Quick and Easy Butterfly Basics Card

The card today is the second one in a 3 Card Swap I just participated in. We were to send 3 cards all using the same stamp set. Of course I picked Butterfly Basics because, well, it's my favorite!!! 

Card Front

I think this is the last time I use pink as a background to my photos:( This card was super quick and easy. In fact it was totally CASEd (copy and share everything) from Brandy Cox at Brandy's Cards. She did a video tutorial on this card called 10 in 20 where she makes 10 of these cards in 20 minutes! Well, I made 5 cards while she was making 10 but hey, I was totally happy with it! 

Card Inside

Are you loving it?!!!

For this card I used the following Stampin' Up! supplies...

• Whisper White card stock...that's it for the paper! Can you believe it!
• Butterfly Basics Stamp Set
• Ink: Old Olive, Island Indigo, Crushed Curry and Early Espresso
• Big Shot with Butterfly Thinlits
• Other: Glue Dots and Basic Rhinestones

WOW! That has to be the shortest list of ingredients for a card yet (for me that is)!

I hope you enjoyed this card today! Be sure to come back tomorrow for one more in this 3 Card Swap! It is truly amazing! LOVE IT! 

To purchase Stampin' Up! products just click the shopping cart on the right and it will take you right to my Stampin' Up! website! To receive a catalog please email me if you don't already have a Stampin' Up! demonstrator!

Kat

Happy Homemaker Monday

This weather is really messing with me:( I have no energy, direction or creativity at all...gone! I meant to make it back last night for the Sunday Night Chit-Chat but didn't then this morning I saw that Carla didn't make it either. 

However, today I made it for Sandra's Happy Homemaker Monday (seems I missed it last week). Be sure to check out Sandra's list at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom. Welcome and I hope you enjoy your visit.

The weather outside is::::

The temperature this morning when I got up was 9 degrees (F)...brrr! However, we do have beautiful blue sky and sunshine:) Only the slightest breeze.

On the breakfast plate this morning::::

I had 2 cups of Yerba Mate', a bowl of Cheerios with no milk and a Fuyu Persimmon--yumm!

As I look outside my window:::

The ground is white but the snow is hard and crunchy...not very pretty. I am enjoying the sunshine although we aren't getting much heat from it. 

Right now I am::::

Sitting on the couch typing this post because the corner of the living room where my chair sets is a "dead zone" for our wifi. I can use my iPad in that corner but not the laptop.   

As I look around the house::::

The kitchen really needs some attention as does my desk. The dogs snuggle up to the wood stove as close as they can get without getting burned. Even the cats are staying in more with this nasty cold.   

On today's to do list::::

Laundry....One load of towels in the washer, ready for the dryer and one load that needs to be folded.
Cleaning....
I need to do the dishes, make the bed, pick up dog toys, clean my desk (disaster) and tidy up a bit.
Stampin' Up!....I am preparing for this week's Happy Stampers Club plus need to make a swap card for Margarita's Swap; also birthday cards...all for women so they'll be girly:) Oh, and I want to make place cards for Thanksgiving and have seen some great ideas...just have to pick ONE!
Crocheting....Almost finished with the little girl's scarf and headband I have been working on sporadically...hoping to mail it on Wednesday; working on something special for my SIL for her birthday but I can't tell what because she occasionally checks my blog; chomping at the bit to start the beautiful scarf I showed on Friday; still working on the yellow baby afghan; I bought yarn to make potholders and dishcloths as Christmas gifts.

Currently reading::::

Still reading If I Stay but have been doing more crocheting than reading lately.

On the TV today::::

I watched the season finale of The Paradise last night.

On the menu this week::::

No menu but lots of yummy looking recipes I want to try.

What I am creating at the moment::::

Lots of cards today plus the crocheted items I mentioned above.

New recipe I tried or want to try this week::::

My starter is finally ready and I am going to make a loaf of Artisan bread this week (finally)!

Favorite photo from the camera::::

View from my Livingroom window

Prayers, Inspirational Quotes or Devotionals::::

Well, that's it for this Happy Homemaker Monday! Thank you for visiting and I will be back tomorrow with a recipe for Tasty Tuesday! See you then!

