Joy with Watercolor Winter

I was working on Christmas cards last week.  The Watercolor Winter set is so pretty.  I made this simple card in a flash.  Stamped the holly with black ink and use markers to color it in.  Stamp "Joy" at the top and wrap plaid ribbon around the middle  -  done!!  'Joy" is from a retired stamp set and the plaid ribbon is some ribbon I've had for a long time and have no idea where I got it but I have a bunch.  This is a one layer card which I don't usually do but this one works for me.

I have been watching football today while I cleaned house.  I can't believe how many games came down to the final seconds with field goals - Carolina & Atlanta with Carolina losing, Green Bay and Philadelphia.  I had mixed feelings about the Carolina game.  I bet against them in my football pool but they are my second team so I really wanted them to win. 

I have bridge at my house tomorrow.  I made my grandmommy's vegetable soup on Saturday to serve Monday for lunch and I made a type of Boston Cream Pie with Vanilla Pudding, Cool Whip, Graham Crackers and Chocolate Icing.  Yum!!

Have a good week!

Sick?

Just a quick post before I head out to play cards today.

I made this card a few months ago.  I CASE'd it from one I received at convention a couple of years ago.  I had kept the card because I thought it was so adorable.  Don't you?  And easy to make!  That's the key, huh?  Use a large circle punch for the "cookies" and the Scallop Punch for the "bites"; then punch out some Chocolate Chip's with a small circle punch and glue them on.  The glass, I cut freehand - Whisper White overlayed with Vellum.  The sentiment is from Word Play and is stamped on the Whisper White.

We took my mom with us last night and tried out a new (to us) restaurant that a friend recommended to me.  It was delicious!  Really good Mexican food!  Sonny said it wasn't as good as the Texas restaurants, but it would do for here.  It is Azteca Mexican - if you live local, it is at Exit 18 (Hwy 77) off of Harris Boulevard.  Mom told Angela when I took her home that it was much better than the Mexican places in and around Mooresville.  I think she really enjoyed it and just getting out.  I was supposed to take her to the eye doctor yesterday morning, but Angela called me to tell me she didn't have to go to work until later in the afternoon so she could take her.  Mom was not happy!!  She likes me to take her because I take her to different places to eat. 

Have a good day!!

Anniversary Preserved

I made an anniversary card last week for my son and his wife.  They celebrated 8 years last week.  It's hard to believe!  Just doesn't seem like it has been that long.  Darcie wrote a sweet post on her blog on their anniversary.  Jeff travels a bit for his job and was in Atlanta on their anniversary.  When he returned home, she was headed to California for a writer's conference so their anniversary celebration was going to have to wait.  Perhaps until this week when they are flying to Florida and going on a Disney cruise.  Of course, Jayce will be with them but I think those Disney ships have built in babysitters so they should be able to steal a bit of together time.  Hope so! 

I used the Perfectly Preserved set to make their card.  I thought it was cute to put the hearts in the jar.  Hope you can see the card well enough - not the best photography on this one.  I used some of the retired Spice Cake DSP that I had.

I've really been on a roll the past few days with making cards!  I've been working on Christmas cards!  Whoo Hoo!!  I'll be sharing them with you in the next few days. 

Have you been watching any of the new tv shows this week?  We tried out Vegas tonight and have watched The Mob Doctor also.  I'm excited to see Nashville but it doesn't start until Oct 10.  Also one of my favorites, The Amazing Race starts this Sunday.  I think it is one of the best reality shows out there, although I also love The Voice.  I just love Adam Levine (Maroon 5) and Blake Shelton.  Their bantering back and forth is so funny.  We watch entirely too much tv but hey .... that's what we do!

Paper Craft Crew Challenge #9 MDS Style

It's Wednesday which means it's time for another Paper Craft Crew Sketch Challenge.  I wanted my MDS card to be a fall card this week.  It's starting to feel fall-like here and I like it! 

