A Card Maker's Rights

A Card Maker's Rights

A card touches us – somehow, a small folded piece of paper can comfort, celebrate, reach out or just say hello. Creating a handmade card is an honorable and important task.

 As a cardmaker, you are entitled (but not limited) to the following rights:


You have the right to take as long as you want to complete one handmade card. This may be five minutes or two weeks.

 You have the right to send a card for no other reason than to show off your new stamp, embellishment or technique.

 You have the right to create a fabulous card for your husband, partner or roommate – just because you know it will stay in your house.

 You have the right to spread your cardmaking things out all over, just to admire them.


You have the right to purchase a certain cardmaking item for no other reason than because a) you like it; b) you think it's cute; c) you'll never find it again, or; d) you know you'll use it someday.


You have the right to reserve using your most precious supplies on cards only for recipients who will truly appreciate them.

 You have the right to a workspace of your own. This may be the basement, your college student's old bedroom or the kitchen table.


You have the right to make cards when inspiration strikes – whether the dishes are done or not.


You have the right to request peaceful, kid-free, stress-less cardmaking time - guilt-free.


You have the right to let the handmade card be the gift, too.


You have the right to value your personal style.


You are creating a treasure - and part of that treasure is you.


~Author Unknown







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My son Kevin and his girlfriend Taylor 11-20-2010

I wanted to share with you all these pictures that Eric took of Kevin and Taylor over the weekend.  Taylor came over to my place on Saturday and spent day with us.  She is a true genuine spirited girl and I am so very happy that Kevin has found someone as special as he is.

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Winter/Christmas Swap!!!

Hello everyone!  I want to share with you all the AMAZING package that I received from Maija in  Finland last week for the Winter/Christmas themed swap. 

These cross-stitches that Maija created for me are so beautiful and I cannot wait to hang them up.  The Penny Black stamps are just to cute also!  The card candy she sent me; well, you will be seeing these on some future cards, you can believe that.

Thank you again Maija for the time and care you put into these items, I love everything!

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Free Digi Stamp Contest From The Hodge Podge Shop For Your Comments

Good evening everyone I hope you are all doing well.  I wanted to share with you contest on this blog for a free DIGI STAMP of the winners choice from The Hodge Podge Shop's Etsy Store. 

There are so many great digi's to choose from with more added often that you will can use to create some spectacular artwork.  The design team members for The Hodge Podge Shop  are:

1. Kelli
2. Jessie
3. Jen
4. Myself - Christy
5. Linda
6. Fae
7. Shelley ~ Hodge Podge Shop Owner ~

Won't you please stop by their blogs and take a look at these talented women.  You will be amazed!  I know I am.

To be entered to win a free Digi Stamp of your choosing:

1. Leave a comment on this blog
2. Follow this blog to be entered twice

I look forward to hearing from you.  Join in on the Hodge Podge Shop Challenge here!

                                                
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NEW CHALLENGE FOR THE HODGE PODGE SHOP STARTS TODAY!!!

Good day to you all, it's so good to be back in full swing now.  I am a member of the DT for The Hodge Podge Shop and since my unfortunate setback I am now finally able to start in with the challenges and become an active member of this DT.  There is such talent here with these ladies that I am in awe over what they can do.

Over at The Hodge Podge Blog today begins the newest challenge "ANYTHING GOES".  Which what a better challenge to join in with than that!  I invite you all to take a look at the blog and take part in this weeks challenge.

Here is my design for this challenge; I decided to use the digi stamp "Peace Butterfly".  How I designed this was by taking the digi stamp and using my chalks to blend in my favorite color shades of pink and purple for the body of the butterfly.  I then used a lighter green chalk to outline around it and you cannot tell very well in these photo's but the very outer circle of the stamp is a shade of yellow chalk.  I then heat embossed over it, to give it the shimmer you see.

So please go take a look at The Hodge Podge Blog today and join in on this spectacular challenge that you will all enjoy!  Also while there, take a look at the rest of the DT members blogs and see what they're designs are like, I promise you that you won't be disappointed.

Have a great day everyone!

                                            

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I am back & feeling sooo much better!

Hello dear friends and followers, how I have missed this little blog of mine and all of you.  I want to thank so many people who have helped me out with inspiring messages of hope and for the cards to get well that were sent, and for all your prayers.  I have been getting better and better and I guess it was just time that would take care of me.  I started to take my medicine, talked to my doctor who increased a pill and am now back seeing my therapist on a regular basis.  I was so low there even after I left my last post that I just wanted to die. Honestly I would go to bed and write out my suicide note in my head.  My thoughts of leaving my kids like that was my reason for living.  I could never do that to them or to my family and Eric, and my friends.  So I just wanted to start out this post with the fact that I am doing soooo much better and God willing I will not feel this way again.

