Stamping From The Heart

My Granddaughter is Awesome!

2011-10-17T09:01:00.000-07:00

If Grandparents don't brag who will? LOL!!! Saturday was my GD soccer game. She was excited not only did they win 10-0, but she also made three goalies!!!! WooHoo!!!! Her coach commended her on a job well done! I thought I would share some pics of her and then one of her and her fantastic coach. I just was thrilled for her!!!

Prize Drawing for Ladies Retreat

2011-10-11T13:17:00.000-07:00

These are cards that I made for the Ladies Retreat for a prize drawing I went to last weekend. There are 3 others but somehow they got deleted and these were the only two that remained on my camera. I will have to see if the lady who received them will take additional pictures for me to post. I hate when I forget to take pictures of my creations.

Baby Card from Art Philosphy Cartridge

2011-10-11T12:50:00.001-07:00

Since I have the Cricut Expression and now the new Cricut Expression 2 machines, I figured I had better start making cards instead of relying on store bought ones. My little neighbor Tara is expecting her first and thought she would enjoy a homemade card instead of a store bought one. Working full-time, takes away from the creativity and you gals who are able to stay home and play while kids are in school, my hat is off to you. Someday I will be able too hopefully! This card was made using the Cricut Art Philsophy Cartridge by Creative Memories. It is a great cartridge and I see many cards in the future being made from this very cartridge. I believe I like the E2 Machine better than the original. I mean afterall it has 17 more buttons to do what you wish, bigger screen and most of all it just seems to operate better than the first edition. I thought about selling my first one, but have decided against it; as I know as I began to make holiday gifts I can have 2 going at the same time. I didn't have any baby DP so I made my own, using stamps from different SU sets and the baby's name was made with thicklet letters, although after I had put everything away, I could of used the alphabet on the cartridge. LOL!!!

Photo Cards

2011-08-27T15:04:00.001-07:00

I am so glad the weekend is here. I am also thankful that we are safe and not having to worry about the hurricane. But I will say the east coast is in my prayers and I am waiting to here from my neice who lives in North Carolina. Luckily for us on the west coast they are not that common but we do have the shake, rattle and roll when earthquakes hit. It is a humid 102 degrees here today! I have been working on cards in my room to stay cool. I made these for a special neighbor lady. I hope she likes them as her name is Rose. She takes care of Sugarbaby while we go out for errands, dinner or a show. And then she will take care of her when we go on vacation, so I wanted to give her a thank you gift. All the cards are made with real photographs of roses hubby took back when we had our photography business. I made some a couple of years ago and they are archived on my blog under "Photography" if you would like to see them. I am thinking I will be making some for the OWH to send to the military as I am sure they would enjoy seeing flowers, nature and such to cheer them up instead of always looking at brown and dirt. I found out that my Cricut Card I made "You Make My Heart Flutter" (post before this one) was loved and enjoyed by the receipent who received it. Which makes my heart jump for joy!!!! So I am thinking I will be making some more of those soon for the OWH Group. Its hard to believe that September is just a few days away. Where has time gone? Without further adieu, here are the cards for my sweet friend and neighbor Rose. I'm only showing one with what the inside looks like as I feel the inside needs to be finished to look nice when the receipent receives the hand written note that will be inside. So all the cards shown here are finished on the inside as well. The glare was so bad inside, that I had to take them outside to get a proper picture. Guess I should have used my hubby's professional camera instead of my little Nikon Coolpix. Enjoy!!!!

You Make My Heart Flutter

2011-08-16T09:24:00.001-07:00

Hello Ladies! I have just one card to share with you today. I made this using the Cricut Expresson. I think the only way you can see some of the intricate cuts is to make them fit a 5x5 card. I tried a smaller version and it just seemed to be to jumbled together. But am pleased with how this one turned out. Of course I had to use stickles on it and pop the heart to make it stand out. LOL!!! I think this would be a great card to give on Valentines Day and have thought of making about 12 of these for the OWH, but with them being bigger I'm not sure they would fit in the box that they use to ship the cards to our military. Will have to check with Sandy and see what she thinks. I have been busy working on other things in the background and promise to have some items to show to you real soon. I have begun to think about the making of christmas ornaments again like I did last year. I think if I remember correctly I made close to 150 of them and am hoping not so many this year, but we shall see. LOL!!!! Hope you all have a great week!!!!!

Cricuting.....

2011-08-02T13:25:00.000-07:00

I have been busy working on cards for OWH and for personal ones as well. I have made myself start using my Cricut Expression. I only have 51 cartridges and two more are on the way from the rewards I submitted. So being that there is a major investment sitting here in my craft room, I figured I better get busy before hubby gets upset. LOL!!! Anyway, I mainly used the following carts for the cards, Sophisticated, Ornamental Iron 2, Straight From The Nest, Home Accents and Fancy Frames. I found if I designed the layout on the Gypsy on how I wanted the card to look, then cut out all the pieces, and then assembled them, it seemed to go faster instead of doing each one by one which would take much longer then having an assembly line going. I really like the new carts they have been coming out with. All the fancy flourishes and frames gives the sentiment a whole different look. Plus I am a girly girl, so the more elegant designs and the curliques they have the happier I am! LOL!!!! It has been an experience though as I have had to learn to set the speed and pressure correctly as not to waste the expensive cardstock. I di find that if I did mutliple cuts on the heavier cardstock, it punched out much easier without tearing the intricate parts of the design of the framing. I have been taking my Gypsy to work so I can play around with designs on my breaks and lunch hour which then saves me time when I get home so I can go right to the Cricut Expression and begin cutting it all out. needless to say I have 4 more baskets full of different designs to be assembled. I am really enjoying using my "E" and hope that the military men and women will like them as well. Next is Christmas Cards as the deadline to OWH is October.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!!!!!!

2011-07-04T09:50:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone will be having a wonderful day celebrating our freedom. May you have a wonderful and blessed day of family, friends, swimming, bbqing, eating watermelon and games. Take a moment today to stop and say a thankful prayer for our military men and women who are fighting to protect our freedom. Without them we could be like many other countries who are at war and not peace. We as Americans have so much to be thankful for and we at times forget how fortunate we are to live in this wonderful country where we can have the freedom to express our beliefs, the way we dress and who we can befriend. May your day and evening be full of fireworks.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY AMERICA!!!!!!!

Love

2011-07-01T17:26:00.000-07:00

Forgot to add these two pictures to last post. Was interrupted and just realized they were not showing up...uhmm because I never loaded them. LOL!!! Thanks for looking.

Cricut Expression & Gypsy-So This Is What I Can Do...

2011-07-01T16:56:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know that the Cricut Expression and the Gypsy has been around for quite sometime and I have had mine for a year or so, but really had not played with it until hubby asked how come you don't use these? You have 30 cartridges and just had to have them! Needless to say he made me feel really guilty about not using these wonderful "Toys" and since I have seen so many items, cards, wall decor made with these fantabulous machines, I figured it was time to get it out , set it up in my room and get to know how to use it. I even had custom ordered special cozies for the Expression, the Gypsy and the Cuttlebug to match through Kathy's Cozies Etsy shop! I think I was more hindered about cutting the correct size, using the correct pressure, speed and so on. OWH had a challenge for the month of June for the Second Million and stated that although the general cards were being asked for, the military men and women were asking for Thinking of You and Love cards to send home to their loved ones. I began to go through my cartridges to see which ones I could cut to make these requested cards. As you can see I manged to come up with 3 using the machine, besides the cuttlebug and Stampin Up Punches. In making these cards it has now made me want to use the CE more. I spent 3 hours last night working on the gypsy designing new cards to cut for this weekend. I have now become addicted to it and laugh at myself as to why it took me so long to use this wonderful machine. My head is already spinning on sayings I want to do throughout my home with vinyl and Christmas gifts that will be one of a kind. Of course with the release of new cartridges on Hello Thursday, it won't take me long before I am purchasing the newest carts that are being offered. LOL! I hope that these cards that have been made and sent to OWH will be liked by some military person and the one receiving it, will feel the love and warmth from the sender. I plan on making some Anniversary cards that can be sent home as well. Needless to say there endless ideas, and thousands of combinations that can be used to make cards, gifts and so on. Since I'm off for four days due to the long Holiday I will be busy in my craftroom designing and making another batch of cards to send to OWH.

Great Weekend!!!!

2011-06-26T17:15:00.001-07:00

Hello all. Hope you gals had a wonderful weekend. Mine was just fabulous! It was my birthday and the weekend was wonderful. Prelude to my birthday on Saturday, my hubby had arranged for about 6 friends to come over and hang out with me while he went shopping on Friday. Had a couple bottles of wine, laughed, talked about our grandchildren and our children, past marriages and just girly stuff. I was asked how my sweet daughter Vanessa met her precious husband Adam and I told them the story and how at the reception, he got the zipper stucked in her dress while trying to help get her out of the hot dress (it was 108 degrees that September day 13 years ago) and I had to go in and help him get it unstucked so they could get dressed and join the party. I'm not sure who laughed more, me or the gals, but it was a fun time to reminisce. I think our little get together lasted until 1:00 A.M.! Saturday, my daughter came to spend the day and night with me which was perfect! We had breakfast, went and shopped and then came back and proceeded to spend the rest of the day and evening in my craftroom making cards, sharing thoughts and had a fabulous dinner that hubby barbequed for us. Sunday was our granddaughter Autumn's first birthday. We went over there to celebrate hers and my DIL had made me a cake with Tinkerbell on it in chocolate..yummy, only had a small sliver but it was the thoughtfulness that counted. Left there around 5 and here I sit sharing all that took place with my fellow bloggers. Hope your weekend will continue to be great!!!! Birthdays are a sign of gaining another year of wisdom and knowledge and you are truly only as old as you feel....I feel like I am 35 again! Yippee!!!!!!!

Weekend Is Almost Here!

2011-06-23T11:55:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would check in and say I am still here. No pictures of a card today. This weekend is my birthday and I am so excited as my daughter Vanessa will be spending Friday through Sunday with me. We haven't had a mom/daughter one on one time in quite sometime and both of us are planning to go do some shopping, lunch and then come back and hang out in my craftroom, have a glass of wine or two and be crafty. I think last time we did this was last year and it was only for a day as Reece her youngest one was not use to being away from mom for long periods of time. Knowing her, she will want to go through all the stuff I have and see what can be made. I think in all honesty I could open up my own craft store and I am sure there are many of you out there who can say the same thing. LOL!!! My DH has made a nice surprise for me and refinished a desk for my craftroom that he located that someone was throwing away. Just needed to be sanded down, new knobs and painted it black and white. I will have to upload a pictures so you all can see. He also found a kitchen island that had been used as a drafting desk and took it completely apart, sanded it and painted it black and white to go with the desk, and my room is finally starting to come together and looking sharp! You know what they say 'One Man's Trash is another Man's Treasure". I am very fortunate to have a hubby who can fix anything and build anything. He has saved us major $$$$ throughout these last 19 years! Anyway, hope you all have a great weekend that is forthcoming and I will have cards to post on Monday and pics of the desk and island.

Happy Birthday!!!

2011-06-12T08:45:00.000-07:00

Good morning all! It's good to be able to be in my scraproom today. The weekend has been busy and I think I finally can work in here without feeling guilty about making sure something else isn't getting done in the house. I just love this image. It was RAK'd to me along time ago and like I have stated before these images are finally being put to use for the OWH. I feel so good inside knowing that making these cards for the military men and women is bringing a smile and joy to their families here back in the states. It seems birthday's are always needed to send home as someone has a birthday everyday somewhere here in the states. Anyway thanks for looking. The image is by Whipper Snapper; Stampin Up products...cardstock, markers, crystal effects; stickles, pop-up dots for sentiments.

Thinking of You and Just A Note

2011-06-06T20:16:00.000-07:00

I believe this is another Whipper Snapper image as again it was RAK'd to me. Isn't he cute? I wish I had more of him as I would have done some different coloring variations of him instead of the solid color, but these will work as I am sure one of the OWH family members will enjoy getting it. I think these are more on the "Masculine" side and would be perfect for little boys. Anyway just wanted to share another card set that goes into the box to Sandy for OWH.

My Sunshine

2011-06-06T20:05:00.000-07:00

I just love this image by Whiff of Joy, but again I only have a few as they were RAK'd to me again. This is another card for OWH. I forgot I had her and thought it was an appropriate one to send especially with her blowing hearts (kisses) out of her hand. I just purchased that Spellbinder die (hearts) and I have found that it is hard to remove the paper once it has been cut, especially if the paper is thinner than cardstock weight. I have learned to slowly do a section at a time so as not to tear it. I used the sentiment from the Justrite Stamps. Thank you for stopping by and seeing what I am creating.

