Giveaway To See Betsy Bluebell Off!

I finally got the last of the Betsy Bluebell cards done! Well at least for now. I am sure I will use the stamps again. She was really easy and fast to color. I just seem to have a hard time getting back into the swing of crafting these days!

My friend Linda calls Betsy "that little straight haired girl". Not sure what Linda has against straight hair, but I think it is easy to color! HA HA HA

Supplies used:
Cricut Expression
Cricut cartrigdes - Stretch Your Imagination, balloons
EK Success Punch - Photo Corner
Printed Paper - American Crafts
Cardstock - various
Cat Eye - Chalk Ink
Stampin Up - sentiment stamp; Olive Green ink; Real Red marker (doodle dots)
Making Memories - ribbon tag
ProMarkers - various colors, see below
Spareparts - brads
Memento - Black Ink pad for stamping image
Ribbons and Bows Oh My - 3/8" grosgrain ribbon





I wanted to showcase a bit of the blending sets and I tried to use colors mainly from the "VIVID" set that ProMarker is offering in the Blending Sets.

COLORS USED:
Balloons - Crimson, Burgandy; Sunflower, Gold; Pear, Olive Green
Dress - China blue, Midnight Blue
Hair - Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber
Face - Satin, Vanilla
Cheeks - Saffron
Hearts - Crimson, Poppy
Socks - China Blue, Artic Blue
Collar - Cool Gray 2
Shadow - Cool Gray 1



I once again made part of the image come off the card. I decided to have the balloons I made with the Cricut come off the top of the card. I coordinated the colors of the cardstock with the colors of the balloons on the image *once again okie rolls her eyes at herself for pointing out the obvious*.

Since the balloons were shadowed and layered it did give them enough "body" to be thick enough not to bend easily. I used my Scotch Quick Dry glue to put them together. I ordered 5 bottles not long ago from Joann's since Walmart stopped carrying it.



The sentiment is from Stampin Up's Curvy Verses set. I got this set a few years back and find that I still use it quite often. Of course most of my Stampin Up stamps are sentiment ones, can't ever have too many of those! I stamped it in Olive Green to match the card.

I had a few strips of the flag patterned paper left and just cut them in 1" strips to add to the inside. I think I will be doing more to the inside of my cards because I think it adds a little something extra and it's a good way to use up small scraps.










Okay now to celebrate the end of this series of using ProMarkers I will be giving away a set of 12 ProMarkers to one lucky winner!! All you need to do to enter is send me your banking account number, 2 credit cards, your paypal account balance and........*okie falls out chair laughin*. JUST KIDDIN! Just leave a comment on this blog about "why you think you would like the ProMarkers". The deadline to enter is Saturday April 2nd at midnight. And remember in order to keep porn and viagra commericals off my blog I have to approve comments so it might take a bit for your post to appear so please post only once.

I Miss My Craft Table! But got some goodies!

I still have yet to finish the last Betsy Bluebell card!

I got an email on Thursday concerning the Stampin Up party I was suppose to have on the 19th of March. The demo's brother had died suddenly in a sky diving accident earlier in the month and the party got cancelled. Well the email was saying I could have the party Saturday. SATURDAY?? WHAT?? Of course not one to turn down the chance of free stuff I agreed. The lady who runs the Stamp Club I go to once a month was nice enough to say we could have it at her church and sent the email out to the Stamp Club members. I had no idea how many would come and I figured on a total of maybe 6, so I was surprised when we had a total of 12!

I ended up having a decent party and got quite a bit of free stuff. Of course I ordered quite a bit too. I haven't gotten any Stampin Up stuff in awhile so I had a good list going, and what the heck the Sale-A-Bration was going on and for every $50 worth of product you ordered you got a free item.

I ended up ordering

1/2" Circle Punch









Boho Blossom Punch









Bird Punch









Butterfly Punch









Decorative Label Punch












Bring on the Cake stamp set























Eat Chocolate stamp set
























And got free the Sweet Summer stamp set



















Bliss Stamp set



















Then for being the fantastic hostess *okie cracks up laughing* I got the Punch a Bunch set free from the demo.



















