Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Make a Card - Sparkle

My first card for the MFT Card Design Superstar contest was for the Coloring Virtuoso category. This one is for the Clean and Simple category.
It still has a lot of color but I wanted to make the color more of a peek-a-boo element with the white over layer. I used a set of French curves to make the rounded shape for the top layer.
On the underneath layer, I stamped the sequins from Made to Sparkle. I started with the smallest sequin size and stacked them up progressing to the biggest sequin sized stamp. Having clear stamps made stamping the arrangement super easy.
After I stamped the sequins, I colored them using some peacock colors. I added the sentiment to the upper layer and finished it off with Diamond Stickles. Of course! How could you make a sparkle card without Stickles?? :) A few Silver Stickles dots scattered through the sequins because...well, because more sparkle!

Linking up here: MFT Design Superstar Contest

Card Details:
Color - MFT: Black Licorice / Copic: Y04, Y08, YG13, YG17, BG13, BG15, BG18, BG45, BG49
Stamps - MFT: Made to Sparkle

Embellishments - Stickles: Silver, Diamond

Come follow me on Instagram for more card projects!

Make a Card - I Pick You

As soon as I read MFT's blog post about their Design Superstar contest, I knew I wanted to give it a try. I've found that I'm most on-my-own creative when I have a contest to create for. :)  It really makes my mind work when I have parameters to work within...in this case only using My Favorite Things products for certain categories.
It was hard to narrow down which MFT set I wanted to focus on using. I definitely wanted to try my hand at the Coloring Virtuoso category so I knew a Pure Innocence set would really allow for coloring.
Being a musician,  Heartstrings is a favorite set. Isn't she super sweet?
I usually color light to dark so I started with her skin, then her hair. After that I used two shades of pink for her shirt and cute striped leggings. For her dress, I layered the color on with wide flicks to get a slight ombre look to her skirt. Boots and guitar came last. To try to get a wood grain look on the guitar, I drew thin lines and a few wood knot swirls with darker brown and then blended it in with the lighter brown base color.
Instead of ribbon or a patterned paper strip, I used the flowers from Sweet Sloths. I popped some up on foam squares for dimension. The best part about MFT sets is the sentiments that are included. I used "I pick you", mounted it with pink cardstock, and popped up another flower to embellish it.

Pure Innocence stamps are so fun to color and so were these Sweet Sloths flowers. Love her!


Linking up here: MFT Design Superstar Contest

Card Details:
Cardstock - MFT: Razzle Berry


Color - MFT: Black Licorice / Copic: E000, E00, E23, E31, E33, E99, W5, W6, Y23, RV10, RV11, RV52, RV55
Dies - MFT: Circle Stax

Stamps - MFT: Sweet Sloths; Heartstrings

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Make a Card - Party Pals

Here's another birthday card for Taylored Expressions!
I really reinterpreted the challenge sketch for this one. :) The balloon bunch is kind of functioning as the main image circle, and I shifted the notched banner mat to the bottom of the card...using TE's cute picket fence border die. (Pause for gushing - the fence die cut perfectly and was super easy to weed. Not all the die cuts I own are that simple. You know what I mean. :) )

I tried to make the Party Pals look like they were floating away with all those balloons. Aren't they cute? Happy birthday, TE!
 

Linking up here: Taylored Expressions

Card Details:
Cardstock - The Paper Studio: White
Patterned Paper - American Crafts: #summer 6x6 / Recollections: Home Basics 6x6

Color - Memento: Tuxedo Black, Dandelion / Palette: Jardin Moss / Copic: YG11, YG13, E41 / Spectrum Noir: TN7, TN8, CT1, CT2, CT4 / SU: Light and Medium Coastal Cabana blendabilities
Dies - TE: Party Pals, Picket Fence Border
Punches - SU: Balloon punch

Embellishments - Nuvo: Ivory Seashell

Make a Card - Taylored Expressions is 9!