Here's this week sketch:

In making this card, I used one of my favorite techniques .... overlays.  I used Textured Kraft card stock and applied a textured Vintage Overlay on top.   The wheat is from Autumn Days and is applied as a watermark over the card stock.  The circles are from the Rough Type set in Early Espresso with leaves from various sets (mostly Autums Days kit) placed in the center.

I hope you will stop by the Paper Craft Crew blog and check out what the other members have done with this week's sketch.

MDS Download Tuesday

I love the downloads for My Digital Studio today!  Have already got mine - what about you?


Here are the latest Digital Downloads for My Digital Software.

• Designer Rosettes #131525

Download includes:
* 20 embellishments
Features:
* Full of four rosette styles in five holiday colors
Coordinating colors:
Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Real Red, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla
Price: $3.95

• It's a Wrap Kit - Digital #132190

Download includes:
* 11-page designer template (11" x 8-1/2")
* 6-piece stamp brush set
* 5 Designer Series Papers
* 7 embellishments
* 6 punches
Features:
* Digital-exclusive
* A cool way to make adorable, trendy bows for all your gifts
Price: $7.95
Coordinating colors:
Basic Gray, Calypso Coral, Gumball Green, Island Indigo, Summer Starfruit, Very Vanilla, Whisper White

• Snowday Woodcuts #131523

Download includes:
* 10 embellishments
Features:
* Digital-exclusive
* A collection of cool, cut wood pieces to add a natural, unique look to your projects
Price: $5.95

• Unknown Blessings Ensemble #131311

Download includes:
* 7 1-page décor designer templates: invitation, place cards, pie box, napkin rings, menu cards, framable décor, feathers (8-1/2" x 11")
* double-sided postcard designer template (9 x 4-1/4")
* 17-piece SVG stamp brush set
* 6 Designer Series Papers
* 8 embellishments
* 1 punch
Features:
* Digital-exclusive
* Everything you need to create a fun Thanksgiving atmosphere for the whole family
Coordinating colors:
Apricot Appeal, Blushing Bride, Calypso Coral, Chocolate Chip, Crushed Curry, Lucky Limeade, Pool Party, Pumpkin Pie, Summer Starfruit, Very Vanilla
Price: $17.95

Card Box and 3x3 cards

I forgot to share some little projects I made earlier in August.  My mom is legally blind, having a degenerative eye disease, Retinitis Pigmentosa.  She and my sister who lives with her are active in the Association of the Blind and Lions Club.  While we were in Texas, they had a state convention in our area.   Angela did a lot of work for the convention and had asked me if I would make some raffle items for the convention.  So this is what I made for them:



Card Box holds 3x3 cards



3x3 cards and envelopes (made with the SU Diagonal Score)



Box to hold 3x3 cards

 

3x3 cards using A Flower for All Seasons

 

A long Memo Pad from Dollar Store is inside

I just finished watching Monday Night Football and I just have to say that Green Bay was robbed!  I am not a Green Bay fan but they intercepted the pass in the final second and the replacement ref's gave the game and touchdown to Seahawks.  That was just wrong!!  Something needs to be done about the referees.  I know the replacements are doing the best they can but there have just been too many mistakes made.  I'm just afraid someone is going to get hurt on the field. 

Memo: Good Recipes for you

Well, another good weekend is in the books (except for football!).  Friday, Sonny and I went to the movies to see Trouble With the Curve with Clint Eastwood.  That man just gets better with age.  I love him.  The movie was very good I thought even though I have heard it is not doing great at the box office.  It's much better than some of the sci fi junk that seems to be showing all the time.

Saturday I had planned to go into town to visit my friends at Stampers Alley but just never got motivated enough.  Instead I worked on several projects at home and got a few things finished which I'll be sharing later in the week.  One of the projects is a memo board that I bought at a craft store in Greensboro in July.  I really like how it turned out and now need to get a sawtooth hanger for the back so I can hang it in my kitchen.

 I painted the wood a dark brown and used some DSP that I had bought at the scrapbook store when I bought the memo board and glued it down.  I really like those sunflowers so I decided to put the memo pad to one side so you could see the flowers.  I glued the wooden flowers to the front after painting them with Copics.

