Is he hinting at something????

My husband forwarded me an e-mail from work titled "What to wear when the wife has chores for you." Well, I'm curious if he's trying to tell me something? ;) I hope this provides a quick laugh. It's all I have time to post. Friday afternoon/evening I should be able to post some pics of what's been keeping me so busy! Have a great week!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope that everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you get to spend it with those that you love. If you want a good laugh as you embark on your stressful Thanksgiving preparations, see my cheesecake disaster here. Hopefully it will make you smile. I hope to do some stamping this weekend so look for some posts next week from me. Take care!

Quick Post

I'm trying to get at least a picture up today for you to see. I won't go into details except to say that this is the other address book and pen I had to make for a friend who's moving. She was the secretary in the Relief Society Presidency (of which I'm the Education counselor) so we got pretty close while she was here. I'll miss her tons! She requested the colors. I really like it a lot - it's simple, and cute. I hope she likes it!!! Everything is SU! as far as papers, stamps, ink, and accessories. Have a great night!

PS - all you moms out there might recognize my background as a receiving blanket :)

Everyone's Leaving Me!!!

The latest rush of friends I have made here at Laughlin AFB are moving on to bigger and better things (airplanes and cities, really). I made an address book for my friend Kris. I have one more to make for another friend - before Monday - so I've got lots to do over the next couple of days. I know it will be us moving soon enough and I just can't wait to begin that chapter of our lives to begin. Peter will be flying the plane he wants, and I'll be living a day closer to my family in an exciting area of the country. It takes two days to get to my family from here where we live now (20+ hours), but will only take 10 hours from Dover. How exciting!! Anyway, this is a picture of the plane Peter will be flying (I have always thought the pictures of the planes releasing flares are cool!) - it's called the C-17 Globemaster III. Below is the picture of the address book and pen I altered for my friend Kris. I wanted her book to have a touch of "Texas" to it, so the colors/pattern of the paper and the stamp set I felt worked really well. I apologize for not remembering the names of some of the older papers I used!!!


Stamps: True Friend
Paper: 12 x 12 paper from CostCo paper pack, 12 x 12 paper from previous SU! mini - Au Chocolat, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive and Whisper White CS
Ink: Ruby Red, Old Olive, Always Artichoke, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Fire Circle Rhinestone brad, Chocolate ribbon from previous SU! mini catalog, ruby ribbon from previous SU! catalog, chocolate grosgrain, spiral punch, photo corners punch, antique copper brads from HPH, microbeads, sticky tape sheet

SC142 Re-Visited

So, I've played around with this sketch from SCS before and I really like it. I made this card for a friend who's expecting. I'm not really supposed to say who it is yet, but eventually I'm sure the news will be out. I'm SO excited for her, I know how excited she is for this pregnancy. Anyway, after I had sealed up the envelope and was walking over to her house I realized I had left off the 3rd button I wanted to put on the card. Like the two on the top corners of the card, I wanted one in the bottom left corner too. Oh well, it's okay, but if I had kept the card in my house a little longer it would not be staying this way! :)

Anyway, the stamps are from TAC and for the life of me I can't think of what the name of the set is. If you know, feel free to put it in a comment. I got the stamps from my friend Anne and if you need a TAC demo, let me know and I'll refer you to her. She's AWESOME.

Well, have a great night!

Stamps: TAC set
Paper: Fall Flowers DS paper, Soft Sky and Whisper White CS, Really Rust Textured CS
Ink: Black, Soft Sky, Old Olive, Really Rust
Accessories: Blender pen, Soft Sky Double-Stitched ribbon, rust buttons, linen thread, dimensionals, gray Tombo marker (from TAC)

Another Taste of Wintergreen Joy

Here's the 2nd card that I made with my Wintergreen DS paper and the new stamp set I got called Love & Joy. I hope to get some time to stamp today, otherwise I have nothing to show you the rest of the week! ;) My husband goes out of town tomorrow, basically until Sunday. I say "basically" because he comes back very late Wednesday night, but then turns around and leaves again early in the morning on Thursday. So, if I don't get some stamping done today, I'm not sure I'll have the time or energy with my three little munchkins to get much done any other time. Take care!

