I'm a retired Legal Assistant, married to Garry for the past 28 years, and mom to Ashley (25) who's married to Blake, and Amy (21), a senior in college. I love most papercrafts, but especially rubber stamping and card-making. It is, for me, exactly what the title of my blog says - therapy, it's cheaper than the real thing. I also love to laugh, travel and play BINGO!
I hope you all enjoyed a fabulous Thanksgiving. Ours was nice - our youngest daughter was down for the week, and we celebrated Thanksgiving with my sister and her family. Fun times for sure. We also braved the Black Friday chaos - at least briefly. Something I don't think I'll do again any time soon, but it was fun for the experience.
Today's card features a new set from My Cute Stamps called Ashley's Blossoms. I love the beautiful images in this set, and the sentiments are very versatile. I started out wanting to make another Christmas card, but ended up making a wedding card. That's how versatile this set is. I've listed the products used below.
I want to take this time to wish everyone a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving. I have so much to be thankful for this holiday season!
Shirley's 2 Girls is taking this weeks Twisted Thursday off to spend with family and friends. So the design team will be posting a holiday card from our Christmas in July release for Shirley's 2 Girls.
Here's mine! Truthfully, I think this is one of my most favorite S2G cards as I love the fun and non-traditional colors, and those darling little mice just make me smile from ear to ear. I've listed the products I used for this card below, if you're interested.
If you still can't get through the day without some additional doses of S2G, then head on over to the other DT Blogs for some more Holiday Cheer!! Christmas is just around the corner!!
To ALL S2G FANS...There's some BIG changes going on!
These changes will be GREAT news for your pocketbook, your storage woes, & you driving the postman crazy with 'where are my stamps?'
We wanted you to know that on January 1, 2010...
'Shirleys2Girls Clear Stamps'...
is going "SIMPLY DIGITAL"!
Kristine and Deidre, the owners & sisters of S2G, not only work together and live together, but they are also their 89 year old father's caretaker. With his current health issues and their full-time commitment to S2G...they have decided something had to give.
That being said...they LOVE LOVE LOVE the 'stamping' business, so the option of S2G closing up shop is...NOT an option. With Digital Stamps, they will create new and whimsical 'images"...sell them on line...but have NO packaging, shipping or invoicing. Also, with digital stamps...they will have more family time...and...YOU...save..money, storage and time.
That's it! Well, that's almost it...S2G is putting everything (except the current digitals) on SALE at 45% OFF.ThisSALE is limited to stock on hand...so when it's gone, it's gone! SO, get on over there and check out all of the wonderful clear stamps while they are still available.Go Shopping HERE!
We hope this change will be exciting for you, too! Here's to 2010 and a VERY EXCITING year for S2G!
It's ABC Toys & Crafts Tuesday!! Instead of making a card, I decided I'd make some gift tags. A personalized or hand-made gift tag can add such a wonderful touch to the presentation of a package, don't you think? So here's the scoop:
MERRIEST CHRISTMAS TO YOU!
I started with a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" base, and trimmed the upper corners to create the shape of a tag. I chose one of the fun and funky patterns from the K & Company DP pad called Swell Noel - lots of super retro and non-traditional holiday colors and patterns in this pad - LOVE IT! I punched a border on the contrasting Ocean Tides CS using one of the new Martha Stewart "Punch Around the Page" punches called Eyelet Lace. I added a bit of sewing with my Janome Sew Mini, and attached that panel to the tag base. I punched a scalloped circle from Berry Sorbet CS. I stamped the package from the Penny Black clear stamp set called "Giving & Receiving" - once in Ocean Tides ink, and once in Berry Sorbet ink. I popped the package up with 3-D Squares, and then popped the bow up again for more dimension. I then stamped the sentiment from the Giving & Receiving stamp set in Versamark, and then heat embossed it with white embossing powder. I punched a snowflake using the Martha Stewart Glacial Snowflake punch, added a 3-D Square on the back and a button on the front, and adhered it to the tag base with a glue dot. Punched a hole with my Crop-A-Dile, added some organdy polka dot ribbon, and voila' -- a gift tag!!
