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30 Oct 2007

Hallowe'en Treats - BOO!!

My Papertrey Ink stamps and labels arrived today in the mail!! Woo Hoo!!

So I wanted to do with my nuggets what Nichole Heady at Papertrey Ink did with her nuggets. So, in other words, this is a direct case from her- again- she just has some great ideas!! Well, actually - IMO - she is a freaking genius!!

I had already bought my Hershey's chocolates (I kept them in the freezer so I wouldn't touch them - yeh right).


I had plain chocolate nuggets - yum - and also the chocolate with toffee and almond - extra yummy!! {evil grin}


I stamped my labels using the Holiday Treats set of stamps from Papertrey Ink in black ink then took my Penny Black spider stamp and stamped an orange spider in the middle. This was for the plain chocolate nuggets.


For the toffee and almond nuggets I reversed it since some people are allergic to nuts --they will be able to tell which ones have nuts in them!


You can see what happens when the spiders that you use are alive....they start to crawl all over your paper - hmmmm......yeh, you need to be more watchful and pay attention to what you are doing when you stamp.


The thing is, the Papertrey Ink stamps are clear and so easy to see through the acrylic block, but the Penny Black are wooden so you need to pay more attention. I have no real preference, because I love to stamp everything anytime!!

I put one of each kind of nugget in a treat bag along with a couple of chocolate bars, Hallowe'en smarties and Hershey's Hallowe'en chocolate kisses.


I stamped some orange paper with my Penny Black Hallowe'en stamps in black, orange and purple, and cut it up to make toppers for my Hallowe'en treat bags. Then I stapled them on and done!

We only ever get about five or six trick or treaters, so I get off lucky with the treats.

Whatever will I do with the leftovers??!? ROFL!!

LUCKY ME!!

29 Oct 2007

Bruised Cruisabella....

I've got no more than 6 minutes to upload this photo so I sure hope my DIAL-UP and BLOGGER work right today!!!!



I am doing the Paper Pretties SIYJ tonight at 6:00 pm and it is now 5:54pm!



I made this card for a friend who hit a deer with her new car on Saturday night and totalled it..... I thought she might think it is cute, but she may just be totally pissed off!! YIKES!! Hope not!



Cruisabella, of course, from Stamping Bella, backed on some cardstock I had laying around and the base of the card of the Beautiful paper by Basic Grey - Perhaps....



Bits and pieces of this and that....clip, ribbon.



Stamped the sentiment "recorded on" by Technique Tuesday underneath and wrote the date of the accident on it.....just in case she forgets....HAHAHA!!



Fat Chance that will happen! Well off to Stamp in my Jammies -- see ya!!



LUCKY ME!!



26 Oct 2007

Christmas too.....


Before I race (hobble) off to the chiropractor, I wanted to post this card that I made a couple of days ago.


This card is based (or cased) from Nichole Heady on Papertrey Ink. I loved the non-traditional colors she used for her card, but I didn't have any shimmer paper, but I did have Heidi Grace shimmer glitter paper, that I got at Scrapping Great Deals,and Inkadinkado stamps so I made due.


This card uses Inkadinkado Christmas decorations stamped on cardstock then punched out with my marvy rectangle punch and mounted on marvy scalloped rectangle punchout.


I stamped the image in Versamagic Azure Blue and then used clear acrylic on two of the baubles and stickles diamond on the middle one. Hard to see the stickles, but it is there!


I used my Stamping Up slot punch to make a slot then threaded my ribbon throught it to tie a knot. The corners of the stamped image were snipped with my ticket punch and brads were added. I used my paper piercer to punch all around the scalloped (note to self: pierce the paper before adding the brads - it's just easier) Then I used pop dots to glue down my rectangle image and done. So easy a card!
Okay, off to the chiropractor to fix my back! YAY ! please, please, please...
LUCKY ME!!

Is it Christmas yet!

I love that Christmas is coming!!


I mean, I am not ready in the least, even though I am hosting Christmas this year for my hubby's family - YIKES!! but I love Christmas stamps and the variety of colors that are appropriate to use now.


Red and Green used to be the only colors but now anything goes!


Of course, to get in the mood I used the traditional colors in this cute little card.



Inkadinkado clear Christmas stamps are some of the greatest IMO, and this set Holiday Swirls is top of my list.


Just a snowman set, you say? ....no way! This set is so full of swirls and curls..there is a tag stamp, snowflakes, decorations and of course the snowman! and everything has few cutesy little swirls around them! I LOVE it!!



I used Basic Grey Fruitcake on this card, both sides, a bit of red cardstock and the dreaded sewing (that I detest doing!) - however this is faux sewing, which is a great timesaver and it doesn't look too bad!


Giga punched a scalloped circle and glued on the snowman and there you go. A bit of Bo Bunny ribbon (it's satin and soooo beautiful!)


I like it!


I put my back out at the beginning of the week vacuuming - so YAY! no more vacuuming for me, but Boo! I can't walk straight up and down like normal people - just sort of bent over ape-like,!! HAHA and that is why there has been no posting lately. Off to the chiropractor this afternoon because it still feels like daggers in my back....ugh ...


