Some ATC's and Blog Candy

Today's post is for some of the cards I have made for Pat Adam's cause Cards 4 Kids at the Children's Hospital of Michigan. The administrator asked if Pat could come up with 1,000 valentines for the kids to swap with each other, parents and staff. She has received a wonderful response from other stampers and has gotten over 500 cards so far, with more coming in! I contacted Pat, telling her that I would like to offer some blog candy, along with some other stampers who are doing the same. I had originally planned on offering this when my blog counter hit 10,000, but it doesn't seem to be working...and besides, this is a much more worthy cause! : )
I personally will be making 25 cards to send, as well as adding in a couple from past posts that could be used either for Valentines or other use. I will get the rest posted probably tomorrow, as I'm still finishing up some (took a time-out to spend time with my daughter last week before she left). First, what I have made so far:
I have never made an ATC, so decided to give it a whirl. I made 10 of these. Used Bazzil paper for the base, attached a piece of BG LilyKate to that. I stamped and colored the HM stamp on white CS, cut it out and attached him to the card. Sprinkled the X and O confetti to look like he was tossing it up in the air. The sentiment was added with the tiny JustRite letters. Used the SU! curved tag punch, two of each color, to make the tag, stamped a little See D's heart sprig on front and back of each tag. On the back of the tag, I stamped Happy Valentine's Day using JustRite Trompe and Brayton fonts, added different colored rhinestones to the side of each. Left room at the bottom for the kids to write. Made a little pocket envelope for each one with this double sided CS I've had forever. Used the SU! punch again so the tag would show even in the envelope. That's it. They look really cute IRL. Now on to the goodies.


Alrighty...here's my blog candy offering:

1. Glue Glider Pro with roll of Perma Tac adhesive.
2. Box of Prima Mulberry Paper Flowers (60 Flowers).
3. Vintage Toys stamp set from Hanna Stamps.
4. Peppermint Twist stamp set from Inkadinkado.
5. "Jen" stamp by Me & My Big Ideas.
6. Container of Indigo Blue Fun Flock by Stampendous.
7. Unmounted "Peeking Kitty" stamp (3 pieces-face and paws) by Eureka Stamps, approx 3 x 5".
8. ETA: JustRite Harmony Classic Circle Stamper II (2 5/16"). Round wooden stamper only, new in package.
9. Embossed foil autumn leaves, embossed foil butterflies (several colors).
10. Adhesive Metal Words (Friends, Celebrate, Cherish)
11. Epoxy garden embellishments.
12. Five sheets outline stickers.

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post. You don't have to send cards to Pat to be eligible, but that sure would be wonderful! I will put your name into a drawing and will draw a winner on February 8th. If you would like to contribute to this project, please send Pat an e-mail letting here know. Details can be found here at Pat's site. The deadline for getting cards to Pat is February 7Th. Please help if you can.

For My Personal Challenge

Uh oh, I made the first card for my goal of doing a Christmas card a week this year, but then I got distracted, didn't even take a picture of it, then totally forgot about it. So this post will have cards 1 and 2. Blogging buddy Chris has the same goal, so we can keep each other motivated. My daughter left this morning to head back to college in Vermont, so I had been spending as much time as possible with her. I won't get to see her until April when I go up there for Relay for Life. She won't be coming home for Spring Break, but instead will be going to New York to work with Habitat for Humanity, which I think is so great! I started missing her before she even turned to go through security at the airport.

Okay, so here's card 1. This is the first time I have used this Rubber Stamp Tapestry set. I don't think there is a way to mess this up or do it wrong. I had this scalloped oval already cut out/embossed, so stamped Noel on it and then used the tiny little peg stamps to add the poinsettias, leaves and tendrils. Added some along the scallops too. Put burgundy Stickles in the centers of the poinsettias. Inked the edge and smudge Velvet Colorbox on the scallop and attached it to the green CS square with rounded corners. Played with the peg stamps on there too. Attached the square to this gorgeous burgundy foil and flocked wrapping paper I got on sale at the Container Store. Pictures don't do it justice.

Stamps: Rubber Stamp Tapestry Noel.

Paper: Container Store wrapping paper, The Paper Studio CS.

Ink: Colorbox Queues.

Accessories: Nestabilities, Stickles, corner rounder.

Card 2 will also be double-duty one for the House Mouse #19 Challenge that I kept not having time to do and that was extended another week, so squeaking this one in. :) Supposed to use some embossing on this one. I colored the image with Prismas/baby oil. The bow was colored with Twinkling H2Os in two different colors for depth. Burgundy Stickles on the berries in the wreath. Cut/embossed the image with Lg and Sm Labels, inked the edges of both. Used SU! Designer Label punch, embossed the Verve sentiment with gold EP, then embossed all around the edge as well with the EP. Background DP is from Black Market. Not typical Christmas colors, but it looks pretty. Attached sentiment on foam tape. Base card is Kraft CS. Added a couple of gold Dew Drops in the corner.

Stamps: House Mouse Tumbling Wreath, Verve Winter Wonder.

Paper: Black Market Let it Bloom pack, The Paper Studio CS, Kraft CS.

Ink: Colorbox Queues.

Accessories: Prismacolor pencils/baby oil, gold EP, Twinkling H2O's, Stickles, Nestabilities, SU! Designer Label punch.

It's Still Winter....Really????

Hmmm...it was 82 here yesterday, already up to 76 this afternoon. I've been running around in capri jeans, short sleeves and barefoot (sandals when I go out). Yet the calendar and Sharon say it's still winter, so we're definitely having some crazy south Texas weather. :) For this week's Stamp Simply Challenge Sharon wants us to make any type of card that says winter. If we can do that without using a snowman or snowflake, all the better! I actually had all these pieces cut and colored since before Christmas, they just never made it any further. Willow sitting in her armchair enjoying some hot chocolate, colored with Prismas/baby oil, attached to a stack of CS then on a background of Winterberry DP. Stamped the Verve sentiment directly on the green CS. Cuttlebug scrolls were put on burgundy CS, and gold vellum cut with MS punch. The buttons in the corners are left over from a suit I made over 15 years ago. Looks wintery to me! : ) This card will also serve as my entry for Whiff of Joy Challenge #13, following the sketch Heather provided.

