Rebecca's 10!

Happy Friday!!!

Wow!  WHERE did the week go???!!!  Oh, I know ... Monday and Tuesday were wiped out with Alicia having the flu (and having a stamping gig at the school ... and a stamping meeting downtown) ... Wednesday was catch-up on everything I didn't do Monday and Tuesday ... and yesterday was Rebecca's birthday.  Phew!  It went FAST!!!!

We had an absolutely LOVELY day together yesterday.  It is SO nice to be able to take a day to spend one-on-one time with the girls.  There truly is a crazy dynamic that goes on when the three or four of us are around each other ... but when it's me and ONE kid it really is awesome.  The morning flew by fast as I needed to do a FEW "mom" things ... like shower ... put away the breakfast dishes and so on but we did manage to swing by Tim Horton's after dropping Alicia off at school so Rebecca munched on her Timbits while I did what I needed to do.  I was willing to give walking the dog a miss, if she wanted to but she said we could do it - together.  Awwww - she rode her bike and I walked the mutt - and it was really nice (despite the fact that I lost one of my favorite earings on the winds 2 mile walk ... but that's ok ... it's only a "thing" ... and I'm still secretly hoping I'll stumble across it over the next weeks worth of walks!)

Around 11:00 am we headed out to the Dollar Store and spent a small fortune on little treats for the loot bags for her party tomorrow.  Then we were off to buy some clothes.  The first few stores were a bust so we headed to the mall ... to check out a store I'd heard about ... Justice.  Oh.  My.  Word.  Yes, it's exactly the kind of store I was looking for - one where there are clothes for young girls and boys that are between 6 and 13 ... but holy smokes!  I WASN'T expecting the prices!!!  I was lulled into thinking it wouldn't cost too much as everything in the store was 40% off.  GOOD THING!  Since WHEN does a tank top that wouldn't fit my left thigh cost $31.99??!!  And it's in WHITE!!!  Whomever came up with thinking that children's clothes she EVER be offered in white should be shot.  Twice.  And then poked with a large stick just for kicks!  $31.99.  Sheesh.  ANYWAY!  *lol*  I figured it was time Rebecca graduated from the Walmart clothes I buy her to something that actually lasts more than 3 washes and has some sort of style to it ... so $140 later we left.  I was poor but she was grinning ear to ear and kept telling me I was the best mom EVER ... yep ... I'm not ashamed to buy my daughter's love *lol*  After shopping we went to the hair salon where she got a (much needed) cut.  We picked up Alicia from Grandma's (WHERE would I BE without the help of my mom????!!!) and headed home.  I threw the ribs in the oven (her favorite and requested birthday dinner) and then it was time to open her gifts.  Wow.  She was one thrilled little girls when she opened those!  Now I'm the first to admit that we spent WAAAAAAY over-budget on a 10 year old ... but I'm glad we did.  It was seriously the best day EVER for her and given all her "worries" and anxieties and struggles over the last few months it was beyond words to see her so happy for a whole day!  ... of course just to offset the happiness factor her younger sister had to have a few rounds of jealousy and tears over all the things Rebecca got and that "it isn't all about HER" ... of course I pointed out that yes ... it WAS all about her ... which really didn't help the tantrum situtation but what the heck ... what's a day in my life without SOMEONE being upset with me (... for the record, Monday night Rebecca was jealous of ALICIA ... Rebecca said (and I quote) "Mom ... I know Alicia's sick and all ... but tomorrow could you pay a little more attention to ME?  I felt like you were ignoring me a little today" *lol* ... again ... probably not helpful when I replied with "Umm ... that's because I WAS ignoring you today ..." ... yep, I don't always do myself a lot of favours, do I??!!  *lol*)  ANYway .... let's see a project before you call social services on me ...

I was really thrilled with the card I made for Rebecca.  It was absolutely perfect:

... and the inside:

... and the "envelope"

She loved it.  What made it so perfect is the "heart" aspect of it.  Every day and night, Rebecca says "Heart" and makes a heart with her hands ... when I say good night at bedtime, when I drop her off at school or any other time when I'm going anywhere ... so "heart" it had to be!  I made the card a 5" x 5" card.  I used my Labels framelits to punch out the labelsd, in Regal Rose and Melon Mambo.  I used my big shot numbers dies to punch out the "10" in silver glimmer paper (the set I have is retired now but there is still a set available on page 192 of the catty for $110.95 ... a great set to have on hand!!).  I punched small hearts out of the glimmer paper as well with the "Small Heart" punch (*lol*) - page 183 $7.95.  The "th" is from the set Memorable Moment - page 139 - $26.95 clear; $36.95 wood (I only recently got this set - I think's it's a keeper!) - I stamped it in Mambo then punched it out with one of the shapes from the Little Labels Punch Pack - page 183 - $22.95 - and then mounted that on a 7/8" scallop circle - page 16 of the mini - $15.95.  The "Happy Birthday" is from "You're Amazing" (another one I've had since July but only just inked up!) - page 33 - $27.95 clear; $37.95 wood.  I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig so get the positioning just right.  I used a new technique (to me) to ink up just the "Happy" and then just the "Birthday" ... using markers alone doesn't give me an intense enough image ... so I used the ink pad ... but rather than just trying to ink the one word I actually used some post-it-notes to cover the word I DIDN'T want inked and then, after inking the word I DID want, removed the post-it note and stamped on the card stock .. here's a picture to show what I mean:

See?  SO I put the post it note on ... the inked the stamp (yes, the post it notes gets all inky) ... then take OFF the post it note and stamp the sentiment.  I did the same thing for the "Birthday"

For the inside of the card I used the "You are Loved" set - page 24 - $28.95 clear; $38.95 ... which I believe is retiring ... but I'm too lazy to check at the moment ... it's such a pretty set ... the "heart" is spelled out using my retired "Go Go Boots" sizzlet dies (finally used them!!!) and hearts punched out with the retired heart trio punch ... oh - and I used my Heart Framleits to punch out the You are Loved heart image.

