You Ink It

{Connor Name Frame}

2009-12-08T09:00:00.001-05:00

Is this not just the cutest thing ever? It came out so much better than it was in my head - I just love it when it works out that way!

I love to make these for kids - I know it will hang proudly in their rooms and for the younger ones, can help teach them to spell, recognize and know their name. I made this for the same friend for whom I made the leaves giftset. He and his wife adopted a little boy and the nursery was a jungle theme. I just whipped out my trusty Big Shot (though mine is the older, not-as-cute version of the one linked) and Cuttlebug "Zoo Animals" dies and had a beautiful, custom name frame in no time! My friend and his wife were thrilled with it and I hope that Connor is too!

Enjoy!

{ Pink & Brown Covered Notebooks}

2009-11-24T11:30:00.002-05:00

Maybe I'm a bit biased, but aren't these just the cutest things? As I was saying before, I just love to make gifts and gift sets. These are simply covered plain 'ol composition notebooks with matching pens! They don't take long to whip up and are so adorable!

These notebooks were made for a lovely young college student who I'm hoping is using these to take plenty of notes! Sorry for the blurry pictures, I had to snap them real quick before I tied them up with a beautiful bow and had to run out to gift them!

Enjoy!

{I Heart Gift Sets}

2009-11-17T09:00:00.002-05:00

One thing that I love to make is gift sets. I think it shows that you were really thinking of that person on their birthday (or whatever holiday it happens to be) with everything coordinated and monogrammed. And, they're pretty quick and easy!

This gift set includes a planner, a notebook and 10 cards. I just love how simple all the designs are and yet the fact that everything is so coordinated and matchy-matchy as well as the very nice Papertrey card box makes it look so high-end and as though it took lots of time! Let's not share that all 10 cards were made from random DSPs from my stash nor the fact that Papertreys Monogram set and letters make monogramming everything super quick and fun! ;)

{Simple Sailing}

2009-11-10T09:00:00.002-05:00

Masculine cards are always a bit of a challenge for me and I suspect most stampers!
Generally, my rule of thumb for masculine cards is to keep it simple. For embellishments, I only use metal hardware or plain twill tape. Following those rules, this card came together pretty quickly. It was so hard to resist the temptation to add anything more to it! LOL Overall, I was really pleased with it. Maybe I should mass produce some extras leaving the sentiment blank to be added in as I need it. That way, I'll have some masculine cards on hand any time I need them! :)

{ Leaves Galore }

2009-11-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

I made this gift set a while ago for a dear friend of mine from college. As you can tell, he loves leaves, and his last name begins with an "L". I kept everything pretty minimal since, well, he's a guy, LOL. I'm sure he wouldn't be in to fancy border punches, prismas and such. The book on the left is a planner, the one in the middle is a covered composition book, on the right is a spiral-bound blank notebook, in front of that is a matching pen and to the right of that is a decorated short Crystal Light container filled with covered nuggets, which are pictured in the center. He's a teacher by trade so I thought a planner and two notebooks could be put to use somehow! He really loved everything in the set and how coordinated and personalized everything was. That's the thing I love most about stamping - how we can take plain, ordinary things (like your average composition book or even trash - an empty Crystal Light container) and turn them into something treasured and awesome!

{Maddy Bear}

2009-10-27T11:00:00.000-04:00

One thing my Sister often has me make for her is invitations. We go back and forth bouncing ideas and after making lots of samples, sending lots of emailed pictures, chatting on the phone and adjusting colors, we come up with something she loves. My sweet niece, Madison is turning 3 next month - 3! Wow how time flies. Anyway, my Sister decided to throw Madison a Build-A-Bear (B-A-B) birthday party and I thought, "Yes!" Stampin' Up just came out with a whole B-A-B line and I, having a thing for bears, had to buy nearly the entire collection! So, my sister and I looked online for inspiration and found this card by "the_tamster" on Splitcoast Stampers and my Sister instantly fell in love with the houndstooth outfit. I took that idea and came up with this:

However, as usually is the case, my Sister wanted to see it in green. Aside from being her favorite color, the party was going to be coed, so since the bear was already super girly, my Sister thought a more neutral colored background might make it a bit more gender neutral. She also prefered the ribbon belt that "the_tamster" used. So, I accomodated and came up with this:

Bingo! Except she wanted the polka dot background back. Easy peasy. So I whipped up 15 of these babies (which is no small feat considering all those tiny die cut pieces) and delivered them to her over the weekend (I usually mail them out for her as well but not this time). She was thrilled with them. They were perfect and adorable and just as she imagined. Madison thought they were pretty cute too. I told her this bear was called "Maddy Bear" and it was her! She thought that was pretty cool. I think I'll have to make her some B-A-B paper dolls!

Even though cutting out ALL those tiny pieces was a bit of a pain, I must admit that I was happy with the way these little bears turned out. I will definitely have to do some more projects with these little cuties!

{Where's Clara?}

2009-10-25T09:00:00.003-04:00

Yes, it's been a year but ya know what? I'm baaaaacck!

If anyone is still following this blog you may be wondering where the heck I went. Well, things just got too busy and hectic and although I was still stamping, my internet time was spent elsewhere. Doing what? Well, without going into too much detail, in February of 2008, I was diagnosed with food intolerances and everything about the way I cooked, the way I ate and even my perception of food had to change. My focus switched from stamping to learning everything I could about my offending foods, what they did to my body and how to cook without them. I even started a blog about that journey, Six Food Intolerance Living. Then, after a while, I started writing for an online news source, Examiner.com. I am the Silver Spring Gluten-Free Food Examiner and the National Soy-Free Food Examiner. So, as you can see, between writing for those 3 sources and all my research, learning to cook from scratch, and then actually cooking, I have been quite busy. I still stamped, but I will admit it was in limited quantities, of course my time browsing Splitcoast and my spending didn't change all that much! LOL Well, I am now making a conscience decision to change that! I hope that by reactivating this blog, I will stamp and post more often!

So, with that, I will share one of the favorite cards I've made lately.

This is totally me in the morning, I am a Grumpabella. Except I'm not a coffee drinker. But seriously, don't talk to me, don't even look at me, until I'm fully awake. guess that will have to change once I have kids! LOL Unless, hopefully, he/she is like me and doesn't like to talk in the morning either! With my luck though, I'll have a "morning person" kid who just wants to sing and play in the morning.

So, with that, I am officially back! If you're still checking this blog, hoping for an update, thank you for hanging on! I have lots to share with you!

{Stamping is a Disease!}

2008-05-08T13:43:00.007-04:00

This stamping habit is a DISEASE, I tell ya! A DISEASE! "How," "Why," you ask? Well, let me give you a perfect example of what us stampers go through ...

So, I've been keeping you all posted on the details of my room, right? Well, did I happen to mention that it went over budget? Yes, it did! I mean, I still have some old furniture from the "old" room that I am trying to sell on Craigs List that will help defray the cost a bit. AND, I did get 99% of the items in that room either 1) On Craigs List, 2) At discount stores, 3) At a thrift store, or 4) On a VERY good sale. So, I know that although I went over budget, I was still being very budget conscious. But, NO a new room is not enough! Now that it is all organized, I have to buy things to fill the room. lol ... No, I'm serious! Not just organizational stuff, but embellishments, paper, stamps, etc. There is a place for this stuff now, so I need to put things (even if they're new!) in their place! For example, I have a gorgeous and HUGE glass apothecary jar for my buttons. Well, it is only like 1/4 full. So, I tell myself that now I can justify my strong desire for my buttons because I actually have a place to put them now, right? Well, I have really tried restraining myself for a while now. But then, I heard that Oriental Trading is having a promotion for free shipping if you spend $60 (by the way, the code for it is RLS105 :D). WHY did I go look? hhhhmmmmm? What is wrong with me? I KNOW my room is over budget, I KNOW we owed good 'ol Uncle Sam WAY more than we had intended this year, I KNOW that the SU! retirement list is coming out July 1st and I should probably save for that, I KNOW that I just placed a yummy order with Purple Onion Designs, the new purse on it's way to me, I just bought some more ATG gun tape AND am waiting on a catalog trade. I KNOW all these things and yet ... I go look ... I tell myself that I just to see if the stuff I had been eying for a while is still there ... this stuff:

Vintage Buttons
Craft Buttons
Winter Buttons
Pastel Buttons
Bright Buttons
Plus/Minus Brads

(yes, that is nearly 3,000 buttons for those of you paying attention!) And, of course, it all is. So I throw it all in the cart. Oh darn, it doesn't add up to $60. Okay, I tell myself "no" and close the screen. I come back later, and nice people who built the Oriental Trading knew that it was a good idea if they saved my shopping cart for me (what a good sales ploy!). I start looking around some more, ya know, to see what other "good" stuff they have. Of course, I find plenty and my cart quickly adds up to a nice $61.50. Free shipping, here I come! I pull out the credit card and review my order. But then, sanity takes over and I tell myself "no" again and close the website ... again ... and close my wallet. Then, I start to justify the purchases to myself. I just had someone purchase some altered notebooks. I've sent the product, just waiting on the check ... that would cover most of this purchase ... the button jar really does need to be filled, and these buttons are SUCH a good deal ... the brads that look like the tops of screws are PERFECT for my "Power Up" stamp set, and Father's Day is just around the corner ... and I go on and one with some very good arguments. "Okay" I thought, bringing back up the website, throwing open my wallet, whipping out the credit card with a "tah-da!" and review my shopping cart once more ('ol reliable Oriental Trading STILL saved my shopping cart) and quickly place the order before I talk myself out of it again. I'm happy, I smile, and I do a little happy dance inside.

But then ... I remember the over-budget craft room and the yucky taxes that we had to pay, the fact that my rent goes up next month and that the car insurance bill that is due then, too ... and I feel yucky, bad and guilty.

Tomorrow, I'll probably be busy again and not think about any of it until I get my yummy package in the mail (approximately on the 20th), then I'm sure I'll start the "happy then guilty then happy then guilty" cycle all over again.

So, did that answer your question? Now you know why this craft is a disease!

Okay, please, tell me there is someone else out there who feels me on this ... anyone?

{Daily Window}

2008-05-02T09:16:00.005-04:00

Do you like it? This is my new bag from Daily Window! This style is called the "Eight Days Tote." Isn't it stylish and classy? I really like it! Wanna know the best part? They gave it to me for free! All I had to do was pay shipping! Yes, it was REALLY free! In this day in age when "free" never really means free, it was such a nice surprise when I received it when it was as great as it seemed and really nice! So nice, in fact, that I went back and ordered 2 more! I ordered this one for both myself and for my Mother-in-Law for Mothers Day:

This one is a bit smaller than the one above, and has a zipper closure (the Eight Days has just a single magnet)! This one is called the "Urban Sport Tote." I plan on putting a card in the front to hopefully boost my card-making "business" (I say business lightly because I have only had 2 orders so far, and they were friends/family!). My Mother-in-Law runs a bridal alteration business so she will put a picture of a bride on the front. I heard some SU! demos say that a Mini Catalog will fit in the window of the Eight Days Tote - so really, this bag is perfect for *any* business. Actually, really, anyone! I can totally see a doting mother or grandmother carrying pictures of her kids or grandkids! My mother, I know would put a picture of her little dog, Pepper, if she had one. Yes, she has a beautiful granddaughter and another one on the way, but her heart belongs to her dog. lol ... Anyway, I just wanted to share my wonderful new find! If you have a chance, you should totally check out their website (linked above). Their products really are great and their customer service is wonderful!

Enjoy!

{Furniture Update}

2008-04-28T10:22:00.013-04:00

Well, it has been a struggle, but I finally have more than just a desk in my room! The Ikea Expedit shelf that I mentioned below just would not work in my room. It was way too modern/contemporary for all my shabby and vintage pieces that I have. I ended up selling it back on Craigs List for $80, yes, that is a profit of $70 for those of you following! My Hubby said that instead of flipping houses, I was flipping shelves! hahaha

I found a decent hutch on Craigs List for $40, but it needed a good coat of paint. So, Hubby and I spent an entire Saturday sanding, painting, drying and more painting! It was a lot of work, but it was worth it. Oh, I decided to paint it purple - yes, PURPLE! It has a new lease on life now, and is so beautiful. My Hubby is so sweet to help me with it. Like I said, he sanded and painted right along side me, and also did some structural repairs to make it nice and sturdy for me. It was in good condition, but it was a tad bit wobbly. Since I am going to put my Big Shot on it, I needed it to withstand all the embossing and die cutting that I will be doing! I forgot to take pictures of it, so I'll have to show them to you later. I even have a before shot, so I can show you a comparison! :D

After putting the hutch in on the wall behind my desk, there was about 30 inches left, so I searched around, searched some more, and more, and then finally found a table that would fit there! I got this one from Target:
This is called the Country Drop Leaf Table. They claim it is distressed white, but in my opinion, it is not. There weren't any distress marks on mine at all. It is bright lacquered white to me (and easily scratched at that), but I'm over it! I was more concerned with the dimensions. It is exactly 30 inches wide on the sides that do not have the leaves. I can't tell you how hard it was to find a table with that dimension. The smallest I could find for a long time was 32 inches, which just would not work in my space. So, I was ecstatic when I found this table. The down side is that 1 of the leaves and the drawers are rendered unusable as the desk is wedged between the wall and my tall hutch. But, the plus side is that I get a 25 inch deep table that expands another 10 inches when I put up the leaf. Another bonus - when we eventually move, if I get a bigger room (here's hoping), this piece is expandable so I could potentially pop up both the leaves. The best part is that I was able to score this baby at 15% AND free shipping! Woo hoo! The original price was a bit more than I wanted to pay, but the discounts made it more bearable for me!

I also FINALLY found some black plastic Cropper Hopper Vertical Paper Storage holders, like this one:
Apparently, Cropper Hopper had discontinued the black ones (I guess making room for the new sturdier ones that they have, but at $13 each, I wanted the cheaper plastic ones) and all I could find were the frosted white ones. But, knowing that I was going to purchase white shelves, I really wanted the black paper holders. I don't really know why I had to insist on the black ones, but I did - I had to have black! Anyway, after days of searching (literally), I found some at Two Peas AND they had them on clearance! Double score! I scooped up 10 of them right away! I plan on using them for my Papertrey and patterned paper.

Finally, my latest purchase was the shelves that I had mentioned before (see here), the Madison Ladder Shelves from Target. I waited for a MONTH for these babies to get free shipping, but it hasn't happened. So, I took the 15% discount and ran with it! ;) I just ordered them today, actually - watch them have free shipping next week! hahaha I was going to try to hold out a bit more, but with all the other furniture in place, I am just ready to get my room back! I need those shelves to put my patterned paper, TV, embellishments, etc. It has been out of commission for a month! Shocking, right?! I've been going a bit nuts-o without my crafting space and I have a TON of projects that I need to work on. I think Hubby sensed this and persuaded me to stop waiting for free shipping and to just get the shelves already! I'm not sure if it was for my benefit or his, but either way, I'm just relieved to have some shelves on their way to me!

Anyway, the last piece I am holding out for is the chair. I still want the one that is also in the Madison Office collection. I think it is a bit much already, so I really need it to be both discounted and with free shipping. I have a chair that works for now, anyway. It's not cute like the rest of my room, but it'll have to do for now!

I hope to update with more pictures soon! I am crossing my fingers that my shelves will be here sooner than the May 1st-6th delivery estimate that Target is giving me!

