Holy Family

Trying to get into the Christmas Spirit. Less than two weeks until Christmas and I still need to make Christmas cards, do my Christmas shopping, and put up the tree. I am so late with everything.

Christmas List

This little booklet will be very helpful as I do my Christmas shopping. If you are interested in making one, please visit Lisa Johnson's blog for directions (http://poppypaperie.typepad.com/poppy_paperie/2009/09/christmas-lists.html)

Masking Tape Tool Belt Box

Another Tool Belt Box based on this project from Mel Stampz's blog:
http://melstampz.blogspot.com/2008/0...plate-for.html

Directions:
1. Tear off pieces of masking tape and cover a sheet of 12" x 12" card stock with it.
2. Swipe the entire sheet with a brown ink pad (I used SU! Classic Chocolate Chip).
3. Take a paper towel and wipe off ink.
4. Follow project instructions on Mel's blog to complete box.

Tool Belt Card

This card is based on the Tool Belt Box from Mel Stampz's Blog found here:

http://stampingandcreating.blogspot.com/

Tool Belt Box

It's been a while since I've posted but I have not been idle. I finally decided to try my hand at this neat project that I saw on Mel Stampz's Blog:

http://melstampz.blogspot.com/2008/05/tool-belt-box-gift-box-template-for.html

I couldn't decide on the color card stock I wanted to use so I made three, each one a different color. I used silver card stock from DCWV's Metallic Stack on the first one I'm sharing today.

CAS31 Birthday Card

I decided to try my hand at CAS31. I rather like it.

Memorial Scrapbook Card

This is for my sister. Her grandson was tragically killed in an automobile accident in July.

Sweet Autumn Clematis

I love the Fall of the year. Today's post has nothing to do with stamping... just God's creation. DH built an arbor as an entryway from the front into the back yard and I planted a "Sweet Autumn Clematis" next to it. The arbor is totally covered in beautiful, aromatic blooms now and I just love the way it lights up the arbor in the moonlight. This is an invasive vine and it has made its way to the front yard and has crept into a corner of our front porch. Take a peek.

Faux Clipboard

It's been a while but I have a few projects. I'll start with this 'Faux Clipboard'. I got the idea from one of the booths at Scrapbook Expo in Duluth, GA, in July. Here's a tutorial on my take of it.

Supplies:
Binder Clip
Post-it Notes
12" x 6" Chipboard
12" x 12" DSP or Scrapbook Paper
Clothes Pin
Embellishments
Strong Adhesive (Red-Liner Tape)
Glue Stick, snail or some other adhesive
Pencil
Coordinating Ribbons

Cut chipboard to 12" x 6"
Adhere DSP or Scrapbook Paper to front of chipboard
Using Red-liner Tape, Adhere Post-it Note to front
Cut a piece of DSP small enough to cover front of Clothespin and cover
Add Sticky Strip to back of clothespin and attach to Clipboard
Decorate Front of Clipboard
Tie Ribbons to Binder Clip and Clip on top of Clipboard
Hang your Clipboard using the back wires of Binder Clip as the hanger

Note: Use Repositional Adhesive to attach embellishments & change as desired.
Suggestions for use: Small Calendars, Grocery List, To-Do List, Emergency Phone Numbers, Birthdays & Anniversaries, Reminders.

Back Pack

I’ve wanted to make one of these for quite some time but always got stumped on some of the instructions. I was really happy to see this as Wednesday’s SCS Weekly Inkling project but part of the template didn’t print when I downloaded it. Quite by accident, I found another version today as I was browsing blogs and this version did not require a template...just measuring and cutting. Between the two sets of instructions, I was actually able to complete this project. Thanks Mary at SCS and Kari for these instructions. Here’s the link to Kari’s version: http://thestampingrounds.typepad.com/projects/

Supplies;
Archival Black Ink
SU! ‘Think Happy Thoughts’ Stamp Set
SU! Spring Flower Bouquet Punch (Retired)
Martha Stewart Ribbon
Magnetic Snaps from BASICGREY
SU Top Note Die
SU Scallop Envelope
We R Memory Keepers Extra Large Eyelets
K&Company Designer Paper
SU Scallop Punch

I'm Late!

