Fox & Friends

Another wonderful set (in my opinion) in the new Occassions Mini Catalog is the Fox & Friends stamp set. I got mine clear mount. It is always good for me to have a baby type set on hand. And, for a while I was using Wild About You. But, as you may know, SU! retired that one! So, I was pleased to find this set in the mini!

It is a set of 7 animals. They are "cutesy," but not "cartoony" so they are perfect for me! I haven't had as much time to play with this set as I would have liked, but someday I will.

The paper in this card is also a favorite from the Occassions mini. It is the Designer Series Paper Stack Sweat Pea. You see, it is a stack and not a pack. It is wonderful! I find it similar to the ones you can find at retail stores bound at the top with glue strip. There are 48 pieces of designer paper in this! And, they are beautiful! When I first saw it during the preview period, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it! It is lovely for sure!

Have a great day!

I've Finally Gotten Over Christmas!

Now that Christmas has come and gone, I will move on! I had purchased a couple of new sets from the Occassions Mini Catalog. There are many exciting things in this new catalog. And, there are many reasons to be excited about this new catalog.

The first thing, in the new catalog is the offering of clear mount stamp sets. I was not too excited about this option. Then I considered some things. They are cheaper than the wood mount stamps, so that has to be a good thing! They store more compactly than the wood mount stamps, yes another good thing! So, then I thought I had better order a couple of sets. I got them and I think I might like them!

My largest resistance to clear mount stamps is that I felt like they wouldn't be as accessible as my wood mount stamps. When I want to stamp, I want to pick a stamp and use it. Not fumble around trying to find the right block etc. But, after receiving my two sets, I think that I might be able to adjust!

This set is called Vintage Vogue. I enjoy using it and think that I will get lots of use out of it! I used just Pumpkin Pie and Chocolate Chip. And, I added some of the new satin ribbon for accent!

The ribbon is something else for me to get excited about! I can't wait to get my hands on some of the other colors!

Thanks for stopping by!

My Favorite Christmas Card Award!

Every year, I receive so many handmade Christmas cards and each one of them unique! This year my favorite card award goes to my dear friend Keri! She does such a wonderful job with her cards! I think what does it for me is the black and white photo. For a couple of years now, I have said "I am going to do that next year!" And, I never do. So, again I am here to say that I am going to do that next year!

I always divert back to the standard SU! size card. This layout is so fun and fresh and fits in a standard business size envelope. No ribbon etc so, postage is easy!

Great job Keri! Thanks for sending me inspiration!

Another Fine Christmas Card!

Here is a card that a cousin of my husbands sent us. It is wonderful. She used the embossing folder to make the tree. She added some gold embossing and gold to the tree. Then added a couple of stars at the top to finish it off! Just lovely!

Just In Case Anyone Checks In....

Merry Christmas! I hope that you are all busy with your families and enjoying the day and time that you have together.

This is a mirror that I made using the Dasher Decor Elements. I think that they are pretty neat. This is the first one that I have worked with. I broke the first mirror when I was putting it back in the frame, I was able to remove the Decor Element and reapply it to a new mirror. Then I added a little Merry Christmas message that I printed out with my computer!

I hope that you all enjoy your day!

Merry Christmas!

A Window Sheet and A Card!

Back a month or so ago, I was in a Christmas card swap with the gals at SUDEMOONLY. And, a lady named Marisol had made a card similar in style to this one. I really liked how it looked, so I had to try one for myself.

The result was okay. They are very simple to make. I used white cardstock and a window sheet. I used sticky strip to attach the window sheet to the cardstock, so it won't be going anywhere!

Well, here we are Christmas Eve day. We all have many preparations to make tomorrow just "perfect." Take a moment and remember what we are celebrating!

Take time to relax!

More Patterned Pines.

Well, well, well, look who is here again! Who would have thought that the week of Christmas would result in consecutive days of posting? I guess that it isn't the posting that is the problem, but finding the time to get the stamping done. And, when there are deadlines to meet, things happen.

