CLEARLY INSPIRED

They're Back!

2012-01-26T11:55:00.002-06:00

When I became a Demo for Stampin' Up!, I could not post other stamping products on my blog that was not from them. There are many arguments for and against this. I tried my best to stick to this policy, so I took off all the former CTMH creations from my sidebar. Well! Since there are only a few days left until the end of the month, and I am working behind the scenes to change my blog....I ADDED THEM BACK!

If you go to the right sidebar and scroll to the bottom under Stamping Creations, you will see I added back all the categories for all the stamps I used while stamping and blogging. I think that was in 2007.

I am not sure that is where those will stay, but if I move things around on my blog, I will always let you know.

IN ADDITION >>>>>

I will be selling most of my stamps sets and stamping materials that I don't use or think I will be using in the future. I have a lot, so the list will be long. I found a way to do this that will be beneficial to anyone who is interested.

I started an alphabetical book of each stamp set I own for SU and CTMH over year ago. I either cut the picture out or stamped each stamp from the set on a page. This is going to help in the selling process. I am going to start scanning all these pictures into my computer and putting them on my Flickr account. Once I am finished, I will post that link on my blog and you will be able to see the sets I have for sale and the price. When I was looking for used sets, I always hated not having pictures to look at.

Well, I am off to start this project and clean the house. Until later!

End of a Chapter.....

2012-01-25T13:25:00.000-06:00

At the end of this month, I will be ending a chapter in my life that started in 2006. I signed up to be a Close To My Heart consultant then. Over time, I realized my creativity switched from scrapbooking to cards, and resigned at CTMH to sign up as a Demo with Stampin' Up!

During my time with CTMH, I was honored to be on the Design Team of Molly Stamps. Molly Stamps is where I met my friend and mentor Susanna Boyd. She asked me to be a member of her new site, Paper Craft Planet. I was so thrilled to be part of an exciting adventure and talented team.

Last year, my life changed where I could not give the time and effort Susanna deserved, so I resigned from Paper Craft Planet. Now, I have decided to resign my Demo at Stampin' Up at the end of this month. I have been creating photo books online and see my creativity going in that direction.

I wanted to thank all of you for spending your time with me on my blog. I have appreciated all your comments, suggestions and encouragement over the years.

I am not shutting my blog down; however, it will be taking another direction. You will see changes to the design in the next month or so. I will continue to post, but it will not be about stamping, Stampin' Up!, etc. It will be about what is on my mind and about what I am doing. I would love for you to stay with me and see where this new chapter leads me. I understand if you decide to unsubscribe, since I won't be giving you paper creations every week.

I will be working on my blog in February, so you will start to see changes then. Have a great day!

See you soon!

Happy Everything!

2011-12-23T14:33:00.000-06:00

This is our Christmas card this year. I wanted to wish all of you Happy Everything! May the holiday you celebrate be joyous and filled with love.

The back of our Christmas card reads..... Jesus in the reason for the season!

Hoping you have a safe and happy holiday season!

Susanna's Birthday Party

2011-10-21T23:00:00.001-05:00

Today, October 22nd, we are celebrating Susanna's Boyd's birthday with a week-long challenge event that every member on the Planet can participate in! The Super Novas got together and each made a special birthday gift for Susanna's birthday. In honor of this momentous occasion, we invite everyone to post a birthday project or card for a chance to win some fabulous prizes! Yes, there are several chances to win some awesome paper crafting goodies just by posting a birthday themed project! Further details can be found by clicking on The Planet Blog. Check out where the party is and join us for a week of celebrations!

I created a three-page layout to celebrate Susanna's birthday. I hope she likes it!

Halloween Bookmark

2011-09-28T21:58:00.000-05:00

I made this cute Halloween Bookmark at my friend, Kim's house. Oh, this would be so cute to have in one of my scary books. In fact, it would be cute to have in any of my books. What am I thinking? I will have to give it to the boys, since I got a Kindle. Oh, I could put it in the Halloween gift for one of the teachers at Westgate. Now, I am thinking!

I stamped the image from Festive & Fun stamp set (Holiday Mini) in black Staz On and used ink and a water brush to watercolor it. Then I ran it through the Big Shot with an Impressions Folder. To make the raised dots show better, I brushed an ink pad lightly over them. Oh, so cute!

Beautiful Thank You

2011-09-20T09:49:00.000-05:00

I made this beautiful card at my friend, Kim's a couple of weeks ago. She had everything cut and ready to go for us at her workshop. I love this technique with the Impressions Folder.

You put ink on the folder and then put your paper into the folder and run it through the Big Shot. The ink does not go into the impression, so it leaves it the color of the paper while turning the paper the color of the ink you use. Soft and pretty!

I have to confess that her card had a beautiful bow on it and my bow looked terrible, so I put a flower on mine when I got home. Hee hee! I do not tie pretty bows, so I had to improvise.

bird house

2011-09-17T09:33:00.000-05:00

Look at this cute little bird house my friend, Kim made me. Love it!

Simply Sent

2011-09-13T17:06:00.001-05:00

I love the Simply Sent sets in the Stampin' Up! catalog starting on page 192. When you need a card, but don't have the time to make one these are the best. This one is from the Great Day set. All I added was a dimensional to the pink flower, the button with white bakers twine and the ribbon. The stamping was done from me. These sets even come with envelopes.

You can stamp a sentiment on the front. I decided to leave mine card blank, so I can use it for any occasion.

Birthday Envelope

2011-09-10T10:40:00.000-05:00

Isn't this soooo cool!? I love this card that sits inside an envelope. I made this at my friend, Kim's house. For the envelope, I closed it and punch out the top with a circle punch. You only use about 2/3 to 1/2 of the circle. Cute, cute, cute!

Scrappy Sunday September: Week 1

2011-09-04T09:48:00.000-05:00

Wow! I can't believe it is September already. Where I live it is starting to get colder, so the blankets are coming out at night to cuddle. This reminded me of the pictures I have of the family snuggling on the couch or bean bag together, so I decided to scrap this event. I created a sketch for you to play along this week at Paper Craft Planet.

Blow Out Your Candles

2011-08-31T10:21:00.000-05:00

This is another card I received from my friend, Kim. I have missed a few of her club meetings, so she gave me some of the projects she has worked on during the summer. This is so cute, because the spinner actually works. I love this stamp set, Take a Spin. Perfect for an occasion!

So Sweet

2011-08-29T10:29:00.000-05:00

This is one of the projects we are going to make at the September club meeting/workshop. I love the treat cups! I bought some gum balls for our gum ball machine at home, so I thought it would be a good time to make a this card before the boys chewed all the gum.

The stamp set I used for this card is Something Sweet. There are a lot of ways to use the treat cups with this set.

God Bless You

2011-08-27T14:28:00.000-05:00

Due to the hurricane heading up the east coast, I thought this card would be appropriate to post today. I used the design on page 77 of the current SU Idea Book & Catalog. I love going through the catty and looking at the cards made with the sets I own. I mark the ones I want to recreate. I used a different color scheme. I like to use the colors I already own.

The stamp set is Crosses of Hope and I used the new Stripes Textured Impressions folder.

May God be with those who need His help right now.

Birthday Hat

2011-08-26T14:17:00.000-05:00

Isn't this the cutest birthday hat treat box? I didn't stamp this one. My friend, Kim gave me this, when I went to her house last week. She gave these to her roommates at the SU convention this year. Oh, so cute!

Oh, I think I am going to have to get the Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer punch. Love it!

Scrappy Sunday: Week 2

2011-08-14T08:58:00.000-05:00

This week I have a sketch for you this week for Scrappy Sunday at Paper Craft Planet. I am one of those scrappers that does NOT scrap chronologically. I used to, and got out of the mood to continue to scrap the same things, i.e. baby pictures, etc. So I decided to scrap whatever pictures move me.

That is why I like sketches. I find a sketch and go to my pictures to see what I have that fits that number of photos. It is a great jumping off point for me to start my creative juices flowing. Sometimes I find the number of pictures I want to use, then go to the web and find a sketch that fits the number of pictures. I hope this sketch inspires you to do a little scrapping this week.

Photo Booth

2011-08-12T17:07:00.000-05:00

Since I got my MAC, Tanner loves to play on the Photo Booth program. This application fits his personality to the max. Susanna has given us a great template at Paper Craft Planet to scrap a lot of photos. When I saw it, I knew I wanted to use these pics. This was a fast way to scrap a lot of photos that do not need journaling. The pictures tell ALL!

