Backgrounds Galore

I joined a group of friends and stampers today to play.  Connie organized the meeting and we will be getting together once a month to share ideas and have some stamping fun.  Today we played around with large background stamps, also known as "cover-a-card stamps by Impress Obsession.  Connie had a bunch of the stamps that she shared with us.  I even came home and made 2 cards with 2 of my backgrounds!  Surprised even myself!

These are the sheets I made with the background stamps.

 This background actually was a flub but I decided to make it into something.  It's a light green.  I stamped the Medallion stamp in Night of Navy with a large vanilla brad in the center.  I had a hard time getting a good picture of it.

This one was so easy!  The background stamp is trees that are stamped in brown ink.  I then stamped a bird from Season of Friendship in Riding Hood Red, cut him out and glued him down on a branch of the tree.  I mounted the piece onto Riding Hood Red and used my corner punch on two of the corners.

Julia Name Frame

I'm on a roll!  I finished the second Name Frame last night.  This is for Julia.  I tried to make it just a little more feminine but still a match for her twin, Alex's frame.

The vines and flowers on the bottom are rub on's by Stampin' Up (retired).  The two "hanging" monkeys are a retired SU set - Monkey Business.  The butterfly and ladybug are also rub on's that I found in my stash.

I hope Lisa and Danny will be pleased with these frames.

Alex Name Frame

I'm sorry I have been so sporadic on my blog posts.  I always have good intentions but end up putting it off until it is too late.  (or else, I decide I don't have anything interesting to say!!)

I made a "name frame" Thursday for Danny and Lisa's little boy (Alex) and started the name frame for Julia.  They are the twins that were born right after Christmas to Ashley's best friends.  I bought the frames in December and they have been sitting on my desk all this time waiting for inspiration!  Finally  fter coming home from the "Y", I decided there was no time like the present!  Once I get to going on creating something, I usually get on a roll.  It's just the "getting going" that gets me delayed usually!!  Ashley had told me that they were doing the nursery in a monkey theme with green, yellow and brown.  I have several monkey stamps so that made my job a little bit easier.  I really like how the first one turned out.  Remember - you can click on the picture to make it larger.

Sorry about the glare at the top - guess I should have taken the picture before putting the glass on. So, I used several monkey stamps.  The animals at the bottom are from DRS and the monkey above the "A" is Stampendous.  The other two stamped monkeys (parachute and holding bananas) are from Stampin' Up but they are retired.  The DSP is also SU - the top is a retired piece but the bottom green stripe if Pear Pizzaz.

Hopefully, I'll finish Julia's frame soon and I can share it with you.  I am trying to make hers just a little bit more feminine but staying with the theme.

Thank You Cards

I've been busy making plans for our Super Bowl weekend!  We have decided to drive to Pittsburgh like we did a couple of years ago when the Steelers won their 6th Super Bowl Ring.  We watched the game at the Steelhouse Bar at Stations Square and it was sooo much fun!  Well, we will be going to a different bar this time but still in Station Square.  The Steelhouse wanted $500-$1000 for a VIP table .... other tables will be offered at "first come, first served."  I could go to Dallas and watch the Super Bowl in a tent right outside the stadium for that much!!  They must be crazy or think we are.  Wonder how many takers they will get for those tables.

I used the new  Blossom Punch and stamp set to make a thank you card this weekend.  I really love this set.

I used the new Tulip Embossing Folder around the edges of the card.

This is a thank you card I received from Judy.  Isn't it pretty?

Steelers Are Going to the SUPER BOWL!

