Sympathy

Pals August Blog Hop

Welcome to the August 2017 Pals Blog Hop. Thank you so much for joining us today. This month we’re going to “Cut It Out”. Participants will feature projects with “cuts” from punches, dies, Framelits, Edgelits, or Thinlits.

Whether you’re just starting the hop, or have come from a previous Pal’s blog, you’ll find the line-up toward the end of my post to help you move along.

Stampin Up sympathy card made with the Fluttering embossing folder designed by demo Beth McCullough. Please see more card and gift ideas at www.StampingMom.com #StampingMom #cute&simple4u

I made this card to use as a Sympathy card for my kid’s favorite swim coach, who recently lost her Mom.  I used 3-3/4″ x 1″ strips of each of the new In Colors and adhered them to a piece of 5″ x 3-3/4″ white card stock.  I ran that through the Big Shot with the Fluttering embossing folder.  With Stampin’ Dimensionals, the butterfly layer is attached to a Flirty Flamingo 5-1/2″ x 4-1/4″ card.  The Isaiah verse is from the Rose Wonder stamp set.  Everything looks better when it’s cut out with the Stitched Shape Framelits.  If you own a Big Shot you will want to get them!  The butterfly is from the Bold Butterfly Framelits.

Stampin Up birthday card made with the Fluttering embossing folder designed by demo Beth McCullough. Please see more card and gift ideas at www.StampingMom.com #StampingMom #cute&simple4u

Here’s a birthday version of the card.  The little butterflies are cut from the Build A Bike Framelits.

Stampin Up Anniversary card made with the Ruffled embossing folder designed by demo Beth McCullough. Please see more card and gift ideas at www.StampingMom.com #StampingMom #cute&simple4u

Here’s a similar card flipped the other way.  The Happy Anniversary is from a retired set, All-Year Cheer III from back in 2002. (I’m dating myself.)  The colors are Powder Pink, Sweet Sugarplum, Berry Burst, Fresh Fig, Blackberry Bliss.( All are current except Blackerry Bliss.)

The Big Shot is a wonderful tool that allows you to make awesome “cuts” on your cards.

Stampin Up cards made with the Fluttering embossing folder designed by demo Beth McCullough. Please see more card and gift ideas at www.StampingMom.com #StampingMom #cute&simple4u

Please take a minute to mark your calendar for our next hop on September 13, 2017. Now hop along using the Blog Hop Line-up below. Thank you so much for hopping with the Stampin’ Pretty Pals today. Don’t forget to leave us a comment. We’d love to hear what you have to say about our creative “Cuts”.

Blog Hop Line-up:  


Free Card Kits and Sale-A-Bration ends Friday!

Stampin Up Free Card Kits made with the retired DSP- Watercolor Wonder, designed by demo Beth McCullough. Please see how to get the free kit and more card and gift ideas at www.StampingMom.com #StampingMom #cute&simple4u

The last day of Sale-A-Bration is Friday March 31.  With a $50 order you get to choose a Sale-A-Bration item, plus I’ll send you a Free Card Kit with three cards that are quick and easy to make.  These cards are made with retired Designer Series Paper (DSP) that you can’t get anywhere else.

Stampin Up Free Card Kits made with the retired DSP- Watercolor Wonder, designed by demo Beth McCullough. Please see how to get the free kit and more card and gift ideas at www.StampingMom.com #StampingMom #cute&simple4u

With a $75 order, you’ll get an SAB item plus the kit to make all six cards!

Stampin Up Free Card Kits made with the retired DSP- Watercolor Wonder, designed by demo Beth McCullough. Please see how to get the free kit and more card and gift ideas at www.StampingMom.com #StampingMom #cute&simple4u

A $100 order will get you two SAB items, Free Card kit to make all six cards and the cute Envelope Punch Board box to put them in.

Stampin Up Free Card Kits made with the retired DSP- Watercolor Wonder, designed by demo Beth McCullough. Please see how to get the free kit and more card and gift ideas at www.StampingMom.com #StampingMom #cute&simple4u

I hope you want the kit to make all six cards plus the box, so if you live in the US, please order from my online store  and use the Host Code CRJSYAZX.  You can also email me at Beth@StampingMom.com 🙂

Stampin Up Free Card Kits made with the retired DSP- Watercolor Wonder, designed by demo Beth McCullough. Please see how to get the free kit and more card and gift ideas at www.StampingMom.com #StampingMom #cute&simple4u

Please subscribe to my blog, follow me on Pinterest here or Facebook here.