LUCKY ME!!

20 Oct 2007

Jammybella in Black!! (and pink)


Well, this card is for the Paper Pretties weekly challenge where we had to incorporated some sewing (aaaccckk!) into our card...... not my thing....I started sweating and reliving Grade 8 Home Economics classes when my mom had to make my gym bag for me because I hated sewing and she used to make all my clothes. Well, she ended up getting a C. Let just say she wasn't happy.


Edited: Okay I have updated this Jammy in Black because it just seemed like it NEEDED something else! I really wasn't totally happy with it. My Stampin' Up stuff came in the mail - photo corner punch, tab punch and RIBBON!! Woo hoo!! Anyway, I grabbed that tab punch and stamped on "Oh happy day" from Stamping Bella and now I love it even more!! What do you think?



I gritted my teeth and grabbed Jammybella and decided to do her in an elegant black with a bit of pink, and then maybe I would get inspired to do some sewing!



There are two kinds of sewing on this card. Real and faux. Honestly, I can hardly tell the real sewing from the faux sewing....but I am VERY biased!! HAHA!



I stamped this cutie in black on white (obviously) and colored in her flowers with tombow, doodled around the edges and mounted her on black cardstock.

Then I took my paper piercer and ruler and pierced all around the rectangle image.

I actually threaded a needle and sewed around the piercings -YAY ME!- big deal you say - I hardly have any poke holes in my fingers! Not too shabby.


I cuttlebugged some black cardstock for the card back and glued a piece of paper from Basic Grey Perhaps paper pad on the one side.

I then used a new eyelet with the flowers from Treasured memories to put in the corner of my Jammy and then mounted her on the background with pop up foam dots to give her some dimension!!


I looked at her for a long time, knowing that I really should sew some more around the Basic Grey Perhaps paper.


I mean a looonngg time.


I kept thinking that she didn't look so bad but the itty bitty voice kept saying, come on Lucky, do it.


So I paper pierced once again, but this time I just used a black marker and followed the piercings around, just pausing long enough at each hole to make it seem like a sewing hole. There is a great tutorial for this at Splitcoast Stampers.


I did it a bit different because I don't have a template for piercing, I just did it freehand, with a ruler mind you -haha! It is a very easy tutorial and so darn easy to learn.....my favorite!! YAY again!!


We are going out for supper tonight, to our friend's home. They just bought a new smoker! so they are going to do a pork and have pulled pork sandwiches!! YUMMY!!


LUCKY ME!

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's SUPERBELLA!!

I am posting this in between loads of laundry, cleaning up after lunch, and throwing the ball for my dog!

I honestly wonder where I got the energy when my three children were little and I drove them to all their hockey games, doctor appointments, singing engagements, - school when they missed the bus (they didn't happen very often - but it did happen!)

This card is a tribute to mothers everywhere because whether you have one child or eight children, every moment is spent thinking and doing things for your children.

Superbella!! She is so calm and cool and looking so beautiful in her little outfit! Could I pull this off? LOL!!

Anywaaayyyy, scraps of paper again...these cards are the greatest for using up those scraps from 12 x 12 sheets of paper. She is stamped in black and then coloured in with my Tombows, which I love.


I was thinking I should get copics , but they are so dang expensive and these do a great job and they also have a blender pen that comes with them, so no copics for me!!


I went over her shirt and boots with 3D crystal lacquer so it looks like she has leathah on....ooooo.....


Making Memories stick on glitter stickers are the stars. They are so cool!! They are sticky on both sides so you just stick them on where you want and dump some glitter on, brush away the excess glitter and presto! Glitter on stickers with no messy glue!


I used my Marvy Scalloped Punch to punch out the circle and then used the cuttlebug to emboss the star with the word Super on it! I used my paper piercer to go around the circle and then just did faux stitching along the holes because I haven't yet done real stitching! See the next post because it has real and faux stitching on the card and I don't think you can really tell the difference at all (or maybe I am just kidding myself into thinking I never have to really sew!! LOL!!).


This card was done for the SCS Stamping Bella challenge which was a sketch challenge this week. It is their very first challenge so check it out!! It is so fun to read all the posts about Stamping bella - because we luv her!!


Okay, well back to reality and cleaning up the lunch dishes, folding clothes, feeding my little puppy Rosie and on and on and on.......


LUCKY ME!!

18 Oct 2007

Blingabella!!!

Woooo hoooo! She is one happy girl... just look at the bling on that finger!!

This is Blingabella, another Bella that I just luv.....

She is all wrapped up and flying high with her brand new piece of jewelry.

And who knows ...maybe she bought it for herself....why not? She is a pretty cool chicken with her beautiful paisley dress and matching boots!

I mean really!.....how cool is she?!

She is all done up in scraps that I had around so I don't even know the make of paper, but I just stamped her with black ink, backed her on pink and pale yellow cardstock.....wrapped a huge orange ribbon around and tied a bow.

I used my ticket punch from Stampin' up (luv that thing!) and cut my cardstock with those crazy scissors everybody gets for their first scrapbook purchase, to make a little bit of cutesy frill!

