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Monday Mailer Christmas Collage

I've had the Christmas Collage stamp (from Holiday Mini) for a couple of months and haven't been totally thrilled with anything I've made with it .... until I made this card!  I love it and hope you do too!

 It wasn't the quickest card to make but that's probably what makes it so special.  I stamped two pieces of Very Vanilla cardstock with the whole stamp in Early Espresso.  One was used as my card base  and the other was cut up - I tore the top corner and cut a rectangle of the song (Silent Night) to use.  I sponged all the edges with Espresso.  The base piece was adhered to the Always Artichoke card.  Then I layered the corner piece with a strip of torn Cherry Cobbler in the right corner.  I used my blender pen and squeezed a little ink (Cherry Cobbler & Artichoke) in the lid of my ink pad and colored the holly leaves, berries and poinsetta.  I used So Saffron marker for the bell.   I punched two holes in the small rectangle Silent Night piece and threaded the Cherry Cobbler seam binding (love it!!) through it and adhered it to the card at an angle.  I stamped Merry Christmas from the Bells and Boughs stamp set and adhered it to the card (with dimensional tape).

Here is a close up view of part of the card.

So, what do you think????

Monday Mailers from Last Week

I want to share a couple of Monday Mailers with you tonight. 

This is the one I received - another thank you card.  What is so great about this card is it is made with one of the SU Single Stamps you can purchase (pg 18-20).  They are such a great deal - check them out!

The color combo of Cherry Cobbler, Pear Pizazz and Early Espresso is great!  Martinette added a tiny clip with a piece of thread tied onto it.  I have no idea how she tied that tiny bow!!

This is the card I sent to Becky last week.  I love it & it just may be my Christmas card this year.  The set is called Peaceful Seasons and it is a Hostess Level 2 set (found in the Holiday Mini).  I used two scallop punches.  The one in the middle is the  new Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border and the bottom one is the Scallop Trim Border (pg. 201).  The DSP is Deck the Halls from the Holiday Mini.

Busy Weekend

I've had a busy weekend.  Last Thursday was my nephew, Harrison's, 16th birthday.  We celebrated his birthday on Friday night at JJ Wasabi in downtown Mooresville.  It was pretty yummy!  Saturday Sonny and I went to the movies to see Secretariat.  It was a really good movie with a good story.  Then Saturday night, we drove to Matthews for my Aunt Sally's 70th birthday party.  She's just moved into a new home - 3 weeks ago - but you couldn't tell it.  There was a tent set up outside for the party with a full bar, wonderful buffet (prime rib, salmon, chicken cordon bleu ...), a dance floor with a great DJ.  He played a lot of beach music and I was able to get Sonny up on the dance floor a few times.  This weekend was my high school get-together at Ocean Drive where there is always a lot of beach music.  Since I decided not to go, I was able to get my "beach music" fix at Sally's party.  What do you think .... she looks pretty good for 70 years old!

Sally with my Mom - my mom was married to Sally's oldest brother

One of Sally's daughters - she put the party together for her mom.

 My mom, Angela & I put together a basket to take to the party for our gift.  We bought some wine, glasses, kitchen towel, candy, crackers and cheese in the basket.  At the last minute, I decided it would be nice to include a few thank-you cards so she could send them out later.  I put this card (and 3 others just like it) together in about 15 minutes using My Digital Studio.  It is so easy!!!

Of course, today we went to our Steeler bar and watched some football.  Big Ben returned today and we won!  It wasn't the blow-out I was expecting, but it was still a great win. 

Pinchable Cheeks

I made a trip into Mooresville today and bought the cutest little snowman stamp!  I just love his little rosy cheeks .... so pinchable!  Just like little chubby faced children.  You always just want to pinch their little cheeks.

Here is what I did with two of the stamps in the set:

 For Santa, I used Cherry Cobbler, Black, and Pear Pizazz cardstock.  The patterned paper is some I found in my stash and thought the colors went nicely with the Pear.  I used my Copics for coloring, put a little Stickles in the ball on his hat, a little Liquid Applique on his cap and added a little Silver Spica pen to his beard.  The snowflakes are from an old die I had - just ran it through the Big Shot.  The black "pearls" are some I picked up at CKC this summer (for $1 per package!)

