Need Embossing Powder and Glitter Storage?

If you know me, you know I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE glitter. And you also know that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to be organized. I've organized some of my stamping supplies every which way I can think of... glitter and EP included. This is the system that's worked best for me, so far.


The "SpiceStack" shown in the photos was purchased from Brylane Home, but I'm sure you could probably find them in other places. I think I've seen them on Amazon.com, as well. Each "SpiceStack" has three trays that slide out.
The trays aren't intended to be taken completely out of the "stack". When pulled out, they sort of hinge and fold down. When a tray is folded down, it looks similar to this.

I've included several photos so you can see how the SU! glitter and EP fit, as well as PearlEx, Stickles, and other glitters and EP's.

What do you use for glitter and EP storage? Leave a comment and let me know. I'm always looking for new ideas and love to hear from you all!!

Toodles!!

Eggs-traordinary Card

Here's another cute Easter card. The stamp set used was "A Good Egg". I stamped the eggs on Certainly Celery, So Saffron, and Pretty In Pink CS and then cut them out with my paper snips. Each egg was embossed using a different Cuttlebug embossing folder after the designs were stamped on them.





Before I added the eggs to the card, I used my glue pad to add some Dazzling Diamonds to the eggs. They just didn't look like they were finished without the bling! The patterned paper in the background is retired, but this would look cute with just about any pastel patterned paper. Toodles!!

Itty Bitty Buds Card

My good friend, Amy, visited with me yesterday. We had a WONDERFUL visit and we actually got something done, besides yakking, this time. Don't get me wrong... we still did lots of yakking! :)

This is one of my creations. The stamp set used here is "Itty Bitty Buds", which is a current hostess stamp set. Colors used are Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip, and Pink Passion. The frame is from the Stampin' Up! Hodgepodge Hardware. The ribbon is traitor ribbon (Not Stampin' Up!). The darkest, larger flowers were stamped using a glue pad and then I added Fine Cosmo glitter in Rose Pink. Each of those flowers also has a small rhinestone brad from the "Circle Fire" collection.

Toodles!

Need Ribbon Organization?

I've struggled with ribbon organization for the LONGEST time. I've finally got something in place that works VERY well for me and I wanted to share it with you. Over the years, I've tried everything from "photo storage boxes with eyelets in the sides to feed the ribbon through" to a dowel rod system. Sometimes it's just not convenient to take the ribbon out of the box, only to have to re-feed the ribbon back through the eyelet. Nor is it convenient to take the ribbon off the dowel rod. This unit is a media storage unit that I purchased at Wal-Mart. If I remember correctly, it was somewhere in the ballpark of $15 - $20. Definitely affordable storage. The key to keeping your ribbon stored on these shelves is in the third photo.

Instead of making each shelf level, I placed the back pegs (the ones that support the back of the shelf) one hole lower than those supporting the front of the shelf. This makes the shelf angle down toward the back. It prevents my ribbon from rolling off AND makes it convenient to grab the entire roll I want to work with. (Click on photos to view larger images)

I hope you find this organization tip useful. Leave a comment and let me know what kind of storage system you use for your ribbon. You may have an even better solution!!

Toodles!!

Ain't He Tweet?

Check this little guy out. Ain't he tweet? I wanted to play around with "A Good Egg" since that's the set our class will focus on this month. I used the card sketch from Jen Del Muro's "Sketch For You To Try" this week. VERY cute sketch... I can't wait to try it out with some other stamp sets. I used the retired DSP "Spring Fling" on this card. I used So Saffron, Pretty In Pink, Whisper White, and Basic Black cardstock. The chick was stamped in Jet Black StazOn on Whisper White cardstock. I colored him with So Saffron and Only Orange Stampin' Write Markers. His shell was stamped on Pretty In Pink cardstock with Basic Black Classic Ink. The dots were stamped in Certainly Celery Classic Ink. I cut both shells out and adhered the bottom shell using SNAIL. The top shell was added with a Stampin' Dimensional. Ribbon is Certainly Celery grosgrain. The sentiment was stamped with Basic Black Classic Ink on Whisper White cardstock. I punched it out using the Word Window Punch. It was layered over a piece of Basic Black cardstock. The ends of that piece were rounded using the 3/4" circle punch.

