Flashback Friday- Christmas already?

Don't panic!  I am not going to start counting the days til Christmas. I don't want to know that information just yet either! So why in the world would a perfectly happy procrastinator like myself make Christmas cards in June?  Well... the answer has absolutely nothing to do with me trying to better prepare myself for the upcoming holidays, nor does it have anything to do with me being in a cheery Christmas mood.  I am making Christmas cards for purely selfish reasons.  I WANT NEW PAPER!!!!!!!

I saw a sneak peek of Stampin' Up's Holiday Catalog that will be available in August and almost hyperventilated and passed out over this baby!! OH! MY! WORD! I have always been a sucker for Christmas stamps but these were amazing and I won't even go into the details of my racing pulse from the variety of DSP...

Just a reminder:  I started doing Flashback Fridays to try to reduce my mountainous collection of supplies and had decided that I was not going to buy more Christmas paper until I used up what I had. Do you see my dilemma?  Here I am viewing all of this beautiful Christmas paper goodness, and my stash (and my resolve) is taunting me with my prior resolution.  So I did the only sensible thing I could do.  I started making Christmas cards... in June...

As crazy as this seemed to me, apparently there are people out there who are organized and actually make their Christmas cards year round. Whoda thought???   They even manage to get their cards completed before the day before Christmas (amazing and shocking, I know!).  One of these organized types is the crew at Merry Monday.  They have a new sketch challenge every week for Christmas/Holiday cards.  Now, even though I am a procrastinator, I am also a saver/hoarder, so I have been saving all of their sketches for the time when I finally deemed it necessary to make my cards (you know, around December 20th...) and being a little bit anal, I had to start with sketch number one for my card. All of those organized people (like Sherry) are on week 24 already!

So here is sketch #1 from Merry Monday

and here's my card, complete with retired DSP!

I pulled out my pastels to color the image.  I think it works better for the aged look than the markers.  I also did some ink distressing with soft suede.  I've also decided that I'm going to have to start using way more paper on my cards!  This design really didn't make a dent in my supply.  There's always gift bows... Is it too early to start making those?

So there you have it! My first Christmas card of the year! I'm hoping no one will revoke my membership in the Proud to be a Procrastinator Club.  After all, I did wait over a year to use this paper!!  Have a great weekend and happy crafting!

Card Recipe: Cardstock-very vanilla, real red, Merry Moments DSP (ret), Ink-crumb cake, chocolate chip, soft suede (distressing), pastels, Stamp Set- Bells and Boughs, Accessories-labels framelits, snow burst embossing folder,

Coffee Mug- A quick post

I do not have a card for you today, but wanted to share the picture of my new Goofy mug.  I'm sure this would get me another eye roll from DH, but he's at work and I'm here, so he's just going to miss the opportunity on this one!!

front and back of mug...

next to a normal size mug to show a size reference!

I don't normally buy mugs since I tend to get them as teacher gifts, but I couldn't pass this one up!

Hope you have a marvelous day!  I'm off to Wal-Mart... Wish me luck!!

Happy Father's Day and 'I told ya...'

A rather odd post title, right?!  There is a little bit of a story (and proving a point) in the card I am sharing today.

I know I am not alone in my hoarding using everyday items in craft projects, so this is the perfect place to share this story...especially when I know you will completely agree with me!  

The story begins in Florida... While we were at Epcot, I bought the cutest BIG coffee cup.  (It has Goofy dressed in traditional German clothing on one side and 'Guten Morgen, Kaffee!' (Good morning, coffee!) on the back.  With both my love of coffee and my heritage, I couldn't pass it up.)  Since it was fragile, the gentleman in the store wrapped it in the coolest packing paper.  It resembled corrugated cardboard, but was thinner like craft paper and had this funky cut pattern as well.  Fast forward a few days to us returning home.  When we were unpacking everything from our trip, I carefully unwrapped my mug, folded the paper, and put it on the table by my crafting things.  This is where the story really kicks in...

