Mother's Little Helper

Aren't You Curious?

Doesn't this particular piece of home decor make you go "Hmmm?"  Do you really think you'll be able to concentrate on anything else today before you get the story behind it? 

Luckily, I tell all in this month's edition of CAROLE'S CREATIVE COMMOTION on the Your Next Stamp Blog.  In addition to giving you the whys and what nots of the project above, my post discusses:

• time management,
• Howard Stern and Oprah,
• psychological research,
• my guest bedroom (with photos!),
• and a great tip for cutting out stamped images.

But wait!  There's more!  You also have the chance to win the above image just by leaving a comment (on my YNS blog post - not this one).  Better get there quick, though, because time is running out. 

 

Exciting News!

Hi, friends!  Long time, no see.  My life has been turned upside down (not in a terrible way - just in an "I can't find my behind with both hands" way - since we've come home after Carter's surgery). Still, I couldn't NOT be a part of sharing this F-U-N May Day news.  Are you ready for it?  Let me break it down for all you visual learners out there...

+

 

= Stamping Heaven!

That's right - YOUR NEXT STAMP is Splitcoaststampers' newest MEMBER COMPANY!!!  To celebrate, the YNS Design Team and a few special friends are throwing this celebratory blog hop.  Again, for the visual learners...

We have 3 hidden prizes along the way, so make sure you comment on all of the participating blogs for your best chance to win! Here’s the hop list:

Dana- http://gotjoycreations.blogspot.ca/

Kerri- http://cardsbykerri.blogspot.ca/

Cabio - guest - http://cabioscraftcorner.blogspot.ca/

Carole- http://motherslittlehelper.typepad.com/

Diana- http://doodledeedesigns.blogspot.ca/

Veronica- http://lk2thestarz.blogspot.ca/

Jen D- http://iheart2stamp.com/

Jen R- http://www.tennisgirl27.blogspot.ca/

Kelli - guest - http://stampingwithadream.blogspot.ca/

Susan- http://www.susiestampalot.com/

Wendy- http://sugarpea-designs.blogspot.ca/

Peggy- http://cardcrazy.wordpress.com/

Lydia - guest- http://understandblue.blogspot.com/

Jenny P- http://mylittlestampinspot.blogspot.ca/

Karen- http://yournextstamp.blogspot.ca/

The hop will run from today, May 1st at 8:00 am (EST) until Sunday, May 6th at midnight (EST). Winners will be announced Monday, May 7th on the Your Next Stamp Blog  and the YNS Splitcoaststampers  forum.

Now, because of my aforementioned haywire life, I know you won't mind me showing you a little something that has been viewed by human eyes before, but never on this blog. So it IS new for the hop, in a way.  Please let me retain my illusions/delusions for the moment, okay?  Mama's sanity is hangin' by the most slender of threads at uno momento and you don't want to be responsible for sending me over the edge, do you?  Let me tell you, my edge of reason ain't pretty.  For example, yesterday my eldest (15 year old) son and I were... having words.  We managed to come through it in a civilized fashion, but I did warn him that next time, I would be taking his phone away from him and taking him on a little drive.  We'd go for about 5 miles to a remote - but scenic - country road, and then I would be dropping him off.  He could then spend an enjoyable couple of hours finding his way home and thinking about ways to avoid similar situations in the future.  He said, "You wouldn't really do that, would you?" 

My answer: "Trust me. Or find out the hard way. It's up to you, buddy."

Anywho... enough o' my rambling.  If you want more crazy talk, there's always the monthly CCC - CAROLE'S CREATIVE COMMOTION - which occurs on the YNS Blog on the 18th of every month. (How's that for wrapping up a tangent with a tidy little bow?)  And speaking of the CCC, here's what I made for my last CCC post, using the cute new ELLIE LOVES LATTE set:

(I used the April Sketch For You To Try as my blueprint, by the way. :) )

Karen - YNS's lovely owner and just an all-around-awesome gal - is also in the process of moving, so YNS is having a HUGE moving sale!  You'll want to shop early to get all of the stamps and dies you want at fantastic prices because quantities are limited. Don't forget to check out the Bargain and Retired Stamp Bins on the YNS site, too, for savings of up to 70% off!

Ready for more YNS goodness?  Then hop along to the delightful DIANA'S BLOG for something special.  And don't forget to stop by and visit us in YNS's SCS MEMBER COMPANY FORUM!

