Trees Three if You Please ...

Happy Thursday, crafty stampers ... hope your week is flying by!

If you haven't guessed from the above photo, today's card project is a Christmas card. I have vowed to make 200 holiday cards between now and December 15 in an effort to actually get some of them in the mail. Yup, that would be a Christmas miracle!

Here's this week's clean and simple holiday miracle card:

This card was created with the wildly popular Stampin' Up set, "Trees Three." It's been retired for some time but people are still paying outlandish prices for these on eBay. Truth is, I think this set is more popular now than it was when it was originally released! By the way, if you're in the market for this set, I could be persuaded to sell mine ... just sayin'.

For the ginormous view of my card, clicky on the photo ... and for all of the heart-pounding product info, check out the Card Recipe, below.

So, since Sheila left for Wisconsin, I've been pickin' up a few hours of babysitting with Reid-the-Wild-Child.

So, yesterday, when Sheila's insane wacky sister, Jill, stopped by with her equally insane wacky boyfriend, Jack, I figgered they were there to relieve me.

"Oh, no, Deb," Jill said, "we're just here for moral support."

Great. That's what I needed: moral support.

"Well, duh, don't forget about the gift for Reid." Jack offered.

At word of presents, Reid hurried into the kitchen to see what he'd scored.

"Here ya go, big guy," Jack said, handing over a small package, "hope you can use these!"

Reid tore into the package ... and pulled out a pair of 'C' size batteries.

"Umm, thank you very much. But ... what do I do with these?" Reid asked.

"Geez, I dunno, kid" Jack replied, "don't you have some toys that need batteries?"

Thanks so much for spending part of your busy day with me ... you rock!

~Hugs,


Today's Challenges:

• Cards for Men: Christmas in July
• Catch the Bug: Christmas in July
• Christmas Cards All Year Round: Anything Goes
• Christmas Stampin' All Year Long: Free Challenge
  
• Drunken Stampers: Water (Snow = Frozen Water)
  
• Fab 'n' Funky: It's Christmas!
  
• Freshly Brewed: Christmas in July
• Fussy and Fancy Friday: Christmas in July Part 2
  
• Little Red Wagon: Use a Tree
  
• Magical Crafts: Christmas in July
  
• Paper Cutz: Christmas in July
  
• Shabby Tea Room: Christmas in July
  
• Squigglefly: Christmas in July
  

Card Recipe:

• Card Stock: "Buckaroo Blue" (Retired), "Chocolate Chip," and "Very Vanilla" Card Stock by Stampin' Up
• Stamps: All Stamps from "Trees Three" Stamp Set (Retired) by Stampin' Up
• Ink: "Buckaroo Blue" and "Chocolate Chip" Dye Ink by Stampin' Up
• Accessories: Satin Ribbon
• Tools: Die-Cut Machine; Stampin' Dimensionals and SNAIL Adhesive by Stampin' Up
• Finished Size: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" (Top-Folded)
  

Simply Christmas ...

TGIF stampin' paper-hoarders and welcome to the weekend! And, since it's finally another Friday, it's time for another "Stamp Simply" challenge!

One week a month, Sharon turns one of the DT members loose and let's us pick the challenge. This time around, it's my turn! And since I ♥ Christmas ... and since most of the country is suffering a heatwave, I've chosen "Christmas in July." So, this week create a Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa project ... the more festive, the better!

Pop in a holiday CD and break out the snowflake dies! Why not get a jump-start on your holiday card-making and play along.

Here's my super-simple, punchy Christmas card:

To play along ... and we hope you do! ... simply create a holiday project, upload it to your blog or online photo gallery, then visit Sharon's blog, located HERE to link up your project in Mr. Linky, located HERE.

When uploading to an online gallery, such as Splitcoast Stampers, SNR, or Paper Craft Planet, please use keyword: "ssnotime147" so that we can find your holiday project.

