November was a busy month!

There has been lots going on in my life this past month. First, David, myself, and 14 others took a 10 day trip to ...... can you guess by looking at the picture??

This is a picture of Jerusalem, Israel

Yes! We went to Israel which was a dream come true for us. I highly recommend going if you possibly can. My favorite parts were seeing Jerusalem for the first time - very moving - and sitting quietly in a boat on the Sea of Galilee. The entire trip was wonderful: spiritually, culturally, and politically. We learned alot!

After we came home from Israel, we regrouped and took off for 8 days in Pennsylvania and Ohio - mainly Ohio. We had wonderful family time with our daughters which made it difficult to leave. But they are all coming home for Christmas so I will see them again! 

Their cats were not too happy about being photographed! Lol.

Now I am home for a while thank goodness. I have neglected my stamping and my blog for which I apologize! I do have a card to show you today.

Super simple to make!

Stamps: Young Vermillion, Four the Holidays

Paper: Red Glimmer Paper, Whisper White

Ink: Real Red, Black Stazon, SU markers

Other: Aquapainter

Reminder: Today is the last day of the Online Extravaganza. Click Here to go to my Online Store for some great bargains.

Thanks for following along!

Online Extravaganza - up to 60% off

Up to 60 % off on current products!

Please note: TODAY ONLY - Simply Scored (# 122334), and Sweet Cookie Press (#125152), are both 20% off! Woo Hoo!!

The other deals are good until November 30th. 

Go to my Online Store found HERE to check it out. 

Or here is the PDF with everything listed.

Things to Remember:

• Simply Scored and Sweet Cookie Press sale ends midnight Nov. 21
• All other deals good for 10 days.
• Discounts range from 20% to 60%
• No minimum purchase is required.
• For Product Bundles - you must use the # for the bundle in order to get the discount.
• Additional products from the catalog can be purchased on same order.

Enjoy!

Pennant Parade for Christmas

I know you don't really think of brown for Christmas so you could make this a non Christmas card - just change the sentiment and don't use the stars on top of the trees. But for me, I don't mind brown on my Christmas cards - it gives it a woodland, natural look.

I used the Pennant Parade stamp set and coordinating Petite Pennants Builder Punch to make the trees. The stamp set includes a cute little flower pot to use with the trees but I wanted plain ole tree trunks so I used cardstock that I cut myself. 

Can you believe I forgot I even had the Very Vanilla Stitched Velvet Ribbon??! It is found in the Holiday Mini. Well I pre-ordered it, used it a few times, and then it "disappeared". I suspect a certain furry, purry critter was playing with it. lol. So out of sight, out of mind I guess! Anyway, I am so glad I found it because it really is a lovely ribbon.

After I made the card and stepped back to look at it I felt it needed something in the upper left corner. I had a piece of embossed cardstock in my stash so I punched a circle from it, trying to center the medallion type image. Voila, a moon!

Stamps: Pennant Parade, Woodgrain background

Paper: Crumb Cake, Wild Wasabi, Very Vanilla, Mocha Morning Specialty dsp, Chocolate Chip cardstock

Ink: Soft Suede, Wild Wasabi

Accessories: Basic Pearls, Corner rounder Punch, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Punch, Petite Pennants Builder Punch, Circle punch, Big Shot, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, sponge, Very Vanilla Stitched Velvet Ribbon (Holiday Mini)

Happy Saturday, Happy Stamping!

Quick and Easy Kindness Matters

Another swap card today. This one was a Stampin' Addicts swap and is supposed to be easy to duplicate. So if you are new to stamping or need a quick thank you card, this is the card for you! Of course the designer paper does most of the work. Ha!

Stamps: Kindness Matters

Paper: Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Flirtatious Specialty dsp

Ink: Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie

Accessories: Basic Pearl, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Punch

Thanks for looking!

A belated color challenge

Hello there stampers!

