Wednesday, December 22, 2010

That's My Boy!!!



From the Arizona Republic newspaper:

Inspired by a leadership training class, Mesa business owner Shane Orlando used his construction skills to help others and learned about the East Valley Men's Center through a Google search.

Orlando had no idea that residents had complained about bed bugs at the shelter in May, or that University of Arizona entomologist Dawn Gouge had inspected the facility and compiled a list of recommendations on how to eradicate the annoying pests.

But within four days of touring the shelter in September, Orlando had developed a plan for gutting the building, removing wooden bed frames where the bugs were hiding and breeding, and custom-building new metal bed frames.

Orlando's efforts not only helped transform the center into a prime example of how to eliminate bed bugs, but his efforts in guiding the extensive $200,000 overhaul inspired six other Valley construction companies to donate hundreds of hours of work.

Orlando Restoration and a body shop joined six partners in volunteering an estimated 426 hours of work valued at more than $20,000.

"It seemed a little overwhelming when I first walked in. It looked like it would be more work than it really was," said Orlando, a former custom homebuilder.

The other companies' contributions made the work go more smoothly. Most of the job was completed in about five days.

"We found a lot of people wanted to help. They were just looking for someone to take the first step," Orlando said.

It was first in a series of surprises.

He soon realized that many shelter residents had been construction workers before the economic downturn left them unemployed. Orlando put some of them back to work as temporary employees and found satisfaction from counseling them about their lives.

"Most of the time, people hold themselves back. They are their own worst enemies," Orlando said. "We plan to help them more in the future, to boost morale and give them hope."

Residents lived in a tent behind the shelter while the renovations were under way, said Torrie Taj, A New Leaf's executive vice president for marketing and research development. They were required to wash all of their clothes to avoid reintroducing the bugs. A New Leaf is a non-profit that runs the shelter.

Taj said Gouge and Orlando offered to help without being solicited, but their efforts combined in a spectacular fashion. Taj lined up federal grant money from Chandler and the Arizona Department of Housing, but an estimated $60,000 is still needed to complete the project.

Mesa United Way is calling several benefactors, asking them if they would be willing to make a contribution, Taj said.

The renovations include two new buildings, one containing a modern kitchen and dining room, the other for storage of donations. An open house to showcase the renovations is planned for Jan. 26.

Along with the makeover to eliminate the bed-bug problem, the new buildings turned the old bingo hall into a virtually new campus. A new roof and air-conditioning were installed in 2008, and the electrical system was repaired.

The shelter opened as Margie's Place, named after the late advocate for the homeless, Margie Frost, in 1998 at 2345 N. Country Club Drive, in the Salt River's bottom.

Gouge had read a newspaper story about the shelter's bed-bug problem or been made aware of it by a colleague.

"It took us seconds to locate a hot spot" during an inspection, Gouge said.

A New Leaf was "totally on top of it," Gouge said, noting "they were taking steps in the right direction," but needed help to eradicate the bugs when pesticides and other procedures failed.

Gouge's suggestions included removing the wooden bed frames, eliminating a hiding and breeding ground for the bugs, and installing a new seamless floor that got rid of the space between the floor and walls where the critters also could hide.

She praised A New Leaf for acting on her suggestions.

"Most importantly, they had management and staff dedicated to solving the problem," Gouge said.

Orlando said he used Gouge's suggestions as almost a blueprint.

To this day, he and Gouge have never met.

"Her recommendations spawned my vision," Orlando said. "We took her report very seriously. We took anyplace where they might live out of here."
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Saturday, November 27, 2010

WOW!!!


Is all I can say about this photo. It was taken the evening of our Thanksgiving get together as the moon was coming over the mountain. To say I am in love with this mountain would be a gross understatement. I have always felt a strong attraction to Superstition Mountain and to be living with it right in my back yard is a dream come true. My youngest son Ian took this photo through the lens of a telescope we had put in the yard all day. I thought that was so clever and plan on trying it myself.

I know it has been quite a while since I have posted. The summer was extremely difficult for me. I am so glad it is over. I am going to try my best to get all of my art on my blog ASAP, but realistically...it probably won't happen until after Christmas. So I just want to say a big hello to all that are following my blog and ask you not to give up on me...I will be back I promise.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Taste The Rainbow

Well it has been some time now since I've posted. I have a lot of catching up to do. What could be a better place to start than to show you a photo of my gorgeous granddaughter Ashlee participating in a fashion show "Taste the Rainbow" at her university? She's a girl that beats to her own drummer, and that's one of the things I love the most about her. She's a beauty, inside and out. Love you Ash!!!

