Happy Birthday!

My original plan was to use one of Beate's old sketch challenges for this card....uhmm, didn't work out so well. I really like the little cupcakes but I'm not used to making these larger sized cards...I had kind of a hard time with it.

You should see the cherry IRL though. It IS dimensional--I used a drop of diamond glaze on it. It pops up and LOOKS like a little cherry-cute.

I stamped the sentiment on the inside--otherwise what would I put in there?????

This Birthday card is for someone special but I can't tell you who. Is YOUR birthday coming up?? Hmmm, it MIGHT just be for YOU! ;)

I go back to work tomorrow night (for the next 3) so I probably won't be posting much of anything IF anything for the next few days.

Until next time..........

Materials Used:

Stamp: Studio G clear stamps (Series 10)

Ink: blush, sunny yellow, holiday red (CTMH)

Papers: Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip (SU!), Berry Bliss (DSP SU!)

Ribbon: White Organdy (CTMH), Pink grossgrain (Michaels)

Misc: Butterfly glitter (Barbara Trombley's art glitter, diamond glaze(JudiKins), waterbrush (CTMH), scallop punch (SU!)

Changito

Here's a card with my NEW Changito Bouquet stamp.

I'm really not feeling so good so I think once I post I'm going to go rest for a bit. I CAN'T let this cold get the best 'o me.

Materials Used: Paper: Holiday Red, Clover Meadow Cardstock (CTMH), Soft Sky Cardstock (SU!), Winter Vines (Autumn Leaves), misc. white cardstockStamps: Changito Bouquet, Changito the Monkey (both Stampendous)Inks: Holiday Red, Clover Meadow, Chocolate, Brown Bag, archival black (CTMH), Soft Sky (SU!)Misc: Crystal Stickles (Ranger), Ribbon- White Daisy Organdy (CTMH), red spool o' ribbon Offray, Brads: brads I 'made'-just plain gold brads dipped in liquid glass and reinker-I did them years ago--NO KIDDING.

WOOHOO!!! CONGRATS KORIE!!

Korie texted me last night--
she passed her RN boards!! Way to go Korie!!!
Korie is another friend/nursing school classmate/commuting partner/study buddy!!!
I knew you would!!
Smiles and CONGRATS!!!!!

LOOK what I found!!!

I had to make a run to Wenatchee yesterday...Nikki chipped one of her front teeth so to the Dentist we went...(understand it's 2 hours away).

OH DARN! Means we'll HAVE to do a little shopping while we're there right??

Well, I met up with Aura from Aura of Design (we were classmates through Nursing School--I only wish we'd gotten to know each other better BEFORE we finished school! BUT, better late than never right???) We did a little damage at The Craft Warehouse--but it COULD have been worse right Aura??? Like EITHER of us NEEDED ANY more paper! {smiles} Aura found me another CUTE 'Changito' stamp in the clearance bin- for $4!! I just love that little monkey!

Well, anyone who knows Nikki KNOWS she's going to want to hit the mall before heading home, SO, after a few more stops off to the mall we went....I was really looking for a fingertip towel holder I'd seen on someone's blog. I thought they'd found it at Bed Bath & Beyond. Nope. Couldn't find what I was REALLY looking for. :( BUMMER.

We were getting ready to leave, it was already getting late, for me anyways-it was like 6:30pm or so and I had a 2+ hour drive ahead of me still. I don't too much like driving at night....ALTHOUGH, NOW with my new car it's not quite so bad. ;)

Well, something just told me to run into ROSS. Great! There goes at least another hour right?! I was kinda glad I'd left my cell phone in the car because I just KNEW 'home' would be calling, wondering WHERE we were and WHY hadn't we left yet.

Well, I'm pokin' around and get to the WAY back of the store-while Nikki is filling HER cart with clothes--UGH!!- and what do I find on an end cap???

Well, let me show you:

I was EVER SO excited!! It was JUST what I was looking for!! And GUESS how much?? $5.99!!! I was tickled pink!! Now, I'm thinking I might spray paint it--off white or black...guess it'll just depend on how I'm feeling the day I get to it and what spray paint can I have closest??

