Berry Merry

This card is soooooo stinkin' easy!  I have decided that this is my official Christmas card for this year.  I hate to tell you all that and ruin the surprise, but you would've figured it out in about a month and a half anyway, and I'm not that good with keeping secrets, either.  This is using a new set , Berry Merry, and the Christmas pattern paper both from the Holiday Mini.  The paper is gorgeous!  This particular pattern actually has a kind of shimmer to it.  There is another pattern that is flocked!  Soooo cool!  This is also using the new ornament punch, which I didn't really want to get, but now I'm so glad I did.  I should know by now that SU's punches are worth every penny! 

TFL!

Shellebrate

The third card I made for me and Tiffany's Christmas Card workshop using the Shellebrate stamp set which is also in the Idea Book & Catalog.  Non-traditional Christmas colors, I know, but this is a non-traditional stamp set, too!  I made my Mom's Christmas cards with this set last year and loved them!  I don't think this set gets enough attention!  LOL!  I love how the Real Red just pops off the card when paired with the Tempting Turquois and Taken With Teal.  TFL!

Big On Christmas

Another card I made for the Christmas Card Event using Big On Christmas.  This set is in the Idea Book & Catalog.  I case'd this from a card on Splitcoaststampers.  TFL!

Just Beclause

Here's one of the cards that I did for me and Tiffany's Christmas Card Event a couple of weekends ago.  This set, Just Beclause, is in the Stampin' Up Holiday Mini catalog, so if you like it, get it!  It'll be gone for good come January.  I used watercolor pencils and the aquapainter for the image, which was fun!  I hadn't used the pencils before!  The pencils with the aquapainter gives a cool watercolor effect. 

TFL!

Still lovin' it!

Yes, MDS is still kickin' my butt it's so stinkin' cool!  Sat down with my huge binder of PageMaps sketches and within 30 min have a layout completed. 

I have to tell you all, it may look like I'm on the internet everyday posting my stuff, but, really, I'm not.  I get in what i can and have blogger schedule my posts for me.  I'm currently having horrible horrible connection problems with my internet for the last month.  My internet provider has said that they have done everything possible.  All that's left is to come and pick up the equipment and call it quits.  I wonder why for the last year and a half we've had no problems and then all of a sudden for the last month everything has gone to hell?!?!?!  So, we are currently trying to decide what to do.  Do we keep our provider and relish in the few moments we have a connection or just drop it altogether?  We live out in BFE, so our choices are extremely limited.  I was on hold for 56 min (YES, 56 MINUTES!!) with Verizon yesterday and still didn't talk to anyone.  PSCI is coming out in the next couple of weeks to see if they can pick up a signal, for which I'm not holding my breath for.  So, anyway, I get on when I can, but that's not very often.  If you don't hear from me, this is why.  I try to update my blog and post an update on facebook when I can.  Hopefully this will be resolved in a month or so. 

Yeah, I'm havin' fun, can you tell?!

Ta da!  Another quick digi layout using My Digital Studio!  I'm in LOVE!  And, I sold my very first MDS to a friend from work...thanks, Lindsey!  Your sister is going to have so much fun with it!

Total Divas

Here's my second attempt at a digi layout using Stampin' Up's My Digital Studio! Tiffany helped me with a few edits and then gave me the idea to make 2 pics b&w and one color! Isn't it cool?!?!? I love MDS!!! I still can't belive I just said that! ;)

My first digi layout!!

Well, I've resisted long enough, I guess.  When Stampin' Up came out with their version of digi scrapbooking, I was kinda excited.  Then, I started seeing stuff done with it and what all it could do.  So, I got it.  Played with it this weekend and let me tell ya, IT'S AWESOME!!!  I'm totally lovin' it.  And, I tried really hard not to.  I'm a total paper, scissors, and glue type of gal.  But, this rocks.  Here's my very first layout.  Now, bear with me.  I'm still new to it, so I know there's still alot to learn.  But, I'm pretty proud of it, nonetheless.  I showed the girls and McKenna said "that looks like something you would scrapbook for real!".  That's enough of a compliment for me! :)

Fall Blessings card

Just a really quick card I whipped up from my leftover scraps from the October kit.  TFL!