I have lots of stamp companies that I turn to time and time again for cute images and fun supplies. Taylored Expressions is definitely one of my favorite favorites! And they are turning 9! Here are a couple cards I made to celebrate with them! (Any excuse for cake really.) :D

For this card, I kept with the birthday theme but flipped the orientation of the sketch to horizontal and used the banner die instead of the 'sprinkles/sequins'. To make the words of Wish Big stand out, I added Nuvo drops to the stamped words to make them look like puffy stickers. (I tilted the card so you can sort of see the dimension it added.)
Happy, happy birthday, TE!
 

Linking up here: Taylored Expressions

Card Details:
Cardstock - The Paper Studio: White / Recollections: Yellow
Patterned Paper - Pebbles: Yours Truly 6x6 / American Crafts: #summer 6x6

Color - Memento: Tuxedo Black / Copics: YG11, YG13 / Spectrum Noir: CT1, LV1, PL1
Dies - Taylored Expressions: Pennant Border / Nestabilities: Standard Circles
Stamps - TE: Wish Big

Embellishments - Stickles: Grape Crush / Nuvo: Morning Dew

Monday, June 5, 2017

Identity Theft... Stinks (What to Do to Fix It)


Bass and I recently discovered that we were the victims of identity theft. Grr.

I received a letter from a bank saying they were so glad I was now a customer. Hmm...I didn't remember opening any accounts with a bank from three states away, so red flags went up immediately. We called to check into the situation and pretty quickly realized that it was fraudulent. (If you want to count how many times I use the word fraudulent in this post, we're now up to 2.) ;)
We told this bank that it wasn't us opening the account, and they marked it as fraud and said they'd look into it.
As we waited to hear back, we didn't really think too much about it, until another bank called. This is where the whole can o' worms was opened and got dumped on our heads. Bank #2 was going to open an account but said not all of the info was lining up, so they tracked down our phone number to call to confirm.

To sum up: someone/someones had gotten our names, birth dates, and Social Security numbers and had been opening or trying to open accounts online at various banks all across the country. They were using false addresses (except bank #1 since that letter got mailed to our home) and other false info. At some of the banks, they only created online profiles and never actually opened any accounts. A few banks, they actually got checking accounts set up.

When I asked one of the customer service reps to help fill in the blanks, she explained that these folks don't want the checks or the debit cards... what they want are the bank account numbers. They then use those numbers to hack into the system and start shuffling money around to various accounts before finally getting it into "their" account and withdrawing it. I also asked how on earth they got our info since we're pretty picky about privacy, especially our SSNs. She said a company or institution probably got hacked at some point which is how they got our SSNs. These scammers then try to piece together as much info as they can to create a profile that they then start using.

Fortunately (the silver lining and God's hand of protection), they don't have any of our passwords or personal banking info, so we haven't experienced any financial loss at this point. I think we caught it soon enough that, hopefully, our info won't be used to cause anyone else financial harm either. It's just lots and lots of hours of time and lots and lots of paperwork to sort through and resolve it.

I hope and pray none of you ever have to go through this, but I did want to write a post with all the info I have come across to prevent and respond to identity theft in case someone out there needs it and feels as overwhelmed as we did.

(This is just me, friend to friend, sharing with you. This post is for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should consult with your own lawyer if you need legal advice or services and follow up with the proper authorities if you suspect you are a victim of identity theft or fraud.)

How to avoid identity theft and fraud in the first place: 
I thought we were good about protecting our identity and never thought we'd be victims in this type of crime. We're internet savvy.... Bass is an IT guy, for Pete's sake. I have tape over my webcam and hate even taping mailing envelopes shut because I'm afraid my fingerprints will transfer. lol (Paranoid much, right??) :) Honestly though, we shred our stuff, we pay cash for most of our expenses, we don't open email links, etc. Here are other things we were doing or could have done (from this site): 
  • Don't leave mail in your mailbox overnight or on weekends
  • Deposit outgoing mail in U.S.P.S. collection boxes
  • Don't leave your purse and/or wallets in unattended vehicles
  • Shred unwanted documents that contain personal information
  • Put your trash out on the day that it is collected
  • Report lost or stolen credit cards to the issuer immediately
  • Destroy expired/old credit cards and drivers licenses
  • Memorize your Social Security number and passwords.
  • Don't list your Social Security number on your checks
  • Check your financial statements for accuracy
  • Match credit card receipts against monthly bills
  • Review your consumer credit report annually
  • ALWAYS safeguard birth certificates, credit history reports, and any statements that contain personal information
Other things you can do to protect yourself -
* Consider subscribing to an online identity protection services (like LifeLock or Experian's option)
* Install firewalls (anti-spyware) and virus-protection software on your computer
* Don't respond to unsolicited requests for personal information
* Watch your wallet and purse when in public
* Don't give out passwords or pin numbers
* Cancel and then destroy unused credit cards
* Only shop on secure websites (https://___)
* Don't use personal info on public computers
* Use complex passwords with a combination of letters (lower & upper case, numbers, and symbols)
* Preemptively put a freeze on your ChexSystems profile and/or credit reports

