Two Hearts/Split Negative

I'm sorry that it's been a few days since my last post. I have been crazy busy getting all of the latest round of paperwork in order for the adoption. But this morning I mailed it all out. Anyhow, here is another card I did for VSN this last weekend. This one is actually my favorite. I made it for my daughter.

This challenge was called Two Hearts Beat As One. It was to use the split negative technique. This is a technique where you emboss the same image twice, once on a light peice of cardstock using dark embossing powder, and the other time on dark cardstock using light embossing powder. I opted to go for black and white for the image. I used the Gerber Daisy stamp from TAC. I wanted to add another color to the card itself to make it really stand out. Since the card is for my daughter, what better color to use then her favorite. Turq

Supplies:
Stamps: Gerber Daisy, TAC, So Many Sayings
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Tempting Turqiouse
Ink: Black Craft, Versamark
Accessories: Clear EP, White EP, Heat gun, ribbon

Now I just need to get started on DH's birthday cake. He gave me creative liberty on the cake as long as I covered it in chocolate fondant. So I am going to take the opportunity to work on my rose making, using Fondant of course. Which is why I am starting today, it takes forever for these puppies! (two days to be exact) I'll post pics of the finished cake.

Bittersweet Love- VSN

This VSN challenge was to make a card using a stamp that you just can't get to work, or just had to have and now it sits there collecting dust because you just can't decide what to do with it. So this rocking chair from TAC was my choice. I bought it several years ago and I have used it once. That card wasn't the greatest (that's putting it mildly). I have been afraid to use it since for fear that I would end up with another card that sucked.

While this card doesn't suck, I am actually pleased with it, it definately could have turned out better.

Supplies:
Stamps: TAC Rocking Chair, So Many Sayings
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Whisper White
Ink: Black, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Colored Pencils, Aquapainter, brad, corner ticket punch, word window punch, fiber

New Love- VSN

The card I have to show you today was made for the VSN- New Love challenge. The challenge was to make a card using a new stamp set (it couldn't be older then 2 months), use new access. or also use things that you hoard because you love them so much and can't bare to let them o.k.

While my set (B is for Baby ~ by Hanna Stamps) isn't less then two months old it is the last one I bought. I got it about 3-4 months ago, whenever it was released, I really don't remember. At any rate, with our adoption approval hopefully on the horizon we have cut all extra spending. This sadly means stamps too. So I used this set for this card since it is the newest set I have. I did however use several things I have been hoarding. I used paper that I only use for special things, buttons that I don't like to use because they are so cute, and ribbon that I have been holding on to because I am almost out of that color and can't bare to let go of what I have remaining.

I decided that I like this card so much that it would be good for adoption announcements when we finally get our baby. It is easily changed to pink (or probably purple since I hate pink) if we get a girl. I don't know about you, but I like it. :)

Supplies:
Stamps: B Is For Baby (Hanna Stamps), So Many Sayings (SU)
Paper: Whisper White (SU), Bashful Blue (SU), printer paper (not sure who makes it)
Ink: Black (Momento)
Accessories: Copic Markers, Button, Ribbon

Would you let your kid do this?

Today was church. Boy was it a doosy. I almost didn't go because I was hurting so much. My back was killing me before I even left the house. By the end of 1st hour I was in major pain. By the end of the 2nd hour I could feel the fluid pressure building up in my spinal cord. Now having Syringomyelia, I know, fluid pressure is not a good thing, the step after that is blacking out, which has happened twice to me. But silly me decided to try and stay for the 3rd hour anyway. Wrong move!

I was sitting there in Relief Society (a meeting for just the ladies) and this other sister (we call each other brother and sister in our church) came and sat behind me with her two and a half year old. He should have been in nursery but wasn't. He was apparently acting up in the nursery so she brought him to RS. No big deal... until... the kid starts kicking the back of my chair! So much so in fact that he is actually moving the chair. Seriously, this kid wasn't big, he was pretty little, but yet he is kicking my chair and moving it! I'm not a small girl! So those were some powerful kicks to be doing that. What does his mom do? Nothing! She laughed and thought it was funny. O.k. back up a sec. He first started shaking my chair. She giggled and told him that wasn't nice. So he laid down and started kicking. She did at one point tell him that if he didn't stop she would send him back to class. O.k. I don't know about you, but nursery is a place where the kids get to play with toys for 2 hours while their parents are in other classes. It's not supposed to be a threat or punishment! Did she ever tell him to stop kicking my chair, or take him out? Nope! She just let him continue and when she noticed he was moving the chair with his He-Man kicks she laughed! So with each kick, I have sharp shooting pains going up and down my back. Luckily I didn't pass out. I was waiting for it because like I said, it has happened twice before when the fluid pressure got too bad. I did start seeing spots. I think if I had to sit there for any longer I probably would have passed out. By the end of the 3rd hour the pain was excruciating and unbearable!

