Dollar buy BBQ card!

Here is my dollar buy from Michaels.

Our dear neighbors are transferring with the army to South Carolina. They have only been our neighbors for a year. We will really miss them.

I created this card to honor them and celebrate the friendships of the neighborhood. My husband, Mike will be firing up the smoker and making pulled pork and ribs. Umm, all I have to say is its sooo good!

It should be quiet the get together. We are having it on a Friday night, so its really quiet fun!

Remember there is a Ft. Meade Shoe Box swap. If you belong to Split coast stampers, please check out the link here. If you need more information or would like to sing up, please email Tracy (the hostess) at TRACYLTRIPP@hotmail.com

Blog candy, I am adding a set of journaling clear stamps. My last blog candy winner can expect her package the first week in August. Since she is on vacation I will hold out mailing it until I hear from her again.

If anyone in the Ft. Meade area has any long (wood toped) folding tables they want to sell/give me that would be great.

I hope everyone will have a great evening!

Stamp Happy!

Loretta

Ft. Meade Shoe Box Swap!

Just a reminder, we are still in the midst of blog candy. Please continue to read my blog and leave comments!

Here are the details for the Ft. Meade Shoe Box Swap. It is being sponsored by my friends Tracy and Amanda are sponsoring. I am planning to go, but with some looming urgent family business can not committ at this time.

You may also view the SCS thread by clicking here.

Amanda and Tracy will host a shoebox swap on Saturday, September 27, 2008, from 11:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m., at Potomac Place Community Center, Ft Meade, MD. This Community Center has lots of space available for us to spread out.

Plus we wanted to let you all know this facility is handicap accessible. For those of you that do not have a military ID you are still able to come, you will just need to have a driver’s license or a state ID with a photo, and car info that is required by state law in order to drive onto post.There is room for 60 stampers with each stamper bringing a shoebox swap for 30 stampers to make.

There is a $20 non-refundable charge per stamper to cover the Community Center, lunch, dinner, snacks, prizes etc. Please fill out the attached form and mail in your $20 to reserve your space by September 13, 2008. No children under 18 years of age please. All cards are to be full cards. Please bring enough supplies for everyone to make your card including all cardstock, stamps, inks, embellishments, tools, etc. Please also bring your own basic stamping kit, which should include your adhesive and scissors to use on all the projects we make.

Please make sure all of your supplies (stamps, ink pads, scissors, punches, etc.) are labeled with your name, so we all go home with the stuff we brought. We'd like each stamper to have a sample and typed instructions in their box telling how to make their card. Everyone should have their swaps in baggies or envelopes containing everything each stamper needs to do your card.

This helps make the swap go smoothly.There are no vendor restrictions on cards or projects. However please use quality card stock like SU!We will have a door prize drawing for all who want to participate in it, please bring something altered or stamped along with a $5 value of product. It can contain partial packages as long as the value is at least $5.

Please make your swaps look pretty so whoever receives it will be surprised!There will also be small door prizes given throughout the day with a large door prize drawing at the end of the swap. All stampers will walk away with a door prize!

For all of you that would be willing to donate cards, we will be collecting them to give to the Fisher House on Ft Meade, for their families to use while visiting their sick/injured love ones at the hospital and/or to the Stamp for a Cause scs program.

It all depends on how many we get. We will also have a silent auction for whoever would like to clean out stamping/scrapping items they no longer want. Just let me know if you will be bring items for the auction so we can have space allocated for your items. So for a recap here is, what you should bring: -shoebox swap (no theme) for 30 stampers-door prize drawing (if you are wanting to participate in it)-any cards that you would like to donate to the Fisher House or Stamp for a Cause.-any silent auction items you are wanting to get rid off.

So start posting your RSVP’s. Please feel free to post or pm any questions you may have.Once I receive your form and payment, I will mark you paid.Amanda and I can't wait to see you all there!

If you are interested in this swap, please email Tracy (Please type it in all capital letters). The email is: TRACYLTRIPP@hotmail.com.

Please join us for this exciting swap!

Todays card is on the masculine side. It is a Bella guy! I love the Bella stamps.

I hope you will continue to read and enjoy the blog!

Have a great weekend!

Like MOoo!

Finally! Some stamping time!

This is the card I came up with for the cow swap that I am hosting. The swap is full and we are 'chatting' at the present. I just love cows. The cards I am getting in return are pretty awesome as well.

Here is the recipe:

“Like Moo” Stamps: Penny Black Ink: Brilliance Black

Instructions: · Cut pink card base so it measures 5 ½ X 4 ¼” folded. · Cut patterned paper to 4” X 3” · Cut blue card stock to 4” X 2 ½”, emboss using cuttlebug folder · Blue layer measures 3 ¼” square · White layer measures 3” square · Stamp image onto 3” square and color with copic markers · Add ribbon as shown, using crystal effects glue to attach the jewels.

