DT Birthday Blog Hop

Hi there!  As promised, here is my post for the DT (Design Team) Birthday blog hop.  This is a super special hop and I don't think one like this has been done before.  Or, if it has, I have never seen one like it!  I am not actually a stop on the hop, but the Vintage Heartfelt Designs site is!  Since I am on the DT, my project was to create a vintage birthday card for it to be placed on the actual blog where you will see projects from most of our DT.  There are about 7 or 8 DTs participating in this hop and each site will have most of their members posting a card so this will be a quick hop, but you will see many different creations on each stop!  Pretty cool, huh? :0)  I think it is, and of course there will be candy!  Please hop over there to start and view all of the work my fellow DT members have done.  There is a list of the participants on the VHD blog for you to follow.  I hope you all have a great time and be sure to leave those comments!

For this card I used some very fun tools.  See pictures below for details.

 Front of card

 Closeup of lacy floral embellishment I won (I'm sorry, but I can't recall from whom!  If it's you, please let me know so I can give proper credit.  This was originally white.)  Happy b-day and stitching stamps from A Jillian Vance Design.  More info on these goodies below. :0)

 Closeup of the button stamp from Stampin' Up

 Closeup of dress form from Stampin' Up

 Don't you just love that font?  It's a straight stamp that I curved on my acrylic block to make it fit the embellishment.

Closeup of the awesome frame (available to purchase from my store)

For this card I used the following:

• Cardstock:  Stash
• Printed papers:  The Best of K&Company
• Frame:  Available thru me from my Memory-Works store (please ask for info!) - Crate Paper Restoration Collection
• Ink - Colorbox Cat's Eye Dk. Brown (available for sale thru my Memory-Works store)
• Embellishment - Handmade by a blog I follow.  I won it as candy and for the life of me cannot remember from whom I received it! :(  It was white and I used Walnut Ink from Tsukinek to make it match the card better and for an antiqued look
• Stamps:  Happy Birthday - Stitches - Brand new set!!!!  both available from A Jillian Vance Design
• Other Stamps:  Stampin' Up (Buttons, Dress Form - not sure which set they are from)
• Other Ink:  Stampin Up' - Close to Cocoa and Creamy Caramel 
• Button Stamps were chalked with craft chalk 
• Adhesives - ATG, Pop Dots from Recollections

There you have it!  Fairly simple and sweet and for sale!  Please let me know if you have any questions and especially love hearing your comments!

XO ~ Amy Jo

DT Birthday Blog Hop

Hi Everyone,

I have created a vintage birthday card for the DT Birthday Blog Hop that is going on at midnight, July 30th!  This card was created for the Vintage Heartfelt Designs DT that I am on.  Please be sure to check it out HERE.  I will post my card and details about it later.  Hope you all have fun on the hop!

XO ~ Amy Jo

Pay It Forward

This is my SECOND post of the day, so please be sure to scroll down for the first. Thanks!

Hello my sweet and wonderful friends!


Pay It Forward






I found this wonderful post over at Deanne's Creative Juice. She found this from a fellow blogger and posted this  "Pay It Forward" post on her blog I think it's an awesome idea!

"Pay It Forward" is the idea of blessing someone with a random act of kindness without expecting anything in return. It’s passing on a kindness, hoping that your recipients will do the same, and forming a never-ending chain of goodwill. But it isn’t only kindness, it is also a means to connect and share instead of just keeping it to ourselves.

"I promise to send an original creation to the first 5 people who leave a comment here. They must, in turn, post this on their blog, and send something they make to the first 5 people who comment on their status."

Here's what you need to do:

1. Leave a comment on this post. I will send a handmade gift to the first 5 people who comment.

2. Create a post on your blog offering the same.

3. Send a handmade item to your first 5 people who comment.

4. It must be sent to your 5 people sometime in 2011.

Please do not sign up unless you are fully committed to making your 5 items!




**If you are one of the first 5 people to leave a comment on this post, PLEASE email me your mailing address to amyjrockstar at gmail dot com (remove the spaces and insert @ symbol).  PLEASE put "PAY IT FORWARD" in the subject line.

Thursday's Tutorial at FCCB

Good Morning Fantabulous Friends!  Happy Thursday to you. This is an excerpt from my post today over at FCCB today... I hope this week has been a fun one for you.  It's been one crazy thing after another for me.  Doctor's appointment, eye doctor's appointment, fell down at doctor's appointment and threw myself into a horrible flare.  My knees are bruised, twisted one of 'em and cut and bled through my favorite leggings. :p  Now, doc insists I have carpal tunnel syndrome (hmm... wonder why that would be? Did I mention I was online til around 2 last night? :p) and I have to go back for testing and X-Rays on my shoulder!  Eesh!  I would so much have rather stayed home in bed yesterday and worked on all my crafting, but NO... had to venture out in the world and see what happens? LOL  That's why my craft room is my haven!

