Tartan Magnolia

So, it's been a while......

2011-09-06T19:40:00.002-04:00

Seems like I was a little stamped out, huh? It's been quite a break has it not? To be honest, I think I lost more than my mojo.... there for a while I think I lost a little bit of myself and found just how much of a difference hormonal balance can make - but that is a subject for a blog in itself.
Looking forward to catching up with all my bloggy, crafty buddies and to starting new creative journey with a.muse|studio. There's nothing like a change of direction to shake things up, right?

I think I am officially stamped out....

2010-01-18T17:07:00.002-05:00

I thought I was just having a hard time getting back in to it again after the long break over the Thanksgiving/Christmas period, but I think I am actually stamped out! For a while anyway. I'm very much hoping it's not a permanent thing because I have way too much money invested in this hobby to just walk out of my craft space and never enter it again.
Why this gloomy announcement? In the last 3 days ( 3 day weekend, don't you know?) I have not produced one card! I have spent a ton of time reorganizing supplies and checking out challenge blogs and referring to the very cool sketch book I got for Christmas and NOTHING! Not one card at the end of it all. I'm so frustrated, plus I feel like I wasted my precious time away from the day job! So, I'm going to take a wee break from crafting and from reading blogs and hopefully I will miss it so much I'll be back before you know it.

Past and Present

2010-01-13T22:23:00.000-05:00

Like lots of you, I have been cleaning up my craft space recently and in a box at the bottom of a closet, I came across this card. I don't remember when I made it, but I do remember being very proud of myself when it was done - and I don't even think it was an original layout, I think I CASE'd it from a swap but the details are long gone, so if this was your card and you were in a swap with me 3 or 4 years ago, I apologize for not giving proper credit :)
Anyhow, I was looking at it and remembering how pleased I had been with it and thinking about how stamping trends have changed and how my stamping style has evolved and I couldn't help myself, I just had to give it a makeover.

I used the same Kaleidoscope stamp pad with a different sentiment because I originally intended to use a heart as an accent but didn't have one the right size, so I used a felt flower instead. I tried the paper flower from the post below, but it didn't look right either. I can't tell you how many hours I spend farfing around looking for just the right embellishment - it's a sickness, really, I think. I quite like how it turned out though. What do you think? Which is better?

Kay's Kindle :)

2010-01-11T22:00:00.003-05:00

All my life I have loved to read. I love all sorts of books (except the Harlequin romance type books - they just don't do it for me) and I am a very, like clockwork, regular visitor to the local library. There are piles of books all over the house, especially in the places where I am to be found - by my chair, by my bed, in the bathroom...... I drive a lot for work and I listen to audio books to pass the time. I love every thing about books, the smell, the shiny jackets, the feel of the paper - you get the picture!
So for Christmas this year, my DH got me a Kindle! I wasn't sure how I would feel about an electronic book without the book smell, the shiny jacket etc but I am happy to say I am LOVING it. It is so easy to use, I was downloading and reading within minutes. And let's discuss all the FREE books. Amazon has hundreds of free titles which are enough to keep you reading for months and if that weren't enough, I found this really neat blog called Books on the Knob which will alert you to the latest free titles. Since some of titles are only free for a limited time, this is really helpful. I also found the Kindle Books forum which opens up a whole new world of authors and book people.
If there are any other Kindle lovers out there, please share any tips you have or other great sites you may have stumbled across. I don't think I will every give up my books totally, but it is just so easy to hit that one click button and add another book to my library.

Freezing in Florida...

2010-01-10T16:24:00.007-05:00

.... I know you won't believe me, and those of you in the northern states will be especially skeptical, but it is so unusually cold here in Florida that we have iguanas freezing and falling out of trees for heavens sake! It's all right though because I went shopping today and picked up some new sweaters (because I only own 3 sweaters - I do live in Florida after all) and ordered a jacket from Overstock.com, so the weather will undoubtedly return to normal again. Luckily I have family in Scotland, so I will be able to use all the purchases next time I go over. As we found out last year, even if we plan a summer trip, that doesn't mean gloves wouldn't be useful.

I was going to shop yesterday but it was really, really cold and even the thought of new "stuff" couldn't tempt me off the couch, so I surfed around and found this tutorial on Dawn McVey's blog. How super cute is that? So I made this:

which was okay, but I didn't LOVE it - and I didn't think it looked nearly as cute as Dawn's, maybe because the scallop punch I used was the yellow Marvy one which doesn't have such deep scallops as the SU one she used? Anyway, in a light bulb moment, I decided to try the flower punch I just had to have from The Angel Company and have hardly every used and made this:

which I liked much better, especially after I added some stickles. I also scrunched my layers up tighter and didn't bother with the button.
Which do you like best?

Happy New Year!

2010-01-03T16:16:00.004-05:00

All my good intentions for crafting last week were derailed by a nasty bug which confined me to the couch - couldn't go to bed, because I couldn't breathe when I was lying down, so I ended up sleeping in the recliner, fortified only by Alka Seltzer cold and Robitusson. Yuck!!
So 2010, eh? Doesn't it sound futuristic? I also spent quite a lot of time last week watching Dr. Who on Netflix, so I am currently somewhat of an expert on futuristic. Given the mad dream I had last night, I obviously need to watch something else because apparently the combination of Daleks and cold medication is not a good one!
I also managed to read the new Stephen King novel "Under The Dome" which my DS gave me for Christmas. It is a MASSIVE book - over 1000 pages - but I do love me some SK, so I was up to the task. Not one of his best, IMHO, but still very readable. All in all, it could have been worse.
We typically host a party on New Years Eve, but in the circumstances (and in the interests of not infecting the whole neighborhood) we kept it to a dull roar with only a couple of our closest (bravest!!) friends. Champagne and fireworks and the chance to have actual conversations with people made it a rousing success. I might just do the same again next year. It was much easier to clear up later too.
In other news, I finally made it back to the craft room today. I was finishing up some Valentines for OperationWriteHome. Lounging on the couch for a week also gave me lots of time to blurf and I found some really neat free vintage images at The Graphics Fairy, which inspired this card. If you like vintage images you will have a field day looking around this site. This was one of my favorites, don't you think it just cried out for some Basic Grey and some lace?

I also want to apologize to all my bloggy buddies at Ocean's 11 because I have neglected them all (and this blog) terribly over the last couple of months. I'll be back visiting and commenting, I promise.

So Happy New Year to all of you out there in blog land - it's my sincere hope that 2010 will bring you all what you hope for.

It's beginning to look a lot like.........

2009-12-21T20:11:00.002-05:00

Life has been a blur for me for the last month and I've barely even seen a rubber stamp, never mind had time to create anything. Next year I am starting early (umm, didn't I say that last year? I think I might have...) Anyhoo, I have some time off work over the Christmas period and I am planning some selfish creative time.

Hope everyone has a fabulous Christmas and that Santa brings you everything you have been wishing for.

OWH Blog Hop Winner

2009-11-16T20:36:00.002-05:00

Thanks so much for all the kind comments on both of my hops. There was only one prize though... (that's the drum roll!)

I asked my veteran to pick a number and he said 45, which makes the winner Night Shift Nancy! Nancy, please contact me so I can get your "God Bless America" set in the mail.

Angel Art Blog Hop

2009-11-15T20:55:00.002-05:00

I know!! Two hops in one weekend... I didn't realize when I signed up that they would be so close together, but I made it.
This hop was put together by my fellow Angels and it's just perfect for this time of year - the theme was "Holiday Cards and Tags in 10 minutes or less" - who couldn't use some inspiration of that kind?

Because this is an Angel Company blog hop, most of the products youwill see used are from TAC. My first card uses the set Simple Joys and it truly couldn't have been simpler! It was inspired by a card I received in a recent swap which was made by Shirley Hotop. I tweaked it up a little, but the concept is all hers - thanks Shirley. I stamped the image with versamark, embossed it with gold and silver embossing powder, "stickled" it with icicle stickles and mounted it on a scrap of gold card (non TAC ) then mounted that on to Cuttlebug embossed cardstock. Simple!!

Easel cards are so cute and so easy! Under 10 mins, really :) I stamped the main image from the Vintage Santa set in Palette Burnt Umber on TAC Ivory cardstock, distressed it and ran some Brilliance Galaxy Gold around the edges. ( I didn't notice it had smudged in to the image until I edited it in Picasa..... oh, well!) He was mounted on TAC green cardstock. The paper is from TAC's Reece collection, the sentiment comes from the same Vintage Santa set and the ribbon is also TAC.

The last card was the easiest of all! It actually looks better IRL but regardless of how many pictures I took, it always came up looking a little blah. I'm sharing it anyway... The paper is from TAC's Amelia collection (one of my favorites!) and it uses one of the labels that is included. The sentiments are from two retired sets, JustBe 9another of my favorites) and Trendy Holiday Tags.

Melisa is next on the hop and I know you are in for a treat! She does some fabulous work and has been featured in the Angel Company catalog.

Here is the complete list of bloggers, just in case some of the links are broken.

Laurie W
Teresa
Jamie
Diane
Jen
Rita
Shirley
Julie
Kim
Laurie U
Kay
Melisa
Stacy

Operation Write Home Blog Hop

2009-11-14T09:15:00.001-05:00

Welcome hoppers! If you've been following the hop from the beginning you should have landed here from Caryl's blog. If you just dropped in randomly from cyberspace, you caught me participating in Operation Write Home's Veterans Day Blog Hop.

Operation Write Home is a group of crafters from across America (and beyond!) who make handmade cards for deployed heroes so they can keep in touch with their loved ones at home! We serve all branches of the military in all deployed locations, including those stationed aboard ships.

