the last couple of days. Like pies, Sally, altered books, and cards.

I made a couple of pies today. We have been invited to my parents for dinner tonight, I will take the lemon meringue with us. And we are so lucky to be going to the Wallman's for dinner tomorrow night, with our pumpkin pie.

I am so loving one layered cards right now. I can stamp an image right on the white card base, colour it, add some glitter and presto and very simple, yet very nice card!



And of course, no fall would be complete with out pictures of Sally. Only this year, we missed the Virginia Creeper tuning red so we had to settle for slightly brown.

I hope everyone is having a great Thankgiving long weekend!