A Beautiful Day In The Ozarks

At 4:30 PM it's 67 degrees with a light breeze and LOTS of sun! I think spring may be well on it's way and I couldn't be happier! I really had the urge to take my bicycle out for a spin today, but needed to work on some things for the upcoming week. I'll be attending the regional Stampin' Up! meeting on Friday and need to have some swaps done before then. I'd like to take about 50 of them but, so far, I only have 18 completed. After getting those finished, I wanted to try some birth announcements. My friend, Carrie, asked me about doing some birth announcements so I had to play around to see what I could come up with.

This first card uses the "Big on Spring" stamp set. I added a close-up of the onesie because you can't really see the detail on the card. I stamped the onesie image in Timber Brown StazOn on Berry Bliss DSP and cut it out. Then I stamped the entire image in Timber Brown StazOn on Whisper White CS and colored the letters with a Pretty In Pink marker. I pierced the corners and matted that piece on a piece of Pretty In Pink and then on a piece of Chocolate Chip CS. The other two layers are Berry Bliss DSP matted on Chocolate Chip. The card base is Pretty In Pink. I also stamped the heart from the front of the onesie on Pretty In Pink CS, cut it out, and adhered it to the onesie with a glue pen.



This one turned out pretty cute, but I think maybe I should have left the Rose Red CS out. There's something just not quite right about it and I'm thinking it might be the Rose Red. I LOVE the "Nursery Necessities" stamp set. I also used "Bundled in Love" on this one. Images were stamped in Bashful Blue, Rose Red, So Saffron, and Certainly Celery on Whisper White CS. They are all matted on Bashful Blue CS and then I added several coordinating layers of CS under that. This one needs some tweaking, but I need a break after 20 cards.

Branden had his first orchestra concert on Thursday evening of last week and he did an AWESOME job! The orchestra he plays with is made up of 5th graders from about five area elementary schools. They put on an excellent performance and we're SO proud of him!

A Couple of Things

Lauren, my step-daughter, called me last night to tell me how much her teacher enjoyed her note card gift set. Lauren was so proud because Mrs. Gist thought she had purchased them until Lauren told her that she had made them. It made my day that she called me to thank me for helping her!! I love you, Lauren!


This card was made for the color challenge on SCS this week. The floral background stamp is from Stampabilities and was stamped on Whisper White CS with Basic Black classic ink. The main image is from "She's All That" (in the Occassions Mini Catalog to be released on March 1st) and was stamped with Basic Black craft ink and heat embossed with Iridescent Ice embossing powder. I pierced the corners and matted it on Basic Black CS before adding it to my base of River Rock CS.












Well, this just turned out way too cute! I wasn't sure what I'd come up with or how complicated it would be, but it wasn't hard at all. This is a tiny little milk carton, made from an 8 1/2" X 11" sheet of Pretty In Pink CS, and it measures 4 3/4" tall and 2 1/4" wide. The "happy" tag is from "Polka Dots & Paisleys" and the butterfly is from the hostess set called "Time Well Spent". I added Dazzling Diamonds (go figure) to the butterfly before adding her to the front of the carton. I'm not sure I like the bow on the top, so I may have to revise that later. This MIGHT turn up at a future PMS... we'll see. I'm working on some other clever ideas, so I'll just have to see what turns out the best.


















Toodles!

Who Knew PMS Was So Much Fun??

We had a GREAT time with PMS again this month. We made eight all-occasion greeting cards similar to these two using the "Fun & Fast Notes" stamp set. The images were stamped with Jet Black StazOn and then we water colored them with classic inks, Aqua painter, and/or blender pens.






















Our next project was a gift tote and monogrammed note cards. I had seen the idea for these cards somewhere before, although I don't remember exactly where. I love the way these sets turned out. They were relatively simple and quick to put together.


























My step-daughter, Lauren, was able to spend some time stamping with the ladies this month. She just turned 10 last month and is VERY artsy-fartsy. She had a good time stamping with us. She's a sassy little thang, too, so she fit right in with the rest of us! The tote and cards below are the ones she made for her fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Gist, who is retiring this year. I had run completely out of Chocolate Chip and Soft Sky cardstock by the time I knew Lauren would be stamping with us, so hers was made with Purely Pomegranate and Pretty In Pink. I think it looks absolutely SMASHING!