Today's card was made a few weeks ago for a Create with Connie and Mary color challenge. It was done, photographed and uploaded. I just had to write the post. Then we got pounded with snow, lost our electricity and internet for days and I never got a chance to participate in the challenge. I hate when that happens. lol.

The color combination is not one I would have come up with on my own: Rich Razzleberry, Baja Breeze and Island Indigo! I combined it with an "adjusted sketch". What is an adjusted sketch you ask? I saw a sketch challenge - too long ago now to remember where - and adjusted it to fit the card I had in mind. 

Interesting color combination, interesting sketch. I like how it came together!

Stamps: Aviary, Perfectly Penned

Paper: Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry, 

Ink: Baja Breeze, Rich Razzleberry, Island Indigo

Other: Pool Party brad, Island Indigo Ribbon, Big Shot, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, Eyelet Border punch

Have a wonderful, creative day!

The evolution of a card

This is one of those cards that randomly evolved. I found the embossed frame in my stash and really didn't want to throw it away so I built the card around it! Crazy!

The background, focal image, and sentiment are from the stamp set, My Friend. Once I stamped the background I wanted some texture so I embossed it with the Elegant Lines embossing folder. I had the Lattice also sitting in my stash so that went on next. After I stamped and framed the main image, I decided it needed more Blushing Bride so I added the punched flowers but I don't know if you have noticed - those little flowers always seem to need a pearl in the center! I always go for the odd number, so I added a pearl to one of the stamped flowers too. When I stepped back and looked at the card, I realized it could use some more Blushing Bride - thus the ribbon. Hmm. I debated over adding the sentiment. I wanted a sentiment, but where to put it?? It seemed to fit best under the frame. And, as an afterthought, I included 2 more pearls - on the lattice this time. I am not sure they were necessary but I love those Basic Pearls, so they stayed! 

Stamps: My Friend

Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Certainly Celery

Ink: Certainly Celery, Blushing Bride

Other: Big Shot, Designer Frames Embossing Folder, Elegant Lines Embossing Folder, Lattice Bigz die, Basic Pearls, Blushing Bride Ribbon, Itty Bitty Punch Pack

Have a blessed day!

Established Elegance with Embossed Key

I have had this swap card in my "waiting to be posted" pile. It is a card I made for a New Catalog swap. I love to make collage style cards and the the Established Elegance stamp set is perfect for 

collage.

When I make a swap card I always try to do something a little bit different. In this case I added some shimmer paint to the embossed background and the edges of all the different elements. Plus, I embossed the key with gold embossing powder to give it a more authentic look.

Stamps: Established Elegance
Paper: Perfect Plum, Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Mocha Morning Specialty paper
Ink: Perfect Plum, Versamark
Accessories: Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint, Gold Embossing Powder, Very Vanilla Seam Binding ribbon, Itty Bitty Punch Pack, Decorative Label Punch, Oval Punch, circle Punch, Word Window Punch, Big Shot, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, Scallop Squares Duo Bigz die

Thanks for stopping by!

Field Flowers and Fall Foliage

Hi stampers!

   I wanted to make a few more autumn cards before the snow flies - again. :) I managed to make one more so far. When I first looked at the new catalog back in July, I was really attracted to the stamp set, Field Flowers so it was one of the first that I purchased. I still love it but I haven't used it much. So for this card I combined it with the Fall Foliage stamp set, some autumn colors and made, what I think is at least, an autumn card.

First I stamped the background with Fall Foliage. Then I stamped my flowers on a piece of Well Worn designer paper. I like how the pattern in the dsp added some visual interest to the flowers. This was a very easy card to make - the hardest part was attaching the tag to the button to the ribbon which really wasn't hard at all!

Stamps: Field Flowers, Fall Foliage, Tiny Tags

Ink: Old Olive, Cajun Craze, Early Espresso

Paper: Old Olive, Early Espresso, Well Worn dsp

Accessories: Button, Jewelry Tag Punch, Linen Thread, Old Olive Satin Ribbon, sponge

Enjoy the day!

