Happy Valentine's Day!

 It's almost Valentine's Day!!  The Paper Pumpkin kit for January was all about hearts so I've made a bunch of Valentines and a few anniversary cards for the future.

These slimline cards seem to be all the rage now.  You can make them different sizes.  The Traditional Slimline is 8 1/2" x 9" and scored at 4 1/4" on the 8 1/2" side.  This one that I made (above) is 6 1/2" x 7" and scored at 3 1/2" & it fits in a business size envelope.  Here are a few other slimline card dimensions:

Mini Slimline - 2 3/4" x 11"; scored at 5 1/2"  You can also make an envelope for it - 6 1/2" x 6 3/4"; scored at 1 5/8" and 4 5/8" on the 6 1/2" side.  Then, turn 90 degrees & score @ 5/8" & 6 /1/4".

Short Slimline - 3" x 6"; scored at 3"

Basic Slimline - 7" x 8"; scored at 4" for a 4" x 8" card

Extra Slim Slimline - 6" x 9" & scored at 3" (on the 6" side)

Well just disregard that I glued the white piece wrong so the hearts are  upside down!

This is one of the samples that was made with the kit's directions as is the next card.

I just love this little snail!

Enjoy!

Birthday Chick

I just want you to know that there are 2 Chick Bundles.  One is the stamp set that was offered in 2017 as a Sale-a-Bration stamp. The other bundle is the Birthday Chick.  The dies are different on each bundle.

I am headed into Physical therapy now & will edit this post later this afternoon.

Afternoon - continued!

OK - yes, I said I was going to PT!  I fell in mid December.  I was cleaning out a closet and had a bunch of stuff on the floor.  Of course, I tripped over the stuff and fell into the closet on my right side.   A few days before that happened, I was having sharp pains in my right shoulder blade.  I can't blame the fall since it was after the shoulder pain but I am sure it elevated the pain.  I have been in a lot of pain since December.  It feels like a screw is in my shoulder blade and someone is twisting it.  Of course, this all happened the week before we were driving to Ashley's for Christmas.  Before we drove to Ashley's, I did a video call with the PA at my doctor's office (twice that week!) and she subscribed hydrocodine and muscle relaxers.  I don't usually like to take that stuff but I went through the full bottle of hydrocodine in a month.  I finally went to my doctor in early January who referred me to an orthopedic doctor who then referred me to physical therapy.  This is my third week of PT, going twice a week.  It's really strange now though.  The pain comes and goes.  I can have several days of nothing but then it comes back with a vengeance (like yesterday and today!)  Hopefully, another week or two of PT and I'll see some results.  I hope so because it is also hampering me making cards.  I make one or two and then I have to find my heating pad.  Heat has been the only thing that seems to help.

OK - here is the pictures of the Chick Bundles.

This is the stamp that was offered to us in 2017.  There are dies in this set that will cut out each of the chicks (and egg).  The code for this bundle is 158627 / $44.00.

This is the newest Chick stamp set - Hey Birthday Chick - with the dies that match this set.  The code for this bundle is 158631 / $43.00.

These items are only available for a limited time.  I don't know how long they will be available, but if you want them, you should order them now!  I believe there are some items in this offer that are already on backorder but that doesn't mean you can't get them.  You'll just have to wait a bit!

Paper Pumpkin Sale-a-Bration Perks

 Just to give you a little chart explaining about Paper Pumpkin during Sale-a-Bration if you are interested.

Hey Chick - More Organization

Did you get inspired by my last post and start organizing your stamp room?!!  I'm still on a roll but going to take a break.  I went through all my Paper Pumpkin stamps, labeled them and put them in the Avery pockets before filing them in the various categories I have all my other stamps in.  They look pretty good and only take up 2 shelves.  

I put all the dies in the matching stamp pocket and filed them.  There were several dies that stand alone so I put them on this board I bought at Ikea several years ago.  I bought adhesive backed magnet sheets (Michaels) and put my dies on it.  I had about 4 more that didn't fit so I have them in their own box.

I even labeled my embossing folders and they are all together in a box with the smaller ones in the front.