I am host tomorrow at Paper Craft Planet's Scrappy Sunday. I hope you can play along with me next week.

Pool Time

2011-07-25T14:52:00.002-05:00

I have been playing around with my iPhoto and love the slideshow option. I made this in less than five minutes. These pictures are not edited. They are straight out of the camera (SOOC), so that is another reason it didn't take a long time. Love it!

Scrappy Sunday Week 3: Water

2011-07-17T12:27:00.000-05:00

This month is all about scrapping those summertime memories. When most people think of Summer, they naturally think of vacations. Travel pages can be hard because we too many pictures to put into one page, or even double spread.

This week, at Paper Craft Planet we are creating layouts that have something to do with water. Here are just a few you can create:

Pools
Lakes
Sprinklers
Ocean

Go through you pictures and find some where you are enjoying the water on a hot summer day. We hang out at our pool most of the summer to get away from the heat. My oldest, Tate loves doing tricks off the board and having us rate them from 1 to 10. I decided to do a layout showing a couple of his tricks.

Happy Birthday Card

2011-07-13T16:23:00.000-05:00

This is the last card we made at club Friday night. This card can be found on page 66 of the new SU Idea Book and Catalog. I changed a few things, but most of it looks just like the card in the new catalog. I can't say it enough...The artwork in the catalogs are a great starting point when creating, especially when you have the same stamp set.

This stamp is from the set Bring on the Cake. The set is great for all the birthday cards I need to make. I colored the letters in with the SU markers to match the DSP. Love it!

Meet My MAC

2011-07-12T14:31:00.000-05:00

Some of you have asked me if I got my MAC, and how it is going with my new toy.

Yes, I did! AND.....I am having so much fun with it. I picked it up last night and took a class there called "out of the box". Since I have never owned a MAC, I wanted them to show me the differences I would have from owning a PC. Today, I am adding all my files from my external hard drive and all the programs I need to transfer from Windows. I am still learning how to navigate through the programs and customizing my desktop.

Here is my new baby:

Close up

Isn't my desktop image cool? Boy, he looks like his dad. Yes, that is a 27 inch screen. I am in heaven.

I hope to do some digital scrapbooking this week. I have one card left to show you from last week too. Now, back to playing with my toy!

For Sale

2011-07-07T18:13:00.000-05:00

My laptop is starting to run slowly, so I am going to sell some of my House Mouse and Close To My Heart stamp sets. I know my laptop is not going to make it until the end of the year and I want the MAC store to be able to transfer all my data over; however, you computer must be working in order for them to do this.

You can see the list of stamps by clicking on this link or going below the header and clicking on the handmade store link. Currently, I do not have anything handmade for sale; however, I am getting my brayer cards together to add to the store too.

Have a great day!

Best Ever!

2011-07-07T10:18:00.000-05:00

This card is inspired by the card on page 58 of the new Stampin' Up! 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalog. When I am pressed for time (like this week), I always look through the catalog and see if a card captures my eye. I changed this one a little, because I wanted to use the Vintage Wallpaper and Framed Tulips Embossing Folders.

This is just one of the four awesome stamps in the set Take a Spin. I used retired rub-ons for the sentiment "You are the very best ever." to match where the spinner landed.

Inspired by Denise

2011-07-06T15:46:00.000-05:00

I received this cute thank you card from my friend, Denise, who lives in San Diego and I knew I wanted to use it for a template to make one for our July club.

Here is the one I made for our club meeting this Friday:

I used the new DSP, Paisley Petals and the Short & Sweet stamp set.

Pool Hair

2011-07-05T15:57:00.000-05:00

Susanna is hosting this week's Scrappy Challenge at Paper Craft Planet. This month is all about scrapping those summertime memories. Susanna create an awesome 4th of July page. I looked through my pictures and didn't have any unscrapped 4th pictures, but I did find some pictures of our boys and the neighbor at our pool.

Last summer, they started a game called "pool hair styles". All of them had longer hair for the summer, so they loved to come out of the water with funky hair styles and check their look in the window to the pool house. Silly! I took pictures of this game, since they played it so much and would eventually forget they did this. Yes, blackmail photos! LOL! Here is the quick layout based on the template Susanna used for her 4th of July layout here.

One of my favorite parts of digi scrapping is when I have to create a layout for both Tate and Tanner. All I have to do is change the main photos...viola! I'm done with two layouts. Awesome!

I have three cards to share with you this week I made for our July club meeting this Friday. I just have to take pictures and add my watermark. Check back later this week for them.

Scrappy Sunday - Work Smarter, Not Harder: Week 4

2011-06-26T00:00:00.025-05:00

I am hosting again at Paper Craft Planet's Scrappy Sunday. This is the last week of a four part series to Work Smarter, Not Harder, when you scrap. This week I am focusing on quick pages.

I have started a digital club for some of my club members, where they buy $25.00 worth of digital products for their My Digital Studio and they receive a free layout designed by me each month. All they have to do is drop in their pictures, add journaling and they are done. If they feel creative, they can change the colors of the papers and embellishments too.

This is an example of one of the quick pages, my club members downloaded in this month.

If you are interested in joining our My Digital Studio club, please email me at clearlyinspired@gmail.com for details.

Thanks A Million

2011-06-21T15:40:00.000-05:00

I wanted to thank all of you who are praying for my brother-in-law, Dwight. He is having surgery today to remove the cancer. Hopefully, he will recover soon and stay cancer free. Please continue to pray for him, my sister, Connie and their children. Thanks A Million!

Baseball season is coming to an end this season. Tate and Tanner both have a game tonight depending on the rain. We wanted to thank the coaches, so we got them gift certificates to Subway and I made them a quick card on My Digital Studio. I used these colors, because they are their team colors.

This card is for the coaches and for you!

Happy Dad Day!

2011-06-19T14:20:00.000-05:00

Happy Father's Day to my Awesome Dad and the Father of my boys!

Love ya both!

Scrappy Sunday - Work Smarter, Not Harder

2011-06-19T13:40:00.000-05:00

This week for Paper Craft Planet's Scrappy Sunday, I am your host. The summer seems to bring less time to create with busy schedules, so we are working smarter, not harder.

Just like card sketches, scrapbooking templates/sketches are great to use whether you need a little or a lot of inspiration. Since I use My Digital Studio from Stampin' Up!, I have become a fan of Alesha Walls' templates. At times, I use the exact layout she designs and other times, I use the sketch, different papers and embellishments to fit my pictures.

Here is a layout where I used almost her exact template, because it fit my picture perfectly. This is the template and layout from Alesha.

For this layout, I just used her template and chose papers and embellishments to fit my picture. Here is Alesha's template/sketch.

There are other great scrapbooking template/sketch sites on the web to inspire you.

These are not the only two sites out there. Just type "scrapbooking sketches" in your search engine and explore all the possibilities.

Once you start using sketches, you will get hooked. At least, I have been hooked. It is so easy to look for sketch for the number of pictures you want to scrap and start creating. I hope you can play along with me this week. Choose your favorite template and add it to our gallery with the keyword: ssjune3 (all lowercase). I can't wait to see what you create.

Coach Pitch

2011-06-13T20:08:00.000-05:00

I am doing a little digi scrapping and having fun playing along with Susanna at Paper Craft Planet. This week her theme is Work Smarter, Not Harder. Susanna used a magazine to learn from professional Graphic Designers how page elements best work together. She even has a free Photoshop template for those of you who work in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements.

Since I use My Digital Studio I recreated her layout in MDS. In addition, I kept the layout the same; however, I changed mine to a 12 x 12 page. This template is great if you have a story to tell behind your pictures. I used this to tell the story behind Tanner's first baseball game. I am so glad I had a way to share the story behind all the pictures I took.

Click to enlarge

Need to Laugh

2011-06-13T16:23:00.000-05:00

My mom sent me this and it is the cutest! If you need a laugh today, this will definitely give you one.

Meet Dusty

2011-06-08T07:37:00.000-05:00

We didn't think we would ever want a new kitty in our house after Madison died two years ago, but we were wrong. My parents always have cats outside and my mom got a new kitty in May. She sent us a picture and we fell in love. Since she is the best MOM ever, she said we could have him. Meet Dusty! She brought him to us yesterday and we have been playing and loving ever since.