Friday, July 23, 2010

Win This Adorable Stamp

All you need to do is go to: http://charmedcrafts.blogspot.com and enter before July 25th. I think she is so sweet and not too cutesy.

Friday, July 2, 2010

A Glimpse of who I REALLY am!

That's my bumper sticker. Not the best photo but the sun is fierce here in Arizona at 112 degrees!! And there is no getting away from it. Yes, I was a child of the 60's. I still hold dear all the true meanings of that movement very close to my heart. Peace and Love ...we could all use more of that! Granted, I did a lot of kinda of crazy things (that I won't go into here, LOL!) but it was the true heart of the time that meant so very much to me, and still does today. Oh BTW, did I tell you I went to Woodstock? Did I mention my daughter was with me and she was 3 months old? 1969 was a great year all the way around for me. To this day, I can listen to Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young..Joe Cocker..Jimi Hendricks and be transported right back there after 40 years. I was a Flower Child and it was GROOVY!

Thursday, July 1, 2010

And the WINNER is!!!!!!

Chosen by Random. ORG Integer Generator

Drum Roll Please!
# 12
That would be Wendy Thrift from Australia! Congratulations Wendy! I will notify the Paper Temptress and she will mail your wonderful papers to you! I would love to post on my blog your creations and I'm sure the Paper Temptress would also.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

BLOG CANDY!!!!




Just leave a comment and you can win a 20 piece hand chosen package of my favorite card stock assortment from the Paper Temptress.
The first card is made with the Silver Laser Lustre line and I used Cryogen White (my most absolute favorite!!) to stamp the image on. The image is from Hearts in Touch. Frances has the most gorgeous Asian images. Truly they are the best around! I also wanted to show you how beautifully these papers emboss.


The second card was made with Silver Laser Lustre, Eclipse Black and Silver Sizzle Glossy. You will notice there are some text weight papers in the package. I use these for my mats as they keep the card light and therefore less postage. You may recognize the stamp I used but may be wondering what I did with it. Well I came across some fabric paint in my studio. It is the kind with the very thin nozzle. I stamped my image and then used the fabric paint as an outline to add dimension. It was fun and quite effective on the Silver Laser Lustre background paper.


So all you have to do is leave a comment. You have until June 30th. Exactly one week from today, I will pick a winner by random drawing.
GOOD LUCK!





Wednesday, June 16, 2010

More From This Month's Package

Another project from Hearts in Touch Victorian Embellishmnet package.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Every Month Something Different

I used this months embellishment package from Hearts in Touch to create this card. Every month Frances has a package of assorted papers, bellies, ribbon and more in various themes. This month theme was Victorian and the assortment was fabulous. The price is right at 15-20 dollars per month and they are really fun to work with. I embossed the vellum sheet with a Quikcuts embossing folder and got just the look I wanted to finish the card off.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

A Blast From the Past!

My niece Donna just purchased this VW bug. When we were both younger, I had one and we used to tool all around in it. Can you believe this car is 40 years old? It's really fabulous and we had our first ride in it together this morning. BTW, this photo was taken in my front yard. Peace out!

Friday, June 11, 2010

Once again..Great Paper & Great Techniques


The new Technique Junkie newsletter is out and has some fabulous techniques. The above cards are examples of 3 of them. The first card is the Patchwork technique. The second card is a combination of the Pulled Glimmers and Up and Over techniques. You must believe me when I tell you...these would not look nearly as good on just any old paper. All paper is from The Paper Temptress and is of the very best quality around. There is no need to worry about the quality of the paper when it comes from The Paper Temptress, rest assured you will get the best paper that is out there!
Stay tuned !!!! In the next couple of days I will announce a giveaway of 20 pieces of Paper Temptress paper, hand chosen by me. I call it "A Few of My Favorite Things." You can also ALWAYS get a 15% discount on paper at PT by using the code jk15.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Monday, May 24, 2010

Another Oriental Bellies Card

It's really interesting when you get an assortment of papers and embellishments that you didn't choose yourself. Yes it's a challenge, but it is also a lot of fun. Case in point is the paper on the inside the card. Would I ever have chosen it? I doubt it. Did I have a bit of a hard time incorporating it into my design? You bet. Was it fun? Without a doubt!
I also used on this card Spellbinders Bamboo Edgabilities. This is no longer available, but I'm sure you could find it on EBay. I enhanced the embossed areas with gold rub and buff. Everything else is from Hearts in Touch. The stamp is from The Oriental Silhouettes sheet #105. The adornments are all from this months embellishments package which you can see in the post before this one.

