Happy Valentine's Day

Beat me with a wet noodle. I know I am overdue for a post but I have been crazy busy at work. We were short staffed and I have been busy waiting for one to switch from another department and started training an additional casual employee, along with implementing a new process for digital reports. Everything is to a point that I can sit back and relax and now life is good. I actually don't mind a bit of the craziness every now and then because it makes the days go by faster and I find that I stick to my diet.

I was feeling so organized I thought I would get a jump on the holiday and make a Valentine's Day card. The DS paper is Honey Pie : Avery from Cosmo Cricket. The label is from Sizzix called Labels Fancy  3 and it is the largest of the four that are in this set. These are the only dies that I have from Sizzix and they do not emboss around the edge. I believe Spellbinders has a patten on that feature. All the same they are very nice but I think they feel a bit more flimsy than the copper Spellbinders dies. After I cut out the label, I ran it through the cuttlebug with the Swirls embossing folder. I found a package of the red foil hearts and the red ruffled ribbon at Jo-Anns and the tags were from the dollar store. The pearls pulled the white out of the paper and tied in the label.

 

 

 

Still trying to keep warm here in Michigan. We got a few inches of snow along with some chilling weather. Looking on the bright side of things, our winter started later this year. Let's just hope it ends at the usual time. Just a phone call from Florida gives me hope of warmer weather. Looking forward to Stampin' Up's Sale-a-Bration. They are several things I put on a wish list. Who am I kidding-it's not a wish list, it's a must have/can't live without list.

 

I have to cut this short because I have a stamping buddy coming over for an afternoon of fun. I hope all of you in the northern regions stay cozy and warm in whatever method required. Be it beverage, physical activity or whatever suits your fancy. All of you in southern states just keep sending us warm wishes as you sit by the pool.

~Have fun and enjoy!

Fit for a Lady

 I love Thinking of You cards because I can use them for so many situations. This one was for one of the girls in my group of friends that had surgery a few months back. We had pitched in to by her some new pajamas because there is nothing that makes you feel better after surgery than new PJs and took her out for a good meal since she wouldn't be eating much in the following days (she has since fully recovered and we are glad to see her on her feet and back to work). I thought the image of the three women was very appropriate. This also allowed me to fancy it up a bit since the women were so proper and dressed to the nines.

The image of the women is from Graphic 45 which is an older line of paper. I layered it on SU Cajun Craze and Soft Suede. The Fancy Tag from Spellbinders was cut out of the Soft Suede as was the inside border (in the picture below it looks more green but it really isn't). The sentiment was stamped on a tag punched out with SU Modern Label punch. When I punched the right side of the card with the Martha Stewart Vintage Floral edge punch it didn't show up very well due to the cream inside of the card. That is why I decided to put the same border punch on the inside of the card. I typically don't decorate the insides except for a sentiment, but in this case it was needed. To balance out the card, I ran a brown satin ribbon along the left side of the card. Click on the images for an enlarged view. Now that I look back at the card, the only stamping I did was the sentiments. Oh my, what would we have done had they not come out with dies and punches.

We had some beautiful weather here yesterday. Not quite as nice as where some of us are (I shall not mention any names). It made it all the way up to 55 with some rain that helped to wash away the snow. This is not typical for our Michigan weather and it is getting me antsy for spring. It will all be over this week when we dip back into the 30's with some light snow. Every now and then I get a call from the south to remind me of the warm weather other people in the country are enjoying. All I have to do is close my eyes and I can feel myself sitting by the pool. A big Thank you to my friend that takes me on an imaginary vacation until I can get there for real. It sure helps me to get through this Michigan winter.

Everything is rather calm here. No news is good news right! I hope to get into my stamping room for some much needed stamping therapy. I might even tackle some type of altered project-we'll see.

~Have fun and enjoy!

Another Eiffel Tower

One of my favorites is anything Paris. When I found this paper I was thrilled and I knew exactly who I wanted to share it with. I have a dear friend who has been going through a very difficult and
long journey with a very sick child. Even though her daughter is an adult with her own family it doesn't make it any easier. Unfortunately I know all too well the feeling of helplessness. The feeling that loving your child isn't enough to cure them. If that were so, I am sure there would be no sickness in this world and wouldn't that be breathtaking.