We also make "Any Hero" Cards. News from the homefront—even from strangers—is a treasure to those far from home. "Hero Mail is great," says one Chaplain. "I go out and pray with the soldiers before missions and I hand out Hero Mail." Letters are distributed to those who rarely get mail, or to those most in need of encouragement the day the box arrives. "It helps to know that we are remembered!"

The challenge for this hop was to create an Any Hero card and a Valentines Card (the next big holiday we are all frantically making cards for) I spent last weekend creating, and got so caught up in it all that I forgot to take pictures of the Valentines cards so I'm sharing two of my "Any Hero Cards instead. These cards were made with paper from K&Company's Army Collection and the sentiment is from The Angel Company's "God Bless America" set. It's got a bunch of sentiments which are just perfect for cards or scrapbook pages with a military theme and I'm giving one away today. All you have to do is leave a comment by midnight on the 15th and I will have my veteran pick a number at random to decide the winner. Don't forget to leave me a way to contact you and thanks for stopping by!

Now hop on over to see what Dawn has been up to! I "met" Dawn on the last OWH blog hop - you will love her blog!

We will remember them.....

2009-11-08T07:53:00.002-05:00

I grew up in Scotland, where Veteran's Day is called Remembrance Day, sometimes even Poppy Day, because we all wore red poppies in remembrance, something I don't see in the US but if you are interested, the history can be found here.

It falls on the same day, the 11th of November, and if it fell on a weekday, all the schools attended a church ceremony and we observed a two minute silence at 11am to honor the fallen. As a child, I probably fidgeted a lot during that two minutes, and didn't appreciate the symbolism of it. As an adult, who became part of the military family, who has friends serving overseas and who has lost friends to war, I fully appreciate it now.

Life has become so busy now, I can't imagine it stopping for two minutes during the work week, but if you take two minutes to watch this video, as you do so, please send out good thoughts and prayers to all our heroes of every nation serving in harms way. The video shows the very moving part of the annual ceremony of remembrance at the Albert Hall in London where poppies are released over representatives of all branches of the British armed forces to symbolize the fallen. I remember hearing once that there was one poppy for every fallen British hero, which makes it even more sobering to watch.

Until everyone comes home, we should remember.

Christmas is coming......

2009-11-02T06:49:00.003-05:00

......the geese are getting fat! Do you have that Christmas song here in the US? I have lived here so long now that I can't always remember what is from where so if that first sentence sounds totally random, just take my word for the fact it's actually a Christmas song.
Today is the postmark deadline for Operation Write Home Christmas cards and I have 50 all safely in their priority mailer ready to go. This is one of them. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. It was really easy to do - the thing that took the longest was waiting for the Stickles on the lettering to dry. You can't use glitter on OWH cards, but you can use Stickles (because it doesn't flake off) and really, what's the Holiday season without a little sparkle? This is an SU set that I don't remember the name of - my aunt let me stamp a bunch of images with it when she bought it last year - colored with Copics and Stickles, then mounted on red mirrorcard. The snowflake is a MS punch and the gem in the center of it came from the $ spot at Michaels.
I'm heading to the Post Office today to get my stash in the mail. I tried last week, only to be rejected because I had tape on the priority mailer - what is the deal with that? Is it just me, or is the Post Office getting really picky?

Fall Back!

2009-11-01T16:41:00.004-05:00

I am just loving the extra hour! Don't you wish we could have one every week? For some reason it seems to be lasting way longer than 60 minutes...
I had every great intention of making a bunch of cards today but then got sidetracked by the mess in the craft room so I have spent most of the afternoon in there tidying away all the Halloween paper, glitter, ribbon etc in readiness to bring out all the Christmas glitter and gloriousness so instead of a card you are being treated to a picture of the spooky seven layer dip I made as an appetizer for last nights Halloween dinner party. Look really carefully and you will see the wine glass markers are toe tags (complete with gummy toes in them) and the wine on offer was a Pinot Noir called "Vampire". We had a perfectly splendid evening.... I have the best friends!

Not a Halloween Card!

2009-10-26T20:53:00.003-04:00

I know, totally shocking, but I've moved on... I may squeeze in a couple of last minute Halloween cards, but for the most part I'm done until next year.

Time to start on the Christmas cards! Don't you just love this image from Mo Manning? I love all her images but these two characters are among my favorite. This was colored with Copics and blinged up with Stickles and glitter. Ivory Flower Soft was used on the brim of her hat - boy, that stuff is messy!!

This time of year is very busy for me with my day job, so blogging is taking somewhat of a back seat. Actually, I'm kind of amazed I've kept going as long as I have because I have a fairly short attention span, not to mention a low boredom threshold, but I'm really having a good time with it, mainly thanks to my bloggy buddies in Oceans 11 and all the other lovely people I have "met" out there in Cyberspace. Thanks all!!

Tombstone Invitation

2009-10-18T17:48:00.006-04:00

So I couldn't find the memory card adapter anywhere and finally had to break down and buy a new one. I found a wonderful price online and rushed to click the PayPal button without reading the fine print - the price was so wonderful because the store is in Japan!!! 7 - 14 days from order to receipt but the price was a whopping $1.16 or something equally ridiculous and since the shipping was free, i don't think I will worry too much about whether or not it ever makes it here. In the meantime, I found one on sale in WalMart. I did have to buy a new memory card to get the adapter and it cost a little more than $1, but it's in my hot little hands now and I have cards to share again, so all's well that ends well.

Since Halloween conveniently falls on a Saturday this year, I decided I was going to hold a Halloween dinner party. If anyone has any suggestions for something suitably spooky to serve, please share because I haven't thought that far in advance. I'm sure I'll come up with something but help is always appreciated! I am really looking forward to decorating the house and the table with some of my overlarge collection of Halloween goodies. We usually have plenty of little trick or treaters in my development, so I'm thinking we will munch on appetizers and hand out candy and then sit down to dinner. I'm excited already!

And lookee..... The Angel Company has this free template for the perfect invitation! You would think they made it just for me. I linked to the free download section because there are some other cute projects too - and free is always good!

Savannah

2009-10-12T21:20:00.004-04:00

So I was going to show you some pictures of the Halloween cards I worked on this weekend ( I know - Halloween is so far out of my comfort zone, but I do like to live life on the edge) but I have misplaced my memory card adaptor and so can't get the pictures out of my camera. So instead I'm sharing some pictures of Savannah. We had the best weekend....... I totally fell in love with the city. From the elegant Mansion on Forsyth Park............

.... to the graceful old buildings like these:

From the beautiful squares:

to the fabulous fountains:

and the delicious food:

(Fried Green Tomatoes - it just had to be done, really didn't it?)

I left a small piece of my heart in Savannah. If you ever have the chance to visit, don't hesitate!

World Card Making Day plus one

2009-10-04T19:33:00.004-04:00

Back from my birthday trip just in time to squeeze in a card for World Card Making Day. I know lots of peeps had fun challenges posted and I've probably missed the deadline for most of them, but I did find one on the Sugar Nellie forum on SCS which doesn't close until midnight tonight so there is still time for you to join in. Details can be found here:
I surprised myself by finishing this in record time - especially since the sketch had so many layers on it.
It was nice to use fall colors for something other than Halloween or Thanksgiving - the paper is from Basic Grey's Mellow collection and I finally got to use some Primas I have been hoarding too.

Holiday weekend

2009-10-03T07:38:00.002-04:00

It's my birthday today, so my DH has spirited me off to Savannah for the weekend to a most lavish hotel called "The Mansion on Forsyth Park" No cards this weekend (I know, World Card Making Day and I'm heading to the spa, then lunch, then some general 'sploring of Savannah ....... the shame of it)

One of my bloggy buddies from Oceans 11,my blogging group of talented stampers, shares her birthday with me - so here is a little message just for
Siobhan:

I'll post some Savannah pictures and catch up with you all later in the week!

Hippy Chick

2009-09-30T20:43:00.002-04:00

There is something about this Gorjuss girl that just screams hippy chick to me so it wasn't much of a stretch to pair her up with some this tree hugging paper from Basic Grey. One of those cards that comes together with very little effort and makes up for all those other cards that take forever and result in much teeth gnashing....

Halloween Tree

2009-09-27T19:13:00.004-04:00

My weakness for all things Halloweeny (yes, Barb it is a word!) means I have an insane amount of Halloween paper, not to mention a collection of black and grey Prima flowers that never looked right on any card I made, so over the Labor Day weekend, I worked on this little project using the SCS instructions for Paper Trees and used up a ton of stuff. The original instructions are for Christmas decorations and I had made a couple of Christmas trees last year and still had some styrofoam balls. And, like any good hoarder, I also have a stash of things I picked up "that might be useful one day" which includes more than a few of those metal buckets from the Target dollar spot. Look closely and you will see that it was sponged with alcohol inks to make it black and spooky! Altering tin is one of the very many cool things you can do with thatstuff.
This week has just shot by and the only crafty things I have been working on are my swaps for my fellow Angels on Paper Wings, the angels only forum I am part of. So I can't show you them yet, obviously, but I am pleased with the way they turned out, although it took me forever to decide on what to make. I don't swap often because as soon as I sign up, I become paralyzed with the possibilities, futz around for days, waste tons of supplies and end up regretting the impulse that placed me in this position in the first place but there are so many cute sets in our fall supplement that I gave in.

Tim n' Martha

2009-09-21T21:31:00.002-04:00

So I've had this set of Tim Holtz Alcohol Inks sitting in my craft room for at least 6 months now. I picked them up at Michaels one week, while wandering round looking for something to use my 50% off coupon on - you know, because I couldn't not use it and miss out on saving.. my DH LOVES that logic. "look how much I saved you today, honey"

Anyhow, I dug 'em out when I played along with the Macabre Monday challenge, viewed Mr Holtz (genius) doing his thing with them on YouTube and then played with them some more to create the back grounds for these little lovelies. The stickers are from the same MS pack I found on clearance last year and the bats are a MS punch and some sparkly paper from the stash. I'm really pleased with the way they turned out and I pretty much likes them all, but I believe the owl is my favorite. I do love Halloween.....