Then I added some brads and she is all ready to be sent to congratulate your friend for her purchase or her engagement!! Either way, she is kind of fun!

Supper is on, hubby put a roast beef in, some roasted vegetables and mashed taties, gravy and salad!!

YUMMY!!

LUCKY ME!!

17 Oct 2007

Teaching Again!!

Every Tuesday , my daughter Holly has a math class to attend. We drive about an hour each way to get there and back home again, so yesterday about 15 minutes before we were about to depart, Holly said:



"I think I would like to give my teacher another card."


"Oh?" said I. "Sure, I can make you one this week."


"Well" she said. "I was thinking today would be a good day because blah, blah, blah......."


I blocked out what she was saying in order to concentrate on my rising blood pressure - forcing it to stay at a semi- healthy level.... of course, she would want it today, why wouldn't she want it today?-- why doesn't she think of these things ahead of time!?-- because, she can't, that's why.....



Holly has a disability that prevents her from understanding timing, consequences, numbers, telling time etc.-thus the math class. We deal with it one day at a time and sometimes we scream into our pillows at night in order to meet the next day.....lol!....our poor pillows!


However, back to the task at hand......


Why, oh why don't I have these cards availabale, at a moment's notice, to grab in instances such as these?!!!



Naturally, I rushed to my scrap room and grabbed a Teachabella from my Stamping Bella, thank goodness I have a couple of stamped images from my stamping daughter Marcie's collection! and THANK GOODNESS for Paper Pretties card in a box! I still had some already, precisely cut pieces to make a card from the last card in a box, so I grabbed those out of my organized scrapbooking room (HAHAHA!) -aka- left over pieces that were laying on the bed.....!!



I threw all this wonderful- on hand- card making "stuff" together and created not too bad a card considering I usually take hours to put one together. I added some scraps of ribbon and a little flower embellishment from Love, Elsie, and VOILA!!


Holly's teacher loved it, thought I was very talented {blush} so all is well!!


Lesson learned - yeah right....lol!



So, this morning I am off to buy some shelving for my NEW scrapbooking room that I am putting together. Maybe I will get some pictures goingof what we are doing - nothing fantastic of course - we are trying to keep it as inexpensive as possible....anyway....got to go!!



LUCKY ME!

15 Oct 2007

Rain Rain Go Away

Well, apparently Blogger is having problems with their uploading of pictures today, but I will go ahead and give you my run down on these little girls, out playing in the rain.

They are so cute and so darned determined to go out and play - reminds me of my sister and I when we were little and we would beg mom to be able to go out and play in the rain. We would just wear her down until she said "FINE! Go and get wet then!!" So out we would go with our little umbrellas and knee high rubber boots. Geez, I am getting misty-eyed...

These girls are coloured with tombows ( I wish I could afford Copics) and backed on baby blue cardstock. Then they are topped onto Wild Asparagus paper (don't you just luv Wild Asparagus!) and backed onto the blue cardstock again.

The tag has been punched out with my Marvy Punches oval and oval scalloped (luv 'em!)and stamped with Technique Tuesday sayings "All About Me" which I configured to say "I am invincible" Then I popped it up on the card and used my Stampin' Up slot punch for the Basic Grey Ribbon Lilykate to be threaded through.

I finished it off with a little blue flower and some yellow brads! So Sweet!!

If you are a Copic lover but just can not afford them......which I am sure there might be one or two of you out there ;) you have to head on over to Paper Pretties!! Christie has figured out a way we can all afford them!! She has started a Copic Club!! along with a Nestabilities Club!

YAY!!-- you just join these clubs and you get a box of copics or a set of Nestabilities every month!! So cool of her to do this.......really it makes it so much more affordable!! What are you waiting for!! Go!

Oh and maybe tell her "The Lucky Clucker" sent you -- hee hee!

14 Oct 2007

My Favorite Things and Faux Ribbon.....

I had a nice long bath when I got home from Canada's Scrapbooking Crop for Kids today. It was crazy!! I volunteered today and my first job was to take the breakfast tickets from the ladies this morning.....breakfast really wasn't anything to write home about.
I would have been very disappointed if I had of paid what they did and got THAT breakfast.
But it was all for the kids, and it was such a noble thing to organize!! How difficult to get everything perfect and it was except for the little meal glitch......

It certainly had nothing to do with the Scrapbooking people - but rather the hotel that they were at - almost every women that went through the line complained that this was the worst food they had ever had when they had attended overnight crops.

I pounded on the kitchen door which was kept locked and asked for bread or bagels and orange juice and if the toaster could be plugged in. She said she had to check the contract!! Anyway, soon she came out with a load of bagels and lots of different kinds of breads - beautiful basket - but by then 3/4 of the women had eaten so it was pretty much wasted. I was glad I had eaten before I went! Oh yeah, I forgot there was cereal, but it was Fruit Loops - maybe they thought it really was for KIDS!!

Well, like I said - the bath - so I decided to do a "Time for a Bath" card from My Favorite Things.

I really wanted to keep it simple so all I did was stamp her in black and then tombowed in the bubbles only with two different colors of pink to create some dimension. I also masked in more bubbles on her legs and since she already had a glass of wine, I really thought she should have the bottle beside her in case she needed a refill. Why not?!

