It's New Year's Eve!

It's hard to believe, but 2008 is officially coming to a close. It's been a tough year in some ways for us, and most certainly for some friends who have suffered health issues and the loss of loved ones, and for many others who are suffering through this dismal recession. I'm praying for a better year for all of us in 2009!

Surprise, surprise, I've actually made a couple of Valentine cards IN ADVANCE! This is amazing since I pretty much missed out on Christmas cards this year. The reason for this boon of productivity, of course, is that I've been a SAHM since noon on Dec 23 (the winter break from work), so I've had lots of time in my craft room. It's been pure bliss!

This card is for the CPS 97 Sketch. All of the materials are by Stampin Up, mainly from the Love You Much bundle, which is now available. You've simply got to take advantage of this deal and save 20%!

That's it for today. I've got to get back to Winter Cleaning. We aren't going out for New Year's Eve tonight. I'm honestly not into celebrating New Year's Eve. But I do enjoy getting up New Year's Day and watching the Rose Parade. Whatever you do to celebrate, have fun and be safe!

A Snowball for You!

Hello my blog surfing friends! I just had to post one more snow themed card before I post the Valentine cards I made last night (stay tuned for those). This is another digi download from CC Designs called Winter Sweatpea and Tiger. Unless you're handy with a program like Photoshop Elements and can combine the two images, you'll have to cut Tiger out and mount him next to Sweatpea like I did here. I just had to measure and resize the image to make it fit the way I wanted. The card needed a greeting... "heads up" would have been perfect, but I don't have that in my vast array of stamps, so I picked "For You," one of Hanna's stamps.

I did all the coloring with my Copic markers. The cardstock is Spring Rain (blue) by Papertrey Ink and Chocolate Chip by Stampin Up, as is the blue and white polka dot DSP and the brown felt ribbon.

We are continuing with our Winter Cleaning around here, which I must get back to. I've been loving being a stay-at-home mom during this winter break from work. It's going to be very hard to go back to work next week. But I won't think about that now.

Thanks for stopping by, and I'll be back soon with some Valentine cards!

Winter Fun

I've seen some amazing pictures on blogs of snow, snow, snow. The closest I see of snow is on the distant mountain tops, but it sure is pretty. It's been a while since I've played in the snow... I think it was a couple of years ago when I took three of my boys to the mountains for a few days and we lucked out with a fresh snow. But it was nothing like many of you experience every year.

Lack of snow here doesn't diminish my love of wintery things and snowmen, though! I had to try out CC Designs Digi Download Winter Bear
just to see how it works. These images are sooo cute! Sure enough, Copic markers work just fine with inkjet print. I ended up doing two different versions of this card. Which do you like better?

The cardstock is Papertrey Ink's Spring Rain and Smooth White, and Stampin Up's Riding Hood Red. That's also Stampin Up's Ski Slope DSP in the background, and Riding Hood Red stitched grosgrain ribbon on the top card, and Papertrey Ink's Spring Rain Topnotch Twill ribbon on the bottom card. Both were quick and easy... I basically used scraps that were laying on my crafting table.

We had a nice, low key Christmas, but now I've galvanized the troops and we are doing a thorough Winter Cleaning. My goal is to have my home in order at the start of the new year... a fresh start, if you know what I mean. They grouse about it, of course, but are actually getting into the spirit of things. With all six of us working together, it's not so bad. I never thought I'd see the day, but apparently all those guilt trips I've given them and pouting I've done are working! I better not celebrate too soon, though, lest I jinx it. We still have a long way to go before we're done.

Hope you are still enjoying the holidays. Thanks for stopping by!

Merry Christmas!

I finally made one Christmas card, so I had to share it before Christmas is actually over. I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!