I feel like I cheated making this card. The color challenge on SCS, this week, is River Rock, Basic Black, and Whisper White. The new "Essence of Love" stamp set came to mind immediately when I started thinking about those colors together. That set will be available on March 1st in the new Occasions Mini Catalog. Both images were stamped with Basic Black craft ink and then heat embossed with Iridescent Ice embossing powder. A piece of black organdy ribbon was tied across the Whisper White piece. It turned out to be a very elegant card and took about five minutes to put together.









I made a trip to see my brother and his family last night. This is Miss Emily, my niece who was born on October 31st. She's SO sweet... like that's not obvious! She's spoiled rotten, too, so I have a feeling she's going to be a little stinker! What an angel, though... don't you think?

TTFN!

Orchid Celery Pie & PMS

That's what I'm naming this week's color challenge on Splitcoast Stampers. The challenge was to use Orchid Opulence, Certainly Celery, and Pumpkin Pie together. These are not colors I would normally think to put together, which is why the challenges are so good for me. They force me to be more creative than I would be any other day. So... here's the recipe for this card. The base is Orchid Opulence. Certainly Celery is layered over the base with the swirl from "Baroque Motifs" stamped in Certainly Celery classic ink. The next layer is Pumpkin Pie and it's stamped with the definition stamp from "Bloomin' Beautiful" (available March 1st) in Pumpkin Pie classic ink. I tied a dark purple organdy ribbon (probably from Michael's or Hobby Lobby) around the bottom of this layer. The top layer is Very Vanilla with the single flower stamped from "Bloomin' Beautiful" in Jet Black StazOn. The flower was then watercolored with Orchid Opulence, Certainly Celery, and Pumpkin Pie classic inks and an Aqua Painter. The stamen is done in Pumpkin Pie, although it's hard to tell from this photo, and then I used a glue pen to add Dazzling Diamonds. The bumble bee is also from the "Bloomin' Beautiful" set and was stamped on Very Vanilla CS with Jet Black StazOn. It was watercolored with watercolor pencils and an Aqua Painter. I HAD to have a little more bling, so I used the glue pen and Dazzling Diamonds on his wings and then adhered him with Stampin' Dimensionals. I really wasn't crazy about this color combo, at first, but I really like the way this card turned out.

In case you hadn't heard, it's that time of month again! Join me on Saturday, February 23rd from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM for "PMS at Jen's". This is some PMS you'll love... trust me! We'll be making Pretty Monogrammed Sets that you can give as a gift or keep for yourself. You'll make 10 cards with envelopes and a pretty box to keep them in. We'll also be making a set of eight all-occassion cards to help you build up your card stash. Come join the fun on February 23rd from 2-5 pm. The cost is $20 and covers the cost of all supplies for the projects we'll be making. That's 18 cards and a gift box. WOW! Payment is expected in advance since seating is limited. I'll also be drawing for door prizes again this month. The cost of the class covers the cost of the materials (excluding stamp sets) used for the projects. If you are unable to attend, I will be happy to mail the materials to you for $20 plus postage. You WILL be included in the drawings for door prizes if you purchase the kit but are unable to attend. If you attended PMS last month, you know that I write up detailed instructions on how to complete the projects. I will also include a list of stamp sets and other accessories used with the instructions. It'll be the most fun you've ever had with PMS!! Happy stamping and I hope to see you on Saturday!!

Rubber Stamp Warning!!

A recent study indicated that rubber stamps and embossing powders give off certain pheromones that actually hypnotize women and cause them to purchase unreasonable amounts.

When stored in large quantities in enclosed spaces ,the pheromones ( Rubber ) cause memory loss and induce the nesting syndrome (similar to the one squirrels have before the onset of winter i.e. storing food ), therefore perpetuating their species.

Sound tests have also revealed that the rubber emits a very high pitched sound, heard only by a select few, a breed of women known as " Rubber Stampers ". When played backwards on an LP , the sounds are heard as chants, " buy me, stamp me. emboss me ".

Studies have also indicated that aliens have inhabitated the earth, helping to spread the effects that these Stamps have on the human population.

It's also been experienced that these same pheromones cause a pathological need to hide these Stamp purchases when taken home (or at least blend them into the existing stash ), and when asked by asignificant other if the stamp is new , the reply is:"I've had it for a while."

I Love My Days Off!!

