More Top Note Boxes

I've been making a lot of these boxes for a 3D swap I am going to at the end of the month.  I've got 7 made so far and I am waiting for my order of Designer Paper to get here to make a few more.  A friend wanted to put a picture of a couple of them on my blog so she could make some also.  So, Margaret, these are for you!!

This one uses some of my favorite DSP (Sweet Slumber).  This paper is the same weight as cardstock.  The Sizzix die is the Daisy Flower (p. 200) and Little Leaves.  I used the Build-A-Brad in the center.

This box uses Candy Cane DSP (p. 159) and the Sizzix Flower Layer die (p. 199).  I used a red brad in the center.

   This box uses the Candy Cane paper again.  I also used Sizzix Decorative Strip Flowers die (p. 198) and the Beautiful Butterflies die (p. 196).  There is a pearl from the Pretties kit in the center.

Now - go make some of your own and send me a picture of them.  I'll post them on my blog for all to see!!

Idol Results .... Down to the final Three

Paula entertained (?) us tonight. Why did they bother hooking her up with a microphone? There is no doubt in any one's mind that she was lip-syncing. With all the acrobatics, there's no way she could have sang.

Then we had the pleasure (???) of hearing No Doubt. Well, there is no doubt they weren't my favorite! Did you see the drummer with the crinoline on? Sonny wants to know who dressed those people. Maybe I'm showing my age.

Wow! Big surprise for me tonight. Kris is SAFE! I am so happy! I really thought he would be the one going home. So will this be an upset like when Daughtry was sent home a few years ago? I hope it's not Danny. The competition is so tough this year!

Chris Daughtry performs the single from his next album which comes out in July. Now, this rock music, I like. He is singing .... not screaming!! And did you notice, his band looks pretty normal - except for the mohawk .... but no crinolines on the guys! He might not have made it to the top three when he was on Idol, but that hasn't stopped his success. Sometimes, losing is a good thing.

The second person in the top three is Adam. Guess I'm not surprised but I was hoping for an upset there.

Now it's down to Allison and Danny .... Danny has NEVER been in the bottom three so my guess is…it is Allison going home. I’m sad but not surprised. With one more rendition of Cry Baby we bid adieu to Allison.

Idol .... Top FOUR!

Tonight is Rock. The mentor is ..... Slash .... the drummer for Guns & Roses, my favorite group! (just kidding) Actually when my daughter was in high school, I told a boy she was dating that Guns & Roses was my favorite group ... I had actually mistaken the group for another one (obviously) and this has been a joke between us forever! She called me tonight to tell me my favorite band member was going to be on Idol.

• Adam is first singing Led Zepplain's Whole Lotta Love. I don't know if he could have gotten any more black eye liner on. He's actually scary looking. I've always thought he reminded me of Elvis, but I know Elvis would not be looking like this! I thought he was screaming but that's hard rock for you. I know the judges will love him. Yes, Randy says everyone will forget about his theatrics with this performance. Kara says he's a rock god. Of course, Paula says's he's a whole lot of perfect. Simon loves it too and says it's one of his favorite performances.
• Allison is singing Cry Baby by Janis Joplin. I can totally see her doing Joplin! She sure has the pipes and I'm loving her performance!! The judges don't look so happy though. Randy didn't like her choice of songs. Kara thinks bluesy rock and Joplin is right for her but didn't like the song choice. Simon thought it was a terrific vocal but lacked originality. She showed a little sass to them tonight. Good for her!!
• Kris Allen is singing The Beatles Come Together!! This is my favorite group - for real!! Well, he's got my vote before he even sings and I know the same is true with Ashley. He didn't try to do that hard rock stuff because that is just not him. Randy agrees with me. Boo Kara - she didn't think it was great. What does she know? I was waiting for this .... Paula says it is risky to do a Beatles song; he needs a little more energy on stage. Simon didn't like it. He said it was like eating ice for lunch???? The judges weren’t impressed at all. I think he was better than they’re giving him credit for
• Danny Gokey sing the classic rock anthem, Dream On by Aerosmith. You'll have to hum a few bars because I don't think I know this song. OK, now he's singing it and I have heard it. Paula is on her feet so I guess she likes it. He made the scream at the end which Slash was worried about. The crowd loved it. Randy said it was just ok. He realizes that this is not Danny's genre as well as not Kris'. Kara commended him for taking a chance but it was not great. Paula gives him an A for effort. Simon didn't like the scream and thought it was too over the top.

A new twist to the show, tonight we are getting treated to two duets by the contestants. First Kris and Danny sing Renegade by Styx — very cool. Ooooh, I like rock-and-roll Danny. This is fun! They SO need to record that. Their voices really harmonized and worked well together. Adam and Allison rocked a duet together of Slow Ride. It seems like their solo parts are better than the harmony parts. The judges loved it and think they should do a duet together.

Unfortunately, rock is NOT the genre for two of the contestants (Danny & Kris) but it is for the other two. This really sucks that it is down to the final 4 and it has to be rock and not something like their favorite songs or something they could all shine in their song selection.

