Father's Day Cards

I'm a little late in getting these posted and, somehow, I managed to mail one of my Father's Day cards without getting a picture of it. It was completely different from any of these, so I'm extra disappointed about not being able to show it to you.

I used the retired East Coast Prep DSP and coordinating CS on these first four cards. These were for my brothers and I wanted each card to be different, although they all use the same paper and the same stamped image from "All Holidays".

This card uses the Brocade Background DSP and coordinating CS. I used the Big Shot Top Note die for the shaped panel and stamped the flourish from "Frames With A Flourish" in Chocolate Chip craft ink and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder. Using the Crop-A-Dile, I set jumbo eyelets in each corner. "Dad" was stamped in Versamark Ink with "Lovely Letters Alphabet" and heat embossed with gold EP. That layer was added to the card using Stampin' Dimensionals.

Toodles!!

Card Organization

Over the years, I've made hundreds of cards. Unfortunately, they haven't all found homes yet and are just waiting to be sent to someone. Up until today they've been stored in a rubbermaid shoe box, in no particular order, and it always takes a while to find exactly what I'm looking for. Not anymore!! I made these mini magazine holders today that are the perfect size for a standard A2 card (5 1/2" X 4 1/4"). I used the "Bella Rose" DSP and coordinating cardstock. I've only got two of them completed, but plan to do several more so I'll have at least one for each card category. They're going to look just absolutely wondermous since they'll coordinate with the rest of my craft room decor!! Let me know what you think... I might have to schedule a class where we'll make these!

Toodles!

Thrifty Crafter

Look what I did with Stampin' Up! Designer Series Paper, coordinating cardstock, and a photo frame! I painted my laundry room "So Saffron", recently, and wanted to use the "Haiku" palette in the accessories. I found this frame at Gordman's today for $16 and I just cut my DSP to 3" X 5" and matted it on coordinating cardstock cut to 4" X 6". It looks GREAT against my "So Saffron" wall. Hope you like it, too!!



This photo has absolutely nothing to do with stamping and everything to do with being thrifty, which was one of my New Year's resolutions. Click on the photo to view a larger image. The bird prints on the wall and the crystal lamp on the nightstand were freebies. A friend of mine just bought a new house and got rid of some things, so I latched onto them since they fit in with my shabby chic bedroom decor. The nightstand was a Craigslist purchase and it's actually an antique sewing cabinet. The top is a lid and I have my sewing notions stored there. It also has two drawers, which is where my thread is stored. It matches the antique furniture that another friend of mine loaned to me. The furniture is an antique Waterfall set and Linda had it in storage. She was afraid that the humidity would ruin it in storage and said I'd be doing her a favor by using it. I absolutely LOVE this furniture and I've told her how much I appreciate it, but I hope she realizes just how much!! SHE'S the one doing ME a favor!!

Hope you're enjoying your week! It's been rainy and dreary here and the forecast isn't looking much better for the next seven days. Toodles!!

A Little Something...

A rainy Easter Sunday afternoon was the perfect time to head to my stamp room. I hadn't envisioned using the "Yummy" stamp set on a card as much as I had on gifts, but I like the way this turned out. This card could really be used for almost any occasion. The card base and main panel are Whisper White, of course. The main panel is mounted on a matte of Basic Black and the sentiment was stamped in Basic Black Classic Ink. The flower blossoms come from the "Eastern Blooms" stamp set. Each one was stamped in Whisper White Craft Ink on Pacific Point, Kiwi Kiss, and Rose Red card stock. They were then embossed using the (now retired) white detail embossing powder. I trimmed each blossom out using my paper snips and then used Stampin' Dimensionals on the largest of the blossoms. It isn't evident in this photo, but I used my glue pen to add some Dazzling Diamonds to the center of each blossom. I COULDN'T just leave it plain!!! :)

Hope you're all having a wonderful and blessed Easter Sunday!

Toodles!

Birthday Fishes

Ever since I saw the new Spring Mini Catalog, I knew I wanted to combine these two stamp sets to make a card. The bear comes from the "Under The Stars" set in the current catty. The fish come from the new Spring Mini in the "Just Beachy" stamp set. There was a lot of cutting and paper piecing to this one, but I love the way it turned out!


I took another photo just a tad closer so you can see the dimension that's added by using the Stampin' Dimensionals. The only color of ink used on this card is Basic Black. Can you believe that? I used my Signo White Gel Pen to whiten the bear's teeth and to give the spotted fish a little more character. The Designer Series Paper is the retired "East Coast Prep". This card could be made to work with just about any color combination, though.

So... here's my question... Do you think I should add anything else to the front of the card? Maybe some brads or a sentiment in the lower right-hand corner? I'll put something inside like "Hope all your birthday fishes come true", but can't make up my mind about anything else on the front. Post a comment and let me know what you think!

Toodles!

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!