My Fabulous Friend

I recently (well, semi-recently) attended a Copic Marker Class at the Creative Pals (Whipper Snapper Stamps!) store in Brookfield, WI. Technically, I believe it's now called an "Alcohol Marker Class", but same diff. ANYHOW, the bottom line is............. I stamped! After the class I came home and made this card for my girlfriend who invited and treated me to the class, bless her heart. I'm so out of the loop when it comes to blogging, I barely remembered to take a picture to share with y'all. I snapped this at the last minute on my mom's kitchen counter. How about that gold flecked counter top? Heh.

The image is by Rachelle Anne Miller. Love that girl. I wish I had an ounce of the talent she has.

I have more embroidery to share, and will be stamping again soon to complete the requirements for a swap I'm in, so stay tuned. One day I will organize all of my digital files and make this whole process easier.... maybe.

Pink Cat Studio Sneak Peeks, Day 2

Here are some more fun images from the new Itty Bitty Christmas set that is being released TOMORROW at Pink Cat Studio. Aren't they just adorable? I love the clean lines of all the Pink Cat images. So cute!

Here we have a little gingerbread man:


And here he's shed his costume for a little gift giving. I did a close up of the image so you can see the glitter snow. I just dotted around the image with my glue pen and then sprinkled on the Dazzling Diamonds:

Here's the whole card. I really felt like I needed to get away from traditional Christmas colors for once:

And that knotted silver ribbon? That was totally supposed to be tied in a bow, but I've realized something very important (and tragic)... I am totally bow-tarded. I can. not. make a bow. Sure I could make one separately and then adhere it to straight ribbon, but that's cheating, isn't it? How do you make your "bunny ear" bows? I tried following info on SCS and I still couldn't do it! ACK!

Pink Cat Studio Sneak Peeks, Day 1

It's time for another new release from Pink Cat Studio, and it's also time for CHRISTMAS! Wahoooo! I love Christmas! I'm probably the only person around who gets excited when the snow starts to fall (which it totally just did Saturday morning!!!). This super cute set is called Itty Bitty Christmas, and here are two cards made with it:

Stay tuned for another peek tomorrow and then the set release on Wednesday! Click over to the Pink Cat Studio Blog and the other design team blogs (in my sidebar) for more super cute cards!

Itty Bitty Pink Cat Studio Sneak Peeks!

Pink Cat Studio is releasing a new set tomorrow, and it includes two new characters! I'm sure you love Lily and Billy as much as I do, but check out the new kids on the block!



Are they not adorable?! This is just one of the images from this awesome new set. I LOVE IT! The sentiment for the card is tucked behind the main image. You just have to pull out that ribboned edge, and you'll find this:

Cute, no? :)

Be sure to click over to the other Pink Cat Design Team member blogs (linked in my sidebar) to see all of the other images! You won't be sorry!

In case you're wondering, that patterned paper in the background has velvet flocked spiders on it (!!). I picked that up last year at i {heart} papers.

I'll Never Leave You

Hellooooooooo my blogger friends! Oye vey, it has been AGES since I've blogged! Yikes! Things have been a little whack-a-doodle around here, and I haven't stamped in awhile. Actually, that's not entirely true. I actually made this card a few weeks ago but didn't care for it (on kraft paper) and didn't have any Chocolate Chip paper on hand (Seriously people, how does that happen?) so it sat there for awhile until I broke down and hit the Hobby Lobby for a suitable brown stand in.

Despite my absence here in the blogosphere, I need you to know:


bwahahahahahaha!!! Ok, fess up - who gets the joke?! I *know* my girl Lorie is giggling out there somewhere... anyone else??

The main image in this card is from the Sporty Billy set that Pink Cat Studio released in June. This set is awesome! I just love it. :) I colored Billy with my copics, and printed the sentiment on the computer using Mufferaw font (love that font, btw!).

