Good Secret Stuff!

Good gifts continue today!! Goodness!! I don't want this to end ~ ~~ Golly!! This has just been great!

This fun package arrived today from my Supah' SCS DDSS ~ ~ in other words my current round secret sister. She has been just wonderful and I would love to thank her but I don't know her identity yet to actually thank!!

Check out my gallery here on SCS --- anything marked 'DDSS Round 7' has come from her ;o)

Thanks DDSS ;o)) I will soon know your 'true' identity and I can't wait for that time!! You have been soo much fun soo far to get to know thru your letters!

Stampnmad!! .... er not really!!

I could not be stamp n mad evah' after receiving a card like this in the mail ;o) I received this card today, 3-26, from SCS bogger Monika (Buzsy) for my birthday. It is sooo pretty! I just love the double mounted cut out flower with the silver brad added to the center. The bravo burgundy piece has a background stamp added to it as well...wow! Be sure to check out her blog when you have time!! Here is a link to her blog ~ ~

Thanks again Monika ~ ~ I appreciate you!!

Would you like to find out more about the SCS Blogger RAK Club??

Take a look here for all of the fun details!!

~TFL & Enjoy~

Gifts from Sista Mike

And the celebration continues!!! Check out this big ole' package of goodies that arrived the day before my birthday from my AZ Sista' Michaeleen, SCS'er (MissMike) ;o) Ohh wee!! It was soo fun to go thru her package as she was 'obvioulsy' taking notes as we were shopping in February in AZ!!!

Here is the 'big picture' .....

Now... let us zoom in and take a closer look at things here... The two picture frames ~ Take a look here at her frame in her gallery. That is one of hers all 'hansomed' up --- isnt it just awesome?? We were lookin' at these in Michaels when we were shopping.

Then in the center of the frames is a cuttlebug embossing die ~ how funny that we have been discussing those and I believe I even mentioned this was one of my favorite ones?!...

Then of course the center bag is a bag o' ribbon from the wall o' ribbon!!! OH GOLLY .... there has to be like 1000 and 1 yards in there all different kinds!!! Ohh wee!! Then she wrapped up some real purddy' pink chocolates ... mmm! .... maybe too perddy to eat??and there are some real purddy flowers --- Bazzill flowers to be exact! And look how they are all sooo organized ;o)) Sista' Mike knows how I love to be o' so organized!! ;o)Then check out the hardware hardware hardware!! She sent me some of the new Aarow hardware as well as some of the fun stuff from 'the alley' which is a little nook in the scrapbook store with 'good junk' ~ ~ ~ they will be fun on the frames don't cha' think?!?! *wink wink*

Whew ... and if there is any time left that I'm not a stampin' she also sent along a fun cookbook!! I've been telling her that I have been trying out fun new recipes that all involve a cake mix as the base of the receipe and the guys at work have been going crazy over them ... and they are sooo sooo simple to make!! So she has found me more fun and funky recipes to try out from this cookbook!! YEAH!!!!!

And to top it alll off....check out the cutest card she sent along with it all!!!

What another fun package indeedy do!! ;o)) Thanks soo much Sista for another memorable stampin' birthday!! No fair though ---- you need to come here to Iowa now to go shoppin' with me BEFORE your birthday --- cuz' how are you supposed' to drop hints to ME???? HUH??? lol *I'll figure somethin' out ..... humm....tapping finger on chin*

One to Remember ;o)

My birthday this year is definitely one to remember fer' sure ;o) When I got home from working an OT shift on Saturday, 3-25, my DH had brought the mail in and there were a few priority boxes sitting there with my name on them ;o) HOW FUN is that?? (tee hehe!) It was like 11:30 p.m. when I got home from work ... I shoudda' couldda' waited until 0000 hours on the 26th to open them ... but um... I didnt (rolling eyes & laughing) I had to open em' right then and there!!!

The first package I opened was from SCS'er Sheri (weavedreamer) ~ check out the awesome Friendship frame and matching card from her!! How awesome is this?!?! --- She says this is her first frame of this sort --- I'd say she is pro already then! WOW!! I absolutely LOVE the color combo here ~ too too cool....stunning as a matter of fact! You're a gem Sheri ~ THANKS SOO MUCH!!

The next package was from Dear Dear SCS'er TracyTripp (tracyltripp) whom I had as a secret sister in round 6 (last round)--- and here she is sending ME presents!! She even sent me a 'thank you' present after R6 ended ...what a sweetie she is!! lol She does such awesome stamping work ~ this fun package contained canvas frames to decorate, ribbon, tags, mini cards and envelopes, M&M's (oh she knows me soo well!) and an awesomely decorated 'delight in life' wrapped present --- look at all of that ribbon at the top --- wow!!!

