Another Card Tote!

This card tote is for a gift exchange for the Stampin' Up meeting I'm going to tomorrow. We were asked to bring a small hand stamped gift and I'm hoping who ever gets this likes it. I'm putting the three cards I made from a previous post with stamped envelopes inside the tote, I figured this would be something someone could use or show as a sample for the new stamp set Time Well Spent that's going to be in the new Spring-Summer Stampin' Up catalog.

For more on how to create a card tote of your own follow this link: here to visit Leslie Millers blog Running With Scissors, she has some gorgeous cards and project on her site.

Supplies: Time Well Spent, Polka Dot BG, Slit punch, Circle punch, Piercer w/mat, dimensionals, Dazzling Diamonds. Colors: Certainly Celery, Lavender Lace, Regal Rose, Apricot Appeal and Whisper White.

Have a great weekend!

This is a close up of the flowers on the front of the tote and the other picture is of the back of the tote.

OMG

I can't wait till my daughter Gabby gets home from school today so that I can give her the exciting news that she's going to the Hannah Montana concert next Wednesday. Her Aunt Sharon has an extra ticket and is taking her girls and asked if Gabby could go with them. She is going to be shocked and scream her head off to find out that she gets to go, I think I'll video tape it when I tell her. Gabby is a big fan of Hannah Montana, she watches her on the Disney Channel, has posters of her, listens to her music and I even took her to Club Libby Lu (little girl heaven) to have a HM make over.

An Oldie but Goodie

OK this is the first scrapbook page I have posted on my blog and one of my favorites, not because of how it looks (go easy it's really old) but because of how I feel when I look at this picture of my son Zachary and my daughter Gabrielle and the poem that goes along with it. Their faces in this picture are so candid and sweet and even though they fight like cats and dogs some times I know they really love each other. This page is so simple and I could tear it apart and redo it and make it all updated and fancy, but I won't because it work for me, it pulls at my heartstrings.

This is the poem on the page:

I love my sister and I always will

I'm proud to be your brother that's how I feel

And some day when you're far away

And the miles keep us apart

I'm gonna whisper

I love my sister

And pray you'll hear it in your heart

sniff, sniff

A Sidekick of Figgy Pudding

I'm still trying to figure out a good place to take pictures of my stamping projects in my new craft room when there is no sunshine out side to take pictures with. I keep trying out different spots in the room to set up and take a shot, this one was taken on one of the shelves above my working area. I always try to use one or two sheets of white paper under and behind my project and then use my Ott lite to add extra lighting and some times things still come out looking dark and need to be tweaked on the computer.

This is a quick Christmas card using the stamp sets Sidekick Sayings, Polka Dot background and some Basic Grey Figgy Pudding paper. The colors are Always Artichoke and Ruby Red, I used the tag corner punch to create the tags after distressing the edges of the paper and then used the small oval punch with a large brad to make a fake tag pull. I used an aqua brush to color the tree, added some ribbon and voila!

Hope your week is off to a great start!

PS my little guy is feeling a bit better today - hooray!

Meander Book

I haven't had much time to create or post anything this weekend, between cleaning up the house from Thanksgiving and caring for my youngest son Connor who has an awful cold and has been up in the middle of the night every night for the last 4 or 5 nights, I'm wiped out. If he isn't feeling better by tomorrow I'm taking him in to the doctors, which is crazy because I just had him at the doctors last Monday for a check up and a round of shots.

Anyway......I saw this tutorial on splitcoast stampers last week that Beate had done and wanted to give it a try, its called a meander book and the inside pages are made from a single sheet of 12X12 paper, very cool! If you would like to try and make one of these meander books follow this link: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/meander_book/ just remember when it comes to cutting your 12X12 sheet of paper after its been scored, in the first column cut from the top down to 9", the second column cut from the bottom up to 3" and the last column cut from the top down to 9" again. I had a hard time making these cuts the first time so I hope this helps. I'm going to put some small pictures of my kids in this book and on the tags jot down some of their favorite things about Christmas.

