Jessica's Kitten

For the past couple of days I have been working on my thank you cards.  I am posting two of them, created using Your Next Stamp's, Jessica's Kitten. stamp set.  I thought the kitten images were very cute the minute I saw them.  I watercolored a bit of the background on each card.  After stamping the cat and presents using black Versafine ink, I heat embossed the images using clear embossing powder.  For these cards I used my Copic markers and I used Stampin' Up's Whisper White cardstock.  Made a note to myself that when using the Copic markers, I should stick with Copic cardstock.  It seems that the coating on the Whisper White keeps the colors from blending as well as when I use the Spectrum Noir or Copic cardstock.  Enjoy the last week of 2017 and ringing in the New Year.

Last 2017 Christmas Card

A few weeks ago, I posted a card made by my friend, Paula.  Since then, she came over and shared exactly how she made her card.  Today I am posting my version.  I think it is nice, but Paula's card was more vibrant and gave the illusion that there was movement in the sky. Both the die and the trees are from Penny Black.  The background was created using Stampin' Up reinkers, water and a paint brush.  When the card was dry, I added white gel pen dots to mimic snowflakes.  Thank you Paula for the lesson!  It sure is nice to have talented friends who share their ideas and their supplies!  Have a great day and stay warm.

Everly Ornament

Today I am posting pics of the ornament I made for Sydney's bird, Everly.   She is a lineolated  parakeet and as sweet as can be.   I used my Cricut Explore to cut the name, little bird and musical notes.  Once the vinyl was weeded, the transfer tape made it quite easy to add all of the vinyl pieces to the ornament.  I made one for Dexter ( their Eclectus parrot), but it did not turn out as cute as Everly's.  Next year I will make him a much better one.  Have a great day and keep warm!

Maddie

I was going to post one more Christmas card today, but instead is a photo of our grandpuppy, Maddie.  On Christmas Eve morning, Maddie was struggling a bit.  Jen and Sydney took her to the emergency vet and the sweet little puppy passed away.   We have many  beautiful memories from the past 15 years.   Maddie was such a good girl.   Jen was so proud of Maddie when she brought her home as a little 8 week old puppy.   She was a cute puppy and she knew Jen was her new best friend.  A couple of years later, I remember the day Jen and Mark brought Sydney home from the hospital as a newborn.  Maddie investigated the little thing in the car seat and from that day on, Syd and Maddie were inseparable.  Jen and Sydney were with Maddie as she passed over the Rainbow Bridge.  (Poor Mark did not get there in time.)  We are all heartbroken.  Maddie was a blessing to all of us in so many ways. She will be missed and in our hearts always.

Happy Pawlidays

Today's card was especially created for Matthew using My Favorite Things' Happy Pawlidays stamp set and dies.  He has three dogs all of which are rescues and one is sweeter than the other.  One is brown, one is gray and one is gray and white.  The gray dog on this card really is like his Irma.  She is so happy to be with you that she lays as close to you or on you as possible, often with a toy in her mouth.  Molly, the brown dog, is the most mature of the three.  She would sit nice just waiting for a little pet or two from you.  And Duval, the gray and white dog, truly is the dog that would get all wound up in the string of lights.  He is the silly one!  I made a variety of cards using this stamp set. If you have a dog, you more than likely received a Happy Pawlidays card.  I was enjoying the time when I was using this stamp set and coloring in each little puppy.  Actually, I enjoyed making all of this year's Christmas cards.  Have a wonderful weekend and a very Merry Christmas!

Cute Little Snowgirl

Not sure there is even such a thing as a snowgirl, but she looks like a little snowgirl to me!  She was cut using the  Sweet Holly Snowman     die from Frantic Stamper.  I colored the hat, scarf and holly using alcohol markers, adding a little dimension by adding white polka dots using a white gel pen.  The "peace" was die cut using a retired Stampin' Up framelit set while the snowflakes are from Lawn Fawn and Stampin' Up. Today I will spend some time cleaning up my scrap room and then taking inventory on what I still need for Christmas.   Have a great day!

