Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Peachy Pick Kit and New Stamps!

Good morning on this bright, sunny and beautiful Tuesday!  I've been having so much fun playing with the new Peachy Picks Kit that was released last week from Peachy Keen Stamps, and I've got several projects in the works.  This is my first one to finish and I could hardly wait to share it with you!
 I used PK-297 Kiss Me Leprechaun for this card.  The image was stamped with Memento tuxedo black ink, and colored with Copic markers.  I added some sparkle to the buckles on the shoes and hat with my Spica glitter pens using the gold color, and I added a wee bit of sparkle to the hat band using the same pens in silver.  The shamrock background paper was stamped using the PK-299 Lucky Day Shamrock  background stamp.  I inked it up really well with a Versamark clear watermark ink pad, and working quickly, while it was still good and sticky, I brushed the entire background with gold Pearl Ex powder.  It created the most beautiful shimmery shamrock background, and the photo really doesn't do it justice.  I do spray anything I use this technique for with a shot of aerosol hairspray to set it.  The hairspray works great to keep the Pearl Ex from rubbing off, and as an added bonus, it makes your card smell REALLY good. 

The twine I used for the hand stitching and bow, the wooden banner, patterned paper, buttons and card stock are all a part of the Peachy Picks Kit for February, and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this kit!!!
Here's a closer look at my card, and you can really see here, how pretty that shamrock background is using the Versamark and Pearl Ex technique.  I aged this wonderful newsprint paper quite a bit with some Tim Holtz distress ink in Vintage Photo.  I crinkled the paper in the oval up and inked it, to make it REALLY look distressed.

Head over to the Peachy Keen Stamps store to check out all the new stamps, and to find out  the details about the Stamp of the Month Club, as well as the Peachy Picks Club.  Both are subscription based clubs, and will have peachy happiness arriving in your mailbox on a regular schedule.  Now THAT'S lucky!!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Wishing you a blessed and beautiful day filled with happy stamping!

Monday, January 30, 2012

Life In The Country - An Early Morning Cattle Drive... And Max

Hello and good morning!  No card to share with you today, but I've sure been doing LOTS of coloring and playing with my new Peachy Keen Stamps (see post below), and I'll have some projects to share with you very soon.  In the mean time, I thought I'd share some of what keeps us busy around here.  Living in the country is so awesome, and yes, it does have it's draw backs, BUT, when you can wake up to a sunrise like the one below, how on earth can you be unhappy?  I took this one a few days ago, and I have to say that sunrise was just breathtaking!
Beautiful sunrise!

 Allen took off to cut wood last week, and was gone all of 5 minutes before he came back for the camera.  It seems he spied this feathery fella close to where he was cleaning up brush, and he was holding his breath hoping that this guy would still be there when he returned with the camera.  Lucky for us, he was still there, because Al got some GREAT pictures!  Mom and dad have spied this guy in their yard during the late evening time.  We're all a bit nervous about our little house dogs being outside at night for too long.  It may not look like it, but this guy could be a threat to them.  Especially our little 3.5 lb. Oliver dog!  We'll just keep a watchful eye on old Mr. Owl AND our fur babies.

So, this morning, Al comes in and says I'm needed outside while they move cattle.  Seems they need a "human gate".  WHAT??!!!!!  LOL!!  It really isn't as bad as it sounds.  For the most part, when the cattle see you, they have no desire to come your way.   We just needed to move them through the gate on one side of the road, across the road and through the gate on the other side.  Sounds simple, right?  ;-)


When I got to my designated spot in the truck, the girls had followed the truck to the gate, and they were ready.  Only problem.  The gate was closed.  Sooooo...

They decided to turn around and head back out to pasture.  See the cows headed BACK over the hill in the wrong direction?  That was NOT the plan! 


 After another pass through the pasture with the feed truck and a load of hay, here they come through the gate.

 These ladies were in a hurry, and old number 7 decided to just jump the ditch.  Did you know that cows run fast, and jump rather well, too?  Human gate remains in tact, though. 

