Brrr . . . Cold!!

On my way to bed . . . I checked out my all-time favorite blog, Allison's Stampin When I Can, and came across a link to Jamie's Friendship Photo Card on The Scrapbook Lounge website. His card is so cute, and even though it was late (or early, depending on how you look at it), I knew I wanted to give it a whirl. I kept to the same color scheme (Hydrangea, Citrus Leaf, and White Daisy) and used stamps from the January Word Puzzle and Snow Friends. Stamping on transparency with acrylic paint was new to me, fun and something I might try again tomorrow . . . er, later today. That said, I'm on my way to bed . . .

Coffee, Anyone?

Several of my club members and I got together last night and covered Starbucks Frappuccino cartons. I didn't exactly teach anyone anything, as having only done it once before myself, it was kind of a figure-it-out-as-you-go thing with me leading the pack. I remembered that you have to pull the box apart to cover the handle and that you put it back together again before doing the rest of it. They turned out pretty darned cute, and as I hadn't gotten around to emptying my bottles yet, I think I'll give it to a coffee drinker as it. The Dark Chocolate Peppermint Mocha flavor is really good (I downed a four-pack at work last week) and available only during the Christmas season. I filled the bottles of the one I did last fall with assorted chocolate candy. Back to our little gathering last night, we had a blast. One of my friends was really in her element and was funnier than all get out. Laughing always makes for a good time.

After the workshop, I tried my hand at "inchies" and made this card. The smallest square punch I have is 1-1/4 inches, so I struggled with the paper cutter and didn't even think until a minute ago that I could have had perfect little squares had I thought to use my Cricut. I don't know that I'll be going crazy over inchies, but it was kind of fun. When it comes to stamping, I'll try anything once. What made me totally crazy last night was the fact that I had no Internet service. My husband was equally nuts because Cable TV (the same company that provides Internet service) was out, too. We had television service again by midnight, but there wasn't any Internet until morning. Without television or Internet, one feels cut off from the outside world, which is kind of spooky. The end of the story is that I was going to post this last night and couldn't. That said, I'm going to wonder over to Kathi's Corner and see what happens. I'm going over there with intentions of finishing a cleanup project, but I know myself well enough to say that I may get sidetracked. If so, I'll be back . . .

Weekend Sketch

For the past several weekends, I've been producing a card based on a sketch on the Fresh & Fun blog. However, it appears that Beate is taking some time off from posting daily and coming up with a Weekend Sketch Challenge. Her reasoning is solid. This blogging thing takes time. I hope Beate enjoys the time with her family, and I'll look forward to her future posts.

Back to the sketch thing, I found one on a another blog. Snow Friends was still out on my desk, and I couldn't resist. Once I've held my club meeting and taken orders for the month, I usually tuck the current Stamp of the Month away with hopes that it will eventually be added to the regular line. I don't think this set will be put aside until the snow melts in Minnesota, which could be May! I don't think my friends will object to the cards either, as nearly every one of them ordered the set. I doubt that their orders were the result of my shoving this set down their throats but rather because it's so darned cute.

There's nothing solemn about this card. The colors are Holiday Red, Clover Meadow, and Dutch Blue. The background paper is from the Hollydays paper packet. The big brads were in my stash and are not CTMH. I'm going to send this card to friends with kids. It looks like a "kid card" to me.

Revisiting the time issue, someone asked me in a comment where I find the time to blog. I believe it was the author of the very cool Mommy Scraps blog. The very name of her blog explains why I might have more time than she does. I have no one who calls me "Mommy." When I did, I had significantly less time for me. I have a full-time job but other than that no huge responsibilities. When I went to work 10 years ago, my self-employed husband, who has a lot more time on his hands, took over most of the domestic responsibilities, including the cooking. My first job, as a newspaper reporter, was very demanding, and I think things just ended up that way, which was fine with me. In fact, once he became a little more skilled in the kitchen, it was great. I turned 50 during my first year at Digi-Key. I didn't think it would be a big deal until the day arrived. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. When you're young, you don't think much about time. You have plenty of it, or so you think. Thinking about time on my birthday, I realized that things can pretty much be divided into three categories - things you gotta do, things you should do, and things you want to do. With time taking on a new significance, I decided that I would continue to do the things I have to do, worry less about what I should do, and concentrate more on doing what I want to do. For me, blogging is another hobby that happens to mesh rather well with my stamping hobby. I like to write. It comes easy (and it should), even though I could use a good proofreader. Every once in a while, I'll reread a post and shudder . . . Spell Chek just isn't enough sometimes. That's my story for this evening. If I'm here, I've more than likely taken care of the "gotta do" stuff. There might be things I should do, but I've blown them off for something I want to do instead. Call it a right of passage.