Then my party got me the following:
Hostess Lev 1 Punch Potpourri



















and Hostess Lev 3 Occasional Quotes



















Define Your Life stamp set, I have been wanting this one for over two years!























Butterfly Prints stamp set























Owl Punch












Well last night I was going to finish the last of the Betsy Bluebell cards but that went astray. I had gotten some envies that were on sale at Staples and decided I needed to put them away in the DVD Snapware cases I keep envies in. I had to move a little cabinet to get to the cases and then decided I needed to move a few things on my wire shelving *okie sighs deeply* WHY OH WHY DID I DO THAT?

I hit one of the little black things that holds the wire shelves together and BOOM, another one went loose and then another one. I tried in vain to get them back togehter without having to take it all apart...notice I said in vain. I spent two hours taking everything out of the wire shelving, adding more zip ties to hold it together better and then putting everything back. At least I did reorganize a little and make it more convenient to get to things I use more often so I don't have to move the little cabinet as much.

So anyway, hopefully I can finish the last Betsy card tonight!! But then again I have a Human Rights Committee meeting at 5:30 and not sure how long it will last. I need a vacation where I can just lock myself in my house and craft!!

ENVELOPES ON SALE!!

Just wanted to give you guys a heads up on a sale!

I checked the Staples ad online yesterday and noticed that they had the invitation envelopes on sale for $5 a box. There are 100 in the box so that makes the envies about a nickel a piece. I try to stock up when they go on sale but I haven't seen them on sale in quite a while. I was glad to see them since I was starting to get low on my A2 envies!!

I stopped by Staples today and picked up 6 boxes. I should be set for a little while!! I did grab two boxes of the ivory but they told me those weren't on sale, which I thought was totally asinine since they were the same price. But oh well, it's not my store so guess I can't set the price.

Betsy Bluebell "thinking of you"

And I love this card...do you know why? Can you guess? HUH? HUH? Yep...THE LADYBUG! Okay Betsy is cute and all holding the flowers but come on...the ladybug is what makes this card awesome! HA HA HA

I tried to make the ladybug look like it was "thinking" of the girl holding the bouquet. Not sure it came out quite right, but I thought I would explain the green bubbles on the front of the card.



The sentiment was cut from Walk In My Garden. I remember how excited I was to get this cartridge because of all the flowers and insects. I have used it in the past quite a bit but it has been awhile since I have pulled out out and used it.

I used Core'dinations for the sentiment and sanded it like I did the ladybug to give it some distressed look. I so love Core'dinations for this reason! Plus it cuts great in the Cricut.

Oh I emailed Alyssa at CONSUMER CRAFTS about the stock of Core'dinations going down and she assured me that they will be restocking, which is good because I don't have ALL the colors yet! LOL


Supplies Used:
Cricut Expressions
Cricut cartridges - Walk In My Garden, Songbird
Betsy Bluebell stamp set
Making Memories patterned paper
Kraft and Core'dinations cardstock
Cat Eye chalk ink
Fiskars Zingers
Spareparts Brads
ProMarkers
Janome Sew Mini



You can see the Zinger thought bubble a little bit here on the image picture, I colored it with one of the ProMarkers since it was a yellow color and I wanted it to match the card better.

I think I have the colors for this card...
Dress - Cornflower, Blue Pearl
Flowers - Tulip Yellow, Buttercup, Amber
Butterfly - Antique Pink. Dusky Rose
Hair - Cinnamon *okie forgot other color*

I used the blender pen on the flowers and butterflies to get a softened coloring image.

Tomorrow will be the last image of this Betsy Bluebell series and will also be the day I post the giveaway for the set of 12 ProMarkers so be sure to come back to see the card and see how to enter the giveaway!

Interrupt regularly scheduled program...SALE!!!

Instead of posting a Betsy Bluebell card today I wanted to make sure and let you guys know about the fantastic sale at Consumer Crafts!

If you don't remember I recently made an order for Core'dinations cardstock from Consumer Crafts and I was thrilled with their service so I am really happy to share this fantastic sale with you!

