Congrats! to Your Happy News!

We are looking forward to welcoming a new bundle of joy into the family. . .our second grandchild!  She is due to arrive in mid-March next year!  This will be my youngest daughter's first child.  She is so excited as are my husband and me.  Our daughter announced that they were expecting a girl by texting a picture of hubby giving her a big hug as she displayed a lovely pink satin bow tied around the middle of her white shirt as she held fluffy pink teddy bear in the crook of her arm.  It gave me a great idea for a congratulations card!

First, I prepared two pink watercolor papers. . .one for the card face and one for the inside verse area.  I dried them with my heat embossing tool, making sure not to curl or warp the paper (by applying heat to both sides of the paper).  I spritzed both with water to get a water droplet effect and re-dried both.  Then, I flecked darker rose watercolor paint flecks onto their surfaces with a paint brush.  Next, I stamped and fussy-cut my little bear and colored and shaded him very lightly with several pink Copics.  I shimmered the bee's wings with Wink of Stella/ Clear.

It was time to prepare my quilt.  I cut my quilt twice with the quilt die:  once in white cardstock and a second time in the tiny white hearts on pink paper.  I assembled the die-cut quilt pattern pieces that I chose to use to make up the quilt pattern from the die-cut pieces and glued them onto a square of plain white cardstock, starting with the pink patterned frame.  When assembly and gluing was complete, I embossed it with the Quilt Top embossing folder and glued it to my Lifestyles Eyelet Squares die-cut.  

I die-cut "Congrats" four times in plain white cardstock and stacked and glued them on top of one another to give dimension.  I added Wink of Stella/ Clear shimmer to the eyelet square edging and the "Congrats" die-cut.  Unfortunately, this does not show up in the photograph.  I popped my quilt square and little bear off the watercolor wash background with foam dimension pieces cut to fit just inside their outside edges.  I finished the card with the velvet rose ribbon and knot (which looks darker than in RIL) and with a yarn tuff in the quilt center.

Take a peek below at my finished baby congratulations card for my youngest daughter!

Ingredients:  Papers:  Stampin' Up Whisper White cardstock, My Favorite Things Tiny Hearts Brights (pink), Tim Holtz Watercolor Paper.  Stamps: Stampin' Up A Little Wild.  Dies: Stampin Up Quilt Builder, WRMK Lifestyles: Nesting Eyelet Squares (may be discontinued), Impression Obsession: Congrats.  Stampin' Up Embossing Folder: Quilt Top.  Wink of Stella: Clear (eyelet square/ congrats).

Queen of the Gold Star Club!

BRINGING ME A SMILE!  

THIS CARD IS NAMED A

SPLITCOASTSTAMPERS FAVORITE OF THE

WEEK ENDING - AUGUST 13, 2017!!

My oldest son wanted me to make a card honoring the very first winner of his computer gaming challenge that he started almost ten years ago.  It will soon be the Gold Star Club's anniversary, and the card will go to the very first winner of the very first challenge question.  

My son had some very particular things he wanted the card feature.  It had to be gold, glitzy, have a large predominant star, and feature some stardust.  Not particular at all, right?!!  So, with these requirements, I got started.  Below is the result of my endeavors on behalf of the Gold Star Club!  David was thrilled and he thinks the woman, who had the correct answer first, will be as well:

Ingredients:  Papers: SU Naturals cardstock (retired); Recollection Shimmer-Brown; Best Creations: Glitter cardstock-Dark Gold; Paper Pizazz-Funky Stars on Yellow; DCWV Shimmer Stack-Bronze Pumpkin; Bazzill Dotted Swiss-Honey. Spellbinders: 5 Stars. SU Framelits-Holiday Collection-mini stars (retired). Sizzix Sizzilits Swirls (modified). WRMK Deco Corner Chomper.  Darice Rhinestones. Computer-generated sentiment. Handmade sentiment banner mats.

The Story

As mentioned above, about ten years ago, my son, David, started what he called the Star Challenge for his online gaming friends.  He would present a challenge question, and his gaming friends were allowed five chances to answer the puzzle correctly.  If they were successful, they were entered as member of the Gold Star Club.

The very first challenge presented was a two-part question: to name the voice speaking (a pre-recorded interactive part of the challenge) and the title of the game, which was a vintage computer game that he played as a young boy.  It took six months for some one to come up with the correct answers.  Strangely enough, on the very day the correct answer came in via email, a second correct answer followed within a few hours from two members, who didn't know each other and lived in different states!!  It was amazing that no one could guess the name of the voice or the name of the game correctly for over six months and then two were successful on the very same day within hours of one another.  These two winners became the first and second members of the Gold Star Club.  