 This little fellow is just so cute!  I colored him with Copics and again used the Cherry Cobbler & Pear Pizzaz cardstock - I love that combo!  The polka dot paper is actually a transparency that SU sold last year.  I bought it and never used it.  I have it layered over a piece of white cardstock.  The snowflakes are from SU's punch.

A close up of those pinch-able cheeks!

I talked to Ashley this afternoon and was asking her about the food there.  She said it is really good ... probably too good!  On Wednesday, they had crab legs for lunch - it was the Navy's birthday so it was a special celebratory meal.  She said normally they have a Caesar Salad Bar, a regular salad bar, a section where you can order paninis - with ham, cheese, and other items; a grill area where you can get sandwiches;  vegetables, meats, some fresh fruit (bananas, apples), and a dessert area with ice cream and other goodies.  She walks to the dining hall every day - about 1 1/2 miles which she said is a good thing so she can walk her food off after eating.   She got a couple of boxes in the mail yesterday and was quite happy with her Aunt Marianne.  She sent her a Steeler tee & Steeler pants!  She has settled in pretty good over there and seems to have adjusted well. 

A productive day!

We went to Davidson last night to hear the Charlie Daniels Band play at the Brickhouse Tavern.  Friends called us in the afternoon to see if we would be interested in going.  Sonny & I both enjoy Charlie Daniels' songs - Sonny even has his "Greatest Hits" on his Ipod playlist - so of course, we said YES!  I had planned on playing Bunco in my neighborhood, but Charlie Daniels Band definately won out.  What is funny is that our friends had never heard of Charlie Daniels!  I couldn't believe it, but guess when you live in New York, you don't listen to much country music!  Those Yankees don't know what they are missing. 

Today I had a very productive day and finally got a few card sets made.  I had made the card box a month ago and it has been sitting on my desk begging to be filled with cards!  It seems like I have just been spinning my wheels the past few days without getting anything accomplished.   So I am quite proud of my progress today.


This first set uses the stamp set, Word Play, which is a very versatile Greetings stamp set.

Card Box

How do you like that bow?  I made it with the Bow Maker that  "girlfriend" sent me!  Easy peasy!

This card uses a lot of retired stuff!  The DSP, the Crushed Curry cardstock (still available in Clearance items!) and the My Way punch.

More retired paper - DSP & Dusty Durango.

 This one is way out of my comfort zone - using 3 different DSP pieces but I like it.

 More retired paper.

This card set uses Awash With Flowers!  I just love this stamp set.  It is a two-step stamp which is what attracted me to Stampin' Up in the beginning.  Again, I am using retired Cameo Coral cardstock in the cards.

These are card sets that I will have for sale in the November craft fair.

Rag Purses

Yesterday I spent the day at my sister's house (Marianne).  She helped me make a few rag purses with the Sizzix die.  I love how they turned out!

 This one is made from a piece of material a friend gave me last week.  She gave me about a yard of the material and the whole piece was patchwork-like with all these beautiful individual squares.  We just cut the squares apart and ran then through the die.    The flower I made blends in with the purse so it is hard to see.

 This one is made from some fat quarters that I got from a local quilt shop in town.  Again, I made a flower from the Flower Fold Sizzix die and pinned it on the purse.

 I think this one may be my favorite .... sometimes, simple is best!  I already had the flower made from bits of material - good thing because I used all the material on the purse and didn't have any left over - we even had to piece together the straps.

These are two cell phone holders I made.  I am going to hang one of them off the first purse.  The second one, I will add a fabric flower brooch to it.

These will all go in the craft fair I am working on.

My Digital Studio Website!!

Stampin Up has just released a new My Digital Studio Website!  It is a place to share My Digital Studio creations for both Demonstrators and Customers!

http://www.mydigitalstudio.net/ is the place to go for inspiration, product training, and up-to-date information about My Digital Studio software, downloads, and printed products.

Just click the link above and set up your profile. Then start sharing and learning more about My Digital Studio today!! 

