Halloween Gifts for Teachers

Phew... I got all these made today in about 90 minutes. I know these sour cream container projects have been around , but do you know I had never made one? Now I've made 16 :) These were the easiest teacher gifts I have ever made. Each one holds a snack size packet of M&Ms (plain or peanut). Miss Joy, if you are reading this, place your order now :)

I'll take these to school in the morning for the secretaries, speech therapist, p.e. teacher, occupational therapist, all teachers & teacher assistants that work with my girls, and the bus driver and bus driver assistant.

I used last year's SU Halloween papers, SU scallop punch, crimper, and a QK die cut (pumpkin).

Happy Birthday & Many Thanks

I mentioned in an earlier post that we have a new Super JoAnn's here in the 'burg. They handed out $5 gift cards to the first 100 people to enter the store during 3 consecutive days. On the second day, I purchased a 12x12 of green lace cs, and Cloud 9 Design chipboard flowers, C9D floral cs stickers, and a C9D small paper pack. My total came to $10.09, so I used two gift cards and nine cents in cash. Using a few of the papers and a cs sticker, I created this birthday card for my friend, Macarena. (The sentiment is a QK die and the base cardis DCWV.) This is the OCC sketch from last week.

I also needed to make thank you cards for the birthday gifts I received after my birthday. I hope to mail these out today. Blog friends Lauren & Tracy, the surprise will be you don't know which one is yours :)

Feeling a little guilty about cutting into so many new sheets of paper, I used some scraps for this card.

Then I used the last bits of the dark brown papers to create this last card. Now I am out of that color. I will need to order a ream of chocolate chip cs from SU next month for sure! I can't get enough of it. I love it!

Upsy Daisy!

I finally finished these cards that I CASEd from my friend, Kaye. I ordered the SU stamp set in September, and I was waiting for my new SU large oval punch to arrive from my October order. The base cards are DCWV, the tri-layer is Basic Grey scraps, the ribbon is from Mike's, and the silver brads are MM. I used SU dimensionals to pop up the sentiment, though they look flat in the pic.

Very cool, huh?

Swirls & Swiss Dots

I needed to build up my Halloween stash again at Greenberry's Coffee & Tea. Lots of people purchase their cards at the last minute. Sometimes even the day after the holiday! I've sold 32 Halloween cards so far this year. (I sold 40 last year). There are only 4 cards left at each store, so I knew I had to brew up some more spooky goodness.

I purchased a 12x12 sheet of the dp when I was shopping with Leslie last Saturday. I printed off the computer 6 more quotes, "Things have not been the same since that house fell on my sister." I broke open my Queen & Co. orange and black mini brads. I used my swirls Cuttlebug embossing folder

with brads that had swirls. I used polka dot mini brads with the swiss dot embossing folder. The prima is by Bazzill, the purple cs is Bazzill, the rest of the cs is Bazzill bling. The base cards are DCWV. The haunted house is a QuicKutz die.

So after not being able to make any cards for over 2 weeks, I made 6 today :)

What Can Brown Do For You?

What Can Brown Do For You? Seriously, who doesn't love the UPS man? When I was a customer at local scrapbook stores, we held our breath every Tuesday to see what new product the UPS man was going to bring. What Can Brown Do For You? My girlfriend, Kendall, met her husband because he is the UPS man at the dental office where she works.

Let me digress a little...
Friday started out like Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. I was feeling very much like Alexander and I just wanted to move to Australia. (I loved that book when I was little; written by Judith Viorst.) Then I went to our brand new Super JoAnn's Fabrics & Crafts store that opened here in Leesburg on Friday, October 10th. This is the biggest event in Leesburg's history (post Civil War...LOL!) Of course we were in NC October 9th-13th. Waahaaahhhaa. I've been counting down the opening of this store for MONTHS. It is right outside my neighborhood! It is even closer than Mike's, which is a whole 2.1 miles away :) (ACMoore is 5 miles away.) We have a JoAnn's in Sterling, VA, which I avoid. It is always a mess and the parking lot is a nightmare. So I got to go to this brand spankin' new JoAnn's on Tuesday, October 14th. I think I'm in love...

