The End of 2008

Are you doing anything special for New Year's Eve? We went to a Fellowship Time at church and totally enjoyed it. Our daughter came over and visited for awhile afterward and now we're just relaxing. At midnight we'll kiss and probably go outside to watch the fireworks go off. There are usually some pretty ones. In fact there were already some beautiful 4th of July quality ones being set off when we were on our way home from the church get together.

I'm sharing more happy mail tonight. The green card with the snowman is from Viv or Aunt V as we all fondly call her, even though most of us aren't related. : ) The pieces on the card are all 3-D shakers, except for the star, which is a jewel. It's such a cute card. Thank you very much Aunt V.

The beautiful flourish Christmas tree card is from Netta. That is such a pretty stamp - in fact all of the stamps used on the card are. Netta added tiny rhinestone "ornaments" and a jewel star to the tree. Thank you for the happy mail, Netta.

The brown and ecru tree card is from Suezette. You'll need to click on it to enlarge it so that you can see the beautiful sparkly embossing powder she used on the trees and "Merry Christmas". I love the change from traditional Christmas colors. Thanks so much, Suezette.

The blue, white & silver tree card is from Barb. I thought it was fun to show two cards using the same stamp, both beautiful cards, but so different. Barb embossed her trees in white and her greeting in silver and added a layer of silver cardstock to draw it all together. Thank you for the happy mail, Barb.

The snowman card with the ribbon on it is from Kim. I'm not sure what she used to color it, but it sure came out pretty. It looks like she used more than one medium. I'll have to ask her. : ) Thanks so much, Kim.

The red and green card is from Lynn. Hidden under the scalloped punch is another scalloped punch and circle inside the card and it says "Happy New Year". Pretty clever! I like the way Lynn drew the lighter green into her color scheme. Thank you very much, Lynn.

That's my card show for tonight. I guess I went beyond midnight, because Mark came over and kissed me. After that kiss I didn't even need to go outside to see fireworks. : )

I wish you all the very best in 2009. I can't wait to see how the Lord will use me in 2009.

See you next year. : )

Happy New Year!!!!

Inky hugs!

Shelly

I'm Not MIA Anymore

It's hard to believe that it has been sooo long since I have posted. Between being sick and busy the time has just flown by. I hope you all had as nice of a Christmas as we did. We stayed home for the day, but a number of people stopped by or called to greet us, so we didn't feel shut in. Besides it's hard to feel shut in when it's 79 degrees and you're sitting out on the porch swing under a gorgeous sunny, blue sky. That's my idea of perfect Christmas weather. : )

I have gotten behind with sharing my happy mail, so I'll try to show several at a time. You can click on the cards to enlarge them & see the detail better. This first card with the wagon and cardinals on it is from Ginny. It is so shimmery and beautiful. Ginny cut out a 2nd image of the wagon, the cardinal perched on it, and the bow and mounted it with ds foam tape. Thanks so much, Ginny.

The card with the angel on it is from Martha. Martha cut out

that pretty rectangular window on the card front and inserted a beautiful angel image that is embossed on vellum. I like how she used the flourish stamps on the card. Thank you very much, Martha.

The lavender card with the pine cone on it is from Kathy and her family. This is another pretty shimmery card. Both of the pine cones on this card are adhered with hot glue so that they are 3-D. Kathy added touches of lavender glitter to the pinecones so that they glitter in addition to the shimmering inks. I like the vertical NOEL stamp. Kathy and her family moved to Tennessee several years ago and this card makes me think of the area they live in. We sure have missed them since they moved away, but I know they haven't missed the Florida weather. : ) Thank you for the happy mail, Kathy.

Mark has some days off this week, so today he worked on building a fence in our backyard for our dog and granddog. I'll have to take a picture when it is completely finished. Today he got all of the fencepost holes dug, the posts cemented in, and the fence up. This evening we covered the two gate holes and let the dogs out. They had a ball! They didn't know what to explore first. They were so happy to have room to run and play freely. Their eyes were sparkling and their tails were wagging. Please pray for Mark as he finishes the rest of the work up tomorrow. He has a bad back and it is really bothering him. BTW, both dogs had to have baths when they came in from playing. Mark had to use some fill dirt in some low areas and the dogs made a mess of themselves in that nice black dirt. I can see alot of bathes in their future until the grass seed grows. lol

Have a terrific day!!!

Inky hugs!

