Christmas Time

I simply don't know where the time has gone the past couple of weeks. My husband, Chris had his back surgery the day before Thanksgiving (he is doing remarkably well), we enjoyed a nice quiet Thanksgiving here at home, then my older boys and I shopped till we dropped on Black Friday and before we knew it, our 5 day break was over and it was back to the usual routine...only the pace seemed to pick up quite a bit.

Off-season football training, a trip to the American Girl Store, outings with friends, band concerts, winter dance, increased madrigal practice, a couple of episodes of the flu...

As all 6 of us sat down to enjoy dinner together last night, we realized that it was a first in over a week. It was nice to share stories of the weeks events and to enjoy a time of advent celebration before putting the kids to bed. As I then looked over my calendar, I saw that the next two weeks are filled with madrigals, choir concerts, Christmas programs, parties, visits with friends, shopping, baking, volunteering...and more.

My prayer last night was that we make the most of the moments we have together as a family and not loose sight of the real reason for the season in all of our busyness. I wish the same for you and your family during this holiday season. I can't promise that I'll have much time to share projects over the next couple of weeks, so I want to take the time now to wish you and yours a very merry Christmas!

We have a winner!!!

Sorry for the delay in announcing the winner of the blog candy. My daughter, Sarah, was invited to a birthday party at the American Girl Store yesterday. I got to go along and it was quite the adventure. The weather was terrible here in northern Illinois yesterday, with freezing rain, snow, sleet...you name it. It was nasty. We had planned to take the train to Chicago, but the weather slowed us down and we missed it by just a few minutes. We couldn't let the girls down, so we set off for Chicago by van. It took 2 hours to get there, but it was worth it! We had a fantastic time and made it home safe and sound.

I've been in my pjs most of the day, putting the lights on the Christmas tree, wrapping and making gifts and occasionally taxing kids to friend's houses. It's a great day for cocoa and movies and not doing much at all.

I really enjoyed hearing about all of your holdiay traditions! Thanks so much for sharing them! Our random winner is #21...Linda SS!

Linda SS said...
I love to listen to Christmas music, especially Oh Holy Night & any that reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. My favorite tradition is getting together with other family members to make our Italian cookies that we have passed down through the generations.

A wonderful tradition Linda! Drop me an email with your address and I'll get your goodies off to you soon. Thanks to everyone for playing along. Blessings on this first Sunday of Advent!

Joy Ornament

I so enjoyed my day of stamping on Saturday! I got to catch up with my dear friend Amy, meet some other stamp-addicts, make some Christmas cards and gifts and just relax.

Our hostess had 3 different challenges for us during the day and one was to use circles in a project. I had recently seen Julie's ornament card tutorial and thought it would be fun to give it a try.

For my ornament card, I used Very Vanilla and Brushed Gold cardstock from SU! and some beautiful sparkly Making Memories paper I found at Archiver's. A little ribbon, a few gems, some Crystal Stickles and the SU! Small Script "joy" and it was done.

This was so fun to make! You should give a try too!

Got Verve?

I was soooo happy that my new Verve stamps arrived before my Saturday Crop! One of the challenges at the crop was to created something using Bazzil Bling cardstock. Verve's Starlight Starbright was the perfect match!

I paired up my cranberry Bazzill Bling with some SU! Brushed Gold cardstock to create a gift box. It needed a little something to dress it up, so I covered a chip board star with the Brushed Gold cardstock, sanded the edges and added SU! gold cord. The tag was made with the Verve Starlight Starbright set, Baroque Burgundy ink and oval punches. The ribbon around the lid was a suprise find from Biglots. This box is the perfect size for 3x3 note cards, gift cards and jewelry!

The box turned out great and I won the challenge and a whole package of Bazzill Bling 12x12 cardstock! Very fun!!!

BTW, this little box is super easy to make! For the bottom simply cut a 6 1/2" x 6 1/2" square of cardstock and score it on each side at 1 1/2". For the top, cut a second piece of cardstock in a 5 1/4" x 5 1/4" square and score it on each side at 3/4". On both the top and bottom pieces, snip along each vertical score line just in to the horizontal score line to create tabs. Fold and secure each tab with adhesive and your done!

Gratitude

With Thanksgiving approaching, I really wanted to do something for my co-workers to remind them how thankful I am to work with them. I work at an elementary school, in the office with the Principal and 3 other office staff. There's rarely a dull moment and we've had more than our share of drama in the last few weeks.

I came across these copper beaded baskets at Michael's for just $1. and filled them with truffle and caramel Kisses. I added a Chocolate Chip grossgrain bow and a tag stamped with the saying "Gratitude, seldom spoken, always felt". It's a simple little gift that will be given with lots of love.

I'm truly blessed to work with such wonderful, caring people. Be sure to take some time this week to count your blessings. Wishing you and yours a joyous Thanksgiving!

Be Merry!

I went to a Crop this weekend, but didn't scrapbook. Instead, I used the time to begin mass production of one of my Christmas card designs. I usually make two designs from the same stamp set and 30 of each design.

Generally, I go with a typical Christmas image like a snowflake, tree or angel for my cards. But this year, I wanted to do something different. When I first saw the deer in Basic Grey's Winterland set, I knew it was just what I was looking for. I paired it up with Basic Grey Fruitcake paper and SU! Baroque Burgundy and Old Olive cardstock.