I am back to crafting again and I love it again! Thank God about that one.  I don't know what I would do without crafting in my life.  I told my psychiatrist that I was on the verge of selling all my supplies and even the thought of looking at a crafty item was just hard to do.  I have been creating again and getting back to my "normal" life.  I have a new card for the Hodge Podge Shop I just have to take the pictures and post.  I was asked to be on their Design Team and I had only created one card and have been on the DL until now with them.  So I want to thank my DT sisters and Shelley the owner of Hodge Podge for your patience with me getting better, you're all great and talented women and very supportive!  {Huggles} to you all!  The group PBS_Swappers is in the middle of a couple swaps now.  I have created a bookmark; my first one ever to be honest, for the Winter Themed Bookmark swap.  I have a Secret Sister on another group I belong to.  I received a card from her today along with a quote she sent to me, I plan on doing something with that quote and placing it somewhere that I will always see it.  When I get that completed I will post a picture of it.  I don't know anything about my secret pal other than I believe she is in Europe somewhere, but that is all I know.  I like the surprise part of it though.  I won't know who she is until next October!  Wow!  That's a long time to wait to find out someones identity...but I am patient.

Something else that I wanted to share was that I recently bought a new Cricut Expression which came in a WONDERFUL bundle with the Your Story.  With those two great machines came 4 cartridges for the Cricut, 10 markers for the Cricut, and 8 books with teh Your Story, 58 laminating sheets, 3 digital downloads, and geez lots more!  I am selling my Slice Machine now that I have this.  I just listed it on Craigslist tonight, wish me luck on selling it.

Well here are a couple of picks for you, the first is the card I received today from my secret pal, and then the bookmark I created.  The bookmark has cardinals on it and blue inked vellum snowflakes.

I will be posting again in a day or so with  my Hodge Podge Shop design.  So stay tuned.  Again, to everyone who talked to me, emailed me, sent cards, kept me in your prayers, etc.  I have nothing but sheer gratitude for you all.  You are all a true blessing and I am lucky to have you all in my life.

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Depression Sucks!!!

So it's 4:02 AM here in Milford, Ohio now and I have been in a major depression.  I still am in it but I am fighting light crazy to get out of it, believe me, this is no fun.  I'm sure there are some of you who can agree with me or know someone who has been here/there.  I had to totally re-think why I started crafting in the first place and it was because it was FUN.  Lately it's not been fun.  NOTHING has been fun.  The only thing that has been considered fun to me is sleep, and lots of it.  But let me back track here a minute and tell you why and how I got myself into this depressed pickle that I am in.  Oh yes, there is a reason.  It's my fault, 100% my fault.  It's called STUPIDITY, or "Christy stopped taking her medication" either one will due at this point.  I don't know if many of you know that I suffer from a major disability called schizo-affective disorder.  How I describe it is like bi-polar with bells and whistles.   It seems bi-polar is more known and talked about these days so that is why I chose to reference that particular disorder.  I really don't want to go in to all of what schizoaffective is all about, although your more than welcome to go here to learn more if you really want to.  So yea, I have been on permanent disability due to this disorder since 2001 and am on a slue of medicine and you would think that I would know by now that I cannot stop the medicine.  Unfortunately, one of the things with this is that I get to feeling "good" and think that I don't need medicine.  Which I believe is what happened here.  I stopped going to my therapist who I have been seeing for years, just quit, no reason...didn't even say anything to her at all, just stopped.  I'm still seeing my doctor though, I need to see him.  I have really screwed things up this time though I feel.  I think my kids hate me, or at least are pissed at me, why?  I don't know, I have been so distant with EVERYONE that I think they are "retaliating" back at me.  I don't know.  I mean I know they don't hate me, but I just feel the tension there between us.  Unfortunately one of the things with this disorder is paranoia and that may be what I am feeling, but it seems real.  Who knows, I certainly don't.  I am scared to death to tell my psychiatrist that I haven't been taking my pills...I don't know what he will do.  That almost scares me even more...the unknown has always scared me.

So here is my plan that I am going to try and stick to:#1TAKE PILLS EVERYDAY no matter what.  I have been picking and choosing what pills I take in the last few months and that's not good.  I haven't been taking the right ones. #2 Get up everyday and do something outside, where I live has a full free access gym, I need it, lol.  If its not the gym Eric has even suggested going to the mall and window shopping or something like that, just to get out of the apartment for a few hours a day. #3 Get back to seeing my therapist on a regular basis.

So that is my plan for my mental health that I hope to keep...no, I will keep it because I need to in order to live my life in any way shape or form.  I am a complete mess if I don't do the above.

Below are some cards that I have managed to do...

 I wanted to share with you some things that I have been doing here and there...I hope you like what you see.

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It's been one of those times...

Well, my birthday was this past Friday, the 8th of October and I don't know if it's getting

to me or what...but I have been slouchy {is that a word?} {OK, it's a new word, lol}.  I just can't

seem to get moving with ANYTHING here lately.  It's quite honestly pissing me off.

