No, I didn't fall off the face of the earth.....

It has been such a long time since I have last blogged. I will try to work on this! I belong to so many other groups that sometimes I spread myself really thin. You all know that feeling though, don't you?! Long overdue is a thank you to Paula and Sumi. Paula had put up a really lovely set from flourishes as a way to get some of us to help Sumi out with some Christmas cards for her soldiers. Sumi picked the winner. I hope alot of you participated because our guys & gals look forward to receiving packages. And cards are like gold where they are stationed. I will post my winning card below & a few others that I have worked on since my last post. Hope you enjoy them.

September 11, 2001 WE MUST NEVER FORGET

A moment of silence in the memory of those lost in the terrorist attacks
on September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center in New York City, The Pentagon
in Washington D.C. and Somerset County, Pennsylvania...

We must go forward, but we will never forget.

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Vacation in Lake George

Well, we finally went on our vacation. Our boys were so excited to leave. The only thing that they did not look forward to was the long drive. It really isn't far, but for teenage boys, it's the end of the world! The weather was beautiful. High 90's all week long. Well, except for the nasty little storm that blew over the mountains with nickle sized hail and knocked the power out just long enough to put all of the local restaurants two hours behind! The sky went from blue to dark grey in a matter of seconds and I was outside taping all of it. My husband thought I was a nut! But other than the storm, it was fun and relaxing. We decided to jump on a steamboat and go around the lake one afternoon. There were so many people on the lake that day. That is the only trouble with tourist season. People who know nothing about boating are (unfortunately...sigh) actually allowed to rent boats. Talk about scary...eeek!! Saratoga has their horse racing this time of year too and it seems to bring people from all over the world to this one area. I was hoping I could get creative and bring some of my pictures to life, but there were just too many distractions. Better luck next time!

Bad to the Bone

Thought we could use a little fun today! I put this card together with designer paper from Reminisce. They have some really cute holiday papers. I really wanted to use my new Batty for You stamp set, but I wasn't quite sure how I was going to use it. I think that it goes pretty good with my skeleton stamp from PSX. The card is so bright & vibrant! Perfect for those who truly love Halloween!

Petal Me Up

I was really inspired when I saw a similar card made up in burgundy & moss. I thought I would take it a step further and add extra layers of petals & finish it off with a button brad that coordinates with the K & Company specialty paper I have used.

Green Friends

I thought this was one of the cutest stamps ever. My collection of Penny Black is getting as big as my Stampin' Up collection (well, no, not really...but it could be...someday). PB stamps are so fun to work with. I have used two different stamps for this card. Both from Penny Black. The inside verse is on the same stamp as what is on the outside and it says weren't you old enough last year? Too cute! When you are lucky enough to find a verse stamp that goes very well with an image stamp, it just seems to pull the entire card together. I have used little gems, brads, a small prima & very little organdy ribbon to pull this card together.

Pretties

I love the new Pretties kit from Stampin' Up. You can use pastels, inks or watercolors on these flowers and it gives them a whole new look. I thought I would try using some plain white daisy trim in place of ribbon. You can buy this at any fabric store and it is fairly cheap. I have been experimenting with lace & other trims that you would normally use for clothing and I think that it looks pretty good. Sometimes less is more. I have used double sided paper from K & Company to create this look. Who says pink and brown don't go together?!

Purple for a Friend

Well, I have had many requests for purple cards lately. This friend of mine is crazy for purple. So I thought I would make a couple more Halloween cards. I am not a really big cat person even though we have two,(more of a dog fan myself) but anyways...I just love this stamp. It is so cute! It is hard to see, but there is a cat in the birdhouse looking out. It would have been better if I colored the cat black, but then you wouldn't have been able to see it very good. I think it came out okay this way. Plus, it was a big hit for my friend & she's pretty picky!
Next, I used Batty for You, which is new in the (SU)caddy this year. I teamed it up with the witch from Spooks Galore (at least that's what I think it is called) and tried to go for a look that was more appropriate for children. I used lots of chalk & ink for both of these cards. Especially the 1st card. It was a little time consuming, but it was worth it, I think.