Hello There

Thanks for all the encouraging words about my running! I really pushed it yesterday and for all my hard work, I got a sore hiney. LOL! I put the heating pad on it last night, and today I'm as good as new.

I have a fun card to share with you all. I was inspired by Chat over at Me, My Stamps, and I. I just can't get enough of Stampin' Up's "Cheap Talk" stamp set. I love it!

Supples: Cheap Talk stamp set; Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss cardstock; Good Morning Sunshine Designer Series Paper; Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango stampin' pads; Chocolate Chip 1/4" grosgrain ribbon; Scallop border punch; dimensionals

I hope you're all having a wonderful day!

Shaving Cream and Ink

Huh? If you're new to stamping, you might be wondering what the heck I'm talking about. Well, I just learned a new technique from Gina K over at Stamp TV, and it involves using regular old shaving cream and dye ink refills. Sounds crazy, I know, but the results are totally worth the effort! Check out Gina's video tutorial HERE and then go try it out for yourself!

Here's a piece of paper I did using Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, and Pacific Point reinkers. I think it might be good for a 4th of July card.

I decorated another piece of paper with Tangerine Tango and Pink Pirouette reinkers and then used it on this card.

I really like the marbled effect of this technique. I also stamped the inside of the card.

Supplies: Tangerine Tango, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White, Glossy White (decorated with shaving cream technique) cardstock; Tangerine Tango, Pink Pirouette, Pacific Point, Kiwi Kiss, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip stampin' pads; Cheap Talk stamp set; Tangerine Tango ribbon; dimensionals.

That's all I have for you today! See you next time :)

A Day for Mothers

Happy Mother's Day to all of you moms out there! Whether your children are grown, in diapers, or have a massive amount of fur all over their bodies (he, he), take the time to enjoy the day and relax. This year for Mother's Day, I made my mom a card and picked some roses from the garden and arranged them in the vase that I gave her last year for Mother's Day. We'll start with the card, first.

When you pull up on the flowers, a message is revealed:

And here's the arrangement I made for her:

I also added in some other flowers from the garden like there red-tips:

I'm off to enjoy the rest of my day. Have a wonderful Sunday!

PS - Aunt B, I'm still working on that picture of the Grosbeak for you. He's come back to the yard today, but I haven't gotten a good photo just yet :)

Birds and Butterflies

Greetings, bloggers! Today I have some whimsical cards to share with you that feature birds and butterflies. Shocking, I know! What can I say? LOL. Both cards were inspired by THIS post by Dawn Easton. She's a wonderful card maker, and I find myself turning to her blog often for design ideas.

For this first card, I pulled out my new Inkadinkado stamp set, Gem Stone Birds. I used my favorite fluid chalk ink by Colorbox to ink up the image in several different colors. I raided my patterned paper scrap stash and found these great coordinating pink papers to use for the background. The solid color cardstock is SU's kraft, regal rose, and pink pirouette. The sentiment is from Hero Arts.

I even added some gemstones for the berries and a pearl for the eye.

This next card uses the same overall card design but with different paper and stamps. I think it's so cool how you can take one sketch and make it look so different! My mom actually made this card. She used SU's hostess level 1 stamp set, God's Beauty, and paired it with a stamp from the Inkadinkado Gem Stone Birds set. The sentiment is also by Hero Arts. I think she did a great job!

I ended up adding some gemstones for her as well. I think they make the card pop.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Blooming with Love

What a day! Sorry for the late post, but you know how it goes. I have a fun and quick card to share that takes very little time to create. I made this card last week at my friend's card club.

I used the Watercolor Wonder Crayons with a blending pen to color and shade the flowers and the wheel barrel. I added some interest using the Spiral Punch and an eyelet for the center of the wheel which was easily set using my Crop-a-dile. The rest was just a matter of cutting and pasting!

Supplies: Blooming with Love stamp set; Chocolate Chip, Whisper White & Baja Breeze cardstock; Chocolate Chip ribbon; Chocolate Chip stampin' pad; Staz-On stamp pad

Have a good night, everyone!