Getting Practical

When I was straightening up my stamp desk, I came across a sheet of address labels and thought to myself, "I should stamp something practical." Looking at the calendar and realizing how quickly the weeks will pass up until Christmas, I am thinking that most of what I do these days should be practical. I have seen some beautiful tags that others have made. However, I cannot think of more than a couple of people on my gift list who would appreciate the effort. The labels to the right are practical and were easy to make. Three of the little Snow Friends snowmen from "the lineup" were the perfect size for the label. Stamping and coloring in an assembly line fashion made the project quick, too. What I like about my labels verses purchased ones is the room I will have to write. "Grandma and Grandpa," and sometimes even "Marv and Kathi," is hard to squeeze into the space available on many purchased tags.

While I know many have been thinking about Christmas for weeks already, I'm feeling like I have a lot of time this year. Last year, life circumstances were such that I had about 10 days to pull it all together - decorating, shopping, cooking, everything I was able to get done, which wasn't all that I would have liked to have done. It all turned out OK, but nevertheless, I'm looking forward to something a little calmer and a lot more organized this year.

Snowman Kisses

If you're into cute, Snowman Kisses is somewhere between an eight and a nine on the cuteness scale. Yvette West posted it on the CTMH consultant's site, and I just had to put one together. She credited the Splitcoast Stampers website, where one can find a plethora of great stamping ideas. Yvette was also kind enough to post the directions, which I hope she won't mind my sharing here.

1.Cut 2 pieces of 3 by 4-1/2 inch cardstock or one piece of cardstock and one piece of patterned paper.

2. Score each piece 2 inches from each side. This will leave you with a 1/2-inch spine in the middle.

3. Glue a 14-inch piece of coordinating ribbon to the center of your back piece, running the opposite direction of the spine.

4. Glue your two pieces of paper together with the ribbon sandwiched between them.

5. Cut a 1-3/4 by 2-3/4 inch front panel. Stamp your snowman, and color as desired. Punch out the snowman's belly using a 3/4-inch circle punch.

6. Position your front panel on your cover and trace the hole you just punched. Position your cover in your circle punch and punch another hole through the cover. Glue your front panel to the cover, matching the holes.

7. On your computer, make a 1-1/4 by 1-1/4 inch label for your Tic Tac box. I made a same size "to" and "from" label for the inside cover as well. The "to" and "from" could also be stamped.

8. Adhere the labels to the Tic Tac box and inside cover. Position and attach the Tic Tac box to the back cover using Glue Dots or a double-sided adhesive.

Yvette recommended removing the labels from the Tic Tac box, but I left them on and just covered them up. For whatever reason, I wanted to leave the seal intact. The label reads as follows: Snowman Kisses - He cold, cuddle & full of good wishes. He wants to give you these snowman kisses! XO. I used a font (tiny on a label so small) from the new CTMH font CD, Expressives.

For most folks, it's the middle of the night, but not for me. On my way to my clean-up project last night, I stopped by my bed and ended up snoozing for several hours. I did straighten up before stamping again. I really need to get into the habit of doing a project and then cleaning up before starting another one. My mother would probably attest to the fact that cleaning up after myself would require me to change habits developed in childhood . . . No, I'm going finish this cup of coffee and head back to bed so I don't end up getting my days and nights mixed up and suffering for it during the workweek, which unfortunately, will be here again before I know it. About the coffee . . . Yes, I can drink coffee 24/7 and sleep like a baby.

