Update

Not too much good news to report. My brother's speech is not very good and he is very tired, not able to sleep well. No wonder! They are trying to get the central line out of his neck so they put one in the arm yesterday. Speech was worse, left side still paralyzed, very weak. It was a hard day. He says he wants to give up. It is the most terrible feeling to stand there and be totally helpless and unable to do anything for him. Thanks for all your kind thoughts and prayers. I will stay in touch.

Update

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. Today they took the breathing tube out of my brother and he can speak. His speech is very slurred but he knows his name, he knew me, he told me he didn't feel good, said the word "headache" and asked for his daughter. He has absolutely no memory of what has happened....the heart attack, the surgery, nothing. I went over and over it as he seemed so puzzled, like he couldn't believe it, but he was much calmer when I left. He is paralyzed on the left side but the nurses are hopeful he will get all of it back with therapy. His lungs are congested and they are working on that and he had dialysis today and yesterday. This is the best birthday present anyone could have given me! I will try to get back to posting after the holiday but right now I must be with him. He's still not out of the woods but this is the first positive sign we have had.

Family News

Very sad news for me tonight. My brother has had a serious stroke. He had a large blood clot in the brain that they found on CAT scan. He is waking up more and more so that they will be able to access just what damage there is. He apparently has limited motion on the left side but we won't know until they remove the ventilator, maybe tomorrow, if he can speak or not. As a sad twist of fate, his poor heart is doing beautifully. The pump is out and it's functioning on its own. Thank you all for your prayers.

Glitz, Glamour and Sparkle

These cards were all made with Outlines Rubber Stamp #H228. Just by stamping on different colors of cs, cutting out layers and building each star, you can get so many different looks. I added Stickles to all of them and different embellishments to the fronts of each card. Be sure to click for a closer view.

I cut out all of these while sitting in the hospital waiting room since Thursday at 2 a.m. My brother was rushed in with a serious coronary. He's been on dialysis for 3 years and a heavy smoker for life. He was in terrible shape. The next day he had quadruple coronary bypass at 8 and was taken back to the operating room that evening to stop some bleeding. Now he's not moving his left arm and they are worried about a stroke. They will remove his balloon pump which is beating for the heart today and try to get him for a CAT scan of the brain. So f ar he hasn't even woke up sufficiently to know if he even knows us. I don't usually talk about personal stuff on the blog. I like it to be about papercrafting but I am asking for just a quick prayer from any of my readers. His name is John. They have only given him a 50-50 chance of making it. I sure would appreciate it. Thank you all.

Sweet Card

Another really simple card done on Real Red cs and the DP is K&Co. Christmas Cheer. Sort of reminds me of an old calico print! The borders are done on Very Vanilla with a MS scalloped lace punch. The snowflake is the Cuttlebug Combo Die Snowflake cut from cream colored wool felt! I carefully applied Zip Dry Glue with it's nice pointy tip to all the little snowflake points and glued it down. Then for the finale I added Crystal Stickles on the snowflake. Click to enlarge to get a good look at the Stickles. Kind of an old fashioned card I think!

Another New Die

Today I received another backordered die from Stampin' Up! called the scalloped envelope die. Now I know you're thinking that this box doesn't look anything like an envelope. The box is made from four of the die cuts and the scalloped edge is folded to the outside (that would be the envelope flap ordinarily). It's filled with Hershey nuggets which didn't show in the picture and I used the Martha Stewart fence punch for the border and To You and Yours and Punches Three for the two stamped images. The box was done in SU Not Quite Navy. When completed the box measures approx. 3.5" square and 2.25" high. You can also leave the flaps up for a taller box or tie ribbon around. I just wanted to the use MS punch because I think it's so cute and appropriate for many seasons.

Top Note Snowman

OK, first off I can't take credit for this idea. I first saw it on Stampin by the Sea's blog but she gave no directions. So I did my own thing and I'll be glad to tell you how I did it.

