One More Text & Texture...

Don't forget to go here to register for Happy One Year Blogversary Blog Candy! Drawing to be held Friday evening!

Are you getting tired of this set yet? This is one more quick card I made Monday while playing around with it. I don't feel I've reached the full potential of cuteness with this set yet (it may take resting up after school is out to accomplish this!), but I'll try and go stamp something with a different set tonight to give you a break tomorrow! lol! This card was also made with scraps...no telling why I cut off the edge of the Ruby Red card at some point...I had some Sahara Sand scraps left over from this card, and the polka dot wheel had never been put away from two weeks ago...you get the idea! lol!

Hope your week is going well...gotta love these short holiday weeks! Need to go watch the season finale of Lost here in a minute. I have no idea what's going on (haven't for years), but I seem to watch anyway. I think I'll pull out my So Much stamp set after seeing these wonderful cards by Tara over at Stampalicious earlier. Don't you love them?!

Have a good night and thanks for stopping by! Have you stamped something today?

Recipe Stamps: Text and Texture, Lots of Dots jumbo wheel. Cardstock: Ruby Red, Sahara Sand, Mellow Moss, Ginger Blossom DSP. Ink: Mellow Moss craft ink, Ruby Red classic ink. Accessories: Mellow Moss Brads, Paper Piercer & Guide, Prep School Ribbon.

Wednesday Dig It Out & Use It Up #6

Don't forget to go here to register for Happy One Year Blogversary Blog Candy! Drawing to be held Friday evening!


I'm sure you're thinking "What's she digging out and using up here...she recently admitted she only received this new Text & Texture set last week?!!" (Because I know you read my blog that carefully and ask yourselves questions frequently, like I do! lol!)

Yes, it's true, the stamp set is new and I was playing with it Monday while on holiday (when I should have been grading papers!), but I did dig something out at the last minute: the little pink striped circle! It's from Heidi Swapp, for journaling I think, it's a couple of years old, and I broke open the package to use it! Hooray for me! lol! The rest is pretty self-explanatory, I used the slit punch to make the scallop edges out of the SU Berry Bliss DSP. Need to use up all that precious DSP before the new catalog (and new papers!) come out! You do too! hee! hee!

Just finished up the Wednesday night Stamp Club, thanks for coming girls! You know I love you and you always make my month! We missed you girls who didn't make it!

Thanks for stopping by! Have you stamped something today?

Recipe Stamps: Text & Texture. Cardstock: Pretty In Pink, Whisper White, Berry Bliss DSP. Ink: Pretty In Pink, Brown Staz-On. Accessories: Slit Punch, Chipboard Heart, Heat & Stick Powder, Heat Gun, Light Pink Chunky Sprinkles Glitter, Dimensionals, Heidi Swapp Journaling Circle.

Just Celebrate...with cake!

Happy Tuesday! I had a little trouble photographing this card, so thanks for bearing with me on all the weird angles and pictures. I was forced to clean off my desk on Monday if I wanted to stamp (YES, it was that BAD!), and I came across this little, round stamped cake image, mounted on a pumpkin pie circle. I had tried making something with it long ago but it was too big, and I had also picked it up and tried again several times, but nothing ever worked! I also happened to have this Bashful Blue card base with the scallop circle already punched out (another reject from a long ago project), and voila! A card was born in 2 minutes! I love it when that happens...which is why I always save my scraps and stamped reject pieces...you never know when the time will be right for them!

Thanks for all the great comments on the Blogversary Blog Candy giveaway! After reading all those super nice comments, I now feel like it was a thinly veiled attempt for praise and love...but so be it! ha! ha! There's still time to enter, I'll be drawing for the winner on Friday evening, so go here to enter!

Thanks for stopping by! Have you stamped something today?!

Recipe Stamps: Just Celebrate. Cardstock: Bashful Blue, Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie. Ink: Staz-On Black; Markers: Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Bashful Blue, Pumpkin Pie, Yo Yo Yellow. Accessories: Blender Pens, 2-Way Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds, Coluzzle Circle Cutter, Scallop Punch, White Snap Eyelets unknown RAK from Splitcoast Arlington Shoebox Swap door prize.

Happy One Year Blogversary!

Wow! I can't believe I've been blogging for one year now! And I thought about it for three years before that! lol! Looking back at my first post, I'm really bummed...I was already out of school at this date last year and here I am now...two more weeks to go still! waahhhh! But I'll try to stay positive and say "Yay! Only two more weeks of school left!"

