Scrapper@heart

Color my world with family, friends and some time to be creative making cards!


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It’s hard being apart.

Hello, Today was a first for me and for my hubby.  Instead of being in Massachusets supporting, hugging and consoling a brother and brother in law who just lost his youngest child, we had to watch via a computer screen. I am thankful for technology, don’t get me wrong, but I am mournful yet again with something else we can blame on COVID 19.  It just sucks to put in bluntly!  The service was very nice and personable. Brad was loved by many and it was evident as the pastors guest and family spoke.  I take peace in knowing that he is suffering no more.

Above is the card I sent to Dale. I hope when he opened it he felt the love inside.

Rest in peace Brad you fought a good fight!  You will be missed. Nanc’

Card Details:  SU-High Tide, Oxide inks, white paint.  A case of this card here, but it is way better than mine.


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Flowers and Fun with Family and Friends!

Hello,  Flowers is the topping we have starting today over at Seize the Birthday! The card I have for you above was one I had made a while ago and never got around to posting.

Card Details: Oxide Inks and stenciling, MFT- flowers and wonky rectangles, Vase is Gina K on puffy paper, Circle- SU, the fancy tag is probably Spellbinders, the sentiment is computer generated. Lots of pop dots for dimension.

Before I go I would like to quickly share where I have been the last week or so. Hubby and I took a trip to Chicago and we spent three days exploring the fabulous city.  Then Fellow STB-DT member and my Birthday sister Barb and her husband Tom picked us up at the train station. We then got to spend a few more days in Kenosha, Wisconsin at their lovely home. We had a great time and they were such gracious hosts.  We also took a drive up to Gina K’s store and lucky for us she was there.  It was nice to meet the person that helped start this crazy and wonderful hobby of mine.  If it wasn’t for Gina K and other stamping companies, I would never have met so many wonderful card makers, and for that, I will always be grateful.  Some photos from our trip:

View from our Hotel room.

Our room is at the top of that narrow peak.  If you are ever looking for a nice hotel in downtown Chicago…I recommend The River Hotel.

Fountain Park

Having lunch on the River.

Moonet! I love it!

Lunch with Dave’s cousins. Lynne on the far left works in downtown Chicago. Gary and Jean came up from Michigan.

Love the reflection of the city on the bean in Millennium Park.

Lunch with my cousin Peggy who works in downtown Chicago.

We loved hanging out down by the river. We walked 30 miles in less than three days.

Me in front of Calder sculpture in the middle of downtown.

Gina’s store is about 45 minutes from Barb’s house in Greendale Wisconsin.

Gina K, Barb, and the Jolly Green Giant.

Birthday sisters- Having lunch by the river in downtown Milwaukee.

Me, Dave, Barbara, and Tom. We decided we are all siblings from another mother. The guys are alike and we already knew we were so much alike.

Barbara and I in her Craft room the day we left!

Thanks for sticking with me on this post! Now it’s back to reality! I go back to work on Monday…boohooo!

Take care, Nanc

 

 


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Retirement Party…I did it!

Today’s post is not card related, however, it is still craft related! My hubby retired this year after 33 years of teaching and I thought it was a perfect time to throw him a well-deserved party! The party was not a surprise… however, he wasn’t allowed to see any of the decorations or even the invitations ahead of time. His reaction when he came in was priceless. He said, “I felt like I was part of a house reveal, like on the TV show- Fixer Upper.” So instead of writing a huge long post about what my son and an amazing team of a few friends and I created, I am just going to show you! Warning this is going to be somewhat long and not in any particular order! I am still in recovery mode.  I will start with the invitations. I made 82 of them I might add.  Most but not all of what you see below was hand made either by myself, my son or a dear friend. Tyler, Sandra, my sister, and a few sweet friends helped me execute it.


The signs you see above were the signs my hubby would put on the back of his bike.

So often the lesson of the day started on the way to school.

Well, thanks for letting me share with you what I have been up to the last three months or so. It turned out far better than we could have ever imagined. My hubby and I are both suffering a bit today from a mix of happiness and sadness, having so much fun with our son and daughter in law for a mere couple of days and not wanting it to end.  It was especially hard to say goodbye this time and they felt the same way.  I just have to remember how lucky I am to have such an amazing close and wonderful family!

I will be back again in a few days after I put my house and life back together. I am sure you don’t have a giant paintbrush propped in the corner of your bedroom. LOL.

Thanks for letting me share my special memories with you!

Take care, Nanc’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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Sunshiny Day!

