Thursday, February 28, 2013

Play Date Cafe Challenge #171

ETA: Hi there! This is my second post of the day. For my Waltzingmouse Stamps All-Time Favorite Blog Waltz, please scroll down or click here.

Good morning!

Its Thursday, so today I am sharing a new color challenge from the Play Date Cafe.

This week, we are using a soft, springy palette.


Here is my card. This week we were sponsored by SRM Stickers.


I used the Bright, Pastel, and Wedding sets from SRM's We've Got Your Border collection on my card. These sets included stickers that were perfect matches for this week's colors of tangerine, apricot, and mint.


Thank you for sharing these fabulous new collections with us, SRM! Please be sure to stop by their shop and check out what they have!

I hope you will join us! You can link up your creation over at The Play Date Cafe Blog. You have through Tuesday, March 5th to play along. While you're there, you can check out the Cup of the Week prize from SRM Stickers.

Have a great Thursday!


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Recipe
CARDSTOCK: Oatmeal - Wplus9; Calypso Coral - SU!
PATTERNED PAPER: The Sweetest Thing (Lavender) - My Mind's Eye
OTHER: Bright, Pastel, Wedding We've Got Your Borders Stickers - SRM Stickers; Timeless Tags Die - Wplus9; Eggshell seam binding - Hug Snug; Chevron Embossing Folder - Sizzix; Copic Marker (YR61)

Waltzingmouse All Time Favorite Blog Waltz

Howdy,

I'm so glad you've stopped by, today the Waltzingmouse Stamps Design Team is having a very special blog waltz to celebrate the merge of the Mischief Makers with the Design Team. We're now one (very) big, happy family and we thought we'd celebrate by sharing lots and lots of inspiration.

If you're waltzing along with us, you should have arrived here from Clare's blog. Sarah will be your next stop along the way.  

We were asked to use our all-time favorite Waltzingmouse Stamps set for this waltz. Well, asking me to pick one favorite WMS set would be like asking me to pick one favorite flavor of ice cream. Or nail polish color. I just can't do it. I love so many, it really depends on the day!

I finally decided that I wanted to use the French Country set - today, its my favorite :)



I built this card around the patterned paper. I thought it looked a little Frenchy and a little Country, so I used it as my starting point. :) Metallics are really hot right now, so I added some gold embossing to the design. Good stuff - adds instant elegance.

There is a ginormous list of gals participating in today's waltz, so I won't keep you any longer. The list of players are below - everyone in red is a new DT member, so it would be fab if you could stop by, say hello and wish them well. We are gearing up for a new release next week, so be sure to add it to your calendar and stop back.

Anya Schrier - you are here!

Sarah is your next stop - she has put together something stunning, so don't miss it! Thank you for the visit, have a great day!

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Recipe
STAMPS: French Country - Waltzingmouse Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Raspberry Ripple, Soft Sky - SU!; Oatmeal - Wplus9
PATTERNED PAPER: The Sweetest Thing (Lavender) - My Mind's Eye
INK: Early Espresso - SU!; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Detail Gold Embossing Powder - Stewart Superior; Rustic Cream Button Twine, Scarlet Jewel Button - PTI; Labels 25 - Spellbinders Paper Arts; BG11 Copic Marker

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

10 Minute Craft Dash #12

Hi there!

Short and sweet for me today. I am out of town for work and we have a super full agenda.

Today I am playing along with this week's 10 Minute Craft Dash.


The challenge sponsor is Paper Smooches, so it was perfect timing to try out my new-to-me Boob Tubes set.


Keeping things pretty simple. I colored the cute retro tv image with Copic markers in the challenge colors. A few strips of cardstock help to balance it out. My finish time was 8 minutes and 43 seconds - definitely a record for me!

This week's 10 Minute Craft Dash Challenge is open for a few more days - you should play along, it is fun!

I'll be back tomorrow, have a good one!


