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Friday, December 31, 2010

And rounding out 2010.....with a Blog Hop!!

Friends With Flair Blog Hop!!! SQUEEEE!!!
I've begun to acquire so many amazing Unity and Ippity Stamp sets that creating a card....just one card to share for today's blog hop was rather difficult!
Love that.
Seriously. It's like when you pack for vacation and you're not sure what you want to wear when so you overpack....but you're prepared for ANYTHING on vacation.  My stamp collection is like that.  However I can spend a VERY LONG time trying to decide what to wear/what to stamp.
C'est la vie--I'd rather have too much than not enough. This is how hoarders are made, right? HAHAHA :D

Here's my card this week:

Paper: Stampin' Up Crumb Cake; Basic Grey Basics Manilla and Curio Paper pads
Ink: Stampin' Up Early Espresso; Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Tea Dye
Accessories: Martha Stewart Scoring Board; Stampin' Up ribbon; adhesive pearls.

Unity is having a sale right now through Jan. 3rd so be sure to check it out!


Be sure to check out all the other blogs on the hop!

Thanks for stopping by! Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Happy New Year!!!!
xoxo
Dana

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Merry Christmas!

For 2011 I decided I'm going to make 10 Christmas cards a month. At least that is my PLAN (bwahaha! Remember ....this from the woman who puts the PRO in procrastination!) because again I was scrambling to get a Christmas card together in November.  I decided on 2 different cards and completely CASE'd (copy & steal everything LOL) from 2 amazing artists-- Lydia and Makiko

Remember the moon Kitchen Sink Stamp set I mentioned in my earlier post...I used it to CASE a card of Makiko's but I used Stampin' Up's Wandering Words, colored with a Real Red marker and stamped over that amazing moon :)

SQUEEEEEE! Isn't that gorgeous!!
Also used: Hero Arts tree stamp, SU Designer label punch, all cardstock-ribbon-ink is Stampin' Up!



And here's Lydia's GORGEOUS card from last year.  I changed up the embossing design...

Lydia, pure genius....and I could only send this card to non-stamping friends since we got this card from her last year heehee :D (Hence needing the 2 card designs!)

Merry Christmas friends, thanks for looking here. :) Hope you have a wonderful Holiday and fabulous New Year! XOXO

Friday, December 24, 2010

Best time of year (and busiest!!!)

 The last few weeks have been soooo busy! A few weekends ago I got to participate in a Splitcoaststampers Shoebox Swap....(you saw my card in my previous post)...and here are a couple of the different cards we made (we got to make 22 cards that day!)
Look at this amazing poinsettia! This set is from Kitchen Sink Stamps--a multi-step set. I loove KSS! I used the KSS multi-step moon for one of my Christmas Cards...which you'll see in my next post!

Here's another cute card we made :) I wish I could post all of them...but seriously...the photo editing alone would drive me crazy. I just don't have the patience for photo editing! Pffth.

I'm off from work for 2 weeks (SQUEEEE!) and at the 11th hour (literally) the night before our last Friday I decided to make goodies for my coworkers....which of course wasn't something simple....it involved die-cutting many, many favor boxes and bagging up my version of homemade candy--tiny pretzels topped with a Rolo (chocolate caramel candy that is nearly IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND!!! GAH!) baked in a low oven until soft then topped with a pecan half. NOM NOM NOM! (and super easy--a requirement for me!) I finished this monstrous project around 2 am and got up for work at 6 am. Insanity, I know.
I was able to mail a handful of my Christmas cards BEFORE Christmas this year! As in...today. Bwahaha! Still working on a bunch of them...and will share with my next post (after I edit more photos Pfffth!)
Hope you are having a peaceful Christmas Eve. I'm enjoying every minute of my vacation so far!


Friday, December 10, 2010

Are you ready to SQUEEE?!??!!!

This post really should occur on Sunday...AFTER this amazing swap (22 stampers getting together and each making the card with the supplies we bring--so I'll come home with 21 new cards I made there! SQUEE!) I'll be sure to share all the stampy goodness with you in the next couple of days!  However, it's been a MONTH since I blogged and I'm so stinkin excited about my card that I HAD to post about it now!