Shelly

Last, but not least

I am so goofy. Last year we bought some gorgeous cards, because I send store bought Christmas cards to people who don't know the difference. When it came time to mail the cards I couldn't find them anywhere. We finally decided that maybe they had accidently gotten thrown away. After Christmas when I was unburying the house from the holiday rush, I found the box of cards buried on our roll top desk, so I saved them for this year. Today I went to get the cards to address them and they weren't where they belong. I have searched high and low for the cards and can't find them anywhere. I can't imagine what I did with them. lol Last year some friends gave us about 5 boxes of beautiful cards that they had decided not to use. That got me out of my jam. I may be digging back into that stash of cards this year if Mark can't find my box of cards somewhere when he gets home.
Here is the third and final card in my series of One Stamp, Three Looks. For this card I paper pieced the Christmas tree. I adhered it to the Cuttlebug Snowflakes embossed background, which I had added Icicles Stickles to. I cut the corners of the dp with a SU punch that I can't remember the name of right now. (Too bad these things aren't labeled. lol ) The Christmas tree stamp is from Heart and Soul Rubber Stamp Company. Be sure to check out their new images. On the catalog page click on "Late Fall 2008 Supllement". You will be adding some of these to your Chrstmas list. : )


And I have a little surprise for you. : ) I have a fourth card to show you that is made with this Christmas tree stamp, but it isn't made by me. You'll have to visit Sue's blog, Purplestamper's Musings to see this pretty card. It's fun to see how different it is from any of the cards I made. I love to see what different people do with the same stamp. When I used to teach stamping classes I would marvel at the different touches that each person put on the same project.


Have a fabulous day!!!

Inky hugs!

Shelly

The Second Look

I'm sneaking in here to post this and then I have to get back to working on Christmas preparation. I've managed to fall so far behind that we just may have to postpone Christmas until I catch up. : ) Just kidding. I know the real meaning of Christmas is our Saviour's birth and I would never want to postpone celebrating that. But I would appreciate some prayers that this flu we have would improve instead of continuing to get worse. It is slowing me down.

This card is the second in my series of One Stamp, Three looks. Today's card is a very traditional look. I colored the tree stamp with my Prismacolor pencils and oms and paper pierced inside and outside the lines of the heart and Christmas tree. I machine sewed the image layer and the dp layer on to the card. That's something I won't be doing again. Why? Because I didn't enjoy it. My theory with card making is that it is for relaxation and enjoyment, so if I don't enjoy something, I don't do it. I used to love to sew, but gradually sewing machines and I have developed a terrible relationship. Every time I touch one for any reason the tension is wrong. But I digress. The stamp on my card is from Heart and Soul Rubber Stamp Co. I think you will need to click on the card to enlarge it in order to see the details on the card today. Stay tuned for card number three next time : )


Have a terrific day!!!

Inky hugs!
Shelly

One Stamp, Three Looks

Happy Thursday! It rained here all day, because we have another cold front coming in. It was good weather for staying in and working on the craft projects I'm trying to finish for Christmas.
This evening Mark's student's performed their annual Christmas play. It went very well. In fact one boy performed even better for the audience than he had in practice. He brought the house down with laughter. Thankfully Mark's voice made it through the evening as he is extremely hoarse now.

Both stamps on this card are from Heart and Soul Rubber Stamp Company. The Christmas tree is painted with Twinkling H2O's. I mixed colors to get the green and pink, because I only have some of the most basic colors. I added tiny rhinestones to the heart and a larger rhinestone to the star brad. Some lace and ribbon finished off the card. Tune in next time to see what else I will do with the tree stamp. : )


I ran across a blog that I am finding alot of useful information on. It's called Inspirational Tips, Techniques, and Tutorials. Many different people write for the blog and you never know what you will find as the subject, but it is all craft related. Enjoy!


Have a fantastic day!!!

Inky hugs!
Shelly

A Christmas Greeting

Hello Friends. : ) I am sorry my blogging has been so hit and miss lately. I expect I may as well just accept the fact that it will be that way until the holidays are over. Besides being busy with holiday preparations, we are all in one stage or another of illness. Nothing serious, just enough to make us feel yucky. lol
Today's card is happy mail from my friend, Teresa. Can you see the shimmer she used on the holly and on the dots in the background? (If not click on the photo to enlarge it.) Isn't it pretty? I also like the background she made for the card. Now I want to try a background like that, if I have enough time. Thank you so much for the pretty card, Teresa. It made my day!


Today's kid's craft is for the birds....literally. You will need large pine cones, yarn, peanut butter, spoons, paper plates, and a 9x13 baking pan half-filled with bird seed. Have the child place the pine cone on the paper plate and use the spoon to push peanut butter into the openings in the pine cone. Once the pine cone is liberally coated with peanut butter roll it in the bird seed in the 9x13 pan. Tie a loop of yarn to the top of the pine cone for a hanger. Once all of the pine cone ornaments are made, you can go outside and decorate a tree for the birds. Here in Florida our squirrels strip the pine cones down to a nub once the birds have eaten the peanut butter and seed off of them.


Have a terrific day!