Need more inspiration? Don't miss the fabulous projects created by the rest of the "Stamp Simply" team:

Barbara Anders: Paper Pursuits;

Jenny Gropp: One Krafty Kat;

Sharon Johnson, Our Fearless Leader: No Time to Stamp?;

Janine Orchard: 2BKrafty;

AJ Otto: The Willow Garden;

Deb Saaranen: Dream in Color;

Barb Schram: Explore. Dream. Discover.; and our fabulous Guest Designer for July,

Clare Buswell: Clare's Creations.

If you'd like, you can see all the Splitcoast Stamper gallery submissions, HERE.

Sooooooo in keeping with the holiday theme, yesterday Sheila, her not-playing-with-a-full-deck fun sister, Jill, and I went out to our favorite tree nursery. We went looking for Foxtail Palms, but somehow ended up looking at baby pine trees.

"Oh, girls, I think we should get our Christmas trees now!" Jill exclaimed.

"Oh, Jill, I think NO." Sheila mimicked.

"But why not?" Jill persisted.

"Because Ms. Fruit-Loops, it's July ... and these are BABY trees, that's why." Sheila answered.

"Well, yeah, they're kinda small right now, but if we buy them now, they'll be huge at Christmas!" Jill replied.

Thanks so much for spending part of your busy day with me ... hope you have a fabulous weekend!

~Hugs,


Today's Challenges:

• ABC Christmas Challenge: Noel
  
• Cards for Men: Christmas in July
• Christmas Cards All Year 'Round: Anything Goes
• Christmas Stampin' All Year Long: Free Challenge
  
• Corrosive Challenge: Christmas in July
• Die Cut Dreams Christmas Club: Christmas Wreath
  
• Flourishes Timeless Tuesdays: Christmas in July
• Fussy and Fancy Challenge: Christmas in July
  
• Incy Wincy Designs: Punches (Pine Bough Punch)
  
• Meljen's Designs: Circles Galore (Wreath)
  
• Pile It On: My Favorite Things (Christmas!)
• Simple Doodles: Holiday Fun
  
• Stampin' B's Design Team: Polka Dots (On Wreath)
• Winter Wonderland: T'was The Night Before Christmas
  

Card Recipe:

• Card Stock: All Card Stock by Stampin' Up
• Stamp: Sentiment from "Christmas Foliage" Stamp Set (Retired) by Stampin' Up
• Ink: "Real Red" Dye Ink by Stampin' Up
• Accessories: Red Satin Ribbon
• Tools: Bow Easy by Stamp Simply Ribbon Store; Pine Bough Punch by Martha Stewart; SAMJ by Stampin' Up; Tombow Mulit Mono-Glue from Stampin' Up; SNAIL Adhesive by Stampin' Up; Crop-a-Dile and Corner Chomper by WRMK'ers
  
• Finished Size: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" (Top-Folded)
  

Merry Christmas, Stampers!

Happy Holidays, everyone!

As most of you know, I've been taking a bloggin' break due to some pesky health concerns. Hopefully, I'll be back to bloggin' full-time early next year.

And warm thanks to everyone who sent me beautiful cards, happy emails, and posted kind comments here. I so appreciate everyone of you and all your kindnesses!

I couldn't let the holidays arrive without posting "Merry Christmas" and "Happy Hannukah" wishes to all of you. May you all enjoy a very happy holiday season and a healthy, prosperous, and blessed 2010.

My holiday card was created with Whisper White and Always Artichoke card stock, patterned paper by BasicGrey, a sparkly snowflake ornament, and a glue-and-glittered brad.

The sentiment is from a long-retired Stampin' Up set entitled, "Christmas Foliage." I've always loved this set and am so glad that I held on to it for all these years ... it's so old, it's new again!

I miss all of you and hope to be back to full-time blogging soon. Oh, Sheila says "hello and Happy Holidays" to all of you, too. Yes, of course she'll be back, too ... whether she wants to or not.

~Hugs & Holiday Wishes,

• Card Stock: Whisper White and Always Artichoke Card Stocks by Stampin' Up
• Designer Paper: BasicGrey
• Stamp: Sentiment from "Christmas Foliage" Set (Retired) by Stampin' Up
• Ink: Always Artichoke Dye Ink
• Accessories: Snowflake Ornament by Target; Brad, Unknown; Sea Green Ultra-Fine Glitter; Stampin' Dimensionals
• Tools: Perfect Layers Tool (Retired) by Stampin' Up
  

Delightfully Red Decorations ...

