Happy Birthday!

It is my birthday today! I am 33! Nothing too major going on. Cody has a friend over, and Peter is cutting some wood. The first batch of cakes is in the oven! I thought I would share a few cards and presents I have gotten in the mail for my birthday already!

The first is a card from Annie. Is this the cutest? She knows how much I love rabbits!!

The next is from Judy L. I love the elegant card, and the cute altered notepad! It is going right into my purse, as I usually have to keep any pertinent info on paper rather than in my head!

This card is from a stamping friend I have here in town, Laurie.

I also got a cute tag album, card, and a bunch of goodies from Lisa Renea.

It has been an exciting birthday already, and it is still morning!! I made this card last night, just a plain old festive birthday card. It uses SU! Birthday Best, POD sentiment. Paper is Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, and Brilliant Blue. Yellow is Bazzill. I stamped the balloons with staz on, then colored them using the MCP technique. I went over the black balloon outlines with a clear stardust pen. Can't see that in the photo, though! Have a happy Saturday!

New Post on Buzz and Bloom!!

I have a new project up on the Buzz and Bloom Blog. Click here to see it!! This one is pretty funny!

Is it spring yet??

Hello! I am here...starting to come out of hibernation! We had a very busy weekend and yesterday I worked all day and then had to take Cody to the podiatrist after school. We got word yesterday that Cody will most likely have to have surgery on his feet very soon. The "most likely" part involves our ongoing battle with health insurance. We are on a month to month basis, we find out towards the end of the month if we will have insurance the next month. The amount of $$ that Peter's employer puts up for his insurance is not as much as the premium. If we cannot cover the difference, we lose our insurance. So in another week or so, we will find out if we will have insurance, and if we can go forward with the surgery on Cody's feet. He has to have over a dozen plantar's warts removed, and will have to be put under for the surgery. As a Mom, I am freaking out!! That is where you all come in! I am asking for you to please pray for us! For the insurance situation, as well as the surgery itself. I am very upset about him having to go through this. I really need to know if this is the right thing to do. Please pray for us! Thank you!

So, here is the coolest idea I have found in a long time! I saw this on a SCS blog a few weeks ago, and knew it is exactly what I needed to hold all my large punches! It is just a curtain rod, on curtain brackets! Mine is fairly short, so it did not require a support in the center, I expect if it was longer, it would. Now I can see which punch is which, and grab it in a snap!!


Here is the front of a new sweatshirt I treated myself to as a bit of an early birthday present last weekend! My brother in law is not going to like this one at all!! We are John Deere fans-well, I AM! And my brother in law is a Case mechanic! Nuf said!!



Last, but certainly not least-here is Cody's new sled! We have been looking for a reasonably priced, decent running "beater" for him for a while. We finally found one! A 1989 Artic Cat Cougar! He is so excited. Now if the snow just hold on--**can't believe I just said that** for a bit longer, he can enjoy it. The things a mother will sacrifice for their young!!

Rub On Nails!

I saw a post over at SCS a few days ago where a stamper put some of the new SAB Rub Ons on her nails. Well, being the nail freak that I am, I just had to try it! I came home from my nail appt. and proceeded to put a cute little white flower rub on on each nail! The only problem that I had was that my clear coat smudged the rub on if I went over it too many times. So I carefully put one coat on, the proceeded with a couple more coats after the first coat was dry. They look so cute! I even added a little dot of silver glitter in the center of each flower. Has Peter noticed them yet? What do you think?? Ha! Have a good one! Keri

Altered Tin

I tried my hand at an altered tin! The only other tins I have altered are the top closure lunch box tins. This tin was originally a Whitman's Sampler Chocolate Tin. It is very similar in size to an Altoids tin. It has a painted design on it, with yellow as a background color. Instead of painting the tin, I decided to use the yellow background color to my benefit and used some patterned papers that also had yellow in them. I covered the tops and bottoms of the tin with paper, and sanded the edges to give it a smooth finish. I also glued strips of paper around the edge of the tin, and the edge of the lid. I tied a ribbon around the bottom of the tin. On the top, I added a flower embellishment and a cute quote sticker. Inside, I cut two pieces of cardstock and punched the corners with a corner rounder. I stamped one with a sentiment, and glued them both inside the tin, in the bottom and the lid! I made this tin to house a cute $1.00 stamp from Michael's that I got a very dear friend of mine. I hope she likes her surprise when it arrives in the mail! I added some iridescent grass, and the stamp, and it is ready to go!

