Abigail Elisabeth Anne Lingle

I'm so sorry that my "brand new " blog has been so inactive as of late, but there have been some very important things going on in my life and the life of my family.  I needed to take some (ahem...that's MOST) of my extra time and focus on this very important thing.  Actually, the "thing" was a person, my brand new little granddaughter Abigail, who decided to finally join the family last Friday!  Let me tell you, I thought that Abigail's mother (my daughter Dina was the most gorgeous baby ever, but I think that Abigail has her beat, by a hair (actually by LOTS and LOTS of hair!) I want to thank my daughter Dina and her husband Tim, for allowing me to take part in this wonderful experience and be there as Abigail made her appearance!
Well, since a picture is worth a thousand words,,,,,well...YOU know the saying!

All cleaned up and looking cute as a button, here is my beautiful little sweet pea.  Perfect in every way, she was surrounded by the family who love her - and by her mom and dad, both totally awestruck and just what a marvelous work God has done!
And...like all of us in the Schaefer/Lingle clan, she was very anxious to make herself understood...

I am so proud of my daughter - 30 hours of labor, and she was a real star! ...and Abigail's daddy has turned out to be an unbelievable natural at this baby thing. I love to sit and watch her face as she listens to him talk...I sense a daddy's girl in the making!

So.....to all my friends who kept Dina, Tim and the baby in prayer....thank you so much! We serve a loving Father who delights in giving us wonderful gifts - and Abigail is the best gift EVER!!!
Well- now the fun begins......the rollercoaster ride of life!  Come on Abigail....it's going to be FUN!!!!
God Bless!!!

How cool is THAT?? ...and a clever card making tip!

So, the other day I posted a pic of a shaped card I made. In case you missed it...this is the one:

If you look real REAL close (ok, fine - you can't see that close!) the shape of the card matches the leaf in the stamp on the front. This card (as I mentioned before) was for a specific challenge given by a favorite site of mine -  Stamp TV.  They hold Facebook challenges once a month, and this was the very first time I had jumped into the fray of competition online. Well, it was soooo worth it, because imagine my surprise (and delight) when I found out that I had won the contest! Yep (WHOO HOO!) I WON the contest!  Nothing feels better than knowing that somebody likes what you've done!!! The only problem was that I found out at about 2 in the morning...didn't realize that it was so late...ran upstairs to share my news only to find that everybody was ASLEEP!! I was devastated! Well, I WAS until Hannah (who was asleep on the couch) woke up and asked me what was wrong...and I was able to tell her. And Katie....I was able to tell Katie.  So now, I only have to wait in anticipation, with baited breath (etc.) for my prize to come in the mail....a grab bag of rubber stamps from GinaK Designs, one of my favorite stamp companies.  A perfect end to a hectic day!!!!

Now for my clever card making tip!!! Those of you who know me know that I very RARELY make flat cards. My cards are usually very dimensional, and, of course, to do this, you need something to "pop up" certain elements on the card.  I have always used a foam dimensional adhesive known affectionately as "pop dots".  They work very well, but CAN get a bit pricey if you use them often (which I do!!)  So the other day I was watching my favorite online craft channel from the UK, Create and Craft.  One of the items they were selling was a huge, HUGE roll of foam adhesive for dimensional cards. When I say huge, I mean probably around  8" - 10" in diameter. At the time, I thought to myself "Wow - what I wouldn't give for THAT roll!" - and then, went on with my life. But, deep inside, I had a nagging feeling that I had seen that huge roll of foam somewhere before......
Skip to - later that night, and a quick trip that I had to make to Walmart with my son Jonathan.  Walking past the hardware section, what do you think I saw?....Yep, that huge roll of foam!!!  This is what I found:

Basically, this is a foam tape used to keep out the drafts around your windows, and it is in the section by the screening! AND you get 2 rolls of adhesive in one pack, for less than $3.00!!!!!!!  This stuff is sticky on one side ( which only means I have to put a bit of glue on the other side) but the foam is nice and high, and boy, does it make elements on my cards stand out and beg to be noticed!!! Just one more instance of home improvement items which can do double duty in the craft department! (FYI - it is DUCK brand ) I will try to pass on these little nuggets of information as I discover them - as it is always fantastic to find a way to save money!!! Please let me know if you use this and how it works for you!!! Well, on to create in my art journal - Have a wonderful day my friends....and thanks for stopping by!!