Right now Consumer Crafts is having a friends and family discount weekend, offering 25% off your total order from any products on their site! Yep you heard me folks...ANY PRODUCT AND TOTAL ORDER!! I can attest to their fast shipping and wonderful customer service. If there is something you are wanting from their site now would be the time to get it! And to make it even better, there is free shipping on orders over $100!

The sale is from today until Sunday March 27th!

Don't forget to use the promo code: FRIEND2011 when you check out to get your discount!!
Just click below to go to their site!





Also I wanted to let you know about their great blog! I have even been invited to do a tutorial! I guess I better get busy with thinking of a good project!

Betsy Bluebell CELEBRATE

Here is my second Betsy Bluebell card. Another birthday one *okie wonders why she so often points out the obvious*. One thing I like about the images is that they are different shapes when you trim around them so you can make the cards look differently. I think they would be a bit boring if they were all 3 inch squares.

I like the rectangular shape of this image. I do think all the images could fit on A2 size cards just fine but with the bigger card size I have a little more room to play with. I know my friend Carol with two hearts likes making the bigger cards just for this reason.



The inside sentiment and stamped image are from Stampin Up sets. I like the sentiments with the Betsy Bluebell sets but I wanted something different than what was available with the set. As you can see I also decorated the inside of this card. This might be a new trend for me! I am realizing it doesn't take much to add a few strips of paper and make the inside of the card almost as interesting as the outside of the card.

I just noticed that my sentiment is a little cockeyed, but I can live with it since I don't have to look at it all the time! *okie wonders if Whiteout would be very noticeable*.


I am still "sew" loving my Janome Sew Mini that my daughter got me for Mother's Day last year! I highly recommend one if you are wanting to get a small sewing machine to use for your paper crafting.

Cricut Expressions - Celebration cartridge
Betsy Bluebell stamp set
Little Yellow Bicycle patterned paper
Stampin Up and Prism cardstock
Stampin Up and Cat Eye chalk inks
Diamond Stickles
Prima flowers
Crafting thread
Spareparts Brads
ProMarkers
Janome Sew Mini


I so cheated and colored the image a lot like the example and I can't find my list of colors I used! But there was blues, oranges, greens, yellows and browns! *okie laughs at her smart azz comment* You can see where I added the Diamond Stickles to the ribbon parts on the presents. I wasn't sure how they would work over the ProMarkers but the Stickles did just fine and I noticed they didn't "run" the ink like they do with water based markers.

I still have two more Betsy cards to post so keep watching!

Shh...giveaway over at

CRUISING WITH THE CRICUT!

I haven't gotten to post as regular as I would like so to make up for it I am doing a giveaway with today's post! At the end of the post is a picture of the prize and also how to enter! Just thought I would give you guys the heads up!

Introducing Betsy Bluebell!

I recently got a set of Penny Black's Betsy Bluebell stamps when Linda, aka LGuild, and I went to Norman for some retail therapy. I thought she was just the cutest thing so I actually paid full price for the set which was $15.50, but since there were 4 image and some sentiments I thought it was worth it.

Here is a picture of the set I got. I thought Betsy was such a cute image and would be great to color with the ProMarkers. And boy was I right! She is adorable! She was very easy to color also. Some places were a little tight to color but for the most part it was fairly simple to blend and make her look nice.

I will be posting card for the next few days with the images. And be sure to pay close attention because somewhere in the posts there will be a giveaway!

I chose to go with a bigger card than the A2 size. I got 288 envelopes for 25 cents right after Christmas. I was in my favorite bargain store and they said "anything you can fit in a bag for quarter". I immediately started snatching up these ugly azz Christmas cards knowing I only wanted them for the envelopes. I felt sorry *okie thinks for a split second* for the women wanting the Christmas cards, but ya know...ya snooze ya lose! These cards are 5 x 7.5 inches which means I had to use a full sheet of cardstock per card! *okie hears the gasps* I know, I know, I am usually too cheap for such things but I figured I would live on the edge!!