I got this design/idea from Gretchen Barron...an UBER talented Stampin' Up demonstrator who makes the MOST amazing stuff with paper. (Who got the Poinsettia idea from Connie Babbert, another Stampin' Up Demo in Ohio). Once I saw this idea in my Google Reader I could NOT stop thinking about it! Once I got in my studio and started making the cards I was SQUEEEEEing like crazy!!! Making these made me soooo happy!

First off--I have to show you my view from my stamping table: my super cute Bichon Frise CHIBI :D She makes me SQUEEE whenever I see her...she is so cute and fun. Except today she was a little mad at me because I made her go to the groomer.  I took this pic shortly after we got home and it wasn't until now I realize she's not "smiling" in this photo. She looks kinda mad. Bwahaha!
She props herself up on the back of the sofa that backs up against my IKEA hack desk. I love having her company when I stamp! I do have to make her stop trying to walk onto my desk though! :)

Ok...are you ready to SQUEEEE?!?!?! Here's the RED version of the card--The Poinsettia is made by stamping the leaf from FRENCH FOLIAGE with Stampin' Up Bravo Burgandy ink onto Regal Rose cardstock.  I stamped 13 leaves then cut them out (the worst part...I hate cutting stuff out! But the results are always worth it so I should just stop whining!) The card base is Always Artichoke. I know...I really thought I hated that color...but with Bravo Burgandy it's gorgeous! I then used the Gold Smooch Spritz on the poinsetta for a subtle shimmer. That stuff is AMAZING! More SQUEEEEing ensued!!

Then I thought I'd play with white and gold (with the white shimmer Smooch Spritz)....here's the result!! SQUEEEEEE x 10!!!!! OMG OMG OMG!!!!


So tomorrow I am driving up to Austin (at the Crack of Cranky!!) to have breakfast with my friends Lydia and Kim at Baguette et Chocolat (NOM NOM NOM!!!) then Kim and I are heading up to Georgetown for our Splitcoaststampers Christmas Card Swap! Lydia will be meeting us a little later and then the 3 of us are having dinner before I have to drive home to San Antonio. So. Much. Fun. Can't wait! I'll post again and share all the amazing things I made!!

Thanks for stopping by!!
XOXO
Dana

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Time for Friends with Flair again! SQUEEEE!!

I am really loving my Unity Stamps....I'm loving the Kit Of the Month Club....in the last 2 months I've acquired so many Unity Stamps I wonder how I'll find the time to play with all of them!!! Last month I HAD to order this super cute set UNDENIABLE YOU set! I SQUEEE'd inside when I saw it! I love this sentiment...I do try to be classy...and I'm ALWAYS FABULOUS!!! hee hee :) Isn't that party dress on the dress form fab? I've been trying to use more embellishments on my cards...oh my to look back at my earlier creations when I thought just ribbon was the fo'shizzle (is that how that word is used? BWAHAHA I can just hear my 16 year old now "srsly mom? Fo'SHIZZLE? You're not even saying it right!)


I made this card for FRIENDS WITH FLAIR Friday!!! SQUEEEE!!!!
Check out all the crafty participants over at the Unity Stamp blog!

Supplies: Paper-Crumb Cake, Baja Breeze & Kiwi Kiss, Stampin' Up!; Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, SU! Crumb Cake ink; Decorative paper, ribbon, paper flower, brad and stickies from Unity's "Welcome to the KOM" kit!

Thanks for stopping by!!
XOXO

Friday, October 22, 2010

Friends With Flair Blog Hop!!!

Sometimes it takes a friend to gently nudge...errrr PUSH you out of your comfort zone and today is one of those days. I vasilated between justatinybitof fear and SQUEEEEing to have agreed to participate in today's Friends With Flair Blog Hop sponsored by Unity Stamp Company ...my FIRST blog hop!!! SQUEEEEE!!!!

