Update...

....complete with photos for those who like the gross and gorie stuff. ;)

The hand is healing well, today it's driving me mad with the itching -- INSIDE my fingers itch! Ugh -- but obviously that's a good sign it's healing fast so I'll try not to complain.

Who knew bruises would photograph so well, huh?! Look at this. Even the bruise on the palm of my hand shows in the picture. I don't do anything halfway, that's for sure. Yeesh!

Perpetual calendar

I love the months border and knew right away what I wanted to do with it.

Here's my perpetual calendar for the kitchen using the months border and magnetic sheets. The numbers are from the No. 73 house numbers set (I had to make another 2).

For the other magnets I used the 4x4 scale, apple, and cupcake. These I covered with the adhesive backed plastic to protect them from kitchen grease and sticky little fingers. ;) These are such fun to make I will doing lots more of them to have on hand for quick gifts or tucking in with a card. (When my hand heals, that is!)

The evidence

The stash of goodies for this trip. Expensive stash of goodies.


I wore the parking lot home on my shirt.

I had no idea the undersides of my fingers could bruise like this. But I've never folded my fingers all the way backwards before either. Ouch.

The pic doesn't do justice to the huge swelling of the knuckles. It's much prettier in real life. LOL

Injury

I won't be posting CHA QK pics after all- please see them at Scrapbuggy

I fell really hard in the parking lot Friday morning, chasing something that blew out of my cart in the wind. Over extended my hand and dislocated the middle finger --folded the finger backwards so far it ripped it open (yes, skin tore open all across the underside of my finger at the crease of the knuckle!) and also tore an artery. I thought I broke it because the muscle was sticking out the tear. OWIE Blood squirting everywhere. Luckily the hospital is only a couple of blocks away. 3 hours in the ER, seven stitches, splint, morphine - it's bad. I see a specialist in two weeks to be sure it won't require surgery. In the meantime, I won't be typing or scrapping much. All my fingers are swollen and bruised. I'm on pain meds and antibiotics. And I wish I wasn't such a spaz cuz this HURTS!!!

It took me forever to type this message with one finger left handed which I am copying and pasting to everyone. LOL

Please be patient with me for the next several weeks as I don't expect there will be much activity on my blog.

Thanks so much for all the get well wishes and emails.

Resolutions release

More fun with the New Years Resolution dies. Some of them, as I mentioned in my previous post, were a tad difficult to glean the meaning from but this spa girl should remind us all that we need to give to ourselves once in a while. Pampering is great for your mental health, not to mention how fun it is when you have a pedi-buddy like Miss Grace. She's all about the spa! LOL

Fonts are Oatmeal, Harvest and the "B" monogram cookie cutter. Papers are Honey I'm home, by Bella Blvd.




In addition to the spa girl outfit ...

... I used the new rev bathtub {stickles added to the bubbles and shower head} ...

... and this month's club die {is this cute or what?!}

I love this page. Grace had such fun on the farm at her cousins' and wanted to see and touch every animal. The baby goats were adorable, the fluffy little chicks were cute as can be but her favorites -- I was surprised!! -- were the pigs, of all things! Even though they stunk. You can see her holding her nose in the pic. LOL

So here's the rooster on the fence post. Love this die! Not so sure what it has to do with NY Resolutions.....unless it depicts resolving to get up earlier? But wouldn't that also be the alarm clock? Regardless, the rooster is worth crowing about! Love how the title treatment turned out here.

In addition to the rooster, I've used the new 2x2 milk bottle, bushel basket, eggs, and grass. Font is Chandelier. Papers are old ones by We R Memory Keepers that were still in my stash. The colors fit perfectly with the farm feel for this page.

More on CHA/QK

While it is official that QK will not have a booth at CHA, they will still be in attendance at the show. While they won't have a booth, there will still be a release. I have seen pics. Don't know a specific date they'll be released, but IMO, most of these are worth waiting for. I'll keep you posted as I'm at liberty to do so.


