Back to School Bash

The Stamping Bella group on SCS had a virtual "Back to School" bask on Wednesday night. It was so much fun! We had two challenges.

The first challenge (BB2S01) was to make a card using 3+4=7 elements (3 of one thing, 4 of another). I used 3 of Bella's dots and 4 stamps to create my "Circle of Friends" card. 

Stamps: Best Friends Forevah, Fifi, Cuddlycat, and Tutuface by Tiddly Inks for Stamping Bella

Paper: CTMH Orchid Bouquet and Key Lime; ATD Born to Be Wild Stack

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics, Copic Spicas

Accessories: Bella's Dots in Glitter Light Lilac, Nestabilities, Taylored Expressions Ribbon, misc. eyelets

The second challenge (BB2S02) was to make a card using school or office supplies. I made this card for Brittany's first day of school. I used this particular stamp because she LOVES history books and has a ton of them in her classroom. I included a daisy because it is her favorite flower, and I have a huge bouquet of daisies delivered to her classroom every year on the first day of school. The brown paper is a lunch bag (she always packs her lunch). The DP is a page from a grade book. The border is a ruler. The daisy stem is a paper clip. The daisy leaf is a Post-it note. The hinge is to remind her not to let the kids make her feel "unhinged." LOL

Stamp: Bookwormabella by Stamping Bella

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics, Copic Spicas

Accessories: CTMH hinge and brads; SU Scallop Edge Punch

Post Vacation Therapy

Vacations are fun...but the post-vacation laundry is not! Seems like it takes so much longer to unpack and wash it all than it did to pack and wear it! So in between loads, I went for some stamping therapy. Here are my three latest cards for challenges on SCS.

 

One Fish, Two Fish is for BSC41. I made it for a friend whose husband died last year. Just want her to know that I am still thinking about him.

Stamps: Staceyfishabella and sentiment by Stamping Bella

Paper: CTMH Good Times, Chocolate, Sweet Leaf, and Twilight

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics, Copic Spicas

Accessories: Fiskars Leave it to Weaver Border Punch, Taylored Expressions ribbon, hemp jute, pop-up dots, clear baubles, and fish brads

Surprise...it's me! is for BCC41. I made this for a friend whose birthday is next week. We haven't had a chance to talk for a long time, so it will be nice to reconnect.

Stamps: i-can't-see-a-thing-abella and sentiment by Stamping Bella

Paper: CTMH Baby Pink, Buttercup, and Taffy; DCWV The Blossoms & Butterflies Stack

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics, Copic Spicas

Accessories: Bella's Dots in Crackle Orange, Taylored Expressions ribbon

Pretty in Pink is for BSC42. This is a thank-you note for a friend who sent me an early birthday 

present. 

Stamps: lattebella by Stamping Bella; sentiment by Memory Box

Paper: CTMH Watermelon and Bubble Gum; DCWV The Blossoms and Butterflies Stack

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Balck, Copics, Copic Spicas

Accessories: Bella's Dots in Glitter Pink Orchid, pop-up dots, SU Ribbon Slot Punch, SU Ticket Punch, misc. ribbon

Under the Sea...

Brittany, Brennan, and Kristin (Brittany's friend) took Emma to the Boston Aquarium. She enjoyed trying to kiss the fish through the window!

 

Put Me in the Zoo

There is an endangered species zoo in MA. Brittany and Keaton took Emma there for the day. Of course she loved the animals~but she also loved hanging with Mommy and Uncle Keaton. Perhaps her favorite part was her first experience with cotton candy!

Emma's West Coast Meet & Greet Tour

Most of our family is in CA, and many of them had not yet met Emma. So we tagged along on Rick's business trip and had lots of fun!

First, Brittany gave Emma her first ponytails! How cute are these?!

Then it was off to see Great Grandma Burns, Great Grandpa Jim, and Great-Great Aunt Joan. (They've all seen Emma, so this was a fun reunion!)

Uncle Jim, Aunt Merlynn, and Joshua were there, too. 

Next, we went to Great Grandma Scott's house. She saw Emma last October.

 Emma loves to smell flowers.

Emma met my brother and his family for the first time. 

Nicole, Great Grandma Scott, Giffy, Ashleigh, Megan, Emma, Brittany

Here's my little brother, Mark!

Then we met my girlfriend, Lesly, and her daughter, Holly. Lesly has met Emma before, but Holly hadn't. When Brittany and Holly were in elementary school, I would take them to the local teacher's supply store and let them choose some fun things. Then they'd have sleep-overs and pretend to teach their classroom full of dolls and stuffed animals. 

They both became teachers!

After 5 fun days in southern CA, we flew to northern CA. We have a lot of family there. 

The first stop was to see my brother, Bill. His grand-daughter, Lexi, in 3 1/2. 

She and Emma quickly became best friends!

 

After playing at the park, we ate at Bill and Lori's favorite Mexican restaurant. YUM! 

Here I am with Lori, my dear SIL. 

