I have been drooling over these wonderful gate folds on Deb’s blog. She was kind enough to send me a template in the form of a wonderful card. Here are the pictures of the card and its lay outs.

I got tagged twice by Sheryl and Michelle. They have two incredible blogs and I look forward to reading their posts. Thank you so much for including me in this game and sorry I am so slow to respond!

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet, current car) Oblio Saab
2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (favorite ice cream, favorite cookie) Oreo/Butterfinger blizzard molasses
3. YOUR FLY "GUY/GIRL" NAME: (first initial first name, first 3 letters last name) kker
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) Purple Hippo
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) Marie Great Falls
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (first 3 letters last name, first 2 letters first name) Tucki
7. SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd favorite color, favorite drink and add” the") The Blue lemon drop
8. NASCAR NAME: (first names of your grandfathers) Jim Nolan
9. STRIPPER NAME: (favorite perfume, favorite candy) Bijan Junior Mint
10. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother's and father's middle names) Mitzi Nolan

OK...5 new players to be tagged are:
1. Deb (aka stampingranny)
2. Donna (is a newbie)
3. Laurie Ann
4. Andrea (awesome)
5. Diane (awesome)

People have asked where I have been lately and if I am enjoying my Starbucks experience. A little history…I am a PE teacher in Seattle. I have been teaching for 29 years and last year I decided I wanted to take this year off. My ultimate goal was to work part time and then go to Palm Springs and volunteer at “The Living Dessert”. Well I decided that I would try my hand at Starbucks and when I transferred to PS, I would be able to get a job at Starbucks.
I got the job I wanted and I am proud to say that I have been working at Starbucks for 4 days. On day 3, I read all about the register and did that job for about 1-2 hours. I was slow and it was very busy there! :) (I have to smile due to the fact, I slowed the line down and I couldn’t even repeat the drinks they were telling me!) My shift I will be working is from 4:15 AM – 12:45 PM. (So, I am getting up really early!) On Saturday my shift started at 5:15. I got to set up the pastries. Yes, you guessed it…the pastries weren’t set up for the morning customers. I tried but I am so slow and they have to be so perfect. Other partners had to help me get it set up so we could just pull them off the shelf and into the customer’s hands. I also got to run the register. IT WAS SO BUSY…the manager was smart and pulled me off so the more experience people could take orders and ring them up. I was supposed to write on cups what the customers ordered. I feel like I am speaking another language. But we were hit so hard, I did pastry, I messed up the coffee pot…we had to wait for it to be reset, I made customers sooo mad, OH MY! Really, all I can do is laugh. That is the way I deal with my feelings before I have a meltdown. I am trying to stay cool and calm but my insides are going crazy and my head is running so fast that I can’t keep up. I feel this is great for my outlook on life and it makes me use my mind again. (When you have been teaching for 29 years, you can go on auto-pilot and you just know what to do! With this new adventure, my learning curve is so HIGH! I want to be good and be part of the team. I like to make other look good and I want to make their jobs easier.) So, tomorrow, I am up at 3:30 and learning how to write on cups so I can multi-task…register, write on cups, get brewed drinks, get pastries, put sandwiches in the oven…oops, I haven’t even learned how to run the oven. I just have to laugh! So…I still need to learn how to make the different drinks and learn the drive thru! But, I absolutely love what I am doing! :)

Remember that new green car??? I took it in to get all fixed up by Dr. Larry and the next day I was driving home from a class downtown and something happened with the oil. The emergency light came on, my oil light, and blue smoke started coming out the back. I was on the freeway at 2:00, my volleyball team was leaving at 3:00, and I was in the MIDDLE of downtown Seattle. (That was probably about 5-6 miles away from where I lived.) People were honking their horns, I am trying to get the car to Larry…you know that at times the oil light comes on and you are fine! Yes, the blue smoke out the back should have let me know it wasn’t fine! So, I got a hold of Larry and he told me to PULL OVER! So, I am on the side of the road and I waited for 1 ½ hours for AAA. I waved to my team as they went by on the bus. I got the car to Larry and he told me that I should have pulled over and called AAA sooner. (I am a woman driver…I want to get to a safe place…I panicked!) So, he told me I may need a new engine but I could run it for awhile with this tick in the engine. I got too much air in the pipes and he feels the only way to get that air out is…a new engine. I have been talking to my car and telling her what a great job she is doing, driving me around town and keeping me safe!
So, the moral of the story…pull over whenever you see blue! :)

Sunday I went to a PMS meeting. (Please Mentor Someone) This is a group of Senior Supervisors in SU who want to move to the next level of SU! We support each other and give ideas on how we can do SU better to increase our sales, recruits, and projects. This month we did Christmas projects. It was sooo much fun! We drove to the boonies and this woman has an incredible house and a garage that has a stamp room. (Next year the stamp room will get bigger due to the fact she has talked her DH into making their two car garage only ONE! NICE!) These women are artist. They really know how to create and it’s an honor for me to ride on the shirt tales of what they create.

