Christmas Greetings from Floyd & Jeanie

December 2011

Dear Family & Friends,

I'm happy to be visiting with you again as another year comes to an end. I love being in touch with each of you. Here are some different ways to contact us including my beloved US Postal Service (P.O. Box 996, Inyokern, CA 93527) and the good old telephone! (You can remove our landline number from your files because it's gone. Floyd's cell is 760-677-9162 and mine is 760-677-9174.) Email Floyd at salyer@iwvisp.com and me at jeanie1951@yahoo.com. Visit the blog upon occasion at simplystated4u.blogspot.com and please leave me a comment! I'm on Facebook (search for Jeanie Salyer). I turn to Facebook quite often to get snippets of news from those important to me and to send out little slices of our life as the year proceeds.

As our card and letter arrive in your mailbox, I hope you're doing well and have had a good year. Overall, our year has been a good one! Floyd completed a couple of neat projects for his buddy including a large shed and a fancy chicken coop. Both buildings were Floyd's own design and turned out very nice. The chicken coop was especially challenging to put up because it needed to be built in a very narrow side yard and on an incline!

Interpreting assignments are way down lately, and so I might have had only ten assignments this year. I had plenty of scrapbooking events, cardmaking workshops, books to read, letters and blog posts to write, plus time spent with family and friends whenever possible to keep me busy.

On April 20th, Floyd & I celebrated our 20th Wedding Anniversary at a new restaurant in Ridgecrest called Maddy's Cafe. We had a wonderful time and a delicious dinner.

It was a great year for La Leche League of Ridgecrest with the ideal number of 10-12 moms (plus their little ones) attending each monthly meeting. In May, the new Leader I was training was accredited, and several of us attended the LLL of So. CA Conference. July and August were busy with preparations for and holding an event for World Breastfeeding Week which is 1-7 August every year. I am now training another Leader Applicant.

In the Spring, two longtime interpreting friends, Diane and Derby, and I went to the Deaf West production of "Pinocchio." We had a great time, and Derb treated us to a wonderful dinner afterward.

We were very sad to say goodbye to our beloved Mollie the Blue Tick Hound in May. She was such a faithful, well-behaved dog who will always hold a special place in our hearts. I remember 16 years ago when we went to choose a puppy, she picked me by sitting on my foot and not moving till we picked her up to take her home with us. One of our kitty-cats, Sunshine, had grown especially close to Mollie, and it was obvious he couldn't figure out where his friend had gone. We would find him lying alone on the bedroom floor where Sunshine and Mollie had spent so much time snuggled up together. Eventually, Sunshine has accepted the loss and now spends more time with us than he ever did while Mollie was living.

All of our other cats are doing well, although Blaze was anemic and feeling out of sorts recently. We improved her diet, added feline vitamins, and are generally trying to boost her immune system. Her normally pink pads had lost all color, but they're now pink again. Blaze is our little mischief maker, and she is again getting into all sorts of things, so we know she's feeling like herself again. Sadie, our Great Pyrenees watchdog is outstanding at her job and is such a sweetheart!

When I turned 60 in September, I threw a big party and invited people from all eras and phases of my life. It was a good turn out and a fun time. Jacqueline, Pine, my dad, brother & sister-in-law, aunt, uncle, cousin, niece, and a whole bunch of friends joined us to help celebrate! Every day we have is a Gift!!

We hope you'll have a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful 2012!




{Snowman card at top made at Nov. 2011 Stampin' Up Christmas Card Club!}

Another Card Published in _Just Cards! Holidays!_

Woo Hoo! Another card I submitted has been published in Just Cards! Holidays! which is on newstands now or available from Scott Publications. If you see a copy, check out pages 100-101 for a photo of the card and complete instructions for making it.

Happy 4th of July!

This morning, I made two cards like this for a card swap. One was sent to Michigan, the other to Virginia. I just picked up the stamp of the girl with her kitten yesterday. It's from Stampin' Up! I used watercolor paper, Stampin' Up markers, and a water pen to color the image. You'll note the girl has light brown hair with auburn highlights (much like me) and the kitty is an orange tabby, just like my sweet Fireball!

Happy Birthday, America!!

Thank You Card for My Long Time Friend!

At the end of April, a box arrived with my name on the label. After opening the flaps of the box, I could see that it held a coffee mug that I knew I hadn't ordered. Then I thought, oops, maybe Floyd had gotten me a surprise and quickly closed up the box.

I asked Floyd about it and found out he hadn't ordered it either, so I completely opened the package and was thrilled when I realized a good friend since the 9th grade, Carol, had had a special coffee mug personalized just for me!