Kat

Five Things Friday

Thanks for stopping in for a little Five Things Friday! This week has been one of my least productive EVER! It must be the change in weather coupled with the time change this month with a touch of laziness thrown in for good measure.

So, my Five Things on this Friday are...

• Last Sunday I picked all the bell peppers left in the garden, chopped them and put them in freezer bags--14 bags with 2 cups of chopped bell pepper in each bag! That should last me for a little while:)

Aren't they pretty?!!!

• I usually order Stampin' Up! products with the thought of how my stamping club ladies will like the products and resultant projects. Today I bought a stamp set I have been wanting and am so anxious to get it! I have no plans to use it for stamping club although I might. I got it just for me:) What do you think? Was it a good purchase??? The projects on Pinterest using this stamp set (Ornamental Pine) are AMAZING!

Sorry about the fuzzy picture...I took it from the Stampin' Up! website

• My darling son has a birthday on Saturday and will be 42 years old! WOW! Where have the years gone?!!! For at least the last 30 years, I have made him a Carrot Cake every year...his favorite! However, this year he asked for something different but didn't tell me what:( So, I am going to make a totally new-to-me recipe for Chocolate Cake and see how it turns out! Wish me luck! I am not a cake person so I would like anything but a cake! 
• I bought the yarn this week to make a beautiful scarf...

Isn't it beautiful?!!! I am so anxious to get started on it; just have two little projects ahead of it to finish. To purchase this pattern download for $5 go to Ravelry. You might need an account (free) but Ravelry is a great source for knit and crochet patterns, many of which are free. I thought this one was well worth paying a little bit for:) I am making it in Vanna's Glamour by Lion Brand in Topaz which has a gold thread running through it. So pretty for Christmas!

• I love a couple cups of Yerba Mate` every morning with a bit of raw honey. I purchase my Yerba Mate` from Oregon Yerba Mate in a 5 pound package although you can purchase much smaller packages. They also have several blends. I purchase the House Blend.

Well, with those tidbits, I am off to get my house cleaned, a birthday cake baked and a big pot of Bean and Bulgar Chili made for tomorrow!

Have a great day and a wonderful weekend! Thanks for stopping by and I will be back Sunday night for Carla's Sunday Night Chit-Chat!

Kat

Another Birthday Card

**Oops! I was trying to schedule this post for Thursday but hit the "publish" button too soon! Sooo, if you happen to read this post on Wednesday, just know that it was meant for Thursday!

Good Morning and Happy Thursday to you! I think I am going to town today to get my new prescription sunglasses...first pair EVER! I need to explain; by going to town I mean a 1 1/2 hour drive each way:( However, I amuse myself with an audio book and if someone else is driving, my knit/crochet project of the moment so the time passes quickly. When "in town" we go to Costco, have lunch in a restaurant (my favorite part), get a pedicure (every other month) and run miscellaneous errands. Today I am hoping to pick up the supplies to make my darling granddaughter a bunkbed for her American Girl dolls. 

My card today is one I made for an 11 year old boy and was so happy to know he loved it:) That's always a big plus! Most of the time I don't hear whether a recipient liked the card or not. Needless to say, those who respond in the affirmative, get LOTS of cards from me:)

I cut the circles out with my Circles Framelits Collection then adhered them to the Whisper White cardstock. Then I ran the Whisper White cardstock with the circles on it through the Big Shot using the Argyle Embossing Folder. I love how using the embossing folder actually makes the circles almost melt into the Whisper White cardstock. Very cool!

For this card I used the following Stampin' Up! supplies:

• Paper: Night of Navy, Real Red, Whisper White, Tangerine Tango, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight and Lost Lagoon cardstock
• Stamps: Endless Wishes and Itty Bitty Banners
• Ink: Night of Navy, Real Red, Memento Tuxedo Black and Blendabilities (for coloring the cake)
• Big Shot with Circles Collection Framelits and Argyle Embossing Folder
• Other: Dimensionals

Card inside

I hope you enjoyed the card today and that you will feel inspired to do a little "creating" yourself! Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Kat

Peekaboo Window Birthday Card

It is definitely fall...rain, temperatures and even a short-term stomach "flu":( I had so much planned for yesterday and ended up half the day in bed. Not on the schedule I can assure you!