The project below was made by Donna. She is so talented.

This framed picture was made with the new Blizzard wrapping paper from the Holiday Mini. It's a wood frame and has a card type picture in the center. Wouldn't this make a great gift for the Holidays.

I have been spinning around like a tornado. Yesterday Larry, my mechanic, told me he just saw the great car and thought I should call the woman who owned it! So I got her number and called. She was wonderful. Vicki has a great spirit, no nonsense, and has great stories to tell about her history. We took the car out for a drive and asked if we could get it checked out by Larry the next day! At the same time…I had to call Julie E and tell her I couldn’t make her swap today! Remember, I re-made my card and the shoe box was ready to show! But, I felt like getting transportation was more important! Vicki was so gracious; she let me take the car to get checked out. Larry called and said…”you need to buy this car!” It’s in Great shape and I knew I could give it a good home. I offered a price, Vicki took it, and tonight I am a proud owner of my NEW *used* car! In the short time I have had the car; two people stopped me to tell me how much they like my car!
Here is a picture of the new car in my life!
I am beaming! Thank you Vicki! Thank you Larry! You have helped me through a rough time!

Today I got to say good bye to my car. I found out it was totaled. I had to clear out all my belongings. (It’s probably the cleanest the car has been minus the melted dashboard and fire extinguisher dust all over.) I was very sad!




Yesterday I created a card for a shoebox swap I am doing on Saturday. It’s a long drive but I wanted to be apart of this event! So I took all afternoon and created…one “OK” card.

As you can see, it needs help. I loved the colors at the bottom. What you can't see is it sparkles. I embossed it with iridescent ice. I tried all sorts of embellishments today…and nothing worked.

I was getting ready for volleyball practice, remember today is picture day…yes even the coach puts on her make-up…and this idea hit! But I had to go to practice. I stamped just to see what the colors would look like. NOTHING!

I went on SU color combo and I found my colors. (pumpkin pie, always artichoke, bravo burgundy and silver encore)

After volleyball practice, I stamped. I really liked the colors I had chosen. My technique is called Triple dimension from the technique junkie newsletter. Below is my first try.

I felt it need just a little something and out came silver cord!

I am excited to share this card with others on Saturday! I hope they like it as much as I do!

Today was our first volleyball game of the season. We have an offense that confuses the girls at times. Before our game, we went over the rotation. It made all the difference in the world. We got back on track and played well against a weaker team. In girl’s sports, they don't like to beat a weaker team the way boys do. Girls like to make sure they keep it close and then wonder why they didn't play any better. Tonight was not like that for this bunch of girls. I was very proud of them for playing hard and continuing to keep their game at a higher level. We had great serves, a couple of awesome spikes, and good passes! Well done!
Tomorrow our practice is quiet unique. We will practice from 3:30-4:00. Then get our pictures taken. NOW…think about this…girls, pictures, practice…what do you think? Will they practice hard to look flush in their pictures??? I don’t think so…I will teach them a new skill and see if they can get the grasp of a jump float serve! At least they won’t be thinking THAT much about primping, combing their hair, or make-up! Then we take pictures from 4:00-4:30 and…you guessed it…WE HAVE PRACTICE FROM 4:30-5:00! LOL!!!

Card Stock: So Saffron, Rose Red, Certainly Celery, and Bashful Blue Cutie Pie DSP
Ink: Rose Red
Retired Stamp set: Riveting
Accessories: Certainly Celery Grosgrain ribbon, Scallop punch, 1 3/8” circle punch, 1 ¼” circle punch, and ½” circle punch

So this leads me to the next idea I had. "Cards in the Mail!" This program is a unique program that delivers beautiful hand-made cards right to your mailbox each month. Each card is different and crafted by me with the utmost care and attention to detail.
Each month, you'll receive 5 gorgeous cards (with accompanying envelopes) with a variety of:
Textures
Embellishments
Styles
Techniques
Occasions
Each month, a package will arrive in your mailbox with 5 cards that are geared towards the seasons and holidays, along with cards for everyday giving (birthdays, get well, thinking of you, etc.). You'll receive cards that work well for children and adults, both male and female. These cards are truly "works of heart" that will delight anyone you give them to. Please email me if you are interested in this wonderful program. (Wording by Erika Martin)

Today was one of those days that the little thing sent me over the edge. Remodeling the bathroom has been quite a chore. Today it was time to put in the new bath tub! Well, what went wrong did go wrong. Kelly sent me out to buy plumbing stuff! (I would have used another word instead of STUFF!) I went to two of our major home supply places and getting someone to help can be a hassle. Then when they don’t have what you want and you can’t get anyone on the phone…is another problem. So I trekked back and forth to both places, at times, guessing what I should buy. (OH, I also did a lot of returning the items that were wrong!) So, my last trip…I HAD IT! I told Kelly, he needs to go look for what he wants. He’s such a great guy, he did! But little did we know that the shower plumbing would break…water all over the place and he looked like he took a shower in his clothes. The bathroom was flooded! We ran around and turned off the main water to the house and then had to turn off the hot water heater. OMG! I couldn’t mop fast enough! Well, he was running to the store buying all the wrong gadgets for this shower. Every time he turned the main drain on…he took another shower. He finally decided to plug all the pipes and he will come again next weekend. OH MY! (I am still mopping the floors to get the water off them!) LOL!

