Getting in the spirit....Fa La La La La.......La La La La

Today at work I had lunch with a friend and she said that she wished she had time to enjoy the season. It got me to thinking...even though we only have three or so weeks left till the time is here (for some next week) why can't we enjoy the beauty of this time. It is just too depressing to think about spending this month worrying about everything that has to get done and leaving little time to enjoy it. So tonight I decided to sit down and play around with my winter/Christmas stamps. I must say, I have made quite a mess (I will clean that up later). Of the mess came two cards that I think are cute but could probably use another layer or embellishment. I didn't scraplift anything but the cards are a little plain. They still make me smile though!





The first card I made using the holiday paper slab from Michaels and a card pattern a friend gave me. I used my gel pen to add some stitching and my Elzybells penguin. I added some winter snowflake brads and a little saying I got from a muse "happy winter".





The second card I used my 6X6 Figgy Pudding paper. I thought it was time to break into the pack I have been staring at the paper for weeks. I used another Elzybells stamp I got and my square scallop punches. The ribbon was a donation from a friend (thanks!). I used the deck the halls from the Season of Joy block stamp (I colored it in with my real red marker to get it off the block). I backed the circle with the mini scallop punch from Martha Stewart.





If you have any suggestions to add a little something to the card please share them with me by adding a comment. I could always use a new idea.





Well I hope you all take a little time this week to do something that reminds you why you love this time of year. Another thing I like to do is read a Christmas story. I have a few books of holiday stories I have collected over the years so I will probably break one of those out this weekend.

Cute card for the holidays

Tonight I went to Stamp Camp. I couldn't stay for long so I only opted to make one of the cards. Both cards were nice but I really liked this card. Leave it to my demonstrator to sell me on a stamp set I hadn't noticed before. The card is absolutely stunning. We used a sponging technique on the background with the mostly moss and then the absolute artichoke and chocolate chip to stamp the big tree. I got to use the new ribbon scissors! THEY ROCK! Such a smooth cut. Then we used the thinner satin ribbon from the catalog. The card stock is a pearly shimmer and is beautiful. This almost makes me want to make this for my Christmas card! Hope everyone is doing well. I will have to fill you in on my trip and the scrapbook store tour I did in Florida. Maybe tomorrow night. I am sleepy today!

Ribbons and Bows and Clipboards what fun!

Today I got to hang out with my friend Kim. We had talked about making a "countdown to christmas" clipboard we saw by a very talented splitcoaster... We put these clipboards together and had a lot of fun doing them! I have to say, she was quite the trooper she inked and placed and stamped every countdown day. Thanks Kim! I cut the squares to assist. At the end the clipboard turned out fantastic and it is so fun. One thing I learned today is that you have to use a sander to smooth the edges of the papers you adhere to give the clipboard a cleaner look. I would have never though of that. We also used the spica glitter pens to color in the words. Most of the supplies are stampin up! I also got the chance to try the bow tutorial while I was at her house. So easy and so fun! She had already made a few on her own. I don't know if I will ever buy a store bought bow again! You really should try them. Anyway, next time we are going to tackle the advent calendar with the small round tins that was on todays tutorial on splitcoast. Does anyone know where to find those tins cheap?

Today will be my last day of stamping for a week or so. I am headed off to the Caribbean with my husband and some friends. We will be celebrating Thanksgiving on the open waters. Hope you all have a great TURKEY DAY and that you get to spend time with your loved ones!

Come back and visit. I plan to be very busy creating in December....

$1 Bins---Gotta Love em

Today I went to Target to see what they had in the dollar bins and was quite dissapointed. The bins are full with stuff for the holidays but no scrapbooking stuff other than some cards with a frame you can insert a picture into. So I had to get my fix somewhere else. I went to Joann's but they didn't have anything either. I made my final stop at Michaels and found some christmas dollar stamps. I attached a picture so you can see but they have lots of other ones. These are just the ones I liked! The other ones are a snowflake background stamp, a Star of David Stamp, a skinny christmas tree, and a snowman. Better get out soon.

By the way...check out Kitchen Sink Stamps for their alphabet set. I played with it last night and I love it. I went out and bought a block to put the stamps on now I just need to get the stamps! http://www.kitchensinkstamps.com/ It is called playful alphabet. You can check out the smile card that Paula Bloom made with it. So simple and so cute! http://prbloom.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Have a great evening!

Card Sketch Challenge

Thought today I would put a card sketch challenge from Splitcoast on my website. Every week my Sister and I pick a card sketch and then complete a card and then e-mail it to each other. So even though we can't make cards together we get to share our hobby through e-mail. If you have time join in the challenge and make a card and then e-mail it to me at stampinup4fun@gmail.com. I look forward to seeing what you can do with this sketch...

Tonight my husband and I are going to dinner with my friend Paula. I can't wait to see her new creations. Hopefully our husbands will hang out and watch sports while we play!

Hope your day is filled with Creativity and fun!

Shopping Break!

So I haven't made any cards in the last week or so but that doesn't stop me from being able to shop. I was just blog surfing today and came across the Elzybells web page (see my favorite places to shop for the link). In a matter of minutes I had purchased three of the cutest stamps ever. I read that they ship quick but is getting them by the time I get home out of the question? I promise to load some cards up in the next few days. I have a lot of time this weekend to sit down and play. I can't wait!!! Hope everyone is having a great day!

Here are the stamps I ordered...