Now I know this all had absolutely nothing to do with today's tutorial, but I figured I'd share a little about my week with you anyways.  I hope you all don't mind.  In the future, if you want to skip my ramblings and go straight to the tutorial, feel free to do so. :0)  TO SEE THE REST OF THIS POST, GO HERE.  Yeah, I'm such a tease! >;-} But seriously, fun stuff happening today!

One day closer to the weekend and all the fun hops lined up...

XO ~ Amy Jo

Moku

*Scroll down (one post) for Vintage Christmas in July Blog Hop*

Hi Friends,

Today is a hard day for me.  It's the day my piggy, Moku, is leaving for his new home.  He will have a wonderful new family and lots of room to run and be happy, but I'm going to miss him so much.  He has been with me since he was a baby and getting him was one of my most special memories.  We got him in Maui and had him flown over to Colorado.  He arrived here about a week after we got home from our trip and he was the cutest thing. Beautiful blue eyes with really long eyelashes... He was wearing a lei when we picked him up at the airport. :0)  I still have it.  I guess now would be a good time to make a scrapbook, huh?

I'm having the hardest time with this. It's ridiculous!  Thought I'd be ok and I know he's going to a wonderful home, better than I could give him even, but it's just heartbreaking.  I'm gonna miss his adorable piggy sounds in the morning and when he gets his belly scratched.  He's such a sweetheart.  Who'd ever think you call fall in love with a pig? LOL  Anyways, thanks for listening.  Sometimes having this blog is the only way to get through some of these difficult things in life.  That and my wonderful friends and family of course, but I view all of you as friends and the support I get from you all means so much to me.  It's amazing what an incredible network of people we have available to us all from this wonderful hobby. :0)

Here are some pictures of my Moku...

 Here he is as a baby!  See why we fell in love? :0)

 He loves to root and push on you with his nose.  

 Can you believe how big he got???  130 lbs!  That's more than I weigh!

 Such a handsome boy. :0)

 With his favorite toy.

 

This is Moku and me just a few weeks ago.  He still thinks he's a baby and crawled into my lap!  I couldn't bear to push him away even though it's like holding a baby elephant! :p LOL  I'm definitely going to miss these sweet times. *sniffle*

Moku is going to a wonderful home (which I hope will be his forever home).  My husband's co-worker was kind enough to take him in for a while and she will decide if she will keep him or if he will be going on to Cheyenne, WY to a friend of hers who have a little female.  Either way, he will be very loved and have plenty of room to run around and have some freedom, which he did not have here due to the dogs and the layout of our house.  Moku and stairs don't mix!

Thanks everyone, for letting me share.  Hope you all have a wonderful evening!

XO ~ Amy Jo

Vintage Christmas in July Hop - Vintage Heartfelt Designs

Hello everyone and welcome to the Vintage Christmas in July Blog Hop. The list of participants below are here to celebrate Christmas in July with good friends.  This hop is hosted by our Vintage Heartfelt Designs -   Design Team. The theme of the hop is Vintage Christmas in July. If you arrived here from Carol then you are in the right spot.  If you just happened upon this hop by visiting my blog, please go to the beginning and see Dee at Vintage Heartfelt Designs. There will be opportunities to win some blog candy and get some great ideas for your holiday cards. So sit back and enjoy the hop

!If you would like to participate in the blog candy giveaway (why wouldn't you, right?), which will be a goodie bag filled with different items you can use for scrapping, please post a comment on each blog and become a follower. If you are already a follower please mention that in your comment. When you are finished with the hop, you must come back to the beginning at Vintage Heartfelt Designs and let me know which project you liked the best to be entered to win the blog candy. Also to everyone that leaves a comment, please leave your name and email address so Dee can contact you if you are the winner. Thank you!

In case you get lost, here is the lineup of the blogs in the hop.

Denise - http://vintageheartfeltdesig​ns.blogspot.com/

Jennifer Restivo  http://craftycardgallery.blog​spot.com/

Nicolette Sheridan  http://www.beyondscrapin.blog​spot.com/

Tonya Wilson  http://creativeaddictiontopap​er.blogspot.com/

Carol Carlson http://cardstockscisso​rsandglue.blogspot.com/

Amy Courchaine  http://lv2scrapandfibrofacts.​blogspot.com/ - That's Me!

