Yearly tag swap!

I belong to a group on Yahoo groups called CreativeBlock-Stampers Anonymous!  We make all sorts of fun tags and stuff for group swaps.  I love all the tags and cards I have received in swaps over the years!  The moderator gives us a prompt each month to make whatever and we send them to her and she swaps them out and mails them back.  The only requirement is that you use Stamper Anonymous stamps on your items but sometimes I forget.  Every so often Stampers Anonymous sends Sandy some of their stamps to give out to the group.  I have received several wood block Tim Holtz stamps from the swap.

I just made up some tags to swap and not only did I forget I had to make 12 tags but I also I forgot I was suppose to use SA stamps!!!  I don't know how many years I have participated in the calendar tag  swap and that was a first!  I am going to blame it on my really poor memory caused by the anoxic injury from the surgery!!!

Be Thankful!

I thought I should share a group photo too!  They are all so pretty grouped together!

I don't remember the name of the technique but I took a piece of Cut-n-Dry stamp pad felt from Inkssentials and stamped the mandala on it in archival black ink.  To get the variegated ink I used a combination of Tim Holtz Distress inks and Stampin' Up! inks and dripped them around the stamped image making a variegated stamp pad I can use again and again.

Products Used

Stampin'Up!:
Day of Gratitude stamp set
Petal Palette stamp set die
ink refills in various 'fall' colors

Inkssentials Cut-n-Dry

Ranger Ink:
Distress Ink in various 'fall' colors

Out of my stash:
fall leaves
bling
gold pumpkins
fall wash tape

OMG!

I find it amazing that time flies by like it does.  I have been so busy and gone so much since my last post I wasn't really aware how fast it has flown by.

I have been busy crafting and doing fun things.  I took and online class with Stephanie Barnes from The Stamps of Life the beginning of the month called Under the Sea.  WOW! Lots of fun and I could do it at my own pace.  I have yet to finish my cards because of some video issues but should be getting them done soon.

I also attended a class with Dyan Reavely of Dylusions and Ranger Ink at the scrapbook store called Paper Arts in Edmond, Oklahoma July 21 and 22. I learned so much and had so much fun learning different techniques that I was so juiced up to start doing all sorts of art journaling but...  Life intervened and it was put on the back burner!

This group of women were a lot of fun to take a class with but Dyan was awesome.

 I love her honesty about her mental issues and her life.  I hate thinking I am the only one with issues!

I left on July 24 and flew to Phoenix AZ for the Origami Owl conference! What an awesome event!  I had so much fun interacting with other designers from around the states that I am already making plans on going back!

SO much fun!  Everyone was up dancing in the aisles while these people walked across stage for an award.  Heather, my daughter got a couple awards.  I really surprised her cause she got #1 in the whole USA!

Heather got to get up on stage to receive her award with all the company founders and executives.  

 Don't I look like and angel in this photo?  The Swarovski crystal people had a photo booth where they had these wings that were covered with all sizes of crystals and talk about AWESOME!  They were!

I love this picture of Heather and I even if it is a little dark!

On the 29th July Heather and I flew out of Phoenix to Pittsburgh, PA for Pennsic Wars...good thing too cause I was really starting to feel the heat.  Most days it was 112-116 degrees and figuring in the concrete and tall buildings it was miserable there!

I didn't take a lot of photos of Pennsic this year.  We got there a few days late and got settled in the tent when Heather got sick and we ended up going to a hotel for the next 3 days and Heather ended up in Urgent care for a particularly virulent case of sinuses.  

What a horrible Mom I am taking a photo of her at the Urgent care.   Thought I would share a few photos of friends from the war that I hadn't seen in a couple years!

Bethany and a faithful friend who picked us up at the airport and took us to site.  Bethany's husband was just recently transferred from the OKC, OK area to Italy!  I am really going to miss her being around!

The ladies of the Lanai!  Our last night in camp!

Getting ready for the bardic and chocolate fest!  Every year our camp hosts a campfire bardic get together with hot chocolate and boxes and boxes of chocolates from around the world!

The tent with the light on and flaps open behind Elaine is our tent.

Friend chatting with Heather.  She has had a lot of medical problems and couldn't come to Pennsic except this one day!

Heather and I sharing fried rice for lunch!  That thing was a huge serving!

I made it back home around the 12th August.  Heather drove me home then drove herself from here to San Jose!  Michael had so many meetings that he couldn't drive with her all the way but caught a plane out of St. Louis to home.

I think this is enough for now.  I will post again soon some of the cards, tags, and stuff I have made soon.

