A Peek Into My Stamping Room

God Bless, Bette

My Mother-In-Law, Bette, passed away last night.  Bette has been fighting cancer for the last 2 years.  Her strong spirit was shining through all the way to the very end.  The best thing is that Bette was Baptized and given Last Rites on Monday night with Keith (DH) and I being her Godparents.  How special is that?  I feel very honored to have witnessed to Bette.  I would ask for prayers for my father-in-law, Arthur.  He is lost without her.

This is my oldest, Colleen with Grandma Bette back in May.  We went out the eat for Colleen's birthday.  So I won't be posting for awhile but I know you all will keep my family in your thoughts and prayers.  Talk to you soon.

Another Stamp Camp Projects!

Here is a project we made at the last Stamp Camp. 

This card I cased from the front of Stamping Success this month.  Stamping Success is a magazine I get from Stampin' Up! - only available to demonstrators.  There are lots of great ideas for projects and techniques.  I really love this set, Fun & Fast Notes.  I got it at Convention and really like all the different stamps included.

Supplies Used:  Fun & Fast Notes; Close to Cocoa, Old Olive, Soft Sky & Confetti White Cardstock; Black Stazon & Blue Bayou ink pads; horizontal hole punch, double-stitched ribbon, aquapainter, Old Olive & Apricot Appeal Markers

I watercolored the bird and flower with my aquapainter & Blue Bayou ink pad.  I inked up just the flower with my Old Olive Marker for the background.  Cute, Huh?

That is all for today.  I have been busy helping my In-Laws.  Hospice came yesterday for my Mother-In-Law, Bette.  She won't be with us much longer and its hard to see.  Her suffering, my husband's suffering but most especially my Father-In-Law - Jack.  His suffering is almost more than I can handle. I would ask for you to pray special prayers for all of us thru this time.  Thank goodness I found stamping to help with my stress otherwise I would be eating as much chocolate as I could find!  Hopefully I will be able to share some more stuff with you in the next few days.  Have a good weekend.  Thanks to all who read my blog, your comments really help me to know others are out there listening.

Stamp Camp Projects

Here are a couple of cards we made at my stamp camp this past Sunday.  Everyone seemed to have a good time, I know I did.  Pretty relaxing way to spend the day, if you ask me.  Of course, you know I love to stamp and chat and that is what we did.  Thank you to Tammy for bringing the sweets.  I was too lazy to make a dessert. 

Another Christmas in August sample!!  This is the jumbo wheel featured in the Holiday Mini Collection coming out on Sept. 1.  If you are a past hostess of mine, you should have gotten this mini catalog in your mailbox this week.  If you didn't, let me know and I will get you one.

Supplies Used:  Snow Jumbo Wheel, Snowflurries Stamp set;  Not Quite Navy Jumbo Ink Cartridge, Purely Pomegranite Classic Ink pad; Not Quite Navy, Purely Pomegranite & Shimmery White cardstock; 1/2" circle punch, stampin' dimensionals, cord.

This is the easiet Christmas card ever!  Just wheel across the strip of shimmery white paper,  stamp some little snowflakes, punch them out and off you go!  Super Easy!

This card I cased from the Art From the Heart CD I bought at the Stampin' Up! Convention.  This CD is full of samples using the stamp sets we got at convention plus samples from the classes we took.  I changed up the colors but I think it makes a great guy card.  What do you think?  I wasn't too sure about this stamp set but it is growing on me!

Supplies Used:  Wanted & It's Your Birthday Stamp sets; Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel Classic Ink; Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel, Really Rust, Confetti Cream Cardstock; Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon; Stamp a majig!

When I cut the Happy Birthday stamp I did not get it straight.  I have tried to fix it at least 3 times with no luck.  So I used the opportunity to show how to use the Stamp a Majig.  Most are really afraid of it but I showed you guys how to use it a few months back and its easy, right? 