DH says he looks like a panda. His tail is the same color as his ears. Such a cutie!

Live with Passion

2011-06-07T09:00:00.002-05:00

This is another card we made at club this month. I wanted to show my club members they don't have to have designer series paper to make a card. This card is on page 104 of the 2010-2011 catalog using the Inspired by Nature stamp set. I love to use the catalog to get ideas or inspiration.

Big Bold Ribbon

2011-06-06T08:42:00.000-05:00

I just love this big ribbon from Stampin' Up! I wanted to create with it for one of our June club cards, so I looked through the 2010-2011 catalog and saw the perfect card (on page 106) I could change a little to use this big, bold ribbon.

The first card reads "I love you" inside and the other two read "Thanks so much". This card is a great way to use any type of ribbon you have in your stash. The stamp set is called Three Little Words.

Happy Birthday, Craig!

2011-05-28T10:39:00.000-05:00

This is it! This is your last chance to play along with Paper Craft Planet sketch challenges. Susanna is revamping Paper Craft challenges, so Saturday sketch challenges are changing.

It seems like summer is even busier for me than when our boys are in school, so I created a sketch that will be easy for you to use.

I never seem to have enough birthday cards when I need them. My oldest brother's birthday is coming soon, and I needed to make a masculine card for him. I used my sketch above to come up with this card.

I used masculine colors, metal, corduroy and a big, bold bow to make this card masculine. I hope you can play along with me this week. I can't wait to see what you create. Just head over to the link above and add your creation in the linkz.

This stamp set, Take a Spin was offered in the Occasions Mini. I hope it comes out in the new 2011-2012 catalog. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Tanner at Bat

2011-05-23T13:07:00.000-05:00

I finally got to play with some pictures that I took at Tanner's first game this year. The boys are out of school for the summer already and in the sprinkler this afternoon. We are opening our pool this weekend, which isn't soon enough for them. It is nice to tell them to jump in the pool, if they complain about being hot.

I haven't been stamping much. I am enjoying our boys and having fun being with them more. I see too many stories on blogs I visit where someone has lost a child due to illness or an accident. They grow up so fast and I am really feeling the "mom" bond right now. I will be back from time to time with digital scrapbooking or cards I have made; however, it is not my priority right now. I hope you can stick with me this summer.

Here is Tanner's first at bat:

Lens Effect + photo pop

Lens Effect + Psychedelic

Lens Effect + Spicify

To enlarge the picture, just click on it.

I do have my favorite of these three. I was playing with masks too, so I could brush off the effect on different parts of the picture. Oh, I am having fun with PSE and Topaz Labs.

Happy Graduate

2011-05-17T21:00:00.000-05:00

We are very proud parents of a Happy Graduate, Tanner. He graduated from Kindergarten today. He was so excited! We had cake, balloons and went out to eat to celebrate. Congratulations, Tanner!

receiving his diploma

proud big brother

Tanner's best friend, TJ

Can you believe I almost forgot to make him a card? I woke up this morning and realized I didn't make one, so I used My Digital Studio to create.

Happiness is: you

2011-05-13T00:00:00.000-05:00

This is another great picture my MIL took of "my boys". I used another designer layout in My Digital Studio. This layout caught my eye, because the clock faces were already on it and the colors are masculine. My FIL makes and repairs clocks as you can see by all the clocks in the background of the picture. This layout is perfect for this shot. I just added the title.

For You Flower

2011-05-11T00:00:00.000-05:00

Another card we are making this week that goes with the cute & simple theme. This is taken from the 2010-2011 catalog too. It is on page 19. So much of my inspiration comes from the SU catalogs. When the catalogs retire, don't throw them away. They are a great source for projects.

I think the theme for my life this spring and summer, will be "Keep it Simple". The boys are busy with baseball games, baseball practice and tennis lessons start again soon. My DH and I are both taking tennis lessons too, so we have something going about every day except for Sundays. Our day of rest!

We are so excited, because school is out May 20th! Can't wait to have our boys home for the summer. We have sooooo much fun together.

HB Buttons

2011-05-10T00:00:00.000-05:00

Everyone seems so busy lately (including me) that I wanted to focus on cute & simple cards this month for our club meeting. This is one of the cards we will be making this week. It is from the 2010-2011 SU catalog on page 16. I used different buttons, paper and stamp set; otherwise, the design is the same. I love SU catalogs for ideas!

Hybrid Grad

2011-05-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a Happy Mother's Day! The weather was so beautiful that we spent most of our time outside.

This is a hybrid card from My Digital Studio. When I received the graduation invitation from Lauren (my friend, Norma Jean's daughter), I knew I wanted to use the Go Graduate Plus digital stamp brush set. I love those feet!

The bottom half of the card except for the red grosgrain ribbon was made on My Digital Studio. Once I printed that on my home printer, I added the grad stamp, brads and ribbon. The grad stamp is from the retired set, Great Grad.

Shay Day

2011-05-05T11:46:00.001-05:00

click to enlarge

I am so glad I belong to the My Digital Studio ning group here. I stumbled across Rebecca Filipek's MDS scrapbook sketches. She has done a great job at designing sketches that inspire me to keep scrapping, especially on My Digital Studio. This Shay Day layout was inspired by one of her sketches. You don't have to own My Digital Studio to join. This site is inspires me in all my paper crafting.

Happy Mom Day

2011-05-04T09:00:00.001-05:00

You know I love the sketch challenges on Paper Craft Planet. Lori is our hostess this week and she has a good one for us. I used it to make this Mother's Day card.

I used the new paper and stamp set that was offered in April's promotion. The stamp set is Four Frames and the paper is Paisley Petals. You should put these on your wish list. They will be available in the 2011-2012 catalog.

I had a question about what stamp sets were used in the SU corporate birthday card I posted yesterday. That card is awesome and was all created in My Digital Studio. Here is the card with the stamp sets used from My Digital Studio. After they printed it, they added a little bling.

Here are the items numbers for the stamp sets in My Digital Studio:

118828 - Party Hearty (This set comes with the My Digital Studio software. You can order it for Photoshop too).

119098 - A Little Birthday Cheer

124015 - Bring on the Cake

All of these sets are available in the big catalog except for Bring on the Cake. It was in the occasions mini.

Long Time.......

2011-05-02T20:22:00.000-05:00

Wow! It has been a long time, since I have blogged. I am keeping very busy like the rest of you with family, sports for the boys, etc. I am ready to get back to creating!

I am finished with my research on which computer I am going to get. I decided to go with the iMac and iPad combo; however, I don't need to buy it yet. I thought my hard drive crashed, because I was told it failed the hard drive test from a repair shop. I took it to computer guy, Bill and he tested it. It works just fine. I don't get it. I don't know why it wouldn't turn on for me. Maybe the repair shop jiggled enough "things" in it that is fixed itself. I don't care. I am glad I have a longer time to save for what I want. Now, I have the research done and am ready to buy, when I save the money.

I wanted to show you the cards I have been receiving from some of my wonderful and talented friends. I am going to start making Mother's Day cards and club cards tomorrow. BTW, it is my birthday today (May 2nd). I am so happy to be blessed with another birthday that I have a special offer for you below. Each year gets better and better.

Stampin Up! Corporate

Denise Macias

Lynn Mercurio

Maria Rudolph

Terese Hammond

Since it is my birthday month and Mother's Day is this weekend, I am having a May Sale on my Basic Brayer Online Class. Instead of the class being $15.00, it is on sale for $10.00 for a limited time. This class is held at Paper Craft Planet and ends Monday, May 9th. If you have any questions, please contact me.

Basic Brayer Online Class $10.00

April Scrappy Sunday - Week Four

2011-04-24T19:14:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter!

I am hosting the last week in Paper Craft Planet's April Scrappy Sunday. I am so glad to host these challenges, because it gives me the motivation I need to start digital scrapbooking again.

When I was creating layouts in March for the April Sunday Scrappy challenges, I didn't even think about week four landing on Easter. I could have created a layout to correspond with the holiday. I didn't think that far ahead, so my layout is about seasons.

This week we're focusing on Creative Ideas for Events and Holidays: Capture a full year of memories on a single page. Some ideas for this type of layout can be everyone's birthday on one page, a highlight page of the year, a picture a month of a very cute puppy or like I did all the seasons of the year.