Also of interest is that the company that previously manufactured the dies for QK, Dies Direct, will have a booth at CHA. They are now selling dies on their own and have quite a few in their collection (though, personally, I'm not impressed - I'm pretty spoiled by QK mostly awesome designs and font choices). Their prices aren't bad either, so you might want to keep an eye out if you're a die lover. Their dies are compatible with the same machines that cut QK as they too are wafer thin style dies.

OH MY HECK I have seen tons of sneak peeks of a zillion awesome new paper lines coming out and have already preordered some too. And toys. OHH!! If you don't have an itop yet, get one. They super cool new brad daddies are to die for. I can't wait for those. They are my favorite thing to come out of CHA so far!!! If only I could be there in person...... {dreamy}

CHA = Craft & Hobby Association

New Years Resolution Release

See if you can figure out the meaning behind some of the dies in this release. Some are obvious, but some are a little...out there. Seriously, QK, did you guys hit the champagne toast a little early?! LOL I was scratching my head on a few of these. ;) Regardless how offbeat the ideas behind some of them are, the dies are great and were fun to work with!

For my first project, I made this cheeky monkey from the cookie cutter door hanger. I had to have this shape, it's so darn cute. Here I've used it for the door of a baby nursery--gee, I wonder whose nursery this one is for???? {wink wink} In addition to the door hanger, I've used the funky monkey from the anime release, Olivia skinny mini and Moonlight 4x8 alphas, and cookie cutter mini baby shapes. I love how the diaper fits so cute on the monkey!!! These shapes are the perfect size.




Friend needing a shoulder or a listening ear? The mini hot drink cup is perfect for an invite to coffee. I used it here along with the nesting squares for mats.

Inside I used the mini cookie cutter coffee cup and the new 4x8 alphabet, Garden.

And last but not least, the one New Year's Resolution shape I think we can all relate to -- the scale. Ugh. I decided to stay away from the numbers issue and went a completely different route with this one. LOL Besides the scale, which I think is adorable really, I the foot die, mini hearts are Cuttlebug, and the message box is a window from the Santa's Workshop gift set.

Inside I used a pop up window, also from the Santa's Workshop limited release, and behind the window "you" from the original cookie cutter word shapes.

Be sure to keep checking back for more projects this week with the new releases. This is such an eclectic group of shapes. Check out the store blog as well to see what the Buggy girls have to share.

~Shar

Less than 4 hours till the QK reveal, people

Just a li'l reminder, case ya forgot! :)

Fabulous Sugar Dolls Blogger Award -- ME!???

Oh my goodness, I've been honored with a blog award! Thank you so much, Lorna, for this award and for your continued support. This is awesome!

And here there are the rules for the award:

1. Post the AWARD.
2. Don't forget to mention the person who gave you the AWARD.
3. Tag and distribute the AWARD to 10 Fabulous Sugar Dolls.
4. Write 10 fabulous things about yourself that you want to share with other Fabulous Sugar Dolls.
5. Don’t forget to notify the your Fabulous Sugar Dolls about their AWARD and post a link to their blog.

*****

Wow, ten things about myself...this could be tough. But I'll try!

1. I'm the best kind of grama and I have so much fun with the kids. More importantly, they have fun with me, but I think I might enjoy it more cuz I'm old. LOL
2. I was blessed with raising three wonderful children who have become wonderful adults raising their own wonderful children. I'm so proud of them all!
3. I've always been a 'glass is half full' kinda person.
4. I'm a great cook and enjoy cooking for a houseful, though that happens rarely these days.
5. I'm always happy to share my smile and hope it brightens someone else's day.
6. I love my life!
7. I have an awesome hubby who built me an awesome scraproom!!!
8. I am blessed with all the time in the world to play in my awesome scraproom.
9. I am blessed with many online friends who share my passion for scrapbooking.
10. I love my family and friends, and I wish I could see them all every day!