Thanks sooo much Sheri and Tracy for thinking of me on my birthday ~ ~ your thoughts and stampin' gifts were soo thoughtful ~ ~ how awesome of both of you!! You helped to make my day extra special!!

Stampin' Huggs ~

~ ~ Over the TOP ~ ~

What a beautiful pocket card!!!

Here's the whole pkg all laid out together!! WOW!!

A mailbox full of chocolate? What could be better? How bout' a tin full of mini bars??!! She even sent me two extra mailboxes that are screamin' to be decorated and also an extra DVD tin too!!

Isn't this just the most beautiful you've seen? Yep!...it's alll mine ;o)) Jen even sent me one for me to decorate too!! Kewl!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Goodness! I think I won the Idaho lottery earlier this week here in Iowa!!! (and I don't even play the lotto!) This huge package arrived just the other day from my SCS'er friend Jen (scrapnstampin) --- holy moly!!! She has been busy ;o) Look at all them' creations!!! *whew* When I opened the box it *smelled* like chocolate ..... mmmm!!!

So I get this email a few days prior from USPS stating I have a pkg coming from her ... so I email her and say 'hey what cha' mailing me?' ... and she replies 'oh just swaps ~ got a jump start on them and got them in the mail to you' .......... so this woudnt sound so odd except I havent even posted the swap yet!!! LOL!! I thought WOW!! She really is on top of it!!! Little did I know I was about to be fooled BIG time!! ;o)

This is the 2nd year in a row that Jen has totally surprised me with birthday presents --- last year she even got fellow SCS'ers to send me birthday cards too --- what a sweetie she is!! Thanks sooo much Jen ~ I truly value our 'cyber' friendship! Someday we are gonna have to meet and ride our Harleys together ~ ~ We could do a "stamp n' ride" --- now that would be fun!!!! LOL ---well, you know, not at the same time, stamp and THEN ride!!!

Stampin' Huggs ~ ~

stampmaniac blogger!!!

Check out this cute cute card that I received in the mail today from Miss Donna thru the SCS Bloggers RAK group ;o)) She is known as 'dbaker3' on SCS! Here is a link to her gallery over on SCS ~

I love how Donna used a cream cardstock base and then sponged around the front sides of the card stock -- what a cute idea that adds a neat touch! The circles are sooo perfectly spaced both horizonally and vertically ~ wow! She popped up the center circle with stampin' dimensionals and then used a piece of caramel gingham ribbon between the two punched circles. It's just an awesome awesome card!!! --- and I absolutely love the canvas background on anything --- it looks great here!! Yeah!!

Take a peek at Donnas blog when you have a second --- it's a beauty ;o)) Here is a link:

http://www.stampamaniac.blogspot.com

Thanks again Donna for sharing your stampin' talents with me via snail mail!! It's just stunning! I appreciate you!!

~TFL & Enjoy~

Lori is Inking Aloud!!!

I received 'fun mail' today!!! It was an SCS Blogger RAK from Lori in MD. It is such a pretty pretty card ~ ~ soo springy ;o)

The base of the card is done in certainly celery with antique background done in certainly celery too. The word 'wonderful' is stamped in the lower right hand corner in close to cocoa. Then she took a piece of regal rose cardstock and did a super cool technique --- it's called faux suede!! What an awesome texture --- I just wanted to 'touch it' right away!! She then tied a piece of celery grosgrain around the bottom for the perfect finishing touch.

& Oh! Ahhh!! The trees are sooo beautiful!!! The little pink blossoms just pop and sparkle thanks to a little bit of clear ep!!! I wish the picture could show you!! This is such a fun stamp set!! Lori has really done some wonderful things here with it! She also added two cute flower brads to the card front too ~ ~ What a fun FIRST Blogger RAK card to receive!! Thanks soo much Lori ;o)) I had not seen the faux suede in person --- so this card really is extra special --- thanks soo much!!

Please go visit Loris blog ~ ~ ~ she actually talks about this card there too!!
http://inkingaloud.blogspot.com

Would you like to find out more about the SCS Blogger RAK Club?? Take a look here for all of the fun details!!

~TFL & Enjoy~

imagine.dream.create.

Happy St. Patty's Day to you ;o)

Many of you may have noticed that I have a new little fun 'watermark' that I have been adding to my uploads ---

Here is a closeup of the 'white' version:




I also have the darker version to use on lighter cards --- how fun!!!





I was 'blogging around' one evening when I found Cindy's blog 'imagine.dream.create.' and she actually designs these for anyone and everyone!! Just look for the info right at the top of her posts on her blog ~ ~ ~ She has an awesome worksheet with questions and ideas as well as frequently asked questions. She was really quick in responding to me and getting my design made up for me!! AND she was awesome about walking me thru questions as to how to actually apply it to my images too!!!

