Hi everyone!

I doubt anyone even reads this anymore, but here's a new project I just finished!

This book was covered using Pink Flamingo paper.  The only thing that is NOT Stampin Up is the flower....  The stamp set is Jumble Alphabet.

True Friend cards

For my mother's birthday, I made her a pack of these.  She had commented that she liked the color combo on something else I had made, so I went with that :)

This is Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Rub Red, and Chocolate Chip.  For the "flowers" I used the Rock-n-Roll technique :)  The patterned paper is retired.

More cards

OK, let's try to get some things posted.... It's been about 2 months since I posted anything creative!  YIKES!

So, here's a card I made.

Cute right?  Blush Blossom, Pale Plum, and Sage Shadow.  The stamp set is One of a Kind.

Technique cards

OK, the next 4 cards will be ones I created for my Technique class on Jan 30.  This first one is using the Crayon Resist technique.

The colors are Barely Banana, Pretty in Pink, and Chocolate Chip.  I sponged the Pretty in Pink on the Glossy White paper.  The stamp sets are Priceless and Cuddles & Tickles (retired).  I also used the Sweet Feet wheel (retired).  I did change all of the retired out for my class though :)

Snow....

If that's what you want to call this!  LOL  It started as I was taking Emma to school - around 7:45am and ended shortly after I took this pic - 8am!  LOL

Don't you SEE the accumulation?!?  OK, let me show you!  LOL  Squinch your eyes and look at the BASE of the bench legs (where it attaches to the deck).  NOW do you see it?  LOL  That was IT!  But if you look at the first pic, you can see it was coming down pretty hard!  Oh well, maybe another day (year! LOL)

Yikes!

No real crafty posts for the WHOLE month of February!  Sorry about that!  I'll try to post regularly about SOMETHING.... How's that work?  I plan to focus more on scrapbooking this month, but I'll try to take pics and post those too :)  Hey, I know!  I'll post the Stampin' Up updates you need to know here!  If you're a customer, please let me know that you are reading!  You can post anonymously.... just add your first name to the message, so I know who it is :)

I made this card for my father-in-law's birthday.  I took it down to show Michael and let him sign it.... Do you know WHERE I found it last night?  Take a guess....  Michael brought it BACK UPSTAIRS to my craft room!  LOL  A lot of good it did to make it!  His birthday was LAST week!

The colors are Perfect Plum, Sahara Sand, Night of Navy, Close to Cocoa, and Whisper White. I used the Misting technique on the Heartfelt Thanks flower.  The sentiment is from Elegant Cheer.

AMAZING blog to check out!

It's NOT stamping related (right now), but you REALLY should make Laura's blog a regular stop! http://lauraevangeline.blogspot.com/ Talk about insight into life in Iraq! I LOVE visiting her site!

Smile!

OK, I normally don't post things like this, but the story is SO amazing!  Take a look!  I saw this on someone else's blog.

Diary gift

Well, since the class was cancelled this weekend and I promised to have new stuff for you on Monday, here's the diary I made for Emma to give as a gift to a friend next weekend!

I bought the paper, ribbon, AND composition book at Walmart. The paper pack came with the 3D flower and the sticker letters. I also punched out a frame that came with the pack. I added tape to the back, and put directions for them to add a pic :)

Enjoy!

New addition!

Well, since I don't have anything crafty to share, I thought I'd share the newest addition to our family! Meet Cody!He's a mutt! LOL We KNOW that he's terrier, shi-tzu, dachsund, chow, lab, but there may be more! LOL He's SUCH a sweet snuggle buddy!

Oops!

Well, I'm busted! LOL I don't have anything to post today! I DO have about 6 cards I need to make, but I've been swamped.... OK, so I DID make ONE card in the last couple days, but I can't show it to you NOW ;) It's for the technique class on Sunday! If you're reading this and would like to join us, we're meeting at my house this Sunday (Feb 15) at 4pm. We'll make 3 cards (1 per technique) and get the directions on each technique for $15! E-mail me if you are interested!

