Babies and Birthdays...

 I've been busy making cards this past week, so I thought I'd share a couple with you.  The pink bear card is for a friends new granddaughter and the eagle card was made for my husband's birthday this coming Thursday.

Happy Birthday to the most amazing man I know!!!

  

Hope this inspires you all. Enjoy and thanks for stopping by my little corner of the web.
God Bless,
Vickie

The holidays are just around the corner....

In just about a month "The Holidays" will be here for 2011. This year has been busy and seems to be flying by!!!  Soon it will be time for the Calvary Chapel Rexburg Women's Holiday Conference, which is being held this year on November 4th at 7pm. If you are near to this area of Idaho, I would encourage you to get a ticket and plan to attend. The cost of each ticket is $5.  It will be a night to remember!!!!

I have been busy lately with a wonderful group of ladies that I have had the opportunity to teach how to make Cricut calendars for 2012.  I have already posted some pictures of them at one of the classes,but since the last class is coming up soon, I thought I'd post some pictures of the calendar I made as a model.  (Thanks too all of the ladies for your willingness to be my guinea pigs.)

I will be taking prepaid orders for either an unassembled kit or a completed calendar at the Calvary Chapel Women's Conference and I will gladly take prepaid orders for either a kit or a completed calendar from any of my followers.  Just leave me a comment with your contact information and I will be in touch with the cost and other details.

Enjoy & thanks for stopping by my corner of the web.

God Bless,

Vickie

Already halfway through October...

Today I thought I'd share with you a few pictures of what fall looks like in Eastern Idaho.  I plan to post some of my handmade cards soon, but for now I hope you all enjoy a look at these colors and remember to thank God for the beautiful world we live in.

 

Thanks for stopping by my corner of the web.
God Bless
Vickie

Quicky update...

Sorry that this update is a few days late, but I had a very stressful week/weekend. My dad went into the hospital for what was called routine leg surgery last Monday, but it turned into a major heart attack, that turned into emergency open heart surgery last Thursday. So I took a early morning flight from Salt Lake City to Phoenix last Friday and stayed with him in ICU for 2 nights this past weekend then flew home Sunday and was back to work today. Talk about tired...but I have to share with you all that God preformed 3 miracles with my dad. First he was at the hospital when he had his major heart attack, then he survived open heart surgery even though his heart was very weak and last but by no means least he converted my fathers heart rhythm from A-Fib with PVC's (very bad rhythm on a even a healthy heart) to a normal sinus rhythm on Saturday afternoon before the cardiac team had to go through with their planned cardio version procedure. He has a long road of rehab to get through now but I know God will help him succeed.  All I can say WOW, God  is so good all of the time!!!!!!!!!!!! I thank all of my friends & family for all their prayers for my dad it is appreciated more than words can say.

Now for a little bit of crafting fun.  While waiting to hear how my dad's surgery went on Monday last week I created with the help of my new toy (gypsy) this cute Fall card.  I hope you enjoy, happy fall & thanks for stopping by my little corner of the web.

 

God Bless,

Vickie

Is it October already???

Yeah it's October, I am just not sure where the year is going.  I had intended to get this update done yesterday as it was "World Card Making Day".  I love making cards as much as giving them to friends and family.  So while I know that I'm a day late, I thought I share two cards I just made anyway. The first card is a step pocket pull card. I've only made 2 of these types of cards, but they are loads of fun. The second card is a simple straight fold card.  Both cards were made with the help of my Cricut.  I don't think I could make a card without my Cricut, an embellishment or a stamp anymore.

I have been teaching a Cricut calendar class and I want to say thanks to the ladies in the class for agreeing to have their pictures on my blog, you are all super great friends, students and Cricuteers!!! One of their husband says the machines should have been called Locust so that when we get together it really would be called a swarm. I also need to thank  my darling husband, he leaves home each month just so we can "swarm". Of course he explains it as "estrogen overload", but either way is so sweet of him to give us this time to Cricut!!!

I am so excited to share this last bit of information. I got a new Cricut toy (tool) late last week. As you can tell from the last picture it's a Gypsy :0)!!!  I've been wanting one of these cute little guys for over a year.  When we got home from our recent Anniversary Trip I asked my wonderful husband if I could order one and as you can tell he said yes!!!  I've been taking an online course and when I ordered my Gypsy I got a DVD full of lessons and projects to do with it.  I can't wait to begin creating using my new toy, I mean tool. 


Hope you enjoy and thanks for stopping by my corner of the web.

God Bless,
Vickie

Happy Fall...