Supplies Used:
Cricut Expressions
Cricut cartridges - George, Freshly Picked
Betsy Bluebell stamp set
American Crafts patterned paper
Stampin Up cardstock
Stampin Up ink
Cat Eye chalk ink
Spareparts Brads
ProMarkers
Janome Sew Mini


I actually even decided to decorate the inside of the card! Another living on the edge moment for me! I am usually too lazy to do such things but I do think it made the card look better. The stamped sentiment is a Sugar Loaf stamp from a set I got years ago. I thought it went great with the image and I do think it is a little humorous.

By adding the layers on the inside of the card it also gave the card some more "body". For some reason the texture Stampin Up cardstock is not as thick as the smooth. I prefer the thickness of the smooth.

For the front of the card I wanted to try something going off the edge. Since the card was so large I could easily do this. Most of my cards are A2's and I find it difficult to make an image go off the card and fit in the envelope correctly.

I cut the circle at 4.25 and 4 inches. I used a corner rounder on the image after trimming it down, and then on the image mat.

The sentiment on the front was punched out with the Stampin Up Word Window Punch and then layered on the Stampin Up Modern Label punch.

Here is a close up of the image so you can see the coloring a little better. And yes, it did go out the lines a little! But that is okay, art is never perfect *okie keeps telling herself this so she doesn't shred the card and start over*.

Colors used:
Hair - Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber
Dress - Cornflower, Blue Pearl
Flowers - Tulip Yellow
Watercan - Gold, Sunflower
Face - Blush, Ivory
Cheeks - Saffron

I think those are the colors. I went to find my list and found several and didn't label them! ACK!

Tomorrow will be another Betsy Bluebell so be sure to check back! I am trying to get back in the habit of crafting and posting again but I tell ya what...I keep dreaming of the crystal cool waters, white sands and sunshine of the Caribbean beaches so it is hard to do!

Everytime I am going to craft....

SOMETHING COMES UP!

Like this evening for instance...I had planned on picking out some papers to finish the last of the set of four Betsy Bluebell cards but that got interrupted when I went to go let Lucy back in the house. I looked out and on a branch of my apple tree was a light yellow bird. Well there are no light yellow birds around here, at least not natural habitat. I walked out toward the tree and saw it was a parakeet! I ran back in the house and grabbed the camera to take a few pictures.
























I wanted to save the parakeet from the wild and I tried luring it with some bread. I tried asking God for help. I even tried using a piece of mesh to catch it, but it was not to be. I chased it down the alley but then it flew too fast and too high for me to catch it. Of course trying to chase a parakeet down a gravel alley barefooted isn't always the best way to catch a bird. I hope it finds a safe place to stay! If it would come back here I would give it a loving home. I tried telling it that but it didn't listen *okie really wishes she could speak parakeetese*.

You Never Know How You Touch Others

I logged into Facebook and saw where Monique Griffith from Monique Griffith Designs, had put up some pictures from the Stampede. I was having a great time going through and looking at the pictures and then a picture of Monique, Joy - Obsessed With Scrapbooking, and Melanie - Courtney Lane Designs, pops up and tears start to flow *okie swears she is the biggest sap she knows*.

I know, I know, you are probably thinking "WTH OKIE!!". But to see Monique there standing with two other ladies that I know and admire and all three smiling so happily just hit me and made me realize how lucky we are to have Monique still with us. It also made me realize how easily others can touch us without our realizing it. I got acquainted with all three of the ladies on the Cricut Messageboard and while I do know Joy and Melanie in person *and okie can't wait until June to see them again at the Great American Scrapbooking Convention* I still consider Monique a friend as if I know her in person.

A few years back Monique came to my defense in a misunderstanding and that truly touched me and made me realize then what a great person she is. I think the thing about Monique is, I not only consider her a friend, but also one of my heroes. How she was able to go through her fight with cancer and present such a cheery positive attitude just attests to her being worth hero status. I can't even begin to describe the feelings of gratitude toward God for not being selfish and allowing Monique to continue here with us so she can not only share her creativity but also be a testimony of His goodness.