Recipe:
Stamps: Stampin Up A Cardinal Christmas, Greeting by Papertrey Ink
Paper: Papertrey Ink Ripe Avocado and Smooth White cardstock; Me and My Big Ideas DP (it's actually got a fuzzy texture... so cool!)
Ink: Ranger Archival Jet Black and Copic Markers; berries dotted with white Signo gel pen
Accessories: Prima poinsettias with dots of Gold Stickles in the centers

It's Snowing on My Blog!

It's snowing on my blog! Isn't that cool! My cyber friend Michelle Yungbauer (Stamp and Smile) gave me the gift of a White Christmas. She pointed me to Shirley Ross's blog (Card Art Etc) to get the "gadget" to make it appear that it's snowing on my blog. If any of you read my blog regularly, you know how much I wish for a change of season here in So Cal... I'm one of the few locals who actually prays for cold weather and rain (since snow is pretty much out of the question here in what they call the low desert). People think I'm weird. Well, I am, but that's another story! {LOL} Anyway, thanks Michelle (and Shirley) for the wonderful gift! And if you haven't done so already, check out Michelle's and Shirley's blogs. Lots of good stuff there!

So, in honor of the snow, I'm posting this card that ended up being one of my winter "thank you" cards. There's that Baja Breeze cardstock again! The DP is Basic Grey. The stamps are Snowfall by Heather Nichols for Papertrey Ink. I added some texture by putting some Martha Stewart Crafts Snow glitter on the cuffs of the mittens and on the snowflake. The ribbon is also by Papertrey Ink (can you tell I'm a big fan of PTI?). The punched snowflake edge is also by Martha Stewart Crafts.

Merry Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas Eve Eve and Happy Birthday Susan!

Christmas is almost here! I still have a few presents to wrap and meals to finish planning, but otherwise I am ready. I still haven't sent any Christmas cards, but maybe I still will. After all, better late than never, right?

Today is my BFF Susan's birthday... the day she catches back up to me. She loves to rub it in that she's 24 days younger than me. Ha! Susan is coffeeforme on SCS. Check out her awesome gallery!

Susan's mom is a quilter extraordinare and, although Susan never caught the quilting bug, she appreciates the art. So I pulled out my Quilter's Sampler Additions to make her birthday card. I was inspired by this card by Mish. She is one of my FAVORITE stampers. Her creativity and style never cease to amaze me. How clever to figure out that those quilt block stamps fit perfectly into one of the Men of Life Patterns! After stamping the images, I colored the flowers with my Copic marker and then used my Signo white gel pen to highlight the flower centers. The brad is one of the new SU decorative brads (LOVE!).

Happy Birthday Susan! You know I love ya!

Okay, back to my laundry and this and that. Thanks for stopping by, and Merry Christmas Eve Eve!

Finally, a New Card to Share!

Has anyone out there seen the lens cover to my camera? Anyone? No? Oh well. Thought I'd give it a try. I've even offered my kids a reward for its safe return, but apparently not enough to motivate anyone to look for it.

Hey there! Happy Holidays! And, yes, I'm still here despite my long absence from my blog. I still haven't made a single Christmas card. Just a few thank you cards with a winter theme, like this one. The really strange part is that even though I know Christmas is only four days away (less when you consider it's now nighttime), I'm not panicking. And, no, I'm not taking any drugs! {LOL} I think it's really because, one, I've had some other things on my mind lately, and, two, the downer in the economy has lowered everyone's expectations of the Festive Season this year. We are definitely downsizing this year, and I'm sure that's part of the reason the stress has been lifted from my shoulders. Either that, or I'm going senile. Probably a little of both! {LOL}

Anyway, I hope that wherever you are and whatever you're doing to mark the holidays, you are safe and sound and not too dreadfully affected by this bizarre and sorry state of national (and international) affairs that is affecting all of us.

