April Showers in Pink

Stamps by MFT. I clear embossed the umbrella to give it shine. Can you believe it is April already tomorrow?

Retro Background For Sale

This is an unmounted retro background stamp that I have for sale for $5.00 plus $1 shipping. It has been slightly used and is 4.75" x 5.5". Email me at rubyslippers.neofast.net.

Wise Owls for Sale

This is a brand new set and is a duplicate set so I am selling this unopened one. It is from Simon Says. $8.75 plus $1.25 shipping. Email me at rubyslippers.netfast.net

Whooo Loves U?

I cased this card from a picture I saw somewhere--a magazine I think. It was lots of fun to do. Background is SU Paisley and images are from Cornish Heritage.

Sunny Damask

This card is made with the Gel-a-Tins Damask set and inked in PTI Summer Sunrise. It is one of my favorite colors of ink lately!

A Rabbit Driving a Carrot?

Both of my sons thought this was a goofy card. Main image and sentiment by A Muse and the fence is done with the MS fence border punch.

Scottie Dog

Background stamp is by Green Grass. Dog and sentiment is from the Inkadinkado Dogs set.

Having a Ruff Day?

All stamps from Inkadinkado Dogs.

Uh, oh!

I learned something the hard way today. I heat embossed a number of images in black today to make 10 of the same card. I started to color the white spaces with my Copics. Ooops, must have dirty pens. Cleaned them off and started another and the same thing happened. It appears Copics dissolve embossing powder! Now I know and now you know.

Stamps Used to Make This Card For Sale

Terrific Tulips is a retired set of 9 stamps by SU (excluding the HA sentiment shown on card). These are very lightly used and mounted on EZ Mount. $11 for the set plus $1.75 for shipping! Email me at rubyslippers.neofast.net

Do I Wish I Had Purchased My Copics or Not?

I was just asked this question for the second time in a week, so here is my answer:

Ah, interesting question as I have thought about it myself several times. Would I do it again--probably, but not completely sure. The thing about the Copics is that they give much better coverage than anything I have used before with much less streaking. You are supposed to really saturate and if you do that (I don't all the time) it will give you a solid area with no streaking like markers will. But---you knew a "but" was coming didn't you, LOL--- I purchased them for the shading capacity. To tell you the truth I can get equally good shading with Tombow or SU markers and a Dove Blender pen. I scribble the marker on a plastic piece of margarine lid and then pick up the color with the Dove blender. I have much more control than I do with the Copics. Could just be me, but even with the Copic clear blender pen I have to work at it more to get a similar effect.

However, having purchased about 20 of them, I am VERY attached to some of the shades of some of the colors. I really love the reds and the pinks. I have also found that you can use the waterbased markers with the Dove pen OVER the Copic bases. Therefore, I think my answer would be that if I were to do it again, I would buy the Copic colors I loved and use them for the solid bases when I color and then use my waterbased markers to do my shading. I would most definitely buy a Copic colorless marker as it removes and lifts color and is great to lighten an area. I also bought a refill in the colorless because I use it so much and they dry out a bit faster than other markers--particularly the clear one. All my others have stayed good and wet.

If I were a rich woman, I would buy lots and lots of Copics. If I were on a terribly tight budget, I could get along just fine with about 5 of them in my favorite color and then use waterbased with them. Since I am in the middle, I have a good basic collection and will probably buy only 2-3 more in colors that I really want. Additionally, it seems that the price on these things just keeps going up and up and so that has put a damper on things for me too.

I have purchased the Ciaos as I love the brush tip. I then use adhesive paper, punched 2 small round circles for each and attached them to the ends of the pens and wrote the numbers on them so they are easier to see. I store them horizontally. Other than the visible number I think the savings is worth it to buy the Ciaos.

Pretty Little Girl

All stamps from Hero Arts Four Dolls set.

You Will Not Believe This!

