Happy Easter

The story of Easter is the story of God's wonderful window of divine surprise.  ~Carl Knudsen

I hope you have a joyous Easter and enjoy the day with loved ones.  My mom and sister will be coming to my house to enjoy an Easter lunch.  My brother in law arrived yesterday from Texas so we will be celebrating the day with family.   I'm hoping we will be able to get  in touch with Ashley via Skype to complete our day!  Sonny and Jack will leave after lunch for their fishing trip to South Carolina.  Let's hope they come back with a bunch of fish!! 

Quarterly Punch Swaps

A new swap that we did this time at Quarterly was a Punch Swap.  I hope we do it again so I can add to my collection.   They turned out so cute.  I don't do many punch critters because when I finish making one of them, my desk is littered with almost every punch I own!  But ... it's great to know all the different uses of a punch.

Heart Punch

PUNCHES:  Owl; 1" Circle; Bird; Blossom Petals

PUNCHES:  Oval; 1 3/8" Circle; Itty Bitty Punch; Cupcake

PUNCHES:  Small & Large Oval; Word Window; 1 1/4" Square

This one is mine!  PUNCHES:  Ornament; Circles Punches (see sizes above); BoHo Blossoms; Heart to Heart; Bird

Bird Punch

PUNCHES:  Scallop Circle; Circles (see sizes above); Small Oval; BoHo Blossoms; Bird

PUNCHES:  Heart; Small Oval; Wide Oval;  Blossom; 3/4" Circle; 1/2" Circle; Heart to Heart

 Aren't they so cute???

American Idol Top 7 2011

Down to 7 tonight.  The contestants were singing songs from the 21st Century .... interesting theme!

SCOTTY - Scotty really sang a 1983 song by John Anderson but was able to pass it off as a 21st Century song because Leann Rimes sang  it. Was that a clever move or a deceptive way to dodge the theme?  I hope he is not in trouble this week.  I love Scotty and I guess since my favorite, Paul got voted off last week, I'm pulling for Scotty.  But I hate the song he sang - "Swinging" and maybe that's why I didn't like his performance tonight.  I think he is being too safe especially this late in the game.  Not that it wasn’t fun, and I like how he showcased the range of his voice, but it’s time to take it up a notch. The competition is getting heavy, and I think Scotty is getting too comfy in his spot on the couch. I hope he’s not in the bottom 3 tonight.   He needs to take more risks and go out on a limb with his vocals.

JAMES - He sang "Uprising" by Muse.  Not only have I never heard of the song but I also have never heard of the group!  Am I showing my age?  Probably so!  I hated it but according to the judges, I am in the minority!  They LOVED it!!  Underneath all the screaming and crazy heavy metal stuff he does, he has a beautiful voice. We really got a glimpse of that during the first half of the song.  I just wish he'd do another type of song.  I enjoy rock and roll but the heavy metal stuff grates on my ears.  Whereas Scotty only seems to do country, can James only do screaming metal?

HALEY - "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele ....

I have to confess my ignorance again, so I went to Google to find out who ADELE is and why I should know this song. Evidently (for the rest of you who live under my rock) she’s an English singer/songwriter who won two Grammys in 2009. It’s a great fit for her voice, and I have to admit that I actually really enjoyed it.  Haley's growing on me.  She's getting better every week.

JACOB - "Dance with my Father" by Luther Vandross    Jacob has the chops for this song.  He actually brought tears to my eyes with his rendition.  I lost my step-father and my father and I still miss them both so I know how he feels.  There was a glitch at the beginning but he did a good job of recovering.  Luther Vandross passed away in 2005, and this song was on his last album which was released in 2003.  It’s hard to separate the emotion of the song from the performance, but I thought he did a good job although he struggled for composure in parts.

