More Cruisin' Photos

I've got a few more cruise photos to share.



Alabama and a few of their fans drinking a shot of Cabo Tequila! - Day 1!

Day 1 - showing our true colors!

Can you find us?  I've circled us!!  Probably need to click on picture to make it larger!!

Vow Renewal - Sonny even dressed up a bit!!

Vow Renewal - a little cheesy!

Paper Craft Crew Card Sketch #66

I haven't participated in the Paper Crew Sketch Challenges in a couple of weeks because I was on my cruise.  But this week I was able to get my card done in time.  I really like the sketch this week.  It's a good one for you to try!

 

Of course, I made my card with the help of My Digital Studio.  I love the burlap download!!

 

 

Check out the rest of the design team's cards HERE.

 

Sonny has gone on a shooting trip with the guys for a few days and I am "batching" it.  It's been a long time since I have done this.  I don't have to fix dinner (not that I do that so much anyway!) and can stay in my craft room all night and play till my hearts content!  Which is what I did yesterday.  I got a lot done!  Our friends from Texas were supposed to come this week.  Graham was going with Sonny and Margaret and I were going to hang out crafting but they had to cancel this weekend because they were sick.  We were both disappointed but what are ya gonna do?!!

 



 

Gift Cards

In this day and age, it seems like it is so easy to give gift cards to family and friends for birthdays and Christmas or any occasions.  That way the recipient can purchase what he or she wants.  I have thought in the past that gift cards were just too impersonal.  But the older I get, the better gift cards seem to me!  I like getting them and I like giving them.  I usually keep a list on my personal Amazon site of things I want, books I'd like to read, etc. so anyone who wanted to give me a gift could check out that site and either give me a gift card or find the item I have listed somewhere and buy it for me.  I try to keep it up to date.  I think that would be a good idea for everyone to make shopping easy.   But buying gift cards sure eliminates the hustle and bustle at Christmas time - fighting the crowds in the mall and resisting the temptation to buy something for yourself as well as for that special someone you are shopping for!!  Don't get me wrong - I enjoy shopping as well as the next person and it really gets me in a festive mood at Christmas time but there are some people that are just impossible to buy for because they seem to have everything they need or you don't see them enough to know what their likes and dislikes are - that is when gift cards come in handy.  So ..... I have made a few gift card holders to make those impersonal gift cards much more personal!

Using the Bow die and Square Sizzix Die

Gift Card open

Perfect Blend - perfect for that Starbucks gift card!

Uses Card Base Pop N Cuts



Pop N Cuts Gift Card - open

Festive Flurry Stamp and Framelit (Holiday Mini)

If you would like to make these gift cards, I will be doing a class for them at Hobby Lobby next Tuesday at 6 pm.  The price is $15 to make all three.  I will be supplying all the materials using Stampin' Up products - you just need to bring scissors and adhesive.  Contact me if you are interested!


ALSO - don't forget the new Weekly Deals starting today!

Weekly Deals!

A new round of weekly deals has started. Make sure you head on over to get great product at a discount!

	Adorning Accents Textured Embossing Folder Item # 125601 Regular Price: $8.95 US/$10.95 CAN Discounted Price: $6.71 US/$8.21 CAN
	Autumn Accents Die Item # 127812 Regular Price: $21.95 US/$26.95 CAN Discounted Price: $16.46 US/$20.21 CAN
	Cherry Cobbler Grosgrain Ribbon Item # 132135 Regular Price: $8.95 US/$12.50 CAN Discounted Price: $6.71 US/$9.37 CAN
	Cupcake Punch Item # 121807 Regular Price: $16.95 US/$22.95 CAN Discounted Price: $12.71 US/$17.21 CAN
	Day in the Life Kit MDS Download Item # 128876 Regular Price: $14.95 US/$16.50 CAN Discounted Price: $8.97 US/$9.90 CAN
	Dress Form Pop N Cuts Item # 130100 Regular Price: $21.95 US/ $26.95 CAN Discounted Price: $16.46 US/$20.21 CAN
	Simply Created Goody Gear Pumpkin Pie Item # 132792 Regular Price: $4.95 US/$6.95 CAN Discounted Price: $3.71 US/$5.21 CAN
	Rhinestones Large Item # 129324 Regular Price: $4.95 US/$6.50 CAN Discounted Price: $3.71 US/$4.87 CAN

