Happy New Year's Eve

As the year winds to an end, it's always nice to step back and just reflect on the past year's high's and low's. This year has been wonderful in many ways- new challenges at work, lots of new friends made through stamping, my sons continuing progress in tennis and finding a great new set of coaches that click with his style.

Of course, there have also been low's- my father's continuing declining health, my daughter's own unique set of health issues and her taking time off from college, a crazy fall semester with two new computer systems that drove staff and students crazy....

Tonight I got the chance to stamp with my best buddy Kellie. We completed several sets of calendars- we didn't get to make any at the class on Saturday and just spend some time talking. Watch out- we've got lots of cool stuff planned for the next year!

Finally, I wanted to post some of the projects I made- alas, my camera has gone crazy. Hopefully tomorrow- new year- new camera??

What are your goals for the next year? What was your high point of the last year? Best memory?

Would love to hear your comments.

New Year's Challenge

I've been thinking about my blog a lot lately and reading several other stamping blogs. I'd like to make this site more exciting and useful to those who stop by. So my first goal for the new year is to offer a weekly challenge. The challenge will run from Sunday- Saturday. If you'd like me to post a sample of your work, just email me and I'll add it to the blog on Sunday when I recap the challenge. Of course, if no one plays, you will get to see my work :)

This week's challenge, since we are on the verge of a new year, is to create a card or layout using a new technique (new to you that is!).

The title of the Challenge is New Year- New Look.

Send a picture of your card to me and I'll post it for all to see. If I get enough participation each month, I'll also host a contest for the best from each challenge and share that on my SU website.

Leave me a comment and let me know what you think. Do you like the idea of a weekly challenge? Is it something you would participate in? Would it be useful if I posed the whole month's worth of challenges at one time?

and Now for something completely different...

I decided to take a break from just about everything today--instead of stamping, working on the computer or cleaning, I took a day for "me". The big find of the day- an affordable massage. My friend Celeste recommended this to me and I had to check it out. Wow- it was worth the trip. I went to Massage Envy (turns out- this is a nationwide chain) and the massage was affordable and my therapist Michelle was wonderful.

Here's the cool part (and while it is a splurge for me, I figure it will be worth eating lunch at my desk a couple more times a month). They are a membership based program (kind of like a gym) - it's $49 a month but that also includes one massage a month - and if I want more, it's only $39 per hour.

I would recommend checking them out (and if you decide to become a member- if you mention my name- I get a free massage)- so I thank you in advance!!

Here's a link to their website - I had the relaxing massage but I believe the deep tissue will be better in the future.

Happy Relaxing!!

Calendar Class a Success

Some of my stamping helpers!

Just a quick post- the calendar class was a huge success. Everyone seemed to have a great time and we are already planning the Valentine's class and of course the new catty kickoff- more to come on that. I thought I'd share a couple of pictures from this evening. More tomorrow- time for bed now.

Poor Sharon, everytime she went to work on a page, we had already cleaned up the supplies! We finally got our act together :)






Mattie hard at work- that Crop-a-dile is too much fun

Here I'm showing Connie Sue how to do the Pearl Ex technique. We used paint brushes and Pearl Ex with Future Floor Wax to create beautiful butterflies and dragonflies for the month of April.








Clint won the "award" for best crab and quickest at assembling calendars

Straight No Chaser - 12 Days

Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Night!! This is really funny even if you don't celebrate Christmas. Enjoy!!!

And Now for Something Completely Different...

The cards have been finished, almost all the gifts have been completed and wrapped and the only thing left was to bake. Last night, my stamping table became the bake shop. My daughter (on the left) is a wonderful baker and made batches of Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip and Sugar Cookies. The sugar cookies turned out to be the most fun as we all ended up in a flour fight. You can see my two wonderful kids playing- wait til you see what they did to me! After we cleaned up, Andrea also made a pumpkin pie for my dad and tonight we'll have Oatmeal Raisin cookies.

Don't I look wonderful?

Here's the recipe for her Peanut Butter Cookies:

1/4 pound (1 stick butter)
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350 and grease cookie sheets Cream the butter and peanut butter together. Beat in the 2 sugars, then add the egg and the vanilla and mix well. Mix together the salt, baking soda, and flour and add to the first mixture. Combine thoroughly. Drop by spoonful on baking sheet about 1 1/2 inches apart. press each one flat with the bake of a fork. Bake about 7 minutes or until firm. Allow to cool slightly then move to cooling rack.

These are the best!

Calendar Class- December 27

All images copyright Stampin' Up 1997-2007

Just a quick reminder, Kellie and I will be hosting a Calendar class on Thursday Dec. 27. It's a drop in event- just a way to get everyone together after the holidays and craft with no pressure while also making a unique one of a kind calendar for yourself. We'll be providing all the supplies plus homemade soup, chili. dessert and drinks.

There's still time to RSVP- just leave a comment on the blog if you'd like to attend.

Doors open at 1:00 and everyone should be on their way home by 7:00.