December Birthdays

I finally finished Christmas cards and my scrap room is a disaster area!  I also made the birthday cards I am posting today.  I used the Sunny Studio stamp set and dies, Mug Hugs.  My mother-in-law is celebrating her 96th birthday on the 23rd and we truly are sending her hugs and good wishes.  Our son-n-law celebrated his birthday on the 13th.  Since he enjoys his coffee, this stamp set was perfect.   The sentiment on the band is from Lawn Fawn.  I thoroughly enjoyed making cards.  I did a lot of coloring with Spectrum Noir markers and I will be showing some of those cards tomorrow.  Have a great day!

Candles

I have been busy working on Christmas cards and until they are all sent, I can't post photos.  So today
I am posting a photo of candles I made using my Cricut Explore.  I have had the candles in a closet downstairs for years and was going to give them to Goodwill.  But once I started playing with my Cricut, I decided to play with the candles and the Cricut.  I typed "peace" in Design Space.  Once the word "peace" was cut out of vinyl,  I used transfer tape to get it onto the candle.  It was an easy process.  On one of the candles I added snowflakes and pearls (not showing) and tied both with ribbon.  Today I will finish up Christmas cards and then on to gift wrapping.  Have a great day!

Flying Home

I truly do not need another bird/birdhouse stamp set, but the Flying Home stamp set in the upcoming Occasions catalog called my name~~loudly!  I should be working on my Christmas cards but I took a break and quickly made today's card.  I colored the image using alcohol markers after stamping and heat embossing the image.  I used the Layering Circle framelits, layering the image onto a Melon Mambo scallop circle.  Retired Tangerine Tango DSP was a cheerful choice for the background.  Cute stamp set and one I see myself using often.  Have a great weekend and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Santa's Sleigh

Another day and another post from one of my talented friends!  Today's card is from my friend, Paula.  I love this card as it is so not me (bolder colors) and yet when I opened the envelope it was a WOW!  Not exactly sure what she used to create the sky background but it has a lot of movement~~as if Santa and his sleigh are causing the sky to swirl.  The sled is from Penny Black's Santa's Sleigh die.  The trees are from Penny Black's Woodland Beauty.  I will be seeing Paula over the weekend, so I will get more details and make some cards like this, too!  Have a great day!

Winter Shaker Card

Today I am sharing the cutest Christmas card!  My friend, Cherie, made this for me.  I can only imagine how much time she spent.  Cherie used My Favorite Things' Die-namics Snow Globe Kit. Each piece of this shaker card was die cut and assembled and some of those items are very small.  I know for a fact that with my shaky hands I would not be able to put those windows together.    And once again, I have to say that I have been blessed with the best friends and I appreciate each of you. Thank you, Cherie!!  Have a great day and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Weekend Continued

 Continuing with our weekend of crafting, the Merry shadow box was something Syd made for her Mom and Dad.  As always, she put her little heart into making this~~and did an excellent job, too.  For the last coupe of years, I have had the shadow box with the jingle bells in my scrap room.  I was always going to finish it, but never did!  So I decided adding the words to it would be a great way to introduce Sydney to weeding vinyl after cutting it on the Explore.  I adhered the words on the glass so if it got messed up, it would be on me~~LOL!  And again~~Sydney did a great job!  She is my sweetheart!!   Have a great day and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Sydney & Grandma Weekend

Syd and I had a great weekend!  We baked many cookies and spent hours down in the scrap room.  We made the usual~~cut out cookies and cookie press cookies  After all the years of doing this together, we finally have it down to a science as to how to make the least mess!  And then we went downstairs to work on lip balm holders for Syd's friends.   The photo shows a few of the papers and ribbon we used.  The one in the middle is for her friend~~who does not celebrate Christmas~~but Syd wanted to give her a gift.   In between that, Syd worked on other projects.  By the time Jen came for her on Sunday after lunch, both Syd and I were ready for naps!!!  Have a great day!