Box It, Bag It, Tag It

I thought I'd have more time to stamp tonight, but dear husband needed me to do some graphic design-type stuff on the computer this evening - something he needed pronto. It involved making some signs, so I used cardstock, some mounting board, spray adhesive, an X-acto knife, my cutting board, etc. I made the remark that he's just lucky I have all this "stuff." His reply was that it would have been cheaper for him to have gone to a print shop. Yea, and like he would have found a graphic artist willing to make his darned signs "right now" at 6:30 p.m.

Here are a couple of quick projects. I chose non-traditional colors for the gabled box, which would be great to hold cookies, candy, or any gift that would fit in a 6 by 4 by 4-inch box. The colors I used were Crystal Blue, Heavenly Blue, Petal, and a little bit of Sweet Leaf on the snowmen's caps.

The bag is filled with Hershey Kisses, tied with red and green curly ribbon, and finished with a handmade tag colored in colors that coordinate with the ribbon. I purchase my gusseted cellophane bags, clear envelopes for cards, 12-1/2 by 12-1/2 inch bags for storing cardstock, etc. from Impact Images. While this company's prices are right, items are sold in bulk (usually a minimum lot of 100), so it's a good idea to put together an order with a friend or two. I note that the source I usually purchase cable boxes from has discontinued them. Doing a quick search, I came up with buygiftbox.com. As I have not done business with this company, this is not a recommendation. However, it appears that it sells these boxes individually and that the prices are reasonable. Looking at the website a little more, I see that in addition to a lot of different boxes, buygiftbox.com sells all kinds of wrapping paper, pull bows, tissue paper in every color under the sun, and gift bags.

Before someone leaves me a message that says, "Enough already," I am going to put my beloved Snow Friends stamp set away for a while and maybe even get off the Christmas kick for at least a couple of days. Look for something different over the weekend. Until then, thanks for stopping!

Real Friends Last Forever

I had a different plan for tonight until I visited the Twisted Chick Creations blog and saw her snowman card. I immediately thought of my little lineup of Snow Friends, a stamp set I can't seem to put away. I noted her cool combination of stripe and polka dots and thought, "I have some, too!" And, like Michelle, I love the stripe/polka dot combination. This card is what I'll call a "plain" pocket card. Unlike the pull-up card, no engineering was required, although the "lineup" would probably be pretty darned cute used on one of those cards, too. With this card all you do is pull the card out of the pocket to discover a heartfelt sentiment.

The words of this particular sentiment have special meaning for me tonight, because, a couple of hours ago, I experienced a hug from a friend when I really needed one. She stopped by to pick up a stamp order, and I had warned her before she came that I looked like heck because I'd been crying. I didn't ask for the hug. She just knew I needed one. That's what friends are all about. This friend is one of the very special people I've met through stamping. This friend is one who, even when we're too old and arthritic or senile too stamp, will still be my friend. When she reads this, she'll know, and all I can say is "Thank you."

Before I cry some more only because I'm a sentimental fool, I'll get back to my card. The card base is Colonial White (even though it photographs white). The patterned paper and ribbon are from the Creative Basics - Holiday paper packet. Because the snowman border is 5-1/2 inches wide, I only inked up a portion of the stamp. Being able to see what you're doing is one of the advantages of clear stamps. While I would have preferred to have cut the lineup off at five snowmen, the fifth snowman's hat foiled that plan. As seven was a little too close for comfort to six, I did have to draw in number six's right arm. I could handle a couple of twigs. I colored the snowmen with markers and used Twilight ink and a blending pen to add some shadowing to the snowmen's bodies. I also distressed all of the Colonial White edges ever so slightly with Bamboo ink.

Incidentally, I did go into work for a couple of hours this afternoon and got some of my "gotta do" stuff done. My tummy is still kind of lurchy, and I suspect is from hanging around little people. As a grandma, I seem to pick up whatever is going around the day care center. Oh well, Bjorn and Mathias' hugs and kisses, germy as they may be, are worth it. I'm off to bed with the thought my friend left me with - that every day is new - and for that, I am so grateful.

For the Mailman or the Bus Driver or the . . .

