Christmas Card

As promised a Christmas card. It's not the one I am sending out. I am still having a little bit of trouble getting back into the groove of card-making that I took the safe route and order a few picture cards to send out just in case. I am glad I did because I have tried to come up with a few, but nothing I have made seems to be the one. Here is one that I made last month for the flood swap I was in. I love this card, but it is too much like the one I sent out last year (card) to be this year's Christmas Card. Maybe I will use it in a couple of years. Enjoy!!

You can find my "Swirly Tree" card on SCS - HERE.

Stamps: Snow Swirled

Paper: Old Olive and Whisper White

Inks: Old Olive

Accessories: Scallop Edge Punch, Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon,

Rhinestones and adhesive

Lots of FUN!

I know - two post in one day - AMAZING, but I just couldn't help but to share of week of holiday festivities with you all. We started on Monday by digging out all of the holiday decorations from the basement, Tuesday we put the up the tree - just the tree no decorating that day, Wednesday we put on the lights and ornaments and Thursday was the garland and a few decoration around the house. It was nice spreading it out the whole week. We played Christmas music and enjoyed an hour of decorating each night. Here are a few pictures from the fun!

This is my favorite, a view of what the tree sees. Brad was being creative with the picture taking.

Our fun did not end on Thursday, but on continued on. Friday night we met up with my Dad, Step-mom, my brother's boy Hayden and my step-sister's daughter Coralynn for a ride on the Polar Express! We all boarded the train and the kids dressed in their pajamas. We had hot chocolate and enjoy a ride on the train where they told the story and had a few musical numbers to go along with the fun. Santa even visited each cabin! It was so much fun.

We finished out festivities last night with watching the movie "The Polar Express" in front of a nice warm fire in the fireplace. It was a week full of so much fun and so many exciting memories!

A really late Halloween Card

I know Halloween is long gone and you are probably thinking "Hey Mandy - Where's the Christmas Cards?", but I assure you that I will have some on the way real soon. I just wanted to share this cute Halloween card I made for this year. I just adore the cute critters in the Booglie Eyes stamp set. I am so glad that I picked it up right before they retired it. I was hesitant, but I thought that the kids would enjoy using it for their Halloween treats in the future if I didn't like to use it. Oh boy was I surprised when I found out that I enjoyed seeing those critters come to life on cards. Needless to say, I have yet to let the kiddies play with it! Enjoy!!

You can find my "Creepy Critters Halloween" card on SCS - HERE.

Stamps: Stampin' Up! Booglie Eyes

Paper: Crushed Curry, Basic Black, Going Gray and Whisper White

Inks: Crushed Curry, Basic Black, Going Gray, Lavender Lace,

Only Orange and Old Olive

Accessories: Circle Punches, Blender Pen and adhesive

Silhouette Cards

So I thought that it was about time to upload a few more cards. These are cards all using the Upsy Daisy stamp set from Stampin' Up! I love this set! When I first got it I really didn't care for it, but now that I have played with it quite a few times it has made it's way onto my favorites list.

You can find my "Blue Flower Silhouette" card on SCS - HERE.

Stamps: Stampin' Up! Upsy Daisy

Paper: Baja Blue, Basic Black, Going Gray,

Whisper White and DSP

Inks: Baja Blue

Accessories: Oval Punch, Scallop Oval Punch,

dimensionals and adhesive

You can find my "Scallop Circle Silhouette" card on SCS - HERE.

Stamps: Stampin' Up! Upsy Daisy

Paper: Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, and DSP

Inks: Close to Cocoa

Accessories: Scallop Circle Punch, Circle Punches, White Gel Pen,

dimensionals and adhesive

You can find my "Thinking of You Silhouette" card on SCS - HERE.

Stamps: Stampin' Up! Upsy Daisy

Paper: Kraft, More Mustard, Very Vanilla and DSP

Inks: Chocolate Chip and More Mustard

Accessories: Scallop Edge Punch, Brad, dimensionals and adhesive

Hope you enjoyed the cards! Now that all of my wedding obligations are complete I should be able to get back to crafting - we shall see. You never know what will happen during this busy time of year, but I will definitely be back in the New Year - if not sooner!

Here are a few cards - FINALLY!

I thought that since I had a few minutes to spare this morning and since Ben is coloring I would post a few cards I made a while back. I got the Lots of 'Bots stamp from Stampin' Up! such a long time ago and made a bunch of cards for birthday's with this cute little guy! Here are 3 LONG overdue cards for you all!

You can find my "Birthday 'Bot 1" card on SCS - HERE.