O Holy Night

A few weeks ago when we were all busy working at our Cricut Sunday get-together, Nancy made a pretty O Holy Night glass block.  I thought it would be a nice Christmas present for my mom-in-law.  I just wasn't sure about mailing it to Arizona and then if it would be too heavy for her to handle.  So, I purchased the SVG file for my Cricut Explore Design Space and made a framed version.  I used a 10 x 10 frame, adhering the vinyl to a piece of Stampin' Up Shimmery White cardstock which was layered on a piece of black cardstock.  The "Oh Holy Night" is slightly uneven, but not too badly.  Regardless, I am sure John's Mom will like it.  Have a great weekend!

Occasions 2018 Sneak Peek

When I had a chance to preorder from the Occasions Catalog coming out in January, there were only a few things I really wanted.  One of those things I ordered I had to use as soon as it hit my scraproom~~the Friendship's Sweetest Thoughts stamp set.  Both the image and the sentiment on today's card are from the set.  After embossing the image with Black Versafine ink and clear embossing powder, I colored the cute flower cart with Spectrum Noir markers.  Avery Elle's Wonky Framelit goes perfectly with the feel of the flower cart.  The sequins complete this happy card.  Have a great day and find yourself a little stampin' time!  

Elegant Christmas

I wanted to use this snowflake paper from Stampin' Up's Merry Little Christmas DSP collection.  The pretty sentiment is from Penny Black's Yuletide Wishes stamp set.  After stamping the sentiment, I used a retired oval framelit and a stitched framelit for the black oval layer.  There are little rhinestones in the center of the larger snowflakes, but they do not show up well in this photo.  And the ribbon is Stampin' Up~~just don't remember from when!!!!  Have a great day!

Yappy Christmas

Continuing with the puppy Christmas cards, this is another I created using My Favorite Things' Happy Pawlidays.  I embossed the smaller square using my scoring board and layered that onto pink cardstock.  The next layer was embossed using a retired SU embossing folder.  The score lines on the large white cardstock layer were created using the scoring tool again.  After coloring the puppy, I used a die to cut him out and a foam layer under him.  The sentiment and the ornaments are also from the Happy Pawlidays stamp set. Have a great day and stay warm!

Cricut Reindeer

Happy Monday! Today's card was created by my friend, Dawn.  She cut out all of the pieces on her Cricut~~and there were a few pieces just to create the deer.  Then I watched her tie the twine on each balloon and I was like "that is a lot of work"!  As you can tell by the sentiment, this card was made for someone who shared their birthday with Christmas.  I like the mixing up of the sentiment phrases, too.  Have a great day and enjoy today's 60 degrees!

Santa Paws...

...is  Coming to Town!  I have switched from Christmas birds to Christmas puppies!  Isn't he a Christmas cutie?  The stamp set I used is from My Favorite Things Stamps, Happy Pawlidays.  The set consists of  four puppy images, a Christmas tree, lights, a variety of Christmas sentiments and more.  The set also has coordinating dies.  Once again I used my Spectrum Noir markers to color the image.  The Wonky Stitches frame die by Avery Elle goes with the "tangled in lights" dog!  Have a great day!

Peace & Joy

 

As promised, here is another bird card!  Isn't this one so cute, too?  These little guys were created using the dies from Elizabeth Craft Designs~~Birds.  After die cutting the pieces, I sponged ink on the edges of the birds and the scarf prior to putting the Christmas birds together.  The sentiment is another from the retired Good Greetings stamp set.  I am fortunate to have real birds in my life. Between Nipper, Dexter and Everly, there is always plenty of chirping and talking, lots of laughter and many beaky kisses. So when I am making these bird cards, I want the little guys to be as cute as mine really are in person!  Have a great day and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Silly Christmas Bird

When I saw this silly little bird stamp, I needed it!  Of course, I say that about most of the bird stamps I just have to have.  The image is from C.C. Designs, Roberto's Rascals Winter Birds.  The little bird was heat embossed using Versafine black ink and SU clear embossing powder.  I used Spectrum Noir markers to color the little bird.  Even his little boots are cute!  This is definitely a clean and simple card.  Have a great day!

Sunday Fun!

