More Envelope Money Cards

Here are some more of the envelope cards I created. I am glad I have been able to use up some of my old paper.

God Bless ~ Trina

Yummmmy Goodies!!

I wanted to make a few quick treat bags and threw these together.

God Bless ~ Trina

More Top Note Boxes

Here are a few more boxes I made. I forgot to punch the windows before sticking the sides together so it would not have lined up correctly. Still love these littl boxes. I gave these to Timmy's preschool teachers with The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans.

Unexpected Delivery!

I love it when I get something COMPLETELY unexpected in the mail. I need to get better at sending the unexpected. I love it when I get an envelope from Idaho.

I know, those of you that know me are probably thinking it is because my Mom lives there, but nope... My Upline's, Upline lives there and she is AMAZING! She is a very creative and thoughtful person and I absolutely LOVE what I got.

How cute is this?



Thank you Becky! I love it.

~ Trina

Gift Tags for Goodie Bags

I needed something to adorn the tops of 21 bags filled with little trinket for Timmy's precshool classmates.

The bags were clear with little snowmen all over them so I decided to go with the snowman theme. These are the old 3x3 love notes and I used the snowman from the Perfect Presentation
set.

They were cute but very simple and quick to make. Quick was the key here since I was running out of time and finished these at 2:45 am this morning.



Enjoy ~ Trina

Christmas Money Holder Cards

Well I finally decided to get my act together and get some Christmas projects done. I created a version of the envelope money holder card I found here on Splitcoast. I used a large regular envelope and last year's DSP. I love how they turned out and it only took about 15 minuted per card.


The envelope is folded in half with the open flap on top. I cut the flap in half and removed the right side where the money could slip in. I then sealed the left half, created a flap for the right side that would fold over to the front when closed. I used velcro for the flap to stay closed then I layered paper and put on my ribbon and was done. I wanted to add something to the inside on the left, but could not find the right stamp or picture. I also wanted to put a tag hanging off the ribbon, but I like how they look.


Here is another one:

Top Note Goodie Box

I got this idea from Ms Becky at Inking Idaho and used the tutorial I got from here. Her creations are all so wonderful. I am going to try out the milk cartons next. The pattern got easier as I kept making them. I had to be careful to make the lids a little biger to fit correctly. Here are a few more different color combinations.

Tahoe Retreat

I had the pleasure of attending a Women's Retreat with over 100 women from our church this past weekend and I would have to say that this was one of the most amazing weekends I have had. It was not as amazing as the marathon last month, but close. The picture above was taken from the deck of our cabin. It was awesome weather and great company.

We had an amazing speaker and if you would like to get instantly inspired you should read her story. Her name is Lee Ezell and her site is http://www.leeezell.com/ and she was fantastic. I thank God that I was able to attend and get to experience all the wonderful ladies from our church. I feel so much more connected to so many more people.

Time Is So Precious

I cannot believe how fast time flies. Timmy is almost 4 years old and I was finally able to capture a picture of him where he still looks like my little baby and not such a little man. It was quite an ordeal to get him to sit still long enough to snap a picture.

Race weekend update! I did it!!!

October 17th - I was getting a little nervous and convinced that I was going to forget something important like my running shoes... No sleep happening tonight.

October 18th - I only managed 30 minutes of sleep and then I was up being frantic again. The ride into SF was great and there was no traffic. We found the hotel first try and were in great shape to get to Union Square to get our race packets. It was an overwhelming experience just to see the city rally around a race for such a great cause. We had lunch and I went back to the hotel to rest. The evening event was a Team in Training Pasta Party at the Moscone Center and was AMAZING. From the moment we entered the building I felt like I was being honored by all the TNT coaches, mentors, staff and others. It is hard to describe and do justice to the experience. We walked back to the hotel.

October 19th Race Day - So the butterflies set in at about 5am this morning and I was doubting my ability to get through this race because of the lack of training at the end of the season, but I at least need to give it an honest effort. WOW! It is pretty impressive to line up with 20,000 people. The sights were amazing, the course was grueling (especially the 7 hills), and the TNT cheer stations along the course were just what I needed at just the time they all popped up. My mentor, Lisa, was walking the marathon with me and at mile 4 my back started to ache a bit and she offered to carry my pack and hers. She was SOOO amazing. As we got to the longest hill on the course,(1.5 miles up this one) we were joined by our winter coach Laura. It felt good to know I had so many people looking out for me and making sure I was taken care of. Mile 9 added my walk coach to this ever growing support team rooting me along every step of the way and doing it with me. I was able to jog a little on some of the downhills because it was less painful on my feet and ankes. From the bottom of that hill, the finish line was in sight, however they play a dirty trick on you and send you through Golden Gate Park for a nice 2.1 mile stroll into the finish. At this point I was incredibly emotional KNOWING that I WAS going to finish. I jogged in the last half-mile, my entire support group right by my side and other teammates cheering from the sidelines. It was such an amazing feeling to jog across the finish line! One step closer to the cure! Thank you to everyone that has made this journey possible in every way and I could not have made it without ALL of you! I finished in 5 hours and 8 minutes and proceeded to attend the victory party that same evening back at the Moscone center and dance to fast paced music for at least 2 hours. Again, thank you everyone.