I have a plethora of Unity Stamps--which my stamp/foodie/SQUEEE buddy Lydia knows well when she tweeted me about today's blog hop and encouraged me to JUST DO IT.  I've been dying to get into my studio and create and I'd already decided I needed an excuse to do so because my children's extra-curricular activities are majorly messing with my ability to stamp!! Pfffth!

(Holy crap this was a long intro to just show my card! BWAHAHAHAHA!!!)


I used Unity Stamp's Hauntingly Sweet set and embossed with black embossing powder before coloring those lil' punkins and candy corn. The background is white cardstock dry embossed with the spiderweb embossing folder from Stampin' Up!, I then spritzed it with Tattered Angels sparkly spray then sponged some black ink to highlight the web a little better. The picture doesn't show them very well but there are 3 black rhinestones in the top left corner...had to add a little bling! Sooooo fun!!!! I might have used just a tad too much of that fun spritz. I freakin' love purple, can you tell?

There are over 50 of us participating in today's hop...so be sure to go to the Unity Stamp Blog to see all the entries for today!

Thanks for stopping by!
XOXO

Stamps: Unity Stamp Co. Hauntingly Sweet
Paper: Stampin' Up! and Tim Holtz designer papers
Ink: Versamark, Stampin' Up Basic Black (sponged on web)
Accessories: SU! Spider Web dry embossing folder, Tattered Angels spritz, Corner Chomper, distressing tool, black embossing powder, Copic markers, SU! 1/8" ribbon, SU! black rhinestone accents.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

It's all about the Pie....

This weekend I met up with my BFF Lauren and Tracy in Round Top, Texas for some antique and craft shopping. I've never been and WOW, I'm pretty sure all of Texas showed up...except maybe a few husbands out there.  My hubby would have been tortured to "endure" such a day....but I LOVED IT!!!

We began our weekend by eating dinner at Royer's Round Top Cafe--where they are famous for their pies. And lemme tell you....oooohhhheemmmmgeeeee FREAKIN' GOOOOOD.  I knew I was going to take home a whole Chocolate Chip Pie (OMGx6!!!) so decided to eat a slice of Buttermilk Deluxe Pie--which has coconut and chocolate chips in it. All their pies are served with a scoop of AMY'S ICE CREAM which OMG is the BESTEST ICE CREAM ON THE PLANET (sorry, Blue Bell, you're a close 2nd).  Royer's actually CHARGES you 50 cents if you want your pie WITHOUT ice cream! BWAHAHAHAHA!!!! Their online menu is hilarious, go read it.  It'll make you laugh, and then you'll want to drive however far it is to eat their amazing food. Soooo glad we began our trip on this high note.  Here's a pic of my pie....Lauren ate Butterscotch Chip and Tracy had Apple. All were AHHHHmazing.


Saturday we spent in Warrenton shopping....I can't even begin to describe the scene...imagine tent after tent after tent along both side of the road for MILES and 3-19 tents DEEP on each side of vendors selling their antiques, crafts, furniture...you name it. Thousands of vendors across Warrenton, Round Top and between Round Top and Brenham....it's amazing.  I did find a few Pelicans! (SQUEEE--I collect Pelicans FYI) and a birthday present for my mom.  YAY!

Tracy convinced us we should get an Old Time Photo done and we're so glad she had the idea because this is the result:
We're like the Charlie's Angels! Except we are dressed like hookers...and I'm sure neither of us could hit a target! BWAHAHAHA!!!

Such a fun weekend! Looking forward to the next one!

I'm reorganizing my stamp area--can decide how to store my sizzix dies and nestabilities! If you have an idea, please share it! I need help!

Thanks for stopping by! I'll have stampy goodness this week! Also, Lydia and I are going to a Kitchen Sink Stamps event in Houston next Saturday!! SQUEEEEEEE!!!! Can't wait!!!

XOXOXO :D

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Things that start with the letter "B"....