Stamps: Willow With Hot Chocolate & Willow's Armchair from Whiff of Joy; Verve Artful Elegance.

Paper: The Paper Studio, Memory Box Winterberry, vellum.

Ink: Colorbox Queues.

Accessories: Cuttlebug, MS punch, buttons.

Happy 50th To Tony

I have a guy friend who lives in Austin, whose 50th birthday is tomorrow. Hopefully he won't pop on here and see this before he gets the card. We met not long after my divorce and became fast friends. He comes down to San Antonio every couple of months and we wander through antique shops here in SA, or go on day trips Boerne or Fredricksburg for the antiquing and wine tastings there. Tony was the first person I had ever heard describe himself as a "metrosexual". Didn't want to appear dumb so waited until I got home and googled that. Yep...was like Tony was posing for that description. :) Hence the birth of this card...the image and sentiment for the trips through the wineries. Used burgundy CS base, as it has a story of its own. We were in an antique shop in Boerne and I saw this beautiful burgundy leather chair. As I sat down in it, Tony said "I have a pair of shoes that would match that perfectly". Before I burst into peels of laughter, I know I gave him that - you did NOT just say that - look. :) SU! crackle background, torn and distressed, edge-inked. Inkadinkado image colored with Prismas/baby oil, cut out and embossed with curved rectangle Nesties then attached on foam tape after inking the edge. Crafty Secrets sentiments embossed with silver and copper EP that I mixed together before sprinkling it on. Can't tell in the pic, but has a really pretty patina look to it. One cut out with Spellbinders Label, inked, brads added, and attached on double layers of foam tape. Second sentiment directly on CS base.

Stamps: Inkadinkado Wine & Cheese, Crafty Secrets Wine Lovers.
Paper: The Paper Studio, manila folder.
Ink: Colorbox Queues.
Accessories: Spellbinders Labels & Curved Rectangles, copper and silver EP, brads, foam tape, metal ruler for distressing.

MIA Mojo...

When my kiddos had their Christmas with their father's side of the family, they didn't take gifts for their dad or stepmother because they were told they would have a separate gift exchange with them. That hasn't happened yet for one reason or another, and the kids put off getting gifts, the little stinkers. I finally coralled them for the picture for their dad (previous post), and they had no idea what to get their stepmother. Groan...I was going to be making something for my niece yesterday but said I would make something for stepmom. I called and asked my ex her favorite color - pink. Here's what I came up with, though took a while to get my heart into it. I made the A2 box base, and then my mojo just jumped out the window...to chase a squirrel or something, I dunno...but I had a hard time coming up with something that could be considered presentable. Finally told myself not to think about who this is for and just "do what you do" as my daughter said. Okay, so I picked this pretty cardstock and cut it to fit around it the box base like a book cover, scallop punched the edge. Ran narrow satin ribbon across the base and attached the box over it, cut a slit to pull the ribbon through. Because it was a single-sided CS I rummaged and found a solid DP that was a close match and lined the cover and spine. Put that to the side and started on the cards. Used my JustRite Monogram stampers with the From the Desk of frame. Did the initial in pink and frame in a pale blue to pick up from the design. Cut those out with circle Nesties, then a scalloped circle from the liner paper for the mat. Mojo waffled again. Went and did some cleaning downstairs because we're having a dinner party tonight, came back a few hours later and this is what I ended up with. I used the largest scalloped rectangle Nestie on the patterned CS, then a larger scalloped circle and cut out a vignette. That's where I put the monogram stack. My daughter came in and looked at everything, said "Oh Mommy, that is so cute". Before I could stop her, I heard my evil twin say "is it too cute?" (I'll smack myself later). Back to the card - felt it was missing something, so added that muave satin ribbon running all the way across. Then attached the monogram stack. Still missing something, so I added those little swirls, which are outline stickers. Used four gold and four silver, then added a longer one to the inside of the box lid. Went back to the box and stamped her name with JustRite Brayton and Special Occasions fonts, cut that out with Spellbinders ribbon slide, inked edges. Ran the ribbon through it. Flowers are layered CS from a Cuttlebug die. I inked alternating layers with shades of pink and blue, then put them on my gel wrist pad from my computer and pushed down in the center of each layer with the end of my paper piercer so they would curl up. Attached them to the box with Diamond Glaze, and added the blue foil butterfly. Put little rhinestones in the center of the flowers and on the butterfly's body. Did I do okay? :)

Stamps: JustRite Monogram stamper and Fonts.
Paper: The Paper Studio, Pink Paislee, Hot Off the Press.
Ink: Colorbox Queues.
Accessories: Spellbinders, Cuttlebug, ribbon, foil butterfly, rhinestones, outline stickers, scallop edge punch.

Wishing Everyone A Safe and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Have you ever tried herding cats, or nailing Jello to a tree? Tee hee! My ex had said that all he wanted for Christmas was an updated picture of the kids, just a snapshot. I had taken one five years ago in front of the tree, so asked the kids if we could do that again. Finally got them both to sit still for this picture. Actually in most of them one or the other was making a silly face, or looking at the other one, or laughing. Goofballs. So here it is. I think they are just beautiful/handsome, but then I'm a little biased. They are the joys of my life, and two wonderful, sweet young people!

