Catching Up!

Well, looks like I neglected the blog for months.  Again.  Sorry folks.  Life gets in the way when I least expect it sometimes.  While I was away, I see Blogger has rearranged some things.  Lovely.   I have many posts to catch you all up on what I have been up to lately! 
First, I will show a card from my May stamp class.  I started my clubs again in June with the new catalog.  In the spring, I still held monthly classes for those that wanted to attend.  Here is what we did:

All supplies are from Stampin' Up!
Stamps:  The Open Sea, Teeny Tiny Wishes

We did lots of cutting on this card.  It took a bit of time, but the results are well worth it!  This card was a CASE from the mini in which this set first appeared in.

2011-2012 Retiring List is Here!!!!

Well stampers, today is the day. . . the much anticipated Stampin' Up! Retiring list is out.  Check out the button on my sidebar to see ALL the sets.  Word of caution, you might want to sit down, it's a BIG list this year!

Tip of the Day!

Hi readers!  I have a fun tip to share with you today.  Do you have a bottle of Crystal Effects in your craft room?  This was one of my first purchases many moons ago.  It's a "must have" for any papercrafter.  Well, everytime I go to use it, it is clogged.  I have to go and search for a paper clip or pin and stick it in the nozzle, squeeze, re-poke, etc. this process lasts a few minutes and then I get frustrated and back into the drawer it goes until I need it again and the process is repeated.  This is not going to happen anymore!  I was using quite a bit of it during my Christmas crafts and came up with a great idea: To keep a pin in the nozzle when not in use.  Genius!

Voila!

Now when I want to use it, I just pull off the cap and pull out the pin.

Hope this helps

New Year-Use Your Stash Blog Hop

Hello and Welcome to the next stop on the New Year-Use Your Stash Blog Hop!!  If you just came from Heather, your are on the right track and on the second stop on the hop.  If you are just starting here, you can keep on going forward and loop around. 

In keeping with the "Use Your Stash" theme, I looked around my craft disaster room and found a lot of half-done projects.  Oops!  Half-done pages, cards, quilts.  .   . Last week I decided I really need to get back into scrapbooking.   Not only for myself, but for my boys.  I spent New Year's weekend at my parents house and was going through scrapbooks that my mom has made.  Oh the memories!  Holidays, summer vacations, birthdays.  They were even more special because my grandpa passed away in August and there were many pictures of the 2 of us in those books.  Scrapbooking is such an important link to our pasts.  Where we came from and where we've been. 

I feel like my whole craft area is a stash of unused stuff.  Mostly pretty papers that I am too chicken to use because then I won't have them anymore.  Crazy rationale, but that's what I tell myself.  Tons of scrapbooking stuff for "when I find the time."  I found a half done 12x12 page that looked really sad.  After trying to salvage it, I understand why I pretty much abandoned scrapbooking and went to card making.  Don't laugh, my scrapbooking skills stink!  This is what I ended up with:

All supplies are from Stampin' Up!  Most of the stamp sets used are retired.  I used Bugs & Kisses, Crayon Alphabet, and Unfrogettable.  I cut out the little frogs and found some googly eyes rolling around in a drawer-perfect!  The other little bugs I stamped on whisper white and cut out.  Much like my cards, I don't like a lot of "fluff and foof" on my pages.  I get scared to add too much.  So from my stash I used a half-done page and retired stamps :)    I was hoping to use some of my pretty printed papers, but had nothing with bugs.

So what is in your stash that you need to use?  Have you started anything and stopped half way?  Leave a comment and let me know.

Thanks for stopping by!  Your next stop along the hop will be with Kelly.  She has a giveaway so make sure you visit.

New Year-Use Your Stash Blog Hop tomorrow!!!

Yup, it's that time again for another Blog Hop!  You know how it is, you go to a store and you see the most wonderful paper, accessory, stamp, etc. with the greatest of intentions.  You get it home and it stays in the bag or actually finds a home on a shelf and collects dust.  Well, it's a new year and time to dust off those gems!

Join me and my crafty friends tomorrow as we go through our stash use it!  Make sure to hit all the blogs along the way and you might just win something :)

Fun Friday December Edition

Hi everyone!  Hope this finds you all well.  The hustle and bustle of Christmas prep is going on at my house coupled with the everyday drama that comes with having 2 little boys.  Over the weekend I thought I had 3 weeks left before Christmas, NOT 2.  Now, we are down to 11 days.  Yikes!  My 14 month old got tubes in his ears this morning (hence drama).  While he sleeps that off I thought I would take a moment to post last weeks cards. 

Every month I host a cards class at my house called "Fun Friday."  In January, I plan to hold 2 a month and a Saturday for those that work or that Friday day doesn't work out. This past Friday wrapped up the Christmas card making.  I still haven't made my own cards this year.  I might just use one of these.

I cheated and got the ideas from Splitcoast Stampers.  I don't remember who did what to give credit.

Aren't they stunning?  If I see a fabulous card I have to CASE it.  No sense in reinventing the wheel.

Probably my favorite card is the white one.  I am personally a fan of the simpler the better.  I'm not into the grunge, aged, vintage, tons of bling.  They are pretty, but not my style.  So, if that's what you are looking for, it's not me.

Isn't the ornament neat?!  Again, Splitcoast stampers.  Look under resources and it is called a double ball ornament. 

All projects used Stampin' Up! products.

One more fun thing I did. . .

These are just plain, white paper cocktail napkins.  I took the small pine cone/branch stamp from the Lovely As a Tree set and stamped the napkins in each corner.  Everyone was blown away and thought I bought them like that ;)

Blog Hop Winner!

Thank you all for hopping along on my first blog hop over the weekend.  I really appreciated it!  As promised, there is a drawing and we have a winner!  If I did this correctly, it looks like the winner is #2

BINGE CRAFTER!!

Congragulations!!!  I used the Random.org widget to pick and I cannot for the life of me figure out how to integrate that into my post and actually prove that it picked #2.  Any thoughts?  So, for now it is stuck on the right side.  It really did pick #2. 

Ok, "Binge Crafter" (so funny since I know your "real" name)  send me a message with your address and I will send you the Stampin' Up! Tree Trimmings set and some papers and bling to add to your collection.