As Memorial Day comes to a close . . .

my granddaughter summed it up beautifully~~LOVE IS FREEDOM! We had Sydney here for a couple of days and she spent some time down in my scraproom. After she left, I went down to clean up and on the floor among punches and markers and paper, here was this picture she made. She and grandpa made a couple of bird feeders for her house and this past week her school had an assembly honoring the men and women who fought for our freedom. As a matter of fact, on the drive to our house she sang all of the patriotic songs she learned that week. (She is also learning cursive!) So I think she learned a lot this past week and put it into her artwork. I will have this in my scraproom as a reminder to remember the men and women who love/loved their country enough to fight for freedom, not only on Memorial Day but everyday. Children truly are precious!

Memorial Day

Originally this holiday was for commemorating our deceased service people. Today, not only do we honor those who died for our freedom but also for those who have fought or are fighting for our freedom right now. You have read and/or heard me talk about Operation Write Home. I make blank cards so that our military men and women can send special notes to their family and friends back home. Another thing Operation Write Home also thinks about are those military men and women who get very little mail. So when OWH sends a box of our handmade cards overseas, packed on the top of that box are cards and letters thanking and encouraging our military personnel. These cards for our service men and women are called "AnyHero" letters because they're going to be given out by OWH's contacts to those who get little or no mail. Inside is a note written by you letting these service people know they are appreciated and thought about by you or me. So if you ever find yourself sitting at home and wondering what you can do~~grab a paper and pen and write a note to "Any Hero". You can read more about OWH at http://www.operationwritehome.org. I will be more than happy to forward your cards or letters to OWH. And remember thatyou can get the kids involved. They, too can draw pictures or write letters. Happy Memorial Day to all and a special thank you to all of our men and women who continue to fight fo rour freedom.

Backyard Birds

The feeders are out and the birds are loving them! It is so enjoyable to see what birds come to the feeders John puts out. The orioles love the grape jelly and oranges, while finches are always at the finch feeder. Someone told me that if I tie a yellow ribbon on the finch feeder that even more finches would be attracted to it. So I am going to try that. In the meantime, I just though the finch in flight was just adorable. And speaking of adorable, we will have Sydney with us this weekend! She and John have plants to plant and I have a fun project or two in my craftroom for her. Have a great day. If you are traveling for the holiday weekend~~safe travels!

Scallop Circle Easel

The card was just going to be a simple attempt at making a scallop circle easel card using the Sizzix die. I once again used the Sailaway stamp as it was an extra image I made and was not using. Everything looked good until I used my white gel pen. I just wanted to put a dot on each scallop. Well, the dots were not very uniform so I took my punch and punched a hole in each scallop. I wasn't even going to post the card, but sometimes you have to post the not so good too! Not sure if anyone will get this card, but it was good practice and I will make more scallop circle easel cards. This can be a very fun shape card not only to make but to receive. Have a great day!

Beach Chair

After our vacation earlier this year I posted a photo of a stamp I purchased. (It is not Stampin' Up.) I have used it since then, but realized that I never did post anything I made with that stamp. It is a fun stamp to work with and was colored using my Stampin' Up markers~~retired colors. I do miss the color Green Galore. But who knows, maybe when the new In colors are announced there will a nice lime green! I sure hope so. By the way, I stamped the image using Versamark and then embossed it using Black embossing powder. When coloring an image, I find it useful if the outlined image is embossed--easier to stay inside the lines. Have a great day and find yourself a little stampin' time.

Tangerine Tango

The 2o something year old daughter of our dear friends is undergoing stem cell transplant this week. Stacy will be in the hospital for a while and I wanted to make some cheerful cards to send to her. The Tangerine Tango cardstock jumped out at me and these two cards are what I created. Tangerine Tango goes with so many colors and here it is with Wild Wasabi. I used SU markers to color in the stamped images. The flowers are from the Thoughts & Prayers set and the sentiment is from the level 1 hostess set in the Summer Mini--Swirls & Curls verses--which I think is probably one of my all-time favorite SU sets. The card on the right is all about the Beyond the Garden DSP which is also in the Summer Mini. Combined with Daffodil Delight cardstock scallops, the card is sure to brighten Stacy's day. Have a great day and if you are reading this, would you send up a few special thoughts & prayers for Stacy~~and her family, too? They are truly appreciated.

