Cricut Design Studio

As many of you know......My daughter's came to Arizona in May to visit me. I surprised her when she arrived with a little Present......I bought her a Gypsy and gave it to her shortly after she arrived. I bought the Gypsy the week before she arrived and have to tell you.......I would love to have one myself - but knew.....she really wanted a Gypsy and it was pretty easy to give it to her knowing that it would make her SO HAPPY.........(she squealed BIG TIME when I handed it to her). So......the next best thing I could buy for myself was......the Cricut Design Studio...... Here's the SMILING little face that greeted me as I opened the DS box (it's actually a mouse pad that came with the purchase).

I've been able to load the software directly to my laptop and I can then hook my Cricut machine directly up to my laptop. The Design Studio software will basically do the same thing that the Gypsy claims to do - just through my laptop instead of a Gypsy.

And here is the entire Design Studio package....in all it's GLORY. Needless to say.....I downloaded the software in a heart beat and immediatly began playing with my DS and Cricut......LOVE LOVE LOVE the welding feature. Will share with you some amazing creations I've created this next month.

The BAD news......I've loaded my fifty something Cricut cartridges to my daughter's Gypsy, so I can't load them ever again to another Gypsy. I do however have the cartridges in my studio and since I have the Design Studio - I'm good to go.........but the GOOD NEWS.....My daughter was THRILLED beyond words and now she can travel to her crops and weekend retreats with just the Gypsy and her Cricut machine in hand. Enjoy your new Gypsy Cheryl.......I am so pleased you like your new gift. Stop back tomorrow when I'll kick off July (and the count down to my birthday) with a boxful of things I bought at Blue Moon Scrapbooking here in Tucson. Until tomorrow - Keep Living Your Dream!

Thank You card from Barb

Today I want to share a beautiful card I received from my friend Barb Riley in Wisconsin. Isn't it JUST BEAUTIFUL? Barb really did an amazing job!

Barb and her husband Paul came out to Arizona for a visit and we spent some time together. We sat in my studio and went through my boxes of cards and I asked her to pull out those that she wanted to copy and take them home with her. At first she resisted....but after encouraging her to "TAKE" - she ended up going home with a stack of cards and a bunch of new ideas. A week after she she got home, I received this card from her and was so impressed with how talented Barb really is. I had to laugh........she kept saying.....Oh I'm not that good......I'm new at this and need to practice doing this. OH MY GOSH BARB.......seriously....your card creation is beautiful and you are WAY MORE talented than you think. Hope when we return to Wisconsin in September, that Barb and I can get together and make some cards - I totally enjoyed my time with her and I especially love the card she made me.

Thanks for stopping by today and hope you can visit tomorrow and help me celebrate the last day of June. Until tomorrow......Keep Living Your Dream.

A Little Boy and His Dog

I know promised you a posting of another Kard by Kadie creation - but I just had to share a little something with you.....Please indulge me......This is a posting of a Little Boy (my grandson to be exact) and his dog..... Meet Steven. and his dog Buddy.......

Steven. is five years old and Buddy (at the taking of this picture) is less than one day old. While Steven. was here visiting us from Wisconsin in May, we took him and his older sister and cousin Brooke down to Build A Bear and Steven. created his very first Build A Bear. As we left the store he was huggin his puppy and kept saying.....I can't believe I got my first Build A Bear........(As he kept huggin Buddy and telling him he would take care of him forever......).

When we came home, Steven. took Buddy out to the Ramanda along with a box of crayons and started coloring his Build A Bear Box. Steven. decided that Buddy just couldn't be put back into a plain old plain old box and he (along with Buddy) set out to make Buddy's box BEAUTIFUL!

With Buddy sitting along side of Steven., they were able to complete Buddy's home and they lived happily ever after.

