It's Cheaper than Therapy!

They're BAAAAAAACK!!!!!!!

2011-05-23T11:39:00.000-04:00

Yes, the young adults are home for the summer. Ben has been pretty busy catching up with his friends. Brian (far left) is only home for a week (boo-hiss) so LOKI spent the night with his head in Brian's lap! Brian and Tati came over for the day and the house was filled with the happy sounds of college kids reminiscing. We hung out in the pool, grilled burgers, and ended the evening watching a bloody, gnarly end-of-the-world Vampire movie that I can never get the name correct----I think it is Daybreakers, but I always say Daywalkers!!!!
Anyway. Ben wanted me to take this photo to show their friend Caitlin (who is off on a whirlwind trip to England/Scotland with her sister) what she is missing. So this one's for you Caitlin! Can't wait for you to get back so you can be on our sofa watching movies and munching on snacks with us too!!!!
And Grace----we will miss you when True Blood comes on (season 3 DVD next week so you know what Ben and I will be watching with Tati and Paula and Trudy and the gang)...then Season 4

Today is the last day of school for Gary....so summer is officially starting here is Florida. Peter and I are so glad to have the young generation hanging out with us during the daytime hours now! HUGS to all :)

img src="http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee215/rozwolfe/blog/roz_signature.png"/>

Spring is in the Air!

2011-02-26T17:19:00.001-05:00

The weather this past week has been absolutely georgeous here in Florida. Peter and I have been talking about the growing a garden again. Today while Gary was getting small supplies for little fix-it projects around the house, Peter and I snuck into the garden center and picked out some seeds and supplies to start our garden project. Growing gardens in our area can be tricky, cuz we don't want to water due to the dry conditions and also there are lots of critters that come into the yard at night, nibbling on our veggies before we can pick them!
Here is Peter planting the seeds, and also the first 4 veggies that we picked. And what garden would be complete without sunflowers? We started a whole bunch of sunflowers that we hope to transfer into the ground in a few weeks. Peter promises to post photos of his garden's progress for all to see :)

It's a Dog's Life

2011-01-24T15:18:00.001-05:00

Loki is now almost 12 and he's still enjoying the chilly weather.I guess running around outside in the cold got him quite tired. Here he is enjoying his afternoon nap even more! I caught him in his favorite chair, stretched out apparently quite comfortably.
Here's a close-up of how adorable he looks....

Welcome 2011!!

2011-01-01T15:56:00.002-05:00

2010 sure gave the Wolfe family a rollercoaster ride! We had lots of ups and downs throughout the entire year. The year started off with Dave moving to California and starting his new job at NASA and his new life with Jenna. Things continued to run uphill as Ben graduated from high school in May. The summer brought us preparations for Ben moving on to college and also for Dave and Jenna's wedding. A huge high of the summer of 2010 was the Driving Miss Daisy road trip that Ben and I took in my convertible from Florida to California with various stops along the way. Many people think that this trip would be dreadful...but Ben and I had so much fun together. We met up with the Dave and Jenna in Lancaster for a few days before heading to the wonderful visit and celebrations with families before the wedding in San Diego. After our road trip home, Ben had a few days to get ready to move out to his dorm in Orlando at University of Central Florida (where he's studying special education). Peter got off to a great start with school where he's in 9th grade of Florida Virtual School. He's taking classes online and doing very well with them. Things started going south in August when I had to leave my job with the school board for a number of reasons, one of them a medical situation with my wrist that has been going on for almost 2 years. Of course, every action has an "equal and opposite reaction" i.e. 'things snowball' and we all know too well how difficult the economy is these days, and that lots of people are losing their jobs etc etc etc. Well...I got my wrist taken care of in October and had 2 surgeries on it. Things are coming along well, but the doctor advised me to leave the classroom and find a job that is "less stressful on my hands". ROFLMAO--in these economic times, what planet is he on??!! Well, I do believe that what goes round comes round and I am proud to say that I have found a job that fits the bill for me and the doctor!!! Sometime in midJanuary, I will be starting to work for an agency called Early Steps. I will be working with families of children birth to 3 years old, going into their homes and helping them with their child with special needs. This is not much different than what I have been doing in the school system, but I will be working with 1 on 1 with a family in their own homes mostly. The hours are more flexible and I will be working less hours (probably 3-4 days per week). This is a change that I have been wanting to make for a while, but haven't really had the opportunity or finances to cut back. Well--things happen for a reason and I have been trying to be really positive about this whole situation and so I think that it is all working out for us in the long term. I feel that this will be better for Peter and his needs, too.
Anyway----hopefully the ups and downs have levelled off for a while and we are heading for a smooth landing soon.

As we enter into 2011, Ben is starting his 2nd semester of school where he seems tremendously happy. He has a great group of friends and support of family. It is wonderful to have my parents close by, and he visits them often (with laundry in tow) and cares for their cat when they are out of town. Peter continues to be successful with school, and is becoming quite talented with his drafting projects and drawings. Gary continues to be busy teaching during the day, and also at night a few days per week. I am hoping to be able to begin my crafting again soon and look forward to starting my new job in a few weeks. I believe in Karma, and feel that 2011 will hold good things for the Wolfe family!

Best wishes from our home to yours for good health and happiness in 2011~~

Bittersweet times

2010-12-12T09:54:00.003-05:00

I know that many of you are anxiously awaiting a crafty post from me, I apologize but you will have to wait a little while longer. My wrist is just not up to that yet, but I hope that soon I will be back in the craft room! I am definitely going through withdrawal.
The past few weeks have been difficult for me, as I have had to make some life-changing decisions. Even though my surgeries went well, we discovered that there are just some issues that will not be improving over time. We knew that going into all this, and I am fine with it. The situation we find ourselves in is that the doctor has told me that it is in my best interest to leave the classroom setting and find a position that is much less physically demanding on my hands. Sooooo, Gary and I decided that there really was no other option for me at this time but to resign my position with the school system. You know that I am an optimist and believe in KARMA--and if you have been following me on facebook, you have seen that I have been posting lots of inspirational quotes. This is the explanation.

This is a really difficult thing to do in these ecomonically tough times, but after lots of prayer, soul searching, medical talks etc etc etc....we know that it is the only decision that we could make. All will be better in the end for us.

There are options that I have for working part-time with families and children with special needs that I will be able to look into once my resignation from the school board is accepted. So I have faith that I will be working in a part-time capacity in a month or so. I appreciate everyone who has been here for me through this difficult time, and all the hugs and prayers, e-mails, cards and calls that I have gotten.

For those of you who are my colleagues at the school board, I hear that you have not been told anything of my 'absence' and some of you even think that I have transferred to another school. I have been out on medical leave...but my resignation was passed in on Thursday. If you hear anything other than what I have posted, please feel free to tell what I have shared here.

HUGS to all my buddies near and far!!!!

Happiness is a big brother (and sister-in-law)

2010-11-20T17:40:00.000-05:00

Peter has been having a rough few weeks. In school, he has really become interested in drafting, and that is one of his favorite classes right now. For his birthday, Dave and Jenna bought him a special drafting kit. It finally arrived, and as you can see, Peter was ecstatic. He has been diligently working on the computer, and has come up with a skate ramp that he now wants to build with Gary. Thanks Dave and Jenna for sending such a great birthday present for Pete!!!

Ben---you know that you hit the mark with your present too! Dad and Peter have been playing and relaxing often, and they love it too!!!

Twas the Day of Halloween....

2010-10-31T18:05:00.002-04:00

OMG~~~I can't believe that it is Halloween already. Where does the time go? It seems like I have lots of reasons for being AWOL, but right now I have a really good one. Two weeks ago tomorrow I had surgery on my wrist to hopefully relieve some issues that I have been having for over a year. I have been going to Physical Therapy 2x per week and will continue to do so for a while. Right now, I have gotten back some of the movement in my wrist, but am not allowed to do any lifting, pushing, pulling etc. I finally got permission on Thursday to do some limited typing on the computer (yeah!!!). I have been mostly using my phone to do e-mail and facebook, but this weekend I finally got on my laptop.
Well....I am hoping to be able to get back in the swing of posting at least weekly, so please bear with my my peeps!

We have been missing Jenna, Dave and Ben lots around the house lately. We can't jump in the car and drive to CA to see Jenna and Dave, but we can jump in the car and drive to see Ben. So today we decided to visit Ben for the afternoon. Peter's birthday is Thursday, so we picked up a cake (and hid it from him) to have a little celebration with as much of the family as we could get together. It was a beautiful day, so we walked around the campus for a while. Peter was really impressed!!!! After an enjoyable lunch at California Pizza Grill, we left Ben off at his dorm and headed home. It was a nice way to say "ADIOS" to October!

Memories from New Orleans

2010-10-10T10:20:00.001-04:00

Now that my craft room is up and organized, I am trying to spend a little time each day working on projects. I am under strict orders to limit my time due to my hand condition, so being able to work for a little bit and walk away is great. I had this awesome kit that lent itself to the colors of New Orleans. Kaisercraft has these amazing wooden items that you can alter, and I found one that would be perfect for Ben to put into his dorm room. Here is the finished result, with some of Ben's fondest memories from our recent trip to New Orleans together. Can't wait to give it to him when he visits next week!

(the rosette in the 2nd photo is made with the fantastic new TIM HOLTZ sizzix die~~love, love, love it!!!

