Stamping Queens Sketch Challenge #5

This week I have another fun sketch for the Stamping Queens sketch challenge and I did my card using supplies and not MDS this time.  I looked at my stamp sets to pick out a set I had not used in a while and also to use one that the other "queens" weren't using either.  I found Take A Spin (pg. 58) and decided to give it a spin (pun intended!)  I also used some DSP that I have not used in a while either.

Sketch #5

 


Stampin' Up supplies used:

Paper:  Marina Mist, Very Vanilla, River Rock, Paisley Petals DSP

Ink:  Rich Razzleberry

Stamp:  Take A Spin

Accessories:  Designer Buttons, Twine, Game Spinners

Here's a link to the Stamping Queen's Blog.    Grab your stamps and try the sketch for yourself!  We vote for the cards that are submitted to the blog at the end of the week .... you could be a winner!  Here are the rules if you want to submit your card sketch:

•You may flip or rotate the sketch, change or replace the shapes, but  make sure the general layout is recognizable.

•Share a direct link to your creation  using the InLinkz feature at the end of the post. If InLinkz is down, please add a link with your comment.

•When uploading to online galleries (like Splitcoast, etc.), please use keyword SQSC5.

•If you'd like to be considered as one of our spotlight cards, please be sure to link your project by the deadline.

SU Top Ten Tools 2011

I'm excited to announce that Creating Keepsakes magazine has named Stampin' Up!'s wood- and clear-mount rubber stamps as one of its Top 10 Tools for 2011!


While Stampin' Up! has long been recognized in the stamping and crafting industry for producing high-quality rubber stamps and exclusive images in a variety of artistic styles, being recognized by Creating Keepsakes is just another validation that when you choose Stampin' Up! products, you are choosing the best!

Final Swap Share

The last of my Mini Catalog swaps:
 

I love this one!  It uses the new stocking die and the Big Shot.

 

This is one of my favorites!  It uses the DSP Frostwood Lodge and the Stocking punch and stamp set.

Always Thankful  - a good set if you enjoy watercoloring.

You Are Loved stamp set (pg 40)

Isn't this pretty?  It is Comfort & Joy and is embossed on vellum.

 I have got to get back in my groove!  I actually made a card today for a friend's birthday - a little belated BUT I fogot to take a picture.  I got a box today from Mr Brown full of goodies from the mini catalog.  Can't wait to make a few cards and share them with you.  But first, I have a major clean-up to do in my room.  It looks like a tornado hit!

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jog

Well, we finally made it back home.  We left the Mobile, Ala. area around 10 CST Friday morning and rolled in to our driveway a little after 10 EST. Didn't even stop for dinner!!  Not my idea .... I suggested stopping in Greenville, SC for the night but since that was only a little more than 2 hours away from home, Sonny wanted to keep going and sleep in his own bed.  I must say, our bed did feel good!!  The worst part of the trip was that we hit Atlanta at 5:15 so it took us over an hour just to make it through Atlanta traffic.    Yesterday was spent just unpacking and getting caught up on mail, e-mail, phone calls, etc.  Today we headed out to Big Al's to watch the Steelers dominate the Seattle Seahawks.  After last week's devastating game, today's shut-out was quite a victory.  And to make it even better, we watched the Baltimore Ravens get defeated by Tennessee.  (Baltimore clobbered us last week so it was sweet revenge!)

Now I am in the process of getting ready for my stamp clubs Tuesday and Thursday.  I'll be sharing those cards soon.  In the meantime, here a more of the swaps I received.

I can't imagine doing all this cutting for a swap!!  A lot of work. 

This is the card closed.

More Mini Swaps

I retook (is that a word?) the pictures of the card swaps and this time got them to load.  So .... I've got more swaps to share with you from the mini catalog.  (Happy, Margaret?) 

I can't tell you all the stamps that are used in each card because I don't have my catalog with me.  I just tried to download it but it is too slow with the hotel internet connection.  But, I'm sure you have your mini and can tell which set was used!

This one uses Pumpkin Pie, Black (embossed with spider web folder) and glossy white.  The white circle is embossed with the single stamp (Haunted Forest) from the back of the mini catalog.  This is a great way to get a Halloween stamp if you don't need a whole Halloween set.