Click the title of this post and go to a blog full of really cute cards. Check out the blog owner's age!!!

Papertrey For Sale

For Sale: Simple Alphabet for $11 and $2.50 shipping.
Email me at rubyslippers@neofast. net.

Four Dolls, Again

Background is from the Gel-a-Tin Damask set. I embossed in in black powder on black cardstock. The main image is Hero Arts and the pink strip is a Cuttlebug border.

Fun Flock Tip

Tonight I needed Fun Flock for some spring flowers. I only had very dark pink on hand and needed a light baby pink. I mixed white FF with the dark pink FF at a ratio of 5:1 and stirred it very, very well, with a toothpick, until the color was completely mixed. It worked perfectly!!

Dream Big

The leopard is embossed in black powder (source of stamp unknown). Sentiment is SU.

Update on Husband's Brain Surgery

So many have emailed and asked for an update. I thought I had done it a couple of days ago, but I see I did not.

He is doing VERY well. He just told me a few minutes ago that he feels better every hour of every day and that it feels like a miracle. The adjustments have been uncomfortable and annoying at times, but he IS adjusting and learning how to manage. He adjusts his own processor within a given range and that has been tricky to learn, but he is getting it figured out. It is nothing short of amazing.

Rose Meets Urban Prairie

The Inkadinkado Rose is colored with Copics and layered on Basic Grey Urban Prairie paper.

Simple Damask

I needed a masculine thank you card and this is what I came up with. Stamps are from Gel-a-tins.

My New Cuttlebug Folder Storage

I got Macy's gift certificates for Christmas and they had these Martha Stewart Recipe files on sale. They fit the folders perfectly! It holds 36 loosely, even with the dividers, so I could fit a few more in if I wanted.

Paisley Floral

I believe I at least partially cased this card from somewhere but I have no idea of the source. The lined paper, flower, and sentiment are all Cornish Heritage.

Check out these ADORABLE shapes cards!

Click the link and look at all the Hero Arts winners from the shapes contest. The jungle one at the bottom is my very favorite, but I love lots of the others.

Huge Sale 40-75% off!

Second Childhood is having an amazing sale that starts today. Click the title of this post to check it out! I can personally vouch for superior customer service. Cherylynn is the best!

Relax!

I made this card for a young woman who is going through a stressful time. The main images are My Favorite Things and the background is SU.

Martha Stewart Border Punch Tip

I was so frustrated with my MS border punches, particularly those with lots of intricate detail like the scallop lace one. It just would not go through my Papertrey cardstock. Turns out because Papertrey cardstock is so much denser, it really does not work well with these punches. I tried a sheet of Georgia Pacific (from Walmart) and the punches will punch that just beautifully.

Rabbit Teapot Card

Is this too cute or what? Click the title of this post to see the most adorable card!

Four Dolls Hero Arts

This card is cased from one I saw in a stamp store. This Hero Arts set is really lots of fun. It is colored with Copics and I added some sparkle with embellishments.

A BIG Thanks to Lime Light Design Team

Sandra and Randi sent the MOST gorgeous cards for my class to use. The kids will be absolutely thrilled. Thanks so much for your generosity and sharing your creativity with us. Click the title of this post to go t the Lime Light Blog.

Oreo Cookies!

I have seen these Nestie/Cuttlebug cookie cards on numerous blogs. The message inside says "Cookies made with love have no calories" and I did that with my Just Rite letters.

Trees, Birds, and Messages Hero Arts

I got a real deal on this little set of stamps and I think it will be a really fun spring set. Ribbon is by Papertrey.

Paper-Piecing

Stamps by MFT. Ribbon by Impress (also available at Hobby Lobby.

SU Fall Tree

This card was a fun one that our stamp group did.

The Worst is Over

The pain has not been as bad for him as was predicted.

We are home and exhausted.

He is getting such good early results from the surgery and the processor.