On to the fun part...here's some Blogversary Blog Candy for you: a Stampin' Up! retired hostess set Small Script, small Star Punch, Chocolate Chip Satin Ribbon, and some assorted stars and hearts chipboard pieces! (The ribbon and punch are new in the wrapper still, I just photographed my open ones for a better picture.) All you have to do is leave a comment on this post and you'll be entered in the drawing!

Thanks so much for stopping by...you and this blog help me keep my sanity, so thank you very much!! Hugs!

Life Is Good!

I haven't been feeling very creative this weekend (the horror!), so I went to Splitcoast to check out the challenges. I liked all the options of today's Technique Lover's Challenge #170 Pick Three...you get to pick and combine 1 choice each from the original 1-10 challenges of the Color Challenge, the Sketch Challenge, and the Technique Lover's Challenge.

So for my card above, I chose Sketch Challenge #7, Color Challenge #2 (Ruby Red, Not Quite Navy & Barely Banana), and Technique Lover's Challenge #7 (paint chip cards). It was a lot of fun! I had just received the Text & Texture set on Friday, so it seemed like a perfect time to break it out and use it! I've wanted this set since the new catalog came out, I think it'll be really good for scrapbooking too. I think this card might go to my grandpa for his 88th birthday coming up on June 9th. He always has the best attitude and a smile for everyone, he's the best.

Hope everyone is enjoying their Memorial Day holiday! Thanks for stopping by! And you might wanna stop back by in a little bit because someone's going to be posting some blogversary blog candy! *wink*

Recipe Stamps: Text & Texture. Cardstock: Ruby Red, Barely Banana, Not Quite Navy, Behr paint chip. Ink: Ruby Red Classic, Not Quite Navy Craft. Accessories: Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Gun, Ruby Red Buttons, Mini Glue Dots, Very Vanilla Grosgrain Ribbon.

Splitcoast Inspiration Challenge 129

Happy Sunday! Got a chance to play a little with the Splitcoast Inspiration Challenge 129...I based this card on this inspiration piece below:

Hmmm, now that I see it, I think I need more white, maybe I'll try again! I found the Bashful Blue card base that had been thrown in the reject pile because the wheeled polka dots weren't straight enough for this card, but I decided it was good enough for this card! lol! Then when I went to put the dimensionals on the back of the Sahara Sand piece, I laid the card front down in a pile of glue, so the upper right corner got all messed up (I tried to hide it sneakily behind the copyright info!). I'll send it to my grandparents...they will love it and not notice the slight imperfections!

Hope your holiday weekend has been good so far! My allergies and sinuses have been killing me, anyone else suffering? Other than that, I'm not sure when I have slept SO much in all my life...awwww, yeah! Thanks for stopping by!

Recipe Stamps: Spring Solitude Hostess, Everyday Flexible Phrases, Lots of Dots jumbo wheel. Cardstock: Bashful Blue, Sahara Sand, Whisper White. Ink: Bashful Blue, Sahara Sand. Accessories: Silver Stylized Hodgepodge Hardware, 1" Circle Punch, Blue Gingham Ribbon, Pretties Kit Flower, Aquapainters, Corner Rounder, Dimensionals.

Friendly Flowers quickie

Happy Friday! Hooray! Here's a real quickie...made the background piece two weeks ago, couldn't think of anything for it, threw it aside...picked it up this morning and threw this together! lol! Dh is telling me, while I'm sitting in my robe with a towel on my head, "It's 5:47. I'm just telling you this because you may be CRAZY!"

Hope you have a great Friday! Thanks for stopping by!

Recipe Stamps: Friendly Flowers, Everyday Flexible Phrases. Cardstock: Wild Wasabi, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, Brocade Blue, Hostess Prints DSP. Ink: Pretty in Pink, Brocade Blue, Certainly Celery, Wilid Wasabi. Accessories: Sherbert Ribbon, Designer Label Punch, 1 3/8" and 1/2" Circle Punch, Slit Punch, Dimensionals.

Mini Album Tutorial at Splitcoast

Happy Wednesday! I didn't get any stamping done last night, so thought I would share this mini album. I saw from your comments yesterday (thank you!!) that some of you saw it...it was the featured tutorial on Splitcoast yesterday! I was super excited when Beate and Jenn asked me to make up a version and write up a tutorial of this mini album I posted back in April (I changed some things and made it a little better/easier, so don't real that one now! lol!). I can't wait to see everyone else's versions...I already saw Beate's great one and a few more posted here at Splitcoast that look great, so be sure and share yours if you make it! Here are some of the inside pages:



On quick personal note...we survived the field trip! We were all exhausted afterwards, but it was a great time, the kids loved it. And I must brag on our kids...they were the BEST! There were a LOT of schools there, and our kids were by far the best behaved (I'm not prejudice at all!), it went very smoothly. Although I did have a slight panic attack at the beginning...what on earth was I thinking taking 19 students out and being responsible for them...I don't even have kids of my own to take out anywhere, I've never practiced, etc.! But we survived and had great parents who helped us too.