One of my all-time favorite sayings, and a motto I try to live by, is "Bloom where you're planted."  I don't know about you, but sometimes I look around at my life and think "Huh!  I never expected to be planted in this particular garden..." Most of the time and in most ways, I believe my life has turned out far better than I could have ever hoped. Still, there are somedays when I wonder, "How did you end up in Claremore, Oklahoma, and not - say - Manhattan?"  On those days, I just remind myself: "It's easy to find interesting and entertaining things to do in Manhattan.  It takes an interesting and entertaining person to create those kind of opportunities in Claremore.  BLOOM WHERE YOU'RE PLANTED!"  (Picture me giving myself this pep talk in my bathroom mirror, a la Jack Donaghy)

 

No wonder I love this sweet new bunny set BLOOM, available on Tuesday the 24th, from The Cat's Pajamas...

I kicked it old-school style on a Fabriano notecard with Prismacolor pencils and gamsol, highlighted with a bit o' Copic white opague.  A smidgen of Plum Divine Twine gives a little nod to what's au courant. Visit Alma's blog for a list of the other Cat Pack-ers and Swanky Stampers giving glimpses of BLOOM today, and don't forget to leave a comment on TCP's IN IT TO WIN IT thread in our SCS Member Company Forum to win our ENTIRE NEW RELEASE (including seven stamp sets and 5 new CutUps dies).

By the way, it's the 18th, which means my CCC post is brand new and waiting for you on the Your Next Stamp Blog.  And, lastly, my little guy Carter has his big surgery tomorrow morning, bright and early, so if you're the praying sort, please say one for him.  I'd be ever so grateful.

Love and hugs - I'll be in with a post-surgery update and more crafty goodness soon.

Hi, all.  Just a quick post to show you another card made with this month's Sketch For You to Try, using an image by this month's sponsor, Your Next Stamp.

Those of you long-time readers are familiar with this particular motif...

If you don't know what motif I'm referring to, then head on over to the YNS blog for this month's CAROLE'S CREATIVE COMMOTION post, where you'll learn about a certain fetish I have and have a chance to win this cute little sheep (appropriately called 'Cute Sheep') image for yourself. 

There's still plenty of time to submit an entry for this month's SFYTT.  You know, Jen picks the Designer of the Month from participants, so git 'r' done!  Here's the sketch you'll need:

Karen of YNS has generously extended the following offer to all of this month's SFYTT participants:

For more 'take 2s' on this month's SFYTT, be sure to visit these SFYTT Sisters, who have something special to show you:

Jodi
Susan
Jen T.
Kerry

Have a wonderful weekend, friends!

You'll recall that during last week's Your Next Stamp blog hop, I posted a flagrantly political card featuring an elephant.  I mentioned during that post that I would be discussing how that particular card came to be in my next CAROLE'S CREATIVE COMMOTION post on the YNS blog.  That post is now LIVE, so head on over and read my explanation.  Please!  Leave a comment and make me seem popular.  You could win free stamps, you know. 

In the meantime, I must give equal time or the FCC will shut down my blog:

Phew! That's more like it... ;) Donkey stamps are hard to come by, but you can find this little guy - the So Sorry Donkey - on the YNS Website.  I used this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch (#150) as my blueprint.  Now go to my CCC post, where I ignore the good advice that one should never discuss sex, religion or politics.  It's your duty as a citizen, you know.

... Jenny Suchin Designs!  Yep, that's right - Jenny Suchin, a long-time member of the YNS Design Team, now has her own line of YNS stamps! Congratulations, Jenny S! And to celebrate, YNS is throwing this blog hop. Naturally, it starts at the aforementioned, illustrious JENNY SUCHIN's blog; if you're following along, you should have arrived here from the delightful DANA's blog.

Ready to see what I've created, using Jenny's new SPECIAL DELIVERY set? You aren't going to believe it...

SEE?!  I TOLD YOU SO!!! Can you believe a woman whose children are named 'Truman' and 'Carter' made the above card?! Yes, I know I have previously disclosed my prejudice against elephant images, but this one is different.  I'd explain why in detail, but this is a blog hop, after all, and I don't want to slow you down.  Instead, I'm going to save my explanation/apology/diatribe for the next CAROLE'S CREATIVE COMMOTION post, which will be on the YNS blog on the 18th.  Mark your calendars!

Anyway, back to my card.  I colored the elephant with Copics and then gave his skin some visual interest via a colorless blending marker.  The sky background was airbrushed, and each panel of the parachute is covered in Art Glitter, as is the bow. 