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STB ToppingsHello my friends,  It’s time for a brand new challenge over at Seize the Birthday and the topping this time around is ” Sunshine.”  Of course what is sun without a little clouds thrown in?  I may have gotten a bit carried away with my clouds…LOL.  I thought it might be fun to change it up and use some DP instead the just plain old white or grey for my clouds.  I like how it came out.  I may have heated my embossing paste a tad to long as it started to bubble, as the picture shows.  I am also linking this card up over at The Paper Players where they have a fun Tic Tac Toe theme this week.  I chose to go diagonal which was …. Yellow, Die-Cut and Paperclip. I wanted a white paperclip but couldn’t seem to get my hands on one around the house, so settled for the traditional silver with a yellow ribbon.  The stencil in from My Favorite Things, the clouds are from Lawn Fawn, and the sentiment is from Verve.

Before I go, I need to mention 3 things! First, I want to welcome Patti from Stationary Styles to the Seize the Birthday team!  She was a Surprise Party Guest with us the past two months and I just couldn’t let her sweet and talented self go!  Welcome Patti and I am super glad you are with us!!!  Next, I need to welcome our NEW Surprise Party Guest- Mynn Kitchen from On a Stampage to our team, she will be with us for the next two months!  Mynn is super involved in the Stampin world and I am sure you are familiar with her beautiful work, if not you are in for a huge treat!!  Welcome Myn!!  Last, but certainly not least!  Hubby and I had the wonderful opportunity this past Sunday to meet up with a fellow STB and JUGS design Team member Sharyn and her hubby for breakfast!  We had a very nice time it was just way to short, as they were taking a family trip that day with their son, daughter-in-law, and grandkids to Orlando!  Here is a couple of pics, that some of you have already seen on Facebook, but I love to document important parts of my life here on my blog as well.

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pp297Thanks for sticking with me through my long post!  Come on over to Seize the Birthday and join us, and while your there help us welcome Patti and Mynn!

 Take care, Nanc’


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Personal Post-Engagement /Happy 60th

Warning this is a LONG post but oh so very important for me to document and look back on in a few years and re-live these moments. Plus if you stick with me to the end of this post I will show you what I made with my Silhouette Cameo!  I was really happy with the results.

To quote my son as we were face timing one evening prior to the proposal,

” You only get to do this once, I need to get it right.”

On my hubby’s 60th Birthday 3-16-16 my son proposed to the woman of his dreams!  Hubby and I were not in Savannah the night of the actual proposal, we were out celebrating his birthday with our very good friends.  I was so very anxious that entire day and especially that evening, and I was checking my watch and my phone quite a bit, waiting for that text.  Let me take a moment and re-cap a bit incase you are wondering why Ty was in Savannah when he lives in Seattle.  Ty flew down to Savannah to spend St Patrick’s day with Sandra and their friends, as she is still at SCAD finishing her Masters Degree. He chose Savannah because they both adore the city and have had so many good times and memories while they were both there together.  So planning this surprise was quite the task as he was doing it from Seattle.

Here is the first photo Dave and I received about an hour or so afterwards. 

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The proposal was preceded by wine and snacks in Forsyth Park one of the prettiest and well known places in Savannah. Hence the Publix bag that I would LOVE to nix from all of these photos! 😦  I guess a picnic basket didn’t fit in his suitcase.

By the way Ty’s photographer canceled on him thirty minutes prior, but she was nice enough to contact a replacement.  All Ty had to do is figure out who the heck he was and where he was so that he could capture this special moment. LOL

Here are the rest of the photos.  I know there is a lot, but what can I say, he is our only! 

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If you look very closely at these two photos you can tell that Ty is crying! So sweet!

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Below-One of All Time Favorite Photos!  

This is truly Sandra, she loves to laugh and it’s infectious!

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Below-LOVE this one too! 

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Below- Fantastic of Sandra…not the best of Ty! Sorry Ty!

If you look closely, the fountain is green for St. Patrick’s Day. 

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Ty and Sandra finished up that day with a romantic dinner later that evening.

Now fast forward to Friday night.  Dave and I cut out from work a few hours early to beat the traffic to meet up with this beautiful couple for the weekend in Savannah and to celebrate Dave’s 60th birthday and their big news.  Ty had reserved a Bed and Breakfast for us for two nights as a gift to his father. What a sweetheart!  Traffic had other plans and we didn’t make it to Savannah till nearly ten so we went out that evening for some celebratory drinks. The next morning we met up with Sandra, Ty, and a group of their friends at (Roasters) the Best coffee shop eva to give them their gifts.

Here is what I made with my cameo for the Future Bride and Future Groom.

I adore this next group of photos especially the ones where they realize what the shirts say.  Sandra’s ring is made with glitter HTV and Ty asked where his bling was. LOL

Now before I finish up this post, I want to add some text conversations that Ty and I had after we said our farewells at the airport, that I never want to forget. It was a tougher than usual goodbye as we all realize it’s going to be quite sometime before we see each other again. I want to also add that I know I am the luckiest mom alive because Ty and I have a very unique and special relationship, so keep that in mind when you read these messages and when I say I nearly cried the entire trip home.  I think exhaustion and having such an emotional weekend played a huge part.