Halloween... already??

I cannot believe how fast this past year has flown by. As I sit here pondering what I should be working on, my 3 year old has been begging to get to put on his costume... again! Sometimes we forget how exciting such a small piece of our adult world can be to a 3 year old. Last year Timothy was enamored by all the Halloween items on display at Michael's Craft Store. He has not stopped asking if it is time to dress up again.

We bought him his costime early this year because we are past the age where we can just settle for anything last minute. He was very determined months ago that he needed to be Darth Vader, which by the way must be one of the most popular costumes as Walmart was selling out of them as fast as they were arriving. We were luck to find one, so we got it. Our first mistake was shipping for it while Timmy was with us. The second mistake was letting him try it on so it fits.

Since we told him that the only reason we were going to let him try it on was so we could make sure it fit, then it would need to be put away. Well, it fits...

But now every 5 minutes I am asked if he can try it on, because we want to make sure he is not "growing too big for it" as he says. We are excited this year to decorate and will post more pictures soon.

Trina

Team in Training meets Stampin' Up!

Ok, so I really loved the little backpacks that Becky created. Her tutorial was awesome and I decided that I needed to give it a try.

Here is a little something I created for my Team in Training mentor.

After showing this to a few people after my training this past weekend, there were several people that were asking me if I was selling these for my fundraising. I said I could take orders and get them out to them. I now am committed to making 20 of these for donations to my fundraising for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. How awesome is that? Thanks Becky for the inspiration!!! Love Ya!!

Trina

Team in Training Marathon Update

I cannot tell you how much I love training with the Team in Training group. They are the most supportive group of people I have ever met. My training was going pretty well. I have achieved 9.5 miles and was so excited. The heat tried to take me down, but I was determined to make it all the way back. With a little encouragement from the team, I finished and in pretty good time.

I have ran into some medical difficulties in the past several weeks, so training has been suffering. I have had a constant headache for 2 weeks now and 2 days after the headache started, I was lightheaded, has nausea issues, a stiff neck, muscle aches, memory and concentration issues, and several more symptoms. I have been to the ER and my doctor and it took me these 2 weeks to convince them to at least start with some lab work.

I went in for my blood draw this morning and had to take Timmy with me. He was excited to get to go with me and when I told him what they were going to do, his reaction was "COOL"! We arrived at the lab and was called in pretty quick. I sat down and put Timmy in another chair next to me. He began a series of questioning to the gal that was helping me that made her feel like she was being investigated by the CIA. He asked her why she needed my blood and could not just take it from her body, he told her that at home when he is a doctor it is called playing, he wanted to know why she poked me with the "owie stick" as he refers to it. She promised that it was not going to hurt (and it did not) and that mommy was being a really good patient. He asked if she was going to tape it shut when she was through so all my blood would not fall out and wanted to know how she was going to get it all back in there.

He then wanted to follow the samples back into the lab and see the machines that would spin really fast because he said the room did not look big enough for a "roller coaster spinny thingy". He had the staff in stitches and told me he could stay and work there today. I had a very difficult time convincing him that we needed to leave. I hope that they can identify something that is causing this headache and dizziness because I am ready for it to go away, for good, so I can resume my training. I only have 3 weeks until my marathon. If you would like to check out my training site, please do at http://pages.teamintraining.org/sac/nikesf08/ttarczy .

Blessings,

Trina

What happened to August?

Wow... I had not realized I disappeared for several months! Where to start.

In August I attended the Stampin' Up Convention in Salt Lake City. I had so much fun and learned so many new cool things. I came away from convention ramped up and excited to get going. I was able to complete a few projects and create a few cards, but not as much as I had hoped.

I was inspired to create a bag made from designer paper and ribbon, a peppermint patty floral bouquet and a onsie card for a little girl baby shower. I had so much fin with all this. Here is how they all turned out.

Here are all the items I created for a special little one.

More exciting updates to follow.

God Bless,

Trina

Newest Challenge

Sorry for the recent lack of posts to my blog. I have not had much time to get stamping in. It is getting hectic since I will be attending convention in a few weeks and have not started any of my projects or swaps. I am going to work on them this weekend.