Have you noticed? My blog got a makeover this week, thanks to Michelle Laycock at Laycock Designs. I love, love it and I think Michelle did an awesome job. Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Toodles!

It's A Party!!

Join me on Saturday, March 28th from 2-5 PM and we'll make some Spring (and Easter) Treats & Sweets... Cards AND Goodies! We'll make three different treat holders (treats included) and two cards. We'll be using the stamp set "A Good Egg". Cost of the class is $15 and covers all materials needed to make the projects. If you have basic supplies (scissors, adhesive, etc.) and don't mind to bring them it will speed things up if everyone isn't trying to use one pair of scissors all at once. Please RSVP by March 13th so I can order enough supplies for everyone. Payment is expected in advance to reserve your spot in the class. If you'd like to pay via PayPal, please contact me for details. As always, I'll have drawings for door prizes and you WON'T want to miss those! Who doesn't like free stuff, right???

Remember... Sale-A-Bration ends on March 31st! What a great way to get FREE stamps! I look forward to seeing you on the 28th!!

If you're interested in hosting a party so you can earn even MORE FREE STAMPS during Sale-A-Bration, feel free to call me anytime and we'll get your party scheduled right away! Remember... an in-home party isn't your only option. I'd be happy to let you host it in my home or we can arrange a "book party". It's all about what works best for you!!

Toodles!

Unfaithful Blogger

I haven't been very faithful in my blogging yet this year. I had good intentions! Once the holidays were over I started working on home improvement projects and tried to start spending more time with friends. So far I've made progress on the house and have IMMENSELY enjoyed my time with friends.

Around Christmas, I promised to post photos of the projects I had been working on. I'm finally getting around to that. Sometime in November, I started making quilts. Originally, I was going to make three of them measuring 48" X 60" as gifts for two of my nieces and a nephew. Somewhere in the middle of the first three, I decided that I wanted to make three more. I was stressing for a little while, but managed to have all six of them completed the week before Christmas. So... here they are...

All of the quilts turned out to be beautiful and they were well received at our family Christmas celebration. Hopefully, they're keeping their new owners warm this winter!!

...And this is one of my latest card creations. The Designer Series Paper is a retired Stampin' Up! paper called "Outlaw". The bear, from "Under The Stars" was stamped in Basic Black classic ink on Close to Cocoa and Creamy Caramel cardstock several times. The muzzle and belly were cut from the Creamy Caramel and the head and body from Close to Cocoa. The bear's arms and head were added to the front of the card using Stampin' Dimensionals for extra depth. I had to use a white Signo Gel Pen to get his teeth white and then used my Basic Black Stampin' Write marker to sketch the teeth back in. The sentiment was printed from my computer on Very Vanilla cardstock. I needed several masculine birthday cards and this one fit the bill!

Toodles!

Happy New Year!!

I hope you've all enjoyed the first day of 2009. Hard to believe it's already here, but it's exciting to have a fresh start to a new year. Did you eat your blackeye peas, greens, or cabbage for good luck today? I tried a new recipe for a blackeye pea casserole and it was WONDERFUL! It was basically an enchilada casserole that called for blackeye peas. VERY yummy!

