Friday, July 28, 2017

Wear Sunscreen

I apologize that the stamp set I used here has been retired, but I thought it would be appropriate due to the extreme heat we've been experiencing here in Northern California. I'm not big on beaches because I'm too vain to sacrifice my skin. Haha. But I love the smell of the sea and sounds of the waves.

I found this in my inbox of very old emails as I was deleting old messages and I thought it's appropriate for todays' card. 

Wear sunscreen.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.
Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing every day that scares you.
Sing.
Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss.
Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.
Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch.
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.
Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.
Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.
Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.
Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.
Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.
Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen.
I used a stamp set that just recently retired called, Day at the Beach
Thank you for stopping by and happy weekend! 

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Merry Coffee Cafe

I love coffee and Christmas... so I thought, why not combine them and use one of my favorite bundles from the new catalog Coffee Cafe to create a Christmas card, right? I wasn't sure at first, but I had to try. I was very pleased with how it turned out. I have the stamp set and matching framelit dies, but I didn't even need to use the stamps on this card - only the dies. This card is absolutely perfect to tuck in a Starbucks gift card for holiday gifts. 
The DSP was in last year's catalog and has retired, same with the oval punch and embossing folder. The holly image is from a paper pumpkin kit. 
Thank you for stopping by. The list of products used to make this card is below. 

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Nature Sings

It's Christmas in July, everyone! I can't believe we are now approaching August 2017 - back to school season and fall. It's not too early to get a head start on Christmas and holiday cards. When I saw this stamp set in the brand new Annual Catalog, I just knew it would be in my very first order. Some things just jump out at me. Do you ever get that way? I do! Big time! I just had to have this set. So, I was very happy when this card turned out really nice...and so very easy and simple to make. Sometimes, less really is more.  

I used the retired Two-Way Glue Pen all over the trees and ground then sprinkled with Dazzling Diamonds glitter for snow effect
That's all for today, folks. Thank you for stopping by. The list of products used to create this card is below. 

Christmas 2017

Merry Christmas, everyone! We had a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner at my mom's last night. Lots of great food: lechon (Filipino ham), pa...