FIVE years plus Quilt Square

Today I celebrate FIVE years as a Stampin' Up demonstrator!  And, I still love the product just as much.  My favorite things about Stampin' Up is the two-step stamping and the coordinating products.  I love the fact that I don't have to guess if my cardstock, designer paper, ink and ribbons match.  With Stampin' Up's 48 colors (plus the additional in-colors), there are so many choices.  During the five years I have been a demonstrator, there have been many changes within the company ... new products, new colors, catalogs that have been annual, then bi-annual, then back to annual ....  I never would have thought I would love my Big Shot like I do.  When it first came out, I thought, I don't need that - I don't do die cut images.  But, little did I know, how I would come to use it as much as I do.  And now, I'm using fabric with my Big Shot!  Who woulda thought it?!!  I haven't done a quilt yet - saving that for my sister, Marianne - but I have made other things.  Fabric is one of the industry's hottest trends right now, and the best part is, you don't even need to be a seamstress to get in on the action! You can create gorgeous fabric accessories and home décor, all without ever touching a sewing machine. There are myriad of options for seamstresses and non-seamstresses alike, and presenting fabric-oriented projects allows you to introduce Stampin' Up! to a whole new group of customers.

Here's a pattern for a quilt square for you to make with your Big Shot!

Folded Paper Frame for my Monday Mailer

For my Monday Mailer card this week, I did a Folded Paper Frame.  I got the tutorial from Splitcoast.  It took me a couple of tries since I kept cutting the paper to the wrong size and couldn't figure out why it wasn't working!  Duhhhh!!  Anyway, if you cut your paper correctly, it is pretty easy!!  Here is my card:

 

I used Crushed Curry and Rose Red cardstock.  The DSP is from the Occasions Mini Catalog - Sweet Pea.  There is some gorgeous paper in that book!  I had held off ordering it because I though it was a little pricey, but actually it is a whole book of 12 x 12 paper - 2 each of 24 double-sided designs.  (Again, I didn't read all the fine print - I thought it was a 6x6 pack of paper!)  I used the stamp set, Great Friend and embossed the butterfly.  The scallop punch that I used is from the Saleabration catalog (FREE)!!  

If you want directions on this card, to HERE and follow the directions.

Weather update - we only got rain last night!  But, it sure was cold today .... again!!  Tomorrow is supposed to be in the low 40's but warming up by the end of the week to the 50's!!!  Maybe Spring is around the corner.

Happy Valentine!

Hope your Valentine's Day was sweet!  Mine was pretty quiet.  We met my Mom and Marianne and Greg in town tonight for dinner and I gave them some Valentines.  I made Mom these flower pins that I made today.

 I woke up Saturday morning to more snow as I said in an earlier post.  Here are a few pictures I took yesterday morning.  It was a real pretty snow but by mid afternoon, the sun had melted most of it from the trees.  We still have some in the yard (along with some left over from 2 weeks ago!)  Our heat pump has been frozen solid for 2 weeks.  We keep waiting for it to thaw out to see if the motor is burned out or not.  In the meantime, we have it on emergency electrical power.

 Here are a few Valentines that I received.

 

This is a darling little box .... with Hershey kisses inside that I got from Judy.  It's so cute!!   I actually recycled it today and put some Hershey Nuggets (I ate all the kisses!) in it and gave it to Sonny!!

  

This is a pretty card that I received in the mail from Brenda today.

I received this cute bear from my upline, Carol.  Isn't he cute?? 

 And this card I received from my friend Margaret.  It's an easel card.  I haven't made one of these yet but I think I will give it a try tomorrow.  Thanks, Margaret!!

Well, the forecast is calling for more snow tonight!!  We'll see.  I don't think we are supposed to get much but it will be cold all week.  I'm ready for SPRING!!

To Realize Values ....

To realize
The value of a sister/brother
Ask someone
Who doesn't have one

To realize the value of ten years:
Ask a newly Divorced couple.

To realize the value of four years:
Ask a graduate.

To realize The value of one year:
Ask a student who Has failed a final exam. 

To realize The value of nine months:
Ask a mother who gave birth to a stillborn.

To realize The value of one month:
Ask a mother Who has given birth to a premature baby....

To realize The value of one week:
Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.

To realize The value of one minute:
Ask a person Who has missed the train, bus or plane.

To realize The value of one-second:
Ask a person Who has survived an accident.

To realize the value of a friend or family member:
LOSE ONE.

SNOW

Snowing again here in NC .... what a winter!!  Marianne & I were planning on driving to Columbia, SC tomorrow to a craft convention.  Guess I'll be upstairs in my craft room instead!!

Tomorrow's Workshop Projects

I have been busy today getting things together for my workshop tomorrow.  It has been so long since I have done a Stampin' Up workshop, I had to "get back to basics!"  We are expecting about 11 ladies and I don't think any of them have any stamping experience, so I have tried to make the cards really simple but still nice.  Sometimes, I have trouble with simple!!  I have all the pieces pre-cut so they really just have to stamp them and put them together.  Seems easy to me but I've been fooled before!! 

