A Beautiful Tribute....

to a beautiful horse. If you have read my earlier post, then you know that my daughter's horse died suddenly and unexpectedly on Wednesday morning. My daughter made a beautiful slide show in honor of our beloved Sadie. I hope you will take a minute or a two to view this amazing arrangement that she made for her horse. I know that a comment would be much appreciated by her too. We are still grieving the loss of our horse, but we are doing better. It has helped us tremendously to share precious memories of our sweet Sadie girl. We will always miss our Sadie and we will forever love her. You can view the slide show here.

God's blessings on you all today,
Barb

Sad to the core....

Yesterday started out like any other day. An hour into our day, my daughter noticed her horse out in the pasture laying down. My husband had gone out just an hour earlier to feed the horses and they were fine. I thought at first when I looked out the window that she was just resting, but I told my daughter to go out and call her. She came to the window and told me that Sadie would not get up. Still thinking that she was just resting in the sun, I went out to check on her, sure that would she get up and be fine. Well, she wasn't just resting. Something was very wrong. I sent my daughter into the house to get blankets to cover her with. I called my husband from my cell phone to tell him that something was very wrong with our horse. He called the vet and came right home. Four vets arrived soon after to take care of our horse and they were great. The best vets you could ask for. Our beloved Sadie died yesterday- there was nothing they could do to save her. In the space of three hours she went from fine to deathly sick and she was a very healthy horse. What happened? It was a kind of colic that hits without warning and hits fast. There are no signs, it just happens and it is bad from the start. They told us there was no way we could have known it was going to happen, that there would have been no warning signs that it was coming, and that we had done everything right and everything we could have possibly done. They said that this kind of colic hits only 5% of horses and there is just no real explanation for why it gets so bad so fast. It wasn't that she wasn't eating correctly. We keep our horses on just hay in the winter because hay helps them maintain their body heat better than grain. The vet told us that horses are just poorly made and some horses digestive systems can go very wrong very quickly. Unfortunately, Sadie was one of those horses. One of the vets told us that her first horse died from the exact kind of colic in about the same space of time.

When they got to our pasture, the first thing they did was give Sadie pain medication before they began their examination. They did everything, tried everything... nothing helped. They told us what our options were and none of them had a good outcome- there was no way she was going to make it, no matter what they did. So they made our Sadie comfortable and gave us time to say good bye to her. My daughter and I stayed with her to the end along with the vets. My husband, bless his heart, he couldn't do it. He went to the house and told me afterward that he cried like a baby. My husband is a strong man too. My daughter and I were crying so hard we made one of the vets cry too. Sadie was peaceful when she left us. She was only 12 years old, still very young for a horse and she was our daughter's first horse. Below is a photo of Sadie and our daughter the day we brought her home.

A sorrel Quarter Horse mare. Gosh, she was so beautiful and so sweet. We loved to watch her run through the pasture and hear the sound of her hooves as she ran. It sounded like the rumble of thunder in the distance. We loved her very much and we will miss her always.

This morning I went down to the barn to let our other horse out for the day. The first thing I saw when I walked into the barn was Sadie's lead line hanging in its usual place. My whole being sunk. I took her lead line, hung it over her stall door, and stood there and cried. I left her lead line over her stall door. Don't ask me why, I don't really know why, but it seems fitting, a way of honoring the horse that once lived in that stall. A way of saying we will never forget you.

Our other horse, Starlight, is in the stall next to Sadie's. We had taken her to see Sadie yesterday so she could say goodbye too. When my husband tried to take her back to the barn she didn't want to leave Sadie. As mares do, they got cranky at each other and they sometimes got on each others nerves, but they were buddies and they really did like each other. I called to Star on my way down to the barn this morning and she whinnied as she does every morning. After I hung Sadie's lead line on her stall door and cried for a few minutes, I wrapped my arms around Star's neck and cried into it. She leaned her head into me like she was trying to comfort me. I pulled myself together and led her out of the barn into the pasture. I put out her hay. She wouldn't eat it. She was looking around. She went out into the other pasture and she walked that entire pasture looking and calling. She was calling for Sadie and she didn't understand that Sadie is not here anymore. Just when you think it can't feel any worse, just watch your horse looking and calling out repeatedly for her friend and not understanding why she isn't there anymore. I tried to comfort her, but she can't be comforted either. She wants her friend to be there. I want our horse to be there again. There I was, out in the cold, tears pouring down my face, trying to comfort my horse. I stayed out there for a long time, but it availed nothing for my horse.