I haven't been posting, because I am without my laptop. It died on me! I ordered a new battery and that didn't work, so I think my five year old laptop is toast. I have been researching to find a replacement. My laptop was a Dell and now I am going to leap head first into the MAC world. I have been saving a little to get a MAC, but didn't think I would be buying one so soon. Ouch! The price of a MAC is more than a PC; however, I am ready to dive in and spend the money.

During my research, I found out I could buy an iMac and iPad 2 for the same price as the laptop I am considering. Hmmm! I am leaning towards the iMac and iPad combo. Since I digital scrap and dabble in photography I want an above average computer that comes with an above average price. LOL!

I will be making my purchase either this week or next, so please bear with me a little longer. Then I will be back to blogging on a regular basis and creating tutorials. I will need to take advantage of the free classes at the Apple Store, so I can learn the new software.

Thanks for staying with me during this transition.

April Scrappy Sunday - Week Three

2011-04-17T09:46:00.000-05:00

I have been having so much fun digi scrapping that Susanna has let me host week three of Scrappy Sunday for Paper Craft Planet.

This week we're focusing on special effects for photos: rounding corners. You can round just one picture in your layout or go crazy like I did and round all of them. This is the first time I rounded corners in a digital layout. I love how Scrappy Sunday challenges me to scrap "out of the box". It is so easy to stay with the same creative process. I hope you can take our challenge this week and play along.

Sketch Challenge - April 16, 2011

2011-04-16T08:39:00.000-05:00

Since my laptop is down and I have been using my DH's old desktop, I am off my game. Susanna reminded me last night at 8 p.m. that I am hosting sketch challenge this week at Paper Craft Planet. I jumped right up from the computer and starting thinking what should I make. I decided to open my Stampin' Up! catalog and use that as my source for inspiration. I found the perfect card I wanted to make on page 18 on the catalog. That was fast. Why am I telling you this?

There are many times when we find out we need a card QUICKLY! I chose a card I could make that would look pretty, but has a simple design. Here is your quick, but cute sketch and my card for you this week. I hope you can play along with me. It shouldn't take much time.

Computer Woes

2011-04-15T07:30:00.000-05:00

I am having computer woes today and will be until next week. My laptop will not turn on, because my battery is totally drained. I didn't not know a laptop wouldn't work just because there is no juice in the battery. Yes, I do have an AC adapter for my laptop, but it still needs a battery to run. My DH has been telling me to get a new battery for months and I kept saying, "I know." Well, I know NOW. I could be up and running today; however, the battery in town cost $130.00 and one on the internet cost $32.00. I decided to save the $100 and put it in my MAC fund. I am trying to save the money to buy a new MAC computer.

SO.....I won't have the new battery until Tuesday (I think) and then I have to charge it before I use it. All my editing programs are on my laptop. My DH's computer is archaic, so we don't keep much on it. At least I have access to the internet and my emails. I would go crazy without that.

Maybe this will get me back to stamping, since I can't play in Photoshop will my pictures. There is always a bright side. I learned that from my mom.

In addition, I am selling a bunch of retired stamp sets (from another company...wink wink). If you want a list of what I am selling, please email me and I will send you a list. They are more than 50% off. This money is going to my MAC fund too and free up space in my craft room.

Have a great day!

Mojo Shift

2011-04-14T08:13:00.000-05:00

As you can tell I haven't been stamping lately. My mojo has shifted to my photography. I have always had a little passion for photography, but just don't take the time to play. I took a class on my new printer I received with my new camera last year and it sparked an interest in actions for my pictures. I have been playing around with the actions from Topaz Labs. They have free 30 trial, so I have been watching videos and learning how to use their actions to make my pictures better. Here is a picture I took at my parents in December 2010 with a just a little bit of correction. I love this one!

In addition, when I get in the photography mood, I digital scrap. I have another layout started and I have a My Digital Studio class tonight at my house.

I hope you are taking the time for the passions in your life whatever they may be.

Many Thanks

2011-04-11T16:49:00.000-05:00

First, let me announce the blog candy winner.............Gretel.

Gretel said...

Well I got my taxes to my accountant on time. I keep saying that I've got to get it to her earlier, but failed in that area this year. Trying to get started on organizing paperwork for next year...

Congrats, Gretel! Please send me your snail mail address.

I wanted to show you two more beautiful cards I received from friends regarding get well wishes. I love them! Thanks again!
I have such talented friends, don't ya think?

Brenda Thacker

Jeanne Tomshack - Jeanne does so many types of crafts. Her blog is full of them.

April Scrappy Sunday - Week Two

2011-04-10T18:59:00.000-05:00

I am so happy to be hosting week two of Paper Craft Planet's April Scrappy Sunday. I made this layout with My Digital Studio while lying on the couch recovering from my foot surgery. That is just one of reasons why I love My Digital Studio. I could scrap while lying down (hee hee). Really....it was nice to create while recovering. Click on the link above and come over to play along with me this week.

celebrate!

2011-04-07T10:34:00.000-05:00

This is another project we are making this month at club. I saw this cupcake on a card my friend, Kim made and knew I had to have the sizzlits 4-pack dies, Big Bold Cupcake. I wish you could see the frosting sparkle. You can see it just a little in the picture.

I wanted to use the sentiment celebrate, so I can use this card for a birthday or for someone who might be celebrating some other occasion.

Celebration! Talking about CELEBRATION! I am so excited, because yesterday (Wednesday) I finally made my Weight Watchers goal. I have lost 16 pounds and hope to keep it off. I wanted to join Weight Watchers, because I seem to gain 15 pounds and then lose it and then find it back again...over and over.....

If I stay at my goal (within two pounds) for the next six weeks, I won't have to pay for my meetings anymore. I want to keep going to the meetings to continue to be accountable for my weight. I am hoping to keep these 15 pounds off FOREVAH!

To celebrate this milestone, I am giving away a little blog candy. I have an extra Extreme Skateboard stamp that I used to make this card.

Here is a picture of the stamp:

How do you have a chance to win? Just leave a comment on this post on whether or not you have made a goal this year and how are you doing on achieving that goal. It doesn't have to be weight related. It can be about creating, organizing, cleaning, exercising.....anything. Good luck!

I will choose a winner on Sunday, April 10th and announce the winner on Monday, April 11th.

Get Well Wishes

2011-04-05T07:38:00.000-05:00

I wanted to show you the get well cards I received during my foot surgery recovery. Thanks so much for everyone who contacted me with your get well wishes.

Judy Krueger - She is thinking about starting a blog. Don't ya think she should?

Terese Hammond

Barb Walker - The Buzz

Here is the St. Patrick's Day card Barb sent me. She is so talented.

Tomorrow, I will show you the other club project we will be making this month. Are you ready for a cupcake?

Just For You

2011-04-03T21:20:00.000-05:00

I am healing so fast that I am so excited to go to the doctor tomorrow. I am hoping he will release me to drive and to start exercising. I won't be able to run for three months, but he said before surgery that I should be able to ride my bike. My great friend, Tracy has loaned me a stand to put my bike inside, so I can ride any time. My awesome hubby is going to set that up tomorrow, if the doctor gives me a thumbs up.

I was able to get back to creating in my craft room today. It is a good thing, since I have club this Tuesday night and Friday night. I wanted to create with the new stamp set that has not been released yet called Four Frames and the new designer series paper, Paisley Petals. These two products will NOT be available until July 2011; however, in the month of April you can buy them just buy spending $20.00 in Stampin' Up! products. YAY!

I love this stamp set, because it is made for the Designer Label punch. Awesome!

I wanted to play along with Susanna this week at Paper Craft Planet's sketch challenge. You should check it out, because you could win a prize. Here is my card:

Materials used are stampin’ up! Unless noted

Stamps: four frames

Paper: paisley petals, tangerine tango, whisper white, river rock, old olive,

Ink: marina mist, tangerine tango

Accessories: old olive satin ribbon, dimensionals, rhinestones, square lattice impressions folder, scallops squares duo bigz die

Punches: designer label

Techniques:

Do You Like Lips?

2011-03-30T18:50:00.000-05:00

I am feeling awesome! I am doing my foot exercises and can start bending my toes...yay! I am walking better every day. Thanks to all of you who have sent me get well wishes, cards and goodies. You are all so sweet and make my recovery even better.

I have shown you some artwork from my oldest son, Tate. Tanner has started to bring some of his artwork home from Kindergarten.