Happy Birthday

2011-06-06T19:46:00.000-07:00

I just love this image. I believe it is by Whipper Snapper or Penny Black? I'm not sure as a friend sent them to me as a Random Act of Kindness. This is another card that is being sent with the OWH cards I have been making for the troops. I have had fun rediscovering the images I have had on hand these couple of years. I should have used them long before this, but you can only make so many cards and then they are just stashed. But now I'm happy to make them as they are being used for a worthy cause. I spent the whole weekend working in my craft room. My DH has found a desk and has been striping it and getting it ready to paint for my craft room. I'm so excited as my room is finally starting to come together and will add extra storage due to the eight drawers. Anyway, just wanted to share that tidbit. Hope there are more of you paper crafters gearing up for the 2 million challenge from OWH which you can click onto the left side of my post.

OWH CARDS

2011-06-02T20:57:00.000-07:00

I have been feverishly working on more cards for OWH and think I am about ready to get them packed up an sent out to the distribution center. I have made myself go out of the comfort zone and tried to not over embellish them so I could get many more made at one time, but it must be the OCD in me that makes me think it needs just one more thing. In essence the boyish cards are easier as you can't really add ribbons, glitter and bling to them. But I think they have turned out okay especially since they are designed for kids and they really aren't going to care as they will be excited to receive a card from either Mommy or Daddy who is away overseas. These were digital stamps that were free on someone's blog and I failed to put the name of the digital designer in the file name, so if this is yours, please let me know so I can give credit due to the artist. The same goes for the girly ones Ihave made, again I failed to type the artists name for these free digi images as well. I am now making sure I type the name so when they are printed I can write the name on the back of the image lightly with pencil. I hope that whoever selects these out of the many boxes that are shipped will enjoy sending them to their children. I have some others to share with you but will post another set tomorrow. I need to try and post daily as some have emailed me and said they have missed my blog not being updated and wondering when I am going to be showing more of the cards I make with pictures that was photogrpahed when we had our photography business. I'm thinking that some of them might be appreciated overseas as I know they don't get to see a lot of flowers, or things that we take for granted for here in the states. have a great evening. All cardstock used was Stamping Up along with various scraps of printed paper I had.

Good Evening

2011-06-02T20:45:00.000-07:00

Thought I would post a few pics of cards I have been working on. We recently reunited with some friends we hadn't seen in 3 years and it was an amazing time. I was able to go to Hobby Lobby for the very first time and was in awe of how large this store was. As I entered the doors with my friend all I could say was "Oh My, Oh My" and the sales clerk walked by when I was on my 10th time of saying that and she said "You can always tell when there is a new person in the store" of coursed we all laughed! Anyway, its only an hour and half from where I live and I never knew we had one in California. Learn something new everyday. Here is my card I made as a thank you to her and her hubby for entertaining us for three days. Her kitchen is in yellow and blues and she loves birds so I thought this set from Stampin Up "Wings of Friendship" was perfect! I used Not Quite so Navy ink, Crushed Curry for the flowers and bird and the cardstock was Crushed Curry, Not Quite Navy and Kraft. Embellished with some rhinestones from Reflections. The bird and the flowers are popped up as well as the sentiment. Thanks for looking.

Are You Up For The 2 Million Challenge?

2011-05-30T13:02:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are involved in the OWH you will know that the 1 millionth card was sent to the ship that buried Osama Bin Laden. It is now time to start the second million of cards. Cards seem to slow down during the summer months due to vactions, but OWH has a challenge going on and the deadline is June 30th! So get your creative juices, ideas and all your stamping supplies and help us get under way to meet the next million cards! Click Here for all the details. Check back as I will be showing new pics of the cards that are being sent to the OWH Headquarters.

Another batch to send off to OWH

2011-04-17T14:51:00.000-07:00

Well, I have finally made another batch of cards to send off to OWH to go with the other ones I have waiting in a box. Its really hard for me to not to be able to really deck them out with embellies and lots of bling, but rules must be followed and I know that the family members who receive these cards along with the thousands of others submitted won't care that they aren't all blinged out over embellished. But was told by Sandy that if using stickles that the glittered part must be covered with glossy accents to ensure that the glitter is definitely adhered to and won't come off. A major safety precaution since the smallest speck of light can be seen by night vision goggles by the enemy. So its understandable why this a major rule. Its a great satisfaction to myself, knowing that I am helping bring some cheer to the military families. We are getting ready to gear up for a makings of Father's Day cards. So if you haven't hopped on board, what are you waiting for? I have found that if I take a week and just color images first, then select the coordinating papers it seems to move a lot faster instead of coloring one image, assembling it and starting it over again with another. I know that there are many who have done a processing line, color, cuts, assemble, package, but I can't seem to get in that mode. LOL!!! Everyone has a way of doing things and no matter how it is done, as long as it gets to the military guys/women thats all that matters. Anyway one last card to show you and I'm off to start another round, plan on getting the 50 plus cards I have off this week. I know it will be crazy as Easter is upon us and the mail will be extra heavy. Aagin I can't state enough, come help a worthy cause and support our military. Their families will thank you for the cards they have received from their loved ones who are in the field. Have a great day and will be back soon with another batch to share with you.

We have a new member to the family

2011-04-17T14:38:00.001-07:00

Drum roll please...meet Sugarbaby! She is a Whippet (miniature greyhound). She is the sweetest thing and so loveable. We got her through the PAAC. We haven't had any animals since Dec 2009 when we lost both of our babies of 13 years to cancer at the same time! Hubby vowed he could never own another dog as their deaths took a major toll on us both, but he passed by the cage and she extended her paw out to him and the rest was history. She is already spoiled; has a new harness inetad of a collar and a special bed made from the swoft velour blankets. New toys and spoiled with lots of love. She's 1 -1/2 yrs old and her features are very delicate. Long legs and can run upto 20 miles an hour as they are a very athelitic breed and they love to run. Just thought we would share our new joy with you all.

Reposting of Operation Write Home Cards

2011-04-11T16:16:00.001-07:00

Here are the last few I needed to repost due to some mix up on the computer.

Operation Write Home Cards

2011-04-11T15:54:00.000-07:00

Something went crazy on my blog so I have had to repost some of the older post to get it back up and running. As stated before I have been involved in making cards for the Operation Write Home (http://www.operationwritehome.org/) for the military to send to their loved ones cards and let them know they are thinking of them. Little hard to locate cards when you are far away from any store and from what I understand there isn't much for them to purchase in PBX, so by doing this, it helps boost their morale by sending love and hugs to family members at home. For the month of March we sent over 65,000 cards and that included Mother's Day Cards! Care packages are filled with hundreds of homemade blank cards for them to select from. You really need to go onto the website and learn more as this is a worthy cause ladies! Here are some more cards that have been posted previously, but due to the glitch must be reposted again. If there ever was a cause other than the cause for Cancer to send cards I would have to say this is it! There is coloring pages that you can download for your students, sunday school children and grandkids to color and to even a form for them to write a hero a letter. This means so much to them. I hope you will take the time to dedicate some cards. As Sandy said its not the quantity but the quality of the cards. So if you can only due 5 a month great and if more than that is awesome! Be sure to check the schedule of when they are needing certain holiday cards. But mostly needed is birthday, thinking of you, miss you, thank you and especially cards that are aimed at children. They love getting mail from their mommies and daddies! Enjoy!

OPERATION WRITE HOME (OWH) CARDS

2011-02-05T13:23:00.000-08:00

Thought I would share a few pictures of the cards that I have been making in multiples to send to the OWH. I am a real fanatic on detailing and wanting to add extra embellishments but to sticking to the required guidelines, I have to have them just a little more plain than I would like too but then again the loved one receiving it from their loved one doesn't care that its fancy or not. Its the thought of them thinking about them and thats what is important. Did you know that Operation Write Home sent out 14,709 cards alone last month to our miltary? Is that not awesome? To date more than 800,000 have been made by crafters nationally and internationally. Not going to bother giving descriptions of the stamp names, cardstock use and so forth. I really am hoping you all will get on the band wagon and help make our servic men and women smile when they receive these wonderful boxes of cards that are gathered not only from USA but also internationally. The comments that are received by the loved ones and the military themselves makes you want to do more for them. Enjoy

OWH!

2011-01-31T15:10:00.001-08:00

I just signed up to become involved in the "Operation Write Home" for our service men and women. Making cards and sending them to our troops to write home is such an awesome way to say thank you to them for keeping us safe and "Land of The free" and not to mention how much the loved homes back home love getting a card that is handmade! This past weekend I made 6 cards and am hoping to have at least 100 done before the deadline of February 20th. If you are just making cards to be making them or receiving them from swaps and/or they are collecting dust in a box on your shelf, pull them out and donate them to this worthy cause. Check out the guidelines of what is allowed and isn't as well as allowed embellishments for all in the good of keeping our soldiers safe!

The thank you letters sent back to Sandy on the OWH blog just makes your heart melt as they are sincerely appreciative of receiving them and able to let their loved ones back home know that they are in their thoughts. Here is the OWH link to check out this amazing organization. You'll feel good knowing you are doing something for our "Awesome Soldiers"! There is even coloring pages for your children to color and write to them to include with your cards! So get on board for this wonderful cause you'll be so gratified knowing you are doing something to bring them a ray of sunshine and a smile during their difficult times over there. :)

Cards Made: 30/100

Its a New Year..

2011-01-14T14:11:00.000-08:00

Hello Fellow Bloggers! I hope you had wonderful holidays and that the new year is bringing you new creativity ideas and renewed strength. The last time I was on here I posted about a friendship that had gone away. Yes, it hurt and took me almost two months to finally recover (about 1/2 way). Through the help of another sweet Christian friend, I have been able to see the light at the end of this dark tunnel I was traveling through. She reminded me of how much my talent was needed in this world of uncertainess and awful attitudes people seem to be experiencing. She reminded me that the talent that I have was given to me by our Lord Jesus Christ and reminded me that I needed to use it to reach others and show the love that he shows me on a daily basis. Her email was long but I know that her words were from the Lord himself as she so eloquently typed it with such love. I have started creating again and hope to have something to show you within the next week. I want to thank you for staying with me through this difficult path. I know I'm not the only one who has experienced this, but it just seems harder and longer to recover from it compared to when I was 20 years younger. I'm leaving this post with a picture of a rose that my husband took last year. Its beauty and warmness reminds me of the light that God sheds on me daily and that the color of the rose is the deep red for heart felt love he has for me. I pray you have wonderful weekend and I will be back in a few days to post what I have been working on. Again thanks for your understanding through my trying time. Hugs!

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-18T11:39:00.000-08:00

Its hard to believe that the holidays are upon us. Life has been really complicated these last few months and the loss of a close and deep friendship has just sent me into a spiraling whirl. I have pretty much put all crafting aside as I cannot get my crafting juices flowing after this loss and with a move ahead of me in December it will be sometime before I will be able to craft again. I just wanted to share that I have not forgotten about my followers or other blogging friends. But right now I am staying really close to my hubby and to the Lord in this path that I am now walking and I know his love will be the one thing I can count on to get me through this trying time. Never knew how much it could hurt and disable you when you lose a close friendship. So with that being said I will be taking a hiatus from blogging or crafting until I am back to being myself. I wish all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving. May all the blessings that you have in your life continue to bless your lives. I promise to be back sometime in the near future. Thank you for your understanding during this time.

2010-08-18T11:51:00.000-07:00

2010-08-16T13:50:00.000-07:00

Another 3 months...

2010-08-02T12:18:00.000-07:00

I have been MIA for so long that I hopefully have some followers left. Seems time has gotten away from me and my intentions have been there, just haven't followed up. A lot has been happening in our household from illness, new grandchildren being born, to worrying about getting laid off and with all that going on my mojo has somehow been put to the wayside. Sometimes we just have to sit back and place the priorities in the right place to make life gel together if you will.

I have learned in the last 6 months of what a true friendship is. I actually thought I knew until I met her . To have a friend so dear that you would lay down your own life to keep her living, shows me that God wants us to seriously take to heart his word in every moment of our day. She is one that does not judge you; one that helps you put forth your best talents and strong attributes and always points that out to whomever she may be talking too; loves you for who you are and not make you what she wants you to be; one who says yes you can do this and I will be there right beside you each step of the way to accomplish the goal that you have setforth to achieve because I have walked in those same shoes where you are at right now; one who prays for you for the littlest things that are important to you and not others; who loves your kids and grandbabies as if they are her own; who treats you with the utmost respect and is sincere in all that she says and does for you; who has no problem helping you with an unexpected bill and says don't worry about it, this is what true friends do for each other and as far as repayment, pay me when you can, whether it be your next paycheck, next year or not at all as I am glad I was able to help; one who you can share your most inner secrets, tears and concerns regarding your marriage, work, family and keeps those discussions locked in her heart and doesn't share with anyone else. That is what a TRUE FRIEND is and I have been so blessed beyond measure to be able to have found this one rare gem of a friend. I pray that all of you have one just like me. It takes a long time to build a relationship like this and I know we have many more facets to go through, but to be able to experience all this in this short of a time leaves me "speechless for words" and I know God had predestined this friendship long before we even knew each other.

