Clean & Simple FTL #98: Happy Retirement

Happy Sunday!


I guess you could say it's Simple Sunday since I used the Clean and Simple FTL98 as well as the Color Throwdown Challenge 100. The minute I saw that layout I knew it would be perfect for my new stamp set Have a Seat. I have a thing for chairs (and bowls, just ask dh!), so I couldn't resist this one!


Have I also mentioned how much I am loving the Stampin' Up! clear mount stamps?! They are still the red rubber, which stamps divine, and they come with the cling mount that clings to the clear block, but they take up so much LESS storage space! Love that! I also love seeing all the images on the cover AND the spine of the box. Of course, the price is nice too! I still love wood mounts too, you can't beat how good they look on display, like here and here and here and here. I guess I'll live with a happy marriage of the two!



Okay, guess I better get moving! Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs and happy stamping!

p.s. Don't forget I have lots of stamps for sale here! *wink*

Recipe
Stamps: Have a Seat, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Woodgrain.
Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Real Red, Certainly Celery, Whisper White.
Ink: Baja Breeze, Regal Rose, Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip.
Accessories: Mini Library Clip, dimensionals.

Play Date: Happy Birthday!

Happy Saturday! The sun is trying to peek out here, finally! We're going on two weeks of cloudy and rainy, not good for me! lol! Of course, it was good for me when the air-conditioning was broken, so I better not complain tooooo loudly!


I was not feeling any mojo yesterday...often happens after I clean my stamp room, ugh...so I visited some sketch sites and found this CPS fabby sketch! Don't you love it?! It could be clean and simple or all dolled up. I thought it would be perfect for the new Play Date designer series paper and a birthday card. I also used my new SU rhinestones, yay!


What are you up to this weekend? We may go see Despicable Me. We (mostly dh, ha!) are cheap, but we're hearing good things about it. I love Steve Carell. We did go see Date Movie earlier this week, at my request, for only 75¢ each, but dh wasn't happy we had to drive to Plano. ha! That's like Oklahoma to him!


Hope you have a great weekend! Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs and happy stamping!

Reminder: I have stamps for sale here and will be adding more this weekend!

Recipe Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes.
Cardstock: Real Red, Chocolate Chip, Tempting Turquoise, Play Date DSP.
Ink: Chocolate Chip.
Accessories: Big Shot, Big Bold Cupcakes Sizzlits Die, Rhinestones, Dimensionals.

Funky Four: smile

Happy Friday! Can't believe it's already Friday! It's sad, it means the pendulum swings back the other way on the countdown of summer break...5 weeks down, 4 to go, sigh. But I'll put my happy face back on, 4 weeks is good!


I broke out my new Funky Four set yesterday to use for The Play Date Challenge 37. The color theme was supposed to be the challenge, and I don't usually go this *literal* with an inspiration photo, but I just loved it and thought it would make a great design for the whole card. So I scored the background piece, then cut out the little mushrooms so they'd be "sitting on the shelf."

Check out the new Pear Pizazz ribbon, it is fabulous, people!! This type comes in the 5 new In Colors. To get the ruffle, I sewed one line of stitching (in the longest stitch setting) down the middle, then pulled on both ends to gather it up. To attach it, I put down a line of Zip Dry glue (that stuff is amazing!) then held the ribbon down for a few seconds until it dried.


Okay, peeps, hope you have a great Friday! Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs and happy stamping!


Recipe
Stamps: Funky Four, Fabulous Phrases.
Cardstock: So Saffron, Confetti White, Crumb Cake, Peach Parfait.
Ink: Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, Pear Pizazz, Marina Mist, Crumb Cake markers.
Accessories: Brights Button, Linen Thread, Pear Pizazz 1/2" Stitched-Poly Ribbon, Dimensionals, Janome Sew Mini.

Notably Ornate: you're invited

Happy Thursday! Confession: I typed Happy Wednesday, then had to go check the calendar because I wasn't sure...that's a sure sign your in full summer vacation mode!


