QUICK POST - MINI BOOK CLASS

Happy Friday all! This should be a quick post because I have a class tonight and need to finish getting ready! I am going to demo this little mini book - so cute! I found it on Nichole Heady's blog - that woman is uber talented!!!!! The theme is girls because the ladies coming over tonight are the moms of the little girls my daughter hangs out with. I thought I would try and get them all together so we could meet each other plus intro them to Stampin Up! It is a mom and me class although three have already cancelled this morning so that leaves six. Their loss! Anyway, here is the book - I will apologize now for the quality of the pics, I really had a hard time taking the shots of this for some reason. This first pic is the cover of the book - the theme is the girls so I used the new Seriously Sassy set. the DP is the Berry Bliss because it is PERFECT for a book like this. I just used coordinating cardstock and it came together really well! Here is the inside of the book which shows the two mini accordian pages on either side which are held closed by ribbon. These next two pics show each mini accordian page on the left side of the book- both sides of the pages. I did add pictures of my daughter so that they could see how easy it is to makes this into a little keepsake scrapbook. Then, the last two pics are the right side of the book, both sides. I used a lot of chipboard, rub-ons, and punches on this book and I like the way it turned out. It was fun to make so I hope they like it too. Tell you all about it tomorrow! If you have any questions, just ask me since I don't have time to list the deets right now.
FACT #19
I am a huge dog lover and have had at least one dog ever since I was really little. Currently, I have three dogs - two miniature weiner dogs named Bonnie and Clyde, and a golden retriever named Cisco. I treat them like they are my kids (well, they are!) and would have several more if it was practical. I have thought about raising little miniatures myself just because of the joy it brings me to be around them.
Have a great weekend!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!

Happy Valentines day everybody! I know a lot of people don't like today but I have always loved it - I am not sure why, but I really do! I wanted to get this posted sooner BUT I have been without a computer and phone for the last 24 HOURS due to some line problem 30 miles away that apparently I am tied into - Uggghhhhh!!! So, after getting on the phone (cell phone which is fun trying to find a signal where I live!) and yelling and stomping my feet (not really, but I was insistent about getting someone out here) they fixed it about 20 minutes ago! So, here are my projects today! They are my husband's valentines gifts from moi - Ihope he will like them, he is sooo supportive of my crafting and oohs and aaahhhhs over everything I do! So, I made him a little jar filled with his favorite candy (cinnamon red hots) and a card similar to my MILs but more manly with the Real Red! I used my scallop punch and my 1 3/8 inch circle punch and then stamped the hearts from the Truckloads of Love Set - love that set! I used my paper piercer on the scallops and just mounted them all around the jar (it took four) with red sticky tape. And, I got to use my new striped red ribbon which I think is great for less frilly projects - LOL! I used both my large and small tag punches and layered the same real red and whisper white that I used on the scallops and circles. I used the image from the Happy Heart Day set, added a jumbo eyelet and threaded it through the ribbon before I tied it around the top of the jar. Here is a pic of the top of the jar where I added another scallop and circle, and used Truckloads of Love for my Sentiment. I also used some of those fabulous SAB rub-ons because I think they really add a lot to the project. For the card, I also used a lot of rub-ons and I paper pieced the hearts from the Truckloads of Love so they look like they are coming out of the pocket I made on the front. I did some faux stitching and again added some of my striped ribbon and threaded through yep, you guessed it JUMBO EYELETS - LOL! They better not ever get rid of those, I tell ya! And there you have it, my gifts of love for the love of my life! I thought they turned out pretty well, and I hope he likes them!
And now, the fact of the day!
FACT # 18
In keeping with Valentines Day, I will tell you about one of our most romantic ones. We were stationed in Hawaii and the house we lived in did not have a bathtub which I hated because I am a HUGE bath girl and take one every day - I hardly ever use the shower. So, one Valentines Day, Tony said he was taking me to dinner and out dancing and I was excited. My neighbor had the kids but I had no idea Tony had arranged for them to stay overnight! He did take me to dinner alright - at one of the beautiful resort hotels in WaiKiKi where he had reserved a suite with a HUGE jacuzzi tub! He apparently had gotten there ahead of time because when I walked into the room, he had packed a bag for me, and made a tape of all our favorite songs which were playing in the background. The bathtub was surrounded by candles, the music was piped in through speakers from the main room, and there was a beautifully scented bubble bath along with a dozen long stemmed roses. Needless to say, I was in heaven and it was one of my most memorable Valentines ever!! Isn't he a great guy!!!!