As you might have noticed, I add a period at the end of Steven's name each and every time I type it. It's kind of an inside joke (only problem is....Steven. is too young to understand the joke - but it is documented for him to enjoy when he's older).......Anyways.....when you ask Steven. to write his name, he will write it each and every time "STEVEN." His NaNa Sewell taught him to write his name and somewhere along the line (guess it might have something to do with him also learning the computer at the same time and typing www.(whatever).com), Steven. began adding a period after he wrote his name. And that period has stuck. So when we write his name (you say out loud)......S T E V E N .(period).

I'm feeling a little bad for whoever has to tell him that there is no period at the end of his name when he starts school next year. But for now....we all incude the period at the end of his name and have recorded this story in his baby book for all to enjoy when he's 30 years old. Needless to say, I have countless other stories that Steven. has shared with me over the last five years and look at each of those stories to be the JOY that comes along with being Steven. Grandma.

Thanks for indulging me today - I'll be back tomorrow with a card that I received last month from a good friend in Wisconsin. Keep Living Your Dream!

Quick Birthday Card

Spent the day yesterday making some birthday cards - and wanted to get my stash restocked ..... so needed to have something FUN, Quick and can be changed up with some FUN colors........ I started out with some SU 1/4" grossgrain ribbon......Don't you just LOVE SU ribbon?

I added some Pink, Chocolate Chip and Pumpkin Pie colors together to create a FUN card (for my granddaughter) in two of her favorite colors (chocolate chip and pink).

Here's another version of this card creation.....I used some Retired SU DSP and added Tempting Turquoise and Apricot Appeal and had an instant birthday card.

Another version using yet more retired SU DSP (you should see my studio......oh boy....do I have retired DSP). This version used Pretty in Pink and Riding Hood Red Cardstock for a card that any birthday girl would love to receive.

And last I created this cheerful card with yet more retired DSP along with Brillant Blue and Pumpkin Pie. Have to say - this one turned out WAY CUTER than I had originally thought it would. Will probably send this one to my little grandson for his birthday.

Well, it's Sunday and the weekend is almost over. Tomorrow we will be back to work and counting down the days till next weekend. I'll be back tomorrow with another Kard by Kadie creation...hope you can join me. Keep Living Your Dream!

Triple Tag Thank You Card

Happy Saturday to you - Hope you are enjoying a fabulous weekend and have lots of fun things planned for today. Today, I want to share one of my GO TO cards that I use when I'm finding it hard to create or I need a batch of cards in a quick hurry and I just don't have time to create. Meet the Triple Tag "Whatever" Card....... I say the Triple Tag Whatever Card - because you can stamp whatever you want in each of the tags and just repeat your message. I used the retired SU Thank You Tag stamp.

The card is a fold over (think they are called gate cards) that meet in the middle. I just spiced it up by adding the 3-tags to one side of the fold.

Here's my ALL TIME favorite version of this card......ssssshhhhhhh, it's not SU paper - and to be honest, I have NO IDEA who made this paper - just know that I had a batch of it from Wisconsin and thought it made this whole card SCREAM with FUN!

And here's another version - using some SU DSP and Real Red with Pumpkin Pie colors. Wouldn't this make the cutest birthday card?

And last (but by no means least)........this one makes me think of my granddaughter - who LOVES LOVES LOVES everything chocolate and pink.

Hope this card inspires you to go out and make a batch of cards and wrap them up in a FUN gift bag and give them to someone who could use a smile this weekend.

Hope you can stop back tomorrow.....Keep Living Your Dream!

Everyday Thank You Cards

Happy Friday to you......Check out this FUN embellishment on an otherwise Same Old Same Old Card Creation........ I punched out a scallop square and added a couple layers of square card stock - and dropped a FUN SU Button Latte in the center - added a thin stripe of cardstock to take the place of thread........and I have a fun addition to my card.

Here's my chocolate chip version of this card (without the flowers colored in).......

Made a real red version of this card....using a retired SU DSP.

Don't you just love the fact that you could leace the stamped message off and crank out a bunch of these to have on hand or give away.....

