Scrabpooking, anyone?

I hope everyone is having a great week so far! I'm trying not to think of the fact that I only have 3 weeks before school starts again! Waaaaa! I'm sure it will be fine once it starts, but right now I just don't feel ready. I think I've enjoyed my summer off WAY TOO much!

As I promised yesterday, today I'm showing pictures of the scrapbook pages I made for the SU Artisan Award contest. I think the pages were the strongest of my 10 submitted items, but they were TORTURE for me to make! lol! I do love to scrapbook, but I obsess over the work for hours...days...before sticking anything down. Obviously, I don't get a lot done! It's just so hard compared to card-making for me.




I'll share an interesting bit from my dinner with Shelli, Sterling, Brent & Angie Steele, Amy Yingling, and the other winners (Kelly Han, Kathy Petersen & Mary Jo Albright)...in case you're curious! Most of us admitted to sending in our samples at the last minute, incurring hefty 2-day and overnight shipping charges. I told them I don't work well unless there's immense pressure and a tight deadline on me. Brent said that's true of most creative types. Before the final week of the deadline, they had received so few entries they were worried they wouldn't even have 10 winners. But then that final week hundreds of entries came in. So I'm glad I wasn't the only last minute person! If you're curious about anything else, let me know!

Back from Convention!

I made it back from the Stampin' Up! Convention yesterday, totally exhausted with a head swimming full of ideas! We had a fantastic time, words can't describe. This year we saw more "stamping" and saw more great projects than the other 3 years I've attended (2002-2004). I was totally blown away and can't decide which tips to try first! But since I woke up sick with a migraine today, I haven't tried any yet! lol! So I decided this would be a good time to show my winning Artisan Award projects over the next few days. These are the two entries for 3-dimensional items.


This "Happy Spring" banner I made from chipboard and Petals & Paisley Designer Series Paper. The actual flag pieces I made from the chipboard that comes in all the packages of the Designer Series Paper, it's a very good weight/size for banners. For the scallops across the top, I used the Oval Punch, just punched in half. Then I punched a circle inside with the 1/8 inch circle punch.

For the scallop circles, I used the Coluzzle to make the circle, then made the scallops with the half-slit punch. One wasn't perfect, so I ended up cutting it up to use the good "parts" to embellish other letters and ended up liking it. I embossed all the chipboard letters using Craft White ink and clear embossing powder, probably about 5 layers for a thick, well-covered look. For the glitter on the "happy", I rubbed Versamark over the whole circle, then embossed with Heat & Stick Powder and covered it with Dazzling Diamonds. The glitter on the other letters was added with a 2-way glue pen. If you think of any questions, feel free to ask and I'll get back to you.


I struggle the most coming up with 3-Dimensional items, but one day during Spring Break in March (when I decided last minute to make these samples and enter the contest), I received this Vonage marketing piece in the mail (see below). It had a magnetic strip closure on the side and a cd inside, trying to get you to sign up with Vonage. I knew instantly it was the perfect piece to alter for a 3-D item. I used mostly the Simply Scrappin' Kit Party Pieces and Spring Mini set Big Blooms.


This is the inside of the piece, which you couldn't see when it was on display at Convention. Since it had the magnetic strip on the side, I decided to add magnets to the inside. I glued down magnet strips to the inside, then covered it with the patterned paper from the kit. I used the round pieces from the kit and glued them to magnets to put inside.

This picture shows the piece opened up, from the back side. There wasn't a *lot* of stamping on this piece, just the Big Blooms flowers, and I was a little nervous about sending it, but I loved the way it turned out, and I was out of time for the deadline and had nothing else to send! ;-)


Here's the Vonage piece before the altering began. I didn't sign up, but I do thank them for sending this to me! Tomorrow I'll show the scrapbook pages I made. Thanks for looking!

Birthday Card from Rhonda Sands!

Rhonda Sands sent me this beautiful card last week also! Is it not gorgeous?! The little berries are dusted with Dazzling Diamonds glitter, which looks stunning in person. My photography skills do not do it justice. You can see more of Rhonda's great work on Splitcoast here. Thanks, Rhonda!

Birthday Card from Pam Downs!