Supplies: SU cardstock Basic Black, Whisper White, Real Red, Really Rust and Summer Sun. SU Top Note Die, one inch square punch, 1/2 and 3/4 circle punches, star punch. Versamark, Heat and Stick powder, SU Dazzling Diamonds glitter, adhesive, Basic Grey ink.

1. Cut one Top Note die from Whisper White and another from Basic Black. Trim the top of the Basic Black straight across but follow the curve of the corners and trim straight down the sides. The top of the hat should be approx. 3" top to bottom, so you are trimming off the bottom of the black top note die.

2. Glue the black top and the white bottom together then cut a 1" by 4" black strip for the brim and adhere to the top and bottom.

3. Eyes are done with the 3/4" and 1/2" circle punches. The whites are sponged on the edges with Basic Grey ink. Glue down the eyes approx. 1 1/2" from the bottom point of the white Top Note.

4. Punch a star from Really Rust and trim off one point, straight off. Sponge edge with Basic Grey and adhere to face.

5. Cut a 1" square from Real Red for the hat buckle. Then you can do one of two things. Cut a smaller square from the center or use a small black square to make it appear the center is cut out. Glue this down on the hat brim.

6. For embellishment you can use any flower die or a snowflake die. I used a Cuttlebug flower, a 1/2" punched center from Summer Sun and freehanded two leaves. All these were sponged on the edge with Basic Grey. It just gives them definition.

7. Finale! Sponge Versamark, then Heat and Stick powder wherever you want the glitter to be. Heat, then apply glitter. It's kind of a hit and miss thing but I think you could control it better if you sponged on the versamark. I just used the pad.

You can then use your snowman on a cardfront as I have or on the top of a tin or box, as a tree ornament, etc. So many ways to use this. I thought after I took the picture that I should rosy his cheeks with some Real Red, very lightly.

Enjoy! If you have any questions, just let me know. WOW! I guess I just did my first tutorial!!!

Finally......my Top Note Die!

I ordered it late, then it was backordered but it's finally here. Stampin' Up! hit a gold mine when they designed this die. It's wonderful and can be used for so many things......bag toppers (folded in half), labels, journaling, cards, scrapbooks, frames, etc. I just did this simple card to try it out. Background is SU Chocolate Chip cs, Dp is SU Ski Slope and I used two SU oval punches for the sentiment which is from Verve Visual's Winter Wonder set. The snowflake is the Cuttlebug Combo Die. I diecut this from a thin coaster I had, stamped it with Versamark, then dipped it face down in SU Heat and Stick powder, heated it, then in SU Dazzling Diamonds glitter. I popped it up on a dimensional and there you have it. I sure hope when the new catalogue comes out in January, SU comes up with some more wonderful dies like this one. I'm off to play!

Triangle Fold

I had to try this triangle or tea bag fold that has been floating around the blogosphere lately. There are so many beautiful samples on SCS so check them out. This background is SU Chocolate Chip and the folded thing itself is from SU Ski Slope and is one piece of paper, both sides are used. The scalloped circle behind it is from my Nesties. The sentiment mounted on the Large Punched Oval is from SU Upsy Daisy. This is not a hard fold to do. It took me a bit to figure out how to get it together. It only uses 8 two inch squares. Directions can be found on SCS. Give it a try. It looks wonderful in Christmas colors too.

Snowman Soup

This was hard to photograph because the plastic bag was giving off some shine. These were fun to make and went together very quickly and are not expensive to do. I used cardstock from the scrapbasket. Stamp is an old one by Inkadinkadoo. I colored the image just a little and added stickles for some bling. The Snowman Soup poem is on the back side of the topper. Inside the bag is a packet of cocoa mix, Hershey Kisses, marshmallows and a candy cane. Directions for these can be found on http://chicnscratch.typepad.com/stampinacademy/2008/11/snowman-soup.html . Thanks Angie! There are several ways to do this . I wanted to use the Top Note die from SU but unfortunately it is not arriving here until tomorrow and I was in the mood for these today. Such a nice stocking stuffer, or gift for the lady at the bank or the hairdresser or a neighbor who does favors for you. Make yourself a dozen!