{Houston, We Have Furniture!}

2008-04-07T11:51:00.005-04:00

Yup, there is furniture in my new room now! We did go pick up my beautiful Madison Trestle desk in Antique Black last Friday! The desk itself was in good condition, but there were a few missing hardware pieces. Luckily, I have a handy husband who, after 2 trips to Home Depot, and about 4 hours of work, had the whole thing assembled beautifully! I'm such a lucky girl! :D I have been surfing Craigs List and other websites for a nice hutch/buffet piece to go behind me to be my work station and storage area. I really want a nice, sturdy, antique style piece, but those area just all out of my price range at the moment. But, at the same time, I didn't want to spend good money on a temporary piece. Well, not a lot of money anyway ;). Well, while searching Craigs List yesterday, I can across a post for a white Expedit bookcase from Ikea for ... are you ready for this? $10!!!! Yes, you read that right - just $10!!! SCORE!! I yelled out to my Hubby who immediately said, "Let's go get it!" Luckily, we have a pickup truck and are mostly able bodied. We had to enlist the help of a friendly stranger to help us lift it into the bed of the truck. It was a bit sturdier and heavier than we thought an Ikea piece would be! Anyway, I did want a white piece, though this is way too modern and contemporary for the look that I was going for. But, hey, for $10, it'll be the perfect thing to hold me over until I can find that perfect antique piece that is in my price range!
So, once I get some nice baskets or something to put in there, I know that this piece will give me plenty of storage, though I am still without a work station. But, I have an idea for that, too! There is a nice window in my room that I don't want to cover. I as much natural light as I can get! But, I'm wondering if I can get some sort of bench or low bookcase to put under it. Then, I can use that surface as a work station. It's an idea, anyway! I'll have to see how it will actually work out. Many of the pieces that I am seeing are more expensive than I think a small piece should be!

In the meantime, I am tried to organize all my stuff and trying to sell my old furniture on Craigs List - it's the circle of life!

Anyway, hopefully it'll all get figured out soon so I can get back to some stamping! :D

{ Room Updates }

2008-04-02T16:46:00.003-04:00

I thought I would update you a bit on my craft room re-do. I have found TONS of great decorating pieces at a local thrift store, Home Goods, Michaels and TJ Maxx. I think that I just may be set in that department ... well, for now! I found 2 great decorative vintage trunks at Michaels - 40% off, too! One is perfect for holding all my Big Shot accessories (dies, Nestabilities, embossing folders, etc) . I also found an apothecary style drawer cabinet at Home Goods. It is a perfect distressed green that I know will be a focus in my room. Home Goods also had a beautifully antique looking globe that even my Hubby loved! AND - an olive colander! Yes! I can wait to fill it with stamps or acrylic blocks or some other really fun thing like I have seen so many other people do (see links near the bottom of my sidebar) and they had this awesome glass and metal star candle holder thing. It looks just like this one, except the glass in mine is Plum and the metal part is a sort of rusty brown. SO perfect! The thrift store I went to had some awesome olive green vases that I just snatched up immediately - they are the *perfect* color for my room. I also found 2 different open boxes that had white pickets round them - just too cute! TJ Maxx had a sort-of rusted iron looking CD/DVD rack that is so perfect for a small space between my entrance door and closet door. I LOVE it when things just "fit" - like they were meant to be!

Another great find: I found a Target Madison Trestle Desk on CRAIGS LIST!!!! Woo hoo! I have an appointment to pick it up Friday night! It sure is a good thing my Hubby has a pickup truck! Actually, I'm the one that drives it most, but he bought prior to knowing me, so I still call it his. Anyway, it is Antique Black, not the Antique White I had originally envisioned, but I tell ya, I think I'm more excited about the black! I think if I had gone with the all white furniture, everything may have been too matchy-matchy (thats the technical term, I'm sure *wink*). Now I'm thinking black desk, white ladder shelves, white chair and then some other piece (the armoire or buffet hutch or whatever) in maybe another color? Dare I hope for olive? I did find a potential piece on Craigs List, but I don't want to discuss it in detail here and jinx it. Anyway, I'll try to update with pictures soon!

I'm way excited!

{Room Ideas}

2008-03-28T09:14:00.018-04:00

I have been dying for a new, put-together crafting room for a while now. Actually, for a whole put-together house! *wink* We keep putting everything off while we rent until we move into our own house so we could be sure everything fits for that space, and so all the nice furniture doesn't get dented, dinged and scratched while we move from place to place. I guess that's the smart thing to do, right? Well, I have become pretty disfunctional in my crafting room. I mean, there is plenty of surface space and it works okay, but there is just no storage! Everything is all over my desk! I have a large "L" shaped desk and still end up working on like a 6"x6" square of it because it gets so covered with stuff that I can't work! Not to mention that I am dying to give it some character but have been trying to make it work with things that we already have. Urg!

Well, I've decided - no more! Much to the chagrin of my husband, I'm sure! I have decided to try to sell as much stuff as I can from my room - furniture, unwanted stamps, unneeded accessories, etc, and am going to put that money to good use in my new room! Yes! I am so excited! When I shared this idea with the Hubby, he supported me, but I think he's a bit anxious and nervous about it all. I think he's afraid there is going to be furniture and stamping stuff all over the house until this all gets straightened out. I'm hoping not, though - hoping being the key word here - no promises! *wink*

Anyway, I have been searching everywhere for pictures of crafting studios. After much webpage and soul searching, I have finally decided what decor I want in my room. I'm not sure if it actually has a name though. It is sort of vintage, shabby chic, old world - ya know, old! hahaha Anyway, with furniture that is mostly clean lines. I don't like furniture that is too ornate. Besides, I want to have lots of fun knick-knacks and trinkets and such, so I don't want the furniture to take away from all the fun stuff! I really want to fill the room with pieces and items that I LOVE so it'll be a really inspirational place for me. The color scheme, in Stampin' Up colors, will be Old Olive, Perfect Plum, Chocolate Chip and Whisper White. I'm debating if I want to add in some So Saffron. When we eventually move into our real house and can paint the walls, I want them to be Perfect Plum, so the accents in the room will mostly be Old Olive. I've already found some fabulous Old Olive glass urn/vase things that are just the right shade! I also purchased some vintage style trunks from Michaels. They were on sale for 40% off - Score! I think I'm going to keep my Big Shot accessories in one, though I haven't figured out what to do with the other one just yet.

I also think I have narrowed down a few furniture pieces that I want to buy.

First up:

The Madison Office Collection from Target

I have seen many stampers and scrappers with these in their room. They all love that desk! This baby is 29Hx64Wx30D" - talk about depth! I have it pictured here with the matching organizer thing for the desktop. I would love to have that, but so far, I can't find it on Target's website. Maybe it is discontinued? Oh, that would be terrible! I hope they're just out of stock or something. When I actually get around to buying, I'll have to give them a call! Anyway, the chair is a bit pricey, but I'm not sure that I'll find something else that looks as good with this collection. I guess we'll have to see.

I also think I'll need 2 other pieces. Something for my laptop and printer and then another workstation that can hold my Xyron, Big Shot, and maybe even a small station for unmounting my stamps.

My first idea for a space for my computer was an armoire.

I fell in love with this one in one room that I saw (labeled "Peach and Olive" over on the side bar). I think that it may be my one exception to all white furniture because it is just so darn cute! Besides, it may just be the right shade of green. I also like that the keyboard drawer is sort of hidden (since I have a laptop, I don't need a keyboard drawer). I also adore the shutter design on the front and the distressed feel to it. I think it'll add a vintagy touch. But, at nearly $2,000, it too is also out of my price range.

This one is closer to the budget. It has the shutter detail that I liked and it is already white, but it isn't as tall as the lovely green one above.

This one also has the nice shutter details on the front, but is a lot smaller than the previous two, which I guess could be good that it is narrower?

But, seeing as how a laptop doesn't require that much space, and my printer is pretty compact, I tried thinking of other options. I thought of one of those old fashioned secretary desks with a hutch! I found some pieces on an Amish furniture website that are basically the shape that I want, though they are WAY too expensive to consider for my room. Also, they are pictured here in stained wood, but I would want them white to match the above Target furniture. I want all the furniture pieces to be white to "pop" off the eventual Perfect Plum walls that I will have.

This secretary looks like it would have lots of storage space! I bet I could put my laptop and printer on the inside and have plenty of drawers for other goodies!

But, this one may be able to fit in more places since it is narrower. Maybe I could even put some stamp sets in the top glass section?

I looked at a few other sites for secretary desks with hutches, but I haven't found an affordable one yet. I like the secretary desks better than the armoires, but I think the armoires are going to be the more affordable option.

Anyway, the other piece I was looking at would be my sort of "tool" or work station. I need to to have a flat surface for my Xyron and Big Shot and some more cupboards to hide my other stuff.
This buffet table would have plenty of space for all my gadgets! I think the work surface would fit everything comfortably, though probably not room for an unmounting station. And, it looks like it would look nice next to the secretary desk above!

This piece is also roomy, comes already white and definitely looks like it would go well with the Target furniture! I had originally wanted the top hutch to have doors, but I can totally see all my stamps stacked side-by-side on these shelves! Ikea, of course, has a decent price on this, but I am having a hard time imagining putting it all together!

A piece that I would LOVE to have, though don't know if I can find or afford is some sort of apothecary cabinet or library card cabinet.

This one is an apothecary drawer look-a-like that is actually made to store DVDs or CDS, which would actually be kinda cool. But, the really ones have tiny drawers that I have seen people fill with embellishments by color, stored alphabet embellishments, etc. A piece like this would definitely add the vintage feel but also has nice, clean lines!

Anyway, these are the ideas that I have floating around in my head right now. It's going to take a lot more searching and the selling of some other stuff before I get to go any further! If you have an comments or opinions, I'd love to hear them! :D

{ Oh, Baroque Motifs, How do I love thee ... }

2008-03-13T15:50:00.004-04:00

Stamp Set: Baroque Motifs Paper: Groovy Guava,Whisper White & Brocade DSP (retired) Ink: Groovy Guava and River Rock Accessories: Groovy Guava Double Stitched Grosgrain and Crystal Stickles

... Let me count the ways! Have you caught on to my undying loving for Baroque Motifs yet? I don't know what it is about this set - it is just so darn elegant, sophisticated and versatile (much like my beloved, yet retired, Gorgeous Grapes)! I'm also super happy with how this photo came out. It was taken on the windowsill of my craft room. The only thing that didn't come out just right was my crystal stickles. They are all over the white "starburst" center of the guava scalloped flower thingy. Geez, I hope you followed me on that one! *wink* When you make the picture bigger (simply by clicking on it), you can sort of see them ... if you know they're there! hahaha

I know you've seen this layout on my blog before - I really like it! I love any layout that allows (*ahem* forces) me to use a variety of different patterned (or stamped) papers because I never do! I'm such a plain, simple stamper and I just don't naturally get too crazy or fun with my cards, so any layout that forces me out of my comfort zone and makes me layer, layer, layer, is always fun for me! :D Are there any layouts that aren't your typical style that you really love?

Enjoy!

{ Alligator Love }

2008-03-02T19:59:00.006-05:00

Stamp Sets: Wild About You and Warmest Regards (retired) Paper: Chocolate Chip and Non-SU! Ink: Green Galore, Tempting Turquoise & Whisper White Accessories: Wiggly Eyes & Dew Drop Look-A-Likes (from the floral department of Michaels)

A stamping friend whom I met through SCS asked me to join a monthly swap with her. The participants switch purchasing 4 sheets of paper and an embellishment (not shown on this card) to be used to make cards for everyone. January's set included this *fabulous* green alligator paper. I decided to make the card on the left for my swap, but with a bit of this wonderful stuff left, I made a couple of the cards on the right. I just love this stuff - I might have to go find some more for my stash - just don't tell hubby! ;)

Enjoy!

{ Pink Bib }

2008-02-20T12:58:00.004-05:00

Stamp Set: Wonderful Words (retired) Paper: Georgia Pacific 110lb Cardstock, Unknown Patterned Paper (sorry, it was buried pretty deep in my stash) Ink: Chocolate Chip Accessories: Pink Bib Stickers from Paper Bliss and SU! Flirty Ribbon (retired)

For Christmas, my sister asked for a mixture of cards. She especially asked for some baby-themed thank you cards that she could use to send to people from her daughter (and my beautiful niece!), Madison. She said Madison regularly receives gifts from her friends and family, so my sister wanted to be able to thank them with some beautiful cards!

I bought these bib stickers as soon as I heard that my sister was pregnant with a girl. I thought that they were just so darn cute! I had intended on using them in her scrapbook (which I will debut later), but then decided to use the Baby Girl SS Kit from the 2006-2007 catty, which used Groovy Guava instead of pink. Anyway, I thought that they would be cute on a card, and here's what I came up with! I sure wish I could remember where I got this paper from because I think it is just so stinking adorable (and just perfect for a little girl, too!). I used SU! retired Flirty ribbon, which I have been totally hoarding, but figured my beloved niece was the perfect reason to break into some! ;)

Enjoy!

{ Mason Jar Goodies }

2008-02-19T12:19:00.003-05:00

Stamp Sets: Papertrey's Holiday Treats, SU! Peaceful Wishes Paper: Artichoke, Real Red, Whisper White Ink: Artichoke, Real Red Accessories: Rectangle Nestabilities, Clear Rhinestone Bling, Non-SU! Ribbon, Red Stickles

Here was another of my large endevors this past Christmas - I made 15 (I think?) nugget jars and decorated 8 (?) candles. It wasn't difficult at all, and dare I say fun! Anyway, so remember how I showed you all my nugget tin alternative of using mason jars to put the yummy chocolate nuggets into? Well, this is what started it all. See the mason jar on the right? Well, these are my husbands and my FAVORITE candles EVER. They are from Our Own Candle Company. They boast having the best color, scent and burn - and Hubby and I think they're right! These mason jar candles last *forever* (or, approximately 100 hours! ;) ) and they smell *fantastic*! The one featured here is French Vanilla - yum! But, my personal favorites are Raspberry, Pumpkin Spice and Lavendar Chamomile. Moving on, Hubby and I often buy these to keep around the house not only for our personal use, but to give as gifts. We decided that I should decorate some for Christmas this past year. I thought it was a good idea, but wanted to include something else as well. When I heard about Papertrey's nugget tins, I knew that would be just perfect - but they ran out before I could buy some! Well, after staring at the candles for a while, trying to figure out what to do, it dawned on me! DUH! I could use plain mason jars which would show the beautiful nuggets AND would coordinate perfectly with my candles! Woo Hoo! Anyway, that was how the idea came to me, and I must admit that everything pulled together much better than I could have imagined!

Enjoy!

{ Fun-On-The-Go Box }

2008-02-17T23:58:00.010-05:00

Stamp Sets: By Land (retired), By Sea (retired), By Air (retired), Whimsical Alphabet (retired) & Wild About You Paper: Treehouse (retired), Island Blossoms SS Kit (Retired), Only Orange, Chocolate Chip, Lovely Lilac, Brilliant Blue, Garden Green, Real Red, Going Gray, Pink Passion, Yo-Yo Yellow, White, Brocade Blue & More Mustard Ink: Only Orange, Chocolate Chip, Lovely Lilac, Brilliant Blue, Garden Green, Real Red, Going Gray, Pink Passion, Yo-Yo Yellow, White, Brocade Blue & More Mustard Accessories: Square Nestabilities, SU! Scallop Punch

I am SO excited to share this project with you. This was one of my big endeavors this past Christmas. This project took A LOT of time and energy, but I must say that I was *ecstatic* with the way everything came out. I wanted to make a box full of fun stuff to take on the go for kids. I decided filled the box with a Tic-Tac-Toe game, slinkys and a matching game, but you could have easily filled it with coloring books, matchbox cars, Koosh balls, and the list goes on and on!

For the box, I used an old Bare Minerals box that I covered and then placed a laminated Tic-Tac-Toe board into. It was the perfect size for a game board! It was inpired by "cmf1216"'s creation, seen here. The Tic Tac Toe game pieces are punched with the SU! Scallop punch, laminated and adhered to some thin chipboard (think cereal box or those pieces that come with all SU! Designer Series paper). When not in use, I found a plastic flip box to put the pieces in - the little box was what came with the jumbo paper clips that I bought at Walmart. The matching game cards were the most time consuming. I used my Nestabilities to punch out the background paper, a piece of thin cardboard and the background color. I had to laminate and put adhesive on each piece separately, so you can see why it took so long. I just LOVED the way the 3 stamps sets ("By Land," "By Sea," and "By Air" - all retired) went perfectly together!

Like I said, this project was NOT quick, but wasn't too hard and was totally cute! I wouldn't say that I won't do it again, but it will have to wait awhile! ;)

Enjoy!