I hope to be back in the loop of creating and be able to show what I am upto, but until then I pray your days are full of love, laughter and blessings from the Lord above and may you too have that one rare gem of a friend.

Almost 3 months...

2010-05-14T10:01:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe I have not posted on my blog for 3 months! Time has certainly gotten away from me and a lot has happened since I last posted. I haven't even had time to craft like I usually do but the mojo is coming back and hopefully I will be able to post pictures of a creation very soon.

Since moving to the 55+ community we have been busy it seems every night and weekend. I have finally finished up decorating our new place and feel that there are just minor touches that still need to be done, but have yet to find that certain something for a couple of the rooms to give it a "WOW" factor. But the important rooms we entertain in the kitchen , livingroom and diningroom are completed and people who visit state it is warm and cozy and definitely has a WOW factor when you walk in and we love it.

The Lord has blessed us with two couples in our life that we have befriended here. I knew from the start when I first met the gals that God had something special planned and how special he has made it! We are inseparable and we are always having hot tea and sharing our most inner secrets of things from the past and we each have had a BFF moment where you can just let it all out and cry and the great thing is that when one of us don't know what to say but are feeling the pain of that particular friend..we just cry with her. You have girlfriends in school, when you are young and sometimes when you are older. But God has truly blessed me with these women who are of the same morals and values as I. Who love their families and grandbabies, who worship God 24/7 and attend his church every Sunday, who make you laugh when you done some silly antic and who are there to give constructive critisicism when needed. Who love you unconditionally and help you sing the words to a song you had forgotten. I have truly been blessed by these two women and I know that is of God's hand that he placed us all in the same place at the right time.

Wayne has become close to their husbands and we teasingly call them the "Three peas in a pod" as they are always getting into trouble with us gals and or doing something goofy. LOL!!! The men are just inseparable as us women and they don't go anywhere without the other two when running errands.

I pray that you will continue to visit my blog. I know it has been far and few beyween posts and I am sorry for that but life has just been happening and wonderful. Please visit soon as I promise their will be new creations and even pics of the new place.

Hugs!

Finally...I've left some love :)

2010-02-25T10:25:00.000-08:00

Okay I think I have finally caught up visiting all of your sweet gals blogs and leaving love on your beautiful creations. I know it was promised way back when after the move, but life has finally settled down and I can now began staying on top of things of blogging, emailing and creating. I should have some pics this weekend to share. Hope you all have a great weekend. By the way I forgot to mention when commenting on your blog, please grab the award that is below this post as it goes out to all of you in the various groups on my side bar. Hugs everyone!

Sharing a Blog Award

2010-02-18T10:29:00.000-08:00

So many of you are truly an inspiration to me and continue to be faithful in your comments on my blog and it was so hard to chose just five bloggers to award this too , so I have decided to award this to all that are listed on my side bar and hope that you will share it with the others who are deserving of it. Rules pass it on to 5 bloggers who may not have received this award yet.

Valentines...

2010-02-07T16:05:00.000-08:00

Hope you all are having a great weekend. Mine consisted of being involved in a "Valentine Bazaar" and it was a smashing success!!! I was little apprehensive in being it as I wasn't sure what kind of turn out we would have due to the weather (cold, rain and it being the Superbowl weekend) and not being a really big holiday compared to Christmas, but I was glad I was involved as I sold everything I had made and could have sold more if

I had known it would be such a great success LOL! Here are some of the items I sold. My Photograph cards were a success as well and those pictures can be seen in the archive labels. I made several of these large and small pail containers filled with Hershey Kisses. I was able to find them in bulk at $2.29 lb instead of purchasing several of the 10oz bags at $4.79 a piece! These were a big hit for the mothers who visited the bazaar as a valentine gift for their children to give to their teachers. I did not realize how fast the Hershey filled Sour Cream Containers would go! I stamped the acetate using Stazon Ink to decorate them. Two ladies came in made their rounds through the bazaar, came to my spot and bought them all. Again I could have made 100 of them and I believe there would not of been one left. (I'll remember this next time) LOL! These were so easy to make and I should had thought to make these back at Christmas time. I saw these heart suckers and knew I could do something with them and decided to use my Cricut cartridge Tags, Bags and More to make the cover for these suckers. I ran them through the cuttlebug using the the new Valentine folders to give them a special look. The MS punch I used was the lattice heart. I was fortunate enough to be asked to be in another one in March by one of the other crafters at the bazaar who is in charge of it. So I am now busy working on what I plan on selling and of course ideas are running through my head as I type this and we shall see how much I get done with these grandure ideas running through my head. Hope the Lord blesses you this week in some way as we gear up for Valentines Day.

I am still here......

2010-01-28T11:04:00.000-08:00

Okay, honestly I am getting forgetful in my old age. LOL!!!! This month has been crazy and full of new resposibilities at work and then trying to create when I get home is nearly impossible and to be quite honest I am just pooped! I truly believe that mental tiredness takes more out of you than physical tiredness does. Especially when you spend all day crunching numbers and preparing year end taxes and making sure all the numbers are correctly entered before the forms are printed. I am getting ready to be in a Valentine bazaar next weekend and do have some pics that need to be loaded and shared and promise to load them up this weekend and visit my sweet blogging sisters who I am sure thinks I have forgotten them..I haven't honestly!

I appreciate all the lovely comments being left and would certainly like to know who the anonymous ones are and why all of sudden I am being hit with comments of windmills and turbines ??????? and a language I have no idea how to decipher! I'll just pray that it is a nice comment and not some absurd way of telling me off in their language. LOL!

Have a blessed day and I promise I will be back blogging on a regular basis! Hugs!

Ornaments to share..

2009-12-27T14:04:00.000-08:00

I had forgotten that I had made additional ornaments. With the sudden move and sale of the house, I hadn't realized that I had not posted them for all to see. I know I had several requests for ornaments that I had made asking to buy and my sincere apologies for not getting back to you. After being here for two weeks and we had been trying to settle into our new home, we lost our two sweet animals to cancer. Happy was 11 years and Olivia was 10 years. It really took a toll on us. Its funny how you become so attached to them and they become your children when you nest is empty. I still get emotional thinking about it as I write this and my sweet husband has really taken it the hardest and has cried almost everyday and of course it just breaks my heart to see him break down as they definitey were his babies.

Okay here are the ornaments I had made. I know Christmas has past, but still wanted to share them with you all. I still have three more to share, but need to locate them on my drive.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T22:17:00.000-08:00

Just checking in and wanting to wish every one a stocking full of wishes and a blessed Christmas. May the true meaning of Christmas be with you and yours during this wonderful season.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I am alive and well..Life is just crazy!!!!!

2009-12-01T12:53:00.000-08:00

Hello my fellow bloggers and sisters! I am so sorry I have been missing in action for over a month now! Time has certainly gotten away and the holidays are upon us and I have just lost track of time! Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and you were able to find some great unbelievable deals on Black Friday.

I am in the midst of moving (swore I would never move during the holiday season) but you do what needs to be done especially in the housing market here in California. Our house sold quickly and they wanted a short escrow like 7 days!!!!! Yikes! Luckily for us we were blessed to find a beautiful new place to live in that is a gated community for 55+ and all the amenities you could ever imagine to be spoiled by. We had to sell all our massive furniture as it would not fit in the new home, but that is okay as it has been time for a change in style for quite a while, just couldn't justify buying new until now. (wink). So instead of having myself enthralled in making ornaments, cards and all the other items that go with this merry season, I am packing boxes and moving. The movers will be here tomorrow to move us and thus I will begin the task of unpacking, putting things away and then hopefully get my craft room done but it will be the last thing to do as there is so much other stuff that needs to be done first which means it probably won't be until the end of the year or the new year before you see any new creations. I hope to still have your faithful following and to all my blog sisters, I promise to comment on your creations (I know I said that before and didn't get around too it) but definitely will I promise!!!!!!. Will get pictures of our new place on here once it is decorated and unpacked for all to see.

If by some chance that I do not get back on here to make a post (as I will have to wait for the new internet service to start) Please have a wonderful Merry Christmas and remember that Jesus is the Reason for the Season!!!

Been that long?

2009-10-20T10:19:00.000-07:00

No card,ornament or other to show. I cannot believe it has been this long since I have posted anything on my blog. I know I promised to show more of the christmas ornaments I have made, but just haven't taken the pictures and life has been really CRAZY right now!!!!! So please bear with me and I will get them posted.

I have not even visited my fellow blogging sisters to leave comments and certainly need to visit everyone and will do that this week I promise.

I did have a nice surprise from my sweet hubby..he purchased the Cricut Expression for me along with 6 cartridges and the studio. YIPPEE!!!! I have yet to play with it and figure out how it all works, but I know once I learn it will be smooth sailing.

I hope you all had a restful weekend and that you were able to get some projects done. I cannot believe we are two months away from Christmas!!!!! Please continue to visit as I promise to have more items to show.

Breast Cancer......Men?

2009-10-06T20:53:00.000-07:00

I don't have a card today, but just wanted to make sure that all you gals are having your yearly exam of your ladies. I read more and more of this terrible disease taking lives of younger women and have personally lost a friend to this disease. Be proud to wear pink all month long and pass the word on to others, even if they are strangers. I have a button that says "Have your ladies been checked?" Of course you can imagine the looks I get from people especially the men, but it is food for thought and hopefully it will make a light bulb go off in their heads. This year alone 1500 men will get breast cancer and of that 1500, 400 of them will die because they didn't realize they can get breast cancer as they believe only women get it! Cancer knows no gender!!!! Be sure to have your hubby's checked as well! My sweet DH thought it was just a sore spot on his left breast, he mentioned it to the doctor when he went in for his annual exam. The doctor began feeling his right one and then pushed on his left breast which about sent DH through the roof from the intense pain; the doctor immediately had him sent for a bioptsy and when the results came back it turned out to be cancer and was at Stage 2. My husband had a radical left masectomy 3 years ago and remains cancer free..praising God for his goodness!!!! You still are asking yourself "men can get breast cancer"? Yes men can get breast cancer. It is only a percentage of 5% of men who do, but they have all the same glands as we do as the doctor explained to me, they just don't develop because of the testosterone. I just wanted to give you all a friendly reminder to remember to get them squished and examined and make your hubby do the same! He may laugh at you, but share this story and it will make him think twice about having an exam this I can guarantee.

Lots of love and prayers to each and everyone of you who have beaten this and to those who are going through it!

May The Joy and Peace...

2009-09-28T12:45:00.000-07:00

I seem to be on roll in making these ornaments and probably due to the fact that I have exactly four weeks left until the "Relay For Life " Bazaar put on by the American Cancer Society and not to mention orders that have come in from various gals on SCS and blogs. I just love this one as well and I am so glad that I don't have to make a decision on which one to purchase. I love how this all came together and the coloring took a bit of thinking as I was trying to think how this village/town would of looked like back in the day when Christ was getting ready to be born. I felt that there were not many colors the adobe/brick walls could be so I went with more of the earth tones depicting it. Again if interested in purchasing an ornament see the post below on how to contact me. Thanks for looking. Supplies: Stamps: JustRite; Ink: Stazon; Ribbon: Offray Satin; Westrim Rhinestones.

Heavenly Angel

2009-09-27T11:19:00.000-07:00

Hope you are having a great Sunday afternoon. My sis Beth is going to be over later and we will be BBQ'ing and finally catch up on all the latest. Had the four grand kids again yesterday but have to admit I am tired and am not as young as I used to be. LOL!!!!I have another ornament to show you. This one sat on my table for quite sometime as I had stamped the angel, colored her in and then just couldn't decide on how to finish her until late Thursday evening. Kinda a "light-bulb" moment if you get my drift. LOL! Found this fantastic folded ribbon at Michael's and thought it was just perfect to give the ornament the softness associated with an angel. Again, each ornament I make I seem to like it better than the last one. I will say trying to take pictures of these are a pain at times as there always seems to be a shadow casted on the part of the ornament as you can see on this one on the lower left side. I think it was part of my DH head when he tooks it, but there is no discoloration on it even though it shows there is. I have had several inquiries wanting to know if the ornaments are for sale. They are and if interested in purchasing one please contact me at heartdb@yahoo.com. Hope you have a wonderful restful Sunday afternoon. Thanks for looking! Supplies: Stamps: JustRite, Stampin Up; Ink: Stazon; Ribbon: Michaels; Sparkle: Stickles and Westrim mini rhinestones.