Is this not the cutest birthday card?! Pam Downs sent me this card and I just adore it! It's so happy! I love the colors she used and how she used the ticket corner punch and brads on one side. So adorable! I don't think she has a blog (yet!) but you can see her fabulous artwork on Splitcoast here. Thanks, Pam!

**I wrote this and had it ready before Convention, but I have to add something. (Yes, I should be in a recruiting class right now, but I'm on the internet instead!). I've had the chance to hang out with Pam in person twice this week, and I love her! She is the nicest, sweetest person...she exudes this calm, friendly demeanor...you just know she's the kind of person who would be your best friend! So Pam, I think you should move to Dallas! It's only a few hours away, right?! ;-)

Birthday Goodies from Lori Franklin!

Since I'm away at the Stampin' Up! Convention, I thought this would be a great time to show you some of the fabulous birthday cards I received last week! My friend Lori Franklin made me this "A"mazing card! She knows blue is my favorite color, and I just adore the Doodles. We took a class with Elsie Flannigan last year, and we've been doodle crazy every since! Thanks for the great card, Lori!


Lori also made me this fabulous, personalized book for me!! It's so to die for!! She got a box of these amazing stamps awhile back, and I was green with envy. I feel so special since she used a boatload of them on this project for me! She used Modge Podge to apply them and make a nice protective covering over the book. Don't you love the chipboard letters too, all mixed up like that?! I have to think of something pretty special for this book...maybe pictures of all my great friends, like Lori?!

Dilly Dally Meets Cuttlebug

I was playing around with my Cuttlebug last week and had made these parts: the bashful blue embossesd card stock and the certainly celery scallop square. Since the parts were still laying on my desk, I threw them together with a striped piece of designer series paper and the new yummy wide grosgrain ribbon. I wasn't sure about it until I saw it, then I was smitten!

Okay, so I'm at the Stampin' Up! Convention having a GREAT time! My mind is reeling from a morning of great presentations, a lot of them focusing on all of our punches. I've learned some neat tricks and seen incredible samples! Can't wait to try them out when I get home. But for now, I'm off to find a Starbucks. Serious sleep deprivation 2 nights in a row now, what's a girl to do? She can't be grouchy when surrounded by fabulous stamping friends!

Recipe Stamps: Dilly Dally, So Happy. Card Stock: Barely Banana, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Whisper White, Cutie Pie Designer Series Paper. Ink: Rose Red, Bashful Blue. Accessories: Cuttlebug Die Cut & Embossing template, Certainly Celery 5/8 inch Grosgrain Ribbon & Brad.

Angie needs

These new sets are SO cheerful and fun, I just keep going back to them! I broke out the new Photo Corner Punch and some of the new yummy Ribbon Originals for this card!

Speaking of fun, I have to share this fun activity with you that I found on Emily's blog, stamping & stuff. Check it out, she's amazing! Anyway, you go to google and do a search. Type in your name followed by "needs". So I typed in: Angie needs. The results can be hilarious! Here are some of my favorites:

• Angie needs food, badly
• ANGIE needs an AGENT to become an ACTRESS
• Angie needs…a night of blinding sex to get out of the coma that Bob left her in
• Angie needs to take over the wheel of her psychological car
• Always on the go Angie needs to keep her products organized

Oh, if you only knew how true some of these are! lol!

Of course, I had to do dh too, and he had some good ones:

• Kent needs something to do
• Kent really does need some kind of group, it's pretty frustrating having your only outlet being the internet and not talking to real people
• Kent needs to get hot like yesterday
• Kent needs to get with the times--the few OLD timers can't dictate what people want

Okay, you go try it now and copy some of your favorites onto a comment here. It will be a hoot!!

Recipe Stamps: Card Stock: Rose Red, Wild Wasabi, Groovy Guava, Whisper White, So Saffron, Darling Doodles Designer Series Paper. Ink: Groovy Guava, Rose Red, So Saffron, Wild Wasabi. Accessories: Ribbon Originals, So Saffron Brad, Stapler, Photo Corner Punch, Dimensionals, Wild Wasabi Double Stitched Ribbon.