Lastly, David Cook won American Idol!! Hooray!!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great Wednesday!

Be Inspired #14 & Wednesday Dig It Out & Use It Up #5

Happy Wednesday! I decided I *had* to stamp around 11:00pm last night (I should have been in bed, yikes!), so I decided to try Beate's Be Inspired Challenge #14 in conjunction with my Wednesday Dig It Out and Use It Up Challenge #5. I really liked the inspiration piece, and since I was in a *bit* of a hurry, I used a sketch from the August 2007 Stampin' Success (a monthly SU publication for demonstrators) that was open and laying on my desk from the weekend's search for possible stamp club projects. I didn't intend to add the piece of More Mustard patterned paper across the top, but I got the proportions wrong and there was too much rust, so I had to add something. Oh, and the brown ribbon is what I "dug out and used"...it's from the SU Flirty ribbon offered in an old mini catalog.

Did anyone vote for Idol last night? I'm embarrassed to say I kept voting for David Cook until midnight (except for an hour when I forgot because I got sidetracked looking up crime reports in Dallas based on a news story I saw, doh!). He didn't do as well last night, and I don't think he has a chance against David A. and the throngs of teenage girls supporting him, but I think he'll still do okay in the "biz" after this.

Also, thank you SO much for all your sweet comments about our 3rd grade results this year. We...the teachers and students...all worked so hard, and you're so nice to comment, I love you! The 3rd grade is off on a field trip to the Science Place today, give us (the teachers!) strength!! Hope y'all have a great Wednesday!

Recipe Stamps: Friendly Flowers. Cardstock: Really Rust, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Old Olive Prints DSP, East Coast Prep DSP. Ink: Staz-On Brown, More Mustard marker. Accessories: Scallop Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Flirty Ribbon, Stapler, Pretties Flower, Aqua Painters, Vintage Brad, Dimensionals, Rub-On.

More Dry Embossing...

Happy Monday evening! Just a quick note and a very *simple* card I played around with Sunday using the Pick a Petal Classy Brass Template, but decided it was too simple for stamp club. Oops, I just remembered I was going to stamp a sentiment in Real Red down on the righthand corner, but forgot once I threw it in the reject pile!

Pajama Day was great! I wish we coud wear pjs everyday! The kids looked so cute, they really seemed even younger and more childlike. I took my camera, but then got distracted (with teaching, doh!) and forgot to take pictures. After I got home and accidentally took a 1.5 hour nap, I read Donna's comment about seeing the pjs, so sorry I don't have that to share. However, I will share a picture of my pjs, courtesy of the Target website! I splurged on these pjs last night, figured I could use some new ones for the SU Convention and the trip to see my folks this summer. They turned out to be educational too, because the kiddos had never seen sock monkeys...hmmmm, maybe we should make some before the year is over...

Speaking of the kiddos, I have to share that we received our Math TAKs results today and I'm proud to say our 3rd grade has a 92% pass rate! Our Reading TAKs results are 92% also! I can't tell you how hard these kids worked and I'm so proud of them. It's a Title 1 school, we don't have many resources (like a library!), and 95% of the kids are English as a Second Language learners. I know a lot of you guys are parents and read to your kids, which makes all the difference in their success, so imagine kids who have never been read to in English, kids who go home and speak only Spanish, kids who don't speak English all summer...you get the picture. In 3rd grade they must pass the Reading TAKs to go to 4th grade...they don't have to pass the Math TAKs to be promoted, so in most schools reading is often the main concentration...so then to see their Math scores as high as their Reading scores, it was overwhelming. When I was giving them the results today, I couldn't even get through the "I'm so proud of you speech" without crying! Ugh! Okay, sorry for the long blah blah blah, but they are just such great kids!

Okay, better get ready for bed and try to find an *ensemble* for Western Day tomorrow! Hope you had good Monday! Thanks for stopping by!

Recipe Cardstock: Kraft, Summer Picnic DSP. Accessories: Pick a Petal Classy Brass Template, Light Table, Stylus, Spiral Punch, Real Red Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Slot Punch, Build a Brad, 1/2" Circle Punch.