Brittany had so much fun with her cousin Jenny, Bill and Lori's daughter. Brittany and Jenny took their girls to the Oakland Zoo. 

Emma's favorite thing to do was to hold Lexi's hand in the car!

Lori and I are both scrapbooking and card-making maniacs! Lexi enjoys it, too.

Here, Lexi and Emma are making their own "lay-outs."

My sister, Diane, and her sweet husband, Chet, came over to meet Emma. 

L-R: Brittany, Emma, Bill, Lexi, Diane, and Jenny.

Here I am with Bill and Diane.

Then we visited with Rick's three sisters. Here are Brittany and Emma with Rachel and Zack.

In this photo, Rachel is reading my book to Xander. 

Front L-R: Quinn (Mary's son), Rachel (Joan's daughter), Xander (Mary's son)

Back L-R: Zack (Joan's son), Jessica (Barbara's daughter), Brittany, and Emma

We enjoyed one last visit with Lori and Jenny. The four of us enjoyed pedicures while Bill and Rick watched Lexi and Emma. They are such good Papas!

A bit more play time for Lexi and Emma...

The next morning, Emma was pooped!

It was a GREAT trip! And who needs toys? Here's Emma having a delightful time with a plastic cup!

Back to School

Brittany starts school in a few weeks. I made this Post-It note holder for her desk. Hope gave me the idea. Thanks for helping me, Hope!

You're My Cup of Tea

This is for BCC40 on SCS. This stamp just tickles me!

Stamp: Tiny Tina Teacup by Chichiboulie for Stamping Bella

Paper: CTMH Black, Kiwi, Autumn Terracotta; misc. DP

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics, Copic Spica

Accesories: Bella's Dots in Solid Black, Taylored Expressions Ribbon

Stop and Smell the Daisies

I finally got to this week's challenges! This one is for BSC40 on SCS. I just love this stamp! Daisies are Brittany's favorite flowers, so this stamp reminds me of her~and that's always sweet!

Stamp: Daisybella by Stamping Bella

Paper: CTMH Let's Get Together

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics, Copic Spica

Accessories: Bella's Dots in Glitter Chestnut and Crackle Green; SU Hodgepodge Hardware in Stylized Silver

25th Anniversary

Last night, we completed our celebration by going to dinner. When we got home, we found a lovely surprise. The kids had a beautiful frame engraved for us for us. On the top, it says "Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:7." On the bottom, it says "Happy 25th Anniversary." They enlarged our favorite wedding photo and put it in the frame. In addition, they each wrote a very personal letter to us, telling us how inspired they are by our relationship and how much it means to them that we are still happily married. Yes~it totally made me cry! Brittany also handmade the beautiful card. (The frame is silver, though it looks copper in the photo.)

Thank you Keaton, Brennan, Brittany & Emma!

WE LOVE YOU!

Who Needs Toys?

When my kids were little, they LOVED to play with anything that wasn't a toy: Tupperware, pots and pans, paper towel rolls, etc. Little Miss Emma has added her own twist~toilet paper and Uncle Keaton!

My First EVER Royalties check!

I knew I wouldn't make a ton of money on my Zamboni books since they are being published by an educational publisher. But no worries~the dream was to be published, and the teacher in me is THRILLED that they are being used as part of the literacy curriculum. The royalty check is a cherry on top! Okay...the check isn't for much~but it sure was fun to receive! I feel like a real author now! COOL!

Happy Birthday, Brittany

Yesterday was Brittany's 24th birthday. Don't want to think about how old that makes me! We met in Boston's North End (Little Italy) for dinner, and then hit the famous Mike's Pastries for dessert.

Happy Birthday, Brittany!

RED SOX RULE!

Boston is a beautiful city. It's so clean, pretty, and easy to explore. And the history is incredible! Here are a few photos:

Having dinner at Morton's in Boston~a truly incredible restaurant! They even printed custom menus for us that said "Happy 25th Anniversary" across the top.

Yup...we are the World Series Champions! GO SOX!!! We took a tour of Fenway Park. Awesome, to say the least!

(Okay...I get a little crazy over the Sox!)

Boston is home to our country first public park and public garden. This is a view of the Boston Public Garden. It has a beautiful pond in the center of it. You can enjoy a ride on a beautiful swan boat!

We had a great weekend!

Off to Boston!

Our 25th anniversary is next week. We had our "big" celebration in April, when we took the kids and Emma on a Caribbean cruise. This weekend, Rick and I are off to Boston for the weekend~alone! We are going out for a nice dinner tonight, on a tour of Fenway Park and to a Red Sox game tomorrow (I am SO EXCITED!), and maybe to a movie or shopping on Sunday. (We are buying each other nice watches for our anniversary. I got mine on the cruise. Rick still needs to choose his.) Then we are meeting Keaton, Brennan, Emma, Brittany, and some of Brittany's friends in Boston's North End (Little Italy) for dinner on Sunday, a celebration for Brittany's 24th birthday. 

Have a great weekend!