And the biggest one... don't use your Social Security number unless you absolutely have to (ie employment, taxes, credit). Just write "refused" on the forms. If the company/institution tries to identify you in their system using your SSN, even the last four digits, take your business elsewhere. Legally, they're not allowed to use your full SSN as account/profile identification anyway.

A few other sites I found with helpful info:
consumer.gov
identitytheftkiller.com
cbsnews.com


So if you find yourself in our boat and you think you are a victim or definitely know you are a victim of identity theft or fraud, #1 I am so sorry. :( #2 Here's what they recommend doing:
It's a toss-up as to what to do first, honestly. It kind of depends on how you first discover the issue. The first 3 things on this list could be done in any order.
 
How to recover from and resolve identity theft or fraud:
#1 and so, so important...start keeping track of everything you do. Dates of when you discover the fraud, from where, who you call, who you talk to, what steps you're taking. Get as much info from each place as you possibly can. (But be warned that banks probably will tell you zippo even though it's your info on the account. lol) A detailed, itemized, every single thing, with the date type of list. 

* Order your credit report (from Experian (currently under the reports & scores tab), TransUnion (currently under the credit report assistance tab) or Equifax (under the credit report assistance tab). You get one copy free per year from each of them. So you could stagger the orders and get a different one every four months, thereby getting three per year. But we found out that not every institution reports to all three companies so our reports were not consistent between the three reporting agencies. So you might just want to get a copy from each if you discover fraudulent activity.

* Order your consumer score report from ChexSystems (under "reports" choose "request your consumer score"). While the big three above deal with credit items (credit cards, loans, mortgages, etc), ChexSystems is a similar type reporting agency for your consumer items (checking accounts, savings accounts, deposit products). A lot of banks now use this to help prevent fraudulent accounts being opened. A lot, not 'all' as we discovered. :(

* Once you have your reports in-hand, hopefully they're in perfect shape with zero fraud! Hopefully. :) If not, your next step is to file a police report with your local police department. Carefully make note of any information that is incorrect or wasn't initiated by you. (Addresses, employment info, open accounts, closed accounts, inquiries (hard or soft).) If the fraud didn't occur in the state in which you live, the police report is more of a formality for the other reports you will need to file. Their hands are kind of tied if it's an out-of-state crime. Your local police might have a specific form for you to fill out, or you can just type up a timeline of what happened and give it them. Get the police report number, the officer's name, and a copy of the actual report (or a verification of it if they won't give you the actual report.) You'll need multiple copies.

The next big thing to do will be to place fraud alerts and security freezes on your credit and consumer profiles. Make sure you have a copy (either via postal mail or printed from online) of your credit and consumer reports before you place the alerts. (Fraud or security alerts require fraudulent activity to have occurred. A freeze does not necessarily require fraud to have happened for you to use it. Review each site's info to understand the difference. Keep in mind, too, that freezes lock your own self out too. So no applying for that Kohl's card to "save 15% today". You will have the option to unfreeze your credit or consumer profiles at any time, but there is a delay between unfreezing and using.)

* File an identity theft report with the FTC
* Place a security freeze at Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax.
* Place an initial 90-day fraud alert at Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax.
* Place a security freeze at ChexSystems.
* Place an initial 90-day fraud alert at ChexSystems.


