Just a Note card

How about a card? I used Chris's Music Mesh file (found here) to make this Just a Note card. I matted the mesh on a piece of white card stock and layered that over the stamped Just a Note phrase on a beige card. Wouldn't these make a neat gift set? Make up a dozen of these, tie them with a ribbon, easy gift!

layout using Chris Durnan's January Sketch files from her forum

Have your checked out Chris's forum lately? There are some fabulous challenges going on over there. This layout uses her files for the January Sketch challenge. Mine is late, because we were hit with an ice storm that knocked out our power. Things are finally back to normal, so here's the layout.

And this is a picture of a card I made for a card challenge from Chris's forum. I used Chris's tree files (found here: http://www.visualdesignsbychris.com/store/product.php?productid=16258&cat=0&page=1) and a thanks word from one of her freebies from her blog.

I'll post some pictures of our yard from the ice storm. We're still cleaning up debris and probably will be for some time. At least we only had some damage to our garage and a lot of food spoilage.

new project to share

Stephen's boss always has his Christmas party after the New Year because everyone is so busy. So I needed an extra gift bag for the party. I used Chris Durnan's card file - Contemporary Happy Holidays - for the bag. I just cut the card front and glued it to the bag, letting the green bag color show through.

And for the tag, I used her tag file set - Holiday Tag Package. You can find Chris and all her wonderful files here: http://www.visualdesignsbychris.com/store/home.php

I hope everyone had a lovely holiday season. I have to say, as much as I love Christmas, there's really too much going on and I'm always relieved when it's all said and done so I can rest. I'm trying to get back in to a routine, trying to get to the gym before work, trying to get caught up at work, taxes done for work, and trying to not be a grumpy witch. I'm not sure any of it is going to happen. And I'm hoping like crazy that I can get to some of our Green Bay trip photos this year. I can't believe it's almost been a year and a half! How sad. But then again, I'll probably have to take out a loan to afford to develop all the pictures.


So, it's almost 9, and I'd best get wrapped up. The alarm goes off at 4am, and let me tell you, that's really, really early.

another layout to share

Here is another layout for Stephen's mini flip album. It uses Chris Durnan's file Ornaments and Trees. You can find the file here. This file has several different trees and they all cut like a dream.

Shopping is done, just waiting on that postman to deliver one last thing. Still have some wrapping to do. I'm finding it really hard to get in the mood to wrap. Plus our Christmas tree lights keep blowing fuses so I can't keep the tree lit. Stephen wanted the big bulbs this year, and I think they're getting too hot and blowing fuses. Not a happy camper, esp considering all the stores are out of fuses! So if they blow one more time, I'm out of fuses, which means either a dark tree (which I CAN'T stand) or pulling all the bulbs and ornaments off and redoing the whole darn thing. Not looking forward to either of those.

Hope everyone has a safe, happy holiday. It's looking like a brown, wet, muddy Christmas here. :(

Sussann

two layouts and Happy Thanksgiving

I have been working on a small flip album for hubby of our Annabelle. I used one of Chris's files on each of these layouts. One uses her Reindeer file. I added Diamond Glaze to his nose and pen stitching on his antlers and muzzle.

The other layout uses her Snow title. This is one of the over 20 files in this quarters cutting membership group. Have I mentioned what a great value that is, btw? $20, and a minimum of 20 files - that's a steal! If you haven't signed up for her quarterly club yet, do! You won't regret it! A new quarter signup will be available soon. You can find her here:
http://visualdesignsbychris.blogspot.com/

I hope everyone has a happy, safe Thanksgiving. Be careful if you're traveling. And be sure to hug a loved one.

Sussann

VOTE!

I don't care who you vote for, just exercise your right and go VOTE!

Here's a little freebie - sorry I don't have a picture of it cut yet.

fall card

First off, I have a fall card to share with you. I used the challenge files from Chris Durnan's recent challenge to make this card. You can find Chris here. Stephen bought a scanner this weekend, and scanned this card for me, but unfortunately you can't really see the glittered embossing powder on the pumpkin and the word fall. It's much more glitzy in real life!

This picture is from a recent ride we took on a little country back road. I just loved this fall display! I had not seen one of these before, so I made Stephen go back and take a picture of it.