On the mug's outside are three brightly colored owls along with the inscription, "Jeanie's Mug...That's Hooo!" Tooo cute! I love that the inside is burgundy colored and will never show any coffee stains! It's also the perfect size for me delivering 8 ounces of liquid. PLUS...about three days before it arrived, the coffee cup I'd been using for years had broken. Now, that's perfect timing!

First thing in the morning out on the deck, me in my jammies, hot mocha in my mug, with sun in my eyes!

Pictured below is the thank you card I made Carol.

I used a white base card, scored, and folded to make a 5.5" x 4.25 card. I added a burgundy colored card stock by Bazzill. The printed floral by Close to My Heart (CTMH) was die-cut using Spellbinders' Nestabilities Scalloped Oval and Paper Shapers' Photo Corner punch. The white oval on which I stamped the owl using Ancient Page Bordeaux ink was die-cut and embossed using Nestabilities and popped with foam tape. The owl is from Prickly Pear Rubber Stamps and was colored with Prismacolor markers. The owl is from Prickly Pear Rubber Stamps and was colored with Prismacolor markers.

Inside the card, I repeated the burgundy Bazzill card stock, CTMH floral, and added a computer printed sentiment.

Carol called the other day to say thanks for the card and that she loved it. Woo Hoo! That's why I love cardmaking!

Just Published in Just Cards!

I couldn't wait to share the news that I've had my first card (above) published! Last week, I got a complimentary copy of the Winter 2009 issue of Just Cards!, Volume 12, with a letter to "Dear Contributor" tucked inside. And there on page 25, was my card with accompanying instructions. Wow! This is really cool!

Blog Candy Alert

Seems I've been a blogging fool the last few days. That's the advantage of Blogging Without Obligation...I blog when I have something to say.

It's always the right time for Blog Candy, though. This time I'm offering a set of notecards I like to call my Chocolate Series. Pccrafter.com distributed a set of graphics by Beth Yarbrough which included a cool frame that looks like a box of assorted chocolates. It inspired me to research the web for catchy quotes about chocolate (a very renal unfriendly substance which I eat in moderation). I found more than ten cool quotes, but limited the set to ten notecards. Perhaps one day, I'll have to make a sequel! A favorite quote that's included in the set is:

Forget love--I'd rather fall in chocolate!

Leave a comment by clicking on the word COMMENTS, and I'll draw a name from all of those who comment here at the blog. (If you need further info about commenting, read "How-to Post a Comment" in the right column.) Because more and more people are able to post here at the blog with my instructions, I'll only choose Blog Candy winners from those who comment at the blog by 30 Nov 2008.

More Fall Cards

Happy Fall, Y'all

Just sharing a card made for my good friend, Brigitte. After stamping the scarecrow image with Staz-On Jet Black ink, I colored the image using Prismacolor 4-in-1 markers which are so much fun to work with because the colors blend so easily with one another.

I used Stampin' Up's (SU) inverse corner rounder on the image layer and the blue border behind it then adhered them together. Using SU's Really Rust ink, I stamped fall leaves on the rust-colored Bazzill cardstock. After I wrapped three coordinating Autumn Harvest Sassy Strands from Close to My Heart (CTMH) around the rust cardstock, I popped the framed image layer with foam tape. I took the entire assembled panel and adhered it to a white, textured card.

For a coordinating envelope, I printed out a fall plaid paper pattern from pccrafter.com at 70% color then traced an A2 envelope template onto the back of the paper. After cutting it out and folding the 4 sides, I glued the edges. For a finishing touch on the envelope, I stamped the same leaf stamp used on the rust-colored background (above) along the front bottom of the envelope.

Blog Candy from Me to One of You

Some of you may be wondering "what's 'blog candy'?" I'm clueless who coined the term, but it's used here, there, and everywhere by different bloggers who have something to give away in exchange for comments on their blogs.

One of the terrific dialysis techs at my clinic (Gordon) occasionally draws a sketch of something in the most unlikely places like the back of another tech's lab coat. One day, I saw Elvis zoom past, riding high on the back of Don's shoulders. I called Don over and said, "I know you throw out those coats at the end of the day, but I want that sketch!" I brought it home, scanned it, then started making cards I call "The Elvis Collection" with Elvis's song titles or lines as the inside sentiments. (All with Gordon's blessing, of course!)

Courtesy of Simply Stated and Gordon Greene, I'll draw one name from all of those who post a comment telling me their favorite color (or colors), and send the winner a box of ten Elvis cards and envelopes. I'll pick the winning name on Thursday, 13 Nov, and let everyone know who the lucky person is! [I told you this blog was just for fun!]