Retired Lists

Time is running out!! Last date to order retired items is Jan. 18th!!

To see the retired lists, click HERE. Items that are out of stock are in italics and in Purple.

Brrrrr

Just a quick post this a.m. We arrived in Pittsburgh yesterday to bone chilling temps!! Our thermometer in the car never got above 14 degrees on our drive up yesterday and we watched it drop as we drove north. Last night, we drove out to Sonny's hometown - about 45 minutes from Pittsburgh - to have dinner and meet one of his old friends. On the way home, the thermometer in the car registered -3 degrees!! My friends, that is COLD!! It has gotten up to almost 5 degree this a.m. - expecting snow later today. We are headed out to find some Pittsburgh gear (in our sweaters, long johns, mittens .......). We'll be stopping by the "O" for hot dogs and later in the day for hoagies at Danny's!!

Goody Goody Gumdrops

Here's a card I made before I went out of town using the Level 3 Hostess set in the new catalog, Goody Goody Gumdrops.  I just love this set!!  Don't these gumdrops look good enough to eat????  I colored them with my Prisma colored pencils with Gamsol.  The designer paper is from the new paper, Candy Cane.  And, of course, the Top Note Die!!  The card is made from Pink Pirouette - I'm going to miss this color when it goes away this summer (and Kiwi!)

My New Toy

I got a new toy this week - SU's Sizzix Embosslit Sweetest Stem.  We were able to order a few select items early from the new catalog and I ordered it in mid-December and just now received it!!  I wasn't sure what it was when I ordered it, but figured I had to have it of course!!  But, it is really cool.  It embosses and die cuts together.  Here's the card I made with it -

I used the new designer paper - Raspberry Tart.  I love, love, love that paper!!  It actually matches the flower in the Embosslit which also matches the flower in the new stamp set, Sweet Stems (page 99).  Guess I'll be getting the stamp set now!  On the card, I punched designer square with my 1 1/4" punch and then punched 1 3/8" squares out of Kiwi Kiss and Rose Red card stock.  

SU's new catalog!!

I received my new catalogs this week!! So, I've been busy poring over the pages and making out my wish lists!!! If you want a copy of the Idea Book catalog ($10), let me know. I am offering a special for your first order of $20 or more - free shipping!! So let me know & I'll get one to you. The first day to order is next week - January 19th.

There are a lot of new Sizzix dies in the book AND Texturz embossing plates. Here is a link to Patricia's blog where she has a video tutorial using the Texturz plates. So, it will give you an idea how they work.

More Blog Candy - waiting for ya!

Click HERE for some great blog candy!!

Valentine Share

Here's a Valentine card I made this week for a challenge on a group I am in - Latenight Stampers.  The challenge was to make a masculine Valentine card.  It's always a challenge to make a masculine card, don't ya think?  But, I like how this one turned out and my DH will probably get this on Feb. 14th!!

The card base is Kraft card stock.  I ran the white through my Big Shot with a Fiskars texture plate that I bought in Texas several years ago - it works great with the Big Shot!!  The red polka dot paper is from Stampin' Up as are the patterned paper I punched the hearts out with.  I used my new Stampin' Up heart punch and a Sizzix die heart punch (with the Big Shot).  The "xoxo" definition is from SU Define Your Life.  The ribbon is Stampin' Up also.

Erma Bombeck was the best!

My doctor flipped the weight of the scale over another notch, looked at me with annoyance and said, "Man does not live by bread alone."

"You think I don't know that?" I said. "Any fool knows you have to make it into a sandwich, top it with homemade preserves or cover it with cheese sauce and make a casserole out of it."

"You are overweight again," he said.

"Like how much?"

"Like if you were scheduled to fight Muhammad Ali this fall, you would have to drop fifteen pounds to make the heavyweight division. How much exercise do you get?"

"I leaned over a week ago Thursday for what I thought was a gingersnap cookie in the carpet, but it turned out to be a cork coaster and I haven't taken a chance since."

