Sparkly Summer Card

I couldn't wait to use my newest Cuttlebug folder on this card. Lately, I've been finding tremendous inspiration on the web, surfing blogs and galleries for great sketches that I can finish in 15 minutes or less. After all, my real goal in cardmaking isn't to spend two hours on a card, but to brighten up someone's day when they receive one of my cards in the mail. I used this week's challenge from the Stamp Something Challenge Blog: http://stampchallenges.blogspot.com/ to create this pretty card. I love that it turned out so cheerful and summery. I stamped a "Get Well Soon" sentiment on the inside. It's going out in the mail today to a friend that is recovering from surgery.

Supplies Include: Stampin Up! Cardstock and Inks, Misc. Paper scrap, Autumn Leaves Clear Floral Stamp, Blender Pen, Stickles, Making Memories Brads, Offray Ribbon, Fiskars threading water punch, Swiss Dots Cuttlbebug folder.

Love Birds

It's my parent's anniversary, so in honor of their many years together, I made this card using my Anita's Stamps Love Birds Stamp. I used scraps of paper from a Memory Keepers kit, stampin up inks and markers, a blender pen, and Icicle Stickles.

The Great American Scrapbooking Convention

A cool project that I want to try.
Lunch at MickeyD's
A shrinky dink demo
My loot (sorry for fuzzy picture)
I had to lay it all out on the floor once I got home, of course.

HappyScrappers: Carrie, Courtney, Carolyn, Me, Shannon, Veronica
Shopper's Descend on the Quick Quotes Booth
Carolyn and Courtney put up their feet and take a rest.
Veronica and myself: All smiles after finding the DollarScrapbooking booth.
Carrie discusses proper brad usage with Carolyn. :)

Yesterday, I traveled with my MIL, SIL, niece, and friend to Chantilly, VA for the GASC. Once there, we met up with another close friend, Veronica. In total, there were six HappyScrapper members at GASC on Saturday. Woo hoo!


I attended the GASC last year, and I actually thought this year was a huge improvement for several reasons:


(1) I loved that the GASC organizers banned strollers and rolling bags this year. It made the event much less crowded and my ankles weren't getting run over every five seconds.


(2) There were many more rubber stamp companies this year. I thought that some were overpriced, but they were still fun to browse.


(3) The increase of finished products that I could photograph and CASE. Most of the vendors were very gracious in letting me take pictures of any projects they had on display.


(4) In general, I thought the variety of products was much better this year.


(5) I only spent about $55 this year, and I came home with a lot of stuff. Many of the booths had $1,$2,and $3 items, and all of you know how much I love a sale.





I bought:


Cherry shaped brads, Bazzil Big Brads in three colors, Heidi Swap stamps/flowers/chipboard, rub-ons, Color Laquer, swiss dots and paisley Cuttlebug folders, two turtle stamps, small heart stamp, several sets of alphabet stickers, ribbon, archery and hunting related titles and laser cuts, and two awesome Daisy Ds paper kits. I can't wait until next year.

Update on Brian's Grandma

First, let me say that I appreciate each and every person that has prayed for Grandma Thelma. She feels the presence of those prayers. One of the first things she said to me this morning was, "It's the Lord .... He is the reason I feel better today." Today was the first "good" day that Brian's grandma has had in a while now. We still aren't allowing her to stay by herself, as she is much to weak and dizzy for that, but she is much more lucid. Her blood pressure was very low at her doctor's appointment yesterday, so he took her off of her bp medicine and she felt better today. Continue to pray for her, please, as she still has cancer. Someone asked me today how I had the time to make so many cards lately. Well, I take my cardmaking stuff to Grandma's and I sit on her floor near her chair and I work on cards. She loves to give me her opinion about colors and stamps. She says, "I'm amazed by those things. " She is the strongest and sweetest woman I know.

Monochromatic Challenge

I find the Stamp Something Challenge Blog very inspiring. The challenges give you direction, but are VERY user friendly and doable. Check them out! I made this bright and happy "Sweet" card for the http://stampchallenges.blogspot.com/ Monchromatic Card Challenge. It's very simple, but I love the way it turned out. I find myself reaching for yellow Stickles quite a bit lately. I've also noticed that my Stampin' Up scallop punch is worth it's weight in gold. I use it all of the time!

Supplies: SU! Yo Yo Yellow Cardstock and Ink Pad,Basic Black Ink Pad, Scallop Punch, Circle Punch, So Very Stamp Set, Tart and Tangy Stamp Set. Ranger Stickles (yellow), old paper from scrap basket.

Double Pocket Card

Yes, it's a Christmas card! If I make a few every month, then I won't have to quickly mass produce so many in December when I'm busy with other holiday preparations. This is my first card of this type. It's a Double Pocket Card. I found a very helpful tutorial for making this card at http://www.blogger.com/www.splitcoaststampers.com ~ It was very easy and a lot of fun. I think the pockets will be great for slipping in a gift card, piece of candy, or something else. I realized while making this card that I've sold or traded away all of my Christmas stamp sets. Duh! I can't wait for the new SU catty, as I'm assuming it will have some cute new Christmas stamp sets.

Supplies: SU! scallop and circle punches, designer paper, real read marker,and stamps. Offray ribbon. Ranger Stickles in Diamond.