We're still trying to ride the motorcycles whenever we can. It was 34 degrees this morning, and I felt the cold despite my gear. I think I'm going to pull out my real winter coat and wear it instead of my lined motorcycle jacket.

Any one have any ideas how we could celebrate our 15th anniversary in December? We were going to see about taking a cheap cruise, but we still don't have our notarized birth certificates, so that means no passports. Plus I hate to be out so much money for the passports, gas down to Alabama, hotel the night before and gas back home. So, any neat ideas?

New project and conversion is over!

First, I'd like to share a project I just completed using Chris Durnan's word books. You can find out more about Chris here.



The book was so easy to cut. I have to say, I've never been a fan of the "project" type kits, where you have to fill little spaces and resize everything. But Chris's book made this a dream to do! I'm very happy with how it turned out, and Stephen thinks it's "cool" so it meets with his approval.

The conversion is finally over at work. So I'm hoping I can find some time to play at night and not just collapse in exhaustion. The entire ordeal at work cost me 60 hours of my personal time. Which I will never see a penny for. Oh well, at least I have a job, right?

I've been on vacation this week and it was SOOOOO needed. I've been so tired and mentally wiped out too, that everything has suffered. I did a fall house cleaning this week, and got a few projects around the house done, like totally redoing my closet. Stephen is off today, so I'm not sure if we'll do anything together or just hang out. Either way, it's been nice to have the time away and to recharge.






Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend. Later!

wet Monday too!

So it's another wet day here. We woke up to thunder and lightning and buckets of rain. Part of the tropical depression that's making it's way inland. We needed the rain, but I didn't want it while I was trying to sleep or get to the gym and to work. So of course I had to drive to work, which I hate having to do now that I'm hooked on my motorcycle. We dropped Stephen's off to be serviced and picked up my windshield. I can't wait to try it and see if it's more comfortable without so much wind hitting me in the helmet.

Nothing else really new. Same old same old.

Later!

card to share

Fast weekend. Sure seems like they are flying by faster and faster. We dropped Stephen's bike off yesterday for the 600 mile service and to have his accessories installed. The windshield came in for my bike, so we picked that up. I'll have to wait another forever for the saddlebag mounts tho. Stephen helped me install the windshield today. I think I'm going to love it. I hope it will help with the drag I've been having when I go over 40 mph.

I have a new card to share. I used Chris Durnan's file Love My Coffee, which you can find here:

http://www.paperthreads.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_dnld_info&products_id=2248

The stamped phrase reads:

I gave up coffee, sex and chocolate.

It was the worst 10 minutes of my life.

I also used a coffee ring stamp on the background in a cream color.

Sure wish we had another couple of days off this weekend. I'm really burned out, can't wait to take a few days vacation.

Til Later!

wet Thursdsay & is customer service dead?

So it's Thursday. It's wet. But I looked at the radar this morning and it was clearing off. So Stephen and I both rode to work this morning. I suspect we'll get wet at some point today, be it at lunch or on the way home. Stephen's bike requires a 600 mile service. The head mechanic at the dealership told us to call 7 to 10 days ahead of time to schedule an appointment to have the bike serviced. Told us we could do it on a Saturday, no problem. So I called yesterday to set up the appointment. The service department manager refused to schedule an appointment for us. Told me that "no one" makes appointments "anywhere" and that it was first come first serve. So I said okay, fine, that's not what we were told, but we'd drop the bike off on a Saturday morning and come back before they close to pick it up. He told me no, they'd have to keep it for a week or longer to do the service job. Ah, hello? Then why did your mechanic tell us it would take 3 or 4 hours max? He gave me some BS story about how the engine had to be COMPLETELY cold and that to do that, the bike would have to sit a minimum of 24 hours. Hmmm, strange, the head mechanic never mentioned that. He got really ugly with me and told me that the fastest turn around ANY service department had in the state was a week and that if I didn't like it, that was tough. Then he started in on how I shouldn't expect an appointment because he only makes appointments for handy capped people (his words!) or people who have to drive a long distance. Hmmm, 100 miles ONE WAY isn't "a long distance"? Men!!

