One last spin through the Sisterhood of the Blogging Stampers in 2007

I made a quick spin though all of my SBS2's blogs today...some are very quiet while others are jumping with creativity. I left comments here and there and look forward to seeing what is done with all of the neat stuff received under various holiday trees.

Wishing one and all a Happy and Healthy 2008!

Lori

Crop-O-Dile

Hello Everyone,

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

My family and friends know me well...my stocking was stuffed with gift cards from AC Moore and Michaels. I have had my eye on a Crop-o-Dile for some time so with a 50% off coupon from Michael's I headed off to get one. I hope to spend some time before I head back to work on the 2nd playing with it but a certain six year old may have other plans.

SBS Cafe is Now Open

It's finally here! For all you sisters interested in SBS-sponsored challenges, RAKs, swaps, and more...please visit the new SBS Cafe that Tracy set up. It will be a fun place to hang out and grow together. Group admins will be able to post there, and we'll be able to keep the original SBS blog clutter free for our fellow stamping and blogging sisters to sign up.

Go check it out now! http://www.thesbscafe.wordpress.com/

Gift Card Holders, part 2

I worked on my gift card holders tonight with a simple goal...get them done in less than an hour. I need 15 all together and managed to finish 10 within the time I allotted. I also broke out some stickers I have been holding on to for that "special" project. I think some of the stickers are two or three years old. My New Year's Resolution is an easy one I can keep--use the supplies I have.  

Rushing to get everything done...

With the exception of a few odds and ends, I have finished my Christmas shopping. Thanks goodness because I need to get in gear if I'm going to finish all of my holiday cards and crafts in time. I have several people I have purchased gift cards for, including my brother-in-law who celebrates his birthday this weekend. It is a simple card to make, just a 12x4 piece of card stock scored at the 4" marks and diagonally in the middle. I used Christmas themed paper to decorate and a Sizzix holy berry die and bingo...gift card holder. I need to sign the inside and may add one more piece of patterned paper to the inside to finish it off.

Christmas Decorations and Holiday Cards

I managed to get a round of Christmas cards done today. Four of "Holiday Happiness" cards and all but the final assembly on eight of the Manger cards.

I really wanted to use puffy stuff on the windows to look like snow but the transparency I used as the glass in the window wouldn't hold up to my heat gun. I used Stickles instead and while it doesn't show up well in the pictures, it looks nice.



It seems like this is version 37 of this card. I've tried different mediums to color this, different papers and different embellishments. When all was said and done, I decided less was more. I like "bling" as much as the next girl but shied away from it on this one so that the stamped image of the Baby Jesus was the star. I should be able to assemble the rest of the cards in less then 20 minutes. I would have finished them today but I had an impatient six year old waiting to decorate our Christmas tree and put out all of the other decorations.

Black Friday and Beyond...

I will admit that when my local Kohl's opened at 4AM on Black Friday I was there. When Target opened two hours later, I was there and more importantly, I was at Michael's before 9AM so that I could happily received 25% off my entire purchase, sale items included. My goal is to be done all gift buying before December 1st so that I can slow down and enjoy the wonder of the season with my son. Last year I spent so much time rushing around trying to get things "done" that I never really got to enjoy the time with my family and friends until it was almost time to usher in the New Year--of course, we ushered in 2007 with Scarlet Fever--Russell (my six year old) had it over Christmas Break.

I need to stop rambling and add my new SBS2's to my list so I can start getting to know them. It is after 11PM so it may not get done until morning but I am looking forward to checking in with them.

Sisterhood of the Blogging Stampers (Group 2)

I was tooling around SplitCoast looking at the galleries and had wandered into the forum section when I came across an interesting post from Alana about looking for stamping friends who have blogs--the end result being an online stamping support group. She started a new blog for the first group that signed up and when it reached 30, started the second group. I happily added my name to the list. The blog address is: http://sisterhoodofthebloggingstampers.blogspot.com

I've been checking out others on the list and have found several wonderful women with awesome things to share--I am one very happy blogging stamper!

Thanksgiving Card for a Swap

I was kind of sad to give this card up because I liked it so much. The background paper is one I've had around forever and finally decided to use it and the stamps are from a clear set made by Fiskars. The leaves are die cuts from Cuttlebug and the strip behind the leaves is embossed (Cuttlebug again).

I've picked up a couple of Christmas paper slabs from assorted companies and have enjoyed playing with them in conjunction of my stamps. This card is for a swap I am participating in on Wednesday. It is from Splitcoaststampers' sketch challenges (I'll post the number later.)

It is official, I have kicked of my Christmas cards. Mostly I wanted to play with a technique called "spotlighting" I saw on Splitcoaststamers. I like a lot and will play with it a bit more, especially with the bow. I can't find the bow maker I bought from Marge so I am free-handing it again.

