Introducing the "Bailey Bunch" Blog!

Welcome with me a new BLOGGER - check out

"Blogging with the Bailey Bunch"

- We all have been on KB to create a blog - her family members have already moved to the big Texas Tech Town and she will follow this summer...

"SOB" so BLOGGING will help "oint the sore" of her leaving us! Be sure and check their blog out and give some great comments for encouragement - hey we could all use that, huh!

Have a great day!

"Bleaching" Technique

This weekend, I tried a "bleaching" technique in card-making - it's bleaching out the color in designated spots on your card stock. On the green Easter card; the details on the large egg are bleached. Also just stamped an image using bleach and a rubber stamp - then cleaned the stamp REALLY WELL! All it takes is an aqua-painter, bleach, and an embossed image (I used black) - I completed several "bleached" project. Inspiration came from watching the video tutorials of Gina K from "Stamp TV" - Have you seen this website or "webworld"? WOW! Learned A LOT! Check it out if you're a crafter - you will be glad that you did! (Please excuse my photo taking - it is very POOR - sorry!)

"Good Egg" Project

Here's my CASE of Crystal's card for Easter... this is a SU stamp set "Good Egg" - just got mine last month. Crystal's project inspired me to try some "paper piecing"(on the decorative

border around the egg and the egg shell of the inside chick)! Like it A LOT! Used my "Sale-a-bration" designer paper also for this project - gives it a "springy" look with all the soft subtle pastel colors.

Trying to get into the mood of "Easter"! My three boxes of decorations

have sat in the den for almost 2 weeks - haven' put them out yet... not in the "bunny mood"... I guess! LOL! Could be all this cold, damp weather and SNOW - argh!

Crystal and I go WAY BACK (She's the kind of friend that you will ALWAYS have fun with - whatever the event... she is NEVER boring and is always a hoot to be around!) She is an old high school friend that is a SU demonstrator down east from C-town. She's done cards - FOREVER! Check out her website... she's got great ideas! I love you Crystal-Pistol! Thanks for sharing!

Hope YOUR weekend went well and you are ready to tackle another week! Have a great Monday tomorrow!

Do you like "Mystery & Murder"?

That's a crazy title... but my favorite themes in a book are usually "mystery or murder"... I'm not much on "love & mushy"!!  Some of my favorite authors are James Patterson, Kathy Reichs, Patricia Cornwell... I like funny murders like Diane Motts Davidson, Janet Evanovich or Sue Grafton's novels...  

Found a GREAT series on TV that I really enjoyed - "CASTLE" (Monday nights - ABC) or you can even go online here and watch full episodes - we don't have cable at our house or schedules to allow home TV watching... so online

 is perfect at our convience - anywho... if you like Mystery & Murder - check out the new series CASTLE and let me know what you think!  There wasn't bad language,  or lots of sex, no homosexuality (...yet! - I've watched 3 episodes!) 

 Also - if you have a recommendation of good mysteries for reading (or listening) - please share!  Audio books are what I listen to as I do my card projects!! I usually listen to 2-3 books a week; depending on length!  Hope you are having a GREAT weekend!

Romantic Night!

Okay!  The snow came and went... enough for us to cancel our trip! Blizzard?  No, not here, but up north Texas was a lot worse, even closed down I40! So we had a "ROMANTIC NIGHT" at home to celebrate KV's birthday (with the kids) but we did get to start our night with a early school release at 1:00PM (YEAH!)

So, what does it take for a romantic night at the Vannoy's?

• Chile cheese hotdogs
  
• Fire in the fireplace
• "Uncle Buck" video
• Chocolate Birthday Cake
  

(aaaahhhhh!) You're jealous, 

aren't you - WARNING... this is what happens after 14 years of marriage, LOL!

SNOW?

Today was beautiful!  It was 75 degrees, a sunny,warm spring day - and tomorrow the weatherman has predicted a BLIZZARD... high of 38 degrees, blowing 50 mph snow, drifts and accumulation of 8-10" in snow??  WHAT?  Can that really be?  (And its the day that I wanted to rush KV out of town to celebrate his birthday - hmmm!)  We shall see!

     Finally finished some baby "Birthday" albums that I had started.  A couple of years

 back, when I was big into digital scrapbooking - I made this template for a Birthday scrapbook for the first 18 years of the baby's life.  It's a 36 page photo album book -  Just adding a couple of pictures each year at birthday time - really makes a cute scrapbook in 18 years!  (Andy Hayes' book is the only one completed so far!  Hey, I did make my brother one that contained "40" years of birthdays - now that was FUN to compile and make! You better still have it, CA!!  LOL!)  Any-who, today I finished up 6

 Birthday Albums - yeah!  One dates back to 2006 -  "gasp!" - just had to make it before this poor child turns 3 - argh!

Also fixed up this birthday card, needed a "girlie" card for a sweet lady... this "punch dress & purse" 

idea came from our local SU demo (Hey Steph!) during one of our Stamping Queen gatherings!  Love it!  Pink and orange (?) it works here, I think!  This weekend, I'm planning on Easter cards - Crystal has inspired me - she ROCKS! - check out her SU blog here... (She's a ole' C-town girl!)

So tomorrow is TGIF even if we have snow!  Thanks for stopping by!  Glad you did!  Hope you have a great day! 

 Hug the ones you love - and here's a hug from me to you! (:

Semi-HANDmade Calendars

Check out these 

Semi-HANDmade calendars! 

During spring break, I took my Uncle to the ear doctor and picked up some of these FREE desk calendars.

They will make super gifts to give - that will be so useful!

My favorite - "Functional Art"!

