Tribute to Rubber Paws

This post is to honor a woman I never met.  Karen Sigler, aka Rubber Paws was my sister's sister-in-law and a fellow rubber stamper/paper artist.  She passed away earlier this year and her family gifted her supplies to my sisters and me.

I knew from previous conversations that Karen was a crafter, but what I didn't realize is how incredibly talented she was.  When we entered their home, there were many cards and canvases showcasing her talent.  She had been published in many magazines and won lots of recognition for her work.  She did not just make cards, she made pieces of art.

In her studio, she had tons and tons of supplies.  Not just paper and some stamps, but embossing powders, glitters, Brilliant Pearls paint, specialty papers, beads and so much more!  We were overwhelmed and had a hard time wiping up the drool running out of our mouths.  Thankfully, she was so organized and supplies were actually where they were supposed to be - what a concept.

You could feel the pride and love as her husband showed off her crafting area as well as the gallery of her work.  He had lots of stories and it was an amazing day.

I never met her, but I sure wish I had.  As I looked around her home, we had so many things in common.  There are lots of signs around the house, a country-like feel to the decor, she loved vintage and an obvious love for her family and pets; a handmade home for sure.

Karen, since then, you have inspired me to:

Be more organized.  Carly and I have separated our stamps and they are now in their own drawers by subject.  Each drawer and container are labeled and I've already started stamping in a reference book.

Use my products.  Life is too short to not use all your supplies!  I have them...now I need to use them.  I've been using all sorts of embellishments in my cards and scrapbooks and they are looking fabulous!

Hog Heaven and Pig Stamp; Pitch Black Ink Pad

Vintage woman stamp, pearls and pen

Involve my family in my creations.  Her family was so proud of what she made; it was beautiful to see the look in their eyes when talking about her.  I want my family to be just as proud.  I rarely make them cards or gifts - it's always for someone else.  I need to send more cards and make more gifts just for the heck of it.

Large and Small star punches; Red card base & envelope

Follow my dreams.  Life really is too short.  What do I want to do?  Am I ok with the status quo or do I want to push myself for something more?

More importantly, no regrets.  Not just in the craft room, but in life.

Yes, I wish I would have known her.  She was a beautiful, talented lady and even knowing her through her crafting supplies has made me a better person.  Karen Sigler, may you rest in peace.

Gifted:
Plethora of various stamps (over 200)
Lots of cardstock, patterned & specialty paper
Embossing powders in every color
Brilliant Pearls paint
Ink pads and pens (and holders)
Xyron machine
Fiskars paper cutter
Punches
Eyelets, brads, clips and Rhinestones
Glitter and Stickles
Six drawer tower, paper holder, various containers
Idea books and so much more...

Remembering My Dad on Father's Day

This Father's Day is different for me this year.  Instead of a phone call home and a gift for dad, I am left with only memories of my dad and regret that I don't have more Father's Days to spend with him. 

I'm so grateful for all the moments we had with dad before he passed away.  We knew it was coming soon.  My only regret is I never really thanked him for everything he's taught me.  One of the last things I told him is that I'd be fine.  My physical needs are being met.  I have a home, vehicle, job, great marriage and great children, but what I forgot to say is I'm not going to be fine, mentally and spiritually.  There's a void now that no one can fill. 

My dad could be a big butthole at times, but that was him.  He was honest in every way.  If he didn't like something, he told you.  If he had an opinion, he said it.  Sometimes it was hurtful, but he never meant it to be.  I know it seems oxymoronish, but he made me feel like I was perfect in every way even when he was criticizing me for something. 

He was the ideal man's man.  He loved sports, cars, fishing and camping; he could fix anything; he cooked and helped with the dishes and would run to the store when we needed milk or even feminine products; he didn't have any sons, but he taught us girls all the "boy" things like playing sports, mowing the lawn, fixing a flat tire and changing oil.  He taught us the importance of working hard, having good credit and being reliable.  He loved all his girls (mom included) with all his heart and was never afraid to show it.  He'd hold our hands, give hugs and even a peck on the cheek.  If we wanted something, he got it for us but yet we were never spoiled.  And remember, if he bought one, he knew he had to buy four.  He'd call us to go out to eat and pay for the entire meal even after his family of six grew to 15+.  He showed us the importance of family.

These are the thing I inherited from my dad:
I, too wear my emotions on my sleeve.  When I'm happy, I'm happy but when I'm mad everyone knows it.
I'm impatient with things, but have all the patience in the world for my family.
Quick Temper - I admit, this one is nothing to be proud of, but I try to control it.
Strong work ethics
Desire to have a good time.  I love having fun.
Love of sports (sorry dad, I switched to the opposite side of the Bay after meeting Kenny but still have some love for the East Bay)
Family values
Know when to say I'm sorry. 
When to be money tight and when to just splurge.  Good credit is always a good thing.
Be Cool.  My dad was as goofy as can be around us, but in public, he was so cool. 

There is so much more but I can't stop crying so I'm going to stop.  Most importantly, we knew that he loved us and we were special.  I miss you dad!