Sunday we went to Big Al's to watch football but it wasn't such a great day.  Not only did my Steelers lose in the last few seconds but not many of my picks in the football pool did well either.  I think I had 7 wins and 8 losses.  Just have to hope Green Bay wins Monday night to make it even 8-8!

I have been pinning a bunch of stuff on Pininterest since I discovered it but hardly ever go back and really do anything with my pins.  So last week when I made my grocery list out, I included several recipes that I had pinned.  Saturday night I made pepperoni rolls and they were delicious!  If you are interested, click HERE for the recipe.  I thought they were as good as any I've had in Pittsburgh.  Next time though I will add more cheese.  Sonny came in the kitchen while I was making them and thought he'd help and he put the cheese on - I would have put it on more heavily.  But when he wants to help with cooking, I'm not one to criticize or turn him down, know what I mean?  I also made a yummy French Dip sandwich one night.  If you are interested, check it out HERE.

September Stamp Cub

This was Stamp Club week and my gals were dropping like flies!  I usually have 7-8 gals on Tuesday and on Thursday.  But Tuesday, I ended up with 6 after Marianne had to stay at work for a meeting and Thursday I ended up with 3!!  I had a couple of gals out sick, one out of town and one of my Thursday gals came on Tuesday instead and my Tuesday gal came on Thursday!  But the three that were here on Thursday really liked the intimate setting.  They said they didn't feel as rushed and were able to chat and visit while creating.  So, it all worked out.  We made some great cards I want to share with you.

 This is our Halloween card.  I used the Howlstooth ... DSP from the holiday mini.  I gave the gals the option of embossing the Apothecary Arts die with the Spider Web folder or stamping directly on the die piece without embossing.  I think everyone chose to emboss and thus had to stamp the boot (from Bootiful Occasions) out separately.  When they complained about cutting, I reminded them they had a choice!

 This was a fun card to make and is inspired by a card I saw on Pininterest.  It is a good way to use up those scraps of ribbon you have stuck in a jar somewhere.  We stamped the sentiment onto Certainly Celery first to make sure we had room for everything else.  It's hard to see from the picture, but we embossed all around the edges of the white piece with the Scorer.  The Little Leaves die is cut from the middle of the card.  I used some retired felt flowers with a pearl on top of the Baja Breeze ribbon.  The ribbon butterflies are gathered in the center with rhinestone brads (that I didn't realize had retired until today!!). 

 I think this card is my favorite.   I used the new Core'dinations cardstock from the Holiday Mini and sanded it so the white core would show.

Directions:

• ·       Round bottom corners of Cajun Craze card and Naturals Ivory cardstock
• ·        Sponge Espresso lightly around the edges of the Naturals Ivory and adhere it to card.
• ·        Stamp sentiment on bottom right of the Naturals Ivory.
• ·        Run the strip of Espresso Core’dinations (found in Holiday mini) through the Woodgrain embossing folder.
• ·        Use Sanding Block and lightly sand the Espresso strip.  Use the Tacky Cloth to wipe away dust particles.  Adhere to card.
• ·        Using Leaves #2 Sizzix Die  cut out 3 leaves.  Stamp leaves with text stamp from French Foliage set using Espresso ink.  Sponge edges; spritz with water and crumble up. Use glue to adhere to card.
• ·        Adhere choice of button to card.
• ·        If you decide to use a clear button (retired) like I did, punch a circle with the 1” Circle Punch and adhere with glue dot or a dot of glue to button.

This is a gift card holder that has an envelope inside for pockets.

Directions:

• ·      White cardstock – cut @ 8 ½” x 5 ½ ” / Score @ 2 ½” and 5 ¾”
• ·      Fold on score marks; the smaller flap will go on the inside.
• ·      Use a border punch and punch a border from Real Red cardstock; adhere to top flap
• ·      For the envelope insert, lick an envelope shut and fold it in half (side to side)
• ·      Cut about 1/3 of the envelope off (top of env. – not folded edge).  You want the envelope to fit inside the flap (where the reindeer is) and not stick up so cut the excess off.
• ·      Tape the envelope to itself so that you have 2 pockets.
• ·      Tape the envelope to the inside of the card so that it is secured to the bottom flap and the middle section   
•      Decorate
•         Crumb Cake Inserts – cut 4” x 2 ½”
•         White cardstock – cut 3 ¾” x 2 ¼” - layer on crumb cake insert
•         Punch a tab (Tab Punch) and adhere to top of each insert.
•      Make a belly band - cut cardstock about 7 1/2" x 1 1/2" and wrap around.