So school starts on Thursday.  Usually I am so ready for the kids to go back to school but this year, not so much.  The summer has just flown by and I could have them home a couple more weeks.  Cassie will be in first grade and has such a great teacher.  Caitlyn will be in 6th grade and has a new teacher so we will see.  Colleen is starting High School.  I think that is why I am reluctant for them to go back to school.  It does not seem possible to have a child old enough to be in High School.  My baby Colleen is growing up and I am not liking it!!  LOL  Oh Well, I will let you know how it goes.  Maybe I won't cry too much.  One can dream anyway, right? 

Christmas in August?

This was one of my swaps for convention.  I actually kept one for myself, can you believe it?  I usually forget and give all of them away.  This may be my Christmas card for this year but haven't fully decided.

It is hard to photograph but I used Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder to make some shimmery snowflakes on the white panel.  I really love glitter but I hate it when it flakes off everywhere thus I usually use Iridescent Ice embossing powder as the next best thing.  I am liking the doubled-stitched ribbon alot. It ties a really good knot but I haven't tried too many bows yet but I am sure I will.

Supplies Used:  Snow Flurries, Holidays & Wishes stamp sets; Soft Sky, Blue Bayou Classic Ink Pads; Soft Sky, Blue Bayou & Confetti White Cardstock; Versamark, Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder, Embossing Buddy and Heat Tool, double stitched Soft Sky ribbon.

The Holidays & Wishes stamp set is really versatile and affordable.  If Stampin' Up! has to replace the All Year Cheer sets with something, then this was really great.  No need to spend an arm and a leg for one set of greetings, I appreciate that. So that is it for today.  I am off to church - Assumption of Mary - and will get to stamp later.  Plus the kids need their school supplies.  They start next week and I am not ready.  Usually I am chomping at the bit for them to go back to school but not this year.  Summer has been too fast!

Busy Day!

I have had a busy but productive day!  Unfortunately, the stuff I am going to share with you I made before I left for Convention.  I am working on a swap that is due on the 20th plus I have stamp camp Sunday afternoon. 

Here is a 5x5 On-Board Art Journal I made.  Each of my stamping sisters received one as a gift from me.  Everyone got their own initial, of course.  There is not much stamping but it was really fun to make these.  I took off the covers and using a glue stick applied the Old Olive Cardstock.  Everything else was put on with either Snail Adhesive or Stampin' Dimensionals.

Supplies Used:  Baroque Motifs Stamp Set; On-Board Chipboard Simon Lower; Chocolate Chip & Groovy Guava Designer paper & ribbon; Mellow Moss Cardstock and Classic Ink; Chocolate Chip & Groovy Guava Classic Ink; Stampin' Dimensionals and Mini Glue Dots.

Inside are blank pages.  I am going to use mine for the new session of The Light Weigh I am starting in September.  As of today, I have lost 34 pounds.  I am going to start coordinating our group with the help of our current coordinator.  Hopefully, I can continue with my weight loss especially since it seems I am having a real chocolate problem lately!! LOL you all know what I mean, right?

This is a card I made while trying to come up with a swap.  I am especially worried about having a great swap because the whole group are fellow demonstrators.  I am rejecting this as a swap because of the time factor.  But I am going to send it to a friend to say Thanks for her help this past weekend at the Funeral Luncheon I hosted at church.  She helped me so much and deserves a good card.

Supplies Used:  Garden Whimsy & Paisley Background; Certainly Celery, Groovy Guava, So Saffron, Whisper White Cardstock; Groovy Guava, Certainly Celery & So Saffron Classic Ink; Groovy Guava Stitched Ribbon, ticket corner punch.

Happy Friday Everyone!

TGIF Girls!  I am so glad its Friday.  A needed break from Marching Band Camp for Colleen (every night from 5-9) and a break for me - the taxi driver.  Its been so hot, I have been worried about the kids working on the marching stuff.  But so far, everyone is doing well with the heat.  It was 102 degrees here this week.  Man, thats hot!  Hope your week went well and that you have some cool stuff planned for the weekend.