Today is my daughter's boyfriend's birthday....Happy Birthday Colin!
Last night my daughter had a tennis match after school and then a TON of homework so she asked me to PUHleez wrap Colin's presents for her....oh, and could I make him a card...but then she found a card (in my box of "ready-made") she wanted to give him.
I wanted to make another card because ALL the b'day cards I had were either girly, or....well, girly. She took the last "manly" card I had--which had robots and binary code on it!  I saw my need to make another couple of BOY cards.
Colin's favorite color is Blue, and it's for a Birthday...and he's a Boy...
ok enough with that silliness!
Here's the card.


 

My favoritest thing in the world right now is Smooch Spritz--LOVE IT--and my camera does NOT do it justice...but it's gorgeous. Oops, maybe I shouldn't use that word describing a BOY card! Oh well.

This card was brought to you by the Letter B and the Number 15!

Supplies--all from Stampin' Up! Except that gorgeous Blue Smooch Spritz!
5/8" Satin Ribbon-Real Red, Big Shot, Dots embossing folder.

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Monday, September 13, 2010

Old Fart....

As I mentioned in my last post, my hubby celebrated his 40th birthday on Saturday by jumping out of a perfectly good plane. I really didn't think about making him a skydiving card....he's really more goofy than that.
When we talked about the type of card I would make him he joked with me "will it have farts?" BWAHAHA!!! The man really has a odd/funny sense of humour when it comes to things like that.


So....I decided to deliver:


 
Looky at the first little monster...he just pooted!!
Happy Birthday Old Fart!!

Supplies: Stamps, Paper, Ink=Stampin' Up
Accessories: punch and buttons=Stampin' Up
Colored with Copics...which should have been done with Memento Ink, but I couldn't find mine! WAH! Hence the lil' bit 'o bleed on the edges.
C'est la vie...I still had fun making this card.
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I will never EVAH do this....

My hubby turned 40 on Saturday and celebrated by jumping out of a perfectly good plane!!! Yes, he decided to SKYDIVE!!! omgomgomgomgomg!!!! I was SQUEEEEEEEEing from the ground while he was coming down. (You can hear me yelling in the background when he touches the ground! LOL)


(I'm going to post his birthday card tomorrow--my light wasn't very good for the pictures.)

I've got CKC Scrapbooking Convention this Saturday with Understandblue ! SQUEEEEEE!! I'm taking few classes and planning to post some stuff from that this weekend as well.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Happy Birthday Lydia!!! XOXOXOX

Today is my dear friend Lydia's birfday! We got to celebrate on Saturday with a nom nom lunch and adult bevvie.....but I should have had cupcakes for our little 'bration! We missed out on a Random Act of Cupcake for Saturday.  So here's a cupcake for you Lydia!

NOM NOM NOM

Thank you for being such a wonderfully supportive friend and one of the funniest people I know. So glad you were born--to make me BWAHAHAHA on a regular basis!
XOXO
Dana

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Yes, I'm a "gamer"

We got back from our cruise 2 weeks ago (never EVAH again will I plan it so we have to drive home for 8 hours AFTER a cruise. Galveston all the way baby!!), had 3 days at home before hubby and I drove up to Dallas for Quakecon--4 days of Peace, Love & Rockets--a gaming convention sponsored by id Software.  Hubby and I bring up our desktop computers, and play video games with about 3000 other gamers in a huge room at the Anatole Hotel. So. Freakin. Fun.
This is called the BYOC=Bring Your Own Computer

While I was playing, a news crew came and interviewed me!  If you don't know my laugh, after this interview you will know why I say BWAHAHAHAHAHA on my blog!

I just realized I don't have any gamer stamps! Must remedy that!

I started back to work this week--preparing the school clinic for the new school year. I'm wiped out, and so glad I have a weekend to recoup! I'm going up to Austin to see my friend Lydia tomorrow and looking forward to our NOM NOM NOMs and BWAHAHAHAing! Watch out Austin, TX!! 


Friday, July 30, 2010

Dear Louisiana, please let me rant....

Dear State of Louisiana,


Our family is driving to New Orleans to board a cruise ship on Saturday.  I have a few issues I'd like to vent about.