Knock, Knock, Knocking on SEVEN's door!  Pittsburgh will be advancing to the Super Bowl to try and get their seventh Super Bowl Ring!  Unbelievable!  I have not been a believer this year.  All season I told Sonny there was no way Pittsburgh would make it to the playoffs much less the Super Bowl.  Well, let me be the first one to admit that I was wrong.  They beat the Jets tonight in a great game.  We have some very good friends - ex-neighbors - who are die-hard Jets fans and I offer my condolences to them.  We texted each other all throughout the game - nothing mean spirited - but they did admit at the end of the game that they were bad losers and were not happy.  I'm sure I would have felt the same way.  We went over to the sports bar around 3 pm to watch the earlier game - Green Bay against Chicago in which the Packers won.  So it was a long day spent sitting in a bar watching football!  Now, we hope to get tickets to Steel City Bar in Pittsburgh for the Super Bowl game like we did a few years ago when Pittsburgh played Arizona in the Super Bowl.  That was a fun time!!  

Here are a few action shots I took during the game - 

Our friends - Mike & Barbara - who just moved to NC from Pittsburgh in August.  We met them at the first game of the season and have saved seats for each other all season.

Marianne & Sonny - yes, she is that short!

Marianne & Me geared up for the game!  Me in my Terry Bradshaw jersey - Marianne with Polamalu jersey.

 Sonny is stripping off the first shirt and getting down to his "rally shirt"!  He had another one under that one "just in case."  The blonde lady behind him became his new best friend during the game.  Mike thought Sonny would move over to their table after the half!!

 Marianne was sending Ashley messages all during the game on the internet.  The game didn't come on until 2:30 AM for Ashley but she's a fan and stayed up all night to watch the game.  We talked to her when we got home after the game - 7:00 AM her time and she was going to try and get some sleep.

 This is our Knome Mascot.  We won him at the first game and he has set on our table during every game.  That is a "Bad Call Brick" on his head that we bought when we went to Pittsburgh.

Sonny - intensely watching the end of the game!

Go Steelers!

I'll be pulling on my Steelers this evening!  Ashley sent us a comic strip that was in her paper that she thought described her Dad's superstitions pretty well!  (you can click on it to make it larger - just remember to arrow back here!)

If you'll recall the last time we had a game, Sonny wore three shirts.  He ended up taking off the jersey that he had on because we were losing.  We ended up winning when he had on the "right" shirt!   Don't know what he'll be wearing tomorrow but none of us will be moving his beer, that's for sure! 

Monday Mailers #2 and #3

I received the most beautiful cards this week from my Monday Mailer partner, Carol.

 Isn't this card gorgeous?  It uses the Blossom Punch and the Blossom stamp set that is in the Occasions Mini Catalog.  There is glitter around the center of the petals.  The flower is done in Pretty in Pink and the card is Chocolate Chip.  I showed this off yesterday at Stamp Club and ended up selling three punches and stamp sets!

 This is my first attempt at using the Blossoms stamp and punch.  I wheeled the background with the Whimsey wheel.  The flower is done is Melon Mambo.  I used the Button Embosslit for the center of the flower.

 
 This card uses the set, I (Heart) Hearts (pg 46 in catalog) and the Heart Punch that I still need to get!!  The picture isn't so great but the card is Pretty in Pink.  This is a simple but very pretty card.

It's getting cold here again!!  And there is more SNOW in the forecast!   The past few days have been nice with temps in the 40's & 50's.  Today it got to 46 but now at 7:00, it is already 34 degrees with the low predicted to be 19.  We're considering going shopping tomorrow so I guess I'll be bundling up!!
 

January Stamp Club Cards

Yes ....I'm still here!  I have been on the go all week and have just not had the time or energy to post anything.  I had a mammogram on Tuesday morning.  Then rushed to my FINAL Board meeting and luncheon with Newcomers.  (I sent out my final newsletter Tuesday night!!)   Yesterday I played mahjong and from there went to have my hair cut.  I was in bad need of a haircut.  Now that I am wearing my hair shorter, I have to get it cut a little more often or it really looks shaggy!  In between all that running around, when I was at home, I was getting prepared for Stamp Club.  The plan was to do the coaster calendars but four of the gals didn't want to do them so I had to come up with a couple of cards for them to make.  I ended up with 4 making the calendars and 4 doing cards with two "newbie" gals.  So, I was going back and forth between the two tables trying to keep everyone on track.  When everyone left, I collapsed in my easy chair for about 3 hours!!!  I think everyone had a good time though and enjoyed the projects they were working on.  

