It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Don't you just think FALL gives Christmas a run for it's money as the Most Wonderful Time of the Year?!?!? I LOVE FALL! The leaves are absolutely stunning here! When I moved to Oregon (wow! 18 years ago now!) I was amazed to see red leaves on the trees at fall time! Don't get me wrong. . .Montana, my home state, is gorgeous beyond reason, but I so stunned by the beauty of the trees here in Oregon! And that, of course, leads me to the truly sad part of fall: harvesting all the vegies and having our once thriving garden reduced to a mud patch. It's sad to see our garden go, but check out this photo. . . .

Our final, lone tomato and delicata squash right along with ALL THOSE WALLA WALLA ONIONS AND BASIL!!!!!! Yumm!! We even scored a couple of raspberries and strawberries before the rain started to fall! Delightful! I was so thrilled with all of this, I had to head inside and ink up my cute, cute Vegibella stamp. If you haven't gotten a Bella stamp yet, you so should! I think they are the very funnest stamps to paper piece! Check out her demin overalls. . .

Well, folks, that's all for today. . . except this. . . . .have a wondrous, blessed fall day and don't forget to stop and enjoy the colors!

Just for total and complete fun!

Okay, in the world of card making, I have to say that it is really, really easy to get caught up in doing all the challenges: sketch challenges, color challenges, technique challenges. I 've been doing some of those lately primarily to learn more, practice more and be a better card maker. Somewhere along the way, however, I've found that it is really easy to make cards for the challenges only and not just because you wanna have fun. . . yeah, girls just wanna have fun! Oooh, does that take you on a frightening flashback to the 80's?!?!?! :-) Well, this next card kind of originated as a challenge. I went into my local stamp shop, Stampin' Cat Studio, and found a fun little challenge: you had to use this black and white gift wrap paper somewhere in your card. Well, thinks me, I have just the stamp to go with that paper!!!!! And suddenly, with my little Hambo skunk stamp, this went from a challenge to making a fun card just because I LOVE PEPE LA PUE!! So, here is my "just for fun" card. . . hope it finds you having a fun day too!

You are SO gonna want some of these stamps!!!

Okay, one night I was perusing different blogs. . . dreaming of the day my little blog will ARRIVE. . . .okay, what I was really doing was neglecting my poor little blog and dreaming of all the stamps that I ABSOLUTELY NEED!!!!! And in the midst of the dreaming, I find a treasure! And I mean a FUN treasure! Have you heard of Missy B Designs? Was I the last one to find them?!!?!?!? Okay, focus! Melissa Barstow, aka Missy B, has some seriously cute, cute stamps! So, I ramped up my courage and emailed her. The conversation went something like this. . . "I like your stamps! I LOVE your stamps! Can I please, please, pulleeze, design for you?!?!?!" Much to my complete delight, she emailed me back and said "YES"!!!!!! And that, my friends, leads me to this little card. . . When I saw that Melissa had sent me this duck set, I was so happy! This little guy on the end reminds me of someone in my family. Hmmmm. . . must be my sister! :-) Anyway, check out this little fun family and then head on over to Missy B Designs and GET SOME!! Great stamps, awesome prices and wonderful fun await you!!!!

We are SO trying this again. . . .

I have to say, the card I did for Julee's Mojo Monday challenge just wasn't doing it for me. I think I've narrowed the offending aspect down to the frayed edges around the card. Just doesn't fit somehow. Anyway, before I figured that out, I decided to just give the whole Mojo challenge another try. I LIKE THIS ONE SO MUCH BETTER!!!! Is it because I'm really into Bellas? Is it the microbeads that just "speak to me"?! (I sorta doubt it because seriously, how many microbeads have EVER talked to me?!?!?!) I digress. I think it might be the sentiment. . . . love it! It's one of the way hysterical stamps that come from River City Rubberworks. Check them out--they have the funniest sentiments! So, here we go with my Mojo Monday Cruisabella card with a special shoutout to Melissa Craig for the awesome Cruisabella images she so kindly shared with me!!! Thank you SO much!

Mojo Monday

Hi all! Well, it's time for my first Mojo Monday sketch! Julee at Poetic Artistry does this challenge every Monday and she really comes up with some good sketches! She specifically designed the sketch to make use of those stamps that are a little longer. . . like these beautiful cherry blossoms. I wish you could see all the glitter and shine this card has in real life but you'll just have to use your imagination! It's got gold embossing and glitter (bling, bling, bling! :-) )

Enjoy the card and head over to Julee's blog and try out the sketch yourself! If you do, leave a comment for me with a link--I'd love to see it!