I didn't make an envelope per se.  I needed a piece of CS larger than 12x12 to make a true envelope - so I just made a "wrap" with a belly band.  I used the Bold Brights DSP - scored it, wrapped it and then made a belly band

Ta da!

So there you have it.  The perfect card for my favorite little 10 year old!  It's tru what they say ... the days are long but the years are short.  Go.  Spend some time with your little one(s) ... and smell those roses - it does your heart good!!

 

 

Pop back soon to see that baby card I was talking about the other day :) ... until then ... have a stampy day!


Tam

Mommy / Daughter Day!

Happy Thursday!

  ... and Happy 10th Birthday to my Rebecca!  I'm happy to repot that I DID manage to make her a birthday card yesterday!  I was hoping to schedule it to post for today but I got tied up wrapping present, dinner and so on ... so now you'll have to wait.  I'm taking the day off today ... And Rebecca is playing hoodie so we can have our annual birthday Special Day Out.  We will take Alicia to school, then hit TimHortons for some Timbits then it's a full day of shopping, eating and hair doos.  I'm pretty sure shell come home with a new dress, shoes and a purse.  I'll come home with an empty wallet and a full heart.  I love this tradition ... girlie time with not-so-little-anymore girl.

Have a fun day everyone ... Pop in tomorrow to see her birthday card!!

Tam

Stippled Blossoms Take II

Happy Wednesday!

Yes!  It IS a happy Wednesday!  Everyone is healthy, (relatively) happy and where they should be (i.e. work or school!!!)  On top of THAT ... I have NOTHING written on the calendar for today - woo hoo!  It's great being ME today!!!  What to do ... what to do ... Oh!  I know!  I should send out the RETIRING PRODUCT LIST ... it comes out today ... guess I should get on that!  Then I suppose I should do my usual chores and maybe make Rebecca's birthday card and wrap a few presents a day BEFORE her birthday rather than on the morning OF her birthday *lol*. 

Yesterday turned out pretty well.  Alicia woke up 95% better ... but I let her stay home anyway.  I woke her up 10 minutes before we had to leave to take Rebecca to school ... and I didn't want to rush her ... and she hadn't eaten anything yesterday so home she stayed.  Grandma came to the rescue so I could go to my SU meeting (ooooo, being on the Team Stampin' Up! Canada is going to be awesome!!!!).

So I went down to the craft room  to work on my Club Treats for April when I spied this card ... I totally forgot about it as it hit the "reject" pile for my SAS on Sunday.  Although it didn't make "the list" for the SAS it is still a pretty card ... here she is:

This was my first attempt with the Stippled Blossom set.  I figured I'd try it using Pink Pirouette and Pretty In Pink since Mother's Day is coming up soon.  In the end it was to froo-froo for my personal liking.  I'm not a "baby pink" kinda gal ... and I KNOW my mom isn't ... so that's when I went back to Debi Pippin's color combo of Crumb Cake and Chocolate Chip.  See my original Stippled Blossom post 2 days ago for the deets on the card ... but it's pretty straight forward.  I didn't use an embossed background for the pink version ... and I used the sentiment from "Wonderful Mother" (page 26 of the catty - $10.95 clear; $14.95 wood) - punched it out with the Large Oval punch and matted it with the Scallop Oval punch (both page 184 of the catty; $21.95 and $22.95 respectively) and popped them up with a dimensional.  I added Bitty Butterflies (mini page 1 - $21.95) and rhinestones (page 175 - $6.50)  Wa-low!  A pretty "girlie" card ... just not for THIS girlie :)

I have been working on THE BEST baby card EVER in the history of baby cards.  I can take NO credit for it as it is a total CASE (I seem to be doing that a LOT lately ... but seriously - there is no shame in it!!  The original creator of CASEd cards is flattered that their creation has been CASEd ... this card is just too awesome NOT to case.  (Sorry it's late, Helen ... it's taken a while to make ... but well worth the wait!).  Of course I can't share it with you until I give it to my newest Momma (Helen's 5th beautiful little bundle! ... she's my hero and deserves this card for SURE!) ... so I'll try to get it in the mail tomorrow so I can share it with you all.  It truly is amazing!  Until then ... have a stampy day!

Tam

Mary Fish Do-Over

Happy Tuesday?

I'm not sure if it is or not!  My youngest is sick with the flu and while I love that I'm a Work-at-Hom-Mom for just suck sickness emergencies it sure keeps you from getting much done around the house!  This week was SUPPOSED to be my "crazy busy every single day of the week" week ... so I've had to call in Grandma for back-up, cancel a few things and shift a few others.  One thing that WON'T wait is Rebecca's birthday.  Sickness or not, big sister's 10th birthday is Thursday so hopefully my wee one will be up and about by then ... Rebecca and I have our "Special Mommy / Daughter Day Out".  I'm letting Rebecca play hookie from school that day ( ... a) it IS just a half day at school and b) it IS her birthday ... and really?  Shouldn't we all get a day off on our birthday?  Adults shouldn't have to work and kids shouldn't have to go to school!!)  SO let's hope Alicia feels better SOON ... like by NOW!  Today I am SUPPOSED to be attending an important meeting with Stampin' Up! Head of Canadian Operations Dale Hampshire as part of the "Team Canada" group I am part of.  150 demonstrators from across Canada are working together under Dale's guidance in order to make being a SU Demonstrator even more rewarding.  I DON'T want to miss the meeting!!  Mom said she could babysit but Alicia is pretty adamant she wants Mom ... we'll see how it plays out.  There IS a teleconference for those who can't physically make the meeting but it IS important to attend ... but family has to come first, right?  Oh PLEASE just let her better in time for the meeting so I don't have to make a hard decision!!!

