This is It!

In know, your all thinking FINALLY. Today is the last post of my scrapbook. Can you believe all those pages only took me a little over an hour to complete. I'm telling you , you don't have to make your scrapbook elaborate. Simple ones are fine. The whole point is to give you a way to store your memories. I didn't journal on any of these pages, but I think I may go back and do that later. Remember,

We do not remember days; we remember moments. ~Cesare Pavese, The Burning Brand

I did want to mention a couple things about these pages. First off, I used brads in these flowers, but not to hold them on the page. I put the brad through the flower, bent the sides back and stuck it on with a dimensional. I also used the saying from Full of Life. I absolutely love this saying. I thought it was appropriate to put at the end. Well, that's the whole book (I know your silently cheering!). Check back tomorrow for something new and completely different!

Aren't we glamorous?

I guess maybe I now understand the purpose of scrapbooks. I just spent about 20 minutes sitting here reminiscing about these pictures. The Toga Party, The trip to Myrtle Beach, my friend Kathy's formal cocktail party. Of course the one from our Cruise. Hmm, maybe I should scrap more often. I have a ton of pictures I could showcase this way. What do you do with the scrapbook after you look at? My coffee table is only so big. Anyone want to share their ideas?

What the heck! I don't remember being Goth!

Ok, I wasn't a goth. This was from Halloween. I'm not sure what I was exactly. I just remember I didn't have a costume and had to borrow this from a friend. Matt of course was dressed as a Borg. Any Trekkies out there? He actually made his costume from cardboard, old computer parts, a pen light, and a broken beer tap. Those Borg sure know how to party! Once again I used buttons and one of the heart punches to accent the page. I didn't do much to the 2003 page because the picture was so calm and relaxed I thought the page should be too. I've been accused of sometimes putting too much "stuff" on my cards, so I figured it also went for scrapbook pages. Just like on Project Runway, you have to know when Less is More!

Or is this year the start of the new millenium??

Remember that whole argument. Which year was truly the turn of the century? Did you really care? I figured you were starting to get tired of looking at me, so I am posting two pages at a time to get this over with! I added some chocolate chip stitched ribbon to 2001 and then attached the year circles to it. I think 2002 is one of my favorite pages. I love the little felt flowers in between the numbers of the year. I had to stick these on with dimensionals instead of brads because I didn't want the brads showing through on the other side. That is the only problem with scrapping both sides of a page. I learned you have to be careful about placement and the order in which you put things. Well, I know you are just dying to find out what my hair looked like in 2003 and 2004, so check back tomorrow!

It's a New Millenium

Sorry this picture is so blurry. There are more pictures on this page because it was a busy year for us. Matt spent the entire year in Korea after graduating from ALS. See how simple these pages are? But it is so easy to put together and it has a very cohesive look. I will definitely be making more of these!

We're gonna party like it's 1999

::GROAN:: This is the only picture I had for 1999. My husband calls this our trailer trash picture. He is going to kill me when he finds out I posted this. He hates this picture. Believe it or not, when this was taken he had been growing out his mustache for 6 months! Anyway the only new element I used on this page was the buttons. I put them on with dimensionals to give them a raised appearance. Oh who am I kidding, I put them on with dimensionals because the sticky strip was hanging on the wall and the dimensionals were on the table next to me. Laziness is the driving force behind all my creations!

1998

Oh man, I'm almost embarrassed to put these pictures up. Anyone remember those lovely Glamour Shots? Believe it or not, this was the only picture of myself I could find for 1998. Same thing with my husband. We were newlyweds, I guess we had more important things to do than take pictures!

This page is a 6x6 Kiwi Kiss. When you make these pages, you are given a specific layout in which to cut and place your DSP. Each one is different. I also used one of the hearts from the new three heart punch. So besides the outdated clothing, Do you like it? Remember, this is my first attempt so be kind.

I finally made a scrapbook!

Ok, those of you who know me well, I expect tons of applause for this one. Most of my crafty friends are scrappers. It drives them totally up the wall that I'm not. I even got a pre-made scrapbook for my birthday (in September) and I haven't added any pictures to it yet. So, you all should realize what a HUGE accomplishment this is for me. It all happened because I had Insomnia. I was wide awake at 3 am so I figured what the heck, might as well go stamp. It must have been the lack of sleep, but for once a scrapbook kinda appealed to me. I got this great template from Tammy Mendiola on Sudsol. It originally came from a half-regional in Jackson last year and was presented by Angie Brailsford. It's called 12 pages in 12 minutes. Ok, it was really 12 minutes, but it was pretty fast. It only takes 3 12x12 pieces of cardstock and 1 sheet of DSP. I won't bore you with all the pages at once, So I'll upload a new one every day this week. I will warn you, my husband and I were weird looking when we were younger. We both sat there and laughed about our looks. So, if your gonna comment on the pictures, please me kind!