So Not a Rocker!

Okay, so a couple of weeks ago, on the recommendation of Amy over at Heartfelt Greetings , I bought the Rock King Mat Paper Stack by DCWV. Now I should certainly mention that I am not really a fan of rock music; I don't own one item of grunge type clothing; I have nary a tattoo on my body. . . get the picture?!?!?! But, Amy got it and dang, she can work magic with just about anything! (If you don't believe me, go check out her Scrap Stash Saturdays feature on her blog!) Anyway, I thought I would give a try too! And let's be honest, not everyone likes froo-frooey-pretty-girl cards, right? So I bought the mat stack and of course, since all my froo-frooey-pretty-girl flower stamps don't go with the paper, I HAD to buy Rhonda Farrer's Gypsy Style stamp set. (Vicious cycle, this card making business!) Last night I got out the paper, the stamps, the ribbon, the embellishments, the EVERYTHING, and tried to make a grungey rock card. The end result? I've decided that I'm like the Laura Ingalls of card making. I just can't do grunge. I tried four different cards with this stuff! So, this is what I ended up with. What do you think?

Oohing and Aaahing over a couple things. . .

Today I got to sit outside with my mom, sister and mother-in-law while we visited, ate tiny, sweet tomatoes right off the plant and watched the kids splash in the pool. All the while, the sun beamed down on us, the breeze cooled us and the smell of autumn delighted us! Isn't it wonderful after a hot summer when you begin to smell fall, feel the cooler air and see the wonderful changes in colors from brights to oranges, yellows and browns?!!?!? I adore fall! Today was truly a blessing!

So here is what I've been having fun with lately. . . these tiny, little tins from Target! Perfect size for gift cards, chocolates, teabags, coffee beans and biscotti. . . . you get the idea! The possibilities are endless! And not only that, but they are really, really affordable! Check out the dollar bins at Target! They are a treasure trove of goodies! They are so simple to make. I just use double stick tape, paper of your choice to cover, ribbon on the handle and then stamp and embellish to your hearts content! So go get some! And when you've decorated yours, send me a link or email. . . I'd love to see it! Enjoy fall time and blessings to you! Cheri

It is a Thing of Beauty!

Okay, if you are totally anti-Martha Stewart, you probably won't be at all impressed with this post. If, however, you have even a smidgy of kitchen diva in you. . . .check out this picture! I spent this afternoon (yes, this HOT HOT afternoon) canning tomato sauce. I used Beefsteak tomatoes that my 5 year old son has been growing in his garden, fresh basil and oregano from our herb patch and some big ole fatty chunks of sweet Walla Walla onions. Man, you should have smelled my house this afternoon! Deeeee-licious! I ended up with 12 pints and 7 half-pints. . . one more afternoon like this and we'll be set for winter. Hope today found you doing something you love! Happy Hot Labor Day!!

I Should NOT be Laughing!

Okay, it is so not cool to laugh at other's misfortune, I really do get that! But when a friends calls and tells you about a most unfortunate incident AND asks if you will make a card to commenorate it, you just HAVE to help out, right?!?!?! Anyway, it isn't really ME laughing, it's HER! (Okay, now that I've relieved my guilt, let's get on to the good stuff!) So, my good friend calls me the other day and tells me that her niece, on her very first day of school, goes to the cafeteria for lunch and eats a hamburger. Soon after, though, she begins feeling sick and throughout the day gets sicker. .. . and sicker. . . .and sicker. . . . until finally, in her last class of the day, loses it and throws up all over the place. Ewww! Anyway, her aunt calls and asks if I'll make a card to encourage her-slash-make light of the incident. What an awesome aunt, huh? The only stipulation was that it had to have a hamburger on it. So, here's an ADORABLE (bragging here!) little gem that will soon be on its way to a very brave freshman, who, despite a rough start, will undoubtedly do just fine in high school!

You So Have to Be Kidding!!!

What in the world. . . one day I'm posting pictures of lucious summer strawberries. The next, it's a Halloween card! Yikes! How can I be doing Halloween cards in August?!?! Well, I'll let you in on a little secret. Shhh! I'm having a Halloween party! Truly, I am! I say this every single year and for some reason, it just never seems to happen. So this year, I AM GOING TO DO IT!! Plus, now that you all have heard me say it. . . .I'll have make sure we party this year!!!

