Back to Basics

Hello Everyone,

Lately I haven't been happy with my blog and have kind of let

it fall to the way side. I thought and thought why do I feel this way

about it and realized that I had left the road that I was following

when I first started my blog. I decided that it was time to get back

to basics.

I started this blog with the intention to help those out there in

blog land on how to make life better without spending so much

money, Where they could find sales, and where to enter to win

free stuff. In the picture above is some scrapbooking items that I found at

BigLots. Merchandise is always changing at this store and if you

visit it every two weeks you are bound to find some awesome

crafting items a lot cheaper than at your regular craft stores.

I paid $1.50 for the stickers and $3.00 for the packaged paper.

The next picture is some stamps that I also got at Big Lots

ranging in price from $2.00 -$3.00 each. What a bargin!!!!

I know that alot of you have changed from the wooden block

stamps to the clear ones because they take up less room. Take

a look at the next picture.

These were also purchased at Big Lots for $2.00 a package. What a

great deal!!!!!!!!!!!

Now to my header picture. In the card you see that there is some

wording on the background. It was not done with a rubber stamp,

it was done on my computer. The big rubber stamps that alot of

people buy to do this kind of work on their cards range in price from

$12.00-$18.00. No need to spend that much when you can do almost

the same thing with your pc. I know I know my husband tells me all

the time that i'm so tight with money that you have to squeeze me

real tight just to get a penny out of me....LOL....Take a look at all the

fonts that you have to choose from. Type what you want to say, put

your white cardstock in and print. If you feel that you don't have a good

quality printer and the ink might smudge buy a can of matte finish

protection (it's sold in art stores and Walmart, Walgreens etc.)and spray

your cardstock before using it. The can will caost $5.00- $12.00 but you

can use it for many more projects. It still cost you less than one of those

stamps.

I hope I helped someone out there today that wants to craft but

does it on a budget. Until my next post Have a Splendid Day!!!!!!

My Pink Stamper Design Team Call Submission

Hello Everyone,

Robyn over at My Pink Stamper is having a Design Tean Call.

She asked that you design a card or layout using the colors

orange, green, brown, turquoise and an optional color. These

colors remind me of fall so I used the Gypsy Wanderings

cartridge that I received when I got my Gypsy. I really like

this cartridge because it has something for every season. I used

biege as my optional color.

Recipe

Pumpkin and leaves - Gypsy Wanderings cartridge

Papers -Bazzill Bascis Cardstock

Tools- Ek punch, Fiskars Texture Embossing Plates ll,

Skipping Stone Stamps, G Studio Sparkle Writer

Inks- Stamping up Basic Black, Pale Plum. Tim Holtz

Antique Linen (Distress) Martha Stewart Gold,

and Stem Green.

Embelishments - Twine (homemade by me) Red Heart

crochet thread, and an orange sharpie.

I hope you enjoyed the card. Wish me luck. Thank you for

stopping by. Have a Splendid Evening!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello Everyone,

It is a warm day here today and it had me thinking about some of the

cool places that I have visited. The header picture is of Crater Lake in

Oregon. Depending on the snowfall sometimes you can still find snow

there in July. The picture is treasuresheart out of Grants Pass Oregon.

You can visit their shop by going to:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/treasuresheart?ref=sellers_info

Now to talk about something that has been weighing on my

mind and heart. Earlier in the week I attended a funeral for

a long time friend of the family. I sat an chatted with some of

my classmates parents for it had been some time that I had

seen these people. Later in the week I received some facebook

messages from some of my old classmates that their parents

had so enjoyed the conversations that I had with them. I was

told they get lonely. It's ashame that what brought us together

was a funeral. All week I thought about what I can do to keep

the elderly people in our community from feeling so lonely. I

decided that at least two days a week I will visit some of these

people and take them a card just because. That is why you see

the next picture. I did not make this card. I borrowed the picture

from southbaystudio. If you would like to see more of Kathie's

work follow the link below

http://www.etsy.com/people/southbaystudio She does some

beautiful work.

I've used the picture below before it just reminds me that

everyone needs someone to talk to every now and then. Thank you

Ydnarlmaging for the use of your picture. If you would like to visit

His shop go to: http://www.etsy.com/people/Ydnarlmaging

The shop has some beautiful pictures also.

I thought about baking some goodies and taking them but alot of

these folks have health issues like diabetes. So if you can think of

something please let me know. I would like to get a group started

that maybe we could exchange just because cards so that we could

have a variety of them that would be so neat. There are card groups

for other people why not for our elderly that are so full of wisdom

and history. If you are interested in being part of a Just Because

card swap e-mail me at:

queta_r21@msn.com

Hope you are all enjoying this weather. Till my next post Have a

Splendid Day!!!!!

Thank You Cards

Hello Blogland,

I have actually got some crafting time in lately so I worked on

some thank you cards. I decided that instead of selling one card

at a time on Etsy that I would start making packages of four or

six cards in a package. We'll see if customers like this better.