Instead of baked potatoes, butternut squash and salad, we had Potato Corn Chowder because that's what I crave when I'm sick. Late in the afternoon it really hit the spot:)

The card today is another version of the one I posted last week here. After I made the Fall version of the Peekaboo Window Card I decided to try a birthday one that I could send to my sister-in-law for her 60th birthday. I was so happy with the way this one turned out. Elegant but fun, don't you think?

For this card I used the following Stampin' Up! supplies:

• Paper: Basic Black and Whisper White cardstock; Back to Black Designer Series Paper
• Endless Wishes Photopolymer stamp set
• Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento stamp pad; Blendabilities (to color cake)
• Punches: 1 3/4" Scallop Circle, 1 3/8" Circle, Decorative Label
• Other: Dimensionals, Sticky Strip

The fun surprise is when you open the card and see the birthday cake revealed in the window!

Tomorrow I have another birthday card to show you. Thanks for stopping by!

Kat

All is Calm Wondrous Wreath Card

It's a rainy day in my neck of the woods! Oh how I wanted to say Georgia...and what do I mean by "woods" as we have absolutely NO WOODS here; just dry grass and sage brush! We have trees right around our house which we planted but there are no woods! So, what does that have to do with anything? Absolutely nothing! It's my blog and I'll ramble if I want to...right?!!!

Today I will be out and about delivering stamping orders and hoping to take a box of stuff to the thrift store! Actually, I probably have a trailer of stuff that needs to go to the thrift store but it will need to be a little at a time.

The card today won rave reviews from the Happy Stampers last week! I really like everything about it. I have Jill Franchett at Jill's Ink to thank for this card as I pretty much copied everything! I didn't realize that Stampin' Up! has Silver Foil so used the Silver cardstock but I have the Silver Foil coming on my next order!

For this card I used the following Stampin' Up! supplies:

• Paper: Lost Lagoon, Whisper White, Silver and Pear Pizzazz cardstock; All is Calm Specialty Designer Series Paper
• Wondrous Wreath photopolymer stamp set
• Ink: Pistachio Pudding, Pear Pizzazz and Lost Lagoon
• Big Shot with Wonderful Wreath Framelits
• Other: Lost Lagoon 3/8" taffeta ribbon, Dimensionals

I hope you enjoyed the card today! There are so many great ideas out there I want to try and stamp sets I want to play with! Have I told you lately that I LOVE stamping?!!!

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by! Tomorrow is Five Things Friday so I will see you then!

Kat

For All Things Peekaboo Window Card

I was thinking...since Tuesday is Tasty Tuesday, maybe Wednesday should be Wacky Wednesday! However there is nothing Wacky about my post today or should I say no wackier than usual:)

We have RAIN today! We have had a dry spell or mostly so. It did rain on Monday but not enough to brag about. Today I think we might get some bragging rights. But since we only get about 12 inches of rain per year on average, any rain is a welcome sight!

I got another new recipe today that I can hopefully share with you next week. I want to make it first to be sure it's as good as it looks. The recipe is for Homemade Wheat Thins! I love Wheat Thins and to be able to make them at home would be great!!!

My card for you today is one we made at our Happy Stampers Club meeting last Wednesday. I like this style of card so much I made 4 of them! I made a birthday card using black and white that I will show you next week.

It is called a Peekaboo Window Card and you can see why in the next photo...

Please forgive the photo as I was holding the card open with one hand while trying to take the picture with my iPod Touch. 

My thanks goes to Dawn Griffith for the wonderful video tutorial for this card! You can view the video at Dawn's Stamping Thoughts. Her videos are amazing...easy to follow along!

For this card I used the following Stampin' Up! supplies:

• Paper: Crushed Curry, Whisper White, Mossy Meadow and Blackberry Bliss cardstock; Color Me Autumn Designer Series Paper
• For All Things stamp set
• Ink: Blackberry Bliss, Crushed Curry and Early Espresso
• Punches: 1 3/8" Circle, 1 3/4" Scallop Circle Punch
• Big Shot with Chalk Talk Framelits
• Other: Dimensionals and Sticky Strip

Well, I'm off to clean my house before company arrives later today! I also plan to make a big pot of All You Can Eat Soup and a couple loaves of Whole Wheat Bread so I best get busy! Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Kat

Happy Homemaker Monday

Good Morning! And welcome to Happy Homemaker Monday. Dear Sandra is our weekly host for Happy Homemaker Monday and always has fun things to share. I hope you will pop over to Diary of a Stay at Home Mom to see what she's been up to!

