Xmas in the ER

WARNING: This is graphic so if you get queasy easily, do not read on.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Xmas. I definitely had an eventful one. I was trying to help clean up the dishes before dinner so everyone could enjoy their meal and no one would be stuck in the kitchen afterwards on dish duty. The final dish, rinsing it under the water. It slipped and hit the sink basin and broke into very large pieces. One of those pieces went straight through my palm. Why did I try to catch the bowl?? So I didn't get to sit and enjoy dinner with my family and friends, instead I spent my Xmas Eve being rushed to the ER with a blood-soaked towel wrapped around my hand. Luckily, they saw me within 20 minutes and I had some good pain meds in my system within the hour. 6 stitches, they didn't hurt a bit....the numbing needle however, gave the word pain a whole new meaning for me. YOUCH!!!

This is after 72 hours....swollen, throbbing like crazy, pain meds not helping much. Every time I move it hurts more. Very annoying I tell ya.

Oh and wouldn't ya know it's my left hand and I'm a lefty. Merry Xmas to me!!! LOL So please don't think I've stopped stamping, I do have some fabulous things in store...but I must rest for a bit and let this wound heal. :( Stitches come out in 10 days so I better be able to use my hand by then. I miss you all, so drop me a note and tell me how wonderful your holidays were!! xoxoxo

Taking a moment...

Shelli (owner of Stampin' Up!) posted a letter sharing that her mother has passed on. I just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge her loss. Whether it's expected or not, it is never easy to say goodbye to anyone....especially your mother. The holidays are such a warm, wonderful time in which we all seem to find goodness in each other, set aside our differences and petty family squabbles and come together to celebrate. But now this is a time of heartache and loss for her. I can't imagine how broken her heart must be at this moment because my mother is my best friend and I would be lost without her.

My deepest sympathy goes out to Shelli and her family at this difficult time.

Merry almost Xmas

Have you noticed I've been away??? I'm sure all of you are just as crazy busy.....baking, shopping, wrapping, traveling, attending holiday parties, working....how do we function during this crazy time?!? Well, I wish I had some fabulous items to share with you but my stamp room is filled with the sound of crickets *enter sound effect here* as I have had little to no time to do any stamping. On the upside, I am sharing our Xmas photo we took with our new camera....LOVING IT! I wanted the lights on the tree to be fuzzy but our faces to be clear and sure enough, I read my little book and found out how to do it!

And guess what else I have in my grubby little hands?!?!? THE NEW STAMPIN UP CATALOG!!!!! Oh yes, I said it. I opened it up last night and browsed through and I LOVE IT!!! Maybe if you're nice I'll send you a pic of it for Xmas. LOL

In case I don't get a chance to post before Xmas....HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU ALL!!! xoxoxoxo

Xmas cookie fun

These were SO much fun to make. My dear friend Laura invited a group of us over this weekend to make some Xmas cookies. She provided all the supplies for fondant and royal icing and taught the basics on how to make these beauties. The stocking is of course for my nephew Jack, the snowflake has edible glittah on it and the holly is my least fave because I did white leaf lines and were I to do it over, I would do dark green or leave them out completely. We also made truffles that were DELICIOUS....one bite and you'd have to get peeled off the ceiling. But hey, they were yummy....caffeine high and all. :)

Sorry I've been MIA this past week. I've been working late at my job every night (new program), finishing up my Xmas cards, baking like mad and shopping every single day on my way home from work. Oh but my new camera will be here this week....so of course I'll have to take pics of some new cards and see what you all think. xoxo

Another Pretties Wednesday

Kristine made these for me and they are ADORABLE!!!!! So, normally I post the project that I made for the week's challenge but sadly my Monograms have yet to arrive so I will have to post my project a bit later. So instead I'm posting these pretties.....the challenge was simply to make something using monograms. Paper Trey Ink just released some gorgeous new monogram sets and luckily I was chosen as a Guest Star Stamper for my Snowflake Serenade card and will be getting one of those sets FREE in the mail any day now.

Be sure to check out the other Prettie Pages listed on the right and see what everyone made!!!

Crafty Weekend Madness!!!