Before I do that, let me just say there are a few things I LOVE about your beautiful state:


  • The Pelican as your State Bird--freakin' awesome. I love pelicans, they are my favorite bird and I've collected various pelican "trinkets" over the years.  I wish my Texas license plate could have a pelican on it like your state license plates do.
  • French language--I took 5 years of French and became fluent, all while living in states that border Mexico.  It was my little "statement" so-to-speak....and I love the language.  While I am no longer fluent I enjoy trying to show off my pseudo-french accent while speaking various streets, lakes, etc in front of my children.
  • Beignets...... 'nuff said.
  • Chicory coffee--I astound my friends by being able to drink a Venti drip coffee from Starbucks and not have an MI or look like I have Parkinson's Disease.  Best. Coffee. Evah.
  • Raising Cane's Chicken strips and Texas Toast.  As my friend Kim would say "it's like they squeezed angels and whatever comes out of them is what they used to make this stuff"! Best. Chicken. EVAH!!!

Ok--those are just a few positive things I'll give kudos for.  Now for the rant(s).


  • Who makes your roads?!?!? OMG from the second we crossed the state line our ride in the car went from smooth to FAH-THUMP FAH-THUMP FAH-THUMP repeatedly.  Unnerving. Very much like Chinese Water Torture.  For no reason I started snapping at my children and it was brought on by the ridiculous FAH-THUMPing of the road.
  • Your State Troopers need to learn a few things about how to CLOSE DOWN A HIGHWAY AND DIVERT TRAFFIC!!! We spent 2.5 hours creeping (if I can call it that....) across 12 miles on I-10 over a swamp...so, ON A BRIDGE with no escape whatsoever because you closed BOTH SIDES of I-10 near Raham today.  After 2 hours and we finally reached the exit to detour around the closed section, your troopers at each intersection had NO IDEA how to move the traffic and it still took us another 30 minutes to get back to the open section of I-10  Were you overwhelmed? If this same situation were in TEXAS I assure you we'd have been through our detour in 45 minutes TOPS.  I have NEVER had to endure such a long detour.  It was maddening.  I still can't believe I didn't have a stroke.  I'm sure it drove more than a few people to "go postal"....the whole time I was wishing I was back on Prozac.  My sweet husband kept saying "this is terrible" and believe me...it is a big deal that he said it more than 3 times!  (Major kudos to our children who didn't really complain.  I'm still amazed.)
  • I have never in my life come across more tire carnage than in your state.  I didn't have to worry about the teenagers texting while they were driving....I had to swerve to miss all the tire pieces in the highway. Seriously? Does your road sweeper avoid these deadly pieces of black rubber? Please fix this now.


We stopped at Raising Cane's for dinner after the detour from H-E-doublehockeysticks because I needed MAJOR comfort food.  I basically told my in-laws that's where we were eating because...well, too bad....I needed NOM NOM NOMs!!!


We finally reached our destination at 10:30 pm. I couldn't sleep until I blogged about it--that's how much my driving experience has affected me BWAHAHAHAHAHAAHA!!! (If you follow this blog you know I'm not that serious.)


Tomorrow we are going to the National WWII Museum and taking a bus tour of New Orleans. I'm sure to be the youngest person on the bus (besides my children, of course.)  Saturday we board our cruise to Belize, Honduras and Cozumel....I'll update more later.


Looking forward to more comfort food tomorrow---Cafe du Monde's Chicory Coffee and Beignets....NOM NOM NOM!!!


XOXO
Dana

Friday, July 23, 2010

Convention!!!! SQUEEEEE!!!!

I had the most fun evening EVAH!!! Fantastic dinner with good friends at Takashi--an amazing sushi restaurant within walking distance from our hotel, and then an unexpected FUN tour of SLC! Lydia's (and my) friend, Melanie, met us for dinner and had a wonderful surprise for us.  First of all--she is EXTREMELY talented--she sews, quilts, knits...you name it, she can do it....and she works in Concept Design for Stampin' Up!! Anywho....she knitted socks for Lydia and myself!!! LOOKY!!! SQUEEEEEE!!!
They are "pedicure socks"...perfect to have my little piggies painted while wearing them...AND....they have PURPLE in them (my favoritest color EVAH). What a sweetie to have taken the time to kni these for us!!! Amazing!
After dinner, Melanie showed us some of the beautiful LDS Temples in the area....OHEMMMMGEEEE talk about breathtaking!
I loved having the time to visit with girlfriends and see the gorgeous sites of SLC.