I used my Cuttlebug Textile Texture embossing folder on my card base and my corner punch to scallop the patterned paper. Sakura Stardust gel pen made a nice accent to the borders of my image and saying. Old Olive narrow organdy was the finishing touch, until I sprayed the entired card with Sugar Cookie Glimmer Mist. Can I just say I love Glimmer Mist!

I've got another busy week ahead, but I'm looking forward to stamping again at a crop this Saturday. I'll be finishing my Christmas cards and making some Christmas gifts. I hope your getting a jump on all of your holiday papercrafting as well. Have a wonderful week!

Happy Birthday Angel!

Notice something different about my card? There's no stamping. None.

I wanted to make one last Angel Sketch before calling it a night, but really didn't have much time. So I grabbed my fab new K&Company mat pack and some matching SU! ribbons and Ruby Red cardstock and thought "now what?"

As I started rummaging through my embellishments, I came across some chipboard stickers that I purchased at Michael's a while back and they matched perfectly. It all came together with the last touch of a Prima flower and rhinestone brad. This is Angel Sketch #30.

And tomorrow is her big day! Happy Birthday Angel! May it be filled with joy! :)

Priceless & New Patterned Paper

I just love patterned paper!!! I came across this patterned paper at Target. It's one of those great little mat packs by K& Company. It's not my usual color scheme, but it was so pretty, with lots of flowers and well, it seemed like a must have. I'm sure you'll be seeing more of it in the coming month.

I paired it up here with Old Olive and Cranberry Crisp cardstock. I used my SU! Priceless set and Paper Trey's Paper Tray set. A few pearls and a little Fruit Punch Stickles and viola!

The layout is another Angel Sketch (#9). It's one of my faves! If you haven't been to Angel's blog, you should take a peek.

Thanks for stopping by today! Enjoy your evening! :)

Best Laid Plans

My plan really was to spend the majority of the weekend stamping and sharing projects with you on my blog. Unfortunately, I developed a migraine and that put a damper on things.

I did manage a couple more cards though. This one is for a co-worker who has been feeling a little down lately. She's super sweet and I wanted to make something sparkly for her to brighten her day.

I used Angel Sketch #27 for this one, SU! Blue Bayou and Wild Wasabi cardstock along with some patterned paper from Autumn Leaves that I picked up at Target. The stamps are from AMuse. Don't you just love that little Seattle Girl?

I may have gotten carried away with the sparkle, but I couldn't help myself. I used Waterfall Stickles on the umbrella, a Sakura Glitter Pen around the scallops and the word "weather?" and then sprayed the whole card with Snowflake Glimmer Mist. It took a little playing to figure out how to the get the Glimmer Mist just right, so be sure to practice before you use it. Once you do use it, you'll love it!

Basic Grey & Christmas!

Look at what I bought! I had the chance to stop in Archiver's this past week and I treated myself to some new stamping goodies! I walked around the store for an hour taking in all the Christmas paper, stamps, embellishments and bling!

I've become a big fan of Basic Grey paper and was so excited when I saw that they have several new clear stamp sets. This is Winterland. Isn't it awesome!?! I just love the deer and all of the things that can go in his antlers. And check out the little squirrel...he's adorable! And the Basic Grey Fruitcake paper goes great with it!

I used a couple more Angel sketches for these cards, #13 and #18. There's still time to play along with Angel's birthday sketches. Although, I'm hoping I win all of her goodies (or at least her fabulous cards), so maybe I shouldn't encourage you. *wink*

I'm going to try to fit some more stamping in this weekend. Need to take a break though to change the laundry over and start dinner. It's a Stouffer's night here at our house. They make a great chicken enchilada dinner and all I have to do is heat the oven and make a salad to go with it. What can I say? I'd rather stamp today! :)

Tagged!

I've been tagged by Angel to play the Name Game. The idea is to list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life, for each letter of your middle name. Then, at the end of your blog post, choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag.

My middle name is... Jo. For those of you wondering, it's a family name...my grandmother is Wanda Jo, my mother is Linda Jo and I am Patricia Jo. Any other Jo's out there?

J: Josh, Justin and Jacob...my 3 sons. They bring so much joy to my life! (As does my daughter, Sarah...I know, you wonder why we didn't name her Jenny or Jessica...good question.)

O: Organized! I function so much better when everything is in it's place, especially my stamping supplies. ;)

I wish I had more letters in my middle name, it's so hard to limit my tag to just two! ;)

How about....
Kayla and Lexi Play along if you have time! :)

Happy Stampin'!

I can't tell you how happy I am that I got some stamp time today! It's been a very busy couple of weeks and it felt really good to just be home today... to catch up on laundry and cleaning, to let the kids enjoy having friends over and to play with my stamps.

Since I needed some inspiration to get going, I went to Angel's blog to take a look at the sketches she's been sharing each day to celebrate her birthday.

This is sketch 23. I took a little liberty with it, but I needed to play with this flower again. And of course that meant breaking out my new Copper Stickles. I used all SU! product, except for the chocolate ribbon- it's from Close to My Heart.

