Butterfly & Flower

Just sharing a couple of cards with you today that I made with background paper from a pack by the Paper Studio called Poteeka Souffle that my DD gave me for Christmas. I colored both of the images while I was in Mexico. The butterfly is a stamp by Layers of Color and the sentiment is from Gina K. Designs. The flower is a digi image; unfortunately, I do not have any information as to the creator. I think I'm going to enjoy this new paper pack -- it has lots of pretty colors and glitter too!

Betty

More of GKD Top Ten Countdown

I've done a few more techniques for the Top Ten Countdown over at StampTV. Here are my cards:

Technique: Shimmer Background (embossed with cuttlebug folder and used Sakura clear glitter pen to add shimmer on embossed areas). Stamp sets by Gina K. Designs, Pressed Flowers and A Year of Flowers.

Technique: Waxed Paper and Cuttlebug Folder; Stamp set Gina K. Designs, Take Flight

This technique is adding a button to a bow. Stamp set is Gina K. Designs, You Are Not Alone.

Thanks for coming by and taking a peek at my cards!

Betty

Roses' December Challenge

From the cradle to the cross…
God’s Precious Gift;
Christ’s Perfect Love.

Merry Christmas to All!

White Elephant Gift

My DH and I recently attended our Adult Bible Fellowship Christmas Party and one of the highlights of the evening was the opening of the white elephant gifts. Had to share what Larry chose -- a lava lamp! Would you believe that I've always wanted one???? Hate to admit it, but I could stare at the silly thing all day long! My contribution to the gifts was a stack of 45 rpm records -- needless to say, they got a laugh but no one wanted them enough to "steal them away" from the person who opened them!! lol
Hope you'll come back tomorrow when I post my card for the Roses December challenge. See you then,
Betty

Top Ten Countdown

Are you playing the top ten countdown of favorite episodes of stampTV? Day 1 started with the Split Negative technique and Day 2 is the Faux Window technique. You can play as much as you want -- one day or all ten days. Your entries must be in by Jan. 2 and 5 winners will be announced on Jan. 3. There are some really neat prizes, including the upcoming stampTV kit. Check it out at StampTV. Here are my entries for days one and two, or maybe I should say days two and one since blogger loaded my pictures that way and I'm too lazy to change it!

Betty

JUGS64

This card was made for the color challenge at Just Us Girls to use Light Blue, White, and Green. I love the soft colors; the card base is SU Bashful Blue, and ribbon from Michael's borders the top and bottom. I used the Quickutz Scalloped Circle embossing folder on the white cardstock and then stamped the image from Gina K. Design's Spring Mix StampTV kit. Sentiment is also from the same kit. Some light green pearls for the corners and my card was done!

I have one other card I'd like to show you. My friend Melisa gave me this stamp from The Angel Company and I just had to get it inky. Colored the flower with Bic Markers and cut it out with a Nestability die. The dp is from Gina K. Design's Spring Mix StampTV kit. Graduated sizes of white pearls along the border of the dark brown GKD Pure Luxury cardstock finished it off. Thanks, Melisa, I love the stamp and so does my DD!

Betty

Phindy's Friday Challenge

Oopsie!!! I messed up with my entry for Phindy's Friday Challenge. Anne very graciously let me know that I was supposed to have used one of Phindy's digi images rather than a stamp. I was just so excited to see the theme of "All Creatures Great and Small" and didn't read the fine print! So, here I am again with a sweet little bear; this is a portion of one of Phindy's images. My printer ink is the worst about smudging when blending colored pencils. So I had to cut off a badly smudged piece of the image! But what's left is just precious, don't you think?????

Betty

Have You Seen Mr. Grinch?

Hop on over to Creative Clear Stamps to find out about all the prizes that can be won by playing their Grinch game. Sounds like a fun time and you can help out Laura Lou Woo too!

Betty

All Creatures Great and Small

My husband and I love James Herriot's books so the title of challenge 35 at Phindy's Place caught my eye immediately. We are to use animals on our projects and I knew I wanted to use this stamp because it has two creatures, both great and small! I used all Stampin' Up cardstock (some of it may be retired) and used colored pencils for the image. The inside sentiment reads "So good to see you again!" Hope my card made you smile and maybe you'd like to come play with us! (I apologize for the poor photo -- it looked better on my computer before I uploaded it!)