Glittery U

Well, I'm going to go ahead and post this since Michael NEVER looks at my blog (of course, I say that and this will be the first time he'll check it LOL)!  When I asked Michael what he wanted on his Valentine's Day card, he said "U".  I know this isn't what he meant, but I had to!  LOL

VERY simple (notice a theme?)  Creamy Caramel base, Rose Red mat, Whisper White, and Sticky cut letter with light blue glitter.  I HOPE he'll keep it on his toolbox at work ;)

Heartfelt Misting

This one was fun to make!  I tried a new layout and like how it turned out!

I didn't get a good picture of the card closed, but the picture above is of the flap closed.  For the main image, I sprayed the stamp with water.  For the flap cover, I sprayed the paper, then stamped!  The colors are Handsome Hunter, Ruby Red, So Saffron, Very Vanilla, and Cameo Coral.

Always masking

Now this one.... My second try at masking.... I LOVE IT!  LOL

VERY simple, but SO pretty!  Colors are Whisper White, Real Red, and Basic Black.

Masking Camper

OK, I made this card and I think it's nice, but I have to say, besides the colors, I am NOT loving this card!

See!  The colors are Creamy Caramel, Handsome Hunter, Close to Cocoa, Very Vanilla, and Chocolate Chip.  I masked the camper, then stamped the trees.  The trees didn't stamp well, so I had to stamp over them again.  THEN I tried to add a sun in the corner, but I overdid it and ended up covering it with this tag.  SO not pleased with this!

Eat Cake

Well, I LOVE this card (OK, the colors are the BIG pull for me!)  Jean (Bizet at Splitcoaststampers) did an AMAZING job on hers! I just hope mine is HALF as good as hers!  SO check mine out below, then head over to Jean's gallery and take a look at ALL her creations!

I used Eat Cake (retired) for the image.  The colors are Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink and Whisper White.  I added the dots with a white gel pen and the brads were from the Target $ spot a few years ago.

Last one of mine for now

We should be back to my CASEd cards on Monday.  If not, I HOPE to have something posted by then....  Aren't you SO proud of me for posting the ENTIRE month of January?  So I cheated a LITTLE and pre-wrote ALL of these, but hey, I got them done, right?  In case I DON'T get back, just know that Emma is in Cheerleading, Basketball, Sparks, school, and girl scouts.  And around that we have to visit family, start soccer practice, start ANGELO'S soccer, keep the house clean, eat, and other day-to-day stuff!  ARGH!  LOL

This card uses Pretty in Pink as the base, Rose Red My large square and the sentiment (Warm Words - retired) are Rose Red.  The DSP is Ski Slope (from the Holiday 08 mini - no longer available) and the snowflakes are also from the Holiday 08 mini - Felt Flurries.  The envelope is stamped with images from Snow Flurries (retired).

Hope to see you Monday!

Back to mine!

Just for a few days!  These are a couple Christmas cards I made to send to Canada.  And of course, to stretch these out and make a WHOLE MONTH of posts, you'll get one today and one tomorrow!  Aren't you proud of me?!?!  LOL

VERY much in LOVE with this card!  I didn't want to give it away!  The base is Baja Breeze. The large square is Kiwi Kiss and the small squares are from Holiday Wishes (fate currently OK, but when this posts, it may already be retired) and one of them is from Ski Slope (Holiday Mini, unavailable after January 18).  The ribbon is the Kiwi Kiss/Very Vanilla satin ribbon.  The sentiment (Warm Words - retired January 19) is stamped in Chocolate Chip craft ink and embossed with clear embossing powder.

Crabby Baja

Dotti (stampindoll at SCS) made the CUTEST card for her grandson's birthday, so I HAD to CASE it!  LOL  She used a template to make her clouds, but I sponged on Whisper White craft ink randomly for mine....  And she used the Sandy Shells wheel for the beach (I sponged on Creamy Caramel ink and stamped the starfish from Crab & Company stamp set).  So, go take a look at her SCS Gallery (check out the Criss-cross wedding card and the Celebrate the Sea!)

My base is Baja Breeze, the beach is Close to Cocoa, and the images were stamped on Very Vanilla.  I water colored them with radom colors that I felt looked like what color they should be...  The hardest part was cutting them all out!