Hanging out with some Graphic 45

2010-10-04T12:24:00.004-04:00

I have been following doctor's orders and limiting my crafting time as well as my computer time. Soooooo, please be patient with me as I am going to be saving up some projects and trying to post when I can.
My friend Gerianne recently gave me a pad of new Graphic 45 paper to play with. If you aren't familiar with Graphic 45, it is a line of nostalgic,retro scrapbook materials that take us back to the turn of the century. I have fallen in love with them, because I have been fortunate enough to inherit a wealth of family photos and have been wanting to work with them. However, I don't have all the information that I want, and am desperately wanting to treat them special. Once I saw the Graphic 45 papers, I got so excited because many of them will work great with my photos.
Well...Gerianne knows I am interested in Graphic 45 and also Tim Holtz. This new and "quirky" line came out recently and she thought of me. Not sure if that was a compliment or not, but I took a look. WOW~~~this line, called STEAMPUNK DEBUTANTE reminds me of the industrial revolution. There are beautiful women along with bicycles, gears, and other industrial-like gizmos. Weird, but interesting!!!
I made these 2 cards and a post-it note holder with papers from the 8x8 paperpad. VOILA!

(front and back of post-it holder)

When Life Hands You Lemons...

2010-09-08T10:47:00.002-04:00

I know that it has been quite a while since I have blogged, and longer since I have posted a project. This summer I was busy with the wedding and road trip. Then it got busy with back to school. Well....things don't always turn out the way we plan, and I would like to share a little bit of that with you now.
For the past 2 weeks, I have been in a bit of a fog, trying to figure out what is going on. Things at work took a drastic change, and I find myself going out on a medical leave of absence. I have been having troubles with my hand for about a year now, and things were pretty managable. During the summer, they were actually pretty good. Going back to work, things were slowly deteriorating, and then I was transferred to a different position, and I knew that my hand would not be able to handle that. Sooooo, the past week or so I have been trying to get in to see the doctors (one of which of course if going out of town for 2 weeks)so we can get this leave approved. This is not what we had anticipated, and it is scary, but we must do what is best for me and the family.
Peter is starting back in the high school again, and it is really hard for him. Having me leave the classroom complicates matters for him, but we will all get through this for the best.
My scrapbooking and crafting has definitely been affected by the condition of my hand. Peter is having fun helping me do cutting and stuff that aggravates my hand, and I hope to be able to start posting projects again soon. In the meantime, now that Ben has moved into his college dorm, we have turned his old room into my new crafting space! It is almost ready for me to play in!
Thanks for all the love and support that you all have been sending me. I truly believe that we will be better off for this huge change that is going on in our lives right now.

Road Trip 2010

2010-07-12T19:41:00.006-04:00

Ben and I arrived in California yesterday afternoon after a wonderful week on the road. Here is a brief summary of our road trip so far. We started out last Monday and headed towards Pensacola, where we had a great but short stay with Jayne, Rick and Patrick. From there, we took a short hop to New Orleans. We stayed in the antastic Banana Courtyard Bed and Breakfast right in the French Quarter. Ben and I spent 2 full days there. Our first night was hightlighted by a cemetary tour led by Bloody Mary and it was fantastic!!!

The next day we explored the French Quarter and I introduced my boy to the joys of beignets...

From New Orleans we did the dreaded 900 mile drive through Texas and headed toward our friends outside Tuscon. We spent 2 nights in Tuscon with our friends Danielle and Matt, where Danielle took us to the wonderful Desert Museum. It was 108 degrees, but well worth the trip.

Once we left Tuscon, it was just a "short" 9 hour driv to Jenna and Dave's house.

Gary and Peter arrive tomorrow and then we will have some family time with Jenna and Da before the wedding festivities kick into full swing!

Wedding fever

2010-06-28T19:50:00.000-04:00

My goodness, every where I go, young people are getting married! There are at least 4 young couples that I know of (my son included) getting married this month. I am on a roll making wedding cards. Here is one that I sat down and made today. This one is made with bits and pieces of from the Kit and Kaboodles February kit, a stamp from Stampendous that I embossed with periwinkle blue embossing powder, and some flowers from my stash. It doesn't really photograph well, the colors are really sharp in person, and it reminds me of "something old, something new...something borrowed, something blue."

Wedding Toes

2010-06-27T18:44:00.000-04:00

OK, this is too funny, even for me! I was out doing some shopping in preparation for my trip to Dave and Jenna's wedding. I was browsing in the cosmetics aisle and came across this nail polish that is almost a match to my dress for the wedding. How weird is that??? Well, I came home and had to see how they looked together. The verdict is in,although the boys say that they look more like jellybeans than wedding toes! Wonder what mom will say, as she shudders at the colors I use to paint my toenails. But hey---we live in Florida, and our toes are almost always peaking out for everyone to see!!

Surprise!!!

2010-06-09T15:47:00.000-04:00

My mom and I flew out to San Diego for a few days. We hadn't told the kids, but we planned our visit around Jenna's bridal shower. We flew in on Thursday, and the shower was on Saturday. We hung out with Jenna's parents, visited with the kids for a day (they came to San Diego) and had a super time! Here we are at the shower...from left to right is my mom, me, Dave, Jenna, Harvey (Jenna's dad), and Anne(Jenna's mom). We had a fun time at the shower, meeting some more of Jenna's family and a few friends. We also spent time at San Diego's Wild Animal Park and the quaint mining town of Julian--famous for their apples. Mom and I hardly ever get any girl time, but when we do, we sure have fun!

We just got home late last night, but I promise to post more on our trip...

Summertime has officially begun!

2010-06-01T12:52:00.002-04:00

Now that Memorial Day has come and gone, summertime is officially here! Now that school is out and the re-organizing and cleaning is done to my satisfaction, I am ready to dive back into my blogging and crafting. As much as I try to get things done while I am working full-time, it is difficult to blog frequently. I apologize to those of you who enjoy coming to visit me!
Now, we all would love to have a body like this, but we can still dream, right? Here is my take on a cute little bikini card. The papers and brads are from one on my favorite companies (Kaisercraft, the card base is blush blossom (SU) and the ribbon is from my stash. Although hubby wasn't willing to admit he likes this card, my teenaged boys adore it!

Memorial Day 2010

2010-05-31T12:44:00.003-04:00

I am finding it hard to believe that Memorial Day Weekend is here already! As we officially celebrate the start of the summer, let's take a few moments to remember why we really have a long weekend of celebration. Think about all people who have helped us gain and maintain our freedom.

Graduation Time!!!!

2010-05-15T12:20:00.000-04:00

Ben officially graduated from Westshore last night! The ceremonies were held inside (thankfully) at the King Center in Melbourne. There were only 133 graduates this year, but what a group of talented young adults. Ben has gone through Westshore for the past 6 years (it is a junior/senior high school) and has made some lifelong friendships. It has been such a joy to see them go from green, timid 7th graders to outspoken, fun-loving young adults. It seems that this year I know so many graduating seniors at at least 4 different local schools. WOW, if this doesn't make me feel old~~but wait, I don't feel old, just very proud!
HATS OFF to all the young adults that are graduating this year, and a ginormous HUG to those proud moms and dads who have helped their children achieve this goal!!!!

Final Field Trip

2010-05-07T18:23:00.000-04:00

Today was our last field trip of the year. We went to one of the local supermarkets (Publix) to see what happens behind the scenes so that we can all get our shopping done! Our students had so much fun learning to make a bouquet of flowers, see where the gigantic walk-in refridgerators were so that milk, eggs, yogurt and other fun things are stocked, learned how they core and cut pineapples for people to buy, saw how cold cuts and cheese are prepared for sub sandwiches, saw the meat-guys packaging yummy steaks, watched the bakery lady decorate some cakes, and then we finally got to decorate our own cookies in a special room where we could see everything happening in the store below us! My friend and teammate LOVES...LOVES...LOVES Publix frosting (and we have to buy it by the tub for her) so she took advantage of the opportunity to sample some while we were decorating cookies!
My class has been so fortunate to be able to go with the other VPK classes on one fieldtrip experience each month ( we call them Field Trip Fridays). We have learned so much about special places in our community this way.

PROM 2010

2010-04-25T10:30:00.000-04:00

Ben's sen10r prom was last night. He and his friends decided to go as a "herd" instead of as couples. Being such a considerate young man, Ben offered to drive as well as escort some of the girls. Here are his 'peeps', as they do the "Charlie's Angels" thing. I am so proud to see this great group of young people enjoying some good clean fun!

Springtime Fun with my Maggies

2010-03-31T15:59:00.002-04:00

It has been a while since I have been able to play with my adorable, beloved Magnolia Stamps. Being on spring break, I promised myself to set aside fun time for me. I searched my stash of papers, and found these inspiring papers from Kaiser Craft. The colors just screamed "Welcome Spring!!!"
These cards are both 6x6, so that I have room to embellish.

Card kits available at Creativity Boutique!!!!

2010-03-29T09:50:00.005-04:00

Happy Monday everyone! As most of you know, I have been on the design team of Creativity Boutique for the past few months. GerriAnne has asked us to create card kits to sell in the store. Currently, there are 3 card kits available. Each kit comes with directions and supplies. I have created one of the kits. I chose to create criss-cross cards that fit in a criss-cross box. The papers are beautiful!!

Here is the box you can make:

This makes a wonderful gift. Check it out here at the Creativity Boutique!

http://www.creativityboutique.com/Store/Products/Item/-238/1/2673.html

Found a fun technique today

2010-03-28T17:45:00.007-04:00

I was looking for something new to do with my stamps, and found out that you can "paint" with embossing powders. Did you know you can do this? I just got some new Stampendous stamps from CREATIVITY BOUTIQUE andwanted to do something special with them. Here are the tools that I used, and my instructions on how to do this. If you want more details, head over to KREATIVE KABOODLES BLOG tomorrow for more in depth description.

