Kenny K Kreations

Hello!  I have a couple of cards to share with you today and My Blog Every Day in May entry as well!  First, let me show you two cards I made showcasing Kenny K images.  The first uses Happy Hour on a 30th birthday card for one of my co-workers.  She is colored with Copics.  Papers are My Mind's Eye - Happy Day.  The sketch is from The Sweet Stop.  Even though I didn't get to link up to the challenge at the time, I really liked it and decided to use it anyway.  I embellished with flowers, bling, and some some glittered chipboard numbers. 

The second card was made for my best friend for Cinco de Mayo.  She loves this holiday (perhaps it is because of her love of Coronas and margaritas?) and every year I try to make her a card for the occasion.  This year I colored up Kenny K's Tequila Worm.  He is just too cute, colored with Copics, and a tad tipsy!  The sentiment is a fabulous freebie from Paulette over at Create with TLC!  I love it and the Spellbinders Grommet tag was perfect for it!  I used a couple of other dies as well - a Sizzix corners die and a My Favorite Things pennant border Die-namics.  The paper is also from the same My Mind's Eye pad.  The sketch is courtesy of Sunday Sketch & Stamp (#155).  I added pearls and flowers as the finishing touch.

Now on to my Blog Every Day in May theme for day 6: If you couldn't answer with your job, how would you answer the question, 'what do you do'?     

I do it all as a single mom!  It is the thing that immediately comes to mind if someone were to ask me that question.  When you're a mom, single or not, you wear many hats and perform many jobs!  It is the most rewarding, though sometimes challenging (and occasionally frustrating!  lol) thing in my life.  What do I do?  I'm Kayne's mom!  He IS my life!  Oh, yeah, and I'm also a daughter, a sister, a friend, and a paper crafter!  I love my social interactions and you will often find me out- visiting, shopping, "gallivanting" as my mom likes to say! :)  When I'm not at my craft desk making pretty things, of course!  Speaking of which, that's where I should be now!  I have oodles of projects to get to work on.

As I head off to do what I do, I have a question for you: What do YOU do?

Thanks for visiting and hope your week is off to a fabulous start!

Markers used: 
Happy Hour- Copics
Tequila Worm- Copics (E31, E33, E23, R20,R24, R27, R29, Y35, Y38, YR15, YR18, BG10, BG72).

Challenges:
- Kenny K Krafty Krew: #142-Flowers, Flowers, Flowers 

{hugs}
Regan  

Sassy Tic Tac Toe and my Favorite Bloggers

Hello!  I'm just popping in with my (last minute) entry for Sassy Studio Designs' Off To Find a Wizard new release Tic Tac Toe challenge.  I couldn't pass on a chance to win all the fabulous images from The Wizard of Oz Sassy release!  I actually already won Scarecrow Sassy during the teasers, and I've used her here.  She is colored with Copics, and I added a little doodling to the image panel.  I actually have two rows completed because I wasn't sure if diagonal counted so there is brick (embossed o the designer paper behind the image panel), bling, and flowers as well as brick, yellow, and ribbon.

The sketch is from Tuesday Morning Sketches (#196), and papers are My Mind's Eye Stella and Rose - Hattie.  I'm also going to enter her in SSD Dare To Be Sassy Thursday #175 - Kentucky Derby (Hats).

I'm also including my Blog Every Day in May post here today too.  It's been a busy weekend and I didn't have time to get to it earlier.  We are supposed to publicly profess our love for a fellow blogger.  I have two blogs that I follow voraciously!  One is Keiki Kai and the other is Saturated Canary.  Both blogs are written by strong women whose writing styles I adore!  Kerri is the author of Keiki Kai which chronicles her baby son Kai's fight with cancer and her thoughts and feelings as she deals with his diagnosis, his treatment, his death, and life after Kai.  Kerri's writing is eloquent and raw.  She brings you right into her life and you can't help but feel with her!  She is one amazing mama because she continues to love and honor Kai with the non-profit Kai's Village, an organization that  provides community based support for families facing the challenges of disability and serious illness.  I had the pleasure of meeting Kerri in person for the first time yesterday when I volunteered for Kai's Village at a road race they put on.  I hope to do more for this cause in the future.  Having a son not much older than Kai, I was deeply affected by Kerri's story and a realization of how cancer can change anyone's life at any time!