The white cardstock is gorgeous thick paper from Papertrey Ink. Forty - 8 x 11 1/2 sheets for only $6.00. That is only 15 cents a sheet!!

You really need to head on over there, Nichole Heady has so much nice stuff - more than just stamps too.

However (she said slyly.....) if you wait until midnight tonight, there are TWO NEW STAMP SETS coming out, I saw a sneak peek on Nichole's blog and they are gorgeous!! Her stamp sets are beautifully packaged and include a case in which to store your stamps!

I used my Faux Ribbons stamps from Papertrey Ink to stamp on half of the white background, just in various random lines, in Brilliance pink, brown and wheat. Then I stamped Relax and It's Your Day. I masked Relax and stamped more bubbles and tombowed them in the same colors of pink just for dimension (she said again)


I just think it is such a simple card but relaxing and elegant at the same time......

Wouldn't it be perfect if you were giving someone a spa gift certificate or something ?!!?

I will just have to settle for the hot bath!!

LUCKY ME!!

My Stampin' Up Goodies!


Okay this is just a disclaimer - I am not now nor ever have I been a Stampin' Up demonstrator (or will I ever be a demonstrator if my hubby has anything to say about it....LOL!!) and I am in no way even affiliated with Stampin' Up except to say that I went to a demonstration yesterday and got a lot of goodies - oh yeah, and learned a bit too.....




I mean look at the cute little Hallowe'en clippie thing that we made- anyone could do that, but it is just to think up the idea in the first place!!


You Stampin' Up people will be laughing at me but I was impressed!!


Then we did two little note cards and thank goodness everything was cut up and there were display cards available to go by. Three more little cards that we had to design ourselves - boo! - I needed more time than I had!! The Autumn cards were the "coup de something" I dunno, but anyway, so easy, and so beautiful. Now who do I ever send an Autumn card to?! I guess anyone - my mom - she will be impressed!!




I won the green stamp pad - green galore to be exact - and the little birdie stamp

and the little black ink pad also.


Very cool!


If you get a chance to go to one you should go because it was fun and soooooo much candy laying around - you will notice one little butterscotch candie with my stuff- however I think there may have been more candies and chocolates and jujubes too ........not.......sure......
How cute is that little stamp!!
LUCKY ME!!

13 Oct 2007

Freakin' Crazy Chicken!!

**Edited--- I am very sorry about this post and it just being one huge paragraph! I can't figure out how to put in spaces!!. I have been editing it for the last 20 minutes and entering spaces but they never show up after publishing ....stupid blog.....** okay, of course this time it did it and I had paragraphs from here to kingdom come!!!!


Well, it had to happen....I was going to have a chicken card in here somewhere!

Yes, I am an egg gatherer, and somedays I feel just like this frazzled little thing.......only because I seem to get behind on so much.....I blame the stamping.


Does time just get away from you when you stamp or what!?? Things pile up and I feel......well - FREAKING CRAZY!!



This frazzled chicken is called "Feathers MacGee" and he is from "eat cake graphics".


I stamped him in black and colored with my tombows. I wanted him to be colored white ( white is apparently not a color- but I am saying that anyway...) since our hens are white, so I just took a very pale blue marker and traced around the inside lines of the chicken and it sort of brings out the white.


Well, with this sick picture it doesn't do it justice, but that little trick does work.


I am the professional so just believe me ;p, *wink* *wink* LOL!

I stamped the small oval from A Muse Artstamps so he was at least standing (or perched!) on something!


I backed "Feathers" on cardstock and then popped him up on the background which is Cosmo Cricket on the right and cardstock that was run through the Cuttlebug on the left.


The Cuttlebug strip of paper has also been stamped over with versamark and embossed with Puff Powder (which I detest, but I grabbed it instead of my clear embossing powder) and it didn't turn out too bad (she said RELUCTANTLY!!)

The bad habits stamps is from River City Rubber Works and instead of just mounting it on the card I decided that since "Feathers MacGee" is a little frazzled, that I would just kind of hang it there with a ribbon ! Just a little different look, I guess. Then it is finished off with brads on each of the corners to give it some balance (hee hee - but not the chicken LOL!!)

Shoot....have to run, I am late for the Stampin' Up demostration!!

Okay I saved this and now I am back from the Stampin' Up Demonstration. It turned out that it was actually a Stamp Camp - these demonstrators 1st ever - and it was a blast!!!!!


I have never been to a demo before and we made so many different little cards and big cards and Hallowe'en decorations - so cool!

I won a prize which was a large stamp pad, a small stamp pad and a sweet little birdie stamp!!

And everywhere I went there were bowls and bowls of jelly beans and ju jubes and butterscotch candies and chocolates!! Arrrgghhh!
I am going to post pictures of all the stuff I got tomorrow....oh not tomorrow probably --I have another thing to go to. Well, I will post it all at a later date as they say. There were a lot of goodies!


I just lost 30 lbs over the summer so that was a hoot trying to avoid those little devils! Well, I couldn't and yes, I caved....they were so pretty!