Well, I had a bit of excitement the weekend after Christmas. About a week before Christmas, I had made a routine trip to Wally World for some basic household things. I had an hour to kill at lunch, so I decided I'd browse through the holiday section. I found a 6.5' white tree that was pre-lit with white lights and immediately envisioned teal and hot pink ornaments adorning it. The tree was $35. By the time I had the ornaments in my cart I was mentally calculating my total and then talked myself out of it. I thought to myself... "Self... it's only a week until Christmas and if you wait just a wee bit longer, you can get that tree AND all the ornaments for half price." Needless to say, I talked my tight-wad self out of buying the tree, and made another lap around the holiday section to put everything back where I had found it. Forward one week... It's Christmas day and as I'm getting ready for bed I'm thinking to myself again... "Self... tomorrow is the day after Christmas and you're STILL thinking about that white tree. Why don't you get up at the crack of 5:00 AM and go get it?" So, I set my alarm for the crack of 5:00 AM. The next morning I got up, brushed my teeth, brushed my hair, put on my finest pair of sweat pants and a sweatshirt, bundled up and headed out to stand in line at Wal-Mart and wait for the doors to open at 6:00 AM. The lines weren't long and I got my tree and LOTS of blue (they didn't have teal, which was a little disappointing), silver, and hot pink ornaments, and a tree topper. I paid for my purchases, loaded my loot in the vehicle, and started backing out of my parking spot. As I turned to look over my left shoulder, I realized that I was VERY close to the vehicle parked in the next space. ...maybe even touching... hhhmmmmm... so I pulled my vehicle back into my parking space and got out to inspect. Sure enough... I had scraped the front left quarter-panel of the other vehicle with the rear right quarter-panel of my vehicle (I had pulled into my parking space and they had backed into theirs if you're trying to figure out how I managed that little feat) and the paint on theirs was DEFINITELY scratched. About that time, the owner of the other vehicle approached and I explained what had happened and we exchanged information. She was VERY nice about everything and said she wouldn't be able to call the insurance company until the following Monday. I got the call from them yesterday and found out that I have no deductible to meet for the damages to her vehicle. My damages amounted to one scratch about an inch to an inch and a half long, so I doubt mine will even cost $200 to fix. For that reason, I didn't turn mine in on the claim since the deductible for my vehicle is $500. I'll have to call "Houdini", my auto-body guy and tell him I backed into something again! It was the cabinets inside the garage last time. This is my first auto insurance claim involving another vehicle, so I'd say that's a pretty good record... only one claim in my entire 29 year life! :) OH... about the tree. I went home and put it up and decorated it. I know, I know... it's the day after Christmas and that's just plain crazy! My in-laws were due in later that day, though, and I wanted it to be pretty when they arrived so I HAD to put it up. It was absolutely BEE-YOU-TEE-FUL and I'll try to post some pics later.

I've done absolutely ZERO crafting since I finished my Christmas projects. I'll post those pics a little later, as well. (I'm writing this post from my laptop and all my photo software is on my PC in the other room.) Let me tell you about what I HAVE been doing, though! Several weeks ago, I had borrowed a couple of books from a friend at work after I'd heard him talking about how good they were. The books were "The Gold Coast" and "The Gate House" by Nelson DeMille. "The Gate House" had just been released and I'd heard enough about them to pique my interest, so I accepted when Scott offered to loan them to me. About halfway through the first book, the girls at work started talking about the "Twilight" series of books. Before I get any further, the Nelson DeMille books ROCKED!! I had seen previews to the movie and knew that it was a teenage vampire love story and had absolutely no interest in it. Well... the girls at work continued to talk about the "Twilight" series and everyone started calling it "crack for women" because the books seemed to be so addictive. Before I finished my Nelson DeMille books, I found myself looking for "Twilight" at Sam's one night. I bought it, but kept thinking I probably wasn't going to like it at all, so I didn't buy any of the subsequent books in the series. I've never been much of a romance reader... most of what I read is mystery/suspense/thriller novels or non-fiction. I finally finished my Nelson DeMille books on Monday evening of this week. I began reading "Twilight", the first in the series, on Tuesday evening around 8:30 PM. I finished it earlier today and started the second in the series, "New Moon", and am 120 pages into it. OH... MY... GOSH!!!! This stuff is crack for women! Who knew I'd get so wrapped up in a teenage vampire love story! My step-daughter is reading the first book now... I read it first to "screen" it and she's been asking me the last couple of days how much longer I think it will take me to finish it. I took it to her tonight as soon as I finished so she could get started on it and, hopefully, finish it before she has to go back to school after her Christmas break. I told her we'd see the movie after we'd both finished the book, so she's excited about that! Actually, I'm probably just as excited as she is, if not more! I'm not going to give away ANY details about the books. You'll just have to read them and see for yourself. If you think you wouldn't like a teenage vampire love story I'm almost willing to bet you have another think coming!

