Mother's Little Helper

Just for Fun! (and a little 'Teasing...)

My buddy Michele Boyer (shel9999) and I have another Just For Fun challenge to share with you!  Perhaps you saw our first Just For Fun challenge last month, but in case you didn't, here's the gist of it: one of us picks out a stamp, the other selects and sends patterned paper.  Then, on a given day at a given time, we reveal to each other -- and all of you -- what we came up with.  Fun, fun, fun!

June's stamp: Winobella by Stamping Bella

June's paper: a coordinating paisley and plaid from the Magnolia collection by My Minds Eye

At first I was going to make a wine tag like my friend Kristi (kmallett78; yeah, I agree -- she needs to bite the bullet and start a blog.  I keep telling her, but she doesn't listen to me.  Maybe your telepathic powers will push her over the edge...) made here, but when I went to look for some sort of template, I couldn't find one.  I let out a big, fat, heavy *sigh* because I always prefer other people to create the wheel instead of having to do it myself.  I trudged to the wine rack and got out a bottle to figure out the dimensions, and it hit me: wouldn't it be easier to just make a wine label?!  My lazy self agreed, so that's what I did using the 8.5" x 11" white adhesive sheets of paper I bought a few months ago from Papertrey Ink.  Here are the results:

And here's a close up of the label:

How much fun will this be to bring to a friends house the next time we come for dinner?  And just think about the Christmas gift-giving possibilities...

The sentiment is by Inky Antics; it was a happy little twist of fate that her leg fit perfectly in the middle of it.  Her Wilma Flintsone-ish necklace is made from small Swarovski crystals.  The wine glasses and the wine bottle she's holding are covered in Sakura Glaze pen to give them a glassy sheen.  The lace at the top of her dress was dotted with Liquid Pearls, and her hair has gold Copic Spica highlights.

I think this is either a bottle of Pinot Noir or Merlot -- I can't remember and it doesn't say on the back.  I just remember it had a rooster on the front.  But I liked that the blue foil around the top coordinated with our patterned paper.  (<-- obviously I'm a true connoisseur...).  I know red wine is supposed to be better for you, but I'm a white wine girl, myself.  And not Chardonnay, if I can help it -- it's too oak-y.  I prefer something a little lighter.  My favorite reasonably priced wines are Pepi Pinot Grigio and Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc.  And, believe it or not, I can get both of them right here in Claremore, America.  Besides being light and crisp, they have the fabulous feature of a screw top!  Now, before you get all snobby on me, hear me out: this makes these perfect for picnics, RVing, etc., and it eliminates cork rot.  Have you ever had a wine go bad from cork rot?  Tastes like you're drinking Ultra Clean.

Now, before you run out and buy a case or two of Pepi or Pine Ridge, stop by Michele's blog and see what she's created.  I'm sure it will be fabulous and make mine seem like I must have been hitting the bottle when I made it...
Cheers!

Supplies used:
Stamps: Winobella by Stamping Bella, Great Minds by Inky Antics
Paper: Paper Basics Adhesive Paper by Papertrey Ink, patterned paper from Magnolia collection by My Minds Eye
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Taken With Teal (SU!)
Accessories: Nestabilities, Copic Sketch & Spica markers, Sakura glaze pen, Swarovski crystals, ribbon, Liquid Pearls, bottle of wine.

Well, since I had the paper out, I thought I'd avoid those dirty dishes and that laundry calling my name and participate in this week's MFT Sketch Challenge.  Here's a little MFTeaser of the new MINI set being released this Wednesday, Call Me!  Kinda bright, but I kinda likey stuff that way...

For more Teasers of the newest MFT sets, lookie here.  And be sure to join us on Wednesday evening (9-11 p.m. EST/8-10 p.m. CST)  for MFT's New Release Cocktail Party/2nd Birthday Party/Kim's FORTIETH Celebration in the MFT Member Company Forum on SCS.  With so much to celebrate, there are going to be discounts galore, like...