Here's one of the pages we'll be making- I chose June to help you think warm thoughts...

12 Days of Christmas Days 7 and 8

This swap has been so much fun! I have not only been inspired by the talent and creativity, but I now have a list of new techniques I want to try in 2008! It's so good to want to learn new things and branch out of the everyday comfort zone.

Day 7 brought an adorable Christmas album with all the pages already created. One of my biggest complaints this year has been about my lack of time for scrapping- this will make that task easy. All I need to do is print my pictures and 2007 is in the book! I'll post the finished product after the holidays!


Day 8 was an altered CD ornament by Teresa. I really like how she used a variety of papers and textures to create a unique one of a kind holiday treasure. Notice the beading on the bottom? Very nice. I've already got this on display and think that Altered CD's will have to be a class very soon.

12 Days of Christmas Swap Days 5 and 6

I'm so glad that Teresa has been uploading pictures of all the great gifts on her blog, since I haven't had a chance to get a battery for my camera yet, I've been borrowing her pics. Two more great gifts in the last two days.

Yesterday was an adorable Christmas tree ornament. It looks like it is made from felt with decorations and a Lovely saying.



Todays was another domino pin (I have got to learn how to do these!). This pin was all done up in red with the cutest little Santa.



I'm so pleased to have been invited to play in this swap. A very talented bunch of ladies!

Now that we are half way through the 12 Days, I'd love to hear which item has been your favorite so far. Please leave a comment and I'll also pass it on to the items designer.

What's your Elf Name?

Your Elf Name Is...

Happy Helper

What's Your Elf Name?

New Catty is HERE!

Just wanted to take a short break and let you know that the NEW spring/summer Idea book from SU arrived at my doorstop yesterday! Wow, you are going to love this one. I'm not sure what I want to play with first (when my preview order arrives). The new papers are awesome and the new stamp sets are right up my alley. Although I'm not a big flower fan- I can't wait to order the felt flowers - I see lots of possibilities with that.

Also, there are two specials in January- the first is for a Valentine bundle- (hint: we'll be using this at my Valentine's class at the end of Jan.) and the second is a great reason to host your own workshop (HINT HINT!)-- each $350 workshop in January not only gives the hostess regular hostess credit BUT you can also pick any one stamp set from the catalog for FREE!!! (why don't you look at your calendar and pick a date- we'll make a few cards, have some fun and...

12 Days of Christmas Swap - Day 4

Received the cutest little gift for Day 4 yesterday. Believe it or not, this is a post it note pad holder with a place for a pen (on top). Since I never have anything to write on when I'm at the computer and the cats always steal my pen. This will be perfect.

The holder is made out of fabric with gold trim across the top. The entire thing is closed by a strip of velcro across the top (hmmm, if I could only velcro my cat when he tries to steal my pen...). I'm already getting ideas for next year's gifts.

12 Days of Christmas Day 3

Here's a sample of one of the neat pins that was sent for the 12 Days of Christmas swap. I'll post mine as soon as I get new batteries for my camera.

If you would like to see more pictures, just wander over to the Altered Art blog.

I'm not sure of the exact technique, but the pin was made using a domino. Mine is gorgeous!

Holiday Project- Stamped Tile

Again, the picture doesn't do this justice. I was working on some last minute Christmas gifts and found some leftover ceramic tiles that I had used for a stamp camp earlier this year.

I pulled out my Flaky Friends set (so sorry to see them retiring!)- grabbed my black stazon and some sharpies and here's what I created.

After stamping and letting the ink dry, I popped the tiles in the oven at 200 F for about 7 minutes to set the ink.

Total time to complete the project was about 15 minutes (including coloring and baking).




Copyright Stampin' Up 1997-2007

12 Days of Christmas - Day 2

My picture does NOT do this beautiful notebook justice. It's a perfect mini notebook to keep in my purse to jot down random thoughts or capture the moment in words.

It is covered with a beautiful green paper, with LOVE in gold across the front and then assorted other papers added.

The creator was Pat Mills.

12 Days of Christmas Swap

I had the best time making the Santa Popcorn holders for the 12 Days of Christmas swap that I participated in. The swap was hosted by Teresa Pillow (another member of the TNStampers group). She was short a few players and asked for volunteers.

I won't include a picture of today's item (you can see it on this blog) but If you want to see all the great gifts from the 3 Swaps Teresa hosted, check out her Altered Art blog.

I'll be sure to share each of the treasures with you as I unwrap them.

December COTM

Things have finally started slowing down a bit and I've actually been busy stamping. With any luck, I'll even have my holiday cards in the mail by next weekend!

Here's a picture of the card I sent to my TNStampers COTM partner. All items are SU- this simple but elegant card started with the image embossed with Gold EP, layered on Bravo Burgundy with a Burgundy ribbon. This is layered on the wonderful Gold textured paper and finished by layering on white.

Hope you enjoy. Watch tomorrow for a sneak peek of one of the Calendar pages that Kellie and I will be doing for our Calendar class on Dec. 27.