Last of the Halloween Cards

This is the last of the Halloween Cards for this year. If I don't get started on Christmas cards soon I'll run out of time. It was a simple card to make, only about 10 minutes once I had the cauldron and frog colored. I used Russ' colored pencils and gamsol to blend.

New Cards

Here are the cards made this month at Marge's. I really liked them all, especially the sunflower card.

Card Swap

I love card swaps at Marge's. Each person brings a card they made and exchanges it with the other participants. Here are they wonderful cards I got last night from Stephanie C., Donna S., and Rosemary S.

Bad to the Bone

I really like the combination of the Bad to the Bone stamp from Stampin' Up's Batty for You set and the bad stamp with flourishes I picked up at AC Moore. I need to find a better accent then the three black buttons but for the most part, I like the card.

School is back in session...

I knew it was coming but hoped I would be happier when it arrived...the dreaded first day of school. My crafting time is scarce and lesson plans are calling. I am going to Marge's on Thursday so at least I have something to look forward to. We are doing Christmas in July, Part 2.

Acetate Card

I used my pirate stamps for this card. It was hard to photograph because of the glare but I think it shows the basic idea.

Fiskar's Clear Stamps

I found a cute set of Halloween stamps at JoAnne's Fabrics the other day. They are a nice addition to my collection.

Punch Ring

Marge keeps track of her punches using a couple of pieces of plastic. I knew I needed to do something similar to keep track of what I have but I didn't have the plastic to make my own punch template. I came up with my "Punch Ring". I had a small stash of badge holders I had bought for school but never used. I added 3x3 pieces of black card stock and you can see what I ended up with. I like it a lot because it is small enough to pop in my purse when I am heading to Michaels, Joanne's or AC Moore's.

SC124 Continued...

I think I'm calling it quits on the SC124. I have a little work to do with the Christmas card but I really like the snowflake border and will work on the velum and stamped image. Something isn't quite right but it's getting there.

Shrink Film

I bought some shrink film last Saturday in Pennsauken, NJ, at the SSAT (http://www.stampscraparttour.com/) show. Tonight was the first I've played with it and was pleased to see they have improved on the Shrinky Dinks of my youth. I was able to use my heat gun with this, which made it convenient. I'm thinking a couple of earring backs and I'll have a cute set of earrings. I'm going to try a few images from my printer to see how they turn out.

You Tube

I think it is safe to say I have gone over the edge. I signed up for a You Tube account tonight because I wanted to be able to post a simple video clip of my waterfall card. Who knows what I'll post next.

My Puppies

This is an older page I did of my dogs, Mulder and Scully. Russ, my six year old, calls Mulder, the Chihuahua, "Murder".

This is the last card of the night. I really like the colors I used on this one. It is yet another Sketch Challenge (SC124). One more day of rain in the forcast so who knows what will follow.

Still raining a day later and I have to admit, still stamping. These are two more SC124 cards. I'm going for a baker's dozen. I may tackle one of my Christmas/Snowmen sets next.

Still raining...

It is still raining (my grass is in dire need of water so I'm not complaining) and I'm still stamping away. I made a second waterfall card that I am much happier with and then I started playing with a sketch challenge I need for Marge's September Stampin' Up class.

Marge is a Stampin' Up demonstrator who hosts an informal class in her home once a month. I've managed to make every class she has offered since April of 2006 with the exception of this July's (we were at Disney World). Not only do I enjoy learning new techniques but I love spending time with my paper crafting friends.

Back to the sketch challenge. Marge provided a simple sketch to each person at this month's class. The sketch is posted on www.spitcoaststamper.com. The challenge is to create a card following the sketch to be included in a swap in September. I continued on with the Halloween theme and completed the card posted here. It meets the criteria set out by the sketch but still needs a little work in the details, especially the web and spider. I really like the ribbon but need to make the spider "pop".

It is raining today, making it a perfect day to settle in an craft for the afternoon. I bought a cute set of stamps designed specifically for use in a flip card from Wendy Wyman of Repeat Impressions (www.repeatimpressions.com) at a stamp show in Pennsauken, NJ I was at yesterday. I adjusted the directions she provides on her website and added a few of the stamps I already had to create the background. The only thing I need to change is the length of the strip that creates the waterfall...it needs to be about a quarter of an inch longer.

This is one of my favorite pages I have done. The red paper had a leather texture to it and I found the subject mater adorable! I'm having a hard time believing he is six years old now and entering first grade in a few weeks.

I have been toying with the idea of a blog for awhile now and finally decided to take the plunge. I love to spend time scrapbooking and stamping in the quiet of my craft room or with the friends I have made along my paper crafting journey. I'll be posting some of my "creations" along the way as well as some of my favorite web sites and blogs.