Inchies!

Hi there! Hope you are all enjoying your weekend. I finally had time to sit down and test out my new "inchie" stamps from Inkadinkadoo. This is the Winter Wonderland set, or three stamps from the set which has 23 stamps in it, most of them just one inch square. The cs is SU Very Vanilla and the dark green is Garden Green. Images were stamped in Garden Green and I embellished with a metal snowflake with a metallic red brad in the center. These little stamps are going to be lots of fun and they come in lots of different themes. They're only $10 a set which I think is a good deal especially if you get to use a coupon. I bought mine on ebay but they should be in the stores soon. Enjoy!

Reminder About Stamp Club!!! ALERT!

Just wanted to remind you once again about the virtual stamp club starting up. The response has been good and we only need 1 or 2 more people. Scroll down several posts to see my post about the club. So much fun and a nice way to get some stamping and paper supplies from Stampin' Up! without a big layout. Hostess benefits too! Send me an email if you want to join!

Look What I Won!!!

Look at the great blog candy I won which came today. This is from Melanie Robinson athttp://www.myinkspirations.com/. I will have so much fun using all this. Thanks Melanie!

Hi to all you Harford County folks!

I just wanted to say I noticed that a lot of my blog readers are local here in our county from Bel Air, Abingdon, Jarrettsville, Forest Hill, etc. Thanks for stopping by so regularly and if anyone is interested in Stampin' Up! products, I would be glad to help out. Maybe you'd like to have a workshop with some friends and earn our fabulous Hostess Benefits. Drop me an email and say hello. I would be glad to help you.

Thanksgiving Blessing Mix Box

This is my version of the Thanksgiving Blessing Mix that is around on the web. You can use a treat bag with the mix in it and attach the little poem to a topper or you can make this little box which makes for a nice presentation. For box directions go to http://chicnscratch.typepad.com/chic_n_scratch/2008/10/blessing-mix.html. She also has the mix recipe a few posts above the box. It is 2 cups of bugles, 2 cups of small twisted pretzels, 1 cup of candy corn ( I couldn't find any so plan ahead!), 1 cup dried fruits or raisins, 1 cup of peanuts, 1 cup M&Ms, 16 Hershey Kisses, a bag of orange slice candy. That amount fills 8 bags. Then you print out the poem ( you can copy the poem by clicking on my picture and you'll be able to see it nice and clear) and dress it up however you like.....you could back it with Nesties if you print it small enough or just frame it with layers as I did. Add some little embellishments or whatever you like. I think I am going to use these at each place on my thanksgiving table. This was a fun project. I was thinking of a Christmas Box with appropriate candies!!

PS Since I couldn't find candy corn I left that line out of the poem but if you have candy corn just add this line: Candy corn: Sacrifices of the pilgrim's first winter when food was so scarce that the settlers survived on just a few kernels a day.

Stamping Club

A few posts back I mentioned starting a virtual stamping club where each member would be committed to spending $25 a month for six months. Each member takes a turn being hostess and earning all the hostess benefits and goodies. It's a great way to accumulate more stamping supplies without breaking the bank. I have had a few interested but we need three more. If anyone out there is interested in this "virtual" stamp club, please drop me an email. We could start when the new catalogues come out in January and each of you would get a new catalogue for joining. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Mary

Rudolph!

Here is the promised reindeer card, the reindeer image from Christmas Silhouettes by Inkadinkadoo. The sentiment is from Winter Wonder by Verve. CS is Bravo Burgundy and Whisper White. I had some leftover scraps from Basic Grey's Wassail and I love it so much I couldn't stand to throw them out. So I did a little Seminole patchwork effect on the bottom. I stamped the deer with Anna Griffin's Crimson pigment ink and embossed with Stampendous Pearl Lustre Garnet and the sentiment was stamped with Bravo Burgundy. Inkadinkadoo sure has some wonderful stamp sets this fall and winter. Today I ordered two of their new "inchie" sets and I can't wait to use them.

