I'll Be There For You...

Welcome to Stamping Bella's Show & Tell Challenge for November!

"So no one told you life was going to be this way.

Your job's a joke, you're broke, your love life's DOA.

It's like your always stuck in second gear,

Well, it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year.

But, I'll be there for you, when the rain starts to pour.

I'll be there for you, like I've been there before.

I'll be there for you, cause you're there for me, too."

(Copyrighted by the Rembrandts.)

Sound familiar? It's the theme song from Friends! On the simplest level, Friends was a sitcom (one of the most successful sitcoms in television history, btw) about a group of six people who were there for each other. Despite their shortcomings, failures, and sometimes hurtful words and actions, these six friends~Monica, Chandler, Rachel, Joey, Phoebe, and Ross~forgave and were were truly thankful for one another.

Here in the U.S., November means Thanksgiving. (I can already smell the roast turkey and pumpkin pie!) Our Canadian sisters celebrated their Thanksgiving holiday last month. Whether you celebrate a formal Thanksgiving or not, this month's challenge is to honor a friend or family member, someone for whom you are truly thankful.

I made this card for my mom. I know that she knows that I love her. I also know that I don't tell her that I love her often enough. Nor do I let her know how much I appreciate and treasure her. So here's to you, Mom!

I used Stamping Bella's "10 Things I Love ABout You." This is such a versatile stamp~it'll be great in scrapbooks, too! Now I just need to hope that my mom can read my chicken-scratched list. (No, don't strain your eyes~I wrote it after I took the photo.) (Supplies.)

You can participate in this challenge here. A winner will be randomly drawn from among the participants and will win a $15 gift voucher to Stamping Bella! So come join the fun!

And Mom, remember,

"I'll be there for you, when the rain starts to pour.

I'll be there for you, like I've been there before.

I'll be there for you, cause you're there for me, too."

I love you, Mom!

From the Mouths of Babes...

Emma is being potty-trained. Brittany bought her a special Disney Princess potty yesterday that makes music. She's hoping this will entice Emma to use it!

As Emma sat on her little pink throne tonight, she told me this story:

"Giffy, once upon a time there was Princess potty at Target. It was really pink and pretty. It singed Princess songs. But then it got stinky."

Life is good!

Happy Halloween!

Emma and her mommy made a kitty pumpkin and a chicken pumpkin, Emma's choices!

Keaton carved a Pumpkin Pi. Yes, he's a math major. I thought it was quite clever!

My male Shih Tzus, Indy and Wylie, would never let me put costumes on them. Tiffany, however, doesn't know any better yet~so I dressed her as a little ladybug!

Emma was a pink poodle named Fifi!

Brittany and Emma

Fifi and Tiffany

Emma trick-or-treating at our house.

Giffy and Papa gave Emma a special treat bag~a kokeshi doll for her collection (thanks, Christy!) and a boatload of candy!

Keaton, Emma, Brittany, and Brennan

Emma in Mommy's kitty costume.

Picture Perfect

This is for CCBJ36. This week, Janet challenged us to make anything but a card. Well, I recently got a new puppy, a Shih Tzu named Tiffany. I couldn't resist making a little "princess" frame for her. I got the lucite frame at Target for $1. This stamp~Magnolia's Tilda with Puppy~is one of my favorites. It reminds me of my granddaughter, Emma, and my dogs. And if you know me, you know how much I love Emma and my dogs! I even colored it to look like Emma and Tiffany. (Supplies.)

Happy Monday!

Chichiboulie Blog Hop

Welcome to Stamping Bella's Chichiboulie Blog Hop! Who needs to go trick-or-treating when you have Chichiboulie eye candy? You should have come to me from Laura's blog. If not, start the blog hop here.

I am so excited to celebrate Gretchen and her line of Chichiboulie stamps! I have been a Chichiboulie fan since Gretchen's stamps first appeared on Stamping Bella. You can find her Bittybloom stamps here and her Fairie stamps here. Gretchen herself is such a delightful woman! I am so honored to call her my friend. And I am in awe of her talent! Check out her artwork here and her blog here. You'll be glad you did!

Now, onto my project. I wanted to make a picture frame for Emma's room (my granddaughter). Her room is decorated with daisies and ladybugs, so my stamp choice was easy: Daisy Bittybloom! Last year, Emma dressed as a ladybug (with a yellow daisy) for Halloween. I just couldn't resist putting this photo and this stamp together for her room!

I purchased the 5x7 lucite frame at Target for one dollar! Not a bad deal, huh? I used some miscellaneous DP I had in my scrap bag, CTMH Black, SU Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon and Dimensionals, and some paper daisies. This project literally took about 15 minutes!

The best part is that Emma loves it and told me, "Giffy, I proud of you. You did a good job!" Life doesn't get much better than that!

Now, hop on over to Kathy's blog for the next entry. Remember, there is a $25 Stamping Bella gift voucher hidden somewhere along the blog hop. Be sure to comment on every blog for a chance to win! The winner will be randomly drawn from among the comments left on the pre-selected blog. Happy blog-hopping and good luck!

TFL and Happy Halloween!

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

Rather, "It's the Perfect Pumpkin, Miss Emma!" LOL It has been tough to get to a pumpkin patch here because of all of the rain and mud. We finally braved it last Friday, only to discover that the pumpkins had been decimated by people and weather. But Emma was pleased as could be with the "baby" pumpkins. Check out the "pumpkin tree" in the first photo. They hactually wired small pumpkins to it! Too cute!

After picking the perfect little pumpkin and some fresh apples, we treated ourselves to a local delicacy: fresh cider donuts! I am not a doughnut eater, but these are scrumptious and worth every calorie! They are made with freshly pressed apple cider and are covered in cinnamon sugar. If you ever venture up here to apple orchard country, make sure you try one (or two, or six!) The expressions on Emma's face say it all.

Wishing everyone a safe and fun Halloween!

A Few More Autumn Photos...

that I forgot to include with the others. You know me and photos through tree branches~I love them! These were taken in Hudson, MA, which is the town next door to Bolton. The first two were taken at a small park, and the last one is our church (Grace Baptist).

Miss Charlotte

Meet Charlotte Ketto by Stamping Bella. Is she not adorable?

This is for BTC10 on SCS. Pinky challenged us to use purple and to paper piece. What a fun challenge! Thanks, Pinky! (Supplies.)

Darling Daisy

For last week's Bellariffic Challenge on Stamping Bella, Em asked us to make a card having to do with nature. I love this stamp (Daisy with a ladybug by Stamping Bella) because it reminds me of my granddaughter~her room is decorated with daisies and ladybugs. (Supplies.)

Forever Friends

Jamie offered this fabulous sketch for BSC82. I used this cute gem of a stamp from Stamping Bella: Ruby and Rose Lulu. (Supplies.)

Thanks, Jamie!

A Pot o' Flowers

This is for CCBJ35. The challenge was to make a shaped card~basically anything other than the typical rectangular card. I love this flower pot card. It literally took 10 minutes to make! (Supplies.)