Opinions needed.

So I made this card and then I decided to add a ribbon to it and now I can’t decide which way I like it better.

Tell me what you think in the comments please!

Ribbon or no ribbon?

Go Illini.

I really hate to disappoint my fans (Hi Connie & Sandie!) who read my story about my wonderful ordeal at the Illini game in 2007, but this year I really don’t think I’ll be able to amuse you.  Yes, there were ramps to walk up again, and yes I lagged WAY behind my husband and daughter, but since we weren’t late we weren’t in such a big hurry so my hubby didn’t feel the need to hold my hand and run up the ramps dragging me behind him!  But damn, have these people never heard of ELEVATORS?  When the stadium is sold out there are like 40,000+ people there, maybe SOMEONE would like an elevator, ya know!?!

Anyway, I made it to the seats, which thank God were not as high up as before, and I was feelin’ pretty good.  That must mean I’m in better shape than a year ago, right?  Well, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it so shut up.  Summer was VERY excited about going to the game and seeing a football game that normally is watched on TV, and she got into the spirit by doing this…

Hubby’s company had a huge tent set up before the game with catered food, a band, bounce houses for the kids, a clown doing balloon animals and face painting.  Summer knew right away she wanted her face painted like this.  She thought she was too cool!  Except she drove me crazy by saying every 10 seconds (and I’m not even kidding) “Mom, is my paint coming off my face?”  And I’d have to say, “No, but if you don’t quit touching it, it WILL.”  :O

Last year we missed stuff that happens before the game (like the kickoff!), but this year we got there in time to see some cool stuff.  The band was performing out on the field and they did this.  How COOL is this?

See the thing I’ve circled in the photo below?  That’s a paratrooper from the U of I ROTC coming in for a landing.  There were 3 of them I think, but I could only get one of them in good enough focus and even this one’s not so great.  But it was pretty neat to see.

One of my favorite things is to see the cool stuff that the band does.  How those people play their instruments AND walk around spelling words and making designs just boggles my mind.  It is awesome!  They actually spell out I L L I N I at one point.

Here the players come, ready to kick some butt.  I was so disgusted with the Illini fans when the Indiana players came running out next and people in the stands were booing them.  So unprofessional and unsportsmanlike. 

The kickoff!

Yeah, you can see here she was real interested for about the first 30 minutes of the game!

Can you tell by this photo that my ass is FROZEN?

Really my only problem with this event, besides the COLD, was Summer asking every 5 minutes “When is it going to be halftime?” cause she knew the band would come out and do neat stuff again.  Then once it was halftime and that was over with, she started asking “When is it going to be over?” cause she was cold.  I told her she’d better enjoy her first football game because it was her last; I’m never taking her to one again!

Dear Sandie and Connie…

Just wanted to tell you girls that I am traveling to Champaign today to see the Illini football game.  I remembered that just about this time last year you were so thoroughly amused at my “ordeal” at the first football game I attended that you had to call me laughing to tell me how much you enjoyed it.  In case you need a refresher, you can read about it again here.  Hopefully this year things will be a bit easier.  Except for the fact that the game doesn’t start until 7 p.m. and I’ll be freezing my ass off.  Maybe I can amuse you tomorrow with reports about frostbite or something, who knows? 

Altered Autumn Candle + Altered Christmas Candle.

My aunt is such a big support to me and my scrapbooking business.  When she needed a gift for her fellow teacher (needed it RIGHT NOW but I rolled with it), instead of going and spending the $10 somewhere else she said she was thinking of a candle and I whipped up these instead for $5 each.  I’m going to make more for the holiday bazaar I’ll be at in a couple of weeks.

What do you think?  Would you pay $5 for these at a craft bazaar?

Sweet cards.

My fellow scrapper friend Thea and I have signed up to do a holiday bazaar in a few weeks, so we’re busy working on some things for our booth.  Right now I’m just thinking, “What was I thinking?”  Here are some cards I made.  I tried to not be elaborate and over the top because people in this area are not gonna pay $4 or $5 for a card.  And frankly if I wouldn’t pay it myself, I’m not going to ask someone else to do that! 

The little felt cupcakes come with the sequins on them in a package of 4 or 5 from Joann Fabrics and then I blinged them up a little with Stickles glue.  I am so loving that right now!

Sneak Peak #2

I would love to show you the rest, but it’s a project for a contest so this is all you get.  Come back at the end of the month for the rest of the photos. 

