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