Stamps: Stampin' Up! Lots of 'Bots

Paper: Going Gray, Real Red, Whisper White and DSP

Inks: Basic Black, Real Red, Bashful Blue and So Saffron

Accessories: Bashful Blue Grosgrain Ribbon, Brad, Blender Pen,

dimensionals and adhesive

You can find my "Birthday 'Bot 2" card on SCS - HERE.

Stamps: Stampin' Up! Lots of 'Bots

Paper: Going Gray, Basic Black, Whisper White and DSP

Inks: Basic Black, Tempting Turquoise and So Saffron

Accessories: Blender Pen, dimensionals and adhesive

You can find my "Birthday 'Bot 3" card on SCS - HERE.

Stamps: Stampin' Up! Lots of 'Bots

Paper: Going Gray, Whisper White and DSP

Inks: Basic Black, Riding Hood Red and So Saffron

Accessories: Riding Hood Red Striped Ribbon, Blender Pen,

Brads and adhesive

Halloween Fun!

Here are a few pictures from Halloween. The kids dressed up and went Trick-or-Treating in their costumes. Alexa was a cute bunny and Ben wanted to be a Scuba Diver. They looked so cute in their costumes! Ben was a little under the weather, but we dressed him up and let him go to a few houses for treats. They also had some time with Dad carving a little pumpkin. They had so much fun!

Alexa was sent to the Principal's office!

Today I got word that Alexa was sent to the Principal's Office - oh the horror! Come to find out there was a wonderful reason for it. She was selected to be a member of the "Principal's Club". From the brief explanation I got - it was for being respectful to others, being helpful, polite and an all-around great student - I think it is like getting "Student of the Month" for her grade. She was so excited about it and she got the honor of visiting with the Principal this morning. She received a certificate, a candy bar and an invitation for lunch at a later time. She was elated and so proud and we were proud of her too! I wish I could of been there when they called her name at the assembly - I am sure the look on her face was priceless! I am so glad that her first trip to the Principal's Office was for a positive reason - my next thought is "Boy, Ben has big shoes to fill" the poor thing!

Looking for something to do?

I came across this list a while back and thought that I would try to tackle everything on the list everyday. I was surprised that I didn't have to try very hard to accomplish any of the items listed, although the "cook something" sometimes failed me - but don't we all have days when we don't want to do that?

Pumpkin Patch

Today I took the kids to the Pumpkin Patch after school. Alexa was to go on a Field Trip with her class on Tuesday and Ben was to go last Tuesday with his class, but the weather did not cooperate on either of those days. So with the sun out today, I thought we better go or we may not be able to this season. We grabbed our boots and off we went!

Here's a picture of the kids discussing that the pumpkin is yellow - not orange! Alexa's friend Maddie came along too!

Reason 1 - Where my time has gone

Things have been crazy around here for the past few months, as you know with the lack of postings. It seems that with chasing after the kids and all the other things I was obligated to do, I just didn't have a whole lot of free time. This project is one of the reasons for the lack of free time. I have been working on this bunch of wedding invitations - 165 of them to be exact. My hubby's cousin is getting married and she asked me - what an honor - to design and make all of the wedding invitations. I was so excited that she asked and got busy designing a few samples for her - I will eventually post them as time allows (keep reading and you'll find out why I say this). Since she has finally gotten them out in the mail I think it is ok to share them with you.

Here they are in all their glory!

Hayley is a very simple type of gal and her tastes are very similar to mine, so it made designing her invites super easy. The one she chose was the first one I came up with. We modified it a bit to fit her budget. The orignal was a folder, but to save a little on costs we went with the pockets on the back of the invite to hold the few things she was sending with it. Please note that the picture shown is of my wonderful babies, she placed a picture of her and her fiance in it's place. I think the whole thing turned out really cute. Let me know your thoughts.

So my posting will not be regular (as it took me almost a day to publish this one) for a little while longer as, I guess, I did such a great job on Hayley's invites, that my brother-in-law's fiance has enlisted me to do their wedding invitations as well - 224 of them. They are a little more detailed than Hayley's and I will show it to you once I get them finished and Muneeba has sent them out. Until the next post - take care and happy stamping!

Ben's First Day of Preschool

Sniff, sniff. . .

Today was Ben's first day of Preschool. I once again found myself weeping! I thought that it would be a little easier since we just went through Alexa's first day of Kindergarten, but nope - I cried all the way home. Lucky for me he only goes for 2-1/2 hours on Tuesday's and Thursday's. So tomorrow I will have him all to myself once again!

Muneeba & the Kids

Muneeba came by to help work on her wedding invites and Ben & Alexa kept themselves occupied by playing dress-up. I am sure Ben will love these pictures when he is older!

A thought

At church on Sunday this verse was highlighted and I just can't seem to get it out of my head. I think we all should keep it in mind throughout each day.