Have you checked out their new products lately? I've found some pleasant surprises in CTMH recently. They have some new stamp sets, paper, embellishment, chipboard and distressing products that are really fun!

Here's a card I made with the CTMH Legendary Moments stamp set. I really like this set because it's perfect for my teenage boys. I paired it up with Basic Grey Periphery paper and SU! Basic Gray, Blue Bayou and Soft Sky cardstock. I used Angel's sketch 24 for the layout.

This card is for my oldest son, Josh. His football banquet is next Sunday and I want to write him a note reminding him how proud I am of his efforts this year.

Stay tuned for more cards...I am having sooo much fun today! Hope you have some time to stamp too.

And the winner is...

Georgann!!! She said:

I would have to say that right now, I am liking A Muse...I used some for party invitations and they were awesome. I am trying to get inspired for Christmas cards...any fabulous ideas? Georgann

Thanks for playing along Georgann! Be sure to drop me an email to claim your goodies. I agree, A Muse stamps are incredibly fun! (And...I'll be giving some away in November, so be sure to check back.)

I do have some fabulous Christmas idea! Unfortunately, they are all just in my head right now. ;) I'll work on getting them on cardstock and then on my blog.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!!

A Surprise!

I rarely win anything. In fact, just yesterday, I was calling in to my favorite radio station to try to win Jeremy Camp concert tickets, and my son said, "Mom you know you won't win, you never win anything, it's just your luck." I was touched by his encouragement. lol

Anyway, he will be excited to hear that this is my lucky month! Not only did I win Beate's Sketch Challenge for my Autumn Cherish card, but I won Kim's Pink Cat Studio Contest with the card in my last post! Talk about a surprise!!! Kim had over 170 entries in 4 different categories, so I am really honored that she chose my card as a winner. Thanks Kim!

I can't help but share my excitement by paying it forward with a little surprise of my own. I have a So Many Sayings set from SU! to give away to one lucky stamper that posts a comment here. All you have to do is tell me what your favorite stamp company is and why. The random winner will be drawn next Friday. Best of luck! Thanks for stopping by today!

Pink Cat Studio's Colour Challenge

I just found out that Kimmie's hosting a Pink Cat Studio Contest. I wanted to participate, but don't have much time tonight, so I chose the Colour Challenge. Pink and brown are a fave!

This ones pretty simple. SU! Chocolate Chip & Very Vanilla cardstock, Basic Grey Blush paper, Bobbin Ribbon, Marvy Scallop Oval punches, MFT Boho Blosssoms stamp set, Stardust Glitter gel pen. Despite it's simplicity, I really like how it turned out and I can't get enough of the MFT stamp set.

Thanks for visiting! We're running tonight...so I'm off. :)

Happily Ever After

I love this picture my daughter took of Chris and me. Every now and then, Sarah gets the urge to play paparazzi with the digital camera. ;) This is one of her pics from February of this year.

My husband Chris and I met 13 years ago when we were both working at Venture, a retail department store. I was the customer service manager and Chris was working in the electronics department. It was his third job. He was also working at two museums during the day.

Chris has a passion for history and has received multiple awards for his fantastic work on programs and exhibits. He's an incredibly intelligent man with an amazing gift for teaching. In addition to history, Chris enjoys keeping up on politics, discussing religion, reading, occasional blogging (http://www.pattishub.blogspot.com/), being a Scout leader, serving at church and spending time with us. He's such a loving husband and father. Which is why I love him so much.

When Chris and I met, I wasn't interested in starting a relationship with anyone. I had been divorced for about a year and half, had tragically lost my four year old daughter the year before, was a single mom to two little boys and was in the midst of a custody battle with my ex-husband. The timing just wasn't right for me. However, I quickly learned that God's timing is always perfect and a year later Chris and I were married.

Chris is the love of my life! We are celebrating 12 fabulous years of marraige today and we are incredibly blessed to have four amazing children, wonderful family, a cozy home, great friends and jobs that we enjoy. Our life together is proof of God's amazing grace, and it's my happily ever after. I hope you're on your way to your own happily ever after too. Enjoy your day! :)

Partying with Angel

Have you been to Angel's blog, Angelosity? She's having a birthday countdown celebration! Each day for 31 days Angel will share a card sketch, a card and a treat to go in her blog candy basket, which she will be awarding to one lucky winner on her birthday. How generous is that! You can check out the full details here.

When I got home from work today, I had a package from eP! Inside was the MFT Boho Blossoms and Basic Grey Scarlet's Letter paper I had ordered! I can't tell you how much I wanted to drop everything and go stamp, but the empty cabinets and dirty laundry were calling.

After a trip to the grocery, dinner, several loads of laundry and some time with the hubby and kids, I decided to break in my new stamps by joining Angel's party and completing a few of her sketches from this past week.

I chose to use Boho Blossoms and the Scarlet's Letter paper for all 3 of the sketches I did. Here's Sketch #1. This one took a bit of thinking, mainly because I went with just black and white and I don't do that much. In fact, I found myself surprised by how many different styles of black, white and gray ribbon I have!