Wedding Cake Card

I saw a wedding cake card on our Stampin' Up demonstrator's website by Lorri and thought it was beautiful. My son needed a wedding card for a friend, so I tried my hand at a very similar one. Lorri's was all white, but since I already made a white-0n-white wedding card, I decided to use Cameo Coral. I used 3 different embossing folders for this card: Elegant Bouquet for the cake, Perfect Polka Dots for the background and the Framed Tulips folder to frame out the front of the card. I used Shimmery White for the trim between the layers and a punch for the little flowers. Wishing the bride and groom a lifetime of love and happiness!

For The Men

On June 4th I will be hosting the card class "For The Men". At this class, we will be making Father's Day cards, a birthday card and a favor. This photo shows the pocket card we will make using Soft Suede and Black. The nice thing about this card is that it will hold a gift card. I stamped Happy birthday on the insert, but if you attend the class you will be able to stamp the greeting of your choice. I made the favor pictured here with Father's Day in mind. but now that I am typing, this could be a little gift to give your dad for any reason--not just Father's Day. Do you want to tell your hubby or boyfriend that he is #1? Then instead of DAD, stamp MAN. That is the great thing about stamping creativity~~you can do what you want, how you want to do it! Enjoy the day!

Perfect Plum

One color I do not use often is Perfect Plum. While leafing thru the Soft Subtles Designer Series Paper Pack last week I made a mental note to use the color more often. So, while the mental note was still fresh (LOL!) I made a card that we did at the embossing class on Saturday. The card I am talking about is this criss cross card on the right. We embossed the sentiment and the tag using Perfect Plum craft ink and clear embossing powder. Then last night as I was reading thru our Stampin' Up demonstrator site I came across a pocket card that I thought was very cute. The demonstrator, Andrea, who posted the card used the Sizzix Top Note die for the card insert. And then matted it on a another top-note die shape that she handcut. I put my SCAL and Cricut to good use to make a top note mat and it turned out pretty darn good. So I proceeded to make my version of Andrea's card. For both cards I used the Greetings from the Swirls and Curls hostess set in the Summer mini (which I love, love, love). I did no embossing on the pocket card--just used Perfect Plum classic ink. Two different looks, two very pretty cards--if I say so myself! Have a great day.

Father's Day

Since Father's Day is a only a month away, I have been working on ideas for Father's Day cards. I know that I previously posted a brayer card (not for Father's Day) that had a sun in the background but when I received the Sail Away stamp that is in the Summer Mini, I knew the same technique would make for a beautiful card. The striped paper is from the Elegant Soiree designer series package and works well with the Baja Breeze/Chocolate Chip color combination. After brayering of the blues and the sponging of the sun, the placement of the sailboat was easily achieved thru the use of my Stamp-a-ma-jig. Again using the Sail Away stamp, the red, white and blue card was quite easy to create. I think I spent more time threading the baker's twine through the button holes than I spent putting the entire card together--lol! This card, too, would be a very nice Father's Day card, but it is a perfect card for a male celebrating anything. Do you know how I achieved the white sails? Bleach and a paint brush--very cool technique. Hope you can find yourself a little stampin' time!

Red Velvet Cupcake

I am once again posting a photo of something I made using the Petal Cone die and it is a cupcake for this birthday card! Who knew that the Petal Cone die was so versatile? I was only going to practice making a cupcake using the die cut cardstock, but when I cut it down for a cupcake and ran it through the crimper, I knew it was going to be a card for a special friend's birthday this week. As the card evolved, it just became cuter and really did remind me of a Red Velvet cupcake. The Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding with the rhinestone brad added a whole lot. The cherry on top was made using a circle punch and adding some Crystal Effects. So my practice piece turned into a card that turned out just right for my friend. It totally reminds me of the Red Velvet cupcakes that my friend Kathy brought me a few weeks ago from Deerfields--LOL!