Amped Up Ampersands

Don't forget to check all this week for the specials and samples Stampin' Up has in store for us for My Digital Studio.  These are the specials that will be on sale.  It's all happening at MyDigitalStudio.net.

11/1 Amped Up Ampersands Kit

11/2 Hello There Kit + FREE Moments Ago Stamp Brush Set

11/3 All Time Fave Photobook Template

11/4 Modern Medley Overlays Kit

11/5 Be Brave Pocket Cards

11/6 Nobody's Business Photobook Template

11/7 Autumn Traditions Kit

11/8 Afternoon Daydream Kit

They are also offering 30% off  print services for the projects you create with MDS.  

Have you wanted to try MDS?  You can Try it FREE for 30 days!!

I purchased the Amped Up Ampersands Kit on Friday and here is a page I made of Alabama's concert on the first day of our cruise.

Ashley went to Seoul, Korea Saturday to teach a class this week.  Isn't that crazy?  By the time her body gets used to the time change, she'll be back home.  That life is definitely only for the young!  It is a 14 hour time difference!  She sent me a quick email this morning to let me know she arrived safe and sound.  She said she was going to bed - trying to convince her body it was bed time and not 6 a.m.!!

FREE Moments Ago

It's official-Digital Scrapbooking Day 2013 has arrived! And with a bang we might add.  One of Stampin' Up's talented concept artists, Jen Campbell, created the FREE Moments Ago Stamp Brush Set and today she's sharing some project ideas. Plus, we have more guest bloggers to highlight our daily deal, the Hello There Kit- a fan favorite!



Here's a quick page I did on MDS using the FREE set above.



My grandson doing his best Dracula face!

Best of and MDS News

It's Digital Scrapbooking Day  TODAY - Saturday, November 2, 2013. But one day just isn't enough, so we're celebrating for eight days, November 1-8, 2013!

Here's what we have lined up:

• Guest bloggers: A talented group of demonstrators, customers, and designers from around the industry will share project inspiration on the blog.

• FREE download: Be sure to check in on Saturday, November 2 to get your freebie.

• Videos: We'll share some more ideas with training videos to help you get started.

• Daily deals: Every day, we'll feature a new download for 50% off!

• Challenges: Use the daily deal download to create a project for your chance to win free downloads. (Upload your samples to the gallery with the matching tag to enter.) 

Here's the list of the 50% off daily deal downloads:

• 11/1 Amped Up Ampersands Kit
• 11/2 Hello There Kit + FREE Moments Ago Stamp Brush Set
• 11/3 All Time Fave Photobook Template
• 11/4 Modern Medley Overlays Kit
• 11/5 Be Brave Pocket Cards
• 11/6 Nobody's Business Photobook Template
• 11/7 Autumn Traditions Kit
• 11/8 Afternoon Daydream Kit

So, head on over to the MDS Blog and check it all out.

****************************************************************


And in other good news - the Best Of 25 Years stamp set was announced.  I just love these little hedge hogs!!




To order this set, go to my Online Store (see link at top) or contact me and I will put the order in for you.     Best of Snow 134387 - $14.95

Use the hostess code please when ordering - KYR7ZKH9

Happy Halloween

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

 

 

How is that for a cutie pie?  This is my nephew's little boy and is he cute!!