Why did I just sit there and not get up you ask? Because, get this, I was afraid of offending her! She doesn't come to church that often, in fact it was the first time I had seen her there in a month. So I thought if I offended her she may not come back for a while. So I just sat there. In retrospect maybe I should have just got up and left, but like I said, I didn't want to offend her.

After the disastrous 3rd and final meeting, I endured the 30 minute car ride home. Not easy when you're already in excruciating pain. But I got home and had a hard time moving. I tried to do as much as I could in the way of getting things for myself. My hubby has a hard time seeing me like that so I try not to show it when I am in that much pain. He knew I was in pain but I think I hid the extent of the pain pretty well. I don't like taking my pain meds so I took 4 advil and hoped that would dull the pain a little. It didn't. After dinner I laid down on the couch with my heating pad. That did help slightly and I fell asleep.... for 4 hours! I didn't wake up until almost 10p.m.! So now here I sit, 12:30 a.m. and unable to sleep. Oh, and I am in almost as much paind now as I was by the end of that 3rd meeting.

Seriously, the next time I decide that I can make it through all 3 hours of church when I am already in a lot of pain before even leaving the house, just please, somebody kick me! Oh, wait... just have the little boy kick my chair again! *rolling eyes* Here's hoping next Sunday will be better....

It's VSN Time!

If you are new to my blog and don't know what VSN stands for it, VSN is Virtual Stamping Night. It's an event over at Splitcoast Stampers that is done every quarter or so. There are all sorts of challenges based on a theme for that quarters VSN (this quarter was, "What's Love Got To Do With It" so all the challenges had something to do with love.) You have 45 minutes to complete your card for each challenge. It may sound like a long time, but it really isn't. Some of my cards took me right up to the time limit, some were done quicker. Anyhow, the event was last night and continues today. I did some of last night challenges, I hope to be able to do some of today's as well but we'll see. Over the next few days though I will be sharing with you the cards that I created.

This first one was for a challenge entitled For The Love Of Chocolate. Seriously, who doesn't love chocolate! I know I do! So basically the hostess came up with 3 color combos based on different types of chocolate and we had to choose our favorite kind of chocolate and do a card done in that combo. I like all chocolate but lately I have been gravitating toward Dark Chocolate. I never thought I would say that, I used to hate dark chocolate, but now I love it!

The color combo for dark chocolate was Chocolate Chip, Cameo Coral, and Apricot Appeal. Here is my card, I created it for my sister-in-law whose birthday is in April-

Supplies-
Stamps: Garden Silhouettes, On Your Birthday
Paper: Whipser White, Cameo Coral, Apricot Appeal, Chocolate Chip
Ink: Stampin' Write Markers, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Crafter's Tool Kit, Needle Thread, Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon

Tomorrow's Forecast

So yesterday I mentioned that I have been stamping the last couple of days. I wanted to share with you another card. For this one I used the color combo from this weeks Color Throwdown challenge.

I don't have Tangerine Tango so I used Only Orange. I'm thinking I should have used Groovy Guava though. Oh well. I'm still happy with how it turned out.

For this card I started out with my main image (SU's And Everything Nice) and I stamped it on White cardstock using Momento Tuxedo Black ink. Then I colored it with my Copics. I then mounted my image onto Only Orange and then on Brilliant Blue. I paper pierced the top corner and added a brad. For the card base I used the cuttlebug swirls embossing folder on the Brilliant blue peice, mounted that onto the ballet blue card base and paper pierced the top and bottom along the brilliant blue peice. I added some ribbon, mounted my main image and then used my stampin' write marker to ink up just the top part of my sentiment from SU's Brighter Tomorrow, stamped that on white cardstock and then punched it out using my word window punch and mounted that with a brad. Inside the card I stamped the other half of the sentiment. So the full card says, Tomorrow's Forecast, Brighter Than Today. To finish off the card I added Crystal Effects to the rain puddle and the rain drops so that the rain would look like actual water.

It didn't turn out half bad if I do say so myself! *grin*

Don't pass out!