Operation Write Home

2009-09-18T06:51:00.004-04:00

I make Cards For Heroes, or at least I used to! Now I make cards for Operation Write Home - same people, different name. There are a couple of very good reasons for the change and you can find them all here, but the reason for sending cards to them hasn't changed so if you have a few (or a lot) of spare cards in your stash, or you just need a reason to make a bunch o'cards, check out the guidelines on the home page (that whole "no glitter" thing is a challenge for me!!) and get a package in the mail today!
Here's my Halloween stash, sneaking in just before the deadline .....

Halloween Gorjussness

2009-09-12T21:23:00.003-04:00

More Halloween cards! I think little Miss Gothic Gorjuss lends herself very well to the spirit of the season - so I decided to play around with her a little. Whaddya think of her with a green face? Purple hair? More alien than goth in the end, IMHO, but maybe someone will love her.
I've had a perfectly splendid Saturday - my first order from The Angel Company's "Inspiration Avenue" arrived with lots of yummy new holiday stamps (there just might be a new Halloween set in there... just sayin') so I spent the afternoon happily trimming and organizing.
And as if that weren't enough I found Bejewelled Blitz for my PC!!!! I have been totally addicted to this game since I found it on Facebook but the PC version is way better. Any of you fellow addicts rush to Target and buy this immediately so I won't be alone like this............

I remember.........

2009-09-11T07:55:00.007-04:00

HDH Macabre Monday Challenge 04

2009-09-07T21:39:00.003-04:00

Barb Foster is a fellow Angel. We've never met, but I've seen her posts on Paper Wings, the forum for Angels, and I've admired her work in the TAC catalogs because she is frequently featured there. Recently I discovered that Barb, like me, is a big Halloween fan. She is such a big fan that she has a whole blog , Haunted Design House, dedicated just to her obsession. I love it that sort of dedication!
It's been a long time since I played along with any challanges but how could I resist a Macabre Monday challenge? We are challenged to use a ghastly poem within the design and really who is more ghastly than Edgar Allen Poe?? My poem is "The Raven" I've had these Martha Stewart stickers sitting around in my Halloween stash for over a year now with a vague idea of what I wanted to do with them, so this card came together really quickly. I printed the poem on a piece of TAC's (retired) Kamalat DP and inked up the edges with Tim Holtz Vintage Photo ink. Then I used the MS drippy goo punch on a scrap piece of glittery black paper from my stash and mounted it on a piece of glossy card that I doctored up with Tim Holtz alcohol inks and entered it in Barb's challenge.

Light up my life

2009-09-04T23:41:00.005-04:00

As soon as I saw this Inkadinkadoo set, I knew they had to be mine. And I knew exactly what I was going to do with them - make Halloween cards! I love this card (she said modestly)
I honestly don't often love my cards - comparing myself to some of my stamping idols, I'm frequently unhappy with the results, but not this time .I was so happy with it I made the mistake of asking my DH his opinion.

Me: " Look what I made - what do you think?"
Him: "What does a chandalier have to do with Halloween?"
Me: "Well, don't you think it's atmospheric, doesn't it make you think of old houses and ghosts and such?"
Him: "Nope - I still don't see what it has to do with Halloween."

Which made my doubt myself for about 5 minutes........... and then I stamped a whole bunch more for Cards For Heroes. See......

I change up the colors and ribbon (because the ribbon on the first card is way sparkly and you can't use sparkle on CFH cards because of the risk to our heroes of stray bits of bling showing up on night vision goggles. Who woulda thunk it?) but I still love these cards regardless of what DH says. What does he know anyway??

The cardstock is TAC kraft, the paper came from a Halloween pad of paper I picked up at Michaels, the "Halloween" sentiment is a TAC stamp from last year, the "happy" is from an SU set that i don't remember the name of , the ribbon also come from M's . Think that's all folks!

Happy Haunting

2009-09-02T20:05:00.003-04:00

I had a lot of fun this weekend putting together some Halloween cards for my next Cards For Heroes mailings.
This little witch is from TAC's "Happy Haunting" set, the spider and the sentiment came from a Michaels Inkadinkadoo set, the kraft cardstock is TAC's and the DP came from the scrap pile. A little coloring, some stickles and she was done! I was so pleased with the way it came out, I whipped up a bunch.
Halloween and Kraft Cardstock - two current obsessions. Also the series "Weeds" which I have been watching on Netflix and Bejewelled on Facebook. What's your current obsession?

Be Bubbly!

2009-08-28T07:41:00.002-04:00

Stamping Bella holds a very special place in my heart because it was these little ladies that finally tipped me over the edge in to the unmounted stamp world - and oh, the places I've gone since!
Back then, the thought of unmounted stamps scared me for some unfathomable reason but because of the irresistible cuteness of da Bellas I put one toe in, then another, then my whole foot and now I am the proud owner of mounted rubber, unmounted rubber, clear stamps, digital stamps - you name it, if the image calls to me, I own it. A proud equal opportunity stamper
The image is a Bella, the sentiment from a retired TAC set called "JustBE"

Inspiration Avenue

2009-08-24T21:34:00.006-04:00

I have been eagerly anticipating the arrival of TAC's new Fall supplement which they have called "Inspiration Avenue" because there has been a lot of chatter about it over on Paper Wings, which is a forum for Angels. Mine arrived over the weekend and I have to say I'm very impressed. There are lots of cool new sets (42 new sets to be exact) and I have generated a fairly lengthy wishlist

I also like that they have included instructions for making some really neat seasonal projects. There is an ornament box that is just adorable and the template for it is going to be available from The Angel Company website as a free download. I've honestly been in two minds whether to continue my demoship with TAC but if this is a sample of the direction the company is taking , I think I will hang on in there for another wee while.

Here are a couple of sneak peeks for you- it goes live for ordering from on Sept 1st.

How cute is that Christmas set? And see the instructions for the Christmas Trio of Treats?

I'm also loving the tea set - it's on the wish list.... which will no doubt be tweaked and edited a couple of times before the order gets placed next week

Anticipation of new rubbah is almost as good as the real thing, no?

Pretty as a princess

2009-08-18T20:41:00.002-04:00

I think I've mentioned my fondness for the Gorjuss girls once or twice before... I love them all, but this little Miss Attitude is one of my very favorites. I thought she went perfectly with the sentiment from TAC's "Yield To The Princess" set.
The DP is from Basic Gray's "Sultry" set. My addiction to that paper is also well documented .......

I finished it off with a butterfly from my MS punch and a tiny bit o' bling. I found these little sparklies at Michaels and I believe they were intended to decorate hair accessories but repurpose very nicely wherever you want to add a wee sparkle!

Digital Stamps

2009-08-16T15:37:00.003-04:00

A couple of weeks ago there was a thread on SCS about digital stamping which was very interesting. I am very much a" live and let live" kind of person and I was quite surprised by the passion this subject stirred up. I guess, for me, there are subjects much more worthy of getting worked up about than whether a digital image should or should not be called a stamp. I'm glad it came up though because if it hadn't I would never have found the work of Mo Manning who is the illustrator of the digital image used on this card. Next time, I think I will size her down a little, but I just love this image !
She was printed on WalMart GP cardstock, using my HP deskjet, then colored with Copics. The background paper is the (sadly) discontinued Khalamat line from TAC

Blog Awards

2009-08-04T06:00:00.000-04:00

I'm still kind of new to this whole blogging adventure, still feeling my way around Blogger and all its many moods, and still more likely to blame myself than gremlins when I can't get things to do what I want them to! I was very lucky to find a group of blogging buddies early in the journey - the lovely ladies of Surfin' Oceans 11, all of whom are listed on my blog roll and all of whom have been invaluable allies in helping me to figure some of this stuff out.
A couple of weeks ago, Holly gave me my first blog award but I didn't know how to "accept" it, so she helped me out with that too!Thanks, Holly!

Then I got an award from Kathy:
And then I got one from Siobhan

Thanks so much for thinking of me, girls and thanks for taking the time to explain how to display them. Getting these have made me feel like a real blogger!!
There were directions and conditions that came along with each award, such as passing them on to others but it has taken me so long to work out how to actually do this that I am just going to promise to do better if there is a next time - and hope that I won't have forgotten how to do it if and when that day comes.

CHA Orlando

2009-08-03T22:26:00.002-04:00

I didn't go to CHA even although I live less than 3 hours from the convention center in Orlando. I bought a Circut Expression instead, reasoning that I would spend at least that much, if not more, at CHA because when it comes to papercrafting, I have NO willpower. And from what I have read on various blogs, I didn't miss too much apart from crowds, disorganization and no parking spaces. Seems like the organizers of this event seriously underestimated the enthusiasm of crafters although I'm wondering if all the pre-registrations didn't give them at least a small clue as to the numbers who were attending...
I did miss out on the chance to meet various stamping people who I only know from the internet but I'm actually not too sad about that either. There is something a little weird about feeling like you know people through their online personalities - especially when those people don't know you back. Like don't we all think we know Daven from SCS? Or Jen Balcer? Or Tim Holtz? (yes I know he wasn't there for the open portion of the event but you get my drift, right?) We've seen their pictures, got to "know" them through forum posts and blogs, but I don't really know any of them and for them to suddenly morph in to real people might be too much for me... and if that makes me weird, I'm okay with that too.
Tell you one thing though - that Basic Grey "Eerie" paper has my name all over it. Halloween anyone?

Gorjuss Girls All In A Row.....

