A SPECIAL BLOG POST

Hi blog friends,

Today I have a very special request.  I am trying to raise funds for the fight against Alzheimer's disease.  You see, my mother has this disease and it's been one of the hardest journeys of my entire life.  

This disease is insidious.  It's evil.  My mother is a kind, caring, loving lady.  Strong and courageous.  She's a bonafide member of the greatest generation.  She lived her life with dignity and humility.  She knew how to pinch a penny so hard it would bleed a dollar.  

She worked hard as a wife and mother, doing whatever it took to add to the financial income of the family.  For years every fall, when we were younger, she picked apples.  I remember coming home from school and our house smelling like fresh picked apples, because along with her 13 cents a bushel that she was paid for picking, she was given a bushel to bring home.  She made apple pies, apple sauce, apple butter, apple cake, apple fritters and baked apples to name a few of the culinary treasures she would come up with.  Later on, she went to work for the United States Post Office and worked her way up to Postmaster.  She retired from that position after 33 years of service.  

During the WWII years, she was a teenage "airplane spotter" and did whatever she had to do to contribute to the war efforts.  She lost a boyfriend during the war and kept his letters tied with a black ribbon in a cedar chest, along with my sister's and my ballet shoes and costumes and my two brothers first toys and some of our baby clothes.  She took special care of preserving my father's Army AirCorp uniform.  And while their marriage ended in divorce, she was making cookies for him and making sure he was doing okay, until the day he died.  She saved and savored sweet memories.

Now, she has no memories.  She lost everything she'd ever worked for to this disease and it also took her memories.  Her story is not unique.  This is the "common" story among Alzheimer's victims.  

On Saturday, September 20, 2014, I am joining our local Walk to End Alzheimer's Disease.  I signed up late, so I'm busy trying to raise funds to help fight this monster with the sincere hope that you or I will have hope for a cure.  

If you can please help, I would appreciate it.  I'm attaching a link to my web site where you can donate, or join a walk in your area.  

Thank you for whatever you can do.  Here's my page!  

DESIGNER'S CHOICE CHALLENGE AT REPEAT IMPRESSIONS

Hello, blog friends!!! 

It's a Wednesday challenge time once again at The House That Stamps Built.  Every Wednesday there is a new challenge.  One week it will be What If? Wednesday challenge which is when Wendy (owner of Repeat Impressions Stamps) creates a sketch challenge for us all and the following Wednesday one of the DT Rock Stars will come up with a challenge of their own for everyone.  

This week it's my turn to challenge you in my Designer's Choice Challenge and so my challenge is for you to create a card using ONLY black, white and grey.  No colors.  The inspiration for this challenge came when I was visiting my mother in the nursing home and we watched an old Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell black and white movie together, "His Girl Friday".  

My Rock Star teamies did a fabulous job with this, it's not easy trying to create with just these colors, but I think you'll agree they made stunning projects.  

                          Deonna  -  Geri  -  Joy  -  Joyce  -  Karen  -  Melissa  -  Patti J

We hope you'll play along with us and create your own black/white/grey card and post it at The House (which is where you can get all the details as to how to enter the challenge).  There's a fabulous $25.00 gift certificate for RI stamps if you win it.  

The Stamps I used for this card are RI#9403-P "Quilt Frame" and 9408-H "Friendship Quilt Square" both from the "Quilt and Stained Glass" collection.  For the sentiment I used a portion of RI#9717-C "Happy Hello" from the new "Contain Yourself" set.  I simply covered the upper part "a happy" with scotch tape, inked up just the "hello" section with black ink, removed the tape and stamped.  I colored the quilt squares with Copic Markers from the cool, neutral and warm grey collections then went over the panels with my "Wink of Stella" clear glitter pen.  

Thank you so much for stopping by.  Have a super wonderful weekend!  

WHAT IF? WEDNESDAY AT REPEAT IMPRESSIONS

Hi blog friends!! 

Another week has rolled around to Wednesday again and that means it's another challenge from The House That Stamps Built.  Every other Wednesday it's a sketch challenge from Wendy, owner and artist extraordinaire or Repeat Impressions Stamp Company.  

Before I show you the sketch, I want to bid a fond and loving farewell to one of our outstanding DT members, Brenda Turner.  Brenda is a super talented crafter and a dear crafting friend.  I will miss her on our team.  

On the other hand, I am reaching out with a big hug and welcome back to Patti J!!! One of the wonderful things about papercrafters is the friends you meet and I met Patti, right here at RI a few years ago when she was a member of the Rock Stars and left but now she's back and I'm thrilled.

Here's Wendy sketch to challenge you this week

Looks like fun, doesn't it????  So, get your thinking hats on and come along and join this sketch challenge.  The detail are all at The House.  

Here is a card I created using Wendy's sketch.

I used RI Stamp #512-H "Apple Basket".  I love this stamp.  It's one of my very favorites.  I used Copic Markers to color the apples and basket.  

For some incredible inspiration for this sketch please check out the Rock Stars!  

                       Deonna - Geri - Joy - Joyce - Karen - Melissa - Patti J

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you'll join us in this fun challenge.  

DESIGNER'S CHOICE CHALLENGE AT REPEAT IMPRESSIONS

Hello blog friends!  

I hope you've had a fantastic summer....oh, but, it looks like it's closing down.  The first day of school for our district is tomorrow!  Yikes!  Why does time seem to fly by so fast???

My Rock Star teamie, Melissa Cash has taken on this designer's choice challenge at The House That Stamps Built and her challenge is "Happy Birthday".  Who has enough birthday cards?  Raise your hands!  This is a great challenge because it helps us add to our stash of birthday cards.  

Come along and take Melissa's challenge.  Create a Happy Birthday card then head on over to The House That Stamps Built for the details of how you can enter your card in the challenge and possibly win yourself some RI stamps.  

For this card I used RI Stamp #9501-O "Wine Bottle" and 9517-I "Message (in a bottle) Scroll" from the newest stamp set, "Wine Time".  The sentiment is a partial sentiment from RI #2501-H "Happy Birthday from....".  

Thanks so very much for stopping by and I hope you will find some time to play along with Melissa's challenge.  

For more inspiration check out the ROCK STARS!!!

                      Brenda - Deonna - Geri - Joy - Joyce - Karen – Melissa

              

WHAT IF? WEDNESDAY SKETCH CHALLENGE AT REPEAT IMPRESSIONS

Hi blog friends! 

Once again here we are for the WIW sketch challenge from Wendy at Repeat Impressions and The House That Stamps Built!  

We love it when you play along with us and post your own card to our challenges and for those of you who have never joined us, all the details are at The House, so I hope you'll take on this one...it's another fun sketch with all kinds of creative possibilities.  If you play along, and enter your card, you could win a gift certificate for some of these fabulous Repeat Impressions Stamps.  

I have been playing around with more water coloring techniques and used my TH Distress Markers on this one.  The image I used was RI #2411-K "Pelican's Piling".  I'm not sure what there is about this image that I love....I think it's his coy "smile".  Come along and play with the WIW sketch challenge.  Visit my Rock Star teamies for more awesome inspiration.  

                  Brenda - Deonna - Geri - Joy - Joyce - Karen – Melissa

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a fabulous weekend!