 Now wait a minute.  This young one decided "I don't THINK so".   Just stopping with a herd coming up behind you is NOT a good idea.  Human gate still standing! 
Some of the last ones to cross the road.  This one is a Herford, and I love seeing them on the farm again.  She and some of her Herford friends moved in here last Spring.  I say I love seeing them "again", because when I was a kid growing up here, we had ALL Herford cattle, but somewhere along the way, someone deemed that black Angus or  black white faced cattle were more desireable and marketable, SO we followed the trend and it's been Angus and black white face, or Black Baldies, as they're properly called ever since.  Until last Spring that is, when it was decided that since we have black Angus bulls we could get Herfords again, and the resulting calves will be... You guessed it!  Black Baldies that look like THIS.    There were a total of 108 cows that we moved this morning, and  I don't know if they're tired, but this old girl is ready for a nap!!  Being a human gate is more nerve wrecking than physically exhausting, but a nap still wouldn't hurt anything, would it?  I think not! 

This is a shot of a slightly defeated Allen, because as you can see on the hill behind him, there were a few of the girls that decided today might not be the day they wanted to move to a new pasture.  After a quick trip back through with the feed truck, they were easily persuaded, and made the trip across the road, NOT through the gate, but through our yard, where they gathered anxiously at the farthest gate from the road to be let in.  Oh well!  It didn't go EXACTLY as planned, BUT they are all moved to their new pasture, where they are closer to the house.  That will make it easier to keep an eye on them and bring them up to the barn if needed when they start having their babies in a couple of months.

This afternnon, while the vet is here and Max's daddy is helping with the cattle,  the Max man will be visiting with Neenee, as he calls me.  He's walking everywhere, now, and I haven't seen him for a few days, so I'm sure needing a fix of sweet kisses from Max.  Here's some pictures we took of him last week.  I love his Ghostbusters shirt!  He wasn't so sure about the whole picture taking thing when we started, but... 
He warmed up right away.  He has the best smile, and the most beautiful blue eyes!  Yes, he keeps us busy, but he also makes us VERY happy!  As I said earlier in this post, how could you NOT be happy waking up to a sunrise like the one above, and seeing THIS sweet, smiling face nearly every day!  I'm telling ya that it just doesn't get much better than this!!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  I hope that you're finding happiness and joy where ever in the world you are, and that there's beauty surrounding you in your life!  Have a blessed day and happy EVERYTHING!

Friday, January 27, 2012

A New Peachy Keen Challenge, and NEW STAMPS!!!!!

Hello and HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!  I have so many wonderful things to share with you today, and first up is that we have a new Peachy Keen Challenge today.  This time we have an inspiration challenge to follow, and it has indeed inspired some amazing creations already.  Just head over to The Peachy Keen Challenge Blog to see what our designers have come up with and to find out all the details about what you need to do to play along.  There are prizes, and awards for the "Top Peach" and honorable mentions.

Here is the card I came up with using the adorable and totally wonderful PK-295 Cupid's Sting stamp set.  I smile every time I look at this sweet image, and that sentiment absolutely cracks me up!  It was so much fun choosing paper and embellishments to go with this set as well as the inspiration photo.  I'm happy with the way this one turned out, and I hope you like it, too!
For this card, I chose to start with an embossed background using the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder from Stampin' Up!.  The designer paper is from one of Stampin' Up's retired collections.  The image was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and was colored with Copic markers.  Stickles provided just the right amount of sparkle for the wings, and I added some additional bling with the pearl flourishes and Prima flowers.   If you haven't picked up your own Cupid's Sting stamps set, then what on earth are you waitng for?  It is a MUST have in my book!!!

I don't know if you've heard about it yet, but Peachy Keen Stamps has a couple of new clubs that are just getting started.  The new Stamp of the Month program, as well as the Peachy Picks Club.  The Stamp of the Month club includes an exclusive and perfectly coordinated stamp set that will have you looking forward to peachy happy mail on a regular monthly schedule, and  the Peachy Picks Club contents are hand chosen and include enough paper in each  kit to make at least 18 A2 cards, embellishments that coordinate with the papers and at least 3 yards of coordinating trim.   Each new club is available as a 6 month subscription, and you can find ALL the details about both on the Peachy Keen Stamps website.  Just click on the picture below, or the Peachy Keen Clubs link on the home page for all the info you need to get started.  I can tell you from experience that BOTH are completely awesome!!  Here is what February's Kit looks like, and I LOVE IT!!!
  