(That's me in my dad's arms...I love that I'm holding a VW bug!)

Dwayne Weatherby

9/19/1938 - 2/5/2013

How To Build a Better Mouse Trap

Yes, I said mouse trap!  Can you believe that's what we're altering now?  I signed up for this swap on Splitcoaststampers and wasn't sure what I was going to do.  At first I thought I'd do a Wizard of Oz theme but the stamps I had were too big for this small canvas so I went to Plan B and went with Alice in Wonderland.  There are so many variations of the AIW theme so I just went mad (pun intended LOL)

The "trap" part of this will hold notes, photos, or whatever.  For now, it just holds the quote "Curiouser and Curiouser" by Alice.

The rolled flowers are tiny ones from the scalloped punch from Stampin' Up.  The clock was stamped on Shrink Film and shrunk down - talking about fun!  That was pretty cool!  The rest was just trial and error, layering and distressing and a ton of glue!

Mouse Traps:  The Dollar Tree ( a pack of 4 for only a buck!!)
Paper:  Prima Marketing, Nursery Tales (5x7 paper pad)  I bought this pad years ago because I  had to have it!  This is only the second time I've used it.
Rubber Stamps:  Alice in Wonderland from Second Star on the Right (gifted from my sister's Sister-in-Law, Karen)
Miniature Playing Cards:  B. Shackman & Co.  (purchased 3 years ago at the Scrap Expo in Pleasanton)
Clock Ribbon:  From my stash
Flying Clock Stamp:  Another gift from Karen Sigler (I'll be posting soon on Karen)
Shrink Film:  Grafix
Distressing Ink:  Holly Hock and Desert Sand from Close To My Heart (CTMH)
Beads:  Wedding decorations from my cousin Tawny's wedding (woo hoo!)

Little Bags Everywhere!

I made a ton of these cute bags for the Vendors in the Park craft faire a few weeks ago...did I tell you it was a bust?  UGH!  But they sure are adorable and now I have cute little bags for everything!

Bags were cut using my cricut and the Plantin Schoolbook Font Cartridge.  They are so easy to put together!

Cartridges Used:  Plantin Schoolbook, Doodlecharms (apple), Art Philosophy (rolled flowers), Nifty Fifties (bowling pin & background shape)

The monkey was given to me in a swap so I don't know the cartridge for that one.

Cute, right?

Graduation Time!

Graduation has come and gone for us but I wanted to share this little Test Tube Holder that I made.  I purchased the tubes before Christmas with all kinds of plans for them but of course I never got around to doing anything.  Well, I've seen these cute little treat holders but thought they'd be a pain to make so I avoided them for awhile.  You know what???  They were so super easy to make and oh so CUTE!  Not only did I make some for graduation little goodies but I also made some birthday ones too.  (I'll have to post photos later of these.)

I can't seem to take a good picture to save my life so sorry about the darkness of the photos.  I removed the test tube (because I ate all the candy sour balls in them).  The tube is placed in the center of the box and is as tall as the back side.

I added some rolled up cash in the box for a graduation gift.  These would be perfect for favors.

I'm entering this in the Decorate to Celebrate challenge.

Cardstock:  Stampin' Up (love the weight of their cardstock!)
Patterned Paper:  DCWV School Stack
Diploma Stamp:  No idea...

Love the View

I'm so excited because I have lots of photos to scrapbook!  I may be one of the only scrapbookers who can actually say, "I'm all caught up!"  Snapfish had a get 101 photos for free (and only $7.99 for postage...yup I'm being sarcastic).

So, I printed lots of photos from my sister.

This sketch is from My Creative Sketches challenge site:






and here's my layout:

Sorry the photo is a little dim, but I just couldn't take a good photo of this one.  I still have lots of photos of our Monterey trip so I'll be adding a second page to this layout.

Paper:  DCWV A Type of Art Stack
Title Letters:  Various alphabet stickers I've had FOREVER
Swirl Stickers:  EK Success

CELEBRATE!

I found these photos of my sister Caroline and brother-in-law Ben's rehearsal dinner from years ago (sorry Caroline, I can't remember the year...).  These photos are great but really don't do the evening justice.  We had such a great time at Bubba Gump's in Monterey.  The place was packed, but we had an area to ourselves and everyone was cheering for the soon-to-be married couple!  Plus our waiter knew ASL so he was very friendly to my parents.  The food was great and they even had a special menu for our group with a special menu and everything.

The sketch was from the weekly sketch challenge at Let's Scrap.  (click on the name to go to the site)  I'm not sure if you can tell, but I stamped every "celebrate" stamp I own on the blue cardstock to give it a little umph.  I love the photos and I hope the layout gave the evening the feeling of a CELEBRATION!

Here's the original sketch:
 

The word "celebrate" and the two green swirls are from the Tie the Knot cricut cartridge.
Banner stamps are from CTMH
The patterned paper was given to me by a good friend and fellow scrapbooker
That's about it!