True Baja Friends

I LOVED this one SO much I cased it almost exactly!  I think my measurements were a little off (and I didn't have any small Cup-a-Soup packets, so hot cocoa it is!), but other than that you MAY not see a difference between Suzie's (Suzie7112 on SCS) and mine!  She has a great SCS gallery with a plethora of ideas, techniques, and styles!  Go take a look!

The base is Baja Breeze, stamped with On the Spot (retired) in Baja Breeze.  I added my sentiment (Warmest Regards - retired) to the top.  Then I stamped my image in Baja Breeze and added some color to it with Pumpkin Pie and matted the whole this on Pumpkin Pie. I added some Whisper White ribbon and was done!

Heartfelt Linen

Jennifer (jenstampnator at SCS) made a great monochromatic card with this layout, so I tried to do the opposite!  LOL  I used the BRIGHTEST colors I could find!  Jennifer has a nice SCS Gallery with a BUNCH of great ideas!  Go take a look!

Well, neither of these pictures is the BEST, but you get the idea!  My base is Whisper White and I layered a piece of Linen Prints DSP (retired) on that, stamped my sentiment (Best Yet - Hostess set, retired) in Chocolate Chip craft ink, and embossed it with clear embossing powder.  The image was created/colored using the chalkboard technique.  The colors are Taken with Teal and Old Olive.  Then I added a bow using White Organdy ribbon (retired).  VERY pretty (if I do say so!  LOL)

Enjoy!

Eat Linen Prints

OK, that title did NOT come out lik I wanted!  But it'll do for now....  Anyway, I LOVED how this card came out too!  I chose it mainly for the layout, since I wanted to make cards everyone could use for ANYONE.  And Susan's (safkef on SCS) layout was PERFECT, but again, I was limited by the supplies on hand.  She has a small SCS gallery, but her ideas are HUGE!  Please stop by there and give her some comment LOVE!

OK, I used a Very Vanilla base for this one, layered it with some Linen Prints Designer Series Paper (DSP - retired), then, using marker direct to stamp, stamped the cake (Eat Cake - retired) on Very Vanilla.  The candles are stamped in Chocolate Chip and Apricot Appeal.  Since I don't have the corner ticket punch, I fudged and used my circle punch on the corners.  That is matted on MORE Linen Prints DSP and the corners are done the same as the first.  And finally, the sentiment is stamped under the cake using Pink Passion.  And this is ANOTHER card my family LOVED (they're all gone!)

Don't forget to visit Susan's gallery!  See you on Monday!

Goodness!

I am SO SORRY everyone! The Tart & Tangy card I posted yesterday was actually made by Debbie (Crafty Turtle) NOT Amy. I thought I had checked all of these to make sure they weren't RAKs.... I hope she doesn't mind me posting this.... You can visit her SCS gallery at http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=113948

It's amazing the wonderful galleries you come across doing a project like this! She also has some great stuff on her blog too! http://mylittlecraftingcorner.blogspot.com/

Snappy Birthday

How CUTE is that saying?!?!  And Marsha's (Marshaspeck50 on SCS) card was too cute NOT to case!  I ADORED it!  And apparently my family agreed, since this is ANOTHER one I have NONE left of, so my description of supplies may be sketchy.... She has a wonderful selection in her gallery and her blog is inspirational!  Please visit both and leave her some comments to show her how much you enjoy her creations.

ANOTHER set I LOVE (I guess that's wh I signed up as a demo!  LOL) - Crab & Company.  My base is Chocolate Chip and I stamped my first layer in Wild Wasabi (retired In Color) using the On the Spot background stamp (retired).  I also added a band of Groovy Guava double-stitched ribbon under my image.  Next I stamped my image's mat in Groovy Guava using the Canvas background stamp (retiring January 19).  Then I stamped my crab (Crab & Company - retiring January 19) and clam on Very Vanilla in Close to Cocoa and colored the crab using the Rose Red marker and a blender pen.  The clam is Creamy Caramel, but I "colored sloppy" to give it that real look (it's a dog clam after all).  For the "sky" I used the blender pen with a bashful blue marker and the "sand" is the same Creamy Caramel, but with the blender pen.  Finally I added my sentiment (stamped in Chocolate Chip on Very Vanilla, rounded corners, inked edges in Chocolate Chip, and stapled a piece of Wild Wasabi ribbon to the top) and 3 Very Vanilla buttons.