I texted Tyler as we were driving home that afternoon that it was the first milestone in his life that I was not there for. He responded, “You were there and have been from the start.” More tears..he ALWAYS does this to me.  I swear he has a book in his back pocket that says text messages to make my mom cry. LOL  Then our next conversation went like this.  I said, ” It’s time for this mom to hand over the reins of being the most important woman in my son’s life. He answered, “That is not how your son was raised. Your son has double the hearts. One woman doesn’t trump the other. The new woman is teaching him everything his mother has done for him. I love you more now than I ever have.”  See, I told you I was the luckiest mom in the world.

Dave and I are so absolutely thrilled that Tyler is so happy and found the love of his life. We too love Sandra very much and can’t wait to have her as our Daughter in Law. 

I saw a quote the other day that reminded me so much of Ty and Sandra.

It said, “Every once in a while in the middle of an ordinary life, Love gives us a fairytale.”

It sure did! 

Last but certainly not least, onto my Hubby’s 60th Birthday!

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I can’t take credit for this card idea, I found it on Pinterest on a shirt.  However if you knew my hubby, you would know it fits him to a tee. 

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Above is a picture of our very dear friends Jerry and Deanna who came out to celebrate with us!  We laughed all night! We love them both dearly!

Finally, here is a photo of Hubby and I having drinks before dinner.  I can’t believe you are 60 honey, you look amazing…oh to be that lucky!

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If you stuck with me for this entire post…THANK YOU! It means the world to me!

Thanks for letting me share my excitement and tears with you all, I hope you have a wonderful day and a blessed Easter.   Nanc’

If you want to leave a comment there is a spot at the top of the post!

 

 


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Maxwell Erik Grablin

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I wanted to take some time today and make a Dedication post to a former 12 year old student of mine from my school that I had the privilege to have known for the last 3 1/2 years.  He lost his life to a terrible accidental injury at his home.  I attended his funeral yesterday and let me just say, I am so glad I did.  I was witness to the most beautiful celebration of life I have ever seen.  One little 12 year old boy made a huge impact on so many people and it was so evident on the size of the crowd.  He wasn’t just any little boy and the guest speakers captured this angelic little boys character so perfectly!  One of the songs that was sang was titled “Burrowed Angels” and it fit Max so perfectly!  Even his mother and father spoke,  I don’t know how they did it, and I was truly inspired by them.

This tragedy has really knocked me off my feet for the past week. It seems to have uncovered all the loss my family and I have had over the past 5 years.  If you are a new reader or follower.  Both of my sisters loss their oldest child not so long ago (a year apart) and when I heard about Max’s death, it seemed to just make that time in my life come rushing back to me.

I could write a book about yesterday and this wonderful young man,

but instead I will close by saying that I feel very privileged to have known you Max,

I am a better person because of you Max,

 and you will always be in my heart!

Love, Mrs. Leppek


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Congratulations Son!

Hello Friends,

A little over a Week ago my son Graduated from College and to say that I am proud

of him is a HUGE understatement!  Not only did he graduate in 3 years instead of the typical

4 he took an average of 45 credit hours a year while doing so.

He has such drive and determination!!  As I type this

he has already into week 8 of his Masters at Savannah College of Art and Design!

He says no rest for the weary!  Just keep on keeping on!  I don’t know where he came from?

 The cool part is he has done all this while maintaining a job for the

last 2 years, working 40+ hours a week, and is doing his Masters on his dime not ours!

Am I lucky or what?  

Here is a Graduation card I made for him to go along with the FSU class ring we got him!

I can’t take credit for the card Idea…all credit goes HERE!

Very happy with how it turned out.  The tie says it all, it’s my son all the way!

Go NOLES!

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I cannot begin to thank Ty’s girlfriend Sandra enough for capturing such cherished moments

and doing it so well, she sure knows a thing or two about photography!  Thanks Sandra!!!!

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In conclusion!

I will always need my son no matter what age I am.

My son has made me laugh, made me cry, made me proud, seen me cry,

hugged me tight, seen me fail, cheered me up, and acccepted me for who I am.

My son is a promise that I will have a FOREVER Friend!

I LOVE you TY Leppek and couldn’t possibly be more proud to call you SON!

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Thanks for letting me share what I have been up to lately,

Now where are those gosh darn tissues?

Nanc’


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Our Sweet Muff Dog….

WARNING!!!

This is not a crafty related post!

When I started this blog back in 2008 I knew I wanted to use it as a place to journal my thoughts

along with a place to share my passion for scrapbooking and card making.

I feel it is a great resource in remembering your life and the life of your family!