More Organizational Tips + A Card

Happy Monday, bloggers! The sun is shinning. The breeze is coming in through the windows, and all is good over here. I'm tickled because I just finished cleaning the house, and there's nothing like the smell of clean to make a girl happy. Not that the house was a sty or anything, but I love the way it feels after dusting and vacuuming.

Today I have some more organizational tips to share with you. I bet all of you have an assortment of brads that you just don't know how to keep together. Well, I have the perfect solution for you! I have this great Cropper Hopper Embelishment Organizer Case that perfectly holds these Mini Box Embellishment Essentials. What I ended up doing was purchasing a whole bunch of mini boxes and organizing my brads that way. I poked a hole through the top of each one, inserted an example brad, then placed the rest of the brads inside the box. Now when I open up my embellishment box, I can see all of my brads! Plus, the case is small enough to fit in your crop bag and take with you to crops. How fun is that?!

My next tip is for organizing those fun Spellbinders Nestabilities dies. For quite a while, I kept them in their original plastic packaging, but that system became cumbersome as my collection grew and space became limited. So I decided to use some items I already had on hand to organize them. I had a huge roll of magnetic tape which I placed inside empty CD jewel cases. Since the nesties are made of metal, they easily stick to the magnetic strips. I labeled the outside of the cases using my handy-dandy label maker (LOVE that thing!) and I also put a label on the back of the case with the actual product number so that I wouldn't accidently buy the same set of dies twice. I then placed all the cases on my shelf, and presto! Instant organization.

Now onto some crafty projects! First of all, my Sunday was so packed with things to do that I didn't have time to complete my friend's challenge from yesterday. When I have time this week, I'll certainly do that. Sorry, Christy!

I did, however, manage to finish up a card that I started on Saturday. I had so much fun making this card! It's so me.

Supplies: Cheap Talk stamp set; Whisper White, Pacific Point, YoYo Yellow cardstock; Good Morning Sunshine DSP; On Board So Tweet chipboard; Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss, YoYo Yellow, Pacific Point, Tangerine Tango stampin' pads and/or markers; Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Scalloped Circle; Googley eye

That's it for me at the moment! I'll catch you all next time.

Out with the old and in with the new!

Howdy, bloggers! I've missed blogger-land these past couple of weeks, but honestly, nothing exciting was going on around here for me to blog about. I'm happy to report that I finally have some new projects and a new crafting area! Woo-hoo! Let's start with a couple of Stampin' Up lovelies.

First up is a very simply, easy-peasy card. It took me about 15 mintues to put together, seriously. I did a little embossing on the hearts which are from the Sale-A-Bration set Polka Dot Punches, and I used the new large heart punch to get those hearts just perfect. A little Certainly Celery ribbon from the Sale-A-Bration catalog finished it all up.


Remember, Sale-A-Bration (SAB) runs through March 31st. For every $50 in merchandise you spend, you get to pick an item from the SAB catalog! And, if that wasn't enough to get you excited, Stampin' Up is allowing its customers to order certain stamp sets from the not-yet-released Occasions Mini Catalog this month! To see the flyer, click HERE.

My next little project is a 6x6 scrap page. Nothing too fancy going on here. Just a little stampin' using the Eastern Blooms stamp set and some brads.

Want to see my new craft area now? First, let me remind you what my old area looked like:

It wasn't a bad little space. My only complaint was that my work surface just wasn't big enough to accommodate the stuff I normally keep on the table as well as the mess I made while creating. So, I traded up for this beauty:

Isn't it pretty? Not only is it bigger, but it's higher, too, which will allow me to create standing up or sitting down on my oh-so comfy draft chair. I've always liked to craft standing up, so when I saw this table, I knew it would be perfect for my needs. Plus, I was able to take down the tall stack of paper containers and store them under the table.

