Blue Christmas

Alrighty, here's another photo to make those of you who actually have lives just sick. Of course, there was plenty of laundry and general housework that had to be sacrificed so I could finish all 30 tins and 50 some odd cards. You know, doing a little here & there, in between fighting kids (yeah, angels my butt!), hungry kids (did I give birth to grown football players?!) and bored kids (do I have to say it again: entertain yourselves, that's why I had 3 of you!). Grrr. I do like how all of my projects turned out, but I think the blue is my favorite. It's just so soft & pretty. And while the ribbon is pretty, it's also a major pain in the rear to tie. But it's ok, cuz I'm all done. Yippee! Oh, what's that you say? What's on the nugget labels? Would you like a closer look? Ok.

Hmmm, whaddya know? Those are Nichole's snowflakes on them there labels. Just delicious! The big snowflakes in Snowflake Serenade fit just lovely on the labels. And that, ladies and...well, probably just ladies, is my Christmas stash. Or, is it? Yeah, I got one more thing coming. But, I forgot to take those pictures (and wrapped them!), so that's gonna have to wait for another day.

Stamps: Snowflake Serenade & Holiday Treats (Papertrey), Ink: Night of Navy & Bashful Blue (SU!), Paper: Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Night of Navy (SU!), Avery full sheet labels & address labels, Accessories: Mike's ribbon, Marvy punches, 8 oz. & hinged tins, nuggets & kisses

Christmas Card #5

Ok, here it is. My last Christmas card. Phew! I've got them all done. I was just waiting for my Snowflake Serenade set to arrive. I don't know why it took me so long to realize that I needed it. Ok, I do know why. I hadn't been hit by inspiration yet. But then I saw a card on Nichole's blog, (ya gotta scroll down a bit) and then I had to order it. Then, before I actually got to make the card, I saw another card on SCS. So, I merged the two, and here we are. I believe I can take the credit for my other Christmas cards, but not this one. Whatever. I'm just glad I'm done. Now I get to finish the tins that go with this card and then I'm all the way done. Woohoo!

Stamps: Snowflake Serenade (Papertrey), Ink: Bashful Blue, Night of Navy (SU!), Paper: Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Night of Navy (SU!), Accessories: Mike's blue ribbon

Happy Birthday to my Mom

Well, first off, I've gotta say Happy Birthday (a day late) to my baby sister, Ashley. She turned 17 yesterday and I miss her terribly. I hope she had a fantabulous day! On a more serious note, the state of Nevada thought it was a good idea to give her a driver's license, so when in Vegas, watch your step, people. Just sayin'.

K, now to my mom. If you know my mom, this card is so her. First off, there is no other color you can use to describe her besides red. It is bold and very hard to ignore. Much like my mom. She appreciates clean lines and elegance. And like this card, she is one of a kind. Of course, this was the second card I made for her. Uh, the other one was soft & pink. (Worth noting: it also uses the new Spiral Bouquet!) When the girls saw it and heard it was for her, they laughed at me. Well, Krista swears she thought grandma would like it, but I don't remember that. I was pretty sure she'd like it, because it was also elegant, but they were convinced otherwise. Fine. So, here it is. BTW, she liked them both. Ha!

(top) Stamps: Heidi Grace, katie & co., Ink: Palette noir, Real Red (SU!), Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black (SU!), Accessories: Designer label punch (SU!), primas, Mike's red ribbon, Making Memories brads, round corner punch, red squeezy bottle paint (come on, you know what I'm talking about!)

(bottom) Stamps: Spiral Bouquet (Papertrey), Ink: Silver pigment (Colorbox), Pretty in Pink (SU!), Paper: Whisper White, Pretty in Pink (SU!), silver (?), Accessories: Iridescent Ice EP (SU!), Mike's pink ribbon

Happy Birthday Chance

K, I've taken better pictures, but this isn't a standy-uppy card. It's one of those flap jobs, so it lays flat & this is what you get. Hey, I'm a down-to-earth girl, no fancy-schmancy photos here. Well, not today, anyway. This is a boy version of a card Nichole did a while back. I loved it when she did it and thought it was so clever. These are great to put gift cards in, which is what I did for my buddy Chance. He is one of the smartest and most entertaining kids I know, so I hope he had a simply fantabulous day. {Hang in there, Angie. We just have Christmas and then we can breathe!} Well, I actually have my sister's birthday on Thursday & my mom on Friday. Then I can concentrate on all the holiday happenings, which are coming so fast this year. Are you ready for the holidays? Yeah, I'm not even close.

Stamps: Borders & Corners (Papertrey), Ink: Bashful Blue, Always Artichoke (SU!), Paper: Very Vanilla, River Rock, DSP (SU!), Accessories: clear button, dimensionals (SU!)

Christmas is Coming!