Thank you once again to Lorna for selecting my blog as one of her favorites for this award. :) To see Lorna's wonderful work, please check out her blog here http://scrappingandchatting.blogspot.com/

Check out these other Fabulous Sugar Dolls Award winners! These ladies are full of inspiration and creativity and I am proud to call them my friends. :)
http://finallyfitatforty.blogspot.com/
http://katiepiotrowski.blogspot.com/
http://cindysthisandthat.typepad.com/
http://forcedoptimism.blogspot.com/

CHA & QK

QK will NOT have a booth at winter CHA. Here's the official scoop from the QK Executive Team:
QuicKutz will not have a booth at CHA Winter this year, though several of our staff will be present at the event. You will find QuicKutz at many other large tradeshows nationwide this year as we continue to promote the new L Letterpress and other product lines. Expect a fun, new QuicKutz product release the week before CHA. As always, contact your sales representative if you have any questions!

I wonder if there will be large dies in the "fun new QK product release the weeke before CHA" ? People everywhere have been wondering when those "big" dies will be coming out for the EpicSix. I've heard of no sneak peeks whatsoever, but then QK has always been extremely secretive of their CHA releases.

In my hot little hands.....

.....are the new release QK dies! They arrived Monday and I've been busy working on DT projects to share when the release is official next week. Can't wait! I honestly didn't think I'd like these all that much, but once again, QK proves me wrong and I like them better than I anticipated. Will I ever learn? LOL

Watch for samples coming Monday 9 p.m. Pacific time (midnight Eastern, Tuesday)!

QuicKutz

Next release is January 19. But for us on the west coast, that means 9 p.m. on the 18th!! This will be the last of the large releases, I've heard. Beginning next month, there will be fewer dies in each new release. I'm sure a lot of us won't mind too terribly as this will mean a smaller dent in the wallet on release day. LOL

On the other hand, I'm a tad bit concerned after hearing the news of the latest lawsuit against QK brought about by Spellbinders. I still am not sure how SP can even have a suit, but I'm not a lawyer either, so I guess we'll have to wait and see how it plays out. Apparently, Spellbinders feels QK has infringed on their nesting dies idea or a patent of some kind. Frankly, I don't see how anyone can own a patent on a circle or square or any other shape for that matter, but what do I know.

In the meantime, QK is also dealing with the backlash of the, IMO, too-soon released EpicSix that has been taking a beating like a red-headed step-child. {No flames please, it's just an expression, ok.} I, myself, purchased the EpicSix when it first came out, and quite honestly, I was not at all impressed. IMO, they didn't do nearly enough testing before marketing this machine as the problems are not only wide-reaching, but also very inconsistent from machine to machine. Some of them cut fine (though very few from what I've heard), but most of them were either too tight or too loose. My machine works fine if I cover the platform with cardstock (which I just leave taped in place) and then cut as usual but some were not so easily revamped. Regardless, like everyone else who had a defective machine, I applied for a replacement. I received the "new and improved" EpicSix and boy what a disappointment.

Now, you all know how much I love QK--they are a wonderful company, the best customer service I've ever received, and they really have tried to make this right for their customers. That said, however, I was so completely disappointed in the new machine I sold it immediately. After two test cuts with thin paper, the mat warped so terribly I couldn't imagine using it even half as much as I used the Revolution as I would go through at least a few cuttings mats every day! It was so tight I didn't even want to run cardstock through it much less the chipboard that was made specifically for use in this machine for fear of breaking it. I know I have been spoiled by the Revolution and it's a real shame they weren't able to get the rights to manufacture a larger version of it. Can you imagine how wonderful a 6-inch wide Revolution would be. That would have been a dream come true. Instead we got the EpicSix. Sigh.

On top of that, since the Revolution is no longer manufactured, anyone who needs to take advantage of the lifetime warranty on their Revolution should it break, will now be offered, in lieu of a replacement Rev, the EpicSix at 50% off. Not only will they not receive replacement parts or a replacement machine, they'll have to pay for a machine that has already been labeled inferior {and worse!} by those who have already purchased one. Ouch.

I have a second Revolution in the closet for backup. Yes, I'm a junkie, I admit it. The gears in my first one finally broke (it was a real workhorse for me and as much as I used it, I was surprised it lasted so long!) so I bought a replacement. Then I freaked when I heard they would be discontinued and snagged another for a song just to have for security. ;) I'm good for a while now.