Stamps, Paper, Scissors

Cautiously optimistic...

The House of Contagion is happy to report it only has one inmate today. Both Laurel and a highly reluctant William went to school today. Dan went. Emily, however, stayed home. She started to get ready for school, but then her stomach started to hurt again. So I let her stay. William tried to tell me HIS stomach still hurt...yeah...he was the one bouncing all over his room yesterday. He neither looked nor acted particularly sick yesterday; I just kept him home just in case. So this morning I told him I gave him the benefit of the doubt yesterday, but he used up his one day off school pass for the year. He was not happy.

Emily, though, still looks sick and is being very quiet, which usually means she *is* sick. Unlike Laurel who is highly vocal and will let out little moans as she lies on the couch when ill, Emily just clams up.

Despite disease and contagion, we still managed to celebrate Emily's birthday. Emily is very much into Naruto, the Japanese Anime/Manga series. So when I bought her a poster book for Christmas, and it had an insert that showed all the posters in miniature, an insert that WOULD have gotten thrown away in any other household, but here in the Card-Making Capital of the Free World, we simply Do. Not. Throw. Away. Stuff. That. We. Can. Use. On. Cards, so I squirreled it carefully away.

Now, IF they made Naruto stamps, it would be different, of course. But they don't. So when making Emily a birthday card, I grabbed my throw away insert and got busy:

Ingredients: Stamps - Karen Foster Snap Stamps, SU! On Your Birthday - Casual Medium; Paper - Tangerine Tango, Summer Sun, Basic Black, Brushed Silver; Ink - Basic Black; Other - Silver Brads, black permanent liner pen, American Crafts ribbon.

Naruto is the main character in this series and this particular poster shows him with a weapon called a kunai. The title of the poster is "Kunai at the ready". Funny...I thought it might just have another purpose. This is what the inside of the card says:

I am fortunate that Emily now would find this funny...a few years back, I might have gotten an earnest explanation of what a kunai is. But as she ages she, like all proper descendants of my family tree, grows in sarcasm and snarky humor. I love having children who understand my humor.

Well, I do have another card to show, but I think I will make another post for that. Ta for now!
 

A very special birthday card...

Yes, it's that time of year. Time for my husband to be one year older.

It's always hard to create a card for a guy, I think. My husband does not do soppy, so I usually go for humorous. This time I turned to one of my favorite stamps ever (no, it is NOT a SU! stamp! GASP!!!!)

Ingredients: Stamps - Judikins 1557 F, Happy Birthday to You (SU!); Paper - Basic Black, Whisper White, Basic Grey, Creative Imaginations Black Paint PP; Ink - Basic Black, Real Red; Other - Create-a-Plate letters, Adornit sticky letters, May Arts grey/black striped ribbon, silver brads (SU!)

If you can't read the little letters, it says, "It takes a real man to be 50". I love this Terminator stamp, because he comes in so handy for all sorts of things. I particularly like to stamp the outsides of envelopes with him if I am sending mail to California. I put dialog bubbles coming out of his mouth with all sorts of interesting sayings. I like to think of the postal workers reading them and snickering.

But for this purpose, I was casting around for what Arnold would say on such an occasion. And here it is:

"Yah, only girly men want to stay 49! Happy Birthday!"

Hope he likes it!

In other news:

Done. I've hung them on the tree at the school, where there was a perfect spot right in front on top. I have cast on for another set in hot pink. The last day for the mitten tree is Thursday...I might actually make it! Ta!

Laurel's Birthday Card

Laurel's birthday was recently celebrated, and I did, YES, make her a card. Especially since on her birthday list, right at the bottom, she had, "A cute card*" and the asterisk was explained below that: "*but you knew that, Mom!" LOL!

Since Laurel is totally in love with her cell phone, I decided to pull out GinaK's set, Text Messages:

Ingredients: Stamps - GinaK Text Messages, SU! A Little Birthday Cheer; Paper - PapertreyInk Sweet Blush, White, Berry Sorbet, Pink Patterns; Ink - PTI Sweet Blus, Berry Sorbet, Versafine Onyx Black; Other - Acetate, Prima Flowers, plastic gem flowers (Target $ Spot), Berry Sorbet double-stitched gronsgrain ribbon.