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Recipe
STAMPS: Boob Tubes - Paper Smooches
CARDSTOCK: Hawaiian Shores - PTI; Lake House, Oatmeal - Wplus9
PATTERNED PAPER: 2008 Bitty Box Basics (Raspberry Fizz) - PTI
INK: Rich Cocoa Memento - Tsukineko; Bermuda Bay - SU!
OTHER: Star Dust Stickles - Ranger Industries; Washi tape; Copic Markers


Sunday, February 24, 2013

Thinking of You - Wplus9 Monday Mood Board

Hi there.

I hope your weekend is going well - I'm just stopping in to share the card that I finally finished for this week's Monday Mood Board Challenge from Wplus9. This card has been in various stages of completion and re-working since early last week. Navy, coral, and kraft are one of my favorite color combinations, so I've been lovingly contemplating how I wanted this card to come together.

This is Dawn's oh-so-inspiring challenge photo:


I so love that these photos combine not only colors but textures and other cues that translate directly into the creative process.


Hello navy dress form with coral flowers, I love you.

For something extra feminine and a little chic, this amazing dress form from C'est La Vie does it every time.

I combined it with the detailed label and some floral elements from Very Vintage Florals.


Chantilly Trim and the indispensable Defining Words made appearances as well.

I have a hefty to-do list today, so while hubby is out of the house I am going to try and tackle some things. Thanks for the visit, and I will see you later!


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Recipe
STAMPS: C'est La Vie, Very Vintage Florals, Chantilly Trim, Defining Words - Wplus9
CARDSTOCK: Night of Navy, Blush Blossom - SU!; Oatmeal - Wplus9; Melon Berry - PTI
INK: Crumb Cake, Groovy Guava, Night of Navy, Blush Blossom - SU!; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Scalloped Border Die, Label Layers 3 Die - Wplus9; Doily - Wilton; Navy Washi Tape - My Mind's Eye

Saturday, February 23, 2013

SCS Love Fest - Verve Stamps


Hello there!

Have you joined in the festivities that have been going on as a part of the Splitcoaststampers Member Company Love Fest? The 10 SCS Member Companies have been sponsoring fun daily challenges. Today it is Verve's turn!

My term doesn't officially start until March 1, but I am jumping in with both feet and joining in. Can I just say - there are some ah.ma.zing gals on this team.

Today Verve is sponsoring a color challenge. We could all use a little color right about now, no? February is such a rough month. The challenge is to use Verve's signature teal and brown and combine it with either a splash of yellow or pink. I opted for a little sunny yellow and put this card together.



And since I can't resist using a sketch, I paired the color challenge with this week's Viva la Verve sketch.

The sweet little butterfly is the All Aflutter Plain Jane. I stamped it twice, colored it, cut them out and layered them with a little foam tape. Then I glitterfied it with some Yellow and Star Dust Stickles :)

I hope you will stop over to SCS to join in the fun today. Follow this link to take you straight to Verve's challenge for today. There are prizes up for grabs, my dears! You should also check out Verve's new release, too, lots of new goodies just added to the store yesterday!

Happy Saturday!


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Recipe
STAMPS: All Aflutter, Blue Skies - Verve Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Dark Chocolate, Rustic White - PTI
PATTERNED PAPER: So Happy Together - Echo Park Paper Co.; The Sweetest Thing Lavender - My Mind's Eye
INK: Rich Cocoa Memento - Tsukineko; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Yellow, Star Dust Stickles - Ranger Industries; Eggshell Seam Binding - Hug Snug; Copic Markers

Friday, February 22, 2013

Muse Challenge #5

Woohoo! TGIF!

Have you joined in the fun over at the Muse Card Club Challenge yet? You are missing out on a good time if you haven't!

Marion Vagg was this week's Muse. You can see her inspiring card here.

I was drawn to the geometric pattern of the background, the fresh color combination, and the way the sentiment had its own line in the design. This is what I created, using stamps from Mama Elephant:


Giving my version of clean, simple geometric a try. I started by masking off a portion of my oatmeal cardstock, then stamping the triangle border from Trifecta. Then I went in with a color combo inspired by Marion's and stamped a selection of triangles. When I was happy with the way that looked, I stamped my sentiment in the open space.

