Blog candy give away!

Today is the last day of the blog candy give away at Jen del Muro's site: iheart2stamp.com
The entry involves sending cards to benefit a student group at Dallas Baptist University and they need cards to send out. Send your cards to

Dallas Baptist University
Attn: Julie Carlisle
3000 Mountain Creek Pkwy
Dallas, TX 75211

Here is my entry into the contest.

There are some rules you need to follow to get into the contest so hurry over there and check it out.
http://iheart2stamp.com/2009/01/08/official-blog-tart-entry/

Always Room for Improvement

My daughter Heather and I attended a class this past month at Leslies, Whole Lotta Scrap here in Norman, OK. I wanted to make the book pictured here and Kara Bean was teaching the class. It is one of those things that looks really simple to make but literally took me a lot of time to complete. Supplies are simple. Cardstock is from Prism...Prismatics Herbal Garden Pack and Accent Pack and the Suede Brown Pack and Accent Pack. I used Stampin Up ink pads for the stamping and embellishing. All the paper flowers, brackets etc are cut from the paper pack. I don't know where KaraKara got the pattern for the book but I changed it up quite a bit and added a few flourishes of my own. Instead of 3 rings holding the pages together we used Zutter binding and instead of the cut out circles for the date tabs we used the Stampin Up label punch. Lots of fun! I really enjoyed the class.






Here is a view of the inside of the book. Every month is divided up similarly with a section for why this is important to me, a to do list, and a goal for the month. This page is atypical of the book cause it normally has three individual sections, one for each topic. I loved all the uplifting quotes that KaraKara found to put in the book.

Few days to play....

I am now off work until next Sunday and I am really happy to have the time to spend doing some crafting and cleaning house. NOT a favorite thing to do! Housekeeping that is. I need to take down all the Christmas decorations and get the house in order! Heather and I are going to attend a class that Kara Bean is leading at Whole Lotta Scrap here in Norman making a planner. I will post later with pictures.

This week is my daughter Heathers 30th birthday and we will be celebrating with an all night crop at WLS. Heather is sharing her birthday celebration this year with a friend, Melissa, from WLS. I am going to make their birthday cards tonight and try and get some make and takes together so people will have something fun to take home with them.

I wanted to share another Valentines card I made for a swap on Splitcoast Stampers (SCS www.splitcoaststampers.com) I was web surfing and picked up the idea for the card and bookmark so I can't claim it as an original idea.

The real red card stock is the base of the card, the DP is put out by Cloud Nine Designs, Pirouette Pink and Not quite Navy make up the layers. The paper clip from Walmart with scallop punched circle in real red. The stamps are from Stampin Up! Love you much. Ink is Stampin Up! Riding Hood Red.

The second card is actually a 6 1/4"x3 1/8" creative tag from Paper Reflections that I made into a child's Valentine. I sprayed the white tag with glimmer mist and stamped the sentiment on the card with black ink from Stampin Up!

The stamps I won from a blog candy drawing at papersmiles.blogspot.com are from Craft Lounge..So In Love. Nancy Morgan has an awesome site and you should check it out. I used several punches, the Stampin Up! scalloped edge, Fiskars Scalloped hearts, and Martha Stewart large heart. Ribbon from Michael's craft store and of course a small package of Sweet Tarts held on with a glue dot!

Older cards

It has been such a cold couple of days I thought I would make a card that would brighten up someones day! While I was in the craft room I ran across some of the cards I have made this past year and I decided to post a few of those with some of my new resolutions regarding my craft room this year! I am hoping to do some renovations this year in the craft room and put down tile or Perigo and buy a real craft desk and cabinets.


The first is a card I made that is uber bright made with prefolded card stocks. I think it will brighten someone up if it doesn't burn out their vision first! I have a box of prefolded cards and envelopes that I have resolved to use up this month so that I can have the space for something else. This is one of the many electric colored cards. Oh well I will have some brightness to add to the world!








This next card is just the opposite. A little more sedate and dark if you will. This paper is from Close to My Heart (my daugther is a dealer) as is the stamps I used. I have some old cardstock and DP laying around and once again I am on the clean up cause I need space in my rack for all the beautiful papers coming out.