*$2.00 US shipping for orders under $40, and for Intl orders and US orders over $40, they'll receive the same $2.75 discount until July 15th.

*FIRST 50 orders will receive a full sized Stickles glitter glue!

*The Girl Who Wants It All special for the July Collection is $49.95.

Plus, you'll learn how you can become the next MFT Guest Designer.  And if that weren't enough -- and surely it is -- I do have a little surprise in store for my friend Cammie.  You'll need to be there to see it, though, because I don't think I want it tarnishing my sweet and innocent blog...

 

Supplies used -- 

Stamps: Call Me! by MFT

Paper: Tempting Turquoise, Pumpkin Pie, Georgia Pacific white, patterned paper from the Magnolia collection by My Mind's Eye

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Accessories: Copic Sketch Markers, Nestabilities, black pen for floor boards, brads, ribbon, felt flower, button, embroidery thread, Dimensionals

 

The Real Reason Leprechauns Are Always So Happy...

... and it ain't Lucky Charms.

Is this not the cutest Leprechaun stamp you've ever seen?!  I spied him on Addicted to Rubber Stamps a while back and added him to my Wish List.  DH loves when I make Wish Lists so he doesn't have to worry about what to get me for various gift-giving occasions.  I love that he loves Wish Lists because he doesn't really care to sift through and decide which among the items to purchase; he usually puts everything in the cart and buys it all.  Yay for Wish Lists!  (Online retailers, take note.  Add a Wish List feature to your site!)

Anyway, this jiggy dude is by Inky Antics, and I had the pleasure of meeting the creator of Inky Antics, Jackie Lewis, at CHA. 

(Aside: Aren't you just so sick and tired of me talking about all the amazing people I met at CHA?  I know I would be if I were you.  I hope it helps that I have total consciousness of how 'la-di-da' it sounds -- I really am NOT trying to sound that way! It's just that the whole thing was so germane to stamping, and thus I tend to write about it while I'm blogging.  I'm sure I'll run out of things to say about it in a few days.  So please, bear with me while I try to walk this fine line between being informative and pretentious.)

Anyway, Jackie was very cool and personable, and walked me through all of the new stuff that Inky Antics is coming out with for spring and summer.  Lots of new stuff by illustrator Ronnie Walters -- I MUST get this one -- including a whole line with a funny little chef.  She has the funniest sentiments, too.  There's also a line of cool stamps with shoes and such, but I can't remember the details or find it on the website.  I'll do some more research, though, and get back to you because you really need to check it out.  I'm always looking out for you, but that's just me.  I'm a giver; I give!

Supplies used -- Stamps: Leprechaun by Inky Antics, beer mugs from My Tailgate or Yours set by Gina K. Designs, oval by A Muse, sentiment from Michael's $1 bin; Paper: More Mustard, Garden Green, Georgia Pacific White, patterned paper by Making Memories; Ink: Brilliance Archival Graphite Black, Basic Black, More Mustard; Accessories: Copic Sketch Markers, green Liquid Applique, Ribbon, blingy shamrock from Stampers, Ink, Dimensionals.

Okay, usually I'm pretty light-hearted while blogging.  After all, no one blurfs to be brought down or depressed.  But I observed something yesterday that has been on my mind ever since.  I don't really know what else to do with it, so I thought I'd offer it up here.

Yesterday I browsing in Hobby Lobby.  (Note to Terri, owner of my LSS: I did not buy any paper products or things I could have purchased at Simply Scrapbooks, I swear! : ) )  I rounded the corner into the framing section and a service dog (black lab) wearing a vest that said "Don't Pet Me -- I'm Working" caught my eye.  On the other end of his/her leash was a young woman who was obviously visually impaired.  She, too, was wearing a vest but hers indicated she was a store employee.

I couldn't help but overhear the conversation she was having with a male employee who was stocking some shelves due to the fact that her voice was quite loud. I never stopped walking, but as I made my way to the needlecraft section, I heard him saying,

"Well, this a gossip pit, so that's not a very good idea."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"People around here talk a lot and are into everybody else's business."
"Oh.  Well, I was just thinking that maybe we could hang out and talk."