SEASONS GREETINGS!
STAMPS: Giving & Receiving (Penny Black) INK:Versamark PAPER: Swell Noel DP (K & Company), Red Hot CS (Poptone), Spring Rain CS (PTI), White CS (Neenah) ACCESSORIES: Pinking Shears, Janome Sew Mini, Scalloped Circle Punch (SU), White Embossing Powder (Zing/American Crafts), Crop-A-Dile, Glacial Snowflake Punch (Martha Stewart), Double Loops Punch Around the Page Border Punch (Martha Stewart), 3-D Squares (EK Success), Spring Rain Button (PTI), Scrapper's Floss (Karen Foster), Glue Dots, Organdy Polka Dot Ribbon
WE WISH YOU!
STAMPS: Giving & Receiving (Penny Black) INK:Versamark PAPER: Swell Noel DP (K & Company), Ocean Tides CS (PTI), White CS (Neenah), Red Hot CS (Poptone) ACCESSORIES: Pinking Shears, Janome Sew Mini, Scalloped Circle Punch (SU), White Embossing Powder (Zing/American Crafts), Crop-A-Dile, Glacial Snowflake Punch (Martha Stewart), , 3-D Squares (EK Success), Scallop 3-Dot Punch Around the Page Border Punch (Martha Stewart), Ocean Tides Button (PTI), Scrapper's Floss (Karen Foster), Glue Dots, White Polka Dot Ribbon (Jilli Bean)
For the most part, all three tags were made the same way. I've listed the products used for each of them below their corresponding picture - if you have questions about what I did, please feel free to email me.
It's time once again for another Shirley's 2 Girls Twisted Thursday sketch challenge! I hope you're all ready for some fun, fun, fun!!
Here's the sketch for this week, and the twist is to use RIC RAC or RIBBONyour design!
The image that I got to work with this week is a brand new clear stamp called"Mouse In Stocking (SG 298)." I colored the image with my Copic markers. My girlie, Terri, did that amazing sponging around the outside of the image for me - didn't she do an incredible job? I REALLY need to figure out how to do that!! And I'm proud to say that I used BOTH items that the twist called for. The ric rac on the red polka dot scalloped panel is a sticker that coordinates with the DP that I used. And that yummy ribbon is one of the things that I picked up at the crop that I went to last Friday night.
I know you all want to play along with us this week - you know you do, too. Well, all you have to do is create a card using this week's sketch (don't forget the twist!), and then click on the blinkie below - that'll take you right to Mr. Linky (as well as all the rules and regulations of playing along) where you need to upload a link to your project. Oh, and if you want some amazing and instant-gratification digi images - check out the Digi Imagessection in the Shirley's 2 Girls store. Cute stuff, I tell ya!!Oh, and not only do you have the chance to win a free stamp set of your choice, if you're the winner, you get a special blinkie for your blog! How cool is that?!! We'd so much love to have you play with us this week!!
Need some more inspiration? Check out the incredible creations that the rest of the S2G DT has in store for you!
PAPER:Tis the Season DP (Bo Bunny), Pure Poppy CS (PTI), Blu Raspberry CS (Poptone), White CS (Neenah) ACCESSORIES:Classic and Scalloped Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Scalloped Piercabilities (Spellbinders), Copic Markers, Cuttlebug, Stampin' Dimensionals, Ribbon (LSS), Ric Rac Sticker (Bo Bunny), Janome Sew Mini
******** If you click on the blinkie above, it'll take you to the biggest sale on S2G stamps that the sisters have ever had! Every S2G stamp is on sale for 25% off. You're not going to want to miss this opportunity to get ahold of any of the S2G stamps that you've been wanting. 25% off people!! Oh, and don't forget about those "turkeys", which you can still find at enormous discounts right HERE.
So what do you think of my new blog banner? It's a new kit done by Zoe Pearn and I got it at Sweet Shoppe Designs. Amazing digital kits, and really cute blog wear, for sure!! I like to change things up every now and then, so this popped up at the perfect time!