Further challenges have been offered throughout the ensuing years, but none have taken so long for the correct answer to be presented.  The first person to correctly guess the very first challenge holds the Gold Star Club crown, because she not only answered it correctly, but one her very first try; therefore, she will receive this card honoring the ten-year anniversary of her win!  My son and I both hope she enjoys her card!

New Job Congratulations!

My sister just got a job promotion, and I really wanted to make her a congratulatory card.  A feather in your cap kept running around in my brain and pushing me to get busy and create!  That little idea just naturally ran to my using Stampin' Up's Four Feathers framelits that came out in their 2014 Holiday catalog.  It seemed odd to me that it came out in that edition, but I'm guessing they had it in mind to use the feathers with fall-type cards.  I was really disappointed that they did not bring these stamps and coordinating framelits back in the new 2015-2016 annual catalog.  The reason, my guess, is that they didn't go over well in the initial offering in the Holiday catalog, as Stampin' Up customers are busy thinking Fall, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and somehow, feathers didn't seem to fit those themes; therefore, there probably weren't enough sales to justify keeping them for the annual catalog.

I recently purchased a piece of chevron patterned paper from Michael's Crafts that looked like it was watercolored and was very pretty.  Though Michael's open-stock Recollections papers are general very thin, which I do not like, I loved the design and colors so much, I decide to go ahead and use it anyway.  I planned to spruce it up with some layers of regular cardstock and glitter cardstock to give the card more body.  I think I'm pleased with the outcome and hope my sister will like her little surprise congratulatory card.

Here is a peek at the complimentary inside design and my verse that I created to fit my sister's job promotion occasion.

Recipe:  Papers: Stampin' Up cardstocks - Whisper White, Night of Navy, Soft Sky (inside); Core'dinations Glitter Silk - Regal Royal, Bermuda Bling, Jade, Majestic Magenta; Core-dinations Vellum - Baby Blue;  Recollections - Watercolor Chevron.   Hampton Art Ki stamps: Celebrate Life.  MemoryBox dies: Stitched Country Borders.  Stampin' Up Framelits: Four Feathers.  EK Scallop Photo Corner punch (inside).  Queen Co. Goosebumps (Copic colored).  Stampin' Up Embossing Powder: White.  Stash: 5/8" Iridescent Sheer ribbon.  Glitter Butterfly.  Computer-made verse (Font: odstemplik/ 21).  Size: 5-1/8" x 6".

Congrats! A 10-Year Accomplishment!

We are celebrating our son David in the early days of October with a family dinner and outing.  He set a goal 10 years ago that he is proud to say he has achieved, and the family wants to take time to tell him that we are proud of him for knowing he needed to set the goal, sticking to it, and achieving it!  He tells me he has set new goals for the years ahead. . .again, good for him!!

We should all take time just to say to our loved ones every now and then how proud we are of them and happy to have wonderful times to spend together as a family and just enjoy each others company.  It says loud and clear. . ."Hey, I love you, I enjoy you, and love to be in your company!  Thanks for being here for me, too!"

I decided I wanted to use the My Favorite Things t-shirt die again and settled on using a couple of stamps that are companions to this die; the saying, You Rock and a lightning bolt.  I embossed the stamp prints with gold and black and used a red shimmer cardstock for the T-shirt.  Various Graphic 45 patterned papers worked in beautiful with the masculine theme and the color combinations.  Below is the final design I came up with.  I know David will like his t-shirt card and probably wish he had a t-shirt just like it that he could actually wear!

Recipe:    Paper:  SU Black cs; American Crafts POW Glitter (gold); DCWV Shimmer cs (t-shirt); Graphic 45-Bird Song (stripe)/ Commuique-Photogenic (pattern); DCWV Gold Stag Star.

Dies:  MFT Masculine Graphic T-Shirt (+ stamps); Spellbinders Five Stars, Pinking Circles LG/ SM; Stampin' Up Framelits Stars; Sizzix Sizzlits Mango Tango Numbers.  Punches:  EK Notebook Border; WRMK Deco Corner Chomper.  (Inside: EK Medium Scallop Corners.)  Other:  Stampin' Up Rhinestones (marker colored).  Size: 6-3/8" x 5-3/8."

A New R.N. in the Family!

Congratulations are in order for my youngest daughter, Jackie!  Today, our family and Jackie's long-time friends gathered to watch and celebrate her R.N. pinning ceremony upon completion of her final quarter in her associate R.N. nursing degree.  She has worked so very hard putting aside many things in her singular effort to become a registered nurse.  We are very proud of all her hard work and her 4.0 grade point average.