I'd love to hear your thoughts - not quite sure if I have the feel of this yet. What do you think? Love playing along with these Muse challenges, though!

Before I head out, I have been meaning to post the recipe for this White Chili I made the other night (for you, Kim!).


You can find the recipe here from Taste of Home. It is set up for a slow cooker, but I popped it all in a pot and let it cook for about half an hour - was perfect! This is a big favorite around here.. it was SO good, and it made lots of leftovers (which were also delicious!).  Enjoy!

Nice to see you here today!


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Recipe
STAMPS: Trifecta, Smitten - Mama Elephant
CARDSTOCK: Soft Stone - PTI; Tangerine Tango - SU!
INK: Going Gray, Marina Mist, Wild Wasabi, Blush Blossom, So Saffron, Tangerine Tango, Basic Gray - SU!

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Play Date Cafe Challenge #170

Happy Thursday!

Let's just jump right in, shall we? Today brings a new color story from the Play Date Cafe. Gray is one of the colors, so I automatically love it!


This week's colors are denim, buttercream, and stone. We are sponsored by The Twinery this week, so we're using colors based on one of their twine collections.

I had a lot of fun making this week's card.


In addition to the twine and some washi tape, I used the solid and outline chevron border images from Verve's Borderline stamp set as well as a sentiment from Words of Wisdom. Sequins have made another appearance as well. They don't seem to work on every card, but I sure do love them when they do.

I hope you will join us! You can link up your creation over at The Play Date Cafe Blog. You have through Tuesday, February 26th to play along. While you're there, you can check out the Cup of the Week prize from our fabulous challenge sponsor, The Twinery!


I have a collection of twine from The Twinery, and I love it! I am looking forward to picking up the new platinum and gold shimmer twines they have released, they look fabulous!

A big thank you to The Twinery for sponsoring us this week!

Have a fantastic Thursday!


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Recipe
STAMPS: Borderline, Words of Wisdom - Verve Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Going Gray, Barely Banana, Buckaroo Blue - SU!
INK: Going Gray, Buckaroo Blue - SU!; Onyx Black Versafine - Tsukineko
OTHER: Buttercream, Denim, Stone Twine - The Twinery; Washi tape - My Mind's Eye; Chevron Embossing Folder - Sizzix; Sequins - Darice

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Serendipity Stamps Blog Challenge #6


Hi there!

It is time once again for a new challenge on the Serendipity Stamps Challenge Blog. The challenge for this week is 'things are not as they should be' - we were challenged to use a stamp in an unexpected way. I decided to use the Barn & Windmill stamp (1145K), which is a winter scene and color it up for a different season.



I thought Springtime would be appropriate.. the trees are just starting to bud, the grass is nice and green and the sky is a beautiful blue. I used my inks to watercolor the image.

Stop over to the Challenge Blog for all the details and to see the fabulous inspiration from the rest of the Design Team:


Although the Serendipity Design Team is using stamps in an unexpected way, we encourage you to play along in any way - feel free to use any of your favorite SS images on a project any way you like. We hope you'll join us!

Serendipity's special this week (February 20 - 27) is 40% off the highest priced item in your shopping cart. Use code 40fromhigh123 to take advantage of the special!

Have a great day!

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Recipe
STAMPS: Barn & Windmill (145K), Happy Spring (847C) - Serendipity Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Vintage Cream - PTI; Primrose Petals - SU!
PATTERNED PAPER: So Happy Together - Echo Park Paper Co.
INK: Rich Cocoa Memento - Tsukineko; Real Red, Soft Suede, Pool Party, Gumball Green, Kiwi Kiss - SU!
OTHER: Raffia Ribbon

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Waltzingmouse Stamps February Blog Party


Hello!

Today is the monthly blog party at Waltzingmouse Stamps. This month's theme is doilies. Doilies are still showing up everywhere, which is great since I love to use them. For this month's party, I pulled inspiration from one of the first photos that I pinned on Pinterest.


Combined with that inspiration, I used the Dainty Doilies Large and Dainty Doilies 2, Small sets to create this card.