Trinity Treehouse 2005

Another layout done with the BYOM October kit!  These pictures are of McKenna and her preschool class back in 2005!!  Yeah, I'm not caught up.  And I don't scrap in order, either.  I just scrap what I feel like at the moment! 

Don't worry, I didn't put any of the classmates names on here....mainly because I don't remember them and I never got around to writing them down 4 years ago.  Shame on me, I know.  In fact, I mention that in the journaling.  I hope McKenna isn't too mad at me when she gets older!  LOL!! 

I can't believe how small she looks in these pictures.  And, how incredibly white her teeth are in the picture, which is something we all picked up on after I showed off the layout to the family!  We all had a pretty good laugh about it.

Anyway, TFL! 

Another layout from the October kit!

Pictures are from Spring Break 2007 when Aunt Jeanne met us for the week in Gatlinburg, TN.  Let me tell ya, she is one brave woman!  She let McKenna and Micah just go to town fixing her hair and putting on her makeup this particular morning.  But, the girls did do a pretty good job on her, I must say. 

Everything on here is from the October kit, except I added my own ribbon. 

TFL!

October '09 Bring Your Own Memories kit!

My first layout done with the awesome October kit from BYOM!  I saw a version of this tree in one of the scrapbook magazines and was just waiting for an excuse to try it.  Along with that cute little bird in the tree, made entirely of punches, by the way!  Well, except for the little googly eyes, of course! 

Picture of Mara from Easter this year.

TFL!! 

A new card to share!

I've had a great response on my stamp sets for sale and even met a great person through it, too (Hi, Susan!)!  How awesome of a world we are living in...the beauty of the internet!  I still have the stamp sets for sale right now because I can't figure out my darn PayPal account!  LOL!!  But, as soon as I do, that's where they are headed. 

Yesterday afternoon after talking to Nicole on the phone asking me for scraproom organizational help, I decided to tackle the job of cleaning up my mess of a "closet" (yes, we all refer to my teeny tiny scrapbook room as a closet).  I was in there for hours!  I purged some stuff, moved things around and just made it all around a little more tidier.  Ahhhh, peace. 

Anyway, here's a new card to share!  This was made from a Level 3 hostess set from Stampin' Up and the sentiment is from Thoughts and Prayers.  TFL!

Stamps For SALE!!!

Well, this can't wait for the next scrap sale at the LSS! I went thru my stamp sets because I have outgrown my space where I store my stamps. My loss is your gain!! If you'd like more info or bigger pics of the stamp sets, just let me know. Also, prices are negotiable. I will keep these for sale on my blog for a couple of weeks, then they head off to eBay! I will ship stamp sets anywhere, but buyer pays for shipping. TFL!!!

Ok, font is small on this one.....the top left pic is Basic Backgrounds (3) $5 + Little Flowers (7) $5 in th same box. I will sell separately. The first one to buy one of the sets gets the box, unless I can round up another box!!
Top right is Simple Something (4) for $8.
Bottom left is Wishing You Cheer (4) for $8.
Bottom right is Mr. Twigster (4) for 8.

I will, of course, remove my address labels with Un-Du if you purchase one of these sets. **UPDATE** So Very and Happy Everything from this group is SOLD!!

The set with the ???, I have no idea what it's called. I'm pretty sure it's from a mini catalog from at least 5 years ago, though. I love the sayings in it. **UPDATE** The ??? set is SOLD!





This stamp has some cosmetic damage. I let a friend borrow it and a blue ink pad and her basement flooded. The ink pad leaked underneath the clear sticker on top of the wood block, but the sticker did not come up and the wood blocks are not warped. It stamps just fine, it just doesn't look pretty! This set is a classic! It's from 1997!!! It's also missing the name sticker, so I'm not positive of the name of the set. I made my very first Christmas cards with this set.  **UPDATE** So Much and Time Well Spent are SOLD!**

This set is gorgeous when you heat emboss the effects on top of the tree!

