Live Stampin' Up! Leadership Coverage Begins NOW

Oh, Hello

Oh, Hello.

Look - I haven't even had time to watch Downtown Abbey yet - can you believe that???

It's taunting me from my DVR - but I'm headed off to Leadership, so it will have to wait.

I just NOW started NCIS - can you believe that? I know my friend Kathy is ashamed of me. I do really like it - we just watched the first two on Netflix.

I tend not to do things in their own time, which is fine.

Pray for safe travels for Kim and I tomorrow as we get groped and molested by the TSA on our way to Orlando. Actually, you know what? Pray for the TSA :).

Here's a little ditty I did for my class this weekend, with the Hearts a Flutter die set and the More Amore paper and the OMG flower trim. What do you think?

Be sure to tune in tomorrow for our adventures, documented in real time right here. You won't get an email notice - but the stream will be running live on my blog through Sunday evening. Please chat with me in real time - I love that! :)

Perhaps I'll get to snap a pic of Diana Gibbs and I with our flu masks on :).

Loveyameanitbye.

Get off my Lawn!

Tonight I had dinner with an awesome bunch of ladies.

We went to a new-to-me restaurant that was phenomenal - Takoba. Which, no matter how many times I type or hear it, I can't remember the name of. But the FOOD was memorable and so was the company.

So after dinner we were standing by my car, on a completely deserted street, talking and laughing like six women do, and two guys come down the sidewalk. Apparently, walking around a group of six women was a devastating setback for them, because one of them grunts "you're blocking the whole sidewalk."

Really? REALLY? You're blocking your face AND your mom, you grumpmaster. He should have been glad we were there so that we could protect him should a REAL danger present itself. He obviously is not equipped to deal with any sort of setback, like unexpectedly having to step off onto the grass when presented with other humans.

Pfft.

Okay, so as promised, here's our second class project from yesterday and this dress die makes me SQUEE!!!!

In addition to the All Dressed Up dies, we got to play with what I affectionately call "the wavy board" - or the Borders Scoring Plate for the Simply Scored. This thing is the BOMB! The greeting is from Word Play and the paper is More Amore and Basic Gray cardstock.

Cute, eh? We had fun playing with it all. If I get time tomorrow I'll do a quick little video on the wavy plate :)

Loveyameanitdontblockthesidwalkbye.

Excuse Me, I'm at Recess!

I had my class today, and MAN do I love the first Saturday of the month. I love sitting back and watching 20 ladies have fun creating something to start off their weekend. Today was really extra special because I met two new friends, and had two of my stamping friends from the very beginning of my stamping career come as well.

We played with a BUNCH of new stuff today, which I can't wait to show you! I'll post one today, one tomorrow and one on Monday, because Tuesday you'll all be glued to my live feed. Ridiculous things are bound to happen to me, as they always do, so I can't wait to share them with you. Are there people who go through life bored? I can't imagine it!

Today I'm going to offer kits for my class projects for those of you too far away to come. I used to have a virtual class, and life sort of got in the way, but I think I'm ready to do it again, so if you like what you see, I have three kit options for you for today's card!

We had a blast making this. First of all, that Pool Party embossing folder is STUNNING! It's gorgeous on Crumb Cake and beyond gorgeous on Early Espresso.

I used the new Swallowtail stamp - which sort of fills the void left in my heart by Wonderful Wings. Sort of. :) We also used the new Lacy Brocade Embossing Folder with C'oredinations cardstock and sanded it. The butterfly is embossed on regular Early Espresso and then cut out and popped up on the textured piece. The DSP is the extraordinarily lovely Sycamore Street.

So here are the kit options if you want to make this card:

1) I want some of it - This $20 kit includes the stamp (clear mount), the embossing powder, and I include the cut and embossed cardstock pieces for the project. Shipping is free.

2) I want most of it - this $25 kit includes the stamp (clear mount), the embossing powder, the embossing folder, and I include the cut cardstock and DSP pieces for the project. Shipping is free.