Here is a card that I made for a dear friend to compliment her gift. I stamped the trees and then stuck them onto the card. Some are flat, while others have dimensionals for texture!

I have a few more Christmas related things to show you befor I start with the new mini catalog products, so please have patience with me!

A Card For The Bus Driver.

I know, it should have a bus on it, right? Well, I was in a pinch and had to get these last minute things cranked out. So, again I used my Patterned Pines Hostess Set. I am really glad that I got this set. It is very versatile and I can't wait to use it on some scrapbooking pages.

The colors that I used are Rich Razzleberry, Night of Navy and Bermuda Bay. I just love the combination!

Have a jolly day!

'Tis The Season For Gift Cards.

And, so I had to make a couple of gift card holders. They are so simple, but look so neat! I had fun making this one. I used my new hostess set Patterned Pines for this one.

Simply cut a piece of card stock. This one is about 4 inches by 8 and 1/2 inches. I scored the 8 and 1/2 inch side at 2 and 1/2 and 1 and a 1/2. Made a tag with my punches and decorated the front.

I hope that you are all taking time to enjoy the little things this holiday season. Before we know it, it will be all over with!

Enjoy!

A Christmas Card From Inspiration!

Here is a card that I made using ideas from a swap that I received. The gold cardstock really adds some shimmer to the card. And, the colors of the ornaments aren't what I would neccesarily use, but it adds color!

Just when I think I am done making Christmas cards, I receive another from someone. So, off I go to create! The closer to Christmas that we get the simpler the cards will be!

I mailed out 60 of the same card, and one came back and needed additional postage. Go figure! Luckily, they didn't all come back!

Have a good day!

Another Christmas Card!

Good morning! Christmas is fast approaching! We all have many things to do and prepare! With that, I hope that you understand, that I will not be able to post something every single day! I wish that I had more time and was able too. But, I figure that you won't have time to check on me every day, so it should all work out!

Here is a card that another friend/customer sent to us. It is similar to the one in the mini catalog that features this stamp set! She did change somethings up just a touch!

Thanks for looking!

Christmas Card From a Friend

Here is a card that I received from a friend and "customer." I hate to use the word customer, but that is kind of how we met. And, from there we became friends. I really enjoy her company. And, I really enjoy her stamping and scrapbooking style. She does a lot of her work similar to me. She is great at combining colors and pulling colors together!

And, this card is no different. At first she was going to use Mellow Moss, but ended up ordering the "wrong" color and got Sage Shadow. But, once she saw them together she liked that too!

Great job and thanks for sharing!

Quick Thank-Yous!

Last week, Kyle had his 9th birthday! Wow! Where does the time go? Anyway, I believe in thank you notes for everything! Ecspecially, when it comes to the boys and all of the gifts that they receive. We are so blessed to have family and friends that think of the boys on their special days!

So, these are the thank you's that I made for Kyle to write out. And, I believe that we had a milestone that took us 9 years. The boys have been doing their own thank you notes for years. It started obviously with me doing the writing. Then they would sign their names when they began to write. And, now they are on their own. It is usually a pretty painful experience. But, this year Kyle sat down and cranked them right out. There was no fussing at all! Mission accomplished!

Enjoy your day!

Keri's Famous Paper Stars.

So, my good (and crafty) friend Keri has been busily making dozens and dozens of these paper stars. She starts with strips of paper and folds then into this 3-D shape. After she completes the folding she dips them in hot wax.




I have had my eye on some for quite some time. She is selling them in her Etsy shop by the dozen and is working hard to keep up with the demand. They come in all different colors. And, she makes them in 2 sizes. The two sets that I got are two inch stars. She also makes four inch stars!

I initially purchased two dozen with thoughts of giving a couple as teacher gifts and such. But, then they arrived and I decided that they will all hang on our tree. And, that is exactly where they are.

If you are interested in getting some for yourself, let me know. I will get you the link to Keri's Etsy site.

