Backgrounds Galore

I joined a group of friends and stampers today to play.  Connie organized the meeting and we will be getting together once a month to share ideas and have some stamping fun.  Today we played around with large background stamps, also known as "cover-a-card stamps by Impress Obsession.  Connie had a bunch of the stamps that she shared with us.  I even came home and made 2 cards with 2 of my backgrounds!  Surprised even myself!

These are the sheets I made with the background stamps.

 This background actually was a flub but I decided to make it into something.  It's a light green.  I stamped the Medallion stamp in Night of Navy with a large vanilla brad in the center.  I had a hard time getting a good picture of it.

This one was so easy!  The background stamp is trees that are stamped in brown ink.  I then stamped a bird from Season of Friendship in Riding Hood Red, cut him out and glued him down on a branch of the tree.  I mounted the piece onto Riding Hood Red and used my corner punch on two of the corners.

Julia Name Frame

I'm on a roll!  I finished the second Name Frame last night.  This is for Julia.  I tried to make it just a little more feminine but still a match for her twin, Alex's frame.

The vines and flowers on the bottom are rub on's by Stampin' Up (retired).  The two "hanging" monkeys are a retired SU set - Monkey Business.  The butterfly and ladybug are also rub on's that I found in my stash.

I hope Lisa and Danny will be pleased with these frames.

Alex Name Frame

I'm sorry I have been so sporadic on my blog posts.  I always have good intentions but end up putting it off until it is too late.  (or else, I decide I don't have anything interesting to say!!)

I made a "name frame" Thursday for Danny and Lisa's little boy (Alex) and started the name frame for Julia.  They are the twins that were born right after Christmas to Ashley's best friends.  I bought the frames in December and they have been sitting on my desk all this time waiting for inspiration!  Finally  fter coming home from the "Y", I decided there was no time like the present!  Once I get to going on creating something, I usually get on a roll.  It's just the "getting going" that gets me delayed usually!!  Ashley had told me that they were doing the nursery in a monkey theme with green, yellow and brown.  I have several monkey stamps so that made my job a little bit easier.  I really like how the first one turned out.  Remember - you can click on the picture to make it larger.

Sorry about the glare at the top - guess I should have taken the picture before putting the glass on. So, I used several monkey stamps.  The animals at the bottom are from DRS and the monkey above the "A" is Stampendous.  The other two stamped monkeys (parachute and holding bananas) are from Stampin' Up but they are retired.  The DSP is also SU - the top is a retired piece but the bottom green stripe if Pear Pizzaz.

Hopefully, I'll finish Julia's frame soon and I can share it with you.  I am trying to make hers just a little bit more feminine but staying with the theme.

Thank You Cards

I've been busy making plans for our Super Bowl weekend!  We have decided to drive to Pittsburgh like we did a couple of years ago when the Steelers won their 6th Super Bowl Ring.  We watched the game at the Steelhouse Bar at Stations Square and it was sooo much fun!  Well, we will be going to a different bar this time but still in Station Square.  The Steelhouse wanted $500-$1000 for a VIP table .... other tables will be offered at "first come, first served."  I could go to Dallas and watch the Super Bowl in a tent right outside the stadium for that much!!  They must be crazy or think we are.  Wonder how many takers they will get for those tables.

I used the new  Blossom Punch and stamp set to make a thank you card this weekend.  I really love this set.

I used the new Tulip Embossing Folder around the edges of the card.

This is a thank you card I received from Judy.  Isn't it pretty?

Steelers Are Going to the SUPER BOWL!

Knock, Knock, Knocking on SEVEN's door!  Pittsburgh will be advancing to the Super Bowl to try and get their seventh Super Bowl Ring!  Unbelievable!  I have not been a believer this year.  All season I told Sonny there was no way Pittsburgh would make it to the playoffs much less the Super Bowl.  Well, let me be the first one to admit that I was wrong.  They beat the Jets tonight in a great game.  We have some very good friends - ex-neighbors - who are die-hard Jets fans and I offer my condolences to them.  We texted each other all throughout the game - nothing mean spirited - but they did admit at the end of the game that they were bad losers and were not happy.  I'm sure I would have felt the same way.  We went over to the sports bar around 3 pm to watch the earlier game - Green Bay against Chicago in which the Packers won.  So it was a long day spent sitting in a bar watching football!  Now, we hope to get tickets to Steel City Bar in Pittsburgh for the Super Bowl game like we did a few years ago when Pittsburgh played Arizona in the Super Bowl.  That was a fun time!!  