I still have more than enough room for my legs when I'm sitting down, and as you can see, I have room for two more 12x12 storage containers! Although it's functional, I still have some work to do in this little corner. I'm planning to possibly shift the four pink bulletin boards up since they no longer work at the height they're at now. I'm also contemplating hanging this really awesome shelf unit I got at a scrap garage sale for $5 :) I might even put up some more 12x12 frames so that I can display my recently completed scrap pages. Maybe I should put up another inspiration board. Some clipboards? A picture? So many possibilities! We'll see how this area takes shape. I'm really looking forward to jazzing it up and actually creating something on my new table.

That's about all from my end! I'm looking forward to American Idol tonight. It's a guilty pleasure, and I LOVE IT! Catch you all later!

To thine own self be kind

How true, how true. Everyone should remember to take a little time out for themselves, and this card is a good reminder to do that. I was completely inspired by the card that Chat made and shared on her blog.

Supplies: Botanical Blooms stamp set & Paper Trey Ink Polka Dots; Kiwi Kiss, Rose Red, More Mustard, & Whisper White cardstock; Black StazOn ink, Kiwi Kiss, & Whisper White stampin' pads; Bold Brights & Earth Elements Watercolor Wonder Crayons; Aqua Painter; Vintage Brads; 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon in Old Olive & the pink ribbon is from an unknown company; Sakura Gelly Roll Pen - Rose Star; Scallop Border Punch & 1 3/4" & 1 1/4" Circle Punches

The other day I went to Target with a friend to browse around, and I found this stack of paper on clearance for $2! Now that's my kind of deal. I figure I can use them on cards or as journaling spots on my pages. If you're interested in getting a pack, I found it in their stationary section by the greeting cards.

I have a bunch of stuff to share with all of you tomorrow. I'm very excited and you should be, too, because it's all about friendship, cards, and goodies! See you all tomorrow!

Friday Creativity

TGIF, right?! I'm happy to report that Mr. Mojo payed me a visit yesterday, and I was able to make a couple Valentine's Day cards. I think I almost have enough to send out to friends and family. Yay!

Supplies: Season of Friendship stamp set; Whisper White, Riding Hood Red, and Chocolate Chip cardstock; Chocolate Chip & Riding Hood Red stampin' pads; Pretty in Pink ribbon; Small & Large Oval punches

Supplies: Love Owl-ways stamp set; Whisper White, Riding Hood Red, & Pretty in Pink cardstock; Chocolate Chip stampin' pad; Scallop Edge & 1/16" circle punches

That's all I have for now! Have a great weekend, and I'll blog at you next week :)

Thank you all for your kind words about my little one. He's not doing as well as I would like, and the decision to let him go may come sooner than I had hoped. He's such a darling little thing, and my heart aches to see him like this. We'll see what the weekend brings.

This past Monday night I attended my weekly SU demo meeting. Normally, we talk shop and make a pre-determined project. This time around, we did something a little different. Our hostess had just gotten her "big" SU order in that day, and by big, I mean she ordered pretty much every new item in the catalog. It was great! She had us pick a new stamp set that corresponded with the first letter of our name, so I choose "Simple Friendship." The challenge was to create a card right there and then using the set we choose. Talk about pressure! Here's what I came up with:


Supplies: Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke cardstock; Sage Shadow & Chocolate Chip stampin' pad; To the Nines Specialty DSP; Scallop Circle Punch; Dazzling Diamond glitter; Chocolate Chip Satin Ribbon

What do you think? Not bad for an on-the-fly card. I definitely like this stamp set and hope to add it to my SU collection soon.

I'm currently working on organizing my stamp collection even more. I know, you're wondering how my stamps could get anymore organized, but believe me, I can always find more ways! I'm not sure when I'll be back, so if I don't blog at you before the weekend, have a good one!

A little road trip + a little box

I hope you all enjoyed the nice long weekend! I know we did. We took a mini road trip and reveled in the awesome weather we're having right now. While on my way to fill up my tank, something interesting happened (at least it was interesting to me):

Yup! She turned 66,666 miles just as I was pulling up to the gas station, hence the fact I was able to snap a good picture safely :) I can't believe my car is over six years old and has been up and down the west coast, yet it only has this few miles on it. I {heart} my car!