Betty

One More Christmas Card

I have a Christmas card today that I will be linking to the following challenges:
ABC Christmas Challenge - choose any letter - I chose C is for Candy (and it's also for canes!)
MelJens Challenge - Sweet as Candy (or cookies)
Annabelle Stamps - Say it in Green and Red

The background is from Cloud9 Design (Harvest Holiday Glitter Mat Stack). I heat embossed the greeting and swirl with white powder, cut out one of the candy canes to "hang" on the swirl, and added four green rhinestones. Will this be my last Christmas card this year??? Time will tell.......

Betty

Embossed Butterfly

My husband picked up a business card the other day, thinking that I might like to use the embossed butterfly on a card and he was right! I used Gina K. Pure Luxury cardstock (except the border for the butterfly is Stampin' Up cardstock from my scrap paper) and designer paper from the Gina K. Designs Spring Mix StampTV kit. Greeting is from Gina K, You are Not Alone. Greeting cut with Spellbinders Die, Ribbon Tag Trio 2. Ribbon is from Big Lots.

Quick & Sparkly

I do have a card today and it came together quickly since I let the patterned paper do most of the work! It is from Cloud9 Design, Harvest Holiday Glitter Mat Stack. I used a ribbon tag trio from Spellbinders to cut of the greeting but I trimmed off the slot for the ribbon. Lightly stamped the doiley from Gina K. Design's Nana's Needlework for the background and the greeting is from GKD's Eclectic Summer Sayings. A couple of small green rhinestones finished it off.
Picked up a couple of Christmas gifts for the grandkids today but my Christmas shopping is far from finished!!
Betty

Santa Slippers

I didn't get a card made today so I thought I'd show you my Santa slippers! Aren't they just the cutest?! A church group bought bags of goodies to the residents at my MIL's assisted living center and she wasn't interested in the slippers (Bah, humbug!) Oh well, at least I am enjoying them!
Maybe there will be a card tomorrow. Bye for now!
Betty

Recycled Box Top

I used a box top from a recently purchased pair of boots for the focal image of my card today. I cut it out with a Nestabilities die and embossed the greeting in white powder. It was popped up on the four panels of yellow and turquoise, which were embossed with a Cuttlebug folder and adhered to a card base of green.

ColourQ62 - Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise, Glorious Green and White.
STVSKSP6 - Sketch Challenge from StampTV
Stamp set Warm Words by Stampin' Up

Tomorrow is my grandson's 7th birthday and I was busy today making cookies for his first grade class. Also stamped the white bakery bags for the cookies. Thanks for stopping by!
Betty

Y is for Yuletide

Since I returned from Mexico I have turned a walk-in closet in a spare bedroom into my stamping room. I don't have all my supplies unpacked but I have been able to make a few cards lately. This is one that I have done for the ABC Christmas Challenged "Y is for Yuletide". We were to use Holly and Berries, or Red and Green, or Candles for the theme of the card.
My main image is from the Doves and Holly set by Flourishes. I used Nestability dies and an embossing folder by QuicKuts. Papers are from Stampin' Up, The Paper Studio Wonderful Christmas Wishes, and AC Specialty Paper Christmas Foil.
Hope your Christmas plans are under control and that you have a blessed holiday!
Betty

Bees Left, Cold Weather Came, and Betty Skedaddled Back Home!

Hello all! Haven't updated in a long time. Cold weather came to Mexico and my house didn't have heat -- my bones froze and I was so darned uncomfortable that I decided to come back to Texas where I have access to central heat, coats, flannel shirts, and plenty of blankets! I have to admit that the Canadians didn't think it was very cold but they must have ice water in their veins instead of blood! I had a wonderful time while I was there but decided that it was not to be the place where we will move for our retirement. It's going to have to be a more tropical climate year round! DH thinks that Costa Rica will be a good place to check out. I probably won't be able to get back into card making mode because most of my "stuff" is packed up and in a storage facility. Hubby thinks we should still try to sell the house so I can't set my craft room back up. (insert sobs here) I'm trying to talk him into setting up a storage room back behind the house and I can use it for a craft room and we can store the other "stuff" in it too and won't have to pay storage fees. Don't think there's much chance of that happening but I'll keep mentioning it!!