First up, the cover. The original template calls for 6x6 page protectors. I didn't happen to have any, so I used my new favorite toy: the bind-it-all. My mom bought it for me for Christmas! Anyway the front is 6 3/4" x 6 3/4". I used the Best Friends Alphabet and Numbers for the entire book. The numbers and letters fit perfectly in the 1" punch. My favorite part about the cover is the Love you Much heart. It's stamped in Always Artichoke. Then I used the Tombow Multi-purpose glue to glue microbeads on to the flowers. It looks so cool in person! So.....what do you think of my first try at Scrapbooking so far?

BRRrrrrr...

Germany is so cold this time of year. How cold is it where you are? Last week it was 2 degrees Farenheit! All I could think about was a nice warm mug of hot chocolate. Can you tell that was my inspiration for this creation. I found the template online at www.mirkwooddesigns.com. It is actually a pouch, so you can put hot chocolate inside of it and give it as a gift. This uses Close to Cocoa cardstock, I think the name of the DSP is snowy day, but I'm not sure. I do know it was in the Holiday mini around Christmas time. I also used one of the SU! felt flurries with a rhinestone brad. The background was made with the sprinkles set and the tag is from Punch Pals and a mitton rubbon. Hope you enjoyed this. And I hope you are staying warm.

Just Buzzin' By

I absolutely love this stamp set. I ordered it on the pre-order and then it sat in my stamp room for weeks without me using it. I hate when I do things like that. I still have about eleven sets sitting upstairs in their box not even put together! Do any of you do that? Oh well at least I finally got to play with this one. I would love to tell you what color card stock I used, but I have no idea. It came out of my scrap box and I am afraid it may be from my non-SU! days. If you want to case this, I'm sure yoyo yellow or one of the other yellows from Stampin' Up! would work. While you can't see it on this picture, I did emboss the stamin on the flowers (I think that is what those things are called. If not somebody please correct me!) and the bee's antenae. Thanks for looking, and like always, let me know what you think.

Marketing Smarketing

Ok, I am not good at promoting my business. Lets face it, I would much rather be sitting in my stamping room and crafting than trying to get people interested in booking shows or signing up to be a demonstrator (Probably why it took me 5 months to hold a workshop and I still don't have a downline). Anyway, I decided that I would try something new. I created these small calendars. I found a print out of the months on www.splitcoaststampers.com (another great place! If you've never been there you really need to check it out.) I used a ton of my leftover Pomegranite paper and made this tiny calendars. The flower on the front is chipboard colored with a marker (can't remember the color for the life of me) pressed in versamark and then embossed with irridescent ice. The brad in the middle is a Filagree designer brad. The calendar also has an enlarged version of my business card on it. Now, when i see someone in the craft aisle at the PX I can whip it out. Hopefully that will make a bigger impression than me not saying anything!

Card so bright....I gotta wear shades

Ok, I know....Cheesy 80's spoof as a title, but I got you to read it didn't I? :) This was done for a Latenightstampers Challenge. The rules were you had to use Riding Hood Red, Tangerine Tango, Pretty in Pink and Tempting Turquoise. It was pretty hard for me. The colors were so bright, and there wasn't a way to tone them down that I could figure out. After I finished though, I ended up really liking it. Besides the challenge colors I also used white. The stamp set was Fall Flair and Smarty Pants. I also used the three flower punch. Let me know what you think !

My own Mini Me!

My ten year old daughter, Katie, is a crafty girl. She loves to make cards and has her own supplies in my stamping room. I had ordered a bunch of metal heart shaped tins from Oriental trading company, but when they got here they were smaller and poorer quality than I expected, so I just left them in my closet. Well, imaginative Katie decided she wanted to use them as valentines for her class. She came up with the concept, I just provided manual labor. She used the paper crimper to crimp a bunch of Pink paper (no name because these were her supplies, not SU!) and then cut it into small strips and used it to line the inside of the heart. Then she put a wrapped Hershey Candy into it. Finally we wrapped ribbon (this was SU! Retired Fairy Tale) around the outside and added a small rub on to the top of the heart (white flowers for the girls, Chocolate dots for the boys). Considering how Chintzy these tins were, I think she did an amazing job! What do you think?