Don't pass out, I actually have cards to show you! I stamped yesterday and today and thought I would show you the cards I did.This one is for a lady at church who is having a really tough time (pardon the bad pic, I don't know what was up with my camera skills tonight). I don't know much about this lady, I just see her every once and a while but lately she hasn't been there. I wanted to let her know that she is missed. I just wanted the card to be very simple, so I did a white, no layer card. I used my Heartfelt Thanks set which I haven't used in ages! It's probably been several months. I used my Bashful Blue, and my Mellow Moss marker to ink up the flower then stamped that on the card. Then I used my Black ink to stamp the outline part of the flower and the sentiment. It needed something so I added some ribbon (although I'm not completely thrilled with the ribbon, but I running out of choices when it comes to ribbon so I had to go with what I had.) I hope it brightens her day. :o)

Stay tuned tomorrow for another card.

Tulips in Bloom

I wasn't going to post again today, but I walked into my living room and I saw the Tulip plant that my husband got me for Valentine's Day. The Tulips are starting to bloom so I had to show you. *grin*

(Taken with my Canon Rebel Xsi, 18-55 mm lense, color setting was faithful, zoomed in completely, on RAW setting, converted to Jpeg to upload here)

Photo Challenge

On SCS this week the photograpy challenge is to take pictures of wood. The catch was that we weren't allowed to take pictures of trees or anything like that for our wood picture. I decided that I wanted to take pictures of an old fence for my wood pictures. My sweet hubby suggested this "two rail" fence near the museum that we have on post.

This first one I wanted to get some of the New Mexico architecture and landscape in it

For this second one I wanted to get the fence in a fun angle. So I chose to squat down and take a picture of the fence from the side.

One this last one I decided to try a black and white shot. I love shooting in black and white. I decided to get the fence head on with some of the New Mexico plant life in the background. I thought black and white was fitting for this. This one is my favorite.

Valentine's Day Dinner!

My hubby made me my traditional Valentine's day dinner last night. This is the same meal he made me on our very first Valentine's Day together just after we got engaged. He closed the doors to the dining room and kitchen so I couldn't see what he was doing (we have pocket doors that he closed). And he made me dinner. When he opened the doors to let me into the dining room I found this:

DH bought me a tulip plant. The reason he bought it is because the pot was wrapped in purple paper and the plant itself is green. (He knows me very well, my favorite colors are purple and green).

I also found this a table set with dinner and candle light:

This candle lamp is the very same one he bought me and had on our table that very first Valentine's day dinner.

He also did sparkling cider in nice glasses and Virgin Strawberry Daquiri's (We don't drink so both were non-alcoholic of course). And of course my dinner:

Stuffed Pork Chops in a cream of mushroom sauce, stuffing on the side, and my two favorite veggies, french style green beans and honey glazed baby carrots! Yummy! And he did Key Lime Pie for dessert.

After dinner we went to a movie on post (it's only $2). We went to see Bedtime Stories. We ran into a friend and his son there so we sat with them. Such a funny movie! We came home after the movie and played a couple of rounds of Mario Kart on the Wii. It was a good night. I love you honey!

Valentines Day for DD!

Every year in addition to the cards I make for other people on various holiday's I make a special card for my daughter. This years Valentine's day card was no exception. The color combo was from the Color Throwdown blog. Although I don't have the In Colors so I used Pretty In Pink and Real Red (along with the Chocolate Chip).

Supplies: Stamps- Holidays & Wishes, A Rose Is A Rose; Cardstock- Pretty In Pink, Real Red, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White; Ink- Pretty In Pink, Real Red, Chocolate Chip, Gable Green, Green Galore; Tool & Access.- Red Grosgrain Ribbon, Scallop edge punch, Crafter's Tool Kit
(All supplies used are from Stampin' Up!)

No more 365....

So I am finding it harder and harder to take picture every daym for instance, 3 out of the 7 days last week I didn't get pictures. 1 of the other 4 days was of a card I made. So I decided after 1 month of doing the project 365 that I'm not going to do that anymore. I will however still post photos when I have them. I wasn't feeling well at all yesterday or I would have posted then.

Anyhow, I have 3 photos for you today.

Since I got my new camera I have been wanting to take picture of White Sands from up on the mtn. pass going from Las Cruces to WS, just so that I can remember years from now just how teeny tiny WSMR (White Sands Missile Range) is. So, here is a pic of where I live:







You can see the light colored buildings in the almost center there? They almost blend into the surroundings, that's WSMR. This was taken with my Canon Rebel using the 18-55 mm lens with UV filter on. I tried the photo with my polarized filter (because it was a little foggy) and with no filter at all, the UV filter gave the best results. (I have been trying different photos with different filters and such, just to see what results come with using each one. That is the best way for me to learn. I don't like reading manuals.)



