Hello friends

Hi everyone!

I know... long time no see... but I'm popping in to let you know I'm still around. I have been MIA from the blog for quite a while and it's because I was working on my Master's degree (finally!) I just finished at the end of April and I couldn't be happier to have completed it! I've been on the apology tour with my family and friends for all the times I had to say "no" or "I can't" to things because I was so busy with the Master's program on top of my full-time teacher work. So I'm sorry for my absence, but I hope you understand and I thank those of you who reached out to me wondering where I was- all is well! 

I am back to a little more frequent card-making since that IS my therapy, but I'm posting on Instagram since it's a bit easier & more convenient for me to do. I have a link on the top right of my blog so you can check that out if you'd like and follow me there as well :) 

Here are a few pics to catch you up!

You know I had to bling up my mortarboard!😂

My baby graduated from High School. So now I'm an empty nester...

...Well, not quite. I have this girl with me...  and my tarantula (who is 17 yrs old by the way!) She's in her home behind Tigress. Do you see it? The tank with the turquoise lid. There she is!

Now, I'm enjoying the remaining days of my practice retirement aka Summer vacation!
I will be back to share a little more regularly but if you want to see what I'm up to, check out my Instagram page.

Thanks so much for peeking today.
Until next time.... Tootles!
Karli

Featured Stamper Blog Candy

Hi friends,
I received a note yesterday that I am the Featured Stamper on Splitcoaststampers!

 I was surprised and shocked! I mean...ME??? Did they run out of people, or something? Lol. Well, I am so honored and speechless, quite frankly. And my friends will tell you if you've silenced me into submission, you've really done something amazing! *Ü*

Soooooo, I thought I would offer up some Blog Candy! I mean, it's been a while and I can't think of a better way to say "Thank You!"

I've got some paper, and stamps, and dies- OH MY! and a few other goodies I've put together.
All you need to do is leave a comment on this post. Just one, ok!  Play nicely with others! *Ü*
I'll have my beautiful assistant,

as always, pick a random winner from her bag.

You can leave any comment you'd like, but if you're up for it, why not...
--- Share YOUR good news! Anything we can say Hip! Hip! Hooray! to you for?
--- Share your favorite inspirational quote

As always, you do NOT need to be a follower and all friends are welcomed. Be sure to leave a way for me to be able to contact you, if you're the winner. The winner will be announced here on August 8th, 2015.

Thank you so much for stopping by!
Have a great day!

WINNER DAY!

Hi friends,
Thank you so much for your birthday wishes & for sharing your beauty secrets *Ü*  I think what I've learned from you is that a good attitude is positively radiant!

I have to make a slight change to my prize pack. As I was packing all the items in the box I realized I had enough to make a SECOND prize pack! So I decided to make one more prize box---> not as big as the original, but it also has lots goodies in it.

The original prize box goes to:

Rita June 27, 2013 at 9:31 AM

Happy Birthday Karli! My beauty secret that I just discovered 2 months ago & I love it is "Glamglow" facial mask the white jar...OMGosh it's youth in a jar (that's coming from a 60+ yr. old & yes I'm still upset about that #), you can get it at Amazon for $35. better than paying $69. & it's well worth the money. I use it twice a week & my pores are smaller & my skin is so soft & smooth...it makes me feel 10 years younger. 

 and the ADDITIONAL box 'o goodies goes to:

CarmenJune 28, 2013 at 9:06 AM

Happy Birthday angel, I passed the "0" birthday 8 years ago. Life can ravage beauty just because it is so complex. My husband has terminal brain cancer and I began to see the stress of that reality in the mirror. It no longer shows, my beauty secret...Let go and let God, there no no better beauty treatment. Carry ones self with Class, Craft with Class and embrace joy.

Ladies, please click on the "Email me" button so I can get your prize out to you! Enjoy!!!

Thanks so much!

BIRTHDAY & FRIENDS GIVEAWAY

Hi ya friends!
Sometime around my birthday my blog hit 500 followers---> which is crazy cool! WOW!!! I mentioned before that it was a traumatic birthday year since the old age odometer rolled over to a two-digit number ending in zero that we don't need to mention out loud, much like "he who must not be named." Ya feel me? Sooooo, since each of those events (500 followers & my age) is a biggie, I thought I would offer up some blog candy so huge, I had to call my friend, Oprah, to help me bring it out:

Thanks, Oprah! You're a doll *Ü*

So I'm not going to reveal what those gifts are, but let's say it's a whole lot of my favorite crafty things!!!
 ***SQUEAL!!!***

Here are a few things you should know:

1) This blog candy, unlike any other before it, is open to friends (followers) ONLY. (cuz that's what we're celebrating, right?!) So if you're one of those 500+, you're in!