What do you think .... simple enough?

This first card uses Pocket Silhouettes stamp set.  The card base is Sahara Sand with Red and Crushed Curry paper accents.  I used the Pinking Hearts border punch that I just got!!

The next card uses Vintage Vogue (from mini catalog) and Whimsical Words (from Saleabration catalog).  The card base is Bermuda Bay with Designer Paper from Thoroughly Modern.  I matted the main image on Mellow Moss cardstock.   I punched the edge with the Scallop Punch but will give them their options on punches.  The brad is a Designer Brad. 

These are samples of the little treat bags we will be making.  I have everything cut out and scored.   They will have their choice of stamps from the Love You Much set.

These are little sucker holders I made to give out tomorrow.  I think I will stamp Happy Valentines on the top tonight while watching TV!!

Chocolate!!

Well, I think I've eaten more than my share of Hershey Nuggets this week!  I bought a huge bag last week because I wanted to make some matchboxes for Valentines and put the chocolates in.  Well .... 2 went in the boxes and 2 went in my mouth, ..... etc. - you get the picture!!  I am doing a workshop this week and am making these little matchboxes to give to the ladies.  These are ladies that don't have a clue about stamping but always ooh and aah over my cards.  So, I don't know if I will get any orders but I told them they would each make a couple of cards even if they think they can't!  I'll share the cards with you later this week.  But here are some of the little boxes I've made.

 

 

Life is Too Short

Life is too short to wake up with regrets.
So love the people who treat you right.
Love the ones who don't just because you can.
Believe everything happens for a reason.
If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands.
If it changes your life, let it.
Kiss slowly.
Forgive quickly.
God never said life would be easy.
He just promised it would be worth it.


I am only as strong as the chocolate I eat,
the hair spray I use and
the friends I have.
To the cool women that have touched my life. Here's to you!

Super Bowl and Commercials

SAINTS WIN the Super Bowl!  Wow - their first trip to the Super Bowl and they win all the marbles.  What a good game, but also a fast game.  Guess that's due to hardly any penalties and not that many time-outs either.  I really didn't expect the Saints to win although that's who I was pulling for.  I bet the French Quarter is wild tonight!!

OK and the commercials .... some good and a lot bad!  A 30-second Super Bowl commercial is costing companies $3 million!!  Here are a few I liked:

•  Doritos had a commercial where a man is picking up a women for a date, and she introduced him to her son and leaves the room. The son, who is around 4-5 years old hit his mother's date's hand and tells him "Keep your hands off my mom. Keep your hands off my doritos." He is absolutely adorable.
• The Doritos bark collar commercial was clever. Animal commercials are the ones we remember and talk about.
• The VW commercial making fun of the time honored "slug bug" rule was cute, especially with Stevie Wonder and Tracy Morgan at the end.
• Betty White's Snickers commercial was another favorite.
• The Bud Lite commercial that is a spoof on the TV show "Lost" where a plane crashes onto an island and the survivors of the crash are stranded. A man finds a refrigerator of Bud Light in the back of the plane and worry subsides and a party ensues.
• The Motorola commercial:   A woman sitting in a bubble bath taking a photo of herself and then theorizing what would occur if she sent it out. What followed was a series of vignettes in which a gay couple alternatively slap each other, a man falls to the ground while high on a ladder, etc. Does sex still sell?   Motorola thinks so
• 
  Dennys puts chickens on alert. Silly with bad effects but sometimes silly is good. The TruTV commercial with Punxsutawney Polamalu was funny.

What did you like about the game & the commercials?

Super Bowl Sunday

Got your chips, dip, beer, etc. ready for the SUPER BOWL?  Although, I have to say, I'm not as excited about it this year as I was last year.  I couldn't help thinking all weekend that I was in snowy Pittsburgh last year this time feeling the hype of the Steelers being in the Super Bowl.  Oh well, I'm hoping next year we'll be in it again in Dallas!  Ashley has season tickets to the Cowboys games so I assume she would get a chance for Super Bowl tickets since the Super Bowl will be at the Cowboys stadium next year.  Of course, who am I kidding?  She would either sell them to get the big bucks or she and her Dad would be sitting in the stadium while I was watching from home!!

I'll be watching the game tomorrow night from home.  No big plans this year.  I'll be pulling for New Orleans too.  I think it's like a Cinderella story that they are in the Super Bowl (plus, I get a little sick of hearing about Peyton!!)

Marianne and I enjoyed "Dear John" today.  I would recommend it to you chicks out there.  The only drawback was the theatre was filled with teenagers with their cell phones and whispering and snickering during the love scenes.  I was about to make a scene and tell them to SHUT UP!!  I'm used to going to the movies during the week when Sonny & I are about the only ones in the theatre!  Just getting old and crotchety, I know!