Guess I forgot to label these....the stamps on the left side are called Holiday Blocks (8) for $12. The set on the right is Perfect Ending (4) for $6. I will sell these separately, but whomever buys one set first gets the box. I, personally, used these two sets together since Holiday Blocks doesn't come with any sayings. The Perfect Endings go so well with so many of the images, too. **UPDATE** Holiday Blocks and Perfect Ending are SOLD!!

Another one of my favorites...Flaky Friends. This was the set I used for the second year I made cards! Not as classic, but still pretty old....2002. **UPDATE** Flaky Friends is now SOLD!!!

The price is hard to see....$10.

This set is super adorable! You can make 2 different size snowmen. Love that scarf!!

Ok, this box has 2 sets in it....Stamp of Authenticity (10) for $15 and Genuine Articles (6) for $10. Right off, I'm not sure which stamps go in each set because they are all so similar. I have old catalogs, so I can figure out which stamps belong together. Once again, I will sell separately, but whomever buys a set first gets the box, unless I can round one up! **UPDATE** Stamp of Authenticity and Genuine Articles are SOLD!!

All stamp sets are from Stampin' Up! Some are more well used than others, but all stamp perfectly. Please don't hesitate to ask any questions about any of the sets.

Congratulations

A little card I whipped up for someone who Steve knows that just found out they are expecting! Some more retired Stampin' Up DSP (that was offered during SAB this year).

TFL!

Happy Hello

I found a few pictures of a couple of cards I made within the last month or so that I forgot to post! This is just a simple little hello card, using some retired Stampin' Up DSP (which I forgot the name of, of course!) And, more layered punches, my new favorite thing to do.

TFL!

New card to show off!

I've not been doing too much scrappy related stuff lately. :( But, I do have this card I can show you! This is based off a sketch from the Stamping 411 blog. Check it out next time you're in need of some inspiration! I actually made 20 of these cards for an order someone placed with me. I hope they find them to their liking! I just need to add....LOVE LOVE LOVE the new Modern Label punch! It's so fun layering it with all sorts of other SU punches!!

Attended SU Regionals in Cincinnati last Saturday and had a great time, minus the fact that I got a call that McKenna received 16 stitches in her upper lip in the ER that morning. Learned a bunch of new stuff I can't wait to share with my clubs!

TTFN! I'm off to the Get Healthy meeting this evening!

Nice Ride

I have been wanting to scrap these photos for awhile, but had been pushing it off since I wasn't happy with any paper that I had. I was in the Doodlebug last week and came across these papers by MME Abbey Road and snatched them up! Pics of Mara mastering her skills on her bike without training wheels Spring of 2007....TFL!

Duties of a Flower Girl

A 2-pager done with the extra August kit from BYOM which features Lily Bean papers and tons of embellishment goodies! Everything on here is from that kit! Pics of McKenna from my sister's wedding back in 2006. TFL!

The Making of FiFi

Here's a collage of Micah making her new Build-A-"Dog", FiFi! She was begging to go to BABW to make a new bear for her birthday, but ended up falling in love with the brown and white dog. Then, I was playing around with some new software, Picasa, which my friends, Nicole and Tiffany use, and couldn't wait to try out the "collage" option...pretty cool stuff, huh?!

So, Happy 7th Birthday, Micah Jo!!!

At last! A new little somethin' to post!

A card I made with some retired stamp sets. The bird is from a retired hostess set and the sentiment is a retired SAB set. Pattern papers and ribbon are all retired now, too. Just trying to clear out some of my older stuff to make room for the NEW!! I used the SU circle cutter for the circles on this. I'm hating that thing. I've tried standing up, tried using adhesive to keep the paper in place and nothing is working. I will gladly take suggestions on that stupid tool or it's going in the next scrap yard sale. At this point, I want my old Creative Memories Circle and Oval Cutter back!!!

I have Stamp Club stuff done, but I'm waiting to post that until after my Clubs have done them! It wouldn't be fair to post pics before they get to do them!