On to much cuter things than blog banners. Every other month, I get a box full of amazing goodies from Julie Foote, the owner of ABC Toys & Crafts. Let me tell you that the boxes I've received over the past few months have been unbelievably full to the brim with some of the cutest and most fun products I've ever worked with. If you're familiar with my blog, you know I struggle with the "vintage" or "shabby chic" look. I love looking at it, drooling over it, admiring it - but simply cannot get comfortable with recreating that look for myself. It mostly has to do with the smudgy edges of things, the distressing, and the non-linear shape of things. Just can't do it and be happy with the end result. So this month's box had a Crafty Secrets set inside called "Baby Boy." Even though I struggle with most things vintage, I decided that I didn't necessarily have to create a vintage card with a vintage image. Do I?!! Nope, I don't! So here's what I did.
First, of all there are so many cute images in this clear set. My mind was swimming with ideas, but I ultimately decided to use the little paper boy baby as my main image. I stamped him on white cardstock with Tuxedo Black Memento ink. I colored him with my Copics - just wanted his cute little pink body to be a subtle pop, so I used the lightest red - R0000. I outlined him in the lightest blue (B0000) and gave his little feet a shadow using my Lyra colored pencils and Gamsol. Easy peasy!
I stamped the little wood pull toy image on the ric rac strip (created using my EK Success Zig Zag border punch). To create the little ric rac circle frame around the main image, I used my Scalloped Circle Nestabilities and Inverted Scalloped Circle Nestabilities, layering one inside the other, and running it through my Cuttlebug all at once (I usually use a bit of repositionable tape to keep them in place), and that look of ric rac is what resulted. Isn't it too fun?!! A little bit of ribbon, a cute little button, and some last minute stitching on my Janome Sew Mini, and I have myself a darling little baby boy card that I think any new mom would be thrilled to pieces with. Might just have to hang on to this one for my new grandbaby in May! Hehehe
I had the most fun night with my stamping peeps last night. A group of us attended a crop at one of the local scrapbook stores in Mesa. The store is one of my faves, and the crop was a hoot! I didn't get a ton accomplished because I was too busy yacking and eating this yummy Toffee Popcorn stuff that my bud, Terri, brought. OMGosh - this stuff is amazing!! It was a super fun night, for sure.
My sweet friend, Georgia, gave me this fun blog award. I don't usually post these (mostly because I'm a dingbat), but I thought this one was kinda fun. It's an award, and a little survey.
The Rules are: Pass this award on to five people, post on their blog to let them know you have left this award for them. And then answer a list of questions in one word! so here goes:
1. Where is your mobile?...couch
2. Your hair?... foiled
3. Your Mother?... creative
4. Your Father?... outdoorsy
5. Your favorite food?... Mexican
6. Your Dream last night?... sad
7. Your Fav Drink?... mocha
8. Your Dream?... travel
9. What room are you in?... television
10. Your Hobby?... papercrafts
11. Fear?... heights
12. Where do you want to be in 5 years?... solvent
13. Where were you last night?... crop
14. Something that you aren't?... frugal
15. Muffins... comfort
16. Wish List Item?... Keurig
17. Where did you grow up?... Washington
18. Last thing you did?... ate
19. What are you wearing?... jeans
20. Your TV?... huge
21. Pets?... Cat
22. Friends?... amazing
23. Mood?... sleepy
24. Life?... blessed
25. Missing someone?... yes
26. Vehicle?... Lexus
27. Something you're not wearing?...coat
28. Fav store?...Container
29. Fav Colour?... aqua
30. When was last time you laughed?... 9:30
31. Last time you cried?... Thursday
32. Best Friend?... Joni
33. One place that i go to over n over? Michael's
34. Facebook?... yes
35. Fav place to eat? couch
Thanks, Georgia! That was too fun! I'll pass this award on to Terri, Kim, Justine, Erin and Anne.
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If you don't have any plans tonight, we'd love to have you join us at SNR/Card Universe for the Shirley's 2 Girls Digi Saturday event tonight, starting at 5:00 p.m. PST. There will be a free digi available to all who join in, and I have no doubt there will loads of laughs to go along with it. We're fun group of silly gals that love to have fun, so please join us if you can!!