Make A Difference

 Watch this short movie - it is great!

The Make A Difference Movie - The Teddy Stallard Story - by Mary Robinson Reynolds | The MasterMinding Maven® - Full Length Version

Paper Craft Crew Challenge #8

I love Halloween.  I guess you are figuring that out from the recent cards I have been posting.  It used to be my favorite holiday besides Christmas.  I would decorate my house from top to bottom with spider webs, witches, ghosts, etc.  Now that it is just Sonny and I, I don't bother with it much anymore.  I'll put up a few decorations and find my Halloween garden flag but that will probably be it.  But I can make some great Halloween cards (wait till you see my eyeballs card!)

This card for the Paper Craft Crew (#8 already!) was made using My Digital Studio.  The pumpkin comes from the Storytime Kit that I used to make Jayce's ABC book.

Here are the supplies used to make this card with MDS2:

Background Color = PUMPKIN PIE

Embellishments: Designer Kits\Storytime - embellishments\Storytime - jack-o-lantern
Narrow Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon\Soft Suede Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon - knot (re-colored)
Stamps: Designer Kits\Days to Remember\Days to Remember - trick or treat, Color = WHISPER WHITE 
Splatters\Ink Splatters\Ink Splatter 4
Punches:  Borders\Scallop Edge Punch, Fill Color = BASIC BLACK; Labels & Tags\Get It Done - punch 1

Photos: Designer Series Paper\_Designer Kits\Days to Remember - designer series paper\Days to Remember - 14
Designer Series Paper\_Designer Kits\Days to Remember - designer series paper\Days to Remember - 3

So grab your stamps and supplies OR your computer MDS and play along with us this week.  Just follow my card above for the basic sketch.

Visit the Paper Crew Blog and see what the other designers did with the sketch.  There are some great cards there plus we have a new member, Justin.  He does great work and we are happy to have him join the crew.


Halloween Monday Mailers

I took a few supplies with me to Texas when I was there but it's always difficult to make cards without all my "stuff" surrounding me!  I think I will be tackle-ing her office/craft room when I go back in December!  She has recently had the inside of her house painted and she did her office in bright yellow.  She is a huge fan of Curious George and has a ton of Curious George things.  So she is planning on decorating her office in red and yellow.  I did not think it would look good at all when she showed me the paint chip in March but it actually looks pretty good.  We didn't have time to do much decorating in the room while I was there but I did recover a memo board/partition for her.  She was going to get rid of it because it was a pale green but I told her we could fix it up.  We went to Hobby Lobby and found some red material and to M's and got some bright yellow ribbon.  It turned out really good and will look great in there with the yellow walls.  She found some Curious George ribbon on-line and was going to order it but we decided it would just be too much and more expensive than just plain ribbon.  Plus, when she puts all her pictures and scrapbook items on it, the ribbon wouldn't show up that much.  We even took the little tacks that hold the ribbon on off and covered then with the red fabric. 

So, this is the first Monday Mailer I made to send.  I used the Woodgrain embossing folder (luckily, I gave Ashley my Cuttlebug when I bought the Big Shot!).  The stamp set is Bootiful Occasions.

Supplies:
Cardstock:  Black, Rich Razzleberry, Cajun Craze, Whisper White
Die:  Apothecary Art, Woodgrain emb. folder
Black brads
Ink:  Razzleberry, black
Here is the second card I made using Wicked Cool.  I saw this idea somewhere - either on a blog or Pininterest of using the witches hat and shoes with the pumpkin.  Cool huh?  I sponged the edges of the pumpkin to give it some dimension and used dimensionals for the witches hat.

