What's Cooking?? Cards that's what...

I have been a little busy making cards these last couple of days. I really am loving the idea that I am using up supplies that I have had forever and papers that I hadn't touched because I was saving it for something special. What's more special than a card just for no reason or one just for your special day?

So I wanted to take a moment to upload the 4 of the 8 cards that I did...hope you get inspiration from them. I love the papers that I used and was glad that I finally used some of that special stash. These cards have stamped images...

but these cards have absolutely no stamping at all. The images are actually diecuts that I have embellished to make them work for this card. I have had this apron forever (from Quickutz) and I had only used it once before (to send some aprons to a fellow scrapper) and I had these saying forever to use on cards. Then I saw a fellow scrapper use stamps that had an apron and something else and I decided that it was time to break out all those sayings and dies and get busy. And so I did. (Supplies; Qk apron, BBQ dies and swirls goosebumps folder, and Bosskut oven mitt, and Spellbinders labels and scalloped rectangle dies. We R Memory Keepers papers, blue gingham ribbon is MM, and red ribbon is unknown, the what's cooking was created with American crafts rub-ons (purkey), and Tim Holtz tea dye distress inks.)

Here is a close up of the diecuts. I have plans to make several cards in the next month using only diecuts and stickers/rub-ons and misc supplies. Just to prove that it can be done! I am hoping that I will have enough time to upload all the pictures of them.

I don't know if I have mentioned this before but I usually spend the summer making cards because it is something that I usually don't do at all in the fall/winter. So most of my posts will be about them. And I will have to eventually start working on scrapbook pages again (sooner than later,especially because I have a new little person to scrapbook). I even plan on creating a couple of fall themed albums again for ebay/etsy...so be on the lookout. The last one sold as a buy now and it was sold in a matter of hours.

Here is a link to the post that had the album in it

http://scrapalongwithtracy.blogspot.com/2008/10/be-thankful-everyday-mini-albumits-done.html

please note that any links to old ebay sells are no longer active. And ebay removes them after they are sold (I believe 90 days from when the sold).

A quick update on a busy week

Well it's been a little busy around here. I am sure you all have tons going on too! I am learning new "routines" this week. I am trying to really learn what is going to work and what isn't. So far I have a lot of isn'ts lol lol. But I have tons of things to share. I have some really great pics of us as a family for the 4th of July.

Here are a couple....

I have no idea why Vele wanted to hold the Nya like this but oh well the picture is still cute ;0)

And here is one of us as a family. I have tons of editing to do to the other pictures so I decided to add these few before its been a month since the 4th and I haven't shared anything.

Oh and if you ever wonder what's for dinner on the 4th, it can range from one bbq'ed item to the next, some summer salads...but the night always ends in fireworks and a jello cake. And every year we have people over but this year at the last minute that changed...but the cake still was awesome. Here is a picture of that...oh the icing isn't icing at all, that's coolwhip!


And early in the week was my most awesome person in the world's birthday...my hubs! He turned 33 and it was nice but he worked that day (so he could have his floating holiday be Friday and have a 4 day weekend)...But here is the card that I made for him.

I am just so glad that he is finally my age because it was getting old to here him say something about my age whenever he could. lol lol.

Also I plan on making some other cards soon. I have collected some great sayings and can't wait to actually use them on a page.

And also since I have done anything relating to cooking in awhile. I just had to say that I tried a recipe that was on a fellow scrapbookers site. I really liked how it turned out. We had it for dinner last night and I want to thank Amy G for sharing it...check it out! It is awesome!

http://family.grendell.net/2009/06/recipe-share-chipotle-chicken-rice.html

Hi family and friends...

I hope all is well for everyone?!! We are doing ok (or at least that is what I am striving for right now)...It is really hard to adjust to lack of sleep and trying to function as normal. I was just thinking oh my goodness how in the world did I do this before, sleep for 2 or 3 hours maybe a night and then turn around and drive Vele to work at 5 am or 6:30am and then drive the kids to school. I thank God truly that I didn't kill all of us! But at least I am not driving this time around.

So enough about, that let's see what can I share...oh we went to the park a couple of weeks ago and at first I just sat and took pics of everyone. It was such a nice day that I forgot that I only had been out of the hospital the weekend before...but I was quickly reminded that I should have not done what I was doing...Vele even got the picture! And this wasn't planned at all.

I also want to say in my defense, that I just wanted to have fun with my family. I completely forgot that I just had a c-section . Secondly, although this was my 3rd c-section it was not an emergency one and I actually felt better so of course when you feel better, you try to do normal things...I just really didn't expect for something so simple to hurt so bad. And although it looks like I am laughing I really was terrified once the motion/gravity started and the pain kicked in I realized that holding the slide wouldn't help so I let go...thank goodness for pain meds! I surely took them that night.

Here are a couple of pictures of the crew at the Doctors office, I have had to go in a couple of times (due to complications, not the related to the slide-lol lol) but I decided to get some quick pictures of the family together. I don't have any idea why LeiLani is smiling the way that she is, it has become her "new " face. She has been doing this now whenever I am trying to get a picture of the two girls together.

Hello...hello and hello again everybody!

I have some really wonderful news...well it is a little old but on Monday, May 25,2009 our newest little one arrived...She weighted 4lbs 12oz and has a head full of hair. Her name is LaNya and she actually was released from the hospital before I was. For most that have read my blog before, I was worried about the c-section (this was my 3rd one) and considering what happened on the operating table, I had just cause. But I can say at least this time the spinal didn't fail and I was not put under general and I got to see and kiss her before she was whisked away. But there were some other complications, very serious ones. For all that believe in prayer, I ask you to please pray for my healing. I truly do need it!