The other blogger I love is Krista Smith of Saturated Canary!  Not only do I think Krista is an uber talented artist, I think she is a pretty incredible mom, wife, person, and blogger!  I love her fun writing style and how she makes you feel like a friend over for coffee!  I could gush all day, but I have to get back to the craft desk for one more card before bed.  I am absolutely swamped with deadlines this week and I'm not even close to being on track!  I spent a good portion of the day coloring (completing six images in between playing outside with Kayne, laundry, vacuuming, and assorted other tasks).  If today was any indication, it's going to be a looong, exhausting week!  And yet I still {heart} procrastination! lol  I guess I just work better under pressure (or so I keep telling myself!)

Thanks for stopping by!

Markers used: Copics (E11, E21, E00, R20, R24, R27, Y32, Y35, Y38, BG10, BG72, B37, B39, E23, E31, E79, N0, N4, N6, N8).

{hugs}
Regan   

Favorite Quote (and a Mini Blog Candy)

Theme #4 for the Blog Every Day in May challenge is a favorite quote.  This quote from Marilyn Monroe is one of mine. I'm a true believer that everything happens for a reason!  All of the events in our lives lead us towards the next adventure waiting for us.  Sometimes bad things bring something good.  In my case, I have to say that all roads led to having my son.  Call it fate, kismet, or destiny; though I believe we have the ability to choose, we ultimately end up where we are supposed to be.  Even if we can't see that at the time.  (Plus recently I've had a new fascination with Marilyn because of the TV series SMASH!)

I'm sorry this one is such a short post, but it's a busy day today and I'm squeezing this in between volunteering for Kai's Village and a couple of hours at work this morning, then next we're off to dinner for my brother's birthday!

I hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend!  And I'd love to hear about your favorite quotes!  Leave me a comment with yours and an explanation why for a chance to win an $8 gift voucher to Saturated Canary*!

*To be eligible you must be a new or current follower of my blog and leave a comment on this post before midnight Eastern Time on May 9th .

{hugs}
Regan   

Feeling Uncomfortable

un·com·fort·a·ble  

/ˌənˈkəmfərtəbəl/

Adjective Causing or feeling slight pain or physical discomfort. Causing or feeling unease or awkwardness.

Synonyms uneasy - inconvenient - incommodious - awkward

Today's theme for the Blog Every Day in May challenge is to tell you about something that makes us uncomfortable.  Now being a Leo, I love being the center of attention (hence the desire when I was younger to be a radio DJ) so there isn't much that phases me.  Public speaking?  Sure!  Karaoke sober?  No problem!  (Though it may be for the poor audience!)  Even things that make other people squeamish or blush- blood, nudity, sex, bathroom matters- I can handle!  

So what makes this normally fearless girl stare at her feet and wish she were somewhere else?  Conversations about illness and death.  Especially when speaking with a loved one of the sick or deceased.  I like to think that I am a caring, compassionate, and if not eloquent then at least verbose person.  I almost always have something to say!  I offer opinions to family freely.  I posses no shortness of advice for friends.  I converse easily with strangers.  Yet when presented with a situation where either illness or death are involved I am suddenly at a loss for words.  I have no idea what to say to someone who is facing something so serious or sad.  My coping mechanism is humor, and it's not always appropriate.  I usually will mumble some cliche words of comfort, avoid eye contact, and change the subject as soon as I can.  It does not mean I don't care.  It does not mean I don't hurt for you.  It does not mean that I don't want to help.  It's just that I am afraid- to say the wrong thing, to be insensitive, to upset you. 

I'm sure I'm not the only human being on the planet who finds these situations uncomfortable.  How about you?  What makes YOU uncomfortable?

{hugs}
Regan
 

I Workout

I don't (though I should) but the reason for the post title is that I had LMFAO's song stuck in my head the entire time I was coloring up Jamie Workout from Saturated Canary!  lol  This card was made for a coworker to give to her mom for her birthday.  I was told she liked to cook and workout.  I guess those are two hobbies that coexist nicely!  I wanted to play along with the current Saturated Canary challenge of "All things bright and beautiful" (#42 with optional color scheme) so I opted for Krista's sexy workout image.  She is colored with Copics and fussy cut.  I used i {heart} card sketches no. 16 for my layout.

I embellished with a Spellbinders die and Martha Stewart border punch along with some flowers and pearls.  Papers are My Mind's Eye - Happy Day.