Let Heaven and Nature Sing

2009-09-22T11:12:00.000-07:00

I thought I would begin showing the ornaments I have been working on. This one was a little more trickier, but I feel it really turned out rather well. I think this one will be a favorite of some especially ones who have bird feeders and the love of nature near and around their homes. I wish we could see a red cardinal here in California, but I believe they are birds of the East coast. I wasn't really sure how I was going to color or even embellish it, but knew it needed to be minor as to not take away from the image itself. After I colored it, I kept thinking it needed the snowy-icy effect hanging off the eaves of the bird house and remembered that the PTI set Border & Beams Accessories had that icicle edge. I stamped it in white and then added the stickles to give it the effect of ice hanging off the eaves. I used the small red rhinestones to accentuate the berries on the holly and just lightly glazed the leaves with stickles as well. The side of the ornament has red satin ribbon encircling it to give it a finished look. Supplies: Stamps-JustRite & PTI; Ink: Stazon, Chalk, Sharpies; Embellishments: Offray satin ribbon, Westrim rhinestones and Stickles. Thanks for taking the time to look.

It's Just Not My Day...

2009-09-21T16:57:00.000-07:00

I know this isn't stamp related, but I could not help but share this fun photo of our Border Collie Olivia. When you have four little ones invade your space, you just have to deal with it. My DH is always with camera in hand when the little ones are over, because you never know what cute picture can be captured when they are all together. Such was the day yesterday when all the grand kids were here and playing in the toy box ranging from 1 to 7 years of age. From the time Mikayla was a baby (our first grandchild) we have had this red basket full of different toys, beads, bracelets and glasses for the kids to play with. They decided that it would be fun to dress Olivia up. Olivia being the trooper she is just laid there and let them fully accessorize her from head to paw. And remained in the "dressed-up" mode for about 2 hours which really surprised us. The grand kids got the biggest kick out of it and were laughing hysterically which in turn got us to be the same way. Grand kids you gotta love them!

Cleaning Out The Studio

2009-09-19T18:05:00.000-07:00

I had planned on working on more ornaments, but as I was looking for a certain item in my closet, I stood there shaking my head (LOL!!) and thought okay its been long enough putting off the "Clean Mode" so today I decided today was the day and began going through the items in my studio and clear out unused items that I have not used in 6 months to a year. I figure if I haven't miss it, then I obviously don't need it. LOL!!! Take a look to see if there is anything of interest to you. Once I get this studio cleaned, I promise to post the ornaments that are completed.

ALL SOLD!!!!! YEA!!!!!!!

The Spirit of Joy

2009-09-12T11:33:00.000-07:00

This is the second card I made for the Papertrey Swap. Again I had forgotten I had this set and remembered it was one of my favorites. Why is it we forget what we have in our stamps? Could it be we just have to have it, can't live without it and then it stay stashed in a drawer until we realize..oh yea, I have that set LOL!!! I used three different colors of blues to make the snowflakes stand out and then of course had to add Stickles to make them look sparkly and light. I remembered I had the Stardream Paper (which you really can't see in the picture) which is sparkly as well. I added the scalloped nesties as the double layering for matting behind the saying. Thanks for taking the time to look.

Supplies: Stamps-PTI Snowflake Serenade; Cardstock-Stardream Midnight Blue, Basic Gray Silver and SU Whisper White; Ink-Stazon Midnight Navy, Encore Ultimate Metallic Blue and Encore Silver. Stickles-Icicle and Rhinestones. Ribbon-Offray 1" Blue Sheer.

Dreams are...

2009-09-10T16:01:00.000-07:00

Sorry for being MIA! Down with my back a few days and was nursing it to help my daughter unpack her house, which we didn't get very far because of it, but thoroughly enjoyed the time spent with her. It definitely gets cool up in the mountains and I am glad I remembered to pack my long pj's. LOL! By the way she loved the "Just Moved Cards" (see in lower post) I made for her which of course just warms my heart to no end! I have been working on getting cards done for swaps and wondering why I signed myself up for so many as I have so much to do, but felt I needed a break and need some cards to have on hand. This is one of the cards for the Papertrey Swap. Wasn't sure about it at first, but thought everything finally came together. I have been working on several more of the Ornaments. I am hoping that this weekend I can get them posted as there are another 7 done and about 4 more in the works. I am thinking these will be a major hit at the ACS Christmas Bazaar. If you would like to purchase one of these ornaments, please contact me and let me know which one(s) you would like or want made. I'd be more than happy to accommodate you. :) Thanks for looking!
Supplies: CS-SU Razzleberry & Soft Suede; Ink-Rich Razzleberry & Soft Suede; Stamps:PTI Spiral Bouquet; Stickles and Dew Drops.

Questions Regarding Ornaments

2009-09-02T12:45:00.000-07:00

I have had so many compliments on the ceramic ornaments and also many questions. LOL! I will see if I can answer them according to who asked. And if you have a question that has not been addressed, don't hesitate to contact me.

So here it goes:

Shelly asked....How many do you make each season? Depends. I always make for all of my immediate family which is 13. Then there are those who have seen theirs and want one so I guess I could roughly say maybe a total of 40-50. But if it is for the ACS Relay For Life Bazaar I will make close to 200!

Paige asked...Any chance of getting a group shot of all the ornaments? Sure, as soon as I finish up on the others I am working on I'll be sure to take group picture.

Jenn asked...Where do you buy the plain ornaments? I ususally get them at Michael's and was very fortunate to be able to purchase what they had left for 10 cents a piece and I have a total of 120 in boxes right now and as soon as they are put out I will begin to buy more a little at a time.

Traci asked...Who is the snowman by? The snowman is by Inkadinkadoo. It came in a set with snowflakes, sentiments. I got it at Michaels last year, but I think if you went on their website they may have them there.

Jennifer asked...Tip on keeping the stamp from sliding. When stamping make sure you don't oversaturate the stamp. I have found through many trials of error when I first began making them that it is better to lightly stamp the image and if you decide you want it more prominent then wipe off and apply the ink a little heavier..it is just a matter of patience and error.

Sankari asked...Any chance of a Tutorial? Yes, but need to locate a video camera first LOL!!!! I don't own one personally but daughter does and maybe after she gets moved in her home she will loan it to me.

Melissa asked...Ink Type used? I have found that Stazon seems to work best, but you can try others but would have to seal it with a matte finish so it won't rub off.

Heidi asked...What do you use to color the images? It all depends on the image itself. I have used Sharpie Finepoints and regular Sharpies, Bic Markers, Colorbox Cat Eye Chalk Pads, and sometimes the Copics. I have found with Copics that they seem to streak so I rarely use them.

Where The Party Never Ends...

2009-09-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

I have seen these accordion file holders using #10 envelopes and then cutting them in half and inserting them in between the folds of the accordion pleat on SCS and have wanted to try one, but just never got around to it. I have a co-worker whose house is completely done in Mickey Mouse. She says her whole family are crazy about Disney (like me and my DH) and she and her husband love Mickey. They just recently got back from vacation at Disneyland and I thought I would make this up and send it to her for to put memories in and as a thank you for helping me with the big bookkeeping mess we had at work. I think the hardest part was making the accordion part of the box. You know the saying "three times is a charm" well it was in my case! I either had one to wide or one to short and it sat lopsided. I eventually got it measuered correctly and assembled it the way it was suppose to look evenly LOL! All the paper is by Disney and of course the large Mickey sticker and sentiment is as well. I added stickles to the white dots and stars to give it a little bit of extra sparkle and then used versamark on the yellow to give the indication of confetti and fireworks happening. I thought for sure I was going to break my SU Word Window Punch when I was trying to go through three layers of chipboard to place the tab in, but it punched through okay. I am planning on altering a couple more items for her before this is sent and I hope she will like it. These would be a neat little gift to make for anyone or for any occasion or a cute birthday party favor. I know there is endless possibilities. Thanks for taking the time to look.

Just Moved...

2009-08-31T18:41:00.000-07:00

I have been making these cards for my daughter in secret. They are getting ready to move into a home of their own as of today and thought this would help alleviate the stress of telling everyone their physical and P.O. Box address and phone number. It took me the longest time to figure out a design and then I vaguely remembered seeing one on someones blog or SCS (and if it is you please let me know so I can give credit where it is due). Mine isn't exactly like the one I saw so it isn't totally cased, but still would have liked finding it again. Their home is way up on top of a mountain surrounded by the national forest and I thought using the pine tree from the "Lovely As A Tree" and matching it up with Papertrey Ink's Board and Beams House and sentiment so it would be depicted correctly. The house is exactly these colors, and thankfully I happen to have them in my Prismacolor markers. I am hoping that she will be happy with these as it took a while to color them and make sure they were perfect. I just know she is going to ask me for more of these and I will gladly make them but maybe just not as fast. LOL! I used the MS Punch for the look of the pine needles. Ink is SU in Chocolate Brown, Black and Old Olive. I used Crystal Effects to give the windows the look of glass. Thanks for taking the time to look.

Let It Snow!

2009-08-26T14:47:00.000-07:00

Whew!!!! What a last 5 days! Computer at work crashed, thought I had lost everything which would not of been good, but finally got a new computer today and now I am back logged in getting things caught up before the 31st! Anyway enough about my work LOL! I have another ornament to show you and this one I think is going to be another favorite of mine. It seems the more I am making them, I like it better than the last. Hopefully these will be the favorites at the annual ACS Bazaar this year. I have had this stamp since last year and used it to make ornaments for family. As I have stated before I discovered a way to make the stamp not slide on these porcelain ornaments and seems to be working. I used Liquid pearls to make it look like small snowflakes/ice was falling around the snowman and his friend. And then I thought about the outside rim and thought maybe I could sparkle it up a bit. I wasn't really sure the Scor-pal tape was going to adhere to the slick porcealin side, but with a little patience and the heat tool, it adhered really well to it. Next I took the Iridescent Flakes that you use in making handmade paper (hopefully I will be able to find more of this soon) and took the ornament and rolled it inside a container to get it to coat the sides well. I had to hand press some of the flakes so they wouldn't fall off as they are not real small. I took the heat gun again and heated around the ornament (about 14 inches away so not to melt them) to make sure it was sealed well so during transporting or hanging on a tree, it wouldn't come off. I used stickles for added gltiz and then bic markers for the coloring and red liquid pearls for the berries on his hat. I must say he turned out rather cute. Thanks for taking the time to look.

Star From The East

2009-08-22T17:30:00.000-07:00

I wasn't sure how to decorate this particular ornament and then the PTI set was sitting in front of me and I thought why couldn't I use the cross as the focal point?
Although there is no sentiment added, I think it represents what was followed the night our Savior was born...The Star! It is so hard to photograph an item when there is glitter and bling added to it. Out of the 10 taken this was best by far and believe me it was taken in many aspects of lighting. I think this will be one I give to our Pastor and his wife at Christmas. Thanks for looking. Like the Snow Sprite, this was among the ones I got at a great price last year. The stamp is by PTI and the ink is Stazon. Stickles and rhinestones by Westrim. I think maybe one should be made in a midnight blue to capture the stillness and excitement of that very special night. Thank you for taking he time to look.

A "Snow Sprite" Ornament

2009-08-21T19:22:00.000-07:00

It is getting that time of the year where I need to start making ornaments for the family, friends and the ACS Bazaar. I totally refuse buying a Hallmark at $$$ when I can make one that will be more memorable. Of course there are those times when you want to buy one from them because it is such a special occasion or the person is not into handmade items, but rarely do I need to do that. I am a big fan of Santa's, Snow, Snowmen and whimsical Wintery Sprites. I think this has to be in my top ten favorites of stamps that I own when it comes to winter or Christmas decorations. She just looks so light as if she is just gliding along with the snowflakes as they begin to fall. I have tried this stamp in many colors and no matter what color (other than yellow/orange or black) it always turns out wintery and Christmasey. I have found this year a sure way of making the rubber stamp not slide when stamping these ceramic plain ornaments and it has certainly made a difference. Last year I bought all they had when everything was 75-90% off, so my top shelf in my craftroom is covered in boxes of these ornaments but will begin to dwindle once I really get going on making them and of course you know I will be watching when they begin to put Christmas out as well as when they have sales. LOL!!!! Stay tuned for more to be posted as I am on a roll. LOL!