This card is really tall (8.5") but needed to be large enough to accommodate the design. It is always fun to make cards that vary from the normal size now and again.

The doilies were stamped onto Kraft cardstock in white ink and heat embossed with white detail powder. I die cut them all with the Big Scalloped Circles Lrg set from Spellbinders. I inked the edges of the doilies and then adhered them with a combination of double sided and foam dimensional adhesive. I opted to skip the sentiment - I really couldn't decide on a good place to put it, plus it lets the doilies take center stage.

I won't keep you any longer, I know that there are going to be a ton of fabulous creations in the party that you'll want to check out. So head over to the WMS Blog, be inspired, and get your doily on!


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Recipe
STAMPS: Dainty Doilies Large, Dainty Doilies 2, Small, Way Out West - Waltzingmouse Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Rustic White - PTI; Lake House, Kraft - Wplus9
INK: White - Wplus9
OTHER: Detail White Embossing Powder - Stampendous; Big Scalloped Circles Lrg - Spellbinders Paper Arts

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Wplus9 Monday Mood Board

Morning!

Last week, Dawn posted a new feature on her blog called Monday Mood Board. It is an opportunity for inspiration and a starting point to create. I love things like this, my mojo always benefits from having something to work from.


One of the first things I keyed in on in this picture was the bold pink fabric in the top left. I made that my focal point used other bits of inspiration from the picture to build around it.


The pattern was created by embossing the leaf and butterfly images from Woodgrain Silhouettes and Woodgrain Silhouettes Additions. I paired this with some Lake House cardstock, twine, and a bit of striped washi tape.. all bits I pulled from the photo.

What fun! Thank you for stopping by!


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Recipe
STAMPS: Woodgrain Silhouettes, Woodgrain Silhouettes Additions - Wplus9
CARDSTOCK: Purely Pomegranate - SU!; Lake House, White - Wplus9
INK: White - Wplus9; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Detail White Embossing Powder - Stampendous; Washi Tape - Target Stores; Linen Twine - SU!; Wood button

Friday, February 15, 2013

Friday News and Muse Challenge

Hello, Friday. I am glad you're here.

What are you up to this weekend? Usually once the weekend rolls around I just want to lay low, but I have been hankering for a visit to a not-so-local scrapbook store. We'll see.

Anyway.. news!


Say hello to the newest Verve Diva!

I am so excited to have been invited to join the Verve Stamps Design Team! Monday started to an email from the adorably sweet Julee Tilman (THE original Verve Diva) asking me if I would like to join the Inspirations Team. Um, would I?! Beginning March 1, look for me to join the rest of the Inspirations Team Divas sharing our Verve creations for the monthly blog hop on the 5th. You'll also see Verve inspiration from me throughout the rest of the month. :)

I also have a card to share with you today, something I made for this week's Muse Card Club Challenge.


I played off the colors and the layout of Therese Calvird's card for this week. The glass made me think of a mason jar, which made me think of Waltzingmouse's Candy Jar... so I went with it. I also used the Camellia set and added some flowers. No masking involved with this one, the jar and stems were stamped directly onto the card and then the leaves and flowers were stamped onto a second sheet of cardstock, colored, and cut out. I added them to the jar with foam tape to give them some dimension.

Before I go, I wanted to remind you that Sunday is the monthly Waltzingmouse Blog Party. This month's theme is doilies. All the details are here.

Also, in honor of Valentine's Day, Serendipity Stamps is offering 20% off all stamps and dies in the heart category. Sale ends today!

That'll do it for me - enjoy your day!


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Recipe
STAMPS: Candy Jar, Camellia - Waltzingmouse Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Vintage Cream - PTI
PATTERNED PAPER: Pretty Pastels - PTI
INK: Tuxedo Black Memento - Tsukineko; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Honeydew Twine - The Twinery; Copic Markers

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Play Date Cafe Challenge #169

Good morning, good morning!

It is once again time for the Play Date Cafe to bring you our fabulous color challenge.

Here is this week's color story:


The colors are pink carnation, mint, and juniper. Soft and springy.