Inky hugs!
Shelly

Teacher's Gift Idea

Check out this great idea that Donelda has for a teacher's gift. She decorated Jifffy Pop containers and is giving a movie rental gift card with them.

http://wiggysworldofcrafts.blogspot.com/2008/12/christmas-present.html



I hope you're having a super saturday. : )


Inky hugs!
Shelly

A Christmas Mouse

This is one of a wide variety of Christmas cards I made for this year. I usually only make one or two of the same card, because I get bored making the same thing over and over. Though sometimes I will use the same image many times and just change the layout of the card. I didn't get these two stamps to use together, but had them sitting on my desk and thought the mouse would look cute in the mitten and I do like him in there. : ) The stamps are both from JRL Design Company. These are the only stamps have from this company. I looked for the company online and only found used stamps for sale from them. But several sites mentioned that JRL Design company is related to D.O.T.S., which is now CTMH. An interesting bit of history. : ) The mitten and mouse are both colored with Prismacolor pencils and oms. I highlighted the white areas on the mitten with a white gel pen. The little squares in the corners are cut with a punch and have large white brads embellishing them.


I've had several people ask me about coloring with the Prismacolor pencils and oms (odorless mineral spirits). You don't have to use Prismacolor pencils, but they do work the best. If you have another brand of colored pencils, experiemt with them and see if they will work. They do have to be colored pencils, not watercolor pencils. I purchased my Prismacolor pencils at Amazon.com and they were a terrific buy. The odorless mineral spirits can be bought at the hardware store under the brand name Gamsol. You need blending stumps, which are inexpensive to purchase in the art section of a large craft store like Michaels. It's imporatant that you stamp your image with a permanent ink like StazOn, so it won't run. You also need a good quality smooth white cardstock. Here is a link to a great video that will walk you through the technique: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4912926818455764703


Have a wonderful day!!!


Inky hugs!
Shelly

Great Gift Card Holder

My friend, Audrey, recently made a couple of these gift card holders for me to use and I just love them. I thought they were too cute not to share. The pocket is a rectangle of double sided paper fastened together with 6 brads. Cut the card to fit in the pocket and add a tab to it. Decorate as desired. Audrey chose great papers for a birthday card. It's so happy and festive looking.

The bottom picture shows the card out of the pocket. You stamp your sentiment on the back of the card. In the upper picture you can see that I attached a check rather than a gift card to this one. BTW, you attach the gift card with glue dots. After I had already mailed this card, I thought that I probably should have made slits to attach the check, rather than using glue dots seeing paper might not peel off as easily. Hindsight is always so good. : ) It is a fun and versatile card. Thank you, Audrey. I have really enjoyed using these.

How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Is it the same each year? A new look every year? Tradional style? Decorator style? Our tree is very traditional. It doesn't vary a whole lot from year to year, unless we change the light or garland colors. We call our tree a memory tree, because every ornament on the tree holds a memory for us. As we decorate the tree each year we reminisce about the stories behind the ornaments. We have the artificial mistletoe that we hung over Lydia's bassinet on her first Christmas when she was just 6 weeks old, ornaments from trips we've taken, ornaments from special people, ornaments that Lydia made when she was little and so on. A number of years ago my mom gave me some ornamnets that I made as a child, so now we have two generations of handmade children's ornaments on the tree. This year I was teasing Lydia that some day she can make it three generations for us. : )

I have to admit that I think the colored tress they have out this year are kind of neat. Especially the pink. But I just can't see it as feeling like Christmas with a pink tree decorated in coordinating colors. lol I guess I'm a traditionalist at heart, even though I love pink.

Have a totally terrific day!!!

Inky hugs!

Shelly

The Frost is on the Pumpkins

Here's one last fall card to share with you. The beautiful main image is from Heart & Soul Rubber Stamp Company and the little leaves are from My Paper Moon. I colored the images with Prismacolor pencils and oms. I cut the tiny leaves out so that the card would have a bit of depth to it.


Did you think I went missing? Mark got the Thursday - Saturday off, so we spent as much family time together as we could. We put up our Christmas tree and decorations. Mark even decorated outside, which is something we don't do alot of years due to lack of time.

Mark and Lydia braved a few stores on Black Friday. They waited until a little later in the day though so that they would miss the early morning insanity. I guess the lines were still real long though. I changed my mind about the storage unit I wanted, so they didn't have to stop for that anyhow. I did my shopping at home online and even found a coupon for free shipping. : )

Do you have any turkey left? We didn't have leftovers, because we ate at my sister-in-law's, but I have a good recipe to help you use up the last of that turkey.

Tostada Bean Stacks - Serves 4

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
Eight 6-inch Corn Tortillas
8 oz. - About 2 1/2 cups - shredded cooked turkey or chicken
1 can (15 oz.) Black beans, rinsed
1 can (8 oz.) Corn, drained
1/2 cup Mild Salsa Verde (green salsa) - red salsa will work too
1/2 cup Low Fat Sour Cream
1 cup (4 0z.) Shredded Pepperjack Cheese
1/3 cup sliced scallions

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Have 2 ungreased cookie sheets ready.
2. Brush oil on both sides of tortillas. Place in single layer on cookie sheets. Bake about 12 min. turning once, or until lightly toasted & crisp.
3. Meanwhile mix the turkey, black beans, corn, salsa and sour cream in a medium bowl.
4. Spoon half on 4 of the toasted tortillas; sprinkle with half the cheese and scallions. Top with remaining tortillas, the turkey mixture, cheese and scallions.
5. Bake 5 min. or until cheese melts.