Nope... I didn't have to work today, so I've been playing! WOO-HOO!! This card is made using the "Special Delivery Girl" Simply Scrappin' paper. The stamp set used is a new one that will be available March 1st and it's called "By Ones & By Twos". It has several stamps for twins, but my favorite is the sentiment stamped on the bottom of this card. The sentiment reads "adoption is when a child grew in its mommy's heart instead of her tummy."

After punching the stars out and adhering the small one to the top of the larger one, I used my glue pen to go around the edges and then added some Dazzling Diamonds glitter. I took a close-up of the star because it didn't look like the glitter showed up very well in the first photo. I LOVE this card, and don't have a soul to send it to. That means someone I know is going to have to adopt a baby girl so I can use this card!! :)











This card is a CASE of one that Beate created. She's never created a card I didn't absolutely love! This is also a new stamp set that will be available March 1st and it's called "She's All That". SUPER fun set!!

Oh!! The ice finally melted late last week. I took several pictures of the "glass trees" while they were around. If you'd like to see them, you can view them here: Ice Storm 2008 Pictures.

Well, I'm off to go see what else I can come up with. I hope you're all enjoying your day as much as I am!! TTFN!

Ice, Ice Baby!

About 5:30 this morning we started getting a mixture of rain and sleet. The temperature was in the low twenties so, needless to say, it started freezing and is starting to remind me of last year's ice storm. These pictures were taken just a few minutes ago on our back patio. While I was standing out there taking these, I heard the crack of limbs breaking and saw a couple of them falling. Fortunately, the wind is not too bad. Our street was a solid sheet of ice by 7 am and my car was frozen shut, so I called my supervisor. She said not to worry about trying to come in unless the conditions improved throughout the day. Our local forecasters have been advising everyone to stay at home unless you just ABSOLUTELY have to get out. I only live about three and a half miles from work, but getting the car de-iced and out to the main road would probably be a challenge right now. I think I'll stay put for a while. I just hope it stops raining and that the temperatures come up enough to start thawing some of the trees. The last I heard, it was 28 degrees so we're getting closer.




















Since I've been home all morning, I thought I'd participate in Beate's weekend sketch challenge again. I used the 'Embrace Life' stamp set with cardstock in Ruby Red, Cameo Coral, and Very Vanilla. I also used the Ginger Blossom DSP. Ribbon is from the 'Sherbet' Ribbon Originals pack. The small flowers were made by distressing cardstock and then punching the flowers with the 'Three For You' punch. To distress your cardstock, just keep wadding the cardstock up until it breaks down and you can seperate it by peeling the layers apart. I adhered the flowers to the card front using small Zots. The stamped image actually consists of two stamps - the large flower in the middle and then a branch with blossoms on it. I stamped the large flower first and then masked it (Stamp the image on a Post-It Note and cut it out. Lay the Post-It image over the top of the image stamped on cardstock. Stamp the branch so that part of the image is stamped on the Post-It Note and part of it on the cardstock. When you remove the Post-It Note, it will look like the branches are behind the flowers.) The stamped image was watercolored with SU classic inks in Cameo Coral and Ruby Red and an Aqua Painter. I used an Old Olive marker to trace the branches and give them a little extra "pop". After I finished watercoloring the image, I used a glue pen to add Dazzling Diamonds to parts of the main image for some added bling. I LOVE bling and really like the way my card turned out. Thanks again, Beate, for these wondeful challenges!! It really does help spark creativity!

Another weekend has come and gone...

I hope you all had a good weekend! It was COLD here today, but COLD to me is anything less than 65 degrees. Actually, I don't think it made it out of the 30's today, so it was SUPER-DUPER COLD!! I can't decide if I admire my family in Iowa or just think they're plain crazy!! :) ...Maybe a little of both!

Yesterday, I made a little trip to Branson. One of my favorite stores, called "Unique Impressions" was having a 50% off sale on some of their items. I bought a few sale items and I bought a few non-sale items. It was all I could do to tear myself away from the store when I did. While I was there, I discovered some stamps by a company called "Northwoods Rubber Stamps, Inc." I don't think I had ever seen their stamps before, but I fell in love with them as soon as I saw them (that figures... since they weren't on sale). The detail in their images is just unbelievable and the card samples I saw just seemed to be alive. I only bought one of their stamps because I wanted to play with it a little to see if I could make the image come to life like the samples I'd seen.
This card was made using that stamp. The stamp measures 4 3/4"h X 4"w, so the image fits beautifully on a full-sized card. I stamped it with Basic Black craft ink on Stampin' Up! watercolor paper and then heat embossed it using clear detail embossing powder. Then the time consuming part...
I watercolored the image using Twinkling H2O watercolors. Then I used my glue pen to add Dazzling Diamonds glitter to all the tulips. Once everything was dry, I mounted my watercolor paper on a card base of Ballet Blue. The pictures really don't do this card justice. It is absolutely gorgeous in real life! I'm looking forward to my next Northwoods stamp.