3. I want ALL of it - this $55 kit includes the stamp (clear mount), the embossing powder, the embossing folder, and a full package of Early Espresso C'oredinations, a full package of Early Espresso 8.5 x 11 cardstock, a full package of Sycamore Street DSP and a Sanding Block. (Note - this does not include a VersaMark Ink pad, which you will need - contact me if you'd like to add that to this kit.)

January Class Kit - Swallowtail

I want SOME of it $20.00 USD I want MOST of it $25.00 USD I want ALL of it $55.00 USD

What are your plans for the weekend?

We'll be back to our summery weather tomorrow thank goodness so I plan to spend a ton of time outside. 

I need an outside stamping desk :).

Loveyameanitbye.

An Embarrassing Story Whose Time Has Come

I hold on to my embarrassing stories until the time is right. I'm still hanging onto the Arkansas/monkey debacle - that one is nowhere near ripe.

But I do have one that is.

So we are lucky enough to have one of my favorite people on earth as a Splitcoast Gallery Moderator and challenge hostess - Sabrina, a.k.a. Cook22. (Check out her awesome tutorial for the Inkling this week here.)

Not only is she incredibly talented as an artist, but she has a sweet, gentle spirit, a great sense of humor, and she's from Ireland - what's not to love?

Well, a year or so ago, I friended her on Facebook.

I was delighted to find her there, and couldn't wait to peek in on her beautiful photography - one of her many talents in my daily perusal.

In the first month or two, I was sort of shocked by some of her posts. Most were funny, lighthearted, but some were things I wouldn't expect from her - and littered with profanity. As time went on, they got worse and worse. I wanted to ask her about it, but obviously that would be weird. I mean, would I say "Wow - you seem so ladylike in real life but your cursing like a longshoreman on Facebook is alarming?" How would that go?

So finally, one day, suspecting the truth, I just innocently asked - "Hey - are you on Facebook?"

Um no. Of course she's not.

BWAHAHAHAHAHA! I laughed so hard and instantly unfriended the vulgar imposter!! Completely hilarious. Also, I guess some names are more common in Ireland than I thought they were. Tee hee.

So she might be far away, but we can definitely share a good laugh over that. :)

Stamps: Feel Goods Paper: Whisper White, Midnight Muse Ink: Midnight Muse 

Accessories: Stampin' Pastels, White Gel Pen

Now remember my glowing lights on the Christmas Tree tag I did for our first Challenge Chicks post?

Well I thought that technique would be fun for glowing skyscraper windows on an "I miss you" type card. I tried to figure out why I always associate city images with the "I miss you" sentiment and I decided it's because I find big cities lonely. I love them, but they feel lonely. Too many people and not enough friends.

So I whipped up a quick little video for you to show you how easy this is to do. I hope you enjoy it.

Loveyameanitbye.

Look Out, Harry Potter!

Who is ready for the insane awesomeness of the Spring Mini?? OMG I'm going to be SOOOOOO broke!!!

Read all about it and the two promotions this month here.

Seriously - it would be way easier to list the two things I DIDN'T preorder from this catalog instead of what I like!

I made a card the day I got my box for a VSN challenge - with the new doilies, ribbon, paper - EEP.

If you want to see all the new stuff, just check it out here.

Now - on to the important news. NEXT WEEK IS LEADERSHIP!!!! See the countdown clock on the top right of my sidebar? That's counting down to my live coverage, which will begin at the crack of cranky on Tuesday - when I pick up my partner in crime, Kim, and head to the airport. I can PROMISE you a colorful week and lots of big news from the 25th anniversary celebration.

They are reserving the ENTIRE Wizarding World of Harry Potter JUST FOR US for Manager's Reception and I feel like a giddy 6 year old at this thought!!! Can't WAIT! Also, I'd like to be warm.

So remember, to view the live coverage, you have to be here on my blog - it won't come to you via email, so just check in and chat and ask questions in real time.