Now, I promised I'd share some stampy goodness with you.....these are all from the displays here at Convention.

Check out these cupcakes....WAIT!!! Are they made from PAPER?!?!?! OMG yes they are!!! That is cardstock decorated with Stampin' Up's adhesive pearls!!

I don't usually share scrapbook pages...but this little cutie was too cute to pass up. I love the flower in the upper corner!
Tomorrow I will get to help out with the Make & Take session (see previous post) and I'm SO EXCITED!!!
XOXO

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Convention 2010 in Salt Lake City

I have to thank my good friend, Lydia, for forcing me to update my blog. She has been the most awesomest giver of all info regarding Convention 2010 and she shared a VERRRRY flattering picture of me today that I must share with you....so go check out her blog and you can see me playing Twister (scroll to the bottom). I'm kinda into the game at the point she took the photo...but all I can say is I'm glad you aren't looking at my behind and I'm not flashing you any cleavage or my bra BWAHAHAHAHA!!!  Here's a more flattering picture...of both of us.  Stampin' Up had a FLOWER POWER PARTY last night and had a face painting booth...so that is what is on my left cheek.  It was a very 70's Retro type party...pretty fun!
 
This is just PART ONE of my post! I'm sharing all the good stampy goodness later this evening.  This year at Convention I'm a MAKE AND TAKE HELPER!!! SQUEEEEEEE!!!!!
Basically I get to help all the attendees when they are making they stampy goodness goodies during "MAKE AND TAKES".  So needless to say I'm VERY EXCITED!!!!
Thanks for stopping by--and come back--there's more to see later!!
XOXO
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Thursday, June 24, 2010

I'm taking a class! SQUEEEEE!

Hellllooooooooo there! I've been enjoying my SUMMER--yes, I work a job now that gives me my SUMMER OFF!! WHOOO HOOOO!!!!
Ok, enough gloating...

As you know, I'm on Twitter (see my twitter feed along the right side of my blog...scroll down....see?) and a few weeks ago heard a little twitter-chatter about a class that Claudine Hellmuth was teaching online through Big Picture Scrapbooking OMG so excited!!!! So, a few of my friends like Lydia (aka Understandblue)  and I are going to take Claudine's 12 week art class! I'm scrambling to get my supplies (our supply list was 2 pages long! SQUEEEEEEE!!!) and excited about our first assignment (HA to use that word...because it's going to be ALL FUN!!!) which begins July 1st. My only dilemma is I'll be working next week at the camp nurse at Camp Capers and will either start my first project while up at camp (most likely NOT since that job is pretty much 24/7 "on call") or just wait a few days and get messy at home.

My summer is flying by, I have camp next week, then working the Arts and Crafts for VBS, then STAMPIN' UP CONVENTION in Salt Lake City (SQUEEEEEEEEEEE!!!) and a cruise, Quakecon then my summer is over. Sigh. I think this will be the last summer that I JAM PACK it with fun stuff. BWAHAHAHA that sounds crazy!

Hope you're enjoying your summer! I've been stamping, I will post some pics soon, been having camera issues. My iphone doesn't take the best pics, you know HAHAHA

XOXO
Dana

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Lots to share!!!




I cannot even begin to tell you how busy I've been.  Flyin' by the seat of my pants kinda busy...I'm tired of being busy...but enough whining. Lemme show you a couple of things I've been able to eek out the last 2 weeks!
First--my brother graduated from college 2 weeks ago! SQUEEE! So excited for him--and I got to go spend the weekend with him! Fantastic weekend.  Here's a picture of him at his graduation in San Diego.

