Get Well Wishes

My friend Gail messed her foot up

pretty bad last week when she was in a spin class. Another reason I don't exercise!!! Just kidding Gail! She emailed me and told me she was sporting a cast boot like the one I wore for 6 months. Hopefully she won't need it that long! I wanted to make her a card and she is kind of a fu fu kind of girl so I picked Pink Pirouette for the card along with Early Espresso and Baja Breeze. I put a little rhinestone on the dogs collar. It's kind of hard to tell in this picture but I stamped band aids on the base card with the same color ink. Gail is a dog lover like myself and so I had to use this little dog. Today was my first day back to work. Next week the kiddies will be back and the beginning of a new year starts. It was good to see everyone again that I haven't seen for a couple of months. People with new hairdos and tans and a "restful" look. Having two months off in the summer is one of the perks for working in the school system. My problem is I want to stay home and stamp and play with all the new goodies in the Holiday Mini that becomes available to you September 1st. Well I am off to bed since I am a working girl once again. I hope you had a good day.

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Fall Will Be Here Soon and then.......

Yep we have had some awesome weather these past few days and that means that autumn will soon be here which is my favorite time of the year. So much happens during these next few months and the weather just makes all those holidays and special occasions that much better. Mmmm I can smell the leaves changing. Okay maybe that's a little bit of an exaggeration but I can try! I was trying to think of a fall card and was going through my Sissix dies and lo and behold I found my Leaves #2 set. I was so excited and cut a few out to go with this card using the new DSP Autumn Spice which will be available to you September 1st in the Holiday Mini. I swear every time I look in that catalog I want something else. You are going to be blown away! The Days of Gratitude set is also in the catalog and that is where the words came from. There's also the new extra large decorative punch that I used for the words that is in there too. I also wanted to tell you about my new purchase. I finally broke down and order a light box. I love it and wish I had invested in one sooner. I put my card in it and was done with the first picture. The colors on the card came out perfect. No more trying to find the right light and then twenty pictures later ....... Finally, on Monday, my daughter Sarah and I drove to the IKEA store in Woodbridge, Virginia which is almost 4 hours from my house. I have been wanting to get some shelving furniture for my stamp room and needed to get up there before I start back to work on Monday. So after we finished up there, we stopped and paid a visit to Kimberly Van Diepen's new home and awesome craft room. What an inspiration all the way around. Kimberly, her cards and now her craft room. I had only planned on staying for a few minutes and we stayed for over an hour. If I didn't have to get Sarah back to Richmond and myself back home to hubby and Mr. Darcy, I think I would have spent the night. She has several new videos on her blog which include a tour of her craft space and which you can view HERE. Grab a napkin to get your drool! Have a great day!

Kimberly and I standing by one of her displays which was a Halloween table filled with all kinds of ideas and inspiration. I also entered this in the Treehouse challenge. Check out their site.

http://treehousestamps.blogspot.com/

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Toadally Cool

So this was a swap I made using the Funky Four stamp set in the Stampin Up Idea Book and Catalog. I used Play Date DSP to go along with it. Now I'm not real crazy about this card and the only reason I'm posting it is because it goes along with my little story and the pictures below. Yesterday I was outside with my dogs and I kept looking out at the front yard thinking there was a piece of trash that needed to be picked up. It was a little windy out and the piece of trash was not moving. So I ventured out into the yard where this piece of "trash" was and well as you can see below in the pictures it was not trash but the biggest toad stool I have ever seen. Well as least in my yard. But the story doesn't stop there.

As I was taking pictures, I noticed this big dark circle in the yard and the mushroom was on the edge. Actually there are two circles side by side. Eerie isn't it? So after taking pictures I ran inside and googled "dark circles in lawn". The dark circles are called "fairy rings" and the mushrooms grow around it. It is some kind of fungus. And here I thought I might have some sort of aliens landing in my front yard!!
I'm going to watch this baby for the next few days and see if it gets any bigger. It's bigger than Mr. Darcy's head right now (he's my dog) so if it does grow any more I will take a picture of Mr.Darcy sitting beside it! Yeh right. Have a great day.