Sweetest Ever

2009-08-20T20:24:00.001-07:00

Hello! It has been awhile since I have posted, but have been busy creating and just haven't taken the time to post as I finished each project. Saturday I was invited to a SU Stamp-n-stak and wasn't going to go, but decided it would be fun. Out of all the favorites she had in our packet to make 20 cards (4 each) I fell in love with the Hostess set "The More the Merrier". She had stamped the cupcakes and then provided the necessary papers and ribbon. I only made one and then came home and put my own twist on it as I cannot get myself to be just a plain simple type card gal. LOL!!!

I just had to add more in-color cardstock, dp, stickles, and of course scallops to decorate it up more and I needed the CB effect on the card stock itself. All the coloring of the images, ribbon and solid cardstock are the new In-Colors and the dp is the Razzelberry Lemonade. I changed up the layout from the original card she had as a sample so I could call it my own. I think this card would be fun to give to anyone for any occasion. Thanks for looking.

Forgive Me...

2009-08-10T18:41:00.000-07:00

I have not posted or created anything new in over two weeks. Good friend of mine lost her mother to cancer, so I have been upset over that; my job has really kicked my butt these past 2 weeks with the revamping of bookkeeping and by the time I get home, I am just mentally taxed! New software had to be installed and then the connectivity thing from the older version to the newer version was anything but nice..aarrgghh!!! Finally getting the kinks out of the system, but still have a few bugs that seem to becoming out of nowhere to cause havoc and have my computer shut down completely!!!! But I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel and hopefully sooner than later!

I had planned on working on a few items this past weekend, but had my precious grand babies and well...they just take all my time and I enjoy every minute of it since they do not live in the same town as I. So it is now the start of the work week, but have several items I am planning to try and create this week. And I have not been able to leave comments on my sweet blogging friends blogs and thank you to all of you blogging sisters who have left such sweet comments on mine. I promise to make it up to you this week to comment on your wonderful creations.

Have a wonderful week and dwell in the love of the Lord!

Friendship

2009-08-01T14:21:00.000-07:00

I had forgotten that I had made this card until I was going through the pictures on my computer. I had sent this card to a a friend who was going through a divorce. I remember her getting it and calling me to say that my card had lifted her spirits more than I could have ever imagined. That it reminded her that no matter the trials we are going through there is always those 1-2 friends who can ease the pain of it. I know the the saying has the word grief on it, but if you have ever been through a divorce that you never saw coming..it just shatters your world, breaks your heart in a million pieces and the tears never seem to stop and trust me I have been in those awful shoes. And like her I had 2 great friends who helped me make it through and realize that my life wasn't over, it was just taking a different path than I had planned. And it was up to me to pull up my boot straps and get back on the horse and someday know that I would re-marry again and take a chance of my heart not getting broken. I did take that chance and this time I truly found my prince charming who swept me off my feet 17 years ago and had no problems adding two little ones to his life. Now that is a Blessing from the Lord.

Simply Simple

2009-08-01T14:03:00.000-07:00

Another card I made awhile back and never posted. This was some scraps left over from another project where I had to stamp a curly background and realized I had stamped more than I needed. I have a couple of baskets on my crafting table of scraps and images I have stamped/colored that decided to not use in a certain project. This is one of these as you can see it is very simple but yet with the embellished accents and charm attached it could be a card for any occasion. The flowers are from Technique Tuesday (sorry don't know the name of the set) and the ink is SU Brocade Blue. Used Offray 1/2" satin ribbon and the charm and rhinestones are by Westrim. Thanks for looking at my blog today.

A Day Of Emotion...

2009-08-01T12:44:00.000-07:00

Today is a day of emotions and sadness, a very dear good friend of mine lost her mother to cancer on Friday, she had been battling it for quite sometime and we all know she is in a better place where there is no longer any pain. But no matter how much we try to prepare for it, it still hurts deeply when death finally succeeds. I understand what she is going through as my mother has been gone for 17 years and today it just opened up the flood of emotions of missing her after receiving the message that Steph's mom had passed. I have had some cards made for quite sometime and just have not posted them and felt today would be a good day as my creativeness is not here as all I can do is think about Steph. This card was suupose o be submitted for a Verve Challenge, but I was not real pleased with it so I didn't place it in the Mojo Monday Challege. But it could be used for "Just A Because" card or encouragement as well. Anyway thanks for looking and vsiting my blog today.

Have You....

2009-07-28T18:37:00.000-07:00

Ever felt like you walked in a store (Michael's) and headed over to the dollar spot only to find the most amazing items you can alter!!!! It happened to me last Saturday. I was in the store in Santa Clarita and thought hmmm... I wonder if they have different items than mine does. I can only wish our store was as stocked with paper craft items and goodies as this one. I saw this little notebook which had the pen attached to the side of it. I picked it up and thought I bet I can alter this (as it had rather in ugly colors on it..LOL!!!) So I proceeded to pick up a couple and brought it home and altered it. I decided to give it to one of my SS over at SCS. Who couldn't use a nice little notebook to carry in her purse to jot down last minute items to pick up or to even sketch an idea seen somewhere in another store? and you know how hard it is to cover those pens with decorative paper and hoping it will stay stuck once you have rolled it? Solution: Go to the paint store and pick up the large Dutch Boy Paint Chips. They have an adhesive back so if you are deciding to paint a wall you can stick it on there to get a better idea of how it will look but of course my mind wasn't on a wall, it was another light bulb moment of I bet this can be used for other items..punching shapes, letters, and now pens and it is self adhesive. YEA!!!! So now I must confess that every time I go into the hardware stores I check to see if they carry this brand and pick up 4-6 each in 1 to 3 colors (little at time as to not be obvious of what I am doing..LOL!!!) and when I came back I do the same again but I think it helps that I know the manager in the paint department and he always just smiles and says what color this time. LOL!!!!!!

Whew!!!! Hot! Hot! Weekend!!!!!

2009-07-19T20:37:00.000-07:00

I am not sure where you all live but if you live anywhere near the central part of California, then you will know the temperatures were a scorcher this weekend and looks to be that way into the middle of the week. Saturday was 110 degrees, Sunday was 113 and tomorrow, Monday they are prediciting 115 degrees!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The grandkids visited this weekend and were in the pool only about 4 hours as there was no way we could be out there all day. Those sweet babes would of looked like a burnt tomatoe. They had sunscreen on, but still they could of had heat stroke even at their young age. They left today and I was able to get a card made. A very simple one but still a nice card. It's nice once in a while to not make a big fuss over a card and worry if it has enough embellishments on it. LOL!!!! Supplies: Stamps-SU Priceless, Ink: SU So Saffron and Pink Passion, Embellies: Gold Rhinestones and sheer ribbons; Paper-SU So Saffron, Pink Passion and Whisper White. CB Folder-Swiss Dots.

Seize the CUPCAKE

2009-07-12T18:32:00.001-07:00

I decided to participate in the SCS Wednesday Sketch Challenge SC235 for the first time and thank goodness this was an easy sketch to do. Of course the one I submitted is a little different as all of the nine spots had to be exactly the same design as far as the shape (see smaller picture), but this one was made for a special friend and she should be getting it soon in the mail. She is crazy about cupcakes and of course remembering I had this stamp that had not been used for quite sometime like 2 years (so many stamps-so little time..LOL!!!). I have mentioned before that I have a stash of papers that I always seem to forget to look at as it is my "Private Reserve" of papers that can no longer be found. I must of had this vellum for at least 4 or 5 years now and luckily remembered it was in this particular stash. LOL!!! I am really big on the Bazzill Cardstock as it is so heavy and I keep every scrap piece that is large enough to do something with as some of the colors are no longer made. I stamped Happy Birthday all over the cardstock before I adhered the vellum to the card to complete my layout. The card is a 5 x 5.5 size and fits really nice in the 6x6 envelopes. Supplies: Stamps: Cupcake-Lockhart Co., Happy Birthday-Studio G; Solid cardstock circles all by Bazzill and the Vellum-no clue as the strip had been cut off with the manufacturer's name; Inks- Stazon Saddle Brown for outline, Prismacolor markers for coloring the cupcakes; Flourish Punk by Ek Success and then stickles was used to give the cakes and scrolls some glitz.

Trust In The Lord

2009-07-09T18:08:00.000-07:00

I made this card for the challenge over at Mojo Monday blog. I have to admit I stepped out of my comfort zone as I don't usually mix pattern papers even if they are of the same color and design, but I am glad I did and am happy on how it turned out. I cannot believe I had this paper in my "Stash" (you know we all have one where we want to save it forever-LOL!!!) and decided I better use it before it was no longer wanted or began to fade. I keep telling myself I need to use the paper from the special stash bin, but you know I never do. So now I have it sitting to the right of me to make me go through the bin before I look elsewhere. Of course my daughter when she visits always seems to find the exact paper from the hidden stash, but that's okay as that is what mother's are for right? Supplies: Verve Stamps Plain Janes and Beautiful You; Paper Bazill and Basic Gray; Ink-Stazon Timber Brown; Brads and Buttons-memory Makers.

Great Friends Are We!

2009-07-07T20:37:00.000-07:00

Since I am unable to move around alot and not go 100 mph, I have managed to make some cards and was basically forced to use up some of the scraps that I had laying close to my crafting table. Of course you never know how many you have until you open the containers and go Oh My! I already had this image colored and just threw it in a bin thinking maybe I'll use it for a card someday. That someday has been these last 10 days or so and I decided to dig through the images and came up with this one.

I am sorry I cannot tell you whom the image is by (as it was Rak'd to me) nor the paper or ribbon (scraps), but here are the supplies that I do know the names by. LOL!!! Stamp is by Poppy Prints-Lisa Johnson for Papertrey Ink and of course the punch is by Martha Stewart and then dew drops ans the ink is Stazon Black.

I'm Back!

2009-07-07T20:02:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have been gone so long and not been blogging or checking up on my bloggin sisters with comments. I hope everyone had a wonderful July 4th! It was hot here but not so bad where you couldn't enjoy yourselves outside. Stayed in the pool most of the time so I didn't have to wear the moon boot outside in the heat. I was in the pool pretty much all day with my precious grandbabies and enjoyed playing and splashing with them. For you who do not have grandchildren..wait! You thought your kids are precious and love them deeply, those sweet grandbabies take you to a whole new plateau of Love!!!!
Look Grandma! (Haiden)

Our Little Beauty (Mikyala)

Auntie Beth playing with them (of course she thinks they are her grandchildren--only till she gets some of her own) LOL!!!!!

And DH cleaning out the pool filter to make sure everything stays clean...Of course being the bragging Grandma, I have to share some picks of my first two grandchildren. These were taken 10 days prior to me falling down the stairs at work. But nonetheless, I have to show them off. Unfortunately not many were taken on the 4th as we were in the pool about 80% of the time and the kids were having to much fun jumping off the diving board and rock waterfall and of course you don't keep a camera to close to the pool edge. LOL!!!!

Birthday Wishes

2009-06-28T13:29:00.000-07:00

Afternoon Everyone..This past week has been rather difficult trying to recover from the fall of stairs at work, bumping my head and try walking around in a moon boot! But thank goodness a new week is about to start and I look forward to healing and to get ahead on making Christmas Gifts for family and friends. I am always short on Birthday cards and always promise myself to have a stash of them, and yet I never seem to have enough. I thought this card turned out okay, I am not really sure I am happy with it but for now I'll leave it alone and see if it grows on me. LOL!! I had received this image through Wish-Rak for the SU Stipple Butterfly. At first I was going to color it only yellow and orange, but as I looked at it, it just needed more color, so I decided to make it more of a rainbow effect. But after I colored it, it just didn't pop like I wanted it to. So I decided to cover the entire image with Diamond Glaze and let it dry and then cut it out to give the card a 3-D look. I wanted to card to be simple, but yet catching at the same time. So here is my "Simple Butterfly". Hope you enjoyed looking at it.
Supplies: SU Stipple Butterfly, Bazzill papers, MS Punch, Diamond Glaze and Spellbinders Dies.

Forgive me for not posting...

2009-06-24T20:25:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe it has been 23 days since my last post. I have been working on several projects, but time has gotten away. And looks as if I maybe MIA for a little longer. Took a rather nasty fall at work yesterday down two flights of stairs and am now wearing a moon boot for the next 3 weeks!!!!!! I cannot believe I wasn't paying attention where I was walking. aarrgghh!!!!! Trying to type and keep the foot elevated is a little hard to do. But I do have a couple of cards to share with you. Forgive me if I am not real chatty on here the drugs make me feel a little "out of place or spacey I should say" if you know what I mean. LOL!!!!!!Thanks to Carisa over at Lady Guinevere's Inky Faeries for RAK'g this image to me. I think this is really a cute Bella and may have to order her as my granddaughter is enamoured with mermaids now instead of princesses. I had alot of fun making this one and really wanted to make it 3-D to look as if she was just balancing over the ocean floor.
Supplies: Stamping Bella "Underwatergoddessabella, Papertrey Ink Honey Bees for the look of seaweed. Minature seashells that I had found at a shell shop in Morro Bay. prismacolor Markers and Twinkling H2o's for the effect on her scales and fin. Brads covered in stickles for the starfishes and Blue and Sand Beads for the ocean floor. Paper by Paper Adventures and Kiwi Kiss Ink used for the seaweed coloring.