And last....my favorite version of this card - using two of my favorite colors - pink and orange (add a little chocolate chip and you've got the beginning to one wild party). Hope you have a fabulous weekend - Keep Living Your Dream!

SU Convention Card

Realized that I had recreated this SUPER SIMPLE card from a card I made at the Milwaukee SU Regional Convention a couple of years ago. Guess that saying......What's OLD.........IS NEW Again........is fitting for this post....... Here's a cute little Lady Bug I created by using some SU circle punches...

And poppin her on fun circle cut from my Circle Scissor Plus.

Here's what the card looks like when it's opened up......Told you it was going to be SIMPLE.

Here's another version of this same card - just switching up the colors and putting a teddy bear on the front.

And one last version of this card.......the little birdie is made with the SU scallop circle punch and the 3/4" circle punch.

Hope you enjoyed your stop today......and many thanks for stopping by. Hope you can return tomorrow - I'll have another Kard by Kadie creation. Keep Living Your Dream.

June Inchies

I belong to the SaddleBrooke Stampers Group and each month I participate in the Inchies Group (making 1x1 inch creations with a theme). And each month there is a theme that we use to create our inchies. For the month of June, the theme is Wedding with an optional technique of Bling......so...here is what I created. My inchie is 1"x1" SU Brushed Silver cardstock with a pair of bling wedding bands (bought in the wedding section of Michael's) and attached together with a fabulous silver and black ribbon.

I used a mini glue dot to secure the rings to my 1x1 base. Have to say, I think they turned out SUPER STINKIN CUTE!

Here's all 15 of them finished and just waiting to be placed in their traveling Inchie Tin...........

And here they are lining up for their journey to the SaddleBrook Craft Room. I handed my inchies out on the 9th of June and received some pretty amazing creations from my fellow stamping buddies.

Hope you're able to stop back tomorrow - I'll be sharing a Kard by Kadie creation with you. Keep Living Your Dream.

Surprise From Brooke's Class

Today I'm going to share a little something that I received in the mail - and let me tell you......I was totally in TEARS by the time I finished opening and looking through this package.......... This is what I received in my mailbox.....UHM.....Can't say I know a Ms Burbanks and I somewhat proceeded with caution when I went to open the large envelope........OH MY GOSH.....was I surprised once I got the envelope opend. Here is the SWEET SWEET letter that Ms Burbank wrote me.

Just in case you still haven't figured out who Ms Burbank is.....She's my granddaughter Brooke's teacher. As I mention in my Sunday post, I mail to the kids treats for each holiday for them to pass out to their classmates and this letter was Ms Burbanks classes way of saying Thank-You for all the treats I've sent this school year.

There were 21 letters sent to me by the class (too many for me to post here all of them.......so will select a couple for you to see) and each of them were hand written by the kids - each thanking me for my treats.

Here are a couple more letters........

And three more........

Have to say that I was OVERWHELMED with happiness when I looked through all the pictures and letters that the kids made for me. I can not believe that my daughter and granddaughter didn't leak a word of this to me........I was BLOWN AWAY with the kindness of this gesture. Many Thanks to Ms Burbank and her entire class at Neitherwood Knoll Elementary School. You touched me beyond words and I will treasure each of your letters. Thank you!

Hope you can stop back tomorrow - I'll have a Kard by Kadie creation waiting for you. Keep Living Your Dream.

Mother's Day Gift

Happy MONDAY..........Today, I want to share with you TWO fabulous gifts from my daughters for Mother's Day. The first was a $50 gift certificate from my daughter Jenni for Kat's Hair Design. KNOCK ME OVER.......That is my favorite place to go get my hair done (and Fara knows exactly how I like my hair done). I actually cashed in on my gift certificate this past week - and if your reading this Jenni.......My hair looks FABULOUS! The next gift I received is from my Party Lite daughter Cheryl. Check out what she gave me...... Aren't these just the cutest little rain boots you've EVER seen?

