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Birthday Mojo

Hi friends!  I spent a little time in my studio yesterday trying to distract myself from thinking about the boys in the NICU, so I've got a Mojo Monday card to share with you.  This sketch by Teresa had some clean lines that I thought would be perfect for a masculine birthday card I needed to make.

I pulled out the Birthday Bash set and paper pieced the cake on some Loyal paper by Authentique, adding green stars and some Dark Chocolate liquid pearls for the icing.  A little hardware frame from my stash sets off the sentiment and I tied it on with a little linen thread.

Kellan & Trevor Update:
The boys continue to improve each day.  They're now trying room air a little, but have to go back to the nasal cannulas when they get tired.  They've started taking a bottle now instead of just the feeding tube and they've graduated to a single crib.  We're hoping that having the dynamic duo back together will hasten their development.  At this point it looks like we're still looking at at least another 1-3 weeks in the NICU.  Here's our first look at the boys side by side.  They looked so peaceful sleeping next to each other and it's so awesome to finally see them together!

Enabler's List:
Stamps:  Birthday Bash (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Loyal (Authentique), Early Espresso (SU!), White
Ink: Onyx Black (Versafine), Antique Linen (Ranger Distress), Copic markers
Accessories:  Hodgepodge hardware, linen thread (SU!), bracket border punch (EK Success), Dark Chocolate Liquid Pearls (Ranger), paper piercer

Merci

Hi friends!  Happy St. Patrick's Day!  Yesterday I got my first post-delivery stamping time and decided it would be fun to play along with the Waltzingmouse Blog Party this month.  When I got home from the hospital, there was a Waltzingmouse order waiting for me, and I couldn't resist inking them up while Mark caught up on a little work he needed to do.

The theme for this month's hop is Irish/St. Patrick's Day/Green and I took the easy road and went for a green color scheme so I could make a thank you card that's a bit overdue.


I started with the new Very Vintage Labels No. 25 set, stamping the frame in Lucky Limeade, then hand trimming and matting with black cardstock.  Every time I look through my flower collection, I always wonder why they make green flowers.  This seemed like the perfect occasion to use a few!  I glued them on with some Zip Dry and added a little sparkle with Stardust Stickles.  The Eiffel tower is from the new Paris Nouveau set and I hand trimmed around it and layered over my label image, adding the Merci sentiment and finishing off with some rhinestones and two Maya Road leaf trinket pins.

The background circle is stamped with a background strip from Paris Nouveau, then sponged with Lucky Limeade and matted with black.  A big black bow sets things off and I layered everything onto a cream panel embossed with the square lattice folder from SU!

Kellan & Trevor update: 
Our boys have now been in NICU for a week and continue to improve each day.  Kellan had a really big day yesterday...  he joined his twin brother in graduating to the nasal cannula, increased to full feeds on his feeding tube and is completely off the nutrient IV, plus he moved to a crib instead of his temperature regulated isolette and wore his first little outfit.  All of these are major improvements and we're so excited at how well they're both doing.  In today's photo we caught a brief glimpse of Kellan peeking out at us with his beautiful little eyes.

If their improvement continues, they'll soon be able to join forces in a single crib.  They do love to be together and do a lot of sympathy crying for each other right now - even in their sleep!  They've even been known to get the hiccups at the exact same time.  So cute!

Okay, that's it for today!  Thanks everyone for the well wishes and continued prayers for our little guys!  It's hard to believe they're already a week old.


Enabler's List:
Stamps:  Paris Nouveau, Very Vintage Labels No. 25 (Waltzingmouse Stamps)
Paper: Cream, Black
Ink: Lucky Limeade (SU!), Black
Accessories:  Classic Circles Nestabilities (Spellbinders), flowers (Wild Orchid Crafts), rhinestones (Pizzazz Aplenty), Square Lattice embossing folder (SU!), black wrinkled ribbon (May Arts), Leaf Trinket Pins (Maya Road), Stardust Stickles (Ranger), paper distresser

Welcome Kellan & Trevor!