As the title of this post states, we would like to wish everyone a very safe and fun and happy new year! We'll be leaving shortly to go to Chuck's and then on to a party. Has anyone made any resolutions yet? I mean, ones that are realistic and able to stick to [this time]. *grin*. Myself...kind of a two-fold deal. I cleaned up my crafting/work space, and amazingly found more space. A friend gave me a $200 gift card to The Container Store - that has been put to good use on Elfa stuff. I left out all my Christmas stamps, most of which sadly were not inked up this year. Here is goal #1...I plan to make at least one Christmas card a week, using each and every one of my Christmas sets. Will post them as I make them, amongst the other challenges and such. That will make things so much easier when Christmas actually comes around next year - no pressure to get so many done in a shorter amount of time, plus all the stamps will get used.
Second goal, and the only thing holding me back right now is myself and the nagging waiting. With all the chemo treatments, emotional ups and downs over the past year-and-a-half with the return of my cancer, I have become very deconditioned and gained some weight. Not terribly much, but enough that I am not comfortable with myself. Went from a comfy 6, progressed to an 8, and now I'm in a loose 10, though can still manage the 8 without looking like I'm stuffed in a sausage casing. The number on the scale is shocking, and the few people I've told (and threatened if it goes any further) say there is no way I could weigh that, but three different scales evilly told me the same thing. :) I refuse to go any further. So goal here is to get back into shape, get myself healthy again and like my appearance again. I used to be really cute. haha. I will be having the post-chemo set of tests the week of January 12 (wish me luck/prayers there!), but will be starting an exercise routine this coming Monday. I have always eaten healthy so at least I won't have to make any major changes there. Mostly it has just been being too sedentary with my job and feeling too icky to motivate myself to do anything. Those days are over - at least the icky part. Still have same sedentary job.
So that's it for me. Will keep you posted on my progress with the self-improvement part. The crafting part will be more easily visible. : )

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!! ((((HUGS))))

Another Gift Set

My kids had their Christmas with their father's side of the family yesterday. They had no idea what to get for my former in-laws so asked if I would make a card set for them. No problemo. There were supposed to be 8 cards like the one on the left, but after I got going I realized I only had enough of that DP for 6, so snagged a different DP and made 4 of each, so have paisley and floral. Used my wondermous JustRite Monogram Stamper on manila folder, then cut each out with smallest Labels 2 die. I centered that cutout still in the die on the solid CS and ran both through the Cuttlebug on top of the embossing mat to create an embossed frame and also embossed the cutout at the same time; hard to see in the picture, but IRL looks nice. I then inked the edges of the cutout. Dropped the ink pad right in the middle of one (oops!), so I ended up pouncing the inkpad over each cutout. Looked good. : ) Attached all layers to SU! Kraft CS, inked all around the edges of the card. Used the Kraft CS for the box and the second floral piece of DP for the cover. Did the same monogram as on the cards, with the next two die sizes as well. Inked the edges differently for each layer, adding antique gold to the last layer. Put the ribbon in place and attached the matted layers on top of it, wrapped the ribbon around the bottom, and lookie, lookie...I actually tied a decent bow! Not very good at those, so I was pretty happy about it. :) The cards look pretty bleh in the picture, like something missing, but they look so pretty IRL with that embossed frame. The kids said their grandparents really liked them, so that's what matters.


Stamps: JustRite Monogram Stamper.
Paper: Manila Folder, SU! Kraft CS, My Mind's Eye DP.
Ink: Colorbox Queues.
Accessories: Spellbinders, ribbon.

Super Quick Gift Set

By coincidence a memory lapse on my part (or something to do with the reindeer from my last post) fits perfectly with Sharon's Stamp Simply challenge this week...to create something so simple that we could assume someone casing it could do it in 30 minutes. From start to finish this whole set took less than 30 minutes for me to throw (literally) together. Chuck and I had the Roaddoggs Christmas party to go to Friday night. Chuck started a cycling group with some friends and a couple of their wives, and they call themselves the Roaddoggs. There are two other wives and myself who do not ride, so we have been dubbed the Road Kittens. haha. :) We have a Christmas party every year and draw names for a little gift exchange. I got Mary, one of the other Road Kittens. Chuck and I had gone to Fredricksburg last Wednesday to visit the winery we went to when we were there for a Valentine's weekend getaway at a B&B. Our hill country wineries are producing some wonderful wines, and in fact has been dubbed "Little Napa". We bought several bottles of this delicious wine we discovered, to give as gifts, one being for Mary. I also wanted to make her a set of note cards, but it completley slipped my mind - until I was putting on my make-up for the party. EEEEEEK! (not my make-up, the forgetting part). So I finished getting ready and had about 45 minutes before I needed to leave. This is the set I made. The DP is from My Mind's Eye, attached to black CS card base with my handy dandy Glue Glider I got from Joan - love it! I grabbed this JustRite Damask border and the Special Occasions font, inked it with Versamark, and did four each with black and white embossing powder. Did an extra white one for the box. Cut out and embossed with Nesties circle and scalloped circle, then simply attached to the card. The box went together so fast, thanks to Sharon's dimensions here. Used the same DP and attached the monogram over this gorgeous white fabric ribbon. I didn't do a bow here, or it would have taken me another 30 minutes (I'm not good with bows ~grin~). Eight cards/envelopes with the box in less than 30 minutes. Whew!

Stamps: JustRite Monogram Special Occasions font, Damask border.
Paper: The Paper Studio, My Mind's Eye.
Ink: Versamark.
Accessories: Circle and scalloped circle Nestabilities, black and white EP, ribbon.

Adventures of a Table Decoration (this is long)

Grab some coffee/cocoa, get comfy. :) This began as what I thought was a cute idea, but... I started out with the sleigh template, reduced the size so it would be more fitting to these gorgeous Flourishes reindeer. I stamped eight reindeer and embossed with gold EP, colored them with Prismacolors/baby oil. Then I started cutting them out with my craft knife. Took a break after cutting out two, cut out the sleigh (scissors). I inked the runners with silver Colorbox ink. Attacked the sides and base of the sleigh with Versamark, then sprinkled copper, a bit of irridescent, and then gold EP, shaking off between each sprinkling, hit them with the heat gun. The raised flourish is a Tim Holtz Grungegoard Element that I cut in half so each side would have it, embossed with a couple layers of gold EP, stuck them on the sleigh after it was put together. Cut out two more reindeer, then decided to see how they looked with the sleigh. Argh...the reindeer were too small. When I sized the sleigh to the reindeer I held the main part of the sleigh up to the stamp - DUH, not taking into consideration the runners. Double DUH! So out of frustration this got put to the side for, oh, about three weeks, covered with lots of other stuff. After an archeological dig (you haven't seen my desk) looking for something else, the reindeer were excavated. After all the work so far, I told myself "The Night Before Christmas" does say eight tiny reindeer ~grin~. At this point I didn't feel like cutting out the other four, so I attached the gold cord "reigns" and a tiny little jingle bell to each deer - they actually jingle, sounds so cute! My son asked how I got them to stand. Well, by sticking them to my fingers of course! Initially tried attaching one to a manila folder base and I got stuck to its hoof, I don't know how. Pulled myself off, and it flopped over like road kill. Here's where the recycled acetate packaging comes in handy. Cut some tabs, folded them up, and attached the hooves minus my fingers to the tabs. Wheeee, it worked! Used some red Stickles to attach the sprigs to the harnesses. Mounted the whole thing to cardboard base, glued down artificial snow. This sleigh is hauling some Hershey's Hugs! :) I will have this on my dining room table, at least until Christmas dinner. It has the raw edge on the cardboard showing here, but I will be putting it on some very fine sparkly white tulle and that will cover the base and provide more "snow".

