Just Imagine/Kreaxions Reveal - Family Time

Today's post is my Just Imagine/Kreaxions reveal. These are pictures of my parents and youngest brother meeting my youngest grandson Garrett just days after his birth in September 2010.
Such special memories needed special elements. I pulled out my favorite Kreaxions Punch #311 with Template A and created the borders. Then I pulled out the Kreaxions Star Template and drew a star. I stamped the star with a Close to My Heart background stamp. As I prepared to cut out my star I saw my old shaped cutting scissors and thought “I wonder…..” I started cutting with the shaped scissors instead of regular ones and found I really liked the effect! Some added Dew Drops and a couple of stickers helped me create the perfect elements for these pages!

Materials – Cardstock – Bazzill; Patterned Papers – K & Company; Border Punch – Kreaxions #311; Shaped Scissors – Provo Craft; Photo Corners – Canson; Pen – Sharpie; Bling – Unknown; Stamps – CTMH; Inks – CTMH, Colorbox; Stickers – Melissa Francis
So I dare you to try something new with YOUR punches the next time you create! And be sure to check out the Just Imagine/Kreaxions blog every day for new inspiration! Happy Scrapping, Cardmaking and Punching!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!!

It's Christmas Eve and I'm SOOOOO EXCITED!!!!! My husband and I will be winging our way to Virginia later this evening where we will get to see all of my side of the family between now and January 3rd. We will greatly miss his sons and our granddaughter and foster grandson but we will get to see them later in the year and enjoy Skype and telephone conversations with them in the meantime.
Christmas is my favorite time of the year. It's when we celebrate the birth of Jesus or Saviour. It's the time when everyone lights up their homes and hearts with joy. It's the time when we're all thinking of someone else for just a little while. I've always loved it and it always makes me quite emotional. (I cry at sappy commercials you know...) LOL!
I just wanted to take this time and say THANK YOU to all of you who have been supportive of me this year. It's been a tough one and I have needed a lot of help this year. Scrapping and cardmaking and my online and real life friends have helped me get through it all... I don't know what I would have done without you!!!
And so, for now Steve and I and our little dog Baxter would like to wish you a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! And as you're celebrating, please remember that on Christmas Day we celebrate Jesus' birth! I know that many of you are not Christian, but on that one day we celebrate!
I hope that you and yours all have the HAPPIEST of Holiday Seasons and look forward to a FABULOUS 2012!!!!

Make A Simple But Beautiful Tag!

Oh my goodness how BUSY it's been these last few weeks! I had meant to post a couple more things here but life just got in the way...
I wanted to make sure I shared a couple of recent creations though. My BFF and my husband convinced me that I needed a few hours away at a crop so I spent Saturday night at a midnight crop. What FUN we had! I haven't done that since August and it felt really good! While there I was oogling some tags that the owner (Michelle McCosh of Everything Scrapbook and Stamps in Lake Worth, Florida) had made inspired by Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas. I was running out of time, but just HAD to make THIS tag!

It was SOOOOOOOOOO easy! You take a blank white tag and a blank piece of acetate. Pour 3 different shades of red Alcohol Inks over the acetate and swirl them around. Once the alcohol inks are dry, take a stamp and archival black ink and stamp on the BACK side of the acetate. When it's dry use some Glossy Accents to adhere the acetate to the tag. It dries clear so you won't see the glue! Then using the archival ink stamp the word "Believe" on the front of the tag. She had already die cut the wreath from embossed Grungeboard and I painted it and adhered it together. Add some pearls and a bow to finish your wreath. Then add a charm and some ribbon to the top of the tag and voila! You're DONE! Isn't it BEAUTIFUL???!!!
I hope you are inspired to make a couple of your own tags! Keep coming back because I'm hoping to share more ideas in the coming days!
Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!!!

Scrappin Chics Challenge Blog Reveal - Game Boy

Happy Boxer Day!!!!! I'm not too sure what this holiday is all about but I know it's an important one to many of my friends so I hope it's a great one! LOL!
Today I'm sharing some memories of last year's Christmas trip to Virginia. My Grandson Noah was bored at my parent's house and wanted to play games. So we dug out the old board games my brothers played when they were young. MAN were they old and dusty! One was a Fran Tarkenton Football game from the 1970s and from searching online for instructions we found that there's all kinds of people still playing the game and there's even a Facebook group! Who knew!
Anyway, I wanted to keep this page simple but it needed some character. I had the Kreaxions Snowflake Punch #312 in front of me and it created the perfect border! I used two-sided paper and replaced the punched snowflakes into the holes with the reverse side up. It was just the right touch! This is the last Scrappin Chics Challenge Blog reveal for the year. The next reveal will be January 1st! Don't forget if you do a layout for their challenge to use the uplink so you have a chance to win!

