Let's Have Some Holiday Fun!

I feel like Santa, only my workshop contains pretty papers from American Crafts, shiny bobbles from Doodlebug Designs, new stamps from Stampin’ Up!, fuzzy felt from My Little Yellow Bicycle, the AWESOME new letterpress machine from QuicKutz and SO much more. You see, my Handmade Holiday Cards & Gift Warp class starts tonight, and it’s not too late to register. I hope you can join me. This class is more than just a product paradise; you’re sure to have fun learning new techniques, too. Plus, what kind of Santa would I be if I didn’t offer awesome giveaways? Here’s just some of what we did last year!


To register, click here. I hope to see you tonight! Now I’m off to put these four-legged elves of mine to work. ;)

More Creepy Lighting Ideas

I had a little more lantern fun over the weekend. Thought I’d share the outcome. The first is another vinyl/lantern combo. This one was made with a Little Yellow Bicycle image. And I decided to add a little ribbon and a tag to the handle.


Here’s how it looks lit.

Along the same lines, I created a project with a tall glass jar. I like the way the haunted house looks with the candle light flickering in the windows. Eeep!


The look of this one changes quite a bit depending on the size of candle it contains. Here’s how it looks with a tall candle:


Here it is with a medium candle:


And here it is with a bitty tea light candle:
My personal favorite is the medium candle, but I had a hard time deciding. Do you have a favorite?

Bwa ha ha ha ha ha!

Frank & Greens

Frankly, I enjoy Halloween projects, so I’ve created a little card. I got the idea after die-cutting a bunch of bitty envelope shapes. The negative shape left in the cardstock reminded me of a Frankenstein head.

Decorative packing tape can add a little something extra to your paper crafts. I put a strip of it across the bottom of my card. I like how the green comes peeking through the tape.

I wasn't sure why, but my button stickers weren't quite cutting it as the bolts. My cute Cor had the solution. He cut two small strips of black cardstock for the bolt ends. It was just what Frankie needed to look complete. Thanks, hon!



I used a couple of fun adhesive techniques to create the glitter stitching. For more on those, check out my post on the Creating Keepsakes blog. While you're there, I hope you'll enter to win the Glue Grab Bags we're giving away this week.

Winner Winner!
Speaking of giveaways, I never did announce the winner of my Stuff Week stamp set giveaway. SO sorry about that. Congratulations, Alicia! Random.org has selected you as my winner. Please e-mail me at M2E2G@aol.com with your name and mailing address and I'll see that the stamp set is sent your way. Thanks!

Something Spooky This Way Comes

I was booed at work last week. No, I didn’t write a crummy column to warrant such behavior, nor did I get a poor performance review. Actually, during the month of October, being “booed” is a good thing. It means a special Halloween spirit paid me a visit, leaving me tasty treats and festive holiday décor.

Now it’s my turn to pay the boo forward, so I put together this illuminating home décor project. It would make a fun hostess gift if you’re attending a Halloween brouhaha this year, or it would look nice sitting on your step on Halloween night, lighting the way for all of the ghouls and goblins who visit.

Make Your Own

Step 1: Select a lantern. I picked up this lantern for around $6 at IKEA.

Step 2: Clean the glass. You’ll be adhering vinyl, so it helps to have a clean surface.


Step 3: Select your vinyl image and trim it to size. Below, you’ll find a list fun holiday vinyl options. This particular piece is from Stampin’ Up!


Step 4: Measure your vinyl to fit, using a pen to mark the edges of the lantern where you’ll need to do some final trimming.


Step 5: Gently remove the vinyl from its paper backing.


Step 6: Adhere the image to the glass, using your finger to ensure the vinyl is secure and free of air bubbles.


Step 7: Gently peel back paper to reveal spider.


Step 8: Since this is a black widow, I added a little red bling to her belly.

Step 9: Not wanting the word “spooky” to go to waste, I also adhered it to my lantern, wrapping it around a corner.

Step 10: Insert a candle and let the creepy-crawly fun begin!