Cookie Exchange

We had our 3rd annual Cookie Exchange today. Here's some of the group- if you look very closely, I'm the one hiding in the back next to Kellie.

We invited 3 of the "guys" to judge and they had fun. Cookies were judged in two categories, taste and display. Sadly, I didn't win either category. But it was still fun.

My container was created using a small take out box, then stamped with a retired SU set (one side had a wreath and the other a snowglobe). Here's the wreath side.

Brown and Orange Swap

Earlier this fall, before my dad got sick, I hosted a Brown/Orange swap. The only rules were Brown and Orange had to be incorporated into the card. Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures of all the cards received, however, I did remember to photograph 4 of them. The two cards showcased today were created by the extremely talented Susan Brandt. Be sure to visit her website to see samples of her watercolors. The top card has a paperpieced turkey as the focal point with hemp for emphasis. The bottom card also uses a paper piecing technique and matching fiber to highlight the colors. More cards tomorrow.

Cookie Time

Okay, so it's nearly 70 degree's outside and the middle of December. Now, I don't mind the fact that I'm not stuck in an ice storm like my friends back home in the Midwest but the thought of baking just isn't doing it for me right now LOL-- anyway, I've got to come up with cookies for a cookie swap at work on Thursday and thought these tempting little morsels would be just fine. No need to worry about how they look, no need to heat up the house with the oven and they are chocolate!!

Here's the recipe in case you want to try some, too.

• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

In a sauce pan placed over medium heat, combine the butter, milk and sugar. Stir well until the butter is melted and bring to a light boil.

Add the chocolate chips and rolled oats. Mix until the chocolate chips melt, combine with the sugar and coat the oats. Add the vanilla and stir.

Using a tablespoon, scoop up some of the batter and drop onto wax or parchment paper. Allow to cool. You can refrigerate to speed up the solidification.

Makes 2 1/2 to 3 dozen cookies

I found this copy of the recipe at The Accidental Hedonist site, although I have a copy of it in several cookbooks, too.

Winter Wonderland Card

All images copyright Stampin' Up 1997-2008

I apologize for the flash splotch in the middle of the card- I'll see if I can re-do this photo but I wnated to get something up for you in case you haven't started your holiday cards yet.

This is a simple card to make, but offers a touch of elegance for any occasion. All products are Stampin' Up. The images are from the "Lovely as a Tree" set. They are stamped on Glossy White (I used photo paper) using black Stazon. After allowing the Stazon to dry, I used a masking technique to cover the bottom portion of the card to retain the white "snow" bottom and then used my brayer to brayer the top of the card. Apply several layers of ink until you acheive the color you want. Then use a corner punch for two layers and mount the cards. For a finishing touch, I used a little 2 way glue and dazzling diamonds.

I think this is one of my favorites so far.

December COTM

I am a member of the TennesseeStampers online group (although lately- due to family circumstances, I haven't been very active). I wanted to share this delightful holiday card I received from my COTM partner for December. Don't you love the attitude!

Look at these Great Cards

Finally, I'm beginning to feel the holiday spirit. I wanted to share a few of my favorite cards from the Christmas swap I just finished hosting. While SU stamps were encouraged, participants could use any Christmas theme. This card looks even better in person, with the assorted shiny threads and the contrast of colors and textures. Susan B. was the designer of this one. You might want to check out her blog, too for more great art ideas.

The picture doesn't do this card justice either. Steph created a wonderful shaker card. When you have the card in your hand, it feels like you could be playing with a snow globe. For a tutorial on making shaker cards look here.



Kellie's card is a great sample for how to make a quick, easy card for those last minute, mass production nights. If you haven't started making your cards yet, you may want to consider this. Using the Letterpress stamp set from SU and some gold cord, you can make several of these in one night.

There is still time to order from Stampin' Up for those last minute holiday gifts and cards. And don't forget, the retired list is here, too.

New Update

Just a very quick update on my dad's condition. He has decided that surgery is not worth the risk and has decided to forgo the operation. This means that he will most likely die from the gangrene that is setting in. We are hoping that he will at least make it to Christmas --if you don't mind, please keep our family in your thoughts as we work through this.

Quick Holiday Idea- Make Your Own Wrapping Paper

Why spend lots of dollars on store bought wrapping paper when you have almost everything you need right at hand.

Here's a quick fun way to make your own wrapping paper-

• Purchase a roll of plain paper
• Use a jumbo wheel (some great options in the catalog) and with the retiring list out- get them now while you can
• Use a basic ink
• Roll the wheel over the paper
  
• Finished!

This is also a great way to get little hands involved in the process- you could even let the roll their own paper and then color it in.

Quick Dad update

Just a quick update- I'll be scanning a few of the swap cards in tonight when I get home so watch for some fun ideas.

As for Dad, the saga continues. We met with the cardio/thoracic surgeon yesterday- the news was not promising. At the very least, Dad will have most of his right leg amputated. In addition, he may need to have additional by-pass surgery to open up the stent in his leg - right now he has almost 0% blood flow in either leg. The Gangrene seems to be stable at the moment but surgery needs to occur within the next few weeks.