Sorry it's been a while since I posted anything on here. I have been seriously lacking in the mojo department for quite a while now. I don't know what's wrong with me, but it's starting to get me down a little. I tried to make some cards yesterday and just struggled like you wouldn't believe! I didn't even get any cards done. They're gonna suck, so I don't feel like finishing them yet. Anyone know how to get out of such a deep slump?! I usually bounce back after a couple of weeks. I'm just not bouncin' this time.

Until next time....

Be All That You Dream to Be

I got this stamp set, Happiness Always, at Tiffany's Hostess Appreciation Day {btw, thanks, Nicole....and Tiffany! ;)} and I couldn't wait to ink it up and use it! Used some retired DSP Windsor Knot (YES! I actually remember the name of the DSP for once!!). Layered some punches (another current favorite thing I've been lovin' to do!). TaDa!

TFL!

Toby!

My very first layout about my "baby boy", Toby! Isn't he just the sweetest?! These pics of Mara and Toby were taken at Easter this year. Steve asked me if Toby gets his own scrapbook. At first I said "no". But, I think he does deserve his own scrapbook!! What do you think?!

This layout was done with the July BYOM kit! I got 4 12x12 layouts and 6 cards made from this kit! The Thinking of You card that was posted yesterday, I had actually made 6 of those! Wowza! And, technically, I have enough scraps to do at least another layout....which I just may! LOL!!

Anyway, TFL!

Thinking of You card

Here's a card I did with my pattern paper scraps from the July Bring Your Own Memories kit! Ribbon is SU Riding Hood Red, the green brads are from my stash and I used the SU stamp set Take Three that's retired. I colored in the image with markers (my new favorite technique!). I used a sketch from somewhere....not sure where (I know, shame on me!!).

TFL!

Just in case she forgets....

...she's got it labeled!

Yes, folks, that's McKenna. And she labeled her bellybutton. "Why?" you ask? I have no idea. But it's just so random. And kooky. And struck me as absolutely hysterical! I have no idea how long that label had been on her belly. She had been playing with Steve's labelmaker earlier in the day. It wasn't until later that evening that we were all watching tv together and Steve asked McKenna if she had shown me her label. She walked over to me and just nonchalantly picks up her shirt to show me. Like it was meant to be there. I was rolling! She is such a nut!! Of course, I had to take some pictures. This is the kind of stuff that was meant to be scrapped. I love scrapping these things.

Everything used on this layout was done with the July BYOM kit and coordinating extras from the shopping....which features Scenic Route this month! Oh, the tiny red alphas are from a previous kit, though. Love me some tiny alphas. Go grab you one of these vibrant, fun kits! Next month is featuring 2 kits to choose from! WooHoo!! Fun stuff!!

Cheep Talk "hello there"

Card I made with a Mojo Monday sketch (I think!) Sweet Always DSP (retired) Cheep Talk stamp set. A little bit of Stickles on the flower and voila! TFL!

Trendy Trees

Just a quick little card using the Trendy Trees stamp set and some more retired DSP. I'm so into trying out and experimenting all sorts of ways to layer punches lately! I LOVE PUNCHES!! I used the Big Shot for the scallop circle. Punches were scallop oval, a circle (can't remember the size) and the word window punch. Topped it off with some brads. Quick and easy!! TFL!

Good Friend

I've had this set for a long time and have never used the bird in it, so I thought it was about time I did something with him! Isn't he cute?! I saw this layout on SCS and just had to CASE it. I did change the colors and pattern paper completely from the original. I love how this turned out! I used some retired DSP from this past Sale-A-Bration (big surprise, I can't remember the name of it!! LOL!) I also used the phrase from the stamp set Cheep Talk. It fits perfects around the head of the bird!