I have been playing around with MDS all week.  I am working on an invitation for a Rehearsal Wedding Party for a friend of mine.  I am so excited with how it is turning out.  I will share with you soon.

In the meantime, here is a scrapbook page I did yesterday.  My sister, Angela, unearthed these pictures of Marianne, Angela and me taken way back when (probably late 70s or early 80s)!  Just wish I was that skinny today!!  Looks like we were all three into big glasses - guess that was the fad back "in the day"!

Angela, Me & Marianne - back in the day!

Ashley is back in business with her computer.  She received her charger cord in the latest mail drop so we were able to "skype" this morning.  It was so good to be able to talk to her again as well as see her.  She is going to have to make a trip to Baghdad in the next few weeks.  She thinks they will probably send her there by helicopter.  Her bullet-proof vest fell apart - the whole side of it came off.  So, she has to go to Baghdad to return it and be issued a new one.  The upside is she will be able to visit the PX there which is supposed to be really big.  She also has a friend/colleague stationed in Baghdad whom she will be able to see.

Sonny and I went to see Wall Street today.  It's a sequal to the film Michael Douglas won an Oscar for in the 80s.  The movie was pretty good but had a lot of financial stuff that I just had a hard time following/understanding.   I really like Michael Douglas.   His hair in the film mirrors his mood, from scruffy to bouffant and then greasily slick.

Fifth Avenue Floral

I met with a group of ladies on Thursday for a card making session.  We take turns with the projects and I volunteered this month.  The card we made is so pretty and one that I learned to do during the Shallotte Quarterly (thanks, Becky!).  It is made with the Fifth Avenue Floral Sizzix folder (exclusively SU) and the Fifth Avenue Floral stamp set.

These are the cards closed.

Yellow Card open

Pink Card open

If you notice the pink card is cut a little different than the yellow one.  It just goes to show even when you mess up, it can turn out all right! 

Directions:

• Cut cardstock 5 1/2" x 12"
• Score at 4" and 8"
• Put one side of the card (up to the fold line) in the Fifth Ave Floral Sizzix folder and run through the Big Shot (with the words on the die facing up).  This side will be embossed.
• Put the other side of the card (up to fold line) in the folder (with the words underneath this time) and run through the Big Shot.  This side will be de-bossed.
• Trim around the floral shape (see samples above).
• Corner round the top edges of the inside piece of cardstock.
• Cut a piece of white cardstock 3 3/4" x 5 1/4" and corner round the top edges.
• Stamp on the white with the Fifth Ave Floral stamps.  Adhere to the center panel.
• Stamp one of the flowers on a scrap of white & cut out.  Adhere it on the inside with dimensional tape.
• Punch two holes at the top and thread ribbon through.
• Make a belly band to go around the card.

This card can be used for a wedding invitation, sympathy card, birthday, etc.  Very versatile!

Supplies used:

• Fifth Avenue Floral Sizzix Embossing Folder (pg 214 - $7.95)
• Fifth Avenue Floral Stamp (pg 122 - $24.95)
• 12 x 12 cardstock (pg 166 - 169 - $6.95)
• Whisper White cardstock (pg 169 - $8.50)
• 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon (pg 191 - $6.95)

Women & Heart Attacks

Thought this was worthy of passing along -

Did you know that women rarely have the same dramatic symptoms that men have when experiencing heart attack .... You know, the sudden stabbing pain in the chest, the cold sweat, grabbing the chest & dropping to the floor that we see in the movies. Here is the story of one woman's experience with a heart attack.


'I had a heart attack at about 10 :30 PM with NO prior exertion, NO prior emotional trauma that one would suspect might've brought it on. I was sitting all snugly & warm on a cold evening, with my purring cat in my lap, reading an interesting story my friend had sent me, and actually thinking, 'A-A-h, this is the life, all cozy and warm in my soft, cushy Lazy Boy with my feet propped up..

A moment later, I felt that awful sensation of indigestion, when you've been in a hurry and grabbed a bite of sandwich and washed it down with a dash of water, and that hurried bite seems to feel like you've swallowed a golf ball going down the esophagus in slow motion and it is most uncomfortable. You realize you shouldn't have gulped it down so fast and needed to chew it more thoroughly and this time drink a glass of water to hasten its progress down to the stomach. This was my initial sensation---the only trouble was that I hadn't taken a bite of anything since about5:00 p.m.