He came home from school one day and asked me "Do you like lips?". I said, "Yes." He asked, "Do you like big lips?" I said, "Yes." He took this picture of his fish with big lips out of his backpack. I love it!

We had Seth's dad make a frame for it, and we hung it in our bathroom upstairs. I get to see it every day and love it each time I see it. He knows the way to his mother's heart. He used orange....my favorite color.

Chocolate, Anyone?

2011-03-29T18:19:00.000-05:00

We made this cute chocolate box at Kim's this month. This was made with the new Petal Cone Big Shot Die and the Eat Chocolate stamp set from the Occasions Mini. Awesome!

Boy, I could go for some chocolate now...How about you?

Scrappy Sunday - Moving Lines

2011-03-28T16:46:00.001-05:00

I am healing well from my foot surgery. I went to the doctor today and my foot looks a lot better than I thought it would. Of course, I took pictures...hee hee! The incision looks great. My foot is still swollen and now I can start to walk on it. I am a little slow. My mom came out to be my chauffeur, since I can't drive for another week. It is nice to have more company while I heal. I am going to get spoiled. REALLY spoiled...it that is even possible...LOL!

Since I was on the couch all week with my foot up, the only opportunity to create was digital scrapbooking. I am loving it! I played along with Susanna again at Paper Craft Planet. We used one of Noell's flexible templates again called Moving Lines.

Click to enlarge

Here are the pages separately:

Christmas Card Challenge - No Stamping

2011-03-27T16:14:00.000-05:00

This week our challenge at Sparkles' Christmas Card Challenge is to create a card with no stamping. No Stamping! How I am going to do this? I love my stamps and punches. Well, I love these challenges, because it makes me create with materials I don't always reach for. I decided to use my chipboard letters. To jazz them up, I used my new Glimmer Paper from the occasions mini catalog. I love how my JOY jumps off the card.

Hope you can play along with us this week.

Framed Tulips

2011-03-24T08:27:00.000-05:00

Here is another card I made at Kim's this month with the framed tulips impressions folder. Don't ya love that frame? We used the stamp set Just Believe, which is one of my favorite flower sets. Look at those cute little butterflies. Those are from the embosslits die Beautiful Wings.

Do you ever wish for days where you could put your feet up and do nothing. Well, I am on day three of doing nothing and would love to do SOMETHING! LOL! We always want what we can't have.....

I have four more days of keeping my foot elevated and iced. I am getting my computer hard drive cleaned up and more digital scrapbooking done. I am so ready to create some cards. I got some new stamps right before my operation and they are lonely. Hee hee!

Thanks for all your get well wishes. You are all so sweet!

For You

2011-03-22T20:43:00.000-05:00

Here is a card I made at Kim's this month. I love, love, love the new framed tulips impressions folder. It makes such a pretty frame on cards.

My surgery went as well as it could. Now, I am just on the couch with my laptop, remote, ice packs and foot up on pillows. It is so weird to be waited on all the time. I have four great helpers.

Enjoy the Journey

2011-03-21T19:52:00.000-05:00

I am still having fun digital scrapbooking and following along with the Scrappy Sunday challenges at Paper Craft Planet. This week we used the Third Lines Flexible Template by Noell Hyman at Paperclipping. These templates are such a great way to inspire your creativity.

My layout is about Great Grandma Medsker. She is 93 now and looks great! I hope to reach 93 plus and want to enjoy the journey. That is how I chose the title of my layout.

I tried to figure out how to Photoshop the glare off of Great Grandma's glasses, but couldn't figure it out. I have that on my list to learn now. I didn't want to get hung up on that and not scrap this layout, so I reduced the glare just a little and scrapped the pictures anyway.

Christmas Card Challenge - Recipe

2011-03-20T08:48:00.001-05:00

This week at Sparkles' Christmas Card Challenge, we were given a recipe: one designer series paper, stars and rub-ons. I just realized I used two dsps. My bad! At least they are from the same series. I wanted to use a star as my main image, so I used my Movers & Shapers Big Shot Die to cut a star image out of the front of my card. Then I used my star punch to create a star with pattern paper to peek through the star opening.

I have wanted to use my BIG striped ribbon and this was the perfect card for that. I don't know why, but I love, love, love strips and polka dots together.

Sketch Challenge - March 19, 2011

2011-03-19T08:00:00.001-05:00

It is Saturday, which means it is time for another sketch challenge at Paper Craft Planet, and I am the hostess this week. I hope you can play along with me. I created a square card; however, you can you this sketch with any card size you like.

I would like to shout out to my friend, Terese......This virtual card is for you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

I hope you have a wonderful birthday.

Still Here

2011-03-17T19:31:00.000-05:00

Yes, I am still here! I have been busy getting ready for my foot surgery (nothing bad) next week, March 22nd. I will be on crutches for one week, and I can't drive for two weeks. The good thing about my surgery is my sister is coming to help the first week, and my mom is coming the second week. So, I do get company...yay!

I have been going to doctor appointments, conducting a My Digital Studio class and working on projects that are due for when I am out of commission. I will be able to create the second week, but not the first one. I am hoping to do some digital scrapbooking when I am on crutches, but I will have to wait and see.

Anyway....................I thought I would give you an update and a sneak peek at what I have been creating.

I am hosting this Saturday's sketch challenge, so I will be back then. I am off to do more for when I can't.

Scrappy Sunday March: Week Two

2011-03-14T15:17:00.000-05:00

I am still having fun playing along with the Scrappy Challenges at Paper Craft Planet. This week we used Noell Hyman's Train Station Flexible Template. These flexible templates are so easy to use. I used the template for the second page of my double-page layout. Here is my layout:

Double page

Click to enlarge

This week I am holding my first My Digital Studio class. I am inspired again to scrap my pictures and am so excited about it.

Christmas Card Challenge #15 - Elves

2011-03-13T08:43:00.000-05:00

This week at Sparkels' Christmas Card Challenge, we get to play with Elves. You can incorporate them anywhere on your card. When I think of Elves, I always think of my Holiday Line-Up set. It is so cute! In addition, I used the Four the Holidays stamp set I got free from the sale-a-bration promotion. This set has four great holiday greetings.

Materials used are stampin’ up! Unless noted

Stamps: holiday line-up, four the holidays, short & sweet

Paper: crumb cake, very vanilla, jolly holiday dsp, old olive

Ink: black staz-on, early expresso

Accessories: su markers (old olive, cherry cobbler, early expresso), off white marker (other), blush marker (other), satin old olive ribbon, build-a-brad, dimensionals, light brown marker (other), light yellow marker (other)

Punches: 3/4" circle

Techniques: coloring with markers

Pop Can Flower Tutorial

2011-03-10T15:42:00.000-06:00

I didn't think I was going to have time this week to make this, but the weather cooperated. The boys went outside, so I created!

ENJOY!

SAC Museum

2011-03-08T19:33:00.000-06:00

I have been wanting to start scrapbooking again, since it was my first love of paper crafting. To give me the push I need each week to make a layout, I decided to start playing along with the Scrappy Sunday challenge on Paper Craft Planet. This month the sponsor is Paperclipping, and Noell has given us a great flexible template to inspire our creativity. I love the idea of a flexible template, because I can be more creative with my layout.

I am so excited to use My Digital Studio to scrapbook again. Here is the layout I created for this week's challenge:

page 1

page 2

Double layout

You can click on the layout to enlarge it.

Happy Birthday, True Friend

2011-03-07T19:38:00.000-06:00

I am still making birthday cards to build up my stash. I just love the bright designer series paper, Celebrations. It makes me happy just creating with it. The stamps are from the Punch Bunch in the sale-a-bration catalog. You only have until the end of this month to take advantage of this promotion.

Materials used are stampin’ up! Unless noted

Stamps: punch bunch

Paper: whisper white, real red, pacific point, celebrations dsp, glimmer paper

Ink: real red

Accessories: pacific point ribbon (retired), white string (other), basic pearls, tasteful trim bigz xl die, dimensionals

Punches: scallop square, 1" circle

Techniques: basic stamping

Christmas Card Challenge

2011-03-06T09:00:00.000-06:00

Stephanie from Sparkles' Weekly Christmas Card Challenges asked me to be hostess this month for their challenges. I am so happy to be their guest designer.

Their site is wonderful for inspiring you every week to keep making those Christmas cards. By the end of the year, you will be stress-free in the Christmas card department. It is fun to look back over the year's collection and see all the different ones you have made.