Stampin Up Free Card Kits made with the retired DSP- Watercolor Wonder, designed by demo Beth McCullough. Please see how to get the free kit and more card and gift ideas at www.StampingMom.com #StampingMom #cute&simple4u

Here’s the box made with the Envelope Punch Board.  It fits three cards and three envelopes and makes a lovely gift.

Stampin Up Free Card Kits made with the retired DSP- Watercolor Wonder, designed by demo Beth McCullough. Please see how to get the free kit and more card and gift ideas at www.StampingMom.com #StampingMom #cute&simple4u

Here’s a comment I received from Jean after she received her Free Card Kit: “The card kit to make six cards is great! I received a set with my recent order. The cards are so pretty. They were very easy to put together. I cannot wait to send them to my friends and family.”

If you live in the US, please place an order with me and use this Host Code CRJSYAZX and your card kit will be in the mail to you soon.

Can’t wait to hear from you!

Blessings,

Beth 🙂

 

Swirly Bird Swap card and news from RAGBRAI

StampinUp Swirly Bird card made by demo Deb Vale Crowley.

I love this Swirly Bird sympathy card made by Deb Vale Crowley.  I got this from a swap I participated in.  In fact, I have a lot more Swirly Bird swap cards to share with you.  Please visit Deb’s business Facebook page here to see more of her creations.

 

RAGBRAI 2016 Steve, Beth, Bill and Mike

The reason I’m sharing swap cards with you instead of my cards, is because I just got home from participating in RAGBRAI! It’s an annual bike ride across the state of Iowa.  This is a picture of Superman, me, and two of Steve’s brothers, Bill and Mike before we started the first day.  We all look so happy!  Bill’s wife, Peg, was also with us and drove our vehicle and was there in case we needed a ride. I say “we,” but really I mean “me.”  Steve’s two brothers did RAGBRAI all by themselves with no adults with them when they were 14 and 16.  Can you believe that?  What a different world we live in!  I didn’t see any kids without an adult nearby.  Anyway, how impressive that they were able to ride all seven days in a row!  So my point is, if they can ride seven days as teenagers, there’s no way they would quit on a two day ride as 50 something year olds.  Superman was 12 when Bill and Mike took their inaugural ride and he didn’t go. However, Superman is just super so he would never need a ride! So Peg was really there in case I needed a ride. 🙂  Thanks Peg!

Steve and Beth RAGBRAI 2016

This picture was a couple hours into the ride.  My face is getting red, but I’m still smiling.  Superman looks like he hasn’t started riding yet.  Before Wednesday, the longest I had ever ridden my bike was 42 miles on a day of RAGBRAI two years ago.  I thought I was brilliant that day picking one of the shortest, flatest, best weather days ever.   This year, not so much.  The longest days are typically close to 100 miles, but Wednesday was only 65 miles.   65 is still way more than 42!  The weather was hotter, but not terrible and it was hilly.  Thinks mountains!  Wait, we don’t have mountains in Iowa, but they felt like mountains as I was trying to ride up them.  In fact, I’m sad to admit that I had to walk up part way on two of the hills.  Before you feel too sorry for me, there were dozens of people walking with me.  Maybe hundreds, because there were 10,000 people riding.  I know what you might be thinking, “There are 10,000 crazy people in Iowa?”  Nope, actually people come from all over the U.S. and the world to do this ride.  I’m guessing about 7,000 of the people were crazy Iowans.  Some of the people ride RAGBRAI because there are lots of good pie bakers in Iowa. Here’s one of our “pie stops” in a church basement full of every kind of homemade pie you can imagine.  Fruit pies, cream pies, pecan pies and homemade ice cream.  Yep, you burn thousands of calories doing RAGBRAI, but most people don’t lose any weight!RAGBRAI pies

Here’s the McCullough boys enjoying pie and ice cream on day two.  Yep, we also had pie and ice cream on day one at an Amish stand, but I don’t have pictures.  Which was better, church lady pie and ice cream or Amish pie and ice cream?  We loved them both and thought both were the best pie and ice cream we had ever eaten!  In case you’re wondering, I had dutch apple pie with ice cream on day one and coconut cream pie on day two.