Materials – Sketch – Lisa Cole in Creating Keepsakes’ Scrapbook Idea Book Vol 8; Cardstock, Stamps, Ink – CTMH; Patterned Paper – CTMH, Unknown; Punched Border – Kreaxions #312 with Template A; Title Cut from Cricut using Cricut Classic Font; Stickles – Ranger; Metal Embellies – Making Memories; Pen – Omni Gel; Chipboard Element – Creative Imaginations

My Sketch World December Card Reveal

Lucy Chesna’s My Sketch World December Card sketch is amazing!!!

I have three very important family birthdays coming up so I decided to do three variations on this sketch! On all three cards I punched the flowers (Kreaxions #603 Lotus) and leaves (Kreaxions #602 Leaf). Then I used pens to enhance them a bit. A pop-dot lifting the flowers made them stand out just a bit and added a pearl to the center completed the look. Some of them also have Stickles added for extra oomph. Simple, quick and easy! And yet they're pretty enough to give to three pretty ladies (my daughter, my sister-in-law and my future daughter-in-law) on their special days! You can purchase these awesome Kreaxions punches at the Just Imagine Store... Check out their December specials!!!




Materials – Papers – GCD Studios, Kreaxions; Flower Punch – Kreaxions #603 Lotus; Leaf Punch – Kreaxions #602 Leaf; Heart Die Cut – Cricut using George font; Rubons – McCaul
Don't forget that starting next month I'll be offering RAKs for challenges!!! Keep checking here for updates!
Happy scrapping, punching and cardmaking!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Reveal Day!

Today's reveal is for both Just Imagine/Kreaxions and for Scrappin Chics Challenge Blog. I just LOVE to multi-task! :)
My husband and I got trapped at my daughter’s last Christmas under 3 feet of snow. Deciding to take full advantage and alleviate some of the cabin fever my husband taught us all how to make ice cream from snow! We’d never heard of such a thing! It was super YUMMY!
So when I decided to use Lucy Chesna’s My Sketch World December Layout Sketch for these pictures I knew just the border and punch that I wanted to use. The Kreaxions Circle Cutter was perfect for making the half circles – just place your cutter in line with the hole in the center and you’ve got two perfect halves! And using the same circle cutter and fellow Just Imagine/Kreaxions Design Team Member Bev’s instructions on how to make a scallop border, I created my border at the bottom. Only I made a mistake and drew my line on the FRONT of my paper! Oops!
So now I had to figure out a way to cover it up… The paper was double-sided and there sat the cut away piece from the border. I flipped it over and laid it on top of my mistake and no more mistake showing!!! So with one small tool (the AWESOME Kreaxions Circle Cutter) I created the border pieces and the half circles which are the main design elements on the page! So simple, quick and easy!

Materials – Sketch – Lucy Chesna; Cardstock – Bazzill; Patterned Paper – Echo Park; Stamps, Ink – CTMH; Stickers – Recollections, K & Company, EK Success; Shaped Brad - WRMK; Rhinestones – EK Success; Title Cut from Cricut using All Mixed Up Font; Stickles – Ranger; Scallop Borders made with Kreaxions Circle Cutter; Paper Clips – Recollections; Ink – Colorbox; Pens – Omni Gel, Sakura Gel Roll
I hope these creations are inspiring you to create your own projects!
Happy Scrapping, Cardmaking and Punching!

Inspired by Tim Holtz

Sorry I haven't posted since the winner's announcement! I have been scrapping but I can't share any of the pages yet. We got word the other day that the adoption of our foster grandson is imminent though and I can't WAIT to share the pages I've been creating about him!!!
I'm sure most of you have at least heard about Tim Holtz and his 12 Tags of Christmas. If you haven't and you like to play and get messy when you create, you simply MUST check out his blog! Tim Holtz 12 Tags of Christmas I was inspired by Tim Holtz’s 12 Tags of Christmas and decided to try my hand at some techniques he shares. (I used one of the 2008 ideas.) This is what I came up with. Not only is the technique messy, but you’ll have lots of items pulled out to create this card. But it’s fun and totally worth the clean up time!
Materials Needed – Glossy cardstock, several colors of alcohol inks, Adirondack Alcohol Blending Solution, large image stamp, embossing ink, black and white embossing powders, Kreaxions Punch #312, Kreaxions double-sided glitter paper, embellishments as desired.
1. Pour several colors of alcohol inks including at least one metallic color onto the Teflon sheet. I used Stream, Sail Boat Blue, Oregano, Silver Metallic and Pearl Metallic.
2. Add a few drops of blending solution to the mix.
3. Smear a piece of glossy cardstock on the mix and dry it.
Here is what I came up with -

4. Stamp an image with Jet Black Staz-On or Jet Black Archival Ink. Emboss with clear embossing powder.
Here's a partial view -

5. Cover a piece of chipboard or grungegoard with ink and dry.
6. Using Versamark or Ranger Embossing Ink, stamp part of your image onto your treated cardstock or grungeboard and emboss with white detail embossing powder.
7. If necessary outline with black embossing powder.