Speaking of decisions .... back to SUnday's Stamp-a-stack for my project today.  The CASE I did of Mary Fish's card just wasn't sitting well with me.  In fact, the more I looked at it the more I disliked it.  So, yes .... with less than 12 hours before the SAS started I had to rework it.  Here was Mary's original card:

Here was my first CASE:

 

 

... and here is my CASE - Take II:

*lol* ... ok ... yes, it is now much closer to Mary's original card ... and I like it much better than my first CASE.  On this version I didn't put the Bitty Butterfly inside the Elegant Butterfly ... I added a rhinestone (uncolored) for the body and I added a strink for (3) rhinestones to the left of the sentiment.  Ya, ya ... I know ... next time just do what Mary does ... she knows what she's doing!

That's it for today ... I have to go get some things done!!  Until next time .. have a stampy day!

Tam

Stippled Blossoms CASE

Happy Monday!

I hope you had a great weekend!  I did!  It was really relaxing.  I love days with nothing scheduled, followed by a few hours of stamping with friends and a yummy, roast dinner to finish things off!

This week is pretty busy.  Today I'm stamping with some Teacher Assistants at their Professional Development Day - tomorrow I'm meeting with Dale Hampshire (head of Canadian Operations) and his team for our "Team Canada" meeting - Wednesday I have a bit of a breather - Thursday is Rebecca's birthday - Friday is Craft Night and then Saturday is Rebecca's birthday party!  No rest for the wicked!!  Guess I better crack on!

Here is the last card we made at my Stamp-a-Stack yesterday.  I cased the idea from Debi Pippin, fellow demonstrator.  Here is her original card:

I loved the color combination she used - Crumb Cake and Chocolate Chip.  I didn't use as many layers for my version but the rest is fairly similar:

I've been meaning to use the Stippled Blossoms set (page 78 - $22.95 clear; $32.95 wood) for ... oh ... about a year now, since I got it at Convention last year ... but haven't done it!  I think that's a sign that I have too many stamp sets to use in 1 year!!!  As Debi did, I stamped the background of the flowers and leaves in Crumb Cake and then stamped off on a scrap piece of paper before stamping on my Very Vanilla layer.  I then used my Stamp-a-ma-jig (page 7 - $15.50) to exactly stamp the flower and leave accents in Chocolate Chip.  I used Crumb Cake Seam Binding - a Chocolate Chip layer - and the sentiment, from Loving Thoughts (page 136 - $28.95 clear; $36.95 wood) in Chocolate Chip.  Oh!  And the Vanilla base is run through the Vintage Wallpaper Big Shot folder (page 189 - $9.95).  What a great card, Debi!  It works for most occasions ... barring masculine recipients!  Change the sentiment for Thak You, Just Because, Happy Mother's Day, Happy Birthday ... most anything.  My kind of card!

That's my offering for today.  Pop in again soon to see what's new.  Until then .... have a stampy day :)

Tam

Punched Circles CASE

Happy Sunday!

Just a quick one today, as my Stamp-a-Stack starts in a few hours!

Yes ... I have another CASE for you.  I gotta say ... my creative juices were lacking over the last few weeks (if you read my previous posts you can understand why!) so ... to Pinterest and Stampin' Connection I went!  I spend at least half an hour every morning, over my coffee, snooping through these two great resources and save cards I like for times like these when I need a great card but lack the time or energy to create it from scratch.  This week it was Catherine Pooler to the rescue!  She has a great site at catherinepooler.com with lots of videos and inspiration.  Here is the card I CASEd from her site:

I'm not sure what drew me to this card originally - the paper or the clean and simple design.  Regardless, I loved it and tried to recreate it.  I found out the paper is from the Festival of Prints Paper Pack that was in the holiday mini and is thus now retired so I simply grabbed my CURRENT paper pack - Print Poetry DSP - page 16 of the mini - $8.50 - and was spoiled for DSP choice!  This was my first attempt:

I really liked how it turned out ... and that if you flipped the colors over you had a great masculine card ... but I really wasn't in a "very vanilla" kind of mood.  I wanted Whisper White ... but the DSP uses vanilla ... and it didn't really "go" ... so I grabbed my current favorite "bright and perky" DSP - Polka Dot Parade and made this:

Much better! ... well, for today's mood, anyway!  I like that this card can be used for any age and either gender (well, maybe skip the rhinestones if you are giving it to a man!)  I sued the 1 3/4", 1 3/8", 1" and 3/4" circle punches with the Polka Dot Parade DSP.  The sentiment is from Curly Cute (pgae 138 - $17.95 clear; $24.95 wood) in Early Espresso.  I rounded the corners with the corner rounder punch (page 183 - $8.95) and popped it up on dimensionals.  I also rounded the corners on the top card stock layer and added dimensionals to that.  A large rhinestone and some regular rhinestones finished it off.  (On the Very Vanilla card above I used the large pearl and regular pearls - everything else was the same).

So that's my share for today.  Pop in tomorrow when I'll share a card that wasn't 100% CASEd ... but pretty close *lol*.  Hey!  A great card is a great card!  You don't always have to reinvent the wheel!  Until tomorrow ... have a stampy day!

Tam

Birthday Butterfly Case

Happy Saturday!

I told you I'd be back :)  Don't you just love my spuratic blogging? *lol*

Today I have a card to show you that is a case from Mary Fish.  Do you follow her?  I don't know many stampers who DON'T follow her!  You really should pop into her blog at www.stampinpretty.com - I do - every - single - day.  MAN she's is one talented lady!  Here is the clean and simple card she made that I decided to case for my Stamp-a-Stack tomorrow:

Pretty, yes?  Now I really don't know what it is about me ... or why I can't just leave well enough alone ... but I can't.  I just can't.  Whenever I CASE a card that I like that is clean, simple and uncluttered I have this need to ADD something to it.  I just can't handle all the blank space!  Don't worry.  I'm seeking help for my neurosis *lol*.  Here is the card I came up with:

It WAS the same as Mary's ... exactly the same ... and then I added 3 more butterflies and rhinestones.  I'll let my stampers decide if they want to leave it plane or add to it, as I did.  I punched the top layer of ww with the Elegant Butterfly punch (page 184 - $21.95) and then used the "Occasions" Paper-Piercing Pack (page 27 of the Spring Mini - $10.95) to punch the butterfly design around the punched design.  Have you ever TRIED the paper piercing packs?  I forgot just how therapeutic it is!  Remind me of popping bubble wrap just for fun *lol* ... give it a try - lots of fun!  I put a 2" x 2" piece of Polka Dot Parade Rich Razzleberry DSP behind the punched image and used my 2-way glue pen to attach the smaller Bitty Butterfly (page 13 of the mini - $21.95).  I added a rhinestone to his body and colored it with my purple Sharpie.  The sentiment is in Razzleberry, from the "Made for You" set - page 44 - $10.95 clear; $14.95 wood.  I added the other 3 butterflies and added colored rhinestones to them as well.  Quick, easy and pretty :)  Thanks, Mary, for the great card!