So now I am ready to make some cards!  I am hoping to use my January Paper Pumpkin kit when it finally arrives!  According to the tracking info, it is supposed to be delivered this afternoon.  It's only about 2 weeks late!  Our postal system sucks!  

Here are a few cards I have made using the December kit.

These 2 cards were made using the Scalloped Tag Punch.

These are birthday cards I made.  My sister, Angela's, birthday was last Monday.  Her special day was taking mom to get her second COVID vaccine.  They only had to wait 2 hours .... a lot different from when I took mom for her first vaccine and we waited for over 5 hours!

This card was made from the November Paper Pumpkin kit!  I love the pink and mint together!

I will be putting an order in very soon so if you want to add your order to mine, you can save on shipping/handling.  Just use my hostess code while ordering on-line and your order will be shipped directly to you. - hostess code: EX3QVFQM   This is a good time to order Paper Pumpkin too - while Sale-a-Bration is going on (until end of Feb.)  You don't have to order it for the whole year.  There are prices for 3 month, 6 month, and 1 year available.

There is a new stamp set and bundle that is now available for purchase - starting today - that you may want to add to your order.    

Does the Hey Chick stamp set look familiar? Maybe you earned this one for free, back in 2017. And now it is back (for a limited time) by popular demand! If you missed out the first time around, add this one to your shopping cart while you can.

But it gets even better! This time, Stampin’ Up! is offering an exclusive set of dies to go with your chicken stamps. The new dies, called Chick Dies, cover more than just the outline images of the chicks.

Maybe the Hey Birthday Chick stamp set caught your eye in the new January-June Mini Catalog.  If you were a fan of the original Hey Chick Stamp Set, you had to have noticed this new one right away!   

Those funky chickens are back, in all the stamping glory we can handle. And they want to (birthday) party with us! Seriously, who doesn’t want to celebrate with chickens?

And just like the new Chick Dies for the Hey Chick Stamp Set, there is an exclusive and limited die set to go with the Hey Birthday Chick Stamp Set, called Birthday Chick dies.

Organization is the Bomb!!

Pick yourself up off the floor .... I'm writing on my blog!  I have not made a card in about a month!!  Instead I have been trying to get my craft room organized!  I have made pretty good progress.  I took all my stamp sets out of the plastic boxes and put them in Avery Elle Stamp & Die Storage Pockets.  So far, I have emptied out close to 200 boxes!  I am not sure what I am going to do with all those boxes though!  I know some of them will be useful to put sequins, pearls, etc in.  I made dividers to categorize the stamps & used my Brothers P Label maker to label all the stamps, dies and dividers.  For storing my stamps, I bought an InterDesign Fridge Split Binz from Amazon.  It holds almost 150 stamps without the dies but I put the dies and the stamp set together inside the Avery pockets to make them easier to find.  I already had most of the stamp sets listed in Evernote (a free organizer app) so it was just a matter of putting each stamp set into one of the categories.  My next thing is to label and organize my Paper Pumpkin stamps so I will use them more.  I haven't tackled my wood stamps yet.  I am going to take a good look at them and see if I really need them.  They have been sitting in my attic room for a few years so I'm guessing I really won't miss most of them!  But it is not hard to take them off the wood blocks - if they don't peel off easily, stick them in the microwave for about 20 seconds and they should come off.

One bin full!  There are 100 stamp sets in this one container!!

Just a few of the empty boxes.  I have the rest in the attic room to figure out what to do with them.

These are stamp sets that I labeled "Greetings"  Not sure if I'll break that category up in sub-categories.

These are all the stamps that I have done so far - just missing wood sets & Paper Pumpkin.  They take up 2 shelves .... before all my stamps were on 5 shelves!

This is the second container with still a lot of room available.

I bought these plastic file folders at WalMart.  50 in a pack but when you cut them apart, you get 100!

I cut the folders apart and rounded the corners.  I used the Brother P-touch for labels on dividers and stamps - so easy!

This is the back of the stamp set pocket.  I buy magnetic vent covers at Lowe's Hardware  (8" x 15") and cut them apart to stick my dies on.

This is the front of the stamp set pocket with the label at the top.  

