Peace on Earth

After my surgery and and ensuing recuperation (for those readers who would be just like me and would like to know what kind of surgery it was, click HERE....I totally understand cause I couldn't sleep at night not knowing either..) and massive amounts of Vicodin inducing fog, I'm finally back at the keyboard to show you our last card from November's class.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in America so I'll be off a few more days to rest, relax, and eat some Turkey. And reflect on my life and the wonderful things I'm thankful for......hope you can too.

Quick post

I'm scheduled for surgery today so I thought I'd load a couple more cards we made at last Monday's class:




This card uses the stamp set, Berry Christmas. The colors are Old Olive (although the picture doesn't look like it), Real Red, and Very Vanilla.

This card uses Sahara Sand, Taken with Teal, Metallic Silver, and Real Red.

Embossing with out Alcohol--just as fun

Yesterday, I mentioned how my daughter and I used rubbing alcohol to mist cardstock before running it through the big shot. This dampens the cardstock enough that a deeper, crisper embossed image is achieved. Rubbing alcohol is used instead of water because it dries much faster.

Just make sure you are working with someone who doesn't mind the smell. The alcohol reminded my queasy-faints-at-the-sight-of-blood daughter too much of a doctor's office.

Today's card (another one we made Monday at class), embossed the Real Red layer with an embossing folder from Stampin Up. It is called Petals a Plenty and does an awesome job at making a crisply embossed layer. It is such a deep emboss that the fibers in the cardstock break down and the paper has a fabric-like feel to it. Quite lovely.

We used the five petal flower punch to make the Poinsettia to finish the card.

Shaker Christmas Card

This is one of the cards we made on Monday at class. It was our first time making a shaker card and I think it was a success. Glitter is always fun to work with.

Today's card is very similar to THIS card.

The Mellow Moss layer (green) was embossed with a Stampin Up embossing plate. Normally, the embossing doesn't show up as well-pressed. To get a crisper emboss, my daughter and I spritzed the cardstock with a light mist of alcohol before running it through the Big Shot. (We did this the day before class and it was rubbing alcohol.)

So there is your Tip of the Day: get your cardstock slightly damp before embossing it and you'll see quite a difference in the raised embossing. We used rubbing alcohol because it dries faster than plain ol' water.

Thanksgiving Turkeys are done

I may not be in charge of the actual Turkey dinner this year for Thanksgiving but I did make some turkeys!

This one is so cute I think he is going to be my new profile picture on Facebook!

Here is my recipe for the Turkeys:

scallop circle nestabilities
sweet treat cups (I think they are only available through a Stampin Up demo like me)
Autumn Traditions DSP
1 3/4 inch circle punch
oval nestabilities (smallest one for the beak and the red hangy thing)
Reese's Pieces candy

More goodies from the weekend Open House

Here a few more little crafty items I made to bring to the Open House at my neighbor's. Remember that I don't do craft shows because they are a LOT of work?

Yeah, well, I still believe that. But the Open House itself was so much fun that I would do it again in a heart beat.

I love meeting new people and getting to know if they enjoy paper crafts like I do. And when I informed them I lived 'just around the corner' and handed them a schedule of my classes, a few actually seemed elated to hear this. Like maybe they'd been waiting their whole life to stamp with me. Or maybe it was because I mentioned I always have chocolate at class because everyone knows you can't stamp with out the nutritional benefits of chocolate.

Chocolate-it's not just for breakfast

I haven't participated in a craft show in a very long time until this weekend. My neighbor invited me to set up a table (along with a few other home business ladies), invite some friends and family, and see what kind of crowd we get.

After working for a few days straight on some little paper craft items to put on my Stampin Up table, I now remember why exactly I don't participate in craft shows.

They sure are a lot of work!

Here are some clear Sour Cream containers (not sure why they are called Sour Cream containers...) I made using Transparencies.

I love that you can see the M&Ms inside. And I love that M&Ms don't melt in your hands because then I'd have to rename my blog Messy Fingers, Chocolate Stained Papers, and an Empty Bag of M&Ms! I sure ate my share of candy while making these!

Papercraft Backpack

If you're a little bored and feeling up to a challenge today, click HERE to find the directions to make this nifty backpack.

And believe me, it is a challenge! I printed out all 324 pages of the tutorial (it is a very well written and photographed tutorial by the way...) before tackling the project, got all my supplies around, and made sure my work space was neat and tidy. Even with that preparation, it was a struggle.

Here is a different view:

And to show you how small this actually is (you're not going to fit school books or notebooks or pencils or erasers in this one!), here is a photo of the normal sized gift card that I'm putting inside the backpack for my niece (who's birthday was yesterday...so sorry Autumn! Your Auntie has been scatterbrained as of late):

I consider myself fairly adept at working with papers and other basic crafting supplies but I'm not ready to try this one again in the near future.

HB 2 my MIL

We are venturing north to see my Mother-in-law this weekend and to wish her a Happy Birthday.

I'm hoping she has a sense of humor when she reads this card. It's not like I was poking fun at her or her mental state. She doesn't even have a green chair like this so it isn't really her.

The stamp is from the same set that I made THESE invites for my daddy. It is called Golden Oldies and briefly appeared in a Stampin Up mini catalog.

Using the color wheel

I recently re-discovered a tool that has been sitting on my work table for years. The Stampin Up Color Wheel! This little gem is amazing at helping me match colors, find complimentary colors, and put together color schemes that I would normally stay away from.

Today's card, for example, is one of my new favoritest color arrangements but I never, in a hundred years, would have thought to use them together--Mellow Moss, Bravo Burgundy, Apricot Appeal , and Always Artichoke. (The little bird in Not Quite Navy is my own addition.)

And while you won't find a tree in a park made up of those colors, it looks splendid none the less.

The layout is from the weekly challenge at SPLITCOAST:

There is always one in the crowd

There is always one in the crowd that has to be different, right? A non conformist. Walkin to the beat of a different drum. Going against the grain.

Sadly, as a middle child, it is usually NOT me. My life's mottos are 'go with the flow' and 'status quo is the way to go'. I don't like to rock the boat.

But I greatly admire the people who do their own thing. Happy Birthday Rob!

Today's card is from Mojo Monday's sketch:


Which, you'll notice, I followed it quite literally 'cause that's the way I play.

And don't forget to check out my December class project!

My Dad's Invites

My favorite Dad in the whole world (and the only one I've ever had) will be 60 this month and my mom needed some invitations for his party. I don't think it is a surprise party but just in case it is, please don't tell him.....



I used a Stampin Up set that briefly appeared in a mini catalog last summer, called Oldies But Goodies. The sentiment is "I still have a full deck. I just shuffle slower."

And look! When I took the picture, there was a deck of cards on the table behind the card that I didn't realize were there till after I loaded it on to my computer! What a coincidence, huh??

Just so you know though, the senior citizen on the card does not in fact look like my Dad. He is much more handsome and has a LOT more hair. Here he is:

The layout for Dad's invitations was inspired by THIS DESIGN at splitcoast stamper's website:

Colors were retired from last year~Kiwi Kiss, Pacific Point, & Baja Breeze