They are just big enough to place two votive candles in the top of the boot and I've got them sitting in my studio next to my TV........That way.....I can look at them each and every time I sit down at my desk.

Here's yet another view of them sitting next to my TV - have to say.....this was the BEST Mother's Day I've had in a VERY LONG TIME. Both my girls were here to celebrate with me.......and My four ADORABLE grandkids filled the day with laughter and GOOD TIMES.

Teacher Appreciation Gifts

If you've been following my blog, you know that I have four school-age grandkids back in Wisconsin - and I'm forever making gifts for their classmates during the holidays. I wanted to make a little something for each of them to give to their teachers for the end of the year. I created (with the help of Dawn in Michigan) these adorable post-it-note holders for each of them. These post-it-note holders start out with a charming apple cut from my Cricut machine.........TOO CUTE (or what)! (Sorry for the shadow on the apple above - guess the top of the camera got in the way of this shot)

Here's a sample of how they turned out. I made both portrait and landscape styles. I also made them for female as well as male teachers. My older grandkids have several teachers during their school day - so I ended up making over a dozen of these.

Here's the saying I put on the front of each of the holders. This was a phrase I spotted on one of the blogs I visit and she used it for her holders - so - I used it for mine.

I was able to give these to the kids when they came out to visit us in May - so they didn't have to be shipped back to Wisconsin and have to deal with not arriving in time or better yet - getting smashed up in route. Needless to say....the kids LOVED THEM!

Hope you had a FUN weekend. It's Monday tomorrow and I'll be back to share a Mother's Day gift that my daughter from Wisconsin gave me. Until tomorrow - Keep Living Your Dream.

Ceramic FIND

Check out this FUN FIND I got down at Michael's ......... They are A*D*O*R*A*B*L*E* (and I do mean ADORABLE) ceramic planter pots - in both square and circle shape. I couldn't decide if I wanted the circle or the square.....SO....I ended up buying them both.

Here are the square pots all lined up......

And now the Circle pots.......

All lined up.

At first I had no idea what I was going to use these for - but after having them hang out in my studio.....I've decided to place them in the cabinet where my drop down table is located. I'm going to arrange them in there for a FUN PUNCH of color. Will probably put my pens - brushes - and small tools in them. Will keep you posted to how it all ends up looking.

Thanks for dropping in and I'll be back tomorrow with more Kards by Kadie creations. Keep Living Your Dream!

Kokopelli Paintings

Happy Friday to you - Thanks for stopping by. I want to share a non-stamping related project that I made for our guest room. I sketched three Kokopelli images on to a piece of 18x20 canvas and then used a combination of water color and acrylic paints to my canvas to create these fabulous Kokopelli paintings......Here we go....... These two Kokopelli canvas hang over the guest room bed. I took my image from the linen hanging piece that is in the photo listed below.

The Kokopelli that I enlarged for the 18x20 piece of canvas came from the linen wall hanging piece that is in the photo above. I have one of these linen wall hangings on either side of the guest bed - and two of my Kokopelli canvas creations are hanging between those linen hangings - right above the bed.

Here's a close up of the single Kokopelli painting that I created and is hanging on the opposite wall in the guest room. I framed each of the paintings with a wood frame and have to say........They turned out WAY BETTER than I had imaged them.

And, what kind of artist would I have been, if I wouldn't have signed each of my pieces of artwork? (Insert a photo of my ego smiling face here!)

Have to say this was a project that when I step back and look at what I created I would say......easy peasy.......NOT! It looks like an easy project but have to say it took me SEVERAL attempts to get this process down and many hours of frustration that I had to repeat steps that I could have avoided if only I would have asked someone who knew Canvas-Acrylic and WaterColor process-How to do this. But.......I was happy happy happy with the end results and who cares how long it took me to create these.

Thanks for stopping by today and hope your gearing up for a FUN PACKED weekend - starting tomorrow. Keep Living Your Dream!