Next is a card for Sketch #3. I took a bit of creative liberty with this one and got a little carried away with bling, but I couldn't help myself. ;)

Last, but not least, a card for Sketch #5. This one is for my hubby. He's such a stinker! (And so sweet!) He made a visit to my blog and saw the anniversary card I made for him, so I thought I would make him another one.

This is my favorite of the Angel's sketches so far. It fits a #10 envelope, so it measures 4' x 8 1/2" when folded. I have to say, I love this card. It came together just the way I wanted it to. :)

Looking forward to a fantastic weekend. Today (Saturday) Justin has IMEA auditions, Chris and I have a date and Josh is going to the Corn Maze with some friends. Sunday brings church, a parade that Justin is in and a trip to the Orchard and Corn Maze with Jacob and Sarah. It's the wee hours of the morning, so I'm going to say goodnight. If you have some time this weekend, go say hi to Angel. Thanks so much for visiting!

WSC22- Autumn Cherish

Chris and I will soon be celebrating our 12th anniversary. Sometimes, I can hardly believe it's been 12 years because it seems to have gone so quickly. And then other times it seems like it has been much longer because our life together has been so full.

Because we got married in October, I wanted to create an annivesary card for my husband that featured an autumn stamp set. I chose SU! Autumn Leaf Prints and paired it up with Baroque Motifs and Weathered background. I wanted to stay away from patterned paper, but still add some texture, so I used the Cuttlebug Textile template. I used Beate's weekend sketch challenge 22 for the layout and it worked out perfectly. I thought about adding some brads or eyelets, but felt it took too much away from the leaves. Sometimes, less is more.

Well, Chris and I are going to take Sarah to her riding lessons. They have a new pony at the stables and she's hoping to ride him again this week. We hope she gets to too. :) Thanks for visiting today!

Details
Stamps: Autumn Leaf Prints, Baroque Motifs, Weathered
Cardstock: Confetti Cream, More Mustard, Old Olive, Elegant Eggplant
Ink: Very Vanilla, More Mustard, Old Olive, Elegant Eggplant
Other: Corner Rounder, Sponges

Weekend Fun!

What a weekend! It began Friday night with our homecoming game that went on until almost midnight. It was an emotionally charged game and ended sadly with our loss.

Saturday, I awoke early to attend a World Cardmaking Day event hosted by a couple of stamping friends of mine. Great projects and a fun time! (I'll try to make some time later to show off a few of the projects.) I made this card to swap at the event. It features the SU! Wanted set. If you're on the fence about this set, jump off! It's so worth it!

After stamping all day, I stopped by the grocery and the florist and then went home to make cookies and a salad and help my older boys get ready for the homecoming dance. This was a first for both of them. Josh (our Jr.) was going with a date and two other couples. They had plans to have a steak dinner at the home of one of the girls and then head over to the dance. I went and took pictures of all of them and then went back home to a house full of freshman boys.

My son Justin and 6 of his friends were sharing a pizza dinner at our place before going to the dance. The dance ended at 11 and we stayed up until after 1 listening to stories of the evening's events. A fun time was had by all!

Good Morning!

Each day as I let our dog out into the back yard, I am greeted by the most beautiful sight. Purple morning glories growing on our garden gate! They are a lovely reminder of how much God cares about even the smallest of details. Just look at that star in the middle of the bloom. Amazing!

I hope you have fabulous day today! God bless!

Friends File Folder

Hello! Just a quick note tonight. It's been a busy day and I didn't have to stamp, but I was able to make one more quick file folder card last night. This one features one of my favorite SU! cardstock colors...Not Quite Navy. I paired it up with some great paper from Close to My Heart and used my SU! Wanted set with lots of punches. Don't you just love punches?! The "friends" saying is from Paper Trey Inc. as is the little star flourish. A little paper piercing, a bit of organdy ribbon and some sponging with Creamy Caramel ink and viola!

I'm off to relax and watch a flick with my hubby. It's called The Ultimate Gift. I'll let you know how it is. Have a good night!

WSC21- File Folder Card

I have to admit, I was a bit intimidated by Beate's weekend sketch challenge. I printed off her tutorial, read through it and read through it again and it wasn't until I actually started cutting that it finally clicked. And as it turned out, this was a really fun card to make! (Thanks Beate!)

When I started creating, I knew I wanted to make something masculine and already had my Lovely as a Tree set out for a swap I'm working on. I stamped the large leaf onto Shimmer White cardstock with Chocolate Chip ink, watercolored it with Old Olive ink and then added a touch of Metallic Colored Pencil to the leaves. The "unique" saying is from SU!'s Genuine Article set and the "you" is from the Paper Tray set by Paper Trey Inc. Brocade Blue cardstock serves as the base and the designer paper is from My Mind's Eye. The swirls are Autumn Leaves Flourishes 2. Love, love, love this set! I found mine at Archivers, but since then I've also seen it at Target and Walmart.

It was so nice to be able to stamp this afternoon. In additon to being preoccupied with thoughts of Chris' health, I haven't been feeling well the past couple of days...some kind of "bug". Things went well at Chris' appointment. He does need to have surgery, however there is a less-invasive approach they would like to take using orthoscopic surgery. We're both so thankful that this is an option for him. The recovery time will be minimal and Chris will be able to get back to his normal routine. (You were right Corie- he loved the card.)