Hard The Herald Angels Sing

Gee that title makes me want to put some Christmas tunes on but I have a hard and fast rule....no holiday music until Thanksgiving day. Otherwise I am sick of it by Dec 10! This is the angel everyone is talking about from Inkadinkadoo Christmas Silhouettes. It's the same set that has the reindeer those same folks ar discussing! I am going to make a reindeer card next so keep watching. The background is SU Not Quite Navy and the angel was stamped with Color Box Sky Blue then embossed with Stampendous Blue Tinsel Opaque. The sentiment is on Not Quite Navy and Very Vanilla as is the card front and stamped with Not Quite Navy which EXACTLY matches the embossing. Lucked out on that one! Enjoy!

Hang the ornaments on your.....Antlers???

Yes antlers! The main image is from a Basic Grey set that was part of the Figgy Pudding line. Lots of flourishes, the deer, wreath, birds and ornaments. The sentiment is from Inkadinkadoo Winter Trails. DP is Basic Gray Wassail on Kraft cs. The paper behind the image is a chocolate brown from DCWV. I used various colors of SU ink to stamp the ornaments and SU Close to Cocoa for the deer and sentiment. Also used different colors of stickles for the deer's nose and the ornaments. Can you tell I like Stickles???

Snowman Stamp on Sale!!!

http://www.rubbercottage.com/ The snowman stamp I used below is on sale as Rubber Cottage's stamp of the month. It's 25% off if anyone is interested.

Great blog candy!

http://franmade.blogspot.com/2008/11/blogoversary-candy-time.html Go here to win Fran's blog candy. A nice grouping of items.

http://youwantthecookie.blogspot.com/2008/11/they-say-its-my-birthday-month-so-how.html Here's another load of blog candy to try your luck on!

Embossed Ornament Card

This Christmas stamp is a Brenda Walton for Inkadinkadoo. It was available in Michael's last year I think. I stamped it on Whisper White with Anna Griffin Crimson pigment ink and embossed with Stampendous Pearl Luster Garnet Opaque. I really like the look of the Pearl Luster embossing powders. So rich! The background is K&Co Christmas Cheer paper on SU Bravo Burgundy cs. The sentiment is stamped in Bravo Burgundy and is from SU To You and Yours and punched with the large oval and then the largest oval out of Christmas Cheer paper. Both ovals were sponged with Bravo Burgundy. It's a pretty straightforward design but the ep dresses it up a lot! I think that's it for me today. Whew!

One Layer Wonderful Snowman

I rarely do a one layer card. My daughter gave me this image last year for Christmas. It's called Let It Snow from Rubber Cottage, whose stamps I love. I just stamped it in Not Quite Navy on Vanilla cardstock and added the little metal star for an accent. Such a neat image!

Peace Tree

This one is done on SU Night of Navy and DCWV metallic gold cs. Stamping is also Night of Navy. Added some dressy ribbon from Mike's $1 bin and a snowflake brad in place of a star. Done!

Outlines Christmas Tree

Here's another card from the Graphic Christmas Trees collection by Outlines Rubber Stamps. This is done on SU Real Red, Kiwi Kiss, and Whisper White with a DCWV Gold metallic paper. I used Candy Cane and Champagne Stickles. The star is from SU Starstruck stamp set and punched out and layers with SU circle punches. Hope you like it!