DH-Hand that to me and I'll put it in the recycling.
Me- No, I'm going to keep it.
DH- Why? (insert completely confused expression here)
Me- It's kinda cool.  I'm going to hang onto it and use it for crafting.
DH-Oh... OK... (insert knowing eye roll here)
Me-What? (with complete understanding that he doesn't approve and the knowledge that it really doesn't matter if he understands)
DH- I was just thinking that you still have the other brown paper stuff (craft paper) you saved from the last shipping package and all of that gift wrap from my Mom (imagine hand made paper with embroidery...) and you haven't used any of that yet.
Me- Well, eventually I will come up with a great idea for them and then I will use them and it will be fabulous.
DH- Silent but with that all knowing look on his face...
Me- Silent but with that 'I'll show you...' look

Does this sound at all familiar to any of you?  Please tell me I'm not alone...  Anyway, as I was crafting last night I decided I was going to make my Father's day card for my Dad.  I don't usually make one for my husband because the girls love making their own and I think that means more to him anyway.  But, as I was going through supplies and deciding on a card for my Dad, I saw the crinkly packing paper.  It was calling my name and I swear I heard it say "Let's show him!  Make him a card using me and he'll HAVE to admit you were right in saving me from recycling!"  After that, it was a piece of cake to put a card together, and I loved the manly edge the paper added to the card.  I ended up making one for my Dad just like his.

 

close up showing detail of the packing paper (sorry it's a little blurry...)

So now I am patiently waiting for Father's Day to see if my DH notices the special paper on his card.  I'm hoping I won't have to point it out to him and ruin the moment that he realizes that his wife is brilliant and frugal and most of all...right!  And I won't think this is mean at all, because he was smart enough to marry me! (insert wink and smile here)

Have a great rest of the week and happy crafting!!

Card recipe: Cardstock-soft suede, crumb cake, Ink-soft suede, pastels, Stamp Set-Tool Shed background stamp, Accessories- artichoke denim ribbon (ret), Fabulous Packing Paper

Scrapbook Monday- Good thing there's digital...

I think I am slowly getting things back in order from our vacation.  The laundry is almost  caught up (if that is really possible), there is once again food to eat in the house, and the lawn is mowed.  Of course there's still some weeding that needs to be done and the house never stays clean for long, but there's always tomorrow!!

I spent several hours Sunday evening working with MDS and my vacation pictures.  Since I am making pages for three separate books, I was not about to do this the old fashioned way...

Today's page features the very first pictures I took.  Now, I knew I would have hundreds of pictures by the time the week was over and that the girls would be pointing out things that they wanted photographed.  I did not however, plan to take many pictures before we even left Indiana!  We left around 7:30 in the morning and we were almost out of the next county when the girls noticed the cooling towers from the power plant.  They both thought it was a nuclear plant, so we explained that this plant burned coal and the huge towers were cooling towers and the white puffy stuff was not smoke, but steam.  They needed a picture of the tower.  Less than 15 minutes later, I was getting the request for the cool bridge we were getting ready to cross. Hmm... not even an hour on the road and I had already taken several pictures! Thank goodness for my digital camera and a rather large memory card!

I am keeping the pages rather simple at this point.  While I like the pictures I took, they are merely reminders of  our surroundings on the road trip. Plus, there's not a lot to be done when they are rather random pictures.  I may still go back in and add some embellishments before I get them printed.  I am still on the hunt for some wonderful digital Disney things and will attack those pictures at a later date.