Once you have your initial alerts and freezes placed, be sure to continue to answer phone calls from unknown numbers (it might be a bank confirming the freeze or alert with you) and open and check all of your mail. Even if it looks like junk. :)




The initial alerts and freezes should help stem the tide of fraudulent activity. But you're not done quite yet. After you get the police report and finalize your FTC report, you need to go back to the credit agencies and ChexSystems to dispute any fraudulent items. You want to dispute anything that shouldn't be there, because it can affect your credit score negatively.

* Dispute credit report items at Experian
* Dispute credit report items at TransUnion
* Dispute credit report items at Equifax
* Dispute consumer score items at ChexSystems

Resolved disputes should be acknowledged by mail. (We heard back from Experian within days.)

Then you can get an extended 7-year security alert placed on your profile.
You will need copies of all sorts of stuff (photo ID, utility bill with current address, Social Security card, FTC report, police report, notarized affidavit, etc.) Check each agencies requirements for what to include and mail in.

* Extended alert form for Experian
* Extended alert form for TransUnion
* Extended alert form for Equifax
* Extended alert form for ChexSystems

You'll also want to utilize identitytheft.gov's plan to help you draft letters and print items to send to any affected banks/institutions/agencies. Other than maybe contacting the SSA if your situation warrants it, I think that's about it. Easy peasy lemon squeezy, right?
I hope that helps someone out there....well, actually I hope this was a big waste of time because no one else ever has to deal with something like this. :D
Be safe, y'all!

Thursday, June 1, 2017

Cupcake Shaker Card


My first shaker card! I've hesitated to try one because it felt too complicated but this Jillibean Soup adhesive circle helped me dip my toes in. :)

Details:
Cardstock - The Paper Studio: White
Color - Memento: London Fog
Dies - Lawn Fawn: Baked with Love / Nestabilities: Standard Circles
Stamps - Lawn Fawn: Baked with Love / TAC: Fairy Birthday
Embellishments - Nicole: Twinkle sequins / Tree House Studio sequins / Recollections: baker's twine / Stickles: Raspberry Tart, Pink Taffeta, Icicle

Thursday, March 16, 2017

Make a Card - Up and Away Baby


In keeping with my new year, new baby theme, here's another baby card. Based on the number of baby cards I've made, I'm probably set for the next five years! Are you having a little one? Contact me...I'll send you a card. :)
This card uses the Boy Basics: Fly Away set from PTI. Love that chubby little plane! (Based on this card.)

I have a few left for sale. Check out my "store" here. :)


Details:
Cardstock - Paper Studio: White
Patterned Paper - DCWV: Little Mister stack

Color - Palette: Prussian Blue
Dies - Lawn Fawn: Simple Puffy Cloud / PTI: Blue Skies Rays / PTI: Fly Away / Nestabilities: Standard Circles
Stamps - PTI: Fly Away / TAC: Special Delivery

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Cocoa and Tea Station

It's getting a little late in the year to share this project I put together but we live in the mid-Atlantic area. Our groundhog doesn't always get it right. :)
Since, despite some warmer temps for a couple weeks, we're still living in chilly weather, we're still enjoying the cocoa and tea station I put together.

After trying every possible home decor and website, I finally found a tiered tray that was close to what I envisioned. This one from Wayfair.com was also in my budget. We had the white mugs on-hand as well as the Mason jar. I found the canisters for the cocoa mix and marshmallows at Home Goods and the cute bowls holding the hot chocolate packets and tea bags at TJ Maxx.
I moved the baking spice spinner rack temporarily and set our little station up on the baking table. Just steps away from the kettle and microwave. :)
Anyone care for a cuppa?


Linking up to some or all of these great blog parties:
Sunday: It's Overflowing
Monday: Inspire Me Monday at Sand and Sisal; Tutorials and Tips at Home Stories A to Z; Monthly Before and After at Thrifty Decor Chick; The Scoop at Worthing Court
Wednesday: Wicked Awesome Wednesday at Handy Man, Crafty Woman;
Friday: Frugal Friday at The Shabby Nest; Flaunt it Friday at Chic on a Shoestring;

Come follow me on Instagram for more house renos and decorating projects!