This is a stamp that WAS in the 50% off sale. It's a "Great Impressions" stamp. I used Bashful Blue and Basic Black cardstock on this card. The card base is Basic Black and the Bashful Blue layer on top of that was embossed using my brand-spankin' new Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder. The image was stamped with Whisper White craft ink on Basic Black cardstock and was heat embossed with white detail embossing powder. I colored the car and the cats with my Stampin' Up! metallic pencils. I REALLY like the way those pencils look on the black cardstock. I just wish there were more colors. The "Happy Valentine's Day" image is from the 'Holidays & Wishes' stamp set and the ribbon is the black grosgrain ribbon from SU.

I spent today stamping, cleaning, reading, and shopping (the boring, necessary household stuff at Sam's). It was a relaxing day. I'm still looking forward to the day when I'm independently wealthy so I can stay home and create things ALL the time! Hope you enjoyed your weekend as much as I enjoyed mine!! TTFN and happy stamping!

Our Stamps Are Here!! Our Stamps Are Here!!

Did you hear that, ladies? Our stamps are here! The UPS guy left a nice, hefty package on my front porch today and I've got everything bagged up and ready to go. I just love the smell of new rubbah, don't you?

I haven't been much in the mood to stamp this week. No... I'm not sick. I just haven't been feeling very creative. After unpacking the order today, though, I started to get the itch again and this is what I came up with. I was trying to combine this week's color challenge (Ballet Blue, Real Red, and Apricot Appeal) with the sketch challenge and I just couldn't get those colors to work with that sketch, so this is what I came up with instead.
The balloons were stamped on Whisper White with Ballet Blue, Real Read, and Apricot Appeal classic ink. I cut them out "freehand" (this word is in quotation marks because we had a little misunderstanding with it at last month's PMS, so now it's just a little joke) with my paper snips. All three balloons, which are from the 'Birthday Whimsy' set, are mounted on Stampin' Dimensionals. The monkey is from the 'Zoofari' set and is stamped in Basic Black ink on Whisper White cardstock and mounted on Stampin' Dimensionals. I colored him with Close to Cocoa ink and a blender pen and cut him out "freehand" with my paper snips. I tied crochet thread around each balloon and tied the other end to the monkey's tail. The 'happy birthday' and '...and many more!' stamps are also from the 'Birthday Whimsy' set. They are stamped in Ballet Blue on Whisper White cardstock. I inked the edges of the cardstock with Ballet Blue before adhering the images to my card. The '...and many more!' image is mounted on Stampin' Dimensionals.

Tomorrow, I'm headed south to Branson. One of my favorite little stores is having a sale and I need to go see if they have something I don't. I'll probably make a stop at a few stores at the Tanger Outlet while I'm there, too. I'd hate to miss a sale somewhere!

Hope you all have a great weekend! I'm hoping I'll still be feeling creative on Sunday and can get some new things posted. TTFN!

The Weekend Is Almost Over...

...and I'm not ready to go back to work, but that's no different than any other Sunday evening! This card was created in response to Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge. I had a lot of fun with this sketch and really like the way my card turned out. I used the "Simply Scrappin' Special Delivery Girl" paper along with Apricot Appeal, Groovy Guava, and River Rock cardstock. After stamping the images from "Nursery Necessities" I covered them in Versamark ink and then in Irridescent Ice embossing powder. I heat set the entire image so they all sparkle even though you can't see it in the photo. The three pewter brads are mounted in cardstock that was cut with a 1/2" circle punch. The images, brads, and photo corner are all mounted on Stampin' Dimensionals. I've been having another creative block, so the sketch challenges are always helpful. I think I might try this same sketch again, but not tonight... laundry, trash, and preparing for the coming week are calling my name, so I'll have to pack up the fun for tonight! TTFN!!

PMS Was Fun!!!

Before I get to the really important stuff, I thought I'd share a comment that someone left for me regarding the previous post. The comment was posted anonymously so I don't have any idea who said it, but it reads... "maybe you can take some hair from the dog and paste it to your husband's head." Curtis and I both found that statement to be quite amusing!! I think he's had fun with his new "do". His nieces and nephew, however, think "Uncle Curtis looks horrible!!!!"

