Ka-Put!

That was the sound my laptop made late Tuesday night when it decided to die on me; hence, my lack of posts over the past several days. I just got my baby back from the repair shop this evening, and I finally have some time to sit down and post. A new hard drive and upgraded memory, and my computer is working like a dream. Fortunately, I always back-up my files, and I had *just* backed up my computer when it crashed on me which is why I'm not horribly upset about the situation. I will say this - I'm definitely getting a Mac when I can afford one! No more PCs for me. They're constantly crashing!

Since I wasn't able to take pictures of my new cards, I'll share with you a project I did a few weeks ago for a friend who came out to visit me. She has the cutest little dog named Lexi, and I made this little treat bag for her complete with a customized keychain.

It's a little hard to see in this next picture, but I made a little charm with Lexi's picture inside of it. I printed out a very, very small picture and put diamond glaze over the top. I let it sit overnight and viola! Instant personalized charm :)

Tomorrow, we're going Christmas tree hunting! There's nothing like the smell of fresh pine to really get you in the holiday spirit. Once it's all decorated, I'll snap some pictures and post them!

Oh! One more thing. A while back Jennifer McGuire had asked for some organizational tips, and she posted mine as one of her favorites! I told her about the way I store my Prismacolor pencils. Here's my tip:

Alrighty, I'll see you all Monday barring any ka-putting accidents.

I'm running behind!

Greetings! Sorry I'm posting so late today. I had work to complete last night and Christmas shopping to do today. I went to the mall with my friend and luckily it wasn't crowded at all. I can honestly say, though, that there's nothing out there this year that's really floating my boat. Even the big name department stores didn't have much in the way of clothes or shoes. I guess I'll settle for some new stamps instead :)

Before I show you my super-fast card, I thought I'd share some exciting Stampin' Up news. Now through December 23, get FREE SHIPPING on orders of $70 or more! How cool is that? Plus, the retired list just came out today, too, and everything on the list is 10% off now through December 23. To see the retired list, click HERE. Remember, you can order on-line, 24/7 just by clicking HERE.

Today's card is one that I made last week for my friend's son's birthday. He turned the big 4. I needed to whip up a card lickety-split since I was running a bit late that day. I pulled out Stampin' Up's "Owl Together Now" stamp set and came up with this 3x3 card:

Totally easy. Totally appropriate for a 4-year old. I used Chocolate Chip paper and ribbon as well as the Earth Elements Watercolor Wonder Crayons and blender pens to add some color.

I'll definitely try to post earlier tomorrow. I want to showcase some of my Christmas cards, but I need to wait until daybreak to get some good photos. I'm not too fond of taking pics at night with my sun lamp. It's just not the same in my opinion.

Later, stampers!

Lots-o-goodies to share!

Good morning, bloggers! I hope you all enjoyed a relaxing weekend. My weekend was crazy-busy, but in a good way. I didn't post on Friday because I was busy finishing up some swaps for my monthly Stampin' Up card club. I wasn't sure what I wanted to make, but I finally decided to dress up a plain brown box with my new House Mouse stamps and put an ornament inside. Here's what I came up with.

Boxes + Finished tops

Completed Box:

Ornament:

This ornament was easy-peasy to do (although it took a toll on my poor hands after punching 20 squares). All you need is the Stampin' Up Scallop Edge Border Punch and some scrap paper. I got the idea from Taylor VanBruggen's blog, Taylored Expressions. Click HERE for the instructions.

I must say I was BLOWN away by the amount of talent and creativity that all the ladies (and one gent!) exhibited with their projects. Everyone put a lot of time and thought into their swap items, and I greatly appreciated the effort! Let's take a peek at all the handmade goodness:

This little snowman is actually a magnet made from a domino! From what I understand, this project was quite the endeavor!

Now for the cards! This first one came with a lottery ticket. I won two bucks :)

My friend, Ana, made this adorable snowman card. Isn't it way too cute (and crazy detailed)?

The rest of my week is looking busy, busy, busy. I have some Christmas shopping to do both on-line and out and about, plus I have to look for an outfit for a party Travis and I are attending this Friday evening. I'm also still finishing up my Christmas cards, but I only have a few left to do. I spent most of the weekend making a whole bunch of cards, and that's what I'll be showing you all this week. Have a good one!

On Dasher! On Prancer! On Comet!

Well, you know the rest! I thought I'd get that song in your head as preparation for my card today!

Supplies: A Holly, Jolly Chrismas stamp set; Whisper White, Real Red, & Glorious Green cardstock; Chocolate Chip Craft stamp pad & Glorious Green Classic stamp pad; clear embossing powder; gold rope; mini bells (from Michaels); Stickles

I have lots to do today including going over to my friend and fellow SU demo's house for her monthly card club meeting. She had an extra spot this month, so I'm going go make some more cards tonight. YAY! See you all tomorrow :)

Quick Post

I went from having nothing exciting going on in my life to being totally busy! Tis the way life goes, right? Today's post is going to be a short one. I made this card a couple of weeks ago, and I'm super happy with the way it turned out!