"Do you go to the refrigerator a lot?"

"Yes, and sometimes I even run."

"I have here a list of activities that tell you how many calories you can burn up per hour. I want you to go over the list and try to do at least one or two activities a day."

The list was depressing. An hour of housework burnt up 80 to 180 calories, ironing 50 to 60 and writing 10 to 20. I would have to arm-wrestle King Kong to make a difference.

Then a brilliant idea hit me. If I could do some vigorous exercises, I could eat all the fat food I wanted and burn it off before it took root.

That night I had a piece of apple pie. Then I grabbed one of the kid's bicycles and pedaled for two hours. It was work, but it was worth it. I had paid for my folly.

The next night I had 40 potato chips. To make up for it, I did a little ironing that I had put back. (Actually I only ironed for eight hours and put the rest of it back again.)

The next afternoon I outdid myself. I found an Easter egg I had hidden from the kids in the freezer totaling 583 calories. I had to paint the house to work it off. The same night I had lobster in butter, which totaled 2,390 calories. Checking my list I discovered I would have to row across Lake Erie and back to balance the calories.

Then, a terrible pattern began to form. I was borrowing on my energy and putting IOUs in the refrigerator. I owed two hours of carpentry for a bowl of cereal in cream, three miles of jogging for a French doughnut, and eight days of shoveling snow for a piece of birthday cake.

As I sit here writing this column, I am in hock through 1975. As I told my doctor, the only way I can possibly catch up is to be an oarsman on a slave ship. He is making the necessary arrangements.

~"Forever, Erma" by Erma Bombeck

Here we go Steelers!!

Heinz Ward and his famous smile!!

What a game!!! I tried to pull the Carolina Panthers through on Saturday but they just aren't my Steelers!!

The Steelers overcame an early deficit to defeat the San Diego Chargers 35-24 Sunday and advance to the AFC championship game at Heinz Field next Sunday at 6:30 p.m.
Their opponent in the title game will be the Baltimore Ravens, who finished second to the Steelers in the AFC North Division and earned the sixth and last wildcard playoff berth. The victory was coach Mike Tomlin's first in the playoffs and the sixth straight by the Steelers after a playoff bye, stretching to 1994. The Steelers were the only home team to win in the four NFL playoff games this weekend.

Sonny & I have already made our reservations and will be driving to Pittsburgh next weekend for the game. We don't have tickets but that's ok. Pittsburgh is a football town! We can go anywhere and see the game and enjoy the excitement of being with other fans. (We also have hotel reservations for Super Bowl weekend ... just in case!!!)

I can't say the same about the Charlotte (being a football town). Even though I was born & raised in Charlotte, Carolina is my second team since there was no team here when I lived here before. Friday night we went to downtown Charlotte for a hockey game. After the game, we went to one of the local bars downtown and only saw Arizona fans!! That would not have been the case if we'd gone to a downtown Pittsburgh team the night before a play-off game. Fans here in NC have a lot to learn about football.

It has never mattered where we lived - Dallas, Seattle, etc., we have always found Steeler fans ... and a lot of them! When we lived in Dallas, Pittsburgh played Dallas twice in the Super Bowl. When we lived in Seattle, Pittsburgh played Seattle in the Super Bowl. We were hoping the same would be true now that we are back in NC, but looks like it will be either Arizona or Philly. Just hope it will be Pittsburgh!!

Christmas Scrapbook

My friend, Judy, is back from Florida and came to visit me on Thursday.  She brought me some new goodies!!!  She brought some gorgous paper (mostly Bo Bunny which I love and I am using some of the designs in my next class at Stampers Alley); ribbon (we both have ribbon addictions I think!); Cuttlebug border embossing plates (which I had not seen before); and she made me this gorgeous vintage Christmas scrapbook.  I have taken a picture of a few of the pages for your enjoyment.  Now, I just have to add pictures!

Isn't it beautiful??!! 

Thanks, Judy!