Hope & Love! A wonderful weekend!

This is the third year that I have co-chaired an event called the Hope & Love Ball for Hannah's Hope Fund. This year we hit it out of the park with our Mardi Gras Masquerade theme! People had so much fun. Check out the Times Union photos {here}. I was also interviewed by the local news: {YNN: Hope & Love Ball}... Our local community has rallied behind this family and the results have been so incredible! Here we are right before the Ball - the kids come to the event dressed up and then go home and have a nice quiet evening. Todd, Xavier & I stay for the event!



We are blessed to have FotoMagic come to the event and donate their time to making really fun magnets. This year, the kids grabbed some props and got silly!


It was another incredible night - we raised a bunch of money - ate delicious food and 370+ strong stood silently as Dr. Steven Gray gave us the wonderful and inspirational update on his progress! Just days after the meeting with the FDA, the crowd learned that the delivery system for a GAN cure is mere months away from possibly happening.


Here is my amazing husband (with whom I co-chaired the event) and my son Xavier, who escorted Hannah to the Ball.


How could we possibly top that night - well, watching our beloved New York Giants come back and win the Super Bowl made the weekend one of the most memorable we have ever shared as a family!




We were up singing Frank Sinatra's "New York, NY" and Queen's "We are the Champions" in the back yard at about 11:00 at night!




Enjoy every single moment of today!!!!!!

Sneak Peek day three: Faith & Hope

Welcome to another day of sneak peeks for my new Faith & Hope set. Being touched by the devastating diagnosis of Cancer, whether it be a friend or loved one, is one of life's most difficult moments. A simple note to say, "I love you" or "I am thinking of you" is something that can really make a tough day a little more cheery.

Recently, my family went through a very difficult time, and for those of you who reached out to me, I thank you! This set is going to allow me to create some personal cards, thanking those people who sent flowers, dinners, books, and baskets to my family. You never know when tragedy is going to touch your life. Nearly losing my husband and daughter really made me put my life in perspective.

For those of you wondering, my husband has made amazing strides in the past few weeks. He is now walking. He has been working hard during physical therapy and I am so very pleased that he has gained back mobility! My daughter has made an incredible recovery and she is one of the strongest 13 year olds I have the honor of knowing. She is immersed in school, church and middle school social life. She has also returned to swimming. I am so proud of her!



Stamping is one of my passions, as is creating stamps for Papertrey ink. My life has been abundantly blessed in so many ways. After seeing Lance Armstrong at a conference a few years ago, my husband Todd came home and told me how wonderful it is to have this foundation. Our family has lost many people to many types of cancer, my decision to donate all the proceeds to Livestrong was an easy one. I am truly touched that Nichole has decided to match those proceeds and donate all of their profits from the sale of this set to the Susan G. Komen fund.




This simple 4.25 x 4.25 white notecard is embossed on the bottom with two lines. I stamped the leaf sprig with avocado ink and the flowers with raspberry ink. I added some raspberry twill and a small avocado die, stamped with the sentiment Hope.

Be sure to stop by and see all the wonderful things which Nichole Heady created with this set. Also, Betsy Veldman, Dawn McVey, Heather Nichols, Melissa Bickford & Tiffany Pastor have some wonderful surprises on their blogs!











stamps: Faith & Hope (available 10.15.11)
paper: white, avocado (PTI)
ink: white, avocado, raspberry (PTI)
misc: raspberry twill, die, foam squares


Enjoy every single moment of today!!!!!!

Introducing 2010 Love Tags! and Percy!

Here is my contribution to the 2010 Love Tags. I am so excited to be a part of the Papertrey Ink stamp design team. It is so awesome to see the way my concepts come to life with Nichole the amazing design team! What do you think of this year's tag collection. I cannot wait to get my hands on it!


What did you love about this years Papertrey Ink collection? My favorite release this year was Been Boo'd! I love the way it came together and I {heart} all those samples that people made with it!

I also love the holiday set (Tree with Trimmings) and my first release this past year {Springtime Doodles} - the design team really did a bang up job with both of those!

Next month, I have something *REALLY* special coming....so stay tuned!

I love your comments - so please - make sure to take the time to leave me some love.....

Today I am going to be wrapping the MOUNTAIN of presents piling up in my office.

And....finish the Holiday cards we are sending out - we do a holiday card because there are SO many cards to send....
Here is the concept I put together....it even includes our new puppy, Percy Jackson, a miniature golden-doodle (3/4 poodle, 1/4 golden retriever). He is a doll face!

We named him Percy after the character in the Rick Roirdan series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians (a must read!)....

He is perfect with the kids and seems to really be smitten with his mama! :)

stamps: 2010 Love Tag Set {Papertrey Ink}