I used brown flock to add a little fuzz to the bear's belly as well as white flock for this hat. I cut the moon out using the Coluzzle cutting system, and I used my Prismacolor pencils and Color Box Classic Pigment ink to color it in. It was just a really fun card to make!

Supplies: SU! Under the Stars, Holly Jolly Christmas, & Wishing you Cheer stamp sets; Studio G $1 stamps (for the presents); Hero Arts' Owl Christmas; Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, & Close to Cocoa cardstock; Black StazOn, White, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Old Olive, Kiwi Kiss, & Glorious Green stamp pads; Doodlebug Crushed Velvet Flock; Prismacolor pencils.

Have a great Wednesday!

Surprisingly Simply yet classy card

Ever have one of those days where nothing terribly exciting is going on and so you have nothing to blog about? LOL! I'm kind-of having one of those days! Other than attending a very relaxing SU demo meeting last night, I haven't done too much. Sure, I ran some errands yesterday, but who here really wants to hear about my trip to the grocery store or to Lowes? Yeah, I didn't think so :)

How about I show you a card instead?! I just learned this nifty little trick from my friend and fellow SU demo who coincidently is also a SU Founder's Circle Member (Hi, Pat!). This technique is called "Black soot" and it involves fire! Yup, I'm giving you all permission to play with matches, but please be careful!


Supplies: Happiness is a Journey stamp set; Whisper White, Glossy White & Basic Black cardstock; Versamark ink & Basic Black ink; a lit candle & a kleenex

Here's how you do it: Stamp the image with Versamark ink onto Glossy White paper and let it air dry COMPLETELY (it takes about 15 mintues or so). Hold your stamped image face down directly into the orange/yellow part of the flame of your candle. Move the image around to keep it from catching fire (hint: I let the paper burn a bit on the edges to get a weathered look). Keep the image in the flame until it is completely black and covered in "soot." Remove from flame and use a Kleenex to gently wipe off the excess soot using a circular motion. The soot will wipe clean from the stamped image, but remain on the paper.

There you have it! Don't be afraid to get that paper into the flame (and perhaps have a fire extinguisher handy). Have a great day, folks!

Monday Randomness

Good morning, everyone! I hope you all enjoyed a relaxing weekend. I spent most all of my time putting up holiday decorations and then cleaning up the mess I had made. *Almost* everything is in place now. We just need to get a tree and put some garland on the mantle of the fireplace.

I can't wait to get a live tree in here! While I was at Wal*Mart on Saturday, I stopped to look at the trees and ended up burying my nose in the fresh scent of pine. Gosh, that scent takes me back all the way to my childhood. Gotta love that.

I just have to share these beautiful roses that I received last Wednesday from my good friend, Q. She sent them to us as a thank you for having her here during her vacation. They're absolutely lovely, and they made a gorgeous centerpiece at Thanksgiving dinner.

Over the holiday, I finally finished the Thank You cards for the technicians at the vet hospital who helped me with Zoe. I had a hard time making these cards, but I'm happy that I did. Hopefully, I will be able to drop them off early this week.

Supplies: Rubber Hedgehog "Cocoa and Tango Kiss" stamp; Top Note Die; Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Regal Rose, and Whisper White cardstock; Whisper White ribbon; Prismacolor pencils; Silver brads

I was browsing the Rubber Hedgehog site and found this wonderfully appropriate stamp. It made me feel better about my decision.

If you're an animal lover like me, you should definitely check out their site. They have a great selection of stamps that you just can't find anywhere else.

Have a great Monday, folks!

The Day After

I love the day after a big holiday! Everyone is nice and stuffed from the day before, and left-overs are always abundant. Did any of you brave the Black Friday crowds today? I sure didn't! I was still sleeping off that huge turkey dinner from last night. I did, however, do a little on-line Christmas shopping, and around 11:30 am, Travis and I took a chance by going over to our local Super Target to see if we could score that queen sized air mattress for $19.99. Not only did we grab the last one they had, but the store wasn't the least bit crowded! I loved it. We hit a few more stores, but didn't stay out too late. We had much bigger things to do at home...decorate!

We spent the rest of the afternoon decorating the front yard. It looks so nice with all the reindeer and lights on right now! The next thing to tackle is the interior. I'll do that tomorrow. For now, I have a holiday card to share with all of you.

Supplies: A Cardinal Christmas stamp set; So Swirly Jumbo Wheel; Whisper White, Real Red, Kiwi Kiss, More Mustard, & Chocolate Chip cardstock; Top Note die; Coluzze cutting system; Real Red, Old Olive, & Chocolate Chip stamp pads; Real Red ribbon; Aqua pen; Mini Library Clips

Have a great weekend everyone!

Happy Turkey Day!