Are you interested in winning your choice the new Jenny Suchin Designs sets being released?  One of your stops along the hop is a "secret blogger," and a randomly selected commenter on her post will win the blog hop prize.  Best way to cover your bases and increase your chances of winning is to leave comments on everyone's posts along the hop.  (Plus, we just like hearing what you think.  Give us warm fuzzies, you know.)

Next stop on the hop is my homegirl, JENNY PETERSON.  I know she's got something fabulous and clever to share with you, so hop along, little bunnies!

 

Are you, by chance, interested in:

• Christmas carols,
• Billy Squier,
• If You Give a Mouse a Cookie,
• references to female gentalia,
• carpet cleaning,
• Japanese snow monkeys and mermaids,
• FREE STAMPS,
• and/or how all of this is woven together in a tidy package?

Then be sure to check out this month's CAROLE'S CREATIVE COMMOTION post on the Your Next Stamp blog!  You'll be ever-so-glad you did, and Santa will give extra credit. 

{hee!}

It's the 18th of the month, so you know what that means: time for the next installment of CAROLE'S CREATIVE COMMOTION at the Your Next Stamp blog!  Can I get a "woot woot"?

 

Can I get a 'Booyah'?

 

How about a "Yatta"?

 

Awww... thank you, smiley people, for being so accommodating!  Just for that, I'm going to persuade Karen to give away a die and stamp from the project I made for today's CCC.  Want a tiny peek?

Now, head on over to the YNS Blog and talk to me, people!  The more comments you leave, the better your odds are of winning.  And it's an entertaining read -- full of MUST HAVE holiday decorating tips --  if I do say so myself. :)

Howdy, friends!  Are you as happy as I am that Mojo Monday is back from it's mini-vacation?  For me, a good sketch is to stamping like a cup or two of coffee is to the morning: necessary to wake me up and get me going.  Here's this week's fabulous sketch, courtesy of the Queen Mojo Maker herself, Julee Tilman:

I used this sketch to create my own birthday card for myself (yesterday was my birthday, and I turned 42, which seems a lot younger to me now than it did when I was growing up; know what I mean?).  I'd LOVE for you to take a look at my card by going to my second CAROLE'S CREATIVE COMMOTION post on the Your Next Stamp Blog.  In my CCC post for September, I go into detail about what makes my birthday card "MY" card.  If reading my deep thoughts isn't enough to persuade you to go there, YNS is also giving away a sweet prize package to one random commenter (you've got until the 25th to enter).  I'd love to hear your thoughts on my post.

And, of course, you'll want to head on over to the Mojo Monday blog for instructions of how to particpate in this week's challenge, as well as for visual inspiration from the rest of the Mojo Monday design team. For up close and personal descriptions of their lovely creations, skedaddle to these talented ladies' blogs, and leave 'em a little love for giving papercrafters at least one reason to like Mondays.

• Julee Tilman
• Debbie Carriere
• Maria Gurnsey
• Mary Fish
• Sarah Bigelow
• Stephanie Kraft
• Teresa Kline

Hope your Monday and week is Mojolicious! :)

Starting TODAY, I'm going to be Special Guest Blogging on the 18th of every month for YOUR NEXT STAMP!  We're calling it "CAROLE'S CREATIVE COMMOTION" -- catchy, no?  You never know what I'll have up my sleeve (and neither will I, until I do it; y'all know I'm a bit loosey-goosey that way), so you're just going to have to go there to check it out.  I'll discuss the meaning of life, how to lose 10 lbs. in 5 days without even trying, and how to get your children to WANT to clean their rooms.  Plus, I'll also talk about stamping, crafting, and whatnot.

And did I mention that there will be PRIZES?!  Mmm-hmm!  That's correct!

So head over right now to the YNS Blog and read my post.  Then leave me a comment with your thoughts.  Pretty please?  It would mean a whole lot to me. 

 

Now, I've got to get my boys off on their first day back to school.  Carter is going into 1st grade - he's officially a big boy!  And my Truman will be a freshman in high school.  <--- That's just WRONG!  I'll be sure to show 'em off to you with the annual first day of school pic by the front door. 

*sigh...* Babies don't keep, do they?