I've Been "Discovered"

I'm so excited! I've been discovered on this wonderful blog: http://stampinwhenican.blogspot.com/ Woo HOOOOoooooooooooo!!!!!!!! I really needed this encouragement because my blog hasn't been getting much traffic and very few comments. Thanks so much!

Gorgeous Blog Candy!

My very good friend and Stampin' Up demo, Veronica, has posted some fantastic blog candy on her blog here: http://lk2thestarz.blogspot.com/ She is offering up to three chances to win, so check it out. All of her projects are fantastic, so link to her blog while your there. She's also offering a SU discount for a limited time.... so hurry..... get over there fast!

Strawberry Shortcake Cards and Another Altered Jar

Using vintage game pieces from a 1980's Strawberry Shortcake cardboard dominoes game, I made these cards, featuring the characters Strawberry Shortcake (of course!) and The Purple Pieman. I used scrap materials from the cards to alter a jar filled with Runts candy.

Other supplies include: Strawberry Ribbon from Micheal's dollar spot, Stampin Up! Fruity Phrases and Tart and Tangy Stamp Sets, Stampin Up! Scalloped Punch, Dollar Tree Dimensional Foam Dots, Stampin Up! Real Red and Glorious Green Markers, Stampin Up Cardstock, Patterned Paper from WallyWorld Papercrafting Section, Organza and Satin Ribbon from Offray Ribbon Outlet

In the Zone

A sympathy card using Anita's 50 cent stamp
Another Anita's fifty cent stamp
Altered Salsa Jar filled with Candy
12x12 Mother's Day Luncheon (1981)
Anniversary Card
All-Occasion Card
Anniversary Card (looks so much better in real life!)

Baby Card (sorry the pic is so fuzzy)

With school out for the summer, I've found myself In the Zone. In other words, I've been cleaning, organizing, cleaning, sorting, reorganizing, cleaning, and papercrafting. I should probably mention that I love to clean, organize, and papercraft. Tonight, having all of the cleaning finished, I worked on several craft projects. I made several cards, one 12x12 scrapbook page, and I altered a salsa jar to make a treat jar. The treat jar is a gift for our close friend, Zach. He always heads straight for my candy jar whenever he visits. Since he started dating a new girlfriend, he doesn't come over nearly as much. So, I'm going to send a little jar of candy his way. The photos on the 12x12 page are very special to me. They are from a Mother's Day Luncheon in 1981. I especially love the second picture because when I look at it I am reminded of how strong the women in my family have been. I look at their faces and think about the hardships so many of them have overcome. They've left quite a legacy.

HappyScrappers June Meeting

Our next meeting will be June 28th. I have sent out emails to members with specific information. RSVP is required on or before June 20th.

A Good Day / Totally Random Stuff

Aren't these rhododendron's beautiful? My father would be so proud. I'll have to send him a picture. For anyone that may not know, rhododendron's are the West Virginia state flower. You never know when you might need to know such useless trivia. :) Today was a really nice day. Brian and I drove over to Harper's Ferry and bought some delicious yellow tomatoes, green peppers, and vidalia onions. We checked out the flea market, but I only found a few things.... some Zig markers and a new pair of sunglasses that screamed 1984. The heat was doing us both in, so we decided to head over to The Diner across from the racetrack for lunch. Lunch was fabulous. We headed home, stopped for the Sunday paper (I have to get the coupons, you know!), and then spent the rest of the day watching movies and talking. The phone has only rang maybe six times today. That is a big deal around here. Our phone usually rings a lot on Sundays. So, the peace and quiet has been very refreshing today. I have only two days of work left. I'm not sure what I'm going to do for the next two days. I've already packed up my classroom. I suppose I'll do a wonderful job of appearing busy. I'm planning to visit with Brian's grandmother every day this week. I also have plans to meet up with my Fairy Godmother, Cindy, on Wednesday afternoon. Spending time with special people makes my heart smile. I also hope to clean out my closet this week. I'm fatter than most of my clothes and something has to give. So, I'm going to box up all of my "too small" clothes. At this point, they are only taking up precious room in my crowded closet. Well, I've blah, blah, blahed far too much already. If you're still reading, you deserve a cookie!

Too Hot For Garage Sales

I thought I would go to garage sales today, but it was too hot. I gave up after stopping at a few, and I came home. I decided I would be much more comfortable indoors, doing something that didn't make me sweat. So, I just made this card. It looks better irl. The colors and dew drops are much more vibrant than they appear in the picture. I was inspired by the "Stamp Something" blog that is listed in the links on the right.

Getting back to the yard sales . . . I could have handed out TONS of violations this morning. I went to one that smelled like dog poopie. I glanced over at the garage (where I now assume everything had been in storage) and there was dog poopie ALL OVER the floor. It was disgusting. I practically ran to my car. Several others that I went to were extremely overpriced. Or, maybe I'm just cheap. The most freqent violation I endured this morning were the unpriced yard sales. Ugh.

New Stamps

While visiting my parents in Parkersburg, I went shopping at Crafts2000. They had Anita's stamps on sale for 50 cents!! I went crazy and bought a bunch. These are some of my favorites.