2) This is open to all of my friends---> WORLDWIDE!!! Yup, that means my friends from afar are in!

3) There is a limit of one comment per friend. So, to keep it fair, please only leave ONE comment.

4) You've got 40 HOURS in which to leave a comment! That means this offer goes away at exactly 11:59 p.m. on Saturday June 29th. (PST) and the winner will be announced on Sunday.

Now, you can comment about whatever you'd like, but if you're up for the challenge, I have a couple of questions inquiring minds want to know....
What are your beauty secrets?  (That you're willing to share ;)
What products or tips can you share that you think are your best beauty defense & offense?

I have a few strategies in my beauty regimen: (if you want to know...)
1) I never go to bed with make-up on
2) Exfoliate & moisturize!
3) Sunscreen! My make-up has it built in so I find that helps a lot *Ü*
4) Work with young people! They can be so interesting, funny, & spontaneous. They keep me on my toes!
5) Be Happy! In whatever way that means to you. I know life isn't always kind, and sometimes things get rough---> trust me, I know! But I think if the first lines on my face are laugh lines, I've done something right! *Ü*

I truly feel it an honor & a privilege that you follow my blog. Especially when you consider that I'm not part of any Design Teams so I'm not promoting or selling anything--->  just a little enabling...maybe ;) wink. I hope that you find the moments you spend here to bring you grins & giggles and a bit of inspiration to try something too.

500+ THANKS to YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!

Blogoversary Winner!

Hi friends,
Thank you all for your comments! The Anna Griffin goodies goes to...

Which is:

1. 
   My Creative TherapyApril 14, 2013 at 4:44 PM

   Karli ~ Congrats on 4 years! I've been following by email for a few years now...I better check if I'm in the follower list! And my fav company would have to be My Favorite Things. The Pure Innocence girl reminds me of my daughter when she was little :) And I love the dies too! Thanks for the opportunity to win some goodies!
   
   Hugs,
   Kathi

   
   

   Kathi, please click on the "email me" button on my sidebar & I'll get your goodies out to ya!
   
   But don't be blue if it wasn't you this time. My blog pal Shelly has some great blog candy she's offering:
   

   

    check it out --->HERE! You've got til' May 3rd!
   
   Thanks a million everyone!

CHA 2012

Hi there friends,
So here's a recap of some of the goodies from this year's Winter CHA show. First, I'll start off with an apology. Why? Well, I left my camera on the charging dock so I had to take pics with my beloved Hello Kitty iphone. Here are some of the make-n-takes:
This was one from Provo Craft:

It's a 12 x 12 canvas board home dec piece. They had 3 styles to choose from & I chose this one of the cute little sheep. I didn't adhere it down completely cuz i want to add some more things to it. My friend just had a baby this past week & I'd like to give it to her:)

This one is from SEI:

We got to work with their flocked iron-ons & they sprayed them with their inks. It was easy & fun to create this T-shirt!

This was a sweet little card from La La Land Crafts: 

I have to admit, I was a little nervous when working on this one cuz there were people all around watching me color! Eeek! I felt pressure to do a good job but I was on the time constraint of knowing there were people behind me wanting to do this too! But I think I did OK under pressure :)

Now on to some peeks of the show:
 Here's one of the displays from the Provo Craft Booth. I have to say, they were really low key this year. In previous years, the Provo Booth is the biggest, most busiest booth at CHA, but not at all this year. Hmmm, wonder why???

But this was an exciting find for me:

It's a scoring blade for the Cricut! Now with the upcoming Tags, Bags, Boxes, & More 2 cart, you'll be able to SCORE & cut your boxes with the Cricut!!! Adios tick marks :)

Aren't these roses beautiful! Can you believe they're made of clay? They weigh nothing & are easy to make. These are a Martha Stewart kit coming soon.

These were Dress ups created by designers. Can you find T!m's???

Here are all the new goodies T!m is bringing us:

These were the pop-ups coming from Sizzix:

Doodlebug always has the cutest booth :)

Some beautiful Prima Layouts:

I did sort of stalk my fav designer, Anna Griffin. But I didn't take a pic with her this year :(  No running into her at the Starbucks line ----> insert tears here :( but she DID send ME the *sweetest* email regarding my post last year & how it made her giggle! How awesome was that!!!??? I couldn't even believe it. Yes, that email will long live in the hallowed halls of my gmail account & will be printed out & mounted in a special frame for all visitors of Studio K to see ;) Hee! Hee!

