Celebrate

Saturday night my cousins had a birthday party for their mom who turned 80 on Friday.  They told her they were going to celebrate her birthday on Saturday but it would just be the family.  Her daughter drove up from Raleigh and her son came up from Charlotte to celebrate at Candy's home.  So, she was really surprised when my mom, sisters, brother, Sonny and I showed up.  I wish I had remembered to take my camera to take some family pictures.  It's hard to think up presents for 80 year old ladies!!  But I decided everyone needs cards!  So, I made a few cards and a card box to put them in for her gift and it was a big hit.

I used a 6x6 paper pad from SEI that I got at CK last summer for all the cards and the box.  Stamps used are all SU.

Card Box - Stamp  from Oval All

 

Card #1 - I used the Sizzix Butterfly Die with a brad in the center.

Card #2 - Stamp from Occasional Quotes.  Nestabilities dies

Card #3 - Martha Punch; SU Daisy Sizzix Die with SU brad in center

Card #4 - stamp - Occasional Quotes

Card #5 - Occasional Quotes stamp and Owl Punch.  Also used SU embossing folder.

Close up of Ms. Owl!!

This is the birthday card I made for Aunt Carol - a CASE from last month's Monday Mailer!

Look on the Bright Side

Have a great week & make it a happy one!

Look on the Bright Side

 

For every negative that consumes your happiness,
Affirm two positives that sustain you.
For every should've you wish you’d done,
Acknowledge something you’re glad you did.
For every loss that has altered your world,
Count from it something you have gained.
For every limit that has ever beset you,
Consider your possibilities.
You can’t always change the way things are,
But you can change the way you wish to see them.
Never stop looking
For the brighter side and beyond. 

--- from The Language of Positive Thinking by Eric T. Moore

Idol Results

American Idol results show was weird tonight!  It was just a lot of fluff with guest singers and commercials.  They really should make the results just 30 minutes and be done with it if that is the way they are going to do the results show!  There was no suspense tonight or stretching it out.  They pretty much announced the bottom 3 right away - Ashton, Karen and Haley - and told the rest they were safe.  Then Ashthon was sent packing.  J-Lo had to tell her they wouldn't be using their "save" tonight (duh!!).  It is as though the program is all about the entertainment and not about the contestants.  

 
In my opinion, they wasted a save vote on Ashthon last week.  They should have saved one of the guys instead of 3 girls.  The guys were ALL so much better than the girls I thought. 

Casey Abrams was not on the Idol stage. Early in the episode, Ryan said he is in the hospital again but didn’t elaborate. According to other blogs, Casey might have a stress-induced bleeding ulcer.  That's not good!  Hope he gets better and is back on the stage next week.

Adam Lambert was back on the Idol stage tonight performing a song he wrote.  He looked really good - not all made up with loads of eyeliner, etc. that he usually wears.  His performance tonight will be remembered for it's poignant simplicity, it's relevant message, and the fact that a traditionally flamboyant artist shed his glitter and glam in the interest of something bigger than himself.   His song was aimed at troubled youth struggling with their identity and with the prejudices they face as a result of being different.  

Here is a card I made last week.  This one is a little different for me.  I saw a similar card in a magazine and decided to give it a try in my own style.

 

The DSP is from Sale-a-bration catalog.  I just wrapped the various ribbons around a piece of twine that I adhered behind the DSP.  The "wish BIG" is from the Happy Birthday stamp set that is in the Occasions Mini although mine is a digital version (printed out with My Digital Studio).

Top 13 perform for Idol

The “American Idol” lucky 13 took the stage Tuesday night to deliver songs from their own personal idols. There were a couple of obvious, and not-so-obvious standouts.  The judges are beginning to bore me!!  We need someone like Simon.  It should not fall to Randy every time to be the bad guy.  I don't expect J-Lo to criticize but I sure thought Steven Tyler would be a little more honest.  Maybe as the competition goes on, they will express how they really feel.

Lauren Alaina, “Any Man of Mine.”  She does Reba a lot better than Shania. She didn't do anything for me this time.

*Casey Abrams, "With A Little Help From My Friends"  I liked him!  One star from me.  

Ashthon Jones, “When You Tell Me That You Love Me.” Did Wildcard Ashthon do anything to reverse the fact that she didn’t make America’s cut last week? Not in my opinion. I liked her at one time, but I’m losing interest. It was all just OK. Even Steven was bored with her.