I'll have more later.

Will I Ever Get to Stamp? Hmm...

Well, so much for stamping this weekend, although I was able to work on the Holiday Helper newsletter a bit more. Be sure to check your email for all kinds of fun projects. Hopefully tonight I will bet a chance to stamp!

This weekend turned into Sick Bay at our house- first the cat got sick (for those of you who have been over- it was Princess- the large calico)- she had a fever of 105 and may be diabetic. We've been joking that she and my dad can run around in wheelchairs together if she ever needs surgery!

Then Amadeus got really sick this weekend at his tournament- stomach bug and a nosebleed that wouldn't stop! He ended up mildlly dehydrated, no tennis for 3 days and the worst part was he had to default his match when he was 2 points from winning....sigh.. Oh well- tonight I shall stamp!

Six Flags- Cards for the Troops and a Chance to Earn Free tickets

Calling all stampers- this is a great way to show your appreciation to those serving our country and possibly win some free tickets to Six Flags, too.

Six Flags is doing a Salute to our Troops AND giving you a chance to win
tickets to Six Flags!  How awesome is that?
"Holiday cards, letters and homemade notes are all welcome and creativity is
encouraged! Please be sure to keep your
messages positive and non-political. The letters should be uplifting and
express your appreciation for their service and
heartfelt wishes for a joyous holiday."

Mail all cards to the following address by December 19, 2007.  Cards will
be delivered to the troops by December 25.



*   Mailing Address:
*   Salute To Our Troops
  Six Flags, Inc.
  ATT: JK
  1540 Broadway
  15th Floor
  NY, NY 10036


Complete info here:
http://www.sixflags.com/national/community/salutetoourtroops.aspx

Further Dad updates- back to Stamping this weekend!

Just a new update- Dad had the angiogram yesterday- good news was- he came through the procedure just fine. Bad news is there is 100% blockage in the right leg and 80% blockage in the left. We meet with the cardio-vascular surgeon who did the bypass last year on Wed. to look at options. At the moment- none of the choices are great. There is a possbility of doing another by-pass (unfortunately a low rate of success and a high probability of not making it off the table), option 2 is amputation of most of the right leg and option 3 is to do nothing and die from gangrene.

Although dad was originally against any more surgery, he's starting to think that amputation may not be so bad as dying. Thanks for all your emails and support. I'll keep you posted.

Tomorrow, I'll be working on Christmas cards and will be sure to post the creations! Need to get everything done just in case...

Holiday Helper Newsletter

If you haven't signed up for my monthly newsletter, you might want to sign up for the next 12 issues of the special holiday helper. This short piece will be sent to you every other day through December. Jam packed with crafty tips and ways to make your holiday shine, there are ideas to use throughout the year.

Just sign up using the newsletter link in the right column.

Happy crafting!

m

Update on Dad

Quick personal update here- spent the day with Dad- his muscle strength has rapidly deteriorated since a week ago. Saw another of his doctor's today. He was concerned (aren't we all) but apparently not as concerned as we are. Added a few more meds to the regimen and scheduled the "gram" (not sure if it's angio or arterio) for a week from Friday. In the meantime, the foot continues to get worse. We'll see what happens....

Santa Popcorn holder

I found this idea on the My Creative Corner blog and tweaked it a little for my needs. I am participating in a 12 Days of Christmas swap and needed a quick, small, flat gift to use and then Ama needed some quick little coaches gifts and since most of the coaches running the tennis clinic are college players, I thought they could enjoy some microwave popcorn.

The original instructions can be found here. I was running short of black cs (oops!) and so instead of making a complete belly band, I actually glued the flaps shut and then just made a Faux belly band (covering just the front of the holder). I also decreased Santa's buttons to 2. I don't think anyone will notice :)

I had a little bit of a challenge making the gold belt buckle, luckily, I was able to find my 2 different CM square punches. My first try, I punched using the 2 larger squares, but found the buckle hung over the belt. My second try, I followed the instructions and used the 3/4" punch and then the 1 1/4" punch. The hardest part was lining things up. Overall, I think they turned out well and I was able to use up some of my scrap paper, too!

I added a quick little tag using Flaky Friends (from SU)- colored the snowmen's scarves in blue to match the MTSU colors and now I have some quick coaches gifts!

I'm still working on some ideas for Richard and David (the main coaches) any suggestions on how to creatively dress up a case of Coca-cola?

3D Ornament

If life ever gets back to normal, I hope to post more regularly and get back on track with my monthly classes. First, a quick update on life around the Nunaley household.

Last week was a week of goods and not so good things happening. First, my dear friend (and SU buddy) Patti Keitzman husband passed away just before Thanksgiving from Pancreatic Cancer. This was quite a shock.

On a family note, my dad's gangrene returned - the bypass that was done last year to open up the circulation in his leg has failed and he is looking at extensive surgery again- possibly later this week. Please keep him in your thoughts.