***Today's Tip*** I keep an old curling iron with my stamping tools. It takes the wrinkles right out of a piece of ribbon and saves me from having to go use the regular iron. The low setting works well for more delicate ribbons like organdy and the high setting is just right for grosgrain and other heavier ribbons.


Have a marvelous day!!!

Inky hugs!
Shelly

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope you're all enjoying Thanksgiving. We aren't eating until 6:30 p.m., so we have just been having a kind of quiet, relaxing day around home.

Today's card is Happy Mail. My friend Becky sent it to me and I saved it to post on my blog today, because it is just perfect for the day. I'm not sure how she made the background, but it sure is pretty and I can guarantee you it was a messy process. Becky and I tease each other, because she thoroughly enjoys messy techniques and I tend to avoid them. : ) I took the close up shot so that you could see the background better and also the nice shading the Becky did on the pumpkins. The stamps Becky used are from her company My Paper Moon. Becky has free shipping within the USA on orders of $10 or more through November 30th if you use the coupon code: Turkeyo8 at check-out. Go do some shopping!!!

Like most of you, I have so much to be thankful for. But one thing that is really outstanding for me is that my eyes are remaining in remission. I had to have over two years of grueling treatments and some terrible side effects, but I'm happy to say that it was worth it in more ways than one. I have my eye sight and for 10 months now my eyes have been stable. But the best part is that through the hard times I grew closer to God and I wouldn't trade that for anything. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!!!!

Is anyone going to brave the big shopping day tomorrow? I don't have enough courage to do so. I'm not much of a shopper even on regular days. But I did see a nice drawer unit that I would really like to have in the JoAnn's ad, so I'm hoping I can find someone that is going that way and will pick it up for me. I'm running out of storage space. I either need to craft faster or quit buying supplies. : )

Have a wonderful day!!!

Inky hugs!

Shelly

Goodie Pouches

Brrrrr!!!! It feels like the holidays are here. We have been having alot of cold weather this year. We will definitely get to wear a pretty sweater for Thanksgiving this year. Alot of years we don't even get to wear one for Christmas. The only problem with this is that I'm in the midst of losing weight and I don't have any sweaters in the size I'm wearing right now. Ten more pounds off and I'll be able to wear some pretty sweaters I have. That gives me something to work toward. Meanwhile I need to figure out something to wear tomorrow.

Do you like the goodies pouches? They hold quite a bit as you can see in the second photo. Cut a 7"x 9 1/2" piece of cardstock. Score it at 2 1/2" and 7". Use a circle punch to cut a 1/2 circle in the front panel. Adhere bottom & back flaps closed. I used Provo Craft Terrifically Tacky Tape (double stick red liner tape). Crimp the bottom of the pouch approx. 5/8". Decorate the front panel as desired. I cut a piece of white cardstock, scored all 4 edges with my Scor-pal to make it more finished looking, punched the corners with my SU ticket punch, stamped "Merry Christmas" with a My Paper Moon stamp, adhered two ornaments cut with my Sizzix ornament die and added two bows tied with 1/4 ribbon. I also added touches of Crystal Stickles to the ornaments.

Today's kid's craft is Paper Plate Santas. You will notice that the crafts I'm posting are very simple, but with a bit of thought they can be adapted for a child who needs more of a challenge. You will need: red construction paper, a paper plate, cotton balls, markers or crayons, glue, and scissors. On the paper plate draw santa's eyes, nose, and mouth. Brush some glue above his eyes and around his mouth and add cotton balls to form his eyebrows, mustache, and beard. Cut a triangle out of red construction paper for Santa's hat. Glue the hat to the top of the plate. Glue one cotton ball to the tip of the hat for a pom pom. Let dry.

***For an older child googly eyes would be fun. Also, they could cut a hat shape out rather than just a triangle. They could make Santa's cheeks rosey.

I hope to get a chance to slip on here tomorrow, but if I don't I wish you all a blessed and happy Thanksgiving.

Inky hugs!

Shelly

Autumn Leaves

This week is whizzing by. Thanksgiving day will be here before I know it. The card in the photo above is a napkin card. They're a fun change from stamping once in ahwile. I'm not sure if you can see in the picture that there is a bit of glitter on the card. (If you click on the photo of the card and look at the larger size photo, you can see the glitter.)


I have two more recipes that I want to share with you for Thanksgiving.