Well, my personal picks for the final three are Danny, Allison and Kris. But, I don't think that's likely to happen. It's hard for me to predict who's going home tonight. I'm afraid it'll be Kris but he definately wouldn't be my choice. We'll have to wait till tomorrow night to see!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Enjoy this yummy margarita while celebrating the day.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Sprite Zero (or any diet lemon-lime soda)

One shot (1.5 oz.) tequila

One serving (half a packet or 1/8th of a tub) sugar-free strawberry powdered drink mix (any variety, like Crystal Light Strawberry-Kiwi.

4 frozen unsweetened strawberries

2 tbsp. lime juice

1 cup crushed ice or 5 - 8 ice cubes

Optional Garnish: lime wedge

Directions: Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until uniform and slushy. Pour into a nice glass and, if you like, garnish with a wedge of lime. Drink up!

MAKES 1 SERVING POINTS value 2

A regular margarita that you would get in a restaurant has about 350 calories and is 7 Weight Watcher points! The one above has 125 calories and is 2 Weight Watcher points. Enjoy!!

Jump on the watercolor bandwagon!

Well, I have seen these roses on everyone's blog lately as well as on Splitcoast and several Yahoo groups.  So .... I am not one to not follow trends so I had to try them today.  Be warned .... they are addicting!!

Here are my watercolor roses:

And here is a card I made with a yellow rose.  I used Taste of Textiles paper (the white and the bronze).  

Aren't they gorgeous?

House Mouse Balloon!

I used another one of my new stamps today - the House Mouse one.  It's sooo cute!

I stamped this one on Whisper White paper and colored it with my Prismacolor Markers using the Gamsol method to shade.  The confetti was colored with SU's Metallic Pencils (I think they are retired).  I punched a hole in the balloon and tied a string around it.

This one was stamped with Staz-On onto watercolor paper.  I colored it with my Watercolor Crayons.  Then, I used Shimmerz and Radiant Pearls to color the confetti.  I used a punch for the two corners and I embossed lines all around the pink paper using my Scor Pal (hard to see in the picture).  I also stamped the mouse separately and cut him out and raised him up with dimensional tape.

Sonny and I went to the movies today.  It was a cloudy day all day with rain threatening so we couldn't take the boat out.  We saw Obsessed (with Beyonce).  It was really good!  I would recommend it.  It's one of those movies that the crowd is cheering on the heroes out loud.   You really get involved in the story.

Speaking of rain, did you see on the news the story about the Cowboys practice field getting destroyed yesterday in the storms that went through the Dallas area.  (click HERE  for a video)  Well, we used to live just a few miles from that area.  I did my grocery shopping at the Tom Thumb grocers right across the street (plus, my daughter worked there in high school).  Scary - I haven't talked to any of my friends yet to see if they had any damage.

Three Great Stampin Up Offers

Since this is National Scrapbooking Month, Stampin' Up is offering several good deals!



If you're like me and you love PAPER and can never have enought PAPER, you better sit down. There are three great offers!

1. Buy three packs of Designer Series paper--including Specialty Designer Series paper--or 12" x 12" textured card stock and get one FREE!* Oh my, who doesn't love paper? Especially our gorgeous textured paper.

2. Become a demonstrator for only $75 with the limited-time Scrapbooking Starter Kit! Get all the demonstrator benefits (yep, great discounts and sneak peaks), and make some extra spending money (for more paper!).

The kit includes the following:

Schoolbook Serif Alphabet Set; Simply Scrappin' Petal Party; Earth Elements Textured Cardstock (12x12); Whisper White Craft Stampin' Pad

The Scrapbooking Starter Kit also contains all the business supplies contained in the standard Starter Kit:

• Getting Started DVD and Guide


• Guest Invitation Postcard (100)


• Idea Book & Catalog (8)


• Occasions Mini Catalog (8)


• Recruit Folders (5) and Brochures (20)


• Hostess Benefits Form (10) and Envelope (10)


• Customer Order Form (50)
  

3. Buy the new Jumble Alphabet stamp set -a sneak peek from the upcoming 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalog--at 20% off! Isn't this set a great one? I can see a lot of uses for it.

I'll be putting an order in soon! Contact me if you want me to add your items to the list.

Stamp Finds

Fun weekend I have had!   Yesterday Marianne came over to work on some projects we needed to do for an upcoming visit to a Stampin' Up Quarterly meeting in a few weeks.  This is the first time we have been able to bring (only) one guest to the quarterly.  We are going to do a 3D Sizzix Swap as well as a convention-style swap.  Marianne is making a cute Big Note Purse and I am making Big Note Boxes.  I'll share later. 

My Texas friend, Margaret, also joined us on Friday.  She and her hubbie are here babysitting their grandson (in Charlotte).  So, she came upstairs to visit and stamp with Marianne and I and we let the guys babysit Noah!!  He's almost 5 so it wasn't so bad for them.  You know what they did with him though?  They put him in the car and drove to Hickory to Home Depot!!  What a man thing!  It worked out for them though cause he slept the whole way there and back! 