WOYWW

Thought I would do a quick checkin and let people know I am doing okay.  I have been busy with life and it seems that is about all the energy I have to spare now days.

First off my desk for all the deskers out there...Check out Julia's blog and WOYWW for more info!

 What absolute mess...talk about a depository for anything and everything sundry...WOW!  You think that is bad check this out...it is a partial side view...the floor is covered with paper packs and whatnot...a mess!

Now that I have that out of the way I will show you a few cards I have managed to make since I last posted!

a image challenge!  The group leader sent two building layout schemes she found on the internet and we made cards!

the second card!

Pineapple fun from a kit!

The card kit from The Stamps of Life last May were this cute wheelbarrow and I had fun making cards with it!

Add caption

 I made some 4th of July cards to take to the kids when I went for a visit last week...I put $5 in each and they thought I had given them a mint!

Okay that is it for me for today!  Hope everyone has a great week!  I will post again soon pictures of my Caribbean cruise and the visit to the grand babies!

fasting

Dr. Bob Rawls

Just read and article on Bob Rawls blog about fasting.  Interesting concept that fasting may play a part in rebooting the immune system by killing off old cells and building new cells.  Dr. Rawls pointed out that the fasting diets have all the earmarks of a fad diet but if it can help me control my inflammatory processes I am willing to try.

Dr. Rawls cites several articles and studies in his post but I can't fast long periods of time due to an insulinoma.  Whats an insulinoma?` It is a tumor that secretes insulin when I don't eat for long periods of time...like more then 24-36 hours.  I was diagnosed with it by Dr. Belknap in 1992 when as doctor I was working with noticed I was functioning properly but not thinking well.  I was positive on blood tests but could never find it on the CT because they are so small and can be anywhere in the body not just on the liver or pancreas.   That said I think I may try a shorter form of fasting that Dr. Rawls talked about called time restricted fasting where you only allow yourself to eat during a 6-8 hour window each day.  I normally don't feel like eating till late in the day so I may limit my eating from say 3pm-10pm at night and see how that works.  If I show any symptoms or problems with the fasting I will quit....doesn't hurt to try!

Go check out the reference backed article Can Fasting Renew Your Immune System at the Rawls.md.  Be careful in trying any fasting diet for any period of time.  If you have any health issues like hypertension, diabetes, or others check with your doctor first.

WOYWW and life

WOO HOO!  I made it to the party!  It is Wednesday and WOYWW!  If you would like to check out some other blogs check in with Julia's blog to see how to hop along!  ust got back from a trip to California and my desk really doesn't look much different then it did the last post except while I was gone I received an order from Stampin Up! and it is now scattered about the place...I love new stash!
If anyone is interested in swapping an ATC with me please leave a comment or send me your addy at okienurse@gmail.com  I am going to finish making them this weekend so I can get them in the mail next week.

I didn't get much in the way of crafting done the past two weeks because of either not feeling well or travel.  My daughter and her husband had me out to their house in San Jose, CA for Mother's Day and I had a blast...wish it was as nice of weather here as it was the whole time there.

Brunch with friends 

Heather and Michael at the Russian Family Restaurant

We managed to make it to the ocean this visit with a trip to Pescadero State Park and boy was it windy and the air off the ocean a bit cool...I know you folks in England think I am nuts when I say 60°f is cool but it really was! 

The beach was gorgeous!

Heather and I were blowing in the breeze in these pictures...I was glad to have my jacket at hand

Bright sunny day!

Heather

I met up with some friends from OK on Saturday for a nice lunch at a Vegan restaurant in San Jose.  I think it is amazing how many people from Norman live out there now.







 I think most of you remember my granddogs from pictures I have posted before...now to say these dogs are spoiled would be an understatement.  Michael grows oat grass for them so they can have fresh grass to eat...the grass they are laying on is a type of low maintenance astro turf and now very good noms!

Michael growing puppy grass.

My grand dogs...Mocha, Leo, and Wesley

Sorry I didn't make it around to all the desks the last time I posted but will try and do it this week cause I really enjoy seeing what everyone is up to!  Have a great week!

Thought I would add a few garden pictures here at the tail end...things definitely changed while I was gone...imagine what a bit of rain and sunshine can do!

The garden beds

Potatoes

peppers and artichokes

Tomatoes with corn in the bed behind

green beans

beets and cabbages

The flower planter around the new patio

clueless as to what these wildflowers are but Chuck is growing them 

Onions 

deck pots

My dirty pool...but it is open now!

deck pots 

yuccas!