Here is a look at the NEW Stamps that were just released!  This is the February Stamp of the Month Club set.
This cutie is PK-297 Kiss Me Leprechaun

 A fabulous addition to our background stamps, PK-298 Grandpa's Pajamas (Don't you love that name?)  Reminder - Our background stamps are large and will completely cover an A-2 size card, which is totall cool, and makes stamping with them so easy.
 And in celebration of St. Paddy's Day, this is PK-299 Lucky Day Shamrock
(Large background stamp)
Whew!  What a line up,  AND if that wasn't enough, I haven't even touched on the amazing new die release.  Available for preorder right now are some of your most favorite Peachy Keen spring images now in die form, complete with adorable faces to stamp right on the die cut!  I'm running out of real estate here for posting pictures, but if you hop on over to the Peachy Keen Stamps Store, you can see what images have been chosen for the latest die release, and snag those up for all your Spring cards and scrapbook pages.

Thank you so very much for stopping by today!  I'm having some happy stamping time with these new stamps, and I wish YOU some happy stamping time, too!  Have a beautiful day my stampy friends!

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Angelica's It's Your Birthday Blog Hop!

 Hello, happy morning, and welcome to The ThINKin' Spot!    Today is a very special day, indeed, because we're celebrating the birthday of the very sweet, and talented Angelica Suarez with a birthday blog hop!  If you arrived here from the very creative Heather Hoffman's House Built of Cards Blog, then you are hopping along in just the right order, but if you just happened along, then head back to the beginning of this hop at Kathy's blog so that you can start from the very beginning and not miss one wonderful creation along the way!  Here's the card I made to celebrate Angelica's birthday, and it will soon be on it's way to her.  I know, I know...  It'll be late, but better late than never.  At least that seems to be the way I roll, lately. 

I created this card using the Celebrate Cake stamp set, which is one of Angelica's beautifully illustrated stamp sets from Market Street Stamps.  I had so much fun paper piecing this cake, and adding shading with my Copic markers.  It doesn't show up in the photo, but there's some pretty sparkle, which was added with my Spica glitter pens, and of course, the Nestabling and rhinestones added plenty more bling to this fun card.

The embossing folder that I used for the background, as well as the gingham ribbon are from Stampin' Up!, and the labels for the sentiment were made with Stampin' Up! punches.  I hope you've enjoyed the hop so far, and your next stop to hop to is at super talented Stephanie Muzzulin's Blog.  Don't forget that if you're beginning here, you're gonna want to go back to see what you've missed.  You can do that by clicking the button below, which will take you directly to Kathy's Blog.

Should you happen to get lost along the way, below is a complete list of all the stops along this hop.
Heidi Anne Giebel - http://gotscraps.blogspot.com


Thanks so much for hopping along with us today.  Have a blessed and beautiful SON-day!  Happy stamping!!

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Sending Eskimo Kisses

Good morning!  I hope you enjoyed a great weekend, and if you're lucky, you enjoyed an extra day this week with the holiday on Monday.  That's an extra day for crafting, which sounds like a productive way to spend a day off.  Even though it doesn't feel quite like it, believe it or not, we're still in the middle of winter.  It was 53 degrees on Monday  morning here in Missouri when I finished, this card.  Nothing like the snowy scene you see here, in fact, but beautiful, sunny, and warm outside.  Not our typical January weather, but very nice.  Very, very, nice.   Guess we'll just have to wait and see what mother nature has in store for us for the rest of the winter.  In the mean time, it's fun to create cute winter scenes with my Cottage Cutz dies from The Scrapping Cottage.  