PMS was a blast this last weekend. Here are the projects we made. This first photo is a mailbox that we decorated using Stampin' Up! Designer Series Paper, cardstock, stamps, and ribbon. Everyone's was a little different depending on the paper they chose and they were ALL adorable!!







The next four cards are 3" X 3" Valentine's. They'd work perfect for kids' Valentine's. They also fit perfectly in the mailboxes we decorated.

These two cards are full-sized greeting cards.

The next two photos are small treat bags filled with jelly beans.

I think everyone enjoyed the projects we did and we're all looking forward to getting together again next month. I'll be sure to post details regarding the date and time a couple of weeks beforehand.

In an effort to look like Bruce Willis (because I think Bruce is just pretty darned hot), my husband had his head shaved before I got home from work today. HHHHHMMMMMM....

PMS at Jen's!!!

PMS At Jen’s!!
(That’s Paper, Mailboxes, & Stamps!)

You are invited to a fun-filled afternoon of stamping at Jen’s house. We’ll be making two full-sized greeting cards, four 3”X3” valentine’s (think kid’s valentine cards), two treat bags, and altering some cutie-patootie mailboxes for Valentine’s Day!

When: Saturday, January 26th from 2-5 p.m.
Where: Jen’s House
What to bring: Scissors, adhesive, and paper trimmer (if you already have these things)
Cost: $10.00

RSVP no later than Tuesday, January 22nd. I only have room for 8 attendees, and spots will be reserved on a “first-come, first-served” basis. Payment is expected in advance to hold your place. You can RSVP by calling or e-mailing me at jen_barrett@sbcglobal.net.

I look forward to seeing you there and HAPPY STAMPING!!!

P.S. Did I mention that there would be drawings for door prizes???

Please call 417-343-5448 if you have any questions!

Yes... I'm Still Kickin'...

I haven't posted for a while because I'm just almost embarrassed to admit that my throat hasn't started feeling much better yet. When I talked to the nurse at my doctor's office on Monday, though, she said I could expect another week of this. WOO-HOO!!!! (Do you sense the sarcasm here???) Needless to say, this is getting REALLY old, REALLY fast!!

I've been creating some cards this week, but can't share all of them with you quite yet. I'll be having a class, later this month, where we'll make some of those same cards and I'm trying to keep them a surprise for my attendees. This card is the only relatively successful card I could come up with today and I'm still not 100% happy with the outcome. Splitcoast had a color challenge on Tuesday. The challenge was to use Blue Bayou, Wild Wasabi, and Barely Banana together. If you're familiar with the term "brain fart", you know what I mean when I say I had one. The first several attempts at using these colors is not blog worthy and I'm almost embarrassed to show them to my waste basket. Anyway, this is the best I could do today. "Momma said there'd be days like this"... isn't that how the saying goes?? For this card, I used the three colors mentioned above, along with Whisper White cardstock. The flourishes were stamped off on scratch paper first and then stamped on my Whisper White cardstock for a softer appearance. The sentiment was stamped using full color in Blue Bayou. The flower was stamped using Jet Black StazOn and colored with Blue Bayou ink and a blender pen and a Barely Banana SU marker. The leaves were stamped on Wild Wasabi cardstock using Wild Wasabi ink. I cut the leaves and flower out (freehand) and applied Dazzling Diamonds with a glue pen. I added an SU Rhinestone Brad for just a little more bling. The row of flowers, at the bottom, is stamped on Whisper White cardstock and colored, just as I colored the main image. It's mounted on a strip of Blue Bayou, which is also what I used for my card base. I'll try to do better tomorrow... I promise!!

Still Feeling Puny

My throat is still very painful today but I'm tired of saying that, so that's all I have to say about it.