Supplies: Perfect Presentation, Snow Flurries, Seeing Spots, Expressive Flexible Phrases, Flexible Phrases, Fundamental Phrases stamp sets, Deja Views Flurries & Frost paper, Circle punches, Ticket corner punch, Tag corner punch, Ribbon, Brads, Stapler, Bind-it-All, Two coasters, Glue stick to cover coasters and pop dots for the tree on front.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving day today. Mine was spent preparing a Thanksgiving dinner for my family, I made a 25lb turkey, homemade cornbread stuffing with sausage and cherries, carrots, corn, green beans with bacon & onion, crescent rolls and my sister-in-law Ann brought her delicious mashed potatoes and my mom made her famous pumpkin pies. After a dinner like that I felt like I was in a food coma and felt very thankful for having my family to enjoy Thanksgiving with.
Today was officially Zachary's (my oldest son) birthday, I can't believe it was 13 years ago and I was in the hospital having him (no drugs 9lbs 2oz) and now I'm the mother of a teenager - God help me!

A Day Late and a Dollar Short

Yep, this was for yesterday's color challenge on splitcoast stampers and by the time I was done making it late last night I was so tired I just had to go to bed. The colors for this challenge were Pretty in Pink and Wild Wasbi (or Garden Green in my case). I decided to use the stamp set A Tree for All Seasons for my main image and then I used my snowflake Cuttlebug embossing folder and sponged on some Pretty in Pink. I added the Holiday Hello from the Circle of Friendship set and used a few stamps from the Snow Flurries set to stamp the GG base and then a added a bunch of dazzling diamonds on the main image and the embossed snowflakes. I tied on some ribbon and popped in a few brads and this is it!

Happy Mail!

Amy from her blog the Silly Stamper sent me the sweetest thank you card for the blog candy that she won, don't you just love it! She did a beautiful job coloring this Bella card and everything coordinates so well with the designer paper that she used. If you look close at her Bella she used some sort of glitter pen around the umbrella and the pink boots (I have to know what she used so I can try it) it adds a pretty shimmer to the card.

Thanks so much Amy!

Just a few more....

These are two more cards that I made with the
new Time Well Spent hostess stamp set from Stampin' Up.

Supplies: Time Well Spent, Polka Dot BG, All in a Row, Circle punch, Scalloped circle punch, piercer w/mat, Ribbon and pop dots. Colors: Chocolate Chip, Green Gable, Cameo Coral and Whisper White. The center of the large flower has been cut out and popped up.

Supplies: Time Well Spent, Kindness wheel, Marvy scalloped square punch, Corner rounder punch, Ribbon, Rhinestone brad and silver brads, Dazzling diamonds and pop dots. Colors: Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink and Whisper White.

TFL!

Time Well Spent for Beate's Sketch

Here is just a quick card I whipped up for Beate's sketch challenge this weekend, I made this in between cleaning my house for tomorrow's birthday party for both my boys. I still have to run to the store and I'll have some last minute cleaning to do tomorrow but some how magically it will all come together. I used my new Time Well Spent stamp set to make this card and I think it turned out nice. Its hard to see but I stamped the butterfly twice, cut one out and attached just the body, after adding lots of dazzling diamonds and I randomly stamped two of the flowers from the set in soft sky for the background. I also used the All in a Row stamp set to add two rows of little circles on the certainly celery piece and stamped the flowers from the verse on whisper white, colored, glittered and cut them out so they would stand out more.

Supplies: Time Well Spent, All in a Row, Coluzzle, Scalloped scissors, Marvy scalloped circle punch, Double stitched ribbon, Piercer w/mat, Dazzling diamonds, Aqua brush and glue dots. Colors: Soft Sky, Certainly Celery, Lavender Lace and Whisper White.

Hope your having a great weekend!

It's Here, It's Here!