Hi friends!  It's been a little quiet here on the blog, but things have been hopping in life.  After a bit of a scare and a pre-eclampsia diagnosis, I was rushed from my Dr's appointment Friday afternoon {March 9} to the hospital, where I delivered two beautiful baby boys by emergency c-section.



Kellan was born at 8:08 pm, weighing in at 6 pounds 1 ounce and 17 inches long.  His identical twin brother, Trevor, was born at 8:09pm, weighing in at 6 pounds 2.4 ounces and 19.5 inches long.  We're so unbelievably proud of our boys.  Because they were barely 36 weeks, they still have some developing to do, and have been in the NICU since moments after delivery.  Both are still needing assistance breathing, are still on a nutrient IV and are unable to regulate their body temperature as yet.  We're told a lot of this is normal for pre-term babies, but it's still hard seeing them hooked up to all the tubes.  They are getting stronger each day, and it's so heartening to see them looking more comfortable each time we visit.  We are hopeful it will only be another week or 2 before we can bring them home, but they've prepared us that it might be up to 4 weeks.

My road to recovery has been slow.  My spinal for the surgery was extremely difficult, taking over 30 minutes and 3 attempts.  Then due to the pre-eclampsia I was given a 24 hour IV of magnesium to prevent seizures.  Unfortunately the magnesium made me so ill that I was even throwing up the fluids from my IV for the entire 24 hour period.  And after a c-section, vomiting is the LAST thing a person wants to experience, believe me!  But once the magnesium was out of my system, I started feeling better.  So late Saturday night I was finally able to be wheeled down to see my sweet baby boys in the NICU.  There is much pain associated with the failed spinal attempts, as well as the surgery, but I'm on the mend and getting stronger each day, just like my boys.


On Tuesday, Trevor was finally doing well enough that they allowed me to hold my sweet boy for the first time.  And then yesterday, we were given the okay to hold both boys, so Mark held Trevor while I got my first holding session with Kellan.  Talk about little heart stealers... these boys are so precious!  We still haven't seen them side by side, but they look so similar.  Kellan is slightly smaller right now and Trevor has adorable little chipmunk cheeks, but those are the only differences we've noticed so far.  Yesterday they were both starting to open their eyes a bit, and we glimpsed just a bit of Daddy's blues.  Kellan is still on the c-pap mask for breathing, but Trevor has graduated to a nasal canula that pumps oxygen into his nose.  Next step will be room air, which they are hoping he will be able to tolerate in another day or so.

I was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday afternoon, but we've spent lots of time at the NICU since then visiting Kellan & Trevor.  They're just the sweetest little guys. We'd appreciate your prayers that they will continue to improve and be able to come home with us soon.  Cards are also very welcome to decorate their NICU room.  You can send them to:

Julee Tilman
PO Box 170359
Boise, ID  83717

Birthday Blooms

Hi friends!  Happy Friday!  Today I've got a sample for this week's Viva la Verve! sketch to share with you.  This week's sketch is a super fun one designed by Charmaine.  My card got bigger and bigger as I went along, so I ended up turning it into a 5.5" square card.  Since it was being mailed in a package with a gift, size wasn't an issue. 


I started with the flowers from Dream Big, which I stamped in Cherry Cobbler, then hand trimmed with scissors.  They're coated with a mixture of diamond glaze and glitter, then topped with a button.  Next I pulled out the Bloom & Grow set and stamped the leaves in pumice stone on both of the Newsprint designer paper layers.  Next I embossed the largest leaf in basic gray ink onto a basic gray Elegant Leaves Die cut.  The sentiment is from the Hope Blooms set and I did a little row of paper piercing above and below it.  I finished off with some triple pearl stick pins, a red seam binding double bow and just a hint of surprise in the corner with some red star bling.

Okay, that's all from me on the card front.  I'm spending more and more time in bed as the weight of the babies are well over 12 pounds combined, and that's just downright uncomfortable, any way you slice it!  We've made it to  the average delivery time for twins (36 weeks), so it's just a waiting game now. Hope you have a fabulous weekend and thanks so much for stopping by!