This week there is a sketch challenge. I love sketch challenges! Here is the sketch and my card:

Materials used are stampin’ up! Unless noted

Stamps: welcome christmas, tiny tags

Paper: certainly celery, jolly holiday dsp, whisper white, old olive

Ink: old olive, cherry cobbler

Accessories: glitter brads, glimmer paper, dimensionals

Punches: ticket corner, medium jewelry tag, 1/4" circle

Techniques: basic stamping

More Pop Can Flowers

2011-03-03T19:01:00.001-06:00

I have been having fun making more pop can flowers. My neighbors have been giving me their cans, so I get a better variety. This time I figured out how to use any size brad, so I could use some of my pretty brads I have in my stash.

Coke

Cherry 7-Up

Diet Squirt

Fanta

My sister said she wanted to see how big they are, so I am showing you the size of the Old Milwaukee flower in my hand. The biggest flower measures 3 1/4" across.

Teacher Thank You

2011-03-02T17:15:00.000-06:00

This week is teacher & staff appreciation week at the boys' school. Tate's teacher, Mrs. Fischer loves Skittles (so do I), so I decided to use this awesome bottle. I filled it up with Skittles and added a little note with jute that reads, "Thank You For Everything Over & Over Again." That stamp is from the retired set Circle of Friendship.

Here is a close up of the thank you card. I used another frame I made with one of my border punches. This one was made with the dotted scallop ribbon border. In addition, the apple is from the Tart & Tangy set that is one of the free sale-a-bration stamp sets when you purchase $50.00.

Materials used are stampin’ up! Unless noted

Stamps: tart & Tangy, enjoy every moment

Paper: pacific point, real red, whisper white, celebrations DSP

Ink: real read

Accessories: chocolate chip marker, old olive marker, white brads, dimensionals

Punches: modern label, word window, dotted scallop ribbon border

Techniques: basic stamping

Here are some cute Popsicle cards I made with the Tart & Tangy stamp set a while ago. I love these!

Big Wish

2011-03-01T18:25:00.000-06:00

I saw Dawn O. use her border punches this week to make frames and I loved it! I decided to make some myself. This is one was made with the scallop trim border. I needed a great sketch, so I decided to go to Mojo Monday and use their sketch.

The Word Play stamp set is getting to be one of my favorites, so I used it to make a birthday card. I can never have enough of those. In addition, I used the Short & Sweet stamp set with the medium jewelry tag punch.

I have been making more of the pop can flowers and figured out a better way to attach a brad. I can't wait to show them to you later this week. Awesome!

Materials used are stampin’ up! Unless noted

Stamps: word play, short and sweet

Paper: whisper white, real red, pacific blue, pear pizzazz, celebrations DSP

Ink: pacific point

Accessories: pear pizzazz 1/2" poly-stitched ribbon, basic Rhinestones, dimensionals, tasteful trim Bigz XL big shot die, red cord

Punches: scallop trim border, medium jewelry tag

Techniques: basic stamping

Tate's Thank U

2011-02-28T08:00:00.000-06:00

Tate had some friends over on Saturday to celebrate his birthday. We had a couple of planned activities, but left them alone most of the time. Seth and I hid in our bedroom watching tv and checking on them every so often. I think they all had a great time. I decided to make Tate's thank you cards during one of my times to check on them. I used My Digital Studio and I created them in a jiffy. Love that program!

After I made the card, I opened up my PSE program and put four on one page, so I could print four card fronts on one 8 1/2 x 11 piece of cardstock. Viola! I was done.

This was a designer card available in the program. I just changed the main image. There are so many great designer projects you can use, when you don't have a lot of time. Did I mention I love this program? LOL!

Sketch Challenge & Prize

2011-02-26T00:00:00.013-06:00

Basic Brayer DVD option
$20.00 (shipping included)

I am the hostess this week for the sketch challenge at Paper Craft Planet, and I have a prize for you this week. I kept the sketch simple, so it will be easy to play along. Prize? Did I say PRIZE? Yes, I did! Since I used a brayer to create my image, I decided to give away one free Basic Brayer DVD ($20 value) to one lucky participant. Once you created your card, go to the Paper Craft Planet blog and add your card to the Linkz Widget.

Don’t worry; if you don’t win you can always purchase my Basic Brayer 101 class on Paper Craft Planet for only $15.00. Starting today, I am offering a Basic Brayer DVD option. You can buy a DVD with all three brayer videos for only $20.00 shipping included.

Here is our sketch for this week:

Materials used are stampin’ up! Unless noted

Stamps: nature silhouettes, tiny tags, baroque motifs

Paper: crumb cake, night of navy, old olive, whisper white

Ink: marina mist, not quite navy, night of navy, old olive, dark green (other), early expresso, basic black

Accessories: white gel pen, black cord, post it notes

Punches: medium jewelry tag, 1 3/4" circle, dotted scallop ribbon border

Techniques: brayer

Pop Can

2011-02-25T00:00:00.002-06:00

Can you believe these cute little flowers were made from pop cans? Yes, yes they were. I saw these on Dawn Griffith's blog and knew I had to make them. We are going to make one of these at March club next week. March! Next week! I can't believe it!

Actually, two of these were made from pop cans and one is made from a beer can. I have been asking the neighbors for they empty pop cans. I got busted today digging through one of my neighbor's recycling bins. They had awesome colored cans. I had to explain why I was rummaging through their trash. They know me well, so they just asked if I needed more. Yes, I do!

Diet Pepsi

Guiness

Pepsi Max

This are made with the Big Shot and Flower Daisies #2 die. I put these together with a jumbo brad and added a 1 1/4" circle to the back. You can use these for cards or you can add a jewelry bar pin to the back. These would look cute on a jean jacket, hat or bag. Love them!

Reminder....I am the hostess tomorrow for the sketch challenge. I made a brayer card for this one.

Skate 4U

2011-02-24T05:00:00.001-06:00

Since I had an extra Extreme Skateboard image from my tutorial, I decided to make another card. I made this one, so I could give it for any occasion. I love how I angled this image.

Materials used are stampin’ up! Unless noted

Stamps: extreme skateboard, so happy for you, tiny tags

Paper: pacific blue, pear pizzazz, black, celebrations, glossy cardstock

Ink: black staz-on, pacific blue, basic black

Accessories: corduroy real red brads (retired), pear pizzazz stitched-poly ribbon, black cord (other)

Punches: medium jewelry tag

Techniques: pouncing brayer

Card Maker Inspiration

2011-02-23T05:00:00.000-06:00

I receive a weekly newsletter from Card Maker and was inspired by their last card. I loved the simplicity of it. In addition, I have been listening to podcasts from Paper Clipping. They have been talking about using kraft cardstock or now it is called crumb cake at Stampin' Up! I love that cardstock, and decided I need to use more of it too. Here is the one I made:

This is the Just Believe set that I put off purchasing. I am so glad I got it.... LOVE IT!

Materials used are stampin’ up! Unless noted

Stamps: just believe

Paper: crumb cake, real red, chocolate chip

Ink: real red

Accessories: dimensionals, real red ribbon (retired)

Punches: 1 3/8" circle, 1 3/4" scallop circle, eyelet border

Techniques: basic stamping

Happy Birthday Tate! (tutorial)

2011-02-22T00:00:00.000-06:00

Our son, Tate is 10 years old today! WOW! Double digits already!

I have been wanting to try the pouncing brayer technique, since I saw Dawn O create a card with the Extreme Guitar stamp set and this technique. That was a while ago, but every good technique is never out of date. My friend, Kim sent me a card she thought I would like that used the Extreme Guitar stamp. Then, I saw the Extreme Skateboard stamp and wanted to play with it too.

Oh, I was wrong about which Saturday I was hosting the Paper Craft Sketch Challenge. I am on for this Saturday. Wendy is our hostess this week and her sketch is awesome. Check it out here. I used it for my

cards.

Materials used are stampin’ up! Unless noted

Stamps: extreme guitar, extreme skateboard, so happy for you

Paper: pacific point, glossy white cardstock, glimmer paper, real red, celebrations DSP, pear pizzazz

Ink: basic black, pacific point, jet black staz-on

Accessories: tasteful trim bigz xl big shot die, button heads (other)

Punches: none

Techniques: pouncing brayer

I decided to make a tutorial to show you this awesome technique.

ENJOY!