Wow summer is already over. This year seems to be flying by.....

To wrap up our summer my darling husband and I celebrated our 35th Wedding Anniversary with a trip to the east coast at the beginning of September.  We traveled there with two wonderful friends and stayed with two very gracious friends. We got to see Philadelphia, New York City and Washington DC.  We  enjoyed the history of our blessed country while seeing some amazing sites and we got to relax too.  It was a much needed break for me because at the end of  May my employer had me go from working 3 days to working 4 days a week. This change in my schedule has been hard, but I have still managed to find time for crafting, scrapbooking and cardmaking too.

I thought I'd share a few pictures of our Anniversary trip as well as some of the cards that I've recently made for family and friends.

Enjoy and thanks for stopping by my corner of the web.

The Empire State Building NYC

The Liberty Bell in Philadelphia

The White House In Washington DC

The Roxy Deli Time Square NYC

 

God Bless,

Vickie

Hi there...

Wow I can't believe the month of July is already history for 2011. This year is just going by so fast!!! Sorry I haven't updated my blog recently but  July was a busy month for me. After we had our beginners Cricut class in June all those who attended the class asked me if I would teach them how to use their Cricut machines to do more things and they thought it would be fun to make 8x8 Cricut calendars, so  I was busy for most of the month designing those calendar pages for them.  We had our first calendar class on the 30th of July and completed January, February and March pages.  It was a blast. We will meet again in August, September and October to do the other calendar pages.  After they are done with their calendars I will share a peak at the calendar I made and I will have sets of instructions for sale to anyone who is interested. Also in July I had a fabulous girls weekend away for my birthday, thanks to my dear sweet husband and 3 wonderful friends. My youngest son came home for a week to visit towards the end of the month. I had not seen him since Christmas last year so we had a great week just catching up and visiting.

Today I am sharing a very simple thank you card I made for all my family and friends who remembered my birthday last month.

Thanks again everyone for making me feel so loved.  Enjoy and thanks for stopping by my little corner of God's world.


God Bless,
Vickie

Simply Happy 4th...

As many of you know the men in my family have served our country for 3 generations so as a away to say thanks for their service to this amazing country I call home, I am sharing a simple card I made to say Happy 4th.  I pray each of you can find a way to say thanks to one of this country's service men & women heroes and please remember...
      "This is the Land of the Free because of the Brave!!!"

Enjoy and thanks for stopping by.

God Bless the USA and all of you with a safe, happy and fun 4th.
Vickie

Cricut Play date....

I am so excited because a few friends of mine have Cricut machines which they tell me they don't use much.  What they did not know is that over the last few months they had all asked me separately to help them use their machines and to show them some of the tips and tricks I've learned over the 4 years I've own my bug, so I thought it would be great fun to get them all together at my house for a Cricut Play date.  So I sent out invites and they all said they'd come and I can't wait,  I think this will be fun.  I am hoping that we will be able to get together more than once for Cricut fun. 

I am sharing today the 2 card projects the ladies will be making this coming Saturday. One of the cards is simple cause they need to start slow and the other is from one of the lite cartridges and takes a little more work. I sure hope they enjoy learning how to use their Cricut machines.   

Enjoy and thanks for stopping by.

God Bless,

Vickie

Wedding Season...

On June 10th 1976  I married my high school sweetheart, this Friday we will celebrate our 35th Wedding Anniversary. I can not put into words how blessed I am to be married to my best friend and the Love of my life.  In honor of this occasion I am sharing 2 cards I made for this years wedding season.  The first card was for a young couple who recently tied the knot, they reminded me of my husband and I on our wedding day. The second card is for a very special "older" couple. The third card is for my sweetheart for our anniversary.

I hope you enjoy. Thanks for stopping by.

God Bless,

Vickie

Happy Memorial Day....

I want to say thanks to all the US Troops and their families who have and are serving this country. I pray God Bless you all!!!
I Thought I'd share a picture of a card I've made for my son who is active duty stationed at Hill AFB, Utah.   I can't remember the paper or sticker set I used but the background of the sticker was cut using my Lacey Labels cartridge and my Cricut.I used Tim Holtz' distress ink in vintage photo to age the edges.  

Needles to say I am very proud of my son's service to our country. Won't you  please take a minute to thank a service man or woman and to remember their sacrifices which has made us a country of the free, because of the brave!!!

Hope you all have a very Happy Memorial Day.  Thanks for stopping by.

God Bless
Vickie

Busy Weekends...