Here are a few action shots I took during the game - 

Our friends - Mike & Barbara - who just moved to NC from Pittsburgh in August.  We met them at the first game of the season and have saved seats for each other all season.

Marianne & Sonny - yes, she is that short!

Marianne & Me geared up for the game!  Me in my Terry Bradshaw jersey - Marianne with Polamalu jersey.

 Sonny is stripping off the first shirt and getting down to his "rally shirt"!  He had another one under that one "just in case."  The blonde lady behind him became his new best friend during the game.  Mike thought Sonny would move over to their table after the half!!

 Marianne was sending Ashley messages all during the game on the internet.  The game didn't come on until 2:30 AM for Ashley but she's a fan and stayed up all night to watch the game.  We talked to her when we got home after the game - 7:00 AM her time and she was going to try and get some sleep.

 This is our Knome Mascot.  We won him at the first game and he has set on our table during every game.  That is a "Bad Call Brick" on his head that we bought when we went to Pittsburgh.

Sonny - intensely watching the end of the game!

Go Steelers!

I'll be pulling on my Steelers this evening!  Ashley sent us a comic strip that was in her paper that she thought described her Dad's superstitions pretty well!  (you can click on it to make it larger - just remember to arrow back here!)

If you'll recall the last time we had a game, Sonny wore three shirts.  He ended up taking off the jersey that he had on because we were losing.  We ended up winning when he had on the "right" shirt!   Don't know what he'll be wearing tomorrow but none of us will be moving his beer, that's for sure! 

Monday Mailers #2 and #3

I received the most beautiful cards this week from my Monday Mailer partner, Carol.

 Isn't this card gorgeous?  It uses the Blossom Punch and the Blossom stamp set that is in the Occasions Mini Catalog.  There is glitter around the center of the petals.  The flower is done in Pretty in Pink and the card is Chocolate Chip.  I showed this off yesterday at Stamp Club and ended up selling three punches and stamp sets!

 This is my first attempt at using the Blossoms stamp and punch.  I wheeled the background with the Whimsey wheel.  The flower is done is Melon Mambo.  I used the Button Embosslit for the center of the flower.

 
 This card uses the set, I (Heart) Hearts (pg 46 in catalog) and the Heart Punch that I still need to get!!  The picture isn't so great but the card is Pretty in Pink.  This is a simple but very pretty card.

It's getting cold here again!!  And there is more SNOW in the forecast!   The past few days have been nice with temps in the 40's & 50's.  Today it got to 46 but now at 7:00, it is already 34 degrees with the low predicted to be 19.  We're considering going shopping tomorrow so I guess I'll be bundling up!!
 

January Stamp Club Cards

Yes ....I'm still here!  I have been on the go all week and have just not had the time or energy to post anything.  I had a mammogram on Tuesday morning.  Then rushed to my FINAL Board meeting and luncheon with Newcomers.  (I sent out my final newsletter Tuesday night!!)   Yesterday I played mahjong and from there went to have my hair cut.  I was in bad need of a haircut.  Now that I am wearing my hair shorter, I have to get it cut a little more often or it really looks shaggy!  In between all that running around, when I was at home, I was getting prepared for Stamp Club.  The plan was to do the coaster calendars but four of the gals didn't want to do them so I had to come up with a couple of cards for them to make.  I ended up with 4 making the calendars and 4 doing cards with two "newbie" gals.  So, I was going back and forth between the two tables trying to keep everyone on track.  When everyone left, I collapsed in my easy chair for about 3 hours!!!  I think everyone had a good time though and enjoyed the projects they were working on.  

This Valentine is made with the stamp set, Filled With Love (found on the last page of the Holiday Mini).  The DSP is from the Bundle Special.  I used the Heart Border Punch on the edges of all three pieces of DSP.  My base card is white.  The little flower in the middle of the "O" is punched out with the 3/4" circle punch and has a red brad through the center. 

