MDS Monday - Uncle Kenn Meets Isaiah

Happy Monday! Sorry about last week. The show is now OVER! :D And we're on the downhill slide to Christmas - can you believe it's already the end of the first full week of October???

This challenge was a color challenge: use Cherry Cobbler, Island Indigo, Gumball Green, Baked Brown Sugar, and Whisper White. I used MY DIGITAL STUDIO, of course. :) I will eventually get all these challenge pages printed into a book. I can't wait! :)

Anyway. This is the first time Kenn met our newest nephew. :) Pretty sweet!

Have a wonderful day! Be SURE to stamp (or scrap!) SOMETHING!

Merry Christmas!

Happy Friday!!! Have you got big plans for the weekend? I do! I have a show tonight and tomorrow night - if you want tickets for this or next weekend, get them NOW - last week's crowds were big, and I think it'll be bigger!! Oh, and a Stampin' Up! party Saturday morning - I so cannot wait to stamp these projects! You'll enjoy seeing them, but there's nothing like doing them together. :) If you want to place an order with our party, let me know - I'll get you the hostess ID number, and you can place it online and get it shipped to your door!!

ANYWAY. :D This card looks MUCH cuter IRL. :D It's very glittery from the Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details (PLEASE make sure you go through my business website to order, to make sure we all get the credit we're supposed to! :) ) And of course, the basic rhinestone on the tree. I had a great time putting together the tree from two scallop punches! I did score the lines for the Dazzling Details to lie between on my Scoring Tool. Super easy, super cute - it's 4" square!

OK, I'm outta here! Time to get busy! Have a WONDERFUL weekend! Be sure and make the time to stamp SOMETHING!!! :)

What a MESS!!!

Life. I feel like I'm dragging behind along on the pavement right now, while life speeds out of control. :) The studio is a mess, as you can see - the counter hasn't been cleaned off for a couple of months. Actually, I think it's only been cleaned off ONCE since I got home.

But I'm working on it. :) I have a Stampin' Up! party here Saturday morning; I'm going to make some brunch food, and I love the projects I've designed for it. I can't wait to stamp with some of my favorite people! Want to come? Let me know! It's at 10 a.m. at my house! (I made it a bit later than normal for a Saturday morning, because I have a show Friday night! :D )

Come stamp with me!!!!

MDS Monday - O Come Let Us Adore Him

Welcome to MDS MONDAY! :D Sorry about last week, y'all; I just totally, completely wore myself out and had to take every extra moment to rest. Now that the show's open, I *think* I'll be back to normal. :D (What IS "normal", anyway?!??!)

Today's share is one I came up with all by myself. :D I wanted to scrap this photo from ICE at Gaylord last year - but this scene never changes. I love it. I could spend a long time in here - even at zero degrees! :D

I love the main stamp set on this one - COME TO BETHLEHEM. It retired last year, but you can still get it to use in MDS!!!!! (Did you know you can use MDS downloads if  you already use another program?) So I got it Sunday night to use on this page. :)

OK, I'm outta here! I'm having a Stampin' Up! party on Saturday, if anyone wants to come - message me for details. :) And if you want info on getting tickets for CINDERELLA, message me, too - you've got four more shows!!!

Now, get out there and stamp something! :D

Ooops! Sorry!

I'm running out the door this morning to go on a 36-hour retreat with the ladies of my church. I'll be back Monday with an MDS project to share, I promise! :)

Have a wonderful weekend! And let me know if you find time to stamp SOMETHING! :D

Gently Falling in Candy Corn Colors!

Happy Wednesday! :) How are you today? Me, I'm trying to rest up for the next 10 days marathon - the show opens FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20! If you want ticket info, let me know! :)

So. I'm really getting into nail art, trying to see what I can do with my "limited canvas" - I mean, my nails break off if I look at them crosseyed. :D But I'm having fun now and again; I'm currently in color two of three colors for candy corn nails, and I already love them. :D There's just something fun about different colors on my nails. LOL!