Happy Friday, Stampers!

Today's card project was created for SCS's "Was To Use It" challenge, WT235, "Revved Up for Red."

For all the challenging deets, clicky HERE. To go straight to the WT235 card gallery, clicky HERE. For the ginormous view of my card, clicky on the photo.

I stamped my ornaments, from Stampin' Up's new "Delightful Decorations" stamp set, punched them out with the matching "Ornament" punch, and mounted them on my card base using foam dimensionals. The sentiment, from Stampin' Up's "Sincere Salutations" stamp set was stamped using SU's retired "Riding Hood Red" dye ink.

Soooooo, the other day I was hangin' out at Sheila's when Reid-the-Wild-Child arrived home from school. Sitting at the counter eating his after school snack, Reid held up his middle finger and asked us what it meant.

Sheila was so shocked that the best she could manage was, "Shame on you," followed by, "If anyone does that to you, just say, 'Shame on you' to that person."

Last night, Sheila invited the DH and I over for some of her world class ribs and while we were at the dinner table, Sheila's DH, Ken, let out a huge ... ummm ... belch. Sheila blushed and immediately scolded him saying, "Shame on you."

Reid-the-Wild-Child turned to his Dad, held up his middle finger, and exclaimed, "Don't worry, Mommy, I'll give Daddy the 'shame on you' sign!"

Thanks for swinging by and have a great weekend!

~Hugs,

• Card Stock: "Riding Hood Red" and "Very Vanilla" Card Stock by Stampin' Up
• Designer Paper: BasicGrey
• Stamps: "Delightful Decorations" and "Sincere Salutations" Stamp Sets by Stampin' Up
• Ink: "Riding Hood Red" Dye Ink by Stampin' Up
• Accessories: Gold Cord; Grosgrain Ribbon
• Tools: Ornament Punch by Stampin' Up; Key Tag Punch by Stampin' Up; 1/16" Circle Punch by Stampin' Up; Star-Shaped Punch; Foam Dimensionals; SNAIL Tape Runner; Stamp-A-Ma-Jig
  
• Finished Size: 5 1/2" x 4 1/4"
  

To purchase Stampin' Up! products, click HERE.

Holiday Wishes ... And Fishes!

Happy Friday, Stampers!

I love, love, love this cute craft stamp from Janlynn's Stamps Happen, Inc.! This is one of their newest holiday craft stamps; to see THIS stamp, clicky HERE. To see the entire Stamps Happen holiday stamp collection, clicky HERE. For the ginormous view of my card, clicky on the photo.

I stamped my image three times; twice on DP and once on card stock, then paper-pieced the gift boxes over the image stamped on card stock.

I colored the cute l'il bird with Copic markers, matted it, and adhered some very old stripey DP to my card base. I added some Prima holiday flowers and holiday brads and finis! So easy, even I could do it!

For the rest of the joyful product info, check out the supply list, below.

Sooooooooooo, yesterday Sheila and her DH took the day off to do some fishing. Wait. That's not right. No, Ken took the day off to go fishing, and Sheila whined and complained so much, that he grudgingly agreed to take her with him.

All I had to do was pick up Reid-the-Wild-Child at the bus stop, bring him home, then stay with him till Sheila and Ken returned.

When they returned, Sheila looked miserable ... whereas I was fresh-as-a-daisy from two + hours with the Wild-Child ... yeah, right.

"Why so glum, Chum*? Didn't you two have fun?"

"Oh, everything went wrong, Deb. First Ken said I talked so loud that I would scare the fish. Then he said I was using the wrong bait, and then that I was reeling in too soon."

"Oh, well, you know how men are about fishing," I said.

"Yeah, and I guess I could live with that, but then, to make matters worse, I was the only one catching any fish!"

*A fishing pun!! Yeah, Sheila didn't get it either ...

Thanks for coming by ... and hey, why not go fishing with your DH this weekend!?!

