Not a morning person...

This card seemed perfect for this morning. The stamp on the front is from Sparkle and Sprinkle. On the inside I used a saying (don't remember which company) that says "Not a morning person doesn't begin to cover it..."



Happy Monday everyone! Oh...and happy New Year's Eve!

Jane

Love You!

Happy Sunday! Thanks to everyone for the well wishes for our anniversary! We had a nice time out. Went out for a steak dinner and walked around the mall and looked at wedding bands (we want/need new ones...he has mangled his at work and mine is too small). Then we stopped and visited with some friends before coming home. It was a nice evening.

Wow, this 3 day weekend idea feels GREAT! I've slept a LOT but must have needed it. Got the house cleaned up a bit. Stamped a few things. Spent some time with friends. Did a little shopping. It's been really nice! I have to go back to work tomorrow but then have Tuesday off. So it'll be a short week.

Hmmm...what artwork do I have to share? How about this one?



This was inspired by the sketch I posted a few days ago where I used my Ice Cube stamp (it used a total of 5 circles across the panel). When I was doing that I thought about my cuttlebug embossing plates and thought about using them instead. So that's what I did here. I cut my white panel and centered the square embossing plate in the center and pressed it down. Then did one more on each side (for a total of three). I could have stamped in the center of the squares but I decided to use some punches (get more out of my usual comfort zone). So I stamped the heart a total of 6 times and glued sets of 2 together (to give it a little more dimension)...and then glued each set of 2 in the center of a square. The rest is just layering...and the one stamp from SU. I added the little Making Memories heart brad as the finishing touch.

Hope everyone has a great Sunday!

Jane

Happy Anniversary to me!

Wow, who would have thunk...17 years! That's a long time!

This is the card I made for my hubby. I don't own this stamp - but one of my fellow AZStampers (VA) sent me some images. Pretty basic card but I'm happy with how it turned out.



I've got a couple more cards to share and I've also been working on my calendars so will have more photos to share through the week...so come back and check for more artwork!

Thought I'd also share a picture of why I love where I live...



This is part of my view in the mornings as I drive to work. I love watching the sun rise over the mountains! One day it had rained the day before and it was really foggy in the the morning...the fog covered the bottom of the moutain so it looked like the mountain was floating in space and then the sun was coming over the top. It was SO pretty...and of course I didn't have the camera!

Have a wonderful day! My niece is coming to babysit the boys and dh and I are going out to dinner (and maybe a movie or ???)

Jane

Thanks SNOW much!

Once again, my card isn't what I had intended but I like how it turned out. I'd chosen THIS sketch from SCS that the main focus is a circle..and I thought it'd be cute with a snowman face.



But then I didn't like how it looked at the top of the card...and it needed a hat. So I ended up improvising. Cut a square and rectangle out of cardstock, rounded the edges and stuck it together to make a hat. Did faux stitching around it and attached it to my snowman's head. Then used ribbon for his scarf (had seen someone do that on SCS before and thought it was such a cool idea).



The stamp set is called "Cold Play" from SU. It's a retired stamp set. The saying is also from SU (I think) but I'm not sure which set. It was a single stamp I acquired at some point.

Do you think I should add pink chalk for cheeks? Or glitter on his nose? Or should I stop while I'm ahead?

Jane

Good Friday morning (for me!)

I'm taking tomorrow off work...so today is FRIDAY for me! LOL.

First I'll share some artwork and then will ad the vet update below so you can read it if you're interested.



This card uses a House Mouse image. I love how cute the images are but have a hard time working with them because they are SO large. I colored mostly with chalks (used pencils to color in the curling ribbon). Then I had an "ah ha" moment and instead of using ribbon...I used curling ribbon! ;-) This card would need to be hand delivered or otherwise packaged (wouldn't fit in a regular envelope without costing a fortune for the bulk that the curling ribbon added). But I love the extra "bling" it adds!

Update on the vet - the lump is a hernia which they weren't worried about. The reason he's walking so funny is because he has an inherited condition which is causing calcium to grow on his spine and is putting pressure on his disks...which is then causing him pain and partial paralysis. They gave him the highest dose of steroids they could yesterday (a shot) and sent us home with a prescription of more. And now it's "wait and see" to see how he responds. It sounds like it's progressive so my guess is that this is a short term "fix" (assuming it works). The next option was surgery which they said cost several thousand dollars and once again, it's temporary more than likely. They told us we didn't do anything wrong - it's inherited. Sigh. At this point we are hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.