I came into the house and started working on washing the rest of the blankets that we took out to cover Sadie with yesterday to try to help keep her warm. I also had a basket of clothes from yesterday morning that never got folded. I was folding them when my husband came home and he took one look at me and said, "rough morning, huh?" I cried all over again and told him about my trip to the barn. He went out to see Star to try to comfort her too. He was gone for a long time. When he came in I asked him how she was doing and he said she is just standing out in the middle of pasture. Just standing there. He tried to comfort her, but it didn't help either. No one will ever be able to tell me that animals don't have emotions. They may or may not be like ours, but they do have feelings. Star is sad, but what is worse..... is that she doesn't understand that Sadie died. She just thinks she is not there anymore. Maybe she is thinking that if she waits in the middle of the pasture that Sadie will come home. I don't know.

We were so not prepared for yesterday. We always thought it would be Star who would leave us first because Star is a pretty old horse. We always thought it would be Sadie who would be left without her buddy. The vet told us that the chances of seeing this happen again are almost next to zero and not to be in fear that this would happen to Star too. They told us repeatedly that this is just one of those things that happens to only 5% of horses and when it does, it progresses very fast without any warning. One minute they are fine and the next minute ....

We are not going to get another horse right away. It takes time to grieve the one you lost. I know, I lost my first horse when I was a teen too. I was just a year older than my daughter is right now. We form a very special bond with our horses that cannot be explained. It is not like the bond we form with other animals that we are privileged to own. Our horses somehow become a part of us. Maybe it's because we spend so much time with them or maybe it's because we ride them and so we sort of become almost one. I know that it's a deep bond that is much like friendship and based on mutual respect as well. And they are happy to see you in the morning when you head down to the barn. They let you know by a whinny, by a nuzzle. They call out to you from the pasture when they see you walking. Losing them is like losing your best friend.

Barb

Reunited!

Just thought I would post a photo of my daughter and my son in law as they were reunited yesterday when he returned home from deployment in Iraq. What a happy day for them and for our families! And yes, this photo brought happy tears :-).

Blessings to you today!
Barb

Valentine Milk Carton

It's a lot of fun playing with the new Milk Carton die from the Occasions mini! It's just so stinkin' cute! Since Valentine's Day is coming up next month, I wanted to make some little treat boxes for my grandson. This is the same die that I used to make my little bird house ornament. I made the milk carton with Real Red card stock and covered the sides with paper from the 'Sending Love Specialty' Designer Series Paper in the Occasions mini. I used my 'Heart to Heart' punch to punch out some little hearts and then I simply inked the edges of the hearts. I punched a hole in the top with my Crop-a-dile and added a little tag... quick and easy!

Wishing you all a wonderful day!!!

Blessings!
Barb

Supplies:
Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Sending Love Specialty
Card Stock: Read Red, Pretty in Pink, Very Vanilla
Stampin' Up! Classic Ink: Real Red
Dies: Milk Carton
Punches: Modern Label, Word Window, Heart to Heart

Safely Home!

I 'just' received word from my daughter that my son in law's plane 'just' landed!! He is SAFELY home after a year of deployment in Iraq!! My daughter moved two weeks ago to the state where he is based to set up house and they will be home in February for a month so can't wait to see them both!!! And yeah, I am crying happy tears as I post :-)

Barb

'Sending Love' Little Scrapbook

Yesterday I posted my little Christmas scrapbook that I made with my 'Clear Scalloped Square' Bigz die. Just to show you that you can use this great die year round, I started work on another little scrapbook using the GORGEOUS 'Sending Love' Designer Series Paper. Even though you can't tell in my photo, the cover paper has glitter on it so it's super pretty. I haven't added anything yet to the cover embellishment wise because I am not completely sure what theme I am going to use it for. It would be a wonderful Valentine book, great for a baby girl, birthday, teen, moms.... lots of different possibilities.