Easter Basket

2011-02-21T05:00:00.001-06:00

This little Easter basket is so cute! It is hard to think about Easter already. If you are making holiday projects, it is never too early to start. This is the last project I made at Kim's this month. We used an old tuna can and covered it with the new Ice Cream Parlor DSP in the sale-a-bration catalog. Awesome!

I just got the stamp set we used called A Good Egg. I wanted to get it last year and never did. I can't wait to play with this set again.

Materials used are stampin’ up! Unless noted

Stamps: a Good egg

Paper: ice cream parlor dsp, pacific point, whisper white, melon mambo

Ink: black, pacific point, pumpkin pie, daffodil delight

Accessories: waterbrush, dimensionals, wire (other), ice cream parlor ribbon

Punches: word window, modern label, 1 3/4" scallop circle, 1 3/8" circle

Techniques: waterbrush

Basket Full

2011-02-18T05:00:00.000-06:00

I made this cute birthday card at Kim's last week. This is another one of those items I didn't get and Kim is trying to tell me I need. I made this card with the Create a Cupcake stamp set and Build a Cupcake Punch. Yes, I couldn't believe it! Oh, so cute.

Here is the stamp set and punch. I would have never thought of this. Kim got this card from our monthly Stampin Up! magazine we receive full of great projects and information.

Materials used are stampin’ up! Unless noted

Stamps: Create a cupcake, woodgrain

Paper: crumb cake, old olive, whisper white, soft suede

Ink: chocolate chip, cherry cobbler marker, old olive marker

Accessories: dimensionals

Punches: build a cupcake, dotted scallop ribbon

Techniques:

Ice Cream Birthday

2011-02-17T05:00:00.001-06:00

This is the cutest ice cream cone I have ever made. I made this at Kim's house last week. Love it! I didn't think I "needed" the new Petal Cone Big Shot Die in the occasions mini. Now, I think I do. I should just break down and get it, because Kim will keep showing me cute projects with it, and I will get it just like I did the Just Believe stamp set. She is such an enabler...hee hee!

Materials used are stampin’ up! Unless noted

Stamps: so happy for you

Paper: crumb cake, whisper white, pretty in pink patterns dsp, glimmer paper

Ink: real red

Accessories: petal cone big shot die, square lattice impressions folder, dimensionals

Punches: 1" circle

Techniques: big shot

Here is another little present Kim gave me for Valentines Day using the same Petal Cone Die.

So Glad

2011-02-16T07:26:00.000-06:00

I have finally caved and bought this Just Believe set. My friend, Kim has been telling me I needed this set, since it was released in the Idea Book and Catalog last summer. I am soooo glad I bought it.

This is the other project we made at Emily's workshop last weekend. It is so cute! I love how she used a strip of old olive paper embossed with the square lattice impressions folder instead of ribbon. Great idea, Emily!

I am the hostess this Saturday for the sketch Challenge at Paper Craft Planet and I used this set for my card. I hope you can play along with me.

Materials used are stampin’ up! Unless noted

Stamps: Just believe

Paper: old olive, whisper white

Ink: old olive, real red marker

Accessories: square lattice impressions folder

Punches: modern label

Techniques: tearing and direct marker

Punch Bunch

2011-02-15T05:00:00.000-06:00

Oh, I have been wanting to play with my new FREE stamp set, Punch Bunch. I got this set for ordering $50 during the great sale-a-bration promotion. This is just one of five stamps that match one of my punches. Love it!

It is my brother and sister-in-law's (Craig and Maggie's) anniversary this Friday. I knew I wanted to use the owl from this set for them. My brother is a manly man, so I wanted to use very masculine paper. I decided to pull out the retired DSP, To the Nines.

In addition, I like to play along with the weekly sketch challenge at Paper Craft Planet. Lyn has a great sketch for us this week. Check it out here.

Materials used are stampin’ up! Unless noted

Stamps: punch bunch, teeny tiny wishes, woodgrain

Paper: to the nines, very vanilla, chocolate chip, crumb cake

Ink: chocolate chip, sage shadow (retired)

Accessories: dimensionals

Punches: two-step bird, two-step owl, word window, modern label

Techniques: basic stamping

MY DIGITAL STUDIO

I am so glad there is a My Digital Studio pdf catalog available now. It includes all of the MDS software artwork (contained in the boxed-version) and downloads from the October 2009 launch through January 2011! The catalog gives a snapshot of the entire product line with artwork thumbnails followed by product details. Because MDS is regularly coming out with new artwork, the catalog will be updated every month and available to you on MyDigitalStudio.net in the just-added Resources section. I will add this link to the left sidebar in the catalog section for you as a future reference.

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T08:16:00.001-06:00

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

My downline, Emily had her first workshop this weekend. She did a fantastic job! Here is the Valentine Treat pouch we made. This is a great way to use the Top Note Big Shot Die

Good Works

2011-02-09T19:53:00.000-06:00

I played along with Mojo Monday again this week. When I saw the long space for an image, I knew I wanted to use the Inspired By Nature stamp set. I colored the sunflower image with chocolate chip, crushed curry and old olive markers. Then huffed on the image and stamped. Perfect!

Materials used are stampin’ up! Unless noted

Stamps: inspired by nature

Paper: old olive, whisper white, crushed curry (retired), cottage wall (retired)

Ink: chocolate chip marker, old olive marker, crushed curry marker (retired), old olive

Accessories: brad (other), dimensionals, scallop squares duo bigz die

Punches: 1" punch, 5-petal flower, boho blossoms

Techniques: direct marker

I am going to my sister's this weekend to attend one of my downline's (Hi, Emily!) first workshop. YAY! My mom is meeting me there, so we can have a girls weekend. See ya next week!

I would like to thank those of you who have purchased my Basic Brayer 101 online stamping course. If you are still interested in purchasing this class, you can do so by clicking the Buy Now button at the top of the left sidebar.

He's Going to be TEN

2011-02-09T05:45:00.000-06:00

We can't believe Tate is going to be "10" this month. Wow! Time flies, when you are raising kids. Usually we just invite Grandmas and Grandpas to have cake with us for the boys' birthday, but since Tate is going into double digits I told him he could invite a couple of friends over to play and have pizza and cupcakes. Yummy! More cake for me...hee hee! I love cake!

Since I never make birthday party invitations, I am taking this opportunity to make one for him. I love how easy it was to change the birthday invite template from My Digital Studio. This invite had an owl on the front and a tree on the inside page. I was able to play with it and make it perfect for Tate's invite. He loves to skateboard and he has been snowboarding this year. It turned out perfect! He might only be giving out a couple, but his mom got to play with her toys anyway.

I deleted the address and phone number for security reasons.

Reminder....you can still purchase my online Basic Brayer class by clicking the Buy It Now button on the top of the left sidebar.

My sister sent me these phrases.
It is nice to know how many times I am quoting the bible.
I need to go back to my bible study next school year.

Top 50 Most Popular Phrases From The Bible

In our modern culture, we commonly use phrases which have originated

from the Bible without even knowing their origin.

Note- Some originate from the Bible yet have changed over time.