Now - since we just started a new year and you probably have a lot of crazy ambitious plans, I want to remind you of how important it is to take a break. Incredibly important. I found this fun infographic that tells you in no uncertain terms that you will live longer if you do. I say this because I loveyameanitbye.

'Tis the Season of Giving And All Through The Blogs

Can you believe 2012 is in the history books already? It FLEW by for me. One of my many resolutions for my lucky 2013 is to spend more time creating than I got to spend in 2012. That means a few things have to change - I have to say no a little more often - that's harder than it sounds - and I have to manage my space so that it's always ready for me to create in. 

One of the things I've started doing to create space is giving things away. I remember when I first started with Stampin' Up! way back in 2001, I was astonished at how much stuff more senior demonstrators just gave away! They'd bring TONS of stuff to meetings and swaps and just gift it to people. Since I was still in massive acquisition mode, I couldn't believe it. 

But 12 years later, I get it. You acquire a lot of things, and not all of them get used. Or you buy two by accident. Or you know someone will love it SO, so much more than you do, that it's just a joy to give it away.

That's what today is about. A beautiful, sweet friend, Latisha Yoast, came up with the idea to just... give. We will end the year and start the new one with a gift. So every single blogger on the Seasons Givings Blog Hop is giving something of their own away. Every. Single. One. No sponsors, no one knows what other bloggers are doing - we all are just choosing a gift from our hearts to yours and doing this thing!

So grab your favorite Happy New Year beverage and settle in for some beautiful art, and tons of chances to get a gift to make your New Year brighter. 

For my gift today, I chose this stamp set because every girl should kick off her year with some fabby footwear!

Every person who leaves me a comment - and, if you want to - I'd love to see your wishes or plans for 2013 - will have a chance to win this set, plus a fun little mystery accessories package. Be sure when you leave your comment, if you don't have a blogger profile with an email address attached, you need to leave me an email address to contact you with. You must leave your comment by Friday, January 4th to be eligible.

So here's my card for today with my favorite stamp from this set - that gorgeous rain boot. I'm incapable of doing this boot in anything but Pool Party - it's SO pretty!

 

I made the sun out of a scrap of Polka Dot Parade DSP that I cut with my circle die, cut the circle in half,  and then hand cut the rays. I punched a half circle out of the remaining half with the 2.5" circle punch for the center. I stamped the boot in Basic Black on Pool Party and then highlighted the clouds with my white gel pen. The greeting is from Feel Goods from the new Spring Mini - click here if you need one.

I hope this awesome blog hop brings some sunshine into your life today. Enjoy the journey and Happy New Year! :)

Paper Crafts magazine

Kelly Marie Alvarez/Lawn Fawn

Unity Design Team

Avocado Arts

GinaK Designs

Latisha Yoast

Lee Murphy

Laurie Schmidlin

AJ Otto

Michelle Woerner

Jocelyn Olson

Cindy Lawrence

Amy Tsuruta

Jessie Rone

Karen Baker

Lori Tecler

Jodi Collins

Kim Kesti

Tosha Leyendekker

Lisa Henke 

Tonya Dirk

Ann Cox

Jimmi Mayo

Cristal (Pinky) Hobbs

Vera W. Yates

Jennifer Gallacher

Emily Leiphart

Lori Craig

Melody Rupple

Kim Hughes/Paper Smooches

Lynnette Kauffman

Beate Johns

Ashley Marcu

Becky Olsen

Jessica Diedrich

Alice Wertz

Joanne Basile

Carolyn King

Teri Anderson

Isha Gupta

Melissa Mann

>>>>>>>>>>>>>Lydia Fiedler<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Beth Pingry

 Jaclyn Miller

Glenda Wyatt

Julia Stainton

Angie Blom

Sharon Harnist

Karolyn Loncon

Julie Overby

Tenia Nelson

Emily Branch

Windy Robinson

Keri Sereika

Loveyameanithappynewyearmeanitbye.