Sneaky Peek: BLOOM

One of my all-time favorite sayings, and a motto I try to live by, is "Bloom where you're planted."  I don't know about you, but sometimes I look around at my life and think "Huh!  I never expected to be planted in this particular garden..." Most of the time and in most ways, I believe my life has turned out far better than I could have ever hoped. Still, there are somedays when I wonder, "How did you end up in Claremore, Oklahoma, and not - say - Manhattan?"  On those days, I just remind myself: "It's easy to find interesting and entertaining things to do in Manhattan.  It takes an interesting and entertaining person to create those kind of opportunities in Claremore.  BLOOM WHERE YOU'RE PLANTED!"  (Picture me giving myself this pep talk in my bathroom mirror, a la Jack Donaghy)

 

No wonder I love this sweet new bunny set BLOOM, available on Tuesday the 24th, from The Cat's Pajamas...

I kicked it old-school style on a Fabriano notecard with Prismacolor pencils and gamsol, highlighted with a bit o' Copic white opague.  A smidgen of Plum Divine Twine gives a little nod to what's au courant. Visit Alma's blog for a list of the other Cat Pack-ers and Swanky Stampers giving glimpses of BLOOM today, and don't forget to leave a comment on TCP's IN IT TO WIN IT thread in our SCS Member Company Forum to win our ENTIRE NEW RELEASE (including seven stamp sets and 5 new CutUps dies).

By the way, it's the 18th, which means my CCC post is brand new and waiting for you on the Your Next Stamp Blog.  And, lastly, my little guy Carter has his big surgery tomorrow morning, bright and early, so if you're the praying sort, please say one for him.  I'd be ever so grateful.

Love and hugs - I'll be in with a post-surgery update and more crafty goodness soon.

February SFYTT, Take 2

Hi, all.  Just a quick post to show you another card made with this month's Sketch For You to Try, using an image by this month's sponsor, Your Next Stamp.

Those of you long-time readers are familiar with this particular motif...

If you don't know what motif I'm referring to, then head on over to the YNS blog for this month's CAROLE'S CREATIVE COMMOTION post, where you'll learn about a certain fetish I have and have a chance to win this cute little sheep (appropriately called 'Cute Sheep') image for yourself. 

There's still plenty of time to submit an entry for this month's SFYTT.  You know, Jen picks the Designer of the Month from participants, so git 'r' done!  Here's the sketch you'll need:

Karen of YNS has generously extended the following offer to all of this month's SFYTT participants:

For more 'take 2s' on this month's SFYTT, be sure to visit these SFYTT Sisters, who have something special to show you:

Jodi
Susan
Jen T.
Kerry

Have a wonderful weekend, friends!

Bi-Partisan Stamping

You'll recall that during last week's Your Next Stamp blog hop, I posted a flagrantly political card featuring an elephant.  I mentioned during that post that I would be discussing how that particular card came to be in my next CAROLE'S CREATIVE COMMOTION post on the YNS blog.  That post is now LIVE, so head on over and read my explanation.  Please!  Leave a comment and make me seem popular.  You could win free stamps, you know. 

In the meantime, I must give equal time or the FCC will shut down my blog:

Phew! That's more like it... ;) Donkey stamps are hard to come by, but you can find this little guy - the So Sorry Donkey - on the YNS Website.  I used this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch (#150) as my blueprint.  Now go to my CCC post, where I ignore the good advice that one should never discuss sex, religion or politics.  It's your duty as a citizen, you know.

Your Next Stamp Blog Hop, Introducing...

... Jenny Suchin Designs!  Yep, that's right - Jenny Suchin, a long-time member of the YNS Design Team, now has her own line of YNS stamps! Congratulations, Jenny S! And to celebrate, YNS is throwing this blog hop. Naturally, it starts at the aforementioned, illustrious JENNY SUCHIN's blog; if you're following along, you should have arrived here from the delightful DANA's blog.

Ready to see what I've created, using Jenny's new SPECIAL DELIVERY set? You aren't going to believe it...

SEE?!  I TOLD YOU SO!!! Can you believe a woman whose children are named 'Truman' and 'Carter' made the above card?! Yes, I know I have previously disclosed my prejudice against elephant images, but this one is different.  I'd explain why in detail, but this is a blog hop, after all, and I don't want to slow you down.  Instead, I'm going to save my explanation/apology/diatribe for the next CAROLE'S CREATIVE COMMOTION post, which will be on the YNS blog on the 18th.  Mark your calendars!