8. Cut a frame for your image.
9. Punch the center border on both sides of your paper and keep the cut away pieces. My piece was approximately 3¾“ wide. I used Kreaxions Punch #312 - I just used all of the pieces including the positive, negative and cutaway.
10. Place the center piece under the frame and the cut away pieces at the top and bottom of your card.

11. Add the embellishments as desired.


Here's another card using the same background...





I hope this puts you in the holiday spirit and inspires you to try your own Tim Holtz inspired cards!
Merry Christmas Everybody!!! Happy Holidays!!!

And the Winner Is.....

I want to thank all of you for your sweet comments and for stopping by this weekend!!! It was such fun to come and see what everyone thought of my layout!

I'm having serious computer issues this morning and finally got my laptop to work so I quickly ran the random generator and it picked #24 which is HEATHER from Ontario, Canada!!!!

Heather, I can't see how to contact you so if you'll please send me your email address I'll get that prize out to you ASAP! My email is gassgirl340@yahoo.com.

Thank you once again ladies for such a fun blog hop! Don't forget to stop back by here and see my new creations. I'll be posting some tomorrow! And don't forget to check the other blogs on the hop to see if you won!

Finally, remember the card blog hop is next weekend! Happy Scrapping, Happy Punching and Happy Cardmaking!!!

My Sketch World Layout Blog Hop!!!

Calling all layout sketch lovers! We’ve asked our designers to choose their favorite layout sketch and challenge their partner to show you ways to create fabulous layouts, each with their very own a twist!  Our international designers on this hop are:

My Sketch World 
Ann Jobes
Bev Code
Christa Uttley
Cindy Noesen
Deb Long
Ginni Gass YOU ARE HERE!
Joan Borgelt
Malin Rimby
My Sketch World 

The details:
1. Visit each blog and leave a comment. Read carefully, there may be individual requirements as some designers are offering little prizes of their own!
2. After you have visited each Designer's blog come back to My Sketch World blog and let us know what you thought. Part One of the hop ends Monday, December 5th, 11:59 EST.
3. Everyone who posts a comment on each blog will be entered to win! Winners will be randomly chosen.
4. To receive an additional entry, scraplift a layout and link it back to the My Sketch World blog (in your comment) and tell us what inspired you!
5. Have fun! Be inspired! Part Two of this hop begins December 10, 2011.

My blog hop partner was Deb Long. My twist was to add mists or paint. Here's the sketch she gave me -

I loved this sketch and the twist was right up my alley! So I used BOTH paint AND mists! The pictures are from Christmas Eve 2002 when we were at my parents’ house in Virginia for the holiday. It was the first white Christmas they’d had in over 30 years! I just love the effect the snowflakes had on the camera!

I used my Kreaxions Star Template and New Kreaxions Punch #312 to create my snowflakes. Then I used the Kreaxions Circle Cutter to cut out the center. I cut each snowflake in half and tucked them under the papers. They are sprayed with Glimmer Mist. I also used a stencil and Glimmer Mist to create the snowflake background paper at the top and bottom. The paint is a dauber paint that I used on the outside corners of my pictures to give them that ethereal effect. I used my circle cutter to create 1” circles which I cut in half for my scallops and cut the corners of my background paper with Kreaxions Punch #312 and Template C. I used all of the snowflake negatives for extra embellishments.
Materials – Cardstock – Bazzill; Patterned Paper – Die Cuts with a View; Title Die Cut – My Mind’s Eye; Sentiment - ; Rhinestones – Queen & Company, Reflections; Stickles – Ranger; Pen – Sakura Gel Roll; Ribbon – Offray; Sketch b Lucy Chesna; Circle Cutter, Punch - Kreaxions

And now for my RAK!!! I'm offering the following RAK to some lucky person who comments below AND becomes a follower (if you're not already). International participants receive a $3.00 credit towards shipping charges.

Happy Scrapping and Happy Blog Hopping!
Your next stop on this blog hop is Joan Borgelt

Scrappin Chics REVEAL DAY!

As you can see, December is quite a busy month for reveals! Today I'm revealing the first Scrappin Chics Challenge Blog creation. Be sure to check out the Scrappin Chics Blog and if you take on the challenge, use the links to post it so you can win the prize! This month's theme is Home for the Holidays. So my creations for this month will be pictures from last year when my husband and I visited my side of the family in Virginia...
This layout is a two-pager based on a Lucy Chesna Sketch. It's the same sketch as I used yesterday for the My Sketch World reveal but with different pictures and different papers for a completely different look!


Wanna know how I created the borders at the bottom? Check out my reveal on the Just Imagine/Kreaxions Blog on December 13. It's SUPER EASY and SUPER SIMPLE!
Happy Scrapping, Punching and Cardmaking!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!!