So what was my fav thing (besides Anna, of course) at CHA??? I'll give you a clue here:

A little more about this later :)
That's it for now!
Gotta Go!

Armoire Template Winner

Hi there friends,
Yes, I am still alive & kickin', just been busy :(  Here's the winner of the armoire template:

LeanneJan 27, 2012 06:27 AM

Oh, so cute! Well done.
It is adorable.
Blessisngs...from Leanne

Leanne, come on down! Please email me your deets & I'll get it out to ya!
Thanks everyone!
I'll be back with CHA news :)

Not Good-Bye, but...

Hi friends,
I want you to know I'm stepping away from the blogging world for a while. Life made other plans with our plans for a great summer, so I need to focus on the next difficult weeks to come. Nothing tragic, just an unfortunate change my family and I were not expecting. Sadly, I have decided to step down from all the Design Teams I'm currently on (and luuuuuv) since I don't feel I could meet deadlines, expectations, and such.

I plan on returning to crafting soon cuz it IS my drug of choice. It is how I unwind and get out of my head---> kwim? As I've told others, it's either crack or craft, and I choose the one with the more positive side effects! I hope to be back in time for my annual "Beginning of the Year Teacher Gifts & Ideas" in August/September sometime, as I know so many of you enjoy that :)

Thanks you for your visits to my blog, your comments that I truly appreciate, and for being my blogging buddies! Have a wonderful summer or whatever season it is in your part of the world!
Hugs,

Blue Mystique Orchids

Hi friends,
I wanted to share some beauties I got for my birthday.
These are Blue Mystique Orchids:

Yes, these are real---> Real gorgeous!!! They are not hybrids, but rather color enhanced to make these beautiful blue ones.

Here are a few closer peeks at it:

I love orchids and for some reason, they love me back cuz they're the only kind of flower  I don't kill ;0
Once all the flowers are gone, I will move it outside in front of my kitchen window to join my other pretties.

Just a little something to share :) I have a crafty project for ya tomorrow!
Gotta Go!

Blog Candy Winners!!

Hi ya friends,
Thank you so much for sharing in the fun of my 2nd blogoversary!
3 winners were chosen via Random.org and here they are:

Blog Candy #1 My Luv for Papertrey Ink

lisa808 said...

Matching stamps & dies--it doesn't get any better! I had a Mother Goose book of nursery rhymes that I loved as a child. It was passed along to both of my brothers. April 13, 2011 9:07 AM 

YAY Lisa! This is really funny cuz I just won her blogoversary candy! Hee! Hee! There's one for Karma, Lisa :)

Blog Candy #2 My Luv for Cardmaking

 Congrats goes to...

E.T said...

One lesson I keep on spreading... try to forgive.. the more people you forgive, the more at peace you become. Your candy has been added in the Blog Candies section at Feline Playful!

April 20, 2011 10:19 PM

and Blog Candy #3 My Luv for Tools

Jessica Wekenman said...

Wowza! What a huge and generous blog candy! My favorite tool would have to be my Martha Stewart Score board! I have really wanted to the pink ATG gun! Thank you so much for the chance!  April 13, 2011 7:09 AM

Jessica, you are a girl with a gun now!

Ladies, you've got 48 hours to contact me (9pm PST Wednesday) or I take that gun & redraw! click on my little chalkboard on the left & send me your deets.

Now, I've got some more Blog Candy to give away cuz my blog has passed 150,000 hits! Cr---azy! The next blog candy will be open to EVERYONE! Yes, this means my friends from a far can get in on the fun too :) I'll give you the deets soon...

I don't know why all of a sudden everything is in CAPS but Blogger is going wonky!  Thank you everyone!

2 Year Blogoversary!!!

Hi Ya Friends!
I'm so excited you've popped into the ol' blog-o today cuz it's my...

  2 year Blogoversary Celebration!

Unbelievable that I've been blogging this long---> seriously pinching myself right now! What an amazing adventure this has been thanks to YOU. Those of you that take the time to take a peek at my crazy concoctions & hair-brained schemes ;) Those of you who take the time to leave some luv, and those of you that keep coming back. I'm so grateful & humbled for all the gifts this blog has helped to bring to life. All my bloggy friends & all the Design Teams past & present who have put their trust in me to create cards & projects that are worthy of a DT position. THANK YOU!!!