To top my day off yesterday, I went outside to leave for work and my car wouldn't start. So it was a mad rush to find someone who could drive me partway to work (my hubby) and someone who could come partway and pick me up from work (a coworker). I couldn't take DH's car nor could he drive me all the way in because he had to get the dog to the vet appt. It was a crazy day! I didn't leave work till 6:00 then met up with hubby and got a battery, came home and put it in. I was exhausted and headed to bed BEFORE my kids last night.

Hope you have a great "Friday"! ;-)

Jane

Thanks for Your Support!

When I saw this adorable set at Gina K's site I had to buy it. It's designed by Langley Boy Designs for Gina K.

For this card I decided to do paper piecing (stamping the image on patterned paper and cutting it out) instead of just coloring in the bra and panties. This card is a little "louder" than my usual style but I'm really pleased with how it came out. Most people I'd send a bra/panty card to would be people who would like the loudness of the design! LOL.



I wanted to do something fun and "frilly" with the corners and then had an "aha" moment. I used my SU scalloped circle punch and punched a circle and then cut it into quarters and used those as "photo corners". I also added red mini brads to the main panel and then the panel is up on dimensional's.

On to non-stamping news (gasp...there IS such a thing! LOL!) My dh is taking the dog to the vet this morning. (Mr. Sammie at right side of blog...my black ragmuffin of a ShihTzu.) I'm really worried they may have to put him down. He can't walk right now...looks like he's had too much to drink...can't seem to control his hind end very well. I gotta go to work (already two people out today) but told dh to call me and keep me updated. If they do decide it's something major then I'll leave work.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and that Santa treated you well (assuming you deserved it of course! LOL!)

Jane

SC155 - Have an Ice Day

First off...some artwork. I followed the sketch challenge#155 on SCS.



I used my new Hambo Stamps. The ice cubes are cute without the penguins but the penguins (in former posts) are oh so cute on their own or paired with the ice cube. I can definately see myself buying from this company again. Anyways, here's my card!



Now on to personal ramblings:

My dog (Mr. Sammy) hasn't been acting right for the last few days. Last night I discovered a bulge/lump on his belly. Guess we'll now have to come up with $ for the vet (assuming they are open on Christmas Eve day) and pray that it's something relatively simple. My uneducated guess is a hernia but I'm certainly not an expert!

Ok...gotta run to work. Have a great day. I won't be posting artwork tomorrow.

Jane

Here's the Deets of the CTMH album!

Ok...after yesterday's sneak peek...it's time to share the entire project with details. I'm going from memory here...so no bashing me if my memory fails me.

To start with we used a 12x12 folder (or in the CTMH catalog it's the "True Fit Folio".) With the folder intact we scored at 6 inches one way and then flipped and scored at 4 and 8 inches. Then we opened the folder and folded on the six inch score (so we had one long folder 12 inches long by 6 inches tall). We then accordian folded on the other scores. Once the basic folding was done we reopened the folder and laid it out in front of us. We then covered each of the panels with decorative paper (in my case the paper is from the Free Spirit paper packet) to cover the panels. This paper was cut just a smidgen shy of the 4 inches (otherwise the folds don't fold so well.) Once these were all adhered we took the coluzzle and on JUST THE TOP LAYER we cut out a portion of a circle on each of the five panels to the right. Then lastly we completed it by decorating it and then using liquid glue at just the top to adhere the front of the folder to the back. And lastly...smaller pieces of cardstock were cut and slid into the pockets. I'm still not entirely done (I'd like to add some ribbon to my cardstock inserts. But all in all, I think it's adorable as is.)

Cover:

Supplies used: Solos "U" set, Charm Lowercase Alphabet

"S" page without insert:


"S" page with insert:

Supplies used: Solos "S" set, star from Memory Labels set, tag from Make My Day set

"M" page without insert:


"M" page with insert:

Supplies used: Solos "M" set, star from Star Struck set, stitches from Legendary Moments set

"I" page without insert:


"I" page with insert:

Supplies Used: Solos "I" set, Memory Label's set

"L" page without insert:


"L" page with insert:

Supplies Used: Solos "L" set, Make My Day set

"E" page without insert:


"E" page with insert:

Supplies Used: Solos "L" set, Star Struck, Circle Window Charm (epoxy sticker)

Complete without inserts:


Complete with inserts:


All of these CTMH products can be viewed (and purchased) from Linda, my CTMH consultant. Here is her website: CTMH Personal Site. She is super easy to get along with and not pushy at all (one of the many things I love about her).