Cinch Giveaway

I got an email from Alyssa at CONSUMER CRAFTS *okie hopes folks remember that is where she likes to order her cardstock from* telling me about a giveaway they are having for a Cinch, but that's not all!

To celebrate National Craft Month they are giving away a Cinch Prize Pack. It includeds the Cinch book binding tool, Cinch pliers, Cinch wires and Core'dinations paper - everything you need to get started!

This is exclusive to their Facebook friends at the CONSUMER CRAFTS page. To enter just log into your Facebook account and "like" them and comment on the POST about the give away, not the wall in general. The post will be down a ways on their page so please make sure you click older posts and look for it. A winner will be chosen and announced tomorrow morning.

Did Some Organizing...Surprised??

I really was going to do something crafty last night but the organization bug hit me!

I decided to cut down the paper holders I got at Hobby Lobby on Saturday and was putting those in my Ikea Expedit unit and decided I need to organize some paper...or re-organize!

I got my Basic Grey paper all organized in my paper holders. I used the tabbed dividers to separate them by collection. This will be so much easier for me to find to where I don't have to lift them up to look through them *okie is amazed how her large brain actually retains the papers in each collection rather well*. I did realize that I have two sets of the Periphery chipboard items and no Periphery paper! *okie sighs and wonders how that happened and thinks it might have been a Big Lots find*.

After I got the paper organized I thought I would stamp some images with a set of Betsy Bluebell Penny Black stamps I got and color them. Once I got the images stamped I realized I hadn't made a color chart for my ProMarkers. So ya know what that means.......yep I had to make my charts! But at least it is done now.

I was recently blessed by Letraset with the full 148 marker set. When I found out I was getting the set I wondered how to store this many markers and my friend Enfys of GOING BUGGY sent me a link to see hers. She had found a professional DJ CD case that the markers fit in. I was able to get one off eBay for right around $25. You can click the link above to see her markers in her storage case.

I used my ATG gun to put tape on the back of the charts and then attach to the lid.

I had to make a chart for the colors and did so in Microsoft Word, making a table, typing each color name in and then going back and coloring in each square. It was a bit time consuming but well worth the time and effort because I will be able to easily find my colors. I do plan on adding the dots like Enfys has when I find some small enough to fit on the caps.

The chart at the bottom of the picture is done according to the new BLENDING SETS that Letraset has come out with. I think this will be very useful to me since I still have problems putting colors together sometimes. My plan is to do some coloring this week with the colors from the Blending Sets to just see how easy it is to combine them and make an image look good *okie crosses her fingers* so ya'll wish me luck!

Thanks for the hate mail! :)

Okay now now before some of ya'll get in an uproar let me tell you this...I am not defending myself, don't need to defend myself. I am simply typing out my thoughts on MY BLOG where I am allowed to say what I think *okie does wish her brain would stop popping it's thoughts up on the screen sometimes*.

Evidently there are some people that read my blog that don't agree with my view about the courts ruling on the lawsuit that Provocraft had against 3rd party software.

I have received numerous emails, about people leaving my blog *okie thinks there are some comments in there somewhere too* because I accepted the ruling of the court and was happy for ProvoCraft. I have also received some that told me I am stupid, an idiot, that I am taking food out people's mouths *okie isn't sure how that one works* and a few other things.

For the "drink the kool-aid" comments I shall share some information with you - I do not blindly love ProvoCraft. There are things I like and do not like. I have posted many times that I do not like MY Gypsy. I can't see the screen to do anything with it. There are cartridges that I think are gosh awful, but I just don't buy them.

I stand by my congratulations to ProvoCraft, which was actually the ruling of the courts of this great United States and isn't allowing copyrighted information to be stolen from a company who went through their legal hoops to protect what was theirs to begin with. **EDIT - it has been pointed out several times that it was a settlement, not a ruling. But with that said I think rarely does an innocent party settle**

If my feelings and opinions posted on my blog offend you then I shall hold the door open for you and bid you adieu, for I shall not miss anyone who can't accept that people have differences of opinion. If my agreeing with a court ruling causes me to lose every follower and reader I have then that is the way it is.

