More Colored Vinyl Projects

Ok, maybe it is only one project. How many of you have ever had this happen? It's 9:00 PM on a Sunday night.....suddenly your 11 year old daughter comes running downstairs, fresh from the shower....."Mom, I forgot to tell you.....I have to have (insert anything that takes time here) for school tomorrow!" Well, that is what happened at my house. My lovely daughter, Student Council President, was tasked with making jars to collect change for the Haiti Earthquake survivors. Luckily, I had cut all that vinyl for my son's Valentine mailboxes the day before, so a few left over letters, some Staz-on ink, and some permanent markers and voila! Her project was completed in record time. If I didn't already, I have to now admit that I LOVE the SU! colored vinyl!!!!

Stampers Block

For those of you who are on the LNS Demo yahoo group, you already know that recently I have been suffering from Stamper's Block. For a while there, I wanted to clean my house more than I wanted to stamp. I know.....It was pretty serious. Luckily, I managed to overcome my block. All it took was one little thing.....but unfortunately I can't share what got me over the hump quite yet. So......I was thinking that I NEVER EVER want to go through this again. So, until I can share what unblocked me, I thought maybe you all would want to share what has unblocked you. I promise I'll make it worth your while with some awesome blog candy. In order to give everyone a chance to participate in the conversation, I'll announce the winner on Feb. 15. I'm looking for the most creative way to stamp out that stampers block! So come on....share what worked for you!

Valentine Mailboxes

Ok, I admit it....I'm a horder. My Mom bought out all the targets in three states last year to pick up some of these cute little metal mailboxes. I had some grandiose plans, but they ended up just sitting in my stamp room collecting dust all year. I decided that it was time to get them fixed up and out, so I made them into valentine holders for my son's Kindergarten class. Instead of my original plan of covering them with paper, I used the new colored vinyl from SU! to put the kids names and hearts (for the boys) and butterflies (for the girls) on them. Aren't they adorable? The best part is.....I now have more room in my stamping room! I bet it doesn't stay available for long :)

Final Calendar Page and Random pics from the Boat

This last page I have to finish. My sideline who made it let us decide which stamp set we want to use to decorate it. I think I will use it for December and use my Big on Christmas stamp set. I love the little pull out journaling tags on the side though. That is one of the things I rarely do....write. Even my greeting cards get sent out without a signature. If anything I put a sticky note inside and sign that. I hate the thought of signing my card and then not being able to use it again! I know....crazy huh?

Our Cruise lasted 9 days, so of course we had some time when we were just on the ship. These are some of the highlights.

My wonderful hubby is not a dancer, so when we managed to get him signed up for a "Dancing with the Stars" competition...he of course was mortified. Luckily I was able to get a couple of pictures so we can prove that he actually did it. He didn't win, but he wasn't the first to be eliminated either. Maybe now I can get him to dance with me once in a while!

We had gone a cruise before with another cruise line and they left these cute little towel animals on our bed each night. When I mentioned it to my cabin steward, he said basically "Anything they can do we can do better". The next night this little pup (wearing my sunglasses) was sitting on my bed.

Those of you who follow my blog regularly already know that this trip was for my anniversary. Somehow the crew on the ship found out and we were given this cake (which was super yummy I might add!).

We also got all decked out for our anniversary dinner and ate at the little French Bistro on the ship.

I think though, the absolute best part of the cruise was being out on the ocean. As a girl who grew up in Ohio, just being on the ocean is a treat enough. The sunsets and sunrises were unbelievable. If my husband can promise me a house on the coast and scenery like this, maybe moving to Maine when he retires won't be so bad after all.

Another Calendar Page and Granada's Alhambra Palace

I can't for the life of me remember which month this calendar page is for....but I think it would work for any spring or summer month. I love the bright colors on this one. And it uses die cuts.....a great way to take up space or give yourself an interesting shape to journal in. If you haven't had a chance to play with the Big Shot yet.....you have to at least test drive it. I couldn't figure out what I would need a Die Cut machine for until I got one....Now I can't imagine life without it!

Our last excursion was to Grenada, Spain and the Alhambra Palace. This place was absolutely huge. It originally belonged to the Moors, and everytime a new prince or princess was born they built another palace on the grounds. This was definitely a once in a lifetime visit, as the waiting list for tickets can be up to a year long!

February Page and Madeira, Portugal

This page uses some retired paper, but I think the idea is incredible. I never would have thought to create an entire background using the circle punch! Weren't we just talking about that yesterday? Yet another way that punches come to the rescue!

Maderia....Have you ever heard of it? I hadn't until we visited there. It's a volcanic Island that belongs to Portugal...but it is a two hour plane ride from there to the mainland. We took a Land Rover tour of it. I'll admit, I'm not one for heights, so it scared me to death!

These were our Land Rovers...It doesn't look too bad right?

Well it was! This is a set of steps (Yes, I said STEPS!) That we climbed in the Land Rover. Our driver was wonderful, but a bit of a show off....so he stopped midway and then did a hill start. This is why I don't drive a stick shift!!!!
Once we got to the top though, the scenery was breathtaking. I got dizzy just looking!Finally we made it back to the boat... safe and sound. I don't know, I think the scenery from here is just as breathtaking....and no fear of heights to lessen the beauty of it!

March Page and Las Palma, Gran Canerie

This page is just so cute. I love the little punch art pot of gold. Punch art is such a life saver. I can't tell you how many times I didn't have a specific stamp for a holiday or event, and I was able to create something with punches to use instead. With all the punches SU! offers, you can make just about anything!

The next stop on our cruise was Las Palma, Gran Canerie. It was 80 degrees here and so beautiful. We didn't take an excursion this day, just went and hung out on the beach. I never thought I was a prude, but these beaches were topless. I was always afraid my husband would act like a typical American in this type of situation...you know gawking, snapping pictures etc. But he was so good, I had to ask if he had even noticed! I on the other hand was the one totally taken aback. And yes, I admit it, while I won't show them here, I did take a few pictures just to prove it to my friends back home!