The inside covers are also covered with a paper from the 'Sending Love' DSP. Isn't it pretty?

My inside pages are die cut from Very Vanilla and I used my Real Red Stampin' Write marker to make the lines on my journaling blocks. I used the same format as my Christmas book, but I left the square space on the journaling block blank for now until I figure out my theme for this book.

So there ya' have it. This is a die that everyone needs in their stamping supplies ;-). I hope you have a great day today!

Blessings!
Barb

Supplies:
Card Stock: Very Vanilla, Pretty in Pink
Paper: Sending Love Specialty DSP
Stampin' Write Markers: Real Red
Dies: Clear Scalloped Square Bigz die
Other: Bind it All machine

The Awesome Clear Scalloped Square Die

Do you remember that I told you I had a Christmas project to share with you that I did before Christmas? I know that Christmas is over, but this would be a great project to make in preparation for next Christmas and would make great stocking stuffers or little gifts you can give out to co-workers, neighbors, friends, family, the babysitter... well, you get the idea :-D. When I saw the 'Clear Scalloped Square' Bigz die in my Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalog, my first thought was, "Wow! That would make a GREAT little scrapbook!" Instead of scrounging around for coasters from restaurant to restaurant [although I do know a very nice restaurant owner who is happy to supply me with all the coasters I want- some of us are not so fortunate :-)] and how nice would it be to have an endless supply whenever you need one? Plus, these have scalloped edges to make them pretty :-D.

Although I have had my Scalloped Square die for a while, it took me a bit of time to get around to making my first little scrapbook with it. Are you ready to see it? You are? Viola! Here it is!

Because it is a Bigz die you can die cut through chipboard. It just happens that Stampin' Up chipboard is 'acid free'. I don't know about your area, but in my area it is impossible to find acid free chipboard. If you want your little scrapbook to last a long time you want to use acid free products. For my covers I used 'Bella Bleu' Designer Series Paper, the 'Delightful Decorations' stamp set and the new Ornament punch- both stamp set and punch from the Holiday 2009 mini. I stamped the ornament image with Versamark on Ballet Blue card stock and heat embossed with 'Iridecent Ice' embossing powder. Matted the punched out ornament on Very Vanilla embossed with the 'Petals a Plenty' embossing folder and matted again on Ballet Blue.

The inside pages of my book were die cut again with the Scalloped Square die from Very Vanilla card stock. You can die cut several pages at once with a Bigz die so it goes quick. My book has ten pages in it. I added journaling lines on Very Vanilla with my Ballet Blue Stampin' Write marker and matted my journaling blocks on Ballet Blue. I repeated this throughout my scrapbook, repeating the same three designs for the journaling blocks and leaving a matted square on the opposite page for a photo. When I was done with my pages I punched and bound them with my Bind it All.

Pages 1 & 2

Pages 3 & 4

Pages 5 & 6

I hope you can see the possibilities for great little scrapbooks with the Scalloped Square die :-). I am so glad that I bought it! It will get lots of use around here, lol! Have a wonderful day!

Blessings!
Barb

Supplies:
Stamps: To You and Yours (retired), Delightful Decorations ( Holiday mini 2009)
Paper: Bella Bleu
Card Stock: Ballet Blue, Very Vanilla
Stampin' Up Classic Ink: Ballet Blue
Punches: Ornament (Holiday mini 2009), Modern Label, Word Window, 3/4" Circle
Dies: Merry Details (little bird- Holiday mini 2009)
Other: Iridescent Ice, gold embossing powder, Bind it All machine

Valentine Card

Another project with products from the Occasions 2010 Mini! The 'Sending Love Specialty' Designer Series Paper is GORGEOUS! Some of the papers are all sparkly with pretty glitter- ya' gotta love the glitter :-). The 'Sending Love' DSP (Designer Series Paper) coordinates with Real Red, Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, and Very Vanilla card stocks. For my card below I used some papers from the 'Sending Love' DSP and another new embosslit from the Occasions mini for the Big Shot- 'Scalloped Heart of Hearts'. As previously mentioned in another post, the embosslits not only die cut the shape, they also emboss them as they cut in one easy step. I used my 'Scalloped Heart of Hearts' embosslit as a layer for my 'Full Heart' punch- they go together like peanut butter and jelly :-D.