Here's a cute idea for those small gifts we all need at holiday time. It's a little clear-top metal tin that holds a dozen Hershey's Nuggets. So popular are these cute little boxes that a very cool stamp company, Papertrey Ink, has a couple of stamp sets - one for Christmas and another for Halloween - that include stamps that fit Avery mailing labels that are the perfect size for wrapping a Nugget. I have had to use some serious self control to keep from ordering one or both of these sets. If I gave more food gifts I would, but I'm too busy stamping to spend much time in the kitchen. So popular are these little tins, too, that I cannot tell you were to find them. I know of a couple of companies, including Papertrey Ink, that expect to have them back in stock at the end of the month. I tried to order 24 from Specialty Bottle only to have my credit card refunded. It is the other company that expects to have stock in late November. I was finally able to get my hands on a dozen from just4funcrafts.com, but I note tonight that it's out of stock, too. Bummer!

I covered my Nuggets with 1 by 3-1/2 inch strips of paper from the Creative Basics - Holiday paper packet. It's a great way to use up scraps. For this one, I added a belly band. The paper strips are 1 and 1-1/4 inch wide and 9-1/2 inches long. I wrapped the band with a 9-1/2 inch piece of Cranberry grosgrain ribbon and topped it off with one of the snowmen from Snow Friends stamped on a 2-inch Colonial White circle and mounted on a 2-1/2 inch Ponderosa Pine scallop circle. If one were to organize their supplies, one could do several of these in an hour's time. The little tins, by the way, measure approximately 3-1/2 by 5-1/2 inches.

Today was Monday, that's for sure. It started with a press release that was prepared several months ago that is scheduled to hit the wire Thursday. It was discovered that a change needed to be made. No big deal with the exception that it had been translated into nine languages and thus, had to go back to nine translators. It didn't stop there, as it turned out another change was required - less serious than the first but bothersome nonetheless. My other project today was doing some copywriting for a magazine insert that is going to the Asian market. Nothing about today would have gotten to me were the time change is still not affecting my sleep patterns. Today, I woke up at 5:30, which would not have been so surprising had I not still been staring at the television at 2 a.m. Maybe I'll have better luck tonight.

Back to the Nugget tins, if I find a stocking source for the tins, I will post it. If not, I'll wait until the end of the month. I wouldn't mind having a few of these on hand for other times of the year, too.

It's Not for Lack of Trying

I don't know if I'm in a creative slump or if I'm just being too hard on myself, but nothing has been going my way for the past couple of days. I think it's time to take a little time off and regroup. This card is OK. I stamped the Heavenly Blue background with a stamp from the Let it Snow set. The snowman, of course, is a Snow Friends (November SOTM) stamp, and the joy stamp is one of the words that comes with the Solo "J." I need to make a list of the words that are included with the Solos and post it at my desk, as I think they are often overlooked. The stamped image and sentiment are mounted on Amethyst. While not very Christmasy, I like this color combination.

My little guests didn't wake up all that early this morning. However, considering the time I went to bed, it was too early. I believe that a bite to eat and then a nap are in order. Maybe then I can go back to Kathi's Corner and turn out something that pleases me. More than likely, I'll be back a little later.

Here's the Lineup!

OK, here's a quick and easy Snow Friends card. I didn't have to make a 3-1/2 by 8-inch card, as this little snowman border is 5-1/2 inches wide - just right for a standard 4-1/4 by 5-1/2 inch card. The stamped image is matted three times, something I rarely do. However, there's a method to my madness! As with most stamped cards, I wanted my stamped image to be the focal point. I matted it with a narrow Cranberry border and then with a wider Topiary border and laid it on the bold background paper (from the retiring Deck the Halls paper packet). Guess what? The stamped image just kind of blended into the background. The bold stripe was just too overpowering. As I'd already coordinated the snowmen's caps with the colors in the paper, I didn't want to look for another background paper. A narrow white mat is a trick I use on scrapbook layouts when I want my photo to take center stage on bold paper. It was just enough to accomplish the desired effect on this card.