Valentine Cards

I know, I know, it isn't a weekend. That's ok. Some great people on my SUDSOL group told me how to use the schedule button for my blog. Now I know how to schedule a new post to show up every day or two. If you haven't heard of SUDSOL and you are a SU! demonstrator you don't know what you are missing. It is one of the most informative groups I have ever joined. Check them out at http://www.sudsol.org/ Ok, I was trying to get in the mood for Valentine's Day. I wanted to make something for my son to give his German Kindergarten class, then I found out, German's don't celebrate Valentine's Day. Yet another cruel trick Hallmark has played on us! Anyway, I already had the idea in mind, so I went ahead and made them. Aren't they cute! I will use them this weekend at my Workshop as a give away. They are made with Real Red, White, and the Fall Hostess pack DSP. I used the tag punch and a white brad on the pizza box. As always, tell me what you think!

The Weekend is almost over :(

Ok folks, this is the last post of the weekend. I may try and get some stamping done this week, but it is always a challenge to find time between work and family obligations. My kids are only in 4th grade and Pre-K, but I already feel like a taxi. What will it be like in High School? AAAAHHHH! I don't even want to think about it. Ok, on to more pleasant things. I made a couple more things today. First up is a candy card. This was suppose to be for the Late Night Stampers challenge, but I didn't read it close enough. I has to be a heart shaped card and there has to be a piece of candy involved as well. As you can see, my card isn't heart shaped. Oh well, I still like my idea, so I thought I would share it. This used four hearts cut out from the Love You Much bundle, and a ridinghood red scallop in the middle. I do think that next time I will use a smaller sucker for the center. Unfortunately the kids' halloween stash has gotten really low and this was the only sucker I could find. As always, I'm interested in feedback. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!


Finally, the last thing I have done is an anniversary card for my husband. We will have been married eleven years tomorrow. Sometimes it is hard to believe it has been that long. We are one of those surprising couples. You know who I'm talking about, the couple that has people placing bets at their wedding on the date of their divorce. We met online and dated for less than three months before getting married. I know it's absolutely crazy! But, so far so good. Oh we've had our ups and downs, but we are a good fit. Anyway, my hubby, like a lot of men, has a "down in the gutter" sense of humor. I thought this card would be perfect for him. I couldn't figure out where to put the sentiment, so I wrote a small note and folded it up inside the dollar. I can't wait until he sees it. Just so you know, this uses a bunch of retired stuff. The paper is blush blossom and Summer Picnic, The ribbon is from the FairyTale bundle, The brad is one of the fire circles. (In case your wondering, I don't have a belly ring, but sometimes I think it would be really cool... if I didn't have so much belly!) The front of the card is actually the lady's back, so the ribbon with the hodgepodge hardware on it is actually her bra strap. As always, let me know what you think. See you next weekend!

I completed a challenge

This card was completed for the SCS Featured Stamper Challenge. I never get to do challenges, I always run out of time. Having all this extra stamping time this weekend is going to make next weekend really difficult. I have a workshop 3 hours away on Saturday for a really good friend, so one day of my weekend is already gone. Anyway, enough whining! On to the card. For those of you who don't know, the Featured stamper Challenge has you CASE a card from the featured stamper's gallery. I cased this card here from Stamp Momma. I didn't have the same stamp set or the same designer papers or ink, so I had to change more than just the two elements designated in the challenge. I tried to stay as true to the original card as I could with my limitations. I used Candy Cane Lane DSP, Ridinghood Red, Chocolate Chip and white. Embellishments were white ribbon and fire circle rhinestone brads. Stamp sets were Something New to Love, All Holidays (love this hugs and kisses stamp. I've been using it on everything), and the SAB Yummy set. Oh, I also used the word window punch. Any Questions? Ok, let me know what you think!

Blogging is Addictive!

Can you believe this is my fourth post since Saturday? Crazy! Anyway, since it is one of those wonderful three day weekends, I was able to get yet another project made. I wish I could take credit for this one, but the idea came from Istampdou's blog . Isn't it the cutest little flower pot you have ever seen? I thought this would be perfect for Mother's Day or a Thinking of you card. I used Bella Rose DSP, Ridinghood Red, Pirouette Pink, and Kiwi Kiss (Can you tell I just replenished my In Colors?). Embellishments included brads and ribbon. Oh, I also used the tag punches and the Birds and Blooms sizzlet for the Big Shot (I'm so glad I finally found something to use that for, haven't used it since I got my Big Shot!). The sentiment came from Best Yet. I liked it when I put it on the card, but now that I re-read it I'm wondering if this is suppose to be for a baby gift. What do you think?

Another project! Is this a great weekend or what?!