The cardstock (Baja Breeze and Riding Hood Red) and DP (Ski Slope) for this card is all by Stampin Up, as is the ribbon. I'm just loving Baja Breeze, aren't you? The stamp is by Papertrey Ink. This was definitely a quick and easy card, which is a good thing because I had several people to thank and I needed to get cards done quickly. I'll share my other design with you tomorrow. I can never seem to make very many of one design anymore. There are just too many possibilities and too little time!

Before I go, I just had to share this picture with you. My laundry has piled up on me again... it doesn't take much since I do laundry for six people, five of whom are male. I asked my youngest Avery to go collect it all for me yesterday and sort it out (this is one of his Saturday chores). He was being particularly whiney about it (not that I can blame him), and at one point I looked out and saw him laying on the pile with Molly. So funny! I can totally relate to that feeling of being overwhelmed and so NOT up to the task! It's the story of my life! {LOL}

Have a great day, and thanks for stopping by!

Warm Winter Wishes!

And I do mean WARM Winter Wishes! Hello from Sunny Southern California! I think it's close to 80 degrees today. I should probably be laying out working on my tan. {LOL} Honestly, I wish we'd get some cooler winter weather, just for a change of pace. Plus, there's nothing I like more than a cozy fire in the fireplace. I shall have to email Santa and tell him that's what I want for Christmas... cold weather!

Don't you just love this image? It's by Pink Cat Studio, part of the Lily & Tweet collection. It reminds me of Frosty the Snowman, one of my favorite Christmas songs... and movie. My kids love it, too.

The cardstock is that wonderful Stampin Up! limited edition Baja Breeze, which matches perfectly with the Basic Grey DP. I used my Giga Snowflake Punch, and then covered it with Martha Stewart Snow glitter, part of the Winter Snows Glitter and Glue Set. I found in on clearance at Michaels, on top of which they let me use my 40% off coupon, so I think I paid $5 for three bottles of cool chunky glitter and a big bottle of craft glue! I love a good deal, don't you?

The button is from SU's designer collection, which I tied with a bit of sheer white polka dot ribbon. It mimics the design of the paper. I LOVE the look!

Lily, "Frosty" and Tweet are colored with my Copic markers.

I suppose if you can't have cold weather, you might as well stamp some!

Before I do any more stamping, though, I must finish decorating the Christmas trees. (Yes, I have two.) My husband and kids are despairing of the boxes sitting around and the trees standing with nothing but lights on them. Of course, it doesn't occur to them that they could add the ornaments just as well as I. But they probably figure I'll move them around... and they're probably right! {LOL} I do want to get some holiday cards done soon, though, so stay tuned!

Thanks for stopping by.

So Many Birthdays!

I truly have a bunch of birthdays to remember this time of year (on top of Christmas). I suppose the old addage, "Birds of a Feather Flock Together," must be true because we're all (or almost all) Sagittarians!

I love the new Men of Life stamp set from Papertrey Ink and had to try it out right away. It took me a moment to realize that the decorative sails do not fill in the outline sails! I thought I was going a bit crazy there for a moment. Anyway, I stamped the outline sails on the DP and cut them out, and then mounted them on the Ripe Avocado cardstock, and then cut them out again to leave the green border. The boat is stamped directly onto the white cardstock, but the sails are popped up with Dimensionals.

It's been awhile since I made this card, but I think I was trying to do Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge #67. Large spaces for (presumably) cardstock in sketches like that one really stymie me... they look too plain by themselves, even if they are DP. So I solved this one by putting it through my Cuttlebug Happy Birthday embossing folder.

Everything but the Dew Drop on the boat is from Papertrey Ink.

I think I'll send this card to my Dad. Not that he's a boater, but I'm running out of time. He turns 80 years young on December 13th. I think he's truly in better shape than I am at 49. That's embarrassing!

I'm going to go stamp now and try to catch up on birthday cards and thank you cards. I haven't even touched Christmas cards yet. I'm determined not to break down and buy cards, but I'm starting to think I'll have no choice. One thing I'm not going to do, and that is STRESS!

Thanks for stopping by!