I guess I'll wrap this post up for now. I'll try to get some pics posted in the next couple of days. I have some painting and other projects to do around the house, so I'm sure I'll stay busy between that and reading. I got a new RotoZip RZ20 Spiral Saw System for Christmas and I'm just DYING to try it out! If only I could put these books down for any length of time!! Toodles!

The Elf Is Makin' Resolutions!

Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve posted anything. I’ve been a busy little elf trying to get gifts completed before Christmas sneaks up on me. I’m still not finished with everything, so this may be my last post before Christmas. Once the holidays are over, I’ll be sure to post photos of what I’ve been working on.

A friend asked me, the other day, if I make New Year’s resolutions. My response was “no”. I used to make resolutions, but I never stuck to them for more than a couple of weeks to a month, at most, and so I just quit making them. After a lot of thought, though, I’ve decided that I’m going to set goals for myself for the upcoming year. You can call them resolutions if you’d like. Here are some of the things I’ve been thinking about and these are in no particular order:

1. Eat Healthier – For the last five years, I’d say I’ve probably eaten out NO LESS than three times a week and as many as five to six times a week. And that doesn’t even include lunch, only dinner. I’ve almost always gone out for lunch and there really aren’t that many healthy options when eating out. I’ve already started taking my lunch to work most days and will continue trying to eat out less for evening meals.

2. Be more physically active - In past years, when I DID make resolutions, I always resolved to lose X amount of pounds. That lasted all of two weeks or until I was presented with some sort of dessert that I just couldn’t resist and then I’d decide that eating that dessert was going to make me far happier much faster than losing weight. I’ve decided, this year, that if I try to eat healthier and be more physically active the weight loss will follow. We’ll see…

3. Spend a LOT less time on the computer – My job revolves around working on the computer eight hours a day. When I come home from work every day I’m checking two e-mail accounts, checking for updates on the Stampin’ Up! website, looking at new projects posted to SplitCoast Stampers, checking my Facebook account, checking my MySpace account, reading my hometown, local, and national news, etc. It just gets to be addictive and all-consuming and then I’m more tired than I would have been had I been out being more physically active.

4. Make time to write “real” letters with pen and paper – This kind of goes hand in hand with #3. We’ve become so reliant on e-mail as our primary means of communication and I just don’t find it as personal as an actual letter. I think the recipients of those letters will enjoy them much more than an e-mail, as well.

5. Be more frugal – I’m one of the world’s worst about clothes and shoe shopping. I can never have enough. And if there’s a sale or I have a coupon for Penney’s or Kohl’s, you can bet I’ll be there so I can “save” some money. Going back to #1 and #2… If I eat healthier and am more physically active I’ll probably lose some weight and be able to get back into all those clothes that now make their home on the top shelves in my closet. If that happens, I won’t NEED to buy more clothes and will REALLY be saving some money by not going shopping at all. I have also found, by volunteering some time and making donations at the Salvation Army this past year, that they often have very nice name-brand clothing and it can be purchased at yard sale prices. Plus, the money you spend there goes to a VERY good cause. Stamping has also been a VERY expensive venture for me and I’m going to cut WAY back on that, as well. This will be the most difficult cutback for me!

6. Recycle more; be more “green” – I have never recycled much on an ongoing basis and am ashamed to say that. I have been doing some research, lately, and there are lots of options for recycling in my area and most of them don’t cost a thing. It will just require a little more thinking and planning on my part to separate everything so it winds up in the right place. I’m going to start using the reusable canvas grocery bags instead of using plastic every time I go and I’ll be making those bags myself. That way I can have them in some trendy colors and patterns and maybe even add a little bling!!

7. Read more – I LOVE to read. It’s always been one of my favorite things to do. Going back to #3, though, in the last several years most of my reading has been done on a computer screen. I’ve seen the new Sony Reader and would love to have one since I’m a technology geek, but there’s nothing like holding a real book in your hands. I’ve also been bad about buying all my books brand new from a bookstore or an online book club in the past. I LOVE the smell of the pages of a new book! Along with reading more, I’m resolving to borrow my books from the library or from friends, which will also help with #5 (being more frugal). There are a group of us at work who enjoy most of the same authors, so we’re already doing a little book swapping, anyway.