**Paul McDonald, “Come Pick Me Up.” Paul is shaping up to be my favorite.  I wasn't familiar with the song that he sang but I loved it and his performance!  Two stars from me.  He’s definitely fun to watch and listen to. His voice is incredibly unique. And those moves.  He’s a weird one. But good weird. 

*Pia Toscano, “All By Myself.” After last week’s performance, Pia had a  lot to live up to.  She did good with Celine Dion's song which is a tough one.  She brought a lot of power.  One Star!


***James Durbin, “Maybe I’m Amazed.”  His performance tonight was the best. From that soft and crystal-clear start to his powerful and James-esque range, he showed his versatility. He proved that he’s not going to scream at us every week.   Very well done. 

*Haley Reinhart, “Blue.”  She pulled off some Patsy Cline and Lee Ann Rimes business tonight. She was twanging and yodeling. Very nice. I’m not sure why Randy Jackson was being a jerk when he judged her. I thought he was way off.


*Jacob Lusk, "I Believe I Can Fly"  I liked his performance.


Thia Megia, “Smile.” Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.  She doesn’t seem to have much charisma. Maybe it’s nerves.  The song just kind of happened then it was over. Nothing fancy. Nothing fun. Nothing that even showed what she’s capable of. 
 
*Stefano Langone, “Lately.” Our second Wildcard pick of the night proved he deserved to be there. His energy was refreshing. His stage presence is spot on. Great tone. And he did a dance mix version of that song.  

Karen Rodriguez, “I Could Fall in Love.” Oh Karen. If you’ve been singing Selena all your life, then why did it sound so bad tonight?  She brought nothing new to the song despite her saying she was going to. It was  bad.  

*Scotty McCreery, “The River.” I knew he'd do Garth!!  I was expecting more from Scotty. I like him a lot but I didn’t hear anything special tonight. It just felt like he was holding back too much. The judges liked it - I was afraid they wouldn't.



*Naima Adedapo, “Umbrella.” A wildcard pick in the last spot? Wow.  She was good.  I  liked the rap and reggae she did, but overall, I think the production and her dance moves were better than her singing. 

My picks for bottom three:  Karen, Ashthon, Thia
Probably Karen going home

What say you?

More Sweet Summer

As promised, I am sharing the rest of the cards I made over the weekend using Sweet Summer.  I now want to make a little coordinating card box to put these in.

• Pattern Paper –  Poppy Parade In Color stack (pg 175), Whisper White
• Stamps –  Sweet Summer (SAB); Make It Count (retired)
• Color Mediums –  markers
• Embellishments –  Bling with imaginisce tool
• Tools –  Martha Scallop Punch

• Pattern Paper –   Concord Grape DSP, Whisper White, Concord Grape
• Stamps –  Sweet Summer
• Color Mediums – markers
• Embellishments –  Concord Grape ribbon

Here is a close-up of the flowers that are popped up:

• Pattern Paper –  Melon Mambo, Ice Cream Parlor DSP (SAB), Whisper White
• Stamps –  Sweet Summer (SAB)
• Color Mediums –  markers
• Embellishments –  Bling with imaginisce tool; Green ribbon
• Tools –  Nestibilities scallop; SU Wallpaper embossing die

Which is your favorite????

Gallagher

We went with some friends last night to see the comedian, Gallagher.  He was performing at the Galway Hooker in Cornelius which is one of our favorite restaurants in the area.  I have never seen Gallagher perform live but used to watch him back in the 80s on tv. His shows were always filled with long monologues of social commentaries, but he gained attention for his surreal, incongruous props - a giant couch-shaped trampoline, an oversized Big Wheel bike, and of course, the Sledge-O-Matic. He was always so funny and at the end of his acts, he would always smash a watermelon with a mallet spraying it all over the first few rows of the audience.  We were a little concerned last night because The Comedy Zone at Galway is pretty small.  But, it was ok - he didn't smash a watermelon.  Although I think he may have earlier in the week when he performed in Charlotte.  Gallagher has definitely gotten OLD!!  He's now 64 and makes fun of the aging process.  Sonny and I could relate to a lot of his observations!!  His comedy is probably not for everyone - he makes fun of gays and blacks a lot.  But, if you can overlook that, you will laugh at him.  We had a great time.

I've been on a spree making cards lately.  Sunday I concentrated on one of the stamp sets in the Sale-a-bration catalog, Sweet Summer and made several different cards in the in-colors.  I will share a couple with you now and show the other ones tomorrow.