{ Baroque and Pomegranate Love }

2008-01-16T10:31:00.000-05:00

Stamp Sets: Baroque Motifs and All Holidays Paper: Brocade DSP, Pomegranate & Vanilla Ink: Pomegranate Accessories: Silver Brads and Round Tab Punch

Ya know, you would think after 6 months with this set that I might be staring to get tired of it, but I'm just not! And I've even used it for several swaps and even to make some invites - I usually get tired of a set after all that. However, I still just LOVE this large swirly stamp. It is so sophisticated, elegant, versatile and feminine! I was drawn to it from the first moment that I laid eyes on it, and I'm still in love! Anyway, nothing new or unique about this layout, it's a golden oldie but really let me show off a lot of the big beautiful swirl, so I'm happy! I'm really starting to get a feel for this Pomegranate color. When I first got it, I thought it was a pretty color, but it is so rich and vibrant that I just didn't know what to pair with it. I feel like I'm finally getting a handle of it. But really, once you get started, there are SO many posibitlites. Here, let me show you what I mean! Try Pomegranate with: River Rock, Blush Blossom, Old Olive, Soft Sky Chocolate Chip (what *doesn't* go with chocolate? ;) ), Pretty in Pink, Close to Cocoa, Basic Grey, Groovy Guava, Certainly Celery, So Saffron, Always Artichoke, Night of Navy, Barely Banana and Mellow Moss! See? And, I'm sure there are more that I just haven't tried! Feel free to let me know if there is a combo that isn't on my list that I should give a try!

Enjoy!

{ Mom's Birthday }

2008-01-09T10:57:00.000-05:00

Stamp Sets: Warmest Regards (retired) Paper: Kraft Ink: Chocolate Chip Accessories: Silver Brads, Just Delightful Simply Scrappin' Kit (retired) and Pretties Kit

Okay! I finally feel like I've rested a bit from the past CRAZY month. November and December is such a hectic time for us as we have my Sister and Niece's birthday in November along with Thanksgiving, December has my Mom's and my husbands birthday plus Christmas and New Years! It feels like we have no time to just relax. I was whipping up cards and gifts left and right! But, the good side of that is that I now have PLENTY of stuff to share with you for a while. I tried very hard to remember take pictures of everything I made so I could share them with all of you! And, I actually think I succeeded (at least, I think so!).

So, onto the card! I made this card for my Mother's birthday. I just love the Simply Scrappin' Kits because they are so versatile! The striped paper, green and numbered borders, the flowers and the leaves all came from the kit! I love to use up scraps and the kits just make it so darn easy - the coordinate papers and images stickers - all I have to do is get a card base (I used Kraft cardstock here) and embellish! And, as an added bonus, the card matched her gift perfectly (it was the little scrapbook that I shared with you most recently). This card seriously took probably all of 5 minutes to make - quick AND cute? That's what I'm talkin' about! ;)

Enjoy!

{ Christmas 2007 }

2007-12-17T10:15:00.000-05:00

Stamp Sets: Warm Words Paper: Very Vanilla, Always Artichoke and Holiday Harmony DSP (retired) Ink: Basic Black Accessories: Pomegranate Double Stitched Grosgrain, Cuttlebug "Snowflake" Embossing Folder, Round Tab Punch & Non-SU! Rhinestone Bling

As promised, here are my cards for Christmas this year. They were inspired by Kim Muhl's card, seen here. Since I procrastinated again this year, I only had time to make cards for our closest family and friends. I think I only did 30.

Anyway, sorry not much chatter, but I've been working away like Santa in his workshop. I cranked out 16 of those nugget jars that I showed you previously, so those are done, but I have LOTS more to do!

Enjoy!

{ Nugget Tin Alternative! }

2007-12-10T23:03:00.000-05:00

Well, I promised more and here it is! This is my big idea for the season! Everyone (including me!) has been going crazy over the nugget tins. They are so cute and affordable for gifts this holiday season! But, since I couldn't find the coveted nugget tins in stock anywhere, I started brainstorming for other ideas. I know a lot of people are making their own boxes from cardstock, but I just knew that I wouldn't take the time to do those. So, I came up with this! Anyway, I used Papertrey Ink's "Holiday Treats" stamp set, Real Red and Always Artichoke papers, some dotted red organdy from Michael's, my Nestabilities, scallop punch from SU! and the two large circle punches from SU! I was able to fit 27 nuggets into this pint sized mason jar. I am so thrilled with the way that they came out! :D

Enjoy!

EDITED TO ADD:
After I played with these jars a bit more, I came up with this design, which I like WAY more! Hope you do too! :D

{ Another Scrapbook! }

2007-12-03T15:39:00.001-05:00

Yes, yes, I know, I know, I disappeared again! I'm sorry. This have been CRAZY around here. After Thanksgiving, I was exhausted, but had to start Christmas shopping and gift-making. I think I might have bit off a tad more than I can chew with the gift making, but I'm doing it anyway! I am making large gifts for 3 people, a handful of smaller gifts and 30 Christmas cards (I'll show them soon). Plus, my Mom's and Hubby's birthdays are this month too! Yes, I have been busy and will continue to be, so please bear with me while I take a step back from blogging to do A LOT of crafting. However, think positive! I promise to share all the gifts with you as they get finished! On that note, let me show you what I made for my Mom's birthday. It is yet another 8x8 scrapbook! I am on such a roll with these! I won't drag it out like I did last time since I just don't have the time (and I'm betting you don't either!). I used the "Just Delightful" Simply Scrappin' Kit from last year's Stampin' Up!'s Sale-a-bration. I had about 1 and a half kits that I used here, plus random embellishments (Papertrey's Velvet "Air" Blossoms and White Sheer Blossoms, SU!'s Pretties Kit, unknown company's rhinestones and various ribbon) and some extra solid color SU! cardstock.

Enjoy!

{ Enchante Name Frame }

2007-11-15T19:50:00.000-05:00

Stamp Set: Headline and Rough Edges Alpha Ink: Old Olive Paper: Enchante and Whisper White Accesories: Old Olive Wide Grosgrain, Non-SU! Pearl Brads, Pewter Hodgepodge and Silver Narrow Organdy

My girlfriend had a birthday a little while ago and this was her gift. I hoped that she would like it, but I wasn't sure if was her style or would go with the decor in her house. I had been there once, but couldn't really remember what colors were there. Does that ever happen to you? Anyway, it worked out well. She loved it, it worked well with her decor and all was well! I just love it when everything works out the way you hope!

Enjoy!

{ Gift Scrapbook 9 }

2007-11-10T20:11:00.000-05:00

I've been totally slacking in the blogging department, huh? I felt so bad that I decided to just go ahead and post the last few pages for your enjoyment! Sorry about the delay, I've totally gotten taken into the holiday craziness! I have been brainstorming/searching for Christmas gifts and planning my Thanksgiving dinner. This is only the second year that I have hosted Thanksgiving and this will be the first year that I will make a turkey myself! The first year I was so intimidated that I purchased a turkey that was already cooked and ready to go. I figured out that to buy a cooked 11 pound turkey would be about $65 or I could by a frozen 10 pound one for a bit over $3 (after a $2 coupon), a roasting pan for $67, a nice digital thermometer for $20 and some string for $4. I figure if I just make one more turkey (or chicken, or whatever), with that the pan, then the pan and thermometer will pay for itself! I'm actually pretty excited because I LOVE turkey. Thanksgiving has always be my favorite holiday. You don't have to worry about gifts or a lot of decorations or dressing really nice - it's just food, family, friends, comfy (loose!) clothing and good conversation. I'm so excited! I better start searching for some good and healthy recipes. Anyone have any good ones they want to share?

{ Gift Scrapbook 8 }

2007-11-02T12:22:00.000-04:00

This is another layout that I really like. These Simply Scrappin' Kits just make everything TOO easy! I *love* it! Everything is so perfectly coordinated and there are so many elements to work with. Is it terrible that I mostly love it because it requires minimal thinking? I guess I'm a lazy scrapper ... or maybe it's because this was my first real go at a true scrapbook. Well, whatever the reason is, I am so happy with it and will be doing more! :D

Enjoy!

{ Gift Scrapbook 7 }

2007-11-01T09:45:00.000-04:00

I just LOVE this layout. I found it from one of the worksheets from the Stampin' Up demo website. It was intended for a 6x6, but I just made some adjustments for the 8x8. I just love the bursts of that lovely Guava color!

Enjoy!

{ Gift Scrapbook 6 }

2007-10-29T13:49:00.000-04:00

I'm not really in a talkative mood today, so here is your sixth installment.

Enjoy!

{ Gift Scrapbook 5 }

2007-10-26T12:10:00.000-04:00

I think that everything I make has a bit of SU's "Chocolate Chip" in it. Something about black, and even grey, is a bit harsh to me, so I usually go with brown. Well, this project is no different! The new Basic Grey is the "neutral" color included in this pack, but since I don't have any paper in that color, I used the Chocolate in a couple places. I think it looks really nice with the Olive and Guava in this layout. Speaking of olives, guavas and chocolate, I'm hungry! hahaha

Enjoy!

{ Gift Scrapbook 4 }

2007-10-25T10:04:00.000-04:00

This layout was my husband's favorite. Funny, because it is not one of my favorites. I mean, don't get me wrong, I really like it, but I think it is lacking in the color department. I tried to fit another color or two in this layout, especially since all the others have at least 3 colors, but when I tried, nothing looked right! I figured that it was better to stick with simple and pretty than to try too hard doing something fancy and make it ugly! I go through that with cards sometimes too. Like, I feel like they are missing something, but I stick with simple. Now that I think about it, I do it with my clothes too ... hahaha. Maybe that just IS my style! *wink*

Enjoy!

{ Gift Scrapbook 3 }

2007-10-24T10:00:00.000-04:00

Oh, I just love this kit! I think that there is something that is so elegant and sophisticated about it. These papers are just so luxurious! I hope that they keep this kit in the new Catalog! And how adorable are those half pearls from the Pretties Kit? I can see myself using those A LOT!

Enjoy!

{ Gift Scrapbook 2 }

2007-10-23T10:27:00.000-04:00

Here is pages 2 & 3 of the album. Pretty straight forward here ... but please note that BEAUTIFUL hat pin on the right. I bought the Pretties kit especially to use for this project, and I've got to tell you, it is SO much better than I could have imagined! I just adore all the pretty little pieces, but I have to admit that the hat pins are my favorite. They are just TOO pretty! It was hard to force myself to use one, ya know, rather than hoarding them as all us crafters tend to do! But, I told myself it is only 1 out of 10 and I can always buy more!

Well ... at least, I hope!

Enjoy!

{ Gift Scrapbook 1 }

2007-10-22T11:56:00.001-04:00

Well, I guess I'm going to do another marathon grouping share! My MIL birthday is later this week, so I've been working on an 8x8 scrapbook. She does bridal alterations for a living, so I thought it might be nice for her to fill this with their pictures to show to potential clients or to show them while they wait. Well, that's what I thought, but she may want to use it for something else!

I must admit that I'm not much of scrapbooker. I have a still-not-completed album that I was making of hubby and my courtship days, I have yet to even THINK about our wedding album, and I have purchased, but not yet started (nearly a year later) a scrapbook for my niece. I should say that all the above mentioned albums are to be 12x12. Although I like that size best for the amount of space it offers for pictures, I must admit that a space that large intimidates me! Keep in mind that I usually work with a space of 4.5x5.5, so when you nearly triple that, it can be very intimidating. I like it all in theory just fine, but in reality, it is just so hard! Do any other card makers out there feel like that? Well, anyway, I think the 8x8 size is less intimidating, and with only one nice big focal image, it makes designing layouts a little easier for me.

Anyway, on to the album! I'm not going to post details on the bottom because you would see all the same things over and over. So, I'll list it right here once - I used the "Secret Garden" Simply Scrappin' Kit from SU! for the bulk of this album, I supplimented with the Pretties Kit, plain silver brads, various SU! ribbon, some extra textured paper from SU!, a few sheets of SU's Au Chocolate retired paper, a few sheets from the Groovy Guava Prints Designer Paper, and some of the new velvet and vellum flowers from Papertrey. The few stamped words (on the tags) were from Fancy Flexible Phrases (retired). I have to admit that it is so much more elegant and beautiful than I had thought. There was a lot of buzz over on SCS when the prices of the SS Kits when from $12.95 to $19.95. I have to say that there are NO complaints from me! The double sided paper is GREAT. I was able to use 1 sheet for two layouts - I just decorated both sides of one sheet! And the textured paper is oh so yummy and luxurious. I love it! This kit also goes quite nicely with our Pretties Kit, also very elegant and sophisticated. Oh, and as a bonus, I thought I'd show you the cover of this album - how perfect is it? I found it at Michael's and it is EXACTLY the same as SU's old olive! Plus, I think that the pattern on goes with the SS Kit very well.

{ New Toy }

2007-10-20T14:22:00.000-04:00

I got a new toy! And, it's not even a stamping related one! My father surprised me and sent me an iPod Nano! I was very surprised. He sent me a silver one, but I had to take it and exchange it for a red one. Red is, after all, my favorite color! Plus, part of the proceeds go to AIDS research, so it is an all around win-win situation! :D I have to admit that I didn't want one at all, but I am starting to become quite fond of this little thing. I just wasn't into the whole iPod thing, my husband has one and I could use it whenever I wanted, but I just never did. I think the appeal of this new version is the video. I like being able to have pictures on there to whip out and show people. It's mostly filled with pictures of my adorable little niece! Oh, she is just TOO cute!

Anyway, I made an observation when looking at the colors. I mean, I knew that I wanted red, but I had to check the others out too, and you know what? Apple is using SU! colors! Yes! I'm serious. This new model's "red" isn't a true red like the previous one (and I know because my hubby got that one). The previous red Nano was a yummy metallic red. This one is more pinky-purple - it's a dead-on match to SU!'s Purely Pomegranate (so much so that I named it that!)!! Their blue is SU!'s recently retired Cool Caribbean, their green is SU's long retired Mint Melody, and of course, their black is SU! Basic Black and their silver matches SU's Encore Silver ink pad! So, I guess SU! is really keeping up with the times, or are the color fads following SU!? *wink*

{ Well, Hello There! }

2007-10-18T10:53:00.000-04:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been working on 2 gifts and an order, so I've been stamping, just not sharing! I tried posting something yesterday, but Blogger was on the fritz so I wasn't able to, and of course, it's working now, but I don't have the photo on this computer. Oh well, I'll post either again later tonight or tomorrow. Until then ...

{ MANmade Card }

2007-10-10T13:08:00.000-04:00

OHMIGOSH!!! This is TOO funny. You must check it out! I was rolling with laughter so badly that I had to pause it a couple times!

Click here.

{ More Luggage Tags }

2007-10-05T16:09:00.000-04:00

I had a request to make some name luggage tags like the one that I made for my niece (seen here). Let me tell you, it was so hard to resist the urge to cover the top with ribbons. I just love the look the ribbons add, but I kept reminding myself that I had to keep them masculine.

I made the striped ones on top first. I really wanted something sophisticated and understated. I think these are more grown-up than cute, but I think that's what I like about them - that they're simple.

Anyway, while searching through my HUGE paper stash for good patterns to use, I came across the one used in the jungle ones and thought it would be *perfect* with SU's Wild About You set. And whadda know, I think I was right! The paper is a bunch of fern leaves in different colors/angles. I thought it made good jungle leaves, but my sister and husband thought it looked like camouflage, so I guess either way, it works! I am really happy with how all of these turned out, but I must admit that the jungle ones are my favorite. They're just so whimsical and cute!

Oh, and do you see the oval "ground" stamp under the lion? I read on SCS once that someone (sorry I can't remember who you are to give you credit) took some extra thin rubber off of the foam (mine was left over from my Big Blossom stamp), punched it out with her small oval punch , then mounted it on EZ mount. Quick and CHEAP "ground" stamp! :D Yea! I loved it so much that I did one with my small oval and one with my large oval punches. Now, if you decide to do this, do so at your own risk. I doubt the punches were designed to punch rubber, but I was willing to try it and my results were good, but I can't guarantee that yours will be equally successful. I definitely had to sharpen the punch with some aluminum foil after and lube it up a bit with wax paper. I've thought about doing my scalloped punches, too, but I'm a bit scared. Anyway, I think the small oval was so perfect for this little lion.