You need the image you are going to stamp, white or cream cardstock, versamark pad, versamark pen, embossing powders and heat gun.

To begin, ink up your cardstock with versamark pad, approximately the size of the image you are using. Then, sprinkly embossing powders onto the area...making a pattern you like for the background. Heat with heat gun until melted.

Ink up your image with a versamark pad, and stamp onto the embossed area you just made. Sprinkle with a dark embossing powder, tap off excess, and heat with embossing gun. Your image will now be visible on the background!

This image is now ready to be placed on a card!

Have you missed me?

2010-03-22T20:11:00.003-04:00

Sorry that I have been MIA for a few weeks. It has been busy around my house, and I just haven't had the time to hang out! I have been busy creating projects and cards for my friends at Creativity Boutique
Gerrianne has just gotten in some Penny Black stamps...I just love those hedgehogs!
Here is a card that I made today with the tiny wishes stamp set

I am going to try to be better about posting here...but sometimes life gets in the way of playtime!

Welcme to the Bunny Hop Crop Blog~Hop!!!

2010-03-06T01:08:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone!!!

Welcome to my blog.If you haven't been here before, you can find things about my goofy family along with some of my crafting projects. As I also hold down a full-time job teaching, sometimes I don't get to blog as often as I want to. My favorite online community Kit-N-Kabodles is hosting THE BUNNY HOP CROP online today, celebrating the pending arrival of spring! If you have found me but haven't gone through the blogs in order, please go back to the beginning Kreative Kaboodles and start from there. Don't forget to visit Amy's blog next!

BUNNY HOP CROP TOMORROW~~~~

2010-03-05T17:25:00.006-05:00

Hi everyone!

Tomorrow is the Bunny Hop Crop sponsored by KNK and Creativity Boutique! I love to hang out at KNK (Kit-n-Kaboodles) which is a great online community where we share our love of scrapbooking as members of a monthly kit club. The designers there are WOW!!!and we have tons of fun there too! Creativity Boutique is a relatively new online store where we like to get stamping stuff. They are new, but are growing quickly and have a good reputation in the crafting world. They have some talented designers there too!
Stop back in to my blog tomorrow, or go to Kreative Kaboodles to see how much fun we can have!
Here is a little project that I did with items found at Creativity Boutique
They have a fantastic assortment of Stampendous Stamps and other papercrafting products!

WInter Retreat 2010

2010-02-14T17:17:00.000-05:00

I just got back from 4 days of scrapbooking in the cold woods of High Spring FL. Many people cannot understand the lure of dragging our scrapbooking supplies to a lodge in the middle of a campground, in the chilly woods of Oleno State Park. I met up with about 50 of my favorite scrappers where we hung out into the wee hours of the morning, scrapping--chatting---laughing and just plain enjoying being with one another. Here is a photo of me with some of the gang...trying to get a group photo is nothing more than hysterical!

Driving Me Banana's!!!!

2010-01-20T19:07:00.003-05:00

OMGosh! Can you believe that the children will soon be needing Valentine treat bags for their classmates? You might even be thinking of giving little goodies to your friends or co-workers. Here is a little project that you can quickly whip up with scraps and things in your craft room.

Choose a plastic zip top bag for your little treats (you can use conversation hearts, m-m's or whatever you like). I found some nice bags in the craft dept. at Walmart that are reasonably priced. Cut cardstock for your topper a little wider than the bag, and tall enough for your stamped image. Decorate, add stamped image, and attach to the bag. You can use double-sided tape to attach it. Don't get too fancy, as the person receiving the treats will probably tear it and put it into the trash. You can make these quickly, and even the children can help!

Welcome 2010

2010-01-01T20:17:00.000-05:00

Saying goodbye to 2009 last night was quiet but fun. The boys and I had a wonderful meal outside on the patio. Gary and Peter made a New England Style clamboil, except here in Florida we substitute blue crab for the lobster. It was nice and cool outside so we ate on the patio. After a leisurely and late dinner, we came inside and watched home videos. Gary and the boys decided to watch part of the Twilight Zone marathon,and I snuggled in my cozy bed with the dogs and tv.2009 has been quite a year, and we already have lots to look forward to in 2010--Ben graduates from high school and heads off to college, Dave and Jenna get married in July, and Gary and I will be celebrating 25 years of married life.
Hoping that 2010 is the best year yet for all of us!

Finally getting some me time!

2009-12-28T16:39:00.002-05:00

I love having time off between the holidays, don't you? However, this mini-vacation has been riddled with stress. It started out with my being sick, and then Peter broke his leg. We are both much better, but we got off to a rocky start! With all the hustle and bustle of life in the Wolfepak, we also needed to do some re-organizing and de-cluttering around the house.
One week down, and one week left before we head back to school. Today I finally got some crafting time just for me!!! Hooray!
Most people know that I just love snowmen. That might be from my childhood in New England, and the fact that I still miss having fun in the snow. Anyway, when I saw these adorable snowmen from Magnolia stamps, I just had to get them. During my re-organization, I found some envelopes that measured 7x5. I thought that was a weird size, and they must have been donated by a friend who used to stock cards in the local grocery store. My snowmen cards fit into these envelopes perfectly!
I started with a card base that measures 7x10,and scored the cardstock at 5". The papers that I have used are from my December kit from Kit-N-Kaboodles
Specifically, it is SEI's Winter Song line, and also Bo Bunny's Snowy Serenade combined with some bazzill cardstock. The snowmen are both from Magnolia Stamps.

Post-It Note holder

2009-12-22T19:31:00.006-05:00

This is a very practical idea that you can use around your own house, or make for others and give away as gifts. It is also quick, fun and inexpensive to make. Start with an acrylic photo frame that you can find in a craft store or even your local drug store.

Make a "mat" out of cardstock and/or patterned paper to provide a little layout for your post-it note pad to sit atop.

For my project, I used coredinations cardstock that I ran through the bigshot then sanded to let the inner core color show through. I then took some patterned paper and one of my favorite Changito stamps (the scrapbooker) to finish decorating. Once you are satisfied with your little layout, slip it into the frame.

You are now ready to adhere the post-it note pad to the top of the frame.
These frames and post-it pads come in a variety of sizes. I chose a 4x6 frame and a small pad. Have fun designing your own!

Time is Flying By...

2009-12-13T19:19:00.009-05:00

I find it hard to believe that it is the middle of December already. Where does the time go? Dave graduates from college tomorrow already. He and Jenna have been visiting with us for the past few days. It has been great, but also bittersweet, as they leave for California on Tuesday, and we won't be seeing them until spring or even summer. That is a long time...
We have gotten a lot done in the past few days. I had a pampered chef bridal shower for Jenna to help get her kitchen started. We had a graduation/engagement/heading to California celebration yesterday, and got a chance to hang out with some good friends and family. And finally, it is Hannukah. Although the kids are grown up, they still enjoy gathering around the menorah,lighting the candles,and singing the blessings. This is probably the last time all the kids will be with us on Hannukah for quite a while. We even had a meal of latkes and applesauce ( and I promised not to take photos of Dave with a drippy chin).
The happy couple went back to Daytona this afternoon to get ready for graduation and to finish packing up for their drive West. Tomorrow is the big day, and the proud momma will post some photos soon.
For now, here are some Wolfe family Hannukah photos!

Dave trying to light the menorah...

matching t-shirts

Peter gets 'stuff' for his bass guitar

May this Hannukah season bring you peace and hope...

Kreative Kaboodles Holiday Blog Hop~~final stop

2009-12-06T09:07:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone!
Welcome to the final stop in the Kreative Kaboodles First Annual Holiday Blog Hop!
I am sure you have seen lots of great gift giving ideas presented by our talented design team. If you have not seen all our great ideas, please go over to the Kreative Kaboodles Blog (www.kreativekaboodles.blogspot.com) to get started.
Today I am going to show you how to make an altered legal pad, perfect for gift giving (and inexpensive too).

Here is a list of supplies that you will need to get started:

junior size legal pad

cardstock measuring 10" X 5", scored at 1 3/4" and 2"

additional cardstock or patterned paper for your stamping

red line tape (or other strong adhesive), adhesive, stamps, ink, coloring medium ( I used watercolor crayons), embellishments

Ready to begin? Here we go!

1.Cut cardstock to desired size. You will need enough to cover the front of the notepad, plus an additional 2" to fold over to the back side. The legal pad that I used for my project is called a junior legal pad, and measures 8" x 5"

I used cardinal cardstock by coredinations and ran it through a snowy embossing folder, then distressed it to bring out the snowflakes.

2.Adhere cardstock to notepad using redline tape. Position it so that the scored area wraps around the spine of the notepad. Attach the flap on the back first, then flip the notepad over and run a strip of redline tape across the cardboard at the top.

You will want to score along the edge of the cardboard so that you can easily access the notepad underneath

3. You are now ready to decorate the front cardstock~~
I took a piece of patterned paper and tore across the top of it. This was then layered underneath a sheet of white cardstock run through the same embossing folder as my red cardstock base. To make it sparkly, I used clear stickles to highlight the raised snowflakes. I fell in love with these stamps when I saw them in the Creativity Boutique (www.creativityboutique.com). The two sets that I used are called PENGUIN GAMES and SNOW GUY, both by Stampendous.
I stamped them in stone gray stazon, colored them with watercolor crayons, and used stickles for some glitz. The holiday lights at the top are from my stash of goodies from Michaels.

Let's face it, everyone can use note pads all through the year. These are pretty inexpensive (you can get them in multi-paks at office supply stores for about 50 cents each) and can be decorated for any occasion. Hope you like the project!