I only made one card today. Splitcoast had a challenge today that I thought I'd tackle. I almost always use Whisper White or Very Vanilla Cardstock when making a card. The challenge today was to NOT use either of those colors. SSSSSOOOOOO, here is what I came up with...
This card uses the "In The Spotlight" set, which was a hostess set from the last catty (Fall Winter 2007). I used Blue Bayou cardstock for all the matting and Blue Bayou ink for all the stamping. The base layer has a piece of Groovy Guava cardstock mounted on it. The next panel has a layer of Soft Sky CS that I stamped using Blue Bayou ink for my background. The panel at the bottom uses three circles punched with the 1" circle punch in Soft Sky. The stamped images were punched using the 3/4 " circle punch. The small top panel contains two flowers stamped from the same stamp set and then highlighted with Dazzling Diamonds glitter. The bottom image was punched out using the scallop circle punch and the top image used the 5-petal flower punch. After the top flower had been stamped, punched, and glittered, I added a blue rhinestone brad. Both images are mounted on Stampin' Dimensionals. Hope you like it!!

Cards From My BFF's

I just got my mail today and had two handmade cards from my BFF's, Joni and Christy. The one on the left is from Christy and the one on the right is from Joni. Thank you for thinking of me! I LOVE handmade things and these cards are extra special because they come from extra special people!!! I think I'm feeling better already! ;)

Too Much Of A Good Thing

Too much of a good thing is a GOOD THING!! The challenge on Splitcoast today was to use flowers. Think I used enough? If you click on the photo, you can see it up close and personal. Every flower has Dazzling Diamonds on it, so it's super-duper sparkly!! I LOVE bling!! I was having a hard time deciding what colors to use on this card, so I just used the colors from Tuesday's color challenge. I guess this would be a "double feature" card. Anyway, the stamp set I used on this card is called "Time Well Spent" and is a level 3 hostess set. That means that if you host a Stampin' Up! party and have a minimum of $500 in sales from that party, this stamp set could be yours ABSOLUTELY FREE!! If your sales total $500, you'd also receive another $60 in free products from the current catalog. You don't HAVE to have sales of $500 to host a party, either. As long as your sales total $150 or more, you'll receive FREE stuff. The higher your sales, though, the more benefits you receive. Lucky for you, you don't even have to sell a thing! That's what I'm here for! Okay... back to my card. I used Taken With Teal, Certainly Celery, and Real Red cardstock for my base. The sentiment is stamped using Taken With Teal Craft Ink and then heat embossed using Irridescent Ice embossing powder. The flowers were all stamped with Jet Black StazOn on Whisper White cardstock and were colored with SU markers in Taken With Teal, Certainly Celery, and Real Red. After they were colored, I cut each one of them out using my handy-dandy SU Paper Snips. Those things will make the tiniest of cuts and are super sharp. Once all the flowers were colored and cut out, I used a glue pen to apply Dazzling Diamonds to each of them. I then adhered them to my card randomly, using SU Dimensionals on some of them to make them POP.

Well, it's day six after my surgery and the pain is still not any better. I slept quite a bit more last night than I have most nights, so that's a good thing. I'm still eating a really mushy diet. I tried mashed potatoes one night, but I do better with foods that are not quite that solid. I haven't lost any weight yet, which is disappointing, so I'll just keep trying. Thank you for all your thoughts, prayers, flowers, and cards. Everything is VERY much appreciated!!

Two More Cards

I finished two more cards this afternoon. Obviously, I was unable to sleep at all today, so I'm counting on a full night's sleep tonight. I used the 'Zoofari' and 'Celebrate Everything' stamp sets for this card. The card base is Almost Amethyst matted in Basic Black. The panel at the bottom is Certainly Celery DSP and is also matted in Basic Black.

"DSP by Jen" - Okay... it's official... I'm a stamping addict. I can't look at anything and not wonder what would happen if I put ink on it. So, there I was... sitting at my desk when I noticed a piece of bubble wrap lying there. I had to wonder, "how can I use that on a card?". Then it occurred to me that I should rub ink pads over it in colors that coordinated with my card and then stamp it on some Whisper White cardstock. So, I used Pretty In Pink first, cleaned that off and then used Close to Cocoa. I think it makes a pretty neato background paper!!