Stamps: Flourished Christmas.

Paper: The Paper Studio, manila folder, cardboard.

Ink: Colorbox Queues, Versamark.

Accessories: Gold cord, tiny jingle bells, Stickles, MS branch punch, acetate, Tim Holtz Grungeboard, EP powder, snow, vacuum, threatening the cat when she jumps on the table to check it out.

Paper Ornament

I was on dangerous ground about two weeks ago...wandering through Stamp Antonio which is only three blocks from my house. So much eye candy! Waaaay up at the top of a shelf was a beautiful layered paper ornament. When I asked about it, the lady said it was made with a Holly Berry stamp but they had been out of stock for months and they probably would not be ordering more. Hmmm...after dropping some cash for a few [ahem] supplies I blazed home by way of Michael's, Hobby Lobby, Joann Fabrics, and Starbucks. Found the website, gave them a call. Was actually speaking with the manufacturer, so they take your order, make the stamp and send it out. Less than a week later it was here. Made this ornament last night. I stamped and embossed with gold EP onto burgundy CS. My eyes did sort of a crazy dance because I didn't where to start cutting; so many choices. I put the wooden block on my copier and printed out a few copies then used colored pencils to show different possibilites. Then I was a stamping and embossing maniac. I did two more images on burgundy, three on my trusty manilla folder stash, and started cutting with my craft knife. I made this one six layers, each one attached with foam tape. I also did nine more images on the manilla folder, three more each on pine green, dark blue and purple. So I have enough stamped and ready for three more ornaments which I will do this afternoon. This is a nice sized ornament - 6.5" x 3.75".

Stamps: Holly Berry

Paper: The Paper Studio, manilla folder.

Ink: Versamark.

Accessories: Gold EP, craft knife, foam tape, sore finger.

Bunch of Gift Sets

I spent a couple of days making these, interspersed with other projects. A friend asked me to make these sets for family members and her office staff. There are 7 sets here; two of the boxes have Hanukkah theme (close up in pic below), with background images from Paper Trey Ink's Mazel Tov set. The other box covers are basically what the cards inside look like, all made in the same way, just different colors and initials. Made the mini pizza boxes first. Used Flourishes Damask background, cut out with scalloped square Nestabilities.

Stamped initials in coordinating colors with JustRite monogram stampers, cut out with 1 5/8", then scalloped circle Nestabilities. I put tiny rhinestones on some of monograms. There are 8 cards/envelopes in each set. The Menorah has 9 tiny rhinestones on it, and I put gold Stickles on the flames.

Stamps: JustRite monogram stampers, Flourishes Damask, Mazel Tov Paper Trey Ink.
Paper: The Paper Studio.
Ink: Colorbox Queues, Stazon.
Accessories: Nestabilities, rhinestones.

Happy Birthday to My Shelbie Delaine!!

Delayed this post to 12/16 so my daughter would not see it until she got home to get the card (she checks out my blog from school - ~grin~).
Today is my daughter's 18th birthday. She won't be coming home from college until tomorrow, but thankfully will be with some friends from here at home who are also attending Norwich, and they are taking her out for dinner this evening. Here is the card I made for her. I used stamp glue on the Flourishes Damask background and sprinkled it with lavender glitter. The flower is from Rubbernecker. Inked it up with lavender and then "tipped" it Sapphire Silk. Green and Stucco on the leaves. Then inked the edges and sponged over the image. Then did the cracked glass technique with UTEE. Attached it to the background. Used the Spellbinders ribbon tag for the sentiment which is a rub-on, threaded gold ribbon through it. Added the gold Dew Drop at the top. The mushy stuff is inside. :)

Stamps: Rubbernecker Flora and Flairs, Flourishes Damask.
Paper: The Paper Studio.
Ink: Colorbox Queues.
Accessories: Spellbinders, UTEE, ribbon, Dew Drop, glitter, stamp glue, Making Memories rub on.

Happy Birthday Alicia

A little side-step from Christmas stuff. Today is my niece's birthday and these are a couple cards I made. She's 19 today, but she loves Anime , pinks/purples, and fairies, so that's why these cards. This first one is going to be for my daughter to give her. They are best buddies and have been since they were itty bitty. Both actually love Anime, I even took them and my son to an Anime convention in Dallas five years ago and they had such a great time. This image reminded me of the girls, so I had to have this set. I stamped it with Stazon, colored with Prismacolors. I cut it out with a square Nesties, inked the edges. Then scalloped Nesties used for the matt. The background paper and the matt are from Black Market. Stamped the sentiment directly onto the DP, added flower rhinestones. Used some new Milled Lavender Stickles on the scallops. Since my daughter is in college in Vermont, I her to write a message, sign it, scan it and e-mail it to me. I then printed it out and put it inside the card. That way it was actually her writing and not just something I printed.

Stamps: Best Friends fron Gina K., Stampendous Happy Messages.
Paper: The Paper Studio CS, Black Market Let it Bloom DP.
Ink: Stazon, Colorbox Queues.
Accessories: Nestabilities, Prismacolor pencils/baby oil, Stickles, rhinestones.