Anyway, tomorrow is the Canada's Scrapbooking for Kids day that I am volunteering in so I am quite excited about that! I have to be there at 7:00 a.m. - it is an hour's drive so I'll need to get up at 5:00 a.m. so off to BED and sleep!!


LUCKY ME!!

12 Oct 2007

PMSabella and blah blah blah!!

This lovely little girl's is doing just what I wanted to do when I used to have PMS!

Eating popcorn....of course, now I just have the hot flashes!! I wonder if Emily over at Stamping Bella would consider doing a Hotflashabella..... LOL!!


Why the heck do they call them hot "flashes" - there really is nothing "flashy" about them! The word implies they last a split second but ohhhh nooo, that "flash" hangs around for a few long minutes, quite a few times a day. I never really thought it would be that bad until I started having them and then WHAM -- hokey smokey-- literally!!



Anyway, this poor thing is having a heyday with her chocolates and popcorn-I was at my daughter's house looking after my little grandson Jake, and I was rummaging through her paper when I found the gold paper with blue stars and I could just picture little Miss PMSabella on this paper.


I colored her with my tombows - I mean, I have nothing against copics but I can not afford $100.00 for 12 pens! - although I do think they are lovely and if I could afford it I would have them. Not instead--but also *wink wink*

I doodled around the edges, backed her on some gold cardstock and then on blue - just on the edge - since she is obviously on the edge herself!! I tied a ribbon around the bottom and applied a double sided sticky star to the corner. I mixed three different colors of glitter together, teal, brown, and fine gold. Then I sprinkled it on the star and wiped away the excess. It is a pretty neat embellishment and not too difficult to do except the star was paper thin (no pun intended....) and very pliable so you have to be careful when you are adhering it to your card.


Then I attached a label on the side that says "blah blah blah" and wrote on it in glitter pen so it would stand out. Done!


This was a sketch challenge over at the Paper Pretties Yahoo group. Those challenges are exactly that - a challenge - for me anyway!! Check them out! Head on over the Paper Pretties and see what it is all about!


Tomorrow I am attending a Stampin' Up Demonstration - I have never been to one so I am really looking forward to that!!

Then on Sunday, I am volunteering at Canada's Scrapbooking for Kids at the hospital in London, so I am definitely in for some fun at that place! It will be interesting to see how it all comes together. I have been reading about it for months and a lot of work has gone into the organization and having all the demonstrators able to be there. Anyway, I KNOW it will certainly be a learning experience and maybe I will be able to take a bit of free time and take a class or two!!

LUCKY ME!!

Oh How I Love My Jammybella!!

Well, she is not really my Jammybella!

I put my name on the wish list at the Paper Pretties Yahoo Club, and Kristine stamped four of her and mailed the precious Jammybella to me!!

That wish list the greatest thing, it saves you buying the rubber stamp, however, I loved her so much that.......I went onto Stamping Bella and bought her (she said really fast so no one would really know what she said LOL!) Anyway, I couldn't help it and I don't care. All I have is Pompomabella and I am almost getting a little tired of using her over and over again in the challenges...... (I can hardly even say that without feeling a little sick)


I also bought the binder so I have somewhere to store my Bellas. It is so pretty with the little bling scattered all around. Well, while we are at it, I might as well confess that I bought witchybella as well.......so there.....phttthht!


So today, I was in the Paper Pickle in Chatham, Ontario - the coolest little stamp store around here, and I got some more stuff because, well, it is a stamp store and I couldn't walk out with nothing! That would be very rude.....Um, I bought grumpabella (luv her) and veggiebella (luv her too). I also got the oval scalloped paper punch, oval punch, ribbon, staz on ink (because everyone is raving about it - so I should test it *wink*) paper and maybe another stamp or two. So what!!


This pretty little Jammybella is mounted on cardstock and then on Pretty Posies from DCWV and cardstock that was run throught the Cuttlebug that I got from Scrapping Great Deals - so far the best prices around that I have found...


A little bit of yellow swiss dot ribbon from The Paper Pickle and some purple bling from Queen & Co. in the corners and done - very simple card really, but a cutie!!

While we are on the subject of Bellas, we were weren't we?, check out the new Bella - Snowbunnybella - absolutely to die for!! http://www.stampingbella.com/


Well, I get to go and play with my new Bella's now!! LUCKY ME!!

WHERE IS MY MAIL LADY??

My goodies arrived today from Kristine Reynolds of Paper Pretties!!

Jackie and I won the challenge for the week so we were the recipients of much needed (naturally, I mean really!!) neat little things from Paper Pretties. There was Queen & Co. mini brads which I just happened to need for this weeks challenge and pretty little Prima flowers!!

I also got this awesome card from Kristine Reynolds of Paper Pretties! They are all so goll-darned talented over there. If you have never been, go check it out at http://www.paperpretties.com/ and click on the gallery. Their cards are so great!!

I can hardly wait for this month's box which features the Bella "Expectafellabella" from Stamping Bella and of course enough paper and embellishments and instructions (and I need a lot of instruction....) to make six cards! Of course, you can use the material anyway you want to. Everything is all prepared for you so no cutting---just placing and gluing -- it is fabulous for those of us with very little imagination!!