... so now one just for fun ...

THIS is what my "happy place" looks like after a few hours of crafting ... look familiar?  *lol*

Yep ... it's my "happy place" ... until I need to clean it *lol*.  Notice the little 4" x 3" space I actually have to work??  THIS is where the magic happens *lol* ...

Pop in tomorrow when I'll share another CASEd card for my SAS ... until then ... have a stampy day :)

Tam

Bits & Pieces

 Happy Friday!!!

What a great day to stay home, warm and cosy, and get some loose ends all tied up!  I'm finally getting on top of all the things I have to do!

I can't believe it's Friday already - the week has FLOWN by! 

You'll recall last week had me completely overwhelmed and stressed out.  This week didn't start off much better :(  Remember I was on top of the world thinking I finally had my daughter's "issues" figured out?  Yep.  I was 99% sure that she was crashing due to being lactose intolerant.  By Sunday my certainty had dropped to about 5%.  Rebecca spent the weekend at my Mom's (Alicia and I were supposed to be at Brownie camp all weekend so she was heading to grandma's for a fun weekend and to give Craig the house to himself ... but camp was cancelled due to the nasty storm that blew through).  Mom was careful not to give Rebecca any dairy products.  It really didn't seem to help at all.  I was discouraged.  Mom said she ate like a horse Saturday ... but Sunday, after having half a bacon sandwich (on "skinny" bread) she didn't feel well.  OK!  Bingo!  Let's move off of lactose intolerance and move swiftly along onto gluten intolerance!  It had to be the bread!  So off I trotted to the store and spend $56 on potato bread (for $6.29 a loaf!!!), coconut icecream $7.50 for a small container), rice cereal and more Almond milk (just in case it WAS dairy).  When I got home Rebecca announced "I love those ginger cookies you made!" ... oh!  those would be the cookies made with 2 cups of flour and a cup of butter!  @#%@$#%  So much for no gluten or dairy in her diet *lol*.  She said she felt fine afterwards.  Great.  Back to the drawing board.  While I'm still trying to keep her dairy and gluten down in her diet she DID have Fettucini Alfredo for dinner the other night.  Yup - whole wheat pasta, cream, butter and cheese.  She felt fine.  Sigh.  I'm now back to thinking that what threw her into a tail spin was stress ... although I'm not certain what she was stressed about.  I know Sunday, Monday and Tuesday she was VERY stressed over me going for my colonoscopy.  Poor lamb.  She's too young to be so worried all the time!  Luckily I managed to get us in to see a new psychologist - Craig and I see her Wednesday and Rebecca sees her the following Thursday.  I've heard really great things about this lady and I'm hopeful that she can help us find more tools for Rebecca in dealing with stress.  Meanwhile I plod along trying to stay positive, encourage her and hold things together.

Monday.  Monday was about as much fun a I expected.  MAN that 4 litres of nastiness you have to drink is brutal!  I had to drink 1 cup of it every 10 minutes ... for almost 3 HOURS!!!  About every 3rd glass I would gag on it.  Absolutely the worst thing EVER to have to drink.  I'm really not sure I can do it again 5 years from now.  Ugh!  ... of course I'm sure I will ... I need to go every 5 years as my maternal grandfather died from colon cancer and 10 years ago I had a polyp removed ... so I gotta do it.  LEt me tell ya - 5 years is too soon for my liking!

Tuesday.  Tuesday was quite lovely, really.  Oh sure, having a camera shoved up your pooper isn't the nicest thing to have to have done ... but the resulting 13 hours of sleep is almost worth it!  *lol*  I slept all afternoon and went to bed early.  I had a lovely sleep for once and woke up with energy!  I got so much done it was insane!  I highly recommend 13 hours of sleep to anyone!

The rest of the week has gone fairly well.  While Rebecca still doesn't feel well in the mornings I attribute that to the stress of having to go to school ... and at least she does eat her little cup of peaches.  Summer break can't come fast enough for me.  For 2 months she doesn't have to go to school and she is a much happier little girl ... as it should be.

So!  Enough about my soap opera of a life!  Let's get to some projects!  Now I gotta start off by saying these projects certainly won't set the crafting world on fire ... but I'm throwin' 'em out there anyway ... and I have 3 more that I will post over the next 3 days that are a little more interesting .. so keep coming back!

First up is a rediculously quick and simple card.  We made this one at my last Technique Class ... not so much for the wonderful design, but more so that my gals could use the new Photopolymer Stamp Set.  I was actually pleasantly surprised by it.  The set itself doesn't blow my hair back but it is a "keeper" as it lets you spell out whatever you want to say, for those rare occasions you can't find an appropriate sentiment or if you want to spell the recipient's name.  Here is what we made:

 

I warned you! *lol*.  Very clean and simple.  The stamp set Typeset Alphabet Photopolymere set ($17.95) stamps a very clean, crisp image indeed.  I was surprised at how firm the rubber is!  It's great in that you can see right through the stamp so placement is that much easier than with the clear or wood sets.  I did find placing the little letters fiddly ... especially when I dropped the "H" and it took 15 minutes to find it!  The stamps are super sticky and they DO hold onto the block for dear life ... wich is a good thing ... unless you drop one ... then it could be stuck to anything *lol*.  The card above is a great card to mail out when you forget someone's birthday ... which I have done more than once.  I better start mass producing this one!

