A Project to Share......

Good Morning Readers!

I hope everyone is staying in Keeping Cozy Warm today! It's absoluty FREEZING here today again!! YUCK!!!

Anyways, I have a special project to share with everyone. I am soo excited about it too!

I am not much of a card maker, I usually wont make a card unless there is some kind of reason for it. (Contest,swap,etc) My Comfort zone is ALTERING. I also Enjoy scrapbooking but have not did any of that in quite some time! LoL

As we all know Valentine's is fastly approching so I desided to get started on DD's Kindy Teacher's Gift and desided to make an extra for my GF Beverly's Scrapbook Store display!

Here is my Project and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did making them!

I alterted some Target Mailboxes from Last Years Inventory. The pattern Paper is My Mind's Eye Quite Smitten. I comuter generated (my new fav thing for sentiments) the sentiment "Happy Valentine's Day", My Hearts on the front are plain chipboard and I inked them and sharpie pened the white lines. The Blooms are Bazzill bitty blossoms and the ribbon on the flag is just an assortment of grosgrain and sheer. The Back ribbon is Pure Poppy PTI and then American Crafts Valentine ribbon.

Well That is all for now. Thanks for stopping by and Hope you have a Blessed Weekend!

~Monica~

1st Post of the New Year and a CARD!!

Good Friday Morning Readers!

I really needed to update my blog BUT things have been crazy as usual around here. So while I have a quick moment I have a card and some News to share!

Ok so the "news"is this ....I am not one to apply for many DT's as I am still working on bettering my card making or just being able to make a card peroid. LoL
Well I was checking out a Blog one day and had seen they were looking for DT members! I desided to come out of my lil shell and apply well as many of you know it's a couple weeks before yah usually hear back weather yah make it or not...We a couple weeks passed and I got the e-mail sayin I made the team!! I was excited because this is my 1st spot EVER on any kind of design team. So Here I am a Winter Simon Says Stamp Design Team Member! You get to choose one of their exclusive sets and put it to work. Well this is the set I chose:

It's a clear set which was awsome because I find myself totally addicted to clear stamps lately! So with that here is my 1st submission for the design team:

I broke out some of my new Spellbinder Nesties I recently got my BFF Beverly called Labels 2! I used some S.E.I Patterned Paper from a collection called Dill Blossom and some coordinating Green SU cardstock! I computer generated the sentiment "Owl's it Going" and threw on a piece of Brown offray ribbon from my every growing ribbon collection! My card Base is just from one of the Hero Arts Note Card/Envelope packs.

Be sure to stop over at the Simon Says Stamp Blog and comment to win this cute lil clear set for yourself!

Thanks for stopping By and I hope you all have a very plesent weekend!

~Monica~

Our Christmas Spirt in the Making.......

Hello Blogging World,

Well, It's been since Halloween since I last Blogged but thing usually get CRAZY insane for us from Halloween through the New Year!

We had My Mom and Her BF up for Turkey Day Week/end and Had an absolute BLAST! We always hate to see them leave.

It has ALWAYS been a Tradition that we put our Christmas Tree up the day after Thanksgiving, and so that is what we did again this year! I Thought I would share it with everyone since I HAND MADE my Bulbs this year (Compliments of Bev aka Precious Scraps ) LoL!

I had desided to make BOTH glitter Bulbs and Paper Bulbs! So w/out further or do here it is " The Bender Family Christmas Tree"........

Above: Our Tree as a whole (no...that isnt us in the pic BG YET)

Above: 1 of the Glitter Bulbs (I made them Blue, Green and Red to match the papers)

Above: Paper Bulbs (I made these in 2 Basic Grey Christmas Pattern Paper Designs)

So there it is....OUR Tree! The kids has a blast Decorating it! So far only 1 bulb broke........Which with 3 kids and a Dog I am THANKFUL it's not BARE YET! LMBO

One Last thing....Before Thanksgiving Brake for DD her teacher had sent the kids home with a Decent sized Cardstock Christams Tree. They were told that over Break They the kids and their family would need to decorate the tree and Bring it back to hang in the hallway after Break. We'll Yesterday we went ahead and "designed" DD's Tree. She picked what she wanted (she is only 5!) and I helped! So here is what we came up with........

It came out sooo beautiful! I am NOT kidding but so far she has the "Prettiest" Tree in class! She is such a GIRLY GIRL! She got her pink bow Tree Topper, She has Pink Bulbs and Snowflake Coordinating Martha Stewart Pattern Paper Bulbs! I sticked lil Clasps and hooks above each and every Snowflake /Bulb too! DD was in OWE to that one! LoL I used soem American Crafts White Grosgrain Ribbon with Red Zig Zag (or rik rac) as her Garland.

Hope it tickles as much as it does us! We are sooo proud of her Tree!

