Out of Retirement :)

LOL!!!! 

Did you think I meant me being out of stamping retirement?? 

No silly - I meant I have used some retired stuff on this project.  I wanted to make a little something special for my daughter and her DIVA friends as the moms call them.  We all met last night for dinner - kid's choice - McDonald's......they really need to start selling "drinks" if you know what I mean....hehehe!!!  ( I don't even drink - but it does sound appealing on trick or treat night.....)  After the girls ate, we headed out for the local parade and some door to door begging  for a tootsie roll.  lol!

So, I made these for the girls - hopefully they are DIVAish enough :)

The purse was made of the top note die and the scallop oval frame die and the big shot.  The designer series paper is retired- I forget what the name of it is off the top of my head.  I also used the big shot and the sans serif alphabet dies to make their purses monogrammed.  :)  It is hard to see in the picture, but the letters are outlined with black glitter.  Gotta start them out early, right ???  hehehe!!

We are going to see my daughter's step cousins tonight,so I wanted to make them a treat bag too.  More retirees here, but there are some fun new things also.

The bag itself is made from the fancy favor box die and the big shot.  The skull stamp (just jawing) is also retired, but I still love it.... :)  But, here are some fun things I did to the skulls:

I used dazzling diamonds on both skull's eyes....but this one I used the smooch accent ink to give him a gold tooth.  Hae you ever seen The Bee Movie???  One of my favorite lines of it is when Barry Benson ( the main bee in the movie) says "I think I'll get a gold tooth and everybody can start callin' me dawg."  Guess you ahd to be (or BEE) there - but I can't get that quote out of my head since I made this.....argh!!

And this little cutie has a "pearl" tooth - I used the illuminate top coat smooch accent ink on this one.  Can you see it in the picture????

Well, I better run....2 1/2 million more thing to accomplish this morning.  Hubby would be proud, I am already doing laundry....lol!!!

A Day of Gratitude.....

Hi Stampers!!

I have been doing a lot of "behind the scenes" stamping lately....sorry it has been quiet around here :(  "behind the scenes"......that makes me sound really important, huh?  LOL!!!  The annual Holiday card camp is this Sunday and next Friday - so you know what that means - lots of cutting, counting, sorting, bagging.....you get the picture, right?  So that's what I have been doing with my half an hour of free time a day...hehehe!!!

So, with me not doing anythign you can see yet, I will pull out some more samples from the sample boards from Baltimore for you to see.

 Remember how I had to go to Cahrm City Cakes while I was there???  I wonder if I could sway Stampin' Up! that they need to host an event in Hoboken (sp???), New Jersey so I could go to see the Cake Boss.  I think SU should really take Food Network shows into consideration when scheduling events, don't you agree?  lol!!!  I would enjoy nothing more than to throw a cake on the floor with Buddy and walk away for his crew to clean up.    I had an experience last winter with a cake - and believe me - if I had a kitchen crew here - that cake would have went on the floor!  Part of the sides stuck to the pan....my buttercream icing wouldn't spread right.....believe you me....I was seconds from picking up the entire sheet cake and throwing it on the floor as hard as I could.......but then I remembered I didn't have any kitchen bee-otches to clean it up.....I am the only bee-otch here - well that works in the kitchen anyway ;)  hehehe!!!

Oh - you want to see samples......all right, all right......

now if that doesn't make you want to stamp - there may be no hope for you ;)

Need help with your ABC's????

Well - even if you don't think you need help with them.....trust me, you do!!


Now, before you get all offended that I think you need help with your alphabet......that isn't the ABC's I was talking about.  Stampin' Up! is offering an a.m.a.z.i.n.g. ABC sale!!

With this sale, you can:

Create Amazing cards,

Beautiful packaging,
and Cherished gifts
this holiday season!
 
 
Have I caught your attention yet??  Check this out!
 

click HERE to view flyer

Oh boy!!  This is one awesome sale!!! 



 

Need a reason to stamp????

REALLY????? 


You need a reason?

sad, sad, sad........you failed that test!