This card was a little bit different for me.  I don't usually use these colors together but I like the way it turned out.  I wheeled the Sahara Sand strip in Soft Suede with Very Vintage large wheel.   (I colored in a couple of the flowers on the wheel but decided I didn't like it and tried to cover most of them up!)   I layered the strip onto Very Vanilla that I used the Scallop Border Punch.  The base card is Not Quite Navy.  I tied a Poppy Parade ribbon around the strip and adhered it to the card.  The flower is from Vintage Vogue and stamped in Poppy.  I used a tiny button in the center of the flower with SU linen thread through the holes.  The leaves are from the Little Leaves Die and cut from Soft Suede and Sahara Sand (that is sponged lightly with Soft Suede).  I stamped the sentiment onto vanilla and punched it out with the Word Window punch; then I layered it with Not Quite Navy punched with the Modern Label Punch.

January Stamp Club Coaster Calendars

I just have to start off by saying .... GO STEELERS!  What a great game!  Sonny was a doubter going to Big Al's on Saturday to watch the game, but his team pulled through for him.  Of course, he had to do a little clothes alterations for that to happen.  He wore his jersey that we had won a couple of weeks ago to the game.  When we were losing 14-0, he pulled it off to wear the tee shirt he had worn when we won the Super Bowl a couple of years ago.  He had another shirt on under that one - I don't know which one it was - but he was prepared to make another change if he had to!  Yes .... he is superficious when it comes to football!  And then yesterday!!  The Jets beat Tom Brady and his New England Patriots!  That was the icing on the cake.  Now Pittsburgh gets to play the Jets in Pittsburgh!!!

Ashley had a bit of excitement this weekend also although it was not a good type of excitement.  Some soldiers on her base (not in her battalion) were conducting a training exercise with the Iraqi soldiers teaching them how to launch attacks, etc.  One of the Iraqi soldiers opened fire on the US soldiers, killing two and wounding a third.  You can read about it HERE.  It certainly brings the fact that she is over there in the midst of a WAR to front and center.

My Stamp Club starts back this week.  One of the members has requested that we make a coaster calendar so that is what I have been working on.  I plan on putting mine on display but letting them make theirs any way that they want to.  It has been a while since I made one of these calendars.  I tried to make it a little different - by putting the month on one coaster and putting a stamped image on another coaster and putting them together with a 2" piece of ribbon.  But after I finished the whole year, the thing just wouldn't stand up properly and it was more trouble than it was worth.  So, I proceeded to take it all apart and remake it!  Here is the finished product:

Valentine Defined

I've been playing around with My Digital Studio again.  Today I wanted to see if I could import some digital papers I have gotten from other sites and I could!  It was pretty easy to do and I like the results.  See if you agree:

 

The paper, like I said, is from another source.  I think I downloaded it a year or two ago not knowing at that time exactly what to do with it!  It was just FREE!  The torn edge of the center strip was made using a My Digital Studio stamp set called Torn Edges.  It is so cool because you can make the paper look like it is hand torn.  I decided to use a drop shadow on it so it would look like a trim.  The stamp set is a new one that is available to download from SU called Valentine Defined.  It is available in the Occasions Mini Catalog (page 9).   So you don't have to have MDS to make this card - you can duplicate the card by hand stamping too.

Valentines for you

Well, we still have snow and ice on the ground and school was out for the FIFTH day in a row!!  Marianne's son has been able to go to school yesterday and today since they live in Mooresville city school district.  The main roads are fine.  It's just our neighborhood and Island Point Road which is very shady.  I actually ventured out today to go play mahjong.  Sonny was going to drive me but I ended up just following him part way through the bad parts.  He was headed to Davidson to do some work.  He had to pull my car out of the driveway for me - it was pure ice.  But, after that, I did ok.  I didn't have far to go and it was nice to be out of the house!  

I have been waiting for a couple of UPS shipments this week.  One was due on Wednesday and the other was due Thursday.  I checked the UPS site yesterday and they posted something about Weather Conditions Prevent Delivery.  Well, today the UPS man called me and said that he had left my packages up by my mailbox.  See .... even he wouldn't come down our driveway!!

So that being said, I have a couple of Valentines to share with you.  One of them I stamped in the traditional way and the other I made in My Digital Studio.  