Enjoy!

{ Fruity OSW - Bag }

2007-09-30T21:48:00.000-04:00

Stamp Sets: Fresh Fruits (retired) & Too Teriffic Tags (retired) Paper: Very Vanilla, Rose Red, Glorious Green & Chocolate Chip Ink: Green Galore, Always Artichoke, Rose Red, Barely Banana, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Whisper White & Only Orange Accessories: Silver Brads, Small Tag Punch, Tag Punch & Silver Cord (retired)

Isn't this tote too cute? I got the template from Splitcoast a while back and have been using it quite a bit ever since. It is just too easy to make and too cute not to! I think it fits upto 12 cards (4.25 x 5.5) and envelopes. This is what I almost always use to keep my OSW sets. It does require stamping a few more pieces, but I love that it can make it to match the OSWs and fits them perfectly.

Enjoy!

{ Fruity OSW - 10 }

2007-09-24T20:17:00.000-04:00

Stamp Sets: Fresh Fruits (retired) & Wonderful Words Paper: Very Vanilla, Rose Red, Glorious Green, Kraft & Chocolate Chip Ink: Green Galore, Always Artichoke, Rose Red, Barely Banana, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Whisper White & Only Orange Accessories: Silver Brads

Okay, I'm sure you've noticed that this is the 10th card, but don't be sad just yet! My Fruity OSW group isn't over yet! These are indeed the 10 OSW cards, but I have a cute tote that I made to put these in and will show you those next! :D It wasn't included in the one stamped sheet, but it is well worth stamping a couple extra panels!

Anyway, back to this card. This layout was inspired by this one by Dawnsing over on Splitcoast. She used it for a masculine card, and I really think that it is perfect for that purpose! Besides, with the help of my trusty square punches (1 1/4" and 1 3/8"), this card was a breeze to complete! Quick, simple and cute - my favorite kind of card! ;)

Enjoy!

{ Fruity OSW - 9 }

2007-09-23T10:42:00.000-04:00

Stamp Sets: Fresh Fruits (retired) & Small Script Paper: Very Vanilla, Rose Red, Barely Banana, Old Olive & Chocolate Chip Ink: Whisper White, Green Galore, Always Artichoke, Rose Red, Barely Banana, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Whisper White & Only Orange Accessories: Narrow Chocolate Grosgrain, Cuttlebug "Baby" Embossing Folder & Non-SU! Rhinestone Bling

I just love this card. I love all the different layers of color and that nice centered focal point. This is a layout that I never used until I starting doing OSWs, and am so glad that I came across it! I think that it is just so cute!

Enjoy!

{ Recent Revelation }

2007-09-21T11:13:00.000-04:00

I've come to a revelation recently and thought I would interrupt the Fruity OSW showing to share.

Ya know what I have realized? I *LOVE* vintage style sets! It's kinda funny because I really like (and mostly own) clean lined and solid style images. However, now I recognize that I also really like intricate, detailed vintage style stuff! (Especially keys ... don't know why, but I'm really drawn to key images. Weird, huh? Anyone wanna pyschoanalyze that one for me?) I'm like that in my clothes and jewelry too - I see the old fashioned stuff on other people, but I don't really know where to buy it or how to wear it, so I stick to my clean/simple/plain style stuff. (Like Jennifer Love Hewitt and her wardrobe in Ghost Whisperer – love it! If I could afford to buy one of everything she wears in that show, I absolutely would!) So, now I'm thinking I might venture out into the vintage style stamps and work my way up to a vintage wardrobe. It's easier to start with the stamps, I think … well, at least more fun! *wink*

Anyway ... you might be wondering what brought me to this epiphany. Well, through the wonderful (yet terrible-for-my-wallet) people over at Splitcoast, I've recently discovered Purple Onion Designs, Stamp Camp, Stampin' D' Amour and Art Declassified stamps (see the left hand side for links). Most of their stamps have a very vintage feel to them - and I just LOVE them! It's a good thing that my budget is sort of tied up right now, otherwise I would be buying, buying, buying!

*ahem* Hubby, you reading this? Christmas is around the corner you know ... *ahem*

{ Fruity OSW - 8 }

2007-09-20T21:05:00.000-04:00

Stamp Sets: Fresh Fruits (retired), & Sincere Salutatins Paper: Very Vanilla, Green Galore & Only Orange Ink: Green Galore, Always Artichoke, Rose Red, Barely Banana, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Whisper White & Only Orange Accessories: D'Vine Swirls Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, Non-SU Pearl Brad, Stardust Pen, Giga Scalloped Circle, Mega Standard Circle, Chocolate Grosgain (retired) and Tangerine Grosgrain (retired)

This is another layout that I am obsessed with, Michelle Wooderson's Tent Topper cards. I know I've discussed them here before, so I won't go into it too much, let's just say that I'm a little addicted to them. They're just so cute and easy to make! :D

I think this one is super cheery and bright, so I thought it would be perfect for a get well card.

Enjoy!

{ Fruity OSW - 7 }

2007-09-19T21:54:00.000-04:00

Stamp Sets: Fresh Fruits (retired), Totally Tabs & Amazing to Zany Paper: Very Vanilla, Rose Red, Green Galore & Only Orange Ink: Green Galore, Always Artichoke, Rose Red, Barely Banana, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Whisper White & Only Orange Accessories: Round Tab Punch & Stardust Glitter Pen (Non-SU!)

I'm so happy with this layout! It is just too cute! It's weird, but vertical cards are sort of a issue for me. I mean, I can make them, but for whatever reason, I just always seem to like horizontal cards better. Not this time though! I'm so happy with it. I think the scallops are adorable and I don't often use my round tab punch, but I really like it here. It was hard for me to fit a sentiment on this card, but the tab was just perfect for it!

Enjoy!

{ Fruity OSW - 6 }

2007-09-18T20:52:00.000-04:00

Stamp Sets: Fresh Fruits (retired), Paisley Background & Print Pattern Background Paper: Very Vanilla, Rose Red, Green Galore & Only Orange Ink: Green Galore, Always Artichoke, Rose Red, Barely Banana, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Whisper White & Only Orange Accessories: Aged Copper Hodgepodge, Rhinestone Accent (Non-SU!) and Tangerine Grosgrain (retired)

I just love this layout. I use it everytime I do a OSW. I think it makes a great blank card. I think the layout is very bold and I can just never get a sentiment to look like it fits "right" on there ... well, for me, anyway. So, this is my default blank card in my group of cards. Anyway, I'm not in much of a talking mood, so ...

Enjoy!

{ Fruity OSW - 5 }

2007-09-17T21:33:00.001-04:00

Stamp Sets: Fresh Fruits (retired), Rough Texture Jumbo Wheel & That's Nice (retired) Paper: Very Vanilla, Rose Red, Green Galore & Chocolate Chip Ink: Green Galore, Always Artichoke, Rose Red, Barely Banana, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Whisper White & Only Orange Accessories: Natural Hemp and Key Tag Punch

Oh this card just wouldn't photograph well (I know, I know, if I had a professional light box or a better camera, it might, right? Maybe I need to go back on what I said yesterday ;D ). Anyway, I stamped the Rough Texture jumbo wheel onto the Chocolate Chip. I think that stamp with the hemp gives this particular card a masculine touch.

Do you see the "family" poking out from the key tag hole? It is also from the retired SU! "That's Nice" set. The matchng phrase is "Other things may change, but we start and end with family." How true is that? I just love that set!

Enjoy!

{ Fruity OSW - 4 }

2007-09-16T23:18:00.000-04:00

Stamp Sets: Fresh Fruits (retired) & Small Script (retired) Paper: Very Vanilla, Rose Red, Green Galore & Barely Banana Ink: Green Galore, Always Artichoke, Rose Red, Barely Banana, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Whisper White & Only Orange Accessories: Silver Brads

Oh I am *loving* the way this photo came out! I think I'm finally getting the hang of card photo-taking ... well, sort-of. See, I refuse to purchase anything fancy to take good quality photos of my cards. I mean, I want photos that look nice, but do I really have to own fancy equipment to do so? Don't get me wrong, I think some the photos that others take are *gorgeous* and so professional, but I personally just don't have the patience to do it.

Anyway, here is the fourth installment of my one sheet wonder set. It's another simple one, what can I say, I'm a simple kinda gal, I guess! ;) I personally love this layout and use it often. It also makes a nice vertical card, but I usually move the trio of brads to what would be the top right side as shown here. I usually also stamp the main back layer with a background stamp, but I felt that the fruits were so bright and bold alone that the card didn't really need anything else, ya know?

Enjoy!

{ Fruity OSW - 3 }

2007-09-15T15:23:00.000-04:00

Stamp Sets: Fresh Fruits (retired), Polka Dot Background & That's Nice (retired) Paper: Very Vanilla, Rose Red, Green Galore & Barely Banana Ink: Green Galore, Always Artichoke, Rose Red, Barely Banana, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Whisper White & Only Orange

Here's another simple one. I didn't realize until after I stamped it, but I think the Rose Red next to the Green Galore paper together with the polka dots makes this card look like a watermelon, huh?

Do you see the sentiment at the bottom, well the coordinating inner sentiment says "A true friend says nice things behind your back." How cute is that? So far, every time I've given someone a card with that sentiment, they've just loved it. It is from the retired mini set "That's Nice." All the sayings in that set are just too cute! I *love* them! :D

Enjoy!

{ Fruity OSW - 2 }

2007-09-13T21:48:00.000-04:00

Stamp Sets: Fresh Fruits (retired) & Wonderful Words Paper: Old Olive, Very Vanilla & Barely Banana Ink: Green Galore, Always Artichoke, Rose Red, Barely Banana, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Whisper White & Only Orange Accessories: Ivory Wide Organdy, Copper Cord (retired) and Copper Brade (retired)

Well, here is the second card in this set of 10. Whatcha think? I know that it isn't a new layout or anything fancy, but I think it's simplicity is what makes it so elegant. I'm still sad that SU! retired the organdy ribbon and the cord. I think the two looked so good together - something about the two combined always makes me think wedding ... so, that's what this is - a wedding card! Wouldn't this be adorable attached to a cute kitchen gadget?

Enjoy!

{ Fruity OSW - 1}

2007-09-12T22:38:00.000-04:00

Stamp Sets: Fresh Fruits (retired), In My Thoughts Paper: Old Olive, Very Vanilla, Rose Red, Barely Banana & Chocolate Chip Ink: Green Galore, Always Artichoke, Rose Red, Barely Banana, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Whisper White & Only Orange Accessories: Pewter Jumbo Eyelet, Olive Wide Grosgrain, "Script" Cuttlebug Embossing Folder and Corner Rounder

Okay, so do you remember this post where I talked about how great One Sheet Wonders (OSW) are? Well, I have to tell you, I've made several sets since then! I just *love* them. They are so wonderful when I need to make a gift to have ready the next day. I am able to crank out 10 cards with matching envelopes and tote in one evening! I'm ashamed to say that what I really love is that it requires minimal thinking. I mean, when I need to do these, I'm not usually in my creative groove and just need to get out something but I do want it to be nice, ya know? Anyway, with the help of my new Big Shot and some newly learned layouts (thanks to Splitcoast), I think I have been able to kick these OSW cards "up a notch." I have really been wanting to use Fresh Fruits to do a OSW. I thought that the set would really lend itself well to this technique - and it did! I really think that they came out well - colorful yet sophisticated. So, over the next few days, I'll show you the complete set that I made and you can let me know if you agree! Any feedback - positive or not will be greatly appreciated! :D

Enjoy!

{ Masculine Waves }

2007-09-01T15:31:00.000-04:00

Stamp Sets: Winds of Grace, Happy Everything & Shore Thing (retired) Paper: Very Vanilla, Night of Navy, Close to Cocoa & Always Artichoke Ink: Close to Cocoa Accessories: Aged Copper Hodgepodge & Small Oval Punch

I love this set! It really caught my eye when I first saw it in the new catty. It is masculine yet soft and looked like it would be easy to use ... and it *is* all those things!

I've had this layout rolling around in my head and couldn't wait to get it down on paper. I wanted to use a torn piece of blue in the background to give the effect of waves. When I realized that my retired "Shore Thing" stamp set even had little waves, I was so excited! I think next time I will put the greeting up a little higher though. I really wanted to use some twill or twine on this card, but I was trying to keep it real simple so it would keep that masculine feel. Masculine cards are so difficult for me (and most stampers, I think), so I'm happy to have another one to add to my collection.

Enjoy!

{ Recollections Frame }

2007-08-21T10:46:00.000-04:00

Paper: Recollections (retired) and Cranberry Crisp (retired) Accessories: On Board Accessories, True Thyme Stitched Grosgrain (retired), Cranberry Crisp Stitched Grosgrain (retired) and Mod Podge

A couple months back someone on Splitcoast mentioned some great picture frames at the Target $1 Spot, so naturally I had to go and stock up on them. I behaved myself (kinda!) and only purchased 4. What was I thinking? ONE dollar each and I only got 4? Well, I'm sure the hubby would be proud! lol.

Anyway, I just now got around to actually altering one. I decided to use the retired Recollections paper. Actually, it is still around, just in another form. SU! brought back pretty much the same design, but everything is in shades of blue, green and yellow (It is called "Porcelain Prints," if you are interested). So, I was trying to go with an antique-y/vintage-y/worn/shabby chic type look with the rough edges, frayed ribbon, slight tears and such (you may need to enlarge the picture to see what I'm talking about), but I think - in the end - it just looked like I messed up when I was making it. lol. It looks sorta unprofessional/unfinished/amateur. Oh well. I *mostly* like it and if nothing else, shows you what *not* to do!

Enjoy!

{ Food Signs }

2007-08-17T12:54:00.001-04:00

Paper: Barely Banana, Georgia Pacific White Ink: Whisper White Craft Accessories: Black Gingham Ribbon and "Textile" Cuttlebug Embossing Folder

Is that what these are called? Food signs? lol. I mean, they are signs for the food, right? I'm sure they have a more proper name, but I'm not sure what it is. If you know, please tell me! "Food Signs" just seems like a silly name!

Anyway, the surprise party is tonight and my sister called me yesterday and asked me to make little signs for the drinks and hors d'oeuvres. She said they they were going with some pastel yellow decor and wanted me to make something to match. These are what I came up with. I'm really happy with them. Originally, I had planned to print the labels on white paper layered on Barely Banana and then layer that onto folded white cards that had the big swirl from Baroque Motif stamped in Barely Banana onto it. But, Barely Banana being *so* light, it just didn't look right. I tried a couple different ways to make the swirl work (so it would match the invites that I talked about earlier), but I just couldn't. I then played around a bit and came up with this. I'm really happy with them. As you can tell from the picture of the full set, I rubbed a bit of Whisper White craft ink on the embossed paper to make the embossing "pop" just a bit more. It doesn't look quite that pronounced when you see them in person though. It looks more like it does in the top picture - more subtle, like a shadowing effect. Anyway, I emailed these pictures to my Sister and she was happy, I'm happy, so now it's party time! :D

Enjoy!

{ Card Color Comparison }

2007-08-15T15:16:00.000-04:00

Stamp Sets: Baroque Motifs and Wonderful Words Ink: Silver (Encore) and Versamark Paper: Perfect Plum, Pale Plum, Elegant Eggplant and Silver Accessories: Narrow Silver Organdy (retired) and Silver Cord.

Stamp Sets: Baroque Motifs and Wonderful Words Ink: Craft White and Always Artichoke Paper: Always Artichoke, Mellow Moss and Georgia Pacific White Cardstock Accessories: White Tafetta

My sister is throwing a 40th wedding anniversary party for her in-laws and asked me to make the invites! She really liked this card from Julie Purdum ("jeweleintn" on Splitcoast), so I made 2 samples in two different colors for her to choose from. Personally, I like the purple one better. I think it is more festive and fun. But, my sister loves green, so I just knew that I would have to use it for one of my samples. She, of course, liked that one better. She said it was more elegant and sophisticated, which I actually have to agree with. If you look at the one by Julie, it is done in different shades of blue. I think hers is also very elegant. I think she said she used it for a wedding card.