I think that if I just take tonight though to myself and get caught up on everything that I am behind on, which seems to be A LOT, I will be good to go.  Let's hope.

I spent my actual birthday night at my kids homecoming football game where my daughter plays flute in marching band.  They kicked the other teams butts!!! WooT!!!  Not to mention the fact that our band in almost 3 times as big {and better} than theirs was.  So Friday was a good night indeed.

 

This is Kristin and her friend Katie on break at the Home Coming game

Kristin is on the left

 Another of Kristin and Katie

 Kristin playing her flute

Kristin and Katie yakking it up lol, picture taken from across the field

Kristin is facing picture

Kevin didn't attend the game though, so I didn't get to see him until yesterday {Sunday}, but I can understand, he was playing HALO REACH and that's way more important than any old football game, lol.

So Sunday I spent with family and friends to do the actual cake and ice cream thing which is always a nice thing to get together. 

This is the only picture I have so far from either of the kiddos from their homecoming dance...

That is Kristin on the right with the hair draped in front of her eyes. Shes beautiful!

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New Design For Hodge Podge!!!

Hi everyone, I wanted to share with you all a new company called Hodge Podge Shop that I am privileged enough to be on the Design Team for. They have a vast collection of

digital stamps in both black and white and in color.  Below is my first take on one of the stamps that I have made into a card.

I use my Sizzix Big Shot to emboss the backgrounds of the two different colored papers, then I colored in the Genie lamp with Zig Markers then using Holographic embossing powder, I heat embossed the entire image to give it the effect in the above pictures.  I do hope you like what I have done here.

Please go to The Hodge Podge Shop and shop around and join in on the challenges beginning October 7th! 

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Me and my shadow ~ the kitties!!!

Today was going to be just a lazy day for me, or that is what I would have liked it

to have been.  However, I had an early appointment in the morning and it just went from there. {That was actually yesterday the 14th...it's now 3:30 am on the 15th so I have been up for a long time.} 

After my appointment I decided to get started with the numerous things I needed to get completed by certain deadlines.  I am involved in more than just the PBS_Swappers Group, I belong to several groups out there and it seems that I have signed up for everything that

seems to be going on in all of them, lol!  Well, I am so far getting what I need done for all

of them thus far, and I don't plan on getting behind with any of them.  I know how

important deadlines are and people counting on you to come through with what

you promised to do.  Yesterday I started and finished up a bunch of birthday cards, as well as took care of some things for the PBS_Swappers. Then I worked on a layout for  a "friendship page" swap.   So I think I accomplished a lot yesterday (to you all ~ same day to me lol).

I don't know if I have ever mentioned on here about the 4 kitties I have.  There were just 3 for the longest time, and then last October I got my "Shadow Angel", Jiggabear. She was a stray kitty and my kiddos called me in a bad spot having found her on a rainy & cold day in October.  So I took her in and she's just a blessing to me.  She follows me everywhere I go, hence my shadow angel.

Then there is Bandit who is the only male in this 4 Kittie bunch, he's such a scaredy cat that whenever Kristin is over Bandit will not come out for whatever reason.  Kristin is a huge cat lover, so she's not mean to him or anything, Bandit's just weird, LoL!

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Then there is Boogers, I didn't name her however the name fits perfectly for her. She is sort of a carmel colored mixed patchy designed kitty. Here she is doing her best Super Kitty pose...

Last but CERTAINLY not least, there is my Spookerbear.  She is my baby and I just LOVE her to pieces.  She is Boogers mommy and is the oldest of the 4 here.  I call her "Big Momma" sometimes because the way she carries herself is with such EGO and I'M THE BOSS type of way.  Poor Bandit gets his butt kicked by her all the time.  Especially when Spookers has just recently been scolded for whatever, she immediately goes off on a cat and unfortunately Bandit seems to be the one closest.  However, with that being said, Spookerbear has a sense of when something is wrong or your not feeling well, I have

been sick a lot and every time she is right there laying next to me and cuddling with me. She does this also when your sad or crying and just down.

She's the only one of the 4 who will actually lay on top of me, lol.  Which let's face it,

that's ADORABLE!!!  She's actually sitting here right now on my desk as I type this

just watching me type and the occasional headbutt of affection to me from her.

Here she is sticking her kitty tongue out at me. 

This picture here is Spookerbear and her own kitty that she will take and play with

and carry in her mouth and cry EVERY NIGHT after she eats.  It can be cute but sometimes she get sooooo loud!  But I am use to it.

This is before Jiggabear came into my life, above is Spookers, Boogers, and Bandit snuggled on my bed all together, I just HAD to take a picture.

And below is also pre-Jiggabear, this is also in my room on a window seat for the kitties.

And I found something out one day about Spookers and Bandit...

THEY DO GET ALONG {sometimes}.

So there you have it, my Kittie collection, LoL! I love them all so much, they keep me company and sane.