And again, if ANYONE has any coloring tips, please let me know!

Soft Tart & Tangy Sky

I TOLD ya'll I LOVE this set!  This one I found in Amy's gallery (AmylovesNormaJean on SCS).  Very cute and easy to make!  I made each one with a different fruit on it and the envelope was stamped with a different fruit than the card!  Please visit Amy's SCS gallery AND her blog!

The base on this is Soft Sky (retired In Color).  The band is Wild Wasabi (also retired In Color).  I wrapped in with Real Red Striped Grosgrain ribbon and the scallop circle is also in Real Red.  Then I colored the stamps using marker direct to stamp.  VERY cute!  Thank you Amy for the idea!

Fresh Poppin' pastels

I have to admit, when I got Fresh Cuts, I wasn't tha crazy about it.  But when I saw Katie's (KRESOP2662) card, I fell in LOVE!  Please go visit her SCS gallery and enjoy her beautiful creations!

This picture does NOT do these justice!  I LOVE these!  The base is Sahara Sand and the blue piece on the left is Baja Breeze.  I stamped the flowers in Pacific Point and Baja Breeze.  THEN I stamped the large image on Whisper White with Versamark.  I used the Poppin' Pastels to color the image with Mellow Moss, Bashful Blue, and Pretty in Pink (on 3 of the 4).  The ribbon is the YUMMY taffeta ribbon in Whisper White and Mellow Moss.  And the image was them matted on Pacific Point.

ALL of these supplies are current!

Big Soft Sky

I LOVE this one too!  LOL  I guess that's why I picked all of these - because I LOVE them!  I SO wish I had the sheer ribbon that Amanda (acable on SCS) used on her card!  But once again I was limited to what I had on hand, so I want to REMIND ALL of my family HOW MUCH I love them - I used up almost ALL of my RETIRED Chocolate Chip SATIN ribbon to make these!  Please visit Amanda's SCS gallery and her blog!  She's a fellow NC resident!

I wish I could post this as EXTRA LARGE!  It's SO pretty!  This is the Big Blossom (retired) stamp that was part of Sale-a-bration a few years back.  I loved it then, loved it when I used it to stamp Emma's walls, and love it now!  The base is Chocolate Chip, next layer is Baja Breeze with the sentiment stamped in the same, then the Soft Sky Big Blossom stamped on Very Vanilla.  Then I punched 2 holes in the middle of the blossom and threaded the ribbon to be tied.

And a few tips - I cut the Very Vanilla to the size of a card front before stamping to minimize the amount of paper used.  Also, I suggest to anyone getting a card with a dark base like this that they cut a piece of copy paper to the 4.25x5.5 size and write on that.  This has 2 purposes - first, obviously, is so the writing can be read, and second, the card can be RE-USED!  I actually do this with ALL my card, no matter the base color!

Some reminders!

This weekend is your LAST CHANCE to order any retiring stamp sets OR accessories! There is still a LOT of accessories available! Let me know if you need anything and I'll look to see if it's available.


Also, the Sampler Stamp promotion ends Sunday. That's where if you spend $20, you can get any stamp set from the Fall/Winter Sampler for 20% off!

The Love You Much Bundle (Love you much stamp set, Candy Lane DSP, and Heart to Heart punch for $41.48 - 20% off) is available until the end of the month. That means it can be added to the mystery hostess order next Friday.... AND it would get you a chance at the hostess benefits!

The inventory blowout also ends Sunday! There are some good deals on there!

And finally, I would suggest, since my schedule this weekend is CRAZY (Emma's in cheerleading AND Basketball at Temple Baptist! YIKES!), that unless it can wait for the mystery hostess order next Friday, you place your order online through my website! Maybe you can go in with a few others (place it under one name) and make it worth it

Have a GREAT weekend!