For this card, I used the In-Color Patterns Designer Pack (pg 175) - Blushing Bride.  Since it is double-sided, I used the stripe side for the top and the pattern side for the bottom of the card.  The green "happy birthday" strip, I created in My Digital Studio but you could also easily do it with any word processing program.  I stamped the flourish from Sweet Summer on the striped paper and used markers to color it.  I stamped the leaves on a white 1 1/4" circle that I layered onto 1 3/8 pink circle.  I stamped the flowers, colored them with markers and cut them out.  It's hard to see but I dotted each middle with a Pearl Pen.  I wish I could tell you where the sentiment came from, but I don't remember!!  I put some bling on either side of the sentiment and "poofed" it up in the middle.

Again, I used the In-Color pack but this time it's Peach Parfait.  I used the Dotted Swiss embossing folder on the white card.  I cut the scallop pieces - Peach and Pear - with my Nestabilities.  I stamped the flourish from Sweet Summer directly on the striped paper.  I stamped the leaves on Pear Pizazz and cut them out.  I stamped the flower onto Peach Parfait, colored it with markers and punched it out with the 1" circle punch.  I added a little bling to the flower and a piece of Peach Parfait ribbon to the bottom.

Baby Blossoms Monday Mailer

I wasn't so sure about this stamp set at first but after seeing all the pretty cards different people had made with it, I changed my mind.  Plus, it is a 2-step stamping technique set.  SU's two-step stamping is what attracted me to the company in the first place.  I love that technique.  There are several sets in the SU catalog that feature this technique.  They are noted in the catalog by this symbol:

The way two-step stamping works is that you stamp the first image in your lightest color.  Then you stamp the second image on top of the first image in a darker coordinating color.  For the Baby Blossoms stamp set, there are a lot of small images.  I ordered the clear set (less expensive plus better for space purposes!) and after putting the set together, I kept the rubber piece that you punch from and put my stamps back in the holes.  That way, I can tell at a glance if I am missing one of them and it is easier to find the stamp that I need.  

I also made a "cheat sheet" for stamping the images.  This is helpful to see which stamps go together.  Here is a close up picture of it.

 

Of course, a lot of these pieces can be interchanged to be used with each other - like the different size leaves, etc. but this is a good guideline if you need it.

So, on to the card I made with this set.

Doesn't this look like springtime???  I just love the colors - Baja Blue, Regal Rose, Old Olive and So Saffron.  The card base is Sahara Sand and the "white" piece that I stamped on is Confetti White.

I just learned how to make those ribbon rosettes too and was so excited that my first one actually turned out!

You need 10" piece of Seam Binding Ribbon (satin will probably work too), 1" circle punch, sticky tape, Crop a Dile.

Here is what I did:  punch a 1" circle from Baja Blue cardstock and a 1" circle from SU's sticky pages (or you can use red-line tape instead).  Cover the Baja Blue cs with the sticky circle (this will be the front side.)   Leave the protective cover on the sticky circle for now.  Punch a small hole in the middle of the circle with your Crop-a-dile and then cut a slit from the middle circle to the edge of the circle (just one side).  Put a piece of red-line tape on the opposite side of your slit.  Now, feed your 10" piece of seam binding ribbon up from the FRONT of the circle and stick the end down to the tape you put opposite of the slit (back side of circle).  Now, on the other end of the ribbon, cut it into a point so that you can grab 2-3 threads and pull them, gathering the ribbon.  Work your gathering down through the whole ribbon until you have about 8" length of ribbon.  Now, take the protective cover off the circle and begin rotating the circle while you stick down your gathered ribbon, creating a flower.  When you get to the end, pull your end piece around to the back and tape it down with red-line tape.   Voila!  You should have a rosette!

For those of you who do better with seeing the project, there is a video tutorial,  HERE.

This is my first Monday Mailer to Brenda.  Hope she likes it!!

I still have not been able to skype with Ashley but at least I am reassured that she is ok.  Her internet has been down in her building since last Friday.  She was able to send me an e-mail at the clinic although she cannot access her personal e-mail there.  I'm sure she knew I was worried.  She hopes it will be working later today and we can talk.  She has been really busy since she is the only doctor on site now.  The other docs are relieving people on leave at other bases.  She told me that the weather has been bad there for a few days.  I thought this was interesting - "The weather has been crappy the past couple of days...last night and this morning it is actually raining mud which is really disgusting.  After walking home with a to-go plate last night, the top of the white styrofoam was covered with orange colored rain drops...The sky in front of the aid station this morning was bright orange which was pretty cool although I guess it was actually mud containing rain clouds."  So I guess we can be thankful for the weather we have here in the states!!

