happy b'day, sue!

This card's for a buddy of mine who's got a December birthday. A few friends and I are getting together to celebrate it tomorrow early with dinner and a movie. I just got these stamps this past week and was itching to use 'em! The card's based on a sketch from Rae's site.

stamps: The Cat's Pajamas' Polar Holiday, PAPERTREYink's Green Thumb; paper: Creative Memories' baby blue, SU's Almost Amethyst, Memory Box's d/cardstocks; inks: Brilliance Graphite Black, asst'd watercolor markers; accessories: May Arts ribbon share from TexasJodyLynn; tools: Cuttlebug w Happy Birthday embossing folder

he skates, she skates

I dunno whether I've mentioned it before here or not ... but I LOVE A Muse Artstamps. I also love checking out challenges for card inspiration, and did this Christmas card based on Jen del Muro's last weekend's challenge here. I'm making different designs for cards this holiday rather than one design for all. I don't send very many hand-made cards out ... mainly just for family, but we'll just have to see how many I complete!

I love the inside sentiment - it's one of my latest from the kind folkes at Impress - and reads "hope your holidays sparkle and glisten." Kewl, eh?! I'll add some sparkle to the tree in the way of snow glistening tomorrow ... right now my youngest is clamoring for the PC and my tummy's rumbly!

stamps: A Muse Artstamps' He Skates, She Skates, Karen's Creative Stamping's unknown name snowflake trio, Impress' unknown name bare tree and Hope Your Holidays sentiment; paper: SU's Old Olive and Shimmery White cardstock, a couple BasicGrey's Figgy dp; ink: Versamark, Brilliance Graphite Black and StazOn's Jet Black, asst'd watercolor markers; accessories: SU's Old Olive ribbon; tools: Kuretake's watercolor blender

2 posts in 1 day?!

I've had a pretty darn good day, all things considered. My job keeps me busy and I'm always working on different kinds of projects ... enuff to keep me out of trouble and off the streets most days! This morning I heard I'd won blog candy from Angel for a recent Thanksgiving card post (excuse me a sec here - yahoo!) ... and then we celebrated Pat's birthday (see past post) ... and then I came home and found a recent order from the kind folkes at The Cats Pajamas RS had arrived! They had a 25% off sale a weekend ago and I deffinitely took advantage! Woo hoo!

Angel's looking for weight loss buddies - I'm motivated, and if you are too, head on over to her blog post to scope it out!

I really should start inventorying my stamps - I've only just once had the misfortune of ordering a stamp set when I already had it, but they're starting to grow and multiply on their own in the deep recesses of the dark corner in my bedroom where I keep my stash! Anybody have ideas besides a spreadsheet?

Enough ramblings ... I'm outta here!
later, alligators!
- SueB

happy birthday, pat!

My buddy Pat's birthday was this past Saturday, but we celebrated at work today. Yummy donuts from Donna's Donuts in Swartz Creek and a mixture of girl and boy brownies someone made. Anywho, I made this card to buck around our work group and have fought the temptation to add it to my blog 'til after we'd celebrated so she didn't see it here if she visited.

I picked this format 'cuz I liked the flower and colors for a fall birthday and this layout for Beate's WSC27 challenge! I used a sentiment from SU's Small Sayings for the inside sentiment - the "Happy Today, Happy Tomorrow, Happy Everything" and corresponding flower stamps.

I used the Cuttlebug to emboss the berry cardstock which ended up being too large to fit into the folder. I ended up embossing most of it in one pass, then turned the cardstock around and embossed about 1-1/2 inches on a 2nd pass, putting the card and folder thru the machine sideways to let the first already embossed part pass thru outside of the folder ... boy! that's harder to write than explain in person!

stamps: SU's Small Sayings, Gina K Designs' For You; paper: Paper Co berry, unknown dark and med browns; ink: StazOn Jet Black, watercolor markers; accessories: Hedgehog Ink's eyelets, Prima Carnival Flowers Autumn LVS, ; tools: Cuttlebug w Happy Birthday embossing folder; technique: dry embossing

you're my cup of tea

I've been wanting to make a teabag holder for my buddy Mary for some time now, and she visited this past weekend so this was the perfect opportunity! Besides, Splitcoast Stampers had a teabag holder challenge ... what timing, eh?!

stamps: A Muse Artstamps' What's Brewing; paper: Paperloft Co Well Worn Collection - Queen's Garden, unknown black, light brown, and wine cardstocks; ink: Brilliance Graphite Black; accessories: Hedgehog Ink's wine eyelet, Jolee's Pot of Tea, Reminisce's Grapes of Wrath rub-ons

a neutral Christmas greeting

Hi folkes! I spent a productive day decluttering my bedroom and basement and decided to play a bit while watching one of my fav movies on t.v. - The Hunt for Red October with Sean Connery, who, correct me if I'm wrong here, seems to be one of those actors who improves with age ... sigh ...