July Stamp Club Projects

Finally got around to photographing the July Stamp Club projects, but the light wasn't very good, sorry about that! We made a photo wallet and a large clippie. I believe the photo wallet was first taught at Stampin' Up! Leadership this year, but I think it had little envelopes with cards that pulled out of them. I have seen many great versions/takes on this project. I searched at Splitcoast and found all of these you can see here.

For my version, I used the new textured 12 x 12 Blue Bayou card stock, cutting it to 4 x 12. I then scored every 3 1/4 inches, so score at 3 1/4, 6 1/2, and 9 3/4. The smaller leftover part will be the flap.

For the inside pieces, I cut the Soft Sky, Rose Red, and Basic Gray to 3 x 7 1/2 and scored them at 3 3/4. They open up so that you can put photos inside. It really is a fun and easy project!

Recipe Stamps: Priceless, Totally Tabs, It's All Good, So Swirly wheel. Card Stock: Blue Bayou Textured 12 x 12, Soft Sky, Rose Red, Basic Gray, Rose Red & Soft Sky Designer Series Prints Paper. Ink: Blue Bayou, Soft Sky, Rose Red, Basic Gray. Accessories: Colored Brads, Jumbo Pewter Eyelet, Soft Sky Double Stitched Ribbon, Basic Gray Taffeta Ribbon, Sherbert Ribbon Originals, Crafter's Tool Kit, Scallop Circle Punch, 1 1/4 inch Circle Punch, Tab Punch.

Galaxy Girl & Rad Dude

If you have a little time to spare (can you tell I do??), check out the website for the new Simpsons movie. You can create your own characters here. If you know my husband, you know he's a bit of a homebody (and cheap, I mean frugal). But he's counting down the days until we can go see this movie. Yes, leaving the house AND spending money! It should be good for some laughs, so we'll have to go Sunday when I get back from Convention. More later...

It's Good to Be Home

Back in Dallas! Crazy busy! I had a stamp club gathering today and showed these display boards with my cards and other greater demo cards I received from 2 swaps. A couple of gals wanted me to post pictures of them, so here ya go! Click on them, and you can see them larger. I'm off to a birthday dinner & movies celebration, so more tomorrow!

Priceless

Happy Friday! Here's another swap card for Convention. I really love this set and matching wheel! There are some awesome samples you can see here on Splitcoast.


Recipe Stamps: Priceless. Card Stock: Soft Sky, Going Gray, Groovy Guava Textured. Ink: Going Gray, Blue Bayou, Groovy Guava. Acceessories: Jumbo Pewter Eyelets, Scallop Circle Punch, Soft Sky Double Stitched Ribbon, Crafter's Tool Kit, Dimensionals.

Treasures

This is one SU Convention swap card that I have finished. It's pretty simple, but striking I think. One other design I made and have all the parts ready, but I will have to emboss when I return home. One more design I will share tomorrow, because the picture turned out too dark so I need to retake it. It will be all ready to go, except I'll need to hammer in the jumbo eyelet when I return home also. Didn't want to disturb the parents with all the hammering.

It's my last day here with the folks. Tomorrow I'll be visiting my grandparents before flying back to Dallas in the evening. I don't know how the time always goes so fast! Below is the picture of my garage sale "treasure"! Isn't it fabulous! It used to hold mail in an old post office. The slots are fairly small, but I'm sure I can find a good use for it! I got it for $30, can you believe that?!! Here's hoping for good treasures for all of you!

Recipe Stamps: Fabulous Flowers. Card Stock: Purely Pomegranate, Basic Black, Whisper White. Ink: Purely Pomegranate, Staz-On Black. Accessories: Half Slit Punch, 1/8 inch Circle Punch, Black Brad, Black Grosgrain Ribbon, Crafter's Tool Kit.

Dare to Be Fabulous!

I've been playing with this new set quite a bit the last few days. Love the saying...dare to be fabulous! This card was a possible convention swap card, but after tweaking it and tweaking it and making about 5 different versions, I became sick of it. So it was abandoned. Note to close friends of mine: don't be surprised if you get a card sometime that looks *surprisingly* similar to this! ;-)

Recipe Stamps: Fabulous Flowers. Card Stock: Chocolat Chip, Kraft, Soft Sky, Blue Bayou. Ink: Chocolate Chip. Accessories: Photo Corner Punch, Ticket Corner Punch, Blue Bayou Stitched Ribbon, Crafter's Tool Kit, 1/8 inch Circle Punch.