I can't believe where the time goes.  I know it was just January 1st yesterday right????  Well my calendar tells me it's the middle part of May and that summer is just around the corner.  However if you live in the northwest summer usually does not really begin until after the 4th of July. As summer approach things around here get busy, I think it's because the weather gets a bit nicer and people want to get out of the house after being stuck inside all winter.

Last weekend was my granddaughter's 8th birthday so I'd thought I share with you the card I made for her.  The bear comes out of the pocket to be used as a bookmark. The bear and happy birthday sentiment are from the create a critter cartridge, the pocket is my own design.  I also added a few pictures of her and I at the Build a Bear Workshop in Salt Lake City. Going to the Build a Bear Workshop is a tradition for us. Each year on or around her birthday we go make bears together.  I hope she will never out grow this tradition.
I hope this inspires you. Enjoy and thanks for stopping by.

God Bless,

Vickie

Happy Mother's Day...

In honor of Mother's Day I thought I'd share a picture of the beautiful roses my youngest son sent me.  Because my mom died 5+ years ago of Breast Cancer that spread to her pancreas I can't give her a card anymore but I have added a  picture of the mother's day card I made for my "second" mom Rita.  She is my husband's mom and I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful relationship with this special lady.  The card is made with Stampin up products and versamark ink and it is my first easel card.  I had a great time making this card. 
Enjoy and thanks for stopping by.

God Bless
Vickie

Royal Wedding fever...

As most everyone knows it is less than 24 hours until the "Royal Wedding".   I am a true romantic at heart and have been married to my Prince Charming for 35 years this coming June 10th. I am big royal family and England fan so for our 30th wedding anniversary my prince blessed me by taking me on a trip to London and southern England for a week. We had a great time visiting all the royal sites, meeting the people and seeing the English countryside. As I've caught royal wedding fever I am wishing I could be back in London for this special day. Since that won't be possible I will be getting up at 130am on Friday morning to watch the wedding live just as I watched Diana marry Charles almost 30 years ago.  I pray that William's & Kate's marriage will be blessed with a lifetime of love and happiness and that it will be the "Fairytale" that was hoped for when William's parents married.


In honor of the Royal Wedding and because I think every couple is a Prince and Princess on their wedding day, I thought I'd share a few of the cards I've made for some royal couples I know for their wedding day.


Enjoy and Thanks for stopping by.

 

God Bless,

Vickie

Almost Easter...

Wow I can't believe that Easter is just about a week away.  This next week will be busy for me around here.  First my husband and I will be apart of the team of people who will greet and seat people for the evening performances at Calvary Chapel Idaho Falls Easter Musical Drama called "ARISE".  There will be 5 performances in all.  One performance on Wednesday, Friday & Saturday nights at 7pm and then on Easter Sunday there are 2 performances, one at 930am and one at 1130am.   This will be a wonderful presentation, so if you are in the Idaho Falls or even in the eastern Idaho area, please take time to come see "ARISE".  Second I have been asked to sing as part of the Calvary Chapel Rexburg Worship Team for Easter Sunday morning.  I have practice on both the next 2 Sunday mornings.  I am so blessed and honored to be able to be apart of both of these amazing churches. They are both filled with so many talented born again believers.  Last but definitely not least, my darling granddaughter will be visiting next weekend.  I have not seen her since Christmas so I am looking forward to getting to visit and sharing Easter with her.

So with all these activities, I thought it best to share the card I will be sending to my family for Easter now.  Hopefully my family won't look at my blog until after they get their cards in the mail.  I remembered getting a sugar egg one year for Easter and it was so pretty.  I tried to capture that beauty with this card.  I used glitter paper to make the sugar egg, it looks more sparkly in person. Of course I used my Cricut for die cutting both the glitter egg and the pink scalloped egg. The lime green ric-rac is felt, the pattern paper has glitter on it too. (I love bling on most everything.) Instead of icing around the opening of the egg I used Scribbles iridescent 3-D paint by Duncan in watermelon. I used a mini yellow Prima rose and 1/4 inch satin lime green ribbon for the bow.
 
I hope you enjoy.  Thanks for looking.

             Alleluia HE IS RISEN!!!!!!!!!!!!


God Bless,
Vickie

Red Friday's....

Well this is a different post today not so crafty but one that I feel very passionate about, so I thought I'd share with you an article my oldest son had posted on his facebook page just recently.  As some of you may know my oldest son is serving our country as an active duty member of the USAF. What most of you probably don't know is that he is 3rd generation USAF, his father and both grandfather's served too. Each time I see a service man/women I try to let them know that I appreciated their service. I am very proud and thankful for my son's service and the service of all the sons and daughters both here at home and away because its their service and sacrifice that helps to keep America free!!!!