I should have spent time coloring tonight with all of the projects that are looming over me this upcoming week, but sometimes I need to remind myself that I'm only human.  I needed a breather.  A little time with the small man, an episode of one of my new favorite shows, Scandal, and a bit of blogging.  Now I think it's beauty sleep and tomorrow I will be recharged and ready to take on work, errands, and a stack of images waiting to be brought to life with my Copics.

Thanks for stopping by and hope your week has been a fabulous one so far!

Markers used: Copics (100, N8, N4, N0, B32, BG72, BG10, R85, R81, R02, E79, E74, E34, E21, E11, YR00).

Challenges:
- Mad for Markers: One for the Girls

{hugs}
Regan  
 

Educate

And I'm back with Day 2...  Only 29 to go!  lol  Today's Blog Every Day in May challenge topic is to educate my readers on something I know lot about or that I am good at.  I have to admit this one left me puzzling...  I mean, I know a little bit about a lot of things, but a lot about one thing?  And what, besides shopping and paper crafting, am I good at?  I decided that the thing I would would share with you today was my passion obsession for the King Arthur legend.  As you can see from the photo of one of the bookcases in my bedroom, I have a few books on the topic!  Yes, ALL of those books are about the legend, in one incarnation or another!

There have been volumes written on Arthur and there has been an equal amount of debate as to whether he was indeed a real historical figure or just a hero in a complex and layered myth.  Camelot, Excalibur, the Lady of the Lake, Morgan Le Fey, the Knights of the Round Table, Guinevere...  What a blockbuster of a story!  Arthur first appeared in literature in the 9th century in a collection called Historia Britonum attributed to Nennius.  It is interesting to see how the legend evolves even as its title character does.  Arthur is first seen as a soldier or warrior and develops into Briton's King over time as the legend progresses.  Other components of the legend we know today, such as Lancelot or the Holy Grail quest, find their beginnings in the 12th century French romances.

To me there is something captivating about this enduring story and ever since I first read The Mist of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley (which is a feminine viewpoint of the legend) I was enthralled.  Anyone who is interested in Wicca would find this version of the legend intriguing as well.  I even took a college course about Arthurian Literature- just because I could!  It was an amazing class!  Arthurian legend is not something that can be done justice in one short blog post but Arthur, son of Uther and Igraine, is waiting for you at the turn of a page.  Here is a bibliography for your reference if you are inspired to read about The Once and Future King.

{hugs}
Regan         

Story of My Life (in 250 words or less)

Happy May Day!  I am taking on a new challenge for May- a blogging challenge that has nothing to do with crafting.  You can find out all about it from creator Jenni HERE.  I have a lot going on this month as it is, but I’m going to give it the ol’ college try!  I found out about this from Krista Smith’s blog.  Most of us know who Krista is and adore her and her sweet Saturated Canary images.

The challenge is to blog everyday for the month of May.  I’ve done this before back in October, but it was focused on my cards.  This time the posts will be a little more personal.  But don’t let that intimidate you!  There are prompts for each to day to help you along!  Today’s directive: The story of your life in 250 words or less.  Here goes:

My name is Regan.  I am the oldest of three and the only girl.  My parents have been married 40 years (I’m, um, well, sort of the reason they got married since I’ll be celebrating the BIG 4-0 myself this year! Lol) and I had an amazing childhood!  Thanks, Mom and Dad!  I graduated from both high school and college with honors.  I moved to CA and started working in the radio industry at the age of 20.  Sadly, I would follow my heart into a series of decisions that would lead me away from what I dreamed of doing (radio DJ), but would eventually bring me home and make me a mom.  After my year in Monterey, CA I would move to NJ where I spent my time working assorted retail management jobs and shopping!  At the end of this chapter, I ended up back home in MA where I married, divorced, fell in love again, had a baby, had my heart broken, and fell in love all over again with my new vision of family- me and my son!  Being a single, working mom is a challenge every day but he is what makes it all worthwhile!  Along the way I ditched retail for insurance, commercial real estate, and then the auto industry.  I still love music and shopping.  I’ve always loved to write which is why blogging is so appealing to me.  About ten years ago, I added paper crafting to my list of obsessions.  It all makes for one crazy, busy life and anyone who knows me knows I wouldn’t have it any other way!

And that was 262 words, but who’s counting!  :-)

{hugs}

Regan