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A Little Busy

It's funny how you look at a card sometimes when you are making it and think, "Yes! This is it. This is the one I'm going to post and everyone will just love it as much as I do." And then you download it and put it on your blog and think, "What was I thinking?" Ha ha. So this is one of those times for me. I wanted to use some of the paper from the DSP-IN Color Level 1 Hostess pack and thought it all looked great as I was putting it together but today I'm thinking NOT. Oh well take from it what you like but I will be back with another card later. I will not give up!!! On a lighter note, we have been cleaning out a lot of stuff here at home. When my mother in law died 5 years ago we inherited a lot of her things which have been in the garage and in the attic. So yesterday my husband dragged it all down the driveway and put a FOR SALE sign on it. Couches, bedroom furniture, tables, etc. We sold quite a bit but last night our power went out for three hours and my husband invited me outside. We sat on one of the couches and looked at the moon while engaging in an adult beverage!! It was so romantic! Even with our two dogs on the couch with us! My husband said to me, "Now when will you ever do this again?" Well I'm thinking to myself, Hmmmmm, probably never! I don't mind being outside with a almost full moon with my hubby but I can't wait for all that furniture to be gone and out of our yard!!! Have a good day.

Here are the supplies I used for this busy card:

Stamps: Days of Gratitude

Paper: Whisper White, Pear Pizazz, Hostess Level 1 DSP

Ink: Cajun Craze and Pear Pizazz

Accessories: Pear Pizazz Ribbon

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Thinking Outside The Box

Wish I could take credit for this idea. I

received a swap similar to this one from Landa Cartwright at convention. I changed up a few

things but the idea is the same. Used the branch from Tropical Party in the Summer Mini to make this holiday tree. Isn't that the coolest thing? I just loved making it. I also used this in my card class this past week. The words are from the set Bright Christmas soon to be available in the Holiday Mini out on September 1st. Another set in the new mini is the Days of Gratitude which was used for the ornament stamped in Real Red on Crumb Cake. Hope you had a good week and have a wonderful weekend.

Here are the supplies I used:

Stamp Sets: Tropical Party, Sweet Centers, Days of Gratitude and Bright Christmas

Paper: Sahara Sand, Crumb Cake

Ink: Real Red, Garden Green

Accessories: Versamark, Silver Embossing Powder, Heat Gun, Sissix #2 Circle Die

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Candy Cane Girl

So here is one of the sweet little girls from the "Greeting Card Kids" stamp set. I, like many of you who first saw this said, "nah" and then saw the cards made with it from some of our talented cohorts and said, " Well maybe I do want this set." Raise your hand if you are one of them. lol. We made this card yesterday in my stamp class and I agree with the ladies when they said this little girl was fun to color. Then we started talking about how much we love to still color. Even with coloring books and crayons!!! So I hope you enjoy her and have a good day.

Stamp Sets: Greeting Card Kids, Four the Season

Paper: Blushing Bride, Real Red, Whisper White, DSP Candy Cane Christmas

Ink: Real Red, Old Olive, More Mustard, Peach Parfait, Blushing Bride

Accessories: Candy Cane Buttons, Real Red Satin Ribbon, and Glitter Glass

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Christmas in August!

Yes it's early but Christmas will be here before we know it. Today was the first of my 10-10-30 classes and I had to refrain from playing Christmas music..... but what's on TV right now? Judy Garland singing, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"! I lied not to you. So it was kind of fun using new stuff from the Holiday mini and of course customers wanted to order some of the really neat stuff coming out of it but I had to say "Not until September !st"! This is the single wood mounted stamp in the Holiday Mini, "Christmas Postcard". It goes perfect on the Sissix Top Note. The Top Note is in Crumb Cake and then I sponged around the edges with Crumb Cake Ink. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. The weather here as been near perfect.

Stamp set: Christmas Postcard (121428)

Paper: Crumb Cake , Cherry Cobbler, and DSP Deck The Halls (120810)

Ink: Crumb Cake, Always Artichoke, More Mustard

Accessories: Antique Brads, Champagne Glass Glitter (120997), Victoria Lace, Big Shot, Sissix Top Note die

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Wickedly Yummy!