If you would like to be elibible for a prize from Kit'N'Kaboodles, you will need to leave a comment here at my post and go to the Kreative Kaboodles Blog (www.kreativekaboodles.blogspot.com) and become a follower.
Thanks for coming by!!!

Who Wants Some Chocolate???

2009-11-29T19:42:00.011-05:00

I was asked by friends to come up with some holiday gift giving ideas and to post them on my blog. Well, I am all for handmade gifts but don't have a huge amount of time on my hands. Here is a wonderful little treat box that is easy to make. With Christmas looming on the horizon, I am going to make a bunch of these to give to co-workers and other people on my list who deserve a little more than just a card.
Here are my directions along with photos (based on Beate John's tutorial).

You will need the following materials for this project:
cardstock measuring 4 1/4" X 8"
scissors, paper cutter with scoring blade (Or Scor-pal), strong adhesive/red-line tape,stamps, ink, white cardstock for your image, bone folder
additional embellishments--optional ( stickles, patterned paper, brads etc).

1.Score the short side of cardstock strip at 1" and 3 3/4"

2. Score the long side at 2", 3", 5" and 6"

3. Cut off the outer strip 3" up on one end. This will become the flap to close your box.

4. Use a bone folder to sharpen the creases

5. Cut the 1" scoreline on both sides

6.Adhere glue or red-line tape to both 1" and 2" flaps as shown in the above photo

7.Flip cardstock over and add glue or red-line tape to the 1" tabs.

8.Fold the tabs up to begin forming your box. Once you are comfortable with your folds, push together so that the adhesive will bond. I like to use a glue that gives me some time to line up my sides and does not bond immediately (Zip Dry for example).

9. Once the box is assembled, I like to trim the flap closure by about 1" and round the corners. To me, this makes it look more finished.

10. To check that you measured properly, you should be able to fit 3 squares of ghirardelli chocolate into your box.

11. Stamp your image onto white cardstock and color it in. I chose an image of Fluffles the Cat from Stampendous. I did not need the entire image, or the sentiment so I trimmed it to fit the front of my box. Wait to add stickles until the image has been placed onto the box. This will help avoid smudging.
Here is the stamped image (minus the wording)

And here is the finished box:

Hope you enjoy making some ghirardelli treat holders for the holiday season, birthday parties, showers, or whatever occasion you think of!

Happy Birthday from Changito!

2009-11-15T20:38:00.014-05:00

Happy Birthday from Changito!

Today I am going to show you how to create one of my favorite cards, the criss-cross card. I created this one today using materials from October's KNK scrapbook kit (yes, they make great card kits too!).

You will need the following materials for this project:

two 4 1/4" X 11" pieces of cardstock for the card base
One 4" x 5" piece of patterned paper (double sided is best, or else 2 pieces of complementing patterned paper works too)
One 3 3/4" X 5 1/4" piece of cardstock for insert
One 3 1/2" X 4 3/4" piece of cardstock for insert
ink, stamps, adhesive, scraps for accents, corner rounder and embellishments

1. Score both pieces of 4 1/4x 11 cardstock at 5 1/2"

2. Take each scored piece andcut it diagonally from center top to the bottom left

3. Now add adhesive to the rectangular back of one of the cardstock pieces and glue as shown below

4. Assemble the card base as shown in the following photos....make sure you put your adhesive close to the edge so that you have a pocket for your insert.

5. Once you fold over the left side, cut your patterned paper in half diagonally and adhere it to the card front.

6, Repeat with the right side, and your card base should look like this

7. Now you are ready to assemble your insert. Take both pieces of cardstock that you cut for the insert and round only the top 2 corners. The bottom should be straight. Tape the smaller one on top of the larger one and decorate.

8. Stamp and color your image for the front of the card, mat if you desire.

9. Attach to your card and embellish as desired.

This card will fit in a standard size envelope. I first saw this card done by Beate Johns

Believe it, or NOT!

2009-11-04T20:23:00.010-05:00

OK, some say that boys choose their mates by looking for someone that reminds them of their mom. With my boy Dave, this proves to be eerily interesting! Peter and I just came home from 6 days in San Diego on an adventure to "Meet the Parents" (Jenna's parents that is). The first time Dave met Anne, he called me and said "OMG--there are two of you!" During the past few days, we think that Jenna repeated the same thing numerous times. Anne and I had not met face to face, only exchanged e-mail and phone calls until now. Put us together in the same room, and it is obvious that we are soul sisters, 2 peas in a pod or whatever the saying could be. Poor Dave and Jenna, they have twin Moms...an East Coast Mom and a West Coast Mom. Anne and I could not be happier!!!!
Here we are with our new friend at Old Towne

Here we are at the country club where the kids will be married in July 2010

Here we are with Jenna and Harvey in the ballroom of the country club

And finally, here we are having fun at the San Diego Zoo!

Abby

2009-11-04T20:17:00.002-05:00

Peter, the consumate animal lover not only bonded with Anne, Harvey and Jenna, he also bonded with their adorable golden~doodle named Abby.

Abby, being part golden retriever simply adores her toy ducks!

Having fun at the Aquarium

2009-11-04T19:14:00.006-05:00

While in San Diego, we spent a lovely afternoon at the Scripp's Aquarium. We saw some amazing creatures there!
Here is a huge sun~star,which is a starfish that looks like a beautiful sunflower.

We also saw this recreation of a reef habitat that reminded us of Finding Nemo

And Peter was totally blown away by it's location...

Look how I've grown!

2009-10-25T17:43:00.000-04:00

OK, the MUSHU fan club has been asking how he's been doing. I have been busy and haven't gotten around to blogging as often as I should. Mushu, Cheerio and Gonzo have all been doing phenomenally well. They are eating salads as well as insects, and love to come out to play! Here is a photo of Peter and Mushu. It turns out that he has inherited beautiful colors from the sandfire side of his family. I will post photos of Cheerio and Gonzo soon. Gonzo is the dragon that spends the week in my classroom with my 3 and 4 year olds. They are so captivated by him. Each morning they count out worms for his food, check for poops that need to be taken out of his tank, and then help feed him veggies in the afternoon. We take turns giving him a shower (misting him with water) each day too. It is too darn funny to see him get up on his hind legs to look around at the children. However, the funniest thing is that he loves to ride in the car. Peter and I take him home each weekend, and he has a small carry cage we put him in for the ride. Gonzo gets so excited when we put him into the little cage. While we are in the car, he looks around!

It's Been a While

2009-10-04T17:14:00.000-04:00

OK, life has been busy and it has been a while since I posted anything crafty or fun. The boys had been sick, then Gary and I got the flu...but I am back! As I am in denial that it is already October, I had been avoiding Halloween crafting. This weekend I did pull out some of my STAMPENDOUS Halloween stamps and created some cards. Hope you like it!

2009-09-08T17:44:00.002-04:00

Although my family and many others have been in school for about a month now, I realize that many children are just starting their school year today. Take a few minutes to think about a teacher that has been special to you or your children. Now take a few minutes to watch this video...and be inspired.
In the meantime,here's a photo of some of my students playing with blocks...aren't they precious?!!!!

http://www.raisingsmallsouls.com/teacherproject1/web/movie.html

Made with 100% Pure Love

2009-08-31T19:54:00.004-04:00

It has been a long time since I have posted a layout or scrapbooking project. Life in my world is sometimes so hectic, that I have trouble concentrating on bigger projects, so I work on card projects more often. I have promised myself that I am devoting one afternoon/evening for scrappy fun, and one for crafty fun! Here is a mini-album that I just finished tonight. It is made using the July kit from Kit-N-Kaboodles ( my favorite kit club that can be found at www.knkclub.com )which uses papers from Webster's Pages and Cosmo Cricket. The album is a wooded Kaiser one. Photos are from a small family gathering last December.
Here are just a few of the pages(oops...they are in reverse order, and I can't get a set to upload...oh well!)

More time to play!!!!

2009-08-23T19:58:00.004-04:00

This week I had some time to play with some of my stamps. I made this card, which resembles a yummy S'Mores treat! It is made with layers of creamy caramel, chocolate chip, and whisper white. I used a swiss dots embossing folder and scored lines to make the creamy caramel cs look more like a graham cracker. All materials Stampin Up ( later I used liquid applique to make the marshmallow on the smore look more realistic!)

I also played with my newest set, called Dream Garden. I am not really into the Oriental look,but this stamp set called to me. Here is a simple but pretty card made with the retired Bella Birds designer papers,chocolate chip cs and chocolate chip ink. I saw something like this on a blog somewhere and it inspired me!

And finally, I had time to play with some of my favorite monkey--Changito by stampendous! I had neglected my big shot and embossing folders, and wanted to use some of that wonderful Coredinations cardstock! When distressed after it is embossed, you get a lovely effect! Hope you like them!

Fan mail

2009-08-19T17:10:00.000-04:00

OK, Mushu has gotten quite a lot of fan mail since I posted her latest photos the other day. For those of you who asked, when she is full grown, she should be between 18and24 inches long. Her head and neck will change a bit before she is finished growing, and she will develop her beard. Mushu was born at the very end of May, so she still has quite a bit more growing to do. She eats salads and insects (phoenix worms mostly, but sometimes crickets or silkworms).
Peter is enjoying learning about bearded dragons, which are native to Australia.
She got her name because Gary kept referring to her as a lizard. Peter insisted it wasn't a lizard, it is a dragon. And silly me had to chime in and quote the phrase from the Disney movie Mulan...."that's right, it doesn't do the tongue thingy". Eddie Murphy voiced that character in the movie, and his name was MUSHU, and he is a dragon.Hence the name!
Thanks for all your interesting questions and comments.