Have a great night! **Keri**

St. Pat's Card

Here is my yearly attempt at a St. Patrick's Day card! This has got to be the easiest card ever, and it is also the best attempt I have ever come up with in all my years of card making! I wanted to keep it easy, as I will be following up with Easter cards very soon!

Here is what I used:

Wild Wasabi Cardstock and Inkpad

Jet Black Staz On Inkpad

Su! Basic Black Cardstock

Purple Onion Designs "St. Patrick's Day" sentiment

Blender Pen, Scalloped Circle and Circle Punches, Ticket Corner Punch

Michael's $1.000 stamp, SU! Crosshatch Background, SU! Happy Everything

SU! Certainly Celery Grosgrain Ribbon

I love to make cards that open in the front like this one, but it is hard to keep them closed. Then I came across this cool velcro stuff my cousin Lauri had given me. It is like velcro, but it is clear, and both sides are the same, but they still hook together. It is called 3M Dual Lock. It is the best stuff EVER!! So I affixed the dual lock on the back of the black diamond piece, and on the right flap. It was a success! I took two extra pics, one so you could see the dual lock on both sides, and the other so you could see the inside!

I also filled the card with miniature shamrocks that I found at Joann's. They are loose and *I think* made to scatter across tables like confetti? Anyway, I scattered some at the base of the card so you could see those, too!

**Keri**

Tagged!

I found out yesterday that I have been tagged by my dear friend Andi! Thanks, Andi!! First let me say that I am covered with bananas and boogers and it isn't even 9 am. Will I get through this day?? Okay, back to business...I love Andi's blog- Andi's Perfect Gravy. I visit it daily! We share very similar lifestyles, and I felt a connection to her as soon as I read her blog for the first time. That was last fall! I have been hooked ever since!

Here are the rules:



Here are the rules: (They are simple):
1. Link to the person that tagged you
2. Post the rules on your blog
3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself
4. tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs
5. let each person know they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their site..



Now, here are my 6 non-important things/habits/quirks!

1. I always put on my socks and shoes in sock-shoe, sock-shoe order. I saw on Oprah one time that most people do sock-sock, shoe-shoe...but not me!!



2. I adore peanut butter with every breath of my soul. Every...breath....Straight peanut butter..peanut butter cups...peanut butter M&M's, frosting, cookies, you name it...I love it!!



3. I love the mail. I cannot wait until the rural carrier comes every day, and Peter and Cody both know NOT to touch the mailbox, it is MY JOB!! People have lost fingers for touching my mailbox!!



4. I have the talent of spotting spiders from the smallest one to the largest hairy chicken coop spider from miles away. My Mom calls it spider radar. I am so petrified of spiders, I guess I am always looking for them, even subconsciously....



5. If I see spiders, I dream about them...that night....without question...every time!! Last time I saw spiders, it was on Animal Planet, and they were crawling in a large group. Like the whole area was crawling with them. Well, I went to bed that night, and woke up about half an hour later, just sure that I saw spiders crawling all over in my armpits!! Yup!! So I leapt out of bed, jumping up and down, stripped all my clothes off, and then woke up. Peter was sitting up in bed looking at me as if I had lost my mind!! I picked my clothes, went to the bathroom where I could turn the light on, and thoroughly examined my clothes for bugs. I am always SO SURE that there are spiders!! Weird, I know!!



6. I love to sleep. Not just love-but adore with every fiber, to sleep. It comes so rarely to me(spiders...) that when I do get sleep, I just adore it! I love to take afternoon naps in bed under the covers, I love a 10 minute power nap on the couch, and I love to crawl into bed at night...You would think that I sleep all the time-I do not, but I can wish! There is nothing like a nap with the sun shining down on you!!



Okay, here are the gals I am tagging:

1. Michelleo at Stamps, Paper, Scissor, and Donkey Smiles. Her blog is fairly new, I found it last week ove at SCS. Her cards are amazing works of art! And her donkeys are the cutest things EVER!!