CASEY - "Harder to Breathe" by Maroon 5  OK - I like Maroon 5 but this was WEIRD .... again!  How many times is he going to get away with singing these weird-o songs??  The faces he makes along with his movements ... I just don't get it!  Well, the audience loved it and of course, the judges or maybe it was just the kiss he gave Jo-Lo at the end.  He definitely gets more than his share of time with the judges each week.  No matter what Casey sings, he ALWAYS makes it his own. 

STEFANO - "Closer" by Ne-Yo   Another song I didn't know.  I’m just going to put on my grannie panties and call it a day. Well, there weren't too many words to that song so it gave him plenty of time to dance around the stage.  Even though I don’t know the song, I actually kind of enjoyed this performance. If nothing else, he showed his vocal range and sang a song with a modern vibe to it.  Not bad.

LAUREN - "Born to Fly" by Sara Evans  I like this song and she did a pretty good job with it - not great but good.  Jimmie told her she needed to quit holding back and give it her all. She is intimidated by the competition and admits as much.  She has SO much potential, but I can’t help but think that she’d have been better off waiting a year or two for her American Idol debut. She’s just so young. 

As usual, the judges didn't give much constructive criticism.  In their opinion, everyone was great!  They beat up on Lauren a bit but it was good constructive criticism and they were trying to pump her up.

It's hard to predict who will be in the bottom 3 this week.  My guess is:  Stefano, Casey and Lauren but it could be Haley just because she always is!   Probably going home:  Stefano just because it's his turn

Quarterly Swaps

The Quarterly swaps were, as usual, inspirational!  I always come away from Quarterly with so many good ideas.  This time was no exception.

Here are the cards I received in the Spring Swap:  A lot of them use items from the upcoming Summer Mini Catalog so you are getting a Sneak Peek!!  (I've identified the creator if I know them - a lot don't sign their work!!)

Travel Log stamp (Summer)  By Jeria

Dogwoods

The Open Sea stamp plus Nautical DSP - summer mini (by Janie)

Bold Blossom stamp (summer mini) 

Flower Garden Embossing Folder (summer) plus Beyond the Garden DSP (no name but I think it was Danielle's)

Strength & Hope (summer mini) by Tina

Bold Blossom (summer) 

New Triple Layer Blossom Punch (Nicole)

Easter Blossoms (Martinette, I think)

Sew Suite (Alana)

by Becky

I'm off tomorrow to meet an old high school friend for lunch.  We are going to meet at 131 Main Restaurant in Cornelius.  I'm looking forward to seeing Judy.  In the 5 years I've lived here, we've only gotten together twice.  That's pretty bad!  She just lives in Charlotte but she has 5 kids and several grandchildren and still works.  So, her time is pretty tied up.  We have known each other since 4th grade!!

Stampin' Up Promotions

Stampin' Up is offering several promotional deals at this time.  Since I was out of town, I've not been able to let you know about all the things going on with Stampin' Up.

SPRING IS BLOSSOMING! 
April only! Spend $20 on Stampin' Up! products and qualify to pre-order two new products from the Stampin' Up! 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalog.  For details, click HERE.  Take my word for it ... the DSP is gorgeous!!  See the samples below using the Four Frames stamp set.

GRAB BAGS:  While supplies last, you will be able to purchase special "grab bags" in the Online Store. These grab bags will come in three sizes: the $5, the $10, and the $15 grab bag. Each bag will contain a variety of discontinued products that could include a combination of any of the following: ribbons, Accents and Elements, chipboard, Designer Series Papers, and Simply Sent kit components. Grab bags will not contain stamp sets or tools.  This promotion has proved so popular that all the original $15 grab bags sold out.  But SU is kitting together $10 and $5 grab bags together for the $15 grab bags.

•Grab bag orders can only be placed in the Online Store.

•There is no minimum purchase required to participate in the grab bag special offer.
•There is no limit to the number of grab bags a customer may purchase; however, grab bag items are only available while supplies last.
•All grab bag sales are final. There are no refunds or exchanges.
•Not all grab bags will be unique.
•You should use the following item numbers when ordering grab bags:

125873 - $5 Grab Bag (containing at least $20 worth of products!)
125874 - $10 Grab Bag (containing at least $40 worth of products!)
125875 - $15 Grab Bag (containing at least $60 worth of products!)