This one's in response to this challenge on Splitcoast Stampers. Sorry the white cardstock's so washed out ... it's late and I'm not using natural light.

stamps: SU's Warm Words; paper: SU's Kraft, Whisper White cardstock, an unknown black cardstock; ink: Brilliance's Graphite Black; accessories: Stickles' Platinum; tools: Cuttlebug with Snowflakes embossing folder

T'day weather forecast

In the pre-Thanksgiving rush, we have received an early weather report from our in-house weather reporters. This is one, you should be sure to email your Mom.

Turkeys will thaw in the morning, then warm in the oven to an afternoon high near 190F. The kitchen will turn hot and humid, and if you bother the cook, be ready for a severe squall or cold shoulder.

During the late afternoon and evening, the cold front of a knife will slice through the turkey, causing an accumulation of one to two inches on plates. Mashed potatoes will drift across one side while cranberry sauce creates slippery spots on the other. Please pass the gravy.

A weight watch and indigestion warning have been issued for the entire area, with increased stuffiness around the beltway. During the evening, the turkey will diminish and taper off to leftovers, dropping to a low of 34F in the refrigerator.

Looking ahead to Friday and Saturday, high pressure to eat sandwiches will be established. Flurries of leftovers can be expected both days with a 50 percent chance of scattered soup late in the day. We expect a warming trend where soup develops. By early next week, eating pressure will be low as the only wish left will be the bone.

- anon

aside from Sue - Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

FREE Copic markers?!

Run - don't walk - over to GinaK's blog and post a comment on THIS POST! She's going to pick one lucky person to receive a 36-count set of their choice of Copic CIAO's (valued at $150)! If I don't win, I think one of my regulars readers should!

later, alligators!
- Sue B

tom turkey

I made this card for my brother - it's a little bit goofy, like him! I'd picked up the cute ribbon at my local stamping shop, but don't know the maker, and the turkey from the dollar bins at Jo-Ann's.

stamps: SU's Small Sayings; paper: unknown medium and dark chocolate cardstock; ink: StayzOn Jet Black; accessories: Jo-Ann's fall felt craft pieces; tools: Creative Memories' circle cutter

Try it ... you'll like it!

I don't generally have multiple posts per day, but Laurie Schmidlin has some wonderful blog candy at her blog today. It got me thinking about my Mom's raison spice cake, and I thot I'd post the recipe here. I LOVE this stuff, and her hermit cookies ... and ... well, suffice to say I love my Mom's cookin'!

Raison Spice Cake - from the kitchen of my Mom, Sylvia

Simmer 1 cup seedless raisons with 2 cups water and 1 stick margarine for 10 minutes after being brought to boil.

In large bowl, combine 1-3/4 cups flour, 1 cup granualted sugar, 1 tsp baking soda, and 1/8 tsp each of salt, cloves, cinamon, nutmeg, and allspice.

Add raison mixture and mix well (I'd use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula rather than a mixer for the entire recipe)

Add 1 egg and beat well.

Bake 35 minutes at 375 degree oven in 8x8x2 pan.

Optional glazing: add a few drops of boiling water at a time to 1/2 cup confectionate sugar.

I'll add a picture here in the next few days - my sister's asked Mom to bring it Thursday - unless I'm bitten by the bug to make it earlier for my clan!

Thanksgiving week

The family pretty much fended for themselves yesterday while I finished the cards. Here's one I created for Beate's weekend challenge, using one of the sticker sets I picked up at this past May's Great Lakes Mega Meet and CASEing Laurie Schmidlin's card. I LOVE her stuff!

stamps: SU's Small Saying, paper: Karen Foster's Family Spanish dp, unknown dark olive cardstock, SU's Kraft cardstock; ink: StazOn Jet Black; accessories: Bisous stickers - Fall; tools: Creative Memories' (retired) Handi Adjustable Round Circle Cutter (isn't that redundant?! ... LOL!)

ramblings ... this and that

It's Sunday and one of my Sunday traditions is to watch CBS's Sunday Morning show. I love it and have watched it since before Charles Kuralt retired, and since passed away. It's got a nice neighborly feel to the news and pieces of interest, and is on right now in the background as I update the blog.

On today's card, I dusted off an older tool. Beate's weekend challenge called for a circular piece mounted on a card, and I didn't have any large circle punches, so I pulled out my old Creative Memories' circle cutter. Now, they'd long since quit selling the old version that I used in favor of their more recent custom cutting system (which, yes, I admit I also have ... it's all about the toys, right?!). Originally offered with circles and ovals (and, using the different blades provided, this version cuts up to 18 different size circles), they now also offer a gemstone and wavy version. The older version was the first one I found in my scrapping stash and I pulled that out, but I've used this one lots also, and it's easy to use also. I recall when they offered the original cutter that cut only circular cuts telling my CM demonstrator that she should tell her engineer hubby to design something to cut varying sizes of oval mats, but someone beat him to it!