You can't tell in my photos, but the paper that I used for the 'Full Heart' punch in front has glitttery flowers on it. It's so pretty in real life! The 'Scalloped Heart of Hearts' embosslit embosses cute little swiss dots on the inside of the heart. I'm sure you will see it soon without a layer over it :-D.

I frequently do the insides of my cards as they don't quite seem complete without the inside being all nice and pretty too ;-). The sentiment is from my new clear mount stamp set 'Well Scripted'. I just love the type used for the sentiments in this set- so elegant. The little heart was punched with my 'Heart to Heart' punch and is the smallest heart on the punch. The 'Photo Corners' punch adds just enough embellishment to make the sentiment really stand out.

On Thursday I will be posting my Valentine milk carton that I made, so hope you will stop back by then. Have a wonderful day today!!!

Blessings!
Barb

Supplies: Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes, Well Scripted
Paper: Sending Love Specialty DSP
Card Stock: Pretty in Pink, Real Red, Very Vanilla
Stampin' Up! Classic Ink: Real Red
Punches: Scallop Edge, Modern Label, Word Window, Full Heart, Heart to Heart
Dies: Scalloped Heart of Hearts

Clear Mount Stamps!

In the Occasions Mini 2010, debut the Clear Mount stamps option. So what exactly are Clear Mount stamps? They are stamps that can be mounted on clear acrylic blocks, but don't worry, we still get the same great rubber and quality that we expect from our Stampin' Up! stamps, but now we need less space to store them.... Is that AWESOME or what :-) ?!!!

Let me start out with showing you the case that these wonderful stamps come in :-). They come in clear plastic cd cases with an insert in the cover that shows you the images for stamp set inside. The insert also has the name of the stamp set, the product # and the number of stamps that come in the set.

The stamps stick to the inside of the cd case when being stored, and since the entire case is clear, you can see the stamps themselves from the clear back of the cd case. Cool, huh?

Just in case you are wondering... and I am sure that you are :-D, two cd cases fit in the space that is normally required for one wood mount stamp set. In the space that you stored 5 stamp sets before, you can now store 10 stamp sets! You will also notice that on the spine of the cd case are thumbnails of the stamps inside. Whether you are storing your new clear mount stamps in a drawer, in a cabinet, or on a shelf you can see at a glance what images are inside. In the photo below you can see a comparison between the wood mount cases and the clear mount cd cases. I did measure and two cd cases is the thickness of one wood mount case.

Another great feature with the clear mount stamps is that they come with a label that you can put on the backs of the cushions on your stamps so you can actually see the image as you are stamping. Stampin' Up's! clear mount option gives us the best of so many stampin' worlds! Less storage space, the same great image quality that you can only get with rubber, the great quality rubber of Stampin' Up! stamps, less expense, and easy on, easy off on clear blocks that let us see where we are stamping.

Now.... on to the blocks baby!! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these acrylic blocks!! I have other acrylic blocks, but there is NO comparison to how these feel versus them. The Stampin' Up! acrylic blocks are an ergonomic pleasure to hold and stamp with. As you can see in the photos below, each block is recessed on all four sides making them so easy to hold and grip.

Each block is also labeled with a letter so you can tell what size block you need for your particular stamp. You can get the blocks all at once in the Block Bundle or you can buy one block at a time. There are nine sizes of blocks available so you can be sure you will have a block that will fit your stamp as well as the wood blocks fit.

I have stamped with the clear mount stamps and with the acrylic blocks and I am sold on both!! I think you will be too :-). Have a great day!!