Debbie Trevenen  http://debbiescrafttime.blogs​pot.com/ - Next Stop

Kari   http://purplefuntastickcreat​ions.blogspot.com

Jackie   http://jackrabbitscrappin.blog​spot.com/

Lori    http://swandog-4scraps.blogspo​t.com/

Sylvia   http://Www.bellascrapbookdes​igns.blogspot.com

Pam Bray   http://pammejo-scrapbookflai​r.blogspot.com/

Dee - http://vintageheartfeltdesigns​.blogspot.com

I had this project idea in my head for quite a while and was so happy that I finally felt well enough to create it!  I was originally going to make a tag, but you know me and cards... so here is what I came up with!  I'm having some blogger issues right now so I'm unable to add captions, but you get the gist I'm sure. :0)  I used the Winter Wonderland cartridge for my project.  If you want more details, please just let me know and I'll post the details, but since this is a hop, I'm sure you want to be moving along!  Your next stop is the fabulous Debbie.  Don't forget to leave your comments and become followers to be entered to win the blog candy!  Thank you all for stopping by today. :0)

Reindeer Brad - My Mind's Eye, I Believe; Pearl Brads - Dear Lizzy & American Crafts, Elements Mini Pearl Brads XMas Assortment; Martha Steward Border Punch; Zig Pens, Brown Ink, White Gelly Pen, Pink Colored Pencil, ATG, Ribbon from Stash, Winter Frolic Cartridge

Little Yellow Bicycle Cardstock Stickers

Cardmaker's Clear and Frosted Overlays - Christmas

Winter Frolic - Stickles, Glossy Accents, Basic Grey Jovial Paper Line, Ribbon from Stash,  Handmade Paper from Recollections (Michael's)

This was a pin I won from Ellen at Cardmonkey. I looped it around my bow to make a pretty embellishment.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

More Than Favors #46 - Christmas in July

XO ~ Amy Jo

Blog Hop Tomorrow!

Hey Everyone!  Don't forget to swing by tomorrow for the Vintage Christmas in July Blog Hop!  Starts at 12:00 AM tonight actually.  Our Vintage Heartfelt Design team is putting on this hop and there will be blog candy!  Hope to see you all here!

XO ~ Amy Jo

Sweet Blog Award - One more person to recognize

Hi All,

I forgot to mention that sweet Annibee - Annibees Craft Room also gave me that lovely award.  So thank you very much Annibee!

XO ~ Amy Jo

Another Awesome Blog Award

Wow, I am seriously blessed.  I have such wonderful friends here in blogland.  In fact I received this lovely award a little while back from several people.  I'm finally getting around to posting it and would like to say a great big thank you to:


Kelly
Dana
Brynn
Court
Pamela

Annibee

I sure hope I didn't forget anyone who passed on this award to me.  If I did, I am truly sorry and please leave me a comment so I can give you proper acknowledgement!  Thank you, ladies, so much for picking me for this award.  I am truly overwhelmed by how many of you chose my little ol site!  Incredible!  I know, you'd think I'd won an Oscar or something. ;0) LOL, but really, I'm very pleased to get these Sweet little badges showing that people like my work.  It's a great feeling, isn't it?

Well now, I have instructions I must follow of course!  So here we go:

Here are the rules for this award.  

First you must thank the person who sent it to you.  Well that's just common courtesy right? :p

Share seven things about yourself.

1.  Amy Jo is just a nickname.  My real middle name is something else. ;)  I just don't like it, so I go by Amy Jo because there are so many Amys out there!

2.  I used to HATE wearing a purse.  Now I own over 100 of them.  Same with dresses, skirts, pink, anything girly!  Now I'm the frilliest gal you'll find! LOL

3.  There are so many things in life that I want to do that I can never sit still.  When I am sick (with Fibro), it just kills me because my mind constantly runs and I HATE relaxing.  Don't know the meaning of the word. ;)

4.  My real dream is to become famous for something (or at least well known).  I want to do something amazing, not just okay.  I give everything I do my all.  Never half-assed.  Pardon the expression.  Couldn't think of a better description. 

5.  I LOVE managing.  Love, love, love it and always end up in that role, without ever really asking to be.

6.  I believe life is too short to waste time cleaning when you could be hanging out with friends/family/people you love.  One of my pet peeves is when friends say, "Oh, I can't do that because I really need to clean."  I'm sure when you die, you won't be judged on how much you cleaned, rather how many friends you made and lives you've touched.  Not that I don't believe in a tidy house... I do, but don't let it interfere with personal relationships.