This is the card I'm giving her. Background and colored DP are Basic Grey Two Scoops. Inkadinkado fairy was stamped with Versamark and embossed with silver EP. Colored her with Prismacolors, then I did sparkly chalks all around the image with colors to pick up the background, and inked the edge. Once I attached her to the card, I stamped and embossed another fairy trail going across the papers. Added Icicle Stickles to some of the trail and it looks holographic when the card is moved, though can't see it in the pic. Sentiment is from MFT, inked edges. Added rhinestone flowers, and Icicle Stickles to two of the rounded corners.

Stamps: Inkadinkado Beautiful Fairies, MFT Time For Bubbly.
Paper: The Paper Studio, Basic Grey Two Scoops.
Ink: Versamark, Colorbox Queues.
Accessories: Silver EP, rhinestones, corner rounder, Stickles.

A Little CELEBRATION Day...

Kind of emotional start this morning. As I said in my previous post, I'll be playing on the obstacle course with the ROTC kids at Camp Bullis today. Just wanted to post this real quick before heading out...
Today is my birthday, so there is one thing to have fun with. But I am also celebrating that I finished this last round of chemo two days ago. Will have tests in a few weeks to see how I responded to that. My kids and my boyfriend, Chuck, conspired (grin) to give a most wonderful gift. My daughter is on the planning committee for Relay for Life at Norwich University where she is attending. She had been talking to Chuck via e-mail and told him she would like for me to be there to participate. As my gift, Chuck paid for me to fly up there in April, along with rental car, Shelbie is paying for the hotel, and Tyler saved his money for food and incidental expenses. Tyler came bounding into my room this morning to wish me a happy birthday and asked with a grin, "so what did ya get?", and he got choked up before I did when I was trying to tell him thank you for being in on the conspiracy. :) Am I blessed, or what?
So now I'm off to play in the cold, have fun making a fool of myself, and as I joked before...hopefully not become a poster child for Depends. :)

Sweetly Scented Gifts in Pretty Packaging

I love homemade soaps, and Joan Fricker has some gorgeous gifts in pretty packaging on her blog for Sharon's Stamp Simply Celebrates party. She challenged us to do some pretty packaging of our own.

Today I took off work so I could go out to Camp Bullis Army Base with the ROTC kids so they can run the obstacle course. My friend Deborah is going too (her daughters and my son are in ROTC). The 1Sgt and Chief who are in charge of the ROTC group have challenged Deb and I to run the obstacle course as well. Alrighty...what a way to celebrate a couple things - my birthday today, and my last chemo treatment (which was on the 9th). Well, I used to be very physically fit, played several sports, but that was a while back. We're both pretty deconditioned now but we're willing to give it a whirl! I figured since we would be feeling pretty sore by the end of the day tomorrow, I put together this set for Deb to maybe help her unwind a bit. There is a vanilla scented candle that I bought and altered, and some lavender infused bath salts that I made and put into that cute little milk bottle. I wrapped both containers with DP from My Mind's Eye. The medallion on the candle was made with JustRite Harmony II stamper, and the words on the oval were from Brayton font. Then all layers were cut with Nestabilities ovals and circles. The little tag was made from MFT set, colored with Prismacolors/baby oil. Mirror was cut from a piece of shimmery silver CS. Added Liquid Pearls where the bubbles are, and a little flower bling hanging on the "wall". Matted that on the My Mind's Eye DP I used for the bands.

Will let you know how the obstacle course turns out. Will definitely be lots of laughing - Deb and I will probably end up being the poster children for Depends. :)

Stamps: JustRite Harmony II, Brayton font, MFT "Time for Bubbly".

Paper: My Mind's Eye, manilla folder.

Ink: Colorbox Queues, Stazon.

Accessories: Nestabilities, ribbon, Liquid Pearls, rhinestone, candle, milk bottle, bath salts.

Cards for Recovering Soldiers

This will stay at the top until 12/10; had posted previously but here it is again...IN YOUR FACE. :) Put this on your blog, get it out there!

There was an e-mail circulating around the Net with an address to send Christmas cards to recovering wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Hospital. I wanted to make sure it wasn't a fake, so called. Sure enough the address is incorrect and a lady at Walter Reed gave me the correct addie.

Holiday Mail for Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

Please have all mail there by December 10. The cards will then be taken to Walter Reed Hospital and distributed. I think this is a very small thing we can do to let those soldiers know we appreciate what they have gone through. You can go here for more info.

Flip Top Gift Card Holder

A few days ago Susan Roberts had a challenge on her blog for one of Sharon's Stamp Simply Celebrates party days. The challenge was to make a gift card holder in this format, with a pocket inside and top flap. So here's mine. I corner punched the green CS, taped the edges of the pocket inside, then corner punched and layered the yellow paper and snowflake DP on the CS. Snowflake is layered Spellbinders snowflakes that are embossed, stenciled and glittered, with a Dew Drop in the center. Also stuck some branches from the MS punch in there. Ribbon "belt" wrapped around and held in place with Spellbinders buckle cut from acetate and glittered with Stickles on the back.

Stamps: None.

Paper: Cosmo Cricket, The Paper Studio.

Ink: Colorbox Queues on snowflakes.

Accessories: Spellbinders, ribbon, MS punch, corner punch, glitter, Dew Drop.