Supplies:
Cardstock:  Black, Tangerine Tango, White
Stamp:  Wicked Cool
Punch:  1 1/4" Circle Punch (I think!)
Markers
Hope you enjoy these cards!  I had fun making them.

Monday Mailer Cards

It's been a great weekend.  We went to a "pig pickin'" barbecue Friday night.  We took the boat and it was so nice.  I am so happy with this cooler weather .... what a difference between here and San Antonio!!   I'll be opening our windows and turning off the AC this week.  Saturday I didn't go anywhere and got some stamping done.  It had been awhile.  And Sunday I did more stamping while watching the Panthers beat up on New Orleans.  In the afternoon, we went to Big Al's to watch the Steelers beat the Jets which made me a happy gal.  It was good to see all our Steeler friends again and to chant "Here We Go Steelers." 

I got my last August Monday Mailer cards when we returned from Texas this week.  I actually got a bit of a bonus and Carren sent me two cards!

Both of these cards are stamped on Very Vanilla - layered onto Very Vanilla.  The stamp set is Scentsational Seasons from the Holiday Mini catalog.  The tree on the right is punched out with the matching framelit and DSP is behind the cut out.  The same thing is done with the mug card.  Very simple but pretty.  A good one for mass producing your Christmas cards.

Home again.

I'm home!  We got back late Wednesday night.  Sammie was sure glad to see us when we got home ... she didn't have any water or food left so we got home just in time.  She didn't want to leave my side and even slept right next to me all night which she doesn't normally do.  All day today, she has stayed close and even now, she is curled up in the chair next to me. 

Thought I'd share a few pictures I took while I was in Texas.  We got to meet my nephew, Jack and his wife, Katrina with their cutie pie baby, Jack IV.  They call the baby IV ... I called him Jack!!  Just don't know that I would want my son to grow being called IV (like "ivy"), would you?  But he is a doll baby with the biggest eyes.



He loved drinking from the straw!

  On Saturday, Ashley's best friends came over with their twins (Alec and Julia) who are so cute.  They were born when Ashley was deployed and will be 2 in January.  We played in the pool with them and they were little fishes.



Bogart's favorite way to drink is straight from the faucet!!



Paper Craft Crew Challenge

For today's Paper Craft Crew Sketch Challenge (whew - that's a mouthful!) I decided to go with a Halloween card.  It won't be long.  I've noticed the stores already are stocking Christmas .... what's wrong with waiting till Halloween is over????  Too early in my opinion.

I am still in Texas .... leaving to fly home this afternoon.  It's been a great working visit and I'm always sad to leave but it won't be long until Thankgiving when we'll be together again.  Ashley took off work all last week and we did a LOT of work in the yard and got a lot done.  Monday when she went back to work, I decided to tackle the front yard.  I put down black plastic on one side of her shrub bed and Sonny poured 10 bags of mulch over it; dug up about 10 small nandina bushes and moved them; planted a few other plants that she had bought at Lowe's on Sunday; and trimmed up some of the larger shrubs that are already established.  It looks pretty good but boy was I hot, sore and tired Monday night!  It was nice to jump in the pool when I finished.  Yesterday I worked inside making slipcovers for one of her window seats and pillows and hanging a few pictures.

We had a little extra bonus last night.  One of Jeff's best friends from high school was in town doing some work.  Scott came over and we visited a little while before going out to dinner.  It was really great to see him.  Sonny had not seen him since his wedding and it had been 3 years since Ashley and I had seen him in College Station shortly after his first child was born.  We had a great visit.

OK - on to the card I made.  Here is the sketch that I had to work with:

Here is my card:

How do you like that folded corner?  It took a bit of maneuvering but I finally got it!  The stamp is a single stamp in the Holiday Mini Catalog (I think!) 

Happy Birthday card

Before we came to Texas, I had to get caught up on a few birthdays.  Here is one of the cards I made:

I just love the colors in this card.  The stamp set I used was Raining Flowers.  It is a set I got last year at SU Convention and I haven't really used it much.  But I really like it in this card.  I stamped each flower three times and raised each layer up with dimensionals.  Then I put a pearl in the center of each flower.  I embossed the white layers of the card with the Dotted Embossing Folder  So, how do you like it?

