Getaway pictures from Outer Banks

I just returned from a fun trip with my daughter, Ashley.  I drove to the Outer Banks last Thursday and Friday.  I spent Thursday night in Durham with one of Ashley's friends who was there for work and on Friday I finished the trip (with Claudia in the passenger seat!) and joined Ashley and another of her friends, Debi, in Kill Devil Hills.  We were there for the Alternate Routes Getaway Music Festival which was a lot of fun!  It was sweet of the girls to include an old lady like me and it made me feel young again (that I could hang till after midnight each night with them!)  The music was good and the weather was perfect!  The music started about 6 each night and different groups performed for about 1 1/2 hours each night.  Here are a few of my favorites.

He is with the band, Red Wanting Blue which I had heard when we visited Ashley in DC this summer.
Listen HERE for my favorite song of theirs.

Brendan James was my favorite .... and he is so cute!!

Guitarist for Alternate Routes

On Saturday, we took the wild horses tour and it was super.  I expected to see the horses on the beach but they were mostly off the beach and up where the houses were.  How would you like to have horses grazing in your back yard and going into your carport to leave a ton of poo!!  That's what they do!

Can you see her pregnant stomach?

Another fun thing we did was in Kitty Hawk.  I had read a book a few years ago by Nicholas Sparks, called Every Breath which had a mailbox in the story called Kindred Spirits.  This mailbox is in Sunset Beach, NC and was put there about 35 years ago as a place to stop and share stories.  There is a similar mailbox in Kitty Hawk called The Little Red Mailbox.  The goal for the mailbox is for anyone who comes to the beach to write a message of love and hope, or you can read the messages others have written ... which is what we did.  Inside the mailbox is a bound journal and a pen - an invitation to anyone who wants to share their thoughts.

We visited the Currituck Beach Lighthouse in Corolla before doing our horse tour.  We didn't climb to the top though.  I have been having knee problems a little bit and didn't want to chance it.  So instead we wandered around the grounds and in the gift shop.

Claudia, Debi, Ashley and me

View from our hotel balcony - not bad!

Hugs from Shelli

You know how I love the Paper Pumpkin kits.  Well, this one was designed by Shelli and is one of my favorites.

Christmas Trees in Plaids

I have started working on Christmas cards.  Do you realize two months from today it will be Christmas??!!!  Where does the time go?!  My theme with the cards today is Christmas trees as you can see. 

I love plaid and the the Wrapped In Plaid 6"x6" DSP is great!  The tree was stamped with Shaded Spruce ink using the Winter Woods stamp set and then die cut with the matching framelet.

This Christmas tree is die cut with the retired Pine die - again using Wrapped in Plaid DSP.

Another tree using the Wrapped In Plaid DSP.  I also used the Stitched Nested Labels and cut one end off.  

More Christmas trees!  The DSP in the background is retired.  I used the Wrapped In Plaid DSP to make the tree on the front.  I die cut different sized squares and then cut them in half to build the tree.

One more tree!  The tree and label are made with some non-Stampin' Up! paper I found in my stash.

Feels Like Frost

I highly recommend purchasing the stunning photo realistic Feels Like Frost 6x6 Designer Paper!  It is so beautiful.  I let this paper be the star of the show in the cards I made below.  The Stampin' Up! cardstock colors that coordinate with this paper is as follows:

Balmy Blue, Blushing Bride, Highland Heather, Night of Navy, Pretty Peacock, Purple Posy, Rococo Rose, Seaside Spray, Smoky Slate, Whisper White

So you have many options for cardstock and mats using Feels Like Frost!

Updated Blog & News!

Due to many requests, I have updated my blog!!  Hope you like it.  Plus, I'm sharing a few cards and Stampin' Up news with you today.

It's an exciting day!  Stampin' Up! has put a whole list of wonderful stamp sets on sale - 15% off!!  This rarely ever happens so this is a "not to miss" day.  My list continues to grow.  I will be putting in an order tonight so if you would like something, please use my Hostess Code JX9U9E44.

It's an exciting day!!  Stampin' Up! has put a whole list of wonderful stamp sets on sale - 15% off!!  This rarely ever happens so this is a "not to miss" day!  HERE is a link to the stamps that are included in this sale.