Betty

Bees are Gone!

The bees are gone and I got back in my house on Monday afternoon. Well, actually, Monday evening -- I had to hang out at the pool (it's a tough job, but someone's got to do it!) Monday afternoon because of the strong smell in the house. I saw one very sick bee today but I quickly put him out of his misery and I haven't seen any more.

I did a little coloring yesterday. The butterflies are from Layers of Color and the flowers are from Isabella's Sketchbook. I stamped my inkspots on a piece of acetate and then picked up the ink with my reinker.

A couple of more pictures to share of my friends' papaya tree. Their helper planted the seed back in June and look at what it has produced! I have been promised any ripe papayas because they don't think that they taste good at all! I love 'em -- particularly with a little lime juice squeezed on them! And they're supposed to be very good for your digestion too!



Later,
Betty

A New Adventure

I've had another adventure, friends! I had to vacate my house yesterday because bees decided to move in. Now, I realize my grandma name is "BeeBee" but there were more than two bees buzzing around my place yesterday. It started with two, and ended up with a swarm! At first I was just shooing them out the window, wondering if I should call my property management lady (Sarah). When the bees really started swarming I just wanted to holler "HELP!". The Lord smiled down on me though, and I saw Sarah's car coming down the street. I ran outside and called her name -- she heard me and backed the car up and I said "They're everywhere!!". We stood outside and watched the bees swarming, just as thickly as inside the house! She told me to pack up quickly and she'd arrange for a taxi to take me to a bed and breakfast. So, that's where I am now. The bee exterminator cannot come until Monday morning and then it will be several hours before anyone can go in to clean up and then I'll be able to go back.

My sister is coming next Friday for a visit -- sure am glad this happened before she arrived! Hopefully, all will be back to normal before your visit, Barbara!!

Later,
Betty

A Butterfly Comes to Visit

Captured this picture of a visitor outside my front door today. I actually took about five pictures but decided not to make you look at all of them!


I spent some time at the pool today on a lounge chair with a good book. You can see what I saw as I was looking up into a palm tree. It was a little cool in my house this morning so I went to the pool so I could sit out in the sun and warm up. It worked!


As I was leaving the pool I spied these decorations on one of the houses. Aren't they cute -- you can almost hear the music! (you'll have to click on them to get a better view.)
And the last picture is of the BottleBrush Tree at the rear of my house. A very interesting plant/tree if I do say so myself!
Hope you enjoyed the pictures from the complex where I'm living. It's a very pleasant place and I love walking around and seeing all the interesting plants and ways that folks have their homes decorated!

Out and About in Chapala

Well, I didn't manage to get a picture of the local buses, but here's my bus stop! The one in the foreground is where I wait when I want to go to Chapala and the one in the background will get me to Ajijic! I went to Chapala this morning for a session with my acupuncturist and since I allowed plenty of time I was able to walk to the Malecon (a parklike area along the shore of Lake Chapala). Tomorrow (Saturday) it will be busy, busy with lots of vendors selling most anything you could want and people everywhere, enjoying the market, the beautiful weather and time with their families. But this morning, it was very quiet as the following pictures will show.


Just have two more photos to share -- these were taken from the malecon and show the mountain in the distance. Can you see the chapel(?) with the cross on top of the mountain? To keep you from squinting and having wrinkles set in, I got a closeup shot too -- cause we don't want any more wrinkles, now do we????

Catch you all later,
Betty

Missing the Birds in my Back Yard

I've been missing the birds in my backyard in Conroe, Texas. I've heard lots of birds here but I caught a glimpse of a really pretty one several days ago. It had a bright red head and breast with brown wings. Today I saw him again and had my camera at hand.

My latest adventure has been riding the local buses. My rental house is in San Antonio, a village that is east of Ajijic; I rode the bus into Ajijic to meet at friend at the Wednesday Street Market. Didn't get any pictures -- will have to share some another time. We went to a "Mom and Pop" restaurant and had chili rellanos (spelling?) that were very good. Then spent some time walking around, looking at shops, and having a good time chatting until I had to get back home.