I got inspired to do this card. It uses the Gently Falling stamp set and the Seasonal Sayings set. There aren't any card stock layers; it's just stamped onto Whisper White. I used VersaMark to do the saying in the corner; it's kind of hard to tell, but the words are in Early Espresso embossing powder, and the flourish around it's in gold. It looks really good in person. :) The leaves are stamped in Daffodil Delight and Pumpkin Pie ink; I used my air blower (now also retired :D ) to put some Early Espresso ink on there. You can also see some gold from my Encore ink pad, dabbed on with plastic wrap - one of my favorite techniques for adding texture! :)

So, off I go to finish this manicure. :D I MAY post my review on Life's Little Pleasures Friday. I haven't decided yet. :D

Have a wonderful day! Get inspired, and go STAMP something!!!

MDS Monday - Seventeen Years

Welcome to Monday! :) Here's a quick and easy page, done using MY DIGITAL STUDIO!

Yup. Seventeen years. :) We still irk each other, we still growl. But each day we learn, we love, and we share the grace God's given us. God's good, and Kenn's a good man. :) I am blessed.

Now, go download your free 30-day trial of MDS! :D

Have a wonderful day! Stamp something, if you're not gonna go try it. :D

Welcome! card

Happy Friday! And tomorrow's my 17th anniversary - Happy Anniversary, Kenn! :D

Sorry about the photo quality sometimes - we're down a camera until it's fixed and back to us, so I'm borrowing my dad's camera sometimes. I'm grateful he has one! :D

I really, really like this card. It's simple but elegant, in my very humble opinion. :D The card stock colors are Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, and Burnt Brown Sugar. (It's not my old fave, Creamy Caramel, but it's not a bad color at all!) I used Versamark, and embossed the leaves from Gently Falling with gold and the saying with Early Espresso. The saying is from Occasions Alphabet.

There. You see? Simple and elegant. :)

Have a wonderful weekend! Be sure and make the time to stamp something!!!!

Another Condolence Card

Ahhh, me. These get SO difficult to do - seems like I'm having to make more sympathy cards lately, and I know it won't get better as I get older. :::sigh::: Oh, well. Perhaps receiving one can ease a little pain, and let someone know I care.

Anyway. :) I like how this turned out!

Yes, that is correct! Another fantabulous background with the Big Shot! That's the Antique Wallpaper embossing folder (recently retired!), and I took a bit of Very Vanilla ink on my finger and rubbed on top of the pattern. I really like the way it looks!

Then, I used the 7/8", 1-1/4", and 1-3/4" scallop circle punches to make the flower out of Modern Medley DSP, held together by a mini brad. I wrinkled each flower layer well, and in case you can't see it, I used two of each size.

The saying here and the two on the inside are from Blessings From Heaven. (I only link to the wood block stamps; if you want clear mount, be sure to look for them, too!) I heat embossed them using pewter embossing powder.

The colors of card stock are Very Vanilla, Going Gray, and Basic Black.

There! Now you can create your own card! :) I hope you do, but maybe not a sympathy card...

Have a wonderful day! Make the time to stamp SOMEthing!

MDS Monday - Fall Bucket List 2013

Welcome to LABOR DAY! Hopefully you've got the day off, and can enjoy some time with friends and family. :)

Be sure and click on the photo, to see its original size. I had a lot of fun creating this for our den; I framed it and hung it on the wall, so we can both see it and make sure we do things together during this incredibly busy season. :)

I can't tell you how much you're missing by not trying out MY DIGITAL STUDIO. I love to just doodle, figure out new things to do - I got the idea from Pinterest for this, but the things on the list weren't our kinds of things. THESE are. It's very personalized for just us - not kids, not my parents, not anyone who just wants to print it off. We haven't been to Indiana together for two years - and it's one of our favorite times of the year to visit. We're planning to go up and stay over Kenn's birthday, so it can just be our time to celebrate him. :) You get the idea!