8. Spend more time with friends – There’s a LOT to be said for really good friends! Another of my favorite things to do is to get together with girlfriends to just chat. If we wind up stamping or sewing or doing something else, that’s great, too. But I LOVE just sitting with friends and chatting over a glass of wine. Getting together for a good board game or several rounds of Dance Dance Revolution on the Xbox360 is always fun, too!

9. De-clutter and be more organized – I know, I know… some of you are thinking that I’m already dangerously anal (to put it bluntly). ;) I DO still have a lot of clutter, though… things that are sitting in my garage because “I MIGHT need it someday”. I’m resolving to get rid of all that extra stuff that I’ve had sitting there for more than a year untouched just because I MIGHT need it. It’s just taking up space and making my life more stressful because it prevents me from finding the things I really DO need.

10. Be more diligent in paying off debt - This, too, will go hand in hand with being more frugal. The more I can save in other areas, the more I'll have to apply toward debt. Hopefully, I won't have to get a second job to accomplish this!

This list may grow between now and New Year's but, for now, these are the things I'm going to focus on the most. I think I'll print my list out so I can put it in a very visible place where I'll see it every day. What kinds of resolutions will you be making?

Toodles!

Stampin’ Up! Spreading Holiday Cheer With Thought

With recent economic strains and a possible recession looming in the minds of many, holiday shoppers are transforming from a shop-till-you-drop mentality back to the pace of simpler times. In fact, based on an annual survey, the National Retail Federation recently forecast the lowest increase in holiday spending by consumers in at least six years, and for the first time in the survey’s history, those surveyed said they plan to spend less on family gifts than the previous year. With this in mind, this year’s budget-conscious shoppers need suggestions for spreading holiday cheer with thought—not debt!

Two for One Giving

Charitable gifts are an emerging trend in holiday gift giving. In fact, many corporations are embracing the holiday spirit by teaming up with non-profit organizations to donate proceeds from the sale of exclusive products, allow individuals to make donations to particular charities on behalf of others as presents, and some corporations will even match donations during the holiday season. If you decide to go this route with your holiday shopping, try to choose an organization that is near and dear to the recipient’s heart. For instance, the Ronald McDonald House Charity has a variety of corporate donors who match donations or donate proceeds from the sale of special products back to their charity. Giving a Two-for-One gift this holiday season is a financially smart choice and one that will help according to GuideStar.com, many non-profit organizations that expect a drop in donations this holiday season when most donations are normally made.

Volunteer Your Time

If you can’t afford to give a monetary donation this holiday season, give your gently used unwanted belongings or volunteer your time or professional services. Non-profit organizations are always in need of helping hands and hearts as well as supplies to help supplement their holiday activities. For instance, your entire family could get involved and share a heartwarming experience of cleaning out their closets and delivering clothes to the homeless shelter or delivering meals to the elderly or serving soup at a soup kitchen. The act of service will be a gift you can give to yourself and your family that will last a lot longer than the expensive gifts of years past.

Give Handmade

This season, shoppers will find that making handmade gifts, packaging, holiday décor and baked goods are a great alternative for stretching the holiday budget. The value of a handmade gift is priceless, and for many budget-conscious holiday shoppers, much less expensive.

One company helping shoppers do more with less is Stampin' Up!® The company will host a Holiday Extravaganza sale with up to 50% off select product bundles Nov. 26-Dec. 1, 2008 only online at www.stampinup.com/holiday. “I love to give handcrafted gifts. It is often less expensive, plus the people I give the gift to usually appreciate them more,” says Shelli Gardner, CEO and Co-founder of Stampin’ Up! “Creating and giving handcrafted gifts also provides and opportunity to appreciate the spirit of the holiday season by spending more time at home with the ones we love, sharing our talents and spreading holiday cheer the old-fashioned, handmade way.”

To learn more about exciting offers during the Holiday Extravaganza sale, unique handmade gift ideas or to attend a holiday crafts demonstration, please contact me.