They handed out $5 gift cards and 50% off coupons to the first 100 customers on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Yeah, I went all three days. Everything I purchased was 30%-50% off. I used the gift cards and I spent a total of nine cents cash :) I love getting new stuff, and free is always good (I think you will agree 9 cents is practically free.)

Now back to "What Brown Can Do For You":
I'm on my way home with a bunch of Cloud Nine Design product (for 9 cents!): papers, chipboard flowers, and prima stickers. I see the UPS man has brought me an Amazon.com box. Hmmm...I have not ordered anything...I turn it over and see:

Look at these new toys!!!

Wait, it gets better... a card from Lauren!

Now I have to deal with the throngs of people lined up for admission to see my Lauren card :)



Can my day get any better? Yeah, looky here:

The mailman brought me my first Kristie card...all the way from Australia :)

So maybe I don't need to move to Australia after all. I must be doing something right to have so much love coming all the way from NJ and Australia.

The weekend continued to be fabulous; on Saturday I met lovely blog friend, Leslie, for the first time IRL. Leslie lives in MD. We met at Angela's Happy Stamper in Reston, VA. We figured out it is ~30 minute drive for each of us. We went over to Mike's afterwards to use some 50% coupons. Then on Sunday, Tracy called me and I met her at our new JoAnn's. So yeah, I have been to JoAnn's 5 of the 6 days I've been back from NC. Admit it...you would too!

And gas prices continue to drop. I filled up at Costco for $2.50/ gallon! I never thought I'd be happy to see gas at that price; it's all relative.

I need a Score-It :)

I made these three projects a while ago, but I am illustrating them because: #1 To prove how much I NEED a Score-It :) and #2 I have not created anything in way way way too long :(

Both of these projects are made with chipboard, black cs, coin envelopes, luggage tags, black suede paper, various stamps, fibers, velcro dots, a button, brown paper lunch bags and Lumiere paints.

Project #3: Flag book using various stamps, mulberry paper, Yuzen paper, cs, fibers, beads, and punches.

You know you've had a busy week when...

I am writing today's post for my daughter, Julia.

You know you've had a busy week when...



You and your twin sister (front: left & middle) are honorary attendants in a wedding for your daddy's first cousin. Aren't we a good looking family? All of the girls dressed in the champagne dresses and OLIVE sashes are my second cousins.

It was lots of fun.

We came home late Monday night. On Tuesday I was at school and playing at the rice table. A piece of rice got stuck in my ear. This was very traumatic. The principal called my mom and asked her to come to school to help calm me down. My mom stayed with me for the rest of the school day, attending P.E., recess, and music with me. After music class my mommy took me to the ENT. I had to miss my horseback riding therapy! But the doctor took the rice out of my ear. Phew!

Then yesterday (Thursday) my mommy took me and Kathryn to the dentist. Daddy holds me down because Mommy isn't strong enough anymore. Mommy always worries that I won't open my mouth for the dentist. She is silly, because I am too busy screaming! After that, Mommy & Daddy treated us to Five Guys. Actually my Aunt Angela & Uncle James treated us because mommy paid using a gift card from Aunt Angela & Uncle James. Thanks! You guys are the best.


Finally, you know you've had a busy week when...

you fall asleep eating a yummy Five Guys' french fry :)

(Mommy forgot to use the flash.)

Eye Candy & New Toys

Great eye candy today!

These are the hand-made birthday cards I received from some of my stamping buddies. The top card is from Tracy, "Celebrate" is from Macarena, "Full Bloom" from Dora, and "You're On My Mind" from Kaye.

Seeing Kaye's Su Upsy Daisy card reminds me that I have 6 almost finished Upsy Daisy cards of my own in a pile on my stamp table. Hmmm...I think I can post them tomorrow...