This sweet little Eskimo with Igloo Cottage Cutz die is so much fun to paper piece using patterned paper, and that's exactly what I did with his clothes.  I added some shading with Copic markers, and of course had to bling it up a bit with some glitter for sparkle.  I sponged the edges of the fur on his clothing with some distress ink, and I sponged the igloo with blue ink to accentuate the blocks.  The sentiment is from Peachy Keen Stamps, and I finished this card off with some waffle weave red ribbon.   I can see this particular die being used on some adorable "Winter Fun" scrapbook pages, as well as cards. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  I hope you have a wonderful day!  Happy Stamping!


Friday, January 13, 2012

Some BIG Peachy News...

Good morning!  There's some BIG news brewing over at The Peachy Keen Challenge Blog, and just in case you haven't ventured over to see what it's all about, then I'm going to share it with you here.  To begin with, this is my first chance to introduce you to our newest Peachy Keen Designers and welcome them to the Peachy Family.  What a GREAT bunch of girls, and it's such a pleasure to be designing with them, and to have the opportunity to get to know them.  There's lots of fun ahead for the next year.  I just know it!!!   Please join me in welcoming our 2012 Design Team!!
 
Amanda Bodine

Amy Crockett

Cristina Garcia

 Glorajean Beardall
 Heather Hoffman
 Jennie Garcia

 Kristi Bennett
 Lauren Brewer
 Leanne Garner
 Melissa Haas
 Michelle Criswell
 Raven Baca
Saundra Rega
And welcoming back the following 
Peachy Keen Alumni as designers for 2012:

 Heidi Anne Giebel
Senior Designer
Senior Designer/Community Manager
Senior Designer/Design Team Lead
Senior Designer/Tutorial Expert

 Now, for the exciting news about the Peachy Keen Challenges!

HELLO Peachies!
I know, it's been awhile since we last met here but I wanted to let you know why -
our PK Challenges are new and improved for 2012!


More streamlined!
Same time each week!
New Challenge every Friday!
Inspiration from 4 first term designers + 1 Senior Designer each week!
Each week we'll challenge you with something different, but always inspiring!

Not only will there be a weekly challenge, but we're making it much easier for you to have fun when playing along!


Here are the details on our NEW PK Challenge:
  • Each new post will go live on Fridays at 12:01 EST {starting with next week on 1/20/12}
  • You will have until the following Wednesday at 11:59 pm EST to submit for that weeks' challenge
  • We'll pick a "Top Peach" for each challenge and 2 runner ups to receive a special badge you can snag right from our site when you win {no more waiting on emails!}
  • While our challenges are open for all to play along, to earn "Top Peach" you must use a Peachy Keen Stamp somewhere on your project. Prizes will be awarded based on design, theme, and challenge requirements.
  • We will still continue to offer giveaways on our Peachy Keen Connection with each new release, so there'll always be a chance to start your PKS Collection out for FREE! Just play along for a chance to win! {"like" us on Facebook for the most up-to-date details on giveaways and contests}
Today's announcement begins the fun with a Kick off  Linky Party over on the Peachy Keen Challenge Blog.  Head over there to see ALL the amazing things that our designers have created for you.  Upload and link your peachy project for a chance to be one of the top three!  Here's my inspiration for you.
 This sweet little angel was loads of fun to color, and I even took the white pleated ribbon from the kit and colored it with Copics to make it more of an ivory color to match the paper.  Everything was colored with Copic markers, and I even used the airbrush to color the heart, which is transparent.  I like that I can still see the paper through the heart. After the heart dried, I stamped the "Love" sentiment with Versamark ink and sprinkled it with Heat and Stick Powder.  A little heat from the embossing tool makes that stuff SUPER sticky and that allows my glitter to stick really well.  Heat and Stick Powder = A good thing.   ;-)  There's some Dazzling Diamonds glitter on her wings and halo, and that pretty much does it for this little sweetie.
Here I have a 6x6 layout I did in memory of my grandma (Granny).   The paper for this also comes from the Peachy Picks Kit this month, as does that wonderful kraft tag with the "Love" sentiment punched out.  The angel and sentiment are from this month's Stamp of the Month Club.