I was so happy to see that my blog has over 50,000 views now! Woo Hoo! Thank you all for checking in to see what's going on in my little world! I truly love to share with you!

Breakfast time....what is on the plate this morning::::
Wednesday is a fast day so no breakfast for this girl! I do have plans for a great big salad for lunch!

Looking around the house::::Dog toys litter the livingroom...again...always! Everything else looks pretty good. I want to put a fall wreath up in the livingroom this week.
On today's to do list::::
Laundry...I need to do a couple loads of laundry today! There is always laundry to do but I guess I can be thankful we all have plenty of clothes.
Food Preservation...I really need to get some tomatoes canned this week! We got the sauerkraut started last week (45 Liters of it) and the Jujubes are drying nicely but now I need to get the tomatoes done!
Stampin' Up!...I need to deliver orders later in the week and make a few cards today before I put my stamping stuff away. 
Crocheting...I am still working on the yellow baby afghan. I am also working on a pretty pink scarf and earwarmer set for a three year old (need to finish this week!). I need to start working on some clothes for my granddaughter's American Girl doll. 
Cooking...Today we will have a big salad, homemade dressing and homemade whole wheat bread.

Currently reading::::
The Deep Blue Sea for Beginners by Luanne Rice
One Simple Act by Debbie Macomber (this book is so good I may have to read it over when I finish)
Sycamore Row by John Grisham (audio)

On the TV today::::
I watched The Paradise last night and might get an episode or two of the Gilmore Girls in tonight.

The weather outside is::::
It has been chilly in the mornings but warms up to low 70s (F) in the afternoon. I really can't complain tho I know the cold is coming. Just trying to soak up the last little bit of warmth!

On the menu this week::::
As you know if you read my Happy Homemaker Monday posts, I am not much of a menu-maker. I know it would be good but most of the time I just work with what's here. We still have so much in the garden that I just think about what's there and what sounds yummy to eat! Seems to work for us.

If I have a few minutes to myself, I will::::
Work on making a few cards!

New recipe I tried, or want to try this week::::
Just this morning I got found a recipe for Easy Tomato Basil Blender Soup. I have lots of tomatoes so thought I would give it a try this week. I may have found my new favorite soup:) I ordered the covered baker and proofing bowl last week for my new Artisan bread so hopefully will get to do that next week.

One of my simple pleasures::::
Chocolate:) Especially Dove Dark Chocolate! Hubby tries to buy me "designer" chocolate but I still like Dove the best!

Favorite photo from the camera::::
Nothing today...sorry! I really need to take some pictures!

Visiting with Blog friends (blog you want to share, blog post that caught your eye)::::I enjoy Patty's Stamping Spot and the current post is for The Control Freak Blog Tour! So many creative stampers. I hope you get a chance to check it out!
Praying for::::
Friends and family

Bible Verse, Devotional that is resonating with me at the moment:::: 
"In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 
                                   ---1 Thessalonians 5:18

For All Things Congrats

It looks like it will be another beautiful fall day here today! Love it!!! I always dread the short, cold days of winter. However, my much neglected Infrared Sauna will get a lot of use once it starts getting cold:)

I do love the colors of fall so this card was fun to make...and to give! Yup, it's already in the hands of the recipient! I made this card for my son to give at an "I Do BBQ" for some friends who are getting married the end of this month. You should have seen the invitation! So cute!!!

This card was made using the Baby Wipe Technique. You take a Baby Wipe and put it on a disposable plate on in a disposable plastic container. Figure out what colors you want to use and put drops of re-inker randomly on the Baby Wipe. Then you use the Baby Wipe as your stamp pad. I used the Baby Wipe Technique for the leaf spray behind Congrats! and for the two back leaves in the corner. This was my first time for this technique but I will definitely be using it again...and again:)

For this card I used the following Stampin' Up! supplies:

• Paper: Crumb Cake, Island Indigo and Very Vanilla cardstock
• Stamp Sets: Bravo, For All Things
• Ink: Island Indigo, Crushed Curry, Old Olive and Cajun Craze
• Other: Hemp Twine (not SU!), Retired Button, Glue Dots

Don't forget to leave a comment on yesterday's post HERE for a chance to win a set of 4 Fall cards handmade by Moi!