On Sunday, John, Matt, Jen, Mark, Sydney and I went to the Oriental Theater to see the musical, Escape To Margaritaville.  We had a great time and enjoyed the musical immensely.  Of course, it helps to be a Jimmy Buffett fan and to know all the songs.  It was silly and delightful and a very happy place  to spend a Sunday afternoon.  If you are a parrothead, you will surely feel like we all did~~we would go see it again! 


And then we went outside and the cold air brought us back to reality~~and the fact that Christmas is right around the corner. This is a simple card I made using the Penny Black stamp set, Winter Wonderland for the cute little Santa bird.  The sentiment is from a retired Stampin' Up set, Good Greetings.  The image was colored using alcohol markers.  I think this week will be postings of all the Christmas cards I created with at least one little bird on the front.  Have a great day!

Stampin' Up

Monday only,:  Stampin' Up is offering free shipping on all orders.  So even if you only need Dimensionals, shipping is free!  I will be in and out all day, so if there is anything you want to order, please do so thru my website :  www.stampintimesomewhere.stampinup.net

Secondly, I have decided that as the end of the month, I will no longer be selling Stampin' Up.  I still think Stampin' Up has the best cardstock and ink, but I find myself buying more and more of my stamping items from other companies.  I have been a SU demonstrator for almost 10 years.   I have enjoyed the friendships I made because of SU and I hope to keep those friendships going for years to come.  I will continue posting on my blog a few times a week.  Have a great day!

Happy Thanksgiving

Today's card is one we received from my friend, Kathy Z.  She used the retired Acorny Thank You stamp set together with the current Leaflets Framelits.  Perfect for Thanksgiving.  Or even to tell someone you are grateful for their kindness or their friendship.  Actually, it is the perfect time for me to tell you that I am grateful for you all~~I have some of the best family and friends anywhere!  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! 

A Christmas Card

This past Saturday, Paula came over for a little crafting time.  One of the cards Paula created is today's post  Isn't it so 50's/60's and adorable?  Paula copied it from the Occasions Catalog (page 17) and I love it!  I have looked at this set, Christmas In The Making, a few times and thought it was cute.  Now that I saw Paula's card, the set is more than "cute"!  I stamped a few images for future use. I know a special lady who this set really reminds me of, especially the image of the lady in a dress with an apron.  I will be sure to post the card once I make it.  Have a great day!

Glass Block Nativity

Yesterday was Cricut Sunday.  For the first time in a long time, we all were busy creating.  And, we were all doing Cricut Explore projects!  Sheryl was the instructor and did a great job teaching us the finer points of making glass blocks.  This block was created by Nancy.  Sheryl cut it out on her Cricut and Nancy did the weeding.  It is very pretty~~prettier in person than this photo shows.  Kathy Z made a glass block with the pumpkin file that I used for the glass block I did a few weeks ago.   It still need lights and embellishments.  When it is done, I am hoping she will send a pic.  Nikki was busy working on a snowman block and a word glass block.  I am hoping she will send photos of her finished projects, too!  Have a great day!

Thanksgiving Favors For The Kiddos

I am really making use of My Favorite Things' lip balm dies and pouches.  Making favors are quick and easy.  I used retired Close To My Heart paper for the front and Stampin' Up cardstock for the back.  And this time, I used the perforation strip for the back!  Hopefully the kids will be able to pull the strip open without spilling the M&M's all over the place!

With the holidays upon us, I will not be posting every day.  I have to spend some time making Christmas cards, shopping, etc.  So if a day or two goes by without a post, I have been working on Christmas
things.  Have a great day!

Birthday Wishes

I have been looking at Stampin' Up's Happy Birthday Thinlits ever since the Annual Catalog came out in June.  There were other things I liked more.  The other day I was on the Design Studio for the Cricut when I was looking for something similar to the Happy Birthday thinlet.  Nothing was jumping out at me, so I decided to just try "Birthday Wishes" on the Explore.  I sized it the same as Stampin' Up's thinlet.  After putting the card together, I said to myself, "I just saved $20.00!"  That being said, it is much easier to pull out a framelit and run it thru the Big Shot versus starting the computer and the Explore and getting the mat for the paper, etc.  Have a great day!