Have a great day!

A Nice Icy Day!

Here is a page of some snow and ice that we had last year. It is hard to see in the photo, but it was one of those days where everything was just sparkly and shiny from the ice! The sun was shining and the sky was blue!

I always love this kind of picture, but the snow and ice can hold off as far as I am concerned. We are in the midst of record breaking weather here in NY. I don't know the exact number, but it has been like 285 days since we have had an inch of snow on the ground! That is my kind of record! But, I also know that eventually we will be dealing with it!

Have a good day!

Something to be excited about!

As I was cruising blogs one day, I came upon these adorable carriage cards on Patti Bennetts blog. I took one look at them and thought I can do that!

So, off I went and grabbed some DSP and my Big Shot. I used the Scallop Circle die to make the main part. I simply cut out a "chunk" for the opening of the carriage. Then I used my scalloped edge punch to add the trimming. I used my circle punches and jumbo brads to make the wheels. To finish it off, I added the ribbon.

I just think that these cards are darling, if I do say so myself!

A Quick 6 X 6 page.

Here is a quick page that I did of one of "my little girls." I used colors to match her shirt. Green and purple are not necessarily colors that I would use together, but it worked here. I used my Big Shot to cut out the butterflies.

Enjoy your day!

Here is another Christmas page. Again, keeping it clean and simple. The DSP is from last year. And, I added some Old Olive, Real Red and Chocolate Chip cardstock for backgrounds.

I am hoping to get to some more fun stuff later this week!

Another Christmas Page!

Seeing all of these Christmas pictures with the tree included makes me want to go cut ours down! It is so easy to get me into the Christmas spirit. Yesterday, at church we made our Advent wreaths for the tabletop. Cutting and assembling all of those greens really got me in the spirit!

Again, this page uses retired SU! Designer Series Paper along with some retired Chocolate Chip satin ribbon! I was so excited to see the new mini catalog that will be available in January because there are about 10 colors of this faboulous satin ribbon available! Boy, I can't wait to get my hands on it!

Speaking of the mini catalog, we have a lot of upcoming changes! SU! is going to be offering clear mount stamps and blocks. They are also redoing their punch style! So stay tuned for more information.

A Christmas Layout

Even though it is from last year, this is a Christmas layout that I did last week. I used my Delightful Decorations stamp set and punch. The paper is from last years Christmas DSP and/or scrapbooking kit.

I usually struggle with my Christmas layouts. I try to think out of the box, but usually end up going back to greens and reds. This DSP added some color that I normally don't use while allowing me to enjoy the traditional red and green!

Have a good day!

I have had some time to scrapbook!

Recently, I was able to devise a plan to get some scrapbooking done. Ever since I started scrapbooking I was up to date with my photos. The more pictures I had the more I would scrapbook. Well, within the last year my scrapbooking has taken a back seat to so many things. I always enjoy doing "current" pictures as opposed to last years events. But, I fell behind.

Little by little I have been able to work on it here and there. This page is a current one for our refrigerator. These are the family pictures that we just had taken 2 weeks ago. I am thrilled with the way that the pictures came out. And, I love this page!

The snowflakes are done with my Big Shot and the sizzlit snowflakes. I stuck a brad in each snowflake. The ribbon is the real red polka dot ribbon from SU! I have found that I stick to my SU! stuff for 95% of my scrapbooking. It is so easy to mix and match colors!

Have a great day!

Simple Snowflakes.

This is another card that we did at the last workshop. Again, I tried to stick with straight stamping. The colors that I used were Real Red, Night of Navy and Sage Shadow. It is a little out of the ordinary, but came together nicely. I was expecting a rather large crowd, so I had to choose a ribbon that I had a lot of. And, that was Sage Shadow.

Thanks for checking in.

A Simple Christmas Card

Here is a card that I made for a recent workshop that I had some "new" stampers at. I try to keep these workshops simple so that no one is overwhelmed. I used the Home For Christmas stamp set. I stamped it in Chocolate Chip ink and colored it with the water color pencils. Then I used the two way glue pen and added some dazzling diamonds.