Will try to get more pictures while I'm out and about tomorrow!
Betty

A Trip to Domino's Pizza

Well, guys, I couldn't stand it -- I had to find out if Dominos Pizza in Mexico tastes the same as Dominos Pizza in Texas. Many, many years ago when we lived in Indonesia, we went to Pizza Hut but it just wasn't the same. However, I am happy to report that Mexican Dominos pizza tastes just like Dominos pizza back in the States. I had a very pleasant and interesting experience while waiting for my pizza. I sat down at a long table with a Mexican family and came to find out that they had lived in Pasadena, Texas and their oldest son spoke very good English. It was nice being able to chat with them. After I got my pizza, a little boy from another table brought me a disposable plate (see picture)to put my slice of pizza on. I had noticed that everyone else had one but I didn't -- it was really thoughtful of this young family to notice and provide for the "gringo"! I've been made to feel so welcome by everyone I've met, foreigners and locals alike -- even when we can't communicate well, the locals I've met have gone out of their way to be very helpful. For that, I'm truly thankful!
Betty

Have You Seen the 2 Cute Rubber Stamps Challenge?

Hop on over to 2 Cute Rubber Stamps for this free digi image and a chance to win free rubber stamps! Don't you just love the candy corn noses on these pumpkins?
Betty

Interesting Things

Back again to show you a few interesting things that add to the charm of my rental house.
** in the upper left, you will see a concrete built in mirror with a piece of art with a marble base (the art piece is moveable, but my gosh, it is heavy -- I'd hate to drop it on my toe!)
** the upper middle picture is a decorative tile scene, which is built in to the brick.
** upper right, lower right and middle photos are of the fireplace. It is concrete with carved flowers, stems, and leaves. Stone surrounds the fireplace and goes all the way to the ceiling with a beautiful piece of art work above the concrete mantle.
** middle left and lower left show the tile work in the kitchen. The same tile work on the range hood goes around the top of the cabinets. The circular tile piece is above the microwave. A unique kitchen, to be sure!
** lower middle -- same theme as the kitchen; three small tiles built into the cobblestone door stoop.
Anybody want to come for a visit?? Just let me know!
Betty

bizzy becs

Bizzy Becs Has a New Store Blog...Where you will now see all Bizzy Becs Store Design Team's Inspiration Cards, Tutorials.. Plus LOTS & LOTS of Giveaways.

Lots of fun with the Store Challenges now being set up on here.. Where anyone worldwide can now enter.

They are looking for 3 more Design Team members to Join Cheryl, Jackie, Cassandra, Leonie & Narelle. The Chosen 3 will be announced on here in the first week of November.. So If you are interested they would still love to hear from you.. Contact Bizzy Becs here for details.

This Blog Candy is to WELCOME you to Bizzy Becs Store Blog.. Blog Candy is open till November 10th, 2010.. Check herefor details on how to enter to win this candy!

See you again later today with photos of interesting things in my new house!
Betty

Pulled Out My Colored Pencils

Hey stamping friends! Does this look more like a normal post? It looks a little bit like a card but since I don't have all my "stuff" it's just a piece of card stock with three stamped images from Layers of Color. My friend, Melisa Waldorf, let me stamp some of her images when she and I were stamping (mostly talking????) one day. I really enjoyed pulling out the colored pencils and baby oil and coloring a bit today!
I have a worker outside installing a tv satellite system (provided by the owner of the house -- yippee!, 'cause it ain't cheap!) So, I'm hoping that I'll be able to watch Dancing with the Stars on Monday evening!
Later, Betty

Good Saturday Morning!

Hello friends! I've been missing in action the last couple of days since moving into my house. Actually, it took me a while to figure out how to connect to the internet here! I am within walking distance to Wal-Mart (yes, there is a Wal-Mart here; I think it's been around for just under a year) so I went over there the day I moved in to pick up some things I needed. Okay, bottled water, laundry detergent, cooking oil, a papaya and a numbert of misc. items can get quite heavy! Luckily for me, they have a free shuttle van and I was able to get a ride home and it only cost me a tip for the driver! How great is that????
Melisa was wanting to know if I can get American food here or if there are any fast food places. Well, there are some Americans here who have opened restaurants (i.e., 60's in Paradise where the speciality is hamburgers, malts, and 50's and 60's music & memorabilia) but there aren't too many American fast food chains here. But, there is one, and I can see their sign from my mirador (that's an outside living space on the roof of the house). I'm going to go get my camera and take a picture so you can see it too!I used my camera zoom and then cropped my photo in Picasa so it looks like Domino's Pizza place is just next door but actually it's a little walk on past Wal-Mart. At least I'll be able to walk off some of those pizza calories! Haven't tried one yet so can't say for sure that they taste exactly like their counterparts in the US. Will have to report on that later! I had a good healthy supper last night. Grilled a piece of Basa (fish), also grilled some onions, and had a couple slices of fresh papaya. I was so glad to find the basa at Wal-Mart because hubby and I ate a lot of that at home. There's also a fish market nearby as well as a meat market.
Thanks for stopping by to visit!
Betty