Monday, March 13, 2017

Make a Card Monday - Mama and Her Roo


Since I seem to be focused on sharing my baby cards, here's the next in the series. Another cute critter from Lawn Fawn. It's based on this simple but cute card.

 

As you can see not all of my kangaroo coloring attempts turned out well. This one isn't too bad though I think.

I have a few left for sale. Check out my "store" here. :)


Details:
Cardstock - The Paper Studio: White
Patterned Paper - American Crafts: Welcome Spring 6x6 / Echo Park Paper Co: Creative Agenda -- Circles
Color - Memento: Tuxedo Black  / Copic: E42, YG11, YG13, YG17 / Spectrum Noir: BG6, EB2, GB8, GB10
Stamps - Lawn Fawn: Critters Down Under / Lawn Fawn: Bannerific
Dies - Lawn Fawn: Critters Down Under / Lawn Fawn: Bannerific / Nestabilities: Standard Circles Large

Thursday, March 9, 2017

Make a Card - Whale Love

One of my goals is to get ink on all my stamp sets that have never seen the light of day. This sea life set from TAC is one of them. The card I was inspired by used a baby sentiment but I went with a birthday greeting.

I have a few left for sale. Check out my "store" here. :)


Details:
Cardstock - PTI: Aqua Mist / The Paper Studio: White / Recollections: yellow
Patterned Paper - American Crafts: Dear Lizzy Neopolitan 6x6 / Echo Park: Homegrown
Color - Memento: Danube Blue / Palette: Paris Lights
Stamps - Lawn Fawn: Hedgehugs / Lawn Fawn: Happy Trails / TAC: Tag Tidbits / TAC: Fishy Friends
Tools - EK Success border punch
Embellishments - Doodlebug button / Darice: Cappuccino Baker's twine

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Cozy Winter Pillow Covers

This year, I decided to update our living room pillows. First up, the winter look. Joanna's had two blue prints that I used for the bigger pillows. I made them using this easy envelope pillow cover tutorial.
 
I added two more throw pillows for winter...using cozy white faux fur. It looks light and bright during the day, but when we turn on the mantel twinkle lights at night, it's super cozy.
Another little update, some winter scented potpourri and mercury glass votive holders for the coffee table.
Love this look! But not gonna lie, I won't miss it when spring arrives. :)

Linking up to some or all of these great blog parties:
Sunday: It's Overflowing
Monday: Inspire Me Monday at Sand and Sisal; Tutorials and Tips at Home Stories A to Z; Monthly Before and After at Thrifty Decor Chick; The Scoop at Worthing Court
Wednesday: Wicked Awesome Wednesday at Handy Man, Crafty Woman; Whatever Goes Wednesday at Someday Crafts; 
Friday: Frugal Friday at The Shabby Nest; Flaunt it Friday at Chic on a Shoestring; Friday Finds at Craftaholics Anonymous

Monday, March 6, 2017

Make a Card Monday - Cuddly Koala Baby

The cards have been made, but the blogging just never seems to happen. So you might just get flooded with a bunch of card and craft posts for a few weeks and then nothing for months. "The way things are is the way things are." - cow from Babe

Up first is another baby card using a Lawn Fawn stamp. It's based on this cute card.

I have a few left for sale. Check out my "store" here. :)


Details:
Cardstock - The Paper Studio: White
Patterned Paper - American Crafts: Welcome Spring 6x6
Color - Memento: Tuxedo Black / Palette: Noir / PTI: Aqua Mist / Copic: 0, B0000, E01, E42, E95, R0000, RV10, RV32, RV52, YG11, YG13, YG17, G85 / Spectrum Noir: BG1, BG2, BG4, BG6, BG8, GB5, GB8, GB10, TB1, TB2, TB3, CT3
Stamps - Lawn Fawn: Critters Down Under / Lawn Fawn: Bannerific
Dies - Lawn Fawn: Bannerific / Penny Black: Polaroid
Embellishments - My Mind's Eye: The Sweetest Thing enamel dots / Recollections Baker's twine

Sunday, March 5, 2017

School Summary - 7th and 9th grades - weeks 15-24

I respectfully ask that you not pin pictures of my children to Pinterest. Thank you!