On a positive note, Amadeus played in his first high level regional tennis tournament- while he didn't win, he was able to hang in there with the players and I believe that next year will bring very different results.

Finally, I wanted to share this quick project with you- it's the 3D ornament from the SU catalog (which will be replaced on Jan. 1). There was a great tutorial on the Paper Pleasing Idea's blog that I thought you would enjoy! I'm going to be making a bunch of these this week as holiday gift toppers!

3D tutorial

Free Holiday Printables

This was shared on the TennesseeStampers Yahoogroup and I couldn't wait to pass it on to you. What a great way to get some fun new art to use in your holiday projects.

Yes, it's true---I'm doing another insane 25 day free printable
countdown to Christmas. Every day from December 1st through
Christmas, I'll post a new image on the calendar. There's a catch:
you must post a link to the countdown on a blog, web site, group or
message board before you begin downloading. Post your links to this
page now: http://countdown.tentwostudios.com "

HR Pufnstuf Opening and Closing Themes

Okay, we had a blast at Christmas stamp a stack last night but more on that later- just found this and couldn't resist sharing :)

October 31

Happy Halloween

New Pictures to scrapbook

Been very busy stamping and working on ideas for the upcoming craft fairs and stamp camp but took some time away from the stamp table to visit Rock City, GA and the Incline Railroad in Chattanooga, TN this weekend. If I had known there was also a rubber stamp and scrapbook convention going on, I would have left Ama at the tennis courts and had some fun shopping!

Overall, it was a great weekend- got to take lots of pictures and have an idea brewing for a neat little gift album. If it works out, I'll share it with you.

File in the Middle Card

I just saw the neatest card on Dawn's Stamping Thoughts blog.

Check it out and see what you think!

File in the Middle tutorial

After we get home from Chattanooga this weekend, I am going to give this a try.

Information R/evolution

It's not exactly stamping but I wanted to share - and ask you to think- especially since we have to catergorize our lives, our supplies our...

Need a reason to spend more time online??

If you happen to belong to a yahoo group or maybe have a facebook or myspace account, then this site might be of interest to you. The site is called Craftgate.

This site is designed with the crafter in mind and provides more opportunities to connect with like minded crafters around the globe. I did a quick search just for stamping and found 2 categories, including one for swaps, I was really interested in exploring the altered art links.

If you get a chance, check it out and let me know what you think.

Opinions, please

I'm working on some ideas for an upcoming Stamp Camp and need your opinion, please. When attending a holiday stamp camp- do you prefer to make cards, projects or a combination of both? Also, would you prefer to make projects that can be easily re-created at home for quick gifts or would you rather create a few "WOW" projects?

I know what my preferences are but I really don't know what everyone else likes to do. Please share your thoughts here.

Scrapbook Wiki (great resource)

Thanks to my friend Celeste for sending me to this site- it's a user created Wiki for everything Scrapbook related hosted by Better Homes and Gardens.

The Site is called Scrapbooks, Etc.
and is a great resource.

If you're not sure what a Wiki is (thinkWikipedia) it's a place to share knowledge and users can edit the information until there is common agreement. Wiki's are becoming more and more common as teachers use the to support classroom learning and kids use them to build up a repository of information for their favorite games and hobbies. Check it out and let me know what you think!

WCMD Update and Coming Events

So, how did your WCMD go? Did you get a chance to make any cards? Based on the emails I have received from you, it looks like last Saturday wasn't a great day for Card making but more and more people are getting ready for the holidays.

As a reminder, our Holiday Stamp Camp will be happening in Gallatin, TN on Nov. 1- I'll be sure to share some samples from there as the time gets closer- would love to have you join us and if you can't make it, leave a post and I can send you a stamp camp kit in the mail- all the supplies and instructions so you can still have some craft time.

I'm also going to be on the road more now that tennis is finally winding down a bit. Oct. 27 I'll be in Cleveland, TN at a crop and will be demonstrating some ideas for Holiday Tags. Once I get my camera working again, I'll post those samples for you.

Nov. 1 of course is Stamp Camp. The remainder of the week will be back to tennis as Amadeus and I volunteer at the Music City Challenger Tournament (it's a $50,000 pot and brings some of the best professional players ranked between 300 and 100 in the world). We do this every year and it is a blast.

Next stop is the League of Innovations Conference on Information Technology- I'm one of the committee chairs so no stamping during those days. As soon as that finishes, its back to stamping with our Chipboard Fun class, again in Gallatin on November 15. Check my website for more details .

The month winds down with a Christmas Stamp a Stack on Tuesday November 27, again in Gallatin.

I would love to come stamp with you and your friends and show some great holiday ideas- let me know how I can help!

November 17 come visit me as I work a Holiday Craft Fair with several other vendors then on to a Crop and Stamp class.

Happy Monday

Happy Monday! Did you have a great time stamping for World Card Making day? My stamping plans fell through a bit- but I still was able to make and send a few cards.