Turquoise Paisley

Here's ANOTHER SCS member who does great work and needs to add more to her gallery - Gwen (gizmonl66)!  Most of the changes I made here were, again, due to lack of supplies on my part.  But I guess that's how we each make things our own.....

I used Polka Dots & Paisleys (retired) and Warmest Regards (also retired).  The colors I used are Tempting Turquoise and Basic Black.  I also added 2 photo corners to each image and stapled on a piece of Whisper White grosgrain ribbon.  I WAS going to add the detail to the paisleys like Gwen did, but my gel pen started acting up.....

Priceless Thinking

Well, apparently this design is popular!  LOL I CASEd this from Sara (saraeddy321 on SCS).  I did the same as Sara and changed the colors.  I liked Sara's colors, but wanted something bright.... I LOVE the color combo I came up with!  Take a look, then head over to Sara's SCS gallery and take a look, then leave her some comments encouraging her - she makes GREAT stuff!

The base is Sahara Sand (my Neutral color of the month this month!).  The other paper is Wild Wasabi (retired).  I then stamped the images and sentiment (from Priceless) in Regal Rose and inked the edges of the Whisper White in Groovy Guava.

Food for thought.....

Here's an interesting post as to how our military feels about our upcoming President.  Scary to think what some have done (voted for him) in the interest of our troops when it's NOT what they wanted.....  Oh and Laura's blog is GREAT!  I LOVE to read her new posts!

http://lauraevangeline.blogspot.com/2009/01/day-41-obama-headlines.html

Fresh Le Jardin

I liked this card SO MUCH when I saw it that I changed VERY little!  Lori (Lori Lynn Washburn at SCS) did such a WONDERFUL job!  I had to change a few things due to supplies on hand, but if I could have, it would've been an EXACT replica!  Lori has an impressive SCS gallery and a beautiful blog!

This card uses Soft Sky as the base and Le Jardin DSP.  I used Fresh Cuts with Always Artichoke ink.  I also inked the edges using of the image, but I can't remember what color I used... And apparently this is another one my family LOVED because I have NONE left!  I also added Always Artichoke ribbon where Lori used Vanilla wide grosgrain.  But she had those beautiful LARGE eyelets and I didn't have any THAT big :(  Anyway, enjoy and go take a look at Lori's gallery and blog!

Legislation needs action taken NOW!

I try to steer clear of ANYTHING politics related, but this is a serious problem that we ALL need to be aware of!  I tried to send this as an e-mail, but my webmail was acting up....

We as parents need to contact our congressmen about the new Consumer Product Safety Act. It was meant to protect our children from the drama of the last few years (MANY toys and clothes being recalled), but it's also going to put ALL non-profit and small thrift stores out of business! You can read about it here - http://www.duanemorris.com/alerts/alert2940.html


The basics of the law state that anything that is made for the intent to sell to a child (those 12 and under) MUST have a certificate stating that it is lead free. This is a good thing, BUT for those who own thrift stores or consignment shops, this means they will have to throw out EVERYTHING in their stores or pay $4000 PER PRODUCT (this was just one estimate given) to have it tested!

PLEASE contact your local congressman and urge them to modify this bill to exclude any items made before the enactment date - February 10.

Oh and for those who think this won't apply to you - this also means you cannot sell used toys/clothes in yard sales! And the fine for selling these items you ask? $10,000 PER INSTANCE!

Simple and Elegant

This one has an interesting story.  I found it in Sandra's (sjt09 on SCS) gallery, made notes about it, and packed it to work on during my recent trip to SC.  I didn't get a chance to work on ANYTHING on the way down (gotta LOVE those NC roads!), but on the way back we hit some traffic, so I was able to work!  Anyway, Michael thought it was hilarious that I was stamping in the truck!  So, please visit Sandra's SCS gallery.  And while there, encourage her to post more cards!  She has some great things in there.

Isn't this the BEST?!?  Now, she used a beautiful Cuttlebug embossing folder, but I don't have one of those, so this was my interpretation :)  VERY easy - Whisper Whire and Brocade Blue!  Oh and the stamp set is One of a Kind.  Enjoy!