When I make a card, I put all of the paper elements together before making a decision regarding embellishments. I choose embellishments based on what they will add to the card. I thought about adding three cranberry mini-brads to the bottom right-hand corner of this card, but thought again. What would they add to the card? More than likely, they would add nothing more than additional postage requirements! My lack of embellishments on my cards have nothing to do with my being stingy with postage or my stash of "stuff." When I add an embellishment, I want it to add something to my design - whether it's a card or scrapbook page. These are my thoughts on all those little things that fill those little jars. I guess it's my "style," and I'm sticking to it!

More Snow Friends

I'm stuck on Snow Friends. To get all of the images on one card I opted to make a 3-1/2 by 8-inch card - my favorite 3-1/2 by 8-inch design in the Originals book. Actually, the images are a little big, which means I'm not 100 percent happy with the card. That's OK, however. These cute little snowmen make me smile anyway! Again, I used the Fall/Winter Creative Basics paper pack. I think I mentioned earlier that this paper is only available while supplies last. I may need some more! The good news is that there will be a new Creative Basics set in the next catalog. I think I said that in another post, too.

Today was a typical Monday, although I'll have to say that I'm not any busier at work on Mondays than I am any other day of the week. The nature of my work is unpredictable in a lot of ways, which keeps things interesting. I get writing assignments or requests from all over the building, even though I work in marketing. Tomorrow, those in the marketing department who wish to participate are having a Trick or Treat at Your Desk day, which means I need to find a recipe and head to the grocery store. Unlike some of the departments at Digi-Key, marketing doesn't do this type of thing often. If I were still in customer service, I am certain I would weigh 300 pounds by now. Those people were obsessed with food, using any and every excuse to have a "Food Day." It got a little competitive, too, which made me a little nuts. Tomorrow night, Cameron has his algebra class from 6 to 9, so the little boys will be here. We're going to carve pumpkins. That should be a hoot. It was last year. Later!!

A Fun Pocket Card

If I haven't said so already, I LOVE Snow Friends, CTMH's November Stamp of the Month. Every stamp in the set is so darned cute. The pocket was created with a 4-1/2 by 11-inch piece of Cranberry cardstock, scored at 1-1/2 and 5-1/2 inches. The patterned paper is from the Fall/Winter Creative Basics paper packet. I used 1/4-inch Terrifically Tacky Tape that I purchased from Dick Blick on the sides of the pocket. The dimensions of the card are 3-1/2 by 4-7/8. As I thought the snowman needed to be white, I paper-pieced him. The coloring was done with markers. I also highlighted the snowflakes with Prisma Glitter, and distressed the card and pocket sentiment with Bamboo ink. The tab on the card was made using a new Stampin' Up punch (I love it!). The Merry Christmas stamp is from a set by Stampendous. I love that little set of stamps, too. Wow! I'm loving everything tonight! Seriously, when I finish a card, I'm usually pretty critical and almost always see something I could of or should have done. I'm happy with this one, however, and may use this design for at least some of my Christmas cards. What a great way to start the week! Have a good one!

Forget Food. I Gotta Stamp . . .

UPS was here today, and when I saw the box, I forgot all about the fact that I'm starved and went right to my stamp desk to complete what was little more than a 10-minute project. This little magnet was made with a two-inch, clear-top wedding favor tin and the November SOTM, Snow Friends. It's an upcoming stamp club project that was inspired by a tutorial on Techno Stamper's blog. I thought it was the cutest darned thing. It would be a good project for older kids, too.

That said, I'm going to go grab a bite to eat. While stamping comes first, food ranks right up there.

No, this was not on my list . . .

OK, so I'm easily sidetracked. It happens when straightening up the craft area is on the "to do" list. I've had a half dozen empty one-quart paint cans sitting on the shelf for a long time waiting to be altered. As the cans and the November Stamp of the Month, "Snow Friends," were in close proximity of one another, I felt compelled to do something with them. The can is covered with paper from the retiring Deck the Halls paper packet. To attach the paper to the can, I used the Xyron, but I think a tape runner or any double-sided tape would do the job, too. Once the can was covered, it was just to add a piece of Cranberry grosgrain ribbon and the stamped image that I'd colored with markers and jazzed up a bit with a little Prisma Glitter. It was a quick and easy project, the kind I have time for at holiday time. The container would make a nice presentation for homemade candy, a drink mix, bath salts, etc.