So the way the weekends fall, we'd need to have the bike there on the 30th and not pick it up until the following Saturday, which Stephen has to work. That would mean two weeks without the bike. So my hubby is out driving around the county, trying to put 200 miles on the bike in two days so we can drop it off THIS Saturday and go back to pick it up, hopefully, on the 30th. All because this guy has an attitude issue and thinks a 4 hour service job will take an entire week. Double Men!!

At least tomorrow is Friday, right?
Later!

what's new for us!

Wow, I can hardly believe I've neglected my blog for almost 2 months. I swear life has gotten in the way more than I'd realized. Work has been so busy I can barely find time to breath. And home, well, home has been busy with something new. New wheels to be exact.

We decided to buy a 49cc scooter for me to drive back and forth to work. So we found one, bought it, I loved it, Stephen loved it (but he has to drive too far to work to ride one) but decided he wanted a motorcycle. So, we began the search for a small motorcycle for him. We found a steal on a 2005 Yamaha Virago so we bought that the first part of July. It didn't take Stephen long to master it, and decide he wanted a bigger bike. So, he graduated to a 2008 Suzuki C50. Soooo, I got his Virago! I've been riding it to work for about a week now. We both love riding so much, I never dreamed how much fun it would be. Stephen's already anticipating getting a bigger, bigger bike in a couple of years and giving me his Suzuki. I told him I love how nimble the Virago is, I may not want his Suzuki. Here's a few pics:

This is the first day learning - in our back yard. I never got it out of first gear. That day I was just practicing starts and stops, and super low speed turns.



This is from a few days later, in the football stadium parking lot. I nearly laid it down that day. One good thing I learned, I CAN pick it up by the handle bars! And be careful taking off from a stop while on an incline or a hill.

And here is Stephen's new bike. He bought a tinted faceplate for his helmet while we were at the shop. Plus a nice, plated jacket. I'm still looking for a jacket, I'm having a hard time finding one that fits the way I want it to fit. It may be a long search.

So that's what we've been up to - learning to ride motorcycles. I never thought I'd ride as a passenger, never mind learn to drive one on my own, but here we are. We're loving every minute of it. And the lower gas bills aren't upsetting us any either!

Later!

movie review: PS I Love You

Stephen went diving this past weekend and I rented PS I Love You. I didn't think I was going to be able to finish the movie. It was almost unwatchable. The story was okay, I've just decided I don't like Hillary Swank. I'm thinking of getting Fool's Gold for this weekend - Stephen has to work Saturday - but I'm not sure. I'm not much of a chick flick gal, but I've heard decent things about it.

Stephen got me a scooter this weekend. I've been riding it to work this week. I think I'm finally starting to get comfortable with it. I need to take some pictures. I'll try to do that tonight.

Busy at work. Same as usual. Tired, wish it was Friday.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day, Dad. I miss you so much.

project and life

Have I mentioned how much I love the versatility of Chris's files? Here's a card I made using part of her Hot Cup of Java file. I used one of the borders from her Simple Borders and Patterns file for the background. The Hot Cup of Java file can be found here:

http://www.paperthreads.com/store/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&keyword=hot+java

and the Simple Borders and Patterns file is here:

http://www.paperthreads.com/store/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&keyword=simple+borders

If you haven't checked out the borders file, I highly recommend it. The possibilities are endless.

I still owe you a preview of the file from the other day. It's still available for download, just a few downloads left. I'll try to get the preview up for you this weekend.

Life has been less than thrilling lately. My workouts haven't been all that great, and I'm gaining weight. Plus I'm hungry all the time. Seems like I can't get enough to eat no matter how much I eat. Work has been rotten, as usual. Coworkers abusing the place like crazy and getting away with it, yet I get in trouble if I pull even a quarter of the crap they're doing. The lightning/power surge from a few weeks ago apparently also fried my dvd player in my craft room. So not happy about that. Seems like it's always something these days. Plus the weather is hot. Summer is officially here, whether I want it or not. I know, whine, whine, whine. Anyway, it's Saturday at least, right?

Remember

Just have a couple of minutes here - I wanted to post a free file for you on this Memorial Holiday. I don't have a preview yet, you'll have to download it on faith. Hope some of you can use it. I hope everyone is having a nice holiday weekend. I'll try to post more later this week, along with the preview.