This picture is of my oldest son with his daughter and me when he was stationed in Florida. He is currently stationed at Hill AFB in Utah and my granddaughter who was 1 in this picture will be turning 8 this May.

 

 

 

Red Friday's

"Hey everyone I know this is article is long, but it was definitely worth sharing. I have experienced some form of this kindness personally when I returned from my deployment."---Philip Sanders 3/26/11

"Will You give this to my Daddy?"

Last week I was in Atlanta , Georgia attending a conference. While I was in the airport, returning home, I heard several people behind me beginning to clap and cheer. I immediately turned around and witnessed One of the greatest acts of patriotism I have ever seen.

Moving through the terminal was a group of soldiers in their camos. As they began heading to their gate, everyone (well almost everyone) was abruptly to their feet with their hands waving and cheering.  When I saw the soldiers, probably 30-40 of them, being applauded and cheered for, it hit me. I'm not alone. I'm not the only red-blooded American who still loves this country and supports our troops and their families.  Of course I immediately stopped and began clapping for these young unsung heroes who are putting their lives on the line everyday for us so we can go to school, work and home without fear or reprisal.

Just when I thought I could not be more proud of my country or of our service men and women, a young girl, not more than 6 or 7 years old ran up to one of the male soldiers. He kneeled down and said 'hi...'

The little girl then asked him if he would give something to her daddy for her...

The young soldier, who didn't look any older than maybe 22 himself, said he would try and what did she want to give to her daddy. Then suddenly the little girl grabbed the neck of this soldier, gave him the biggest hug she could muster and then kissed him on the cheek.

The mother of the little girl, who said her daughter's name was Courtney, told the young soldier that her husband was a Marine and had been in Iraq for 11 months now. As the mom was explaining how much her daughter Courtney missed her father, the young soldier began to tear up.  When this temporarily single mom was done explaining her situation, all of the soldiers huddled together for a brief second... Then one of the other servicemen pulled out a military-looking walkie-talkie. They started playing with the device and talking back and forth on it.. 

After about 10-15 seconds of this, the young soldier walked back over to Courtney, bent down and said this to her, 'I spoke to your daddy and he told me to give this to you.' He then hugged this little girl that he had just met and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He finished by saying 'your daddy told me to tell you that he loves you more than anything and he is coming home very soon.'  

The mom at this point was crying almost uncontrollably and as the young soldier stood to his feet, he saluted Courtney and her mom. I was standing no more than 6 feet away from this entire event.

As the soldiers began to leave, heading towards their gate, people resumed their applause. As I stood there applauding and looked around, there were very few dry eyes, including my own. That young soldier in one last act of selflessness turned around and blew a kiss to Courtney with a tear rolling down his cheek.

We need to remember everyday all of our soldiers and their families and thank God for them and their sacrifices. At the end of the day, it's good to be an American.

RED FRIDAYS ----- Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing red every Friday. The reason? Americans who support our troops used to be called the 'silent majority'. We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers.

Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday - and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that.. Every red-blooded American who supports our men and women afar will wear something red.

By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make the United States on every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers.

If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, co-workers, friends, and family. It will not be long before the USA is covered in RED.

The first thing a soldier says when asked 'What can we do to make things better for you?' is.....We need your support and your prayers.

Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example.

IF YOU AGREE -- THEN TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW.    IF YOU COULD CARE LESS, THEN JUST  IGNORE THIS --- IT IS YOUR CHOICE!!"---by Paul Moorehead Jr 3/18/11



As this article says it is your choice but as a proud & thankful mom, wife and daughter of US servicemen; I'd really appreciate it if you at least think about wearing red on Friday's, I know I will be.

Thank you Philip for all you do to help keep this country safe and protected!!!

Thanks for stopping by.


God Bless you, our troops and the USA!!!!

Vickie

Is it Winter again???

I guess that must be so for those of us who happen to live in Eastern Idaho!!!! The calendar does say it's SPRING right???

I know we are not supposed to grumble and that my the bible says...    
  "That this is the day that the Lord has made and we will be glad and rejoice in it." Psalms 118:24

... and that means no matter what happens.  I am very grateful that we had a couple days of spring this week; yesterday was absolutely beautiful, but it started snowing again this morning :0(...

So to brighten things up, I thought I'd share a few more floral cards I've made.

Enjoy and Thanks for stopping by.

God Bless,

Vickie