I have challenged myself to walk a half marathon in San Francisco in October. I am training with Team in Training to raise money to find a cure for Leukemia and other blood cancers. I have had my first 5 mile walk last Saturday and was very excited. I am trying to get a 3-5 mile walk in at least 4 days a week as well as 2 days of cross training.

I never thought I would look forward to getting out and walking long distances, but I am finding it addicting. It is not too pleasant trying to walk around here right now with all the smoke and over 100 degree days, but I will survive.

I hope to post some stampning stuff soon, but for now, I will keep everyone up to date on my training progress. If you are interested in donating to the Leukemia and Lymphoma society, please use the below link. Every dollar counts and nothing is too little. Thank you!

http://pages.teamintraining.org/sac/nikesf08/ttarczy

Lunch Box Tin - First Attempt

WOW!!! I thought these would be harder than this. I was excited to try and make one of these. I have had the lunch box for 2 years and have been scared to try anything with it. Well, as luck would have it, I needed to make something special for Timmy's preschool teacher as she will be leaving the school this year to persue her teaching career at an elementary school. I knew she really liked lunch boxes and what a perfect gift.

I was surprised at how easily the whole thing came together. Just stuck some paper to the outside, added a little ribbon a few stickers and ta da... I had a gift. She loved it and was excited that I had also crafted some dividers and threw in some different cards of all occasions. I will be ordering some more of these.

What Have I Done Now?

I have decided to enter the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco. I will have 5 months of training and will be walking the Half Marathon. This will be 13.1 miles and I could not think of a better cause to walk for. I know a little girl that has been fighting for her life and given what she has had to endure, getting out there and walking seems so small.

This is the first time I have ever attempted to do this type of event, but the Team In Training group tells me that 5 months is all I need. I am so excited to be part of something so powerful and am excited to be on a healthier path myself.

Please take a look at my fundraising site and keep track of my progress towards my goals.

http://pages.teamintraining.org/sac/nikesf08/ttarczy

Thank you,

Trina

It was a Hit!

The paint can was a hit and my mother-in-law loved it!! She is someone that can understand and appreciate what goes into hand made items. She is one of the most talented people I have ever met. She can build porcelin dolls from scratch, she makes clothes, she took up quilting a few years back and excels at that as well. She is a great cook, wonderful mom mentor, great hostess, and most of all has a huge heart for her family. I will have to try and expand my horizons more often.

Ok, so getting those Mother's Day cards and paint tin was not easy. My craft/homework area is a disaster and I cannot find a thing I need, when I actually need it. I lost my cell phone earlier today because it fell into the abyss to never be heard from again. I remembered several hours later that I needed to unbury it from the pile. I guess I will just have to schedule little things once a day to catch myself.

Night for Now.

Thank you for reading and I am trying to post more regularly now that finals will be over with next week.

God Bless,

Trina

Mother's Day Paint Can

Good Afternoon. Happy Mother's Day to all. I hope your day has been filled with joy. Here is a paint can I made for my mother-in-law. I have never attempted this before, but it was not bad. I wish I had a paint can with a handle. This was a quart size can with no handle. I will try the next one with a gallon paint can.

I made several 3x3 cards to go into the paint can for her to use as she needs them.

I also made a 3x3 tri fold card with a little pocket inside.

Here is the can and her Mother's Day card.

Mother's Day Cards

Here are a few of the Mother's Day cards I gave to very special people in my life. I had a great time making these cards.

I had to take pictures of them on the way to morning brunch because I was running short on time, so if you see a little "air bag" image in the right side, I was in the car. No, I was not driving, but it was not easy to balance them on my leg and take the picture while the car was moving.

First Color Inspiration Challenge Attempt

I am going to attempt to submit my very first stamping challenge. I am submitting a card for Kristina Werner's Color Inspiration Challenge #7. I love these colors and felt I could finally get creative again. http://kwernerdesign.com/blog/2008/04/color-inspiration-7.html#comments

Here is the card I created for this challenge:

This was really a fun challenge.

Vacation Time

I am off to Virgina for the rest of the week. That explains the lack of posting new cards. I have been trying to get everything buttoned up with home and work. Of course everything waits until the last minute.

Until then, happy stamping and I will be back to card making next week.

God Bless,

Trina

Fall Notecard

I created this card from leftovers from the Country Living set. I used the same concept, but made them into notecards instead of Thanksgiving invitations.

More Cards

I have decided to try and make a card a day. I have the last four days cards completed. These were all made for the fundraiser.

Wonderful Thank You...

I received this beautiful Thank you card from my downline Danee. It is beautiful. Thank you Danee.

New Cards for Preschool Fundraiser

These cards were made by Cheryl S. and will be donated to the preschool fundraiser. Thank you so much Cheryl for making these cards. They will be a great addition to the card baskets.