Dilly-Dally It's a Boy

I'm still loving this Dilly-Dally set and the precious paper Cutie Pie. I had the idea to make the "rolling green hills" with the paper. The whole thing didn't turn out quite like I planned, but I gave up and moved on. Shortly afterwards a lady came by Mom's house to drop off a quilt to be quilted, and she bought this card and a few others! So I snapped a quick picture before she took off.

We did some shopping at the outlet mall yesterday, and I had my first Starbucks in about 6 days. Schwooo! It tasted good! Last night I finally finished my first set of convention swap cards...only 24 of those. I can't make many more than that, I get too tired of the same design. Need to get more done today.

Have a happy Tuesday!

Recipe Stamps: Dilly-Dally, So Many Savings Hostess. Card Stock: Bashful Blue, Whisper White, Basic Black, Cutie Pie Designer Series Paper. Ink: Staz-On Black. Accessories: Bashful Blue Brads & Taffeta Ribbon, 1/8 inch Circle Punch.

Stamping and Sleeping

Greetings! I've been stamping (and sleeping) a lot at my parent's house in Missouri! Why is a nap always SO good at your parent's house?! We worked hard at getting ready for and having the garage sale, but now we're kicking back. I sold...errrr, traded...some of my cards and clippies for other merchandise. I'm going to take a picture of my *real* treasure and post that later though. Let's just say I can't take it back with me on Southwest Airlines; it will have to wait for one of those trips back when we drive. Yeah, my Dad is real excited about storing it for me! lol!

Here are a few pictures of what I've been up to. My big new order of stamps arrived in Dallas on Thursday, and dh was so good to repackage them (because the UPS box had fallen apart) and 2-day air them to me in Missouri. Is he a keeper or what?! I used some of Mom's red ric-rac on this card.


Still playing with the So Happy set, love it!

LOVE this new Priceless set and coordinating wheel! Taffeta ribbon, yummy! Basic gray card stock and ink, the bomb!

Lastly, just a friendly neighborhood deer in the front yard here! The picture didn't turn out great because it was taken through the glass door. The minute I opened the door, he took off. I really find it scary being in the country, but there are some pretty parts!

Hope everyone had a great weekend! TTFN!

Lots of Clippies

Thanks to Bev over at Savor the Journey who showed these clippies, I decided to finally buy a Cuttlebug and give it a try. I am loving the Cuttlebug, just need some more time to *play* with it! I used a lot of scrap paper on these, plus thin chipboard...the kind found in the packaging of the Stampin' Up! Designer Series Papers.

My Mom and her friends are having a garage sale Saturday, and being the little entrepreneur that I am, I decided to set up a table and sell some stuff too! Not sure how it will go, we'll see. I don't have much, just these clippies and about 75 retired cards. Wish me luck!

FYI, I got the big clips at Wal-Mart, a package of 15 for $1.27. I first looked at Office Depot and they only had gold and they were 5 for $1.25! So I highly recommend Wal-Mart in this case!

Have a great Friday!

party time!

I had to make one quick card last night before I packed up my supplies...heading off to Missouri to spend a week "crafting" with my Mom! We have great plans to get a lot of "producing" done! No, you can't just have fun being creative and making things...you must produce! lol!

To give you an idea of my Mom's enormous talent...here's one of the items she produced for dh and I last Christmas. Quilting is just one of her MAN Y crafty talents! I'm hoping she can whip up a new purse for me out of the amazing Amy Butler fabrics...maybe the Chelsea or the Velma...what do you think?


Hope your week is going well! It's almost Friday!

Recipe Stamps: So Happy, Typeset Alphabet Lower, Dilly-Dally, Everyday Flexible Phrases. Card Stock: Blue Bayou, Soft Sky, Whisper White, Soft Sky Print & Cutie Pie Designer Series Papers. Ink: Rose Red, Blue Bayou. Accessories: Blue Bayou Double Stitched Ribbon, On Board Accents Chipboard, 1/16 inch Circle Punch, Linen Thread.

So Happy!