I think I'll go make another File Folder Card. It's therapeutic. :) You should give it a try too!

All I Ever Wanted

I adore my husband. Chris is the love of my life and everything I could ever want or need in a partner. He's been on my mind so much this weekend. Chris has been having problems with his lower back since May. He hurt it chopping wood at work. It seemed to be doing better so he went back to his usual routine, but in reality it wasn't healed and the result has been months of pain, sleepless nights, medication, physical therapy and an MRI.

Chris has been diagnosed with a degenerative disk disease and tomorrow morning he is going to see a neurological surgeon for a consultation. I trust that he is in the Lord's care, but am still concerned for him. Chris has insisted that it isn't neccesary for me to go with him to the consultation tomorrow. He can be stubborn sometimes. ;) I'm going along with his wishes, but will be leave this card in his car for him to find as he heads off for his appointement. I need him to know how much I wanted to be with him.

Details:
All products are from Stampin' Up!, unless noted otherwise.
Stamps: Wanted
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Handsome Hunter, Natural Ivory, Outlaw DSP
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Handsome Hunter
Embellishments: Chocolate Chip grossgrain ribbon, buttons, brads (from Archiver's)
Punches: Ticket Corner, 3/4" circle

WSC20- Priceless Sparkle

I'm not sure this is quite what Beate had in mind for her weekend sketch challenge, but I had an absolute blast creating it!

I started with Close to Cocoa cardstock and stamped it with the Weathered background using Creamy Caramel ink. Then I added the scalloped edge at the bottom using my corner punch minus the guard. Next, I cut my pieces of Basic Grey Blush paper and sponged them with Close to Cocoa ink. I stamped the swirl flourish on the red piece, scalloped the edge of the floral piece and added gems and ribbon before layering it on the cardfront.

My favorite part of this card was creating the "flower". I stamped the flower from Priceless on Vanilla cardstock with Baroque Burgundy ink and punched it out with my 1 1/4" circle punch, then layered it onto a 1 3/8" circle of Rose Romance. I then layered that onto a Vanilla Scalloped Circle and onto a big Heidi Swap flower and finally onto a Vanilla Marvy Mega Scalloped Circle. On the center flower I layered another flower using dimensionals.

Next, I stamped and cut out the butterfly, punched out my corner pieces and stamped and punched my ovals. After assembling these pieces, I added gems to my scalloped edge, a big Doodlebug gem to the center of my flower and Fruit Punch Stickles wherever my heart desired.

I haven't had this much fun creating in a while. You should see my desk. ;)

Just for Giggles

Happy Monday!!! I've seen this floating around the blog circuit and thought it would be fun to share for a giggle.

1. YOUR ROCKSTAR NAME (first pet, current car): Buffer Caravan ...not bad

2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME (favorite ice cream, favorite cookie): Mint Scotcharoo ...doesn't sound very tough does it

3. YOUR FLY "GUY/GIRL" NAME (first initial first name, first 3 letters last name): P-GIN ...lol

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME (favorite color, favorite animal): Black Jack ...ok, I cheated a bit...our dog's name is Jack ;)

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME (middle name, city where you were born): Jo Morris ...just call me Jo

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME (first 3 letters last name, first 2 letters first name): GINPA ...it'll do

7. YOUR SUPERHERO NAME (2nd favorite color, favorite drink, & add "the"): The Red Margarita ...hmmm

8. YOUR NASCAR NAME (first names of your Grandfathers): Pat Kenneth ...two first names-so Nascar

9. YOUR STRIPPER NAME (favorite perfume, favorite candy): Cherry Blossom Chocolate ...it's enough to make a girl blush

10. YOUR WITNESS PROTECTION NAME (Mother's & Father's middle names): Jo Ray ...I'll never be found ;)

Have a name or two that makes you laugh? Please share...it's Monday and I could use a giggle. ;) Thanks for stopping by today!

How 'bout a little something sweet?!

Happy Friday!!! I can't think of a better way to celebrate the end of this very long week than to share some blog candy. Yum! :)

My husband and I really enjoy relaxing with a good movie on the weekend. We especially like romantic comedies, action flicks and the classics. We're always looking for something new.

So, if you're interested in a chance at the goodies above, leave a post here with the name of your all time favorite movie. I'll do a random drawing on Wednesday for the winner.

BTW, if you're looking for a good movie to watch this weekend, check out...Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice (the BBC version), Just Like Heaven, Return to Me, Serendipity, Hitch, The Island, Black Hawk Down, The Bourne Identity, Rear Window, Mr. Smith Goes to Washingon or You Can't Take it with You. Just a sampling of our faves.

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a super weekend!

Meet Jacob

I love this picture of my son Jacob. It's so him! Notice the big smile and expressive eyebrows. He wakes up that happy almost everyday. It's so delightful!

Jacob is 10. He's our easygoing guy. With 2 older brothers and a younger sister, I guess he figures he better just go with the flow, and he does.

One of Jacob's favorite things to do is go camping with his Scout den. He loves looking for insects and collecting sticks and rocks and such. I think it's his love of science that makes him such a great explorer. Jacob also enjoys building things with legos, playing video games, sword and lightsaber dueling, reading research books and telling jokes. He has the best laugh too! I love it!

