My picture came out a little blurry, but you get the idea. This is another one of my MILs images. Such a cute stamp and the card will make a great card to lift a friends day.

Here Kitty

I made this card for the swap I was just in, and made a couple of extras for come gift sets of cards I made for Christmas, and one for a friend. I don't know why my pics are uploading so small now but if you want to see a closer, larger view just click on the pic.

I used TACs stamp set "Playful Kittes"

Paper is TACs Juliette SWIC and the cardstock is DCWV. I colored it with watercolor pencils and a Dove blender pen.

Linus

Here is another card I made with my MILs stamps. My kids love all these Peanuts characters.

The coloring was done using just colored pencils.

Bitty Bugs

OK, I have now been able to get my camera to download to my computer and will have some pictures to share over the next few days.

This card was made with TACs "Bitty Bugs" stamp set. It has such cute images. The ribbon was sent to me from the hostess of the last swap I was in along with some other wonderful ribbons and stuff. My Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder was sent through my Big Shot for the embossing.

The coloring was done with watercolor pencils and a Dove blender, both from TAC. A little bit of Stickles on the wings make it really sparkle IRL but it doesn't show up well in this picture. I will have to get better with my camera shots.

Here is also a picture of Juliana. Can you believe she is already 2 months old? Time is flying! Thanks to just about everyone in the family, she is now sticking her tongue out constantly and almost never smiles without doing so. It is REALLY funny when she does this with her eyes crossed, but I haven't been able to get that on camera yet.

Computer Issues

I bought this cute little image recently off of Ebay...it is just too cute. I colored with watercolor penciland blender pen. I also added stickles for a little bit of sparkle, lately I can't put the Stickles down, they end up on almost every card I do. I used my Swiss Dot Cuttlebug embossing folder in my Big Shot for the embossing.
The papers are DCWV for the colored cardstock and the ivory cardstock is from TAC.

We are just getting our computer back from the "doctor" as it had caught a nasty virus. We were able to save most, but not all the things on out computer. Because of this I am having a hard time getting both scans and camera pics onto my computer (I have to find the original CDs ect) After today I am not sure when I will be able to post again. Todays is the last card I had saved already on my computer.

Purple Umbrella

Here is another card I made for the swap I was just in...tomorrow and Friday will also be cards from that swap.

You have seen this girl a couple of times before on here. I just love her. She is one of the oldest stamps that I still own, I just wish I could remember what company made her.

Colored with watercolor pencils and a dove blender. There are stickles on the rain drops. I did the paper piercing with a piece of plastic canvas and my piercer.

A Little Chick Told Me

I don't know if you remember, but a few posts back I told you I was working on some swap cards and that was why I wasn't posting many cards. Well I received a package in the mail yesterday with a bunch of goodies in it and some very cute swap cards, so I now feel free to share what I have created. This card was made with TACs retired set " Keep on Cluckin'" and SCS sketch challenge #169. I inked up just the balloon on the main image two extra times to make the image long. I also paper pieced the balloons and covered them with stickles.
Paper: SU! and unknown patterned paper
Ink: Palette Noir
Accessories: Big shot and cuttlebug swirl folder, small eyelets, zig pen for balloon string, watercolor pencils and blender pen for coloring, stickles, and white get pen

Here is a card I made for yesterdays sketch challenge on SCS, I combined it with Tuesdays color challenge, also on SCS. It uses two of TACs stamp sets-Pirates and Treasure Seeker. I colored with colored pencil and stickles. Ink is Palette Noir and a retired TAC brown. I also used DMC floss and a paper distresser.

Goofy Card

Here is another one of the images I colored at my MILs over Thanksgiving. This was so hard to do because the lead on the pencils kept breaking if I applied any pressure. I made the card in bits and pieces yesterday, everytime I went out to do laundry I did a little more. I have to go through my stamping "room" to get to the utility room.

I am not sure what company gets the credit for this stamp since it is not in front of me to look at, but my other supplies were a Cuttlebug embossing folder through my Big Shot, mini square brads, and the Circle Coluzzle and Companion Circle Coluzzle.

The black cardstock is DCWV, the rest is unknown pieces that have been in my stash forever. I know I have seen other cards with a similar layout, but HERE is the beautiful card that inspired me this time.

And now here are a couple more kid pics.

While I was homeschooling Anthony, Brandon crawled up on the futon next to Julia. It was just too cute. I was able to get one pic before he noticed me (the flash kind of does that, lol), but then I made him lay back down and "pose" for the next one. He really loves to lay next to her to play, but this time I think he would have fallen asleep if I hadn't taken the pic.