In case you're still wondering about that sentiment, here's a clue (a friend of mine has this set as his profile picture on Facebook and I think it's absolutely hilarious):

Again I say..... BWA HA HA HA HA HA!!!! :)

Ok, I'm done now. Carry on. ;)

P.S. I'm reeeally hoping less time will pass between this and my next post! Don't give up on me!

Howdy!

Here is a card I made this evening using the new digi-images that Melissa is offering over at Pink Cat Studio as a fundraiser for the Make-a-Wish Foundation. You can read more info about the images, and their significance in the post below this one, and also on the Pink Cat Studio Blog.

If you've been drooling over Lily and Billy for awhile but haven't made a purchase, this is a great place to start (though technically they are called Ethan and Ava in this set, but still...). Not only do you get super cute images, but you also help an awesome cause.

Thanks for looking!

Pink Cat Studio Sneak Peeks, Day 2

Good morning! Welcome to day two of our Pink Cat Studio sneek peaks! Here is the image of Billy with the soccer ball. Isn't it fun? I know I probably say that all the time, but I just love these stamps!

Did you get a chance to look at all of the other DT blogs yesterday? Well, go back and check them again today! :)

Enjoy your day!

Pink Cat Studio Sneak Peeks, Day 1

Yay! It's time for another Pink Cat Studio release! Y'all know I am just in LOVE with Billy. He reminds me so much of my Henry (who turns 3 soon! Ack! How did that happen?!). This newest Billy set is absolutely adorable. Four of the most deliciously boyish stamps EVER! And the little appearances by the pooch just crack me up. :)

Be sure to stop back tomorrow to see another peek, and then Wednesday to see the full set. You can also click over to the other PCS DT members by following the blog links in my sidebar.

Enjoy the day!

Remember Me?

Hi friends! I am still here. Still alive! I just haven't been stamping and/or blogging as much lately as I used to. Haven't been doing much blog reading either, to be honest. And I apologize for that! I've been in spring cleaning mode, doing things around the house, and have also been working on a few bigger projects (non-crafty, unfortunately) that have taken up a good chunk of my time. Don't give up on me though! I'm still here, and will get back in the swing of things eventually!

Meanwhile, I wanted to share this bright little card I made last night using the Doodle Flowers set from Sweet n' Sassy Stamps! What a fun set! I love the look of the doodles. So cute!

I have to share a few more books with you while I've got your attention, too.

Second Chance, by Jane Green:

Jane Green is one of my favorite authors. She was the author that got me interested in "chick lit" to begin with, with her Babyville, and I have loved everything I've read by her ever since. I was hooked on this book by about page 25, which is excellent.... but then she lost me for awhile about 3/4 of the way through. It's not that it wasn't a good story, it just seemed to linger on certain points longer than I thought it had to. I loved the premise though, and the idea that maybe we all deserve a second chance. The characters were easy to relate to, I enjoyed it.

Another of my favorite authors is Jodi Picoult (she's probably #1, if I had to make a list). I just finished her Salem Falls...

As with all of her books, she had me at hello. Her writing style is just amazing, and sucks me in as soon as I turn the first page. This story interested me because of its play on The Crucible, and the way that false accusations can warp our societal beliefs. I loved the book and the story, but I have to say I kind of saw the end coming, which is odd for me with Picoult. Usually she pulls something out of left field and I end up not knowing what hit me. Not this time though...

Have any of you read this? I'd love to chat about it if you have! Especially if you remember the ending. I'd like to see if my interpreation was the same as yours...

Hey Chick

Good Morning! It's day one of the Sweet n' Sassy Stamps bloghop! Isn't this a fun card? I just love this bandana paper and fun Funny Farm set! I have been kicking myself for ages for not buying that barnyard set that SU used to sell, but this one totally makes up for it. The animals are just too cute. :)

Ok, now it's time to carry on to the rest of the hop!