I just wanted to pop in and wish all of you a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving holiday! Our turkey is currently in the oven baking away. The potato and colesaw salads are done, and all of our deserts (pumpkin pie, flan, and my yummy pumpkin apple spice bread) are also finished. I can't wait until dinner time!

I have a quick card to share with all of you. I thought it was an appropriate one for today.

Lastly, I want to remind all of you of Stampin' Up's promotions.

First up is SU's Rub on Some Cheer Promotion. Spend $20 and qualify to purchase any Rub-Ons assortment at 20 percent off ($8.76 per package; regularly $10.95). Click on the picture to view the flyer. This promotion ends Sunday, November 30th!

Now for the biggie - SU's Holiday Extravaganza Sale! For a limited time, purchase any of the Holiday Extravaganza bundles at a special promotional price--up to 50% off! Click the picture to view the flyer. This sale ends Monday, December 1st, and is limited to the stock on hand, so get these deals while they're hot!

I'll try to be back tomorrow with some fun new projects. We're decorating the house, so who knows how long that will take. I doubt I'll hit any of the crazy sales going on. I'd rather shop from home!

Zoo pics and more

Now that I'm getting back into the swing of blogging, I thought I'd post some pictures from my trip down to San Diego with my friend, Q. I {heart} San Diego! There's so much to do and so much to see. I could do without all the traffic, but that's the way of life around here.

While down in SD, Q and I visited one of my all-time favorite stores - The Container Store. For an organizational freak like myself, this place is my heaven.


I could have spent hours in here just looking around, but we had another mission to accomplish...

The San Diego Zoo!

The SD Zoo was certainly one of the highlights of our vacation. The weather was mild, and all the animals were out and about doing their thing. Many of them had babies to show off to us. We saw baby tigers, warthogs, and giraffes, as well as singing dog pups and even a 15 month old panda bear. Everyone appeared to be happy and healthy.

Of course, both of us had our favorite animals that we just had to go see and spend time with. For Q, it was the tigers, and we were in for a treat as mama tiger and her two babies were out playing.

Did you see his paws?! He's going to grow up to be one big boy.

Right down the way from the tiger exhibit was MY exhibit...Hippo Beach. Oh, I felt like a kid again practically running to their habitat...

I peered over the railing looking for my beloved hippos, but I couldn't see them! Oh, no. Were they not out today? Were they in a place hidden from public view? I walked quickly down to the lower portion of the exhibit, and there they were...my hippos.

The only thing separating me from these adorable creatures was an incredibly thick piece of glass. I'm sure if given the opportunity, they would eat me, but come on! Don't you just want to cuddle with them?? I did, so I went to the nearest gift shop and did just that.

Moving on, we stumbled upon some very happy birds wading in the water. I was FLOORED to see my very first Anhinga, native only to the southeast of the county. He wasn't tagged, which surprised me. Could this be some poor wayward bird redirected by a strong hurrican? Nah. He's probably just a tourist :)

Don't you just love they way they sun bath? They're much like cormorants in that respect, spreading their wings out to dry.

Right next to Mr. Anhinga anhinga (yup, that's his scientific name), we spotted a Great Egret.

I couldn't tell is he was tagged or not since his legs are in the water, but he very well could be a simple local just out looking for a good time.

After mingling with the birds, we headed over to the Panda Research Station. We had to wait in a small line to view the pandas, but it was well worth it. We saw daddy panda, Gao Gao, mama panda, Bai Yun, and new comer Zhen Zhen who we caught napping in the tree.

You know what they say - toddlers need their sleep (and mama needs to eat)!

Speaking of bears, we also spent some time at Polar Bear Plunge although no one was plunging into the water that day. Both bears were more concerned about how many carrots they could stick in their mouth at one time. I think five was the winning number.

After the polar bears, we headed over to the African mammals. We saw elephants...

And my mom's favorite, giraffes.

And what would a trip to the zoo be without stopping by the manor to say hello to those gregarious little meerkats?

Can we say CUTE?!

I could potentiall show you a zoo full of more pictures, but I think I'll stop here. Needless to say, we had a great time frolicing with the critters.

In keeping with the animal theme, here's a birthday card I made for my grandpa. His birthday is this Friday!

I had so much fun putting this card together! I mixed and matched my stamps and added some ornaments to my tree. I only had white pearls on hand, so I used my Bic Markers to color a few to my specifications. I'm really happy with the results!

I've been on a kick lately to really jazz up the inside of my cards, so here's what I did for this one.

Supplies: Hero Arts "Owl Chirstmas" and "Jolly Christmas stamp sets & Holly, Jolly Christmas stamp set; Whisper White & Chocolate Chip cardstock; Basic Grey Figgy Pudding pattern paper; Chocolate Chip ribbon

My goodness I have written a book here on this post! I'm going to sign off for now and wish you all a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving Holiday. Please pray for those who cannot be here with their families and pray for all those killed today and being held hostage in Mumbai, India (What is our world coming to??)