Isn't this STINKIN' CUTE?!?!? (YILM!) Here's where the acetate comes in:

I stamped the phone once on the white cardstock, and again on the patterned paper. I cut out all the phone buttons and the window on the phone on the pattered paper. Then when I glued the patterned phone on the white cardstock, I sandwiched a piece of acetate between the two.

I made the card with a pocket on the inside to slide in the gift cards we gave her. She loved this card!

Well, today is class day. I have to go start getting tore into cleaning up the stamp room and creating just one more card for tonight! Ta!

Knitabella

Last month I showed you two knitting cards I made our supply priest's wife to give to friends in her knitting group. She liked them SO much that she asked me to make another one!

So this weekend, seeing as I was supposed to have it to her LAST Sunday and totally forgot, I pulled out my new Knitabella from Stamping Bella that I got on my Toronto road trip last month! Lookie:

Ingredients: Stamps - Stamping Bella Knitabella, SU! Hugs & Wishes; Paper - SU! Soft Sky, Regal Rose, Rose Red, Bravo Burgundy, PapertreyInk White; Ink - Versafine Onyx Black, SU! Rose Red, Soft Sky; Other - Paisley ribbon (Michael's), Rose Red 1/4" grosgrain (Michael's), clipiola (Making Memories), silver brad (SU!), dimensionals, sponge wedge, Cuttlebug Paisley embossing folder, white signo gel pen, SU! Bravo Burgundy marker, Signo silver gel pen, Prismacolor pencils, gamsol.

Well, isn't this just GOJUS!?!?! (YILM!) I worried that it was a bit over the top, but Diane LOVED it! Yeah, I ended up driving it out to their house, because I wanted her to have time to send it out in the mail, since the birthday person's day is Saturday. What service I offer, LOL!

This card's color combination was also inspired by Kristina Werner's color challenge from last week.

The fans are still running in William's room, but the roofers finally made it here last night. Our house has a compound roof; the front of the house is a standard peaked roof, but the back part of the house is a hip roof. Where the hip roof meets the peaked roof there are two "valleys". The northern most valley is the one with the leak. They determined, after looking in the attic and at the roof, that the valley with the leak will have to be torn out and redone because they couldn't figure out why it was leaking.

Luckily, the roof is still under warranty, so we won't have to pay a dime. But even if it weren't, the insurance would pick up the tab.

So they say they will get it done by the end of the week. I hope so, because I've heard it will be dry until Sunday...but today they said there was a possibility of an isolated shower. Hope it goes somewhere else!

Well, I have to get going. I'm supposed to go shopping today for Laurel's birthday this weekend...she keeps asking me when I'm going, LOL! Plus I have a resume to drop off as well as a couple of orders from my open house. And then tonight I have a couple people dropping by to pick up catalogs or orders! Lots to do! Ta!

Cards for knitters

It was a couple of weeks ago. I had taken my latest creations to church to show my friends there and Dianne Iwick, our supply priest's wife, said, "Do you sell these?"

"Yes, but I can't sell these particular ones because they are new samples," I told her.

I don't think she heard me, because she said, "I need some birthday cards for my knitting group! I'll take these!"

Well, by the time I managed to coax my samples out of her hands, I had promised to make her three cards that were knitting themed since she didn't need them until after the next time her husband supplied. Since I *am* a knitter, I have a few knitting stamps and I figured, "piece of cake!"

I had one card in the stash already, but I figured making two cards wouldn't take too long. And I had two weeks...plenty of time. Right? Right?

Well it *is* plenty of time...if you actually start them before the day before you need them! And, since I am not going to be at church tomorrow since I'm driving Laurel to summer camp, I actually needed to have them done TODAY and leave them at the church for Dianne to collect. And, somehow, it slipped my mind until this afternoon! Clearly, I needed to get busy!

Luckily, my kids had their softball league all-star game and picnic today. I did my hour of concession stand volunteering, then told them to call me if they needed me, asked my friend Tony to keep an eye out for any signs of trouble and went home. Ah...a house with NO ONE in it but me! I haven't had that pleasure for weeks!!! It was WONDERFUL! There is something so nice about having a child who is not only old enough to take care of her siblings, but old enough to have a cell phone!

So, once I got home, I pushed aside my swaps and got busy. Here are the results:

Ingredients: Stamps - The Cat's Pajamas Knitting Kitty, So Much Yarn; Paper - Rob & Bob Studio PP, Certainly Celery, Brocade Blue, Apricot Appeal, Whisper White; Ink - Basic Black, Apricot Appeal; Other - Large Oval Punch, Stampin' Write Markers, Sakura Stardust Glitter Pen, Sponge wedge, dimensionals, Certainly Celery 1/4" grosgrain.