In the picture below is a close-up of one of the cards. Just to

give everyone a better look. The next picture is of a new machine that I bought about a

month ago and have just recently sat down to play with this

new machine. This machine is what is known as a ruffler. Not

your regular sewing machine. The next picture shows what the machine can do. Kind of neat

right? I am working on making ribbon awards for our parade.

Hopefully it will come out cheaper than buying them.

The next picture shows kind of what it will look like with the

button in the middle minus the ribbon tales. I'm happy with

how things look. I made some in red also. I just need to find

the right color blue ribbon next. Wow can you believe I've posted on my blog three days in a row?

Lets see what tomorrow brings. Until next time have a Splendid

Evening and enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh what to do, What to do?

Hello My Fellow Bloggers and Followers,

First I'll start by telling you that the header picture was

taken on the 4th of July. Friends and family gathered at

my house to celebrate and light fireworks. We did a lot of

eating.

This is some of the food and drinks we had that day.In the next picture are all the rubber stamps that I picked

up at a great price at Big Lots and JoAnns. The small packages of stamps were on clearance for fifty cents. The larger packages were two dollars a package. What a great

rubber stamp haul!!!!!!!! The next picture is of the Gypsy that my son bought me for

Mothers Day. I've been playing with it and figuring some things

out. I did get all my cricut cartridges loaded up on it. I didn't

realize how many cartridges I actually had till I loaded them up.

This is an awsome machine. I just love it. Wow two days in a row I actually posted.....LOL...... Hope I can

keep it going. I didn't think I would get around to it today because

today was rather a busy day for me. I attended a funeral of a long

time family friend. I also cooked up a dish to take to the family for

their lunch gathering. The Lord makes sure that we accomplish

everything we need to if it comes from the heart. I give Thanx to

the Lord for letting me accomplish everything that I wanted to do

plus more. Now for me to decide what to work on this evening.

Hmmmmm what to do, what to do??????

Hope you all have a Splendid Evening and take time to tell those

you love just what they mean to you!!!!!!!! Thank you for stopping

by. Till next post. Enjoy!!!!

Just Plain Lazy!!!!!

Hello Everyone,

Lately I've been a little lazy in crafting and blogging..........LOL....

Just like the the dogs in my header picture I've been busy with

so many other things that my crafting has been on the back burner.

Aren't the dogs cute?????

In the next picture I was featured in a treasury created by

Corkycrafts. You can take a look at it here http://www.etsy.com/treasury/NzQ4NDE1N3w0MDQ1OTE4OTQ/christmas-in-july

Thank you Corkycrafts for including my tag. For those of you that

haven't heard there are alot of shops in Etsy that have sales going

on. If you have a chance go take a look.

I finally got my sewing machine out and did some sewing. I made

a new seat cover for our outdoor swing. It looks a lot better than

it did. This is what it looks like now.

This is what it looked like before I made the cover. It was looking

bad . Very well used and worn.

This a picture I took back in May when the trail riders were

on the John Day Trail ride. I liked how it turned out. Some of the other things I have been busy with is Community

Days events that happen in September, The Warden float, Warden Development Council and then of course if you haven't

heard by now this is the big one..........I'm running for Mayor.

I know call me crazy. This way no one can say that all I do is

complain about things but do I ever do anything about it. I can

at least say I tried to become the Mayor a position that can help

make things happen.Till my next post have a Splendid evening!!!!

May a long month? Or is it fall already?

Hello Everyone,

May has been a long month with so many things going on around

here. Looking at the colors on the float in the header picture you

just might be asking is it fall already.

It's not fall!!!!!!!! I've been busy with decorating the stage for our

Miss Warden pagent and glass etching some plates that I forgot

to get pictures of. LOL......I also made the saches that the royalty

wears.Thats what you see in the picture below. I wore white gloves

to work with the silk material to not leave any hand oils on the saches.

Once the royalty was crowned we moved on to the float and I cut

out all the lettering on my cricut that we used on the float. Boy did

my cricut expression get a work out. In the picture below is some

of my cut outs. In between all that I was going to softball and baseball games to

watch my neice and nephew play. Go Natalie and Noah!!!!!!!

Pictured below is Natalie at bat.We also had some bad weather in May that made us think that maybe

it was still November, December around here. Pictured below is some

of the grouple. It was pretty big.

May was a tough month. The year anniversary of my father-in-laws

passing away. I lost a dear friend that I called my brother, his passing

was sudden. Bruce was only 43. Next making sure that my dad is doing

well health wise and a few doctors visits with him. As we all know once

we reach a certain age doctors want us to do certain exams and undergo

certain procedures. So all those were done. I didn't do them my dad did.

Now we are at the end of the month the float is done and has made it

to it's first parade. Still have alot of little minor details to take care of.

I'll be at meetings to take care of business. On a good note I think the

float turned out wonderful. The royalty and thier parents worked so

very hard and some long hours so a kudos to all of you.

Have a Splendid afternoon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!