2009-08-02T21:29:00.002-04:00

Once again the weekend rushed by in a blur, but I did manage to squeeze in some crafting time, a lot of which was dedicated to trying to master my new Cricut Expression. Maybe it's just me, but there is quite a learning curve to that machine - and my trash can is bearing witness to it. I needed to do some coloring to relax! I'm a big fan of the Gorjuss girl range from Sugar Nellie and I'm hoping they bring out some Halloween or Christmas girls. All the above cards were colored with Copic pens and various papers, (Stampin' Up and Basic Gray) were used on TAC Kraft cardstock.

Is it too early for fall?

2009-07-22T07:14:00.002-04:00

Or more specifically, Halloween? There is a real nip in the air here in Florida, in fact the weather man said it would "only reach the high 80's today) so you can see how my mind would turn to fall....
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. And not because of the trick or treating, because growing up in Scotland, there was no trick or treating (we had our own version although I understand things have become more Americanized in recent years)
No, I just love the colors, the papers and the imagery, I guess. I'm drawn to all of them and own more Halloween stamp sets than one person really needs. I fully expect to add to that collection this year, because I have NO willpower.
This card was included in the Cards For Heroes package because, obviously, they need to work ahead of the major holidays so they get shipped out to the troops in plenty of time for them to mail them home. It was so easy to make - some DP (that I didn't look at the maker of before I used it all up), silver ink on the sentiment (Inkadinkadoo, I think) then finished off with MS drippy goo and bat punches.

Chirp, chirp!

2009-07-19T18:39:00.002-04:00

No card this weekend......... because I got a Cricut Expression this weekend! I've been eying up an electric die cutter for some time now and couldn't decide which of the multitude was the best for me. I did a ton of online research and decided on the Expression. Only time will tell if it was the right decision, but boy, I hope so! I don't spend that type of money on my little hobby lightly but I had come in to a little windfall which made it feel a little better :)
Of course, I had to try to find a space for it in the stamp room - there went an afternoon of my life I I won't get back! Moved everything around and ended up moving it back again because it didn't fit where I thought it would but I managed to get rid of a big bag of trash that was just taking up room so I suppose it wasn't all for nothing!
Then I spent a fair amount of time surfing around looking for blogs/tutorials/tips on how to make the most of my investment. What about you, my friends? Any of you have a Cricut? I'd love some tips if you'd like to share!

With or without?

2009-07-16T19:42:00.005-04:00

Here is another of my Cards For Heroes, taken before I sent the package obviously. Given my new obsession with CAS cards, the question for today is "do you think the card is better with or without the bow?" Because of my embellishment obsession, I initially liked the bow, then I changed my mind and decided against it.
What do you think?
The background was made with a Cuttlebug folder, and the sheep is from one of TAC's Stamps of the Month, colored with Copic markers. The sentiment is from SU and the tiny little heart came from one of the $1 Michaels punches. It didn't show too well in the photograph, but the sheep was mounted on silver mirricard. I love that stuff but it is so expensive I tend to hoard it. Can't think of a better reason to stop hoarding than to share with our heroes!

Anyone seen my mojo?

2009-07-12T15:56:00.003-04:00

I think it's still on vacation, because I am so NOT inspired right now, BUT I had to go in to the stamp room this weekend because the pledge I made right here has been nagging away at me. I started off well, then the lead up to the vacation sort of side tracked me, then the actual vacation derailed me totally! Which isn't fair at all when you consider how much these cards are needed so I got over my whiney self and got on with it.
120 cards is a lot of cards! I sort of froze with the responsibility of it all because I wanted them to be great, but I needed them to be simple so I could produce slightly faster than my normal rate of one card per weekend! I do subscribe to the "more is more" theory of card making, so it has been a real challenge for me to simplify. But the internet never lets me down! Thanks to the CAS gallery at SCS and this card from one of my favorite bloggers, I was off and running and all the cards are sealed in their box ready for shipping.
And I've found a new style of card making! I'm kind of liking the CAS style.

Home safe...

2009-06-30T06:13:00.002-04:00

........we had a wonderful time! The weather could have been kinder, but hey, no-one ever said Scottish summers were why people live there. I understand they are in the midst of a heatwave now - typical!
I'm glad so many of you enjoyed the YouTube postcards - if you ever have the chance to go to Scotland, you should do it. The people are so friendly, the country is so beautiful and the history is so inspiring, why would you not?
We had friends with us this time around - it was their first visit to Scotland, so I spent more time doing tourist type stuff than I would normally and it was so great to see everything through their eyes. I found a whole new appreciation for things that I normally don't think twice about and places I've been a hundred times before looked brand new to me. Like this place........ drove past it literally hundreds of times, but never took the time to go check it out until now. Wow, what was I thinking?

A Postcard from home

2009-06-16T06:20:00.001-04:00

Greetings from Bonnie Scotland

2009-06-10T06:02:00.000-04:00

Vacation - all I ever wanted!

2009-06-03T19:45:00.002-04:00

See you all when I get back - enjoy!!!

Sugar Bowl Challenge #11

2009-06-02T07:58:00.003-04:00

Here's my entry for the Sugar Bowl Challenge. Kathy provided a yummy sketch and then an additional challenge in the form of something which must be incorporated in to your card. This time it was pearls, which I added to the center of my flowers and then along the border. I used one of my Leanne Ellis stamps from Sugar Nellie. The papers are from the Basic Grey Sultry collection, and I also used my MS punch, my CB embossing folder, my Nestie die and my SU corner punch. Phew.... This is why I don't normally list the recipe....

I've had the card done for about a week now, but I'm squeaking in by the skin of my teeth to actually link it before time is up on the challenge because I haven't stopped all weekend. It was all good though - I had company come in to town, a graduation party to attend and I'm still trying to get halfway organized for my upcoming trip.

Barring some extra hours appearing in the day, this will probably be my last post for a while because I will gone for TWO weeks!! And I suspect when I get back, the first order of the day won't be card making (much as I might like it to be) but laundry. You all be good while I'm gone!!

Whiff of Joy

2009-05-28T21:44:00.003-04:00

Sympathy cards are hard, don't you think? I made this card a week or so ago for a friend who recently lost her mother. I just wanted her to know I was thinking about her and this little image from Whiff of Joy's Guardian Angel collections works perfectly . I got her from 7KidsCollegeFund

The sentiment is from a retired TAC set and the paper is Basic Grey, but I forget which collection. One thing I did learn from the CFH Blog Hop (and yes, I will stop talking about it eventually, but not yet!) was that people like details, especially people new to this hobby. I know I have been very lazy about providing card details and I will try to do better. No promises, though - sometimes I just don't remember where I got stuff and sometimes (if I'm honest) I'm just too lazy to list them all.

Cards For Heroes

2009-05-27T20:07:00.005-04:00

Thank you all so much for supporting the CFH bloghop and for all the kind comments left here. Honestly, I had no idea what to expect when I signed up to join in. It was my first blog hop and I found out about it at the very last minute (hence I was the second to last blog on the hop) made my card on Saturday morning and posted it just before the deadline, then went off to a BBQ and came back to a bunch of comments! And then a bunch more....

I visited every blog on the hop and commented on them all! Along the way I found lots of new friends (you know who you are!!), moving stories from those who have lost loved ones and fabulous art work. I can't think of a better way to spend my weekend -

I've started on my promised pledge of cards to CFH........

What do you think? Because of the number I am making, I wanted to keep them simple, a style I struggle with but I kind of like these.

I also went through my card stash, card fronts and swaps, and repurposed quite a few of them so I currently have about 50 cards ready to go. Cards For Heroes are currently running a summer challenge which I have linked in my new 3rd column (she said casually)

How do you like the new look for the blog? I've been wanting a 3 column design for a while now and if I had known how many visitors I was going to have this weekend, I would have tidied and decorated before then, rather than late on Monday night! I got the template from Smitten Designs . Next on the "to do' list is to work out how to make a cute header - mine is kind of boring really - but I have a few more cards to make before that happens.

Oh, and in other news, the rain is finally slowing here. Work on the Ark can be abandoned for now It has still rained every day, but now it's only for an hour or so instead of all day.

Taking a moment to remember

2009-05-25T06:37:00.007-04:00

**** Scroll down for the Cards For Heroes Blog Hop post ****

I watched the flag pass by one day.

It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
and then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
He'd stand out in any crowd.
I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?
How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of TAPS one night,
When everything was still
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That TAPS had meant "Amen,"
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, freedom isn't free.

Freedom Is Not Free - Kelly Strong

Cards for Heroes Memorial Day Blog Hop

2009-05-22T22:16:00.011-04:00

If you've landed here as part of the Cards For Heroes Memorial Day Blog Hop, welcome!! If you landed here by chance and you've never heard of Cards for Heroes, check out the website for details of the blog hop and all the great prizes/blog candy here.

Cards For Heroes is a cause near and dear to my heart since our family was a military family for over 14 years, so I am particularly happy to join in and pay tribute to the men and women of our armed forces. The instructions for joining in the blog hop suggested including a story about your own military hero. There are countless acts of selfless bravery performed by our military all over the world every day and I'm certain that there will many inspirational pieces in the entries of my fellow bloggers but I chose to dedicate my entry to all the military spouses out there who also serve. It's kind of long, but once you're done reading, please continue on to Dawns' blog. You are in for a treat - she does fabulous work and her coloring skills are amazing! Thanks for your support of the Cards For Heroes Blog Hop!

When God Created the Military Spouse

When the Lord was creating the military spouse, He ran into His 6th day of overtime. An angel appeared and said "You're having a lot of trouble with this one. What's wrong with the standard model?"