We live in the country so we have a mail lady who delivers the mail to our mailbox at the end of the road (some of you most likely know what I am talking about, but if you are from the city - then no)

Of course, everything is addressed to my husband due to various credit card things and such (ya know) so I get a real laugh evertime the Paper Pretties box comes. It is usually too big to fit in the mailbox so the mail lady has to drive around the barnyard to find my hubby and present it to him. She says "Ron, your Paper Pretties box arrived today!!" I just howl and Ron will scowl.....LOL!!

I have the best husband in the world - oh yes I do!! LUCKY ME!!

10 Oct 2007

Beautiful Blooms and Happy Anniversary!!

Oh yeah....hubby told me this morning that we were going to an anniversary supper tonight. Our friends, that we go travelling in the summer with, have been married 21 years (now that is something to celebrate!) so their son is cooking for them and they get to invite 3 couples. So naturally, that would be our wine group - even though we just got together on Friday night here for pasta night and wine - it is always fun when we get together!!


Well, I had to make a card, so out came the Papertrey Ink set, Beautiful Blooms. This set is gorgeous, and I have had it for a couple of weeks (I got Beautiful Blooms, Faux Ribbon and Borders and Corners-square, plus paper plus see through boxes for cards !!--lots and lots to play with!!)


I just am a little intimidated by it, because I couldn't see myself just stamping flowers all over paper willy-nilly (yes, that is a word LOL!) So, what I did was, I started stamping flowers all over the paper just like I didn't think I would! and it actually turned out pretty good!


This set is gorgeous!

I stamped in various colors, and then took my faux ribbon set and made a little trail for the fly/bee (it is a bee today - LOL)

I colored the bee with my tombows and then added acrylic on top and I popped it up with popdots. I backed it on blue, pink and green cardstock. That sounds so plain but I don't know the real names (maybe cloudly sky blue, rarely rose and olive oil green!!) It still looked a little plain so I took my chalks and went over all the flowers and leaves and purposefully colored over the lines - that was FUN!!

I punched out a scalloped circle with the giga punch and topped it with a circle that I had stamped with a scroll stamp. Then I just made up the words "here's the BUZZZ" and stamped it on the circle. Inside the card it says "Happy Anniversary" stamped with "My Favorite Things"- Sassy sayings set of stamps and I know they will like it!!

Well, off to get ready and go for supper and wine!! LUCKY ME!!

Math Class!

I had my daughter to math class yesterday and as I drove there I thought, I could do a teacher card with my Bellas (what else!)
So, out came the Teachabella!

I don't ever remember my teachers looking this sweet.

Her hair is even highlighted and my teachers all had grey hair, except for the men (especially the gym teacher) who all seemed to have abnormal colours of hair! LOL!

I found the cutest paper from Around the Block with all sorts of school words on it.

She turned out all right, and I love the little star brads!

The hens are calling-have to go gather those eggs!!
LUCKYME!!

9 Oct 2007

In Sympathy

Like it or not, a sad fact of life is death and today I am making squares for two funerals that our UCW is serving.
Neither one of these men were young, in my standards, and both had lived full, rich lives according to their own family members. That doesn't make death any easier, as you know, and all we can do is pray for the families that are left to mourn, and try to do what we can to ease the pain.

I have made two cards, each one unique in their own way and yet the premise is the same.

I have cased these both from Debbie Olsen, designer from Papertrey Ink. Her cards are beautiful and she happened to have a gorgeous sympathy card that I thought I would try to make.

The first one has a background of bronze glitter paper topped with forest green cardstock which has been embossed in the Cuttlebug with the textile embossing folder.
The stamp on this card is from the Stampendous - "In the Woods" collection.
I used Dew Drops Brilliance "thyme" on the branches and Dew Drops Versamagic "aegean blue" for the little bluebird. "Thyme" is a beautiful green colour that has a gorgeous shine to it and makes the stamp sparkle!!
I kind of went over it and doodled in some of the branches in brown tombow and sponged around the image in brown ink. "with deepest sympathy" is from Printworks and stamped in Brilliance green, then I used my ticket punch for the corners and mounted it on the copper glitter paper.
I popped it on the card with pop-dots and tied Close to my Heart designer chocolate ribbon around the whole thing.
The second card is basically the same principle however, I used eggplant cardstock instead of forest green.
I stamped the In the Woods image with Brilliance pearl purple and once again doodled some tombows both in brown and green to add branches and leaves.
I chose not to add ribbon to this one just to make it a little less glitzy, but I do think I like the ribbon one better (if you can LIKE a sympathy card).
These funerals always get me a little depressed, because I think of the part of my family that is the same age as these people and I get a little teary eyed!
GEEZ!
Time to go have a coffee, sit on the front porch and watch the world go by - or at least my two dogs that run around the house a thousand times in the morning, chasing birds and chipmunks!!
LUCKY ME!!

8 Oct 2007

Happy Thanksgiving Canada!

Well, I survived the double birthday party, I mean I didn't have to do anything except show up! However, sometimes even that seems to be a chore! It was very fun and they LUVVED their cards (whew) I worry about that!