Oh what a crazy busy weekend I had!!! Saturday morning was my monthly Stampers Club then right after that was the Xmas 30 for $30 class which included lunch and a TON of laughter. Then we all went shopping and got some great deals at Michael's and Joann's. Then I went out to dinner with some friends and boy did we stay out late! Sunday morning we got up to go to the craft fair and I bought this adorable little guy...
He's made by this fabulously talented woman Donna Massey. She makes these adorable characters out of gourds and calls them Gourdzooks. They are hilarious, I got a few more but my weekend hasn't slowed down to take too many photos. Tonight I had some gals over and we started making more Xmas ornaments so hopefully tomorrow I can show you my Snow People. :)

Stay tuned.....

It's beginning to look a lot like....

Bellas!!! Yup, Bellas are helping me to celebrate the season. Tuesday evening was the monthly *Stampin in Your Jammies* night over on the Paper Pretties yahoo group. Sadly, I worked late and missed most of it but once I came home I flung my bags everywhere and headed for my stamp room. I was able to sneak in one challenge which was to have fibers on your card....do you have any idea how many loose strands of white 'stuff' I found on the carpet when I was done?!?! Holy cow that stuff sheds! But it's worth it cause she is pretty stinkin' cute, eh? So here is my dazzling Wreathabella, she is in the Nov Bella Box from Paper Pretties and I lovey her!!!

I have no idea where I got this patterned paper but I love it! I must go find it again!!! I really like the Gable Green, Pretty in Pink & Real Red combo for Xmas colors...they're fun and funky (just like me, Christie would say). I only had 20 minutes to make this baby so with more time I would add a bit of red glittah to the bow, or maybe the berries....yeah, I'm thinkin the berries. :)

Great Mail Day!

I love being a Babe!!! Patsy Turner sent me this fantastic card AND bag-tag, aren't they just too cute?!?! Thank you SO much Patsy, what a great mail day!!! I have been busy working on quite a few Xmas projects so I promise to let you in on the secrets soon. I have classes on Friday night, Sat morning and Sat afternoon so I'll be a busy little bee for quite some time. But just wait til you see what's in the works......you'll flip!!!

XOXO

Ornamentally Pretties Day...heh

Nice title eh? So last week I challenged the gals to create a handmade ornament.....here's my little gingerbread house for Kristine.

Sadly it doesn't look quite as cute in the picture as in real life or on the tree. The is a small hole in the bottom for you to put on a tree branch and you just make sure a little light goes up through the hole, so the lights are on in the house. :) There is vellum covering on the windows so they look frosted once lit up. I also made one with lights and I will take a photo once our tree is up to show you just how adorable these little guys are.

Be sure to check out all the other Prettie Pages (listed on the right column) and see what everyone made!!!

Happy Wednesday!!

Happy Monday!!!

What a fabulous Thanksgiving weekend I had! I stuffed myself silly, slept a TON and then pushed Scott (my sweet hubby) up onto the roof to get those lights on!! I'm the 'light tester and bulb checker' and since I got a great deal last year after the holidays on lights we had all brand-spankin new ones. My hubster got up on that roof and carefully placed each light perfectly along the trim and when the grand finale came to plug in those beautimous lights....nothing. Nat'l Lampoons Xmas Vacation was in my very home for the next 5 hours until the culprit was found. ME! I didn't check the lights!!! I thought since they were brand new that they'd be fine. WRONG! Rookie move and man did my sweet hubby turn a bit sour once he found out that the "light checker" failed to do her job. The trooper that he is he went back up, took down the faulty lights and replaced them with ones that he knew worked, because HE checked them. ;)

I did finally get my Etsy store up and running for the Xmas card rush so be sure to check my sidebar to view my store. There will be more added within the week, just trying to pace myself with all my projects. :)

I hope you all enjoyed great food, family and loved ones, and of course those extra naps we tend to need during the holidays! Did any of your brave the crowds for those after T-day sales?? What did ya get?!?

Prettie Tasty Wednesday...

Last week Kristine presented the Recipe Challenge.....make a recipe card of one of your favorite recipes. Well, since Thanksgiving is just days away I opted to break out my hands-down favorite Pumpkin Cookie recipe. Granted, my personal recipe card is covered in butter stains and years of flour, sugar & cinnamon gunk but I think that's what they are SUPPOSED to look like. So, keeping that in mind, I kept this sweet and simple. I wanted Christie to be able to 1. Use it without worrying if it gets messed up and 2.find it easily amongst the other recipe cards so I added a simple little tab directing her to these very yummy cookies. ;)

What are your favorite recipes for the holidays?? I'd love to get my hands on a few new ones *hint, hint*. Be sure to browse around to the other Prettie girls blogs to see their fabulous recipe cards, you'll flip when you see the ADORABLE recipe pack that Alli made for me. That girl, I swear she's just too clever! Oh and now of course I need that set of hers!!! xoxo

I'm alive!

