A Little Late....

.....but cute nonetheless. I have finally managed to get my computer to cooperate long enough to get these pictures edited and posted. I hope you will enjoy them. The jar idea....was stolen from one of my favorite artists, Gina K. I gave these to each of the boys' teachers and the aides in the Kindergarten classroom. They were a big hit. The jars were purchased at target and come in several sizes. I got the medium sized jars.

Here's a picture of the goodies inside. Most of these goodies came from the Target $1 spot. I love that spot....dangit! The snowman soup was a little recipe I put together from a poem I found on Splitcoast last year. They have all kinds of those crazy poems for poop and soup and you name it......funny stuff.

As you will see some of the contents stuck above the jar so I had to get creative with the lids. I just decorated them with paper and stamping and then stuck them to the jar with pop-up glue dots....so that the teachers could use the jars again next year if they wanted to.

This one I used a nice holly background paper from DCWV that I got in a Christmas variety pack. The santa is from Paper Trey Ink's Believe set. (I love them...did I mention that?) Which I stamped in Black Stazon on Very Vanilla and then colored with my markers. There is a little star eyelet on the end of the hat (from waaaayyy back in the years of Stampin' Up!) then punched him out with my large oval scalloped punch (Marvy Uchida). The ribbon was a steal I found at a scrapbooking store on clearance and it says Merry Christmas in white writing. LOVE IT! Totally hoarding it....not nice. =)

The second version, is also made with the Believe set only the tree this time. I love this tree....it has so many possibilities. I used it over and over this past Christmas and foresee that I will be using it again next year. (I know I totally sound like a spokesperson for Paper Trey....but I swear they aren't paying me....I wish! *grin*) This was also stamped in Stazon, colored with about three colors of green with my Stampin' Up! markers because I am too poor to own Copics at this time...in my next life....hee hee. Then a little star brad for the top of the tree because the punch chopped it off a little. Ha! Camouflage is really the best stamping. =)

I am not sure if you caught the little planner in the goodies above, but these were also a find in the dollar spot. These were a steal. When you look at the front of these...you will see there is a little cutout in the front of the plastic that fit the scallop punch and the word window punch perfectly. Like magic I tell you...magic...or just dumb luck! Hee hee.

I made each one a little different and stamped each page inside changing the stamp for each month so they would know when the month changed. This took some time....but it made the generic planners much more personalized.

The first one pictured uses a pink paper from Stampin' Up! that was long ago retired....sorry but I thought you could improvise from your stash or something that you just had to have. I then used the stamp from the True Friend set (in new catalog and previous mini) and stamped it in Pretty in Pink and punched it out with the Stampin' Up! scalloped punch. I decorated the edges with little rhinestones and used the word window punch for the date which is stamped with the new Ambassador Monogram Set from Paper Trey.

The others were made pretty much the same way so I will just add supplies here so you can know what to use if you want to copy them. This one was made also using a retired paper that you could have gotten in a different color scheme but Stampin' Up! has since retired that too...so you will just have to dream up something else beautiful...I know you can do it. I put a prima flower in the center cut out with a flower that is in the Office Accoutrement set, the saying is also from this set. Then I stamped the date in Basic Black again using the Ambassador Monogram Set.

The third one uses one of my favorite current Stampin' Up! sets which is Garden Whimsy. The butterfly is stamped in Orchid Oppulence and then embellished with multi-colored rhinestones. The date was also stamped in orchid oppulence and sponged in barely banana. The background paper is again from DCWV.

The last little planner uses a set we got at convention, Fun and Fast Notes, which I really like because I like to color...go figure. If you don't like to color...probably not the set for you. The hedgehog was stamped in basic brown and then colored with creamy caramel using the aquapainter. His face is watercolored with Groovy Guava. The date is in basic black and uses the Ambassador Monogram set - yes again. =)

BTW papertrey is getting to release their new stamp set for this month and you can see a preview on Nichole's blog. SO FUN....must have. Off to sell plasma now. =)

I hope you will get some inspiration from these.

Happy Stamping!

WoooooHoooooo!

First let me say I know I haven't been a good blogger....I am working on it.  I have lots of Christmas stuff to post....I know it's a little after Christmas...but maybe you will get an idea or two that you can use for another gift or event.  They will come as soon as I can get the photos edited.

But guess what.......

I just got a call from Paper Crafts Magazine and one of my cards was chosen as a winner in their world cardmaking contest.  I can't post the card yet....but will after the issue comes out.  It will be published in the March issue.  This is the first card I have ever had published....so of course, I am beside myself with excitement.  Those of you who know me well know that I am peeing my pants.  Hee hee.  In addition to fame and glory (snort), I won a bunch of free stamping and cardmaking stuff.  Happy New Year to me.  Yeah.  Just had to share.  

Happy New Year to all of you.  =)  Hope you are well and Happy Stamping!

Stampin' Up! Retired List

I apologize for being a day late in getting the retired list posted for you all...but yesterday was the twins' birthday party and that pretty much consumed my day. I can't believe they are three already....time sure does fly. The party went off without a hitch and everyone is full of chocolate, ice cream and they have an abundance of toys to play with. Christmas oughta be interesting. Ugghhhh! I think we need to downsize. =)

Anyway, for those of you who don't know or forgot....Stampin' Up! will be coming out with a brand new "big" catalog again on January 1st. This retired list if for the current Fall/Winter catalog. Click here to view the retired list.

Please let me know if you would like to set up a "wish list" for Christmas or if I can help you with your order. Happy Holidays!

P.S. I promise pictures of current projects are coming. Still working on that. Sorry for the delay.