Thanksgiving for us yesterday on hubby's side. Beautiful hot day and they food was outrageous!! I took baked beans (out of a can and into the crockpot-doctor them up a bit and fantastic!!) and of course there was turkey with all the trimmings, squash, mashed potatoes, gravy, lovely treat (our pet name for broccoli, cheese and rice casserole!) and of course pie, pie,PIE!! and to top it off, hubby's mom made homemade ice cream!! Oh My GAWD!! It was so good and fattening!
Daughter, M, wanted to go around the table and have everyone to say what they were thankful for, which is always fun to hear. Old folks, middle age and young kids always have completely different things eg. old folks - health; middle age - family; teens - good friends! It's all good!

Another Thanksgiving today on my mom's side, so on my way to take leftover beans and bean salad !! My son is a vegan so I have to try to take something he can eat!!

5 Oct 2007

Happy 75th!!

Well, technically not the 75th, but we are invited to a double birthday party tomorrow night(whew!) One is for our friend Joe, who is turning 50 and the same party, the same day and the same place is celebrating their son's 25th birthday.

Both are a surprise, although I don't know how she is going to pull that off!!

That is always the hardest part--keeping a surprise!!

Bar-b-queing a pig, everyone brings salads and drinks and cards and it is all fun!


More or less an excuse for a party I suppose. Can you tell I am not really into this one??! I don't know why! I LOVE everyone who is going to be there!

Okay, truth be known...I am STRESSED TO THE GILLS!! I have 8 people coming for supper, my dog Rosie (a schnauzer with a tender stomach) just got into the garbage in the garage, because my hubby left the door open on his way to the liquor store. She dragged out a chicken carcass and ate away at it until my daughter, H, saw her and wrestled it away.

Now, Rosie will probably throw it all up around supper time when my company is here.

Leave her outside you say? Well, if I do that she will bark away until the neighbours call to make sure everything is okay over here because that is what my neighbours do when my dog barks!!! Just looking out for us hubby says and I just want to say "Well, you will just have to put up with it because I don't want her puking all over my clean kitchen floor!!!"

My son has to work evenings, so now he is in the kitchen making his supper to go and which I will have to clean that up after he leaves because that is what I do!!

Thank you for letting me vent--stress over.

So --I made a crisscross card for these two birthday boys. When I saw the tutorial over on Split Coast Stampers awhile ago, I thought "no way". But then I read it (yes I am a "see first, decide never, and then think - well maybe" kind of person!) and it didn't seem too bad. And actually, it was very simple. Just a bit of preparation as in cutting and it really is a great way to use up scrap paper!


I used double sided Cosmo Cricket paper because it doesn't scream girly, and rust, gold and beige cardstock. ~ I embossed the band that wraps around the card with the Happy Birthday Cuttlebug folder, punched out a circle with my Marvy punch and popped out a little gift which is a Cuttlebug die! It really was easy and the next time will go even faster, since I won't have to keep uploading the tutorial all the time!!


Well, the spagetti sauce is in the crockpot, I STILL have to shower after gathering eggs this morning, make a salad, set the table and clean the bathroom. I had to wait for hot water because the dishwasher was running, my son had his five hour long shower and now the washing maching is running. LUCKY ME!!

4 Oct 2007

Think Pink with Causabella!!

Daughter M works at the local library and she asked me to do up a card regarding Breast Cancer, so she could pretty up their donation box.
So I knew right away, exactly what card to use........ Causabella of course!!

A wonderful stamp by Stamping Bella that raises awareness perfectly! This stamp is so versatile, because you can colour the ribbon any colour, whether it be for breast cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer....you name it, that darn stuff is out there and we need to GET RID OF IT!!.

Okay now, settle down......hey, how did those pink M&M's get there? Oh well, they won't be there for long ;) !!

Well, this pretty girl was stamped in black ink and watercoloured with my tombow markers. I really don't do watercolouring justice, but follow the link to this tutorial by Christie Ortman from Paper Pretties. It describes it perfectly and she makes it sound sooo easy! I 'm sure with a lot of practice....um hm....

I coloured the ribbon with pink tombow and then ran my Ziggy glue pen all over it and sprinkled Making Memories Scrapbook Glitter on top. Then you just tap it off back onto the tray that is included with the glitter (I bought it in a 6-pack with a tray) and then pour it back into the container!! EASY-PEASY!

Stamping Bella's "think pink" stamp was inked on and the whole thing was mounted on paper from Basic Grey's Perhaps paper pack (say that 3 times fast!!), then mounted again on DCWV glitter paper from their Pocket Full of Posies Pack!!

The background was from DCWV mat stacks and ran through the Cuttlebug. Then I tied it with a ribbon from Close to My Heart (scrapbook show - tee hee!) and added some pretty pink brads that I got from Lasting Impressions and VOILA!! all done!!
Now, since I did that through our supper hour, guess who gets to clean up the mess, (not MY mess you see!)
LUCKY ME!!

Hats Off!!