My friend, Margaret, recently ordered one of these GRAB BAGS and it contained a lot of goodies in it.  She was very excited about her bargain.

CLEARANCE ITEMS: On-line shopping only - Click HERE and click CLEARANCE on the left side.  Then on the right side where it say's "SHOW" click "ALL" to see all the products at once.


THE STAMPIN' UP! SUMMER MINI CATALOG STARTS MAY 1!  If you are one of my customers, you will be receiving a copy of the catalog in the mail.  In the meantime, if you have your eye on something in the Occasions Mini Catalog, you better order it now before it is gone (April 30).

MY DIGITAL STUDIO - Check out the new Stampin' Up! MDS catalog and stay on top of the latest My Digital Studio updates!  Every month new downloads are added for purchase with no shipping and very inexpensive.  Choose from a variety of exclusive artwork and styles to order and download in minutes!

Spring SU Quarterly

I am getting tired of unpacking - gonna stay home for a while!!

Got back from Quarterly last night.  We had some scary weather in the part of the state I was in.  Our Quarterly got cut a little bit short when there were reports of tornadoes in the area over by Ft. Bragg and we lost electricity at the school where we were meeting.  A lot of the gals went to Becky and Danielle's homes to wait it out before going back to finish the projects.  Not me though!  It was already 4 pm and Sonny was waiting in the parking lot patiently.  He was such a good sport to drive me down there!  So, we got in the car and hauled a** home.  We both needed a potty break but everywhere we looked, the power was out as well as the traffic signals.  The sky looked bad and I was a little nervous - it seemed like we were driving into the storms.  I got a radio station from Raleigh and they were giving detailed weather reports.  Seems a tornado had gone through Raleigh and through Sanford.  I got the NC map out and tracked the counties  they were mentioning.  Luckily, we were traveling west and the storm was moving to the east.  The Weather Channel reported Saturday's tornado tracked across a 50-mile stretch.   A Severe Weather Expert  said that the record number of tornadoes in a year for the state of North Carolina is 67 and that was in 2004. As of 9 pm Saturday, there were 81 preliminary tornado reports setting a record.  Wow!!  Guess we won't forget this quarterly!  Here is a picture that says it all:

This is a neighborhood near Ft. Bragg in Fayetteville.  The flag got caught on the fallen tree.

OK - enough weather.  On to the fun stuff .... the sharing of the great projects!  These are the Shoebox Swaps that we did on Friday night.  Unfortunately, I can't give credit to all the wonderful ladies that created most of these cards because I'm not sure whose they are but I've tried to give credit where I know the designer.

New Four Frames stamp set

 This card uses Strength & Hope stamp set (from Summer Mini).  SU is donating $2 from each purchase of this set to Breast Cancer Research Foundation.  This card was designed by Pat Wilkinson.

Bold Blossom stamp set (Summer Mini)

Priceless stamp

cute little bunny box - holds 1 Hersey Kiss!

Inlaid Embossing technique - I goofed - the leaves are supposed to be embossed also!  Designed by Lynn Creech.

Land of the Free (Summer Mini)

The Open Sea (summer mini) by Janie Murphy

Sew Suite (Alana I think)

Flower pot is Ornament Punch / leaves and petals are from Bird Punch 

Using new 4 Frames set and Awash With Flowers - designed by ME

Easter Cards plus bummed about the Idol Results

Easter will be here before you know it.  Have you made all your Easter cards?  I decided today that I better get cracking and get mine made so I can get them in the mail.  There are a couple of cute little boys in Texas that I will be sending these cards to!

These are not Stampin' Up stamps but some other stamps that I bought locally last year.  I just think these bunnies are so cute!  I used my Copics to color them.  It felt good to just make some fun cards today!