You can see what we're using here: 9th-grade curricula and here: 7th-grade curricula.
Like I said in my previous post, this is a really boring school year as far as blogging goes. I'm blaming that for the reason why I haven't blogged school since the end of November and the reason why I'm going to dump an entire quarter into this single post. :)

Weeks 11-14
In Tenor's homeschool this quarter…
He finished "learning" Greek letters in his AHL work. He's worked through Psalms and Proverbs and is now tackling Isaiah in Old Testament. He just finished Rick Warren's "What on Earth Am I Here For?" There are opposing viewpoints about using this book in AHL, but I like it. I think it's a good foundational-type book. We'll be using John Piper's "Don't Waste Your Life" and "Do Hard Things" by Alex and Brett Harris this summer to build on what he was working through. His literature study is focused on the Iliad at this point. While I've heard that some students really struggle with the book, Tenor seems to be comprehending what he's reading.
Map work
Proverbs project

My favorite thing this quarter…
His literature study is focused on the Iliad at this point. While I've heard that some students really struggle with the book, Tenor seems to be comprehending what he's reading.
Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…
Again, just emphasizing that the weekly conference is really important. (Yup, just leaving that line here for the rest of the year as a reminder to myself!) At this point, Tenor's in a good routine about getting things done. He hasn't had any big writing assignments in the past few weeks so that helps to ease the schedule.
Art drawing
What’s working/not working for us…
He's not a big fan of writing summaries about composers and artists/art periods for Harmony Fine Arts. I tried to find some online resources about writing a music critique but there's not really a lot out there. I did put some thoughts together but the first time he used it, he still only gave me one paragraph. We're going to keep refining the process. :)

Picture proof that they do get along on occasion ;)
In Soprano's homeschool this quarter...
She finished her literature program...Beautiful Feet Books History of the Horse. Soprano worked hard at the end to read the last book which was only scheduled as a 'finish as you have time'. She completed it and the extra activities quickly to finish up the whole curriculum. After the literature was done, we moved to her semester of science, Winter Promise Equine Science.
BFB mapping

BFB art -- attempt #1
BFB art -- attempt #2 (with less enthusiasm)
My favorite thing this quarter…
Some of the activities in Equine Science have been fun to see. She had to re-enact Hun stealth tactics using her model horses and "Be Genghis Khan" for another. Her silly personality definitely came out! 
Harmony Fine Arts
Harmony Fine Arts
English oral report on hedgehog anatomy
Notgrass Uncle Sam & You -- around our state (Soprano says I did that college that has the cat logo. Ah... Penn State...Nittany Lion :D )
What’s working/not working for us… I thought we had conquered her 8 hour school day issues. For about three weeks, things were going really well. She was getting done by 2pm each day. Then all of a sudden it was back to horrendously long days where she'd get stuck on a math lesson for 6 hours. We're hoping an earlier bedtime (as early as we can with outside activities) will help.
We also ended up ditching her French curriculum. There were just too many gaps from the lesson to the lesson work. We were both lost. I'm looking into a couple other options. Either we'll start this year with a different program that will have quite a bit of review, or we'll try again next year with something else and start working on an early high school credit.

9pm Seriously...doing schoolwork at 9pm!
Places we’re going and people we’re seeing...
We went to a local theater company's Christmas program, saw Rogue One in the theater, and did a couple craft shows. Tenor got his braces off and tested to earn his red stripe belt in Taekwondo!
 
Soprano joined a local youth choir and enjoyed a youth group Galentine's Day party. There was other holiday busyness with family, church, and work. Including getting our newest family member: Peanut.
Most of my hours were spent preparing for those craft shows. (Blog posts to follow about all that.) :)
Things to come:
Soprano's choir concert season begins in a couple weeks
We need to pick and plan some of next year's curricula.
We're ready to plan our big field trip for the year...the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter!
Soprano has a big birthday coming up and we're thinking a French Patisserie themed party.
Tenor is looking into getting a summer job.
Oh yeah, and we should probably finish the school year. :)

What's on your list? 
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