These Memory Box paper packs and the MFT stamp set are what I picked up on Friday from Stamper's Alley. I have been eyeing these headless women stamps for a few months. I did purchase a set of MFT sentiments last August, but this is my first set of ladies.

And I picked this up from Mike's using a gift card I got for my birthday :) I've only poured over this beauty three times so far!

I'm Baaaaaaccckkk....kind of

We had a great time in NC for dh's cousin's wedding (Alice). I have not made anything since the cupcake card from last week, and it does not look promising in the near future...lots to catch up on.

We left for NC on Thursday almost as soon as the girls got off the school bus. We arrived at our destination at 11:45pm. On Friday morning, I went to Stamper's Alley in Mooresville,NC before attending the bridesmaid luncheon. (Don't I have my priorities straight?) I now have two packs of 6x6 dps and another MFT stamp set. Because I need paper :)

After the bridesmaid luncheon, the girl cousins (that would be me, for one) held a bridal shower for Alice. Then we went to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.

On Saturday, we dressed for pictures, then had the wedding and reception. LOTS of FUN!

On Sunday, we attended a brunch at dh's aunt& uncle's (parents of the bride). Then the four of us went to the Carolina Renaissance Festival. Dh and I used to go every year when we lived in Charlotte. Since moving to Leesburg, VA, we have attended one in MD, but we prefer the one in NC. Julia and Kathryn enjoyed it; especially the turkey legs. This is the first year that they rode a camel and an elephant (too afraid before now!)

I hope to post something soon. I have not visited blogs in at least a week. I promise to stop by soon! Thank you for your patience. I've missed you all :)

Hello, 42!

I have been waiting for this day my whole life. As of yeterday, I am now 42!!!

My birthday weekend started off great. I was carded to buy wine at Wegman's grocery store! (They now have a policy that they must card 100%, even if you look like you are 99 years old. But who cares? I got carded at the end of my forty-first year!)

You may know that I LOVE the REDSKINS. Wasn't that nice of them to win this week just for my birthday??? When I was little, my favorite players were Charlie Taylor, Sonny Jurgensen, and Billy Kilmer. Sonny wore #9, Billy wore #17, and Charlie wore...can you guess????...#42! I also remember when I had to memorize my multiplication tables, 6x7 was easy for me to remember.
So yesterday dh asked me what will I look forward to now that I am finally 42. Silly guy. Art Monk is my ALL TIME favorite Redskin. He was #81. I can look forward to being 81 :)

I actually made these cards last Friday. I pulled out my corregated paper that I purchased at Mike's a decade ago. Do they still sell it? Not that I want any! I have a drawer full. I have not used it in years, until this year. I used some on my Father's Day cards, then as this cupcake. See, it pays off to hoard sometimes :) Now I have used every bit of this Basic Grey dp too. Life is good...

I'll share my birthday cards from friends tomorrow.

Rated R Post...not for young readers

CAUTION: Not for young readers.

I am going to share my favorite Halloween joke:

Why can't ghosts have children?

Because they have hallow weenies!

I mentioned in previous posts that I did not attend any area celebrations of World Card Making Day on Saturday. I had a party of one (me...and I was very good company, if I do say so myself.)
I finished six of the cards in my previous post. They will go to my dh, my b-i-l, my grandpa, my f-i-l, and my dad. That takes care of all the masculine birthday cards I personally need for the next several months :)

After I finished those, I decided to make cards with my 6 remaining K&Co. die shapes. I made two of each of the last two cards you see here (just in case you think I can't count to twelve.)

On this last card I also added the glitter foam stickers from a package I bought at Mike's. You know the one I bought for the soul (a little Halloween humor there)purpose of using the purple houses to make three of these.