Show Me Your Papers, Radio Edition

Okay so this morning I had to head out early for celery.

See - the 22 pound turkey in my fridge made it go berserk and freeze everything. My fridge goes into fight or flight zombie apocalypse mode when it's full and tries to overperform. So my existing celery was frozen. And tonight we're having our un-New Year's meal with my sister and her husband - turkey, stuffing, broccoli rice casserole, mashed potatoes with Full Quiver Farms Farmstead chive cheese and butter... jealous yet?

So anyway, as I pull into the parking lot, I'm listening to my favorite gardening show by John Dromgoole and I hear my sister call in, so I sit in the car for a bit to listen to her call.

That's when I found out that she was a beet murderer. Well, she wasn't BEFORE she called, but the solution to her tiny beet problem, John said, was that she wasn't murdering enough of her baby beets while they slept.

It's true. Apparently, each beet seed actually makes five or six little beets and you have to murder, or "thin" (nice try at a nice word, John!) a lot of them to let the other ones grow to their full potential. A moment of silence for the beet babies, please.

Imagine finding out this way that you're related to a beet murderer.

Anyway, right after that call I heard reason # 2,452,403,898,909,877,625,113,234 that the government is stupid.

It was a really cute ad by a local plumbing company that really does funny marketing. But at the end of their ad, they are forced by law to say TACL0928347938 or whatever their license number is. REALLY?? Seriously? What the heck does that do for consumers? NOTHING. It's a stupid law made by stupid people that probably cost the state of Texas 84 billion dollars of my money to implement and ruined a perfectly good ad. When have you ever been sitting in your car and written down that number and looked it up? Never. And you never will. No one ever will. It is 5 wasted marketing seconds brought to you by a group of people with the collective intelligence of bellybutton lint.

After that, I needed coffee. Thank God Starbucks was across the street.

Stamps & Dies: Scentsational Season Bundle Ink: Poppy Parade, Crumb Cake, Paper: Crumb Cake, Whisper White Accessories: Rhinestone, Itty Bitty Banners Stamp & Dies 

Loveyameanitbye.

I Hereby Resolve...

I resolve to CRAFT MORE in 2013.

2012 got away from me. In a HUGE way. It was a very busy year at work, and I felt physically unorganized in my space, which I'm slowly fixing. That, more than anything else, keeps me from spontaneous crafting and playing in challenges.

So here I am in front of God, Grumpy Cat and everyone saying that I won't let that happen in lucky 13.

I actually started today.

I did something I've SO wanted to do for so long - Trudy's Eggshell Mosaic technique. It's so beautiful and vivid and I eat a lot of eggs, so it's sort of the perfect craft storm.

I will say - you need to have patience cleaning the eggs. It's not a Cinderella moment that goes quickly with the help of bluebirds - but it's SO worth it!

I created this little panel for an exhibit for the Austin Fiber Artists Challenge Group - our challenge was to create ANYTHING that had a little dash of indigo in it.

Hello - have you met me?

But before I put it in its final home for the exhibit, I had to see what it looked like on a card!

That awesome greeting is from Feel Goods - which you should see in your Spring Mini by now. I LOVE that set. Holla if you NEED it. :)

The panel contains three things I love: blue, orange, and a signature - the one shell I left white, in the Navajo "flaw" style that lets the bad spirits out of your art. I've always been fascinated by that, since humans aren't perfect - and neither is our art.

The Navajos believe in the Greek maxim "Nothing to excess " believing that overdoing a thing brings bad luck as an offense to the spirits. For the same reason nothing must be too perfect. A rug or basket design with a solid border must have a break in it or flaw to let the spirit of the maker, who has spent so much time and energy, escape. It is natural that things which bring one a livelihood should also have some restrictions.  (Source)

So I composed the mosaic on Basic Black cardstock with white eggshells and gloss Mod Podge.  Then after the Mod Podge was dry, I dropped Sail Boat Blue and Terra Cotta Adirondack Alcohol Inks where I wanted them. Be cautious - the ink travels, and you'll get used to how far it will go without getting muddy.