I'm such a blessed mom to have four wonderfully unique, totally awesome children!!! I hope you've enjoyed hearing a little about each of them. I've certainly enjoyed bragging on them. ;)

Victoria's Card

I was visiting Beate's blog today and saw a post requesting cards for Victoria. Victoria is a girl that lives in Texas and she is fighting cancer. Her teacher wants to help lift Victoria's spirits by encouraging others to send her a card. What a wonderful idea!

Visit Courtney's blog to learn more about Victoria and where to send your cards. And please, lift Victoria and her family up in prayer. God Bless!

Got Mojo?

Julee recently debuted Mojo Monday. I was so excited because I always enjoy visiting her blog. Julee is incredibly talented. Her designs are always inspiring!

I had a little time to play last night, so here's my attempt at Mojo Monday 3. This card is for my daughter, Sarah. She was amazing last night at her riding lessons. Her trainer has her working on refining some of skills and it all came together for her. She looked so smooth in the saddle. I'm so proud of her. She loves to ride, so this turning point is incredibly exciting and deserves to be celebrated.

Back to the card. It features Ruby Red, So Safron and Kraft cardstock, paper from Crate Paper's Cowgirl collection, SU!'s Bareback and Fabulous Flowers sets, vintage brads and prima flowers.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Fabulous Fall

I absolutely love fall. The crisp air and colorful leaves seem to awaken my senses. It's a wonderful time for enjoying family activities...apple picking, the corn maze, fire pit nights and football games.

This card was inspired by the season. It features Fabulous Flowers, Baroque Motifs, Canvas background, Small Script and the Cuttlebug Textile embossing folder. I used Really Rust, Pumpkin Pie, More Mustard and Kraft cardstock. The flowers were stamped in Really Rust and Pumpkin Pie Craft ink and embossed with Irridescent Ice embossing powder. The gems are from Hero Arts and the ribbon and hardware from SU!

Have a fabulous day! :)

Just Mail Them!

Happy Monday! Last night, after enjoying some more stamp time, I was sorting through my boxes of cards. Yes, I have boxes of them. Don't you? ;) Anyway, I decided that it was time to purge some of them. From time to time, I give a stack of cards to Pay it Forward House or my church card ministry because...well, I have too many cards.

As I was looking through the cards, I started to contemplate why I don't send more of them. I mean, that's why I make them, right? To share them. So, I put pen to paper and now have a stack of cards ready to mail to friends and family that say "happy fall", "thinking of you", "I miss you", "happy birthday", "thank you", "happy halloween"... you get where I'm going with this.

My post this morning is simply to encourage you to mail some of those beautiful cards you've made. Afterall, they aren't doing anyone any good in a box. ;) Enjoy your day!!!

Weekend Bliss

I am so happy that I've been able to enjoy some downtime this weekend. My husband, Chris and I actually got to go out on a date last night. It was just dinner and a bit of shopping, but it was wonderful. Don't get me wrong, our kids are fantastic, but with all of the running we've been doing since school started it was so nice to be able to talk and hold hands and just be together.

In addition, I was able to get my stamping area cleaned up and do a bit of stamping. I used Beate's WSC19 for this layout. Her sketch challenges are the best! We have a lot of birthdays coming up, so this is another birthday card made with Fabulous Flowers and paper from My Minds Eye. I also used the swirls from Priceless, Circle of Friendship, Rose Red cardstock, Vanilla Organdy, Moss Grossgrain, Fruit Punch Stickles and some pearl accents from K&Company.

Looking forward to doing some more stamping this afternoon. Hope you get to do the same! Thanks for stopping by!

She Stamps!

I recieved my SU! Fabulous Flowers more than a week ago, but only had time to assemble them, until today. I just had enough time to make this one card...a birthday card for a friend. I wanted to use my new set and get back to doing Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge. I've missed participating.

This is WSC18. In addition to Fabulous Flowers, I used Chocolate Chip, Brocade Blue, Old Olive and Very Vanilla cardstock and paper from My Mind's Eye. I inked up the large flower with Brocade Blue ink, thumped Old Olive, Not Quite Navy and Chocolate Chip markers on the inked stamp and then spritzed it with water before stamping it onto Vanilla cardstock. After cutting it out, I added a large gem from Doodlebug to the center and Waterfall Stickles on some of the petals.

Fabulous Flowers was not originally on my SU! Wishlist, but after seeing sooo many beautiful designs with it by Beate, Jenn and others, I could no longer pass it up. After using it today, it's already a favorite.

Meet Josh

My husband and I are the first to admit, we are not athletic. Despite that fact, Josh loves sports. Football, basketball, baseball, you name it- he's up for it.

Josh is our oldest, a Jr. in High School and plays on the vasity football team. He tells me he prefers playing defense. I'm just praying he makes it through the season without breaking any bones.

In addition to sports, Josh enjoys playing his guitar, bowling, going to the movies, eating and hanging with friends. He's a well rounded young man, has a terrific sense of humor and is a fantastic big brother. It's hard to think of him going off to college in a couple of years. Maybe if I ask nicely, he'll stay close to home. *wink*

Back to School

Well, I warned you. We are back to school and I have not touched a stamp in over a week. I am, of course, going through major withdrawl. Hoping to get in some stamp time over the long weekend. :)

In the meantime, here's a picture of my kiddos on the first day of school. Jacob and Sarah are in the front row and Josh and Justin are behind them. I have to brag on them...not only are they adorable, but they are really good kids and I'm so proud of them.