SOME VALENTINE TREATS

I finally finished some of my Valentines gifts that I need to give out. Kayla wanted some treats for class so I made these cute little lollipop holders that I saw on Dawn's blog here. She does a wonderful tutorial if anyone wants to give it a try! She is a wonderful stamper and I love her blog. So, here are the ones I made - all 35 of them!! Kayla is in year-round school and so they do bigger classes and break them out in some mysterious way. It seems to work really well but I was a little amazed at first at how many students there were! BUT, her education is top notch so I cannot complain! Anyway, I left the tops blank on these rather than stamping on the inside so she could write names on them. I think they turned out pretty cute AND of course I used my Happy Heart set again because it is PERFECT for these. Here is a close-up of the two designs I actually did so you can see them! Kayla actually helped with the coloring then quickly lost interest when it came time to assemble - LOL! She really likes them though and is looking forward to handing them all out on Thursday (even though at first she said, "you know mom, I am 11 now and I am not sure I should be still handing out Valentines! *sniff, sniff* - this might be the last year I get to do these!) This next gift is one I made for my MIL. She is a wonderful lady who has been so supportive and helpful through all the trials we have gone through with this house that I wanted to make her something for her desk that she can enjoy even when Valentines Day is over. Now, I know some of you are thinking "gosh, Alex sure used a lot of purple!" and yes, I did because it is her absolute FAVORITE color and she owns more purple stuff than I thought they made. So, purple it is! I think it actually turned out pretty with the different shades and I happen to like Elegant Eggplant which is the base for both projects. The card is pretty straightforward so if you have any questions, just ask. The jar was a little bit harder. I thought I would be able to get a 12 inch piece of card stock around it, but nope, it was too short. So, I improvised by adding the center piece you see as the front of the jar. I did layers and then punched some scallops and layered those too. I used my paper piercer all over this jar as I think it adds some pop. The image I used all around the band and on the main one in front I paper pieced it so it looks like it is flying. My MIL is also a nut for butterflies so I think I did well with this - how can you go wrong, a purple butterfly?!! But, the top of the jar is really fun because I used our new SAB rubons all over it and it turned out really well! Here is a close -up so you can see what I did. Aren't they awesome? I was sooo very excited that they had some butterflies and hearts since it matched my theme so well. I also threw in some flowers because they are so stinkin' cute I could not help myself! Now, I could not find candy that was wrapped in purple so I settled for hot pink caramel kisses and just added some pink ribbon with the purple ribbon to pull in the candy color. And there you have it, one MIL gift all finished and ready to present. I hope she likes it! And now, the fact of the day!
FACT #17
I ADORE chocolate, any kind of chocolate but especially dark chocolate! It is definitely a weakness for me that I have to keep in constant check. I also really like white chocolate but only the one made by Linden. I cannot eat popcorn without chocolate, and I usually have some when I am stamping as well. What can I say, it is definitely one of my vices but not one I am willing to give up totally - LOL!

SAB FRIENDSHIP BLOOMS

Good morning all! I think I overdid it yesterday (I am not sure if it was the bathroom cleaning, mopping, or laundry) because today I am not feeling so well. But, I have a million things to do so I have to push through it...ugggghhhhh!!! Anyhoo, today I wanted to share another SAB set with you - I love the SAB sets this year, they are all so rockin'!!!! This card was made with the Friendship Blooms set and I love it! It is VERY me, teehee! The base of this card is Old Olive which I layered with Real Rust - love this combo!! Then, I used some of that wonderful new DP Afternoon Tea from the Occasions Mini - I love everything in that little mini! The image is stamped on Naturals White in Real Rust and then layered again on Mellow Moss which is what the sentiment (also from Friendship Blooms) is also stamped on in the same color. I again used my ticket corner punch and inked the edges with Real Rust to bring out the background paper. I used my paper piercer on the corners to add some interest to the card. The sentiment is punched out using my Key Tag Punch and I added two mellow moss brads. And, of course, I used my jumbo eyelets (just for you Debbie!!!) and threaded them with my double stitched Groovy Guava ribbon. All in all, I really liked how this card turned out - hope you like it too!
FACT # 16
I LOVE coffee and can drink it any time of day or night! I look forward to it everyday and that first sip, aaaahhhhh!! I tell myself that it is okay because I only drink two cups in the morning but in reality it is more like four because my coffee cup is soooo very big - LOL! I don't see myself ever giving it up! And, yes, I have been known to frequent Starbucks!!