Made for You

Happy Monday!


We are finally getting back to normal after a week of "not normal". Click Here if you want to read about it. Hopefully this week we will get the rest of the limbs and branches cleaned up in our yard. The wild birds in our yard seem a little discombobulated because of the downed limbs. I think they can't figure out what happened to their perches!


Speaking of birds - I just love the little bird image in the Best of Everything stamp set. Of course I have this thing for bird stamps and it's not like I love birds. I like them, sure. But I don't love them. I just think this little bird is so cute and I wish there were sentiments with this stamp set, such that when stamped, they looked like they were coming from his open mouth beak.


Instead of stamping a background on this card I used a border stamp from Borderlines stamp set. This particular one goes quite well with the Best of Everything set. That is one of the things that I love about Stampin' Up!. Things coordinate so well.

I had some frayed Striped Grosgrain Ribbon hanging around so I added that to the card for interest. Actually I added quite a few details for interest: Stitching, splattering, and embellishments!

Stamps: Best of Everything, Borderlines

Paper: Soft Suede, Cajun Craze, Very Vanilla

Ink: Soft Suede, Cajun Craze

Other: Cajun Craze Striped Ribbon, Color Spritzer Tool, button, Itty bitty punch pack, basic pearl, sponge, dimensionals, Curly Label Punch, Blosson Bouquet punch, oval punch

Thanks for stopping by.

The things we take for granted.

Yay!!!! We have electricity again.... and phone, and internet! The electricity came on, heated the house, then went off again, but is now on again and holding steady. It feels so good to be warm again - I felt like a reptile. lol. First a Tornado, then an Earthquake, then Hurricane Irene, now Snowtober. Enough already!

I would like to add that we are very, very thankful for the reinforcements that came from other states and Canada. They, as well as the local companies, have been working round the clock to get Western Massachusetts and Connecticut back to "normal". 

Coffee! We have 6 Dunkin Donut coffee stores in the city but only 1 was functioning the day after the storm. They must have had a generator. The line went out the door, across the parking lot, and down the street! I couldn't get a picture of the line down the street. I can only imagine how long they waited for their coffee.

McDonalds. We have 2 McDonalds and multiple other fast food restaurants but only 1 was operating the morning after the snow storm. Cars were lined up forever! Same for the one gas station that was operating. 

The irony of it all is that I had just made this card and was in the  process of posting it to my gallery over at Stampin' Addicts website (for their Stamp Jam), when we were plunged into darkness due to the wet, heavy snow. Next Stamp Jam, I think I will make a Summer type card - maybe a beach theme. Ha ha. 

I embossed the background with White Craft ink and White Embossing Powder to make those "snowflakes" more prominent. They do look wet and heavy don't they? The snowman and snowball were stamped on watercolor paper, then cut out. Tip: I hand drew the music notes with my Basic Black Stampin Write Journaler.

Of course I had to add some glittery Dazzling Details to make the snow sparkle!

Stamps: Snow Much Fun, Distressed Dots background
Paper: Pool Party, Whisper White, Watercolor Paper
Ink: Whisper White Craft, Black Stazon, SU Markers
Accessories: White EP, Dazzling Details (Holiday Mini), dimensionals, sponge, Basic Black Stampin Write Journaler, Big Shot, Northern Frost Strip, White Brad


Happy Friday!

Snowstorm in October!

We are still without power/phone/internet due to the massive snow storm that hit us October 29th! I finally found a place with wifi - thus the quick post. If I don't post for a while that is why! But at least we are safe and reinforcements have arrived from other states to help our city and surrounding areas get electricity. Friday at the latest is what we are hearing for restored power. We'll see.


Here is a picture of our street on the first day. You can see our neighbors house through the debris. The debris/downed limbs are in our street. Fortunately the wires caught them or they would have fallen on us!

Here is the view from the end of the street. One of many streets in our city with wires and trees down.