Pretty Simple Notecards For a Wonderful Teacher

On day 4 of Sharon's Celebration party Deb Saaranen issued a challenge to create a simple gift of packaged note cards for a teacher or acquaintence. I made this set for the lady who was my first teacher many years ago when I started Montessori School. We have kept in touch all this time. In fact, she sent me an e-mail the other day with her "reveal" of my first day of school - in September of 1968! Ack! : ) I used burgundy CS for the base card again, rounded the lower corners. The DP is from Anna Griffin. I used three different coordinating papers for the "ribbon", with different border punch on each. There are 8 cards, 2 with the green and 3 of the other two colors. Used JustRite Special Occasion font in one of the Damask borders. Cut those out with Spellbinders circle Nestabilities, then a mat from scalloped circle. Added tiny pearls above and below the letter. These cards went together very quickly. I also put the initial in smaller font on the return address part of the envelope - can see it there with the cards. The box was made from the burgundy CS. The top was covered to match the cards. I cut a strip of the yellow paper and on one end used the ribbon punch. Threaded the burgundy ribbon through that and attached the strip to the box top over the ribbon. It then wraps around the bottom of the box and ties on top. The medallion was made JustRite monogram stamper and border, spelling out her name, with tiny decorative stamp from Brayton font set, and then a tiny pearl. All layers were cut with Nesties. It is actually a little card, with that final shimmery scallop attached to a circle of CS cut on the fold so it opens and I have written a message to my teacher. :)

Stamps: JustRite Special Occasions font and border, Brayton set, Damask border (how about that product placement behind the box). hee hee.

Paper: Anna Griffin DP, Hot Off the Press DP, The Paper Studio CS.

Ink: Colorbox Queues.

Accessories: Ribbon, Spellbinders, ribbon, tiny pearls, border punches, envelopes.

A SSC Day 5 Sketch Challenge

To celebrate Sharon's Party a sketch challenge was hosted by Cathy Tidwell. Here's the sketch, and my card. Base is kraft CS. Bottom DP is Memory Box Winterberry, then DP from Sandy Lion. Peace dove from Flourishes embossed with gold EP, cut out with oval Nestabilities. The two flowers stacked on each other are from Michael's, with rhinestone added. Then the gold Dew Drops on the left. Another quickie card. I really like how this turned out.

Stamps: Flourishes Peace.
Paper: SU! Kraft stock, Sandy Lion DP, Memory Box Winterberry DP, The Paper Studio CS.
Ink: Versamark.
Accessories: Gold EP, Dew Drops, Nestabilities, die cut flowers, rhinestone.

A Mass of Christmas Cards

I did several of the challenges on Sharon's Stamp Simply Celebrates Party, so I have several posts today.

First up is Tammy Hershberger's mass card production challenge. I made 10 A2 size cards for this. Started by cutting out all the parts so it could go assembly line fashion. Burgundy card base. Cut and embossed smaller curved rectangle Nestabilities from manila folder (have boxes of these things from company I used to own), then burgundy rectangle. It was perfect width but too long, so cut it in half nad overlapped to the size I wanted. The seam is covered with the ribbon. The background DP is actually some pretty Christmas wrapping paper I got at Hobby Lobby for $2, and it's a huge roll. So everything is cut out. Attached the DP to the card base. Stamped SU! Scandinavian tree (LOVE this set!) with Versamark, embossed with gold EP, added a rhinestone in the big flower. Used the ribbon punch and threaded ribbon through the back and wrapped around the bungundy rectangle. Attached that stack to the card. Took about 65 minutes from the time I started cutting all the parts until I finished the last card.

Stamps: SU! Scandinavian Season.

Paper: The Paper Studio, wrapping paper, manila folder.

Ink: Versamark.

Accessories: Spellbinders, rhinestone, gold EP, ribbon.

Day 12 of 12 days of Christmas on PCP

On the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me 12 drummers drumming. Since we already did a music theme, this one will be to add 12 embellishments to our project. As if that's difficult! hee hee! Here's the cardinal from Inkadinkado's Winter Birds set. It is stamped with red ink and embossed with a very light sprinkling of holographic EP. Then added iridescent glitter just to the tips of the wings and tail. Cut and embossed with oval Nestabilities. Cut the scalloped oval from shimmery paper. Attacked the birdie with 12 rhinestones, then layered all of the papers on Kraft CS. Background DP papers are Basic Grey Wassail. I lightly inked the edges of the base card and DP's. Sentiment from Flourished Christmas, embossed with copper EP. Ticket corner punched and attached with foam tape.

Stamps: Inkadinkado Winter Birds, Flourishes Flourished Christmas.
Paper: Basic Grey Wassail, SU! Kraft CS, The Paper Studio.
Ink: Colorbox Queues.
Accessories: Copper EP, Nestabilities, rhinestones, corner punch, foam tape.

Day 11 of 12 Day of Christmas on PCP

Oops, forgot to post this yesterday...On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Eleven Pipers Piping. Let's make something with an instrument. Chose this House Mouse image and made it Christmasy by adding the Christmas music piece. Stamped the image with Stazon, colored with Prismacolors and baby oil. Used a crackled paper DP for the background. Embossed burgundy piece with Allegro CB folder, distressed the edges a bit and attached it. Inked the edges of the main image and attached over that. Stamped the music sheet and cut around it. Three Dew Drops for a final touch.

Stamps: HM Mouse Symphony, Stampabilities Christmas Music.
Paper: The Paper Studio CS, Hot Off the Press DP.
Ink: Stazon, Colorbox Queues.
Accessories: Cuttlebug, Dew drops, Prismacolor pencils/baby oil.

Packaged up goodies

Rolling into day 7 of Sharon's Stamp Simply Celebrates Party, and there has been so much going on! I decided to play along with Dee Jackson's project of packaging for food items. My SIL and I used to buy the peppermint bark from Williams-Sonoma every year until two years ago, because the price just kept going up. This year their tin of bark is $26.50. Gak!! It's super yummy but so out of range. So last year she found a recipe that is so close you can't tell it apart, as long as you use good quality chocolate. I made a batch and packed some up in a couple of these tins that I covered with different DP. These little tins are actually gift card holders that I got at Michael's. The one on the left is the lid for the box showing the peppermint bark. That tin was covered with this gorgeous paper from Sandy Lion (found it at Michael's). Added some gold cording around the top edge. The medallion is actually two paint chips cut out with circle and scalloped Nestabilities. On top of that is the "seasons greetings" sentiment from Christmas Stamp Ensemble by JustRite. Uhh...it's a 3 1/4" image that I shrinky dinked down to 1 1/2" and attached after rough cutting and sanding the edges. It looks really cool. :) The other tin is covered with paper from My Mind's Eye, with cording added to the top as well. This medallion is three of the Spellbinders snowflakes embossed and stenciled, then covered with chunky glitter. They are layered on top of yet another paint chip. Guess it's time for a trip to Home Depot for more paint chips. hee hee! :)

Stamps: JustRite Harmony Christmas Stamp Ensemble.
Paper: My Mind's Eye, Sandy Lion, paint chips from Home Depot (Ralph Lauren collection - grin).
Ink: Colorbox Queues,
Accessories: Marvy Markers, Spellbinders, glitter, cording, tin, rhinestone.