CONGRATS!

2009-06-01T19:21:00.000-07:00

I could not help but select this image and make it a special card for my sweet precious granddaughter. She has been in dance since she was two years old and is now 7 and Friday is her last recital until the fall classes begin. I always present her with a miniature rose bouquet and a card to say "You Were A Shining Star". My sweet friend Carisa RAK'd me these images on a day that I was feeling blue. This little Stampingbella MissMatch Ketto reminds me of Mikayla. She thinks she is a princess (of course to Grandma she is..LOL!!!) and when she dances she is always right on step never missing a beat and gives 110%. Pink is her favorite color. I think she will be quite pleased with this card all because it is in her favorite color pink, its glittery, has a crown with tiny rhinestones at the tip of it and it was made expecially for her by G'ma Dee. I think I may have to purchase several more of these sweet stamps, as they all seem to resemble my sweet Kayla in one way or another. Supplies: Paper-Bazzill Tink Pink, Polka Dot Paper-Bazzill Creative Imaginations Pizzazzill, Prima Flowers, Pink Rhinestones,-Markers: Prismacolor Mulberry and Blush Pink, SU Stamp Sentiment-Say It With Scallops, Martha Stewart Punch, Nestabilities Oval Plain and Scallop and Cuttlebug Scalloped Die

A Rose Is Just A Rose...

2009-05-31T17:25:00.000-07:00

This picture I think has to be my all time favorite. This beautiful rose picture was taken in our neighbor's yard during one of our evening walks (DH always has his camera around his neck in case he spots something worth taking a photo of or an opportunity for a great picture for a card LOL!!) and if you didn't know better, you would of sworn that the rose buds behind the large rose was just placed there, but NO this is how it was growing on the bush. In fact all of JoAnne's roses were blossoming like this. Of course my DH was ecstatic and couldn't wait until we got home from our walk that night for me to upload and see what it looked like. And here you have it. This card took me awhile to assemble as I had to figure out the pleating and knew I had seen it done with tutorial instructions from one of the DT members for a specific stamp company ( I promise to locate it and place the link HERE). I had to search through endless files of papers to get the right combinations to pull the colors out of the rose to make it pop. I realized I had the perfect papers sitting in front of me from a previous project the whole time I was searching..LOL! I began the card at 5:00pm and finished it around 10:00 pm. Again I finished the inside of the card to make it complete. If you have not discovered the newest and easiest way to make a bow, head on over to Sharon Johnson's Blog and order the Bow Easy. I am so glad I purchased it and now my bows come out perfect everytime with the tails behind it instead of one in front and one behind. You'll wonder how you ever made bows without it.
Supplies: Paper-SU Pink Pirouette and Kiwi Kiss, Paper-PTI Berry Sorbet, Stamp-SU "Say It With Scallops", Cuttlebug 2x2 Die, SU Top Note for inside of card. 1/2" Pink Satin Ribbon and MS Pearls.

You Are My Sunshine...

2009-05-31T16:55:00.000-07:00

I am not a person who is fond of yellow's but after dh took this picture I knew I had to make it as it was a flower that was saying :Do I remind you of sunshine?" It was really quite easy to pull together and I think I will prbably give it to a friend who is recovering from surgery. Below are other views of this card. I have began finishing the inside of the card as well instead of leaving it just plain. I think it just makes the card complete. I have seen others do it to theirs and at the time thought it was to much trouble, but now that I have begun doing this as well to all my cards, it really makes a difference and helps when people notice and comment. We all can use praise once in awhile. After finishing this card I liked the way the yellow complemented the green papers. Unfortunately I wish I could tell you who these papers are made by, but like many of us we buy and stash, take apart the reams and file them with the color palette they belong too. LOL!!
Supplies: Various papers (Company Unknown), Studio G Sentiment, Offray Grosgrain ribbon, Yellow dew drops, MS Punch, Nestibilities Ovals-Plain and Scalloped, CB 2x2 dies for squares.

Dreams...

2009-05-31T16:11:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow bloggers. It has been awhile since I was last on here. Lots of things going on and just plain life happenings if you know what I mean. I have been working on various cards these last few weeks and think I am ready to share. LOL! I don't know about your place, but it is definitely the mating season for our feathery friends. My husband was inspecting the rain gutter on our house and happen to here the cooing of these doves. He made sure not to get to close so he wouldn't disturb their nest or upset them. Of course he had to come and get the camera to take a few pictures of the female dove sitting on her eggs and the father with his proud chest out over watching making sure nothing happens to her or their little family. We couldn't understand why they had picked the lower eve below the larger one until we happen to see a cat trying to get to them. Luckily there is no tree near and even if the cat tried to get on the roof, he would fall to the ground as there is quite a distant to try and jump and needlessly to say he did try several attempts but always fell. Do you see those beautiful colors on his chest? So rich and seeing them up close is even more amazing. I have seen many doves but none with this coloring and I wonder if they are from the south as far as Mexico or South America. I always feel blessed when God has so graciously let the birds nest near our home. Last year it was the hummingbirds, this year it is the doves. Hmm.... I wonder will we be able to see the little ones before they take flight? Only time will tell. Hope you have enjoyed this picture.
Papers: Caffee Latte and Rich Cognac by Bazzill, Ribbon by SU, Sentiment from PTI "Spiral Bouquet" and the glistening stones are from Michaels.

FREEDOM!

2009-05-25T19:35:00.000-07:00

Hoping everyone had a wonderful Memorial Weekend and for those who have loved ones away an in the various armed forces, know that my prayers are with them and I pray for their safe return. To those who have served and still serving, thank you for protecting us and keeping America Free. We are so indebted to you as a nation and we will never be able to express or repay you or show you how much this has meant to us. Thank You from the bottom of my heart!!

Find The Seed

2009-05-06T19:39:00.001-07:00

Another card, that took a little longer than anticipated. I can't believe I got as far as putting the finishing touches on it and realized that I didn't have the correct color of ribbon. aarrgghh! What to do? What to do? I know I will try the technique that I saw on someone's blog (sorry forgot whose and if it is you please let me know so I can give credit where it is due). I remember her saying that when she was crafting late at night and didn't have the correct color of ribbon, she would pull out her markers and use either white or creme satin ribbon and voila! she would have the color needed. Mine came out just a tad darker than the paper, but it definitely worked. I love purple if you haven't guessed by now and when I had begun picking out the papers to match the pictures it was almost as if this paper combination was screaming at me! LOL! Of course this is another picture taken by DH when we went and saw the wildflowers and I thought that this quote (which is a favorite of mine) worked so perfectly for this one flower that had just opened up. I think the world would be a better place if people applied this to their busy daily lives. What do you think?
Supplies: Bazzill Papers in African Violet and Witch Hazel Green, Stripe by Doodlebug, Ribbon was from the Ribbon Outlet and beads by Westrim. Used SU Black Classic Ink.

Gratitude

2009-05-06T15:12:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe it has been 9 days since my last post where I had promised to get my cards posted that I have been working on. But nothing ever goes as planned as life happens and then there are always the computer issues! aargghh! Anywho, my mojo is definitely back and here is the first card of 10 to be posted. Actually I have quite a few in the making as I finally got smart (duh...LOL!!!!) and lined up the papers, embellishments and so forth that will be going on each card and started an assembly line to make it go a little smoother.
Supplies: Fabrique Aquarello Watercolor, Doodlebug Dotted Swiss, White Chenille and Bazzill Green Papers. Stamp: PTI Spiral Bouquet Sentiment;EK Lace Punch; SU Black Classic Ink used over Versamark with clear embossing powder and Offray Black Dotted Swiss ribbon.

Where Are The Photo Cards?

2009-04-28T12:49:00.000-07:00

I am surprised by the number of emails I have received asking when I was going to post more of the photo cards I was making. I have to be honest with you and say that the wind had been taken out of my sails when I had received the negative emails about them and it took some time through the grace of God to get myself back into making them.

I am in the process of creating another four cards and they should be posted by Friday if not sooner. Thank you to all who have left warming and compassionate comments, the emails I have received and even phone calls reassuring me to continue in making them.

I will be making some normal cards using stamped images as well, but will mostly be concentrating on more of the photo cards.

Keep your eyes open for my next post and please continue to visit my blog and leave comments or suggestions. Again thank you for being so sweet and caring. It means the world to me. :)

Notecards

2009-04-19T17:54:00.000-07:00

Trying to get my mojo back after the hurtful emails. Thought I would make a set of notecards to just get myself back into the "STAMPING" mode. I made these as a gift for a dear sweet friend which is way over due. Think I could of maybe done better, but as I say the mojo just isn't back yet. Boy, white is so hard to photograph even with the manual settings on the camera. There are miniature olive colored rhinestones (from Taylored Expressions) on the upper swirl pattern on the card which is really hard to see. The scrolls stamps are by MS, lettering stamps are by Technique Tuesday and I used SU Taken with Teal CS, Ink and then accented with Wild Wasabi. Added the scroll design to the corners of the envelope as well to give it a little extra pizzaz.

Why Are People Hurtful?

2009-04-16T19:32:00.000-07:00

I have nothing to post today, but I am having the need to vent. I have received some not so nice emails sent to me in regards to my latest postings of the cards that I have made and as I sit here and ask the Lord why, I am calming myself in prayer and feeling the comfort of His arms around me assuring me to let it go and to just pray for them as maybe they aren't of the Christian Faith or are struggling within their own faith. God is so Awesome!

It all has to do with statements saying "how can you post these when there is no stamping involved?" Or these are just pictures there isn't any talent here... Excuse Me? I have chosen to use the pictures on my cards as a different way to express the talent that my DH has and was given to him by the Lord himself and to show a different take on making cards. I agree that there needs to be sentiments to go with them, but that doesn't mean they are any less nice or artistic just because an image wasn't stamped, colored and fixated to the card. I believe I have used various mediums in making these cards and have received numerous complimenting comments from my sister stampers, neighbors, family and friends. And to be really honest here, with the way the economy is right now and having my hours cut, it means that I have had to really tighten my budget and I have chosen to use what I already have in my craft room and sort through disks upon disks of pictures. You know the Lord says we are to be good stewards of our finances and all that he gives us in everything. I am sorry for having to vent, but sometimes you just need to get it off your chest. You know what I mean? Thanks for listening.

You Caught Me Praying...

2009-04-15T19:38:00.000-07:00

Hope your alls Easter was full of sunshine and the presence of our sweet Lord! We were out in the backyard , checking on our garden and DH happen to look up and saw something move. He instructed me to go and grab the camera and hurry! I came back out and he started snapping

away at what I thought was just a branch from the Kumquat Tree. Little did I know what he was taking a picture of until I uploaded the pictures. Here was one of God's small creatures looking right at DH as to say "You Caught Me Praying". The sentiment I selected couldn't have been more perfect as I think it reflects that all the friendships we have, we should always be thankful for each and everyone of them. I hope that you are thankful for all the friends and family that the Lord has blessed your life with and be sure to tell them how much you treasure their friendship and the love you have for them.

HAPPY EASTER

2009-04-12T09:05:00.000-07:00

Wishing everyone a Blessed Happy Easter. May the Lord shine down upon you today as we celebrate His resurrection!

A Fairytale....

2009-04-04T19:29:00.000-07:00

I know this post will be long, but in order to understand the photograph on the card, you have to know the whole story behind it. This card is very special to both my DH and I as this was the very last wedding we were able to shoot before the car accident in 2006. If there ever was a wedding that was a joy to photograph and make memories for a couple it would be this one. Mind you we have photographed over 100 weddings in the 4 years time we had the photo studio, but there is always one that just touches your heart and leaves an impression deep within your soul. This couple was the sweetest, most considerate and loving couple we had ever met in our business years. He treated her like she was the Queen of all and they were so in love (do you hear the birds singing?). She is Peruvian and he is Guatemalan. Both sets of their parents were not able to be here while all the planning took place. In that respect they asked us to keep a photography journal for them to share with their families when they arrived for the wedding celebration. We were with them when fittings were taking place, and the dresses being selected for the attendants, tuxes for the groomsmen, flowers being selected, menu selected, linens for the reception, and the bridal showers and so on and so on. Never did my DH and I ever think we would be so involved in preparation of this wonderful event that was to take place with such a wonderful couple who was getting married. This photograph that you are seeing was the day her dress had it's final fitting. She insisted that DH be there to photograph her and she had a special favor to ask him and would tell him when he arrived. He arrived at the bridal salon and there she stood in all her beauty, but what was missing was her veil and the headpiece and that was done on purpose. It was a family tradition in her family for the father of the bride to select the veil and headpiece for the bride to wear on her wedding day. With her father in Peru, she felt that my DH would be perfect to step in and take her daddy's place and she would then have him take a picture and send to her father for his final approval of the selection my husband had picked. Of course the veil and headpiece DH selected was given a winning approval by her father. During the time she was looking at the tiara's before a selection was made by my DH, he was able to shoot through the double pane glass case and catch her looking at the various tiara's without her knowing he was photographing her. I am sure you are wondering how many pictures were taken leading up to their nuptials for this wedding journal..we had taken close to 3500 and then took additional 1500 for the wedding and reception itself. So all in all it was around 5000 give or take. It took them quite awhile to select their main photographs for their album, but in the end, it was beautiful and they had the original 3500 for memories in the years to come. To end the story they are now living in Peru.