Last night I found my stampin' mojo again and made several cards that I really like...so more artwork this week! Yay!

Jane

A teaser...

Just wanted to post one pictures of the CTMH project we did last weekend. I'll be posting full details in the days to come. Want to find out all the stamp sets and such that we used so I can give full details. But for now...a little teaser...

How gorgeous is this little mini accordian album? And it's made out of one 12x12 folder!



All supplies are from Close To My Heart. I'll get details as to the actual stamp sets and the names of the paper packet. I'll also be posting closer up pictures of the folder in the next few days. Just wanted to post a little bit for now.

Enjoy!

Jane

Short Post

Just had a few things to say (no artwork today...sorry!)

1) After calling about 20 places I finally found the game used that my son wanted. YAY! Even used it was close to $30. Ouch. But it'll make him happy and that's what this time of year is about.

2) We got gifts from our boss at work yesterday. Each basket was basically the same (filled with food) and then something specific was added for each of us. Mine had a Michael's gift card in it. How cool is that? I have no idea how much it's for (it doesn't say anywhere). I guess I take it to the store and they can scan it? Any other thoughts? There isn't a 1-800 number on the back or anything. Regardless, I thought it was sweet that the gifts were personalized.

Ok...gotta run! Tomorrow I'll get pictures (during daylight) of the little mini album we did last weekend at the CTMH stamp club so I can post pictures. I haven't posted pics yet because I want to be able to do it justice and it's too dark anytime I'm home to get good pictures.

Jane

Have an Ice Day!

Good morning all! I can't believe how quick Christmas is going to be upon us! I'm still SO not ready! Today I need to run out at lunch and try to find a PS2 game that my son wants. It's Cabelos Alaskan Adventure. It's not a new one...been out for a few years. But noone seems to carry it or they are out of stock on it. I've tried Game Spot, Walmart...no luck. Today will try a used book store that carries used games and I may try KMart and Target as well. Other than finding his gift I'm ready for the kids.

Ever have a really real bad dream? Ugh. I woke up at 4:00a.m. this morning literally in a sweat after having a dream that my youngest got run over and killed by a car. In the dream we'd all been playing outside (and there were other people around...a gathering of some sort). He'd fallen asleep on the bench and I woke him up and told him to go play with the other kids while he had a chance. So they are playing and life is good. And it starts to rain. So I'm hollering at the kids to start to head inside. Then in the dream I hear a bang (assuming thunder maybe because I didn't look for the source of it as I'm too busy trying to get the kids to start to come inside). Well, the bang was one car hitting another car and the one car then just went crazy and it's headed straight towards where the kids are playing. I see it coming but I'm too far away. In the dream my oldest son is trying to pull the younger one out of the way of the oncoming car but at the last minute drops him to avoid being hit himself. I'm praying that he'll fall in the middle part of the car (not under the tire). He's so small maybe the car will roll over him and do minimal damage that way. But I see him fall to the ground and the car literally roll over his neck and kill him. I'm running at this point and screaming that I'm going to f*ing kill the driver myself. And that's the point I woke up. It was sooooo real and I was afraid to go back to sleep. I got up and checked on the boys and retucked their covers in. Then came back to bed and pulled the dog up to cuddle with me. And then slept fitfully for an hour till time to get up. Sigh. Going to be a long day.

Anyways, artwork to share! I wanted to play with my new stamps again....so I DID! Here is the result.



This uses a fair amount of masking. I stamped the penguin first (all stamps from Hambo Stamps...see previous post for link) and then masked him. Then added the cube directly under his "foot". Then I masked the cube and stamped the cube twice more under the first...and then I went slightly lower and stamped a couple more cubes. I then masked the penguin and the cubes and sponged light blue all around them. For the ice cubes I added clear stickles for the shine/wet effect. The base of the card is black (kind of hard to tell in the picture). The blue I stamped the greeting first and then ran through the cuttlebug with the swirl embossing plate...added two black brads. Tied a ribbon around the base and then added the penguin layer with popped up dimensionals.

Ok...gotta run off to work. Have an "ice day" all!

Artwork...as promised!