My Sketch World December Layout Reveal

Lucy Chesna from My Sketch World really outdid herself with this month's awesome two-page sketch! I loved it so much I created TWO layouts with it!!! Here's the most fabulous sketch -

My husband and I got trapped at my daughter’s last Christmas under 3 feet of snow. Deciding to take full advantage and alleviate some of the cabin fever my husband taught us all how to make ice cream from snow! We’d never heard of such a thing! It was super YUMMY!
So when I decided to use Lucy Chesna’s My Sketch World December Layout Sketch for these pictures I knew just the border and punch that I wanted to use. The Kreaxions Circle Cutter was perfect for making the half circles! And using the same circle cutter and fellow Just Imagine/Kreaxions DT Member Bev’s instructions on how to make a scallop border, I created my border at the bottom. Only I made a mistake and drew my line on the FRONT of my paper! Oops! So now I had to figure out a way to cover it up… The paper was double-sided and there sat the cut away piece from the border I’d just cut. I flipped it over and laid it on top of my mistake and no more mistake showing!!! So with one small tool (the AWESOME Kreaxions Circle Cutter) I created the border pieces and the half circles which are the main design elements on the page! So simple, quick and easy! You can purchase this tool here - Just Imagine Crafts Store

Materials – Sketch – Lucy Chesna; Cardstock – Bazzill; Patterned Paper – Echo Park; Stamps, Ink – CTMH; Stickers – Recollections, K & Company, EK Success; Shaped Brad - WRMK; Rhinestones – EK Success; Title Cut from Cricut using All Mixed Up Font; Stickles – Ranger; Scallop Borders made with Kreaxions Circle Cutter; Paper Clips – Recollections; Ink – Colorbox; Pens – Omni Gel, Sakura Gel Roll

I had originally wanted to use pictures of Garrett's first Christmas with this sketch but I just couldn't find any papers to work with the pictures and the sketch together. So I decided to use different pictures and ended up with the Snow Ice Cream layout which I love. As I was putting my things away after creating this layout, I suddenly realized I had forgotten about a huge pad of Christmas papers! I grabbed the papers, put them with Garrett's pictures and the next thing I knew I had a second layout based on this sketch! I KNEW it was perfect for the pictures! Here's the end result -


I hope you've enjoyed this month's installment of the My Sketch World layout sketch! Check back in the beginning of the new year for some fun announcements here! I'll be posting some challenges here and offering some RAKs in the coming months!!! So be sure you're a follower and be on the lookout for some scrappy, punchy and cardmaking fun soon!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!!

My Sketch World December Layout Reveal

Lucy Chesna from My Sketch World really outdid herself with this month's awesome two-page sketch! I loved it so much I created TWO layouts with it!!! Here's the most fabulous sketch -

My husband and I got trapped at my daughter’s last Christmas under 3 feet of snow. Deciding to take full advantage and alleviate some of the cabin fever my husband taught us all how to make ice cream from snow! We’d never heard of such a thing! It was super YUMMY!
So when I decided to use Lucy Chesna’s My Sketch World December Layout Sketch for these pictures I knew just the border and punch that I wanted to use. The Kreaxions Circle Cutter was perfect for making the half circles! And using the same circle cutter and fellow Just Imagine/Kreaxions DT Member Bev’s instructions on how to make a scallop border, I created my border at the bottom. Only I made a mistake and drew my line on the FRONT of my paper! Oops! So now I had to figure out a way to cover it up… The paper was double-sided and there sat the cut away piece from the border I’d just cut. I flipped it over and laid it on top of my mistake and no more mistake showing!!! So with one small tool (the AWESOME Kreaxions Circle Cutter) I created the border pieces and the half circles which are the main design elements on the page! So simple, quick and easy! You can purchase this tool here - Just Imagine Crafts Store

Materials – Sketch – Lucy Chesna; Cardstock – Bazzill; Patterned Paper – Echo Park; Stamps, Ink – CTMH; Stickers – Recollections, K & Company, EK Success; Shaped Brad - WRMK; Rhinestones – EK Success; Title Cut from Cricut using All Mixed Up Font; Stickles – Ranger; Scallop Borders made with Kreaxions Circle Cutter; Paper Clips – Recollections; Ink – Colorbox; Pens – Omni Gel, Sakura Gel Roll

I had originally wanted to use pictures of Garrett's first Christmas with this sketch but I just couldn't find any papers to work with the pictures and the sketch together. So I decided to use different pictures and ended up with the Snow Ice Cream layout which I love. As I was putting my things away after creating this layout, I suddenly realized I had forgotten about a huge pad of Christmas papers! I grabbed the papers, put them with Garrett's pictures and the next thing I knew I had a second layout based on this sketch! I KNEW it was perfect for the pictures! Here's the end result -


I hope you've enjoyed this month's installment of the My Sketch World layout sketch! Check back in the beginning of the new year for some fun announcements here! I'll be posting some challenges here and offering some RAKs in the coming months!!! So be sure you're a follower and be on the lookout for some scrappy, punchy and cardmaking fun soon!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!!