The Lord replied, " Have you seen the specs on this order? It has to be completely independant, possess the qualities of both mother and father during deployments, be a perfect host to 4 or 40, handle emergencies without an instruction manual, move 10 times in 17 years to different locations all over the world, have the patience of a saint while waiting for its mate to come home and have six pairs of hands"

The angel shook her head slowly and said " Six pairs of hands? No way." The Lord answered, "Don't worry, we will make other military spouses to help. Besides, it's not the hands that are causing the problem, it's the heart. It must swell with pride, sustain the ache of numerous separations while remaining true, beat soundly even when it feels too tired to do so, be large enough to say " I understand" when it doesn't, and say "I love you" regardless."

"Lord, " said the angel, gently touching His sleeve, "Go to bed. You can finish it tomorrow." "I can't, " said the Lord. "I'm so close to creating something unique. Already it can heal itself when sick, on a moment's notice it will willingly embrace and feed total strangers who have been stranded during a PCS move and it can wave goodbye to its spouse from a pier, runway or depot and understand why it's important that they leave, even while it breaks"

The angel circled the model of the military spouse very slowly. 'It's too soft", she sighed.

"It may look soft , " the Lord replied. " but it has the strength of a lion. You cannot imagine what it can endure."

Finally the anget bent over and ran her finger across the cheek. "There's a leak, " she said. 'I told you that you were trying to put too much in to this model." "It's not a leak," said the Lord. "it's a tear" "What's it for?" asked the angel. " It's for joy, sadness, pain, loneliness and pride." "You're a genius" said the angel.

Looking at her somberly, the Lord replied "I didn't put it there"

** edited to add** As I make my way around this blog hop I found one lady who pledged for every comment she recieved, she would make a card for CFH. I love that idea and plan to do the same - comment away everyone!!!

Wet, windy Wednesday

2009-05-20T06:29:00.002-04:00

It has been raining here in "sunny" Florida for 3 days straight - with no end in sight. If you took a look at a map of our state right now, you would see what I mean ........

Yuck!! It truly makes me want to curl up in bed with a good book but instead I have to go out and earn a living. And, inspired by these delightful lades, maybe squeeze in a cup of coffee with a friend, although I'll have to go find me a hat. Don't they just make you smile? They are "Coffee Girls" by Leere Aldrich for Stampavie.
Hope your hump day is brighter and sunnier than mine promises to be.

Rain stopped play....

2009-05-18T17:07:00.000-04:00

I am planning a two week vacation at the beginning of June. In some countries, a two week vacation isn't that big a deal, but here in the US it's almost unheard of and it requires a certain amount of planning to make sure the day job is all taken care of during my LONG absence, so I have been scurrying around like a mad creature trying to fit everything in. It hasn't left much time for crafting, blogging or anything else actually, but on Sunday I did find some time to make a card for the newest addition to an old friends family. Then I took the picture, edited it and stopped to make dinner, planning to blog, blurf and generally catch up with everyone after that. There was my mistake! During the hour I did dinner, the Florida weather stepped in and a storm of great severity rolled over us. Fellow Floridians will know that severe thunderstorms can fry computers so I switched them all off and played Tetris on the Wii instead. My DH and I used to LOVE Tetris so when I got an e-mail from Nintendo letting me know "Tetris Party" was available for download, you know I was all over that. Apparently you can also play a balance board version of it - haven't tried it yet but it sounds very interesting don't you think?

Why I Should Never Browse in Craft Stores...

2009-05-11T22:37:00.002-04:00

...........there is not one thing in this picture that I need - apart from the yellow punch, which is what I went in to the store for to begin with. Of course, I have the complete set (including the scallops) of Nestie circles, but sometimes I can't be bothered with all the hassle of dragging them out and running them through the bug just for a wee circle and I wanted a small one for the center of the flowers that I was making. So I stopped at Michaels. Now I know not everyone has a good experience at M's but I have to say my local one is great and pretty much always has at least some of the latest and greatest items that the SCS threads are buzzing about. Which is not always a good thing because I went in for a $5 punch and came out $45 poorer! Of course it's all justifiable! The ribbon was on sale, and there is no such thing as too much ribbon, right? Or too much paper? And what is better than BG paper? Nothing, apart from BG paper on sale!
And how can anyone resist birthday sentiments? You always need them, right? And again, if they are on sale? It would take a stronger woman than me....
Then there is the bling, which wasn't on sale, but was a steal anyhow - and the ribbon flowers? A must have , because i just love the way the European girls use them with lace and such on their projects. No, I didn't buy any lace, but only because there was none to be had in the whole store.... which probably means a visit to that other big craft place very soon. I have NO willpower....

Sugar Bowl Challenge # 10

2009-05-11T21:23:00.000-04:00

I love my Gorjuss Girls, so it wasn't much a stretch for me to create this card for the Sugar Bowl challenge. I really enjoy the sketch challenges and although I find some of them more "challenging" than others, I like this layout a lot and will use it again. The extra challenge was to use buttons somewhere in the card, so I popped a sunny yellow one in there to help the flower pop. I like the way this card turned out!

Have a great week!

Spring Cleaning

2009-05-07T20:48:00.003-04:00

In keeping with tradition, I've had a good old clean out this week and have come up with a box of rubbah which needs a new home. Some of it is more loved than others, all of it is available for viewing in the slideshow to your right. I know the pictures in the sidebar are kind of off to one side, but they are fine when you click on it - and when you click on it, you can see the prices too!

Prices do not include shipping and are negotiable - if you see something you love and you don't think the price is fair, let me know.

Home again

2009-05-05T22:11:00.002-04:00

............and despite the comments requesting pictures, I have none! I saw nothing of DisneyWorld apart from passing through the gates to the Magic Kingdom on my way to check in, but I knew that before I left. Perhaps I should have mentioned my company was hosting the seminar? No spare time to visit with Mickey, although the Disney staff were wonderful as usual. It's a great place to have a seminar, that's for sure.

I haven't had a minute since I got back - well, no time to make cards - but I did manage to squeeze in a performance of 'Wicked" and then dinner with my DH.

Loved it!! I have the book and just never really got in to it, but the musical rocked! I highly recommend it. The lady who played Glinda the Good really stole the show for me. Good times!

And continuing my Netflix reviews, my favorite of the week had to be "Miss Potter" - a lovely, gentle movie about the life of Beatrix Potter of Peter Rabbit fame. Very soothing (and starring the fabulously talented, very easy on the eye, Ewan McGregor ) and a million miles away from the rush and stress of modern day life. Hmmnn, could my recent revived love for bygone times be a result of the stress which is ongoing in my life right now? hard to say, but the possibility does allow me to share that charming smiley with you, so surely it needs to be considered........

Guess where I am?

2009-04-30T22:08:00.001-04:00

Recognize it?

I'm out of town attending a seminar at Disney's Contemporary Hotel. I can just feel the pity pouring out of all of you.......

See you when I get back!

Just Magnolia # 2

2009-04-29T22:00:00.000-04:00

This weeks challenge at Just Magnolia was to make a card using Pink and Green and a Magolia image. Pink being one of my favorite colors, that wasn't too much of a stretch for me and it gave me the chance to use my favorite Basic Grey "Sultry" collection. Good times!! So much of a good time in fact, that I made two cards! See......

I didn't realize the light was so bad on these pictures until I uploaded them. I don't know what happened. Not being at all camera savvy, I always leave the setting on automatic which usually gives me decent results, but not so much this time. Even editing with Picasa didn't really help....

Silver Wedding

2009-04-27T06:20:00.000-04:00

It is quite mind boggling to me that I am old enough to have friends who are old enough to have been married for 25 years, but I do. They are not my mothers friends, they are mine! My sister was their bridesmaid, so it cannot be denied. I hope they like this card - a perfect excuse to use these darling Hanglar and Stanglar images, although I probably should have made the keys silver instead of gold! Didn't think about that until right now as I was posting this - dang it! Oh well, too late now!

Check this out......

2009-04-26T23:32:00.004-04:00

.......... doing a little blurfing before bed and lookee what I found. This is what I call Blog Candy, people - and on top of that, her blog is eye candy too with lots of fabby cards. I do like to check out what the European girls are doing and I just found another to add to my list of faves. You can find Miss Debbie here . Enjoy all that calorie free goodness!

Lost Weekend

2009-04-26T18:01:00.004-04:00

.......ever had one of those weekends where nothing goes quite as you plan it? That's exactly the kind of weekend I am experiencing. I won't share all the excrutiating details, but it involves a home improvement project which was "easy to install" which has involved several trips to Home Depot, consumed all day and culminated in DH and I having a slight disagreement and if all that wasn't enough, said project centered around the AC unit which is now, not working. Yes folks, Florida at the end of April with no AC. It could be worse, it could be Florida at the end of July with no AC, but needless to say, my enthusiasm for creating went by the wayside.......
One of the (few) highspots of the weekend was the movie I watched last night "Slumdog Millionaire" Highly deserving of an Oscar IMHO. If you haven't seen it, I do recommend it - one word of warning though, I did find it built up slowly so stick with it, because it is completely worth it!

Just Magnolia

2009-04-23T08:25:00.001-04:00

Do you like Magnolia images? Have you checked out the new challenge blog "Just Magnolia"?

I have a nice little collection of Magnolia images so I plan to play along on a regular basis so each of them will get a little more ink time.
I'm enjoying the sketch challenges. They really make me think about the layout of a card and how it will all come together.
I'm generally a bit hap hazard when it comes to card making -I color the image before I choose the paper and then wonder why I can't get things to look as thought they match. I don't plan the embellishments either, and then get frustrated because I don't have the right colors. How much easier it is if you do a bit of forward planning.... which applies to many things, I suppose. So there you have it, not only a card, but a deep philisophical thought for the day!