Because I love this new Stampin' Up! set, So Happy! Also used the new level 1 hostess set So Many Sayings, which is going to be tricky to use. I *thought* each word block had one theme, so to speak. Obviously didn't look close enough as multiple themes/occasions are all mixed up together. I still love it, just more of a challenge for a lazy stamper like me!

Yes, I went to bed to early last night, well 10:30, so am up since 2:30. So much for my attempt to get back on a normal schedule. Good news: I did pass my PPR teaching exam! Gotta love the instant gratification of a computerized testing facility. It was like a Fort Knox for testing though...you were video and audio taped in your cubicle during the entire test...if you chose to wear your sweater in there (which they recommended bringing) you could NOT take it off during the test or you would be removed and test score thrown out...if nature called you had to use a bedpan inside the cubicle...okay, just kidding on that last one!

Happy Hump Day!

Recipe Stamps: So Happy, So Many Sayings. Card Stock: Certainly Celery, Blue Bayou, Rose Red, Whisper White, Certainly Celery Prints Designer Series Paper. Ink: Blue Bayou, Certainly Celery, Rose Red. Accessories: Certainly Celery Brads, Blue Bayou Double Stitched Ribbon, Crafter's Tool Kit, Dimensionals.

Dare to Be Darling

Another card from yesterday's stamping frenzy! I love these new sets, so playful and fun! This card began nothing like this, you know how that goes, right?! In all its different versions, I kept acquiring more rejected pieces, so in the end, all those pieces came in pretty handy! Everything is from the new Stampin' Up! catalog, except the scalloped squares which are a Cuttlebug die cut.

Okay, wish me luck...I'm off to take my final teaching exam, Professional & Pedagogical Responsibilities, so I can get my "real" certification to be a "real" teacher in Texas! I was a little worried since I took my teaching classes a year ago really, but I took a practice test online Sunday night and only missed two. Guess the year of teaching did give me some practical experience! lol! Anyway, the practice test convinced me that I could spend Monday stamping instead of studying, so let's hope it wasn't a fluke!

Recipe Stamps: Dare to Be Darling, Dilly-Dally Friends Jumbo Wheel, Little Pieces. Card Stock: Kraft, Wild Wasabi, Rose Red, Whisper White, Cutie Pie Designer Series Paper. Ink: Rose Red, Wild Wasabi, Groovy Guava. Accessories: Wild Wasabi Double Stitched Ribbon, Rose Red & Certainly Celery Brads, Jumbo Pewter Eyelet, 1/2 & 1/4 inch Circle Punch, Crafter's Tool Kit, Three For You Flower Punch Box, Linen Thread, Dimensionals, Cuttlebug Scallop Square Die Cut.

New Stamps!

My "big" order, courtesy of Stampin' Up!, is on its way, but I ordered a few "emergency" items and had them shipped overnight! I love the new Dilly-Dally and Dare to Be Darling sets and paper. It's all SO cheerful! Here are a couple of quick cards I made this afternoon.



Recipe Stamps: Dilly-Dally, Dilly-Dally Friends Jumbo Wheel, Dare to Be Darling. Card Stock: Rose Red, Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Darling Doodles Designer Series Paper. Ink: Rose Red, Bashful Blue. Accessories: Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/8 inch Circle Punch, Blue Gingham Ribbon, Bashful Blue & Rose Red Brads, Ticket Corner Punch, Dimensionals.


This second card also features some leftover parts from experimenting with my new toy, the Cuttlebug. Yes, I am the last person left in craft land to get one of these probably! I was never completely sold on them for the embossing feature, but it was the die cut feature that finally pushed me over the edge...pretty much because of these flower clippies made by my friend Bev, aka TexasGrammy. Still working on my clippies, will hopefully post soon. Happy Monday to you!


Recipe Stamps: Dare to Be Darling. Card Stock: Whisper White, Blue Bayou, Certainly Celery Prints Designer Series Paper. Ink: Rose Red, So Saffron, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery. Accessories: Blue Bayou Double Stitched Ribbon, Jumbo Pewter Eyelet, Dimensionals, Cuttlebug Die Cut Fleur.

Part-Time Model

"You're so beautiful, you could be a part-time model. But you'd probably still have to keep your normal job." What girl could resist song lyrics like this?!