Stick with me here - I am not a night person and it is 11:30 PM  and I am sitting here making you a post to look at.....I am not trying to make you feel guilty or anything, but you better not need a reason next time.....just do it :)

You know what??  I am not really a mornign person either and a nap is always desired mid afternoon.....
humph.  well - let's move on, shall we??

I still have soooooo mony pictures to share with you from my Regional trip to Baltimore.  And you know I {luv} fall - so I have some more samples made with the Day of Gratitude set in the Holiday mini.


Wanna see?

pretty, huh.......thank you to who ever made these sample cards.....

Fall Goodness

HI  Stampers!!

I just {luv} fall - don't you??  yum.

Are you missing your eye candy samples from the Regional event that I attended in Baltimore??  I have soem more to share with you today......

Like I said before, I don't have access to the creators of the cards off of the sample boards - so if one of these are your creations, please let me know and I will edit my posts.

Now - get to stampin'!  :)

We interupt this regular broadcast

.....for station identification!

I have been showing you so many things that I haven't made, I felt it was time to let out something that was mine :) 

Get it?  Station Identification??? 

Blog identification???? 

Identification?????

me???

No?  Not as funny as I thought it might be.......lol!


My daughter is in swiming lessons.  Poor thing - My hubby and I  (mostly me) have been spending her whole life making her afraid to be around any water other than the bath tub - and that even has strict rules......I know - I need to loosen up.....and we take her to swimming lessons and expect her to be willing to do what ever they want her to do.  Her first session, this summer, went ok.  She had to be pulled off the wall to do everything and by the time her instructor had her half way across the pool, she did enjoy herself....but getting to that point wasn't very easy.  This session ended last night and her instructor has been really awesome with her.  All of the instructors are SRU students and this group we have this session are all so good with the kids.  You can tell they enjoy being around the kids, not just there to get paid to make sure kids stay above water....ya know what I mean?  So anyway - her next session starts next week so as far as my daughter is concerned....it will be life as normal - except she may not have the same instructor.......I sure hope she does. 

Boy - I went off the deep end there, huh?  LOL!!!  Get it??? Deep End???  Deep end - swimming - deep end????  LOL!!  I kill myself - and i didn't even mean to say that until it was already typed out......

So anyway - I wanted to give her instructor a "little something" for all of the extra attention she has given to my daughter.  Every girl likes chocolate, right??   Well - everygirl should...... lol!

I decide to see what I had in my stash of stashes and see if I had anything I could decorate and put some chocolate in.  I had a "few"  {**wink**} things that I could put chocoalte in and decorate......So I decided to go with a small basket.  And then I ran with it.  Well, walked with it.....I am not much of a runner - hehehee!!!!  Wanna see?

Isn't it darling?  Seriously - isn't it?  I cut felt leaves out with the leaves 2 die and my big shot....oh how I {luv} him...the big shot!!  Who did you think I was talking about???  Come on ladies - what is not to
[luv}?  I then took a piece of the black strtiped wide grosgrain ribbon and cut it in half lengthwise and then cut the finished edge off of one side.  Then - here is where the fun started - PULL THE EDGE PIECES OUT.......oh - how fun!!  This created a frayed edge and when I tied my bow it pulled more threads out making it look a little shabby.  I then pullede out Fabulous Phrases and stamped the word "enjoy" onto apiece of confetti cream cardstopck that I had already stamped a leaf from Autumn Spendor in old olive onto.  I ocmpleted it with the jewelry tag punch and punched a hole in the tag with my paper piercer and added it to the bow with a pin from the vintage trinkets,  {yum}  see?

cute, huh?  (boy, I am full of myself today, huh?)

A bag of store bought chocolate would look so tacky in here, right?  So, for pennies - I mean p.e.n.n.i.e.s. - i dumped it into a large flat cello bag and tied it with a piece of scrap ribbon fromt he basket and made a little "thank you" tag to hang on it.  The sentiment is from Curly and Cute.  I stamped it in early espresso onto confetti cream and then stamped off an old olive leaf from Autumn Spendor before punching it with the new extra large dcorative label punch.  I adorned it with two acorns stamped from Autumn Splendor mounted up on stampin' dimensionlas before tying onto the ribbon with twine.