Out of Surgery

Things went well but they told us the pain from this surgery will be much, much worse than last time for at least a week. That is hard to imagine because narcotics did not do much for the pain last time. But, it is only uphill from here!

Here We Go Again!

Today is surgery #2. They will be implanting the processor and running the wires from the brain through his neck and into the processor. This can be a very painful recovery so we would appreciate prayers. Then weekly for awhile we will be going to Seattle for adjustments to the settings and then it becomes monthly.

Cricut-Cuttlebug Bird

Inkadinkado Rose #2

Same materials as I used for yesterday's card.

Copic Markers 25% Off

Click the title of this post to go to the sale!

Inkadinkado Rose

Background is done with a stamp from CTMH set called Adore. Rose is colored with Copics.

Rock-A-Blocks

I had heard so much about these clear plastic curved blocks for stamping that I had to try them. They ARE everything they are cracked up to be. They give a perfect imprint every time if you have inked the stamp well. It even works with the PTI Boards and Beams house that everyone has so much trouble with. I got mine on sale for 25% off and could not pass them up.

I think the little one will be pretty useless. It is too hard to ink without getting ink on the "rails", but the big ones work very well and it is my bigger stamps that I have an issue with. The back of the packaging for the blocks tells how these can be used with bare rubber. I am thinking double sided tape would work too.

I understand All That Scraps carries these blocks.

We are home!

We are home, but pretty exhausted. We go back for the second surgery this week. Jon is doing well. I considered posting a picture of his head, but I think it might be too gorey for some. He still has a headache but not as severe as before.

2nd Update

MRI looks very good. We can be discharged in a couple of hours. They still saw one bubble on the brain but it should absorb in a day or so. He looks good but is very exhausted.

Update

Very rough night with severe headache and severe nausea. Nausea is caused by bubbles of air trapped in the brain. That has greatly subsided today and he is now able to keep down food and liquids. He just had an MRI. Doctor will decide later today if he will be released or stay one more night. He is alert but in some pain.

To add to the stress, I dropped my BAHA (hearing implant device) and totally broke it. I drove up to U of WA Med Center and they gave me a loaner and sent this one in for repair. You don't even want to know how much a repair costs and my warranty ran out 2 weeks ago. Oh, well. This is one of the reasons we work!

Surgery is Over

Jon is out of recovery and in his room. The doctor told me that the surgery went very well and that they hit the correct spot in the brain on the first try which means less trauma to the brain. As soon as they hit the spot, Jon's symptoms subsided meaning that they have the correct placement of the probes. He has quite a headache right now, but the pain meds are beginning to work. CAT scan shows no bleeding. Will update more later.

Surgery Update

Jon is now in OR. Surgery is scheduled to begin momentarily. Everything is going well. He did well on all pre-op tests yesterday and his ear infection is gone, although some ear congestion remains but is not a concern. My sister, Diana, arrived safely and is here with me. They expect surgery to be done early afternoon. He had a CAT scan before and will have another while he is still under anesthesia when they are finished to make sure there is no bleeding. He will have an MRI tomorrow to check again for bleeding and to make sure the probes are completely in place. They tell us this surgery is fairly painless, but the one next week will require narcotics for several days for the pain of the wires being run down his neck to the processor.

They have a screen here in the waiting room and give us a number. The screen shows each step of the way where he is in the process (in surgery, surgery complete, recovery room, etc.)

Will update again later.

Today is Brain Surgery for My Husband

Today is the day we are having my husband's brain surgery for his Parkinson's. We would very much appreciate prayers.
It may be a few days before I get back to my blog. I will update you when I have a chance--maybe on the weekend.

My Favorite Things Ice Cream

Colored with Copics.

Updates on the Surgery Can Be Found Here

As soon as I can get a connection after Jon's brain surgery, I will update everyone here rather than try to email or call people.

Rumor has it---

that SU is going back to one catalog a year!

Cuttlebug Patchwork