Blessings!
Barb

Sweet Little Bird House

Sorry for not getting back sooner to post. I injured my shoulder a few months back and it has gotten progressively worse over time, to the point that I could barely move my arm without serious pain. We are talking pain that is so severe it paralyzes your arm for a few minutes. I am now seeing a physical therapist to see if we can't get my arm better. Not sure yet if it is a torn rotator cup (hope not!!!) or just what they call 'frozen shoulder'. I do definitely have a frozen shoulder and if it does not respond well to therapy the next step is to have an MRI to check for a tear. I do see some progress so far :). My shoulder was VERY swollen when I started out last week and much of the swelling has gone down- whoo hoo! BUT, I also had to rest the shoulder all week... doing nothing but ice and heat packs on it and a very gentle exercise to get some movement back in the shoulder again. I am hoping that tomorrow he will tell me I can do a little bit of something- really boring doing nothing- but I see why it was necessary :-). And it does feel a little bit better without all that swelling in it!

I mentioned in my previous post that I would be back with some projects from the new 'Occasions' mini catalog that is currently active from January 5th - April 30th 2010. As a Stampin' Up! demonstrator I get to pre-order from each new catalog about a month before it goes live to the general public. Love that! One of the things that I ordered from the Occasions mini is the brand new Stampin' Up! Milk Carton die for the Big Shot. It is the cutest thing ever!!! As I was playing around with another project I was making with the milk carton die cut, I picked it up and it just reminded me of a little bird house. Isn't it cute?!

I used another new die introduced in the Occasions mini on this little bird house too. The butterflies! I LOVE butterflies! They are a sure sign that Spring has officially arrived. I enjoy watching them flit here and there during the Spring and the Summer... they are such delicate and pretty little creatures. This particular butterfly die is an embosslit die. This means that it not only die cuts these sweet, sweet little butterflies, it also embosses them with one run through the Big Shot. And yes, if you have a Cuttlebug, you can use the embosslits in it.

Add a pretty cord or crochet thread through the hole in the top of your Milk Carton bird house and you can hang it up. I thought these would be great for a little Spring tree if you put one out for the Spring holidays. And Christmas!!! How cute would little bird houses look hanging on your Christmas tree?! One of my daughters makes Christmas ornaments with my grandson to hang on their tree. All the ornaments are so much more special that way, don't ya' think :-) ? I'm sure that she and my grandson will be making Christmas bird houses to add to their Christmas tree at the end of this year. I know I will be!! I'll be back with more projects from the Occasions mini and to show you the AWESOME clear mount stamps and blocks that have made their debut in the Occasions mini!! You will LOVE them!! Have a wonderful day!

Blessings!
Barb

Supplies:
Paper: Cottage Wall Designer Series Paper
Card Stock: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Pretty in Pink
Ink: Stampin' Up! Classic- Pretty in Pink, Old Olive
Dies: Milk Carton, Beautiful Wings embosslit, Little Leaves Sizzlit

Happy New Year!

I apologize for being absent from my blog for so long, but a few days before Thanksgiving clear into the first week of January, my life gets extremely busy! No time for stamping :-(. I will be posting a couple of projects that I made before things got so busy either today or tomorrow, so hope you will stop back by :-D.

I have started on a couple of projects with products from the new Occasions mini that is getting ready to debut on January 5th. There are some awesome new products in that catalog! Stampin' Up! is introducing 'unmounted' stamp sets in the new Occasions mini. The same great rubber and quality we love and expect from Stampin' Up!, but now they take up less space and are easy to use. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the new acrylic blocks for the unmounted stamps! They are an ergonomic pleasure to hold and stamp with :-). You will love them! I will be adding some photos this week of the new blocks and some of the unmounted stamp sets I pre-ordered.

Sale-a-bration is getting ready to start on January 5th as well and it too, is filled with great stamp sets and a new punch. If you are not familiar with Sale-a-bration, it happens only once a year. During Sale-a-bration, for every $50.00 you spend on Stampin' Up! products, you get to choose one awesome product from the Sale-a-bration brochure for FREE! Whoo hoo! Ya' gotta love the free stuff :-D! And this year, for the first time, you can choose from selected products in the Idea Book and Catalog, which is the main catalog for the year. You will find the selected products at the back of the Sale-a-bration brochure.

I'd like to wish you all a very Happy and a very Blessed 2010! Will be back soon with some new posts :-).

Blessings!
Barb