Here are a few pictures I've taken since I've been in Texas.

I snapped this in a hurry from the backseat of the car as we were driving to dinner -  a beautiful Texas sunset.

Ashley and Sonny at dinner ... Mexican of course!  We convinced Sonny to sit outside in the courtyard.

We toured the Blue Bell Ice Cream Factory last Wednesday. Yum!!

Bogart is at the door watching us in the back yard.  He likes to keep his eye on us - either at the door or sitting in the window.

Bogart's favorite way to drink his water!

Are You Ready for Some Football?

I made this 12x12 page on MDS2 today.  It is part of my "homework" from the MDS class I am taking.  Don't you love it???!!!  It's that time again.  Tomorrow is the first game and I remembered to bring my Steelers Jersey so I am ready for some football!!  Love this time of year.

This picture was taken in the grocery store the day of the Super Bowl.  It was an awesome sight.  The pictures of the food on the side are some of the good eating we do when we are in Pittsburgh.  The top two pictures of the fries and hot dog are from the "O" (Original Hot Dog) stand which is located right beside the Pitt campus.  It has been there for more than 50 years so you know it's good.  We always have to make a visit there for fries and a hot dog.  My first visit there is still a joke to us.  I had gone home with Sonny from NC to meet his parents.  We went to Pittsburgh for some sightseeing and stopped off at the "O".  Being a Carolina gal, I ate my hot dogs with chilli and mustard usually.  So, that's the way I ordered it at the "O".  Little did I know, they did not know what hot dog chilli was and served my hot dog with their type of chilli - with beans.  Sonny's dad looked at me pretty strangely as I was picking out the beans from my hot dog.  30+ years later and we are still laughing about it when we go to Pittsburgh.

The next picture is of my favorite food!!  It is an Italian Hoagie from Danny's.  Makes my mouth water just thinking about it.  Danny's is another institution in Pittsburgh - been there at least 50 years probably.  There used to be a drive in theatre behind the restaurant and Sonny said they would come over from the drive in and get sandwiches and go back & watch the movie.  Our kids grew up eating there whenever we would visit.  Although there were a few times when Sonny & I would sneak out, leaving the kids at home with grandma and head over to Danny's for a quick hoagie.  (Although it is probably 30 minutes from Sonny's home!)  When Marianne went with us to Pittsburgh, we got her hooked on the hoagie too.  We usually get a "to go" box to take back with us.  They layer the meat, onions, tomatoes, etc. in a pizza box and give us the bread and signature Italian dressing so we can make them when we get home.  I've just never found a sandwich as good as Danny's anywhere else and we are constantly looking.

The final picture is funnel cake!  So yummy!  But truthfully, it's the same funnel cake you can get other places.  I don't even know where that picture was taken.  Once when Marianne and Harrison went with us to Pittsburgh to a game, we ate at an Italian restaurant close to our hotel and ordered funnel cake for dessert.  We still talk about that dessert.  It was like funnel cake on steroids!  It was huge and fed all of us.

Well, time for this gal to "hit the hay."  Hope you enjoyed my culinary page about Pittsburgh AND you will be cheering on the Steelers tomorrow like I will be!

Back to Spool time

It's Back to "Spool" Time!   Kids are going back to school and that means it's also the time of year that crafters get back to card making, scrapbooking, and creating special holiday gifts!

In September, you'll receive a FREE package of the gorgeous 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon with every $40 purchase. You can choose from any of the new 2012-2014 In Colors - or spend $200 and get all five colors! Of course, you'll find lots of new favorites to shop for in the new Holiday Catalog, but it is also a great time to stock up on adhesives so you'll have just what you need for your holiday crafting. If you buy 1 each of our 8 most popular adhesives, you'll qualify for that free spool of ribbon!

Oh, and before I forget, by popular request, the 31% off Digital sale has been extended until September 14th, so dive into some digital crafting, too!