Have you watched the Inside Scrapbooking video available at MockUTV.com ? If you haven't, click the link to check out their preview. A spoof on all things scrappish, the kind folkes at MockUTV are donating $1 from every DVD sold through January 1st towards Autism Support Daily. Betcha PB didn't know he was a "scrubby!"

Thanksgiving's coming ...

Are you ready? ... a little bit of history ... I tend to procrastinate. OK, I guess that's an understatement. Last weekend one of my brothers was teasing me about it, recalling days gone by when I'd run to the bedroom to wrap a present when it's intended pulled up in the driveway.

Well, I've done it again. I stamped Halloween cards way in advance, then forgot to mail 'em 'til Halloween eve. This month Thanksgiving seems to have snuck up on me! Here's a card I made in response to Splitcoaststampers' sketch challenge SC150 - hope you like! I love the fall colors!

stamps: SU's Stem Silhouettes, paper: unknown brand burgundy, rust, yellow, white cardstock, Sandylion's Fall dp; inks: SU's Bravo Burgundy, VersaMark; tools: used crimper on rust cardstock

Happy Thanksgiving!

Angel's started a weekly challenge, and for this first one, there's absolutely NO STAMPING! I picked up the sequin ribbons in 3 different colors - gold, rose sheen (looks more like dark brown to me!) and white iris) from a recent outing to Jo-Ann's and the antique gold stickers from a Nat'l Scrapping Day road trip with some friends.

stamps: none; paper: a really pretty medium brown textured cardstock and white cardstock from stock on hand; ink: none; accessories: Stampendous Class A-Peel Stickers - Thanks Leaves, Fall Trees; CTMH White Daisy organdy ribbon, Novtex's gold 6mm sequins ribbon

happy b'day, ed!

One of my joke buddies, Ed, retired last year and his birthday's fast approaching. I made this card to buck around thru our workgroup and send out in time to make it to him for his big day. What's up with that, my friends are asking? Inquiring minds want to know - as I'm USUALLY right down to the wire making cards or wrapping presents the night before the event!

Maybe I've changed my ways! ... or maybe I just wanted to use the cute tool stickers! Or maybe I wanted to play with Julee T's Mojo Monday Week #10 challenge! ... or a combination of all of the above!

stamps: SU's Short & Sweet, Small Sayings (inside sentiment); paper: no-name-on bright yellow, dark grey and white; ink: StazOn Jet Black, ColorBox Silver pigment; accessories: Karen Foster's Construction Zone cardstock stickers and Creative Imaginations' Swatch Book impress-ons; tools: Cuttlebug and Happy Birthday embossing folder

Zero the Hero

I recall when my youngest attended kindergarten (back in those days I was a SAHM and the classroom helper Mom) that they had a series of math lessons based on Zero the Hero. It was cute - them making the zero out to be a wunderkid - and it's always stuck in my head, made me grin ...
Well, the kind folkes at the C-Thru Ruler Company have struck gold, in my opinion, with their Zero Hero Centering Ruler! Tho' it's not actually a "new" toy for me -- I've used it about a year or so now -- it's a staple I've kept with me in my traveling tool bag. I used it to find the center of the stamped items in yesterday's post.

product review: I know it's not THAT MUCH of a pain to hold a ruler to find the center of something; this just makes it SO much easier to accomplish! With this one being see-thru, you simply place it over while approximating the center of the item you're trying to center, then slide the ruler left/right until you have the same amount of space measured on either side of the zero ... and voila! You've found the center of your piece!

Isn't modern technology wonderful?! Later, alligators!

Angelosity's Sketch 11

This has been SO much fun! I only wish I'd found Angelosity's blog earlier, but it's deffinitely one I've added to my blog roll and Google Reader account. If you're not familiar with Angel, she's one incredibly talented stamper who's had a birthday blog candy roll of sorts on her blog, adding items to her basket of blog candy each day and posting a challenge.

So, happy birthday, Angel! Hope you keep running a weekly challenge as this has been SO much fun! I'm still checking who submitted what and scoping out all the links to others' blogs.