We saw some beautiful scenery on our drive. Here are a few pictures I took on our little adventure. (If you can name that mountain, I'd be IMPRESSED!)

Onto some crafting fun! I attended a demo meeting last night, and we made this adorable box. Believe me when I say this was really simple to put together.

To make it really easy, I made this template. All you need to do is shoot me an e-mail, and I can send it to you in printable format otherwise you can simply read the dimensions from the picture below. The dashed lines are where you need to score your paper.


Supplies: Cardstock: Basic Black, Whisper White, & Kiwi Kiss; Petal Pizzazz & Love you Much stamp sets; Kiwi Kiss & Pink Pirouette stampin' pads; Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' glitter; Stampin' Dimensionals; Scallop Circle punch

Don't forget that the NEW 2009 Winter/Spring Stampin' Up Catalog is now out and available to purchase from. WOO-HOO!

If you don't have the catalog in your hands right now, but want to see it anyway, click HERE and download the entire book straight to your computer! If you know what you want and are ready to order, click HERE.

Just as a reminder, the current promotion going on right now is the Love You Much Bundle. Get ready for Valentine's Day with this spectacular set! Included at 20% off the regular price until January 31st is the NEW Love You Much stamp set, the NEW Heart to Heart punch, and the NEW Candy Lane Designer Paper Series. Click HERE to check it out!

Have a terrific day!

Just Plum Sick

It's official - I've caught myself a lovely little cold, and it looks like it will be staying a while. I thought it was just a quick 24-hour bug that got hold of my throat, but as the day progressed, I started feeling worse and worse. I guess it's a good thing I'm getting the whole cold thing out of the way before Christmas. I'd hate to have a drippy nose while opening up presents!

Before I show you the rest of my goodies from my Stampin' Up demo party, I want to share with you the CUTEST blog that my friend shared with me today. It's called Zooborns and they have up-to-date information on all the zoo babies born around the world! How cool is that? Best of all, today's entry featured a new addition to the Berlin zoo - a baby HIPPO! If you have a chance, you must click on the link to see the new two-week old calf. She's such a doll! Oh, and don't forget to watch the video of her and her mom just relaxing under the water. It just melts my heart!

Now onto the goodies! Here's a beautiful ornament that our hostesses made for all us downlines. I can't wait to hang it on our tree (once we get one this weekend...hopefully).

As if the ornament wasn't enough, they also made us these adorable marshmellow snowmen in a cup with yet another lovely ornament!

This was the winner of the cookie bag decorating contest. Cute, right?!

Everyone got this lovely card from Cynthia (thanks!). I can't believe I don't have this stamp set yet!

Finally, this is what I got from my secret santa. She knitted me a really pretty pink scarf and included some handmade gift card holders.


Hey, here's a story for ya - As sick as I was today, I absolutely had to go to the post office to mail out my Christmas gifts. The line was long, but not horrible. I think I waited a total of 25 minutes which was what I was expecting. Anyway, the wait wouldn't have been so bad had the couple behind me NOT BEEN MAKING OUT IN LINE. Is no place sacred anymore? Seriously. These were two young adults who should have known better. All you could hear throughout the office was their lip-smacking, and to make things even more gross, the guy was as sick as I was! ICK! You know, when I went to Disneyland last month with my friend, we saw kids making out all over the place. This one guy even LICKED (oh yeah, we're talking full-on tongue action) his girlfriend/wife/whatever in the Indiana Jones line. So, I say unto thee, readers of my blog, please refrain from making out and licking your partner in public. It's just wrong. Pecks, hand-holding, and hugging are all acceptable forms of public affection in my oh-so prudish opinion.

Alrighty then, after telling that story, I need to go shower! The hot water should help my sinuses at least. I hope (operative word here being *hope*) to be back tomorrow to share the Christmas cards I made two weeks ago. We'll see if I feel like getting out of bed. Later!