This is the single Halloween set again with the Halloween DSP.  It is stamped and embossed with black onto Vellum.

Another card with the single stamp .... how versatile this stamp is!  This time the Pumpkin Pie piece is torn into a shape and the Happy Halloween is stamped onto white and torn.  Love the bling on the "o" in Halloween!

A Thanksgiving card this time!   It looks like the rectangle panel was stamped with bleach

We left New Orleans this morning after having our beignets and cafe au lait at Cafe DuMonde - oh so good!!  We only drove a couple of hours to Biloxi and stopped at a casino there.  It's been a long time since we have done that - the economy has not permitted it mostly!!  But, we both did ok in just a couple of hours.  We didn't break the bank, but I sat down at the Black Jack table with $60 and walked away with $90 and Sonny came away making $50 more than he started with.  Not bad for two hours time!!  Our plans were to drive on to Mobile and spend the night.  When we got close to Mobile, we took a little detour toward Dauphine Island thinking maybe we'd find a place to stay near the water.  While the island was picturesque, there weren't any hotels (that we saw).  But then we saw a toll ferry that would take us to Gulf Shores.  That is where I wanted to go anyway.  When our children were pretty little, we took a very memorable vacation there with my sister and her family.  So, we got in line for the 6:30 ferry.  Around 6:10, they informed us the winds had picked up too much and they were canceling the ferry!  So, it was back to Mobile to find a hotel.  After our dinner, we came back to our room to relax.  Well, Sonny did walk over to a bar next door but quickly came back since they were having "open mic night."  This is what he is doing while listening to O'Reilly:





On the Road to Home

We're on the road headed back to North Carolina.  Ashley had to report to work at Ft. Hood on Tuesday so we said our good byes.  Sonny and I stayed an extra day to finish up some work around her place.  Well, actually, Sonny did the work.  I layed out by the pool sunning and being lazy!!  It felt good not having to do anything or be anywhere for a change!   We had our final Mexican dinner on Tuesday night at Tomatillo's.  We spent last night in New Orleans.  Man, is it hot & humid here!!  We got in around 7 pm and walked over to Mulate's for dinner.  We were both dripping when we got there.  I have eaten so much on this trip!  And last night was no exception.  Actually all I ordered was 2 appetizers thinking I'd save room for dessert.  I couldn't even finish my appetizers but ordered the bread pudding anyway.  Couldn't do it .... left half of it on the table!  After that, we needed a good long walk which is what we had.  We walked over to the French Quarter and down Bourbon Street.  We were both pretty disappointed as to what it has become.  It has always been loud and crazy.  But we both thought a lot of changes had happened and not in a good way.  A lot of the little bars seem to have given way to other types of establishments that are not appealing.  Let's put it this way - their advertisement on the building is "whiskey and tiddies".  Not my type of place!!   This may be our last visit to Bourbon Street!!  It was too far a walk to our favorite hang out - Jean Lafitte's so we wandered back down Royal Street looking in the windows at the antique stores and stopping for a glass of wine at a Oyster Bar.  By the time we made it back to our hotel, we had probably walked a couple of miles and you could have rung our clothes out!  This morning, we are looking forward to going to Cafe du Monde for beignets!!  Yumm (although I am still full from dinner)!  Then we are going to drive on - hopefully stopping at Mobile or somewhere on the coast for some salt, sand and seafood.

After giving Ashley's hibiscus plant water last week, it produced some beautiful blooms.  It had the most I have seen when we left - about 8-10 blooms.

The zydeco band that was playing at Mulate's while we dined.

Stamping Queen's Sketch Challenge #4

It's time for another Stampin' Queens Sketch Challenge.  Again, I have done my card using My Digital Studio.  It is so great to have this program so when I don't have the supplies, etc. to do a real card, I can just create one using MDS!!

Here is the sketch for this week:

Lots of layers this week.  Here is my take on it:

Make sure you visit the Stampin' Queens Sketch Blog to check out what the other Queens did for the sketch.  There are some great cards there this week!! 

Why not make your own card using this sketch and send it in.  You might be a winner!!

Still in Texas

I was going to share a few more of my swap cards with you today but for some reason, they won't download onto my blog,.  I keep getting a "server rejected" error so don't know what the problem is.  Guess I'll have to wait until I'm back home.