Leapin Lizards!

2009-08-17T20:21:00.005-04:00

Peter reminded me today that it has been quite a while since I gave an update on his precious Mushu. For those of you who are unaware ( or don't really remember), Mushu is Peter's pet bearded dragon, that he got when it was only 4 weeks old. Mushu has grown considerably, seems to be thriving with the care she is being given by my boy, and loves to "hang out" on Peter's shirt! Peter can walk around with Mushu attached to his shirt for quite a while, and the two of them seem to enjoy each others' company. Mushu is an orange beardie, and she "blushes" with an orange hue when she is happy! Here are some photos I took of Mushu and Peter earlier today.

mushu 6/24

Mushu hanging on Peter's shirt and then a close-up of Peter's dragon

S'Mores Card Share

2009-08-17T20:14:00.003-04:00

I have been on the fence about whether or not to purchase the adorable "under the stars" stamp set by Stampin Up that came out last summer. We don't do much camping, but the bear image is so darned cute! I earned a free set from the catty, and decided to get this one afterall. The first card that I made with the set is made to look like a s'more~~I used creamy caramel embossed with the swiss dots cuttlebug folder and scored to mimic a graham cracker. The next layer was white (for marshmallow) and then some chocolate chip to mimic a hershey bar!Top it off with more creamy caramel graham cracker and voila! This was the first card, and then I got the brainstorm to use some liquid applique on the s'more image so that it looks puffy like a real roasted marshmallow. Simply yet adorable! Hope you like it!

I'm Baaaaaaaack!!!

2009-08-02T17:18:00.005-04:00

My friend Kelcey and I just got back from a 9 day road trip (and Gary won't let me forget that I was gone a whole 9 days!!!). We started out by taking an amazing class at Ruban Rouge Scrapbooking Store (in Palm Harbor) taught by none other than Tim Holtz. He is an amazing teacher and one cool guy. The class was fantastic! here is a photo of the of us.

We left Palm Harbor and headed to Orlando to help our friends Gerrianne and Sonia at a craft convention (CHA to those who are in the crafting world). Kelcey and I had been invited as guests to roam the floor looking at new products, take classes and report what we learned to help them out with their online businesses (Kit-N-Kaboodles kit club and Creativity Boutique craft store). It was lots of fun but also long hours. Here are the CuttleBug and Cricut characters from ProvoCraft! I had fun dancing with them in the aisle.

Finally, we spent Saturday back at Ruban Rouge in classes with designer Teresa Collins. The classes were very nice, and we made an adorable Friendship album as well as recipe book with her. Here is a photo of us in the crop room.

Gary and the boys are glad that I am home. Kelcey and I had a fantastic road trip. Can't wait to share projects and stuff that we learned along the way!

Peter and Ed

2009-07-22T06:57:00.000-04:00

Pete continues to do well with his riding lessons. He has developed a special bond with the horse named ED. Ed was abandoned by his owners, so Paula and her family took him in. Ed has lots of "issues", and doesn't get along with all the people who stop by or try to work with him. For some reason, Paula says that ED responds to Peter better than he responds to most. Each time he goes to the stables, Peter takes over and prepares Ed totally for riding. Here is Peter and Ed last night.

Scrappy Time at last!!!

2009-07-08T17:04:00.000-04:00

My friend Paula and I have been getting together this summer so that we can both make progress with our scrapbooking. She has been doing lots of layouts, and getting a lot done. I did a mini-album, some layouts, and some card tutorials. Today, I pulled out some CHLOE paper and embellishments that I purchased a while ago and created this 2 pager.

24 years ago

2009-07-07T10:51:00.000-04:00

OK, lots of you are asking to see the original wedding photo, now that I have posted a pic of us on our 24th anniversary. Sooooo, I told you we were in diapers! We were just out of college and moving to Florida, far away from most family. As you can see from the photo, we are really happy. Lots has gone on in the past 24 years and we have taken most of it in stride.
I have heard lots of comments about how much of a milestone long marriages are these days. Gary and I take comfort that we have made it so far. However, I do want to say that my feelings about leaving a marriage has changed in the past few years. I do feel that it is better to leave a bad marriage than it is to stay in it. I also feel that people have more than one soul-mate. After a long and happy marriage, it is possible to find love again. There are quite a few people that we know who thought they would not marry, find that special someone, and enjoy matrimony on towards the sunset of their lives.
Whatever is happening in your life, I wish you happiness!!!

Mushu update

2009-07-06T23:45:00.000-04:00

Peter continues to fawn over his beloved bearded dragon. Mushu is growing nicely, and has shed twice in the past week. This is a sign that he is doing well so we understand. We have learned that baby beardies can grow up to an inch per week. Today we found out that our beardies love hibiscus flowers!

The Happy Couple

2009-07-01T20:35:00.000-04:00

OK...here is a photo of Gary and I yesterday as we celebrated our 24th anniversary. It is rare that we get to take a photo of just the 2 of us, without some red-head in the background making bunny ears or funny faces! Ben took this one when Pete was outside. Hope you had a great day too!!!!

Happy Anniversary to us!

2009-06-30T16:07:00.003-04:00

It's hard to believe but Gary and I are celebrating our 24th anniversary today!! Yes, we got married and we were still in diapers (LOL). I found out today that my son's new in-laws also got married in 1985, which is 2 months after we did. Our son was born in March '87, and their daughter was born in May '87. Coincidences...too darn funny actually! As our families get to know each other better ( they are in California and we are in Florida) there are lots of similarities in our lives.
Anyway, with all the troubles in the world today, Gary and I are still happily (most days) married. People as us our secret...there is no secret. When we got married, we were best friends, and we remind ourselves that we are just that. The secret to our happiness is that we are best buddies...through thick and thin. Believe me, there has been lots of challenges we have faced, some we are facing at this very moment, and there will be more down the line. We face them together, and together we deal with what life throws our way.
Hope you all have someone special that makes you happy---some have a significant other, some have a special pet, some have children...but we all need someone to be our best friend!
HUGS to all!

more monkey business!

2009-06-29T17:05:00.000-04:00

The guys in my family are pretty addicted to monkeys these days. The adorable stampendous stamps with the Changito monkeys are gradually attaching themselves to my craft table! When I saw this stamp, I immediately thought of my Peter. Well,here is my first card using this adorable Changito stamp. The papers are from Fancy Pants, the dew drops are "mouse", and I also used some coredinations paper along with a swiss dots embossing folder. I don't know what I was thinking when I thought it would be a good idea to paper piece the trousers to match the papers....thank goodness for my fiskars hobby blade! I do think it put that extra WOW into the card though. Hope you like it!

Weekend Play Time

2009-06-28T20:11:00.001-04:00

After relaxing with my book in the pool, it was time to come inside and get my creative juices going. Here is a card that I did with one of my favorite stamps...and my first attempt at a card inspired by Michelle Zindorf!

I was thinking about my cards, and decided that it was time to get more playful and into the summer spirit of things. Here is one card that I made using a Changito stamp from Stampendous along with some coredinations cardstock and Fancy Pants papers. My diamond glaze came out a bit fast on some of the areas (so some of the bubbles are runny)...sorry!!! It bugs me but Ben is going to send this to his girlfriend anyway!

Strike a Pose!!!!

2009-06-28T20:09:00.001-04:00

Mushu decided that he wanted to pose while on Peter today. This was one of the best photos we got!

Sneak Peek...new catty stuff!

2009-06-24T18:06:00.000-04:00

OK Stampin Friends,
The new Stampin Up catalog will be available next week (July 1) and here is a sample of one of the new sets available. This card is made with a set called Circle Circus, and the colors are oldies but goodies (cameo coral, brocade blue, so saffron, certainly celery).The sentiment is from the set called HOPE HAPPENS. Hope to have enticed you to check back soon for more peeks!

beardie babies

2009-06-24T10:43:00.000-04:00

Ben and Peter are both enjoying their new little babies and taking very good care of them. Here are photos of Ben's (who is climbing up onto my hand) and Peter's (who is perched on his hand). They are actually very nice pets, and are growing nicely. They both turn a month old today!

Criss Cross box and cards

2009-06-22T09:30:00.002-04:00

OK crafty friends, here is a new project that I have been working on. I have been playing around making this fantastic criss-cross box and coordinating card set. Here is one that I made using a kit from KNK (www.knkclub.com). I have also made a set using Stampin Up stuff....I will post that plus a tutorial later on.
Thanks for stopping by!

Father's Day Fun

2009-06-22T09:26:00.002-04:00

It has been so hot and steamy that there is not much to do around here but dunk in the pool. Yesterday we did pretty much that for most of the morning. In the afternoon, the buys watched a movie or two while I worked in some crafting projects.
Here are photos of the guys on Father's Day. The only thing that could have made it any better would have been to have Dave and Jenna hanging out with us.

He Went to Jarrod!!!!

2009-06-21T18:03:00.003-04:00

OK, wouldn't it figure that my son falls in love with someone a lot like his mom? When they called to tell us they were engaged, she was shouting " He went to Jarrod!!!". For those of you who haven't seen the ad campaign, Jarrod jewelers uses it in a lot!!!! And yes, he did go to Jarrod and here's a photo of the ring!
Everyone has been asking to see it, and we will share more information as it is shared with us (no date set for now). The kids are off on a 3 day cruise from San Diego which is a graduation gift for Jenna. She is fantastic at taking tons of photos (hmmmm, another similarity) and promised to send us copies.