Tonight was our downline meeting and we are asked to try and bring a project to share each month. I have so much going on right now that I didn't commit. But today while I was out and about doing errands...............I had an AHA moment and started thinking about Halloween and have been dying to use the new Wicked Cool stamp set. So I wanted to get those peanut butter candies that are wrapped up in the orange and black wrappers that they put out every year for Halloween but guess what. I am way too early for them so I started thinking and asking myself, " What can I use that is orange and black?" So I thought about the orange slices and when I was picking them up in the candy aisle at Walmart, I saw black Twizzlers! Another little aha moment. Now I hate black licorice (I don't even know if I spelt it right or not) but I bought me a bag of those babies and came home and cut them up into little bite size pieces. Then I mixed them with the orange slices in these long cellophane bags I got at Michaels awhile back. Then I got to use the witches socks and shoes stamp to adorn the top of the bag. I colored the socks with Pumpkin Pie marker, punched it out, matted it on a black scallop circle, punched holes for the ribbon and tied it to the bag. The finishing touch was the rhinestone I put on her shoes!! So what do you think? Of course between this and the swaps for tonights meeting, I have neglected my stamp set of the week. Sorry friends. I will try to get one out soon. I hope you had a good day.

Stamp Set: Wicked Cool

Paper: Black, Whisper White,

Ink: Stazon Black, Pumpkin Pie marker

Accessories: Black 1/4" ribbon, Basic Rhinestones

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I'm Distressing Over The Countryside!

This week I am highlighting the stamp set "Countryside". I knew as soon as I saw this set that I had to have it, if for nothing else but the truck! I love old trucks and this set is perfect for using the new "Distressing Essentials " kit. I couldn't wait to use it so I started out playing around with it, not having a clue where I was headed but after I did a little direct to paper with one of the four little ink pads that comes with it, I decided to go to Stampin Ups demo site and watch the tutorial on how to use this item. Duh! So I started out practicing on this little 3x3 card and I liked how it was starting to look but of course the truck image was too big to use on it. Soooooo Mr. Rooster won the first round of this weeks cards. Now I am not good at coloring all the different colors that you see in roosters so I stuck to two colors and then use the tea stained ink spot to color over the whole thing. I used the Cutter kit distressing tool to rough up the sides of the paper and then mounted it on Chocolate Chip along with crumbled up Cherry Cobbler which I tore the edges on. Oh and I used Always Artichoke for da grass!!! So there you go. I hope you had a good day and if you happen to see your UPS guy when he's delivering your goodies, give him a nice cold drink. My poor guy was sweating so bad in this heat. I didn't know they have no air conditioning in those trucks. Yikes.

Here is the supply list for the card above:

Stamp set : Countryside ( 120405 clear)

Paper: Very Vanilla ( 101650), Cherry Cobbler ( ), Chocolate Chip (102128)

Ink: Soft Suede Marker (120973), Cherry Cobbler Marker (119681), Always Artichoke Marker

(100059), Stazon Black (101406 )

Accessories: 1 1/4 " square punch, 1 3/8" punch, Cutter Kit (106958), Distressing Essentials (118762)

To order any of the above, just click on the Daisy to the right. Thanks.

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Bewitched

These Greeting Card Kids are so much fun and

instead of working on some of my stamp classes, this voice in my head kept saying, "Stamp it and they will come"! Ha ha. Not really but I have been wanting to play with this set ever since Mr. Brown delivered it to my house. So I said enough is enough. I have been cleaning and rearranging the stamp room and needed a break. So I decided to sit and make this card. It was SO MUCH FUN!!! I used Tangerine Tango along with Black of course. Love the new black lace ribbon too. It's so naughty!!!.. Okay I am getting sassy and I am tired so I will finish up here and call it a night. I will get up early and work on classes. I hope you had a good weekend.

This is what I used to make this card:

Stamps: Greeting Card Kids (120633 Clear), Wicked Cool (120600 clear)

Paper: Black (121045), Tangerine Tango (111349), Whisper White (100730),

DSP Nite Owl (123012) in the Holiday Mini

Ink: Stazon Black (101406), Tangerine Tango, Basic Gray, More Mustard, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Ticket Corner Punch (119867), Scallop Edge Border (119882), Lace Trim 1/2" ribbon (120988)

If you are interested in any of the products I used for this card just click on the daisy to the right and order away. Any questions? Email Me.

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Yee-Haw! PPA54 Challenge

Finally got around to making another card for Pals Paper Arts challenge and this week it was a KISS (Keep It Simple, Sweetie) and Masculine card so I pulled out one of the new sets, Out West and put this together. It's so hard sometimes to keep a card simple although when I look back at cards I made 20 years ago, this one looks complicated! lol. I really like how this image inks up and I am going to play with this little guy some more!!!