Keeping Ben busy

It has been fun having only Ben around during the day - of course I miss my girl like crazy while she is at school - but, finding things to keep him busy while I get a few things done has proven to be difficult. Alexa found her old Halloween costume the other day and left it out. Well, let's just let the picture speak for itself. What do you do with your toddler's while you need a few minutes to change the laundry over to the dryer, clean up the lunch mess or even run to the bathroom?

Alexa's First Day of School

Today was Alexa's first day of Kindergarten and we marked the occasion with the famous "First Day of School" picture. She is such a brave girl! She was so excited to wear her uniform and her knee socks, which I will add she looks so adorable and grown-up in, and head off to the school. She was only hesitant for a second when we turned the corner and she saw a gym full of kids. Her teacher quickly came over and directed her where to go. She sat down quietly in line and waited instruction. I watch for a few minutes and then I just couldn't take it any longer - I turned around with tears in my eyes. Why is so hard to see your baby grow up! Here is my "First day of school" picture. I am sure that many of yours were the same.

Have a great day! (I say between the sobs!)

Thankful Thursday #32

It's late, I know, but I wanted to get in a post for "Thankful Thursday". Today I am thankful for:

"Fun new things from Stampin' Up!"

Last week I got a box full of all the new sneak peak items I ordered and just today finally got to thoroughly go through the box. I told you I have been busy - everyday I passed it by and thought - I really need to get in there and play with all the new and exciting things, but I had this to do and then this came up - you get the idea. Well today I had just a few minutes to spare and I sat down with a new stamp set and made 3 cards in about 30 minutes! I love when that happens! There was no thinking involved, just me and my cute stamps hanging out like old times - IT WAS SO MUCH FUN! So today I am thankful for my box of goodies from Stampin' Up and I am thankful for the fun I had creating. For those of you who were able to get the sneak peak items - what is your favorite and what do you think of the new In Colors?

Feel free to leave a comment on what you are thankful for - I would love to know! Until next time, take a moment to think of something you are thankful for, then smile!

No Sister's Purse Post - but an oldie to share!

I have to apologize for not posting my weekly "Sister's Purse Color Challenge". I have decided that I am going to forgo this weekly post for a little while longer. It has not been as much fun since my sister quit doing them with me. So, for now I am suspending this post - just until I can really get back into crafting again.

I wanted to share a card I made forever ago and never got around to posting. This cute little bunny, from the Hunny Bunny set, card was made using a sketch by Amy Rysavy from her Friday Sketch #56 way back on April 3rd! I was quite please with how it turned out - so bright and cheery!

You can find my "Easter Bunny" card on SCS - HERE.

Stamps: CC Design's

Hunny Bunny

Paper: Green Galore, Tempting Turquoise, Pink Passion,

Whisper White and DSP

Inks: Basic Black, Green Galore, Tempting Turquoise, Pink Passion, and Blush Blossom

Accessories: Rhinestones, So Saffron Grosgrain Ribbon, Dimensionals and adhesive

Change it up Tuesday #35

I am going to slowly work my way back into this blogging thing. It's been a long time and I am not guaranteeing anything, but I am hoping that I can post on at least a semi-regular basis now. Things have been extremely busy around here and although they have slowed a bit, I am still obligated to a few more weeks of extra work for my "paying" job. After that, I will have all my time back that I usually dedicate to stamping. Thanks to all of you who have stuck around during the craziness and I hope to catch up on everything I missed too! So be looking for tons of comments from me real soon!

So, I thought I would let my first post back be my weekly "Change it up Tuesday" post. This one is the final one from my "Change it up Tuesday" posts dedicated to the stamp set by Stampin' Up - Pocket Silhouettes. I am not saying that there won't be more - but this is the last one for now. I have gotten a little tired of the set and there are so many others that are calling for attention. I LOVE the original of this card and I am extremely surprised how much I actually like the "Change it up Tuesday" card. Which do you prefer?

My old card "Silhouette Stems " details can be found on SCS HERE.

My "Change it up Tuesday" card - "Silhouette Stems - Take 2" details can be found on SCS HERE.

* * Congrats to Brandi over at "Yankee Belle Stamper" and for leaving a comment on that post. Please send an email to me (nottus_2@yahoo.com) with your address so I can send you the card from the LAST "Change it up Tuesday" Post - #34. Please be sure to leave a comment or participate for your chance to get this week card! * *

How to play: Take a card you previously created and only change the colors used. The layout and the stamped images should remain the same. Then leave me a comment where your cards are located or if you upload to SCS use keyword CIUT35 (Gallery HERE). For fun, I will pick from those commenting (with or without a card) on Monday (6/22) and I will send you my "Change it up Tuesday" creation. Have fun and I can't wait to see what you come up with!

What an HONOR!