On a side note... I have to share my recent mishap.  We spent an entire week in Sunny Florida. Lots of time outside in the sun and thanks to our precautions, we didn't get burned. Actually, you couldn't really tell that we got much sun at all. I repeat...A WHOLE WEEK IN FLORIDA...with a red head and an older DD who is fair complected.  Get where this story is going yet?  Well, Sunday, my youngest DD was walking with the Girl Scouts in a local parade.  The rest of us sat in our camp chairs to watch her...in the sun...  She had sunscreen, we did not. Guess who is now a lovely shade of red...  Yep! I will have the most lovely farmer's tan in a few days. So now we are doing the whole aloe gel routine and from now on I am carrying a tube of sunscreen with me in my purse. Doh!!

Well, I hope everyone has a great week and hopefully I will be back later this week with another post! Happy crafting!!

Vacation and the last countdown card!

Well, if the picture didn't already give it away, my countdown cards were not in proper time sequence!!  We actually left last Thursday morning and got back at 2:30 am this Thursday. It was a wonderful week full of entertainment, wonderful food, lots of family time, and very little down time! I hate to admit that I'm glad to be back home (even if it means tackling the mountain of laundry...), and after a very lazy day yesterday, we are all back into our regular summer routine.  Shadow missed us terribly and has not left my side since we've returned. Although, I have my suspicions that he is missing my Mom and the special treats she was giving him while we were gone!

While I would love to share lots of my vacation photos, having an incredibly slow  internet connection is preventing me from doing so at this time.  Maybe this will encourage me to scrap those pictures faster so you can see them on the finished pages!!  I am going to share our final countdown card that we received.

The inside said "You + Me   Tomorrow".  I think my sister had a great time as well.  Since her boys have all grown, she spent a lot of time laughing at me dealing with my girls arguments and grumpiness.

I am slowly making my way around to all of my blogging friends to catch up on all of the wonderful creations I've missed while away!  I am also trying to squeeze in some crafting time and should have a few new projects for my blog next week!  Until then, I hope everyone has a 'magical' weekend and happy crafting!!

Flash Back Friday- Rainbow Sherbet

I found a package of DSP from long ago that had barely been touched.  I have to admit, this card was a bit of a challenge as the colors did not immediately appeal to me.  They must have at some point, but I'm not sure when that was...

One of my best friends and co-worker will be celebrating her 30th birthday soon and her favorite color is green, so I started thinking 'Can I make this work?'.  Here is what I came up with...

When I first saw the original brights from SU, I loved them.  They were perfect for scrapbooking the pages of my little girls.  Now, I am so glad they have revamped them to be more trendy.  I like the way this card turned out, but I'm also glad I don't have to use green galore on a regular basis! Talk about bright!!

I really did a lot of digging in the stash for this card.  I found a sheet of green galore and gable green in my 'leftovers' drawer, and some digging through my embellishments turned up an old container of the original brights buttons! Perfect!!  To balance out all of the retired items, I did sneak a brand new stamp set onto this card! Memorable Moments is such a fantastic set! It's perfect for those milestone birthdays and anniversaries and I love that it coordinates with the label framelits!  This set will be seeing a lot of ink!!

Hope you have a marvelous weekend and happy crafting!!

Card Recipe-Paper-whisper white, Stamp Set-Memorable Moments, Punch-eyelet border, Extras-white bakers twine, labels framelits, Stash Supplies-green galore and gable green paper, Rainbow Sherbet DSP, buttons

Scrapbook Monday- Welcome, baby

Well, apparently my resolve to use up my older items is taking over! Today's page uses quite a bit from my hoarded supplies! I keep telling myself this is good and I'm hoping by the end of the summer, I will be able to see the slightest change in the amount of goodies collecting dust and Shadow hair!

I love how this page turned out.  It literally came together in minutes and the pics are so sweet! I even squeezed a new product on this page! The journaling is done using a new in color, primrose petals! Such a pretty pink!