Seriously. Go click on the link. Try it for 30 days - design and get your Christmas cards printed while you try it out. Then put it on your Christmas list for Santa!!!!! :D

OK, I'm outta here. CINDERELLA kicks into high gear; only two more Mondays after today until we open! EEK! :D Have a wonderful day - and be sure to make the time to stamp SOMEthing!

Live Simply

Happy Friday! I hope you're having a great week, and have things you're looking forward to during the long weekend. :)

Today's share is a card I designed for the open house when I first got home - I just got it photographed. :)

I think it's rather pretty! The card stock colors are Whisper White AND Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, and Burnt Brown Sugar. Ink colors are Burnt Brown Sugar, Pistachio Pudding, and VersaMark. We used the Gently Falling and Trust God stamp sets, and embossed the saying in Early Espresso. The background was done with plastic wrap, one of my favorite all-time backgrounds - it's so easy, but so nice.

OK, I'm outta here! Have a wonderful weekend, and be sure to make the time to STAMP something! :) Don't miss MDS Monday - it's pretty cool! :D

Smile!

Happy Wednesday! I hope you're having a great week - are you ready for August?!? I can't believe we're almost there already!!

Today's share is one from our last Hostess Club get-together. I had a blast with this one! :D

Isn't it CUTE? It's a 6"x6" piece of Window Sheet, scored with our new trimmer. We filled it with smiley-faced gumballs, and made a big smiley face to decorate it with. It's got a Word Window Punch in Daffodil Delight on it, too, so we can use it as a table favor. Is it not too fun???? I can see doing a boys' party with a softball theme, or a Halloween with jack-o-lanterns. I could go on and on!

OK, I'm outta here. If you want to be a part of a Hostess Club, please don't hesitate to contact me! Have a wonderful day - and be sure to make the time to STAMP something!

MDS Monday - Always & Forever and Dad

Good morning! I hope you'll forgive me for missing posting last week. I made a whirlwind trip to Indiana, and wore myself out with rehearsals on either end of it, too.

So, the challenge was to use a rainbow's worth of colors on the page. So, I did. All in one pile. :D And I did TWO pages for the challenge, so I'm putting them both here. :D

Aren't they handsome?!? :) MDS is so fun to work with - you really SHOULD check it out. You can download a full 30-day trial. Seriously. Why not? :)

OK, I'm outta here. Rehearsal tonight, and I don't feel like doing ANYTHING. :D Now, go stamp something. I need to!!!!

Christmas in July - gift box!

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!! :) I hope you're having a fantastic week, and have something this weekend you're really looking forward to. I'm resting! LOL

Today's share is from our Christmas in July stamp camp - as soon as I saw these boxes in the new Idea Book, I KNEW we'd be using them for at least one class. I love them!

I plan on putting food gifts in them, but they'd be great for LOTS of different types of gifts. They're easy to decorate up, and you can stamp on the boxes themselves before you fold them together. I think they're a great price, and they're really sturdy and great quality.

OK, I'm outta here! I hope you have a great weekend! Be sure and stamp SOMEthing, OK? :)

Memories Sympathy Card

Welcome to Wednesday!! :)

Today's another Spot-filling card; it's a sympathy card made with my new set, GENTLY FALLING, and stamps from BLESSINGS FROM HEAVEN.

I like this card in real life; it's very peaceful, and hopeful. I used the new Baked Brown Sugar and Garden Green, along with embossing the sayings in gold. Both card stocks and inks are those colors, plus a layer of Pistachio Pudding. PP looks a lot like our old Mint Melody, so I only like it in little doses. :D

 When it comes to sympathy cards, I encourage you to think outside the traditional colors box. It's a difficult time as it is; we can use color to encourage and uplift, too!