Wednesday, May 27th: SNSS Blog, Jeanette, Sarah, Chris, Cindy, Ceal

Thursday, May 28th: Sandy, Faith, Courtney, Deb, Deedee, Korin

Friday, May 29th: Teresa, Janette, Suzy, Lorie, SNSS Blog

Enjoy your day! I have another book review to share with you, too, but it will have to wait until next time. The boys aren't being too kind about letting me have blogging time. lol!

Don't Worry, Bee Happy!

Ok, be honest... How many of you are singing that song now? :) You're welcome.

Here's a quick card I made tonight using the Bee Happy set from Sweet n' Sassy Stamps (which, by the way, I just noticed is currently on sale for only $6 something if you're interested!). It's a cute little set... but I love me some bees, so maybe I'm biased? Nah...

So, get this... see the little "buzz" tab? That's stamped on Almost Apricot (or whatever SU's Apricot is called). The DP and the base are both So Saffron. The ribbon, which matches the So Saffron paper PERFECTLY is Almost Apricot. What the??? Isn't there something wrong with this picture?! Anyhow, I thought it was odd, so of course I had to point it out. hehehe.

We've got a big weekend in front of us... Two weddings tomorrow, followed by a two hour choir rehearsal on Sunday for an alumni choir I'm participating in for my high school. At least we'll stay busy. I'd rather be busy than bored... most of the time, anyhow.

Enjoy your weekend!

Baked With Love

The last time I posted a card using this Changito the Baker set from i {heart} papers, one of my blogger friends left a comment saying it would be cute to use for gift tags on baked goods. Right you are, my friend! In fact, the stamp set actually comes with this perfect little tag stamp, and you can stamp other images inside of it however you'd like. So, I used it to help decorate this box of cookies. These are my Mom's all time favorite cookies... Grandma's Peanut Butter Cookies. I found these cute Wilton cupcake boxes at Hobby Lobby (3 for $5, I think - maybe a little less), and picked them up hoping they'd work for cookies too, and they do! Just leave out the cupcake inserts, and you're set! I made a double batch of the cookies to give to her as part of her Mother's Day gift today. Henry is very excited to go give Grandma her cookies after nap time. hee hee. I *think* he might be hoping to score one or two for himself, but I can't be sure. :o)

Here is a close up of the tag:

The tag is colored with my Copic markers, and tied on with some 5/8" Pink Twill Ribbon. The ribbon is PERFECT for this kind of project because it's a sturdy ribbon (and, it matches!) and really works well to help hold the box closed.

There's a little sad news though..... :o( .......... This is my last "official" post as an i {heart} papers Design Team member. My term ended, and it's bittersweet. Bitter, because I love Kate and the whole IHP team, but at the same time sweet, because I know summer is going to be super busy, and I probably shouldn't be spending as much of those beautiful summer days locked up in my stamp room! I will miss everyone though!

I also have another book to share with you! I just finished Jennifer Weiner's Certain Girls last night:

Weiner (pronounced Wine-er, before you start giggling too much!) is one of my favorite authors. I've read everything she has written, and have enjoyed all of it. Although I enjoyed this book, I have to say it was one of my least favorite by her. Not because it wasn't a good story... it was... it just took me a long long time to really get into it. In fact, while I was reading the book, I was thinking about blogging and decided that from now on I'm going to share my "point of no return".... meaning, the page I got to when it became nearly impossible for me to put the book down. For this book, sadly, it was page 245. That's a whole lot of reading to go through before being really sucked in! BUT... the interesting part is that not only was I totally hooked from 245 to the end, I also found myself crying through most of those final 100(ish) pages. So it's not that I didn't like the story, and it's not that I couldn't relate to the characters, it just didn't really draw me in like some of her previous works have. I would still recommend it if you enjoy Chick Lit... but maybe start with one of her earlier books like In Her Shoes, or Good in Bed (which, by the way, is not as racy as the title implies!). OH! Actually.... do read Good in Bed first, because it's something of a prequel to this novel. Same characters.... :o)

Happy Mother's Day!