My Charity Girl

Back in May my little girl turned 8 years old.  She had a birthday party and asked all her little guests to bring food/toys/needed items for the dogs and cats at our local animal shelter.  That’s where I lost my mind last year and adopted 1-2-3 dogs, remember that?

Anyway, it took me 4 months of putting the box of goodies in the car, taking it out of the car, putting it back in the car, etc. but we FINALLY got it delivered to the animal shelter.  My motto is if I can’t be late, I just ain’t gonna do it.  Sadly, I’m not even joking.

Here she is at the animal shelter visiting with some kitties. 

She asked ahead of time to go look at the kitties and take one to play into their observation room, and PROMISED she would not ask me to bring one home so I agreed.  Of course, the second we walked into the kitty room and they all started purring and meowing and sticking out their little paws, I wanted to leave with every single one of them.  God, I hate that place. 

Then of course when we were leaving there was a big ole dog behind the receptionist counter and Summer was talking to it and the ladies invited her back there to see it.  I wanted to say HELL NO, cause that’s how we ended up adopting the second dog last year!   

This dog LOVED Summer.  I think the animals can just tell that she is an animal lover deep down to her soul.  This dog was very big but she was so gentle with Summer and was laying her head on Summer and lying down beside her and if Summer quit petting her she would nudge her hand to tell her she wasn’t done and she needed more petting! 

Summer’s dream when she grows up is to build and run a shelter for all kinds of animals and “I’ll never kill them, mom.  They can live there until they are adopted or they get old and die.”  In fact, it’s her dream to do it NOW.  She has asked her daddy to build a shelter in the backyard already for her.  I’m pretty sure that’s not gonna happen.

She was so proud to do something to help the animals.  And I was so proud of HER.

P.S.  She kept her promise and didn’t ask to adopt any animals!

P.S.S.  In case you did go back and read that post I wrote a year ago when I adopted the dogs, here’s some new photos of them from a few weeks ago.

Above is Ginger, the puppy.  Yes, really.

And here’s my pretty Sophie girl.  I tell ya, I am so in love with this dog.  She just got a hold of my heart that day in the shelter and has held onto it ever since.  She is the most loving and gentle creature I’ve ever owned.

Sneak Peak of what I’m up to now.

I get around :)

I made a new notecard set for a client of mine who hired me to do her retirement album (I’ll be showing that soon).  I stamped the flowers and then watered down some acrylic paints and painted the petals with it. 

 I’ve been trying to get some things I make featured on different websites and holiday guides to drum up more business and I’ve been “getting around” a bit. 

Here’s me on Cuteable.  She shows the above cards.  She’s featuring pink items since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  This blog is so cute!  She shows cute, neat little things that she has found online in shops or blogs.  I love it.

I also got myself into a holiday gift guide online at Paper Girl Productions.  I love her blog also.  She finds the coolest paper goods and cards and handmade things.  You can see the gift guide here and if you click on the “holiday gift guide” under the banner at the top and then the “whimsical” category, you’ll see my stick people cards!

Those same cards are in the Indie Public gift guide.  I’m on page 2 of the S section.  This is a website dedicated to artists who do handmade items.  There are some awesome things in here.  She had an early email go out to all the participants in it, and I immediately saw something I had to buy……so I did.  Hey, Abby, it matches my glasses!!   :)

An Angel’s Touch

A little over a year ago my cousin Johnny died at the age of 18, leaving behind my heartbroken aunt who’ll never be the same.  I wrote about that story here.  At the time of the visitation and funeral I made her an altered canvas with a photo of Johnny and some angel wings made from a transparency.  I didn’t know it at the time until a different aunt told me later that she had been wishing for some sort of sign that Johnny had gone to Heaven, and I had provided that for her with the angel canvas of him.  I was happy to have touched her in some way.

I tell you this to lead up to something else.  I was in Hallmark a few weeks ago (gotta go there to get the Webkinz, ya know?) and while Summer was browsing around I was looking at things also and I saw this.  It’s a gorgeous white “angel” feather.  It comes in a box tied with a beautiful bow and that glittery tinsel-like gold stuff and an angel charm tied to it.  And there’s this fantastic poem in the box also.  This photo here doesn’t show just how beautiful it is in real life.  My aunt’s birthday is next month and I intend to send her this.  I hope she likes it as much as I do.