Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I spent New Year's evening at my brother's apartment, with both my brothers and some of my brother's friends. Hope you enjoyed yourself where-ever you were! I go back to school tomorrow (I am dreading having to wake up at 5:50 am again, after having slept in almost everyday of my 1 1/2 weeks off!). It only took me a short while to get ready to go back to school today, and then I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening stamping! I started off with some SU! stamps, but then switched to bellas for the rest of the day. I used some old favorites and some that I've never even inked before!

My first card uses Huggybellas. I've had them awhile, but never used them, so today was the day to break 'em out. Paper is by MM, sentiment stamp is a clear stamp from Hero Arts. The layout for the card is highly inspired by Amy R (her blog is Praire Paper and Ink).

This next card uses Javabellas. This is inspired by a SCS Bella Sketch. Sentiment is the same Hero Arts clear stamps. Red ribbon is from the massive roll that Sara got at G and G a long time ago (yes, Sar, I still have them! :) )

I used an old favorite on this card...tinkerbella. I just love her! Paper is Mellow by Basic Grey. Sentiments are an old SU! set.


This final card was actually one of the first cards I made today. The layout is highly inspired by Kendra (her blog is called Inkin' It Up!). The stamp set is You Take the Cake by MFT. I always skip over the extras in the set, because I love the images with the headless girls. This flower cake is really cute!

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Loving This Color Combo!

I spent most of today stamping! I made most of my cards with this color combo: bashful blue, almost amethyst, sage shadow, not quite navy, tempting turq, and elegant eggplant. The colors look so pretty together for winter themes. I made a few wintery thank you cards to send out to some people for Christmas gifts. These are 2 of those. The first card uses Hot Stuff my MTF. The second card uses Baby it's Cold outside by MFT also. This is my kit from Paper Pretties for November, which just came in the mail yesterday. I really love the snowman image! I am not sure if this is the way the card should look from the kit, but I couldn't get the picture of the sample (because I've lost my username and password for the website!), so I improvised. I am pretty happy with it. I really like the Bazzill metallic luster cardstock that the main image is stamped on, the markers look beautiful on it. I may have to search for some more...

But I Need It!

Hi! Merry belated Christmas! Hope you had a wonderful day. It was a lot of fun here, but also a bit weird. It was our first Christmas without my older brother here early in the morning. He moved out last January...it was kinda sad, but then he came over in the afternoon and we all realized why he NEEDED to move out! (If you know Robby, you'll understand!).
Today I was able to spend some time stamping. I broke out one of my new Hanna stamps. Her dress and her shopping bags are all paper pieced with Basic GreyPerhaps. The rest of her was colored with SU! markers.
My second card uses Cruisebella. I haven't used my bellas lately, and decided to pull out my binder to play around. I "followed" the SCS Sketch Challenge 156 for this card. I love the saying on this card...
Our NC family is coming up to stay for awhile tomorrow...we are gearing up for Round 2 of Christmas. Wish me lots of luck!

Out Sick Today

Hi! I was out of work today because of a nasty cold I have again. I thought I'd had my winter cold in November, but it seems like that wasn't the last of it. My kids had their holiday party today, which I feel awful for missing, but I know I wouldn't have been able to make it through another day, since Monday and Tuesday were really tough. Since I was instructed (by my Mom :) ) to take it easy and not move around much, I spent a large part of the afternoon at my desk making some Christmas cards.

I made these 3, plus one more which is very similar to the "Let it Snow" but uses the "Happy Holidays" stamp from the SU! set "Big on Christmas". The Merry Christmas card and Believe in Miracles card are both made with Elzybells stamps. I am going to get these written up and then mailed to some friends for Christmas.

Tomorrow I am heading back to work, because I can't take another day off..one was bad enough, especially with our Winter break coming next week. Plus, I really do miss my kids!

Much love, enjoy Christmas, I probably won't get to post again.

Merry Early Christmas!

Hi all!  Took me awhile to upload this because I am having some difficulty uploading photos to my blog. This past August, my Dell laptop crashed on me, and I decided to buy an Apple laptop, since that is the operating system I use at school. I love it, but I am having trouble with iPhoto (the truth is I need to learn how to actually use it, rather than learning through trial and error), and it wouldn't let me put the photos on the blog.  At last, I figured a way, which was a bit complicated, but worked for today! 

This card is the card my Mom and I designed for our annual Christmas card.  My Mom fell in love with this SU! set, and we decided to use it. We had to make a lot of cards, and were running a bit last minute, so we kept it pretty simple.  The main image is colored with an Aquapainter and Watercolor Crayons.

One week of school is left for me before Christmas break! Yay, I can't wait for the time off and the chance to visit friends and family over the holidays!  Enjoy December, it seems like this holiday month flies by! :)

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, one day late! Hope you enjoyed the turkey day, and were able to spend time with those who you are most thankful for. Some of my family is here visiting from NC, so it was a busy day with lots of family. My Grandparents are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary today, and we are having a big party for them tomorrow (hence why some family is here). I just put together this card using Baroque Motifs as an anniversary card, I love it's elegance. I embossed the swirls with a rich chocolate brown EP. I am a bit annoyed that the cherish came out a bit lopsided, but I was not redoing it, so I am living with it!

The second card uses the Perfect Princess set. When SU! first came out with the new catalog, my Mom and I placed a HUGE order of stamps, but I didn't really get around to using many of them. Here is my attempt with this pretty set.

We are getting ready to go to dinner at Famous Daves in a few moments. I am not really looking forward to it because I didn't really like the food last time, but majority rules in this household, and I was out voted! Have a happy weekend, and talk to you soon!

Some New Things...

Hello! I was at the Teacher's Convention in AC Thurs and Fri, just dying to play with some of my new stamps that came in the mail earlier this week, but duty does come first...anyways, it was a great time, with lots of free stuff and awesome workshops! I swear my fingers were itching to stamp, and I finally got to yesterday and this evening for a bit! (Breaking last night to see Bon Jovi at the Rock...ahh the last night of 10 sold out concerts, crazy, but awesome!!!!!!! Who says you can't go home? Jersey is always proud to be the home state of Mr. Bon Jovi!)

It was love at first sight when I saw the Elzybells and I knew that I HAD to have them. I promptly ordered like 10 of them! They are too cute to resist! The stamps out now are for winter and the holidays, but some of them can even be used for baby (second card) or other occasions.

The top card uses the Z-fold technique which Beate spotlighted in her sketch last week, I think it was. When it is closed, the girls sit underneath the flower and you can only see the word "bright".

I have been admiring the Hanna Stamps lately, and caved in one evening when I was exhausted from conferences and report cards and open school day planning and said to myself, you deserve it! Well, the next day I found the Elzybells and thought I deserved that too...I better watch myself before I start getting things I don't deserve! :)
She is just too cute with her little star on top of the tree...
Enjoy and maybe talk to you later this week!