But I haven't been able to be on the computer because I was just released from the hospital on Sunday. And I haven't edited or added photos of her just yet. I will be doing this a little later this week when I get breaks here in there between pumping milk, changing diapers and all that new baby adjustment stuff...have a blessed day everyone. And thank you all in advance for your prayers and well wishes! Tracy

35 weeks

I am sitting here trying to figure out what to write about. I don't want to complain because I am thankful that I have made it this far but I am sooooo ready to be done. Now to be fair I have to say that I haven't been this far along in a pregnancy for a long time, and so it is hard to adjust to not being able to get up, but instead roll out of a sitting position. LOL...

I haven' t done anything creative at all this week for myself, except check out blogs of people that I love and pop in every once and awhile on twopeasinabucket to see the gallery. I haven't lost my creativity/inspiration, I just don't have the time to be creative right now, or at least not for my own personal scrapbooks or cards.

Yesterday I got the call from the hospital and my c-section is scheduled. I am honestly terrified of it but I am hoping that I don't have to have an emergency one and that scheduled ones are a lot more smoother than my previous two emergency ones. I also am so excited to be able to be this close to my actual due date which means if the baby does come early there would be a really short stay in the NICU or special care nursery. That to me is well worth the wait!! I can't imagine actually have a child come home with me after I deliver her/him but I am getting so close to that happening that it is both wonderful and scary all at once. But I wouldn't trade this for anything. I know that my last posts have been all about babies and birth but this is one way that I can share what I am going through and all the thousands of thoughts about it that I can't seem to get outta my head...like tonight I woke at midnight looking for our cellphones because I just had to make sure that they were charged so that we could get in touch with each other. And of course I haven't been able to get back to sleep no matter how hard I have tried so I decided to do my blog post now. Maybe I can get some sleep after this is no longer on my mind.

A card I just wanna keep for myself!

I love making cards! At least while I am unable to get into my space and really work on scrapbooking. But sometimes while I am busy with orders and creating things to sell I am not able to be as creative as I want to be for my own personal items. And then sometimes I make something that I absolutely love 100%... and I stared to make a card this week that fits the category of it's too cute to send out! Well I wasn't really going to make cards/gifts this yr. Mostly because I just didn't feel like it but instead call and tell everyone happy mothers day. But the more I thought about it the more I wanted to change it back to my normal tradition of sending cards and gifts. But that is hard to do when all you stash is on a level of the house that's off limits. And I had some supplies upstairs from making save the date cards postcards.

But I decided to have the guys bring up some supplies into the livingroom so that I could make a few personal cards. I didn't want all my supplies but I wanted to use some of the things that I have had in my stash for awhile that hadn't been used.

So here is one of the 2 cards that I made. My camera batteries weren't charged so I had to take a quick photo so that I could upload it for my blog entry. I love this card so much that it still is sitting on my side table. I guess you can say I made it for myself...Happy mother's day to me...lol!

Supplies: MME pp, bazzill cs, MM kid's trim ribbon, BG buttons, Hero Arts stamps, Fiskars scalloped border punches, TH distress inks (broken china, shabby shutters, and spiced marmalade).

What a beautiful day...Well in my mind! LOL

Today was amazing! I got a huge order done, mailed and out of the way. I also had to deal with an issue that I saw arising...have you ever started a project on the wrong foot and then regretted or felt like you needed to start over because you might be getting taken advantage of? I did...I had taken an order and designed two cards and worked hard on the designs all before getting any payment (my fault!) and then after being told I love this card!! I bought some of the supplies because the retail store stated that they couldn't hold it for me. Now I didn't go out and purchase hundreds of $$ worth of product but I surely spent my own $$.

So I wasn't too bothered by a request to show another design of a card when I thought things were set in stone...nope that didn't bother me as much as being told by the customer that she wouldn't pay for something that she hadn't seen! Huh...I was working on something and hadn't gotten one single cent!...I had been communicating all the details, supplied photos of my work and then on top of that worked my tush off to get this order started all while not taking other orders and don't forget I didn't get $$ for my time! And all I stated to her was that I could email her an example of cards that I had done previously that were similar to what she was asking for.

So I attempted to communicate that I am a business and I was going to have to get payment before I moved forward with any more work...The same as any business that is making customized cards. They have an example, you see what you like and order yours and then you pay and receive a proof after that. I am not upset by this although I do now have 25 yards of gold ribbon and some other gold items that I can' t see myself using at all in the near future...but I have learned a lesson. One that I had learned before but now I'm going to follow 100%...non-customized examples, and at least a down payment before work is started! But the good part is that is just as this order began to go south, I got a call from a person I have made cards for tons of times and she wants me to do cards for her daughter's wedding, the save the dates, the invitations, shower and thank you cards. I am talking about a nice little piece of $$! I made sure to discuss payment/receive a down payment and set up dates to meet to go over proofs. I like when business is conducted this way! It just makes me feel better but then again this order was from a returning customer and she has always been pretty amazing to work with.

I can't wait until tomorrow...ok later on this morning because it is 3am! I am going to a local scrapbook store for a few hours to do a make and take. I have no plans on sending any $$ because I have an order of products on it's way from ebay. Some items that have been on wishlist now for over a year and finally I am going to get them. It's not that I didn't have the money for it, I just couldn't get them for a reasonable price including shipping so I waited. I tend to do that a lot. Especially if it is something scrapbook related.

I have also planned to start looking for a 2 seat stroller. I have been thinking about it but then realized that maybe I need to start actually looking for one. I might have to have my hubby start checking garage sales.

Here is a quick pic of one of the two gold cards that I created. It is very traditional in it's feel but that is what she was looking for.