~Hugs,

• Card Stock: Stampin' Up
• Designer Paper: "Wassail" Collection by BasicGrey; "Candy Striped" by Provo Craft
• Craft Stamp: "Christmas Bird and Gifts" by Janlynn's "Stamps Happen, Inc."
• Ink: "Tuxedo Black" Memento Dye Ink by Tsukineko
• Color Medium: Copic Markers
• Accessories: Prima Flowers; Christmas Brads
• Finished Size: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"
  

That's Me: Merry and Bright ...

TGiF Stampers!

Today's holiday card project was created using this brand-spankin' new craft stamp from Janlynn's "Stamps Happen, Inc." You can see this adorable craft stamp HERE.

And just between us, I think that Stamps Happen holiday craft stamps are among the most wonderful holiday stamps available! To see the rest of the gorgeous Stamps Happen holiday stamps, clicky HERE.

This quick card design is perfect for assembly line card-marking. You could easily put together 20 or 30 of these cards in just an hour or two. Seriously!

I paper-pieced my 'present,' but you don't have to if saving an extra step is important to you. It's adorable either way.

For all of the exciting product info, check out the supply list, below.

Sooooooooooo, last night Sheila and I went out to our favorite restaurant for dinner. We had to wait for a table, so we took a seat at the bar.

A very elderly gentleman, well dressed, well groomed, wearing a great-looking suit ... with a flower in his lapel and smelling slightly of after-shave, walked in and sat down next to Sheila.

After a moment, he turned to her and said, "So, tell me, do I come here often?"

Have a fantastical weekend!

~Hugs,

• Card Stock: "Always Artichoke" Card Stock by Stampin' Up!
• Designer Paper: "Figgy Pudding" Collection by BasicGrey
• Craft Stamp: "Merry and Bright" by Janlynn's Stamps Happen, Inc.
  
• Ink: "Tuxedo Black" Memento Dye Ink by Tsukineko
• Tools: Die-Cut Machine by Provo Craft; Nestabilities Dies by Spellbinders; Spiral Punch by Stampin' Up!; Corner Rounder Punch by CarlaCraft; Foam Tape; Scotch ATG 714 Adhesive
• Finished Size: 5 1/2" x 4 1/4"
  

Joyful Trees ...

Yay, it's Monday again; hope your weekend was fantastical!

Today's card project was created for SCS's "Ways to Use It" challenge, WT226, "Christmas in July."

I created my holiday card for the challenge with this fun craft stamp, Joyful Trees, from Stamps Happen, Inc. by Janlynn. Clicky HERE to take a look at this kewl stamp. And while you're there, don't forget to check out Janlynn's "Christmas in July" sale ... it ends tomorrow! Clicky HERE to go right straight to the sale.

I paper-pieced the image using DP from Daisy D's "Snowflakes & Holly" collection, die-cut some l'il stars, and added some grosgrain ribbon. Easy-peasy!

For all the Christmas in July challenge deets, clicky HERE. To go straight to the Christmas in July card gallery, clicky HERE. For the ginormous view of my card, clicky right there on the photo.

For the rest of the joyful product info, check out the supply list, below.

So, this weekend, Sheila called me and begged me to take Reid-the-Wild-Child off her hands for an hour or seven.

"Goin' shopping?" I asked.

"No, no, nothing like that. I have a splitting headache and the aspirin bottle says, "take two aspirin and keep away from children."

"But, but, but ..." I sputtered.

Yup, I lost that argument ...

~Hugs,

• Card Stock: Stampers Select White by Papertrey Ink; Always Artichoke by Stampin' Up!
• Designer Paper: Snowflakes & Holly Collection (Retired) by Daisy D's
• Craft Stamp: "Joyful Trees" from Stamps Happen, Inc. by Janlynn
• Ink: "Tuxedo Black" Memento Dye Ink by Tsukineko
• Accessories: Grosgrain Ribbon by Stampin' Up!
• Tools: Die-Cut Machine by Provo Craft; Long Rectangle Die by Spellbinders; Snowflake #2 Die by Provo Craft; Scotch ATG 714 Adhesive; Foam Tape
• Finished Size: 7 1/2" x 5"
  

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow ... at Your House

I'm sending lots of snowy wishes your way ... 'cuz I know how much you Northerners l-o-v-e snow. But that's not the only reason. The other reason is that today is "National Good Neighbor Day," and I'm just tryin' to be a good neighbor!