Thanks so much for read and Happy Holidays,

Happy Halloween...........

Just a Quick Post tonight to wish everyone a Happy Halloween!

If you have kids, I hope they enjoyed their time Trick or Treating.

I know mine sure did!

Here is a Quick Photo of my Crew T or Ting tonight!

Oldest DD was a PINK Power Ranger, Middle DD was Barbie Mariposa and DS was a MONKEY!!

They each had their buckets FULL w/in the first 30mins out! I was SHOCKED and they were Exstatic!!



Well Thanks for peeking in and Have a Wonderful Night!

~Monica~

TAGGED!!!!

I have been Tagged by My Near and Dear GF Beverly aka Precious Scraps
Make sure to check out her blog!
Here are the rules:
1. Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share seven facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Facts about me:
1-My Husband and I have been together 6 yrs and Married 4.
2- I LOVE RollerCoasters! (must the the hydrenalyn rush they give)
3- I worked in a Nursing home as a Nurse Aid for 3.5 yrs before I had kids and became a SAHM
4- I got my 1st Tattoo when I was 16 and now have 5!
5- So far I have lived in FL, WVa, OH, Germany, TN and KY!
6- I got to visit the FAMOUS Neuschweinstein Castle in Germany!!
7- My Hobbies are: Scrapboooking, Altering, Candle Making and Hairbows!

Ok Now you got to hear my SUPER(not so) exciting facts.......Consider yourself TAGGED!
Because really I dont even have 7 Loyal Bloggers to Tag! LMBO

Well we have a 4 day weekend so we're Headed HOME aka OHIO to visit Family and Celebrate Madison's 4th B-Day at Chuck E Cheese !!! Better get going and Pack up!! And who Knows.... maybe when I come back i'll have some kinda Project to post! HeHe

Have a Blessed Weekend!!

~Monica~

Today is......World Alzheimer's Day !!

Good Sunday Morning Readers,


I wanted to Do a Special Post today! As most of you know today is World Alztimer's Day! This is a Touchy Day for me personally!


Before My Daughter was born (5 FAST yrs ago) I dedicated my time to some Very Special People! I was working FT at a Nursing home in Ohio! I was there for 3 years as a CNA (Certified Nurse Aid) and my Job there was Working Dayturn in the Alztimer's Unit! I absolutly LOVED my Job and Would'nt of asked for any other position Honestly! I was able to experience this well know Disease 1st hand! Let me just tell you this...... I was quite an experience! Both Enjoyful and Heartbreaking at the same time! If you dont know anything about this disease you really should read up on it because you never know if you or someone you love may become effected by it sometime in life!
http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_alzheimers_disease.asp


Anyways, Cammie is doing an AMAZING Giveaway today in Celebration of the Day!


She was able to get MANY FABULOUS Companys from around the Scrapbook/Stamping Industry to donate over $1,000 worth of Stamps/Supplies! And what's better than that you ask?! Well she is giving it away to ONE Special Person! Just click on her Blog to find out more!!


She is Doing a Challange asking that you make a card and send them to someone you know Caring for an Alztimer's Effected Person! So I made up this card and am going to send it to the Nurse's and Aid's in the Alztimer's unit at the Nursing Home I use to work for!

It's Something Simple But Turned out super Cute and I just LOVE the Sentiment Stamp!!!

It reads: "God Understands our Prayers even when we cant find the words to say them"

Well That is My Post for today! I'll close this in asking you to continue the Gift of Thought and if you know anyone who is affected my this Disease or has ever cared for someone with it...... Please fwd a card or give a call and Let them know your thinkin of them!

God Bless,

~Monica~

T is for ..............TEACHER!

Good Evening Readers,

I am Back today with an adorable Lil' Gift Set I made for my DD"s(daughter's) Teacher!

No it is NOT teacher appreciation already BUT I am Just so pleased with DD and all she has learned only 1 month into school!

She just turned 5 begining of Aug and can already spell Mom,Dad, Me, etc! She is also Reading Story Books that they have made in class! This is a HUGE step for me especially being she is the oldest of our 3 kids! So I just wanted to show her Teacher a tiny bit of my appreciation!

When Tart and Tangy came out via Stampin Up....I "Knew" I just HAD TO have it knowing Adventually i'd use it....LoL Well this past weekend was that time!

I got these inspirations as I get almost all of mine from......Blogging(jen in this case)/SCS! I seen a couple projects and figured i'd thow them together to make 1 gift set for "TEACHER"!

I am Very Pleased with the Results and I hope she Enjoy's this lil set as much as I enjoyed Making it!

Thanks for Stoping By!

Supplies......

Stamp Set: Tart & Tangy

Paper: SU! Summer Picnic

Cardstock: SU! Real Red and Whisper White and Mics Blue Bazzill

Ink: Brillance Red and Green