This is what we do on Sunday nights...watch the new show Flight of the Conchords on HBO. It's hilarious and hard to explain...probably because they're from New Zealand, lol! I know that I, for one, cannot resist the accents!

Watch this clip from the first show for yourself.

Splitcoast Challenges

I haven't stamped for two days (the horror!), so decided I would do a Splitcoast Challenge this afternoon. I've seen some great cards there combining Sketch Challenge 131 and Color Challenge 121 (Chocolate Chip, Old Olive and Pretty In Pink). Below here I thought I'd share some of the steps I took and tips. The eagle-eyed readers will notice the card changed somewhat from the final one posted above.

When I decided to place the little flowers from the new Three for You Punch Box, I found it easier to place them exactly where I wanted them (without adhesive), place the cushion mat underneath, and then poke the hole for the brads through all the layers. Next, put all your brads in the holes, then flip the entire thing over to close the brads. The paper pierced holes are small and tight, the brads won't fall out.

The prongs of the brads can be sharp and pointy, so use your paper piercing tool to open the prongs and spread them out.

So you probably noticed, the flowers changed. At first I didn't like the Pretty In Pink flowers because the card stock was quite a bit darker than my Be Happy flower stamped in Pretty In Pink craft ink. So I tried the Pretty In Pink craft ink on the Very Vanilla card stock, but they just looked too blah and didn't show up.

Lastly, when I put the Pretty In Pink Flower on top of the original design, it still looked too plain and needed something more. So I decided to add the Old Olive shape behind it, but then that couldn't go on top of that Old Olive strip on the right. Thus, the new Chocolate Chip strip on the right. I really *needed* the new Stampin' Up! Scallop Circle Punch, but since it's not arriving until next week, I had to make do with a Marvy Uchida scallop oval punch that I have. It's really too big, and I used the only Old Olive scrap I could find...it already had some "direct-to-paper" Creamy Caramel markings on it, but as it was getting late and I was feeling the need for a nap, I went ahead and used it.

Hope your weekend is going well! I have a crop from 6:00 to midnight, I'm not packed or ready, and I still need that nap! What's a girl to do? Probably arrive late to the crop!

Recipe Stamps: Be happy. Card Stock: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Pretty In Pink, Very Vanilla, Au Chocolate Designer Series Paper. Ink: Chocolate Chip & Pretty In Pink craft ink. Accessories: Old Olive Brads, Three for You Punch Box, Chocolate Grosgrain Ribbon, Crafter's Tool Kit, 1/16 inch Circle Punch.

My stamping and scrapping studio

I finally did it...took pictures of my stamping and scrapping studio! It's not perfect, but I don't think it's ever going to be better than this, so now seemed like a good time to share. Especially considering I have 2 big Stampin' Up! new catalog orders coming...where are those items going to go?! I'm sure I'll figure something out! *wink*

I posted four pictures here, but you can see lots more by clicking here. You'll see close-ups of items on the shelves, inside my desk drawers, etc. And I included links to the places where I bought a lot of my storage items so you can go see them for yourself.

I was working on installing this as a slide show to keep on my blog homepage here, but right now it has me outsmarted (not hard to do!), so I'm giving up. I first tried it on webshots, then flickr...the whole process has taken me an embarrassingly long amount of time! schwooo! I need to stamp for awhile!

Happy Friday to you!

I've been tagged!

Okay, I'm a bad blogger...I got tagged on Monday by Sara at Desperate Stamper and again tonight by Jennifer at Sunflower Stamper, so I thought I better go ahead and do it! Thanks, girls!

Here are the rules:
* I must post 7 random things about me
* Tag 7 other bloggers to do the same.
* Post rules and the bloggers I tagged here.
* Leave tagged bloggers comments on their site so they know they've been tagged.


7 Random Things About Myself

1. I detest mustard. I hate the smell and freak out if it's anywhere near where I'm eating. If my husband comes home and kisses me, I can tell if he's eaten mustard sometime during the day. When I was a child I told my Mom I was going to run for President so I could outlaw mustard...she said I'd never get elected running on that platform.

2. I love Jane Austen, have read every one of her books at least a dozen times and watch every Austen-inspired movie every time it comes on t.v., even the hokey ones like Bride & Prejudice.