Side story to this stamp - I thought I'd lost this stamp, and was pretty much tearing up the house searching for it for at least a couple weeks; I thot I'd searched EVERYWHERE and finally broke down and ordered another set last month. Well, probably a week after receiving the new set (I'd still not cut the stamps, figuring it COULD still show up) I, naturally, found the original set! I'd told my lunch buddies my story and a couple are interested in the set now, having seen my last couple postings. It's SUCH a nice stamp set! Gotta love it! Sorry it's a bit washed out - I work an 8-5 job and it's now after 7:30 p.m. by the time I take pics to upload and the flash blasts a portion of the card - not enough hours in the day, y'know?!

added 12/18/2007 - stamping this in blue 'n white reminded me of some blue delft plates my Mom has ...

stamps: my all time fav, SU's A Tree for All Seasons; paper: CTMH's Outdoor Denim, SU's Brocade Blue, and white card stock I had on hand; ink: CTMH's Outdoor Denim; accessories: Deja Views' Rub-Ons - Holiday Fun; tools: EK Success' Stamp-a-ma-jig, C-Thru Ruler Company's Zero Hero Centering Ruler

Angelosity's Sketch 31

Just making this post under the wire ... with 15 more minutes to post during this day ... here's my post for Angelosity's daily challenge. I WAS just checking blogs before hitting the sack and then the circles down the center of today's sketch spoke to me. You see, I'd just picked up this ribbon from Michael's this past weekend!

Short on details 'cuz I just tossed everything back into it's storage ... stamps: Stampendous' Santa Trio, PAPERTREYink's Green Thumb; paper: red and white card stock from stash on hand; ink: Brilliance's black, waterbased markers on hand; accessories: Artic Antics ribbon

mama's got a brand new toy

OK, so I took liberty with the title - it's not a brand new toy. I got the Cuttlebug this past Mother's Day from my sweetie. I'd expressed wowisms for it's stylized flowers embossing tile and after checking the various embossers and their tiles decided this was the best fit for me. It was the only item on my wish list with the exception of some embossing tiles I'd have loved to receive with it. Problem is, every store the guys checked stock at were out of those I liked so they got me the Cuttlebug but no plates!

product review: I'd used the Ellison system since my kids were small (having volunteered at their schools since kindergarten days) so I understood the concept of die cutters. In the case of the Cuttlebug, setup is a piece of cake. Take the machine out of the box and place it on a flat surface. The machine input/output platforms are packaged folded up to the center, so you grip them and push down to lower them from a vertical to horizontal position which also makes the suction cups adhere the Cuttlebug to your flat surface. Put card stock between two pieces of an embossing folder if embossing, or above a cutting die with the cutting die facing up if die cutting. Place the item you're embossing or die cutting between two cutting pads and place all of this above a spacer pad, place everything on the machine platform, and turn the handle to make it pass thru the embosser. Other makers' dies and embossing plates can be used on this machine, which comes with an adapter cutting pad for that purpose. Want more info? Read more at the Provo Craft site.

Voila! Isn't modern technology wonderful?!

Angelosity's Sketch 29

I'm submitting this card for Angelosity's blog candy - she's been posting challenges daily leading up to her birthday and my card's submitted for this post/sketch. It's twisted around a bit ... and I suppose I'm taking liberty to do that. I THOT about taking it apart and regluing but worried that I'd bend it.

I made a triangle tri-fold card using one of my favorite stamp sets for this challenge. The smaller pic is the inside, and the larger pic shows the outside of the card, closed.

These pics are kinda washed out - I'll try and replace them tomorrow when it's brighter outside.

stamps: SU's A Tree for All Seasons, SU's Snowman Fun, Technique Tuesday's Borderline: Holidays; paper: CTMH's Outdoor Denim, SU's Always Artichoke and Shimmery White; inks: CTMH's Outdoor Denim, StazOn's Jet Black, asst'd waterbased markers; tools: Cuttlebug and its Snowflakes embossing folder

celebrating Sue's b'day

We got together today for a movie and eats - the three Sue's and Barb ... aka the 4 amigos! Sue celebrated a milestone b'day this past month and was out of town at the time. Now that she was home we scoped out John Cusack's latest movie, The Martian Child. Everybody seemed to agree it was pretty good, as was food later!

stamps: SU's Stem Silhouettes; paper: Bazzill's coordinating set to BasicGrey's Stella Ruby, Harvest's patterned vellum; ink: StazOn's Jet Black, few coordinating watercolor markers I had on hand; accessories: May Arts dotted swiss ribbon in unknown color

Mike's belated b'day

I've been neglectful... it's been over a week since I've posted - dunno what's up with THAT and promise to return more frequently! I'm also past due in shipping some b'day cards to my sister's house. Her favorite season's autumn. I dunno; do you think it could be because she had 3 children in the month of October!?

stamps: SU's Loads of Love, Loads of Love Accessories; paper: Bazzill's cardstock set coordinating the Basic Grey's Stella Ruby, The Paper Company's white vellum, Harvest's printed vellum, SU's Whisper White; inks: StazOn Jet Black, some watercolor markers I had on hand

added 11-04: This and tomorrow's posting use printed vellum from the same pkg - Harvest -which may be brand and may be style name ... don't recall where I picked it up but this one's scattered with fall leaves ... LOVE it!