So, of course, I had to make a card for Jackie for this special occasion. I made her card while on my vacation in California from an original design by my sister, Heidi Gonzales (mylilscrapcorner.blogspot).   As I was creating it, I thought it would be perfect for this occasion with the grandfather clock denoting it was time to celebrate something very special.  After completing the outside and deciding on the right sentiment for the front of the card, I began to formulate my inside verse to celebrate Jackie.  I hope she likes the card and the special words meant just for her.

Recipe:  Papertrey Ink designer paper and cardstocks. SU Punches: Modern Label, Word Window. EK Fancy Corners. Papertrey Mehndi Medallion Impression Plate. Sizzix Tags. Wilton 4-inch Doily. Hug Snug Melon seambinding ribbon. MFT Felt: Jellybean Green. Prima flower. Stash: Lace & Fringe.

It has been an interesting voyage watching this young lady grow from a gawky teenager to a beautiful young lady.  She began her college career thinking she wanted to be a professional photographer.  Her first college degree at the local community college was an Associated of Arts degree.  She went from there to the Seattle Art Institute and received a photography degree...her specialty fashion photography!   After several years of working in photography, she came to the conclusion that to be really successful in her preferred line of photography, she would have to move from the northwest, and she had no desire to do that.

During these years and somewhere along the way, she became interested in nursing as a possible change for her life's career.  This isn't too strange because both of her grandmothers were nurses, and she has numerous aunts and cousins who are nurses.  To be sure that was her calling, she volunteered at Harborview Medical Center and went back to college to get her Certified Nursing Assistant license.  She was able to get her first CNA job at Harborview and was elated.  After a year of working at Harborview, she was sure she wanted to be a nurse. 

Her attempt to achieve this goal is a little slower than some, as she basically had to start college all over again changing from arts to science!  So, back to college she went while still working part-time at Harborview to acquire the prerequisites needed to even be able to even apply for a nursing program.  It was a long and arduous trek, taking biology, chemistry, microbiology, anatomy & physiology, psychology, and numerous other classes, but she was finally ready to find a school.  Trying to get her nursing degree in an economical manner, she chose the L.P.N. to R.N. bridging route at our local community college, which would mean four full-time quarters, and then apply and test for her L.P.N. nursing license.  Working for a year after passing the L.P.N., she bridged to an associate part-time R.N. program while still working part-time in private pediatric care. 

Today, she finished the next step in the ladder to her final goal, getting her B.S.N.  She has already formulated her plan to work as an R.N. for a year, and then apply to the University of Washington's Bachelors of Science R.N. part-time bridge program.  Personally, I think the Bachelor's degree may not end up being the final step, but we'll see as time unfolds.  Her entire family, of course, wishes her the very best and will continue to love and support her!  Though this story became rather lengthy, I hope I did not rattle on too long...can you tell I'm a proud parent!

HUGE Congratulations in Order...

This post is bittersweet for sure!  My son-in-law has been promoted to Warrant Officer in the Coast Guard...that is absolute GREAT news!  Now the bittersweet part, they are being transferred from Washington state to West Virginia!!  That is just a bit of a distance...approximately 2,700 miles or 42 hours of driving!  Hmm...right now I drive to Michele's house in 10 minutes...that will be a HUGE change for three years, and who knows after that!

To celebrate and congratulate Don on this GREAT promotion and wonderful milestone in his career, here is my card: 

Ingredients:  Night of Navy/ Cherry Cobbler/ Baja Breeze cardstocks (Minds Eye stripe/ stars unknown).  Embossing Folder:  Square Lattice.  Stamp set:  The Open Seas - gold embossing lightly applied/ heavy to anchor.  Denim/ Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine.  Applied faux patina process to Baja Breeze embossed with Square Lattice, using stamp pads:  Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler and Not Quite Navy: sponge daubbing followed by Versamark/ heat-set Gold Embossing powder.  Sentiment: computer-generated; Stampin' Up Modern Labels punch.

A New Nurse in the Family! Congratulations!!

After a lot of hard work, my daughter, Jackie is graduating from her LPN Nursing program...then on to State board...and voila, we have a new nurse in the family.

Jackie makes about the about the 7th nurse in the family.  John has 5 in his family: his mother, 3 aunts, and a sister.  I have 2 in mine:  my mother and now Jackie.  Jackie plans to continue toward her R.N., but wants to be able to work part-time as a nurse while doing so, thus starting with first a Certified Nursing Assistant, then a Licensed Practical Nurse, and then on to her R.N. degree.