2. Maureen at More of ReenS Creations. This is another new blog that I have found. Maureen has some great projects, and the cutest little doggie! Her blog has a real personal touch, the first time I read it, I felt like I knew her!


3. Darce at the Scalloping Stamper. Darce just started her blog. It is beautiful! Her work is gorgeous, and her blog is very inviting. I know she would appreciate your visits! You remember how it was when you first started blogging??

4. Jean-It's in the Cards. I found this blog through SCS a couple weeks ago, but forgot to bookmark her!! It took me over a week to locate her, and now that I found her, I want to make sure everyone sees her blog!! Her work is adorable!

5. Terri at Truly Blessed. She has some beautiful projects, and it a fellow Christian! Hey, Terri!

6.Debbie at Graceful Stamping. Another fellow Christian whose blog I found at SCS. Her projects are stunning! She has her own machine embroidery business, too! Her craft room is amazing!!

So that's it! I think I remembered everything. I hope everyone visits the 6 I tagged. They are wonderful!! Have a great Friday! Keri

A New Post at Buzz and Bloom!

Here is a little bit of what you will see if you go visit my new blog post over at Buzz and Bloom!Don't be shy, check it out!!

A New Look!!

Hey there! Well, on a whim, I decided to change up my look a little bit. Now that I figured out how to change background color, who knows what I may come up with next. But for now, we are entering into sugaring season, so I thought this was fitting. I was getting pretty sick of the ice covered barbed wire, and the green background! So, what do you think??? Keri

Ribbon Tying Tutorial

SNOW DAY!!

Everything is covered in ice! Cody is one very happy camper! Judy called me at 5:30 to tell me the news, and I rolled over and slept for 2 more hours! I rescheduled my nail appointment, and I can still make it next door for some spring cleaning at the neighbor's house! So all is well! I thought I would post a tutorial today. I remember posting this on some message board years ago, but it has been a while, and I still run in to a lot of people who have never seen it. So here goes! This is for tying a ribbon around the length of a card. It keeps the ribbon much more secure than just tying it. Sometimes it is very loose when tied around the normal way!

Figure I

Punch a whole in your card, either with an eyelet punch or long reach punch. I use the general eyelet sized punch. Punch it right along the margin (about 1/4" in from the edge) and about halfway between the top and the bottom.

**Please note for the future, you could put the hole anywhere along the length of the card depending on card design, but for now this is a great place to practice. **

Figure II
Take your piece of ribbon, approximately 3 times the length of your card, and lay it down over the front of the card, lengthwise.

Figure III Take the ends of the ribbon and wrap them around the edges of the card, and put them through the hole from the inside of the card. The ends will be heading out the whole and peaking through the front of the card.

Figure IV- Turn card back over so you are looking at the front, and pull those ends through the hole all the way. One tail should be on each side of the ribbon stretching down the length of the front of the card.

Figure V-- Tie ribbons in a square knot or a bow, and you are done!!

Now remember, now that you know how to tie this bow, you could punch and tie it anywhere along the length of the card. You are not limited to the center. That is the great thing about tying it this way, no matter where you put the hole (which determines where the bow/knot goes), it is very secure! Thanks for reading, and have a safe and great Wednesday!

Keri

Happy Birthday Card...

Good Tuesday morning! Things here, in the weather department, are less than stellar! The temps are okay, but it is dark, and drizzling. We are expecting sleet and freezing rain for the next 24 hours! Will it ever end? I know, we are not out of the woods yet, but those nice days like yesterday make me want more!!

I spent a bit of time in the "Cave" this morning, and made a birthday card!! Here is what I used:

Cardstock: Regal Rose, Certainly Celery, Soft Sky and White

Ink: Regal Rose, Certainly Celery, Soft Sky

Stamps: Petal Prints, and Warmest Regards, Weathered

Circle and Scalloped Circle punches

Offray ribbon-the light blue shade matched soft sky perfectly!! Thanks for looking..Keri

My knight in Chevy armor!!