Have a good day!

Two More Gifts From the Package.

Here is a paper ornmanent that looks like my partner spent a lot of time making. She also included the instructions which include alot of gluing and folding! It is a very pretty ornament.

Here is a paper Christmas tree that she made too! She used her cicle scissors plus and folded the circles. Then she glued them onto a dowl which she stuck into a foam circle. It is very cute and cheery and I can't wait to add it to all of my Christmas decorations!

Thanks for all that you sent my way!

A Little Paper Wagon!

I thought this was a lovely little thing! It didn't look that complicated and the options are endless. I love the wheels with the jumbo eyelets. My partner made a little SU! box to go into the wagon and added a incentive stamp. I could also see little 3 X 3 cards in there or candy....I could go on and on!

How clever!

The Frame That I Mentioned!

I think this piece of work is so cool! It goes right along with my style lines of clean and simple. Yet, it says so much! I can't decide whether to hang it in my stamping room or bring it along to workshops. What a perfect display of the SU! colors!

So much fun!

So, What Was In My Swap Package?

Well, I am glad that you asked! My package was jam packed with goodies! I received so many cute and tasty things, I don't even know where to begin. So, here is a picture I took of the whole thing and I will feature some of the items in future posts.

One of my favorites is the frame. She punched a circle of all 48 SU! main colors. And, then featured the saying "I never met a color that I didn't like." That pretty much sums up my feelings for the SU! colors! Once I get my hands on them, I learn to love them!

Have a good day!

Magnets for my partner.

Here is a simple set of magnified magnets that I made. I love making these little guys. They are so simple. And, I am always in need of a good magnet. I get so annoyed with flimsy magnets that just fall off of the fridge. These magnets are heavy duty and pretty to look at!

I placed a piece of red cardstock in the bottom of this little container, and simply stuck the magnets in there. I thought it was pretty even if it wasn't hanging on the refrigerator!

The paper that I used is from the holiday mini. It is one of their specialty papers. There are a few sheets that have felt on them. And, it has some shimmer to it. I really enjoy this paper!

I hope that your week gets off to a good start!

Another Edible Piece

My partner indicated that she would like something dark chocolate. I found this KING sized Special Dark Chocolate candy bar. Luckily for her, I didn't eat it prior to sending it. I simply covered it with a piece of Night & Day Specialty Designer Series Paper. Added some ribbon and a couple of pumpkins for Halloween and there it is!

A Christmas Ornament!

This is a glitter ornament that I made for my partner. These ornaments are so fun to make! This one I made in Garden Green and dazzling diamonds. Sometimes, I like to add the little tag with a sentiment. And, I did that with this ornament!

The Next Two Are Edible.

So, here are two more treats that I put in the package for my swap partner. The top one is just cardstock and a plastic bag. I cut and scored the cardstock so that it fit around the bag of peanut M & M's. I used my oval punch to punch a hole and added a few embellishments. Wa-La!

This is just a simple glass container filled with candycorn. Again, I used a couple of my punches to decorate the lid and tied on a ribbon!

Fun, fun, fun! Have a great weekend!

The Second Assignment!

The second assignment that we received was to create something from your partners survey that they would like a sample of and include instructions. So, my partner was interested in the tri-shutter card. This is the card that I created just for her!

I used my Big Shot to make the butterflies and leaves for this card. The DSP that I used is To The Nines Specialty paper. The texture of this paper added to the card also!

I had alot of fun with this assignment. As you can see with all of the tri-shutter cards that I have made so far!

Thanks for stopping by!

So, We Begin the SUDEMOONLY Partner Exchange Box.

Well, I can reveal what I sent to my partner in her box of goodies. Today, we will begin with this card. The first assignment that we were given was to stamp something in pink in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness month (because the swap began in October). Let's just begin by saying that I don't stamp much in pink, so this was interesting for me. Occassionally, I will use a little pink here or there, but never just pink.