COMING SOON!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know I haven't been very consistent about posting here and I want to change that in the new year. So I am going to start offering monthly challenges and RAKs starting with the My Sketch World Blog Hop December 3-5!!! So be sure to check back on December 3rd and again January 1st to see what the challenge is, what you can win and all the details! Prizes range from simple RAKs to Kreaxions Circle Cutters! Merry Christmas everybody!!! :)
And in the meantime how about a few new projects I've been working on....
Some pictures from last year's Thanksgiving celebration here. I made the centerpiece with papers from Imaginesce.

These are some pages that will go into Garrett's album...



And now back to work! I'm trying to pre-schedule blog posts, get design team work finished and get all my Christmas projects finished so I'm pretty busy! I know you're busy too so I hope I've inspired you to do some creating of your own!
Remember to mark your calendars for the My Sketch World Blog Hop December 3-5!!! I'm offering a prize and so are many of the other DT members! Plus there's a prize from MSW too!
Happy Scrapping, Cardmaking and Punching!!!

My Sketch World Blog Hops!!!

Come and join us as the awesome layout and card design teams from My Sketch World offer prizes and share their fabulous work! I will be doing the LAYOUT blog hop from December 3rd to December 5th. Hope you'll join me! I have a fabulous RAK to give away!!!

4 in ONE - Kreaxions Punches ROCK!

This is a picture of our first fruits produced last year. Living in South Florida means we have opposite growing seasons from most of the country so our harvest time is in the spring. My husband and I planted a mango tree the first year we lived in this house. Ten years later it is HUGE and is producing the most delicious mangoes you’ve ever tasted! So that inspired him to grow more things. Two years ago my husband cut the top off a store-bought pineapple and stuck it in the ground “Just to see what will happen.” Within a year we had a huge gorgeous plant and we were quite happy. About 2 years into its growth we noticed a tiny little pineapple! It took almost a full year to grow to full size and this is the result! It was DELICIOUS!
So when I decided to do the layout using this picture I wanted simple elements to show off the fruits of my husband’s labors. Kreaxions 4-in-1 punches are perfect for those simple additions to your layout! I determined that I wanted to use all four of the variations of Punch #915 Verdana on this page. I used the punch without a template on the title block. Template A is the border in the middle. Template B is on all four corners of the layout. And I used Template C on the corners of the photo mat. That’s the beauty of the Kreaxions 4-in-1 punches – with the price of one punch you get FOUR different looks! In these days of economic crisis, that’s a big plus!

Materials – Cardstock – Bazzill; Patterned Paper – DCWV; Ribbon – Memory Makers;
Also in this time of giving thanks I would just like to send out a great big THANK YOU to the Just Imagine owners. I consider it an honor and a privilege to be a part of this fabulous Design Team and I just wanted to let you know how grateful I am for choosing me! Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Punching! Ginni Gass Just Imagine/Kreaxions DT Member

Seven Years Ago I Experienced a Miracle...