Today was just an ordinary, yet busy and crazy as usual, day until I checked my email. I had tons of messages from SplitCoastStamper's commenting on this card that I made forever ago. As I read the comments that were left, I found out that Roxi had picked MY card for the Sketch Challenge this week! I was so ecstatic that I nearly fell out of my chair. Thank you so much for the wonderful honor and I can't wait to dive into the gallery tonight to see everyone's wonderful creations. 

Here's where all the info is for this week's sketch:

My Card: Silhouette Card 2

Sketch Challenge information: Sketch Challenge #232

Sketch Challenge Gallery:  Sketch #232

On a side note, things are begining to slow a bit and I have had some time in my craft room. I will probably start posting again next week for sure. Right now, I am busily gathering stuff to put in a garage sale we are having on Saturday. Thanks again for picking my card to use as the sketch for this week and I hope you all have/had fun participating.

I'm still here!

I haven't fell off the edge of the world (yet?).  Things around here have been extremely busy - more so than normal, but I can see a light at the end of this long unintentional break. I will soon be back soon - hopefully.

So sorry!

I have taken a little hiatus from stamping - SORRY! I have been having fun outside with the kids enjoying the wonderful weather and, I have to admit, I just discovered the Twilight series of books. If you have read these books, then you know that it is so hard to do anything else until you finish. I have completed the first book - in six days - and I am anxious to start the next one, but I promise that I will get a my "Change it up Tuesday" card up later this eve after we have played in the sun.

Thankful Thursday #31

I must admit, I have been thankful for this all week:

"BANAGRAMS"

You are all saying "WHAT?" now right? I came across this game online and thought that it would be a great learning tool for Alexa to teach her how to spell, but little did I know that when Brad and I sat down to play the actual game that it would be so much fun and so addicting. Brad and I love to play Scrabble, but with the two kids running around it was hard to get a game in, also it would drag on forever. This game is over in about 20 minutes and keeps you alert. The perfect two player game (up to eight can play with the set). You can find it on Amazon - HERE or we picked up ours at Target for around $15. I am thankful that Brad and I have found such a fun game that is quick enough that the kids don't realize we are playing. What's your favorite game to play?

Feel free to leave a comment on what you are thankful for - I would love to know! Until next time, take a moment to think of something you are thankful for, then smile!

Uh-Oh!

I just wanted to let you all know that I forgot all about my "Sister's Purse Color Challenge" card post for today. The kids and I have been having so much fun outdoors enjoying the sunshine, that I have not spent any time in my craft room. So I am forgoing the post for this week - sorry if you were looking forward to it, I will have it up next week for sure! 

Change it up Tuesday #34

I am still using the Pocket Silhouettes stamp set for this weeks "Change it up Tuesday" - #34. I choose this card because I LOVE it and wanted to see it using a different color. I tend to gravitate to the green/orange color combo for a lot of my cards. I love the color GREEN and doing this challenge helps me to use those colors that aren't at the top of my "to use" pile.

My old card "Just Because - Flip #2 " details can be found on SCS HERE.

My "Change it up Tuesday" card - "Just Because - Flip #2 - Take 2" details can be found on SCS HERE.

* * Congrats to Jessi & Rachel over at "Stampin' with Jessi and Rachel" and for leaving a comment on that post. I will be sending them the card from LAST WEEKS - #33 - "Change It up Tuesday". Be sure to leave a comment or participate for your chance to get this week card(s)!  * *

How to play: Take a card you previously created and only change the colors used. The layout and the stamped images should remain the same. Then leave me a comment where your cards are located or if you upload to SCS use keyword CIUT34 (Gallery HERE). For fun, I will pick from those commenting (with or without a card) on Monday (5/11) and I will send you my "Change it up Tuesday" creation. Have fun and I can't wait to see what you come up with!

A few Flood Swap Cards - Part 7

Here is another post showing off the amazing flood swap cards I have received. Enjoy!

From Michael - You can't tell from the picture, but there is some awesome embossing on the red section. Great card using one of my favorite sets.

From Trinity - I love this color combo and such an adorable deer!

From Cindy - the butterfly is so beautiful on this card. I think she embossed it and then colored it in with the vibrant yellow and orange colors. STUNNING!

From Jennifer R. - a very pretty color combo, again with one of my favorite sets.

From Karen - great colors for a graduation card! I love the red medallion with the "G".

From Kathy - such a pretty and simple card! She dry embossed the background and the butterfly.

From Joan - adorable birthday card with actual tissue paper sticking out of the bags. I would of never thought to do that. Thanks for the great idea!

From Miranda - I love the tree and the cute bunny on her card! ADORABLE!

I have had a few more card trickle in and I will post them at a later time. Thanks ladies for a great swap and some beautiful cards!