 

This card I used my new Valentine Bundle stamp set, Filled With Love and the Designer Paper that comes with the bundle for the scallops.  

 

This is the MDS card.  The stamp can be purchased from the Occasions Mini catalog - it is a mini stamp on the last page of the catty.  This is what I love about MDS.  I can just download this stamp for a couple of dollars and print it out when I want to and I don't have to worry about storage!!

I've still been working on my stamp room - getting it into shape.  This week, I took most of my non-SU DSP bits and pieces that I had stashed in every crevice of my room and threw away pieces that weren't any bigger than about 4"x 4".  I've got it corralled into one large plastic bin now.  My club ladies are going to make coaster calendars next week so we'll be using up a lot of the bits and pieces.  I've also been working on organizing all my 12" x 12" DSP.  My friend, Judy, gave me a couple of plastic paper organizers for Christmas so that has been my motivation!

Tomorrow is our big football day!!  For those of you who aren't on Facebook, this is what I posted last night:

*****WARNING***** The national weather service has issued a falling bird warning for Pittsburgh next Saturday starting at 4:30 and continuing until the end of the fourth quarter. Falling birds could be heavy at times especially around the Heinz Field area. Heavy accumulation is likely.  

We'll be heading to Big Al's for the game and hopefully, we'll be happy when we come home!!

Join the Family!

Did you miss the big Stampin' Up sign-up bonus offered a few months ago?  Are you still thinking of joining the Stampin' Up family?  Well, here's another great deal for you!

Any new demonstrator who joins during Sale-A-Bration (January 25 - March 31) will not only receive 15 percent off their Starter Kit, but will also receive a special Bonus Bundle of products valued up to $50!   The following items will be included in your Starter Kit (whether it's the standard kit or the Digital+ Starter Kit):

Item	Page	Description
121620	165	Color Coach (or multiple languages Color Coach)
120806	183	Something Special Simply Sent (or any Simply Sent kit)
117114	183	Live, Laugh, Love Stamp Set (or any Simply Sent Stamp Set valued at $12.95 or less)
119883	202	Heart to Heart Punch (or any punch valued at $17.95 or less)

These items will automatically appear on the Online IDA Starter Kit order form, where new recruits will have the option to make substitutions. New recruits who use the paper IDA will need to write any bundle substitutions at the top of their Starter Kit order forms.

So if this sounds like something you are interested in, contact me and we can get started signing you up!!

Monday Mailer from Me

I forgot to take a picture of the first Monday Mailer that I mailed out last week!  It was so pretty.   I used some new DSP from the Occasions Mini Catalog and the new button Embosslit.  And .... it included a bookmark too!  Oh well, you'll just have to picture it in your mind!

I did remember to snap a picture of this week's Monday Mailer before I trudged up to the mailbox - in the snow - to mail it.  Well, to be truthful, Sonny trudged up to the mailbox while I stayed nice and warm inside!!

It is a simple card which is ok I keep telling myself.  Why is it so hard to do a simple card?  Probably if I were redoing this card, I might pop up one of those buttons.  This is the new Button, Button stamp from the mini catalog.  I stamped them in Poppy Parade (in color).  The bow is made with the Bow Easy - a double loop bow.  I used dental floss for my thread through the button and just colored it with my Poppy Parade marker!!  Clever, huh?

Hope you are staying warm.  It is still bitter cold here - 25 degrees right now - but we are supposed to get to 40 today!  A virtual heat wave!!  I think we finally got to the freezing mark last night around 6 pm.  Not one bit of the snow has melted and this is the third day school has been canceled.  They are going to be eating into their Spring Break soon.  The sun is out though and we will probably venture in to town after lunch.  Sonny is about to go stir crazy!!

Snow Days

We had a snow day today!  The snow started sometime during the night and when I woke up this morning, every where you looked was white and beautiful.  I remember how excited I was as a kid to have snow days and to go out and play in it all day .... making snowmen, having snowball fights, eating snow cream.  Good memories.  My kids were just the same although living in Texas, they didn't get the big snow storms like we had today.  But, what we did get, they made the best of.  We didn't have a sled but they would use cookie sheets for their sledding and pack the snow in a bucket to make their snowmen.   I don't know if kids have this kind of fun anymore.  It seems like they would rather stay indoors playing video games than exerting themselves running and playing outside these days.  Sonny and I took a walk around the neighborhood after lunch and didn't see one kid out playing or even a snowman to show that kids had been playing outside.