Is this not STINKIN' CUTE?!?!?! (YILM!) I have had this kitty for quite a while...she brings back so many memories! When I was a little kid, there was a neighbor a couple of streets over that had one of these style stuffed kitties that she would let us play with when we visited. We (my sister and I) were totally in love with it! And then, of course, there was Laverne & Shirley, that sitcom with Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams...Shirley had the same kitty, which she called "Boo Boo Kitty". So that's what I think of whenever I see this fabulous retro kitty that is called "Sprinkle" at the Cat's Pajamas!

The paper is from a big slab I got free with a purchase at Scrappy Chic. They have a lot of "mod" looking designs that go so nicely with The Cat's Pajamas stamps!

After I finished that one, I made this:

Ingredients: Stamps - Basket Full of Fun (SU! retired), Canvas; Paper - Bashful Blue, Cutie Pie DP, So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Rose Red, Whisper White; Ink - Basic Black, So Saffron, Bashful Blue; Other - Stampin' Write Markers, black gingham ribbon, paper piercing tool, Rose Red brads, sponge wedge, dimensionals.

I know...it's LUVERLY!!! (YILM!) I'm going to miss this SU! paper, which is retiring. Sigh...all the patterned paper in the SU! catalog is retiring. Dang. So I might as well use it up so I can buy new stuff, right? You know how that works, don't you? I hope so!

I got the cards done, found some envelopes, bagged them up and dropped them at the church on the way to pick up my kids from the picnic. Phew! One more thing to tick off the list! And at this time of year, with swaps to make, a new release coming from Kitchen Sink, an open house to plan for, school supplies to buy, children to chivy hither and yon...the list seems to get LONGER all the time!

Well, think of me tomorrow, in the car 3 1/2  hours to get there, check Laurel in and drive 3 1/2 hours back. Ugh. I'd rather be stamping!

Ooooh....pretty colors!

Most of you probably know that I am a color junkie. I adore color in all it's manifestations, whether that be in paper, ink, fabric or yarn...I LOVE IT!

So the color challenge posted over at the Verve Blog was just my cup o' tea!

And of course, what would a card be without a SKETCH?!?!?! LOL! I printed off this week's Mojo Monday sketch over at Julee Tillman's blog, Poetic Artistry, and had a go using the stamps I WON in the last Mojo Contest! I figured this was the best way to express my gratitude and have a great chance at winning some stampin' moolah! Here 'tis:

Ingredients: Stamps - Verve Visual Thankful Blossoms; Paper - Soft Sky, Cameo Coral, So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White; Ink - Adirondack Espresso, Soft Sky, Pumpkin Pie; Other - Prismacolor pencils, Gamsol, Old Olive Poly-twill ribbon, Scallop Circle Punch, gold brads, dimensionals, Chocolate Chip Marker, sponge wedges

Isn't this just GOJUS?!?!?! (YILM!) I love the color combination and the sketch was good to work with too!

On the personal front, still waiting to hear anything at all about Thin, still being Mom's Softball Taxi service, and still trying to get rid of the last remnants of this influenza. I still am coughing and it's been weeks...sigh. Tomorrow night, though, I have the pleasure of watching our oldest daughter graduate from 8th grade, so that means, naturally, that I will have to spend some time cleaning so that my in-laws won't have to see our messy house! My parents are not making the drive over as they just don't feel up to it. Today is Laurel's last day of school and she is already planning on all the "girl time" we are going to have together next week while her siblings are still in school. I'm already feeling like a hunted creature! Hopefully she'll be satisfied with a bit of shopping. Tomorrow we'll go and get her hair cut and buy something for me to wear since I have nothing half-way decent that fits any more. But I will have another card to show  you tomorrow! See ya then!

I've been debating...

Because I really, really don't want to come off as having "the big head". I know, I know, I really REALLY do love myself. A lot. If you didn't know this, you may be new to my blog. Self-love is a many-splendored thing...at least, it is here. If I thought my work was not worthy of showing off, why would I have a blog to begin with, right?

Anyway, I've often read remarks critical of people who do what I'm about to do and nobody wants to be criticized.