Stamparatus

Yesterday Stampin' Up introduced a new tool, the Stamparatus.  I know you have all seen me using my Misti for stamping and many of you have the Misti.  Stampin' Up has their own version now and below is the link to the video which tells all about it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3teCr7Xo4G8&feature=youtu.be

 

I have not seen it in person nor read any reviews on it.   The Stamparatus is different from the Misti so I will be very interested in seeing comments, videos and reviews.  This product will be on a preorder basis.  You can order it in mid-November and then it will be shipped in February.  It is big news for Stampin' Up, so had to share it. Here in the United States it will cost $49 plus tax and shipping.  I also got to see the Occasions and Sale-a-bration catalogs that come out in January.  There are some cute things in them both.  Have a great day!

My Thanksgiving Favors

I had a great weekend!  I started and completed my adult Thanksgiving favors (13).  I used the Prima Amber Moon Paper Collection.  I ordered the paper a couple of weeks ago because I thought it was so pretty.  Little did I know then I would be using it for Thanksgiving favors~~rather than hoarding it because it is so pretty.  Cherie's favors that I posted the other day were my inspiration.  Speaking of Cherie, she came over for a couple of hours and we had a non-productive time, but it was time well spent sharing, catching up and enjoying friendship.  The friends I have gained because of my Cricut and paper crafting are treasures to me.

On Sunday, Matt took me to the Pet Show here at the Kane County Fairgrounds.  At the Pet Show, Matthew volunteered at the Hoof Woof Meow Rescue Booth and Jenny and Sydney volunteered at the NWI Chinchilla Booth.  Sydney also participated in a service dog presentation.  While I was walking around the Pet Show, I was just beyond words as I watched how giving and kind my children are and that at 13 years old, Sydney is right there with them.  I am so proud of my family that sometimes I burst with pride and yesterday was one of those times.  Have a great week!

I don't usually post on the weekends but today is one of those days that I can't just let go by without acknowledging all of those men and women who have served and serve today to protect all of us.  Although old and fading, today I am posting a photo of my Dad when he had just entered the Navy (sailor on the left).  He was a young teenage boy at the time.  And the second photo of my Dad a few years later.  He served on the USS Iowa when Japan was bombed and then on President Truman's yacht, the USS Williamsburg. He was very proud of his service to our Country and I am proud of him.  And so today I say, "Thank You" to all of our service men and women who have served/serve and protected/protect all of us. 

Pretty Fall Favor

Thanks to my friend, Cherie, I found my Thanksgiving favor!  Isn't it  pretty?  Cherie used the Envelope Punch Board (which I have not used in forever) to make the packaging.  Inside is a Ghirardelli Chocolate Square.  The paper is perfect for Thanksgiving as are the twine, ribbon and raffia foil.  I will be adding a tag to each one and use them as place setting cards, too.  Thank you, Cherie for this great idea.  Have a great weekend and keep warm!

In The Meadow

When John and I were out on Sunday, we saw a few deer in the open areas around our house.  They looked so pretty just grazing peacefully.  When it came time to make a card, I used the retired In The Meadow stamp set.  After stamping with Chocolate Chip ink, I used colored pencils to color the images and to add some colorful Fall leaves on the trees.  The sentiment is from Special Celebrations in the Annual catalog.  I used a pattern paper from the Wood Textures DSP stack for the background layer.  Have a great day and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Autumn Thinking of You

The sentiment used on today's card is from the Count My Blessings stamp set as are the leaves and acorn images. I really like the font and size of this sentiment.  The images were colored using Spectrum Noir alcohol markers.  Since this set did not come with coordinating dies, my first stamped and colored image was fussy cut.  Well let me tell you, the fussy cut job was so bad, that it went right into the trash!  I stamped it again directly on the white cardstock.  Since I still needed something towards the lower left corner, I colored in a leaf and an acorn and carefully cut them out. The copper thread is perfect under the stitched oval.   I debated adding a few sequins and then decided sequins were not needed.  It looks good the way it is.  Have a great day! 