Yes, I survived the big '30'!!!! From Thursday afternoon until Monday night, it was non-stop spoil-Jillian-time!!!! And look what came in the mail over the course of the weekend....
This gorgeous bella card came from Ami Cook! *thanks amy I love her!!!* The frame has red glittah all around it and I just love the polka-dot prima, too cute!

And I have no idea how this woman does it, but she JUST had a baby last week and then I got this birthday package of goodies in the mail?!?!?! Charmaine....you are Superwoman and I love you, thank you SO much for thinking of me!!!! Give that sweet baby kisses for me (trust me, he's just too cute!).

Kristine sent me these fun treats for my bday, um.....Kristine, you trying to tell me something?? *wink, wink* Thank you missy, I love my gorgeous bella card, fun polka dot ribbon and I'm sure those stamps will come in handy soon enough! ;)

Now for the best gift ever..... he picked it out just for me.

This is from Jack, he picked me a "bean" from his beanstalk....well, from Tiffany & Co's beanstalk *lol*. My nephew Jack is the light of my life and boy does he love to chew on his auntie Jill. (Jack & Jill, too cute eh?) Oh and he picked out that butterfly balloon just for me, he said it was "pwetty, jus like you aunti". Could ya just melt?!?!??!

We took a trip on a train....still quite get the "cheese" into the actual camera but we'll get there! Hugs to everyone and thank you ALL for your wonderful Bday wishes.....ok, off to do some stamping. I haven't inked anything in almost a week, can you believe it?!?!?!

xoxoxo

Holy Cow!!!

Ok so the days leading up to my birthday have been AMAZING!!!!! And today I found out that I was selected as the Guest Star Stamper over at Paper Trey Ink!!!!! OMG!!!! I hit the floor AGAIN.......seriously, I'm playing lotto for the next month straight!!! Here is a link to the card that was chosen, I posted it earlier this month on my blog. I had such a great time making this card and I'm thrilled to know that Nicole loved it as much as I did (and so did all of you from the comments that ya left!) ;)

And what a fantastic mail week I've been having too.....

These are a few of the Bella Babe RAK's I've received this week....thank you all SO much!!! I love having mail that ISN'T a bill for a change!! :)

This RAK made my day, my first bella birthday card I've ever received!!! Sure, I make them for everyone but this one was made just for me. :) Turning 30 is going to be great!!!

And then I got this fabulous bella babe package from Lynn (last month's Babe) and it was filled with my FAV color ribbons, clear baubles, some Presentabella images AND a Fishafella!!!! Thank you SO much Lynn, you went way overboard...now I finally have a fella!

I can't wait to play with all my new goodies and I'm still in shock that I am the Guest Star Stamper of a PTI, I just can't get over it. WOW

Birthday news....I will be going away for the weekend with my hubby for 2 days and then my mom and sister for one so there will be little to no posting OR stamping *gasp* but I promise once I get back I will have some fun news and fabulous cards to share with you!!!

30 here I come!!!! XOXOXOXO

Another Prettie Wednesday!

This time our challenge was to make business cards.....I thought about keeping them simple so they could be used anywhere and look quite professional. After all, she is THE glue that holds all of us together...well other than Christie, that is....cause she's our Prettie Mamma! :)

Make sure you check out the other Prettie girls blogs listed on the right, these cards are all so adorable and creative, I love them!!!!! Today is my challenge day and I say get those craft supplies out and make some handmade Xmas ornaments!!! String, wire, paper, glass, giant silver ring....whatever you think of just make sure you can hang it on a tree!!!

Oh and for those that were wanting a wedding weekend update....it was fabulous!!!! I don't have pics yet but I had the time of my life, the bride was stunning, the food was fantastic, the music kept us on the dance floor and I actually ENJOYED a few glasses of wine (I don't drink, hate the taste). I'll post some as soon as I get my hands on a few. :) xoxo

Did ya see????

My dear friend Christie over at Paper Pretties wrote a poem recently AND everyone guessed right, it was about me. :) I am this months design team member spotlight. I feel so blessed to be in a team with such a great group of gals. And did you also hear, baby Isaac was born healthy and happy and Charmaine is still stamping away and posting each and every day. I don't know how she does it but it gives me hope. ;) Congrats Charmaine!!!!