Miss March

While at my in laws for Thanksgiving I was in the mood to STAMP! so my MIL let me make a mess of her house by pulling out some of her stamping things. I didn't actually finish any cards there, all I did was stamp and color. It was quite a challenge working with just what she had at her house. I used just colored pencil and black ink on this image, and let me tell you the colored pencils were cheap and very hard to work with (she had her good ones at her school).

For some reason I can not get a good pic or scan of this card, arrgh, so this is what you get, sorry. I may try again in the morning.

Stamps: DOTS Miss March (quite an old stamp)

TAC Running Stitches and Squiggle Ladybug

Paper: DCWV Cardstock, SU green, and unknown PP

Other: Square Brads, Black ink, and colored pencil

Sorry So Long

Sorry I have not posted in awhile. I HAVE been stamping a little bit but the few cards I have made were for a swap and I don't want to share them until the participants receive theirs.
The kids and I started making holiday cookies today. Here are a couple of pics.




And last, but not least, a couple of pics of Juliana that I took yesterday.

4x4 Little Girl

Another 4x4 card. I paper pieced her dress out of the background paper, the rest is colored with colored pencil, blender pen, and skin tone pencils.

DCWV cardstock, unknown patterned paper, scalloped punch, and mini brads.

Stamps: TAC's Running Stitches and Girlz and Boyz

Umbrella Girl

I wanted to play with my watercolor crayons so I pulled this older stamp out of my stash.. .I still haven't figured out how to use them properly, but one of these days it will come. You know what they say-practice makes perfect.

Supplies:

Stamp:Unknown, I have had it so long I can't remember, and I unmounted it a few years ago

Paper: Sands of Time (TAC patterned paper), DCWV cardstock

Accessories: Mini heart brads

Here Kitty, Kitty

I am on a 4x4 kick. I am loving that sized card at the moment and will have a few more to share with you in the coming days.
Supplies:
Stamps-Playful Kitties (TAC)
Ink: Palette Noir, Retired TAC Brown
Paper: SU! Close to Cocoa, DCWV Robins Egg (2 different shades)
Accessories: Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, Mini Brads, watercolor pencil and blending pen

Want some Blog Candy?

No, this blog candy is not from me, but it sure is wonderful. I LOVE High Hopes stamps, they are so cute, and now here is a chance to win some. For more info go to this blog Stampin' Stuff. Look around for awhile too....she has some great eye candy.

Lazy Dayz

A quick 4x4 card using my scor-pal, watercolor pencils and dove blender, and some chalk for the sky, although I don't think it showed up well in the scan. These colors are very light and pastely so the scan didn't do them justice. The whole card is so much cuter IRL.

Stamps: Precious Girl (retired TAC)

Paper: SU! Close to Cocoa and DCWV Peach

Eyelets are SU!, but from years ago

Thank You Card

Here are the cards I made to thank all the wonderful people who came to my baby shower or sent gifts to celebrate the Juliana's arrival. These are very simple, but a little more time consuming that I had planned.

Supplies:

Stamp set: Circle Sampler (TAC)

Circle punches, cuttlebug embossing folder -with Big Shot, scalloped scissors, Scor-pal, X-treme white gel pen

A wonderful update on my health for those of you who were following that. I just received the results of my last blood work, and everything came back within the NORMAL range!!!! PRAISE THE LORD!!! It is great to feel normal-as normal as I can with getting up in the night as often as Juliana insists she needs to eat =).

Baby Boy Card

Here is a card I made for a friend of mine who just had a baby boy. We were both due the same day, but both of us had our babies about 3 weeks early, and only about 3 days apart.

The image for this card was already stamped and colored from a previous set of cards (more on that later), so the card went together very easily.

Supplies:

Stamps-Hello Baby, Running Stitches (boht TAC)

Paper piercer, Oval punch, Cuttlebug embossing folder, corner rounder for scallops

Ink-Retired TAC Brown

One Week Old

This is the cute little bundle that has kept me from stamping recently. I actually felt like stamping yesterday, but instead fell asleep on couch while nursing. I know this video is boring (for some) but I could sit and watch her little movements for hours-all too it will be gone and she will be running around like her brothers.

Juliana Ruth Osborn

Sorry it has taken so long to get news to anyone. I am going to post a couple of pics for now and write more later.

She was born

early Wednesday morning.

7 lb 1 oz

18 3/4" long and absolutely perfect.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow is the day. 37 weeks!!! I go into the hospital tomorrow night and should have this little girl sometime on Wednesday. Mom is here helping me out, and things are looking really good.

Thanks again for your continued prayers!