Christmas Favor

As I've mentioned before, I have been playing with my Cricut Explore again.  Over the weekend, I wanted to be able to make a holder for the lip balms.  I do have the framelits from My Favorite Things Stamps, but I thought that if I needed to make a large number of these favors, it would be nice to let the Cricut cut them all out.  I was hoping that I could scan in the Scallop Tag Topper punch from Stampin' Up. I was not successful.  So, I used a tag that was in the Cricut Design Studio, added the opening for the pouch and it worked perfectly.  Today's photo is my test favor using the Cricut to make the holder and it turned out good.  I am still trying to figure out how to scan a Scallop Tag Topper but I at least I have a favor that the Cricut can cut, if needed.  Have a great day!

Sheltering Tree

I have not used the Sheltering Tree stamp set for a while.  My friend, Kathy, was here over the weekend and she was using it to make her Thanksgiving cards.  It was the incentive for me to make a card using Sheltering Tree.  Since I have the perfect view of the maple trees in our front yard (beautiful crimson leaves), it was my inspiration.  I decided the leaves would be Cherry Cobbler stamped off once and then stamped directly the second time.  The tree trunk was stamped with Soft Suede as was the sentiment.   Have a great day!

Count My Blessings

Back to thinking about Autumn cards.  For today's card I used the Count My Blessings stamp set in the Holiday catalog.  Since I did not purchase any Fall Designer Series Paper, I made my own background by stamping an image around the edges using brown Memento ink.  I then colored the leaves using two Spectrum Noir markers.  After stamping the sentiment I die cut it using a Square Stitched framelit.  The next size stitched framelit was a little too big, so I just layered the sentiment on Cajun Craze cardstock, leaving a small border.  When stamping the image, I knew I was going to add twine, so I left a small portion of the edge not stamped.  Some pretty sequins filled in a little of the white space.  After adhering the layers to the card base, I was wishing I had used some Copper ribbon or copper metallic thread.  Oh well, next time!  Have a great weekend and find yourself a little stampin' time. 

Pink & Black Birthday

I like the Merry Little Christmas DSP collection in the Holiday catalog, but I have not yet used it for a Christmas card!  Pink Pirouette and Black is a favorite color combination of mine.  After stamping the sentiment on white cardstock, I die cut it using a Stitched Oval framelit and then die cut a larger black stitched oval on which to layer it.  The black and white plaid paper is wrapped with retired Pink Pirouette ribbon and embellished with a matching bow  The sentiment is adhered using dimensionals and the  little Pink Pirouette adhesive stars complete the card.  Have a great day!

 

Hello Friend

After all the Halloween cards and favors and the cards by my talented friends, I was at a loss as to what to make.  So I looked at Pinterest and got quite a few ideas.  I don't have an orange/yellow ombre ink pad so I sponged Daffodil Delight and Tangerine Tango on white cardstock.  I then used the hello die from the Hello You thinlets and centered the die over the center of the sponged area.  The flowers and leaves are from the Jar of Love stamp set and coordinating dies.  I had a little oops so out came the sequins--lol!  Have a great day and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Happy Halloween!

Isn't this Halloween card so cute?  Kathy Z sent this to me and John and I wanted to share.  I also want to share the favor Kathy Z made for the teachers at her daughter's school.  Kathy made a total of 80~~yes~~80 favors!  I think abut 70 went to her daughter's school.  The others went to her grandchildren's teachers.  At any rate, they are  "spooky cute" and I am sure will be admired by all who receive them.  Have a Spooktacular Halloween!

Pretty Leaves

My friend, Nancy, created today's pretty Fall card.  I love the colors she used.   I can look out my windows and see colors that are very similar to this card.  Nancy used the leaves from the Colorful Seasons stamp set and from the Seasonal Layers thinlet set.  She brings it all together by using Crushed Curry cardstock and the Crushed Curry DSP from the Color Theory DSP Stack with touches of orange.  So very pretty!  Have a great day!