This next photo I actually did for the SCS photo challenge last week. It was to take pictures


of windows. I wanted to find a stained glass window somewhere thinking that the chapel on post had some. Well, they have colored glass panels in the windows, but no stained glass of the type I was wanting. I did try to get good pictures of the windows on the post chapel, but they were retarring the roof and had roofing supplies and orange cones everywhere so that was a no go. So I drove over to the Missile park on post and took a picture of this glass block window that houses the rocket exhibit. The yellow that you see if actually the rocket that is behind the windows, not a reflection. I decided to practice my black and white shots. But I wasn't feeling very well and didn't want to leave the house, so I went to my living room window and took come pictures of the tree in my front yard. Depsite having gotten the roof line in the very corner of the picture, I liked this one.

Tomorrow I will post one of the cards I have. I can't post the other one for a few days because the recipients, or at least one of them reads my blog, so I will post that one later in the week.

Sinfully Rich Fudgy Brownies

Next week is cooking club with some of the ladies from church. Each month there is a theme and all the participants bring their chosen recipe already made. This gives us a chance to try everything that everyone brought. We also share the recipes so that we can make everything at home as well. This is my first time going. I'm excited!



This month's theme is Pasta or Chocolate. I don't know a huge amount of pasta recipes so I went with chocolate. When I was growing up my family would make these rich and delicious brownies from scratch. I'm not sure where we got the recipe, probably from some cookbook somewhere I'm sure, but we have been making them for 20+ years. yummy, yummy, yummy! Well, I haven't made them in about 10 years and the last time I did they didn't turn out the best. So I wanted to practice making this recipe before taking it next week to the cooking club.



Can I tell you, they turned out better then I remember! *drool* I thought I would share the recipe here. These are just a few of the brownies. Hubby took the rest to work.

Sinfully Rich Fudgy Brownies

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate (we use the baker's brand that comes in the 8 oz. blocks)
1 c. butter
4 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 tblsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1 c. flour
Chocolate Marshmallow Frosting (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13x9 pan. In a large saucepan combine chocolate and butter. Heat over low heat until melted and smooth, stirring often. Remove from heat. Beat in eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt until thoroughly blended. Stir in flour, blending well. Spread evenly in greased baking pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes. Brownies should be moist. Do not over bake. Cool in pan. While Brownies are cooling, make the frosting.

Chocolate Marshmallow Frosting

4 oz. Unsweetened Chocolate (this is the remainder of the bar)
2 eggs
1 (1lb.) pkg Powedered sugar (approx. 3 3/4 cups)
4 cups mini marshmallows
1 c. butter
1 tblsp vanilla

In a medium saucepan combine butter and chocolate. Heat over low until melted and smooth, again stirring often. Remove from heat. Add eggs, vanilla and powedered sugar, beating until smooth. Stir in Marshmallows.

Once the Marshmallow mixture is complete and the brownies are cooled top the brownies with frosting. Refrigerate for several hours. Cut chilled brownies into bars. Store in refrigerator. Makes 40 small brownies.

*Tip: If you cut the chocolate into small peices it helps with the melting process. Also, my butter was still hard so I cut that into small pats as well. By cutting both the chocolate and the butter it helps to control the melting process so that the chocolate doesn't burn.

Randomness

Why is it that I relish being able to work on multiple projects? Is it because I'm crazy? Probably! Is it because I have time on my hands? For sure... Is it because I get bored easily? Most definately!



Right now I am working on several projects. My hubby's birthday is in a few weeks and he asked me on Sunday if I was going to make him a cake. I asked him if he wanted me to make him a cake. He again asked the same question, was I going to make him a cake. I took that to mean that yes, he wanted a cake for his birthday. So I asked him what kind of cake he wanted. He answered by simply saying Chocolate Fondant. I asked him what kind of actual cake did he want under the Chocolate Fondant. He stated that he didn't care as long as there was chocolate fondant on the outside. Should I be a smart alec and make Chocolate Fondant and then put it in a cake pan and give that to him so that there is no cake, just chocolate fondant? I'm kidding. I will make the cake covered in chocolate fondant. My friend Belinda has a yummy recipe for said fondant that tastes like fudge. yum! So I will have to email her to see if she still has the recipe.



Another project that I am working on is of course baby blankets and receiving blankets. I realize that it may be a few years before we are actually chosen by a birth mother. I just would like to be working on something in the meantime. I have a bit of a control issue. Right now there isn't much in the adoption process we can be doing, so I figured I would go ahead and be proactive (in otherwards, have control over something in this whole crazy, stressful, wonderful, amazing process) and make blankets and such. Because, after all, it may be a few years, but it may also only be a few months before we are chosen. It happened with two people we know at church. Both couples were chosen very quickly. 1 couple was chosen with in 2 weeks of being approved for adoption, the other was chosen with in a few months. Although we know that it happening that quickly is not normal, but just in case.... Speaking of which, we have our very first appt. with the case worker on Friday. YAY!! Then we get to do mounds and mounds of paperwork and interviews and home studies. We are told that should only take a month of so depending on how quickly we get the paperwork done, which hopefully we will get on Friday as well.