BTW, look at the temperature to your right! It is a wonderfully cool day in the Desert Southwest! You can bet your lucky stars we won't be seeing many more (if any) days like this in the near future. The dreaded heat of the summer is fast approaching and we had our first 100 degree day just 2 days ago. But Oh I forgot! It's a dry heat, LOL!

See you next time!

Monday, May 17, 2010

Oriental Embellishment Package from Hearts in Touch







What fun I have had making cards with the new Oriental bellies assortment from :
Hearts in Touch! It's a real bargain for just $15 plus postage. It truly takes the guess work out of what goes with what. Frances will have a new themed package every month. Why not join in the fun?



Monday, May 3, 2010

Arizona Weather

To those of you that read my blog occasionally and to my Blog Followers, I was thinking that in the coming months you might get a kick out of seeing the weather here in Apache Junction, Arizona. SO on the right hand side bar you will see it. Now remember I am in the desert. Many of you will be shocked at how hot it gets here, and I think most of you will be relieved you don't live here, LOL! Either way it should be good for a chuckle. So when the summer hits Apache Junction with a vengeance, I hope you will notice the weather and leave a comment. I'm quite sure they will be interesting to read and a bit of fun for all. Do I have a weird sense of humor? It's either that or have heat stroke I suppose.

Everything is coming up Roses

This gorgeous rose image and lovely sentiment are from Hearts in Touch. The sheets are
#125 HIT Flowers
#133 Hit Words and Sayings
I used a reverse mask technique to color the roses with chalk inks. It is a very soft and subtle look. I covered the card face with vellum and then stamped the sentiment and butterfly on the vellum.
TFL, See you back here real soon!

What a Wedding it Was!

My most favorite, most beautiful, loving and generous only daughter Tracy was married on March 20th to her High School sweetheart Eddie. A great time was had by all but most importantly, I have never seen my daughter happier. Thank you Eddie from the bottom of my heart for that.

I just wanted to share this photo with all of my blogger friends and I hope there will be more photos to follow soon.

Friday, April 30, 2010

The Crumb Trail Has Lead You Here






And you are at the right place!! Prairie Fairy and Paper Temptress have gone digital!
You will have until the end of Monday to make your way here and follow the directions to enter the drawing. Please leave a message/comment on the designers blogs, but be aware that this will NOT enter you in the contest. You will have to keep reading to get to what you really want to know, LOL!

My first card uses Prairie Fairy's digital image named "The Urge". I don't know why I was so amused by this image but it made me smile, and I couldn't wait to bring her to life. All the white you see is my very most favorite paper from The Paper Temptress: Cryogen White. It is a wonderfully smooth white cardstock with a sparkle that seems to hide beneath the surface. I just LOVE this paper and you will too! The other paper I used is Razzle Berry Pop Tones. I use Pop Tones quite a bit because I can always find a color that suits my project and it really does 'pop."
You have to love her hair, don'tcha think?

My second card uses Prairie Fairy's image "Lily" Actually, it uses it 3 times, LOL! Once again I used Paper Temptress' Cryogen White along with Orange Fizz Pop Tones. A nice combo I think. You can't go wrong with the paper from the Paper Temptress....it is simply the best there is!!!
FINALLY..what you have been waiting for. The info you need to enter the giveaway; You will need to enter the password: digital. Enter it here using this link. Good Luck!!!!

Had some fun today and made this card

I enjoyed making this card as I was able to take my time and have fun. Images are from Hearts in Touch sheets #139 Backgrounds and #141 Strips B. I used Paper Temptress' HQ Watercolor Cotton paper to paint the image on. I cut the butterflies with my Cricut and the Indie Art cartridge.