My thanks goes to Jennifer McGuire who has some great organizer tips plus some great cards that she makes.

Let me know what you think!!

Sale-A-Bration & New Mini Catalog!

 I know you have been hearing about Sale-A-Bration.  However, if you are new to Stampin' Up! or have been around awhile, there are changes.  Sale-A-Bration is January and February with another one with different product in July and August. So the rewards are changing.  

Sale-A-Bration kicks off today through February 28! Choose a FREE Sale-A-Bration product with every $50 or $100 you spend (before tax and shipping)!

 

SALE-A-BRATION CATALOG

MINI CATALOG

Please use my Hostess Code - NNFBEQAD !

Another great way to receive products from the mini and Sale-a-Bration catalogs is to purchase a Stampin' Up Starter Kit!

CREATE YOUR STARTER KIT

Stampin’ Up!’s Starter Kit is completely customizable. Build it your way! For just $99, you get:

* Your choice of up to $125 worth of any current Stampin’ Up! products.
* A business supply pack valued at $50

That's a total value of $175—for only $99!

If you purchase your Starter Kit now—during our Sale-A-Bration event— you'll also receive an assortment of five 6″ x 6″ stacks of our newest Designer Series Paper – a total of 200 sheets for an added value of $57.50!

Christmas Cards

 Here are some great hand-made Christmas cards that I received!  Love the creativity of everyone.

from "Girlfriend" I'm guessing she used her Cricut.

from Gayle - love the deer and the gray's

from Judy - all those kids are done in 3D - very cool!

from Nancy - she colored that cardinal herself!

From Margaret - love that snowman!

from Carol - a cute shaker card.

This one is my favorite I believe!  Love that door - from Cathy (a former member of my SU club until she moved away!)

from my sister, Marianne - love the paper strips.

Marianne made this one for my mom & Angela to give out.

Another member of my SU Club - from Joyce.  Cute way she did the packages.

from Debbie - so elegant!

HAPPY 2021

 Happy New Year 2021!!  

With the turning of the calendar page, some things change and some things stay the same.  Of course, that's really true every time the calendar shifts.  One simple truth that I have been reminded of again and again in the past 10 months is that we always have a choice.  We can choose to focus on what we don't have OR on what we do have.  We can choose to focus on the positive things that are happening around us or on the negative things.  We can choose to contribute or choose to take.  We can choose to encourage and build up OR we can choose to tear down.  2020 was not the year any of us wanted.  And on January, 2021, not much has changed yet in terms of our circumstances.  But we still have a choice.  Hopefully you will choose to be a positive, kind, encouraging, compassionate, hopeful, helpful force in our neighborhood, in our community and throughout our nation and world.

I had a very nice (and quiet) Christmas this year.  We drove to Silver Spring (MD) on December 20 in time to wish Ashley a happy birthday (Dec 22).  Shortly after getting there, their governor shut down all in-door dining at restaurants so most of our meals were had at home.  In order to see the football game that wasn't broadcast locally, we had to go to Arlington, VA to a really nice Irish bar who advertised that they were a Steeler bar.  It was fun - especially when we won!  It was not looking so good during the first half but they bounced back second half.  We drove through the Morman Church

 We drove back home Dec. 29 and I have been working on taking down my Christmas decorations - such a chore every year!  I think this year though I am going to put a bag on the tree - ornaments and all - and store it in the garage!  Our tree is a pencil slim one so it shouldn't be a problem!  I'll let you know how it goes!

 Here are a few photos from our trip.

Ashley's co-workers decorated her office on her birthday!

Ashley enjoying her Christmas present (gas fire pit)  a few day early!  Cooking sausages and smores!

One night we drove through the Mormon Church Festival of lights.  They had 400,000 lights on the temple grounds!  Because of COVID, you couldn't get out of your car to view the lights but they were impressive from the car!   We can see the Mormon Church spires from Ashley's backyard!  I can't wait until we will be able to tour the temple.

Christmas morning - opening stocking!

Christmas Village on either side of the mantle and on top of the mantel!

These shelves are perfect for the Dept. 56 Christmas village!

Steelers!

My great niece, Abigail.  That expression of wonder tells it all!