Sooo..... if you are looking to adding a fun watermark to your stamped images please check out her blog for all of the details!!! I am very happy with her work and would be happy to pass her name along to anyone that reads my blog ;o))

~Enjoy & TFL~

Sweet-n-Simple Make-n-Take

Here was a simple and sweet make-n-take that I did with my customers at the end of the SAB period in February --- this was a fun one and everyone did soo good ;o)

I owe a big thanks to SCS'er 'whoopsie daisy' for this fun and simple idea. I changed it just a bit to use with my group.

I had them stamp the On the Spot background on the front of the card first. Then I asked them to stamp the 'sweet stuff lollipop' on the front in basic black trying to center that and explaining that we didnt want to stamp too low as the punch needed to come in and punch OUT the lollipop but leave the 'sweet stuff' saying there. Then we made the square punch (hold the punch upside down for the most controlled punch -- you can see where you are going!). Next I had them punch the lollipop stamp again on green galore and cut out just the lollipop and adhere that to a stampin' dimensional and center that sideways in the square (with the cardfront closed). That's it for a fun and cute make-n-take card!!!

As always, here is the recipe:
Stamp Sets: Very Punny (SAB Free Set), On the Spot BG
Card Stock: (From Color Coach) Pink Passion and Green Galore
Stampin’ Pads: Pink Passion and Basic Black
Accessories: 1 ¼” Square Punch, Stampin’ Dimensionals


I'll soon be posting the cards that I am demo'ing this month --- what a fun Spring mini we have to work with!! Yeah SU!!!

~Enjoy & TFL~

*Cheers* to JanTink

Have I mentioned that JanTink is awesome? I just love her 'stuff' ...and her blog is absolutely, positively, boisterously entertaining .... every single entry is just a hoot to read!! Maybe someday I will get to meet her in person --- you know like a rock star!!! ;o))

So anywhoo ... I took inspiration from Jans card and used a stamp set that I had in my stash to demo this card! I wanted to feature Jan's punchy punch idea here as to how to make the background piece larger for placement behind the 'cheers' piece shown here.

Now this card is not the most perfect that I have done --- so please don't look too closely... promise?! lol This is one that I did at my last demo and once again I didnt take the five minutes I probably should have to line up my brad holes exactly the way I should have if I would have been sitting in my own stampin' space working on this one!!

Another *fun twist* I added to this demo was I asked one of my fun customers who I knew had the 'delight in life' stamp set to bring it along to the demo --- so I prepared the card stock ahead of time (cutting it, etc) for two cards ---one we did with the Delight in Life and one we did just like this one --- so they could see the same card layout but two different stamp sets --- two total different looks. That was fun!

I am really lovin' the "In Colors"!! What am I going to do when the new big catalog comes out?!!? Oh Dear!!! I don't even want to think about that yet ---- *sigh*

The picture really makes the grosgrain ribbon look dark -- but it's really the Chocolate grosgrain!!

Here is the usual 'recipe' if you are interested ~ ~ :

Stamp Sets: The Snowflake Spot
Card Stock: Cool Caribbean, Naturals White, Old Olive, Regal Rose, Marigold Morning
Stampin’ Pads: Chocolate Chip, Cool Caribbean, Old Olive, Regal Rose, Marigold Morning
Accessories: Chocolate Grosgrain, 1/14 Circle Punch, Keytag Punch, Ticket Corner Punch, Gold Brads

~Enjoy & TFL~

Touch of Nature a la carte

Here is another card that I did for my 2nd round of February SAB demos! I absolutely loved the card that the famous SCS'er atomicbutterfly did, and I wanted to try and somewhat re-create that but also I wanted to use the Leaves a la carte jumbo wheel from the winter mini.

I started out by stamping the Print Pattern background stamp on the Naturals Ivory carstock using So Saffron ink. Then I used the Mellow Moss Jumbo Wheel Cartridge and the Leaves a la carte Jumbo Wheel and lined this up across the cardstock at an angle with a piece of the wheel guide --- that works really slick! I punched a hole in the upper top left-hand corner for the ribbon, pulled the ribbon thru and the background piece is done!

I then stamped the Touch of Nature bird on Naturals Ivory cardsock and used assorted stampin pads (So Saffron, Always Artichoke, Close to Cocoa, Sahara Sand) and the aqua painter to color him in.

As a side note: For those of you who have not used the aqua painters before ~ they are just wondeful! Consider it like 48 colorful pens in ONE pen!! Just take your stampin pad and while it is closed, squeeze the lid to the pad. Now open it --- see how you have some ink on the inside of the lid? Use this as your color palete to pickup some color with your aqua painter full of just plain tap water from your faucet! Then start 'painting' away --- picking up more color as you need it!

Once the bird and branch was 'painted', I fanned my piece of cardstock thru the close to cocoa stampin pad to color each of the four edges of the cardstock. I then also used a piece of a sponge and sponged the edges just to add a bit more of color to that piece as well --- also using Close to Cocoa. I layered this on a piece of always artichoke cardstock.