This sale is only good through December 1st, so place your orders now. Just visit my Stampin' Up! website and click on the "shop now" button in the upper right-hand corner. Once you're there, you'll need to click on the photo of the shopping cart when it's displayed. If you're impatient, like I am, click on "Holiday Sale" directly under that image and then you can click on the shopping cart image. You'll save as much as 50%, so you don't want to miss out on this opportunity!



Click here for a complete listing of all sale items.

Toodles and have a VERY happy and blessed Thanksgiving!

I'm Finished For The Day!

I wasn't going to go back to my stamp room again today... guess it was calling my name! I got the layout for this card from Julee Tilman's Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge #61. I started with a base of Very Vanilla CS. The scalloped layer is Purely Pomegranate CS (retired) with a piece of retired DSP from last year. The sentiment was stamped in Always Artichoke classic ink and is from the "Holidays & Wishes" stamp set. The angel is from "Holy Triptych" and was stamped in Jet Black StazOn ink on a piece of transparency. On the BACK side of my stamped image, I used my two-way glue pen to apply adhesive to her wing and then added Dazzling Diamonds. I used the glue pen again to add Fine Cosmo glitter in Rose Pink to her gown. Her hair was colored on the back side of the transparency, as well, with a So Saffron Stampin' Write marker. The transparency was then layered over a piece of Very Vanilla in the same size with gold brads. The gold brads are NOT from SU! and probably came from Hobby Lobby. The main image was matted on a slightly larger piece of Always Artichoke CS and then added to the card front using Stampin' Dimensionals. Ribbon is Always Artichoke grosgrain.

I LOVE this stamp set! The only thing I don't like about it is the amount of time it takes to color the images. These images just scream for lots of different colors and it takes a while to get all the detail filled in. I used a card base of Baja Breeze on this one and the Ski Slope DSP. The image was colored with SU! Stampin' Write markers and layered over a piece of Real Red and a piece of Chocolate Chip CS. I added a piece of Real Red grosgrain ribbon to the bottom panel. The "very merry" came from "Holiday Tag Team", which retired last year (BOO-HOO!!!). I punched it out using the 1" circle punch and then matted it on Real Red and Chocolate Chip pieces cut with my Nesties.

Here's the cool part of this card! On the snowman apparel that I wanted to leave white, I added fabric puff paint and used my heat tool to "puff" it. Yep... it works on paper, too! I love the way it looks on cards. You just have to be careful to not "smoosh" (that's a technical term) it before it cools. If you do, you'll have flat puff paint and where's the fun in that?

I WILL NOT GO BACK TO MY STAMP ROOM TODAY. I WILL NOT GO BACK TO MY STAMP ROOM TODAY. I WILL NOT GO BACK TO MY STAMP ROOM TODAY. Don't know if that will work or not. I don't think it ever kept me from talking in class as a kid, so I'm not going to hold my breath! Toodles!

It's a Card-Makin' Day!

I think I've mentioned before how much Smith and Wesson like sitting under my Ott task light when I'm trying to be creative. Today was no exception. I managed to get one card made before Wesson had parked his buttocks under the warmth of the lamp.

It was okay while he was sitting off to one corner of my work table since I still had the majority of it to work with.

Then the little bugger decided he'd take a bath while enjoying the warm light. Smith slept through the entire thing, which is unusual. He's usually the one beating a path to the light as soon as it comes on!

This card is one that my Mom made as one of her Christmas cards this year. We worked on them last Saturday and they turned out GORGEOUS! We started with a card base of Pale Plum. The large snowflake from "Snow Swirled" was stamped on another, slightly smaller, piece of Pale Plum in Pale Plum classic ink. We matted that on a slightly larger piece of Chocolate Chip. A piece of Chocolate Chip taffeta ribbon was added about 1/3 of the way from the top of the card. The tree (Lovely As A Tree) was stamped in Chocolate Chip craft ink on Pale Plum CS and was heat embossed using the Heat and Stick Powder. While that was still warm, we sprinkled Fine Cosmo glitter in Orchid on it. We tapped the excess off and heated the image again to set the glitter. That piece was matted on Chocolate Chip CS and then added to the front of the card. The sentiment comes from the "To You And Yours" stamp set and was stamped in Chocolate Chip classic ink on Pale Plum CS and then punched using the small oval punch. The large oval punch and Chocolate chip CS were used to create a mat for the sentiment and it was added to the card front using Stampin' Dimensionals.