A couple weeks ago I placed my first order at Hambo Stamps. They have some adorable stuff and I love their humor. They were having a sale so I HAD to finally take the plunge and buy a few stamps. The customer service there was awesome and I'd highly recommend them. (Especially if you have a slightly ill sense of humor! ;-) ) Well, yesterday my stamps arrived and I was in the mood to create.

So I went onto SCS and looked for a challenge. I didn't like the sketch challenge for the week so checked out the limited supply challenge. This week the challenge is to use a white card base and limited layers and limited embellishments. Umm...ok, I could do that. (Let me just say now...that sometimes it's the simple things that are the most difficult!)

My first envisionment was a plain white card with a rectangle dry embossed in the center and that was where I'd stamp my penguins. Well, I did that...but the embossing just didn't "pop" on the card the way I wanted it to. I wanted the whole center section to be up and really the only raised part was the four lines around the edge of the rectangle. And it looked too plain. So I masked off the center section and stamped snowflakes (SU) around the rectangle and sponged the edges. Better but still boring. So I finally opted to add the tiny "frame" around the rectangle, the ribbon, the brads, and glitter glue to the ice cubes.



I finally like it well enough to call it done...but still don't love it. I do love the images though. They are so cute!



One thing to note, their unmounted stamps come with the sticky cushion attached (so you can place it on wood). I thought it was EZ Mount (with static cling) and I plopped the first one on my acrylic block and then couldn't get it off! Yikes! So the rest of the stamping I did by holding the stamps with my fingers...guess I need to find a few small wood blocks!

Have a great day all!

Jane

Monday, Monday...

Good morning everyone. I promise that I'll soon get back into my habit of stamping all weekend so I have things to share all week. But right now between moving offices at work (today we unpack at the new office) and trying to get ready for the holidays...I just don't have the time on the weekends to stamp like I'd like to.

I did create a wonderful project last night at the CTMH gathering. And I'll be sharing pictures of that at some point this week (need to put on a few finishing details before it's ready for it's "unveiling" LOL!)

In the meantime, I thought I'd share something near and dear to my heart. December (and the holidays) aren't always happy times for all people. I try very hard for my kids' sake to at least put on the pretense of the expected emotions of the season. But sometimes it's a struggle. Does that sound "bah humbug" to you? Well, let me explain.

First off, I lost a baby to miscarriage on December 23rd many years ago - my first baby. Then 11 years ago at Christmas I was pregnant with triplets with dreams of future Christmas's dancing in my head. By the following Christmas I had one surviving baby...not three. My daughters died at 2 days and 15 days of age. The same year my triplets were born - my mom died. She spent her last Christmas in the hospital. So, at the time of year when we are supposed to be surrounded by family and friends I see these gaping holes in my life that can never be filled by other people. I do try. I "adopt" a child each year and buy presents for them (and pick one that would be my daughters' age). I also often "adopt" a senior and do the same thing for them in my Mom's honor. Right after my daughters passed away - my sisters-in-law brought me two bear angel ornaments (I collected Cherished Teddies at the time). Each year those go on the tree. My Dad went to a ceremony after my Mom had passed away and he got a ornament ball and wrote my Mom's name on it. I have that now (Dad passed away 2 1/2 years ago) and I've also bought another bear ornament - except this one is a soldier bear (my Dad was a WWII Army Ranger). Anyways, I wanted to share a couple things (with that all in mind).



My Mom Is A Survivor

My Mom is a survivor,
or so I've heard it said.
But I can hear her crying at night
when all others are in bed.

I watch her lay awake at night
and go to hold her hand.
She doesn't know I'm with her
to help her understand.

But like the sands on the beach
that never wash away...
I watch over my surviving mom,
who thinks of me each day.

She wears a smile for others...
a smile of disguise!
But through Heaven's door I see
tears flowing from her eyes.

My mom tries to cope with death
to keep my memory alive.
But anyone who knows her knows
it is her way to survive.

As I watch over my surviving mom
through Heaven's open door...
I try to tell her that angels
protect me forevermore.

I know that doesn't help her...
or ease the burden she bears.
So if you get a chance, go visit her...
and show her that you care.

For no matter what she says...
no matter what she feels.
My surviving mom has a broken heart
that time won't ever heal.

(By Kaye Des'Ormeaux
October 15, 1998
Dedicated to the mothers who have
lost a child & have somehow survived.)

Go, hug your loved ones. And come back tomorrow for something fun (I promise!)