More Changito

Here is another fun card I whipped up using Changito the Baker by Stampendous, from i {heart} papers. This would be such an easy card to mass produce - perfect for a swap, or a gift set! The ribbon is also from IHP, and can be found HERE. It's hard to see in the picture, but I also used Star Dust Stickles on the candle flames at the bottom of the card, and Angel Wings Shimmerz on all of Changito's pink accessories. I also globbed a little bit of stickles on the end of his spoon to make it look like he was whipping up something yummy!

I also have to take a minute to talk books. The last time I posted about a book was when I finished the Twilight series, and I'm on my third book now since I finished that! Once I finished that series, I moved on to this book, The Widow Of The South, by Robert Hicks.

Although it is a fictional novel, it's based on the true story of a woman named Carrie McGavock who lived in Franklin, TN during the Civil War. The story revolves around her house being used as a hospital during the battle in Franklin, and details the work she did to preserve the bodies of the fallen men, contacting their families to let them know where the boys were, etc. It really is quite fascinating, if you are interested in that era of history like I am. Her home, Carnton, is still standing as a historic plantation in TN. I would love to visit it some day. I've been to TN so many times... I wish I'd known about this a few years ago. I guess I'll just have to make another trip!

That's all for now. I'll write about the book I read after Widow in my next post. :o)

Enjoy the day!

Thank You Berry Much!

Today is day 2 of the Sweet n' Sassy Stamps blog hop, and here is my fun summery contribution! This card uses two super cute (not to mention versatile) stamp sets. The strawberry image is from Summer Fun, and the sentiment is from Summer Sentiments.

I used some dazzling diamonds to highlight the "seeds" on the berries, and my Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder on the base. I love strawberries... they are easily my favorite berry (pretty much the only one I eat, for the most part), and also my kitchen theme! :o)

I'm the last stop on the hop for today, but be sure to pick up with us again tomorrow, starting with Korin's blog:

Friday, May 1
Korin
Deb
Tami
Deedee
Ceal
and back on the SNSS Blog to wrap it up!

My Eyes!

LOL! Sorry, couldn't help myself with that post title given the brightness factor here! :o) I don't know what I was thinking, but for a minute earlier this evening the whole red/yellow/turquoise thing seemed like a really good idea. *shrug*

Regardless of the color, I still am lovin' this Changito Baker stamp set by Stampendous from i {heart} papers. I stamped the monkey image, and then extended the table line with a pen and stamped a few baked goods next to him. The cinnamon rolls were stamped on a separate piece of paper and then cut out and adhered with dimensionals to give it a little depth.... hard to see that in the picture. You can get a little better idea in this one:

Check out that red dotted ribbon I used on the card. This stuff is awesome.... Why? Because the dots are printed on both sides of the ribbon. LOVE that. I have some cheap-o black and white dotted ribbon (used on the card below) that only has the dots printed on one side.... so when you tie a knot, the dots on the ends of the not don't look as bright as the rest of the ribbon length. A minor detail, maybe, but one that matters to me!

I also used clear and yellow stickles for accents on the flames (yellow) and cakes (clear).

So, I guess it turned out ok... even with the blinding colors. :o)

Pink Cat Studio Sneak Peeks, Day 3

Here we are at our final day of Sneak Peeks. Have I told you how much I love this set? Because I do. A lot. And of the four peeks I've showed you this week, this is my favorite card! I just got all of this gorgeous textured paper from SU, and I am in LOVE! I paper pieced her towel in that dotted paper, and then used coordinating papers to finish the card. Cute, no? Some friends and I go to a big waterpark in the area every summer, and we've missed the past three years because we've been busy taking turns having babies. I thought this would be the perfect card to send them suggesting we get back to our old habits this summer! :o)

And in case you're wondering, here is what the whole set looks like:

Go on... Admit it. You need it! Click on over to Pink Cat Studio and snag one for yourself. You'll be glad you did!