April Vintage Stamp

2009-04-21T20:09:00.000-04:00

This little guy is one of the images in TAC's Vintage Stamp Of the Month for April sent to me by my friend and upline Chris Franco.

I think he would be just perfect for a Mother's Day card from a little boy and made the card with that in mind.

Anyone who knows me knows my cards usually have lots of layers and embellishments. Do you think this counts as Clean and Simple? We had a Clean and Simple challenge for Oceans 11, the blogging group I am part of, which I never did.

Do yourself a favor and check out their blogs (all linked to the right) - we have a very talented bunch of crafters in there.

How about this ladies - would it count??

Lost In Austen

2009-04-20T21:19:00.001-04:00

Stamping and such isn't all I do. I also love to read and very much enjoy movies of all kinds (other than gratuitous violence, not so much for those types of movies) I recently found Netflix,something which I'm sure every other movie lover on the planet found forever ago. Something else I will confess is that I am a very accomplished procrastinator....... and this disease seeps into all parts of my life. I don't just put off nasty things, I even put off things I might enjoy. Like joining Netflix. Which leads me neatly back to my original subject of a movie I had never heard of which Netflix suggested for me, that I LOVED. I lost 3 hours of my life to this movie last Friday night and don't regret a second of it. If you like Jane Austen, even a little bit, you will love Lost In Austen. And you didn't even have to join Netflix to get the recommendation......... you're welcome!

Blogger ate my post....

2009-04-18T12:38:00.002-04:00

..... I had a nice long post all done with pretty pictures and flyers all embedded and now it's gone and I can't get it to come back.

I have retyped the text but I can't get the pretty Angel Company flyers to come back up so I am giving up in disgust.

All the details on the wonderful promotions can be found here , including the Grab Bags, the April Promotion and the very cute Stamps Of The Month, but the biggest news of all ( I think) is that the 2009 discontinued list is out - and all the stamps on it are 25% off! I would link to it on the The Angel Company website, but I can't find it there - so, if anyone reading this would like a copy, please just shoot me an e-mail and I will happily send you a copy. There are tons and tons of stamps on it which makes me very excited about the new catalog but first, I must see which of the retiring stamps I need - because you know there will be some.....

Once Upon A Time

2009-04-17T07:40:00.004-04:00

........there was a princess who lived in a castle in the clouds. Another sheet of DP from the Once Upon A Time stack which sat neglected and unloved in my paper stash until this weekend when this idea popped in to my head. I fiddled with the layour for much longer than you would believe, given that there are only two stamped images and one embellishment on there but I quite like how it came out.

And I know just the little princess to send it to.

The colored image is from Magnolia and the sentiments are from The Angel Company's "Yield To The Princess" set.
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Sugar Bowl Challenge # 8

2009-04-14T18:50:00.005-04:00

I hope you all had a fabulous Easter. Mine rushed by in a blur of trying to catch up with my life after being sick for two weeks, but I did carve out some time to do a little stamping...

Here are my cards for the latest challenge over on the Sugar Bowl.

For some weird reason, I can't get Blogger to load these in the order I want... this top card was actually made last, and takes a few more liberties with the actual sketch provided than the bottom card, but I had such a good time creating my first card that I went ahead and did another.

I have already confessed my love for Basic Grey paper and the "Sultry" collection, but Scarlet's Letter was where it all really began for me. I love those papers so much that I have framed a couple of them (really, honestly) I like the grungy gorjussness of it and feel it goes perfectly with my Gorjuss Girl.

"Wish" uses paper from my all time favorite Angel Company collection (sadly discontinued) called Khamalat, as well as some from the DCWV Once Upon A Time stack, which I bought sight unseen because I was sure I would love it. Not so much, actually......b ut I like it in this card - and it inspired another which I will post later this week.

(I know, I can feel your excitement from here - hard to contain yourselves, eh?)

Both cards feature stamps from Sugar Nellie , a company dear to my heart, both because they are Scottish and because they have some of the coolest rubber images around (IMHO)

Spring Flowers

2009-04-05T18:12:00.003-04:00

Because of this nasty sinus infection I've picked up (again!!) I haven't stamped in forever but I made this a couple of weeks ago, while in the grips of the Hanglar and Stanglar fever and I didn't post it. Wasn't that lucky?

The paper is Basic Grey "Sultry" collection which is one of my all time favorite BG paper. I actually had to buy two of the 6 x 6 pads to allow myself to use one. Sad, I know, but what can I tell you..... I bet there are some of you reading this who know just what I mean

I am hoping next week will bring me some more oomph so I can get back to stamping. To make it worse, my Funky Kits order came in (yip, doing great with the whole "not buying any new stuff thing") so I have new rubbah waiting to be inked.

Things learned about blogging....

2009-04-05T17:26:00.002-04:00

I have been, and still am, an avid blog reader. I discovered the blogging community on SCS a couple of years ago and started adding my favorites to my computer bookmarks. And from the links of the blogs themselves, I found more blogs which also got added as favorites. Then I found google reader which allowed me to catagorize and keep up with them all with ease, so I added more and more. They are as varied as my interests which are legion! Stamping blogs, cooking blogs, scrapbooking, digital scrapbooking, gardening, crafty, books and some which really defy description and just fit in to the 'other" category. Google reader rocks! But it does make me very lazy about commenting, because I have to actually leave it, load the actual blog and make the comment which I don't take time to do very often.

Now that I blog myself I get why people like comments.... and I do make an effort to do it more, so I am wondering -is there a way to leave comments through google reader that I just don't know about? Any suggestions much appreciated!

I have too many things I want to do and not enough time to do them all in!!! And yet, I keep blurfing and finding more great blogs....

A Sneak Peek!

2009-03-25T21:59:00.002-04:00

I am an avid blog reader - have been for a couple of years before I decided to join in and start my own. I've seen hundreds of posts with sneak peeks of new releases from all the DT members and now that I am posting a sneak peek of TAC's April Stamp of The Month, I feel like a real professional! This image is from the upcoming April Vintage Stamp of the Month and was sent to me by my upline, Chris, who is a true angel. In fact, she's been an Angel for so long that she has this image from the first time around and generously shared her and some others with me so I could be my own DT.

This little chick blows right by spring into summer, wouldn't you say? As soon as I saw her I knew just the paper to use too. It came from the DCWV pack I bought at Micheal's the other week. I love it when things come together.

Sugar Bowl Challenge # 6

2009-03-23T20:04:00.002-04:00

Finally, I find the time for another challenge! One of the main reasons for starting this blog was to join in with all the fun challenges out there in blogland but time just seems to keep rushing by and I never get any done.
Because it was Mother's Day in the Uk, the Sugar Bowl challenge was to make a card for a mother. U.S. Mother's Day is still some time away but my mother lives on the other side of the ocean from me and she really likes getting my cards, so I will probably not wait to send it to her - although it would be nice to have it all taken care of so early. I wouldn't know how to deal with being so organized! And she wouldn't know how to deal with getting a card on time!
The image is Sugar Nellie, the paper is Basic Grey, the tag and the sentiment are TAC.

This little piggy.....

2009-03-22T11:10:00.004-04:00

......... is just so happy it's spring.

Isn't he adorable? Just looking at him (or her. In my mind this image was totally a he until just now when I took a good look at the flowers around his neck - maybe not then! Or maybe just a pig who is very secure in himself)

Anyhow, as I was saying, just looking at him/her makes me smile. The other images in the set are equally adorable, so despite the fact I am trying to use what I have and not buy more, I gave in and added the set to the order. The set is called "S.W.A.K. and it was the vintage Stamp Of The Month for February. I also added this gorgeous set of papers called "Genevieve" The DP's were what really pushed me to join TAC to begin with actually. They remind me so much of Basic Grey paper, which is another of my favorite things.

I'm pretty happy it's spring too. This is one of the best times of the year to live in Florida - beautiful sunny days with none of the life draining humidity. It's so pretty outside today - I believe a visit to the local nursery is in order. All the money I saved on not buying stamps can be spent on buying new plants for my yard!

Oceans 11 Challenge # 3

2009-03-21T16:04:00.002-04:00

This weeks challenge was set by Dell. She wanted us to showcase our dry embossing skills. Not such a head scratcher for me this week because the Cuttlebug is one of my favorite tools and I have been so inspired by the beautiful work done by Sue Nelson, this was just the push I needed to put it all together. If you haven't seen Sue's work, do yourself a favor and visit her card gallery at Heart Prints . Fair warning though...... if you don't currently own a Cuttlebug and you don't want to "need" one, don't look!!

Coffee Break

2009-03-15T17:38:00.001-04:00

At the beginning of the year, I resolved to use what I had in my craft stash instead of constantly adding to it. And for the most part, I've done pretty well. I slipped a little when The Angel Company had the 50% off sale, and then again when the new supplement came out, and then I bought some Copic markers from Oozak just before the prices went up (but technically I saved money, so that doesn't count) Having absolutely NO willpower to resist, the only way I can do this is not to look. Not to look online and certainly not to go browsing around LSS's, M's or HL. Because if I do that, all would be lost... see the paper to the left?

I was lured into Micheals last week, spurred on by the possibility, based on the rumour, that some stores had begun to carry Tim Holtz products. I am in awe of Tim Holtz - he is everything I aspire to be (and by that I mean a fabulous, creative, vintage, grunge genius, rather than a cute man, obviously) so between that and the 40% off coupon that appeared in my inbox, what was a girl to do?

As you can see resistance was futile. Not only did I find the Tim Holtz products, several of which are now cozily in their new home in my craft room, but this stash of paper from DCWV, called Nana's Kitchen. It is glittery and gorgeous and the last thing I need is more paper but how could I resist?
And it goes just perfectly with the stamp I talked about in the Keurig post, so I dug it out and created this card. It's kind of hard to see, but there is a pocket on the left hand side of the interior (which the little cutie is stuck to) that would just be perfect for a Starbucks gift card.