Here is the card that I made using this color combination:


I used the Embroidered Bouquet set from Wplus9 to create a card with a soft, vintage look. After stamping the large flower cluster onto my card base in green, I stamped it again in pink onto some scrap. I cut out the flowers and layered them onto my card to add some dimension and bring in another color. The sentiment phrase was built from a few of the words in the set.

I hope you will join us! You can link up your creation over at The Play Date Cafe Blog. You have through Tuesday, February 19th to play along. While you're there, you can check out the Cup of the Week prize from our fabulous challenge sponsor, Simon Says Stamp!

Simon Says Stamp

Thank you for sponsoring us this week, Simon Says Stamp!

Have a super day!


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Recipe
STAMPS: Embroidered Bouquet - Wplus9
CARDSTOCK: Ballet Slippers - Wplus9; Sage Shadow - SU!; Vintage Cream - PTI
INK: Blushing Bride, Sage Shadow, Marina Mist - SU!; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Sewing Machine - Janome; Adhesive pearls

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

10 Minute Craft Dash #11

Howdy! We are rolling right on through the week, tomorrow is Valentine's Day.. the weekend is almost here.. it is good! Do you have any big plans? We are just going to spend a quiet weekend in. I enjoy cooking for Valentine's Day, so I am going to whip up a new recipe I found in this month's Food Network magazine. Conversation heart cookies are on tap for tonight, too... if you follow me on Instagram you will get a peek, I'm sure :)

Anyway... today I am sharing a little something for this week's 10 Minute Craft Dash. We're up to #11, and this time we have a theme challenge:


Here is my card, completed in 9 minutes and 26 seconds:


I gathered up the little heart stamps from each of the four different Pretty Patches sets that Wplus9 has (Apple, Christmas, Pumpkin, and Tree). Before I started my card, I lined all four of the hearts up on my acrylic block (is that cheating?) so that I could just repeat the stamping process. I used four different ink colors and just stamped the hearts across the front of my card, using the negative space between hearts and the grid lines on my acrylic block to line things up.

I added a glittered die cut word, completely inspired from this month's Cloud9 Hop (I'm looking at you, Erin). The 'You' sentiment to complete the phrase is from Cupid's Arrow. Not sure how I feel about that there, but that is the beauty of this challenge.

So there you have it - fun times! If you'd like to join the challenge, you still have a few days left. If you've never given the 10 Minute Craft Dash a try, you should!

Thank you for taking the time to stop in today, see you tomorrow :)


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Recipe
STAMPS: Pretty Patches: Apple, Pretty Patches: Christmas, Pretty Patches: Pumpkin, Pretty Patches: Tree, Cupid's Arrow - Wplus9
CARDSTOCK: Kraft - Wplus9
INK: Poppy Parade, Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink - SU!; White - Wplus9; Onyx Black Versafine - Tsukineko
OTHER: Seasonal Sentiments Die - Wplus9; Antique Silver Glitter - Martha Stewart Crafts; Xyron Sticker Maker

Saturday, February 9, 2013

February Cloud9 Blog Hop


Hello and happy Saturday! Welcome to the February Cloud9 Blog Hop!

Here is this month's inspiration photo, found on the Black Eiffel Blog:


Adorable little valentines - there is so much inspiration in this one little photo!

Here is the card that I created:


It was so much fun to decorate these little tags. I used elements from the newly released Chantilly Trim and Very Vintage Florals sets as well as the lovely Heartfelt Mix.

I am so glad that you've stopped by to see me today, I hope you'll play along with this month's Cloud9 Blog Hop with the chance to win a fabulous Wplus9 prize as well as join the Inspiration Team as next month's Guest Designer! You have until 10 am on February 12th to link up with us over on the Cloud9 Blog.

Also be sure to check out the amazing creations from the rest of the inspiration team:

Suzanne Dahlberg
Gayatri Murali
Christina MacLaren

as well as this month's special guest designer:

Meredith MacRitchie!

Have a great day!