Stamps: Joy & Love
Paper: Certainly Celery, Always Artichoke and Whisper White CS, Wintergreen DS paper
Ink: Certainly Celery and Always Artichoke
Accessories: White Taffeta ribbon, Ice Circle Rhinestone brad, paper piercing tool and template, dimensionals

A Quick Post for Saturday

Saturdays were "supposed" to be my recipe day, but that didn't ever happen, so here's a card I made. I've got lots to do today before we leave for a District Conference for our church and some leadership training my husband and I have to attend before the actual conference session tonight. There's also a session tomorrow so we'll be spending the night there in Eagle Pass. Hopefully it will be some fun too! My sponsor-sister from my days at the Air Force Academy just happens to be TDY in San Antonio this whole weekend so we'll miss her today and part of tomorrow, but she's going to come spend the night Sunday night and I'm super excited to see her. I probably won't post on Monday since she'll be here visiting but wish you all a very happy weekend and ask you to remember our troops on this Veteran's Day holiday.


Stamps: Love & Joy
Paper: Always Artichoke, Certainly Celery, Whisper White and Wintergreen DS paper
Ink: Always Artichoke, Certainly Celery
Accessories: 3/4" circle punch, photo corners punch, celery 5/8" grosgrain, Stickles, dimensionals, Ice circle rhinestone brads (they're the green ones)

For this card I wanted to use my new Wintergreen DS paper that I got, and I was also trying to use my new Photo Corners punch. I'm not sure how I like those photo corners. They are supposed to layer, I think, but my smaller piece doesn't have a straight edge so unless I want it on there crooked, it shows part of the layer behind it on an edge. Is everyone's like this?????? Should I send it back to SU!???? Anyway, I had fun making the card but I'm not sure what I think about it. Do you like it? Is the rock-and-rolled edges of Joy a little distracting, or does it look good? Can you even see the Stickles on the snowflake? Hmmm...just not sure about it. I would love to hear what you think. Take care!!!!

Happy Birthday Leslie!

My friend Leslie has her birthday today and I made this candle to give her a while back. I haven't gotten to give it to her yet but hopefully will get to today. To my knowledge she doesn't come here so I won't be spoiling the surprise. :)

I enjoy making candles like this because they're fun to dress up with a little paper, ribbon, stamped images and other bling to your preference. They end up being very pretty and you can make them cute, elegant, or however you want depending on the colors, stamped images, and embellishments. I hope she likes it!

Stamps: Flowers & Flourish
Ink: Regal Rose
Paper: Very Vanilla, Linen Prints DS paper (you can get this as part of this month's SU! special!!!)
Accessories: Fire Circle Rhinestone Brad, Linen thread, dimensionals, distressing tool (SU!)

I should explain....

You all must think I'm stamping-deficient with my question in my last post. SO, I thought I'd let you know that I didn't want to color on the stamp with my markers because there's just the tiniest bit of a line (negative space) between the mane of the lion and the body. I thought that would take a long time to do ten time (for 10 cards). Also, I was worried about stroke marks being visible in the stamped image. BUT, I really liked the suggestion that TALIANA gave of coloring the mane first and then wiping off any smudges that perhaps got on the body part of the lion and then coloring his body. That just might work. I was thinking if I didn't care about possible ink contamination, I could also ink up the lion in MM and then color his mane with my RR marker and then stamp. All the possibilities!!! Thanks so much for your suggestions, and next time I make a card with this stamp set I'll definitely give some of them a try.

As for me not posting today (a card that is) - I've had a headache for 4 days now. Nothing too strong, but a nagging pain nonetheless, so I may need to call the clinic and try to get an appointment on base sometime soon. Until it goes away, I don't see much stamping taking place. I'm sorry! Take care!

A Couple of Cards

You may recognize this first card from a kit we were able to buy as Demonstrators a while back. I kept it all the same except I trimmed a little extra off of the top and bottom of the Always Artichoke, and I changed the sentiment to a stamp from the Hugs & Wishes set. This card is part of 60 cards I'm trying to finish up for an Army Sgt who's deployed and wanted specifically some children's cards. Well, this isn't a child's card, but I hope it can be used too. The next card more fits the "bill."

Stamps: Simply Said, Hugs and Wishes, Canvas BG
Paper: Bordering Blue, Real Red, So Saffron, Always Artichoke and Naturals Ivory CS
Ink: Basic Black, Real Red, So Saffron
Accessories: Pewter HPH, Twill Tape, Dimensionals, 1/2" Circle punch

This next card is one of two the "kids" cards I'm sending him. I'm going to have 20 kids cards in the package, along with 10 of the first card above, and then I hope to have the other 30 be Christmas/Holiday cards and maybe some of those might end up being more feminine (flowery) Birthday cards too. I asked if I could mail them to him a long time ago and haven't forgotten, but haven't had time to make them! I really want to get them in the mail by next Tuesday so he'll have them ASAP!