ONward H-C-M's:

Today's card project was created for Allison's "Suggestive Sunday" blog challenge. This week, Allison challenged us to create a paper project using a snowman. I'll bet you didn't see that coming, huh?

I stamped my image on Vintage Cream card stock, and colored Mr. Snowman in with Copic markers. Notice my intricate and subtle shading here ... LOL! Right; the Copic's and I are barely speakin' these days.

I embossed my background card stock, added some red Stickles to his buttons and drew a horizon line with a black pen. The red patterned paper is actually half of an A•Muse "Kitchen" note card and I die cut some funky green 'trees' to embellish the note card paper.

There is a ton of super-fine snow glitter on this card and no matter how many different photos I took, I could NOT get it to show up ... nor the Copic W1 shadow under the snowman ... just let's pretend you see 'em, okeedokee?!?

Easy-peasy-snowman-easy!

So, the DH is building a hurricane-shutter-storage-box-thingie and asked me if I wanted to run down to the local Home Depot with him. Never one to miss an opportunity to get free paint sample cards and Formica chips, I agreed.

While the DH was talking boards with the nice man in the orange apron, a guy walked up and said, "S'cuse me, but I need some four-by-twos."

The clerk said, "You mean two-by-fours, don't you?"

The guy said, "I'll go check," and walked away. He returned a few minutes later and said, "Yeah, I meant two-by-fours."

"Alright. How long do you need them?"

The man paused, then said, "A long time. We're gonna build a house."

Seriously; I was there! Completely true ... the unadulterated truth. Hey, I can't help it if funny things happen all around me ... all the time ... can I? It must be a funny-karma thing ... plus my name, Deb, means "she who causes laughter everywhere she goes," in ... some other language ... I think.

~Hugs,

• Card Stock: Bazzill Basics; Papertrey Ink
• Patterned Paper: A Muse Kitchen Note Cards
• Stamps: Snowman by Gina K. Designs; Sentiment by Papertrey Ink
• Ink: Black, Archival by Ranger; Cranberry, Close to My Heart
• Accessories: Copic Markers; American Craft Pen; Shimmer Brad by Making Memories; Stickles by Ranger; Super-Fine Glitter by Stampendous
• Tools: Die-Cut Machine; Cuttlebug A2 Embossing Folder; Spellbinder's Dies; Cuttlebug Die; Dimensionals; Scrap Fusion PA

Christmas in July ... a Blog Challenge Entry

Now here's a sobering thought: Christmas Eve is exactly 21 weeks away!

Today's card was created for Sharon's "Stamp Simply" blog challenge. This week, Sharon's theme is, not surprisingly, "Christmas in July." And while this project doesn't look to be "simply stamped," it really is! No, really; would I lie to you?!?

I stamped my image, by Stampers Anonymous, three times; each time changing the ink color. Then, I simply cut my images apart and put them back together. I mounted three of the cut-outs on dimensionals; the other three are glued directly down to the card stock.

Because this kewl image has such a vintage look, I sponged each element fairly heavily with fluid chalk inks.

Finally, I double-matted my stamped image and tied some jute around the fold. Not a 15 minute project, but definitely easy-peasy ... and a project that gives you the false sense of security that comes with thinking that you've already gotten started on your holiday cards!

Thanks so much for spending part of your busy day with me!

~Hugs,


Supplies ~ Card Stock: Bazzill; Stamp: Stampers Anonymous; Inks: "Blazing Red," "Ultramarine," and "Olive Green" Staz-On by Tsukineko, "Chestnut Roan" and "Creamy Brown" Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink by Clearsnap; Fiber: Natural Jute; Adhesives: Black Dimensionals, Unknown, Scrap Fusion PA by Ivy Scraps