I've also started receiving some great cards for the October Brown/Orange swap. Can't wait until the rest come in....

more soon

Today's the Day- World Card Making Day

Today's the day- so grab your scissors, paper, stamps and adhesive, find 5 minutes or an hour (your choice) and make a card to send to a friend.

Do you know someone who could use some cheer- make a card and send it their way?

Does someone have a special event in their lives- make a card and send it their way!

In case you haven't seen this yet- you will spend hours checking out all of the cards submitted for WCMD already- these are great!

World Card Making Day Gallery

As soon as I find my camera, I'll add a few of the creations I have made (squeezed in a few cards between my son's matches).

Post your cards please or send them to me via email and I'll add them to the blog.

Remember there will be prizes, too :)

WCMD- Technique Challenge

If you have ever attended one of my Stamp a Stacks, you'll have probably figured out that there are two favorite techniques/items that I love to do. First is Crayon Resist and the second is playing with Water colors so for the Technique Challenge, you have two choices. Create a card using Crayone Resist or Using Water Color Crayons.

First, I'd like to put in a plug for the Technique Junkies Newsletter. This is an incredible resource chock full of ideas. You can subscribe by going to: Technique Junkies.

This month, Pat is also offering 3 free technique tutorials and guess what? They just happen to be for Water color crayons so create a card using one of these techniques and then share it with us by Saturday at 11 p.m. CST

Need to see the link? Here's one to the Water Color Crayon page.

Your other technique choice is Crayon Resist- this is one of the simplest and yet coolest techniques (IMHO!).

Here's what you need:

• Glossy photo paper
• Black ink (stazon or classic)
  
• Bold image stamp(s)
• A crayon
• 3-4 daubers (if you don't have a dauber cotton balls, q-tips or something similar can work)
• 3-4 ink pads (complementary colors)
• Paper towel or tissue

Stamp the image on the glossy card stock. Let the ink dry. Using the crayon, trace around parts of the image that you want to "POP" off the page. Whereever the crayon is, the ink will not adhere and after you are finished, there will be a white line around the image. Next, use the dauber(s) and dab or drag the colors across the page. Use the paper towel to wipe the crayon off the image.

Here's a sample: The Stampers Mall

Festival By The Lake

First, you need to realize that I am absolutely petrified of water sports and water related things. Second, I spent all of last week, home sick with not one but two very different types of viral infections. Despite all of that, I dragged myself out of bed, and of course got Ama involved, too and we helped with the Annual Festival by the Lake Fundraiser.

Ama and I got a chance to put my years of food ops management to practice when our 2 hour shift in the food booth turned into 4. It was a blast and a great way to meet lots of people while serving up freshly grilled burgers and hot dogs. After that shift, it was time to get into costume and get ready for the 1st annual wacky raft race. We all donned wet suits and literally hit the water.

We raced in heats of 3 rafts- we almost won our heat until our fellow Rotary buddies tried to kill us with their tow line LOL-- of course, what would you expect from the floating toilets!


Just wait until NEXT YEAR!!

If you want to see more pictures- try to find Ama and I- you can view them in the photo gallery at the iSurfHendersonvilleTN site!

Let me know what you think.

A Little Card Making Humor...

This is too funny- the guy's version of making a card. I thought I would share and if you can get one of the men in your life to make a card for WCMD- even better!!

Man Made Card

World Card Making Day- Challenge 1

Get Ready! Get Set! Go!!!

We're in the home stretch leading up to WCMD and I wanted to give you a head start. Challenge 1 will be to follow the Card Map For September located at the Page Maps website.

Your challenge:

• Use the first or second card map as your roadmap
• Use any stamp(s) that you want
• Colors should be fall tones (oranges, browns, reds, golds, etc.)
• Complete your challenge and post by 11:00 p.m. CST on Saturday Oct. 6

That's all there is to Challenge 1. Are you up for it?

World Card Making Day- Online Card Fun

Based on your response, it looks like actually getting together on Saturday night for World Card Making day just isn't going to work so.... borrowing an idea from another stamper, we'll be celebrating World Card Making day online--first- I still owe some blog candy from earlier this summer- I can not find your address so if the winner will email me I will get your blog candy out with some added goodies. Now for WCMD online--

First- you will have up to 3 card challenges to complete. Ranging from very easy to slightly complex.
We will have 3 card challenges. Complete one, two or three. Post your finished creation by commenting on the WCMD post (made on Saturday). I'll also be offering specials throughout the day and other challenges.

Challenge 1 - Follow the template (template will be posted tomorrow)
Challenge 2 - Technique Challenge- (technique, supplies, and a sample) will be posted on Wednesday
Challenge 3 - Dimensional Challenge- (supplies and a sample) will be posted on Thursday

Extra Credit (yep, I'm a teacher by day)- complete a card for the October Card Swap...

More to come....

Please share this with your friends-- I'll be offering polls, contests and prizes for you - have fun and happing crafting.

The Mom sung to William Tell Overture

World Card Making Day Event

After looking at the tennis schedule- I can do a night of cards and fun! Hope you can join me.