I don't have any cool stuff planned.  Over the past 3 weeks, we have had 6 parishoners die from our church.  I am hosting the Funeral Luncheon for a man that died this week, he was 87 and lived a really good life.  But I must have been on crack the day I agreed to be the Funeral Luncheon Coordinator.  Man, does this stuff stress me out.  Oh well, pray for the Loaves and Fishes tommorrow so we have plenty of food.  I have to remind myself that God is the Potter and I am just the clay, don't I?

Also I finally got my order of some new Holiday Mini Stuff.  Of course, I haven't stamped with it yet but I did take it out of the box and kinda stroke it.  Sounds kinda nasty, doesn't it?  I do have something to share with you but I cannot take credit for it.  My daughter Colleen's BFF Kaitlyn made this birthday card for her birthday back in May.  I just now retrieved from the holy mess that is Colleen's room and took a picture of it.

The stamp set is Viola.  I just got this stamp set for free from Stampin' Up! before I left for convention.  I have cut it out but as usual, haven't used it yet.  I joined a swap on SplitcoastStampers so I think this will be the set I use.  I am not sure though.  There are some non-Stampin' Up! things used on this card, but we won't talk about it, right? wink wink!!

Seeing this card just makes me want the Viola accessories that much more.  Oh well, I need to stamp with the things I already have, don't I?

So that is all for today.  I will post again on Sunday so be watching for something cool!

Talk to you soon.

How are things?

I haven't posted for awhile again.  Sorry.  Things are pretty busy around here.  This past weekend was our church picnic.  My parents came up and we all had Fried Chicken dinners at the picnic plus played games with the kids.  A great time was had by all of us.  I was getting a big head while at our church picnic.  As I introduced my parents to other parishioners, they kept telling my mom what a great person I am.  I felt really loved and appreciated!  So - Thanks be to God!!

I haven't stamped in about 5 days.  I want to take some time today to stamp some cute stuff I saw at convention.  Even if I have to throw a fit, I am going to stamp today!  Betcha would like to see that, right?  I will let you know if I get my way!  Talk to you later. 

Oh yeah!  Not many of you posted about your dreams so I will post another give-away later in the week.  See ya!

Sisters are doing it for themselves!!!

Here we are!  The Sisters of the Traveling Stamps.  Starting from the left:  Me, Elizabeth, Kim, Roberta & Shelly.  We have so much fun together.  I can't tell you how nice it is to go away with these special women once a year.  It renews me and especially this year, it lights a fire!!   I have always thought my goals/dreams to myself in the past but not this year.  I have written them down.  So hopefully the drive to change things will continue.

So I reached my goal of 30 pounds lost before I left for convention.  I lost the last 1/2 pound the week before we left!!  So I have to set another goal and put a date to it.  That really makes it real for me.  My Stamping Sister, Elizabeth, says a goal is a Dream with a deadline.  Makes you think, huh?  So have you been posting your dreams?  Not too many have but some have been emailing me about stamp sets.  Keep that coming,too.  I can't wait for more room to open up in the stamping room.  Faster I get these retired sets out the better!!  Thanks, guys.  Talk to you soon.

Retired stamps for sale

Above my picture, you will see my retired stamp sets for sale.  I will be accepting Paypal payments.  Just email me if you want something.  I will be shipping most everything via Priority mail, which is $4.60- up to 1 pound.  If you want more than one set, I will ship them together and use the Priority Flat rate box.  Hopefully, you will find a stamp set that you need and I can send my sets to a good new home!!  Thanks so much for looking.

So I finally stamped my Make 'n Takes from convention.  It was much better stamping at home without so much pressure.   They are really cute, too.  I will take some pictures later today and post tommorrow.  I am getting some good posts about your dreams.  I want to give away a couple of my Make 'n Takes as a give away.  So you better get to posting your dreams.  I will draw for a winner on Sunday!  That is when I will be posting my dreams to share with you all.  So tell me your dreams - big or small - it doesn't matter, they are important.  Talk to you soon!