Jane

Decorating the Tree

Thought I'd share some pictures of yesterday's activities. Normally we have a fake 7 foot tree that is really nice (but is heavy and a pain to put up). The kids always last about 10 minutes and then they are tird of decorating it. So this year I went to Walgreens and picked up an ugly "Charlie Brown" tree for $5. Just their size...they can reach the whole tree and it didn't take hours to decorate.





Yesterday I typed up our holiday letter and addressed envelopes to the people who have sent cards to us. I lost all my addresses (hard drive crashed) so the only people who are getting cards this year are the people who send cards to me! That's about it for today. I'm going to a stamping thing later today so will have at least something stamping related to share this week. I also have more pics of the tree and favorite ornaments. So "ya'll come back and visit now...ya hear?" :-)

Jane

Not stamping...but cute nonetheless!

Been so busy with the holidays that I haven't accomplished any artwork. Instead I thought I'd share some pics of what we have been doing.

Last night we decorated a gingerbread house. Last year I bought a kit and I was impressed with it. It came with a plastic tray with indents in it that helped you stand up the pieces. The icing was premade, just snip off the tip of the bag and use it. And it came with four or five kinds of candies. This year I bought a Wilton Kit. I'm so NOT impressed.

First off, you had to add water to the powdered sugar mix that was included and mix it. Then put it into a decorating bag with a tip. (It was so much easier to snip a corner last year and no dishes dirtied that are later like dried cement!) Then there was no tray so you had to put the sides together and hold it until it solidified and let it sit for 30 minutes. Then add the roof and let it sit for an hour. By the time we got to actually decorating the thing it was long after bedtime. But we did it!



I know it looks a bit sparse but they only provided two kinds of candy. And the icing was so stiff my arm was ready to fall off from squeezing the roof. So we called it good when we got it to this point! LOL.

All that mattered is that he had fun doing it (my oldest opted not to participate). Here's the youngest with his house...



Today we are putting up the tree...more pics to follow!

Jane

'Twas the Week Before Christmas (stampers version)

Needed to find something to share. I promise more artwork at some point! But for now, this fun poem will have to do. I've seen it floating around the internet...not sure who to give credit to (but certainly not to myself!)

Enjoy!

Jane


With apologies to Clement C. Moore

Twas the week before Christmas and all through the den, were scattered my ink pads, my stamps and my pens.

The cards I had hoped to send off in the mail, were still on the table and my hand felt quite frail.

I'd stamped through the evening in hopes I would find, I'd finished my cards...but I was still far behind.

When out in my driveway, there arose such a clatter that I sprang from my chair as embossing powder splattered.

The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow, made me wish that my white ink was not running low.

When what to my tired, bloodshot eyes should appear but a red SUV and my stamp friends so dear.

Susie, Dianne, Carol, Rita and Jill, all from the car in the driveway did spill.

With a handful of treats they knocked at the door, then dashed up my stairway to the second floor.

They surrounded my table with laughter and glee and stamped up those cards as fast as could be.

Embossing guns warmed, and powder was spread, as I felt pass beyond me my feeling of dread.

As they finished each card with a gentle, "Its Done", their smiles told me they were having fun.

The cards were all stacked, with their envelopes too, and it dawned on me that my chore was now through.

They left as they'd come in the blink of an eye, and I just murmured "Thank You" as the group hurried by.

And I heard them exclaim as they drove out of sight, The best kind of Christmas is where Stampers Unite!

Unusual packaging...

I went to a birthday party over the weekend for a neighbor. I'd called and asked what he would like as a birthday present. I was told a certain 5 pack of mini cigars. So I bought that for him. But it seemed so small that I wanted a unique way to package it up.

I placed the pack of cigars down on top of a sheet of cardstock and then loosely wrapped it around the package of cigars and flattened the cardstock slightly. Now I had a flattened tube shape that was large enough to hold my cigars when I was finished. I removed the cigars at that point. Next I needed to make a flap for the top...so I cut all around the top of the pouch...but left a flap area on the back so it'd fold over when finished. Then I used red sticky tape on the bottom edge and the side where it seals (in the back) and finally stuck the pouch together. From there out it was just decoration. I used the paper crimper on the bottom seal more for decoration than anything.



Stamps used are from Stampin Up...Classic Convertibles (which may be retired?), Crosshatch (which is retired), and a saying set.

Hope you like it!