Girl Scout cookies!

Emma is now a Daisy (Kindergarten Girl Scout)!  Her troop is selling cookies, so if you are interested in purchasing some, please let me know!  Thanks!

Always Groovy

This one was a challenge for me!  The colors were (to me) a nice combo, but not something I would go with.  BUT once I got started, I couldn't STOP!  LOL  I like how this turned out and apparently my family did too as I have NONE of these left!  This was from Terry (Terrore3 on SCS).  She has a HUGE, amazing SCS Gallery and a blog as well with great inspiration on it!

Colors are Groovy Guave (retired), Kiwi Kiss (current In Color), and Very Vanilla.  I also used some of my NEW (LOVE IT!) Kiwi Kiss/Very Vanilla Satin ribbon!  The stamp set is Always and the "flowers" at the bottom are from Little Pieces (retired).

Oh and I just noticed my sloppy photography - the chair showing through my cardboard "light box" (NOT) and the SU DSP label showing in the corner.  Please forgive these..... It was late when I took these and it's late now (I'm scheduling these).  I'll try to fix them another day....

Real Tart & Tangy

OK, when I saw Connie's (kittykat on SCS) Tart and Tangy Oranges, I LOVED it! As most of you know, Tart and Tangy is one of my FAVORITE sets! It's SO versatile! Anyway, Connie's was nice, and I could've EASILY done one for each fruit, but I LOVE Real Red with this set, so I changed it up a little. Take a look! And while you're at it, stop by Connie's SCS gallery or her blog!

The patterned paper is retired. The scallop circles are Wild Wasabi (retired) and the sentiment is in Basic Black. I also stamped each envelope with a different fruit from the set! They nust've been a hit because I only have ONE left!

See you back here on Monday! Have a great weekend!

Heartfelt Le Jardin

OK, this one was CASEd from another Suzanne!  LOL  AND She's also a SU Demo!  Doubtful she has the same FIRST name as I do though!  Anyway, on to the card.  This is from Suzanne (mesuezee on SCS).  You can visit her gallery (there's some GREAT stuff there!)

I changed the colors and the patterned paper and that was it!  Mine is a So Saffron base with Le Jardin (retired) patterned paper.  And I can't remember if the ribbon is Old Olive or Always Artichoke :}

OK, let's start! Priceless Birthday

OK, this first one had me stumped!  LOL  I spent THREE days trying to figure out measurements, but I LOVED this card SO much I would NOT give up on it!  I FINALLY contacted Christyne (coconutmuffn on SCS) and she helped me out!  LOL  You can visit her SCS Gallery or her blog (or BOTH!)

I used Priceless and Warmest Regards (retired).  The Purely Pomegranate ribbon is also retired.  I tried to find a close match for my "red" butterflies, but nothing compares to Purely Pomegranate!  I have to say, these turned out nice, but not as nice as Christyne's!  Thank you for the inspiration, Christyne!

Another one from me!

One more from me!  And again I used the SUPER CUTE set Laundry Notes!  I WISH this one had made it into the catalog!

I also wanted to mention again that I don't THINK I CASEd this one, but just in case - if you feel this is a CASE of your work, please let me know and I will give due credit :)

OK, this one was pretty simple - Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink, and Regal Rose.  The ribbon is retired - Pink Organdy. 

Does anyone have any tips for coloring?  Apparently my coloring skills are just above Emma's (Kindergarten)!  LOL  I keep getting streaks where my marker overlaps - both between strokes AND where I stop and start.....

I inked the edges of the Whisper White with Close to Cocoa.

First card

OK, so this one is ALL me (as far as I know! LOL).  If it's not, I'm sorry to anyone who feels I didn't give credit - please let me know and I'll change that!

This uses the retired set Laundry Notes - VERY cute!  Along with the Summer Picnic paper, some ribbon, and buttons - VERY cute!  I wanted to make some cards that could be used for men too.... This was the closest I got!  LOL

Colors are Real Red (base), Bashful Blue, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, and Basic Black.

Oh and I wanted to point out, notice that on almost ALL the sets I stamped the envelopes to match (there is ONE that I didn't I think...)