Pretty Petal Cone Favor

I found a little time to play with the Petal Cone die and made this pretty box. I used a color combination of Baja Breeze and Certainly Celery. These soft colors would be perfect for a bridal shower or a baby shower. Use it as a favor or if you are giving a monetary gift, this would be very unique packaging. Just be sure you fill the little box before tying the ribbons. For the tag I used one of the Four Frames stamps together with the decorative label punch, but you could use the scallop circle punch or the tag punches. Using texture plates to give the card stock some dimension was something I was planning on doing, but changed my mind and chose to punch out the little flowers (a retired punch) and add a little pearl to the center of each. Since this is a very "girlie" item, my next Petal Cone box will be something for Father's Day. In the meantime, I will have to find a better way to photograph these boxes! Have a great day!

"Orange" You Sweet

I have made water bottle tags in the past, but very recently I saw a gift set which was made by another Stampin' Up Demonstrator that revolved around the color orange . After seeing what she did, I made a couple of items using the Tart & Tangy stamp set. I was able to purchase orange slices (the jelly candies) individually wrapped in bulk at the grocery store. I put two of these in a little bag and then added a tag with the orange stamp and a little saying ('Orange' you sweet) and sprinkled a little Dazzling Diamonds glitter on the orange image. In the card class today, the attendees made the water bottle tag. And even the Crystal Light (wrapped in designer paper) is orange-flavored. Keep in mind that since the Tart and Tangy stamp set consists of strawberry, apple, cherry and orange/lime/lemon images, you can make an entire set revolving around limes all done in the color green or cherries with everything having to do with cherries and the color red and so on and so forth. Now I am thinking about how cute the "dreamsicle bar" card would be with these two items welcoming a visitor to our guest room. And speaking of visitors, I better go down and clean the scrap room as it is Cricut Sunday here tomorrow!

Sun Star Flower

Many years ago we went on a Christmas Walk in a neighboring town. A florist gave each person visiting a "Star of Bethlehem Flower". It was a beautiful flower~~all white and each day more blossoms would open. But I never was able to find another flower like that. Well low and behold, while looking for a Mother's Day plant, these beautiful orange and yellow potted plants jumped out at me. The orange plant was beautiful, but the blossoms on them were already opened and I did want them opened just yet. So I picked up a yellow plant and I read the name~~Sun Star. (Not only did I think the plant was beautiful, but the name was perfect!) I looked at the flowers and wondered if this plant was related to that Star of Bethlehem plant from many years ago. I purchased the plant and when I arrived home I looked it up on the internet. And sure enough, it is in the same family as that Star of Bethlehem flower. I have had the pleasure of watching this plant bloom all week. It is so bright and colorful that I feel as though I have my own personal sunshine sitting on my counter. And since it is back to cool and rainy here, I wanted to share this beautiful plant and a little sunshine with you. Have a wonderful day and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Little Blue Birds

So I really liked this birdbath image from a stamp set in the Summer Mini~~Touch of Kindness~~and the sayings are also cute. The set arrived earlier in the week and last night I made this card. I haven't seen any bluebirds in our backyard yet this Spring, but hopefully soon. And how I would love to see some bluebirds playing in our birdbath! I used Sahara Sand and Marina Mist cardstock and colored the image with my SU markers. The stamped sentiment works nicely in one of the Four Frames stamps which will be available in the new Idea Book & Catalog due for release on July 1st. We are having another nice weather day here, so I am off to the backyard! Have a great day!

Criss Cross

Last week I was making a couple of shower invitation samples and I started on a criss cross invite--a very cute card style. That invite prompted me to get out the embossing powder, heat gun and adhesives to make this criss cross birthday card. Looking at it now, pink ribbon would probably be a better choice as would stamping and embossing the "and many more" in Wild Wasabi~~I will take care of that later. And isn't the "happy birthday" way cute? It is one of the sentiments in the Swirls & Curls Level 1 hostess set from the Summer mini. There are five stamps in that set and one is cuter than the other. Have a great day!