50 - "My cup runneth over" - Psalms 23:5
49 - "O ye, of little faith" - Luke 12:28
48 - "Living off the fat of the land" - Genesis 45:17-18
47 - "Like a lamb led to the slaughter" - Jeremiah 11:19 / Isaiah 53:7
46 - "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" - Matthew 26:41
45 - "Flesh and blood" - Matthew 16:17
44 - "Spare the rod and spoil the child" - Proverbs 13:24 / 23:13
43 - "Forbidden fruit" - Genesis 2 & 3
42 - "Can a leopard change his spots?" - Jeremiah 13:23
41 - "A man after my own heart" - Samuel 13:14 / Acts 13:22
40 - "Do not cast your pearls before swine" - Matthew 7:6
39 - "The fruit of your loins" - Genesis 35:11
38 - "The powers that be" - Romans 13: 1-2
37 - "Drop in the bucket" - Isaiah 40:15
36 - "Eat, drink, and be merry" - Ecclesiastes 8:15
35 - "Eye for an eye" - Exodus 21:24 / Leviticus 24:20 / Deuteronomy 19:21 / Matthew 5:38
34 - "The good Samaritan" - Luke 10:25-37
33 - "He that is without sin, cast the first stone" - John 8:7
32 - "Labor of love" - 1 Thessalonians 1:3
31 - "The root of the matter" - Job 19:28
30 - "Fight the good fight" - 1 Timothy 6.12
29 - "Letter of the law" - 2 Corinthians 3:6
28 - "Many are called, but few are chosen" - Matthew 22:14
27 - "Man does not live by bread alone" - Deuteronomy 8:3 / Matthew 4:4
26 - "Salt of the earth" - Matthew 5:13
25 - "No rest for the wicked" or "No rest for the weary" - Isaiah 57:21
24 - "Sweat of your brow" - Genesis 3:19
23 - "Apple of my eye" - Deuteronomy 2:10 / Zechariah 2:8
22 - "The love of money is the root of all evil" - 1 Timothy 6:10
21 - "All things must pass" or "This too shall pass" - Matthew 24:6-8
20 - "The truth shall make you free" John 8:32
19 - "There's nothing new under the sun" - Ecclesiastes 1:9
18 - "For everything there is a season" - Ecclesiastes 3:1
17 - "As old as Methuselah" - Genesis 5: 25-27
16 - "Ashes to ashes" - Genesis 3:19
15 - "Twinkling of an eye" - 1 Corinthians 15:52
14 - "A fly in the ointment" - Ecclesiastes 10:1
13 - "Faith will move mountains" - Matthew 21:21
12 - "Signs of the times" - Matthew 16:3
11 - "It is better to give than to receive" - Acts 20:35
10 - "My brother's keeper" - Genesis 4:9
9 - "Physician, heal thyself" - Luke 4:23
8 - "Out of the mouths of babes" - Psalm 8:2
7 - "How the mighty have fallen" - 2 Samuel 1:19
6 - "Bite the dust" - Psalms 72: 9
5 - "Sour grapes" - Ezekiel 18:2
4 - "The writing on the wall" - Daniel 5:5
3 - "At my wit's end" - Psalm 107:27
2 - "Blind leading the blind" - Matthew 15:14 / Luke 6:39
1 - "By the skin of our teeth" - Job 19:20

Heart to Clover

2011-02-07T20:06:00.001-06:00

I had to make a card for club last Friday night in a hurry, because I couldn't find the card I made last month. I still can't find it! Hmm! My friend, Barb from The Buzz sent me this card last year and I love it!

I just bought the Scalloped Heart to Hearts Embosslits, so I could make this for club this year. I don't have this paper, so I improvised and used the Greenhouse Gala again. When my club members made this Friday night, I had them random stamp the bottom of the card after they added the worded stem. This is from the butterfly set, Flight of the Butterfly. I thought it made a great stem. Tonight the rest of my club members will be meeting, creating and...HAVING A LOT OF FUN!

Materials used are stampin’ up! Unless noted

Stamps: teeny tiny wishes, So happy for you (sale-a-bration), flight of the butterfly

Paper: certainly celery, greenhouse gala, old olive, whisper white

Ink: old olive

Accessories: Scalloped heart to hearts embosslits, dimensionals

Punches: word window, modern label, full heart XL

Techniques: big shot

Online Brayer Course

2011-02-07T06:00:00.005-06:00

Self-paced

Have you always wanted to know how to create beautiful scenery cards? Do you see these type of cards on the internet and wonder..."How'd she create that?" This is the class for you. In this class, you will have access to three video tutorials that show you step by step how to create a basic background, a sunset and a moonlight scene. This class is self-paced, so you will be able to take the class and watch the tutorials when it is convenient for you.

You will be able to access each tutorial again and again to practice what you have learned as much as you want. In addition, you will have access to a forum to ask questions and submit your work. This technique is not hard, but take some practice. You should be able to create similar card on your own after you finish these lessons. I will be available for any questions in our forum.

In the discussions are the specific supplies I used for each card. It is your choice whether you use the specific inks and supplies I used to make each card. All measurements are given for you to prepare your supplies ahead of time.

If you wish to purchase the supplies I used for these cards, you can submit an online order at my Stampin’ Up store. You can click on the Shop Now button in the upper, right-hand corner. I have listed the item numbers after the product for your convenience.

Recommended supplies:

Very Vanilla or Whisper White cardbases – 8 1/2 x 5 1/2, scored
at 4 1/4 to make three 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 cardbases.
Brayer
Whisper white cardstock
3 x 5 sticky notes
Black marker
Black ink
Baby wipes
Grid paper or scratch paper

Basic Brayer DVD option - $20.00 (shipping included)

Hope to see you in our group!

World To Me

2011-02-05T13:21:00.000-06:00

I had club last night and it has inspired me to create. The sketch Jessica created at Paper Craft Planet is just what I needed to start playing. Hope you can play along. Here it is! I got the stamp set Word Play in my last order and have been itching to ink it up. The designer series paper is Celebrations and it reminded me of rotating planets, so I used this sentiment. Love it! I hope my hubby does too.

Materials used are stampin’ up! Unless noted

Stamps: word play

Paper: real read, pacific point, whisper white, celebrations

Ink: pacific point

Accessories: pacific point corduroy buttons (retired), white floss (other), pear pizzazz 1/2" stitched-poly ribbon, dimensionals

Punches: scallop border, dotted scallop ribbon border, designer label

Techniques:

Birthday Spin

2011-02-04T16:50:00.000-06:00

I knew when I saw the set Take a Spin on page 10 in the occasions mini that I had to have it. I love the cards on page 11 made with the set, so I decided to make the flower one for our club meeting this month. In fact, we are meeting tonight. I can't wait to show them this one. Love it!

Materials used are stampin’ up! Unless noted

Stamps: take a spin

Paper: tan (other), pumpkin pie, whisper white, greenhouse gala

Ink: baja breeze, pumpkin pie marker, crumb cake

Accessories: texturz plates background 1, game spinner hands, flower folds big shot die, mat pack, paper piercer, dimensionals

Punches: 2 1/2" circle

Techniques: big shot

Feb Club Card

2011-02-03T10:39:00.000-06:00

I'm back! We had two snow days and the boys loved it! Well, I loved it too. I am behind schedule though. Even though the weather wasn't the best we made it to Aunt Janet's funeral three hours away from home. The roads weren't too bad. The temps were bitter cold, but the service was beautiful and it was nice to see family we hadn't see in a while. We wish it would have been under different circumstances. Aunt Janet is at peace now and not suffering any more. Now, she is in God's hands.

I have club meetings this Friday and next Tuesday, so I need to get on the ball and decide what we are going to make. I decided we haven't made a sympathy card in a while and I need to replenish my stash. I got the inspiration for this card from the Mojo Monday sketch here. In addition, I used the new Thanks for Caring set from the occasions mini. Oh, such a pretty set.

I haven't made a round card is such a long time. I should make them more, because they are so much fun. I used my new scallop circle Big Shot die. Oh, this die is awesome!

Materials used are stampin’ up! Unless noted

Stamps: thanks for caring

Paper: greenhouse gala, baja breeze, real red, so saffron

Ink: baja breeze, real red

Accessories: scallop circle big shot die, lots of tags sizzlits, white gel pen, daffodil 1/8" taffeta ribbon, dimensionals

Punches: 2 x 1 3/8" oval

Techniques: big shot

Just a note....I have been keeping up on my 365 project so far. Whew! I think that is going to be my scrapbooking this year.

Good News! I am almost done with my Basic Brayer 101 online stamping class I will be offering at Paper Craft Planet. I just need to run a test on it and I will start marketing the class. Soon very soon!

Cycle of Life

2011-01-31T14:30:00.000-06:00

We celebrated Seth's Grandma's birthday on Saturday and had a wonderful time talking about her childhood and sharing memories. After we were home that night, we got a call from Seth's mom regarding Seth's Aunt from the other side of the family losing her battle to ovarian cancer. We definitely experienced a high and low in the same day.

I made this card for the Paper Craft Planet sketch challenge this week. You can see Keely's sketch here. Hope you can plan along this week. I could only think about making a sympathy card knowing we will be heading out of town again on Wednesday for Janet's funeral.

Life is precious and we need to live each day laughing and loving. These situations really put perspective on any stresses I might feel. Hug your kids and parents today!

Materials used are stampin’ up! Unless noted

Stamps: lovely as a tree

Paper: to the nines (retired), chocolate chip, very vanilla

Ink: early expresso

Accessories: chocolate brads, chocolate corduroy brad, square lattice impressions folder

Punches: ticket, scallop border, 1 3/4" scallop circle

Techniques: basic stamping