 ONLINE ORDER DEADLINE IS 11:50 MT TONIGHT!!

Here are two Christmas cards that I made using MAKING CHRISTMAS BRIGHT stamp set.  It is included in the sale today!!

This is one of my favorite cards!  The card base uses the Very Vanilla Thick Cardstock.  Next I layered a piece of Silver Foil paper and on top of that is a piece of Whisper White cardstock.  I stamped the circles and the sentiment with Versamark ink and embossed them with Silver Embossing Powder.  The bulbs and the sentiment are on Very Vanilla cardstock.  

Another favorite is this card which uses non-traditional Christmas colors.  I love the Blushing Bride, Mint Macaron and Crumb Cake together.

I've had several people inquire about Ashley and her move saga.  She is pretty well settled in her home in Maryland and loving it.  She has an offer on her condo in Hawaii and we have our fingers crossed that things will work out.  She had an inspection done last weekend and it turned out that there is not enough electricity amps getting into the condo.  BUT .... it is not her problem - it is Hawaii Electric's problem.  Last spring when I was visiting her, her neighbor was having problems and Hawaii Electric was working on fixing his electricity.  It turns out, it is a problem for the whole complex and will probably cost thousands to get it fixed!  She also has a back up offer so we are hoping one of them goes through SOON!!

Coffee Christmas

I decided to make some Christmas cards this weekend and used a retired stamp set and dies for the two cards I made. 

This one (above) is made using Cherry Cobbler and Shaded Spruce cardstock.  The stamp set is Merry Cafe (retired) with the Coffee framelits (retired).  The snowflakes are from Colorful Seasons.  Can you see how the card front is shorter than the back?  The coffee panel piece is hanging over the card front by about an inch over the Wrapped In Plaid 6" x 6" Designer stack (in Holiday Catalog.)  The Shaded Spruce cardstock is 4 1/4" x 9 3/4" and scored at 5 1/2".

This uses a piece of DSP that is layered on the Sahara Sand card base.  Sorry - I don't know what DSP pack it is from but I do know it is retired.  You could easily substitute any DSP you may have.  I wish I had sponged the edges of the DSP - think it would have made it pop.  The Seasons Greetings tag is from Tags Tags Tags which is in the Holiday catalog.

If you don't have the stamp sets or dies that I used, you could easily use the Cup of Christmas stamp set and the Cup of Cheer dies from the Holiday Catalog.  

Ashley finally got an offer on her Hawaii condo a couple of weeks ago but unfortunately, they backed out a week later.  BUT, she has gotten another offer last week which also has a contingency clause of selling their home.  We have our fingers crossed that the second offer will be the one and she won't have to make too many double mortgages!

Happy Harvest

I thought if I made some fall cards, we'd have some fall weather.  So far .... no.  It got to 91 degrees today.  We have broken a lot of records with our 90 degree days this month.

This card uses a lot retired items.  The leaves are from Vintage Leaves and the matching dies, Leaflets.  If you don't have these items, there is a great set in the current Holiday Catalog - Gather Together that would work great.  I stamped the leaves on Melon Mango cardstock with Cajun Craze and Pumpkin Pie ink.  After die cutting the leaves, I used the dauber and sponged the edges.  The banner and sentiment is from Country Home.

We went to visit Ashley this weekend and took my mom and Sammie, my cat.  When we took Sammie to Ashley's last month, she tolerated the drive.  This time ..... not so much!  She bit Sonny once - tried for a second time but get him.  Needless to say, he was ready to throw her out the window!  I think she was like that this time because she didn't have much room in the back seat with mom back there.  Plus, the traffic was horrendous (as usual) and it took us 8 hours!  As soon as we got to Ashley's, it was on to dinner.  Ashley had reservations for 6:30 at an Ethiopian restaurant with two of her friends.  Sonny did not go - which was a good thing.  Mom usually will eat anything but not so with Ethiopian food!  It wasn't my favorite either but I tried everything.  We stayed around the house this time.  With mom and her walker, that makes it much easier.  I did some yard work and Sonny did a few "fix it" projects.  Mom loved sitting on Ashley's porch in the rocking chair or on the swing in the back yard.