Yet another project is the Christmas stockings for hubby and I. Since I have my daughter's done (had that done before this last Christmas of course) I can now work on the ones for the two of us. I will do one for the baby after we get him or her. But I don't have to have that one done until his or her 2nd Christmas. I want to have a baby's first Christmas stocking for the first Christmas. :)



I am also working on some scrapbooking and cardmaking as well. The scrapbooking is for our adoption profile. We will need to have that done in a month or so, as soon as we are approved, so I am getting a head start. Although I do have plenty of years to catch up on with other scrapbooking as well.



My photography is going well. I am getting more and more ideas. I am hoping to do a fundraiser for our FRG (Family Readiness Group, for hubby's Company- it's a military thing) where I will take family photos and put them on a disc and give each families pictures to them on the disc along with a copyright release so that they can then print any of the photos they want in whatever size they want along with posting them online as well. All my time and effort is donated. The money will go 100% to the FRG. But this way the FRG will be able to raise money and I will get photography experience taking family portraits. I went out today scouting for places to do said photos. Sadly, WSMR where I live is very dull and not in the slightest bit picturesque. So the hunt for a location continues. I find that photos on location are nicer then with a plain backdrop, but given with the surroundings I have to work with, I may have no choice but to go with a plain background.

I am also working on putting together the final details for the sale of ink storage units. The plans are all done and put together. I am just trying to figure out what we will be charging and all the details. But hopefully I will have that hammered out soon and up on this blog within the next week.

Anyhow, enough randomness for today. Tomorrow I plan to work on a schedule for myself so I can be a little more organized with this chaos that is currently in my head. ;) I hope to get some projects done to show you too in my stamp room. :)

Grease is the word! And Project 365 part 4

Where did January go? Seriously! It just flew by didn't it? Here we are, already February. Crazy!


Anyhow, on with the final week of Jan. in pictures.


Jan. 25- I forgot to take a picture until at about 11:30 at night I was sitting there with my husband and pulled out my camera. He posed for me. Nice huh.....

Jan. 26- The photography challenge on SCS this week was "A is for..." We had to take a picture of something starting with an A. Mine is A is for Antiques. I took several pictures of various antiques around my house but this one of my antique treadle sewing machine is my favorite.

Jan. 27- Fabrics for baby quilts and receiving blankets. I have some for boys and girls. I know it is probably still a long way off before the adoption process is complete and we have our baby placed with us. But I thought I would get a jump start. :)
Jan. 28- Plant in my front yard. Just practicing with my Macro lens.
Jan. 29- A pecan from the tree in our back yard. I call it the death tree. I am allergic to tree nuts.
Jan. 30- This one makes me laugh. I have a wide angle attachment for my camera lens. I put it on and tried to take a picture of the dog. He walked right up to the camera so I adjusted the lens, snapped the picture and ended up with this. You can see the circle which is from the attachment itself. But it actually looks like I am looking through a peephole in a door and seeing the dog on the other side. It was a shot I didn't mean to get, but makes me laugh just the same.
Jan. 31- Again, I forgot to take a picture until late at night. Hubby and I were playing the Wii so I thought I would take a picture of that. Why not right?

And as an added bonus: My daughter has been auditioning for her school musical. That is a huge deal in and of itself cause she gets terrible stage fright. She made it all the way to call backs for the part of Sandy in Grease (she didn't originally try out for Sandy either, but the teacher liked her so much that she was asked to do a call back for Sandy). (side note, why didn't we do fun musicals like Grease in high school? Just sayin') She didn't make it for that part but was put in the Chorus. I was so proud of her. Just the fact that she audtioned was huge for her. So I tell her I will fly up and come see her in the play thinking I am just going to see her in the Chorus right? Well then she calls me on Monday and tells me that she not only is in the Chorus, but she is the understudy for the part of Frenchy! That is the part she originally wanted, not to mention the part that 75% of the other girls who audtioned wanted. :) Well, the really cool thing about her drama teacher is that her teacher beleives that understudy's put just as much work and effort into learning the part as the actual actors who are playing the part do, so feels that the understudy's should actually get to be on stage as well in the role of the part they are understudying for (with me still?). So the play runs for 3 nights. 2 of those nights she will be in the chorus and the other night my girl will be on stage as Frenchy! I am so very proud of her. Hubby and I are both going up for it. :)