After that dried, I spritzed it with Gold Glow Smooch Spritz - my fave spray ever - and sealed it with more Mod Podge.

OH - and the most important step. Before doing any of this, I glued the Basic Black panel to a piece of SU chipboard that comes with our Designer Series Papers - this kept the piece from warping while I was applying all the wet mediums to it - it was perfectly straight the whole time.

For the final exhibit piece, I constructed a frame using black chopsticks - remember my chopstick book? - and black twine. Then I wrapped that with a piece of black waffle paper and attached the mosaic.

If I get a pic of all of our pieces put together - they'll all be mounted to a big strip of fabric - I'll share it with you!

But now, in the spirit of this week's Ways To Use It challenge that inspired me - tell me what YOU hereby resolve!

Loveyameanitbye

Star of Wonder, Star of Light

Star of wonder,

Star of light...

Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light.

Merry Christmas!

Treats, Treats and MORE Treats!

Merry Christmas Eve! I have a lot of my Christmas treats to show you but first, I interrupt this post for a Ho Ho Ho! from your friend, Maddie Bat.

She doesn't look like she's filled with the holiday spirit, but she is.

She helped me make ornaments for the stapling on the treat bags for my neighbors by eating some Cherry Cobble tulle.

She also really enjoyed playing with the pom poms that I used to decorate the little nugget snowmen I made for my Starbucks peeps.

Splotchy would like to interrupt me to sing PAWrum-pa-pum-pummmmm!! Look at that adorable Splotchy paw.

He is very much feeling the holiday spirit, as he is existing on a diet of ribbon and pine needles!

Now I stepped out of my paper box to make some cute little snowmen that I saw on Etsy! I just guessed on the beads the original artist used and they came out PERFECT! The little collar is a Swarovski bead, and there's a little Swarovski crystal on the bottom of the pin they're on. Then I just popped three of them on a kilt pin for a cute stocking stuffer!

And next up - some OMGOODNESSTHISISBEAUTIFULANDDELICIOUSNESS!

I made some cream cheese mints for my neighbors, which are my new fave food on earth. They are creamy and pepperminty and oh so pure white. They are just gorgeous and so easy to make. 

I used my Kitchen Aid mixer. Because I chose poorly when I asked for one, mine does NOT look like this one: 

But anyway, into the boring white Kitchen Aid, put 1 tsp of Peppermint Extract. Add 3 oz of cream cheese and beat until smooth. Slowly add three cups of powdered sugar until the dough has a sort of shortbread consistency. When you go to roll them into balls, they shouldn't stick to your hands. You should be able to roll them into a smooth ball easily. I used a 1/4 tsp to scoop them out and ball them up - you don't want them too big. Put them on parchment paper on a cookie sheet that you've dusted with a little powdered sugar. Gently press a fork into the tops in a crosshatch pattern and set aside to dry for at least 24 hours - flipping them over every few hours. Do not put them in containers until they are dry and hard or they will stick together. 

They are cool, creamy and delicious - truly some of my fave treats ever.

 

 To prepare them for your neighbors, take your brand spanking new Pool Party Embossing Powder from the upcoming Spring Mini and ribbon from the Sale-A-Bration catalog and make an adorable Friendship Preserves Tag with the Friendships Preserve stamp set and die bundle! Isn't that embossing powder beautiful on Crumb Cake? I just low how they turned out.

Can you believe how many things I have to show you? Finally, a little snowman tealight with a light up nose! We made these at my monthly class for December and they are so easy and fun! I saw the idea on Splitcoast and could not resist making them. Just use circle and oval punches for the face and hat and embellish with Cherry Cobbler Sweater Trim!

It was so fun to do all these things - it really makes me wonder why don't don't bake treats and make fun little things for each other all year.

Maybe we should!