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I have to tell you about one more food related tradition we always do on RAGBRAI.  ( I know I’ve only done three days ever, but I’ve done this all three days!)  See the pink bus with the ears, eyes and you can’t see it, but there’s a snout?  This is Mr. Pork Chop’s pig bus and he always parks at a farm that’s just over half way on each day’s ride.  The second happiest moment of each day is to ride over a hill and see the pink bus in the distance.  It means it’s almost time for lunch.  Two years ago when we stopped here, Superman handed me a pork chop on a napkin and I thought, “You’ve got to be kidding me, I’m supposed to eat a pork chop with my hands?”  I prefer a plate, fork and knife.  How do you trim the fat from around the edges without a knife?  Well, now when Superman hands me the pork chop all I think is “Yum!, who needs a stinkin fork or knife!”

Just for the record, the happiest moment of each day is when we’re done and no one got hurt.  I did have a flat tire at the beginning of day two.  It’s my first flat tire on a bike ever and it got me wondering, what if my tire goes flat while I’m flying down a hill going 40 miles an hour?  I told Superman that no one has ever taught me an exit strategy if something goes wrong.  I think probably because everyone who had something go wrong, typically leaves the ride in an ambulance.  Since I’m not the bravest soul around, I’m always relieved at the end of the day when I’m still in one piece.  I also feel a huge sense of accomplishment, because doing this is actually hard for me.

You might also be wondering if I trained for this?  Of course I trained…well sort of.  I went to the YMCA and rode in the air conditioning with a fan blowing on me, on a bike they wouldn’t tip over and I usually rode around 20 miles in 45 minutes.  What about outside you ask?  Yes, I rode 10 miles on Tuesday just to prove that I was ready for 65 miles on Wednesday! I also rode one day in April and a couple days in June.  Longest mileage was probably around 18 miles.  OK, so what did I learn?  First it would be a really good idea to train outside for real next year.  Practicing hills would also go along way.  I try to justify that our bike trails don’t have that many hills.  Superman always goes down by DMACC and rides up the steep hill by Wells Fargo.  I always avoid that hill because it’s super hard.  Maybe practicing a super hard hill by myself would be easier than the even harder, super hard hills I rode this week with thousands of other people who flew by me as I was panting up the hill.  Don’t get me wrong, I passed some people too.  I counted each one as a dozen, to make up for the dozens passing me.  With 20 miles to go, Superman told me he was getting bored riding so slow.  With my blessing, he raced to the end and was much more satisfied.  Superman doesn’t like getting passed by anyone.  Superman likes winning!  I felt like I won because I rode the whole way both days!

Thursday we rode again, but it was only  50 miles.  50 miles actually seemed easy compared to 64.  I got better at the hills too.  I figured out doing the hills using only gears 10-15 was too hard for me, but if I knocked it down and used gears 5-10, I could get up more hills without walking.  It was also different getting up in the morning already a little stiff and sore.  I’ve never ridden two days in a row before.  Another thing I learned was that a padded seat and padded shorts are a really good thing!  The last thing I learned was that I really can do anything with God’s strength.  As I rode up hills I repeated Phillipians 4:13, ” I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

Who wants to join us for RAGBRAI next year?  Rumor has it that our oldest son Sean might be looking to purchase a bike.  Maybe he’ll fly in from Seattle and join us for some pie and pork chops!

Superman and Ryan drove over to Davenport tonight to run the Bix 7 mile race tomorrow.  I would’ve loved to go run 7 miles tomorrow, but Keegan needed me here to drive him to work and his other commitments…  Actually, I wouldn’t run 7 miles tomorrow even if you gave me pie and pork chops!

I’ve been busy looking through the Stampin’ Up Holiday catalog and it is awesome!  I’m going to offer shares so you can get a sampling of the Designer Series Paper (DSP), ribbons and embellishments without having to buy everything.  I’ll let you know as soon as I get the details worked out.  The Holiday catalog is available for customers to order from beginning Sept. 1!

I hope you’ve had a great day!  Please sign up to receive my blog posts if you haven’t already.  Also, you can follow me on Pinterest here and Facebook here

 

Blessings,

Beth 🙂