A Little Good News

I finally had some good test results yesterday!!! My counts were down on the last blood work I had done! YEAH!!! Still a ways to go, but this means the medicine they put me on a week ago is working. PRAISE GOD!!!

Update

I went to the specialist yesterday and found out that, contrary to what I had understood, I do not have HELLP. What I do have is "cholestasis of pregnancy"

What is this? By definition, cholestasis is any condition in which the flow of bile — a digestive fluid — from the liver is blocked. Extrahepatic cholestasis occurs outside the liver. Intrahepatic cholestasis occurs inside the liver. Pregnancy is one of many possible causes of intrahepatic cholestasis. Other names for cholestasis of pregnancy include obstetric cholestasis and intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. Cholestasis of pregnancy can be dangerous for a developing baby, however. Early delivery is usually recommended. (They are doing this for me)

Causes
The cause of cholestasis of pregnancy is unknown. However, the condition seems to be triggered by pregnancy hormones.
Bile — a digestive fluid that helps the body break down fats — is produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder. Pregnancy hormones can affect how well the gallbladder functions. Sometimes, pregnancy hormones slow or even stop the flow of bile. Eventually, this excess bile may enter the bloodstream. This is cholestasis of pregnancy.

Complications
For mothers, cholestasis of pregnancy may temporarily hinder the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. Itching usually resolves within a few days of delivery, and subsequent liver problems are uncommon — although cholestasis is likely to recur with other pregnancies.
For babies, the complications of cholestasis of pregnancy can be much more severe. For reasons not well understood, cholestasis of pregnancy increases the risk of preterm birth and meconium — a substance that lines the baby's intestines during pregnancy — in the amniotic fluid. If a baby inhales meconium during delivery, he or she may have trouble breathing. There's also a risk of fetal death late in pregnancy. Because of the potentially severe complications, labor is typically induced early.
The specialist told me they have no clue why the higher infant deaths, but that is one of the reasons they are inducing early.
So what I am looking at is delivering in two weeks. It may be earlier if there is any sign of stress to the baby, or my levels sky rocket.

HELLP

I have not been posting much in the last month or two, so I wanted to fill y'all in on what has been going on in my life and pregnancy.

About a month ago (Labor Day weekend) I started itching on my hands and feet, and then very quickly after all over my body. I am talking CRAZY amounts of itching, the kind that drives a person insane. What I have learned since is that this is a sign in pregnancy that something can be wrong with your liver. My doctor ordered some blood work done that showed elevated liver enzymes, and meant even MORE blood work, which finally came back Thursday showing that I have something called the HELLP syndrome. I thank God for a great doctor who gently insisted I get the initial blood work done even though I was positive that it was just an allergic reaction to changes in my laundry detergent. God is good.

HELLP stands for Hemolysis, Elevated Liver enzyme levels and a Low Platelet count. If you want to know more you can Google HELLP and come of with some great information. I am not going to be on for quite awhile now since the baby and I are being heavily monitored by the doctors, and my doctor told me yesterday that they are not going to let me go past 37 weeks, but that things could change between now and then and I could have the baby sooner.

I appreciate all the prayers and notes I have been receiving from Christians across the country. It is such a blessing to have a wonderful family in Christ. Thanks so much

Big Belly Two

I was getting ready for church tonight and realized I had one of my "big" shirts on...it is one that makes me look large. I get most of my comments when wearing this shirt. I had Anthony take a couple more pictures so you could see. I really hope this baby does not end up larger than Anthony, I was hoping for a "normal" 7 pounder this time.

Please ignore our school mess and the box of baby clothes I was organizing by size

Big Belly

I had my 7 year old take a pic of my big belly. I chose this shirt because it makes me look smaller than some of my other ones.I had meant to do take monthly pics through out the pregnancy, but this is one of the only ones I have. So much for good intentions. I am starting to not fit into some of my maternity clothes!!! and the question "are you having twins?" that people ask when they find out I have almost 2 months to go, well, it is getting really old. Oh well, the baby is worth it all.

Pizza Box-Gift Box

I made this box so quickly with my new Scorpal. I couldn't believe how fast it went. I am using it as a gift box to give a small stamp set and an ink pad as a birthday gift to a wonderful friend of mine.

The stamp set I used is TAC's I Love Easter

Perky Penguins #1

I decided to get going on my Christmas cards. I am not going to be sending out as many as last year, but still have quite a few to make.

I used TACs Perky Penguins set and their Merry Wishes paper collection (now retired). I also used my cuttlebug embossing folder (in my Big Shot) so make the snowflake embossed paper. The snow was made with Liquid Applique, and I colored with watercolor pencil and dove blender.

The colors of cardstock that I used actually DO match the patterned paper, but for some reason the scanner isn't showing the true colors.