Frightfully Fun Halloween Vinyl
Here are a few options to consider when making your lantern:

Curly Cue Wall Graphics

Little Yellow Bicycle

Stampin' Up!

Vinyl Wall Art

You, too, can BOO!

Do you want to spread your own boo cheer. Paper Crafts magazine, also located in the office where I work, has the boo message availale to download on their website. Don’t be a BOOger—print copies and let the creepy fun begin today!

An Update: Mom, Hair and the M Word (and I don't mean "marriage")

Unless you live beneath a rock, you know that this is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This month also marks a year since my dear mommy found out she has breast cancer. Wow. What a year it has been. A very long, very exhausting year…

With all of this in mind, it feels like time for another update.

MOM
She’s doing great! She’s still in treatment and will be until March of next year, but she has two major steps behind her—chemo and radiation. And her hair has started growing back. She already has a little bit o’ brow and delicate little lashes. Way to go, Schmom!

LOCKS OF LOVE
Speaking of hair, I’m still working on growing mine out. I swear, my hair hits a certain length and just stops. Is that possible? At any rate, I’m determined to meet the 8" Locks of Love requirement so I can make the big cut. Here’s where I’m at with this measure-in:

8.5 inches! Only 1.5 to 2 inches left, simply because I want a little hair around my neck.

As a friendly reminder, this is a group effort. See how Wendy
and Angie are doing with their growth.

THE BIG M
Now, on to the scary stuff. I’m the daughter of a breast cancer patient, which means I have a one-in-three chance of following suit. No thanks! Not for me. I’m not as strong as my beautiful Schmom and I like my breasts too much. Is that okay to admit? Let’s hope so since I just did. ;)

So, here’s the plan. I’m going to get a mammogram. *gulp*

Yeah, I’m only 28, but I don’t exactly feel great about those 33% odds. I’ve heard the M hurts. I don’t look forward to having the gals exposed and squished, but I’m going to do it. *Deep breath* Yes, I’m going to do it and I hope you’ll consider doing the same. Strength in numbers, right?

THANKS & SALUTATIONS
Thanks, from my heart, for your ongoing support this year. My entire family deeply appreciates the love that you've so openly shown.

It feels a tad tacky to say “happy Breast Cancer Awareness Month,” so I’ll raise a glass to health in general. Please, don’t take yours for granted.

Create & Celebrate: World Card Making Day 2009

Hip hooray, it’s World Card Making Day! Are you excited? I know I am. Today, card makers all over the world come together to celebrate the hobby we love. Part of the fun includes an incredible blog tour, with more than 300 blog in participation. I’m happy to be blog 310 on this list. Thanks for stopping by!

Here’s a quick card I created for my card group a few months back.

Make This Card

1. Punch (or die cut) six flowers in all the pretty colors of the rainbow.
2. Make a card base from white cardstock and punch a border along the bottom.
3. Stitch the flowers to the card.
4. Spell “friend” with small letter stickers.

Money Saving Tip
If you’re making several of the same card, as I did for my card group, you may want to consider stamping the word “friend” instead of using stickers.

Holiday Card Kickoff

Today is the official kickoff of the holiday card-making season. Will you make your holiday cards this year? I’m toying with the idea. If I start today, I’m sure I can get them done in time.

My Class

If you are making your cards and live in Utah, I hope you’ll consider joining me for one or both of my holiday card-making classes that I’m teaching through the University of Utah this fall. I’ll post a blog with more specifics soon. In the meantime, you can find more information on these classes here and here.

Happy World Card Making Day, my blog friends! What are you doing to celebrate? Whatever it is, I hope you’re enjoying every creative minute.

Cheers!

A Harsh and Deadly Reality

This is a difficult story to tell, but it’s an important one. Today marks the one-year anniversary of when my amazing husband Cory checked himself into rehab.