Next up is a card I cased from a fellow demonstrator Maureen Merritt

 - you can check out her other projects here: http://www.mamamostamps.com/2012_10_01_archive.html

I changed her card slightly, but the premise was the same:

I love the Lacy & Lovely set (page 99 - $21.95 clear; $30.95 wood).  I primarily use it for the sentiments but Maureen's card shows just how great the lacy images are as well!  I used Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight,Tangerine Tango and Pacific Point inks.  I popped up the Tangerine circle by punching out a second image with my 1 3/8" circle punch and popping it up on a dimensional.  I added a number of brads and, although you can't see it very well, I also spritzed the top layer of whisper white with a spritz I made with alcohol and Frost White Shimmer paint.  Oh - and I also rounded the corners using the corner rounder punch.  I popped the whole layer of ww up on dimensionals as well.  Agreat, quick, pretty card for most occasions!

Next up is a re-do of my Dapper Dad watch card, posted a while back.  I was planning to use this card for an upcoming Teacher's Assistant PD Day gig ... but I had some constructive criticism about it being very mono-chromatic ... and I had to agree.  I like to have (3) colors in most cards and this one only has two.  Here is the original card:

... and here is my do-over card:

 OK ... so the ligting isn't great but it really is a lot better than the original in person.  The addition of the black really makes it look sharp!  I simply changed the grey mat for black, stamped the watch in grey but then used my black marker to color the edges of the watch and then stamped the watch a second time on a scrap piece of ww using black Staz-on and punched the watch face out using the 1" circle punch ... and popped the face up on a dimensional.  Perfect!  I like it a LOT better :)

So that's it for today!  I'm heading down to the craft room to work on my "treats" for my club gals ... and I love them!  I won't post them until I've given them out about a week from now, though ... on the bright side, I'll have a picture tutorial to go with it :)  I also need to work on a baby card for my lovely friend Helen who just had her 5th beautiful little baby, Matthew 11 days ago.  Yes, I knew she was pregnant ... and have known for about 5 months now ... but of course I never quite got around to making her a card!  Ack!  If I don't do it this weekend the wee one will be a year old before he gets it! ... so I better get cracking.

Thanks for dropping in and catching up on my life.  Until tomorrow ... have a stampy day :)

Tam

Today's the day ...

... Yep ... Today's the day ... I'm GUNNA post a project or two ... TODAY ... Just not until after my coffee ... And my Pilates ... And making the beds ... And taking the girls to school ... And walking the dog .... And eating breakfast.  But RIGHT AFTER that I'm gunna post ... So pop back in a few hours *lol*

:)

Tam

Oh Whale Penny Spinner

Happy Saturday!

I'm sorry it's been so long since I posted!  You know when I don't post for so long that either a) life is crazy busy or b) I'm not in a "happy place" to be posting.  I like to keep things light and happy ... and long and rambly ... and to be perfectly honest, since my last post life has been a combination of a) and b).  There has been a LOT of stress around here lately and I'm only just now started to crawl out from under it all.  Last week was particularly stressful for me as I was dealing with a lot of issues with Rebecca, my eldest.  In a nutshell every day she was telling me that she didn't feel well.  Rebecca has a lot of anxiety (WAY too much for a little almost-10-year-old) and I attributed her not feeling well to stress.  Problem was she kept telling me nothing was stressing her out.  It got worse and worse every day to the point where I was having trouble handling it and simply didn't know what to do about it.  The poor lamb would go to school (only because I made her go) but 3 times she called me on the verge of tears begging me to let her come home.  Again, thinking it was anxiety I kept encouraging her to practice her breathing and other coping skills we've learned over the years but nothing was helping.  Thursday and Friday I was on the verge of tears all day struggling with how I could help my little girls.  We've worked with psychologists in the past but it really hasn't helped.  Friday morning I took Koda out for his walk and tried to clear my mind and really "hear" what Rebecca was telling me.  I simply couldn't figure out what had changed in the last week that had thrown her into such a tail spin.  And then it hit me.  Milk.  This week she had a lot more milk than usual.  I instantly figured she must be lactose intollerant!  I can't even tell you the level of excitement and pure joy I felt at the thought of it.  All the pieces started to fit together!  She usually drinks juice (way too much for my liking but if she doesn't have juice she generally doesn't drink at all so juice it is).  This week we didn't HAVE any juice (I only buy it when it's on sale and it hasn't been on sale lately) so she's been having milk!  Then I saw the patterns that were staring me in the face the whole time.  She wouldn't feel GREAT when she left for school but half an hour later she would be feeling REALLY bad ... makes sense!  She has cereal with milk or toast with milk for breakfast ... 20-30 minutes later she feels icky.  For lunch she has cheese ... then she feels icky ... she has banana bread and MILK at bedtime ... and then feels icky 30 minutes later.  How could I not see it???  I have taken her off dairy and hopefully in the next few days she'll be back to normal ... and I won't be a total walking bag of stress!  (on the up-side I've had some GREAT workouts this week *lol*).  So that's had me from blogging for a while ... that and I don't have a lot of projects to share!  Again, not a lot of time for happy creating time!  So thank you for coming back to see what the heck was going on and why I hadn't posted *lol*

I DID manage to come up with a card I loved.  It wasn't easy, though.  I had Technique Class looming over me and no technique in mind.  I finally decided to do the Black Magic Technique (thanks to Alicia's inspiration with the bookmark she made her sister) but the day after I decided to do that technique Stampin' Up! announced that there was a supplier problem and the watercolor pencils were no longer available!  Ack!  No point showing a technique when no one can buy the supplies to do it at home!  So I needed to come up with something else.  I tried for DAYS to come up with something ... I tried about 5 different ideas - all epic failures.  Then I slowed down and realized I needed to start prioritizing my life!  First priority was to make Rebecca's brithday invitations!  I WANTED to hand them out yesterday ... but didn't quite get them finished BUT in making the invitations I realized I was using a technique I could teach - the Penny Spinner card.  Well ... maybe that's not a technique per se ... but it's cool and that's what I decided to do.  Her is Rebecca's invitations (we are having a swimming party):

Hee hee - love this little guy!  When you tilt the card he spins - so cute!  I switched the sentiment for Technqiue Class ...