Thank you for stopping by today! I will be back tomorrow for Five Things Friday:)

Kat

Wondrous Wreath for Fall and a Giveaway

Hello everyone! So happy to be blogging for the third day in a row! Woo Hoo!!! After my lengthy vacation from blogging, I wasn't sure I could still do it but it's just one day at a time. For sure, I will never run out of things to say or things to show you!

During my two and a half month vacation from blogging I continued to make cards so if nothing else, I will have a card or two to show you in the days and weeks to come:)

While I was visiting my daughter a couple weeks ago we had a couple of the neighbor ladies come over for some papercrafting time. I had prepared the card above for them to make and they loved it (as do I)! These cards have been running around on Pinterest and I'm not really sure where I got the idea but I am thinking it might be Frenchie at Stamp & Scrap with Frenchie. Then I discovered I had put the card together upside down! After all the cards I've made you'd think that wouldn't happen...but it did!!! Sooo, how did I fix it?

I cut the front of the card from the back, trimmed top, bottom and sides so it would measure 5 1/4" x 4" and mounted it onto a Blackberry Bliss card base and it took the card from pretty to WOW!!! LOVE IT!!! It is so much prettier in person, trust me! I have plans to make at least six more just like it! 

Hey, to celebrate my return to blogging, would you like the chance to win a set of 4 cards like the ones above (complete with envelopes)? I will leave the inside blank so you can use them for any occasion! Just leave a comment below telling me which card you like best and I will draw the lucky name on Sunday, October 12 at noon (PDT)! This drawing will be open to anyone in the United States and Canada!

For this project I used the following Stampin' Up! supplies:

• Paper: Blackberry Bliss, Very Vanilla and Crumb Cake card stock
• Ink: Hello Honey, Blackberry Bliss and Mossy Meadow (I love the new In Colors), Baked Brown Sugar
• Stamps: Wondrous Wreath, For All Things and Hardwood
• Other: Stampin' Sponges (for sponging edges), hemp twine (not Stampin' Up!), Wonderful Wreath Framelits, Antique Brad (retired), Dimensionals and Glue Dots

I just might have a couple more cards to show you tomorrow sooo, see you then!

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by today!

Kat

Happy I Do Swap

It's really heating up here! It looks like we are in for triple digit temperatures all next week. Our apricots are starting to ripen...yumm! Today I made a salad for lunch with lettuce, cucumbers, bell peppers, zucchini, onions and tomatoes from our garden! The flavor in everything was intense compared to store-bought! It is a struggle with the heat to make sure everything gets enough water. With the extra heat, the raspberries are taking a bit of a rest but they will be back in August for another run!

My card for you today (I still have a few I haven't posted yet) is one I made for Margarita's Wedding Card Swap last month. I love black and white--looks so elegant! As often happens, I totally CASEd this card from one I saw on Pinterest by Wanda at My Creative Corner. I couldn't even think of how to make this card better so remade it just as Wanda had.

For this card I used the following Stampin' Up! supplies:

• Paper: Basic Black and Whisper White cardstock
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
• Word Play stamp set
• Big Shot with Perfect Polka Dots and Designer Frames Embossing Folders
• Other: Extra Large Oval Punch, 1/4" Black Grosgrain Ribbon (not SU!), Basic Pearls, Basic Rhinestones and Dimensionals

Thank you for stopping by today! Have a great day and try to stay cool! I will see you tomorrow for 5 Things Friday!

Kat

In Color Tri-fold Cards

**Opps! It seems I hit Publish instead of Schedule:( This is Thursday's post!

Again, these cards were made a month ago so I will try to remember what I used. I submitted these as part of my Design Team projects for The Cupboard Trilogy Challenges last month! I LOVE the new Stampin' Up! In Colors and used Blackberry Bliss and Hello Honey for these cards.

Once I got started I couldn't stop with just one. I love the Tri-fold cards and was so enjoying the wonderful colors! 