Our first week of school was a bit unusual. We had some severe weather, including a tornado warning, flooding and school being cancelled on our second full day. Thankfully, this week has been much better and everyone is settling into a routine. We're looking forward to a fantastic year filled with lots of wonderful new experiences...our first being Driver's Ed. ;)

For the Bride and Groom

This is the wedding card I made for Amy and Mark. I wanted to use one of their colors, so I used the new SU! Soft Sky cardstock. I embossed it with my Cuttlebug Stylized Flowers folder. The ribbon is SU! Silver Organdy. I used my corner punch to create the scallloped edge and added my new Adorn It Jewel Droplets that I got from eP. The Love sentiment is from my new Paper Tray set. It's stamped on Shimmer White cardstock and layered on Brushed Silver. This is a really simple design, but I was so pleased with how it turned out. Sometimes less IS more.

Goin to the Chapel

My friend Amy is getting married today!!! I'm thrilled for her! She is such a special person and deserves every happiness.

I got the privilege of helping Amy with her wedding invitations. She's a stamper too, so of course they had to be handmade. The invites were lovely... celery, chocolate chip and light blue. The band slides off and the card opens to the top and bottom in the middle. I just love how the crystal stickles match the sparkly ribbon... such a pretty touch. It's always great fun to stamp with Amy. She's so creative.

Looking forward to the wedding this afternoon. It's raining here today... good luck for the bride and groom, so it's sure to be a wonderful celebration.

Missed

I'm sorry to have been absent for so long. Things have been pretty busy here and sadly stamping got pushed to the side. With school upon us, I'm afraid that might happen more frequently. Wednesday is our first day back to school and my first day back to work after a wonderful summer. We are already in the swing of things with football and marching band practice. I'm so excited about attending the games this year. My oldest son, Josh will be on the Varsity team and the next oldest, Justin will be on the field playing the quints in the band half-time show. Very exciting! Go Barbs!!!

On to the card...yesterday I had a nice long chat with my sister, Kenee. She lives in Alabama and earlier this summer we enjoyed the best visit with her and her family. Her husband David just became a Captain and is launching his own charter fishing business. They have three incredibly adorable boys, Seth, Troy and Aden. My sister is an amazing young woman. She's strong willed, intelligent, beautiful, thoughtful and a wonderful wife and mother. As I hung up the phone yesterday, I realized how much I was missing her and sat down to make her a card.

Since it's been a while since I've stamped, I needed some serious inspiration so I pulled out one of my all time favorite Stampin' Up! sets, Vintage Postcard. I paired it with one of my new favorites, Priceless and some of my favorite paper, Basic Grey Infuse which I embossed with my Cuttlebug. Just received my new Paper Tray set and the "Miss you" was perfect for this card. I have to say, I love Nicole's stamps! I have several clear stamp sets, but hers are tops.

Much to do today including several errands, a trip to the grocery, laundry, cleaning, a marching band performance/potluck and a football scrimmage. I'd better get busy! Have a fantastic Friday!!!

Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge #12

Before I put my things away from my day of stamping, I thought I would use them to create a card for Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge. This one was so fun because I rarely make square cards and it was nice to do something different.

My card features the Baroque Motifs set, Tres Chic and Linen Backgrounds, Autumn Leaves paper, Very Vanilla, Cranberry Crisp, Basic Black and Basic Gray Cardstock, Basic Gray and Baroque Burgundy Ink, the new Basic Gray Taffeta ribbon, a black brad from Making Memories and a bit of Fruit Punch Stickles.

It may be hard to tell from the photo, but I used my Cuttlebug Textile Texture embossing folder on the Autumn Leaves paper and brushed over it with black Stampin' Pastel. I love the look of embossing on the patterned paper. It adds such a nice touch.

Beautiful Baroque Motifs

As promised, here's another card design from my day of stamping. This card is inspired by a Becky Fleck card map and Julie's Open House Baroque Motifs card at Paper Pleasing Ideas. I just love the colors she chose!! Thanks for the inspiration Becky and Renee!

My card also features Baroque Motifs. I used SU! Very Vanilla, Basic Black and Basic Gray cardtock, Autumn Leaves patterned paper, Basic Black, Basic Gray and Baroque Burgundy Ink, Basic Gray Taffeta ribbon, a black brad and Dimensionals.

Hope you're inspired too! Now, go stamp! :)

Meet Justin

I was right, the drum corp show last night was a blast. I think I've mentioned that my son Justin is a percussionist. He's taking a liking to the Rockford based Phantom Regiment. They placed 2nd in last night's show, which featured 5 Division 1 corp teams.

Justin's sleeping in this morning. It's his birthday...he's fourteen today! Incredible!

Before I get all emotional about my babies growing up way too fast, let me tell you more about Justin. He's our second oldest son and we are so proud of the young man he's grown to be. Justin is an honor student, a fantastic percussionist, a track star, an avid reader and an all around great guy.