Here is a close-up of the card, although neither of these photos do this card justice. It is absolutely STUNNING in real life!

Ok... so that last card was done in non-traditional colors, but I wanted to get REALLY funky with it! Here I stamped the same tree in Taken With Teal craft ink on Pink Passion CS and heat embossed it using the Heat & Stick Powder again. While it was still warm I added the Turquoise Fine Cosmo glitter and tapped off the excess. I heated the image again to set the glitter. The back panel on this card was stamped using the same image from Snow Swirled, only I stamped it in Whisper White craft ink this time. The card base is Whisper White and the other panels are done in Tempting Turquoise and Pink Passion. This is definitely funky and, although I like it, it probably won't be the card I send out this year.

Here's the closeup of the glitter on this one and, again, the photo just doesn't do the bling any justice!

This is my favorite card of the day. It just looks so stinkin' fun! I wanted to participate in Beate's Weekend Sketch challenge and this stamp set came to mind immediately! my card base is Bashful Blue. The patterned paper panel is Frosty Day Designer Series Paper from this year's Holiday Mini Catalog, matted on Close to Cocoa CS. The main image was stamped from the "Holiday Lineup" stamp set. I used my AquaPainter and Bashful Blue classic ink pad to create a shadow behind these guys. Once that was dry (I'm impatient and used my heat tool) I colored the image using Stampin' Write Markers in Old Olive, Certainly Celery, Brilliant Blue, Bashful Blue, Apricot Appeal, Pumpkin Pie, and Close to Cocoa. The sentiment was stamped in Chocolate Chip classic ink on Whisper White CS and punched out with the 1" circle punch. Mats were created in Tangerine Tango and Close to Cocoa using the Spellbinders Nestabilities. A piece of Tangerine Tango striped grosgrain ribbon was added behind the sentiment before adding it to the card front using Stampin' Dimensionals.

This card started with a Kraft card base and uses the Ski Slope DSP. This also follows Beate's layout for her weekend sketch challenge. The DSP was matted on Chocolate Chip CS, as were the main image and the Felt Flurries embellishment. The main image was stamped in Chocolate Chip classic ink on Whisper White CS. The edges were sponged with Baja Breeze classic ink and a sponge dauber. I used my two-way glue pen on the dove to add Dazzling Diamonds. A rhinestone brad from the Pretties Kit was added to the center of the snowflake. I used my Signo White Gel Pen to add "swirlies" around the edges of each piece before adding them to my card front. A piece of Chocolate Chip felt ribbon from the Alpine Ribbon Originals (Holiday mini Catalog 2008) was added to finish the card off.

Hope you've enjoyed my cards and more cat antics! Toodles!

Only 44 Days Until Christmas!

Before we get to the whole Christmas discussion, I just have a few things to get out of my system. I am SO excited because my mom and my sister-in-law, Tammy, are coming for a visit on Saturday (the 15th) so we can work on Christmas cards together. My mom has never stamped before even though she's a super crafty lady, and I'm SO super-duper excited about spending that time with her. Tammy is one of my regular stamp cronies and it's always exciting when she's coming to play, too!

MY BROTHER IS A LICENSED INSURANCE AGENT!! WOO-HOO! Derek took his insurance exam yesterday, for the very first time, and passed it!! I'm so excited for him! He's been running the Springfield newspaper route for years, which is AWFUL hours and is 7 days a week, 365 days a year. With a one-year old in the house, he'd like to have a little more freedom and "regular" hours so he's not sleeping when the rest of his family is awake. I'm SO proud of him and I know he'll do well!