So I felt it only appropriate tonight to make this snowman card:

I found this paper tonight while cleaning and thought it would make a great background for my snow couple!

I started this weekend re-organizing my stamp room so today was great to have the snow day to finish it up.  I moved furniture around and everything!  I still have a little bit more to do but I made a good start on getting things in order.

These are my  Stampin' Up stamps organized A through R. 
I still have a couple of shelves (bottom ones) to organize.  Hopefully, I'll tackle that tomorrow.



These are the rest of my SU stamps organized S - W.  I got tired of bending down all the time to get to stamps on lower shelves!  On the top, I have my ribbon in empty plastic jars that used to hold nuts.



This is my cutting station. 

My desk still needs a little work but it looks a lot better than it did about noon today!!  It was covered with stuff.

These are my non-Stampin' Up stamps that are on a shelf in my closet.  I stamped all of them on copy paper by categories - floral, animals, snow, holidays, masculine, etc. and put them in plastic boxes.  The white basket toward the bottom are all my clear stamps stored in CD cases and categorized in a separate notebook.

January Monday Mailer #1

Our Monday Mailer program has started back up.  I am glad!  I missed receiving a card each week.  I love seeing what other people make.  So if you ever want to make a card and don't know who to send it to, just send it my way!  My partner this month is Carol and she made the prettiest thank you card - although it would be easy to add another sentiment and use this card for a birthday or "thinking of you."

 

The card base is Crumb Cake (or Kraft if you prefer!)  She used the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder on the Pretty In Pink piece.  This is about the only folder that I don't own.  It just may be on my order form next time!  I had to thumb through the catalog to find which stamp set she used since I didn't recognize it.  It is from Printed Petals (pg 106) and is really pretty!  Only $15 for the clear set .... maybe that one will be on my list too!  It looks like a very versatile stamp set.  

Yesterday I felt like all I did was eat and drink!  I rode with Sonny up to Hickory.  He had to get a part to fix my mom's fireplace.  I needed to go to Hobby Lobby to return something, but half-way there, I remembered the Hobby Lobby bag was still hanging on the door in my craft room!  Oh well - another trip, another time.  While we were there, we had lunch at the Mellow Mushroom which is fairly new to Hickory.  We've eaten at the one in Savannah and really like it.  So lunch with a couple of brews and we were headed home.  Just in time to wash my hair and get dressed to meet some friends in Statesville for dinner.  Not good planning!!  We met them at a favorite Mexican restaurant - really, about the only good one we have found here.  But neither one of us were very hungry - plus, by the time you eat a bowl of chips and salsa and have a couple of margaritas, you're definitely not hungry!!  It was fun anyway. 

This weekend will be a lazy one.  I am going to a jewelry party this afternoon.  But, after that, I'll have my comfy clothes on and settled in to watch some football.  There are two play-off games today and two tomorrow.  After the weekend, we'll know who Pittsburgh will be playing next weekend.

The weather is supposed to get bad early in the week.  High's today just barely above freezing with snow on the way.  Monday and Tuesday are supposed to be snow days.  We'll see!  I'd love more snow as long as I don't have to drive in it.

Valentine Inchy

I received a shipment yesterday from Stampin' Up.  I had pre-ordered the Valentine special but, darn it, the stamp is back-ordered!  It shipped today so I should have it by the first of next week.  I received the Valentine DSP so decided to work with it and a stampset I had on hand.  I pulled out the set, Cute by the Inch, which is a hostess set that I haven't used and found this cute little heart.  This card was simple to make - which is not my usual.  But, it was fun and quick and I like it!

I stamped the heart inchy in black and mounted it on black which I mounted on Real Red. 

I'm excited!  I made our airline reservations today for our trip to IRELAND!!  We are going there mid-March and will be meeting Ashley on her leave.  Our plans are to tour Ireland for a week and then travel over to England for a few days.  Just working out all the logistics will be a hassel but at least I've made a start by making the plane reservations.