Her voice wasn't well modulated and kind of quivery but loud at the same time, so I imagine she's probably had a lot of speech therapy.  It was very clear that she was asking this guy out, in the middle of the store, where tons of other employees were gathered.  He was embarrassed and had his head down, and while he wasn't being cruel to her, he was trying to blow her off but she wasn't picking up the social cues.  I walked by an older female employee who made kind of a "What are ya gonna do?" grimace/smile, then I went to the aisle with the embroidery floss.  There were two guy clerks crouched there, snickering and watching what was happening, like they couldn't wait to get their buddy alone after this and give him a hard time.

They continued their conversation as I walked out of earshot and went to look at the ribbon that was 1/2 off (didn't find anything I didn't have or couldn't live without), but then all of a sudden, I felt completely overwhelmed with sadness.

Nothing that had happened in that little scene I observed was too terribly unusual.  It was an awkward situation to be sure, but no one was being intentionally hurtful.  Sure, those guys who were laughing were being immature, but they were more interested in gigging their friend than hurting the girl's feelings, and she wasn't aware that she was indirectly the object of ridicule.  I hope she thought she was having a friendly, private conversation even though in reality it was anything but.

As many of you know, my three year old son and the sunshine of my life, Carter, has Cerebral Palsy.  He's still so young that it's impossible to know the extent to which he will be impaired by this condition, both physically and cognitively.  So I know that I'm much more sensitive to the above sorts of scenes than I used to be.  It takes a lot of courage for any of us to open ourselves up to another, to ask someone out, to risk rejection; can you imagine how much more it takes for someone with a disability to do that?  Truly, our society sends the disabled the message that they are less worthy than so-called 'normal' people at every turn.  I would imagine at some point, unless you've got a fantastic sense of self, you would start to internalize that message.  And then I thought about what a big deal it probably was to both her and her parents that she actually had that job, how long they must have struggled and hoped that one day she would be independent enough to actually hold down a job and find a place that would hire her.  A job that most of us would sum up as 'crummy' is very likely a huge accomplishment for her and her family.

Anyway, witnessing that brought to light so many of the fears that I've tried to suppress.  Everyone I know is so kind and considerate to Carter now, but he's little and sweet and so cute.  He won't always be, and the thought of him being on the raw end of that scenario breaks my heart and petrifies me.  I know all of us face rejection and humiliation at sometime or another, but life has already dealt the disabled such a difficult hand, can't they be spared some of the garden-variety emotional crap we all encounter? Maybe I'm projecting, but it seems like even that is worse for them, too.

Then again, she seemed pretty oblivious to the undercurrents I seized upon.  I so hope she was, and that from her perspective she had a pleasant conversation with a co-worker.  Maybe it's me with the issues.  I know I definitely need to work on not borrowing from the future trouble that hopefully will never come to pass.  All of us worry about our kids, after all, and we can worry ourselves sick envisioning all of the awful stuff that could happen.  But I can get a little carried away when it comes to Carter, and I need to work through that.

Anyway, like I said, I don't really know what's in this for you by reading this.  Maybe it's food for thought, or perhaps you'll flash on it when you're talking to your kids some time and you can use it to build a little empathy for those with special needs.  I do feel a little better having gotten it out of my system, but oy.  I'm spent. Is 1:00 p.m. to early for a glass of wine?  It's got to be 5:00 somewhere...

MFTeaser!

I have been working my nail-bitten fingers to the bone preparing for tomorrow's My Favorite Things New Release Cocktail Party -- three new sets are being released, and let me tell you, they are FABULOUS!  And I'm not just saying that -- the mini set, "Serenity Now!" (which has a meditation/yoga theme) is my all-time favorite MFT set thus far.  Then there's the adorable "Egg-stra Special Easter;" I've got an altered project I can't wait to share using that sweet set.  And last, but definitely not least, is the "Twisted Sentiments" set -- a few choice phrases that will appeal to your inner vixen!  I'm predicting this set will fly off the shelf, and I'm hoping the card I made for the party utilizing this set will get past the SCS censors!!! 