Sorry its been 12 days since my last post (as Steve pointed out in the last comment section!). I've been super duper busy with me and Angie's Healthy Habits group that we've started up. It meets every Tuesday and there is a lot of prep work into each meeting, even though we aren't the ones presenting! And, 7 days creeps up on you FAST!!! We have a total of 70 super women signed up and coming to the meetings. This past Tuesday was our 2nd meeting (out of 12 weeks) and everyone lost weight!!! Isn't that amazing?!?!? We had so many women take us up on our first Weekly Challenge of cutting diet sodas out and drinking more water. Our new Weekly Challenge is to get in at least 3 days of excercise. I have one down from doing the workout offered after each meeting with a personal trainer we have come in, and WOWZA am I feeling it today! I don't think my thighs have ever ached this bad! LOL!!

The weekly meetings and I'm back at work now....3rd week back since my medical leave was up due to my back surgery. Every evening I come home and my back pretty much aches. Nothing I can't handle so far. It's just something I'm going to have to get used to, I think.

Steve and I and some friends are going on a bike ride on Saturday and I can't wait to get back out there on the bike! I did 20 miles a couple of weekends ago and it felt FANTASTIC!! The Strassenfest Bike Ride is coming up next weekend....21 miles. Bring it on!!

I got an award!

This was awarded to me from one of my good friends and uber-talented jewelry designer and card maker, Nicole! Thanks, Nicole and I got goosebumps from the sweet things you said about little ol' me! {{{HUGS}}}

And She Sticks the Landing!

Another layout made with the July BYOM kit!

Pics taken spring of 2008 of Mara jumping off a swing and sticking the landing!! Love the Bazzill edges in the kit!

The Amazing Toothless Wonder

The July BYOM kit is in da house! Scenic Route papers and arrows are awesome!

Pics of Micah last summer without teeth. She only recently got her bottom 2 teeth and STILL missing her top 2 teeth!! Poor thing!

TFL!

Billboardabella!

Of course, when I pointed out to Tiffany that StampingBella had a QuicKutz Bella, she hopped right on and got it! But, she also placed an order for some Bella and Fella stamps and I decided to try one, so I decided on Billboardabella! I love her hair (wonder why?!) and she came with several different phrases to put in that little sign she's holding.

So, this is my first attempt with her. It's ok. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE her, just not the design of the card so much. I used retired DSP Sweet Slumber, retired brads and retired ribbon in Riding Hood Red. Colored her in with blender pens, and markers.

TFL!

Kiss Me!

I was at the D'bug the other day getting some adhesive and needed to spend just a wee bit more to hit the $10 mark for a stamp on my stamp card. I love that they have these little $1.00 packs of stamps by Studio G! This cute little stamp set came with 4 acrylic stamps. I'm not a big St. Patrick's Day person, but I did get this stamp set with a couple of people in mind.....are you one of them? ;)

I used Basic Gray and Kiwi Kiss cs. I ran one piece of Kiwi Kiss thru my Big Shot on a texture plate. Retired ribbon. Scallop square punch. Blender pens and markers for the image. Mojo Monday sketch. I bet you all are getting tired of that same sketch I keep using, aren't ya?! I promise I'll move on to another sketch!

TFL!

A CTMH card....

I was invited to a Close To My Heart stamp party earlier in the week and this is *sorta* the card we made. I added a few things to it because it was just too plain for me. I added the double photo corner and brads and the matted, curly label Thank You and added some glitter to the stamped image.

Now, I'm not a scrapbooking snob, really. I go to lots of other places to get scrap and stamp stuff. But, I just didn't care for the weight of the cardstock and the pattern paper was really, really thin. But, a total bonus for CTMH stamps is that they are acrylic and so easy for placement! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my stamp-a-ma-jig for my SU stamps, but you just can't beat not having to get that thing out. I ended up buying a bird set *GASP*, BUT, it's not a real life looking bird. It's a cute bird. With different wings and tails and plumes. Can't wait to get it and play! Oh, and I also bought two things of Liquid Applique...you know, the white stuff that turns all puffy?! Man, I wish SU sold that stuff!

So, anyway, here's the card. I'm not thrilled with it, but it's ok. TFL!

Happy 4th of July!!!

I hope everyone has a safe and Happy 4th of July!!!