Saturday October 6, 2007
6:30 - ???

I'll provide snacks and we'll be making 5 cards using the incredible Simply Sent kits. In honor of WCD, SU is also offering all simply sent kits for 20% off if purchased between Oct. 4- 8.

Cost is $10 for 5 cards. Hope to see you there!!

October Swap

Time to get back in stamping gear-- between the hot weather (no desire to do anything!), insanity at work (finally settling down after 5 weeks- this has been the worst start to a semester ever!!), and tennis (I never realized how much effort goes into raising a high performance player), I've hardly even picked up any paper or rubber. That changes tonight- I have my first workshop in a month- and I'm ready to stamp again.

With that- the October swap will be due to me by October 15 and back to you by October 22.

Theme: Orange or brown
That's right- no particular stamp set or season- just use shades of orange or brown in your cardfront. - You can be fallish- maybe you are a UT - K fan, perhaps you are feeling a little crabby- be creative but be sure to use the color(s). Color can be done with paper, coloring, or brads, etc.

Make 5 cardfronts and get 5 back.

Sign up by October 5.

How Do You Score?

You Scored an A

You got 10/10 questions correct. It's pretty obvious that you don't make basic grammatical errors. If anything, you're annoyed when people make simple mistakes on their blogs. As far as people with bad grammar go, you know they're only human. And it's humanity and its current condition that truly disturb you sometimes.

The It's Its There Their They're Quiz

Daft Punk-Technologic

I promise to post soon- this video explains my "work" life for the last month. I haven't picked up a stamp or ink pad in at least that long. Soon, I hope, soon...

Finally Home!

Finally home and glad to be back. The picture is of Amadeus- dressed for rain- this was taken on Saturday morning before the tournament. Chattanooga got hit with a major thunderstorm and he had to borrow our friend Judy's raincoat and Australian outback hat just to get his rackets from the car. Luckily, the weather cleared up and he was able to play.

In the meantime, swap cards for the Christmas swap have been arriving. I'll start scanning and posting them tonight.

Tomorrow- watch for my crayon resist tutorial :)

We Have a WInner!

Congratulations Christine! Love the card. If you can email me privately with your address, I'll get your blog candy in the mail to you.

thanks to everyone who emailed scans to my regular email account, too. The cards are all wonderful.

mary

Color Challenge - More Blog Candy

I haven't had a chance to do much stamping this month but I'm ready to pick up the rubber and start stamping again. In order to celebrate Back to School- I'm issuing a challenge and the prize will be more blog candy!

Here's the challenge:

• Create a card using 2 of the new SU "In Colors" as the focal point
• Theme of fall or friendship
• Send me a scan of the card by Sunday at 5 p.m. CST

For every 5 entries received, there will be one Blog Candy winner

Blog Candy will include:

• 1 Foot Grosgrain Ribbon
• 1 Foot Taffeta Ribbon
• 1 baggie of misc. goodies

Ready, set, go

Had to Brag

We'll return to our regularly scheduled stamping and scrapping this weekend. I haven't had much time to stamp at all since July arrived- between travel for work and traveling with my son- taking a moment to just brag about my child (smile), this week was the state team tennis tournament. Our team came in 3rd in the state (yippee) and my son won 47 our of 48 possible games while his friend Tyler had a perfect tournament winning every game in every match. On top of that, our team won best sportsmanship awards for the 14U in both girls and boys. I was more proud of that than our 3rd place finish. I've included a picture of Amadeus- he looks so intense!

More stamping soon....

One Word

There was a great article in our local paper about a 17 year old girl who won an International Filmmaking contest. The rules required participants to create a 30- 60 second film (I think that was it). Her issue was "One Word"- if everyone chose one positive word, how would the world change. I just couldn't resist sharing this with you.

One Word

Just Had to Share

We saw this bumper sticker in MN and I just couldn't resist sharing:

Final Card Candy

Here's the last of the card candy from the VC-Rocks swap. Today I'm working on some ideas for my upcoming Christmas in July classes. I'll post some samples for your feedback. Watch the poll, too and help me decide on some colors :)

All products Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted.

Copyright Stampin' Up 1999- 2007

Copyright Stampin' Up 1999- 2007

More Swaps as Promised - Card Candy

Okay, I'm back home and just unwinding. I have plans for some serious stamping this weekend, provided my son is feeling better. He's out for the count with a sinus infection and that's not a good thing since he's supposed to be going to Chattanooga with his doubles partner to play in a relatively important tournament on Saturday morning. Keep your fingers crossed that he is feeling better by tomorrow.

With that- here are 4 more beautiful Card Candy samples that I received from the VC_Rocks Card Candy swap. All supplies are Stampin' Up.

Copyright Stampin' Up 1999-2007

Copyright Stampin' Up 1999-2007

On the Road again

http://flickr.com/photos/choconancy/772656587/

Last report from Duluth- I've added a picture of part of our crew from TN who attended the conference. I really wish that I had brought a camera, although I do have access to the digital pics fro Flickr and I bought several postcards to use too. Today, I'm going to try and catch a glimpse of the Nina (replica of Christopher Columbus' boat) before I head out to the airport. Check back on Saturday when I'll be posting my how to get started scrapbooking tutorial (I'm teaching that class on Saturday a.m. and Sunday p.m.) for VC Rocks.

