Heading to Altoona

So, this is the most recent card that I completed and it is a big hit!! I love the way it turned out and so does everybody else who has seen it!! The colors are much more vibrant in real life and the sage and rust cardstock are both textured which is really nice!! Some of the details about the card are available in my SCS gallery, so be sure to check it out!!

In other news, I am at my dad's house tonight and we head out to Altoona in the morning for my nephew's wedding. Not really looking forward to the drive, but I am looking forward to the wedding!! After all, who doesn't love a wedding!! So much fun to see two people pledge to spend the rest of their lives together...

Whoa...where did that come from!! I am usually not so sappy! Besides, I am actually pretty annoyed that some of my favorite people cannot get married even if they wanted to. Even more annoying is the fact that many people feel that if my best friend should find the person that he would like to spend the rest of his life with and commits himself to that man, that their hetero-marriage would suffer in some way. So ridiculous!!

Okay, that felt better!! A bit of open-minded liberalism is always a good thing!!

Well, that is gonna do it for me for a little while. Don't know if I will get to write at all this weekend, even though Dad is bringing the laptop along on our trip, and I know for certain that I will not be doing any stamping!!

My poor neglected Blog...

So, I know that I have been completely neglecting my blog, but it has been for a worthy cause!! I have been stamping like a mad woman these days!! Last weekend I created my first One Sheet Wonder and had so much fun with it!! I have also made others (which you can see in my SCS gallery). I have even sold some of my cards - something I never really expected to do!! All in all, getting back to stamping has been great!! I know that I said this is a previous post, but I really enjoy making cards and stamping! What has been the most fun, however, is all of the inspiration I have gotten from the weekly challenges and many talented folks on SCS!!

That's all I really have time for right now, but I promise to try to keep up with my blog a bit better than I have been recently!!

Stampin' Again!!!

So, I have decided that I need to get back to stamping and making cards. It is something that I REALLY enjoy and have found that I am really pretty good at it. I am generally pleased with my results and the recipients of my cards react very favorably (who doesn't enjoy a hand-made card?!). So, after quite a hiatus, I made this card just a few days ago and really love the way it turned out!!

I usually cheat when I make my cards by using pre-cut, pre-scored cards that I purchase in packs of 50 with envelopes which I then layer, embellish, etc, and this card is no exception. I have realized, however, that the cardstock used is a bit too flimsy and will eventually need to stop cheating and use higher quality cardstock. I also tend to use the same layout. I don't know what it is, but I seem to use this layout over and over!!

As for the other materials used: Martha Stewart Crafts cardstock in Coffee Bean and Peacock Tail; SU! cardstock in Whisper White; some plaid designer paper that I have had for a LONG time and cannot remember where I got it; SU! classic ink in Tempting Turquoise; VersaMark and Silver embossing powder for the heat embossed sentiment.

I am not sure how many of my creations I will be posting here, but I intend to add lots of stuff to my gallery on Splitcoast Stampers so be sure to check it out!!

When did I become one of them?

So, I never thought that I would be the type of person who would feel paralyzed by not having my cell phone, but apparently I am!! On Friday, I had a bit of a mishap with my phone which caused it to stop functioning properly - and I freaked out. I was completely panicked, and that feeling only got worse when the guy at the phone place said that I would need to have it replaced. I freaked some more - How LONG would that take?! I can't be without my cell phone! It is my life line!!

As it turns out, I should have my new phone by the time I arrive home from work tonight. Although it will have been only about 72 hours that I was without my phone, I cannot believe how very out of touch I have felt! It has been the strangest feeling to know that I cannot just get in touch with whomever I would like whenever I would like. Even worse is the knowledge that anybody trying to get in touch with me cannot do that, either!! I mean, what calls am I currently missing?! Surely somebody is trying desperately to get in touch with me!

So, having gone through this, and come to the realization that I have become one of those people who seems to be incapable of surviving without her cell phone, I am just going to embrace it. Sure, many people in my shoes would go the other way and vow to become less dependent upon the gadgets in our lives, but not me!! I love my little phone! I love that feeling of exhilaration that washes over me each time it rings, beeps, or buzzes telling me that somebody is trying to get in touch with me...because that somebody might be you!!

Long may he reign...

Elvis Aaron Presley
January 8, 1935 - August 16, 1977

Getting Involved, Part 2

So, earlier today I met with a very small group of women to begin talking strategy for getting Hillary elected President in 2008. There were only 4 of us, but I really feel like the work we will be doing could make a real difference locally. I feel that each of us is committed to really getting the word out, not only about Hillary, but also about the more basic issue of voter registration.

We are hoping to start with voter turn out since it doesn't matter how hard you campaign for a candidate if nobody goes to the polls. So, if you are reading this, and you are not yet registered to vote, please go here and get registered!! If you are registered, share the link with your friends and ask them to do the same. It has always been my opinion that if you do not vote, you do not have a right to complain about our elected officials. I know that it can feel like your vote does not matter, particularly in light of the 2000 Presidential election, but we must continue to get out to the polls and make our voices heard

Additionally, it is time to stop standing on the sidelines (as I had been doing until today) and watching the political process happen around us. I urge you to get involved. The ONLY way any of us can really make a difference is if we get our hands dirty and really work on making change happen. I don't even care if you are not a Hillary supporter, as long as you are actively involved

If you would like to know more about Hillary and what she stands for and will work for as President, please be sure to check out her website.

Logo/HRC Democratic Candidates Forum

So, I just watched the Logo/HRC Democratic Candidates Forum focused on LGBT issues and have to say that my views about the candidates have changed very little. I do wish that Hillary's position on marriage equality was one of actual equality (civil unions, no matter how many rights they afford, are NOT marriage), but she was absolutely the most Presidential. Of course, there is still more than a year until the election, and it is possible that my opinion will change, but for now, Hillary is my girl!!