I work with a lot of wonderful ladies,  but one has become a very dear friend to me.  Even though 10 years separate us, we have such a great relationship both personally and professionally.  Her daughter has become like a little cousin to my girls and they love spending time with her.  When my friend told me she was pregnant, last year, I was so happy for her!  Their family had been going through some difficult times and this was such a special, happy gift.  We anxiously awaited the arrival of the new baby. Although I have a few months off during the summer, she works year round.  I kept telling her we would be on vacation together this year.  I was right. About a week and a half after school let out, she had her baby.  Her DH was working nights and she was at home with her daughter, so her daughter ended up going to the hospital in her PJs in the wee hours of the morning.  I got the call later, that the newest addition to the family had arrived, and in less than 2 hours, we were at the hospital with a change of clothes for Big Sis (in their rush to get to the hospital, she did not grab extra clothes) and a present for the new baby.  My girls were thrilled to meet the new baby and were so honored to be able to hold her.  After a short visit with Mom and Dad, we took Big Sis out to eat lunch and went to a local park to play.  It really was such a wonderful day!

Layout Recipe: Stamp Set- Just Journaling (ret), Ink-black Stazon, NEW-primrose petals marker, Extras-white bakers twine for buttons, Stash-DP, stickers, and buttons

Flash Back Friday- Buttons

Two weeks in a row for posting my stash creations!!! This week, I dug out a container of themed buttons that I have had around for ages.  I think I bought them from QVC when I first started scrapbooking over 10 years ago...

I was looking through the variety and came across the football themed set.  My DH LOVES football and I still needed a birthday card for him, so out came the helmet and 3 football buttons.

DH is a Colts fan (yes...still...even with all of the changes)  In keeping with the flash back theme, I pulled out my brilliant blue cardstock and ink. Both are retired from SU, but I love the 'basic blue' color so much that I had a little extra stuck back.  It also worked well for the team colors.  I also used an old sketch.  I'm not sure where it was from, but I liked it...  Even the birthday sentiment is retired!  The only current items used were the whisper white cardstock and the embossing folder!

Well, that's it for me today! Hope you have a wonderful weekend and happy crafting!

Card Recipe: Paper-whisper white, brilliant blue, Stamp Set- Birthday Wish, Ink-brilliant blue, Extras-square lattice embossing folder, football buttons from stash

Almost Ready!

Our house is buzzing with excitement! Less than a week til our vacation trip!! I am slowly but surely getting everything ready and I think I have finished my shopping.  I say, I think, because I am sure there will be a last minute dash to the store for something we forgot...

So here is our newest countdown card!

So now all there is to do is wait, and try to keep the house clean until we leave.  My Mom is taking care of Shadow while we are gone and she has been instructed on how to properly spoil him in my absence.  Hopefully he will have some fun while we're gone too!

Well, I'm off to the store! Trying to grocery shop for enough food to get us through until we leave... I really don't want to clean spoiled food out of the fridge when I get back...

Scrapbook Monday- CYC

Every year since my oldest DD has been in 5th grade, we have made the trip to Gatlinburg, TN with my sister for CYC (challenge youth conference).  Some years, there is a large group that goes from her church, and others, it is a much smaller group. Regardless of how many are attending, we always have a wonderful time, gain some new insights into our faith, and spend a lot of quality time together.

The pictures on this layout show some of traditions of our CYC trips.  I love the view of the Smokeys as we enter Sevierville, especially when they are snow covered! The gentleman in the middle pic is our favorite presenter.  He has an incredible talent for drawing you into a personal story filled with humor and adventure,  and then when you least expect it, he gives you the Biblical version of his story. It has helped my daughter (and me) to see that God is so much a part of our every day lives if we only take the time to look for him. The sign in the last pic has been the setting for the final picture of the weekend for years.  My sister has pictures of her little boys in front of the sign.  They are all now grown men!

I used up some stash items on this layout.  I have tons of 12x12 cardstock from various makers and I am determined to use all of it up, eventually! The stickers have been around for quite some time too!

Layout Recipe: Stamp Set- Just Journaling (ret), Ink-black Stazon, Punch-eyelet border, *paper and stickers are from stash