In September 1999 Hurricane Floyd was threatening our area. I worked for a commercial realty firm and they required the other secretary I worked with and I to move all of the computer equipment to a specific area of the office. My co-worker and I did this as good little employees should but we also made sure that the home office knew that we were not going to be able to move the big stuff as all the realtors were out taking care of properties. The home office told us to do it anyway. We got most of it moved but she had young kids in daycare and had to pick them up before it closed. After all, a hurricane was barreling towards us! Finally I had one more piece of equipment to move. It was the monitor that was on my desk. The thing was so heavy that I could hardly scoot it across my desk much less pick it up and carry it through the length of the office. So I prayed. Now I know people don't believe in a lot of this stuff and it might sound spooky to some of you. But I totally believe in the power of prayer and that God does mysterious and wonderful things sometimes. I remember hearing His voice in my head telling me to leave it alone. I argued with Him and said "But God, I HAVE to move this! This is what my boss told me to do and I must be a good Christian employee!" I heard "Leave it alone" again! Stupid me, I ignored that voice. I managed to scoot the monitor across the desk and managed to get it onto my chair. Then I held on tight to it while I scooted it into the specified room. I felt quite pleased with myself but as I started to let go it started to fall. I caught it and felt something funny in my back. It didn't hurt or anything at the time so I didn't think anything of it. I managed to get the thing back onto the chair and maneuvered the chair where this monitor would stay and finished my day. We later discovered this monitor was one of the ORIGINAL LEAD COVERED monitors and that's why the stupid thing was so heavy!!! My back started hurting on the way home. I figured I was just not used to all that physical labor and ignored it.
Well, Floyd missed us by 40 miles. The weather was GORGEOUS the next couple of days. And my co-worker and I eventually got the office put back together again. But when it came to moving that monitor I called my husband Steve to help. Now if you know him, he's strong as an ox and can lift just about anything. HE HAD TROUBLE LIFTING THIS THING!!!! So that tells you how heavy it was.
Back to my injury. Long story short, by the end of two weeks I literally couldn't move. I managed to drive my little stick shift car to work and within an hour one of the realtors was driving me home in her car! The next day I was in the dr's office getting x-rays. After MRIs and everything it turned out I had slipped a disk which was herniated and protruding into my sciatic nerve. This was NOT going to go away. And now I'm home on worker's compensation, mega drugs and physical therapy 3 times a week. Within a couple of months I couldn't even sit up or lay on the couch. I was in absolute agony! I spent two months laying on my side on the bed with the TV propped up on large books and my little dog Zoe laying against whatever part of my back hurt worst at the time. THAT was amazing how she knew just where to put the pressure on me!!! I was unable to sit up long enough to even eat a meal so taking all the drugs really messed my stomach up big time. Finally in May 2000 I had the surgery and man did I feel better! I was sooooo happy! I was still on Vicodin for pain but I could at least sit up for up to 10 minutes. Still couldn't bend over or do very much tho. I lived on Vicodin or Ultram and never went anywhere without my TENS unit! (Small battery operated machine that uses patches & small electrical pulses to interrupt the pain messages to the brain.)
I finally got to the point where I could drive around a bit. But if I overdid it I'd be in bed for 3 days minimum. And overdoing it could simply mean lifting a gallon of milk! I had to be so very careful! Couldn't go to church much either. It was horrible. And when I did, I'd sit some, stand some, walk around some, etc. Well, I lived like that for almost 4 YEARS!!! I hated being that way!
Eventually I settled with the workers' comp insurance company. When we were in negotiations, God had again "spoken" to me and given me a specific number to start out with in the six figure range. The insurance company started out in the 4 figure range. BIG difference! Steve and I had decided that we wouldn't settle if we didn't get enough. After all, if I didn't get healed we were looking at some pretty big medical expenses for the rest of my life! So the negotiator kept going back and forth between our conference room and theirs. Finally we settled on a 5 figure number. When we did the negotiator looked at us and said "HOW DID YOU DO THAT??? I've NEVER seen them do that before and I've dealt with these people for years!" I told him it was God! We used that money to buy our house with. We moved in a month before 9/11 happened almost 10 years ago.
I always knew that I would someday be healed. I just had that faith. And determination. But after 4 years I was beginning to lose hope. When I was able I would do what I could. But it wasn't easy. And traveling or sitting in church meetings was torture. I just endured as much as possible. Then a friend of ours (Rodney Howard-Browne) came to town for some evangelistic meetings. We'd known him for many years - met him in Alaska. I had actually worked for his brother's ministry for a year or so when we lived in Tampa. Our pastor had gathered five other churches and a messianic synagogue together for these meetings and we rented the IBM cafeteria in Boca Raton. There was no way I was missing these meetings! So I got me a box of those ThermaCare heat patches and took my pain meds and put my TENS unit on and off we went.
Now Rodney has held meetings all around the world for years. His message is "Get saved and come to Jesus." Occasionally he will pray for people to be healed but it's pretty rare. That wasn't why I was going. I went because I love the presence of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. I went because I love being around people who love God. I went because I love the worship. I went because I love Jesus! But it was torture!
Then on the third day, Wednesday, November 13, 2004 I went again. Only this time I'd forgotten to take my pain meds. And I'd forgotten my TENS unit. Strange because I never had before. But God had a plan. Worship was better than ever. And when it was over I heard Rodney say "How many people here have pain in their bodies?" I raised my hand. I had no idea what was going to happen! Rodney said "Put your hand on the part of your body that's in pain." I did. Then I felt it. I was wearing a heat patch, but this was totally different. A heat went through my body and the PAIN LEFT MY BODY!!!!! I started crying. (I'm crying now!) And the next thing I knew I was in front of the crowd of people who had watched me suffer for these long 4 years telling them that my pain was GONE! I was bending over and lifting my knees up and moving this way and that and everything. NO PAIN!!! I hadn't been pain free for over 4 years!!! By this time I was a blithering idiot with joy and tears and surprise. I don't remember much about the next few hours. All I remember is that the pain was GONE! No one touched me. No one prayed for me specifically. Only GOD touched me!
Today is November 19, 2011. I have never had another bit of pain! I have fallen several times and thought I'd really hurt myself again. But I remembered the scripture in Matthew 12:43-45 where the Bible says "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man he goes through dry places seeking rest and finds none. Then he says "I will return to my house from which I came." And when he comes he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first..." All I could think of each time I fell or felt a twinge of pain was this verse! And I said "NO WAY! I know that I know that I know that I was healed and I'm hanging on to that!" I have NEVER ONCE felt any more pain!!!!! Glory to God!!! Hallelujah!!!! And on every November 13 I celebrate my "second birthday" because that day in 2004 was the day I got my life back.
So when I say that I will pray for you my dear friend, I truly have faith that God can, wants to and WILL heal you! Be blessed! And once again, THANK YOU JESUS!!!!!