Butterfly Bits

I made this card using TAC's Butterfly Bits and Seeds of Blessing. The paper is from TACs Angelee Collection (isn't it gorgeous), and brown and vanilla cardstock. The ink is Lavendar Satchet and Burnt Umber(Palette). I used Marvy Uchida's paper punches for the scalloped and regular circles. The white dots were done with the Xtreme White Gel pen that TAC also sells.

Practice Card

I made this card to practice for another one. I wanted to make sure my punch would cut through two layers of heavier paper. For a practice run I think it came out pretty well.

Supplies:

Stamps-Everyday Events (TAC)

Paper-Basic Grey (that I have had in my stash for so long I had forgotten about it) DCWV cardstock

Accessories: Mini Eyelets, White Extreme Pen, Paper Punches (Marvy-purple, pink, blue) watercolor pencil and blender.

Another Birthday?

I made this card using a couple of stamps I received quite awhile ago in a TAC grab bag. I am not sure of the set name, but I think it was just what my sentiment says "Another Birthday. I embossed the numbers with a Cuttlebug embossing folder. I love quick and easy cards.

Bible Verse Memory Book

Sometime last month I promised to show some pages from a bnok that I made for my children. We use it to help them memorize verses from the Bible. I must confess that I forgot about this promise until just the other day, so I apologize on the delay, but here are two of the first ones in the book.

I patterns from a paper piecing book for the sheep...I am not sure where the book is, so I can't give proper credit, but I LOVE that book and have used it over and over. It seems to have been lost in our move. =(

Ice Cream Anyone?

Here is a card I made for a sketch challenge on Paper Wings. I used watercolor pencil and blender pen with TACs stamp set "Ice Cream". I also used a Sizzix die, and a Cuttlebug folder in my Big Shot to add some extra details to the card-the bookplate and the embossed dots.

Sorry for the blurriness of the picture...for some reason I couldn't get a good scan OR a good pic.

Quick Baby Girl Card

Supplies: Hello Baby (TAC) Cuttlebug folder, watercolor pencils, blender, and paper piercer

Anthony Lost His First Tooth

Anthony has been wanting to loose a tooth for just over a year now. Many of his friends are a year older and had already started losing theirs. Well, the day after his 7th birthday he was eating an apple and told me, "Mom, this apple is making my teeth feel weird." I had him come over and, sure enough, he had not one, but two loose teeth.

He lost the first one yesterday after I let him buy some boxing gloves while yardsaling yesterday. We are still waiting for the one next to it to come out...and just looking at these pics you can tell it won't be long.

He has also commented "I didn't think loose teeth would make it so hard to eat"....LOL

Blog Candy!!!

Nope this blog candy is not from me, but from another wonderful stamper in Norway. Here is a link to her blog and the candy...http://mayas-hobbyblogg.blogspot.com/2008/07/blog-candy.html

Thanks Tricia for posting about this on your blog...I would never have found this inspiring site without you.

Kitty in a Tree

The button did weird things to the scan, and made the main image a little washed out. The cat is actually a light grey (I think the watercolor pencil name is French Grey).

I used my new set Playful Kitties and an old favorite Running Stitches. The button has scrappers floss on it.

I used an old sketch for the layout.

Bingo Thanks

I received this wonderful card in the mail yesterday from Angela on Paper Wings. I LOVE it! I could not get the scan to do it justice, it washed it out and added weird shadows. Believe me though it is great...in fact when I received it I just set it up in front of me on the table I was working at and stared at it.

THANKs Angela, all my goodies were wonderful

Sanita's Card

I made this quick and fun card for a young girl who was baptized into Christ on Friday. She is such a sweetie, and I am blessed to know her. I used a retired SOTM from TAC for the image(Be Curious), the set "Ordinary Greetings" for the sentiment, and for paper I used the retired TAC patterned paper called Frutti Fusion (at least that is what I think it is called. The cardstock is SU's Green Galore and the pink is Bazzill.

Shielow's Card

Isn't this card adorable? It was made by a good friend of mine to say congrats on my pregnancy. Thanks Shielow

I am not sure where the letters are from, but I do know that the cute little onsie is from a retired TAC stamp called "Just So Sweet"

Anthonys Birthday Party

We had Anthonys birthday party yesterday, 9 days after his birthday...it was small, but yet a bunch of fun. He wanted a pirate birthday, so his little brother and I made the cake.

ATC to Full Card

We were given a challenge on A Shade of Blue by Tricia (see her great blog link in the link to My Favorite Blogs on the side) to make a full card using an ATC card on that full card. This is what I came up with.

Thanks for the challenge Tricia