Justin's also a major Harry Potter fan , so we're off to see The Order of the Phoenix, for the second time, this afternoon. Have you seen it? Justin thinks it's the best one yet!

Stamping the Day Away!

I really enjoyed stamping with my friends Theresa, Amy, Sherry and Susan today. It's been several days since I've felt like stamping. The weather has been humid and rainy here in Illinois and I'd been fighting a migraine. It was nice to get out of the house and visit with friends. Thanks again for hosting Theresa!

Since I didn't want to rent a U-haul to take my stamping supplies to Theresa's, I decided to limit myself to a couple of paper packs, some matching cardstock and embellishments and a few stamp sets.

This little Flowahbella card features Basic Grey Blush paper and SU! Whisper White and Rose Red cardstock. Flowahbella is colored with SU! Markers and embellished with SU! Frilly Ribbon Originals.

I used my Basic Grey Blush paper with SU! Big Blooms for the card below. The wave in the paper was created using my Bo Bunny Flex Ruler. Such a fun tool! You can get yours from Joy and Daisy at eP.

The blooms are stamped in Baroque Burgundy, Taken with Teal and Regal Rose and layered using Dimensionals. The little flowers were made with a small flower punch from EK Success, my Fiskars 1/4" hole punch and brads.

I finally broke in my new Priceless stamp set today! I hope I find some more time to play with it this weekend. It's a fabulous set! With my last SU! order, I also purchased some of the small Open Ended Envelopes. I had received several swap cards from downline using the 6 1/2" x 3 1/4" card design and really liked it.

So, today I made this quick card using...you got it, Basic Grey Blush paper. It also features SU! Whisper White, Cool Carribean and Cranberry Crisp cardstock. I used my Marvy Mega and Giga Scalloped Oval Punches, Regal Rose Grossgrain, Prima flowers, Fruit Punch Stickles and K&Company rhinstones to finish it off.

I've got one more card to show off, but I think I'll save it for later this weekend. I'm off to visit with my hubby and son...they just got home from a drum corp show. They're pretty hyped up, so I'm guessing it was lots of fun. (wink)

Meet Sarah

Wanted to take some time today to introduce you to Sarah. Sarah is nine and the youngest of our four children. She's also the only girl and thus, she's the Princess. Of course, she's no ordinary Princess. You won't find Sarah wearing a tiara or dress. She would much rather throw on a tank top, a pair of her brothers hand-me-down shorts and her baseball cap and take off for a bike ride or shoot some hoops.

Sarah's a bit of a tomboy and free spirit. Which is why it's no suprise that she has a passion for horses. Ever since she knew what a horse was, she has loved them. She's been riding now for 15 months. Seeing Sarah atop a 16 hand high horse, controlling him with the sound of her voice and the push of her leg...it's amazing! One of my greatest joys is seeing my children pursue the things that they enjoy.

Sarah tells me that someday she will have her own farm and several horses, that her father and I will come live with her, and that she will teach me how to ride. Sounds wonderful!!!

For a Friend

Ever have one of the those days where you just have too much on your plate and way too many decisions to make? One of my friends called yesterday morning and she sounded like she was having one of those days. She is such a super sweet person. Even when she's having a difficult time, she remains positive and is always looking for the silver lining.

I wanted my friend to know I was thinking of her, so I'm dropping this card in the mail for her. I used SU!'s Polka Dot & Paisley and Sincere Salutations sets. All the cardstock, ink and paper is also from SU! I added a bit of Fruit Punch Stickles to the flowers and some paper piercing along the top. Hope it brightens her day!

Another Weekend Sketch Challenge

Happy Weekend! It is absolutely beautiful here in Illinois. We haven't even had the AC on for the past several days. That rarely happens here in July.

Yesterday was a wonderful start to my weekend. My husband, Chris, had taken the day off and we enjoyed a lunch date, shopping and hanging out with our children and some of their friends. It was just what we all needed.

My Stampin' Up! order also arrived yesterday. (Yippee!) and I managed a few minutes to stamp a card for Beate's weekend Sketch Challenge.

This card features some beautiful new SU! product, including Baroque Motifs, Tres Chic and Le Jardin DP. I also used the Linen background, corner punch (for the scallops), Marvy oval punches, Prima flowers and some chocolate ribbon. The colors are Very Vanilla, So Safron and Always Artichoke.

I have really enjoyed participating in Beate's weekend Sketch Challenge. If you have some time, I encourage you to give it a try.

Birthday Bella

My first Bella card...for a dear friend's birthday. The Bella stamps are so fun! I had to giggle about the hair on this one. It's about how mine looked in the 80's. You know what I'm talking about...all teased up and loaded with Aquanet hairspray. lol Those days are gone, but now it's all about hiding the gray hair. Oi!

Don't you just love this Chatterbox paper? I paired it up with SU! Whisper White and Chocolate Chip cardstock. I used Night of Navy for the photo corner. The ribbon is a SU! Ribbon Originals and the saying is from the SU! Curvy Verses set. Birthday Bella is colored in with SU! markers and her apron is cut from the same Chatterbox paper.

It's a beautiful, sunny day here in Illinois, and my hubby surprised me by taking the day off, so I am going to make the most of it. You have wonderful day as well!