Isn't it funny how you can take the exact same card, change the colors and give it a whole new feel? I wondered how the card would look with some other colors (pink, red and yellow were the ones that immediately popped into my head), like if the different colors would convey some other feel. However, I'm tired of looking at this card after making 30 of them for my sister, so maybe that will be saved for another day!

Enjoy!

{ A Journal of My Very Own }

2007-08-12T14:59:00.000-04:00

Stamps: Rough Edges Alphabet Ink: Cranberry Crisp (retired) Paper: Treehouse (retired) Accessories: True Thyme Stitched Ribbon (retired) , Cranberry Crisp Stitched Ribbon (retired) , Vintage Violet Stitched Ribbon, (retired) On Board Simon Lower Chipboard, Twill Tape, Pewter Hodgepodge, Glue Dots, Sticky Strip and Mod Podge

It seems that I am always making really cute things for other people, but never for myself! I'm sure you other stampers can relate. Well after seeing this way cute journal by Denise Hinton, I was inspired to make one too ... but this time, all for myself! I used my *favorite* (and retired) SU! paper, Treehouse. I just *love* these colors. I truly miss last year's In-Colors ... but I have a small stockpile to pull me through (at least, I hope!). Anyway, I even put Mod Podge over the whole thing to protect it. We can't risk ruining my favorite paper, now can we? I even made a matching pen to go with it. Ah, I'm just so in love with it. So, thank you Denise for the inspiration!

Enjoy!

{ Emerging Colors}

2007-08-07T09:00:00.000-04:00

Stamp Sets: Wanted, Bronc Buster, That's Nice (retired), Weathered Ink: Really Rust, More Mustard, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip & Versamark Paper: Rust, More Mustard, Old Olive & Very Vanilla Accessories: Jumbo Pewter Eyelet, Pewter Hodgpodge Brads, Twill Tape, Scallop Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch & Clear Embossing Powder

Ever since I saw the emergining colors tutorial by Beate Johns over on Splitcoast, I just HAD to try it! It just looked like so much fun! I didn't even own a brayer, but I went out and bought one for this technique! (ssshhhhhhhh ... don't tell my hubby, I told him that it is an essential tool for many techniques ... and I'm sure it is, I just have to figure out what they are! hahahaha)

My first attempt did not turn out very well, but I am much happier with this version. This card is so not my usual style, but I'm really liking it. The only thing I'm not thrilled with is my torn edge. I think I may have to invest in a "Tearing Edge" from SU! (if anyone has one they'd like to trade with me, let me know, I don't think I can convince my hubby to let me get another "essential" tool!) This is definitely a technique that I will have to play with more.

Enjoy!

{ ISTJ }

2007-08-06T09:45:00.000-04:00

Have you ever heard of the Myers-Briggs test? According to Wikipedia, the Myers-Briggs test is a "personality questionnaire designed to identify certain psychological differences according to the typological theories of Carl Gustav Jung as published in his 1921 book Psychological Types (English edition, 1923).[1] The original developers of the indicator were Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter, Isabel Briggs Myers. They began developing the indicator during World War II." The website, http://www.geocities.com/lifexplore further explains that "The Myers-Briggs system measures people in four areas...subdivided by two functions:

How a person relates to others (either by Extraversion or Introversion)
How a person takes in information (either by Sensing or iNtuition)
How a person makes decisions (either by Thinking or Feeling)
How a person orders their life (either by Judging or Perceiving) "

You can take this test here. For those of you who might be wondering (as I did) whether it is nature or nurture, according to the theory, it is nature - just the way you were wired.

I would highly recommend taking the test. Personally, it really gave me some insight into my personality. It helped me realize that there are some things about myself that I just have to accept and stop trying to change or complain about (like the fact that I am often too logical/fact-focused, making me seem cold/distant or that I am brutally honest, again, making me seem cold).

I would also recommend that your significant other take the test as well. My husband and I discovered that we are *exact* opposites. I am an ISTJ while he is an ENFP. When reading each other's profile, it made it a little easier to understand why we sometimes act the way we do. For example, when my hubby does something in a different way than I think he should. It seems to him that I want everything done my way or that he is doing everything wrong. However, one quality of an ISTJ is that they often try/analyze different ways of doing something until they find the way that they feel is easiest or more efficient. When they see that it is being done in a manner that is less effective or more intensive, they want to try to correct it in order to ensure that the most efficient method is being utilized - not just for themselves, but to save time and energy of those around them. Knowing this about myself, I have come to realize that even if it is not what I think is the "most efficient" way, sometimes I just have to let him do thing his way. And, he has learned that when I suggest another way, it's not because I think his way is "wrong," it's just not what I have experienced to be the most effective way. Does that make sense? Well, it really has helped us with our communication and understanding of one another.

What have you got to lose? It's free and may even give you a better understanding of yourself/your partner! If you do take the test, leave a comment here with your personality type, I'd love to see what it is! :D

{ Cracked Glass }

2007-08-03T12:53:00.000-04:00

Stamp Set: Gorgeous Grapes (retired) Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Creamy Caramel, Always Artichoke & Chocolate Chip Paper: Elegant Eggplant, Always Artichoke Whisper White & Chocolate Chip Accessories: Copper Cord (retired), Copper Brads (retired), Cuttlebug Script Embossing Folder & Glassy Glaze

Oh I have been wanting to try this technique forever! I saw a tutorial on it over on Splitcoast Stampers and thought it was just the coolest thing ever! But, I had to order some Glassy Glaze from SU! and kept forgetting to add it to my order. Well, I *finally* remembered on this last big order.

I just knew what set I wanted to try it with - I could see it so clearly in my mind. Don't you just love when a card comes out just the way you imagined it? Now do you see what I'm talking about with these grapes? You may have seen some of the elegant cards I've done in the past with it and those distressed, Tuscan-esque tiles that I made, and now, here the images are with a vintage look. (can you tell that I'm still not really over SU! retiring this, even though I try to say that I am? *wink*)

Enjoy!

{ First Luggage Tag }

2007-07-31T09:18:00.000-04:00

Stamp Sets: Short Order Alpha, Delight in Life (retired) Ink: Chocolate Chip & Pretty in Pink Paper: Whisper White, Spring Flowers Designer Paper (retired) Accessories: Dazzling Diamonds, Crystal Effects, Luggage Tag and Clip (from Walmart), White Taffeta Ribbon, Chocolate Grosgrain (retired), White Grosgrain, Narrow Silver Organdy (retired), other assorted ribbon from Michaels

This is my very first luggage / ID tag! I've seen a lot of people making these little cuties for their kids and thought that they were so adorable! Since I have no kids of my own, I thought I'd make one for my little neice. I'm happy with how it turned out. I especially love how the center of the flower turned out! I put a dab of Crystal Effects in the middle of the flower and then poured Dazzling Diamond on it and let it dry overnight. I think it added just the right amount of "bling" to this project.

Enjoy!

{ Shake Up }

2007-07-28T13:18:00.000-04:00

Stamp Sets: Baroque Motifs Ink: Always Artichoke, So Saffron and Basic Black Paper: Bordering Blue, So Saffron, Always Artichoke and Naturals Confetti Accessories: Twill Tape and Pewter Hodgepodge

I made this card for a swap that I was in recently. This is actually an old Make-and-Take kit that SU! had for sale to demos a couple of years ago. I rediscovered it while reorganizing my craft room. I've been working on my room so it will hopefully allow me to be more productive. I am really striving to become better at my craft. I'm sure others feel the way I do sometimes, but I feel like I just need a little push, a shake up - something different. I guess my way of doing that has been to reorganize, hoping that it will jump start my creative juices. I'll let you know how that goes and will be sure to share pictures when I'm done!

{ Tent Topper Addiction }

2007-07-26T09:38:00.000-04:00

Stamp Sets: Fresh Fruits (retired), Shore Thing (retired) and That's Nice (retired) Ink: Glorious Green, Yo-Yo Yellow and Only Orange Paper: Glorious Green, Yo-Yo Yellow and Whisper White Accessories: Tangerine Grosgrain (retired) and Celery Grosgrain, Crystal Stickles, Giga Scalloped Circle Punch, Mega Circle Punch & Only Orange Marker

Hello, my name is Clara and I am a Tent Topper card addict.

I can't explain my attraction to this layout. Every time I go to make a card, I can only think of this one layout. I try to branch out and force myself use other layouts, but then I only think of how much *cuter* if it were in the tent topper layout. It is just so easy to use, looks super cute, and is fun to make! I know that my addiction is my fault, and only I can break the cycle, but I blame Michelle Wooderson (from Mish Mash) for creating and sharing this wonderful design. (So what if my addiction is still in the denial stage?) *sigh* Oh how oh how did this start? When will it end? I don't think I know ...

lol ... what makes this so funny is that it is *actually* true!

{ Elegant Grapes }

2007-07-25T13:02:00.000-04:00

Stamp Sets: Linen, Gorgeous Grapes (retired) Ink: Perfect Plum, Mellow Moss, Creamy Caramel & Whisper White Paper: Perfect Plum, Mellow Moss & Whisper White Accessories: Giga Scalloped Circle Punch, Mega Circle Punch, Cuttlebug "Textile" Embossing Folder, SU! White Wide Organdy (retired), May Arts Dotted Organdy

Oh how I love this set! I think that it is so simple, elegant and versatile. I mean, grapes can be masculine or feminine, young or old, contemporary or vintage ... *sigh* why did they have to retire this set? Oh well, it will never leave my collection! I was really trying to go with an elegant feel here, and I think I accomplished it. Wouldn't this make a beautiful wedding/anniversary card?

Anyway, I also got to use my new Cuttlebug "Textile" Embossing folder. I rubbed a little bit of Whisper White ink on it to make the embossing "pop" a bit more. I just *love* this folder! It is my absolute *favorite* one of all the embossing folders they make. When I initally ordered my Big Shot, this was the first thing on my order, but the company was out of them, so I ordered it from All That Scraps and just *had* to throw in some of this yummy dotted organdy ribbon from May Arts that I have seen everyone using. It is just too cute!

Enjoy!

{ New Goodies! }

2007-07-20T20:08:00.000-04:00

Do you see this pile of beautiful new stuff? Oh, I am *so* excited! This is my first order out of the new catalog. I swear I think I heard angels sing when I finally got it! *wink* It's a long story, but I practically had to run this package down!

Anyway, as soon as I get it into the house, I usually run upstairs switch into comfy clothes (instead of my work ones), grab my Craft & Rubber scissors, the tray that I keep the useable extra rubber pieces in, then run back downstairs to the box where I check the contents versus the order form, I separate the sets from everything else and then start cutting away at the new rubber! I am so into this routine that I had to remind myself all week to remember to snap a picture first! Doesn't it just look yummy? I had told myself that I was going to stick to just my minimum for this quarter, and I was only $3 over it when I went to put in my order. When I told my hubby that I was about to put it in, he surprised me and told me to add a few more items to my order! I had told him that I really liked the "Boho West" collection, but really needed to stock up on cardstock and ribbon/accessories, so I would only get a couples sets, only 1 of which was going to be from that collection (I chose Fabulous Flowers), 1 punch (the scalloped circle), and 1 accessory (the jumbo eyelets) from the collection this quarter. Well, he surprised me and let me get the other sets, wheel, punch and paper. I was so excited! So, here is how my order broke down:

Sets:

Fabulous Flowers

Wanted

Bronc Buster

Weathered Background

Polka Dot Background

Baroque Background

Starstruck

Mistletoe Wheel

Wild About You

Rough Texture Jumbo Wheel

Bronco Wheel

Party Punch Hostess Set

In the Spotlight Hostess Set

Ink/Paper:

Groovy Guava Ink Pad, Ribbon & Cardstock

Purely Pomegranate Ink Pad & Cardstock

River Rock Ink Pad, Ribbon & Cardstock

Groovy Guava Designer Series Paper

Textured Neutrals (cannot wait to use this - I've heard so many good things about it)

Brushed Copper Cardstock

Brushed Silver Cardstock

Sahara Sand Cardstock

Pretty in Pink Cardstock

Blush Blossom Cardstock

Almost Amethyst Cardstock

Taken with Teal Cardstock

Pink Passion Cardstock

Pixie Pink Cardstock

Tempting Turquoise Cardstock

Outlaw Designer Series

Accessories:

Stampin Scrub Refill Pads

5 Petal Flower Punch

Star Punch

Scallop Circle Punch (this is the only thing that didn't come yet - it is backordered)

5/8" Chocolate Grosgrain

Glassy Glaze (can't wait to try the cracked glass technique)

Silver Brads

Color Index Labels

Aged Copper Hodepodge

Pewter Jumbo Eyelets

1/4" Whisper White Grosgrain

3/8" Whisper White Taffeta

1/4" Very Vanilla Grosgrain

1/4" Elegant Eggplant Grosgrain

1/4" Certainly Celery Grosgrain

Now, off to organize then create with all this beautiful stuff!

{ Sparkly Fish }

2007-07-18T10:09:00.000-04:00

Stamps: All Wrapped UP ( retired), Simple Shapes Paper: Gable Green, Cool Caribbean, Marigold Morning & Watercolor Ink: Cool Caribbean, Marigold Morning & Stazon Black Accessories: Michael's spool ribbon, Copper Cord, Copper Brads, Silver Cord, Silver Brads, Crystal Stickles, Wiggle Eyes & Cuttlebug "Happy Birthday" Embossing Folder

When I went to a shoebox swap a couple of months ago, I showed the cards to my sister who just *loved* this little fish. I haven't used this set much, so I thought I'd pull it out and make some birthday cards for her to use. Plus, it gave me an excuse to use my new "Happy Birthday" embossing folder - any excuse to use my new Big Shot! You can't tell by this picture (maybe if you enlarge it) but there are stickles on the fish to make him sparkly and I gave him wiggle eyes - too cute! I'm remembering that I really like this set and have told myself to use it more.

Enjoy!

{ Wedding Tent Topper }

2007-07-16T13:51:00.000-04:00

Stamp Sets: Happy Harmony Paper: Moss, Amethyst, Pretty in Pink, Banana & White Ink: Pretty in Pink, Amethyst & Celery Accessories: Giga Scalloped Circle Punch, Mega Circle Punch, Slit Punch, White Grosgrain, D'Vine Embossing folder & $1 Spot Target Rhinestone Brads

Remember this post back in March when I went on a mini rant about sizes when I had to go get a bridesmaid's dress? Well, this past weekend was that wedding. I whipped up these cards just for the occasion. Well, actually, I whipped up the one on the right and liked it so much that I made another one! I'm sorry the picture is a bit blurry, but I had yet to pack when I made these and had to snap a quick picture, fill out the card and get a move on! I'll try to do better next time. Anyway, yes, it's another tent topper. Are you tired of these yet? They are just to quick and fun to put down! *Love* them (and Michelle for designing them).

This card features my new toy - a Big Shot!!! :D I am *so* excited to finally own one of these beauties. I've seen tons of gorgeous cards made with this machine (or the similar Big Kick or Cuttlebug) and have been dying to make one of my own. For my birthday my parents gave me some extra money to spend and I got a Big Shot and asked my hubby to let me spend some money on dies/embossing folders for an early anniversary present. So, I am now the proud owner of a beautiful Big Shot and can already tell that it will be getting a lot of use!

Enjoy!

{ 2 Years and Counting! }

2007-07-15T16:30:00.000-04:00

Today is my hubby's and my 2 year anniversary. I thought that on this special occasion, I would take this opportunity to share with you the reasons why I love, respect and appreciate my partner in life.

He supports me completely. It doesn't matter what it is - career decisions, my (somewhat crazy and definitely expensive) hobby, weight loss, etc - if it is important to me, it's important to him. I couldn't ask for a better person to have in my corner. He truly is my "rock."