Speaking of family ……On Friday, I finally got up the courage to put

my sweet Dachshund Muffy to sleep.  She was just one month shy of 15 years old.

Here are a few photos that will reflect why she was the best pet a family could have ever asked for!

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Tyler picked out her name, because when she slept she curled up just like a Muffin. 

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She loved the water and I feel she always thought she was more of a Great Dane then a Dachshund

by the size of sticks she would fetch from the water at the beach.

Muffy….. thanks for making our house a home!

Nanc’

Until one has loved an animal,
a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.
-Anatole France


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Life got interrupted…

WARNING this is about LIFE …Not card/ project related and very long!

For those of you that read my blog and I am friends with on Facebook…I want to apologize to you

because you have had to endure this a time or two already.  However, I felt the need to share

my story with as many people as I could.  Spreading the word to please be more careful, cautious, and aware

of this very unsafe and not so trusting world of ours.  I am also hoping it will give me some closure.

Friday, Dec. 6th 2013  approximately 10:45 AM

My sister was coming to my house the other morning to let my dog out (due to the fact that she had acquired

a urinary tract infection and can’t hold it all day while I am at work.)  She lives one street over by the way so she is on foot.

When she gets close to my house she sees a black car backed into my driveway with the motor running.

As  she approaches the car the guy rolls down his dark tinted window.  She proceeds to ask him why he

is here, and he tells her that no one is home and that he just wanted to get some oranges from our fruit trees in the back yard.

 She tells him several times that someone is home now and that he needs to leave and shouldn’t be here.

 Later realizing, that the reason he kept repeating himself is that he was stalling.

 He finally starts to pull away as my sister proceeds to the side of my house.

 Next, she realizes that the back gate leading to my back yard is open.

 She proceeds through the gate and into my back yard and notices my window screen lying in the grass

and one of my windows is broken.  She races back around to the front of the house to see if she can see the car that

she just asked to leave moments before, in hopes to get a better look or possibly a tag.

 (You probably know where this is headed.)

Not knowing the danger that is lurking inside she goes into my house to check on my dog.

She gets to the middle of my dining room which is about 7 feet from my bedroom and

sees that Muffy seems to be unharmed and in her cage surrounded by glass directly beneath the broken window.

 She says to Muffy that she will be right back.  I couldn’t be more thankful at this instance that I no longer have

my land line phone and that she neglected to bring her phone with her that day.  What a blessing !!!

She leaves my house and proceeds to run home to get her phone to call 911, none the wiser that

moments before she was feet away from the second man hiding in my bedroom.

Moments later she returns to my house as she is talking to the police on her cell phone,

my neighbor directly across the street comes out to tell her that minutes after she left a man with a

very large and heavy pillowcase came racing across her front lawn.

( My hubby and I are still at work at this point.)

 After the police arrive and go inside the house to make sure it was clear, they

tell her how very lucky it was that she left the house as quickly as she did

because it could have ended very, very differently.  They said it was obvious

that my sister had startled him because he had left in haste leaving behind a crowbar on my bed.

My hubby and I arrive home moments later, and after speaking to the officers and

 several eye witnesses, we realize how very fortunate we really are.

I am so thankful my sister was unharmed!!!

All total we lost about $4500.00 worth of jewelry and electronics.  I have some pieces of jewelry that meant the

world to me.  My mom’s wedding band that I have worn everyday for 17 years, though regretfully

had decided to take off  Wednesday morning because I had a small rash on that finger.

A ruby and diamond necklace of hers that my father had given her that was one of a kind.

Last but certainly not least, this necklace that was a Christmas gift from my son just last year.

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I think the title of this piece says it all.

As long as we have Love’s embrace…the rest really doesn’t matter!

Thanks for listening,

Nanc’


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Family Time

Below is a photo of the canvas my Hubby painted for Tyler’s room.  Isn’t it awesome!!!

On this gloomy and rainy Saturday I can’t stop thinking about my son and how much I miss having him around.  The 6 weeks he was home was soooooo fabulous, but last week my DH and I took him back to college and helped him get settled for his second year at FSU.  He had to report very early as he had to begin training as an RA.  Moving in was such a enjoyable time even though Tyler can be a slave driver.  LOL  He is a lot like me in that regard, as he had an agenda and a time frame that he wanted to adhere to and we did adhere to it!  LOL We had the best time laughing and just being together. His room looks fabulous!!!  We are the luckiest parents in the entire world!  He has such a positive attitude, kind heart, great sense of humor and soooooo smart!  He is so driven to succeed and succeed he will, we are certain of it!   The mom in me just worries cause he doesn’t know when to much is to much….and I am so afraid he will work himself to death.

Sorry this is not stamping and scrappin related, but sometimes a mom just has to brag!

Have a great day my friends and hopefully my next post will be something creative!