But guess what, I will still be here posting away because I do this as my therapy and I am quite happy to talk to myself *okie thinks a lot of people already know this*. I feel there are some folks that will stick with me. There are people who have met me in person and know that how I post is how I am if you meet me in person. I can debate issues with you and not change my feelings about you and if you are my friend online you are my friend in person.

And to end this little mumble jumble I will say I am proud to live in a country where people can disagree with one another without the fear of repercussion.

CONGRATS PROVOCRAFT!

There was news on Facebook and the Cricut messageboard about the lawsuit ProvoCraft has going on with companies who provided third party software and how there has been a settlement in the situation. All I can say is HURRAY FOR PROVOCRAFT!! They did nothing but protect their company and products. For those upset, if it were your family business that was being undermined by another company, wouldn't you sue the third party software company?

I am a Cricut lover, that cannot be denied, nor will I try to deny this. I do have some issues with some of the products, but even then I feel if I buy the product and don't like it then I wouldn't buy it anymore. So here I sit with my Cricuts, Cuttlebug, cartridges, Gypsy *which okie still hates*, Design Studio and a few other ProvoCraft products and will not change cutting systems at this point.

Love me or hate me guys, I am happy that ProvoCraft was able to protect what is theirs. I would do the same!

If you would like to read the article here is the link:
ProvoCraft Sues Sure Cuts A Lot...

HAPPY FRIDAY!

I have been super busy with work this week and also with fielding phone calls from various people this week. I also had to go and spend a few hours with Naomi, whom I still absolutely miss!

Tomorrow I am going with my friend Linda, aka LGuild, to Norman for a garage sale at Whole Lotta Scrap. We are going to meet up with Renee, aka SoonerMT, for lunch. I am so looking forward to a little retail therapy after this week! I think Hobby Lobby will have the paper holders on sale and I am hoping to pick up two more boxes if I can talk Linda into stopping by there *okie figures that won't take more than a 'hey lets go to Hobby Lobby'*.

Next week is Spring Break and I have a full week scheduled with work *okie so refuses to use vacation and sick time* so I can make up for the week I missed while on the cruise. However I will be posting more about the cruise and I will also be doing a giveaway at the CRUISING WITH THE CRICUT blog. Not tellin ya what the prize is because, well that is just how I roll! HA HA HA

When it rains it pours!

So after a wonderful relaxing week on the Caribbean ocean I come home ready to toss myself into my job and get back on schedule, which I am doing full force, only to find out in a 24 hour period of several situations that are going on with family and friends. My family on my mother's side is very close so it is a lot to take in on the situations all at once.

- One of my aunts has early Alzhiemers and dementia
- Her son's, my first cousin, wife has a large brain tumor, hopefully non cancerous. She is going to require several surgeries.
- My second cousin's husband only has weeks to live because his cancer is back, treatment will not help
- a dear dear friend's husband died suddenly
- my former stepson, for all intents and purposes, was arrested for capital murder

About 10am this morning I thought I couldn't handle anymore. At that time I took a few quiet minutes to meditate and realized there is nothing I can do to change any of these situations and I can only offer my empathy and support. It also made me think of how precious my life is to me and those around me are and to be thankful for yet another blessed day on this earth.

Maybe I shall find time to turn on the Cricut this evening and do some of my most soothing therapy.

NEW CRUISE BLOG!

I am impatient, and I am sure you guys never thought that of me! *okie narrows eyes and waits for someone to challenge that statement*. I was waiting for an okay from ProvoCraft to use the banner I designed to use on a new blog I started, along with a few other cruisers, and since I haven't heard from them I figured I would live on the edge and use the banner and then if they tell me I can't I will change it.

So anywho...I would like to introduce the CRUISING WITH THE CRICUT blog!

How does a little machine that cuts paper...

DO IT? *okie thinks she better clear that up because she knows some of her readers have dirty little minds*

Okay, get your minds out of the gutter *then okie remembers she really needs to get to working on that tin foil hat of hers to keep people from reading her mind*. I mean how does a little machine that cuts paper have a person develop such wonderful friendships and make a person feel so missed and loved? It sure beats the heck out of me but it definitely does!