So, I sponged some circles in Melon Mambo. Then I used the Flight of A Butterfly stamp set to add some butterflies. I used some polka dotted melon mambo ribbon. Then, finished the card with my spritzer tool and marker.

This is just the beginning.....check back in for some more fun posts!

My SUDEMOONLY Christmas Card Swap

If you couldn't already tell, I am in love with making these cards! They look like they would take forever, but that is really not the case! I found in making this swap, that it is easier to make one card at a time. Because they vary just enough that it is difficult to make them work otherwise.

For this card I used the new Designer Series Paper Christmas Cocoa Specialty Paper. It is lovely! I also used the Stampin Up! Textured Impressions Folder Petals-A-Plenty. I used the Many Merry Messages stamp set and the Delightful Decorations stamp set. The punch is the Ornament punch from the mini catalog, too!

So, hopefully the gals that I sent these cards too have received them and are enjoying them! I certainly had a blast making them and was thrilled with the way that they all turned out!

Have a great day!

A Birthday Card For The Brother In Law.

My Brother In Law will have a birthday this week, so I needed to make him a card. While doing this I realized two things. The first is that I don't have many "manly" stamp sets. And, secondly it is hard for me to make my brother in law a card!

I decided to use the Loads Of Love stamp set. I used some DSP from a retired 6 by 6 sampler. And, used new ribbon from the Ribbon Originals ribbon set. I love this Not Quite Navy ribbon.

I used to really love the small grosgrain ribbon. That was before I started using all of the different wide ribbon. Now, my 1/4 inch ribbon just sits!

Have a good day!

A Christmas Swap Card.

This month our challenge for the SUDEMOONLY swap was Christmas cards. I guess it is time that we all get into the spirit and figure out what we will be using for our Christmas cards. This card was sent to me by Teresa Gray. She used the Good Cheer Christmas set. It is is hard to see in the photo, but Teresa stamped the image on shimmery white cardstock. She colored in the images nice and lightly. It looks terrific!

Thanks for sharing Teresa. My cards went out in yesterdays mail. So, I will post mine on Sunday! I can't wait to show you!

Have a great day!

A Card From Kirsten!

Here is a cute card that my swap partner on SUDEMMONLY sent to me! I just love these little bears! She also used the DSP from the mini Pawsitively Prints that goes along with the Build A Bear items.

Kirsten used my favorite punches with one of my favorite sets Teeny Tiny Wishes. And, I ecspecially love how she used Crystal Effects to give the shoes an extra shine! What a fabulous idea!

Thanks for sharing Kirsten!

A Quickie Man Card.

A friend of the family had a birthday yesterday. I hadn't used this set in a while, so I pulled it out. Clearly it is quite simple. I stamped the images in Basic Black and colored them in with my markers!

Quick, simple and straight to the point!

Peace Within.

Well, hello there! I certainly haven't posted in a full week! What kind of excuses would you like to hear from me? Well, I have two that will tell it all. First, I was sick with the flu. I don't think that I have ever been so sick in my life. So, obviously that cut into my stamping time. It actually cut into everything! It was tough! And, secondly any of the stamping that I have had the opportunity to do is for a partner swap that I am doing for SUDEMOONLY.

I can't wait to show you the things that I have created! I am so proud of myself. And, as soon as my partner receives her package I can begin showing you what I did for her! There is a lot that is going into that box, that I would love to keep! I have also created a super cool Christmas Tri-fold card that I am also in love with! But, those too will be mailed this week. So, after they are received I will post that too!

This card that I am posting today was made by my mother in law for our anniversary. She used the Peace Within stamp set. When the catalog came out and I saw this set, I knew right off that my mother in law would own it soon! She didn't prove me wrong!

Well, I have some amuntion to say that I will be posting on a regular basis this week. Hopefully, you all hadn't given up on me!

Enjoy your day!