But on the other hand, this is the first time (who knows, it may be the ONLY time!) I have ever done this and who could blame me for being excited and wanting to show off?

See my dilemma? What? You don't know what the heck I'm talking about? Oh well, here goes:

I am famous. Officially. Oh, sure, I have a lot of people who read my blog now and that gives me some measure of notoriety (and I appreciate you all, each and every one!) But now it's down ON PAPER, baby! Lookie:

In this very special issue of Stamp It! you will find TWO, count 'em, TWO of my cards!!!

I'm just a little bit excited (okay, I am a LOT excited!), because it is the very first time for me. To be published, that is. And it's a good feeling!

Dan was suitably impressed when I woke him on Saturday morning after the Fed Ex man had dropped off my complimentary copies. I thought about waiting until he got up, but who can sit on news like THIS! Right? And I carefully didn't mention that it has taken me 12 years of stamping to get this far. He was really impressed to find out that the magazine pays for submissions...and I was VERY careful not mentioned how much money has been spent in that 12 years to get this far. After all, I didn't want to take the thrill out of it for him...having a famous wife must be very exciting for him, right? I want him to enjoy it!

He took me out to lunch, he was so impressed with my fame. Of course, we were interrupted every 5 minutes by calls from home: "Mom, William is yelling and screaming because Laurel told him to clean his room and he won't do it!" "Mother (William calls me 'mother' now...I don't know why he suddenly switched from calling me 'Mommy' and why he doesn't just say 'Mom', but it sounds really cute when he says it) I just wanted to tell you that I gave Laurel the rest of my Gatorade." (??? Why this rates a phone call, I will never know!) And when I got home, I noticed something immediately: being famous doesn't mean that your children will automatically do what you tell them. Or that someone will show up and clean your house for you for free. Somehow, that was left out of the contract. Famous people, I feel, shouldn't have to clean toilets. But I still had to clean ours. Hmmm...

Anyway, enough of that and back to our regularly scheduled showing off and blathering...you want to see a card, I imagine, and I have one for you:

Ingredients: Stamps - Whipper Snapper Designs Party Cow, "An 'Udder' Year Older?"; Paper - Real Red Prints Pattern DP, Tempting Turquoise, Summer Sun, Basic Black, Pixie Pink; Ink - Adirondack Pitch Black, More Mustard; Other - Scallop Circle Punch, Photo Corner Punch, Basic Black marker, white gel pen, piercing tool, black dotted organdy ribbon (Michael's), sponge wedge, dimensionals, silver brad, Prismacolor Pencils, gamsol.

Isn't this STINKIN' CUTE?!?!? (YILM!) I've had these Whipper Snapper stamps for a while now. My mom's birthday was yesterday and this card is for her. It's umm...going to be late, but better late than never, right? I think my mom will understand that famous people like me have a lot of demands on their time that might prevent them from getting a card in the mail in time. What's that? I have been late with cards even before I got famous? Well....yeeeesss, I have....um...guess I can't blame it on my fame, after all....

The Tale of a Card.....

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has done this. Tell me I'm not! But first, let me 'splain, Lucy!

Okay, so I'm in the FedEx/Kinko's near me a few weeks back photocopying the church bulletin, just like every Saturday. And, like every Saturday, I have to get a receipt. Since this is one of the "mini" Kinko's, they don't have a kiosk so that I can get my receipt myself, allowing myself to stay buried in my little 21st century cocoon, cut off from real human contact and only communicating with people online, but instead I actually have to ask a real human for the receipt. By the cash register is a card display and one catches my eye. It's a Mother's Day card and it is just PERFECT for my mother! It only costs a couple of bucks. But I just. can't. bring. myself. to. buy. it! I can MAKE a card like that, but BETTER! Yes, I can! I am STAMPER hear me ROAR!!!!

You can see where this is going can't you?

So I am mulling this card over in my mind, wondering if I have the stamps to make it. Of course I don't! Let me introduce you to rule number 1 of Jan Tink's Law of Trying to CASE Commercial Cards:

Rule #1: You will never have the kind of stamps you need to duplicate a commercial card.

Which means, of course, that you must buy them. And I knew just where to buy them. I had been eying them for some time, wanting to purchase them badly, but putting them off buying them because I didn't really NEED them, but now, of course, I did.