First off let me say there will be pictures posted soon but I am trying to do some organization about it as well. I will let you know the details in the next day or two, if not later today *okie is excited about it and wants to share with others so figures she will be working on it later today*.

Now about making new friends - I had several friends meet us in Ft. Lauderdale for the afternoon and evening while we were there. Carmen aka Scrappinbee, Robin aka rcz28, Tisha aka TPthatsme and Caroline aka Doxieluv01 met Karen, Shiane and myself for a great evening of fun.

We went to the beach, ate at Bubba Gump and visited for hours at the hotel. Heck I didn't even have time to meet the others who would be on the cruise with me but I figured I would have a whole week with those folks and I wanted to enjoy my precious time with my friends.

We all were laughing until we cried that night and I can tell you that I wish these ladies had went on the cruise with us!

Okay fast forward to the next morning. My doctor changed my sugar medication right before my trip which means my sugar levels drop faster than the had before. I took my medication and we didn't make it to breakfast within the 30 minutes I am suppose to eat and I was getting a little cranky and lightheaded *okie wonders if she described that right and knows bitchy is a better way to describe but figures she will leave it* and was afraid to talk to strangers because I might cuss them out.

Karen, Shiane and I ate our breakfast finally and I was feeling much better. We walked out of the dining room and my daughter leans over and says "Mom I think those women are talking about you because they kept staring and whispering" and Karen said "yeah I noticed that too!". I looked around to see who the heck would be staring at me and suddenly a woman pops around *okie won't admit that it almost scared the chit out of her* and holler "OKIE!". I look at her and say "yeah" and she says "IT'S SCRAPDEE!" Of course then I immediately give her a hug and then another lady pops aroud and says "SJOX44!" And I have to give her a hug. Well that was it for us! While we had several others we did spend time with we for the most part spent most of our activity time together and have declared the 5 of us are now BFF's for life!

I wanted to update you guys a little on the goings on of the cruise and I promise promise promise there will be plenty to read and see from the experience and will post soon about how you can see and hear all the wonderful stories.

But before I close this post let me explain about being loved and missed. I am not sure how many of you know about my fear of gnomes *okie swears those little creatures will stab you in your sleep*, but I have posted several times about this fear on the Cricut messageboard. I know now that it was a H U G E mistake to do so! I log in on the Cricut Circle forum on the general chat area and I swear this is no lie...half the avatars on the list were gnomes!! I kept seeing titles like "Gnome Place Like Home" "Welcome Gnome Okie" "It's a Gnome World After All" "Welcome Gnome Cricut Cruisers" and several others. Evidently quite a few of the Circle members got together and thought it would be funny to change their avatars to welcome me gnome *okie winces at even saying that*. While I was trying to read all the posts I was laughing about how crazy those Circlets are and then I started to tear up as I was filled with the warmth of friendship and love as I read the posts about how they missed me while I was gone.

Now that my dear readers truly amazes me how this little machine that cuts paper can create such wonderful bonds between people who have never met, may some day meet and finally get to meet!

HOME AGAIN HOME AGAIN

JIGGITY JIG JIG! Today I will be returning back to Oklahoma after 7 days in the Caribbean. Depending on how tired I am I might stay the night in the city with my sister but knowing me I will be ready to get back to my house where I can relax tomorrow before returning to work on Monday.

I am one of those travelers where I think I have to get unpacked almost as soon as I get through the door. I usually get laundry going and put everything back in it's place, such as hair dryer, make up, etc.

I know I will be most glad to see my Lucy LuLu and I certainly hope she still remembers me. I had such anxiety about leaving her for a full week and kept thinking of how I could take her on the cruise with me.

I hope you guys didn't mind the Blast from the Past posts while I was away. I sure wasn't paying $60 an hour for the internet so I could blog while I was on the cruise. I mean I love you guys and all.......but yeah, it's cheap love! HA HA HA HA HA Ohhhh I still so crack myself up!