Scrappin Chics REVEAL DAY!

I'm a day late with this one. Sorry! It's been a bit wild and crazy in my life lately and I'm trying to get things calmed down..... Thank GOD for Scrapping!!! :)
Yesterday the Scrappin Chics 2nd posting of projects was revealed. The theme this month is Thankful and what AWESOME projects the Design Team posted!!!!! You can check them out here - Scrappin Chics Challenge Blog. HEY LOOK AT THAT! I finally got my LINK to WORK!!! :)
Be sure to leave a comment on the blog and tell us what you think of our work! Meanwhile, here's my layout... Photos are practice shots of my family last New Year’s Day. I cut the title with my Cricut using Cuttin’ Up font. This layout also qualifies for the My Scraps & More 11/1 Laughter Challenge.

Materials – Cardstock – Bazzill; Patterned Papers – My Mind’s Eye; Quote Sticker – Club Scrap; Rubons – Heidi Grace; Pen – Sharpie; Photo Corners – Canson

Also this Saturday night (November 19) at 9 PM Eastern Time I am hosting a layout One Hour Sketch Challenge at My Sketch World! Everyone is invited and I hope to see you there! It's always tons of fun and everyone has a chance to win! All prizes will be given on random draw! So come join the fun!
So as you can see it's a busy weekend for me but a FUN one! I am super excited about the holiday season fast approaching and will be having some fun surprises coming up soon! Look for RAKs and games and PRIZES to be won!!!
Happy Scrapping!

Veterans Day 11-11-11 THANK YOU VETS!

To all vets past, current and future... To all of their families and to all of their friends... Steve and I want to thank you from the bottoms of our hearts for your service and sacrifice. We appreciate everything you did, have done and are doing to keep this country the Good Old U S of A!!!! God bless you all! THANK YOU!

Woven Border

Today I am going to share with you a gift album. One of my daughter’s friends got married and used an autumnal theme. When I saw her pictures I knew exactly what to do with her 8x8 album! She will be adding the pictures later so I created a border with Kreaxions Punch #311 using Template A and then threaded some fiber/yarn through the borders. I stamped and heat embossed some Stampin Up leaves and used my Cricut to cut a title page.


I love that the punched borders give it that glamorous touch and I love that Punch #311 has so much variety with the ability to thread ribbons, fibers, strings, whatever you want through it! Oh and the FABULOUS Punch Mate made it even easier to punch!



I hope these pages inspire you to try some of your own punching creations!

November 1st Reveals

I know it's not November 1st but since Lucy and Jenn both live in the area that lost power for days on end in the Northeastern storm, I had to wait for reveals... I hope these were worth waiting for!

First is Lucy Chesna's November Sketch for My Sketch World. I just LOVE this sketch!


And here's my version. I used some Bo Bunny "Mamarazzi" papers and elements for these pics of my Mom and my Grandson Garrett...


On the Scrappin Chics Challenge Blog the theme this month is "Thankful". You can win a fun prize by creating a project with this theme and posting it on the blog! Here's the address - http://www.scrappinchicschallenge.blogspot.com/

And here's my first creation this month... The others will be posted on November 16 and November 26.


Finally on November 19 at My Sketch World I will be hosting a One Hour Sketch Challenge. We'll be doing a layout with three pictures this month. Everyone will have a chance to win a Kreaxions Circle Cutter or a Kreaxions 4-in-1 punch! (See more about these awesome products here - http://www.justimaginecrafts.com/catalog/) And you can find out more about the sketch challenge here - http://mysketchworld.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=10390. Hope to see you there!!! :)
Meanwhile, happy scrapping!!!

Easy Birthday Card

Hi! I'm here today with an easy to make card. I used the Kreaxions Circle Cutter to cut a circle from the houndstooth paper which I then backed with cardstock. Then I used Kreaxions Punch #913 Template A to create the border and I placed the negative pieces in the circle. A simple and easy card that works well for anyone! Just change up the papers and it has any effect or theme you want! It could be Christmas, Thanksgiving, Sympathy, Get Well or ANYTHING!




Materials – Cardstock – Michaels, Bazzill; Patterned Paper – Pink Paislee; Stamp – Stampin Up; Ink – Versamark; Embossing Powder - Ranger
Happy Punching!!!

Wanna Hang Out?