Outlines Christmas Ornie

Are you familiar with the Outlines Stamp Company? I absolutely am in love with their stamps. Yes they are more work but the end result is worth it don't you think? This is one I've had for a few years and with these stamps you can have as many or as few layers as you like. This one has four. You just stamp on different colors, with different inks if you like, cut them out, and layers. I used gold Stickles on the ornie and Ruby Slippers on the branch. I wanted to stamp the branch, like use the one from Peaceful Wishes by SU, but my daughter has it and when I woke up this morning I thought of doing what you see here. This is an MS punch. There are quite a few of these ornament stamps, in varying shapes. And they have a wonderful Christmas Tree collection as well. Go to http://www.outlinesrubberstamp.com/. You'll love the web site.

Christmas Cardinal

When I saw A Cardinal Christmas in the SU Holiday Mini catalogue I had to have it. I love birds. We have several feeding and watering stations in our back yard and it amuses me immensely to watch these guys go about their daily business. But boy was this hard to color. I'm not sure I got this right but I think I can improve on the next one. I used SU Real Red and Bravo Burgundy CS. The image was colored with SU inks and an Aqua Brush on 140 lb. watercolor paper then cut out with the two largest scalloped oval Nesties. The DP is K&Co. new Christmas Cheer paper which is just beautiful. Michael's has it and you can use a coupon there. Sentiment is also from A Cardinal Christmas.

The Genuine One and Only Santa Claus

I decided to have a little fun with this 5 x 5" card. The background is SU Whisper White and the dark red DP is Wassail by Basic Grey. The santa image is called Santa Claus from Hampton Arts. The sentiment is from SU Bronco and is inked in Real Red. I used Versamark to stamp the background snowflakes and then Diamond Dust for glitter both on the snowflakes and a little on santa's beard. The little bit of coloring on his face and hat was done with chalks. After all, he is the ONE AND ONLY!!!

Christmas Blog Candy!

Be sure to check out the elegant package of goodies up for grabs at http://scrapbitz.blogspot.com/2008/11/biggest-blog-candy-evah.html. Really special!

Happy Birthday Using Medallion

Here's a little birthday card using the medallion technique. This was an EK Success corner punch and purple Stickles. Paper from the scrap basket. I am really working hard on getting it emptied of paper!!!

Winter Blues

Becca at Amazing Paper Grace really started something when she used her corner punches to create medallions. I've done a few of them and they are so much fun. Check over at SCS too because they used the technique for a challenge and there's a whole section of cards designed this way. The tutorial on how to do this technique is on Becca's blog at http://www.amazingpapergrace.com/circle-frame-tutorial/ . If you are not familiar with her work, check out her postings as she is one very talented lady. I used generic cs for this and an EK Success corner punch and the Snowflake is from SU Snow Swirled. Stickles are called Starry Night. Ribbon is from Mike's.

Bling or No Bling?

I hope clicking on this will help you see the difference. This is the same card as below but I added various colors of Stickles for sparkle. So, Bling or No Bling?

Can you help Bentley?

This is totally off the topic of stamping, cards, papercrafting etc and I hope I am not offending anyone but I have a story to tell. A good friend of mine in Delaware volunteers at a local animal shelter and occasionally takes an animal home to help rehabilitate and hopefully then be adopted by a loving family. She currently has a kitty named Bentley. If you are an animal lover, take a quick look at this link and see what Brenda is trying to do and maybe if you have a few dollars to donate or even a few prayers for her efforts I know she'd appreciate it.

http://www.fundable.com/groupactions/groupaction.2008-10-31.3840486365

If you can't help, maybe you could pass this link on to other animal lovers and maybe in doing this we'll be able to help Brenda with this unselfish task she has taken on. Way to go my friend!

Martha Stewart Christmas

Run don't walk to your nearest Michael's and check out the Martha Stewart Christmas offerings. I was blown away. Why does this always happen when I'm low on funds??? Anyway, I was able to buy the set that included this magnificent tree. I took a close up shot so you could see the detail. What I can't understand is how they can sell these sets for $9.99? They stamp beautifully and there are about ten other stamps in the set. This is called Christmas Tree and Martha also has a co-ordinating set called Holiday Accents that gives you the trunk of the tree as one stamp and all the elements as individual stamps. Each element is larger in the Accents set than it is in the Tree set. The possibilities are endless. There was also a darling gingerbread set with the usual ginger cookies and houses. And her trims and paper were wonderful. Ya' done good Martha!