SK120608 on PCP

I've been wanting to break into these Crafty Secrets stamps, so when I saw the Saturday Sketch challenge on PCP I went for it. Clear embossed the snowflake circle from Verve, then embossed each letter in gold. Cut the circles out with Nestabilities. Green DP is Cosmo Cricket Wonderland, other gorgeous DP is from Sandy Lion. Stamped the sentiment in the lower right corner with gold EP. It barely shows up in this picture for some reason, blasted by the flash maybe, but IRL it looks great. It says "to the world". This was an easy peasy, put together in about 10 minutes kind of card.

Stamps: Crafty Secrets, Verve.
Paper: The Paper Studio CS, Cosmo Cricket, Sandy Lion.
Ink: Versamark.
Accessories: Clear and gold EP, Nestabilities.

Day 10 of 12 Days of Christmas on PCP

On the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me Ten Lords a Leaping. For today's challenge could make something with a boy; thought of this Whiff of Joy stamp - Lying Matthew. He actually comes with that same sentiment, but this one here is not "his". Couldn't find it though, so used this one from Verve. Kraft CS base paper, My Mind's Eye DP on top of that. Matthew was stamped with Stazon onto a scrap of manila folder, colored with Prismas/baby oil, and cut out/embossed with long rectangle Nestabilities. The shimmery blue mat was also cut with the long rectangles. Attached the SU! label after doing the sentiment, and mounted it to the card. Rounded the lower corners of the card, inked the edges.

Stamps: Whiff of Joy, Verve.
Paper: Kraft CS, My Mind's Eye, Hot Off the Press, manila folder.
Ink: Colorbox Queues.
Accessories: SU! curved tag, corner rounder.

PCP 12 Days of Christmas / Whiff of Joy #11

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Nine Ladies Dancing...We can use another girl for the 12 Days of Christmas Challenge on Papercraft Planet. Since I was pressed for time I decided to combine this challenge with the Whiff of Joy Challenge #11 as well. Heather has provided another great sketch for this week's WOJ challenge. The image is Melinda Blowing Kisses, but I have her blowing glittered snowflakes instead of her little hearts. I colored her with Prismacolors and cut her out, put Stickles on her wings and on the flowers on her jeans. All DP is from Cosmo Cricket Wonderland. Circles were cut with Nestabilities and Melinda was mounted on them. Ribbon is from Michael's dollar bin and flowers stacked from Michael's bridal section, with rhinestone added to center. Sentiment was from Verve, cut out and corners rounded, attached on dimensionals. Three little Dew Drops on the bottom.

Stamps: Whiff of Joy - Melinda Blowing Kisses, Verve Winter Wonder.
Paper: The Paper Studio, Cosmo Cricket Wonderland.
Ink: Stazon, Colorbox Queues.
Accessories: Ribbon, Nestabilities, corner rounder, Dew Drops, rhinestones, die cut flowers, glitter.

Day 8 of 12 Days of Christmas on PCP

On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Eight Maids a Milking...Obviously we could use a girl or a cow (or both) for Papercraft Planet's 12 Days of Christmas challenge. I inked up pretty girl "Crystal" from Rubbernecker; she's been in my stash for a couple months now. Colored her with Prismacolors blended with baby oil. I cut her out and embossed with long rectangle Nestie matted on scalloped long rectangle. Here's where the bling almost got out of control. :) I used Tiara Stickles for the tiny beads on the chain and between the stars. Frosted Lace Stickles was used for the white part of her hat, and also for the lower part of her skirt. Like how you can still see the coloring through the glitter. Burgundy Stickles for her sandle straps. I put a pink rhinestone in the center of the upper star then covered that with Icicle Stickles. Over the lower star I attached the star-shaped rhinestone that fit perfectly over the stamped star. The base DP is from Cosmo Cricket Wonderland, and the snowflake was cut from the same paper pad. I glued chunky glitter to the flake and attached it to the background, then the image over that. Finally, added the gold Dew Drops. Any more glitter/Stickles and it might have been illegal. :)

Stamps: Rubbernecker "Crystal".
Paper: SU! Kraft CS; Cosmo Cricket CS.
Ink: Stazon.
Accessories: Lots of Stickles, glitter, rhinestones, Spellbinders, Cuttlebug, Dew Drops.

SSNOTIME64 - Christmas Card With a Twist

Among all the fun partying on Sharon's blog, today's Stamp Simply challenge is a Christmas card using no traditional papers or stamps, but may use a Christmas sentiment. This great set from MFT came yesterday and I just had to use it for this challenge. I stamped the girl with Versamark then embossed with black EP. Colored her with Prismacolor pencils blended with baby oil, added some glitter to her shirt, then cut her out with Spellbinders Lg Labels die and matted with scalloped rectangle. Attached that to the turquoise base card. I added tiny rhinestones to the corner scallops, and also one on her index finger - nice blingy ring. :) Had the Spellbinders snowflakes and MS branch punches already sitting on my desk, so I added them too, with a rhinestone for more bling. The "seriously" is from this set, and the Christmas sentiment from Flourishes.

Stamps: My Favorite Things "And Then I Said", Flourishes Flourished Christmas.
Paper: The Paper Studio.
Ink: Colorbox Queues, Versamark.
Accessories: Black EP, Spellbinders, glitter, rhinestones, Prismacolor pencils/baby oil.