I'm bummed!!  I just finished watching the results show for American Idol and Paul was voted off.  He was my favorite!!  He was an ultimate performer in my opinion.  But he closed the show with one of my favorite songs .... Maggie May!  Love me some Rod Stewart!

American Idol Top 8 2011

Well, I had a marathon American Idol watching party today!  I had taped all the Idol shows while I was gone.  But when I got back, I decided I wouldn't watch them.  Well, today I changed my mind.  I was busy working on my Quarterly projects, so I turned on the DVR and watched all the Idol's that I had missed while  crafting.  I thought that was the best way to "connect" with the contestants and see their growth.  Of course, I already knew about the eliminations and the save.  I was surprised that Pia got voted off.  I really thought it should have been Stefano.  It is really a tough year - they are all sooooo good!!  But, I think it will be a guy winning again this year - especially since there are only 2 girls left.  The guys are so much stronger in my opinion.  My favorites at this time are Paul, Scotty, Jacob, James and Casey ... well, guess that's about all the guys, huh???

The talent this year is unmatched compared to seasons past, that is undoubtable.  I remember years when contestants in the final three couldn’t even sing on pitch.  These guys are uber talented, and it is so much fun to watch them sing and grow. Plus it seems that they are getting better advice from the mentors. But the judging? Leaves something to be desired.

This week is Movie Week or “Songs of the Cinema” and the contestants are choosing songs from the movies, which, basically means anything’s fair game.  Here's my thoughts on tonight's performances -

PAUL - Old Time Rock and Roll -  I was not as blown away with this song as I was with his other performances.  I love his energy and stage presence but felt he could have done more with that song tonight.  I really expected to see him come out like Tom Cruise did in the movie, Risky Business - sliding across the floor.  I think Paul could be in danger tonight, but hopefully he won’t go home yet. I love how you never quite know what you’re going to get with him, and he’s always interesting.

LAUREN - The Climb - Miley?  Please!  Although I do like that song, I think she could have picked a better one.  She was ok but not great.  I could almost hear Simon saying, “I’m sorry, but that was a mess. An utter mess. No, really. When you watch it back you’ll see what I mean.” Can’t you hear that?  But alas, the judges had nary a negative word to say about it. I don’t get it. Are we listening to the same song? Lauren REALLY needs to take it up a notch. She looked cute though.

STEFANO - End of the Road -  Wow!  He did great - best he has done I think.  He pulled out all the stops tonight but is it too late for him or will he knock someone out of the competition this week?  

SCOTTY - Cross My Heart -  George Strait is one of my favorite singers so this song choice was great for me!  I just didn't think he did as well as he has done in the past.  He got lost under the backup singers a couple of times and even lost pitch at one time.  I wish he'd stayed with his first song choice (Everybody's Talking by Harry Nillson) and given his spin on that one.  Instead he stayed safe with a country song.  I didn’t think it did much to showcase his talents. I much prefer it when Scotty takes a non-country song and puts his Scotty spin on it.

CASEY - sings Nature Boy against other recommendations.  I think it was a mistake - it was just WEIRD!  I guess I just didn't "get it" like the judges did.   Although I will admit that this song shows his versatility as an artist and sets him apart from the others who are content to just sing whatever pop number they remember best from their childhood.

HALEY - Call Me - I disagreed with the judges on this one.  They praised all the other contestants but didn't care for Haley's performance.  I thought she was the best one except for Stefano tonight (so far).  She turned up the heat tonight and is getting better each week.

JACOB - He might have hurt himself after his comments last week. I love it when Jimmy says to Jacob, “Don’t preach to people.” Last week Jacob found himself in the bottom three after saying to America, “if I end up in the bottom three it won’t be because I sang the song bad . . . it will be because everybody in America wasn’t ready to look at themselves in the mirror.”   Really? I can’t believe America didn’t send him home after that.  He sang Bridge Over Troubled Waters - He has an incredible voice. I liked his performance but can't say that I loved it.