New Hair

What do ya think?? Granted, taking a photo of yourself is a bit difficult so your 'blank stare' is always a bit unattractive but focus on the HAIR people. LOL

Wedding Weekend

Short but sweet....my friend is getting married this weekend and I am one of her bridesmaids so I will be spending most of my time participating in those fun festivities. But of course I had to make a little time to stop in and say hi... "Hi!". I also thought I would share with you another one of my Scarey Shimmer Sand cards that I made. I'm not too scared of it anymore!!! I used the seagulls stamp from By the Seashore from the Oct Paper Pretties MFT box (which you can also buy in the Corner Store). I think I'll be making it again and adding a texture to the soft sky paper, a wave perhaps??

So starting Monday I will begin my birthday countdown to the big '30'. So I'm baking a cake on Sunday night and eating a HUGE piece with ice cream each and every night until it's here! HAHAHAHA, ok so good idea but not practical. Sure the calories would be most people's excuse but for me....the cake wouldn't be fresh enough for that long! LMAO ;) Hey, you only live once so you might as well enjoy the food you eat, eh? XOXO

Window Shopping

I think I could truly enjoy a life of shopping....clothes, kitchenware, crafts, linens, heck even hardware and electronics. This stamp is by Rubber Romance and was the featured stamp in the October Paper Pretties box, when I first saw it I just totally connected with it. "That's me!!! Someone took a picture of me and made it into a stamp!!!" Ok, so that's not exactly me, my rump is a bit larger than hers but still....in my eyes I'm a bella so just let me live in my world with a turquoise sky and pink birdies ok?!?! I had this idea of her looking through an actual window and couldn't get my hands around how to make it happen....until the Nestabilities arrived. I adhered the paper onto the card, positioned the large rectangle die exactly where I wanted it for a 'window' and ran it through my CB. PERFECT! I had to get a little clever by masking the window and stamping it in sections so the woman wasn't in the store picture anymore. The sentiment is from the new Paper Trey Ink set Piece of Cake, I just adore all their words and how cleverly they go together. It's definitely more impressive in person, but I'm finding that I keep saying that in each of my posts so maybe it's time for a better camera or perhaps I need to just start mailing out each of these cards to my readers. ;)

Here's another card I used with the same items from the box...

I think I'll go shopping today on my lunch hour....hmmm, wonder what made me think of doing that?? ;) Only 8 more days til I turn 30 so I'd better buy my 20-somthing outfits while I can, right?!? LOL xoxo

It's a Prettie Wednesday once again....

Chipboard....It's hip, it's popular and it's everywhere, except in my card gallery. Don't get me wrong I have 'some' pieces of chipboard in my craft room but they are hidden far, far away and are never to show their faces. *lol* So our challenge for last week....yep, you guessed it. Chipboard!!! After the last challenge of "scare yourself" I thought I had jumped my biggest hurdle....I was wrong. Apparently the idea behind this stuff is to either paint it, ink it with craft ink and stamp on it or cover it with paper and sand the edges to soften the look. So I played along....but I must state it publicly. I DO NOT LIKE CHIPBOARD!! Not only is it messy if you paint it, awkward AND messy if you stamp it, and horribly time consuming and frustrating if you cover it with paper and then attempt to keep the edges in tack while sanding away at it. Not only that, it makes your project horribly heavy and quite pricey to mail.

That being said, I actually loved how this card turned out and hated to part with it and I truly hope that Joanne loves it just as much as I do. :)

I used my new Nestabilities I got from Paper Pretties for the main image layers then embossed around the top layer only. When I first saw these stamps in the Corner Store I laughed and thought they were kinda awkward looking....now after playing with them I just think they are so adorable! Funny how that works, eh? The DP is from the DCWV Xmas stack and I used three chipboard circles and added some striped DP. I sanded and inked the edges of the chipboard and it got pretty messy...but I liked how it made it look so I left it. Prisma Pencils & Gamsol for the coloring, white flocking for the fuzzy parts of his suit and a touch of glittah on the star and the red ornament. Lastly, I added a few buttons and was done.

Now this..........is what the chipboard craze is all about. I received this in the mail from Joanne and I was just amazed. So if you're looking for ways to use chipboard, she's your gal! Thanks Joanne, I love it!!!