Jane

The Winner Is...

Christine! Please click on the email link at the right of my blog and send me your mailing address so I can get your 'candy' out.

Here's Christine's recipe:

I love to bake this time of year. Here is one of my favortie candy treats that is so simple but will wow em for sure.

Peppermint Bark

2 lbs white chocolate (preferably Guittard brand white chocolate chips- they seem to melt smoother)
12 candy canes, crushed into 1/4 inch pieces
1 teaspoon peppermint extract (1/2 tsp. if using oil)
1 bag dark chocolate chips

Melt white chocolate either in a double boiler or in a bowl over a pot of boiling water.
Stir in crushed candy cane and peppermint flavoring into melted white chocolate.
Line a 11x17" baking pan with wax paper.
Pour and spread chocolate mixture onto wax paper.
Chill until firm and break into pieces.

Melt the dark chocolate. Lay out the broken up pieces of candy on some wax paper and drizzle with melted dark chocolate.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Have a great day all....I'm off to work!

Jane

Take Out Anyone????

I'm going to a Christmas party today and we are having an ornament exchange. Of course, I couldn't just put it in a plain box and wrap it! No....that'd be too simple. I'm not entirely thrilled with my final project but it'll do. Some days I just can't craft to save my life. I tried making some cards yesterday too and ended up giving up. Didn't like anything I came up with. Please, some of you other crafters...tell me you have those days as well! Anyways, this is what I came up with:




Don't laugh when you see the next picture. Remember that I am ribbon challenged...so I'm taking great pride in the fact that my ribbons are all facing the right way and behaving themselves!

Don't forget, today is the last day to enter a recipe for my BLOG CANDY (see post below). I've gotten a few yummy sounding recipes so far...but who will be the winner??? Maybe YOU if you go enter!

Jane

Time for BLOG CANDY!

Some people do "blog candy" when they hit a certain number...or when it's their birthday...or when etc, etc. Well, I'm going to go out on a limb and do blog candy JUST BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE IT! LOL! :-)

How would you like to win these holiday stamps?



Well, all you have to do is leave a post here with your favorite cookie and/or candy recipe for the holidays. I'm looking for some new things to make this year!

So...hurry to your cookbooks and then hurry back here! You have till Monday morning at 6:00a.m. Arizona time.

Jane

Sisterhood of the Blogging Stampers (SBS4)

So, what's a girl to do when she's craving a smaller stamping community? When she wants to have a group of regular blogs to visit and have those people visit hers? Well, she joins a group from the Sisterhood of the Blogging Stampers!

What is it? Well, it's a group of 30 stampers who have blogs. We agree to visit each others blogs on a weekly basis and leave comments. It's a fun way to get to know each other. I've found blogs on here that I've never seen before (and I thought that was impossible! ;-) ) This weekend I will be posting all my SBS4 Sisters Blogs over on the right side of my blog...so go visit them once I get them posted. They have some awesome stuff!

Now I'm supposed to share a little about me. I'm Jane, mom to 2 girls in heaven and 2 boys on earth (ages 7 and 10). I've been married for 16 years (17 years as of 12/29). I've been scrapping for 10 years (my grief counselor got me started when she told me to create a memory album for my daughters...boy did SHE open a huge can of worms!). I started stamping about 6 years ago. I'm on an Idea Team for an online stamp company and I'm on the Design Team at a local scrapbook store. I've been published in multiple issues of The RubberStamper and Stampers Sampler. I was a SAHM for 10 years but returned to working this year. So now I have far less time to stamp and scrap. I like all companies and all types of stamps. In general I'd say my style is simple yet elegant. I don't like a lot of patterns mixed or too much embellishment.

Anyways, that's enough about me. Look forward to getting to know you all!

Jane

Kool Aid Card Tutorial

I originally saw these cards on SCS but they were using tea bags. I don't know ANYONE who drinks tea. So I decided to modify the card and make it a kool aid card. With a little more modification you could even do packets of hot cocoa or maybe soup mix (for a get well card).

Also, as a disclaimer...in the future I think I'd make my measurements a little bigger. I measured my kool aid packet and then made the card slightly bigger. But once I added the adhesive to the pocket portion...the pocket was too small! So I had to fold in the one side and bottom to make it look right in the card. It still works but would be good to make it a little bigger next time.