Next I used the paper piercing tool out of the Crafters Tool Kit and pierced a straight line across the bottom of piece of Kraft card stock. (I just love the template that comes with this to make the straight lines soo possible!!) I stamped the sentiment above my piercing and then sponged this piece of cardstock too!

Then I simply taped all of the pieces to the card front and whoola!! On one card, I did vary where I put the ribbon --- I punched the hole and put it in the kraft piece, to the left side of the Touch of Nature Stamp and it looked pretty cool there too!

Here again is the 'recipe':

Stamp Sets: Touch of Nature, Print Pattern, Leaves a la carte Jumbo Wheel (Winter Mini)
Card Stock: Always Artichoke, Naturals Ivory, Kraft
Stampin’ Pads: So Saffron, Mellow Moss Jumbo Wheel Cartridge, Basic Black, Always Artichoke, Close to Cocoa, Sahara Sand
Accessories: Crafters Tool Kit (paper piercing), Moss Gingham Ribbon, 1/16” hole punch, aqua painter, sponge, wheel guide

~Enjoy & TFL~

Happy Birthday Dearie!!

This was one of the cards that I demo'd late in February. I had two groups of gals that actually got together twice last month to take advantage of the SAB promo so I had to quickly come up with a few new ideas for them ~ and this one was one them ;o) I had my DH birthday in mind when I was thinking about this too. But I must give credit to SCS'er AmyR for this awesome layout ~ Many Thanks Amy!! I changed her 'thank you' card into a 'guys birthday card'. I never seem to have enough 'guy cards' on hand!!

I used the Color Coach to come up with my card stock colors for this card. The base is Old Olive, topped with a Bravo Burgundy base. The truck is framed in More Mustard, Old Olive and Naturals White.

The stamp sets I chose were Classic Pickups, Flannel Plaid BG and Everyday Flexible Phrases.

The Stampin’ Pads I used included Bravo Burgundy, More Mustard, Basic Black, Old Olive. When I colored in the pickup I used the Aqua Painter --- what a fun and handy tool that is!!

Other accessories included: Linen Thread, Copper Cord, Vintage Brads, Stampin’ Dimensionals, 1/16” Circle Punch and the Tag Corner Punch.

~Enjoy & TFL~

GOT BAGS!!!! ---- WILL SEND!!!!

Guess what I also brought home from with us from AZ??? The little tea bags!! (If you are not familar with these --- please read my blog entrys from December 15 ~ January 2 and January 15 to bring you up to speed) My parents had picked these up for me and had them in the motorhome and were not going to be coming home till April but since we were out there I just stuck them in our bags before we boarded the plane to come home!

I had stated that I would be happy to just charge you what my parents had paid for them -- plus actual shipping. Well, they are cheap cheap cheap!! They cost $.0157 per bag when bought in the bundle!!!

I did a little figuring tonight and I can get 100 MAXIMUM in a flat rate priority envelope --- and those are $4.05 each for postage. Sooo for 100 it would cost $1.57 for the bags and $4.05 for the postage = $5.62 total. If you want to do less than 100, that is fine too....but do you have a stampin' friend to split them with? Even bettah' huh? LOL

If you are interested in more than 100 we can easily do another size of priority box that is bigger with no problem ~ ~ ~ right now I have 500 bags to sell. If you Ladies wipe me out of the 500 my parents are more than happy to pick more up for me before they leave AZ -- but those won't be back here to Iowa till the 2nd week of April or so but I would then be happy to get them out to you then ----

If you are interested, please reply to this thread so then everyone knows by looking who is interested and in how many. Then, also, reply to me HERE in an email titled TEA BAGS with your name and how many you would like and I will reply back to you with my snail mail addy so you know where to send your $$.

Bags will then be sent out in order that the $$ is received at my house. I will keep updates on here so everyone knows how many bags are left ~ ~ ~

Many Stampin' Thanks!!!

Sistas ~ Teresa & Michaeleen

So I had a wonderful time seeing Michaeleen in AZ recently --- and I thought that I must come home and post a pic of us on my blog ;o) That's me on the left and Michaeleen on the right -- So Sorry about the dang menu sticking up in MissMikes face there ---I handed the camera to Mom to snap this pic --- she was concentrating on the camera and not on everything else I guess ~ LOL! We had a great day of shopping together ~ but the time just went by too too quickly! We are already planning our next outing in 2008 ---back to AZ my DH will go --- but for this time it will be a longer visit --- fer sure' ;o))

Dang Sista' --- We left just in time to miss one snow storm but came back *just in time* to get in on another *even bigger* snow storm --- suppose you could bottle up some of that warm sun and send er' my way?! perddy please?!?! :o))) ....with sugar on top??!! hehe