Be sure to visit the other Prettie Pages (Julie M, Kristine, Alli, Charmaine, Christie, Joanne, Julie C) to see what they got in their mailbox and how they tackled last weeks Chipboard Challenge!

Birthday Bella

So my fellow DT pal Julie hit the big '30' recently and even though I was sick I just HAD to get a card out to her, she's too wonderful and needs to be spoiled as much as possible. :) So I whipped up this sweet lookin' gal and sent her on her way. I must admit, I liked Presentabella....heck, I like all the bellas. But when you color them and bring them to life that's when you're hit with cupid's arrow...BAM!!! LOVE HER!!!!

Did ya see newest Paper Pretties announcement??? February's Bella is .....

SayCHEEESEabella!!!!

I'm a Babe!!!!

Did ya see, did ya see?!!??!!? My Snowbunny Bella won the November Bella Babe contest over on the Bellahollics Yahoo group and I am officially a Babe!!! I really wish all of you could have seen the look on my face when I read the email, my jaw literally hit the ground. I was SO thrilled and honored. I entered her mainly because I loved her so much, I didn't care if anyone else did (ok so I kinda cared) but still, I was in total shock! She is by far my favorite bella, not only because she's totally adorable but because my dear friend Christie had a hand in designing and naming her. Nov 16th I will be turning 30 and I have been dreading it. Now that I'm "a Babe" I think this just might be a fabulous birthday after all!!!! **MWAH** to all my sistahs!!!

Snowy Wishes

Doesn't she just make you want to throw on your snow boots and have a snow fight?!?! I love her SO much!!! I got some images from a friend this weekend, Snowbunny is coming in Decembers Paper Pretties Bella Box and I can't wait to have her!!! I only have 3 images to play with so I had to make sure I got it right. ;) I used Primsa Pencils & Gamsol to color her coat, the White SU Watercolor crayon for the snow and Copics for everything else. The DP is from the new Xmas Stack from DCWV and the colors used for the layers were Bashful Blue and Close to Cocoa. The Snowflake CB folder was perfect for the white strip along the bottom and I thought the tab punch needed a little something so I used the Paper Trey Holiday Treats snowflake label stamp to make a light snowflake background behind the 'warm wishes', can you see it?? This bella screams to be flocked so every fuzzy piece has white flocking on it (Paper Pretties Corner Store carries TONS of colors of flocking) I just LOVE IT!!! And do ya see the stitching?!?!? I FINALLY threaded my Janome Sew Mini (I had to have Margaret's mother come over in a panic when I screwed up my first stitching, the top looked like the bottom and the bottom looked like the top...apparently the bobbin being threaded perfectly IS a big deal! And who created the sewing machine, seriously...it's a work of a genius!)

And thank you ALL for your kinds words and warm wishes while I have been down with vertigo...and I'm happy to report, I'm at 99% normal again!!!!! I still can't spin my nephew around in circles but other than that, I'm back to my normal crazy self!!! YIPPEEE!!! I hope everyone had a great weekend! xoxo

Paper Party Promotion!

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Stock up for all your upcoming projects with Stampin' Up!'s exclusive double-sided Designer Series paper. There's so many pretty patterned papers to choose from, you're sure to find the perfect patterns to help you show off your unique crafting style. And the best part is, you'll get a FREE pack of Designer Series paper ($9.95 value) for every three packs you buy -- no limits, no restrictions. Visit pages 170-173 of our Fall-Winter Collection 2007 or our Holiday Mini Collection to see all our Designer Series paper. Click here to download featured projects and patterns!

Contact me today about how to take advantage of this fabulous fall offer!!!

Prettie Scary Wednesday...

Last week Joanne presented the Pretties Challenge to "scare yourself". We were to step out of our box, use a stamp we've never inked, paper we've been avoiding, a technique that we're scared of, etc. For those that stamp with me you know the story of the $200 sand. So let me tell this story one more time for the world to read. LOL 7 years ago I was an obsessive stamp shopper (wait, I still am). I didn't care what it cost, if I liked it I had to have it. I went to an event called Rubberama. A convention center filled with rubber stamp vendors, paper vendors, etc...you get the idea. I walked around for hours oohing and ahhing over everything. I purchased my very first unmounted stamps there actually! I came across a booth with "shimmer sand". I watched the lady punch out various shapes using double sided adhesive paper, layer them onto each other and use different color 'shimmering sands' to add depth and dimension. I HAD TO HAVE IT! I didn't purchase a few, I bought every single color they made!!! That was 7 years and $200 ago....the box still sits on the shelf collecting dust.