These are the items I used to make this card:

Stamps: Out West

Paper: Whisper White (100730 ), Real Red(102482 ), Pumpkin Pie ( 105117), and Early Expresso (119686 )

Inks: Early Expresso (119670 )

Accessories: Scallop Edge Border Punch (119882 ), Hemp Twine ( 100982), Jumbo Brad (112533)

To order any of the above, just click on the daisy flower to the right! Thanks.

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Happiness Shared #5

So this is the last card I will make this week with this stamp set. I really jumped out of

my comfort zone with this combo for this particular set but I do like it. I used my Color

Coach to pick the colors. I wanted something bright and so I used Tangerine Tango, Tempting Turquoise and Old Olive. I used the blender pen once again on the flower. I just think that using a regular marker on this flower would take away from it. I have been cleaning out so much stuff in my stamp room that it almost looks naked! Hope to finish up this morning. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Want to make this card? Just stamp on the daisy to the left and shop away for supplies listed below! Any questions? Just email me!

Stamp Set: Happiness Shared (117038)

Paper: Whisper White (100730) , Tangerine Tango ( 111349 ), Tempting Turquoise (102067)

Ink : Tangerine Tango (111834), Tempting Turquoise (100814), Old Olive (102277), Black Stazon (101406)

Accessories: Blender Pen (102845), Old Olive Taffeta 3/8"Ribbon (119767) , Big Shot Top Note (113463), Big Shot (113439)

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"I Am Not A Hoarder. I Am Not A Hoarder"!

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Well today I didn't stamp. My youngest daughter who lives two hours away was home a few days ago and left her wallet behind. So I felt funny about putting it in the mail so I got up this morning and drove the two hours to deliver it to her in person. I got there at about 8:30 and after I handed the wallet to her, we went and picked up her older sister and I took them to breakfast at a place called "Joes". At least I know they both had one good meal today!!! After we ate I dropped them off at home and at work and left to drive back to Virginia Beach. I took a different way because the traffic is so bad on the road I usually travel and had been told that this other route was better. Ha! I sat on the highway for almost an hour because of an accident and well..... I had had about 3 or 4 cups of coffee and well you know what I was feeling. Ugh! I was sooooo uncomfortable. Finally got home an hour later than I was suppose to. So to my title for today. I caught the tail end of Oprah which I think was a rerun and it was about hoarders. Now the people on her show really have some issues but it got me to thinking of all my craft stuff in the attic and in the stamp room. I started thinking and this is a little dark but what if something happened to me? OMG. I don't want all this stuff that I am not using, have not used in probably ten years or more, and probably will never use to be found by my kids or worse yet strangers. But I wouldn't want my family to have to deal with all this stuff. So I have been upstairs at intervals because it is so hot cleaning out so much stuff. I have three piles. One is trash, one is for the Salvation Army and the Senior Center and the other is for a few items I will keep. I feel better already. I watched Kimberly Van Diepen's videos that have been posted these past few days and she said if you can't use it in your business, then get rid of it. Right you are Kimberly. I will never use this stuff. So I am finished rambling and I am sure there are many of you all out there that are in the same boat. I just wanted to hold myself accountable by posting this. Thanks for listening. You all are certainly cheaper than a therapist!!! LOL. I hope you had a good day.

Happiness Shared #4

So are you getting tired of this stamp set or are you seeing that there are a lot of things

you can do with one stamp set and this one has only 4 stamps? However I have combined

another set with a couple of them. This is a 3-D project using the Big Shot and the #2 box die.

I also used Tiny Tags and threw in a little Victoria Lace I had left over from a card I made a few days ago. I thought the box looked too plain and as I was sitting at my desk, I saw this poor little piece of ribbon and thought maybe I could give it a new home! You know us stampers. We never throw anything away and this is the reason why! You just never know when that leftover item might come in handy! Well I need to go do a little house cleaning and then dinner tonight with my son and his girlfriend. And he's paying!!!! I hope you have a good day.