I like the card, but I'm not going back to Micheals (this week anyway)

The stamp is Hanglar and Stangler and the coffee ring and the sentiments are by Inkadinkadoo.

Hope you had a wonderful weekend - thanks for stopping by!

Ocean's 11 Challenge #2

2009-03-11T20:44:00.000-04:00

In the interests of full disclosure I'm going to admit I don't love this card. I'm not even sure I like it. I had a vision in my head that just didn't come together on the card which is particularly annoying since I was going to impress my blogging buddies from Ocean's 11 by posting a card that met two challenges.
Chirleen set the first challenge which was to create a card with a 3D element. As soon as I read it, I knew I wanted to incorporate the Pinwheel Paper Posies that are featured in TAC's Serendipity catalog - and along came the vision of the crazy flower garden, complete with 3D grass and butterflies. Only I didn't get it finished in time. Which turned out not to be a bad thing because Elizabeth's challenge for this week was to use sky in a card. And what's a flower garden without a sky? So one card meets two challenges which brings me up to speed with by challenges, but I still don't love the card. But I did meet the challenge this time on time and that's a good thing.
Check out the other challenge cards from Ocean's 11 - all the links are on the right. We have some amazingly talented ladies in this group, you are in for a treat!

With enough caffeine, I could rule the world....

2009-03-08T15:05:00.003-04:00

I have a stamp that says this (Stampendous, I think) and it's a very true statement. When I came to live in the US, many moons ago, I didn't like coffee much. As a born and bred Scot, I was accustomed to endless cups of tea. The Scots are a nation of tea drinkers and we have it down to an art form.

However as the years passed, for many reasons, including the shocking lack of decent tea available in eateries in the US - tea should only be made with boiling water, and should actually have some color to it - it shouldn't look and taste like dishwater. Yes, I feel very strongly about this and don't think I am unreasonable - thousands of Scots can't be wrong!!- and the discovery I could drink bad coffee with a far better grace than I could bad tea, I gave in and turned in to a coffee drinker and then graduated in to what can only be described as a coffee snob.

I am very particular about the coffee I drink at home and coveted one of those fancy grind and brew models for about 6 months before I found one on sale for a price I could deal with (a cheap coffee snob is a hard thing to be!) only to find out I hated it! It never occured to me I would have to clean it out every time. I've had it for almost two years now, disliking it, but determined to get my money's worth from it when to my delight, last week, it started to make very strange noises during the grinding part. Not the usual plane taking off loud grinding noises, but more of a "something is going wrong with this" loud grinding noise. I seized upon this as an excuse to get the latest machine I have been coveting all because of this thread over on SCS.

And so I have my Keurig! Kohls had it on sale (although I am deeply suspicious of Kohls "sales", but that is a topic for another day) plus I had a 30% off coupon, so what's a girl to do? I have to say, it totally lives up to it's hype. I'm loving it!! Happily buzzed, working my way through the sampler pack that came with it and trying to decide which other brands and flavors to try, on Big Cat Coffee, the site which was also recommended by those in the know. Life is good!

The Angel Company March Specials

2009-03-04T20:16:00.003-05:00

In the mood for new spring sets? Look at this! Are these not adorable? I am very tempted by this special...

If you have time, check out The Angel Company website and click on the "dowload" button for the most adorable place cards featuring the duckie from this set. Too cute - and perfect for Easter. While you are there, click on the blinkie for a chance to win this set! Free is always good, right?

Every month, The Angel Company features a Stamp Of The Month and they recently added a Vintage Stamp of The Month. What does it say about me that I find I prefer the vintage sets? Look at this gorgeousness!

And here is the regular Stamp Of The Month

I'm currently waiting (not so patiently!) for my first order from the Spring supplement (Serendipity) There is nothing like the smell of new rubbah.... or new papah....or new ribbon....or really any new stamping thing.

Pink and Fabulous!

2009-03-01T20:24:00.000-05:00

You know how some days you sit down to stamp and nothing comes out right? The mojo seems to have deserted you and the trash can is filling up with your precious card and paper? I have lots of those days and they are very frustrating, but today everything just came together in the best possible way! Before I found unmounted stamps, I spent 5 very happy years as a demo for Stampin' Up. This was one of the very last sets I ordered from them as a demo - I just loved the sentiment! And what could be more fabulous than one of my favorite color combinations - pink and black? I also love polka dot ribbon and sparkle and although you can't see it very well, there is sparkle on every petal of this fabulous flower. The whole card just makes me feel good and I hope that feeling will pass right along when I send it.

You've got me swinging on a star....

2009-02-26T19:09:00.003-05:00

........or swinging on a moon would be more accurate, I suppose. Told you I wasn't nearly done with the H&S stamps. I actually made this a couple of weeks ago and never got around to posting it but I have been sucked in to the black hole that is Facebook and haven't been in the stamp room for days!

My favorite technogeek (her word, not mine) and I were discussing some other computer stuff and the subject of Facebook came up. I told her I had signed up, checked around and just didn't see what the fuss was about. She told me to try again and that I would love it. So I did and Ermmm......... makes a BIG difference once you have some "friends"!! I have found so many people from school, from Scotland and from our Navy days - it's my new, new addiction which has sucked up the time I was reserving for the new (blogging) addiction. I need a few more hours in my day to deal with all this cyber stuff.

A sexy little number...

2009-02-23T18:55:00.004-05:00

Isn't 50 the new 40? And isn't it odd how your perception of "old" changes as you get older yourself? I used to think 50 was perfectly ancient, but as I close in on it myself, I view it completely differently!
I have a very good friend who turns 50 on Sunday, and while I know she's not thrilled about it, it's still better than the alternative, right? I'm hoping this card will make her smile. I got the idea from SCS (where else?). I saw all these corset cards appearing in the galleries and futher investigation led me to this thread which has the link to the template and everything. I've just been waiting for the perfect opportunity to use it. The cardstock is a beautiful sheet my aunt sent me from the UK - the black pattern is raised and glossy, like you had embossed it, only without the mess, and I found the ribbon on clearance in Michaels this weekend and immediately fell in love with it. The little card slides into the card and although you can't really tell from the picture the white cardstock is mounted on black "glittered" paper - it's very cool IRL. I can't decide if it's "done" yet or not - should I add something to the top of the card (I have some very pretty heart shaped eyelets - maybe one of those and some ribbon) to make it tag like so she knows to pull it out, or whether to leave it as is and just make sure the insert is visable amongst the lace - what do you think?

It's good to be Queen

2009-02-20T20:10:00.004-05:00

I'm a big fan of Mary Engelbreit and was beyond delighted when Michaels started carrying her stuff - especially since it's in the $1 spot. But then, it is in the $1 spot and the quality isn't always the best. The card stock is kind of flimsy, the cards aren't folded evenly - all minor details, but they still bother me. So I made them not bother me -and used up a few of my million Primas at the same time. I cut the card and mounted on a larger card, which was covered with some retired TAC DP, then I added some scrummy velvet ribbon that I got at Joannes, I think. I like the way it turned out, even if it is a bit of a cheat. I liked it well enough to decorate the inside too, although I can't for the life of me figure out how to make the two pictures show the way I want them too. And the title of the post? One of my favorite Mary Engelbreit illustrations - a couple of positions ago I was the office manager and I used to have a copy of it on my office door. How unbearable does that make me?

Pretty In Pink

2009-02-18T21:23:00.006-05:00

Another adorable image from Hanglar & Stanglar - and since they are my latest obsession, I know it's far from the last. Does anyone else become addicted to things/images/sets? I have a compulsive nature I think. When I get new stamps, I have this need to use them for everything - until I get the next new set.

Anyhow, this bookmark was made for a young friend of mine who loves to read. I love to read - and I love to encourage other people, especially little, impressionable people with sponge like minds, to read. I bought her a book called "What the Dickens" by Gregory Macguire, who just happens to be the author of "Wicked" - and I just happen to have tickets to go see "Wicked" in May - see how that works? See how neatly that all came together? I also have a tendency to get sidetracked but I usually get back on track at some point during the conversation.

So the DP came from Micheals (I think) the image from H&S via Miss Dawn, the "e" is from TAC's AlphaGrunge (one of my favorite alpha's evah) and the butterfly was punched with my MS butterfly punch from some glittery paper sent to me by my aunt. I introduced her to stamping last year when she was visiting on vacation and she now has a collection of goodies that would rival some small stores. (or so I've heard - she lives in Scotland so I haven't seen it for myself - yet!) Compulsive, addictive personalities apparently run in the family but since she is very good about sending me surprise packages of "stuff" I'm not complaining too much.

Hanglar & Stanglar Happy Mail

2009-02-17T21:19:00.002-05:00

I used one of the Hanglar and Stanglar images I got from my friend Dawn to make this card for my mom's birthday. I so wish we could get these stamps here, they are so cute!
It's colored with Copic markers, an expensive little addiction of mine. I was so determined I didn't need these pens...... then I was in Hobby Lobby one day and there they were on sale, so I had to get a couple to try just to see what the fuss was all about. Of course, you know it was all downhill from there and I was sucked in to the cult of the Copics. Resistance was truly futile.

Surfing Ocean's 11

2009-02-17T20:45:00.003-05:00

As a regular reader of way too many blogs (and really, how many is too many? Google reader anyone?) one of the things I've noticed is how many people write about the new friends they have made while blogging - it's one of the things I hoped would happen to me too when I finally joined in with the fun. And it has! I've joined a blogging group and you will find a list of all the links in the sidebar under the heading of "Surfing Oceans 11". There are some very talented ladies in there so enjoy checking out their blogs. I love "finding" a new blog to add to my reader list - hope you find some inspiration in there. I'm really looking forward to getting to know all of them - hi girls!!