Bloom

2009-04-04T19:17:00.001-07:00

Can you guess where this picture was taken? If you know my DH and I, then you would know it was taken at our favorite place to always go and spend time and act like a kid about 40 times throughout the year (not kidding on how much we go) it is Disneyland!!!! They have the most beautiful flowers in all varieties and landscapes throughout the their parks and around the hotels not to mention Downtown Disney. DH and I are premium pass holders which allows you to go 365 days a year with no restrictions. We were over in frontier land when we spotted these beautiful blooms. The yellows and reds are so vibrant in color and you just couldn't help but be cheerful because of the colors. Don't they just scream "SPRING"? We actually had this picture (a much larger size of course) up in our home when we first moved into the new house 4 years ago. I had done the guest bathroom in reds and yellows and it definitely was bright since there was a skylight in there as well. It has since been taken down and placed in our portfolio. Hope this card made you smile today!

Bee Happy

2009-04-04T18:22:00.000-07:00

Well another work week is behind me and I am so glad it is the weekend!!!!!! The economy has finally hit home (literally) as my hours have been cut at work, but I am trying to stay optimistic and know that the Lord has it all under control of what is to be. So with that being said... I have another card or two to share with you again. It is another one of the mixture of photos taken by my husband with stamped sentiments. I had fun putting this card together as I happen to have the correct solid color of paper (PTI) and designer paper to match the coral colors in this beautiful flower to work with. Then I remembered that I had the PTI Dotted Ribbon! LOL!!! This photo was taken about 6 years ago in our backyard and this is when we knew we really needed to consider opening up a photography studio. This wasp was busy collecting the pollen from these beautiful gladiola's and didn't even pay attention to DH taking his picture. Which is probably good since he is highly allergic to bees of any kind. LOL!!! I had to use the sentiment from PTI "Honey Bees" to give it the optimism we need in today's economy. As I was making this card I kept thinking of the song "Don't Worry Be Happy". I can't tell you whom it is sung by, but it was when I was in my twenties, so let's just say I have just aged myself. LOL!!! Hope you enjoy!

The Bridal Season Has Begun

2009-03-24T20:00:00.000-07:00

Can you believe we are already in the middle of March? Which means the beginning of the "Bridal Season" here in our county. The bridal shows began this coming weekend and will go through the end of April. So I thought why not make a wedding card or two? I have always loved weddings and had such joy in making the preparations for both of our daughters when they were getting married. I recall one card my daughter had received that had been hand painted by one of her co-workers for their wedding and to this day it hangs in a frame in their home. With my DH taking so many pictures around our yard of the flowers, bugs, and trees I can't help but put these beautiful pictures on a card. As you can tell from the last few posts, I used a mixture of pictures and stamps. This is another one with the white rose that is in our yard and is just breathtaking on the bush. He captured the early evening lighting on it as the sun was going down. What a perfect card for a couple who is getting married to say "How Do I Love Thee" and with the white representing the purity of their love for each other. This was a three step card: Used Watercolor paper 140 lb weight as the backing, picture, then cut the acetate the width and length plus 1/2 " to fold over and attach to the back of it and then stamp the Flourishes Lace Heart Sentiment with SU White Craft Ink. Added pearls to the opposite corner ends and finish off with a light organdy and satin ribbon. This card has turned out so well, that as I was posting this, the neighbor stopped by with fresh blueberries from her garden and insisted she have this card for her nephew's wedding this weekend. I just looked at her and said uhmm okay. Let me take a picture of this first. I was going not going to charge her for it, but before I could say that she handed me a $5.00 bill and said here, and I won't take no for an answer. LOL!!!

Oh! Look I'm A Beautiful Butterfly!

2009-03-24T19:39:00.000-07:00

For any of you that have children or grandchildren, you should be able to recall the above title saying. It is from Heimlich the Caterpillar in the Disney Movie "Bug's Life! Remember he was always eating and after they defended the evil grasshoppers, he managed to get his butterfly wings? I couldn't resist using it. This beautiful Monarch who was making its way to the south of the border must of needed a taste of sweet nectar before leaving for its next refuel of nectar destination. The Agapantha's flowers that are in our yard have become a regular stopping place each year that we have lived here (4) to feed themselves for strength. On this "LUCKY" day DH was able to be in the right place at the right time to capture this beautiful creature fluttering about and then all of sudden sitting ever so lightly upon the petals to drink. He was on the flower for almost 15 minutes before he joined the rest of the flight that were also feeding on the trees across the street. Isn't is amazing that the smallest of God's creatures are so beautiful to the eye and makes us appreciate all the wondrous life he has surrounded us with? Hope you enjoy.

Ahhh! The Beauty Of A Rose!

2009-03-22T13:28:00.001-07:00

The roses in our yard seem to be blooming left and right as the weather has become sunny and the plants are feeling the warmth of the rays as to say "Come out and blossom for all the world to see". This rose is one that we brought with us when we moved 4 years ago. I just couldn't bear to leave it as it had been a Mother's Day gift to me from my sweet kids. This poor rose went through a frost this past winter and I really thought we had lost it, but DH had called me at work to say there was a new sprout forming on the one side. I anxiously awaited for it to make it's final appearance and it is so beautiful. This was taken yesterday morning which has several water droplets on it due from the rain we received the night before. I am sure all the plants were enjoying the fresh rain that will water their roots to keep them strong and sturdy in the spring and summer months to come. This rose is called "Pink Patience" believe it or not even though the petals are some what more white with a yellow center. I am anxious for May to come as that is when they have the annual Rose Festival up north and we will be able to purchase rose bushes from Jackson and Perkins. I am really hoping to find the Candy Cane Rose and the Intuition Rose plants. Hope you are having a wonderful day and may God bless you the rest of the week.

The California Wildflowers....

2009-03-22T13:07:00.000-07:00

It is the time in California for our hillsides to be covered in the rich hues of colors from the wildflowers. And are they ever Gorgeous!!!!!!!!! DH and I took a day trip up to Tejon Ranch where the Wind Wolves Conservancy is located. As you take the drive to lookout point to park and walk the path, you can see for miles all the colors of purples, oranges, yellows and some pinks if you are lucky enough. We or I should say DH was able to photograph the rolling hills of the "Wildflower Lupines" in their vibrant purple colors. These flowers went on forever and being against the backdrop of the beautiful green mountains made them even stand out more. The honey bees were just buzzing all around, and seem to not mind having the human species in their way of collecting the pollen that is needed so desperately to pollinate our San Joaquin Valley agriculture fields. The path was about 2 miles long and made a complete circle back to where we had parked the car. The day was warm and sunny and you could just feel the presence of the Lord looking down on his beautiful palette of color he has given to us to enjoy and make us thankful for even the smallest of things. There are so many other pictures DH took of other kinds of wildflowers while we there that day and I promise I will get them printed, carded and placed on here for those of you who have never been able to experience the beautiful California Wildflowers.

From A Husband's View

2009-03-21T11:37:00.000-07:00

I have been very fortunate to have a husband who not only supports my desire of making cards, scrapbooking and buying of supplies, but really blessed as he is an avid photographer who not only shoots weddings, portraits and so forth but has a true love for nature. As he and I were going back and looking at all the pictures he has taken of the beautiful animals God has so graciously given to us to enjoy, he made a suggestion of "How come you never make cards with photographs?" Hmmm...good question I thought. My response was I never had really thought about it, but it would be easy to do I think as the wheels in my head started to turn and use the sentiments from different stamp companies to accompany the picture. He who has a very artistic eye stated that the picture should be the main focal point with minimal or no embellishments. Of course you know us gals, we have to have the bling, the ribbon, flowers or whatever else we feel that needs to make the WOW factor happen for that particular card. But I agreed to use minimal embellishments and it is true, that the photo should be the focal point. So here are a couple I have done and have printed many more pictures to make into cards as I now have this vast array of ideas constantly running through my mind. LOL!!!! This particular picture of the peacock won my husband an prestigous award from WPPI because of the way he had captured this natural photograph of the male bird as he was getting ready to dance for the females attention. And by the way he was laying on the ground shooting this at a very close range which normally the birds would run when a human comes upon them to close. ( but secretly I think he is Dr.Dolittle as he talks to the animals.) LOL!!!!

Do You Remember When?

2009-03-16T21:16:00.000-07:00

The first time you got hooked on stamping? As I sit here and look back on my first "Cards" I have to laugh at myself because I have this "What was I thinking when I made this card" look on my face as I look at the first few I have made and how my style and taste has changed since then. How I am much more intuned to every detail that goes into making a card that I am proud to share and give and making sure that I have better lighting, accents and softness when photographing my cards to post on my blog. I am sure I am not the only one who has asked herself this question, but tonight it just struck me funny thinking I was "all that" in designing cards. LOL!!!! Hope you enjoy and even if you chuckle at some of my first creations I am posting tonight that's okay as we all know Practice Makes Perfect! LOL!!!!

Top Of The Morning..

2009-03-08T19:22:00.000-07:00

This weekend was another busy one and I hardly had time to get a card made, but manage to get one assembled to give to a friend who is definitely Irish and loves the corn beef and cabbage and of course the all time favorite Green Beer! (Yuck!) LOL!!!!. I do not have many St. Patricks day stamps, but believe it or not I found this stamp at the dollar store when hubby and I were looking for vegetable markers to put in the ground in our garden! There was no name of the company printed on this stamp other than "Made in China". You know the dollar store has quite an array of crafty items, and I will definitely have to go back (without DH) and slowly walk the aisle in case I missed any "must haves to add to my stash"! I used my prismacolor markers and the solid green paper is made by WorldWin-Doublemates. I used the technique of diluting some of the ink and placing a toothbrush in it to give the lighter green paper a mixture of spots caused by me running my fingernail over the bristles and it landing on the paper. Very simple card, but I believe she will like it. The sun is finally shining in California and my DH and I took the time to give our yard some TLC. We weeded and raked and then went to the nursery to plan out what we anted to put in the vegetable garden. With the way prices are and everything seems to be continually going up in price, we planted some yummy vegetables.... tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, corn, peas, and squash and of course watermelon! I am fortunate enough that my husband literally has a green thumb and ask anyone who knows him and they will certainly verify it LOL! We also purchased three rose plants in yellow, white and magenta to be planted along the one side of our driveway with others already there. Hopefully Spring is just around the corner and we can enjoy the warmth of the sun for days to come. Have a great day!

Tile Magnets

2009-03-01T15:35:00.000-08:00

Feeling a bit under the weather today and really wasn't wanting to get into making a card but remembered I had these blank tiles which were left over from the Relay For Life Bazaar back in November and just recently rediscovered them in my closet of "Items To Make" bin LOL!!! I had forgotten how complicated these could be. You have to use a solvent ink like Stazon to first stamp the image and then making sure when you place the stamp on the tile it didn't slide and become blurry. Took me a few tries to get them right. Thankfully as soon as you remove the stamp and it is blurry you can quickly wipe the tile with a dab of stamp cleaner, dry it and try your luck at it again. LOL!!! My Granddaughter is crazy about anything that has to do with Princesses and in all honestly I had forgotten I had these stamps which I was able to get from Target last year through a dear friend. The Princess stamps are made by EK Success and the
other two with the group are Verve Visual and
Inkadinkado. I used Sharpie and Bic Markers to color them in as the Copics and Prismacolors will not adhere to the slick white tiles, but will adhere to the lightly tanish tiles as they have a bit of texture to them. If you haven't tried them, give it a shot. Have a great Sunday.

Paperweight & Tin.....