I never get to stamp this much! My husband and children are either being extremely considerate or they are scared to death of me! I have to say, quitting smoking turns you into a raging lunatic. It's really strange, you know your being unreasonable and unbelievably cranky, but you do it anyway. It's almost an out of body experience (at least what I think they would be like, never had one.) Now that I think of it, my family probably is scared of me. Well, at least that means I've been able to get a lot done (when I'm not reading all the great comments you are leaving about my new blog! Thanks so much!). Anyway, this is a card stamped with the Always set. I have to admit, when I first saw it I wasn't thrilled with it, but a friend of mine bought it. She let me play with it and it is starting to grow on me. The card is made from Baja Breeze, Pirouette Pink, Caramel, and Vanilla. The ink is Blush Blossom, Taken with Teal, and Versamark. It also uses Pretty in Pink ribbon (the last I had, now I have to place an order before Sale-a-bration. I can't live without my PP ribbon!), silver embossing powder and silver brads. I hope you enjoy it!

MLK Weekend

Well,this is a long weekend, so I've had tons of time to stamp. I've been working to get ready for a workshop next Saturday (Yes! I finally have a workshop). They wanted to make a scrapbook page, but in order to keep the project moving along I decided on a 6x6 page. I will also show them how this page can progress into a 12x2. The picture below shows it completed to a 12x12. This will be one of my hostess gifts. The page was made with the Love You Much bundle, Chocolate chip, Regal Rose, Ridinghood Red, Vanilla, Pretty in Pink. Ink used was Ridinghood Red and Chocolate Chip. Accessories are Chocolate Chip, vanilla, and pretty in pink ribbon, ridinghood red buttons, and three heart punch
.

Since it is such a long weekend, I had time to make this card candy for anyone who attends my workshop. All they need to do to earn them is to bring a wishlist with at least five items already listed. They don't have to purchase these items, but that way I know they have had time to browse the catalog. There just isn't enough time to look at it all while your at the workshop! The card candy was made using Print DSP, Best Yet, All Holidays,the NEW Sale-a-Bration Polka Dot Punch Set and Yummy. If you haven't heard about Sale-a-Bration, you don't know what you are missing. It runs from February 1st - March 31. For every $50.00 you spend you receive one free stamp set out of the SAB catalog. If you host a $300 workshop you earn an extra item out of the SAB catalog (there is a ribbon pack and some really cute DSP). This is also a great opportunity to sign up to be a demonstrator as there are extra bonuses involved here too. If your interested, please leave me a comment and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

My two addictions: one had to go!

Have you ever been addicted to something, something that you just had to have in order to survive? For some people it's diet coke, for some people it's chocolate, for me it has been smoking and stamping. Yes, I know, smoking is bad for you. It hurts your lungs, it raises your blood pressure, it makes your breath stink, but it is so, so hard to quit! Stamping on the other hand relaxes me. It allows me to be creative, share my talent with others, and bring a little income into my house (Ok, not really, I spend way more than I make, but the possibility is there!). All in all not too bad. There are much worse things to be addicted to. I was ok with my addictions.

Fast forward to January first. Why is it that we feel we must do things better or live healthier every time a new year rolls in? Well, I'm no different. I got caught up in the resolution fever that sweeps the nation right after Christmas. Was I going to give up smoking? Of course not! I was going to better control my stamping addiction. I was going to limit the amount I was spending on stamping supplies.

I made my resolution. It stated that I wouldn't spend more than what I made from Stampin' Up! That would be a big change for me, considering last year I spent over $3,000. Keep in mind, when I made this resolution, I had never had a Stampin' Up! workshop or class. I was pretty much my only customer! This was an extreme step for me. Could I survive the challenge? Would I live up to my resolution?

With the new catalog coming out in January, and my wish list close to $1000, I knew I was in trouble. Then I realized I hadn't even ordered my retiring accessories
(there were tons of those I had to have!). Friends, I hate to say it, but I fell off the bandwagon. How long did I last? Only until January 11th.

I felt like such a failure! All of my friends were still staying committed to their resolutions, I had to do something. So, I took on my second addiction. I figured that if I gave that up, I could free up some more money for stamping! So, as of January 16, 2009 I am smoke free. Hopefully this resolution will last more than eleven days!

This blog has come out of that new resolution. Now that I am not smoking, I need something to do to keep my hands busy. Weekdays are fine, when I'm at work I stay extremely busy. But weekends...that's a whole other story! In order to better occupy my time, I've decided to start this blog. It will be updated at least once a week during the weekend. Hopefully it will include pictures and maybe eventually tutorials of the projects I make during my time off from work that week. I'm also hoping to include information about classes and workshops and other Stampin' Up! information. Wait! That is starting to sound like another resolution, and we all know how good I am at those! I better stop while I am ahead.