Anways, what am I going to use it for??

Well, I have OODLES among OODLES of rub ons. I just can't get enough of them. I've ALWAYS loved them--so check it out--

I bought these little clip things at TCW (The Craft Warehouse) forever ago. They clip, in this case my rub on and then have a little hanging hook at the top. I hung just a few so you can see.......

AND the new SU! rub-ons JUST FIT if you just bend over the plastic celophane at the top.

I tend to be a very out of site, out of mind person, so having these out on my desk now MAY cause me to use them more? PLUS, hopefully it will open up at least one drawer for other goodies!!

We found another little fun something too...(earlier in the day with Aura)

They're called Foil Glitter Flock, Adhesive Rub on Kit by We R Memory Keepers. Has anyone ever heard of them?? They LOOK fun. You rub on the rub on and then rub either the foil, glitter or flock over top of it. If you've tried these before, leave a comment and let me know how you liked them. They were on sale from $10 down to $6.77.

Well, I'm off for some coffee now....

Thanks for stopping by.

Fabulous Flowers

I've been working on this card 'on and off' all morning. I started it this morning before getting the kids ready for school and on the bus---errr, well, Nikki gets herself ready but you know what I mean--I worked on it a little more in between moving some furniture around and reorganizing a bit....then of course I was chatting online with a friend but the stickles was drying so it's not like I COULD have really been doing MUCH anyways...

Well, it's finally done!! I'm going to post it and go take a nap. NOT because making this card was SO draining {smile} but because I have to work tonight, and tomorrow night AND Saturday night. SO, you probably won't see much from me for the next few days at least. I tell you, those 5 days off in a row are NICE but it sure makes it hard goin' back!! Smiles-and enjoy the rest of the week!!

-S

Stamps: Fabulous Flowers & True Friend

Ink: Blue Bayou, Soft Sky (SU!) Olive (CTMH)

Papers: Olive (CTMH), Soft Sky (SU!), Misc papers-scraps

Misc: Rhinestone brads (MM??), Crystal Stickles (Ranger), Ribbon: White Daisy Organdy (CTMH) and blue velvet ribbon (old Michaels $bin)

Friendship Blooms

I used the sketch on pg. 24 from the latest, March, issue of PaperCrafts Magazine for this card.

I have a few reasons to make up cards today.

This card is going out to my DEAR friend/classmate/study buddy Kris. She just texted yesterday to share with me that she PASSED her RN Boards!! WOOHOO Kris!!! I am SO happy for her!! I just wish we lived closer so we could go out and CELEBRATE! That's alright....next time I'm down your way--BEFORE March!! :)

About the card: I do believe EVERYTHING is SU! EXCEPT for the stickles, the white cardstock and the White Daisy Organdy Ribbon (CTMH).

Stamps: Friendship Blooms, Celebrate Everything

Paper: DSP Prints Groovy Guava, Cardstock-Groovy Guava & River Rock

Ink: Groovy Guava & River Rock

Misc: Stickles:Fruit Punch, Crystal(Ranger), Adhesive Pearls (K&Company), White Organdy Ribbon (CTMH)

Watermarking

Would someone out there in 'blogland' please share with me, OR direct me in the right direction, in how to create watermarks?? Please, please, pretty please??? I have Adobe Photoshop Elements 6. Can I do it with that? I played around for a little while with it this morning but just couldn't figure it out so I figured instead of wasting a WHOLE bunch of time TRYING to figure it out and getting frustrated, I would post and ask for help.
TIA

Easter--QUICK & EASY

Here's another card for today....

ANOTHER Stampendous stamp and MORE OLD CTMH paper!!

Too funny...I haven't looked at, much less TOUCHED these papers in I don't know HOW long and now today it's ALL about the 'older papers'. Maybe in some way I'm following Aura's challenge??? :) They aren't papers from my 'scrap bins' but they are OLD papers.

I didn't get Christmas cards out, I didn't get New Years cards out, I didn't get Valentine's Day cards out......maybe, just maybe I'll get Easter cards out this year????