So, I created this gift in a jiffy with my Stampin' Up! supplies I had on hand to make a bag of candy really look "wow."

What do you think?

The more we get together.....

together......together.......the more we get together.....the happier we'll be!

Just try to get that one out of your head today - I dare ya.  lol!!!  I have some more samples from the display boards at the Baltimore Regionals this past weekend.

I absolutely love the owl punch.....but you knew that already, huh?

Did you see "his" bow tie and "her" hair bow?  genius!

And the set, Have a seat...... 

Wouldn't this be a darling card to someone you wanted to get together with??

And take a look at these sweeties!!

I loved the Awash with Flowers set to use just as flowers - but this - oh my - too cute!!!

I have so many samples to share with you - stya tuned and keep in touch!  now, GO STAMP!

Too Cute to Spook!

HI Stampers!!

I have some sample cards to chare with you from last weekend's Baltimore Regional event.  One of the best benefits of being able to attend a Stampin' Up! event is getting fresh ideas from the sample boards.  It is sooooo much fun to look at all of the cards and discover uses for product that you might not have thoguht of before.

I will share some Halloween samples with you today.  I didn't have access to the creators of these beauties, but if you see your sample please let me know and I will credit you to the wonderful creation.

Oh My - aren't those some great ideas?????  Now GO STAMP!  lol!  ;)

What a Whirlwind!!!!

HI Stampers!

I had a wonderful time in Baltimore last weekend - I attanded the Stampin' Up! Regional Training event at the Convention Center at the Inner Harbor......too much fun for such a short time!  I will eb sharing samples and swaps from the event but I wanted to share some highlights with you today.

The Inner Harbor is such a beautiful place - I wish I had more time there to enjoy it and really take in more of the cultural district.  Of course, my hubby and daughter were with me and their idea of  "culture" is coloring the placemats at Denny's!  LOL!!!  But my hubby did let me absord in some Baltimore goodness....one regret I do have is not attending the Oriole baseball game at Camden Yards whiel we were there.  I have zero interest in the Orioles (sorry to be so brutally honest - I am a Pittsburgh sports fan and I really wouldn't go out of my way for the Pirate games either ;)  )  but to watch a game at THE Camden Yards.....we should have went.  On Saturday, the day of the meeting, there was a baseball game and it was across the street from the Convention Center.  Let me tell you - there was a *little* bit of traffic there! 

Oh!!  Did I mention I had the pleasure of meeting some of the Royal Family?  I didn't get to meet the Queen herself - She was home enjoying a new grandson.  But I did get to meet with some of her Court.  Wanna see?

Carrie Cudney - she is the sweetest girl - all tall.....did you see that?  I love watching her training videos from Stampin' Up!  She is soooo creative I just wanted to rub her hair to absorb some of her creative juices in.

And - The Bonnie Thurber!!  I mean if you don't think of her as a Stampin' Up! celebrity you have no respect for Royalty in Salt Lake City.  I mean seriously....come on people!  She was super sweet!!  She seems like she would be a lot of fun to spend time with......and her creative side is another amazing one!!!  I could have spent the afternoon pinching her cheeks and tellin her how sweet she was!


On Sunday mornimg, before we headed home - before we went to breakfast even....a girl has priorities!! - we had to seek out Charm City Cakes......Hello!!!  We are in Baltimore and Duff has his cake shop in Baltimore - did you think I would not have thought of that????  If you know me personally or even may have read it here some where - I dabble in cake decorating.  I am NO Duff Goldman, that is for sure - won't ever even come close to his talents - but I do enjoy watching his crew turn simple pound cake layers into a.m.a.z.i.n.g. things!!

Well....better get on with my morning.  There are dry clothes that need hung in the dryer, wet clothes in the washer that need dried and dirty clothes that are ttrying to jump into the washer, a kid that needs dressed, long hair that needs combed, a lunch that needs packed, a dishwasher to unload.......the list goes on and on.....I am SURE you get the picture.  I need some assistants around here so I could blog more today.  I will be bring by some samples from this weekend this week - pinky swear ;)