Ok...I started by cutting my cardstock to 4 1/4 x 9 inches. I then scored at 3 inches and again at 6 inches. On the far right panel I used my paper trimmer and cut off a portion of the top at an angle.



Next I adhered red sticky tape to the bottom and right side of the right panel (the one that you cut at an angle). Remove the liner from the tape and fold over to make a pocket.



Your basic card is finished! Now decorate the front however you want....here I used one of the $1 stamps from Clear Dollar Stamps. I colored in the popscicles using an orange marker and then used clear stickles on each so they shimmer. For the saying I downloaded a font off the good old internet and printed the saying on cardstock.



And now the total project from the top view so you can see it all...



How cool would these be for aides at the kids' schools? "Thanks for being a great aide!" could be your saying.

Thanks for stopping by! I've been in the mood to do some holiday "blog candy" so make sure you come back by this weekend. I'll plan on posting it on Saturday morning and you'll have till Sunday night to enter.

Jane

Calendars (May and June)

I'm continuing work on my calendars for Christmas presents. I'm doing a little here and there so it's taking me longer than if I just sat and did the 12 3x3 squares (but then again I'm making 4 of them...so that's really 48 little squares!)

I decided for May that it needed to be a rose ('cause of Mother's Day of course). All stamps are from SU. Here's May...





And for June I thought a little summer time at the beach was in order. So, for this I used my Gina K crab and the sentiment is from Memory Box (and the speckles is an old CTMH stamp).





I'm half way there! LOL. I'm going to be sick of these calendars by the time I'm done with them. Have you noticed they are getting more and more simple the further I go? In the beginning they had stitching and embellishing...now they are just stamping?

Have a great day.

Jane

Paper Piecing Card

I found an old techniques challenge on SCS to do paper piecing (something I rarely do) and decided to take the challenge. I love, love, LOVE this card in real life. But I can't get a good picture of it to save my life. So forgive the photos and love the card. :-)

To do paper piecing you basically stamp your image on white cardstock...then stamp again on patterned paper. You cut out the patterned paper and adhere over the white stamped image. Usually you see this more with stamps where people are wearing clothing (like a dress they then use patterned paper for). I went outside the box and did a floral image. The image is from TAC and is called Oopsie Daisy. I stamped my image four times total (once on white, once on blue patterned, once on green patterned and once on yellow patterned). I cut out all the colored pieces and adhered to the white one. I also added a black brad to the center of my flower. The blue flowered paper is SU paper (a gift from a friend...thanks Concetta!). Other papers are from a DCWV stack.



And here are a couple close ups of the flower image...




Enjoy. I'm off to get ready for work.

Jane

Dear Santa...

I made this card using sketch challenge # 152 over on SCS. Here's the sketch...



And here's my take on the card. I flipped the card (to be horizontal not vertical) and switched the side that my main image was on (felt like the santa needed to be looking off the card). The rest stays true to the sketch.



The Santa stamp is from Victorine's Originals. The rest is all patterned paper from a slab I got at Joann's. I faux stitched around all the parts and used a silver gel pen to connect the dots...then added a solid silver line around the outside of the card...and a silver cord at the top to finish it off.

And now to write my letter to Santa...

Dear Santa,

I've been a VERY good girl this year. (Well, unless you ask my hubby and he'll say I've been a very BAD girl...but in his mind that translates to a good girl! LOL!) If you find room in your sleigh, here are a few things I'd really like to have!

1) Bind-it-All
2) Crop-o-dile
3) Large set of Prismacolor pencils As an FYI Santa...the set of 120 can usually be found on ebay for around $50
4) This set and this set from Clear Dollar Stamps
5) The nugget tins from PaperTrey Ink are sold out right now...but I'll take a rain check or a late Christmas gift! They are near the bottom of the page. I wouldn't mind some of the small see through tins either. I'm envisioning these filled with red hot candies for Valentine's Day!
6) Giga scallopped circle punch.
7) Gina K stamps! In particular I like this one and this one and if you bring the giga scalloped circle punch then I'd love to have this set to go with it.
8) I'd love a stand alone little photo printer like this one.
9) Any Amuse stamps (don't own any but love them all!)
10) And of course the basics that I use every day...Mono Adhesive Permanent Refills, Refills for my ATG gun, pop dot adhesives, mini glue dots, fiskars refill blades (regular...not triple track), ribbon, patterned paper stacks, etc, etc. I'm really pretty easy to please!

Thanks Santa!

Jane