Can you believe there are only 44 days left until Christmas?? It sneaks up on us every year and I THINK I have a head-start on the cards this year. Before I get to the cards, though, I want to let you know that I'll be having a Christmas "Stamp-A-Stack" class on Friday, November 21st, from 7 PM to 9 PM and again on Saturday, November 22nd, from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM. The class will be held at my house and we'll be making 16 Christmas cards. They'll be designs that are easy to duplicate after the class if you need more than 16 cards. The cost of the class is $25 and includes all the supplies you'll need to make your cards. I do ask that you bring your own adhesive, paper snips or scissors, and a paper trimmer if you have one. If you aren't signed up for my monthly newsletter and would like to be, you can go here and click on 'Request My Newsletter' in the upper right-hand corner to sign up.

Now... on to the cards... All of these cards have been made using the 'Ski Slope' Designer Series Paper from the Holiday Mini Catalog. They all use the same coordinating cardstock in Chocolate Chip, Kraft, Real Red, Baja Breeze, Old Olive, and Whisper White. Rub-Ons are from the 'Seasonal Sayings' set.


For this card, I stamped the snowflakes from 'Snow Swirled' in Whisper White and Chocolate Chip craft ink and heat embossed with Iridescent Ice embossing powder. The snowflakes were punched out using various Stampin' Up! circle punches and then arranged on my card front. The smallest snowflakes were mounted on Stampin' Dimensionals. The greeting is also from 'Snow Swirled'.

This image was just stamped in Chocolate Chip classic ink and cut out using the Coluzzle. It was layered over a piece of Real Red CS and then I trimmed that layer with my paper snips. I, originally, used the Coluzzle for the mat, but the next sized circle was about twice as much matting as I wanted for my image. The sentiment is from the "Many Merry Messages" stamp set and was stamped in Real Red classic ink. Ribbon is the Chocolate Chip Taffeta ribbon from SU!

This image was stamped in Real Red classic ink. I created a template for the "ice" by using my large oval punch and a piece of scrap paper. I placed the template over my stamped image where I wanted the appearance of ice and used a stipple brush to add Baja Breeze classic ink. The snowflake in the upper left-hand corner of the image is from the "Felt Flurries" kit and the brad is from the Rhinestone Circles "Fire" brads. The sentiment is a rub-on.

This is just a "felt flurry" with some Dazzling Diamonds added for bling. It's layered over three different sized squares and then I added a build-a-brad to the center. Ribbon is the Baja Breeze striped grosgrain ribbon.

This image is one of my favorites. It just reminds me of home and being all toasty on a cold, winter day. The image is from "To You & Yours" and is stamped in Chocolate Chip classic ink. I used my two-way glue pen and some Dazzling Diamonds to add snow to the rooftop and the ground. The sentiment is from the same stamp set and was punched using the small and large oval punches. Ribbon is Chocolate Chip Taffeta.

This image is from "Snow Swirled" and was stamped in Old Olive classic ink. I added Dazzling Diamonds to the star (small star punch) and to the snowbursts on the tree for some extra bling. The greeting is from the same stamp set.

Here's my favorite house again! I used the same techniques as the previous card with the same image. I added a felt flurry with a silver brad. The notched end of the sentiment was made using the "photo corners" punch and was added to the card with Stampin' Dimensionals.

This image was stamped in Chocolate Chip classic ink and then I added Dazzling Diamonds with my two-way glue pen. Ribbon is from the Holiday Mini Catalog Alpine Originals. The greeting is a rub-on from "Seasonal Sayings".

And... last, but not least... this is a full sized A2 card (5 1/2" X 4 1/4"). All the previous cards were 3" X 6". I used Julee Tilman's sketch challenge from her Poetic Artistry blog. I ran out of room at the bottom of my card, so I didn't get the three embellishments added that her sketch depicted. The image is from "A Cardinal Christmas" and I used the stained glass technique. The image is stamped on vellum using Basic Black craft ink. It was heat embossed using Basic Black detail embossing powder (please ignore all smudges! :) ). I colored the BACK of the stamped image using SU! Stampin' Write markers and an AquaPainter. Ribbon is the "Alpine" ribbon from the Holiday Mini Catalog.

WHEW! I've got to go plan for my upcoming card class now! Hope you're having a splendiferous Veteran's Day! Toodles!