I love the color combination (thank you very much my beloved Color Coach!)  I used Island Indigo (yay!  This In Color is staying as part of the "main" color line for a few more years!!) and Rich Razzleberry.  The waves are made with the Oh Wave jumbo wheel (page 29 of the mini - $10.50) and the whale and sentiment are from Oh, Whale! (page 29 of the mini - $20.95 clear; $27.95 wood).  The whale is punched out using the Happy Whale Clearlit die - page 29 - $9.95. 

So!  For those who might not know how to make a Penny Spinner card, I have a little tutorial for you :)

It's really very simple.  First you punch a slit in your card front using the Word Window Punch.  You need to punch it 3 times along the length of the card.  For this card it was very easy to line up the slits.  I flipped the card so the "sky" section was facing my stomach ... and then pushed the card stock into the punch as far as it would go.  It was the perfect spot!  Then you just move the punch over and do it again .... and again.  For this card I then went back and punched the slit just a HAIR bigger ... it gives the penny slightly more room so spin.  As you can see from the picture below a dimensional only JUST fits in the slit - I like to give it just a smidge more room for better spinning. 

Once you have the slit you centre a penny behind the slit ... and place a dimensional on it.

 Then you place a second penny on top of the dimensional ... making a dimensional sandwhich :)

 Than you add another dimensional and add whatever image you like to the top of it.  A few years ago I made a Penny Spinner card with a bowling ball - very cute.  There are all kinds of ideas you can use - birds, bees, butterflies, wheels, balls ...

 

I wanted to show you how I got the clouds embossed just on the top section of the card ... but I got a little "delete" happy on my camera and deleted the picture!  ... so I'll jut have to TELL you what I did!

When I put my card stock into the Cloudy Day embossing folder and headed over to my Big Shot I quickly realized the folder is about 2 mm too long to fit into the machine sideways.  No problem, I thought, I'll just turn the folder to go through seam-first.  Wrong!  When I turned it I realized the card stock sticks out too far and THAT was too wide to go through the big shot.  Rats!  Hmmm - I wasn't gunna let THAT stop me - I wanted clouds so I was gunna have clouds.  I grabbed my Craft and Rubber scissors and cut the top layer of my embossing folder in half lengthwise (from the edge to the folded seam)!  It's ok!  Don't panick!  Iif I ever want a FULL card base to be embossed it still works just by closing the top flap ... and if I just can handle having a cut folder I can always buy another one ... they're only $10.95!

So that's it for today ... I'm off to finish Rebecca's invitations and perhaps craft for fun.  I hope to post again soon but next week is pretty busy.  I have the joy of going for a colonoscopy on Tuesday.  Good times!  You ever had one?  I have.  Not a lot of fun.  Monday I get to drink a 4 litre pail of sludge ... and have nothing but jello and/or soup broth all day ... Tuesday is the fun of an enema and the colonoscopy.  Something tells me I won't be up to crafting Tuesday *lol*!  Having said that you just never know ... so pop in again and see if I managed to get some happy time in.

Thanks again for checking in ... until next time - have a stampy weekend :)

Tam

Beyond Plaid Take IV

Happy Friday!

I have a love/hate relationship with today.  I love that it's Friday ... but I hate that the weather forcast is for "up to 15 CM OF SNOW!!!!  Ack!  Enough already!!  I like winter as much as the next Canadian Gal ... and I would change having 4 seasons a year for sun and beach all year round but SERIOUSLY!  It first snowed October 31st this year ... that's pushing 5 1/2 MONTHS of snow for pity sake!!!!  If I see another snowman this week I just might have to punch it in the head!  *lol* ... well, I wouldn't actually DO that to a child's snowy friend ... but I think it might make me feel a little better!

... on another note ... the Weight Watchers and excercise is going well.  No, I don't WANT to excercise but I know I have to ... it really is the only way I have ever truly lost weight and it's good for me (that and I can't afford to pay $100 for every day I miss!).  The food part is a little tough ... it always is until you get into a groove.  I hate having to think about what I'm putting in my mouth (hence the size of my butt!) and it is VERY time consuming to prep all the vegetables ... and of course prepping food means a lot more dishes every day.  So yes, eating healthy is very time consuming ... but it's worth it, right?  I have to laugh ... last night I made a Vermicelli shrimp bowl for dinner.  I really don't know what I was thinking!  as IF my kids would touch it with a barge pole!  Needless to say, I now have a 4 week supply of the stuff left to eat (since I can only really eat about 1 1/2 cups per day as the noodles are a lot of points!) and the kids had toast for dinner *lol*.  Oh well - like I said before - they don't seem to like WHATEVER I make for dinner so I might as well make what MOM wants to eat, right?  (I promised them tacos tonight .... I can't have them living on toast EVERY night! .... and I'll just have mine on salad or spaghetti squash ....)

RIGHT!  SO!  Onto a project!  Now this card is my absolute favorite in a VERY long time ... I love it so much I can hardly STAND IT!  I just keep staring at it ... I love love love love LOVE it!  Ready?  Are you sitting down?  The awesomeness of it might make you weak in the knees so if you think you might fall down you better sit now (Helen and Sara - you better sit too ... we don't want you going into labour over this!!!)  Here we go ...

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  *insert clapping and jumping up and down here*******
I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVVVVEEEEEEEE ITTTTTTT!!!!

Do you love it?  You HAVE to love it!  I love it!  I don't know exactly WHAT I love about it .. but I love it.