7.  I love essential oils and making blends for my friends and family.  I make bath salts, therapeutic blends, and sugar/salt scrubs too.  Love doing this and hope to make money at it someday too. :0)

Next we must pass this great award on to 7 fellow crafters.  Here are my picks:

1.  Linda - Linda's Crafty Piece of Heaven

2.  Jenny - Jenny's Scrapbooking Haven

3.  Jessica - Cricut After Dark

4.  Kate - Small Bits of Paper

5.  Celeste - C.C.'s Cards and Crafts

6.  Bunny - Bunny Runs With Scissors

7.  Elizabeth - 217 Creations

I wish I could give out more of these!  There are so many wonderful blogs out there and I love visiting all of you!  Thanks again to the sweet gals who gave me this award.  Please check out their blogs.  They are all so fun!

XO ~ Amy Jo

My Big Announcement!!!

Hello Patient Followers,

I know it's been a while since I mentioned I had a huge announcement coming up, but the time is finally here!  Some of you may already know this and some may not, but I (lucky gal that I am) have been chosen to be the new coordinator of Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog (FCCB)!!!  Robin, the owner/creator of the site has decided to step back for a bit and she needed someone to take over the daily tasks of keeping the site together and running, which is no small job, I assure you!  She has done an amazing job with it so I have some huge shoes to fill, but I have been working behind the scenes for two or three weeks now and things are going better than I could have hoped.   We have also chosen some new design team (DT) members and they were announced today as well so please stop by the site and check out all that info.  I'd appreciate it!

I cannot tell you how happy and excited I am to be able to take on this very rewarding responsibility.  I have an amazing team backing me and Robin is still around to help out and stay on the DT herself!  Wooo Hooo!

On top of all that goodness I am also now on the design team for A Jillian Vance Design (main site, but will take you to the blogs as well)  and Vintage Heartfelt Designs (a very new vintage challenge blog).  We have some awesome things happening on both sites as well and are just getting up and running over there and starting to have some challenges.  There are blog hops coming up and many new exciting things on all 3 blogs that I'm a member of.  All of the sites are very different so be sure to check them out too and join in the fun.  Also, check out my sidebar to keep updated on some of the hops and events coming up that I'm participating in.  Things are getting crazy busy in my world, but I couldn't be happier.  :0)

I know a while back (as well) that I mentioned I'm going to be adding some new regular features on my blog including Winning Wednesdays (where I will post all the amazing blog candy I have won and share some info about the sites that I won it on) and also I want to create Follower's Friday - where I will feature one follower a week or every two weeks and have a brief bio posted as well as some other unique aspects such as some of their work, some of their tips, and favorite products, etc.  If you would like to be featured (and are a follower of my blog) please, leave me a comment here and let's get you featured!  I want to do this to show you how much I appreciate each and every one of my followers and the support they have shown me since the beginning of my blog.  I hope you will all be inspired to invite other people to my blog as well by posting my new blinkie on your side bar.  I do have a little RAK associated with that as well on a post or two below this one so be sure to check it out and leave a comment!

I want to apologize for being so late with choosing winners from the last two hops I was in.  I will do so tomorrow.  To be honest with you all, between all the stress of my home life (pets) and new projects going on, I haven't had a free moment to work on things for my own blog, but that will change soon!  Since this blog is also about my illness, not just the fun stuff, I must tell you all that I have been in such a horrible flare for the last three days that I really haven't gotten out of bed other than to do absolutely necessary tasks.  I haven't even been able to shower due to the pain.  My left arm is all locked up and raising it, even a bit, just makes me want to scream! I haven't had a flare this bad in quite some time and of course, they always happen when I have a lot going on.    Not wanting to complain here, just wanted to give you an update on everything really.  Also, wanted to let you know that my upcoming projects for my personal blog will be on hold until I feel a bit better and can fully get things organized the way I like them. :0)

I have so much more that I would love to write about tonight (this morning I guess it is actually), but I am just in too much pain and my arm is not cooperating.  Typing is sending little shock waves up to my shoulder and it doesn't feel all that pleasant. :p

Thank you all for checking in today and please, leave me some comments.  You know I just love them!  Don't forget to grab my blinkie and comment on that post and be sure to comment on my 500 follower giveaway post!  There's no reason not to.  The worst that could happen is that you might not win, but you can't win if you don't play! ;0)  I will get a picture of the candy up soon, but I've been adding to it so didn't want to post prematurely.  If you get a chance, please check out the awesome blogs I am lucky enough to be a part of.

XO ~ Amy Jo (New Coordinator for FCCB!!!)

Button Created - RAK Giveaway

Hi Friends!!!

I finally created my button.  It's on the side of my blog so please grab it and let me know you did!  Everyone who comments will be entered to win a little handmade RAK from me. :0)

XO ~ Amy Jo

Thursday's Tutorial: Camping Mini Album

Hi Everyone,

Thank you all again, for your comments on my card for FCCB this week.  I really appreciate getting them. :0)  It's time for another fun tutorial over at FCCB.  Be sure to stop on by to see what we found for ya this week!