Never Fail Pecan Pie

2 eggs, well beaten

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup dark corn syurp

1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup pecan halves

1 unbaked 9" pie shell

Combine eggs, sugar, corn syurp, flour, salt & vanilla. Stir in pecans. Pour into pie shell. Cover pastry edges with foil to prevent excess browning. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 min. or until golden brown. Yield: 6-8 servings


This next recipe is from our friend kathy and we all fondly call it "Green Goop". I've seen similar recipes called Watergate Salad, but Kathy's recipe has a different ingredient and is much better.

Kathy's Green Goop : )

4 serving size instant pistachio pudding

Mini Marashmallows, according to how many you like

1 lg. can crushed pineapple

1 cup sour cream

12 oz. cool whip

Mix all ingredients together well and chill overnight.


If you have any questions, email me at webe34him@bellsouth.net or leave a comment.


Have a terrific day!!!!


Inky hugs!
Shelly

Thanksgiving Preparation

Are your plans all made for Thanksgiving? My sister-in-law always very graciously hosts the family dinner at her home. We're invited, but I'm not sure what I'm supposed to bring yet. I guess I better find out pretty soon. : ) Usually she asks me to bring squash casserole, because my mother-in-law loves it. Today I'm going to share my recipe for squash casserole with you and give you several links to other blogs that have some great Thanksgiving recipes and crafts.


Squash Casserole - Serves 6
2lb. Zucchini Squash, diced
1/4 C chopped onion
1 C Shredded carrots
1 C Sour cream
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1/2 lb. butter, softened
8 oz. pkg. Pepperidge Farm bread stuffing
Cook zucchini & onions 5 min. in boiling water. Drain.
Combine carrots, sour cream & soup. Mix well with squash & onions.
Mix soft butter & stuffing.
Line 8x13 pan with 1/2 of zucchini mixture. Top with 1/2 of stuffing mixture. Repeat layers.
Bake at 375 Degrees for 35 minutes.
This delicious recipe came from my Aunt Diane and has been a family favorite for many years. If you are watching your cholesterol, be sure to use low fat versions of the soup, sour cream and butter. I usually use low fat versions of the soup and sour cream, but for Thanksgiving I splurge and use real butter.
One of my favorite blogs to follow is Heartfelt Greetings. Amy on Heartfelt Greetings has been sharing some wonderful Thanksgiving recipes lately and I'm going to pass the links on to you.
This first one is for Crockpot Stuffing, so you can make extra stuffing without taking up space in your oven.
And this link is for Make-Ahead Gravy. A recipe for delicious gravy that you can make ahead of time, because we all know that there is never enough gravy.
The last link I want to share with you is from Donelda's blog, Wiggy's World. Donelda made some beautiful treats for at each place setting for her Thanksgiving table. When I saw these I thought that they would make nice place cards by adding a name to the tag.
I haven't asked in quite awhile, is there anything special I can pray about for you? If so, please email me at webe34him@bellsouth.net or leave a comment.
Have a fabulous day!!!
Inky hugs!
Shelly

They Look Good Enough to Eat

Hello friends. My daughter has been baking here today and it made me think of these gingerbreadmen ornaments that I like to make. They are fun to make. I like to make at least several of them at once if I'm going to take all of the stuff out. So I cut a sheet of cork to fit my Xyron and run it through, so that the back of my cork has adhesive on it. If you don't own a Xyron, you can use a sheet of double stick red liner adhesive or Peel n Stick Double Sided Adhesive by Therm O Web to add the adhesive to the back of your cork. Adhere a piece of tan cardstock to the back of the cork. Use cardstock that is 110# or heavier. Now it's time to cut your gingerbreadmen out with a Sizzix Gingerbread Man die. I used sharp scissors to cut my cork into individual pieces that fit better in my Sizzix before I cut the gingerbreadmen out. Next, use your favorite eyelet setting tool to add an eyelet at the top of the little guy's head. Now the fun part begins! Let your imagination go and decorate your gingerbreadmen. I'll share with you what I used. I chalked my around the outside edges of the body to make the little guy look "browned". The eyes are black beads that are flat on the back, the mouth is drawn with a permanent extra fine red marker, the cheeks are chalked, the trim at the wrist and ankles was done with Holly Stickles. The heart "buttons" are red heart punches with Icicle Stickles on them to look like sugar. Don't forget the gold cord for hanging your ornament on your tree. If you're sending these in the mail, be sure to put some stiff cardboard on each side, so that they don't get damaged. If you make some of these, please send me a link to the pictures. I'd love to see your version. : )

Here are instructions for an easy holiday kid's craft. Sorry I don't have a photo, but I think you can get the idea easily enough from the instructions.

Construction Paper Stockings: You'll need holiday color construction paper, cotton balls, glitter, scissors, glue, hole punch, ribbon or yarn. Cut a stocking shape out of construction paper. Brush glue on the top portion of the stocking and adhere cotton balls to make it look like fur. Make glue swirls and shapes on the stocking and decorate with glitter. Punch a hole in the top of the stocking and add ribbon or yarn as a hanger. ***For older children, you could cut a front and a back to the stocking and show them how to glue it together around the edges.