Monday, April 26, 2010

A New Technique

This is the Glitzy- Lace Technique from the most recent issue of Technique Junkies Newsletter.
The middle layer is the technique. Quite fun as the card is not the only thing that is glitzy, LOL! I couldn't capture the shimmer in the photo, I am sorry to say. So just imagine it in microfine glitter , mauve and brown.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Getting Ready for the Summer

Well I am a year older and the summer is well on it's way. Remember I live in Arizona, in the desert where it gets to 120 degrees in the summer!!!! So the ritual has begun with a new hairdo. I have to have my hair off of my neck in the summer, and although you can't see it in the photo, the back is shorter than the front. This was a birthday gift from my DD Tracy. I love you and you are my favorite daughter.
I promise my next entry will be art related, LOL!

Playing with Paper Temptress Watercolor Paper

I was in the mood to get messy, LOL! Out came the color sprays for the clear embossed resist technique. I used Paper Temptress' HQ Watercolor Cotton paper for the first time and I am so impressed. It is a really thick, highly absorbent paper that takes well to inks, color sprays, watercolors, paints and watercolor markers as well. You can find it here, it's a bit difficult to find so do a search for watercolor paper. Don't forget to use code jk15 for 15% off your purchase.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Still playing with the HIT April embellishment package

I must say that being a stamping purist LOL! I am a bit out of my comfort zone using all of this beautiful stuff. It's been a challenge but also SO much fun! I am still amazed at how well all the paper goes together. All the prints, florals and geometrics match without a bit of effort. Then you add all the ribbons and hard bellies and it's magic! So Hearts in Touch once again has created a sure winner in my book. The image is from Hearts in Touch sheet # 129 I Love Silhouettes. The instructions for this card and many others by Penny Wessenauer can be found here.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Fun stuff to play with at Hearts in Touch!!

There is something new at Hearts in Touch! Frances is putting together coordinating embellishment packages every month. The first months is in the photo above. How cool is that? For only $12.50 plus postage you get so much for your money. I can't wait until next month as the theme will be oriental which will go with so many of Frances' stamps.

This image is from Sheet # 94 Sugar and Spice. I love this sheet and the embellishments show it off perfectly!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Double Diamond Card


I guess I have had a "thing" about making Mother's Day cards. Wish my mom was still alive...I would give her each and every one of them.

Instructions for this card can be found here

The image is from Hearts in Touch sheet #94 Sugar and Spice.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Mother's Day


I was in the mood to do something a little different so I thought I would do a framed piece that could be used as a gift. The image is from Hearts in Touch and all paper except for the daisy scrapbook paper is from The Paper Temptress. I used The PT Ultimate Glossy to stamp the photo art stamp on. This paper gives you a nice crisp image. I am preparing a tutorial for The Paper Temptress about getting a good image with photo art stamps and PT paper. Patricia carries quite a few papers that work extremely well with photo art stamps. So stay tuned here and on the Paper Temptress Community Blog for the tutorial in the near future.

It's a Wake up Call


Just a bit of playing around with the new Masked Spellbinders technique from the most recent issue of the Technique Junkie Newsletter. Stamp is from Stamps Happen and all paper is from The Paper Temptress. BTW, if you look on my side bar, you can get a 15% discount at the Paper Temptress by using my code which is jk15.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Hearts in Touch Rubber Stamps


This card uses two different Oriental sheets from HIT. I LOVE all of the Oriental sheets that Frances has to offer at Hearts in Touch. The focal image is from sheet #105 HIT Oriental.The added elements are from sheet #138 Geisha Photos. I used a new technique from Technique Junkies called Masked Spellbinders. It is a fun and effective technique for highlighting an image. This is my first attempt at this technique, but one I will be trying again for sure.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Little Girls have been my Motivation


Gracie's birthday has motivated me to make some "girly" cards. It's been fun, especially when you are blessed enough to work with fabulous paper and stamps. I am so very grateful to Frances Naeve owner of Hearts in Touch rubber stamps, and Patricia Dunbar, owner of The Paper Temptress, for having me as a part of their design teams.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Birthday card for my sweet granddaughter Gracie


Just a little something using my Cricut Pagoda cartridge and Hearts in Touch stamps. It feels good to be back to creating! Gracie will be 4 years old on the 31st of this month.She thinks she is 20!