Here's a close-up of the lion's mane. I thought coloring it in with Really Rust after it had already been stamped in More Mustard would be easier than trimming it out of a second image in RR and mounting it on top of the MM. That idea is up for debate - I'm not sure it was easier to keep in the lines!!! :) What do you think? Have any of you colored his mane a different color? How did you do it? Cut out the 2nd image with scissors and then put it on top, or color it like I did with a marker over the original image? Or perhaps did you use a hobby blade to cut out the 2nd image? I would love to know!

Stamps: Wild About You
Paper: Brocade Blue, DS paper from last year's catalog (can't remember the name), Whisper White
Ink: More Mustard, Ballet Blue classic inks and Really Rust marker
Accessories: stapler, Brocade Blue 5/8" grosgrain

Happy Birthday Honey!

Today is my husband's birthday. He turns the "BIG" 30 today and thinks he's old now :) I keep telling him wait until he's 50 and then he'll feel differently - 30 will feel like it was in his teen years! I must be one of the few that doesn't really care how old I am, or others are. I don't think you have to be older to be mature, maturity is a character trait that some have and some don't, regardless of age. Anyway, above is the card I made him. I am still needing practice with pastels. The grass was much brighter than I had wanted, but oh well. Below are the cards Sarah (3 year-old) and Emma (4 (AND 1/2) year-old as she makes me say!) made him. They used the same stamp set that I did and colored and glued everything themselves. Too cute!

Stamps: Wildlife Reserve, Sanded BG, Sincere Salutations
Paper: Sahara Sand Textured CS, Chocolate Chip and Very Vanilla CS
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Chalks, Aged Copper brads (from HPH), Chocolate 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon, dimensionals

Here's Sarah's beaver for Daddy - I think she chose it because it's one of the smaller images in the set and she likes little animals:

Here's Emma's "goat" for Daddy - it HAD to be PINK:

Blog Candy Winner - She Gets a Choice!!!

We were at the park and when I realized what time it was, I made my girls come home - it was 5:30 p.m. then. I'm still a little late, but no one posted this afternoon anyway so it didn't really matter.

Random.org gave me the number 6, which was this post:

Mary said...

I am thankful that I am able to stay at home and raise my children - never missing a moment.

Mary, send me your snail mail address via e-mail (mcclellans@stx.rr.com) and I will get you your gift.

You get to choose from the current SU! 12 x 12 patterned papers (pages 170-173 in the current SU! catalog and there are also 2 packages in the current Mini Catalog - see my link to them on the right) and pick TWO of them!!! Any two packages of 12 x 12 patterned papers on those pages - or the two in the Mini - that you want (they're all $9.95 each)! PLUS, since the papers you choose will come to me in my SU! order and then I'll have to send them to you, I will enclose a bunch of other goodies like die-cuts, ribbon, and other embellishments.

Congrats on winning!!!

I just thought I would add that I echo so many of the sentiments of my readers. I am so thankful for my family, for our health and safety, for my knowledge of my Savior and that I have a Heavenly Father who loves me, for my friends who are support to me as we live this military life far from family, and for all of the opportunities I enjoy that so many others are not fortunate enough to be able to have. I am so thankful to be out of the military and able to stay at home with my children - no one could raise them the way I can, and I'm so lucky to be able to do it! I was truly touched by each of your comments and thank you for taking the time to leave them!

Blog Candy - I've Hit 45K!!!

You have 48 hours from NOW to enter into this blog candy contest. US residents only. I will be putting the goodies together and will try to post a picture on Monday for you to see. I originally wanted it to be only 24 hours to enter, but I don't blog on Sunday. SO - since Thanksgiving is around the corner, all I ask is to hear what you're thankful for in your comment. Please only comment once, thanks and good luck! I'll use random.org to draw a number at 5:28 p.m. on Monday. Take care!

Getting Closer....

To what? See this post.

A Quick Card

This was a quick card to make, but it took more than 30 minutes to get this card uploaded from my camera to the computer to here. SO...my husband is waiting for me to finish a movie we started and I don't want to keep him waiting any longer. I am getting so tired of my camera/photo software that came with it, that I'm about to chuck it all in the street and let someone run over it. I hate how long it takes. Someday I really hope to buy a new program so that it all goes faster (and fix our computer so that it's not so slow -- defragmenting it and clearing out temp files, etc. hasn't seemed to be enough). Anyway, I'll skip the card details today and leave you with wishes for a great evening!!! Take care, and enjoy the card - I hope my Stamp Club members like the one they're going to make that's super similar!