I'll try to add instructions for more simple children's crafts throughout the holidays. I know moms and grandmas are usually looking for something different for the kids to do when they are on school vacation.

Have a great day!!!

Inky hugs!

Shelly

Java Time

Hello everyone. I hope you're finding time to craft even though things are starting to pick up toward the holidays already. Seems hard to believe that Thanksgiving is only 9 days away.
The picture above is of an envelope that I made recently. Nothing fancy, but very cute. I use wallpaper samples to make the majority of my envelopes. Our local wallpaper store gives their old sample books away for free. It's an economical way to make envelopes and I'm keeping the sample books from going to the landfill. I use The Kreate-a-lope template by Green Sneakers for making my envelopes. It's so user friendly. You can visit their website at http://www.greensneakers.com/ . For envelopes like the one above, I use a printer label horizontally on the back side to address the envelope so that I don't ruin the picture. The post office accepts them just fine that way as long as you have your stamp on it. : ) If you want to address an envelope so that it would be vertical, it does cost extra to mail it that way.


The background paper for this coffee theme card was made by spraying a sheet of off white paper with water and crumpling it up. I smoothed it out and let it dry. Then I lightly ran the surface of my Sepia dye ink pad over the paper. The paper picked up the ink in the folds where it had been crumpled. Next I stamped coffee beans all over it with a stamp from My Paper Moon. Then I stamped Java with a stamp from Anita's and last came the Spatter stamp from My Paper Moon. I used sepia ink on all of the stamps. Everything else on the card is pretty self-explanatory. The inside of the card is stamped with a stamp by Heart & Soul Rubber stamps that says, "Java Happy Birthday!". I don't know who the rest of the stamps on the card are made by, because I received them in an image swap. An odd fact: I love the smell of coffee, but don't like the taste of it. I do enjoy using my coffee theme stamps though.


Have a terrific day!!!!


Inky hugs!
Shelly

Family Photos

I'm popping in here for a few minutes tonight to share some pictures of us with you. These were taken when we went out to celebrate our daughter, Lydia's 22nd birthday this week. In the lower photo Lydia and her dad are laughing about pinching each other. The upper photo is Lydia and me. We refrained from pinching each other. : ) In case you are wondering, Lydia is very tall, but not as tall as the shoes she's wearing in these photos make her appear.

If you have emailed me and I haven't replied, I will as soon I'm able to. I don't want anyone to think I'm ignoring them. Things have been a bit crazy around here. Life is going at a pace I am barely keeping up with even with using my strongest pain medicine.

I have a challenge for you this weekend. Go out of your way to do something nice for someone in your family and someone outside of your family. It can be something as simple as smiling at a tired sales clerk or complimenting someone that needs to be uplifted or maybe you have the means to do something that costs money for someone. That part doesn't really matter. What matters is that when you give from your heart to someone else, you will both be blessed.

Have a fantastic day!!!!

Inky hugs!

Shelly

P.S. Just out of curiousity, which one of us do you think Lydia looks like? To me she doesn't look distinctly like either of us, but more of a blend of the two.

A Celebration & A Memory

Happy Birthday to my daughter, Lydia. She's 22 today and a very special young lady. I am so proud of her.

This ATC is one that I made a long while back, but I saw the picture of it last night and it reminded me of a story about Lydia. When Lydia was a baby she was sick and the Dr. kept insisting it was cholic. Even as first time parents we knew that wasn't right and later found out that she was lactose intolerant and what I ate was making her sick, because she was nursed. But anyhow, one day I took her to get some of her early baby shots and she kept throwing up all over the two of us. I don't mean just a bit of baby spit up, I mean plastering us. I glanced up and noticed a couple watching me trying to cope with this and said, "Mom never told me there would be days like this.". It gave the whole waiting room a good laugh and helped relax me.

Have a wonderful birthday, Lydia!!!! I love you.

I need to run and finish up a few things in preparation for our little celebration for Lydia tonight. Among other things I have to declutter the living room so we can take birthday pictures. : )

Have a great day!!!

Inky hugs!

Shelly

The Book of Me

Hello. I hope you have had a good day. It was a gorgeous day here in Florida. In fact it got up to 80F in the house this afternoon and I had to turn the air on.


This is a book I made for a swap recently. It is about "100 Things that Make Me Happy". I've always thought it would be fun to do something like this, but just never got around to it before. It was even more fun than I had anticipated! I ended up with over 100 things and had to make myself stop, because I had other projects that needed finished. The alphabet on the front of the book is a favorite - Rebecca Sower Nostalgiques Typewriter ABC set from EK Success. The stamp on the back of the book is from Heart & Soul Rubber Stamps. I like that saying. I believe you can find joy in a situation if you just look for it.