2000: The Injury
We're not sure how it happened, but in the winter of 2000 Cory was injured. We had been dating for less than a year. He was only 24. He worked out, lifted weights and played sports regularly. He was in the prime of his youth. Then, one day out of the blue, he was met with excruciating pain. I’m talkin’ the knock-you-off-your-feet-because-it-hurts-so-bad kind. An MRI revealed that he had herniated the lowest disk in his back, which pinched the nerves that go to his legs, making it next to impossible to do the simplest of tasks. He wasn’t even able to tie his shoes.

2002: The Surgery
In the winter of 2002, he finally decided to have surgery after every other treatment option he attempted had failed. A month off of work and an obscene amount of money later, he found he was still in pain, only it seemed worse than ever.

A second MRI revealed that not only had his lowest disk re-herniated, but the one right above it had herniated as well, pinching a whole new set of nerves.

The answer he and his doctor turned to was pain medication. Lots and lots of pain meds. You see, his body would adjust to a certain dose over time, causing it to be less effective, so his doc would simply up the dose.

2008: The Rehab
By the fall of 2008 Cor was taking what, to the average body, was a lethal cocktail of pain pills—opioids of every variety.

As I’m sure you can imagine, the pain combined with the medication took a drastic toll on Cory’s quality of life. Physical activity was pretty much out of the question due to the pain, and the medicine made him almost numb to life.

As ashamed as I am to admit this, I honestly didn't see what was right in front of me. I knew our marriage was suffering. I knew our life was off balance. But I didn’t notice how drastically Cor had changed over the years. I suppose it’s a little like gaining weight. When you see yourself or someone else everyday, it sneaks up on you gradually.

This is why today is a day to celebrate in our home. It’s more than Cory going to rehab. It’s him deciding for himself, admitting that there was a problem, and taking the steps necessary to get help.

I won’t lie and say that stepping into rehab that day magically changed everything for the better overnight, but we’re certainly getting there. And we’ve come a million miles from where we were a year ago. I feel like I have the man I fell in love with back. Yes, he’s still dealing with the side effects of detox (it’s a long, painful process), but he’s here, no longer numb and distant.

When I asked Cor if I could share this ultra personal story on my blog, he said, “Why? I don’t think anyone’s really going to care.” My response was, “Because people need to know.” And you do need to know! (Plus, I'm super proud of him and want to shout it from the rooftops.)

Pain medication addiction/abuse is far too common and it’s often not the fault of the patient. Cory was doing everything right. He never took more than prescribed, but he was prescribed A LOT! That was the problem. In doing research, I realized just how close my young husband came to death as a result. The warning signs were there, we just didn’t know to look for them. Now that we know, I want to share some of them with you. If you have someone in your life that is taking strong narcotics to manage pain, please pay close attention and see if they should take action.


The Warning Signs
Here are a few things to look for (all of which were happening to Cory, BTW):

* Loud Snoring: This can indicate drastic breathing problems being caused by the medication in the system. This is a serious symptom that can lead to death if not taken seriously.

* Frothing at the Mouth: No, I don’t mean foaming in the rabid-dog sense, but bubbling around the mouth during sleep is something to watch out for. Medicine can cause fluid to build in the lungs, which can lead to a drug-induced coma or even death.

* A Swollen Face: Fluid build-up reaches beyond the lungs. Be aware of your patient’s face.

To illustrate this final point, here’s a picture taken just before Cory checked in to rehab last year. Notice how puffy his sweet face.

And this is a picture taken on his first day home. He was only in the hospital for a week, but the impact was already easy to see.

The picture at the top of this post was taken this summer. As you can see, his handsome appearance continues to improve with time, and that’s just the exterior. I could go on and on about how he’s better overall, but I’m sure my point is made without the added examples.

Frightening Facts

1. Prescription drug overdose is the #2 preventable death of women in the U.S.
2. People who take more than six medications of any kind, including herbal supplements, are 94% more likely to have a negative drug interaction.

I sincerely hope you won’t relate to this post, but the odds are you will. Prescription drug overdose is far too common and many doctors only seem to be furthering the problem. Please, be aware. It could save your life or the life of someone important to you.

Now, I’m off to celebrate my sweet Cory’s life. He’s come a long way this year and I’m super proud of him.