Fantastic news from California!!!!!

2009-06-19T21:26:00.004-04:00

Just got a phone call from Dave ( our oldest). He's currently in California on a work study program with NASA out in the desert at Edwards Air Force Base. He has been dating Jenna since September. She just graduated from UC Riverside. They are going on a celebration cruise this week, so he took some time off. They are having dinner at her parent's in San Diego...they called to say
They are engaged!!!!
We are so excited for them both. They complement each other so well, and she is good for our Dave. Her mom says that he is good for her, too. Talking with Anne (Jen's mom) we have so much in common. We are all so excited!!!!
Here's a photo of them with her parents at her graduation last week.

Peter starts riding lessons

2009-06-17T13:01:00.000-04:00

In the pursuit of keeping Peter busy this summer, and also finding vocational interests for him, Gary stumbled upon a horseback riding lessons. Peter is our major animal lover, and looking into volunteer with "critters" he has been told he is too young right now. Gary found this woman who gives lessons, camps, and works with students along with our local
4H group. She and Peter get along very well, and there is potential for volunteer work in his future. Last night was his 2nd lesson. Gary is learning to use the digital camera, and we were able to salvage these photos. I assure you, more photos to come next week!
Peter has been riding a horse named "ED" and absolutely loves it!

I worked on my scrapbook today!!!!

2009-06-11T17:25:00.000-04:00

Doin' the happy dance here because I finally did some scrapbooking today. For those of you who know me, I really started out as a scrapbooker and not a cardmaker. With the busy work and family schedule, I find it harder to plan layouts than to do cardmaking during the year. I spent most of the week (chore-wise) re-organizing my crafting supplies, so that I can more easily work in my area. Here is a double page layout I did of my youngest son Peter. Peter was 4 years old in the black and white photo. On the other page, are photos of him working with my students this past year. Pete attends virtual school (he takes classes on the computer to help keep his bi-polar disorder stable) and comes to volunteer in my classroom almost every day during the year. He has really thrived with this, and I wanted to record this. The papers are from my Kit-N-Kaboodles scrapbook kit. I just love love love the kits at KNK, and even more fun is chatting on their message board. You really need to pop on over there to check them out www.knkclub.com

Welcome to the zoo!!!!!

2009-06-10T11:07:00.001-04:00

OK, most of you are aware that we are all home for summer vacation. For those of you who think it is too early for school to be out, we started the first week of August. The law is for students to attend 180 days of school per calendar year. Anyway.....aside from all the critters that we have at our house year-round ( Peter's guinea pig Colonel, our 3 dogs, and our fishtank) we are now housing critters from my classroom for the summer ( our guinea pig Oreo, our 3 turtles Squirt, Yertle, and Rocky, and assorted fish from our tank). Well, Peter has been helping another teacher at the school in the science lab. The bearded dragon had her first successful clutch of eggs. Mr. Melendez told Peter that he could have one---if any survived. Thanks to all the care they gave those darned eggs, 12 out of 13 hatched the last day of school. Last night, Peter was able to take home his newest pet.
Gary was so excited, that he went right on to facebook and posted that Peter was bringing home his new lizard. Peter got so annoyed---"It's not a lizard, it's a dragon!" We thought that line sounded familiar (yes, Disney fans...it is from Mulan).
Here is a photo of Peter, and his new dragon (appropriately named by Gary)MUSHU. How many of you are now have the visual image of Eddie Murphy explaining that he's a dragon...not a lizard...see, I don't do that tongue thing?!

By the way, MUSHU will be 2 weeks old tomorrow. He came home and immediately explored his new home, ate some salad, and relaxed. This morning, he came and hung out with Peter and me, then ate himself a wonderful breakfast of 4 crickets! Peter assures me that updates will be posted from time to time.

End of the Year Luau

2009-05-26T19:59:00.001-04:00

Although Thursday is the last official day of school for us, we had a special celebration today. There are some of my students who only come to school Mondays-Wednesdays, so we wanted to share our end of the year party with them. One of our families brought in decorations and we set our room up with a Hawaiian theme. There were leis, hats, sunglasses, tattoos, limbo dancing, refreshments, and even a coconut-monkey with a guitar. Here is a photo of Peter and I.
HUGS!!!

Stop and think about them today

2009-05-25T13:33:00.002-04:00

Memorial Day is not just a day to hang out with friends by the barbecue, it is not just the 'official' start of summer activities, it is not just another day of no mail or no banking. Memorial Day is a time to reflect upon the men and women who have served in the military of our country. As you enjoy this day with family or friends, take a moment to think about those who have sacrificed so much for our great nation.

Having a Magnolicious Weekend

2009-05-25T13:29:00.000-04:00

Finally got in some major crafty time this weekend! The boys took off for a movie and it is amazing how much I can get done without any interuptions! Here are some more samples of the types of cards that I got done....I actually got about 40 done between Sunday and this morning. There is something to be said for mass production and peace and quiet. I used an entire package of Raspberry Tart paper, assorted embellies, and of course some assorted coordinating cardstock.It was great fun to roll nestabilities through the big shot to get funky mats for my images to sit on. With summer vacation arriving next week, I am definitely looking forward to more play time.
Thanks for stopping by to look!

Saturday craft time

2009-05-24T10:29:00.000-04:00

Happy Sunday everyone!
Last night while we were watching Kung Fu Panda, I figured it would be a good time to get some cards made. With the end of school, there are lots of people that we all want to give cards to--graduates, teachers, and people who have gone out of their way to help us out in one way or another. Soooooo, I came up with a fun card with one of my new images from the Butterfly Collection (this is Tilda the dragonfly). I was able to whip out 12 of these cards during the movie, and will make tags for the insides with appropriate sentiments. The Raspberry Tart designer paper from Stampin Up works great with this image ( kiwi kiss, cameo coral, rose red, and pretty in pink were used as accents) and the bling is provided with stickles.
The boys are heading out now to see the new Terminator movie, and I am going to take advantage of the quiet to make more cards and watch more True Blood on HBO on demand!
Hope to be back later with some more cards to share.

Happy Birthday MOM!!!!!

2009-05-17T13:22:00.000-04:00

I made this card for my mom, whose birthday is May 22. We recently went on a trip together and it was wonderful to get away and see some family that is in Massachusetts. The best part of the trip was spending time with my mom when neither or us had to work, cook, or take care of our hubbies or kiddos! We need to take these little trips more often.

This card was made with the Stampin Up hostess set called 'Dream a Little' and the paper pack from sell-a-bration called Delicate Dots. I added various embellies, and used my nesties too. Hope you like it!

Quilt Cards

2009-05-17T13:18:00.001-04:00

Have you seen all the quilt cards that are being done? They looked so nice that I decided to try them myself. I got some free time this morning and made a whole lot of these little cuties! These are made with Rainbow Sherbert paper from Stampin Up and the Top Note die that I ran through my big shot. These make fantastic cards for almost any occasion, depending on what papers you choose. Using the stampin up designer paper packs makes it easy to coordinate your quilts.
Voila!

Late Night Stampers Blogging Stars

2009-05-03T19:02:00.002-04:00

I am a proud member of the Late Night Stampers group, which is an excellent source of support for those who love Stampin Up. Lots of us are SU demos, but not everyone is. We share ideas, techniques, cards and talk about our stamping world. The friendships we make there are amazing. Mary Jo Price has come up with a fantastic plan that will help us support and encourage each other even more. There are "teams" of bloggers who have pledged to visit each other regularly. If you look in my side-bar, you will see my group and the blogs listed there. If you are looking for inspiration and fun, you are more than welcome to hop over to some of these blogs with me. Sometimes when I don't feel like being creative but want to work on my crafting, I go blog hopping for inspiration or just to see what other crafting friends are up to. If you haven't tried it---go ahead and give it a go. You might be pleasantly surprised!

I have been busy....sorry

2009-05-02T22:31:00.007-04:00

Thor's head
Balloo
Pete
Ben and a giant cheese ball

OK everyone, spank me with a wet noodle. Sometimes life gets in the way of blogging, and it has been a busy few weeks. With the school year winding down, I have lots of 'stuff' to be working on. The kids have all been getting assessments and I have been scoring them at home, where it is quieter than at school. This has been taking up lots of my time. The boys have been keeping me busy, too. Although I have been telling myself for some time that I am going to set aside time to read every day, I had not been successful until January this year. Give me a round of applause--I have been able to read 12 (yes 12) complete novels (no...not kiddie stories)--adult novels since the end of January!!! HIP~HIP~HOORAY for me. Most days when I get home from school, I change into comfy clothes and head outside to my swing. There I sit and relax for at least an hour before coming inside to get started with dinner. Setting aside this time for myself has really made quite a difference in my evenings at home. I feel calm and ready to face the family after a day with my students. It has been a fantastic transition for me. You should really try it yourself!
Anyway...now that the temperatures here have been steadily in the 80's, our pool is nice and comfortable, even for us adults! This past week, I have found it is wonderful and even more relaxing to come home, get into my bathing suit, and do my reading while floating in the pool in my inner tube thing! Getting home by 3 it is still delightful in the pool. Peter and his friend Liam have even been kind and swim without even getting my book wet!
I realize that many of you who stop by to read my blog live in areas where it is still too chilly to think about getting into shorts, never mind going swimming, and I apologize for teasing you. I am still not convinced that Florida is the best place for me to live, but it does have it's advantages!
Anyway...as for my crafting time, I have been doing some cards. I apologize for not posting them though...I will try to pull them out and take photos to post. This past week, we had a baby shower for 4 of teachers at work. I made the most adorable (if i do say so myself..they came out better than I expected) cards in the shape of baby onesies. Dummy me forgot to take photos before bringing them in for the shower. I will make at least one more for my sample book, and will take photos to share.
I cannot believe that it is May already---time sure has flown by.
HUGS to all my friends....

