Catching Up and A Pet Peeve–Getting Carded at Age Sixty-six

I’M BAAAAAAAAAAAAK!!

Time goes by quickly, don’t you think? Cliché, I know!  I can’t believe it has been over a year since I last posted something here.  The past year has been filled with A LOT!

One thing was a three-week European river cruise on which my husband and I both got COVID.  We had three days left on the trip when we realized what it was.  Unfortunately, many of the cruise attendees became ill because everyone had that dry, hacking cough that comes with the disease.  We were quarantined in Ritz Carlton in Budapest, Hungary for approximately six days.  Can’t get better accommodations than the Ritz Carlton.  Pretty fancy place!  Too bad we only saw the inside of our room. We had a small balcony, but the door wouldn’t open. We ordered room service! But even that got old after a while. We missed the last leg of the trip to Prague.  The blessing in all of it was, we survived and made it home safely.  Things can always be worse.  A future trip to Prague maybe?

While in Budapest, I learned through FaceTime that my sister had COVID at the same time as I did.  We often do things like that.  At one point, even though we lived states apart, we learned we had the same living room furniture.  Huh!  What’s that all about?

Shortly after getting back from the trip, my family visited from out of state.  Not a bad thing!

I had a few health problems other than COVID to deal with. Finally, in January the problems were resolved and I’m back to my same old contrary, but loveable! self.

A few weeks ago, I met a good friend for lunch and as we usually do, we met at our favorite restaurant/brew house in town.  We usually sit in the bar because we don’t have to wait to be seated if a table is available, and I will admit…on occasion, we both enjoy a glass of wine with our meal.  We’ve been meeting regularly at least once per month since we both retired.  She was a lawyer, and I was a middle school teacher.  We met through stamping many years ago and became instant friends.  We have been meeting so regularly, except for during the pandemic, that the waiters and waitresses at the restaurant know us by name.

On this specific day, I arrived at the restaurant a few minutes before her and occupied a table at the bar.  The waiter, a young twenty-something guy,  someone I’ve never seen before, approached the table and asked if I would like to order a beverage while I waited for my friend.

“Yes, please.  A glass of your house chardonnay,”  I responded.

“Of course,” he countered. “May I see your id, please?”

Miffed, I looked at him.  “Seriously? Because if you think you are being cute by asking me, who looks old enough to purchase an alcoholic beverage, and you think you’ll get a bigger tip because of it, you won’t!” (When this happens, I always assume that the guy is trying to be cute.  A fault, I know.)

I said all of this as I reached for my wallet and removed my driver’s license so he could look at my birth date.

He said, “No, not for a bigger tip, but because my boss wants me to ask everyone, although a big tip would be greatly appreciated.”

“Okay, okay, because you are doing your job.  I won’t give you a hard time. But it is a little ridiculous, don’t you think…I mean I have two kids that are older than you.  Don’t tell me you can’t recognize an old lady just by looking at me.”

I know he was just doing his job.  But answer this question.  Why is it female waitresses don’t seem ask for my identification?  Or maybe they have, and I just don’t remember. (I’m old, remember?)

Smart waiter!  He asked my friend for her ID too.  I gave him a nice tip.

I hate, hate, hate when I’m asked for my id because I know I look old enough to order a hard beverage.  My daughter says I should trust that he was doing his job.  My daughter is often correct.

Anyway, that’s just something that really annoys me.

Today’s card is called a split lattice card.  They are very popular lately and I thought I would get on the bandwagon and share one with you too.  I think I’ve made at least 10 of these cards.  They are just so easy and so pretty.  I hope you enjoy the video.  As always, if you have any questions please contact me.  Check out the supply list at the bottom of the page, along with a link to my online store if you need anything.

 

 

DISCLAIMER:  I do use a few retired items on this card. Any reasonable facsimile will do.

Until next time!

Happy Stamping!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Mountain Camping /Tree Lot Dies

I decided to do something other than a Christmas card with the Tree Lot Dies, although I’m sure I will do something Christmassy with them as well.  I am just not ready to think about that time of year yet.  I am still enjoying the summer weather and don’t want to wish this time of year away.  I’m not sick of the hot weather yet.  I’m sure I will get there though.  :O

When I saw the Tree Lot Dies in the current Sale-a-bration catalog and as a permanent resident of Colorado since 1989, I knew I had to have them.  Just like I had to have the Mountain Air and Majestic Mountain Dies.  They reminded me of the time I spent camping with my kids in Rocky Mountain National Park and Mesa Verde National Park when they were little! Although, we never had a camper then.  We always used a tent.  We used to tell my daughter that all the wild animals were locked up in cages at night when she would express concern over them.  My son was probably too young to wonder about them.  Oh, and the Oceanfront Stamp Set…well…who doesn’t love the beach?  I really happy that my daughter moved back to Colorado from the beach two years ago, but the beach is always beautiful and am wondering when I will get to go to the beach again.

I used a 5″ x 7″ frame for this project.  I cut a piece of Basic White card stock down to 5″ x 7″  to fit the frame and then lightly brushed Coastal Cabana ink along the top for the sky.

Using the Mountain Air Stamp Set and VersaMark Ink, I stamped the mountain range image onto a piece of Highland Heather card stock and added white embossing powder.  I used the heat tool to set the powder.  Then I cut the embossed mountain range out with the Majestic Mountain Dies.  I cut another mountain range with the same dies out of the same colored card stock.