ON THE MEND AT LAST!

Hi everyone! Thanks soooo much for all your sweet comments - it made my day! I actually am feeling a little bit better today and managed to even get some laundry done - LOL! No stamping yet, but hopefully tonight! I do have some wonderful RAKs to share that I have received over the last couple of days AND I was nominated for an award - yeah! So, first the award! My sweet bloggin' friend Charmaine aka Oodabug Alley nominated me for the Most Excellent Award and I am truly honored that she did! If you have not been to her blog, my oh my are YOU missing out because not only is she one of THE MOST TALENTED stampers I have had the pleasure to "meet", she is also one of the sweetest! So, get on over there (but finish reading my post first - LOL!) And now, I have to nominate five folks for this award (only 5!) which is hard because so many of you are awesome but here are the ones I decided on!

Kathleen aka My Happy Place

Corinee aka Stampin with Roxy

Andrea aka Andrea Walford

Melissa aka Simply Pink

Heather aka Stamp With Heather

All extremely talented ladies that I visit regularly and who I am lucky enough to have visit me too! Now, some RAKs I received. All three of these cards are from my SBS9 bloggin group and what a nice group of gals they have turned out to be! I feel very blessed that they took the time to send me a card for my birthday! This first one is from Lulu - isn't it gorgeous! The flowers are beautiful and the background stamping is awesome. I love this card - thanks so much Louise!! This next one has such a cute little sentiment with it"have a chairful day" - teehee, isn't that awesome! This little cutie is from Manna - thanks girl! And next is a card I received from Amber - she outdid herself because this is gorgeous!! I love the embossing and the glittery look to the background, just fabulous! Thanks so much ladies - you made my day!

And of course, the fact of the day!

FACT #15

I have one younger sister whom I am very close to and love to death! Growing up I always wanted to have brothers - I don't know why, but I felt like I was missing out! But, I am glad that I have my little sis because we are great friends now (although growing up, were weren't always) and I love to spend time with her!

BLOG CANDY WINNER

Mornin' all - I am still very very sick (temp is 103) but knew I needed to do the drawing. I used Random.org and this is what it came up with:
Random Integer Generator
Here is your random number:26
By my count that makes the winner Diane aka ddnjoys2stamp! Yeah for you Diane! She is a regular visitor to my blog AND we share a birthday so it must be her lucky day!!! Diane, please send me your snail mail addy and I will get your goodies out to you as soon as I am feeling less like death warmed over! And now, the fact of the day:
FACT #14
My husband and I met while we were both in the Navy and taking college classes at night. We did not like each other AT ALL when we first met but then our professor paired us up for a project that was due and the rest is history!!

BIRTHDAY BLOG CANDY!!!!

****THIS POST WILL REMAIN ON TOP UNTIL NOON, 10 FEBRUARY**** so please scroll down for newer posts!!!!

Here it is - the blog candy I promised in the post below (SEE POST)!!! And, it is yummy!!! Here is what the winner will receive: a Suzy's Zoo chick stamp, a happy mother's day stamp, a heart stamp, a pack of 96 sheets of mini paper, a pack of 12 Heidi Swapp flowers, a mom and me chipboard square, two packages of Doo-Dads flower embellishments, a heart brass stencil, a package of four wire heart embellishments, and of course some bling embellishments because everyone needs a little bling in their life!!!! Not bad, huh??!! So, what do you have to do to win this wonderful, yummy, candy??? Well........just leave a comment on this post and let me know what your fondest birthday memory is!! That's it, easy peasy!! I enjoy learning about you all too and if takes a bribe, then so be it - LOL! I will draw the winner using Random.org on Sunday morning and post the winner then. Good luck to all of you!!