Day 7 of 12 Days of Christmas on PCP

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me...uh oh...a little tired of birds, so we get to create something that is all black and white with a touch of color. I made a B/W one for day 4. Hmmm. Okay, grabbed a couple Inkadinkado stamps for this one. Stamped the center sentiment with Versamark and embossed with white EP. Stamped the flourish with glue and sprinkled with silver glitter. Rounded the corners, inked the edges with silver, added the tiny rhinestones and blue snowflakes. I was surprised, took about 10 minutes to do this one.

Stamps: Inkadinkado Flourish, Christmas Silhouettes.
Paper: The Paper Studio.
Ink: Versamark.
Accessories: White embossing powder, glitter, glue, rhinestones, snowflakes, corner rounder.


I had the idea for this box, so went ahead and did it to add to the pool. I used the largest Spellbinders Labels 2 to cut the top and bottom from craft board, inked the edges. Made the side of the box with regular cardstock, stamped it with scrolls from Verve Grateful Elegance, and glued it to the bottom. Put Black Diamond Stickles around the base. Cut two more of the Labels 2 dies from CS, stamped the larger with the square scroll stamp from same Verve set. Then for the top label stamped it with sentiment from Verve Fairy Tales. Inked the edges of both of those with red and attached them to the box top on dimensional. Added the red flowers, putting rhinestones in the center, and also 3 rhinestones in each corner. The second picture is the open box, showing the hinges made from cardstock attached to the inside. I stamped the lower part with scroll from

Verve Filigree Fantasy, and rounded the corners

of the upper part.

Stamps: Verve.
Paper: Craftboard, The Paper Studio.
Ink: Colorbox Queues.
Accessories: Die cut flowers from Michaels, rhinestones, Stickles.

Blog Award

I received this nice kudos from Karen at 6 Wacky Women. Thank you so much, Karen! She has some beautiful and fun creations, and check out her pergamano posts. WOW!. I would like to pass this award on to Janine, Tammy, Barb, Jennifer, and Catherine.

Day 6 of 12 Days of Christmas on PCP

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, six geese a laying. Today we could use a duck, a goose, or an egg. I have a rubber ducky stamp, so built the card around that. Stamped ducky and Babs in the tub with Stazon, colored them both with Prismacolor pencils blended with baby oil. Cut around them both with a craft knife, and stuck ducky amidst the bubbles, which were covered with Liquid Pearls. While I was thinking about how to do the rest of the card, I started leafing through the Coldwater Creek catalog that came in the mail today. Right inside the front cover was the snow covered tree scene, so I thought about the window. Attached the background DP to the base card, then attached the tree picture. Cut, embossed and stenciled the arches and windows with Spellbinders dies and attached those over the tree picture. Bathtub was attached on dimensionals. Stamped "Relax" in upper right with MFT stamp.

Stamps: Babs from Rubber Romance, ducky from Target $1 spot, MFT Time for Bubbly set.

Paper: SU! CS, The Paper Loft DP, The Paper Studio CS.

Ink: Stazon, Colorbox Queues.

Accessories: Spellbinders, dimensionals, picture from catalog.

Whiff of Joy Challenge 10

This was a fun challenge this week on the Whiff of Joy blog! They expanded the challenge from a bookmark to anything but a card. I used my all time favorite WOJ image, Willow With Cocoa, stamped her with StazOn and colored her with Prismacolor pencils blended with baby oil. Cut her out and embossed with an oval Nestabilities, chalking around her while still in the die. The mug was printed onto Kraft CS, cut out scored with my Scor-Pal. I used stamps from Filigree Fantasy by Verve. I stamped them with Versamark and embossed with copper embossing powder.

I put two packets of cocoa in the mug, along with a baggie of mini marshmallows, and four individual chocolate dipped peppermint sticks. The pic to the right is the back of the mug.

Stamps: Verve Filigree Fantasy.

Paper: The Paper Studio, Kraft CS.

Ink: StazOn, Versamark.

Accessories: Mug template, embossing powder, Prismacolor pencils and baby oil.

Day 5 of 12 Days of Christmas on PCP

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...five golden rings. Something round or with circles/rings is the theme for the Papercraft Planet 12 Days of Christmas Challenge.

I love gold and silver ornaments, so made this ornament card. Cut it out of shimmery silver CS with the largest circle Nestie. The "cap" was cut from SU! curved tab punch. I stamped a Verve filigree on it with Versamark and embossed with gold EP and attached the tab to the card then punched the hole. The main image was a stamp by Martha Stewart, also embossed with gold EP and overlapping a bit onto the cap. Finally, stamped and embossed the Flourishes sentiment in the center. Added tiny rhinestones below the sentiment and also around the edge of the cap.

Stamps: Verve Floral Filigree, Flourishes Flourished Christmas, Martha Stewart stamp.

Paper: The Paper Studio.

Ink: Versamark.

Accessories: Circle Nestabilities, SU! Curved Tab punch, rhinestones, embossing powder.

Day 4 of 12 Days of Christmas on PCP

On the fourth day of Christmas...four calling birds. Today's PCP 12 Days of Christmas challenge we can use birds or something showing communication. Don't have any phone images, so simply chose the Hello sentiment to go along with my four ladies, all from Crafty Secrets. Pretty simple one this time. I stamped the ladies on little squares cut and embossed with Nestabilities, inked the edges with silver and then ruby ink. Did the same inking on the sentiment tag, which is a Spellbinders ribbon tag. Ran the ribbon through it and put rhinestones on the ends. Also added a rhinestone to the center of the ladies, and then framed them with outline stickers. Cut the corners then inked the straight edges with silver.

Stamps: Crafty Secrets.
Paper: The Paper Studio.
Ink: Colorbox Queues.
Accessories: Spellbinders, ribbon, rhinestones, outline stickers.

A Nice Award

It always feels good to know other people enjoy your work. This award was given to me by Karen. We are supposed to post the following sentiment with it:

This blog invests and believes the PROXIMITY- nearness in space, time, and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming; and these kind bloggers, aim to find friends and to be friends. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please, give more attention to these writers!

Deliver this award to eight bloggers, who must choose eight more, and include this cleverly written text into the body of their award.

The eight people I chose have already received this award, so for now I will just say that everyone deserves this. There are so many wonderful crafters out there!