So when I was presented this challenge I looked around and had no idea what 'scared' me...until my eyes fell upon that dusty box.

I used that sheet of adhesive I bought 7 years ago (hey, it was still tacky!) and cut 2 different sized strips. I placed them on the card and poured my shimmer sand. I ran the top pink strip through my CB and I used the sundae stamp from the MFT set 'How Sweet It Is' which I received in my Sept Paper Pretties box! (love that set!). I also added a bit of red glittah on the cherries (they needed it) and did some paper piercing around the oval greeting at the bottom. It really does 'shimmer' in real life, I was actually really happy with the results and made a few more while I had the supplies out on my table.

Did anyone else scare them self this week?!?! If you've been challenging yourself, let me know by leaving a link in your comment. Make sure you stop by the other Pretties Girl blogs to see what scared them! Kristine, Julie M, Alli, Charmaine, Joanne, Christie, Julie C.

And of course...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Don't forget, today is the last day to take advantage of the Happy Halloween Hooplah event over at Paper Pretties, so if you've been putting it off then get your tail over there today and sign up!!!

So Sweet...

Have you ever noticed that when you feel like total crud that somewhere, someone, somehow shines a little piece of sunshine your way and it perks you up?! Well yesterday it happened to me....I'm still not back to myself and my vertigo hasn't subsided one bit. I miss work horribly (never thought I'd say that but it's true) and I just want out of this house!!! Well, my hubby brought in the mail and this bright, beautiful, cheerful card was addressed to ME. Joanne, one of my DT sistahs sent it to me just to brighten my day. Well Joanne, it worked!! Sadly, I missed out on SIYJ (Stampin in your jammies) and I was quite bummed because I was really looking forward to it. It's the one night a month that I can run around in my craft room and actually get things done. ;) But I just couldn't muster up enough energy to get out of bed and 'running around' just ain't in the cards for me at the moment. LOL So 'Thank You!' to Joanne, I miss you guys too!!!

Don't worry, I won't tag back...

I typically ignore these, however since my DT sistah is the tagger then I will be stoned if I don't participate. LOL

- Link to the person that tagged you. Julie Masse is the guilty party!

- Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself (on your blog, we all want to know them).

1. I can belch better than most men (I'm not proud, actually I think it's not very lady like but it's something weird I can do and those were the rules)

2. All my siblings were given the middle name Lee, after my father...except me. So I think mom had an affair with the postman. ;)

3. My eyes are grey....not hazel, not blue/green....GREY. Good thing is they match with whatever I wear!

4. I can make clicking sounds to the beat of any song with my tongue folded in half.

5. I write with my left hand but stamp with my right. (Oh but I'm not a 'south paw')

6. My hubby and I did the quick-step as our first dance as husband and wife (we took lessons but we never got to practice with 'the dress' so that was a comedy of errors!!!).

7. I used to sing opera in high school and college.

Ok done...don't worry, you won't get tagged....I'm not a tagger, I'm a stamper!!! LOL Ok was that not THE cheesiest thing ever or what?!?!

Nesting Rectangles

I LOVE THE NESTABILITIES!!!! There, I shouted it from the rooftop so everyone knows it!

When I opened my mail I was thrilled to find my rectangle nestabilities had arrived. I've been dying to get my hands on these for many reasons....to play (obviously), but also to really find out if they were worth all the 'hype'. They SO are!!! I had a friend over and I decided to show her what they could do. I stamped an image and then ran it through my CB to die-cut it and then ran it through again with different plates to emboss the edge. Beautiful! So then I did it again with another image and the scalloped rectangles....fun, fun, fun. Then I said "you could even use just a greeting and layer them like this"....so I stamped up a greeting and ran it through and as I started looking at the greeting my brain started cranking and I just kept going.