Did I mention I love it?

I do.

Phew.  Ok.  Everybody breathe ... and calm down. 

Now that we have all had our cardiovascular workout for the day lets review this little piece of loveliness, shall we?

The base is obviousl Whisper White.  The other colors used are Raspberry Ripple (my new favorite color), Crumb Cake and Basic Black.  I used the Beyond Plaid stamp set (seriously - you need to own this set!) - page 14 of the mini - $21.95 clear; $28.95 wood).  The sentiment is once again Best Dad Ever - page 27 of the main catty - $17.95 clear; $22.95 wood - stamped in black Staz-on ink (page 157 - $10.50).  Stampin' Up! is still working on the bizarre chemical reaction that takes place when you stamp their Basic Black CLASSIC INK on Whisper White and/or Very Vanilla so I always use my black Staz-on for black images (the "old" black ink pads stamp very "purple" in my opinion - the Staz-on is true black).  The new firm foam black ink pads work fine on every other card stock fine - but when stamped on the white or vanilla it smudges ... so be warned!

Right.  I stamped the car image from  "Need for Speed" page 68 - $17.95 clear; $24.95 wood - in Raspberry Ripple.   I used the splotch from French Foliage in Crumb Cake ink and then colored a few of the splotches with my black marker.  I created my own banner and hand snipped the dove tail.  I used two Neutral Designer Buttons for accents.  One of my favorite elements of this card is the white layer that is embossed with the Argyle Folder - page 189 - $9.95.  OMG I just LOVE how it tied the layers together.  Seriously.  I can't stand it.  I can't.

So!  Do you now see that you really NEED to have the Beyond Plaid set?  It coordinates with so many other items!  Another option / pairing with this set is the Houndstooth Image with the Houndstooth folder!  *insert squeal again*!  Or how about the Chhevron folder with the zig-zaggy image?  Let's look at the full set again, shall we?

Love it.  You need it.  Buy it.

I need to go lay down now - all this excitement has tired me out *lol*.  Until next time - have a stamy day :)

Tam

Beyond Plaid - Take III

Happy Thursday!

Just a quickie today ... it's a half day for the girls and I gotta get my excercising and shower in before it gets too late!

Here is the thrid card I love made using the Beyond Plaid set in the Spring Mini - page 14 - $21.95 clear; $28.95 wood:

Hmmm - lighting isn't great on this one - you can't see the strong honeycomb embossed shapes very well.  Oh well - look closer *lol*  I can't take credit for this idea - I CASEd it from the Spring Mini iteself!  Check out page 15 ... I used different colors but the concept was all Stampin' Up! ... once again, they make the tough stuff easy!  Make sure you keep all your catalogues for reference books - there are hundreds of layouts and color combinations to inspire you if you just take the time to look!

For this card I used Not Quite Nave, More Mustart, Cajun Craze and Old Olive inks and papers (I still want Old Olive to be in the Rich Regals family rather than the Bold Brights ... just sayin' ...).  I rant the Very Vanilla base throught he honeycomb folder (mini page 6 - $9.95) then ran scraps of NQN, MM, CC and OO card stock through it.  I stamped each of the 4 stamp images in one of the ink colors and then ran THOSE through the folder.  Then I spent about half an hour snipping out the honeycomb shapes to add to the card.  The sentiment is from Best Dad Ever (yes, again - page 27 - $17.95 clear; $22.95 wood) in Not Quite Navy and the "dad" is from Family Reunion - (page 138 - $31.95 clear; $43.95 wood) in Old Olive.  The stamped images are all popped up on dimensionals and one of them has an Old Olive brad attached to it for just a little bit of interest.  It's not the fastest card to make (well, one may be but of course I made 6) but I like the look of it.  I hope you do too!

I expect I'll play with the Beyond Plaid set again today or tomorrow so pop back in to see what I come up with.  Until then ....

Tam

Beyond Plaid - Takes I and II

Happy Wednesday!

Well ... day 1 of "healthy living" went well.  I spent a lot of time (and money) grocery shopping for healthy options ... thank goodness for 10% Tuesday!  Now I just have to EAT the stuff!  I'm pretty famous for BUYING healthy food (and excercise equipment, diet cookbooks and gym memberships) but I'm starting to figure out that BUYING it isn't the key ... you actually have to USE it ... before it expires *lol*

Today I have a card that I made using my April Stamp-Set-of-the-Month set - Beyond Plaid - page 14 of the Spring Mini - $21.95 clear; $28.95 wood.  You'll recall I used it for the first time for my Easter card (despite BUYING it in December!!) here:

I just LOVED how the pattern on the stamp matches the pattern on the middle rabbit.  I also loved that I could get the DSP LOOK without the actual DSP.  When you have a patterned STAMP you can make it any color you want .. without a lot of cost involved.  I decided to check out what other stamps I had with the same, or similar, pattern to those in the Beyond Plaid set.  Hellooooooo?  Check out the mini - page 14 ... the "Dapper Dad" set has the same patterns.  Just another reason why I love Stampin' Up!  They take all the hard work out of designing and coordinating!  This next card literally fell together in about 6 minutes.  It was just so easy!

SO easy!  As Craig always tells me - you have to keep "guy" cards simple.  This fits the bill!  I stamped the background image in Basic Grey ... using my Stamp-a-ma-jig (page 7 - $15.50) to line the patterns up perfectly.  I stamped the watch and attached a silver brad for the wind-up knob and taped it to a grey mat.  I tucked a tiny snippet of the 1 1/4" Grey Two-Toned ribbon (page 13 - $9.50) behind the mat for a little "soemthing" (yes, it breaks Criag's "no-ribbon" rule but some times I just have to be defiant!).  The sentiment is from Best Dad Ever (again!) - page 27 - $17.95 clear; $22.95 wood) in Black Staz-on (page 157 - $10.50).  That's it!  Seriously.  6 minutes!