The sad thing was, of course, that I could not satisfy my design needs with just one set. I needed two different ones. You can see where this is going, can't you? So yes, after trying to find these things locally and from some of my favorite web-stores, I finally had to spring for them directly from the company. And bless them, they shipped them very fast and I got them in plenty of time. Of course, each set cost $25.95. So let me introduce you to the second rule of the Law of Trying to CASE Commercial Cards:

Rule #2: It will always, always cost you much, much more to make a CASE of a commercial card than it would cost you just to BUY the card when you see it.

This is a rule that new stampers learn very quickly. I started out stamping so that I could save money on Christmas cards. Yeah, you can stop laughing now. I have heard this sad tale from more than one stamper, always followed by a manic laugh and a rolling of the eyes. WE know, don't we? We know how quickly this becomes an OBSESSIONI!

Anyway, because I only really liked the card for it's cute sentiments/sayings and the rest of it was just sadly plain if not a bit ugly, I had to resort to rule number three:

Rule #3: You dang well better make your CASE so much much cuter/more beautiful/more clever than the commercial one. Or you will feel guilty. Very guilty.

I think I've managed it:

Ingredients: Stamps - Crafty Secrets Coffee & Tea, Kitchen Classics; Paper - SU! Real Red, Basic Black, Old Olive, Bashful Blue, Summer Picnic DP, PapertreyInk Stamper's Select White; Ink - Versafine Onyx Black, SU! Bashful Blue; Other - Fiskars Mini Scallop scissors, Prismacolor pencils, Gamsol, Red dotted ribbon (American Crafts), Sakura Stardust Glitter pen; Font - fontdiner.com Loungy

Isn't this STINKIN' CUTE?!?!? In case you're having a hard time reading that, it says, "A smart mother knows her way around the kitchen". I printed it off on my printer using a cool FREE retro font from fontdiner.com.

Here's the inside:

I hasten to add that my mom is a great cook. I've learned a lot just tasting her food. The kitchen was too small for me to  help much when I was growing up (at least that's what I always used to say.) But these days, it's just much easier for her if she and Dad go out to eat. So that's what they do. Often. So you can see why this is just PERFECT for her...she'll get a big kick out of it!

In the meantime, I can enjoy my Crafty Secrets stamps...only, when I went to look at the website just now so I could see what the names of the sets are that I used because I was too lazy to go downstairs and look, I saw yet another set I must have...that Little Chef set must be mine! Mine!

So there you have it...my sad little tale of my lack of control when it comes to stamping...I'd try to grow up, but I'm having too much fun. See ya!

Chocolaaaaaateeee.....

I was so thrilled the other day to get a call from my fab friend, Pam Becker (aka PJBStamper) all the way from WA (I always think of it as WAH!, but that's just me.)

Pam had thrilling news for me and wanted to tell me ASAP. She said she had just heard on the radio that April is National Consume Chocolate Month or some such thing. I was totally GOBSMACKED! Here I had just been planning to celebrate just my private Restocking My Chocolate Reserves day, but a whole MONTH to celebrate the consumption of chocolate!

I decided I need more research about this important holiday, so I googled it. I couldn't find it anywhere online! I found American Chocolate week (3rd week in March), National Celebrate Chocolate Month (February), National Chocolate Day (this is disputed...October 28th, December 28th or 29th, you pick), even National Chocolate-Covered Raisin Day (March 24th). But only one chocolate related holiday in April, which is National Chocolate-Covered Cashews Day (April 21st) and I am not even very fond of those. My thought has always been that nuts are nuts and chocolate is chocolate...why mess up a good thing? Though I will make an exception for almonds. So how now to celebrate chocolate in April?

I decided I could at least celebrate American Chocolate Week, even if I missed it a few weeks ago. I figured a card would be in order:

Ingredients: Stamps - House Mouse Stamps Pure Bliss, Inky Antics "Eat More Chocolate"; Paper - PapertreyInk Sweet Blush, Berry Sorbet, Stampers Select White, Spring Moss, Pink Patterns Collection, SU! Chocolate Chip; Ink - Versafine Onyx Black, PapertreyInk Sweet Blush, Berry Sorbet; Other - Berry Sorbet dotted satin ribbon (PapertreyInk), Ticket Corner Punch (SU!), 3/16" corner rounder (SU!), Prismacolor Pencils, Gamsol, Sakura Clear Glaze pen, dimensionals (SU!)