Spring has Sprung!

2009-04-10T15:35:00.006-04:00

Spring vacation is rapidly coming to an end. We had a wonderful week off from school, but I can't for the life of me figure out where the time went! I did have a few doctor appointments, and we did lots of spring cleaning around the place. Gary spent time getting the outside of the house prepared for the coming of more spring weather. Pete and I are longing to plant some beautiful flowers in the front yard, and some veggies in the back. Hmmm, not sure if we will get that done this weekend or not.
Passover has arrived. The kids are doing OK with the novelty of matzah and the other traditional foods...they were even looking forward to it this year!
In between our spring cleaning and other appointments, I have had some time to play with my scrapbooking stuff. My monkey album is about half-way finished, all I need to do is add photos and embellies. Look for it on my blog soon!
I have made some cards, too. Here is one of my favorites. It is an all occasion card I made using the designer paper from the Sell-a-brations sale, so saffron cardstock, assorted flowers from my stash, oval nestabilities,and the Dream a Little hostess set from the main SU catalog.

He's an inspiration to us all

2009-04-04T16:55:00.002-04:00

This is a true story of a young man with cerebral palsy. His story and determination is so inspirational.

Memories from the Past

2009-03-26T21:33:00.003-04:00

Someone sent me a slideshow today about an amusement park that we used to go to as kids in Massachusetts. The park was called Lincoln Park. Every Wednesday night during the summer, my paternal grandfather would take my 2 brothers, 3 cousins and me to the park for the afternoon into evening. My grandmother would sit by the funhouse, on the bench, and watch everyone having fun. She never went on any rides, and always sat with a smile on her face, chatting with passersby. My cousin Lauren and I often reminisce about the fun times we had together. Our visits to the park included dinner at the IHOP each week. Waitresses could not believe how well behaved all 6 of us were ( little did she know that we HAD to be good, or else we would go directly home from dinner and not get to go back to the park!). I always ordered the silver dollar pancakes, so that I could try out all the different kinds of syrup they had to offer! Click on the link to see a video of Lincoln Park like I remember it. I will bet that you had an amusement park near you that was very similar!

Happy Birthday DAVE!!!!!

2009-03-16T18:43:00.003-04:00

Today my oldest son turns 22. He is almost finished with his degree in aerospace engineeering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach. Dave is lucky to have gotten a work co-op program with NASA at Edwards Air Force Base in California. For the past year, he has taken one semester of classes, and one sememster of work at Edwards. This fall, he met Jenna while in California. Gary and I sent him to visit Jenna on his spring break this week. Today, they went snowboarding in sunny California! I can't wait for the photos.....We are proud of Dave and all that he is doing. These days, we hear so much about the failures, that the kids who are making good are often forgotten. So....join me in raising a toast to my man Dave on his 22nd birthday (remember when we turned 22???).

Ahoy Matey's

2009-03-09T11:24:00.000-04:00

Kelcey, Susan Terri and I sailed away to the Treasure Coast this past weekend for a Scrapbooker's Treasure Hunt. We started out Friday after work and arrived home around 9 last night...exhausted but with lots of new loot! Twelve scrapbook shops participated this year. We started out at Ruban Rouge with our friend and hostess Lisa. We picked up our passport, did a make and take, and then headed for the dinner (it was already 8pm). On Saturday, we hit 8 stores...at each store, we made a 6x6 layout (make-n-take), took photos for our layout, and did a little shopping ( $5 minimum for a chance at a prize). We made lots of friends along the way, and also had tons of fun....we laughed and giggled the entire weekend! Sunday we wrapped up with 3 more stores, then headed home. Sometime this week, we will try to hit the last store which is in Lakeland (about an hour away). We need to get together to make a cover for our album and add our photos before submitting them for the contest. In addition to seeing lots of new supplies, getting tons of inspiration, and meeting new friends...we had a great bonding experience!
Thanks to my "shipmates" for a wonderful weekend away.
AAAARRRRHHHHHHHHHH...you going to join us next trip?

Cast-a-Way!!!!

2009-03-05T15:54:00.002-05:00

Happy news for my boy Peter! He went to the doctor today for another x-ray and he got his huge cast taken off. Gary said his eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw the saw they cut it off with! We told him they used a saw, but it just did not register. Anyway, instead of giving him a short cast, the doctor ordered a brace for him instead. He says that the insurance would rather do it this way instead of pay for a casting and then the brace afterwards. I just love the insurance companies dictating how doctors should practice medicine...but that's another story altogether. So, Peter is doing the happy dance that he has some freedom, as he can take the brace off only for taking a bath. So far, he has taken 2 baths since he got home at noontime (it's only 4 pm). I am sure he will have me take a photo of him without his cast later on. HUGS to all!

img src="http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee215/rozwolfe/blog/roz_signature.png"/>

Saturday night playtime

2009-02-22T11:36:00.000-05:00

You can tell you are getting old and boring when Saturday night activity consists of assembling cards while watching a movie with your hubby! Here are some masculine birthday cards that I put together last night. The paper is Stampin Up's retired Ski Slope paper, and the stamp is from Crazy for Cupcakes (also by Stampin Up). I am replenishing my card box, and am in desperate need of birthday cards!
HUGS!

Magnolias in the Garden

2009-02-21T12:27:00.000-05:00

My stash of cards is running low, so I figured I had better kick it into high gear and get working. With spring just around the corner, it is a great time to take out some of my Magnolias and the new Raspberry Tart papers from Stampin Up. These stair-step cards are easy to make, and are perfect for doing assembly-line style stamping. I had lots of fun arranging the elements for each card.
HUGS!

Peter Goes to the ER....take 2~

2009-02-15T13:06:00.003-05:00

Well, I got a call from the skate park yesterday around 12:30 saying that Peter had hurt his wrist and we needed to come right over to get him to the hospital. Once we saw him, we knew he had done something major. Do you remember the scene in Harry Potter when he broke his arm and it was all bent out of shape....nice visual of my boy!

They gave him a shot of morphine, took him for x-rays, and then the hand specialist told us that he would need to wait until this morning to take him into the OR to realign the bones. He was being admitted. Well...there were no beds at the inn, so Peter and I got to stay overnight in a room in the ER. They were all really nice, but it was definitely a long night. He is patched up for now, but we need to go to the doctor Thursday or Friday for the post-op follow up and new cast. Stephanie told Ben that we need to wrap Peter up in bubble-wrap before letting him leave the house from now on.

When Life Gives You Lemons~

2009-02-14T12:50:00.000-05:00

As you can see, our lemon tree was full of succulent lemons. I was outside yesterday picking them from the tree, and there are still more to harvest! Peter and I made 2 gallons of delicious lemonade, and still had tons to share with colleagues and friends. This is one of the best parts of living in Florida....fresh citrus almost year round!

Awesome new papers!!!!

2009-02-14T12:22:00.003-05:00

I just found out about these awesome new scrappy papers from Mark's Paper Company. They are all double sided, and WOW!!! You can have a chance to win some of these amazing papers as they are being given away here:

http://notleftstanding.blogspot.com/2009/02/who-wants-to-win-brand-new-collection.html

They also have a facebook group that you can join. Visit them here:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=51171919043#/group.php?gid=51171919043

The Healing Continues

2009-02-09T20:46:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been a while since Peter slashed his arm open (the Sunday after Christmas actually). He is still wearing bandages to cover the open "pit". His pediatrician saw it for the first time last week, and was astonished (and glad he wasn't in the ER when Peter got there!). The healing is coming along nicely, but he still has a ways to go. There is basically one area that needs to heal from the inside outwards. He calls it 'his pit'...it is down to about 1/8" deep, which is a huge improvement. Peter thinks it looks like a smiley face when he raises his arm...tell me what you think!
Here are the latest photos of 'the healing process'.

Chillin' Out

2009-02-07T14:17:00.002-05:00

Hi there,
It's another chilly Saturday here in Florida. We have been fortunate (at least our family is enjoying it) to have a chilly winter here in Central Florida. This week the temperatures only hit the lower 50's as the daytime high. We had a few mornings with frost on the lawn, and it was a welcome sight! The dogs have been enjoying the chilly weather and are spending lots of time playing outside. Hope you are having a fun Saturday. I will post more later, and probably have photos to add!

Weekend with the Girls

2009-02-03T21:01:00.001-05:00

Kelcey and I just got back from our 2nd Winter Retreat. This is a gathering of 50 fellow scrapbookers who come from as far away as South Carolina and Ft. Lauderdale. Linda at Hilltop Memories puts on an awesome crop! We sleep in cabins (bunk beds, limited electricity, no bathroom except for a few group ones in the middle of the campground) that are not insulated--ours did not have a door, only a screen! Although the temps dipped into the 20's, we had our propane heater and hand warmers that we put into our sleeping bags. The main crop room was large, had 2 fireplaces, a kitchen, and lots of companionship. The campground is called Oleno State Park in High Springs. I highly recommend traveling there for a few days in the woods. There are great areas for hiking and nature watching. We had a fantastic time!

Stair-Steppin!

2009-01-25T19:06:00.001-05:00

Well, my cyber-pal Lori pointed me in the direction of stair-step cards, and warned us that they were addicting. Did anybody listen---NO! This weekend, I got some crafty time and popped out a bunch of them. Here is one that I made using my wonderful new Alva the Elf from Magnolia Stamps (thanks Diana). I also used the beautiful new Raspberry Tart paper from the new Stampin Up catalog---WOW!!! The directions for this are pretty simple, but you will need to use my card for reference.