Today I met Marianne at Stamper's Alley at 10:00 for the big SALE!!  We had to wait in line for the starting time and then it was "off to the races!"  This is the first time I've been able to attend the sale since I've lived here and it was all I've heard it was!  There were tables lined up on the patio that stretched about 12-18 feet and they were full of stamps - about 5 deep!  I did pretty good though and only spent $18!!  I bought 3 Stampin' Up stamps that are retired (All In A Row; Party Hearty; and Mixed Bouquet), one "saying" stamp (Know, that today a friend is thinking about you); a cute House Mouse (Balloon Ride); and a blank Mirror Image stamp.

So, here are a the cards I made tonight with two of the stamps.

This one uses the Mirror Image stamp.  You stamp the main stamp (Summer by the Sea) onto the Mirror Image stamp.  Then you stamp the Mirror Image on the bottom and the main stamp on top.  I embossed the main stamp.  This was colored with my Copics.

 

This is the Mixed Bouquet stamp set.  I got the whole set for $4!!  It sold for $28.95 when it was in the SU catalog!  I stamped the flowers onto Summer Sun and Tangerine Tango cardstock and embossed it.  You can't tell it, but I added some Shimmerz to the flowers also.  It's really pretty and sparkly IRL.  "Sweet" is stamped on a Cuttlebug tag.

National Scrapbooking Month .... join the SU team

Celebrate a popular hobby and enjoy the social, emotional, and financial benefits! It started as National Scrapbooking Day, but this popular pastime quickly required more than a day to celebrate. Scrapbooking, a $2 billion a year industry in North America, is gaining popularity around the world at a rapid rate. From preserving precious memories and spending time with friends to earning a supplemental income, scrapbooking offers something for everyone, and it’s no wonder the hobby has become such a phenomenon. Stampin’ Up! joins with scrapbookers everywhere in this celebration of creativity, inspiration, and fun!

It’s no secret that many people are facing tough times. In times like these the social aspect of hand-crafting activities tends to be a welcome emotional release, and do-it-yourself hobbies are still growing. National Scrapbooking Month is a welcome occasion perhaps like no other time in recent history!

It’s a dream for most people to be able to make money doing something they love, and Stampin’ Up! demonstrators are able to live that dream. The Stampin’ Up! business opportunity offers an ideal way for people to enjoy their crafting and scrapbooking hobby, while tapping into the multi-billion-dollar industry for a supplemental income. Some women are able to earn extra money, and are able to accomplish financial goals from being able to pay for their crafting supplies to contributing to the family finances—which might be more important now than ever before.

Stampin’ Up! offers the creative opportunity of the exciting crafting industry, the enjoyment of the social aspect, and the potential for financial benefits. National Scrapbooking Month is the ideal time to celebrate creativity and enjoy the benefits that a hobby like scrapbooking presents. Contact a ME or visit www.stampinup.com to find out more about the Stampin’ Up! opportunity.

Stampin' Up!, a 20-year-old, multimillion dollar, direct-sales company, offers an exclusive line of decorative stamp sets and accessories for home decor, greeting cards, craft projects and scrapbooking. Currently, tens of thousands of demonstrators from the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, France, Germany and the United Kingdom teach the art of stamping. Stampin' Up! operates two state-of-the-art facilities, including an 80,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in Kanab and a 300,000-square-foot corporate office, distribution center and demonstrator support call center in Riverton, UT. For more information, call 801-257-5336 or visit www.stampinup.com.

In celebration of National Scrapbooking Month, join Stampin' Up! as a demonstrator for only $75 with our limited-time Scrapbooking Starter Kit. The Scrapbooking Starter Kit contains the following:

Schoolbook Serif Alphabet stamp set*
Simply Scrappin' Petal Party
Earth Elements Assorted textured card stock (12" x 12")
Whisper White Craft Stampin' Pad

*Substitute any stamp set with another one up to $43.95

Each of the products listed above may be substituted for like items. The Scrapbooking Starter Kit also contains all the business supplies contained in the standard Starter Kit.

Hat, Hats, Hats

A few people have asked me for the directions for the Top Note Box that I made HERE.  So, without further ado, here they are:

I got the directions from THIS blog.  Enjoy!

Yesterday a few of my Newcomer Club friends came over to work on making hats and baskets for our upcoming "Hats Off to Spring Tea".  We worked almost 5 hours and made 60 little hats (wrapped around Hershey Nuggets) and 50 baskets.  The hats were really labor intensive.  The hats consist of about 20 circles punched with the 3/4" circle punch.  The brim is punched with the 1 3/8" circle.  I had a lot of the circles punched out in advance, but it still seemed like it took forever to glue all of them together!!  Hope the ladies attending the tea appreciate our efforts!  We are going to fill the little baskets with Easter grass but haven't come up with what we will put inside them.  It has to be something cheap because most of the budget is going toward the food, teas, renting a clubhouse and the entertainment!  Any ideas?

The boxes are made using the Scallop Envelope Punch and the Sizzix.