So are you ready for this year's blogoversary candy goodness??? I hope so! Cuz, you know how I like 3---> 3 is a good number, so instead of just 1 blog candy, I am offering THREE!!! Yippee!
But before I reveal them, I have a few formalities to discuss, otherwise known as RULES.

                                       THE RULES (Boo! Hiss!)
I know, I know, ya don't like rules, but, we need to have them. In order to be eligible for the blog candy here's what you need to do & should know:

1) You do not have to be a follower or subscribe to my blog to be eligible. While I'm truly humbled & appreciate the 273 followers (get out!!!) who have decided to follow my blog, I want you to follow because YOU WANT TO, because YOU LIKE what I share here, not because there's blog candy involved. So if you are not a follower, you may enter into ONE blog candy of your choice.

2) Followers: As a thank you,  you may enter in 1... or 2... or ALL 3 blog candies that you'd like! BUT you may only enter 1 comment for each blog candy. You do not have to post this on your blog, but it's so very kind of you if you do :) You can only win ONCE (if you happen to win more than one.)

3) Entries will be in the form of a comment in the comment section of each post. There will be 3 separate posts- one for each blog candy so be sure to scroll down to each one. Just make sure you haven't left more comments than you're allowed, or no candy for you :(

4) You may leave any message in your comment, but if you have any special requests for tutorials, suggestions, questions or anything else- let's hear it!

5) Anyone who does NOT follow the rules becomes INELIGIBLE for the prizes, and must serve detention. But, seriously PLAY FAIRLY!!! Anyone not adhering to the rules will be disqualified & your entries become null & void. No exceptions, No excuses!!! I will be checking with my TEACHER eyes- very closely for cheaters. I've been in the trenches for 15 years so I'm all over the cheater ways. And remember, I teach High School students---> the best cheaters in the biz! ;) I will be checking & monitoring closely!

6) The deadline for the blogoversary blog candies is 9:00 P.M. SATURDAY, APRIL 30TH (Pacific Standard Time). The winners will be announced on Monday, May 2nd (my grammy's birthday :) Hello Kitty's beautiful assistant:

                                                         (no, I did not take this pic :)
will use Random.org to choose the 3 winners & will post it on the blog.

7) Winners must reside in the U.S. (sorry to my friends from abroad- shipping would be too costly :( please include your name, city/state, & a way I may reach you if you are a winner (i.e. email). If I don't have a way to contact you or you don't respond, Hello Kitty's beautiful assistant will draw another name through Random.org.

If you have any questions, please leave them on THIS post. I will answer them here. So...
Thank you for celebrating with me my friends, and GOOD LUCK!

It's a Good Thing My Mom Lives Abroad

Hola & Hello Friends,
I wanted to share some news that may be upsetting to some of you, as it has caused me untold grief. Viewer discretion is advised.

On Monday, September 14th, a great loss occurred in Studio K (a.k.a my craft room). I hadn't been in my craft room for awhile, cuz my mom had been in town for a while & had been staying with me for the past few days. On Sunday, I took her to the airport & she flew back home. Anyhoo, I went in to Studio K to spend a lovely crafternoon when I noticed IT was GONE!
THIIIIIIIIIIIIS:

 MY STARBUCKS CUP ANNA GRIFFIN BOUGHT FOR ME AT CHA!!!!

So I immediately wrangled up the usual suspects & lined them all up. I demanded to know the whereabouts of my treasured Anna cup. Of course all three looked at me like deer in the head lights & denied they did or knew anything about the disappearance. I briskly pointed to the wall hanging that reads "If Mama ain't happy, ain't NOBODY happy!" and asked again. I got the deer in the head lights look again. Then my little one said, "Maybe Abuelita threw it out." I gasped as this scenario because it COULD be a possibility. It could have also been a tactful way to distract me, so I told them they were still primary suspects & should not try to flee the country house. I called my mom (abroad) and here's how the conversation went:

Me: Hi mom, did you happen to see a Starbucks cup in my craft room?  (say no, say no, say no)
Mom: No, the only time I went in there was to help you clean up a bit... oh wait, you don't mean an empty cup, do you?
Me: (Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!) yes, it was empty but, but, please tell me you didn't throw it out!!!
Mom: well, i thought it was trash. it was an empty cup. You drink Starbucks almost everyday. You always leave the cups around....
Me: i have to go now...
click... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

What the H-E- double hockey sticks!!! Aggggghhhhhhhh! tear, tear, tear...

and that's why it's a good thing my mom lives abroad.
and that my glue gun only holds glue sticks.
I knew I should have bought that glass display case from Mike's.

sigh......
 

btw, "double hockey sticks" means L L, just in case...