Well, March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb...RIGHT?? Here's hoping that is true!! Friday morning, we woke up to 22 BELOW zero....good grief, this is getting old...really, now..
So, our redneck plow does the trick most of the time, but the snow accumulation was enough that we needed to call in reinforcements. Daddy!! One of these contraptions is a MUST for living in Northern NY...We have the truck, but not the plow. (Something we are currently re-assessing!!)Of course, being the Brooks man that my Dad is, the plow job is never done until there is no snow left to push around...He had quite a time. Brodie had a ball watching him from the windows! As much as I love my dad, I really hope he won't have to come back to do this anytime soon! Now I have to cook up some sweets for payment!!

Now, to try to counteract the effects of all this snow, here is a layout I did several years ago. These are the daffodils in my front yard. I love this photo, and I can't wait to see them peek up in another few weeks!! For the record, it smells like spring today! Wet dirt!! Nothing like it. Have a great Monday! Keri

New Buzz and Bloom Competition!!

Buzz and Bloom is holding a new contest...Have you checked it out yet?? If not, click here to see what all the excitement is about!!

BIG NEWS!!

I am pretty excited today! And I gotta say, it comes at a good time. This weather has about done me in! A while back I posted about submitting a layout I had done for consideration in a tattoo magazine. A friend was writing an article, and needed submissions for layouts for the magazine Skin & Ink, so I sent her a layout of my baby feet tattoo. The magazine finally came out, and they printed my layout! Yippee! I am so excited to get the magazine in the mail and see how the article looks. I have heard that it is stunning! Here is Anam's blog link--Inked Scrapbookers , and here is a link to the magazine... Skin&Ink

And here is the layout!!




Supplies used are:
Purple Onion Designs Ornamentals Stamps
Buzz and Bloom Chipboard Alpha Tubby
Basic Grey patterned paper
Basic Grey Rub Ons
Thanks for looking!! Keri

Card Challenges, and a New Layout!

Good Wednesday morning! Well, the storm produced some snow, but not enough to cancel school. Of course, that is MY fault, not the administrators who actually make the decision! So Cody went off in a huff to school this morning...wondering exactly what strength of snowstorm would actually merit a snow day! I puttered at dishes and laundry for a while, but visiting all these blogs has got my creative juices flowing, so here is what I came up with last night and this morning!
This is something I made last night! It follows SCS SC #144.

Here is the recipe:
SU! Flowers for a Friend, French Script Background
SU! CS Groovy Guava, Soft Sky, Certainly Celery, and Whisper White
Ink: SU! Groovy Guava, Soft Sky, Barely Banana, Certainly Celery and Tim Holtz Distress Pads in Vintage Photo and Antique Linen. *
* I used the Vintage Photo Pad on one card, and the Antique Linen on the other...which one do you like better? I can't decide. Cody likes the Antique Linen...


I did this card this morning. It follows two challenges! SCS SC #151, and SCS CC # 155.

Here is the recipe:
SU! Avian Toile and French Script Stamps
SU! Cardstock in Basic Black, River Rock, and Whisper White
Black Ink: Versafine
Sentiment is white SAB Rub On


The next card follows SCS SC #165.

Here is the recipe:
SU! Bronc Buster Stamps, Bronc Wheel, and Purple Onion Designs Wanted Set.
SU! Chocolate Chip and Very Vanilla Cardstock.
Patterned Paper is Cosmo Cricket
SU! Chocolate Chip Ink, Tim Holtz Vintage Photo Distress Ink Pad
Ribbon--Who knows??


And last but certainly not least.....a new layout!!


This is my niece Beatrice. Could she BE any CUTER?? My mom took this photo back in December...When I was half done the layout, I noticed the print on her little shirt. It matches the paper! Anyway, here are the product details:
Patterned Paper: Dulce
Cardstock: Doodlebug Orange Bazzill, SU! Yo Yo Yellow, Old Olive, Real Red.
Ink: SU! Old Olive
Rub Ons- SU! Love and Happiness
Stamps: SU! Friendship Blooms
Tools: SU! Spiral notebook, scalloped circle, 1 1/4 and 1 3/8 circle punches.
Chipboard letters from Target $1.00 spot.
*I have had this layout in my head for a few weeks, I am glad to finally have it out on display!

A surprise for ME!!