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Recipe
STAMPS: Chantilly Trim, Very Vintage Florals, Heartfelt Mix, Love You More - Wplus9 Design Studio
CARDSTOCK: Ballet Slippers, Oatmeal, Kraft - Wplus9; Regal Rose - SU!
INK: White - Wplus9 (love it!); Real Red, Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, Wild Wasabi - SU!; Onyx Black Versafine - Tsukineko
OTHER: Timeless Tags Die - Wplus9

Friday, February 8, 2013

Hello My Dear

Happy Friday!

Sounds like it is going to be a crazy weather day, especially for those of you in the New England area. Be safe!

I am once again playing along with the Muse Card Club. This week's Muse Challenge featured a fabulous card from Laurie Willison.

I loved Laurie's happy colors and the way the card elements were clustered towards the bottom. Here is the card that I made, inspired by Laurie's creation.


I am starting to find myself falling in love with yellow again, and I paired it with light purple and coral on this card. The background was stamped with the large houndstooth pattern from Heirloom Patterns. I cut the cardstock vertically and then stitched it back together. I layered some different elements - I had fun picking out what different things I wanted to add - and tucked in a strip of cardstock with a sentiment. I finished it off with some sequins, which are now making an appearance in papercrafting. I kind of like them.. I picked up a cheapo assortment of colors and sizes from the craft store, so I think I'll have fun peppering my cards with them.

I hope you have a fun weekend planned. Today is my husband's birthday, so I am looking forward to being obnoxiously lovey this weekend. Birthdays are meant to be celebrated! (I also just got a giant box of goodies from Wplus9, so I can't wait to dive into that!)

Take care, and thank you for stopping by!


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Recipe
STAMPS: Heirloom Patterns - Waltzingmouse Stamps; Flora & Fauna I - Wplus9; Gertie "Girly" Stamps - My Mind's Eye; Pretty Peonies - PTI
CARDSTOCK: Oatmeal - Wplus9; Pale Plum - SU!
INK: So Saffron, Pale Plum, Calypso Coral - SU!; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Sewing Machine - Janome; Sequins - Darice


Thursday, February 7, 2013

Play Date Cafe Challenge #168

Hi there and happy Thursday. I am here to bring you this week's Play Date Cafe Challenge! Our colors this week are definitely tending towards the lovey dovey!


Our colors for this week are cranberry, raspberry, and petal. Here is the card I created using these colors.


To start, I sketched a heart onto printer paper and cut it out. I used the negative as a mask, stamping the various arrows over it in this week's colors. I combined a few different sets to get this look. Isn't it fun?

Before I removed the mask (I used a bit of washi tape to hold it in place on my cardstock) I added a bit of Antique Linen Distress ink to help define the heart shape just a bit. The sentiment was a finishing touch.

Think you'd like to join us this week? You can link up your creation over at The Play Date Cafe Blog. You have through Tuesday, February 12th to play along.


You can also check out this week's prize from our sponsor, Avery Elle. They have some very cute stuff!

Before I head out, I wanted to ask you guys if any of you have had any experience with narrow angles or acute angle glaucoma? At a recent eye appointment, my optometrist diagnosed me with narrow angles, which basically means the iris of my eye covers the fluid drains from the eye. If this fluid cannot drain, pressure can build up in the eye suddenly and without warning and can lead to an acute type of glaucoma. The treatment is laser iridotomy, where the portion of the iris covering the drains is removed by laser.

Now that I have sufficiently grossed you out, has anyone had experience with this or any other type of laser eye surgery? I have an appointment to see the surgeon on Monday. It is outpatient and they only do one eye at a time. Eyes aren't something to mess around with, so I know I have to have it done, but does anyone have any good experiences or reassuring words for me?

Have a good day!


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Recipe
STAMPS: Sweethearts - WMS; Cupid's Arrow - Wplus9; Smitten, Trifecta - Mama Elephant
CARDSTOCK: Primrose Petals - SU!; Vintage Cream - PTI
INK: Raspberry Ripple, Primrose Petals, Regal Rose - SU!; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries; Onyx Black Versafine - Tsukineko