Pink Cat Studio Sneak Peeks, Day 1

It's time for another Pink Cat Studio sneek peak! Woot! :o) Melissa is releasing a new set of four Lily stamps this month (well, four Lily images, plus sentiments), and they are beach themed as we prepare for summer! ....Summer? What's that?! Ugh! It actually snowed here today. I was NOT amused!!

Anyhow, above you see sweet little Lily on her turtle.... This reminds me of the turtle we have at the zoo in town here. It's huge.... and his name is Dash. LOL. That just cracks me up. :o)

Below you can see a super simple card with Lily chillin' in the lake. Sometimes simple is good! In the actual stamped image, Lily has legs sticking out below the tube, but I thought I'd make her floating for this one...

More peeks tomorrow! Stay tuned!

Long Winter

Let me explain this card a bit...

To make a long story short, one of my girlfriends had a baby about three or four months ago, but it was early. Really early. I think she was at about 22 weeks when she delivered. The little girl was a fighter though, and she has come through so much in the past few months. Last week I found out that she was finally strong enough to come home. I wanted to send a card, but wasn't really sure what to send. I thought about it for awhile, and this is what I came up with. A little welcome home card for baby.


I used SU!'s old Right at Home set, stamped in Going Grey on Pink Pirouette. Then I used my crystal effects on all of the windows, and added a layer of glitter at the base of the houses. The sentiment, which I thought was sooo fitting for both the situation and the season, is from the Sweet n' Sassy Stamps set called His Eye Is On The Sparrow. I just love this set. The sentiments are so versatile.

And finally...... Breaking Dawn.





I actually finished this book a week or so ago, but kept putting off my little review due to a lack of time. I always seem to be blogging at 1am, and trying to race to bed as I do it. I'm finally here mid-afternoon, so I thought I'd say a few words. Ok, I've read all four books. A lot of people I've spoken with have asked me what order I liked the books in. If I had to choose, I'd say 1, 2, 4, 3. New Moon was my least favorite, because of two chapters mainly. Both had to do with a lot of history to the plot, and it just got to the point of being almost painful to read. And by painful, I mean boring. Other people have asked me which "team" I'm on, Edward or Jacob. I'm fully entrenched with Team Edward. The whole bit about who Jacob imprinting is creepy to me, but I saw it coming pretty early on. When Quil did almost the same thing, I knew there was some foreshadowing there.

Yes, I'm being vague. But I'm thinking maybe someone is reading this who doesn't want any spoilers, so I'm being nice. :o) If you want to discuss the book more in depth, feel free to email me at the link on my sidebar!

And don't forget to check out the Stephenie Meyer website. Did you know she actually wrote a fifth book for the series? She has the transcript (253 pages) linked on her site, and the explanation of why it will probably never make it to print... which stinks! Check it out if you have time. I think I'm going to have to read it now... I guess my thirst for all things Cullen hasn't been completed satisfied yet!

Birthday Wishes

Ok, let's take a poll... Who thinks Changito is the coolest monkey in stamping? :o) I just love this little guy! I *just* got this new Changito Baker set from i {heart} papers, and I couldn't be more excited! I paired him up with some of the Rooster Row paper and this awesome red dotted ribbon. The monkey is colored with my copics, and I added stickles over the frosting on the cake, and over the flames on the candles.

That DP you see on the left side of the card is also the back of the card as well. I cut a piece to standard A2 measurements, then ripped most of the front away and adhered a piece of PTI white in its place. You can't see it in the pic, but I added another square of the patterned paper on the flip side of the white to cover where the copics bled through. I wasn't sure how it would look, but it actually finishes the card nicely.

I still need to tell you about Breaking Dawn. I haven't forgotten, I just don't have time right now! I need to go get a "last chance workout" in (ha ha!) before tomorrow's Wednesday Weigh-In!