The "give away" calendar had all the hard work done (with the cutting of the chipboard, making of the stand, calendar sheets for 2009) - all I had to do is add the fun stuff... designer paper, embellishments and a stamped title and TA DUM - a semi-HANDmade project! Hope you have a great HUMP day! They are predicting SNOW again for our west Texas skies - Oh My!

(Pssst! I'm taking KV on a "Mystery Trip" Friday afternoon to celebrate his birthday - he's turning 39 Sunday! We going "clothes shopping"... any suggestions where to go, where to eat...?)

Spring Bling Project

***REVISED*** Thank you so much for your feedback - you all are awesome!  Including a 2nd picture using the suggestions given - it now is a "Smile Project" - thanks to final tweaking and great advice!  

This week, our infamous, local Stampin Up Demonstrator is hosting a "Spring Bling" card swap.

  To participate - you make cards (according to the requirements) and swap them.  The requirements for this 

swap is attaching a "Spring Bling" of some sort (hence the name...), 5x7 size, no envelope and at least 2 layers - here's my creation.  I came up with this layout last night.  Actually - I followed a tutorial of this newly found blog of this stamper (WOW) - here - Connie Collins's Five Petal Polka Dot Punch 3D Flower was so cool - check her out.  When I saw her latest idea, I just had to try it... also wanted to include my new "dew mini skittle" blings and cuttlebug texture (that's on the white paper) what do you think?  I've had all my family members critique - now its your turn - got any suggestions - likes - dislikes?  

This is my first card swap - so I'm trying really hard to fit in.  Hope you have a great Tuesday!  Hug the ones you love; and even the ones you don't like so much...

Spring Break is gone!

days left of school days... The Spring Break is over and it's back to the "grind"! It's good to see the students back - "safe and sound" (and very sleepy)... now we're down to the last haul until the SUMMER! Have I told you lately that the BIGGEST reason that I teach is for the SUMMER!!! LOL!

"Semi-handmade" are these get-well cards! Ok - if Sandra Lee can

have "Semi Homemade" for her cooking show, well then, these are a "semi-handmade" project... taking a store bought item and adding

handmade blings and homestyle tweaking... what do you think? Cheating? hmmm... needed some quick get-well cards and bought these cards & envies on clearance and thought to use them... my new year's resolutions was "to use things I already have..."  (I'm trying!)  Hope you have a great MONDAY!

Love the "FROGS"!

Hello!  Well, the frogs are at it again - I LOVE this duo!  Had to make 7  birthday cards - on 5 I used the "frogs"! Too funny!  Hope these cards make 'em smile and YOU too!!  

Happy "Green" Day!

     Hope you all had a pleasant St. Patrick's Day today!  We started out with green pancakes... (just food coloring)!  Had to make ANOTHER run to the dentist- Alex's tooth AGAIN (poor Alex on April 1, 2008 busted in-1/2 both of his two front "PERMANENT" teeth- they will not stay bonded for a long period of time; dentist were hoping not to cap them until he's around 17-18 - he's 12?!  So we have bonded over & over again!  We LOVE Dr. Green! )

     We're STILL washing clothes (we were 3 weeks behind - argh!) - but we're down to linens and towels - thank the Lord!  We still moving and cleaning for the estate sale - we're learning a LOT... wills, probating wills, everything involving an estate, closing accounts, the need of LOTS of copies of  the death certificate and etc...   

     Found a couple of minutes to create and design a couple of St. Patrick's Day cards - using a

 SC sketch, a new cuttlebug texture card , cute "Irish" ribbon and some free designer paper that I printed off from the internet here.  Hope you're wearing green - if not "PINCH" -got'cha!  Happy

 wedding anniversary Paula and Chris! Have a great day!

Amen!

The new CLARK family!

     This evening, we attended the wedding of KV's youngest sister Melanie. 

     Here are pictures from the wedding of 

Kelly & Melanie Clark 

- Konner & Walker (Kelly's sons) and Lindsey, Laurin & Luke (Melanie's kids) - 

the new Clark Family!

Spring Break with SNOW?!?!

     We "officially" started our SPRING BREAK at 3:15 pm and tonight it's SNOWING!  What unpredictable weather we are having!! 85 or 35 degrees- WOW!  The boys are going to wake up to a WHITE Saturday morning...  Sure is pretty, though!  Have fun whatever you do this weekend; guess we'll crank up the fireplace and try to keep warm!  

      I did get out into the garage studio (+heater) to design and create a "Teapot Post-It" note holder... what do you think? - all in pinks & whites - very feminine!  Got to work and tweak out some on the pattern... it fits a 3x3 pad of notes. I'll share the pattern later when completed and perfected!  Have a GREAT weekend (snow or not!!)

"Post-It" Note Purses

This week, 

"Post-It" Note Purses 

have been the rage!! I've 

made SIX!  I like to give the ladies, of our high school faculty, handmade gifts for their birthdays!  The men - I just give candy... duh!  

They like it...LOL!  

But for appreciation gifts or birthday gifts - these work very well! Who doesn't need a "post it" note...  I use MANY during a day for reminders and such!   2 of these were made for Thank Yous (or appreciation gifts)

 and the rest were made for birthdays!!  Just made a pattern to wrap around a 3x3 post-it note - decorated it with lots of 3-D flower punches, ribbon, pretty paper and brads.  I have been trying out the new "magnetic snap closures" - OMG!  these are wonderful (a little 

pricey, but they work so well).  The large purse - holds a larger size of 

post-it notes.  Got a great idea for one that is in a shape of a "tea pot" - will see if I can get the creative juices flowing during Spring Break for that one!  Thanks Allix for sharing!!  I'll keep you posted!  TGIF - and it now starts our "much needed" break - hope you all are doing well!  REST and no school...  I don't care if it even SNOWS... !  Have a great weekend!  Hug the ones you love!