For these cards I used the following Stampin' Up! supplies:

• Paper: Blackberry Bliss, Hello Honey and Whisper White card stock; Moonlight Designer Series Paper
• Ink: Blackberry Bliss, Hello Honey and Memento Tuxedo Black
• Stamps: Yippee Skippee (top sentiment), Sassy Salutations (bottom sentiment), Postage Collection (retired-hostess), A Round Array; I don't remember the name of the flower stamp 
• Punches: 7/8" Scallop Circle, 1 1/4" Circle, 1 3/8" Circle and Banner
• Other: Dimensionals

I hope you enjoyed my Tri-fold cards today! I will be on my way to my daughter's today for the 4th of July Celebration. Her neighborhood does such a nice job with lots of food and fun:)

Kat

RAKs in the Mail

VC Rocks blog banner! Isn't it cute!!!

I belong to a very fun group of people called VC Rocks. The VC stands for Virtual Convention! Every summer, Stampin' Up! has a real convention in or near Salt Lake City, UT but it is really spendy by the time you get your plane tickets, motel, meals...well, you get the picture, so not every Stampin' Up! Demonstrator can go or even wants to go. Me, I would love to do it just once! I guess it's quite the Hoopla! So, several years ago, someone got the bright idea to start this virtual community to celebrate the new annual Stampin' Up! catalog, summer, stamping, and just having fun! I signed up last year and thoroughly enjoyed my time with the group that "meets" from May 1 through September. Yes, the group is dormant the rest of the year except for a brief surge in December!

VC Rocks is open for registration May 1-31 and accepts Stampin' Up! demonstrators and customers. But this is not an easy group to belong to...fun, but not easy! There are Swaps, RAKS (random acts of kindness), Challenges, Blog Hops, oh my! We even have a charity that we donate to at the end of the summer. This year our donations will go to Ronald McDonald House:) 

In the last week I have been the recipient of two RAKs and I wanted to share them with you! This first one if from Karen Gibson in Brunswick, Ohio...

This is a Clean and Simple; Quick and Easy card! Love it! Can you see the embossed frame behind the Happy Birthday sentiment? How about the texture she added to the banners? Great card! Thanks, Karen!

The second card is a Fancy Fold from Debbie Peterson in Arlington, Washington...

This is how the card looked straight out of the envelope but then you take the ribbon off and...

Check.it.out!!! What a beauty! And check out the cute tags in all the pockets!!!

I feel so blessed to have received both of these amazing cards AND to be part of VC Rocks for another wonderful summer!

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you enjoyed these beauties because I sure did! Now I need to get some cards of my own made! 

Kat

Z is for Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah!

Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah 

Zip-A-Dee-A 

My oh my, what a wonderful day

Plenty of sunshine heading my way

Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah

Zip-A-Dee-A

Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah is a song from the Disney movie Song of the South! It is such a happy song and I thought it perfectly reflected how I feel about today being the last day of the A to Z Blogging Challenge! Woo Hoo! I made it!!! Two years in a row!!! I am doing a happy dance right along with the very colorful bear at the top of the page:)

Reasons why I am happy today...

• Last day of the A to Z Blogging Challenge...till next April that is!
• I went to the Chiropractor yesterday and, bar doing something stupid, I am good to go:) After falling in January, it is a blessing to only need two Chiropractor visits to put me back in shape.
• The weather this week is glorious--warm, sunny, blue sky!
• I am sitting in my chair (yes, the one the dog chewed up) with a cup of Yerba Mate tea--bliss
• I get to order my NEW Annual Stampin' Up! catalogs tomorrow and a few pre-order items as well--woo hoo!
• I am looking forward to a road trip with dear friends the first two weeks of June...in a motor home from Washington state to Missouri! I sure hope the tornadoes behave themselves--hibernate; something!
• Tomorrow I will start writing Morning Pages -- 3 pages written longhand every day (more on that later).

Tomorrow will be back to my normal blogging fare! Hopefully will have a card or two to share with you but if not, then perhaps a recipe. Oh, the possibilities are endless!

Have a great day and I hope you can get Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah out of your head:)

Kat

T is for Ten Random Things

Today I am going to just tell you Ten Random Things! How fun is that?!!! We'll see if you think so when I get finished:)

• Time Management is an issue I have or should I say lack thereof? This was going to be my topic today but...I have read so many books on Time Management but haven't stumbled across the method that will work for me. Any ideas?
• Lilacs are blooming in my yard and they are gorgeous!!!