With Granny Apple Green ink,  I stamped the pine trees along the top edge of 2  pieces of Basic White card stock that measured about 5-1/2″ x 3-1/2″ and cut them out.  Unfortunately, the trees stamp is  not 7″ long, so you will have to piece these two piece together to make the trees long enough to fit the width of the frame.  If you click on the photo, it will open up a little larger and you will be able to see the seam on the right side of the photo.

Beneath the trees, I stamped the water in Coastal Cabana and the ground in Soft Suede using stamps from the Oceanfront stamp set.  The camp fire was stamped using a stamp set I bought on Amazon and colored with Soft Suede, Pumpkin Pie and Daffodil Delight Stampin’ Blends.  I fussy-cut it out.

Most everything is attached with dimensionals.  The background mountain range is set down flat against the sky.  The embossed mountains are attached with dimensionals and the trees and water and ground piece are attached flat over the mountains.  The camper along with campfire are attached with dimensionals.

 

 

Well, I hope you like what you saw here today.  If you have any questions, please let me know.

Until next time…

Happy Stamping!

 

 

 

 

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Forever Fern and Ever Eden

Today’s post will be short and sweet.

A little late, but better than not at all…I finally had the chance to use my Ever Eden Designer Series Paper and Eden Dies that I bought awhile ago but was too busy to use because of that local theater production I was in.  I’ve been spending time catching up on all kinds of crafting and this birthday card happens to be my latest stamping creation.

Last weekend we celebrated a very good friend’s birthday and she needed to have a beautiful card because she is a beautiful person.  I added gold because she has a golden personality and I believe our friendship is golden.  So here it is along with a list of things I used to create this card.  If you have any questions, let me know.

 

Next month I will share one of the “other” crafts or perhaps two that I have been occupying myself with these last few days.

Until next time…

Happy Stamping!

 

 

 

 

 

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Mini-Album for 4″ x 4″ Photos

Hello All!

I know, it has been five months since my last post.  Time always seems to get away from me.  I’ve been going non-stop since two weeks before the Christmas Holidays and it doesn’t seem like things are going to slow down at all!  Here’s what has been going on.

Two weeks before Christmas I auditioned for a part in a local production on a whim.  I saw the advertisement for the auditions, read the description of the character (old woman who might be losing her mind who has been married for over 40 years to the same man) and I thought…”Hey!  That’s me!”  It also said the play wouldn’t last more than 30 minutes and I further thought, “Piece of Cake.”

Although my husband and I have only been together for 22 years, had my children’s father and I stayed together, it would have been over 40 years.  I thought even more…”I can do this!” So I got up early on the morning December 18 and went down to the theater and auditioned not thinking I would get the part.  Well…by Monday I had the part.

The name of the play was Love Song by Robert R. Lehan.  It truly was about an older couple in their 60’s or 70’s that couldn’t remember if they had been married to each other or not (a dark comedy).  One of them was in an institution, but by the end we weren’t sure who it was.  Jeanine spent the entire play trying to convince Sam they had been married for over 40 years.

Anyway, when I realized I had been cast in the play, I did a google search for a copy of the script since the director wasn’t going to send it out until after Christmas.  I was only able to find the first three pages and I am sure glad I did!  The entire first scene was just me (character Jeanine) reciting a six minute monologue trying to get Sam to remember her.  That’s when I learned the only characters were Sam and Jeanine and we would be on stage the entire 30 minutes with no breaks to go backstage and take a quick glance at the script. I began to panic! I started memorizing immediately working on my part between six and eight hours a day.  Lines needed to be learned by the end of January.

I didn’t clean, I barely cooked (I didn’t mind that)…just memorized.  Rehearsals started the first week in January, two nights each week, and the show ran from February 7 through February 27 with sometimes four performances each week.  It was WORK, WORK, WORK!  I had forgotten how much.  I used to do this kind of thing in high school and college over 100 years ago! There were times when I wondered what I had gotten myself into. But, once the lines were learned it was FUN, FUN, FUN!  I would do it again in a hear beat.  I’ve been keeping my eyes open for more show auditions, but most of the local theaters are getting ready to close their current season.  There probably won’t be anything again until the fall.  And, that is okay because summer is for vacations and we have a few planned

As soon as the show closed I went to my daughter’s place in Northern Colorado to visit her and my granddaughter.  I hadn’t seen them since Christmas.  I actually visited them twice for three days each time during the month of March.

In March I re-started my monthly card club, Cards & Coffee, and began working on the project I am sharing with you today.  It took three tries before I got it just as I wanted and I do have a written tutorial with photos available for $15.00  If you are interested, just email me at the address listed in the top right of this page, and I will let you know how to get payment to me and I will email you a copy of the tutorial.  I wish I could share it for free, but unfortunately it was so time consuming I can not.

If you are local, I will be doing a class featuring this album.  The cost of the class will be $35.00 as the album requires 24 sheets of 12″ x 12″ Designer Series Paper and one package (24 sheets ) of 8-1/2″ x 11″ card stock to construct.

A couple items that are not listed below are not in the Stampin’ Up! catalog and they are:

  • ruler
  • pencil
  • 12″ x 12″ piece of chip board.

I created a mini album because I am forever looking for a way to showcase photos of grandchildren without a lot of scrap-booking fuss.  Also, we will be doing a river cruise this August and it is always nice to have a photo album in your hands when remembering the trip afterwards.  This mini album holds 70—that’s right 70–4″ x 4″ photos. Here is a sneak peak of the front cover and inside.

 

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed your visit here today.  I’ll try not to take so long to come back to visit with you next time.  Until then…

Happy Stamping!