I've also started working on my cards for a BBQ we are giving for our dear friends and neighbors who are getting ready to move to South Carolina soon. They are dear people and we will miss them bunches!

This evening, I am going through a literal ton of memorabilia from my mom. She sent me home with a lot of stuff. Some of the items I will be selling. Some will just be kept, and did I mention I have enough material to scrapbook for the next 10 or so years? Not counting the pictures I made while missy was here. I even have a 1GB card I still need to have printed of. Umm I think I'll be busy.

I'm still looking at ways to re-vamp the stamp area. The computer desk I have isn't working, there simply isn't enough space to spread out. Which is bad and good, since most of the time it forces me to clean up the area and start on a new project. There is also something to be said for the 'creative' mess. It is challenging but so much fun!

I hope you are all doing well, and have a blog happy weekend!

A day in Baltimore

Above is a picture of my niece and my oldest son, Craig at the Cheesecake factory in Baltimore yesterday. We waiting in line for 45 minutes to get tickets into the acquarium, we didn't want to see the dolphin show, we just wanted to visit the acquarium. I get to the window at 11:40 and find out that we wouldn't be able to get in until 3:00 pm. I had plans for last night (I hosted an Arbonne) party. So we just walked around the inner harbor had lunch and came home. It was still a nice outing. Today we are planning to go to the national zoo. It has been many years since we visited, so I'm looking forward to going. To all who have asked if we enjoyed DC the answer is yes. I'm ashamed to say we live within 30 miles of DC and don't make it there often enough. There is so much to do and see. I will post pictures tomorrow of todays activities. Happy Sunday and Happy Stamping!

Friday -- tomatoes!

Hello everyone and Happy Friday!

This is our last weekend with Melissa. I'm going to miss her! I do get my youngest son home in the deal, I've missed him greatly and look forward to him returning home.

The oldest kid is going to report to basic training in the Air Force sometime in August. I must admitt I have mixed feelings about him joining the service. I know that he needs the disipline the service offers as well as the need for some personal growth and maturity. However, I'm still the mom!

Melissa is practicing her guitar a little and enjoying the new friends she has made here. It is my hope that she will return and live with our family full time.

I have to admitt, girls are a much different breed. They are not nearly as self-sufficent as boys are.

I'm participating in a shoe box swap, a bunch of us here in the Laurel, MD area are carpooling up to Pa for the swap. It is August 9 and I am really looking forward to it. I've got everything pretty much ready to go.

I'm still waiting to here from the last blog winner, I will wait until this evening and then re-draw.

Sorry for no picture today. I'm working on getting more pictues uploaded. You can look forward to photos from Lurray Caverns. If you ever have the opportunity to visit them, it is worth the $19 a person.

Happy Stamping!

I've been tagged! And I'm changing my name to FRED!

Happy Tuesday!

I've been tagged by Teresa!

Here are the rules... Each player answers questions about themselves.

At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

Ten Years Ago ... I was in the middle of a divorce. My husband of 14 years decided to become a homosexual. I pulled my life back together and after some good counseling and some good talks with the Lord himself, I survived and thrived.

Five Things in Today's "To Do" List ... Considering it is nearly 7:40 pm when diong this post, I'll tell you the to do list and what actually got done. 1. Take Melissa to the Aquarium. 2. Laundry 3. Clean 2 bathrooms, 4. Stamp 5. Take a walk.

I got the laundry done (still working on it). Melissa had a meltdown so the aquarium was out, we went to see American Girl instead (it is a great flick I highly recommend it). I did clean one bathroom (the smallest of the three) 4. I did a little stamping, I'm working on my shoebox swaps for PA. 5. If walking through a large mall counts then I can chalk this one off my list too!

Things I Would Do If I Were a Millionaire I would help provide for others, donate to charities, of course I'd get a bigger house with a very large stamp room and pay off our debts.

I am tagging; Angie,Ying,Brycia,Artful Inkables,Linda

Its official, I've lost it, after struggling with Melissa over an assignment that should have taken 10 to 20 minutes, I've lost it. I am changing my name to Fred (lol). Come to find out that 'little mr. monthly' is in residence. That explains a few things! She has been passed back an fourth her whole life. Its horrible. Anyway enough venting.

Blog candy from the last drawing is unclaimed, if the winner doesn't contact me by Friday I'm going to redraw, I decided to give her a couple of more days to respond.

This blog candy is now going to include a small lunchbox (I'll post a picture soon) and some 'scraps' of papers so you can alter it. There will be goodies inside, but I won't let you in on these quiet yet. Gotta keep the game fun!

I hope everyone will enjoy a nice evening! Stamp Happy!

A happy Mail Day! Blog Candy starts today!

Happy Thrusday everyone!

Today I opened my box and found all kinds of happy mail. I received a card from my DSS secret sister and I received a card from the last blog candy winner (Its posted above, Thanks for sending it to me Theresa!) I really like the colors and the layout of this pretty card.