Christmas Photos

I realized, sometime in the middle of the night last night, that I hadn't posted a link to any photos from our Christmas celebrations. We had a wonderful time with our family in Iowa, although the trip was much too short. We were "treated" to snow while we were there and temperatures that weren't meant for human enjoyment. It was even too cold for Ernie - he'd bound out the door and right into a snow drift, where he'd promptly squat and jump back out as quickly as he'd gone in. Alice and I went shopping at a little boutique in Prairie City called "All Around The House". It was a crafty little place, so it was right up my alley! I found a really pretty red crock and red dessert bowls to match my kitchen. I don't think I've used another bowl for anything since we got back home. They've come in especially handy since I'm on the liquid tonsillectomy diet. I really think everything tastes better when eaten from a red dessert bowl! Here are pictures from our visit to Iowa:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=nos1qyw.cfp1j0ew&x=0&y=ghcrsr

We spend Christmas Eve with family here, in Missouri. Instead of buying gifts for everyone, this year, we had a "Chinese Christmas". That was, especially, fun so I hope we continue to do that in years to come. Mom and Dad had their house decorated really neat for the holidays. They had made luminaries from paper bags with stars punched in them and had placed them along their driveway. They were beautiful!! The decorations inside were gorgeous, too. Everyone brought "snacky" food and there was still a LOT left even after we were all stuffed! Here are pictures from our Christmas celebrations at my parents' house:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=nos1qyw.69m0z8bc&x=0&y=-9pim5x

Here is another card I made, this morning, from today's sketch challenge on Splitcoast Stampers. The designer paper is from Hobby Lobby (Memory Block) and I used SU cardstock in Tempting Turquoise, Ruby Red, Cameo Coral, Blush Blossom, and Whisper White. The bird was stamped on designer paper, cut out, and then pieced over the same image stamped on Whisper White CS. The flowers are from the same stamp set (A Little Birdie Told Me) and are colored with SU markers. The ribbon is from Hobby Lobby.

Can't Sleep... AGAIN!

Yes... it IS 3:45 AM. Yes... I AM up making cards and doing laundry. I was awoken by pain at 2:05 AM, which was right on time since I was due for another dose of pain medication at 2:30 AM. I didn't want to take it too early, so decided I'd just stay up for a half hour until it was time. In the meantime, I started a load of laundry. That didn't take long, so I logged onto Splitcoast Stampers to see if the sketch challenge had been posted for today. I was delighted to find that the challenge had already been presented and the card to the left is my first presentation of this sketch. I say "first" because I'm sure I'll be back up in several hours, unable to sleep. Well, I'm going back to bed... hopefully for more than two to three hours this time!!

Forgot a card...

I left a card out when I was adding them to my earlier post. I made this one yesterday using Night of Navy and Whisper White cardstock. The rest of the paper used was from an economy pack I purchased at Hobby Lobby. I think it was called "Memory Block". These stamps are from the new "A Beautiful Thing" set. I'm anxious to use this set more. Thanks for looking!!

I'm Still "Lit Up"

If you're contemplating a tonsillectomy as an adult, just for the fun of it, you might want to give me a call first. This is the fourth day after surgery and the pain has been a little worse each day. I've GOT to be getting close to the point where it starts getting a little better each day. The good news is that I was able to sleep more today than I have since the surgery. Between hurting so bad and taking hydrocodone, I haven't been able to sleep for very long intervals. I took two naps today and I think the second one may have lasted a couple of hours. During my hours awake, I've been able to work on cards and do some crocheting. I really think my creativity soars when I'm taking pain killers. I think it makes me slender and beautiful, too. WHATEVER!! Anyway, here are some of the cards I've worked on over the last couple of days.

This card was made using Purely Pomegranate, Chocolate Chip, Kraft, and Very Vanilla Cardstock. The steam isn't very visible, but I stamped it in VersaMark and then heat embossed it with Irridescent Ice EP. The whipped cream on top of my latte is painted on with fabric puff paint. After using the heat gun on it, it looked just like whipped cream!

This card is made using Basic Black, River Rock, and Purely Pomegranate CS. I layered a piece of Holiday Harmony DSP on the bottom of the card. The image is stamped in River Rock ink using the Stem Silhouettes stamp set and then I stamped an image from Sincere Salutations in Purely Pomegranate over the first image. The ribbon is the wide satin Purely Pomegranate ribbon from the SU Holiday Mini catalog.



The next card is one I did in response to a color challenge on Splitcoast Stampers today. The challenge was to use Taken with Teal, Real Red, and Certainly Celery CS together. These are not colors that I would have chosen to use together, but I like the way the card turned out. The polka dot paper is from the Petals & Paisley DSP. The flower and butterfly were stamped and cut out and then mounted on Stampin' Dimensionals. I used Dazzling Diamonds on the cut-outs, so this card is much more dazzling in real life!


Well, I can't take any more pain medication for another hour and a half, so I'm going to find something to do to occupy my mind so MAYBE I won't think about how bad I'm hurting. I think I'll just take another nap!! TTFN!!