Sail Away

Switching gears from Mother's Day to Father's Day with this card. The image is the Sail Away Stamp in the Summer mini and is just perfect for any occasion. I used Soft Suede and Confetti White cardstock together with Soft Suede ink. Some retired brads and retired ribbon helped me create this very easy-to-make card. I envision many cards using this one stamp and I will be sure to post more in the future. This image is very versatile and can be partnered with a variety of sentiments~~going away, thinking of you, missing you, way to go, enjoy. Various color combinations can surely set the theme~~this color combo soft and serene; red, white and blue for a patriotic or nautical feeling; various shades of oranges and blues for a sunset on the water feel. This will definitely be a go-to stamp for me. And now, the sun is shining, it is going to be 80 degrees and I am going to enjoy it! Have a great day!

Two Things . . .

. . .I am writing about today. First, I do want to remind you that Saturday is the Embossing class. We will be making cards using the new colors of embossing color and also using craft ink with clear embossing powder. Be sure to let me know if you will be attending so that I can have adequate supplies prepared~~and don't forget the adhesive. Second thing~~as I mentioned in an earlier post I did make little lollipop holders with the Petal Cone die. The first one I made is pictured here. The little girls were delighted with their "lollipop ice cream cones" and the moms thought they were just adorable. Have a nice day and find yourself a little stampin' time.

What A Start!

I just had to share! Look what my son just gave me~~my very favorite~~cupcakes!

The question: do I have one before the brunch or now? I think probably now! Happy Mother's Day again.

Happy Mother's Day

It is a beautiful morning here and I am looking forward to a wonderful brunch with my hubby, children and granddaughter. But I wanted to start the day by wishing all of my readers a very Happy Mother's Day. I hope you are able to spend the day doing something that you enjoy doing and that you are with people you love and care about.

May Basket

I finally purchased the Petal Cone die from Stampin' Up. I thought it was very cute from the beginning, but how often would I use it? Lately I have been seeing so many versions of baskets, ice cream cones, little boxes and more that were created using the die that I decided I would use it quite a bit. It arrived late yesterday afternoon and pictured here is my first project from the Petal Cone die. A few years ago, a little neighbor girl left me a May basket on May 1st. It was filled with little candies and left anonymously on my front door step. As I was putting this basket together, it reminded me of that May Day basket and that little girl. As I am looking at it now, I am thinking that this is a pretty Mother's Day favor. I am sure you will be seeing more photos of projects I create with the Petal Cone die. As a matter of fact, I will be making a couple of little lollipop holders using it this afternoon. I know two little girls who will be delighted! Have a wonderful weekend and find yourself a little scrappin' time!

Happy Birthday, Jenny!

Today is a day to celebrate. It is our firstborn's 36th birthday. First off, for all of the moms with young children, years from now you will be saying these exact words that I am thinking: "Where did the time go?" I can still remember the day Jennifer was born and all the love, joy and happiness our daughter brought to my husband, myself and my family that day and everyday since. Happy Birthday Jennifer! We love you and are so very proud of you.

Summer Mini

For anyone who has not yet seen the Summer Mini, click on the photo and have a look! If you have any questions, you can send an email or give me a call. If there is something you want to order, go to my Stampin' Up website and shop. You can place your order directly or give me a call.

Embossing Powders

I needed another card and example for my upcoming Embossing class on the 14th. The colored embossing powder in the Summer mini is so pretty and using it on black cardstock is very effective. Today I used the Tangerine Tango embossing powder on white cardstock to see what it looked like and in the creative process I found myself then using the clear powder over Marina Mist craft ink. Not only is the color combination good, but the Fabulous Florets stamp set shows off the embossed images very nicely. I stamped the sentiment using Marina Mist craft ink and then used the clear embossing powder. I have a feeling I will be making many cards using embossing powders--both colored and clear. I now wonder how this card will look if I used my markers to color the flowers? Maybe I will try that. Have a nice rest of the day.

White on White

I know I already posted today, but I have to post this card I made for an upcoming wedding. I used Sizzix embossing folders, white cardstock and shimmery white cardstock, SU's white ribbon and the Beautiful Wings embosslit. When the card was completed, I felt it needed a little something more, so the pearls were a very perfect embellishment. Hope you can find yourself a little stampin' time!