Anyway, back to my card.  I colored the elephant with Copics and then gave his skin some visual interest via a colorless blending marker.  The sky background was airbrushed, and each panel of the parachute is covered in Art Glitter, as is the bow. 

Are you interested in winning your choice the new Jenny Suchin Designs sets being released?  One of your stops along the hop is a "secret blogger," and a randomly selected commenter on her post will win the blog hop prize.  Best way to cover your bases and increase your chances of winning is to leave comments on everyone's posts along the hop.  (Plus, we just like hearing what you think.  Give us warm fuzzies, you know.)

Next stop on the hop is my homegirl, JENNY PETERSON.  I know she's got something fabulous and clever to share with you, so hop along, little bunnies!

 

Give It Away, Give It Away, Give It Away Now!

Are you, by chance, interested in:

• Christmas carols,
• Billy Squier,
• If You Give a Mouse a Cookie,
• references to female gentalia,
• carpet cleaning,
• Japanese snow monkeys and mermaids,
• FREE STAMPS,
• and/or how all of this is woven together in a tidy package?

Then be sure to check out this month's CAROLE'S CREATIVE COMMOTION post on the Your Next Stamp blog!  You'll be ever-so-glad you did, and Santa will give extra credit. 

{hee!}

CCC # 3!

It's the 18th of the month, so you know what that means: time for the next installment of CAROLE'S CREATIVE COMMOTION at the Your Next Stamp blog!  Can I get a "woot woot"?

 

Can I get a 'Booyah'?

 

How about a "Yatta"?

 

Awww... thank you, smiley people, for being so accommodating!  Just for that, I'm going to persuade Karen to give away a die and stamp from the project I made for today's CCC.  Want a tiny peek?

Now, head on over to the YNS Blog and talk to me, people!  The more comments you leave, the better your odds are of winning.  And it's an entertaining read -- full of MUST HAVE holiday decorating tips --  if I do say so myself. :)

Happy Monday!

Howdy, friends!  Are you as happy as I am that Mojo Monday is back from it's mini-vacation?  For me, a good sketch is to stamping like a cup or two of coffee is to the morning: necessary to wake me up and get me going.  Here's this week's fabulous sketch, courtesy of the Queen Mojo Maker herself, Julee Tilman:

I used this sketch to create my own birthday card for myself (yesterday was my birthday, and I turned 42, which seems a lot younger to me now than it did when I was growing up; know what I mean?).  I'd LOVE for you to take a look at my card by going to my second CAROLE'S CREATIVE COMMOTION post on the Your Next Stamp Blog.  In my CCC post for September, I go into detail about what makes my birthday card "MY" card.  If reading my deep thoughts isn't enough to persuade you to go there, YNS is also giving away a sweet prize package to one random commenter (you've got until the 25th to enter).  I'd love to hear your thoughts on my post.

And, of course, you'll want to head on over to the Mojo Monday blog for instructions of how to particpate in this week's challenge, as well as for visual inspiration from the rest of the Mojo Monday design team. For up close and personal descriptions of their lovely creations, skedaddle to these talented ladies' blogs, and leave 'em a little love for giving papercrafters at least one reason to like Mondays.

• Julee Tilman
• Debbie Carriere
• Maria Gurnsey
• Mary Fish
• Sarah Bigelow
• Stephanie Kraft
• Teresa Kline

Hope your Monday and week is Mojolicious! :)

Check Me Out!

Starting TODAY, I'm going to be Special Guest Blogging on the 18th of every month for YOUR NEXT STAMP!  We're calling it "CAROLE'S CREATIVE COMMOTION" -- catchy, no?  You never know what I'll have up my sleeve (and neither will I, until I do it; y'all know I'm a bit loosey-goosey that way), so you're just going to have to go there to check it out.  I'll discuss the meaning of life, how to lose 10 lbs. in 5 days without even trying, and how to get your children to WANT to clean their rooms.  Plus, I'll also talk about stamping, crafting, and whatnot.

And did I mention that there will be PRIZES?!  Mmm-hmm!  That's correct!

So head over right now to the YNS Blog and read my post.  Then leave me a comment with your thoughts.  Pretty please?  It would mean a whole lot to me. 

 

Now, I've got to get my boys off on their first day back to school.  Carter is going into 1st grade - he's officially a big boy!  And my Truman will be a freshman in high school.  <--- That's just WRONG!  I'll be sure to show 'em off to you with the annual first day of school pic by the front door. 

*sigh...* Babies don't keep, do they?