A SALE! A SALE!

As promised, here are some sets that I'm putting up for sale so that I can acquire more for demonstrating with. These prices do not include shipping, so please count on the addition of Priority Mail postage to your purchase. If you are local, other arrangements can be made.

Birthday Best--original price: $12.95 SALE price: $9
Simply Sent set Gratitude--original price: $39.95 (approx., including ink spots, markers and supplies) SALE price: $10, including original instruction booklet
Love Matters, a 12 piece set--original price: $28.95 SALE price: $23
In Full Bloom, set of 9 pieces--original price: $24.95 SALE price: $20
Mini Mates, set of 28--original price: $29.95 SALE price: $22
Soft Swirls background stamp--original price: $17 SALE price: $12


All these sets are in very very good condition. I'll send a photo of the rubber side, if you're serious about purchasing. All sets have been used, but have been well-maintained. Leave a comment to let me know which one you'd like. First come, first served, and remember that shipping is not included in the prices. If you'd like me to consider swapping something with you, I'll consider that too! Happy shopping...

Bold and Bright Containers

A friend of mine has contracted me to create fun goodies for some people she employs, and this is one of the things I put together over the weekend. I wanted to offer her two options for a container to present pens and highlighters and such to her writers. This first one is called a 2-5-7-10 box, and I like the flap which safely secures whatever's inside--like chocolates!


This second picture is of a 2-4-6-8 box, and is the she chose, as it gave her greater height latitude than the other one. She also likes that my design incorporates a monogram, so that each woman feels special! I like that too! I tried a new technique for the initial. It's done with Versamark and Dazzling Diamonds glitter. Then it's sprayed with hairspray to keep the glitter in place.

Both were made with whisper white card stock, inks from the bold brights color family, and the Simply Sent Friendship Shapes set.

Which one would you choose, and why?

Go West!

I did some crafting Saturday afternoon, since it was just too hot to be outside until later in the day! I also perused some blogs before I stamped, and came across this layout on Charmaine's blog, Oodabug Alley. I asked her for the dimensions, and she promptly supplied them. I think that this month's Stamp-A-Stack is going to feature this and other unique folds!

The color combo for this card was inspired by a blouse I saw on my way out of Belk Saturday afternoon. (OK, I was out for a brief time, but I didn't think you'd really want to read about bra shopping--YUCK!) I pulled out my handy notebook (see July 17 post) and scribbled down the colors I saw and came home with a mind to create. It's lovely when a plan comes together, isn't it?

The colors used include: chocolate chip, creamy caramel, very vanilla (right now it sounds more like a luscious dessert, doesn't it!), really rust, and taken with teal. The dimensions are 9" wide by 5.5" high, scored at 3" and 6". I made the tag tops by measuring the center of each panel and then dropping down an inch and marking each side. Then I connected the dots and cut the resulting triangles off. The twine on the top is from a package I received--I think it lends it just the right finishing touch of "western-ness." If you can't tell, the stamp set used is Baroque Motifs, along with recently-retired That's Nice.

Speaking of recently-retired items, I'm going to be posting tomorrow about some sets I'm going to be selling to make way for new sets I'd like to buy. Ya'll come back now, ya hear?

Post-its For the Purse...

I have another fun non-card project to show you to end the week. This is a Post-It Note holder. These notes aren't the square kind though. They're actually index card size, lined, and backed with the famous sticky stuff that makes them Post-Its. I have a girlfriend who's addicted to Post-Its, so this is something she'd love to have in her purse or in her car.

This one was made using leftover cardboard that comes with all the designer paper and Simply Scrappin' sets, retired Loves Me paper (I miss that stuff!) and matching grosgrain ribbon. The only trouble I had was getting the notes to stay stuck to the folder. I resorted to Sticky Strip, but still had trouble. I may try making a different closure system the next time I make these.

There's a great tutorial for this that I found at Amy Celona's UStamp4Fun website. That woman is the queen of 3-D projects, and I don't need to reinvent the wheel that she has already so creatively decorated! If you have never visited her site, you MUST! Go to the project gallery and look for 6x6 notebook, and there will be photos and instructions. Thanks, Amy!

Here's one last shot of what the item looks like when opened.

Thanks for visiting today! Have a wonderful weekend, even though it's swampy!!

365 days later...

One year ago today, we'd placed nearly all our worldly possessions in that truck and were driving south on 75 with our hearts in our throats to begin our new life in GA. What was all so unknown then has become familiar, and people I didn't even know existed on the planet have become my friends.

Change is hard to embrace, but it is made easier by the kindness of those we journey with each day. The littlest things were meaningful to me back then--the friendliness of the checkout ladies at Publix, a neighbor who I'd just met who, without hesitating, loaned me a quilt when I knocked on her door at 9:00 that first night, another neighbor who let me follow her to school the first day so that I would know the "back route" that saved time, the small group leader who welcomed our son into his group that first Sunday at church and gave him the opportunity to find a place to belong, and the director of children's ministries gave me a chance to serve.

These and many other events over the past 365 days have helped me trust God more, and believe in humanity more. Now I have the opportunity to "pay it forward" with 2 new families who have just arrived in the area. Their husbands work with mine, and are from CA and OK. I hope to be as helpful to them as many were to me, because in doing so, my experiences will be redeemed for their benefit.

Thanks to all of you who have played a part in our transition from IL to GA. Keep looking for ways to invest in those around you. You may never know what a difference it will make...

Following a Friend's Suggestion

Lydia, my new friend and fellow blogger at Understand Blue, suggested yesterday to look at designer paper if one is ever lacking inspiration for a color combo. She suggested trying to marry So Saffron, Bashful Blue, and Purely Pomegranate as it is shown in SU!'s new designer paper called Cutie Pie. My plans for the afternoon were changed, so I had free time that I put to good use!

The Purely Pomegranate double-stitched ribbon was a last-minute addition, and I think it anchors the piece. I'm really psyched about how this turned out, although creating the quilted look by scoring squares on the diagonal to stamp the little star from Baroque Motifs in was enough to boggle my mind for a bit.

The sentiment is one of my favs: "Some people strengthen others just by being the kind of people they are." Isn't that a GREAT compliment to give someone? I had someone encourage me by being who she is, so she's going to get this card.

Send those cards you've made, friends!

More Tags/Gift Cards...and Blog Options!

As promised, here are the remaining cards I cooked up for the workshop I have next week. I really really like how versatile the Simply Sent Friendship Shapes set is!! I have a thing for circles as backgrounds, and having 3 sizes of images to play with makes this a quick and easy one to make! It uses Real Red, Only Orange, Summer Sun, Green Galore, Tempting Turquoise and Lovely Lilac on Whisper White.


This little cutie is the next generation of an earlier post I did about a mini gift card. I just changed the focal image on the front, employing Baroque Motifs. Love this set! This is made using a 6x6 piece of Rose Red Prints paper, folded. See my tutorial in last month's archives for the blow by blow details.

Here's what it looks like when it's open:

In other news, take a moment to look around the blog, because there are now 2 options available so that you can get updates delivered to your virtual door. You can sign up to receive email notices of my postings, or register for an RSS feed through FeedBurner. I have to be honest and share that I hardly know what that means or how it works, but if it's meaningful to you, now you have the choice!

My boy slept until about 10:15 this morning...reveling in the last days of his summer vacation! School starts in 12 days, and he's turning 13 in 26! The significance of this didn't dawn on me until my dad commented about this being a momentous occasion, his becoming a teenager. Why it didn't hit me, I have no idea. It's hard to believe that we're on the back third of parenting!

Enjoy the summer sun somehow today! Leave me a comment so I know you stopped by...