2009-02-22T16:15:00.000-08:00

Well, it was suppose to be sunny today, but again the weather man has predicted wrong and it is raining. So you can only imagine how tickled I was to be able to work in my studio another day without feeling guilty of not working outside, which by the way needs lots of TLC! :) I have been working on a couple of items for this past week and manage to put the finishing touches on them as they need to be mailed out this week to a sweet friend but first I have to fill it with some eye candy so I cannot divulge what kind just in case she happens to read this. LOL!!!.

I stepped out of my comfort zone and decided to alter a tin first. For some time I had been wanting to do this and just hadn't gotten the nerve. I am pleased with the way the way it turned out and if I had known how easy it was to do these tins, I would have done it sooner! I don't own a scor-pal yet, so I used the next best thing to make my score lines on the base of the paper for the circumference of the tin which was my X-acto 12x12 paper cutter. It has indentation lines every 1/2" on the cutting board. I guess it just goes to show that you can accomplish some of the same techniques even if you do not have the proper tools that everyone else is using.

I had been at Michael's this week and saw these glass tea-lite holders and remembered seeing this idea by Becca. It took me all but maybe 10 minutes to complete this project and I think I need to go back to Michael's and get some more of these as they would be wonderful for last minute gifts. As soon as I finish posting here, I am off to Michael's! LOL!!!
Here are the two items together that are going to my friend. I still need to make a card to go with it, but ran out of pink ribbon and the white sheer ribbon, so two more items to add to my Michael's list. LOL!! I hope you had a restful weekend and was able to get in some crafting. Stay tuned as I will have some new items to show you about the middle of the week.

Only In God's Timing

2009-02-18T14:57:00.000-08:00

Everything happens in God's time but there is always the selfish part of me that says "but I want it now". LOL!

I turned in four submissions for the DT Calls and was unfortunately turned down. I am not sure why, as I feel my submissions were equally done well, but I guess not according to whatever standards they hold for selecting you.

I did however receive an email from one of the owners of the companies I had submitted to and she said "For me not to get discouraged" and did compliment me on my details and the photographing of my submission, and gave me a few pointers to help for the next time and to just keep submitting when Design Teams are being called. She also said "Sometimes it takes a bit for companies to fully realize what potential you have and the one you submitted a few months ago maybe the exact style they are looking for the next round".

I really appreciate her taking the time to email me and be honest with me. I was feeling rather down after being notified that I had not been selected, but after her email today, it help brighten my day knowing that there are still other chances out there and most importantly "Just Be Patient and Wait on God to make it happen".

Be Grateful

2009-02-15T16:58:00.000-08:00

Today as I was in my studio and watching the wind blow hard I couldn't help but think how fortunate we are to not having to be dealing with the ice and no power for weeks. I cannot imagine what my fellow stampers are going through and it being so cold. Here, when it gets to 32 degrees we think we are freezing and still have the luxury of having electricity and warmth. So today I dug out an image I have had for quite a while and decided to make one that states "Be Grateful". Although we are still in winter, I love the Fall and and all the changing of the colors of the leaves and the smell of different aromas that the season brings. I cannot tell you who makes this image as I had received it quite while back from a sweet SCS gal through the Wish-Rak. But I had fun thinking of the wonderful colors of Fall. I hope that you too can find something to be grateful for today.

I used Prismacolor Markers,Copics, Shimmerz, and a Clear Spica Pen to highlight the pumpkins and darker leaves. The pie and the light colored leaves were shined up with Shimmerz Candlight which made the top of the pie golden as it if it were coming out of the oven. The papers are from Bazzill and Stardust Dream Choocolate.

I just love these stamps!

2009-02-15T15:11:00.000-08:00

Afternoon all! I hope this Sunday is finding you all well and not having bad weather. Our weather has decided to turn for the worst and the winds are hitting us hard today. Expect to get upto 80 miles per hour within the next two hours and it will bring the rain and the snow to the mountain area. So this was a perfect day to get comfy and stamp away in my studio. I have just fallen in LOVE with Susana's Custom Art & Card Designs Fairie Song Stamps. This is another one that I just had to have. It is a smaller one than Nadine, but just the same it could so easily be used for welcoming a new baby or a special occasion for Mother and Daughter Event. I choose the purple/lavendar color scheme for this stamp. I used the Primacolors Markers Lilac and Deco Pink for the clothing, Light Peach for the skin coloring, Deco Mauve to get acents to the wings themselves. Deco Yellow was used for the smaller fairy's hair and a blend of Golden Rod and Pumpkin Orange for the larger fairy's haircolor and then I accented the wings in the Shimmerz Angel Wings over the coloring of the pink and lavendar blend wings. I think it turned out rather nicely. i cut out the image with an X-acto knife and then 3-D it on top of the lavendar Martha Stewart Branch Leaf and added 2" shear ribbon and lavendar Kaiser Rhinestones. I hope you enjoy her as much I did making it. Have a great Day!

A Challenge and Blog Candy

2009-02-10T08:29:00.000-08:00

Come on over to Sparkle Shimmer and Twinkle to check out the latest challenge and blog candy being offered. You have until March 1st.

Have You Ever Had An Idea....

2009-02-08T21:40:00.000-08:00

and it just doesn't turn out the way you thought it would? Please tell me I am not the only one this has happened too! (insert frown face here) This is such the case for this card.

I had this vision which by the way woke me up at 3:00am (lol!!!) and decided to get up and come sketch it out before I lost the idea and went back to bed. Well, I was anxious to be able to make this card that I thought when I finished it, it would just say WOW this morning! But Uhmm No! Believe it or not I worked on it this card all day (8 hours) changing this, changing that, thinking maybe I should just trash it. Heck it took me 2 hours alone to just get the wings the way I wanted them to look I used 4 coats of Shimmerz Angel Wings so the wings would take on the iridescent look so that we can all imagine of how the wings would look if we were to actually see a real fairy. I even embossed the vellum for the background part which was probably another 30 minutes since it was a metal template. Then realizing it wasn't going to fit a normal card size nor the 5.5 x 5.5 size either. I have not been fond of the larger size 9 x 4-1/4 because it seems there is so much space to cover. But since I had incorporated 2 stamps, I had no other choice but to go with the big card size. I would have rather used the normal size card, but by designing this card it helped me step out of my comfort zone and be challenged. LOL!

Stray Valentine Cat

2009-02-08T21:23:00.000-08:00

I don't know about your neighborhood, but where we live in a closed community, we seem to have a run on stray cats. The manager who keeps everything in check is always placing cat cages out to try and catch the wild strays and sometimes they are pregnant. I believe last week she was able to capture 16! Talking about wild! She received a couple of good scratches and one bit her when she went to pick up the cage handle and had to go to get a tetanus shot. Okay now that I have set the preface to this card..LOL!!! I couldn't help but look at this image and wonder how could I incorporate it as a joke to give to Mary who has been catching all the cats! A sweet lady from SCS-Glittergal (Linda) was kind enough to send me some of these images when I had such a fit over her card. I colored the cat in with Prismacolor pencils and blended them and then used just a touch of Shimmerz Candlelight to highlight the heart that was by pure coincidence that it ended with a heart. LOL!!! The glasses had to be C-O-O-L looking and of course glitzy. The inside of the card has a typed sentiment that says: "Happy Valentines Day from one COOL Cat you couldn't catch". I think she will get a big chuckle out of it. She loves Coca-Cola so we got her a case of her favorite drink. Hope you enjoy this card as I certainly got tickled many times as I was making it.

Heart Gift Box

2009-02-01T12:38:00.000-08:00

Since I am not a football fan and it being Superbowl Sunday (I know, I know) I decided to work in my studio today and construct up a box to be given to a SS. I had bought these Martha Stewart Heart Boxes on clearance last year at 90% off and manage to get 8 of them (would have grabbed more if they had been available LOL!!!)I decided I would make use of them this year. I looked at this box for about an hour wondering what and how to decorate it. I was skimming the stamp sets on my shelf and remembered how much I loved the Flourishes Lace Heart. I hadn't used it much since I purchased it awhile back and thought maybe the heart would be too big to use, but when I layed it upon the heart lid itself, it was perfect! I decided to use the SU White Craft Ink and then embossed it with White EP. As I finished that stage of it, I looked at the sides and wondered how I could make the rim look just as nice. First I tried some scrolls from a punch, but for some reason they just wouldn't stick no matter what glues or Xyron machine I used. My DH suggested using the top part of the Lace Heart. I said "That would be great except it has to curl around the band part and no one has yet to make an acrylic block that is curved for such items". He left the room saying "It was just a thought". Well the more I thought about his statement, I knew there had to be a way. I proceeded to ink up just half of the heart and carefully laid it on the band part of the box and moved my fingers slowly across it to make the pattern transfer. Viola!
It worked. I quickly sprinkled the EP on so it wouldn't smudge and repeated the steps for the other side. I then added pearls where the heart dipped in the middle to give it a soft elegant look. .
I added white sheer ribbon to the top of the box and then used a Martha Stewart Butterfly punch and added pearls to the body and glued it to the top of the bow. I hope my SS will like it.

Be Still...

2009-01-30T20:08:00.000-08:00

I just love this stamp! I was fortunate to have a fellow stamper send me some of these images that I have been drooling over for months now. LOL!!! I can see they are ones that are going have to be added to my ever growing collection of stamps. I wasn't really sure on how to color her, but knew I wanted it soft and for it to have a more heavenly appeal. I decided to 3-D her wings, and then also add clouds under her knees to look as if she was floating on a cloud listening to God. I thought the sentiment used was perfect for this image. The one I had planned to use was to large, but found this one to be just perfect!

Stamps: Whiff of Joy "Melinda Reading", PTI Everday Blessings "Be Still and know that I am God".Paper: Stardream White Cloud, SU Almost Amethyst and Bazzil Rebel Blue
Ink: SU Black, Brocade Blue and Almost Amethyst, Zig Watercolor Marker Moonlight, AC Galaxy Marker in White, Prismacolor Markers in PM-172, PM-12, PM-88, Aquarell watercolor pencils # 156-3,#156-6,#156-16,#156-73, #156-1 and #a56-43. Sharpie Finepoint Pens in Black and Pink. Colorbox Classic Pigment Sky Blue for clouds.
Ribbon: Offray Satin 1/2" ribbon in Confederate Blue
Embellies: ME Pearls and Kaiser Flower Rhinestones, Stickles in Diamond

CHP Card

2009-01-25T09:47:00.000-08:00

This is the card I made for the big celebration today honoring my son's achievement of becoming a CHP. I am sorry that the name is blurred, but due to the nature of type of work he will be doing while working for the state his name has to be protected. Unfortunately there are people out there who do not like any type of law enforcement. I was fortunate enough to grab an extra program from the graduation to use the badge that was printed on the front of it. I have tried to locate a stamp for the CHP and of course there isn't one available and I am sure it is for good reasons. I then bordered it in a lighter color and then popped it up with the foam pops. I used the Stardream Midnight Paper, Gold Leafing paper and the word Congratulations is by CTMH I stamped it with Encore Gold ink and then embossed it with gold ep .

Fairies Amongst the Ferns

2009-01-25T09:34:00.000-08:00

I just recently received this awesome Fairy Stamp from Susana's Custom Art & Design and found that there were lots of possibilities with this stamp. You should check out her website as she has quite a few cute mimphs and other fairies. I first made a card and then decided to make a matching 2009-2010 Pocket Calendar that I will be sending to a friend in the next couple of days. On the card I made her wings 3-D with the blue-gold vellum I found at a stationary store, but you really can't tell and I had planned on taking another picture showing that but my camera died. I picked up the calendar at Michael's in the dollar bin.

Stamps: Susana's Custom Art & Design Fairy,

Verve Visual Beautiful You sentiments

Paper: Stardream Paper in Midnight Blue,

MM Fern Green and SU Whisper White

Ink: Black Stazon

Embellishments: Martha Stewart Leaf Punch, Diamond & Waterfall Stickles,

Clear Spica Pen and Copic Pens.

Address Book

2009-01-24T22:13:00.000-08:00

This was one of the items I made as a prize for my sisters surprise 40th birthday party. In trying to locate inexpensive items for prizes I came across this address book at Michael's. I took the book completely apart (it was pretty ugly in the colors it was in..LOL!!) and revamped the whole thing. I decided to punch holes in the side instead and tied ribbons to hold it together. I covered the front and back hard cover with some scrap paper I had and then added a set of 6 colored envelopes inside it for receipts, notes, stamps and so forth. I then used stickles to glitz it up. The lady that won it was so excited and said she was going to go buy a new one the next day because hers had just fallen apart. She loved all the envelopes to hold all the goodies.

Stamps: SU Happy Harmony

Paper: N/A it was a scrap

Ink: SU White Craft Ink and then embossed with clear ep

Ribbons: Various colors by Offray