XO ~ Amy Jo

Update 7/12/2011

Hi Wonderful Friends,

First of all, I just want to thank you for all of your kind words of encouragement, all of your advice, and all of your concern lately.  I have been overwhelmed by how many people have responded to the problem with my dogs!  I want to let you all know that it's been so difficult, but my husband and I decided (at this time) we just can't get rid of the dogs.  We may have a home for my piggy, where he will be happy, safe, and have tons of room to run around and get lots of love and attention that he needs and deserves.  I am sad, but I want him in a safe place and this just isn't it.

The dogs actually got into another bad fight today and once again drew blood on each other.  So Lexi is going to the vet tomorrow to get spayed and in the meantime, I have 2 trainers coming out for consultations.  It still may not turn out how I hope, but I have to try.  After breaking up their fights twice now, I have no fear for my personal safety, only for the safety of them and other animals.  They would not hurt a person.  I have realized that now.  I can't wait to get a good trainer and start the process.  I will keep you updated.

Onto crafting... I have some exciting news coming up (top secret at the moment) ;0) and some fun projects coming up and also blog hops that I'm participating in for my various design teams.  It's going to be a very fun, crafty summer.  I feel like summer has just started here in Colorado.  We had a really weird year of weather.  We had weeks where one day was 90 degrees and the next was 60!  I'm glad it's finally evened out and I have been getting some much needed sun.  Went to the lake this past weekend and it was wonderful to just hang out on the beach with some friends and relax in the nice warm sun.  Most of you are probably thinking, big deal!, but for me it was.  I hardly ever get out of the house, due to my illness, so this was my first summer outing since last year!  I literally stay indoors like 6 days out of the week!  I've also been able to start exercising a little bit, which is a HUGE improvement for me.  It feels great!

Well, I ran out of steam (and thoughts) writing this so that's all for now, but really, thank you all so much.  I'm so glad to have you all here, following along with me in my little corner of the world.

Have a great night.  Wishing you all good dreams, peaceful rest, and nice cool sheets. :0)

XO ~ Amy Jo

Challenge Me Monday #68 Let's Go Camping!

Good morning Friends,

First of all I would like to say thank you to everyone who commented recently about my situation with my dogs and piggy.  I really appreciate all the heartfelt advice and compassion.  Reading those comments from you all means more than you could know.  It's wonderful to be able to put something out there and receive something back, proving that you are not the only one on this earth going through this sort of thing on your own.  I was especially touched by stories of personal experience.  So again, thank you!

On to today's post... It's another wonderful Challenge Me Monday over at FCCB!  Be sure to stop in and see all the awesome creations by the guest designer and DT.  Also, if you would like to, please join in on the challenge for a chance to win a great prize!  The theme this week is Let's Go Camping.  Make a project with an outdoor scene or theme and be sure to use at least one Cricut cut because it is after all a Cricut challenge blog. ;)  Thanks!

For my project, I just created a simple, but cute birthday card.  I had the perfect sentiment from Jillian Vance so I decided to work around that.  For the rest of the deets, scroll down past the pics.

 Front of Card

 Inside of Card

 Closeup of Sentiment

For this card I just went with the standard A2 (I believe?) size by cutting a piece of yellow cardstock from my stash in half and folding it using my bone folder.  The background paper is from my stash as well, and I thought it would be so cute to use flowers with the skunk image!  Love the way it turned out!  I cut the edges with some Fiskars zig-zag scissors and then inked the edges of the floral paper and the sentiment piece with some Colorbox ink.  

On the outside, I used the image of the skunk from the Cricut cartridge - Campin' Critters.  I'm really loving that cartridge!  It's got some of the cutest animals on there.  I used several layers of cardstock from my stash, some pop dots, and a brown and black Zig Pen to add a little detail here and there.

The sentiment comes from the Celebrate Men stamp set from A Jillian Vance Design.  I adore these stamp sets!  If you haven't been over there to check them out yet, please do so, as I am a lucky design team member there as well!

Hope you all enjoyed my card and this one is for sale!  If anyone has any interest in purchasing this card or any of my other creations please contact me!

Hope you all have a great week and thanks to all my new followers for joining and thanks to ALL of my followers for checking in with me today. :0)

XO ~ Amy Jo

Thursday's Tutorial: Napkin Card

Hi Friends!

Please be sure to check out Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog (FCCB) for today's awesome tutorial.  I really love this one and I hope  you do too!  I think it's something everyone should learn how to do.  The more techniques we learn, the better our skill set gets and there is just so much to learn all the time!  Thank goodness for blogland!  :0)

Have a Fantabulous Thursday!  I'll be picking winners from the two blog hops within a day or two so be sure to check back to see if you've won and if you haven't commented yet, scroll down and comment for a chance to win some goodies!