Here's the link:

http://www.4shared.com/file/49037994/4321cfea/remember_sl.html?dirPwdVerified=487f3715

my day was made twice today

The greeter at Wal-Mart made my day today. I'd been in a very bad funk - depressed over my lack of weight loss and how exhausted and bad I've been feeling lately. She saw me from a distance today and made a bee-line for me. She told me that I looked great and she was so proud of me for losing so much weight. How sweet! She said today was the first time she'd seen me in fitted clothes because I always wear shirts that are too big (a hold over from my big bosom'd days) and she said she just had to tell me.

Then, a company rep stopped by the office today and she bragged on me for losing weight too. I guess she hasn't seen me in fitted clothes in a while either. Talk about an ego boost. Now if I can just get the scales to start moving and my strength/endurance to pick up.

Nothing new here. I'm still kicking around a few ideas for new files. I've got an idea in mind, but I'm having trouble making it work like I want. Limitations of inkscape I guess.

Check back soon, I hope to have a file for offer and new files to show for the store soon.

new layout with Chris's files, spinning, and Administrative Professionsal's Day

First off, sorry to be mia for so long. Major pc issues at work, so I've been spending lots of extra time at work trying to fix it. I haven't been on the computer much when I get home from work because I'm sick of messing with the one at work!

So, I finally got the pictures taken of my snow layout that uses two of Chris Durnan's files. You can find Chris here:

http://visualdesignsbychris.blogspot.com/

I used her snowflake jumble and snow envy word files. It's hard to see in the picture, but I used clear sparkle embossing powder on the word snow and the individual snowflakes. Here's a close up of the title, it may be a little easier to see.

If you haven't checked out her Quarterly Membership offer, run over to her blog or paperthreads.com and check it out. She has a wonderful deal going. For $10, you're guaranteed at least 20 files in 3 months. It's a fantastic way to increase your cutting files for very little money. Membership for this quarter ends April 30th, so you'd better hurry. If you sign up, mention my name when you do so Chris can know where you heard about it.

So last week the morning trainer at the gym suggested I join her spinning class. She said "it's a lot of fun plus it will shock your body and jump start your weight loss". So against my better judgment I went Tuesday. What a colossal mistake! I knew from using the bikes in the fitness room that they were hard on my knees. By the time I got off that spinning bike I could barely walk. I just thought my legs were in shape. And boy was that trainer right, a shock to my body indeed! Needless to say, I skipped Wednesday's workout and I will NOT be spinning again.

So the bosses forgot about Administrative Professionals Day. Again. That was yesterday and not a word was said. What a joke. I swear they are so clueless. Unless somebody comes by trying to sell them something to give us for APD, they forget. Men!

I hope to get a few more files up at the cutters market in the next few days. Now that the pc's are okay at work I'm not so stressed that I want to stay away from the computer at home too.

wet Friday

TGIF everyone! Another long week is almost over. Thank goodness! Not only long, but another wet week. I'm so tired of rain and storms. Mercifully we haven't had any damage to speak of. Unfortunately now that the rain is leaving, the cold is supposed to be coming back.

We mowed the yard for the first time this week. I hate the first time mowing. It's always so out of shape and hard to mow. But at least it looked nice when we were done.

Don't forget about my sale - buy one of my files at cuttersmarket.com and get one of equal or lesser value free.

Til next time!

Monday & new files at Cuttersmarket

Monday, monday.....where does the time go? Seems like I was just at work a couple of hours ago.

I had a request for just the flower alone without the title. Here's a picture of the file, and it's now available at Cuttersmarket. And don't forget about my sale - buy one file before April 15th, email me a copy of your receipt and get a free file of equal or lesser value free.

Also, if anyone has any requests, be sure to let me know and I'll see what I can do.

Today was a hard morning at the gym. My hamstring is still hurting from Friday's workout. I couldn't run as fast as I've been running, but I did run 4 miles this morning since I got up earlier than normal. It was crowded this morning. And hot. Both of which I hate with a passion. Esp when it's crowded with posers. You know, those people who are there to be "seen" at the gym and not really get a real workout in. I've got to figure some way to get some of this weight off. I'm up 5 lbs since I started weight training two weeks ago - not hardly enough time to claim it's muscle weight since I'm only lifting 2 days a week.

Well, I'm sure I'm boring the few readers I have to tears. Sooo....

Til next time!