First, cut your cardstock 10 1/2"x 5". Now, score it at 1 1/4", 2 1/2", 4 1/4", 6" and 8 1/4". Starting with the 1 1/4" side pointing down(mountain), continue making an accordian until you fold the entire paper. You will start and end with the paper on the ground (mountain). If you wish to stamp on the cardstock, now is the best time. Take 3 pieces of designer paper and cut them into the following lengths: 5"x1 1/4", 5"x 1 3/4, 5"x 2 1/4". Decorate and send! The finished card will fit in a standard envelope.
Have fun!

Echos from the past

2009-01-25T18:56:00.000-05:00

Ben was given an assignment in physics this weekend. He was to make his own lava lamp from scratch. This is an experiment in convection. He was a little intimidated at first, but then he saw it actually was working. Voila!!!
Ben's lava lamp works!

Field Trip day!!!

2009-01-23T19:00:00.004-05:00

We took a fieldtrip to a wonderful farm in Fellsmere today.There are not a lot of kids on Fridays, as the 3 year olds only come 3 days per week. The kids had a fantastic time. We laughed and sang throughout much of the day. It was a great experience. The kids all got to ride ponies, go on a hayride, hold baby chicks, bunnies and goats, milk the cow, play with the goats, pigs, cows and horses...and the highlight of the day was when the calf peed!

We took this photo after we had our lunch.

Isn't this a crazy looking goat???

Happy Birthday Gary!!!

2009-01-14T20:20:00.000-05:00

Today is Gary's birthday, and he didn't want any big celebration. I cooked some nice steaks, and we had his favorite Raspberry Elegance Cake! Dave called just as we were getting ready to cut the cake, so Peter made him get on speakerphone and sing along. Gary grabbed the photo of him and Jenna, and held it over the phone as he sang. Too darn funny, but maybe you had to be here to giggle! Ben was feeling goofy and made lots of faces behind his dad's back, and Peter, we don't know what he was doing! This "deer in the headlights" photo is priceless.
Anyway, Happy Birthday to my dear hubby!

Love You Much

2009-01-12T20:49:00.003-05:00

I am so loving Stampin Up's Love You Much bundle that is currently on sale. This card is made primarily with items in this bundle. My friend Lori introduced me to this new fold and I am having so much fun with it! I promised myself some crafty time yesterday, and was able to pump out a bunch of these.

To make this card, start with a piece of cardstock that is 10 1/2 inches by 5 inches. If you are going to stamp on it, now is the best time. I stamped on the reverse side of the 'steps', because I didn't want that part too plain, although it doesn't really show.
Next, score the cardstock at 1 1/4 inches, 2 1/2 inches, 4 1/4 inches , 6 inches, and 8 1/4 inches. Fold this accordion style, making sure that the smallest fold is folded down ( as this will be the front of your card).
Stamp the elements of the card that you want to use, and embellish.

It's getting better!

2009-01-10T19:56:00.000-05:00

Peter got his staples and stitches removed on Friday. Although the doc says he is healing nicely, he still needs to have steri-strips to hold it together. It has a lot of healing to do. However, it is looking and feeling much better. Peter is one lucky kid!

Wintry Tildas

2009-01-08T21:39:00.002-05:00

No...we don't usually get much snow here in Central Florida. I am one of the few people who seem to enjoy it when the days get chilly (we do see temps in the 30's at night and 40's in the daytime though...and frost). I really miss the cool weather and the change of seasons. However, I have been playing with some of my Magnolia stamps that have inspired me to "chill out!". Here is one of my snowman cards that I made for New Year Greetings. This is one of my favorites to make in "mass production" because it is really quite simple. It is a criss cross card, and the directions can be found on splitcoaststampers.com I used the very pretty Ski Slope designer papers from Stampin Up, Felt flurries from Stampin Up and stickles for extra bling! The snowy background is done with the cuttlebug, and I accented the raised portions with stickles ( it looks amazing in real life). Hope you like it!

Dave and Jenna go back to the real world!

2009-01-02T18:08:00.000-05:00

We have had a wonderful visit with Dave and his girlfriend Jenna. We hadn't seen Dave since August when he went west to California. He and Jenna have been dating since late September, and she came home for the holidays with him. She fit in perfectly with our family, and we would have gladly sent Dave back to Cali and let Jenna stay with us! Dave will be in Daytona Beach for this coming semester, and heads back to Cali in May. It was a great visit, and we look forward to keeping in touch with Jenna and her family!

Look out 2009, We are Ready!!!

2009-01-01T20:06:00.000-05:00

2008 was quite the year. Just as bi-polar disorder has been described as a roller-coaster ride, that is totally how our year has been! There have been tons of things that make us smile and be thankful. We promise to focus on the good, and work on improving the not so good. Today we got together with some of our friends for our annual New Year's Day brunch. With Peter getting hurt, and not dealing with crowds, we decided to tone it down a little this year. Jenna is still here with Dave, and my folks came down for a while too. Kelcey and Joe, Trudy and Doug, and Danielle and Matt joined us for a wonderful afternoon of just visiting. There were more friends we would have liked to have over, but we did not want the usual party hustle and bustle today.
I hope that you had a wonderful day, and welcomed the new year in with friends and family!

No more Monkeys Climbing in the Tree!!!!

2008-12-29T11:29:00.003-05:00

Well, my wonderfully talented tree climbing 14 year old learned a hard lesson yesterday. He was out in the woods with some friends, having some good clean fun when it happened. He lost his footing and fell out of the tree. It might not have been a problem, except he was climbing a wild orange tree. Orange trees are full of thorns, and one got him under the arm. Well...he got quite the gash!!! We wrapped him up and took him to the ER. It is both a blessing and a terrible thing when they don't even let you sit down, and rush you right back to a room, and make sure that it is a private room! Thank goodness that the nurse was one of Gary's former students, and the PA was awesome. After x-rays, debris being removed from the gash, 5 inside stitches, 48 ( yes, you read that correctly) staples and another 8 stitches, plus a drain put in....Humpty Dumpty seems to be put back together again. He is sore, and on both antibiotics and pain meds...but he will be OK. Here is one of the non-gross photos that we took after he was put back together, awaiting the dressing.

Season's Greetings!!!

2008-12-26T16:59:00.000-05:00

Dave, Peter and Jenna spent the afternoon at the beach with Gary. For those of you who live in the cooler regions, hope this warms your hearts! This is what we have to look forward to here in December. I will remind you though that 2 weeks ago, we had record lows and it only got into the low 50's during the day! Happy holidays to you and yours!!!!

Happy Holidays

2008-12-24T19:52:00.004-05:00

The holidays are finally here! Hannukah is halfway through, and tonight is Christmas Eve. I am thankful to all of you who read my blog, and whose blogs I dilligently read too for your friendship, inspiration, and just for popping in to say "Hi!". It amazes me how many wonderful people that I meet online, via my blog and other crafty sites.
I wish all of my friends, near and far, a very Happy Holiday, surrounded by friends, family, and love. Please remember to take time to tell loved ones how much they mean to you. There are so many horrible things happening in this world, and so much tragedy, that I am on a mission to remember all the good things that are happening to me and my family, and try not to dwell on the negatives. We sure have had our struggles this year, but I am so thankful each and every day to get up, hug my boys, get to work, and go on with our daily schedules.
HUGS...and blessings from our home to yours!

Gotta Love My Boy!!!!

2008-12-23T10:33:00.000-05:00

For those of you who know and love me, you know that I am not a snake lover. I don't even really want to tolerate them. However, since living here in Florida, I have been a bit more tolerant, as the snakes take care of other critters that stalk our habitat! Well, Peter has been helping Mr. Melendez in the science lab at school. The other day, he got his hopes up that we would let him bring the python home for the holiday break. I reluctantly said fine, but the rest of the family protested!!! However, I made sure that the rest of the family knew that Peter has been doing great, and it was special that Mr. Melendez trusts him enough to take care of the legless wonder. He came home without a name, and I insisted that if it was going to share our home for 2 weeks, it needed a name. Sooo, in the middle of the night, it dawned on me that we needed to call him MONTY...after one of my crazy boys' favorite English comedy teams ( get it...Monty Python!!!). Even Gary had to laugh at that one. So, here is Peter holding onto MONTY. I have not gotten up to wanting to hold him willingly, but I do pet the darling. The things we do for our kiddos!

Present for my Peter

2008-12-23T10:18:00.000-05:00

Peter has been asking me to make a photo collage/shadow box for him. I have been so busy with "stuff" that I have had little time to do any scrappy projects unless they were for holiday gift giving. Last night, I sat down and made this canvas for him. This was inspired by my friend Amanda Dregne, who is an up and coming talent to be reckoned with! Look-out scrappy ladies, you will be hearing about her really soon!
This started out as a 14x18 artists canvas. I mixed colors to make the base. The papers are by Scribble-Scrabble ( never heard of them but found them online doing a search for grunge or skateboard stuff) and are called DUDE-ALLS by Cynthia Coulon. I used Tim Holtz grungeboard arrows and skulls, along with crackle paint, distress inks, and distress stickles. I have a stash of assorted skateboarding embellies, that were added too. I am not totally loving this, but the most important thing is that Peter thinks "IT ROCKS!"...so that makes me happy. It does look better in person, it has what I call boy bling, and totally reflects his personality. The scrunched up papers, distressed with TH inks and even torn, look like they could have come right off the floor of his room!