XO ~ Amy Jo

Heartbroken and Lost

Please scroll down for Gill's B-day Hop

Please scroll down for Young Craters Unite Hop

Okay, so here's the news for those of you who are wondering what has been going on with me lately.

The past few weeks my dogs (pit bulls) have been getting in fights with each other (almost killed each other, the boy had to be taken to the vet and was badly bleeding and beaten) and now they got a hold of my potbellied pig, ganged up on him and almost killed him. Up until this point, they have gotten along really well and they have been the sweetest dogs ever.  I love them with all my heart.  These two events have been some of the most horrible things I've ever witnessed.  I was unable to stop them when they attacked the pig, it was by sheer luck he was able to get back in his pen and I was able to keep them from getting back inside with him. They are so much stronger than me and it was horrendous. I used every ounce of energy I had for 10 straight minutes trying to pull my big dogs off of my poor pig.  I'm small and have fibromyalgia so this kind of thing took a horrible toll on my body.  I'm in so much pain today it's not even funny.  It's messed with my mind so badly that I totally forgot to do my Thursday's Tutorial post on FCCB and didn't have time to get anything new together for Gill's B-day. :0(

I had to take major anti-anxiety meds today and slept all day at a friend's house.  In fact I slept all the way until 8:00 PM and I realized, OMG, I have two hops I'm in that I need to post!  Got them done, as you'll see below, but wow, it was not easy to focus so I hope everything is done correctly.  If you notice any errors, please let me know.

On top of all that, I have to get rid of my piggy so he is safe because the dogs keep trying to find a way in to his pen (he's an indoor pig), and I'm also contemplating getting rid of both of my dogs because of this aggression towards each other and other animals.   I am scared to leave them alone together.  I am scared they might jump the fence into one of my neighbors yards, all of which have pets.  My neighbor has a beautiful little min-pin she wants to give to me because my hubby and I have fallen in love with the dog and she can no longer keep her and work as much as she needs to, but my dogs have already shown signs that if they got to her, they would kill her.  They try to bust out of the room and both doggy gates that I have put up and I can barely hold them back!  I would feel horrible if something happened to another creature because if they got something that small, it would be dead within minutes.

I am heartbroken and I don't know what on earth to do.  Several people say I just have to get rid of the dogs to avoid any future lawsuits or them turning on me, etc., Yet we contacted a rescue and they were so incredibly insensitive and mean.  (They'll be getting a real piece of my mind soon.)  Basically they said we are bad owners and we shouldn't even consider getting rid of our dogs if we were any kind of good people.

I have had these dogs for a while and have loved them more than anything.  They have been babied, but disciplined, have had plenty of freedom and exercise and more love than most dogs get.  They even sleep in the bed with us!  I am so pissed that anyone would blame this on me or on ignorance.  I always study breeds and dogs and have raised and had dogs my ENTIRE life and have NEVER seen them act this way towards each other or another creature.  It made me sick.  They were trying to rip out his eyes and his ears and his throat and OMG, I couldn't stop it.  I was screaming at the top of my lungs for help and none of my neighbors heard me.  I even ran outside and was screaming and no one came.  :(  Finally was able to call my neighbor and she came and then my husband showed up at the same time.  By that time I was a nervous wreck and I was inconsolable.  Nervous breakdown to a T.  So that is what has been going on over here and I am such a wreck that I can't even handle the situation.  I have no idea what to do and the thought of getting rid of my dogs just sends me into a frenzy.  Please, does anyone have any non-critical, constructive advice other than saying I'm a bad owner (because I'm not)?  I have read that once a pitbull turns like that, you can't turn them back.  I am scared that no amount of training will make me feel safe enough to keep my dogs and not worry about them killing each other or jumping the fence and killing a neighbor's pet.  My girl is not spayed and I know that will help, but will it be enough?  Please help.

fibro and am home-bound 97% of the time.

XO ~ Amy Jo

Gill's B-day Hop - For the Love Of Pink

*Please scroll down for the Young Crafters Unite Blog Hop*

Happy, Happy Birthday to a wonderfully talented lady, Gill!  If you don't know Gill, you better stop by her site and meet her.  She is a wonderful lady who lives in Scotland (which I think is just fascinating) and is very crafty.  I was lucky enough to win one of her handmade pieces of jewelry (actually an earring and necklace set) on one of her previous hops.  I'm super happy to be able to participate in Gill's B-day Celebration!  Today's theme (since she, like me, loves pink) is For The Love of Pink.  How could I not get involved in this one? :0)  So, sit back, relax and enjoy the hop.  Blog candy, you ask?  But of course!  I'm giving away a $15.00 gift certificate and catalog to my Memory-Works store.  To enter to win, please become a follower if you are not already, and leave me a comment.  Easy as that!  Good luck and enjoy the hop. 