Beautiful Duluth

Just a quick update from beautiful Duluth, MN and I really do mean it's beautiful. While I haven't had any time to stamp (who was I kidding- this is a work conference) LOL, I have had some time to see the sites (last night everyone from the conference got to go on a refurbished steam train for a 2 hour ride along the north shore of Lake Superior). Here's a picture from last night taken by another convention attendee.

Click on the image to go to flickr for more pictures

I have also had a chance to learn about some new Web 2.0 technologies that you might also enjoy as a stamper/scrapper/crafter/blogger. I'll share those below.

Now for some of the cool tools I think you might be interested in.

First- my long time favorite is del.icio.us.
Here, you can create an account, store all of your favorite places and also tag them and share them with your friends (or customers!). For example, if you add me to your del.icio.us network, you can see the places that I have bookmarked or share a site that you think I might enjoy. It's also great because you can add a description of the site so when you can't remember why you saved it- the description is there for you.

Another site I learned about was Meebo
Set up a free account here and then you can actually chat with your friends, customers, blog readers directly from your blog or website (when you are logged in of course).

Several more sites but time to go to tonight's adventure. More from the road later.

Notes from the road

Just a quick update- I'll be posting lots of card samples and new goodies after I return from my trip to Duluth, MN. I'm here for a work conference (yes, I have a "real" job that helps me support my stamping passion!) LOL

The town looks like it might be fun- we just got off to a rough start when our final connecting flight was cancelled and we had to drive nearly 3 hours to reach our final destination. What should have been a fun, relaxing evening at the pre-conference activities turned out to be a crazy ride with 5 colleagues and a stray person who attached herself to our group.

Ah well- life is an adventure....more from the road later this week.

Colorful card swap

Just a quick post to share a few more samples. This was from the colorful card swap I participated in with VC_Rocks. I will have to come back and give credit to the stampers but I wanted to at least share a few pictures with you to get your weekend started.

The theme for this swap was to create a card using a minimum of three SU colors (not including black/white). All samples displayed were made using SU products unless otherwise noted. Hope you enjoy and are inspired.

All images Copyright Stampin' Up 1999-2007

All images Copyright Stampin' Up 1999-2007

All images Copyright Stampin' Up 1999-2007

Card Candy Swaps have arrived

I knew that July would be a great mail month (after signing up for about a zillion swaps) with VC_Rocks. I'm going to share some of the great Card Candy swaps I received. If you aren't familiar with Card Candy- it's a great gift for scrappers and card makers alike.

To create your "Card Candy" stamp several smaller images that would make great embellishments on either an album page or a card. For my card candy, I used SU's "Looks Like Spring" set plus some coordinating Gingham and buttons. After stamping and coloring my images, I used mini glue dots to adhere them to a piece of waxed paper. Now, when I'm ready to use the "candy" I can just peel it off and add it to my card or page.

I think these will also make great hostess gifts, if placed in small cello bags. I will give credit to each of the swaps later today (I need to go home and read the backs of each), in the meantime, enjoy the samples.

All images, papers, inks etc. are Stampin' Up.

The Winner is...

The winner of this first blog candy is Tami!

I put all the names in a hat and had my son pull one! So Tami, if you could contact me, I'll get your goodies to you!

Thanks everyone for the kind comments. Have a wonderful day- I'll be back with more pics and ideas later this week. We're heading off to the tennis courts in a few minutes and then to a picnic :)

Blog Candy winner is....

Wow, this is so cool how the word gets out- I already met my goal!!!! We just got home from watching fireworks (11:00 p.m.) so I will post the Blog Candy winner tomorrow morning. I'm going to have my son pull the winning name from a hat when he gets up in the morning.

Thanks everyone for stopping by!

Mary

First Blog Candy-

I need your help! I've decided that my goal is to have at least 350 visitors to this blog by Wednesday- July 4. Can you spread the word to all of your stamping and scrapping friends about my blog? Please leave a comment to this post and when I reach 350 visitors- one lucky person will receive some blog candy!!

What, you might ask is blog candy? It's a gift from me to you. The blog candy this time will include:

- 2 yards of Chocolate chip grosgrain
- 2 yards of celery grosgrain
- and some other goodies

Swap Updates...

Just a reminder, for those of you who joined in the fun with the OSW (one sheet wonder swap), the second part of the challenge was to create at least one card using a swap sheet and then send me a picture to share on the blog. Thanks to Susan B. who has already completed the task. Here's a picture of her card:

Some images copyright Stampin' Up 1999- 2007

Reminder- the July Swap will be Christmas in July- create 5 full cards with a Christmas theme and receive 5 full cards back. Sign ups end July 6. Cards are due by July 23 and will be returned to you by July 30.