I am going to try and use up some of the many ribbons and embellishments before I buy more this year. I have only been making cards about 10-12 months and I have two drawers in my desk loaded up with all sorts of 'stuff' to adorn my scrapbook pages and cards. I could probably make a lot of things and not spend anything for the raw stock. I need to use it up to buy more!





I have quite a few more cards around that I will pull out and post so be looking for a few more of the older cards in future posts.

Vickie

Life changes

Happy Wednesday!

Today is the last day of 2008 and it seems as if it just started. I have been contemplating new years resolutions and what I want to accomplish in the new year and so far I am have a book written down. :) Tonight I will pare it down and pick two or three resolutions to focus on and accomplish in the new year. One of the things that I am hoping to accomplish to to be able to find more time to stamp and do my crafts. To do that I am going to have to be more thrifty with my time and not waste it doing nonproductive things. Life is so short and as I get older I am seeing the value of reassessing your life and situation and changing it to how you want it to become.


Speaking of life changes....

I wanted to share this card with you that I made for my brother when he decided to retire this fall with 20 some odd years of service with the Irving Texas police department.

This is stamped with the loads of love stamp set from Stampin Up! I can't remember the name of the set that the sentiment came out of. I colored it with the Stamp Write markers. The card stock is basic gray, not quite navy, whisper white. Red and white polka dot organdy ribbon from the dollar bin at Micheal's.

Happy New Year everyone!

Vickie

Onward!!

I finished cleaning up my craft room last night and found the Valentines stamps and paper I went looking for! Oh my goodness what a mess I let it get into. I took over my sons old bedroom and until now I didn't realize how small that space really is...couldn't be all the stuff I am trying to pack into it that makes it seem so small!! Plueeze!! I love all that stuff!

I love the spring pinks and greens in this card. The DP is from a Valentines collection I bought earlier this year and the cardstock is Stampin Up! I used the new Valentines stamp set called Love You Much from Stampin Up to stamp the sentiment and the hearts and then punched the 3 hearts out with the new Heart to Heart Punch.

I decided to try my hand with something other than a card tonight and ended up recycling a clipboard that I have had for a while. I think I heard it called altered art. Anyway... I once again used the Stampin Up! stamp set Love You Much and the the paper is from the Candy Lane DP pack. I had some embellishments and ribbons that I tacked on to pretty it up.

I just love this new Valentines set and all the DP patterns.
Stampin Up! Love You Much stamp set can be purchased individually or in a bundle with the punch and the paper. If you don't have a Stampin Up! demonstrator you can purchase these items at my site. www.okienurse.stampinup.net

More Christmas cards...

I thought that I would post a few more Christmas cards before moving on. I wish now that I had started the blog a little sooner in the season because I made a whole lot of things I would have liked to have shared here. Maybe I will sneak some of the stuff in here and there. Today though it is just going to be a lot of Christmas stuff.

These first three cards are 6x6 recipe cards that I did for an SCS swap. I may try to do a few more of these and make a cookbook up!













This is a tea bag holder card.



..





The next couple of pictures are of cards that I made and have now given away. I love the look on peoples faces when you tell them that you made them!




I loved the Snowy Joe patterned paper and dollar stamps that Leslie carried at Whole Lotta Scrap this Christmas!










I tried various card sizes this year and I am love the 6x6 or 5x5 cards. They are so vivid and LARGE that they get the attention of whoever is lucky enough to get one. I found this card sketch on line and decided to give it a try even though I didn't enter the challenge!




This card was also made doing a card challenge sketch but I don't remember who or what blog I found it on. It is a new years resolution to keep better track of that kind of stuff. I am still pretty new to this with my first card being made about a year ago!


This card is made with the first House Mouse stamp I bought this year! I just love the little critters and I will be buying more of these this year!


A couple more cards and then I will quit for today. I love the cards and I love the opportunity to share them.

Thats it for me for right now. Hope your weekend is pleasurable and you are enjoying time with family and friends.

Vickie