PS This is stamped in Handsome Hunter on 140 lb. watercolor paper and is mounted on Handsome Hunter cs.

Autumn Candlelight

I really like this simple card. The focal image is a Lockhart stamp I purchased from Ellen Hutson's store. It was her stamp of the month for October. I couldn't wait to ink it and color it in. I have been using the Aqua Painter brushes and ink right from the stamp pads lately and I am liking this technique more and more. If you are not familiar with this, you just squeeze the SU stamp pads a few times while they are CLOSED. Then use your waterbrush to pick up your color and paint your image. It makes shading easy. Just start with the lightest color and work to the darkest. This is SU Kraft cardstock, an olive green twill tape, and the sentiment is stamped in Always Artichoke and is from theThankful Thoughts stamp set.

More Wassail

The background paper of this card is textured but of unknown origin. The dp is Basic Grey's Wassail, the central element is SU Whisper White stamped with Riding Hood Red, one of the new In Colors, and highlighted with Candy Cane Stickles. I used the photocorner punch to get the funky corners. Almost makes the red print background look like an ornament shape itself! Enjoy!

I LOVE THIS CARD!!! Yummy!

I just love how this card turned out. It is SU Mellow Moss and the designer papers are Basic Grey's Wassail line. My daughter bought me a 6 x 6 pack and I just love it. It's so soft, and antique-y looking. The wreath image is Inkadinkadoo and the sentiment is Papertrey Ink. I watercolored the wreath and added gold stickles to that and a few spots on the word Peace. Have to send this to someone very special!

Thankful for You

Here's a great little card for someone who really means a lot to you. From the new SU hostess set Window Dressing, there are so many ways to use this window and the various little stamps whose images sit in the window. I cased this layout from stamp-a-licious on SCS but used different papers, etc. The card is Really Rust with Chocolate Chip, Old Olive and Whisper White papers. Window and shutters are colored Old Olive and the ribbon is Chocolate Chip. I don't think you can see it on the card but I used Crystal Effects for a glass effect on the windows.

I've been tagged!

OK! Well my good friend Diane over at http://www.nelliesnest.blogspot.com/ has tagged me and I am to let the whole world know the following:

Five Things I Love:
1. My family
2. My home
3. Hot tea in the a.m.
4. Hot showers
5. My garden

Five Things I Don't Love:
1.Mammograms
2.Gyn exams
3.The Dentist
4. Getting older
5. When my husband snores

Five Songs:
1. I Raise You Up Josh Groban
2. Amazing Grace
3. I Feel Lucky Mary Chapin Carpenter
4. Mansions of the Lord Ronan Tynan
5. Man From LaMancha Ronan Tynan

Five Things I Like To Eat or Drink:
1. Spaghetti and Meatballs
2. Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
3. Soup
4. Margarita's
5. a good steak

Now here are five bloggers I am tagging: (sorry guys)
1. Becca at http://www.amazingpapergrace.com/
2. Michelle at http://zindorf.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/2008/10/
3. Tami at http://tamiwaddellcreates.typepad.com/my_weblog/page/2/
4. Kimberly at http://stampinbythesea.com/
5. Dawn at http://dostamping.typepad.com/dostamping_with_dawn/

Thanks everyone!

Gobble Gobble!

I made a few of these punched turkeys today. They were featured in the Stampin' Success! magazine for SU demonstrators but they have also been shown on several blogs. The entire turkey is made from punches and couldn't be easier. These would be so cute for placecards for the big dinner or small gift bag toppers. And you could even keep the kids busy on the big day making them.I don't remember where I got this turkey paper but I've had it a long time. I couldn't resist the saying!