After it seemed to subside, the next sensation was like little squeezing motions that seemed to be racing up my SPINE (hind-sight, it was probably my aorta spasming), gaining speed as they continued racing up and under my sternum (breast bone, where one presses rhythmically when administering CPR).

This fascinating process continued on into my throat and branched out into both jaws..... 'AHA!! NOW I stopped puzzling about what was happening -- we all have read and/or heard about pain in the jaws being one of the signals of an MI happening, haven't we? I said aloud to myself and the cat, Dear God, I think I'm having a heart attack!

I lowered the footrest dumping the cat from my lap, started to take a step and fell on the floor instead. I thought to myself, If this is a heart attack, I shouldn't be walking into the next room where the phone is or anywhere else .. But, on the other hand, if I don't, nobody will know that I need help, and if I wait any longer I may not be able to get up in moment.

I pulled myself up with the arms of the chair, walked slowly into the next room and dialed the Paramedics .. I told her I thought I was having a heart attack due to the pressure building under the sternum and radiating into my jaws. I didn't feel hysterical or afraid, just stating the facts. She said she was sending the Paramedics over immediately, asked if the front door was near to me, and if so, to unbolt the door and then lie down on the floor where they could see me when they came in.

I unlocked the door and then laid down on the floor as instructed and lost consciousness, as I don't remember the medics coming in, their examination, lifting me onto a gurney or getting me into their ambulance, or hearing the call they made to St. Jude ER on the way, but I did briefly awaken when we arrived and saw that the Cardiologist was already there in his surgical blues and cap, helping the medics pull my stretcher out of the ambulance. He was bending over me asking questions (probably something like 'Have you taken any medications?') but I couldn't make my mind interpret what he was saying, or form an answer, and nodded off again, not waking up until the Cardiologist and partner had already threaded the teeny angiogram balloon up my femoral artery into the aorta and into my heart where they installed 2 side by side stents to hold open my right coronary artery.

'I know it sounds like all my thinking and actions at home must have taken at least 20-30 minutes before calling the Paramedics, but actually it took perhaps 4-5 minutes before the call, and both the fire station and St. Jude are only minutes away from my home, and my Cardiologist was already told to go to the OR in his scrubs and get going on restarting my heart (which had stopped somewhere between my arrival and the procedure) and installing the stents.

'Why have I written all of this to you with so much detail? Because I want all of you who are so important in my life to know what I learned first hand.'
1. Be aware that something very different is happening in your body not the usual men's symptoms but inexplicable things happening (until my sternum and jaws got into the act). It is said that many more women than men die of their first (and last) MI because they didn't know they were having one and commonly mistake it as indigestion, take some Maalox or other anti-heartburn preparation and go to bed, hoping they'll feel better in the morning when they wake up ....... which doesn't happen. My female friends, your symptoms might not be exactly like mine, so I advise you to call the Paramedics if ANYTHING is unpleasantly happening that you've not felt before. It is better to have a 'false alarm' visitation than to risk your life guessing what it might be!

2. Note that I said 'Call the Paramedics.' And if you can take an asprin.. Ladies, TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE! Do NOT try to drive yourself to the ER - you are a hazard to others on the road. Do NOT have your panicked husband who will be speeding and looking anxiously at what's happening with you instead of the road.

Do NOT call your doctor -- he doesn't know where you live and if it's at night you won't reach him anyway, and if it's daytime, his assistants (or answering service) will tell you to call the Paramedics. He doesn't carry the equipment in his car that you need to be saved! The Paramedics do, principally OXYGEN that you need ASAP. Your Dr. will be notified later.

3. Don't assume it couldn't be a heart attack because you have a normal cholesterol count. Research has discovered that a cholesterol elevated reading is rarely the cause of an MI (unless it's unbelievably high and/or accompanied by high blood pressure). MIs are usually caused by long-term stress and inflammation in the body, which dumps all sorts of deadly hormones into your system to sludge things up in there Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware. The more we know, the better chance we could survive.