Stamps: Happiness Shared (120534), Tiny Tags (118091 )

Paper: Early Expresso (119686 )

Daffodil Delight (119683 )

Whisper White (100730)

Ink: Regal Rose (105211)

Old Olive (102277 )

Early Expresso ( 119670)

Black Stazon (102283 )

Accessories: Victoria Lace Ribbon (118481), Daffodil Delight !/8" ribbon (119254),Jewelry Tag Punch ( 117190), Blender Pen (102845), Big Shot (113439) , Sissix Die Box #2 (114518)

Color Coach (121620) ** Used this to come up with the color combo!!

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Happiness Shared #3

So today I thought I would make an "Autumn" looking

card. I first took my Color Coach and turned to the color Pear Pizazz and liked the combo which is what I used here. I decided to use the leaf and words out of the Happiness

Shared Set. I stamped the leaf several times in Cajun Craze, More

Mustard, and Pear Pizazz. Then I colored them in with the blender

pen in the same colors. That way you can still see the detail in the

image. Then I layered it and added a Pear Pizazz Ribbon and some of these

lovely Regal Collection Buttons! Aren't they just to die for?

There are several sizes and shapes and it was so hard to decide

which one or how many to use.

The Color Coach is such an awesome tool and if you think you can't

think of colors to go together then this is the tool for you. No more guessing! Check it

out on page 165 of the new 2010-2011 Idea Book and Catalog. Don't have a catalog? You can

order one here. Just click on the daisy to the right and order away!

This is what I used today for my card:

Stamp Set: Happiness Shared (120534)

Paper : Whisper White (100730)

Pear Pizazz ((119795)

Cajun Craze (119689)

Gardenhouse Gala DSP (117167)

Regals Collection Pattern Pack (117154)

Ink: Pear Pizazz (119784)

Cajun Craze (119671)

More Mustard (103162)

Accessories: Blender Pen-package of three (102845)

Designer Buttons- Regal Collection (119744)

Pear Pizazz Ribbon (119265)

Hemp Twine (100982)

Color Coach (121620)

My youngest daughter is home visiting for the day so we are getting ready to go out for fish tacos. I love when my girls come home to visit me. I think I see them more than I do my son who lives here in the same city! I hope you had a great day.

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Happiness Shared #2

I had a list of errands to do today but it has been raining almost non-stop

all morning so guess what I have been doing. Yep. I went up to my stamp

room and put this card together for you and Mojo Monday and LNS weekly

challenge as well. You should check some of the samples out during the week

and drool because there are so many talented stampers out there. I am always

in awe of all the creative juices floating around this world! So here is my second

card using the Happiness Shared Set. I used the single flower as well as the

single leaf stamped in Crumb Cake Ink on Crumb Cake card stock. I had such

a hard time deciding which Antique Brad to use. I love them all. So I hope you

like this sample and let me know what you think. Feedback is always a good thing.

Have a good day. I hope the sun is shining where you are!

Here's what I used and if you want any of these items, just click on the daisy flower and it will

take you to my Stampin Up website where you can order anything you want 24/7.

Stamp Sets: Happiness Shared (120534), Simple Friendship (113397)

Ink : Crumb Cake (121030), Baja Breeze (111833), Stazon Black (101406)

Paper: Elegant Soiree DSP (117163), Crumb Cake (120953), Baja Breeze (111352)

Very Vanilla (101650)

Accessories: Finial Press Embossing Folder (115963)

Big Shot (113439)

Victoria 5/8 " Ribbon (118481)

Antique Brads (117273)

Punches : 1 3/4 Circle (119850), 2 3/8" Scallop (118874),

Scallop Trim Border (118402)

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Happiness Shared

This week I am going to spotlight the stamp set "Happiness Shared" (120534) which

can be ordered here on my blog. Just click on the Daisy Flower and you can order any

thing you want 24 hours a day, seven days a week! I love this flower and wanted to

keep the card fairly simple. I used a blender pen (102845) along with stamp pads to color

the flower. This is such a easy way to control the amount of color you want to use on your

images. Sometimes markers are just to heavy. Here is a list of the materials and the order numbers. Email me with any questions. I'll be happy to help you out.

Stamps- Happiness Shared (120534)

Ink- Garden Green ( 102272 ) Soft Suede ( 115657 )

More Mustard (103162 ) River Rock(109010 )

Paper- Garden Green (102584 ) Crumb Cake ( 120953 )

DSP Woodland Walk (117389)

Accessories: Very Vanilla 5/8" Satin Ribbon (117291)

Blender Pen- package of 3 (102845)

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