As a thank you from Stampin' Up all of their demonstrators received a free level 3 hostess set from the up coming Spring - Summer Collection Catalog and mine came today and I cant wait to make some cards with it! This set is really cute, it's called Time Well Spent and has 12 pieces to it, I love the sayings in this set - time spent with friends is time well spent and too much of a good thing is a GOOD THING, very sweet. Check back to see what I come up with after using this fun set.

Today's Sketch Challenge

Man I'm wiped out, today has been a busy and long day and it started at 3:45 am this morning when my son Connor woke up. There has been a lot going on in my life lately with my husband and I trying to get two new rooms finish in our basement, we want to have them done before this weekend, because Sunday were having family over for the boys birthdays and next week is Thanksgiving at our house so by then I would like to have things return to some sort of normalcy. The carpeting for the basement was installed today and it seems like the whole house is a mess and in total disorder. OK, I'll stop whining now, on a brighter note tomorrow is my babies first birthday, I cant believe Connor is turning one.

This card I actually started about a week ago when I stamped out this My Favorite Things image from my friend Dawn, I colored the image and just left it until today so I decided to use it for the sketch challenge for splitcoast stampers.

This is not a very good picture of this card, it looks better in person.
Supplies: MFT I don't remember which set this is from, Canvas BG - Stampin' Up, Flower, Brads, Colored pencils, Mineral spirits, Ribbon, Pop dots. Colors: Basic Black, Real Red, Only Orange, Yoyo Yellow, Green Galore and Whisper White.

An Award for me? How Sweet

Wow, I'm so honored, my friend Dawn sent me this Smile Award and it was so sweet of her, Dawn is a great friend and I'm lucky to have her in my life. The award says you make me smile and you lift me up, well that's what so many of you do for me with your friendship and sweet comments here on my blog, thank you!
Now I would like to pass this award on to all of you if I could but I'll start with these amazing ladies who have so much talent and make me smile:

Dawn - Dawn's Special Creations

Bonnie - Bonnie's Blog

Leslie Miller - Running With Scissors

Jan Tink - Stamps, Paper, Scissors

Dawn Easton - Treasure Oiler Designz

Lori - Inking Aloud

Tina - Wooded Views

Thank you ladies!

Cuppacakeabella!

This is one of the latest Bella's I bought, I think she's so sweet. I really like how her dress sort of matches with this Basic Grey paper and its hard to see but I used some cotton candy stickles on the cupcake to add a little shimmer and some crystal effects on the cherry, so yummy!

Supplies: Cuppacakeabella, Wish BIG - Stamping Bella, On the Spot - Stampin' Up, Brads, Basic Grey paper - Pheobe, Stickles, Crystal effects. Colors: Chocolate Chip, Cool Caribbean, Pixie Pink, Close to Cocoa, Green Galore, Blush Blossom, Going Grey and Whisper White.

Bella Storage

Since I'm trying to get organized in my new space I thought that I would share how I store my Bella stamps. I use to store them in baseball card protector sheets and in a binder but that wasn't really working good for me so I decided to put them into CD cases. I just taped the pink image that comes with the Bella to the front of the CD case and then use some double sided tape to hold the actual rubber to the back of the case, then I put all of them into a storage box with each of the cases labeled at the end, all I have to do is reach in and grab the one I want to stamp with! It only took me a few minutes to do this and its so much easier than cleaning them and trying to stick them back into plastic bags or sleeves.

EDIT: A few people have asked were I got the CD cases. I purchase a pack of 10 Memorex standard jewel cases at Target for about $3.00 or less and then I popped out the plastic piece that actually holds the CD inside the case and I was good to go.
This Bella box is starting to get fuller and fuller!

Cozy Cocoa

I made this card for my new bloggin' buddy Amy from the Silly Stamper and sent it along with her blog candy that she won. I just love this Like You a Latte set, it sort of gives you a warm cozy feeling when you make a card with it and today its cloudy and dreary outside were I live so its a good day for it.