We are still in Texas.  But the good news is we have air conditioning!  Although truthfully, Ashley and I both agreed that we were cooler when we just had the fans blowing on us at night.  Her bedroom is pretty big and it only has one A/C vent.  The bathroom and walk in closet were add-ons to the house and they do not have vents.  So the A/C is really working hard to cover that whole area with just one vent.  Sonny is still sleeping on the couch!  He said it is comfortable and cool so he is staying there!!  Ashley left today to go back to work at Ft. Hood so we said our good-byes.  There were a few things Sonny still wanted to do around the house, so we are staying tonight (and having one more Mexican meal) and headed out in the morning.  I am hoping that we will spend a day in New Orleans along the way!!

Yesterday was the first day we had that we didn't have to do anything!!  It was so nice to just sit around and not have anywhere to go or anything I had to do.  Sonny and Ashley worked in the yard and supervised (!) the A/C guy while I read my book and sat in the pool all day!  Last night we went to dinner at my favorite San Antonio restaurant, Josephines .... yumm - delicious T-bone steak, onion rings,and  potatoes at a very reasonable price!!

I am ready to leave though and start making preparations at home for Stamp Club and Quarterly which will be here before I know it!  I will miss Ashley though but I am happy knowing she is in the US & I can call her whenever I want to or get on a plane and come for a visit when I want to.  We'll see her again when she comes for a visit Thanksgiving.

Mini Swaps

I actually have a few cards to share with you today!  I participated in a Mini Catalog Swap and had the cards mailed to me here in San Antonio.  They arrived Saturday and I have taken pictures so I could share!  I haven't ordered any goodies from the mini catalog yet and after seeing all these great ideas, I am ready to order, order, order!

This one uses Christmas Lodge stamp set (pg 29) in Pear Pizazz.  There is also a bit of  the new Dazzling Details on the roof of the lodge.  The bottom portion uses the new Snow Burst embossing folder.

I can't wait to order these stockings!  This stamp is the Stitched Stocking punched out with the new Builder Punch (pg 34).  The colors are Lucky Limeade, Cherry Cobbler and Silver.  There is a cute little jingle bell hanging off the stocking.  You can purchase then from the mini too (pg 30).

This fall card uses the Gently Falling set (pg 16-17) with Concord Crush, Cajun Craze, and Garden Green.  Love the ribbon!!

Another card using Gently Falling - this is a very popular stamp set!  The colors used on this one are Cajun Craze, Very Vanilla, More Mustard and Early Espresso.  She also used the Houdstooth embossing folder (inking it).

This card uses Festive & Fun, a very versatile holiday set as well as Every Little Bit stamp set.  The colors on this one are Tangerine Tango, So Saffron, Concorde Crush and the In Patterns DSP.  Such an easy card to make but a great one!

Now I have to make my list!

Where Were You?

Who doesn’t remember where they were when they heard America was under attack? Or when they first saw the footage of the planes flying into the twin towers? We were shocked, confused, vulnerable, and eventually angry. No longer isolated to other parts of the world, terrorism brought itself to our front door. As a nation, we were changed. In the face of such an atrocious act of violence our core beliefs are challenged in ways we perhaps never imagined.

I was living in Grapevine, Texas at the time of the attacks.  I don't usually turn on the TV in the morning when I am getting ready to go somewhere but for some reason I had turned it on that morning as I was getting dressed.  I didn't realize at the time how horrific an attack it was.  I was headed out to meet friends for coffee.  What a somber time as we all watched the news on TV at the coffee shop and were all calling our family and friends around the world.  I immediately got on the phone to call my family.  Ashley was in medical school in San Antonio and Jeff was in Georgia at an Army base.  He had just graduated from West Point in May.  They were both safe but oh how I wished I could hold them at that moment.  I ended up going back home to be with Sonny and could not stop watching the news reports for weeks. 

How has 9/11 changed you?  Think of all the things in our lives that have changed since the attack - for me, both my children had to go to Iraq and be a part of a war that it seems will never end.  Also, think of the hassel we all have to deal with now when we want to travel.  I found this video andthought it was really good.  I hope you will enjoy it as well.

I also made a card in remembrance of that day using My Digital Studio.