The Middle Name Game

Aura at Aura of Design tagged me a while back-sorry for taking SO long to get to this Aura but my middle name is Lyn--'Y' is a hard letter to come up with a word...I had to get the dictionary out!!
This is what you have to do:
These are the rules:
You must post the rules before you give your answers.
You must list one fact about yourself for each letter of your middle name. Each fact must begin with that letter. If you don't have a middle name, just use your maiden name.
After you've been tagged, you need to update your blog with your middle name and answers. At the end of your post, you need to tag one person for each letter of your middle name. (Be sure to leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged and need to read your blog for details.

L: Loyal, Level-headed, Lovable (well, I guess that just depends on who you ask! -teehee)
Y: Yankee -yep! that was the best I could do. 'Y' is a toughie.
N: Nimrod-yes, WHY you ask, hmm, well only because it took me until the LAST page of 'N's' to realize I could use NURSE!! Ugh!!

Alright, so just WHO do I 'tag'???
Katrina at This, that and a whole BUNCH more
Rachele at The Ink Boutique
and
Erin at Inky Smiles

Hang in there Changito

Here's a quick card I made up with some of the Stampendous 'Changito the monkey' stamps I was talking about in my earlier post. I was SO anxious to use this stamp because I KNEW I had this paper........OLD CTMH..and I knew it would work. The bigger, green, banana leaves are on pop dots.

I had a friend in mind to send this to but it's a little masculine looking to me. Don't 'cha think?? So now I'm thinking maybe I'll send it on over to my dad. He's still recovering from his double knee replacements but let me tell you--he's doing GREAT!! He was a little discouraged there for a while--(he sets SUPER high expectations for himself-guess that's where I get it?!) Anyways he's doing real well now. He even snow plowed for like 8 hours the other day and is now driving himself to PT. He's also lost 25 pounds!! GO DAD!! I'm SO proud of him!

I guess I'll have to just make ANOTHER card for that friend! Oh Darn!! {smile}

I REALLY need to clean up this 'scrap room'. Katrina and I have a 'play date' on Wednesday and if we're going to be here I'm going to need to have a place for her to sit/stamp and play!!!

Just one more card.................................

Beate's WSC35

Here's my try at Beate's WSC35 (I think....).

Gosh, I haven't had time to participate in one of her weekend challenges for a few weeks so it sure was fun to have the time to do this one. I bought this stamp last week while we were in Wenatchee thinking I would use it for Joe's Valentine's Day card. Mmmm, better late than never????

Anyways, here it is:

This stamp is from Stampendous and when I saw it I KNEW I NEEDED to have it. Joe and I just have that 'monkey love' kinda thing going on. :)

I also picked up the Stampendous 'Changito the Monkey' set (clear stamps). I can't WAIT to get a few minutes and use them!! Maybe when I get back from picking up Nikki. I'll be sure and post if I do. :)

Alright, well, that's all for now....

Until next time, Happy Stampin'!!

Happy Birthday to Amber..

Nikki had a birthday party yesterday. I totally forgot about it. YIKES! I sent her out to the party with a jar of candies with a tag tied to it with ribbon and then a little cellophane bag with razzles, tied with ribbon and a tag. A friend had come over to study so I really didn't have the time to put anything else together so I told Nikki to just take that and that I'd work on a frame for her to take to Amber when they went back to school on Tuesday. Well, I worked on the frame this morning and this is what I came up with:

I stuck with the same paper I used for the card. It's actually $$ store paper that I got ions ago. Overall I'm happy with it. It's cute, right???

Those are SU! NEW!! Love & Happiness Rub Ons! Gotta LOVE 'em!!!. I painted the sides of the frame with a pink (making memories) paint and then brushed glitter glue over it for some 'bling'. Well, some of the glitter glue got on the front-no big deal really right? But after looking at it for a second I thought....hmmmmm, I wonder if I just brush some glitter glue over the top. So, I did. I like it.