You don't have to emboss the edge of all of your cut-outs...but I really love how it looks. It adds that extra 'something' without being over the top. For this card I placed my die onto my cardfront and ran it through my CB. For die-cutting only, use your A plate, C plate, Spellbinders die (blade side up), cardstock, B plate. You will hear a HORRIBLE cracking sound the first few times you run them through. Don't worry, you didn't break anything. As your B plate gets more and more cuts into it the sound will fade. I have also found that if I flip my B plate over each time then it lessens then bending of the plastic plate. Please note, these plates are cheap and replaceable. Over time with diecutting you will need to replace them. But they are quite inexpensive and there is always a coupon!! :)

I couldn't get a good picture so I turned down the lights and took a close up of the shimmer white cardstock used for the main greeting. You also can't really see the smaller snowflake I used on the main greeting, it's 2nd generation of soft sky and it's really stunning in person. I used Soft Sky and Blue Bayou for my colors and Staz-on White for the snowflakes on the window sheet. The snowflake sheet is adhered between the soft sky layer and the blue bayou cardfront. I had so much fun making this little guy, not to mention finally getting to use my fabulous new Paper Trey stamp sets!

I can't wait until I start getting more of these Nestabilities sets from the Paper Pretties monthly club...(yes, the DT is allowed to subscribe to the monthly clubs too). I actually think it's a great idea not only because I can afford $30 a month rather than $300 in one shot, but I found that I'm enjoying getting to play with ONE set to get a feel for it. And this way I can play with each set for a month until the next one arrives. When you get them all at once it's kinda like overload...too much too fast, ya know? Anyone else feel like that with their new crafting purchases? I know I REALLY feel like that when my first SU order arrives after a new catalog has been released. "Help! Where do I start?!?" Ain't that the truth!

Happy Halloween Hoorah!

From now thru Halloween, if you subscribe to any of the monthly clubs on Paper Pretties your membership fee of $7.50 will be waived. No tricks...just treats!!!!

I received the rectangle Nesabilities in the mail yesterday and I am IN LOVE....so I have signed up for the Nestabilities Now Club on Paper Pretties (I must now own ALL the sets and for only $30 a month I can afford it this way) so I will be sharing with all of you the fun project I made within minutes of tearing open the box. LOL

Luminary Tutorial

You asked for it, so here ya go!!! They are perfect for lining your driveway so those little trick-or-treaters can easily find their way to your door.

Supplies you will need:
-Small gift bag 5"x4" -Ruler, Scissors, Hobby Knife, Cutting Mat, pencil, heat gun
-Black Embossing Powder, Stamps, Versamark Ink pad, Sticky Tape
-Vellum Cardstock 3 1/4" x 3 1/4"
- 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" scrap piece of paper
(Optional items) Scoring Blade, Markers

Step 1. - Lightly trace the 2 1/2" scrap paper onto the front of the bag creating your center square.

Step 2. Use your ruler to make an 'X' inside your square on the front of the bag.

Step 3. Slip your Cutting Mat inside the bag to protect the opposite side when cutting. Note: The Cutting Mat from the SU tool Kit fits perfectly. Use your hobby knife cut along the "X".

Step 4. Carefully cut off the pointed tips of each triangle, leaving approx 1/2" flap on each side.

Step 5. Score and fold the flaps inside the bag. If you have a scoring blade or bone folder it makes this step a bit easier.

Step 6. Place strips of Sticky Tape on the outside of your flaps, then apply any adhesive on the inside of your flaps. Use Sticky Tape for both if using a real candle inside these bags. Heat can cause adhesives to come loose but Sticky Tape will hold up to the heat.

Step 7. Ink and stamp your images onto the vellum cardstock using Versamark ink then pour black embossing powder on top of image. Remove excess powder to reveal image and heat embossing with a heat tool.

Step 8. If you want to color your image, flip the cardstock over and color the backside.

Step 9. Remove the red film from the sticky tape on each of the inside flaps.

Step 10. Carefully insert your vellum cardstock into the bag and center image as desired then press firmly against the sticky tape on the inside of the bag so the cardstock holds in place.

Final Step. Add your tealight and enjoy!!! (I added some fun ribbons to make them more decorative during daylight hours) ;)

Pretties Challenge Day!!!

First let me apologize for being MIA this past week....I've been fighting an episode of vertigo and looking at a computer screen, tv or pretty much anything has been near impossible. I'm slowly recovering so I thought I'd better post while I can...then back to bed for me, followed by some quality time staring at a blank wall that stays still. lol

So it's Wednesday which means....Pretties Challenge Day!!! Did any of you try out the challenge I posted last week?? They were fantastic colors to work with, so if you haven't joined in the fun then get to it! ;) Last weeks challenge was from Charmaine and it was to use the Bouncing Brayer technique. I have to tell you that I was a bit scared of this technique, me and brayers usually don't get along. But I must say that I was quite happy with my creation...