3. I was valedictorian of my high school class. Okay, it was a small class, 63 people, but still, right?

4. I don't have any children, but one super-perfect, precious dog named Nick (see picture above). My Mom worried we'd end up one of those "weird couples who doesn't have children and gets a pet and gets all weird." I would have the tendency to dress him up and take his picture with Santa, but my husband reels me back in.

5. I don't cook. I bake. I can do it, follow a recipe and all, I just have no desire if there's no sugar involved. *wink* I force myself to cook about 3 times a month for husband's sake...it's always chili, spaghetti, or tuna casserole. Luckily, husband likes to cook and is a saint.

6. I seem to change careers every decade...my 20s retail manager...my 30s interior design & furniture sales...my 40s school teacher...my 50s ?

7. I'm not good at playing games. I'm competitive enough that I hate to lose, but I feel guilty and keep apologizing when I win. Either way, it's not pleasant.

Okay, now I tag:
Bev @ Savor the Journey
MJ @ Beauty Lies Within
Valorie @ Basement Bliss
Tracey @ Tracey Stamps
Mindy @ StampinMindy
Jane @ Stampin' Jane
Kerin @ Stampin' with Kerin

I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe July 4th holiday! I've been on an organizing kick, especially in my stamp room. Before you think "good for her", you should know this was brought on after after I couldn't find some important papers on Monday and suffered a mental breakdown. lol! I may take pictures of my stamp room (a first!) and post them soon. I (WE=I need help!) still need to hang the Levolor blinds that were purchased for that room back on April 29 and are still laying in the floor. ugh!

Included in my organizing kick was my Webshots gallery of artwork. I consolidated all the retired sets, added some new stuff, etc, so be sure and check it out. I did this, mind you, from 12:00 am - 3:00 am last night. Yep, my school schedule has completely gone, and I'm up to my old (insane!) hours of operation. It's not going to be pretty come August 27. *sigh*

For the card, more In the Spotlight! I'm sure you're sick of hearing about it, but yes, using up more scraps. Both brown patterned paper pieces and the red chipboard heart were leftover parts never used. They came together nicely while watching As the World Turns...another one of my summertime vices. And Paul better not be dead!

Recipe Stamps: In the Spotlight, Three for You Punch Box. Card Stock: Bashful Blue, Kraft, Very Vanilla, Au Chocolate & Notations Designer Series Paper. Ink: Real Red, Chocolate Chip. Accessories: 1/2 inch & 1/4 inch Circle Punch, On Board Accents Chipboard Heart, Stapler.

Hooray for the Red, White, and Blue!

My husband has been singing this song all morning...well once he saw this card he started singing it. Unfortunately, that's the only line he knows, so the rest of the lyrics are very creative. The man does make me laugh without fail.

I decided last night around 12:30 that I needed to make a 4th of July card (just for the blog, of course, it's too late to send it to anyone!), so here ya go. It gave me a chance to use the new Three for You Punch Box. I love that rectangular polka dot stamp!

I hope you all have a happy, wonderful 4th of July holiday! *imagine me waving sparklers here*

Recipe Stamps: Three for You Punch Box, Typeset Alphabet Lower, Background Sampler. Card Stock: Brilliant Blue, Real Red, Whisper White. Ink: Brilliant Blue, Real Red. Accessories: Silver Brads, Round Tab Punch, Stapler, Ticket Corner Punch, Dimensionals.

Stamps for Sale!

As painful as it is, I'm clearing out retired stamps to make room for new stamps! If you're interested in buying any of these, please email me (schwoooatgmail.com but use @ symbol). I am accepting paypal as payment. NIB = New in Box=not cut or mounted. I linked each stamp set name where possible to its gallery at splitcoast stampers, so you can see what they look like, just click on the name. Some are pictured here, but email me if there's a set in particular you would like to see. Thanks for looking!

Shipping

• anywhere in the US
• priority boxes for $4.60 or $8.95
• I will combine shipping to get as many sets in the box as possible
• Dallas/Ft Worth can pick up or meet me somewhere locally
  

Bonus!