I'm gonna go get Nikki here in a bit so I'm going to drop it in a gift bag and bring it to Amber now. I'm sure ONE OF THOSE GIRLS got a group picture so maybe she can use it for that??

I just LOVE doing these frames up. I forget I have them sometimes. I bought a TON of them a few years ago at Michaels for $1 each. Couldn't turn down that deal!! They sure have come in handy.

It's been a while.....

WOW! It sure has been a while since I've posted. Yikes!
I've just been busy I guess......
I didn't have time to take ANY pics of the kids Valentine's. They were cute-simple but cute. I was pleasantly surprised with how they came out AND that they didn't take TOO much time to complete.
For Samuel I just did cellophane bags (SU!) with heart shaped gobstoppers tied with a ribbon and attached the stamped 'Happy Valentine's Day' tag from the Happy Heart Day set-I actually double stamped it on ruby red and cameo coral, used a little fruit punch stickles on the hearts and then punched a heart die on ruby red cardstock using my cuttlebug and did the little to:/ from: on that and threaded it through the ribbon. We stuck a little chocolate lollipop in the top and called it good. I thought they were cute and Sammo was happy so all was well.
As far as Nikki....we just did a few of the chocolate candy sliders for her friends. They are SO cute and SO easy. We did up a little bag of smarties (those BIG Valentine's ones) with a cute tag from the 'For a Friend' set--'wishing you LOVE'. It was cute and again, pretty simple. I KNEW I was going to wish I'd taken pics but eh!
Anyways, my DH TOTALLY surprised me with these beautiful flowers for Valentine's Day:
Not the best picture, I realize, but......it's the best I've got.
He is SO NOT a flower guy. I can kind of understand...they are 'just flowers and only die anyways' but it makes a girl feel special to get flowers every now and again doesn't it?! He's actually more of get a REAL GOOD gift but it's usually after the fact. I dunno. He just doesn't think of it. I guess I"m sorta like that too. I'd MUCH rather get him something I KNOW he's gonna LOVE, want and use than to just get something for the day and I'm not real good at 'being on time' either. Anyways, he REALLY surprised me this year. I didn't have a clue. The little pink roses are BEAUTIFUL-so dainty and sweet-like thin paper. Ohhh-I just love them!! My house must be warm because they're really beginning to open up. Maybe it's just that type of rose? I dunno-regardless they're STILL beautiful.
I kinda dropped the ball this year myself....I made up little pails for the kids but didn't decorate them much and just filled them with goodies.

Cards for tonight's party

This is a little box I made up using Beate's tutorial. Click here to see.

I did add some patterned paper to the upper sides. The plain pink just looked like it needed SOMETHING and I needed something in a 'jiffy'. I may even add a heart I have already stamped up from the Always set with some stickles on it. I just LOVE the stickles on that heart!!! :)

And these are two of the quick and easy cards I've made up as samples for tonights party. (My FIRST SU! gathering!! WooHoo!) :)

Let me know what you think......

-Thanks for stopping by today!

Two Valentine's Day cards....

I was just 'play'in around' trying to figure out what I'm going to do tomorrow night.......
I used Berry Bliss paper. BEAUTIFUL. I just LOVE this paper!!
I used two different stamp rollers-they're kinda fun. I've not used them much before but I think I can see where they could be addicting. :) I used a ruler as a guide this time but I may just have to invest in the guide SU! has!


Ahhhh--for this one I used the Always set (SU!) LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this set! Beautiful!! And PERFECT for Valentine's Day!! I'm going to add a sentiment to the bottom of this card...just haven't figured out which one yet. I added stickles to the swirley's. It looks SO much prettier IRL.
Alright, off to get my chill'in's ready for school!!

A few things..........

I've been working on what I'm going to do for my party coming up early next week......

My order arrived, last night while I was at work, so I've been playing a little bit this evening trying to figure SOMETHING out. So far this is what I've come up with for the little candy holder:

I was ahead of myself in my thinking with the first one (light pink) and didn't really intend to put the flower so low...I figure Nikki might want it for one of her friends??