I first stamped the circle in Versamark on glossy paper. Next I used my Blue Frost spectrum pad and inked my brayer and 'bounced' around the circle until I was happy with the coverage. I wiped the extra ink off with a tissue and added a few trees. I wanted to keep the focus on the image rather than any other part of the card so I decided to keep it very simple and classy. I stamped the wording in Craft white first, let it dry and then stamped over it with Navy ink just slightly to the left so it looked more dimensional. Of course I had to have some paper distressing and my ticket corner punch I love so much.

Be sure to surf around and look at all the girls creations (Julie M, Joanne, Alli, Christie, Charmaine, Kristine, Julie C) and take a shot at trying this out for yourself.

If you do join us for these challenges let me know, post a link to your creation so I can take a peek! Also, be sure to check back later today for this weeks challenge....

Julie emailed me first thing this morning and she got her card in the mail so now I can show all of you my Color Challenge card. I couldn't get a very good picture for some reason, it's much prettier in real life. I used Soft Sky, Chocolate Chip, Vanilla & Close to Cocoa paper....the strip of cocoa I ran through my CB using my new polka dot texture plate. I used the large Polka Dot background stamp from Stampin Up and inked it all in Soft Sky, then used a Chocolate Chip pen to change the color of some of the dots. :) The flower is from Heidi Swapp and I just love it!!! My July Bella Box from Paper Pretties contained this gorgeous yellow paper with this exact flower on it, so when I found the matching stamp set I snatched it right up!!! I added a little color inside the petals with my aquapainter and Soft Sky inkpad and Cocoa inkpad. It needed a little sparkle so I used the Sakura Clear Glitter pen to add a bit of shimmer around the petals.

Add a little paper piercing to the corner and some gorgeous Chocolate Taffeta ribbon (love that, btw) and tah dah!! I really wanted to keep this card, how horrible is that?!?! HAHAHAH

Wednesday Prettie Challenge

We all love a good challenge right?!?! Behind the scenes at Paper Pretties, we've been challenging each other for a while now. Each week, one Prettie Girl presents a challenge and we all have one week to complete it and get it in the mail to another Prettie Girl. So we've decided to let you all in on the fun!! This is a great way to get those creative juices flowing....or make you go insane, either way you're stamping right?!? ;) One of our past challenges was from Alli - Color Challenge; Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Vanilla and Soft Sky. I'm holding off on posting my card until Prettie Campbell receives it (I was late for my date with the postman).

Take a peek a the other DT's blogs (Julie M, Kristine, Charmaine, Alli, Joanne, Christie, Julie C) and see what everyone made using those fabulous colors!!! Last weeks challenge was Bouncing Brayer and we'll be showing off those creations next Wed (gotta wait for the creations to get to their destination before revealing to the world). And finally, this weeks challenge is from Joanne - Scare Yourself! *gulp* Yep, take out those items that you've been avoiding and make something.

I hope you will challenge yourself to create something new each week...start with the ones listed here and be sure to check in again on Wednesdays for the reveals and new challenges. Remember...you don't ALWAYS have to like what you make or the technique you try. It's just about staying active and keeping those creative juices flowing. :) XOXO

What a Prettie day....

Have you seen the new additions to the Prettie Girls family?!?! We have expanded our family even more!! We are thrilled have Charmaine and Joanne join the Paper Pretties Design Team, these gals are UBER-talented and I must actually say that they are fabulous women as well as talented crafters. You must got check out their blogs, I learn something knew from them every day (not to mention get great ideas for cards to case) ;) Congrats ladies, glad to have you aboard!!! XOXO

*****SNEAK PEEK******

I thought I would give you a glimpse of the exclusive MFT set that will be featured in the Nov Paper Pretties box, isn't it great?!?! As always, Paper Pretties subscribers get these fabulous sets before they are available anywhere else!!! At first I wasn't sure how I'd like this set and once I played with it I just LOVED it. I colored the main image using Copics Sketch markers and the SU white watercolor crayon, I'm really loving the way the white looks on kraft. I added some white flock to her boots, I'm really getting addicted to adding flock to a lot of my cards...it reminder me of those fuzzy stickers we all loved when we were kids!! I used my Snowflake embossing folder on the Soft Sky and dressed it all up with some Fancy Fur yarn I picked up a while ago at Michael's. Gotta love fun fibers!!!