I think I'll make a trip to the local Ben Franklin Store to pick up a shadow box for this one, because I want to keep it safe.  The photo is actually a newspaper clipping from back in the day when she was honored as an employee of Bill & Bob's IGA in Marceline, MO.  So many people knew Granny from there.  She loved people, and nearly everyone who knew her called her Granny.  She touched a lot of lives, and made this world a better place, just by being in in.  Wouldn't this world be AWESOME if everyone left this life being able to say that?  Oh what a wonderful world that would be!!

Both of my projects today were created with the new Stamp of the Month Club stamps, as well as the Peachy Picks Kit Club, which are both available at Peachy Keen Stamps, and are a brand new deal this month.  Can I just have a WOW?  Oh my goodness are these EVER some amazing things to work with, and both are some of my absolute favorites EVER.  You can find all the details about joining one of both of the new clubs on the  Peachy Keen Stamps website.  Just click on the Peachy Keen Clubs link in the top left corner and sign up today!  They're AWESOME!!!!!

Thank you so much for stopping by today and thank you for your kind comments and condolences for my Granny's passing.  Your thoughts and prayers are most appreciated.  Sending lots of love and big old hugs right back at ya!

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Heaven Got An Angel Today...

 Hello, my stamping and blogging friends.  It is with a very heavy heart that I make this post today.  My Granny has had many struggles with her health in the past couple of years, and she gave up her fight at 5:15 this morning.   I believe with all my heart that she is enjoying her special place in Heaven at this very moment.  Those of us who were blessed to have this amazing woman in our lives were truly blessed with an angel here on earth.  I scrolled back through my blog posts to find this entry I made in April of 2009, when I first started taking care of Granny after she came home from the hospital.  This is such a comfort to read this and remember...


 April 25, 2009


Hello, good morning, and welcome to The ThINKin' Spot! I'm happy to have ya here!! As many of you know, I've been staying with my grandparents for the past week, and plans are for me to continue that as long as they need me, although, I am enjoying a quiet weekend at home in my pajamas this weekend. My grandma (Granny) has some serious health issues, and with her failing health, she needs 24 hour/day care. About 15 years ago, she suffered a major heart attack, and only about 40-50% of her heart actively functions. In addition, she was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease about 2 years ago, and with Macular Degeneration, she is very nearly blind. She's 86 (soon to be 87) years old, and for the past 45 years, she has been MY Granny. I grew up with her literally a few steps away, and I have to admit that she spent many of her waking hours completely spoiling me. Truly, she spoils everyone who's had the priviledge to spend any time with her at all. She is one of the most loving, giving, patient and kind people I've known in my life, and I owe so much of who I am to her. It is both a pleasure and joy to take care of her. Yes, it is hard work, and I couldn't do it for just anyone, but for her, it's a pleasure. She has taken care of so many, and it seems only fitting that we now reciprocate by lovingly taking care of her needs, although it's still difficult for her to allow us to do so.

We enjoyed a beautiful day on the farm last Wednesday with warm temperatures and a gorgeous sunny day, and I decided to take her out on the deck to enjoy a part of the glorious Spring weather. We spent a little over an hour out there, and I had to look hard to find a hat to protect her fragile and fair skin from the sun, which felt so good to her. I finally stumbled upon Grandpa's old fishin' hat, which served the purpose, but I had to keep reminding her to not touch the hat, as there were flies (lures) stuck in the hat. I snapped this picture of her just about the time she instructed me "Little lady...you'd better not get a picture of me in this dorky hat". She cracks me up. It's so good to see her smile. Wednesday was a good day. She knew who we were, felt good, and we all enjoyed the day. Sometimes she does forget who I am, or she'll ask me to get a nurse for her. Thursday, she even woke up from a nap, and announced that she'd like for us to get her a monkey. She said, "Yep...that's just what I need. A monkey!" I thought I would fall off the couch laughing, and Grandpa just stared at her with this bewildered look on his face. It was truly priceless!! Lord, I LOVE her!
This is Granny. EVERYONE who knows her calls her Granny.

Thank you for stopping by today.  I wish for you a blessed and beautiful day, and I encourage you to look around for the angel in your own life, and celebrate them today.  Granny would love that!!!!


>