Supplies: Like You a Latte, Tres Chic BG, Canvas BG, All in a Row, Ribbon, Photo corner punch and pop dots for the saying. Colors: Chocolate Chip, Kraft, Rose Red and Whisper White.

Thanks for looking!

Houston we have Lift Off!

Yes that's right this post is coming to you live from my new craft room, hooray! My darling husband worked his butt off this last weekend and got soooo much work done between my sons new room and my new craft room and it is looking fabulous. I still have a big mess in the main part of my basement but its looking better, I've been slowly filtering the things I use into my new space, I didn't want to rush and just start sticking stuff away and think that I would go through it later because I know Me, later would never come and I'd still be a disorganized mess. The carpet is scheduled to be installed this Thursday or Friday and after that I'm takin' pictures.

Here it goes!

Well I'm feeling a little better today, I usually only get sick once a year maybe twice. Ive been working on moving into my new craft room on and off since last night and right now I think its starting to get to me. I never realized how much STUFF was in the room that I had and how much I need to go through. I vacuumed and wiped out all of the new cabinets and I'm slowly organizing and filling them with things I definitely use. My DH hung up shelves above my work space and after wiping them down I started adding some of my fun stuff, it is very exciting but a tad over whelming, I want it to be so perfect and pretty! Tonight is the official move of the computer and I'm asking all of you to say a little prayer that when my husband tries to hook up the computer in my new craft room that it actually works and everything is still on it. So if you don't hear from me for a couple of days you know the move it didn't go well. Tomorrow is painting day, my old craft room will be transformed into a cool teenagers room for my oldest son Zachary, this has to be done tomorrow because new carpet will be coming this week.

Can't wait till this is all done and to show pictures of my new space!

Get out the Sunglasses!

This card is for Beate's weekend sketch challenge which for some reason I had a hard time with, it just didn't seem like it was coming together, probably because I'm sick with a bad cold. I knew I wanted to use this stamp when I saw Beate's sketch and I wanted it to be cheerful so I pulled out some old Stampin' Up paper from a few years back and decided to try and make it work. It seems that I cant stop using this polka dot background stamp, it has to be my favorite BG stamp from the current Stampin' Up catalog, that and I'm totally stuck on doing these square cards that Beate does because its such a nice (aaachoo) neat look, all square and even.

Supplies: Big Blooms, Polka Dot BG, It's All Good, Ribbon, Circle punches, Corner rounder punch to make the scallop around the center circle, Button, Designer paper, Glue dots. Colors: Only Orange, Pink Passion, Green Galore, Real Red.
Well I'm all out of tissue so I have to go find some toilet paper.

Have a great weekend!

Color Challenge #139

This Wreathabella Christmas card is for today's color challenge over at splitcoast stampers and to be honest these are not my favorite colors. The colors for the challenge are Ruby Red, Soft Sky and Wild Wasabi or in my case Garden Green because I don't have Wasabi, but that's what these challenges are all about, getting you out of your comfort zone and trying new color combinations. I have to thank my friend Bonnie for this image she let me stamp a few of her Wreathabella's out one of the last times we got together. Bonnie made a beautiful card using this stamp, you can take a look on her blog and see for your self : Bonnie's Blog. Looking at the picture of this card doesn't do it justis because you cant see all of the dazzling diamonds and red glitter that I used on all of the berries, it's actually very glittery in person.

Supplies: Wreathabella-Stamping Bella, Polka Dot BG, Party Punch, All in a Row-Stampin' Up, Susan Branch Holly paper, Circle punches, Pop dot, Ticket corner punch, Silver diamond brads, Aqua brush, Dazzling diamonds, Red glitter. Colors: Garden Green, Soft Sky, Ruby Red, Close to Cocoa, Blush Blossom.