A Slower Wednesday

This is the restaurant where I had lunch yesterday. It is on the central plaza of Ajijic which is a common gathering place for locals and expats alike (the plaza, that is!). Very relaxing to sit out under the umbrellas and watch the goings on! I was moving a little slower yesterday (but that's okay in Mexico!). Went to sleep with the overhead fan on and got too cool during the night (not good for the asthma). So I was coughing again yesterday although not too badly. Learned my lesson and turned off the fan before falling to sleep last night!
As I was walking around in exploration mode yesterday, I saw this interesting doorway and thought that it might be one my friends would like to see. I'm also going to share a picture of Lake Chapala. You've seen the mountains to the north and here's the lake to the south!
I'm hoping to be able to move into my rental today. Will let you know if that comes about or not!
Betty

Hole in the Wall

I didn't take my camera with me last night so I don't have a picture to share of where we ate. We all ordered several different dishes (some with the same names as what you would order at a Tex-Mex place but just not quite the same!) I enjoyed everything that I had; but most of all I enjoyed the company of newly found friends! There were four of us -- the couple I met at lunch yesterday and another lady that they had met the day before! It is amazing how quickly people interact with each other here and enjoy one another's company. The couple that I met is from Georgia and they have been here since June of this year. Sylvia is asthmatic too, and has found living here to be very beneficial to her health (sounds like she has the exact same problems as me); I told her that I knew we "connected" for a purpose. Her husband Richard says that she has lost three dress sizes since being here because they don't have a car either and walk everywhere they go; he said that he's even lost one dress size!! I love his dry sense of humor. I'd also love it if I lost a dress size or two as well -- I can always hope, right?????
My picture today is a water lily from the grounds of the Lake Chapala Society; a group that offers all sorts of helpful lectures and classes and a great source of information for newcomers.

Tuesday in Ajijic (pronounced Ah-he-heek)

Hello again! Today has been a fun and fruitful day and it's not even over yet! Started out the day with fresh squeezed orange juice, a bowl of bananas, papaya, canteloupe and mango, an omelet and homemade biscuits, full of blueberries and raspberries -- can you say YUMMY?????? I have pictures of the b&b where I am staying. The first shows where my room is -- on the left at the end of the pathway. (You can see the mountains in the background.)The lobby is covered but not totally enclosed. There are some rooms downstairs and then there's a staircase to the upper floor where rooms are just built onto the roof of the building.
I went out withe a lady who manages rental properties and looked at three different places and I think that I have found the one I want to rent for the next 2 1/2 months. The seconds picture is a side view of the house (it's on a corner lot) and you can see the covered mirador (an open-air living space on the roof of the house). The mirador is accessed from inside the house (some only have access from the outside). The living/dining/kitchen area is one open space; kitchen is nicely furnished with plenty of dishes, cooking utensils, etc. And it has a dishwasher (I'd say that the majority of places here don't have that very necessary piece of equipment!)
Had lunch at a neat little place called 60's in Paradise. Decorated with vinyl lps, pictures of Elvis, Jimmy Dean, Marilyn, etc. Of course, 50's and 60's music plays in the background and the speciality of the house is malts & hamburgers! When they bring you your check, it is attached to a vinyl record (a 45)! I met a really fun couple who invited me to have supper with them tonight at "The Hole in the Wall", and I understand that the name describes the place quite accurately but the food is fabulous! This couple has been living here since July of this year and she enjoys books set in Natchez, Mississippi (my hometown) and especially those of Greg Iles (who also grew up there). She would get along well with my daughter who is quite the book-a-holic! I'll probably have to wait and tell you about that adventure tomorrow!
Until then,
Betty