(He looks happy there, right? He is the funniest guy on the planet, just so you know. I got the best ab workout that weekend from laughing!!)
Ok, so I needed a card for his graduation.  A couple of weeks ago my friend Libby Hickson made THIS super cute card. I obsessed over that stamp set from The Greeting Farm, but it's currently discontinued! I was able to find a brand new set in Australia thanks to eBay, though!!! SQUEEE
So...using some inspiration from Libby...here's what I did:

Stamps: The Greeting Farm--Fly Away
Papers and ribbon: Stampin' Up
Ink: Memento and Copic Markers
Tools: Martha Stewart Fringe Scissors , Big Shot and Swirls Embossing Folder

Isn't Piggy super cute? My 10 year old saw me coloring him and she HAD to have a Piggy to color too! He makes me smile!! He made my brother laugh when he saw him.  A very non-traditional Graduation card!!

This weeked I'm traveling to Houston to visit my BFF of many, many years and the sister I never had...this woman and I have laughed so much over the years I'm sure it's extended our lives by at least a decade.  Since I knew I was seeing her this weekend I neglected to mail her a card for her birthday last month...I wanted to give it to her in person.
This is a stencil!! I love this idea! I saw THIS card from my friend Dreena, and modified it just a bit.




Stencil: Stampin' Up
Paper & Ink: all Stampin' Up
Accessories: ribbon, Hodgepodge Hardware-Stampin' Up, Shimmer Spritz

This weekend we're going to Pinot's Palette--a studio where you learn to paint a masterpiece, and you bring your own wine! We'll be painting Van Gogh's Cafe at Night and I'll be VERRRRY interested to see how well my replica is after a couple of glasses of wine!!! I'll keep you posted!!


Monday, April 26, 2010

Big Changes!

Stampin' Up has had 48 colors of ink and paper for as long as long as I can remember. While the color "families" they've had seemed to work, there were MANY colors I never EVAH used.  Well...Stampin' Up has spent the last 3 years doing some research and focus groups and decided to mix it all up and do a complete COLOR RENOVATION. Literally--a complete renovation! Of the current 48 colors, 25 of them will be retired the end of June 2010.  The new catalog, which debuts July 1, will have 40 colors....some of the original 48, some returning In Colors and 5 brand new colors added.  Stampin' Up will still have In Colors each year, but each collection will now linger for 2 years instead of only one!! SQUEEEEE!!!  There are 25 current colors that are retiring...but Stampin' Up did a lot of research and determined these are the least popular of the current 48 colors.  Obviously this was a general concensus, because there are a few colors I thought "WHA???!! They're retiring THAT?!" But overall I am excited about the Renovation and looking forward to reorganzing my stamp studio with the new colors!
So...wanna see what all the excitement is about?!!?

I plan to offer the retired cardstock and ink as goodies to my current club members--I'll be putting together packets of paper and ink and will offer packets of paper for sale as well.  I'll post here on my blog to let you know when I'll have my big sale before the new catalog comes out, too!!

I'm off to San Diego this weekend...my brother is graduating from college with his Bachelor's of Science in Business and Marketing! I'm so excited for him! I'm really looking forward to celebrating with him all weekend....now to make him a card...!!!

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Finally a new class is coming!!!

Wow has this been a crazy year! Our trip to Scotland was fantabulous (I realize now I haven't even updated my blog with the fantastic pictures we took--I'll do that soon.)
Finally had a chance to look at my schedule for April and realize I can squeeze in a class! YAY!
Saturday, April 17th we'll make an awesome set of cards with the Eastern Blooms stamp set! Looky!!!


So for now--details are
Saturday, April 17th
10 am-12 pm
Class cost: $18.00 and includes the cards, all supplies, and a gussetted envelope
we'll decorate to hold them in!

Please RSVP to me by Saturday, April 10th!
210.216.4301

Thursday, March 11, 2010

I love stuff like this...

Hubby found a terrific website today www.says-it.com where you can make any type of sign, notice, advertisement, church sign etc etc etc. So....I had a little fun....


Oh yeah. That's geeky.