Good enough to sell? I am so happy I used that stash up :)

World Card Making Day, Party of One

I celebrated World Card Making Day by myself in my craft room. I wasn't quite alone, Oprah kept me company and I re-watched (okay re-listened) to Pushing Daisies (yea, Tracy! I am so glad to know someone else who watches this...I should have known; you & I like all the same shows) and a Burn Notice re-run. So I made a dozen cards in less than 4 hours AND cleaned up my dvr at the same time.

I actually started this card on Friday, but finished a set of six on World Card Making Day. The scalloped circle and circle punches, stamp, chocolate chip cs, and markers (I colored the candle and flame) are all SU! The mini brads are MM. The dps (I paper pieced the cupcake too) are all CTMH. Then I made 6 Halloween cards. I'll blog those tomorrow.

Hello, Blogfriends :)

I made a dozen cards today (4 designs). And now it is dark outside, so I will wait to take pictures in the morning. My inside pictures of cards are even worse than my outside pictures; trust me on this :)

I think I'll snuggle with dhDH (dear husband Doug Houck) and watch a movie on the dvr. We were able to watch "Pushing Daisies". We love that show! We are the only people I know that like it, yet it did return for season 2, so there must be others who like it and we just don't know who. Sadly, "Back to You" did not get renewed. Kelsey Grammer is so funny in that role. And "Men In Trees". Oh well. My favorite show at the moment is "Burn Notice", but we also watch (in no particular order): Monk, The Office, House, Ugly Betty, My Name is Earl, The Simpsons, Numbers, Medium, Without A Trace, Battlestar Gallactica, CSI:NY, Bones, Terminator:Sarah Connor Chronicles, Boston Legal (just me), Brothers & Sisters (okay, just me), Desperate Houswives (just me again), Oprah (yep, just me!). Looking forward to "24" starting soon!

I Wish You Hugs & Wishes...

not Bugs & Hisses :)

I don't know what to think of these two cards I made this morning. They seem so non-traditional with that blue. What do you think? Is it disconcerting for you as well?

Doesn't matter now...it is the best my brain could do today.
I want to use up all these K&Co. tags left over from last year's Halloween cards. Do you see the reverse dry-embossed swirls? I meant to do that. Yes, really. Stop laughing!!! The swirl in the tag and dp seems subtle to me, so I put the scrap of blue Bazzill in the e.f. upside down to be more subtle.

The blue cs here is also a scrap, but not Bazzill. The orange Bazzill came from my Mike's clearance 5x7 Bazzill pads. I don't have any of the super cool Halloween e.f.'s, so I opted for using my circles. I thought about stamping a background on the blue, but I didn't know if the pattern would show. I thought just the blue cs alone would be too plain.

Thanks for stopping by...I hope to see you tomorrow!

Check Off Christmas 2004

These were the 5 pics I had developed yesterday. Since I moved on to a new year I decided to change manufacturers as well. This is Basic Grey Blitzen dp.

I didn't really have a plan, and I actually started with the right-hand page. After I had the pictures down, I used QK Snow Angel Numbers to create "2004" from black glossy cs. I wanted braces around the year, but my chipboard ones were too large.
Then I noticed I had the negative image of braces from a SU! Simply Sent kit. They were cs stickers. I adhered the negative image on scrap black glossy cs, and cut them out.

Now for the left-hand page...I took the largest scraps of BG Blitzen and adhered them on the page. Then I glued on the family pic. Then I found a quote on the internet and printed it on the BG Blitzen blue dp.

Title? I have a blue "Christmas" laser cut I bought ~6 years ago. I traced it and cut it out with my Xacto knife. That took f o r e v e r. Then I used my QK Paige font to die cut "EVE".

Complete.

Maybe I'll get some 2005, 2006, & 2007 Christmas pics developed and be completely caught up...nah...I need to go back to Halloween cards right now.

Before you go, admire my beautiful Goddaughter, Shelby, on the top right hand corner of this page. She is also pictured with her little brother, Lance, below that picture (my cousin's children).

I'm in the pics on the left-hand side with my not so happy girls. Lots of stimulus going on during the holidays...it can be overwhelming for the little ones :)