This Valentine is made with the stamp set, Filled With Love (found on the last page of the Holiday Mini).  The DSP is from the Bundle Special.  I used the Heart Border Punch on the edges of all three pieces of DSP.  My base card is white.  The little flower in the middle of the "O" is punched out with the 3/4" circle punch and has a red brad through the center. 

This card was a little bit different for me.  I don't usually use these colors together but I like the way it turned out.  I wheeled the Sahara Sand strip in Soft Suede with Very Vintage large wheel.   (I colored in a couple of the flowers on the wheel but decided I didn't like it and tried to cover most of them up!)   I layered the strip onto Very Vanilla that I used the Scallop Border Punch.  The base card is Not Quite Navy.  I tied a Poppy Parade ribbon around the strip and adhered it to the card.  The flower is from Vintage Vogue and stamped in Poppy.  I used a tiny button in the center of the flower with SU linen thread through the holes.  The leaves are from the Little Leaves Die and cut from Soft Suede and Sahara Sand (that is sponged lightly with Soft Suede).  I stamped the sentiment onto vanilla and punched it out with the Word Window punch; then I layered it with Not Quite Navy punched with the Modern Label Punch.

January Stamp Club Coaster Calendars

I just have to start off by saying .... GO STEELERS!  What a great game!  Sonny was a doubter going to Big Al's on Saturday to watch the game, but his team pulled through for him.  Of course, he had to do a little clothes alterations for that to happen.  He wore his jersey that we had won a couple of weeks ago to the game.  When we were losing 14-0, he pulled it off to wear the tee shirt he had worn when we won the Super Bowl a couple of years ago.  He had another shirt on under that one - I don't know which one it was - but he was prepared to make another change if he had to!  Yes .... he is superficious when it comes to football!  And then yesterday!!  The Jets beat Tom Brady and his New England Patriots!  That was the icing on the cake.  Now Pittsburgh gets to play the Jets in Pittsburgh!!!

Ashley had a bit of excitement this weekend also although it was not a good type of excitement.  Some soldiers on her base (not in her battalion) were conducting a training exercise with the Iraqi soldiers teaching them how to launch attacks, etc.  One of the Iraqi soldiers opened fire on the US soldiers, killing two and wounding a third.  You can read about it HERE.  It certainly brings the fact that she is over there in the midst of a WAR to front and center.

My Stamp Club starts back this week.  One of the members has requested that we make a coaster calendar so that is what I have been working on.  I plan on putting mine on display but letting them make theirs any way that they want to.  It has been a while since I made one of these calendars.  I tried to make it a little different - by putting the month on one coaster and putting a stamped image on another coaster and putting them together with a 2" piece of ribbon.  But after I finished the whole year, the thing just wouldn't stand up properly and it was more trouble than it was worth.  So, I proceeded to take it all apart and remake it!  Here is the finished product:

Valentine Defined

I've been playing around with My Digital Studio again.  Today I wanted to see if I could import some digital papers I have gotten from other sites and I could!  It was pretty easy to do and I like the results.  See if you agree:

 

The paper, like I said, is from another source.  I think I downloaded it a year or two ago not knowing at that time exactly what to do with it!  It was just FREE!  The torn edge of the center strip was made using a My Digital Studio stamp set called Torn Edges.  It is so cool because you can make the paper look like it is hand torn.  I decided to use a drop shadow on it so it would look like a trim.  The stamp set is a new one that is available to download from SU called Valentine Defined.  It is available in the Occasions Mini Catalog (page 9).   So you don't have to have MDS to make this card - you can duplicate the card by hand stamping too.