He's funny. He can be so goofy sometimes, and I love it. Actually, it was his sense of humor that made me begin to fall in love with him. It's a long story, but it involves me being in the ER, worried to bits and in extreme pain, but he was still able to make me laugh - now isn't that something? I'm not going to say that he is always able to do laugh, because sometimes I am just too angry, stressed or frustrated, but I really have to give him credit for always trying to make me smile.

He's smart. He wouldn't admit it, and he never flaunts it, but he is smart ... really smart. I've always been attracted to smart guys or guys who are really super good at something. With one guy it was English/grammar, one was theatre, one was airplanes/flight, but with my husband, it's several things - meteorology, geography, cars, math, teaching, pretty much anything he puts his mind to. The ones that I respect (and get most use of *wink*) the most are math, teaching and cars. He is a mathematician - and a pretty darn good one at that. He is well respected in his field and has several published papers. His skills are most helpful to me when I'm working on recipes and wondering how to fix a 6 person recipe for 2, when I want to get the most squares out of a 8.5 x11 sheet of paper for a swap that I am working on, or when trying to figure out how many Weight Watcher points a certain food is. I often tell him that I married a mathematician so I would never have to do math again! He works for the government right now, but used to teach math for a little while (and will be going back to that in a year or two) and was a darn good teacher. He is very inspiring and is able to break down concepts in a way that you are able to grasp it. He is very animated when he teaches which keeps the student's attention quite well. As for cars, he can fix just about any car problem that comes up. Well, if he has the right tools. It's not like we can keep an engine lift in our small townhouse or anything. But, if he can't manually do it, he at least knows *how* it is supposed to be done and can make sure that it was done correctly. I love having a man in my life that can take care of the manly things like that. I always knew that my husband would be good with cars. I'm not sure how I knew, but I did!

He takes out the trash and kills any/all bugs that get in the house ... enough said!

He's the *best* cuddler! There is nothing we like doing more on a weekend then sitting on the couch cuddling to a movie/t.v.

He gets along with my family. My parents simply *adore* him. I sometimes even think that my Mom likes him better than me - they just get along so well! Even my Dad, who like most Dads, feels that no one is good enough for me, likes him very much. He just fits in so well with the family. I remember after our wedding reception, my family (who is spread out all over the US and even Australia) decided that they wanted to spend more time together since they were all finally in the same city and went to an outdoor Mexican restaurant. Well, I had forgotten my purse and had to meet up with my sister to get it, so we met her at the restaurant. After seeing all my family together, I really wanted to stay (which that alone says something about how wonderful my husband is since he was willing to spend yet more time with my family rather than be alone on our first night as a married couple). So, we are hanging out with my family, and I look over and see my husband off to the side of the deck with my Pop (biological father), Dad (step-father) and brother just drinking beer and smoking cigars laughing and joking and having a good time. It was so great to see them all getting along so well, like he had just blended into my family. It meant so, so much to me.

I guess I could simply say that he is just good to me. He respects me, puts my needs (and wants) before his own, he loves me deeply and truly and he takes care of me. He could be nothing but that and I would still be a lucky woman. But since I have that in addition to all the above, I remember today that I am a really lucky woman.

I love you Sweetie, Happy Anniversary.

{ Masculine Birthday }

2007-07-12T09:15:00.000-04:00

Stamp Sets: Lovely As A Tree, Warm Words, Linen Paper: Not Quite Navy, Bravo Burgundy, Creamy Caramel & Very Vanilla Ink: Bravo Burgundy & Creamy Caramel Accessories: Copper Eyelets, Copper Cord & Corner Rounder

Can you believe that SU! retired *all* of their copper stuff with the single exception of paper and hodgepodge? That means ink, ink refills, cord, eyelets and embossing powder - all gone! I was in complete shock! I mean, I use copper *a lot* in the fall and on masculine cards, like this one. I just think that there is something very masculine about copper ... don't know why. Especially with the "Boho Western" collection that they have right now - it just screams to be embellished with copper! *sigh* Oh well ... there isn't much I can do about it ... well, besides complaining. So, on to the card! I'm sorry for the blurry picture. I think I might ask for a new high powered camera for Christmas this year ... or maybe just a camera stand, lol. I'm not sure what happened here. Anyway, I made this for a birthday swap that I was in and decided that since I never had enough masculine birthday cards, that my fellow swappers probably didn't either, so I made it my goal to make one! The layout used here is one of my favorites. I think it is clean, simple, yet really makes your main image "pop." From the blurriness of the picture, you may not be able to tell that I stamped my Linen background stamp in Not Quite Navy onto the Not Quite Navy card. It gives that big open space a little something too, but it still looked too "open" to me, so I added the two brads in the lower right hand corner. I just love brads, they are probably my favorite embellishment right after ribbon/cord. They are just so easy to use and are so versatile. Okay, enough gabbing for now ... back to work!

{ Watercolored Tiles }

2007-07-10T14:16:00.000-04:00

(Click on the Picture to Enlarge)

Stamps: Summer by the Sea, Seaside Sketches Ink: Black Stazon Accessories: Watercolor crayon, Blending Pens & Aquapainters

First off, I am going to start with the disclaimer that I'm not sure if watercolor crayons are the best thing to use for this project, but to me, these images just beg to be watercolored and I couldn't resist! Okay, that being said, these are some coasters that I also made for my friend who recently got married. Her and her husband are really into beachy stuff, and I thought these images would be perfect for them. These are simply tumbled marble tiles that I picked up at Lowes and stamped on them! I have talked about how to do these tiles before, (here) but those were solid images. With line images, you can color them in a couple ways, with sharpies, bake and you're done (which is what I usually do) or with chalks, then spray with sealant (though I've heard that hairspray works too). I've never heard of anyone doing it with watercolor crayons, but I thought I'd give it a try. I watercolored them with mostly aquapainters, but to get a more concentrated color in some spots, I used a blender pen - again, I'm not sure if this is the "official" way as I am pretty sure that aquapainters/watercolor brushes are the recommended way to use the crayons, but I thought I'd be brave and give it a try. So, after coloring them, I baked them for just about 10 minutes (which melted the crayons a bit thus lightening the colors and making them spread to gave a really nice effect, I thought) and sprayed them down with hairspray. To test them, I took one and placed it on a kitchen towel with and ice cube on top. When the ice cube had melted, I wiped the water off, and nothing smeared, so I declared my technique an small victory. Since I have given them away, I'm not really sure how they are holding up. I guess I'll check back in a couple months to see if they are using them regularly and how they are doing. I'll let you know when/if I find out. But hey, they're pretty, right?

{ Another Tent Topper }

2007-07-09T15:36:00.000-04:00

Stamps: Mixed Bouquet, Papertrey's Faux Ribbon Paper: Vintage Violet, Cranberry Crisp, Whisper White Ink: Vintage Violet, Marigold Morning, Cranberry Crisp, True Thyme, Whisper White Accessories: Cranberry Crisp Stitched Grosgrain, Marvy Uchida Giga Scalloped Circle Punch, Marvy Uchida Mega Circle Punch, Crystal Stickles, Paper Piercer

Can you tell that I am just *in love* with these tent topper cards? Oh, they are just so much fun! I can't get enough. Even after designing the previous card for the swap, I just had to do another card with this layout. I am also excited that I finally used a stamp from my new Papertrey Ink set, Faux Ribbon. My hubby is such a sweetie and surprised me with it for my birthday which was June 28th. I've been really wanting to play with it, but this is the only time I've used it so far. I am just so happy with how this card turned out. I don't think that you are able to tell in this photo, but there is crystal Stickles on the large red rose and it just gives the card so much "umph."

{ Inspiring CASE }

2007-07-08T21:09:00.000-04:00

Stamp Sets: Baroque Motifs Paper: Elegant Eggplant, Certainly Celery, Whisper White & Blush Blossom Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Blush Blossom Accessories: White Grosgrain, Giga Scalloped Circle Punch, Mega Circle Punch, Slit Punch

I went to a wonderful Shoebox Swap today! The hostess was my new stamping friend, Kristen, who lives like 10 minutes from me! I am so excited to have someone to share with so close! It was so great to be around other crazy stamping ladies like me! *wink* This is the card that I designed for it, but I can not take full credit for the design. The only thing that was out of my own mind was the colors. The layout was one that I saw at a previous shoebox swap that I was in (I'm sorry that I can't remember your name to give you full credit, but if you're looking at this, please email me and I will!), but I believe that Michelle Wooderson originated the "Tent Topper" idea. Her blog can be seen over to the left, it is called "Mish Mash." The scalloped strip was made with the slit punch and I believe Julia Stainton came up with that idea. There is a tutorial on her blog here. Also, I'm not sure if you can see it, but the littlest flower from Baroque Motifs are peeking out from the strip of Elegant Eggplant. That idea came from "LindaKeal" over at Splitcoast. So, yeah, this card is a total CASE (Copy and Share Everything) from several different cards, but hey, isn't that what sharing is all about - inspiring others?

{ Mr. & Mrs. Cavey }

2007-07-06T13:16:00.000-04:00

Stamps: Headline Alphabet Paper: Cameo, Banana, Celery, Moss, Bashful, Just Delightful SS Kit Ink: Cameo, Banana, Celery, Moss, Bashful Accessories: Pewter Hodgepodge, Rustic Retreat Ribbon Originals, Staple, Linen Thread, Yellow Grosgrain Ribbon

This is another one of my favorite projects from the past month or so. Can you tell that I just *love* to make name frames? I think I like making them even more than cards! Shocking, I know! They are just so much fun to embellish! The paper and the stickers on this were from one of my favorite Simply Scrappin' Kits, Just Delightful. It is now retired as it was a Sell-A-Bration kit.

One of my best childhood girlfriends got married on June 2, and this is her new last name! I was so honored to be one of her bridesmaids. She was supposed to be one of mine, but had an internship come up that summer that she just could not get out of - it proved to be a really great opportunity for her. Anyway, hope this inspires you to try making a name frame of your own!

{ Which Disney Character is your Alter Ego? }

2007-07-05T12:34:00.000-04:00

You scored as Sleeping Beauty, Your alter ego is
Princess Aurora, a.k.a. Sleeping Beauty!
You are beautiful and enchanting, and as sweet as ever.

Sleeping Beauty

81%

The Beast

63%

Cinderella

56%

Pinocchio

56%

Goofy

50%

Donald Duck

44%

Ariel

44%

Snow White

38%

Peter Pan

31%

Cruella De Ville

13%

Which Disney Character is your Alter Ego?
created with QuizFarm.com

Ohmigosh! How wonderful is this! Sleeping Beauty is my *fav* Disney movie (and I own almost all of them), followed very closely by Beauty and the Beast! Okay, so I would have preferred to be 63% Belle, and not the Beast, but I guess I'll deal!

{ Apologies & Pinwheels }

2007-07-05T10:22:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I know that I owe some big apologies. I haven't written in a *long* time. In my defense, things have been super busy around here. It has just been one thing after another for the past month: a romantic/scenic get-a-way to see the Luray Caverns (something I've always wanted to do), my girlfriend's wedding (I was a bridesmaid), babysitting my niece, a shoebox swap, findng/getting fitted for a bridesmaid's dress for my cousin's wedding (on the 14th), a big project at work, my birthday, the new SU! Catalog release (did I just hear some angels sing?) and I'm sure that there is something else that I am forgetting. Anyway, it's not that I didn't want to write, I just had very little free time and decided to use that time to either be with my hubby or to stamp! Can ya blame me?

Anyway, I do have a few projects to share with you, but I'll have to pace myself. For the first one, I thought I'd show you one of my favorites. This was my design for the shoebox swap. I found the tutorial on the Stamp Monkey's blog (see a link over to the left).

Stamps: Warm Words, Fine Lace Ink: Close to Cocoa, Versamark Paper: Pretty in Pink, Loves Me Designer Series (retired), Close to Cocoa, Whisper White Accessories: Small & Large Tag Punch, 1/2"Punch

Isn't it adorable? I think it would be perfect for a little girl's birthday card, don't you? The one that was featured on Stamp Monkeys was an actual working pinwheel that spun, but mine is glued down. I thought it would just make it simpler. I wanted something simple but that also had a bit of a "Wow" to it, and I think this accomplished that!

{ Leaping Frogs! }

2007-05-21T13:53:00.000-04:00

Stamp Sets: Warmest Regards, Unfrogettable Paper: True Thyme, Whisper White, Unknown Patterned Paper Ink: True Thyme, Whisper White Accessories: Signo White Gell Pen, Pewter Hodgepodge

With the retirement of this year's In Colors, it reminded me of this card and I realized that I have not shown it yet! This was the first card that I made with my first box of goodies from the new catalog last July. My order contained the new In Colors and my first hostess set of the year, Warmest Regards. I truly will miss those colors and that stamp set. I have come to reach for both so often throughout this year. I am not nearly as happy with the new In Colors (I say that now, right?) I mean, don't get me wrong, I like the new colors, but I really loved the ones from this past year. Oh well, I suppose that time moves on and so should I ...

{ Magnified }

2007-05-16T13:54:00.000-04:00

Stamp Sets: Shades of Nature, Flowers of Gratitude, Fine Lace Background Paper: Perfect Plum, Pale Plum, Mellow Moss, Very Vanilla Ink: Perfect Plum, Pale Plum Accessories: Moss Gingham Ribbon, Black Gingham Ribbon, Copper Brads, Copper Edge Vellum Tags

This is another card from that set that I made a little while ago for a my MIL. I really like the look of the two uncolored flowers then the colored one in the middle inside of the metal tag. I think that it makes the middle one look magnified when, of course, it isn't. I saw several cards like this on Splitcoast and just had to try it. I didn't have the right colored markers, so I had to use the blender pen and ink pad coloring technique to color in the flower, which, being on vellum, wasn't easy. I had to color it in, let it dry (which lighted it) and then re-color it about 3 times. It was a lot of work at the time, but I think the end result was well worth it!

{ Oldie but Goodie }

2007-05-14T10:17:00.000-04:00

Stamp Sets: Shades of Nature, Sincere Salutations, Fine Lace Background Paper: Perfect Plum, Pale Plum, Mellow Moss, Very Vanilla Ink: Perfect Plum, Pale Plum, Mellow Moss Accessories: Moss Gingham Ribbon

This is a card that I made a little while ago for a my MIL. I made her a whole set of various cards and gave them to her in a paper tote bag. It was so adorable that I almost kept it for myself ;)! I really like this layout and should try to use it more often!

{ Hubby's Notebook }

2007-05-11T11:10:00.000-04:00

Stamp Sets: Whimsical Upper Ink: Night of Navy Paper: Pumpkin Pie and Night of Navy Accessories: Twill Tape, Pewter Hodgepodge Hardware

This is a notebook that I made for my Hubby a while ago. I was just learning how to decorate notebooks and asked Hubby if he wanted one. He said he did but that he wanted it "very plain." He wanted it to have our Alma Mater (Auburn University) colors and not have any embellishments. Well, I got away with some twill tape and hodgepodge hardware! :D I think that it is still plain, and very masculine! This project is the perfect example of how you can make beautiful, customized gifts without having tons of supplies!

{ Pearl Ex }

2007-05-10T08:52:00.000-04:00

Stamp Sets: Wild Rose, Happy Everything Ink: Cranberry Crisp Paper: True Thyme, Cranberry Crisp, Recollections Accessories: Natural Hemp Twine, Word Window Punch, Pearl-Ex, Aqua-Painter Non-SU!: Future Floor Wax

This is a card that I made for a swap that I was in. I just *love* these colors together and will be oh so sad when they retire. It didn't turn out quite how I had envisioned it, but I still think that it is nice. I really wanted the technique where you fill your Aqua-Painter with Future Floor Wax and then dip it into Pearl-Ex to make it a bit more of a paint. I had yet to do actually use my Pearl-Ex and was envisioning a beautiful shimmery red rose. The first couple that I did ended up with more of a shiny glittery red rose and was actually quite ugly. I then decided to just use the Pearl-Ex to highlight parts of the rose rather than trying to make the whole thing shimmery. I think it balanced out alright, but of course doesn't photograph well enough to really give you a feel for what it looks like. Oh well, I hope that you enjoy!