The Plague

I am so sorry I have been missing for so long.  Between multiple birthday parties to plan, 30 people for Thanksgiving, getting ready for Christmas and fighting off the plague for a month (yep you read that right - a month) I haven't had time to blog.  The good news....I have some stamping stuff to post....the bad news....haven't had time to photograph it yet.  Soon...very soon.

Did I mention that our computer and my ipod decided to hit the old superhighway landfill?  Not so good.  I did manage to salvage my hard drive and reboot my ipod....so things are looking up.  November has not been a good month.

Things to look forward to - 

December 1st - Stampin' Up! Retirement List will be coming out.  I will try to post it here.

December - If you have stamping stuff you want from Santa....let me know and I will do my best to pass on your wishes to Santa, husbands, moms, dads, etc.  I believe I can order up until the 15th with confirmed Christmas delivery.

Classes will resume in January.  I along with many others are feeling a little overwhelmed....time to take a minute and breathe.  Whew!

I will post later this week - maybe even today *wink* some new cards for you all.

Happy Shopping, Stamping, Wrapping and all the other fun things with the holidays.

Anniversary Cards

October is Anniversary month over here. I made these two cards for anniversaries, one for my cousin and her husband and the other for my neighbor that I grew up next to.

The first is using the Le Jardin DSP from Stampin' Up! I cut out a piece of Bravo Burgundy and punched an oval out of it with my smallest Marvy Punch. I embossed the doves in Irridescent Ice Embossing Powder. The ribbon is a velvet white that I got from a ribbon share. The saying is from Hugs & Wishes and I sponged the edge with Versamark and then also embossed it with irridescent ice EP. The lace border on the top I found at the dollar tree. It was quite a find since it comes with adhesive on teh back. I like it.

This card was made using a sketch challenge from SCS. I turned the sketch on it's side. I stamped the love in versamark and then used a violet pearlex. Then I restamped over the first image in versamark and embossed in clear. The rose paper is from a DCWV Stack - I don't know which one. The saying is from Happy Everything and I punched it out with the Mega scallop punch and then framed it with the giga scallop punch. The ribbon is again the white velvet.

Happy stamping!

Oh how I love....

......stamping and Christmas and Papertrey and and and....okay you get the idea. *grin*

I finally got to spend some time stamping this week, alone and with friends. The halloween costumes are done, the laundry was done....sort of...and the vaccuming and dusting...well...they will never be done. ha!

I got my new Paper Trey stamps late last week and I was just itchin' to use them. If you haven't seen them yet...head on over there....they are adorable. New ones will be debuted on the 15th again. Gotta love that! New stamps every month. Wooppeee!!!

Anyway...here are two cards that I made. The santa card is from the Believe set. I stamped him in Black Stazon and then colored him with the SU metallic colored pencils. Blended him with a blender pen. The beard I colored with my white galaxy marker and the fluff I colored with the white gel pen. Paper is Old Olive, Bravor Burgandy and White. Ink to match. Didn't he come out cute? It's all in the stamps....swear!

The second one, I owe almost completely to Sarah McLachlan and her Christmas album. I think it's called Wintersong....but I wouldn't swear. Anyway....I couldn't figure out what to do...and then I started listening to that and it got me all Christmasy and snowy brained and then...out popped this card. I luv it! This is also a Paper Trey set called Take A Bough. Sooo cute! I stamped the branch of the tree several times. Colored it with my white galaxy pen and then added glitter to the branches. The ornaments are pearl-ex-ed in different colors and then I drew in the hangers with my silver pen. The saying was stamped in white craft ink and then embossed with irridescent ice. I hope you like it.

Happy Stamping!

I'm not going to apologize anymore....

I am really sorry....but I can't keep saying I am sorry that I am a bad bad blogger. I know that I am not a daily blogger....I really really try....it's just not happening over here right now. Probably not for the next 3 years - sorry. So I am sorry that I drift off for some time now and then and I just want you to know that I really appreciate those of you who read this blog. Thanks! =)

So, in case you weren't aware....October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. (If you don't know this....you might want to get out a little more. HA!) There is a group of bloggers out there that are going Pink for October (meaning they are changing their blog colors to pink) to raise awareness about Breast cancer. Lucky for me.....mine is already pink....but I still wanted to participate. I learned about the Go Pink group from Lisa over at Poppy Paperie. She has gone pink too (and she is an amazing stamping artist). You should check out her cute blog sometime.

There are many reasons to go pink this month.....and many ways. The number one reason...you could end up saving your life or the life of someone you love. Check out the Race for the Cure in your area. If you can't walk, or just want to sleep in....then you can do the sleep in for the cure. You still get a t-shirt and you are still supporting the cause.

Mail in those Yoplait lids! 10 cents per lid....just to mail them in...come on...lick the lid and mail them in. Holy-Pete if you go through yogurt like we do (and it's totally on sale all month) it really adds up.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do your monthly self checks, get your yearly mamograms...it may just save your life. Click here to give someone a mamogram for free. Wouldn't it be a wonderful day when we could say....there is no such thing as breast cancer anymore? We have come so far and done so much....let's keep that momentum going.

You may be thinking that breast cancer or cancer in general is something that happens to other people. I am here to tell you that in one instant...that someone else can be you. I am a cancer survivor (14 years this December-thank you God), my mother-in-law is a breast cancer survivor (going on 2 years cancer free) and my cousin (Shelly) who is 36 years old just was diagnosed with breast cancer. She will be a survivor too. She never did self exams. She had never had a mamogram. We don't have any history in our family of breast cancer. By the grace of God she did a self breast exam a couple of weeks ago and she found the lump in her breast and went to the doctor immediately. A week later, they told her she had breast cancer. In that short amount of time....her life changed forever.

You probably know someone who has had or has breast cancer. Almost everyone does. Think about them and do this for them. Ask yourself what if it were me? What would I want others to do?

Wishing you health and happiness.

Happy Stamping!