John 3-16

Last week a friend asked me to make a card for her.  She wanted it to have a church and the Bible verse John 3-16 on the card.  Well, I don't have a church stamp and couldn't find one online that I liked.  So she told me to go ahead and just make something pretty.  I am really thrilled with the card that I made for her.  I found the stamp online - it is a digital image.  I just love that I can do a search, find an image that I like, purchase it ($3), print it out and voila - make a stunning card with it!  You can also do that with Stampin' Up's My Digital Studio images.

The card base is Concord Crush.  The DSP is retired from SU (Bride) that I just love.  It is white paper that I sponged Concord Crush onto it and the white swirls pop.  I used various markers for the flowers and a tad of Stickles to make them sparkle.  I cut the image out and popped it up on Nestabilities Label Six.  The label and the book pages were sponged slightly with Soft Suede.  I used a Martha lacy punch for the vanilla cardstock at the bottom..

I even prettied up the inside of the card!

I hope you had a good weekend.  I took my mom shopping on Friday.  I picked her up at 10:30 Friday a.m. and I didn't return home until almost 6 pm!  Whew!!  We had a nice day and I didn't buy too much - got a jacket, shirt and Coldwater Creek jean capris - all for $30!!  Not bad, huh?  We went to lunch and on the way home, we stopped off at Kohl's.  Mom was looking for a spring purse but they didn't have a lot of them so she settled for a real pretty black and white floral bag.  I also got a couple of pairs of earrings and a necklace.  

Yesterday was supposed to be rainy and I had already decided I was going to make some cards.  I have an order for a few cards so I made great headway with them.  Plus, I need to get my club cards made.  Anyway, it didn't start raining until last night but I card-ed anyway and made about 6 cards.  Today was rainy all day and cold again!  Our yard looks like a swimming pool from all the rain.  

I have not talked to Ashley since last Thursday.  We usually "skype" every day or two.  She has not been on-line and I am freaking out a bit.  Hopefully, it is nothing and I will skype with her tomorrow.

Final Feb Monday Mailers

I am going to be sad not to receive Monday Mailers from Beth Fox any more.  She sent me some wonderful cards!  The card she sent me this week uses my favorite color combo - pink, green, blue.  I'll be CASE'ing it soon - maybe even for my club this month.

 

Beth sent me a note telling me her 7 year old daughter added the bling on the photo corners while she wasn't looking!  A future stamper in the making!  The stampset is the single stamp - Elizabeth

 

 This is the card I sent to Beth.  I love these colors together (Daffodil Delight, Pacific Point and Poppy Parade ribbon).  I stamped the image from Bliss in white on the blue and embossed it.  The bird is stamped in Pacific Point on white paper.  I used the Beveled Windowpanes to frame the bird.  The Daffodil piece is scallop punched and embossed with Elegant Lines die and the Big Shot.

I got a big shipment this week and I have to share the boxes Stampin' Up is using for Sale-a-bration!  

 

Going to the Birds

I made a couple of cards last night while watching TV.  One of the stamp sets I picked up locally last week and the other one is a Stampin' Up set that belongs to Ashley.  It is one of the stamps that you can get FREE during Saleabration!!

I bought a card making magazine this week at M's that I have been wanting and used it tonight for my color choices.  I usually pick my colors with SU's Color Coach which I love!!  But decided to try something different tonight.  Picking my colors is what usually takes me the longest time in making cards!!

The magazine along with my two bird cards

 

 I just realized that I haven't stamped the chain for the birdcage in the center!  Glad I saw it.  The colors I used for this card are mostly retired SU - Brilliant Blue, Cool Caribbean and Chocolate Chip & Certainly Celery (not ret'd). I also used the Modern Label Punch.

This card also uses some retired colors - Brilliant Blue, Gable Green, and YoYo Yellow.  It's funny - I hardly used these colors when they were part of our color family and now I am drawn to them.  Aren't these little birdies cute?  The stamp set is Happy Together.

I'm taking my mom shopping today and out to lunch.  Keep your fingers crossed that I don't buy too much!  We are going to a place in China Grove that has overstocks and that type of deals.  They only open a few times a year with some pretty good buys.  I have only been once before and ended up spending more that mom and I didn't even want to go!!  I did get a pair of black jeans from Coldwater Creek for a steal.  I would love to find another deal like that.  Last time there was also a shoe warehouse open for a limited time across the street and of course, I had to buy a pair of suede boots!