I had math class with my daughter, H on Tuesday so no time to play with my card stuff. And yesterday I got to look after my sweet little grandson, and I kind of got the message that grandma should not be making cards when he was eating bits of paper and rolling around in the glitter! (not really, but you know what I mean!!)
This morning I was able to finish this little girl up and she is kind of cute-in a strong sort of way!!

The background is that beautiful paper from Stampin' Up from the Secret Garden Pack. It has gorgeous apricots and olive and a kind of a chartreuse thing happening.

I had scraps of patterned paper that matched the Secret Garden paper, so I cut it into three strips to resemble ribbon and glued them on the end of the paper. I stamped the sentiment with black ink and brushed some green chalk over it to tone down the white. This is another rubber stamp that I purchased from River City Rubber Works last week. It says " "Hats prevent the growth of new brain cells" he said sternly. She nodded & vowed to buy herself an elegant hat with flowers, organza & a veil the very next day"

I have had the hat stamp, which was from Stampendous, for ages and I thought it would go with that. My cool-i-o ticket punch from Stampin' Up was used on it and the background it is glued on. Then I took my paper piercer and pierced holes all around the edges, except for the left edge, just for a different sort of look! I matted that on the coral paper and glued it kind of haphhazardly (?) on the Secret Garden Paper.

I stamped the hat stamp in black ink and punched it out with the Giga Scalloped Paper Punch and coloured it with my Sakura glitter pens (LUV those things!!). Again, I punched around it with my paper piercer and then stamped around it with my little dauber in Olympia Green Versafine Ink. I attached a coral flower and some ribbon which I had to colour with my tombow markers in order to get the right colour!

Today is grocery day, and we are having our wine party tomorrow night, but I think we are going to just have pasta with a ground beef and ground sausage tomato sauce, caesar salad and garlic bread. So that will be easy-peasy!! The easiest part of all is picking out the wine. I go to the liquor store, I tell the clerk what I am serving and she picks out the appropriate wine for me. They are all so well schooled in alcohol!! LUCKY ME!!

1 Oct 2007

I won !! I won!!

Hey!! I won a challenge on Paper Pretties!! Holy Cow!! I just got the e-mail and now I am going to get some goodies sent to me!! I am so excited!! It was the challenge of the week when we had to incorporate office supplies into our card. Check out my Hip Hip Hooray post!!

**Edit: Well -- I got pretty caught up in the win and was VERY remiss in not sharing this glory with Jackie who was the co-winner with me in this challenge! Oh my gosh, she had the cutest card made in the shape of a file folder!! AND it had chocolate desserts on it!! Anyway, I am trying to make light of the fact that I didn't mention her, but I really should have said I was a co-winner and I apologize for not doing so.





I went over to my daughter M's this afternoon to stamp and make cards. I take my totally cool Tote with me, loaded to the gills with my supplies. Sometimes I think I need two of them. (hee hee).


And my little grandson J stood by himself for about a minute!! He has never done that before!! Well, it might not have been a whole minute-maybe like a nano-second, but I knew!! and then he slowly sunk to the floor by himself ....so he is on his way... (oh great)


Well I have made my decision about my Christmas cards this year! Who wouldn't just love to get "warm hugs" in the mail. This stamp is from Stamping Bella and they are soooo cute, just standing there hugging each other!! I love it because you are looking from the top down!

Edited to add: I knew I saw the creator of this snowman stamp on one of the blogs and I tried to go back through my history to find the blog where I read it but there are too darn many!! I need to cut down on the blogging!! Anyway, now I can give credit where credit is due!! She just happened to post a comment on my SCS gallery, HOW NEAT IS THAT!! Her name is Julia Stainton and you can catch her work at http://www.bellepapier.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/


I ran my aqua cardstock through the Cuttlebug with the snowflake embossing folder (don't you just luv it!!) I took a piece of white paper and punched out a scalloped circle with my giga punch from Paper Pretties then stamped the image on my circle. I coloured them with my tombows and outlined the scallops with my sakura glitter pen.(LUV 'em!)




I cut out an extra snowbuddy and popped him out on the image, then took my paper piercer and pierced each scallop. I stamped "warm hugs" on white paper and glued it on the same colour then added brads and popped him out on the bottom of the card. Easy-peasy!!

Cosmo-lady is too funny!!
I have had her for awhile and just never had the proper sentiment. She is from Inky Antics and the cutest little thing. It looks like she is holding on for dear life!!
Well, I was cruising River City Rubber Works, the other day and this sentiment came up on the screen, so I HAD to have it! They have tons of sentiments that are so funny!! This one is perfect. It is a Kay Foley stamp from River City Rubber Works.

She was very simple really.

Both stamps are so big that you need a big card (IMO) so that is what I did.
I filled in her drink with my green souffle pen and Stickled her bubbles with lime green stickles - tombowed the rest of her and glued them on their backgrounds, added ribbons and brads and she was done!
I wish I could have done cards this fast for the SIYJ night...hahahaha!!!


Well, I have to go and call EVERYBODY I know to tell them I won a challenge!! They love me so they will be happy!

Math class tomorrow with daughter H, so probably no cards tomorrow! She has math for two hours at the Kinsmen centre so maybe I will go to the SLOTS!! and win money!!

LUCKY ME!!