Any suggestions?? They each have stickles on the heart for some 'glitz'. I'm not sold yet.............

Looks like I'll be busy the next few days, trying to come up with something.......

Anyways-

Joe just got home from ice fishing AGAIN this week. But tonight he brought home tomorrow's dinner. Check it out:

It's an 8lb 'lincod' or 'burbot'. They're supposedly considered the 'poorman's lobster' or 'lobstah' if you're from Maine. :)

And here's a close up:

He actually caught two but gave the other away to a new friend/workmate and fellow fisherman.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

I'm SO behind........

I haven't even attempted Beate's WSC33 for this week. I worked Saturday night and Sunday night (last night) so didn't get around to it over the weekend. This morning I came home from work with the INTENTION of working on it and ended up cleaning off the tables in my scrapin'/stampin' room. They're not 100% but BOY are they BETTER. I'm TRYING to get a little more organized--I REALLY want to get my 'room' moved ASAP!! It's happening....just S-L-O-W-L-Y! Grrrr....
I got caught up this afternoon so I'm HOPING to work on that sketch challenge pretty quickly here....of course I haven't been to sleep yet so we'll see what happens. Check back SOON though to see what I've been up to

SU! Party

I signed on with SU! in Sept. when they were having that sweet deal that when you signed on you got to pick your family of stamp pads. That was an awesome deal. :) I was finishing up school and just didn't have any time to spend creating or doing anything with my SU! business. In all honesty, as much as I am happy to do a party, club, workshop-whatever...the main reason I joined was to support my habit! :)

Anyways..........................................

I got an email from a friends daughter, well, she's my friend too but...and she wants to do a party for me!! Yippee!! She'll be my FIRST SU! Party! Thanks Sara!! :)

I was trying to figure out what I could do without breaking the bank. I found out, when I was a CTMH Consultant, that quick and EASY is REALLY the way to go ESPECIALLY if there will be ANY newer stampers in the group. I got some GREAT ideas from my upline (Beate Johns-who is AMAZING!!!!) but after thinking about what I have on hand I decided to go with this Pull Treat Pouch:

I'm not going to do it like this exactly.......I ordered the berry bliss paper pack and some other stamps that I think we'll use instead--though if I'd made this up before placing my order perhaps I would have just gone with this one but right now I don't think I have enough of everything I'll need for everyone.

I used the Happy Heart Day (SU!) and Time Well Spent (SU!) stamp sets, Ruby Red and Cameo Coral Cardstock (SU!) and Ginger Blossoms pattern paper (SU!), Archival Black ink (CTMH), White Organdy Ribbon (CTMH), flower (Heidi Swapp) and adhesive pearls (K&Company).

I DID order the 'right' punch for the ribbon to go through. I didn't have anything that would work so I just used the biggest punch I had...eh, for this one it will work.

And here's a picture of the candy bar pulled out. This was SO SUPER EASY! I couldn't BELIEVE how quickly it came together. So, THANKS BEATE for the AWESOME tutorial-which BTW you can find here.

I think the ladies are going to LOVE this idea-and JUST IN TIME for Valentine's Day too!!

I know Nikki has already asked me to make some of these up so she can give them to her friends for Valentine's Day.

I also TOTALLY LIFTED this from Beate:

HOW CUTE IS THIS!?!

I've made these little sour cream containers before--and at Valentine's Day-- but I'd NEVER thought of making them out of acetate!! What a FABULOUS idea right??? Well, I just HAD to try it out and if it ain't broke why fix it right? Beate's idea is ADORABLE and I'm REALLY not in much of a 'thinking mode' today so I decided to just follow her lead with this one. :) That acetate is a little slippery to stamp on that's for sure, you just have to be careful or you could have a REAL mess. I had to cut out that black circle with scallop scissors. I'm SO glad I ordered the scallop punch today. The one I already own is too big. I was thinking about just bringing one for each of the ladies...or I GUESS I could put one in their bag when their order comes. It's just SO STINK'IN cute.
That's all for me today. I work in a few hours so I'm going to lay down for a nap.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!!