• My hair is starting to gray and I am trying to decided whether or not to color. I did read about doing a rinse using tea. It can't hurt so think I will try it. Not much gray in the front but significant streaks in the back.
• The last few days of the A to Z Blogging Challenge are truly a challenge! Only 6 posts left to go!
• Hubby and I will be celebrating our 35th Wedding Anniversary in June:D
• I will celebrate my 60th Birthday in July:0 
• For my recent trip, I made these cute little cards to put a Ghiradelli chocolate square and a tip in for Housekeeping at the hotel. We gave one each day and my granddaughter loved it! I hope the Housekeeping staff did as well!

• I get very sad when Stampin' Up! releases their Retired List every year (on April 21 this year) but start to feel a little better the 1st of May when I see the New Annual Catalog:) Fortunately I don't have to get rid of my favorites, just can't use them for workshops.
• I love to knit, crochet, sew and do paper crafts!!!
• This is so sad, but my iPad is my best friend! It is truly one of the best gifts I have ever received followed closely by my Vita Mix!!!

Woo Hoo! I came up with Ten Random Things! Can you believe how random they are?!!! Which one is your favorite?

Tomorrow is the Letter U! Hmmm...not sure what I will write about that starts with U. Any ideas?!!!

Kat

R is for Retirement

Again, I was struggling, trying to decide what I would share with you--about me--that started with the Letter R. Hmmm...Reading? I love to read! Raspberries? Yum, they are starting to bloom and my mouth waters every time I think about eating those lush morsels! Red? That was my favorite color for the first 40+ years of my life then changed mysteriously to Lime Green! 

Last night I still didn't have a clear idea of what to write so just let it rest. Then this morning I was emailing the Stampin' Up! Retirement Lists to my customers and it hit...Retirement! Well, duh! This blog IS called Kat's Retirement Journey, right?!!! 

I have been retired for nearly 4 years now and retired early (age 56) because Fibromyalgia was making living and working difficult. My health and energy were dipping lower and lower and it became evident that working was NOT helping me have a good quality of life! The stress was literally killing me! So I retired!  

Unfortunately hubby was not able to (nor did he really want to) retire with me so my life in retirement looks pretty much like a Stay-at-Home Wife with a few side trips:) The perks of retirement are: I am able to travel with my hubby when he goes on business; stay longer at my daughter's when I go to visit; blog; spend more time crafting, cooking and reading! Hubby and I are also able to holiday a little more than my work vacation schedule used to allow. 

My life and environment are relatively stress free so the Fibromyalgia symptoms are more manageable; I am not taking pain medication and sleeping every spare moment!

This summer I am hoping to take a road trip with friends to Missouri; go to Washington to celebrate granddaughter's 9th birthday; and maybe spend a few days at the Oregon Coast for our 35th wedding anniversary:) 

Are you retired or looking forward to retirement? Does retirement scare you just a little? What is the ONE thing you would like to do in retirement?

Have a great day! Tomorrow, Letter S! And I already know what I am going to write about:)

Kat

Gingham Garden Gift Box

Box closed

At our Happy Stampers meeting last week we made these adorable gift boxes using the Gingham Garden Designer Series Paper. This project was inspired by one I saw on Pinterest by Susan Itell at Simple Stampin'. I had to hunt a bit to find the right post but finally did. Okay, Pet Peeve Alert! When the person pinning to Pinterest pins to the blog and not the post. Sometimes it can take forever to find the right one!!! And sometimes I never do:(

Box open

We covered Hershey's Treasures with 1" strips of Designer Series Paper. We made a set of 4 cards using the Wildflower Meadow Bundle and covered a box of Tic Tacs with card stock. Check out the cute little heart window!

We stamped the cards in four different colors and also decorated the envelopes to make it a truly fun gift!

For this project I used the following Stampin' Up! supplies:

• Paper: Whisper White and Melon Mambo card stock; Gingham Garden Design Series Paper
• Ink: Garden Green, Daffodil Delight, Island Indigo and Melon Mambo
• Stamp Set: Wildflower Meadow
• Big Shot and Wildflower Meadow Embossing Folder
• Small Heart Punch
• Other: Daffodil Delight Taffeta Ribbon and Sticky Strip

Thanks for visiting today! I hope you enjoyed today's project!

Kat