So where do YOU hang out??? These are the three places I'm on the Design Team for and where I usually hang out.
There's a fun challenge at the Scrappin Chics Challenge Blog (here's the link - http://www.scrappinchicschallenge.blogspot.com/) to use purple and green on a Halloween themed project. A new project is posted by the DT three times a month. This is my second project which was posted a couple of days ago...

There's lots of fun projects for Halloween in the DT posts and in the submissions! So be sure to check them out! And maybe you could submit your own project and win the prize!
Another fun place to hang out is at the Just Imagine/Kreaxions blog. (Here's the addy - http://justimaginecrafts.typepad.com/) The DT there is absolutely amazing and there's usually a new post every day using Kreaxions punches. If you don't have any Kreaxions punches you could certainly use the ideas for your own punch collection! I post there every Tuesday and here's my latest posting - it's my granddaughter last summer at the Holy Land Experience in Orlando.

And then there's My Sketch World where I've been on the DT since February 2009. (Here's the forum address - http://mysketchworld.com/forum/index.php?sid=0da3ba426220936eb1ff7017429cc707) I just LOVE Lucy's sketches!!! There will be a new layout sketch on November 1st and a new card sketch to post November 15th and I have a fun examples to share for both sketches! So be on the lookout for those dates!
Meanwhile, HAPPY SCRAPPING!!!

Or should I say “two lips?” LOL! When my daughter posted this picture on Facebook I knew it had to get a special page in the scrapbook! So I pulled out my new Kreaxions Punch #309 (which looks like a tulip) and I started playing around. This is what I came up with! There’s a lot of fine detail work on this page – pen detailing, filling in negative spaces, using little pieces… But as you can see, it was well worth the effort! I had so much fun with my punch that I just HAVE to share with you here!

First I cut a 3½ “ circle from black and cut it in half. I also cut a 3¼ inch circle from Green and cut it in half but only used one half. Then I cut a 1” strip of both green and pink cardstocks, used Insert C and punched the four corner pieces. Once the pieces were punched, I cut them down to a 1x1 size. I also cut four 1x1 pieces of pink or green cardstock and four 1¼ x 1¼ piece of black as mats for each of the four corners. Then I used Template A to punch the pink cardstock and create the border on the left. I placed this strip over a piece of green cardstock and put a strip of black on the outside edge. To embellish the half circles, I used the negatives from the border and the corners. I also punched the photo corner pieces from pink cardstock. For the “O”s in the title, I used the negative pieces and punched the green center. I punched two separate pink pieces and after matting the green “O”s on the black mat, I carefully placed the pink pieces inside the green. I added a brad in the center of the base on the “O”s and on the corners of the photos and on the border piece, placed negative pieces around the half circles for added detail and pulled out my trusty fine point .05 Micron pen to do the pen detailing. Some pleated ribbon, a few flowers, some rhinestones and a bunch of Crystal Stickles totally took this page to the next level! I think maybe this page might need to be framed and put on my scrappy room wall! LOL!


Materials – Cardstock – Bazill, Unknown; Patterned Paper – Heidi Grace; Brads – SEI; Rhinestones – Queen & Company; Stickles – Ranger; Ribbon - Offray; Rhinestones – Queen & Company; Flowers – Prima; Pens – Sakura Gell Roll, Micron; Circle Cutter – Kreaxions; Title cut on Cricut using George font

Oh and if your mom's a scrapbooker, you might just wanna think twice about what pictures you post on Facebook... You might just find yourself on a website or blog like this! LOL! Oh scroll down to the previous post for another fun page using another Kreaxions Punch! Happy Punching!

Scrappin Chics REVEAL DAY!

It's another reveal for the Scrappin Chics Challenge Blog! There will be two more reveals this month and the opportunities to win last until October 31!!! So keep on entering ladies! Here's the link to the blog site - http://www.scrappinchicschallenge.blogspot.com/ Good luck!!!

And now here's my reveal...


These pictures are of my grandson Noah in 2007. He hated wearing masks and hats so he decided to be Fred from Scooby Doo. But everyone who answered the doors thought he was a French artist. So after the third or fourth house he told his mom “Hey Mom! I’m gonna tell them who I am now okay?” and then he’d go up to the door and say “Trick or treat! I’m Fred from Scooby Doo!”
I used black paint for my photo mats and journaling edging. And the borders at the top and bottom are cutaway pieces from Kreaxions Punch #906 using Template A.
Materials – Sketch – Lucy Chesna; Cardstock – Unknown; Glitter Paper – Core Couture; Patterned Paper – Heidi Grace; Circle Cutter, Punch Negatives – Kreaxions; Paint – Making Memories; Brads – American Crafts; Stickers – K & Company; Pen – Sharpie; Title cut with Cricut using Tear Drop font

Be sure to check back on Tuesday the 18th for another fun project! You won't want to miss this one! Especially if you know my daughter and/or love Kreaxions punches!!!