I received my box of new catalog goodies from Stampin' Up! yesterday, whoo hoo! I thought I would make a card with Funky Four first (LOVE that set!), but after looking at the beautiful Notably Ornate set (can you believe I cut that fancy frame out?!), I realized it would work perfectly for Kazan's Sketch #56 as well as the elegant colors in the Embellish Color Challenge: Invitations. So that's where I went. And look at that antique brad?! Are you in love or what?!


I didn't have any Always Artichoke ribbon, so I folded the paper and stitched it down (the *thumpity* noise made dh call from the other room to see if everything was alright...that Janome Sew Mini is TOUGH!). It's funny, when I pulled colors for the SU color renovation, I had pulled all my Always Artichoke oops! Even funnier, I don't have one solid sheet of this color, only about 5 scraps, guess I don't use it much?!


Okay, I better get moving. I'm finally getting a haircut this afternoon. I haven't had a haircut since November 12! Yes, I just pulled out my checkbook to check! ha! I ended up cutting my bangs a few times since then, and yes, it's very bad!


Hope you have a super, great day! Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs and happy stamping!


Recipe
Stamps: Notably Ornate
Cardstock: Kraft, Always Artichoke, Love Letters DSP.
Ink: Early Espresso.
Accessories: XL Oval Punch, Modern Label Punch, Antique Brad, "You're Invited" retired SU rub-on, Dimensionals, Glue Dots, Janome Sew Mini.

The Play Date Cafe Challenge #36: take a moment

Happy Monday! I hope you're lucky enough to have a long weekend and are enjoying it!


I finally got the craft room *close* to being finished last night, and at least close enough where my desk was cleaned off and I could stamp again! Whoo! Hoo!


I ran across this challenge last week from The Play Date Color Cafe and thought the colors were so pretty. I used the new SU In Color Poppy Parade, such a bright, fun red! I started by coloring the bowl in with another new In Color Blushing Bride, but later I found a Pink Pirouette Top Note piece in my scrap box (my newly cleaned out and organized scrap box, sweet!), so I used it. Hopefully the bowl is small enough you can't tell too much.


Have you got big plans today? After walking on the treadmill and cleaning up, I plan on venturing out on a few errands...I've been such a homebody these last 3 days! I *plan* to finish up my room and then I can share some updated photos. Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs and happy stamping!


Recipe
Stamps: It's the Thought hostess
Cardstock: Poppy Parade, Whisper White, Pink Pirouette.
Ink: Staz-On Black, Blushing Bride & Poppy Parade markers.
Accessories: Aquapainter, 1 1/4" & 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Big Shot, Top Note die, Mini Glue Dots, DMC white perle floss, misc buttons.

Happy 4th of July!

I hope you're having a wonderful 4th of July!


This post is slightly recycled...from June 2008...but I got nothin' new! ha! I'm still working furiously...well, not exactly furiously, that's the problem...in cleaning/purging/organizing my craft room. Great progress has been made, I just finished pulling/separating all the retired SU cardstock and adding the new. Schwooo! What a project! Of course, if I didn't save every miniscule scrap of cardstock, it might have been easier! lol!


Okay, better dash, dh is firing up the grill, sort of a late lunch and I'm even going to help cook! Shocker! Don't get too excited, it's just a box mix of pasta salad! heeeee!


Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs and happy stamping!

Curtain Call Color Challenge: Act #36

Happy hello!


I'm squeaking in (edited to add: I didn't squeak in, I was too late, dang! ha!) with a card for Stacey's Curtain Call Color Challenge Act #36. Don't you love these patriotic colors with the Kraft?! I'll try to take a better shot in the daylight tomorrow and replace. I started using the 2S4Y sketch, but gave up on it, so I had those extra Curvy Label punches that I didn't need...that's how I ended up stacking 3 of them on top of each other with foam dimensionals. I like the way that part turned out!


