60 days?!

I just caught a glimpse of the countdown clock and didn't realize it was 60 days till our trip to Japan! Yikes! SOMEbody has to start exercising because we'll be doing a ton of walking! We'll be visiting the deer at Nara Park again. That was one of the highlights from our previous trip and we were so amazed at how tame the deer were. In this photo, Keith is taking a photo of us while Joy is snapping a pic of Jamie and a young deer. Just can't wait.....60 more days!

Surfer Ian

I guess it was the Greeting Farm deer that started it. I just love the bigger images that are perfect for coloring with Copics. Now I have about 8 Anya stamps and love them all! A couple of friends appear to be hooked on TGF stamps, too. I just have one Ian--the surfer--and coloring him was really quick, probably because he doesn't have much clothes on. I just love their large heads and expressive eyes.

Arigato!

A thoughtful friend sent me "Geisha Anya" from The Greeting Farm. It seems we both love their designs and I don't know how she knew I didn't own this specific stamp. Love her! I found the "Arigato" stamp at Stamps and Memories which matches perfectly with the image. I colored her with Copic markers and realize that I need a set of blacks and greys to make her hair look more realistic. I also need a lesson on highlighting the hair....back to YouTube!

I {Heart} Hero Arts Blog Hop

I wanted to join in the fun of a blog hop and big thanks to Ashley for starting one! I've recently lost a bit of mojo and this was a good time to get my fingers inky again. I've been using Hero Arts stamps for decades! I can recall using teeny tiny Hero Arts animal stamps to dress up parent bulletins at our daughters' school and knowing that it really brightened up a page and helped to make even boring news a bit more appealing.

I love the quality of Hero Arts' stamps and their commitment to providing the very best to their customers. Being chosen for a Day on the Hero Arts blog, and recently as a Hero Hostess has humbled me beyond words! I am thankful to Hero Arts for their wonderful blog and for the many friendships I've made over the years. And for my inky fingers, too!

Lucy's getting married!

Lucy Abrams is the sweetest, and she's getting married on July 31st to the love of her life, Andy. I met Lucy through the Hero Arts Flickr group and have always felt a special connection with her. She is so creative and has a fondness for little critters, buttons, and a bit of twine. Kathy secretly posted a wedding card drive for Lucy and the response was overwhelming! I planned to send Lucy the white on white card I did a while back but wanted to join in on the fun. I had some Greeting Farm deer images cut out and colored and quickly assembled this card since it was nearing the deadline. With much afterthought, it looks like a baby card!! Oh, well. At least I made the deadline....

Mahalo, Anne!

Thanks to Anne Gaal, I now have the Blogging Without Obligation logo up and running! I tried so many times to put it on. I read and reread the site that shares the logo and just couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. Anne is such an angel and she provided step-by-step instructions and guided me through the whole process. I was such a happy camper when it appeared on my blog! Yay! It feels like a great weight has been lifted and I can post or not post and not feel guilty if and when I don't! Double yay! Thank you, Anne! Big, big hugs!

New Hero hostesses!

So today is the big announcement of the new crop of Hero Arts hostesses that were chosen! All of them were on my "wish list" and so I wasn't too surprised at seeing their names on the blog! Big congrats to Lucy, Cathy, Lin, Virginia, Kathy, Sarah, Tiffany and Tracey! They'll all step up to a challenging but very rewarding 3 month term. It was a bit sad to remove my apron, but they can't take away the friendships that were formed within the alumni group! That in itself is priceless!

Paperholics Anonymous

I think I'm a paperholic. I love to buy at least 3 packs at once and then hoard it. My favorites are Basic Grey and Memory Box in the 6x6" size. And Jenni Bowlin's 4x4" papers are the cutest. I recently bought Making Memories 8" ledger paper packs because Jennifer McGuire said to run and get some. I was horrified after I took a photo of my stash...and immediately went to the Two Peas store and bought two more packs of Jenni Bowlin papers. I think I need help. Is there a 12 step program?

Yikes!

Okay, my blog is not officially launched and I have followers!! That is too funny! I guess it's been exposed... Well, I'm not going to be able to post every day but I'll try for every other day or so. Tomorrow is Aloha Friday! Yay! Thanks for peeking....