OK, I'm outta here! Have a WONDERFUL day - and be SURE to make the time to STAMP something! :)

MDS Monday! Open House Cookie Factory

Welcome to another Monday! :) I hope you had a great weekend, and looking forward to having a fantastic week. :)

Today's MDS Monday will take us to CHRISTMAS! :D

I have to tell you, I'm looking forward to Christmas even more this year. We're going to have lots of family here - and our season always kicks off with the open house. These pictures are from last year's cookie decorating day. :)

I'm collecting all of these challenge pages in one file; one of these days, I'm going to print up everything in a book. I can't wait to have it my hot little hands - but for now, I'm enjoying just doing them. Getting pages DONE is always a good thing! :) And I LOVE MDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It makes it SO easy! :)

OK, I'm outta here. Have a wonderful day - and be sure to stamp SOMEthing!!

Swallowtail for the Stamping Spot!

It's FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! Woo, hoooooo! :D Had a good week? Looking forward to your weekend? I think I am... :D

Today's share is yet another in the "Filling the Spot!" - this one's using only the Swallowtail stamp.

My colors are Perfect Plum and Tangerine Tango and Whisper White.I embossed the butterfly with clear embossing powder after using Perfect Plum ink, then colored in with my Stampin' Write Markers. Fun, isn't it? Super simple, too! You could go all-out with coloring on this one; I love the details in it. We get a LOT of swallowtails in our back yard. :)

OK, I'm outta here! :D Have a wonderful weekend! Stamp something, will ya?!?!? :D

Get Well Card

Welcome to WEDNESDAY. :D I hope you're having a great week! Today is going to be a GREAT day; I don't have to go ANYWHERE. I'm staying HOME. :D Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. :D

Today's share is another "Filling the Spot!" card. :D This one's mine; I used one of the new stamp sets in the Idea Book, TAG IT, and the honeycomb embossing folder. I still love my Big Shot, y'all; how easy was this background, and the stamped image cut with the Chalk Talk framelits?!?!?

I used Whisper White and Pacific Point for card stock; the coloring on the stamps was with Pacific Point, Real Red, and Smoky Slate Stampin' Write Markers. :)

Someone asked me about why I used Dimensionals; I find that they work the very best at adhering anything to textured backgrounds. Almost any time I use an embossing folder, I'll either attach it to the card base with Dimensionals, or attach a stamped image/other piece with Dimensionals - or BOTH. :D My dear friend and customer, Mary (who I miss VERY much!!!!), asked me one time if Stampin' Up! called me to find out if something was wrong when I didn't put Dimensionals on my order. :D Nooooooooo - but maybe they SHOULD... :D (And another dear friend and customer, Kathy, told me how superior ours are to what's available elsewhere. I LOVE hearing that someone agrees with me!!!! :D )

OK, I'm outta here to enjoy my day! :D Have a wonderful day - and be sure to make the time to stamp something!!!

MDS Monday: Naomi

Good Monday Morning! :)

Here's a really quick page for you - and super simple to do. Isn't she a DOLL??? Her first birthday is coming up, and I can't believe how quickly time has flown, or how big she's gotten. She and her mommy and daddy will be here for Christmas! I can't WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

Hope you have a wonderful day - and be SURE to make the time to stamp SOMEthing!

Another Amy Card!

Happy FRIDAY - the first in August!! Seriously. How did the year get to this point so fast?!??! I feel like the world is spinning, dragging me along! LOL!!!

Today's card is an Amy share - and I really like this one a lot! It's caught some attention in the Stamping Spot, too! :)

Isn't it great?!?! She used the stamp set, THE GREAT OUTDOORS, and TEENY TINY WISHES. I think she used Cajun Craze and Garden Green card stock, and assorted inks and Stampin' Write Markers. She distressed the two layers, too, which really adds to the rustic feel of the card.

I really love the way she cut out the images - I can't cut straight borders to save my life! :D

Oh, and the links to the stamp sets are for the wood-mount; be sure and check if you want the clear-mount instead! :)

OK, I'm outta here. It's been a really busy week, and we have another busy weekend coming up. :) Enjoy your time with friends and family - and be sure to make the time to stamp SOMETHING. With someone would be best! :D