I *finally* started the craft room clean/purge/reorganize today...man, what a mess! I haven't dealt with retiring stamp sets in the last couple of years and wow, it's not good. Look for a big sale coming soon to a blog near you! *grin*


Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs and happy stamping!

**Edited to add: replaced photo with one taken outside!

Recipe
Stamps: Seeing Stars.
Cardstock: Cherry Cobbler, Kraft, October Afternoon patterned paper.
Ink: Cherry Cobbler.
Accessories: Curvy Label Punch, Linen Thread, Big Shot, Sizzix embossing template, mini glue dot, foam dimensionals, Foo-fa-La button, Little Yellow Bicycle letter stickers.

Embellish Color Challenge: Baby

Happy Thursday! Just barely squeaked in with my card for the Embellish Color Challenge: Baby theme:
I used some older Stampin' Up! goodies on here...Puns From the Past...and some retired designer series paper and So Saffron grosgrain ribbon, boo hoo! Do you love that crochet flower?! My friend Valerie made it and gave it to me, it's the softest, yummiest yarn ever! And don't you love that double ribbon technique?! A girl named Ashley (maybe you've heard of her, she's pretty good! *wink*) had a video tutorial on how to do that here.


Okay, guess that's it for tonight. Did I clean and organize my stamp room yet? Ummm, no. But there's always tomorrow! Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs and happy stamping!


Recipe
Stamps: Pun Fun, Tiny Tags.
Cardstock: Pear Pizazz, Peach Parfait, Very Vanilla, retired designer series paper.
Ink: Pear Pizazz.
Accessories: 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Linen Thread, retired So Saffron grosgrain ribbon, Corner Rounder, Tiny Tag Punch, Big Shot, polka dot texturz plate, handmade crochet flower, orange tulle, misc. button.

Sneak Peek

Happy Wednesday!


Stampin' Up! Convention samples done and shipped, check!


Air-conditioning restored, check!


Compiled list of Dallas hotels you should never stay in, check!


Saw Eclipse, check!


Now, what for the next project....


Housework, hmmmm, not feeling it...


Reorganize and clean craft room, hmmmmm, intriguing...


First, do lots of research by looking at other people's rooms here.


What are you up to?

Curtain Call Color Challenge: Act #35

Happy Thursday!


I whipped up this little card yesterday for Stacey's Curtain Call Color Challenge #35, fun colors, right?!


This card is memorial for two reasons:

1) I finally made one of those scrunched up flowers! I think I'm the only person left in paper-crafting land that hasn't attempted one. My friend Val gave me a couple she made, so I tried to copy hers. I scrunched and obsessed, scrunched and obsessed, and finally gave up. She told me last night, however, there's a tutorial on Dawn McVey's blog, so I need to go check that out!


2) After my big-mouth bragging about not using a stamp-a-ma-jig the other day, I went to stamp a greeting on the bottom left corner of this card AND it was crooked AND it looked bad there! Argh! So, I just slipped some patterned paper over my boo boo and voila!...mistake covered up and the card actually looked better with the patterned paper. So, a stamping lesson reminder: happy accident! There's always a solution to a stamping mistake and it often makes a better card in the long run!


Okay, Chatty Cathy has to roll now...still lots more SU convention samples to make, unlike Diana and Cindy, grrrr, who are finished! I really am trying to finish early (somewhat early) to avoid my usual last minute expensive shipping charges, it's just hard for a Last Minute Lulu like myself! Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs and happy stamping!


Recipe
Stamps: Apple Blossoms
Cardstock: Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White, Green Galore, Cameo Coral, Pink Flamingo DSP (retired).
Ink: Garden Green, Chocolate Chip.
Accessories: Scallop Border Punch, Tempting Turquoise Grosgrain Ribbon, Scallop Circle Punch, Corner Rounder, 2-Way Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds, Glue Dots, Tempting Turquoise button, DMC perle white floss.