A Diamond in the Rough

These are pictures of my soon to be new craft room, the walls are painted a pale opal yellow, lighter than my last room because this room is smaller and has no window. The cabinets are in, the counter tops just came in this last week, the carpet should be coming this week or next and as I write this my DH is installing the white laminate shelves for my closet. The room has a dropped ceiling with several lights, I wanted a lot of lights so that I wouldn't feel like I was in a dark hole in the basement. My sister-in-law Ann came over last week and I showed her my room and when I flipped on the lights she said she needed sun glasses -I said Yes I know isn't it great! I cant wait to start moving in and organizing all of my stuff because right now almost all of my stuff is sitting in the middle of our basement a mess. If you haven't been reading my blog, my oldest son Zachary is moving into my old craft room so that our youngest son Connor can have his room, all of it is a lot of work and a long process.

Beate's WSC #26

I've been wanting to make a card with this stamp ever since I bought it, I think its hilarious! There's nothing worse than cake blindness. After you turn 21 people need to stop thinking it's funny to add the number of candles on your cake for your age LOL.

This card is for Beate's weekend challenge, I stretched my card out in order to have room for my image, the base for this card measures 4"x7 1/2" which fits into a letter sized envelope. It's hard to see but the real red card base is stamped with the weathered background, the cake frosting has liquid applique on it and the candles have a ton of yellow glitter - fun stuff!

I purchased this Best of Luck stamp from Eclectic Paperie and they have many more Penny Black chicken stamps to choose from its so tempting to order more.

Supplies: Best of Luck! - Penny Black, Weathered BG - Stampin' Up, Circle of Friendship, Some old yellow checked scrapbook paper, Circle punches, Piercer w/mat, Ribbon, Liquid Applique, Yellow glitter, Aqua brush and Pop dots. Colors: Real Red, Summer Sun, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White, Ruby Red, Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue, Mellow Moss.

Don't be a Chicken, give Beate's sketch challenge a try!

I've Been Tagged!

My friend Kimm (who I dearly miss) sent me this tag, so here it goes:

Two names you go by:

1 . Mom
2 . Lynn

Two things you are wearing right now:

1. Jeans

2. sweat shirt

Two of your favorite things to do:

1. Rubber stamp
2. Spend time with family & friends

Two things you want very badly at the moment:

1. One great full nights sleep (I mean sleeping like a rock kind of sleep)

2. To have both my sons in their new rooms and not have one in mine.

Two people who will fill this out:

1. Dawn

2. Hmmm...not sure

Two things you ate today:

1. Carrot Cake (My favorite, left over from my birthday a week and a half ago so this could be the last thing I ever write)

2. Eggs

Two people you last talked to:

1. Zachary (Son)

2. Gabby (Daughter) asking them to clean up their rooms - again!

Two things you're doing tomorrow:

1. Waiting for the painter to come at 9:00am
2. Cleaning the house - oh how fun!

Two longest car rides:

1. Michigan to down south to see the smokey mountains

2. Michigan to Dresden Ohio

Two favorite holidays:

1. Thanksgiving

2. Christmas

Two favorite beverages:

1. Coffee

2. Diet Pepsi

Now I'm off to go tag a few friends.

Good things come in small packages

These little boxes are perfect for a small surprise, chocolates, mints or even some jewelry. The pattern is from last weeks try a new technique on splitcoast stampers, I've made a few of them and thought that I would share this one. You can also find the pattern from the last time I made one of these boxes: http://thequeensscene.blogspot.com/2007/10/try-new-technique.html

Supplies: Cold Play, Circle of Friendship, Bold Snowflakes Wheel, Scalloped circle punch, Circle punch, Ribbon, Brad, Acetate. Colors: Brocade Blue, Real Red, Basic Black, Only Orange and Whisper White.

Why did the Chicken cross the road?......

To get to the Halloween candy of course.

These are just a few pictures of the kids from last nights trick-or-treating, my daughter Gabrielle was tinker bell, Connor was a chicken, and my other son Zachary, well lets just say that his dad let him pick out the Bad Seed mask. This was the first year that Zach went out trick-or-treating with a group of his friends. The whole night goes by like a blink of an eye.

Hope you all had a great Halloween!