So, in an attempt to make sure the party really happens (and to give everyone a chance to get their costumes ready), I thought I'd better get a head start on invitations! This is the first of a bunch I'll be doing in the next week. Hope you all enjoy. . . .and if by chance you have a great, ghoulish recipe or food idea for the party, leave me a comment . . . I'll be forever grateful for your help!

Soldiers and Summertime

Hi all! So before I show you the card I've been working on, I have to show you today's bounty from our strawberry plants. . .when you look at the picture, you understand why the bounty is so small. . . .tiny, little, precious fingers that grab those berries the VERY second they are ripe! Don't these berries just look like summer to you?

And on to my latest endeavor in the world of cards! Susie over at Berkerblog is doing a contest for the soldiers in Iraq. You make a card and send it to her and after all the cards are entered into the contest, she'll send them along to a fabulous site called Angel Stampers For Soldiers. From there, the cards are sent to the amazing heroes who are fighting the war in Iraq. Cool! I'm so in! Anyway, here is my card. . . please join the fun and let them know that you care!

I am HYSTERICAL!!!!

Okay, one of two funniest things I have seen today! I went onto another card blog and Julie had this cool little sign on the side of her blog that said how much her blog was worth. Something like $53,000. Cool, thinks me! Let's try it out for What Nots and Whimsies! So I follow the link to find out what my little corner of the blogging world is worth. . . and voila! I find that after all the time it took to actually set this bugger up, post stuff, be adorable and witty for my 3 (count them 3!) subscribers, my blog is worth $0.00! How absolutely hysterical is that! I LOVE IT!!!!! Sometimes I think blogging is bit like being back in junior high. . . how many people visit me each day, who leaves comments, who loves me, who loves me not. . . get the picture? Anyway, apparently I really am the red-headed stepchild of the blogging world! Well, that's just fine. . . my imaginary friend Andy thinks I'm just A-OK!!!!! :-) Happiness and blessings to my 3 subscribers! Cheri


By the way, just another fun part of the blogging world: blog candy! Head on over to Lisa at Blessed a Latte and you can try to win too! Even if you don't win, she's got a fun blog to peruse. Hmmmm.... wonder how much her blog is worth?!?!?! :-)

I love it when a card comes together!

I am so excited! I needed to make a birthday card for my Mom and I thought I would use this adorable stamp set called Quilts Give Comfort. She's a quilting lady and for her birthday I wanted to get her a gift certificate to a quilting store. (Uh oh, just dawned on me that I better call her tonight and tell her not to look at my blog until after her birthday party! Tee hee!) Anyway, the stamp set has a variety of cute fallish stamps, so I thought I would use a color combo Mom loves: green, orange and yellow. Then, on top of all that, I find out that Splitcoaststampers is having a challenge to make an autumn card. So, all things just fell together in so many ways. . . and then the card just turns out stinkin' cute! I'm so thrilled! Enjoy!

Just me. . . giving thanks!

So did you try my little blessing challenge? You know. . . come up with a number of blessings equal to the day of the month. Today is the 22nd. Did you think of 22 things to be thankful for? For the sake of saving space (and not making you read for an hour) here's my top 3:

3. I am thankful for the rain that watered my garden, helped my raspberries (second crop this summer) get fat, fat, fat and gave me the chance to enjoy that "MMMM. . . .it just rained!" smell.

2. I am thankful that my little boy is SLOWLY acclimating himself to the idea of going to school in a couple weeks. He may be doing better than his mama is at this point! :-)

1. I am thankful for how darn excited my dad is that he is now the proud owner of a 1926 Ford Model T truck. Engine turns over, 3 tires hold their air and it is "pre-cursor" to the automatic transmission (yikes) but oh what fun he'll have riding in a parade with his grandsons some day!

And now I'll leave you with a little eye candy: a little "Give Thanks" card. Hope you enjoy it and the happiness that comes as you tally up your blessings today! C

I'm a real person!!!!

Okay, I was real before, but now I have a real business card! Amy over at Heartfelt Greetings is having a contest and you get to design your own business card. FUN!!!! I decided to keep it light. . . .like my blog title: What Nots and Whimsies. Sounds chipper and fun, doesn't it? But then I threw a little twist in. Do do do doo (sing along with me). Flock! Fun Flock! I remember when I was a little kid, I thought the fuzzy on cards and books was the coolest thing. . . and now I know how to do it! So, on my card, you'll see the turqoise flowers are flocked and then there is (of course) a little bling in the form of glitter sprayed over the whole card! And the great thing is-- the flock stays on even when it's thrown in your purse ( I know, I tried!). Okay, enough chatting! Here's my card! Enjoy, and blessings to you today! C