Teacher Appreciation Day

Today's post is a reminder to thank a teacher. This is Teacher Appreciation Week and the men and women who teach are a special group. Our children grew up in the Schaumburg School district and they received fine educations which prepared them for high school and then college. Their good educations prepared them to succeed in their professions~~Jenny became a school teacher and Matt a police officer. Whether your child is in preschool, elementary school--grade doesn't matter. But a verbal thank you or a little handwritten note given to a teacher this week is something a teacher truly appreciates. I know, because I was a preschool teacher. And some of the items I have kept over the years were the little notes I received from parents. The pencil holder pictured here was my first attempt at making the pencil holder shown on page 95 of the cattie. If I had the Teacher's Pet stamp set it would have been perfect! To any teachers who might be reading this: THANK YOU!

Operation Write Home

What perfect timing! Just last night I was labeling the backs of the cards I will be sending to Operation Write Home so that I could mail them today. And then later in the evening word came on the TV that Bin Laden is no longer. So before I leave for the post office, I just wanted to take this time to remind anyone who reads my blog that there are many ways that we can support our troops. I choose OWH because I know that my cards are being sent by deserving men and women to their deserving family and friends. Please visit www.operationwritehome.org and see what you can do to help our service men and women send a little sunshine and happiness to their families at home waiting and praying for them everyday. Or type into you browser "how to support our troops" and you will be able to find a website that will be the perfect way for you to get involved. And now I am happily off to the post office!

National Scrapbooking Month

May is National Scrapbooking Month. I realize that most of my posts involve cards, but I started paper crafting as a scrapbooker. I look back at my first scrapbook pages from about 8 years ago and I smile. It was just the beginning of my acquisition of paper, die cut machines, different adhesives, paper trimmers, stickers and other embellishments and a nice beautiful scraproom that is all my own. I recall my husband's words when he was putting the finishing touches on the shelves in the storage section of my scraproom. He said, "Well Hon, if you outgrow this space, then you have way too much stuff!" Well, as any paper crafter knows, it is very easy to become a collector. The one thing I will say is that since I began selling Stampin' Up, I really have become more particular in my purchases. I don't buy things just because I have a coupon or because paper is 50% off. I ask myself if I am really going to use all 80 pieces of paper in a DCWV stack pack or most of it? My past history says, "No". I rarely even look at stickers any more. I have my Cricut, Big Shot and SCAL program for embellishing. I love ribbon. I used to go to M's & J's and buy all sorts of ribbons. Since my first purchase of SU ribbon, I have realized that I love SU's ribbon and for the money, I get lots of it. Plus, it perfectly matches my cards and favors. That is not to say that I don't buy and use other ribbon--I still do. Or that I only purchase paper from SU--because I don't. But the sale SU is having in honor of National Scrapbooking Month has me thinking about a couple of purchases--particularly the Word Play stamp set and maybe even purchasing SU's digital software--both items I have been thinking about for a while. The good thing is that I am thinking about it and not just buying because the stuff is on sale. When you have a little time, check out the National Scrapbooking Month Promotion on my SU website. The promotion just might include an item or two that you have been wanting and thinking about for a while. Have a great day and enjoy the sunshine.

Celebrate

I was downstairs cleaning up from yesterday's brayer class and thinking about what I need from the new Summer Mini that starts today. I was doing a pretty good job of it until I came across some pieces of paper and cardstock that needed to be put away. As you can see, the straightening up and thinking about the Summer Mini took a back seat to creating. I used many of my Stampin' Up favorites on this card: the Beautiful Wings embosslit die, SU rhinestones, the decorative label punch and the Four Frames stamp set (which will be available in the new Idea Book & Catalog effective July 1st). Add these items to Daffodil Delight cardstock and Pear Pizzazz pattern paper and you have a bright & sunny card that anyone would enjoy receiving. As for the Summer Mini, I am definitely getting the Sail Away stamp as I already have a couple of masculine cards planned in my mind using that stamp. And I am also purchasing the Beyond The Garden designer paper to go along with the Fabulous Florets Stamp set I purchased earlier--a perk to being a SU demonstrator. Have a great afternoon and find yourself a little time to go thru the Summer Mini and see what is calling your name! And don't forget that you can shop online directly from my website: www.stampintimesomewhere.stampinup.net