{ Mother's Day }

2007-05-09T11:18:00.000-04:00

Stamp Sets: Bamboo II, Short Order Alpha Ink: Always Artichoke Paper: Mellow Moss, Always Artichoke Accessories: Pewter Hodgepodge Hardware, Twill Tape

As promised, this is the card that I made for my Mom. Being from Thailand, she loves anything that is Asian inspired, plus she loves anything that I handcraft, so I know she'll just eat it up. This card was CASED from a card that I made while at a stamp camp held by my up-up line, Joann. Her blog can be seen here. As for my Mom's gift, I bought her a huge 48-count box of her favorite chocolates, Ferrero Rocher, and a movie, The Little Buddha, which she has been wanting for some time now.

{ The 90's }

2007-05-08T13:24:00.001-04:00

You Belong in 1991

With you, anything goes! You're grunge one day, ghetto fabulous the next. It's all good!

What Year Do You Belong In?

I think that this is quite fitting. I guess it makes sense since I was born in the 80's and therefore grew up in the 90's. Heh ... that make me wonder - what does that make this decade? The zeros? hhhhhmmmmm ... I wish I could ask someone. Where is a high schooler when you need one?

{ MIL Mother's Day }

2007-05-04T18:40:00.000-04:00

Stamps: Mixed Bouqet Ink: Marigold Morning, True Thyme Paper: Cranberry Crisp, Marigold Morning, Buckaroo Blue and Treehouse Accessories: Cranberry Crisp Stitched Ribbon

This card is made with one of my *favorite* sets, Mixed Bouquet, which is retiring :(. So sad. This is also one of my favorite layouts. I just love how it allows me to several colors in a visualy appealing way. This card is for my Mother-in-Law for Mother's day. My husband loves these in colors so I thought I would use them for her - ya know, gotta make him feel a part of the card just a little, right? We will be giving her an OTT light. She alters bridal gowns for a living so I thought that the light would really help her. This is a true gesture from the heart because I don't even have one myself! :-D

{ A Muse A Palooza }

2007-05-03T15:08:00.000-04:00

This is such an exciting time of year - Stampin' Up! is coming out with new images July 1 and A Muse is as well - and celebrating it with A Muse A Palooza!! A Muse is the only company besides Stampin' Up! that makes stamps that appeal to me. Their images are simple yet beautiful and their sentiments are just *perfect.* I love it. To participate in the fun, you must register at http://www.amuseapalooza.com. I would be ever so grateful if you mentioned me as your referral!

{ Retiring List }

2007-05-01T15:02:00.000-04:00

Okay, I know that I have been really, really bad and have been ignoring this blog. Things have been a little hectic lately. Nothing in particular is going on, just busy running errands, seeing family/friends, etc. Plus, Hubby and I are on still on Weight Watchers (I've lost 4 pounds in 3 weeks - woo hoo!) and it seems that we are spending more time shopping for the "right" foods and I am definitely spending more time cooking, which is totally a good thing. We used to eat out at least twice a week, but being on the diet makes it less easy to do that. We do occasionally go to Subway or this Japanese place that we like, but other than that we pretty much eat at home. It save us money, keeps of the weight, but doesn't leave me much time or energy for other things. Anyway, I promise to be better. I actually had some time to stamp this past weekend so I will be sharing some of those items with you a little bit later. Right now, I wanted to point out the fact that Stampin' Up! is retiring some (I should say "a lot") of their sets. In the past, they have retired 150-180 sets, but since they will be switching to two catalogs this coming year, they retired 233 sets!!! I have to admit that I am really taking a beating. I'm not at home to officially count how many I have lost, but I can clearly see some of my favorites on the list - Gorgeous Grapes, Mixed Bouquet, Wonderful Words 2 ... oh, I think I need to go home and console them right away! Anyway, for those of you wanting to see the retirement list, just click here. They are sorted both alphabetically and by page. You will also note that there is a dormant list over to the right. These are sets that will not be shown in the next catalog, but will still be available for order. Just let me know if I can help you pick a set or two that you can't live without!

{ Out with the Old and In with the New! }

2007-04-11T14:25:00.000-04:00

Did you get enough of my sentimentalness (is that a word?) the other day? I gotta tell you, it's only getting worse as I realize that my Tercel is being towed away to be donated tomorrow *sniff*. I know that she will be doing lots of good for our charity of choice, Maryland Public Television, but I'm still sad to see her go.

On the positive side, we finally picked out and purchased a beautiful new car. We decided on a 2007 Honda Civic EX Sedan in Galaxy Grey. She looks just like the one shown below, except ours is a manual transmission and we will be adding fog lights, a moonroof visor, splash guards and door/fenderwell trims.

I have to admit that there is just something about this car ... she is so shiny and roomy, she smells so nice and - dare I say it - she is so sexy! I know that I will continue to miss my sweet trusty little Tercel, but I am looking forward to many new great memories in our sleek and sexy (oh, I said it again!) little Civic! :-D

Oh, and now that this whole car researching/test driving/talking/shopping/negotiating thing is over, I am planning to *finally* getting back into my stamp room! I have a couple of sets that have yet to see ink - which is a sin in my book! I will be getting right on top of that just as soon as I get some sleep to recover from this past week!

{ Bad Little Blogger! }

2007-04-06T11:30:00.000-04:00

I know, I know, shame on me. I've been a bad little blogger. But, I promise that I have a good reason. I haven't gotten in the stamp room for a while because I've been running around like mad for the past week since we found out that a family member is on her death bed. She is very close to us and we are very sad to see her go. Here is what she looks like:

Don't laugh!!! We really are sad! This is a picture of a car that looks just like mine (minus the sunroof). She is a 1991 Toyota Tercel and is dearly loved. My sister bought this car for my mom back in 1995 or 1996 to force her to learn to drive a manual drive. She taught me to drive when I was 16 and I took her to college with me. She was always super reliable and handles beautifully. We kept thinking for years that she was gonna die and that this would be our last year with her, but she just kept on kicking! We were starting to think that she was invincible! But, on Monday my husband said that she was making some awful noises. A mechanic confirmed that her engine is on it's last legs. To quote my husband "she could blow out a rod at any moment" - when I asked what that meant in "wife" terms, he said that "her engine can die at any moment." Sad, huh? I didn't think that it would effect me all that much since this is about a car, but I have to admit that I'm sadder about this than I ever thought I would be. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm not crying or anything, but I do feel a slight pain somewhere inside whenever I think about it.

Anyway, (now that you think I'm a little crazy) since Monday, we've been spending every waking moment researching cars, looking at them, talking about them, and test driving them. It has been a very hard decision. Ick. Especially for us because as you can tell, we keep cars for as long as they are kicking! We want to make sure that we pick a safe, comfortable car that is reliable and well-made. We've narrowed it down a bit, but we're still mostly undecided. We mostly like the Honda Civic, but we're also considering the Honda Civic Hybrid, the Toyota Prius, the Honda Accord and the Hyundai Sonata. Thankfully, Hubby and I work *sorta* close together so we've just been carpooling this week. We're pretty sure we can hold out for another couple of weeks, but I hope that we can make a good, solid, comfortable decision soon. It's been really difficult and we haven't even gotten to the negotiations yet! So, I'm not sure when I'll be getting back into the craftroom, but I sure hope soon. I think a creative session is just what I need to get rid of some of this stress and sadness!

{ You have more creativity in your little finger ... " }

2007-03-27T14:14:00.001-04:00

"... than I ever will in my whole body!"

I can't tell you how many times I've heard that! I've always been a little crafty, whether it was making beading jewlery, friendship bracelets, collages, scrapbooking or stamping! I was always doing something with my hands. Whenever I would give a handmade gift to someone, that is what I would often hear! I am humbled by the phrase and often blush, but I also find it to be a little funny. I mean, it just reminds me how there are so many levels of "creative" or "talented" in the world. Someone may think that I am the most creative person, but I know that I am not and am often blown away by other people and think the same of them, but they probably feel like I do and admire someone else's work - KWIM? It's just a little funny. Case and point, below are two collections of shapes that *other* people came up with for the SU! punches. I found these on SCS, ofcourse. The first one showcases animals and was put together by "TXTORNADOINAZ." I just love that you can make all these animals with just punches ... I don't think that I ever would have thought to combine them in this way! The second one was put together by "Forget-me-not" and shows all the different ways that the new Round Tab punch (which can be seen in the Spring Mini) can be used. Can you believe that I one punch can be used in so many different ways?

I just can't get over it. I think that these ideas are *amazing.* I couldn't have come up with all of these if I sat for a week and tried! These ladies are truly creative and talented. I guess it just goes to show that while you are busy admiring someone else's work, someone is admiring yours! :-D

{ Another tin! }

2007-03-27T10:58:00.000-04:00

I just *love* these things! They are so versatile! This is a paint can tin from Michaels. The paper is also from Michaels - it was on sale, but look at just how perfect it is for this! The other paper is SU!'s Lavender Lace and the letter is SU!'s Monogram M that is stamped in Pretty in Pink and then trimmed down to fit on the tin. I just used Mod Podge to put the paper onto the tin, then Mod Podged over the top to protect the paper. The ribbon is SU!'s pink, white and taupe grosgrain and silver narrow organdy. I just glued it on with SU! liquid glue and just tied some to the handle.

I made this tin for my sister not too long ago. I am collecting things to eventually start a scrapbook for my niece and I wanted a place that my sister could put notes that she jot down of anything she'd like to remember or to collect any items she wants to put in the book. I just love how this turned out! :-D

{ ohmigoodness! }

2007-03-20T17:08:00.000-04:00

Check out this beauty! This is the Egg & Muffin Toaster from Back to Basics. This thing seems *amazing* and I've told the hubby that I NEED one!! This baby will steam an egg and warm up pre-cooked meat and toast bread all at the same time so you can assemble it into a sandwich when you are done and have a yummy, quick (4 minutes, according to the website) breakfast! I've read a ton of reviews about it on Amazon (who, by-the-way have it on sale right now for $39 with free shipping!) and there seems to be only one defect with it, but that has now been fixed by the company. All the other issues with the item seem minor. I mean, how could you go wrong - who doesn't like a nice, warm, yummy and fast breakfast sandwich? And, did I mention that it cooks with steam and only a touch of non-stick spray ... hello, can we say healthy? And really, can you put a price tag on health? Oh, and don't let me forget to mention that we are starting that diet on Friday ... this would help greatly with the diet! That's it ... my mind is made up ... Hubby and I need to get this and test it out for Christmas/Birthday presents ... yeah, that's it, this is all in the name of gifts for others. Now, did any of this convince you? I ask because I need to know if it'll work on the hubby! *wink*

***UPDATE 3/21/07*** This thing is amazing!!! Yesterday around 11 am (obviously a while before I posted this) I showed this to everyone at work and my boss loved it so much that he had me purchase one for him from Amazon. Well, would you believe that it got here around 10 am today - using their free UPS Ground shipping option! Whoa! I ran down to 7-Eleven and bought everything I needed to make some yummy sandwiches. The only thing was that they did not have non-stick spray, so I had to get just plain vegetable oil. Anyway, I made two sandwiches and shared them with some of my co-workers and all of them were in awe! The sandwiches were *perfect.* The toast was nice and toasty and the egg was cooked all the way through and the lunch meat turkey ham was nice and hot! I just placed the cheese between a slice of bread and hot ham and it melted perfectly. Ya know, all my co-workers (except my boss who obviously was excited enough to buy the machine) were making fun of me yesterday for being so enthusiastic, but today they were all silent! :-D They all think that I must be getting commission from the company or something! I swear that I'm not, I just love it when something works the way I imagine/want it to and makes life just that much easier.

{ Name Frames and Life Organization }

2007-03-20T14:24:00.000-04:00

Well, now is later. I thought I'd share with you the gifts that I made for the younger crowd for Christmas (as mentioned in the previous post) - Name Frames! I *love* making these! The only real stamping involved is the letters, but they are just SO easy and fun to make! :-D Truly, the hardest part of making these is finding the right sized frame. I think making these seems pretty self-explanatory - you just stamp the letters of the name you want to use, cut them out (I used both tag-shaped and plain squares in the examples above) and then just play around with them until you get them in a position that you like, then just embellish away! If that doesn't make sense, or if you have a more specific question, please do not hesitate to comment here and I'll get an answer to you ASAP!

Anyway, so remember how I was talking yesterday about life being so hectic ... well, my husband and I have been talking recently about how now that we have moved to a big city from our slow Southern life, we have been so caught up with working and the commute that the house has seemed to just slip away from us. And no, we do not like this development. Our attempts at getting things organized and clean have been futile. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's not like we're rolling around in piles of dirt, dirty dishes/laundry or anything like that. It's just that we have a few dust bunnies lying around, some mounds of cluttered paper that need to be put away and we haven't vacuumed in like a month. I mean, what we've been doing for 3 years that we have been living together is to clean on the weekend days and hangout/do things during the weekday and weekend evenings. Well, here in the big city since we don't get home until late, so it is hard to go out in the evenings. Hubby said that he wants to make more weekend outings so we can really enjoy some of the entertainment here in the big city. However, in order to do those things on the weekend, we can't really get any cleaning done. So, in Clara organizing fashion, I have developed a plan of attack. For everyday of the week I have given each of us a small job. For example, on Tuesdays, I will clean our 3 bathrooms and Hubby will take out the trash and polish our dining and living room tables. I figure if we take on one job a day it will only be about an hour a day verses the half or whole day that we are used to spending on the weekend. Our hope is that we will become more productive during the week so as to free up our weekends for fun activities - like stamping! I'm very excited about the plan. This routine in combination with going back on Weight Watchers on Friday (and Hubby will be doing it with me) really makes me feel in control of myself and the things around me for the first time in a long time. I have come to realize that I am a creature of habit. I crave routine, organization and structure ... one might even say that I require it. Without it, I just feel like I'm floating around aimlessly in space ... KWIM? Anyway, I'm not sure how the hubby will take to all this organization being that he is more of a free spirit than I am, but I guess we'll see. I'm really excited and I'll keep you updated on how everything goes! :-D

{ Grapes and Life's Craziness }

2007-03-19T11:14:00.000-04:00

Man this week has been BUSY! Life can just get so hectic, can't it? My mom came into town so I was spending my evenings and weekend with her, which mean no stamping! Uh. I really think that I am going through withdrawls. It seems like my stamping sessions are getting fewer and farther in between. It just seems like life has just gotten crazier since moving up here. I guess before Hubby and I just had each other, a few friends and a few select things to do in our Southern small town, but now, we have lots of family nearby and tons of big city options! Anyway, since I couldn't get into my craft room, I thought I would share these coasters and trivets that I made back during Christmas. Money was kind of tight this year since we had the move and because we had to go a couple months on only one income. So, I made these sets for everyone. All the adults (the kids/young adults got different gifts, but I'll show those another time) got 4 coasters and 2 trivets but all were a different design. This one was my favorite. I think the tumbled marble tiles with the grapes gives this set a very Tuscan feel. I used one of my favorite sets - Gorgeous Grapes. I *LOVE* it!!! These beautiful grapes are so versitle - guy or girl, sophisticated or fun, simple or ornate, modern or antique, it just doesn't matter! Anyway, these are super easy to make! All you need is some tumbled marble tiles (I got mine from Lowes - I think they're called Bottocino), Stazon ink, your stamps and something to put on the back of the tiles to protect your table - I used cork shelf liner, but you could also use felt, those little rubber feet, even the scrap left-overs from when you cut-out your stamps! Here is how you make them:

Get a damp cloth and wipes your tiles clean. They tend to have dust and dirt on them.