And if you don't get it--it's Admiral Ackbar from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (Episode 6 in the grand scheme of it all) and his famous line in that movie is "It's a Trap!"
Need a visual? Looky HERE

It's almost my Spring Break--SQUEEEEE!!!

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

This monkey won't hurt you...and other true stories...

 We're having a baby shower for one of the teachers at my school and I volunteered to make the card to go with the gift certificate we're getting her. She's having a boy--and the nursery has a Jungle Theme--so I decided to use my Fox & Friends stamp set to create this card. My least favorite thing to do in crafting is cutting out stuff--I really have so little patience--but this card would not be the same without cutting out each individual animal. Even the Monkey and Lion I cut out an extra head. The Lion even has an EXTRA mane cut out and layered on there--craziness!!! These are REEAAAALLLLY tiny heads, too. But it looks soooo cute...that lion does. And that monkey is so cute...he's got a little smirk on his face doesn't he? He's ready to scream and pull someone's hair. HAHAHA


Actually that happened to me. I'm talking about a monkey pulling my hair. No joke. I was on a 3rd grade Field Trip to the Oklahoma City Zoo and there was a cage full of Spider Monkeys. I got right up to the cage and was "communicating" with one of the monkeys who was so cute and soooo close --when suddenly he SCREAMED and reached through the bars, grabbed my bangs and pulled me forward and banged my head into the cage!!! TWICE!!! OMG talk about trauma for an 8 year old!!! GAH!! My kids LOOOOVE that story.

This post was my first time playing with Picasa--Google's photo editing software...I think me likey.

Anway--onto other things--we leave for Scotland in TWO DAYS!!! WHOOO HOOOO!!! So excited!!! I plan to drain my camera battery every day we're there!!!
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Monday, March 8, 2010

Lamentations of a Southpaw

I'm a lefty, southpaw, goofy....whatever. I'm a messy lefty, too. I don't write like MOST left-handed people do by contorting their hands over what they write and pull their pen in the opposite direction.  I smear my hand directly across what I'm writing--pushing my pen essentially--and get ink all over the side of my left hand. That's what I mean by messy.

Being a crafty goddess (yeah, why NOT call myself that!!) I've discovered a few tools that HINDER the left-hander.  I discovered just how frustrating it can be to have tools that are very specifically designed for RIGHT HANDED PEOPLE when I was creating my Christmas Cards last year.  Here's a picture I took of the 3 products that made me want to pull my hair out.
First....the gel pen. The ROLLER BALL gel ink pen. GAH!! Since I push my pen, roller balls won't work for me. Roller ball pens are designed to be pulled across the paper. They pull the little ball away from the casing and the ink flows smoothly. But pen PUSHERS like myself make that little ball go inside the casing and the ink comes out uneven. Grrrrr. I don't buy roller ball pens for this reason...except that to have WHITE INK ...usually only comes in gel ink roller ball (or paint pens). OY!

Next, that bazooka of a tape runner--the ATG by Scotch Tape. I'll never EVAH run out of tape for my crafting with that thing....except it's like trying to handle a baby goat with 2 fingers. Good grief. To make it worse is if you're holding it in your left hand it's impossible to see the tape placement since the tape runner is left justified on the rubber roller. I kind of have to wing it on the tape placement.  Again....grrrr.

Finally...Stampin' Up's Ribbon Scissors. These fantastic shears are ONLY for right-handers. See the molded plastic handles? Yeah. Not too comfy for us leftys. These shears are expensive. I paid good money for scissors that do NOT fit me properly. I didn't even realize until after I'd used them a couple of times because I'm so used to adapting to right-handed items like can openers, etc. But REALLY?!? Stampin' Up?!?! You couldn't sell a universal scissor? Oh well...

On a more positive note...here's a card I stamped using the Medallion background stamp and the Vintage Labels stamp set.

Stamp sets: Medallion and Vintage Labels
Ink: Soft Suede, Crushed Curry
Paper: Sahara Sand, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla
Accessories: Vintage brads, Scallop circle punch

Have a great week.  I leave for Scotland in 5 days!!! SQUEEEE!!!
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