The first inside shot shows the book fully opened. It is a six page accordian book. The second inside shot shows a view of what a few of the pages look like close up.

After I was finished with the book and it was already promised to someone my daughter got to looking at it and wished she could have it. So I guess I'll get a chance to make another one. : ) It will be even more fun to make one knowing it is going to my daughter. There will be alot of things I can add to it that would be too hard to explain in a book for someone else.

I received the sweetest note from Martha about my blog today. Thanks Martha. You were so uplifting to me.

Have a terrific day!!!

Inky hugs!

Shelly

Christmas Packages

I can't beleive I let a whole week slip by without posting. It didn't seem like a week as busy as I've been. At this rate I won't have anybody reading my blog. The package above is a Christmas version of the gift package I told you how to make in an earlier post. My packages contain Homemade Oatmeal Milk Bath in different scents. If you would like the recipe for the milk bath, email me at webe34him@bellsouth.net or leave a comment. This package holds 1 1/4 oz. of milk bath.

These two packages also contain milk bath, only larger amounts. They're store bought boxes that I added pretty embellishments to. Inside I added a small loofah, shimmery paper shreds and instructions printed on gold mica paper.

I'll try get back to posting regularly. Though I won't make any promises, because I don't want to break them. : ) We have alot coming up. My dd turns 22 this week, then we go into Thanksgiving and preparation for Christmas.

Have a fabulous day!!!

Inky hugs!

Shelly

Metal Magnets

Happy Monday! I hope you're off to a great start to your week. Today I want to share with you the instructions for making metal magnets. Mine is made of copper, but you could use any type of metal that you can buy in sheet form.

Be sure to read the instruction all the way through before you start your project.

1. Using the Sizzix Slide Mount die, cut 1 slide mount out of a sheet of copper.
2. Run the copper slide mount through your Cuttlebug using the Tiny Mosaic embossing folder.
3. Cut a square of off white cardstock the same size as the slide mount.
4. Use a stipple brush to apply Sepia ink to the cardstock square.
5. Stamp your saying on the cardstock so that it will be centered in the window of the copper silde mount. I used a saying from the TAC Little Tidbits set.
6. Apply Terrifically Tacky Tape (double sided red liner tape) to the back of the copper slide mount.
7. Adhere the slide mount to the cardstock.
8. Cut a piece of brown cardstock slightly larger than the copper slide mount.
9. Apply Terrifically Tacky Tape to the off white cardstock on the back of the copper slide mount.
10. Adhere the brown cardstock to the back of the copper slide mount.
11. Cut around the edges of the brown cardstock with decorative edger scissors.
12. Attach 2 Prima flowers together with a coordinating brad.
13. Use E-6000 craft adhesive to adhere the flowers to the front of the copper slide mount.
14. Apply a self-adhesive magnet strip to the back of the copper slide mount.


If you have any questions, feel free to email me at webe34him@bellsouth.net or leave a comment by clicking on comments at the very end of this post.


I have some exciting news to share. Nancie Waterman of Vamp Stamp News Magazine asked permission to quote me in this month's issue of her magazine. Of course, I said yes. And guess what??? I won the drawing for 8 back issues of Vamp Stamp News!!! I'm really looking forward to them. They will keep me busy reading and trying new things for a long time. Thank you, Nancie.


Have a terrific day!!!


Inky hugs!
Shelly

More Fall Fun

I couldn't resist greeting you with this cute scarecrow today. He is from Avon and belongs to my daughter, but he happened to be at my house one day and I fell in love with him, so I took his picture. You'll notice that he's from the south - he says, "Y'all". : )

This card from Becky gave me a good laugh and it had a surprise inside for me too. The little ghost pops up when you open the card. Isn't that neat? I love Frankenstein's clothes. His pants are shimmery and so are the lapels and pockets of his jacket. : ) Thank you for the awesome happy mail, Becky.

Inky hugs!

Shelly

Beauty and the Beast

I figured seeing today is the day for costumes I'd show our little fur babies in their cute costumes. That's Princess in the dress and my granddog, Caesar, in the dragon costume. They are good sports about the costumes, because they really don't like wearing them. They do both love to wear their regular dog clothes though.

I needed to go to the eye doctor today and pick up my new glasses, but I was feeling pretty bad still and didn't really want to make myself presentable. My husband jokingly suggested that I wear pajamas, slippers and messy hair and act like it was my Halloween costume. I gave it some thought, but decided I couldn't, because all of my pajamas have ink and glue stains on them from stamping in them. : )

Have a wonderful day!!!

Inky hugs!

Shelly

A Full Moon

This funny and fabulous card is from Netta. The detail in this card is just incredible. Thank you so much for the great happy mail, Netta.

This picture shows a side view of my card from Netta, so that you can see how it pops out. It's such a neat card. I heard these are called Stair Step Cards, but I'm not sure. I'll have to ask Netta.