YIKES! It's almost May and I've not posted anything for the month of April. I am two months behind on my Christmas Cards (March and April) so I've got to get busy right away or I'll be three months behind. I just wanted to add a post for April. More later this week.

Card from Scraps

I made this card from scraps on my craft table and it has kind of 'grown' on me. Sooner or later I'll find someone to give it to.

Flowers for You

I love this new Stampin' Up! set. I decided to pair it with my Martha Stewart Punch and Spellbinders dies.

Nested Hearts

On one of my trips to Hobby Lobby, I ran across the 'Nested Hearts' dies by Spellbinders and I was so happy to have my 40% coupon with me... $24.95 minus 40%... not bad.

I die cut and layered the hearts on my card front panel after embossing it with the Cuttlebug Hearts embossing folder. I used SU! dimensionals on the top two heart layers. I used my SU! Border punch for the strip behind the nested hearts and used the bits of scraps left under my border punch to add a little more interest at the top and bottom of my card.

Acrylic Heart

I stamped the leaves from the Botanical Blooms SAB set using cotton white StazOn ink on this acrylic heart, poured white embossing powder over it while the ink was still wet, then used my heat gun to emboss. I die cut a heart in red card stock using one of my QuicKutz dies to go behind the acrylic heart. The acrylic heart had a small hole in it so I used the red brad to attach the acrylic brad and red card stock brad to the front of the card.

Happy Harmony

I decided to dust this set off and pair it with Tangerine Tango.

Tangerine Tango Card Stock
Tangerine Tango DSP
Whisper White Card Stock
Happy Harmony Stamp Set

Christmas Cards

This is the first of my 10 Christmas Cards for March. I'm still debating on whether I will make 10 of the same or 10 totally different.

Recipe:
Papers: Kiwi Kiss; Riding Hood Red; Whisper White
Acetate: 8 1/2" x 11, scored at 5 1/2"
Inks: Cotton White StazOn; Riding Hood Red; Kiwi Kiss; Creamy Caramel
Ribbon: Riding Hood Red
Stamps: Friends 24/7

Altered Composition Books

Here are a couple of pictures of my other Altered Journal. The 'Embellished' envelope on the inside cover is a 'junk mail' envelope. This will be my Travel Journal that I'll use when DH and I go on vacation later this summer. I'll probably add more pockets and envelopes to house all my 'keepsakes' that I'll accumulate along the way.

I was inspired by the DSP used in this Altered Composition Book by geekgirl45: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/340430?cat=5640

Altered Composition Books

I am in an 'Altering' mood these days because my earlier post was of an Altered Lunch Tin. I've just finished altering a couple of composition books that I purchased at Big Lots and I'm posting one of them tonight; I'll post the other one in a few days. I took shots of the front, inside front, and inside back.

Altered Lunch Tin

I cannot BELIEVE how easy these tins are to decorate. I followed the directions on the SCS Resources Page (http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/altered_lunch_tin/) and used sticky strip rather than Mod Podge (suggestion made by adele13348 in the comments section).

Paper: Urban Garden DSP; Night of Navy Card Stock
Stamp Sets: It's About Time (Sentiment); Natural Beauty (Image)
Ribbon: Night of Navy; light blue (generic)

For Barbara

I am a member of and teach a class at the local Senior Citizens' Center and have gotten to know a lot of the wonderful members at this Center. One person near and dear to my heart is our bus driver, Barbara. Barbara lost her brother last month and has sent cards to the many members who sent flowers and well-wishes. She wanted to recognize all of the members at the Center who embraced her with their love and support so she asked me to make her a 'big ole thank-you card' to leave up at the front desk for all to view. It took me a few tries before I finally came up with this one because I'm so use to making A2-sized cards that 'big ole cards' are out of my comfort zone. After making this one, I wish I had made two rather than one.