Blast from the Past - Pocket Card

My first Pocket Card was a Halloween themed card. I have made several over the years and I love the little cards because you can add a gift card in there if you wish.

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Originally posted September 21st, 2008

I wanted to try my POCKET CARD as a regular card without all the ghosts and spiders so.....this is what I came up with. The paper is from a K & Company stack and the staying on the front was a punch out from the stack. I do have to admit I like this card. I know I know there are more things I could have done like sewing or embossing, etc........BUT I AM LAZY!! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW? I ADMITTED IT!! However....I did use some flourish stamps to jazz it up a little. The flourish is from an Autumn Leaves set.








Here is how the card looks open. As you can see I stamped on the inside too! The Happy Birthday is from an Inkadinkadoo Birthday Circle Stamp. Oh yeah and I doodled. I think I doodle just so I can say the word....it just kinda cracks me up!! *okie must have sniffed too much zig pen today because she is just down right talkin crazy now*. You can see the velcro dot on the left hand side of the photo, that is what I use to keep these little handy dandy card closed.

As you see the mats are blank. AND! there is a reason for this! *who knew okie had foresight, okie sure didn't* I plan on using this one for when I give a gift card. I can use the herma dotto repositionable runner to adhere a gift card to one of the mats and then I can use the other mat for writing my own personal birthday message.






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It's the last full day on the cruise today and we will be at Half Moon Cay and having a beach party. I wish I could tell you all the fun we are having but since I have this post scheduled you will just have to wait until I get back to hear all the stories *okie slightly remembers telling a certain someone from ProvoCraft "what happens on the ship stays on the ship"* or maybe I won't be telling any stories! HA HA HA

Blast from the Past - Eating From A Spoon - layout

I use to post Motivation Challenges on the Cricut message board so some of us could stop talkin about scrappin and start doin some scrappin! This layout was one of my favorites, not only because of the great cuts from Printing Press that looked like blocks but because I love these pictures of my daughter!

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Originally posted February 25th, 2009

I wasn't crazy about this sketch but I guess that is why it is called a challenge! LOL I think sometimes I look at the sketches to literal and have problems seeing outside the box HA HA HA okay maybe I am the only one who thought that was funny.......*okie looks to see if anyone else is laughing..no one is...okie composes herself and continues*








Here is my LO for the challenge. I chose to use 3 pictures for the LO instead of just the two shown. So I was able to think outside the box on this one. These are pictures of my daughters first spoon feeding. I knew the date and such because when I had it in the dreaded magnetic album I had written down the date and what it was...so I was scrappin when scrappin wasn't cool! HA HA HA OKAY YOU GOTTA ADMIT THAT WAS KINDA FUNNY!! WHAT?? You don't remember Barbara Mandrel's song "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool"?? *okie knows she is showing her age now* But in my defense I was just a young child when that song was out....well okay...maybe a young teenager. Oh yes...I was talking about the LO wasn't I!

LAYOUT INFO -
- Title is done with Wild Card and Printing Press
- Corners are done with Storybook
- Pattern paper is K & Company, a pack...can't remember the name right off hand
- Solid cardstock is just scraps so they are a little bit of everything
- Brads in the center of the flowers K & Company, other brads are Spare Parts
- Journaling is with Stampin Up Close to Cocoa
- Inking is Cat Eye Chalk ink Chestnut Roan and Creamy Brown
- Flowers are some that someone sent me...I don't know kind they are
- double sided adhesive foam to pop the pictures

I was going to put a baby from New Arrival on the LO but I put the paper on the mat in the wrong postion so the top of the head got cut off...and to be honest...I would rather not have the top of a baby's head chopped off on one of my LOs and I was too lazy to try and cut it again.

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We are at sea today and heading to Half Moon Cay. We will be having Cricut classes today and I think I am suppose to learn about my Gypsy. I was hoping the dang thing would jump overboard but with my luck someone would throw it a life preserver and save it! OH YA'LL HUSH NOW! I am only kidding *okie knows she isn't kidding but doesn't want to offend the Gypsy lovers out there...at least not too much*. I had to make sure I packed some reading glasses so I can see that dang little screen!