I realize, as I sit here looking at this explosion of Purely Pomegranate holiday offerings, I may have taken coordinating projects to a disturbing new level. First, you may have noticed, I redid my card. I'm much happier with this version. And, of course, all my labels go together. I won't go into detail here about what I used on everything and how it all comes full circle, but boy, I am proud of myself. Now, for those of you who are thinking, "Man, that girl has got waaay too much time on her hands," (and I know some of you, personally), I have to agree. But, this is how I relax. Plus, this is probably one of the most affordable mass gift givings I've ever done. I got 30 tins for just over $30. I already had the paper & ink and, believe it or not, I had most of the stamps already, except for the Papertrey. And you know, I would've bought those anyways. Come on, it's Papertrey. Oh, you haven't even seen my blue card yet. But, I'm still fine tuning that one, and I should have that whole project up sometime after Thanksgiving. Oh, you're excited now, aren't you?

Card Stamps: The Snowflake Spot, Many Merry Messages, So Swirly Jumbo Wheel (SU!), Ink: Colorbox pigment white, Paper: Purely Pomegranate, Whisper White (SU!), Accessories: circle punch, white ep (SU!), silver brads (making memories)

Hinged tin stamps: Holiday Treats (Papertrey), So Swirly Jumbo Wheel (SU!), Ink: Purely Pomegranate (SU!), Paper: Whisper White (SU!), Avery mailing labels, Accessories: Hershey's nuggets, Purely Pomegranate ribbon (SU!), clear top hinged tin (specialtybottle.com)

8 oz. tin stamps: Season of Joy (SU!), Holiday Treats (Papertrey), Ink: Purely Pomegranate (SU!), Paper: Whisper White, Purely Pomegranate (SU!), Avery full sheet labels, Accessories: Hershey's kisses, Marvy scalloped punches, Purely Pomegranate ribbon (SU!), 8 oz. tin (specialtybottle.com)

Happy Birthday Shawn & Krista

K, I'm squeezing this post in between laundry, making dinner and getting things ready for tomorrow. 2 birthdays, picking up a cake for home, cupcakes for school, Nichole's release tonight(!), Tia's field trip (mental note: gotta make a bag lunch) and remembering to actually say "Happy Birthday" to my loves, because I've got a slightly faulty memory. I make post-its to remind myself of daily things, but should I really have to write a note reminding myself that it's my daughter & husband's birthday? Gee, I hope not. Tho, I'd probably lose the post-it. I'm famous for losing my reminders. I'm the one who was packing for the cruise and couldn't for the life of me remember what I did with the passports I just had in my hand. Yeah, I packed 'em. I guess enough time has passed so we can laugh at that one now. Phew!

So, I'm just pleased as punch (hmmm, I don't really say that in real life, not sure where it came from) that I actually got Shawn's card made. It was such a challenge, being a guy card & all. Plus, I had just done a bunch of guy cards & green was so overused. I'm really satisfied with this card. I'm always afraid they're gonna think I put more effort into other people's cards than my own family's. So, it had to look like I put some thought into it and that it was made with love. awwwww. It might not look like effort, but I struggled. Really. No, really. Anyways, I hope Krista's makes her smile:

Her favorite color is green, but I was really feeling soft sky, and sometimes it's just more about me. Well, not really about me, but I wasn't feeling inspired by any kind of green at that moment. And it's really a fine line with her, cuz she's not into girly stuff, so I thought the black would balance some of that out. Ok, I used a flower, but she's my baby! My 10 year old baby. I won't get into how old Shawn is. But let the record show, he's older than I am. Ha! Happy Birthday Shawn & Krista. Hope it's a good one for you 2.

Stamps for Shawn: Rubber Stampede, Ink: Colorbox black pigment, Paper: River Rock, Basic Black, Le Jardin DSP (SU!), Accessories: black ribbon (Michael's), paper piercer

Stamps for Krista: Katie & Co., Looks Like Spring (SU!), Borders & Corners Square (Papertrey), Ink: Basic Black, Cool Caribbean (SU!), Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Soft Sky CS, Soft Sky DSP (SU!), Accessories: ribbon (Michael's), Jumbo Pebble Brads (Making Memories)

Christmas is When Again?