You can imagine my surprise when the mail lady pulled into my driveway and honked the horn yesterday! That means a package! I wasn't expecting a thing, so I could not imagine what it was. It turned out to be a big ol' priority package from Judy B! Her blog link is on the right margin. I met Judy through SCS and we have been email buddies for 2 years now. Anyway, apparently she sensed my winter blahs, and decided to brighten up my day with a surprise package. Here is what she sent me!!

A John Deere thermometer, (is there a hidden message here?) A SU! SAB Set that I had missed out on called Friendship Blossoms, and the cutest card!! She could not have sent it at a better time! I was just getting ready to start a new scrapbook layout of Beatrice using some cute patterned papers, and the SAB Rubons that match this SAB stamp set. Now I can use the stamps, too!

On a side note, say hello to the newest resident of Pete's Wildlife Museum. He arrived on Saturday afternoon, and I must say, he is quite a different beast!

I will be buried in snow if anyone can't find me. We are expecting another whopper-it went from 6-12 inches last night to 12-15 inches when I turned on the news this morning. Just another day in paradise. Have a Great Tuesday! Keri

Birthday Cake

Happy Monday morning! Vacation is OVER, I am STILL SICK, and back to work first thing this morning. Reanna is eating her blueberries and pancake and fruit loops next to me here in the kitchen, so I thought I would start out my week with a little blogging.


Okay, so here it is, in all it's glory. I told you that I wasn't a professional! But the taste completely outweighs the looks! My friends were pleased with it, and that is all that matters! It took me a while as I still did not feel great, and my hand hurt from all the stars, but boy, did it look good! I made a batch of cupcakes to keep here at home, cause the natives were a bit restless at the thought that there was nothing here at home for them to eat!
It is a beautiful morning, expected to be in the 30's today! We are expecting a snowstorm Tuesday night into Wednesday, with 6-12 inches coming our way....I just keep telling myself that March is just around the corner, and these storms will be fewer and farther between. And the days are getting longer! We push the clocks forward in just 2 weeks!
Have a great day! Keri

New Stamps, New Colors!

Good Friday Morning!! I have been busy this morning! The cakes are in the oven, and I have already made a set of 4 cards! I MUST have a fever! I got an SU! order last Saturday, with all the new In Colors of Cardstock and Ink. Because it is Sell a bration time, I also got the SAB Rub Ons, and SAB So Many Scallops stamp set.

SO! On this thank you note, I used some background paper from Fontwerks, (which goes with the stamp perfectly!) SU! Purely Pomegranate Ink and CS, and Blue Bayou Cardstock. I used the So Many Scallops set, and the scallop circle punch. White ribbon is from Making Memories. This card follows sketch #29 from the SplitCoastStampers Sketch Challenges. Wish me luck on the cake decorating! Have a blessed Friday! Keri

A birthday card and some final renovation photos...

Hello! Hope everyone had a good Thursday! I finally got Cody back home! Since we have been on vacation this week, Cody has been off visiting and "hanging out" with friends and cousins all week! I picked him up from a friend's house today, and we went to Pa and Nana Brooks' for the afternoon. By the time we got home, Peter was right behind us! But one good thing is this: It is still daylight until almost 6 pm these days! We had a great view of the lunar eclipse last night...It was a very clear, and therefore, very cold!


I have been asked to make my first birthday cake for someone-semi professionally, I would say! I can hold my own, and the cakes are awesome tasting, but I am almost completely self taught...So that is what tomorrow holds for me. I will be making a birthday cake! You can watch for the results tomorrow! Speaking of birthdays, I made a card today, geared towards the male persuasion..I am always trying to keep up with my stash of more "manly man" birthday cards. This one uses a stamp set that I had gotten off the retiring list from SU! a couple years ago. I *think* this is the first time I had stamped with it! I used SCS Sketch Challenge #19 ( I think!). The set is Wild Fowl, the cardstock is SU! True Thyme, Handsome Hunter and Very Vanilla. Ink is

SU! Handsome Hunter and True Thyme. Twine is from an unknown source. I also used the SU! Sanded background stamp on the front, but it is hard to see in the photo. I also added a cool watermark to my photo, using Kurtis's (scs)tutorial and my very overwhelming PSE 6 software! Now if I could just remember to add the watermark to my photos!
Now, after much procrastinating, I am finally showing you the finished product of our new family room...***If you do not like dead animal heads and they freak you out, do NOT click on the photos and make them larger!!*** That is the official disclaimer!!
The first two photos are of the back wall, the "wall of fame" so to speak. One is from the landing, one is from floor level looking up. Peter's pride and joy! You can also see the barn beams, the chandelier, and the textured ceiling Peter did!




