Michael's sale today

Around 9:00 or so this morning, sister called about a sale at M's ... 70% off paper packs. But wait! There's more!  An additional 20% off today only!

My oh my, did I get my fanny there in a BIG hurry!  Threw on any ole thing including a baseball cap. Some of us (moi) even brushed our teeth.

I rushed to the paper section only to find the paper that is 40% off.  Still good, but not what I wanted. Looked some more. Couldn't find it. There was a bin with no signs.  AT ALL. looked around some more.  Finally asked a clerk where the paper would be. Even showed her the ad.  She told me to look where the SB paper is located as if I didn't have a brain in my body. (I'm sure that the baseball cap that was just about covering my entire face didn't help the cause.). Told her, nope, I already looked there.

She went with me. No paper at 70% off. She called another gal who also was unaware of said paper's location.

We three gals of Miiiichaels are.  On a quest for paper to buy.  Remember the bin with no price within? That was the paper for sure.  (Did you sing the last four sentences?)

No signs. Nope. No stickers on the pads either. But! She shoots! She scores! She buys!

Bee-yo-tee-full papers!  Three pads, regularly $19.99 each.  Final price with tax and everything?  Drumroll, please (rmrmrmrmrmrmrm - where's the dang drumroll emoticon?). $15.25!  That,  my dear friends, is a savings of $3.76 (before tax) for just ONE pack.

Guess what? I left the store at least 15 minutes post paper find. Still no signs.  Sigh.

Rushed home eager to peruse the stacks in all of their untaped-edge glory.   There's a lot I don't know yet about this new hobby/obsession.  The biggest thing I need to learn, you ask?  You did, right?  How to remove off those #%]{^~€ circles of tape from the edges of the packs.

Before I could even begin my ooohhhing and aaahhhing, sister called and said I should go to M's. I told her that I was already home.  And that I even brushed my teeth.

My stash grows by leaps and bounds.  Some are so dang purtythat I just might go right back and save even MORE money.

Another thank you

This is going out to a friend who has done so much for so many people in the last few weeks.  I used my new  Nestabilities Fleur de Lis Squares, my Nestabilities Labels Ten, embossing powder, lots of pearls and some white ribbon.  It's sitting on a 5.5x5.5 card base and the backing is deep purple.

Thank you

I needed a card for a man, so it couldn't have any frou-frou. Mojo Monday has a really interesting sketch this week, and I decided to run with it.  This is my first time EVER to post my card on an online gallery like this.

Two more sympathy cards

In looking at other blogs, I find that everyone has similar thoughts about making sympathy cards.  I agree; they are not the most "fun" cards to make.

This one is no exception, especially since it is going to a dear friend's son in remembrance of his mother.  We hear the term "salt of the Earth" and it doesn't always sound right.  My friend, though, was truly that.  She was a wonderful friend, a supportive co-worker and an all-around super person.  I wanted this card to reflect how much of a lady she was.  Refined.  Elegant.  Beautiful in spirit as well as in body.

This card is for her husband.

In Sympathy

I've been needing to make a sympathy card for a dear friend whose mother passed on earlier this year.  I found this quote on Becca's blog.  Since I love her cards, I tried going with something she might create.  I just have tons of practice to do before I can make a card even half as good as hers.  I used Photoshop to create an oval shape and then fit the text to the shape. Then I printed it on ivory cardstock and used a Nestabilities die to cut and emboss.

This afternoon, my DH took me to Joann's AND Michael's where I bought my very first container of embossing powder, along with some ribbon, pearl embellishments and other goodies.  I used my Cuttlebug D'vine Swirls embossing folder and then ran the ink pad over the raised portions.  Finally, I embossed those raised areas with pearl embossing powder.  Some went into the unraised portions which I wasn't excited about; it turned out pretty nice anyways.

Becca has a tutorial on tying a beautiful knot, which I followed to a T.  The embossed portion was mounted on a dark chocolate piece of cardstock and the sentiment was mounted with foam tape.  I finished it off with pearls.

I am quite pleased with my creation.  It took all day to think about, shop for, do the graphics, etc.  Not bad, though, for a relative beginner!