Bugs, colds, flu and general yuckiness.....

2009-02-15T13:13:00.002-05:00

........have abounded in our household. Despite all preventative measures, the winter maliase has spread itself around in ever differing forms meaning that as one of us got better, the other got sick and then the one that got better got sick again, leaving us feeling a little like

And the weather has been awful which has added to the gloom but yesterday spirits were lifted by the arrival of the mailman with happy mail. Not one, but two packages that I was not expecting! The first package was from my sister - it had 24 packets of crisps (chips) in it - total cause for celebration.!!!!
In Scotland we take junk food very seriously and there are chips in flavors not even imagined here in the US - Prawn Cocktail, Roast Chicken, Cheese and Onion, Worcestershire Sauce and Smokey Bacon to mention only a few. I've pretty much adjusted to life without these simple delights (harder than it sounds actually )but I really, really miss Smokey Bacon crsips most of all - now I have 12 packets to savour.... and my DS has 12 packets of Cheese and Onion which he really, really loves. I also have an issue of Good Food (another little thing which I really, really miss) and DS has a Tim Minchin DVD (impossible to find here) so it's all very good. My DH doesn't understand the rationale of spending way more in postage than the actual value of the goods in the package - what does he know?

In the other package was a bunch of goodies from a Scottish stamping friend, including a beautiful hand crafted Halloween banner, a bunch of stamped images (Magnolia and Hanglar and Stanglar) and some new Magnolia stamps - she is a honey!! Thanks, Dawn
I "met" Dawn on SCS - even although she lives about 40 mins from my hometown, I had to move to another country to find her. The internet has made the world a very small place and SCS has made the stamping community even smaller. That forum is one of my very happy places - if you are a stamper and have never checked it out (where have you been, in a closet for the last few years?), rush over there right now to see what all the fuss is about .

Serendipity

2009-02-01T17:40:00.005-05:00

The much anticipated, brand new spring supplement/magalogue from The Angel Company is here with 48 new sets, including new hostess sets, a ton of great tips, ideas and card sketch ideas and our revamped hostess rewards plan. I love the whole thing! And I love most of all that the company has listened to its demonstators and is changing to meet what we and our customers want, especially now, when every crafting dollar counts. I'm very excited to see what other changes this year is going to bring to TAC!

Serendipity goes "live" for ordering tomorrow so I'm sure it won't be long before it's available for viewing on the website, but if you can't wait, I'd be happy to mail one out to you . If you cover the cost of the supplement ($2.95) then I will cover the cost of shipping (media mail) Just e-mail me and let me know.

Vacation's over...

2009-01-31T19:48:00.003-05:00

My sister has been and gone - boy, did that week go fast! We shopped and talked, ate and talked, enjoyed a few adult beverages and talked, shopped some more and talked some more..... I think you get the picture!

She's not a stamper, so there was no stamping done at all. This is a card I did for a challenge but I did it the weekend before she arrived and I don't remember which one. I think it was a sketch on the CPS blog, but I'm not sure. The paper is TAC and so are the images, apart from the wings which are Stampendous (I think). The glittery hearts came from the Target $1 spot originally but have been in my stash for a while.

Reading this post, it would appear I have the retention powers of an ameba. I will try to do better now that normal service, such as it is, has been resumed!

New Stamps from The Angel Company

2009-01-19T21:03:00.002-05:00

This is one of the new sets which will be available in the new spring supplement coming soon from The Angel Company. How cute is she?

We were able to pre-order a preview bundle and although I didn't take advantage of the offer, my upline did and she kindly sent me some images. Very kind of her...... now I think I "need" this set, which I didn't before I saw them in real life.

You also get a sneek peak of my messy stamp room hiding in the background. Usually I edit it out, but today I didn't - no reason, I just didn't.

So you think it doesn't get cold in Florida?

2009-01-17T14:07:00.003-05:00

Oh, it gets cold...... just not the "cold" those of you up north are thinking of. I realize there's not much pity around for me, but this is cccooollddd for us hot house Floridians. Almost record breaking cold, which is just typical, since my sister will be here from Scotland on Tuesday. With hopes of getting away from the cold - which it doesn't look like she will be doing. Ah, well at least it will be sunny and cold as opposed to grey and cold. We will just be forced to shop at the indoor malls. I can feel the pity pouring off of all of you as I type......

Friday Sketchers

2009-01-11T18:07:00.008-05:00

It sort of sums up my life that I completed the Friday Sketchers challenge on Sunday...... that's okay, better late than never, right?

I used one of my favorite Angel Company images from the set "justdream" and the papers are also from TAC - the Mimi Collection.

I don't know if you can see it, but I used some Martha Stewart Snow Glitter at her feet. I was going for a cloud effect, but I think it was one of those inspirations that looked better in my head than on the paper.

I'm loving the challenges! It really makes me try different things and that's what this year is all about.

The Angel Company 50% sale

2009-01-08T19:32:00.004-05:00

My order is in! (If you don't know what sale I am talking about, scroll down for details) There were a few sets on my wish list that are now on their way to my house...... at these prices, how could I resist? I got:

Glitter Goblins - love Halloween! Loved this set when it came out and resisted......

Seasonal Icons - how cute is this? I can think of lots of uses for this set. Such great value for money and that is always a good thing

Date Discs - another set I have had my eye on for a while now. Lots of potential here too, don't ya think?

Fore - DH is a golfer -'nuff said!! I don't complain too much though as we have an agreement. I don't ask how much he spends on golfing, and he don't ask how much I spend on stamping. Works for me

Spooktacular - yip, love Halloween. You can never have too many Halloween sets IMHO ........and today I learned how to add these animations to my blog posts. Bet you would never have guessed ?

The Sugar Bowl Challenge

2009-01-07T20:48:00.006-05:00

One of the reasons I wanted to start this blog was so I could join in all the fun bloggers seem to have, including the blog challenges. This is my very first blog challenge, so it works very nicely that this is also the first sketch challenge over at The Sugar Bowl, the new challenge blog for Sugar Nellie stamps. These stamps come all the way from Scotland (have I mentioned that I do too?) and these little lovelies have been in my stash for quite some time now, so it's good to be challenged in to using them.

I can totally see why people get addicted to these sketch challenges! I was a little "challenged" to get all the different layers of paper on the card (may have cut them too big to begin with) so my finished product may be more in the spirit of the sketch rather than technically correct, but isn't inspiration the whole point of the challenges?

It's also a fantastic way to use up paper scraps. Most of what you see here is Basic Grey - I can never get myself to throw any of that delicious paper in the trash can......

Sugar Nellie is also the newest member company over on SCS. Check out their forum and find out all about them!

Scottish Thistle

2009-01-03T21:29:00.004-05:00

As soon as I saw this Magnolia stamp, I knew she had to be mine! Magnolias are still fairly hard to find here in the US, so I dropped several heavy hints to my mum. Lo and behold, look what showed up for me in a little package just after Christmas! Since she was kind enough to listen to my hints, it seemed only fair that I make her a thank you card. I am very guilty of making cards and not sending them and it's one of my goals this year to get better about making it to the Post Office!

For those of you who don't know, the thistle is the emblem of Scotland and I really haven't seen too many rubber stamps featuring them. I'm pleased with the way the card turned out - not so pleased with the way the picture turned out. I have a ways to go with the photo editing skills it seems...

SPEC-TAC-ULAR SAVINGS!

2009-01-01T15:18:00.002-05:00

Check this out! If you've ever wanted to try out The Angel Company, there's never been a better time than now!!

www.theangelcompany.net

www.theangelcompany.net

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T13:49:00.005-05:00

Over on Splitcoast Stampers, there is a thread all about 2009 Crafting Goals. Here are mine:
1. Use what I have until I have made a sizeable dent in the stash!,
2. Clean out my stamp room so I can find what I have in order to accomplish goal number 1. Sell, donate or trade excess stuff!
3. Make more cards rather than spending so much time looking for inspiration on SCS, on blogs and everywhere, then bookmark all the stuff I like, then never do anything with it.
4. Use those cards to support all those causes (cards for heroes, cards for cancer survivors, cards for sick children) that I always say I will and then never get around to.
5. Finish unmounting those stamp sets I am keeping
6. Make some Christmas cards every month so I actually send hand made cards to everyone next year
7. Learn how to scrapbook digitally.
8. After 3 half hearted attempts, actually work on a blog so i can join in all the cool blogger stuff!9. Squeeze in an extra couple of hours to each day in order to accomplish list.

This blog stuff is harder than it looks - and it's easy to get discouraged when you see all the cool sites out there and can't work out how to make your own look like that, but I am on a mission.

Yikes!

2008-12-18T22:09:00.003-05:00

.........where did the last two months go? Starting this at the craziest time of the year probably wasn't the best idea I've ever had. How can it be Christmas already? Despite the fact that I started making Christmas cards in October, I still didn't get them all done in time to mail them out and therefore was forced to commit one of the biggest stamping crimes - I sent out store bought cards (gasps of horror!!) Here is one of the cards I did manage to make using The Angel Company's "Perky Penguin's" set. The sentiment is from a retired SU set whose name has slipped my mind. If you look closely, you will also see the liberal use of Stickles - what Christmas card is complete without them?

The last holdout?

2008-10-06T20:30:00.002-04:00

Am I the last person in the world to start a blog? There's a whole big club of bloggers out there and I've been holding out because I don't have time to learn how to do this. Well, no more! Here it is, I'm an official blogger!

Why Tartan Magnolias? Because I'm originally from Scotland and have made my home here in the south and Steel Magnolias is one of my favorite movies, so it all seemed to come together very well - and why not? I had to call it something!