• I will include 10 cards/card fronts with every set purchase
• For every set you buy, I will include several yards of organdy ribbon
• For every set you buy, your name will be in a drawing to receive the prize shown above of the retired hostess set Over the World and the Simply Scrappin' Kit Friends & Flowers
  

Stamps for Sale
*greyed out sets have been sold

All Natural $12
All the Best $14
All Year Cheer I $21
All Year Cheer II $21
All Year Cheer III $21
Alphadots Alphabet $18
Alphadots Numbers $12
Around & About $8
Artifacts $16
Art of Life (NIB) $10
Baby Firsts $14
Beautiful Season $15
Beyond the Basics $8
Blooming with Happiness $12
Bold Double Alphabet (index print on SCS is wrong) $27
Bold Alphabet Numbers $12
Bold Butterfly $20
Bold Check Frame $5
Border Builders $10
Borders Mini $6
Cheery Chat $20
Congratulations $14
Crazy for Christmas $14
Crosshatch $12
Delightful Doodles $8
Fabulous Flourishes & brass template $16
Fanciful Flowers $10
Favorite Teddy Bear $20
Festive Four $8
French Script $12
Fresh Fillers $8
Fun Filled $12
Furnished with Love (NIB) $14
Garden Blocks (NIB) $10
Garden Collage (NIB) $8
Good Times $20
Greeting for All Reasons $20
Groovy Lines $12
Happy Occasions $10
Happy Winter $8
Haute Couture (NIB) $15
Hearts & Posies $6
Holiday Blocks $10
Holiday Spirit $14
In Full Bloom $17
It's a Party $14
Itty Bitty Borders $8
Just Journaling $8
Let's Party $8
Lexicon of Love $10
Little Hellos $14
Little Layers II $10
Little Love $10
Love It $15
Love Notes $14
Love Without End $17
Love Ya Bunches $12
Made from Scratch $10
Mini Mates $21
Nice & Narrow $15
Noteworthy $10
Paint Prints $10
Painted Posies (NIB) $10
Paris in the Spring $14
Perfect Plaids $8
Petite Patterns $8
Petite Posies $8
Pure & Simple Alphabet Lower $18
Pure & Simple Alphabet Upper $18
Pure & Simple Alphabet Numbers $12
Sassy Sayings I $14
Say It Simply $8
Sculpted Style (NIB) $8
Simple Shapes $16
Simple Somethings $8
Simple Type Double Alphabet $27
Sketch an Event $10
Smorgasborders $8
Springtime Fun $16
Stars & Swirls $8
Stippled Celebrations $20
Stippled Stencils $8
Sweet & Simple $9
Tag Alongs $10
Tag Time $19
Trick or Treat $8
Weather or Not (NIB) $10
What Could be Better $20
Winter Play $12
Wonderful Weaves $10
Word Play $10

Weekend Booty

Ikea booty that is! I made my "yearly" pilgrimage to Ikea with my friend Lori yesterday and thought I would share my booty with you! If you like neat organizational and kitchen stuff, Ikea can be especially dangerous. I really went for the little $2.99 jars as I have something neat planned for them for my Open House door prizes. The other items just sort of "hopped" into my cart. The items I probably didn't "need" but couldn't resist...the little house pillow, a bargain with down filling for $12.99...and the white throw, even bigger bargain for $3.99. They were needed, actually, for a lighter, summer look for the living room, right? Right!

I'll leave you with the other "friend" card I made Saturday. As I never got around to scrapbooking, I again used leftover parts (half-flower, brown circle, and brown tab) to make a card. I am so excited to have this "polka dot" stamp in the Three For You Punch Box, because my old standby polka dot from Nice and Narrow just retired. I do love my dots.

Well, I'm off to call Stampin' Up! to place my Artisan Award $500 merchandise shopping spree from the new catalog. The scary thing is I think I'll still have to place another order to get everything I *need*! Yikes! But I know y'all totally understand and judge me not. *wink* Have a great week!

Recipe Stamps: Pick A Petal, Typeset Alphabet Lower, Three For You Punch Box (polka dot). Card Stock: Chocolate Chip, Groovy Guava, Whisper White, Notations Designer Series Paper. Ink: Groovy Guava, Chocolate Chip. Accessories: Copper Brads, Crafter's Tool Kit, Coluzzle, 1/2 inch Circle Punch, 1 1/4 inch Square Punch (for tab).