Aaaah, how was your weekend? We here all had a 3 day weekend, and I got so much done, I feel much better. I was really stressing out cuz I've got 4 birthdays before the month is up (big ones, too! Krista, Shawn, my sister & my mom. Phew!), Thanksgiving, half days at school coming up (conferences - I hate half days, but I think we already covered that), Christmas cards, these fancy schmancy tins, another gift for family that I'm making (you'll see it soon enough, relax!) and of course, Christmas itself. Wow, looking at all that, I guess I didn't really get that much done, after all. Ohhh, I feel my stress level rising! I'm doing 4 different designs for my Christmas cards (ambitious, I know, but I hate the repetition of 50 of the same card), and I did 2 sets. Well, I already had 1 done, so I've only got 1 set to go. And the tins aren't really that big of a deal. I've got 2 sizes going - the one above will have kisses in them, and the labels coordinate with the different cards that I've made. I've also got the hinged tins that Nichole did (Click me!), and those will have nuggets in them. Yeah, I haven't quite started on those yet, but they sure look like fun! I'll post more pics as I get them done. At least I have Krista's birthday presents ready. Almost. Kinda. She's really hard to shop for. But not as hard as her dad, whose birthday is the same day. And actually, that's the perfect gift. You know, the gift that keeps on giving. Shawn is notoriously hard to shop for. And every year people ask me what to get him. Hey, if I could think of something, don't you think I'd be buying it myself? I'm not just giving the good ideas away here. Really, what do you get the guy who has everything he wants, and if he doesn't have it, he's got to research it to death, so you can't just go buy it? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. But really, what's better than getting a beautiful daughter for your birthday? I say nothing, so I guess I don't have to go shopping for him.

Stamps: Season of Joy (SU!), Holiday Treats (Papertrey), Ink: Purely Pomegranate (SU!), Paper: Whisper White & Purely Pomegranate (SU!), Avery full white sheet labels, Other: Purely Pomegranate ribbon (SU!), 8 oz. square clear top tins (bought at specialtybottle.com), Marvy scallop punches, white gel pen

I Love the 80's

Ok, yeah, I'm aware that this card looks suspiciously like the last one I posted, but I can't work under pressure. Dana asked me to make a card for someone at school who's leaving (and a man at that!) and it was a rush job. So, I used my own work as inspiration and came up with this. Sure, brown & green can be a little cliche for guys, but hey. She asked me this morning and we needed it ASAP, since his last day is Friday.

Hmm, I sure thought I had lots of witty things to write about (finally, right?) but I'm sitting here watching the top 100 songs of the 80's and I've gone & lost all train of thought. Yes, I am an 80's girl. Totally. Oh my goodness. Tainted Love? Come on Eileen? INXS, The Bangles, Bon Jovi, U2... Man, we had really good music. And the funny thing is, Darien loves most of that music. She thinks she missed her decade. Poor baby. Luckily, she's got me and my huge library of all things 80's (Tear for Fears? Oh, come on. Great stuff!). Ok, they're about to play "Walk This Way", by Run-DMC and Aerosmith, which Kaleb used to walk around singing. This was hilarious, cuz he was about 3 or 4 years old and he just loved this song. Oh, yeah, good times. Good times. Oh, I will definitely have to revisit my love of the 80's. Aren't you just on the edge of your seat with anticipation?

Stamps: Papertrey, Ink: Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip (SU!), Paper: Very Vanilla, Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery DSP (all SU!), Accessories: Circle punch, Chocolate Chip ribbon (SU!)

Ah, the Real World

Ok, now that we've been home for awhile, I guess it's back to the real world. Or, the real world according to me. My real world includes a lot of time feeding my kids. You've never seen anyone eat like Tia. If her metabolism ever slows down, oh man, she's in big trouble! So, I have to say this was one of my favorite parts of the cruise - the food. There was food 24 hours a day and I never had to make any of it. All we had to do was decide what it was we wanted to eat and go for it. Krista, who's notoriously shy, even got so that she would order her own food at the sandwich counter. That was a miracle to see. She generally doesn't talk to people. Yeah, you snicker, but I'm serious. So, now we're home and I'm back to constantly preparing food. But I don't mind, it could be worse. We could all be sick.


Stamps: Papertrey, Ink: Always Artichoke (SU!), Paper: Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla, DSP Certainly Celery (all SU!), Accessories: Oval punches, circle punch, AA ribbon (SU!)

Hola!

We're back. Ok, so it was more like 2 weeks that I was gone. Sorry about that. Well, physically I was gone for a week, but when we got back I was sick again (don't you just wanna be my friend & catch all my cooties?!). My family and I (and 9 other relatives!) went on a cruise to Mexico. Yeah, now you feel really bad for me being sick, huh? Right before we left, Tia caught a cold and I was worried about her getting worse, because she's prone to ear infections and, recently, pneumonia. Well, of course she almost instantly got better and I caught her cold on day 2 of a 7 day vacation. Darien caught the cold somewhere in the middle and also discovered that she gets sea sick. Niiiiice. I have to say that thru all that, we did manage to have tons of fun, and here's a picture to prove it.

Ok, well the picture doesn't prove tons of fun, but gosh darn it, we never all get dressed up & look this nice at the same time. And I'm finally feeling better, so I should be able to get back to creating something. Well, I hope so. November is chock full of birthdays for me, so I've got a lot of work to do.