The paper was a great find on clearance at Jo Ann's. A 12x12 with 48 double sided sheets for $2.97. It's from Color Box called Antique Paperie. I used the Spellbinder Shapeabilities called French Frills to cut out the Eiffel Tower in brushed metallic gold. I had some lovely beige trim that I put down the side and a flourish or rhinestones. The font is from Stampin' Up Curly Cute stamp set. Below are a few more pictures.

Everyone is back into the routine of the New Year. I still have my Christmas decorations up. It has been quite a week at work and my DH's birthday was yesterday so we put off taking everything down until next weekend. Our weather is to hit a high of 40 later this week so it will be a perfect time to get the lights down. The tree goes in the spot where DH's recliner sits, so I know he is anxious to get his favorite spot back. I can tell the couch isn't quite cutting it for football.

Believe it or not I have already started a few Valentine's Day cards and procrastination wasn't even one of my resolutions. Actually I didn't make any new resolutions. I just want to continue eating healthy and keep walking. Thankfully I brought all the cookies into work and they were gone in a couple of days. I'm glad they enjoyed them so much. I better get going on coming up with a project for this month's stamp club or I will have a bunch of unhappy stampers.
~Have fun and enjoy!

Christmas cards

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know I have been MIA for a few weeks and I apologize. Getting ready for Christmas took a good part of my free time as I am sure it did for most of you. It was a much needed down time that I enjoyed spending with my family. I did quite a bit of baking so the kids and DH each had their favorites. Even though I sent some back with the kids I still have a lot that I will be taking into work. I certainly don't need it around here or around my midsection.

I have posted the Christmas cards I sent out this year. I made 50 total and as I said in a previous post, I was going to live on the edge and make a few different styles. I didn't want to post any of them before they were received so here they are (no spoiler alerts here). The top one was my favorite, but the pictures do not do it justice. You can get a better idea of the shimmer in the second photo. The embossed trees were a sparkle embossing powder and you can see it even better if you click on the photo to enlarge it. I also used gold paper which is seen better in the second photo. That card was a 5x7.

 

 

 

 The above card was a smaller A2 size card and I used the same stamp as the first card. It is amazing how different the card looked between the stamped image and the embossed image.

 This card was also a 5x7 done in navy and silver. I did a few with red and silver but didn't like them as much. I stamped the Mary and Joseph over top of the Christmas background and added some rhinestones for extra sparkle.

The last chicklin is in the air and should be arriving home in Raleigh shortly. It was nice to have them home but I am enjoying the peacefulness now that they are gone. I've had the week off from work which was also wonderful. Back one day and then off for New Years. Hearing that alarm clock at 5:30 am is going to be brutal.

~Have fun and enjoy!

Old gent on 3 wheels

It's my baby brother's birthday tomorrow and this is the card he will be receiving in the mail. I can't believe he is 40 already. He is the baby of the family and my sister and I will always see him as such.

This is a great stamp for a masculine card. It is from Rubbernecker - "old gent on 3 wheels" and nothing is better for a man's card than stripes. The designer paper is called Oliver by Basic Grey. I have it in a 6x6 pad. I have mentioned it before but it is worth mentioning again. The designs on the paper of the smaller pads is smaller and fits a card much better than the same design of a 12x12.

I stamped the image in Midnight Muse and the card stock is Night of Navy, both from SU. I then used  Spellbinders Label 18 to cut him out. The card needed just a little something and I found the gold border in one of my packages of Magenta's sticker borders.

The kids will all be home for Christmas and there is still some decorating I need to finish. Unfortunately yesterday I was out with the DH putting up a few more outdoor decorations and as I stepped back to see how it looked, I tripped over the dog who had decided to lay down right behind me. Needless to say I looked like a tasered crazy lady as I was trying to catch my balance and ended up falling to the ground. Can you just picture the arms and legs flailing in all different directions? I am sure anyone who saw it would not have used the word graceful what-so-ever. Anyway I managed to get up and give the dog a look that made him even run.  I landed on my chest with my right arm underneath me. I didn't feel too bad until I tried to climb into bed last night. 800 mg of Motrin wasn't giving me much relief and I was amazed I was able to crawl out of bed this morning. I will give it a few days to see if it is just a pulled chest muscle. Even if it is a cracked rib or two, there isn't anything more that would be done for it except added radiation to tell me it's cracked.