I didn't want the card to be depressing so I decided to go with something sunny... the 'More Mustard' family. It's an accordion-style card with the inside sentiment typed on my computer and printed out on Very Vanilla card stock, then cut out with one of my Nesties. Below are more details. If you have questions, please leave a comment.

Card Base: Chocolate Chip card stock (2) cut to 8-1/2" x 6-1/4"
Accordion Spine: More Mustard card stock cut to 8-1/2" x 3", score at 1", 1-1/2", 2"
Inside Page Card Base: 8-3/8" x 6"
Stamp Sets: Heard from the Heard; Thoughts and Prayers
Ribbons: Chocolate Chip; More Mustard
Inks: Timber Brown StazOn; Apricot Appeal; Summer Sun; Kiwi Kiss

Our Old Homesite

I'm a bit late posting the pictures from the old home front but here they are. Too bad it was not safe to enter and take pictures but I still remember the layout.

The front porch had 39 planks. We used to walk from one end of the porch to the other counting those planks. Facing the house as you stood on the front porch, the front door was in the center. To the left was Mother and Deddy's bedroom (we called our Father 'Deddy', not 'Daddy'); to the right was the Front Room (more commonly known as the Living Room or Great Room now). We used to 'let-up' the front window to Mother and Deddy's bedroom window and sit on the window sill with our feet dangling over the front porch.

Since we had a radio but no TV in the early years, as nightfall approached and after all homework had been done, we would all sit outside on the front porch until bedtime, slapping mosquitos as they landed on our arms and legs. There were not enough chairs on the porch for all of us to sit in so we children would sit on the edge of the porch with our legs dangling over the yard as Mother and Deddy sat in ladder-back chairs. We entertained ourselves by staring at the sky... watching to see the stars as they appeared as darkness settled in around us. Each of us probably whispered this little poem that I'm sure most children learned and whispered:

"Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight.
I wish I may, I wish I might
Have this wish that I wish tonight".

Mother taught us to search the sky to find the Big Dipper, Little Dipper and I think there was a Dog Star. I guess I don't have to remind you that if we saw the moon, we probably sang the 'Moon' song every single night:

"I see the moon, the moon sees me.
God bless the moon and God bless me".

Anyway, back to the old house. I was amazed at how clearly we were able to see the house. The last time we visited, it could barely be seen but I think it was probably during a time when the trees were covered with foliage. Mother and Deddy's bedroom had the wood/coal heater in it and we all huddled around it in the winter to stay warm. Behind their bedroom was the kitchen which housed that old pot-bellied stove. Behind that room was the "old kitchen". These were the rooms on the left side of the house.

There was a hallway that divided the rooms on the left side of the house from the rooms on the right. There was a doorway at the end of the hall that separated the hall from a room at the back of the house. This room was called the old 'corner' or 'cone' or 'corn' room. As a child, I never understood what the correct name of this room was. This room once housed a quilting frame that was suspended from the ceiling and Mother would have us (the girls) take our places around that frame as we made quilts. That was hard, back-breaking work and my fingers got so sore from that quilting needle; I never did get the hang of correctly using a thimble.

The room behind the 'Front Room' was known as the "Old Dining Room". In the early years, it was our dining room but as the family grew, it became a bedroom for the older children. The smaller children shared a bed in Mother and Deddy's room. The "Front Room" eventually became a bedroom for our oldest sister.

The hallway was really large enough to be a small room because we hung out in it quite often. After we became 'wealthy' enough to afford a telephone, the hall became our 'telephone booth'. There was an old trunk in it that we sat on while talking on the phone or passing the time of day. If we wanted privacy while we were on the phone, we would pull the door back from Mother and Deddy's room and hide behind it as we talked so no one could hear what we were saying... LOL). We had a 'Party Line' and sometimes the line was tied up for hours by others.