I still haven't heard from my blog candy winner, if any one knows lori, please let her know I've got goddies for her. If I don't hear from her by Monday I'll draw a new name.

Today I'm kicking off blog candy with a die cut treat box filled with jelly beans. It is made from a new sizzix XL die, have you seen these yet? Sizzix has some awesome new dies, great ideas and is (in my humble opinion) starting to manufacture dies at prices us adverage people can afford.

I'm attending an all day stamping party tomorrow. I hope to get my shoe box swaps ready. I'm doing the black and white music butterfly cards with the red accent. They are pretty cool.

I'm also taking my new big kick in its pretty doctor bag. You should check out everything sizzix has. I also recommend you join their email list. They have fab-o sales!

If you guys want my sizzix wish list, just ask . That is all for todays post, I hope every one is doing well!

Please post a comment on my blog from today forward to have a chance to win the candy. I welcome other posts as well! I hope you will sit a spell and take a look around!

Blog Candy -- we've got a winner!

Melissa in front of the Natural History Museum. Sorry for no post yesterday! We lost power I know -- where's the candy?!

No I didn't get a picture of Melissa pulling the name from a bowl, and no I didn't post yesteday, we lost power for a while last night, then it just got too late!

The winner is:

Lori Barnett said... I love b/w stuff! And I love animals so that kitty one really stands out for me :) They are all AWESOME! Lori, please email me at ms.rhetta@verizon.net with your snail mail info so I can get this package out to you in the mail this week. This is a card I made a couple of days ago, its hard to find any stamping time with a young lady in the house who wants to scrapbook every picture we've made so far (its only been a week people and I'm spending alot of time at the Wal-mart picture kios.)

The stamp is a Penny Black stamp, I stamped her with Brilliance Black ink which I heat set, then colored with my copic markers. I stamped the image twice so I could '3d' her head out. The sentiment is also stamped in Brilliance black. I think it needs a ribbon and a little more 'bling', but over all I'm pleased with the way it turned out.

I'll start my next round of blog candy around July 10th. Please continue to enjoy the blog until then. There will be some previews and hints to blog candy before the 10th.

Stamp Happy!

Melissa and Loretta 'do DC' !

What a beautiful day to take the MARC train into Union Station and then take the METRO to the Metro Center stop. Melissa and I (she is the pretty one!) got our start at 10:30 this morning.

My sweet husband, Mike drove us to the MARC station. We had to wait over an hour for our train. It was worth the wait. The trains are very fast and when they buzz by the station they make a terrible racket and shake the entire building.

When we arrived at the Metro Center we decided to walk to the Smithsonian instead of taking another Metro train. It was a beautiful day for the walk. Even though it is hot, there was a nice breeze and I enjoyed the walk. The DC 'mall' was very crowded getting ready for the 4th of July celebrations. There where vendors, and music. Melissa and I sat for a while and drank lemonade while listening to some of the musicians play.

We visited the Museum of Natural History. She loved it. We also sat and watched the IMAX 3D movie on Dinosaurs. It was pretty awesome!

Melissa loved all of the exhibits, when it was time to go home, Mike picked us up at the Greenbelt Metro station and she feel asleep in the car. Sweet girl was plain tuckered out.

She came home and took a nap. We just finished eating what we call a 'low country boil', with shrimp, potatoes, small pearl onions and corn', covered with a little butter and old bay seasoning, that there is some good eats!

I was able to do some serious stamping yesterday. Melissa has already purchased some stamps for herself, and did some 'practice' stamping yesterday, she has mostly been playing with images I have already stamped and is enjoying coloring them.

I am hosting a new swap, New Swap -- Cows!

All level of stampers are encouraged to participate.

I love cows, love them, I have them on top of my craft cabinets, on top of my book shelves, I even have a nice selection of cow stamps.I hope you will join this swap. Make 6 cards receive 5 back. Full cards not to exceed 5 1/2" X 4 1/4" finished. Do your best work, something you will be proud of!

A cow image should be the main theme of the card. Any stamp company, at least two layers, I prefer you use Stampin Up card stock, but I encourage you to use that beautiful scrapbooking paper as well. I will have a PRIZE for the best card. Please send in a zip type baggie to protect during shipping and a SASE with the same postage plus one extra postage stamp (which will be returned if not used).

A receipe is requested but not required. Please sign your card back and include your email, so if any one would like to contact you about your creation they can! Due in my hands by August 6th. Email me if you have any questions.Please sign up Send cards too;

Loretta Rodger

401 Kokomo Ct.

Laurel,MD 20724

Remember I will be drawing for the blog candy which now includes $40 in cash on Sunday July 6th, in the evening. I will probally have Melissa draw a name from the hat, if you have commented more than once, your name will go into the hat the same number of times you have commented. Thank you to those of you who have been sending encouraging emails and comments on the blog, it is much appreciated. Your prayers and support do make a difference in my life.

Stamp Happy and enjoy your 4th of July celebrations. Please be safe!