I am sure hoping those elves find their way into my house to finish the decorating and maybe even some baking. What- I've been a good girl this year! OK even if they just finish the decorating I would be happy.

~Have fun and enjoy!

To heal your heart

 As I look out the window I am seeing the first snow flurries of the season. A far cry from what is falling in the UP. Yesterday they woke up to 4 inches of snow on the ground and were expecting another 6-8. Let's just say I very happy to be a lot further south than that.

I made this card awhile ago for a dear friend whose brother had just passed away. She was very close to him which makes it all the more painful. I think the memories from our childhood helps us to stay young and she certainly had enough great memories to stay a kid forever. I hope her heart is starting to heal. There is nothing like friedship to help make bad things feel better. When I think back to my childhood I am very fortunate to have such wonderful memories. My parents provided a very safe and loving home. We didn't get everything we wanted but we got more than some. In hind site I am thankful for my parents setting limits with us, and I am sure the people that are in my life are just as thankful. No one likes a spoiled brat.

Today's card is once again using the designer paper as the focal point of the card. It is from Pinkpaislee called London Market. I went over the main designs with a Stardust Gel pen which you can see better in the image below. I stamped one of the labels from Our Daily Bread's Bird & Butterfly Labels that coordinated with Spellbinders Label 18. Even though the ODB stamps are rather pricey this is one that I was very much willing to spend the money on and I find I get a big bang for my buck with it. The three newspaper print embellishments in the upper right were purchased at a stamping convention and since I emptied them into jars, I no longer have the packaging. They look like the left over pieces from punching holes in card stock. I am sure you would need an industrial punch for this and a strong arm. I have others that are metallic with dots and stripes.

 

 

Ok, I am back from a two hour siesta. I have the house to myself this weekend and I take every chance to do exactly what I want, when I want. My hair hasn't even seen a hairbrush today (or shampoo as far as that goes) and I'm lovin' it. No, not the image of myself in a mirror, just the fact that I can. I think I will spend the evening up in the studio making some thank you cards for recent birthday gifts and then onto some Christmas cards. I usually make all 45 cards the same and it's a major production line but that is because I usually don't start them in time and that it the quickest way I can get them all made. My friend says she would get too bored doing them all the same. This year I am trying it her way and because I am starting early enough I might just be able to pull it off. Wish me luck!

 

~Have fun and enjoy!

All brown

I just love this background stamp from Stamp Camp because it looks like designer paper. I did stamp it on paper that looked distressed to begin with. I picked it up as an unmounted stamp at a convention and it is very versatile in any color. I decided to keep the colors in the same hue family. The frame is from Our Daily Bread called Bird & Butterfly Labels and it fits the Spellbinders Label 18. The stamp set has 5 different sizes and there is a die for each one. I was very hesitant to buy this set of stamps because it was very pricey for 5 stamps, but it I felt it was worth the money. The birthday sentiment is from Stampin' Up called Petite Pairs and I stamped everything in Momento Rich Cocoa. I have a nice stash of seam binding ribbon in several different colors. A few of my friends and I each purchased a bolt of ribbon that came in 100 yard lengths and then we spilt them into 20 yards each and shared. It is a nice way to get a variety of good quality ribbon. There is nothing better than sharing.

 I cooked a turkey dinner this weekend. Each employee at the hospital where I work receives a turkey and since I didn't have room in my freezer, I had to cook mine as soon as it thawed. I cooked the whole Thanksgiving dinner except for the rolls and pumpkin pie. I have to let you in on a little secret. My husband is all into these little contests the car dealerships offer. I think since he is home all the time he is into anything that gets him out of the house. He never wins it big but usually it's a blanket or a grocery gift card. This time it was a voucher for a turkey or ham up to $12, so it looks like we will have another turkey for the real day. What ever floats his boat.

This week I am teaching our stamp club how to stamp on dominoes to make jewelry. I did this several years ago so I had better dig out my notes to refresh my memory and make a few samples. I hope you are all enjoying fall. It is one of my favorite seasons even if it means snow is right behind it.

~have fun and enjoy!