You should have arrived here from Lisa P http://handmadewithlove-lisa.blogspot.com/.  If you just happened upon this hop and want to start from the beginning, please start with the Birthday girl herself at http://creationsbygillm.blogspot.com/.

BTW, this is another HUGE hop so make a pot of coffee and hit up both hops I've got goin on today.  You won't be sorry!  :0)

For my project today I must admit, I've slacked.  I've had an extremely difficul day today and I was unable to have time to create anything new so I'm posting a card I created a while back.  I wish my day hadn't been so rough, because pink is my favorite color and I would have loved to go all out for this one and create something spectacular, but I was unable to do what I really wanted. Please see my third post of the day if you are interested in what happened.

Gill, I apologize for this project.  It is not entirely pink, but it does have pink in it.  Still think it's pretty darn cute!  I can't believe I forgot all about this card!  I make and give away so many that I forgot I even made this.  I hope you like it. :0)  If I have posted this before, I really apologize, but I don't think I have.  Please let me know if you've seen it here before and I'll add another card to this post if that's the case. :0)

To be honest, I made this a while back so I don't remember what I used or even which cartridge this is from!  I'm sure I could look it up if anyone wants to know, but I do know where a few things came from:

Sentiment:  Typed in MS Word and printed on white paper, used scalloped scissors to cut it out

Background Paper:  Actually is textured, not sure where from

Cardstock:  Michael's Recollections Brand

Ribbon:  Really Reasonable Ribbon

Lace:  Stash

Now don't forget to become a follower and leave a comment for a chance to win!  Check out my other two posts (one is a blog hop) and also while you're here, be sure to sign up for my 500 follower giveaway!  It's gonna be awesome!

On to your next stop:  Corrine at  http://celebratingordinarymoments.blogspot.com/ 

XO ~ Amy Jo

Here's the full lineup in case you get lost...

1. Gill http://creationsbygillm.blogspot.com/
2. Jacki http://cardsbyjackiblogspot.com/
3. Leslie - Rahye http://www.leslierahye.blogspot.com/
4. Misty http://deliteful-gifts.blogspot.com/
5. Haidee http://created2bunique.blogspot.com/
6. Lisa P http://handmadewithlove-lisa.blogspot.com/
7. Amy http://lv2scrapandfibrofacts.blogspot.com/
9. Corrine http://celebratingordinarymoments.blogspot.com/
10. Beckie http://beckiedreyer.blogspot.com/
11. Faith http://faithfulecreations.com/
12. Valerie – http://canonburycreations.blogspot.com/
13. Jenn P http://jennscrap2.blogspot.com/
14. Lisa G http://lisagarrow.blogspot.com/
15. Alethea http://lilodesigns.blogspot.com/
16. Debbie T http://debbiescrafttime.blogspot.com/
17. Tristan http://tristans-time-4-craftin.blogspot.com/
19. Angela (AJ) http://fistfullofglittercardsbyaj.blogspot.com/
20. Anita http://www.anitaandbugs.blogspot.com/
21. Shawnee http://quiverofangels.blogspot.com/.
22. Jen R http://www.memorieswithjen.blogspot.com/
23. Denise http://vintageheartfeltdesigns.blogspot.com/
24. Margaret http://diamondgirlcards.blogspot.com/

Young Crafters Unite Blog Hop

www.youngcraftersunite.com

Yay!  It's time for another awesome blog hop and OMG, this is one of the BIGGEST hops I've ever seen!  Please, grab the pot, not just a cup, of coffee and get comfortable!  Be ready to win some fun prizes and see some amazing projects by all of the talented individuals in this hop. I'm so excited to be one of your hop stops.  Please note, I'm in TWO hops this weekend so be sure to scroll down or up for the other hop I'm in.  I will be giving away blog candy  for both hops!  Thing is, you must be a follower -- new or old :0) and of course, please leave me a comment.  I live for these comments, I tell ya! ;O)  My followers friends are some of the sweetest out there and I appreciate each and every one!  Also, don't forget to enter my 500 followers giveaway!  It's going to be awesome!  Be sure to leave a comment on that specific post even if you are already a follower, or you will not be entered to win.  That post is the very top post on my blog.  I don't have pics of the candy up yet, but will get some up soon.  Trust me, it'll be worth your time to become a follower and leave a little comment.  Now then... on to the hop!