Let them dry for 24 hours or bake them at 325 degrees for 20 minutes and wait until cool

Stamp your images onto the tiles with Stazon ink. You can use SU! craft ink, but then you have to use a sealant on the tiles which makes them unasorbable (is that a word? oh well, you get my drift)

Bake the tiles at 325 degrees for 20 minutes and wait until cool

Adhere your protective backing

That's it - quick, easy, cheap and FUN! I *love* making these for a real *WOW* sorta gift! :-D

As for my week ... my Mom came in on the 13th to take care of me when I went to the while I was at the hospital on the 14th (everything is fine, I just had to have some tests run to get a good all-around check up) and she ended up staying until yesterday. Hubby was going to take me to the hospital himself, but he would have had to take half a day off and my Mom isn't working right now, so she offered to come do it instead. It was really nice seeing her. We found a local Thai market, which was wonderful. I've been shopping at a local Asian store, H-Mart. While they do carry some Thai food, it is mostly Korean and some Japanese. But oh is their produce fresh - yum! We even did what Mom and Daughters do best - clothes shopping! My Dad had some airmiles left on one of his credit cards and couldn't use them before they expire, so he cashed them out for their dollar value in a Gap giftcard, so my Mom took me on a mini shopping spree. Isn't it funny that I am a grown adult and even married, but my Mom still comes to take care of me when I'm "sick" and my parents still buy me clothes? hahahaha I just love it!

My mom also went with me this weekend to get yet another bridesmaid dress. This will mark the 5th wedding, besides my own, that I have been in ... wow. Anyway, the dress to the right is for the wedding of one of my oldest and best friends, Virgina. I don't know why the two pieces look different colors in the picture, but they are supposed to be the same color, buttercup (which is more like the color on the skirt).

The dress was purchased from Davids Bridal, the "Make and Match" collection. Virginia picked the color and the skirt (style number 8730) but let us pick any shirt we wanted as long as it was the same color. That's why I had to have my Mom come with me. There were 2 that I liked, but I needed her opinion so I would be sure to get the one that looked best on me. We chose this v-neck one (style number 81331). It looks *so* cute. When I got married in 2005, my dresses also came from Davids Bridal, but I gotta tell you, they have *MUCH* cuter options now then they did back then (I say that as if it was so long ago, don't I?). I got married in July in San Diego and wanted to get strappy short dresses for my girls, but there just weren't any really cute ones. I ended up picking a beautiful red color (Davids Bridal's "Apple" - they still have it) and let them pick any style that they wanted. It worked, but I would have much prefered something like what I got for Virgina's wedding. Anyway, too cute. I think I would totally wear it again say to another wedding (if I ever get just invited without having to be in it!) or to a fancy dinner party or something. I'm not much of a yellow person, though, so we'll have to see.

Anyway, that was my week in a nutshell. I will hopefully get into my craft room in the next couple of days and have something new to show you! Thanks for looking! :-D

{ Stampin' Up! Is Even On YouTube! }

2007-03-12T13:03:00.000-04:00

I recently joined YouTube and decided to see if there was anything Stampin' Up! related. I have to admit that I didn't expect to find anything - but I did!! It just reminds me of how well-known Stampin' Up! becoming. I mean, I joined in October of 2005 and we were only located in the US and Canada. Last year, we ventured to Australia, and this year, we're in New Zealand. There is even talk of us going to England and/or France next. How amazing is that? More and more people are learning about this great company and their wonderful products! Gotta love it! :-D

Anyway, back to YouTube - most of the videos on there were not so great or didn't really serve much of a purpose, but I did find five videos by one lady, Linda Heller, who did an amazing job! You can see the videos here. I think that this is a great idea! Now, I wonder if I can talk the hubby into buying a video camera just so I can make some tutorials of my own?

{ I Heart My Crop-A-Dile }

2007-03-09T09:29:00.000-05:00

I really am in love with this thing ... and I hate to be so in love with a non-SU! item, but I just can't help it! This thing is amazing. It cuts through cardstock of any thickness, chipboard, fabric, and I'm told even tin - Whoa! I've even heard that they're going to start making them in lime instead of pink ... wish I would've known about that before ... well, maybe not ... I needed this tool yesterday, not tomorrow, ya know? Oh, and not to mention the best part - that it sets eyelet and snaps in no time and with *no* noise! I have always loved the look of eyelets but also always hated setting them - especially because my crafting desk has a glass top (yes, I know, not the wisest choice). Plus, there are no loose pieces to keep up with - well, unless you count the instructions, which you will totally need until you can memorize all the correct settings (which I have yet to do, so don't ask me!). I combat this by keeping a pdf version on my computer to pull up at any time. It can be found here. I've also been told that a demonstration of the tool can be seen here, but I have yet to see it with my own eyes as the video has been unavailable the past couple of times I tried to see it. Anyway, this thing is great. If you don't have one, it is totally worth it. It retails for about $25, but of course, you can always use your 40% off coupon like I did. I think I ended up only paying like $17 for it - which is completely worth it's weight in gold just so I never have to hear the hammering, pounding and banging ever again! :-D

{ Sweet Simplicity }

2007-03-08T23:07:00.000-05:00

This is another card from my stampin frenzy last week. I am especially proud of this one. It is very JulieHRR-ish to me. I made this card for my sister, who likes everything clean, simple and uncluttered. I made her a mix of different cards, but this is the one that made her stop for a moment and take a second look.

I am also very happy to say that nothing about this card is CASEd (Copy And Share with Everyone). I pulled it all out of my own little mind! I mean, it's not that I CASE all my cards, but I usually sit down to stamp and, being uninspired, I end up pulling a color scheme, layout, or some other sort of inspiration from another card. But, this card, simple though it may be, came from my own little head ... and not only does my sister love it, but so do I.

{ Happy Birthday Kristen! }

2007-03-04T20:05:00.000-05:00

One of my best girlfriends, Kristen, has a birthday on the 8th. I have been putting off making her something but finally sat down Friday to put this together. The set includes:

Decorated tin
10 cards with envies
Bookmark
Post-it note holder
Little flip notebook
Matching pen
Dividers for her to use in the tin once she empties it

I have to admit that there wasn't much stamping. I used patterned paper from Target to make these. The only SU! items that I used were some punches, embellishments, vanilla paper/envies and a few stamps that were some of the greetings on the cards. The cards were made with what is called a "One Sheet Wonder" (OSW). It is when you stamp all over one sheet of paper and then cut it into various pieces with other solid colors to mix and match to make a set of cards. In this case, I didn't stamp on one sheet, I just used one sheet of already decorated paper. I love doing these and am probably a little too addicted to them. Whenever I need to make a set of cards for someone, I typically do one of these. It goes a little quicker since you don't have to think about 10 different layouts and since you are stamping all over one sheet, it takes out some of the stamping time. The template that I used for this set was designed by LeeAnn Greff and can be found here. There are lots of other templates out there, but so far, hers is the only one that I have used. I like how she has it set up where you can just print straight onto the sheet of paper. This way, I don't have to measure or think - just cut on the lines. I guess I'm just spoiled!

Anyway, back to Friday ... it was so much fun to sit down and work on a project and let the creative mojo take me wherever. I was just crafting away and listening to some music when I looked up and couldn't believe that 4 (yes, FOUR) hours had passed!!! It was so worth it, though. I am really happy with how this turned out and I think (and hope) that she will really like them! I know I did - I almost didn't send them to her! *devilish grin*

{ Always a Bridesmaid, Only Once a Bride ... }

2007-03-03T22:32:00.000-05:00

... I guess that's a good thing, right? Well, at least the "right" way, huh?

My sister and I went to try on bridesmaids dresses today ... woo-hoo. Here is what it looks like:

This is style number 8033 from Jasmine Bridal in Lavender Ice. My sister is wearing the same dress, but in "Sage." On top of the dress being over-priced, I also *hate* trying these things on! I know from prior experience that these things run small, but still. I mean, where do they come up with these sizes? I know that womens sizes are already a little wacky being that arbitrary numbers are just assigned to set of measurements, but the dress was 4 sizes larger than the last pair of jeans that I bought. If our sizing system isn't going to be based on measurements (and I think that it should be), can't we standardize the sizes? I hate being one size in one brand and a completely different size in another brand. From my understanding, clothing companys created these random numbers in order to make women feel better about their sizes. In my opinion, I get more upset and depressed about being one size in one company and 4 sizes larger in another company than I think I would be if I was just one size all the time. Plus, we wouldn't have to constantly try on clothes because the measurements would all be the same. Am I the only one who feels this way?

{ I've Been Scalloped! }

2007-03-02T19:48:00.000-05:00

Okay, so over at SCS, everyone has been raving about the scalloped punches from Marvy. Marvy makes ovals, circles, and squares with scalloped edges and they are available in *several* different sizes. The most popular at the moment, and largest, being the "Giga" size. They also make regular, non-scalloped shapes to fit inside the scalloped one. Let me just give you some perspective - these things are so populat that Marvy can't make them fast enough, stores are having to waitlist people. I heard that most places have them backordered for another month - sometimes 2!!!

Anyway, someone posted this afternoon that JoAnns had some in stock, so I rushed over to look at them. I am really only interested in the ovals and circles. I know, I know, I am a square girl, so why not the squares? Well, something about scalloped squares just don't do it for me. Who knows, I could change my mind in a month (or day), but right now, I figured I'd concentrate on the ovals and circles. So, I go to JoAnns, and sure enough, all are in stock. I quickly call my hubby for permission to purchase these (at $20 a pop) and the coordinating centers (at $16 each). Of course, hubby was not impressed with the price. I tried to emphasise the urgency due to the lack of availablity, but he still didn't get it. Well, when I brought it up today that one of them (the Giga Scalloped Circle) is now *completely* out of stock, and if I wanted to get in on the others, I had to act quickly! He did give in, so I was able to get the Giga Scalloped Oval with the Mega Regular Oval (as can be seen here) and the Mega Regular Circle, but not the Giga Scalloped Circle (as can be seen here) since my hubby didn't let me order soon enough!!! Oh well, I have 3 out of 4, I'm happy. Besides, maybe when I finally find the Giga Scalloped Circle, I'll get the Square one to complete my set - and if hubby gives me any grief about it, I might just have to remind him that it's his fault that I didn't get it the first time around! ;-)

***UPDATE*** Nope, no such luck!! JoAnns emailed me on 3/5/07 to let me know that they no longer have the scallops in stock, so I have a Mega Oval and a Mega Circle but no accompanying scallops. *sad, pouty face* Oh well, I guess I'll just have to try again some other time ... I gotta tell ya, the hubby is really gonna hear it now! *wink*

{ So Gone, So Long ... }

2007-02-20T19:22:00.000-05:00

All images (c) Stampin' Up! Stamps: Love It and Warm Words, Paper: Barely Banana, Bashful Blue, Chocolate Chip, Vanilla and Spring Showers Ink: Chocolate Chip and Bashful Blue Accessories: Chocolate Grosgrain and a run-of-the-mill staple!

Okay, so I have only been able to get into my craft room once since I last posted - *GASP.* I know, I know. It's been really cold and I just need some good, old-fashioned R&R, so I pretty much loafed around the house getting only a few things done when I really needed to get many things done. Isn't that how it always goes?

I had a swap to complete so it forced me to do a little stampin, and once I got started, I so did not want to stop! I just love that my hobby continually keeps my creative juices flowing and keeps me wanting more ... more ... more! Well, my hubby (and bank account) might not like that last part! Anyway, I'm really happy with the way it turned out. Sometimes I complete a swap and am not entirely thrilled with the end result. I always try to do my best work for fellow stampers, but sometimes my stampin mojo just isn't working. I might be biased, but I think that this is the perfect example of when it is! :-D

{ Organizing and Stamps! }

2007-02-14T21:49:00.000-05:00

I didn't go to work today since a winter storm hit yesterday, leaving our street covered in an ice/snow/sand mush. Being from the South and not used to driving in this sort of thing, I thought it would be best for both me and other drivers to stay off the roads. It gave me the perfect opportunity to do a little organizing in my craft room! It's something that I've been wanting to do for a while now, but you know how time just tends to get away from you. Anyway, I *finally* was able to take all my scraps and split them up into color families: Soft Subtles, Earth Elements, Rich Regals, Bold Brights and Neutral/Pattern/Non-SU!. I think that this will help me actually use my scraps rather than just collecting them. I even am going to keep a little drawer of already punched-out shapes. So often, I get into the grove of punching this or that for a project, then decide to use a different color or not at all, so I end up with a lot of punched out shapes with no card to call home. Well, now they have their own little drawer. Hopefully, I will remember to look there.

I also got around to combining/labeling my stamp sets. There was a tread over on SCS about combining stamp sets. I had a couple already that were combined, but the thread gave me some ideas on other sets that I could combine. I was so excited by the extra room that I created for myself that I began to think that maybe some sets could go in smaller boxes - and I was right! I think I had 4 sets that could go into smaller boxes. I was able to really clear out a lot of space, and you know what that means ... room for *more* sets!!! Perfect timing, too. My hubby got me *STAMPS* for Valentines Day!! I know most girls would like flowers or chocolate or a romantic dinner, but my husband knows that I'm not like most girls (in many more ways than one!). For me, I want something that will last forever: stamps and jewelry!!! Either one makes me the happiest girl in the world! He even picked sets that I had decided to put in my next order! I will be getting: In My Thoughts, Supersize Symbols and Snowflake Spot! AND (as if that wasn't enough) since it is Sell-A-Bration, the order qualified and I was able to get another Just Delightful Simply Scrappin' Kit ... Yes! This kit is perfect for the scrapbook that I will *eventually* begin for my little niece, Madison. What a good day ... two of my favorite things: organizing and stamps! :-D

{ Browsin' Blogs }

2007-02-13T13:17:00.000-05:00

Well, I had hoped to get into my stamping room this past weekend to get some ink on some ink-less (*shock*) sets, but it just didn't happen. It was cold, so I stayed under the covers ... all weekend. Yes, I'm a bum. Oh well. I figured that I needed to add *something* soon, so I thought that I would post some other blogs that I find of particular interest and like to keep up with.

http://tayloredexpressions.blogspot.com/
Taylor VanBruggen keeps this blog. I just love her style. It is whimiscal and bright and fun. I want to do more work like this. I think she has a lot of fun with what she does, and it really shows.

http://kwernerdesign.com
This blog belongs to Kristina Werner. I just *love* her photography. If I could shoot pictures like she does, my scrapbooks would look so awesome ... well, once I actually scrap my photos into books! That's besides the point! My point is, I think that her photography actually *makes* the scrapbook page, not the other way around. I think that that is such a unique quality.

http://amusenews.typepad.com
Linda Carnell keeps this blog. She owns Amuse Stamps (http://www.amuseartstamps.com). I don't own any of her stamps yet, but hers are the only ones that I have seen other than those made by Stampin' Up that I truly *love*. Her blog has all her latest products (which I always drool over) and has some of the cuteist (is that a word?!) cards!

http://papertrufflez.typepad.com
This blog belongs to Julie Ebersole. I truly admire her work. Her work can be so simple that you don't feel intimidated by it. It's like, "Wow, that is so pretty, yet simple - I know can do that." Sometimes I think that we paper crafters try to over-embellish or over stamp a project to death and end up missing the simple, elegant beauty that the project could have had. Does that make sense?

http://debbiedesigns.typepad.com
This is the blog of Debbie Olsen. She is one of the best stampers that I have seen. Her work, like Julies, is very simple, elegant and beautiful!

***UPDATE*** Okay, well, I'm starting to browse more and more blogs and I can't just keep updating this one post, so as you can see, I have added a list of links over on the side of my blog. Just a bit of reorganization - hope this makes things a little easier!

{ First Picture! }

2007-02-08T13:51:00.000-05:00

All materials made by Stampin' Up! Sincere Saluations and I'm Here Stamp Sets,
Pretty In Pink, Whisper White and Chocolate Chip Cardstock, Chocolate Chip Ink
Pad, White Wide Organdy

My first picture post!!! Okay, so this isn't a new creation, but it is one of my favorites. This was the invitation that I made for the baby shower that I held in October 2006 for my sister for her first child.

{ New Beginnings ... }

2007-02-08T12:47:00.000-05:00

Well, I've decided to start a blog about my stamped creations in the hopes that it will make me want to stamp more. I hope to post a new creation on here at least every other day ... "hope" being the key word! :-D