Clearly, you don't want to miss the merriment -- so write this on your hand, forehead, and post-its around your house: the party will be tomorrow night, February 6, from 9-11 p.m. Eastern time (8-10 p.m. Central time). I guarantee you mucho grande fun (I'm going to be there, after all...) plus details about how YOU could be the next MFT Guest Designer. Skedaddle on over to the MFT forum on www.splitcoaststampers.com to find out all the details, and join us there on Wednesday night.

Okay, okay, okay.  Enough puffery.  Here's a preview of one of the Twisted Sentiments, combined with today's color challenge (to use Ballet Blue, Real Red, and Apricot Appeal):
Isn't that fun?!  And not too naughty, right?  I'm saving the one that will burn your corneas for the party...

Hee!
I love the Inky Antics' gals by Monica Lee -- this one is called 'Cocktail Time.'  And check out her earrings and bubbles -- they're Swarovski crystals, and sooo amazing.  I remember Jen yapping about them when I first met her last year, telling me how once you start using them you'll never want to use any other bling.  At the time I was kinda like "Huh? What are you talking about?"  But as I've come to learn, when Jen speaks about stamping, you should listen and take notes.  She knows her shizzle.

Supplies used -- Stamps: image by Inky Antics, Twisted Sentiments by My Favorite Things, Atomic Boomerang background stamp by JudiKins; Paper: Apricot Appeal, Real Red, Ballet Blue, Georgia Pacific White; Ink: Brilliance Archival Graphite Black, Real Red, Ballet Blue; Accessories: Copic Sketch and Spica markers, Nestabilities, Making Memories ribbon tool, Swarovski crystals, Dimensionals, ribbon.

Good Stuff!

Today's Color Challenge isn't much of a challenge for me at all -- I have a well-documented love for all things pink and green. So, using Pretty in Pink and Wild Wasabi, with the additional suggestion by Emily to make a Christmas card? Piece o' cake! I couldn't resist this Inky Antics gal on a Vespa, when I saw it on the Eclectic Paperie website. She's colored in with Copic Sketch and Spica markers, and the background is lightly shaded in Bashful Blue Watercolor Wonder crayon. I picked up the cute Rusty Pickle patterned paper at my LSS last week.

Supplies used -- Stamps: image by Inky Antics, sentiment from Sassy Sayings by My Favorite Things; Paper: Wild Wasabi, Pretty in Pink, patterned paper by Rusty Pickle, Georgia Pacific white; Ink: Brilliance Archival Graphite Black, Wild Wasabi; Accessories: Nestabilities, SU! Ribbon, Copic Sketch and Spica markers, Crop a Dile, tiny hole punch, 3-D Dots, SU! Watercolor Wonder Crayons.

Speaking of Vespas, ours is FINALLY ready to be picked up (it's been in the shop since the Tuesday after Labor Day to have a few scratches removed). And with the crazy warm temperatures we've been having this Fall, it looks like we'll still be able to ride it some before putting it up for the winter. Yesterday the temps were in the high 70's. Of course, according to one of Oklahoma's U.S. Senators, this has nothing to do with global warming because global warming is just a big hoax...

BIG NEWS!
Kim Van der Sanden, the fabulous babe and businesswoman who owns My Favorite Things, made the announcement on SCS's Member Companies' forum the other day, so I won't be speaking out of turn if I share this with you: I'm one of the newest members of the MFT Design Team!! I am so, so excited about this opportunity because I L-O-V-E MFT stamps, and because I'm in the company of such incredible stampers on this DT. I'm not easily intimidated, but this bunch of gals? They're so good, I'm going to really have to step things up so I won't embarrass myself by comparison! Whenever I get competent enough, I'm going to add an MFT graphic and links to the other DT members blogs so you can see what I mean and be fearful for me, too.