This is a close up of the border I stamped on two of the walls, using the SU! DD set Pines. It was a bit of a trial/error process, but it looks great now that it is done!
One photo is of the new stairway Peter put in, using antique barn beams as treads. It was a lot of work and figuring, but it was worth it! They are awesome!


The rest of the photos are just different angles of the room, either from the floor, or from the landing coming out of the kitchen . I apologize for the disarray of the photos...I was too lazy to fix them. You can click on them to make them larger, I think! Talk later! keri

My brother, the writer....

This is something that I wanted to share with you all...The time never seemed right until now, but something is telling me to post it for all of you to read!

Most of you probably don't know that I grew up on a dairy farm. Yup, a farm girl! The farm had been in my family since 1865, when my Great Great Grandfather came here from Nova Scotia. We have a lot of information about our ancestry, including a variety of photographs from when the farm began over 100 years ago. In 2001, we lost the farm to fire, and although I know that it was a "material" thing and the health of my father was the most important thing, it didn't make it hurt any less when it was gone. We had a wonderful childhood on the farm...ya know, back when you didnt' have to worry about being snatched off the side of the road, and it seemed like the world ended at the end of your driveway! I will always have those memories, the sounds, smells and visions of how I grew up. I will always thank the Lord and my parents for my childhood. My brother wrote this article commemorating the first anniversary of the fire. He is a minister, and wrote this for the religioun section of our newspaper. Please, if you get a few minutes, take the time to sit and read it through...there is a good lesson in it, and it will give you a little glimpse into how I grew up! Keri

New Buzz and Bloom project is up!

Here it is! My newest addition to the Buzz and Bloom Blog. Go check it out! There are a TON of great posts over there, the Design Team has been very busy, and the results are fantastic! Run, don't walk! Go! Go!! Happy Wednesday! Kerilou

A New Layout!!

Here is a layout that has been sitting around in my craft room half done for well over a month now!! Cody had my camera one day, and snapped this picture of Brodie..We laughed and thought that she looked like those dogs you see on the greeting cards with the big heads and the tiny bodies! All sorts of captions came to mind, but I liked "Bring It" the best...She looks like she is just waiting to take someone on! The patterned paper is retired from Stampin' Up, and the cardstock is Stampin'Up, also. I used the round tab punch for the tabs. The chipboard letters are from Walmart. I used green staples from the Dollar Tree. The caption is a verse from a Billy Joel song...(don't know the title)...cause she IS a LUNATIC! I am very pleased with how it turned out!
On a different note, can I tell you how much easier it is to stick my SC card into the side of this laptop and have the photos pop up?? It is going to be so much easier to get my blogging done! Have a happy Tuesday! *Keri*

Monday Layouts!!

Thought I would dig deep into the files and share a few more projects that I have done in the past, since I have been busy putting the finishing touches on my Buzz and Bloom project for the month.

This is a layout I did for Buzz and Bloom some months ago. It is my Great Great Aunt and her husband. She was Cora Brooks, marrying Fred Gibson. It was not a family photo, either, as my next door neighbor had it for the Gibson side! What a treasure I found. I was so glad she let me copy it!




This second one I did for my father many years ago. Growing up on the farm, this ribbon, article, and photo were always on display...When Mom and Daddy moved off the farm, I took the goodies to preserve them in a way that could be displayed in their new home. In the article, it describes how my father won the ribbon and beat out his older brother. It was a memorable occasion! When I was originally doing the layout, I asked Daddy if he remembered what the cow's name was, and he immediately blurted it right out! "Maple Grove Sylvia"!! After 50+ years, he remembered that name! A memory like a steel trap!


Happy Monday, and if anyone is off like us, have a great vacation! Keri