Realizing just how versatile this Beyone Plaid set is I decided to make it my Stamp Set of the Month for April.  Yesterday I went downstairs and came up with another great card using it.  Pop in tomorrow to check it out.  Until then ... well, you know ... have a stampy day ;)

Tam

Fine Feather Take II

Happy Tuesday!

Anyone else thrilled to be on the other side of Spring Break and eager to get back into some sort of routine?  While it was great having the kids home last week (they didn't drive me NEARLY as crazy as they usually do *lol*) I crave structure and focus to my days.  First up ... get back to some healthy eating and excercising!!!  Last week I was REALLY out of control and was actually looking FORWARD to "dieting".  I say "dieting" but I'm NOT calling it that!  I am SO sick of the roller coaster I have been on for the last 10 years!  I just want to treat my body with a little more respect and yes, shift a few pounds.  I'm fairly comfortable with the skin I'm in (although my bra is a little snug this month *lol*) but from a health perspective I'm pathetic!  This time of year always spurs me on to get more excercise and eat better.  WE are all coming out of hybernation and with the longer days I get up early and stay up earlier which means I have no more "lack of time" excuses to fall back on.  Last week I had decided I was going to go on "that crazy diet" that I was on a few years back ... "just for ONE month".  I DID lose 30 pounds by following one of those high protein, low carb, no sugar, no fruit whacky diets ... but as soon as I came off their plan I not-so-slowly gained it all back.  I recently found a piece of paper I had been keeping over the years with my weight and measurements on it.  I was shocked to see that I have been "at this" since 2006 ... and you know what?  I weigh EXACTLY the same as I did back then!  So for the last 7 years I've been gaining and losing weight ... and I'm no better off!  So I slapped myself a few times and told myself "if you can restrict yourself to such a crazy diet then you can restrict yourself WITHOUT paying $80 per week to do it".  I just need to commit ... and be accountable.  So ... since I still have my Weight Watchers On-Line subscription active (that I joined back in January" I'm committing to STICKING TO THE FLIPPIN' PROGRAM for 30 days.  I am also committing to EXCERCISING for at LEAST 17 minutes EVERY day for those 30 days.  Period.  There.  I "put it out there".   I'm printing off a 30 day calendar and I WILL do this ... starting tomorrow *lol* ... oh come on ... I can't be expected to start today ... with all those yummy leftovers and chocolates everywhere I look, can I???  Tomorrow.  Tomorrow I start.  No excuses.  And YOU are going to be my health-police.  I will post my progress every week ... just so I'm accountable to someone!

Wow.  OK.  I actually just popped in to post a card ... *lol* ... thanks for always coming back to check in on my "crazy"!

On to that project!

Sunday I carved out about half an hour to a) clean up the chaos post-Rebecca-crafting and b) to have a kick at that Fine Feather card I mentioned yesterday.  It only took about 15 minutes for me to come up with what I was looking for.  Here it is:

Ta-da!  Like it?  I do!  It's a little different than what I pictured but really follows the layout I used for my By The Tide Card (rmember this one?):

I thought the long feather would work nicely where the scrip is on the Tide card ... but it didn't work.  I like the slight variation.  For the Feather card I used Black Staz-on ink, Whisper White and Basic Black card stock.  Doesn't get any simpler than that!  The sentiment is from Best Day Ever - page 27 - $17.95 clear; $22.95 wood.  I've been using this set a lot lately - the sentiments are a great font for masculine cards.  Again, the Fine Feathers set is in the catty - page79 - $15.95 clear; $20.95.  It's maybe not one you would gravitate to right away but it is one to consider!

Now - speaking of "Best Dad Ever" ... my next two card are for the guys.  I made them both for a "dad" but obviously the tsentiment can be changed to suit your needs.  Pop in tomorrow to check on the first one.  Until then - have a stampy day!

Tam

Fine Feathers

Happy Monday!

Ugh!  I'm STILL full from dinner last night.  WHY do we have to get full?  Why can't we just eat and eat and eat and eat - and not get to the point where you can't breathe ... and never gain weight???  When I become Queen of theWorld I'm going to make that a priority mandate!  I had a lovely day.  It all started with the Easter Bunny fun and Scavenger Hunt.  It never ceases to amaze me how many hours it takes to orchestrate these holidays and just how quickly it is all over!  I didn't have too much prep to do for Easter Dinner since my Mom cooked the turkey and dressing at her house and then brought it over ready-to-carve to our house.  I just had to make the potatoes, veg, salad and dessert - and Craig made the dessert - Black Forrest cake - complete with his own home-made cherry jam from last fall!  I SO have the best husband in the world!!!

So!  On to a project!  I got a new stamp set last week and decided to play around with it.  Here is what I came up with:

It took me about 2 hours to come up with this but I thouroughly enjoyed the process.  It was really relaxing as I tried using different colors and textures.  I used the stamp set "Fine Feathers" (page 79 - $15.95 clear; $20.95 wood).  I hadn't really noticed it before but once I did I thought it would be a nice set for masculine cards or sympathy cards.  It was more of a challenge than I thought it would be ... but I DO enjoy a challenge.  For this card I used whisper white, basic black and Baja Breeze card stock with Craft White and Staz-on Black ink.  I used the Large Oval punch (page 184 - $21.95) for the accents along with the Fabulous Phrases "gratitude" (page 133 - $32.95 clear; $46.95 wood - this is another essential set, in my opinion!)  I wrapped some Linen Thread around the black layer (page 173 - $5.95) and used a 3/16" Neutral brad for some added color and texture.  I felt it needed just a little something "more" so I grabbed my new Distressing Tool (page 14 of the Spring Mini - $6.95) and distressed the edge of the black and baja cs as well as the top edges of the ovals.  I LOVE how it turned out.  It softened the edges in a "feathery" way and really pulled the whole thing together.  It's not my usual "style" but I really like the finished look.

I want to play with this set a little more - I'm thinking of the same layout I used for my "By The Tide" triple square card ... so check back again soon to see how that one turns out.  Until then - have a stampy day!

Tam