On Friday, we noticed some things going on with Sammie.  She threw up a couple of times and started peeing in mom's bed and Ashley's bed.  There was blood in her pee so we took her to see the vet on Saturday.  Sammie is like a wild cat at the vet's so they had a hard time examining her.   The vet feels like whatever is going on with her is caused by stress so I think this is the last time she goes on a trip with us!  She got a antibiotic shot and the vet gave me some Gabapentin to give her when we were ready to drive back to NC.  It took Ashley and I a while to get it in her but it did help with the drive back.  She was mellowed out!!

When we got home last night I had a call from a neighbor who told me there had been a shooting on my cul-de-sac.  There are only 3 houses on our street!  We missed all the action.  We think someone was attempting to break into the home.  When the wife and child arrived home, she thought something wasn't right and called her husband and 911.  Her husband arrived first and I am assuming he is the one who shot the burglar in the leg.

Well, it's almost time for some Steeler football.  My team has been terrible this year so far - haven't won a game!  I am hoping for a win tonight.

Stampin' Up Specials

I just want to give you a quick run-down of some of the specials Stampin' Up is offering.

First off, if you are a fan of beautiful Designer Series Paper, you can buy 3 and get 1 FREE!!  Check out the details HERE.   My 3 favorites would be:  Bird Ballard, Magnolia Lane, and Perennial Essence.  I have also seen some beautiful cards made with the Come Sail Away and See a Silhouette.  What are your favorites??

The CLEARANCE RACK has been updated!!  You know how fast items go so if you see something you want, I'd advise you to order it now!  My hostess code is:  JX9U9E44

How about this SEASONAL GRID PAPER?!!  

Stampin' Up's grid paper is a great disposable placemat that protects your table or desk when stamping and crafting. Bring a festive feeling into your crafting space with our special edition seasonal grid paper. This gorgeously designed Christmas grid paper will add the perfect touch to your stamping set up. Available while supplies last.  Price is $9.00.

* 13" x 13" (33 X 33 cm)
* 25 sheets
* Double-sided: white with Mossy Meadow design on one side, white with Real Red design on the other side
* Metric & Imperial Measurements on both sides
* Product colours: Mossy Meadow, Real Red, white

Have you tried out Paper Pumpkin?  You know how much I love the kits.  The October and November kit will coordinate with each other (cards and tags.)

You can sign up HERE.



October Kit - makes 10 cards and envelopes
Coordinating colors:  Early Espresso, Pool Party, Poppy Parade and Shaded Spruce.

November Kit - makes 24 holiday-themed gift tags of 4 various sizes and designs.
Coordinating colors are same as October kit.

The two kits coordinate; however, each kit is all-inclusive and can stand alone.

Hugs from Shelli

Where does the time go?  I wish I knew!  Maybe I should be a bit more organized or quit playing on the computer and get back to writing on this blog more.  We'll see!!  In the meantime, I have a few Paper Pumpkin cards to share with you from a past kit that Shelli designed.  The kit is called Hugs from Shelli and it was the May, 2019 kit and is just beautiful.  (If you don't know, Shelli is the founder of Stampin' Up.)

The cards below are alternative cards I made from pieces in the kit.  The cards we were given were actually note cards.  I cut them apart so I could make full size cards by using the Very Vanilla Thick Cardstock.  The ink colors I used were Pretty Peacock and Gray Granite.

The feathers on this card were colored with the SU Blends.  These feathers were stamped, colored and fussy cut.

The feather on this card is vellum and was already colored.

Most of the elements for this card came from one of the envelopes that was included in the kit.  I cut out the label with the flower at the top.  The striped pieces on the top and bottom are from the inside of the envelope.  

It has been so nice having Ashley on our same time zone!  She drove down to see us Labor Day and we stayed busy the whole time.  She got here in time to meet us at the King Canary Brewery in Mooresville for our weekly game of  Wednesday Trivia.  On Thursday, she and I drove to Hickory while Sonny played golf.  She was shopping for a new couch since the movers lost one of hers!  Our trip was a success and she purchased a nice love seat that makes out into a queen bed if needed.  Now, she has a bed on every floor of her house (3)!  So, plenty of room for guests.  She was able to fit the buffet table from my mom in her car but not the hutch.  So, Sonny and I are going to see her the end of the month and take the rest of the things to her as well as taking mom to visit her and see her new casa!