It is so wonderful to watch the Lord work in my life. I was in so much pain last night that I didn't sleep at all, even with pain medications. So today I was feeling pretty terrible and that's a good time for discourgement to set in. But God had a plan in place. From the moment I got up a number of things happened to show me how much God and others care - a note, a phone message, a devotional that was just what I needed, beautiful butterflies in my backyard, a sweet visit with my daughter and a surprise package from Sue. Each one of these things was just what I needed today to keep me from getting discouraged. Instead, I spent the day with my thoughts focused on what a loving, caring God, family and friends I have. I am so very blessed.

Inky hugs!

Shelly

Fall Is In The Air

Warning! I'm going to whine a bit here. lol It feels more like winter than fall. Monday night the temp dropped 20F during the night. That put us at mid 60's during the day and mid 40's at night - winter temps for us. I know that's nothing compared to what alot of you are having right now, but it is truely cold to me compared to what we're used to. Even the dog is feeling the difference. Last night before I could get in bed she got herself under the quilt on my side of the bed with her head on my pillow. She was so cute that I didn't want to move her, but she was right in the center of my spot and I was freezing, so I made her a nest next to me with her own blanket. The above photo shows her when she was still tucked in my spot.

This pretty Halloween card is from Lisa. Unfortunately, the photo doesn't show that the pumpkin vines are very shimmery. I like the chalked pumpkins. I haven't used my chalks in quite awhile. I need to remedy that. Thank you for the happy mail, Lisa. : )

Last night I helped my daughter and niece get ready for a costume party they went to. Every time my niece would put her hat or little eye mask on my daughter's dog would bark his head off at her. It was so funny. My daughter missed winning the grand prize for her costume by one vote. Last year she did win it, so it was it was someone else's turn this year. : ) The girls brought gummy body parts candy home to gross me out. It worked. There's no chance I'll be eating those fingers, toes, etc. lol

Have a fabulous day and keep warm!!!!

Inky hugs!

Shelly

Time is Running Out

Look at all of this wonderful new rubber from Heart & soul Rubber Stamps!!! I'll try to get some cards made with them soon. I'm dying to use them. : ) I bought these stamps from the Heart & Soul Rubber Stamps Overstock Sale. What a sale! Unmounted stamps for $0.50 each, free shipping, and every cent of the money goes to the hurricane victims. You can read all of the details of the sale on Sue's blog. But hurry! The sale runs through the end of October and that is coming soon. You will be so glad you ordered. I have been doing the happy dance ever since I opened my package. : ) So go help out an excellent cause and get some great new stamps at the same time.

Inky hugs!

Shelly

Happy Mail Galore!!!

My mailbox has been bursting with happy mail lately. I feel so blessed to have so many caring people in my life. The card in the photo above came from my friend, Ginny. You can't tell in the photo, but the card shimmers beautifully. I love tulips, so Ginny picked a perfect stamp to use for me. Once in awhile my husband buys me tulips to surprise me, because we can't grow them down here. A favorite place of ours to visit in Michigan is Holland. Some day I would like to be there during their tulip festival. The picutres I have seen of it are gorgeous. But back to my card. Thank you very much for the beautiful card, Ginny.

The leaves in this photo were picked in Michigan by my mom and nieces, waxed with love and then sent to me. They do this project every fall for me, so that I can enjoy some of their lovely colored leaves. Isn't that sweet? And I have had fun sharing them over the years with many people here who either have never seen real colored leaves or else like me, miss seeing them each year. Most years some end up decorating my husband's classroom and our church too. So this gift brings joy to many. This year my 6 yr. old neighbor girl is going to get some of them. She's anxious to see what they look like, because she's a native Floridian. I heard that just after my mom and the girls collected these leaves for me the rest of the colored leaves were pretty much wiped out by wind and rain. I'm so thankful they were able to send me these. Thanks so much mom, Ali, and Kay. I love my leaves.

Have a terrific day!!!

Inky hugs!

Shelly

From the Vine

It's Friday and I have a date with my husband tonight!!! It doesn't get any better than that. : )

This card was made with a CTMH stamp set. Actually the set is old enough that it was marketed when they still used the name D.O.T.S. The Long Writing Background stamp is by Hero Arts. All of these stamps were stamped off on scrap paper once to lighten the ink before I stamped them on the cardstock. JOY is stamped with the Rebecca Sower Nostalgiques Typewriter ABC Set by EK Success.

I received the nicest surprise in the mail the other day. Martha sent me two different kinds of homemade dog cookies for the terrific twin dogs. The dogs are crazy about them. The peanut butter ones are rolled cookies and are cut in the shapes of dog bones, fire hydrants and dog houses. The other ones are oatmeal cookies and look just like people cookies. Thanks for the wonderful happy mail, Martha.

Have a terrific day!!!

Inky hugs!

Shelly