It was dust and I was driving back from getting some food. This weird electrical smell came out of the blue and made me sick to my stomach. I drove my BELOVED baby the next day and I didn’t get a woof of that nauseas smell. I decided to be on the safe side and taking to my guy “Larry”. He is the best and is so gracious about the joy he has working on your vehicle. He has had my baby for 4 days. Yesterday, he decided to replace a part and put the car back together. He wanted it to run for a few minutes to see if he could still smell this problem…when the center consul catches fire. This is my baby! I wanted a new car but not right now…I am taking a year off so I can have peace, no stress, enjoy the things I haven’t had time to do! So, Larry suggested that I call my insurance company and have some one come out and give me an estimate. This is my baby! I love this SUV! So, after I cried in my beer, I realized how lucky I was to have the car in a safe place and no one in the car. (I don’t have a fire extinguisher in my car! OOPS, I will NOW!) I thank God Larry has taken great care of me and I thank God no one was in the car! (This isn’t my car but it looks like mine!)

Celebrating World Card Making Day, I will teach a class called Jar of Cards! What is a Jar of Cards? You will create 24 3x3 note cards with envelopes and a jar to store them. Class fee covers 1/2 pack of Cutie Pie Designer Series Paper (as shown below), cardstock, jar and accessories needed to make the note cards.

This is my swap card for the month. I love this stamp set
and I adore this card. The technique I used is called Rainbow double.
You can read about Pat Hunton here and her wonderful business called
Technique Junkies.
The stamp set is With Gratitude.


This card, I did for a swap. It's a new stamp from the Holiday
Mini called Bright and Merry. The words I used is from the the Fall-Winter
catolog called Many Merry Messages. To view the Holiday Mini, please
click here.

September 1-September 30, 2007

Join the frenzy this month with our Fall Frenzy promotion! Spend $30 in regular priced merchandise and qualify to purchase one of each of the six promotional stamp sets at 30 percent off!

Description page Reg Price 30% off
Stem Silhouettes p.17** $31.95 $22.37
Thoroughly Thankful p.30 $22.95 $16.07
Bitty Boos Too p.26 $17.95 $12.57
Haunting Halloween p. 29 $18.95 $13.27
Elementary Essentials p.91 $27.95 $19.57
Autumn Fest p.108 $23.95 $16.77

If you wishes to purchase two of a single set, she must purchase $60 in regularly priced merchandise to qualify. **Holiday Mini Collection 2007

I have dates available for worshops. Please email me and let's set a date!

Stampin' Up! is offering a huge deal when you become a Stampin' Up! demonstrator! Everyone who joins Stampin' Up! from August 10 until September 30 will get an entire Color Family of Classic Ink Pads FREE!!! That's a $57.95 value!! The Starter Kit is already a great value at $199 (over $355 value)! At the time you sign your application, you will choose the Color Family you would like to receive FREE!

Please contact me if you are interested in signing up!

Things to know about being an SU! demonstrator:

1. You receive 30% instant income (or discount if you buy for yourself) on your very first order.
   
2. You receive 20% instant income on each order.
   
3. Your personal orders can earn hostess benefits.
   
4. You can receive a volume rebate (more $$) if you have monthly sales of $400 or more (% increases as your sales increase). Average workshop sales are $350.
   
5. You receive a free monthly magazine, Stampin' Success, that has ideas galore for projects and how to run your business. (This is equal to a $200 magazine subscription, well worth your money!)
   
6. You can customize your Starter Kit.
   
7. You can earn FREE trip to Hawaii for two.
   
8. Opportunities to earn FREE product.

These cards I made for a friend. He asked for anniversary and birthday!
If you would like custom made cards, please email me!

My bathroom is the next house project. This little corner has a bit of dry rot from the outside of the house. This corner was glued together when we were trying to sell the house. (But I did write about it in our house report!) Now it's time to get fixed. Really I have been hoping for a new bathroom for 12 years. So, I have torn off all the wall paper and I am ready to paint it a new color. For all you SU fans...it will be brocade blue! I am very excited to get this project under way. I have ordered all the Formica for the counter, got a new tub and stall insert, medical cabinet, and then a couple of Longaberger wrought iron racks from my good friend Kathy!




More pictures of my bathroom. You can see where the tub is...we are lucky and don't have the dry rot we suspected. Great news!

The white cabinet on the wall is due to me stripping the screw! OOPS! That was a chore to get off the wall! :) The mirror is no longer on the wall...I am excited to have the new medicine cabinet put in! (Yes I will put new picture on the blog when our house is completely sided!)


This is the story of my life! (For right now!)