I love thinking back to the old days but I've visited the past long enough. Next week I'll start posting Christmas Cards that I have made for the Christmas Card Challenge. Until then, keep on stamping and creating.

My Grandparents' Old Homesite

DH and I took my mother for her appointment with the eye doctor yesterday and our visit with her was really bittersweet. She turns 89 on her birthday this month and her memory is as sharp as a tack. I've been working on Family History for a few years and she has been an invaluable source of information.

After her appointment, we had lunch at Piccadilly's (her favorite place to eat), then we drove over to the old abandoned home we lived in when I was a child. My grandparents lived a stone's throw away from us and I recall many visits there, sitting on the front porch in one of the two rocking chairs and rocking to my heart's content.

The two pictures in this post are of the old white house my grandparents lived in and their barn that housed my grandfather's wagon and the fodder for the the mule. It is so grown up around it you can barely see the house. There is a gate barring entrance with a "No Trespassing" sign so I had to snap pictures from afar. My remembrance of my grandfather is of him whittling whiteoak and weaving baskets that were used by farmers to dump cotton in as they picked it in the cotton fields. I wish I pad pictures of this but I had no camera during those days.

Tomorrow's post will be of pictures that DH and I snapped of the house we lived.

For My Sister

This is a card I made for my sister because she is going through a really rough time right now. I'm using my "Friends 24-7" stamp set again because the sentiments express exactly what I want her to know. All products are Stampin' Up! with the exception of the Martha Stewart ribbon. The photos came out really dark but I chose to accept them as-is so that I could mail this card ASAP.

Recipe:
Stamps: Here for You
Card Stock: Chocolate Chip; Whisper White
DSP: Baha Breeze
Inks: Chocolate Chip, Baha Breeze

Closed Card

A flat view of the card so that you can see what it looks like collapsed. Chocolate Chip and Baha Breeze really compliment each other.

Here For You

"Here For You"... that's one of the sentiments in my new favorite stamp set from Stampin' Up! There are six stamps in this set and I used each one in the making of this card. I found directions for this Tri-Panel Card here: http://christinecreations.blogspot.com/

Recipe:
Stamp Set: Friends 24-7 from Stampin' Up!
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Baha Breeze, Whisper White
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Baha Breeze, Kiwi Kiss
Ribbon: Martha Stewart

Thank You Cards

Here's a closer view of the Thank You Cards I made for DH. By the time I finished, my right arm felt as though it would fall off from all the brayering I did on the card fronts. DH was really pleased with them which made it really worth all the effort I put into making them.

Thank You Cards

I've been working on two projects at the same time. I needed to make 20 Thank You Cards for DH to send to guests who attended a surprise birthday gathering for him in January. The second project was to complete 10 Christmas Cards as part of the Christmas Card challenge. I've completed both. Here are the Thank you Cards.

Just Checking In

Good Morning,

I'm just checking in because it's been a while since I last posted. I do have some projects but am unable to download them. I've got a brand new camera and I need the necessary equipment to transfer my pictures to my computer. Hopefully I will get this taken care of by the weekend. Until then, continue stamping and creating.

Happy New Year!

It's been a while since I last posted to my blog. I resolve to do better in 2009. First off, I had such a wonderful holiday season. Christmas day was spent with the five people I love most dearly... my husband, our daughters and their husbands. I was so happy to be in their presence, presents were really not necessary for me.

For now, that's all I want to share with you. I wanted to jot down a few thoughts while they were in my mind... More tomorrow.

One more thing, our daughters with their husbands have planned a "Surprise" birthday gig for my husband, tomorrow and he has no clue this is being planned. I can't wait to see how this turns out. His family (brothers and sisters, most of whom live out of state) and some of his nieces and nephews are driving in for this event also. This is going to be good! I will post more about this on my blog after everything is over. Right now, I've got to make a 'Guest' book for everyone to sign and I've got to come up with a design and I am down to the wire. Guess I'll jump on over to SCS for inspiration.

More after the event.