If you've arrived here from Karen Baker of the Bald Dragonfly you are in the right spot.  If you just stopped by my blog today to see my posts and want to start from the beginning, please go see Marie as she is the first stop on this hop.  She will also have a full list of participants in case you get lost.

This hop is for the young crafter, be it actually young or just young at heart, which I think we all are. ;)  What makes me a "young" crafter is not my age, but the length of time, I've actually been consistently papercrafting. I've really only been steadily creating since September of 2010 when I decided to check out the local scrapbook store here in Fort Collins.  The rest is history!  Wait til you see my craft room.  We turned the guest room into a craft room because I have enough stuff to open up my own store if I wanted to! LOL

For this hop, the goal was to create a project representing one of our favorite things.   For those of you that don't know, before I got ill I was attending online school through the Academy of Art University based out of San Francisco to attain a Bachelor's of Fine Arts degree in Fashion Design.  I LOVED it!  Unfortunately, I barely made it through one semester and my Fibro hit me full on.  Since I can no longer achieve that dream (at the time being) I had to find another outlet.  It's amazing how fashion and papercrafting can really go hand in hand.  It's all about design, an eye for detail, creativity and a passion for patterns and textures.  So, for today, this is my favorite project I have ever made and it's brand spanking new for this hop.  I sure hope you enjoy it as much as I do.  It is very picture heavy as there are a ton of details.  I know you guys are in a rush to get to the next stop because there are so many, but I am going to list all of the details so you can come back if you wish and read more about it.  For now, feel free to skip to the bottom of the post and comment and become a follower for your candy!


I have some amazing paper that I bought specifically to make 12x12 wall hangings for my craft room.  I'm going to create between 8 and 12 of them and then put them in black frames.  This is the first of a series.  I am so happy with how it turned out!  I made it 3 dimensional by cutting around all the ladies and then folding the paper back by about 1/2".  Hopefully you will see what I mean by looking at the pictures.

Here we go...

Entire Fashion Layout - Kind of Side Step Style

 Closeup of bottom half.  Note: the models are all glossy, but background is matte

 Top half of Fashion LO - Multiple textured papers

 Top Right of Fashion LO - Note faux stitching with white pen on dress pattern - patterned paper :o)

 Top Left of Fashion LO - Used Forever Young Cartridge for "Vogue" plus shadow

 Closeup of Lady with custom-made purse using Creative Charms bling and pear-shaped garment pin from A Jillian Vance Design

 Closeup of Lady with custom-made purse from a button from my stash and another awesome pear shaped garment pin from A Jillian Vance Design

 Side view of Fashion LO to show dimension

 "Purse" made from a button and a pear shaped garment pin, new at A Jillian Vance Design

Close-up 2, Side view of Fashion LO to show dimension and back side where I added a 3" strip of coordinating patterned paper for reinforcement and so the cutouts would have something showing through the back

Okay, is everyone ready for the massive amount of details on this one?  Sometimes I wonder if it's a good idea to add all this info or if it is just tiresome for people to read.  I'd love to hear your honest feedback!  Anything I can do to improve this blog and make it more enjoyable for you is top priority for me!

Supplies:

• Background Paper and Polka Dot Paper - DCWV Lady Couture Stack
• Vogue - Forever Young Cricut Cartridge, DCWV Lady Couture Stack, Black cardstock from stash
• Faux Stitching on BckgGelly Roll pen
• Textured Papers - Michael's Handmade Paper Pack
• Fabric and Paper Flowers - *Prima
• Buttons -*Bo Bunny, assorted from stash
• Brads - Stash
• Gardenia Pop Dot Flowers, bling flowers - Creative Charms
• Inked Edges - Colorbox Cat's Eye various colors
• Adhesives - ATG, Superglue, Pop dots, Zig two-way pen, Red Tape ribbon glue
• Black Sequined Strip - stash
• NEW Pear Garment Pins - A Jillian Vance Design

There were so many things used here that I may have forgotten some of them.  Please just ask if you have any questions.

For my blog candy I will be giving away a $15.00 gift certificate to my Memory~Works store.  The lucky winner will get to choose whatever they want within that price range and I'll ship it to you!  The winner will receive a catalog as well.  

Randomly selected commenters will have the opportunity to win a $20 from Simon Says Stamp (1), their choice of stamp set from Paper Smooches (1) or their choice of stamp set from Lawn Fawn (1) so be sure to leave comments on every stop you can!

Next, you're off to see the very talented Diane at Diane's Paper Passions. Have fun!

XO ~ Amy Jo

*These products are available to purchase through my catalog.  Please ask and I'll send you one!  Great prices on popular brands and some of the newest stock out there!