JAMES - Heavy Metal - Well, he definitely brought his energy to the stage tonight.  I just hope he didn't hurt his chances of America's vote with that song.  I guess he was good - I just don't care for that type of screaming "music".  That high note at the end was INSANE. in a good way though.

Simon, where are you when we need you???  I still find myself longing for Simon’s colorful commentary and his uncanny ability to cut to the chase, but Steven keeps me laughing so at least there’s that. Simon just has that innate ability to separate the men from the boys that I miss dreadfully. I’d do anything to hear one of his zingers right about now.  What is up with the judges….way too much love when it is not deserving.  They just don't give any constructive criticism.  Everyone is great according to them.

This is a hard one to predict as to who will be voted off - especially after the Pia vote last week.  I'm predicting it will probably be Haley even though I like her, she was the only one the judges criticized.  I'm guessing the bottom three will be Haley, Stefano and Lauren but that is clearly a guess!!  I could be wrong and it might be Casey down there.  Who knows???

March Monday Mailers

I received 3 beautiful Monday Mailers today.  These are for March.  Since I was out of town in March, Naomi waited until this week to send me all three cards at once.  They were definitely worth the wait!

This is my favorite one!  I will probably be CASE-ing this one for my stamp club soon. 

This one uses the stamp set, Always.  I love seeing how other people use stamp sets that I have overlooked in the catalog.

Great card using the darling Owl Punch!

Quarterly Rejects

I am going to a Quarterly NC Stampin' Up demonstrator meeting this weekend in Fayetteville.  These are always so much fun.  We have a Shoebox Swap on Friday night where each participant puts the ingredients for a card together in a shoebox.  Then each participant makes a card from each shoebox.  On Saturday we have several people who demonstrate various projects and techniques.  I love teaching others about card making so this is a fun part for me.  I will be doing one of the demonstrations.  We will be making the little Hand Sanitizer holders that I made at Christmas.  (I'll share it with you later this week.)  It is such a fun weekend visiting with friends from all over the state.  The past couple of years, Marianne has gone with me as my guest.  Unfortunately, she has a soccer tournament to attend this weekend so guess I'll be going solo.  I'm still trying to talk Sonny into driving down with me but not having too much luck!!  After being gone for 3 weeks, he is not eager to leave home again so soon.  Plus, he and his brother-in-law are planning a fishing trip the week after Easter.  

We do a lot of different kinds of swaps at Quarterly.  I signed up for a punch art swap, the shoebox swap and a spring/summer card swap - plus I have to get the project that I will be demo-ing cut out and prepared.  Monday I was getting a little worried.   I just could not come up with any good ideas for the card swaps and that clock kept ticking!  Here is one of my rejected ideas:

Card Recipe:

Cardstock:  Sahara Sand; Very Vanilla; Marina Mist; First Edition DSP (winter mini)

Accessories:  Marina Mist Ribbon; Big Shot; Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder; Circle Punches; Sponge Dauber; Distressing Tool

Stamp:  Friends Never Fade (pg 99 catalog)

Ink:  Marina Mist; Crumb Cake

Today though, I got my mojo back after I finally got out of bed!  I took a decongestant last night and just could not wake up this morning.  Once I got up, took my shower and ate some breakfast though, I was ready to go!  Here is the card I finally settled on for my Shoebox Swap.  It needs to be an easy card to make since we just have a few hours to do 19 cards plus visit and eat!!  

Card Recipe:

Cardstock:  Pink Pirouette; Whisper White; Melon Mambo

Access:  Big Shot; Finial Press Embossing Folder; Label Punch; Pearl

Stamps:  Awash With Flowers (pg 99, catalog); Four Frames (a sneak preview from Summer Mini); Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink:  Melon Mambo; Pink Pirouette; Peach Pizazz

So, what do you think?  Would you like to make this card????