 

 

We have a low key Halloween at our house.  We don't get any trick or treaters at our door so I don't even buy candy or turn my lights on!  Halloween used to be one of my favorite holidays.  I would go all out with decorating the house when my kids were little - inside and out.  But now ... not so much.  Plus I don't have to sacrifice my diet by eating all the candy that Ashley and Jeff would bring home.  Ashley doesn't like chocolate so Sonny, Jeff and I would get all that goodness.  I can close my eyes and picture them coming home from trick or treating in their cute outfits and dumping their buckets out on the floor and then bargaining with each other and trading candy.  When they went to bed, Sonny and I had the job of testing the candy to make sure it was ok for them to eat!!

 

This year I did make a cute Halloween picture that I framed and have sitting in my kitchen.  I used paper, punches, stickers, embellishments, etc. that I found in my stash.

 

 

This was one of my favorite squares - candy corn made from the Pennant die.

Frankenstein looks pretty scary too - a little punch art and a black Sharpie helped.



 

CONGRATULATIONS to the Boston Red Sox for winning the World Series tonight!  We have friends that are really happy about now.

 

Cruising

We made it home Tuesday afternoon and picked up Sammie from my mom's. Mom really liked having her visit and I don't think she wanted to see her go.  But I think she missed me a little bit!  While I was trying to type my blog posting, she jumped up in my lap and stretched out in my lap so I couldn't type anything on my laptop. 

Our cruise was awesome!  Alabama put on their first concert out on the pool deck as we were pulling out of the Miami port.  They may look pretty old but they can still belt out the songs.  We were all having a great time singing along with their familiar songs.

 

Alabama Concert .... day 1

 Day One was the first theme night - Rep Rally Night.  We showed our Steeler pride and got lots of attention!

Sonny & Ashley at Alabama concert - day one

When we woke up on Friday (day 2), we were in Nassau and docked next to us was the Disney Dream cruise boat.  I don't know if this is the same one Jeff and Darcie sailed on last month but if so, too bad we didn't plan our trips so we could have met up with them.

 

 

 

This was the view from our balcony of the Disney ship!



 

Day 2 - we woke up and saw this next to us!

Day 2 - Ashley and I showing off our tees

 Day 2 we disembarked in Nassau.  It was drizzling a little bit making it pretty hot and sticky.  But that didn't stop us. 

Day 2 MDS tees
 

 Ashley and I made tees using My Digital Studio.  On the front are flip flops and the caption "Alabama and Friends Festival at Sea" and on the back is the picture of my feet in the sand and the caption "Dance Barefoot"

Norwegian Pearl

I'm on my way back home.  We had a great trip / cruise!  Made lots of new memories.  We dropped Ashley off at the Ft Lauderdale airport about 11:00 this morning and made our way through Florida to a hotel in Brunswick, Georgia.  So, tomorrow's trip should not be too long.  I am going to try to share a couple of pictures but the internet in this hotel is pretty slow!

Our ship - we were on the 9th floor - one of those rooms up there with a small balcony.

Waiting to go through Customs - at Miami cruise terminal

The view from our Miami hotel - just beautiful!

Night View from our hotel window in Miami Wednesday night

We made friends with the Security Guard at the Miami Marriott and he gave us vouchers for drinks Thursday a.m.  He didn't realize we were checking out that morning for our cruise.  Ashley and I couldn't let them go to waste though!  So we headed over to the bar and had mimosas and bloody Mary's!!

The 3 of us as we pulled out of Miami on Thursday

Have a Holly Jolly!

I have been working on the cards for my Christmas Stamp a Stack which will be Saturday, Nov. 16.  This is one of the cards that did not make the cut.  I really like it though.

 

I used Real Red cardstock that is embossed with a Script embossing folder.  The tag is from the Chalk Talk dies and the "Holly Jolly" label is stamped from the Tags 4 You set and punched out.  I used a piece of Coredinations card stock in Early Espresso that I sanded to look distressed along with half of a doily that I sponged with a little Espresso ink so it would not be so stark white.  I love the Season of Style DSP made into a bow with the Biggz Die!!  Love that die!