Enabler's List:
Stamps: Dream Big, Bloom & Grow, Hope Blooms (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Newsprint DSP, Basic Gray (SU!), Cream
Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Basic Gray (SU!), Pumice Stone (Ranger Distress)
Accessories:  Elegant Leaves Die (A Cut Above by VERVE), cherry cobbler seam binding (SU!), triple pearl stick pins (Maya Road), star bling (Recollections), button, linen thread, paper distresser, paper piercer

Mojo and a Diva Inspirations Hop!

Hi friends!  It's Monday, and that means it's time for a new Mojo Monday sketch.  I'm technically on hiatus, as Teresa is filling in for me over the next couple of months by posting the sketches, but I did find a little time to make a card for this week's sketch.  And it's a two-fer, since today is also the 5th of the month and that means the Inspiration Divas are putting on a Verve-alicious hop!  Be sure to check out all the details below!


I started this card with this little sketch in my head, wanting to use the Psalm 63:3-4 Plain Jane.  I stamped the verse onto a Tagged Rectangle die cut, then matted with the Rounded Scallop Frame die cut in crumb cake, adding some sponging and liquid pearls.  The flowers are stamped with the blooms from Hope Blooms, then cut with the Floral Circles Die Set and then hand cut along the lines of the blooms to make them fringe-y.  The leaves are stamped with the Making a Statement leaves and cut out with the Loopy Blooms dies.  I layered it all together and topped with a Twitterpated button from SU!  i used the same pack of buttons, threaded on a length of linen thread across my panel and finished off with some baja breeze seam binding ribbon.


If you're here for the hop, you should have landed here from Jen Tapler's blog.  If not, be sure to start from the beginning and read up on all the prize info (yep, there's a $25 Verve gift certificate up for grabs to a lucky commenter along the hop) and see the hoplist over on the Verve blog!  Next up on the hop is ...  LYNDA!


Enabler's List
Stamps: Psalm 63:3-4 Plain Jane, Hope Blooms, Making a Statement (Verve)
Paper: Be Happy, Be Amazing (My Mind's Eye), Crumb Cake, Pear Pizazz (SU!)
Ink: Baja Breeze, Pear Pizazz, Island Indigo (SU!), Vintage Photo (Ranger)

Accessories:  Tagged Rectangle Die, Rounded Scallop Frame Die, Floral Circles Die Set, Loopy Blooms Die Set (A Cut above by VERVE), Classic & Scallop Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), baja breeze seam binding, linen thread, Twitterpated buttons (SU!), liquid pearls (Ranger)

A New Little Someone

Hi friends!  Happy Thursday and welcome to March!  This is the month the twins will be born!  Hooray!  I got a little stamp time and had babies on the brain, so I made this sweet little baby card (mostly) following this week's Mojo Monday 230 sketch.


The papers are from the Be Amazing collection by My Mind's Eye.  I had a little gingham stuffed elephant my mom made me as a child, so every time I use this little elephant from To the Moon, I like to paper piece him on some sort of pattern.  Today it's a little grey polka dot print.  The sentiment is one of my favorites from the Hope Blooms set and it is stamped in the center of the frame from Twitterpated and cut out with the coordinating Hearts & Swirls Frame Die.  The little star border punch I got on clearance many moons ago and I think this is the first time I've used it.  Love how it looks.

I added a little texture with my favorite swirls and stars embossing folder and finished off with a little baja breeze pleated ribbon.  A simple little card, but I can see myself making it again and again in pink... and green... and yellow.. for all my friends who have recently found out they're expecting.  I must have started a trend!  LOL

Well, that's all for today! Hope you have a spectacular day and thanks so much for stopping by!

Enabler's List:
Stamps:  To the Moon, Hope Blooms, Twitterpated (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Be Amazing (My Mind's Eye), White
Ink: Baja Breeze (SU!), Black
Accessories:  Hearts & Swirls Frame Die (A Cut Above by VERVE), star border punch (Martha Stewart), pleated ribbon (SU!), stars & swirls embossing folder (Sizzix)