Is this not STINKIN' CUTE?!?!? (YILM!) I just love the sneaky look on the one mouse's face as he checks out his pal to see if he's still sleepin' so Mr. Sneaky Mouse can nom all the rest of the chocolate. Heheheh...

I thought the sentiment was perfect for the celebration of any chocolate holiday you'd care to name...the only problem is...I was so busy making it, I forgot to go buy more chocolate! Arrgghhhhhh!!!

Back to the swap mines...

Right after I show you this card:

Ingredients: Stamps - Gina K. - Just so Hippy!; Paper - Papertrey Ink Stamper's Select White, Kaiser Crafts PP, So Saffron, Night of Navy, Certainly Celery, Wild Wasabi, Garden Green; Ink - Palette Noir, Garden Green, Wild Wasabi, Night of Navy, Certainly Celery, Pumpkin Pie; Other - 3/8" corner rounding punch (SU! retired), silver brad, Pumpkin Pie & Night of Navy grosgrain ribbon, Martha Stewart Leaf punches, dimensionals, Copic & Tria markers, Basic Black marker.

Melanie Muenchinger (melmel on SCS) sent me the images from this set she designed that is produced by Gina K. more than a month ago and I had not gotten around to them yet. But when the Dirty Girl Shout Challenge for February was decided on, I knew exactly what to do! The challenge consists of three things:

a) Use a stamp or stamp set designed by a Dirty Girl OR use a Dirty Girl card for inspiration.
b) No die cuts or embossing by die cut systems (boo!)
c) A spring color combination.

If you want to go have a peek at the other cards in the challenge you can go here.

Of course, I knew exactly what to do....problem was DOING IT. I first had to find time (a short commodity lately with two swaps to complete (why do I DO this to myself!), a workshop tomorrow night (!!!) and other commitments, not to mention children, spouse, house, yada yada yada.) So I didn't actually GET to this particular thing until this morning.

The other thing to find was the images! Where, in my packed and mostly organized, but slightly DISorganized stamp room had I stashed the images?!?!? Luckily, they were exactly where I thought they were and I proceeded to crank out this card.

I wanted this to be a boy card, so flowers were out. I had bought this paper at Paper Tales and loved the leafy background and its reverse stripy side. But it needed an embellishment other than ribbon. I figured the monkey needed more jungle, so I decided to turn to my punches since using my 'Bug was out. These punches are old Martha Stewart punches...bought from her website, BEFORE she had an "official" scrapbooking/paper crafting line. She had shown these on one of the very rare shows I had actually seen  (I don't watch much television anymore...at least during the day) and I had fallen in love with both the fern leaf and the other leaf spray...and the only way to get them was to buy the other two stamps as well (aspen leaf and maple leaf).  So I bought them and while punching with them is one of those feats I expect to see show up on the Strong Man Challenge on ESPN any day now, I still can manage it...mostly by throwing myself on top of them. (Yep, that wasn't an earthquake you felt this morning, that was ME punching out tiny little fern leaves!) And yeah, I do actually have one of those punch arm thingies, but first I'd have to FIND it and even then I think these punches don't fit. But don't quote me.

Of course, my brain, fuzzy thing that it is (and that's with taking that memory herb...what's its name again?) mistakenly posted on SCS that the stamps were Carolyn King's NOT Melanie's, a fact for which I have had to abase myself to Mel and tell her that she could kick me, but she lives too far away. The fact is that I was sitting (with my swaps, mind, so I was being productive) up late last night watching the Godfather II and I just could NOT go to bed until Fredo and Hyam Roth got theirs...I've seen the middle of the movie 20 million times, but had never seen the end thanks to my dear husband, who watches two movies at a time most of the time, so I'm always losing bits when he gets involved with the other movie and forgets to switch back to the first one. Any wonder I spend so much time in my stamp room? Anyway, I was up late and so my brain is still not working, even with a little chocolate (of which I have run out of!!!) and lots of Diet Coke and miles to go before I sleep.

Anyway, the card turned out STINKIN' CUTE and I love it and hope you do too...the card that is. I love my husband, despite his itchy remote finger, too. But we're talking about my card.  You don't need to love my husband...I take care of that. Though you can like him a lot because he works so hard so that I don't have to go out and get a  9 to 5 job and can do this.

Okay, I have chattered (inspired by the monkey, maybe?) way too long, time to go back to the swap mines. TA!